From Legalism to Liberty: Mary Searcy's Journey to Spiritual Freedom

How would your faith change if you broke free from religious legalism and found a personal relationship with God? Join me as I chat with Mary Searcy, a remarkable wife and mother of four, who shares her transformative journey from rigid religious traditions to genuine spiritual freedom. 

This episode delves into the gripping story of Mary and her family's courageous departure from a controlling church environment. We explore their significant move to a new city, a period of spiritual detox, and healing through a supportive house church community. Listen to the powerful moment of deliverance from a religious spirit and how affirming herself in the Word and repenting from man-made covenants provided newfound freedom. Mary explains the keys given by the Lord that represented guidance and liberty, even as she faced struggles and doubts along the way.

Finally, Mary opens up about overcoming her initial hesitation to start her blog, Practical Hope, and her journey towards writing her first book. Fueled by Holy Spirit inspiration, her writing aims to share spiritual experiences that bring hope and encouragement to others. Tune in to hear how embracing joy and childlike wonder can transform your faith journey.

Mary's contact info:
Facebook
Instagram
Email - maryksearcy@gmail.com   
Practical Hope Blog 

Resources mentioned:
4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice
Restoring the Foundations

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:16

Hello and welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm your host, kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching, where I empower and unlock women to soar in their calling and roar with their voices. If you're curious to learn more about how coaching can help you unlock your potential, be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together.

Speaker 1: 0:47

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope for your soul. Please help me welcome my friend, mary Searcy, to the show. I am so excited to have her here. Just another connection that I've made through social media and honestly we don't know each other that well, but I know that she's going to have a wonderful and hope-filled story for you of her journey. This season's called Launching Pioneers and I really want to highlight women who are out there doing the thing, doing kind of the crazy things, the wild things, right? So, mary, would you be open to just sharing a little bit more about yourself and we'll kind of get into the fun stuff?

Speaker 3: 1:29

Yeah, I'd love to Thank you so much for having me, kristen. It's such a joy and honor to just share what the Lord is doing in this season. And, yeah, I my name is MacArthur Searcy and I am married. I have four beautiful kids and I'm currently have been in a season of having the gift of being home with my kids and homeschooling them and just being a mom, which is always such a beautiful joy of just the Lord meeting me in spaces just amongst our day together. And, yeah, over just the last uh, few years, the lord has really just been walking us through this process of um pulling our family out of religion, and it's kind of like where I spend a lot of my spare time, quote unquote, if I have that time, um, whether it's, like you know, pouring into social media influences and creating content, um writing, um. It's where I really feel called in this season to pioneer for just other families who may be, you know, experiencing a lot. Just give them hope honestly, to unlock hope for them.

Speaker 1: 2:42

So yeah, we're in the right place to hope unlocked. Yes, yes, I know so for those who are listening. Um. Could you just share a little bit more about you know, maybe kind of this pull away from religion, like what does that mean to you? Um, yeah they don't really know what that means yeah.

Speaker 3: 3:02

so, um, honestly, I, I grew up in like a spirit-filled, non-denominational church and I never would have thought that I I would never consider myself to be a religious person per se. Um, and my dad passed away in 2017 and he was a pastor. I was a pastor's kid. I grew up in church. I was always at the church and the doors were open, but when my dad passed, it was like the Lord began to radically encounter me through dreams and visions and really began to like open my eyes to you know my life and my relationship with him, to you know my life and my relationship with him. And so the Lord took me on that journey and showed me, like what that was.

Speaker 3: 3:51

And you know, growing up in church, I went to church. Like I said, I was always there when the doors were open, but it was like, over time, even from like being a small child, it was like like the enemy, like slowly began to like bound me to being like this shy, non-confrontational person, to just do what all of the authorities around me told me to do. Um, just really lost my voice, but I didn't know that it ever happened, if that makes sense um.

Speaker 3: 4:22

I really thought, by not questioning and going along with the crowd was actually being a good follower of Jesus. I thought that you know, doing the checklist, just reading my Bible, and you know, praying, it was all of this stuff that really formed this really strong belief system of my relationship with God. That was not even my choice, if that makes sense. It was kind of laid out for me. Um, so I, you know, never questioned my spiritual authority. My spiritual authority, um, I never thought I had to. You know, I guess my mindset was you know, surely you know all these people have this stuff figured out already and I can just like blindly follow their lead. You know what I mean have this stuff figured out already and I can just like blindly follow their lead. You know what I mean? Um, but then it was like the Lord was like no, like you know, you need to be asking me questions. And so I really, when I wasn't questioning scripture, when I wasn't actually diving into the context of things that were being taught to me and my family, that was really binding us. And a lot of legalism, um, even though the language for legalism wasn't there, like it was always talked like don't be legalistic or don't get religious on me I was like I was still in the middle of it, but my mind was being tricked to think that I wasn't in the middle of it.

Speaker 3: 5:36

And so the Lord took me on this journey and he actually gave me this really crazy dream. And in the dream I was in a factory. And, to make this dream a little bit more condensed, I was looking for something in this dream, but I couldn't find it. And I went up these winding stairs to I was looking for something. I didn't know what I was looking for and I came to the top and there was this closet and I opened the closet and there was a body bag laying in the closet and, um, I opened up the body bag and it was the face of my my dad, and he was dead.

Speaker 3: 6:16

Which in in this um context? Um, my dad was already dead in the, in the physical realm. So this was like the Lord taking me on this journey in the spiritual that. You know what my dad? He was so such a compassionate man. He loved the Lord with all of his heart. But it was like there was a new mantle. The Lord was um, giving my family to um come out of a lot of uh, walls and, yeah, religion that we didn't really know what is religion, if that makes sense yeah, and I I know you said 2017.

Speaker 1: 6:51

It's really interesting. My dad passed away that same year and I saw like an awakening, I would say. Around fall of that, you're just kind of questioning things and knowing that there was more than what I was being taught. Does that make sense, like? Completely we had kind of that same year.

Speaker 3: 7:11

It was really wild I would call an awakening right.

Speaker 1: 7:14

Wow, I called eyes wide open and I think there's just a lot of people waking up right now. Um, but very interesting Um. So for those. Um, but very interesting um so for those like I said, so for those who maybe haven't heard about this before like kind of being under this, like religious spirit right, would you, would you right religious?

Speaker 3: 7:37

yeah, completely, completely yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:40

So when you had um this dream at this point, like had you had really vivid dreams prior? Like was this um?

Speaker 3: 7:49

it was kind of the beginning of, um, new encounters and dreams. Um, something changed, I feel like, in the spiritual realm when my father passed. It was like a seed and stone, um, just in the spirit to begin having these encounters Because, before you know, we went to church, we served, we tithed, we, you know, it was really the space of striving to be a part of a church. I'm not against going to church I have a beautiful community that I call, you know, my church but very much like the cages and chains of just binding us to do what we were told to do and not having the liberty to hear the voice of God for ourselves. And even if we were allowed to hear the voice of God for ourselves, it had to be approved, or even dreams, like you have to take them to, you know, the authorities to say that what you're hearing is correct and valid.

Speaker 3: 8:46

Um, and so, yeah, it was. In that point I was like wow, like this is, this was. It was such a vivid dream for me that I was like this, this is, this is so real, like in the moment I really didn't understand how, how, um, how bound I was by the religious spirit, um, and even just manipulated by the Jezebel spirit, um until we began to come out from under it, um to actually see the severity of what we were experiencing. Um yeah.

Speaker 1: 9:21

What did it look like for you to kind of break free, you said, from the cages and the chains, like what was? What did that process look like for you as a family?

Speaker 3: 9:30

Yeah, so, um, we were a part of a church, we were on staff. Um, me and my husband were youth pastors. We did a lot of, um, creative production things my husband did mainly he was, you know, the paid staff member creative production things my husband did mainly he was, you know, the paid staff member I helped out with office things um, and we started to realize, like I said, you know, what we had immersed ourselves in and just it even began to like affect our kids, like my son was beginning to bite his nails and just be really stressed when we had changed somewhat of an environment within the same ministry. We had moved to a different campus, and so the Lord, you know, basically told us that you know, it was time, it was time for us to go. And so we moved, we moved cities and that really helped us, but it kind of we had to go through a spiritual detox. But kind of we had to go through a spiritual detox and the Lord kind of was so gracious to take this on this journey of showing us, over time, he gave us space where we didn't have really much of community for a while, but then he gave us one 2020 hit we had started going to a church and trying to reconnect and, you know, it was a lot different than what we had experienced. The Holy Spirit was given freedom to move and all of that, and so we, when 2020 hit, we moved into more of a house church experience.

Speaker 3: 10:55

It was kind of a radical divine appointment that even happened and the Lord provided a living room for me and my husband to heal with people who you know were mature in the spirit, who you know could give words of knowledge and, you know, hear the voice of the Father to address lies that we had not been taught to be able to do yet, and even just sent like a spiritual mother and father.

Speaker 3: 11:23

That really began to help set us free. I was actually delivered from the religious spirit and it was kind of just this crazy, unexpected encounter Because, like I said, I never would have thought myself I was done with legalism, I was done with religion, but in this situation the religious spirit was muting me, it was keeping me from having a voice, from having a roar, and one morning, when we were having house church, like the spiritual father, he spoke one truth over my life and it was like something jolted inside of me and it was like that religious spirit was seen and no longer could it stay. And from that point on, like I was a different person and from you know, obviously after that deliverance, like I had to affirm myself in the word.

Speaker 3: 12:18

You know, it wasn't like you know, I could just go on and live my life, you know, I was free but I had to steward that Right and, um and just, he continually provided us with community to just feel our hearts and um, yeah, to just realign ourselves with the narrative of heaven and not the narrative of the institutional church, if that makes sense. Um, you know, yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:43

And I you know from a lot of people that I've talked to it sounds like there is like a remnant who's kind of walked through this similar.

Speaker 3: 12:55

Oh yeah, and I feel like the Lord is definitely, um, he's connecting all of those, those places and those people, and to affirm their spirits. Because when you're so immersed in that culture, um, even though the Lord can move and he does a good work and he can protect people, um, you don't know what you don't know and it can be so deceiving. And you know, and then you move into, like the fear aspect of you. You don't want to be afraid of falling away, you don't want to lose your covering, your protection from, you know, these, these houses, these, these churches, and so when you're walking out of it, when you're alone, it can feel very scary. It can feel like you know that you have just walked away from something that was actually protecting you.

Speaker 3: 13:47

And so, for us, we actually we had repented of signing a covenant that we had signed with the church that you know was not. It was kind of a lot of man laws, a lot of the things that you know religion would love to take out of context. And when we had repented of signing it, before we had moved and transitioned out of that space, we immediately, like, began to doubt, like what did we just do? But the Lord, just he confirmed my husband's heart and actually gave him a dream that night that there were, like these little fleas that were crawling on his hands and they slowly began to embed themselves into his arms and he then began pulling out these leeches, I mean, ultimately, these leeches of control, um that we were literally when we had repented. We were detoxing from this, you know, man-made hierarchical system, um to be able to move forward and pursue the freedom, um and just the call for our family's lives and for my kids, you know.

Speaker 1: 14:55

Absolutely, oh my gosh, and you were sharing with me. You know, like there was a, there was keys that were basically handed to you right.

Speaker 1: 15:03

So what does that look like? You know tangibly, for those those you know, for I don't know about you, but I've walked a pretty hard journey since that time, Right, yeah, it hasn't been rainbows and butterflies as we were, right, Right. So, um, is there maybe like a testimony that you could share, maybe kind of walking through some fire, that, um, you came out with some keys that might set somebody free if they're either immersed in this right now or they just maybe they've never heard of anything of the same right.

Speaker 3: 15:38

Yeah, um. So you know, talking about the keys, like um, you know I shared with you that. You know I felt like the lord had given me these ancient keys for um, just the inheritance generationally for my family and um for my kids, and just, you know, down line, just breaking off all of that stuff so that generations can, you know, walk in a bloodline of purity of Yeshua and be able to carry their purposes with authority. And, like you said, it has not been an easy rainbow and butterfly journey. It has been very, trying, very to to walk that and I think one of the like the best hope that I can give um for somebody who could be walking through a journey, uh, similar to this, would be that the father has been so kind to just encounter me, um, as a father, um, in in the quiet places, you know, when I would lock myself away with Him to just be able to affirm my spirit with the truth of His Word, with the truth of who he is.

Speaker 3: 16:45

In my life I felt like there was definitely like a more tangible way of just touching His garment in a way than I had ever experienced before, and I had encounters with the Lord over my life, especially as a small child, before I kind of became more callous to just not really wanting to have anything to do with the church. Because I went through that stage. I didn't want to be on staff, I didn't want to go to church. I hit a point where I was done, I didn't want to have any part, I didn't want to go to church, like I, I hit a point where I was done, I didn't want to have any part in that and so, like, even if somebody is even having, you know, those thoughts and things like I, I totally get that Cause I've been there.

Speaker 3: 17:28

But the hope that was really unlocked was when, you know, when my dad passed away and the Lord's presence, he would just, he would encounter me and His presence would just wash like waves over my spirit and it was like I couldn't be close enough to Him. He would meet me in my dreams and he would meet me in the places where I had hard emotions. You know, like the real of life, the real human emotions that we deal with, that a lot of religion would love to push down and say you need to just get it together and you just need to, you know, perform and you need to just go up there and do it. Like he met me in the grief, he met me in anger, he met me in sadness, he met me in frustration and disappointment and all those things where I'm like I don't want to do this anymore, like I'm done, like this is hard.

Speaker 3: 18:20

You know, when we really started treading that place of you know, moving out from that, like there was a line that was drawn in the sand and people talk, you know they, they create a narrative for you. They, you know, push you to the side, they, you know people, you know they just do and it's okay. But, like with that, there's a lot of emotions and the love of the father. Um, he, he enabled and gave us a love, a gift that he let us unwrap with him. That was like so worth it and has always been worth it, and I know he will just continue to just lavish that love on his people who could be experiencing something very similar like us. Um to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Um to pioneer these paths for his kingdom.

Speaker 1: 19:09

So good you. You are very eloquent in speech. Let me just say I think that's one of the things you know with the voice. Um, do you feel, have you now looking back? Have you discovered kind of this roar that's within you, like what is, what is the lord calling you to in this season with your voice, and kind of looking back on like now seeing like what, what was the enemy trying to keep you from releasing?

Speaker 3: 19:36

right, yeah. So, um, like I had said earlier, like I definitely always felt like I was shy. You know I was the shy kid. He just did what I was told the good kid. Um, which is definitely just the enemy coming in at a very young age and so, over time, like you know, from the beauty of just real kingdom community and friends that the Lord has surrounded me with, and just the Lord to to affirm, you know the destiny that he has for me to unlock this. You know this roar, this voice inside of me.

Speaker 3: 20:11

And it kind of was nothing I never would have necessarily picked for myself. He's so good at that right, like we just do it. We're like, okay, we're going to do this, um, and so, yeah, so right now, like he has me writing and that's kind of where he's has my, he has my voice. Um, just helps that the captives free. Um, I'm writing a book right now and, um, I'm not finished yet but I'm working on it.

Speaker 3: 20:37

And so I'm in this like process season of just releasing my words through, you know, the scribes, and I just pray that it's just a heavenly scroll from heaven to just go forth and whoever you know gets their hands on it, or whoever the Lord needs to have you know their hands on it.

Speaker 3: 20:54

That will be a gift of just gold for them. And so my voice in that way, um, to just yeah, to just unleash the process, literally unleash from being tamed all these years, um to yeah, just just send out the word. You know that we are truly sons and daughters of Him and there was never meant to be, you know, these leashes on His people. And so that's kind of my, I think, because it's so much a part of my testimony, it's like the fire inside of my belly that the Lord's put for me, because I'm very passionate about it, especially being just so miraculously delivered from the religious spirit, um finding my roar in that space. Um has kind of been where I'm at and just pray. The lord continues to have his way so have you like?

Speaker 1: 21:51

have you always kind of been a writer, like since you're young, or what does that look like? No, no.

Speaker 3: 21:57

So that's why I was like I never would have thought that the Lord would have me writing a book, because I, when we were in a season of transition, um, the Lord, I was running one day. I love to run, so the Holy Spirit really encounters me and speaks to me and I was running and it was so vivid. When he spoke it to me, he said I want you to start a blog. And I'm like, oh, like I don't really want to do that, you know. And the Lord, cause I told him, I said I don't have anything to say. And he rebuked me very quickly and he said so you're saying I don't have to to say? And I'm like, wow, okay, yes, lord.

Speaker 3: 22:38

So I started writing a blog I guess it was, I think it was 2021. And just slowly, just writing that way to just release some of the things that were kind of welling up in my spirit. And over time, after I did several blogs, it was like the Lord began to confirm things, for me to begin kind of compiling a lot of what my essential message is, but also just expounding on it and getting it out there. And so, yeah, I would never have thought that I would write a book. And unnecessarily, I do want to write a book because he wants me to write a book. But the Lord was very. It kind of came to a point of like, okay, this is what I want you to do, it's an act of obedience. So I'm like, okay, I'll do it. Um, so yeah, I have not always been a writer and I mean I was good in English class, you know. Uh, I was an honors, so I mean but still like I feel like the Lord kind of just.

Speaker 3: 23:33

It's kind of like that.

Speaker 1: 23:34

So so beautiful. Um, I was going to ask are you still doing the blog right now? A book, the blog Are you still releasing through your blog.

Speaker 3: 23:46

Yes, yes, yes, I do still have a blog, Um, I haven't been releasing as much just because I've been really trying to focus in on my book, um, but it's still out there and available for anybody who, you know, is interested in what I've written so far, and yeah, so what is the website?

Speaker 1: 24:07

If you speak it out, we'll add that website to the show notes as well.

Speaker 3: 24:13

Yeah, it's practicalhopeco.

Speaker 1: 24:23

P-R-A-C-T-I-C-A-L. Hope yeah, it's practical hopeco. Um P R.

Speaker 3: 24:25

A, c, t I C A, l, hopeco. Okay, that stitching of hope, we both carry?

Speaker 1: 24:27

Yes, I love it. Um, so your book, when are you anticipating, cause we never know Like sometimes due dates move a little bit. But when is your book baby due? Do you have a due date? I?

Speaker 3: 24:39

would love to have it out by the beginning of next year. I am compiling and still working on just my first couple of run-throughs and drafts and kind of cinching everything together and then I'll send it off to an editor and I'm hopeful for the spring of next year. We will see.

Speaker 1: 24:59

So when you, you got this, you got this go to write a book, and I'm I'm just thinking about some of the listeners that are like I feel like I have a book baby in me too, like I don't even know where to start, like how do I begin? What did that process look like for you, because I know I have book babies in me, they're just not. But even for myself I'm like I don't even know when would you? Go.

Speaker 1: 25:23

Especially for those who have a verbal processor, somebody who's like yeah, you could totally use like a. What do you call those things where you voice text it? Or?

Speaker 3: 25:32

whatever yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:35

What would it look like for for you, for your process?

Speaker 3: 25:39

so I honestly just opened up google docs and I just started writing and I laid out I wanted to kind of get like a good flow, and you know some people can write books in just a few weeks and be totally done, um, and it has been.

Speaker 3: 25:56

I think I started writing back in September and I knew the Lord had kind of, you know, I knew that he wanted me to write a book and so I just started doing it and then along the journey, as I began to like really take acts of faith to do that, he started to like connect me with certain people that would just be a voice, you know, behind me to just keep encouraging me to keep going forward, cause it can be, you know, a long process of like either figuring out what message it is that you know, cause everybody has a story, everybody has a story that they want to share and everybody carries such a unique frequency to release that it will touch somebody.

Speaker 3: 26:38

And so just dealing with that initial fear of you know that nobody's going to read my book was probably like a big thing that I had to overcome and just set that behind me and just keep writing and doing and right now, like all of my stuff is in Google docs, of course I, like you know, save it, and so that I don't lose it somewhere on the interweb, um, but yeah, just just starting, and I feel the Lord will just come alongside and you know, snitch, stitch, stitch everything together as it should be for his glory.

Speaker 1: 27:16

So what has been like the most exciting part of this journey of writing for you?

Speaker 3: 27:23

I think just you know when, when it's your life, you know it's, it's so normal and it doesn't always feel like your message is unique or carries power or authority. And so, you know, sharing my story over the last few years, when I hear other people who are encouraged and where hope is literally unlocked in other people, like that has been the beauty that has, like, kept me going. I'm like, you know, like this is something that the Lord has. You know, it's a part of my destiny to release into the earth and I want to steward that Um, but just hearing that it's helping other people so that they can then go and, um, share their story, to just continue to build up the kingdom of God, um, um, yeah, so just um, unlocking that hope for people, I mean it's, you know we could come in back to that, but it's, it's the reality and the truth and beauty of it all.

Speaker 1: 28:24

Cause, cause. I don't know about you, but there there are a lot of hopeless people in this world right now. There really are. And story, I truly believe, stories, testimonies, you know, releasing it releases breakthrough over people, having that connection point of oh my gosh, I'm not alone.

Speaker 3: 28:41

Right, especially when it comes to the church. You know so many people feel that. You know they've been church hurt or, you know, just burnt by religion, but they don't understand that it was religion. They don't understand that there is a good God who loves them and you know the true story of who Jesus is. You know, growing up in church, like you would have thought that I had like this intimate relationship with Jesus.

Speaker 3: 29:06

I never missed a service, like I did all the right things, I checked off all the good lists, but I honestly had been desensitized to who Jesus even was and what he did, and like it wasn't until I was an adult that the Lord began to like reveal the truth of his story, the gift of Jesus that he gave us and so many people because of religion, because of the church and because of church hurt. You know the message is so distorted, or the enemy has just tried to bring that because the church is where people go. You know that's where they, that's where we're supposed to find hope, but just being able to actually know and to be reminded that you can hear the voice of God for yourself, and that's why Jesus actually came in the first place.

Speaker 1: 29:54

Well, speaking of hearing the voice of God, I know you mentioned just really briefly that you really hear from Holy Spirit when you're running. Are there any other ways that you hear him? Because I know there might be people you know listening who are like, well, I don't really hear God, I don't hear anything. So what does that journey look like for you? You know, are there different ways he speaks to? I know he has many ways he speaks to me. Um, it's not a booming voice Like some people might be anticipating.

Speaker 3: 30:24

Right, right, yeah. So I honestly journaling has always been something that, um, how the Lord has spoke to me. I mean, I honestly didn't learn how to hear the voice of God, like I said earlier, until I was, you know, an older adult, but I always went to journaling and just began to just write out, even when I was thinking sometimes to just, you know, imagine, like what the father would say over me in love, and just begin to write that out and it became like this really just smooth process. You know, it's not always, you know, sometimes it's me journaling to the Lord about, you know, certain things, but then he'll come in and just release what he says over me, and so in that sometimes I feel like it's thoughts and, yeah, it's kind of something that just kind of comes more naturally as you begin to like practice it and just attune yourself to the Holy Spirit and be aware and hungry for hearing Him.

Speaker 3: 31:25

And, you know, using it's like when I, when I, talk to my kids, it's like like we turn our eyes to Jesus, we use our imagination and then you can journal or you can draw a picture, and so much of our imagination, our right brain. We're such left brain people we want to be able to have a formula to this process, but the Lord actually trained or created us to be more right brain people. Of course there's a place for left brain. But to use our imagination and to truly be like children again and so to even just imagine yourself of being a child, hearing a good God speak to you, I feel, opens up just the freedom to use your imagination and hear what he has to say to you use your imagination and hear what he has to say to you.

Speaker 2: 32:15

I love that I feel like I'm kind of reclaiming my childhood.

Speaker 1: 32:18

I don't know if you feel that way, but there's, there's definitely these elements of this childlike faith, this wonder. He calls me a woman of wonder because I'm always like going deep and when I go outside I just see all the things, like there's a cardinal that has flown by back and forth here probably four times since we've been on the call. I named him Fred and his, his woman, is named Mildred.

Speaker 1: 32:43

I love that and I just like to have fun you know, yeah, see him in the details right so, along this journey, if you could just share maybe one of your most joy-filled see him in the details moments would love for you to share, if you can think of something offhand yeah, yeah, let me think for a second.

Speaker 3: 33:08

Yeah, so honestly, it's really interesting that you talk about you know that you bring up joy because he's kind of been walking me through this, through that place too, and he had kind of given me a dream. I have my husband is, he's a ginger and he's like blonde, reddish hair, and then all four of my kids have blonde hair and I'm a brunette. I have brown hair. I had brown hair. I got highlights once when I was a teenager, but that was about it. But he had actually given me a dream, which is one way that I hear the Lord and he speaks to me and communicates to me. I have always joked about getting highlights in my hair and bleaching my hair so I can match the rest of my family. But he gave me a dream a couple of months ago and in the dream I went to get highlights and I had these beautiful blonde highlights in my hair and when I woke up it was like the Lord said, like I want to lighten, like your burden and your mood of just, you know, not taking life so seriously and because you know, I consider myself to be a decently joyful person, but it was like the Lord was reminding me that there's always more levels of that. And my kids always challenged me to have more joy.

Speaker 3: 34:17

And sometimes, you know, being a mom like there are moments where it's tough to fight through a lot of the just. You know the beauty of motherhood, right, the chaos, the laundry, the cooking, all of the things. And he was just reminding me like have more joy, don't things. And he was just reminding me have more joy, don't take life so seriously. And for me that was a joyful dream to have because it was like the Lord was inviting me into another place of Him, to be more childlike in that space. And so I've been really trying to embrace that recently and joy was actually a word that recently. And joy was actually a word that my dad actually used to speak over me. I have a Bible where he wrote that I was a joy in his handwriting and have often considered on getting a tattoo with the word joy, but I can never nerve myself up to do it but just being reminded of just the beauty of life and to, yeah again, not take everything, life so seriously did you see my shirt?

Speaker 1: 35:20

I didn't know it says joyful, like it's joy on one line and full wow, wow. I looked at my clothes and I was like I think I need to wear this today for this interview well, there you go, the lord.

Speaker 1: 35:38

I love it this is just another moment for the listeners. Like there's little breadcrumbs that he leaves for us and I call him like little. It's like a little treasure hunt, right, we get to pick up these little keys along the way that are there to encourage us, to bring us joy, to help us on this journey of faith, especially for those of us who are maybe walking more counterculture journeys and or you know, I don't know about you I'm going to ask you this question now. So, character in the Bible, who? Who has helped you in your journey? Like to stay on course, Like is?

Speaker 1: 36:21

there something that comes to mind.

Speaker 3: 36:24

Yeah, um, definitely, esther. Um wildly I, when me and my husband were kind of moving out of the ministry setting, the church business ministry setting, we actually had a little girl and we had named her Emerson and we both sat down on the couch one day and it was just really like a divine moment and we're like this is not an Emerson, this is an Esther.

Speaker 3: 36:51

And from that point forward, we're like this is not an Emerson, this is an Esther. And from that point forward, we're like this is an Esther. And she was a gift of joy in our lives for such a time as this to move us out of that place of just the chains and cages of religion. And so Esther, you know, even in the Bible, just being bold and the voice that she carried to help set God's people free has definitely been just a reminder that you know we are all born for such a time as this and to carry those keys to help unlock, yeah, just the things that God has for His people has for his people.

Speaker 1: 37:30

So good, I'm with you. There Is there. Is there any books that um have really helped you along on this journey? Obviously, the Bible is is our, our most favorite right. Is there any books that um have been really?

Speaker 3: 37:48

pivotal in your journey, maybe even over the last seven years or so. Yeah, um, there is a couple of books there, um, hearing god's voice is one, and I cannot remember the author, but I can send you the name so maybe you could link it for for people, for those do what is it on a buzzer?

Speaker 1: 38:06

yeah, yes, maybe that's the prophetic voice of God, is Lana.

Speaker 3: 38:11

Maybe We'll figure it out, we'll put it in the show notes. Yeah, there's one. There's that one, and it really kind of allowed me to just feel more confident that I can hear God for myself and not have to be affirmed by a pastor or anybody who had a title in the church, that I could actually hear him for myself. And then restoring the foundations Also can't think of the author at this point, but it really kind of walks through a lot of how to receive a lot of inner healing of just, you know, the ungodly beliefs that we choose to or that we unknowingly believe about ourself.

Speaker 3: 38:54

That's a part of our belief system, almost as if, like even just looking at the sky right now, you know it's blue. Those are, those belief systems become so much a part of our world that we truly don't know anything different. And it really this book, you know, breaks down a lot of just the ungodly lies that we may believe about our lives and even just going through like generational curses and kind of just releasing just the fullness and the healing you know that Jesus paid for on the cross to be able to step into a greater identity in Jesus and who you are, to know who you are and the destiny that God has for you. I would say those are probably two very transformational books that I read kind of in that transitional place that, um, the Lord, uh yeah, connected me with Awesome.

Speaker 1: 39:47

Thank you for sharing those resources, cause I know you know some people don't even know where to start Right, and as much as we'd like to have you in our back pocket all the time, but you are like, you are definitely a resource and you've walked through the fire and you know. For those of you who are listening who would want to connect with her, we'll have contact information in the show notes and I'd love to have you back when you're released. I've had a couple of gals on. I had one gal on three times as things are continuing to release, cause I really want to point others to.

Speaker 3: 40:24

You know pioneers like yourself. Yeah, I love that, I would love that. I just have one more thought here I love that, I would love that.

Speaker 1: 40:29

I just have one more thought here and when. Part of why I released this podcast is similar to you, to. I heard the go it's time, release your voice, release your sound. And really it was this flip the script from it being a podcast, which is what the world would call it, to being a seed cast, and that kind of changed the trajectory of taking, kind of felt like a Moses right, cause I had a massive war on my voice as well and, um, he just gave me a vision of like it's for the one, it's for the one for the one.

Speaker 1: 41:06

So if you can just envision one woman sitting here today who's been listening, if you can just envision one woman sitting here today who's been listening, is there anything you'd like to share and part over her?

Speaker 3: 41:17

And then would you just pray us out today as well. Yeah, I would love that. I would love that. Oh, father, we just we love you and we just thank you for your nearness and I just thank you for anybody that you have sent to this podcast today to just hear this message, to hear your message, the voice that you would encounter them in a love and a fire and just visions of what you have for them, what you have for their life, that they are born for such a time as this, that they are destined to carry the keys of ancient doors to unlock places that nobody else is meant to unlock, that they are the one that have these places to unlock and you are giving them the authority and the power where religion has tried to come in and say that you are not worthy, that you are not good enough, that you are just this person, that you really are not unique at all.

Speaker 3: 42:25

I just bind all of those lies in the name of Jesus and I just declare the goodness of God, the sound mind of Christ, that all confusion has to leave, all confusion about whether they are who they are, god, that you would just open up the scrolls from heaven, lord, or in mind them who they are, as a daughter of the King, of King Jesus, the royal authority, that they carry the fire that walks with them the path that they will pioneer as they find the narrow way to you, jesus, that there would be no distractions, that there would be no, just even bumpy places that would try to lead them down.

Speaker 3: 43:09

I just see, even just right now, just going down that narrow path of just these little weeded plots that are trying to get them off track, and we just declare that you will stay on track, that Jesus' face will be the space that you find, that he will be the prize, that Jesus is the prize in the here and now, that it's not something you have to wait for, but that he is with you, that he is near you and that he hears your heart and he wants what's best for you and he loves you so much. And so, god, we just thank you for what you're speaking over your daughters, and today that hope has been unlocked inside of their spirits that they can carry the mighty name of Jesus to the nations to see your kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Speaker 1: 43:59

Roar, I just love it.

Speaker 1: 44:03

It is absolutely incredible and I'm just so thankful that you came on the podcast to share your heart with us. I know that you have unlocked hope and unlock freedom, and I believe, anybody who listens to the sound of your voice today. So let that be a seed that carries forth and multiplies back over your life. And again, like I say this to every gal who comes on here, thank you for being a brave voice who sets others free. So I'm going to close with our anchoring verse. It is may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope, and that is Romans 15, 13. So, mary, thank you for being on and sharing your heart with us. I will be back next week with another episode. Bye, listeners.