EP 62: Marked by Fire: The Weight of Being a Living Sacrifice (Part 1)

Summary

Podcast Summary: EP 62 – Marked by Fire: The Weight of Being a Living Sacrifice (Part 1)

Podcast Information:

• Title: In Totality with Megan Ashley
• Host: Megan Ashley
• Episode: EP 62: Marked by Fire: The Weight of Being a Living Sacrifice (Part 1)
• Release Date: March 18, 2025

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1. Introduction

In Episode 62 of "In Totality with Megan Ashley," host Megan Ashley delves into the profound concept of living as a "living sacrifice." This episode, the first part of a two-part series, features a heartfelt and insightful conversation with Megan's twin brother, Preston Morrison. The discussion centers around what it truly means to dedicate one's life wholly to God, navigating the challenges that come with such devotion.

2. Defining a Living Sacrifice

Megan begins by posing fundamental questions to Preston: "What does it mean to live being a living sacrifice? What does that look like?" (00:56). Together, they explore the biblical foundation of this concept, referencing Romans 12 and emphasizing that being a living sacrifice is an ongoing, daily commitment rather than a one-time event.

Notable Quote:

"Any marriage that doesn't cost you your life isn't a marriage worth having." – Preston Morrison (07:29)

3. The Challenges of Living a Sacrificial Life

Preston highlights that embracing a life of sacrifice often leads to increased hardships rather than an easier path. He likens the Christian walk to marriage, asserting that "any marriage that is always easy is not a marriage worth having" (08:11). This analogy underscores the inherent difficulties and the deeper rewards that come from persevering through challenges.

Notable Quote:

"When you want to find your life, you have to lose it. You have to give it up." – Preston Morrison (09:25)

4. Consumerism in Christianity

The conversation shifts to the pervasive issue of consumerism within the Christian community. Preston warns against the "spirit of consumerism," which encourages believers to pick and choose spiritual practices that feel good rather than those that are truly transformative (08:34).

Notable Quote:

"Consumeristic Christianity is the spirit of consumerism." – Preston Morrison (08:50)

5. The Role of Community and Correction

Megan and Preston discuss the critical role of community in maintaining spiritual integrity. Preston emphasizes that having a supportive community helps believers recognize and overcome tendencies to numb their spiritual lives. He references Ecclesiastes 4, highlighting the importance of spiritual accountability and mutual correction.

Notable Quote:

"We need community in our lives who will help correct us in a godly way." – Preston Morrison (23:26)

6. Personal Stories and Experiences

Both Megan and Preston share personal anecdotes illustrating their struggles and triumphs in living as living sacrifices.

• Preston's Adoption Story: Preston recounts adopting their six-year-old son, describing it as the "hardest yes" he has ever made. This act of sacrifice has brought immense joy and spiritual growth, teaching him to embrace the simultaneous pain and beauty of surrendering to God's will (12:07).

• Megan's Battle with Emotional Pain: Megan opens up about her experience with a severe eye injury, drawing a parallel to her spiritual journey. She explains how enduring physical pain while witnessing her eye heal mirrors the spiritual process of embracing discomfort for greater healing (15:05). Additionally, Megan shares her struggle with bipolar depression, illustrating the challenges of self-awareness and the importance of community in recognizing and addressing spiritual numbness (26:35).

Notable Quote:

"Pain is a part of the process of healing." – Preston Morrison (17:00)

7. Importance of God's Word

The episode underscores the indispensable role of Scripture in guiding believers. Preston advocates for a deep and consistent engagement with the Bible, using Psalm 119 as a model for seeking divine guidance. He compares living without God's Word to navigating life blindfolded, emphasizing that Scripture provides clarity and direction in a fallen world.

Notable Quote:

"His word is a lamp for my feet. It shows me the way I am to go." – Preston Morrison (46:57)

Megan also shares her experience reading Leviticus, initially resistant but eventually understanding its relevance to living a sacrificial life. She highlights how even challenging books in the Bible hold essential truths for personal growth and commitment (51:35).

8. Conclusion and Next Steps

As the episode concludes, Megan and Preston encourage listeners to reflect on their own journeys of sacrifice and devotion. They emphasize the importance of embracing correction, engaging with the Bible, and fostering supportive communities to sustain a life wholly devoted to God.

Call to Action: Megan invites listeners to join her Patreon community, "The Village," for deeper engagement through book clubs, Bible studies, and access to exclusive content. She encourages sharing the episode with others who might benefit from its message.

Notable Quote:

"Jesus followers who are grounded in his word, who are looking more like Jesus than they did a year ago, who are being corrected by the Lord and others. That this is the result of a wise life." – Preston Morrison (44:39)

Key Takeaways:

• Living as a Living Sacrifice: An ongoing, daily commitment requiring continual surrender and obedience.
• Embracing Challenges: True devotion often leads to increased hardships, paralleling the commitments seen in marriage.
• Guarding Against Consumerism: Avoiding a selectivity in spiritual practices ensures deeper transformation.
• Importance of Community: Accountability and correction within a supportive community are vital for spiritual growth.
• Engagement with Scripture: Consistent and heartfelt interaction with the Bible is essential for guidance and direction.
• Personal Growth through Sacrifice: Embracing difficult decisions and experiences fosters a closer likeness to Christ.

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Next Episode Preview: Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Marked by Fire: The Weight of Being a Living Sacrifice," where Megan and Preston will continue exploring practical ways to embody a life of total devotion to God, overcoming obstacles, and deepening one's spiritual walk.

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For more insights and to join the community, visit getquip.com/in-totality and support the podcast on Patreon.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Megan Ashley]

Welcome back to another episode.

Listen, this week I have a special.

Guest and I'm just going to let.

You know now that it's going to be going to be a part one and two. There's so much good stuff in here. We are going to really dive into what the narrow way looks like. What does it mean to live being a living sacrifice? What does that look like? What does that mean, practically speaking? What does that look like? And so we're going to cover all that. I don't want to, I don't want to spoil who my guest is yet, but I want you to get ready for this episode. It's going to be so good to you. Thank you so much for joining and enjoy the conversation.

[Preston Morrison]

Foreign.

[Megan Ashley]

What'S up you guys?

Welcome back to In Totality. I am your host, Megan Ashley. Welcome to season two. I'm so excited to, yeah, to be back in the swing of things. I'm excited that you've joined me. If this is your first time, welcome. This podcast is completely dedicated to just giving everything to the Lord. What does that mean to give everything to Him? To give your life to him in totality. And so I just want to have conversations with you and conversations with my guests that are centered around that. What does it mean to be a serious Christian? What does it mean to give the Lord everything? And today I'm so excited because I have my twin here. I don't know if you guys knew I had a twin. I have a twin and he's here with me today. And I'm, I'm, I'm just pre warning you guys that this conversation is definitely going to bless you. Okay? So just go ahead, get your pencil, your pen, your notebook, get your note, your note app out because there's going to be Some one liners that are dropped that you're going to want to make sure that you catch. Um, so this is for you. But I'm telling you right now, selfishly, I. I brought him out here for me.

[Guest]

Okay?

[Megan Ashley]

I brought my twin out here for me. This is going to be. This is. This is going to bless me, and it's just as much as it's going to bless you. So, everyone, welcome back to the podcast. Preston Morrison.

[Preston Morrison]

It's great to be back. Always fun to get to sit with you.

[Megan Ashley]

I'm so happy that you're here. There's not a lot of people that I would want on this podcast, and there's definitely not a whole lot of people that I would see as a repeat, you know, guest. And you are like, if I could have you out here once a month, once a quarter, I would. I would have you on here all the time. But you have an amazing podcast called the Leader's Cut that if there's any podcast that I would recommend, it's like, that is still to this day my favorite podcast to listen to. So I'm happy you're here. How you been?

[Preston Morrison]

Good.

[Megan Ashley]

How's your. How's your new year?

[Preston Morrison]

It's been good. Can I just say, though, you have a whole vibe going right now as you kick off.

[Megan Ashley]

You like the new set.

[Preston Morrison]

You got a vibe, but here's. Here's the vibe. And I don't even know if you want me to start off here. You have the vibe of somebody who's living on the altar, man. Am I allowed to say that?

[Megan Ashley]

Go.

[Preston Morrison]

I'm like, seriously, the second I walked in and saw you, you have a whole vibe right now of somebody who. You didn't just randomly pick out a passage of scripture. It's obviously, it's obvious that the Lord handpicked the passage not just for the season of your life, but for the rest of your life. And it's, like, emanating from you. You are living on the altar. And you could probably describe it better, but it's awesome and excruciating at the same time.

[Megan Ashley]

And this is what I love about you, because you're the only person the consistency of me knowing you from the very first time that we've talked. Any time that I'm like, man, I'll, like, I'll talk to Preston, I'm like, man, like, God is really just, like, tearing me up right now. And he's, like, smiling. He's always laughing every time that I'm going through these, like, major surgeries with The Lord. But I. I think it's because you know what that's like.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

Because you live that and the fruit of it.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Anytime we see the Holy Spirit doing that ongoing work of sanctification, the nearer we draw to him, the more he works on us. And so, of course, I'm going to celebrate it because it's not the evidence of someone who needs a ton of correction. It's the evidence of someone who's being like Him. The Holy Spirit is making us more like Jesus. And that is awesome and excruciating because none of us are perfect. And so we need to live on the altar where the knife of heaven is always cutting on us.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

I am most concerned when I run with somebody who everything is awesome all the time. There's nothing difficult ever. There's nothing really corrective the Lord is doing. That scares me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because that. That is evidence of distance between man and God.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

How can two walk together unless they be in agreement? The closer we are to him, the more he wants us to look like him. And the more I realize I don't look like him.

[Megan Ashley]

Hello.

[Preston Morrison]

And that means I need a lot of surgery, a lot of supernatural surgery. And I've just learned to celebrate it. I want to look more like Jesus. And the more I do, the more anointed things are.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

When I think about the context of the culture, when it comes to Christianity, I think that. And this has been something I've been processing, I think that we think that the more that we walk with the Lord, the easier it's going to get. And like, I. I want to steward this well, because I know I have a lot of people who are returning back to the Lord in the. In the proper context.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

Because there's a lot of people who grew up in church but didn't have correct theology, didn't really. You know what I'm saying? And so they left, and now they're returning back. Right. And then we have people who watch who, you know, are coming to the Lord for the first time. Right. And so I want to steward this properly. And. And one of the biggest things that. I don't want to set up people for failure.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

I want to be honest.

[Preston Morrison]

Right. I love you too much to lie to you.

[Megan Ashley]

I don't want to lie. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't want to lie to you. I don't want to. I don't want. Set you up and make you think that, yes, give your life to the Lord. You're going to live A better life, but it doesn't mean you're going to live an easier life.

[Preston Morrison]

Correct. Correct.

[Megan Ashley]

And so how can we navigate? And you know why. Why is that misconception out there? Because there is a lot of Christian con content that I see that kind of fits that narrative of, like, oh, once you say yes to God, things are going to get better.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And they do. Right. But they get harder.

[Preston Morrison]

Absolutely. Here's. Let's liken it to marriage. You know, one of the questions that we get asked a lot is, what is God like? And the first answer I have to that question is, always pay attention to the way God describes himself. One of the ways Jesus described himself was as the bridegroom. So he uses the picture of marriage. And the church is the bride of Christ.

[Guest]

Right.

[Preston Morrison]

Okay. Here's what I would say. Let's liken it to human marriage. Any marriage that doesn't cost you your life isn't a marriage worth having.

[Guest]

Wow.

[Preston Morrison]

Okay. So some people just want the easy path. And I would say any marriage that is always easy is not a marriage worth having.

[Megan Ashley]

Right.

[Preston Morrison]

Because the gold is found in the depths of the cave that is most difficult to walk in. It's the same our walk with Jesus.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

I think, to answer your question, why? How did it get this way? It's because there's a war between the flesh and the spirit.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

My flesh. Paul said it phenomenally well. My flesh wants one thing.

[Guest]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Spirit wants another thing. And they're at war with one another. I end up doing the very thing I don't want to do.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

Romans 7.

[Preston Morrison]

Because there is a battle going on. The Bible talks about in the last days, itching ears will find teachers who tell them whatever they want to hear.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Consumeristic Christianity is. If I was the enemy, the fastest way to put the church to sleep is the spirit of consumerism.

[Guest]

Wow.

[Preston Morrison]

Get her to pick whatever she likes, and then she'll just be like a spiritual shopping mall. I'll just pick this. But I don't want this. I don't want sacrifice. I don't want time in the word. I don't want prayer. I just want to know Jesus. And I want my life to get better. It doesn't work like that.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Jesus said, if you want to find your life, you got to lose it. You got to give it up.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So I think it got here because we played to the flesh too much.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And I think what we're seeing in the church today is a beautiful return to obedient sacrifice. It's the Combination of obedience and sacrifice.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And every time we sacrifice, it's a sweet smelling aroma to the Lord. You go through the Old Testament, how many times he said that?

[Guest]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

So I just think you trying to tell people, hey, this, if, if you're, if you do it right.

[Megan Ashley]

Right.

[Preston Morrison]

Quote, unquote.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

It's not going to be easy.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

That's the same thing as me doing premarital counseling and saying, hey, listen to me, marriage is awesome, but it's designed to kill you. It's designed to kill you.

[Guest]

Yep.

[Megan Ashley]

And so that's what it's about.

[Preston Morrison]

You better know what you're getting into. Otherwise when it gets hard, you going to be tempted to bow out. So I think the clear a picture we paint to people and say, if you do it right.

[Guest]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

This is going to cost you everything.

[Megan Ashley]

And it's going to cost you everything every day.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

This isn't like this one time you come to the altar and you give everything one time. This is a daily.

[Preston Morrison]

Right. A living sacrifice. Literally a living, ongoing sacrifice.

[Megan Ashley]

And so tell me some practical ways that looks like, like, how can we determine, like, am I being a living sacrifice? How do I know? I'm actually.

[Preston Morrison]

It's a great question.

[Megan Ashley]

Living.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

Dead.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah. What percentage of your typical day do you get what you want? If my flesh. This is one of the things I've learned 33 years walking with Jesus, when my flesh gets what it wants, that is immediate evidence the spirit of God is not getting what he wants. So I have to check myself and go, okay, in this relationship, how often am I getting what I want? In this conversation, in my walk with the Lord, if I'm always getting what I want, I cannot make the case that the spirit of God is getting what he wants. So I think practically, if someone sets a goal every day, I'm gonna find the number one thing I least want to do today that the spirit of God most wants me to do today. And I'm gonna start my day by doing that one thing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

You know how the spirit of God rolls. He may say, I want you to send a text to the person you haven't forgiven for 15 years.

[Megan Ashley]

Hello.

[Preston Morrison]

But see, people, don't be messing with that.

[Megan Ashley]

Right. It's like, nah, I don't even want to hear that.

[Preston Morrison]

It's like, oh, tell me to write a check, Jesus. Like, I'll give an offering.

[Megan Ashley]

Right. Right.

[Preston Morrison]

Don't ask me to text the person I've forgiven for 15 years.

[Megan Ashley]

Right. Right.

[Preston Morrison]

But once we do the hardest things. So I'll give you an example for me. You know, we adopted our six year old son and it's the hardest yes. I've ever given to the Lord. Okay. And we've. He's been officially our son for eight months.

[Megan Ashley]

That's awesome.

[Preston Morrison]

And I, I said to the Lord a couple mornings ago, I'm realizing the most genius chess move you have ever made in my life was the adoption of a six year old boy. I, I've never experienced more of the pleasure of God and more of the death of my flesh at the same time. And I'm learning that my flesh has a smell when it dies. And it's not ugly.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

To the Lord. It's beautiful.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So I just, for me personally, I think the more we run towards the very things we least want to do.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

That we know the spirit of God most wants us to do.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

This is if, if, if I just said one thing. This is how you know you're a living sacrifice where you're consistently doing the very things your flesh least wants to do.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And those things don't always look like, like I think, we think. Oh, it's the reading my word and praying. That's a, that's a given. You need to do that every day.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

That's, that's being Christian. Right. That's knowing the Lord. That's intimacy. But it also, like you said, could be the, the, the, the text to someone that you need to forgive. It could be, you know, being hospitable. It could be serving somewhere. You know what I'm saying? It's, it's literally like you said, just praying and asking the Lord, like, what is it that you want me to do today?

[Preston Morrison]

It can be buying someone's groceries in the grocery store. It can be giving someone a prophetic word in aisle four.

[Megan Ashley]

Hel.

[Preston Morrison]

Are the if. When we open ourselves up to be used by the spirit of God, all bets are off.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And we need to be comfortable with being asked to do things we don't want to do. To do. Which we would never choose to do in our flesh.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

I ripped like a large part of my cornea and it was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life. But what was interesting to me, and I apply this to my spiritual walk with the Lord, is that when I went to the emergency room, you know, the eye doctor, he's just, he's an eye doctor, so he sees this all the time. He's could care less about how much pain I'm in.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

He's like I got to get in that eye. I got to see how bad it is, right? And so he. He. He puts. He, like, prize my. And I'm like, before he. As soon as he gets close to my eye, I'm like, trying to, like, get away from me because this hurts. Like, I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'm not ready, like. And he's like, you're never gonna be ready. You gotta let me get in that eye.

[Preston Morrison]

What a bar.

[Megan Ashley]

You know what I'm saying? You're just not gonna. It's gonna hurt. So you're gonna have to take a deep breath and let me get in that eye. And so I didn't have a choice, because if. If I want it to be fixed, I gotta know how bad it is. He has to know how bad it is so it can get fixed, right? So he prized this. He pries my eye open and I mean, the worst pain, right? He finally gets it open, he's looking in it, and he's shining lights in there. I mean, you talk about, never have I had pain like that shine. And he goes, oh, yeah, I can see where it ripped. Da, da, da, da, da. He's like, but I'm watching it heal, being healed right now. Your eye is healing itself right now. I'm watching it. So I was actively in pain and actively healing at the same time simultaneously. And I think that we have to be open to that type of process with the Lord. It's like, you're never gonna be ready to deal with some of the most painful things that happen in your life. You're never really gonna be ready for it. Cause it hurts. You don't wanna deal with the betrayal. You don't wanna deal with the trauma. You don't wanna deal with the. You don't wanna deal with that. It hurts. It's just. It sucks. And the Lord is like, you're never gonna be ready. But I, the great physician, I gotta get in there and to know that the Lord designed us in a way where we could actively be healing at the same time that we. And so doing things that are uncomfortable even in the. In the way of presenting yourself as a living sacrifice, you can be doing something that is so uncomfortable, it hurts, maybe. But at the same time, the Lord, in his kindness, is producing something so beautiful right in you at the same time. And I think for me, it's what's helped me not resist. Yeah, the work.

[Preston Morrison]

Pain. Increasing pain is temporary.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

When we are healing. But increasing pain is also our reality when we're not healing. So the. The pain increasing is over quickly when I'm being healed, but when I choose not to be healed and I hold on to the trauma, I hold on to the hurts, and I don't let the Lord heal it, my pain's gonna increase.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So the pain's gonna increase one way or the other.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

It's just one lasts a lot longer. So just give me the temporary increase of pain.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

That's what he was saying to you.

[Megan Ashley]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

This is going to hurt a little bit more for a second.

[Megan Ashley]

For a second.

[Preston Morrison]

I got to get in there just for a minute. But this is part of the healing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And then the pain. What happens once we're healed? The pain no longer exists.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

The enemy lies to us and says the thing which will hurt you the most is the divine act of healing. And he's not actually wrong. It's gonna hurt.

[Megan Ashley]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

The pain is a part of the process of healing.

[Megan Ashley]

Correct.

[Preston Morrison]

But here's what the enemy doesn't tell people. You're gonna. Your pain is gonna keep growing. If you don't get.

[Megan Ashley]

If you don't get healed, it's gonna get worse.

[Preston Morrison]

It's gonna get worse, and there's nothing you can do about it because pain increases apart from healing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And you want to know the interesting thing, too, about that situation is that they have what's called these, like, numbing drops that they put in your eye. And so it numbs the eye. And so all I wanted was for him to keep putting that stuff in my eye. I'm like, okay, put the stuff in my eye and do whatever you want because it's numbing it. I'm not in pain. He was like, this is only to help you for a second, because if I keep giving you this, it's going to burn your cornea. Like, it's actually bad for you.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

And this is the thing that we also have to learn in our spiritual growth. So great is that there are going to be these temporary things that for a moment, they'll numb it.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

But long term, it is going to destroy you. He said if I. If I gave you. Because I was like, give me these numbing drops, dude. I'm gonna go home.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

Until it's fixed.

[Preston Morrison]

This is my healing.

[Megan Ashley]

Hello. This is the healing. He's like, if you. He was like, you will literally go blind.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

If you keep putting these in your eyes. He's like, I've already even given you too much. You're just gonna have to endure. And I think that this is the thing we have to know about our spiritual growth, is that these temporary things, they might for a moment make us feel better, but you are going to have to just endure the hard stuff to get to the longevity of healing.

[Preston Morrison]

Think about this. Jesus turned down the numbing. Yeah, they, they gave him, they offered him wine with a mixture of things that was designed to help numb the pain of someone who was dying. Jesus turned it down. He did not receive any numbing. Why? Because he wanted to be able to say to Megan when she was experiencing for her the most excruciating pain emotionally, relationally, financially, spiritually, whatever area of her life in a particular season, he wanted to be able to look at Megan and say, I know how you feel. I learned obedience all the way to the point of death without numbing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

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[Preston Morrison]

And when we choose that path. Not to numb.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because there's so many things that we can numb in life.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Shopping.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Get online and getting that hit.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Anything that gives that dopamine hit, bro.

[Megan Ashley]

I do. I'd be in the middle of the night like, oh, bet.

[Preston Morrison]

Huh?

[Megan Ashley]

Nice sneakers.

[Preston Morrison]

Yep.

[Megan Ashley]

It's easy to fall into those.

[Preston Morrison]

Very easy to numb. Because we're not always aware when we're numbing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because we're numb.

[Megan Ashley]

Yes.

[Preston Morrison]

Think about it. If I numbed my arm and you came up and you hit me, I would be unaware if I didn't see it, because I can't feel it, Preston. I'm not even aware that I'm numb when I'm numb. This is why we need community in our lives.

[Megan Ashley]

Hello.

[Preston Morrison]

Who will help correct us in a godly way. This is what King David said. He. He had Nathan.

[Megan Ashley]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Nathan corrected him. We need people like that in our life to go, hey, you're. You're numb and numbing. Stop. Get out of that.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

You need to feel the weight of this. Because pain is a part of the process.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

To healing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

I mean, I want to talk about that, because there was. There was a time recently I was in a space. I don't even know. I didn't even think it was, like, a bad space. I was just in a space. And so my mom calls me one night, and I'm working on something for Patreon, and my mom calls me, and I'm like, oh, yeah, you know, today was cool. Da, da, da, da, da, whatever. Just kind of going through the motions usually, man. You know, I talk to my mom every day, and we usually have long conversations about things of the Lord and what God said that day or, you know, she's literally My best friend. So we talk all the time. But that night, I was just like, yeah, okay.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

You know, we got off the phone the next day, she called me, and I can always kind of hear when, like, God is speaking to my mom because there's, like, a very sharp directness with her. And I was like, you know, I could already tell him, like, oh, Lord. And so she's like, you know something. I knew something was going on with you. And I was like, nothing's going on. I'm fine. I'm just chilling. Like, I'm. I'm fine. And so she starts, I mean, laying into me what the Lord was showing her and what. I mean, going in, and it didn't do anything but piss me off. I'm not gonna hold you. It made me so mad. I start crying because I am so mad at her. Like, leave me alone. I'm not doing anything. She was like, I knew something was going on with you the other night. I'm like, nothing was going on. I just was tired, and I just didn't have anything else to say. I'm so mad at her. And then it turns into me being really mad at God because I'm like, what? What? What? Why are you picking on me? You're picking on me. I'm not. But what. What I had realized is, is that I was numb for, like, two weeks. I didn't even know the space I was in because I had numbed myself. Like, literally. I. I had to ask Jordan. I'm like. She was like, yeah, I thought something was going on. I had just been in my room. I didn't even realize that it was something happening to me. And the Lord was like, you have to be vigilant. You. You stepped off your post, right? You got comfortable. And then I couldn't even tell that something was wrong with me. And then got offended when the community that the Lord gave me. Right.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

Was like, yeah, you. You've been a little off. Something's going on.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

I think that I. I don't want to make. I don't want to put people in a fear place where it's like, oh, if I don't pray seven times a day, I'm going to get in. But it is something about being vigilant because you Sometimes you don't know. Like, I just did not know, right, that something was going on. Like, how can we be mindful of that? Because the enemy is so tricky. If I would have stayed, if my mom didn't interrupt me, I could have easily went into A depression. Just not even aware.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

That I was in that space.

[Preston Morrison]

A couple things come to mind. First, the. The very simple yet supernaturally powerful words Jesus gave to the three. Just before he has this incredibly holy moment on the mount of Transfiguration, he says, keep watch and pray. He says this in the Garden of Gethsemane, keep watch and pray. This word right here is a word, keep watch and pray. So my mind goes there. But how do we keep watch? Okay. So we know how to pray. Matthew 6, Jesus points it out. We see in Scripture, we're taught how to pray, but how do we keep watch? Here's the thing. Ecclesiastes 4 actually teaches us how to keep watch. It's back to back with others. Here's the thing. I have 180 degrees, maybe, let's say 200 degrees of sight. Like this. There's 160 degrees that I can't see. We call it a blind spot. Ecclesiastes 4 says, One alone is easy to overpower, but two. And I love. Depending on what translation, but the NLT says back to back, which I love that picture because it means a community of people who can see my blind spots.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So that when I am numbing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And I'm not even aware that I'm numb, they can see what I can't see.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

And this is why we get frustrated when they point it out to us, because we, we take offense and go, I should have seen.

[Megan Ashley]

I should have saw that.

[Preston Morrison]

I should have known.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Then we feel like we're out of touch with ourselves. And it's really just. We all have blind spots.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And we've got to keep the door of community open.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because the easiest way. What did Jesus say? The easiest sheep to take advantage of is the one who wanders away from community.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

The one who isolates up in their room.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Who.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Does not allow biblical community to help at times, correct them.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

We need it.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

Because you're not always right and neither am I. Yeah. None of us are always right. So we're going to need godly, trusted people around us from time to time to go, hey, come on.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

You know, you're doing it again.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And I. At first I'm mad and then I go. And the more mature we get, the, the less period of time we're upset.

[Megan Ashley]

With them for sure.

[Preston Morrison]

You look at King David, Nathan says to him, hey, I know I told you, you're the one to build the temple. I went home last night. The spirit of God Spoke to me and said, I didn't tell you to say that. Go back and tell David he's not my guy. Nathan goes back, tells David, and how does David respond? This was the one thing he wanted to do in the world to build the temple for God. And God tells him no. What does he do? He worships this. This is how we know we're maturing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

In him.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

When someone corrects us and we don't. We don't get catty about it.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

For very long. We definitely don't linger in it. You know, we don't shut them off.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

You know, just get out of here for a week. I'm not gonna. I'm gonna ghost you.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

No God. Strategically put. There's nothing like a praying and prophetic mama.

[Guest]

Okay.

[Preston Morrison]

But there are two sides to that coin for sure. Because it's an asset and then sometimes it's an annoyance for sure. For my flesh.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

We had to have a whole conversation because the next day, you know, I was. I was so mad at her. I was just like. And I. And not even for the next day. It took me a minute. I'm not even gonna. I'm gon completely transparent. It took me some days.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

All right, you guys, listen. This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc. When was the last time you needed to go to the doctor but you push it off? Maybe an excuse of I'm just too busy to schedule an appointment. I don't know what doctor to go to. Or because you felt you needed more information on what the experience at that certain doctor's office was like before booking an appointment. I think we've all been there. I certainly have. Booking a doctor's appointment can just feel like a task, especially if you're always on the go like me. But thanks to zocdoc, there's no longer any reason to delay. They make it easy to find and book a doctor who's right for you. Have you ever woken up with a swollen, itchy eye, a scary looking rash, or a persistent cold that won't go away and immediately googled or searched on Tick Tock to see what was wrong? We've all probably gone down the rabbit hole before, but it's time to get the help and care you really need with ZocDoc. ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in network doctors and click to instantly book an appointment. We're talking about booking in network appointments with more than a hundred thousand doctors across Every specialty from mental health, dental health, primary care to urgent care and more. You can filter for. Doctors who take your insurance, are located nearby, are a good fit for any medical need you may have, have, and are highly rated by verified patients. Once you find the right doctor, you can see their actual appointment openings. Choose a time slot that works best for you. Click and instantly book a visit. Appointments made through ZOCDOC can happen fast. Typically between 24 and 72 hours of booking. You can even score same day appointments. If for any reason I need to change doctors in the future or find a specialist for something for myself or my kids, ZOC Doc is what I'd use. Stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to zocdoc.com totality and find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's z o c doc.com totality zocdoc.com totality that's t o T A L I T Y All right guys, back.

To the show to like get out of my feelings about it.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And she was like, she didn't push. She knew because she knows her child. She knew. So she didn't, she didn't like try to call me or. She just kept sending me every day. She would send me scripture, she would send me an encouraging text, you know, the Lord loves you, I love you. She would, you know, she would send certain scriptures, whatever. And then when I find like. Because the Lord was like, enough is enough, you know what we're not gonna do is you're not gonna stay in that. So I called her and we, and we talked, we talked through it all and she was just like, you know, I, I'm not telling you, I didn't tell you any of this to put you in fear because it put, it provoked a fear in me because I'm like, the enemy's always after, like, is something about to happen? Because she was like, Megan, you. Her word to me was that you, you, you need to develop strategies. Like you need to pray and ask the Lord for strategies to deal with your, with your mood. Yeah, because I have a, I have a chemical imbalance. I was diagnosed with bipolar depression back in 2019. And so I am extremely moody. I go here and then I'm here and it can drastically change. And it has been a thorn in my flesh my most of my life. It has cost me, it's cost me relationships, it's cost me lots of things. And it's something that I hate about myself. I hate. I cannot. It's the one thing that I hate about myself. And so when she told, when she was, you know, giving me wisdom, she was like, you're gonna need to pray. She was like, because where the Lord is taking you, like demons are going to be coming out. Like there's gonna be some, some heavy spiritual warfare and if you don't deal with it, you're. She was like, I don't want it to affect your witness. She was like, it's going to hinder your witness if you don't learn how to have strategies with this. So I am just pissed because I have been for the last two weeks not bothering nobody. I've been in my room. But in that I was isolating. I was, you know what I'm saying, numbing or whatever. And so we, we talked through that and I was so grateful, you know, to have like you said, a mom that hears from the Lord. To have community that loves you enough to tell you the truth.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And I think that we live in a culture today and I, and I'm guilty of it because again, pride. I don't want to hear bad stuff about myself. I don't want to hear it. I know it's helpful. I don't want to hear it all the time. And so I think we live also in a culture where we're. So, we just want to hear the good things about ourselves. We don't want people in our lives to tell us.

[Preston Morrison]

Why do you think that is?

[Megan Ashley]

I don't know. I, I feel like I hear it all the time just in culture. Like, you know. Yeah, you're, you're, you're that guy, you're that girl, you're. You know what I mean? Like you're just puffing ourselves up. And I don't. And, and the second someone is in your life that says something that you, that's hard, you excommunicate. You know what I mean? The second that I have to self sacrifice for a relationship, it's, that's too much for me. You know what I mean? It's just, it, I don't, I think we just live in such a selfish, self centered culture and I think that it hinders our spiritual life.

[Preston Morrison]

Absolutely. What I would say because I used to live that way where I couldn't handle the correction of the Lord. I couldn't handle him being honest.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

With me. And, and here's what I've learned. I never slept well back then because I was trying to prop up this image of me that was trying to border on perfectionism.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

And always being that guy.

[Megan Ashley]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

I never slept well. Because it was a house of cards.

[Guest]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

At 46, I am actually now most comfortable when God is being most honest with me about me. I, I sleep better.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because I know me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And I know my worst sides.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So when he real time corrects me and says, hey, you know, that's not the way I wanted you to say it to her. Don't, Preston. I love it. I, I, I used to hate it.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because I was trying to build this house of cards where no one would see any of that stuff.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Now this. He knew all of this before he loved me.

[Megan Ashley]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

He, he loved me first. He knew all the worst sides of me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And yet he still loved me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And loves me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So I think when we embrace and get really comfortable and settle into correction is what God does with those he loves. Correction isn't a spanking. It's a healing. It's not the infliction of pain.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

It's actually the activity of healing.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And it's always going to involve hearing the truth about me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

But listen, the number one person I want to hear the truth about me is from the one who created me.

[Megan Ashley]

Hello.

[Preston Morrison]

Because I'm not going to get his opinion. I'm going to get the truth with just about anybody else. At times, it's going to run through their filter. But with the Lord, tell me the truth about me. I don't want to live a lie, and I don't want to live in a lie, because I tried that. I was an absolute liar in my teens and early twenties. It was exhausting. So I just want to live in the truth. And now I find myself. Back then, pride was my number one struggle. Because when, when you're willing to live a lie, pride is, it's your go to for sure. Now I find myself humiliating myself in public all the time because it's just me going, hey, you should know the truth.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And it's not like this. I'm beating myself up. It's just going, I'm a sinner in need of a savior.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And I am endeavoring to look more like Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. And from time to time, I'm going to stumble.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

He's going to catch me every time.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And so I, I think, though, when we settle into. He's not, he's not yelling at me.

[Guest]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

He is loving on me.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

I, I, I, I felt the Lord kind of correct me. And I shared this with my Patreon community when I read The Lord disciplines the ones he loves. The Lord kept bringing that scripture up to me, and he was like, you always, you, You. You skip kind of over that discipline, and you. You replace it with punishment. You think that I'm punishing you.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And I'm not punishing you. And he's had to. He's had to by his grace and has kind of show me that through parenting a teenager. Now I get it more than I ever have before. I've gotten it back more now because there have been things that I've had to take away in certain disciplines and certain things that structures and, you know, boundaries that I've had to place. And because I love my kids so much, I'm like, I need you to know that I. It's because I love you. And the Lord is like, yeah, you don't say, it's because I love you. I'm not trying. I'm not. I'm not punishing you. I just. I want you to look like my son.

[Preston Morrison]

Yep.

[Megan Ashley]

And so I'll do whatever I have to do. I'll take whatever I have to take away. I'll put. I'll, you know, I'll say no to whatever I have to say. No, I'll correct. I'll point out. I'll do whatever. Because the goal is holiness.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

That's what he's after. He's after holiness. He's not after, you know, us to feel good all the time. He's so after the holiness. And for us to be holy as he says, be holy as I am holy. And, like, we'll say that and we'll read it, but not really want to accept the process of that. And in, you know, sharing, like, I think a helpful tool. And you can give me any additional tools that would be helpful of knowing where and who to receive correction from, because that can be hard too, sometimes, because there are going to be people not sent by God that just want to point out every little thing wrong in you and hold you to the worst parts of yourself, hold you to the worst moments of yourself, the worst seasons of your life. And then there are those who God sends and that point out maybe some hard stuff. You know, I have people in my life that point out hard things about me. And as much as it doesn't feel good all the time, it's. It's helpful and needed. So what are some ways that we can discern the two?

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah. Jesus said wisdom is shown to be right by its children, depending on what translation you read or by its results. So first I look for a spirit of wisdom in someone that did not come cheaply. That's one of the first things. The second thing, I don't ever receive correction from someone who does not receive correction. So going back to the person you painted that picture, those type of people spend all of their time correcting others because it's the way they occupy their time not to receive correction themselves.

[Megan Ashley]

Hello.

[Preston Morrison]

So I. I shut the door to people who try to correct me but are walking and have been walking in the complete wrong direction for a long time. Don't. What did Jesus say? Stop going at somebody for a spec when you got a plank. If someone doesn't receive correction, they shouldn't give it because they will weaponize correction, and that's not safe. I can't grow in an unsafe relationship. I cannot. I can be in an unsafe relationship, but I cannot grow. That's because I. In an unsafe relationship. You're protecting.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

In a safe relationship, all your. Your walls are down. And now I don't use any energy to play defense. I can go on the offensive.

[Megan Ashley]

That's good.

[Preston Morrison]

I can grow. So someone who doesn't receive correction should never be allowed to correct you.

[Megan Ashley]

That's good.

[Preston Morrison]

I think sometimes it's someone who's in authority, you know, and they'll just say, well, I'm an authority, and so I have the right to correct you. I. I don't know if. If this is a safe relationship, then. Yes. In my job. Can you, with your authority, correct me? Yes. But we're not talking about that. We're talking about in life.

[Megan Ashley]

Life.

[Guest]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Can you. Do I give you permission to correct me?

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

David was the king. He didn't give everybody the ability to correct him, but he was a man open to correction.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And we see it going back to Nathan. Nathan was as direct some of the most scathing words in the Bible, for sure. You are that man.

[Megan Ashley]

You're that guy.

[Preston Morrison]

You are that man.

[Megan Ashley]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

This is scathing correction. And it led to conviction.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And confession.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So I. I just don't think it's healthy to say, well, you know, Megan said I need to be open to correction. That doesn't mean to everyone.

[Megan Ashley]

Correct.

[Preston Morrison]

That means to trusted.

[Megan Ashley]

Yes.

[Preston Morrison]

Jesus followers who are grounded in his word, who are looking more like Jesus than they did a year ago, who are being corrected by the Lord and others. That this is the. The results.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Of a wise life.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Those kind of people.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

I'll leave the door open to correct me anytime, all the time.

[Megan Ashley]

And I think it's what you like. What you said really, really has helped me. Is. Does that sound like God? Does that sound like what he would say?

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And if you don't know his Word, you're going to be so unaware.

[Preston Morrison]

You'll just.

[Megan Ashley]

You'll just accept whatever anyone says, not knowing how he speaks. And I want to know your thoughts on this, because I'm interested. Because I know you love God's Word. I know you do. You just said you. You read through it how many times a year?

[Preston Morrison]

So I'm trying this, this year to read through it six times.

[Megan Ashley]

You know, I ain't read like Preston. I've never read through the Bible once through all. Like, all the way through, and you're going six times.

[Preston Morrison]

But it's. I don't do it every year. Sometimes I go slow, and sometimes I just literally engorge myself.

[Megan Ashley]

So you the Word. So I know you love God's Word. I know it. I know the value that you place on his Word. Why is it so important to know his Word yourself? And why is it necessary? Because we live in a generation of very illiterate Christians. Why is that happening? And why is it so important that we, like, we slice through that noise and be like, no, no, no, you gotta read this word.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah. Well, I mean, the most biblical answer I can give you to that question is just go read Psalm 119 that this is. It's the longest chapter. Just go read it. Yeah, but I'll give you an example. Lord, your word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path. Here's what it means. In a dark world, in a darkened, fallen world filled with sin and sinners, I am incapable of knowing the path for my life apart from the flashlight of God's Word. So it's literally. I don't know if you ever, when you were a kid, played pin and tail on the donkey and you get blindfolded. Imagine living your life blindfolded.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

And having to grope and grasp just to find your way, never knowing if you're headed in the right direction.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Because you can't see.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

That's what the spiritual life is like. Apart from God's Word.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

His word is a lamp for my feet. It shows me the way I am to go. This is the way Scripture describes the Spirit of God. Oftentimes the spirit of God uses the word of God to direct the children of God. How does the Old Testament describe it? There will be a voice behind you saying which direction you should go, whether to the left or to the right. It's the, the spirit of God.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Often using the word of God. So I, I, I think a believer who isn't in love with God's word is like a parent who never visits their child.

[Megan Ashley]

Gees.

[Preston Morrison]

I can have a child legally somewhere in the world.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

But I don't have relationship if I never visit.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

In the same way I can say I'm a follower of Jesus, but if I'm disconnected from His Word, I'm flying blind. I can say it in name, but if I'm not in his word, and I'm not trying to make it sound like, you know, you got to be reading. You know, I read through this first lap. I think I got done in five weeks. So you got to read.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

I mean, do the math.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

You know, you got to read about 40 chapters a day to, to do that. I'm not telling people.

[Megan Ashley]

Right. That they have to do that to.

[Preston Morrison]

You know, walk according to the word. You got to reef. No, no, no. Sometimes it can be four verses, and the fourth verse, the spirit of God just levels you and you meditate on that one verse for the rest of the day.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

This is what living according to God's word looks like. It doesn't have to be chapter and chapter and chapter and chapter. It can just be a verse. And you meditate on it all day long and you live according to it. Today, tomorrow.

[Guest]

Yep.

[Preston Morrison]

And every day thereafter.

[Guest]

Yeah, it's.

[Megan Ashley]

I was, I was challenged to read Leviticus. And I was like, so annoyed about that. Cause I was like, this is like, who reads Leviticus? Who cares? Like, not who cares, but, you know, like, Leviticus is the hardest, one of the hardest chapter books to read because it's just the sacrifice with the wrong perspective. It is with the wrong perspective for sure. So I'm reading, I'm reading it and I'm like, all right. I get to the end of it, I'm like, okay, great. Nothing I didn't feel like. I'm like, okay, yeah, like, this is God's word. It's true. And, and I did pray before. I'm like, you know, I don't have a whole lot of expectations, Lord, because I know this is just like the law. So I know kind of what this, what this book is about. But whatever you want to show me, show me. So I go over to Romans, and I told you, I'm in Romans 12, living sacrifice. Right. And so I'm reading commentaries, all the things. And Paul uses living sacrifice to point to the Levitical Law. And so the Lord was like, you remember in Leviticus? And I was like, yeah, okay. He was like, what would happen when someone couldn't afford a certain sacrifice? When they couldn't afford a certain animal? I was like, well, you would tell them to get, like, a bird or something. And he was like, and then what would happen if they couldn't afford a bird? And I was like, we would tell them to get some, like, flour or something. And he was like, what am I saying? I was like, oh, you're always sacrificing something. There's always going to be a sacrifice, no matter what. And he was like, this is the Christian life. That's why I wanted you to read Leviticus. And so even in the books that you don't think are gonna be relevant to your life or. Okay, like, I'm not sacrificing bulls and donkeys, and I'm not doing that. It's not about that. I had read that probably two months before the Lord even showed me. Pointed me back to that.

[Preston Morrison]

Yeah, that's great.

[Megan Ashley]

He had. I'm thinking, like, I just want to get to Romans. He's like, no, go read. Go read Leviticus. And then brought it back to me. Like, you're always going. I'm always going to make a way for you to sacrifice something. It doesn't matter what it is. And so I think that's the beauty of reading God's Word and not getting caught up in what book it is or what you.

[Guest]

What.

[Megan Ashley]

What you want to read. Like, I just want to read Proverbs, you know, I just want to read Luke. I just want to read, you know, Ephesians. But it's like, wherever. Like, all of God's word is God breathe.

[Preston Morrison]

Yep.

[Megan Ashley]

All of it. It's all good. And I just think it was encouraging to me that the Lord had brought back the import, like, the importance of what he showed me in Leviticus. Two months afterwards, I just thought that was beautiful.

[Preston Morrison]

Trying to find a specific verse. I think it's someone 19. I think it's like, verse. Yeah, 18. Okay. Open my eyes. This is the new King James. Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from your law. Okay. This is when I go in to read God's word. This is a prayer that I will typically pray.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Spirit of God, give me eyes to see the wondrous things found in the word of God.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

So let's go back to Leviticus for a second. Okay. So gangster picture this. The. The life of a Christ follower is one Filled with sacrifice. Gorgeous picture that most people wouldn't see. Found in the book of Leviticus. I'll give you another one. Remember how in the New Testament the Bible talks about Jesus as our high priest in the line in the order of Melchizedek? You go back to the Old Testament, Melchizedek. The first tithe that was ever returned to the Lord came long before it was part of the law. Okay. Melchizedek was a king and a priest. Jesus in the New Testament is described as our high priest in the line of Melchizedek, who's a king and priest. I won't camp here, but what does it mean that Jesus is both our king of kings and our high priest? Think about it. A king has a kingdom, right? Filled with people. But the high priest was over the priests, not the people over the priests. So what does it mean? That Jesus is the king of a kingdom and his high priest. His kingdom is filled with nothing but priests. So now go back to Leviticus. Why is Leviticus such a big deal for every believer? One of the things I believe God is showing all of us is how sacred it is to be trusted by our high priest to be a priest in his kingdom. Every child of God is a priest in Jesus kingdom of priests.

[Guest]

That's good.

[Preston Morrison]

So when we read Leviticus, what is he saying to you? Megan, I never want you to forget every time I use you as one of my priests at the conference, you are priesting. I never want you to forget how sacred a work it is.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

You read through and you're like, man, they're serious in that temple. This is serious.

[Megan Ashley]

You've been killed for this stuff in the detail.

[Preston Morrison]

So detail. Every curtain, every color, every. The anointing oil. Go back and look at the recipe for the anointing oil.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

It is so precisely exact.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Everything matters to God.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Everything has a purpose. But Leviticus helps us all to understand the sacredness of our role as an under shepherd, a priest. I'm not talking about vocational pastors.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Preston Morrison]

Every child of God is a minister of God. It's a kingdom of priests.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Megan Ashley]

And it makes you. It makes you. Like you said, it makes you feel or recognize how serious he takes it.

[Preston Morrison]

This is how we don't get disconnected, man, from the severity, the seriousness of the call of being a Christ follower.

[Megan Ashley]

Can we just. Can we camp here for a second? Because I live in this space to the point where it's like, lord, I want to take it more serious without being legalistic. You know what I Mean, I don't want to, I don't want to give off that impression. I don't want to give that. But I wanted, like in reading Leviticus, that was another thing that was really like evident to me was how serious this was. Like, this was not a joke.

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

It's gotta be a joke.

[Preston Morrison]

If they did it wrong, they died.

[Megan Ashley]

I mean, goodness. And so how can we live in this culture and take our faith serious without being legalistic and. Or without caring if people see it as legalism?

[Preston Morrison]

Right.

[Megan Ashley]

Because there are the, there is that for sure that words like, oh, that's too da da da. But like, why is it so important to take our faith serious? And how can we take it serious? Yeah, listen, I know, I know the conversation, I know it's getting good. We're gonna, we're gonna pause. We're not gonna stop. We're gonna pause. I want you to kind of take in all of what we've talked about so far. And then I want you to join us back next week as we conclude the conversation. I know it's good. I know you probably don't wanna wait, but there's been so much meat in that. Just take it all in, process it, Go with, go to the Lord and, and process it with him, process it with a friend. And then come back next week as we conclude the conversation with Preston Morrison. See you guys then.

What's up, you guys?

It's Megan.

Ashley. I'm so happy that you joined me on this week of In Totality. I hope this episode was good to you.

Good for you. I hope God met you right where.

You are as you are. Listen, do me a favor before you.

Leave, subscribe to this channel and then go.

Subscribe to wherever you listen to your podcast.

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You, even something that might have cut.

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