Faith Fire Freedom | Christian Encouragement for Midlife Women, Find Your Purpose and Calling, Renew Your Mind

17. Expectations, Manuals & Hooks: The Relationship Patterns That Keep Us Stuck

Have you ever found yourself frustrated, hurt, disappointed, or resentful because someone didn't do what you thought they should do? What if the tension you're experiencing isn't actually being caused by the other person? In this episode, Stephanie continues the Relationships Series by exploring the invisible expectations, unwritten rules, and emotional "hooks" that often create frustration in our relationships. Through personal stories, mindset tools, biblical truth, and practical reflection, you'll discover how manuals, expectations, and control can quietly keep us stuck—and how freedom begins when we release what was never ours to carry. You'll learn why expectations often lead to disappointment, how trying to control others robs us of peace, what it means to release people to their own agency and the Holy Spirit, and how renewing our minds allows God's love to flow more freely through our relationships. If you've ever struggled with resentment, people-pleasing, control, disappointment, or carrying emotional burdens that feel too heavy, this episode is for you. 🌿 In This Episode You Will Hear * Why many relationship struggles begin with invisible expectations * What "manuals" are and how they quietly shape our relationships * The connection between expectations, resentment, and disappointment * Why control often feels safe but never produces freedom * How creation cycles and personal agency transform relationships * What it means to release people to their own choices and the Holy Spirit * The difference between carrying people and loving people * How "hooks" keep us emotionally attached to outcomes we can't control * Stephanie's powerful visualization of taking loved ones off the hooks * Why God's Word is the only manual worth following * Replacing hooks with forgiveness, curiosity, and compassion * How Freedom Flow is restored when we release what isn't ours to carry * Reflection questions to help you begin your own journey toward freedom 📖 Scripture Mentioned * Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." ☕ Come Join Me On The Porch 30-Minute Virtual Coffee Chat I'd love to meet you! If you'd like to connect, ask questions about coaching, or simply have a conversation, grab a virtual coffee chat here: https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call [https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call] Join My VIP Email Community Receive weekly encouragement, podcast updates, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and special notes delivered straight to your inbox: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share [https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share] 🧡Let's Stay Connected Email: faithfirefreedompodcast@gmail.com Instagram & Facebook: @stephanie_sekaz ⭐ If You're Loving The Show Would you take a moment to leave a review and share this episode with a friend? Your reviews help more people discover Faith, Fire, Freedom and encourage others who may need this message. ✝️ Dedication This episode is for the woman who is tired of carrying what was never hers to carry. For the woman learning to release control, surrender expectations, and trust God with the people she loves. This podcast is dedicated to the One who restores relationships, renews minds, lifts burdens, and leads us into freedom. Jesus, this is Yours. Created through Him, for Him, and to Him (Romans 11:36). 🔥

16. What Relationships Reveal: How God Uses People to Grow Us

What if the relationships in your life are revealing more than you realize? In this episode, Stephanie explores how God uses relationships to shape us, grow us, and reveal areas that still need healing, renewal, and freedom. Building on Episode 15's invitation into a WITH-God life, this conversation explores how time spent with God begins transforming the way we show up in our relationships. Through personal stories, coaching insights, Scripture, and practical reflection, Stephanie introduces the concept of the Freedom Flow—the way God's love is meant to flow from Him, to us, and through us to others. She also shares how relationships often become the very place where God does some of His deepest work in our hearts. If you've ever found yourself frustrated by difficult people, wondering why certain relationships seem so challenging, or sensing God inviting you into greater freedom, this episode is for you. 🌿 In This Episode You Will Hear: * Why relationships matter so deeply to God * How Episode 15's WITH-God life naturally leads into healthier relationships * Dr. Lee Warren's insights on renewal, neuroplasticity, and intentional transformation * The Freedom Flow: God's love flowing from Him, to us, and through us to others * How assumptions, expectations, resentment, people-pleasing, unforgiveness, control, and fear can interrupt that flow * Why relationships often reveal what is already happening inside of us * The powerful idea that relationships are often part of God's curriculum for our growth * How curiosity can replace judgment in difficult relationships * What true freedom looks like in relationships * A simple invitation to begin noticing what your relationships may be revealing 🌿 Scripture Mentioned * Romans 12:2 🌿 Come Join Me On the Porch ☕ Schedule a free 30-Minute Virtual Coffee Chat: https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call 💌 Join the Faith, Fire, Freedom VIP Email List: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share 🌿 Let's Stay Connected faithfirefreedompodcast@gmail.com 🌿 If You're Loving the Show Would you take a moment to leave a rating and review? Reviews help more people discover Faith, Fire, Freedom, and they encourage me more than you know. Thank you for being part of this growing porch community. 🌿 Dedication Relationships can be some of the greatest blessings in our lives—and some of the places where God does His deepest work. My prayer is that this episode encourages you to become curious about what He may be revealing and renewing through the people He has placed in your life. This podcast is dedicated to the One who makes all transformation possible. Jesus, this is Yours. Created through Him, for Him, and to Him. (Romans 11:36)

15. Behold and Become: How God Forms Us in His Presence

Have you ever loved Jesus… but still felt distracted, spiritually dry, or stuck in “doing mode”? Maybe your mornings feel rushed. Your mind feels noisy. Your phone gets your attention before God does. And before you know it… the day has started, your soul feels disconnected, and shame quietly creeps in. In this deeply personal episode, Stephanie shares how God met her after one of the hardest seasons of her life—and how slowing down, abiding, and learning to live a with-God life began forming her from the inside out. This isn’t about creating the perfect quiet time. It’s about presence. It’s about union. And it’s about what happens when we stop striving… and start abiding. 🌿 In This Episode You Will Hear: * Why so many believers love Jesus… but still struggle to slow down * How false-self can resist stillness, surrender, and being seen * What Stephanie’s “porch season” with God actually looked like * How Scripture, prayer, journaling, and intentional presence deepened her walk with Jesus * The shift from living like a Christian… to living like His daughter * Why union with God doesn’t just comfort you… it forms you * Simple questions to help you begin your own “with-God life” 📖 Scripture Mentioned: * 2 Corinthians 3:18 — Beholding Him and being transformed * John 15:4–5 — Abide in Me * Psalm 46:10 — Be still and know * Galatians 4:6–7 — Daughtership and identity in Christ ☕ Come Join Me On the Porch: I’d love to meet you. Book your 30-minute Virtual Coffee Chat here: Virtual Coffee Chat with Stephanie [https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call?utm_source=chatgpt.com] A relaxed, no-pressure conversation for Christian women who are ready to renew their minds, deepen their faith, and walk in freedom. 💌 Join the VIP Love Notes & Letters Get weekly encouragement, behind-the-scenes podcast reflections, front-porch truth, and special surprises delivered right to your inbox: Join the VIP Love Notes & Letters [https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share?utm_source=chatgpt.com]   ✨ Let’s Stay Connected Email: faithfirefreedompodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @stephanie_sekaz Facebook: Stephanie Adams Sekaz 🎧 Share the Show If this episode encouraged you… would you share it with a friend who might need it too? And if you haven’t already, leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts helps this message reach more women who are walking through hard seasons and need hope. Thank you for being here… it truly means so much. 💛 ✨ Dedication Jesus, this is Yours. May every word, every breath, and every woman who listens experience Your peace, Your presence, and the freedom that comes from placing it all in Your hands. Created through Him, for Him, and to Him. (Romans 11:36)

14. All Those Years… and God Was There: A Homeschool Journey Coming Full Circle

Hey friend 🤍 This week on the porch, we’re celebrating something really special. My son, Caleb, is graduating high school… and we are coming to the end of our homeschool journey. Twelve years. Countless memories. So many prayers, decisions, laughs, and quiet moments with God woven all throughout. And as I’ve sat with this season, reflecting back over “all those years”… one truth keeps rising to the surface: God was there. Year after year. Decision after decision. In the ordinary, the uncertain, the stretching, and the beautiful— He was faithful. This episode isn’t just about homeschooling. It’s about saying yes to God… even when you don’t have the full picture. It’s about who you become in the process. And what it looks like to trust Him… and eventually, to let go. Whether you’ve homeschooled or not, I have a feeling you’ll find yourself somewhere in this story. So grab your coffee, come sit with me… and let’s remember together what God does over time.   🌿 In This Episode, You’ll Hear: * What it really looks like to say “yes” to God over a long season * The internal struggles of doubt, pressure, and perfectionism—and how they began to shift * How renewing the mind and surrendering control changed everything (not just homeschooling) * The quiet, steady faithfulness of God in everyday decisions, provision, and guidance * The unexpected joy, connection, and relationship built along the way * A powerful moment of reflection while writing a graduation bio * What it means to release your child into God’s hands with trust and peace * A gentle invitation to reflect on your own “long yes” season   📖 Scripture Mentioned Romans 8:11 “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you…”   ☕ Come Sit With Me on the Porch If this episode resonated with you… and you’re in a season where you need support, clarity, or someone to walk alongside you… I’d love to invite you to a 30-minute Virtual Coffee Chat ☕ This is a relaxed, no-pressure space where we can talk about what’s going on in your life and see if coaching might be a good fit for you. 👉 Book your coffee chat here: https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call [https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call]   💌 VIP Love Notes & Letters If you’d like more encouragement like this— personal reflections, behind-the-scenes moments, and weekly “porch” notes— you can join my VIP email list here: 👉 https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share [https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share]   ✨ Let’s Stay Connected Email: faithfirefreedompodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @stephanie_sekaz Facebook: Stephanie Adams Sekaz 🎧 Share the Show If this episode encouraged you… would you share it with a friend who might need it too? And if you haven’t already, leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts helps this message reach more women who are walking through hard seasons and need hope. Thank you for being here… it truly means so much. 💛   ✨ Dedication Jesus, this is Yours. May every word, every breath, and every woman who listens experience Your peace, Your presence, and the freedom that comes from placing it all in Your hands. Created through Him, for Him, and to Him. (Romans 11:36)

13. The Valley (Part 2): How God Met Me, Healed Me, and Restored My Fire

There are seasons in life that feel like they just keep coming… one wave after another. Grief. Fear. Unexpected loss. Transitions you didn’t see coming. And in the middle of it, you find yourself wondering… God, where are You in all of this? In this deeply personal continuation of The Valley, I’m sharing what unfolded after the hardest year of my life—when the grief didn’t stop, the fear intensified, and I found myself walking through a deeper level of surrender than I ever had before. But I’m also sharing what I couldn’t see at the time… How God met me in the middle of it. How He gently healed parts of my heart I didn’t even know were still hurting. And how He restored something in me I thought I had lost… my fire. If you’re walking through a hard season right now— this episode is for you. 🌿 In This Episode, You’ll Hear: * What it looked like to walk through compounding grief and loss * How fear showed up—not just as an emotion, but something deeper * A powerful, personal moment where God met me in the middle of my pain * What a “slow summer on the porch” with God looked like * Why the sting of death feels so deep—and what Scripture reveals about it * How God began restoring my faith, identity, and fire * What it means to trust God when you don’t understand what He’s doing * How I can now see that God was working through the valley—not just in spite of it 📖 Scripture Mentioned * 2 Timothy 1:7 * Psalm 46:10 * 1 Corinthians 15:26, 54–55 ☕ Come Sit With Me on the Porch If this episode resonated with you… and you’re in a season where you need support, clarity, or someone to walk alongside you… I’d love to invite you to a 30-minute Virtual Coffee Chat ☕ This is a relaxed, no-pressure space where we can talk about what’s going on in your life and see if coaching might be a good fit for you. 👉 Book your coffee chat here: https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call [https://calendly.com/stephaniesekaz/30-min-strategy-call]   💌 VIP Love Notes & Letters If you’d like more encouragement like this— personal reflections, behind-the-scenes moments, and weekly “porch” notes— you can join my VIP email list here: 👉 https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share [https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1936705/171737099393828190/share] ✨ Let’s Stay Connected Email: faithfirefreedompodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @stephanie_sekaz Facebook: Stephanie Adams Sekaz 🎧 Share the Show If this episode encouraged you… would you share it with a friend who might need it too? And if you haven’t already, leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts helps this message reach more women who are walking through hard seasons and need hope. Thank you for being here… it truly means so much. 💛 ✨ Dedication Jesus, this is Yours. May every word, every breath, and every woman who listens experience Your peace, Your presence, and the freedom that comes from placing it all in Your hands. Created through Him, for Him, and to Him. (Romans 11:36)