Your Next Step Doesn't Require the Whole Map

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Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome to a brand new month of living in your power.
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I'm your host, Dr. Marlene Greenlee, and I am truly, truly grateful that you
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have chosen to spend this time with me today.
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As we step into August, yes, it's August already, man, yes, August,
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we are beginning a new conversation.
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Now, over the past several months, we've talked about becoming rooted and resilient,
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getting aligned with our assignment, giving an empowered yes,
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learning to flourish, and most recently, living free.
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But now, now for this month of August, this is another part of the journey.
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It's moving forward But not moving just for the sake of movement,
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Not rushing because everyone else seems to be ahead Not forcing doors Because
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we are afraid another opportunity won't come And certainly,
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certainly not believing That we must have every detail figured out before we begin.
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So our theme for August Is moving with intention Purposeful Steps into What's Next,
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This month, this month of August, we are going to talk about what it means to
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move forward with faith,
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wisdom, courage, and peace Even when we can't see the entire road ahead And today's episode,
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the first in our August series, is titled Your next step doesn't require the whole map.
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So let's get into it.
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Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes, sometimes I would really like God
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to hand me the entire plan. I mean, not just the next step, the whole thing.
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I mean, where are we going? How long is this going to take?
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Who will be involved? What obstacles are coming? You know, I want a whole shebang. But I know.
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And while we're at it, can I get some confirmation that everything is going
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to work out the way I hope?
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Now, wouldn't that be nice? I don't know. But life really unfolds that way.
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I mean, more often than none, we are given enough clarity for the step directly in front of us.
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And that's where fate becomes real.
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That's what we call bold faith fate. because it's one thing to move when you
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can see exactly where you're going,
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but it's another thing entirely to move when all you have is enough light for the next step.
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Now, many of us aren't necessarily afraid of moving forward.
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We are, in fact, afraid of moving forward without guarantees.
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So what do we do? We wait.
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We analyze. We overthink. I am chiefed.
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I am the one that does that. Overthink.
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We ask for another sign and then another. And sometimes, sometimes we call it preparation.
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Sometimes we call it discernment. But if we're not careful, preparation can
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become procrastination.
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And discernment can become an excuse to remain where we are because the unknown feels uncomfortable.
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There comes a point, dear listeners, when fate asks us to move.
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Not recklessly, not impulsively, but intentionally.
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Now, our scripture is taken from Proverbs 3, verse 5 and 6.
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And I know you know this.
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It says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart
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And lean not unto thine own understanding In all thy ways acknowledge him And
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he shall direct thy path I love it.
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This is one of my favorite Bible verses.
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Proverbs 3 verse 5 and 6.
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Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.
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In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.
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I mean there is so much in these two verses.
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Okay first is trust. Not understand.
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Trust. And that's important because
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It says we often want understanding before we are willing to trust.
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I mean we say God show me how this thing is going to work and then I'll move.
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Or it says show me the outcome and then I'll say yes.
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Or how about show me that I won't fail and then I'll take the chance.
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But the scripture gives us the opposite order. It says to trust first.
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Then allow God to direct your path. And notice something else.
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It says he will direct our paths.
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It doesn't say he'll hand us the entire map. I mean, direction often comes while we're moving.
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I mean, think about using navigation when you're driving.
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You don't necessarily need to
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know every turn before you leave home you simply need to know the next one,
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then when you get there you're given another direction and another until eventually
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you arrive and you arrive safely now fate,
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can look a lot like that,
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god may not reveal everything at once dear listeners but he gives us enough direction to continue.
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Now our responsibility is to remain connected closely enough to hear when it's time to turn.
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And sometimes, sometimes we believe clarity must come before action.
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But I've learned that clarity often comes because we take action.
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Actions like you making the phone call. You submitting the application.
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Or you attended the meeting.
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You started a conversation. You enrolled in the course.
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Or you shared the idea. You finally begin the thing you've been thinking about
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for months and then something happens.
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You learn.
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Maybe you discover that the opportunity is exactly what you hoped it would be.
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Maybe you discover that it isn't. But either way, you have more information
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than you had while you were standing still.
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Movement teaches of things that thinking alone cannot. And here's something else I've learned.
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Not every step has to become your final destination.
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To have been a worthwhile step. Not every step has to become a final destination,
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to have been a worthwhile step.
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Because sometimes, sometimes a step introduces you to someone you needed to meet.
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Sometimes it teaches you something you needed to learn.
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Sometimes it confirms what you want. And sometimes it clarifies what you don't want.
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Now that doesn't mean you made a mistake.
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It means the journey gave you information.
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We put so much pressure on ourselves to make the perfect decision.
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But perhaps the question is, what is the next fateful decision?
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Not the next perfect decision.
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Not the next perfect decision.
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But the next fateful one. Because when we're moving with intention,
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we aren't trying to control the entire journey.
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We're listening we're discerning we're responding and we're trusting God enough to take the next step,
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now let's again return to the day scripture where it says trust in the Lord
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with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding now there is freedom in those words,
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freedom because they remind us that we don't have to understand everything.
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We don't have to predict everything.
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Okay, now there is freedom in those words because they remind us that we don't
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have to understand everything.
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We don't have to predict everything. We don't have to control everything.
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We simply need to remain connected to the one who can see what we cannot.
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So perhaps the question isn't, God, will you show me the entire plan?
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Perhaps the question becomes, God, what is mine to do next? And then we listen.
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So your empowerment prompt for this week is, what is one step I already know I need to take?
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And then consider these. Am I waiting for certainty when God may be asking for trust?
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Have I confused preparation for procrastination? What am I afraid might happen
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if I move without knowing the entire outcome?
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Or what would taking one fateful intentional step look like this week?
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You don't need 10 steps. You don't need 5.
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You can just start with one, one conversation, one decision,
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one application, one boundary setting, one beginning, one yes, or perhaps one no.
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Whatever your next step is, I want you to take it prayerfully,
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take it intentionally, and then trust God with what comes after it.
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So in closing, in closing, dear listeners, as we begin this August journey together,
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I want you to remember, you do not need a whole map to take the next step.
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You don't have to know how everything will turn out. You don't have to have
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every resource in place.
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And you don't have to wait until fear completely disappears.
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You simply need enough feet for the step in front of you.
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There may be turns you didn't anticipate. There may be pauses you didn't plan.
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There may even be moments when God redirects you entirely. But that's okay.
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Because the goal isn't to control the path. The goal is to remain connected to the one directing it.
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So take the step, stay prayerful, stay discerning, and keep moving with intention.
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I want to thank you for joining me for the first episode in our August series,
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Moving with Intention, Purposeful Steps into What's Next.
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So next week, we'll continue our conversation with Move at the Pace of Peace.
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You asked my favorite word peace because moving forward doesn't mean we have
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to rush sometimes the most powerful progress happens when we allow peace not pressure,
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to determine our peace,
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so until next time dear listeners,
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you know the drill I want you to keep living boldly in your power today and
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if it gets tough just breathe,
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you've still got the strength to rise. So I'll see you next time and continue to live in your power.