This is the first in a three-part series by Michael R. Davis to help Christians recognize, organize and market the creative business ideas God sends them. Michael, a Harvard Business School graduate, is a successful entrepreneur in his own right, and works as an independent financial strategist to assist new companies during their start-up stage. He is the author of three widely read books, and lives in Orange County, California, with his wife Nancy and three grown children.


Creativity is a gift from God. He is, after all, the ultimate Creator, and we are constantly reminded of His power through the things He has made. Since we are made in His image, it only follows that we too can be blessed with creativity if we seek it.

In Proverbs 8:12 (KJV), God promises us this creativity: "I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions." Are you surprised that God is interested in inventions?

We shouldn't be, because God desires to bless us abundantly. John 1:16 tells us that "from the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another." In fact, God wants our ideas to help others and He has purposed for us to become successful by developing them.

Divine Inspiration

God is constantly showering creative solutions on the earth–ideas for new products, new businesses, new books, poems, music and movies, and improved ideas for existing products, businesses, services and ways to help people. In short, God desires to show us better ways to do everything and solutions to every problem faced by humankind. And there is plenty of evidence that the pace has picked up dramatically–just witness all the new inventions of the last century!

Can just anyone tap into the divine sources of inspiration? Matthew 5:45 says, "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." In other words, He allows ideas to rain on everyone.

At first glance, it would seem that successful idea people are born with a natural talent for thinking of new and wonderful things. But when we examine their lives, we see that they had to work hard to make these ideas become real.

For instance, Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, set up a drafting table in his bedroom, so that when fresh ideas came into his mind during the night, he could easily get up and record them. He made himself available, so that when the ideas came to him, he would not lose them.

We just need to be available to God. A wealthy entrepreneur from Georgia stated confidently that the more of himself and his business he gave to God, the more that God blessed him through commercially profitable ideas. Albert Einstein himself said, "Ideas come from God."

God Speaks

Dr. John Avanzini, a good friend of mine, is fond of saying: "One new thought or idea can literally change your life in a split second!" We should not be afraid to ask God many questions that we have concerning everyday life or the problems we face, because He likes to answer them. One mentor of mine told me to go to sleep asking a particular question—frequently, the answer has come to me within 24 hours.

In his excellent book, "101+ Ways God Talks," Sandy Warner says we often have ideas and do not recognize them as separate from ourselves: "Sometimes we think we had a brilliant flash of genius, when it really was the Lord. He is wonderful to speak rational, logical ideas into our lives. They are like short, power-packed sentences.

"Our history is founded upon inventors' sudden flashes of genius. They awakened in the morning with new ideas. Or, when they least expected it; they found answers in a simple thought, perhaps while doing something else.

"Brilliant and simple people alike have been inspired by the Holy Spirit with genius ideas. It is comforting to know that the Holy Spirit is bigger than an IQ!"

Poised for New Ideas

Ideas come to us in all shapes and sizes throughout the night and day. We know that new ideas are being showered down every day on everyone, but do we know why? Does one person have an advantage over another in the idea department? Why do some people pick them up and others do not? How can we make ours selves more receptive to good ideas?

Frequently, we become aware of a need not presently being met that could benefit from a new or better device. For example, the aluminum can pop-top opener was invented by an average person looking for an easier way to open his drinks.

Then, there are those who constantly seek out new discoveries, primarily for the purpose of commercial advantage. These people are poised to seek out other peoples' new ideas and evaluate them. Some professional investors, venture capitalists, and people we call business "angels" fall into this category. Many businesses and new divisions are formed through the investments of these people.

Bearing this in mind, what can we do to attune ourselves better to receive good new ideas? There are many things, of course, but I want to highlight several of them here: