Six years ago, I walked away from my retail management career to begin the greatest faith adventure of my life.
For years I’d been “climbing the corporate ladder” in the pursuit of a comfortable life. I knew deep down God had more for me than to work, play video games, and attend church on Sunday, but could I trust Him enough to pursue something greater?
Did I have enough faith to abandon all I knew, pack up my life, and follow Him?
A few months earlier through a prophetic word at church, the Lord told me He had a blessing for me where I was, but I chose to interpret that word a different way and left to pursue a job promotion.
And by the end of 2017, I found myself in a pit.
My comfortable income began to run dry, I was “house poor” and renting and completely stressed out as a retail manager. Through these circumstances and the gnawing ache for more out of life, my heart was primed and ready to leave everything behind and follow Jesus.
So that October, I left my upscale apartment in my quiet, gated community and drove back to Amarillo to work part-time at Starbucks while I taught myself skills online.
I also had to downgrade from the best apartment I’ve ever had to the worst… but I was determined to find out what God had for me in Amarillo.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:25-26)
I abandoned my pursuit of a comfortable life, counting it as loss, and ran after something greater than what a 9 to 5 could offer.
And during that season, something beautiful began to happen. While I was pursuing my dream, God was pursuing His; to transform me into the creative, joyful woman of faith He created me to be.
His dream was to pull me out from the rubble of fear, anxiety, and depression, the residue left from undealt with hurt and rejection, to reveal the woman He dreamed about as He knit me together in my mother’s womb.
So as I pursued my dream of the “laptop lifestyle”, which may or may not have included traveling abroad and blogging in charming little Parisian cafes, God was doing major renovation work in my soul.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
God is a dreamer. And I’d finally given myself permission to dream with God.
I started to believe with more of my being that what He’s placed in me is valuable to a desperately lost and hurting world. So not only did I have to abandon my plans for my life, but I had to abandon my limiting beliefs.
How do we pursue God’s dreams for our lives if we’re trapped believing what the past has taught us to believe about ourselves?
Things such as we don’t have enough; we’re not worthy; no one will care what we have to say.
We allow God to demolish our limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns through His Word, letting His truth gain access to the deepest parts of our souls.
When His truth becomes so ingrained into our being, it transforms the way we think and causes our bodies to respond accordingly.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken “Fear not, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God” to my anxious heart, and the anxiety melted away.
Renewing our minds is a process that works over time, but we have access to the resurrection power of Christ within us. This means when we speak, pray, or declare His Word over our fearful hearts, our bodies respond to our faith.
And agreeing with God about who we are gets us in position to receive everything He’s planned for our lives.
God is always at work in us and through us, and true healing takes place when we come into agreement with Him that we are worthy to dream big. When we step into that mindset, we’ve finally become the person who will partner with God in faith to make those dreams a reality.
What limiting beliefs are holding you back from pursuing God’s dreams for your life?
Share your story or encourage someone in the comments below!
Be blessed and encouraged.
Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” (Exodus 10-12)
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
