Hey there, friend, and welcome back to this week's episode of the God Empowered Podcast. So we're going to talk about something that is on everyone's mind these days, including my very own, and that is unlocking the next season of your life. This topic is very timely, and I'm excited to dive into it today because we got what, maybe like 10 weeks left of 2024 before we hit a new year, right? So there's this energy where people are either trying to slow down. And, and just kind of get mentally prepared for the holiday season as they prepare for the new year. Or they're trying to hustle their way through these last 10 weeks and finish out some goals that they had set for themselves before the new year even hits. Regardless of where you're at, there is this thought that I know is in your mind, and that has everything to do with when the new year comes, what will that unlock for you? What specific goals, doors, dreams that you are ready to fully dive into, what specific calling are you already starting to plan ahead for when the new year comes around? And although it's exciting to think about unlocking this next season of your life, something that you just can't wait for, that you're just ready to dive into, there's this very real reality in what it's going to take in your current season of life in order to unlock successfully the next season of your life. And the energy The effort, the reality of what that looks like. It's heavy. And I want to talk about that because I feel like we're so focused on the goal stuff and not focused enough on in order to reach those goals. What does that mean for us currently in the season of our lives that we are in right now? So, I want to give you a summary of what that's going to look like for you. and what that's going to look like for me. And then we're going to spend the rest of this episode just breaking it down. In summary, in order for you to unlock that next season of your life, that goal, that dream, that calling to fully and successfully walk in that, there is inner work that needs to be done within yourself that has everything to do with healing. Because the baggage that you have in this current season of your life cannot go with you in the next season of your life. Everyone's baggage looks different. Think about your bad habits. your control issues, your anger issues, your inability to be patient, your trauma, your unhealthy idols. That is baggage that God does not intend for you to take with you in the next season of your life that he might be calling you to. And That's a reality that's really heavy because I believe that we are all in that. There's something in all of us that God wants to take out of us because those things that are in us are not of Him. And He wants our spirits to be filled with nothing but Him, nothing but the characteristics of Jesus Himself, so that we have the strength, we have the leadership capabilities, we have the right heart posture to go into that next season, to be able to hold that next season, to carry that next season in the way that God wants us to. And in order for us to get there, we gotta heal that baggage. We've got to work on letting that baggage go. So let me, let me tell you why this is on my mind for this specific episode this week. I had a situation happen this very week where I was just struggling and it had a lot to do with something in the future that I desperately want. My heart desperately desires. And me getting so frustrated to the point where it was painful in this current season of my life to not have that future desire that I want so bad. I've been working so hard towards it. I'm thinking, why isn't this happening yet? I'm getting really impatient. So this past week, I was just sitting there, just frustrated, just internally in pain, wanting to cry, trying not to cry, even though I was. And just trying to talk to God about it. Trying to be honest and real with God about the fact that I want this. I know that it's not even just a personal desire. I know that my spirit is calling me to that. I know that God is calling me to this. So if he is calling me to this, to unlock that future thing that I want, that God wants for me. then why is it taking so long to get there? Why is it taking so much effort to get there in the first place to the point where I'm frustrated? I am in agony. I'm disappointed. I'm impatient. And as I was talking to God about this and just letting the tears flow, I heard him put on my heart that there is baggage. that I need to heal from. There is baggage that I need to let go of still that cannot go with me in the unlocked future season that God wants for me. And then as I kept diving deeper into prayer and into that conversation with God, I started to see what baggage he was talking about. I started to see the different aspects of my childhood. And even of my current reality that I still needed to heal from that still felt so much a part of my identity that I didn't even realize, but it wasn't God's. identity for me, if that makes sense. It's not what God wants for me, because it's not of him. It's not Jesus's characteristics. It's not what he wants for my current life and my future one. And in order for him to unlock that next season, where he's calling me to, that desire that my spirit is trying to reach for, in order for me to get there, I needed to better prioritize healing in the now. Now I'm not going to get into more details about my specific story, but I wanted to bring that up or a summary of it because I want you to think about that for yourself. What baggage do you feel like you are still carrying right now? That is weighing you down, that is holding you back without you even realizing it from getting to that next season of your life, to unlocking that door, that opportunity, to successfully and confidently walking in your God given calling. What is that baggage for you? What is in you that is not of God, that is not Jesus's characteristics? What do you really struggle with right now that God might be wanting to pull out of you so that you're not bringing that into the next season, so that you can walk into that season with strength, with leadership, with readiness, with the right heart posture to carry what he has for you in that next season, and to carry it well, to steward it well. Think about that. Now here's the thing. As you think about that, an idea might be coming to your mind already in regards to what your current baggage looks like. It's one thing to know what it is. It's an entirely different thing to take the necessary steps right now in this current season of your life to heal from it, to let go of it. That's a whole nother thing. That's a process that takes progress. It's not a one and done thing. It's not an overnight thing. It just takes time. So, when we think about that timeline as you progress through letting your baggage go, healing from baggage that you cannot bring with you into the next season of your life and preparing for that, there's some key points for you to be mindful of as you work through that progression. And I want to talk about that with you. First thing that I want to say. in how you can progress in healing from or letting go of the baggage that you currently carry that you cannot bring with you in that future season of your life. First thing is you need to learn to be patient through the pain. Once you realize the baggage that you're carrying, the things that are not of God that are weighing you down from you being the person that God is calling you to be, there's intentionality in you being patient with yourself within that process, but also being patient in the situation that you're in. And having that patience can be really painful because when you are working through healing your baggage, letting go of your baggage, there's this new level of self awareness and there's this new level of self control. And a lot of times that can feel painful. Because when you have this self awareness, right, you're aware of your baggage and now you are trying to learn how to better have self control to control that baggage coming to the forefront where, you know, you might be acting out in anger or control issues or impatience or bad habits, things like that. When that happens, because you're aware of that baggage, you now are wanting to better control it. So when you have a moment where that baggage comes to the forefront, It then becomes in conflict with the part of your brain that knows or wants to have self control to say, Hey, stop. It's okay. You don't need to do that. It's okay. You can choose to behave differently in this exact moment, in this exact scenario. So when you have the self control part of your brain conflicting with the part of your brain that is trying to act out on the baggage that you're carrying. They conflict with one another and that conflict internally happening within your mind, happening within your heart is straight up painful sometimes. So painful to the point where it can feel like you're in agony. It can feel impossible to break through. So, that's what I mean when I say patience through the pain. Being patient with yourself and with the situation that you're in through that process even when it is painful. And although it's difficult to have that self control in order to find patience through that pain, this is exactly what will lead you To be so close to God when it comes to you and Him working together in a partnership of healing your baggage, letting go of your baggage. You are so close with God when you learn patience to the point where God sees that. He sees your heart and He's able to hold your hand through that progression in order to lead you into that unlocked future season that He wants for you. Second thing that I want to say when it comes to you taking the time now to progress through healing your baggage so that you can set that future season for yourself up for success. That second thing, my friend, is to approach everything with gentleness. This is so essential. Because when we want something so bad, we're ready for that next season in our life. Whether it has to do with finances, businesses, dreams, our calling, accomplishments, goals, whatever it is. Because we're trying so hard to get there and we're not there yet, there's a lot of negative feelings that can hinder us. Frustration, anger, feeling fed up, feeling doubtful because you're not there yet. There's a lot of feelings that come with it within your current reality now. And those negative feelings can cause you to be your own worst self critic, constantly downplaying yourself, or without you even realizing it, stepping away from God because subconsciously you don't understand why God doesn't have you in that next season of your life yet that you have been desiring. we become our own worst self critic, or when we're stepping away from God, we tend to not be gentle. Like we're not gentle with our own selves. We're not gentle with God and our relationship with God. Why? Because we're upset. We're angry. We're angry with ourselves for not getting there yet. We're angry with God for not helping us get there yet. We're just angry. And you might be like, Angel, I'm not angry. I'll feel fine. Well, subconsciously. There might be some anger in you and you just don't even realize it yet. How can you be more gentle with yourself as you work through the healing process of your baggage? How can you approach your relationship with God more gently, closely, so that you're not allowing your frustration, your anger, your doubts to make you be so hard on yourself or to make you stray away from God. Something that really helps me be more gentle with myself whenever I'm working through healing something is constantly reminding myself that this is not an overnight thing. It takes time. It is a process. I'm not going to get it right all the time. And I remind myself that God does not expect me to be perfect. He just expects me to try, and He expects me to lean on Him for help, constantly. So when I tell myself these things, it really helps me be more gentle with myself. and more gentle in my love and in my relationship with God, which in turn helps me to be more gentle in the situation that I'm in that might frustrate me. So I want to encourage you with that too. How can you better approach things with pure gentleness as you work through healing your baggage, being more kind to yourself, being more kind in the situation that you're currently in? Being more open minded to this process that God has you in and inviting him to be in that process with you. Creating that genuine friendship between you and God as you progress through healing rather than straying away, rather than being angry, rather than being frustrated, rather than allowing your doubts to get the best of you. Approach everything with gentleness, and as you do, you will be able to be more open minded you're going to start to feel this natural peace overcome you. Think about it. Feelings of frustration, anger, anxiety, insecurities, those are not gentle. So when you start to act, think, and approach things with gentleness, anxiety, frustration, all that stuff starts to subside and peace naturally overcomes you. So, work through that. Learn to approach things with a gentle heart. A gentle spirit. Gentle words. Okay, third thing that I want to say. I saved the best for last. As you. Work through healing your baggage in order to unlock the next season of your life so that you don't bring your current baggage into that next season in the future that God has for you. Third thing I want to say God to be good enough for you. This has been a phrase on my heart so heavy this past week, where I really had to sit and think, is God good enough for me? If I had nothing else, my business, my home, my family, my relationship, my dreams, if I had nothing else, would God be good enough for me? Would God be good enough for me to be still content, peace, having joy, even if I had absolutely nothing but God himself? And when I was sitting with that question this past week, I had to be real with myself and literally say, no. The way that my mind is right now. God isn't good enough for me. And I'm trying not to cry when I say that, because that is a very difficult heart check. To love God, to love Jesus, to know that you want His way, or that you're open to exploring His way for your life, but to then come to terms with the subconscious reality that God isn't good enough. And I needed that heart check. You might need that heart check. I truly believe that in order to heal from the baggage that you're currently facing, in order to unlock that next season of your life that you feel that God is calling you to, you first have to let God be good enough for you, even if your dreams don't come to life, even if you don't achieve your goals, even if you didn't have what you currently have today. Amen. How can God be good enough for you? Because when He is, when you learn how to make God good enough for you, that opens up the door to such a strong, genuine relationship between you and Him to the point where nothing can break you, nothing can shatter you. You have the most sturdy foundation. And having a sturdy foundation like that can make you successful in anything that you do, can bring significance in your life. So I want you to sit with that question. Is God good enough for you right now? If you didn't have anything else, if you didn't accomplish anything else, would God be good enough for you to enjoy your life? for you to feel content, peace, and joy in your life. And if the answer is no, let me just encourage you and say, that's okay. I found myself in that situation too. And the beautiful thing about it is that we're aware now. We're aware that mentally, living in this world, it's difficult for God to be good enough. Especially when you're a dreamer, especially when you know you're called to something great. It's difficult to accept God being good enough. But again, that is why and how God's goal for you is to make you more like Jesus. So, that no matter what happens in your life, in this current season, in the next season, you are okay. Because God is good enough for you. And again, when he's good enough, you have a sturdy foundation. When he's good enough, there's this crazy, immense, divine trust there between you and him. You will be beyond taken care of. You will feel beyond okay. And even in seasons when you're low, when you're feeling sad, when you're anxious, when you're feeling unworthy, relearning that God is good enough for you keeps hope alive through those difficult moments in this season and in the next. So, all in all, When we're thinking about how do we heal through the process and through the progression of letting our baggage go, healing the baggage that we currently have that cannot go with us into the next season of our lives, I want you to keep those three things in mind that we talked about. Having patience through the pain, approaching everything with gentleness, and allowing God to heal us. to be good enough for you. If those can be three key areas as you work through healing your baggage now, I'm excited for you. Because that already tells me that you are setting yourself up for success now and in that future season that you want to unlock. It's going to be hard. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It's going to be hard. It's going to be hard. but God is right by your side through all of it. And when you finally get to that mountaintop and you're like, wow, I healed that baggage. I was able to let that go. And look where I'm at now in this future season, strong, capable, equipped, able to carry the responsibilities that come with this season. You're going to smile and you're going to praise God for that. Because he was the one that helped you be successful in your current season in order to get you to where you're supposed to be going in the next season. All right, my friend, I hope this encouraged you today. If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to share this with someone that you think could benefit from it. You can also feel free to leave us a review where you are watching this, whether it's on, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, we'd absolutely love to hear from you. Sending you so much love and light for the rest of this week, and I will see you next week for our next episode of the God Empowered Podcast.