We are well into the new year of 2024, and I want to help you make this your best year yet. Today we’re going to be talking about the power of the little things – doing the little things faithfully and how the little things add up to big things. We’re also going to be talking about your habits and making Jesus your habit.
As you know, personal growth and growing in your faith are some of my favorite things to cover here on the podcast. And one thing I’ve learned about these topics is that big things happen little by little by little. And I feel like the little by little concept is applicable in a lot of areas of life. I found that it’s definitely applicable in homeschool like we do over here each day. It may not look or feel like we’re moving very far or very fast as the kids are just studying things little by little by little. But the wild thing is that at the end of the school year, I am blown away at all the ways that the kids have grown, and the huge forward strides that they’ve made as they’ve studied and learned little by little by little. I think that personal growth and growing in your faith really are just like that – diligence, excellence, and good habits. And that’s why I’m so pleased to introduce you to today’s guest.
Olivia Kay is a Christian teacher, coach and speaker. She’s an expert at Faith and Mind Health, and she’s also the author of “Making Jesus Your Habit.” It’s a daily devotional journal designed to help readers lead purposeful lives focusing on their personal relationship with God. Olivia is here today to help us walk in our full potential as Daughters of Christ.
Finding Faith in Jesus
Olivia isn’t afraid to share her bold, audacious love for Jesus. But I feel like it can be intimidating with all that’s going on in the world and all that’s been normalized and accepted today. Olivia shares that about 17 years ago, she accepted Jesus into her heart after someone shared their faith with her very boldly. She remembers it so clearly, feeling full of joy and like it was something she couldn’t hold back. She was hungry for the Lord, carrying her Bible wherever she went, and even telling her mom that she wanted to become a minister one day. And actually, as of a couple of weeks ago, that actually happened!
Olivia shares about how when she was younger, especially in high school, she felt like she didn’t fit in. But the one thing that stuck with her through that time was a small voice telling her that she had a special purpose. She didn’t know what it was but she knew that she was going to be used for something unique.
After a few years of dealing with the passing of her dad, and health issues that caused depression and anxiety, Olivia started taking better care of her health which is when the Lord gave her the vision and told her it was time. She mentions how during that time, it was what she called the desert season – her 40 days and 40 nights in the desert with Jesus. And while she was there, God was loading her up with messages that she would be sharing. She didn’t know when – but she knew the Lord was about to use her time in the desert to do what she was called to do.
Messes to Messages
Olivia’s walk with God has led her to do incredible things, but not without hardship. She talks of the many assignments the Lord has had her take on – from gathering her friends and family (who were not believers) and proclaiming the Gospel to them, to going live on Facebook twice a day to share God’s Word, to writing her new book. She shares how He led her to speak to other nations like Africa where she has adopted a son in Kenya and is now working to build 7 villages for women who have struggled with sex trafficking and others in the city who are without sufficient food and clear water.
Olivia says it isn’t her mission to just bring people to salvation, but to help them walk daily with Christ. She uses a lot of the mindset training that she learned during her time of grief and depression and shares that with the people in Kenya, helping them shift their minds to believe that they are not stuck there, and God is calling them to disperse.
What I see as I look back and listen to the story of Olivia’s life is so many times when the Father had her in a situation where she could not possibly come out alive, so to speak, without fully relying on Him, without fully surrendering and allowing him to work, to move, and to pull her through to walk in His strength. And I just think that’s really beautiful as His children that He allows us to walk through hard things to refine us, to produce endurance, to produce testimony. And now, her testimony and all the hard things that she’s walked through are in her book and she is able to share her story to impact other kingdom daughters.
Make Jesus Your Habit
Oliva’s book, Making Jesus Your Habit, helps women walk daily with Jesus. But what does it mean to make Jesus your habit? Olivia says it’s all about making Him first priority and making Him a part of your day. It means picking up the cross daily and letting go of your own agenda. It’s clearing the way so that we can allow God to come in us and through us so that we can activate the Holy Spirit and use His power to do what it is He’s called us to do.
Olivia’s goal is for people to not just accept Christ into their hearts, but for Jesus to be such a habit that they don’t have to think about thinking about Him. It’s like riding a bike. Once you start and learn how to do it, it becomes something you don’t have to even think about. And it’s the same when you make Jesus your habit – it just becomes a part of who you are and you don’t even have to think about it.
If you are somebody who really wants to understand what it’s like to have Jesus be your habit, someone who really could use some support, reach out to Olivia. Many times, we want to be in control but the people Oliva most often works with are those who really just want to dial in, set down their life, and focus on making Jesus their habit. She helps show you a way to live God’s way rather than taking control. We all wrestle with control sometimes but there will come a time when the Lord will lead us to a place where we just have to lay it all down and take His hand.
Make sure to go out and grab a copy of Olivia’s book, Making Jesus Your hHabit, and look her up on social media and her website for more goodness and wisdom in your life.
Connect with Olivia!
- Hang out on Instagram
- Connect on Facebook
- Watch on Youtube
- Visit her website
- Check out Making Jesus Your Habit
