← Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
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Madison Pruitt Trout
What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt Trout, and I hope that you are having an amazing day wherever you are. And whenever you're listening to this, I love just hearing from you guys, seeing the tags, seeing the repost with notes, seeing you guys out on a walk, working out. You guys are inspiring me. I'm like, I am seeing these tags of some of you guys, like, getting it at the gym, listening to this podcast, and I'm like, yep, okay, it's I need to go to the gym. I need to go to the gym. So you guys are inspiring me and I love hearing just your takeaways from this podcast and what like the holy spirit is speaking to you and how it's encouraging you and just seeing you guys share it, it means so much when you guys share it to your stories, when you guys review the podcast, sending dms. So many of you guys come up to me just telling me how much the podcast has encouraged you and challenged you in your faith, and I just can't even tell you how much all of that means to me and how thankful I am for the true crew and for you guys. I love you so much and just wanted to give you guys a few updates. One, as you can see, I am still in the apartment, so Grant and I are still living in this apartment. Very grateful for it, but I am so ready for us to get settled into a house. We are, you know, at this point, a couple months away. Months or a few months away, I guess, from baby girl being here. And we are not settled into a home. And so she does not have a nursery, but, you know, all she needs is. Is, you know, a few things and so she'll be fine. But we are very excited to get settled into a home. We think we found our home. We think everything's good and we're just waiting for the finalization, closing all things. I can't wait for you guys to see it. And with that being said, I want to build a new Stay True studio. So many of you guys are like, I miss the Stay True Studio. And I'm like, so do I. I miss it so much. Okay. I have been really sad beep bopping around here in Nashville trying to find these different podcast studio spaces. It's hard these days, guys. Like, a lot of the spaces here I just have not loved and so it's hard be bopping around trying to find new podcast spaces to film out, especially when I'm filming or recording with A guest. When it's just me or when it's Grant and I, we can just like film from our apartment. But I feel too weird to have like a guest come to our apartment. And so, all that being said, we are starting to dream about and think about the new Stay True Studio, which is so exciting. And I need your guys help because a lot of you guys out there are very, very creative. And I know that because a lot of you guys tag me in some really amazing things that you guys do. And so I want to use your brain and I want to use your creativity and I want to just like throw this out there. I'll probably put this on Instagram too. But I would love. As I'm starting to dream and think about this new Stay True Studio, I want to see what you guys would design and what you guys think would be a great Stay True Studio. Because I want it to be a special place where I can have guests on, where we can have up to like three or four guests and where it can just be consistent. Like, I really, I want to try and be in the Stay True Studio as much as possible because I don't love beat bopping around. And it's fine. Every now and then, like if I'm in LA and I meet up with a guest or if I'm in, you know, Dallas and I meet up with a guest to record in like a random studio, that's fine. But anyone who comes to Nashville, Tennessee or anytime I'm recording, I really want the Stay True Studio to just be consistent. I want it to be cute and I just want it to be on theme. So for all my creatives out there who are really good at like design, graphics, esthetics, whatever your creative skill is, I want to see what you guys would come up with with a Stay True Studio. Like, I want to see what you guys would put together on, what it would look like. Is it a blue couch? Is it multiple couches? Is chairs, Are there windows and curtains? Or is it another wall with like a Stay True sign in the background? What are the pillows? Like, what are the. I mean, just get creative. Like I want to see you guys and what you come up with. Because I've been doing some, like, research myself. I've been looking on Pinterest, doing all the things, looking at other people's studios and kind of drawing inspiration from people that have done really good studios. And so I have some ideas and some ways that I think I want to go in, but I want to hear from the true crew and I want to see you guys. And so if one of you guys come up with an amazing design, that's the exact design that I want to make the Stay True Studio look like, then I will fly you out. And you guys are the one person, I guess, and maybe a friend or something can come and be a little behind the scenes Stay True guest and you can see an episode being filmed. You can see the studio in person whenever it's done. And so that's like the prize for whoever comes up with the best Stay True Studio. If I end up going with one of your guys designs, and I just want to see what you guys would come up with and just where your hearts and heads are leaning. Because this podcast is for you guys. And so I want to know what you like and what looks good to you and what topics you want and what guests you want. I always want to know those things and so please, please share them with me. So many of you guys send in amazing requests on Instagram or through the email, which you can actually find the email on the Instagram or on the Stay True podcast website. But so many of you guys send in amazing ideas for guests and for topics and please keep sending those because it's so helpful. And of course because we only are once a week, at least right now, and probably will be for a little while. You know, there's only so many topics I can get to and there's only so many guests I can get to. But I want to try and do as much as I can and I want to, I want to hear what you guys like. And so please share, please send, and also please share your fun creative ideas and designs and also any other ideas and fun thoughts that you guys have for Stay True. I've said this many times, but I want Stay True to be more than just a podcast. I want this to be a community. I want this to be, you know, I have so many fun ideas of like popups and serves days and ways that we can come together and give back and serve together. I want this to be a place where we all come together and use our gifts together to go and serve God's people and make a difference. I want this to be a place where we're all being encouraged and challenged. And I have so many ideas, you guys, and I'm already talking with my team and people about those ideas. You know, I'm also interested in maybe potentially having some Stay True or some True crew interns, maybe like next summer, next fall. So anybody who's interested in that, let Me know. I mean, you guys, the. The ideas are endless, and so if you have any ideas, please send them my way. I want to hear, I want to know. And I just love you guys. So those were some of the updates. We are working on a studio. It'll probably be months from now because we won't be moving into our house for another couple of months. And then, you know, we got to get all settled and then baby girls coming. So it's probably going to be after baby girl gets here. And so many of y'all are asking us if we have come up with a baby name. No, we haven't. So please pray. Please pray. We had one that we really, really liked, and we were, like, certain on, but then just questioned it, and now we. I feel like we're back at square one and starting over. So we don't know for sure. I actually did put it on my story one time and was like, what name would you guys pick for our child? And some of you had some really good ideas. I'm not going to lie. I noted them in my head, wrote them down, but we are still praying through that. So, yeah, baby girl will be coming early next year, sometime next year, and we are hoping to be settled before then, but the State True studio won't happen until after she's here. And I'm still trying to navigate and pray through what it looks like while I'm on maternity leave, because obviously baby Trout is priority, you know, And I want to be a good mom more than I want to be a good podcast host, but I love you guys so much. And I also know this podcast is still new, so I don't want to just, like, leave you guys hanging. And so I'm really trying to think of some ways of maybe even batching out some content, like a month worth of content. And just maybe we do, like, a little Bible study, and we go through, you know, a book of the Bible together. Maybe we just batch out fun episodes together. We do Q and A's. I don't know. I'm still brainstorming, so if you guys have any ideas for that, let me know. I don't want to go, like, months without posting podcasts, but I also want to prioritize my baby. And so I'm just navigating that and trying to figure that out and want to be. I always want this to be a place where I'm super honest and real with you guys and just bringing you guys into all that's going on in my life and that I clearly do not have it together. I do not have it all figured out. And every day is a step of faith and just praying to God with a posture of surrept surrender of God. Show me what this looks like. Show me how to be a mom. Show me how to surrender when this season doesn't look like what I thought. Show me how to be a good podcast host and a friend and a teacher of the word of God and all the things. And so every single day is just that constant surrender. But I love you guys, and I'm so thankful for y'all and just really appreciate your feedback, your support. And it has been a crazy past few weeks, even just with everything going on in our nation. And I'm actually recording this episode the day before the election. And I do realize this is coming out like a week and a half or two weeks after the election. And so I actually do not know the state of our world right now, or, I guess, our country right now. But I wanted to just go ahead and film this podcast and just with what God has put on my heart. And I normally try to film episodes a week or two weeks before, before they come out. And so, again, sometimes I don't always know what's going on, like, right here, right now. And so I don't know how we're all feeling right now. I don't know what is happening in our nation. But I do want to really speak on this subject that I feel like is really applicable right now and something that I personally have walked through a lot and something that I feel like should be addressed to all who choose to follow Jesus, which is we're going to be talking about today what it looks like to suffer for being a Christian, or how to handle hate and criticism and persecution for being a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. How do you handle suffering and persecution as a Christian? So we're going to talk all about that. And the reason I think that's so important, we're seeing it again all in our world today, whether it comes in the form of politics and people having opinions. Like, I posted something, you know, a couple weeks ago about how. And I even did a podcast episode with Alibeth Stuckey about how we should all go out and vote not based on personality, but based on policies and ba. And based on the policies that are going to promote God's original design and biblical truth and how God has designed for humanity to thrive and for humanity to live. And the best leader that's going to promote and endorse those things. And so I talked about that. And of course, received a ton of hate, a ton of criticism, and a lot of backlash. And I'm used to it, honestly, at this point, you guys, I have received a lot of persecution and hate just over the past three to four years. And also with that, so much love and support and amazing, amazing people who have come up to me with tears saying, you know, God has used you to change my life, and thank you for speaking out about these things. It's brought clarity, it's brought truth. It's brought, you know, freedom to my life. And that's what it's all about. I don't live for the approval of people. I don't live to be liked by. By everyone. I live to please God, and I live to be liked by the only one that really matters. And if along the way it's encouraging to other people and helpful for other people, then praise Jesus, praise God. And that's why I do what I do. And so, you know, I want to be clear that when we choose to follow Jesus and when we choose to go all in with Jesus, that there are going to be a lot of people who don't understand. There's going to be a lot of people who, you know, have. They heap abuse on you. You know, they speak really hateful things. They, they, they react out of fearing what they don't understand. They don't understand why you would choose purity. They don't understand why you would choose to turn the other cheek. They don't understand why you would choose not to go out and get drunk. They don't understand why you choose not to dress a certain way. They don't understand why you don't curse and why you don't watch certain things. There are things that the world is not going to understand when we choose to follow Jesus because it's countercultural. It's not what the rest of the world is doing. It's not what they're going after. And so because of that, what happens is when we don't understand something, a lot of times out of our own fear and insecurity, we lash out and we attack that thing that we fear. And so we see with our world and the people around us today that when we stand firm in truth and when we stand firm in the word of God and when we follow Jesus Christ and we speak out what is right and what is true, there's attack, there's persecution, there's hate. And, you know, I want to act like it doesn't always bother me. I want to act like I Don't care and whatever. Like, I don't give a. You know, I don't care what you think about me. That's not true. There are moments where it's really, really hard. And, you know, I see comments or people say things or people threaten or people say really, really hurtful things. Even about, like my b. I posted about being pro life and fighting for life because God is for life and because the word of God tells us that he is the God of life and the creator of life. Therefore he is a God of life and he is for life. And so as followers of God, I am too. We should all be too. And I understand everyone's story is very different. I understand everyone has been raised very differently. And that is not to make anyone feel bad. That's not to shove anything down anyone's throat. That is just to challenge those who follow Jesus Christ. That that should be our stance because that's biblical and because that's what the word of God stands on. And even just talking about that, there was so much hate and persecution and so much, so many comments of people saying, you know, I feel horrible for your daughter. You're going to be the worst mom ever. I feel so bad for your daughter. And just like all of these things that it just is crossing a line. It's not okay and it's hurtful. It's really hard to read. And I'll be honest, like there' moments where I see those things and it'll affect me really badly and it'll, you know, it'll get in my head, it'll get in my mind, you know, and I'm like, okay, should I not have posted it? And then I'll start doubting, you know, standing firm in the truth. Or it'll just take over my day. And Grant will see me. I'll be anxious. I'll be, you know, just way more quiet and not myself. And he just has to remind me of whose opinion actually matters and of who I really am and on what I'm living for. Like, at the end of the day, I am living for eternal treasures and I am not storing up for myself treasure here on earth. I'm not trying to win the approval of people. I'm not trying to build up bigger barns here. I'm not trying to, like, have my cake and eat it too. I am living for eternity. My eyes are set on eternity and my eyes are set on Jesus and how I can please him and how I can live for him. And so because of that, it's so good to have people remind me when I get caught up and I get anxious and I get concerned about what other people think about me and how they're judging me or if I'm offending them or if they don't like me because I took a stand. And it's so much easier, you guys, it's so much easier to not take a stand. It's so much easier to shrink back in fear and to let other people stand up for what's true and what's right. Because when we choose to take a stand, there will be persecution, there will be attack, and people will not understand. And that can be really, really hard. But if we do not stand firm, then we do not stand at all. Like, who are we to shrink back in fear? We are not those who shrink back. We are those who rise up. We are who stand tall. We are those who acknowledge God before man. We are those who speak the truth because we've been transformed by the truth. If you've truly been changed by the love, grace and truth of Jesus Christ, you can't help but speak about it. You can't help but share it with other people. And the truth, you know what, you guys, the truth is full of grace and full of love, but it's also truth. Therefore, it also rebukes, it also corrects, it also calls out. And sometimes it's hard to hear. And you know what? I read the Word of God and sometimes it's hard to read, sometimes it's hard to hear. There are a lot of moments I read the Word of God where I get rebuked, where I get corrected, where I get called out. You know, the other day I was reading how, you know, the prudent and the wise are slow to speak and they're not quick tempered and they're not easily angered and they overlook an offense. I'm reading that all in Proverbs and I'm so convicted because my natural sinful state is when someone insults me, when someone offends me, when someone says something to me that I don't like is to react, to get defensive, to insult back, to, you know, to fight back. Like that is my natural reaction. But then it tells me in First Peter that I am not to repay evil with evil, that I am not to repay insult with insult, that I am to be above that as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus, I am to, on the contrary, repay evil with blessing. Because that is what I'm going to receive, is I'm going to receive an eternal blessing, an inheritance of blessing. When I choose to repay evil with good. And so it just challenges us all throughout Scripture, even when you're persecuted, even when your enemies attack you, even when you, you know, you receive hate, your job, your role as a Christian is to respond back with love. And that doesn't mean you get trampled all over. That doesn't mean you can't ever stand up for yourself. There's a way to still do that, with grace and with honor and with respect. But at the same time, our role should always be to turn the other cheek, to overlook an offense, to assume the best, to pray for our enemies. It tells us that in the Word, that we should pray for our enemies. We should pray for those who persecute us. And I'll be honest with you guys, that is really hard for me. And so as I read the Word of God, I'm being rebuked, I'm being called out, I'm being straightened up. I'm being sanctified. And so the truth is not just meant to tell us what we want to hear. The truth is not meant to just go along with whatever feelings we have. The truth is not meant to just fit in our perfect little happy box of whatever seems right to us in our minds or our emotions. The truth is the truth. It's not relative. It's not flimsy, it's not opinionated. The truth is the truth, and the truth does not change. And the truth is meant to call out and rebuke and make better and refine and sanctify and make us look more like Jesus. And so when people are offended by the truth, truth, I'm like, yeah, of course. Of course the truth is offensive. The truth is hard to hear sometimes. But that doesn't mean we don't share it. That doesn't mean we don't stand by it just because people are going to be offended by it. For those of us who follow Jesus Christ, there will be persecution, there will be suffering. There will be people who do not understand. We are promised that in Scripture. And so I get very confused by this whole idea of people being confused when persecution and suffering comes. As a Christian, almost as if when we follow Jesus Christ, he's supposed to give us roses and rainbows and everything's supposed to be easier, lighter, and better. And, you know, this whole prosperity gospel that has taken off. Like, if I follow Jesus, I'm going to get a platform, I'm going to get followers, I'm going to get everything I ever want. I'm going to speak it all into Existence. Do you know what it looks like to follow Jesus? Because it says in. In the word of God that to be a true follower of Jesus Christ is to pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Him. It is to literally die to yourself. It is to say, it's no, no longer about me, it's all about you. And it also promises us that we will be hated because he was hated. And so to be a follower of Jesus is to be like Jesus, which means we follow in his same footsteps, which means when we stand firm in his truth and when we look like him, we should look different than the rest of the world. We should also be confusing to the rest of the world. And there are parts of the world that are going to be drawn to and attracted to that, just like they were with Jesus, because the Spirit of God is attractive, the fruits of the Spirit are attractive, and they are very different than the rest of the world. And on the flip side of that, there's also going to be those who hate, persecute, and attack what they don't understand and what does not come, you know, what they cannot, what they don't believe in themselves. And so because of that, we are promised that as followers of Jesus Christ, there will come persecution, there will come trial. And it tells us in James 1:12, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. Because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life promised to those who love the Lord. And so we will receive the crown of life if we persevere under trial. It tells us in Matthew 5, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. It says, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It also goes on to say in Matthew 5:11, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. And so I get so confused when people are like, maddie, I'm so sorry that you've received so much hate. I'm so sorry that people attack you. I'm so sorry for the comments that you get, Maddie. I don't know why you get hate. I don't know. And I'm. You mean, I'm like, this is promised in my Bible. This is promised to every single believer. And if, as believers, we don't look different than the rest of the world, if, as believers, we're not being attacked or persecuted or hated by the world in some way, shape or form. It may not look like you have a public platform and you're getting hundreds of thousands of really mean and hateful comments, but it should look like there are people around you who persecute you and don't agree with you and are confused by you because you look different than them, because you look different than the world. And that should not be confusing. That should not be alarming. It says it in First Peter. We should not be confused as if we're experiencing some kind of weird thing. Like all believers all over the world are undergoing the same kind of persecution because we follow Jesus. But it encourages us in Scripture that we should rejoice and be glad because we suffer for the Name, because we bear the Name, because we represent the Name above every. Every name. And we know we're not living for the approval of people, and we know that we're not living for the things of this world. We know that we're living for heaven, and our reward is in heaven, and our crown is in heaven. It's not in what people can give us. It's not in what this world can give us. It's not in money, fame, platform, any of those things that might come and be a part of your story. It might not. It's been a little bit of a part of my story, but I still say, even with all of that, like, people think I'm, like, hypocritical when I'm like, don't chase the platform, don't chase the money, don't chase the faith. I stand by that. Don't chase those things. If it becomes a part of your story, then use it to steward it for Jesus. Use it to give back to God. Use it to serve other people, but don't chase after it. Because that is not the way that we chase Jesus by chasing the things of this world. And if it comes and it's a part of your story, then great. Use it to edify Jesus. Use it to make it all about the Lord. And I pray that anything that's been given to me, any. Any ounce of money, fame, platform, status, followers, gifts that God's given me, relationships that's God's, that God's given me, resources that God's given me anything, like not just what's seen, but what is unseen, anything God has given me, I want to use to give back to Him. It's not mine. He gave it to me. It's not mine to hold on to. It's not mine to edify myself. It's not mine to point to myself. Myself, it's his, and I want to give it back to him because he deserves it, and I want to add interest on it. And so if he gives it to me, I want to return it back to him with interest. I want to return it back to him with value being added. Okay, God, you gave me five. Five bags of gold. I want to give you back ten. Okay, God, you gave me, you know, this opportunity to reach five people. I want to reach 10 people, like, whatever you give me, God, I want to add value to it. I want to add interest to it. I want to add to it and give it back to you in faith and in obedience and in surrender and in love. And that's what we're called to do as followers of Jesus. And I just. I get so confused. Like, I have friends, truly friends, that will text me and be like, oh, I saw this, like, horrible TikTok about you. And, you know, this person was, you know, talking all about you and just how they couldn't stand, you know, da, da, da, da, da, da, da. And you're this and you're that, and da, da, da, da, da. First of all, I'm like, I don't know why you're sharing that with me. I'm not scrolling on TikTok. I'm not seeing these things. I didn't really want to know. I don't really care. But also on top of that, I'm confused why you're confused why I'm receiving hate. Because if I'm standing firm in truth, if I'm following Jesus, of course I'm going to receive some hate. Of course I'm going to be persecuted for the name of Jesus Christ because my Bible tells me that I will be. So I don't really know why that's confusing to people. I don't really know why that's concerning to people. And I think what makes me really sad is that I've seen so many Christians not speak out. I've seen so many Christians live for the approval of people, and I've seen so many Christians chase after this prosperity gospel and be deceived by this prosperity gospel that they fear not being liked. They fear offending people, and they think following Jesus is going to win them a platform or win them a name or an opportunity. And they think, oh, I've been saved, so now I have to go start this podcast. I've been saved. So now I want all of these followers. I've been saved, and so now I'm going to. And it's not about that. It's not about that. There's. There's been. So I don't know who. I don't know if the enemy has gotten in all of our minds. I don't know if there's false, probably both, like false teachers out there who are preaching the wrong things. I want to be clear that at Stay True, we believe that following Jesus will come with some persecution, that following Jesus is not going to be easy, that you're not going to get the Lamborghini and the massive following and the perfect white picket fence house and everything you ever wanted just because you chose, choose, choose to follow Jesus. Maybe that's a part of your story, but then with that, there's going to be other parts of your story that are going to be really hard. There's going to be other things that are going to be suffering and persecution and hardship because we live in a fallen world and because the enemy hates Christians. Because there is a very real enemy who hates Christians and he has. It says that Satan is the ruler of this world, like he is the ruler of the air, the prince of the air, and he is deceiving so many minds. And it says that there is. Broad is the way that leads to destruction and narrow is the way that leads to life. Which means that there's going to be a lot of people, a lot of people, a lot of people who probably even think they're Christians, a lot of people who would even claim to be Christians that are walking down a path of eternal hell, destruction, death, and they're following the ways of this world. They're following the thing their eyes are set on the things of this world. You know, their God is their stomach. Their. Their world is themselves. They are the, they are the everything to them. Like, that's what a lot of people are chasing. And as followers of Jesus, we're called to walk the narrow road. And it says few choose that narrow is the road that leads to eternal life. And we're called to look different. We're not chasing after the things of this world. We're chasing after Jesus and what he calls us to do and what he calls us to stand for. And sometimes that's unpopular and a lot of times that's going to come with people not understanding and some persecution. Great is your reward in heaven. And that is what we are after, friends. That is what we are after. And there are some verses I just want to share with you guys because there's just so many times in scripture where it's just, it's so clear that this Is this is a part of being a follower of Jesus. And so any gospel that is preaching to you, that is only prosperity and no suffering, any gospel that has been preached to you, that if you follow God, you will get every dream that you've ever had and everything will be perfect and every desire that you have will, will be met and everything that you want will be granted. If that is the gospel that you have heard, that is a false gospel if it's not paired with the truth of suffering, the truth of self denial, the truth of service and serving other people, the truth of humility and dying to yourself and humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God, knowing that in due time he will lift you up. You don't have to lift yourself up. You don't have to promote yourself. You don't have to go out and market yourself. In due time he will lift you up. Favor only comes from God and favor that comes from the world, you don't want it. I promise you. And that is the truth of what it looks like to follow Jesus, that I want to always stand by, hear it stay true, that it's not just this cute cookie cutter coffee mug coffee shop. Jesus gives me everything I want and so I follow him. No, that's not what it looks like to follow Jesus. There's going to be a lot of persecution. And you look at the disciples and you look at those who went before us, and you also look at the life of Jesus. He was crucified. He was crucified. And you look at why he was crucified and you're like, it makes no sense. He was perfect. He healed. He performed miracles. He made everything better. He spoke truth. He pointed to God. He loved people. He met the sinner and didn't throw stones. He met the sinner and set the sinner free. He continued to love and give and serve. So why was he crucified? Because he was the Son of God. Because this is the world that we live in today. Because Jesus is showing us, hey, because I've been persecuted, because I've been crucified, because I've been hated. Those who follow me will receive that. But those who follow me will also receive a joy and life and freedom and peace and an eternal glory that this world cannot give. And that's the thing, you guys, is even though there will be suffering and persecution here, what's to come far outweighs all of that. It's so much greater than all of that. And even while we're here, even in the midst of temptation, trials Suffering, loss, persecution, and all of that. What the believer has as hope is this inexpressible joy that we serve the King of Kings. Is this inexpressible peace that cannot be given or taken with the things of this world. Is this unbelievable hope that we are going to heaven and that our eternity is sealed and that our inheritance is in heaven. And it's not an inheritance that spoils or fades or tarnishes or can be taken. It's sealed up. And that is what believers have to cling to. And that is what it looks like to have true faith. Faith is not in what you see. And so any faith that is preached that following Jesus is in what you can see and in what you can get here on this earth. Faith is not in what you can see. Faith is in what you cannot see and hope for what's to come. And so for me, my faith is in Jesus Christ. For me, my hope is in heaven. And my faith is not in the things that this world can give me and the things that I can gain or get or have or like. All of that, I consider it a loss. All of that, I consider it nothing. For the sake of knowing Jesus Christ. I would give up every single thing. I would. I would give up every single thing. I would delete my Instagram, I would wipe away my podcast. I would move to wherever God calls me. I would move to India. I would go wherever God calls me to go if that was what he called me to do. And that's because I'm not. I'm not living for this world. And I just think as Christians, we can get so caught up in the things of this world and then we get confused why suffering and persecution come comes. And if you're living for the things of this world, then of course you're going to be confused and mad at God and frustrated when suffering and persecution comes, or you're going to shrink back or cower back or not stand firm in truth because you want to be liked and you want to be accepted and you want people to. You want to fit in and you want to have friends or whatever it may be. And I just want to continue to challenge the true crew here, the that it is so much, it's so worth it following Jesus Christ radically. And I. And when I say radically, I mean going all in. I don't mean a lukewarm Christianity. I don't mean the Christianity that serves you. I don't mean the Christianity that is convenient. I'm like, hey, let's have a little dtr Moment, like, let's define the relationship. Okay. Are you really a true believer? Are you really a follower of Jesus Christ? Are you really a radical people? I'm all in with Jesus Christ because lukewarm Jesus says, I will spit them out of my mouth. I detest. I do not want anything to do with anyone who is lukewarm, which means those of us who are one foot in and one foot out, he would rather us be hot or cold. Like, he literally would rather us either choose him or not choose him than to be one foot in and one foot out. Because to taste and see that the Lord is good, but then to also try and live and taste and experience goodness in the world, like, that's just. You can't. You literally can't. You have to choose one or the other. You will be miserable trying to live a lukewarm Christianity life. And so let's define the relationship. Let's go there, let's talk about it. Are you a true believer? Are you a true follower of Jesus Christ? Are you a committed Christian, or are you a convenient Christian? Are you a committed Christian or are you a comfortable Christian? Are you a committed Christian, or are you a Christian who only follows the Lord when things are working out for you or when you just really need him to come through for you? And these are questions you should be asking yourself. It says that we should continue to check our faith. We should continue to check our sanctification and our holiness with fear and trembling. We should ask the Lord to continue to sanctify and purify our hearts. We should check our salvation and make sure that we're following Jesus with the right motives, with the right intent, and that we're all in and that we're committed and in knowing that with that, there's going to come some things that are not going to be easy. But the Lord prepares us and it prepares us in Scripture. Scripture, how we can stand firm. And I want to talk about that too. How we can stand firm. We don't have to fear evil. We don't have to fear persecution. We don't have to fear suffering. We can actually have so much confidence and so much joy and so much peace. It tells us in Acts. I think it's Acts 5, where the disciples are all being sent to. They're. They're going before these teachers of the law and these judges of the law and these Pharisees, and they're being, you know, persecuted and they're being told, you're not allowed to speak about Jesus. You're not allowed to perform miracles in the name of Jesus. You're not allowed to talk about this Jesus guy. Like, we don't want you to talk about him. Okay? So the Pharisees are coming after the disciples saying, you're not allowed to do this. You're not allowed to do that. And the. And the disciples would respond and say, we don't live for you. We don't live for your approval. Who are we to please you and not to please God? We can't help. Help but speak about what we've seen and heard. We can't help but rejoice and how Jesus has changed our life. And it says that they were abused, that they were beaten up, that they were persecuted. And it says that they left that, you know, being persecuted and being abused and being beat up. It says that they left rejoicing and glad that they suffered and were persecuted for the name. It says that the disciples were rejoicing, that they just, just suffered for the name of Jesus Christ. And by suffering, I'm not talking about like their, their coffee order was wrong or they got cut off in traffic, or, you know, their, their clothes got, you know, a string came off. Like, I'm talking about real suffering and persecution. They literally got physically abused, they got physically beat, and they left with joy saying what a joy it is to suffer for the name of Christ. And that that is. I fear that we're losing that in Christianity. I fear that that is not being preached enough in Christianity that we should, just like the disciples, rejoice and be glad when persecution and suffering comes because we get to bear the name of Jesus Christ. And it says, those who acknowledge Jesus before others, he will acknowledge us before God. And if we do not acknowledge Jesus before others, he will not acknowledge us before God. And we will all have to give an account before God one day. We will have to give an account for our life. And I don't want it to be you cared more about what other people thought about you than living for me and caring about what I think about you. I don't want that to be my story. I want my story to be that I lived radical, that I lived full of faith, that I lived all in, fully committed to Jesus Christ whatever came with it, persecution or blessing, you know, prosperity or lack, you know, whatever it may be, I lived fully for Jesus and I used it all for him. If I suffer for Him, I give it back to him and I make a difference. I take that suffering and I turn that pain into purpose. I still preach and teach the good news of Jesus Christ. I go out and I empathize with those who are also suffering. If I've been given blessing and I've been given prosperity, I use it to advance the kingdom of God. I use it to bless others. I've been blessed to be a blessing. I use it all for the name and the sake of Jesus Christ. And I'm so worried that we've become as believers so soft and so consumed about what people think about us. And it's all about us. So whether we receive, if we receive persecution or suffering, we immediately apologize back down and say, sorry, I didn't mean it, or we choose not to speak out, or we receive, receive the blessing and the prosperity, and we use it all to edify our own name, and we use it all to grow our own name and grow our own platform and make it all about us. And it makes me so nervous and sad. And I just. I don't want to see a generation chasing after things that are only going to leave them empty. And I don't want to see a generation be deceived by where true life is found and also by what honors God and makes God proud and happy and about what it looks like to actually be a follower of Jesus Christ. And so it says in Romans 8:18. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing. I consider all of these light and momentary troubles nothing compared to the coming glory that will be given to me, that will be awaiting me, that will be rewarded to me. I consider everything I'm going through right now as I can get through it, because I know what's to come, because I know what's promised to me, because I know where my reward and my true treasure is found. It talks about in Hebrews 11, all about the heroes of the faith. If you've never read Hebrews 11, I highly encourage you to go and read it. It's telling you what faith is. And then it's taking you through all of these biblical people who are all throughout the Bible, all these characters of the Bible who were full of faith and were heroes of the faith. And it says that a lot of them never received what was promised. They worked and they gave and they were persecuted, and they suffered their whole life on earth and never received what was promised while they were on earth. It says, but great is their reward in heaven. They received what they were promised in heaven, and they have a crown of life now that cannot be taken. And that is greater than anything they could have received here on this earth. And I'm worried that we have way too many people who are more concerned about what they can get on this earth than what they, they don't even care about what they could get in heaven. It's all about what can I build here, what can I grow here, and what can I gain here? And Jesus is saying, no, this is an upside down kingdom to follow me. It's. It looks so much different than what the world is saying. It looks like. It doesn't look like getting everything here. It looks like giving up everything here to gain everything there. It looks like this time on earth is temporary. And it's all just, it's like a warmup. You know what I mean? It's like the pre. It's the rehearsal, it's the pre workout, it's the whatever you want to call it. But the main show, the main event, the real game, the real forever is all hanging upon how you warm up and how you spend your time here and how you live here is going to determine what your eternity looks like and where your eternity will be. And so I know this is a harder subject to talk about as we're talking about, are you really a Christian? And talking about suffering and persecution, talking about heaven and hell and eternity, these are not light topics. But this is the Bible and we are living in what I believe to be the end times. And I believe that the Lord's coming is near. And I believe that he is. He. He. He is not going to delay his coming. And there we. We don't know when he's coming. We can't predict it. We can't even prepare for it in a way of like, okay, on this day I better be ready or by this time I'm going to have everything, you know, I'll. Before this day, since I know Jesus is coming on this day. Like, this is the day I'll go all in in my faith. This is the day that I'll choose to follow Jesus and, and be pure and live pure and holy and, you know, live my life for Him. And like we aren't prom. We don't know when he's coming back. And so don't let him find you sleeping. Don't let him find you living for the things of this world. Don't let him find you living for yourself. Let him come back, back when you're expecting and awaiting his return. When you're. You are on fire for him, fully committed to him. And so you will be taken up with Him. That is what I want for followers of Jesus Christ and for those of you who are listening to stay true, I want every single one of you to be. I want us to have a party together in heaven. I want us to have mansions next to each other. Guys, I want us to tell these stories about what we learned here on this earth and how God used us. And I want us to. I want us to make a difference here on this earth so that when we go to heaven, we can talk about it and we can be like, man, I'm so glad I didn't follow my feelings. I'm so glad I didn't follow culture. I'm so glad I didn't live for myself. I'm so glad. Like, it's going to be so worth it. And I really do think that we fear suffering on earth, but I think when we get to heaven, we're going to be like, oh, Jesus, why didn't you let me suffer more? I wish you would have let me suffer more. Because it's in suffering that we learn true obedience. It's in suffering that we learn true dependence. It's in suffering when we look most like Jesus. It's in suffering where usually we seek Jesus the most. It's in suffering where we're able to not be dependent upon, comfort, ourselves, the world, things that we would typically turn to. And we're stripped of all of that, and we're forced to choose. Are you going to choose to follow Jesus in the midst of all of the suffering? And I just truly believe that although it's hard and although it's painful, and although it is, a lot of times we don't understand it, I believe that when we get to heaven one day, we're going to be like Jesus. Thank you for letting me suffer. Thank you. I wish you would have let me suffer more. I wish I would have suffered more. Because what it produced, what it did, how it. How it got me on my knees and the relationship that I had with you, it was so worth it. It was so worth it. And for those of us who choose to follow Jesus, it is. It is a part of it. You can't escape it. You can't run from it. And if you do, you're missing out. You're missing out. And even looking at the life of Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, it says he suffered a lot. He suffered shipwrecks and beatings and a lot of people not understanding him and judging him off of his past. Hey, weren't you the guy who used to persecute Christians. Weren't you the guy who used to do this? He was haunted by his past. Even though he had been redeemed and set free and. And he received a lot of suffering and persecution. He was put in prison and in jail and eventually killed. Like he received a lot of suffering for being a follower of Jesus. His life was not easy. And as followers of Jesus here on this earth, our life is not easy, but it is so worth it. And we consider it a great joy and a privilege to suffer for Jesus Christ. It says in Philippians 3, 18, 20. Many live as enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their God is their stomach and their glory is their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship, our minds, our hearts are in heaven. They're set on heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there. The Lord Jesus Christ. That should be our cry. That should be our mission statement. Guys, there are a lot of people who aren't going to understand because their destiny is destruction. Their lies have become their truth. Their God is their stomach. They glory in sin. They glory in shame. That is their way of living. But for us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, our citizenship is in heaven. Our eyes are not set on earthly things. We are not running after the things of this world. We're running after Jesus. And for 1st Peter 44, which 1st Peter is a great book of the Bible for when we're talking about suffering for being a Christian. And in 1 Peter 4:4, it says, they are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living. And they heap abuse on you, but they will have to give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. They heap abuse on you because they do not understand you, that you don't join them in their wild and reckless living. They can't comprehend why you don't look like them and live like them. They don't understand. But where you have peace and where you have hope is that we will all, every single one of us will have to give an account for our life. And every single one of us will be judged. And we will all bow before the King of all kings, in the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord. That is all what is coming for all of us. And so we live for that moment, knowing that we will receive the crown of life, that our name will be written in the. In the Lamb's book. Of life, that we are running after eternal treasures and to be with Jesus in heaven forever and ever and ever. All that to say I know what it's like forgetting hate and persecution for being a follower of Jesus, for standing firm in purity, for standing firm in faith. I know what it's like to receive backlash for that. And in all of that, I had to continue to remind myself that heaven was my home, that my only aim was to finish my race and complete the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace, that I don't consider my life worth anything to me, that it's all about Jesus and my body and my life and my mind and my platform and everything that I have belongs to him, and I just want to give it back to Him. I had to continue to remind myself that I. I was living for, you know, eternity and a crown that would last forever and not for a platform that's here today and gone tomorrow. And so I would have to remind myself of that constantly. And if you're in a season where you're receiving hate or backlash, or there are people around you that don't understand why you make those decisions, maybe you're even, like, losing some friends because of it. Maybe you got radically saved and, you know, you had this encounter with Jesus and started living for Jesus, but your friends aren't there yet, and therefore they don't understand why. Why you're different now. Why you don't go out and get drunk with them now, why you don't cuss and make coarse jokes with them anymore, why you now seem like you're, quote, unquote, holier than thou, you know, and why you don't look like them and, and act like them and do what they do, that's going to come with the territory. When you have a radical encounter with Jesus, you can't keep living as you once did. The old ways of living are gone. They're dead. They're. They're in the past. For you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. You are now conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. You are pursuing him with all of your heart. And every day you should look more and more like Jesus than the day before. That's going to be confusing to people. And sometimes that's going to come at a cost. Sometimes it's going to come at a cost with some friendships, even people you really, really care about. And this is something I've talked about with my sisters. This is something I've talked about with my husband, because we all have friends and we all have people in our lives that when we decided to really be all in with our faith and not just live like this convenient, comfortable, religious, Christian life, but actually be about what we talk about, actually follow Jesus with all of our heart, it came at a cost. Like there were relationships that were then have had to be cut off or were, you know, naturally separated. There were, you know, conversations that had to be had. There were things that had to be let go of. There were addictions that had to be broken. There were were things that had to be dealt with. That was a hard thing. It wasn't easy, it wasn't overnight, it wasn't simple, but it, but it was worth it and we wouldn't change it for the world. And now some of those friends that once, you know, didn't understand why we made those decisions, have now come to know Jesus and are following Jesus and are so grateful that we were radical with our faith, that we didn't live lukewarm, that we didn't live one foot in, one foot out. And I want that for you. If you have friends around you that you're afraid of offending them, or you give in to peer pressure, or you're doing what they're doing because you don't want to offend them or you don't want to lose their friendship, you're actually hurting them way more than you're helping them. And so it's better for you to cut off that friendship or distance yourself for a little while from that friendship and to make sure you get holy and you get sanctified and you figure out your faith and your walk with Jesus before you even try to start, like discipling them or like, like helping them with their faith. You got to be strong in your faith. And if they're hindering your faith, then you've got to what it takes to distance yourself from them so that you can get your faith strong. And then maybe months later or a year later, your faith is strong enough to where you can now start encouraging them and discipling them and, you know, telling them why you made the decision that you made and why your life changed and how much more joyful and content and confident and peaceful you are because of that decision. All that being said, there are going to be things that are going to come at a cost when we follow Jesus and there are going to be people who don't understand and there's going to be persecution along the way, but it is so worth, worth it. And it is the greatest decision that you will ever make. And if you haven't made that decision, or if you, like we talked about earlier, find yourself in this place of, like, I might just be a convenient Christian, or I might just be a lukewarm Christian, or I don't even know if I am a Christian. I don't really know where I stand with Jesus. Like, if I. If you asked me right now, on a scale of 1 to 10, if I was going to heaven, if I died today, I'd probably say a six, I'd probably say a seven. I would tell you right now that you can have full confidence and say that you are a 10. That you can be fully confident that you are saved. That you can be fully confident that you are a blessed believer and follower of Jesus Christ, that you can be fully confident that if you died today, you would go to heaven. And what it takes is that you believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that you ask him to come into your heart, that you make him the Lord of your life, and then you choose to follow him. You choose to actually make him the Lord of your life. It's not just enough to say a prayer. It's not just enough to believe in your heart, but then nothing about your life change. It's faith plus action. It's. It's. The fruit of your life will point to what you really believe. The fruit of your life will point to what you really. Who you really are. And so when you say you're a Christian, the fruits of your life will point to that and other people will see that it will be. It's not just an outward reflection. It's not only something you do for other people to see. And that's something I've really pushed back on at the beginning of this podcast, but it's also not something you just keep within and something that no one knows about. I have a lot, lot of influencer friends where they don't post about Jesus at all, but they're Christians, and no one that follows them even knows that they believe in Jesus. That's confusing to me. That's really confusing to me because I'm like, if you have this platform and you say that you believe in Jesus and that he's changed your life and you're a follower of Christ, how can you not talk about Him? How can you not. How can that not be in, in your work and in everything that you do, and not even as an influence, influencer. If you're a business person, if you're a doctor, if you're a lawyer, if you are a teacher. If you are. Whatever you do, it should filter in and flow into everything that, like, you do, that you have a relationship with Jesus, that you love Jesus. It should go into your conversations, it should go into your workspaces. It shouldn't just be a private thing, it should be a public thing, but it also shouldn't just be a public faith. It should be a private faith. It goes both ways. Your private life and your public life should look the same. Who you are in private should be who. Who you are in public. If you say you follow Jesus in private, you should follow Jesus in public. If you say you follow Jesus in public, you should follow Jesus in private. I think we have a lot of situations where people follow Jesus in private and never acknowledge him in public. And then we have situations where people acknowledge Jesus in public because it grows their name and their platform and their following, and it makes them an influencer for Jesus, but they have no relationship with Jesus. Jesus off camera. And when no one's around and we have to make sure that our private life and our public life is just our everyday life, it's just our Christian life. It's all the same. I am alone with Jesus when no one's around, Just as I am, you know, talking about him on podcasts, just as I am talking about him when I go to coffee shops, just as I am talking about him with my family and my friends. And I'm mentoring people, I'm discipling people, I'm loving on people, I'm serving people all through the name and for the name of Jesus Christ. That should be all of our life. And I just want to always be the one to speak the truth, even when it's hard to hear. I want to be the one who continues to encourage and challenge and also say that this is really hard. Like, suffering for Jesus is not always easy. Being persecuted for Jesus is not always easy. Following Jesus is not easy. And it's not meant to be. It's not meant to be. That's why, literally, the. The invitation says, pick up your cross. A cross is heavy across ain't light. Okay? And then deny yourself. Literally die to yourself. Deny yourself. Don't give yourself what you want. Don't look at what you want, and then follow Him. Nothing about that is easy. Nothing about that is what the world is doing. And so I totally understand this is not the easiest journey ever. But I just want to continue to encourage all believers that we are all on this, in this journey together and suffering for the name is one that I want to do with joy, joy. And something I want to do with a rejoicing spirit and a grateful spirit that I get to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ because He suffered for me, to set me free, to save me. And so suffering for him is my joy, honor and privilege. And I want to suffer for him all the days of my life until I get to be in heaven with Him. And there is no more suffering, and there is no more sorrow, and there is no more sadness. There's only joy, there's only rejoicing, there's only prosperity, there's only goodness, there's only love. There's only. It's only good and it's only God. And that's what I'm living for, that's what I'm chasing after, and that's what I want for you. And so be encouraged. If you're going through hardship, if you're going through suffering, if you're going through trials, continue to stand firm, continue to keep the faith, continue to press in. Know that you're not alone. Believers all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering. Don't. Don't be confused by your suffering. Don't blame God for your suffering. It says that Jesus in Hebrews 5 learned obedience through what he suffered. And in the same way that the Son of Man, that Jesus himself had to learn obedience through what he suffered. May we learn true obedience to God the Father through what we suffer. May our suffering bring us to our knees, keep us dependent on him and keep us just so thankful that we get to be counted as worthy for suffering for the name of Jesus. I love all of you. I believe in all of you and I pray for all of you. Let me know how I can be praying for you more. Let me know if this is something that you struggle with. If you give in to people pleasing, if you don't know how to stand firm in those moments because you don't want to offend people. If you don't know how to let go of things you know you need to let go of. If you feel like you've been a comfortable, convenient Christian and not a committed believer in Christian, or if you have been struggling with suffering for the name of Christ and you're not considering it as joy, but you want to, or maybe this was really encouraging because you have been suffering. Well, wherever you find yourself, let me know. I want to hear and I love you guys. Let me know what you want to hear next. Let me know who you want on the podcast next. And like I talked about at the beginning of this episode. Be sure to rate and review this podcast. It really, really helps when you guys share it, when you guys post it, when you review it, it helps so much. So thank you. And please, for those of you who haven't, please do that and also submit to me. Put a little Canva presentation, a little graphic, a little whatever, whatever design. I want to see what you guys want the Stay True Studio to look like. Please send that in DM me, email me whatever you want to do. I want to see what you guys want for this Stay True Studio. But as always guys, be sure to stay you Stay True. I love.