Positioned to Prosper with Erica Pyle

#067// Press play anyways, Pumpkin! This one's gonna be good. I'm sure you've heard: "Jesus is enough. He's all you need. There's no 'Jesus AND.' It's just Jesus." Am I right? You've heard this, yeah? Well what if I told you that Jesus isn't enough when it comes to discipling you?

I know. It's a little hard to hear after you've been told Jesus is enough for so long, but I want you to know that both statements are true: Jesus IS enough. But Jesus alone is not enough to disciple you.

Here's why . . .

When we say "Jesus is enough for me and my need," what we may be saying (sometimes) is -- "I just need Jesus' head. I don't want His Body." -- i.e. the Church, the other kids of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ. And the thing is, you CANNOT say this about discipleship. You NEED Jesus' Body to be properly discipled.

In this episode I'm sharing five Biblical points of proof to support why you need more than *Just Jesus* to be discipled. I'm also talking about why we may resist the process of discipleship in relationship with people, and what we need to do to overcome this reactive response when invited into real, relationship-driven discipleship. So, if you're ready to be sharpened (and maybe a little challenged) around the idea of real discipleship, I want you to grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

p.s. -- If you'd like to join me inside The Jesus Girl Gang for a real-life, *Jesus AND His people* discipleship experience, head over to jesusgirlgang.com/membership. 

#066// There's a real cost to breakthrough, but what if I told you it's already been paid and you just need to show the receipt? It's totally true! Jesus paid the price for every ounce of breakthrough you could ever need or want in your lifetime, but so many times when we're right up against it, we forget we've got the receipt. Or worse, we push the receipt further down in our pocket and try to foot the bill ourselves. Why do we do that?

In this episode I'm sharing a message I recently preached at our REVIVE Woman Girls Night Out. There are three reasons we generally fail to "show the receipt," and I'm telling you exactly what they are as I highlight them in the story of Jairus and Jesus (Luke 8:40-56).

To join us for our next REVIVE Woman Conference happening May 13 & 14, go to revivewoman.org/conference to register (and for more information). And if you'd like to join The Jesus Girl Gang, the women's discipleship membership I mentioned in this episode, head over to jesusgirlgang.com/membership. I hope to see you inside!

#065// Sharing a message I preached recently at my home church, REVIVE Church of Tampa.  Have you been feeling stuck on your journey to breakthrough? Like you've been doing all the things, but you can't seem to find the thing that is causing the hold up? If so, this is a “right now” message for you. Lean in and be blessed by this Word from the Lord that I've subtitled, “Nevertheless.”

#064// It was the worst moment of my life, but it's become one of the greatest blessings of my life, too. In August 2009, after the birth of my second son, I was side-swiped with severe postpartum anxiety. I couldn't function . . . at all. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and I couldn't take care of my newborn. For weeks in the beginning all I did was pace and pace for hours, constantly vibrating with anxiety and an unending nauseated feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was horrendous.

The worst part was that traditional treatments for my condition didn't work for me. Not only did they not work, they made me feel worse. Four medications in five different combinations over a period of six months under the care of a midwife, an OB/GYN, a psychiatrist and a therapist and we just couldn't find the rhythm. I was so desperate. It was from that place that I called out to God for help and he answered me, leading me on a journey of finding a natural, holistic approach to my healing that ultimately worked. It took nearly two years to find a general health balance, but I learned a ton along the way.

One of the things I learned during my healing journey was that my postpartum experience wasn't just the result of a hormone imbalance. There were other roots beneath the panic episodes I was plagued with. It took relapsing five years later to get to the core of all I'd been walking with for decades: digestive and hormonal imbalances that ultimately presented themselves as severe and debilitating anxiety and panic. But those years of my healing journey also taught me so much about true healing and becoming whole -- spirit, soul and body.

On this episode of the Positioned to Prosper podcast I'm telling the story of how I got so sick, and how I ultimately found my way back to healed and whole, by the grace of God. He taught me so many things along the journey and, after becoming a certified holistic health coach, I ultimately put together a plan from all I learned so I could help others to find their way back to healing and wholeness, too. If you have had a similar backstory, and you're still working to find your way back to healed and whole, then this episode is for you. I want you to grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and Let's Go!

p.s. -- If you'd like to join me for the next round of The Beacon Cleanse (the healing plan that was ultimately birthed out of my comeback story), head over to ericapyle.com/cleanse. 

#063// Are you the pioneering type? Do you regularly have thoughts like: "Someone's gotta fix this/ build this/ solve this problem/ discover a new way"? And then, do you get right to work doing the thing? If so, you, my friend, are the pioneering type.

Pioneering types are "high-responsibility" folks, front-footed in everything they do, aggressive problem solvers with a bent towards taking territory, establishing it and presenting it to others to occupy and operate in. Pioneers are reformers, many times. Pioneers are people designed to change the status quo.

In all of these scenarios, there is one common risk -- a truly big risk -- that all pioneers face that can put their destiny into question. What's that truly big risk? Burn Out.

Burn out could look like taking an extended break at the wrong time, but it could also look like flagging health or a massive health breakdown. It could look like emotional collapse or spiritual confusion. Burn out could look like allowing distraction to come in. Burn out can look like escaping the life we were designed to live. And this massive risk of burn out is a major problem for a pioneer type because, in many cases, it can cause us to cease pioneering.

But here's the thing: The irony is that if a pioneer type pioneers as hard as they can -- all the time -- without stopping at any point to consider their consistency in strength and energy and resiliency, they'll burn out before they can truly pioneer the thing they were called to pioneer. That was my story, and I've got to tell you, it's one of the most frustrating things to happen to a pioneer type -- all the drive, all the desire, all the vision, and then you break down before you can actually get to the finish line.

Over the years I have seen so many folks with a massive pioneering call on their lives burning out -- or being taken out -- all because no one discipled them in how to walk out their call to pioneer with resilience and the ability to sustain, so they can go the distance. So, on today's episode of Positioned to Prosper, I'm sharing three things I've learned along the way as a pioneer that have helped me to avoid burn out and breakdown, and to embrace resilience and sustainability so I can keep pioneering for the long haul.

Are you ready to run the race with resilience for the long run, Pioneer? If so, I want you to grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

p.s. -- If you'd like to join me for the next round of The Beacon Cleanse (which I mention in this episode as a tool you can use in my #3 point), head over to ericapyle.com/cleanse. 

#062// You know it's time to get focused on your health, right? This isn't about fear mongering, and it's not about overwhelming you with one more thing to worry about. No, my friend, this is about urgently helping you to get your eye on one of the most important "balls" of your life -- your foundational health. Why? Because God wants you around long enough and strong enough to do and be all He created you for. Don't you want that, too?

NOW is the time to not only decide you'll focus on your health, but also to lock in a plan and a vision for how you're going to steward your health to a place that is vibrant and robust. In the world we live in, it's simply not an option to say, "I'll deal with it later. I'll do it when I have more time." Stewarding your health well is the only variable you have control of in this life that could potentially lengthen your days. Think about that!

So if you're ready to address this massive issue of prioritizing your health and figuring out what your next best step is in stewarding your health well so you can live long enough and strong enough to be and do all you were created for, then I want you to grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#061// Multi-level marketing gets such a bad rap, even on it's own. But when someone in ministry steps into this business model, the negativity can go *next level* very quickly.  So, is there any way to do both in the same season while avoiding all the negative noise? Is it possible to move powerfully in ministry and while also growing a thriving and impactful MLM business?

My husband and I planted a church in Tampa ten years ago, and we co-pastor that church to this day. About six years ago, I stepped into a network marketing opportunity as part of the holistic health coaching business I was building. Almost immediately, the doubt crept in for me. Would I be able to honor the calling I had to pastor the people, while not misusing my authority or influence as I offered products and services to the public? What would people think if they saw me selling things out on the internet during the week, and then in the pulpit preaching on a Sunday? Truth be told, most of the things I feared the most during this season were things I made up in my own head!

Are you a Christian who's wanting to step into a network marketing opportunity (or you're already in an MLM business), but doubt and concerns about what people think about your choice are holding you back? Do you feel the overwhelming need to *explain* why you've chosen this business model? Do you worry that you're going to come across as "salesy" (at best) or that you're "taking advantage" of your relationships (at worst)? Are you having a hard time believing you can be truly successful in sales as your dreams of a thriving business are relegated to "just a hobby" status?

If you've felt any of these things, but what you really want is to step into your ministry AND your networking marketing business in the same season with boldness and confidence, THIS is the episode for you! I'll be sharing four things the Lord had to remind me of at the beginning of my ministry and MLM season that brought me back to my full purpose and got me moving in a powerful way. I'll also show you three key things you must do if you want to move in both ministry and your sales business in the same season in a way that glorifies God and honors people. So, if you're ready to get into a truly edifying discussion about how you can minister and do MLM in the same season -- I want you to grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#060// 

#059// Is that time you're taking to be still *really* waiting on the Lord? Or are you taking an "unauthorized" break, quitting or exiting out the escape hatch of your life and purpose? I want you to take a look at that place where you're naturally trying to avoid the pain and pressure and ask yourself some questions so you can determine if you're working with the Lord or against yourself and you endeavor to walk out your destiny.

On this episode of The Positioned to Prosper podcast, we're going to be digging deep into what it looks like to *say* we're "waiting on the Lord," when what we're really doing is quietly planning our escape (and then executing it). Why do we do this? How can we know for sure when we're doing it? And what can we do to ensure we stay waiting on God instead of quitting or hitting the eject button while we are still in process with Him? We'll cover the answers to these questions as well as Biblical examples so you can have some practical indicators to look for.

Now, if you're ready to get real about what that break you took really means, and what to do if you realize it really wasn't waiting on the Lord, I want you to grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#058// How do we love well if we don't have real Love living inside of us first?

I know, y'all. It's a loaded question, and a potentially polarizing one at that. But the Bible tells us that human beings have the ability to love one another only because God loved us first (1 John 4:19). He loved us so much, in fact, that he sent his Son to redeem us back to his heart, and then he put his Spirit on the inside of us. And it's God's Spirit that sheds his love abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5). So, seriously . . . how can we even endeavor to love another human being well if we don't have the essence of that kind of real love deep down on the inside of us?

On this episode of The Positioned to Prosper podcast I'm sharing a message with you that I preached at my home church, REVIVE Church of Tampa, a short time ago as we closed out a series on the truth about the spiritual realm and stepped into a series on the truth about love. These two things are connected and this message is the bridge. I truly believe you've got to be Spirit-filled in order to love people well, and I'm using Acts 19:1-20 to show this pivotal principle in God's word.

So if you're ready to explore why it's truly essential to have the Holy Spirit living inside of you as you endeavor to love people well, grab your Bible, your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!