Knowing God’s Will in Your Business
A friend mentioned to me that she has a hard time deciding what ideas to pursue. Sometimes she gets so excited about them that she’s afraid she could be “running ahead of God.” What if God doesn’t want her to pursue this idea, and she’s stepping outside His will? So she backs up and feels the need to make absolutely 100% sure it’s what God wants her to do. Many ideas are abandoned or back-burnered because she feels like she doesn’t know 100% that it’s what God wants her to do.
While I feel it is important to live your life according to God’s will, I have a different viewpoint than my friend. I don’t spend a lot of time requiring an answer from God before I pursue every idea. I say a quick prayer. If I feel good about it and it fits within my focus and overall plan, I run with it.
When I told my friend this, she said, “Don’t you worry you could be running ahead of God? What if you mess up His plans for you?”
This gave me a chance to analyze how I process things, and I began explaining some foundational beliefs I hold. I feel these beliefs are what enable me to accomplish so much.
1) Humans can’t frustrate God’s plans. As long as I’m pointed in God’s direction, loving Him and wanting to align my will with His, no mistake I make is so big that it could frustrate His plans for me. He can take the biggest lemon and transform it into lemonade. God can even take people who are completely out of His will and make things work together for their good if they’ll turn to Him.
2) You cannot “run ahead of God.” I believe we might have a tendency to run faster than we have human strength to handle. But running ahead of God? Not possible.
3) God’s timing makes itself known. Sometimes I’ll get the feeling that my idea is a good one, but the timing isn’t right. For me, that’s just a “knowing.” But if I don’t pick up on that, God lets His timing be known when all the pieces aren’t in place for me to move past a point. Many times He’s letting me know it’s time to move an obstacle out of the way, and I work on that. Other times, it’s just a matter of other people getting ready and entering my life. In these cases, I’ve learned not to try to force things. Trust His timing!
The Parable of the Sandbox
I sort of look at it this way. God has given me a big sandbox to play in. This sandbox includes all my talents, abilities, resources, friendships, and possibilities. He’s given me all the buckets, shovels, and castle-building gear I need. The boundaries of this sandbox are my life purpose. He hands me all this and says, “Have at it Marnie. Cut your creativity loose and see what you can build.”
Along the way, He might give pointers or suggestions, but He’s not micromanaging me. In fact, some things don’t matter to Him, and if I insisted on a 100% green-light before I proceeded, that might never come. A lot of the things I’ve created in my life wouldn’t exist.
If I get excited and create a castle in the upper right corner of my sandbox instead of the lower left, He’s not stressed. He’s given me my focus and the tools; and He wants me to be anxiously engaged in good causes and do many things of my own free will.
When I pray, “What about this idea for a product?” and still feel good and excited about it, I take that as a yes or an “okay by Me.” Full speed ahead. Waiting inordinate amounts of time to get a booming YES from heaven or constantly second-guessing whether you’re in God’s will is disabling. It keeps you from moving forward and producing good things.
More good ideas die in indecision than anywhere else.
I recommend laying the foundation first. Prayerfully discover what you’re here to do. (Discover the boundaries and focus of your sandbox.) Once you have that God-directive, start creating! As long as you’re in your sandbox, building things that are in alignment with your purpose, are doing things that make the world a better place, and serving others; you don’t need to constantly second guess yourself. Have fun and see what you can create!
All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all” – Brian Tracy
About Marnie Pehrson Kuhns
Marnie Pehrson Kuhns is a Certified SimplyAlign Practitioner™ who uses music and creativity to mentor you past barriers, fears and doubts to discover, create, align with, and deliver your soul’s song (the mission, message or purpose you are on this earth to live). Marnie is a best-selling author with 31 fiction and nonfiction titles. If you'd like Marnie and her husband Dave to work with you personally on Your Great Reinvention, get a FREE 20-minute strategy session with Marnie here.
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Love this and appreciate it! As you know, I get held up by many ideas, too. The big thing for me is trying to figure out my sandbox. ;o) Thanks for always being an inspiration and support….
Still in my funk…..;o)
Oh, you know your sandbox Denise. You just have a few extraneous toys lying around in there confusing you. LOL
Great article Marnie! I love the sandbox analogy. I believe it is God who puts the inkling of ideas in my mind in the first place, then He lets me figure them out and create!
Thanks, Carolyn! I agree… my best ideas are heavenly downloads. 🙂
I like the visual of the sandbox. Do the ideas I have fit into the general direction or purpose for my life? I tend to have ideas that I get quite excited about then the following week I feel ambivalent about. It is hard to know then whether to pursue them or not.
You know, Wendy, I’ve found that some ideas are just “preparatory” ideas. They get your juices flowing and prepare you for the “real” idea that comes later. Sometimes we lose interest because it’s not really the idea we’re supposed to follow. It’s just prepping us for the one that’s right.
I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ve found that the ones that persist and won’t leave my mind are the ones to follow. If, after a while, I can’t remember it I don’t need to do it and if I can’t forget it, it’s probably right.
Thank you very much for this inspiring and insightful article. I believe we need to keep on moving and trust that the Word has said that the Holy Spirit is in us and empowers us.
I love all your points, especially about the parts where we cannot frustrate God’s plans nor ‘run ahead’ of God. Sometimes we don’t realize how arrogant these thoughts are because it’s disguised in a super-religious humility that is actually totally misguided.
I trust that any mistakes I make, if I act by faith, will be supernaturally fixed according to God’s grace!
Love your comment, Trish! Especially, “I trust that any mistakes I make, if I act by faith, will be supernaturally fixed according to God’s grace!”
Perhaps to many people want to park in neutral for way to long, and watch the wonderful opportunity’s pass then by. Remember to play the game everyday or in this case in the sand box, create a beautiful life filled with amazing blessings from God who loves us with all his heart.
I like your advice.Thanks for sharing.Yes ,To decide what line of business is good for us we need to ask God.Improving on it we should use the talents God has given us.If we are always centering God in our life, the Holy spiritwill guide on the correct path.
A son definitely knows what his father wants from him and what he doesn’t. If so, a child of God is able to know what his / her heavenly father likes and dislikes, based on His word.
Marnie: What a wonderful article… and in God’s Good Time. Been taught (from a ‘Christian Viewpoint’) that one must wait – has made me a good procrastinator over the last couple of decades. My Spirit kept saying, “What did you do when everything you touched, turned to ‘Gold’?” As I was perusing through your articles and read this one, my Spirit exclaimed, “There you are… now you see it in Print!” God Blessed me today, and you also! :’)
Thanks Ronald! Glad you stumbled into the answer you needed. 😉 God bless!
Great post, Marnie – I’m bookmarking this one to come back to when I need a reminder! I think sometimes we wait for a “burning bush” moment from God, when all we need is to be open to his leading, have faith, and make course corrections as He makes His directions clear to us.
Needed this today. Thank you for this article!
2 days ago I had a wonderful business opportunity offered, had these ideas for a long time but didn’t know how to start. I just googled this morning my question hoping that God will show me something. And your article popped up. Thanks for the answer! Wonderful!