I’ve been doing business in my own strength for a lot of years, honestly thinking that I was consulting with God, but not always and not super consistently. And usually only when things got hard, or when I felt confused.

But this year, I really want things to be different.

Even if you’re not a follower of Jesus yet, or you don’t think this God thing will ever be for you. I truly encourage you to approach this topic with an open mind. I think this will resonate with your deepest desires for finding purpose and peace.

I’ve really learned that doing business God’s way isn’t about money, success, or even personal happiness.

It’s about seeking a deeper, more meaningful connection with our Creator, so that we can learn to love ourselves and others more deeply, just as God does.

In the first episode of this Goal-Setting Installment called “Goals Simplified”, I am sharing my faith journey, and how you can set some similar goals towards exploring and cultivating a deeper connection with God.

For my own business journey and story, I really attribute my relationship with God to the fact that my business even exists because I would not have done this on my own. One of the biggest moments in my life that I feel like, has changed my business was allowing the Spirit to lead me into creating this community I now have the privilege of running.

To start off my faith story, I became a Christian at the age of 8. And while I always went to church as a young child, and I called myself a Christian, I really didn’t know what it meant to own my ‘own’ faith until about the age of 24.

My husband and I started attending our current church, Rock Point Church, right after our daughter was born, and that really changed everything for me, and really put into perspective what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Now, I have 2 main goals as a homeschool, business owner mama:

1. to teach my kids how to love God, and how to have a deep, intimate relationship with Him.
2. how to love others, and how to be a kind, honest, reliable, loving, compassionate human.

I truly believe exploring and cultivating deep close connection with God is the priority we should all be reaching for.

Even if you’re not a Christian, or have tried the ‘Christian’ thing before, I want to urge you to gain a clear picture of who Jesus is and what Grace means and how it can radically change your life.

The reality is that we are all sinners, and we have all fallen short of God’s glory and His standards, and we cannot earn our way to God’s love.

God loves us no matter what.

When you become a Christian, and when you give your life to Jesus, it’s not the ‘one and done’ thing where you’re like, ‘oh, okay, cool, like I’m saved. Now I can just do whatever I want how I’ve always been living.’

There is a part of you that has to die to yourself. And you have to say ‘like, ‘I’m no longer who I was. I am going to lay everything that I thought I wanted, and everything that I thought that I needed, I’m going to lay that down at Jesus’s feet, and I am going to trust that He is all I need.’

And so being a Christian is a journey. It is a daily decision to follow Jesus. And so if you’ve ever been hurt by someone in the church, or someone that called themselves a Christian, I just want you to know that when you become a Christian, that doesn’t automatically make you perfect.

It’s possible that you have heard misinformation, it’s possible that you have been hurt by somebody in the Church, and so I don’t want you to discredit God and who he is because of the way that he was portrayed.

Facts About The Christian Faith

1. The Bible has more manuscript evidence from earlier periods, closer to the time of writing than any other ancient document.

2. Numerous archaeological findings have confirmed the existence of places, names, and events mentioned in the Bible.

3. Even though the Bible was written over 1500 years by 40 different authors across different cultures and on multiple continents, the Bible’s message remains consistent throughout. Its survival and unaltered state through various cultural and historical upheavals adds to its credibility.

4. There have been numerous prophecies that have been claimed to be fulfilled from the Old Testament, all the way to the New Testament.

5. Certain historical facts and figures that have been mentioned in the Bible have been verified by other historical records from the same era, which provides a secondary testimony to the Bible’s narrative.

What blows my mind is the fact that the Bible is historically accurate, the most historically accurate findings that they have in history. And so we know that the Bible is true.

A book I adore for questions on the Christian Faith is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I am gifting a copy of this to the first 5 people who reach out to me!

For those of you that already know the Lord and love the Lord, I would urge you to consider this year a few new questions: How close are you with God? How connected is He with your business?

I really truly believe that we have so much great power within us with God on our side. And I’m just wondering how many of us are underutilizing his strength and his power.

I also would encourage those of you believers to also be bold and share on your platform. Because I think we need to stop being afraid of turning away people who might not believe what we believe, and look at it as an opportunity because they may never hear the truth if it’s not from us.

The ABCs of How To Become a Christian:

A: Admit

Admit you’ve made mistakes and ask God for forgiveness

Romans 3:23 says, “For all of us have sinned and become short of the glory of God.”

So we first have to admit that we’re sinners and ask God for forgiveness.

B: Believe

Believe that Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins, and that He rose again

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

C: Confess

Confess that God is your Savior and commit to following Him.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please reach out to me with any questions you have and I’m truly happy to answer and talk through them with you!

Now transitioning into how God has impacted my business:

I feel like I have been doing business with God, but kind of with him as a sidekick, if needed. I thought that I was consulting God, but I really wasn’t treating Him, like the CEO of my business. I was doing a lot of things in my own strength, and not consulting Him.

What I realized was that I was doing business the world’s way, and comparing my idea of success to the world’s idea of success, especially regarding money and how much money I was making.

I’ve always had to fight against the hustle culture, and my friend Jillian who hosts The Grace-Filled CEO Podcast reminded me that sometimes doing things God’s way doesn’t make sense.

That Kingdom work is different than Worldly work.

Then I heard this podcast series called Hustle Culture versus Kingdom Culture. And it’s a podcast called Writing Off Social which spoke to the same heart there of kingdom work being different than worldly work. (Episodes 14, 15, and 16 of Season 2!)

It was an eye-opener and game-changer for me.

And from that point forward, I knew what my number 1 goal for 2024 was going to be:

To lead a business that is centered around God and His direction for the business. And I want to lead with Kingdom culture in mind.

Here are a few books for a Kingdom and God centered business:

1. Grace Over Grind
2. The Prayer Powered Entrepreneur

My Specific Goals for 2024:

1. Start Everyday With Jesus

Whether that is reading my Bible, doing a Bible study, journaling, praying, etc. I want to create habits that stick each day.

2. Surround Myself with More Kingdom Entrepreneurs

Things like spirit led business books, more Christian podcasts, watching more YouTube videos that are specific to Kingdom culture and doing business God’s way.

I also want to connect with more like-minded entrepreneurs who also are followers of Jesus. I just want to immerse myself in that because when we do that, that is what we tend to become more like. So, I want to change my focus this year, from worldly things to Godly things.

Resources:

1. Grace Over Grind
2. The Prayer Powered Entrepreneur
3. Hustle Culture Vs. Kingdom Culture Podcast by Writing Off Social
4. The Grace-Filled CEO Podcast by Jillian Dolberry
5. Rock Point Church Podcast
6. Need support managing your time well and creating systems to streamline your Photography Business? Join the Efficient Mom Photographer (12 Week Group Coaching Program)
7. Message me on Voxer (My username is afreehan)
8. Join the Waitlist for my Free Masterclass, The Profit Shift: 3 Strategies to Optimize Your Limited Time and Maximize Your Revenue as a Mom
9. Have a question for me? Or a specific struggle you’re dealing with? I’ll address your question on the podcast. Submit your ‘Ask Ashley’ question here
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Goals Simplified Series:

1. Ep. 167. Goals Simplified – 5 Must-Have Goals for Mom Photographers in 2024
2. Ep. 168. The Goal that Changes Everything: Goals Simplified Part 2