As Fat Tuesday celebrations wind down and Ash Wednesday approaches, many of us are contemplating what Lent will look like this year. The season offers a beautiful opportunity to deepen our faith journey—but have you ever considered how the Lenten Pillars might transform your business too?
For faithful entrepreneurs, the Lenten pillars of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving offer powerful frameworks that can strengthen both your spiritual life and your business practices. When we integrate our faith into our work, we honor God through the very gifts He’s provided to make our businesses possible.
Let’s explore how these ancient practices can bring renewed purpose and clarity to your entrepreneurial journey.
Prayer: Cultivating Divine Partnership
Prayer in business isn’t just about asking for success or guidance during challenges (though those prayers certainly have their place!). It’s about recognizing your business as a collaboration with God—a partnership where your talents meet divine inspiration.
Practical Application:
Set aside 10 minutes at the beginning of each workday to pray specifically about your business. This isn’t just “God bless my business” territory—get specific! Pray about upcoming decisions, challenging client relationships, team dynamics, or areas where you need wisdom.
Imagine keeping a small prayer journal in your desk drawer. Each morning, you write down three business matters you’re entrusting to God that day. Over time, that journal becomes a remarkable record of answered prayers and unexpected blessings—a testimony to God’s faithfulness in your professional life. And yes, when I say “unexpected blessings,” that includes the client who finally paid their invoice from six months ago. (Prayer works in mysterious ways, especially when it comes to accounts receivable!)
When prayer becomes foundational to your business decisions, your brand voice naturally reflects an authenticity and purpose that resonates with clients and customers. They may not know you started your day in prayer, but they’ll feel the difference in how you show up.
Fasting: Creating Space for Clarity
In Lent, fasting helps us create space to hear God’s voice more clearly. In business, “fasting” can take many forms—all designed to strip away distractions and refocus on what truly matters.
What might business fasting look like? Consider:
Fasting from Noise:
Reduce the constant stream of industry news, competitor updates, and social media that often creates more anxiety than insight. Choose one day a week to disconnect from these inputs and listen to your own God-given intuition about your business. Your Instagram feed will survive without you for 24 hours, I promise. (Though your algorithm might go through its own wilderness experience.)
Fasting from Comparison:
For 40 days, commit to focusing exclusively on your unique calling rather than measuring yourself against competitors. When you’re tempted to check what others are doing, redirect that energy into refining your own distinct offering.
Fasting from Hurry:
Business culture often celebrates hustle above all else. Try slowing down one key process each week—perhaps taking twice as long for strategic planning or client conversations. Watch how this intentional slowing creates space for deeper insights.
Picture a marketing director who decides to “fast” from rapid-fire decision-making during Lent. Instead of immediately jumping to solutions, which doesn’t always yield the best results (like when Peter quickly denied Christ when asked about him, three times), she implements a 24-hour prayer window before making any significant decision. Her leadership becomes more thoughtful, and campaigns improve in both creativity and effectiveness. Turns out, the Holy Spirit might be the ultimate creative director—and He doesn’t charge rush fees.
When your brand reflects this kind of purposeful restraint, it stands out in a marketplace crowded with noise and hasty promises. Clients sense the depth behind your work—a depth that comes from making space for God’s influence.
Almsgiving: Generosity as Business Strategy
The Lenten practice of almsgiving invites us to share our resources generously. For entrepreneurs, this pillar offers perhaps the most direct application to business practices.
Almsgiving in business extends beyond financial donations (though those certainly matter). Consider:
Generous Expertise:
Can you offer a portion of your knowledge freely? Perhaps through a workshop for struggling small businesses, mentoring sessions, or creating valuable content that serves your audience without expectation of return.
Generous Pricing:
Could certain services be made available on a sliding scale? Might you create opportunities for those who couldn’t otherwise afford your offerings?
Generous Recognition:
How might you shine light on the contributions of employees, collaborators, and even competitors? Generosity of spirit creates an abundant culture around your brand.
Imagine a consultant who dedicates the 40 days of Lent to offering free 30-minute strategy sessions specifically for nonprofit organizations. While this practice certainly doesn’t maximize short-term profit (and might make their accountant break out in hives), it creates a reputation for servant leadership that attracts values-aligned clients year-round. Their brand naturally communicates generosity without having to explicitly state it. After all, if Jesus could feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, surely we can spare a few hours of our expertise.
When generosity becomes woven into your business model, your brand naturally communicates abundance rather than scarcity. This distinctive quality resonates with clients who share your values and recognize authentic alignment between faith and practice.
Where Faith and Business Meet: Your Authentic Brand
When we integrate these Lenten pillars into our business practices, something remarkable happens: our brands begin to reflect our deepest values without forceful messaging. The alignment between faith and business becomes visible through action rather than mere words.
This intersection creates brands that stand out in the marketplace—not because they shout louder, but because they operate from a place of genuine purpose. Your audience can sense when a business is built on prayer, thoughtful restraint, and genuine generosity.
The beauty of bringing Lenten practices into your business is that it transforms work from a separate compartment of life into an extension of your faith journey. Your business becomes another way to glorify God through the gifts He’s given you.
Your Lenten Business Commitment
As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, I invite you to take a concrete step: Write out how you will apply the three pillars of Lent to your business during these 40 days. Be specific about your commitments to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in your professional life.
Once you’ve written these commitments, post them somewhere visible in your workspace. This visible reminder will help you maintain accountability and intentionality throughout the Lenten season. If you’d rather spend 40 days wandering in the desert than create another business plan, think of this as a spiritual strategy document instead—one that won’t require a single PowerPoint slide.
My prediction? By Easter, you’ll find that these practices have not only deepened your faith but have also brought new clarity and purpose to your business. The pillars that have guided faithful people for centuries have much to teach us as modern entrepreneurs.
I’d love to hear how you’ll be applying these Lenten pillars to your business this season. Reply to this newsletter and share your commitment—we grow stronger when we journey together.
May this Lenten season bring unexpected blessings to both your faith and your business!
