“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16 NLT).

My first nickname as a toddler was Buzzy—because I talked all the time. While that characteristic is not unusual to tiny humans finding their own voices, I guess my “gift of gab” was exceptional.

In school, I overwhelmingly got high academic marks and positive feedback about what a good citizen I was… except I talked too much. (Clearly, classrooms are not made for extroverts!)

It wasn’t until I began growing spiritually that I learned my “call” was to proclaim. That means talking—loudly, clearly, specifically, over the other “noise” around you. It means getting a specific message out. It doesn’t mean talking a lot… necessarily. It means being bold, not holding back. Speaking with power.

That sounds cute when you’re a toddler. But those of us with speaking gifts are often silenced as we grow. We are taught that it’s “unladylike” if we are girls. We are taking up too much space. As we move into upper grades and young adulthood, we are rewarded for remaining silent often and for allowing those with more perceived knowledge and authority to speak up. If we are spiritual or religious, we are told that being quiet and submissive is a virtue.

Next thing we know, we’re mature adults, and we haven’t said half of what God called us to say. We’ve been silent or quiet because we didn’t think we had the right, or the authority, to speak.

To empower means to permit, enable, or give authority. To move forward in the mission that God has given us, we need to know that we already have God’s permission. God has already given us the ability to succeed. We can absolutely advance on the Lord’s authority and walk boldly toward that vision.

To the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote that he prayed for God’s power to be sent for inner strength. In my coaching practice, my approach to empowerment is similar. In the tough and scary parts of building a ministry, a nonprofit, a business, or a personal mission, the fear and the hard work can make the unlimited resources of God feel very out of touch and far away.  

It is my job to speak to my coaching partners about the power of God that is available to them in their endeavors. As an intercessor, it is my honor to pray with them and for them. Working with coaching clients over time, I get the joy of seeing them “spiritually energized with power,” as the Amplified Bible says, to do more of what God has invited them, equipped them, and called them to do.

This is no easy task. In many ways, I have been sitting on my own calling, my gifts, and my passions for many years. Whether it has been preaching, writing, or speaking, some part of me has been waiting. Waiting for an authority, a power, or permission from some human source outside of myself. Instead, I should have trusted and relied more on the power an the authority inside of me in the form of the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit Who raised Christ from the dead.

When I can help my coaching clients get free of this bondage and move forward, all of heaven rejoices! Much of my success in this area is because I have “been there” and I know what it’s like. No more!

To think about your own empowerment, ask yourself:

• When am I the most “spiritually energized”?
• When do I feel that I have the most “spiritual power”?  
• What is my one prayer for inner strength from the Holy Spirit?  
• Where can I tap into God’s unlimited power in my life?