Entrepreneur Intercessor

Join us as we discuss the surprising connection between entrepreneurship and intercession and how our identities as business owners are couched in the divine calling to "stand in the gap" for others. 

Based on a powerful model found in Ezekiel 22, we delve into the biblical archetype of the intercessor and how entrepreneurs mirror this role by advocating for their businesses, clients, and community. 

Enjoy. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:35

So today we're going to talk about how an entrepreneur all entrepreneurs are actually intercessors. We are the go-between. We're going to use Ezekiel, chapter 22 about standing in the gap and, by the way, we don't have our great baritone microphones that help our voices today, because we are on Zoom. I'm David and I'm traveling coaching in Mississippi. I've got a large company that I coach Jason and I absolutely love to in Mississippi. I've got a large company that I coach Jason and I absolutely love to coach, and we have a handful of clients that we do one-on-one coaching with, and so I wasn't able to get back into the studio and speak into the company today and I said, jason, we've got to knock this podcast out. So we're talking about how entrepreneurs are truly intercessors, and so we're going to walk you through. We're going to our passage of scripture is Ezekiel, chapter 22. And and this is a, this has been very impactful for Jason and me as we saw this in scripture, probably 15, 16, 17 years ago, as we were building our first business, and saw this in Ezekiel 22. And I was like Jason I think this is dude, this is great stuff. This is kind of like what we're supposed to be doing in the workplace, of course, spiritually, but then you know, of course, practically on where we're positioned as well, about standing in the gap. So, jason, why don't you kick us off? Yeah, okay. So let's just start with the scripture, because when we talk about an entrepreneur being an intercessor, we're talking about a gap stander, we're talking about a go-between. And in Ezekiel 2230, that famous verse, it says Behold, I searched for a man who would stand in the gap on behalf of the land that I should not destroy it, but I found none. A person who stands in the gap, that's an intercessor, it's a go-between. We see an example of this in Moses. Moses was an intercessor. You know the number of times that God wanted to destroy Israel, but did he? No, a lot of times, yeah, a lot of times, it's because Moses prayed and was like okay, god, yeah, I know they're idiots, but please would you not destroy them. And God didn't destroy them because Moses interceded. And when you intercede, then God looks at you and it's very favorable to his heart. Okay, when you intercede for someone, like when I pray for my kids, I'm interceding for them. I mean, you guys do the same thing for your kids. I'm standing between them and God and representing their case to him, like a lawyer would do to a judge. Okay, the lawyer, he's the guy who's interceding on behalf of his client to the judge and making his case.

Speaker 1: 3:13

God likes intercessors because it shows him that they're more concerned about others than themselves. I've said this before on my marriage podcast, beauty in Battle. I've said that when God gives you discernment about someone, it's not so that you can become negative and critical about them. It's so that you can intercede for them. That oftentimes God will show you someone's rear end, so to speak, and get it not so that you can be upset at them or gossip about it yeah, that's exactly right. But so that you have a clear direction on how to be upset at them or gossip about it yeah, that's exactly right, but so that you have a clear direction on how to intercede for them and when you intercede for others. Man, it moves God in a very powerful way. I mean, you guys remember the story of Job. He lost everything. Then his friends come in and they just bashed him to his face and then God obviously he rebuked everybody in the picture and ultimately then Job prayed for his friends, he interceded for them, basically asking for God to show them mercy for how they treated him. And it said, job's fortunes were restored when he prayed for his friends, so when he interceded for his friends. But now what we want to show you today, we're going to take a little different angle. We're not just going to talk about you being a prayer warrior for other people, although that is what an intercessor is. We're going to talk to you about how an entrepreneur, by the very nature, is an intercessor.

Speaker 1: 4:37

Let me start by giving you an example. David and I grew up on a. We grew up always taking our vacations to a farm in Midville, georgia, and our grandpa there was a tree farmer, but he had a bunch of other farmers there that he knew. He knew pig farmers and cattle farmers and dairy farmers and the guys who got there for crops and all sorts of stuff, and each one of them they had their own tractors, they had their trailers, they had all sorts of stuff. And what we remember from that is there were times, you know, each the tractor had a hitch on the back and and on the front of each of the piece of equipment that would attach to the tractor it also had a hitch, and both of them had holes in them. So the tractor's hitch had a hole in it and the trailer's hitch had a hole in it. And you know what they would do? They'd back that tractor up to the hitch of that trailer or the plow or whatever it was, and they would align those holes. And then what would they drop down in there? The linchpin, the linchpin, the linchpin is the same mindset, but that's what keeps the wheel onto an axle.

Speaker 1: 5:48

But specifically in this we're talking about a hitchpin. You know that hitchpin, it's dropped down into that hole and then you put the little clip over it and then guess what? You can go out there and get the work done. The two are connected. The gap then becomes secure. The gap was filled by the pin. Now, that hitch pin, you know what I mean. They're small and insignificant on their own. You could go buy a whole bag of hitch pins. They're not going to cost you a whole lot, but so long as they stay in the bag and they stay around each other, they're small and they're insignificant. The minute those suckers are dropped into the gap, that gap that they were created for, they move from small and insignificant to strong and indispensable. And that's what a entrepreneur is. That's what a gap stander is. That's what an intercessor does it fills that gap.

Speaker 1: 6:43

Okay, now here's the. Here's the really cool part about this the word entrepreneur itself. It's very interesting. The phrase entree is Latin for to go between. Okay, the phrase prende. So entree, prende.

Speaker 1: 7:01

The phrase prende comes from a French word that means to undertake, so an entrepreneur is a go-between. Who undertakes something is a person who enters into a problem and undertakes a solution. He is a go-between for people and their problems. So people would be like the tractor, problems would be like the trailer. What we do is we go between and we fill that gap so that we can bring a solution to the people for their problems. Or the problem could just be the need. Yeah, probably the problem, but there's a need, that's exactly right. So he sees the need. There's a need, that's exactly right. So he sees the need, creates the solution. This is how an entrepreneur is an intercessor by the very nature. Is that not crazy? The phrase entree to go between, phrase prende to undertake we go between people and their problems, or people and their needs, and we provide a solution. Boom, we fill the gap.

Speaker 1: 8:04

Let me give you an example of this for somebody who did this and I got this from a friend of mine in his book William Merrill Voorhees. He was an architect and God had called him to start a firm in Japan, an architectural firm in Japan, and he went there to actually he first went there to be a missionary to actually he first went there to be a missionary. So William H Voorhees, he's like he had a heart for the people of Japan and he wanted to disciple people in Japan and to lead them to the Lord. But while he was there he became concerned about all the earthquakes that were happening in Japan and when the earthquakes would happen, these buildings would literally just crumble, and so he was praying about that. So he's interceding for these people. God gave him a dream about spacers placed strategically in the foundations and the walls of the buildings. Okay, and from there Voorhees became the inventor of the earthquake proof building. So he started out as an architect and he had his own firm. Then he really felt called to be a missionary there to the people. So he went over to Japan and while he was there he saw all the problems that were happening with the earthquakes and buildings were collapsing. And God gave him and he began to pray about it. And God gave him a dream and he created the earthquake-proof building. Okay, there were also, at the same time, a lot of people over there who were getting sick, and so he took that to the Lord. And God gave him another dream and you know what he invented? Mentholatum, that vapor rub that people use today and they rub it on their chests to clear up their nasal passages for their colds.

Speaker 1: 9:51

So here is this guy who found himself as a missionary and an architect. He was an entrepreneur and an intercessor, and the minute he started interceding for the people, he looked at their problems, their tangible problems that they were having. God gave him the solution. He filled the gap, and then not only did he have a business wrapped around that, but he was also a missionary to these people. That's what God has called us to be. The entrepreneur is the intercessor. That's what God wants us to do, and step up our game.

Speaker 1: 10:21

So how do we apply this? Well, first you've got to know your identity, your identity as an entrepreneur. You're a minister, you're on mission, your work is worship. You are on mission, you are a missionary. But look, start with intercessory prayer for the people that God has called you to serve. Who has God called you to serve? Start praying for them, look at their problems, look at what they need. Ask God to give you a solution.

Speaker 1: 10:47

In doing that, you will be an entrepreneur. Then, ultimately, you're going to end up being a gap stander, which makes you their intercessor. You will be like that hitch pin small and insignificant. On your own you can't really do it. But the minute you stand in the gap, all of a sudden you become strong and indispensable. And when you become strong and indispensable for people in a business context, you'll never have to market Yep, you won't. Word of mouth will spread so fast All those Google reviews. You always have a job. That's exactly right. So there you go Entrepreneur, intercessor. I like that, jason. That wasn't half bad, okay. Chm has been a phenomenal go-between for us with our health needs and they sponsor our podcast, christian Healthcare Ministries. They are a phenomenal gap stander for the real problems of our health whenever we have major medical and all these issues, and so we're thankful for them. Expertownershipcom slash CHM. All right, jason, next week, do we know what we're covering next week? Nope, it's all liquid man. We'll figure it out.

Speaker 1: 12:00

And if you're not tuned into Living Among Lions. That's our other podcast, where we hit all the cultural issues and all those things. What does the Bible have to say about it? Tune into Living Among Lions In the meantime. Subscribe rate review If you like this. Hopefully you can send it to some friends and it's a blessing. That's what we want to do. We just want to be a blessing, we want to be salty Christians and that's why we designed this to keep it short and quick, to the point, because you're all entrepreneurs, you all got stuff to do. That's right. Listen to it on 1.75 speed. No, yeah, is that 1.75? Two speed would be a little too quick, man, because we already talked that fast. All right, god bless you guys. Go stand in the gap. Peace.