Have you ever been frustrated with God? Wondered why He wanted you to do or say a certain thing? Shae Bynes shares why opening up to God and being vulnerable and transparent with Him about how you feel is a huge step toward having an even deeper relationship with Him.

You can listen to this entire conversation with Shae on our podcast, Work, Love, Pray! Listen below or click here to find your preferred listening platform.

When you’re working on improving your relationship with God, what roles do transparency and vulnerability have? 

Vulnerability and transparency are fundamental. Cultivating your relationship with God means being honest with God about how you feel about certain things, like your frustrations, your joys, or your gratitude. I believe that some of us think we have to perform for God. We wouldn’t necessarily say that out loud, but inwardly, we’re thinking, “God is so holy and so good. How dare I bring before Him these frustrations or things that I’m angry about, or how I feel about when He asked me to obey Him in this particular area.”

First of all, God already knows and can also handle anything we could say to Him, right? If we don’t open ourselves up to engage God with the reality of what’s going on in our souls, then how do we get to a place of receiving healing from Him that is going to make that difference in our lives? A lot of us stay trapped in cycles because we’re still trying to perform for God. If we just lay those things aside and grow in transparency and vulnerability with God, your ability to be vulnerable and transparent with the people around you will also grow in transparency and vulnerability. 

Do you have any tips or exercises that someone can do to get into the head space of transparency and vulnerability naturally? 

Just focus on doing it once. This is part of the “grace over grind” thing. You don’t have to make being open with God into a huge thing. Focus in one time on sitting before Him and being honest about one thing. We put so much weight and pressure on ourselves to look at and accomplish the full picture. We can find that, as we take these steps in faith, we build momentum. You realize, “OK, that was kind of hard, but I survived.” Once you experience and take a step of faith, you realize it was OK. God was with you.

As your relationship with God’s strengthens, you’re likely going to also notice this increased sensitivity to His leading in your life. How can you make sure that once you recognize that leading, you’re able to put it into action in a way that is not going to distract you from that relationship building with God? 

I want to reframe that a little bit, because taking action at His leading is still “in relationship” with Him. If you’re operating with Him, you’re living in Him. Maintain an awareness of His presence. Think about the idea of rest. We aren’t working for rest; we should be working from rest. Always be aware of His presence in your life. You don’t have to worry about losing sight of your relationship building with God. Just stay in Him. We are supposed to be growing in Him. This is a lifelong adventure with Him, so establish a truth in your heart that this is an ongoing journey and not a destination.  

Shae Bynes is a passionate storyteller, mentor, and strategist who equips leaders to be catalysts for transformation in the marketplace.

Known as “Chief Fire Igniter”, she has reached over one million aspiring and current entrepreneurs around the globe through her devotionals, books, courses, podcasts, and more.  Her teaching and mentoring provide inspiration and practical strategies for doing business in partnership with God for greater Kingdom influence and impact.

Shae co-founded the Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur movement in 2012 and her most popular book Grace Over Grind: How Grace Will Take Your Business Where Grinding Can’t is shifting the way people live, work, and engage the world around them. Whether she is sharing on platforms publicly or consulting privately, you can expect Shae to deliver an abundance of truth with love, grace, and contagious joy.

Shae holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Masters of Business Administration from the University of South Florida and University of Florida respectively.

Shae has been married to her husband Phil for 23 years and is mom to three beautiful daughters. She has a healthy addiction to sunshine and water and calls the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area her home.