The more you know God, the more you will trust God and the more obedient you will be to Him. It took me a number of years to learn this. I previously concentrated and focused more on my job than on God.

I became so focused on production and profits that it became almost a point of obsession. The world might view this as healthy, but in some respects it is just the opposite. You may know business people who are so fixed on success that they put the bottom line over the needs of their workers, society, the environment, or anything else that may stand in their way. I was never that extreme but I know managers who were.

Whether you work in a large organization or small, if the bottom line is the only measure of success, then every manager, supervisor and employee is constantly under the gun to make a profit. And this includes us Christians in management positions.

It is difficult for a ‘worldly’ manager to possess the incentive to develop compassion for workers, society, the environment, or anything else that may threaten a company’s profit. Without this civic-minded or compassionate attitude, it paves the way for managers to become aggressive in their pursuit of a fat black bottom line. Aggressive people are sometimes reviled, yet at the same time they are often admired, respected, and lavishly rewarded.

One can easily point to any number of aggressive people who have achieved wealth and position with few, if any, undesirable side effects. Their philosophy can be summed up with “The marketplace is a jungle! It’s survival of the fittest, or the most capable.”

Too many Christians believe that unless they live and work as the world does, they will be at a disadvantage. Some claim that instead of using biblical principles and standards, they have no choice but to be aggressive and to do whatever it takes to survive in today’s workplace. As far as they are concerned, survival in the workplace jungle demands that managers be both ruthless and aggressive. Christian managers who separate their spiritual lives from the workplace must address the question of ruthlessness from a “bottom line” perspective.

Is there a difference between being aggressive and assertive? Let me interject a fine distinction between being aggressive and assertive. Aggressiveness employs a combative attitude. Its means are severe and intense. The goal is the all in all. The aggressive person mows down anyone or anything that gets in the way of reaching the goal. I see Donald Trump as this kind of a manager.

Assertiveness, however, is boldness or confidence. The way one reaches the goal is as important as reaching the goal, but not at the expense of hurting others or utilizing questionable tactics. Being in a large corporation and overseeing a number of people can be like working in a jungle. I wanted to be a Christian assertive manager.

How does one focus on God and not on one’s career? After 29 years, I felt lead by God to start my own business. With no income and no guarantees, it required complete dependence on God. My focus became more on God for guidance and trusting in Him, than on my own past experiences and ability. If God had led me to change and start my business, He would help me build it and He did. The more the business grew, the more I realized God had made it happen. My relationship with God and my focus on Him continued to grow.

How important is success to you? You must first define what success means to you. Is it living and working to please God and to please others? What is more important: accumulating a lot of stuff, or seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Is wealth and material goods your goal, or are they the by-product of serving God and putting Him first? Christ was the most powerful person ever to live. What was most important to Him? Was it His mission to gain fame and notoriety, or to set an example that others could follow? He is our example! We were placed on this earth to live by that example and to lead in changing the hearts of others that they too might be Christian examples.

One of my best decisions was to put God first and focus on His will for my life. God promises to give us peace and prosperity if we will live according to His purpose. Your life will change when you allow God to help you succeed and realize that He is blessing you. Let God help you succeed!