Lead From the Quiet Place

Host: Don Kelly | Faith to Freedom Lifestyle 

Theme Verse: Mark 1:35 (ESV) – “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.”

Most men think leadership begins with a stage, a title, or a spotlight. But Jesus shows us something different—leadership begins in solitude. Before He preached to the masses or healed the sick, He withdrew to pray.

In this episode of the Faith to Freedom Lifestyle podcast, Don Kelly challenges Christian men to stop leading from burnout and start leading from spiritual overflow. Using Mark 1:35 as the foundation, you'll discover how the quiet place restores identity, clarifies assignment, and replenishes strength.

You'll learn:

• Why Jesus' secret weapon wasn't performance, but prayer
• How solitude fuels sustainable leadership
• Practical steps to reclaim your own quiet place
• Why your family needs your spiritual presence more than your hustle

This isn't about adding more to your schedule. It's about subtracting the noise so you can lead with clarity, purpose, and peace—without sacrificing your faith, your family, or your calling.

💡 "Your family doesn’t need a louder leader. They need a quieter soul anchored in Christ."

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

✅ Free 3-Day “Getting Unstuck” Course: Renew your mind and reclaim your clarity as a Christian man

•  👉3 DayGetting Unstuck Course]
• 🎥 My Story – Faith to Freedom Video
  👉 [Faith to Freedom-- My Story]
• 📞 Schedule a FREE Discovery Call with Don
  👉 Book your call here

📌 Call to Action:

➡️ Start your mornings in the quiet place. Even just 20–30 minutes in the Word and prayer can radically shift your leadership. Start tomorrow with Mark 1:35, and make that appointment with God non-negotiable.

➡️ Click the links above to access your free course, watch the video, and book your discovery call today.

📢 Let’s Connect:

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• 🔗 Resources & Links:

more about Faith To Freedom Lifestyle https://www.faithtofreedomlifestyle.com/mystory

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Most men think leadership begins with a title,
a stage, or a microphone.
But real leadership, it startsin solitude, starts in silence,
in a quiet place where no one'swatching and no one's applauding
and nothing is trending.

SPEAKER_00 (00:17):
Hello and welcome to Faith to Freedom Lifestyle
Podcast, a show that empowersChristian men to lead a
lifestyle of freedom whilewalking out their faith.
Listen in as your host, DonKelly, shares mindsets, habits,
wisdom, and disciplines thatwill help you experience the
freedom to lead with clarity,purpose, and peace without

(00:38):
sacrificing your family, yourfaith, or your calling.
Now join us as we hear from yourhost, Don Kelly.

SPEAKER_01 (00:48):
Now, today's episode is one that hits at the heart of
biblical manhood, lead from thequiet place.
And so if you're running onfumes, this one's for you.
Let's go straight to Scripture.
Let's look at Mark 1, verse 35.
And Jesus says these words.
It says this about Jesus.
And rising very early in themorning, while it was still

(01:09):
dark, he departed and went outto a desert place, and there he
prayed.
Now, pause for a moment and justconsider the context here.
The night before, Jesus hadhealed Peter's mother-in-law,
delivered many from demons, andthe entire city of Capernaum had
gathered at the door.
Jesus was in high demand.

(01:32):
If Jesus was like us, he wouldhave ridden the wave of
momentum.
You know, that's a good time tobook another event or send out a
press release, but Jesus didn'tdo that.
Instead, the scriptures teach usthat he withdrew.
He rose early while it was stilldark, He departed from the
crowd, and he prayed.
Now, here's the insight.

(01:53):
Here's the point you need toget.
Jesus never let public ministryreplace private intimacy.
He knew that if he didn'tconnect with the Father first,
he'd have nothing worth offeringthe people.
Time alone with God is of theutmost importance in your life.
Oswald Chambers said it thisway, Solitude with God repairs

(02:14):
the damage done by the fret andnoise and clamor of the world.
So let me ask you something,brother.
What's louder in your life rightnow?
The voice of the world or thewhisper of the Holy Spirit?
You're listening to one.
Without a question, you'relistening to one.
Now, when you consistently meetwith the Father in solitude,

(02:35):
three powerful things willhappen.
Your identity will bereaffirmed.
Before Jesus performed anymiracles, the Father said in
Mark 1, chapter 11, He said,That's what fuels Him in verse
35.

(02:55):
In the quiet place, God remindsyou of who you are.
You're not what you do.
You're not how well you perform.
You are a son, period.
Now, that's a game changerbecause when you lead from
approval instead of forapproval, you lead from peace
and not from pressure.

(03:16):
Now, let me repeat that for you.
When you lead from approvalinstead of for approval, you
lead from peace and not frompressure.
Now, when you consistently meetwith a father, there's something
else.
Number two, your assignment getsclarified.
Jesus didn't heal everyone.

(03:36):
He didn't go everywhere.
He knew exactly what his missionwas, and the quiet place kept
him focused.
So when you're in constantconnection with the Father, you
stop chasing every opportunity.
You start walking in divinedirection.
Think about Moses.
He met with God in the tent ofmeeting, and from there he led a

(03:58):
nation.
No tent time, no wisdom to lead.
That's where we get fed themost.
It's in the quiet place.
When we hear the still smallvoice of that solitude with the
Father.
I said there were three things,powerful things that happened.
Your identity is reaffirmed.
Your assignment gets clarified.

(04:19):
And the third one is this, yourstrength is replenished.
Isaiah 40, 31 says this, butthey who wait for the Lord shall
renew their strength.
A lot of men are exhausted, butnot from working hard, but
rather from leaving empty.
If you're always pouring out andnever receiving, eventually

(04:40):
you're going to burn out.
Martin Luther once said, I haveso much to do, I shall spend the
first three hours in prayer.
Now that sounds crazy to us.
We don't approach the day thatway.
But Luther understood something.
And if you're taking notes, besure and write this down.

(05:01):
Productivity flows frompresence.
Your ability to produce and tobe fruitful is incumbent upon
your time with the Father andsitting in His presence.
You just can't lead well whenyou're dry.
You lead well when you've beendrenched in the Holy Spirit.

(05:23):
Let me paint you this picture.
A man stumbles into thisblacksmith shop and sees him
working on a piece of iron inthe fire.
The blacksmith pulls the metalout, hammers it, places it back
into the flame, and does thisover and over and over.
The man, very curious, finallyasked, he said, how do you know
when the iron's ready?
And the blacksmith replied withthis, when I can see my

(05:48):
reflection in it.
That's the quiet place, brother.
It's in the fire.
It's when we're being forged.
It's the refining ground.
God shapes you so that When youlead, people just don't see a
man.
They see the reflection.

(06:08):
Now, let's talk about that inpractical terms.
You got to start small, but thekey is that you start.
Wake up 30 minutes earlier, 10minutes earlier, but make some
time to spend alone with theFather.
You can open your Bible to thePsalms or to Proverbs, maybe

(06:29):
even the Gospels, but open yourBible.
Read, reflect, and pray.
Don't rush through it.
Just ask the Lord, what do youwant to say to me today?
And here's a part of prayer thatI think a lot of men miss and a
lot of people miss.
It's listening.

(06:49):
If we pray expectedly, then weshould expect that the Father
will respond.
Listen, the Father will speak.
He's been waiting for you.
He's been waiting for you toquiet the world so you can hear
Him.
Well, you might say, Don, I'mnot a pastor.
I'm just a regular guy trying tohold it all together.

(07:11):
Well, friend, if you're ahusband, a dad, a mentor, then
you are a leader.
And your family doesn't needmore hustle.
They need more Holy Spirit.
Your wife doesn't need you tofix everything.
She needs you to be grounded inthe Word.
Your kids don't need a perfectdad.
They need one who's been withJesus and one who will be
present with them.
Now, one of the most powerfulthings you can do is walk out of

(07:36):
your quiet time and bring thatpeace and that presence into
your living room.
Your leadership is not measuredby how loud you speak, but it'll
be measured on how closelyyou've listened to the Father.
Now, let me challenge you.
This week, carve out some timeevery morning.
20-30 minutes.

(07:58):
Leave your phone in anotherroom.
Open the Scriptures to Mark 1,verse 35, and ask the Lord to
meet you there.
Make it a non-negotiableappointment.
It's an appointment you can'tmiss.
It's one you have to show upfor.
Show up expecting, focused, andready to listen.
Now, brother, if you don't leadfrom the quiet place, you'll

(08:20):
eventually lead fromfrustration, fatigue, and fear.
Now, if you want to take thenext step, I've created a
three-day course.
It's called Getting Unstuck.
It'll help Christian men likeyou renew your mind and reclaim
spiritual clarity.
It's a great place for you tostart.
Now, there's a link to that downin the show notes, and you can

(08:41):
click on it there.
I'll exchange that course foryour email.
And I believe it's$27, but it's$9 a day.
But spend the time each day.
Also, if you haven't already,check out my short Faith to
Freedom My Story video.
It lays out exactly how we helpmen go from surviving to leading

(09:06):
with purpose.
Now, that link also is in theshow notes.
Just click, read, listen, andschedule the free discovery call
with me.
It'll cost you nothing to dothat.
I won't even give you a salespitch.
Just want to have a conversationwith you about your needs and

(09:27):
see if Faith to FreedomLifestyle can help you.
Well, our time's up today, butthanks for joining me here on
Faith to Freedom Lifestylepodcast.
I'm Don Kelly.
And remember, your influencedoesn't begin on a stage.
It begins in a secret place.
So rise early, withdraw often,and lead well.

(09:48):
Lead from the overflow.
We'll see you in the nextepisode.
God bless.

SPEAKER_00 (09:57):
Thanks for joining Faith to Freedom Lifestyle
Podcast.
We wish you all the freedom andjoy in the world, and we look
forward to connecting with youagain soon.