How intimacy with God brings power and anointing to my work: Christine Sun

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

After two decades of work experience, I have learned a profound truth: Unless the Lord is with us, we cannot achieve the highest calling in our careers. He is the Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end. Only He knows the exact path that will lead us to complete the race that He has marked out for each of us.

Beyond seeking God for wisdom and guidance, I always ask the Lord to be involved in my daily work. Just as we desire to be part of our children’s formative years, I believe our heavenly Father yearns to be with us in our professional careers.

Furthermore, our daily interactions with clients, business partners, colleagues, and bosses are complex and intricate. His presence empowers us with the courage to face any workplace challenges and the boldness to embrace new opportunities. 

I also believe that He wants us to succeed and enjoy our work, as Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, “That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God.” 

A God idea: Data-driven research

As a property analyst, I provide market advisory to clients, investors, property developers, management teams, and even government boards on the real estate market. 

I write reports, articles and market commentaries that are regularly featured in both local and international media. At times, a popular article can be read by thousands, while an impactful research finding can go viral in the media space. 

As many people rely on our research to make buying and selling decisions, we have a heavy responsibility to provide analyses that are as accurate and reliable as possible. To achieve this, I often base our research on data evidence.

But I would not be able to do my work the way I have without God’s wisdom, revelation and inspiration.

When I first joined OrangeTee about nine years ago, data-driven research was a relatively new concept in the market. It was the practice at the time to rely more on expert opinions than on data when making investment decisions.

Christine (in black) at a Christmas lunch with her research team and student interns

I was seeking the Lord on what could be done to set our company apart in the marketplace. In response, I received an inner prompting, a powerful revelation from the Lord: To use data strategically to discern trends and gain deeper market insights.

To verify this idea, I did further research: I found that this was indeed a growing trend. I checked with experts in the field. I also spoke to agents on the ground to find out what they are facing. Wisdom is not perception alone; we should seek wise counsel from people as well.

This approach has empowered us to provide unbiased information anchored in solid facts and figures. 

However, interpreting vast datasets spanning a few hundred thousand data points is a formidable challenge for most people, let alone translating them into engaging, reader-friendly materials for non-professionals. When I asked God for help, He empowered me with the ability to spot trends. I also gained fresh insights that had never been covered before, and I found I was enabled to simplify, transform and weave the data into exciting stories and compelling narratives. 

Looking back, I realise that God had been preparing me for this role. Just before OrangeTee, I worked at one of the government ministries which had a large research department. A lot of my work was in big data, and I learned how to use data to substantiate strategies. 

The skillsets I gained from my previous workplace and creativity in how to deploy data have come in useful.

By leveraging data to support our assumptions and recommendations, we enhanced our credibility and reliability over time. Blessed with a strong team of colleagues and management, we were able to position ourselves as front-runners in property research. Our company published numerous groundbreaking research articles with many innovative angles that sparked new trends and influenced public policies. 

We also created many new research works that I believe are divinely inspired, including consumer playbooks, market analytics suites, data dashboards, video infographics, profit analyses, and even a research hub – the first property research library launched in the market. 

In less than two years, our research was published in both local mainstream media like SPH and MediaCorp, and international media including the BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, Dow Jones, Tatler, Forbes, CGTN, and NHK. Our work has been featured across the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, China, and many other parts of Asia. We had also been consulted by top-tier global institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). 

This achievement was beyond our wildest dreams, and we were immensely grateful for the favour and opportunity. Personally, I give God the glory, for it was the Lord who gifted us this idea of data-driven research.

The importance of partnering with the Holy Spirit

Besides seeking God for wisdom and revelation, I often ask the Holy Spirit to teach and guide me in my daily work. 

As John 15:5 says, “He is the vine, and we are the branches. If we remain in Him and He in us, we will bear much fruit; apart from Him, we can do nothing.” 

I enjoy communicating with the Holy Spirit throughout the day. My spirit jumps whenever a fresh insight comes to me, because it indicates that He is with me. I seek His views and opinions, which may come in the form of a vision, an impression or an inner prompting. Other times, words may pop out during a conversation or when I am reading the Bible. 

Christine (in black T-shirt) with her cell group.

I believe every child of God can hear from Him, as the Bible says His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27), and they will all know Him. I rely on the Holy Spirit’s leading for many practical aspects. 

For example, before writing an article or report, I spend time seeking the Lord’s guidance so that I can write something interesting or useful for my reader. Before speaking at a seminar or conference, I ask the Lord to anoint my mouth so that the right words will be spoken to bless my audience.

I usually spend the longest time seeking the Lord for insights when I write our annual market outlook reports, as historical data and past trends alone will not suffice for accurate projections in such forward-looking articles. 

Other instances where I spent more time in prayer are when we have to make market predictions after a new policy is implemented or during an economic crisis with no precedent to reference. Seeking the Lord for direction makes the most sense as no one knows the future better than Him. He has also gifted me with seniors, veteran practitioners, business partners and the management team from whom I seek wise counsel.

I remember a fascinating incident when we needed to give a market forecast on the pandemic’s effects. During the Circuit Breaker period, all show flats and house viewings were closed. The market was jittery, and many people were fearful.

On three occasions, I dreamt that people would emerge from lockdown the following year and life would return to normalcy. These dreams felt so vibrant and hopeful, starkly contrasting with the grim reality as death rates continued to climb during the peak of the pandemic.

By faith, I shared the positive market forecast – we were among the few firms willing to maintain a sanguine outlook. Our prediction proved accurate: Lockdowns were eventually lifted, and the property market rebounded significantly in 2021, with prices hitting record levels across various market segments.

“OrangeTee was the first in the industry to look at HDB data in 2018,” said Christine, seen here speaking on HDB resale prices at a public conference in 2023.

Therefore, I have seen the fruits of abiding in God and seeking Him for wisdom. Walking with the Holy Spirit has transformed my writing and analyses, making them sharper and deeper with each passing year. Our market projections are becoming more accurate as well. 

God is bigger than any market downturn

God has been so present and so kind to me, not just in my current job but throughout my career. More than once, I have found myself in “bad markets” and yet, God proved that He truly is Lord over all.

In 2013, I was head of sales and marketing for a public listed property developer, I faced the onerous task of reviving the company’s sales during the 2013 TDSR (Total Debt Servicing Ratio) slump. The TDSR is the “mother of all cooling measures”, which caused sales to plummet. 

During that period, the Lord gave me many innovative ideas to navigate the tough market environment. By deploying new marketing strategies and launching effective advertising and sales campaigns, we helped the company clear its backstock of condos and penthouses that had been stuck for years. When the prime segment was hibernating, our luxury homes priced at S$5-8 million were literally flying off the shelves. Buyers were willing to pay a premium for the 4th- and 14th-floor units, which were often deemed unpopular. 

Through God’s leading, Christine found herself using data to provide insights on property markets, which has placed her in a position of authority through columns and interviews in the media.

According to the company’s annual report, our revenue jumped 65 per cent year-on-year to almost S$250 million while gross profit surged more than 100 per cent to over S$115 million in 2013. The record year performance was remarkable given the market downturn. The company achieved a significant milestone: Its stock price jumped nearly 50 per cent to a new high, and paid out one of the highest dividends in the Group’s history.

All this thanks to God’s leading and favour.

More than conquerors in the workplace

There are countless examples of God’s blessings in my career, so many that it’s impossible to list them all. I see these as practical examples of God’s reality in my life. They not only bolster my faith but also serve as a testimony to non-believers regarding His sovereignty and power. 

It is key to build intimacy with God, to turn to Him in every situation. I feel the presence f God when I go somewhere or when I write an article. When the article has a unique angle that I could not have thought of myself, I know it is God who has given me the revelation.

Sometimes He speaks to me through visions and dreams. Sometimes words pop up or impressions come when I am worshipping Him. But seeking God doesn’t mean He immediately answers – sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes He speaks out of the blue. 

Christine (second from left) with colleagues from OrangeTee.

I am so grateful to God that He has surrounded me with godly advisors in the industry, people I can test my thinking against, from junior colleagues to senior staff members who are wiling to share their perspective. 

Right believing produces right living. I truly believe that as we anchor ourselves in the grace and faith of Jesus’s finished work on the cross, we can be more than conquerors in the workplace, regardless of our circumstances or market conditions. We will be effective and successful when we actively seek His wisdom, guidance, and presence. The blessings will not only bring positive changes to our organisations but also make a difference to the real estate industry as a whole.

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