Don’t Just Quote the Promise—Follow the Instructions: What Jeremiah Taught Me About Systems, Strategy, and Leading in Exile

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”— Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

We love this scripture, don’t we?

We post it on timelines. We preach it from stages. We tattoo it on our hearts. And don’t get me wrong—the promise is real. There are plans to prosper us. There is a future filled with hope.

But what we often miss?

The promise was given in exile.

This wasn’t a mountaintop moment. This wasn’t a breakthrough high.

This was a word for the weary.

A word for the overburdened, the overwhelmed, the overlooked.

A word for leaders carrying entire communities on their backs.

And the promise? It wasn’t escape.

It was instruction.

Before the Promise, There Was Exile

Let’s break it down.

Exile (from the Latin exilium) means:

“To be banished. To be forced away from your home. To be cast out.”

But more deeply, it means:

To be disconnected from what once sustained you.

Sound familiar?

Exile, for us as grassroots leaders, looks like:

• Being pulled from clarity by constant crisis
  

• Leading without support, without systems, without breath
  

• Carrying a divine calling in one hand, and burnout in the other
  

Exile isn’t always physical—it’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply organizational.

We are called to transform—but we are often trapped in survival.

And yet, God says:

“Even in exile—I have plans for you.”

But here’s the key, Queen:

You don’t get to the prosper part if you skip the process part.

We Get Stuck on the Scripture, But We Don’t Follow the Instructions

Just before verse 11, God lays out a step-by-step framework for thriving in exile.

“ Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters… increase in number, do not decrease. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city…”— Jeremiah 29:5–7 NIV

This isn’t just a poetic suggestion.

It’s a divine operations manual.

It’s a leadership plan for those navigating seasons of chaos, transition, and overwhelm.

So let’s walk through it together—from the lens of modern-day nonprofit leadership.

The Leadership Blueprint From Exile

1. Build Houses = Build Systems

You can’t lead from survival. You need structure.

What does it take to build a house?

• A solid foundation (your vision)
  

• A functional framework (your strategy)
  

• Installed systems (automation, workflows, roles)
  

This is how we build our operations. This is how we get free.

Because if you don’t have a system, you become the system. And that’s how burnout wins.

2. Settle Down = Be Still. Be Smart. Be Strategic.

This is not the season to rush. It’s the season to root.

We’ve been taught to equate hustle with progress. But settling doesn’t mean giving up. It means:

• Trusting what you’ve built

• Letting the systems hold you

• Making strategic, spirit-led decisions instead of survival moves

Be still. Be smart. Be strategic. Be sustained.

That’s the new grind.

3. Plant Gardens = Sow Seeds of Vision and Connection

Now that you’re rooted, you can create from overflow—not overwhelm.

This is where dreaming begins again.

You plant programs. You plant partnerships. You plant content, storytelling, community.

And like any garden, you don’t see fruit on Day 1.

But the seeds grow—if the soil is healthy. And your system is the soil.

4. Eat What They Produce = Reap the Benefits of What You’ve Built

Yes, Queen—you get to enjoy the fruit.

This is where you finally:

• Step into visibility
  

• Focus on donor relationships
  

• Increase funding, volunteers, aligned partners
  

• Spend time inspiring—not firefighting

You’re not just feeding others. You get to eat, too.

5. Build Families = Build Teams and Communities

This ain’t a solo mission.

God said: build families. Multiply.

In leadership language, that means:

• Develop your team
  

• Activate your board
  

• Build out leadership pipelines
  

• Create a shared culture of support and equity

You’re not supposed to do this alone.

You lead, but you don’t carry it all.

6. Increase, Don’t Decrease = Scale With Integrity

Expansion is still the assignment.

Even in exile, you were called to grow.

You don’t shrink your mission because things are hard.

You build the systems to hold what’s coming.

You were made for overflow—not just survival.

The Exile Was the Instruction Manual

Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t about a magical rescue.

It’s about strategic restoration.

God was saying:

“Don’t wait to be rescued. Build what you need to thrive.”

And that’s what I want for every nonprofit leader reading this:

• To build systems that hold your mission
  

• To plant seeds from rest, not chaos
  

• To lead from power, not burnout
  

• To prosper right where you are

This Isn’t About Religion. It’s About Revelation.

Whether you call it God, Source, Spirit, or Ancestors—it’s clear:

You weren’t meant to grind your way through purpose.

You were meant to lead from freedom.

Let Me Walk With You:

Here are your first steps:

1. Download the “Fearless Reflections Journal”

A powerful tool to help you get honest about what’s no longer working.

2. Take the “Automation Readiness Quiz”

Get clear on how much time, energy, and capacity you’re losing to broken systems.

3. Determine how you get F.R.E.E.

Let’s walk through the blueprint and figure out where to start.

You are not waiting for rescue.

You are building your way to freedom.

And I’m here to midwife the process.

Let’s build.

You got this! Let’s go, sis. 💜🔥

✨Stop surviving and start thriving. Download my FREE mini workbook —a simple yet powerful tool to help you start visioning where you want to be.

✨ Download your free mini workbook now and start the process. ✨