How Craig Groeschel’s Challenge at the GLS Changed Everything

Natalie Hunter is an Army veteran, small business owner and GLS attendee.  She’s currently following God’s call to travel around the world.  You can follow her journey at www.thegreatenlivening.com or on instagram @thegreatenlivening.

In August of 2015, I sat in the auditorium of Spring Branch Community Church in Virginia Beach, VA, watching the Global Leadership Summit.  This was my first time at the Summit, and I knew that I was there for a reason, though I didn’t know what it was.  For two days, I listened intently to all of the brilliant speakers.  I took diligent notes.  I prayed, I participated, and I pondered.  But the message I was there to hear came during the last five minutes of the conference.

Craig Groeschel gave an amazing talk about “Increasing Your Capacity” in leadership, and in life.  He outlined five concepts that help you to accomplish this task: 1) Build your Confidence, 2) Expand your Connections, 3) Improve your Competence, 4) Strengthen your Character, and 5) Increase your Commitment.  At the end of his talk, he challenged each person to choose one concept to focus on throughout the next year.  He said “there’s an item on this list that you know you need to focus on, even if you don’t want to” and then he asked everyone to stand up and take ownership of their concept when he read it aloud.

I instantly knew in my heart that number five, “Increase your Commitment” was my concept.  Several months before the Global Leadership Summit, God started moving in my life.  Early in the year, he led me to leave my COO position at a large company to start a business with my friend Rachel.  He also called me to end relationships that weren’t honoring to Him, and to embrace a quiet season in my life.  And though I followed these calls, I did so with hesitation in my heart.  God was calling me to walk by faith, while I silently hedging my bets.

So when Craig reached number five, “Increase your Commitment,” I slowly rose to my feet, knowing that this is exactly where I needed to place my energy and efforts for the next year – increasing my commitment to God.  And as I rose to my feet, I heard an audible voice say, “Will You go wherever I ask you to go?”  I stood there shocked and silent.  I had only heard the audible voice of God twice before.  So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”

Little did I know what that answer would mean for my life from that moment forward.  A few days after the Summit, in an effort to increase our commitment to God, Rachel and I embarked on a 30-day fast.  We fasted from distraction (TV, alcohol, dating) and from food once per week.  During this time, God began to reveal the big plans he had in store for us and our business.

We prayed for God to show us exactly what to do with our business, and we committed to following Him wherever He may lead.  And the more we prayed, the more we were led to Isaiah 57:15:

Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove the stumbling blocks from my people’s path.  For thus says He, who is high and exalted, living eternally, whose name is the Holy One: On high I dwell, and in holiness, and with the crushed and the dejected in spirit, to revive the spirits of the dejected, to revive the hearts of the crushed.

We knew, that this was the mission that God was calling us to – to bring his light to the dejected and the crushed. Rachel and I both have a heart for people.  She’s a natural coach and I’m a born teacher.   Our business would be designed to help renew the spirits of people in this world.

But in order to help people in this world, He said we needed to go see the world.  He told us to leave everything behind – our homes, our work, our friends and our comfortable, risk-adjusted lives.  At first, this idea seemed completely crazy and utterly impossible.  Our minds filled with questions – How would we pay for it?  What about my house and my dogs?  Where would we go?

Yet as effortlessly as only God can orchestrate, each question was answered as quickly as it was asked.  We cashed out our retirement funds.  My mom offered to watch my dogs.  I put my home up for rent, fully furnished, and within two hours it was rented for 18 months.  And after prayerful consideration, God told us to go to Mexico.  And in a matter of hours, we found an oceanfront house, for less than we paid in Virginia.

We began blogging about our journey by faith (www.thegreatenlivening.com), and during our time in Mexico, God has shown us that the next step includes backpacks and a spirit of adventure.  In February, we leave for Argentina. The tentative plan is to head west and circumnavigate the globe, but God continues to show us that we’re practicing followership on this adventure.  Which can be a tough concept for two leaders!

I may not know where this journey will lead, when it will end or whose lives it will impact along the way; but God does.  And on August 7^th, when I accepted Craig’s challenge to increase my commitment, not “knowing” was part of the deal.