Wherever you are listening — in the car, at home, on a walk, or in a quiet moment by yourself — I want you to take a deep breath and know that this is a safe space for your heart. In Episode 3, we talked about overcoming fear and taking that next faith-filled step. Today, we’re going to have a tender, grace-filled conversation about healing what's been holding you back. Before we go any further, I want you to know this episode isn't here to push you, rush you, or make you feel like you should already be further along. This is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and let God meet you right where you are. Many women don't lack purpose, passion, or desire. Sometimes what they carry is pain—pain that has quietly shaped how they see themselves, how they trust God, and how they move forward. So today, we are not coming from shame or pressure. We open our hearts to God's gentle love, letting Him touch the places that still hurt, and trusting Him to lead us toward greater freedom, peace, and wholeness. 

Today, we’re talking about the courage to respond when God calls you forward and fear tries to make you stand still. John 10:27: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

 Maybe you can feel that tension right now. You know God is stirring something in you. You sense Him inviting you to grow, begin, serve, speak, write, forgive, prepare, or step into a new season. And even though fear may ask, “What if I fail?” faith rises and reminds you, “If God is with me, I can take the next step.” Fear often meets us at the doorway of purpose, but it cannot cancel what God has spoken. It may be loud, but it is not Lord. It may be present, but it does not have authority over your yes.

 So today, we’ll talk about recognizing fear, trusting God before you feel fully ready, and taking one faith-filled step with courage. My prayer is that this episode reminds you that you are not moving alone. The God who called you is walking with you, strengthening you, and giving you grace for every step ahead. 2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Let me ask you something as we begin: have you ever prayed, “Lord, show me what to do,” and then wondered if what you were sensing was really God, your own thoughts, or maybe even fear talking? If so, you are not alone. 

 So many women carry purpose in their hearts, but they also ask, “God, how do I know it’s You leading me?” In our first episode, we talked about awakening to the purpose God has already placed within you. Today, we’re taking the next step and talking about how to hear God’s voice as you walk out that purpose one faithful step at a time. Psalm 32:8 says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

Episode 1

 Welcome to Awaken Her Purpose. I am your host, Reverend Dr. Gloria J. Newman, and I am so grateful you are here for our very first episode. Today, we are starting with the heart of this podcast. Awakening the purpose God has already placed within you. Ephesians 2: 10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."

 So before we go any further, let's invite God into this conversation. Father, thank you for every woman listening today. Open her heart, quiet fear and doubt, and remind her that she is seen, loved, chosen, and called. Awaken what you have placed within her. Give her courage for the next step, and peace to trust your timing. In Jesus' name, amen.

 Segment one of this first episode is Purpose is Already Within You. Purpose does not begin with a platform, a title, a position, public recognition, or outside validation. Purpose begins with God, and he placed value, assignment, and divine intention within you before anyone else saw it. Psalm 139:13-16 says, "You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous. How well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, when I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day passed." 

 So as we begin this first segment, I want us to release the pressure of trying to prove purpose and return to the truth that purpose starts with God. Before we talk about what we do, we have to remember who created us and what he placed inside of us. Sometimes we think purpose is something we have to chase, earn, prove, or perform. We think we need a title before we can be useful, a platform before we can be impactful, or someone else's approval before we can believe we are called. But before anyone knew your name, before you had a position, before you had a ministry, before you had a business, before you had an audience, God had already placed value and assignment within your life. Galatians 1: 10 says, "Obviously, I'm trying to win the approval-" Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be God's servant. 

 So if you are in a hidden season, if you feel delayed, overlooked, or unsure, I want you to know that hidden does not mean forgotten. Delayed does not mean denied. And overlooked by people does not mean unseen by God. Habakkuk 2 and 3 says, "This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." So a reflection question I would like to ask is- What if purpose is not something you are waiting to receive, but something God is asking you to awaken to? What if the very thing you have been asking God to give you is something he has already planted within you, and is now inviting you to stir up by faith? Philippians 3, Philippians 2 and 13 says, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." And once we understand that purpose is already within us, we also have to ask what may have covered it, quieted it, or kept it asleep? 

This podcast is for the woman ready to stop shrinking back, stop doubting what God placed inside her, and begin taking faithful steps toward healing, identity, courage, leadership, and calling.