Failure to Thrive: Encouragement for Christian Leaders

Hello, welcome to Facebook and YouTube, and I'm also live on Instagram as well. So hello, I know people kind of come in and out, um, thank you so much for being here. Uh, if you come back to watch the replay later, uh, be sure to put hashtag replay. If you on, on any of my platforms now, be sure to put in the comment section like where you from, like what state you're from, um, and all that good stuff. Okay, hello from Singapore! Hello, hello, hello, Miss Christina! Hello to Remy, she is from Florida, my sister. Hello! Alrighty, so I'm gonna go ahead and begin. I'm not gonna hold you guys, um, up that long on tonight, but I want to be obedient and really release, um, this particular teaching tonight for, um, Christian leaders. All right. So hi from Sunrise, Florida. Hello, good evening, good evening. So this live tonight is for those who are probably already in ministry. You're already serving in, um, you know, whether you at church, whether you have ministry at home, marketplace ministry, and so much more. Okay, um, and tonight's title is called, um, let me see, I'm sorry you guys. Failure to Thrive. There you go, Failure to Thrive: Encouragement for Christian Leaders. Okay, and so also, I'm, I'm going ahead and make a quick announcement really quickly. So, um, November 24th, I'm having a free webinar called How to Set Healthy Boundaries God's Way: Empowering Christian Leaders to Thrive. Okay, you can register for that on Eventbrite or on my, um, website. So if you are on Facebook and on YouTube is already in the comment section. If you were on Instagram, it will be in the description in my profile. Um, also you can comment below, you can put, uh, #Boundaries, and I'll be sure to DM that to you as well. Okay, so if you are a Christian leader who is seeking to learn how to set healthy boundaries, this is for you. It is free. Uh, you also receive a free, um, um, ebook as well. It's a short guide. Uh, but in addition to that, I just published, uh, my newest book called How to Set Boundaries God's Way. So here is the book, you guys. Ah, it's amazing! Here we go, here we go. Can you see it on Facebook and YouTube? There we go. And so this book is actually on sale right now for half off, um, for only $10. Now that's the ebook version, and so far people have been buying the book. Um, I've been hearing nothing but good things about it, and so I'm excited for you all to get this in your hand. Um, if you want to have it in paperback format, I will have it available, I believe, next week. Okay, next week. Okay, I know for me, I like to have stuff in my hand most of the time, um, but ebook is also, um, really good too for, um, for on the go if you want to be on your cell phone or a tablet or your computer. Okay, all right, so let's go ahead and get that out the way and get into today's message. So probably about 3 weeks ago, um, 2 weeks ago, I went live and did a teaching called, um, Failure to Launch. That live was for Christian leaders who God has called into the forefront to serve and to lead, right? And you may be fearful, you may be struggling to launch out due to fear, due to low confidence, and so much more. So if you want to watch that, be sure to go back and watch the, um, replay of that too. So tonight is called Failure to Thrive. Failure to thrive. And the Lord gave me those— these two different, um, words maybe about a month ago to share with you all, and it blew my mind. It was just amazing. He began to speak to me about the heart of those who are not thriving as Christian leaders, okay, in this season. And so what does failure to thrive mean? Okay, it is defined as the— decelerated or arrested physical growth and is with abnormal growth and development. This is a term that is used for children, for the most part, who fail to gain weight high according to standard medical growth charts. It is a sign that children are undernourished, not getting enough calories to grow and gain weight in a healthy way. So when kids can't gain, gain weight, they often may not grow as tall as they should. Okay, and so when I read that, I'm like, wow, God, that is so amazing, because this is what happens for those who are called to Christian leadership or in Christian leadership, whatever. They're not thriving, meaning they are lacking, you know, confidence, lacking, um, stability, um, have anxiety, right? Really struggle with a lot of different things. And so what happens is I Personally, in my life, I have seen leaders who have been called to the forefront, um, earlier than what God had intended because people have dropped the ball. So actually, I had a mentor many, many years ago who— like, God, it's been a long time, y'all. I ain't gonna tell my age again, but yeah, many, many, many years ago. And God launched her into ministry early, okay, to the point where she still struggled with her confidence, she still struggled with self-esteem. Now she's amazing. She was more of mentor when it came to, um, spiritual development and when it came to my prophetic call, okay? But other than that, she really couldn't mentor me in confidence or self-esteem or be, you know, she couldn't do that because she didn't really have it, to be honest. And so she knew that, so she was in counseling, she went to therapy, you know, all that good stuff. And so what I'm seeing is many people are confident in who they are when it comes to their gifts and the anointing on their life, okay? But outside of that, baby, they lack so much confidence. I remember when I first, um, began to, um, counsel people in my private practice, God was sending me Christian leaders to counsel them, okay? And some of them were absolutely amazing, anointed, beautiful men and women of God who were just full of gifts and talents and so much more. But they struggled with anxiety, confidence, low self-esteem. They struggle with identity, knowing who they are, depression, perfectionism, unresolved trauma, and all these different things, right, that they had not dealt with. So they was coming to see me to deal with some of these things, okay? And so, um, as I began to like look, you know, deeper into this, you know, the Holy Spirit was also, you know, showing me. He was like, meaning of my people feel like that them being gifted and anointed is the only thing I care about. He said, no, I care about every single detail of their lives. And for me, as I grew into leadership, as I grew into my call and my anointing, the Lord had to remind me of that all the time because it's easy to get into this striving, okay, this state of striving, right? God wants you to go from striving to thriving, all right? He does not want you to be, you know, working to earn his love. He doesn't want you to be working to people please, to make everybody else happy. But he wants you to be sure and confident in yourself. He wants you to be solid and rooted in confidence. Who are you outside of preaching and teaching? Who are you outside of being in the pulpit, being at work, whatever God's calling you to do? Who Who are you? How do you feel on the inside when everything settles? Okay, when everything settles, how do you feel about yourself? All right, and oftentimes people don't take out time to really think about that. And also sometimes, you know, we're not even really sure what that looks like because we're so used to operating in that vein, okay, for many months and many years, and it becomes a part of who you are. And so you could be thinking that, okay, this is it, this is enough, you know, God called me to this thing, I'mma do it, and I'll just thug it out. I'll just thug it out. I'll just, you know, keep on moving, right? And not really take out time to invest time into your personal development, okay? Now, when you are struggling in this area, you guys, this definitely can stunt your growth. This is why God told me to call it Failure to Thrive, because you can reach a certain threshold but because you got all these things under here that you haven't dealt with yet, it can literally be holding you down from getting to the next level in your call, in your ministry. And God has called us to greater and greater and greater and greater. As you steward what God has given you here, right, and you thrive right here, God can give you more— more responsibility, more influence, more the anointing, and so much more, right? And you can be in that and be happy. And being thriving and not full of anxiety but full of God's peace, okay? Like, people ask me all the time, like, how do you do the thing that you do? I'm like, it is God's grace, you guys, and I have taken out time to deal with my stuff, y'all. And I'm telling you, like, of course things come up in our life that's unpredictable. We have broken relationships, broken friendships come up, right? The enemy throws up, you know, things, you know, at us all the time, right? But how you maneuver your life from day to day honestly really can affect how you handle that whenever blows come your way. So when blows come my way, most of the time on social media, y'all don't know. Y'all know what I'm going through from day to day. And 2023 was a hard year for me, to be honest. It was a hard year for me. I dealt with so much backstabbing. I dealt with broken relationships and friendships. Y'all, y'all, it almost took me out emotionally. I was like, God, I am tired. And I cried my eyes, my eyes out time and time again. There's time where I cried before coming on live, okay? But the Lord tell me, no, daughter, give your heart to me. Continue to do the work. Continue to forgive. Continue to give, you know. I had, y'all, I had to really fight. I had to fight, y'all. I had to fight through it, okay? And so there's a question someone asked me before, um, up here, uh, she's up here tonight. She said, okay, so if you already leading, right, and you are in need of healing or, you know, mentorship or coaching, can you still lead? Absolutely. I'm not saying to put down your, you know, put down your sword. I'mma say put down the calling in your life. I couldn't do it. God wouldn't let me do it, right? I had to persevere. But in that, it gave me— y'all, it gave— oh yeah, it gave me like a newfound strength, like a newfound stamina. Like, I can't even put it into words, okay? I was able to persevere because in the future I know I'm going to encounter even greater things, okay? And so yes, you can still lead, but just be mindful of your thoughts. Be mindful of the things you may be struggling with, so that way you're not projecting what you're dealing with on other people. Okay, so I've seen that. I've had mentors over the years who, you know, God called to mentor me, or they said it was called, but they weren't called actually to mentor me. I didn't know, honestly. Um, and they were bitter. Bitter, bitter, operating in pride, operating in unforgiveness. You know, they needed so much. And I'm like, wow, God. I'm like, I don't want to be that person. And so I encountered that, you know, time and time again with people in ministry. And I said, God, please, Lord, take your time with me, for one. I said, two, God, deal with the issues of my heart. And God has held me to my word, okay? He would check me quick, fast, in a hurry, y'all, all right? Because what I'm called to do, a part of that is to help Christian leaders to thrive. And so I have to be in a place of thriving mentally myself and emotionally myself for me to be able to help other people. So I have to be diligent, I have to set boundaries, I have to be disciplined, right? And with that, you know, it's levels to this thing. I was just telling my best friend yesterday, I'm like, oh my God, it's calling me to a new level of discipline, a new level of discipline in my eating. Oh my gosh, he— oh my God. Oh y'all, it's— God is just— he just— he cares about every single detail of our life, and he know what's ahead, okay? So he wants you to be prepared for that so the enemy will not use what you're struggling with to cause you to stumble and to take out your ministry. So Satan's always looking for an opportune time to strike. He really is. I heard a statement, this woman, a guy said on, um, a podcast I watched on YouTube, and she said the enemy plays the long game. That means that he tries to plant seeds and stuff now into your life now so that, you know, 5, 10, 15 years from now it will blow up in your face, okay? And not only that what we do with our lives affects our children, our children's children. Like, look at David, right? Um, David, you know, he ended up sleeping with Bathsheba, okay? Prime example. And, you know, God forgave him, but he dealt with the spirit of lust, obviously. So then his son ended up being pretty much a rapist, you guys. So what I'm saying is, like, the things that we don't kill now, the things that we don't deal with now, right, can cost us not only our stuff but our children's stuff. Okay, so it's so important for us to be aware of the things that we are dealing with so that we can allow— invite God into it and be led by the Holy Spirit. That's the key too, because you're not going to heal from everything overnight. It is a journey, it's a process, y'all. I have learned many lessons. Um, one of the ways I'm gonna share real quickly— see, look at Holy Spirit, thank you, Lord. So for me, right, if there's a lesson that I have not gotten in my life personally, in my ministry and personal, I would have dreams that I'm going back to school, okay? Or, um, yeah, going back to school or a locker somewhere. And I was like, God, God, like, what are you showing me? So what that means is that there's something that I have not mastered. There's something that God is trying to get me to learn so that way I won't stumble if I continue to walk with him and grow in my ministry. So I had dreams of me going back to school, y'all, too many times to count in my, in my journey. I'm like, okay God, what am I not getting? And he will always tell me, he'll always show me. Okay, one time I had this dream, y'all, y'all, this is— oh, this is so good, um, that I was about to like go on stage but something happened and I had on white shoes and my shoes came off my feet. So I had to keep going, so I had to keep going back to get my shoes. So in scripture, you know, shoes also mean, you know, the gospel of peace. Peace, peace, peace. And so God was showing me that you— but you know, well, like, he was like showing me that I had, you know, anxiety, like high anxiety, to the point where it was causing me not to step forward, not to move forward what he's calling me to do, which is to speak. Now I speak. I'm a speaker on social media, you know. I speak in private settings. I speak, you know, wherever God see me, I speak, y'all. So I had to really deal with the anxiety because it really affected how I saw myself, and it affected how I would deliver what God gave me. That makes sense, y'all. So pay attention to your dreams, okay? In the future, at some point— I'm not sure when I'll do it, but I do want to do a webinar on interpret— you know, on, um, interpreting your dreams and visions. So right now I'm working on this program for you all, but sometime next year I definitely want to do that because people really me to understand what God is showing them. And I've been dreaming for— oh my gosh, y'all, I feel like all my life, to be honest. But I had to really understand what I was dreaming by taking courses, reading books, reading the Bible, okay? Spending time with the Holy Spirit to cultivate that. And so now I'm able to interpret my own dreams for the most part, okay? For the most part, okay? And help others too, okay? And help you to see whether, you know, that dream is from your soul, if it's from God, if it's from the enemy, right? It's so many layers to it, y'all. So I won't get into— get into that tonight, but let me go ahead and get into this message, y'all. Let me get into the message tonight. All right, your comments really quickly. Said yes, it makes sense, definitely make— yes, absolutely, Risa. Yes, yes, take your time with me. That's right, that's right, take your time. Because oftentimes people want to hurry up and launch out, okay? And I'm guilty of this too in certain areas of my life. Okay, God, I want to get this now, right? And the Lord showed me once I was driving, um, down the road. He said, um, look at the trees. I'm like, okay, looking at the trees. He said, these trees has taken, you know, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30 years to mature. And some of the things I'm calling you to is going to require a level of maturity in you that you don't have yet, pretty much. I said, okay, all right, God, I get it, I get it, Lord. And so Now my prayer is whenever I'm pursuing God for something that I desire, or even what he's calling me to do, I'm like, Lord, please make sure that I'm prepared. God, show me any areas in my life that I need to deal with so that I can do my part, so that when you say it's time to go, I can just go. Okay, okay. I don't want any dead weight holding me down, whether it is my own stuff, other people's stuff, relationships, whatever it is, okay? I want to be able to launch, and I want to be— I want to crash, okay? I want to crash. All right, so here are 8 signs that you may be battling with these things, battling with failure to thrive as a Christian leader. Number 1 is you operate in performance-based identity, meaning that you rely on your ministry role or success to feel valuable, okay? You may feel confident only whenever you actively ministering but experience insecurity or low self-esteem or self-worth outside of your gifting. I see this a lot, people who are powerful and anointed and they lack so much confidence, okay? And they're easily like— like, for me, I'mma, I'mma get into that part anyway. So look at Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 through 9. For by grace you have been saved through faith, okay? And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of your work, so that no one may boast. Okay, and so this also goes hand in hand as well with your faith in God, your relationship with God, because we all have gifts and talents, you got— you guys, that God has given us. And God does not take the gifts away from us. Okay, so you can be, you know, dealing with all these different things but operating heavily in your gifting and in your anointing. Okay, the second one here is unresolved emotional issues. Okay, persistent struggles with rejection, unforgiveness, and offense. Okay, these unresolved feelings often, often comes up in relationships, resulting in strained interactions, especially under pressure. Y'all had a friend that was like that. We're not friends no more. I hate it. It is what it is. We're not friends anymore. I love her, I pray for her, but this is what happened because she had unresolved emotional issues. And when push come to shove, everything just came out. And I was trying my best to maneuver and help her, but yeah, she wasn't listening. Okay, so scripture here says this: let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. All right, um, so as far as offense, I did a whole podcast episode on this, uh, actually not a whole episode, but, uh, earlier this year I did an in-person workshop for a nonprofit. Uh, it was for Christians, and you guys, it was amazing. It was all about communication and offense., and it was so good. It was so, so good, y'all. It was so good. So I got to go back and check to see if it's on their YouTube channel yet, but, um, I'm not sure. I haven't checked in a while. Um, but you got— it's a real thing. Offense. Offense is a stumbling block. It will hinder you. It will hinder your growth and cause you not to thrive. It will. All right, the next one here is burnout and exhaustion. Constantly feeling depleted or running on empty. Due to pouring into others without adequate rest or self-care. This can lead to a cycle of burnout, which impacts both ministry effectiveness and personal well-being. So, okay, this right here is my thumb, you know, my, um, my thumb of rule, my rule of thumb. Okay, so I have friends or people who may reach out who might need advice sometimes, people that are close to me, right? If I am not in a good headspace, if I am exhausted, if I am tired, I am not going to try to hear God for them. I'm not gonna do that because I'm operating out of my flesh at that point. So I know for— okay, so Friday, I had a long week at work this week. It was long. It wasn't bad, it was just long. I was just tired, okay? I had a very tiring week this week. My body was just tired, y'all. So I had had this really deep, deep tissue massage that almost took me out, and so I was in recovery from that, okay? So I had a friend, you know, in Christ who wanted to see me, uh, you know this long, like, I guess it was a voice memo from a person who kept offending her, for me to hear it, give my input. I said, no, ma'am. I said, I love you. I said, I can't. I said, it's Friday evening, I am tired, I'm ready to go home, be with my family, be with my daughters, and just relax. And she understood. And so she's fine, and she got what she needed from somebody else. Okay, so I try my best to be mindful of that, like, hey, today ain't a good day, or can we talk on Saturday or Sunday or something? Because it's not good to exhaust yourself out. It's not good to continue to pour and pour and pour from an empty cup. And that also can cause you to have resentment. You can become very resentful, especially if you pouring out into someone and they're not receiving it, or, you know, they're not listening to you. So it's so important to be led by the Holy Spirit as well, because that can decrease all those things, y'all. I promise you, and all those feelings. Okay, the next one here is isolation or lack of, lack of, um, accountability. Okay, so oftentimes, right, people who are fearful of being judged all the time, or people who, um, don't really have like close relationships— I'm not saying that it is your fault as a leader. Um, you can be in a season where God is like hiding you or dealing with you, whatever the case may be, But we often say, I don't have any friends, or— but it's because a lot of times people don't want to be sharpened. They don't want to be held accountable. They don't want to be, you know, uh, told like, hey, this is not right. And anybody who's my friend, y'all, I can't help it. That's how God created me. You're going to receive some kind of correction. But guess what? I am too. So those who are my friends, who are in my close circle, are able to correct me, and I receive it, y'all. I'm happy about it because I don't want to stumble. I don't want to have to encounter something that I can avoid. Now, there are some things that God will allow you to go through for your call, for your purpose, right? But if God is sending someone to correct you and give you a fresh eye about, you know, how you operating, things you said, things you have done, right? Receive that. Okay, so here it says, here, iron sharpens iron. And one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17. Okay, my best friend sharpens me, my husband sharpens me, my aunt sharpens me. People who are closest to me can correct me, and guess what? I can correct them. All right. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. Hebrews chapter 12 and 6. Okay, so remember that, you guys. Like, accountability is so important, okay? Getting a fresh, you know, uh, you know, opinion or hearing someone, you know, what, you know, uh, thought about what you're going through can like give you a fresh perspective and help you to avoid, you know, encountering trouble. It really can, okay? The next one here is poor boundaries, okay? Struggling to set or maintain healthy boundaries, which can lead to overcommitment and resentment. This often results in leaders saying yes out of obligation rather than conviction. And so, okay, yeah, when I read— okay, so let me go to, um, go to the word first. Says, let what you say be simply yes or no. Anything more than this comes from evil. Matthew 5:37. Y'all, when I heard— when I read the scripture, y'all, the Holy Spirit told me this. So you know how you tell somebody no, right? And immediately you might begin to feel guilty because of your own stuff, right? Or you feel guilty because they make you feel guilty. Yeah, that's not from God, okay? That is not from the Lord. Guilt is a form of condemnation, which comes from who? Satan himself, okay? And so for me, when I have to tell, you know, people no, sometimes guilt will come on me. I'm like, oh no, ma'am. Oh, so I have to pray over it. Like, no, get it off of me, okay? So when I'm praying and if it lifts, oh yeah, that's from the enemy. Because the enemy, y'all, the enemy would throw distractions. He would throw people at you to get you, to deter you from what God is calling you and asking you to do, okay? He wants to deplete you. So I've had to say no to people who I desire to help, but I didn't have the capacity to help them. At that time, okay? So I had to say no, but then I began to feel a little guilty and it kept lingering. I had to pray against it. So the word of God says here again, let what you say be simply yes or no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one. So remember that, okay? If you battle with feeling guilty for saying no, go to the scripture, read it, okay? Pray and ask God, God, is this from the enemy or is it from you? But first of all, it's conviction from God. God will convict you. And honestly, God will even tell me, hey, I want you to help this person, I want you to pour into this person. He will let me know. Okay, the next one here is conflicted personal relationships. Okay, repeated conflict in family or close friendships due to unresolved personal struggles or unbalanced ministry demands, which can indicate deeper heart issues affecting their leadership. Okay, so here's scripture: if possible, so far as it depends on you, live, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:8. And I put it here, um, this is not the same thing as righteous judgment or righteous anger. It's completely separate. Okay, so if you're always in conflict with somebody, who's the common denominator? It's probably us. You Right, I'mma get your comments real quick. You said try to— yes, yes, that's right, sis. Absolutely, yes. How you guys? Thanks for coming on. Okay, check up here. Indeed. Okay, all right, the next one here is comparing yourself with others. Okay, frequent comparison with other leaders or ministries leading to envy, self-doubt, or feelings of inadequacy. This can create, um, you want to operate in competition rather than collaborating with God. Okay, so we— so let's say me and, you know, 3 people are called to the same thing, right? I don't have to compete with them because what God has for me is for me. My calling is unique from that person based off who I'm called to, based off my personality, my anointing, my giftings, my temperament, okay, what I can handle, my capacity. God looks at all of that, y'all. My maturity. He looks at all of that, you guys. So there are people who operate in the same vein that I do who are more advanced than me, and there are some that are just coming out who are new to this, right? And so I don't compare myself to those who are ahead of me, okay? It's not fair to me. It's not fair to God. Because you telling God that, hey God, what you have for me ain't right, the path you have for me is jacked up, okay? So when you do that, when you compete with other people and compare, you telling God how you made me isn't good enough, okay? And so I encourage you, right, to like, don't compare yourself to other people. I think about in scripture, I think in the Book of John, uh, the very last chapter, when, um, I think Peter had went to, um, went to Christ and was like, hey, well, what about, what about John? And he was like, worry about yourself. Like, don't, don't be worried about what he doing. Worry about the assignment I gave you, Peter. And I read it, I laugh, I laugh. I can really hear him saying that because oftentimes we also worry about what he and she is doing, that we cannot, you know, complete what God has called you to do. This is how I'm able to create and produce so much, okay? Because I stay in my lane. I stay in my lane, and I'm— and like, I, I, I merge with the Holy Spirit and allow him to lead me on what to do, what not to do, and all that good stuff, okay? So keep it in mind, y'all, okay? Um, and the last one here is avoidance of personal development. Oh my God, this is so good right here, okay? So some leaders prioritize ministry work over personal growth in areas like mental health, spiritual discipline or emotional intelligence. This often results in a lack of depth and resilience when challenges arise. So in a nutshell, I see some leaders who hide behind ministry. In a nutshell, they will hide behind their anointing, they'll hide behind their call. They say, oh, I'm so busy, I don't have time, God's telling me to do this, this, this, this, and this and that. Okay, now there's a season to everything, okay? There's a season for everything. So what am I saying? I'm saying that, yeah, okay, God called you to, to do, you know, you know, these things here, but also there'll be a season where God will kind of pull you back in so you can work on these things, y'all. I promise you he will. He do it to me all the time. I think it was, was it 2023? Yeah, last year when I was doing all those prayer reels, you guys, that was a, a period of me of rest I was not doing anything else other than working my regular job, you know, pouring into my family and doing that. Y'all, all I did was create prayer reels for, I think, about, God, 3 or 4 months. And at first, in the beginning, I feel kind of like, whoo, kind of weird. I'm like, Lord, I'm used to going, I'm used to doing, right? But what God was doing was he was first of all restoring me, because I had been going and going and going since the pandemic started. Okay, so I had been going and building since 2020, 2023. All right, so God gave me a season where he could restore me, um, help me to like, you know, have more strength to grow in his word even the more, to give me, uh, actually to honestly too, he, um, he also, um, gave me more anointing for the next year. Okay, so my prayer, my like my private time in prayer just shot up, like my anointing just shot up, and my y'all I can't even tell y'all, like, really the depths of what God did for me during that season, okay? And when it was time for it to end, I was like, oh man, I don't want this to end now. Like, it's like, oh, I just felt like just so— I heard God easily. It was like second nature. It was like, oh, like the air I breathe. I can just feel God and hear God 24/7, okay? And I still hear him now, but it's not the same because now I'm back working again. I've been writing books, I've been been plowing, I've been doing all these different things. He's still with me, he's still there, I still feel him. But baby, I missed that season, okay, of me also healing, okay. So you guys, don't despise those times, but God is telling you to pull back because he wants to spring you further out once he do what he need to do in you, okay. So take out time to, you know, grow spiritually, take out time to grow mentally and emotionally, okay. Um, scripture here says this: And Christ grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Okay, Luke 2:52. So which means that he grew in age, of course, he grew spiritually, he grew in wisdom, and he grew in knowledge. He embodied the fruits of the Spirit. He walked boldly in his calling and he fulfilled his purpose on earth, but it was a journey. Okay, we have to understand that our mental health is directly connected to our spiritual health and personal development. So what, what goes on here affects everything, y'all. It affects your, your walk with God. It affects how you interpret things. It affects your perception and all that. It does. And God desires for you to be like Christ, to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Okay, look at you guys' comment. Hello, you guys. Hello, hello, hello. So if you're just getting on, I'm wrapping up now. Um, you can always go back and watch the replay. It's also on Facebook and YouTube. I prefer to watch content, for the most part, it's long form on Facebook and YouTube because you can, um, hit the little wheel to make it go faster, uh, to really, um, get through the, you know, everything, you know, to, you know, to, um, get through everything a little bit faster. My words out, y'all. So, um, yes, um, so tonight, um, I want you to really take out time to, you know, meditate on what I said, um, sit with the Holy Spirit, allow him to show you, uh, areas of your heart where he wants you to, um, to heal at in this season. And again, um, healing is a journey. There are layers to us, there's layers to who God's called us to be, And with each layer that used to come off, you know, it don't feel good all the time, but it's freeing. It is worth it, okay? And so, as I said in the very beginning, I'm having a free, um, boundaries workshop, um, at the end of November, November 24th at 5:30 PM Eastern Standard Time on a Sunday. You can register, um, at the link in my profile on Instagram, or you can register in YouTube or Facebook in the comment section. Um, also in January— well, actually enrollment opens that day too, but in January I'll be having, um, my Christian leadership group coaching program called Empowered to Thrive. And that program, I will be helping you, you all to really navigate through these, um, areas. We're gonna have worksheets, we're gonna have assessments, um, we'll have live, um, you know, live, Q&A, um, also a community on Facebook to be able to, you know, share, you know, where you are, your thoughts, your heart. And, um, somebody asked me a question. So people sometimes can be a little nervous to join, um, a community because they don't want to be seen, they don't want to be judged, they don't want to be like, oh my God, I'm the one that needs help, but I don't want to be in a group. You guys, groups are amazing, okay? Um, Second of all, when you post on Facebook, you don't have to post to where we can see your name. You can post it, you know, in private, and we can still answer your questions you may have. Um, also the, uh, with the, um, live webinar, it's an 8-week program, by the way. Um, you'll be able to ask questions in the chat, you'll be able to just, you know, use audio. You don't have to be on camera, so don't feel like you have to be exposed in order to be a part of this program. Y'all, this program is going to be at a really good rate. It's very affordable, um, because the Lord really wants his people to be equipped for what's ahead. Y'all, we need more stamina, and in order for you to have more stamina, there are some things that need to be removed, that need to be, you know, taken, you know, pretty much like stripped off of you from the Holy Spirit, because it can cause you to not move for. I've been there. Everything that I talk about up here, you all, over the past few years are things that I had to overcome myself. So I'm not the kind of person who try to teach people but I don't live it myself, okay? So God holds me at a higher standard in how I interact with other people, how I process stuff, how I treat people. He will correct me quick, okay? He said, okay, like, you have this thought, what— where it come from? All right, I don't know, God, where that thought come from? So he deals with me, you know, in a loving way Um, but this program is going to be very amazing. Now, if you are already on my email list, um, honestly, honestly, the Lord gave me this idea this morning. So if you're already on my email list now, I'm actually going to go ahead and open up enrollment tomorrow, but it'll be at a lower rate for those of you who have been following me for a while, who have bought anything from me, who have supported my content, share my content. Okay, so get on my email list. Okay. Join a webinar and then you'll be able to get the email tomorrow letting you know, hey, enrollment's already open. It'll be at a much lower rate. Okay, so that's all I have for tonight. Look at your comments again really quickly. And sorry I got so excited. I was talking all fast a little bit, so I apologize. Let me see. Yeah, that's right, Marisa. Thank you for joining. Thank you for joining. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And me and my best friend, she's up here too as well, we had this like long talk about, you know, what God is doing. And he really has been stretching our capacity, even me. Like there's things that I'm like, Lord, how in the world am I doing this? God's grace, God's grace. Do I get tired at times? Absolutely. Do I feel like I'm alive all the time? No, I don't. But God's grace is sufficient. And right before I come, I had to pray, y'all. I had to pray. I'm like, Lord, I'm ready to go relax and chill, okay, you know, you know, with my girls. Um, but he gave me strength, like his spirit just fell on me, literally fell on me and empowered me to be able to do what he called me to do. And God wants to, um, do the same thing for you. All right, so again, one last time, here's my new book here, How to Set Boundaries God's Way. If you sign up for the webinar, um, you'll be able to get it for half off right now until, um, the webinar is and November 24th. After that, it goes back up to the regular price, and it's amazing. It's also full of worksheets, it's also full of, um, assessment strategy, my story, um, all of the above. You guys, I have not been marketing my books like that because I've been so busy. So I probably have like 3 or 4 other books I've written that I have not really advertised because I haven't had time to do it. So this is like my 15th book I've written so far. 15. I still got many more to write, many more to write, y'all. Um, and again, that's under the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit, to be honest. It really is. Um, so thank you all again for getting on tonight. If you have any other questions, I'll stay on for just a few more minutes, um, a couple more minutes, and then I'm gonna get— I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna get off. Okay, anything else? Okay, let me pray. Hello from Singapore.— froze up on me. Okay, all righty. So Holy Spirit, I just thank you right now for every single person who came on tonight. I pray for those who will come back and watch the replay. God, I thank you for your word. I thank you for this message tonight. I pray, God, that it blessed them and it helped them to see, God, your heart. God, to see, God, that you care about every single area of their lives, and that, Father, you desire to take them from faith to faith and from glory to glory. Father, help them to understand, God, that there's nothing too small or nothing too hard, God, for you. Lord, that God, you desire to be invited, God, in their innermost being, into their thoughts, God, into everything. Help them, God, to be more vulnerable, to be transparent with you, Lord, and to not try to hide whatever it is that they're dealing with, Father God. I even pray that tonight you would give them a dream or a vision to help them to see things in a different light, in a different perspective. Father, I pray, God, that you would give them strength and confidence and boldness, God, to continue, Lord, to push, to press, God, and to run their race and run their race well. I pray, God, that your people will continue to get in your word, Lord God, and read a word for themselves and allow you, Lord God, to do a work inside of them so that, God, they can move forward in their calling with boldness and confidence and love, my God. And so, God, I just thank you, God, for those who may come and join the program. I thank you, God, for those who have bought anything from me or even thinking about buying anything from me, Lord. But God, just pray that, God, tonight you just bless them, Lord. I thank you, God, for strength tonight to be able to come up here, um, to talk to your people, Lord God. Don't take it lightly. It's an honor and a privilege, Lord God, to be in this position. And so God, I thank you again. We love you and we give you all the honor, the glory, and the praise. In Christ's name I pray, amen and amen. Amen. So all I have— comments. Hello, Shante. Hello, hello. Yes, can't— well, that's right, Remy. I'm gonna have to send you a, um, uh, I'm gonna send another email personally because for some reason your email is saying it was, um, blacklisted. So when emails go out to you, you're not getting them. So I'm gonna have to check on my system to see what, what happened, because it's not you, it's the system. So I'll check, but I'll also send you— I'll send you a, um, DM personally with the link for the early bird for you. Okay. All righty, so I love you guys, and I will see you guys next time. All right, bye.