Embracing Fearlessness and Divine Guidance in Our Personal Journeys - Part 2 | Ep 12

Imagine peering over the edge of the cliff, the unknown before you, and taking that leap anyway. That's the essence of our conversation today - conquering fear and embracing change. Being fearless doesn't mean the absence of fear, but taking actions in spite of it.

Courageously packing up your life and home for an unknown future, or  symbolizing a fearless leap of faith. With a powerful testimony, Mary shares her conscious choice to take charge and the role of faith in her journey is inspiring and comforting. We also share practical tips on incorporating faith into your daily routine. Meet us on the other side of fear with this episode as we navigate through life's highs and lows, and understand faith's true power during testing times.

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Episode Transcript

Announcer (00:00):
Welcome to In His Hands podcast from Women for
Women.
We're here to help you findpeace in knowing you are in
God's hands.
Our goal is sharing the Word ofGod in simple conversations.
You're here to help you thriveevery day.
And now here are your hosts.

Tiffany Windsor (00:18):
Good morning.
I'm Tiffany Windsor and I'mMary, and I would like to
welcome everyone back to parttwo of Fearless.
We were chatting for so longlast week.
I wanted to make sure that wegot our full message out, so,
Mary, let's continue theconversation.

Mary Koning (00:38):
I love what you said about there will be ups and
downs, and sometimes I focus onthe down will never be coming
up again.
And it will.
It will, dear ones.
I think when we did the podcaston wise women, I was on a down
that I didn't think was evergoing to end, and I even told
you you had given me some wisecounsel, and I even said these

(00:59):
words out loud.
I remember if I want somethingdifferent, I have to do
something different.
Well, that involves packing upmy house.
So I'm kind of grumbling as Ido it, but I want something
different, and I have to remindmyself of that.
And so I'm standing therepacking boxes, saying to myself
I want this new future, I wantit, and I'm not going to sit

(01:20):
here and do my same old, sameold, worn out things that don't
work anymore.

Tiffany Windsor (01:26):
Can I just say wow, oh, thank you very much,
because I've been watching yougo through this over the past
couple of weeks but you haven'tspoken those words.
That is amazing to hear how youhave embraced that.
That is the power of Godworking in your life and you
listening you talk about.
Oh, I don't think I listen.

(01:46):
You are listening, my friend.

Mary Koning (01:49):
Thank goodness.
And finally, and part of what'sreally helping me, I actually
do this is to just do my part.
You know, when I get to fearit's what about next week and
next year and what about thefinances and what about the kids
.
And I just use my fist in myhand and I say God has to do
this, he has to have an answer.

(02:10):
And he's like the father Ineeded but didn't have, and he's
giving me the advice.
He's like just do this, just gothere, just do this.
And there's such a piece inthat, because I don't have all
the answers and I'm not supposedto.
I'm nearly human.

Tiffany Windsor (02:24):
And that's so comforting because a lot of
times when we talk I wentthrough a divorce over 40 years
ago, so those memories are veryvague to me.
It's harder for me to rememberas to how to relate, so to hear
it fresh from you is reallyexciting.
There are certain things that Ican give my wise women advice,

(02:44):
but I don't have children, so Idon't know the struggles that
women who are around us, who arebeautiful Christian women but
have made the choice throughtheir prayer to leave their
marriage, and how difficult thatis.
For you to be able to speak tothem is a miracle Is I?

(03:06):
That's what I'm hearing, that'sI'm going to say that word,
because that's what I'm hearingis a miracle in the healing that
you are going to be able toshow these other women that they
can move through this.
What's happening is throughyour experiences and listening
to you, and I hope anyone whohas missed any of our past

(03:27):
podcasts goes back and listensto them, because the great thing
is we're going back and lookingat ourselves and realizing the
change, and for you to be ableto give that hope to other women
is phenomenal.

Mary Koning (03:42):
And I'm not sure I could have spoken about this
even six months ago Six monthsago was in fear, in real deep,
probably depression, if I'mhonest, probably really deep
sadness, and I think those wavesare some of the places we can
get caught in this journey.
Instead of writing the top ofthe waves down in the trough,

(04:02):
thinking that that's it, I'mgoing to be in the trough
forever, maybe the Lord gives usocean so we can take a look and
know we have to just write thewaves and the troughs and it
won't be forever.

Tiffany Windsor (04:15):
So a few things .
There were action items that wetalked about in church today.
Action item number one is buildyourself up in your faith.
When you do that, your faithbecomes your everyday movement
and motion.
It's your go-to.
Faith is a muscle you use.
Faith is about action, and whatdo we always need to do when we

(04:39):
feel like we're stuck?
We need to take action, becauseit's the fear that holds us in
inaction and then we feel likethere's no place to go.
Do you want to talk aboutaction item number two?
Pray in the.

Mary Koning (04:51):
Spirit and I am talking to my students a lot
about this, but I need to listento.
What I tell them is Jesus hadto go back to heaven to send us
the helper, the counselor, theadvocate, the one who walks with
us and tells us go this way,don't go this way.
But my part is listening, ourpart is listening.

(05:14):
Our part is cooperating withthe Spirit and doing what we're
told to do.
And am I too arrogant or unsureof myself, or unsure of myself
to hear and listen?
It's a combination.
It's very simple when I'm doingit correctly.

Tiffany Windsor (05:31):
My note in this item.
Number two pray in the Spirit,big star next to it.
Prayer is our first response,not our last resort, and this
ties into everything that we'vebeen talking about today.
I love to because I'm seeingright now the image of the hand
and the fist is that prayingpeople are powerful people and I

(05:53):
think just that motion say youcan't speak the words in the
moment and you're needing toshift out of something, and if
you just use that motion, that'sgoing to remind you to go into
prayer and prayer is so powerful.
Number three is keep yourself inthe love of God.
We talked about love notesrecently and I love this because

(06:15):
in the love of God is loveletters to us.
God is writing love letters tous and how sweet is that when
we're hurting.
So God is always writing uslove letters and I love that.
I've told you, as a woman who'sbeen independent for many, many
years, one of the things Icrave is just a nice hug from a

(06:35):
dear friend God's hugs are inhis love letters and a reminder
that prayer is a dialogue.
It's not just you speaking.
Pray and listen and let thatdialogue happen.
I was really happy to hear thatbecause there are a lot of
times in the morning when I willpray and I feel like I have to

(06:56):
keep asking or saying somethingand I have to realize through
this that I can say somethingand just be quiet and see what
the Lord has to speak to me inmy prayerful time, that I don't
have to keep chatting.

Mary Koning (07:11):
That is so important.
I want to kind of focus on that, because my interactions with
God have been all just a laundrylist of things I need from him,
and not so much in thelistening, because I don't
necessarily want to hear whathe's going to ask me to do, and
so a lot of my fear was basedaround that.
He's going to ask me to dosomething scary like apologize

(07:36):
to my ex.
I can't see it.
But if he wants me to do it,then I will obey, because I know
there's such blessing and peaceon the other side.
And also, god has moved me froma place of fear so many times.
And that place of fear ischoosing my way and the constant
telling, telling, telling Godwhat's going on instead of
listening, instead of doing.

(07:57):
If I want to live in a place ofpeace, I have to stop talking
so much and start listening andthen start doing being that
obedient child.
Not that he wants us to berobots or ignore our own will,
but he wants our cooperation,because that's the loving
relationship.

Tiffany Windsor (08:17):
It's so interesting as I'm listening to
you, because in the past, whenGod was not in my life, I took a
lot of action.
I've never had a problem takingaction.
I've mentioned before I'vemoved 30 plus times.
I've moved in and out of jobs.
So for me, my challenge is,when God asked me to wait, be
still and wait.

(08:38):
So it's so interesting to me tosee the different action that
you can hear from God, becausefor me it's wait, wait on me.
I've been wanting to move and soin the past I would have moved,
and now I'm waiting on the Lordto tell me where he wants me to
be, that I can continue tospeak like this.

(09:00):
That is in the right place tobuild the community that, mary,
you and I are working on andpraying and listening about.
I have this sense at some placeelse other than where I'm
living right now.
I would have liked to havemoved two years ago, but the
Lord is saying wait, wait, Iwill show you the time and the
place, and I've come to peacewith that.

(09:22):
I have so much more energy,rather than me using all of my
thoughts and all of my energyand making the planning, and I
don't have fear in doing that.
It's just tiring.

Mary Koning (09:33):
The striving, the struggling, the spinning, the
ruminating.

Tiffany Windsor (09:38):
It's no wonder.

Mary Koning (09:38):
I'm exhausted, but the waiting, I feel like that's
a whole nother talk.

Tiffany Windsor (09:44):
We really want to get this message across about
the hope, the hope that'sbehind the fear, and I'll just
pray us out.

Mary Koning (09:51):
In Romans 16, 20, it says the God of peace will
soon crush Satan under your feet, and so I ask you to be wise
women, warrior women, who knowwhere your power comes from.
And, lord, this only comes fromyou.
But your fist in your hand asmany times as you need to, and

(10:12):
be blessed, because this is whatGod wants for you.
And we ask all this in Jesus'name, amen.

Announcer (10:19):
Amen.
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