Wanting to do what God is asking you to with your business, but feeling stuck? Maybe you know you should quit your job to be home with your kids and work on your business but you’re too scared. Or maybe you’re avoiding the next big thing in your business that God is calling you to do but something is stopping you.
In this episode of the podcast, I’m going to reveal some things you may be clinging to (without even realizing it) that are keeping you from taking action in your business and stepping out in faith.
We’ll look at Luke 5:1-11 and dive into the story of Peter and the miraculous haul of fish from Jesus. You will see how Jesus asked more and more of Peter to gain his trust, prepare his heart to do the task ahead of him (aka leave everything and follow Him) and to test his character to see if he was really ready to do this and let go of all the things, like money and his career, in order to follow Jesus.
As a mom, you know you want to be home with your kids. As a Christian, you definitely want to follow where God is leading you. As He calls you to entrepreneurship, it can come with a bunch of big scary “asks” like starting a business that has nothing to do with your career, or quitting your job after years of schooling and work.
This episode is going to help you identify things in your life that you might be holding onto that aren’t letting you fully surrender and do the thing that God is calling you to do .
Hope you enjoy!
Links mentioned in the show:
>> Coaching: Book a free 30 min breakthrough session to get clarity in your business or your life as a mom entrepreneur so you can do the things that God is wanting you to do, like finally quit your job to pursue your dreams.
>> Clarity Coaching and support: Want help working through the fears and emotions that come up as you’re following where God is leading you? Then my Clarity coaching and support package is for you. To learn more about that and how it can help you move forward instead of staying stuck, go to https://www.mamawithacalling.com/clarity
Additional resources:
>> Looking for community as a Christian mom entrepreneur? Join us in the free Mama With A Calling Facebook group.
>> Finding yourself worrying a lot about your business even though you know that you’re supposed to trust God with it? I was in the same boat until I started learning more truths from Scripture about how God protects and provides. Grab those scriptures and journal prompts to help them really sink in for you here.
Transcript of episode:
Today I want to talk to you about what could be holding you back from actually following God.
The more I pray about the direction of my business and really listen to what God has placed on my heart, this is the core of it. Helping you step out in faith and follow God. Even if it’s scary..even if it’s into the unknown. You go and the blessings on the other side of that action of faith are going to be unimaginable.
This week at church, the message focused on the story of Peter and the miraculous haul of fish Jesus gave him.
I love this story but the take the pastor had this time was different and I couldn’t help but think how perfect it was for what you all are going through as you’re wrestling with truly following God.
This story can be found in Luke 5:1-11.
As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, he was standing by Lake Gennesaret. (another name for the sea of galilee)[a] 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”[b]
6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets[c] began to tear.
7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.
“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.” 11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.
Luke 5:1-11 CSB
There’s so much we could go into here but what I want to focus on is how Jesus is actually building up trust with Peter so he can follow Him.
The first thing that Jesus does is ask Peter to push his boat out into the water a bit. Not too big of an ask, right? Can I just use your boat for a bit?
Now, remember, Peter had just got back from fishing. He could’ve been like “actually we just got back IN and I’m exhausted. Been fishing all night. Etc” But he said yes. And this speaks to Peter’s character.
He recognized something different about Jesus. Something reverent may be that he was willing to say “ok” and he at least respected that kind of authority or teacher figure but I also think that maybe it’s that Peter saw how much everyone’s attention was on this Jesus guy (remember it said that there was a crowd pressing in around Him) so when He asked to use Peter’s boat, it’s an indirect way for Peter to be associated with the attention.
It’s like if you were at a concert or at a conference and the person on stage comes and stands beside you or asks to use your pen or something. You feel like everyone is now looking at you too, right?
And we know that Peter struggled with pride so I can only imagine this was potentially coming into play here.
I also want to point out that Jesus knew that before asking Peter to use his boat. But God can even use our weaknesses to bring us close to Him. Often these weaknesses can be used for good and even become a strength when used for God in the right way.
Then Jesus asks him to take the boat back out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch.
Now, this was definitely a bigger ask.
Peter is the fisherman here, not Jesus, and he’d been fishing all night already and caught nothing. Peter even tells Jesus this. So not only is Jesus asking him to go fishing when he just spent all night fishing and caught nothing…so He’s asking him to do something that feels illogical..not going to happen…but he’s asking him to go fishing in the day..which lowers the chances of catching anything even more…AND He’s asking him to do this illogical thing…in front of all of these people. Even the people on the bank would know that you don’t go fishing in the day. You fish at night.
So Jesus is asking Peter, who is by trade and his career is a fisherman who is supposed to know how to fish, to do things differently AND to put aside any fears or concerns about what others think, since this is in front of a crowd of people.
Now at that moment, it would’ve made a lot of sense for Peter to say no. To resist. To care too much about what people think. But we also know from other passages in the Bible that when Jesus spoke, there was this sense of authority that just oozed from him. Peter doesn’t know it yet of course, but Jesus is seeing if Peter has what it takes to be an apostle to follow Him.
In this moment, Jesus is seeing if Peter will put down his own pride and logic and simply listen to what He’s asking Him to do.
Then Peter says “If you say so, I’ll let down the nets” and he did it.
And the reward on the other side of that is a haul of fish so great that the nets began to tear and the boats started to sink.
So Peter saw this and at that moment he fell before Jesus and said “ Go away from me for I’m a sinful man” It’s like Peter couldn’t comprehend this blessing. He didn’t think he deserved it.
Getting a haul like this was a HUGE financial blessing. This is a business. The fish he catches means sales and income for his family and his partners and their families.
I can’t help but think about all the women that don’t do what God is asking them to do because they don’t think they’re worthy of the financial blessings on the other side.
Notice here also it says that all those with Peter were amazed at what just happened. Andrew, James, and John were all part of this. So when Jesus asked Peter to do something crazy like let down the nets, it was actually going to be a blessing for those around him too. Remember, this is a partnership. James and John and Peter and Andrew were business partners so it’s not like it all went to Peter. This haul would bless all of them. Peter is going to inspire them again later when he walks on water toward Jesus.
Sometimes God asks us to do things and while it definitely impacts us, our faith, and our success, it also impacts those around us. You never know if God is asking you to quit your job and in doing so, you inspire and encourage a colleague or friend to do the same. She feels trapped just like you but her fear keeps her there. But when she sees you do it, suddenly she sees what’s possible.
Ok so here’s the final trust exercise Jesus gives Peter. In other versions of this in the other gospels, we know that Jesus asks them to follow Him.
Now as we read it where we sit, we’re like “Yeah. It’s Jesus. Of course, you follow Him.”
But remember, Jesus just gave Peter and the rest a HUGE financial safety net basically. He just showed them what it feels like to fish and catch a huge haul aka make tons of money. So when Jesus is asking them to follow Him, He’s asking them to let go of the security in their job, the financial security..the normal way of life that they’ve gotten used to, their careers, and to follow Him.
He’s also seeing if their hearts are in the right place. If money is the ultimate goal for them and the thing they love the most, then they aren’t ready to follow him. It’s not like he was going to take back the fish or anything. But this was part of it.
Now I want to say something about what it means to be tested by God. I think so often we can have a negative view of this. Like God is trying to see if you’re good enough kind of thing and if you miss the mark, then nope! Failed! And I definitely have struggled with that perspective myself but it doesn’t sit right with me because that doesn’t align with God’s character. As you read the Bible you can see that God loves us so much and any test that comes up is partially to prepare us for the thing that God is actually wanting us to do.
So the way Jesus did this was not only testing Peter but it was also what Peter needed in order to follow Jesus and increase his trust in him and his faith. He knows what we need to get our hearts in a place of “Yes I can do this!”. Even if it starts with small little steps of faith.
So, here’s the question for you: what’s keeping you from not just thinking that you want to do what God is asking you to do but actually taking steps of faith and doing it?
Is it the fear of what people will think?
Is it that you can’t logically make sense of how you’d make money online?
Is it that you are attached to the career and the life you’ve created?
Or is it the financial security?
I want to encourage you to ask God to reveal to you anything that may be holding you back. And there are probably some things you know right now as you’re hearing this.
And it could be things that are holding you back from quitting your job or it could be holding you back from doing the next big thing in your business.
It’s really important to see what’s holding you back so you can overcome it.
As we know, Peter went on to be a foundational leader in the early church. I mean we are still talking about his story 2000 years later.
So who knows what’s on the other side of you taking that step of faith in obedience to what God is asking you. But I want to encourage you today to take that step. Let go of whatever is holding you back.
And I want to say that while this is all you, it doesn’t mean you can’t seek counsel or get help along the way to help you expose the thoughts that are keeping you stuck. God works through people after all. If you’re needing help in this area, book a call with me. I have both a free mini session and a 90 minute intensive to really dive in if you’re needing that. I’ll put those links in the notes below.
I hope this encourages you this week. As always, keep pursuing your calling.
