WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:04.080 Hi, my friends. Welcome to week four of Launch Your Big Dream. 2 00:00:04.640 --> 00:00:07.840 This week we're going to dive into courageously taking action. 3 00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:14.880 Okay, so courageously taking action. First, we're going to start by talking about dreaming big but 4 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:21.520 starting small, then breakthrough resistance, co-creating with God, and embracing an adventure 5 00:00:21.520 --> 00:00:27.840 mindset. You know, for the last six months, God has been talking to me about possessing our 6 00:00:27.840 --> 00:00:33.840 promised land and birthing dreams, like this process of like breaking through the resistance 7 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.600 and going after that which God has promised us, whether in dreams or blessings for our family, 8 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:44.640 you know, health and well-being, prosperity. And he's been leading me to the story of Joshua and 9 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:50.960 I keep reading it over and over again, just having this truth like sink into my heart and spirit. 10 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:57.760 And I love this verse from Joshua 1.9 that says, Have I not commanded you, be strong and of good 11 00:00:57.760 --> 00:01:04.080 courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 12 00:01:04.720 --> 00:01:10.480 And so often when we pursue big dreams or we go after our promised land, you know, we can feel 13 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:15.520 afraid. There can be those walls of Jericho, you know, the walls of resistance that occur 14 00:01:16.080 --> 00:01:22.480 and we just feel discouraged. Like there can be a delay sometimes in seeing the fulfillment of 15 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:28.960 words God has given to us. And it just makes us, you know, are we stepping out? Are we doing the 16 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:35.120 wrong thing? We start to worry or doubt God. And I love this promise that God says that He will be 17 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:42.320 with us, you know, wherever we go, like every step of the way God is with us. And so when we think 18 00:01:42.320 --> 00:01:47.920 about this idea of dreaming big with God, but starting small, you see, I have this tendency 19 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.560 to be like a go big, go home type person. You know, if you're going to do something, 20 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:59.520 oh, it has to be like at 110%. And I've done this a lot of my career and a lot of my life 21 00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:03.920 where it's like, oh, I'm going to like stay up all night to get something done. Or I'm going to host 22 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:08.479 a dinner party and I'm going to have like five different kinds of barbecue meat, not just one 23 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:14.160 or three different appetizers. Like I love to just do things in an abundance way. And that's part of, 24 00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:19.120 I think, you know, who I am, but then also like overflowing that characteristic of God. 25 00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:26.080 And yet sometimes we can get burnt out and try to do too much too fast. It's this idea of like 26 00:02:26.640 --> 00:02:33.440 trying to birth a teenager. I mean, man, having birthed two children, that isn't even possible, 27 00:02:33.440 --> 00:02:37.760 right? Like to be able to, you know, birth, you know, small babies can be painful, let alone, 28 00:02:37.760 --> 00:02:43.920 you know, teenagers. And I have a 14 year old and an 11 year old. So, I mean, they're like my height, 29 00:02:43.920 --> 00:02:49.760 right? And I laugh because so often that's what we do with our dreams. We compare ourselves to 30 00:02:49.760 --> 00:02:55.680 somebody who has been doing a dream for 10 years, 20 years. And we see their website or we see the 31 00:02:55.680 --> 00:03:00.320 books that they've launched. We see the level that they're operating at. And they have behind the 32 00:03:00.320 --> 00:03:06.560 scenes, you know, tons of staff and all this financial resources and backing. And this is the 33 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:13.200 20th iteration of their dream that we are watching unfold before us. And yet we're trying to compete 34 00:03:13.200 --> 00:03:19.600 or compare ourselves to them. You see, it's not our power that makes it happen. It's God's. 35 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:26.480 Ephesians 3.20, this is, you know, one of my life verses for so long. It's also a family 36 00:03:26.480 --> 00:03:33.680 verse of ours. And I love the passion translation of this verse. It says, never doubt God's mighty 37 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:39.760 power to work in you. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most 38 00:03:39.760 --> 00:03:46.240 unbelievable dream and exceed your wildest imagination. He, God, will outdo them all for 39 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:52.880 his miraculous power constantly energizes you. And, you know, last year, like he was talking to 40 00:03:52.880 --> 00:03:59.360 me about the dream that he gave Mary, like his dream to save mankind. And he chose to work through, 41 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:05.280 you know, this young girl, Mary, to birth his son. And even though, you know, he had the most 42 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:10.560 amazing dream to save mankind and think about, you know, his vision board. You know, he had all 43 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:16.720 of our pictures on this ginormous vision board in heaven. And yet his solution to do this was 44 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:22.640 this long range plan of all these generations of speaking out that he was going to be sending the 45 00:04:22.640 --> 00:04:27.840 Messiah and generation after generation of a generation of preparing the way. And then what 46 00:04:27.840 --> 00:04:35.360 does he do? He like births a little baby in a seemingly small town in the middle of like nowhere 47 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:40.800 with very little fanfare. I mean, yes, angels, okay. And shepherds. But like overall, there was 48 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:48.240 no major marketing ploy for this small dream that got launched. And yet, and then it took 30 years 49 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:54.720 for Jesus to mature. Like here's the perfect sinless son of God. And it still took 30 years 50 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:59.920 to mature. And then he stepped into his ministry and, you know, fulfilled this dream that got 51 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.000 have that still continue on, you know, thousands of years and thousands of years later. 52 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:11.600 So how much more do we need to start small and not discount the power that God can do 53 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:17.040 in the middle of our dream? And so I ask, like, what is in your hand? I love the story of the 54 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:22.400 feeding of the 5,000, you know, the little boy who brought his loaves and fish to Jesus and he 55 00:05:22.400 --> 00:05:28.400 multiplied it. And, you know, they were able to feed, you know, all these people and do a miracle. 56 00:05:28.400 --> 00:05:33.040 And when I was little, our church, you know, had a harvest party, you know, during October, 57 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:38.160 and I dressed up as a little boy with, you know, the loaves and fish. And I won the competition 58 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:42.880 for best dressed, you know, me as a little, you know, handing my little fish to Jesus. 59 00:05:43.440 --> 00:05:48.560 And that story has always stuck with me about, like, we have something tangible in our hands. 60 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:54.640 And you look back at the other miracles in the Bible and, you know, the story of the widow, 61 00:05:54.640 --> 00:05:59.440 you know, with Elisha, and she had the oil, and that was like all she had. And, you know, 62 00:05:59.440 --> 00:06:04.400 God multiplied it, she was able to pay off her creditors, or the other widow, you know, where 63 00:06:04.400 --> 00:06:10.720 she had oil and flour, and they're able to make provision and multiply the bread, or the story 64 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:16.160 of the water into wine, like all they had was water, and God, Jesus just did the most amazing 65 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:22.160 miracle, multiplied it into wine at a wedding, and it exceeded expectations, Ephesians 3.20, 66 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:27.440 was the best wine they had ever had. And so I asked, like, what is in your hand? And that goes 67 00:06:27.440 --> 00:06:32.640 to the next point that God can multiply it. Like, don't discount small beginnings, you know, you 68 00:06:32.640 --> 00:06:38.560 think of an oak tree that starts off as a little seed, or, you know, all of the children that we 69 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:44.560 have, or the blessings that God gives to us that can start small, but he is able to multiply them. 70 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:49.600 If we ask, you know, we pray boldly in prayer, we believe, and God is able to do it. 71 00:06:49.840 --> 00:06:55.280 And then this idea of God math. I mean, again, you know, I left my CFO role last year, but I love 72 00:06:55.280 --> 00:07:00.880 math, you know, I love playing in Excel, I love looking at numbers, and I love this idea of God 73 00:07:00.880 --> 00:07:07.040 math. You see, zero times a million is zero, and my son was going through his math facts and doing 74 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:10.880 this, and I think that's probably around the time that this came into play, when it was like zero 75 00:07:10.880 --> 00:07:16.000 times, you know, all these different numbers, it's still zero. And so zero times a million, 76 00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:26.480 zero, but one, just one times a million equals a million. So all God needs is our one percent, 77 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:32.240 our one thing, and he can do the rest. He can multiply it. He can take your, you know, 78 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:37.840 one sentence and multiply it into a book. He can take your one idea and multiply it, you know, 79 00:07:37.840 --> 00:07:43.280 into a ministry or a business. He can take your one encounter and multiply it to a speaking 80 00:07:43.280 --> 00:07:49.600 engagement. He can take your one thing and just do, exceed your expectations and do marvelous 81 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:55.840 things with it to be a blessing to others and to fulfill your dream and his purpose on this earth. 82 00:07:55.840 --> 00:08:01.600 But the key is to start, you know, I love, again, going back to Joshua, where he had to take action. 83 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:06.880 They had to cross over the Jordan. They had to start taking steps, and God promised them wherever 84 00:08:06.880 --> 00:08:11.520 your foot lands, like, you're going to possess this part of your promised land. Like, they had 85 00:08:11.520 --> 00:08:19.440 to walk it out step by step to, you know, achieve the promises of God. And then be courageous. You 86 00:08:19.440 --> 00:08:24.400 know, there's a definition of courageous that says it's the willingness to act in obedience 87 00:08:24.400 --> 00:08:30.480 to God's call and purpose, relying on his strength and guidance. You know, another definition of 88 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:36.000 courageous is the ability to do something that frightens you, the strength to carry on in spite 89 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:42.400 of danger or difficulty. And I don't know about you, but going after your dreams, I mean, that is 90 00:08:42.400 --> 00:08:49.600 scary. Like, it is scary to be in uncharted water. For me, I just left the 20-something career in 91 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:55.920 finance and accounting, you know, working for big companies that had lots of finances and provision 92 00:08:55.920 --> 00:09:01.520 and benefits. And I boldly stepped into my dream of being able to start my own company to empower 93 00:09:01.520 --> 00:09:07.520 women, you know, to go after their dreams and also to have more time for my family. You know, that is 94 00:09:07.520 --> 00:09:12.560 uncharted water for me. And I'm sure like you, like, you're going after something that God has 95 00:09:12.560 --> 00:09:19.200 called you to do, and it requires courage. So going back to this idea of dream big and start small, 96 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:24.400 you know, again, I love math and formulas. And when you think of investing and you think of, like, your 97 00:09:24.400 --> 00:09:31.920 401k or investments, you know, it's something small that starts to the compound interest effect. 98 00:09:31.920 --> 00:09:39.920 And the same thing with God. Your small step times His miraculous power equals amazing results. But you 99 00:09:39.920 --> 00:09:44.560 don't see it always at the beginning. You know, at the beginning, it just looks like a little tiny 100 00:09:44.560 --> 00:09:49.920 increase. You think of maybe your followers on social media where you start with zero, and then 101 00:09:49.920 --> 00:09:55.280 you get 10, and then you get 20, and then you get 100. But at some point, there's this tipping point 102 00:09:55.280 --> 00:09:59.840 to where, you know, as it starts to multiply, you just start to see amazing 103 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:05.200 results or maybe it's same with like weight loss. Like I've been on this weight loss journey 104 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:10.800 and for me, you know, at the beginning, it's, I didn't feel like I was losing much. It was like 105 00:10:10.800 --> 00:10:17.280 a pound every, sorry, I'm turning my phone down, a pound every few, you know, weeks. It just felt 106 00:10:17.280 --> 00:10:22.960 small and all of a sudden, you know, about three or four months in, like I started to see the results 107 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:30.160 and so far I've lost almost 30 pounds of my goal that I'm going after with God and it's amazing, 108 00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:34.560 but it didn't feel amazing for the first four or five months and I was definitely tempted to give 109 00:10:34.560 --> 00:10:42.240 up because it just felt hard and yet with God, nothing is impossible. Okay, the second key is, 110 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:46.560 you know, breaking through resistance. So you think about, again, the story of Joshua. So here 111 00:10:46.560 --> 00:10:50.960 they go into their promised land. He promised them that they would have rest, that all their 112 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:56.240 ways would be successful and he'd bring them prosperity and yet here they meet this walls of 113 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:02.720 Jericho and Stephen Pressfield has a book called War of Art, not a Christian book, but it's a really 114 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:10.480 good book, and he has this quote that resistance is directly proportioned to love, meaning if you 115 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:17.600 feel massive resistance, the good news is it means there's tremendous love there too. If you didn't 116 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:22.800 love the thing or the project that's terrifying you, you wouldn't feel anything. In other words, 117 00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:28.960 resistance can often be a compass or a barometer that you're headed in the right direction. 118 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:35.680 See, the enemy doesn't mind if we're super busy, we go after these big goals in life. He doesn't 119 00:11:35.680 --> 00:11:40.160 want us to pursue our purpose and dreams and destiny in God. He doesn't want us to possess 120 00:11:40.160 --> 00:11:46.480 our promised land and so he will either stand in front of us or, you know, create, have us partner 121 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:52.720 with our own internal critic and judge and lies and fear to prevent us from taking action or, and 122 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:58.160 we'll talk about this in the co-creating cycle with God, he'll push us too fast. You know, he either 123 00:11:58.160 --> 00:12:04.080 wants to trip us forward or trip us by pushing us too fast and so we have to understand that the 124 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:10.640 feeling that you have of resistance is both internal and external. In other words, internally, 125 00:12:10.640 --> 00:12:15.920 you might feel the fear of and fill in the blank. For me, it's like the fear of failure, 126 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:22.880 the fear of not being enough, the fear of like being known and seen and heard. Like I am an 127 00:12:22.880 --> 00:12:29.840 interesting mix of like an extrovert to a small, you know, group of people that I feel safe with, 128 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:35.200 but in terms of like strangers and crowds and people I don't know, I get very introverted and 129 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:40.960 so as God's calling me to like speak bold and to kind of relaunch this dream and to start putting 130 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:46.000 more content out, you know, I have a fear of like what if I get rejected? What if people don't want 131 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:51.040 to, you know, listen to my content or what, what, what? Like we have all these excuses that we make 132 00:12:51.040 --> 00:12:57.040 with God and God says don't, right? Like trust him. Don't look at the obstacle in front of us. 133 00:12:57.040 --> 00:13:03.200 Well, resistance can also feel like procrastination and I'm guilty of this. Like, oh, I make up 134 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:08.160 excuses of why I can't get something done or it feels too overwhelming and we talked about this 135 00:13:08.160 --> 00:13:14.880 in week three that one way to overcome, overcome resistance is to have really small action steps 136 00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:21.040 so that there's less resistance and this idea of a plane. Every time I take off in an airplane, 137 00:13:21.040 --> 00:13:27.360 I think of resistance because, you know, that as that plane is taking off and the drag against the 138 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:32.400 plane and the wind, you know, it creates that tension and then you break through the clouds, 139 00:13:32.400 --> 00:13:36.800 you know, you come through the resistance and the sun is shining, even if it started off cloudy 140 00:13:36.800 --> 00:13:42.400 down below, the sun is shining, you're at the 30,000 feet, you can see clearly, you know, 141 00:13:42.400 --> 00:13:47.680 the kind of chaos, confusion starts to lift, you know, as you're pursuing your dream and then it's 142 00:13:47.680 --> 00:13:51.920 kind of this, you know, flight, you make the progress and you land at your destination. Like 143 00:13:51.920 --> 00:13:57.440 that is what it is like to pursuing your dream, that at the beginning you have all this clarity 144 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:02.080 and then, you know, you start to take action and you're hit with this like wall of chaos, 145 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:08.000 confusion, resistance and, you know, you just feel this like physical but also internal. 146 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:15.200 Resistance is the wall of fear that stands between you and your dream, like ouch, right? Like how 147 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:21.840 often have we like had our face stuck against a wall and, you know, sometimes like for me, 148 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:26.800 whenever I feel that, I can want to run and hide or I want to escape or medicate or I don't want 149 00:14:26.800 --> 00:14:32.560 to have to face it or push through it, but I want to encourage you today that choose courage to move 150 00:14:32.560 --> 00:14:40.880 through. So God, again, gave me this analogy of walls being similar to staircases. In other words, 151 00:14:40.880 --> 00:14:45.200 you know, as you take action and you mature in your faith or you go after dreams and even if 152 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:50.160 this might be the fourth or fifth iteration of your dream, you're actually at like a new stair 153 00:14:50.160 --> 00:14:56.000 level and each time you go after, you know, kind of a breakthrough with God, it starts over again. 154 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:59.840 So using this analogy on the right before we get into the, you know, kind of how did 155 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:05.440 how to do this breakthrough, is this idea of like when you're standing on the like outer ring, 156 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.920 like you've had your breakthrough, you can again, as you break through those clouds of the plane, 157 00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:15.600 you can see the sun, you can hear God, you have clarity, you know your dream, like you just have 158 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:20.800 this confidence and courage and love and like the, you know, the sky is shining, like everything's 159 00:15:20.800 --> 00:15:25.680 amazing, and then God's like, oh, I want you to take this big bold step again and, you know, 160 00:15:25.680 --> 00:15:31.040 or take small action in doing this bold dream, and so you climb to the next level, and as you 161 00:15:31.040 --> 00:15:36.080 start to like progress into that corner, all of a sudden it's just like this feeling of almost 162 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.320 being cut off from God, like I know you're not, right, we just talked about that in Joshua, 163 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:45.520 that he is always with us, and his word promises that nothing can separate us from him, however, 164 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:52.560 as you start to like face this resistance, it can be a block even from your ability to hear clearly 165 00:15:52.560 --> 00:15:58.720 like God's direction and, you know, that intimacy and union you have with him, and yet you have to 166 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:04.480 just move forward in obedience, and you know, I love the verses that talk about perfect love casts 167 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:10.320 out fear, but sometimes we have to just believe that, you know, God is there, and he's directing 168 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:16.160 us and take these obedient steps, even if we can't see and hear, and again, it's this idea of like 169 00:16:16.160 --> 00:16:21.360 confidence that the sun is shining and gonna give us light, even if it's totally, you know, 170 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:26.640 cloudy outside, like you don't doubt that the sun is still there, so don't doubt that God is still 171 00:16:26.640 --> 00:16:32.240 there guiding you and directing your steps, even when it feels kind of this wall of resistance. 172 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:39.440 Okay, so Joshua, you know, has this, you know, wall of Jericho, and then what happens? The angel 173 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:44.800 of the Lord shows up, and he's like, are you with us or against us? Like I definitely want to be on 174 00:16:44.800 --> 00:16:51.520 your side, right? Jesus, like the incarnate Jesus, like shows up to Joshua, and Jericho was a symbol 175 00:16:51.520 --> 00:16:57.120 of resistance against God's promises and the Israelites' inheritance, like it was just this 176 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:01.360 symbol that like, ah, like, you know, like we're gonna prevent you, even though you're in the 177 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:05.680 promised land and you've gone through the wilderness and the Jordan, like we're gonna just be this 178 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:11.680 thing that just, again, like, you know, makes you feel defeated, and so what does Joshua do? Well, first 179 00:17:11.760 --> 00:17:17.280 he looks up at this, you know, angel, Jesus, and he's like, I'm gonna like worship you, right, like 180 00:17:17.280 --> 00:17:22.319 take off your shoes, the ground is holy, like he takes time with Jesus, and then he prays, and he 181 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:28.240 listens, and then there's direction, right? Like he goes like, you know, go around Jericho and have the 182 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:32.960 Ark of the Covenant, and for seven days, like six days, walk around, and then on day seven, like walk 183 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:40.160 around it seven times and shout. Well, sometimes what God tells you to do doesn't make sense, 184 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:46.000 you know, they're like, you can't use your worldly natural strategy or ideas or look at what everyone 185 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:54.000 else is doing and just copy them, like God has a unique strategy that oftentimes is like, what are 186 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:59.760 you having me do, God? It doesn't always make sense, because he is testing your faith and your willingness 187 00:17:59.760 --> 00:18:05.200 to be obedient, and as you do this, as you courageously take action, and you're not worried 188 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:09.760 what other people are thinking, I mean, like the Israelites walking around Jericho must have been 189 00:18:09.760 --> 00:18:15.760 like, oh my goodness, like they're wondering what we're doing, right? But they just kept being 190 00:18:15.760 --> 00:18:22.000 obedient, and then they believed, right? They showed up the next day, and the next day, and the next day, 191 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:28.400 like they believed in their breakthrough that was God, the victor, the breaker, right? That's one of 192 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:33.600 God's names is that he is the breaker, the breaker of bars, like, you know, Jesus came to set the 193 00:18:33.600 --> 00:18:39.120 captives free, like that is part of who God is, and through his miraculous power, he can bring 194 00:18:39.120 --> 00:18:44.640 breakthrough in your life, and then what happens? So they go, the walls come down, right? They go, 195 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:50.320 you know, slay and kill all the people, and then there's gold, and silver, and provision, like 196 00:18:50.320 --> 00:18:55.680 inside this wall of resistance was all the resources, and all the precision, you know, that 197 00:18:55.680 --> 00:19:02.800 they needed for this next phase of like taking territory, and God just provided, and so oftentimes 198 00:19:02.800 --> 00:19:08.400 the middle of your resistance are gifts, and blessings, and inheritance, and promises, like the 199 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:13.200 very thing that you're waiting on God for is embedded in the thing that you fear the most. 200 00:19:13.760 --> 00:19:20.320 Will Smith has this quote that says, God places the best things in life on the other side of fear, 201 00:19:20.320 --> 00:19:26.560 and so I want to embolden you today. If you're feeling resistance towards pursuing your dream, 202 00:19:26.560 --> 00:19:34.800 or possessing your promised land, stop, look up, ask Jesus, you know, what is his plan, and then boldly, 203 00:19:34.800 --> 00:19:40.240 courageously take that action, and believe that he can bring the breakthrough, and then when that 204 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:45.120 breakthrough happens, I mean, go, and possess it, and take it, and receive your blessings. 205 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:53.520 Okay, co-creating with God. So I love physics. That was my favorite subject in high school, 206 00:19:53.520 --> 00:19:59.040 quantum physics. I love it. Like I love all things of like, you know, seeing, and believing, 207 00:19:59.040 --> 00:19:59.840 and the power of 208 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:07.520 thoughts and words. And there's this book called Awaken the Sleeper written by Dr. Nick Castellano. 209 00:20:07.520 --> 00:20:11.920 And I actually was able to coach with him back when I lived in Texas. This is maybe like 210 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:18.240 eight or so years ago before his book came out. And I just had, like, he awakened my, like, mind 211 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:22.720 to, first of all, CliftonStrengths and, you know, helped me identify, like, my personal mission 212 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:28.400 statement and, you know, being able to know, like, who I was and how God created me. But he also 213 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:33.600 talked to me about, like, co-creating my day with God, co-creating our dreams. And he has this quote 214 00:20:33.600 --> 00:20:39.360 that says, we must create through the Holy Spirit and bring the kingdom of God to our lives, families, 215 00:20:39.360 --> 00:20:45.440 church, and world. And what I love about his book is he takes the idea of law of attraction and law 216 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:52.080 of creation, and he completely supports it through science and the Bible. I mean, the entire book is 217 00:20:52.080 --> 00:20:57.120 full of Bible verses that talk about quantum physics, quantum leaps, like your ability to 218 00:20:57.120 --> 00:21:02.800 believe in what prayer truly does in the unseen realm. And so I encourage you to read that book. 219 00:21:02.800 --> 00:21:08.000 So as we think first about, again, going back to the story of Joshua, we have to start by connecting 220 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:13.760 to the creator of the universe. Like, it says we are made in God's image. Like, we are creators 221 00:21:13.760 --> 00:21:19.120 because God is the creator. And so creating our futures, creating our days with God, like, 222 00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:24.720 creating the dream that God has for us is so key in actually being able to achieve it. 223 00:21:25.600 --> 00:21:31.920 But you have to do so from a place of positivity. You know, God gave me this quote a few years ago, 224 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:38.320 you know, as I was producing things, and it was like, creativity flows where positivity grows. 225 00:21:38.320 --> 00:21:44.080 In other words, like, you cannot feel stress and pressure and anxiety and frustration and think 226 00:21:44.080 --> 00:21:48.880 that you're going to produce something of the kingdom. Like, yes, there can be walls of resistance 227 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:54.080 that you need to push through. But before you are, like, taking time to create with God, you need to 228 00:21:54.080 --> 00:22:00.320 get into a place of, like, gratitude, of positivity, you know, get things going with your right brain, 229 00:22:00.320 --> 00:22:04.960 like, do something fun, like, really get to a place of receiving and believing with Him. 230 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:09.760 And then ask, like, then, you know, take the time to write or create or work on the thing 231 00:22:09.760 --> 00:22:15.120 that He's called you to do. Like, be careful that you're not partnering, like, to the world's, 232 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:20.240 you know, way of doing things, which is like, you know, just have traction and set a 90-day goal 233 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:26.400 and have grit. And while there's truth to those things, like, God is not a God of hurry, and you 234 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:30.720 need to flow with the Holy Spirit. And so that brings me to the next point, which is flow, not 235 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:35.920 force. And this is something that, wow, like, God has been teaching me the last few years is to 236 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:41.840 understand the difference between His invitation to create and to achieve with Him, which is like, 237 00:22:41.840 --> 00:22:47.600 riding this wave. And the second, like, I feel like He's stopping, or like, there's not being 238 00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:52.320 this guidance. Like, I can tell the difference when I'm trying to force something. And even in 239 00:22:52.320 --> 00:22:57.280 creating this course, like, there are days where, you know, I'll get, like, the two points, and it's 240 00:22:57.280 --> 00:23:02.320 just, like, this download from heaven, and it all is clear, and I get the workbooks. And then point 241 00:23:02.320 --> 00:23:08.880 three, I feel like, oh, well, I could, you know, figure out a way to, like, come up with some solid 242 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:13.920 points based on experience or books I've read. And I can just tell the difference when I'm trying 243 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:18.720 to force completion versus I'm flowing with the creation of the Holy Spirit. And so I stop, 244 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:23.680 right? I walk away from it. I turn it off, shut down my computer. I'll go, you know, do something, 245 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:29.360 go for a walk, or just go about. And there can be times where it's an hour later, or it's days later. 246 00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:34.720 And oftentimes, it's because God is wanting me to meet Him in this particular subject or this 247 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:39.760 particular point and dive into it. Like, He's trying to do something within me. Like, He's 248 00:23:39.760 --> 00:23:45.040 trying to, you know, get me to do the exercises and ask Him and co-create with Him. And so I want 249 00:23:45.040 --> 00:23:50.400 to encourage you to tell in your own self, are you flowing with God, or are you trying to force 250 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:56.400 things to happen? And then have fun. I mean, God, like, be a child. Like, have fun. Like, it's not 251 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:01.280 about the destination of achieving your dream. Like, the gift, honestly, is the journey. It's 252 00:24:01.280 --> 00:24:07.200 the creating part. Like, when you get to the end of, like, oh, I arrived, you know, at some point, 253 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:12.000 some milestone, you're going to look back and be like, wow, like, I, you know, don't want to miss, 254 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:16.560 like, the whole fun part of the journey. And then again, going back to the book, and you can read it 255 00:24:16.560 --> 00:24:21.040 if you're wanting to, you know, co-creating your day. Like, wake up with intentionality. 256 00:24:21.040 --> 00:24:27.200 Like, call your day. Like, God gave us the power of our words to decree and to pray, you know, just 257 00:24:27.200 --> 00:24:31.760 like Him. Like, He said, light be. Well, are you doing that to your day? Are you saying, like, 258 00:24:31.760 --> 00:24:35.680 today, today is going to be a day of health, and today is going to be a day of great connecting 259 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:40.400 with my family, and today is going to be a day filled with productivity that's, you know, 260 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:44.880 multiplied by the enemy, and time is going to serve me today. Like, are you decreeing and 261 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:50.960 declaring your day with God and creating with intentions? Or are you at the mercy of circumstances 262 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:55.840 and events, and, you know, do you feel like, oh, I never have enough time, and my, you know, my 263 00:24:55.840 --> 00:24:59.760 schedule gets hijacked, and there's so many direction, you know, distractions? Well, 264 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:05.120 Are you waking up with God in the morning, having time with him, hearing with him? 265 00:25:05.120 --> 00:25:10.040 You know, Jesus did the will of God and, you know, brought the heaven to earth 266 00:25:10.040 --> 00:25:14.200 because he was willing every morning and throughout the day to like hear what 267 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:16.320 the father was saying and then go do that. 268 00:25:16.360 --> 00:25:18.120 And so I encourage you to do that as well. 269 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:20.600 And then again, the creative flow cycle. 270 00:25:20.600 --> 00:25:26.240 So God gave me this a few years ago as like how to flow, like thinking of like, 271 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:29.880 you know, riding a wave or being in the ocean or in a wave pool. 272 00:25:30.280 --> 00:25:33.800 My kids love going to like Kalahari and all those different indoor water 273 00:25:33.800 --> 00:25:35.520 parks where they have wave pools. 274 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:39.240 And I always think of this, like, you know, if you resist the 275 00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:41.000 wave, it's going to crash over you. 276 00:25:41.320 --> 00:25:45.720 I lived in Hawaii, you know, this out in the ocean is something I've grown up a 277 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:47.920 lot of my life being near the beach. 278 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:52.240 And, you know, if you kind of ride the wave and jump up with the wave, you 279 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.000 know, obviously you're not going to get kind of pummeled and crushed by it. 280 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:58.480 But if you just like resist it, obviously it's going to be more difficult. 281 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:02.400 And so the first key, the first phase of your creative flow cycle 282 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:04.240 with the Holy Spirit is to rest. 283 00:26:04.840 --> 00:26:07.200 You know, it's a place of rest. 284 00:26:07.800 --> 00:26:12.840 And so often that's counterintuitive to trying to pursue big 285 00:26:12.840 --> 00:26:14.560 dreams or to take action. 286 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:17.520 You know, it's like just push through and keep going. 287 00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:17.800 Right. 288 00:26:17.800 --> 00:26:21.480 But rest, like God is a God of peace and rest. 289 00:26:21.520 --> 00:26:26.040 And so rest is when you just take intentional time, whether again, it's in 290 00:26:26.040 --> 00:26:31.080 the morning, you're so busy not to spend time with God, you know, the more you 291 00:26:31.080 --> 00:26:33.440 have, the more time you should be spending with him. 292 00:26:34.080 --> 00:26:38.400 And so whether it's a Sabbath, you know, every week I encourage that, whether, 293 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:41.960 you know, it's, you know, an hour a day or however much time you're spending, 294 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:46.880 like take time to rest because it's in the rest where the rejuvenation comes, 295 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:50.920 where your spirit gets filled back up in God and where he gives you the new 296 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:53.760 ideas, clarity, direction, energy, and wisdom. 297 00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:56.720 Like rest is where we receive from him. 298 00:26:56.720 --> 00:27:00.240 Think of it like you're on a road trip and you have to fill up, right. 299 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.560 You have to fill up your gas. 300 00:27:01.560 --> 00:27:02.280 You have to eat. 301 00:27:02.280 --> 00:27:07.040 Like this is spiritual, you know, feeding of your soul and then rise. 302 00:27:07.040 --> 00:27:10.160 Like again, the airplane taking off, like you're rising with this 303 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:13.320 weave and you have to break through the resistance. 304 00:27:13.560 --> 00:27:17.760 Like this is when you're going to turn resistance into resilience by taking 305 00:27:17.760 --> 00:27:19.600 courageous action and trusting God. 306 00:27:19.800 --> 00:27:23.800 And so again, you start to have that multiplication, you know, things 307 00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:28.400 start making progress, like you rise and then you reach, you know, reach some goal. 308 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:33.480 And I think this, you know, sometimes my flow cycle with God can be throughout 309 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:37.160 the day, like I can get to all these points within a given day, it can be 310 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:41.520 weeks where I'm kind of in a stage of rising and then I reach something in a 311 00:27:41.520 --> 00:27:43.440 week or two and then have to release it. 312 00:27:43.720 --> 00:27:47.600 You know, it's all depending on this cycle that you're doing with the Holy Spirit. 313 00:27:47.600 --> 00:27:51.320 Well, when you're in the reach phase, you're making progress until you reach 314 00:27:51.320 --> 00:27:53.040 this goal that God has given to you. 315 00:27:53.040 --> 00:27:56.600 And it's His deadline or His what finish looks like. 316 00:27:56.600 --> 00:27:58.440 We talked about that, not yours. 317 00:27:58.600 --> 00:28:00.720 Like ask God what it looks like to reach. 318 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:05.520 And then the most important part of reach after that is to release it. 319 00:28:06.360 --> 00:28:06.640 Okay. 320 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:08.360 So this is hard, right? 321 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:12.680 Like we do something from God and we want like, Oh, I want everyone to love this 322 00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:17.080 course that I made or this book that I just published or to see my little puppy 323 00:28:17.080 --> 00:28:19.480 that I just adopted, or I lost weight. 324 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:22.760 Like I want people to celebrate, like we care about the outcome. 325 00:28:22.840 --> 00:28:28.360 And yet friend, the outcome is God's like, He is the one who helps us 326 00:28:28.360 --> 00:28:29.960 bear fruit to make wealth. 327 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:35.480 Like the Bible is full of like, you obey, God provides, like you act in obedience. 328 00:28:35.520 --> 00:28:35.920 Right. 329 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:38.160 Like, and He's the one who does the rest of it. 330 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:42.080 And so release the outcome, release the timing, release the provision, 331 00:28:42.080 --> 00:28:43.440 release the results to God. 332 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:48.360 Like just do your part, which is being obedient and taking action, being 333 00:28:48.360 --> 00:28:50.920 intentional with rest and then let Him do it. 334 00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:56.320 And when you think of this, it falls into a similar cadence of the seasons, right? 335 00:28:56.320 --> 00:29:02.000 Rest can be a season of like winter and it can feel dark sometimes where we're 336 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:04.520 not like, you know, especially if you're a high achiever. 337 00:29:04.520 --> 00:29:09.720 I mean, believe me, I love like climbing and going and like going after big stuff. 338 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:15.000 And it is hard for me just to be and to rest and to feel unproductive. 339 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:18.600 And maybe it's taking time to go on vacation or playing games with 340 00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:20.440 your kids or going for walks. 341 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:23.440 Like, oh, but rest is warfare. 342 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:28.480 Like when you get that idea that rest is like intentionality and it's 343 00:29:28.840 --> 00:29:32.960 productivity because rest is so vital to this journey, but you don't 344 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:34.360 have spring without winter. 345 00:29:34.600 --> 00:29:38.880 Like you don't have these beautiful, you know, flowers and buds and part 346 00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:44.280 of the creative creation cycle without having the season of winter and dormancy. 347 00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:46.480 And then you have summer, right? 348 00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:49.040 The reach part where things are shining. 349 00:29:49.040 --> 00:29:50.280 The sky is blue. 350 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:51.920 You know, it's warm out. 351 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:55.560 You see all these, like the gardens are being pretty, you know, all of 352 00:29:55.560 --> 00:29:59.880 these produce and watermelons, and it's this amazing sense of. 353 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.000 like abundance and, you know, joy. 354 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:05.120 And then there's the fall, the release, 355 00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:07.680 where the leaves are falling, where you're letting go, 356 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:08.880 where you're giving to God, 357 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:10.840 where you're laying things down, you know, 358 00:30:10.840 --> 00:30:12.960 but even in the release stage, you know, 359 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.800 there's the reaping, you know, the sowing and reaping, 360 00:30:15.800 --> 00:30:17.880 like it's the harvest, the thankfulness, 361 00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:20.640 the Thanksgiving period of being grateful 362 00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:22.160 for what God has provided. 363 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:23.440 And then you do it again. 364 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:25.600 And so just encourage you like with God 365 00:30:25.600 --> 00:30:27.600 to go about these different steps. 366 00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:29.560 Okay, my friends. 367 00:30:29.600 --> 00:30:32.040 Well, I am excited to share with you again, you know, 368 00:30:32.040 --> 00:30:35.240 part of this life-changing just thing 369 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:36.640 that God has done in my life. 370 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:40.760 So, you know, going after my dreams with God 371 00:30:40.760 --> 00:30:42.040 would just be challenging. 372 00:30:42.040 --> 00:30:44.360 Like back, you know, in Texas and, you know, 373 00:30:44.360 --> 00:30:45.400 seven, eight years ago, 374 00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:46.920 when I would pursue dreams with God, 375 00:30:46.920 --> 00:30:49.280 it just felt so difficult. 376 00:30:49.280 --> 00:30:51.800 Like I just felt this pressure and this anxiety 377 00:30:51.800 --> 00:30:53.400 that like I was gonna fail God. 378 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:55.200 And honestly, I'm a big science, 379 00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:56.760 like fantasy book, like nerd. 380 00:30:56.760 --> 00:30:59.160 And I think it's because my mom read Chronicles of Narnia 381 00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:00.120 when I was in her womb. 382 00:31:00.120 --> 00:31:01.520 And so I just came out with like, 383 00:31:01.520 --> 00:31:04.160 I love like everything like fantasy books 384 00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:06.320 and, you know, Lord of the Rings, right? 385 00:31:06.320 --> 00:31:09.160 I thought, you know, pursuing your dreams with God 386 00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:11.600 was like Frodo, like you have this ring 387 00:31:11.600 --> 00:31:13.760 and, you know, you have to bring it to Mordor. 388 00:31:13.760 --> 00:31:14.600 And if you don't, 389 00:31:14.600 --> 00:31:17.600 like the whole world is gonna like explode. 390 00:31:17.600 --> 00:31:20.320 And, you know, there's like dire consequences 391 00:31:20.320 --> 00:31:21.720 to you not fulfilling your dream. 392 00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:24.000 And so I always kind of felt this like huge amount 393 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:26.000 of stress and anxiety and pressure 394 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:27.440 and going after God dreams. 395 00:31:27.480 --> 00:31:30.240 And as a result, I didn't see the progress 396 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:32.160 and I didn't find joy in the journey. 397 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:34.040 Well, at the end of 2021, 398 00:31:34.040 --> 00:31:37.080 I went on a girls trip vacation for my birthday weekend 399 00:31:37.080 --> 00:31:38.960 with two of my friends from church. 400 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:43.640 And it was seriously in a series of unfortunate events. 401 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:45.640 Like we were driving up to Michigan, 402 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:47.920 it's beautiful weather out in October, 403 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:50.640 you know, the leaves, I had high hopes for this trip. 404 00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:52.680 I mean, it'd been like the first time away from work 405 00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:55.520 and family I'd had in a lot of years. 406 00:31:55.520 --> 00:31:57.280 And five minutes from the Airbnb, 407 00:31:58.120 --> 00:31:58.960 we get a flat tire. 408 00:31:58.960 --> 00:31:59.880 And I'm like, are you kidding me? 409 00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:01.640 Like we're kind of stranded in the middle of nowhere, 410 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:03.880 flat tire, and thankfully God provides someone 411 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:05.280 to help us change it. 412 00:32:05.280 --> 00:32:08.680 Well, it starts to rain and we get to the Airbnb 413 00:32:08.680 --> 00:32:11.160 and we are locked out of this stinking Airbnb 414 00:32:11.160 --> 00:32:13.960 for over an hour because the batteries 415 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:16.160 on the actual like lock were dead. 416 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:18.320 And so they couldn't just give us a new code. 417 00:32:18.320 --> 00:32:21.120 And we'd already brought like tons of stuff up there. 418 00:32:21.120 --> 00:32:23.520 And so we had to like stay there for an hour, 419 00:32:23.520 --> 00:32:24.720 standing on the porch, 420 00:32:24.800 --> 00:32:27.400 like waiting for them to come and fix it. 421 00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:29.720 And I'm getting frustrated, like at this part, 422 00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:32.840 I'm like, seriously, God, like this is frustrating. 423 00:32:32.840 --> 00:32:36.000 And the next day we have to go get the tire changed 424 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:38.440 and they had to like buy it from some other place. 425 00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:40.720 And it's like an all day event to get this tire changed. 426 00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:43.400 And that was the day that we were supposed to go 427 00:32:43.400 --> 00:32:46.640 into the Traverse City neighboring towns 428 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:48.760 and go shopping and out to dinner 429 00:32:48.760 --> 00:32:50.320 and have fun, celebrate my birthday. 430 00:32:50.320 --> 00:32:52.800 And instead we're stuck in this little teeny town. 431 00:32:52.840 --> 00:32:55.680 Well, in the middle of the town, as we're walking around, 432 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:58.800 we come across this National Trout Memorial. 433 00:32:58.800 --> 00:33:01.680 Now I'm not a big fan of fish or fishing, 434 00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:05.160 but somehow seeing this ginormous trout 435 00:33:05.160 --> 00:33:08.400 in the middle of nowhere near Bear Creek Lake 436 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:10.560 just had me start laughing. 437 00:33:10.560 --> 00:33:12.600 That like, there's this hidden gem, 438 00:33:12.600 --> 00:33:15.800 like, oh, I discovered the National Trout Memorial, 439 00:33:15.800 --> 00:33:17.880 like destination, right? 440 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:20.600 And it was in that moment that God started talking to me 441 00:33:20.600 --> 00:33:22.120 about this being an adventure 442 00:33:22.120 --> 00:33:24.720 and to just stop and change my mindset 443 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:27.040 that the good and the bad were all part of the journey 444 00:33:27.040 --> 00:33:28.800 and to look for hidden gems. 445 00:33:28.800 --> 00:33:31.360 And good thing, like I shifted my mindset 446 00:33:31.360 --> 00:33:32.800 because later that afternoon, 447 00:33:32.800 --> 00:33:36.080 as we were driving out of the little town, 448 00:33:36.080 --> 00:33:38.640 we got pulled over by cops for speeding 449 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:40.160 because we didn't see the sign. 450 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:42.520 And so we decided to just stay in the Airbnb 451 00:33:42.520 --> 00:33:43.960 the rest of the weekend. 452 00:33:43.960 --> 00:33:45.520 And then as we were driving home, 453 00:33:45.520 --> 00:33:49.120 we stopped at Olive Garden 454 00:33:49.120 --> 00:33:52.000 and we had pumpkin cheesecake, was my all-time favorite, 455 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:54.000 and we celebrated my birthday. 456 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:55.680 And when I got home from this trip, 457 00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:58.480 God just gave me this download of like, 458 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:00.400 our journey of pursuing our dreams 459 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:02.280 is meant to be like a girl's trip. 460 00:34:02.280 --> 00:34:04.120 And here's some of the mindsets 461 00:34:04.120 --> 00:34:07.000 that have been shifting in me since this trip. 462 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:08.199 One, we talked about it, 463 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:11.400 be courageous, open to possibilities and explore. 464 00:34:11.400 --> 00:34:14.600 See the both ups and downs as part of the journey 465 00:34:14.600 --> 00:34:17.679 to find the hidden gems in the difficulties, 466 00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:20.840 following your guide and trusting the process to God, 467 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:24.159 embracing the unexpected and going with the flow, 468 00:34:24.159 --> 00:34:27.840 that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. 469 00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:30.600 The importance of taking time to refuel, rest, 470 00:34:30.600 --> 00:34:32.440 and having fun, we just talked about that. 471 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:35.560 And remembering that the journey to pursuing your dream 472 00:34:35.560 --> 00:34:36.920 is better with friends. 473 00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:40.920 And so with this, he gave me this 12-step 474 00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:43.880 or this 12-week kind of roadmap of achieving our dreams. 475 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:45.120 And I wanna share it with you. 476 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:46.800 And in fact, I'm taking this 477 00:34:46.800 --> 00:34:49.679 and creating a course out of it or a challenge out of it, 478 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:51.159 you know, and there'll be more information 479 00:34:51.159 --> 00:34:52.520 about that in the future. 480 00:34:52.520 --> 00:34:54.199 But this is kind of the steps 481 00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:56.080 that God has talked into me about. 482 00:34:56.080 --> 00:34:58.920 And some of this is content we've already gone over, 483 00:34:58.920 --> 00:35:00.480 kind of a Cliff Notes version. 484 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:03.160 of this adventure, but it starts at number one 485 00:35:03.160 --> 00:35:05.600 with your starting place, which is your identity in God, 486 00:35:05.600 --> 00:35:08.120 your value and worth, like you have to know who you are 487 00:35:08.120 --> 00:35:09.640 to know where you're going. 488 00:35:09.640 --> 00:35:11.480 Number two is plan your trip. 489 00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:13.520 Like what is your dream destination? 490 00:35:13.520 --> 00:35:15.880 What is this dream that God is giving you? 491 00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:17.920 Number three is map your path. 492 00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:21.320 We talked about that, but making sure that you are locked in 493 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:23.920 on the milestones and the steps to get there. 494 00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:26.520 And then number four is pack your bags. 495 00:35:26.520 --> 00:35:29.440 For me, again, being a certified CliftonStrengths coach, 496 00:35:29.480 --> 00:35:30.360 I love this stuff. 497 00:35:30.360 --> 00:35:32.920 Like what are your strengths that God has given you? 498 00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:35.240 What are your talents, you know, your passions? 499 00:35:35.240 --> 00:35:37.080 Like what is it that you're gonna bring 500 00:35:37.080 --> 00:35:40.440 into this dream vacation with God 501 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:42.000 to be able to achieve your dreams? 502 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:45.280 And then number five is inviting your friends. 503 00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:47.920 We are not meant to do this dream together. 504 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:51.160 Like the dream that you have, like it is so lonely, 505 00:35:51.160 --> 00:35:52.840 you know, pursuing dreams alone. 506 00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:55.220 And again, going back to the story of Joshua, 507 00:35:55.220 --> 00:35:57.760 they were able to possess their promised land 508 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:00.520 and take territory because they did it together. 509 00:36:00.520 --> 00:36:02.840 And there was even times where there was a tribe 510 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:04.600 that wanted to stay on one side of the Jordan. 511 00:36:04.600 --> 00:36:07.160 He said, no, like you are not gonna rest 512 00:36:07.160 --> 00:36:09.800 until you come with us, we defeat the enemies, 513 00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:11.720 and then you can go back and stay there. 514 00:36:11.720 --> 00:36:13.680 And they divided up the different parts 515 00:36:13.680 --> 00:36:16.560 of the promised land for their tribes and territories. 516 00:36:16.560 --> 00:36:19.260 And the same thing, like God might have you partner 517 00:36:19.260 --> 00:36:21.960 with people, mentors, you know, coaches, 518 00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:24.480 or just friends as you pursue your dream. 519 00:36:24.480 --> 00:36:27.120 And you might go, you know, together for a season 520 00:36:27.160 --> 00:36:29.600 and then split off and like do your own thing. 521 00:36:29.600 --> 00:36:31.880 But like the journey for achieving your dreams 522 00:36:31.880 --> 00:36:33.840 is best with friends. 523 00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:36.120 Number six, set your compass. 524 00:36:36.120 --> 00:36:39.000 Okay, you gotta lock into the Holy Spirit GPS 525 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:40.640 and know where you're headed 526 00:36:40.640 --> 00:36:43.480 because there will be detours, there will be roadblocks. 527 00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:45.640 And you're gonna need to know how to course correct 528 00:36:45.640 --> 00:36:48.280 and get back on the path that God has for you. 529 00:36:48.280 --> 00:36:50.880 And then we just talked about this in week four, 530 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:52.360 but start your adventure. 531 00:36:52.360 --> 00:36:55.920 I mean, be willing to like get in there, get going 532 00:36:55.920 --> 00:36:59.240 and start taking action and then watch out for roadblocks. 533 00:36:59.240 --> 00:37:01.120 Well, we talked about one of the big roadblocks, 534 00:37:01.120 --> 00:37:04.200 which was resistance, but there's gonna be other roadblocks 535 00:37:04.200 --> 00:37:06.080 that pop up along the way. 536 00:37:06.080 --> 00:37:09.240 It can be like imposter syndrome and insecurity, 537 00:37:09.240 --> 00:37:11.920 and it can be comparison or financial roadblocks. 538 00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:14.680 Like some roadblocks are gonna just show up 539 00:37:14.680 --> 00:37:16.360 at multiple stages of your journey 540 00:37:16.360 --> 00:37:19.800 and you have to be aware of it and know how to overcome it. 541 00:37:19.800 --> 00:37:23.600 And then following your guide, like follow Jesus, listen. 542 00:37:23.600 --> 00:37:24.800 Like, what is he telling you? 543 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:26.800 Like, he is with you in this journey. 544 00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:29.720 And so make sure that you are following him. 545 00:37:29.720 --> 00:37:31.680 Number 10, refill your tank. 546 00:37:31.680 --> 00:37:35.240 I mean, like find out where those coffee shops are, 547 00:37:35.240 --> 00:37:38.360 like go get your coffee, go fill your tank up, 548 00:37:38.360 --> 00:37:41.840 go take time to rest, listen to the fun music, 549 00:37:41.840 --> 00:37:44.160 like take time to have fun with friends. 550 00:37:44.160 --> 00:37:47.080 Like this is not, again, that Lord of the Rings, 551 00:37:47.080 --> 00:37:49.120 like have to do it at all costs 552 00:37:49.120 --> 00:37:50.680 and the world's gonna explode. 553 00:37:50.680 --> 00:37:53.080 Like the whole part of pursuing our dreams 554 00:37:53.120 --> 00:37:54.920 is about relationship, building faith 555 00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:56.360 and having fun with God. 556 00:37:57.400 --> 00:38:00.880 And then that goes to number 11, enjoying your journey. 557 00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:05.160 I mean, again, like the ups and downs, like embrace it. 558 00:38:05.160 --> 00:38:07.240 Like look at it like a rollercoaster ride, 559 00:38:07.240 --> 00:38:08.640 like the twists and the turns 560 00:38:08.640 --> 00:38:11.000 and the I don't know where I am right now, God. 561 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:13.200 Like that is all part of the gift of this. 562 00:38:13.200 --> 00:38:17.640 So just have fun and then have some birthday cake 563 00:38:17.640 --> 00:38:19.520 and celebrate your wins or whatever it is 564 00:38:19.520 --> 00:38:22.600 that you wanna do, like celebrate small progress, 565 00:38:23.120 --> 00:38:24.600 celebrate the victories, 566 00:38:24.600 --> 00:38:27.680 celebrate like what God is doing in your life 567 00:38:27.680 --> 00:38:31.760 and give it forward, like be generous. 568 00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:33.920 When you are having progress on your dream, 569 00:38:33.920 --> 00:38:36.640 like this is an opportunity to empower other people's dreams 570 00:38:36.640 --> 00:38:38.480 to sow into them, to help them. 571 00:38:38.480 --> 00:38:40.720 Like if you've reached a milestone, 572 00:38:40.720 --> 00:38:43.400 like tell other people like how you did it 573 00:38:43.400 --> 00:38:44.440 or how to give back. 574 00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:47.880 Like this is an opportunity for you to empower others 575 00:38:47.880 --> 00:38:50.120 so that they too can pursue their dreams. 576 00:38:51.120 --> 00:38:53.760 Okay, so courageously taking action book list. 577 00:38:53.760 --> 00:38:57.120 Again, I love everything, I love books. 578 00:38:57.120 --> 00:39:00.280 I'm always reading, besides my Bible, 579 00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:03.280 like I go after like just these nuggets, 580 00:39:03.280 --> 00:39:06.480 these hidden gems like we talked about in books that I read. 581 00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:09.160 And one of the things that I've been really doing this year 582 00:39:09.160 --> 00:39:10.400 is prayer and fasting. 583 00:39:10.400 --> 00:39:12.000 Like that is an amazing way 584 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:13.800 to bring breakthrough in your life. 585 00:39:13.800 --> 00:39:16.160 Not again that it forces God to act, 586 00:39:16.160 --> 00:39:19.240 but it empowers the Holy Spirit to be able to work in you 587 00:39:19.800 --> 00:39:23.480 and through you and then just shows your concentration 588 00:39:23.480 --> 00:39:26.960 or consecration unto God in this new season. 589 00:39:26.960 --> 00:39:29.920 And so a book that I recommend is the Jericho Fast 590 00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:32.960 by Rhonda Dale Dial. 591 00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:35.080 Like she has this book, it's a seven day book. 592 00:39:35.080 --> 00:39:36.800 It's a thin little book you can get on Amazon. 593 00:39:36.800 --> 00:39:39.960 And it kind of breaks down the story of the Jericho 594 00:39:39.960 --> 00:39:41.600 by each of the seven days 595 00:39:41.600 --> 00:39:44.000 and kind of how you can position yourself with God 596 00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:45.600 in a time of fasting. 597 00:39:45.600 --> 00:39:47.680 Another book is the Joshua Generation. 598 00:39:47.680 --> 00:39:49.400 Again, I've been reading this the last few years 599 00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:51.800 from Brian Simmons and the Passion Translation, 600 00:39:51.800 --> 00:39:54.800 all about the characteristics of Joshua. 601 00:39:54.800 --> 00:39:57.600 Breakthrough is a great book of like decrees 602 00:39:57.600 --> 00:40:00.400 and prophetic words and prayers around this idea of... 603 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:02.800 through in different areas of your life by Sean Boltz, 604 00:40:02.800 --> 00:40:06.000 The War and Art that I mentioned by Steven Pressfield, 605 00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:08.120 Effortless, I wanted to bring this back again. 606 00:40:08.120 --> 00:40:09.960 It was on last week's list, 607 00:40:09.960 --> 00:40:11.760 but as you're starting to take action, 608 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:14.160 that book kind of encompassed both weeks. 609 00:40:14.160 --> 00:40:16.520 It also started with like making plans, 610 00:40:16.520 --> 00:40:18.840 but it's really good to reread some of those sections 611 00:40:18.840 --> 00:40:20.080 on taking action. 612 00:40:20.080 --> 00:40:22.360 And then Awaken the Sleeper, 613 00:40:22.360 --> 00:40:24.880 you know, we talked about co-creating your day with Christ 614 00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:26.480 and God and the Holy Spirit, 615 00:40:26.480 --> 00:40:28.560 and, you know, being able to attract the things 616 00:40:28.560 --> 00:40:29.880 that he has for you. 617 00:40:31.080 --> 00:40:32.480 So the exercises this week, 618 00:40:32.480 --> 00:40:34.800 I am excited for these exercises. 619 00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:36.160 They are powerful. 620 00:40:36.160 --> 00:40:37.720 I mean, I have gone through them 621 00:40:37.720 --> 00:40:40.680 and gotten like amazing revelation 622 00:40:40.680 --> 00:40:42.400 and just breakthrough in my own life. 623 00:40:42.400 --> 00:40:44.520 So I really encourage you to take time 624 00:40:44.520 --> 00:40:46.200 to do these exercises. 625 00:40:46.200 --> 00:40:48.400 On the just start small exercise, 626 00:40:48.400 --> 00:40:50.960 you're gonna ask God, like, what is the one thing? 627 00:40:50.960 --> 00:40:52.520 Like, what is my loaves and fish? 628 00:40:52.520 --> 00:40:54.360 What do you wanna multiply? 629 00:40:54.360 --> 00:40:56.320 For the breakthrough on resistance, 630 00:40:56.360 --> 00:40:59.120 it's like, what is the wall sitting in front of me? 631 00:40:59.120 --> 00:41:00.880 What provision or blessings do you have 632 00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:02.080 on the other side of me? 633 00:41:02.080 --> 00:41:05.240 And what do we wanna do to like overcome this resistance 634 00:41:05.240 --> 00:41:07.120 and asking God to do it? 635 00:41:07.120 --> 00:41:08.880 And then co-creating with God, 636 00:41:08.880 --> 00:41:11.640 like this is those four parts of the flow cycle. 637 00:41:11.640 --> 00:41:14.200 And how do you actually put this practically into your life 638 00:41:14.200 --> 00:41:17.480 from rest, rise, reach and release? 639 00:41:17.480 --> 00:41:20.160 Okay, my friend, I wanna pray for you before we go, 640 00:41:20.160 --> 00:41:22.640 but I am so excited that we've gotten to week four. 641 00:41:22.640 --> 00:41:23.600 Thank you for watching. 642 00:41:23.640 --> 00:41:26.720 I really appreciate you being part of this journey with me. 643 00:41:26.720 --> 00:41:29.320 I hope that you feel empowered to pursue your dreams 644 00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:31.400 with God and to take action. 645 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:33.280 And so in the name of Jesus, Lord, 646 00:41:33.280 --> 00:41:36.240 I just pray breakthrough for my friends right now. 647 00:41:36.240 --> 00:41:38.920 God, that the dreams that you have for their life 648 00:41:38.920 --> 00:41:42.840 would start to see fruit and to take courageous action. 649 00:41:42.840 --> 00:41:44.560 God, that there would just be breakthrough 650 00:41:44.560 --> 00:41:47.800 against resistance and fear that there would come clarity, 651 00:41:47.800 --> 00:41:49.000 that there would come courage, 652 00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:52.000 that limitations would be removed in the name of Jesus. 653 00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:54.400 God, I pray that you would multiply the gifts 654 00:41:54.400 --> 00:41:56.760 and the talents and the strengths and the ideas 655 00:41:56.760 --> 00:41:58.120 and the things that they have, Lord, 656 00:41:58.120 --> 00:42:00.360 that they wanna use to bless others. 657 00:42:00.360 --> 00:42:03.440 God, I just thank you so much for my new friends 658 00:42:03.440 --> 00:42:05.360 and God that you would bless them, 659 00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:07.520 that you would do abundantly, exceedingly, 660 00:42:07.520 --> 00:42:09.680 above all that they could ask. 661 00:42:09.680 --> 00:42:12.160 Lord, that the power of your spirit would fill them 662 00:42:12.160 --> 00:42:14.520 and that they would go boldly into their promised land 663 00:42:14.520 --> 00:42:17.240 and possess the land that you have promised to them 664 00:42:17.240 --> 00:42:18.760 and generations to come. 665 00:42:18.760 --> 00:42:20.880 In Jesus' name, amen. 666 00:42:20.880 --> 00:42:21.840 Bye, my friends.