The Christ Empowered Entrepreneur Podcast
Are you a passionate woman of God who is eager to fulfill God’s calling for your business with the peace, power, and joy of Christ? But do you find yourself continually distracted by the ways of the world and undone by your fears, doubts, and anxious striving?
Meet your host and “How to Girl”, Kathleen Fischer. Catch the wind of Kathleen’s passion for equipping Christian women to leave their flesh behind and become empowered in Christ to fulfill God's will on the earth!
Listen in on the stories and receive the practical wisdom, tips, and strategies that will transform your business story. And walk away knowing HOW to experience the vibrant life God has for you as a Christ Empowered Entrepreneur.
The Christ Empowered Entrepreneur Podcast
How To Step Into God's Victorious Story For You
Have you ever felt like you're hiding…playing small…or not fully stepping into the vision God has for you?
Maybe it's the feeling of hopelessness you get whenever you face something outside your comfort zone.
Maybe it's a disheartening belief that YOU are NOT capable enough, smart enough, or courageous enough to fulfill the vision you have within your heart.
Maybe it's the times you’ve tried and felt like you failed.
So, you find yourself playing it safe… hiding in the shadows… doing the small things in your business instead of the BIG THINGS that require BIG FAITH… COURAGE… and the CONFIDENCE you struggle to have.
BUT… the vision within your heart won’t go away.
It calls out to you.
You see it. You feel it.
And you wonder … is this from God, or am I imagining it all?
Well, take heart, you are not crazy, and you are not alone!
God has a way of filling our hearts with desires and visions for amazing things that are WAY BIGGER than anything we could ever accomplish on our own.
Because THAT’S THE WAY IT WORKS with God.
He creates us to fulfill HIS GLORIOUS VISION for us.
The problem is that our flesh can only see the vision through the lens of our brokenness and inadequacies.
So it has the habit of sabotaging us and convincing us that the vision is IMPOSSIBLE.
It causes us to pull back and stay small to stay safe.
And the disappointment within your heart grows stronger.
Does this sound familiar?
Well, take heart.
Jesus addressed this very issue when He said, “With man this is impossible, but with God NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE”.
Can you hear it?
Can you see it?
Jesus is helping us to grasp the problem AND the solution in one sentence.
WHAT IF GOD'S VISION of you in Christ is WAY DIFFERENT than your vision of yourself?
WHAT IF God has every intention, ability, and DESIRE, to empower you to fulfill HIS vision?
WHAT IF you learned how to STEP OUT of your carnal vision of yourself and INTO GOD’S VISION of you?
What would THAT feel like … to wake up with excitement and passion for all the ways God would work in you and through you to move forward in that vision during the day ahead?
In this episode, we dive into the story of Gideon to see how God uses us to do incredible things, even if we feel completely unqualified!
We'll explore:
- How God calls us into a bigger story for HIS purposes, even when we believe we're not enough.
- Why it's okay to share our doubts and fears with God.
- H
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I look forward to helping YOU become a Christ-Empowered Entrepreneur and Leader.
Hi there friend. I'm Kathleen Fischer. And today we're going to look at how God transforms us from women who feel less than and are thereby hiding, playing small, or crippled by paralysis into women who were courageously impacting the world through the power of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever found yourself playing small, hiding, and feeling like you're missing out on the powerful story God has for you?
You know, God has created you to do amazing things that will reflect his glory and bring his goodness into the lives of others. You can see it. You can feel it. But you find yourself doubting your abilities, and being fearful of the challenges that you'll face. So you play small. You hide in the safe things you already know how to do.
But deep down inside you long to live out the dreams within your heart. The dreams were victories are being won. Where God's good works are being fulfilled. And where people's lives are impacted by the work you are doing.
So playing small has become like a shadow that you long to step out from.
You're done with the disappointing days where paralysis rules you instead of courageous action.
It's time for a change. But you don't know where to begin.
Well, you are not alone.
And I have good news for you today. Because in today's story, we're going to look at how we fall into this trap of paralysis and how the Lord will set us free from the shadows we're living in and bring us out into the glorious light of his victorious story for us.
Are you ready to experience God's new story for you that is filled with Christ's glory.
Then let's pray. And we'll get started.
Dear Lord. Thank you that you understand why we play small and linger in the shadows, even though a bigger story burns within our hearts. Thank you that you have come to empower us to live a new story.
A story that is infused with your glory.
A story that takes those who appear small and insignificant and transforms them into vessels of your power to bring forth the Father's will on the earth, as it isn't heaven.
Open our hearts today, Lord, to receive your vision for us. Illuminate our path forward for us to live out that vision. Open our eyes today to see the story, as you see it, and to accept your invitation to step out of the shadows and into your greater story. Ignite our faith in you, Lord today as we place our hand in yours and step out of the shadows together with you to courageously fulfill your will for our lives, through the power of your holy spirit.
May we leave today's episode with a transformed heart that says, yes, Lord. I am willing to go wherever you lead me for I trust you to guide me and to fill me with your power to fulfill your will.
Thank you Lord for the very real hope we have in you. And the confidence and courage you bring us to walk in your greater story for our lives. We look forward to all you will do as we step into your story for us, with faith in you to see us through. For it is in your name, Lord Jesus. That we pray. Amen.
All right. Let's dive in.
The scriptures that lay the foundation for today's conversation are found in the book of Judges chapters 6 through 8, where we learn of Gideon's story.
God uses Gideon and his story to demonstrate a powerful principle that directly applies to our story when we find ourselves hiding in the shadows.
This story starts with a problem that I believe we can all relate to. Namely God has a greater story for us. Like Israel. But we're not experiencing it.
There is something bigger than us in the story that leads us to feel incapable of gaining the victory. So we are hiding and playing small.
And so it is in Gideon's story. We find him hiding in a cave, crushing wheat in a wine press, in an attempt to hide it from the Midianites. But it was time for Israel's story to change, just as it is time for our story to change.
So the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and says, the Lord is with you, oh, Valiant warrior.
With this greeting, the Lord has just called Gideon into a new story with a totally different identity than the one Gideon is used to having.
The Lord also tells Gideon a most important fact. The Lord is with you.
Gideon is confused and wisely decides to share his confusion with the Lord. Why is all this happening to us? Where are the miracles that we have been told of?
Have you ever felt that way in your story?
You know God has something bigger for you. And you know, that God is capable of miracles. But you don't seem to be experiencing them.
Well, welcome to Gideon's story. And a key thing to notice here is that Gideon didn't just dive into God's new story. He took the time to share his concern and confusion with the Lord. And the Lord honored Gideon's heart. For the Lord responds to Gideon's questions with this, "Go in this, your strength. Have I not sent you?"
But Gideon resists. He informs the Lord of his low status within the nation of Israel. The least family of Manasseh, and the fact that he's the youngest of this least family.
Perhaps it sounds a bit like what we would say as well.
But the Lord continues to encourage Gideon. This time more strongly and clearly by saying "Surely. I will be with you and you shall defeat Midian as one, man."
Gideon realizes the significance of who he's speaking to and moves into a position of submission saying, "If I have found favor with you, let me go and prepare an offering."
The Lord waits. Upon Gideon's return, the Lord gives him instructions. Gideon obeys. Then touching the offering with his staff the Lord consumes it with a fire, and the Lord vanishes. But Gideon declares his awe and fear in having seen the Lord face to face. So the Lord encourages him one more time. "Peace to you. Do not fear. You shall not die."
The scene ends with Gideon building an altar to the Lord and naming it, The Lord is peace.
In this part of Gideon's story, we're invited to see that the Lord is the one who calls us into his greater story for us.
Like Gideon, we will likely not feel we are enough for God's vision. Not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, not skilled enough. You get it. Simply not enough to fulfill the vision.
But throughout scripture, we see that the Lord chooses those who are considered "less than", so that his glory can be displayed rather than the glory of the strongest ones.
We also see in Gideon's story that the Lord allows us to share our hearts, our questions, and our concerns with him. The Lord is gracious and will encourage us, giving us a word to set our hearts upon.
So in turn we see Gideon transformed by his encounter with the Lord.
Instead of remaining in a state of paralysis, Gideon allowed God's story to draw him out of the cave where he had been hiding. Gideon accepted the Lord's new story for him, even though it was totally out of alignment with Gideon's weak ancestry and vision of himself.
Gideon was willing to enter into an honest exchange, which brought Gideon into a deeper relationship with the Lord and created a greater understanding of God's vision and heart for Gideon. This greater relationship and understanding ignited Gideon's vision, and devotion to the Lord.
Out of Gideon's acceptance of the story and willingness to act the Lord brought forth a new story.
The Lord began to lead him in what to do. And Gideon made a habit of quickly obeying all that the Lord showed him, even when it made no sense at all.
Gideon learned to rely on the Lord for his every move.
And Gideon wasn't afraid to check in with the Lord when he was unsure of what to do.
The Lord responded with compassion and grace to Gideon's requests for clarity. Time and time again, the Lord brought Gideon into a position where the victory would be impossible for man to accomplish.
BUT this is the point. God's story for us is not about our skills, our strength, and our greatness.
It's about God's glory being demonstrated on the earth in us and through us.
God's story is an invitation to step out of our old story that is governed by the weakness of our flesh and into a new story that is governed by Christ and his Holy Spirit.
God's story is an invitation to step out of the shadows and paralysis created by our fear of inadequacy and failure and step into the light of Christ's leadership and power to fulfill the Father's will.
So as we consider Gideon's story, I wonder.
Is the dream and vision that God has placed within your heart feeling beyond your capacity to fulfill it?
Do you find your fears of failure causing you to experience paralysis, to play small, or to remain in the shadows instead of stepping out into the glorious light of Christ to fulfill God's calling?
If so then I want to encourage you to consider Gideon's story.
Remember that God's story for us is about experiencing God's glory.
If we look to ourselves and our weaknesses, we will experience paralysis that leads us to hide in the shadows. But if we will hear God's call for us and look to Christ with faith to fulfill that calling, then God will empower us to do what once looked impossible.
Are you ready to experience God's glorious story for your life and business? Then I invite you to join me today on the amazing adventure of becoming a Christ-empowered entrepreneur. It's the adventure of a lifetime.
It won't be easy. But it will be amazing, because God's story is infused with God's glory.
In God's story, every day is an opportunity to walk in oneness and fellowship with the Lord.
In God's story, every obstacle becomes an opportunity to experience the glory of Christ.
You don't want to miss it.
So if you're tired of hanging in the shadows and playing small and being frustrated by paralysis, then let's connect. I'm here to help you experience God's glorious story for you in business on this earth.
Simply check out the show notes for more details.
And if today's episode resonated with you. It will likely resonate with others. So take a moment to share it.
In our next episode, we'll look at how Christ moves us from fear into courageous action.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Let's pray.
Gracious Lord, thank you for inviting us to consider the story of Gideon today and how it invites us to accept your glory story for us. Wash away, our doubts and questions with your truths and your perspective of us and our story. Help us to release how we see ourselves and to walk forward with faith in you, and love for you, that leads us into action together with you. We ask for you to transform us and our stories, Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I'll see you next time.
Bye bye. For now.