Will You Rise?

Even When They Set Your Car on Fire🔥

I was recently at a wealth management briefing with top-tier investors. The virtual room was full of strategy, metrics, and economic forecasts.

I asked a question that seemed out of place in that setting: “How much of a company’s success is wrapped up in the beliefs of its leader?”

One hedge fund manager dismissed the question with confidence: “A leader’s beliefs can’t tank a company of significant size.”

I followed up: “So what a CEO believes doesn’t matter?”

His answer: “No. It doesn’t.”

I smiled out of respect… but I knew he was wrong.

The Leader Is the Brand Now

We’ve entered a new era. People don’t just care about the product anymore — they care about the person behind it. We’re not buying brands; we’re buying belief systems. Leadership has become PR.

And here’s the risk:

Once a leader steps into the spotlight, they can’t separate their personal convictions from the business they lead.

Even quietly holding an opinion that drifts from the cultural herd can trigger massive backlash.

Activism vs. Authenticity

There’s a difference between leaders who use their platform to push a cause — and those who simply exist authentically, without compromise.

• The first is activism.
• The second is conviction.

Elon Musk is no pastor, yet he recently called himself a “cultural Christian” and said he believes the teachings of Jesus are good and wise. He’s using his gifting in business to help our country balance the budget — not through protest, but participation. He’s not turning Tesla vehicles into billboards for belief — he’s just refusing to bow to cultural pressure.

And that simple conviction is costing him — and every stakeholder in Tesla:

✔︎ People setting Tesla vehicles on fire

✔︎ Cancelled orders

✔︎ Tanking stock and resale value

Why? Because he stood apart from the herd.

So What About You?

Christian business leaders — those operating with Christian values and standing on Kingdom principles — let’s get real:

✔︎ They want you silent.

✔︎ They want you scared.

✔︎ They want you to believe it’s “wise” to blend in.

Lukewarm leadership doesn’t change culture.

I remember when I had the title, the boards, the corporate accolades — and no voice. I was “safe.” But I wasn’t leading for the Kingdom. I was following the cultural herd. That’s not who I am anymore.

We are not here to play small.

We are here to advance the Kingdom of God through business. And if God called you to it, no herd or bullies can extinguish you.

This Is the Narrow Gate

The narrow road is not easy. It never has been. But we weren’t made for easy — we were made for eternal impact.

Leaders, take the spotlight. Use the influence. Speak the truth. Because no weapon formed against you shall prosper — and no cultural tide can stop what God has appointed.

The world doesn’t need louder voices.

It needs braver leaders.

Will you rise?

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
— Matthew 7:13–14