Jesus Had 12: Why Your Numbers Don’t Matter

He Had 12 — And That Was Enough.

In a world that glorifies big numbers, massive audiences, and constant validation… this is your reminder that impact was never about the crowd.

Jesus Christ changed the world with just twelve.

This episode is for the woman who feels overlooked, who’s questioning if what she’s building is “enough,” or wondering if she needs more people, more attention, or more perfection before she can truly step into her calling.

We’re getting honest about alignment, obedience, and what it really means to lead well with what’s already in your hands.

Because it’s not about having more…
 It’s about stewarding what you’ve been given.

Inside this episode, we talk about:

•  Why small beginnings are not a limitation—they’re a setup 
•  The power of influence over numbers 
•  Letting go of the need for validation and trusting your assignment 
•  What it looks like to lead with intention, even when it feels quiet 

If you’ve been hesitating, holding back, or waiting for the “right moment”… this is it.

You don’t need more people.
 You need deeper alignment.

🎙️ Tune in—and step into the role you’ve been called to carry.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey friends, welcome back to Holy Not Harmless, a podcast for bold faith and real conversations. I am blessed to be back on yet another episode and I am feeling much better. Oh my goodness. That last episode, I was so stuffed up. I cannot believe how I sounded, but much better now. So I just want to say welcome, welcome back. Hope you've been having a great week. You know, if you're new here or if this is your first episode, you are here because you know your calls for more. Okay, whether that's more alignment, more obedience, or more responsibility. This is a podcast where we stop shrinking and stop avoiding what God has placed on our lives. And we really step into the leader and the queen that he created you to be, right? Not just for your life, but for the impact of the people you were meant to come across and serve and work with and all the things, right? So it is bigger than us. And we are attached to other people in this world, right? Some of them you haven't met yet, some of them maybe you've known for a long time, but you guys have never connected in that way, right? And so God has a plan for your purpose and the people that are connected to your purpose. And it even makes it that much more important because you gotta know that there's people out there that are just waiting on you to get into it, right? Like if you can get into it, you can inspire other people to get into it, and they can inspire other people to get into it, right? And we're all get into it and get into our kingdom work, right? So let me ask you something. And I'm sure a lot of you guys can relate to this. Have you ever felt discouraged because the numbers just aren't growing? Like the followers aren't coming, the audience is not getting bigger, and you know, you keep pouring out, but there's nothing coming back, right? Have you ever felt like that? Well, today I want to challenge you, and I want to say, get you to ask yourself the question, you know, what if we've been measuring impact the wrong way completely? Because when you look at the most influential leader in history, Jesus Christ, he didn't build a platform of millions of people, right? I mean, today, yes, it has grown to millions of people, but in his lifetime, he didn't. He invested into 12 people really deeply. 12, just 12 people, and through those 12 people, the world was changed. So let me ask you a better question, okay? And I want you to ask yourself this as well. Who are you actually called to help and why? Because there's so much noise out there right now, right? People say, be this way, be that way, pick a niche, be an expert, be the authority. You need to show up like this, you need to look like that. But let me tell you something. That has nothing to do with your purpose. Okay, the more you lean into who you actually are, you know, your own story, your own struggles, what you love, what you don't love, what lights you up, what drains you, and you start communicating that with bold faith, you know, with no doubt, with true belief, the more the right people will find you. You won't even have to go look for them. You won't even have to put out all that effort, right? The reality is you are the niche, right? You are the niche. It doesn't matter. Like whether you're if you're that stay-at-home mom that just doesn't really care about aesthetic, own that. Post about that, share that, communicate that. If you're like a little bit unconventional, own that too, right? If your weight doesn't fit into the box, good. Stay like that. Stop trying to impress the world because Jesus Christ didn't change his message to be liked by the masses, right? People followed him because they knew he knew exactly who he was and he knew exactly where he was going, right? And when you have that type of clarity, that is what really creates real influence, right? People want to be a part of something. And what what better way is to be a part of someone that knows their purpose, knows where they're going, and is confident, right? You want to be close to those people. So maybe today we're gonna talk about, you know, the shift that you need to make is probably not a better strategy. It's just about having more alignment and waking up every day asking, who am I? Right? Who, what am I called to do? What is my purpose? And who am I here to impact? And then having the courage to really stand in that, whether, you know, or 12,000. Because the real impact, it's never gonna be about numbers, it's gonna be about obedience, it's gonna be about truth, and it's gonna be about showing up fully as who God created you to be. There's one thing that I've really been seeing a lot of lately, right? And it's so many women trying to be everything for everyone, right? Trying to show up perfectly, trying to be liked, accepted, and understood. And then in the process, their relationship with God, it quietly starts to get weaker, right? And then, you know, you have that shame that creeps in, you know, saying things like you should have it together by now, right? You should be further along. You shouldn't still be struggling with this, right? We've all had those thoughts. Okay. But the truth is, like, God designed you a certain way, whether you're like that hyper-independent girl, right? Or maybe you're a compassionate person, or that one that always puts others besides herself, before herself. You know, maybe you're the one that will sacrifice anything for people that she loves, right? It's that's that part is not a mistake, right? You don't have to doubt that, right? You the way that you were designed, whether you think it's a positive or a negative, most characteristics can be used in such a positive way, right? We were just kind of told sometimes if they're the bigger ones, the more boom in your face characteristics that make people feel a certain way that we shouldn't do use them, right? We shouldn't bring them out. But that's not always true, right? You are loved by God right where you are, right now. And it's not where you pretend to be, not where you think you should be, but where you actually are. So you gotta, we have to be able to, you know, bring our real and imperfect self to him, you know. Tell God what you want to refine or you want to change or you want to release, and he will work in you, honestly. The more you can show up authentically, the more your nervous system calms, right? Your body can know exactly what you're doing before, even if you're telling it to do something else. So it knows when you're putting on a performance, it knows when you're consumed in other people's thoughts of what you think they're gonna think because you think that you should be a certain way when that's not even the way that God intended you to be, right? But as we can show up more and more authentically, the attachment to other people's opinions is does start to fade, right? And you really begin to experience true freedom. God knows our nature and he knew we would fall short, and he still loved us, and he still sent his son, knowing that we're always gonna sin and we're always gonna fall short, right? And he still made that sacrifice. So that is real love. It's not, you know, loving people only when they arrive when you think that they should be there, right? He's not just only loving you at the end or when you've hit a major milestone in your business or when you've, you know, done something that uh so many people recognize, right? He's he's loving you in every moment, in every moment, the hard ones, the ones that you're fighting, that you're at war with yourself, that you're working and refining and trying again and failing and getting up again when you're tired and you're in depressed or you have anxiety, right? He loves you just as they are, as you are, sorry. And so we gotta take that as an invitation too, right? To love people that think differently and love people who believe differently and see them as opportunities to grow in wisdom and character, right? I know a lot of times as Christians, we we want to stay together and we only want to be with other Christians or if they have the same beliefs and and all of that, and you know, we don't want to get into the worldly things, but there's a reason why God put us on this earth, right? And when Jesus came to earth, he didn't just, you know, sit up in the mountains and be spiritual and pray all day. You know, he went into the world. He went into the world and he got to know the way that the world works. And if you're gonna be here of this world, you have to understand what this world is and how it works, right? The only way you can overcome something is if you know it. So we need to, instead of avoiding, you know, and wanting to create our our homesteads and and get away from the world, it's actually God is calling us to do the opposite, right? To go into the world and make it a better place. Okay. So let's get into the scripture and just I want to give some examples of Jesus's walk, right? And his story, because I think it's it's one of the most, you know, it definitely reflects this topic the most, right? He really embodies that it's not about the numbers. If you look at Matthew um chapter 10, verse 16 through 20, Jesus started with 12 disciples. He didn't have a big crowd, he just had 12 people. And he didn't try to reach out to everyone at once, right? But through these 12 people, that mission, it ended up changing the world. And it just shows you that God's approach is different, right? It's it's about starting small, stewarding that small amount very well, doing it to the best of your abilities, being obedient and being aligned, right? It's about more of depth, right, than than going wide. So it shows you like what Jesus' walk really kind of shows us about God is that he does value clarity over comfort, right? Like Jesus didn't change who he was or what he was here to do just to be liked by others or to make his his walk easy. I mean, he took it, his beliefs and his purpose to down to the death, right? To one of the worst deaths in history. And it also tells you that he God he trusts obedience over outcome, right? And it at first it seemed like Jesus was defeated, right? He was on the he was hung on the cross and he died there. His flesh died. And there most of his followers thought he was gone, right? They thought it was all over. It wasn't until he rose from the death that the the glory really came, right? So even that just shows like the obedience in that, right? He works through really what's faithful and not what's flashy or loud, right? But it also exposes a little bit about us, right? Like as people that struggle, everyday people, right? We can sometimes chase approval instead of our own alignment, right? We'll do what we think we should be doing or what is less authentic because we want to be more, you know, palatable or more likable or, you know, not so cringe or not so bold, you know, but sometimes we can even, you know, substitute our action is with, you know, anxiety and performance, right? Instead of really thinking about what is what is the right move, what is the next move. We just want to fulfill, you know, that need to feel like we're doing something with let's go, let's, I gotta get it done. I gotta make this happen. You know, that energy where like I gotta make this happen is that type of energy that we can naturally cultivate and something that we have to keep in check. Let's look at a few more scriptures. So if you look at Luke verse 16, 10, it says, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And I also feel like, you know, you gotta understand that God has a gift for everyone. Every single person on this planet has a purpose. Now, not every single one is going to step into that purpose, but God has a purpose for each of us to do. And sometimes that purpose is huge, right? We don't know. But I believe that there's a reason why God only shows us the next step, right? And we are the ones that want to see the whole plan. We want to overwhelm ourselves. We want to, oh, what if and ah, it's so big and I can't, how am I gonna do all this? Well, God never asks you to do all that, right? All he asks you to do is take the next step, look to the next thing and and work with what you got. It's it's really not about going and adding stuff to you, right? It's really about multiplying the gifts and the opportunities that he's already given you, right? God isn't calling you to go add, add, add more all the time. If he's giving you something, he's giving you the means to go out and execute it, right? So it's about our using our creative minds and our spirit and really listening to God and seeing what we can do right now with what we have and multiply that. When you get to work and you put that action out there and that intent, that is when God will bless your hands. That is when he will bless your work. But it's not about just sitting and praying and just waiting. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We have to start putting into motion, we have to start moving like with in partnership with God, right? First Samuel 15, 22, it says, to better is obey than sacrifice, right? So what does that tell us? It tells us that alignment is greater than performance. The way of the world is performance, performance, performance. But if you're in partnership with God, He wants way more than anything you can ever perform. And the reason why is because you will know it is from God when it is past your capabilities, right? When it is past your limits of what you could have ever imagined. But you have to be willing to step aside and be in alignment to what he's telling you instead of trying to control everything, right? Like we talked about in the last episode, there's a season for everything, right? There's a season for you to focus and do what you need to do. And then there's also a time for you to rest and to hear God and to get back in alignment and see what's the next step, right? It's a constant rhythm that we have to live in. Um, the last verse I want to check out is Philippians chapter four, six through seven. It says, Don't be anxious about anything, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds. So stop trying to serve everyone, right? Or impress everyone. Just focus on your obedience, really, and your alignment and your clarity. Even if it's small and even if it's unperfect, it's okay. God sees you, He knows your heart, right? He's not looking for it to again to be perfect. He's looking for you to be willing. So let's put this into action, okay? But let's put it into action with God, right? Not hustle. So I want you to ask yourself today, where am I asking for permission instead of taking instead of courage? Okay. Where are you asking for permission instead of courage? And what has God already entrusted me with that I'm treating lightly? It can be your finances, it can be your social media, it can be, you know, anything, uh your business, your time, you know, really think deeply about this because it is so many things, you know. Even today I was thinking to myself, like, you know, we are so privileged, uh, you know, especially in certain parts of the world. I know in Canada, you know, I'm privileged. And it's so important for me to use the time that God has given me, use the the resources that He's giving me and the access to knowledge and opportunities that I have to really do something, because there's a lot of people that don't get to do it. You know, I heard a girl say the other day, it's it's a privilege to get to chase your dreams. Because there's a lot of people out there that don't even have that privilege. So if God has placed you in a position, whether you think it's bad or not, whether you're in a season where it's not your favorite, you know, sometimes it seems like we got to take a couple steps back to go forward, right? Sometimes you might have to go back to your job or you have to go do something that you really don't want to do, but it's necessary for the time, right? Whatever it is, make sure that you do it with pride, right? And make sure that you do it to the best of your abilities because if you really are aware and you're really using practicing gratitude, you'll see that there's an opportunity for you to learn and grow in everything. And God didn't just put you in this position for anything, right? It was maybe for a short purpose, and maybe you needed to see something from that angle or from that perspective or from that place that you wouldn't have seen it before. And so be open, right? Don't ever think that, okay, like I've I've I've climbed this high, I've done this much. There's no way I'm gonna do that, right? We always need to stay humble and just know that it's nothing is just by chance or just just because. Okay. So and then the last question I want you to ask am I trying to reach everyone when he just wants me to start with a few? And then I want you to write down these four things because these are just I want to give you just like four ways or you know, ways that you can apply these things, right? And and sometimes it's just a reminder or an affirmation, okay, or maybe hints. It's not anything too deep, but I would encourage you to just write it down, maybe somewhere that you're gonna see often, and just remember these few things. That way they become your focus. So the first one is stop measuring your purpose by popularity, okay? Social media, it doesn't equal obedience, likes, and numbers, and you know, all the customers, and you know, we we get caught up in comparing and think that we should be where that person is, but we haven't seen the full journey, right? God is measuring your faithfulness. Number two is your assignment isn't for everyone, right? Some of our assignments are so unique, so specific, right? Jesus, even himself, he wasn't accepted everywhere. Even his hometown rejected him. Okay. So understand it's not going to be for everyone, and that is okay. Number three, focus on people who are ready. Not everyone is, again, like I told you, aligned with where you're at right now. There's people that you are meant to be connected to, and there's people who you're not. Even if it's your best friend, even if it's your sister, you know, even if you guys grew up together and been doing things, you know, it doesn't mean necessarily that they're ready to walk with you in these seasons in this season. But invest in the people that are, you know, leaning in and not the ones that you're having to chase. Okay. Number four is depth creates love legacy. Okay. You when you really focus on building direct relationships with people, not just about, you know, getting your product out or making your services known or letting people know about your business. No, focus on really building genuine relationships with people. Focus on them. Thank people for their presence and their support. You know, even as soon as you get a new follower, like reach out to them, send them a nice voice message. Do something different. Go out of your way. Right? Get to know them. Ask questions about what they do and ask if there's any way you can serve and support them. Right. I forget who it was, but there, I think it's um Dale Carnegie in the book of How to Win Friends and Influence People. And he says, anything that you want from somebody else, anything that you want to ask from someone else, do it yourself, right? Do it for them. So if you want people to support your business and join you or whatever, or if you want certain things, if you want people to be more kind, if you want people to be, you know, more smiles, whatever, you be the first one to do it, right? Be the person to set the standard. You know, we can't just expect all these things from people and we're not willing to put it out there ourselves, right? We got to be the change makers and the ones that are gonna start. You get really what you what you put out, right? You don't necessarily get what you want, you get what you put your energy into. And so if you put your energy into really embodying what it means to be a Christ follower, you will see the fruits of that, that those seeds that you plant, right? The harvest of that. And it's it's way deeper. Like I said, go into the world, right? Don't run away. You know, there's many industries that Christians have gone away from, like, you know, Hollywood and music and money and all these things. And I'm not saying that they don't have any evil parts, they definitely do. But isn't that more of a reason for us to go in there and and battle, right? Because right now, us running away is not helping the problem. And again, Jesus, we weren't called here to just be here, right? We were here to solve problems, to push the way, push God's will forward, right? In a positive way, make this place a better place with the great gifts that he has entrusted to you. And you know what's even funnier about all of this is even uh not biblically, right? Even through, you know, psychological and leadership ship worship, um, sorry, leadership research, you can see that they also say it's better to actually have smaller amounts of numbers and really deeply connect. Like there's a one concept called the 1000 true fans concept, and it's from Kevin Kelly. He says, like, if you're a creator, which think about it, we are creators, right? God created us to create and be co-creators. So basically, when you choose to step into your purpose and start to create with the gifts that God has given you, you don't need a millions of followers, right? You just need a thousand deeply connected people that really believe in your work, right? And even today, you know, with social media and stuff like that, we're, you know, that number can go up. But there's another guy, his name is Robin Dunbar, and he says that like because the way that our brain is actually set up, humans can really only maintain like about 150 like true, like stable, meaningful relationships. Okay, now I like I said, with social media and the ways that we connect, that can go up, but no matter the number, like I said, we want to focus on stable and meaningful. Like that's the key, the key words here, right? Not about mass and numbers and likes and shares, right? And then the last thing that I want to close with, you guys, is this road can be a lonely road, right? Walking in your purpose is not, like I said, always cute or fun. There's a lot of loneliness to it. A lot of people don't understand. A lot of people might that you thought would support might not support. You know, people might misunderstand. People can betray you, they can leave. You know, even Jesus' own disciples left, right? They said, This is too much, this is too hard. These teachings are too hard. We can't, we don't want to do this. Who can accept it? Right? And they no longer follow him. And Jesus didn't chase him. He, you know what he said? He turned to the 12 that he did have and he said, Do you want to leave too? Because he he understood. He even knew that Judas was going to deceive him and betray him, and he still chose him as a disciple, right? So he wasn't surprised, he wasn't shaken by the fact that people left. If you look at the Gospel of Matthew, um, chapter 13, verse 31 through 32, it says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that birds perch on its branches. So again, it just shows you king, kingdom impact. It does start small, but it can it multiplies, right? With with God, it multiplies. So plant your seeds and plant them in the word of God and his will. And know that this is a narrow path. You know, Matthew also tells us in um chapter 7, verse 13 and 14, he says that the road that leads to destruction is broad and the gate is wide. But the small, but small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only few find it. So again, just know few people are gonna walk the narrow path. They are, it doesn't matter what their belief is. You know, many of people that believe in Jesus Christ will not walk the narrow path. And I'll say it again: many people that are followers of Christ will not walk the mer the narrow path, right? Purpose-driven lives are not easy to pursue, they're not easy to discipline yourself and become the person, they're not easy to shed the lies and the pain and the deceit and the identity of what you have been put and grown into and you know indoctrinated into, right? We've been born into systems and it's hard to break out. So it's not gonna be something that the majority does. But like I said, the small can influence a lot. And you ever notice when someone is in their purpose, when they're on fire, everyone wants to watch, right? Everyone is inspired, they can inspire thousands of people, and so just remember that. And I hope this episode really helps you just understand and make that minor shift, you know, that it's not about the outer metrics, you know, the vanity metrics. It's it's truly about what matters to you and to your authenticity and to what God created you to be. So let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that you have always worked through the willing, not the perfect. Just as he had 12 ordinary people who chose to follow, trust, and be transformed, help us to say yes in the same way. Refine our hearts, strengthen our faith, and align us with the assignment you've placed on our life. Give us the courage to lead, the humility to serve, and the discipline to stay committed, even when it's uncomfortable. Let us not shrink back from the calling, but rise into the boldness, knowing we were chosen, equipped, and sent. Use us to impact lives, to bring light where there is darkness and walk in purpose daily. We trust in your timing, your plan, and your process. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you so much for being here with me on this episode. I would love to hear from you on your journey if you have any prayers, wins, comments, or if you're interested in being on the show. You can comment the word show to our text line and you can find it in the show notes. I would also love to connect with you on social media and just grow our community in Christ. With that, I wish you well and have a blessed week. See you next time.