What if the time you think you lost was already accounted for, and the only thing standing between you and your purpose is the next single step? Over the next 6 days, we're going to dismantle the lie of "behind" and replace it with something that actually moves you forward.

• Day 1 | You’re not behind on your purpose.

• Day 2 | There is no “back.”

• Day 3 | You don’t belong to entrepreneurship.

• Day 4 | There’s no expiration date on your gift.

• Day 5 | How to stop falling further and further behind.

• Day 6 | Celebrate your incremental action.

If you’ve been struggling to hear God’s direction for your business, you just need to get into His Word. Big Idea Food® is the best-selling 52-week devotional for entrepreneurs that’ll help you get clarity, stay motivated & actually look forward to spending time with God every day.

GET YOUR COPY NOW

DAY 1

You’re not behind on your purpose.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” — Psalm 37:23 (New King James Version)

Have you ever felt like you’re playing catch up on your purpose? Like you’re finally doing what God has been nudging you to do for years, but now — because you spent so many years NOT doing the thing — you feel pressed, or like you’re behind? One of my clients recently asked me how I avoid those feelings, and my immediate response was honest:

I still have those feelings OFTEN. 🥴 But here’s what I’ve learned: execution gives me the most peace.

As we unpacked how executing consistently on whatever God has set before us brings peace, she shared how it resonated with her recent study of today’s scripture. Looking into the original meaning of the text, she found it could be translated something like “the actions of a warrior of the Lord will be secured, stabilized, fixed upright as he is going.” In essence, we receive peace in executing on our purpose because God is literally right there — securing, stabilizing and fixing us AS we execute. Isn’t that good?!

That’s why we don’t have to worry about “catching up.” God knows the days and the hours when your various purpose missions need to be fulfilled. Now that you’re back on track, let Him watch the clock! Trusting that He will redeem the time (Joel 2:25). And the way He’ll do it is through ordering your steps as you execute. You may think your tiny steps of obedience are taking forever to get you there, but in the spirit, God is magnifying them more than you can see.

So stop trying to sprint to make up for lost time. Just take the next step in front of you. Then the next one. God is doing the securing, stabilizing and redeeming while you move. Your only job is to keep going.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Zechariah 4:6 → Your execution isn’t about a dependence on your effort to make any of this happen, but about making consistent, obedient strides in the direction He’s leading you in. Then, before you know it, you’ll be there not really by your own might or power but by His spirit.

• Joel 2:25 → God restores the years you feel like you lost.

DAY 2

There is no "back."

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." — Isaiah 43:18-19 (New International Version)

As I sat down one day and really grasped the potential of getting my book into the hands of everyone on the planet who needs it, I was overcome with grief and guilt about how it had taken me two years to figure this out. Two years of people needing this book and not getting it because of my limited thinking. But as I prayed and acknowledged my oversight to God — asking Him to help me get “back” to wherever I was supposed to be — I sensed Him reminding me that there is no “back.” There is only now and what’s ahead.

I don’t need to get “back.” I just need to get on track.

His graceful nudge came with a reminder of the words He spoke in today’s scripture. In essence, it was like He was telling me not to waste time stressing or grieving over what’s behind me or whatever I think I lost. Why? Because none of that matters now. Nothing that happened in the past can affect the “new thing” He’s doing.

One thing I know as a former relay racer is that you can’t move forward on pace while looking backwards. It just physically doesn’t work. So I want to encourage you today: God already factored in the time He knew you were going to spend lost and off track. You’re not behind, and you don’t need to get “back” to anything you feel like you missed. The moment you get with His program for your purpose, you’re exactly where He needs you to be.

Now your only job is to face forward, stay on track, and watch Him do His thing.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Haggai 2:9 → This scripture also came to mind when God was ministering this message to me. Whatever you think you may have missed out on in the past, trust and believe what God has planned in the future is even greater than that!

• Philippians 3:13-14 → If Paul can “forget what’s behind”, so can you.

DAY 3

You don’t belong to entrepreneurship.

“But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’” — Isaiah 43:1 (New International Version)

I was on a coaching call recently with a founder who was feeling behind — measuring her pace against everybody else’s, wondering why her business didn’t look like the ones she kept seeing online, feeling like the whole thing was starting to own her. As I read through her reflections, this is what rose up in my spirit to tell her: You are not in entrepreneurship's world. It is in your world.

Entrepreneurship is not your master. It’s just one of the things God has given you to enjoy as you do life with Him.

Somewhere along the way, a lot of us have subconsciously handed ourselves over to our businesses by letting them set the pace, define our worth and dictate whether we’re allowed to feel okay on any given day. But today’s scripture reminds us who we actually belong to. God created you, summoned you by name and called you His. Not entrepreneurship’s. Not the market’s. Not your revenue goals’. His. You were His before you ever had a business, and you’ll be His long after whatever you’re building today has run its course.

When you really get that, the feeling of being “behind” starts to lose its grip. Because being behind assumes that entrepreneurship is the thing you exist to serve and that your worth is tied to how fast you’re moving or how well you’re keeping up. But you don’t exist to serve your business. You exist to walk with God, and your business is just one beautiful part of that walk. It’s a gift He gave you to steward and enjoy, not a taskmaster you’re failing to satisfy.

So take a breath and put it back in its rightful place. You belong to the One who called you by name and He is never behind. Which means, tucked safely in Him, neither are you.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 → You were bought with a price, which means you don’t have to let anything else own you.

DAY 4

There’s no expiration date on your gift.

“God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully.” — 1 Peter 4:10-11 (New International Reader’s Version)

Recently, time opened up in my schedule to start producing content again on my social media channels and I was so excited to get back in my content bag. But at the same time, questions of whether or not what I have to say is still relevant — or whether my time had passed — started lurking in the back of my mind. So much so that I actually asked God about it. Like, let me know if I need to hang it up, Jesus! And boy, did He let me know. I heard this so strongly in my spirit in response to my prayer:

“There is no expiration date on your gift, Marlena.”

I was reading today’s scripture when it hit me. Nothing in Peter’s exhortation said anything about an expiration date. Instead, he said we should use our gift “faithfully.” The Greek meaning behind that phrase says something like we should minister our gifts to one another “as good stewards.” And when I look at other places the word “steward” is used in the Bible, I see Jesus talking about how He expects us to keep ministering to our households until He returns (Luke 12:42-44). Not until we feel too late. Not until we think we’ve missed our window. Until He comes back.

So hear me when I say: there’s no expiration date on your gift, Friend.

It’s not too late to start (or restart!)

Your gift is not irrelevant.

Your voice still needs to be heard.

Feeling behind can quietly convince you that the window has closed; that you waited too long, the moment passed you by and whatever you had to offer is no longer needed. But that’s a lie. Someone out there is waiting for the gift that only you, in your own unique way, can give them. So keep showing up. Keep producing. Keep offering what God put in you until Jesus comes back, mm kay!?

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Song of Solomon 2:14 → Your voice and your ideas are worth sharing. God gave them to you as gifts to give to the world.

• John 21:15-17 → Just keep feeding His sheep with whatever gift He’s given you.

DAY 5

How to stop falling further and further behind.

“But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.” — Hebrews 10:39 (The Message)

Ok, so today let’s talk about how to overcome the procrastination that often aggravates our sense of feeling “behind” with another story from my world. I spent several months reading roughly a chapter a day of my friend Melody’s book on personal finances and then applying whatever the chapter told me to do right then and there. About a month into it, I got to a chapter where the task was a heavier lift than usual, so I decided I’d put it off until that weekend when I had more time. Annnnd thus began a period of about 2-3 weeks where, instead of knocking that larger task out like I had planned, I just kept putting it off. God finally checked me:

You stopping consistent progress on something until you “have more time” only puts you further and further behind.

Message received. 🥴 And then I remembered that this “lump sum / lottery” mentality is exactly why my finances were in the shape they were in the first place. Putting stuff off until you have more of something — time, money, a spouse, an education — never serves you. It’s a delusion. And if you keep letting key things like your finances, health and relationships fall into shambles until you can “get to them,” you’re only creating a bigger mess for your future self to clean up. Because trust and believe, until you make a change, the mess is more committed to making consistent progress than you are.

Today is just a reminder to keep your rhythm going. Whatever you’re currently working on, don’t let up. And if you’ve been putting something off, this message isn’t meant to make you feel guilty. Use it as the push you needed to pick that thing back up and recommit. Making incremental moves is the most guaranteed way to see the results you truly desire. And it starts (or restarts) today.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Exodus 23:29-30 → I share this scripture at least once or twice a year because it’s such a great picture of how God builds us up in increments instead of all at once. I always remember it when I think of making consistent, messy, bite-sized progress over perfection. It’s better this way.

DAY 6

Celebrate your incremental action.

“When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” — Ezra 3:10-11 (New International Version)

I’m beginning to love taking incremental action more and more. It can be SO hard to navigate the space between seeing your fully manifested vision in your mind’s eye and settling with the rough draft version of what you’re able to produce right now. But recently, as I got about 75% of the way through another iteration of a vision project, I felt a strong sense of gratitude toward God and pride in myself for what I HAVE built and HAVE accomplished so far. It’s not perfect, but some dayum good progress has been made. 💪🏽😜

No matter where you are on your progress, there’s SOMETHING you can celebrate. SOMETHING you can stop and praise God for.

A friend pointed me to today’s scripture when I shared these sentiments, and I love it. The temple wasn’t even done yet but they were already celebrating! It’s such a great picture of how we can operate: enjoying each stage of the journey rather than holding our breath until we get to the end. As much as I look forward to seeing the full manifestation of everything I’ve been working and praying on, I’m learning to savor these incremental milestones more than I ever have before. And I’m grateful for the eyes to see and appreciate them.

Feeling behind keeps your eyes so fixed on the finish line that you never once look down to see how far you’ve already walked. But you have come so far. You’ve laid foundation that wasn’t there before. You’ve taken steps that used to only live in your imagination. That deserves a shout of praise — not someday when it’s all finished, but right now, in the “messy middle”.

So take a moment to stop and drink in your progress today. You’ve been working hard, boo. Let praise silence the pressure you’ve been feeling of being behind. I believe God will use your praise to stabilize your mind and heart for the next milestone ahead. And congrats on how far you’ve come. 🙌🏽

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Zechariah 4:10 → If God believes your small beginnings are worth celebrating, why don’t you?

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 → Gratitude is available to you at every stage, not just at the finish line.

“The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.” — Proverbs 21:20 (New Living Translation)

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I had this scripture posted up near my bathroom mirror and written on my debit card…

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“Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham found righteous before God because of his works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Can’t you see how his action cooperated with his faith and by his action faith…

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What if the thing standing between you and all you’ve been praying for isn't God's timing, it's just a handful of habits you haven't dealt with yet? This 6-day plan is an honest look at how you're actually stewarding your time, money and energy with a loving, Spirit-led invitation to build the discipline future you is waiting on.

• Day 1 | My increase tomorrow is in my habits today.

• Day 2 | My “no” game strong.

• Day 3 | God will help me stay on track.

• Day 4 | You need more rest for where you’re going.

• Day 5 | Stop fighting God’s discipline.

• Day 6 | The best version of you is the disciplined version of you.

If you’ve been struggling to hear God’s direction for your business, you just need to get into His Word. Big Idea Food® is the best-selling 52-week devotional for entrepreneurs that’ll help you get clarity, stay motivated & actually look forward to spending time with God every day.

GET YOUR COPY NOW

DAY 1

My increase tomorrow is in my habits today.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” — Luke 16:10 (New Living Translation)

I was revisiting some old Dr. Myles Munroe sermons while gearing up for one of my first big launches and in one of them he was discussing the importance of management to God. In a nutshell, he said God is not going to bless you with a lot when you don’t manage the little you have well; that would be poor management on His part. I’ve always believed this principle strongly, but because my own poor money management had recently come to light, it was hitting home like never before. While I had been over here believing and building systems for a $20k launch, God was looking at me like “$20kaaaaaaaaaay?!”

I’m not going to bless you with $20k when you can’t manage $20.

Looking at everything from my credit card debt at the time to the small financial decisions I made on a daily basis, it was apparent that I had built a habit of poor financial management. And God’s just not going to reward that. Why would He positively reinforce bad habits? That’s the heart of today’s scripture. If you have bad habits now, they’re not going to magically disappear when you’re given more to manage. They’ll only amplify. I know this isn’t a new concept, but I pray you hear it with fresh ears today:

Stop praying for stuff you’re not willing to build the discipline to receive.

How many things has God blocked in your life because He’s waiting on you to build the habits necessary to sustain them? And what’s worse is we — read: I 🙋🏾‍♀️ — get discouraged when our prayers don’t come to pass on our desired timeline, when really we should be thankful that God’s unyielding, Fatherly love was protecting us. It may seem like a huge lump sum or breakthrough would be so awesome right now, but God is more interested in solving your internal deficiencies first. I know you feel called to be a millionaire, but it’s not going to happen if you keep making a million bad financial decisions.

So let me reiterate: your increase tomorrow is in the habits you’re forming today. It’s time to let go of the mindset that receiving more money will solve all your financial woes, and instead embrace the fact that it’s the tiny decisions you make every day that produce the results you seek. Prove to God (and yourself!) that you can be a good steward with your little, so you can confidently take hold of the much He has waiting for you.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Matthew 6:22-23 → If you see value in where you are, you’ll find more of it. If you don’t, you won’t. This scripture is a push to find gratitude right where you are and remember that the grass can become greener on your side if you water it.

DAY 2

My “no” game strong.

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.” — James 1:22-25 (The Message)

Five minutes before a masterclass I hosted in my early days of full-time entrepreneurship, I was still working on some of the backend parts of the presentation. Once again, it was crunch time and here I was working up until the last. second. Even in the midst of that frantic state, I was completely coherent about one thing: this is the last time I’m putting myself in this situation. I can distinctly recall the decisions that led me there — specific things I said “yes” to that, little by little, ate up the time I had to finish everything ahead of schedule. And unfortunately this had been a pattern for far too long. From procrastinating in high school to having a culture of working around the clock ingrained in me in college and into my career, I finally realized something about myself:

I had been conditioned to think about time as something I didn’t have a lot of.

If there was a free minute in my schedule, I’d been spending it — because I wasn’t used to having it. Instead of saving my time and investing it strategically in things that were important to me, I had been spending it all willy nilly before it even came. I was in time debt! And what’s worse is that this mentality had governed the way I was stewarding my finances too. People told me becoming a full-time entrepreneur would reveal things about myself I didn’t know, and now I’m a witness. The crazy part is that up until then, I had thought of myself as an excellent steward of my time and money. Ha. Nope.

That’s why today’s scripture got me together. Just because you think something about yourself does not make it true. If your actual facts and behaviors don’t line up with your thoughts, you my dear are deceived. But I thank God for giving me the clarity of mind to see my actual truth so I could do something about it.

Tackling this stronghold was a whole project, but for starters I put myself on a scheduling fast. 😂 I didn’t allow myself to schedule anything else before setting my “time vision”: identifying the types of things I desired to say “yes” to and leaving space for them. I knew that even if I didn’t have anything going on for a period of time, that was okay, because I was leaving room for what I desired to come to me. As my friend posted around that time, the highest form of faith is preparation. The last and most important thing I started doing was exercising my use of the word “no” more than ever. To operate as the woman I’m becoming, I had to start making decisions like she would. That required me to say no to things I felt guilty saying no to, to protect my peace and energy, and to do the math up front on how much every “yes” would cost me. And if it was too expensive, I had to pass.

If you’ve been struggling here too, I want you to know it’s not about you not having enough time; it’s about how you’re stewarding the time you have. Especially if you’re still working a 9-5 and think going full-time will alleviate your time issues. No. Your habits will. The demands on your time only increase as you climb higher into your calling. Now is the time to get diligent and disciplined about what you put on your plate, so you have room for more of the right things to come your way.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Luke 14:25-33 → Take the time to count up the cost of your "yes" before giving it. Jesus said it first.

DAY 3

God will help me stay on track.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." — Hebrews 12:11 (New International Version)

A couple weeks before I took my final leap into full-time entrepreneurship, I found myself thinking hard about how I’d need to develop a solid routine with all the new free time I’d have. I knew better than to think I’m immune to lottery-winner syndrome — all that newfound time leading to an inevitable crash and burn. (I think of time as currency, just like money.) But then I started running scenarios in my head about how things coming up in my life could throw my routine off. It began to dawn on me that no matter what routine I set, inevitably it’s going to get busted like a March Madness bracket at some point. Here’s what I felt the Lord speaking in the midst of those thoughts:

You think you need a routine when really you just need to be able to ebb and flow with actual life.

Chances are if you’re reading this, you’ve lived long enough to realize that life is mostly never routine. Stuff happens — good and bad — that you didn’t expect, plan for or budget. And when it does, you don’t need a routine, you need discipline. Now I’m not advocating ditching routines altogether. I’m just saying that having one will not prevent your life from getting off track. You need to practice still doing the things you know you gotta do when your life gets off track. (Unless you’re going through a legit crisis; all bets are understandably off at that point.)

I know it sounds easier said than done, but the good news is life gives you plenty of opportunities to practice. As I look back over my early years in entrepreneurship with this lens, I see how God was grooming me to be flexible when things changed up on me. I bet if you look closely at whatever you’ve been growing through, you’ll see it too.

Life is difficult on its own, but add entrepreneurship to the mix and you have a whole new set of challenges to overcome and opportunities to — um — practice. God knew that already, so He’s been preparing you for this. All you have to do is keep flowing with Him. Don’t beat yourself up or throw in the towel when things get off track. Instead, I challenge you to approach every wrench thrown into your schedule like this little firecracker and crush it.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Hebrews 12:1-12 → The whole passage on discipline and the harvest it produces. Read it slowly and let it reframe the hard parts of staying consistent.

DAY 4

You need more rest for where you’re going.

“’This is not good!’ Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. ‘You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.’” — Exodus 18:17-18 (New Living Translation)

A good friend shared today’s scripture with me at the time when I was feeling supernaturally full from the newness of walking at the next level of my purpose. Yet and still, I took heed to her words and the grace of God that led her to send it. In the few days that followed, it was like God pulled back the curtain on several unsustainable habits I’d been developing in the midst of this new level — working 6 days a week, many of them 12-hour days, overbooking myself and generally not leaving enough space, time and energy for filling my own cup or being present with my closest family and friends.

Now the reality is, I knew I was coming up on a busy season and honestly I felt amazing in the middle of it because there’s nothing like the fulfillment of walking in your purpose. But here’s what I heard God speaking to me in that season:

Be careful not to let behaviors that are necessary for one season become bad habits you carry into the next.

Moses had a season where he was in fact the only leader of hundreds of thousands of Israelites escaping Egypt. For the most part, that was how it needed to be at the time. But now he was in a place where one season had passed and a new one was starting — and instead of reevaluating his process, he was dragging the old-season mentality into the new one, and it wasn’t serving him OR the people he was leading. In fact, continuing those same habits was setting the stage for burnout and more poor decision-making. (I just made a bad decision the other day that I KNOW was due to tired brain.)

That’s why we’ve got to recognize when a season has shifted and govern ourselves accordingly. For me that meant taking Saturdays AND Sundays off, working fewer hours a day, scheduling regular times of sabbatical and — most importantly — empowering people to support this vision with me. For you it might look totally different. But if a major shift is on the horizon for your business, or you’ve recently gone through one, it’s time to do some inventory. What habits do you need to take with you, leave behind, or create to best prepare for what’s ahead? And here’s a hint: if you “don’t have time” to do this inventory, that’s your #1 sign that it needs to be done.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Exodus 18:19-26 → Moses had to create a more efficient system for getting the knowledge God gave him to the masses. What systems do you need to put in place to better handle the mission God has given you?

DAY 5

Stop fighting God’s discipline.

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart... Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.” — Deuteronomy 8:2, 5 (New International Version)

Have you felt like God has slowed you down in this season? Or stopped you altogether? I spent several months in "the slowed down place" in my business and it was hard to understand or explain while I was in it. But God eventually helped me see it more clearly, and I wanted to share in case it helps you too. There's a lot to it, but let's start here:

The wilderness season you’re in is a rite of passage.

As we see in today’s scripture, the Israelites had to go through it. Jesus Himself went through it too (Matthew 4:1-11). Do you see the pattern yet? God’s kids go through wilderness seasons. You’re God’s kid, so you’re not exempt. But hopefully that excites you, because entering your wilderness season means three things.

One: you’re ready for it. You’ve reached this rite-of-passage stage because you’ve developed and matured enough to get here. Look at you getting grown.

Two: you’re definitely God’s whole entire child, and He’s using this to personally let you know He loves you enough to discipline you and prepare you for the next stage of purpose He’s planned.

Three: that next stage though?! Life after the wilderness is lit. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob got wealthy after their seasons. Joseph got promoted to prominence and met his spouse. The Israelites entered their promised land. Jesus’ ministry took off and God gave Him His team. You’re being set up for something dope. Believe that.

I know you may be frustrated and tired of being in this space—I know I was! But the best part about the wilderness is that it’s temporary. You’re going to get through this, and what you gain in this season will catapult you into the enlarged territory reserved for you on the other side.

So stop fighting it. You ain’t gon’ get out of it anyway, so you might as well relax and learn what you need to learn — because best believe, you’re gonna need it later.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Matthew 4:1-4 → Jesus recognized He was in a wilderness season because He used the same language as Deuteronomy 8:3. Recognizing the season you’re in is empowering because when you know you’re being tested, you know you’ve already been given what it takes to pass.

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 → God will never allow more than you can bear, and He always provides a way through.

• More wilderness examples → Abraham (Genesis 12:1-5), Isaac (Genesis 26:1-6), Jacob (Genesis 31:38-42) and Joseph (Genesis 39-41). You’re in good company.

DAY 6

The best version of you is the disciplined version of you.

“Who is this, shining forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun—but formidable as an army marching under banners?” — Song of Solomon 6:10 (Complete Jewish Bible)

I heard a pastor say recently that the best version of you isn’t the “I’m-free-in-Christ-so-I-can-do-anything-I-want” version — it’s the disciplined version of you. That struck a chord, so let me say it again for the people in the back:

The best version of you is the disciplined version of you.

The version that keeps your commitments to God and to yourself.

The version that sets mindful boundaries around your time so you’re doing less with more impact.

The version that knows what you want and has the necessary systems in place to get yourself there.

Undisciplined you is no longer cute. Overcommitted you is no longer sustainable. Disorganized you is no longer acceptable. Not because there’s anything wrong with you, but because you have outgrown those versions, and the calling on your life requires more.

Friend, you are equally beautiful and formidable in your fully disciplined form. And the earth is waiting for you to manifest fully as the formidable force God created you to be (Romans 8:19).

Here’s the beautiful part: becoming disciplined is actually less about your behavior and more about the systems you have in place to support your consistency. So this isn’t a call to grind harder or shame yourself into change. It’s an invitation to build the structure that makes the best version of you inevitable. You can start small, too. Just pick one area from this plan where your habits and prayers don’t yet line up and ask God to help you build one system this week to close that gap.

The disciplined version of you has been waiting for you to let her out. Don’t keep her waiting too much longer.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Romans 8:19 → All of creation is waiting for you to step fully into who God made you to be. Your discipline is part of how that happens.

• 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 → Paul compares the disciplined life to an athlete training for a prize. Run in such a way as to win.

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, …

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You've been waiting to feel settled. Working toward achieving the margin, money or milestone that will finally make right now feel okay to be in. But what if the peace you've been postponing is available to you today, exactly where you are? This 5-day plan is going to challenge how you’re handling contentment and leave you with something better than peace when you “finally get there”: peace right now.

• Day 1 | Ask God to open your eyes to your wealth.

• Day 2 | God is not doing this to you.

• Day 3 | The things of this world are no realer than Roblox.

• Day 4 | Recognize the gift of your now.

• Day 5 | Contend for your contentment.

If you’ve been struggling to hear God’s direction for your business, you just need to get into His Word. Big Idea Food® is the best-selling 52-week devotional for entrepreneurs that’ll help you get clarity, stay motivated & actually look forward to spending time with God every day.

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DAY 1

Ask God to open your eyes to your wealth.

“’Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” — 2 Kings 6:16-17 (New Living Translation)

A few years ago I discovered a new walking trail about a 3-minute drive from my house that takes you along this gorgeous scenic route along water and nature. What made it even wilder was that I’d already been living there for seven years and had never found it. How is that even possible? It’s possible because, until that season of my life, I hadn’t fully appreciated here. I lived in Indianapolis, Indiana and had a love/hate relationship with it since moving back after college — more hate than love, honestly. I never planned to stay in Indy but life and circumstances kept me there. And for years, I spent so much time complaining about it.

After a season of life that brought a hard breakup, a loss in my family, some honest conversations with good friends, a therapist who helped me finally take ownership of my space, and a sermon series that got all the way together, it was like the scales fell off my eyes and I could finally see so much wealth and treasure right there in my current home, my current neighborhood, my current city, my current season and my current life.

It’s the same thing God did for the young man in today’s scripture. I believe there are spiritual gifts and wealth surrounding you right now that, if you can’t see them currently, are only a prayer away. Like Elisha told the young man, I want to tell you: don’t be unhappy, Friend. There is more wealth where you are than you realize.

Maybe you’re in a space where you’re unhappy with your current state, literally or figuratively. If so, I encourage you to ask God to open your eyes. I pray this for you and I’m believing that the same vision and appreciation for my “here” that I eventually found in that season will fall on you too. That God will open your eyes to the multitude of gifts you have access to right wherever you are in this current season of your life.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Matthew 6:22-23 → If you see value in where you are, you’ll find more of it. If you don’t, you won’t. This scripture is a push to find gratitude right where you are and remember that the grass can become greener on your side if you water it.

DAY 2

God is not doing this to you.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” — Matthew 18:18 (New International Version)

I’m going to be transparent with you about a season I walked through about four years ago. I was in the throes of despair about my business one afternoon, feeling like I’d been toiling all night and catching nothing (ref. Luke 5:5-11). Completely exhausted. I felt like literally just giving up and leaving entrepreneurship for good. You know how those low-vibration pity parties be. I was asking God all kinds of “why are you doing this to me” questions and just sitting in the weight of all of it.

Later that afternoon though, the Spirit of Truth reminded me that this exhausted feeling was NOT God’s will for my life and that I needed to release all questions of “why is God doing this to me” because He’s wasn’t; according to the principle Jesus shared in today’s scripture:

I was allowing it, so heaven was allowing it. Period.

And when I really sat with it I had to acknowledge that I had been allowing poverty into my life and my business decisions. Not God. That’s not to discount any progress or impact I’d made up to that point—it’s just to say that it was time for some major upheaval in my spiritual atmosphere, my physical surroundings, my circle, my mindset and my financial literacy. It was time to get real and start making the necessary changes to lay hold of the life I knew God had for me.

Starting that work back then changed so much for me and, if this message is resonating with you, I encourage you to begin yours too. The beauty of how this Matthew 18:18 principle works is that when you decide to stop allowing something, heaven backs you. And when you decide to loose the blessing and abundance God has for you, heaven backs that too. As long as what you’re loosing is in God’s will—which is His Word—it’s already yours for the “loosing”. You just have to decide.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Revelation 19:13, John 1, Isaiah 55:10-11 & 1 John 5:14 → God’s Word is His will. We can have anything we ask, bind or loose that aligns with what it says we can have. Eat on these.

• Luke 5:5-11 → Peter toiled all night and caught nothing until Jesus showed up. If you’re in the “catching nothing” season right now, read this and let it minister to you.

DAY 3

The things of this world are no realer than Roblox.

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” — 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (New Living Translation)

I was silently judging my daughter’s obsession with Roblox recently. Why do these kids care about this game so much? Why do they want to spend money and emotion and effort on these virtual houses, clothes and accessories that aren’t even real? That’s when the Holy Spirit showed me myself in the mirror by saying:

The things of this world are no realer than the things of the Roblox world.

🫢

In that moment I saw that the same way I was looking at my daughter’s interest in all the things you can buy in Roblox as vain and pointless is exactly how God is looking at us and all the things we want in this world. The cars, the houses, the status, the lifestyle upgrade—as “real” as they seem to us, they are as FAKE as a virtual Roblox house. We really do live in the Matrix. 😂

Now, I’m not gon’ lie. I still want my things as much as my daughter wants her Roblox things, mm kay? 😂 But today’s scripture really puts it all in perspective. We came into this world with nothing. We are leaving with nothing. And Paul is essentially saying that if you have the luxuries of godly character, food and clothing, you have everything you need for contentment. Not because the other things don't matter or aren't coming, but because the other things were never the source of peace in the first place. Contentment was never hiding inside the things you don’t have yet. It has always been available to you right here, with what you already have.

The discontentment that tells you “I’ll be okay once I get there” is lying to you the same way Roblox lies to an 8-year-old, making virtual things feel urgently necessary. You have enough to be content today. The things you’re waiting for are on their way. But your peace doesn’t have to wait for them.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 1 John 2:15-17 → Every “thing” you and I desire is passing away like Roblox at the end of the day. 😂 Let us be content.

• Matthew 6:33 → Let all the “things” you desire be added to you.

• 2 Peter 1:3 → Stand on this scripture for your godliness and your things.

DAY 4

Recognize the gift of your now.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New International Version)

For a long time I was so focused on trying to get married that I almost completely missed the gift of my single season. I mean I was out here praying some prayers y’all, year in and year out. But when a long-term relationship ended, something unexpected happened in the healing process. God started showing me how precious and limited this single season actually is. I intend to be married for the rest of my life when I get married. Which means this season has an expiration date! And I had been spending it focused on everything I DIDN’T have yet instead of drinking up everything I DID have right here.

That’s when today’s scripture started hitting different. The season you are in right now—even with all of its limitations and imperfections and all of the things it still isn’t—is a specific, God-ordained, time-limited gift. And there are things available in it that may not be available in the next season. Things you will look back and wish you had leaned into more. The question is whether you’ll recognize them before it’s too late.

I think about how many mornings I used to sit in the parking lot of a job I didn’t want, willing myself to get out of the car. Dreaming of the day I could just wake up and do the work God actually called me to do. And then one day several years after I had quit my job and started my business, I realized that’s literally what I’m doing now. I wake up and I minister. I coach. I write. I create. The life I used to cry and pray for in the parking lot is the life I am living. And it still ain’t perfect! But if I’m not intentional about recognizing the answered prayer I’m sitting in, I will spend this season the same way I spent my single season—so focused on what’s next that I completely miss the gift of what’s now.

I know it’s cliché but it bears repeating here: you are sitting in answered prayers you forgot you prayed too. Take a minute with that today. What did you used to beg God for that is just normal life to you now? What season are you in right now that is precious and limited and won’t be here forever? That is your gift. Don’t miss it.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 → Read the whole passage slowly. Let it remind you that every season—including this one—has a purpose and a time limit.

• Philippians 4:11-13 → Paul said he learned contentment, which means it’s a practice, not a destination. You can learn it too.

• If you are struggling to find the gift in your current season, the “Here is Holy” sermon series by Pastor Mike Todd is everything you need to recalibrate your mind and heart in this season.

DAY 5

Contend for your contentment.

“Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup, You safeguard my share. Pleasant places were measured out for me; I am content with my heritage.” — Psalm 16:5-6 (Complete Jewish Bible)

I was coaching one of my clients recently and she shared how frustrated she was about never having enough time to work on her business. She was juggling a job, her family, her calling and the constant pressure of feeling like she was falling behind. And underneath all of it was this undercurrent belief: once I have more time, I’ll finally be able to breathe.

I had to tell her something I was also telling myself at the same time.

Contentment is not what you feel when you finally get there. It is what you practice right now, or you won’t have it when you arrive.

Here’s what I mean: if you keep telling yourself that peace will come once you have more margin, more money, more time, you are accidentally training your mind to stay in a constant state of dissatisfaction. Because once you get more time, your mind—trained in discontentment—will just find the next thing to be frustrated about. It is not your circumstances that are keeping you from peace. It is the habit of letting your circumstances determine whether you have it.

The practical and the spiritual both matter here. Yes, improve your systems. Yes, create better rhythms. But also pay attention to what is happening in your mind and spirit because some of this has to be addressed in your thought life by using God’s Word to tear down the mental narratives that are making you feel behind, deprived or rushed. I made today’s scripture a daily alarm in my phone for this exact reason.

I declare “You safeguard my share” over myself when I feel like I might miss what’s mine. Nope. Can’t miss it if it’s safeguarded.

I declare “Pleasant places were measured out for me” when I’m frustrated with the season I’m in not looking like I want it to yet. It anchors my soul in the belief that God has set aside whatever unmet desire of my heart I’m feeling frustrated about in that moment.

Sometimes you’ve gotta contend for your contentment! It’s spiritual warfare. And really, it’s a discipline. You have to go get it, daily, on purpose, with the Word of God as your weapon. A mind trained in discontentment will not suddenly become content just because your circumstances change. You have to retrain it with truth. Find the scriptures that speak to the specific flavors of discontentment you experience and declare them until your mind believes them more than it believes the lie. Train your mind toward contentment now, in this season, because a mind disciplined in contentment is the only thing that can receive your blessing without immediately looking past it for the next one.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 → Make every discontent thought bow down to God’s truth.

• Matthew 6:34 → Today is where contentment lives.

• Hebrews 13:5 → The foundation of contentment is not your circumstances, it’s His presence. And, in Christ, you have access to it daily. Hallelujah!

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Meet us in the BIF chat with questions, wins, aha moments & anything you’d like to share with your BIF community.

Replay Map

• 00:05 | Marlena — Opening prayer

• 00:09 | Marlena — A new monthly ritual: wins & lessons

• 00:12 | — Provision on provision + the tutoring package win

• 00:16 | — High-level parenting & the Camp Mama curriculum

• 00:25 | — Closing day, surprise bonuses & trusting the wait

• 00:31 | Marlena — The Pivot Report: 30 days into Big Idea Food

• 00:46 | Nikiah Campbell — Observational mentorship & the faceless shift

• 00:54 | — Permission to pivot (the Queen Consciousness story)

• 01:00 | Carmen Brown — Failing fast & filtering feedback

• 01:11 | Nikiah Campbell — What Big Idea Food is becoming

• 01:18 | Nikiah Campbell — The WITH content, video & the water hose question

• 01:29 | Marlena — Founding member news + selling what’s already working

• 01:38 | Group — Creative constipation & the birth of “Constipated Faith”

• 01:46 | Carmen Brown — Leading with a limp

Key Concepts Discussed

In this month's BYBI Business School Live Monthly Call, Marlena pulled back the curtain on her first 30 days since pivoting the Substack from Build Your Big Idea™ to Big Idea Food® — including the mistakes she made even though she KNEW better. The call kicked off a brand new monthly ritual of sharing wins and lessons from the past month, then opened into a rich, honest conversation about pivoting wisely, watching your mentors with intention, and giving yourself permission to start again.

• Change one dial at a time — even in a pivot. Marlena confessed the biggest lesson of her first 30 days: she changed everything at once. The name, the content, the profile picture, the publishing schedule — all of it. And when engagement dropped, she had no visibility into which change caused what. It’s the very thing she teaches inside GROW: change one thing, measure it for 30 days, then change the next. Burning it all down is appetizing, especially when you’re feeling out of alignment — but wisdom says pivot in sequence, not all at once.

• Consult your precedent business models before you move. Marlena shared that Big Idea Food is ultimately built to be a faceless media brand with multiple writers and creators — but she flipped the faceless switch way too fast. Had she checked in with the businesses further down the road she’s modeling, she would’ve remembered that they used their faces for YEARS before going faceless. A few days in, Holy Spirit reminded her she could do both. It doesn’t have to be either/or.

• A face earns trust faster than a brand name. When Marlena put her face and name back on the profile, subscriptions started moving again within four to five days. Her hypothesis got answered quick: “Big Idea Food” still has to earn brand recognition, but a person’s face creates instant trust. The brand will get there — it’s a long game — but in the meantime, she’s not married to any name. The mission matters more than the label.

• Sales and impact testimonials are the two metrics that matter. For students who haven’t reached GROW yet, Marlena broke down the first two key metrics every founder monitors after launch: you need to be making money, and you need to be experiencing impact — somebody telling you your work transformed their life. Even with engagement dipping during the pivot, the impact testimonials never stopped. That’s the metric that confirms the mission.

• Alignment is not a destination — it’s an ongoing discipline. At every stage of business, even the ones that look “arrived,” founders are experimenting, optimizing, tweaking, and burning. The rest doesn’t come AFTER the changing — you have to build a rhythm of rest inside it. Done right, it’s not a grind. It’s an adventure with the Lord as He leads.

The rest of this conversation is available for our paid subscribers only. Click to join us!

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Happy Tuesday Friend!

I’m back sharing another message designed to help you build your big idea W.I.T.H God, but today we’re doing something a little different.

Instead of our normal W.I.T.H. content, I’m sharing my Golden Rule Pricing Framework that teaches you how to price any offer with confidence (and God!). It combines two key things:

1. Foundational pricing principles every founder needs to know but not enough of us have learned (I paid some coins for these 😮‍💨 but they have helped me make pricing decisions so much faster with less headache over the years), and

2. A powerful principle in God’s Word that is game-changing for pricing offers in alignment with His will and has helped my clients and I tremendously.

Part One gets your mindset together and it’s free.

Part Two walks my paid subscribers through the actual 5-step framework, including the specific exercises to use any time you need to price an offer. If you’re not on paid yet, join today to unlock the full article.

Enjoy and meet me in the comments 🧡

The Golden Rule Pricing Guide

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”— Matthew 7:12 (New International Version)

I’ve watched Christian founders apply the “Golden Rule” to everyone except ourselves when it comes to pricing. We focus on our buyers and agonize over whether they can afford it or if we’re asking for too much. We love our neighbor so hard we forget the second half of the commandment.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

As. Yourself.

That means the Golden Rule only works—in life AND in pricing—when you’re included in it.

This guide exists to help you price your offer the way Jesus actually intended: loving God, your neighbor AND yourself.

By the time you’re done, you’ll have a price you can stand behind and the framework to arrive at it for every offer you build from here.

Let’s get into it.

PART ONE: MINDSET

Read This Before You Touch the Numbers

I could just give you the five steps, but I’ve coached enough founders to know that if we skip this part, you’ll do the steps and still end up back in the spiral. So we’re doing the mindset work first.

The pricing spiral of that back-and-forth, delete-and-retype, sleep-on-it-and-wake-up-still-confused energy is usually about one or more of these four beliefs subconsciously keeping you stuck. And every single one of them is a Golden Rule violation in disguise.

Belief #1: “I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

Here’s what I’ve learned after coaching hundreds of founders through this exact moment: when you’re not sure about your offer’s worth, it usually means you haven’t yet gotten clear on the problem your offer solves.

Pricing is how the world system communicates value. Value inherently requires a solution to a problem in order to be valuable. So if you can’t articulate the problem you solve clearly in your customer’s own language, then yes, understanding how much your offer is worth is going to feel impossible. Not because your offer isn’t worth anything, but because you haven’t yet connected it to the thing that makes it worth something to them.

Your value isn’t for you. It’s for the people God uniquely designed you to serve. Which means the answer to what do I charge? is almost always locked inside what problem do I actually solve for them?

This is why Step 1 of the framework isn’t just pick a number. It’s define the result. Because until you know exactly what transformation you’re offering and exactly what problem it solves, you’re essentially trying to price a thing you haven’t finished clarifying yet.

Stop looking inside yourself to find your offer’s value. Your value is inside your customer’s brain, not yours. The more time you spend understanding their needs, pain and desires, the clearer your worth (and your price) will become.

To you AND to her.

The Golden Rule requires you to put yourself in someone else's position and genuinely understand what they need, what they're feeling, and what a fair exchange looks like from where they stand. You can't do unto others what you'd want done to you if you don't actually know what they need.

Pricing from assumption isn't love. Pricing from understanding is.

Inside BYBI Business School, I walk you through a guided, structured process for uncovering the value that's locked inside your customer, packaging it into a mouthwatering offer & getting your first set of paying clients with it. If you've been circling this work and know it's time to get help to finally build the thing God showed you, join us here.

Belief #2: “My people can’t afford it.”

Let me say something that might sting a little.

When you decide for your people what they can and cannot afford, you are not being kind. You are being presumptuous. You don’t know what’s in their bank account, what they’ve been saving toward, what they just asked God about investing in. Making that assumption on their behalf is actually disrespectful to their agency and, real talk, it’s a little rude.

This is a failure to love your neighbor because deciding for them what they can afford isn’t love. It’s control. And that’s no bueno.

But, the reality is, your “ideal” customers will often tell you straight up, “I can’t afford this”. So you have to grapple with the tension of having a heart to serve a person who can’t afford the thing you feel called to serve them.

Cue the discounts and discontentment. At some point you have to come to terms with this fact:

If the people you feel called to serve truly cannot afford what you’re charging, you cannot build a sustainable business with them as your target customer.

So you have to decide: am I building a business or a non-profit?

If you’re building a business, you have to charge prices that actually allow you to stay IN business. I know that’s hard to sit with if you have a genuine heart for a specific community. I had to reckon with it myself. But here’s what I know now: you cannot fully serve the people God has called you to serve—the ones who CAN’T afford your products—when you need those same people to pay your bills. The math will never work. And when the math doesn’t work, you get resentful, burn out and eventually stop doing the work altogether. And now, nobody gets served.

Here’s the better way: target clients and customers who CAN afford to pay you at your value. Build sustainable income with them. Then give back to the folks you have a heart for in accessible, DIY ways they can afford.

It’s hard to be a “Good Samaritan” when you’re broke (Luke 10:25-37). And being broke keeps you from loving your neighbor as yourself every time.

Belief #3: “I should charge less because I care.”

During one of our pricing clinics inside BYBI Business School, I had a client share how they gave away a whole coaching program once. Full curriculum, her time, energy, and expertise. Free. You know what happened? The person disappeared. Didn’t show up. Didn’t follow through.

Another client of mine had a similar experience where she gave someone the deepest discount out of love, and they still ghosted. She told me: “I should have led with my main price. It felt icky in my spirit to give them something that cheap, and I knew it from the beginning.”

That icky feeling is information.

My mentor says this all the time:

“When people pay, they pay attention.”

Below a certain price threshold, people don’t show up. And when they don’t take it seriously or do the work, they don’t get the result. Then nobody wins.

I learned this the hard way in my early days of coaching. When I charged below $500 for 1:1 coaching, people consistently didn’t show up in the same way. Once I raised my prices, the level of commitment from my clients changed completely.

Charging less out of love doesn’t serve your people. Charging what your work is worth and delivering it with excellence does.

Undercharging is loving your neighbor at the direct expense of loving yourself. And the commandment doesn’t work that way.

Belief #4: “Charging for this feels wrong because it’s a gift from God.”

When I started my graphic design business, I was doing a lot of work for free or discounted because I enjoyed it so much and was just so happy to be doing the work God called me to do. It took the Holy Spirit’s loving correction for a season to really help me understand: Marlena you’ve got to price your work for what it is worth. Not just so you can make money, but so you can take care of what needs taking care of AND become more of a blessing than any discount you could ever give somebody.

In that season, he showed me where Jesus Himself said:

“The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (Luke 10:7)

Something about Jesus telling me I deserve to be paid got me all the way together! The Greek word for “worthy” there means weighing the same as something else of value or an equal exchange. What you provide has weight and there is a pay that is due to it.

And then I found Deuteronomy 25:13-16, which says dishonest weights and measures are an abomination to God. We usually apply that to overcharging, but I felt God flip it in my spirit. Charging less than what something is worth is also a dishonest weight. It’s also out of balance. I would even go so far as to say it’s also an abomination.

Because, when you chronically undercharge, you are not loving yourself. And when you are not loving yourself, it eventually shows up in how you poorly love other people. On your family. In your resentment toward customers. In your inability to show up at the level you’re called to. God doesn’t want that!

Undercharging causes imbalances that have consequences.

You are not being a bad Christian by charging well. You’re actually setting yourself up to be a better Christian. One who is building something sustainable enough to still be here to serve people years from now.

Jesus said you deserve to be paid. Charge like it!

PART TWO: FRAMEWORK

5 Steps to a Price You Can Stand Behind

Work through these steps in order when developing a new offer. By the end of Step 5, you’ll have a price AND you’ll know in your gut it’s right.

Step 1: Define the Result

Before you touch a number, get crystal clear on one thing: what is the specific, tangible result your buyer walks away with?

Not the features. Not the deliverables. Not “a 60-minute call” or “a 12-module course” or “a 40-page workbook.”

The RESULT.

• What problem is solved?

• What does her life look like after this?

• What can he do now that he couldn’t do before?

• What does she stop feeling?

• What does he start feeling?

This matters because you are pricing for the result, not the container. The container (the format, length, number of sessions, etc) is almost irrelevant. The result is everything.

If your product helps someone land their first paying client, the result is not “a workbook with five exercises.” The result is: first paid client. First revenue. Proof of concept. Momentum. Those things have a real value in your customer’s life. And that value is what you’re pricing.

Action Step: Write out the result of your offer in one sentence: “After [offer name], my buyer will be able to [specific result] so that [life impact].”

Example: “After The Alignment Lab, my buyer will be able to identify and build her first aligned offer so that she has something real to test and sell.”

Step 2: Find Your Anchor

A price anchor is a reference point—something your buyer is already spending money on, or could spend money on, that gets them a similar result. When you anchor your price to something familiar, it becomes instantly understandable to your buyer. And more importantly, it becomes instantly understandable to YOU.

Anchor Option A: What are they already buying to solve this problem?

Go back to your customer research inside your interview notes, conversations, what people have told you they’ve already tried, etc. What are they spending money on right now to get the result you provide?

Therapy? A planner? A course? A personal trainer? A coach? Your offer should be comparable to what they’re already paying.

A few examples to make this real:

• If therapy costs $150/session and you’re offering coaching that produces a similar transformation → your anchor might be multiple therapy sessions worth.

• If a personal trainer charges $80–$120/session and you’re offering a 30-day accountability program that gets a similar result → your offer could be worth multiple training sessions combined.

• If they’d spend $1000+ on a luxury spa day for this result → your DIY at home product kit version may cost less.

Anchor Option B: What do comparable offers in the market cost?

Look at what people in your space charge for a similar result. Not to copy them but just to understand what your buyer’s pricing expectations already are. If VIP days in your industry run $2,500–$5,000, and your offer delivers a similar transformation, your price needs to be in that ballpark.

To make this real, here's an example using my own program, Build Your Big Idea™ Business School. Every number in this value stack was arrived at by researching what comparable offers in the market charge for the same result.

Action Step: Write down 2–3 things your buyer is already spending money on to solve the problem your offer solves. Research & note what those things cost and, if helpful, create your own value stack. That’s your anchor range.

Step 3: Calculate the ROI

Imagine your buyer. She’s making maybe $5,000 a year in her side business. She’s overwhelmed, stretched, not operating at full capacity because of the exact problem your offer solves.

Now ask: if my offer works, what is that worth to her in real dollars?

If your offer gives her back just 25% more productive time or output, that’s $1,250 in additional earning capacity, conservatively. If it’s closer to 50%, that’s $2,500.

Your price should be a fraction of that value, not equal to it. When your buyer can clearly see she’s getting 2x, 5x, or ideally 10x back on her investment, the price becomes a no-brainer. She’s not spending money, she’s just flipping it.

If the value of the result is $1,250 and you charge $397, he’s getting over 3x back. That math sells itself.

If the value is $1,250 and you charge $47, he doesn’t take it seriously because nothing that valuable costs $47, and somewhere in his gut he knows it.

The goal is to charge a price where the value is so clear, the math does the convincing.

And remember: not everything can be fully quantified. Confidence, clarity, peace of mind, identity all have enormous value. Don’t skip them just because you can’t put a number on them. Name them. Then go back to step 2 to see if you can find comparable anchors for them.

Action Step: Fill in this formula:

“If my offer delivers on its promise, my buyer could gain or save $. My price of $ means she’s getting roughly ______x value on her investment.”

If you can’t get to at least 2x, either your price is too high for what you’re promising or your offer needs to promise more.

Step 4: Set Your Price Tier

Now you have a number. This step is about deciding which version of that number is right for this launch.

Option A: Test (Beta) Pricing

A test price is a discounted rate you offer to your first round of buyers specifically in exchange for their participation and honest feedback. It is temporary. It is not your real price. And it should be communicated as such so that your buyers know they’re getting in early at a special rate.

A good test price is usually 25–50% off your intended full price.

The purpose of test pricing is not to make your offer “affordable.” It’s to:

• Create momentum when you don’t yet have testimonials for this specific offer

• Reward early adopters who are helping you shape it

• Give yourself permission to iterate without the pressure of full-rate expectations

Important: your test price still needs to be high enough that people show up and take it seriously. A test price of $97 for something worth $500 devalues the test offer. And it usually attracts buyers who don’t do the work, which means they don’t get results and you don’t get testimonials. Again, nobody wins.

Test pricing can also be staggered where your first buyer pays X and your second pays a little more as your confidence grows. Nobody needs to know what anyone else paid. Every round moves you closer to your full price.

Option B: Full Pricing from Day One (or after you Test)

You don’t have to test-price everything. If you have existing results, testimonials, or receipts—even from informal work, free clients, or past projects—you may have enough social proof to launch at your full price.

If that’s you, go for it.

Action Step: Decide which option is right for this launch.

If test pricing: “My test price is $. My full price after this round will be $.”

Write the full price down and hold yourself to the upgrade. Yesterday’s price is not today’s price and it shouldn’t be 👏🏾

Step 5: Run It Through the Golden Rule Filter ✨

Now that you have a number, run it through this final gut check. Can you answer “yes” to all of these questions?

Question 1: Does this price love God?

How do you love God? You keep His commandments. (John 14:15) And His commandments come down to this: love Him, and love people. (Matthew 22:37-40)

So as long as you’re loving people, you’re loving God.

But you can take it a step further by answering this question too: am I building something sustainable enough to steward what He gave me long term? A price that drives you out of business in six months doesn’t love God, it wastes the gift He gave you. A price that lets you keep building, serving and showing up five years from now is better stewardship of your love for God and the people He called you to serve.

Does this price reflect the kind of stewardship God can say “well done” to?

Question 2: Does this price love my neighbor?

Most founders only ask this question in one direction, but it actually cuts both ways.

Charging too much for something that doesn’t deliver doesn’t love your neighbor. That’s clear.

But charging too little for something that does deliver ALSO doesn’t love your neighbor, because, as we discussed during the mindset section, when you undercharge to the point of burnout or resentment, that shows up in how you serve in every area of your life and negatively impacts all the “neighbors” you come into contact with.

A price that is honest, reflects the real value of what they’re getting and treats your buyer like an adult capable of making her own investment decisions is one that loves your neighbor.

Does this price treat your buyer with respect, honesty and consideration?

Question 3: Does this price love me?

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)

As we’ve already discussed, loving yourself is not optional or selfish. Jesus literally included it in the commandment.

Does this price honor your time, years of experience, your calling and the work you put into building this thing? Can you deliver this offer cheerfully at this price? (not resentfully in quiet martyrdom with the slow burn of feeling taken advantage of?)

2 Corinthians 9:7 says God loves a cheerful giver. If there’s an ick about your price— whether it feels too high or too low—something is off. The Holy Spirit will let you know.

Does this price honor the person God made you and the work He’s leading you to build?

If all three answers are yes, you have your price. 🎉 Ship it.

If one of them is no, adjust the price until it feels right in your spirit AND based on the actual numbers. And remember that the Golden Rule doesn’t let you love everyone else and leave yourself out of it.

You are not here to be poor for God.

You are here to build something sustainable that’s still running and serving people five and ten years from now, and that can fund the generosity you feel called to walk in.

That requires pricing your work with confidence and faith in what God gave you to offer. Your work is valuable and the people God called you to serve need you to be around for the long haul to deliver it to them.

If you’ve been loving your neighbor at the expense of yourself, it’s time to balance the scales and give yourself the love you deserve too. Besides God, nobody can love you like you! Let your business be a reflection of that love so that we can all benefit from the blessing on it for years to come.

And, whenever you’re in doubt about pricing an offer, just refer back to the Golden Rule you’ve known for forever. As long as it aligns with that, you’ll be just fine and so will your customers. And you’ll build a business that God can say “well done” to. And isn’t that what we all want anyway?

How do we find rest IN alignment since we never fully arrive AT alignment?

We get away with Jesus.

“But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”— Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭(New Living Translation)‬‬

You can’t get more aligned with your purpose than Jesus was! He was teaching, healing & delivering every day, doing exactly what God created Him to do.

And, true enough, there is a rest in that. In finally finding and living fully in your calling. But the nature of our calling is that it continues until the day we leave this earth. Which means if we ever stop doing the work or get off track, BOOM! There goes that familiar sense of unrest.

But Jesus had the cheat code for staying aligned and at rest: prayer.

Specifically, getting away with God to pray. Removing Himself from all the noise of this world and even the noise of His calling work.

Alignment in the work God called you to is one of the sweetest feelings available to us on this planet. But even it pales in comparison to just being in God’s presence.

Reminding yourself that He’s already called you His beloved child in whom He’s well pleased. (Matt 3:17)

Hearing Him whisper instruction and encouragement to you through His Word. (Isaiah 48:17-18)

Just being with Him in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8)

Like Jesus, your work is very important. And finding it is one of your most important assignments in this life. But your first most important assignment is just..finding Him. Well, seeking and being found by Him. Being with Him.

Don’t let the pursuit of alignment with your calling deceive you into thinking it’s God’s place of rest for you. He alone is and always will be our one and only “exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:)

“This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”—Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭(New International Version)‬‬

Paying attention to His commands through prayer and meditation on His Word is the true rest. Stay rested my friends! 🥂

Thirty-four days ago, I published an article about burning my Substack down and starting over that told you all the things about my recent decision to pivot.

Then, I pressed start on my pivot…and made some mistakes I want to save you from.

I just finished sharing these lessons live with my founding member community and wanted to bring them to you too to hopefully give you real-time intel you can use for your next (or current) pivot.

Mistake #1: I changed everything at once.

New name. New profile photo. New content direction and publishing schedule. All in the same month.

Chyle.

When you change a million variables simultaneously, you have zero visibility. You can’t tell what’s working, what’s broken, or what just needs time. Everything becomes noise and you have no anchor. I watched my engagement drop drastically and had no clear data into what specifically caused it. I had hypotheses—good ones, probably—but that’s not the same as data. And I know better. I literally teach this inside my curriculum for Christian founders. I just got a so excited about my newfound alignment that I forgot to follow my system.

What to do instead: Change one thing per month. Pick the highest-leverage variable first—for me, that was the content direction—and hold every other change while you watch what happens. Give each change 30 days of measurement before you touch another dial.

Already made the same mistake I made? Pick your most important variable RIGHT NOW, stabilize everything else, and test it for 30 days. You just can’t read a dashboard with all the dials moving at the same time and that can be crippling when you’re already navigating the emotions and aftermath of a pivot.

Now, I will say this. Even without clean data, I kept paying attention. And here’s what I noticed: at the same time my subscriptions were dropping, people were still hitting the follow button.

That told me something useful: the new content was worth consuming, just maybe not quite worth hitting subscribe. That distinction told me that the devotional and Bible plan content I’d pivoted to was feeding people, but the thought leadership coaching content I had burned down was what was actually moving people to subscribe.

Here’s the grace in that: more aligned thought leadership content was already part of my plan for Big Idea Food® (my new Substack offering). I just hadn’t solidified and built it back in yet. This messy, no-clean-data month essentially confirmed what I was already going to do. God is so good that I didn’t need the data to be clean to see what He was showing me. I just needed to keep paying attention.

So even when you make this mistake (and you might!) don’t check out. Keep watching. Imperfect data in the hands of an attentive founder is still data.

At the end of the day, burning it all down is appetizing. Especially when you’re feeling out of alignment, the idea of a clean slate is extremely appealing. I get it. I did it (even when I knew better!). But we still have to be wise about HOW we approach that process, even when the pivot itself is right.

Mistake #2: I forgot the difference between retreat and refinement.

When engagement tanked, the noise in my head got loud. I drafted whole plans to switch back to what was working before. To try harder at the thing God had just given me permission to pivot from and build around what my audience was responding to instead of what He actually called me to build.

There is a difference between retreat and refinement. Retreat says: this isn’t working, abort! Refinement says: make some tweaks and keep moving in this direction.

Learning the difference under pressure while the numbers tell a story you don’t love is one of the hardest parts of a God-led pivot. Because retreat and refinement can feel identical in the moment. Both involve changing course. Both come with a sense of relief. But one is obedience and one is fear masquerading as obedience.

When you feel those “retreat” feels creeping in, check in with yourself and with God. And by all means, don’t make another change for at least 30 days! These strategic pauses will give you space to get the direction and data you need to make any required next moves from a place of wisdom instead of fear.

Mistake #3: I forgot to check in with my mentors.

Big Idea Food® is ultimately a faceless brand. The vision is multiple writers, creators, producers and a full media company not anchored on any one person. I’ve known that for a while, so, when I pivoted, I flipped the switch, honey! Faceless, on. Marlena’s face, off. Marlena, backstage. BIF, front and center.

And it was jarring! For me AND for my community.

One of my founding members shared something in our live call yesterday that gave me language for something I hadn’t articulated out loud yet. She said when I went faceless, it felt like I just disappeared. She said going from “@Marlena” to “@BigIdeaFood” was startling even though she knew I was behind it and understood the vision. She said, “I missed your face.”

And that resonated with me because… I felt it too. I was disoriented. I didn’t know how to talk anymore. Do I say “I”? What is Big Idea Food’s voice now? It came more naturally years ago when I ran the faceless BIF Instagram, but this time it was just weird. For both of us.

Here’s what I should have done: checked in with my mentors before I flipped that switch.

The mentor who is further along than me? Used her face for years before she transitioned to a full faceless media brand. The mentor who’s closer to where I am right now? Still using his face. Neither of them made a “light switch” move. They slowly evolved, earning the recognition first and then transitioning.

Had I paused to consult those precedents—the mentor business models I’m modeling BIF’s business around—I would have caught this before it cost me a month of subscriptions. Instead I let the vision of where BIF is going pull me past the reality of where BIF is right now.

The vision is right. The timing on making the changes was off. And a mentor check-in would have told me that.

Before you execute a pivot, check in with the mentors and models you’re actually building toward. Ask: At what stage did they do what I’m about to do? Does my current level of recognition support this move? When should I make the changes I plan to make based on their model? Let their journey inform your timing, even if it doesn’t change your direction.

What I’m doing about all of it over the next 30 days.

First, I changed my profile photo and bio back to my face and my name. Within days, I almost immediately noticed subscriptions picking back up. Hypothesis confirmed.

I’m also adding aligned thought leadership content back on Tuesdays at the same day and time as before the pivot, in addition to the daily devotionals and weekly Bible plans already running. Because my hypothesis is that the thought leadership content was a big part of what was driving subscriptions before, and I burned that down along with everything else when I didn’t have to.

And then I’m watching one metric for 30 days: new subscriptions. Not restacks, comments or vibes. New subscriptions. Because those will tell me whether the content is compelling enough that people who find it want to stay.

And of course, I’m only changing one dial every 30 days from here (the way I teach it and should have done from the jump).

2 things I want you to hold onto:

First:

Alignment is not a destination. It’s an ongoing discipline as you continue to move in the direction of God’s leading.

I said that out loud yesterday in my live call and I need to say it here too, because I think we’ve been sold a version of alignment that sounds like arrival. Like once you find it, you can finally rest. But what I’ve experienced this month has reminded me to find the rest as you move in alignment. Because the experimentation, optimization & listening required to build an aligned business never really end.

And that’s ok because the work of alignment keeps us growing in God’s plan instead of staying stagnant and calling it rest.

Second:

Alignment in motion can look messy, but that doesn’t mean you’ve missed God. The reality is that obedience often precedes evidence.

And that lack of evidence can feel like failure, but the truth is, God can still use your messy execution to bring you into the success He has for you.

I got a piece of clarity from Him on the 31st day of my pivot that meant more to me than any “evidence” could have. I’m not ready to fully unpack that with you yet but I will say that the only evidence you truly need in the early stages of a pivot is God’s peace in your spirit telling you that you’re moving in the right direction.

Trust that and keep going.

Before you go:

Which of these three mistakes feels most alive for you right now? Drop it in the comments and let’s talk about.

“Then the Lord appeared to him and said: ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.” — Genesis 26:2-6 (New King James Version)

Original Publication Date: 1.29.2019

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I have one question for you right now:

Where is God telling you to dwell?

In our scripture today, Isaac was getting ready to do the same thing his daddy Abraham did when famine came back in his day—go down into Egypt. It was the “smart” thing to do. Egypt never struggled when famine came because of all the resources it had, so it made sense for Isaac to move down there during this time.

But that’s not what God wanted.

God wanted to show Isaac that He was Isaac’s source, not some pagan country. He also wanted to show Isaac that His power was so mighty and unlimited that He could provide in any situation. And that’s exactly what He ended up doing but Isaac had to obey Him first, before He saw God’s provision.

I’m gonna be honest with you. I did not plan to keep going with Big Idea Food after I wrote it. At the time I was thinking of writing it, I didn’t see a whole brand yet, I just saw a dope book concept. My plan was to go ahead and write it since that’s what I felt God leading me to do, put it out there, then get back to what I was initially planning to do for business. God definitely had other plans though!

Now I’m clear that Big Idea Food is my “Gerar”. I know this is where God wants me to put down roots and where He’s already shown me that He can provide. It’s not the traditional business that initially made sense to me to start, but God is in the business of showing us that He can do anything with anything.

We people of God don’t need a Silicon Valley startup to strike it rich (now I’m not knocking that SV life; if you’re positioned to make waves there, werk!). But truly, you can find abundance doing the most obscure thing ever if God has given it to you to do.

Your wealth and success is tied only to your obedience.

Maybe what He’s telling you to do now is completely different from anything you ever thought you’d be doing. Just do it!! It might not make sense at first but, as your Father and Creator of all that there is, God kind of knows a thing or two about where your wealthy place is. So, in reality, it actually makes more sense to obey God than just doing the “smart” thing you’re thinking of doing, right?

And let me tell you, you might run into some friction. Isaac sure did. I’ve run into some friction before too, but I’m not letting anything deter me from trusting that this is the land God has for me. Just like Isaac sowed in that land and ultimately reaped one-hundred fold (in the midst of a famine?!?), you’re going to reap the rewards of obeying God too, come what may.

Still hungry? Eat more //

• Genesis 26: 12-22 → the prosperity & the friction that came from Isaac’s obedience to stay in Gerar.

• Psalm 19:9-11 → there is GREAT reward in obeying God.

If the thought of selling & marketing makes you feel pushy, manipulative or just plain uncomfortable, this plan is for you. Because somewhere between wanting to help people and not wanting to seem money-hungry, a lot of us have accidentally talked ourselves out of doing the very thing God called us to do—and the people who need you most are paying the price. This 6-day Bible plan is about what we all lose when good people don't sell and what changes when you finally do.

• Day 1 | I will not pimp my audience.

• Day 2 | Jesus empowers my business to create exponential impact.

• Day 3 | My business is rich because I sow nothing but value.

• Day 4 | You deserve to be paid.

• Day 5 | God is calling you to think bigger.

• Day 6 | God will help me find my customers.

If you’ve been struggling to hear God’s direction for your business, this is your sign. Big Idea Food® is the best-selling 52-week devotional for entrepreneurs that’ll help you get clarity, stay motivated & actually look forward to spending time with God every day.

GET YOUR COPY NOW

DAY 1

I will not pimp my audience.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” — Matthew 7:15-16a (New King James Version)

As my brand has continued to grow I’ve been thinking hard about the magnitude of responsibility that comes with running a business as a Christian. I really want to make money—who doesn’t!?—and I desire to do the work I’m doing full-time, so bringing in a solid flow of income is very top of mind for me. At the same time, I’ve been hesitant to employ some of the strategies I see big-name gurus using because, honestly, some of them feel a little manipulative. And as a believer, I never want to put profit over the people God has given me to serve.

Now that sounds all nice and religious, doesn’t it? You might even be thinking, aww, Marlena, you’re such a good, wholesome Christian. 😇 But in the midst of my oh-so-pious thoughts, God checked me a little bit with this question:

If what you’re selling is actually helping people, why wouldn’t you encourage them to buy it?

When I sat with that, I realized I was thinking about a particular influencer and how much they sell, and God was basically like, don’t come for them. They’re creating and adding so much value in people’s lives that it’s a good thing they’re selling. If they weren’t, there are people right now who would not have gotten the breakthroughs they needed.

Straight up, there’s nothing wrong with selling a good product.

If what you have to offer is bearing fruit in people’s lives, adding value and positive change, by all means SELL IT. Don’t get caught up in a religious mindset that tries to shame you for selling. God brought you into business knowing that selling was part of it.

Your only responsibility as a representative of Jesus is making sure that what you’re selling is actually a good product. Don’t be out here peddling trash just because you know your audience will buy it—that’s not ok. It’s your job to thoroughly vet your offerings and make sure they’re genuinely useful. That means resisting the temptation to jump on trends just because they’re hot and you know they’ll sell. If you know your audience will buy a course but probably never complete it, don’t sell that to them. Don’t just take their money. As a Christian business owner, you’re responsible for going the extra mile to nurture and protect the customers God has blessed you with. Honor His trust by creating high quality products that produce high quality results. Not only will that truly help your customers; at the end of the day, it will point them to a God who truly loves them and wants the best for them.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 → What kind of builder are you? This scripture will make you inspect the quality of what you’re putting out with fresh eyes.

• Matthew 5:13-14 → Let everything you sell be salty and shiny ✨

DAY 2

Jesus empowers my business to create exponential impact.

“And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” — Acts 3:4-7 (New King James Version)

Back when I first started coaching, looked into purchasing a 1:1 session with a coach I really admire to help me fine-tune a new signature offer. When I read through her requirements for working with her, I had to pause though, because she required that to become a client, you need proven, transformational results for someone you’ve helped. Receipts of how you’ve tangibly impacted someone’s life. Because my offer was new at the time, I didn’t have those results yet. But I love how even in her requirements she was already coaching me, because I felt genuinely compelled to make sure that whatever I create for my people is built with impact in mind.

Thanks to her, I made a shift from a service-based mindset to an impact-based mindset.

That means instead of just focusing on providing a service, I became a little obsessed—in a good way—with creating real change in people’s lives. If working with me didn’t make a difference you can rave about effortlessly, I’m not doing something right. As I was sitting with that shift, it hit me that Jesus modeled this better than anyone. Because He died and rose again with all power and then gave that same power to His disciples, they were able to go and impact other people, those people impacted others, and the cycle continues to this day.

Your business has the power to create exponential results in people’s lives too, just like Jesus’ work did.

That’s why you can’t get lost in the cycle of only providing products or services for years without ever seeking or realizing your true impact. This week, take inventory. How exactly did your customers’ lives change as a result of working with you or using your product? What problem did it solve? If you can’t pinpoint it—or they have a hard time telling you—it’s time to make some adjustments. Be about that impact life.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Acts 3:1-16 → This is the effect that time with and faith in Jesus will have on you too; power to change people’s lives.

• John 15:4-8 → If you want to bear real fruit in people’s lives, bring glory to God and get the desires of your heart, make a habit of immersing yourself in His word.

DAY 3

My business is rich because I sow nothing but value.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” — Luke 6:38 (New International Version)

One of my students shared something during a recent session about the book she was developing that resonated so strongly with me and it’s relevant for all business types, especially if integrity is something you value. Using Luke 6:38 as her foundation, she said she didn’t want to give out anything she wouldn’t want returned back to her, pressed down, shaken together and running over. When I heard that I thought, she is on to something!

I love the concept of looking at your products and services as seed you’re sowing into your customers’ lives that will be returned to you many fold. As entrepreneurs of faith, our customers are far more than just numbers to hit our bottom line—they’re ground God wants to cultivate for their benefit and ours. And just like His word says, when we sow quality into them, we reap quality in our own lives. Sow trash products and..well, you already know.

That’s why I love this perspective because when we view selling as sowing, it’s like having an internal checks and balances system working in our favor (and in our customers’) if we’re sowing good things.

So if you’re having trouble deciding on a product, run it through the Luke 6:38 test. Ask yourself: would I want the results this product produces returned to me a hundredfold? If the answer is no, don’t sell it. You don’t want to risk missing out on the blessing that comes from adding value to someone’s life. And you definitely don’t want to reap wasted time, money or effort in your own life. Push yourself to see how much more value you can add so it becomes something your customers can’t live without. And if you’re struggling to figure out what that value could look like, it just means you need to spend more time with your audience. The more you immerse yourself in their needs, the more you’ll create products that go beyond treating their problems to actually curing them. And get blessed in the process.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Luke 2:52 → One way we can continue to grow in favor with God and man like Jesus did is to add value to people’s lives every chance we get.

• Proverbs 3:27-28 → Don’t be afraid to give value away—especially when it comes to your free and low-cost offerings. The more value you give, the more will be given back to you.

DAY 4

You deserve to be paid.

“And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.” — Luke 10:7 (New King James Version)

When I started my graphic design business back in the day, I was doing a lot of work for free. Discounting myself. Adding extras nobody asked for. It took a season of the Holy Spirit really getting in my ear to say: you’ve got to price your work for what it is worth. Not just so you can make money—but so you can take care of the things in your life that need taking care of AND become more of a blessing than any discount you could give somebody in the process. That lesson took me some time, but I got there. Here’s what I know now that I didn’t know then:

Undercharging is not humility. It’s an imbalance. And imbalances have consequences.

Today’s scripture stopped me in my tracks when I found it, because it was Jesus Himself saying the worker deserves their wages. The Greek word for “worthy” there means weighing the same as something else of value—an equal exchange. What you provide has weight and there is a pay that is due to it.

What wrecked me further was finding Deuteronomy 25:13-16 which says dishonest weights and measures are an abomination to God. We usually apply that to overcharging, but I felt God flip it: charging less than what something is worth is also a dishonest weight. It’s also out of balance. And I’d go so far as to say it is also an abomination because it violates the equal exchange God designed. Here’s why that matters practically:

When you chronically undercharge, you are not loving yourself. And when you are not loving yourself, it eventually shows up in how you poorly love other people.

In Mark 12, Jesus said the second greatest commandment—love your neighbor as yourself—is equally as important as the first. Equally. Which means you loving yourself is not optional. It’s not selfish. It is a commandment. You think you’re doing your customers a favor by keeping prices low, but if the imbalance is torturing you on the back end, that torment is coming out somewhere. On your family. In your resentment toward customers. In your inability to show up at the level you’re called to.

Here’s a simple four-step framework to help you charge what you’re worth:

Step 1: Understand what your customer is actually buying. Not your time, not your blood sweat and tears. They’re buying the transformation. The result. The solution. Your fitness client isn’t buying workout sessions—they’re buying 10 pounds lost by summer. Start there.

Step 2: Find the market equivalent. What would your customer pay for that same transformation somewhere else? That gives you your range.

Step 3: Price your specific version of it. Are you the Sephora or the Walmart of your market? Neither is wrong. Just know which one you are and price accordingly.

Step 4: Check your heart. Sit with God and ask: can I offer this cheerfully? Because 2 Corinthians 9:7 says God loves a cheerful giver. If there’s an ick about your price—whether it’s too high or too low—something is off. The Holy Spirit will let you know.

You deserve to be paid. Jesus said so. Now go act like it.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Deuteronomy 25:13-16 → Charging a dishonest price—in either direction—is an abomination to God. Marinate on that.

• 2 Corinthians 9:7 → The cheerful giver principle applies to pricing too. If you can’t offer your price cheerfully, it’s not the right price yet.

• Mark 12:29-31 → Loving your neighbor as yourself means loving yourself first. Undercharging is not love—it’s self-neglect dressed up as generosity.

DAY 5

God is calling you to think bigger.

“Enlarge the space for your tent, extend the curtains of your dwelling; do not hold back, lengthen your cords, make your tent pegs firm. For you will spread out to the right and the left, your descendants will possess the nations and inhabit the desolated cities.” — Isaiah 54:2-3 (Complete Jewish Bible)

I gave away some free mini coaching sessions recently and a theme came up with several of my service-based founders that really unlocked things for them, so I want to share it with you in hopes it has the same impact.

Stop targeting people who can’t afford you.

Here’s what I mean. If the people you feel called to serve are unable to afford your services, you will never build a sustainable business with them as your primary customer. The math will never math. And YOU cannot afford to keep charging dirt cheap prices for the transformational value you provide. You’ll stay broke too.

Here’s a better way: target the clients or organizations who CAN afford to pay you. One founder I worked with runs a grief coaching business and is known all over the city for how exceptional she is. She has receipts. She even has a contracted partnership with an organization that pays her to provide sessions for their people. While she was trying to figure out how to raise her prices without pricing out her heart clients who couldn’t afford her services, we realized she just needed to target more organizations to partner with. Let THEM fund it. Her heart clients get the services and she gets paid her premium rate. Win win. Another founder had been targeting solopreneurs with her marketing agency, but with her corporate experience and skills, she had everything she needed to go after companies. Time to shift to B2B baby.

Build a sustainable repeat business with companies that CAN afford your value, then give back to the people you have a heart for in accessible, DIY ways THEY can afford.

The beautiful thing is, when you finally start making real money that enables you to sustain a real business, you have more time, resources and energy to serve the people God has placed on your heart. You can never fully serve the people God has called you to serve when you need those same people to pay your bills. God is calling you to think bigger and expand your territory so that everyone wins—including you.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Isaiah 54:2-3 → God is calling you to think bigger. Don’t hold back.

• Mark 16:15 → There are so many more people who need the gospel through what you offer. Your business in its full manifestation preaches of God’s existence and love through Christ in tangible ways people need. Stop playing small.

• Mark 12:31 → How can you serve your people well while also serving yourself at the same level? Ask God. He’s the expert on your business’ potential.

• Luke 10:25-37 → Building a sustainable business puts us in position to become the Good Samaritans we’re called to be.

• Get more of God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-11) about your business into your brain by reading this and studying this.

DAY 6

God will help me find my customers.

“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” — Luke 8:38-39 (New International Version)

I was watching an interview with evangelist Marilyn Hickey where she was sharing how she found success in the early days of her ministry. When explaining how she rapidly grew her married couple Bible study and won more souls than the church had in the previous few years combined, she said something that resonated with me so much: “I just went after them. They’re not gonna just sit and come to you. You have to go after them.” She was going door to door. Making calls. Hustlin’ for Jesus.

It came full circle when a friend mentioned that her coach had encouraged her to personally reach out to people every single day to share her services. In a world so focused on mass communication and selling online, it was refreshing to be reminded of how powerful one-on-one outreach still is.

Your business has the cure to someone’s problem and it is YOUR responsibility to get it to them.

Today’s scripture shows us that Jesus didn’t wait for the demon-possessed man to find Him. He got in a boat, sailed to that man’s territory, and went after him. Just like He went after the woman at the well (John 4:1-42), Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), and even His own disciples (Matthew 4:18-22). He had a sense for recognizing the people who needed what He had—and He was never shy about getting it to them. And guess who gave Him that sense? The same God we serve today.

So don’t let sales feel like an obstacle anymore. Ask God to show you where your specific customers are and give you a strategy for reaching them. He’ll do it. And if you get to one person and serve them well, they’ll do the rest of the work for you. That’s the kind of divine strategy our Savior was working with and it’s available to you too.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Luke 8:22-39 → Jesus went through a storm to get to this man. Sit with the love, compassion and intention of our Savior for a moment. Also read Mark 1.

• Mark 5:1-5 → Jesus knew what this man was going through. That was His fuel for pursuing him. Let compassion fuel your sales efforts and you won’t have to worry about selling with integrity.

• Luke 8:39 & John 4:28-30, 39 → If you’re successful with one person, they’ll do the selling for you. Divine strategy at its finest.

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You were minding your business, opened the app and there she was: building the thing you've been sitting on, saying the things you've been thinking, with the audience you've been praying for. It's one of the most disorienting moments in a founder's journey. This 5-day Bible plan for Christian entrepreneurs tackles comparison, competition and calling and will help you remember why your idea still matters.

• Day 1 | God made me incomparable.

• Day 2 | You don’t have to compete for what’s already yours.

• Day 3 | Keep doing you.

• Day 4 | You have no competition.

• Day 5 | God don’t play about you. He don’t play about them either.

DAY 1

God made me incomparable.

“Stop worrying,” he replied, “don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father put treasure in your packs.”—Genesis 43:23a (Complete Jewish Bible)

I recently got caught in the comparison trap when I came across another coach in my space with a more developed program than mine. And even though their program offers a completely different result than mine AND my program is awesome, I still felt all my confidence leaving me like it was on the midnight train to Georgia. It was like another reminder that someone else has been in the game longer than me, is more established, has more receipts and my little offering is basically just peanuts.

But don’t you just love our God!? Knowing the space I had fallen into, it was like He immediately sent air support to my damaged ego. That’s what today’s scripture was for me. Even though it’s talking about the trick Joseph played on his brothers before revealing his true identity to them, God used this tiny little line to revive me like only He can. It was like I heard Him saying: You’re still amazing and there are people out there who need the unique treasure I have placed within you!

God made you incomparable.

Oxford’s dictionary defines incomparable as “without an equal in quality or extent; matchless.” That’s you. No one has the same peculiar combination of talents, skills, experiences, challenges overcome and lessons learned as you. And even before you had any of those things you were already a unique creation, never to be duplicated — because God made you in His very own image. And there ain’t nobody like Him. That means there ain’t nobody like you either, boo. No one can do it like you do it.

I know the struggle of being newer in business and how thin the line is between seeking inspiration and falling into comparison. God helped me overcome by encouraging me to take inventory of my secret sauce—you can never remind yourself enough of how dope you are! So whether you’ve never done that or it’s been a minute since the last time you did, take 5-minutes this week to list out everything about yourself and what you offer that no one else can offer quite like you. Make it like a resume on your dopeness that you can pull up anytime comparison strikes. Then remind yourself that you are the best ever at what you do and keep it moving.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Mark 5:36 → The same way Jesus overheard the negative report they tried to throw at Jairus, I believe He overheard the trash comparison tried to tell you too. Isn’t He sweet? Pay attention to His response and do what He said.

• Zechariah 4:10 → Everything bigger, more established and more refined than your product started out small, humble, unseen, uncelebrated and imperfect. Remember that. And keep building.

DAY 2

You don’t have to compete for what’s already yours.

“And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”—1 Corinthians 12:16-18 (New International Version)

It can be a real bummer to see someone else pushing out an idea similar to yours. You feel all special and dope because you came up with something you thought no one else was doing, only to find out—wait, actually, someone is. Womp womp. I felt that way recently when I came across some other examples of communities dedicated to Christian entrepreneurs. UNTIL I looked a little bit closer and saw that each community had its own sub-focus. Taking a minute to actually study each of them ended up further sharpening my own clarity and vision about what mine is here to do.

Don’t let your competition scare you. Let it position you.

Your competition has their own mission from God that they’re working on, and so do you. And God needs you to play your part. Just like the ear in this week’s scripture has no business defecting from the body just because it’s not an eye, we can’t throw our whole idea away just because someone else is doing something similar. The “market” needs your unique version of what you bring to it. You have a function to perform and if you neglect to perform it, there will be a gap.

Some of the best advice I’ve ever received that still rings true today is that every brand has to know two things: who it is and who it isn’t. I know it can be a slippery mental slope when studying your competitors—it is so easy to fall into comparison—but a healthy way to do it is not with the goal to “compete” but with the goal of clarifying those two things for yourself. You are most certainly not your competition and they’re not YOU either. So don’t be intimidated. Focus on maximizing the unique role God gave you to play because it truly is yours and yours alone.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 1 Samuel 17:38-40 → No one else’s gifts fit you like your own. Read this in the context of today’s message.

• I’ve been reading The Science of Getting Rich and it has been a gamechanger for my mindset around competition. It’s also one of the few books of its kind that actually acknowledges Biblical scripture and principles. The audio version is free on YouTube but I also recommend grabbing a physical copy.

DAY 3

Keep doing you.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”—Romans 15:13 (New Living Translation)

A well-known name in the Christian entrepreneurship space launched a community similar to my virtual coworking space for Christian founders. When I saw it, I started shaking in my boots. Like, she gon’ take ALL my people Jesus 😩😂 But what happened immediately after those feelings of fear and comparison tried to overwhelm me was a river of encouragement from God that I hope will encourage you too:

1. God is My Source. If literally the worst fear that could possibly happen happened and all my customers left for this person’s community, I’m ALWAYS still going to be good because I got the Source!

2. Diversify. Yes, we need multiple streams of income, but our businesses themselves also need multiple streams within them. This was a constructive take on how Netflix could handle this in their market. That comparison moment was a God-nudge to diversify my brand, not panic about someone else’s.

3. Acquisition. Who knows, she may want to acquire my company one day! (Or vice versa!) Your “competition” could become your business partner if you stop being scurred and put your CEO pants on.

4. Kingdom First, Always. God has two of His kids out here creating spaces to bring Christian founders together. That’s dope. And I’m honored to be on the team.

But the most encouraging thing God gave me was the reminder that three years ago I was worrying about competition for a program I don’t even think about or offer anymore. That hit me:

What you’re comparing yourself about today may not even be relevant to you in 3 years. So why worry about it at all?

All you need to be doing is being great, doing whatever God has called you to do to the best of your ability in this season. Just like in my case, you haven’t even begun to fathom where God is taking you. So enjoy the ride and trust that God’s got you, your “competition” and everything else that concerns you right in the palm of His hands.

If you’re wrestling with discouragement and comparison right now, I pray the same prayer that Paul prayed in this week’s scripture for you. That God, our source of unlimited hope and encouragement, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. And then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Galatians 2:7-8 → Paul and Peter had two different graces but the same end goal. Keep focusing on your mission. There is MORE than enough work to go around.

DAY 4

You have no competition.

“But forget all that — it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”—Isaiah 43:18-19 (New Living Translation)

A few years into building Big Idea Food®, I had a moment that probably sounds familiar. I started to notice more and more people teaching the Bible to entrepreneurs, and I felt that creeping thought: there are so many people already doing this. Does mine even matter? Then I started watching what each of them was doing more closely and something unexpected happened. Instead of feeling more intimidated, I started to feel more clear. Because as I watched other people operating in spaces I thought I wanted, I kept noticing: that’s not actually my thing. That’s not where my highest gift lives.

I was trained in interior design. I built a graphic design business. Design has always been part of how I see the world and it’s woven into everything I build with Big Idea Food®. But as I watched others doing the design-forward, aesthetics-first work I thought I also wanted to be known for, something in my spirit kept going quiet. And then one day it just clicked: God hasn’t called me to lead with design. He’s called me to lead with teaching and writing—gifts He’s been developing in me since I was a little girl. The design work of other people didn’t take anything from me. It actually showed me what to put down so I could pick up what was really mine.

No one can do your thing quite like you. Because no one has your fingerprint.

Not your skills, not your story, not the specific deposit of Himself that God placed uniquely inside you to bring into the earth. When I started to really sit with that, the anxiety about “competition” started to dissolve. Because I realized I wasn’t competing, I was creating. And those are two completely different mindsets.

A competitive mindset is a scarcity mindset. It’s limited to what’s already visible. But a creative mindset? It’s focused on bringing what is unseen into the scene—the deposit that only you carry, the expression of God that only you can show. When you’re in creation mode, room is made automatically. The very fact that God placed a vision in you means space already exists for it. You just have to do the work to plant the seed and water it.

That’s exactly what this week’s scripture is saying. God told Israel to forget what had already been done because He was about to do something new. And if someone else is already doing the thing you feel called to do, that scripture still holds. He can make a pathway in that same wilderness just for you. In fact, if He gave you the vision for that specific space, the pathway has already been created! You are not a duplicate. You are a different expression of the same God and the people you are sent to serve need your facet of Him.

So instead of looking at someone else operating in your space as competition, try looking at them as a teammate. They’ve got that part covered. Which means you get to go deeper into the piece that’s uniquely yours. That’s not a threat. That’s a gift that is often God’s way of bringing you clarity about where to focus.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Mark 9:38-40 → A scripture for looking at your “competition” as your teammate. We’re all on the same project.

• 1 Peter 4:10 → God’s gifts come in many forms—manifold expressions of the same Source. There is space for all of them.

• Isaiah 54:2-3 → God is calling you to enlarge, not shrink. Don’t let somebody else’s lane make yours feel smaller.

• This 10-minute video teaching is a word for anyone feeling intimidated by their “competition.” Start at 46:31.

DAY 5

God don’t play about you.

“Who then is the faithful and sensible servant whom his master put in charge of his household to give others their food at the proper time? Well, he is fortunate if his master finds him doing that duty on his return! Believe me, he will promote him to look after all his property. But if he should be a bad servant who says to himself, ‘My master takes his time about returning,’ and should begin to beat his fellow-servants and eat and drink with drunkards, that servant’s master will return suddenly and unexpectedly, and will punish him severely and send him off to share the penalty of the unfaithful — to his bitter sorrow and regret!”—Matthew 24:45-51 (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

In my deeper study on the “what competition?” chapter of the Big Idea Food paperback devotional and what the Lord showed me stopped me in my tracks. Because I realized that for a long time, even with a Kingdom mindset, my primary decision-maker was revenue. Not how can I best love the people God has given me? but how are we going to hit these targets? And what God taught me through that season of pruning is something I need to leave with you today:

God doesn’t need your money. He needs your heart. And His kingdom has to reign in you before it can reign through you.

Here’s how that connects to competition: today’s scripture shows us that when we’re faithfully serving the people God has placed in our care—giving them their food at the proper time, shepherding them well—promotion is inevitable. Not because we schemed for market share, but because God expands what He can trust. And what He can trust is a people-first business. One where people are the priority, not the product.

The flip side is just as true. The bad servant in this passage isn’t some villain twirling a mustache. He just got distracted. Stopped caring about the people. Let his own agenda take over. And his master showed up and shut it down.

God don’t play about you. But He don’t play about everybody else either.

That means the person whose lane you’ve been stressed about? God is watching their stewardship too. You don’t have to worry about moving them out of the way because you don’t have to compete for what’s yours. Your only job is to be found faithful, loving the people He’s given you, feeding them at the proper time, showing up as the shepherd He’s called you to be. God will take care of the rest. And trust me, when you operate a people-first business, competition becomes the last thing on your mind because you’re too busy being great.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Luke 17:21 → God’s Kingdom exists within people—you, me and them.

• Luke 16:10-12 → People are the “true riches” and God’s property. Steward them well and watch what happens.

• Matthew 6:31-33 → Seek the Kingdom first and everything else (including the business growth you want) will be added. This is the anti-competition scripture.

• Tap into the full Bible study this devotional came from for even more richness around this topic.

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There's a version of you that already knows what to do. She prays bold prayers, shows up without apology, and builds the thing God put in her heart without second-guessing every step. She's not a different person—she's just on the other side of some very specific mental blocks. This 8-day plan is the permission slip you didn't know you needed to finally get past them.

• Day 1 | Give yourself permission to think highly of yourself.

• Day 2 | Stop limiting God.

• Day 3 | Trusting God requires trusting yourself too.

• Day 4 | I can ask God for more.

• Day 5 | Get your hopes up.

• Day 6 | God needs you to show up.

• Day 7 | You and God are a power couple.

• Day 8 | Let God “God” for you.

DAY 1

Give yourself permission to think highly of yourself.

“Then the word of Adonai came to Sh’mu’el: ‘I regret setting up Sha’ul as king, because he has turned back from following me and hasn’t obeyed my orders’...Sh’mu’el then said [to Sha’ul], ‘You may be small in your own sight, but you are head of the tribes of Isra’el — Adonai anointed you king over Isra’el!’”—1 Samuel 15:10-11a, 17 (Complete Jewish Bible)

I read this scripture a few weeks ago and wrote this sentence in my Bible next to it:

Disobedience comes when you’re small in your own sight.

Whew. Let me just take a moment to unpack the magnitude of that statement. Seeing ourselves as small or insignificant is basically a Biblical recipe for disobedience. I never made the connection between how important our mindset is to following God’s direction until now. But the truth is:

You can never fully obey God with a low opinion of yourself.

Saul still saw himself as a mere man instead of the king God had anointed him to be — and therefore stayed disobeying God. And think about some of the other people in the Bible who disobeyed orders from God:

• Adam and Eve thought they weren’t wise enough so they ate the fruit God told them not to eat (Genesis 3:1-7). And just imagine if Adam & Eve had thought higher of themselves!

• The 12 spies thought they weren’t strong enough to defeat the people occupying their promised land so they brought back an evil report (Numbers 13).

• The wicked servant thought he didn’t have enough talent to work with so he buried it instead of multiplying it like he was supposed to (Matthew 25:14-30).

If you think small of yourself, your purpose, your role in the Kingdom, your part in this grand scheme God is orchestrating, it becomes easier to think that one little “no” to God here or a little “I’ll get to it later” there is ok. But it’s not. Your piece of the puzzle matters. Saul’s lack of self-esteem was bringing the whole community of Israel down (1 Samuel 14:29). You are more and the part you play is bigger than you realize.

If you’ve been struggling to obey God’s direction in your life, your self-esteem could be part of the problem. I want to encourage you to spend some time over the next 8 days thinking highly of yourself. Allow yourself to see yourself as the king God made you to be (Rev 1:6). Visualize the territory He’s given you to rule. Give yourself permission to believe that your ideas, your dreams and your business WILL change the world. And above all else, remind yourself that even with limitations, you are still enough, still capable and still unstoppable with God.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Genesis 39:23 & 1 Samuel 18:14 → The Lord is with me and gives me success in all I do. Everything I do is wildly successful.

• Psalm 112 & John 16:13 → I already have everything I need. God has already given me wealth & riches in my house and He has given me His Holy Spirit which guides me into all truth so I have the wisdom to steward it.

• Exodus 35:30-35 → The Lord has called me by name and has filled me with His Spirit in wisdom, in understanding & in knowledge of everything I need to know as it relates to building these visions He’s given me to build.

DAY 2

Stop limiting God.

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.”—2 Chronicles 16:9 (King James Version)

I set big goals. If you’re in my tribe you’ve heard some of the sales and impact goals I’m targeting and they are NOT small. Because somewhere in the past year a switch went off in my brain: setting small goals can just be an excuse to keep playing small— and even worse—keep our goals manageable enough that we don’t need God to reach them. Eek, yeah I said it.

That’s kind of what the evil king Asa did in this week’s scripture. Instead of trusting that God would deliver him just like He’d done before, King Asa created a workaround that didn’t require God’s help. And God didn’t appreciate it—especially given what He’d already done for King Asa in the past (2 Chronicles 16:7-8). It’s almost like Asa’s choice to depend on someone other than God disappointed God, because as God said through the prophet in this passage, He is literally out here combing the earth on a daily basis to find opportunities to show Himself strong in His people. This could have been one of those opportunities. King Asa took that from Him.

We’ve got to get to the point where we’re giving God all the room and faith He needs to move mightily wherever we’re concerned.

What God wants to do in your life and business is a lot. And only setting goals we can reach without Him limits the harvest He truly desires. Now of course, He leads us to goals of all sizes. I am a witness that He often starts us off with smaller milestones to help us build muscle for the greater. But if you’ve knocked down some of those smaller milestones with Him and you sense Him calling you to something bigger, go with it. Don’t be afraid of big, impossible goals. That’s exactly what our God specializes in.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Ephesians 1:19 (The Passion Translation) → This is my prayer for you in Jesus’ name.

• Isaiah 55:8-9 → God’s thoughts are higher than ours and so are His ways and resources. Don’t be afraid to entertain limitless thoughts. He can handle them if you give Him the chance!

DAY 3

Trusting God requires trusting yourself too.

“Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.’”—John 5:19-20 (New International Version)

God dropped this into my spirit one morning and I’m just going to leave it here with you:

Think about it. The only things I have to work with to get direction to you are your own thoughts, senses, body feelings and intuition. These are things I gave you for Me to communicate with you. Sure there’s My written word and plenty of outside signs and confirmations I can send, but you ultimately still have to pass them through your own inner system of knowing to make a decision to obey them. So the more you trust yourself, the more you can trust Me.

🤯

Jesus’ words in this week’s scripture demonstrated that, in addition to trusting the Father, He trusted Himself. He HAD to. He believed enough in His ability to “see what His Father was doing” to actually do the audacious, miraculous things He saw the Father showing Him. Imagine if you trusted yourself like Jesus did. If instead of second-guessing every decision, you just knew confidently what to do. If Jesus did it, so can we.

I don’t think I’ve ever verbalized this but typically my most impactful content comes from an inner vision—I can see it, like it’s already written and I just have to pour out what I see. Maybe you’re not a writer but you’re a creator of something. Maybe God has shown you something in your mind’s eye that you can’t shake. Whatever it is, no matter how big or small, don’t discount it. Trust it. I believe that’s God showing you “what He does”, and then it’s your job to express it however He showed it to you. The more you make a habit of doing this, the more you’ll build your trust.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 1 Corinthians 11:1 → Paul trusted himself too. You don’t tell people to follow you unless you trust yourself to lead them. And when you practice doing the things God is showing you in your mind’s eye, you will start to trust yourself on that level too.

• Romans 8:19 → The more we imitate God (Ephesians 5:1), the more we’ll manifest as the sons we are, just like Jesus did.

• I’m starting to believe that the very presence of a vision inside the committed believer’s mind is often proof that it’s God’s will for it to be manifested in the earth. Listen to this inspiring talk from Steve Harvey about this.

• If you need to build your trust, get into this series.

DAY 4

I can ask God for more.

“One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, ‘What can I do for you?’ She replied, ‘Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.’ So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.”—Judges 1:14-15 (New International Version)

I read an article that really started to challenge my thinking around money and provision—so much so that after reading it I was like, ok God, if this is true and I should be coming directly to You for my needs instead of going to money or myself or my business, I need You to prove it to me. So I tested it. I asked Him to cover a specific financial need and released it to Him to handle however He saw fit. Don’t you know He covered that amount AND THEN SOME? And then, just for kicks, a refund I had been waiting on for months finally came in. Coincidence? Maybe. But I’ll take it!

And as it all started to sink in that God alone truly is my source—not money, not my business, not what I can do with my own two hands—you wanna know what I started to feel?

The overwhelming sense to ask God for more!

Just like Caleb’s daughter did in this week’s scripture. She knew her dad’s pockets ran deep and when she saw how it was nothing for him to give her the land she’d asked for, she decided to shoot her shot for some springs of water too. Because why not? He got it don’t he? God is Caleb in this passage — ask Him for what you want! I’ve now made a whole list of needs and desires to ask Him for mm kay!

Because when God gives you a revelation, you gotta practice that thing until it becomes a lifestyle. I share all this in hopes that something in this testimony speaks to you—and that maybe you’ll even join me in trying this out in your life too. If you do, let me know how it goes!

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• The article I mentioned that started all this for me is on page 9 of the Jan / Feb 2021 issue of Victory Magazine.

• “Stop Praying it Safe” by Pastor Stephen Chandler is such an inspiring listen as you explore asking God for more.

DAY 5

Get your hopes up.

“When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing.”—2 Kings 4:6 (New International Version)

That part about “then the oil stopped flowing” hit different while reading this story. As soon as the jars were maxed out, it stopped. That means that oil would have still been flowing TUHDAY if there had been enough jars for it. God’s got oil for days! And what gets me is THEY were in control of how many jars they set out. Not God. Not the prophet. God let them choose. If this isn’t a cautionary tale about setting high expectations, I don’t know what is.

Don’t be afraid to set a big goal.

Be honest. Have you been setting a few small goals while secretly wishing for more? Let me help you out real quick: that’s not how it works. God can only fill the jars YOU set out. So set out the big ones. Set out what you really want.

I get it though. Many of us have been disappointed more than once. But ask yourself: are you willing to live the rest of your life in fear of disappointment? Are you willing to limit yourself, your dreams and your potential just to avoid the pain of disappointment? (A pain that God can heal btw.) Or are you willing to push past the fear to get what you know belongs to you?

I’ve been watching The Last Dance documentary about Michael Jordan and the 90’s Chicago Bulls and it’s been firing me up because even the great MJ himself suffered defeat after defeat before finally tasting victory. And after that, it was like he had forever broken through the ceiling that had been holding him back. Some of us are only one breakthrough away from tapping into the 6 championships God has for us. But we’ll never get there without putting our hopes on the line and risking defeat. Personally, I’d much rather feel the pain of disappointment than the pain of regret any day. What about you?

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Mark 11:22-24 → When we finally start believing what Jesus said in this scripture (like really believing it!?) we gon’ be a problem. Have faith in God!

• Psalm 23:3 → God can heal the pain of past hurts. If you’re afraid to believe BIG because of past disappointments, start affirming daily that “God restores my soul.” His word is medicine that can heal any pain if we take it.

• 2 Corinthians 2:14 → Loss is not the end. Until you’ve achieved victory, it’s not over because that’s how God puts on for His people.

DAY 6

God needs you to show up.

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”—John 6:38 (New King James Version)

For years, I would always answer the question “what would you do if you could do anything in the world?” with two things: #1 sing in a traveling gospel choir (soprano of course lol) and #2 just wake up and walk around ministering to people all day. I glamorized the idea like it was goals. Now, as it’s hitting me that #2 is literally what God is asking me to do in this season of my life—and that I finally have space for it—it’s hitting a little different. The thought of speaking and ministering to crowds is all fun and games until you’re hit with the realization that becoming a public figure will open you up to ridicule, slowly strip away your luxury of obscurity and potentially make you a shinier target for the enemy.

As I prepare to step in front of some of the largest rooms I’ve ever stood in, knowing this is only the beginning, I’ve been thinking about these things. And I’m also thinking about our Mentor, Jesus. Wondering if He felt these same internal fears.

As I contemplate His statement in this week’s scripture about not coming here to do His own will but the Father’s, I wonder what His personal will actually was. Would He have preferred not to put Himself out there teaching and ministering publicly every day? Would He have rather stayed to Himself, constructing furniture and minding His business? We may never know on this side of heaven. But one thing we know for sure is that no matter what His own will was, He still chose to show up and be everything the Father was calling Him to be—in the face of ridicule, persecution, cancel culture and His own very human fears. He was brave. And that same Spirit that empowered Him while He walked this earth now empowers us to be brave too.

I know the thought of putting yourself out there, showing up as the expert that you are and sharing your truth with the world is some scary stuff. But this is what you were sent here to do. And if you’re like me, it’s what you prayed for too. So get over yourself, put your eyes on Jesus and show up. Let us see your light because, Lord knows, we need it now more than ever.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• John 12:27-28 → In the context of this devotional, this scripture is so fire. What we not gon’ do is let some uncomfortable feelings stop us from doing what we were sent here to do.

• Matthew 5:14-16 → Shine your light. That’s why He gave it to you in the first place.

• Ephesians 2:10 → The work God called you to do isn’t random. It was pre-destined, intentional and it is needed.

• For specific fears around speaking listen to this mini message on how God will be with you and your mouth.

• This message on self-sabotage is a word (start at 1:00:30).

DAY 7

You and God are a power couple.

“Tell them: ‘As surely as I live,’ this is the Lord’s declaration, ‘I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.’”—Numbers 14:28 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

I’m in a space where I’m realizing how seismic the mindset shift I need to make is in order to cross over into my proverbial “promised land”. It’s MASSIVE. Because right now all the barriers standing in my way seem so insurmountable, yet I feel like someone else with a higher mindset could take these same cards I’ve been dealt and karate chop her way past every single obstacle right on into the land.

And that someone else is me.

The higher version of myself who is done letting any excuse—valid ones and all—keep her from what God has for her. The one who’s going to believe and speak what God says instead of how she feels or what it looks like. Because here’s the thing: God is already the highest version of Himself. He’s already fully equipped to take me right into the abundant life He purchased for me. He just needs my agreement.

That’s all He needed from the children of Israel (Numbers 14:1-35). Just agree with Me that I said what I said and I’m taking y’all into this land. But instead they spoke excuses and they got exactly what they said they’d get: NoPromisedLandForYall.com. On the other hand, Joshua and Caleb agreed with God by saying what He said, and they got to go in (Numbers 14:6-9, 30). Later, God told Joshua that NOTHING would stand in his way (Joshua 1:5, 9).

When you agree with God, you and Him together are a power couple.

He does the heavy lifting. He fights the battles. He provides what you need to get there. All He needs is your yes. Your agreement. Your faith that says—regardless of the Giants, circumstances, or what the math looks like—I trust that You are God and You are taking me into this land.

So here’s your assignment:

1. Write down your “giants”; all the specific obstacles that feel like they’re standing between you and your promised land.

2. Then write what the opposite of each one looks like (that’s your “promised land”).

3. Find the scriptures that agree with tearing down those obstacles and possessing that land, and

4. Start declaring them out loud daily. It takes 60 to 90 seconds and does supernatural surgery on your mindset that you cannot do on your own.

Choose to agree with God and watch Him do the rest.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Numbers 14:6-9, 30 + Joshua 1:5, 9 → Study what agreement with God actually looked like for Caleb and Joshua and what it got them.

• Proverbs 16:3 → Commit your plans to the Lord and He will make them succeed. Commitment is agreement in action.

• Romans 10:17 → Faith comes by hearing the word of God. If you don’t feel like you have the belief yet to walk into your promised land, this is how you get it. Use this to make “hearing” fun.

DAY 8

Let God “God” for you.

“Then David inquired of the Lord once again…”—1 Samuel 23:4a (New King James Version)

The dryer at my income property finally gave up the ghost. Come to find out, it was a model from 1984 that I’m pretty sure had been there since my condo was first built 😂. Anyway, buying a new dryer was NOT in my budget that month so my tenants (who also happen to be close friends) and I believed God to provide what we needed at a specific price. OF COURSE, God not only provided a dryer but He showed out and gave us a new washing machine too for the same amount we prayed for. He gave us two for one. #GodMath 🙌🏾

As I was studying around this time, I was reminded of how David had established a habit of inquiring of the Lord before he made major moves—and what happened when Joshua didn’t inquire of the Lord (Joshua 9-10 with the Gibeonites). We experience victory when we pause to inquire of the Lord, but when we don’t, it costs us. If my tenants and I hadn’t prayed about the dryer, it could have literally cost me more money. But just inviting God into the problem opened the door for a bigger blessing than I’d even asked for.

There is nothing too small or too big to ask God for.

If He cares about my 1984 dryer (and the equally ancient washing machine I didn’t even pray about 😂), He cares about your thing too. Let God “God” for you in whatever you’re facing today and activate that good God math in your life. (P.S. I was born in 1986 so 80’s babies don’t come for my use of the word “ancient.” We’re talking about dryer years. We 80’s babies are of course still young and supple mm kay!? 💁🏾‍♀️😂)

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• 1 Samuel 23:1-3, 4-5, 10-11, 12-14 | 1 Samuel 30:8-9 | 2 Samuel 2:1-2 | 2 Samuel 5:17-21 | 2 Samuel 5:22-25 | 2 Samuel 21:1 → Check out several of the times David inquired of the Lord and notice how it was often his first response to conflict.

• Psalm 37:23 → He is actively involved, interested and invested in your day-to-day life and He LOVES to be invited in to whatever you have going on.

• Hebrews 4:14-16 → God is always available to help you whenever and wherever you need it. Use Him!

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Meet us in the BIF chat with questions, wins, aha moments & anything you’d like to share with your BIF community.

Replay Map

• 00:00 | Marlena Big Idea Food pivot + what’s changing

• 00:28 | Confirmation around the new direction

• 00:29 | Trademark question about Good Grief Now!

• 00:36 | YouTube growth, outreach, and job alignment win

• 00:53 | Writing flow, clarity, and not being swayed

• 01:08 | Group - Voice, healing, and spiritual formation

• 01:17 | Simplicity, one offer, and selling the workbook

• 01:28 | Group - Community support ideas + closing encouragement

Key Concepts Discussed

In this month’s BIF Live Monthly Call, Marlena shared a major update on the evolution of Build Your Big Idea™ into Big Idea Food® and walked the group through what that shift means for the brand, the content, and the coaching rhythm moving forward. From there, the call opened into live hot seats and turned into a deeply encouraging conversation about alignment, clarity, business pivots, writing, visibility, support, and learning how to keep listening to God even after you think you’ve already received the answer.

• Big Idea Food is now the lead brand. Marlena shared that after about 45 days of building the Build Your Big Idea Substack, she began to sense that something needed to shift. Through Give God Room, she got clarity that the old personal-brand-centered blueprint was outdated and that it was time to move back to building the Big Idea Food brand as the core public-facing container.

• The weekly article is being replaced by a weekly Bible study. As part of the transition, the prior weekly alignment-focused article format is going away for now and being replaced with weekly Bible studies pulled from Big Idea Food’s deep devotional archive. Marlena explained that this format better matches how her avatar already consumes spiritual content and gives existing Big Idea Food material fresh life in a form that feels more appetizing and usable now.

• Big Idea Food has always had broader content lanes than BYBI. Marlena clarified that while alignment remains an undercurrent, Big Idea Food as a brand is built to speak to faith, business, money, and eventually love and relationships. That broader scope is part of why the structure needed to change.

• Sometimes the answer is both/and, not either/or. One of the biggest live revelations Marlena shared was that after first sensing a move away from personal brand and back toward Big Idea Food, she later felt God nudging her to do both. That means some coaching and alignment-focused content may still continue, but under a different structure and distribution strategy.

• Keep listening even after you’ve already received clarity. Marlena emphasized that getting an answer from God is not the end of the conversation. As you make the move, you still need to keep listening, because He may continue refining the instruction as you go. She tied this to the idea that God does not usually hand us the whole blueprint at once because He wants ongoing connection and intimacy, not independence from Him.

• The coaching is becoming less curriculum-centered and more Spirit-led. Marlena explained that while the Build Your Big Idea curriculum and course will still exist, the live experience is shifting away from centering the framework every time and toward gathering together to hear what the Lord has to say in real time. The structure is not disappearing, but it is changing.

• Weekly coaching drops are going away, but monthly lives are staying. Marlena shared that the weekly coaching drops are ending for now, both because she needs more capacity to create the right content and because the group chat can better serve as an ongoing support space between calls. The monthly live calls will remain, and they may also become a place to record parts of the eventual course live.

• The chat is meant to be an active support system. Marlena called the group to use the chat more intentionally for wins, questions, roadblocks, and support. By the end of the call, the group was already dreaming up ways to make that even more practical by including weekly opportunities to share links and support one another’s work directly.

• Alignment often looks like simplification. This came up repeatedly throughout the hot seats, especially in Nakia’s reflections on focusing on one avatar and one workbook, in Tamia’s clarity around writing the way God naturally wired her to write, and in Carmen’s laser focus on booking calls instead of chasing everything at once.

The rest of this conversation is available for our paid subscribers only. Click to join us!

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Perfectionism isn't just a personality quirk—it's a spiritual block rooted in something deeper than you think. This 5-day plan is going to get allllll up in your business, mindset, and soul so you can finally stop holding onto what God already told you to release.

• Day 1 | God says you’re worthy.

• Day 2 | You ain’t got time to keep overthinking it.

• Day 3 | You’re not going to fail.

• Day 4 | All things are yours.

• Day 5 | Just do it messy.

DAY 1

God says you’re worthy.

“And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived.” - Numbers 21:8-9 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

At the core of perfectionism is a sense of unworthiness. We’ll cover more on how I got to that conclusion later in this plan, but, for now, let’s just accept this truth as at least part of the perfectionism problem. And if you’re going to tackle perfectionism in your life, business, habits & mindset from a spiritual standpoint, you have to divorce your connection to the idea that you’re unworthy. Because, ultimately…

God says you’re worthy (John 3:16).

Worthy of that money you need.
Worthy of that child you desire to have.
Worthy of that house you’re believing for.
Worthy of that impact He called you to.
Worthy of that healing you need.
Worthy of [insert whatever thing you don’t think you’re worthy of].

If you don’t believe this—and I mean really believe it so that you’re actually ACTING on that belief, not that you just know it on an intellectual level—it’s always going to be difficult for you to receive what you need from God—even when you’re using all the other tools I’ve been sharing with you these past few weeks.

The good news is, God has provided you a supernatural way to “help your unbelief” (Mark 9:24):

Taking communion.

I can’t explain it but there’s just something about reminding yourself of what the body & blood of Christ did for you, by taking communion, that cleanses your conscience from condemnation (aka an unworthy mindset). It’s just like how God provided this method for healing the children of Israel from poisonous snake bites; it didn’t make sense, but it worked.

We can either choose to believe that Jesus encouraged us to do communion (1 Cor 11:23-25) just because it’s a nice thing to do, or we can believe there was purpose & power behind it just like there was behind everything else Jesus spoke & did while He was on earth. All I’m saying is, if you haven’t already, try communion!

Where are you when it comes to taking communion? I truly want to know.

Do you have any doubts, fears, concerns or questions around it? Are you curious how to do it on your own or that you’ll do it “wrong”? I’d love to hear from you as I’m considering sharing more on this subject in an upcoming live because I truly believe this is a game-changing practice Jesus left us that can help us receive from Him on a higher level. So comment below and let me know any thoughts or help you need with this!

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Romans 8:32 → this is why you’re worthy of whatever thing you need right now.

• I share more about how communion helps with creative blocks here in this post

• Some of my favorite communion scriptures to review when I’m taking communion (I don’t review them all every time, just whichever ones feel most relevant to my situation at the moment & sometimes Holy Spirit will reveal a different, fresh one to my spirit too): Romans 8:1 & 32, Heb 10:1-2, John 6:48-58, Isaiah 53, Galatians 3:13-14 in the context of Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Ephesians 2:13

• This was also a really good sermon for battling condemnation and he touches on communion toward the end of it too.

• This is a really good message about the power of communion for health & healing with more Biblical education around it + it touches on what it really means to partake of it “unworthily”

• Search YouTube for communion teachings from this pastor for more revelation around the power of communion.

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DAY 2

You ain’t got time to keep overthinking it.

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, ‘Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.’” - Proverbs 3:27-28 (New Living Translation)

[Original publication date: March 31, 2020]

I launched the Big Idea Food® community this past weekend and I have all the feels because a tribe like this has truly been a dream in my heart for over 8 years. What’s crazy though is, I wasn’t going to launch it until two months from now because I was messing around trying to make it perfect before putting it out there 🙄 Now as I look around at the dope group of Christian entrepreneurs who have joined already, I’m shaking my head at how silly it was for me to try to push it out that far. We all been needing this!

Perfection will have you out here holding on to stuff that people need right now.

That’s why this week’s scripture gathers me all the way together. It literally captures exactly what we’re doing when we’re letting perfectionism delay the help we’re supposed to be giving people through our businesses. We have water inside us that people are walking around thirsty for RIGHT. NOW. and we’re not giving it to them because we don’t feel ready enough yet?! They don’t care about your readiness, they just want that water!

Sure the cup you’re serving it in might be a little rough around the edges. Maybe you’re not an expert in the way you pour it just yet. Your distribution system might have some kinks in it and, overall, you might still feel like you’re not clear on where this whole thing is headed, but regardless of all that, you still have water and the people you’re here to serve are still thirsty.

If you’ve been overthinking things lately, this is your call to stop. And one of the best methods I recommend for getting out of your head and into action is spending time getting to know the people you’re supposed to be helping. Find out first hand what’s been going on in their lives. Get intimate with their pressing concerns & pain points. I guarantee that hearing how long they’ve been struggling without your product will force you to ask yourself how long you’re willing to keep letting them go without it.

Still Hungry? Eat more //

• Join BIF PAID to get your copy of the Build Your Big Idea™ digital business planner to help you get out of your head and into action.

• Study Jesus in the book of Mark. He was always spending time with the people He was called to serve, that’s why we always see Him making moves instead of excuses.

• Galatians 1:10 → I know many of us struggle with perfectionism because we don’t feel worthy enough, but just in case pleasing others is your vice, read this in the context of what we discussed today and ask yourself the same question Paul asks in this scripture.

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DAY 3

You’re not going to fail.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16 (New King James Version)

I’ve had a few conversations lately with people who are actively struggling with a fear of failure. Whether it’s been showing up in their life as imposter syndrome, procrastination or even subconscious self-sabotage, it’s become a very real manifestation of opposition that is affecting their progress toward their goals & dreams. Last night as I laid down for bed, I sensed God speaking to me about it (ya’ll know how He starts talking when we finally get quiet lol). What I heard is that:

Your fear of failure is rooted in your sense of unworthiness.

And while this may not be a newsflash to folks who are actively engaged in some sort of therapy process, I still wanted to share some encouragement in this area from a Christian perspective.

True enough, it takes real work to uproot things as deep as unworthiness can be, but that doesn’t mean God’s power can’t help with it too. In fact, it’s the very sacrifice of Jesus that served this very purpose. Not only did Jesus’ death purchase the healing we needed in our souls from whatever pain life inflicted on us that caused us to believe we were unworthy, but the very fact that God gave the most valuable thing He had for us?!

That means we were WORTH it.

And when you actually believe you’re worthy of God’s best, it virtually eliminates the fear of failure because why would you fail when you’re worthy of success? Marinate on that for a sec. Success is less valuable than Jesus. Why would God give you priceless Jesus and NOT give you affordable success? Make it make sense!

You can take all the business courses & implement all the formulas but if you don’t deal with your mindset around unworthiness, you will continue to sabotage the success God paid for you to have. The good news is, you can literally speak your belief that you’re worthy into existence; God made it that way (Proverbs 13:2, Hebrews 11:3 CJB, Romans 4:17, Ephesians 5:1). Below I’ve given you some scripture-based affirmations around worthiness. If you’ve been battling with the fear of failure, please speak these over yourself daily. I believe that as you do, that root of unworthiness will dissolve and in its place will grow a confidence that is bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1).

Still Hungry? Eat more //

• God sent His only Son, His most valuable possession to die for my sins (John 3:16). I am therefore worthy of the love (Romans 8:35-39), healing (Isaiah 53:5) & the abundant life (John 10:10) Jesus’ sacrifice purchased for me.

• Through my faith in Christ, the Spirit of Almighty God has now chosen to live inside me (John 14:17, 1 Corinthians 3:16). And because God is with me, I succeed in everything I do. (Genesis 39:2)

• I WILL eat the fruit of the labor of my hands. (Psalm 128:2)

• In ALL my labor, there is profit. (Proverbs 14:23)

DAY 4

All things are yours.

“whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your’s; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” - 1 Corinthians 3:22-23 (King James Version)

All things are yours.

Whether healing for that family member, or that multi-million-dollar income, or that breakthrough you need in your relationship, or new tires for your truck or that peace you need to sleep at night, or a good marriage or ___________ (fill in the blank)…

ALL THINNNNNGS ARE YOURS.

This is just so strong in my spirit today. I ministered about this in this BIF Bible study, along with how to tackle the sense of unworthiness keeping you from going after your “all things”. 10 stars. Highly recommend. Listen and soak in all the scriptures as SOON as you get a chance.

Still hungry? Eat more //

• Romans 8:32 → God will freely give us all things.

• John 14:26 → Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

• John 14:13-14 → Ask for all things.

• Get this book to increase your faith to go after your “all things”

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DAY 5

Just do it messy.

“The lazy person wants but doesn’t have; the diligent get their desires filled.”— Proverbs 13:4 (Complete Jewish Bible)

When I launched the Big Idea Food® book, I had a whole vision for a limited edition cover with this soft-touch finish, gold foil stamp, the works. Then my printer went out of business mid-production. 🥲 At that point, I had to decide whether to keep chasing the dream version, or get the book into the hands of the people already waiting on me. I ended up letting the gold foil go and shipped the standard paperback. Eight years later, that “standard” book got into the hands of an Emmy-nominated actress, became a cult classic & is still changing lives. And none of that would have happened had I kept holding out for the gold foil version that was never coming.

Perfectionism will have you thinking your “standard” version isn’t enough. But, sometimes, messy action is the only thing that’s ever going to move the needle.

The sluggard isn’t lazy in the way we typically imagine—sitting around doing nothing. The sluggard craves. She has the vision, the desire, the notebook full of ideas. She wants it badly. But she craves without actually pulling the trigger and so she gets nothing. The diligent gets the thinnnnngs, honey! Not because she has everything figured out, but because she makes moves. Diligence isn’t perfection. It’s faithful action even when the conditions aren’t ideal. Even when it’s not the version you dreamed of yet.

God designed momentum to follow movement. The messy version you’re sitting on right now is probably already more than enough to get you to the next level, but only if you actually release it. Done isn’t settling. It’s diligence! So quit perfecting and go ship your proverbial paperback.

STILL HUNGRY? EAT MORE //

• Ecclesiastes 11:4 → If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll be waiting forever.

• Luke 16:10 → God’s promotion is tied to what you do with the small, imperfect thing in front of you right now.

• James 2:17 → Faith without action is dead (and so is a vision that never ships.)

Here are 6 things you’re ignoring that are keeping you out of alignment, inspired by my recent Substack pivot experience:

#1: Your joy (or the absence of it).

The reason I wanted to burn the Build Your Big Idea™ (BYBI) Substack down was that something kept feeling “off” about it. Mind you: it was performing GREAT. People were being impacted, I’d gained 100ish new subscribers in 45 days, the content was hitting. I was off to the Substack races!

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was an expression of what God had given me to share that BYBI’s content just wasn’t quite capturing. And continuing to produce it started to feel more meh than joyful. That’s when I really knew something was wrong.

Over the years, one thing God has taught me that I stay crystal clear about is that joy—or the absence of it—is an indicator of whether you’re moving in the right direction. It’s like God coded our purpose into our DNA, so it lights up like the organs on that Operation game when we touch a “purpose” nerve. That light is the joy you feel when you’re moving closer to your destiny. Conversely, a feeling of loathing or heaviness around a direction can tell you, “hey, this ain’t it.”

Don’t let any measure of success deceive you into ignoring the joy metric.

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” — 1 Timothy 6:17 (NKJV)

God didn’t give you your business, your Substack, your program, or whatever you’re offering to the world for you NOT to enjoy it. He gave it to you—richly—to enjoy. Give yourself permission to follow the joy, trusting that it’s leading you exactly where God wants you to be.

#2: God’s invitation to slow down.

You know that feeling when something’s in the back of your mind but you can’t quite put your finger on it? When something feels “off” or you’re uneasy in your spirit? When anxiety or overwhelm starts creeping in?

I believe these are sometimes how God tries to get our attention.

Thankfully, I’ve been practicing my Give God Room™ method for years, so as soon as I sensed uneasiness around my Substack, I took a beat to check in with Him. Oftentimes the direction and clarity we’ve been praying for is in the still small voice in the back of our minds, but we be out here ignoring it 🤡

Then we look up five months later like, “how did I get here, God?!” Chyle, cuz you’ve been consistently ignoring all My signs, hush.

Build a habit of checking in with God when you sense those checks in your spirit. It may feel like you’re falling behind, but in reality, it keeps you on pace with His plan.

“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.” —‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭(New King James Version)

#3: The dream inside you trying to get out.

The brand I was building with BYBI was rooted in what I called my “alignment architect” persona. Honestly, I thought that was aligned. Turns out, it was aligned for the image of me I thought I had to build—not the me-est me on the inside.

The me-est me is a creative. More media-creator Issa Rae than talking-head thought-leader Myron Golden, if you will. God has commissioned me to shepherd the people He’s placed in my care (1 Peter 5:2), but, throughout this process, I learned that God has given me permission to choose what my shepherd cloak looks like. Based on the vision I see inside of me, I decided mine looks like a dope creative just out here making dope stuff. I am so much more energized by that than the author / thought leader cloak I was trying on.

Similarly, the Big Idea Food® digital magazine has to finally get out of my head and into your feeds too. It has been a vision inside of me trying to get out since 2012. TWENTY. TWELVE. It was actually the vision God gave me for the magazine that spurred the development of the best-selling Big Idea Food® devotional—my one claim to fame 😅—but I was always meant to circle back and build the magazine. I lost sight of that for a while, but now we back!

Those big ideas on the inside of you are alive. Clamoring to get out.

“Wisdom calls out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares. She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:” —Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭(Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Stop ignoring the dream that’s been crying out in your heart. It’s a manifestation of God’s voice showing you the way to what you’ve been praying for.

#4: New data, experiences, knowledge & skills you’ve gained.

My “alignment architect” persona was born out of a decision I made back in 2021 to pivot away from Big Idea Food® and start building my personal brand instead. At the time, my book had been out for three years and God had just reignited my urgency to get it in front of more people. With what I knew then, I believed the best way to do that was through a personal brand rather than the faceless content we’d been producing on BIF’s Instagram. So I shut the account down.

What I didn’t know then, I learned through years of consulting work inside some seriously high-performing ecommerce businesses (I run a consulting biz on the side that’s been helping pay the bills while I build my dream). I’ve gotten a whole informal MBA from this work 🤓 and now carry tools and strategies for growing this book that I simply didn’t have in 2021. Tools that don’t require me to be a talking head to market my book like I thought I had to.

Here’s what’s wild though: even after deciding to pivot the Substack, I still would’ve carried that old personal brand-focused blueprint right into the new direction without realizing it, had I not slowed down. It wasn’t until I gave God room and paid attention that He graced me with a conversation with my mentor that cracked something open. I realized I didn’t just need to shift back to building the BIF brand. I needed a completely different business model that was actually aligned with what Big Idea Food® is, not still lingering from the outdated personal brand precedents I had been following since 2021.

I had already made the decision to pivot. But new data—from my consulting work, that mentorship conversation & paying attention—completely changed how I was going to execute it. Had I not slowed down long enough to notice, I would’ve pivoted and still been building on an outdated blueprint. Just in a different direction.

That’s the thing about new data. It doesn’t always announce itself.

Sometimes it’s sitting in a conversation you almost didn’t have, or an awareness you almost scrolled past. Staying aligned means regularly reevaluating old decisions against what you now know and adjusting when God shows you the gap.

“Stop dwelling on past events and brooding over times gone by; I am doing something new; it’s springing up — can’t you see it? I am making a road in the desert, rivers in the wasteland.” —Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭(Complete Jewish Bible)

Don’t ignore the new data. It might be the thing that changes EVERYTHING about how you move next.

#5: Your genius.

Part of my content offering with BYBI was a weekly YouTube video of me teaching on an alignment-related topic. Initially I was genuinely excited to delve more into video because I’ve always envisioned producing film and TV one day; so sharpening my video skills weekly made sense.

The problem is: Chyle, I’m not good at video 😂

And though I tend to get good at most things I practice—and I’m not one to run from a challenge—I started to realize that investing the time and effort required to get better at video was not good stewardship for me in this season.

I am a WRIT.ER.

I’m a fish in water when I write. It brings me tremendous joy and it’s where I’ve generated the most impact in the lives of others. As Gay Hendricks, author of The Big Leap, would say—writing is one of my zones of genius.

Each video I produced started to feel heavier while I sensed my inner writer side-eyeing me like, “why are you depriving the world of us!?”

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore…And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.”—1 Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭29, 34‬ ‭(New King James Version)

The world needs your core gift the most. Not what you’re good at or even great at; it needs what you’re genius at. Stop ignoring it and lean in. That’s where your magic is.

#6: The freedom you’ve been praying for.

Getting into alignment immediately freed up time and money I didn’t realize I was wasting. No more video meant canceling a subscription expense I no longer needed. Repurposing existing content for the magazine meant reclaiming hours I was spending creating from scratch every week.

I’ve been struggling to get my workouts in. Praying for provision for the vision. Desiring to focus more on family and friends.

Sometimes the freedom you’ve been praying for & complaining about not having is on the other side of just getting aligned.

“In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty.”—Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭(New King James Version)

This experience taught me afresh that paying attention to the signs that you need to get aligned takes work but the rewards are worth it! Do yourself a favor and stop ignoring the freedom you’ve been praying for.

You just read 2,000 words about alignment. Now DO something about it. Get your copy of Big Idea Food®: the 52-week devotional for founders who are done building out of order 💪🏾

Don’t be afraid to pivot even when it’s working.

The people need the thing God actually gave you and so do you. Even if you’re serving them well OUT of alignment, imagine how much better you’ll serve them IN it. And yourself. And God.

Hopefully something here gave you what you needed for your next move. Meet me in the comments:

• What are your alignment or misalignment experiences?

• How is your most recent pivot going?

• Which of these 6 resonated the most?

Heyyy friend! 👋🏾 I’m Marlena Banks-Parks—entrepreneur, Bible teacher, and the founder of Big Idea Food®. I ran a graphic design business for years, then wrote a paperback devotional that hit Amazon bestseller and landed on Yvonne Orji’s “favorite things” list. I’ve coached faith-led founders through launching, pivoting, quitting, and coming back again.

And the thing I keep seeing—in my clients’ lives and in my own—is that strategy without saturation will keep you stuck.

THE REAL PROBLEM

You’re consuming the wrong things.

Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). The amount of defeat, confusion, or striving you’re experiencing right now has a direct correlation with how much of God vs. the world you’re consuming daily. Staying saturated in God’s Word is the warfare. It’s how you stay aligned, winning, shiny (Matthew 5:16) & receive the “all these things” promises from Matthew 6:33.

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”— John 15:5

Just like you can’t survive off the memory of a meal, you can’t survive off the memory of scriptures you’ve read in the past. You’ve got to consume God’s Word daily (Matthew 4:4).

The problem is, even if you’re not “eating” scripture regularly, you’re still eating something every day. Your eyes and ears are the mouth of your soul so everything you consume (from Netflix to music, friend convos, etc) feeds you something—either nutrients or junk. Be honest, how healthy has your diet been lately?

You can’t stay saturated in the world and expect not to drown. If you’re experiencing a high level of anxiety or defeat in your life right now, don’t feel guilty; that’s just a sign that you need to improve your spiritual diet. Big Idea Food® is here to help with that.

WHAT WE’RE BUILDING

Making it easier to stay saturated 24/7.

Right now Big Idea Food® gives you our best-selling paperback devotional + daily devotionals and weekly Bible study plans online built specifically for founders, creatives, and dreamers. Bite-sized, scripture-rooted, relatable—and yes, your edges will be snatched a lil’ bit. You’re welcome 😘

But the vision is bigger: scripture-soaked, bingeworthy media you’ll love more than Netflix: dope stories, music, and cinematography that makes meditating on God’s Word feel less like a chore and more like a craving. That’s where we’re going.

Because the most powerful version of you runs on God's Word. We just make it easier to stay filled up.

THE BEST FIRST STEP

Start with our book.

If you want to get unstuck, build real intimacy with God and invite Him into the everyday of your business—the decisions, the fear, the money, the ideas—our book, Big Idea Food: A Weekly Devotional for Entrepreneurs, Side Hustlers & Dreamers is where to start.

52 short, scripture-rooted devotions to help you hear God more clearly, stop chasing plans He never approved, and build what He actually asked you to build. Without the spiraling or the striving.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

endless receipts.

OUR CONTENT SCHEDULE

The Big Idea Food® Substack gives you…

• Devotionals for Entrepreneurs → Topics on purpose, alignment, mindset, obedience, money, confidence & more that keep you connected with God as you build your vision.

• Bible Plans for Entrepreneurs → That allow you to connect deeper with God and your purpose with curated study notes, songs, sermons, podcast episodes & guided reflections to help you apply what you learn into your daily life.

And because I’m genuinely glad you’re here, we’re gifting all our free subscribers the first 3 chapters of our book Big Idea Food®, the 52-week devotional for entrepreneurs that’s sold thousands, hit Amazon bestseller, and even landed on actress Yvonne Orji’s “favorite things”.

It’s our most popular product and honestly the best place to start if you’re trying to stay aligned with God while building your business… without spiraling, striving, or doing the most 😅

Now, here’s a breakdown of how content flows at Big Idea Food® so you know what to look forward to each week:

• Daily: We drop a bite-sized devotional from our archive inside our notes first thing in the morning to help you kickoff your work day with God’s Word.

• Sundays: New Bible Plans drop to give you something to chew on all week (think Bible App but with daily devotions & reflections geared exclusively to entrepreneurs, creatives & dreamers ✨

Inside BIF+…

When you join paid, you will:

• #BigMoneyMondays: A bite-sized devotional focused on wealth creation, receiving God’s provision & building an abundance mindset—all rooted in Biblical truths.

• Monthly Behind the scenes “How I’m Building This” Conversation on what God is teaching me about wealth, relationships, faith, and building a “Well Done” business.

• Private Group Chat: Connect weekly with a community of faith-led founders on a discussion topic inspired by that week’s Bible plan.

JOIN BIF+

Become a Founding Member.

Inside Build Your Big Idea™ (BYBI) Business School, you will enjoy…

• Christian Business Coaching on Your Schedule: Christ-centered answers to all of your questions via monthly live office hours, private group chat & searchable recordings archive.

• Occasional Live Workshops & Events during our monthly live call to help grow your faith, business & network with other dope founders like you.

BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER

Thank you so much for being here and for checking us out! If you ever wanna say hey, drop a comment. I respond to all of them!

BIG love,
Marlena Banks-Parks
Founder | Big Idea Food®

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