Too often, we use God as a “catastrophic consultant,” meaning we fall to our knees when something suddenly goes wrong. We only turn to Him in the rough patches.

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in your business? If you just had that one system, that one lead generation method, you’d be good to go. Well, most of the time, when we feel stuck, it’s because we feel alone or think we don’t have any options.

A while back, I had decided to work with a coach who was waaayyy more expensive than any other coach I’d ever paid for. I knew I was ok, but I also knew that the business and I would be in trouble if I suddenly lost a client or something significant happened. You see, I’ve been at that point of my back against the wall, not knowing if I would have enough money to pay my employees or even the bills.

When you feel stuck, you feel alone, and you don’t have any options. When our options open up, we don’t feel nearly as stuck. If you’re feeling alone, that’s just your Inner Dream Stealer, that negative voice in your head that tells us we can’t do whatever we’re attempting to do.

It’s important not to give that fellow what he wants, though. He wants us to give up, hide our gifts from God, and part ways with Him forever. Yet we know better than that, right ladies? So first, let’s break down those barriers by digging in deep, then we’ll take it all to God in our Daddy-Daughter time.

# 1 - DISCOVER - Identify The Main Issue (hint: it's probably not what you think it is.)

Scriptures teach of opposition in all things - we need to know ‘stuck’ and to appreciate the freedom and feeling of being ‘unstuck.’

I’m reminded of a few verses of scripture in Proverbs:

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.

Now, let’s break that down. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart…” We go through the wilderness to learn to trust Him, not ourselves. Too often, we use God as a “catastrophic consultant,” meaning we fall to our knees when something suddenly goes wrong. We only turn to Him in the rough patches. We must remember that we’re not meant to work our businesses alone. We’re meant to co-create alongside God.

What may be keeping us from trusting God? There’s always a surface-level answer, but hang with me here for a few because I want you to go deeper. At least 3-5 levels deep. You may be asking how you can do that. It goes a little something like this:

LEVEL ONE: I feel stuck because I don’t have an excellent lead-generation strategy.

But why?

↪LEVEL TWO: Because I never learned lead generation.

But why?

↪LEVEL THREE: Because it’s not part of my process.

But why?

↪LEVEL FOUR: Because I don’t want to learn it.

But why?

↪LEVEL FIVE: Because it looks complicated and I’m afraid I won’t be good at it

Ahhh… Now we’re talking! The “real” reason... → FEAR.

Take the time to sit down and DISCOVER, “What has me stuck in my business?” Go 3-5 layers (questions) deep, and when you get down to what you probably don’t want to admit - the embarrassing or challenging, you must acknowledge.

Acknowledgment Is Truth

“In all ways, acknowledge Him…” Acknowledge things in ourselves so we can acknowledge things about God and the path He’s calling us down. God can provide you with all the lead-generation tools in the world, but they won’t do you any good if you are holding yourself back from using them (i.e., Fear).

Do Your Part...

I’m reminded of this story… A man hears there will be flooding in his area, so he immediately drops to his knees, begging God to save him. He clearly hears God’s voice telling him he will be saved.

A short while later, friends evacuating the area drive by and offer to take him with them. He says thanks, but that God will save him.

Some neighbors pass by in a boat a little while later, offering to take him, as the water has now reached the mid-point of most of the homes. He just says thanks, that God will save him.

Finally, he’s up on his roof with the water levels rising all around him. A helicopter comes by, but again he refuses help, saying thank you but that God will save him.

Well, naturally, he drowns.

When he arrives in heaven, the first thing he does is ask God why He didn’t save him. God tells the man, I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter - what more could you ask for?

The moral of the story? God will do His part - We must do our part. We’re not in business alone and we do have many options, though Satan will tell us the opposite. As we get closer to God, He will get closer to us.

James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

That closeness matters. As we strengthen the belief God wants to help us, we will want to spend more time with God. When we spend more time with God, He will open our eyes to see more options before us.

# 2 - DISCUSS - Daily Daddy Daughter Time

In business we know to spend time on our IPAs - those income-producing activities that keep our businesses in the black - those tasks that impact our bottom lines most.

But what about SPAs - Spiritual-Producing Activities? We need these in place to stay close to God so we can build the business in His heavenly way.

Here’s how I structure my Daily Daddy Daughter Time:

Start With Prayer - ask specific questions to get specific answers. You’ll know what you need to bring to God in prayer after you’ve taken the time to go 3-5 layers deep on why things seem stuck in your business.

Gratitude - ask yourself, “What am I grateful for today?” Tune in to the answers God will provide by tapping into gratitude.

Concerns - write them down and bring them to God - lay them at His feet (Matthew 11:28) so you don’t have to carry that burden. You can start with “I’m concerned that/with…” Often, once you’ve released your stress by placing your burdens at His feet, you’ll find that you can see the solution.

Surrender - it’s easy to forget that God can make more out of your life and business than you can. While it’s important to remember that faith without works is dead, prioritizing works doesn’t mean we shouldn’t focus on faith. One of the best ways to demonstrate faith is to surrender the results to Him.

What will you surrender to show God that you trust Him to help fulfill the desires of your heart?

• Unhelpful habits?

• Are you letting frustration get the best of you?

Know that it’s ultimately in God’s hands. Remind yourself of your faith by surrendering to God’s perfect plan for you, little by little, every day.

God’s Message - Focus on what God’s message for you might be. Maybe it’s that you’re doing better than you think. Perhaps He just wants to tell you how proud He is of you for doing what you were called to do, or maybe there is something He wants you to remember or is calling you to do. Just ask Him, “What is your message for me today?”

Priorities and Productivity - What you are called to be or do. Ask God what three things He wants you to get done today to fulfill His purpose so you can understand His priorities for you that day.

Study the Word - we get to know people by how they speak, so what better way to get to know God than through His Word?

It’s easy to reach the point where we feel stuck in our businesses. We look all around us and can’t seem to come up with a way out, no matter what we do. Maybe that’s because we’re using God as a “catastrophic consultant” rather than a true business partner.

👉The good news is that it’s also relatively easy to get “unstuck”!!!

#1 - Get to the bottom of why you feel stuck by really digging in deep, 3-5 layers

#2 - Take it to the Lord in an intentional way, with Daily Daddy Daughter Time.

Repeat this process every single day, and over time it will start to loosen the bonds of stuck-ness, you’ll begin to see solutions, and you’ll realize that you’re never alone when you have God as your partner.

Feeling stuck in your business can be discouraging, but it doesn't have to be permanent. It's essential to identify the main issue that is holding you back, even if it means acknowledging your fears. Instead of using God as a "catastrophic consultant," we should learn to trust Him with all our heart and co-create with Him in our businesses.

Remember that we are not meant to work alone, and we have many options available to us if we draw closer to God. So, let us do our part and let God do His, knowing that He will direct our paths if we trust Him.

Some things to ponder:

What other ways are there to take matters to the Lord besides Daily Daddy-Daughter Time?

Did you know that your Father, God, loves the sound of your voice? Try singing if prayer is uncomfortable for you at first or during a difficult time.

Further Reading:

Matthew 6:33 - Birds don’t worry, and the flowers are taken care of - why do you think God would want to bless you any less?

Additional Tools:

The Faith Strategy Business Planner