BOLD Business

Over the years Elon Musk founded PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX, Zip2 and X.com. He’s also the chairman of SolarCity and co-chairman of OpenAI. He’s a very busy and very successful man (worth over $13 Billion).

So what drives him? According to Musk himself, it’s this:

“I didn’t go into the rocket business, the car business, or the solar business thinking this is a great opportunity. I just thought, in order to make a difference, something needed to be done. I wanted to have an impact. I wanted to create something substantially better than what came before.”

Elon Musk is driven by making a difference, having an impact and doing something substantially better. Elon Musk is all about being BOLD in business.

BOLD Prayers

This year, I’m all about BOLD in 2016 – prayers, dreams and goals. I realize the key is BOLD prayers. What is a bold prayer? A bold prayer is one that makes a difference, has an impact and makes things substantially better (key word is substantially).

Are you praying bold prayers?

As BOLD is my Word of the Year, I realize I’m not good at being bold – especially with prayers. I tend to play things safe…better, but not substantially better.

What is a BOLD Prayer?

The romance between Isaac and Rebekah is beautiful, though not one we understand living in the West. Isaac’s father, Abraham, sends his trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant promised to find a wife from Abraham’s people (not a Canaanite woman) and to bring her to Isaac (Isaac must stay in Canaan).

When the servant shows up to Abraham’s hometown, this is his prayer (Genesis 24:12-15):

12And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

15Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.

This is a BOLD prayer – substantially better. Here are two ways I am praying BOLD in 2016.

1. Ask for success.

Notice how the servant begins his prayer. He asks for success.

Too often we pray asking for success if God wants it. Doesn’t God want us to be successful? Everything He puts his hand to is successful, and we are made in God’s image!

When you ask something of God, be BOLD! Pray for success. Believe God wants it for you as much as you want it for you.

2. Be specific.

Abraham’s servant knows he is searching for a needle in a haystack. How can he possibly choose the right person when he knows no one in this town? So, he prays a specific bold prayer.

“May she not just get me a drink, but water all my camels.”

By reading the entire story, we know he has 10 camels. A quick Google search tells me a camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. That’s up to 300 gallons of water this servant is asking for. Another Google search tells me a gallon of water is about 8 pounds. This servant is asking for a literal ton of water.

I hope Rebekah had help.

That’s BOLD (it’s substantially more than just a drink for himself).

Here’s the beauty. When his prayer is answered, there are no questions to ask. He knows God has sent the perfect woman.

And how awesome is God? Before the servant finishes praying, God answered him.

Be BOLD!

Over the last several weeks, I’m sure many of you made a list of goals or dreams. I encourage you to pray them. Ask God to give you those things. Be specific in your request, and pray for success.

God wants to bless you. Will you be bold?