How God Orchestrates Opportunities for Kingdom Business Owners, HEY PRETTY!!

Hey there, Prayer Closet warriors!

It’s been almost a month since I’ve last shared here, and I’m back! Whether high or low, I will give God the glory for my story! As Philippians 1:6 reminds us, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” keep going! God has you!

On February 9th, I embarked on another leap of faith, journeying into new territory. Jiraiya and I traveled all the way to Jacksonville, Florida, where I had the incredible opportunity to vendor at a Christian conference called ‘Hey Pretty,’ hosted by Petra Pindar, a truly remarkable woman anointed by God.

Let me take you back to how this opportunity even happened and how I thought I almost blew it!

In November, I enrolled in an intense business boot camp hosted by Destiny Thomas,The Prayerapist. Now, if you’ve ever worked with Destiny in any capacity know that she is about the Father’s business and doesn’t beat around the bush and corrects you in a loving way. During this boot camp, God revealed to all of us how we were neglecting the businesses He entrusted to us, lacking in various areas and not showing up like we should. It pushed us out of our comfort zones and made us realize that our businesses aren’t just hobbies; they are God-ordained and need to be treated as such.

I promote my business on social media but struggled to engage with my audience. I would sporadically post but failed to actively connect with new people. So, that needed to change. I began to share more about myself and my business, which is how I crossed paths with Petra.

Back in November, I messaged her about a sale I was having on the Christian apparel available on my website. (If you haven’t checked out my apparel yet, just scroll over a few tabs and hit shops). I’m sure you’ll find something you’d like or can gift to someone. Anyways, back to the story, our conversation exceeded my expectations. She expressed her love for connecting with fellow believers and forging new connections. She also mentioned that she would be hosting a conference in February and believed it would be great for me to attend as a vendor, encouraging me to apply. I told her I would pray about it and let her know what the Lord says.

After seek the Lord about it, he said yes to attending. But I also kept hearing the word “speaker.” I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant and didn’t take the time to inquire further. I didn’t respond immediately to Petra because I wanted to confirm that I had heard from God correctly. One day, while driving to drop off JJ at school, I heard Him say, “Ask about being a speaker.” Now, if you know my story, you know that using my voice has been an area where God has/is stretching me in because, for years, I was muzzled. Drawing back from talking outside of my comfort zone because the enemy made me believe I have nothing of value to say. I thought to myself, “Here we go again, you know this makes me nervous Abba. Why do I have to ask that? I don’t want to be a speaker. What would I even say? I don’t even know her.”

Yes, I had my moment but didn’t want to disobey God, so I pushed aside my reservations and asked. Here’s where I thought I almost blew it: When I asked, my words came off wrong. For clarity, here’s the exact message I wrote.

“Good evening, Petra! Happy Friday. I hope your week has been good. I wanted to follow up on our Monday conversation. While driving to pick up my son after that day, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “ask about being a speaker.” I’m not sure how you select your speakers for events, but I’m wondering if there’s room for an additional one. How can I apply? Even though I don’t reside in Florida, it seems like a fantastic opportunity, and I want to make it worth my while. So, I’m putting myself out there.”

Can you spot where I made a mistake? Some might have interpreted my message as opportunistic, doubting my connection with God and would have totally dismissed me.

The blessing in this situation was Petra's relationship our Father. Despite my poorly worded message, she saw my heart. She asked to call me for a conversation (yes, I was incredibly nervous). What touched me was her desire to understand exactly what I meant rather than making assumptions. She offered wise, godly correction and provided reassurance that all was well.

I needed that because I was already telling God not to ask me to speak anymore LOL!

After that conversation, I went back into prayer to confirm if God still wanted me to attend. He confirmed it and also told me to bring Jiraiya along. He directed me to revisit my journal from the previous year, leading me to an entry where I had asked if Jiraiya and I could go on

a mother-son trip. His response was, “Yes, you’ll be going to Orlando.” And guess where we ended up after the conference in Jacksonville? Yup, you guessed it—Orlando!

Attending that conference was everything I needed! The way the Spirit moved in that room, not enough words to describe it adequately. I know His presence was felt throughout the entire building.

I could continue writing, but I’ll stop here. As I’ve said before, I share vulnerably and transparently about my life to encourage you all. Remember, God is a good Father who wants the best for you. If He’s leading you to certain places and spaces, know that you belong there, and He has already gone ahead of you.

Oh yeah, Abba also clarified what he meant by "speaker." When I had my first vending opportunity, he told me then, “Vending events are more about you speaking to people and making connections with them. Yes, you’ll have sales but that’s not the focus”… ISN’T THAT SO GOOD!!!!

I wanted to share this post with all of you because it really uplifted my spirit. It's a message that I believe will resonate with fellow kingdom-minded business owners. Let's continue to encourage and support one another on this journey.

If you want to learn more about Petra and her work for the kingdom, visit her website.

www.heyprettylife.com. Thank you once again to Petra, your team, and all the speakers for the dedication and effort poured into making this event truly remarkable.

With Love & Blessings

Natasha

The Prayer Closet Mama ™.