What if the biggest breakthrough in your business isn’t a new strategy, but simply learning to let go?

I know that sounds counterintuitive. Especially as business owners, we’re taught to plan, strategize, control, and execute. But here’s what I’ve learned over the past year:

The moment I stopped trying to do business in my own strength and started surrendering my plans to God, everything changed.

I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years. I gave my life to the Lord when I was eight years old at church camp. I grew up in church, met my husband at church, and we’ve always gone to church.

But I never really owned my faith personally until my husband and I started going to a new church when I was about 24.

Even then, I went through the motions of what it looks like to walk with the Lord. But I didn’t really know what it meant to truly surrender every area of my life, and specifically my business, to the Lord.

I Was Doing Business in My Own Strength

For years, I was still trying to do this whole business thing in my own strength.

I spent over $30,000 working with coaches, hoping that one of them would give me the secret formula to finally hit six figures and give me the financial freedom I was looking for.

I kept chasing and chasing and chasing. I started new business after new business, thinking, “This will be the business. This is the one.”

But mind you, I never consulted with the Lord and truly asked Him if that’s what He wanted me to do.

Everything Changed When I Started Doing Business Meetings with God

As soon as I started doing business meetings with God, as soon as I started giving God the first 20 to 30 minutes of my work blocks, things started to shift.

The Lord started putting on my heart things I didn’t know were for me. He started removing the desires of my heart that He no longer wanted me to pursue.

It’s been a journey. It’s been a process. But I want to talk to you today about what it looks like to surrender so that God can truly lead, not just sprinkle Jesus on top, but truly allow Him to take the lead and show you where to go next.

Because now that I’ve done this, I have a brand new business that I launched six months ago that has never felt more in alignment with who I am and who I feel like God has called me to be.

And I’m launching another business next month that partners with this one, which I’m very excited about.

It’s crazy to me that the Lord wanted me to start two different businesses. The collective is an iteration of things I’ve been doing over the past five years, so it’s not a totally new business, but it’s a new offer.

And here’s what’s wild: I have never felt more peace. I have never worked less in my life, and I am making more than I ever have, with this supernatural peace that I feel.

And I want that for you too.

The Big Idea (Recap)

If you’ve been following along in this podcast series, here’s the big idea we’ve been talking about when it comes to doing business differently:

You can’t experience God’s best while chasing worldly success.

That has never been more true than it is right now in my life. I have felt so captivated by this idea of trading worldly success for Kingdom success and keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus and just allowing Him to be in ultimate control.

Because honestly, He has way better plans than I do.

And I don’t want to feel the burnout that I used to feel. I don’t want to feel the anger, the resentment, the guilt, the self-doubt.

All of those negative feelings you possibly feel right now (or at some time or another) do not come from the Lord. They come from the enemy.

Romans 12:2 says: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What Is a Business Meeting with God?

A business meeting with God is a 20 to 30 minute block that you do every single day that you work.

For me, I don’t work every single day, so just on the days I’ve set aside to work, I do this business meeting with God.

Here’s what it looks like:

1. Brain Dump / Journaling

I start by journaling my heart out to the Lord. Maybe putting some to-dos together of things I know need to be done today, and really starting to organize and plan out what my work block is going to look like.

2. Gratitude

I spend time writing what I’m thankful for and what I’m really excited about that the Lord is doing in my life.

3. Prayer (My Ask)

I spend time in prayer and ask Him something. What is my ask for today?

Sometimes my ask is very practical: “Lord, I could really use a new client. Cash flow is low.”

Sometimes it’s more mindset-related: “Lord, please renew my mind. Take this thought away.” Or “Lord, please help me with this relationship.”

4. Reflection / Active Listening

I always leave time and space for reflection. That is active listening from the Lord.

I usually put on some quiet instrumental worship music while I listen to Him speak.

The first few times I did this, I didn’t get much of a download. Maybe some words, some Bible verses came to mind.

But now that I’ve been doing this for over a year, I get entire paragraph downloads.

This has become such a prominent thing in my business. Some days I’m tempted to skip it because I don’t have much time or I feel like I know what I’m doing and I just need to jump right in.

But every time I slow down and remind myself that this is important, that if I do anything in my workday, giving time to the Lord means He will bless it, it has saved me so much heartache to just go to the Lord and get His vision for my day.

I’m telling you, time and time again: If you come and seek the Lord, He will answer.

(Be sure to check out the complimentary episode in the show notes for the full picture of what it looks like to do a business meeting with God.)

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord

Another verse I want to highlight when it comes to surrendering your plans to the Lord is found in Proverbs 3:5-6:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

“Lean not on your own understanding.”

I think for so many years, I did business in my own strength. I was looking to coaches who could give me the wisdom I thought I needed. I thought I was missing something.

And truly, I was missing the confidence in myself. I was missing a connected relationship with the Lord. I was missing that dialogue.

I think a lot of times we speak to the Lord, but we don’t listen.

And that has been the biggest pivotal change in my relationship with the Lord: I’m not the only one doing the talking now. I’m actively listening, and there’s a two-way dialogue.

Jesus wants a relationship with us. He wants a two-way dialogue with us.

So it’s so important that we trust the Lord with all of our heart, and more specifically, in every area.

Maybe there are some areas in your life right now where you’re holding back trust because you just don’t know if God is going to come through for you. Maybe you trust Him in some areas, but you’re holding back on the others.

I hope this episode truly opens your eyes to what it looks like to surrender every area.

What Does It Mean to Truly Surrender Your Agenda?

1. Hold Your Plans Loosely

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and change things.

This is a tricky conversation to have as Christians because I feel like there’s a fine line between waiting for God to speak and taking action without really knowing.

I think God wants us to move, and He wants us to go slow. He doesn’t want us to sprint. He wants us to move at a slow pace so that He has time to adjust and change our plans.

I heard this saying once: “You can’t steer a parked car.”

And I think that is true in our walk with Jesus as well.

If we’re just going to sit on the couch with our feet up and a bowl of popcorn, waiting for the Lord to tell us the next step, it really doesn’t work like that.

We have to take steps forward for us to then be alerted that we’re not on the right path or that maybe we’re going a little too fast.

So it’s important that we keep moving, but that we keep listening for the Lord to guide us.

We are going to plan, but we’re going to plan loosely, knowing that the Holy Spirit might change the plan.

2. Let Go of Specific Outcomes

We need to trust that His results might look different than what we envisioned.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to learn this lesson the hard way.

I would do a launch for my business, and then I would get super defeated when nobody joined my coaching program, or when I wanted 10 people but only 2 people joined.

And all I could see was the lack, the 8 people who didn’t join. I couldn’t focus on the 2 people that joined.

I had self-doubt, resentment, and frustration: “Why didn’t it work for me? I’m looking around and seeing it work for everyone else. Why isn’t it working for me?”

And it’s because I had my own idea of what the outcome should look like.

Instead of me surrendering and saying, “Lord, I’m going to do what You called me to do, and then I will be okay with whatever outcome You bring to the table.”

We need to let go of expectations.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a goal. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t dream. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

It just means we need to allow God to show up and not be disappointed when it doesn’t match our hope and expectation of what we think should have been.

3. Release Your Timeline

God’s timing does not always match ours. Let me rephrase that: God’s timing rarely ever matches ours.

We, as humans, tend to enjoy speed. Especially with things like Amazon and Prime delivery, we rarely have to wait.

So it’s really difficult when the Lord makes us wait.

The same is true with AI. Now we can have conversations with AI, and the results and response are immediate.

I was just talking about this with one of our collective members, and she was saying that it’s hard for her sometimes to go to the Lord because His response is not as clear and is not as quick as going to AI.

We have to be so careful that we are not trading immediate results and immediate gratification for worldly things when we should be walking in obedience with what God has called us to do and waiting on His timing.

It’s very difficult. We definitely want to rush things at times, and the Lord wants us to just surrender.

Posture Your Heart for Right-Now Obedience

It’s important that we posture our heart for obedience.

The Lord wants right-now obedience. When He speaks to us, He wants us to be ready to listen and leap.

I can tell you from experience that the closer you walk with the Lord, the faster you are to jump into right-now obedience.

Previously, maybe a year or 18 months ago, I would have to hear His voice multiple times before I would even consider taking a step because I just wasn’t sure.

But now that I’m walking with the Lord, I know when I hear His voice, and I respond with action right away.

Three Ways to Discern God’s Voice

1. It’s Persistent

When you hear something over and over and over again (and it’s not negative), that’s a sign.

The Lord will not be negative to you. He will be positive and productive in what He’s calling you to do.

You might feel conviction, but there’s never condemnation with the Lord.

2. It’s Aligned with Truth

He’s not going to contradict anything in the Bible.

3. It Requires Faith

When God is asking you to do something, it’s often a bit of a challenge. It’s a bit of, “I don’t know about that” or “I’m not really sure about that.”

Often He requires that gap between where we are and what we think we can accomplish.

We tend to stay on the safe side. Our brain wants to keep us safe.

So when it’s a little bit outside of our comfort zone, that’s normally a sign and indication that that’s God’s voice calling us, because it often stretches us and ultimately brings glory to Him, not yourself.

If it only serves your ego or feels safe, it’s probably a good indication that that’s not coming from the Lord.

If You Don’t Have Peace, Pause

If you’re feeling unsettled, that’s a good indication that it’s a good idea to pause.

There are certain instances where it’s important to pause and wait before you move.

I don’t think we should stay stagnant, but I also think there are certain decisions, big decisions like “Should I create a new offer?” or “Should I move?”, life-altering decisions that should not be made lightly.

You shouldn’t just be like, “I heard the Lord, so I’m gonna obediently jump right now.”

There are certain things where it takes discernment and it takes steps of faith, not giant leaps, but steps of faith.

Join Us for Rested and Rooted Workshop

If you’re ready to go beyond the conversation and get practical tips on what it looks like to stay rooted in Christ and actually practice surrender, join us at our upcoming event called Rested and Rooted.

When: January 21st Where: Gilbert, Arizona (in-person or replay option available)

We’re spending an entire day unpacking what it looks like to build business differently.

I’ll be sharing a talk called “Rooted in Christ: Seek, Talk, Praise.” You’ll discover how to stop carrying life’s weight in your own strength and start living in the power God has given you.

You’ll learn three daily practices, Seek, Talk, Praise, that will keep you spiritually connected and overflowing with His strength.

Carla Reeves will be sharing “Faith in Motion.” She’s diving deep into what it practically looks like to do business differently, a faith-fueled approach to planning, leading, and measuring momentum in your business.

This isn’t about doing more or following the world’s playbook. It’s about learning how to think and be different.

Grab your spot

Final Words From My Heart

Surrender is the hardest thing to do as business owners, especially when you don’t have anyone walking it out with you.

But if you’ve been carrying the weight of business all by yourself and trying to figure out what surrender looks like, I want to invite you to join us inside our free community.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Women who truly understand the struggle of trying to trust God while building a business
• Prayer support when surrender feels impossible
• Real conversations about what it looks like to let go of control
• A safe place to share your fears and frustrations without judgment
• Discussion threads where we process what we’re learning on the podcast

Join the free community

I hope this series has given you permission to redefine what success looks like. I hope you join our free community and link arms with sisters in Christ who get what you’re going through.

And I hope this encourages you to truly trust God with the outcomes and not feel like you’re in control of everything and that you have to handle it all by yourself.

Take a moment this week and ask: What area of my business am I still trying to control instead of surrendering to God?

Start there, surrender it, and trust that God will lead the way.

With love and grace,

Related Podcast Episodes: 

1. Ep 233. Doing Business Differently: God Designed You for Community (Part 2)
2. Ep 232. Doing Business Differently: What Kingdom Success Looks Like (Part 1)
3. Ep 183. Transform Your Workday Starting with a Strategic Business Meeting

Resources:

1. Purpose Gathering Workshop Rested and Rooted (January 21st, 9AM-2PM) – A Spirit-led morning to refocus, reconnect & recharge in Downtown Gilbert, AZ. Live worship, speaker sessions, guided reflection, and intentional connection with faith-driven moms in business. Lunch included! Grab your ticket
2. Learn more about the Collective Mastermind – A Christ-centered space for ambitious mompreneurs who are ready to align their life and business with the Lord.
3. Join the Faith-Fueled Fireside on December 16th at 10AM (AZ Time) – This virtual gathering is an opportunity to connect with like minded mamas who are ready to trade hustle for peace this season.
4. Join the Free Purpose Gathering Community – A welcoming space for Christian mompreneurs to connect, grow, and be encouraged in both life and business.
5. Have a question for me? Or a specific struggle you’re dealing with? I’ll address your question on the podcast. Submit your ‘Ask Ashley’ question here.
6. Please connect with me on Instagram @thepurposegathering.