Episode 49
49 | Trying to Follow God’s Plan? Discernment & Hearing God’s Voice (Busy Catholic Mom)
Are you a busy Catholic mom seeking God’s plan but unsure how to hear His voice? In this episode, we dive into discernment, intentional prayer, and growing in relationship with God to help you uncover His guidance in your life.
You’ll learn simple, practical ways to strengthen your connection with God, deepen your trust in Him, and take steps toward living your God-given purpose.
This episode is perfect for Catholic moms who want to grow in hearing God, seeking His will, and confidently walking in His plan for their lives.
If you’re listening while doing dishes or folding laundry — wherever you are, moving, multitasking, doing mom life — this one’s for you. Let’s dive in.
I pray that this episode blesses and encourages you!
Michelle
✨ Next Steps:
- Join the Facebook community — Here
- Subscribe to the weekly The Inner Flame — Here
- Take "What is my God-Given purpose: Where to Begin?" quiz — Here
- Book a 1:1 Discernment Coaching Session — Here
✨ Email: hello@michellebrannam.com
✨ Website: https://MichelleBrannam.com
✨ Listen to Related Episodes:
- 02 | Quiet Moments with God: Simple Steps to Hear His Voice
- 03 | 3 Ways to Make Time for God (Even When You're Busy!)
- 22 | 3 Simple Ways to Enhance Your Discernment to Hear God's Voice Clearly
🕊️ Scripture Mentioned:
📖 Catechism of the Catholic Church Mentioned:
- CCC 1
Bible Translation Used: All Scripture is quoted from the Revised Standard Version – Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE), The Great Adventure Catholic Bible, © Ascension Press. Used with permission.
Catechism of the Catholic Church Translation Used: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Edition © Ascension Press. Used with permission.
Transcript
Am I treating God like a checklist?
Speaker A:Am I treating him as this to do list?
Speaker A:So I just need to check the box.
Speaker A:Today we're going to be talking about something every Catholic woman faces at some point.
Speaker A:It's wanting to know God's will.
Speaker A:But you're not always knowing actually how to discern it.
Speaker A:So if you've ever asked, what is God's will for my life?
Speaker A:What is my purpose?
Speaker A:What does he want me to do next?
Speaker A:This episode is for you.
Speaker A:We're going to simplify discernment and we're going to focus on growing closer to God while you seek his will, which without overthinking it and without all the pressure, let's do this.
Speaker A:If you're ready to break free from stuck, gain clarity, and take steps towards discerning your unique purpose, all while following God's guidance to become the person he created you to be.
Speaker A:If so, you're in the right place.
Speaker A:Hello, I'm Michelle, a Catholic discernment mentor and spiritual coach who went from lost and questioning my purpose to confident in my unique calling you using a Catholic based strategy that places God and the Catholic faith at the center.
Speaker A:Are you ready to dive in?
Speaker A:Grab your pen and notebook and get comfy, Open your heart and mind and invite God in as we get ready to become who God created you to be.
Speaker A:Let's do this.
Speaker A:If you've ever thought, I want to follow God, I just don't know how.
Speaker A:I want you to know that you're not alone.
Speaker A:Not knowing how to hear God doesn't mean you're doing something wrong.
Speaker A:It means no one ever taught you how discernment actually works.
Speaker A:God, he isn't holding direction from you.
Speaker A:He's inviting you closer.
Speaker A:And clarity grows from there.
Speaker A:If this is stirring something in your heart, I'd love to walk with you, learn to hear God's workshop.
Speaker A:That's happening tonight, January 13th at 7pm Central.
Speaker A:And it's not too late to register.
Speaker A:Today's the day.
Speaker A:I want you to go right now to Bit ly Godsvoice Workshop, which is bit pd period.
Speaker A:L Y G O D S V O I C E W O R K S O P and the link will also be in the episode description.
Speaker A:So come on, hang out with me and let's do this together.
Speaker A:All right?
Speaker A:So let's dive in.
Speaker A:There was a time when I was desperately asking God, what is your will for my life?
Speaker A:What is my purpose?
Speaker A:What do you want me to actually do?
Speaker A:I wanted to follow him and I truly did.
Speaker A:But at the same time, I would just rush through my prayers.
Speaker A:I would try to squeeze in my prayers and just rush them, just hoping that I could get them done before the kids would wake up or while folding laundry and my mind would get distracted or just getting the kids ready first thing in the morning with a lot of distraction so I couldn't fully hear Him.
Speaker A:I was just doing my prayers so quickly just so I could say I got them done.
Speaker A:And what I realized is that I wanted to follow God's will, but I was just not giving him the focus, time, or the right space for him to guide me.
Speaker A:And that's why today we're going to be talking about following God's will and prayer life.
Speaker A:In this time in my life, I was just rushing through those prayers.
Speaker A:I realized that I was asking God for direction, but I wasn't really giving him time for a relationship with me.
Speaker A:I was doing prayer, but I wasn't actually being with him.
Speaker A:I was going through the motion.
Speaker A:And here's the truth that we tend to overlook and not think about.
Speaker A:If we want to discern God's will for our lives, which is including our purpose that we are seeking, then we must grow in a relationship with Him.
Speaker A:Father Mike Schmidt said this once in his homily, how do we know how to live that way unless we're living in a relationship with Him?
Speaker A:And this was from his homily from May 22nd of 21st for all my note takers.
Speaker A:So this brings up a real question.
Speaker A:How do we live in a relationship with God?
Speaker A:So here's a couple questions that you can ask yourself.
Speaker A:Am I treating God like a checklist?
Speaker A:Am I treating him as this to do list?
Speaker A:So I just need to check the box.
Speaker A:Prayers done.
Speaker A:Check.
Speaker A:And so you may be wondering, well, how do I know if I'm treating Him like a checklist instead of living in a relationship with Him?
Speaker A:I invite you to think about where your mindset is at or another way to say it.
Speaker A:Where is your attitude when you come into prayer?
Speaker A:Is it, I need to get this done so I can start the laundry, or I need to hurry, I need to get this done before the kids wake up and needing to get them ready for the day.
Speaker A:Where is your mind before you enter into prayer?
Speaker A:Is it like a rush?
Speaker A:I need to quickly get this done so I can move on to the next thing.
Speaker A:And I'll admit I've done that a little too many times than I'd care to admit.
Speaker A:I'm no saint over here.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But when that happens, you can pause and tell yourself to just slow down and spend time with Him.
Speaker A:Give him the time he deserves out of your day.
Speaker A:And here's why that matters so much.
Speaker A:Because we are called to live in a real relationship with God, not just doing the checkbox things.
Speaker A:We are reminded when we turn to the Catholicism of the Catholic Church, which is paragraph one in the prologue, that God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness, freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.
Speaker A:For this reason, at every time and in every place God draws close to man, he calls me to seek him and to know him and to love him with all his strength.
Speaker A:And again, paragraph one.
Speaker A:So how do we actually live that out in real life?
Speaker A:So let's make this simple.
Speaker A:Before entering into prayer, take a few deep breaths just to quiet your mind and your heart, and allow a minute to calm your mind and heart to pause as you come before the Lord.
Speaker A:Then when you're ready, either you wait for him to speak to you, or you could speak to him using his sacred Scripture.
Speaker A:And I sometimes I like to say this before entering into prayer with him.
Speaker A: From John: Speaker A:And then I pause.
Speaker A:I mentally give reverence to him by bowing down before him.
Speaker A:I wait for him to speak, or sometimes I tell him what is weighing on my heart, whether it's a frustration, a problem or a desire or something that I think that he's telling me after I heard his voice.
Speaker A:When it comes to following and discerning God's will for us, this helps us to become more focused and intentional with our time with God.
Speaker A:And we're not treating it like a checkbox.
Speaker A:We're not just saying and going through those traditional prayers quickly and just to say, oh, I'm done, or quickly running through my prayers.
Speaker A:While my heart and mind is not fully present with God, it's somewhere else with all the distractions that are out there.
Speaker A:So if you're desiring to follow God's will and discover your purpose, start here.
Speaker A:The Relationship first.
Speaker A:If you find this helpful and you would love to dig deeper into hearing God and grow in a relationship with Him, I'm hosting that Free Live workshop this evening at 7:00pm Central Time and it's called Learn to Hear God's Voice and we'll dig deeper into this together.
Speaker A:And there's still time to sign up, so don't worry, you can join me at Bit ly Gods Voice Workshop, which is B I T B.
Speaker A:For where there are two or more gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.
Speaker A:So come join us and let's do this together.
Speaker A:If you can't make it tonight, you can still put this into practice.
Speaker A:So here are three simple takeaways to help you grow in relationship with God and start discerning his will today.
Speaker A:That first is a relationship.
Speaker A:First, spend time with God.
Speaker A:You're not just checking off those prayers and then you want to check your mindset.
Speaker A:Notice if you're rushing or if you're fully present before prayer because that makes a difference and you want to be intentional.
Speaker A:Pause, breathe and speak from your heart and just listen.
Speaker A:All right, let us pray in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Lord, thank you for meeting us here today.
Speaker A:Help her and me to slow down, be present with you and hear your voice more clearly.
Speaker A:Guide our hearts and steps as we seek to follow your will and live out the purpose that you've given us.
Speaker A:In Jesus name, we all say Amen in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Now let's take this from head to heart.
Speaker A:Knowing the truth is powerful, but that real change comes when we take one small step at a time before entering in today or when you meet God in prayer.
Speaker A:Take a few deep breaths just to quiet your heart and mind.
Speaker A:Allow a minute or two just to calm that heart and mind to pause as you come before the Lord.
Speaker A:Start by taking this one small step to build that habit.
Speaker A:Let's continue this conversation over in the free Facebook community Finding youg Purpose, Discernment and Strategy for Catholic Moms.
Speaker A:And let me know if these steps are helping you to hear God more clearly and grow closer to Him.
Speaker A:And remember, my beautiful sister in Christ, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose.
Speaker A:You were made to do great things.
Speaker A:God is within you and you will not fail.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.
Speaker A:Until then, may God bless you and bring you peace.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker A:I pray that today's episode blesses and encourages you.
Speaker A:If so, would you please share it with someone you know that would be blessed by it.
Speaker A:If you felt inspired or learned something Today, please take 30 seconds to leave a written review on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker A:This is the number one way to let me know that you are liking the show and for me to reach other Catholic women like yourself.
Speaker A:If you're feeling uncertain or lost on your discernment journey, you're not alone.
Speaker A:Join us over in the free Facebook community, where Catholic women just like you are sharing, supporting, and growing together in faith.
Speaker A:I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
Speaker A:God bless you.
