Discover the transformative potential within you with Sarah Jakes Roberts’ powerful book, “Power Moves: Ignite Your Confidence and Become a Force.” This compelling guide unveils the secrets to unlocking your inner strength and harnessing it to achieve unparalleled success in all aspects of life.
Dive into the pages of “Power Moves” and embark on a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and transformation that will redefine your path to success.
Table of Contents
Genres
Motivation, Inspiration, Personal Development, Career Success, Self-help, Christian living, Spirituality, Women’s empowerment, Leadership, Success, Confidence-building
In “Power Moves,” Sarah Jakes Roberts presents a roadmap for individuals seeking to ignite their confidence and become an unstoppable force in their personal and professional lives. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, biblical wisdom, and practical strategies, Roberts guides readers on a transformative journey of self-discovery and empowerment. She explores the importance of embracing one’s unique identity, overcoming fear and self-doubt, and cultivating a mindset of resilience and determination. Roberts emphasizes the power of faith, purpose, and intentional living as essential components in unleashing one’s full potential. By providing actionable insights and exercises, “Power Moves” equips readers with the tools necessary to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and create a life of significance and impact.
Review
Sarah Jakes Roberts delivers a compelling and transformative reading experience with “Power Moves.” Her authentic voice and relatable storytelling create an instant connection with readers, making the book feel like a personal conversation with a wise and supportive friend. Roberts’ blend of spiritual wisdom and practical advice strikes a perfect balance, offering readers a holistic approach to personal growth and success. The book’s structure is well-organized, with each chapter building upon the previous one, allowing for a natural progression of ideas and revelations. Roberts’ writing style is engaging and accessible, making complex concepts easy to grasp and apply. “Power Moves” stands out as a must-read for anyone seeking to ignite their confidence, overcome obstacles, and become a force to be reckoned with in their personal and professional lives. Roberts’ message of empowerment, resilience, and faith is both timely and timeless, making this book a valuable resource for generations to come.
Introduction: Step into your full power
Power Moves (2024) aims to help readers unleash their authentic power by stripping away external expectations and embracing their true selves as seen by God. It provides principles for tapping into the most powerful version of yourself, giving language to changing needs, acknowledging growth, and confidently living as you are in the eyes of God.
Our power can be stripped away in an instant: one moment we’re walking tall, confident in our strength, the next, our souls are left feeling hollowed out and vulnerable.
When this happens, we can easily fall prey to the illusion that power can be amassed through superficialities like job titles or relationship status. But true power doesn’t flow from what we have – it blossoms from our potential. Make no mistake, the danger of powerlessness cannot be underestimated. When you’ve been stripped bare, it’s natural to withdraw, to become anxious and isolated.
Whoever or whatever has left you disempowered, powerlessness is not a state you need to accept permanently. Reclaiming your power is the ultimate act of defiance in the face of those seeking to contain you. The things that limit your power – the memories, ideologies, fears, and oppressions that have sapped your energy – are very real threats. But when you turn to face them, you begin the return to your true self.
Don’t let people-pleasing steal your uniqueness. Don’t let rejection steal your creativity. Don’t let fear steal your ambition.
This Blink shows you how to start reclaiming your power: With truth and radical honesty. When you create space in your heart and spirit for your authentic truth, you allow the fullness of God’s goodness to pour into your life.
Identify what drains your power
Imagine you’re standing in a vast parking lot, each space reserved for an area of your life – one spot for leadership, another for friendship, another for finances, and so on. As you watch, vehicles begin filling the spaces. Every time you move between the various responsibilities and roles of your life, you step into a different vehicle. Some run smoothly and on a full tank. Others sputter and stall, losing gas.
Power is rarely distributed evenly across all areas of our lives. The fact that one vehicle is running on fumes doesn’t necessarily mean the others are, too. But simply avoiding those power-depleted roles won’t solve your problems. To fully reclaim your power, you must first identify exactly where it’s leaking away.
The only power source capable of adequately refueling all of your life’s vehicles flows from within – from your spirit. That’s why fulfilling your core obligations to yourself is key: nourishment, exercise, prayer, and rest. Why, when our schedules are overstuffed, are these personal needs so often the first to be ignored? It’s because we’ve embraced a mentality where we’re happier to disappoint ourselves than anyone else. But how will others ever properly advocate for your needs if you don’t advocate for them yourself?
You can eliminate power leaks by breaking up with the relationships and dynamics that drain you. A bond that holds only when you’re in a constant state of overexertion isn’t a functional relationship; it’s a hostage situation. Whenever you choose to allow someone else to embrace a false conception of who you are, you deny your own authenticity. This can become even trickier when others praise and admire you for the inauthentic version you pretend to be.
Ultimately, the only way you can lose your power is by not believing you possessed it in the first place. Think of Adam and Eve – God explicitly told them they had dominion over the world, but they didn’t believe it. Instead, they listened to the serpent’s deception. The crazy thing is, they actually had full authority over that very serpent who robbed them of their power. They just didn’t believe they could wield it.
Forget about the big picture for a moment and consider all the small, insidious ways you relinquish your power daily. Pay attention to all the things you don’t try because a voice in your head whispered, “I could never do that.” Notice all the callings and desires you’ve disqualified yourself from pursuing with a self-diminishing “I can’t.” When your self-imposed restrictions hold more sway than your genuine desires, you’re in trouble. Here’s the truth: your heartfelt wants are aligned with what God’s wants for you. If He didn’t desire something for you, He would remove that longing from your soul. So if that want still speaks to you, know that it’s God’s voice calling you toward your highest purpose.
Update your behavioral systems
Picture for a moment a broke college student who subsists on ramen noodles for dinner every night. Is it because they love the taste of packet ramen and crave nothing more? Of course not! They would happily eat something more delicious and nourishing, but packet ramen is the only meal their limited means allows them. It’s the same for you.
The version of yourself that you dream of becoming, that you can vividly envision at your highest potential, might feel worlds apart from your current self. When you tap into your core values and dream an audacious vision of who you wish to be, you may find that you need to change what’s stocked in your personal pantry. These shelves are probably still lined with nothing but ramen.
Think of your core values existing in the chambers of your heart, and the programming that drives your behavior existing in your brain. It can be difficult to bring those two modes into alignment. Your behavioral systems are designed to keep you safely but stagnantly locked in your comfort zone. The true architect of your comfort zone is trauma: it’s constructed to protect you from re-experiencing past hurts. It keeps you from venturing into the unknown and taking risks that could disappoint or become difficult. You may be programmed to please others or sidestep intimacy in order to avoid pain.
But consider the possibility that you’re avoiding threats that may actually be harmless. That the predictable outcomes your comfort zone engineers for you, while safe, might not be feeding your soul. When you’re programmed for mere survival, you may miss the vital system update that could reprogram you for power.
Different systems govern different spheres of your life – work, family, romance, friendship. But together they create the entire ecosystem of you and everyone connected to you. When one system is dysfunctional, all systems are impacted. Often, we resist changing our dysfunctional systems not because we believe they’re serving us, but because we’re worried an update will disrupt our families, careers, and social standing. But when you deprive yourself of honesty, you deprive yourself of freedom.
A computer virus can attack programs, destroying functional systems. This can happen to our behavioral systems, too. Might your systems be holding you back from your greatness? If so, find the virus that has depleted your power. Work backward from outcomes. What were the times where you felt powerless, failed to take a risk, speak up, or share your truth? Is there a common behavioral system underlying all those disempowering outcomes?
Let’s return to the ramen analogy. Think of your systems as the ingredients you have to work with in life’s kitchen. No matter how grandiose your dreams are, until you have behavioral systems in place to support those visions, they cannot manifest into reality. Having the wrong system is like trying to bake a soufflé with only ramen noodles in your pantry. You need better ingredients.
Embrace faith to move forward
Life can sometimes leave us feeling stuck, powerless, and trapped in toxic cycles that sap our energy and diminish our sense of self-worth. However, it’s crucial to recognize that this isn’t a permanent state – we have the ability to reboot our lives. One powerful way to do this is by installing new beliefs that rewire our thought patterns and propel us toward growth and fulfillment.
One of the most transformative beliefs you can embrace is the understanding that you’re unconditionally loved and supported by a higher power, regardless of your circumstances or achievements. Whether you’re in a relationship, pursuing professional success, or seeking the admiration of others, know that you’re loved for who you are, not for what you do or possess. Incorporating this belief can be challenging, but it can change everything.
Where you may see chaos, the divine sees raw material brimming with potential. No matter how many times you stumble, the grace and love available to you are inexhaustible. Accepting this profound truth is the first step toward breaking free from the internal systems that oppress and limit you.
It’s time to move from a mindset of self-sabotage to one of system sabotage. Accepting the oppressive internal systems that hold you back is akin to partnering with the enemy of your destiny. Cultivating faith is the only way to break these chains and embrace your authentic desires.
If you’re new to this journey or starting over, the truest way to connect with the divine is through simple, open-hearted desire – not through demanding evidence or peppering the universe with requests. Connect by genuinely wanting to know and understand the divine without conditions or expectations.
However, it’s not enough to merely ask for divine presence; you must intentionally create time and space to seek it out. Set aside dedicated moments in your day for prayer, meditation, or reading scripture. As you do this, you’ll begin to notice the signs and synchronicities the universe is sending you, revealing that even the kindness of a stranger on the street is a manifestation of the divine working through them.
Breaking out of your comfort zone is never easy, but when you’re connected to a higher power, it will act as your compass, guiding you toward a better place. Try this simple exercise: Choose a belief that affirms your faith and pushes you away from your comfort zone, such as “I believe faith is more powerful than fear,” “I believe dignity is more powerful than acceptance,” or “I believe the present is more powerful than the past.” Repeat your statement to yourself daily until you feel empowered to connect it to a decision, such as “I believe dignity is more powerful than acceptance, so I’m choosing to limit communication with people who don’t treat me with respect.”
As you carry out decisions informed by these beliefs, use prayer to guide you. You’ll be amazed at how your innate systems of thought and behavior rewire themselves to bring you into your power.
Find the power in rest
In contemporary society, the concept of power has been distorted. It’s often tied to external factors such as wealth, influence, and status. We believe that when we feel powerful, we will be immune from feelings like doubt, insecurity, and anxiety.
It’s crucial, then, to intentionally analyze your own conception of power. If you neglect to do this, you might end up attaching yourself to an image of pseudo-power infused with arrogance and pride. If you only feel powerful when outperforming others, you’ll never truly feel steady in your power.
True power is neither arrogant nor competitive. In fact, sometimes true power expresses itself by saying, “I feel tired, overwhelmed, or confused.”
When can you feel most powerful? It’s available in being present in the moment. Being present requires you to become mindful every time you switch roles – and you switch roles hundreds of times a day. Remember, power moves. In every different situation, ask yourself: What does power look like in this context? The posture that serves you in the boardroom won’t work so well for tucking your kids into bed.
Think about all the different hats you wear – and while you’re at it congratulate yourself for inhabiting so many different roles! Then, set aside some time to think about how power would look in each of these roles. Take into consideration the demands of your life and the specific needs of everyone you connect with in these roles. Define power based on your abilities, capacity, and preference. Your power springs from you, so it should be adapted to your wants and needs; you’ll never become powerful imitating someone else’s template for power.
Being powerful isn’t about doing everything for everyone without grumbling until you reach breaking point. It’s having the confidence to ask the world to adjust to your truth. And some days, that truth will be: “I need rest and support.”
God Himself teaches us the value of rest. On the seventh day of creation, He rested. Did He stop being the most powerful entity in the universe while He rested? No, of course not. He understood that resting consolidated his power. Being a force means learning to recognize and respect the other forces in your life, whether they are good or bad. These forces work outside us and within us. Sometimes, in order to preserve your power and peace, you need to sit down and let those other forces win a round. How do you know when to push through and when to surrender? The answer lies with God. Ask God when to fight and when to rest, but don’t ask Him when you’ve already got your battle armor on. Ask from a space of calm neutrality.
When you don’t know what decision to make, it’s best to make no decision at all. Rest is better than regret. Rest in the knowledge that God will take care of you.
Reclaiming your true power means embracing authenticity, finding balance, and acknowledging your need for rest and support. It’s about recognizing that true power isn’t about outperforming others or adhering to societal expectations; it’s about being present, adaptable, and in tune with your own abilities and limitations. By cultivating a deeper connection with the divine and allowing yourself to take a break when needed, you can consolidate your power and move through life with grace, wisdom, and a profound sense of inner strength.
Conclusion
The main takeaway of this Blink to Power Moves, by Sarah Jakes Roberts is that, in order to reclaim your power, you first need to identify the areas of your life where you feel drained or powerless.
After doing this, you can identify the dysfunctional behavioral systems and relationships that contribute to your feelings of powerlessness. Your task now is to update them to programs that serve your true greatness.
The next keys to stepping into your power involve embracing faith and connection with the divine; pushing past your comfort zone; aligning your actions with your desires, knowing that they’re rooted in divine purpose; and finding balance through rest.