(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
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You know, sometimes the hardest part of walking in faith isn't saying yes, it's saying yes when we have no idea what's next. We want to see the whole map before we move, don't we? We want clarity before commitment, but God rarely works that way. More often, God simply whispers, trust me, take the next right step.
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If you're feeling that pull towards something new, but the path ahead still feels foggy, this is your moment. This is your episode. Let's figure it out together.
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Today, we're going to talk about what it means to walk boldly into your calling without having it all figured out. We'll look at a verse that has carried me through so many seasons of uncertainty, Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6. And we'll see how Abraham's story reminds us that faith begins long before the plan or even the calling is clear. So take a deep breath, set down the pressure to have every answer, because today we're going to fix that.
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Welcome to Goals and Grace, the podcast for accomplished women who are ready to align their ambition with faith and step into their highest potential. I'm Rev. Juliet Spencer, a certified high performance coach and former pastor, and I'm here to help you break free from imposter syndrome, embrace gratitude, and lead with clarity, purpose, and peace. Each week, I'll share faith-filled encouragement, personal stories, and proven strategies from books like High Performance Habit, as well as from my coaching program, The Purpose and Peace Pathway, to help you achieve success without apology.
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You'll walk away with tools to lead boldly, live intentionally, and honor the calling on your life. Let's step into our calling together. Don't forget to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who's ready to grow.
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There was a time in my life when I was drowning in uncertainty. I couldn't see the way forward, and every decision felt like a weight I couldn't carry. My then-husband and I had been in therapy on and off for years, and we'd finally realized that for our health and for the well-being of our children, we could no longer stay married.
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Even after the decision was made, I'd panic, and then I'd waffle. I had no idea how to move forward. I knew that God was a part of the decision, but I couldn't see anything but haziness.
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I was paralyzed with indecision and didn't have any idea how to navigate my way, or my family's way, to a better reality. I wanted certainty so badly that I mistook my need for control as faith. But faith isn't about control.
It's about surrender. And surrender terrified me. One morning, I practically yelled, God, what do you want me to do next? And the quiet answer that came was, just take the next right step.
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Honestly, that drove me crazy. No, if I'm honest, it actually did more than that. It added to my initial confusion and gave me so much anxiety that I could actually feel it in every muscle and fiber of my being.
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I'd kneel at the communion rail, the altar rail, pleading with God for a map, for certainty. I wanted God to say, do this, don't do that. But instead, all I got was that whisper, just take the next right step.
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Let me tell you, that whisper continued to frustrate me no end. I wanted a plan, not a step. And I didn't think it was too much to ask for.
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Eventually, I did realize that that's just how God works. We're given light for the step we're on, not the whole staircase. And God rarely hands out maps.
God hands out light. God wasn't withholding clarity. God was teaching me to trust by showing me that the light for one step is enough when you know the one who holds the map.
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That's what Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 is all about. Trusting instead of leaning on our own understanding. God doesn't promise full visibility.
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God promises direction as we trust. It reads, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to God and God will make your path straight.
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Light for the step you're on, grace for the moment you're in. A map shows you every twist and turn, but light only shows you what's right in front of you. And that's the beauty of it.
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Light invites you to move forward in faith, trusting that more will be revealed as you go. Was it hard? It was. Was God with us? Absolutely.
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Let's read that scripture again. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to God and God will make your paths straight.
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This verse is short enough to memorize, but deep enough to live by. It's God's way of saying, you don't have to see the whole picture. Just keep your heart surrendered and I'll handle the path.
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Sometimes we try to trade trust for control. Once I know the outcome, then I'll obey. Sound familiar? But this scripture flips that logic.
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Obedience unlocks clarity. When we trust, we create space for God to guide. And when we submit, God straightens what confusion has tangled.
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Lauren Daigle captured it beautifully in her song, Trust in You. The lyrics say, when you don't move the mountains, I'm needing you to move. When you don't part the waters, I wish I could walk through.
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When you don't give the answers as I cry out to you, I will trust. I will trust. I will trust in you.
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That's Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 in melody form. Trust before you understand. Move even when you don't have the map.
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That's walking boldly into your calling. C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian theologian and author, said, Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods. That means trust isn't about perfect certainty.
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It's about steady courage. Let's get practical. Because we all know trusting sounds lovely until life gets messy.
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Maybe you're thinking, I don't even know what my calling is. Or, I thought I knew once, but now I'm not so sure. Well, that's okay.
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Your calling isn't one fixed destination. It's a relationship that unfolds as you keep saying yes. Let me say that again, because that reality, that understanding, has given me more freedom than just about anything.
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Your calling isn't one fixed destination. It's a relationship that unfolds as you keep saying yes. Here's the thing.
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Clarity doesn't come before action. It comes through action. Every small step you take creates momentum.
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And momentum creates light for the next step. So don't wait for the whole staircase to appear. Just lift your foot and trust that the next step will come into view.
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As high-performance coach Brendan Burchard is fond of saying, purpose reveals itself in motion, not in stagnation. You don't have to figure out your whole life's purpose right now. You just have to figure out your next bold move.
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I experienced the power of this when going through my divorce. I worried about my family's future. And I also struggled with being a pastor, making the decision to get divorced.
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Talk about an anxious time of uncertainty. But as I learned, just seeing and taking the next right step really is enough. And frankly, at times, it's the only thing you have.
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Here are three ways to live this out. Number one, start with what you know. You may not know the whole calling, but you do know the next faithful step.
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You don't have to figure out your whole life's purpose right now. You just have to figure out your next bold move. And a series of bold moves stacked one upon another sets you on a path where doors open that you never could have imagined.
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Maybe it's reaching out to that person on your heart. Maybe it's finishing that project that you've been delaying. Maybe it's setting quiet time just for you.
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Small obedience always leads to bigger revelation. Number two, look for alignment, not answers. I know what it's like to want God to give you all the answers to every question that your anxiety produces.
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Believe me, I know how exhausting that can be. Certainly, God is big enough to handle your questions and your anxiety. But when you shift the focus to alignment, it becomes more about finding the next step that's in alignment with your values and who you want to be than in a plan that's spelled out in total detail.
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Knowing who you are in Christ is key. This gives you the courage to recognize your next bold move in part because it gives you clues to the possibilities that are not in alignment, the steps that you know you don't want to take. Those you can rule out.
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It also gives you the freedom to risk making the wrong turn knowing that whatever step you take is consistent with who you strive to be. Number three, move while you're still uncertain. Faith isn't about perfect confidence.
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It's about faithful motion. You don't need to see the entire staircase just enough to lift your foot. Action and clarity are best friends.
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When you move, more light appears. The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament spoke of Abraham in the Old Testament, the one with whom God made the covenant, promising to be his God and the God of all his descendants. Hebrews 11 verse 8 says, By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go, and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
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God told him, Leave your country, go to the land that I will show you. No coordinates, no timeline, just a promise. Can you imagine the fear and uncertainty that he must have felt stepping into the unknown? He stepped out trusting that it was God who called him.
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And sure, he stumbled, he doubted, and he detoured, but he kept moving. You know his heart was plagued with anxiety and with questions of what ifs. And yet, he trusted that God would reveal each next step.
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Like Abraham, our faith isn't about knowing the whole plan. It's about trusting the one who holds the plan. Abraham trusted before he understood.
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Even though he was a man who lived thousands of years ago, called by God to leave everything familiar, his home, his family, his security, and step into the unknown, we can take lessons from his journey. He wasn't a superhero. He was just a regular guy wrestling with fear and doubt and uncertainty.
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But he kept moving forward. He left the familiar, not because he saw the outcome, but because he knew the one who was calling. That's what faith looks like.
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Direction discovered in motion. Maybe you're tired of waiting. Maybe you've tried before and it didn't work.
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But hear me, your story isn't over. Every step of faith is a seed. And seeds don't sprout overnight.
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Keep tending what's in front of you. Keep showing up. God's light doesn't fade.
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It expands as you move forward. I remember when my marriage ended and the future felt like a dark, uncertain road. I wrestled with fear and doubt every day.
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But through that struggle, I learned to trust God in ways I never had before. And this isn't just my story. It's the story of anyone who's ever felt stuck or uncertain or afraid to move forward.
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It's the story of Abraham, who obeyed without knowing where he was going. It's the story of faith itself, of trusting the light even when you can't see the way. Like Abraham, you might be standing at a crossroads, unsure of what's next.
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You don't have the full map, but you do have a promise. God's presence and guidance. Faith isn't all about having answers.
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It's about trusting the one who holds the answers. Abraham's faith teaches us that direction is discovered in motion. You do not have to see the whole plan, the whole staircase.
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I promise. So, what's your next right step? I challenge you to write it down and say it out loud. Commit to it today.
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And then take it. Because God's light will meet you on every single step of the journey. Maybe it's that conversation that you've been avoiding.
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Or maybe it's having the courage to take stock of what you really want in a way that you've never been able to do before. Maybe it's to take a step back and to get some genuine rest. Maybe it's the courage to begin again.
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Maybe it's to realize your long-lost dream professionally or personally. Maybe it's to start a new hobby and you've been afraid that others will laugh at you. Whatever it is, trust that you can take that step.
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God will meet you there. Remember what Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 promises. Trust.
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Don't lean on your own understanding. Submit and God will make your path straight. And as Psalm 27 verse 1 reminds us, a verse we'll explore more in an upcoming episode on fear.
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The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When you trust the light, fear loses its power. And that's what I discovered when my then husband and I finally did get divorced and all of the journey that that entailed. God was present and there was light enough for every step of the journey.
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And there still is. So my friend, I have confidence not only in you, but in the God who called you. Gracious and loving God, thank you for being our guide.
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Teach us to trust before we understand and to move before we see the way. Give us courage for the next right step, peace for what's unknown, and faith to believe that you're already preparing what's ahead. In Jesus name.
Amen. If today's episode encouraged you, share it with a friend who's waiting for clarity or courage in their next step. And don't forget, you can grab your free guide, Stop the Overwhelm, From Chaos to Clarity in 15 Minutes a Day, in the show notes.
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I've also added a couple of new songs to the Spotify playlist, Faith Over Fear, Courage On Repeat. I'd love to know what you think and what songs maybe I should add next. Remember, you don't need to have it all figured out because God already does.
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Just take the next right step and trust that God will guide you the rest of the way. Thanks for joining me today on Goals in Grace. Until next time, my friends, God bless.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
