Teammates Not Competitors

Many people dream of earning a living without being chained to 40, 50, or even 80-hour workweeks. I help people move toward that reality, but there’s one thing that often holds them back: the fear of looking like they’re “copying” someone else.

I recently had a conversation that brought this fear to the surface. Someone had been watching my work—my courses, digital products, and the way I’ve been serving in the marketplace.

They admired it, but when it came to doing something similar themselves, they hesitated. Their concern? They didn’t want to look like they were copying me.

At first glance, this might seem like a small issue, but for many people, it’s the very thing that stops them from stepping into what God has called them to do.

Follow the Right Example

The Bible has a clear answer for this hesitation. Paul writes:

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” —1 Corinthians 11:1

Paul wasn’t saying, “Don’t imitate me.” Instead, he encouraged people to copy him as he copied Christ. This is a system—God’s system.

Christ is the perfect model. If Paul follows Christ, he’s moving in the right direction. And if we follow Paul as he follows Christ, we’re also moving toward the best outcome.

Think about it like walking a path. Christ is at the front. Paul is behind Him, following closely. Then Paul looks back and says to us, “Come follow me, because I’m following Him.”

That’s a good system. Everyone who gets in line ends up at the same destination—closer to Christ.

The truth is, most people don’t follow good systems. They try to reinvent the wheel or do things their own way, and that’s why they struggle to get good results. But God established systems that are proven to work.

Why We Struggle With Copying

So why do we hesitate to copy? Much of it comes from how we were trained in school. From a young age, we were taught that copying is wrong.

If you copied someone on a test, you failed. If you copied a classmate’s work, it was considered cheating.

But the real world doesn’t work that way.

In life, copying the right example isn’t cheating—it’s wisdom. Share on X

God built the universe on systems. Think of gravity. No matter who you are, if you jump, you come back down. That’s a system.

If you apply enough force, you can overcome it, but until then, gravity always works. In the same way, sowing and reaping are a system: if you plant, you harvest. These are laws God built into creation.

When you learn to copy the right systems, you reap the right results. Share on X

You Are Unique—Even When You Copy

I realized something that encouraged me deeply. I had just finished recording a new product, and I thought to myself, “Nobody can truly copy this.”

Why? Because I am unique. God made me one of a kind. Even if someone else tried to recreate the exact same course, it wouldn’t be the same.

God has given us all proof of our uniqueness—our fingerprints. Out of billions of people, no two are the same. That’s God’s reminder to us that we are one of a kind.

So when someone fears copying, they forget that even if two people teach the same subject, write the same kind of book, or build the same kind of business, it will never come out identical.

Why? Because the messenger is different.

When you embrace your God-given identity, you stop worrying about competition. You realize you’re in a competition of one.

Isaiah and Micah: Two Prophets, One Messiah

This truth isn’t just something I’ve learned in business—it’s something I see throughout Scripture.

Take the prophet Isaiah. He gave one of the most famous prophecies in the Old Testament:

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” —Isaiah 7:14

That prophecy pointed forward to the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.

But Isaiah wasn’t the only prophet speaking about the coming Messiah. Around the same time, Micah declared:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” —Micah 5:2

Micah prophesied about the exact location of the Messiah’s birth—Bethlehem. Later, when the wise men came looking for Jesus, King Herod’s scribes pointed to this very prophecy in Micah.

Isaiah and Micah lived in overlapping times. Both were prophets of God. Both spoke about the Messiah. Yet their messages were unique.

Isaiah focused on the virgin birth, while Micah revealed the birthplace. God used both voices in powerful, complementary ways.

If Isaiah had stayed silent because “Micah already spoke about the Messiah,” or if Micah had held back because “Isaiah already gave a prophecy,” we would have missed out on the richness of God’s Word.

No Competition in Christ

This is the lesson we need today. As Christians, we don’t compete with one another—we complete one another.

Your work may look similar to someone else’s. You may both be writing books, starting YouTube channels, building digital products, or preaching messages. But because God made you unique, your voice will carry a distinct impact that no one else can duplicate.

The truth is, we don’t have rivals—we have teammates. God may call two people to work in the same season, on the same themes, and even in the same location, but their roles will never cancel each other out. Each has a part to play.

When you embrace that truth, the pressure to be “different enough” fades. The focus shifts to being faithful to what God has placed in your hands. Share on X

Copy Jesus Christ

Don’t let the fear of copying stop you from stepping into your calling. Following Christ means walking in His system—a system where imitation isn’t a threat but a path to growth.

Remember, even if someone else is doing something similar, they can’t do it the way you can.

God has called you uniquely, and when you walk in that identity, the people He intends for you to reach will recognize your voice.

To go deeper in creating a life that reflects God’s design, I encourage you to read this next: How to Create Time for What Truly Sets You Free. It’s not just about managing your schedule—it’s about aligning your time with God’s purpose so you can walk in freedom and fruitfulness. 

WATCH THE VIDEO