Christ With Coffee On Ice – “When You're Disobedient to God”
Host: Ally Yost
Episode Date: December 6, 2024

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and vulnerable episode, Ally Yost explores the theme of disobedience to God, using the Book of Jonah as a foundation. Through reading the entire book aloud, Ally unpacks deep takeaways about fear, pride, free will, God’s mercy, and the transformative potential of obedience. She weaves in personal anecdotes and candid reflections to create a raw and encouraging conversation about walking with Christ even when we feel inadequate or scared.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Tone: New Beginnings & Updates

• Ally opens with evident excitement about a new studio setup, the launch of new merch (including a “He is the Icon” Jesus T-shirt and coffee cup), and a gifted Bible from Hosanna Revival.
• She shares a 15% discount code ("allyost") for Hosanna Revival Bibles and encourages listeners to indulge in festive coffees as Christmas approaches.
• Tone: Cozy, intimate, enthusiastic (00:00–08:30).

2. Hearing from God: The Jonah Prompt

• Ally explains her process of asking God what to speak about for the episode and hearing the prompt “Jonah.”
• She admits she’s never read Jonah all the way through and is struck by its brevity—“literally two pages long,” yet so packed with wisdom.
• Quote: “There's just always things to learn. That’s what makes [God’s word] living and alive. And that’s just crazy to me.” (09:40)

3. Reading the Book of Jonah (Scripture Read-Aloud)

• Ally reads Jonah in its entirety, paraphrasing and summarizing some verses but keeping the NLT translation’s language.
• She highlights key narrative points:
  • Jonah’s call and flight
  • The storm, sailors, and the lots cast
  • Jonah’s prayer in the fish
  • The repentance and salvation of Nineveh
  • Jonah’s anger at God’s mercy, and God’s patient correction
• Notable Moment: Ally reacts in real-time as she reads, noting, “Are things already kind of moving in your mind?” (29:55–50:30).

4. Major Takeaways from Jonah’s Story

• God Parenting through Discomfort:
  • Disobedience doesn’t mean God punishes out of spite. Instead, He orchestrates situations (like the storm and the fish) out of love and a deeper purpose.
  • “God also knew that Jonah was stubborn, right? Just like a lot of us are… so it took things that seemed harsh to reach Jonah.” (52:30)
• God Never Wastes an Opportunity:
  • Even in Jonah’s rebellion, God saves the sailors (“they vowed to serve Him”).
  • “Even out of our disobedience… the Lord still performs miracles.” (55:10)
• Caution Against Abusing Grace:
  • God’s mercy is an invitation to gratitude, not to deliberately sin or presume upon grace.
  • “Don’t use God’s grace and his kindness and compassion as a way to justify being disobedient and sinful.” (59:15)

5. Practical Applications & Personal Reflections

• God’s All-Knowing Nature:
  • You can't run from God—He knows your location, your heart, your fears, and your calling.
  • “Knowing that even when we try to run from God, we can't… that should give us peace.” (1:02:20)
• Trusting God When It’s Scary:
  • Ally relates Jonah’s fear to her own hesitation in recording vulnerable episodes, especially one about “meditating with the spirit of God.”
  • “If I look crazy, then I look crazy for you. It is what it is.” (Ally, sharing her prayer – 1:10:42)
  • She describes the fruit that came from stepping out in obedience: “It was just testimony after testimony in the comment section.” (1:13:00)
• The Issue of Pride:
  • Jonah’s story highlights how pride (caring about one’s own image or comfort) can prevent full obedience.
  • "Pride is just us simply looking at ourselves and being way too consumed and concerned about ourselves.” (1:11:50)
• Obedience Strengthens Relationship & Confidence:
  • Acting on God’s prompting, even when afraid, results in deeper faith and assurance in hearing God’s voice.

6. Does God Change His Mind?

• Ally focuses on Jonah 3:10 (“he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened”) as a mind-blowing revelation.
• She discusses free will, prayer, persistence, and how God’s plans can adapt in response to repentance and faithful pursuit.
• Quote: “It’s actually biblical that the Lord changes his mind. It’s in the Bible.” (1:24:10)
• Ally ties this to personal experiences of persistent prayer and encourages listeners not to stop praying for what matters.

7. The Danger and Redemption of Pride

• Jonah wanted God’s prophecy of destruction to be fulfilled for his own reputation’s sake, losing sight of God’s mercy and the real purpose of his gift.
• “He was more upset with looking bad and probably like a false prophet than being excited with the lord over the 120,000 people whose lives were spared.” (1:28:30)
• Ally underscores that spiritual gifts are for serving others, not for self-promotion.

8. Final Encouragements & Reflections

• Ally finishes with a motivating call to embody Jesus in everyday life and to rejoice in God’s grace and second chances:
  • “Let’s walk a little bit more like him today. Let’s talk like him. Even when we’re not talking, let’s look at people like Jesus would.” (1:35:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On God’s Discipline:
  “He allows things to happen, and he might even put some things that seem really harsh in our path. But ultimately, it’s like a way of him parenting us where it kind of hurts, you know? But ultimately it’s for our safety and it’s for our good.” (51:10)
• On God’s Use of Disobedience:
  “Even through our mistakes, even through possible times of disobedience, the Lord still performs miracles.” (55:15)
• On God’s Grace vs. Presumption:
  “Don’t use God’s grace and his kindness and compassion as a way to justify being disobedient and sinful.” (59:15)
• On Trusting God in the Scary:
  “There is just nothing more beautiful than working with God…and letting him just move and work miracles through your obedience.” (1:13:42)
• On God’s Sovereignty and Free Will:
  “If you think about the Lord and how sovereign he is, there’s actually probably trillions of ways that our life can still pan out to the way he wanted and planned for it to be. But it doesn’t have to just be down one specific path.” (1:22:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–08:30 | Cozy intro, studio/merch/Bible update | | 09:00–11:15 | Receiving “Jonah” as a word from God | | 11:15–50:30 | Complete reading of Jonah, NLT translation | | 50:30–1:02:20 | Immediate reflections and first key takeaways | | 1:10:00–1:15:00 | Personal testimony about obedience and God’s fruitfulness | | 1:22:00–1:25:00 | Does God change his mind? Discussion on free will & prayer | | 1:28:30–1:33:00 | Jonah’s pride, perspective shifts, serving with gifts | | 1:35:05 | Final encouragement and Jesus-inspired challenge |

Summary & Takeaway

This episode is a heartfelt invitation to reflect on our own moments of running from God’s call, offering hope that every misstep can become an opportunity for redemption and blessing—if we return to Him with humble, obedient hearts. Ally’s infectious vulnerability and relatable stories make scripture come alive and encourage listeners to step into daunting callings with courage, trust, and an expectation that God will meet them there.

Final Encouragement:
“Let’s walk a little bit more like him today. Let’s talk like him. Even when we’re not talking, let’s look at people like Jesus would. I’m so proud of you guys.” (1:35:05)