243: Children, Covenant, Contending with Brett Johnson

What happens when a business leader gives God not just their plans, but their ownership? Join Brett for a rich and heartfelt conversation with South African business leader Francois van Niekerk in our latest episode. Francois shares his remarkable journey from corporate life to founding and growing diverse ventures in IT, property, insurance and beyond. Together they explore the historical and cultural landscape of South Africa, the realities of leading in a complex society, and the call to honour God through business structures and decisions. Francois recounts pivotal moments, including a near bankruptcy and the simple prayer that reshaped the trajectory of his life and work. He explains how the principles behind the Mergon Foundation were formed, why ownership matters in Kingdom business, and how listening to God before making strategic decisions became central to their growth. Through personal stories, practical insights and reflections from more than six decades in business, he offers wisdom for leaders. Francois’s book can be found here: https://a.co/d/0w1PtlQConnect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

The journey of restoration ends with a beginning. Isaiah 49 reveals not just who you are, but what you’re called to release. In this final episode, Brett unpacks 10 activation truths that kick restoration into motion. You’ve been called, shaped, and strengthened - and now, you’re being sent. This is where restoration stops being just personal and starts becoming global. The restored become restorers. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

What does life look like when restoration is complete? In this episode, Brett explores the final step of restoration, where hope is no longer fragile but fully formed. This conversation marks the moment where hope becomes home, and faith finds its full reward. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

What if God’s restoration in your life was never meant to stop with you? In this episode, Brett explores how personal renewal carries a larger purpose. This conversation invites us to lift our eyes beyond our borders, to see that God’s favor always expands outward until His purposes reach the ends of the earth. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

What happens when restoration reaches your household? In this episode, Brett explores God’s promise to contend for our families and to bring children back from places of distance and delay. This conversation calls parents and leaders to hope again, to intercede again, and to believe that reconciliation is not a wish - it’s part of the restoration plan. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

What if the very things standing in our way were meant to lead us forward? In this episode, Brett explores the promise of God to “turn mountains into roads and raise up highways.” Restoration doesn’t mean a life without resistance—it means seeing resistance repurposed. This conversation invites us to see barriers as blueprints, opposition as opportunity, and the world itself as a landscape being reordered for His glory. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

What does it mean to be led beside springs of water when life feels like a battlefield? In this episode, Brett explores the tenderness of God’s guidance, a kind of intimacy that quenches the soul even when circumstances run dry. This conversation invites us to rediscover the springs of refreshment that flow even in the valley, where heaven and earth sing of His compassion. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

Can we build a home without becoming stuck there? In this episode, Brett explores the paradox of shelter - the tension between being grounded and being guided. God knows our need for a place to belong, yet He never meant for that place to become our prison. This conversation invites us to live in the “in between”: anchored enough to stay in the game, but free enough to follow wherever the road leads. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

What if the promise of “finding pasture on every barren hill” was not just poetic, but prophetic? In this episode, Brett unpacks God’s assurance of practical provision in times of delay. When hope feels far off and the hills looks barren, God reminds His people that He can bring life and fruitfulness from the most unlikely places. What if your current wilderness is the soil of your next harvest? Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.