Written surveys were given to over 100 attendees of CPR’s monthly luncheon, about 25 attendees of the Ponte Vedra Business Fellowship, and about 45 attendees of the Jacksonville Business Fellowship weekly breakfast meetings. Respondents gave 213 individual things which can be done to ensure or influence success.

The survey showed that 54% mention prayer as most important for business success. Ten percent said you must demonstrate integrity and be honest. Six percent said you must set a good example and network effectively.

The survey asked respondents to rank three types of prayer, (1) one-on-one between you and God, (2) praying in a group and (3) prayer by others on you/your company’s behalf. Fifty-nine percent ranked one-on-one (individual prayer) as most important. Twenty-one percent thought praying in a group was most important. Twenty percent ranked prayer by others first.

Prayer resources include Unveiled Prayer Ministries, a local ministry singularly dedicated and committed to intercessory prayer, and a nursing home ministry called Christian Compassion Ministries. Elderly believers in nursing homes are eager to serve as prayer warriors.

Contacts: Unveiled Prayer Ministries, P.O. Box 7119, Orange Park, FL 32073, call Karen Torley at (904) 278-0217. Christian Compassion Ministries, P.O. Box 331583, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233, call Rev. John Dawson at (904) 840-2725

"God created all commerce on earth for two reasons," Paxson said, "One is to feed and clothe His people, and the other is to fund The Great Commission."

Individual tithing to a church is wonderful, he said, but it is only the tip of what could be accomplished if Christ-centered companies made a full commitment to Kingdom-oriented goals.

"We have always seen tithing at one level, where all of this commerce floated down to a paycheck and 10 percent of that was supposed to be tithed," Paxson said. "But you take that 10 percent way back up to the gross, and it is a whole other number."

Paxson believes people who tithe properly have a fuller life - not a richer life, necessarily, but a fuller life. "Take the same principle, gross or net, into a career or business," he said, "How much money would be available if every business in America tithed 10 percent of it's gross to The Great Commission? There aren't enough zeroes in any calculator in the America to figure out how much money would add up annually."

"With that money, what could you do? Well, you could certainly spread the Word. But you could also properly feed, clothe, provide medical care, and put a home over somebody's head in every case in the world."

In addition to a personal tithe, Paxson believes business should give from whatever resources they have available. "I don't think you have to tithe the 10 percent cash gross," he said. "I think you have to tithe part of your capital, part of your profits, part of your management's time to something the Holy Spirit calls you to do."

"If I went to take a piece of my commerce, some capital, some profits, some manpower hours and some management skills, and devote it to some project that the Holy Spirit would lead me to, what would God do for my business, if it were directed from the heart?"

Paxson believes God "uses individual people to do individual things, so He is going to use people, not an organization." But, he said, it is up to those individuals to commit the resources available through their organizations and to ask this essential question: "What did He choose for my company to do?"

(Compliments of Rutherford Publishing, www.RPublish.com)