Have I Not Commanded You? For Faith-Filled Entrepreneurs

This morning, during my time in the Word, God stopped me in my tracks.

I was reading through Joshua when a phrase jumped off the page and lodged itself deep in my spirit. You probably know it well.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you?

Not suggested. Not recommended.

Commanded.

And I felt like God was speaking directly to me. "Ant, have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous?" I heard it loud and clear. And I believe this word isn't just for me. It's for every believer stepping into this new season - especially those of us navigating the often turbulent waters of entrepreneurship.

The Command Behind the Call

There's something powerful about the way God phrases this. He doesn't start with the instruction. He starts with a question. Have I not commanded you?

It's almost like God is saying, "Why are you hesitating? Why are you second-guessing? Didn't I already tell you to be strong and courageous?"

Joshua was standing at the edge of something massive. Moses had died. The people of Israel were looking to him for leadership. The promised land was ahead, but so were many well protected cities and enemies. Everything in the natural said this was going to be hard.

And God's response? Be strong. Be courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be discouraged.

Why? Because "the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

The promise isn't that the path will be easy. The promise is that we won't walk it alone.

A Word for Entrepreneurs of Faith

If you're running a business, building something from the ground up, or stewarding the entrepreneurial gifts God has placed in your hands, you know the challenges. The uncertainty. The moments when fear knocks loud on the door of your mind.

There will be distractions. Many of them. Voices pulling you in different directions. Opportunities that look shiny but lead you away from your calling. Trends that promise success but require you to compromise the foundation of your faith.

We need to be focused. Not in a narrow, limited way - God's purposes are limitless, after all. He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. His provision has no limit. But we need our focus fixed on Him and the path He's set before us.

Think of it like a horse with blinkers. The blinkers aren't there to limit where the horse can go. They're there to keep the horse from being distracted by things on either side. The race is still ahead. The possibilities are still vast. But the focus stays clear.

That's what I believe God is calling us to in this season. Clear focus. Eyes fixed on Him. Not swayed by every new methodology or trending approach that promises quick results.

The Pull Away from True North

Here's something I've noticed. The entrepreneurial space is full of voices. Some helpful. Many not.

There's a whole movement built around manifesting success, putting your intentions "out to the universe," visualising your goals into existence through sheer force of positive thinking. Personal development gurus tell us we hold all the power within ourselves. Just believe hard enough, speak it into being, align your energy, and the universe will provide.

Can I be honest? Every time I hear someone talk about putting things "out to the universe," I smile a little. Because we know something they don't.

The One who created the universe is the One we have direct relationship with.

We don't need to send our hopes into the cosmic void and hope something picks them up. We have access to the throne room of the Creator God. The One who spoke the heavens into being. The One who knows the end from the beginning. The One who, according to His Word, not only provides what we need but delights to give us the desires of our hearts.

"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Not the universe. The Lord. And notice the order - delight in Him first. The desires follow.

Staying in Step with the Spirit

Paul writes to the Galatians…

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

Keep in step. There's movement implied here. We're going somewhere. We're building something. But we're not charging ahead on our own steam. We're matching our pace to His.

I speak from my own personal persuasion here, but I know all of us as entrepreneurs, we're often wired for action - see a problem, fix it - spot an opportunity, chase it - feel the pressure, push harder. But Spirit-filled entrepreneurship looks different. It's responsive, not reactive. It's led, not driven.

Keeping in step with the Spirit means sometimes slowing down when everything in us wants to speed up. It means waiting on God and His timing when the world says act now. It means saying no to good opportunities because they're not God opportunities.

This isn't about being passive or lacking ambition. It's about ensuring our ambition is aligned with His purposes. It's about building on His foundation, not our own understanding.

Worship as a Way of Working

Colossians gives us a framework…

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do - including the emails, the spreadsheets, the difficult conversations, the late nights getting the product right, the early mornings showing up again - work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord. Because you are.

If God has given you a gift of entrepreneurship to have an impact in the world, to make money to resource His Kingdom and to provide opportunities and employment to others, this is your mission field. This is your calling.

This thinking transforms everything. Your business isn't just a business, it's an act of worship. Your stewardship of money, your attention to quality, your treatment of customers and employees - all of it becomes service to Christ.

When we see our entrepreneurship through this lens, we're less likely to be swayed by shortcuts that compromise integrity. We're less tempted to chase metrics that don't matter eternally. We're more grounded in the why behind what we do.

The Tough Seasons Require This

Let's be honest though. Staying focused on God in business isn't always easy.

When cash flow is tight, it's tempting to grasp at anything that might help. When a competitor seems to be winning by cutting corners, it's hard not to question your approach. When the algorithms change, the economy shifts, or circumstances outside your control threaten what you've built, fear has a way of rising up.

This is exactly why Joshua 1:9 matters. This is why it's a command, not a suggestion.

Be strong. Not in your own strength - that runs out. Be strong in Him. Draw from His endless supply.

Be courageous. Not reckless courage that ignores wisdom. But the settled courage that comes from knowing who walks with you.

Do not be afraid. Fear is a liar. It magnifies problems and minimises God. Don't let it drive your decisions.

Do not be discouraged. The journey is long. There will be setbacks. But discouragement is not from Him.

Why? Because the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Into the new market. Through the difficult negotiation. Across the scary financial threshold. Into the territory that feels too big for you.

He's already there.

Your Source of Strength

Here's what I've learned. I can be strong and courageous if - and only if - I'm filled with the Holy Spirit. If I'm walking in step with what He wants me to do. My own resolve runs dry. My own courage fails. But His Spirit in me? That's unlimited.

Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. Only then were they to go out and do what He had called them to do. The early church didn't launch a successful ministry through their own cleverness. They were filled with the Spirit and let Him lead.

The same is true for us. The entrepreneurial gifts God has given you - the vision, the ability to create, to solve problems, to build - these were never meant to operate independently from Him. They're meant to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

Matthew puts it simply…

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Seek first. Not seek eventually. Not seek when things get hard. First. Before the business plan. Before the growth strategy. Before the next launch.

His kingdom. His righteousness. His way of doing things.

And then? All these things will be given to you as well. Not because you've earned them through perfect strategy. But because you've positioned yourself under His blessing by putting Him first.

A Call for This Season

I believe this is a call for all of us as we step into this new season.

Stay in step with the Creator God who has all power. He is all sufficient. His provision is limitless.

Don't be swayed by new age thinking dressed up in entrepreneurial clothing. Don't put your hopes in "the universe" when you have access to the One who made it. Don't chase formulas for success that leave out the most important factor - His presence and His leading.

The world has plenty of advice for building a business. Some of it is wise. Much of it ignores the most important things.

But you have something different. You have a God who commands you to be strong and courageous - not because the path is easy, but because He walks it with you. You have His Spirit to guide you. You have His Word to anchor you. You have His promises to sustain you.

Be focused this season. Not narrowly focused in a way that limits possibility - His purposes are limitless. But focused on Him. Fixed on His calling. Clear about whose voice you're following.

And when fear rises, when discouragement whispers, when distractions multiply, remember the question He asks.

Have I not commanded you?

Yes, Lord. You have. And by Your Spirit, we will be strong. We will be courageous. We will not be afraid. We will not be discouraged.

Because You are with us wherever we go.