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

Great words for a business owner “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away”. I wonder if Kenny Rogers knew those words would matter to us. I would never gamble; the Lord is very clear this is not on His list of actions appropriate for His followers.

However, this sneaky little act of gambling is so prevalent in most, if not all, types of business ventures. You buy and invest money into the unknown, hoping the cards that are flipped over will pay off. Okay you say, “Hey, I knew what I was getting to when I bought this business, I did all my due diligence before I signed the dotted line.” That’s wisdom, and if you have done that, you are smarter than most. There is always an element of gambling in business, be it the economic climate, supply chain issues, staffing issues; no business owner can read the future.

So, when do you hold onto a business? The answer is simple, when God is blessing the work of your hands.

I refer to the “know when to fold them” as it’s time to sell; you have taken the business as far as God wanted you to. Signs for this are things like, your energy level can’t keep up with what the business needs. Your business needs to move into the next season and God has clearly showed you that you don’t have the finances or mental capacity to take it where God has planned for it.

Then there is “know when to walk away”. This is the hardest season of all. Our business becomes an extension of who we are; it would be like giving up a piece of us to walk away. Just the thought of all the work you put in that you feel would be wasted.

All these levels of discernment require truly listening to God’s voice and finding wise counsel.

I want to leave you with some thoughts about walking away from your business and closing the doors. There are some essential purposes for struggles and trials in our businesses; mountains are meant for God to move them. You maybe tired, mentally and emotionally struggling, you may even be broken. But before you remedy it with walking away, ask yourself, “Have I done all God wanted me to do?” Sometimes we walk away just before the fruit of our labor has had time to ripen. May I suggest before you walk away, spend time with God and His word. Many great people of the Bible would have loved to walk away, Joseph, Moses, Noah, Mary, Deborah, Esther. Maybe you will find truths in those stories and your business will no longer be a gamble. God will show you when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. My God moves mountains!