July 18, 2024 • 41 mins
What if cultivating a deeper relationship with God could transform your leadership more than any corporate strategy ever could? Join me, Belinda Gaston, as I welcome the extraordinary Michelle Scott, founder and CEO of Cultivate Coaching and Consulting LLC, to Grace to Lead. With over three decades of experience in a top-tier international telecommunications company, Michelle shares her inspiring story of transitioning from a high-powered corporate role to fulfilling her divine calling in coaching and ministry. Her journey and insights illuminate how embracing your faith can enhance your effectiveness and fulfillment as a leader.
Michelle, one of the best Bible teachers I know, underscores the importance of spending time with God amidst the bustling demands of leadership. We delve into practical strategies for integrating spiritual practices into your daily routine, ensuring that your relationship with God guides your path. Through our conversation, discover how acknowledging God in all your endeavors can profoundly shape your leadership approach, whether you’re navigating the corporate world, ministry, or your own business. Tune in for wisdom and actionable advice on leading with faith and purpose.
Connect with Michele:
Cultivate Training Institute
YouTube Channel - Cultivate Training Institute
FB Community group - Cultivate Training Institute Group
FB Page - Cultivate Training Institute
Cultivate Coaching & Consulting
Website: cultivatecoachconsult.com
Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay connected and get updates! Thanks for listening to the Graced to Lead Podcast.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Belinda Gaston (00:08):
Welcome to the Graced to Lead podcast.
I'm Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
If you are a Christian womanwho leads at work, in your own
business or even in ministry,you are in the right place.
Here.
You'll find practical adviceand encouragement as you lead
through real conversations thatwill challenge and inspire you.
So join me on this journey tobecoming better leaders God's
(00:31):
way.
Are you ready?
Let the journey begin.
Welcome everyone to the Gracedto Lead podcast.
I am Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
I am excited about our guesttoday.
Today, we're going to talk aboutcultivating your relationship
with God as a leader, and I havewith me none other than the
(00:54):
Michele Scott, who is founderand CEO of Cultivate Coaching
and Consulting LLC.
She's a transformational leaderwith over three decades of
leadership experience.
She's distinguished not only asa professional, certified coach
and consultant and mentor, butalso a passionate cultivator of
(01:17):
individuals and organizationalpotential.
She has been, for over 31 years, a leader with a major
international telecommunicationscompany, where she served in
positions everywhere, from adirector of projects as an
engineer for the eastern UnitedStates, spearheading
(01:40):
re-engineering processes, as abusiness process analyst, all
the way to engineeringimplementation manager and
business analyst, liaison.
And what really sets Micheleapart and this is one of the
things I think that we can gleanfrom here is that she has
seamlessly transitioned fromthis 31-year career as a leader
(02:02):
and administrator to fulfillingher life's calling in coaching
and in ministry, and that's noteasy y'all.
So we can definitely learn fromher.
I am so excited about ourconversation today.
Can you help me virtuallywelcome my guest and friend
today?
Michele Scott (02:26):
guest and friend today, Michele Scott, Welcome to
Graced to Lead Well.
Thank you for having me,Belinda.
Belinda Gaston (02:36):
This is so exciting and I'm honored to be
able to be on your podcast.
Thank you, we are happy to haveyou here and listen.
We're going to jump in.
One of the reasons I was mostexcited about having you on the
show is that oftentimes, asleaders, we're going to jump in.
One of the reasons I was mostexcited about having you on the
show is that oftentimes, asleaders, we're leading all the
things.
We're busy, we have all thethings, and I think I've told
you this before, but I think youare one of the best Bible
(02:56):
teachers I have ever met andthat means to me that you've
managed to figure out how tocultivate time with God, and as
leaders, that's a challenge.
It's challenging to find thattime, and so first let's start
with the basics.
Why do you think spending timewith God is important for
(03:18):
leaders?
Michele Scott (03:20):
Well, I think it's important to spend time
with God because he's theultimate in terms of leadership.
He crafted the hand expertiseon how we are to conduct
ourselves and how we are toserve people.
Then I think that it'simportant for us, as leaders, to
(03:52):
get to know God.
Belinda Gaston (03:55):
And you know I love the word cultivate too, and
that is a part of your, yourcompany.
That's your company name, whichI absolutely love.
That's your company name, whichI absolutely love.
And when I think about spendingtime with God, if you were to
do a Google search on how tospend time with God, all kinds
of stuff would come up, and so Ithink, for our listeners, it
might be helpful to be a bitspecific about what that means.
(04:18):
So can you describe a littlebit about what it means to spend
time with God?
When we say spending time withGod for leaders, whether they're
in the corporate space, whetherthey're in ministry or their
own business, what does spendingtime with God mean?
Michele Scott (04:34):
I like to look at it like we look at
relationships.
It's developing a relationshipwith God, first of all, because
God is a person.
He's not a thing, he's not thisfigment of our imagination up
in the sky, he's not unreachable.
He says he wants to be involvedin every facet of our lives.
You know, I'm going to get somescripture in here.
(04:56):
Proverbs 3, 5 through 6 talksabout we trust in him and in all
our ways we acknowledge Him andthen he will direct our paths.
So we want to build thisintimacy with God, because that
is what's most important.
It's like with our spouses,right, we're married and the
(05:17):
only way we get to know them isif we develop intimacy and
relationship with them.
And that doesn't mean physicalnecessarily.
You know we can't touch God,but we can communicate with God.
So it's this two-wayrelationship that we need to
establish, not where we're justpimping him.
We make the request and then heresponds, whether it's a yes,
(05:41):
no, a wait, maybe later.
But we want to sit back andtake the time to also hear from
him Now.
You asked what ways does thatoccur?
Well, for me, I love to studythe word.
If I start reading the Bible,my goodness, god is speaking,
and then for other people itcould be just sitting and
(06:03):
meditating on the word of God,which is different than studying
the word of God.
And then there is prayer, wherewe actually communicate out of
our mouths or mentally, you know, in our minds, communicating
with God, or he communicates tous through circumstances of life
.
We see things occurring aroundus, us through circumstances of
(06:28):
life.
We see things occurring aroundus.
You have a lot of analogieswhen you see things happening
that God will speak to you andyou say you know what?
And so he speaks to us eventhat way, through our family,
through people, other peopledirectly communicating to us or
indirectly communicating to us,that God speaks in all those
ways.
So we're not limited to justthis formality that we've been
(06:48):
taught, where we have to get ina posture, a certain specific
posture, and we have to sit, andthen we want a King James
version God, thee, thou andthose you know and talk to him.
It's really just like we'recommunicating.
This is how I communicate withGod and it's throughout the day.
He says to pray without ceasing.
(07:10):
That doesn't mean that we'vegot to be in that posture again,
it just means talk to me.
I talk to my husband when hewalks by, so I'm going to talk
to God as I think on him.
I can watch shows on YouTubeand television and it'll speak
to me, especially if I'mlistening to someone's church
service or Bible study.
(07:31):
That is also a way that I drawnear to God.
Belinda Gaston (07:37):
I love that and I thank you for breaking that
down, because I think thatsometimes, particularly in the
corporate space of leadership,it's easy to try to make this
building the relationship withGod or spending time with God
this very ritualistic, formalthing, because as leaders, we
(07:58):
strategize, we analyze, wecreate plans and that's kind of
what we bring towards ourrelationship with God, or we try
to separate the two right.
This relationship that you havewith God informs your
(08:27):
leadership, and you said thatyou know how does that work.
What does that relationshiplook like?
It could look like studying theword of God, the Bible, and I
love that you said the KingJames.
You know the vow of those,because I think sometimes we can
get intimidated if we you know.
So studying the word also maymean finding a version.
(08:48):
We want it to be accurate, butfinding a version that relates
to you, and you talked aboutsitting and meditating and you
talked about prayer and evenkind of paying attention to the
circumstances of life, and so Ithink it helps us to kind of put
a framework around what thatmeans.
Now I want to ask you aquestion.
(09:09):
I imagine, Michele, thatbecause you're such a good
teacher and you know the wordand you clearly have a
relationship with God, that thishas probably been easy for you.
Like, maybe you were born.
Like when you were born, babiescry, but you started speaking
in tongues, I don't know.
Like in my head.
(09:30):
you know how these images ofpeople like as a toddler you
would pray.
I don't know, but I imaginethat you know that's probably
not the case.
So my question for you is haveyou always had this cultivated
relationship?
Have you always studied theword of God, especially during
your time as a corporate leader?
(09:52):
If so, can you tell me aboutthat?
And if not, can you tell me alittle bit about that?
Michele Scott (09:59):
I will say that I have not always, especially in
the corporate environment,studied the word of God, I think
, because my gifting, myspiritual gifting, is as a
teacher and that's the officethat I walk in.
Then some things come kind ofnaturally to you because of how
God has equipped me, but I havenot always studied.
(10:22):
Equipped me but I have notalways studied.
I've been a learner of the wordof God, listening a lot to
people articulate the word to meand teach me, and in the
corporate environment I say I'vebeen a practitioner of the word
, and so that is how I'veconducted my life.
You see, I didn't receivesalvation until I was in my
(10:44):
twentiess.
So as a child, no, god wasdeveloping the gift of the
teacher in me because I loved toteach, I loved to read, but I
didn't have any knowledge of God.
So in the corporate environmentI have just been, because
around the same time that I wasgetting into corporate and
(11:05):
graduating from college, that'swhen I received salvation, and
so I was applying what I waslearning as best I could about
the word.
Belinda Gaston (11:16):
That's so good, Michele.
So OK, you've broken the mythof me thinking that you were
born, you know studying andpraying and all of that.
But I think this is thisconcept of being a practitioner
I love that word a practitionerand a learner versus a studier
is something that I'd like forus to explore a little bit.
(11:37):
Can you talk a little about thedifference between being a
learner slash listener?
Michele Scott (11:49):
between being a learner, slash listener, a
practitioner and a studier ofthe word of God.
So learning just means I wasingesting what was being spoken
to me, not necessarily that Iexamined it to see whether it
was true or not.
I was an open, like the Biblesays, sepulcher.
I was receiving everythingbecause I was an empty vessel.
I wanted it all.
(12:09):
I wanted to know as much as Ipossibly could, not being able,
though, to delineate whether itwas accurate or not.
And so that's the differencebetween learning and then, when
I got into studying, it meant Ihad to be like the Bereans right
, get in there and see what'sbeing said, if it's so for
myself, and examining the word,and then having conversation
(12:32):
with God on my own, outside ofthe other voices that have been
speaking to me about who he isto see, even through his word.
Okay, lord, some of this stuffthat I've been taught, I'm
having to erase or replacebecause it's not accurate in
terms of how it's beeninterpreted to me.
(12:53):
And so that's the differencebetween now the learner and the
study.
Now, the practitioner means okay, god requires some action.
For me, it's good to know it,but now I have to put it into
action, it has to become a dailypart of who I am, a whole
intricate part of my essence, mybeing right, because the word
(13:16):
says that we get rid of this oldnature and we put on this new
nature.
So I have to now walk in thatand it's in every facet.
I don't delineate.
I'm Michele, the teacher inministry, and when I'm outside
of work versus when I'm working,this word is in me at all times
.
So it's going to come fortheven in my leadership.
(13:37):
My principles and my values andmy identity will come from the
word of God in terms of who I amas a leader.
Belinda Gaston (13:48):
That's really good and I think this helps our
listeners as they think throughwhere they are.
I mean, it's even making methink where am I as a leader in
my walk and my relationship withGod?
Am I a listener, a learner andnone of these are bad places to
be in, they're just differentstages is to be in, they're just
(14:09):
different stages.
But am I a learner?
Am I a studier?
Am I a practitioner?
And the impact that has on myleadership.
Oh, thank you so much forsharing that.
So let's shift a little bit.
We've talked about the factthat you weren't born praying,
so that myth is busted, and wetalked about kind of your role
(14:32):
as a leader and how you'vemanaged in these three areas to
kind of cultivate your time withGod.
But I often hear from otherleaders when you get together.
So what happens in theseleadership spaces?
You know you might have thecorporate meeting or the
corporate conference or eventand you get together with other
leaders and you do all thethings you're supposed to do.
(14:54):
You meet, you greet, you haveyour elevator pitch and all
those things to tell people whoyou are and get to know one
another and inevitably, if youare a Christian, you may say
something or do something thatmakes someone else who's a
Christian, they pick up on itand they're like, oh, you're a
Christian and all of a suddenthe language shifts.
Then people, you can tell, feelmore comfortable talking about
(15:15):
prayer and asking questions.
And it's got me thinking abouttimes where people may want to
do more, they may want toexpress more, they may want to
grow their relationships moreand they struggle in that space
and I think everyone struggles.
But I think in leadership it'sdifferent because, once again,
(15:36):
as we talked about in ourMatters of the Heart series,
we're still people and so, aswe're leading, those things that
are in our heart and our mindkind of spur up.
And so I wonder if you can alsoshare again about maybe a time
when you may have struggled withyour time with God in
leadership.
I know that again, I've heardthe stories, especially when you
(15:59):
connect with other people, butsince you're the guest, I would
love to hear if you'recomfortable sharing.
Has there been a time in your31 year career leadership where
you struggled with your timewith God and if so, can you
share a little bit about thattime and what that was like?
Michele Scott (16:18):
Yes, I have struggled, I think, daily,
yearly, with the reality isbecause we have to prioritize
God, our relationship, just likewe have to prioritize our
marriage or relationships withour children or what's important
to us.
I think we all like to think,oh, I'm so faithful and dutiful
(16:43):
and I communicate with God allthe time and I'm consistent.
Every morning of my life I getup and God is the first person
that I talk to.
But what does that look like?
What's the quality of that?
And so, yes, I have struggled,especially during those times
where I got married.
You know, when I was single, Icould devote the majority of my
(17:07):
time.
I was a single mom, but mydaughter was young and so I
could devote hours.
I used to worship for hours,especially after she was in bed,
because it was just me.
But when I got married and thenI had children two consecutive
years in a row, then it becamevery difficult for me to manage
(17:29):
my time.
And you know crying babiesdon't care what time it is,
they're up all kinds of hours ofthe day.
So it took off whateverconsistency or regimen I had in
prayer.
Then my children took that over.
You know, I was up feedingbottles, changing diapers and
people thought I had twins.
(17:49):
They're actually two yearsapart, but it felt like I had
twins.
They're actually two yearsapart, but it felt like I had
twins.
And then, you know, my daughterand school and work, and I was
working a full-time job and andit was demanding because I was
on a systems and systems whereif the system goes down, you're
working, I don't care if youhave quit your shift, you know
your shift is over, you're goingto work till that system is
(18:12):
back up.
And so all those demands on me,I was struggling, I won't even
say to fit God in.
I was having sparseconversations with God, you know
, and it probably was a lot ofrequests versus spending
intimate time with him.
And so those years and until mychildren probably got up to
(18:34):
like middle school you know,where they're kind of
self-sufficient, I wasstruggling and I was doing
ministry that whole time you canbe in, you can be on every
board, the usher board, deacons,elders, whatever capacity that
(19:01):
you serve in, and you can bejust or a pew bitch warmer.
You can go to church everySunday faithfully and not have
any intimacy with God, becauseat that point you're just
receiving from other people oryou're in a capacity of giving
to other people, but where isGod in the midst of that?
And so those, yes, I have.
(19:25):
Even now I'm retired and I'mdoing my own business.
I am basically in control of myday, but I have to be
intentional about putting Godfirst, because this world is
very busy, it's full ofdistractions, you know, things
that catch our attention, thatpull us away from what we have
(19:47):
planned for the day, you know,and so we have to be very
intentional about our time, ourspace, you know, that we set
aside for God.
Belinda Gaston (19:59):
I think this is kind of a Selah moment.
You said a lot, but the ideaagain about serving in the doing
and the going, about serving inthe doing and the going, that
(20:19):
does not equate to arelationship with God.
And so if I am a corporateleader and I am reading my
devotional every day and then Iget on with my day, if I'm not
stopping in that moment toreally what God is saying,
that's not necessarilyrelationship, that's routine,
Right, and I think that is forour listeners.
If you felt that one, that's anarea that we'll all be praying
(20:44):
about, Because I think that thatis something that we do often
as leaders is we're caught up inthe busyness and the things to
do and we think if we are doinggood meaning, good works, or if
we are helping others, or ifwe're solving things or creating
solutions, that we're doingGod's work and you are doing
(21:07):
God's work, but we can't takethat relationship out of the
work.
I feel like that's a Selahmoment.
Michele Scott (21:16):
Because, if you think about it, even in our
marriages right, if we don't putthe work in, we can sleep in
bed together and live in thesame house.
Live in the same house and wecan feel like roommates because
(21:36):
we have not developed, spentquality, not quantity quality
time together.
And that is what's importantwith as business leaders, with
the Lord, it's like we can dothose ritualistic things.
We can check off the list,because we're grateful to do
lists and strategies and plansright.
Our planner is full of whatwe're going to do for the day.
(21:58):
Some of us are so analyticaland detailed.
We got it hour by hour and sowe can check off.
I gave God the hour right.
We use an hour because Jesussaid won't you come?
Ask the disciples to come andpray with them for an hour.
So we think we've done goodwhen we do that right.
So we check off.
I got the hour in.
Some people may feel, oh, Ionly get 10 minutes in.
(22:19):
It's not the quantity, it's thequality of time and, as you
said, is it developingrelationship?
Did we allow God to time torespond to what we've said?
Did we bombard him with justall our needs, our cares or our,
you know, father, we pray theLord's prayer.
You know our father in heaven,hallowed be thy name.
(22:40):
We will say that thy kingdomcome, do your will here on earth
, lord, as it is in heaven.
We'll go through all of thoseritualistic things, but what
happened?
What change in our heartoccurred?
Where did we learn more aboutGod?
Where did we draw nearer to him?
And he said you know, ask,knock and seek, or if you draw
near to me, I'll draw near toyou.
(23:02):
Are we sensing that there's achange in our relationship, or
is it becoming stagnant andstale?
And that is, to me, thedifference.
Belinda Gaston (23:15):
I agree, and you brought up something that I
think leads to another questionfor me, and that is this idea of
hearing from God.
And so I think there are peoplewho may not do this, and I'm
going to ask you for somepractical tips in a minute for
folks.
But I think that there arepeople who may make an attempt,
(23:40):
say, okay, you know, thismorning, in between my, you know
, coming into the office and myfirst meeting, or logging on and
my first meeting, I'm going todedicate you know X amount of
time to God.
And then they go into this timeand they have their Bible and
their notebook or their Bibleapp or whatever they're using,
and they sit and they may notsense anything.
(24:02):
It's like, okay, now, what Canyou talk a little bit about?
What it means to hear from Godin these moments.
Like you know, when you're in arelationship with a person, you
can talk to them, but what doesthat like, talking to God and
hearing from God?
Michele Scott (24:22):
So most of us are not going to have a Moses
experience where we hear thebellowing of his voice right and
the people when they heard itat the mountain they were
fearful anyway.
But what we do have is,internally, we hear God speaking
through our thoughts.
It's you know, the Bible talksabout the mind all the time and
(24:44):
so it's our being able toperceive in our thought life and
in our sensing of what he'ssaying.
It's internal, it's not anexternal thing.
So when you're sitting, ifyou're doing a devotion sitting,
(25:05):
if you're doing a devotion,then these thoughts start coming
right and it develops.
What you've been reading orwhat you've been studying, or
you get a thought about how thatapplies to some facet of your
life.
Not for other people.
We should be hearing forourselves, not even our children
sometimes.
We need to be hearing forourselves.
What is God saying to me, aboutme and our relationship?
(25:28):
So that, to me, is how itoccurs.
Some people, when we're hearingfrom God, we're writing, we
write, I write a lot, I journala lot, and then God will be
again.
You'll get the thoughts.
It's still the thought process.
What are you hearing withinyourself?
So you have to be quiet.
You got to get quiet.
(25:49):
You can't.
You know.
Some people can do it in music.
Some people, like I, can't goto sleep with all the TV on and
all the distractions.
I need it dark and quiet, andso it's like that for me, with
my time with the Lord, that Ihave to have it quiet.
I like when everybody leaves.
So even can I make a point thatI know the Bible says early in
(26:12):
the morning, right, that weshould seek him.
Well, your morning may bedifferent than other people's
morning in terms of the time ofthe day, because everybody
doesn't work in the morning,right.
As a business leader, somepeople have a night shift and so
your morning may be thatevening time of day.
(26:33):
Just make sure you have a time.
Some people go work out beforethey pray.
It's okay.
Let's get rid of the ritualsand just work on the
relationship, and that's it.
Is that a drop the mic moment?
That?
Belinda Gaston (26:50):
is a drop the mic moment.
Let's get rid of the ritual andwork on the relationship, and I
think that you probably justfreed a whole bunch of listeners
who've been trying to get up at5 am and have this time with
God when that may not even betheir most alert time, and I had
to release that for myself.
I choose the time of day whenI'm most alert to give my
(27:13):
attention to God.
It doesn't do me any good, butI am a morning person, but I
haven't always been a morningperson, but it does me no good
to get up early in the morningand be too sleepy to even focus
on God.
I mean, there is a level ofsacrifice and intention here,
but we also have to really focuson what relationship means.
(27:36):
So I'm so glad you shared that,which leads me to my next
question about tips.
I mean, this is really thepoint of this podcast is to help
people have some practicalapplication here.
So are there any practical tips?
What practical tips would yougive leaders to either start
working on this time with God orincrease their time with God?
(27:57):
Are there practical tips thatyou can share?
Michele Scott (28:00):
I think I'm reading this book or going
through this Bible study, nowcalled Experiencing God, knowing
and Doing the Will of God, andit's by Henry Richard and Mike
Blackaby and Claude King, andthis book has really transformed
my way of thinking about allfacets leadership and how to
(28:21):
encounter God.
It's about encountering God anda lot of times, as leaders,
practically what they can belike is, even if we're sitting
in a meeting, even if we'releading a presentation, even if
we're just trying to figure outhow to do something on our job
you know, we get these projectssometimes because we're the
(28:43):
trailblazers, there's no pathset and so we have to figure it
out Then that is the time withinyourself.
We don't have to go in aseparate room and pray.
God makes it so simple.
We can just sit at our desk andwithin ourselves, because we
can also pray internally.
(29:04):
We can also communicateinternally.
You don't have to be at yourdesk muttering and people think
you're talking to yourself, likeHannah was in the Bible.
Right, you can sit there andwithin yourself, just talk to
God, get a quiet moment.
You could take five minutes andhave such a deep conversation
with God, whether you're talkingto him about your day or the
(29:27):
project you're working on, someemployee that you have to deal
with, some decisions that youhave to make him in all our ways
.
I know we've been taught thatGod doesn't.
I won't say everybody'steaching, but there are some
teachings that God's notspeaking that much, or he's not
(29:47):
listening to you, or he doesn'ttalk that much he does because
his word says that if you, hewants to be acknowledged in all
our ways, that means every facetof your life he wants to be
intricately involved.
So if you speak to him on it, Iguarantee you he'll give you an
answer on it.
Belinda Gaston (30:10):
So incorporating your time with God throughout
your day not being in the ritualof things.
Are there any other tips thatyou'd like to share?
Michele Scott (30:28):
Now I like whether you're in the morning or
whether you go to bed at night.
The journaling is very good todo.
Someone walked our Bible studyteam through a prophetic
journaling moment where we wereplaying some music and we had a
journal open and as the musicplayed worship music, of course.
Right.
It's important what you'relistening to, what we're putting
in our ear gates, that then youbegin to hear what is God
(30:53):
saying, what thoughts are comingto you, and just write it down.
That's another way.
There are ways we can go for awalk during your exercise
routine.
Be intentional instead oflistening to motivational
speaking, maybe listen to theword of God or listen to a
praise song.
Let it minister to you.
(31:15):
This is still communicating andcommuning with God.
Even if I do a lot of talkingto God in my car, when I don't
play the radio like I used to,I'm in my car, always talking to
God.
If I'm shopping for clothes,I'm saying Lord, what do you
think about this?
It's that practical.
(31:36):
We have to treat him like aperson, like he's with us.
He's not a consultant, and Iremember this is coming back to
me now last week the Holy Spiritsays he's not the maker, he's
the helper, so he helps us.
He's the aid for us.
(31:57):
So that means then we got totalk to him.
He doesn't force us to doanything.
That's the maker I'm talkingabout.
He's not that kind of maker,and so we got to talk to him.
He doesn't force us to doanything.
That's the maker I'm talkingabout.
He's not that kind of maker,and so we need to involve him.
And then so it's not just God,the father is the son, jesus,
and the Holy spirit.
He's the, the Jesus is theadvocate.
(32:17):
It says he's praying for us,sitting on the right hand of the
Father, and then we've got theHoly Spirit over here.
He's the one that's residingwith us.
This is, he's the one that Godhas left with us.
So, as leaders, we can pull onthe Holy Spirit as we are
working and leading and goingabout what he has called us to
do.
You can just, holy Spirit,simply say Holy Spirit, I need
(32:40):
help, give me some instruction.
He says if we lack wisdom, ask,ask.
It's that simple.
I think we complicate thisrelationship with God because of
the religion and the ritualsthat we have been taught, where
God makes it easy for us.
He just says come, come to me.
Come right.
(33:01):
If you're heavy laden, ifyou're heavy burdened, I'll give
you rest.
Seek me and you'll find me.
Knock the door, be open, askright and you'll receive.
It's that simple.
Keep it simple K-I-S and I'llleave the other S out.
Just keep it simple.
Keep it simple and just buildthe relationship Just like it's.
(33:24):
You and I.
We're getting to know eachother, right?
So the more you share with meabout yourself and the more I
share about myself, then we getto know more about each other.
And it's like that with God.
The word is there for us to getinto.
Don't make it a ritual.
Listen, just take one scripture.
Don't try to read the whole book.
I'm trying to read the Bible ina year because I like to study.
(33:47):
I'm so behind.
That's the reality of it.
I get stuck on one verse or onescripture.
So it's okay just to take onescripture and meditate on it,
delve on it.
What does that mean, lord?
Help me to walk that out.
It's better to accomplish andperfect one thing than try to
have a multitude of things thatwe're just stumbling and failing
(34:09):
at.
So that's a practical tip forme.
It's just you can journal, youcan write, you can listen to
music.
You can incorporate God intoyour life in so many different
ways.
It doesn't have to be the sitstill Now, not to put that aside
and say that's not important.
(34:29):
That is very important becauseit's like I always use the
marriage again, like if myhusband is watching television
and I'm trying to have a deepconversation with him, then
that's distraction, and I'mtrying to have a deep
conversation with him, thenthat's distraction.
So we do want to give God thatother time as well, allotted
time to sit with him.
Belinda Gaston (34:49):
It may vary day to day what that time is, and
that's okay, I think those arevery practical tips and I was
taking notes as you were talking, because I think that that we
don't hear, we don't have theseconversations enough.
So thank you for sharing that.
I think we're going to end, butI would like to know if you
(35:13):
have any final thoughts thatyou'd like to share based on
what we've talked about.
Any final thoughts, and thenwe'll add Well, I will allow you
to share how people can reachyou.
Michele Scott (35:33):
Any final thoughts and then I will allow
you to share how people canreach you.
So any final thoughts wasthinking that if we broaden that
perspective, that lots ofpeople who don't find themselves
in corporate settings wherethey are thought of as a leader,
as an executive, or they're notmanagerial in position, we can
still be leaders in thosecorporate environments.
(35:55):
Because when we look biblicallyat leaders, these are people
who are willing to serve and whohave an influence.
So you can be non-managementbut because of your personality
or the God within you, you areperceived as a leader.
People will follow you.
You're influential in the livesof people and you serve well.
(36:18):
And so can we broaden ourperspective, because people may
say, well, this doesn't apply tome at all, because I'm not even
a leader.
Well, it does.
Do you serve others?
Are you influential to otherpeople?
Then you're a leader and justlead well.
And then this relationship withGod is just keeping it simple
(36:40):
and experience, seek toexperience him.
Come in expectation that Godwill speak to you.
Come knowing that he desires tobe in your life and that it
does whatever you've done.
Whatever you've done, justrepent and get back in
relationship with him, even inthe work environment, the Holy
(37:03):
Spirit will begin to convict us.
If he's still a pen.
You know we take a pen byaccident and we go home with it,
or you know we print somethingoff on the printer that's
personal and not you know.
For the Lord, just repent.
It's that quick, truly turningfrom what we've done so that we
can get back in rightrelationship with him.
(37:23):
Don't ever let yourrelationship falter or you be
lost because you feel like youcan't be forgiven.
God is a God of forgiveness, sostay in that vein, even as
leaders, that it doesn't matterhow bad we think it is, god says
he can forgive.
Belinda Gaston (37:39):
It think it is, god says he can forgive it.
I think that's a great placefor us to end.
The term influence keeps comingup, I think, in all of our
episodes so far.
Whether you have a leadershiptitle or not, we all are leading
someone and serving someone andinfluencing someone, which
(38:02):
makes you, by default, a leader.
So thank you for sharing that.
This conversation has beenamazing, Michele, and I
appreciate your time.
I appreciate you being here.
Before we wrap up, I would likefor you to take a moment to
share with people how they canstay connected with you when
(38:24):
anything that you'd like toshare that you're working on.
Michele Scott (38:28):
I have a coaching business, cultivate Coaching
and Consulting, as you mentionedearlier, and I can be reached
on the website iscultivatecoachconsultcom.
If you'd like to schedule asession with me or a group of
sessions, or even a freeconsultation is available on
(38:48):
that website.
And I delve into leadership,especially team leadership, as
well as life coaching is what myniche is.
And then I'm reachable onFacebook.
As I said, I'm going throughthis 12 week experiencing God
and knowing and doing the willof God Bible study.
(39:09):
I'm teaching it right now.
So there's a Cultivate TrainingInstitute community on Facebook
that you can join, where you'llsee all the past videos I've
done, the past teachings and theZooms that we do weekly for
that Bible study, as well, asthere's a Facebook page that's
Cultivate Training Institutethat you can catch me on, and I
(39:33):
have a YouTube channel as well.
Cultivate Training Institute isthe YouTube channel where you
can see all the videos that Ihave uploaded.
Belinda Gaston (39:46):
Thank you for sharing Michele, and I'm sure
that our listeners will beconnecting with you.
For those of you who arelistening, I will have all of
the links for how you can reachMichele, the coaching business,
her community and her Facebookinformation, and we'll also drop
the link in for theExperiencing God for those who
(40:08):
want to, either to participatein the Bible study.
Michele, it has truly been apleasure.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for yourwisdom and for sharing and for
our listeners.
You don't want to missconnecting with her, so make
sure y'all connect Michele.
Thank you for being here.
Michele Scott (40:28):
Thank you so much for having me.
Belinda Gaston (40:31):
And so, for those of you who are listening,
thank you again for listening.
I invite you to like thepodcast on wherever platform
you're listening.
Don't forget there is a link inthe description of every
podcast episode where you canactually subscribe.
You'll just get a notificationof the new podcast episodes.
But thank you so much forlistening.
(40:52):
Please share the podcast andcontinue to follow us and, until
we speak again, remember thatyou are indeed Graced to lead.
Be well, bye-bye.
Welcome to the Graced to Lead podcast.
I'm Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
If you are a Christian womanwho leads at work, in your own
business or even in ministry,you are in the right place.
Here.
You'll find practical adviceand encouragement as you lead
through real conversations thatwill challenge and inspire you.
So join me on this journey tobecoming better leaders God's
(00:31):
way.
Are you ready?
Let the journey begin.
Welcome everyone to the Gracedto Lead podcast.
I am Belinda Gaston, your host,and listen.
I am excited about our guesttoday.
Today, we're going to talk aboutcultivating your relationship
with God as a leader, and I havewith me none other than the
(00:54):
Michele Scott, who is founderand CEO of Cultivate Coaching
and Consulting LLC.
She's a transformational leaderwith over three decades of
leadership experience.
She's distinguished not only asa professional, certified coach
and consultant and mentor, butalso a passionate cultivator of
(01:17):
individuals and organizationalpotential.
She has been, for over 31 years, a leader with a major
international telecommunicationscompany, where she served in
positions everywhere, from adirector of projects as an
engineer for the eastern UnitedStates, spearheading
(01:40):
re-engineering processes, as abusiness process analyst, all
the way to engineeringimplementation manager and
business analyst, liaison.
And what really sets Micheleapart and this is one of the
things I think that we can gleanfrom here is that she has
seamlessly transitioned fromthis 31-year career as a leader
(02:02):
and administrator to fulfillingher life's calling in coaching
and in ministry, and that's noteasy y'all.
So we can definitely learn fromher.
I am so excited about ourconversation today.
Can you help me virtuallywelcome my guest and friend
today?
Michele Scott (02:26):
guest and friend today, Michele Scott, Welcome to
Graced to Lead Well.
Thank you for having me,Belinda.
Belinda Gaston (02:36):
This is so exciting and I'm honored to be
able to be on your podcast.
Thank you, we are happy to haveyou here and listen.
We're going to jump in.
One of the reasons I was mostexcited about having you on the
show is that oftentimes, asleaders, we're going to jump in.
One of the reasons I was mostexcited about having you on the
show is that oftentimes, asleaders, we're leading all the
things.
We're busy, we have all thethings, and I think I've told
you this before, but I think youare one of the best Bible
(02:56):
teachers I have ever met andthat means to me that you've
managed to figure out how tocultivate time with God, and as
leaders, that's a challenge.
It's challenging to find thattime, and so first let's start
with the basics.
Why do you think spending timewith God is important for
(03:18):
leaders?
Michele Scott (03:20):
Well, I think it's important to spend time
with God because he's theultimate in terms of leadership.
He crafted the hand expertiseon how we are to conduct
ourselves and how we are toserve people.
Then I think that it'simportant for us, as leaders, to
(03:52):
get to know God.
Belinda Gaston (03:55):
And you know I love the word cultivate too, and
that is a part of your, yourcompany.
That's your company name, whichI absolutely love.
That's your company name, whichI absolutely love.
And when I think about spendingtime with God, if you were to
do a Google search on how tospend time with God, all kinds
of stuff would come up, and so Ithink, for our listeners, it
might be helpful to be a bitspecific about what that means.
(04:18):
So can you describe a littlebit about what it means to spend
time with God?
When we say spending time withGod for leaders, whether they're
in the corporate space, whetherthey're in ministry or their
own business, what does spendingtime with God mean?
Michele Scott (04:34):
I like to look at it like we look at
relationships.
It's developing a relationshipwith God, first of all, because
God is a person.
He's not a thing, he's not thisfigment of our imagination up
in the sky, he's not unreachable.
He says he wants to be involvedin every facet of our lives.
You know, I'm going to get somescripture in here.
(04:56):
Proverbs 3, 5 through 6 talksabout we trust in him and in all
our ways we acknowledge Him andthen he will direct our paths.
So we want to build thisintimacy with God, because that
is what's most important.
It's like with our spouses,right, we're married and the
(05:17):
only way we get to know them isif we develop intimacy and
relationship with them.
And that doesn't mean physicalnecessarily.
You know we can't touch God,but we can communicate with God.
So it's this two-wayrelationship that we need to
establish, not where we're justpimping him.
We make the request and then heresponds, whether it's a yes,
(05:41):
no, a wait, maybe later.
But we want to sit back andtake the time to also hear from
him Now.
You asked what ways does thatoccur?
Well, for me, I love to studythe word.
If I start reading the Bible,my goodness, god is speaking,
and then for other people itcould be just sitting and
(06:03):
meditating on the word of God,which is different than studying
the word of God.
And then there is prayer, wherewe actually communicate out of
our mouths or mentally, you know, in our minds, communicating
with God, or he communicates tous through circumstances of life
.
We see things occurring aroundus, us through circumstances of
(06:28):
life.
We see things occurring aroundus.
You have a lot of analogieswhen you see things happening
that God will speak to you andyou say you know what?
And so he speaks to us eventhat way, through our family,
through people, other peopledirectly communicating to us or
indirectly communicating to us,that God speaks in all those
ways.
So we're not limited to justthis formality that we've been
(06:48):
taught, where we have to get ina posture, a certain specific
posture, and we have to sit, andthen we want a King James
version God, thee, thou andthose you know and talk to him.
It's really just like we'recommunicating.
This is how I communicate withGod and it's throughout the day.
He says to pray without ceasing.
(07:10):
That doesn't mean that we'vegot to be in that posture again,
it just means talk to me.
I talk to my husband when hewalks by, so I'm going to talk
to God as I think on him.
I can watch shows on YouTubeand television and it'll speak
to me, especially if I'mlistening to someone's church
service or Bible study.
(07:31):
That is also a way that I drawnear to God.
Belinda Gaston (07:37):
I love that and I thank you for breaking that
down, because I think thatsometimes, particularly in the
corporate space of leadership,it's easy to try to make this
building the relationship withGod or spending time with God
this very ritualistic, formalthing, because as leaders, we
(07:58):
strategize, we analyze, wecreate plans and that's kind of
what we bring towards ourrelationship with God, or we try
to separate the two right.
This relationship that you havewith God informs your
(08:27):
leadership, and you said thatyou know how does that work.
What does that relationshiplook like?
It could look like studying theword of God, the Bible, and I
love that you said the KingJames.
You know the vow of those,because I think sometimes we can
get intimidated if we you know.
So studying the word also maymean finding a version.
(08:48):
We want it to be accurate, butfinding a version that relates
to you, and you talked aboutsitting and meditating and you
talked about prayer and evenkind of paying attention to the
circumstances of life, and so Ithink it helps us to kind of put
a framework around what thatmeans.
Now I want to ask you aquestion.
(09:09):
I imagine, Michele, thatbecause you're such a good
teacher and you know the wordand you clearly have a
relationship with God, that thishas probably been easy for you.
Like, maybe you were born.
Like when you were born, babiescry, but you started speaking
in tongues, I don't know.
Like in my head.
(09:30):
you know how these images ofpeople like as a toddler you
would pray.
I don't know, but I imaginethat you know that's probably
not the case.
So my question for you is haveyou always had this cultivated
relationship?
Have you always studied theword of God, especially during
your time as a corporate leader?
(09:52):
If so, can you tell me aboutthat?
And if not, can you tell me alittle bit about that?
Michele Scott (09:59):
I will say that I have not always, especially in
the corporate environment,studied the word of God, I think
, because my gifting, myspiritual gifting, is as a
teacher and that's the officethat I walk in.
Then some things come kind ofnaturally to you because of how
God has equipped me, but I havenot always studied.
(10:22):
Equipped me but I have notalways studied.
I've been a learner of the wordof God, listening a lot to
people articulate the word to meand teach me, and in the
corporate environment I say I'vebeen a practitioner of the word
, and so that is how I'veconducted my life.
You see, I didn't receivesalvation until I was in my
(10:44):
twentiess.
So as a child, no, god wasdeveloping the gift of the
teacher in me because I loved toteach, I loved to read, but I
didn't have any knowledge of God.
So in the corporate environmentI have just been, because
around the same time that I wasgetting into corporate and
(11:05):
graduating from college, that'swhen I received salvation, and
so I was applying what I waslearning as best I could about
the word.
Belinda Gaston (11:16):
That's so good, Michele.
So OK, you've broken the mythof me thinking that you were
born, you know studying andpraying and all of that.
But I think this is thisconcept of being a practitioner
I love that word a practitionerand a learner versus a studier
is something that I'd like forus to explore a little bit.
(11:37):
Can you talk a little about thedifference between being a
learner slash listener?
Michele Scott (11:49):
between being a learner, slash listener, a
practitioner and a studier ofthe word of God.
So learning just means I wasingesting what was being spoken
to me, not necessarily that Iexamined it to see whether it
was true or not.
I was an open, like the Biblesays, sepulcher.
I was receiving everythingbecause I was an empty vessel.
I wanted it all.
(12:09):
I wanted to know as much as Ipossibly could, not being able,
though, to delineate whether itwas accurate or not.
And so that's the differencebetween learning and then, when
I got into studying, it meant Ihad to be like the Bereans right
, get in there and see what'sbeing said, if it's so for
myself, and examining the word,and then having conversation
(12:32):
with God on my own, outside ofthe other voices that have been
speaking to me about who he isto see, even through his word.
Okay, lord, some of this stuffthat I've been taught, I'm
having to erase or replacebecause it's not accurate in
terms of how it's beeninterpreted to me.
(12:53):
And so that's the differencebetween now the learner and the
study.
Now, the practitioner means okay, god requires some action.
For me, it's good to know it,but now I have to put it into
action, it has to become a dailypart of who I am, a whole
intricate part of my essence, mybeing right, because the word
(13:16):
says that we get rid of this oldnature and we put on this new
nature.
So I have to now walk in thatand it's in every facet.
I don't delineate.
I'm Michele, the teacher inministry, and when I'm outside
of work versus when I'm working,this word is in me at all times
.
So it's going to come fortheven in my leadership.
(13:37):
My principles and my values andmy identity will come from the
word of God in terms of who I amas a leader.
Belinda Gaston (13:48):
That's really good and I think this helps our
listeners as they think throughwhere they are.
I mean, it's even making methink where am I as a leader in
my walk and my relationship withGod?
Am I a listener, a learner andnone of these are bad places to
be in, they're just differentstages is to be in, they're just
(14:09):
different stages.
But am I a learner?
Am I a studier?
Am I a practitioner?
And the impact that has on myleadership.
Oh, thank you so much forsharing that.
So let's shift a little bit.
We've talked about the factthat you weren't born praying,
so that myth is busted, and wetalked about kind of your role
(14:32):
as a leader and how you'vemanaged in these three areas to
kind of cultivate your time withGod.
But I often hear from otherleaders when you get together.
So what happens in theseleadership spaces?
You know you might have thecorporate meeting or the
corporate conference or eventand you get together with other
leaders and you do all thethings you're supposed to do.
(14:54):
You meet, you greet, you haveyour elevator pitch and all
those things to tell people whoyou are and get to know one
another and inevitably, if youare a Christian, you may say
something or do something thatmakes someone else who's a
Christian, they pick up on itand they're like, oh, you're a
Christian and all of a suddenthe language shifts.
Then people, you can tell, feelmore comfortable talking about
(15:15):
prayer and asking questions.
And it's got me thinking abouttimes where people may want to
do more, they may want toexpress more, they may want to
grow their relationships moreand they struggle in that space
and I think everyone struggles.
But I think in leadership it'sdifferent because, once again,
(15:36):
as we talked about in ourMatters of the Heart series,
we're still people and so, aswe're leading, those things that
are in our heart and our mindkind of spur up.
And so I wonder if you can alsoshare again about maybe a time
when you may have struggled withyour time with God in
leadership.
I know that again, I've heardthe stories, especially when you
(15:59):
connect with other people, butsince you're the guest, I would
love to hear if you'recomfortable sharing.
Has there been a time in your31 year career leadership where
you struggled with your timewith God and if so, can you
share a little bit about thattime and what that was like?
Michele Scott (16:18):
Yes, I have struggled, I think, daily,
yearly, with the reality isbecause we have to prioritize
God, our relationship, just likewe have to prioritize our
marriage or relationships withour children or what's important
to us.
I think we all like to think,oh, I'm so faithful and dutiful
(16:43):
and I communicate with God allthe time and I'm consistent.
Every morning of my life I getup and God is the first person
that I talk to.
But what does that look like?
What's the quality of that?
And so, yes, I have struggled,especially during those times
where I got married.
You know, when I was single, Icould devote the majority of my
(17:07):
time.
I was a single mom, but mydaughter was young and so I
could devote hours.
I used to worship for hours,especially after she was in bed,
because it was just me.
But when I got married and thenI had children two consecutive
years in a row, then it becamevery difficult for me to manage
(17:29):
my time.
And you know crying babiesdon't care what time it is,
they're up all kinds of hours ofthe day.
So it took off whateverconsistency or regimen I had in
prayer.
Then my children took that over.
You know, I was up feedingbottles, changing diapers and
people thought I had twins.
(17:49):
They're actually two yearsapart, but it felt like I had
twins.
They're actually two yearsapart, but it felt like I had
twins.
And then, you know, my daughterand school and work, and I was
working a full-time job and andit was demanding because I was
on a systems and systems whereif the system goes down, you're
working, I don't care if youhave quit your shift, you know
your shift is over, you're goingto work till that system is
(18:12):
back up.
And so all those demands on me,I was struggling, I won't even
say to fit God in.
I was having sparseconversations with God, you know
, and it probably was a lot ofrequests versus spending
intimate time with him.
And so those years and until mychildren probably got up to
(18:34):
like middle school you know,where they're kind of
self-sufficient, I wasstruggling and I was doing
ministry that whole time you canbe in, you can be on every
board, the usher board, deacons,elders, whatever capacity that
(19:01):
you serve in, and you can bejust or a pew bitch warmer.
You can go to church everySunday faithfully and not have
any intimacy with God, becauseat that point you're just
receiving from other people oryou're in a capacity of giving
to other people, but where isGod in the midst of that?
And so those, yes, I have.
(19:25):
Even now I'm retired and I'mdoing my own business.
I am basically in control of myday, but I have to be
intentional about putting Godfirst, because this world is
very busy, it's full ofdistractions, you know, things
that catch our attention, thatpull us away from what we have
(19:47):
planned for the day, you know,and so we have to be very
intentional about our time, ourspace, you know, that we set
aside for God.
Belinda Gaston (19:59):
I think this is kind of a Selah moment.
You said a lot, but the ideaagain about serving in the doing
and the going, about serving inthe doing and the going, that
(20:19):
does not equate to arelationship with God.
And so if I am a corporateleader and I am reading my
devotional every day and then Iget on with my day, if I'm not
stopping in that moment toreally what God is saying,
that's not necessarilyrelationship, that's routine,
Right, and I think that is forour listeners.
If you felt that one, that's anarea that we'll all be praying
(20:44):
about, Because I think that thatis something that we do often
as leaders is we're caught up inthe busyness and the things to
do and we think if we are doinggood meaning, good works, or if
we are helping others, or ifwe're solving things or creating
solutions, that we're doingGod's work and you are doing
(21:07):
God's work, but we can't takethat relationship out of the
work.
I feel like that's a Selahmoment.
Michele Scott (21:16):
Because, if you think about it, even in our
marriages right, if we don't putthe work in, we can sleep in
bed together and live in thesame house.
Live in the same house and wecan feel like roommates because
(21:36):
we have not developed, spentquality, not quantity quality
time together.
And that is what's importantwith as business leaders, with
the Lord, it's like we can dothose ritualistic things.
We can check off the list,because we're grateful to do
lists and strategies and plansright.
Our planner is full of whatwe're going to do for the day.
(21:58):
Some of us are so analyticaland detailed.
We got it hour by hour and sowe can check off.
I gave God the hour right.
We use an hour because Jesussaid won't you come?
Ask the disciples to come andpray with them for an hour.
So we think we've done goodwhen we do that right.
So we check off.
I got the hour in.
Some people may feel, oh, Ionly get 10 minutes in.
(22:19):
It's not the quantity, it's thequality of time and, as you
said, is it developingrelationship?
Did we allow God to time torespond to what we've said?
Did we bombard him with justall our needs, our cares or our,
you know, father, we pray theLord's prayer.
You know our father in heaven,hallowed be thy name.
(22:40):
We will say that thy kingdomcome, do your will here on earth
, lord, as it is in heaven.
We'll go through all of thoseritualistic things, but what
happened?
What change in our heartoccurred?
Where did we learn more aboutGod?
Where did we draw nearer to him?
And he said you know, ask,knock and seek, or if you draw
near to me, I'll draw near toyou.
(23:02):
Are we sensing that there's achange in our relationship, or
is it becoming stagnant andstale?
And that is, to me, thedifference.
Belinda Gaston (23:15):
I agree, and you brought up something that I
think leads to another questionfor me, and that is this idea of
hearing from God.
And so I think there are peoplewho may not do this, and I'm
going to ask you for somepractical tips in a minute for
folks.
But I think that there arepeople who may make an attempt,
(23:40):
say, okay, you know, thismorning, in between my, you know
, coming into the office and myfirst meeting, or logging on and
my first meeting, I'm going todedicate you know X amount of
time to God.
And then they go into this timeand they have their Bible and
their notebook or their Bibleapp or whatever they're using,
and they sit and they may notsense anything.
(24:02):
It's like, okay, now, what Canyou talk a little bit about?
What it means to hear from Godin these moments.
Like you know, when you're in arelationship with a person, you
can talk to them, but what doesthat like, talking to God and
hearing from God?
Michele Scott (24:22):
So most of us are not going to have a Moses
experience where we hear thebellowing of his voice right and
the people when they heard itat the mountain they were
fearful anyway.
But what we do have is,internally, we hear God speaking
through our thoughts.
It's you know, the Bible talksabout the mind all the time and
(24:44):
so it's our being able toperceive in our thought life and
in our sensing of what he'ssaying.
It's internal, it's not anexternal thing.
So when you're sitting, ifyou're doing a devotion sitting,
(25:05):
if you're doing a devotion,then these thoughts start coming
right and it develops.
What you've been reading orwhat you've been studying, or
you get a thought about how thatapplies to some facet of your
life.
Not for other people.
We should be hearing forourselves, not even our children
sometimes.
We need to be hearing forourselves.
What is God saying to me, aboutme and our relationship?
(25:28):
So that, to me, is how itoccurs.
Some people, when we're hearingfrom God, we're writing, we
write, I write a lot, I journala lot, and then God will be
again.
You'll get the thoughts.
It's still the thought process.
What are you hearing withinyourself?
So you have to be quiet.
You got to get quiet.
(25:49):
You can't.
You know.
Some people can do it in music.
Some people, like I, can't goto sleep with all the TV on and
all the distractions.
I need it dark and quiet, andso it's like that for me, with
my time with the Lord, that Ihave to have it quiet.
I like when everybody leaves.
So even can I make a point thatI know the Bible says early in
(26:12):
the morning, right, that weshould seek him.
Well, your morning may bedifferent than other people's
morning in terms of the time ofthe day, because everybody
doesn't work in the morning,right.
As a business leader, somepeople have a night shift and so
your morning may be thatevening time of day.
(26:33):
Just make sure you have a time.
Some people go work out beforethey pray.
It's okay.
Let's get rid of the ritualsand just work on the
relationship, and that's it.
Is that a drop the mic moment?
That?
Belinda Gaston (26:50):
is a drop the mic moment.
Let's get rid of the ritual andwork on the relationship, and I
think that you probably justfreed a whole bunch of listeners
who've been trying to get up at5 am and have this time with
God when that may not even betheir most alert time, and I had
to release that for myself.
I choose the time of day whenI'm most alert to give my
(27:13):
attention to God.
It doesn't do me any good, butI am a morning person, but I
haven't always been a morningperson, but it does me no good
to get up early in the morningand be too sleepy to even focus
on God.
I mean, there is a level ofsacrifice and intention here,
but we also have to really focuson what relationship means.
(27:36):
So I'm so glad you shared that,which leads me to my next
question about tips.
I mean, this is really thepoint of this podcast is to help
people have some practicalapplication here.
So are there any practical tips?
What practical tips would yougive leaders to either start
working on this time with God orincrease their time with God?
(27:57):
Are there practical tips thatyou can share?
Michele Scott (28:00):
I think I'm reading this book or going
through this Bible study, nowcalled Experiencing God, knowing
and Doing the Will of God, andit's by Henry Richard and Mike
Blackaby and Claude King, andthis book has really transformed
my way of thinking about allfacets leadership and how to
(28:21):
encounter God.
It's about encountering God anda lot of times, as leaders,
practically what they can belike is, even if we're sitting
in a meeting, even if we'releading a presentation, even if
we're just trying to figure outhow to do something on our job
you know, we get these projectssometimes because we're the
(28:43):
trailblazers, there's no pathset and so we have to figure it
out Then that is the time withinyourself.
We don't have to go in aseparate room and pray.
God makes it so simple.
We can just sit at our desk andwithin ourselves, because we
can also pray internally.
(29:04):
We can also communicateinternally.
You don't have to be at yourdesk muttering and people think
you're talking to yourself, likeHannah was in the Bible.
Right, you can sit there andwithin yourself, just talk to
God, get a quiet moment.
You could take five minutes andhave such a deep conversation
with God, whether you're talkingto him about your day or the
(29:27):
project you're working on, someemployee that you have to deal
with, some decisions that youhave to make him in all our ways
.
I know we've been taught thatGod doesn't.
I won't say everybody'steaching, but there are some
teachings that God's notspeaking that much, or he's not
(29:47):
listening to you, or he doesn'ttalk that much he does because
his word says that if you, hewants to be acknowledged in all
our ways, that means every facetof your life he wants to be
intricately involved.
So if you speak to him on it, Iguarantee you he'll give you an
answer on it.
Belinda Gaston (30:10):
So incorporating your time with God throughout
your day not being in the ritualof things.
Are there any other tips thatyou'd like to share?
Michele Scott (30:28):
Now I like whether you're in the morning or
whether you go to bed at night.
The journaling is very good todo.
Someone walked our Bible studyteam through a prophetic
journaling moment where we wereplaying some music and we had a
journal open and as the musicplayed worship music, of course.
Right.
It's important what you'relistening to, what we're putting
in our ear gates, that then youbegin to hear what is God
(30:53):
saying, what thoughts are comingto you, and just write it down.
That's another way.
There are ways we can go for awalk during your exercise
routine.
Be intentional instead oflistening to motivational
speaking, maybe listen to theword of God or listen to a
praise song.
Let it minister to you.
(31:15):
This is still communicating andcommuning with God.
Even if I do a lot of talkingto God in my car, when I don't
play the radio like I used to,I'm in my car, always talking to
God.
If I'm shopping for clothes,I'm saying Lord, what do you
think about this?
It's that practical.
(31:36):
We have to treat him like aperson, like he's with us.
He's not a consultant, and Iremember this is coming back to
me now last week the Holy Spiritsays he's not the maker, he's
the helper, so he helps us.
He's the aid for us.
(31:57):
So that means then we got totalk to him.
He doesn't force us to doanything.
That's the maker I'm talkingabout.
He's not that kind of maker,and so we got to talk to him.
He doesn't force us to doanything.
That's the maker I'm talkingabout.
He's not that kind of maker,and so we need to involve him.
And then so it's not just God,the father is the son, jesus,
and the Holy spirit.
He's the, the Jesus is theadvocate.
(32:17):
It says he's praying for us,sitting on the right hand of the
Father, and then we've got theHoly Spirit over here.
He's the one that's residingwith us.
This is, he's the one that Godhas left with us.
So, as leaders, we can pull onthe Holy Spirit as we are
working and leading and goingabout what he has called us to
do.
You can just, holy Spirit,simply say Holy Spirit, I need
(32:40):
help, give me some instruction.
He says if we lack wisdom, ask,ask.
It's that simple.
I think we complicate thisrelationship with God because of
the religion and the ritualsthat we have been taught, where
God makes it easy for us.
He just says come, come to me.
Come right.
(33:01):
If you're heavy laden, ifyou're heavy burdened, I'll give
you rest.
Seek me and you'll find me.
Knock the door, be open, askright and you'll receive.
It's that simple.
Keep it simple K-I-S and I'llleave the other S out.
Just keep it simple.
Keep it simple and just buildthe relationship Just like it's.
(33:24):
You and I.
We're getting to know eachother, right?
So the more you share with meabout yourself and the more I
share about myself, then we getto know more about each other.
And it's like that with God.
The word is there for us to getinto.
Don't make it a ritual.
Listen, just take one scripture.
Don't try to read the whole book.
I'm trying to read the Bible ina year because I like to study.
(33:47):
I'm so behind.
That's the reality of it.
I get stuck on one verse or onescripture.
So it's okay just to take onescripture and meditate on it,
delve on it.
What does that mean, lord?
Help me to walk that out.
It's better to accomplish andperfect one thing than try to
have a multitude of things thatwe're just stumbling and failing
(34:09):
at.
So that's a practical tip forme.
It's just you can journal, youcan write, you can listen to
music.
You can incorporate God intoyour life in so many different
ways.
It doesn't have to be the sitstill Now, not to put that aside
and say that's not important.
(34:29):
That is very important becauseit's like I always use the
marriage again, like if myhusband is watching television
and I'm trying to have a deepconversation with him, then
that's distraction, and I'mtrying to have a deep
conversation with him, thenthat's distraction.
So we do want to give God thatother time as well, allotted
time to sit with him.
Belinda Gaston (34:49):
It may vary day to day what that time is, and
that's okay, I think those arevery practical tips and I was
taking notes as you were talking, because I think that that we
don't hear, we don't have theseconversations enough.
So thank you for sharing that.
I think we're going to end, butI would like to know if you
(35:13):
have any final thoughts thatyou'd like to share based on
what we've talked about.
Any final thoughts, and thenwe'll add Well, I will allow you
to share how people can reachyou.
Michele Scott (35:33):
Any final thoughts and then I will allow
you to share how people canreach you.
So any final thoughts wasthinking that if we broaden that
perspective, that lots ofpeople who don't find themselves
in corporate settings wherethey are thought of as a leader,
as an executive, or they're notmanagerial in position, we can
still be leaders in thosecorporate environments.
(35:55):
Because when we look biblicallyat leaders, these are people
who are willing to serve and whohave an influence.
So you can be non-managementbut because of your personality
or the God within you, you areperceived as a leader.
People will follow you.
You're influential in the livesof people and you serve well.
(36:18):
And so can we broaden ourperspective, because people may
say, well, this doesn't apply tome at all, because I'm not even
a leader.
Well, it does.
Do you serve others?
Are you influential to otherpeople?
Then you're a leader and justlead well.
And then this relationship withGod is just keeping it simple
(36:40):
and experience, seek toexperience him.
Come in expectation that Godwill speak to you.
Come knowing that he desires tobe in your life and that it
does whatever you've done.
Whatever you've done, justrepent and get back in
relationship with him, even inthe work environment, the Holy
(37:03):
Spirit will begin to convict us.
If he's still a pen.
You know we take a pen byaccident and we go home with it,
or you know we print somethingoff on the printer that's
personal and not you know.
For the Lord, just repent.
It's that quick, truly turningfrom what we've done so that we
can get back in rightrelationship with him.
(37:23):
Don't ever let yourrelationship falter or you be
lost because you feel like youcan't be forgiven.
God is a God of forgiveness, sostay in that vein, even as
leaders, that it doesn't matterhow bad we think it is, god says
he can forgive.
Belinda Gaston (37:39):
It think it is, god says he can forgive it.
I think that's a great placefor us to end.
The term influence keeps comingup, I think, in all of our
episodes so far.
Whether you have a leadershiptitle or not, we all are leading
someone and serving someone andinfluencing someone, which
(38:02):
makes you, by default, a leader.
So thank you for sharing that.
This conversation has beenamazing, Michele, and I
appreciate your time.
I appreciate you being here.
Before we wrap up, I would likefor you to take a moment to
share with people how they canstay connected with you when
(38:24):
anything that you'd like toshare that you're working on.
Michele Scott (38:28):
I have a coaching business, cultivate Coaching
and Consulting, as you mentionedearlier, and I can be reached
on the website iscultivatecoachconsultcom.
If you'd like to schedule asession with me or a group of
sessions, or even a freeconsultation is available on
(38:48):
that website.
And I delve into leadership,especially team leadership, as
well as life coaching is what myniche is.
And then I'm reachable onFacebook.
As I said, I'm going throughthis 12 week experiencing God
and knowing and doing the willof God Bible study.
(39:09):
I'm teaching it right now.
So there's a Cultivate TrainingInstitute community on Facebook
that you can join, where you'llsee all the past videos I've
done, the past teachings and theZooms that we do weekly for
that Bible study, as well, asthere's a Facebook page that's
Cultivate Training Institutethat you can catch me on, and I
(39:33):
have a YouTube channel as well.
Cultivate Training Institute isthe YouTube channel where you
can see all the videos that Ihave uploaded.
Belinda Gaston (39:46):
Thank you for sharing Michele, and I'm sure
that our listeners will beconnecting with you.
For those of you who arelistening, I will have all of
the links for how you can reachMichele, the coaching business,
her community and her Facebookinformation, and we'll also drop
the link in for theExperiencing God for those who
(40:08):
want to, either to participatein the Bible study.
Michele, it has truly been apleasure.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for yourwisdom and for sharing and for
our listeners.
You don't want to missconnecting with her, so make
sure y'all connect Michele.
Thank you for being here.
Michele Scott (40:28):
Thank you so much for having me.
Belinda Gaston (40:31):
And so, for those of you who are listening,
thank you again for listening.
I invite you to like thepodcast on wherever platform
you're listening.
Don't forget there is a link inthe description of every
podcast episode where you canactually subscribe.
You'll just get a notificationof the new podcast episodes.
But thank you so much forlistening.
(40:52):
Please share the podcast andcontinue to follow us and, until
we speak again, remember thatyou are indeed Graced to lead.
Be well, bye-bye.
Popular Podcasts
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!