Are you unsure what God wants you to do and afraid of getting it wrong?

In this episode, we talk about how to discern God’s will with peace, even when fear, overthinking, and uncertainty show up. Using the Gospel of Matthew and Deuteronomy 31:8, you’ll learn why fear often appears in discernment — and how Scripture anchors us in truth so we can move forward with trust instead of staying stuck.

I share practical encouragement for Catholic women who want to trust God more deeply, stop second-guessing their decisions, and take one faithful step forward without needing perfect clarity.

If you’re discerning your purpose, a next step, or God’s direction for your life, this episode will help you move from fear to faith — knowing that the Lord goes before you and will not abandon you.

Grab your notebook and pen, and let’s dive in.

I pray that this episode blesses and encourages you!

Michelle

✨ Free Live Workshop

If this episode resonated and you’re craving more clarity, I want to personally invite you to my free live workshop, Learn to Hear God’s Voice.

Inside this workshop, you’ll learn how God actually speaks, how Catholic discernment works in real life, and you’ll leave with a clear next faithful step — without overthinking or second-guessing yourself.

Register HERE

✨ Next Steps:

1. Ready to Discover Your Unique Purpose with Clarity? Book your 1:1 Purpose Coaching Session Here
2. Connect with Catholic moms discovering God’s plan in everyday life Here
3. Receive Weekly Encouragement and Action Steps to Help You Move Forward with God: Subscribe to the The Inner Flame Here

✨ Feedback or Questions? Contact me at hello@michellebrannam.com

✨ Listen to Related Episodes:

1. 13 | Before the Clarity: Learning to Trust God When You Don’t See the Plan
2. 22 | 3 Simple Ways to Enhance Your Discernment to Hear God's Voice Clearly

🕊️ Scripture Mentioned:

1. Matthew 1:18-24
2. Deuteronomy 31:8

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.

So what happens is we start to change our belief.

Do you ever feel stuck?

You're unsure of what direction God wants you to take in your life?

In this episode, we're going to talk about how to overcome that fear.

Trust in God's plan and take the next step towards your unique purpose.

Even when it feels unclear, you don't want to miss this.

Grab your notebook and pen and let's dive in.

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.

If so, you're in the right place.

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 using a Catholic based strategy that places God and the Catholic faith at the center.

Are you ready to dive in?

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.

Let's do this.

There was a time in my life when I was desperately wanting to follow God's plan for me, but I couldn't hear his voice clearly.

I prayed, I read scripture and I tried everything I air quotation should be doing.

But I kept wondering, am I really hearing from God or just imagining it?

I was stuck in that cycle of uncertainty.

I was trying to figure out whether I was guessing or truly hearing God's will and what I learned since this is God was speaking, but I wasn't taught how to recognize his voice.

And that's why I created the Learn to Hear God's Voice workshop.

In this free live workshop, you'll learn how to recognize God's voice with more clarity.

You'll understand how God actually guides you in everyday life and you'll lead with a clear next faithful step to move forward with confidence.

If you're tired of wondering if you're hearing from God or just you're second guessing yourself, this workshop will give you the tools you need to discern his will and your God given purpose.

You can sign up now at Bit ly godsvoiceworkshop.

That is bit L y G o D S V O I C E W o R K S o P and take your first step towards clarity today.

All right, let's dive in.

When I first started seeking what my purpose was, what God created me for, I remember I was journaling.

I was pulling all the clues together and just thinking, how do I discern if this is the direction that God created me for.

Is this the direction that God wants me to take to find my purpose?

The truth is, those questions we tell ourselves can be disguised as fear.

Fear of taking a step in the wrong direction, fear of getting it wrong.

So instead, we let fear control our actions.

So through my journey, I found a way by studying how we can overcome fear when.

When we do not know what direction God wants us to take.

That's why I'm talking about fear and not knowing how to discern God's will.

Today I hear from other Catholics all the time that they don't know how to discern God's will.

And because of that, they unfortunately, they stay stuck and they're unable to move forward.

So that's why I'm talking about fear and not knowing how to discern God's will today as we read in Mass this Sunday.

So as we read in Mass this past Sunday, which is the fourth week of Advent, Matthew, chapter one, verses 18 through 24, we are reminded that when Joseph, when he heard that Mary was with the child, he wanted to quietly divorce her to avoid the shame of her pregnancy.

But God appeared to him in a dream and he was telling him, do not fear, you know, take Mary as your wife.

And when he woke up, he did as God instructed him.

And it can be hard to know what God's will is for us, especially when it comes to discerning what our purpose is.

Because for most of us, we don't have angels sent or God coming into our dreams to tell us what to do.

Although sometimes we wish.

Sometimes I pray.

Can you just show up in my dreams?

God, I just want to know when there are certain things in my life that I'm discerning.

So going back to Joseph, once he woke up, he acted on what the angel had told him.

He didn't wait.

He didn't think about it, and he didn't say, oh, I'm not sure what to do.

So I'm just gonna not do anything.

I'm not quite sure.

No, he didn't.

He actually took steps.

So for us, how do we discern God plans for us since we don't have angels coming to us or, you know, God speaking to a lot of us into our dreams.

I'm not.

I've heard other people where they do have messages in their dreams from God, but I haven't had that experience yet.

So how do we discern God's plan for us?

Because if we're wondering, what if I get this wrong?

We cannot allow fear to just hold us back.

The fear of, what if I get this wrong?

Because if we keep that mindset, then it'll hinder us from moving forward.

And we don't realize it because it feels safer for us to stay right where we are and not push through that fear and move in obedient action.

So we need fear, faith.

Because faith is the opposite of fear.

And we must choose faith over fear.

And that can be challenging because I still find myself sometimes where that fear is still sneaking up on me.

And I have to choose faith over fear.

Because we're given two choices.

We can decide to stay in fear and not move and stay where it's kind of comfortable at, or we can choose faith and push through.

Just like both Mary and Joseph did.

They chose faith.

They both said yes to God, like Mary said, yes, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

Do it unto me.

Accordingly, paraphrasing here, don't hold me to a key.

And then also like Joseph, as we hear about when he came, when the angel appeared to him in the dream and told him, don't worry, it's okay.

You can take Mary as your wife because she was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

And, you know, I'm sure in their minds they had plans of marriage.

They had a vision for themselves.

And.

And I'm sure it wasn't what God had for them in mind.

They weren't envisioning of this big, huge change that was going to happen to them that they were asked of.

But once again, like I said, Joseph, he chose.

He woke up and he decided to do what that messenger angel had told him to do.

He didn't wait.

He didn't think about it.

He didn't say, oh, I'm not sure what to do.

He did not let that fear control him.

And now you might be asking yourself, okay, so.

So how do I not let fear control me, Michelle, for me, when fear comes up or I feel a belief that comes up that's going to hold me back, I choose to keep moving forward and trust God.

I make that decision.

And so this is how you can start moving in faith and not let that fear keep you stuck.

This is how we can fight against fear.

When you feel fear sneaking up, ooh, That's a tongue twister there.

When you feel fear sneaking up, you can open up your Catholic Bible and you can read scripture to help you move forward.

And you can open up to Deuteronomy 31:8 and just spend some time reading that verse and rereading again.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, it is the Lord who goes before you.

He will be with you.

He will not fail you or forsake you.

Do not be dismayed.

Or you can also turn to Matthew, chapter one, verse 23, that we also read in this past Sunday's Gospel.

Told you I was going to test you if you can remember what we talked about, what was in those mass readings.

So what happens is we start to change our belief.

Because the more times we read it, that belief, it starts to change our thinking.

And believe it or not, our belief is what helps us move forward or it keeps us stuck.

So if you start believing the new truth that it is the Lord who goes before you, he will be with you.

He will not fail you or forsake you.

Do not be dismay.

So in other words, God is with you, knows the future.

He's been in the future, he's with you now.

He will not fail you.

He will not let you down.

He will not abandon you.

So do not fear.

Then we realize that God is with me through this.

He will not leave me.

I'm not alone.

He will help me push through that fear, that thing that is holding me back.

Then when we start to believe this truth, God's truth that we're hearing in the scripture, that we can push through this because God is with me.

I can do this.

He will not abandon me.

This is even true when we're discerning his will for our life, especially when it comes to that direction that he wants us to take, finding in our unique purpose because that is what we were created for.

That is his will.

He wants you to find your purpose.

So when we work on changing our beliefs around this fear, once we do it, it just becomes a powerful tool because then we can take this and we can apply this over and over again.

Or perhaps you need a different scripture to help you push through what belief you're telling you what that fear is.

Maybe you need a different verse that speaks to you more about this fear that's coming up in you.

And you can basically take this and you can apply it and keep doing this until you start believing that truth, that God's truth about this that you can do.

And I know you can do this now, that We've talked about grounding ourselves in Scripture and shifting our beliefs, and we're moving forward in faith.

Let's just pause and recap just a few simple steps that you can start practicing today.

So the first thing is to remember that you want to anchor yourself in God's presence.

You want to remember that God is with you just as he was with Joseph and Mary.

Lean in and lean on that scripture.

Take comfort in his Scripture, in His truth, just like we did in Deuteronomy 31:8 or perhaps Matthew 1:23 when that fear rises up.

And then the second thing you want to recognize fear, then choose faith.

Don't let what if I get it wrong?

Stop you.

Instead, move forward in obedience and trust, just like Joseph did.

And then the third thing I want you to remember to really ground yourself into is shift your beliefs through Scripture and prayer, regularly reminding yourself of God's promises to pray for his guidance and help and let belief replace fear as you take steps towards your purpose.

Pray for his guidance for help and let that belief replace fear as you are taking your steps towards your purpose.

Let us pray in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Heavenly Father, I pray for every woman listening today who may be feeling fear or unsure about the next step that you're calling her to.

Remind her that you go before her, that you are with her and that she is never alone.

Jesus, fill her heart with your peace.

Replace fear and doubt with trust in your plan and give her the courage to take the step that you are leading her to.

Mary, help her to trust your Son like you did.

Joseph.

Please help her to move forward with faith even when that way feels unclear.

And Holy Spirit, guide her steps and give her the clarity as she follows your will.

God, let her feel your presence with every decision she makes.

Teach her to move forward in faith knowing that you are holding her purpose in your hands.

In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Now let's take this from our head to heart because knowing that truth is powerful, but that real change comes when we act just one simple step at a time.

So spend some quiet time with God today and open your Catholic Bible up to Deuteronomy 31:8 and just read it slowly.

Let these words just really sink in.

Notice how it feels to know that God is with you.

He's guiding your steps and he's never leaving you.

And then just take a moment to share your fears or worries with him and let his promise bring comfort and courage to you.

And remember, you can come back to this verse.

Whenever fear or that doubt just shows up, let it anchor you in his truth and help you take that next step in faith.

And after you spend a few minutes with God in Deuteronomy 31:8, head on over to our Facebook community and finding your purpose, discernment and strategy for Catholic Moms and share one thing he showed you.

And this is just a simple way that you can take that next step in faith and stay encouraged along the way.

And remember, my beautiful sister in Christ, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose.

You were made to do great things.

God is within you and you will not fail.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.

Until until then, may God bless you and bring you peace.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

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I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

God bless you.