Faith to Freedom Lifestyle Podcast

Lead From the Quiet Place

• Don Kelly • Season 1 • Episode 1

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0:00 | 10:09

Host: Don Kelly | Faith to Freedom Lifestyle 

Theme Verse: Mark 1:35 (ESV) – “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.”


Most men think leadership begins with a stage, a title, or a spotlight. But Jesus shows us something different—leadership begins in solitude. Before He preached to the masses or healed the sick, He withdrew to pray.

In this episode of the Faith to Freedom Lifestyle podcast, Don Kelly challenges Christian men to stop leading from burnout and start leading from spiritual overflow. Using Mark 1:35 as the foundation, you'll discover how the quiet place restores identity, clarifies assignment, and replenishes strength.

You'll learn:

  • Why Jesus' secret weapon wasn't performance, but prayer
  • How solitude fuels sustainable leadership
  • Practical steps to reclaim your own quiet place
  • Why your family needs your spiritual presence more than your hustle

This isn't about adding more to your schedule. It's about subtracting the noise so you can lead with clarity, purpose, and peace—without sacrificing your faith, your family, or your calling.

💡 "Your family doesn’t need a louder leader. They need a quieter soul anchored in Christ."

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

✅ Free 3-Day “Getting Unstuck” Course: Renew your mind and reclaim your clarity as a Christian man

📌 Call to Action:

➡️ Start your mornings in the quiet place. Even just 20–30 minutes in the Word and prayer can radically shift your leadership. Start tomorrow with Mark 1:35, and make that appointment with God non-negotiable.

➡️ Click the links above to access your free course, watch the video, and book your discovery call today.

📢 Let’s Connect:


  • 🔗 Resources & Links:

more about Faith To Freedom Lifestyle    https://www.faithtofreedomlifestyle.com/mystory

🌐Get A 3 Day Life Changing Course here  

 https://tr.ee/3day-Getting-unstuck-course

🌐Book a Free 30 Minute  Discovery Call

https://www.faithtofreedomlifestyle.com/calendar

🌐Check out Our Blog Page

https://www.faithtofreedomlifestyle.com/blogs

or follow on [Facebook] or [Youtube]


SPEAKER_01

Most men think leadership begins with a title, a stage, or a microphone. But real leadership, it starts in solitude, starts in silence, in a quiet place where no one's watching and no one's applauding and nothing is trending.

SPEAKER_00

Hello and welcome to Faith to Freedom Lifestyle Podcast, a show that empowers Christian men to lead a lifestyle of freedom while walking out their faith. Listen in as your host, Don Kelly, shares mindsets, habits, wisdom, and disciplines that will help you experience the freedom to lead with clarity, purpose, and peace without sacrificing your family, your faith, or your calling. Now join us as we hear from your host, Don Kelly.

SPEAKER_01

Now, today's episode is one that hits at the heart of biblical manhood, lead from the quiet place. And so if you're running on fumes, this one's for you. Let's go straight to Scripture. Let's look at Mark 1, verse 35. And Jesus says these words. It says this about Jesus. And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desert place, and there he prayed. Now, pause for a moment and just consider the context here. The night before, Jesus had healed Peter's mother-in-law, delivered many from demons, and the entire city of Capernaum had gathered at the door. Jesus was in high demand. If Jesus was like us, he would have ridden the wave of momentum. You know, that's a good time to book another event or send out a press release, but Jesus didn't do that. Instead, the scriptures teach us that he withdrew. He rose early while it was still dark, He departed from the crowd, and he prayed. Now, here's the insight. Here's the point you need to get. Jesus never let public ministry replace private intimacy. He knew that if he didn't connect with the Father first, he'd have nothing worth offering the people. Time alone with God is of the utmost importance in your life. Oswald Chambers said it this way, Solitude with God repairs the damage done by the fret and noise and clamor of the world. So let me ask you something, brother. What's louder in your life right now? The voice of the world or the whisper of the Holy Spirit? You're listening to one. Without a question, you're listening to one. Now, when you consistently meet with the Father in solitude, three powerful things will happen. Your identity will be reaffirmed. Before Jesus performed any miracles, the Father said in Mark 1, chapter 11, He said, That's what fuels Him in verse 35. In the quiet place, God reminds you of who you are. You're not what you do. You're not how well you perform. You are a son, period. Now, that's a game changer because when you lead from approval instead of for approval, you lead from peace and not from pressure. Now, let me repeat that for you. When you lead from approval instead of for approval, you lead from peace and not from pressure. Now, when you consistently meet with a father, there's something else. Number two, your assignment gets clarified. Jesus didn't heal everyone. He didn't go everywhere. He knew exactly what his mission was, and the quiet place kept him focused. So when you're in constant connection with the Father, you stop chasing every opportunity. You start walking in divine direction. Think about Moses. He met with God in the tent of meeting, and from there he led a nation. No tent time, no wisdom to lead. That's where we get fed the most. It's in the quiet place. When we hear the still small voice of that solitude with the Father. I said there were three things, powerful things that happened. Your identity is reaffirmed. Your assignment gets clarified. And the third one is this, your strength is replenished. Isaiah 40, 31 says this, but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. A lot of men are exhausted, but not from working hard, but rather from leaving empty. If you're always pouring out and never receiving, eventually you're going to burn out. Martin Luther once said, I have so much to do, I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. Now that sounds crazy to us. We don't approach the day that way. But Luther understood something. And if you're taking notes, be sure and write this down. Productivity flows from presence. Your ability to produce and to be fruitful is incumbent upon your time with the Father and sitting in His presence. You just can't lead well when you're dry. You lead well when you've been drenched in the Holy Spirit. Let me paint you this picture. A man stumbles into this blacksmith shop and sees him working on a piece of iron in the fire. The blacksmith pulls the metal out, hammers it, places it back into the flame, and does this over and over and over. The man, very curious, finally asked, he said, how do you know when the iron's ready? And the blacksmith replied with this, when I can see my reflection in it. That's the quiet place, brother. It's in the fire. It's when we're being forged. It's the refining ground. God shapes you so that When you lead, people just don't see a man. They see the reflection. Now, let's talk about that in practical terms. You got to start small, but the key is that you start. Wake up 30 minutes earlier, 10 minutes earlier, but make some time to spend alone with the Father. You can open your Bible to the Psalms or to Proverbs, maybe even the Gospels, but open your Bible. Read, reflect, and pray. Don't rush through it. Just ask the Lord, what do you want to say to me today? And here's a part of prayer that I think a lot of men miss and a lot of people miss. It's listening. If we pray expectedly, then we should expect that the Father will respond. Listen, the Father will speak. He's been waiting for you. He's been waiting for you to quiet the world so you can hear Him. Well, you might say, Don, I'm not a pastor. I'm just a regular guy trying to hold it all together. Well, friend, if you're a husband, a dad, a mentor, then you are a leader. And your family doesn't need more hustle. They need more Holy Spirit. Your wife doesn't need you to fix everything. She needs you to be grounded in the Word. Your kids don't need a perfect dad. They need one who's been with Jesus and one who will be present with them. Now, one of the most powerful things you can do is walk out of your quiet time and bring that peace and that presence into your living room. Your leadership is not measured by how loud you speak, but it'll be measured on how closely you've listened to the Father. Now, let me challenge you. This week, carve out some time every morning. 20-30 minutes. Leave your phone in another room. Open the Scriptures to Mark 1, verse 35, and ask the Lord to meet you there. Make it a non-negotiable appointment. It's an appointment you can't miss. It's one you have to show up for. Show up expecting, focused, and ready to listen. Now, brother, if you don't lead from the quiet place, you'll eventually lead from frustration, fatigue, and fear. Now, if you want to take the next step, I've created a three-day course. It's called Getting Unstuck. It'll help Christian men like you renew your mind and reclaim spiritual clarity. It's a great place for you to start. Now, there's a link to that down in the show notes, and you can click on it there. I'll exchange that course for your email. And I believe it's $27, but it's $9 a day. But spend the time each day. Also, if you haven't already, check out my short Faith to Freedom My Story video. It lays out exactly how we help men go from surviving to leading with purpose. Now, that link also is in the show notes. Just click, read, listen, and schedule the free discovery call with me. It'll cost you nothing to do that. I won't even give you a sales pitch. Just want to have a conversation with you about your needs and see if Faith to Freedom Lifestyle can help you. Well, our time's up today, but thanks for joining me here on Faith to Freedom Lifestyle podcast. I'm Don Kelly. And remember, your influence doesn't begin on a stage. It begins in a secret place. So rise early, withdraw often, and lead well. Lead from the overflow. We'll see you in the next episode. God bless.

SPEAKER_00

Thanks for joining Faith to Freedom Lifestyle Podcast. We wish you all the freedom and joy in the world, and we look forward to connecting with you again soon.