Peer Pressure

Fine. I'll bow to peer pressure and tell everybody what I'm currently up to. One of the reasons why I've not done an update recently is because there's not been that much to say! Anyway...

I'm currently in the middle of moving house. When I say move house, i really mean procrastinate. Actually, that's not quite true but there was some last minute incidents which have been cleared up. Financially, the house God's provided for me - for what it actually is in terms of size, space and location - is such a bargain its a joke. But the house is on the market and as I'm moving in short term until it is sold, there is an element of risk attached. The house is being auctioned in February so if it is bought then, I could have to move out at any moment from then on. As I think about this, it doesn't really make any sense to uproot and move into something so short term and uncertain. However, I keep remembering God speaking to me about moving to Hastings. And me asking Him to give me somewhere to live. And Him doing so. So if He wants to slow a house sale down or open up somewhere else, He is more than capable...

With regards to people moving in with me, three guys expressed an interest in moving in. One of them has come back to me and said he is going to do it. That's a real blessing from God, as it'll be great to not live alone, and his rent will cover the monthly house insurance. However, there are still the normal running costs to pay - such things as Council Tax and utilities, plus food. And the maths don't add up to cover the rest of the outgoing costs because I'm currently unemployed. So again, common sense tells me it doesn't make sense! Logic tells me to get a job, but its not quite as simple as that...

You see, in Africa God spoke to me about starting my own business. Now, everything about this idea is such a bad idea. I'm not money-motivated. I'm not business-minded. I have no real experience, knowledge or qualifications to go into business. I don't have any products or skills I could market. I have no idea what I'd be doing, how I would start or how to go about doing this business thing. Yet God spoke to me a number of times, through very different ways. The thing I kept being led to is the whole area of Life Coaching. It's basically mentoring, coaching or even discipling people and businesses to develop, grow and change in ways they want to. It would tie together the skills I learnt whilst I worked in Corporate Banking, and the more recent skills in Ministry.

I can see the sense in it - it would certainly give me a 'tentmaking' skill, like the Apostle Paul had (Acts 18:3), which would free me up financially and time-wise for any future ministry. In addition, the self-employed nature of it would be something that would continue to teach me lessons in faith, trust and the provision and goodness of God.

If I'm honest, I have no idea how to get started or to go about it. I've met a life coach, who was introduced to me by a mutual friend, and she was very, very helpful. However, even with the things she's sent my way I still feel out of my depth and unsure how to progress. Again, looking with my own eyes i have so many questions and reasons why this is a bad idea. It is an unregulated industry, so there is no standard accreditation I could simply get as a qualification to start me of. Can - or would - people in Hastings afford to spend money on this kind of service? How do I publicise my business? How do I attract a client base? These are just a few from the top of my head.

However, every time I go to God and begin to ask Him if I've heard wrongly from Him, I come away with a real sense of peace and faith for the house move and the career change. None of it makes sense to me though. And the verse for the moment that keeps swirling around my mind is Proverbs 3:5 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

As Christians, we're called to walk by faith and not by sight, to quote 2 Corinthians 5:7. Which means sometimes taking steps and directions that don't look sensible to us, because God has spoken to us. It means trusting God when life looks contrary to what He has said. Hebrews 11 is a chapter full of real examples from the scriptures of people who trusted what God said to them, even though in the light of life it didn't seem to make sense.

Sometimes I question whether I should trust by "sanctified common sense", to quote what has been said to me. Yet looking at scripture, I cannot help but notice God's way of dealing with men and women is calling them to trust Him. So I'm taking some time to ponder the stories of great heroes to remind me of the faith challenges they were called to. I'd encourage you to do the same as well. No matter the faith challenges in front of you, the key question is this: Has God said? If he has, then we can go in confidence because the victory will be ours. It was the same for people who went before us. Spend some time in Hebrews 11 reminding yourself of the faith pilgrimages of people who have gone before us, and see what I mean. Then let your faith get stirred to come before God to seek his peace, and press on into all He has prepared for you!

Currently listening to: Kasabian - Empire (Acoustic) from Radio One's Live Lounge, Vol. 2