I don’t know about you, but sometimes I stress over things that I should be giving to God. There are so many times that I try to plan out every possibility of every situation. Most of the time all of my worry and concern was for nothing. Like the famous Mark Twain said,” I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened”. We all do this and I believe it is one of the strategies of the Devil but if a hard path must be traveled then it is best to turn it over to God and ask Him to guide you down that path and trust that He will. In today’s article I want to start the conversation on whether or not you should start that business you have been thinking about. For a lot of you this may be your first business and for others you may be starting your 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 100th. Either way, there are things you should know and do prior to starting.
The early phase is planning. Most people call this the dreaming phase and I would tend to agree. But how do we know if this plan or dream is God’s plan for our life or our own selfish desires? I believe extreme caution should be emphasized here, before you might boast that your business dream was from God. This applies to both secular and non secular business plans. Not every born again Christian is called to start and build or work in a church but we are all called to be ministers (1 Peter 2:5). So again, take caution before speaking about your dream and plans. This dreaming phase can be the most fun. I remember planning and thinking about things and finally having the realization that God wants to be a part of our dreams and plans. He is the original creator and he formed us in His image, so it would make sense that he formed us with creative minds like His. It’s impossible for me to look at nature and not see that God is an artist when it comes to creating and not some pragmatic creator that only designs for functionality. Can you imagine being there while God created the Earth? Seeing all of these beautiful things coming to life for the first time., what a sight it must have been. We have a family of bluebirds who have taken residence in a birdhouse on our property and watching the full circle of their life has been such a treat and a gift from God, seeing their beauty and intricacy in all that they do is truly amazing. I believe God takes pleasure in watching you dream and be creative, so dream away but don’t stay in this stage forever. Staying in this stage only takes your dreams and makes them a fantasy.
Before proceeding to the action part of starting a business we need to make sure that we are not falling out of line with God’s plan for our lives. James warns us about this (James 4:13-16 NLT),” Look here, you who say,” Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog- it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans and all such boasting is evil”. So how do we know with certainty what God’s direction or plan is? How do we know we have His blessing to continue or pursue that dream? First, it always starts with prayer. Bring your dream to the Lord and tell him all about it. He is the only one who knows if this plan is the best for you. After bringing it to Him, now comes the hard part, you sit and you listen. Terry Looper in his book, Sacred Pace, is known for taking his decisions to God and getting away from everything so that he can clearly hear what God has to say. Jesus is mentioned many times throughout scripture going away to be alone so he could pray and be with the Father. This is the most important step and we don’t want to rush through it or overlook it. Get away, get quiet, and listen. A lot of churches will have a prayer room where you can go if you are having a hard time finding a quiet place to be. God is not silent but rarely does he raise His voice for you to hear Him. Isaiah 30:21 (NLT),” Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say ,” This is the way you should go”… Do not proceed from here until you are confident God has directed you down this path.
For the sake of not writing a novel we will continue this series in future blog posts’. Maybe some of you are like I was, a professing Christian with no real relationship with God. I lived a life separate from God and never imagined that God wanted to be a part of my life. But, I was so wrong. God wanted to be a part of my business, my family, my friends, my entire life! I’ll never forget the day I could no longer take the weight I had been carrying. I came home after another long day and couldn’t take it anymore. All of the stress, all of the problems, everything was crushing me. I hit my knees and with tears in my eyes submitted fully to the Lord. I gave Him everything and started that relationship. That relationship is available to you as well and I urge you to let God into your life and turn it all over to Him. He will pick you up and walk through the good and the bad and lead you into the life He planned for you long ago.
