What’s Been Holding Me Back? - 12

Miranda Leigh: Hey guys, what's up? Welcome back to the Made for More podcast. I'm so excited that you are here today. Hey, before we jump into the conversation, I want to remind you where we've been because I don't believe that these episodes have been random at all. I believe that God has been taking us on a journey. I believe that, you know, he is just revealing a lot. And if you have been feeling that in your heart, guys, there is a reason for it. There is something so specific that he is doing. And I am so excited and so grateful just to be able to be walking this out with you guys. So we've talked about him pulling us out of old versions of ourselves. We've talked about protecting our peace. We've talked about walking out of cages that were already open. We've talked about creating systems that protect the peace. That God has given us. In last episode, we talked about rediscovering purpose. You know, we talked about what happens when the noise starts to quiet down and we start hearing God again. We talked about asking deeper questions. That what was I made for? Who am I becoming? What has God called me into? But today I want to talk about something that usually happens right after that. The moment purpose begins to surface, resistance shows up. Have you ever noticed that? That when you start walking in to where you were going, that resistance somehow always shows up. The moment that God starts stirring something inside of you, suddenly all the reasons you can't do it begin to show up. Whether it's the fear, the insecurity, the doubt, the comparison, the memories, the wounds, the lies. And before long, we start questioning the very thing that God was trying to reveal. So today I want to ask some hard but necessary questions. questions and one specific one that keeps popping up is what has been holding you back? Not what is holding everyone else back, but what is holding you back? Because I believe that there are people listening today who don't need more purpose. They need healing. So before we go any deeper, let's just welcome Holy Spirit in and we will just move the way that he wants to go. Amen. So, Jesus, I thank you for meeting us here. I thank you that you are gentle enough to reveal the truth and loving enough to heal what you reveal. God, today I pray for my friends that you will shine your light so bright on anything that has been keeping them stuck, God. Expose every lie, expose every fear, expose every agreement where we've made that does not align with your truth, God. And would you just give us courage to face what we Been avoiding and trust you with the healing process in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Okay, so let's talk about the hidden things that keep us stuck. So, can I tell you guys something? That most of the things that hold us back are not visible. They're internal. And it's not usually the obstacle that's right in front of us, it's the story that we're telling ourselves about that obstacle. It's the belief that we're not enough. It's the belief that we've missed our chance. It's the belief that we're too broken, too old, too late, too damaged, too unqualified. And it's all lies, right? The whole problem is that if we believe those things long enough, they start to sound like truth. And just because something is familiar doesn't mean it's true. Okay? So let's bring this thing to scripture. In Hebrews 12, 1, it says, Let us throw off everything that hinders in the sin that so easily entangles. So notice what scripture says: not just sin, everything that hinders. Because sin Sometimes the thing holding us back isn't sinful. It's simply heavy. It's a wound. It's fear. It's a mindset. It's false identity. It's an old agreement. It's a label that we've carried for so many years. Guys, and God is saying you don't have to carry that into your next season. So I just want to pause us here and just bring us into a moment of reflection and ask some questions. And this is not for guilt or for shame, but it's purely for awareness. So Yeah. As I ask these questions, just answer it. Just pure, whatever comes out, and just leave it here. Because remember, the darkness cannot exist where the light is, ⁓ I really feel that what God wants to do in this moment is break us from that fear. Okay. So where light is, darkness cannot exist Amen. ⁓ So what fear keeps showing up every time you think about your future. pops up, just say it. Next one, what insecurity gets loud when God asks you to step out? Because let's be real, we all face that. third one. What lie have you believed about yourself for so long that you've accepted it as fact? That can be a hard one, but I tell you that whenever we say this out loud, guys, this is where the enemy can no longer have a stronghold on you. And finally, ⁓ what makes you shrink back when God calling you forward? ⁓ Just pause and really sit with that one. ⁓ ⁓ Because awareness is often the first step towards freedom. ⁓ Right. And I think the more that we are able to just get real with these questions and listen, there's a million questions out there, but this is just what I felt like Holy Spirit was just saying, you know, in this time that we have together here, because I think that the more that we are able to be aware, the the closer towards freedom that we're gonna become, right? So the more we can understand that we no longer have to be bound by these thoughts, by these fears, by anything that is no longer serving us, and we can really Give that to him, guys. That is when freedom comes. You know, and one thing that I've learned is so many of us aren't living from God's truth. We're living from old stories. The stories that created rejection, the stories created by disappointment, the stories created by failure, stories created by words spoken over us years ago. And friends, those are word curses. Okay, so let me tell you when you can understand when someone is speaking something to you that is not truth, you have the power from within you. to rebuke that and not even receive that because that is that goes against identity too and you know exactly who you are. God has created you fearfully and wonderfully made in his image. So those word curses have to go right but those stories can become very real with the words that were spoken over us even whenever we were young. You know and we don't in such a, you know, a vulnerable state when we're so young and we don't understand that these are actual word curses being spoken over us, but we don't have any idea, right? And then that goes to play into our identity whenever we become adults and don't understand that this is something that, you know, this is why we stay bound in toxic relationships or with jobs that don't serve us or honestly just even opportunities that are no longer s good for us, right? We keep replaying those stories every time God invites us into something new. And maybe for you it's I'm not smart enough. I'm not qualified. I'm not a leader. I always mess things up. People like me don't do things like that. I can never do it as good as her. And friend, can I give you a loving reminder? If God didn't say it, you don't have to keep carrying it. So let's bring this to scripture. 2 Corinthians 10 5 says we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Notice it doesn't say every thought is true. It says we take those thoughts captive. Okay? So meaning we evaluate them, we challenge them, we compare them to God's truth, because not every thought deserves agreement. Amen. And that is a big one right there. Not every thought deserves agreement. So meaning we can either choose or not choose to receive what is being downloaded to us because listen it could be from God or it could very easily be from the enemy. So that's where it's like discernment needs to come in here. That you know if something is coming against you and a fearful thought or lack mentality or something that truly is just not serving you, I can almost promise you, my friend, that this is a lie from the enemy. And Again, the more we can learn to understand the discernment and understand how to rebuke this thing, you can instantly release this from you and not allow for it to take root in the head and in the heart, you know, because that is truly f truthfully what that means whenever it says not every thought deserves agreement. We do not have to come into alignment with what that word is saying. So just a heart check moment here. I wonder how many. Friends are listening right now who think that the the thing standing between them and their calling is the lack of their ability. You know, when in reality it's a lack of belief. Not belief in themselves, but belief in what God can do through them. Because God has always used imperfect people, like literally look at Bible, you guys. Moses felt inadequate. Gideon felt weak. David was overlooked. Esther was afraid. Peter was impulsive. Yet God still used them. Why, guys? Because God isn't looking for perfection, He's looking for surrender. And I really want to challenge us going into the rest of the day and going into this week. You know, I really want you to identify one thing that has been holding you back. Just one. Okay? Don't try to fix everything. Just identify it. And then I want to encourage you, ask yourself, is this something that God actually said about me? Or is this something that I've been carrying? Is this a lie that I've been carrying? Right? And then find one piece of scripture that speaks truth over that area. I do that all the time. I go to the word. I have some really sound resources that if you guys need resources, hit me up in the DM and let me know. That you need resources that will help back this up of biblical truth, right? And every time that lie shows up this week, replace it with God's truth, guys. So as we're moving through this, you know, I just really feel like this is something that I struggle with for a long time of understanding that, you know, I felt inadequate. Honestly, you guys, even starting this podcast, God gave me the vision. ⁓ But it really was over the last year and a half where I felt like this pull is so heavy on my heart to do something like this. But I n I was rehearsing those lies of like, who needs another podcast like this? Like, okay, there's a bunch of the podcasts out there. Like what what am I gonna be able to say that's actually gonna be able to help people? And guys, what a a crock of mess that is, right? Like working on my self-control. Thank you, Jesus. Working on my self-control, Lord. ⁓ but for real, like one thing that we gotta learn Is that it is literally not about perfection. And for so long, I told you guys this story. If you haven't listened to it, I highly encourage you to go back and just listen to the previous episodes. When I was going to do a recital at the age of seven, I came on stage and the piano started playing and I blanked and I froze. You guys, it was pure stage fright. And right there was where a lie entered in that you should be so ashamed that you did this. You just made yourself look like an idiot. You are wasting people's time. You know, it's just it was it was just Fear, yeah, like the fear literally came in, and it was a wild thing. Well, ⁓ story I didn't realize that this stemmed from the age of seven, okay? I'm at 37 right now. That is 30 years, friends, of just hanging on to these things and not understanding why I could not shake, ⁓ you know, an of ⁓ wanting more, but feeling if do more, right, then you're being too much, you're being too loud, you're being too out there because that's what I told, you know. Don't Don't be loud. Just put on a smile. Keep showing up. And I'm just like, ⁓ my gosh. Like, man. The younger version of myself, I just I went back and I had to hug her through my inner healing because I was like, man, the pressure that I put on myself at a young age, you guys, was insane. And honestly, what happened was that lie crept in at the age of seven that said I already wasn't enough. And this is why I feel so heavy to talk about made for more because it's like it's such a lie where the enemy comes in and he tries to tell us that you are not enough as you are. You're a mess, you know, nobody's gonna accept you because of your journey. Look at your track record, whatever. It's just a lie. It's a freaking lie. And I'm so tired of seeing women with the potential that God has given them shy back from everything that they could become because of fear, you know, because of feeling that they're too much or they're too loud or they're too this or they're too that or they're afraid that they're gonna vomit or you know they're gonna be rejected, you know. I just I really feel it every time that those lies came up, specifically recently guys, and it's honestly been within this last like year where God has been, you know, really saying, Marina, like, you have to go to the word, like go to my word. What do I say about you? You know, I say that you are made in my image, which means I am perfectly imperfect in my own fleshly stance, but like he sees me as perfect in his eyes, right? Fearfully and wonderfully made, friends, which means that there is nothing missing, nothing broken. Amen. Okay, so if we understand that, we have to understand that those are all lies. And the quicker that we are able to understand these lies, guys, the easier this thing is gonna become. Doesn't mean that it's not gonna come without a fight, because let's be a hundred percent honest, we live in a broken world. We are in this world, but we are not of this world, guys. So we have to start operating through kingdom eyes and ears and really operating out of our spiritual discernment of what is God actually saying here. Okay? So I just want to let you guys know. And the reason I felt led to say that is that if you haven't listened, definitely go back and listen to, you know, the previous ⁓ hangouts that we ought to have. But guys, I just want to let you know you're just not alone. And I will say this forever because this was a part of my story, you know, not wanting to show up the way that God is. designed for me to show up because I was just afraid of being too much for people. But here it is. Look at what he's doing and he's putting me on a podcast and w you know, we're just creating this really cool journey together and my heart is just for women to be set free. Not even just women, honestly men and women. But ⁓ He's called for me to mentor women in this season. So this is exactly what we're doing. And I know that he's calling for greater things in the future. And this is why it's just like men and women who want to grow, you are welcome here, right? And so I just want to let you guys know that when those lies do show up, just replace it with the word. Go to the word. What is he saying about you? And as we wrap this thing up here with some weekly reflection, I want you guys to. Really sit with yourself on this, okay? A couple questions here that might feel a little hard, but the more we're able to look at this for what it actually is, we're gonna actually be able to see the truth surface, amen. So, what is one thing that you keep saying about yourself that God has never said about you? that you're not enough, that you're too loud, you're too bold, and people don't want to listen to what you have to say. What do you keep saying about yourself? Of that, what fear keeps resurfacing? Are you afraid that you're gonna lose people? Are you afraid that every single person that you get close to they always leave you? And you're afraid that if you actually say it like it is, or honestly follow things up with scripture, are you afraid that that's gonna scare people away? What am I afraid that will happen if I fully step into what God is asking of me? Tell something on the other side of that fear, guys. ⁓ my goodness. And you apply that surrender, watch out, watch what he's gonna do. What would change if I truly believed God was with me? What would change? How would you carry yourself? What am I carrying that God is asking me to release? Is it time to let go of that fear? Time to let go of that pain that you've been carrying from when you were a kid? Guys, because in order to go where God is calling for us to go, we cannot have this stuff come with us. And I really wanna just want to encourage you guys as we, you know, wrap this thing up that maybe the thing standing between you and your next season isn't a lack of purpose. Maybe it's just simply a wound that God wants to heal. Maybe it's a lie he wants to replace. Maybe it's a burden he never asked for you to carry. But whatever it is, remember this. God reveals things to heal them, not to shame us, and I praise God for that. Because the goal isn't perfection, the goal is freedom. And freedom begins when we stop agreeing with what God never said. So as I close this out, this is just my reminder to you that you're just not alone. And the more we can just be real with where we're at with our moments, the more he's going to continue to heal. So, Jesus, I thank you for your truth. I thank you that you are not intimidated by our wounds, our fears, or our insecurities. God, and today we surrender every lie that we've believed, every fear that we partnered with, every label that we've carried, every burden we were never meant to hold. God, I'm asking right now for you to replace those things with your truth. Teach us how to walk in freedom, God. Teach us how to see ourselves the way that you see us and give us the courage to take the next step even when we're afraid. In Jesus' name. Amen and amen. ⁓ how exciting. I'm so excited for you guys. Listen, if this encouraged you, if it challenged you, if it helped you see something in a new way, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me a DM and tell me what is the one thing that God revealed to you today, or what is the one lie that you are no longer agreeing with. And if you are committing to release it this week, send me one word, freedom. And if someone came to mind while you were listening to this today, send this episode to them as a gift. You never know how one conversation can change someone's life. Guys, I love you so much. And reminder, you were never created to live stuck. You were always created for so much more. I love you guys, and I will see you on the next hangout.