The strange thing about insecurity is the more we try to control it, the more it ends up controlling us. Insecurities are built on lies, and while there might be one big one you are aware of, often there are dozens of little ones that go with it. Which makes untangling them like untangling a knotted necklace. Ugh. In this episode, I share about the unexpected way I discovered the web of lies beneath my own insecurities, and how shifting what you choose to agree with puts you on the fast...

We often think of the storms of life as the circumstances outside of us. But what do you do when the storm is inside? Our thought lives can be really stormy. Obsessions, worries, and intrusive thoughts can cause us to feel like we are at the mercy of our minds. Is there a way to make it all stop? In this episode, I share my own struggles with troubling thoughts and finding freedom in my mind. Also, I talk a little about  the role of strongholds and spiritual warfare in our thoughts, and...

"Why?" It's a question we all ask. Why did this have to happen? Why is this my story? Why can't my life be like everyone else's? We can get frustrated and discouraged when the answers don't come. And yet, not getting answers isn't necessarily a bad thing. We can get fixated with getting all the answers. We read books, go to seminars, or Google, "What does it mean when..." But if you got the answers, would you actually feel better? What if answers aren't actually what you need?    In this...

Do you feel like you're carrying it all in your relationships? You're doing what you can - walking on eggshells, trying to make things easier for them - but it only seems to get harder for you.  You feel trapped- like there's nothing you can do to change things. It's true- you can't change them. But you can change you. In this episode, I share what I learned about correcting one-sided relationships, and what you can do to deal with people who are hard to love. Follow Michelle on...

If setting boundaries (or sticking to them) is hard for you, it's probably because of THIS one thing: You're trying to "keep the peace." When we don't have good boundaries, it's usually because we want to avoid conflict, or avoid losing a relationship. But If you have to work so hard to "keep the peace," do you even have real peace in the first place? In this week's episode, I share why we often strive to "keep the peace," and what happens when we stop all that and experience Jesus' true,...

We've all heard the expression, "Feel your feelings." But what if feeling your feelings just seems pointless? What if they seem to be in the way and will just end up holding you back? I know the feeling (no pun intended) all too well. In this episode, I'm sharing what God taught me about feeling feelings and what He does through them to give us the break we desperately need. Follow Michelle on Instagram @themichelledonnelly Purchase access to the new devotional, What Are You Waiting For?...

At the beginning, setting boundaries can feel not just uncomfortable, but wrong. So how can we get it right? The good news is learning to set boundaries doesn't actually start with other people. It starts with you. In this episode, Michelle talks about what boundaries really protect and how to start establishing boundaries with yourself so you can more confidently set boundaries with other people. Follow Michelle on Instagram @themichelledonnelly Purchase access to the new devotional,...

When the bottom falls out, all of us inevitably end up asking this question:  Is God good? It's a big thing we each have to wrestle with, but the way we move through it is actually bite-sized. In this episode, Michelle shares how she worked through a season of questioning God's goodness, and how taking her questions straight to God revealed the answers she was longing for. Follow Michelle on Instagram @themichelledonnelly Purchase access to the new devotional, What Are You Waiting For? A...

Do you ever feel like God is mad at you? Like you can never do enough to please Him? So often when we feel disconnected from God, we do things to try to close the gap. But somehow it never seems to be enough. It seems we'll never measure up. But what if the things you're doing to reconnect with God are only adding to the disconnection? Today I'm letting you in on a time in my life when I felt this very same sense of disconnection, and how God showed me HE closes the gap. I also share one...

For the longest time after my divorce, I constantly wondered if my life could ever be good again. Do you know what I mean? There was a time when things seemed to be "fine"- until they weren't. And I wanted so desperately to get back there. But you know what I found out? Things were never "fine." And you know what else? "Fine" is actually not good enough.  God wants you and me to be more than fine. Michelle shares what's been going on the last few months, and what the new name of the...

Yes, I bought a wedding dress. No, I am not engaged. Michelle opens up about her journey of waiting to be married, why she bought a wedding dress, and what it means if you are in the middle of a season of waiting on God too. Purchase access to the new devotional, What Are You Waiting For? A Raw & Real-Time Journey Through Longing, Surrender, & Desires Fulfilled Join the Uncommon Valor Mailing List to get your free chapter of Michelle's new devotional Tangled in Toxicity? Register...

We've all heard the verse, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good," but sometimes, we just don't see how that could be possible in our own lives. Nicole Unice shares how Scripture can help us understand what God is doing in our difficult circumstances, and how the stories of others can help us believe that God is remaking our own lives and bringing good through our challenges as well. Purchase Nicole's book, "Not What I SIgned Up For: Finding the Strength, Purpose, & Faith to Get...

Do you think of yourself as especially compassionate and loyal? Are you frustrated with others who don't seem to return the favor? You may have fallen for the trap of toxic loyalty. Michelle discusses toxic loyalty (also called toxic empathy) and how it often is a challenge for those who are gifted in generosity and mercy. She shares the common weak spots that lead to toxic loyalty, and how to adjust your patterns to move away from one-sided relationships and move towards mutually beneficial...

Every abuse survivor eventually asks themselves, "Why didn't I see this? How did I miss this?" Once a survivor becomes aware that what they have experienced is abuse, what often follows is a flood of conflicting emotions like fear and shame over not having realized it sooner. Stacey Womack from Abuse Recovery Ministry Services shares why victims don't often recognize they are in an abusive dynamic and why they struggle to find the support they need, especially from the church. Purchase...

The hurt and loss we experience in life can destroy our dreams, and cause us to think maybe we just have to take what we can get. Stefanie & Caleb Rouse share how brokenheartedness can cause us to shut down our hearts and start to settle for less than what we really desire.  Purchase Stefanie & Caleb's book, Wholehearted Love: Overcome the Barriers That Hold You Back in Your Relationship with God and Others-- and Delight in Feeling Safe, Seen, and Loved Learn more about Stefanie...

Do your relationships seem to be nothing but an endless trail of toxicity? Michelle discusses how we get sucked into the wrong relationships without realizing it, and why we tolerate toxicity when we don't have to. She also shares 4 snares that may be drawing you into toxic and abusive relationships, and reveals how to avoid attracting toxic people in the future. Tangled in Toxicity? Register for NO|TOX: The Toxic Relationship Healing Intensive Purchase the NEW Ignite: Strategic Prayer...

Culture is full of messaging that tells us we can do anything we put our minds to – and yet somewhere along the line, we begin to see that this is just not true. When the circumstances of our lives leave us feeling like we're falling short, the resulting shame and disappointment can be overwhelming. Becky Beresford shares how common cultural expressions meant to empower us can actually leave us feeling very disempowered. She explains how much of the messaging we hear in culture teaches us to...

For many coming to terms with an abusive relationship, there is often a stage in which you wonder, "How did I get here in the first place?" Michelle discusses the early stages of the abusive dynamic with survivor Tricia Lott Williford and therapist Jana Richardson MA LPC EMDR. They delve into the grooming tactics many abusers use to manipulate and deceive their victims, and highlight what you can do to avoid being drawn in by an abuser again. Purchase You are Safe Now: A Survivor's Guide to...

When you've been in a long season of spiritual pain, you may begin to wonder if God is punishing you. It's not uncommon in suffering to begin questioning your faith and wrestling with what you believe. Dr. Alicia Britt Chole shares about the experience of disillusionment we experience in dark nights of the soul, and illuminates that the questions we have about God are not a failure of faith, but are a method by which faith grows. She also shares how God works through our tendency to seek...

Do you ever wonder if prayer even matters? In difficult seasons, we may struggle with the feeling that prayer is pointless- we may think, "Isn't God just going to do what He's going to do anyway?" Michelle shares about a dark season when she wrestled with trusting God and how prayer played a huge role in helping her get unstuck.  Purchase Ignite: Strategic Prayer Planner & Journal | Vol 2: The Battle to Believe Download Your Free Guide: Over|Thinking: Get Out of Your Head & On With...

Hardships and suffering can knock us down so hard that we just get tired of having to get back up again. But what if it doesn't all depend on us? Lina Abujamra shares how resiliency doesn't really depend on us doing more, but rather on simply learning to abide in the love of God for us as He works through our weaknesses. She also talks about how suffering frees us from a dependency on our own performance so we can instead experience what it is to be loved as children of God. Check out...

Waiting seasons can get long and the ache of unmet longing can often be too much to deal with. What do we do when God hasn't answered our prayers? Rachel Miller shares the importance of allowing longings to exist, and how to deal with times when the discouragement is overwhelming. She also discusses what God is doing through these seasons of hoping and waiting, and why God doesn't take the desires of our hearts away (even if we ask Him to). Check out Rachel's book, When it Hurts to Hope:...

Most of us have a smartphone so we can stay connected, yet they may actually be making loneliness worse. Dr. Darren Whitehead discusses the impact of smartphones on your mental, emotional, & spiritual well-being, and how distraction devices worsen anxiety and loneliness. He shares how a digital fast can recalibrate your attention span, boost the quality of your relationships, and restore your spiritual vitality in the Lord. Grab a copy of Darren's book, The Digital Fast: 40 Days to Detox...

Unlearning codependent behaviors often means identifying how you learned them in the first place. And while often family of origin issues are a major factor, sometimes our religious contexts can also be part of the problem. Michelle discusses 5 Bible verses that are often misquoted and misapplied that teach us to tolerate toxic and abusive treatment. She discusses why these verses often don't mean what we have been told they do, and points to Scriptures that actually encourage us to avoid...