245: 3 Simple Steps to Have Your Best Year Ever!

I've struggled with self-reliance my whole life. Growing up, I learned early to count on myself. And the world cheers that on. It applauds hustle, control, and making things happen. What the world doesn't applaud is waiting on God. In this episode I share one of the hardest seasons of my walk with Jesus. I waited on God for years in an area then I hit this point where I grew impatient and took matters into my own hands. I went back to self reliance.  As a daughter of the King self reliance doesn't make sense when the one who created us and has great plans for us wants us relying completely on him.  And here's the thing. God was answering that prayer the whole time. I just couldn't see it yet. We'll look at Abraham and Sarah, who took matters into their own hands. We'll look at the Israelites, who turned an 11-day journey into 40 years. And we'll look at Job, who praised God even after losing everything. I close with four scriptures to speak over yourself when the enemy whispers, "Did God really say?" If you're growing weary in the waiting, this one is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Why self-reliance has been my lifelong struggle 00:27 The world applauds self-reliance, not waiting on God 00:54 Trusting God when the timeline doesn't match ours 01:21 Unanswered prayers in love, family, and finances 02:44 Abraham and Sarah take matters into their own hands 03:37 The enemy's lies go all the way back to the garden 04:07 My story: years of waiting on God in singleness 05:30 The season I went my own way, and what it cost me 06:27 It's not about the business or the relationship. It's about your heart. 07:24 God was answering that prayer all along 08:14 "Did God really say?" How the enemy chips away at our faith 09:39 Delight yourself in the Lord 10:34 Seek first the kingdom of God 11:33 Sometimes the wait is about the journey, not the answer 12:27 The Israelites: an 11-day journey that took 40 years 13:24 Job praised God through it all 14:41 My four years off track and the gap in this podcast 16:34 The take-home: don't go into self-reliance 17:59 Letting God's Word, not our feelings, tell us who He is 19:28 Perspective from our persecuted brothers and sisters 20:57 We were never meant to cling to this world 23:18 Four verses for staying in God reliance 23:38 Proverbs 3:5-6 26:10 Isaiah 40:31 and Philippians 4:13 26:37 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 27:34 He's enough, so we don't have to be 28:58 Fight back with scripture, just like Jesus did 29:55 Closing encouragement Key Takeaways God's timing won't match the world's timeline. If we're waiting on Him, our journey will look different, and that's okay. Doubt makes self-reliance look smart. When time passes, the enemy whispers that God isn't coming through, so we might as well do it ourselves. Taking matters into our own hands costs us. Abraham and Sarah made a mess. So did I. God still keeps His promises, but we miss out along the way. Our attitude in the waiting matters. The Israelites' complaining and unbelief kept a generation out of the promised land. Praise is always in our hands. Job lost everything and still worshiped. We can choose thankfulness no matter what. It was never about the answered prayer. Our relationship with God is the point. Everything else is a bonus. Keep this world in perspective. It's temporary, and where we're going is so much better. We don't have to be enough. He is enough, and that takes all the pressure off. Answer the enemy with scripture. Jesus did it three times in the wilderness, and we can too. Scriptures Referenced (NKJV) Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" Proverbs 22:7 "The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender." Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?'" Genesis 16:2 "So Sarai said to Abram, 'See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." Genesis 21:1-2 "And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him." Deuteronomy 1:2 "It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea." Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without complaining and disputing," Job 1:21 "And he said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.'" Job 42:10 "And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." Ephesians 3:20 "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," Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." 2 Corinthians 4:18 "while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Matthew 4:4 "But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."'" Your Next Step Pick one of the four verses from this episode and write it somewhere you'll see it every day. The next time the enemy asks, "Did God really say?" answer him with it.

I'm going to be honest with you. Offense is something I've struggled with my whole life. For the last four weeks, my church Bible study has been going through The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. I'd listened to it years ago, but this time it hit me so differently. It was exactly what I needed to hear. Offense doesn't stay small. It starts with a comment, a client, or a post on social media. Then it takes root and grows into bitterness and a hardened heart. And the Bible tells us that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold. In this episode I talk about how offense shows up in our relationships, in our businesses, and in how we see the world right now. We can be completely right in where we stand and still be in danger spiritually if our hearts go cold. I also share something I haven't said out loud before. There was a season when I got offended at God. Three of my biggest prayers hadn't been answered, and I let that offense slow me down, even here on this podcast. God has been doing beautiful things in that quiet season, and I want to share what He's shown me. If you've been carrying offense toward someone, toward the world, or even toward God, this one is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Why offense has been on my heart, and the book my Bible study is reading 00:58 How small offenses build up, from loved ones to social media 01:22 In the last days, hearts will grow cold 01:50 When the world celebrates what God calls evil 02:45 How offense turns into bitterness and a hardened heart 04:10 Seeing people through God's eyes 04:39 You can be right and still be in danger spiritually 05:50 Offense in business: carrying one client into the next program 06:45 Why it's so easy to see offense in someone else 07:43 Staying close to God keeps our hearts soft 08:40 Becoming unoffendable by living from grace 09:10 The fruit of the Spirit doesn't depend on how people treat us 10:30 Philippians 4:8 and what we choose to focus on 10:54 The one difficult client vs. the hundreds who love what you do 12:18 The enemy wants us anxious and stuck on the negative 12:46 Managing the world is God's job, not ours 14:13 Social media, business, and guarding our hearts 15:13 When distractions pull us off our God-given assignment 16:07 The spiritual battle in a fallen world 17:36 Our job: pray, speak truth in love, and make disciples 18:33 My story: learning to go to bed with nothing held against anyone 19:03 Being offended at God, and the story of Lazarus 20:30 The unanswered prayers that almost stopped this podcast 21:25 The take-home: trust Him in the process Key Takeaways Offense will come, but we don't have to keep it. Every offense we hold onto is a chance for bitterness to take root. Being right isn't the goal. We can stand on God's side of an issue and still be in danger if our hearts grow hard toward people. A cold heart stops the mission. When our hearts harden, we stop forgiving, stop loving, and stop making disciples. One hard client shouldn't define our business. The enemy wants us focused on the one difficult clients, not the many we love serving. What we focus on shapes our hearts. Philippians 4:8 is a daily choice, especially online. Grace makes us unoffendable. Remembering how much we've been forgiven leaves room for everyone else. We can get offended at God, too. Lazarus shows us that when God doesn't come the way we expect, He's up to something bigger. Trust Him in the process. Don't let offense come between you and God, you and people, or you and your calling. Scriptures Referenced  Matthew 24:10, 12 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another... And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." Luke 17:1 "Then He said to the disciples, 'It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!'" Proverbs 18:19 "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle." Hebrews 12:15 "looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;" 2 Timothy 3:1-2 "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy," Ephesians 4:15 "but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ," Ephesians 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Colossians 3:13 "bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." Ephesians 3:20 "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," Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." Psalm 119:165 "Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble." Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy: meditate on these things." Matthew 11:6 "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." John 11:4 "When Jesus heard that, He said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'" John 11:17 "So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days." Isaiah 55:8-9 "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'" Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Recommended Resource The Bait of Satan by John Bevere Your Next Step Tonight before bed, ask God one question: "Is there anyone I'm holding something against?" Then give it to Him. Let's go to sleep with soft hearts.

I recorded this one because of a conversation I had with a friend that morning. She opened up about how weary she was getting, how much she was questioning whether God was even there for her, and I sat there thinking, oh my goodness, me too. That is the moment I knew I had to press record. Here is what I want us to settle today: opposition is not evidence that we heard God wrong. If you are building something you know God handed you, and it is getting harder instead of easier, and the doubt is starting to whisper that you made the whole thing up, this episode is for you. I walk through three people in Scripture who got a clear assignment from God and then ran straight into resistance. Moses, who had every reason to say no. Paul, who spent years locked up while the work he was called to do waited on the outside. And Nehemiah, who stared at a pile of rubble and still believed there was a wall in it. I also get honest about my own crisis of faith. I gave God my business, my platform, my calling, my finances, all of it, and then found myself in a life that looked nothing like what I expected. Unanswered prayer after unanswered prayer. I know what it feels like when the fire dims. I also know what it takes to get it back. The enemy has one strategy here, and it is not complicated. Wear us down until we quit. This episode is the reminder that we are not alone in it, we are in very good company, and the assignment is still ours to finish. I close with a prayer over you, your life, your business, and your calling. Timestamps 00:01 • The reason I could not let this week go by without recording this 00:29 • The conversation with my friend that gave me this whole episode 00:56 • The enemy's oldest strategy, and why it works on the most faithful people 01:25 • "Am I supposed to persevere, or is this a warning to turn around?" How I tell the difference 02:24 • The question I am certain Paul never asked himself 03:18 • Why I think the New Testament we hold today required a prison cell 04:14 • Joseph in the pit, and the thought every human being has in that moment 04:39 • I gave God all of it. Then I ended up here. My honest crisis of faith 05:38 • Why the first "where are you, God" moment hits new believers the hardest 06:05 • When the fire dims out, and the real reason I picked this podcast back up 08:05 • The 20 year gap between Joseph's vision and Joseph's promotion 08:51 • Moses, the man God called to speak who could not get his words out 09:49 • What I have learned about stuttering as a speech pathologist, and why Moses' resistance makes complete sense to me 10:47 • Three leadership moves Moses made that carried him through 40 years in the wilderness 12:10 • Paul, handcuffed and still fully on assignment 13:03 • What "I can do all things through Christ" actually meant when he wrote it, and it was not about a game 13:33 • The thorn in his flesh, and the strange gift hidden inside a weakness 14:31 • Nehemiah, my favorite book in the Bible for leadership, and the week I spent studying it 15:27 • The one sentence Nehemiah used to shut down the opposition, and I want us all to borrow it 16:23 • Why God rarely gives us an assignment we can pull off alone 16:52 • Your reminder: if it is bigger than you, that is on purpose 17:21 • The only two responses that make sense when opposition shows up 18:18 • A prayer over your life, your business, and your calling   Key Scriptures All Scripture in NKJV. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-12 "...for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me... And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'" Exodus 4:10-12 "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... 'Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.'" Exodus 1 through 14 The full account of Moses leading the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Nehemiah 6:3 "So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?'" Nehemiah 6:15 "So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days." Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Psalm 42:11 "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God." Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." 1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Key Takeaways • Opposition is not a redirect. In business and in calling, the resistance is usually the part we are meant to persevere through, not the sign we heard God wrong. • The enemy's strategy is not creative, it is consistent. Wear us down with doubt until we quit on our own. Naming the strategy takes most of its power away. • We are never the only one. Every person in Scripture who carried a real assignment carried real opposition with it. That includes Moses, Joseph, Paul, and Nehemiah, and it includes us. • The prison is not always the interruption. Paul wrote from confinement, and some of the most enduring letters in the New Testament came out of the season he probably considered his most wasted. • The delay is not the denial. Joseph waited roughly 20 years, and when it came, it did not look like the vision he had been shown. • Weakness is not disqualification. Moses had a speech difficulty and was called to speak to a nation. Paul had a thorn he asked God three times to remove. God used both men exactly as they were. • We are not built to carry the assignment alone. Nehemiah rebuilt a wall in 52 days because he cast the vision clearly and got other people to pick up a tool. • Distraction is opposition wearing a friendlier outfit. Nehemiah's answer, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down," is a complete sentence and a complete strategy. Action Steps 1. Name what you are actually facing. Write down the specific opposition in front of you right now. Money, silence, rejection, exhaustion, a launch that flopped. Get it out of your head and onto paper, because vague dread is heavier than a named problem. 2. Run it through one question. Has God told you to stop, or is this just hard? Obedience to a clear no is faithfulness. Quitting in the middle of a hard yes is something else. Be honest about which one you are looking at. 3. Borrow Nehemiah's line this week. Pick the one distraction pulling hardest at your attention and say no to it out loud: "I am doing a great work, so I cannot come down." Then go do the work. 4. Take one next step, not the whole staircase. Do one thing this week that only makes sense if the vision is true. Send the email. Record the episode. Make the offer. Faith moves before the evidence shows up. 5. Do not carry it by yourself. Call the friend. Have the honest conversation. My whole day turned around because one friend told me the truth about where she was, and I got to tell her the truth about where I was. Encouragement is a two way street and both of us needed it. 6. Pray the specific prayer. Ask God to strengthen your spirit and your mind, clear the doubt, and refill you with the fire and the faith to keep moving one step at a time. That is the prayer I prayed over you at the end of this episode, and it is worth praying over yourself all week. If this episode met you where you are, come back next week. I have three more people from Scripture I want to walk through with us, and the encouragement keeps coming. Much love, Mia :)

We are in a spiritual battle, and it is easy to forget where the real fight actually happens. Not in the comment section. Not in the argument you keep rewriting in your head at midnight. Some weeks the news makes it impossible to look away, and this was one of those weeks. I had episodes already recorded and ready to post, but I set them aside because I could not move past what I watched happen in our society. So today I want to talk about what happens to our hearts when we see people come in alignment with something that is clearly evil, and what we are actually supposed to do about it. This is not a hot take, and it is not my opinion. You do not need my opinion. What I care about is what God's word says and where we go from here. I talk about guarding what we let into our spirits, why children are under such heavy attack right now, and the hardest thing about living in these times, which is keeping a soft heart when everything around us is pushing us to go cold. I close the episode with a full prayer over the babies, over the children, and over the mothers who are sitting in the dark right now. If you have been carrying grief at what we are seeing in society this week, this one is for you. Timestamps Time Topic 00:01 Welcome, and why this episode replaced the ones I already had recorded 00:54 What moments like this reveal about our moral compass 01:22 The Bible told us this was coming: evil called good, people loving themselves 02:18 Why this is not an opinion episode 02:47 Protecting those who cannot defend themselves 03:12 Philippians 4:8 and guarding what we scroll past 03:39 Knowing my limits, and why I won't go down certain rabbit holes 04:36 Staying sensitive to evil without letting it consume us 05:06 When society celebrates evil, and how God still uses it to draw people in 06:18 Why people run toward God after they see evil 06:49 Pray for the children. Pray for the mothers. 07:18 The real danger for believers: a hardened heart 08:17 Those sweet lives are with Jesus, and there is still a way home 08:45 What happens when we become our own moral compass 09:11 How a culture of self spills over into how we treat children 10:40 The movement of agreement is more alarming to me than the act 11:35 We can't argue anyone into seeing it, but we can pray 12:04 Why the enemy targets the smallest and purest among us 13:00 The response is not more hate. The response is prayer. 13:29 If you're on the other side of this, here is my invitation to you 14:23 We can't hold the Holy Spirit and celebrate evil at the same time 14:52 Praying over mothers, and what to do about intrusive voices 16:14 Righteous anger, and where to aim it 17:14 What I don't claim to know, and what I do know 17:40 There is always a way out, and we still get to choose 18:38 Nobody is too far gone 19:32 How a hardened heart quietly kills our prayer life 20:02 Leading well from whatever platform we have 21:00 Gather your people and pray 22:27 Fighting in prayer instead of fighting in the comments 22:56 Full prayer over babies, children, and mothers 25:19 Closing encouragement and what's coming next   Scriptures Referenced Quoted directly Philippians 4:8 (03:12) - Whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, think on these things. This is my filter for what I let into my feed and my spirit.   Referenced and paraphrased throughout Isaiah 5:20 (01:22, 22:27) - Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (01:22, 08:45) - In the last days people will be lovers of themselves, proud, without natural affection. John 10:10 (03:39, 12:04, 26:17) - The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came so we could have life, and have it abundantly. Romans 3:23 (13:29) - All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 (13:29) - The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (13:55) - Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (17:40) - God is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but will provide a way out. Romans 10:13 (19:02) - Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 1 Kings 19:11-12 (19:02) - The still small voice. James 4:7 (14:52, 16:14) - Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Philippians 2:9-11 (15:22) - At the name of Jesus every knee will bow. Ephesians 6:12 (13:00, 19:32) - Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Philippians 4:6-7 (24:21) - The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Luke 12:7 (26:17) - Even the hairs on our heads are numbered. Psalm 139:13-16 (26:17) - You knit me together in my mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You are not a mistake.   Call to Action Summary Four things I'm asking of us in this episode: 1. Guard your heart and your feed. We don't have to consume every piece of evil available to us. We can't unsee what we see, and a spirit worn down by images of harm is not a spirit ready to do what God called us to do. Use Philippians 4:8 as a filter. 2. Refuse the hardened heart. The temptation right now is to go cold, write off society, and stop caring. That's the loss. A soft heart is what keeps us praying, and a hardened heart is what quietly ends our prayer life. 3. Go to battle in prayer, not in the comment section. Pray protection over babies and children, in the womb and out of it. Pray over mothers, including the ones who are pregnant, overwhelmed, or walking through postpartum depression. Pray that they hear God's voice instead of the enemy's. If you know a mother in that place, tell her to call on the name of Jesus, and pray over her yourself. 4. If you're far from God, come back. Nobody is too far gone. Open your Bible. Get into a church. Read what God says about how He feels about children, and about you. It's not too late to get right with Him. And gather your people. Whatever your circle is, your family, your team, your small group, your business, bring them together and pray over the children and the mothers out loud.  

When things don't look the way you expected them to, disappointment, doubt, and discouragement move in fast. And if you carry a father wound, that pain has a way of attaching itself to God, because He is your Father. In this episode, we cover five verses you can keep going back to when the prayer stays unanswered, the door stays closed, and the vision God gave you looks nowhere close to coming to pass. This is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about having scripture ready to answer your feelings and the lies of the enemy, so you stop drifting into self-reliance and start trusting the character of God again. Timestamps 00:00 Why disappointment in business so often becomes a rift with God 01:30 The father wound connection, and why unanswered prayer triggers it 02:19 Self-reliance vs God-reliance, and why it is such a slippery slope 03:15 Verse 1: Proverbs 3:5-6 05:30 Verse 2: Isaiah 41:10 06:30 Verse 3: Hebrews 13:5 08:00 How the enemy shows up at the most vulnerable moment 10:30 Quick recap of the first three verses 11:15 Verse 4: Romans 15:4 12:30 Paul wrote from prison. What if the prison was the assignment? 13:57 Joseph's vision, and the twenty years between the dream and the fulfillment 15:30 Verse 5: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 17:00 Why "I believe in Jesus but not every word of the Bible" leaves you without a GPS 20:15 Bonus verse: Philippians 4:6-7 and how to access the peace that surpasses understanding 21:01 Take-home applications for all five verses 23:11 Mia's commitment for every episode of this podcast Key Scriptures (NKJV) Proverbs 3:5-6 — "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Isaiah 41:10 — "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Hebrews 13:5 — "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" Romans 15:4 — "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 — "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Bonus, Philippians 4:6-7 — "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Key Points Disappointment is not the real danger. What we do with it is. Unmet expectations quietly push us back into self-reliance, and self-reliance is us deciding we are in control of something we were never in control of. Feelings are real, but they are not authority. When your experience says "God has abandoned me" and scripture says "I will never leave you nor forsake you," one of those is the truth and one of those is a feeling. The enemy waits for the vulnerable moment. He does not usually show up when everything is going well. He shows up in the trial, and he twists the very promise God gave you. Closed doors are not proof of abandonment. When you know God's character, a closed door reads as redirection instead of rejection. Paul wrote much of the New Testament from a prison cell. Joseph waited about twenty years between the vision and the fulfillment. Neither of those journeys looked like the promise while they were living it. Take-Home Applications Proverbs 3:5-6. The next time you face a hard decision or an uncertain season in your business, stop before you strategize. Pray first and ask, "God, what are You showing me here?" Then ask what scripture says about it, instead of what your understanding says about it. Isaiah 41:10. When you feel overwhelmed or discouraged, stop trying to manufacture strength. You do not have to muster up what is required for what is in front of you. Go to Him and ask Him to strengthen you, then move forward leaning on His strength. Hebrews 13:5. When feelings of abandonment show up, do two things. Go to the verse first and say it out loud. Then make a list of the times God has already come through for you, even when it did not look the way you expected. Keep that list somewhere you can find it fast. Romans 15:4. Set aside dedicated study time in the stories of the leaders and builders in scripture. Start with Joseph's rise out of adversity and Nehemiah's leadership rebuilding the wall. Look specifically at the setbacks and what God did through them, not just the outcome. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Treat scripture as the actual foundation of your business strategy, not the inspirational layer on top of it. Before your next big business decision, ask what biblical principle should be informing this choice, and ground the decision there instead of in your feelings. Philippians 4:6-7. When anxiety rises, take the request to Him with thanksgiving first. Speak the verses from this episode back to God as truth about who He is, then make your ask. That is how you access the peace that guards your heart and mind

Posting every day. Chasing the trending audio. Making one more clip that's dead by tomorrow morning. And then getting up and starting over. That's the wide path. It works for some people, and I'm not going to pretend it doesn't. But I don't think it's the one God called you to. In this episode I'm sharing what happened when my entire YouTube platform got shut down two hours after I posted my testimony of Christ. What I built in its place. And the one time I mentioned an application link on this podcast and over 250 women applied. I want to show you the narrow path. Long form content that keeps working for you years from now, and keeps preaching after you're gone. If you're tired of the hamster wheel, this one's for you. Key Points 1. The hamster wheel works. It just isn't the only road, and it isn't free. Mia is careful not to condemn social media. Plenty of people are getting real results there. But daily short form content demands your attention constantly, dies within 24 hours, and makes you start over every morning. The question isn't whether it works. The question is whether it's the life God called you to. 2. Losing everything overnight taught her what "owned" really means. Twelve years ago Mia shared her testimony of Christ, emailed it to her list, and watched her YouTube account disappear two hours later. No explanation. It never came back. That account was her entire lead generation. Around that same time, God gave her the idea for the podcast. 3. Depth compounds. Reach doesn't. She never watched the numbers. She started God-Centered Success to help entrepreneurs keep God first, recorded audio only so nothing stood between her and showing up weekly, and let it build. One hundred downloads per episode became a thousand. Then it doubled. And doubled again. Eventually 30,000 downloads per episode, with listeners in countries all over the world. 4. One mention. Over 250 applications. Before she had a big email list, before the podcast had a large audience, Mia opened a coaching program and simply mentioned the application link on an episode. More than 250 people applied. That's the positioning that long form content creates. 5. Short form content is the first thing AI replaces. AI can generate short clips by the thousands, with a synthetic face, from someone who never shows their own. If short form is all you produce, you are replaceable by definition. Long form builds a voice that can't be duplicated. 6. Trust is what makes any offer sell, and high ticket makes it non-negotiable. Nobody invests thousands of dollars based on a few clips they scrolled past. That level of trust gets built when someone binge listens to you while they're driving, cooking, cleaning. They come to know your mindset before they ever see your offer. 7. Legacy content outlives you. Mia's challenge: if you published weekly for the next thirty or forty years, you could leave behind a thousand episodes still reaching people long after you're gone. A post from Tuesday won't do that. Scriptures That Anchor This Episode Note: these are not quoted in the recording. They're the biblical foundation underneath what Mia teaches, included here so listeners can sit with them. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) — Mia's wide path and narrow path language comes straight from here. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Romans 12:2 (NKJV) — on refusing to build the way the world builds. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." James 4:14 (NKJV) — the urgency behind creating something that lasts. "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Matthew 6:20 (NKJV) — on building what doesn't evaporate. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Key Takeaways and Your Next Step Takeaway 1: Decide what your revenue actually rests on. Your action: name the single platform your income depends on right now. If that platform disappeared tomorrow, write down what would be left. Takeaway 2: Pick your one piece. Your action: choose one long form format, a podcast or a YouTube video, and commit to one piece per week. One. Not daily. Put the recording time on your calendar this week. Takeaway 3: Let social media be the complement, not the foundation. Your action: keep posting if you want to. Just stop asking it to carry your revenue. Takeaway 4: Build the trust before you need it. Your action: whatever you're selling now or plan to sell later, the trust has to exist first. Start building it this week, not the week you launch. Register for the Free Workshop Mia is teaching The Authority Podcast Blueprint in a live, free workshop. You'll learn how to position yourself as the authority in your space using high value content, how to shape a signature offer your content naturally feeds, and how to generate revenue without living on the hamster wheel. Wednesday, August 12th at 11am Pacific Register at authorityblueprintworkshop.com

There are many money lies believers fall for and are usually on one end of two spectrums, and most of us only ever learn to spot one of them. We know the prosperity gospel is a twisting of scripture. What almost nobody names is the overcorrection on the other end, where being broke starts to feel holy. Where undercharging feels humble. Where growing revenue feels like chasing money. I lived on that end for twelve years, and it almost cost me this calling. In this episode I share the lie God finally exposed, why revenue is an integrity issue for anyone called to business, and the math that changed how I see this entire assignment. Key points The enemy does not invent new lies. He twists what is true and asks the same question he asked in the garden. The prosperity gospel and the poverty gospel sit on opposite ends of one spectrum, and both put money at the center instead of God. Both sides judge the other. One questions the faith of people with little. The other quietly feels more godly than people with much. The business calling is different from an employment calling. In business you create solutions, make offers, sell, and generate revenue. Undercharging and refusing to sell is not humility. It leads to debt, not godliness. Mia gave her life to Christ as a business coach obsessed with money, then spent a year in a mission equipping discipleship school where entrepreneurship was never presented as a calling. She could not go to the mission field due to an autoimmune diagnosis. She got the instruction to start the podcast instead, with no confirmation from anyone around her. The podcast grew slowly, then multiplied, and listeners began writing to say they had given or rededicated their lives to Christ. She wavered for twelve years over whether teaching business was worth her time at all. The math resolved it. One thousand women at six figures, giving ten percent, moves millions into the kingdom every year, plus a thousand new platforms for the gospel. God did send her to a mission field. It was her hometown in New Mexico, where most of her family came to Christ. Key scriptures Genesis 3:1 (NKJV) Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'? Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Philippians 4:12 (NKJV) I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry. Proverbs 22:7 (NKJV) The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. 2 Kings 4:1 to 7 (NKJV) The widow, the oil, and the instruction to sell 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Key takeaway points 1. There are two money lies, not one. Apply it: Be honest about which end you have been living on. If you have been treating your lack as evidence of humility, write that belief down in one sentence and look at it in the light. 2. Revenue is integrity in the business calling. Apply it: Look at your pricing and ask whether the number came from value or from fear. If it came from fear, raise it on the very next conversation you have. Then make one real offer this week, with a price, to a real person. 3. Your assignment will not look like the ones modeled around you. Apply it: Notice whose voice you have been letting interpret your calling. Ask God directly what your assignment is, and be willing for the answer to look nothing like the person next to you.  I would be honored to support you in your unique business calling. Be sure to tune in every week for a new episode that will empower you on your journey,  and to learn more about working with me, go to BuildWithMia.com 

In this episode we look at a story in the Bible of a woman in need who asked for God's guidance, listned to the instruction, was obedient in taking the steps, and got to see God do a miracle. It's the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4 about who was overcome by debt after her husband passed away. She was about to lose her sons as payment when she cries out to the prophet Elisha for help. He gives her very specific steps to take and after taking the steps just as he instructed she saw God do a miracle. If you need God to help you this is a great story in the Bible to learn from. His answer wasn't what she expected. He didn't hand her money. He asked her a question. What do you already have? All she had was a small jar of oil. And that's exactly where the miracle started. In this episode, I'm walking through this story and what it teaches us about provision and obedience. God rarely provides by handing us something out of nowhere. He provides through obedience, through using what's already in our hands, and through instructions that don't always make sense until we follow them. We'll talk about what it looks like to ask God, to actually listen for His instruction, and to obey even when the steps feel small, or doesn't make sense, and then watch Him do what only He can do. If you're waiting on provision and wondering why it hasn't shown up yet, this episode is for you. Here's what I want you to walk away with today. God asks what's already in your hands before He multiplies it. What do you have right now, in skill, time, or resource, that you've overlooked because it seems small? Obedience often comes before understanding. Is there an instruction you've sensed from God that you've delayed because it didn't make logical sense yet? Provision follows obedience, not the other way around. What's one step of obedience you can take this week, even without seeing the full picture? You don't need more. You need to obey with what you already have. Much love, Mia :)

Have you ever felt like something was working against you, keeping you stuck, quiet, and afraid to move forward, no matter how many times you tried? If you've ever felt frozen in your calling, this episode is for you. Here's what I want you to walk away with today. Unanswered prayers are not unheard prayers. Is there something you've stopped praying about because it felt like God went silent? Pray it again today. God is always working behind the scenes even when we can't see it. The enemy's favorite strategy is lies and twisting the truth of God. What's one lie you've believed about your calling? Speak the opposite truth out loud, right now. Obedience doesn't require an answer first. What's one small step you can take this week toward your message, before you feel ready? You are not stuck. You are not too late. You are unstoppable when you know the truth. It's time to shine Much love, Mia :)

Have you ever obeyed God, taken the step He asked you to take, and then felt more discouraged than before you started? You are not alone in this, and it does not mean you heard Him wrong. In this episode, I'm walking you through something nobody talks about enough. The discouragement that shows up after you have already been obedient is not a sign to stop. Most of the time, it is confirmation that you heard God correctly and the enemy is working overtime to get you to quit right before the breakthrough. I share what this has looked like in my own journey, why the enemy attacks hardest right after obedience, and how to keep moving forward even when the results have not caught up to your faith yet. You will walk away from this episode with: A new perspective on discouragement, so you stop mistaking it for a red light from God. A biblical framework for recognizing spiritual attack after obedience, so you can name what is actually happening. Practical encouragement to keep going, so you do not quit in the exact season you are meant to press through. Scripture referenced in this episode (NKJV): Ephesians 6:11, 1 Peter 5:8, Romans 8:28, Galatians 6:9 If you are in a season of beginning again and you want support building a business that honors God while creating real income, I would love to help you.