Failure: Secret Super-Power for the Faith-Driven EntrepreneurSample

Pruned for Greater Purpose

As entrepreneurs, we’re wired to build, plan, and push forward. We set goals, pursue opportunities, and expect hard work to lead to progress.

So when a business deal falls through, when funding dries up, or when a once-promising venture suddenly closes, it can feel like failure. And not just professional failure – but also personal failure.

Discouragement creeps in. Doubt follows. We ask, “God, why would You allow this?”

But what if it’s not failure? What if what you think is failure, is actually God’s pruning?

Jesus told His followers this:

“I am the vine; you are the branches… every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” - John 15:5,2

Obviously, Jesus wasn’t talking about gardening – He was talking about life with God. About letting go of what looks like success on the outside so that we can grow something deeper, stronger, and eternal on the inside.

If you’ve been walking closely with God and doing your best to honor Him in your business, and still things fall apart, don’t assume He’s against you. It might be just the opposite.

God allows certain doors to close, deals to fail, or teams to shift – not to punish you, but to protect you from getting too comfortable or distracted. To remove what no longer aligns with His purpose. To redirect your energy and focus back to what matters most: remaining connected to Him and building His Kingdom.

God prunes those He loves.

That’s what pruning really is – God stepping in to sometimes cut away the good so He can grow the best.

And God’s definition of “fruitfulness” doesn’t always match the world’s. It’s not about your valuation, your client list, or how fast you scale. It’s about faithfulness. Integrity. Generosity. Influence used for eternal impact.

When Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing,” He meant that even your greatest hustle won’t produce lasting fruit if it’s not rooted in Him. Staying connected to Jesus – through prayer, Scripture, humility, and obedience – is where real success begins.

So don’t resent the losses. Reframe them.

God may be pruning your business to grow your soul. He may be reducing your distractions to sharpen your calling. He may be making room for a shift that will glorify Him far more than your original plan ever could.

Success in the Kingdom doesn’t always look like expansion – it often starts with surrender.

And, on the other side of pruning, there’s fruit you can’t manufacture on your own. Fruit that lasts. Results measured not in the world’s currency, but in lives touched and God glorified.

So if you're being pruned, take heart. You’re not being cut back – you’re being prepared.