Welcome, my friend, to our very last God empowered podcast episode of 2024. Wow. First of all, I cannot even fathom how fast this year went by. And I feel like everyone says that every year, at least I say that every single year, but seriously, there is something about 2024 that just sped by. It was so fast. It was so quick. There was so much that happened in our personal lives, in the world around us, in our creative ideas, our thoughts, a lot of movements happening, A lot of healing, a lot of working through things, a lot of blessings, a lot of hardships. It has just been a year, okay? And going into 2025 is super exciting. Now, I had mentioned this in previous podcast episodes and I'm going to say it again. I know that A lot of our minds are focused on upcoming holidays and rest and family and food and Jesus, I hope. But I also know that a lot of us are focused on 2025 goals, what we are planning for, how we want this year to be different, how we're going to show up better and more consistently and how we want to try this and test this and start this, but stop this over here. I know that your mind is already creatively working and thinking through all those things. So, I thought what better time than now in this very last episode of 2024 to talk about your 2025 goals, but this is where we're going to take a different approach. I'm not going to talk about goal setting strategies. I'm not going to talk about how you can achieve this and the systems behind it. Maybe that's a different episode for another time. Right now. I want to challenge your mind with a thought, with a possibility. And it just might be a thought or a possibility that you might not like, but I want to challenge you with it because I think that it can help you, one, grow closer to God. I'm talking closer than you've ever been in your entire life. And two, succeed in the calling that God is calling you to. So you ready? That challenging thought is what if your version of better for 2025 is different from God's version of better for you in 2025? What if? What if it looks different? What you want to improve on in comparison to this past year into the new year, what you are wanting God to work with you on, the dreams you're wanting to become successful, that job you're finally wanting to leave, that creative idea you're wanting to start, that goal you're wanting to chase. Your mind has this version of what better looks like in the next year, and that better probably produces the outcome of better finances, better health, better relationship or relationships. Whatever that is, you have a specific version of better in your mind when it comes to this new year. But I want to challenge you with the idea that God's version of better for you just might be different. And I want to encourage you to expect it. So that you're not surprised, you're not thrown off, you're not easily angered, but instead you trust that his version of better, even if it might not match what your version of better is, at the end of the day, his version is best. His version is what will make you more into who he needs you to be and the life he's called you to live and the mission he's called you to steward well in this world. God is the orchestrator of all of that. Now, let me give you some context behind why I'm talking about this. Me and one of my great friends have been having these amazing, in depth, intuitive, back and forth conversations. And these conversations have been had through voice text message. When I tell you these voice text messages get so deep and are filled with thoughts and questions and beautiful dreams. I'm talking to the point where these voice messages are like 20 minutes long, if not longer. We listen to them like we're listening to each other's podcasts. It's awesome. And one of the conversations that we had was talking about what better looks like for us. What do we want to change? How do we want to feel more aligned with our authentic creative selves? And what in our lives is taking away from that and is making us feel empty unsatisfied or unfulfilled? So we were having that conversation just around, hmm, what does my version of better look like? Then I started adding to the conversation with that challenging question of, but what if God's version of better is going to be different from my version of better? And this will especially throw me off if I feel like my current version of better is what God is calling me to. But what if God changes it? What if God has something different in mind? I'm going to give you an example. Your version of better might be that you want to make more money. That's a pretty typical one. A lot of us want that in our lives, but what if God's version of better for you in the next season of your life is teaching you how to instead manage and steward the current money that you have, where you might not be making more yet, but you're learning better money management now so that. God equips you, He teaches you, He gives you space to grow in the area of money to the point where in the future, on God's timing, you have the skills, you have the capacity, and you can be trusted to handle more money. You might think that you can handle more money now, but God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what you would spend that money on. And he wants you to have the right heart position to steward your money that God blesses you with in the way that God would want you to steward it well. That doesn't mean that you can't buy yourself things or take care of your family. It just means financial stewardship goes beyond that. God sees the bigger picture. He sees beyond your life. He sees the people that he's ordained to have conversations with you in the future. He sees conversations being had, lives being changed, all because you exist. maybe God wants to use you in the future as a beautiful vessel of someone who knows eventually how to make and manage money so well to the point where you can bless others with it. That's just one example, but I want you to think about that from your perspective. The version of better that you have in your mind, what does it look like for you to be so open minded, so trusting of God himself to pivot your heart's position, to have so much faith in him, to the point where if God's version of better for you looks different than your version of better for yourself, you are okay. You're not thrown off. You're not upset. Sure, you might have a moment where you're sad or you feel confused, but at the end of the day, you ultimately trust God. And honestly, I am learning more and more that that is what life is about. Not just verbally saying that, but believing that and acting it out. Trusting in what God's version of better might be for my life. And even if 2025 brings hardship, I know that God is using it for my good. He needed that to happen. Even though it doesn't look like better for my life, it is better in God's eyes. Because that hardship God is using to bring me closer to Him, to equip me, to prepare me, to make me stronger. to use it as a testimony for someone else that would need my help in the future because of what I experienced. What if God's version of better is different than yours? And even if it's a blessing, what if in 2025 God blesses you in a different way than you expected? What if God blesses you with marriage instead of money? What if God blesses you with a healthy relationship between you and your kids instead of money growth? What if God blesses you with this new mentality to finally get consistent in your health? Versus your money goals. Or you know what? Let's flip it. What if God blesses your money goals and you make more money than you ever would have thought? What if you make more money beyond the sales goals that you had? And maybe God is using that to have you as a vessel to bring money in through so that you can pour that money out in ways that he might need you to. You just never know what God's version of better might be for you. The challenge, my friend, is to trust it. So, yes, in 2025, as you think ahead, Believe and have faith for what you genuinely feel that God is calling you to. Believe and have faith for more while being content with what you have now. Believe and have faith that you can build your confidence, you can absolutely achieve But more than anything, believe and have faith that whatever God does, it's for your good. It's for the very real fact that He knows what is best for you. His version of better for you is the way, even if it doesn't feel like it. And I want this episode, this short episode this week, as we wrap up 2024, I want it to give you a breath of fresh air. I want it to give you divine peace. I don't want it to scare you. I don't want it to make you doubt. No, have faith, believe. But above all else, know that God has got you. He knows what is best for you. the closed doors, the open doors, the surprises, the blessings, the pains, the hardships, he knows what's about to happen for you in 2025. And he's planning all of that for your good to shape you more into who he needs you to be and to help you build the confidence, consistency, and clarity towards what he needs you to do. Trust that he has got you. That's what I want you to lead into 2025 with. Set your goals, have a plan, have a vision, but ultimately, trust God. Just trust God. He's got you. He's created you on purpose, for a purpose. You are a unique being that exists in this world, in this specific generation, at this specific time, for a reason. You are not little. You are not unimportant. You are not irrelevant. You are so beyond precious and you are so beyond needed in today's society. So, trust God. Trust God with whatever your 2025 is going to look like, blessings and hardships and everything in between. Because His version of better is the way. All right, my friend. I hope this episode encouraged you today. I know it was a short one, but I just wanted to walk into this episode, no plans, no notes, and just share what was on my heart based off of what is giving me so much peace going into 2025 and what I hope will give you peace going into 2025 as well. As I mentioned, this is the last episode of the God empowered podcast in 2024, but we will be back the very first week in January, bringing back the motivation, the inspiration and the education that you need to be who God is calling you to be and to do what God is calling you to do with full on confidence. In the meantime, my friend, be sure to catch up with me on Instagram, where you will see daily updates on my feed and on my story. I'd love to keep you encouraged there as well. Much love. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.