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Jesus Gave Me This God Idea, So Why Do I Seem So Stuck?
Updated: Sep 11
By Jennifer "Jenie" Nowak
Sherrie knew God had called her.
She could feel it every time she thought about the business idea He had placed in her heart—the one she had sketched in journals late at night, prayed over in quiet mornings, and talked herself in and out of more times than she could count. It wasn’t just a passing dream. It felt like purpose. Like assignment. Like something God Himself had breathed into her.
She was passionate. Gifted. Willing to work hard. Yet every time she tried to take a step forward, it felt like she ran into invisible walls. Doors that should have opened stayed shut. Momentum would build, then suddenly stall. Confidence would rise, then quietly unravel.
Sherrie prayed. She read her Bible faithfully. She stayed planted in church and sought wise counsel. But late at night she whispered, “Lord, why do I feel so stuck?”
If that question has crossed your mind, hear this truth: being stuck is not always a strategy problem. Sometimes it's a heart problem.
Many Christian women assume they need another business coach, another productivity system, or another marketing plan. While those tools have value, they cannot fix what only Jesus can heal.
After more than 30 years of walking alongside people in heart-healing ministry, I've discovered that many barriers keeping us from moving forward have very little to do with our calling—and everything to do with what happened to our hearts along the journey.
When Jesus introduced His earthly ministry in Luke 4:18–19, He didn't begin by talking about success, influence, or purpose. He began with healing: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me... because He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.” Healing wasn't His side ministry; it flowed directly from His Gospel. Jesus understood something we often forget: broken hearts struggle to walk fully into healthy freedom.
Wounds Hurt Us
Every entrepreneur has a story. Someone dismissed your ideas. A business failed. Someone betrayed your trust. You stepped out in faith only to be criticized by people you thought would celebrate you. Those moments leave wounds.
Isaiah 1:4–6 describes untreated wounds that have not been cleansed or soothed with oil. Many women believe they're exhausted because they're doing too much. Sometimes they're exhausted because they're carrying pain Jesus never intended them to carry alone. The goal isn't to pretend the wound never happened. The goal is to invite Jesus into it.
Judgments Become Our Poor Responses
Pain demands a response. Sometimes that response becomes judgment: 'I'm not good enough.' 'No one can be trusted.' 'Maybe I didn't really hear God.' Matthew 7:1–2 and Romans 2 remind us that these judgments become the lens through which we interpret every opportunity. We stop responding to today's reality and begin responding to yesterday's wound.
Expectations Become the Trap
Eventually our judgments become expectations: 'This launch probably won't work.' 'People always leave.' 'Success is for everyone else.' Hebrews 12:15 warns that bitter roots grow beneath the surface until they affect every area of life. We hesitate, overthink, procrastinate, and then use the outcome to prove our expectation was right.
Inner Vows Keep Us Stuck
Perhaps the most hidden obstacle is an inner vow—a promise we make in response to pain: 'I'll never trust another partner.' 'I'll never let anyone disappoint me again.' 'If this is going to be done right, I'll have to do it myself.'
Instead of trusting Jesus, we begin trusting our own promises. Instead of asking, 'Lord, what are You leading me to do?' we begin living by, 'I already decided.' Proverbs 3:5–6 calls us back to trusting the Lord with all our hearts. Healing often begins where self-reliance ends.
There Is Hope
You are not broken beyond repair. You are not disqualified. You are not too late. The same Jesus who healed broken hearts in Luke 4 is still healing hearts today. He isn't asking you to hustle harder; He's inviting you to heal deeper. Freedom isn't found by pushing through pain but by allowing Jesus to heal what has quietly been shaping your decisions for years.
Your Next Step
Perhaps, as you've been reading, Holy Spirit has gently brought a face, a memory, a disappointment, or a painful season to mind. Don't dismiss it. Often what we call 'being stuck' is actually an invitation from Jesus to heal something we've been carrying for far too long.
Ask Him, "Jesus, what wound have I been trying to build around instead of allowing You to heal?" Then sit quietly and listen.
If you'd like help beginning that conversation with the Lord, I'd love to give you our free Heart Check. It's a simple, Scripture-based guide that helps you prayerfully identify hidden wounds, judgments, expectations, and inner vows that may be keeping you from walking fully in your calling.
Jesus Is Still the Answer
The Heart Check isn't the destination. It's simply a tool to help you recognize where healing is needed. Jesus is the One who heals the brokenhearted.
The same Jesus who called you is committed to completing the work He began in you. The walls in front of you may not be business problems at all—they may simply be places where your Savior is inviting you to stop striving, receive His healing, and finally walk in the freedom He purchased for you.
So don't settle for surviving your calling. Don't mistake exhaustion for faithfulness or striving for obedience. Bring Him your wounds. Release your judgments. Surrender your expectations. Lay down your inner vows.
And then watch what happens when a healed heart begins to follow a faithful Savior.
Because Jesus didn't simply call you to build a business, launch a ministry, or steward a vision.
He came to heal your heart so you could faithfully walk in the purpose He prepared for you long before you ever had the idea.
Jennifer "Jenie" Nowak is a licensed minister, bestselling author, relationship expert, heart healer, and co-founder of Freedom For Life Transformational Coaching. For more than 30 years, she has helped Christian women, couples, leaders, entrepreneurs, and parents discover that their reactions aren't random—they're revealing places in the heart that need healing. Instead of asking, "What's wrong with me?" Jenie teaches people to ask, "Where was I hurt?"
Through Christ-centered heart healing, she helps uncover the hidden wounds, judgments, expectations, and inner vows driving the struggle, so lasting freedom comes not from trying harder, but from allowing Jesus to heal what has been holding them back. Her passion is seeing people exchange exhaustion for freedom and confidently walk in the purpose God created them to fulfill. Learn more at www.freedom-4-life.com. Connect with Jenie@solve.freedom-4-life.com
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