How to Find Peace When Life Feels Heavy

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt" – Episode: "How to Find Peace When Life Feels Heavy"

Introduction: Embracing Vulnerability and Community In this heartfelt episode of Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt, host Madison joins her husband, Grant, to delve deeply into the challenges of finding peace amidst life's overwhelming burdens. Opening with a candid update about their recent life transitions—moving into a new apartment and preparing for a new addition to their family—the couple sets a sincere and relatable tone. Madison emphasizes the podcast's commitment to creating a safe space for listeners to laugh, cry, and grow together. Grant adds, “[01:34] B: …someone... Maddie's podcast has impacted me and my boyfriend so much,” highlighting the meaningful impact their work has on their audience.

Personal Struggles: Navigating Life’s Heavy Moments The episode quickly transitions to the hosts sharing their personal struggles, making the discussion profoundly authentic. Madison reveals her current state: “[04:20] A: …feeling really weighed down, feeling overwhelmed, feeling stressed,” as she describes the myriad of challenges she faces, including health concerns, finding a healthcare provider, establishing a local support system, and relational tensions. Grant supports her by acknowledging their mutual feelings of anxiety and sadness, stating, “[05:10] B: Anxious, low, discouraged, Sad.”

The Power of Faith and Biblical Truth Central to the conversation is the role of faith in overcoming adversity. Madison passionately affirms, “[03:57] A: …the truth will set you free,” underscoring the foundation of their podcast on biblical truth. Both hosts discuss how Scripture provides a steadfast anchor in tumultuous times. Grant recounts a poignant moment when a listener approached him, moved by the authenticity of their message: “[02:42] B: …your faithfulness, I know it comes at a cost. It is being used to bear fruit in people's lives. That's real.”

Eternal Perspective: Beyond Temporal Struggles A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to fostering an eternal perspective. Grant introduces the concept by referencing Isaiah 40:30-31: “[14:41] B: …feel like you have no control, my God is in full control.” This perspective encourages listeners to view their current struggles within the broader context of eternity, reminding them that temporary hardships pale in comparison to eternal glory. Madison echoes this sentiment, “[15:49] A: …heaven is my home. My hope is in Jesus. My hope is in eternity,” emphasizing that true peace comes from trusting in God’s everlasting plan.

Practical Tools for Peace: Prayer, Scripture, and Community Madison and Grant offer actionable advice for finding peace, focusing on prayer, meditation on Scripture, and leaning on a supportive community. Madison shares her practice of using a scripture-based meditation app to center herself: “[22:36] A: …deep breaths and I'm meditating on God's truth and God's word.” Grant encourages listeners to actively engage with the Bible by visualizing its stories as real-life scenarios, enhancing their understanding and connection: “[25:24] B: …Jesus is just saying, you can come and lay next to me on this boat.”

Engaging with Current Events: Faith and Responsibility Addressing the political climate, Madison and Grant stress the importance of Christians participating in elections to influence policy in alignment with biblical principles. Grant fervently states, “[57:00] B: …we have the ability to fight not for someone that we Necessarily like… we need to vote.” They advocate for voting based on policy alignment rather than personal preference, urging listeners to consider the broader impact of their civic participation: “[58:26] A: …your voice does matter. And, it is your role and responsibility as a Christian and as a believer to fight for what's right.”

Scriptural Insights: Lessons from Biblical Stories The hosts delve into specific biblical passages to illustrate how faith can provide peace during storms. Madison discusses Matthew 8, where Jesus calms the storm, drawing parallels to personal and societal upheavals: “[20:04] B: …Jesus was asleep on a pillow in this little boat… He rebukes the winds and the waves.” Grant highlights the importance of standing firm in faith, referencing Second Chronicles 20:12: “[48:03] A: …I have no power on my own, but my eyes are on you.” These scriptures serve as pillars of strength, reminding listeners of God’s sovereignty and presence.

Guided Meditation and Prayer: Finding Rest in God The episode concludes with a powerful guided meditation and prayer, reinforcing the episode’s themes. Madison leads with Psalm 23, offering a moment of reflection and peace: “[64:22] A: …He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul.” Grant narrates the calming of the storm, inviting listeners to visualize being in the boat with Jesus and to surrender their fears: “[65:53] B: …we declare that we, even though we're in a storm, we choose to rest with you. And we know you're in total control.”

Closing Remarks: Encouragement and Community Support In their final words, Madison and Grant reaffirm their commitment to their listeners, offering unwavering support and love: “[72:56] A: …when life feels heavy and when life feels hard, there's a God who is on your side… We are for you. We love you.” They encourage listeners to share the episode with others who might need its message, emphasizing the communal aspect of their journey towards peace and truth.

Notable Quotes:

• “[03:57] A: …the truth will set you free.”
• “[14:41] B: …feel like you have no control, my God is in full control.”
• “[25:24] B: …Jesus is just saying, you can come and lay next to me on this boat.”
• “[48:03] A: …I have no power on my own, but my eyes are on you.”
• “[57:00] B: …we have the ability to fight not for someone that we Necessarily like… we need to vote.”
• “[65:53] B: …we declare that we, even though we're in a storm, we choose to rest with you. And we know you're in total control.”

Conclusion: Embracing Peace Through Faith This episode of Stay True masterfully intertwines personal anecdotes with profound biblical teachings, offering listeners both comfort and practical strategies for finding peace when life feels heavy. Through honest vulnerability, scriptural insights, and a call to active faith, Madison and Grant provide a roadmap for navigating personal and societal storms with unwavering trust in God’s enduring truth.

Transcript

[A]

What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I am your host, Madison Pruitt Trout, and I'm here with my handsome hubby, Grant. Feels good to have you back on the pod.

[B]

We. It feels like a long time.

[A]

It feels like it's been a minute.

[B]

I've been gone for a minute.

[A]

Well, the last one we did was also in this apartment and moved. We had just moved and there were boxes everywhere.

[B]

So look. Look at us now. Couch.

[A]

No, we're not going to lie to you.

[B]

We threw the lamps up. They're sitting on a box.

[A]

It's not right. Bus. If you guys are watching right now, the one that's beside Grant's head, it's.

[B]

On a printer, I think in a box.

[A]

Printer. Box. I literally just did it for the video. Just.

[B]

This is not our typical background. It's a blank wall.

[A]

It was a blank wall.

[B]

And so we moved a plant. Maddie put the plant there.

[A]

I'm trying to be aesthetic.

[B]

Guys, I will say this. Look at our pumpkin. Look at our pillows.

[A]

We do have a very pumpkin filled apartment right now.

[B]

Heels fall in this room, you guys.

[A]

Not because there are pumpkins behind the camera sitting on the TV and some candles. And it feels very fall.

[B]

It does, it does.

[A]

We. You just weren't seeing it in the video, so we had to. We had to set up some something.

[B]

Anyways, it's so good to be here.

[A]

So I'm glad you're back.

[B]

Hey, I've just missed the. The squad. I've missed the squad.

[A]

I'll say that.

[B]

The true crew. I've missed you guys. And I, you know what's so cool was like, I was telling you yesterday that someone. I was sitting at a coffee and I was doing quiet time. Whatever. A girl comes up and she was like, hey, can I. Can I say something real quick? And she sits down and I was like, yeah, absolutely. But immediately she. Her eyes start watering and she starts tearing up and she's just like, Maddie's podcast has impacted me and my boyfriend so much. And I'm sitting there in this coffee shop and this girl is just like crying at this table. And that's not lost on us like that. That is not just another like, oh, I'm sure. I'm sure you guys hear that all the time. It's not. That's real. And we're so thankful. And Maddie, I just want to once again say how proud I am of you for how faithful and obedient you've been to do this podcast, because people are Being changed by it and your faithfulness, I know it comes at a cost. Is being used to bear fruit in people's lives. That's real.

[A]

Well, thank you for saying that, and praise Jesus. It's been really cool to see, like, going from coming off the Bachelor and so many people being like, I watched you on the Bachelor.

[B]

Are you Maddie from the Bachelor?

[A]

Are you Maddie from the Bachelor to, like, now people coming up saying, I listen to your podcast. It's changing my life. God is using you in my life. It's just so cool. It's so cool. What literally, just like this podcast is called Stay True. It's so cool that just speaking truth, God's truth, biblical truth, is so obviously encouraging. And it meets all of us, where we're at and what your story is, where you come from, where you are in your faith journey, what you're walking through literally right now. God's truth meets you there and it encourages you and it challenges you and. And what we share on here, like, we always want to be super real and vulnerable with you guys and just share like the others.

[B]

There's always our couch, like, sheds, like.

[A]

It does the blanket behind us.

[B]

Oh, is it?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, keep going. I didn't mean. I didn't know. You're going to stop. You were in a flow.

[A]

I forgot what I was saying.

[B]

You were flowing.

[A]

I forgot what I was saying.

[B]

We're just so honored to do this. God's word is. Or God's word is the truth.

[A]

God's word is the truth. Amen. And the truth will set you free, man.

[B]

Will it? Gosh.

[A]

And I'm seeing that happen. I'm seeing so many of you guys come up and share stories about how you've been encouraged by this podcast and transformed by this podcast. And I want to say you've been encouraged and transformed by the truth. And that is what this podcast is built on. That is what my life is built on. That is what our life and marriage is built on, is the truth. Who Jesus is, Jesus is the truth. And on the word of God. And so I never, ever wanna. I am so grateful, truly. Like, I can't. I pray for every single one of you all the time, and I can't thank God enough for all of you. But I also never want to be like, I'm so glad you're. This podcast, like, yes, this is the best. It's like, this is what it is because of Jesus. And truly only because of Jesus. And honestly, like, even starting today, we both, like, this morning just felt like and in different ways. Like, I'm going through something right now, a lot of things right now, and just feeling really weighed down, feeling overwhelmed, feeling stressed, feeling a little beat up. And truly at a place where I'm like, I don't really know what to do, but, God, I. I'm trusting you. And that's kind of been my season of life. And then you woke up this morning, kind of feeling you want to tell them.

[B]

Anxious, low, discouraged, Sad. I think, yeah. Just like you have those days. And so we were sitting here today, moments before this, and we were like, hey, what do you want to talk about?

[A]

Literally, this is. Nothing was planned.

[B]

She's like, why don't we just tell them where we're at?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is not the best place. And it's not a bad place. It's just a human place of I'm. I'm anxious. You know those days that you wake up and you're like, hey, I don't. Like, I started my journal, and I was like. It was like, hey, God, it's g. I don't know why I'm sad, period. And you just start like that, and then you flow, and it's like, I know everybody has those days where you're just like, I don't feel my best.

[A]

And I'm sad and I don't know why. Yeah, I'm weighed down and I don't know why I'm bound and I don't know why I'm confused and I don't know why. Like.

[B]

Like, these lies we have really real.

[A]

Right now, and our feelings and our emotions and our circumstances. Like, I think for me, like, I'm in a season where, like, I've. And we talked about this on our last podcast, but there's so much new, so much transition. My hormones and body is changing so much, and there's still so much we don't have figured out. Like, we still don't have a doctor for this baby. So close, though, we still don't have a doctor. And we are getting closer and closer to answer that. Literally, this child being here. And, you know, we're still in an apartment. We're not settled into a home. We're still trying to find our local church, our groove, our rhythms here, our friends. And on top of that, I'm just going through kind of, like, some relational tension in my life right now, and that's been really hard and, like, really weighing heavy on me. And I'm also working on a big project that I can't wait to tell you guys more about in the future, but it's come with a lot of spiritual warfare. Like, you've seen me. I don't. I think more than any other project, what I'm working on right now has, like, beat me up and, like, made me want to quit multiple times. And so there's. It just feels like a lot of weight. And, you know, I just want to start this podcast off by saying, if that's where you feel like you are right now, like you're weighed down, like you feel burdened, you feel overwhelmed, you feel stressed, you feel confused, you feel anxious, not to mention this podcast, we're actually recording this a few weeks out, but this podcast is going to be coming out right before election Day, and some of you may even be listening post election Day, probably majority of you. And so, honestly, we don't even know what our world is going to be looking like by the time this podcast comes out. And you know, what the outcome is going to be with our government and just the feelings everyone's going to be having and caring and feeling. And so, you know, there's a lot of weight and tension and overwhelm and stress and burden that we feel as, I think, as a community, like, as a people group and as a nation. And then there are a lot of things that we're carrying in our own personal lives. You know, relational tension, loneliness, depression, anxiety, addiction, shame. Like, there's a lot of different things that we are carrying in our own personal life as well. And so we just thought this would be a very vulnerable podcast, to be honest, and one where we're not, you know, coming in just like, what's up, guys? We love you. And that'll probably be next week's or something. But, like, there are just moments where it's like, hey, this was a hard week. This was a hard day. And we always want to just be super transparent with you guys and. Yeah. And be honest about where we're at and also just speak to the seriousness of where our nation's at right now, too. And I don't want to, like, yeah, just make light of the weight and the seriousness of this week and this season with our nation and with our country. And, man, it just. It can feel like you can look out in our world today and feel hopeless. Like, you can feel helpless. It can feel like, God, where are you? And why is there so much division and pain and suffering and loss and hardship? And so we thought this would be a good podcast to just talk about, like, how to find peace and rest in the midst of Chaos in the midst of uncertainty, how to. How to feel steady and secure and stable when everything around you feels unstable.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

And. And that's just the. That's just our life right now. And that's just probably a lot of people's lives who are listening right now, so. For sure. Yeah. So let's. Let's jump in.

[B]

There's a lot going on in the world. And, Maddie, I just want to say I really love you.

[A]

I love you.

[B]

Can I just say that?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I, you know, be close to your people right now, too. There's something beautiful about just like, you know, God gave us people to do this life with and enjoy that, lean into that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm so thankful God gave me you to live this life with. I would choose you a million times over, because I don't know if we've said this on a podcast yet, but when we were just, like, evaluating, can this work? Are we going to get married? What do we do? Heard a quote, and they said, find, when you're looking for a spouse, find someone you like to suffer with. And instantly I was just like, that's my Maddie. That's Maddie. I can go through hard things with her. And the reason that pastor said that was because a lot of marriage and a lot of life is going to be suffering and hard moments, and without Christ, you have no anchor in that. With Christ, life will be really hard, but you have an anchor in that. And to know that God gave me other people in the boat and that's you. I'm so thankful for that.

[A]

Yeah. It's so true. It's like a lot of people, a lot of times we focus on marriage, relationships, life, and trying to find the happiness and the bliss in it, which is great, and that's a part of it. But, you know, there's another quote out there that's like, marriage is meant to make you holy and not happy. And I think that's true even about life. Like, you know, walking with Jesus is meant to make you wholly not happy. And will there be moments of happiness and bliss and unexplainable joy? Yes, there will be. Like, literally, even as we're recording this podcast, three days ago, we just had the best weekend. We did a little getaway trip. We just got alone with the Lord. We were off our phones and got a lot of good quality time with just the two of us and Jesus. And it was so good for our soul. And I'm really thankful because there were so many moments of just bliss and happiness and joy. And then it's like, okay. And then we're jumping right back into a crazy week with a lot of big decisions that need to be made and a lot of weight still sitting on our shoulders and kind of what feels like returning back to real life.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

And it's like, okay, like, but in all of this, the Lord is the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. And the Lord is sanctifying my heart, and he is making me holy, and he is forming me more and more into his image and into his likeness. And I think about that, too. Like, within our relationships and within even our marriage, it's like, there's so many moments of so much joy. But, yeah, it's. Who can you suffer with? Like, who can you go through really hard times with? And no, no matter what, Like, God's got this, and we got each other. No matter what. Like, we're in this together. And we're going to fight for holiness, and we're going to fight for a posture of just repentance and faith and hope and trust. Because, like you said, you know, he. When we have faith in Jesus, like, he is our hope and our anchor in the midst of the storm and in the midst of the uncertainties and in the midst of the chaos. And so even for us, you know, on days like this, where we feel not ourself and not our best or, you know, or we feel way down, is like, he's our hope. Yeah.

[B]

And what's so cool is, like, I just was so free to text you this morning, and I was like, I feel anxious and sad and I don't know why. And immediately you're like, okay, we'll come home and let's pray. Let's get on our knees. That's freeing. That's so freeing, man. That's why God gave us people and community to do life with. It's exactly for that moment right here, right before this podcast. We're sitting here and we're, like, in prayer. Prayer. Like, we're just like, God.

[A]

We're like, can we even record this podcast?

[B]

Like, what? What? We need your help. And that's just real life. Like, Jesus was so clear. He's just like, this is not your home. The first thing, like, I think I want to touch on is for people right now, especially it's right before the election or it's right after, whenever you're listening. But this is not our home. And so, like, eternal perspective is what I want to bring us to Real quick. Maddie and I, the other day, and I'm not sure if you've done this in a while. You probably did this when you were in middle school or high school. Have you ever thought about forever? That one day everyone who dies is going. Is going to go to heaven forever or hell forever? Like, even thinking about heaven forever is a little bit scary. You're like, forever.

[A]

Just our brains forever comprehend, like we're.

[B]

Gonna be with God in amazing joy and happiness and peace and life forever. Yeah, it doesn't. But. But then if you don't know Jesus Christ as savior for your sins, you'll be in hell forever. Forever. That, that, that takes all of life's. Oh, my gosh, why this? Why that? And it's just like, okay, very simple. I have hope in Christ that I will be with him forever. So this momentary light affliction, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, it's for a moment. And it doesn't compare to the eternal weight of glory. And what that does is it goes, wait, when I leave my apartment today and I see that barista who has no smile and she was short with me, she needs the hope that I have, and I can actually tell her about a savior if I see her as a soul, not as just a person, that it's going to spend eternity somewhere. That changes everything.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So to have an eternal perspective is just so key.

[A]

It's key in this time to everything.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, because when you're thinking about, like, the weights you're carrying, the pressures you're faced with, the decisions you have to make, the confusion you feel, all that you feel bound by and burdened by, it's like, what, what makes that better? Because anything that's going to make that better is like, in a moment, could go away the next moment. Right. It's like, okay, I could go on a trip. And it's like, great, that was awesome. For a second, you know, I can go to the spa and get an amazing massage, and for those 45 minutes, I feel a lot better. But it's like, then I'm coming right back into it. Same thing as for any type of escapism or numbing or shoving it under the rug or, you know, turning to something else that satisfies. For a second, it's like, okay, I can turn to, you know, a drink, an alcohol. I can turn to scrolling on my phone on social media and just numbing for four hours. I can binge watch on Netflix. I can, you know, all of these things that I could turn to. And it's like, it's gonn to maybe take my mind off of it for a second. But at the end of the day, I'm going to come right back to it. And it's like, the only thing truly at the end of the day that gives me hope and peace and confidence when I feel so weighed down and I don't know what to do is, like, heaven is my home. My hope is in Jesus. My hope is in heaven. My hope is in eternity. It's not in this world. It's not in what this world can give me. It's not in anything I can gain from this world. I'm here to store up for myself treasures in heaven. I'm here to work for a crown that lasts forever. I am here to learn how to be in his presence on earth, but really just to, like, seek to be in his presence forever.

[B]

And like the Paul just so often says, like, suffer well. Like, we're almost going to be graded for how we suffered. And we have the ability to suffer so well because we know it's light and momentary. Like, we're going to get to heaven one day. And I truly believe, like, we're going to be rewarded by the way we suffered. And the only way that a world that doesn't believe in Jesus can actually look at our lives and go, jesus might be real, number one, by the way we love each other, but number two, how we suffer. Because what separates a normal person from a person who knows their hope is in Jesus is when all hell hits the fan and hits the wall, we get to go, I have an anchor. His name is Christ. He did not promise a perfect, peaceful, happy life, but he did promise, I will be with you in the storm. Which is the story Maddie and I continue to talk about in Mark, chapter four in Matthew eight as well, when Jesus is in the boat with his disciples and he says, let's go to the other side. His idea, his leading, his knowing. We're about to go through a crazy storm. And I don't know if this will be helpful for anybody. We can end the podcast with this. But what Maddie and I have done is closed our eyes and almost gone through this guided story prayer of that story. Because if you don't know the story, the disciples are in this boat with Jesus and they're traveling. And this crazy storm hits and there's waves and wind and water. The boat is filling up, there's waves coming over the boat. And everyone's like, this is where we die. Like, I know a hurricane probably about a month ago hit Florida and North Carolina. And it's just that Is terrifying. People lose their life because of nature and storms and water. So these disciples, the fight or flight in their heart and their minds is like, we're gonna. We're gonna die. Like, oh, my gosh. And the story says, but Jesus was asleep on a pillow in this little boat. They're not on a cruise ship. They're in this little wooden.

[A]

I'm trying to feel peace like that. I'm trying to feel peace like that. Where I'm. Jesus asleep. Asleep with waves literally crashing. Is he getting wet? He has to be.

[B]

He's got to be. Like, he's feeling it. Yeah, he's the Son of God, but he's asleep. And I just think he was modeling something. But what I love about the story is the disciples finally run up to Jesus, grab him by the shoulders, shake him, and say, lord, we're about to die. Do you not care?

[A]

Like, do something.

[B]

Do something. Why are you asleep? And that is the cry of a lot of people's hearts, including ours. At times, maybe this morning, where you feel like you are just about to. It's too much. It's overwhelming. Will this relationship ever be restored? Will this anxiety ever go away? My parents are getting divorced. Great. Is that my fault? My sister just got that diagnosis. And you feel like your savior, your Lord is asleep, and they run up to him and they're shake. They're like, why are you asleep? And he doesn't respond to him. I love that Jesus doesn't even entertain that. He slowly gets up and it says, he rebukes the wind and the waves. They immediately calm. Imagine you're in the craziest storm ever. And someone gets up and says, be still, be quiet. And everything just like, slowly, like, the clouds part, the sun kind of comes out. You hear that first bird chirp. And everyone's just like. And then he looks at them and he says, why are you afraid? Oh, you of little faith?

[A]

Convicting you of little faith.

[B]

Here's what Maddie and I know as we've told each other that story. No matter how crazy it seems, Jesus modeled that you can have rest in a storm, knowing that our Savior is sovereign over it all. And in a moment, at his word, he will still it. And what he's saying is, even though it looks crazy, I'm with you and I'm in control, and we can have peace in that.

[A]

And what I love about that story, and I actually would love to get into the guided meditation, and maybe we save that for towards the end, because I found that a guided biblical meditation is Truly one of the most, like, peaceful, restful, helpful things like that. When I've been feeling anxious lately, especially with just like baby body changing all the transition, I have, you know, this, this like scripture based meditation app on my phone and it's just speaking scripture over me with this like instrumental music in the background.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

I go to sleep, like, literally he falls asleep immediately.

[B]

I'm like, play your app thing.

[A]

And it's just like, I'm like slowly breathing. I'm taking these deep breaths and I'm meditating on God's truth and God's word. And so it's like I'm not pretending like my problems aren't there. I'm just turning to God's promise over my problems. It's like, God, I know you see my problems. I know you see all that weighs me down right now. But I also know that you're with me and I know that you've got this and you're in control and you're sovereign. And I don't understand it all because your ways are higher than mine, your thoughts are higher than mine. And in the same way, in the story that he's talking about with Jesus and the disciples in the boat, what I love is Jesus didn't keep the storm from coming. Like, he didn't keep the storm from coming. And instead he showed them, you can have rest in the storm because I'm here. You can have rest in the midst of the storm because he's with you. And we all the time just want him to keep the storm from coming. And it's like, we just don't want the storm. Fix this, you know, do something, change it. And in that moment, Jesus did. He rebuked the winds and the waves, which also is like, hey, maybe you need to ask, like, go to him in prayer and ask, like, ask these things of him. He wants you to ask. He wants you to seek him. He wants you to wake him up and say like, God, help, Help me. I need you, because we can't do this without him. And I would also say, I think what he is modeling in that is just like, hey, no matter what you're faced with, no matter what you're going through, I give you a peace that this world cannot give you. And it's an inward peace and it's a rest for your soul that no matter the deepest pain you face and no matter the greatest worries that are weighing you down, I am with you and you can have peace no matter what is going on around you. And I just Think that's a word for someone? It's a. It's a word for me. Like, the. Literally the other day we're sitting here and I'm having such a hard day. I'm crying. And Grant just reminds me of that story. And he leads me and us through this guided meditation, going through the story and kind of putting ourself, like, immersing ourself, like, on this boat with the disciples and just walking us through the story. And I'm just, like, crying and I'm picturing myself there, and I'm like, yeah, why. Why am I so afraid? Why am I so worried? Why do I forget, Lord, that you're on my boat and you're for me, and if you can be for me, who can be against me? And if you are my peace, then why am I afraid of the storm? Like. And so it. It just takes, I think, for a lot of us and for many times, like, coming back to that place and being reminded of the truth and being reminded of God's word and being reminded of God's promises in the midst of our pain and in the midst of our worries.

[B]

So for somebody right now, I just feel like. Like the Lord is just saying, like, you can come and lay next to me on this boat. Like, I want you to read Mark, chapter four. And he's just like, I'm inviting you to come and, like, cuddle up next to me as the winds. I've got it. I've got it. Like, I imagine them, they were trying to pull the sails out and trying to, like, get the buckets of water out of the wall, out of the boat, and they're doing everything. And I feel like Jesus is just like, hey, come here. Like, I got you.

[A]

Just trust me.

[B]

I. Just trust me. Just trust me. And know, man, that there is so much power in the word of God and it comes alive. And it's for your. It's for your encouragement. And, like, we need it every single day. And Maddie and I read that chapter and how I want you to read the Bible is read it and then stop for a second and repicture what you just read as a movie. Like, re. Picture it as a movie that it was really happening with real people. It wasn't in black and white. It was full color. The ocean was deep blue. The boat was deep wood. It was. It was full of clothes, and it was full of bucket. Like, imagine it. Get into the details. And when you begin to see the word of God as these were real stories, as if it's A movie. Then you can put yourself there. And that's where Jesus just loves creativity. He loves. He created our minds to be creative. Creative. And he can just move in there and give you a peace that surpasses all understanding.

[A]

Yeah, that's really, really good. Really good. And I think that just reminds us the power of the word of God, the power of being in the presence of God, the power of prayer, you know, asking God and not being afraid to ask God, not being afraid to seek him out and be like, I desperately need you. Like, this morning, I literally hit my knees and with tears in my eyes, and I was like, I just need you. Like, I desperately need you. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. I don't know how to handle this situation. And there are situations like that. And there are some of you who are walking through some really, really, really hard and painful things. And I don't want to act like all suffering is the same. I don't want to act like all problems are the same. You know, I think where we can all come together and come into agreement is just like, life is hard, and life can sometimes take you out, and life can sometimes get the best of you, and there is a very real enemy who is after your soul and who wants to see you discouraged and distressed and distanced from God and distanced from people. And because of that, there is a war that we're fighting. And the way that we fight, the weapons we fight with it talks about in scripture, are not the weapons of this world. We don't fight like the rest of the world does. And so when there's relational tension, we don't fight with vengeance. You know, when there's. When there's, I don't know, like, stress or worry. Like, we don't turn to money and fame and, you know, alcohol and followers to look for power and satisfaction. Like, when there's. Whatever. Fill in the blank. You know, we don't fight like the world does. Like, we fight with the weapons God gives us, which is his word, which is prayer, which is the people of God. You know, when Grant and I are going through hard times, like, truly. And he alluded to this earlier. Like, he texted me, we text our people. We confess to our people. Hey, I'm really struggling right now. Like, we were in a group text with some of our mentors this morning. Hey, can you please pray over this situation? Like, we don't know what to do. We don't. We don't know the next move. We need to make or how to handle this or what to even think about it. Like, can you just cover us in prayer and stand with us? And so not trying to do this alone, not trying to figure it out alone. I don't know your whole story. I don't know all of your pain, I don't know the decisions you're faced with. And maybe for you it's, it's, yeah, it's just like it's body image or maybe for you it's just, it's mental health. Like maybe for you it is a family situation or a relationship that you're in. But we all have our stuff, you know, and we can all relate to. Like life can get hard and heavy sometimes. And so what do we do when life gets hard and heavy?

[B]

Because the temporal temptation is going to be, how do I find comfort? How do I find control?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So pornography, eating, binge watching things that are not good for us. It's going to be texting him that you know he's not good for you. It's going to be calling her again, hey, you up? So when you start to feel life lose control from your hands, you're like, well then how do I. And here's where Maddie and I want to encourage you. It's that Satan is going to attack when you're at your most vulnerable and weakest moment. We see that with Jesus. He was fasting for 40 days. Satan met him there, tempted him with food, tempted him with power, tempted him with glory, all these things. And that's what Satan's going to do to you in your moments where you feel like this is really hard. And that's why Paul's like, stay alert, stay sober minded. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour you. You've got to know Satan absolutely hates you. And he knows that his eternal destination is hell and he's going to drag as many people as he can with him. Not because he's your buddy, not because hell is going to be a party where you can smoke blunts because it's going to be eternal torment. He hates you. So when you're tempted to look at pornography right now, just know that as Satan saying, come on, it's not that big a deal. It will drag you to hell in torment with him. Yeah, it will. So what do you do when you feel like life is hitting you and it's hard? You immediately recognize, okay, I've seen this movie before, I've seen this story before. I know my patterns. When I Start to feel anxious, discouraged, low, embarrassed, not confident. When I feel those things, everything in my flesh says, where do I find comfort?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In the past, that has been, well, let me just have a drink. In the past has been, let me text her. So immediately I'm texting Maddie, and I'm like, hey, I'm feeling these things. And my mind could go, just lean into it. But I know that pattern. I'm going to lean away from it. So what I would say is, when. When the devil starts to fight, you better fight back. You gotta fight back. You gotta get off your heels onto your toes. And sometimes you feel like you're not strong enough to do that by yourself. So you gotta get a person, you gotta get a community around you.

[A]

Well, you're not strong enough to do it by yourself. None of us are.

[B]

No, you're not.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you've gotta fight back. You gotta hit back. Not in your own strength, but with the power of the spirit in you.

[A]

I love that you spoke to Matthew 4 When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness with Satan. Because I. I literally just spent so much time I was telling you about it. I just. We like to ask each other, like, every day, like, what's. I mean, we don't do it every single day, but we try.

[B]

Boy, that sounded good.

[A]

But every day. I know. I'm like, I should be careful with my words. I don't know that we do that every day, but we do it a lot.

[B]

Every day. Every morning we do a lot.

[A]

We ask, hey, what's God teaching you? What are you reading in scripture? Like, what. You know, what's pressed on your heart right now? And so the other day you asked me that question, and I was. I just read Matthew 4, and it's this encounter with Jesus and Satan in the wilderness. And it was right after Jesus had just been baptized and had this amazing moment of, like the dove ascending and or descending. And, you know, God saying, hey, this is my son, with whom I am well pleased. And Jesus was just, you know, basically in front of everyone, like, this is God's chosen one. And now he is led into the wilderness. It says, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. And then it says to be tempted by the devil. And so I do want to start off by saying, like, God does not tempt us. God does not tempt us. We are not tempted by God. We are tempted by the devil. But sometimes the Lord will allow us to go into those seasons of wilderness and lead us into the seasons of wilderness to test our faith and to Test our dependence and to grow our faith, to strengthen our faith. And so Jesus was led into the wilderness. And in, you know, in this story, you're seeing Satan come up and you, you spoke to this. But tempt in these same three ways that we see, he tempts us today. Because here's what I'll say about the enemy is that the enemy is crafty and the enemy is cunning. But the enemy ain't creative. And so the enemy tempts us all, literally every single one of us in the same way. And not only is he not creative, he's extremely consistent. So you how he's gonna come? Like, I am telling you right now, he's gonna come after you in the same three ways because Scripture tells us, and we see it with Jesus, that he comes after us with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And so what does that look like?

[B]

It's like, what does that mean? Because that's some biblical.

[A]

It's some biblical stuff.

[B]

What does that even mean?

[A]

It's like the things you see, the things you are drawn to. So it's like money and pleasure and all of that stuff. The lust of the flesh is like, I want to gratify these sinful cravings and desires, which is usually like sex, you know, pornography, masturbate, like those sensual, sexual kind of pleasures and things. And then pride of life is power, money, fame. Like, so many of us think we're going to find happiness or security in those things. And so in the same way, the enemy temps and he's coming to Jesus and he's tempting him in these same three ways. And every single time, you guys, Jesus responds the same way. And he says, for it is written, for it is written, for it is written. And I, that is such a picture for you and I. For when Satan comes tempting and when he comes, he comes dangling these, these, you know, things that look cute and fun in the moment, or he comes whispering these lies every single time we are to respond, for it is written like, this is what the word of God says. Because we're not fighting back with our own willpower or our own strength or what we have to offer or how we can fight Satan on our own. It's like we have to respond with the power and the word of God. And Jesus understood this, like, and he's showing us this is how you are to respond. And every single time he responds to Satan's lies and temptations with it is written, this is what the word of God says. And so he responds to lies with the truth. The only way to defeat a lie is to speak the truth to it. And so when the enemy comes to you with all of these lies, how do you defeat a lie? You speak the truth back to it. You look that lie in the face and you say, I recognize you. I see you. I'm not running from you. I'm not afraid of you. I acknowledge that you're there. But here's what the word of God says. Here's what the truth of God's word says. And you fight the enemy that way. You speak truth back to him. And then at the very last thing that Jesus says is, you know, away from me, Satan. It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God alone. Like, away from me. Get away from me. I rebuke you. And there are so many moments where Grant and I literally will just like, we will feel a, like, spirit of.

[B]

Oppression, or we fight hard and quick.

[A]

Like a spirit of just. We can sense like, demonic activity or something, and we're just like, the Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord rebuke you.

[B]

Say it out loud. Say it out loud.

[A]

Say it out loud.

[B]

Yeah, there's a powerful. Like, I think I was always taught, say, I rebuke you. And I think we have the authority. But Zechariah 3 is where we get this. Or Zechariah 4, it says, the Lord rebuke you, oh, Satan. That's the authority we stand on. The Lord rebuke you, Satan. So when you having that nightmare or the dream or you're panicking in a plane, it's like, the Lord rebuke you, Satan. I walk in a spirit of power, love and sound mind, not fear. And you speak it out loud. You speak scripture out loud. But if you don't know scripture, you're kind of like, well, God forgot to love the world that he. But that doesn't really apply here because I'm freaking out on a plane. I'm panicking. So you got to know the scriptures. That's where I would start to memorize the verse with the thing you're struggling with. That's really good, Maddie. Yeah, that's really powerful. You have more on that thought?

[A]

No, no, I think that's so powerful. And so, like, just a practical thing that we're sharing with you guys right now is when you start to feel those anxious, oppressive, depressive, divisive, like, thoughts, lies, feelings come up that, you know, this is from God. This is not of God or from God. You say in authority because of the spirit of God and the, and the word of God. You say the Lord rebuke you, Satan, get behind me. You do not. You cannot have my mind. You cannot have my relationships. You cannot have my marriage, you cannot have my heart. You cannot have my future. And you begin to claim back what is yours, like what's rightfully yours, what rightfully belongs to you. It says in, in. In John 10:10, the thief comes, comes to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn't come to befriend you. He doesn't come to like, hang out with you. He comes.

[B]

Or just take a little bit.

[A]

Yeah. Or just. Yeah, just like, oh, I'll just.

[B]

He comes to wipe you out, destroy you, all of you.

[A]

And. And then it goes on to say, but I have come. Jesus says, but I have come to give you life and life to the fullest, life abundant. And so Jesus offers this counteractive. Like, I come to give you life, but the only way you get life is when you don't flirt with and toy with and tolerate the things of this world and the things that Satan's offering you. And so a lot of us are settling for things that are not of God. And we're coming into agreement with things that are not of God. And then we're wondering why we don't have the peace of God. And it's like, you can't come into, into an agreement with a lie. You can't stand in agreement with something that is not of God and then wonder why you don't have the peace of God. And so, so it's continuous that like, okay, when I, when I have a thought that I know is not of God, whether it's a lustful thought, whether it's a prideful thought, whether it's a controlling thought, whether it's a fearful thought, you know, it's like the Lord rebuke you, Satan. And then it's speaking the scripture. Like the other day I had a really fearful thought and I'm like, okay, the Lord has not given me a spirit of fear. He has given me the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. And so I speak in Jesus name, the power of Jesus to cover my mind. I speak in Jesus name, the power of love to fill my body and my soul and my mind right now. I speak, you know, a sound mind and self control and self discipline over my life right now. And it's not only coming into dis. Like, it's not only rebuking what you're disagreeing with, but it's also coming into agreement with the truth of God's word and who he is.

[B]

It's amazing. So powerful you could stop it right there. That just like actually hear that, you know, actually take that and just be like, I what? If we fully understood all that was ours in Christ Jesus, we would walk with so much authority. And authority does not mean arrogance. It doesn't mean confidence in self. Authority is our God given right as a son and a daughter of the most high, that although the enemy wants to destroy me, there's a lion inside of me that will rip you apart. And you know, if you're walking with a lion, you're not like freaking out about what's around you.

[A]

You're not afraid of the wolf.

[B]

That line's on your side. You're like, y'all see this?

[A]

You ain't afraid of the wolf or the snake if you're walking with the lion.

[B]

No, no, you're walking with a lion. Not even just walking with him. He's inside of you. So when you open your mouth, his roar comes out. And what also Maddie talked about is the Bible says through sin, even through unforgiveness, through bitterness, what that does is that creates a little opening in your house for the devil to get a foothold on your life. So the way this is a crazy kind of turn, but. But the way demonic, evil, Satan, the way he can get into your life believer, is not by possessing you, you can't be possessed, but through sin and through unforgiveness and through bitterness and through different ways of not walking by the spirit, it can get a. Satan can get a foothold in your life. And so I would just say evaluate right now. Is there anything in my life that I need to just zip up like that? I need to one confess it and then tighten that up. How am I handling my finances? How's my purity? How's my language? Have I not forgiven someone? You know, Satan can like fully get a stronghold in your life because you haven't forgiven someone. It's drinking poison, hoping the other person dies. Like that's what it is for you. So there's so much there that you spoke on that was really good. I want to take this in a little bit different direction, if that's okay. Yeah, because as you were saying all that, I think there's another group of people that are saying, I'm doing that. I'm reading my word, I'm praying. Why is this situation so hard? And the phrase that is repeated in the Bible that I just want to speak over you Right now is this Wait upon the Lord. Wait upon the Lord. That's what he's been teaching me right now is there are going to be seasons where you're doing all the right things and you're reading the Word and communities involved, but it doesn't make the death of that parent easier. It does not make the heartbreak you're walking through easier. It doesn't make the tears that you're shedding at night easier. And what I would tell you is there's a phrase repeated in the Word of God, and it's this, wait upon the Lord. And it comes from Isaiah 40, 30, 31. And it says, even though youth shall be faint and grow weary, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not be faint like you will as you wait upon the Lord, renew your strength. He will give you wings like eagles to soar. And waiting on the Lord is not sitting on the couch with your arms crossed, going, going, come on, God. It's being obedient to the small things he's asked you to do and be obedient with right now. And as you pray and cry out to God and continue to read His Word, and as you involve community, you wait upon the Lord and you do the thing he's asked you to do, even though it feels like he's far and this isn't paying off, you wait upon God. And I think, like, we're in those seasons where it's like, God, where what? And you want him to break through right then and there, and he's like, no, just wait upon me. Wait upon me.

[A]

And he's doing something in you in the process. And I think that's what I'm seeing in this season is I've continued to have the word surrender highlighted to me again and again and again. And the Lord has reminded me of it again and again and again. And what I'm learning in this season is, though I've been praying for a miracle in this one area of my life for three years. And it feels like something like nothing's changing. And I'm like, God, why is this changing? And why is. Why is this so hard? And why does this weigh so heavy on me? And he's like, hey, I. Maybe. Maybe I haven't changed the circumstance yet, but maybe I'm doing something in you that is so necessary and it's so important. And what I'm teaching you is so invaluable that even if I were to change the situation like you need to learn the heart of surrender. You need to learn how to let go of control. You need to stop trying to grasp for comforts and control and to fix and to. And it's like what you're saying, be still, wait upon me, trust me, I've got you. And that's so hard. Like, that's so hard. You know how many times I'm like. And I, and I was telling Green, I was like, I have to resurrender every day. It's not just a one time surrender. It's every single day hitting my knees and saying, lord, I don't know what to do. Like, I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you and I trust you and I need you and I love you and I'm surrendering this to you. It tells us in the Word to cast our cares upon him and to pray and to trust that he's got us and he's in control. And so for me, it's like, okay, by prayer and petition, I'm going to present my request to God, but then I'm going to cast my burdens. Like, I'm going to throw off the weights. I'm going to let go of what's weighing me down and I'm going to trust he's got me. And I was actually talking with a mentor and a friend the other day and she reminded me of this story in Second Chronicles that is so good. And it's Second Chronicles 20 and it's all about Jehoshaphat, which just sounds like a crazy biblical name. And it sounds like an intimidating story already, but it's actually a really good one. And I would encourage you to go and read it if you find yourself in any type of a situation where you're like, God, I need you to move. God, I need you right now. And it's a story of like this, this whole, like, what would you even say? Like, it's an army, it's a fight, it's a war. There's something. There's a war going on. Okay, King Jehoshaphat is inquiring with the Lord and he is being pursued by this army and he's kind of freaking out. And he has this moment where he comes before the Lord and he just humbly says, says, and this is. I've quoted a couple of times, like on this podcast and probably in previous podcasts, because it's what I've. It's a verse I've clung to in this season of my life. And it's second Chronicles 20, verse 12. And Jehoshaphat just humbly says to the Lord, in honesty, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you. We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you. And then the Lord read that verse before it. Yeah, it says in verse. Okay, I'll just read all of verse 12. Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on man.

[B]

That's it. That's it. Sometimes that's all you got.

[A]

It's like there is an army that is after me right now. There is a. There is a trial. There is a situation that is going on right now. And it feels way too big for me. It feels way too heavy for me.

[B]

No power to face this vast army that is attacking us.

[A]

I have no answer on my own. I have no power on my own, but my eyes are on you. And I just. I love that so much because it just shows us. And you spoke to this at the very beginning with just an eternal perspective. But it's like, although I may feel surrounded, my God surrounds my enemies. Although I may feel like I have no control, my God is in full control. And I am on the side of victory. I am on the side of power. And though I may not even see in this world, in this. In this time, on this earth, it come to fruition. I trust him and I know he's working all things. Here's the promise that we have for believers, and we were reminded of this recently by Terra Lee Cobble, that this is a promise only for believers, only for those who trust and love Jesus Christ is that as believers, we know that He, Jesus, the Lord, will work all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. He will work all things together for the good. And that means, like, no matter what I'm faced with and no matter what is going on, I know my God has this situation. I know my God is going to fight for me. I know that my God is going to work this together for good again. Maybe I don't see it on this side of eternity. Maybe there's something that's already been lost or taken that now can't get back again. But what can be given is. And how he can work it for good is he can use that pain for a divine purpose and bring you that friendship or that relationship or that opportunity to share and testify to his goodness. And what he he's done and. And use that to deliver other people from their pain. And so you just never know how he can use a situation. And the story goes on to say, this is what the Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours. It's. It's the Lord's, but God's. And then it says in verse 17, you will not have to fight this battle. Battle. Take your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. And I just. I love that because it's like, our role is to have faith and stand firm in that faith. Like. And the Lord is fighting on our behalf, and that doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility. What did Jehoshaphat do? He inquired of the Lord. He went to the Lord, he sought out the Lord and said, I need you. And that's our role and responsibility. It's like we're in this situation and we don't know what to do. So what do we do? We seek out the Lord and we say, lord, I need you. I long for peace. And guess what? You're the God of peace. I long for reconciliation. And guess what? You're the God of reconciliation. I long for restoration. You're the God of restoration. I long for comfort. You're the God of comfort, like he is what you're looking for. And in his presence there is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 tells us, and so when we seek him, we will find what we're looking for. And I have to remind myself of that is sometimes the circumstances may not change, but my God will show up and meet me exactly where I'm at. And he will give me the peace and the rest and the hope and the joy and the strength that I need to keep going and to. And to take another step and to. And to keep smiling and to keep trusting and to keep hoping and to keep praying and believing. And so. So my encouragement to you guys is to seek him and don't stop seeking him just because you've been praying for something for a really long time and you don't see anything changing. Like, my encouragement is, pray until something happens. Pray until you see something happen, whether that's in you, whether that's in the circumstance, whether that's in what you're hoping for. And pray, like, just keep praying and trusting because God is moving, he is alive, and he is active, and he is working on your behalf. And he cares. He cares, cares so much. And we've seen that in, like, this season of life, of just so much going on, he cares. He cares about the small little details. He cares about the relationship tensions. He cares about the worries that weigh on your mind. He cares about the anxieties that you feel. But he can't help you if you're clinging to them and you're keeping them to yourself and you're trying to control them. You have to cast them on him, and then you have to invite him in, and then that's where he begins to intervene, and he begins to give you peace, and he begins to set you free, and he begins to. To be your comfort and be your security. And so that is a passage that has really been so helpful for me in this season that I just encourage you guys to, like, just go read and to sit in and to soak in and to meditate on. And I love what Grant was saying earlier. Like, when you read scripture, like, ask the Lord to give you a revelation and try and see it. Like, you're in the story and God's in the story, and so you look for God in it, and then you look for how you can learn from it and take from it and apply it to your life and people, like.

[B]

People that teach the Bible. I was like, you're not the main character of the story. We know that. Okay, but, like.

[A]

But this is written to you. This book is written to you.

[B]

Romans 15 says. Says. I think he addresses this. He says, you know why the Old Testament was written? You know why you have the scripture for your encouragement.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The God of all endurance has preserved this for your encouragement. So, you know, you read these stories, and you're not necessarily saying, I'm Jehoshaphat. Yeah, but you're saying I've been in a situation similar to that. I'm going to take courage in courage. I'm going to take courage from that, from how he responded. But I'm also going to take the most courage from what God just said. From what I saw about God and how God showed up is the same way he is for Jehoshaphat, for Grant and for you. So that. That's. That's the encouragement that we want to lean into.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To wrap up, man. Did you have a psalm or we could do a guided moment.

[A]

I'd love to just read a couple of. Because here's the thing. I know we were a little, like, we've touched on a lot in this podcast, and one, we honestly just pressed record and wanted to be super vulnerable with you guys, with, you know, where we're at and what's going on. And like I said at the beginning, I know there's a lot of uneasiness and tension going on with our nation and our world and a lot of things that are up in the air. And it's like, we, we. There's not a lot we have control over. Okay? There's not a lot that we can control. But what we can control is our response and our seeking the Lord and our faith and our hope. It's like, hey, no matter what's going on around me, I still can have hope. No matter what's going on around me, I still can seek the Lord. No matter what's going on around me, I still can be in my word and be consistently in my word and be meditating on it day and night. No matter what's happening around me, I can still be on my knees and in prayer. And so, like, our role and responsibility, like, as believers, you know, if you're watching this before the election, is to go and vote and to play a role. Our role and responsibility as believers. Believers is to pray and to not see, you know, what's happening in our country and our nation. From a political view, but from a biblical view. It's like, what does God's word say? And what's my role in making this world a better place and in adding value and in bringing the spirit of God, you know, into our nation? And so, you know, we. Again, if you are listening to this before November 5th and before election day or on election day, our encouragement to you if you can vote is go vote.

[B]

To not vote is not an option. When you read this book, you've been put on this earth, in this country, in this city, in this town, on purpose to bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth. And if you're like, well, I don't like either candidate, you're not voting for the character of maybe who you like the most or who you're most attracted to. Who is fighting for the things of God, who is fighting most for the things that line up with this book. That's what it comes down to. So for the person that's like, I'm not going to vote, dude. What? Like, that's a sin.

[A]

That's the same.

[B]

Like, we have been put here to fight and third party, just to throw your vote away is not honorable either.

[A]

Like, don't vote independent. Don't write a random name in there. That is to throw a vote away.

[B]

We, we firmly believe, like, we have the ability to fight not for someone that we Necessarily like or would say would be our pastor. But who's the person that, when they are fighting for policy, aligns most with this book? That's clear to me. Like, that's extremely clear to me. And I'm not saying that one person is evil and one person is bad. I'm not judging the heart character of either person. But what am I saying? As I look at the policies and I take the character person out of it, it is very clear to me. We need to vote. Like the Christian needs to vote.

[A]

Yeah. And we're very passionate about it. And I did a whole episode last week talking all about faith in politics. So if you guys missed that one, I encourage you to go listen. But again, just if you are seeing this before the election, we just, we don't want to miss an opportunity to really challenge you and encourage you the importance of your role in voting and to omit, to remove yourself from the situation, to act like, you know, your vote doesn't matter. Oh, you know, they don't need me. Is just as much of a sense, you know, and so just, just know, like, your vote does matter, your voice does matter. And, and it is your role and responsibility as a Christian and as a believer to fight for what's right and to fight for our country and to fight for bringing God back to our nation again.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so like Grant said, we're not voting for personality, we're voting for policy. And so we're looking at two different candidates not from, you know, who, who's, who says all the right things or looks the right way or dresses the right. It's like, take superficial crap out. It's like, what, what are they fighting for and what are they going to implement into our nation and into our world? And thinking about your future children, like, what kind of world do you want your children? Like, I'm like, that's what I'm thinking about with our child is like, yeah, I want someone representing this nation that is going to bring biblical principles, who's going to fight for the life of children, who going to fight for God being in our school system and in our country and in our world and for the freedom of religion and who's going to fight for, you know, marriage and the families. Like, that's what I want our nation to. That's what we were founded on. And so that's what I want our nation to return back to and to. And what I want our leadership to represent. And so I pray that any Christian listening to this, that's your, you know, that's your heart too, 100%.

[B]

And like, I fully believe that where both sides get it wrong is they just. They villainize the other person. And what we've continued to remind ourselves is we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. Our enemy is not flesh and blood. Our enemy is not people. The enemy is Satan, who is up there causing so much division. So we pray for both sides.

[A]

We do.

[B]

God is moved by. By people. He's not moved by a side or.

[A]

A party, a political party.

[B]

Like, he loves people. So if you are on a side, either or, and you are so firmly on that side that you view the other people in a negative light, or you're angry or you hate them, that's opposite of the heart of God. The heart of God is moved by people. The heart of God is moved with compassion. So do you pray for that other person? Do you want to move in and understand more, not to simply sway them, but to hear the true cry of their heart?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because there's pain in people's hearts, man. And we don't have time to say, well, you're on that side and I'm on this side. Jesus says, you will. The world will know you by the way you love one another.

[A]

Yeah. And we are to seek unity. Like, we're not to seek division. We're not to make it me versus you. It's just, let's fight for what makes God happy. Like, let's just fight for what God's word tells us to fight for. And. And that does not mean fight against people. That means fight for people. Fight for your brothers and sisters. Like, make your voice and your vote count. Because that's how you fight for people. That's how you love people. That's how you can exercise, like, your ability to have a voice in this nation and in our leadership. And so we're not going to harp on this any any longer, but I did want to just take a second, you know, to say that. And obviously, if you're listening to this post election, well, I don't know what's going on in our nation right now.

[B]

Whoever has won and whoever's won, like, what we started this with is like, eternal mindset.

[A]

Yeah. God's in control.

[B]

This is not our home.

[A]

Jesus is the king of all kings.

[B]

And Jesus is. He could be asleep in the storm. He's not worried. God is not on the throne, freaking out. He's not like, oh, my gosh, wait, what? Like, God is sovereign. We can rest in the boat. Although it seems crazy, we can Rest, because Jesus is like, I've got it. I'm not freaking out. I'm not nervous. I got you.

[A]

And he's coming back soon. You know, I've said this on this podcast, but Jesus is coming back soon. And he's coming back for a ready bride. He's coming back for a bride that. That seeks him and desires him and is waiting patiently and eagerly for Him. And so we. We. We have to. We have to be involved and be present in this earth and use our right and. And, you know, walk out our responsibility as citizens and know that we are citizens of heaven and our hope is in heaven, and Jesus is the King of all kings, and he is in full control. And so no matter the outcome, he is still the Lord. No matter the outcome, he is still in control, and he's coming back. And that's our hope is like, Jesus is coming back. Heaven is our home. No matter what you feel right now, whether it's the unsettlement of our nation or the unsettlement of your own soul and what you're walking through in your own personal life, I just want to read a couple of, you know, verses in Psalm over you, and then I'd love to end just with a kind of guided meditation slash prayer, because this is getting a little long. But we just really. We just love you guys. And I just. I know that life is really hard, and. But God's truth is. Is the answer. And so it says in Psalm 23. This is one of our favorite psalms. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. The Lord is your shepherd. You lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures sometimes. He has to make you lie down in green pastures. I want you to, like, close your eyes if you need to. As. As we're reading, reading this. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. It's all about Him. Always has been, always will be. And even though I walk through the darkest valley, maybe you feel like you're there right now. Even though my situation is really dark and hard, I will fear no evil. For you are with me. He is with you. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. He comforts you. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, Lord forever. We started out talking about eternity, you know, It's a great way to end.

[B]

It ended with eternity.

[A]

Like, yeah, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It starts off saying, the Lord is my shepherd. And the thing about sheep is they're really dumb and they don't know what to do, and they don't know where to go, and they can't do anything without their shepherd. And that's how I feel right now. And it's just a reminder that, like, man, when you have the good shepherd, shepherd, there is nothing you lack. Like, you have everything you need, and he refreshes you. No matter your dark seasons, you don't have to fear because he's with you. And I think that's just a great way to close and wrap up. Do you want to end with that guided. Just a guided little prayer moment? And I just encourage you guys to just stay in this posture of, like. I mean, if you're driving, don't close your eyes, but just stay in this posture of, like. Like asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you and to meet you where you're at. And whatever you're walking through right now, the Lord sees you. The Lord knows what you're carrying. He knows what you're feeling. And if you are able to close your eyes or just take really, really deep breaths and try and. And just ask the Holy Spirit to, like, speak to you right now.

[B]

Yeah, okay. I'm just. I'm just going to read this, so close your eyes if you can, or breathe this in as I read this. This is Matthew 8, starting in 23. Then he got into the boat, and his disciples followed him. Suddenly, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, lord, save us. We're going to dress. He replied, you have little faith. Why are you so afraid? Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, what kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him. Father, we read this, and. And there's a lot of people listening right now that feel like they're in a similar situation, including me, including Maddie. And I want to take a moment, Lord, just to imagine this in 2024, that we are in that boat with you and God. The winds and the waves feel really, really, really scary right now. They feel really heavy, and the wind is really fast. Almost like I can't even see because the water is coming to my eyes, and it feels like it's Weighing down the boat. What if the boat capsized? What if it goes under, God? And then I see the people around me are in chaos, and there's no peace. And so that even strikes more fear into me because I see other people that are worried. And, Lord, it just looks like right now, this is our world right now, where we're so frantic and we're so anxious, and we're taking our buckets and we're trying to take the water in the boat and throw it out. And all of a sudden, I turn around, and there you are, asleep on a pillow in this boat. There's no worry on your face. There's no anxiousness on your mind. You're peaceful. You're in total control. You are God. And then I turn back at the winds and the waves, and I start yelling again, and I'm freaking out. And, Lord, we just. We imagine these disciples ran up to you and were like, jesus, wake up. Wake up. We're about to die. And, Lord, I just want to let your words to the disciples speak over every person listening. Listening right now. You said, why are you afraid? Why are you afraid? Oh, you have little faith, Lord, Right now, I feel like you just want to speak to somebody, and I want you to tell them this is exactly what I have planned. And I am in control. And you are not alone. I have not forgotten you, Father. With the Word, you rebuke the winds and the waves. And we know that with the Word, every single storm in every person's life right now can be hushed by you. And so we ask that in your perfect timing, you would hush the winds and the waves, that relationships would be forged, that sicknesses would be healed, that anxiety would be calmed, that hope would be restored. Father God, we need you now. You modeled rest in a storm. And I declare. I declare that we, even though we're in a storm, we choose to rest with you. And we know you're in total control. And we see the part, the parting of the clouds, and we see the stealing of the waves. Imagine being on that boat and it stops rocking, the rain stops. And you're looking at Jesus, and in a moment, you're like, oh, you had us the whole time. You weren't actually asleeping. You weren't neglecting us. You were with us the whole time. He is with you right now. And with whatever strength Maddie and I have to tell you that in the midst of storms, all he's asking is for you to surrender control, fear, even your pain, even your doubts, even your anger, even your confusion. Even your tears, he's asking you to surrender them to him, the one who will still it with a word. So, Jesus, do what you did for your disciples, for us, we are asking, asking for your hand to still the storm. We trust you in the midst of it. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[A]

Amen. Oh, so good. I cried. That was beautiful. And just how powerful the word of God is. That wasn't just Grant's imagination and creativity. That was the word of God. And you all can. Can do that every day. Like, you can take a story like that and sit in it and just speak it over and pray it over yourself and picture yourself in it and just ask God, what are you trying to show me? And what do you want to do in me? And how do you want me to use this for your glory? And, man, it's one of my favorite things in the world to do is to just have those little guided meditation moments. So thank you for doing that.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Okay, we're going to. This is a one of the longest podcasts we've probably ever had. But we love you guys so much and just know, like, when life feels heavy and when life feels hard, there's a God who is on your side, who is for you and who loves you and who sees you and who has you. And not only does he give peace, he is peace. Not only does he give joy, he is joy. Not only does he give comfort, he is comfort. He is your rock. He is your fortress. He is a safe place you can run to. And we are for you. We love you. We're with you. We're praying for you guys, truly. And, yeah, just go have an amazing week and continue to put your hope in heaven and your hope in Jesus. Let us know how this episode was encouraging to you. Share it with a friend who needs to hear it. We're all going through our own versions of hard and so share it with someone who needs to hear it and would be encouraged by it.

[B]

I think I think I'll speak to that. Like, when you share it, it really. It really does help get the word out to more people. Not for views, not for listens, not for accolades. Simply, like, when you text it, I think, I think it, like, pushes it to, like, just get in front of more people. And so, man, like, we just so appreciate that. We would appreciate that a ton. And we simply do this, this because he's real.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And we want everyone to know him.

[A]

Amen. Amen. Okay, guys, as always, be sure to stay you stay true. We love you.

[B]

Peace.