Hey Faith-led girl…
We’ve got something BIG to celebrate today on the podcast…and I’m giving away something BIG to celebrate! Be sure to get in on the party in this episode
I won’t ruin the surprise for ya, but I will give you a sneak peek….
Do you ever find yourself SAYING you are faith-led, yet when you get up off the couch from your quiet time, you head off into the demands of your day pretty much on your own? That was me for so long too.
We’ve all got great intentions about letting God lead, but too often we put ourselves in the driver’s seat. If you’ve ever done that or don’t want to do that any more, listen in…
Today I’m sharing the 5 Steps God showed me to truly be faith-led. You’re gonna want to take notes…and put them into practice. So grab your journal or your notes app and let’s get started…
I pray this blesses, challenges… and moves you to action!
L.Y.L.A.S. (Love Ya Like A Sis)
Lissa
P.S. Check out the show notes for a recap… plus links to all the resources + an opportunity for a free 15 min Strategy Session here https://redeemhertime.com/100
P.P.S. Get your name in a drawing for $100 off the REDEEM Her Time Program when you leave a review of the show
Binge the WITH-God Series
Ep 94 Create Your WITH-God Vision https://redeemhertime.com/94
Ep 96 Create Your WITH-God Goals https://redeemhertime.com/96
Ep 98 Create Your WITH-God Priorities https://redeemhertime.com/98
97, 98, 99, 100! BRRRRR!!! In case you couldn’t tell, that was my noise maker. Why are we making noise on the podcast today you ask? Because it’s our 100th episode! BRRRRR!!! And I’m so glad YOU are here to celebrate with us- whether you’ve been here since Episode 1 (or even further back in the pre-podcast days) or whether this is your first REDEEM Her Time episode ever. My gift to you today to celebrate 100 is the 5 Step process God has shown me to truly be faith-led in everything I do, including this podcast. And is it rude to ask for a gift from you? I hope not, cuz I’m boldly asking for 100 reviews of the REDEEM Her Time Podcast…and to thank you, for every review submitted (or a shout out on social if you’ve already left a review….just be sure to tag me so I see it) your name will go into a drawing for $100 OFF the new Redeem Her Time Program coming soon. So let me ask you, would 1 min of your time right now be worth $100 to you to shape your life and your time both now and for eternity? I hope so! Push pause, scroll down to the Leave a Review link on your podcast player, share what you love about this podcast and then come on back to me. BRRRR!!! I’m celebrating YOU- your gift means the world to me and to all the other busy women out there who feel pulled in too many directions and want to be faith-led with their time too.
Since this is a milestone moment, let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane so you can see where we’ve been and how God’s hand has been at work over the past few years in getting us to this place.
It all started back in August of 2020 when I decided to start doing interviews on my FB business page. My focus at the time was to help women live repurposed after 40- meaning, allowing God to take their past experiences (often hard and challenging) and use them for a new purpose in this stage of life to grow personally and to bless others. The weekly show took off and the slots filled quickly. One day a friend of mine casually asked if I had ever considered posting the audio from those live interviews as a podcast. At first I was quick to brush her off with the excuse. “I don’t know how to do that” and “This is working just fine”, but she offered to quick share her screen and in just a few minutes showed me how I could repurpose those value-packed conversations buried on social into podcast episodes that had the potential to reach more people. “That doesn’t look so hard”, I thought. So I found a course, did the work and launched the RePurposed After 40 Podcast in March of 2021.
For about a year and a half, the podcast featured weekly interviews with those amazing women who had found a way to Repurpose both the good and the hard things in life when I felt a nudge from the Lord that it was time for me to speak up. Don’t get me wrong- it wasn’t that people didn’t hear from me as the host- I asked great questions and added valuable content as much as I could, but I knew God was calling me to step out in a new way- in a way that was way out of my comfort zone. He was asking me to do something I didn’t know if I was equipped for. How in the world was I going to have enough to talk about week after week when it was just me? But true to His character, God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called. Now it was up to me to be obedient and trust that He would lead.
At the same time, I felt God also prompting me to get clear on the message He had been teaching me and was calling me to share with others. You see, I was an all-the-things kind of girl who always had a mile long to-do list of all I thought I needed to do as a child of god, wife, mom, teacher, leader, business owner, home manager, friend, neighbor…but no matter how hard or how long I worked, I never seemed to do enough to get to the bottom of it, and started questioning whether I was enough. When my ideal world came crashing down around me (and I crashed from exhaustion too), I was finally ready to stop and listen. He showed me that I needed to simplify- not just in my stuff and in my schedule, but also in my heart- to not continue to cram so many things into the nooks and crannies of my life such that I was pulled in too many directions and not fully present with what truly mattered in this season and for eternity.
As I looked around, I saw I was not alone. As women, especially Christian women, we feel a need to do all-the-things all-the-time…have you been there too? But that’s not the life He intends for us. He wants us to focus on what matters. And Jesus summed it up well when He said in Matthew 22:37 the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Notice that most of the things on our to-do lists are not on His what-matters-most list for us. A lot of the things we spend our time on are what we think we should do…or what the world around us says we should do…not necessarily what God wants us to do- love Him and love others. Perhaps we need to simplify.
If you were a listener back in June of 2022, you undoubtedly saw and heard the shift from interviews to solo episodes and from life-changes to life-changing. I renamed the podcast Simplified Focus, launched the Simplify your Stuff series (which you can go back and binge on Episodes 68-75) and didn’t look back…and you know what, there was plenty to talk about because with too much crammed into our modern lives, simplifying is always necessary in order to create space to focus on what matters most. I interviewed women about their needs and struggles on the topic of simplifying and focus, planned out the fall podcast content, set up the back end of a membership community, and with an excited waiting list announced I would open the doors when I returned from a 3 week missions trip with my hubby to Central Asia and Europe.
When I got back home, I excitedly opened the doors to the Simplified Focus Community and…crickets. All those women who had told me this was exactly what they needed and wanted were not jumping in like I had envisioned. About a week after we returned, only 1 woman from that long waitlist had joined (believe me, I was thankful for even 1). And I also had received news about 3 different things that affected what I was building that were not going to happen as planned. Needless to say, I was disappointed. “Lord, I thought this is what you said you wanted us to do together…what am I missing?” I really did think I was partnering with Him, but that was the problem, I wasn’t letting HIM lead…truly. And…You know what He said to me? “Good. Now that I’ve got your attention, stop doing and just listen.”
I decided that needed to get top priority, so I set aside the next week to get quiet, put myself before Him and listen. And can I just tell you- He showed up in more ways than I could have ever asked or imagined! It was like once I got out of the way, the floodgates opened and He poured out vision, ideas, plans, resources, connections, tools…and the one thing I heard most clearly was this- “I don’t want faith to be just one piece of the puzzle, I want this to be faith-led. And I want you to talk specifically to women who truly desire for their life to be faith-led”
It was only in the pause that I could quiet the noise around me, and honestly in me to hear what He wanted to speak into me. Now it was time to take steps with what He had shown me. Just days later, while sitting in church, our pastor use the word redeem and that’s when it hit me…redeem the time. I quickly flipped a few pages to Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because these are difficult days.” And right there in the pew, REDEEM Her Time was born. Now, instead of faith being an equal piece of the pie as one of the 8 areas of life, it is the center, the hub that connects each area and guides how we live this life and spend our time. I felt a fresh filling of the Spirit as He started showing me truths and tools to help women redeem their time in light of the fact that we are redeemed by Him for a purpose.
And wanna know what happened? When I started being faith-led in my message, women started coming out of the woodwork saying, “This is exactly what I need.” and “If you can figure out how to make time for what He’s called me to do, please let me know.” I heard countless women express her true desire to put God first and let faith direct her time… but that even if she does manage to squeeze in a few min of the Word in the morning, it is quickly forgotten in the midst of her day filled with endless demands that seem to constantly hit her from all sides.
I get it cuz that was me too. Having grown up in a Christian home and professing faith at a young age, I’ve always had a faith-walk that I said was important to me, but too often when I left my quiet time spot on the couch, I went off into the rest of my day on my own strength….and actually wasted a lot of precious time on things that really didn’t matter. After getting to the point of enough is enough, I started asking the Lord where He wanted me to focus in every area of my life… and that’s when He showed me how to be more present with what He is calling me to in this season and for eternity. That’s a much better way to live, don’t you think?
That’s what we’re about here on the Redeem Her Time Podcast- Being more present by understanding who you are + whose you are and letting that guide how you use your time. We’re about partnering with God to redefine your purpose, manage your time and overcome your distractions. So if that sounds like something you’d like to grow in, I invite you to stick around the Redeem Her Time podcast well past Episode 100, to come check out the Redeem Her Time Community…and to keep your ears open for how to get access to the life-shaping Redeem Her Time Program coming soon.
It all comes down to truly letting God lead. And then following His lead.
Whether you’re growing a business, building relationships, stewarding your resources, investing in your wellness, exploring your passions or caring for your dwelling, being faith-led makes all the difference. So let’s dive into the 5 steps to truly be faith-led. Got your journal or notes app ready? To make it fun (and easy to remember) they all start with P
- PRIORITIZE. The first step is to decide your faith matters. And to decide it matters first. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Have you ever looked at the context of that verse to see what He means by “these things”? It’s the food, drink, and clothing He just told them not to worry about. He didn’t say those life needs didn’t matter, it’s that seeking to build His kingdom comes first. And as you are filled up with His righteousness, that will naturally pour out into caring for the body, family and the life He has given you in order to better serve Him. So no worries, all those other things will still get taken care of…in the right order. Whether you’ve been walking with the Lord for as long as you can remember or for just a short time, decide that your faith is going to be the first thing in your life.
- PLAN. We all know that saying something matters is not enough- how often have you said your faith walk and spending time with the Lord is important, only to have it get buried under all-the-things competing for your attention in your day? Nothing happens on its own and as they often say, a goal without a plan is just a wish. In Proverbs 21:5 we are reminded, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Do you know what it means to be hasty? Hasty (adj): done with excessive speed or insufficient consideration. Hasty is when you react without much thought to what is right in front of you. I don’t know about you, but that usually leads to wasted time and resources for me. While diligent means having or showing care or conscientiousness in one’s doing…aka having a plan. You can’t be faith-led if you don’t have a plan to spend time hearing from and responding to God, so now that you’ve decided it matters first, you need to decide how you will make focused time with Him happen. For me, that’s first thing in my day before I get pulled away by the cares of this world. Maybe first thing in the morning doesn’t work for you in your current season, so instead what if you listen to something while you get ready for the day and then plan your focused faith-walk time for after the kids go to school, over a lunch break or before you go to bed? Here’s the thing- we always find time for things that matter, or things we think matter, right? You do have time to put your faith-walk first- it’s just a matter of creating a plan.
- PUT. Now that you have declared a priority and made a plan, the next step is to simply put yourself in a place where God can do what only He can do. That’s the beauty of letting Him lead- you don’t have to. This year I am focusing on living a WITH-God life which involves intentionally putting myself in a place where He can do the work in me through things like study, prayer, meditation, worship. sabbath…Now before you go thinking that sounds like a lot of work and you don’t have time for that, let me tell you, most of us have had it backwards all along. We think that spiritual disciplines are things we must do to work our way to Him, when actually, those are the very things that simply put us in a place where He can do what only He can do by His grace. If you are not putting yourself in front of the word, if you are not putting yourself in a posture of prayer, if you are not putting yourself in a quiet place or in a place to worship, how will you hear His voice? Our job is not to do the work of changing ourselves, that’s His role. We simply need to put ourselves in a position where He can do the work. A verse I listen to every morning is Psalm 143:8 “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love for I put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life.” Our part is to put ourselves in front of His Word and to put our trust in Him….and He will show us the way we should go in our day and give us life, we just follow His lead. Doesn’t that sound easier than trying harder to make it happen on your own?
- PRACTICE. The next step is to walk it out, one step at a time WITH Him, applying what He’s shown you. Philippians 4:9 tells us, “These things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you.” Isn’t that what we all want- to be with God and to experience His peace? Guess what- that doesn’t come from trying and striving and doing things our own way or going off on our own and asking for His stamp of approval. That comes from deciding He comes first, making a plan, putting ourselves before Him…and then listening and following His lead (aka practicing what He showed you). Maybe He’s leading you to love your family, your friends, your neighbor or even your enemy the way He loves you. Maybe He’s leading you to increase your service and make a bigger impact. Maybe He’s leading you to give more generously, invest in your own wellness, enjoy His blessings or open your home to others. Practice means to carry out something repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency. And here’s the thing about practice- it’s not perfect. And it’s not just doing something once. Practicing is the process of becoming more like Christ, which is God’s ultimate purpose for each one of us.
- PURSUE. Here’s what I’ve found, as I prioritize, plan, put and practice…I see the transformation in my spirit and life and I can’t help but desire more of Him and the true life He gives. So I pursue it. I love the definition of pursue- to continue or proceed along a path our route. Once He’s show you the way, stay on His path…don’t get off on your own. That will save you a lot of wasted time, energy and resources…I know cuz I’ve learned that the hard way. His ways are always higher than ours….amen? Psalm 27:4 encapsulates this step so well. “One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and inquire in His temple.” Let me ask you- if you could only ask 1 thing of the Lord, what would it be? David asked that he would always be WITH the Lord in order to know Him and learn from Him. That’s being faith-led my friend. Which brings us back full circle to step 1- prioritize, putting our faith-walk first.
Prioritize. Plan. Put. Practice. Pursue. That’s the 5 step process to truly being faith-led. That’s the process God has used to get us to this place of our 100th episode. And guess what, this process never ends as faith-led women…we’ll constantly need to keep coming back to it this side of heaven cuz we tend to get distracted. And He is faithful to keep initiating the invitation to do life WITH Him and lead us.
Let’s end today with the next few verses in Psalm 27 after David’s request that show us what happens when we prioritize, plan, put, practice and pursue Him…
“For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;
He will lift me high upon a rock.”
Anyone else need a little shelter and protection in your life?
“And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.”
Notice that when we are being faith-led, our response will be a desire to remain WITH Him in worship. That sounds like where I want to stay in my heart all throughout my day- cuz living a WITH God life leads to Redeeming Your Time for Him.
David goes on to say in Psalm 27:8,
“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’
My heart says to you, ‘Your face LORD, do I seek.’”
My friend, seek him and truly be faith-led… and see how that impacts your time.
Before we go, May I pray for you?
Dear Lord- You tell us in your word to Seek your face, so our hearts say in response, we do seek your face. Thank you that being led by you is not based on our work and effort but solely on knowing that we are yours and putting ourselves in your presence where Your Spirit can do the transforming work in us. I pray for this daughter of yours today- may she truly prioritize you first, may she plan a way to create space for time with you, may she put herself in your presence, may she practice the things you show her and may she pursue the way you have laid out for her as she follows you. Thank you for always being the one to reach out to invite us to live life WITH you- may we respond with yes to that invitation every moment of every day. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Friend, I trust this celebration, and reminder, was as good for you as it was for me.
Let’s continue the conversation (and implementation) over in the Redeem Her Time Community- that’s our place off social where we can encourage, challenge and come alongside one another distraction free around topics like we’ve talked about today. Inside you’ll get access to member-only accountability calls, exclusive online course content and so many resources to help you make lasting changes with how you view and use your time. It’s the place to be if you want to take the next step to Redeem YOUR time. So what do you say- wanna meet up over there? Come join us at redeemhertime.com/join.
And don’t forget- if you didn’t already, go leave a review for this podcast to get in the drawing for $100 off the Redeem Her Time program coming soon.
