Latest / The Rooted Woman Podcast / Are You Actually Living On Mission? (Or Just Staying Busy?)

Transcript

Are You Actually Living On Mission? (Or Just Staying Busy?) · The Rooted Woman Podcast

• Courtney Her Mind On Mission: Hello and welcome back to the Mission for More podcast. I'm your host Courtney, the face behind her mind on Mission on social media. And right now we are between two holy habits challenges. If you have not followed me for some time or tuned in for a while here, the holy habits challenges are these 40, 31, 75 day challenges that we do that focus on growing closer to God's holiness, closer to one another and community, and also closer to the goals that we've set out for ourselves. So we just finished up our March Holy Habits Challenge where we did 31 days in Proverbs and we are going to be entering into a new 75 Holy or 75 quote unquote soft challenge that we are going to be doing as we enter into these warmer months ahead. And the Lord has placed a very specific topic on my heart as we are in between these two challenges. I really believe it's going to set us up for the next challenge to come. I'm excited break it down further and see God has for us today. Okay, so have you ever thought to yourself like what is my mission? What is my mission? Am I actually living out my mission? What's God's call on my life? Like what is my purpose? People say like if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. And there have been times in my own life where I've been like, well, God, what is my purpose? You know, I really don't know what my purpose is, what my calling is. There have been seasons where I thought I was walking in it and I wasn't. And there have been seasons where I knew that I wasn't walking in it, but I was trying to find my way there. And so I wanna talk a little bit about all of that in detail, but really not focusing on waiting for the motivation. Often I talk on my social media, and I even said it on here, I think I mentioned it last week, just not needing to wait for motivation, but really going and being led by discipline. If I am walking with the Spirit and the Lord convicts me of something and I am disciplined and I'm obedient, I'm gonna get much further than if I lived off of my motivation alone. And I think so often we wait for spring to come, we wait for a Monday, we wait for that feel good moment, we wait ⁓ the motivation. ⁓ And when we and we and we wait and we wait, sometimes we missed the go. Like we missed ⁓ the ⁓ flag waving for the to and we are way ⁓ behind where we could have been. that's not to shame anybody But ⁓ it is to say, how much more could we be doing we step into this place of ⁓ living on mission, from a place of discipline, ⁓ and living in that place where we're so connected. ⁓ to that conviction of the Holy Spirit and that leading and guiding that He provides for us, that we don't have to sit and question it every single time the weather changes or every single time we're feeling off or our cycle comes or you name it, girls, you get it. I know that I'm not the only one who's been there and it's okay to be there. It's okay to step back and also reflect because there are seasons where things shift and change and... we need to ask, I still supposed to be here? Is this still the thing for me? And oftentimes, it's not our gifts and our talents that change. It is our mission. It is the mission, just changing course, and God asking us to use our gifts and our talents in a different way. And so I want to talk about this. I want to break this down. I want to get excited about what's to come. And I really think that we're on the brink of something new that the Lord is doing. I know that there's going to be a new, obviously a holy habits challenge and I'm excited about that, but I really believe that as women of God, the Lord is doing a new thing. And so I want to continue to give us these tools, these, the biblical truth and the practical application to be able to get there, to be able to break it down, to be able to understand what the Lord is asking of us in these practical and applicable ways so that we don't feel like we're floundering every time the wind blows or we don't feel like I'm wandering off the beaten path every time I missed one step. And it's easier to course correct and get right back on path because, or on track because the Lord is the one that's guiding us and it's not our motivation that's guiding us anymore. So let's start there. Let's start with that first lie that we think that we need motivation, that we feel like we have to be quote unquote ready, that if we just go to bed early and wake up early and we drink enough water and we take the right supplement and eat the right food and go the right places and say the right things, like everything is just going to line up. And yes, some of that is true. But if we stop seeking the motivation and the steps and the perfection to be able to get to these places, and we start focusing on creating pockets of time where we can lean into conviction and creating moments throughout our day where we pause long enough to be steered by the Holy Spirit and to really sit with God enough to say, give me clarity on the mission that you have for me. And we can get that from him because we're not just trying to stay busy. And I think so often we confuse what our mission is because we are just trying to stay busy. And we think that if we are busy, if the schedule is full, I'm living out my mission and my call on my life because, I'm doing enough and I'm checking these boxes and I'm doing for God and I think doing for God is wonderful. I love that that's your heart, right? But there's a difference between productivity and obedience and there's a difference between being busy and living out the mission that God has on your life. And I think when we come to terms with that. we can rest a little bit more. And I talk about rest and the living in the overflow course. I wanna pause here for a moment to plug that because until Easter Sunday, that is marked down super cheap. So go ahead and go to hermindonmission.com to be able to tap into that. But really talking about getting out of that place of overwhelm and stepping into the place of the overflow where you feel like God is constantly filling your cup. Everything that you're doing is pouring out so much goodness because he's pouring in so much goodness and you have the room. in your life and the margin of rest in your life to be able to do that. And you also are in a place spiritually and mentally and emotionally to be able to receive from Him in a way that continues to refill you. So if you haven't taken a peek at that course, I encourage you to go and do so. Because when we have that rest and when we realize that resting can actually be more on mission than productivity can, because it allows us to hear from the Lord, it allows us to be step with him and it allows his strength to come in not mine and his plan to come in not mine for me to set down the pen to hand it back to God and say God you know what just draw like the next 12 feet that I'm supposed to walk and he will do that for us but I think when we're so busy we have to have it laid out I know that when I'm in really busy seasons if I don't have things set up if I don't know what's for dinner if I don't know when we go to the chiropractor and when my daughter has piano lessons and all those moving pieces, if I don't have that mapped out, I'm gonna be late. I'm gonna miss things. We're gonna need to eat out more often. We're gonna be above our budget because of that. I have to have a plan and I have to keep things moving and I think when we are so busy, that's what we do. We just get in that groove because we have to and we don't do this pause because we get to and when we get to, we get more from him. because it really is saying, no, I'm gonna set myself down now. I don't need to plan. I've got room for you, God, and I wanna see what you have for me here. And even in seasons where things are busy, I mean, I know even just having kids, if you have children and you have more than one of them in the sport, you're going to be busy, and that's okay. But in the car ride, on the way to practice, are you silencing things enough to be able to hear from him? Or are you just staying on the phone, doing your voice memos and all of that because that's your time to be able to connect with people. Connect with God first. And I think when we do that, we're able to recognize where we need to pull back and rest versus where we need to move forward and continue on that path of quote unquote busy, because busyness is not meant to be worn as a badge. ⁓ I think that that's what society tells us. I've said that on the podcast before. But when we get away from that is when we get closer to God and we put off our flesh and get to walk in the things that he has for us in a deeper way because we are doing what he has asked us to do. God's not going to ask us to go so far over our capacity that at the snap of a finger is or one thing going wrong, now we're overwhelmed and we're feeling burnt out. That's us. That does that to us. That's not the Lord. He doesn't want us to be in a place where we're constantly on edge. He wants us to be in a place where we are constantly near him and constantly able to pause so that we can be refilled with him, so that we can have everything that we're doing be an outpour of him. I want my responses and my reactions and the way that I think and the way that I speak. and all the little things that come out of me when I'm stressed out to be good because I have enough time with him versus the other times where I'm not making that time for him and I know what that looks like in my own life and it's not pretty what comes out of me. ⁓ Raise your hand if you can relate. I don't have to see you, I know you're out there. So we're talking about clarity, right? I think many people feel called to something, but they feel unclear about how to start or maybe what things to stop in order to start this thing. Or maybe you have some clarity, but you have fear of doing something wrong and you don't want to fail the Lord. That's kind of where I'm at right now. I have been feeling in so many ways, like God's like, okay, step out here. And I do a little bit, but I'm hesitant because I'm so, I'm not necessarily afraid of doing it wrong. I'm just like, God, I want to steward it well and I want to know that it's you. And he is testing me in this season of, do you know my voice and are you confident enough in it that when I say do this and it doesn't sound like the normal thing that you would do, that you do it anyway, even just out of that blind trust for him. And so I'm even in that season right now of making sure that I'm not. pulling back because of fear and I'm pulling back just to make sure I hear clearly. Maybe you've been in that place where you're like, well, I have everything that I need. I just don't feel like I'm fully ready because if I were ready, these are the things that would line up. Why do we create these stipulations to have a checkbox of things that we need in order to go? If God says go, go. So that's your sign. If you know that the Lord has told you to go, then go and do the thing that he's asked you to do, even if you don't have full clarity, even if you don't know what you're supposed to start and stop, because as you step into it, God will make it so abundantly clear to you that you can't ignore it. And it will be so abundantly clear to you that you will begin to feel ready after you've made that step. Sometimes God wants us to just do that out of obedience as a way of saying like, yes, I will steward this well because I will obey you in the process to... walk into the fullness of what he has for us. I know that there have been seasons where I did that and I realized it wasn't that I was lacking alignment or mission or being in tune with what the Holy Spirit was trying to lead me to. It was me lacking discipline. It was me having hesitancy. It was me sitting in a place of fear. And I did that even when I first started the Holy Habits Challenges, if anyone remembers that story. I literally was like, no, God. I don't think this is what you want me to do. I don't want to show up online at the beginning of my postpartum health and healing journey. I don't want to do this. This is embarrassing. And so I texted a friend instead and was like, hey, will you do the 75 hard with me? Even though I knew that the Lord had asked me to stop trying to do the 75 hard because he wanted me to get out of this perfection mindset in my health journey specifically. And so I'm just letting you know if you feel like you're missing the mark or for whatever reason, like you can't take that step forward because you're second guessing yourself. I have been there too. Take this as your sign. Do it anyway. Just move forward in the thing that God is asking you to do. I think when we're asking what does being on mission look like, for me, I said this last week, that if I know the why or if I can understand things, it leaves less room for confusion and less room for the enemy to come in. And I have more clarity from the Lord. So I kind of wanted to break this down. In my opinion, when we are looking at living on mission or being on mission in the way that God wants us to in our lives, Number one, looks like living in daily and momentary obedience to what God is asking of you. If you say that you're on mission, but you're doing it all in your own planning and your own strength, then maybe you're on mission, but you're not being fully obedient in the process. So somewhere along the way, you're going to get off track and it's not going to bring the fruit that it would if you were fully obedient, if you were sitting there moment by moment with the Lord. also plays into stewarding your life, your gifts, your influence really intentionally So here's an example. I had been feeling like I need to take a social media break twice a year. I do this at the end of the year when ⁓ it's like the holidays. I just always take a little bit of a break at the end of the year to really regroup and reflect. ⁓ I've been feeling the nudge to do that even now during the Easter season. ⁓ And so that is what I'm going to be doing for the week of Holy Week prior to Easter. Just really making sure that I am not sitting there trying to create content and really asking God how to move forward in stewarding that like influence in that space intentionally. Because I do want to be intentional with it and I want to make sure that everything that I'm doing is in line with what God is asking me to do, that I'm stewarding it well and that I'm using my gifts and talents in the way that he's asking me to. I am very much a creative outlet person and so social media so easily can be like, ⁓ let me try this thing. And it's not that it's disobedient and it's not that it's a bad thing, ⁓ but I wanna make sure that in the times where I feel like, ⁓ I wanna try this thing, I'm also submitting it before the Lord if I feel a shift in my content or in my message because it really is a platform that I'm using for the Lord and so, and with the Lord and I wanna make sure that I'm doing that intentionally. So ask yourself, Whatever it is, maybe it's not social media for you, but are you stewarding the things that God has given you, your influence, the things in your life, your gifts and your talents with intentionality? And are you bringing it before the Lord to ask him how to continue to steward it in this season and if there's any changes that need to be made? And then really being on mission is moving with God, not just for God. And obviously we want to do everything for his glory, but when we get to this place of like, ⁓ let me do this for God, for God, for God. it becomes this doing in our own flesh. And I think the way that we stop the overproductivity here is to say, I wanna move with you, God. When I started saying, I wanna move with you. God, I don't wanna just do things for you. I don't wanna just move because I wanna please you. God, I wanna move with you. I wanna be in step with your spirit, was my specific prayer. I wanna be in step with your spirit to do the things that you're asking me to do and I wanna do it in the way that you're asking me to, God. And if you say stop, I wanna stop. If you're not moving, God, I don't wanna move ahead of you. And if you're moving faster, God, help me to pick up my pace because I wanna keep in step with you. I don't wanna be left behind. I don't wanna be early. I wanna be right on time with you. right next to me, Father, help me to move with you, not just for you. And that was my prayer, and that was maybe a year or two prior to all of this happening, prior to starting the Holy Habits on social media, prior to starting a podcast, and that was something that really transformed my personal walk, but also the preparation for all the things that are happening online here. And so I highly encourage you. to look at those things. Are you living in daily obedience and momentary obedience with the Lord? Are you stewarding well? And are you moving with God, not just for God? That is really going to help you to clarify whether or not you are actually on mission or you're just creating a mission for yourself to check a box. I want to go into scripture here. I want to read Ephesians 2.10. God knows exactly what you're going to walk in. He knows why He created you. Again, that like saying, if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. If you were created, you have a purpose. God has a call on your life. And there are gifts and talents within you. Then you could take a gifts test and ask people what they think that you're talented at. But there is nothing like sitting before the Lord and being like, God, you created me on purpose and with a purpose. Reveal to me my gifts and talents and how you want me to steward them in the mission that you have for me. God, show me what you've created me to be good at. Not just what comes easy to me or what's natural. Yes, that plays a part in it too. But show me, God, specifically what you've created me and called me to do here on this earth and the time that you've given me. and how to steward it well with intentionality. And he will reveal that to you because you are his workmanship. God created you for such a time as this. Would you submit that to him? And I think so often we're just like, okay, this girl is so good at that. This person is so great at that. She just got this job promotion. And we look all around us and we're scrolling. We see all the things that other people are doing and we get maybe jealous or. We're envious of the things that are going on in somebody else's life, but have we paused and really asked God what we are supposed to be doing in our season, in our life? Not just like, let me create this vision board and let me dream up these dreams and let me journal my goals. No, God, you give me the things that I should be doing. I want my goals to be derived from the things that you have placed in my heart, Father. And when we start praying these prayers, I'm trying to give you prayers as I'm going through this podcast and share even examples of things that I have done. because it is just such a game changer, especially if you are somebody who's like me and you are more of a type A personality, a go-getter, you love going and you love doing and you love pleasing people and you love to just, you're a bubbly spark of joy everywhere you go and you have the capacity and maybe the grace is there, but how does God want you to do it and what does he want you to do and what is he saying? No, no, wait, hold off on that. Because yes, you could do it now, but if you wait just one more season for my go, it's going to bring so much more fruit. It's going to be so much better because this other thing that I'm going to have you do is going to train you to be able to handle that thing better. And how much more would we be able to handle if we allowed ourselves to go at the pace that God has given us instead of the pace that we try to define for ourselves? So just remember that, like God has prepared beforehand everything that you will be walking in. Will you trust his timing and will you trust the path that he has you on? Instead of trying to cut corners or cheat the race and the path somehow to get ahead to be where you think that you should be, go where God has you, where he wants you to be, and get out of your own head, get out of his way. Let God be God here. And I think when we do that, the mission becomes so much more clear and that's where we remove confusion because you'll be so confident. You're like, I prayed this thing. I asked God what to stop this door closed and this one opened and it made so much more sense. And I think this second verse goes hand in hand with that. But Colossians 3 23, whatever you do, work hardily as for the Lord and not for men. So God prepared everything before us and he knows for such a time as this, everything that he is going to call us to do and when he's going to call us to do it and what resources will be there and what gifts and talents he's going to ask us to use. And then he wants to make sure that we are doing it as for the Lord and not for men. So here's an example. I just shared a little bit ago about how I'm taking a social media break before Easter, right? Well, in my mind, my thought was, but I'm gaining traction again. And I don't want to lose the traction that I'm gaining on social media if I stop posting regularly. Immediately, I was like, OK, God, I surrender this to you. Like, if you want me to grow when I'm not posting, you're going to have me grow when I'm not posting. I just hit 15K on TikTok without posting, by the way. ⁓ So it's just like, you know, these things, they They will happen if you are walking on mission for God with God and you're not moving ahead of him and you're being obedient. If you are doing things for men or for tic tac algorithms or Instagram algorithms or for an award or for somebody to give you a pat on the back or to prove your point to somebody, you are not going to see as much fruit as you would if you just did it for the Lord. I always say that one song lyric, If it's not a clap in the heavens, then a clap is just a clap. And really, I always say too, that I want an audience of one. Everybody can make fun of me. People can talk negatively about me if they want to. Maybe even the people in my personal life, they're like, hey, why is Courtney posting on social media so much? What is she doing? Well, you know what I'm doing? I'm doing what God has asked me to do. And if I look silly doing it, I don't really care. And if people want to talk about me, I don't really care. And before I would not have been able to say that because I was not only doing it for the Lord, I was doing it because I love the Lord, but also because I wanted to achieve certain things and be a certain way and have a certain aesthetic online. Now I literally don't care. If I have an idea and the Lord's asked me like, hey, your phone up and record this, then I'm doing it. I'm doing it right there in the moment and trusting that the Lord is going to do what he would do with that because it is for him and him alone. That is what blew me away when I came back on social media and I talk about this so much so I'm sorry if you've listened to this a million times if you've been here for a while but I came back on social media when I was at my heaviest weight when I was in baggy t-shirts and ripped shorts and going on walks feeling super embarrassed no makeup on I would have never shown up that way regularly on social media in the past. Yes, maybe I would show some of my off moments and things like that, but it had to be a certain way. My feet had to look a certain way. I had to have a certain strategy because I like to be prepared and I like to do things with excellence. And I also believe that the Lord calls us to a standard of excellence. But at that same time, I felt like the Lord was asking me to just be obedient, to just show up. Would you just show up for me? And in doing that, The Holy Habits Challenge went viral for a moment and we are now in 15 countries where the Bible reading plan has been downloaded in 15 countries. That blows me away. I could have never even prayed that prayer on my own. I literally wouldn't have known to pray that. I don't even know what I would have prayed for if I would have thought what number of countries would I want the plan to be in. I would have just been like, I don't know, all 50 states? God is a God of abundantly more and when we do these things for Him and with Him, He is going to bless them abundantly because of Him, for His glory, right? And that's what it is. It's not, ⁓ Courtney got this Bible reading plan to 15 countries. No. God, I thank God every single day. God, you have done this. You have gotten the Word It is God and God alone. And when we give Him credit and when we're doing it for Him, and when we ask Him to be with us through it and when we're not running ahead of Him, how much more can He do? So pray that prayer and walk with Him and ask Him what it is that He wants you to do and submit it to Him. Even if you feel like it sounds crazy or you're not ready, would you do the thing anyway? Would you trust that God's gonna be there with you through it all? And would you allow for yourself to put off your own expectations of what it needs to look like, set aside the perfection, and just be on mission anyway? So we talked about how to gain clarity on what your mission is, and I think that's so important to really know what God is asking us to do because it helps us to understand our why. Now I wanna talk about why most women are going to be off mission, or what gets us off track. what blocks us from doing it because when we know the things that are going to hold us back, it's easier to recognize them and remove them. Number one, you probably know I'm going to say this, distraction. Okay? Get off of social media. Take social media breaks and if there's anything else distracting you, obviously set that aside also, but social media will absolutely drain you. Binge watching TV shows will absolutely drain you. And honestly, even listening to too many podcasts will drain you if you are not in the word of God and you are not praying and you are not asking God for clarity and you are not careful of what you are consuming, okay? When we are on social media, we begin to compare. If you have a mission and it's closely related to somebody else's mission and you see them on mission in a way that looks better than the way that you think that you could be on your mission, you are going to want to get off mission really quick because you're going to feel like you can't do it. Comparison is going to steal your clarity. It's not only a thief of joy, it's going to steal your clarity as well. Get off of social media when you are trying to identify exactly what God is asking you to do and it will help to regain that clarity because you won't have all these other voices and all these other ideas and even getting in your own head about what it is that God is asking you to do. In Hebrews 12, one, it says, therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, Let us also lay aside every weight in sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. I'm not going to have endurance to run the race when I'm distracted. I'm not going to have endurance to run the race when I feel so beat up in my own head because I'm mentally telling myself that I'll never do it as good as the next person. Get your eyes off of everybody else. get your eyes off of the distractions and focus on what God has asked you to do because he's called you to do it sister because you have gifts and talents that nobody else has in a way that nobody else can do them. So when you show up and you do it in your way with your voice the way that God has asked you without thinking about what everybody else is doing, it's going to reach people in places that you could not even imagine. Just remember that. Number two, perfectionism. Again, that lie that says, will start when I have everything lined up. I will start when things look good. I will start when I feel like I'm ready to start. If we wait for that perfection moment, we're never going to get there because even when I'm, what, a year deep into doing these holy habits challenges, there are still things that I want to fix. There are still mistakes that I see. There are still things that I want to do better. If you have a heart to do things well, you are always going to see things that you can be doing better because you're your own worst critic. You've probably been that way since you were two years old. It's okay to set aside the perfection and just show up ready and willing. And I'm not saying ready in a perfect ready way. I'm saying ready in a, okay, God, I'm ready. Whatever you need, put me in coach, right? You are going to move into the things that God has for you when you give up that perfection with so much grace. I'm telling you, there will be so much grace for the areas where you might drop the ball or where you still need to learn and grow. Trust that God is going to fill the voids because you will have voids, okay? And it's okay to have them. I want to read Ecclesiastes 11.4. He who observes the wind will not sow and he who regards the clouds will not reap. If we're just sitting back watching from the sidelines, we are not going to get anywhere, okay? If we want to reap the things that the Lord has for us, if we want the harvest, we have to move forward. Even if things are not perfect, even if there's still weeds in the soil, hey, we can pick weeds at any time, okay? If you've tilled the soil and it looks like it's good enough to get started, get started if the Lord is asking you to. You do not have to be perfect. I'm gonna tell you that again and again and again. Number three, I talked about this earlier, but that fear. Fear of failing, fear of not showing up well, fear of not stewarding it well, that's a normal fear to have and I have it too. But if that fear is holding us back, we have to do something with it. Number one, if your fear is of just being seen and doing things wrong, you have to get rid of fear of man and you have to pray through that. God, I don't want to have fear of man. I want to have fear of you, Father. I want to be so afraid of not doing what you're asking me to do because I don't want to disappoint you, my heavenly Father, that... It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks as I step out and do this thing. And ask him to remove that fear. And you have to stop being afraid of failing the Lord because God knows already that you're going to fail. You're failing him more when you don't step into your calling versus if you step in and you make a mistake and you repent for it and then you move forward. I'm not saying do things sloppily. I'm saying be obedient to the Lord. and trust that he's going to remove that fear and replace it with a confidence as you continue to grow into the role that he is having you in. When you start a new job, do you start off knowing every single policy and procedure and how to do things or if you've worked at a restaurant, what ingredients on this one sandwich when somebody's asking you and you're trying to take their order? No. But when you've worked there for 10 years, you know every single menu item and when they stopped selling this thing and what the price used to be on that thing. ⁓ and you are more of an expert in it because you've been there for so long. So don't trust or don't expect that you're going to be an expert the first time that you do something that the Lord is asking you to do and you've never done this thing before. Trust that he's going to give you everything that you need to continue to grow into it. I want to read 2 Timothy 1, 7. I kind of wanted to go further than that also. I'm going to read starting from six and probably go through eight to nine. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying out of my hands. For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began." I could keep going. ⁓ Read the whole thing. Go read 2 Timothy 1. I mean, did you hear me reading that? Did you hear those words? It is just so powerful when you hear these things somebody's telling you and then it's like, wait, it's also in the word of God. Don't have a spirit of fear. Move forward in confidence knowing that God has called you to something. And it's a, what is he saying here? A holy calling. If the Lord is asking you to do something to be on mission for his kingdom, to give him glory in the process, that's a holy calling. Don't take that lightly and know that he's asking you for a reason because you have what it takes. to do the thing that he's asking you to do. You have the gifts and the talents to do specifically what he is asking you to do. Will you have confidence in that? Okay, so we've talked about these things that can hold us back. Now I want to talk about three shifts that we can make to start really living on mission. ⁓ number one thing that I think we all need to do every single day, and I ⁓ that there's always an attack on this wherever we go in life, even the schemes of the enemy you can look at, ⁓ it's going to be an attack on your identity. And when we have our identity in Christ, before we move forward with the assignment that we feel like He's calling us to, there is ⁓ much less room. for the enemy to come in and attack because our identity is so rooted in the Word and in the Lord that it's unshakable. I mean, that's when our foundation is so strong, we're not going to be torn down the first time that the enemy throws a twig at us. Like, no, we are strong, we are firm, we're firmly planted. And when we have that identity in Christ, there is so little that can come against us so much so that it's going to knock us off track of being on mission. Lord has asked us to do. ⁓ I want read John 15, 5. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit for apart from me, you can do nothing. I want to think about this for a second. Okay. Think about a vine and the branches. Think about even a tree, right? That bears fruit. Does that tree, the fruit on that tree, I should say, does that fruit have to be earned from the tree? Like does it have to earn its way into becoming fruit from that tree? No, right? What I'm saying doesn't even make sense. You're like, wait, what did she say? It's because it doesn't make sense. You do not have to earn your calling. You just have to walk in it. An apple tree doesn't have to earn the right to bear apples. It's going to bear apples because it's an apple tree. ⁓ will walk in your calling because it is you are calling. And you will know when you're in your calling because there will be such a confidence and there will ⁓ not initially there will be ease, but there will be ease as you're doing it because it is literally what you are made for. ⁓ And when you submit that before the Lord and you really hear from Him clearly and you, again, you're being obedient, you're walking with Him, you're moving with Him, not just for Him, all the things that we've talked about, you will recognize it will be so clear to you that you are walking in your calling. Remember though that you do not have to earn it. There doesn't have to be this time where it's like, okay, I'm going to put her through this battle and this battle and this battle and yes, maybe the Lord will prepare you, but you don't have to earn your way into what the Lord has called you to do. Ask him today, God, how do I use my gifts and talents on mission for your kingdom, Father, right now as I'm going to the bank, right now as I'm going to go pick up groceries, right now as I'm washing my kids' dirty clothes, right now as I'm giving them a bath, right now as I'm sitting here in silence for the first time all week. In your word, whatever it is, I see you, sister. Will you just ask him right now how you can steward what he has given you and how to be so aware of your gifts and talents to use them well? to bring glory to his name wherever you go. Will you do that? The second shift that we can make is being obedient and focusing more on obedience and focusing on the outcome. I think for me, so many times in my life because of that perfectionism tendency, I wanted to look at the outcome. Did I get an A plus on the paper? Did I hit a home run? Did I spike the ball hard enough? I wanted to look at the outcome. Was I winning the game? When we are walking with Christ, we don't have to focus on winning the game because he literally has already won. All we need to focus on is our own obedience. God measures faithfulness. He does not measure... the outcome. He's not up there, you know, holding up a scorecard. ⁓ she did this the best and she listened soonest and this person achieved this award. And no, he's not doing that. He's just looking at our hearts and our willingness to obey him. And he is cheering us on when we're doing things that magnify his name, that bring glory to his name, that grow his kingdom. He's cheering all of those things on because he wants other people to hear the testimony that you have. He wants other people to be served and blessed by the gifts and talents that you have and then they recognize, wow, I've never been loved like that. What does she have that I don't have? ⁓ it's Jesus. I want Jesus too. And now there's another soul saved for the kingdom. I mean, why do we make it so complicated and think that we have to... earn things or have these accolades and these awards to be able to be worthy of his love or worthy of a mission. You have a mission right where you are if you will just be obedient in that. want to read Luke 16 10. Sorry, I'm going back and forth between these verses right in front of me, so that's why I kind of pause for a moment. So Luke 16 10, one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Think about that. You think that right where you are, as a mom folding laundry or maybe you're in college... and you've gotten together a Bible study, you think, this little Bible study, sitting at home folding my kids clothes, homeschool, like whatever it is, we're scoffing at it. No, no, no. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. And then we have this dream, I want this big thing, I want these things, but we're not even being faithful where we're at, we're scoffing at the things that we're doing now because it feels little. Don't let society tell you what big is or what achievements are. sit there and be obedient with the Lord and ask God, what pleases you, Father? Again, that audience of one. If it's not a clap in the heavens, then the clap is just a clap. I don't want to have clapping here on earth just for clapping here on earth. I want it to echo in heaven. I want it to echo in the kingdom. I want it to magnify God's name. I want God to be at the center of every single thing that I do. And if he's not, then I don't want it. And so we have to ask ourselves, Are we being faithful with the little things that he's giving us? And if we want more, go back to that every single time. Okay, God, I feel like I'm ready for more and I feel my heart stirring for this desire that I feel like you have given me, but I don't know how I'm going to get there. My first question is, God, am I stewarding well what you've given me right now? What can I do differently with what you've given me right now? Because I want to be ready if you are going to give me more. And trust that he will prepare you, whether that's preparing you for another child, whether that's preparing you to... you know, have a financial increase, whether that's preparing you for whatever it is, whatever it is that you have that desire in your heart or you've been praying for or those changes that you want to see, but will you be faithful with those little things that he has given you because they're not so little when you look at the grand scheme of our mission in the kingdom of God. Okay, the third and last shift is really focusing on a daily rhythm over occasional motivation. Okay, I talk about this all the time, obedience and being disciplined and having rhythms instead of being like, I'm going to be perfect in this strict routine and not only going off of our motivation. It is so important. Again, if you have not taken the Living in the Overflow course, I highly recommend it because you will recognize through that process of healing there and stopping being overwhelmed and really living in that overflow place with the Lord that there is a daily rhythm that you can go off of. And when you have a daily rhythm in your life, and your rhythm is truly walking with the Lord, you will notice a huge change in the level of peace that you have and the amount of joy that you have. There's gonna be a huge transformation in your life that doesn't say, ⁓ only do these things when I have motivation, or that doesn't feel like, okay, three weeks out of the month, I'm like failing, then all of a sudden that one week comes and I feel really good and I do great that one week. I want you to do good every single week. I want you to feel like you don't need occasional motivation to get to where you need to be. You just need daily obedience and a rhythm that works with your current season that's led by the Lord that's going to walk you into the things that you've been praying for. Will you allow your mission to be built on habits that you're forming, small habits in your everyday life that you're forming instead of focusing on these big monumental motivational moments where you feel like you could conquer the world and you burn out before you even get started? Will you allow yourself to go at a slower pace? Because I know for me, for so long, I did not want to slow down. I did not allow it. I was like, no, God, I have to go at this super fast pace. I don't know what it looks like to slow down. And so I wouldn't. And then I burned to the ground. And I don't want that to happen for you. So will you take my advice here? I want to read Galatians 6, 9. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. ⁓ I want you to take inventory. Are you on mission with the Lord walking with him, not moving ahead of him? Or do you feel like you're in that place right now of burnout? Do you feel like you're in that place where you worked off of motivation and you gave it your all for the past X amount of days and then you burnt out? Do you go through this cycle? Is it cyclical in your life where you start this plan and every time it's like two weeks in, I get two weeks in God and I fall off track every single time. What's wrong with me? Well, it's not what's wrong with you actually. It's what's wrong with your rhythm, with your structure, with the routine that you're trying to build. It's too much because it's in your own strength and your own flesh and it's not being lived out by the grace and the pace that God has for you. Will you pause, set down the things that he's not asking you to do, pick up what he is and go at the pace that is going to get you to a further place in life, ⁓ just being able to steward it well when you do it with him. Okay, so that's it. What has God asked you to do? Literally, what is that thing that you've been delaying? I want you to really sit with that today. No, God, what is that thing that you've asked me to do? What is the thing that I know that you've been wanting me to do that I've been dragging my feet on? If there's something I'm encouraging you, don't just listen to me and do it, but pray through it and ask, okay, God, is now the time? Is there anything that I need to set down in order to move forward with this? God, forgive me for not praying about this sooner. Forgive me for ignoring that nudge to move forward in this area. Forgive me God for ignoring your voice because I was scared that I was going to fail. Whatever it is that you need to pray for, today I want you to pray through it and really sit with God and ask him how to start, how to start messy, how to just choose the next step. You know, how to stop starting over and over and over again and to build consistency in your life. Ask him how to get there and ask him to show you, not just today, but say, God, I want you to prompt me and nudge me every single day. I want to be so near to you that I don't miss a step and that when I do, I so easily recognize it because you're right there moving my foot right back on path. And I'm so in tune with you, Father, that it becomes easy for me. to stay right there with you, that I don't move ahead, that I'm not falling behind, that I'm right there with you in everything that you're asking me to do, Father. And will you pray that prayer with him today? I'm encouraging you, you have a mission. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you're doing, there is a mission on your life, there's a call on your life, you have a purpose, and maybe it does feel small, and that's okay, start small. And maybe it feels big and it's intimidating, start anyway. I'm telling you when you are obedient to the Lord and you walk forward in the mission that he has for you and you start building small habits, he is going to grow you in ways that you can't even imagine. A year from now, trust me because I'm a year out from when he asked me to start all of this, a year from now you are going to look back and be like, wow, imagine if I didn't start. Imagine if I didn't do that thing that he asked me to do. Look at all that I would be missing out on. I don't want you to miss out on that. So let me pray for you today to continue to do all that God has asked you. So Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gifts and the talents that you have instilled in each and every one of the women who are listening today, Father. And I just pray that you will show her how to use them, how to steward them well, how to not be afraid, Father, of failing, of starting messy, of not knowing exactly when to start or how to start or where to turn once she gets started. God, I just pray that you will remind her that you will be the guiding light, that you will... lead and direct her and guide her in whatever it is you're calling her to do, whether it's to start a family, to expand her family, to homeschool, to send to school, to start a new job, to invite that person over that she knows that's been needing her time and she just doesn't know how to handle maybe the things that are going on in that person's life. Father, that you are going to give her the exact words to say, that you're going to give her the encouragement to speak, the verses to read, the... the prayers to pray and that when that person leaves from her couch, she's going to be going into her room and just sobbing God because of the way that you showed up and she's going to be so grateful that she just said yes to the call that you have on her life. And maybe that's not even the specific situation that some of my sisters are walking through right now, but I know God that you have placed a call on every single one of our lives that there is a purpose that you have for us to glorify your name, to magnify your kingdom, Father, to serve others in the way that you would have us serve them. And so I just pray that we will do so that we will rise up. and be obedient in the way that you have called us to step forward. Father, that we will trust you, that you will fill the void wherever we lack, Father, and that we can just start messy, that we can grow with grace, Father, and that we can really just learn so much in this season of being able to just move with you and ⁓ walk with you, Father, and to do all that you're asking us to do even when we don't have the answers because you do. And I just pray for our confidence. that confusion will be removed in Jesus' mighty name, that there will be such a confidence and clarity, and that there will be a joy that comes with stewarding well the things that you have placed on my sister's plate in this season, Father. Thank you, Lord, for all that you are doing. We just pray all these things in your mighty name, amen. Thank you so much for tuning into the Mission for More podcast. I am excited to be back here next week and stay tuned. Like I mentioned, the next Holy Habits Challenge is going to launch. I am excited for some of the changes that are coming to this challenge and something different that we're going to be doing. Again, the Living in the Overflow course and my Peaceful Parenting Guide are on sale until Easter Sunday, so check those out. There's only a few more days of that. And I will see you all next week. Thank you for tuning in.