135 | Hearing God Clearly in a Noisy World: How Do I Know My Next Steps?

Find the full episode here: LivingOnPurposeInChrist.com/blog

A quiet stirring is rising in so many hearts—a nudge to serve, to speak, to mentor, to live faith more boldly—but the details are fuzzy and the noise is loud. In this episode, we open a clear path through the overwhelm by leaning into presence over pressure, so your next steps feel peaceful, grounded, and real. Rather than pushing for answers, we make space for them, weaving Scripture, gentle neuroscience insights, biblical encouragement, and the calming gift of aromatherapy to help settle the body and clarify the mind.

We talk about how God often plants holy desire before He reveals the blueprint, and why trying to force outcomes—scrolling, comparing, overplanning—only drowns out the whisper you’re longing to hear. You’ll learn how stress can hijack your emotions and narrow spiritual discernment, and how a calmer nervous system can widen creativity, prayerful imagination, and deeper reception to the Spirit’s guidance. We unpack the Aroma Freedom technique in a Christ-centered way, showing how guided intention, breathing, and essential oils can help quiet competing noise so you can listen with your whole being. Along the way, we highlight the biblical thread of aroma in worship and the rich idea of anakrinō (ἀνακρίνω)—discernment as careful, unhurried evaluation under the Spirit’s lead.

If you’ve felt unqualified or unsure about reaching others for Christ, we reframe evangelism as clarity before courage: when you know your story, season, and sphere, sharing good news looks like a natural conversation, not a performance. Expect practical rhythms to carry into your week—simple habits to reclaim stillness, anchor prayer, and confirm the next right step.

Want a deeper, guided experience? Book the Aroma of Christ Coaching Hour at PaulaBehrens.com/coaching to gently surface blocks, invite peace, and hear God’s direction with fresh confidence.

Subscribe for more faith-centered guidance, share this with a friend who needs calm and clarity, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s the small next step you sense God inviting you to take today?

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YOUR NEXT STEP:

*Accept Jesus into your heart*

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Transcript

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A Stirring For “Something More”

Paula Behrens 0:00

There's a quiet stirring happening in the hearts of many believers right now. It often shows up in the middle of ordinary moments. He might meet you at your kitchen table with your coffee during work or in the stillness after prayer when you sense that God is inviting you into something more, but you can't quite name what that more is yet. You love the Lord and you want your life to matter for God's mission. You want to reach others for Christ, but you feel uncertain about your next steps, unsure how God wants to use you personally right where you are. Well, today's episode is for that holy in-between space. So stay tuned with me until the end because I want to tell you about a deeper, guided experience where we can gently seek God's clarity together around your next steps, focusing on that prayerful question, Lord, what are my next steps to ________ and you fill in the blank.

From Checklist Faith To Presence

Paula Behrens 0:56 Paula Behrens 0:56

Are you finding it difficult to figure out where God is leading you through the whirlwind of daily life? Perhaps, like me, you've had moments of doubt, surprise encounters, and maybe even a bit of overwhelm along the way. Well, if that resonates with you and you're yearning for clarity, peace, and faith-focused encouragement, this podcast is for you.

Paula Behrens 1:29

Friend, have you ever sat down with your Bible, a cup of tea and high hopes for a quiet moment with the Lord only to find your mind racing with to-do lists, your spirit distracted or your heart dry? I remember a season when my spiritual life felt more like a checklist than a connection. I had a book of prayers, a seminary degree, and even my favorite kneeling rail in my office. But truthfully, I was just going through the motions at that time. I was hungry for more, more peace, more presence, more of God. I was showing up with all the right tools, but none of the soul satisfying stillness I craved. My time with God became something I did, not something I delighted in. Then the Lord gently reminded me, He never asked me for polished prayers or perfect discipline. He just wanted my presence. And from that moment on, I began creating a space to simply be with Him. I built a new rhythm, one that was deeply rooted in grace, filled with scripture, and supported by the soothing presence of His creation that helped me slow down and breathe in deeply. That sacred rhythm is what I now share in the aroma of Christ coaching hour. Whether you're spiritually weary, stuck in a routine, or longing for a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit, this hour is your invitation to begin again with grace.

Introducing Aroma Of Christ Coaching

Paula Behrens 2:36 Paula Behrens 2:36

Before our coaching call, you'll receive an essential oil sampler to use during our online session to enhance this fun spiritual journey. Together, we'll craft a practice that helps you feel grounded, nourished, and deeply connected to God, mind, body, and spirit. You don't have to keep trying to figure it out all on your own. There's a simple way to grow in faith and draw near to God, and I'd be honored to help you find it. Let's breathe in His peace. Let's rediscover His presence. Let's begin again together. Book your aroma of Christ coaching hour at PaulaBehrens.com /coaching. That's Paula Behrens B-E-H R E N S .com /coaching (no spaces). All right, it's time to get started. Grab your Bible, dust off your journal, and cozy up to your favorite beverage and let's dive in.

Setting Intentional Space To Listen

Paula Behrens 3:26 Paula Behrens 3:26

Welcome back to Living on Purpose in Christ. I'm so glad you're here today. If you're listening while folding laundry, answering emails, sitting at your desk, or carving out a quiet moment for yourself, I want you to know this space is intentional. This is a place where we slow down just enough to listen for God's voice again. You know, many Christians are not struggling because of a lack of love for God. They are struggling because they deeply desire to be useful in his kingdom, but they feel unclear about how to move forward. They sense they are meant to reach others for Christ, but they don't know what that looks like in their current season. Some feel called to speak, teach, coach, encourage, or pray with others. Some feel a nudge toward ministry, writing, mentoring, or simply living more boldly in their faith with their family or in their workplace, and yet clarity feels just out of reach. This episode is an overview . It's meant to awaken something, not answer everything. I want to open a door, not rush you through it. And by the end, my prayer is that you feel both comforted and curious. Comforted because God is not withholding direction from you, curious because there's more clarity available than you may realize when you learn how to quiet your body, your mind, and your spirit together before the Lord.

Desire Before Details In Calling

Paula Behrens 4:46 Paula Behrens 4:46

One of the most beautiful and frustrating aspects of walking with Christ is that he often gives us desire before he gives us details. You may feel a longing to do something specific, but not really know how. You may feel restless in your current routine, sensing that God is asking you to step out in faith, yet you're unsure what that step looks like. Scripture reminds us in Psalm chapter 27, verse 4, that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, he gives us the desires of our hearts. That verse is often misunderstood, though. It doesn't mean that God gives us everything we want on demand, it means he plants holy desires within us as we walk closely with him. Those desires become signposts pointing us toward our calling. The tension comes when we try to resolve that desire through striving. We start searching for formulas, we compare ourselves to others, we scroll, research, plan, and overthink. In doing so, we often move faster than our soul can follow.

Paula Behrens 5:52

Clarity does not come through pressure, it comes through presence. There's a reason so many faithful Christians feel unclear about their next steps. We are living in a noisy world. Information overload, constant notifications, and endless expectations keep our nervous systems activated. Even our prayer lives can become rushed. We bring our request to God, but don't always remain long enough to listen.

Noise, Stress, And The Gentle Whisper

Paula Behrens 6:24

God still speaks, but many believers are so overstimulated that they cannot recognize his whisper. First Kings 19 reminds us that the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but he was in the gentle whisper. That whisper is still how he often speaks to us today. When your body is tense, your mind is racing, and your emotions are carrying unresolved fear or disappointment, discernment becomes difficult. This is not a spiritual failure, it's a human one. God created us as complete beings, and that means our bodies matter in the process of hearing Him.

Paula Behrens 7:18

This is where neuroscience gently affirms what scripture has always known. When your brain is under stress, it shifts into survival mode. In that state, creativity, discernment, and insight are limited. You may pray, but your mind keeps looping. You may read scripture, but it just doesn't sink in. When the nervous system is calm, the brain is better able to access insight, memory, and emotional processing. This is the state where reflection, prayerful imagination, and clarity can occur. You know, God designed the brain this way. He is not surprised by it. Romans

Neuroscience Meets Spiritual Renewal

Paula Behrens 8:04

chapter 12, verse 2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That renewal is not just spiritual, it is neurological. When we create space for calm, the mind becomes receptive to God's leading in a much deeper way.

Paula Behrens 8:22

Aroma is one of the most powerful pathways to the brain. The olfactory system connects directly to the limbic system, which governs emotion, memory, and meaning. This is why a single aroma can bring you back to a moment in time instantly. Throughout scripture, aroma is associated with worship, prayer, and God's presence. From the incense in the tabernacle to Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 2, verse 15, where he says, We are the aroma of Christ, scent carries spiritual symbolism and physical impact. When used intentionally, aroma can help signal safety to the brain. It can gently quiet the nervous system, allowing the heart and mind to become more attentive to God. This is not mystical, it's practical. It's how God designed our body to work.

Aroma Freedom Technique Explained

Paula Behrens 9:17 Paula Behrens 9:17

The aroma freedom technique is a guided process that helps individuals release emotional blocks, calm the nervous system, and create space for God's insight. It combines prayerful intention, simple breathing, reflection, and the use of aroma as a sensory anchor. Rather than forcing clarity, it invites it. Rather than striving for answers, it creates space for listening. This technique helps bring unresolved emotions, fears, and limiting beliefs into the light so they no longer cloud discernment. What I want you to hear clearly is this. The aroma freedom technique does not replace prayer. It supports it. It does not tell God what to say, it helps you hear Him more clearly by calming what is competing for your attention. Many believers ask God for direction without realizing they are carrying emotional weight that makes direction hard to receive. Fear of getting it wrong, fear of stepping out, fear of disappointing others, even grief over certain paths that weren't taken. When the emotions remain unacknowledged, they sit beneath the surface and influence decision making. God may already be speaking, but those internal voices are drowning him out. Psalm 139 invites us to ask God to search our hearts. When we allow him to gently surface what we have been carrying, clarity often follows naturally.

Anakrinō (ἀνακρίνω) And Slow Discernment

Paula Behrens 10:56

Peace comes first and direction follows.

Paula Behrens 10:56

One Greek word that beautifully ties into today's topic is the word anakrinō (ἀνακρίνω). This word appears in passages like 1 Corinthians 2, verses 14 through 15, and is often translated as discern or examine carefully. It carries the idea of thoughtful evaluation rather than quick judgment. What is fascinating about anakrinō (ἀνακρίνω) is that it implies a process, not a snap decision. It suggests taking time, weighing, and allowing truth to be revealed. This aligns with how God often leads his people. Discernment is not rushed, it is cultivated. The passage reminds us that spiritual discernment is not available through natural reasoning alone. It is spiritually discerned. That does not mean it's disconnected from the body or the mind. It means that the Holy Spirit guides the process when we are willing to slow down enough to listen. When we create space for calm and invite the Holy Spirit to lead, discernment becomes less about pressure and more about peace. That peace often confirms the next step before the step is even fully clear.

Clarity Before Courage In Outreach

Paula Behrens 12:17 Paula Behrens 12:17

Many Christians want to reach others for Christ, but feel unqualified or unsure how. They think evangelism requires bold speeches or perfect words, but the reality is this: God often uses clarity before courage. When you are clear about who you are, where God is leading you, and how he wants to use your story, reaching others becomes more natural. Your influence for him may look like conversations, encouragement, prayer, or quiet consistency. It may begin online or at your kitchen table. It may start with one person instead of many. God does not ask you to reach everyone. He asks you to be faithful where you are.

Paula Behrens 13:00

Now, this conversation is only the beginning. If you find yourself longing for clarity around your next steps to reach a certain goal, serve in a specific way, blend faith into your business, or something else, I want to personally invite you into a one-on-one coaching session with me. In that session, I will guide you through the Aroma Freedom technique in a prayerful, Christ-centered way. Together, we will create space for God to speak, for your body to relax, and for your heart to listen. This is not about forcing answers. It's about positioning yourself to receive them. Many clients leave these sessions feeling lighter, clearer, and more confident about what God is inviting them into next.

Invitation To Guided Coaching

Paula Behrens 13:47 Paula Behrens 13:47

As we close today, I want to remind you of this truth. God is not hiding his will from you. He is inviting you into a deeper trust. Clarity comes when we slow down, release what we've been carrying, and listen with our whole being. If you're ready to explore your next steps and want guidance in a safe, prayerful space, I would love to walk with you in this personal coaching session. We will not rush, we will not force, we will listen, we will partner with God, and we will allow Him to bring clarity in a way that feels safe and honoring to your story. After the Aroma Freedom session, we'll also take time to talk through simple, life-giving ways to build a rhythm that fits you, your season, and your responsibilities, so you can feel more confident about consistently connecting with God and discerning his direction for your unique journey.

Paula Behrens 14:40

If you have felt unclear about what you should do now, if you long to step into God's calling and a deeper confidence and peace about the direction you should take, this may be the next step he's inviting you into. You can book your session with me now at PaulaBehrens.com /coaching. That's Paula Behrens B-E-H R E N S .com /coaching (no spaces).

Closing Thoughts and Next Steps

Paula Behrens 15:07

I would be honored to walk with you as you seek deeper clarity and discernment for your next steps. And remember, the same God who called you is faithful to guide you one step at a time.

Paula Behrens 15:21

Thank you for tuning in today. And remember, just like setting biblical boundaries, it's okay to say no to things that don't serve you well, like that third piece of cake at the church pot luck. If you were blessed by this episode, be sure to share it with a friend and leave a review so that we can reach even more listeners like you. Check the show notes for all the links. Join us next week as we continue to discover how to live on purpose in Christ. Until then, keep leaning into Him and walking in His Wisdom. See you next time.