Life is precious. Every moment–every heartbeat matters. When time passes, make sure you have a story about how you answered God’s call on your life. These 6 Reasons to Start Your Marketplace Ministry Now will encourage you to get started so you can tell about how God exceeded your expectations.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us . . . (Ephesians 3:20)”
If you take a seat at your neighborhood assisted living center, you would hear stories about the great times from the past. You might hear someone talking about the old days and reminiscing about what happened when they were young and vibrant. Usually, the stories are like a highlight video, sharing the best parts of fading memories. But, for many people, the greatest story is the one that never gets told. It is the dream that slips through the corridors of time–never realized, never experienced. But that will not be your story because starting your Marketplace Ministry opens the book and creates your story–written by God as you follow Him.
Over 30 years ago, I felt a call from God, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I just knew there was a “thing” that I should be doing. I knew it was there, but I could not find my way to grasp it. Now, 30 years later, I am finally here and I have a story to tell. God’s grace and provision have kept me and taken me so much further than I imagined–and it’s not over yet. But why did it take so long? Because, like most people, there was always a reason to wait.
Wait until I graduate from college.
Wait until I get a job.
Wait until I pay off some bills.
Wait until I am not so busy.
Wait until after the wedding.
Wait until the children get older.
Wait until I finish another degree.
Wait until the children graduate from high school.
Wait until the children get out of college.
Wait, Wait, Wait.
Ready for the truth? Waiting is often procrastination that hides the reality that you are not sure what to do. It can also be a sign that you lack the confidence to step forward. God does not expect you to know everything. He just wants you to step forward and trust Him.
You cannot do it, but God can!
Look at these 6 Reasons to Start Your Marketplace Ministry Now.
1. There is no promise that it will be easier later than it is now. You do not know what life will bring later. There is no promise that the future will be a better time to start your Marketplace Ministry. Instead, learn to manage your stressors and keep moving forward no matter what is happening around you.
2. You can start small. Your Marketplace Ministry does not have to start big. You can start a small group Bible Study, a prayer group, or hang out and encourage each other at work. The goal is to get started, then give yourself room to grow.
3. People need your gifts. Your gifts are given for you to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4: 12-16). When you hold back, it affects not only you but also leaves the church community lacking.
4. The call won’t go away. It is better to step forward and make a few mistakes than knowing what to do and spend a lifetime never doing it.
5. God helps you. God always calls you to do more than you can do. He wants to make sure you know He is the one who made it happen. It gives you a reason to praise Him and allow His name to be exalted.
6. Waiting hinders other areas of your life. Doing what God calls you to do connects you to next-level experiences. Many of those blessings cannot happen until you land in the right place with God.
Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess (Deuteronomy 5:33)
You will not have all the answers. You may need more money and other resources. Fear and uncertainty can grip you, but none of these things can stop you. Fear, money, uncertainty–none of those are reasons to wait to start your Marketplace Ministry, not when God says Go!
Of course, every move you make should be in God’s timing. Allow Him to direct your path and show you every step that honors Him in your business and ministry. Do not let planning and goal setting become a platform for procrastination. Make a move and trust what God will do through you.
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