I Decided to Stop Grinding: Why God's Plan Was Never Hustle, It Was Always Flow

Annique Barber Author

Break free from the hustle! God's plan for you was never grinding. It was always flow. Align with your divine design and step into ease.

I Decided to Stop Grinding: Why God's Plan Was Never Hustle, It Was Always Flow

Let me start this off with a hard truth: Hustle culture is just glorified slavery with a higher tax bracket. It tricks you into thinking that the harder you work, the more worthy you are of success, when in reality, it’s just a demonic system designed to keep you busy, burned out, and spiritually bankrupt. It convinces you to sacrifice your peace, rest, and health in exchange for a false sense of accomplishment. The crazy part? Most believers have fallen for it… but the Kingdom doesn’t operate that way, and neither should you.

We’ve been programmed to believe that if we’re not grinding, striving, and exhausting ourselves, then we’re not really working hard enough. Somewhere along the way, we’ve equated struggle with success and burnout with breakthrough. But let me challenge you with this: If the burden is heavy, you’re probably carrying something you were never meant to carry.

I decided that I will no longer grind. I will no longer push through. I will no longer participate in a system that demands my sweat when Jesus already paid with His blood; and I came here to tell you that its time for you to make the same decision.

Grinding Was Never God's Plan

Jesus said something in Matthew 11:28-30 (TPT) that we love to quote but rarely live by:

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”

Did you catch that?

Easy.

Light.

Pleasant.

That doesn’t sound like grinding to me. That doesn’t sound like 16-hour days, sleepless nights, overworking, under-resting, and calling it faith. That doesn’t sound like hustling for opportunities or networking until you’re exhausted. It sounds like partnering with heaven and letting the power of God do the heavy lifting.

So where did we get this idea that if we’re not struggling, we’re not really working hard enough?

Answer: The curse.

Grinding is a Curse, Flow is a Covenant

What is flow, exactly?

Flow is the effortless rhythm of grace that happens when you align with your divine design. It’s when you step into the thing God uniquely created you to do, and suddenly doors open, opportunities find you, and provision chases you down without you having to exhaust yourself trying to make it happen.

Flow is the place where you’re working, but it doesn’t feel like labor. It’s where you’re productive, but not burnt out. It’s where your results far exceed your human effort because God’s hand is literally amplifying everything you do.

This is the covenant God established through Christ — rest, ease, and supernatural provision. The grind was part of the curse, but the flow is part of your inheritance.

When Adam fell in the garden, one of the consequences of his sin was this: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground.” (Genesis 3:19 NIV)

Sweat. Labor. Striving. Grinding. That was never God’s design. It was the curse of the fall.

But when Jesus came, He didn’t just die for your sins. He came to break the curse off your life. That includes the curse of grinding for survival. When Jesus declared “It is finished” (John 19:30), He wasn’t just talking about salvation. He was talking about restoration. He was declaring that the curse of striving was over and the covenant of rest had been reinstated.

So why are you still grinding?

Why are you still laboring under a system that Jesus already freed you from?

Your Design Holds Your Strategy

Here’s the mind-blowing part that will set you free: The strategy for success is already hidden inside your unique design. You were never meant to build your business or fulfill your purpose through blood, sweat, and tears. You were designed to operate in flow.

The Bible says:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NASB)

That means the thing God created you to do was already PREPARED FOR YOU. The strategy, the provision, the connections, the success — all of it was already placed on the path of your purpose.

The only reason you’ve been grinding so hard is because somewhere along the way, you stopped operating from your divine design and started operating from human effort… and now you're wondering why it feels so hard.

It’s hard because you’re not aligned.

The moment you get back in alignment with who you really are and what you were created to do, you will step into divine flow.

Provision is Always on the Path to Purpose

Let me tell you how I know this is true.

I’ve been an entrepreneur since 2012, and I’ve spent years bouncing back and forth between hustle and flow. I can’t even count how many times I let myself get pulled into the world’s way of doing business, following the experts, the gurus, and their 'proven systems' (that only worked for them because they were specifically designed for them). Every time I did, I found myself exhausted, burned out, and inconsistently successful (if successful at all).

But then something would happen… Holy Spirit would nudge me. He’d remind me, “That’s not who you are. You’re not built to do business like everybody else. You’re built to do it as Unique Annique.” And when I’d finally surrender and get back in alignment with my divine design, things would shift almost instantly.

I’d start to enjoy business again. Provision would flow effortlessly. Doors would open without me forcing them. It was like heaven was breathing on everything I touched.

But here’s the crazy part… despite experiencing that level of flow, social conditioning and financial pressure would sometimes pull me right back into the hustle trap. I’d find myself grinding again, striving again, chasing success again; and once again, I’d end up tired, discouraged, and barely making progress.

And every single time, Holy Spirit was so patient with me. He’d let me feel the weight of my misalignment, then gently whisper, “Come back. Get back in flow.” And the moment I did provision, strategy, and success would meet me on my path.

I know firsthand that provision is assigned to purpose, not performance. And I’m telling you — the moment you step into flow, your entire life will change.

Let me give you this revelation: Provision is assigned to purpose, not performance.

You don’t get blessed because you’re working hard. You get blessed because you’re working in alignment. The moment you step into the thing you were uniquely designed to do, everything you need will automatically be provided.

Opportunities? Already there.

Money? Already there.

Open doors? Already there.

The reason you’ve been struggling is because you’ve been grinding instead of governing. You’ve been pushing instead of partnering. You’ve been laboring instead of leading.

And it’s time to make a new decision.

I Decided to Move with Strategy, Not Exhaustion

Holy Spirit impressed upon my spirit recently that ‘people don’t need more hustle, they need more strategy’.

And that’s exactly what God wants to give you.

The Kingdom operates through strategy, not sweat. If you think about it, Jesus never ran anywhere. He was never in a hurry. He never hustled. He simply moved in divine flow. And that’s exactly how you’re supposed to move, too.

When you’re in divine flow:

• Things align quickly.

• Provision shows up easily.

• The right people find you.

• Doors open effortlessly.

And the best part? You’re not exhausted in the process.

The Bible says, “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22)

So if what you’re doing is making you rich but also making you miserable, burned out, and exhausted, then it’s not God’s blessing. It’s just man-made hustle. And it’s time to break up with it.

10 Decrees to Shift from Grinding to Flowing

I want you to start speaking these decrees over your life every single day until they get in your spirit:

1. I do not grind; I flow in divine strategy. (Matthew 11:28-30)

2. I move at the speed of divine favor, not human effort. (Psalm 90:17)

3. Every resource I need is already on the path of my purpose. (Ephesians 2:10)

4. I refuse to strive for what God has already provided. (Philippians 4:19)

5. I operate in the Rest of God, not the labor of man. (Hebrews 4:9-11)

6. The blessing of the Lord makes me rich without adding sorrow. (Proverbs 10:22)

7. I am in full alignment with my divine design. (Psalm 139:14)

8. My provision is attached to my purpose, not my performance. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

9. I reject hustle culture and embrace Kingdom strategy. (Colossians 3:23-24)

10. I move with ease, grace, and divine favor. (Isaiah 60:22)

The Decision that Breaks the Cycle

I don’t want you to just read this and walk away unchanged. I want you to make a decision.

Decide that you will no longer grind. Decide that you will no longer hustle. Decide that you will no longer chase what’s already yours.

The moment you make that decision, you will shift from striving to flow, and everything in your life will change.

And if you’re not sure how to get there or what that looks like practically, I want to help you.

👉 Book a Breakthrough Strategy Session with me. This is a 1:1 session where we’ll break down where you’re stuck, uncover your divine design, and craft a clear strategy that aligns you with God’s flow. This session is for those who are serious about stepping into effortless success. [BOOK YOUR SESSION HERE]

Or, if you’re still exploring, you can join me for my free sessions:

• Clarity & Calm Sessions — Every Thursday at 12 PM EST. Come clear your mind, hear from God, and align yourself with His flow. [Join here]

• Ask Me Anything Sessions — 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month at 8:30 PM EST. Bring your questions and get real, prophetic insight for your life and business. [Join here]

Either way, don’t stay stuck in grind mode. There’s too much waiting for you in flow.

The shift happens when you decide.

#iDecidedMovement

I need you to understand something: The moment you decide to break up with grinding and step into divine flow, your entire life will change.

But you have to make the decision.

No more grinding.

No more hustling.

No more pushing through.

You were designed to succeed in ease, not exhaustion. God’s plan was never hustle. It was always flow.

And today, you get to decide.

#iDecidedMovement