Hear God Through Journalling with Michelle Moragne-Morris

A blank page can be more powerful than a loud mind. We sit down with Michelle Moragne-Morris for a real, grounded chat about Christian journalling as a practical way to hear God’s voice, especially when life feels messy, emotional, or uncertain. Michelle shares what happened when she launched a journalling challenge and why so many people are hungry for a simple method that moves beyond a “journal dump” and into clarity, comfort, and direction.

We talk through what prophetic journalling can look like day to day: writing fast enough to stay in flow, learning what God’s voice sounds like (often a thought, not an audible voice), and learning what the enemy’s voice sounds like so we don’t partner with shame or condemnation. We also unpack why dating your journals and recording dreams matters, because God often speaks early and fulfils later, and those written words can become timely guidance you can actually point back to.

Parenting comes into the mix too, especially the tension of wanting our kids to believe while also letting them explore, ask honest questions, and build their own relationship with God. From people pleasing and identity in Christ to addiction, grace, and the fear that drives control, we keep it practical and honest, with takeaways you can use straight away.

Follow Michelle on Instagram @michellemoragnemorris

If this conversation helps you, subscribe for what’s next, share it with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome Back And Why Michelle Returned

Mel 0:18

Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond Organised. I have my friend coming back, Michelle. And I'm so excited to have her on today. And hopefully this time the video worked. Last time we were just stuck with audio, and I feel like there was a lot of opposition from the enemy because he did not want this to get out. And it was such a great episode. And I'm really excited for you guys to come back and experience Michelle again, get to see this beautiful woman, and be able to go a little bit deeper and into what's been going on in her life. So welcome back, Michelle. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be back. Absolute pleasure. I am so glad you said yes to coming back because I really enjoyed absolutely.

Michelle 1:49

As long as you have me, we'll keep coming back.

Mel 1:51

Forever. You've got a place here, definitely. Thank you. So I would love to know and hear what's been going on since Talk to You Last because I know we had a bit of um a discussion around

The Journalling Challenge That Took Off

Mel 2:05

the journaling and things like that. And I would just love to hear all the things that have been happening since.

Michelle 2:11

Yeah, so I launched the journal challenge, and I didn't run a single ad, a single reel, and had like 48 people sign up. It was crazy. It was in January, and I realized everybody wants to start the year off right. Um, but I taught people, in my opinion, everything I say is my opinion, the proper way to journal. Um, because a lot of times, like as a teenager, I would journal, but it was just a journal dump. It was really just a dump of my feelings. Yes. So cringe to go back and reread it. Yeah, I know. I've I've read some of my teenage stuff and I think, oh my goodness. Get a grip. Actually, my 20-year-old stuff, I can't even say teenage, like get a grip. Yeah. And I had learned several years ago about the power of journaling and how it actually is a tool to allow God to speak to you through your journaling. Um, it has been life-changing for me. Um, several of my friends and I, we journal the same way. And I guess I just kind of thought everyone knew about it, and they didn't. So I launched this journal challenge and I was able to do a small teaching first, like a small Bible study, because I kind of had to prep them for what they were about to experience. Yeah. And basically I taught people how to hear God's voice through journaling. So it's basically a method of God speaks to you, you're just writing, and you you usually don't even know what you're writing and you don't even understand it. And a lot of time it doesn't make sense. But because there's no interruption of the flow, and you're not really you're writing too fast, you're not stopping and questioning and challenging God, you're just writing. And when you go back and read it, it's whoo, it's it's wonderful.

Mel 4:05

I know. I've been doing that for years, and I didn't even know it was a thing. Like I just did not know it was a thing. And um, and but growing and understanding the prophetic more, I realized it was a thing. And I love it when I can just, I can feel the Holy Spirit, and it's just, it's coming, it's coming, and I have no idea what I'm even writing. I'm not even processing, I'm just writing the next thing. And then to go back and read it, and my mind is like, oh my goodness, there is no way that came from me because it's so it's just so mind-blowing a lot of the time, and it's so simple. It's always so simple. And I'm just like, wow, something that's been complicated and blown up in my mind has just been brought down to this simple thing that's like, oh my goodness.

Michelle 4:52

And do you find yourself using it for every like if I have a question and I need help and I'm having trouble, I'm like, all right, here's my pen. I'm ready, Lord.

Mel 5:00

Just talk. Yep. And I love, I love documenting things. So having it written down for starters, I feel like I remember it better because I've written it. Even though I don't really remember it at the time, but then reading it back, it's almost like it comes, it it stays. I remember the things that I wrote down, the prophetic words. But also, I know that I'm hearing it right. Like if I'm if I'm just listening from other means, um, you know, on the fly, have a prophetic word for someone or whatever, I I sometimes wonder, you know, am I quite hearing it right? Am I not? For some reason, when I'm writing it down and it's just coming out that way, I just I have more clarity and more certainty in I think it's because your brain doesn't have time to question God.

Michelle 5:51

Yeah. So it doesn't get jumbled, right? Like imagine someone speaking and you're you're processing it, but what your mind's really saying, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, how's that gonna happen? Wait, wait, and you just interrupted God's voice. But when you're just writing, you're not you're just trying to keep up, you're not trying to process. So I think that's why. Yeah,

Writing Fast Enough To Stay Open

Michelle 6:10

I love that. And the part you said about documenting is so key because when I was so I started off online, I have a cleaning company, I've very successful, in my opinion. Um, 23 years in May. So I originally launched like how to help business owners start a cleaning business. Well, it just wasn't going great. And I was like, okay, Lord, what gives? It's been two years in. And I was able to go back to my journals and documentation, like you said. I was starting to feel like I heard God tell me the direction he wanted to go, but I was like, no, that doesn't make sense. When I went back and read the journals, had them dated and everything, it like it matched what I was hearing again. So dating these journals is key as well. Yeah. As well as like writing your dreams, the date you had them, and then the journals to date. It's very important and it's very helpful. Because a lot of times I think you'll notice God will speak first and then do nothing about what he's spoken for years.

Mel 7:10

Yeah, yes. Well, uh, and the dating is so critical because I think I might have said this on another podcast, so maybe I was talking to a friend, I can't remember. But a few months ago, I had a situation with my seven-year-old son, and the issues that came up were something that the Lord told me back in July 2023 that was to help deal with this particular situation. Okay. And how to deal with, you know, something specifically for you and what's going to help you. And I walked through it with him because I I felt the Holy Spirit say, get it out, show him like the proof, you know. And um, and I went through it all. And then he's just like, Wow, God told you all of this. Wow. And I said, and you want to know when he told me? And then I showed him the date, and he's just like, it's 2026. That was three years ago. And I'm just like, Yeah, God knew then that you would need this today. And I said, and there's stuff in here that is still for years to come. Like, this is exciting. He said, You don't need to know it all now, but this part is for now. Like and he was so excited. And I feel like I feel like that opened up his mind to how God works, and that was like tangible evidence to something that a lot of us we are purely relying on faith, but this was faith in a way that could be backed up too, you know.

Michelle 8:52

And and I think, and so now, fast forward, my next challenge. I'm still doing my how to heal the people pleasing in you challenge, but my my next challenge as a result of the people pleasing in the journal challenge is how to hear from God. Because I think that a lot of Christians think reading the Bible is enough. And it's it's just not. And what I shared, I did a YouTube today. I have a blended family. In my opinion, there was not a single verse in the Bible that helped me with my blended family. Not a single one. Yeah, it was so key that I heard God's voice clearly about specific situations. So a lot of times we think our Rhema word is written word, but it's it's his active spoken word, present tense spoken. So to me, reading the Bible is half of the journey. God's spoken word will confirm. You know, he's not gonna say something that contradicts. Yeah. But we need specific instruction from God, like case in point, what you experienced with your son. And I challenge everyone, do this with your children. My daughter actually a few years ago was like, Mommy, I don't know if I believe in God. Um, I know you do, but I don't know if I do. And because I've grown so much in my journey, before I would have been like, no, you have to believe. You have to, you know, the ABC is a salvation or you're going to help. I just said, that's okay. It's okay. You're allowed to question God's existence. I want you to know that God exists for yourself.

Mel 10:22

Yeah.

Michelle 10:23

So we did come like a year, year and a half later, she was kind of in crisis. And I was like, hey, why don't we go take a walk and let's see if we can hear from God about this? And sure enough, of course, I'm like, God, please let her hear your voice. Please, please, please. She was nine years old. Heard him so clearly for her. And she knows now. You you can't tell her God isn't real. Yeah. Um, it's so important that you involve your children in this. My and and I will tell you, I've been starting to feel like a failed Christian mom. We grew up in church every time the doors were open. Every time. Oh yeah. I am I'm that I'm not that because I watched that it didn't really help. It didn't help the people that I grew up with in church 24-7. And I'm not talking against it. I'm just saying, we have a very busy family, my son's special needs. I can't drag him out to church on weeknights. Like, he has to be very regimen at schedule. I was starting to feel a lot of guilt. Like, I don't think I'm raising them the way that a Christian mom is supposed to raise them. And so when that happened, I was like, okay. And then the next week, my daughter, I was going to bed to pray with her Tucker, and she's like, I don't need you to pray for me. I got this. I'll do it myself. And it was almost like the Lord was like, yeah, it's not your works. It's you pointing your children to

Dating Journals And Seeing God’s Timing

Michelle 11:40

me.

Mel 11:40

Yeah.

Michelle 11:40

Let them develop a relationship with me. That's your job as a male.

Mel 11:45

Yeah, because by the time they are grown up and out on their own or living their own lives, all of that, you want them to be grounded in their relationship with God. And it's their own relationship with God, not your relationship with God. And it does start as young as possible, really. But it's okay if, you know, if you've got teenagers and you're only starting now, or you've even got adult children to a degree that are still living at home but still under your influence, it's never too late to start. But if you have got young children, great time to start. Yeah.

Michelle 12:23

And just challenge them. Like, well, you know, I know God is real. And so because he is, he'll speak to you. You just have to ask them. You know, just make it very yeah. You just can't like normal believe. Like we can't preach when you start preaching to them that that's just not the way. You just let them explore, let them be curious, right?

Mel 12:41

My my oldest son, he's 10, he is very much like me. He'll almost believe something because, you know, his parents believe it or something. I was very much like that. Just same. You know, I was told this is right, this is the right way. And so I went with it until, you know, I sort of grew up and went, no, I do actually believe this for myself. But I didn't have to go through that whole crisis of, do I believe this? Don't I? I kind of grew into that. And my son, my oldest one, he's he's a lot like that. And um, he still asked good questions, but he's kind of already like, yep, this is this is the right way. My second, the one that I was talking about.

Michelle 13:22

That's my second that I was talking about. That was my second.

Mel 13:26

My second, the one that I was talking about before that I showed him the date and everything. He's the one that's been going, I don't know if I believe. And all these little things are, and I'm just like, no, you have to believe. I'm like, I get it. You've got to go through your own journey. Um, I wasn't quite expecting it at seven, but that's okay. Um, seriously. And the fact that I've got all these little things that God's already been preparing for years that he can claim as his own as well is just it is precious. Like that to me, I just go, okay, God's got this. I don't need to panic. I don't need to worry.

Michelle 14:04

He's got it. And think of my prayer begging God, please, please talk to her. Why would I need to say that? Like, that's his child. Of course he's gonna talk to her. The fear coming through. 100% fear. When I work with clients, I'm doing the same thing. I'm like, oh dear God, yeah, please. But it's like, well, duh, he's going to. He wants to speak to them. Anyone that comes to him and seeks him, he's he's ready to talk. He's always ready to talk.

Mel 14:28

He also gave us our children for a reason, right? And he put them in our family for a reason. And so I think when we can grow and nurture alongside with them and help them grow and take that pressure off and let it just be an organic relationship, then it is more likely to become something. But you see it time and time again when parents are forcing their kids to go to church and you have to go, you have to go, you have to go. And as soon as they're old enough to make their own decision, they're like, I'm out of here.

Michelle 15:01

I went to Christian school and a Christian college. And I love my Christian college because they didn't force you to go to church. You you were not required to go to chapels. It was all student-led, and the people who were there, you knew were on fire for the Lord. So, because of that, we had a kind of rambunctious group of people. They all came from Christian homes. I would say half of them became buttheads in campus at my Christian school because of the same structured, you do this, you do this, you do this. Then they get to a Christian environment where you're not required to do anything, and then all this experimentation started. Um, ironically, I would say almost all of them are back like church leaders, and so it's like they needed to go through that phase. Yeah. But I just think it's key if you can develop it for yourself at a younger age, it just kind of sticks more than, well, my parents told me this and this is what we did.

Mel 15:51

Yeah.

Michelle 15:51

So now that I'm on my own, I'll do what I want to do.

Mel 15:54

Look, as much as this is working for us and our kids, every child out there is different. And it's not a sign of failure if you have got grown-up kids that have walked away from the Lord. Yeah. Um, maybe you do reflect and go, oh wow, I really could have gone about that differently. There's grace, God's grace does cover you too, and covers your children. And it does say in the Bible, train a child in the way he should go, and when he's old, he won't depart from it. Yeah. They might have walked away for a season, and this may be the season they're in, but the Lord still has them.

Michelle 16:34

Yeah.

Mel 16:35

You know, and he's not gonna give up on them as long as they've got breath, they're they're his, you know?

Michelle 16:42

And I think we view God, I don't know about you, but I viewed God as this like, you follow the rules, God rewards you, you know. I'm a sinner saved by grace, holiness, like that. I think we make God harsher than he is. Like he loves, like they're his children. Like, and I didn't understand this until I became a mom. And I'm like, I love my kids so much it hurts. Yeah, there's no way, no way I would damn them because of you know, they did something wrong or they so I think his grace is so much more than we realize for us. Yeah, um, and and we can trust in that. Like, God, this is your child. I know they may be acting up. I had a brother, my brother passed away very young. He had um drug addiction, unfortunately. And ironically, he was my strongest Christian brother. Like, he loved the Lord. He he had a prophetic word over him. Like when he died, we were shocked because of all the word that he had over him. But he struggled, he struggled a lot with it. There, I don't doubt for one minute that that boy is in heaven leading praise and worship. Like, I don't doubt for a minute. So even though he struggled and he kept, he struggled physically and and in the earth.

Helping Kids Hear God For Themselves

Michelle 17:55

He didn't struggle in his heart, right? Like he knew the Lord, he loved the Lord, yeah, and that was enough. Like, and God, honestly, God knew like he can't handle much more, right? So even in that, if you have a child that has lost their way, you don't know how their heart is. Yeah, I know my brother's heart was for the Lord, he just really, really struggled with addiction.

Mel 18:17

Well, it does also say in the Bible that there are gonna be people there that we're surprised by. We might be surprised to see. And I think I think that verse was also written in a way for people that have grown up rather religious. And it is that, you know, right or wrong. There you're either good or bad, and it's all these other things. And, you know, part of that society might have said, well, your brother, he was bad, he did the wrong thing, drugs bad, and mark him in that category, therefore goes to hell. It's like that's not how God works at all. And thank God for that. Thank God for that. We are all fallen short, and sometimes our our short comings and that are more public and more outwardly than others. But just because someone is struggling with drugs or addiction in in any sense, maybe even gluttony, really. I've struggled with that in the past. It's like just because of that doesn't mean that that's worse than the person that's watching porn in secret that nobody knows about. That's damaging too. You know, everyone has their thing that they are working through and going through, and by the grace of God, we can overcome them and we can work through them. But there's still more things to work through and get better and level up and level up, and it's just that just when you think you're done.

Michelle 19:50

Um so one of the big things that I think people have trouble um hearing from God is because of struggles like what you just mentioned porn addiction, um, drugs, drinking, sex, you you name it. There's a lot of struggles. Um, and it's this is something that I really wish I knew this more when my brother was alive. Because I definitely was more of the judgy. I think I was judgy now with how I've changed. I think I was judgy. I was judgy. Yeah. But now I'm like, the reason that people have trouble hearing from God is because they run from God when they're when they're having the struggle. And it's one thing I learned is that in the middle of your struggle, bring that to God. Don't run and hide from him. You just bring that to him. When I finally had that moment, I was struggling really bad with something. And I was like, you know what, God? Yeah, I did it. I did. But I'm not gonna not pray to you. I'm just I'm gonna pray to you anyway. I don't care. And I did. And like this light just came and I I stopped struggling that day, that very day. I didn't even ask God to heal my struggle. I was just like, I am not gonna run a tie from you today. I need to talk to you about this. Yeah. And it was like you bring it to him, and then the Lord spoke to me about the struggle and and helped me with it like overnight, literally overnight. And I know not every struggle is the same. So I'm not saying if my brother ran to the Lord like he would have not become a dragon. I don't know. But all I know is that a lot of times our shame is what keeps us for hearing God's voice. Oh. But if we can recall, the only sin that Adam could have committed was eating of the tree. And that's what he did. And he ran and hid from God.

Mel 21:34

Yeah.

Michelle 21:34

And God chased him down. Yeah. And he wasn't, where are you, Adam? He wasn't trying to get him to see what he did. He was like, What's happened? Like you have separated from me, and I know it. Yeah. So God's always chasing after us. He's always speaking. So if we're having trouble hearing from him, or if we think he doesn't talk to us, sometimes we need to check and say, Do you have shame?

Mel 21:56

I really like your approach to things too, because I feel Like with helping women with the journaling and being able to hear from God and everything, that that's a skill that once you learn how to navigate all of that, you can't unlearn. Like that, you've always got a channel then that is efficient for, you know, it doesn't maybe work for everyone, but it does work for a lot of people. And it's a way that the Lord can speak to you, that you know is Him speaking to you, and that you can move through. And once you know it, you can't unknow it.

Michelle 22:32

Yeah. But I think what was important in the challenge, I did like a uh 15-minute devotional, is I had to break down the lies that I know they would hear as they were journaling. So one, I had to break down the lie that God won't speak to you because you're you haven't gotten up at 5 a.m. and prayed and you haven't read your Bible in four weeks. You know what I mean? You haven't gone to church. Yeah, I had to dispel, sorry, I had to dispel those things. Like, no, God wants to speak to you. He chased after Adam right after he disobeyed him in the one thing he asked him not to do. Second, you have to know what God's voice sounds like. A lot of us are listening, I always was listening for an audible voice, like the story in Samuel. I'm like, no, it's not a voice, it's a thought in your head, the thought that comes to your head, yeah, that's how you hear from God. And there's many ways to hear from God, but I think people are trying too hard to hear this voice. So I had to teach them what his voice can sound like. And then you also have to teach them what the enemy's voice sounds like. Yeah. So you know not to get into agreement with that. You know, know when it's God.

unknown 23:33

Yeah.

Michelle 23:33

When you're like, No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Especially when working with clients, I can always tell when they heard from God. I can always tell when they heard from me by their face. Yeah. I I was working with someone who was a Christian and then kind of became an atheist for a bit. And I was like, that's okay. Um in her in in the session, yeah, God told her that she was gonna be a pastor's wife. So she was like, I was like, what? That was God? What happened? What did they say? She goes, No, no, no, no. I was like, that was God. That that wasn't the enemy. Like, you wouldn't think of that. You're you're still transitioning back into I know that God's real and have a relationship with him. Yeah. So that's another way you know it's God. It's like, no, that's too big.

Mel 24:19

When you weigh it up against the word, which is our our resource and you know, to be able to weigh things up with at being truth, when you know it

Grace Over Performance And Labels

Mel 24:30

fits with what the word would say, then that's also a pretty good indication. If it contradicts what the word says, then you're probably listening to the other guy. So that's another thing. Because I I had one lady that just said, Well, how do you know when you're hearing from God or when you're hearing from the enemy? Um, because all my life I've been told I'm too much of this, I'm too much of that, and you know, all these negative things. And I'm just like, well, does does the word say that you are too much? No, it says you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are created in his image, like all these things. It doesn't say anywhere that you are too much of anything. You are exactly who he created you to be. So do you think that what you are hearing is from the Lord or from the enemy? And then she goes, Oh, so that's not God. And I was like, No, that's not God. And she goes, but all my family are telling me that too. And I'm like, Well, they're not speaking life over you.

Michelle 25:36

Right.

Mel 25:37

So it's really having to break that down, but it it is sad when you get someone in your in your circle that all their support group is actually not lifting them up and speaking life to them. And so I'm sure you've experienced that too. And I'm and I have no doubt there's women listening that are in that situation too, possibly their own spouse or um parents, siblings, children, all just bringing you down. And you and you might not be able to remove yourself from every situation and every person. But when you ground yourself in what the Lord is saying about you and the truth, those things lose its power. Like they can say whatever they want to say. You know the truth, you know who you are and your identity in Christ. That they can say, you're too much, or you're not enough, or you're this, you're that, blah, blah, blah. What does the Lord say that I am?

Michelle 26:39

And God will speak to who he created you to be. He's not gonna speak to where you are. So you may be insecure and feel unworthy. He's not gonna come down and speak to your insecurity and unworthiness. He's gonna speak to who he saw when he created, right? Just like um Gideon. Gideon was hiding in a cave, and he's like, What's up, mighty man of valor? Yeah. Me? Yeah, you. I'm speaking to who I created, not the scared little boy that's you know, making food in a cave hiding. Yeah. So God will speak to who he created. When people are telling you you're too much, they're not enough. That's how I see it. Yeah. You're not too much. They're not enough. They can't handle the greatness that you are. If someone told me you were too much, I'd be like, thank you. Thank you.

Mel 27:29

Well, I already know. You hear it so much. Like, oh, you talk too much. And it's just like, and I was told that a lot. I mean, my parents were pretty good, but you know, it's other people around.

Michelle 27:41

And school and teacher, great. That's why you have a podcast.

Mel 27:44

Yeah, and it's just like, hang on a second. Maybe I was created to get in front of people and speak. Mm-hmm. Look at the things that you have perhaps seen as a negative because other people have told you it's a negative to bring you down to their level for starters. But look at those things and go, well, hang on. What am I supposed to do with those things? Because I was created like this for a reason. And that's not an excuse to then be like narcissistic or anything like that and go, well, I was created to, you know, manipulate and question like that. No, no, no, no. We're talking good qualities here. But it's like questioning those things and go, hang on, am I actually living in the purpose that God created me for? If not, what do I need to do to start moving into that direction? And I know you help facilitate that, and I help facilitate that.

Michelle 28:39

Yeah.

Mel 28:40

And I think it's okay to go to someone and ask for help, you know, in this kind of area too. That's why you've got pastors and all that as well.

Michelle 28:50

So and there's a lot of basic fundamentals that a lot of

Shame Makes You Hide From God

Michelle 28:55

people don't know and don't understand. And what I try to help the women that come to me is let's fix the foundation. Let's let's fix your foundation and build from there. When you fix their foundation of their belief, their their core values, um, heal, help them heal from trauma that's happened as a kid. And I help with small trauma, not large trauma. They start to hear differently. Yeah. Once they know who they are, who God created them, what their identity is, they get to the root of people pleasing. Um, it helps, they just start to hear from God differently. They start to see, oh, when people say I'm too much, they just mean they can't handle me. And that's a good thing, you know? Uh but fixing their foundation is key to being able to process what you hear from other people in a in a different way.

Mel 29:43

And not let it affect you and stop you from being who God needs you to be.

Michelle 29:50

Because once you hear from God who he declared and who he said, and you get rid of the insecurity and the unworthiness, there's nothing anyone can say to you. I mean, I've had racist comments said to me so many times that I literally laugh it off. It just like like you are whatever, you're so lost. But that would have hurt me like years ago. But it's like, no, I know who I am. You can say what you want. Yeah. I'm not phased by you. You can make fun of my Christianity all you want. I'm not phased by you. Yeah. But that comes from a lot of root work that I did to be able to have that confidence. When God almighty is speaking to little old me, there's just a level, you just you walk around with your chest out. Yeah. Well, and that is what we want all women to do, right?

Mel 30:39

I think a lot of us though, when we start and we are starting to move into our calling, whether that's in business or motherhood, whatever it is, there is that part that you're like, who? Me? But I'm just me. Um, I can't do that. I'm not good enough. And all those voices go through. And I mean, how many people in the Bible said the same thing? I mean, Moses, forgive me. It's the same thing. It's just like, are you willing? Are you being obedient? You if you're doing the right things and you've set yourself up right, and you're starting to step out and just trust that God's got you because He's given you the first step. He just wants you to take the first step. Don't worry about all the other steps, which is hard for someone like me. But it's just trusting and doing that, then you can't possibly fail. You can't go wrong. Your character is going to grow stronger. Who you are and what you do and your impact on the world

Discerning Voices And Rebuilding Identity

Mel 31:40

that God has given you, you can't go wrong. You just can't go wrong.

Michelle 31:45

There's no such thing as failing. Not at all. And and I think what's important is when you hear from God and He tells you and you have trouble believing that, in the Bible, every time that happened, God edified them. He kept He like kept encouraging them. Um, I would say that's the time where you go back, okay, God, why am I having trouble believing what you just said? Like, let's break that down. Don't sometimes you can't force yourself to believe it. You can take a step and in faith, but you're still not believing it. Ask God, why am I having trouble believing what you just said about me? If I know you can't lie and I know that you know my future, what is it in me that can't accept that I am whatever it is that you called me? Yeah. And and start working from there. And and let God peel the layers back of the insecurity, the shame, the unworthiness, and let him heal that. Then when he starts speaking, you're gonna jump. You'll be like, oh, I got this now.

Mel 32:43

Definitely. And I know that a big part of what the Lord's worked on in me this year is control. And I mean, my whole business is around organizing and stuff, and yeah, and even through the process of getting to this, it was like understanding that balance. But there was still a part of me that was trying to control the outcome of a lot of things, whether it's my business, my kids, finances, whatever. And so this year, even the Lord has been working huge on me and in in truly, truly experiencing and understanding surrender. And it's just freeing. It's hard to begin with because there is that resistance, but it once you know that's the thing you need to work on, you work on it.

Michelle 33:32

And you it's and and when you hit the next level, like I thought I surrendered that part, and here we are this year. Yeah. I could tell you like three or four things if they ever happen to me would feel like rock bottom. They like one, two, three, boom, boom, boom. Oh, rock bottom for me. And then another rock bottom moment. And I think God's like it's control, like what you're saying. Like, well, the worst that you thought could happen, happen. Now what? And it's like, okay, you're still in control. I'm not.

Mel 34:05

Yeah. Yeah. I'm still here. Yeah, I don't like this. I don't like it too much. I'm ready to be done. I don't like it either. Um and I think a big part of that does come when you have experienced trauma and it then becomes sort of ingrained into you to control what you can because there's a lot of things that happened to you that was out of your control. And so there's just so much that goes into it. There's so much that goes into it. And I know that like I'm not a psychologist or anything, but I've certainly seen one for most of my life. So I I probably know more than a lot of the freshly trained ones. But it's just there is something in being able to let go of the control and surrender and yeah, being able to hear God because when you can surrender like fully,

Surrendering Control And Staying Consistent

Mel 34:55

you can journal and flow and hear from God a lot easier because I'm not trying to control and go, oh, hang on. No, I think you meant to say this.

unknown 35:06

Yeah.

Mel 35:07

That's like, no, I'm just writing it all. I'm just writing it all and whatever comes out.

Michelle 35:11

Yeah, a lot of times when we try to control, like it shows up in our body, like we start to get sick, we start to get anxious. And where I have gotten to is mentally, I have surrendered. Like, God, I know this is all gonna be fine. But then I'll start to get like an ulcer. And I'm like, well, that's not fair. I've surrendered, but I realize, well, my body's absorbing the stress, so I haven't fully surrendered. So now I'm working on that body part of fully surrendering to God because I am not meant to carry any ounce of this stress. And if that's the lesson that I need to learn, okay, I'm gonna learn it. I hope I learn it right because I really want to get out of this stage in my life. Yeah, yeah. I'm ready to reap the harvest. What's interesting is I had so many goals for myself. And I've just like, okay, God, no goals.

Mel 36:02

Like I'm a bit like that too at the moment. I'm like, okay, I'm just gonna do what it is you tell me to do, and I'm not gonna set these targets or correct. And it's not that I don't have any or that I'm just going to not do anything. I am just going to go, okay, what's the next step? I'm just gonna focus on the next step, which goes completely against my character and what's been ingrained, but it's reshaping my character and I'm becoming the next level, you know, of me.

Michelle 36:30

Well, and I think all we can control is our output. We can't control the outcome. And so I'm like, okay, so what I can control is my consistency, regardless of the evidence that I see that this is working. So that's been my new goal, just to stay consistent. And it's not that I'm not dreaming anymore, but I think I've stopped focusing on the end goal and I've just focused more on just being consistent.

Mel 36:56

Yeah.

Michelle 36:56

And I don't know. I hope it's not like, oh, I'm just hopeless now. I don't think it is because there's still an expectation, but my expectation is all right, God, you'll give me what you're gonna give me. I'm just not expecting X, Y, and Z anymore. Yeah. I'll just let you bless me with what you think is a blessing for me because you know better than me.

Where To Find Michelle And Closing

Michelle 37:15

Amen.

Mel 37:16

Yeah. I'm in the very similar, very similar stage. As much as we could keep talking for another three hours easily. I hope we can wrap it up here. So again, if someone wants to get in touch with you, wants to maybe learn more about how to hear from God and journaling the way that you teach it, where's the best way to find you?

Michelle 37:38

The best way is to go to my Instagram, Michelle Moragne Morris, and I have all the links. I have free downloadables that can help um with people pleasing. I have downloadables about hearing God's voice. I have a wait list for the next workshop. Um, and then you can also find my YouTube channel. It's the same name. Just be sure to go to Instagram.

Mel 37:55

Everything's I'll make sure all the links are in the show notes to make it nice and easy. But thank you so much again for your time, Michelle. I always love our conversations. I can't wait to do this again. Yeah, can't wait for the next one. Thank you. Thank you. If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it. See you next time.