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Cost of Discipleship| Girls Gone Bible

Girls Gone Bible

Fri Apr 17 2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Cost of Discipleship" | Girls Gone Bible

Hosts: Angela Halili ("Ange") & Arielle Reitsma ("Ari")
Date: April 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and honest episode, Angela and Arielle discuss what it truly means to follow Jesus, focusing on Luke 14:25 and the serious, sometimes uncomfortable, cost of being His disciple. Candidly sharing stories from their own lives—family, ministry, struggles with surrender, and even moments of spiritual burnout—they unpack the differences between being a "believer" and a true "disciple," and offer practical encouragement for listeners facing challenges or discouragement in their faith journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Set Changes, Staying True, and Community Storytelling (03:26–07:36)

The hosts return to a more familiar podcast set after experimenting with a "pink curtain" backdrop, sharing humorous feedback from their community:
- Ari [04:48]: "But you're so right. That sign was awful."
- Ange shares her mother's blunt feedback on the set changes, poking fun at family dynamics.
Reflection on the three-year journey of Girls Gone Bible: highlights of growth, sanctification, and the visible transformation in themselves and their ministry.
- Ange [07:02]: "It's like a master class on sanctification and the work of the Spirit... even down to the look in our eyes is so different."

2. Family, Home, and the Cost of Change (08:13–11:20)

Both hosts candidly discuss the emotional nostalgia and family dynamics when visiting home, including feeling like a child again.
Lively behind-the-scenes stories from a recent speaking engagement at Jesus Image:
- Time zone challenges, nerves about preaching, late-night giggle fits, and the quest for Greek Orthodox veils.
- Ari [13:38]: "All I want to do is wear a veil over my head. I like think it's the most beautiful thing ever. I want to be like Mother Mary."

3. Ministry Fatigue & Spiritual Realness (14:47–17:53)

Exhaustion and spiritual depletion post-ministry, leading to the most "toasted" Chick-fil-A run and being ritualistically ushered into a family demon-casting session upon arrival home.
- Ange [17:16]: "My mom comes up to us, and she goes, guys, sit down. We're learning how to cast out demons."
- Ari [17:20]: "And I was like, okay, let's cast him out."

4. Making Time for Family & Intercession for Loved Ones (18:59–25:26)

Both emphasize making time for family, describing meaningful sibling relationships.
Ari shares her ongoing, fervent prayers for her brother's salvation and her intent to baptize him one day.
- Ari [24:42]: "I am going to baptize my brother, and he’s gonna give his life to Jesus. I love that I've made it every single morning in my prayer time."
- Ange [25:02]: "The greatest witness... is your life."

5. What Distinguishes Girls Gone Bible: Radical Honesty and Vulnerability (25:30–26:06)

The hosts set a tone of honesty about not having it all together, reaffirming their intent to always point conversations back to Jesus.

Main Teaching: The Cost of Discipleship

1. Scripture Focus: Luke 14:25–35 (26:19–32:54)

Jesus does not sugarcoat the cost: “If you want to be my disciple, you must by comparison hate everyone else… even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple.”
- Ari [26:45]: "He doesn't sugarcoat it. It costs to follow him. It costs your life. But with losing your life you find everything with Jesus."
The difference between fine print advertising and Jesus' radical upfront clarity:
- Ange [28:23]: "The Lord never speaks in fine print. He never speaks in a way that's like 'being a disciple, everything's going to be perfect.' No. He's like, 'I want you to know what you're getting into.'"

2. Hyperbole and Priority: "Hate" in Context (32:54–34:52)

Clarifies Jesus' use of exaggeration: He’s not advocating literal hatred, but radical prioritization of Him.
- Ange [31:34]: "Hate... meant love less or put in second place... not about actually hating people. It’s about making sure that Jesus is first and that everything else... comes second."

3. Carrying Your Cross: No Half-Measures (34:52–38:51)

Discipleship isn’t for a spiritual "elite" but is for everyone—there’s no such thing as partial commitment.
- Ari [34:59]: "A life half committed is not a life committed at all."
Surrender is practical and continual, not just a one-time emotional decision:
- Ari [35:01]: "Carrying your cross... it's daily, it's not occasional... I put my hands out and I imagine Jesus just taking it..."

4. Believer vs. Disciple (38:51–44:44)

"Believer" is not synonymous with "disciple" — many believe in Jesus, but few follow Him.
- Ange [42:31]: "The devil believes in Jesus... there’s a massive difference between believing and being a disciple."
Community is essential for fiery faith and keeping your "salt" salty.

5. Comfort vs. Surrender & Death to Self (44:44–51:06)

The Christian walk means repeated surrender, dying to comfort, dreams, and control:
- Ange [46:37]: "The call of God on our lives is not, 'Come, have a perfect life.' It is, 'Come and die, die, die, die.' And in your death, you receive life."
Surrender often comes through situations outside our control, and letting God reshape us in those moments is key.

6. Practical Discipline vs. Miracle Mindset (51:06–54:53)

Overcoming stuck places is less about asking for miracles, more about discipline:
- Ari [53:25]: "I remember just praying for a miracle... I didn't need a miracle. I needed discipline."
True love and security are found in Jesus, not in attaining dreams or relationships.

7. Falling Short & Daily Grace (54:53–56:25)

Acknowledge that sanctification is ongoing; no one "arrives." Humility and repentance should mark every disciple.
- Ari [55:08]: "Sometimes I look back, sometimes I fall short... I am the most imperfect person."
To follow Jesus is to detach daily from worldly priorities and embrace being "set apart."

8. Sin, Broken Dreams, and Cruciform Living (57:59–65:09)

The seriousness with which a disciple approaches sin distinguishes them from mere "believers."
Real discipleship means dying not just to sin, but also to our ideals, plans, and personal comfort.
- Ange [59:59]: "God is way more concerned with you looking like His Son than you having a good life truly."

9. Suffering, Faith, and the Refining Fire (65:09–66:37)

Trials refine faith and bring God glory; it’s often through pain that faith deepens.
- Ari [65:30]: "Without the pain, without the trials, without the heartbreak... there is a refinement that happens in our hearts that just couldn't happen otherwise."

10. Encouragement for the Weary: Just Keep Showing Up (66:37–74:33)

The cross can feel heavy, but God is faithful to keep His people; worship and community are vital even when the heart is cold.
- Ange [67:53]: "If you’re in a situation where your cross feels too heavy to bear, I want you to know the character of God... He will keep you."
Community, teachability, humility, and the willingness to be challenged are essential for growth.
- Ange [74:33]: "Be open, be teachable… Trust the people in your life who tell you the things you don’t want to hear."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Ari [26:44]: "It costs to follow him. It costs your life. But with losing your life, you find everything with Jesus."
Ange [28:23]: "The Lord never speaks in fine print… He’s like, 'I want you to know what you’re getting into.'"
Ari [34:59]: "A life half committed is not a life committed at all."
Ange [46:37]: "The call of God on our lives is not, 'Come, have a perfect life.' It is, 'Come and die…' And in your death, you receive life."
Ari [53:25]: "I didn’t need a miracle. I needed discipline."
Ange [59:59]: "God is way more concerned with you looking like His Son than you having a good life truly."

Timestamps for Important Segments

Set change/community humor: 03:26–07:36
Family, home, and nostalgia: 08:13–11:20
Jesus Image ministry story: 11:21–14:47
Cost of Discipleship intro (scripture reading): 26:19–32:54
Defining "hate" and radical prioritization: 32:54–34:52
Carrying your cross and surrender: 34:52–38:51
Believer vs. disciple discussion: 38:51–44:44
Surrender, control, and comfort: 44:44–51:06
Discipline, not just miracles: 51:06–54:53
Admitting imperfection on the walk: 54:53–56:25
Daily repentance and dying to dreams: 57:59–65:09
Trials and refining faith: 65:09–66:37
Encouragement for the weary: 66:37–74:33
Final exhortation: Be teachable and humble: 74:33–end

Final Takeaways

The call to discipleship is radical, costly, and requires daily surrender—not just of sin, but of dreams, comfort, and personal idols.
Jesus is to be prioritized above all, and this often means dying to things we love or thought we needed.
Community, humility, and teachability are essential for enduring the journey and growing as disciples.
God doesn’t promise ease, but promises to keep and sustain His people, especially in suffering and trial.
True transformation is found not in striving for a perfect life, but in becoming more like Jesus through every trial and act of surrender.

Closing Blessing
Ange [Closing]: "Go and be a disciple. Count the cost. You got this. May the Lord bless you and truly, truly keep you all the days of your life… and give you true peace. Shalom. Shalom. Love you."

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Transcript

Ari (0:00)

Foreign have you guys ever been in a relationship and you kept having unwanted doubts like do I love them enough? Am I really happy? What if God has someone better for me? And those questions felt impossible to ignore. And suddenly you're repeatedly praying for certainty or signs, constantly comparing your relationship to others, asking friends what they think over and over again, but you can't find peace no matter what you try. Unwanted relationship doubts can feel so real and scary. But here's what's important to know. Thoughts like these can be a sign of Relationship ocd. Unlike these stereotypes about being organized, real OCD is a serious condition that can latch onto anything we care about. Relationship OCD creates this never ending loop of doubt and anxiety followed by behaviors you do to try to feel better, but the relief never lasts. But OCD doesn't have to take over your relationships because it's highly treatable with a type of specialized therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention or erp. And that's why I want to tell you about nocd. NO NO CD is the world's leading OCD treatment provider and all of their licensed Therapists special in ERP. Therapy with no CD is 100% virtual, covered by insurance for over 138 million Americans and includes support between sessions. Their therapists are extensively trained, deeply understanding and ready to help you reclaim your relationships. If any of this sounds like you or someone you care about, visit nocd.com and book a 15 minute free call to learn more about how NOCD can help. That's nocd.com foreign

Ange (1:38)

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Ari (1:53)

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Ange (2:07)

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Ari (2:37)

Ange (36:39)

There's something. I am like, I. I love that we're having this conversation because I feel like we want people to be comfortable so badly, and we. I even see this in my own life sometimes where I'm, like, talking to a friend who is, like, either an unbeliever or half believer. And, like, I'm always walking this tension of, like, how far do I go? How extreme do I make this? How int. Like. Like, it's. It's something as believers and evangelists and disciples that we have to walk this really interesting tension because we're like, we don't want to lose people, right? We don't want people to be turned off to Jesus. But we also are called to tell the complete truth. The complete truth that Jesus isn't just a genie in a bottle. Jesus isn't just a best friend. Jesus is the Lord who died for our sins, which means that if he died for our sins, we must also give up the thing that he died for. And I think it's so important for people to know that. Like, it's like. I think it's also. It's like, for anybody who's walking this walk, and there's no shame in it. If you're literally watching this right now and you're like, I'm, like, lukewarm. Like, my heart's not on fire. I'm. I really am half in and half out. I just want you to know that, like, we've been there. There have been moments in our three years of being on this walk where things have happened that have also put our fire out. Like, literally, this is. This is a journey that we will be going on forever. It is the fight of our lives to keep oil in our lamps and to keep the flame in our hearts blazing for Jesus. It's not a passive thing. And what I want to say is, like, the difference between being a believer and a disciple, I feel like when people ask you, like, are you a Christian? Or sometimes I ask people, like, are you a believer? Are you a believer? A lot of people believe, but there's a massive difference between being a believer and being A disciple? Yeah, a disciple is somebody who. Who follows Jesus. Jesus said, if you love me, obey my commandments. Like, there is a life that you're meant to live and a life that you're not meant to live as a.

Ange (46:38)

Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God and he will lift you up in due time. Another quote is stay humble or be humbled. I say all this to say that there have been so many times in my Christian walk where I have humbled myself. I have have seen the idolatry and handled it myself. I have handled it myself with Jesus, but I have seen sin and let the Lord convict me in it and take care of it. And there are some situations that if you don't move, God will move. And so the call of God on our lives is to die continuously to our flesh, to our dreams. You start following Jesus and you, he might call you to give up everything. So there's so many, many moments in our lives and in our walks where the Lord is going to ask you to release things, including a job, including a relationship, because a death to self is one dying intentionally. And then a death to self also comes in something being done that was out of your control and then having to surrender to that reality. And that is one of the hardest things that you, you. That's one of the hardest deaths because you didn't choose that death. And there's so many people who are watching who either have a relationship that ended, a career, a job that was taken from you, a child who is sick. Like, there's so many ways and, and circumstances where God is asking you to die to yourself in that. And it comes in so many different forms. And so when it's a situation that's outside of your situation yourself, you have to ask the Holy Spirit, what are you asking from me in this situation? Because, like, you know when. If you hear the Lord, it's like, end this. Like, leave this job. That's like, it could be. It's probably hard, but it's also exciting. You heard from him. But what do you do when it's a situation that's out of your control? It's something that you haven't. You didn't ask for, you didn't pursue it. Something that I face a lot. One of my biggest struggles ever is control. And I'm like, currently, I'm so grateful to Jesus that there has been, like, an OCD that's awakened in me that I am having to. That I've been battling Jesus. And this is also the Christian walk, by the way. Jesus healed me from OCD when I was younger. I had health anxiety. He healed me, and it's had a resurgence. And I love Jesus Jesus, and I love therapy. I love Jesus way more than I love therapy. He is the great physician, the ultimate healer, and he provides beautiful things like therapy. I've had to pursue many different types of trauma therapy, and I'm gonna also start, like, an OCD treatment. That's another episode. But I say that to say that because of the ocd, obsessive compulsive tendencies that I have. Control is my biggest. This thing.

Ari (51:53)

So while everyone was getting married and out I was with children. Jesus. And so it's simple. You devote yourself, you sit, you learn the love of Jesus. And when you really learn the love of Jesus, it transforms your heart to say, what have I been doing my whole life? How have I loved anything before? I can't believe I'm getting so beautiful. I can't believe I'm so passionate about this. Because. Because I want you guys to are just like one foot in and one foot out and you can't let go and you're trying to control situations and you're still in that abusive relationship and you want to love Jesus, but your. Your mind. I know what that feels like. I was there. I was there. I know what that feels like to just. You can't let go. You can't. You're just. Your mind is constantly going. And I just like, I remember just praying for a miracle. I remember being. I feel like, please, like, what is it called? Deliver me from this. Yeah, bring me a miracle. I didn't need a miracle. I needed discipline. Yeah, some of you guys are praying for miracles. And what you need is discipline. And it starts with devoting yourself to Jesus. And I have spent three years on my floor learning his teachings and learning his love. And it's. And I'm telling you right now, you're talking to a girl who literally could not be without a person. And if God never brings me, I have desires, I want to get married and I really want to have kids. But he. If he never brought me someone, I would still be okay, because I know what true love is. And I have safety now. I have Jesus. And I want us all to get to that place. And I talk to so many young girls, and they are so stuck, and they can't truly walk with him because they're just. They have. It's. It's idolatry. They have control. They're scared. They. And it's. And just devote yourself wholeheartedly to him. Because when you find. When you find that love that is so anchored and steady, that doesn't leave, leave. Nothing else matters. And that's how you follow him wholeheartedly. When you learn the love of Jesus, and then as you feel safer. Like, we know him as Lord and our Savior, but we need to know him as our Father. Our Father that we can come before and we can cry to and feel bitter to. And like David, he was a mess. He did not hold back. And that will soften our nervous systems to be able to be real with him. And that's how we're like, oh, that's true love. That's my father. I can follow him wholeheartedly. And the more you taste Jesus, the more the world loses its flavor.

Ange (57:59)

If with Jesus is not all about sin. Right. That's why we try not to talk about sin every episode. It's not like. But the truth is like, Jesus died for sin and we're called to die to ourselves. And it's so important. Like, I just feel like a distinction of a believer is how seriously we take sin. Yeah. Honestly, like, how much does your heart be break with sin? How much? Like, I was like, I was driving the other day and I started like bawling my eyes out, thinking I just like kept having this like, phrase in my head. Like, I don't Know why? I imagine myself like someone asking me a question of how do you live as a follower of Jesus and not judge other people for their walks? And I just started crying, literally driving in my car. And I kept saying this, like, I am a repentant sinner. I am a repentant sinner. I need Jesus just as much, if not more than everybody else, because there's a world of brokenness inside of me. I'm. I'm whole and healed in the name of Jesus. And there's things that I will be working through my whole life that I have to bring to Jesus. And I. Repentance is such a huge part of our walks with Jesus. This. It's daily, sometimes moment by moment. Repentance of, like, man, I messed it up again. I thought the wrong thing, I reacted in the wrong way. I have to repent again, Lord. I turn from it. And that is one of our crosses to bear, that we don't just get to be comfortable in sin. We don't just get to be comfortable in dysfunction and wrong thought patterns. A major, major, major cross to bear that I think marks a believer is the cross of broken dreams and broken plans. And I think just as much as we have to die to sin, like, we have to die to any and every ideal that we have for our lives. And for me personally, this is the most hard part for me, again with the control. I am so arrogant to think that I know how things should go, that I know what it should look like, that I know the how, what the plan should be down to. Like, the exact. Like I. It is the greatest battle of my life to surrender plans and dreams and how I think things should look like. And so as a believer, guys, this is what is going to mark your life. This is how you know you're a true discipline disciple, where no matter what happens, you are like, this is clearly God. This is clearly where the Lord is calling me. This is clearly where he's calling me out of. This is clearly happening because he's orchestrated it. I will surrender to this reality, even if I hate it, even if I don't want it, because again, God is way more concerned with you looking like His Son than you having a good life truly like the Holy. I've said a million times and I'll never stop saying it, because the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Spirit, is to conform us into the image of His Son. All the fruit of the Spirit that we would. That our lives would testify by, the fruit that we exhibit. Love, peace, joy, Self control, gentleness, kindness, patience. If you're in a situation, this is even across to bear. If you're in a situation where you have asked God for healing. I think what is frustrating for me in my walk is, is I know that God is all knowing, all powerful, all seeing, all omniscient, omnipotent. All of the things he's. All of the things he can do. He literally spoke, he breathed life into Adam. He spoke the stars into existence. Like, he speaks things into existence like, nothing is off limits for him. Nothing is hard. Could he heal a little broken heart? Could he heal a little mental health?

Ange (62:08)

Could he heal somebody's child when you've been praying for them your whole life? Could he restore a marriage in a moment? Like, could he do all these things at the snap of his fingers? Yes. And that's a really frustrating reality when you're like, so then do it, please, Jesus, I've been asking for a long time, just do. I'm. I don't want this pain. I don't want this idolatry. I don't want this. All the things that I'm dealing with, I'm asking you to take it. And so then you find yourself being like, but he's not, he hasn't changed it. He hasn't taken away the pain he had. So what am I supposed to learn in this? What is he producing in me? Why is this now my cross to bear? And that's, that's, that's a cost that you have to count when you want to give your life to Jesus, that your life is no more in, in a generation and a culture where comfort is everything taking from me. Yeah, I want to be comfortable. I hate being in pain. I hate being stressed. I hate having a bad day. Like, if I could, I run away from pain. I avoid pain. I will do everything in my power to not even feel a negative emotion. And the call of God on my life is to face things head on and let God produce Jesus inside of me. And so if you're in a situation where you're praying and things haven't changed and like, you have to understand coming into this Christian walk that your life is no more about your comfort. It's no more about you being as happy and everything being as perfect as possible. God will send things into your life, circumstances, situations, shake things up, take things away, rock your world to produce and form Jesus within you, you. And that is, that is the count. When he says count the cost, that's the cost. It's not about everything. Being perfect. It's about looking more like Jesus. And another cost that you can count is the fact that your life is no longer your own. It's not just about sin. We could talk about sin all day. You guys know, you know, you know, you know, you know that the cross you have to bear is to crucify your flesh day by day. Lust, pride, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. Like the three main major sins that we find in Genesis 3. Like those. Yes, those are so important. But it's also like the smaller moments of, like, moment by moment. This is what I wanted. It's not what I'm getting. And I will surrender to that reality and I will accept it. And I will still rejoice and be glad in the day that God has given me. And I will still believe that God is faithful. And I will still believe that God is trustworthy and that He. He's good. Even when nothing in my life looks good, he's still good. That is also a cross to bear, the fact that you are called to believe that God is good. Even when things look bad.

Ange (66:53)

And it can be really discouraging, especially if, you know, sit. You're in a situation where it's been, like, a long standing. Like, it's long suffering you've been enduring for a long time, and there seems to be no movement. And I just. We don't want anybody to feel shame if they're not, like, where they need to be, if their heart's not completely on fire. If you're in a situation where your cross feels too heavy to bear, I want you to know the character of God. And this is an encouragement to myself, too, because guess what? No matter how religious and righteous and strong in my faith, I feel I have faced things where I'm like, I don't know if I'm gonna. Like, I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know what's gonna happen to me. I don't know what's gonna happen to my faith. When we say, may the Lord bless you and keep you, it's not only a blessing over you, it's a promise. God will keep you. You don't have to worry. The cross is not too heavy. He's gonna keep you, and he's gonna see you through. Your only job is to keep showing up and to keep coming back to the basics of reading the word, praying your heart out, praying in the spirit, meditating on God's goodness. Listen, worship out. The last few months of my life, I went through something a little bit difficult. And then the first couple months, I could not bring myself to worship. I could not bring myself to sing. And my thing with Jesus, like, my. Me and him, I. He always gives me a song to sing. I've talked about it before I wake up in the morning, before I even open my eyes. Usually I have, like, a song on my heart. Either a song that someone else wrote or a song that I've written in my heart. And I go. And I don't even play worship music, but I just sing and I sing. And there's a psalm that. A psalm that talks about, like, he's given me this new song to sing. And I am always like, oh, this, like, scripture truly has. It's just my thing with him. He always gives me a song to sing. It's the way that I enter into his presence the easiest. Not by, like, putting on a playlist, but I just. He loves my voice. He wants to hear my. My song that day. The first couple of. Couple of months, I could not sing. I could not worship. There was no song on My heart. I couldn't even bring myself to listen to worship in the car. Like, I don't know. I just could not worship. There was such a block. And it was one of the scariest things I've ever faced because I'm like, okay, so if I don't have this, what the heck do I have? What do I have? And a couple months ago, I just started worshiping again. And like that cliche thing that we say, that worship is your weapon, my heart began to sing again because. And my heart wasn't the first one I physically had to force myself to worship when I didn't want to in my heart and my soul and my spirit followed. And now I sing to Jesus every single morning. And like, literally this morning, in my. In the secret place, I was trying to get to the Word. I didn't have a lot of time. I couldn't stop singing. Singing. I was just singing over and over again, and I was like, I didn't. Every time I opened my eyes, I'd close them again because I'm like, no, no, I want to keep singing to him. It was beautiful. It was glorious. Only because I kept showing up did I get there. And so if you're in a situation where you feel like your heart is not on fire and the cost is too high, listen to me. If he has called you to it, which he has, he will see you through. The cross is not too heavy. It's not too heavy. And if it feels too heavy, you need to get some spiritual, mental mentors, some counselors, some people who are on fire for God to remind you who he is, that he will see you through it. He will. He will keep you. Me, you and Ari and all of us, Thomas, all of us. He will keep us.