Most of us have heard the story about the rich young ruler and in most of the sermons I’ve heard, the emphasis of the lesson is always on the word rich. The young man was rich, and when he saw Jesus he asked Him how to inherit eternal life. Jesus gave him a few responses along the lines of living a good life and loving others, to which the man said, “But I do all that already.”

Read: I am a good person.

He pressed Jesus for more until Jesus said,

“If you want to give it all you’ve got, go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” (Matthew 19:21 MSG)

That’s when the man walked away, crestfallen (discouraged, disappointed, heavy-hearted).

His reaction begs the question, why?

In fact, looking closely at this passage elicits a lot of whys.

Why did he ask Jesus if he already knew he was a “good” person?

Why did Jesus tell him to do the things that He probably knew this fella was already doing?

Why did the young man press Jesus for more?

Why didn’t he stop with the initial response and feel good about his life and move on?

Why did he become despondent when Jesus gave him the final answer, “sell all your stuff and follow me”?

I don’t think the young man’s issue was just about money. I think it’s more about a way of life and belonging to God. This guy wanted religion, but not necessarily Jesus. He wanted to be able to check some boxes and maybe even receive a pat on the back. He wanted eyes on his behavior so he could hold his head high and be noticed as a godly man.

What he really wanted was recognition from Jesus that he was doing all the right things, perhaps he even thought Jesus would say something like, You don’t have to do anything else; you’ve passed the test. You’re the exemplary believer.

Maybe he even secretly expected Jesus to call the others over and say, Here is a great example of a good man who will inherit eternal life. Instead, what he heard Jesus say was, Give all and belong to me. He walked away with his head hanging low because, as Matthew saw it,

“He was holding tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.” (Matthew 19:22)

We like to check the boxes

We like to make this story all about being rich and materialistic because most of us aren’t super wealthy so we breathe a sigh of relief and think, Phew — that’s not me! I’m not holding onto wealth or hoarding treasure. Pat on back. Check the box. Move onto the next story or parable.

But, examining this chapter more closely, we can see that there was more to the “letting go” than material possessions.

First, the man asked Jesus, “What must I do?” He wanted a list, some boxes to check to prove that his faith was strong, that he was fit for eternal life. He wanted to earn his way. We all know we can’t earn our way to eternal life but we often forget that in our day-to-day living.

“Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Jesus didn’t meet this man with 10 Steps to Eternal Life but answered him with a question that should push us all beyond the superficial checkboxes of religious life. Basically, He says, Why are you asking me? Ask God for yourself. “Do what He tells you.”

This response seems flippant but it gets at the heart of a personal relationship with God. We each must seek Him and listen for personal direction. It’s without a doubt easier to go to church, sit down, be passive, take notes in alliteration, and walk out with the 5 P’s to a Better Life or the 7 R’s for Pleasing God.

Seeking God this way is like the rich, young ruler who asked, “What must I do?” Tell me what to do. If it’s fairly easy I’ll do it. Check the boxes. Pat on back. Earn the gold star and label: Good Christian.

We all want more but we’re afraid

I can’t help but think that this way of worshiping and knowing God was not satisfying to the young man, otherwise, why would he have asked? He was already living a clean, moral life — he didn’t lie, cheat, or murder. He honored his parents and did right by his neighbors. This was all easy for him.

What Jesus pushed him to do was go deeper, to give where it hurt, to see God on a personal — not religious — level.

He pushed him to find his individual purpose, to give his all. Jesus knew this man would not be satisfied with a superficial answer so He gave him something to chew on. Press in deeper, seek God for yourself, give, follow, sacrifice.

I’m reminded of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 12, verse 48.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (NIV)

It’s a personal walk and we all know when we’re trying to get by checking boxes and when we are truly abiding and living as Paul did, crucified with Christ.

The young ruler had more than material wealth, he also had morals, training, self-discipline, and privilege. He had a pretty good life. If we snatched him out of ancient Israel and plopped him into middle-class America he’d fit right in. Just swap out the robe and sandals for some Levi’s and Nike’s and set him up in suburbia with a wife, 2.5 kids, a Subaru, and membership at Grace Church (generic name — no specific church intended), and you wouldn’t know him from any other average church-going American family man.

And yet, Jesus said, there’s more — give all you have because your wealth will be in heaven and then follow Me.

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Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Why did this leave this great guy crestfallen?

I don’t think it was because he was greedy and loved money more than anything. I think it was more about holding onto the things of this world and the pride associated with being a good person.

I have been the rich, young ruler, haven’t you?

It’s easy to fall into this trap once you’ve been a believer in Christ for some time. In fact, most churches make it easy.

Attend church — check.

Live a moral life (relatively speaking in comparison to the culture) — check.

Volunteer and give some money to the poor — check.

Raise your kids to be respectful humans — check.

The list goes on and there is a church culture the permeates middle-class America. It can all look great on the outside, so why are many of us wondering on the inside, What must I do? Am I doing the right things? Is it enough?

It’s not the end of your story

Perhaps we secretly know there is more to belonging to God, to being a follower of Christ and yet we’re not prepared to give it all…not yet anyway. I like to imagine what happens to the people that encounter Jesus in the gospels. I think about what they did next, how their life unfolded. We only see the snapshot in time of their meeting with Jesus. It’s not the end of their story!

We are left with the impression that this young man was proud, perhaps arrogant, superficial, and greedy because he didn’t immediately fall in line with the other disciples as Peter reminded Jesus in verse 27 of Matthew 19: “We left everything. What do we get out of it?” Ah — is Peter much different from the discouraged young man? Peter wants his pat on the back, too! Don’t we all?

We don’t have to be rich to be hesitant to follow Jesus.

Pride prevents many from giving their all. I’m already good — doesn’t that count for something? Holding on tightly to a lot of things can describe a lot of people! Sometimes we hold onto garbage — our sin, past mistakes, regrets, anger, abuse, hurt, fear…the list goes on. It’s hard to follow closely to Jesus when we have so much baggage to carry. Sometimes we make these things idols — wealth is just one example used in this story.

“Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.” — Aubrey De Graf

Pride is a shape-shifter. It takes many forms and deceives within them all. We all fall into the trap of thinking we’ve given our all. The comfort of the American suburban church makes it easy. Most sermons are a Pinterest pin: 5 Steps to Spiritual Maturity, 10 Things A Good Christian Must Do, or How to Grow Closer to God in 30 Days. If you study the gospels, however, you’ll see that Jesus refused to give out formulas. He despised religious strategies and prideful Pharisees.

Every time you and I are tempted to check boxes for Christ we risk wearing the pharisaical spirit.

What do you find hard to let go of? It may be material wealth but it may be your plans — even plans to serve God and do good. It may be the things you can’t hold in your hands but you hold in your heart — pride, personal autonomy, envy, or the need to control how you serve God. It may even be good works or a religious position you’ve worked hard to attain.

The Kingdom of God is an upside down world — or maybe our world is the upside down one and we can’t see the right way to live — whatever — Jesus reminds us in the last line of this story as he sums up the lesson for his disciples:

“But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:30 MSG)

I don’t know about you but this line always makes me want to step down. The closer I get to first, the more I want to let go of something, to set it aside and say, That doesn’t matter or I thought I was supposed to go after this but now I am not so sure. Even now I am grappling with my dream to publish a book.

Is it my dream or God’s dream for me?

Is it something that the world needs or does it just stroke my ego?

Is it a personal marker for me or is it His will?

I want to let go of a lot of things I’ve been holding tightly to because riches come in more than just the form of money and material possessions. We can be rich in knowledge, creativity, ideas, and chock full of good works and a desire to please God, but whenever we hold any of those things to our chest with closed fists we fail to give everything to follow Him.

It’s all personal, Jesus told the young man in verse 17

God has an answer for each of us but we must seek Him. We must listen closely with our hearts and not just our ears and ask, Am I holding this tightly?

I’ve been moved by a recent announcement from a writer in the Christian world who, after several published books, canceled her most recent contract and revealed her desire to let go of her dream of being a published author. She still writes but she’s decided she was holding too tightly to some things and it was time to let go. For her, this calling became the thing she needed to give away in order to crawl through the camel’s eye and inherit God’s secret Kingdom.

I wonder how her story will continue, just as I wonder about the rich young ruler. I like to believe he figured it out. I’m toying with letting go of a few things my heart is super-glued to in order to focus my attention on the less glamorous things I feel called to do.

I want to help and serve with my gifts but my ego confuses me about which gifts those are. The only way I’ll know is to let them go, to “sell all I have” and follow Christ.

Those He chooses to give back are gold and will remain. What flies away is chaff and I’ll be free of ego-driven ideas and the need to check boxes.

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Have you ever wondered why Jesus spoke to a tree?

In Mark 11, Jesus walks up to a fig tree looking for fruit. There isn’t any, and then He simply says,

“May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

The next day, the disciples notice that the tree has withered from the roots.

Peter is amazed that the tree is dead. But Jesus doesn’t spend time explaining the tree. Instead, He begins teaching about faith.

That tells me the lesson was never really about the fig tree. It was about authority.

Jesus wasn’t trying to impress the disciples with a miracle. He was showing them that words spoken in faith have power.

It also teaches us that we have the authority to eliminate anything from our lives that is unproductive, that looks healthy but at its root is unhelpful, harmful, or counterproductive to the fruit God wants to grow in us.

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Let me share a story about something that looks productive but is entirely unhealthy. It is a literal tree—the one you see in the image above. It sits on my neighbor’s property and towers over my tiny home like a menacing disaster waiting to strike.

Don’t get me wrong: I love trees. I hug trees—literally. I name trees. Trees have long been a solace for me—a place I go to for rest or to feel grounded.

But, this tree, it’s not what it looks like.

It looks vigorous and fruitful but, according to the arborist who came to my house, it’s a “nuisance” tree. What tree experts call a tree with no redeeming qualities, a tree that is basically just an overgrown weed, planted in a place where it will only do harm rather than good.

This tree grows vigorously like a weed. It bears no fruit, but it does drop sticky, purple sap on my vehicles, my bike, my house, and my driveway.

This tree offers very little shade; instead it drops branches on my carport, clogs my gutters with dead twigs, and bangs against my home during the strong wind events so common in the mountains of eastern Arizona.

This tree does not have deep roots. It’s a water seeking dragon not suited for a climate that receives only 15-17 inches of rain annually. Those roots are thirsty so they find water—namely my sewer system. This tree has cost me upwards of $4,000 in sewer repairs since I’ve lived in my home.

This tree grows a lot but it’s certainly not fruitful.

Throughout Scripture we see that God creates with words and He tears down with words.

• Jesus calms storms with words.

• He casts out demons with words.

• He heals with words.

• And here He demonstrates authority over creation with words.

Then He immediately tells His disciples that they also must believe when they speak.

So here’s the question for us.

What unfruitful things are you allowing to remain in your life?

Are you tolerating that which appears fruitful on the outside but is rotten at its core?

• a relationship that harms you, drains you, or sucks the life out of you?

• a job that steals your energy and your dreams?

• a situation that has been tolerated for so long you keep doing damage control instead of speaking to it?

Or are you speaking agreement with what God says?

• “I’m a child of God and an heir with Jesus.”

• “God will supply everything I need but I don’t have to tolerate abuse.”

• “I am complete in Christ and His joy is my strength.”

Our words don’t manipulate God into giving us what we want, but they do reveal what we truly believe.

The fig tree reminds us that authority begins with agreement. When our hearts are aligned with God, our words begin to align with Him too.

So today, pay attention to what you tolerate, what you allow to encroach on your territory, and what you’ve simple put up with for so long that you no longer even question whether it’s healthy or not.

Authority begins with agreement and agreement changes everything.

And that tree? It has to come down because it’s encroaching on my property. Neighbors are not happy but they are not permitted to let their mess extend to my peace.

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Heaven and earth were finished, down to the last detail. —Genesis 2:1, MSG

You’ve heard the saying, “the devil is in the details.” but that’s a misappropriation of the truth.

GOD is in the details.

And He’s in the details of your life...if you’ll let Him be.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to live a life and run a business. It’s a combination of strategy and walking by faith without a roadmap.

For example, sometimes God gives promises of the outcome but the only strategy He gives us is the next right step.

Take Abraham, for example. God told him to leave his homeland and go to a new land.

Not a lot of strategy there. Ummm, God could I please have a little more direction?

What God was about to do with Abraham was HUGE - the father of many nations...more descendants that Abraham could see stars in the sky—which was a LOT of stars without our modern day light pollution!

Why not a more detailed strategy? Well, God has His ways. Abraham would be called the father of our faith so he had to learn to trust and walk by faith, not by sight. That was God’s strategy for Abraham.

But then there’s Joshua and God gave Him a very detailed strategy. He told him exactly what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who to do it with take the city of Jericho. See Joshua 6 for this interesting strategy.

But...that strategy must have seemed very odd to a seasoned warrior like Joshua. The temptation would have been to doubt that He heard all those details correctly, to make a few slight adjustments to God’s plan...just tweak a few things here and God would be okay with that, right? I mean, after all, God, marching and blowing trumpets doesn’t sound like conventional warfare. What if we add some scaling of the wall and traditional tactics?

So Joshua had to be trusted with God’s plan just as much as Abraham did. One had a vague strategy, another one had specific details. Both required obedience and trust, and faith in the One who gave them the plan.

God is in the details of your strategy, too. Have you asked Him for that strategy yet? Or has He revealed the plan and you keep adding and taking away from it or delaying your obedience?

God had a strategy for creation. He created and He rested and He did things in an orderly fashion to bring the earth from a “soup of nothingness” (Genesis 1:2) to the magnificent creation we know today. God was very proud of His plan and His creation. After it was done, He pronounced it “so good, so very good!” (Genesis 1:31)

I can’t hand you the strategy your need to run your God-ordained business but I can tell you this: ask the One who has called you to this space for His strategy and then walk it out in obedience.

Don’t worry about anyone else’s strategy! Yours might look vastly different from the conventional way of building an online business but if God is in the details then success is guaranteed!

I would love to hear the strategy that God has shown you. I would love to encourage you to keep listening and keeping walking that road of obedience, no matter what doubts my assail you at times.

And I would love to walk beside you and help you implement that strategy. That’s what Kerry and I are here for.

Reply and tell me about your God-given strategy. What feels fuzzy? What is crystal clear? Where do you need a little lifting of the hands to help you get to your promised land?

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Reflection

Before Israel fought Jericho, before they possessed their inheritance, before they experienced the fullness of the Promised Land...

God told them to stop and to pause long enough to remember where they had come from and all He had done for them.

After crossing the Jordan River, Joshua instructed twelve men to gather stones from the riverbed and build a memorial.

Because people forget.
We forget the prayers God answered and the fears He helped us overcome.
We forget how impossible things once seemed and how where we are now was only a dream and prayer years ago.

And when we forget, we begin doubting Him again.

Over the past several months, we’ve walked a remarkable journey together.

We’ve talked about:

• Leaving Egypt and the systems of stress, striving, and burnout

• Trusting God for manna in the wilderness

• Possessing the land through faith-filled action

• Developing a milk-and-honey mindset

• Building multiple streams of income

• Slaying giants

• Breaking free from limiting beliefs

• Understanding biblical prosperity

• Clarifying your calling

• Multiplying what God has placed in your hands

• Creating income without constant hustle

• Building with flow instead of force

But this journey was never really about digital marketing; you know that right?
It’s about identity.

Maybe you thought the question was: “Can I build an online business?”

But let me challenge you a bit…the real question has always been: “Can I believe God wants more for me than survival?”

Because once you believe that, my friend, everything changes.

Even though you may be dreaming of prosperity, vacations, and a new home, I want you to see that the promised land is not merely a place of arrival or achievement.It’s a way of thinking. a way of trusting, and a way of partnering with God.

And it’s to fulfill our purpose that God wants to take us there. Whether you’ve realized it or not, you’ve already begun the journey.

Digital Tip: Take Inventory Before Taking Action

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Reflection

The Israelites didn’t reach the Promised Land in one giant leap (their faith wasn’t there yet). But they got there eventually, step by step.

God had the vision for them long before they possessed the land. God showed Abraham the promise long before Joshua ever stood at the Jordan River. Vision came first. Then came wilderness, stretching, obedience, and finally movement.

And that’s where you might be stuck.

Because once God shows you the vision, you might feel overwhelmed by the size of it. It might seem frightening and you fear you aren’t up to the task. But that’s because you’re looking at the end instead of the path right in front of your feet.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

When God began stirring my heart toward digital entrepreneurship, I could see pieces of the vision:

• freedom from corporate burnout

• helping others escape survival mode

• creating income through purpose

• building something that aligned with my faith

Not to mention being able to help my children pay off their student loans, buy their first homes, and being able to lay some debt to rest. But I had no idea how all the pieces would come together.

I kept waiting for clarity on the whole plan when God was only asking me for the next step. That’s how He always works.

God doesn’t give us the entire blueprint at once. He gives enough light for obedience.

The Jordan River didn’t part while the priests stood safely on the shore. The water moved when their feet touched it. Again, obedience.

Vision becomes impact through movement. I am not talking about frantic movement or striving. You know that by now, right?

I am encouraging you to just take one faithful next step.

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Digital Tip: Momentum Is Built One Step at a Time

Successful digital businesses are not built through dramatic breakthroughs.

They’re built through consistent, aligned action. Most days look boring, humdrum, and predictable. But, trust me, you will be grateful for the consistency because it’s the backbone of your business.

Daily tasks like:

One post.
One email.
One conversation.
One lead magnet.
One offer.

Impact grows through iteration.

If you are delaying starting because you think you need

• a perfect brand

• a huge audience

• advanced tech skills

• complete certainty

You’re simply delaying your impact, your growth and your obedience.

You don’t need to see the entire staircase.
You need the courage to take the next step.

This is why simple systems matter:
1️⃣ One clear message
2️⃣ One problem you help solve
3️⃣ One offer that serves people well
4️⃣ One consistent action repeated over time

Small obedience compounds.

Encouragement

If the vision God gave you feels bigger than your current capacity, get excited!!!!

That means God is going to move in mighty ways. The Promised Land always feels larger than the wilderness. And even though we don’t want to stay in the wilderness, we often keep ourselves there because we are afraid of the unknown.

Look at the various ways God describes what He wants to give you:

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Reflection

I’ve seen it so many times. The trap of doing more. It’s what most of us do when starting something new.

We replace clarity with effort and assume: “If I just work harder…push a little more…stay up a little later…my breakthrough will come.”

So we strive. We live exhausted and scattered.
We overthink and overwork. We sacrifice rest and self-care.
And we over-consume: Watching one more video will give me an edge. Nope, it just steals more of your time for aligned planning.

We overcomplicate: changing lanes, adding more strategies, programs, or gurus to our long list of resources designed to help us break free. This just creates confusion and friction; nobody knows what you really stand for or how you can help them.

You just become more noise in an already noisy, static-filled online space.

Striving is rooted in pressure.

But God’s Kingdom operates through stewardship.

Striving says:

“It all depends on me.”

Stewardship says:

“I am responsible for what I’ve been given—but I don’t have to force the outcome.”

This is where many people get misaligned in building online income. They are working hard…but not building well.

It’s not bringing them peace and it’s not honoring to God.

Read Mark 4:26-29:

Again Jesus said: God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn’t understand how. It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain. Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.

Digital Tip: Stewardship creates sustainable growth

If you want to build something that actually lasts (income, audience, impact), you have to shift from effort-based building to stewardship-based building.

Here’s what that looks like practically:

1. Steward your focus (not your time alone)

Most people say they “don’t have time”, but the real issue is scattered focus.

Instead of trying to do everything:

• Pick 1 platform

• Pick 1 core message

• Pick 1 audience

And stick with it. Forget the overnight success story. It doesn’t exist. Those gurus telling you about their overnight success aren’t telling you about the years of effort and consistency.

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Reflection

Most people delay impact for one simple reason: They are overlooking what is already working in their life.

Not what they wish they knew.
Not what they think they should know.
But what they already do, understand, and carry naturally.

The problem is, familiarity creates invisibility.

What you do effortlessly doesn’t feel valuable to you — even though it’s exactly what someone else is struggling to figure out.

And this is where people get stuck in building online income:

They assume impact requires reinvention instead of translation. But impact is rarely about learning something new. It’s about recognizing what already exists in you and putting structure around it.

Digital Tip: Impact begins with “transferable clarity”

If you want to build anything online (content, offers, coaching, digital products, services), you don’t start with strategy first.

You start with transferable clarity.

That means:

You take what you already know and ask:

“How would I explain this to someone 2 steps behind me?”

Because most people are not looking for advanced information.

They are looking for relatable direction from someone who has been there.

Here’s how this applies practically:

1. Your experience = your content library

• What problems have you solved in your life or career?

• What systems do you naturally use that others don’t?

• What have you figured out the hard way?

That becomes content.

2. Your repetition = your expertise signal

You don’t need 20 skills.

You need 1–2 areas you can speak about clearly and consistently.

Repetition is what builds trust online, not complexity.

3. Your perspective = your differentiator

Two people can have the same experience but different interpretation and unique delivery.

Your angle matters more than your information.

Ask:

“What do I see differently now because of what I’ve lived through?”

That’s what creates resonance.

Encouragement

You are not starting from zero. You are starting from unorganized value.

And that is a very different problem.

Most people assume:
“If I don’t feel like an expert, I shouldn’t speak.”

But online income is not built from perfection. It’s built from clarity + consistency + usefulness.

You don’t need to sound advanced, just understandable, and able to translate what you already know into something someone else can apply.

And yes…fear will show up here.

Fear will say:

• “Who am I to teach this?”

• “I’m not far enough ahead.”

• “Someone knows more than me.”

But impact doesn’t come from being the most advanced.

It comes from being the most clear for the person you’re called to serve.

Key Scriptures

Luke 16:10
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”
→ Stewardship begins with what you already have, not what you wish you had.

2 Timothy 1:6
“Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you…”
→ Gifts are activated, not discovered from scratch.

Proverbs 12:11
“Those who work their land will have abundant food…”
→ You already have “land” (skills, experience, insight). You cultivate it, not abandon it.

Matthew 25:15
“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one…”
→ Everyone starts with something. Multiplication comes after use.

Journal Prompt

• What do I know now that I didn’t know 2–5 years ago?

• What problems have I already solved in my life or career?

• What do people already come to me for help with (even informally)?

• If I had to teach one simple thing I do naturally, what would it be?

Action Step: The 3-Slice Clarity Exercise

This week, do this simple exercise:

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Reflection

Before Israel could fully possess the Promised Land, they had to confront more than physical enemies.

They had to confront mindsets.

Even after leaving Egypt, Egypt hadn’t fully left them. And we’ve talked about this before: What good is the Promised Land if you still have a slavery mindset? Right?

This was Israel’s problem.
They still thought like slaves.
They still saw themselves as small.
They still doubted what God had said was already theirs.

“We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes…” (Numbers 13:33)

That wasn’t a land problem, it was a belief problem.

And the same is true for us.

Many of us carry beliefs about money that were formed in environments of lack, fear, religion, or survival:

• “Money is hard to earn.”

• “Wanting more is selfish.”

• “If I prosper, I might lose my integrity.”

• “God only provides just enough.” (This is true when you’re in the wilderness but He never intended for you to live in the wilderness; the Promised Land is more than enough.)

These are the kind of beliefs I had to confront this in my own journey. And they are they beliefs you will need to confront—the giants you will need to slay.

I believed God would provide—but quietly, minimally, just enough to get by. I didn’t realize I was limiting Him based on what felt “safe” or “acceptable.”

God doesn’t ask us to shrink our expectations to match our past.

He asks us to renew our minds to match His truth, because you cannot walk in abundance while believing in scarcity.

My mindset shifted the day God said to me: “Mary, you do realize that manna is my mercy provision? It’s what I provide when you are not in my perfect will.”

If you haven’t had this conversation with God yet, it’s time or your business will never take off, never thrive, and you’ll continue to live on the edge of what could be while you settle for “just enough.”

Digital Tip: Your Beliefs Shape Your Business

You cannot build from strategy alone, yet this is where I see so many believers trying to live from. If I post one more piece of content, follow one more guru, edit one more video…then my breakthrough will come.

But you’ve got to back up a few steps…and realize that you can only build from what you believe is possible.

If you believe:

• money is scarce → you’ll underprice, overwork, hesitate, or delay

• success is stressful → you’ll subconsciously avoid growth

• wealth is wrong → you’ll sabotage opportunities

Your mindset becomes your ceiling.

Clearing limiting beliefs is not just spiritual—it’s practical and necessary.

Because when your thinking shifts:

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Reflection

There’s a way to build that feels heavy. We recognize it because it feels forced and rushed. It’s driven by urgency and fear that if you don’t push harder, it won’t work.

That’s the hustle culture. That’s the world’s way. That’s Pharaoh’s system. It’s fear based, scarcity driven, and it feels like a trap that we don’t know how to get out of.

And then there’s a different way that God invites us to. It’s the Promised Land way.

A way that feels like alignment.
It flows because He gives us clarity; it feels right because its foundation is grace.

The difference between flow and force is not effort—it’s Source.

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they didn’t have to manufacture provision. It was waiting for them. They stepped into what had already been prepared for them by God.

Homes they did not build.
Vineyards they did not plant.
Wells they did not dig.

God had already gone before them.

But they still had to show up.
They still had to possess.
God expected them to steward.
They had to trust, believe, and obey.

That’s flow.

Force, on the other hand, is what happens when we try to produce outcomes God never asked for—or in ways He never designed. And here is a news flash: God is not obligated to bless that which He never ordained.

But, in His mercy He often does, even though it breaks His heart that you chose the lesser thing.

I’ve lived in the place of force. And it cost me dearly. God was patient but He eventually let me feel the weight of my unbelief and decisions. It was heavy, and it was filled with regret.

There were seasons where I pushed constantly, trying to make things happen, overworking, overthinking, overcomplicating. Everything felt urgent. Everything felt heavy.

And then there was the shift. It came when God asked me if I wanted to go around the same mountain again or if I wanted to go to the Promised Land.

When I began building in alignment—with digital systems, with clarity, with what God had already placed in my hands and my heart—things started to move differently.

Not instantly…but steadily and peacefully.

And with gratitude came less striving.
With trust came more structure.
With rest I found I could build more with less pressure.
More provision followed until I realized God meant what He said. He would bless me in the land He was giving me and it would not be burdensome or exhausting.

Flow doesn’t mean passive in the sense of waiting for manna to fall from the sky.
It means partnered, and when you partner with God, sometimes manna does fall, sometimes you march in and take the land, and always…He provides.

Digital Tip: Build Systems That Support Flow (Purpose not Pressure)

Force relies on constant effort and striving, but flow is supported by structure.

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Reflection

I see a lot of Christians trying to build wealth, but they are also adding sorrow to their lives. I’ve seen it in the corporate world and I see it in the digital space.

They speak to financial freedom and they’re trying to get others to come along for the freedom ride, but the energy they exude is striving.

That’s because some money comes with anxiety.
Some success comes with exhaustion.
Some growth comes with constant pressure to maintain it.

But Proverbs 10:22 gives us a different picture of increase:

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. (NIV)

The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]. (AMPC)

If the Lord blesses you, you are really rich. Hard work will not make you any richer. (EASY)

This is a powerful verse in any translation but the AMPC is my favorite. That phrase — adds no sorrow — changes everything.

When Israel entered the Promised Land, God did not lead them into frantic survival. He led them into cultivated abundance. There were still responsibilities. There was still stewardship. But there was not slavery.

In my early years, I believed income required depletion. If I was tired, it meant I was earning it. If I was stressed, it meant I was building something important.

But when I stepped into digital entrepreneurship after unemployment, something shifted. As systems began to work, as income flowed from assets instead of constant exertion, I saw a new model:

Provision that didn’t cost my peace.
Purpose that didn’t equate to striving.

That doesn’t mean effortless or “easy money.”
It means aligned. It means producing from a place of rest.

The blessing of the Lord doesn’t demand your health as payment.
It doesn’t require your family as collateral.
It doesn’t consume your identity.

The kind of wealth God provides is marked by balance, trust, and peace.

And peace is the proof of alignment.

Digital Tip: Build Income That Doesn’t Burn You Out

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Reflection

God’s design for provision has always been based on wisdom.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 11, we’re given a strategy that sounds surprisingly modern:

Cast your bread on the waters.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight.
You do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

That’s not hustle my friends, that’s prudence.

For years, I believed security meant one paycheck. One employer. One source. One “safe” stream. But when that stream dried up during unemployment, I realized something:

One stream can stop flowing and when it does disaster can come quickly.

But God taught me to depend on Him in the wilderness.
He reminded day after day that HE was my Provide. Not the government, not an employer, not my own wits and talents. Jehovah Jireh.
As God led me to the Promised Land he began to teach me strategy. And that strategy was based on creating multiple streams of income.

Multiple income streams aren’t about greed hustle.
They’re about resilience and stewardship and the wisdom of not placing your entire future in one fragile basket.

Digital Tip: Diversification Is a Kingdom Principle

📖 Ecclesiastes 11:2 (NIV)
“Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.”

In today’s digital world, that looks like building complementary income streams from one aligned foundation.

One program can create:
1️⃣ Direct sales income with Master Resell Rights
2️⃣ Affiliate income
3️⃣ Recurring subscription income
4️⃣ Digital asset income

That’s not scattering your focus.
That’s multiplying your seed.

The key is alignment — not chaos.

You don’t need five unrelated businesses.
You need one strong ecosystem that allows provision to flow from multiple directions.

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He who hesitates is lost, or so the saying goes.

I sell a digital marketing program. This program includes courses on creating compelling social media content and using AI like Chat GPT or Gemini to develop scripts that speak to your customer.

The idea is to address their pain points and explain how your program, product, or service solves their problem.

Our mentor always teaches us to create prompts and calls to action that promote a sense of urgency in the buyer’s decision to act now.

There’s a reason for this.

When you are nudged to do something your future self will benefit from, especially if it is outside your comfort zone, your subconscious mind will quickly step in to sabotage you.

Self-sabotage happens when our logical conscious mind gets in conflict with our subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is known as the anti-self, that critical inner voice, that holds us back and undermines our efforts and best intentions. Self-sabotage is any action that gets in the way of achieving your goals.

Have you ever taken so much time to think about an opportunity that you lost it?

That’s because our brains want to keep us safe. Investing in a new business or taking on a new venture that will require us to step outside our comfort zones is risky to the part of our brain wants us to resist change.

“Opportunity knocks at every man’s door, but not everyone has the courage to welcome it because it’s often disguised as fear.” — Ali Sayyid

I am the queen of overthinking. I’ve let resistance hold me back for years. YEARS. And it’s time for that to end.

I watched a video with two prophetic voices, Katie Souza and Cindy Jacobs. Cindy told the story of traveling in Mexico when God gave her the word “basta.” She asked her cab driver what it meant, and he said it was a strong word, spoken with great emotion and conviction: “Enough, stop it!”

Cindy prayed and asked God to show her the fullness of the message, and God said that many of his children were not receiving their blessings because of the spirit of delay.

Delay — on our part? Delay — from unbelief and inaction? Delay — spiritual battles in unseen places?

Delay. Delay. Delay.

BASTA! Enough! Stop the delay!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. — (Proverbs 13:12, NIV)

Faith requires us to step out even when we don’t see the path or have all the answers to our questions. That wouldn’t be faith if we had the blueprint or the roadmap, now would it?

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. — (Hebrews 11:1, TLB)

When you’re presented with an opportunity, how do you react? Do you think this might be something God’s put in my path? I will reach out and take hold of it. Let’s see where it goes because I trust God is good, and he has a plan I can’t yet see.

Or do you recoil from the idea of risk, step back from the initial urge to step out in faith, and then let the enemy talk you out of your blessing? Do you delay your blessings and answers to prayer because of fear, resistance, or limited thinking?

From yes to willing to victory

God gave me my word of the year two years ago: Yes. He said it was time to stop living with a No mindset. He asked me to say yes to whatever came my way (within the guidelines of truth and goodness, of course), not overthink it, and to trust.

The following year, he gave me the word willing. I wanted to be willing to listen to his voice, follow his footsteps, which drip with abundance, venture forth in faith, be obedient, taste, and see that he is good.

You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. — (Psalm 65:11, NKJV)

I wanted to be willing to receive. After a lifetime of living in the realm of No, I wanted to see all the blessings I had delayed because of limited thinking to be showered into my life.

What holds you back from receiving?

Is it a No or lack mindset? Limited thinking? Ask God to expand your mindset and to help your unbelief.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” — (Mark 9:23–24, NKJV)

Is it fear? That is easy to demolish. Look up verses on fear in the Bible — there is a plethora to choose from, and begin proclaiming them over your life.

My favorites:

There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. — (1 John 4;18, GNT)

Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! — (Joshua 1:9a, TLB)

Why not commit to saying yes when God prompts you about something?

A common sales practice is to get the buyer to commit now. The salesperson knows that once the buyer steps back to think about the purchase, they will talk themselves out of it even if the car, the vacuum, or the business opportunity is right for them.

Altar calls are standard practice in churches. When the Spirit of God is moving, and hearts have been softened from worship and the preaching of the word, unbelievers are open to accepting Christ as their Savior. Once they go home, however, their minds and the enemy will conjure up a million reasons why what they felt wasn’t real and cause them to delay salvation in their lives.

But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord. — (Ezekiel 12:25, 28 NIV)

What are you delaying? It’s not too late to receive. Repent of unbelief and ask God to help you receive.

BASTA! Enough! Stop it! Open your mind and hands and receive what God wants for you!

Mary Gallagher teaches freedom seekers how to uncover their true identity so they can do what they love and build a lifestyle of peace, purpose, and prosperity. After decades of striving, she’s finally found her peaceful, decluttered writing space in a tiny home in the White Mountains of Arizona where the elk sleep under the Milky Way in her backyard. You can share this publication with someone who needs to find rest for their souls and purpose in their life by clicking on the button below.

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Reflection

Once the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, God didn’t leave them wandering.

Each tribe received a specific portion of the land, a defined territory and an inheritance with boundaries

The Promised Land isn’t about finding comfort. It’s about stepping into your purpose. God never wastes anything. We’ve each been given passions, skills, gifts, and experiences that are meant to serve the world.

Your passion isn’t an accident or a cruel joke; it’s the deep desires God’s placed inside you to propel you into your calling.

Many believers stall here—not because they lack faith, but because they’re unsure what they’re supposed to build.

After hosting my Passion to Profits workshop, I realized something important about my own journey:
God had already given me the raw materials for provision long before I understood how they fit together. While I was teaching digital business owners about passion and purpose, I was clarifying my own!!

My story.
My skills.
My values.
My compassion for people stuck in survival mode.

What I lacked wasn’t purpose—it was permission to claim it.

In the wilderness, survival blurs calling.
In the Promised Land, calling becomes clear.

God doesn’t prosper people randomly.
He prospers assignments.

And many believers delay provision because they haven’t clarified what they’re meant to cultivate.

“The things you are passionate about are not random—they are your calling.”

— Fabienne Fredrickson

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I love to look at jewelry. It doesn’t matter what kind, but I particularly like hand-crafted one-of-a-kind jewelry — the kind you find at festivals and fairs filled with ordinary people showcasing their craft and sharing their creative life with the world. I love the variety of designs, the elements of each piece strung together into one-of-a-kind works of art.

I usually stop at every jewelry booth I see, but I rarely buy. It’s not that I don’t find beautiful pairs of earrings or turquoise bracelets I’d love to wear, it’s simply because I already own so many pieces of jewelery that I can’t wear them enough to appreciate them.

If I acquire more jewelry, I feel as if I’ll cheapen the pieces I do have. Buying for the sake of buying is something I’m philosophically opposed to, so in order for me to make a purchase at one of these booths the piece has to speak to me.

Yet, I can’t help but be drawn to these booths as I walk through the fairs and festivals, even when I know I will not buy. I touch the chains, try on a few rings, my eyes linger, trying to take in all the beauty of the stones and crystals, the unique designs of twisted metal and hammered silver or copper. I want to hold these pieces, wear them, keep them to admire, but I can’t. They are not all meant for me to own.

Still, I am so appreciative of the artist’s craft that I murmur things like, “It’s all so beautiful.” “So pretty.” or “I love this.” And then I slink away, feeling slightly guilty that I’ve derived so much pleasure from the artist’s designs and yet I know I’ve disappointed them when I fail to purchase.

Some will approach me and try to entice me with explicit details of their design process or the quality of their work and the materials they used. That doesn’t make me buy and I feel worse thinking they think I don’t appreciate their work enough to take it home and make it mine.

Sometimes I just walk past their booths, willing myself not to turn and look because I think it’s kinder to not look than to stop and buy nothing.

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We’re All Creatives

I string words together and create too. And I understand that disappointment when readers look but do not buy or when people walk past my words not seeing the value in them. I feel the same twinge of rejection I sense the jewelry makers must feel when I finger their creations but walk away.

Don’t my readers (or potential readers) know how much work goes into each story I craft, carefully turning words over and choosing them, inserting them into the settings of hammered out sentences? Do they not understand that a piece of my heart and creative soul are embedded on each page that my fingers shape?

To be ignored, passed by, it hurts a little, and I compare my craft to the jewelers. Often I can admire a piece of jewelry for its craftsmanship and design knowing it’s not a piece I’d never wear. It’s too big, too delicate, too loud, the wrong color, too expensive.

I suppose my words feel too loud or clunky for some, too mundane or ordinary for others. Many will look, peruse, but keep walking with their eyes. Others will stop, linger for a moment, consider taking my words home with them but then turn away. Wrong timing, too heavy, they don’t have the room for these words in their hearts.

But some will stop, a bauble or two will catch their eye. They’ll try a few words on, smile and say, “Yes, this is just the piece I’ve been looking for!”

On Feeling Rejected

I think I’ll always stop at every jewelry booth, enjoy the beauty of the creative expression wrought forth in each design, and say, “Well done. Beautiful work. Your contribution to the world is noble and right. Keep creating!”

I’ll do this because I understand that the artist has laid her heart out for the world and it’s a vulnerable way to live.

Going forward, I’ll refrain from receiving rejection when many pass by my creations, it’s simply not the right fit for them. But I will keep creating, making art with my words because I never know when someone will take them home and make them their own.

If you like my words enough to share please use the button below.

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For most of my life, I thought my self-worth depended on my productivity and the approval of others.

With the help of a mindset coach, many self-help books, guidance from the Holy Spirit, and seeing the Bible through the lens of Love instead of fear, I’ve changed that narrative.

Change is Possible!

Striving and performing is exhausting! I lived under constant self-imposed pressure to be perfect. Perfection drove me to protect myself from ridicule, criticism, and judgment.

It turns out that the only person who judged me was myself (my inner critic). Yes, others judged me all the time, but I didn’t understand that I was inviting them to the table.

I used to lament that no matter what church I went to or what job I had, the critics eventually found me and shattered my newfound confidence.

Why did this pattern keep repeating itself? Maybe you’ve seen similar patterns in your life or those you love.

Why does my sister keep picking abusive partners?

How does a sexual assault victim seem to attract predators?

Or the opposite:

Everything he touches turns to gold.

She always rises to the top at every job and is well respected by her colleagues.

It’s energy

Vibes, man, if you are a flower child of the ’70s. We attract what we are, what we think of ourselves, and what we believe we deserve. It’s that simple.

When my son got involved with the wrong crowd in high school, we considered pulling him from the public school system and sending him somewhere else. The superintendent told us if my son was determined to be with a certain group, no matter where he went, he would navigate toward that crowd. Wise advice. The change had to come from within, not without.

The more I criticized myself and strove for perfection — beating myself up when I fell short — the more I opened the door for others to criticize me.

I needed to change inside before I could expect others to respect and treat me with grace and compassion. I didn’t give myself any grace and was highly critical of everyone around me. I didn’t see this self-fulfilling cycle.

Love yourself. Be clear on how you want to be treated. Know your worth. Always. — Maryam Hasnaa

But change is possible!

You can tell others how you want to be treated by how you treat yourself. What you tolerate is the bar you set.

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My mother taught me how to let others misuse me. She let other people define her and mistreat her. It was a pattern she seemed helpless to change.

But change is possible and sometimes comes in unexpected ways.

As my mother’s dementia progressed, she no longer carried the weight of everyone else’s problems and opinions on her shoulders. She was as peaceful and carefree as I had ever seen her.

And she began to speak her mind. If she didn’t want something, she let us know. Usually, it was something good for her, like a shower or medication, but I was still proud of her for finally speaking up for herself.

Change is indeed possible

If you don’t like your current situation, if you’re fed up with how others treat you, or if you are genuinely sick and tired of being sick and tired, it’s time for a change.

And that change begins with you. Don’t look for change outside yourself because the world only reflects your beliefs about yourself. To change the criticism, I had to stop criticizing myself and others. I had to learn to look in the mirror and say (with feeling and belief) things like

You are worthy. You are enough. Your best is good enough.

I had to set boundaries so people who had discovered my weak spots could no longer use or abuse me. And I had to shift my internal dialogue.

Don’t wait for others to change or treat you how you deserve. It doesn’t work that way. Change is possible, but it must begin with you!

Start with your words

Adopt affirmations that reflect the changes you want to see. You may not feel like you’re speaking the truth at first, but keep going, and the feelings will follow.

Fake it until you feel it!

Set boundaries and stick to them. Don’t get upset when others get angry at you for protecting your well-being. Don’t fall for their manipulation or martyr acts. Hold your ground.

You are moving things around, making it uncomfortable for a while.

Let this be your first affirmation as you work toward change in any area of your life: change is possible.

Let me be the first to reflect this back to you: Change is possible. I believe you; go for it.

Mary Gallagher teaches freedom seekers how to uncover their true identity so they can do what they love and build a lifestyle of peace, purpose, and prosperity. After decades of striving, she’s finally found her peaceful, decluttered writing space in a tiny home in the White Mountains of Arizona where the elk sleep under the Milky Way in her backyard. You can share this publication with someone who needs to find rest for their souls and purpose in their life by clicking on the button below.

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Reflection

At some point on the Promised Land journey, a deeper question surfaces:

Does God actually want me to prosper?
Or does He only bless some believers with peace, purpose, and prosperity?

Many believers were taught—explicitly or quietly—that blessing is suspicious. That prosperity is dangerous and that abundance must be justified. That wanting more means wanting too much.

But Scripture tells a different story.

When God brought His people into the Promised Land, He didn’t say:
“Be careful not to enjoy this too much.”

He warned them not to forget where it came from.

Prosperity was never the problem.
Independence from God was.

The Promised Land wasn’t/isn’t about excess—it was about alignment.
Provision that flows from relationship.
Wealth that serves purpose.
Increase that reflects trust.

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This is a true story

For a long time, I believed God would meet my needs—but only barely. Enough to survive. Enough to get by. Enough to be grateful.

One day, several months into my unemployment to the Promised Land journey, I was in prayer and I asked God, “Lord, what do you want to give me?”

His response, “Look into my coffers. I want you to have it all.”

That floored me. It’s pretty humbling to hear the Lord of the Universe tell me that everything He has is available to me.

So why don’t I have it “all”? It’s clearly not being held back by God. It’s limited thinking on my part. It’s the part of my brain and spirit that still struggles with, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

It’s my wilderness mindset that still pauses and says, “This is good enough. I could settle here.”

Are You Still Settling?

Remember how we’ve talked about:

Egypt: not enough
Wilderness: just enough (this is where most believers get stuck!)
Promised Land: more than enough

As I walked out of the wilderness—through unemployment, fear, and uncertainty—and into digital entrepreneurship, I began to see something clearly:

God wasn’t reluctant to provide.
He was waiting for me to believe He wanted to.
Most of us believe God can…the trip wire comes in when we are asked to believe that He will—for us.

Prosperity wasn’t something I had to convince God to give.
It was something I had to stop resisting.

If the thought of asking for it “all” feels irreverent or greedy, remember this: Kingdom wealth isn’t about accumulation.
It’s about assignment.

God prospers His people so they can:

• Build

• Serve

• Give

• Create

• Influence

• Restore

• Point the world back to Him

The Promised Land was never about luxury.
It was about capacity, identity, and God’s goodness.

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Life’s not fair and that’s a good thing.

We learn this in Matthew 20: 1–16

The story goes like this. A man hired some workers to work in his vineyard for the day. Some started at sunrise, some came on at noon, and others only did a few hours work in the evening. At the end of the day, the owner of the vineyard paid each worker the same wage — the full day’s wage. Of course, those who worked all day were outraged that those who only worked a few hours received the same pay. They all exclaimed, “That’s not fair.”

I know this feeling all too well, don’t you?

“But the boss replied, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” (Matthew 20:13–15)

When my youngest son, Sean, was still riding a tricycle my oldest challenged him to a race down the long driveway. Ryan, older by more than 3 years, of course, won the race. When he reached the finish line he waved his fist triumphantly and proclaimed, “I’m the winner!” Sean immediately raised his fist in the air and announced, just as proudly, “I’m the loser!”

If only childlike innocence and joy could stay with us.

Where did the joy go?

We lose our joy when we find that being the loser isn’t what is rewarded in this life. Can we find a way to retain this innocence in joy for ourselves and our children? Is it possible to keep in the forefront of our minds and spirits the truth that Jesus taught?

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16, NIV)

Can we be okay with not getting the prize, the crown, the adoration, the recognition, the award, the vanity metrics, and the pat on the back? Can we find joy in the work, the play, the interaction, and the privilege to be part of this life?

Losing is the way to winning but who wants to hear that?

It’s a sobering thought to think of how we might behave differently and strive less if we knew that losing was the way to winning in God’s kingdom. If we soul-deep believed that God’s kingdom, upside-down and backward from this world’s system, was present for us today.

I often lament to God feeling much like the worker who started at sunrise.

I’m the one everyone comes to for advice, support, and encouragement to take the next step. Yay! I love that I can help. But time and time again, I’ve watched those same people move on past me, over me, sometimes stepping on me, to get ahead.

It’s then I wonder, “How is this fair, God?”

And Jesus answers me, “Is it okay if that’s how I want to use you in this world? I haven’t cheated you of anything. I am still giving you what I promised you.”

Am I a loser?

I admit I don’t raise my fist and proudly proclaim, “I’m a loser!” when people walk on me and over me on their way to success. No, I’m not childlike enough to be that pure in heart. But I know it’s possible to get there and I know it’s what Paul talks about in Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

I’m reminded of a song lyric from Audio Adrenaline that says, “All the losers get a crown.”

That’s me. That’s you. Rejoice!

We will get our crowns

We’re going to get crowns for being losers, for not being able to squeeze out of life what we feel we need. We’re going to get a crown for understanding grace and our need for a Savior. We’ll get a crown because we’ve learned that life isn’t fair and that we don’t live for this life.

A crown that says, “Here’s everything I promised you.”

I’ll look upon that crown with awe and unbelief and then lay it at the feet of the One Who won the race and gave more than just His back for me. He is the one that deserves the triumphant shout.

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.

Thanks for reading! I’m Mary, I am still learning to shout triumphantly, “I’m the loser!” I love grace but don’t always receive it well or give it generously. But I’m here, sometimes showing up at sunrise and sometimes not until noon. Always grateful my Boss is the generous type.

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Reflection

When God brought the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land, He wanted them to see that they already had everything they needed to walk in to their destiny and promise.

He gave them land and expected them to cultivate it.
He gave them resources and expected them to steward them.
He gave them identity and expected them to live from it.

This has always been God’s pattern. Everything in scripture starts with a seed. We have been given the mandate to cultivate what God gives us. That includes the gifts and passions hiding inside our hearts.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents and it’s not a story about hustle. It’s a story about faithful multiplication.

Each servant was given something.
Not the same amount.
But each was expected to do something with what they had.

The servants who multiplied were praised — not for grinding — but for stewarding.
The one who buried his talent wasn’t punished for lack.
He was corrected for fear. For holding back and not building with what God had given him.

That parable began to land differently for me once I stepped into digital entrepreneurship.

For years, I believed that income had to come from exhaustion. That security came from toil and that multiplication required sacrifice of peace. But as God led me out of corporate dependence and into digital marketing, I saw something new:

God wasn’t asking me to create something from nothing.
He was asking me to use what was already in my hands.

My story.
My experience.
My skills.
My passions.

What once felt “ordinary” suddenly became seed.
🌱And that’s exactly how the Promised Land works.

God doesn’t expect you to strive endlessly.
He expects you to plant, steward, and allow increase.

This is identity work.
The Israelites had to stop seeing themselves as slaves and start seeing themselves as heirs.
And so do we.

Digital Tip: One Seed Can Become Many Streams

In the digital world, multiplication doesn’t start with complexity — it starts with clarity.

One idea can become:

• A digital product ($17 -$47)

• An affiliate income stream (multiple income streams that add up monthly)

• A workshop ($27 -$197)

• A subscription ($5 -$50/monthly)

• An automated funnel (leading people to multiple paid offers)

• A full income-producing ecosystem (your business hub)

This is how one talent becomes many.

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I’m listening to Elizabeth Gilbert read Big Magic — a book I think I’ll reread at least once a year for the rest of my life. Her description of how inspiration works and our responses to it are fascinating and give credibility to many experiences I’ve had with the creative life.

Recently, in the middle of the night — somewhere in that half-asleep/half-awake state — an idea for an article came to me along with several well-crafted sentences. I remember thinking, ‘I should get up and write this down before I lose it’ but my body was paralyzed under the warm blanket of sleep and refused to cooperate with my mind. You know the feeling when you’re willing yourself to move your arm or open your eyes so you can escape a nightmare but your body won’t respond.

I purposely repeated the lines in my mind and assured myself (while instantaneously acknowledging that I was feeding myself a lie) that I would remember the idea and the perfectly structured sentences in the morning.

Upon awakening, I did remember that inspiration had visited me in my sleep but — as I suspected and had experienced before — I could not even remotely remember what it was she whispered in my ear.

Why does inspiration show up when we are ill-prepared to receive her?

It seems like a cruel joke for inspiration to come at such times when the body is unable to react or take dictation. I want to be a faithful recipient for inspiration but why does she show up when there is nothing I can do to capture what she’s saying?

Well-turned sentences and brilliant ideas have come to me at other times as well — in the shower, while driving, or washing dishes. I’m sure you can relate. I once knew a colleague who, when posed with an idea or plan during a brainstorming session would say, “I’ll shower on that.” She knew that all her fresh ideas or solutions to problems came to her in the shower.

I know, technically, why this happens. Our minds are relaxed, not filled with the endless tasks and lists that our conscious self has created and labeled as “important.” Our bodies are otherwise engaged — hands in soapy water, relaxed and rested, or involved in a mundane task that doesn’t require concentration.

When we perform such tasks — anything routine or perfunctory, really — it frees up the part of our minds that has to work hard to assist us. Inspiration, free-thinking, creativity, fresh ideas, solutions, and inventions can slip in and catch our attention. “Oh, hey, I see you are freed up for a moment, I have an idea for you.” It’s why Sheldon Cooper took a job waiting tables at the Cheesecake Factory when he was stumped in a critical part of his equation.

But what can we do when inspiration comes and we are unable to grab it and capture the words and ideas?

I used to get frustrated about this and beat myself up for not having the discipline to wake up and write or figure out a way to snag every creative idea that flitted through my mind. But now, listening to Liz Gilbert explain the magic of inspiration and how much it wants to be found, I think there is no way inspiration would be that cruel.

I think she is more like a gentle breeze that blows where and when she wishes. Sometimes she only wants me to know that she is near, but she has no intention (at least not yet) of being captured. I think she often tests me — like a shy girl flirting with a new acquaintance. She wants to know that I’ll recognize her, notice her, pay attention, see her worth, desire her to stay, but she’s not ready to settle in with me yet.

On those days when I’ve lost the whisper, I have to trust that inspiration will return, that she’s wiser than I am and that she’ll bring the words back to me — if indeed they were meant for me. For as Gilbert says, oftentimes inspiration visits but moves on to someone else. Maybe the idea was flirting with you but you were not prepared, or ready, or willing to receive it. She moves on — like the seeds of a dandelion puff — not meant for us to capture but simply be inspired and intrigued by.

Maybe, at times like this, inspiration is just being playful with me, flitting by to tickle my nose and prick my ears. To remind that she’s all around, to tease me so I’ll want more of her.

Ah, inspiration, you little flirt. You know exactly what you’re doing because I woke up this morning hungry for more like I haven’t in weeks! Okay, you’ve got my attention, I’m listening…but please speak clearly and slowly…and wait — hold on, let me grab a pen!

What do you do when inspiration strikes? Have you found ways to capture it even when you are unprepared?

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Reflection

The wilderness isn’t just a place of testing, it’s also a place of decision.

God never intended Israel to live there and He doesn’t want you setting up residence there either. The wilderness is always a passageway, not a permanent address. But over time, fear creeps in. Waiting grows uncomfortable. And instead of trusting God’s timing, we start reaching for what feels familiar, or even dreaming about turning back because what we know is often more comforting than the unknown.

Stretching our faith in the waiting is one of the tests most believers fail, but it doesn’t have to be your story.

The Israelites lost faith in the wilderness. They tested God’s and Moses’ patience many times. They were what God called, a “stiff-necked” people.

They built altars where they were meant to keep moving.
They crafted golden calves while God was still speaking.
They longed for Egypt even though Egypt was bondage.

Halfway through my own wilderness season — nine months of unemployment, uncertainty, and waiting — I hit that same crossroads.

A corporate job was offered to me.
It looked like the responsible decision. The pay was predictable, the position safe. Well-meaning friends and family told me to take it, but my heart felt heavy and the heavy feeling of disobedience created anxiety in my body.

And then God spoke clearly to my spirit:

“Now you want to stop in the middle of the wilderness and build a golden calf?”

That moment exposed a lot of things that I needed to see.

The offer wasn’t evil.
But it wasn’t obedience.

Going back would have quieted my fear, but it would have silenced God’s invitation to keep moving forward. It would have meant choosing familiarity over faith, comfort over calling, security over surrender. I would not see what God had planned for me if I aborted the journey. It was too high a price to pay and I politely declined the offer.

The wilderness will always offer you something almost right to see if you trust God enough to wait for what’s fully promised.

And here’s the hard truth that you need to hear:
Many people never reach the Promised Land — not because God didn’t lead them — but because they stopped walking when it got uncomfortable.

Digital Tip: Don’t Rebuild What God Delivered You From

In business and income-building, golden calves often look like:

• Returning to systems that drained you “because at least they’re reliable”

• Abandoning vision for short-term relief like a predictable paycheck

• Settling for survival income instead of building sustainable freedom

Digital entrepreneurship requires patience and obedience, especially in the early stages. The wilderness phase is where foundations are laid, skills are sharpened, and trust is tested.

Don’t confuse delay with direction change.

If God called you out of burnout, scarcity, or dependence on broken systems, don’t rebuild them just because the waiting feels long.

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