When I speak to people about the prospects of self-employment, they cite a desire to control their own future, get recognized for their own efforts and provide financial security as reasons why they want to start a business.
Sadly, it’s these very desires that can turn into idols.
In his book Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters, Timothy Keller gives a definition of what an idol is:
“An idol is something that we look to for things that only God can give.” (p 131)
Too many entrepreneurs worship their idols, looking at them to provide them with comfort and deliverance rather than turning to God. Theses idols provide a distorted view of success and regularly disappoints because the idol can never take the place of God.
Earlier, I shared one of the idols I face in my business. I’d like to expand on that and share 6 common idols entrepreneurs face. I’m calling them the 6 I’s (sounds like sick eyes when I say it quickly – which isn’t that far off).
Idol #1: Innovation – The quest to create something new and exciting
Developing new techniques or improving on existing ones are what drive many entrepreneurs. The biggest frustrations can become the best new product and entrepreneurs take on the risk to bring these new ideas and products to the market.
Innovation can become an idol when the entrepreneur focuses on it for their financial and material success. They pray, not to God to bless their efforts, but for the “thing” to work. They begin to focus on the innovation by spending a large amount of hours in office, thus spending more time with the creation than with the Creator.
Idol #2: Ideology -A point of view to make people stop and think
One of the ways to stand out in a noisy marketplace is to have an opinion. It’s even better if you have an opinion that goes against what everyone in your industry is saying. For example, as a virtual event expert, I know how complex and costly it is to set up a virtual event. I’m very vocal that people hire those who have expertise in setting up virtual events to do it for them. However, many still insist on doing it themselves and then reap the horrors that come with a poorly run, poorly executed virtual event.
There’s nothing wrong with having a strong opinion, but when that strongly held opinion prompts you to ridicule and bully others, you’re demonstrating that your point of view has become an idol. There was a point when my blog posts were starting to sound angry. I saw my love of outsourcing as a superior point of view and used my blog to bully others to delegate. Timothy Keller says in his book, Counterfeit Gods, that “if our [idol] is threatened in any way, our response is complete panic.”
And that’s what was happening to me. My idol, which in this case was my point of view, was being threatened by those who chose not to heed my advice. I got to the point where I stopped supporting other virtual event experts if they were in the business of teaching the virtual event process step-by-step. My idol was not only causing me to become fearful, but it was harming my business relationships.
Idol #3: Income – The amount of money you can make running your own business
God wants faith-led entrepreneurs to be wealthy because money in the right hands can be used for good. God wants to bless you with wealth so you can bless others. Jesus was blessed with a ministry that was financed by wealthy female widows (Luke 8:2-3) which helped Him spread the gospel far and wide.
So, money isn’t a bad thing. It’s the love of money that is (1 Timothy 6:10). Loving money is a clear sign that it has become an idol in your life. I liken this feeling to the days I was gambling in my late 20s (I’ve since been delivered, so don’t judge). I’d visit the casino at least once a month and play the lottery every week. At first, it was fun and I did win money. But eventually, I started to get angry whenever my numbers didn’t come up.
This feeling of anger and disappointment may happen whenever a launch of a coaching program, workshop or teleclass series didn’t go well. You were counting on a certain number of people to sign up and when that didn’t happen, you wondered if you should just pack it in and find a job. In this case, the money has become your idol because you look to it for your success instead of God.
Idol #4: Impact – Power, status and fame in the marketplace
So, your competitor just got another award for excellence in whatever. Did you send an email congratulating them on their award? Or, did you stew in jealousy wondering why you keep getting passed over? Being recognized for your talents by others is a wonderful thing, but when your entire self-esteem is wrapped up in getting awards, you have a serious idol on your hands.
In Psalms 62:5, the psalmist states “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him” (NLT). Whether human beings recognize your efforts or not, you should operate your business in a way that brings glory to God. While others may ignore you, rest assured that God sees everything you do.
Idol #5: Independence – The freedom to work from any place with anyone and on any project
I love my laptop style business. All I need is an Internet access and I’m connected to my team. The types of projects I choose to work on are those that do not cause stress to my freedom. Any project that disturbs my ability to work anytime, anywhere and with whom I choose is quickly abandoned. For example, if I have to stay tied to a city for a number of months due to a particular project, I don’t even consider it.
Freedom and independence can become an idol if you worship it despite your circumstances. For example, your business may not be doing well (and maybe hasn’t for a few months). Instead of looking for a job to make ends meet in the short-term, you fight with the people who love you and put up barriers so that it’s difficult for people to work with you.
Anyone that suggests that you get a job or take on projects in your business just to get the money to flow is seen as assaulting your freedom. Your independence has become an idol.
Idol #6: Indulgence – Satisfying the desires of the heart
There’s nothing wrong with pampering yourself with the things that you love. For example, Fridays are my day off and I do things that refresh and restore me. I may visit the spa, or I may reward myself with dinner at one of my favourite restaurants after completing a stressful project.
Indulgences become an idol if you work constantly just to satisfy them. This evil cycle of earning money to finance your indulgences actually leaves you feeling quite dissatisfied. Indulgences also prompt you to buy into a lifestyle that is neither real nor fulfilling.
I don’t know how many times I’ve seen sales pages of people standing in front of fancy cars or on a beach with their smiling families just to sell a $47 ebook. I imagine that their lifestyles (in some cases) have become so grandiose that supporting their indulgences is the only reason why they continue to operate their business.
So, What’s Next?
I trust that my outlining a few of the idols I’ve faced in my business are helping you to identify the ones in yours. In the conclusion to this series, I’ll share with you how to can move beyond these idols using an exercise that I used to reveal and overcome my own.
Please share your comments below.
