It is 2024 and it feels as if everyone got a memo that somehow passed me by. Everywhere I look, many apply the fake it until you make it approach. People project the image of affluence to others despite having very little in actual assets. Others are driving beautiful cars but only manage to do so because of debt. They drive them to project success and thus impact how others see and treat them.
Even businesses are not exempt from doing this. I've watched documentaries of businesses that folded up even though everyone else thought they were doing very well. In fact, the companies advertised themselves as flourishing when in actuality their financial books were in the red. This resulted in families being destroyed when staff lost jobs and customers were left holding the proverbial bag.
And this is a primary reason why the 'fake it till you make it' tactic is wrong - it harms people. Running a business that harms others is sinful. Especially when the foundation of this fake-it approach is deception. Faking anything means there is reliance on an outright lie or at the very least, reliance on an untrue construct that is created to manipulate others.
God has made it clear that He does not want His people to lie or to deceive others (Leviticus 19:11). Doing so is a sin and Revelation 21:8 tells us that all liars go to hell. Besides, we are taught in Proverbs 12:9 - Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food. God doesn't want us to pretend. He certainly doesn't want us to create a dramatization that deceives others into thinking that we or our businesses are more than what they really are. Just because reality TV stars, influencers and others do so does not mean you - a self-proclaimed child of God - should do the same.
We must keep in mind what the Lord says about the wicked in Proverbs 21:29 - The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. This means that wicked people pretend and they need to. Let us not make such pretense and the deception that is at its foundation a practice.
God is more than able to help us in all areas of our life. It was He who enabled Abraham to be successful. He is the one who gives His people the capacity to create wealth. Plus, the gold and silver of this world belong to Him. Who else should we therefore turn to?
Follow God's ways, applying them in business with faith that He will bless the works of your hands. No matter how long it takes or how desperate things get, hold on to Him and reap the rewards.