Week 1: Grace to Begin Again
In this first episode of the Carried by Grace series, I’m sharing the power of Grace to Begin Again—not with guilt, but with grace.
Here’s a little of what I cover:
- The journey of grace is not about doing more but about becoming, slowly and intentionally.
- God's grace is what lifts us up and keeps us steady during life's challenges.
- We must align ourselves with God's predetermined path for our lives through surrender and obedience.
- Reflect on where in your life you require grace to begin again and invite God into that space.
Reflection Prompts:
- Where do I need to begin again—with grace, not guilt?
- What’s one area I’ve been afraid to surrender?
Take a quiet moment this week to reflect, journal, and invite the Holy Spirit into the process.
Download your FREE Carried by Grace Companion Journal and walk this journey with intentionality and truth.
🟣 Reflect on scripture
🟣 Process your thoughts
🟣 Align with your God-given purpose
Transcript
Hello everyone and welcome to the Transformational Teacher Podcast.
Speaker A:I am your host, detoya, and as always, thank you so much for listening to this episode.
Speaker A:Today we are going to step into week one of Carried by Grace, the 40 day journey of becoming her.
Speaker A:Today we are going to talk about grace to begin again.
Speaker A:This journey isn't about doing more.
Speaker A:It's about becoming slowly, intentionally and being led by the Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:And as I approach my 40th birthday, God has been whispering to me.
Speaker A:They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony.
Speaker A:So this has been a time of reflection for me, reflecting on what God has done in my life.
Speaker A:God has carried me through so many things his grace has helped me to navigate throughout these 40 years.
Speaker A:So over the next six episodes I'll be sharing parts of my story not because I've arrived, but but because grace has carried me.
Speaker A:And again, as I reflect, I want you to reflect too.
Speaker A:Reflect on what God has done and is doing in your life.
Speaker A:Guess what?
Speaker A:Even recording this episode took grace.
Speaker A:Life has been full lately.
Speaker A:Wrapping up the end of the school year, we actually got out of our students last day was today, June 11th.
Speaker A:But even in that, with all the things that I have to do, God's grace is helping me to get through this.
Speaker A:This journey is not about perfection, it's about obedience.
Speaker A:So here I am showing up.
Speaker A:Grace isn't just what catches us when we fall.
Speaker A:It's what lifts us up, keeps us steady and helps us to keep moving even when life is heavy.
Speaker A:God gives grace to believers, James 4:6.
Speaker A:But he gives more grace than therefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Speaker A:Hebrews 4:16 so let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
Speaker A:There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Speaker A:So again his grace is made available for us before we ever said yes to Him.
Speaker A:God has already mapped out our path for our life.
Speaker A:That is the amazing thing that I have learned about God, that before I said yes, he had plans for my life.
Speaker A:I just had to come in alignment with his plan and have to stay in alignment with it.
Speaker A:Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are his workmanship, his own masterwork, a work of art created in Christ Jesus, reborn from above, spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used for good works which God prepared for us beforehand.
Speaker A:Taking paths which he said so that we would walk in them, living the good life which he prearranged and made ready for us.
Speaker A:Our only job is to align with what he already wrote.
Speaker A:And that's what this journey is about.
Speaker A:Alignment with God's plan for our lives.
Speaker A:And it starts with a surrender.
Speaker A:Yes to him and being obedient to what he is telling us to do along the journey.
Speaker A:So here's a moment to pause.
Speaker A:Where in your life do you need grace to begin again?
Speaker A:Say it out loud, write it down, keep it before you invite God into this space Right now with you.
Speaker A:When I mentioned earlier about how we are God's handiwork created for good works he prepared in advance.
Speaker A:This is not just a scripture I quote, this is something that I live out and one of the first places I remember seeing this unfold was was in college because my journey to college it was interesting because I didn't plan to go to college.
Speaker A:When it was time to submit applications I really wasn't interested at first but it was college day.
Speaker A:I went to the gym and when I went I seen A and T.
Speaker A:I knew about Fedville.
Speaker A:I really wasn't into going to a T but when I went that day it stood out to me.
Speaker A:I knew people that went there but.
Speaker A:But I really wasn't thinking of going there.
Speaker A:But that day changed everything.
Speaker A:I applied late, I got in but there was no space made available on campus.
Speaker A:Cuz again I applied late but they did make accommodations for us off campus until space was made available on campus.
Speaker A:So I eventually made it to campus.
Speaker A:This was already God's hand on my life.
Speaker A:He pre arranged this to happen.
Speaker A:So then while I'm in college another invitation came.
Speaker A:A friend asked me to go to church with her and at first I kept saying no.
Speaker A:I was like I'm not interested, I've already done the church thing, I'm not going.
Speaker A:But she continued to ask me and so I said yes.
Speaker A:Now this time again.
Speaker A:I grew up in church before coming to college I had gave my life to Christ a few times.
Speaker A:So this wasn't my first time going to church.
Speaker A: But when I went in: Speaker A:It was a surrender yes.
Speaker A:Not perfect, but it was pure and it changed everything.
Speaker A:I even remember going back to my friend that day and saying this time I'm for real now Even after this surrender, yes.
Speaker A:The journey, it wasn't easy.
Speaker A:There were some things I had to get through.
Speaker A:Overcome mindsets to unlearn habits, to lay down relationships to release.
Speaker A:There was some pruning that had to take place But God didn't rush me.
Speaker A:He carried me through.
Speaker B:He helped me through this journey.
Speaker A:But one thing that I had to remember and I had to do was Philippians 3, 13, 14 brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own.
Speaker A:Yet I But one thing I do.
Speaker B:Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward.
Speaker A:To what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.
Speaker B:To win the heavenly prize of the.
Speaker A:Upper call of God in Christ Jesus.
Speaker B:I had to press forward.
Speaker B:I had to leave the past behind.
Speaker B:I had to surrender.
Speaker B:And here's the thing that I now realize.
Speaker B:The same grace that saved me.
Speaker B:Because it tells us that we are saved by grace.
Speaker B:And I now know that grace sustains me daily.
Speaker B:We weren't just saved by grace, we live by it.
Speaker B:Whatever God has called you to do, teach, lead, whatever your occupation may be, it's going to take grace and help for the Holy Spirit to do it his way.
Speaker B:Grace to keep going, grace to begin again.
Speaker B:And the amazing thing is available to you.
Speaker B:It's available to you right now.
Speaker B:One of the areas where God is calling me to begin again in is my wellness journey.
Speaker B:I had been doing well, feeling strong, eating better, working out, watching, you know, my day to day habits.
Speaker B:But slowly I let my guard down.
Speaker B:Old habits, they curled back in.
Speaker B:I stopped doing the things that were keeping me grounded, reading, meditating, renewing my mind with the truth.
Speaker B:And I started thinking, here I go again, starting over.
Speaker B:But God reminded me of something he shown me before.
Speaker B:Becoming instant isn't becoming this, doing this journey.
Speaker B:It still is.
Speaker B:Some mindsets that have to be unlearned.
Speaker B:Habits to lay down, things to release.
Speaker B:It's a process.
Speaker B:And grace is what carries us through.
Speaker B:Not perfection, not performance.
Speaker A:Grace.
Speaker B:I've learned that keeping our testimonies close is powerful.
Speaker B:What God did then becomes fuel for what he's doing now.
Speaker B:And I've learned also in our weakness, he is strong.
Speaker B:Second Corinthians 12, 9.
Speaker B:So this time I'm beginning again.
Speaker B:But I'm beginning with grace, with renewed purpose and with deeper reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Speaker B:I see that I cannot do this in my own strength because now I see that it's bigger than me.
Speaker B:I see that taking care of myself because mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, that it affects how I show up.
Speaker B:So now maybe this is you too.
Speaker B:Maybe your beginning again looks like saying yes to God.
Speaker B:Picking up that book that God told you to write, launching that business, relaunching that business, preparing for a new school year, or simply trusting God in a whole new way.
Speaker B:Maybe it's going to apply for that new job that he's told you to apply for.
Speaker B:Whatever it is, do it with him.
Speaker B:Invite him in.
Speaker B:Allow his grace to assist you.
Speaker B:So this week I want you to ask yourself, where do I need to begin again?
Speaker B:With grace, not guilt.
Speaker B:What's one area I've been afraid to surrender?
Speaker B:Write these things down, speak it out loud, keep it before you.
Speaker B:And remember, God's grace is made available for you.
Speaker B:Now what I want you to do is to make sure you grab your companion journal is ready for you.
Speaker B:You can use it over the next seven days to pray, reflect and begin again.
Speaker B:Do that thing that God has called you to do.
Speaker B:This time, do it with him.
Speaker B:Allow him to strengthen you along the journey.
Speaker B:Allow him to grace you along the journey.
Speaker B:I'm going to place the link for you to download your journal in the show notes or you can head to thetransformationalteacher.com to download the journal.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
Speaker B:I will speak with you all next week.
Speaker B:So we're going to close out in prayer.
Speaker B:Well, Heavenly Father, I thank you right now.
Speaker B:I thank you Lord, just for who you are.
Speaker B:I thank you.
Speaker B:For every individual that's listening to this episode, I thank you, Lord God, they will sit with you and you will reveal to them that thing that you want them to begin again.
Speaker B:And I just thank you, Lord God, that they will allow you to strengthen them along this journey.
Speaker B:That they will receive your grace.
Speaker B:They will trust you in the process.
Speaker B:And I thank you Lord God, they will say yes to you daily.
Speaker B:We thank you, Lord God, that your plans for their lives will come to pass.
Speaker B:They are getting in alignment with the plan that you have for them.
Speaker B:And we give you honor and we give you glory.
Speaker B:In Jesus name I pray.
Speaker B:Amen.
