Is God Disciplining Me? with Grant Troutt

Summary

Stay True with Madison Pruitt Troutt
Episode: Is God Disciplining Me? with Grant Troutt
Release Date: July 7, 2025

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In this deeply introspective episode of "Stay True with Madison Pruitt Troutt," host Madison engages in a profound conversation with her husband, Grant Troutt, addressing one of the most challenging and deeply personal questions believers may face: "Is God disciplining me?" Through a blend of personal anecdotes, biblical insights, and heartfelt discussions, Madison and Grant delve into understanding God's discipline, differentiating it from worldly suffering, and offering practical guidance for those navigating tough seasons in their lives.

---

1. Introduction to God's Discipline

Grant initiates the dialogue by posing the essential question:

"What is God's discipline, and why does God discipline us?"
[02:13]

Madison responds thoughtfully, clarifying that hardships aren't necessarily a result of personal wrongdoing but often stem from living in a broken world:

"Was the bad things that happened to you because you were bad? No. It's because we live in a broken world."
[01:03]

Key Insight: God's discipline isn't punishment but a manifestation of His love and desire for our growth.

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2. Understanding the Nature of Divine Discipline

Grant elaborates on the concept, emphasizing that discipline signifies our identity as God's children:

"Discipline proves that we are God's children. It's not God's rejection towards us. It's actually proof that we belong to Him."
[01:08]

Madison reinforces this by highlighting that God's discipline is always corrective, aimed at restoring and nurturing our relationship with Him:

"He always disciplines out of correction to pull you back into his love. He never disciplines you out of anger."
[01:24]

Key Insight: Divine discipline is an expression of God's paternal love, contrasting human discipline that can sometimes stem from anger or frustration.

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3. Personal Reflections on Parenting and God's Discipline

The conversation takes a personal turn as Madison and Grant discuss their experiences as parents. Grant shares how becoming a parent has deepened his understanding of patience, gentleness, and the fruits of the Spirit:

"I actually feel that I've stepped more into gentleness and kindness and in becoming a dad than I've ever been in my whole life."
[06:32]

Madison reflects on her own journey post-baby, grappling with physical changes and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with parenthood:

"It’s been ups and downs... God reminds me of what actually matters. And so I just have to keep going back to that."
[04:44]

Key Insight: Parenthood can serve as a microcosm for understanding divine discipline, teaching lessons of love, patience, and resilience.

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4. Differentiating Between God's Discipline and Worldly Suffering

A significant portion of the episode focuses on distinguishing God's intentional discipline from random suffering caused by a broken world. Madison makes it clear that extreme adversities like death, rape, abuse, or neglect are not inflicted by God:

"She always disciplines out of correction... Death, rape, abuse, neglect. That is not from God."
[02:25]

Grant adds that such suffering results from the world's inherent brokenness and sin, not from God's direct actions:

"Look at death, you look at rape, you look at abuse, you look at neglect. That is not from God."
[10:25]

Key Insight: While God's discipline is purposeful and aimed at spiritual growth, worldly suffering arises from the pervasive brokenness and sin within the environment.

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5. Biblical Foundations of Divine Discipline

Madison and Grant delve into scripture to provide a solid foundation for their discussion. They reference Hebrews 12, Revelation 3:19, and John 15:2 to illustrate the scriptural basis for understanding God's discipline:

• Hebrews 12:5-11 emphasizes that the Lord disciplines those He loves to foster holiness and righteousness.

• Revelation 3:19 echoes Jesus' words about disciplining and rebuking those He loves.

• John 15:2 uses the analogy of the vine and branches to explain how God prunes believers to bear more fruit.

Madison summarizes:

"The Lord disciplines those whom he loves. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons."
[16:09]

Key Insight: Biblical scriptures consistently portray God's discipline as an act of love and a means to cultivate believers' spiritual growth.

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6. Practical Steps for Recognizing and Responding to Divine Discipline

The hosts offer listeners actionable advice on how to discern and respond to feelings of being disciplined by God:

1. Self-Examination: Assess whether current hardships stem from personal sin or from God's intentional discipline.

   "Am I in a season of discipline? Is there any sin in my life that I need to address and that I need to confess?"
   [56:00]

2. Prayer and Reflection: Engage in prayer asking God to reveal His purpose behind the current challenges.

   "Pray the prayer. Psalm 139 says, 'Search me, O God, and remove any offensive way in me...'"
   [56:10]

3. Trusting God's Character: Reaffirm faith in God's goodness and trust that His discipline aligns with His holy character.

   "Do not let it come from the Father of lies... His discipline always feels like love."
   [52:23]

Key Insight: Recognizing God's discipline requires a balance of introspection, prayer, and trust in God's unwavering love and righteousness.

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7. Overcoming the Fear of Divine Discipline

Grant addresses the common fear associated with divine discipline, reassuring listeners of its benevolent nature:

"Scripture is clear that God does not give us a spirit of fear... his discipline is actually his kindness to us because we get to become and be made more holy and be made more like him."
[33:09]

Madison adds, emphasizing that fear and shame often stem from Satan's lies, not from God's true intentions:

"God's voice always feels like love. It may hurt, it may be hard. Always feels like it's his kindness that leads us to repentance."
[52:23]

Key Insight: Embracing God's discipline can transform fear into faith, viewing hardships as opportunities for spiritual refinement rather than sources of shame.

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8. Concluding Encouragement and Scripture

In their final remarks, Madison and Grant encourage listeners to lean into their struggles, trusting that God is refining them for greater righteousness:

"Let this be just the start to going deeper in your faith. Let this be just the start to that conversation between you and God."
[61:40]

They conclude with Romans 8:38-39, affirming the inseparable love of Christ:

"For I am sure that neither death nor life... nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
[60:33]

Key Insight: Assurance of God's unwavering love provides comfort and strength, reaffirming that His discipline is a pathway to unbreakable fellowship with Him.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Madison Pruitt Troutt [01:03]:
  "Was the bad things that happened to you because you were bad? No. It's because we live in a broken world."

• Grant Troutt [01:08]:
  "Discipline proves that we are God's children. It's not God's rejection towards us. It's actually proof that we belong to Him."

• Madison Pruitt Troutt [16:09]:
  "The Lord disciplines those whom he loves. It is for discipline that you have to endure."

• Grant Troutt [33:09]:
  "God does not give us a spirit of fear... His discipline is actually his kindness to us because we get to become and be made more holy."

• Madison Pruitt Troutt [60:33]:
  "Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ."

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Final Takeaways

• Divine Discipline as Love: God’s discipline is a profound expression of His love, intended to refine believers and draw them closer to Him.

• Distinction from Worldly Suffering: While God may allow hardships to foster growth, extreme suffering caused by human sin or the world's brokenness is not a direct act of divine discipline.

• Biblical Foundation: Scriptures provide a clear framework for understanding and embracing God's disciplinary actions as integral to spiritual maturity.

• Practical Steps: Self-examination, prayer, and trust in God's character are essential for discerning and responding to divine discipline.

• Overcoming Fear: Recognizing the loving intent behind God’s discipline transforms fear and shame into faith and resilience.

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This episode serves as a beacon of hope and understanding for listeners grappling with the complexities of divine discipline. Through honest dialogue and scriptural wisdom, Madison and Grant offer a compassionate guide for navigating life's trials, ensuring that believers can stay true to their faith even amidst adversity.

Transcript

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

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[Grant]

What is God's discipline, and why does God discipline us?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Was the bad things that happened to you because you were bad? No. It's because we live in a broken world.

[Grant]

Discipline proves that we are God's children. It's not God's rejection towards us. It's actually proof that we belong to Him.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He always disciplines out of correction to pull you back into his love. He never disciplines you out of anger.

[Grant]

Anger is God's discipline always based off of our sin.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It may not be punishment. It might be pruning.

[Grant]

You look at death, you look at rape, you look at abuse, you look at neglect. That is not.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's not from God.

[Grant]

From God. He's going to let certain things happen in our life to test our faith, to grow us deeper in intimacy with Him. And it's not always because we sin.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

If you've accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, you follow him as Lord, then you can know the wrath of God's not on you. It's on his son.

[Grant]

What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt Trout, here with.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Your boy gt. It's your absolute dog in the building.

[Grant]

And it's been too long.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And it's been too long, man. Like you have all these other guests and you just like you forget about me, Snow Man. Like we were the duo. We were the junior team.

[Grant]

We were the Stay True podcast host according to all Stay True listeners.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love Yalls podcast. Maddie, let's just address this fit you're wearing with the blue Stay True behind you.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Praise the Lord.

[Grant]

Yeah, it's. It's. It's a pretty cool fit.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Hey, listen, I'll tell you, you look more beautiful than before you had a baby. Yeah. I mean that.

[Grant]

Thank you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I mean that.

[Grant]

Thank you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

How do you feel post baby? We're four or five months removed. How do you feel post baby? Just as a woman of God.

[Grant]

Yeah. So we're recording this episode before it's obviously coming out. So we're right now at about four months since Hosanna's been born. And we just did an episode. I just did an episode with Jess Connelly on body shame. And I was very honest. I was like, you know, it changes everything. Like, it really changes everything about life and about your body. And so my skin's been breaking out more. I'm. I'm in the thick of it with, like, losing my hair, just all the stuff. And so have I had moments? Yes. But I literally was holding Hosanna. I got super convicted because I was holding Hosanna, and she. She's, you know, in this time right now where she loves looking at herself in the mirror.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

She does thing ever.

[Grant]

She loves it, and she smiles so big. And so we're like. I'm looking at her in the mirror, and I'm laughing. And I went from, like, looking at her smile and her being so happy to looking at myself and seeing, like, thinning out my face breaking out. And immediately I was just like, oh, Hosanna. Look at Mommy's face. Oh, no. Like, Mommy's losing her hair. And then I just got so convicted because I was like, wait, I tell you all the time that your beauty comes from the Lord and that your beauty is what is within you, and that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. We speak that over her all the time. And so I got so convicted because I also did an episode with Courtney Savinsky on Here Shout Out. We love Courtney. And we talked all about how it's so much more important to model for your children, like, who you want them to be and what you want them to do more than just like. Like, yes, words are important, but children are gonna watch what you do before they listen to what you say. And so me speaking over myself is just as important as me telling Hosanna, like, hey, your beauty is within. And so all that being said, it's been ups and ups and downs. You know, there's been moments where I'm like, man, this is, like, the coolest thing Ever. And this is just a process of, like, the. The part of the miracle, that of having a child. And then there's moments where I'm like, oh, my hair, my face. God help me. So you're beautiful. It's up and downs, but you make me feel beautiful. And God reminds me of what actually matters. And so I just have to keep going back to that.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You are beautiful. And it's fun. Like, Hosanna will watch everything we do, and it's hilarious because sometimes I'll get face to face with her and she'll look away, and I'm like, okay, she's not interested. And I'll walk away and I'll look back five seconds, and she's just staring at me. Do whatever I'm doing.

[Grant]

And.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I read today, Jesus said, I only do what I see the Father doing. And it reminded me of, like, your children watch and do what you do. And even Jesus was no exception. He's like, hey, I only do and say what I see the Father do and say.

[Grant]

That's wild.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I was like, hosanna. The way I open these letters, like, matters, you know, My tone, my facial expressions. Like, it just was so crazy that I'm like, she's watching us and how we talk to each other 100.

[Grant]

How we love each other when she's having a moment where she's screaming uncontrollably. We've talked about this.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yes.

[Grant]

And how, like, she will be crying, you guys. So intense.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Like. Like, full screen.

[Grant]

Like, nothing's wrong. Sister just ate. Sister is good. Like, not in a poopy diaper. Everything's great. And she's gotta let it out. You know, she's just. She's developing. It's part of it. But she'll just be screaming. And you'll have a moment as a parent where you're like.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You'll feel it.

[Grant]

Oh, my gosh. Like, it's been going on for a few minutes now, and, like, I'm starting to lose it a little bit. And so, like, have you. No.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, okay. Just wondering. It hadn't come up in your heart yet? No, came up quick for me.

[Grant]

I know that's the difference between you and I. See, for me, it's more like actually wrathful, like anger.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Well, sorry, I mean, I didn't mean that. You're just. You're just a very passionate, passionate woman.

[Grant]

No, I. Here's what I will say. I actually think that I've stepped more into gentleness and kindness and in becoming a mom than I've Ever been in my whole life.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Thank you, Jesus. Hey, if there. If I didn't know there was a God yet, I know there's a God now.

[Grant]

That is, like, the supernatural. Truly the supernatural grace of God for this season, because it actually doesn't make sense.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You have been more patient than I ever could have imagined.

[Grant]

Right. Like, I feel like I've stepped more into the fruits of the spirit than ever in my whole life.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, my. Dude, thank you.

[Grant]

And that is seriously the spirit.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's a mom.

[Grant]

But I feel like before my natural state, when yours was to, like, cuss, mine was to, like, raise my voice.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I'm not. Like, I'm not cussing out here. Like, I'm not a cussing.

[Grant]

I'm not cussing all the time. Time. Like, it just every once in a while, every few months, you would let one slip. Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant]

You. You've gotten.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Come a long way. Come a long way. It's been a long time. I don't know.

[Grant]

About a year, but it's been a while.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Well, Hosanna came, and I just. Those long. You lose some sleep, dog.

[Grant]

You're not.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You ain't thinking straight.

[Grant]

Yeah. So anyways, I'm in a stressful moment.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I'm feeling this judgment from whoever's in their workout room right now with the headphones in.

[Grant]

You guys. I guess we could have an episode on cussing. That might be.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We should, honestly. Yeah.

[Grant]

Because. Yeah, you should.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You should not let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth.

[Grant]

Yeah, but we're sitting there. I'm sitting there with Hosanna. She's screaming uncontrollably, and I have this moment where I'm like, you know, you. You feel all the feelings. Like, you. You want to yell and say, stop crying. You want to, like, lose your mind, but you're like, I. I can't do that. And so I'm just holding her, and I just have this moment where I literally, like, look up to the Lord, and I'm like, like, help me. And I just, like, take a deep, deep breath. That sounds, like, so spiritual. It's really.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Was just like, no, you're making it way too spiritual. You're about to, like, lose your mind.

[Grant]

I'm about to lose my life. So I'm like, dear God, help me. And I, like, look up. I'm like, oh. And then I look back down, and she's just, like. She stopped crying.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

She, like, one eye open, just, like, checking you out.

[Grant]

Like, she's waiting to see how will you respond. Response to her craziness.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So real.

[Grant]

And I'm like, wow, that's wild. Like, that is so. She is paying attention all the time. And so we're in. I feel like, just like the most fun season with Hosanna, but also like, she's very much growing and progressing so quickly. So there's so much development happening. So she's going through all these different stages. She's right in the middle of sleep.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Regression, which is beautiful. Which means she learned how to sleep for a little bit.

[Grant]

It's beautiful for Grant.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And now she can't sleep anymore.

[Grant]

Is sleeping, you guys. Grant will wake up and he's like, did Hosanna sleep through the night?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Dude, I sleep through it all.

[Grant]

I look at Grant and I said, I got up five times. I know I got up five times.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I literally think she slept through the whole night.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I'm like, babe, she crushed it last night.

[Grant]

I'm like.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And you got these like bags in your eyes. Like, I didn't sleep from 2 to.

[Grant]

4:30Pm yeah, the four month sleep regression, it's a. It's a whole thing. So it. But at the same time, it's so sweet because she's starting to like, just be again, more interactive and she's like laughing and she's more attentive. And you guys are in like such a sweet spot of just playing playfulness. And I feel like she really understands what, like even when you're praying with her and like reading verses in scripture over her. Cuz they do like their verse of the day every day where Grant just like reads a verse over her every day or has one he's memorizing. He just speaks it over every day. And she feels so she's in it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

She smiles big on like on. On the gospel ones.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

When. When it's like. But Jesus Christ stepping in for your position. She's like, what? And I'm like, do you understand me? Where. I wonder if I posted by now the funny video of Hosanna where she literally understands me. So Maddie's like running an errand.

[Grant]

No. First of all, let's get them in this. We were supposed to go on a trip out of the country. And then we realized that getting a baby's passport is a oh my goodness situation.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I mean, you got to go to like, get them a picture. And then it just took way too long.

[Grant]

No, not even that. It's like, it's. It's just the process of. It takes. Yeah, it takes like weeks and weeks and weeks. You have to have all this certification, which I guess makes sense so that you're not just, like, bringing in, I guess, a random baby and, like, being like, hey, I need a passport for them. And so they have all of these things that you have to, like, check off. And what is happening?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

My keys fell out. Sorry. I was like, is something moving in my pocket?

[Grant]

I'm hearing. I'm hearing this jingle, and I'm like.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What in the world happening? And, like, hey, talk about something. Actually, it's beneficial.

[Grant]

Okay. But this is a funny.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

This is beautiful, though. So let me tell the story. So, Lee, you literally keep stealing the show, like, it's your Stay True podcast. So I am. I am in the car. Maddie's running this errand, and I like getting the back with Hosanna. Because if I. If no one's back there with her, a girl will start to cry.

[Grant]

She's like, I'm alone.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I get back in there, and so, like, she's in her car seat, and I'm sitting in the middle of the two bucket seats, and I'm, like, a little squished, and I'm going, hosanna. I'm stuck. Stuck, baby. I'm stuck. And I'm, like, acting like my shoulders are stuck. And I have this video. I hope I posted it by now. But she's, like, smiling, smiling. And then when I really say, hosanna, baby, I'm stuck, she, like, lets out this little whimper and then just starts, like, bawling crying. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, baby, I'm joking. And she sees me move again, and she's like, okay. And I was like, do you understand me? Like, it was this moment. I was like. I was a spider man. I was like, do you hear? Do you. Do you know English? Like, what is wrong with you?

[Grant]

It's like, she.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

She's very emotionally perceptive.

[Grant]

I know. She got that from her dad.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

She did.

[Grant]

She got that from her mama.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Not so much. But my eq, off the charts. Listen, hey, if you're watching right now and you wanted to enjoy those first five and a half minutes. Good. But now we're jumping into a topic.

[Grant]

I'm really excited about today's conversation.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We are very excited about Maddie. How would you set up this topic? How do we get here?

[Grant]

Is God disciplining me? That is such a heavy question, because a lot of times we ask, is this God's discipline, or is this a result and consequence of my own sin? Is this God's discipline, or is this the brokenness and Suffering of the world. Is this God's discipline, or is this Satan's attack and is this spiritual warfare? Those are questions I've asked. You've asked. I've seen so many people ask, and what does it look like to be on the receiving end of God's discipline? Is it something we should be afraid of? Is it something that we should be inviting into our life? And what. What's the point of it? What's the purpose of it? And so we're. We're going to be talking all about God's discipline and, and why it's important and why? Because it's talked about a lot in scriptures. Scripture. And we're going to be specifically highlighting a lot in the book of Hebrews, because I feel like the book of Hebrews covers it a good bit. But I've seen it happen in my life and I've had moments of asking like, God, where are you, God? Why are you letting this happen? God, did I do something wrong? God, is this my fault? Like, why. Why is. Why is this person, you know, experiencing all of these quote unquote blessings and goodness and opportunity? And I feel like I'm getting your rod, and I. I feel like you've turned your back on me, and it almost can feel like God's punishment. And so I want to talk all about God's discipline on today's podcast. And you actually just taught on this recently and had a whole message on this, which is actually so perfect to ask you questions about this because, one, we've both lived this out, but two, you've done a lot of studying on it. And so I'm excited to dive into this conversation. But when you taught on this in Branson, Missouri, Hosanna decided to have a full on come apart. And so Grant had three speaking engagements in Branson, Missouri, and we made it to one.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, we made it to one that you were there. It felt really good to have you.

[Grant]

Yeah, we, we made it to that one. The other ones, I was in the hotel room begging God, are you? Well, I was asking him, are you disciplined? Have you left?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Have you left? Is this your discipline?

[Grant]

Have you left me?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

God has to be your rod.

[Grant]

Yes. Are you forsaking me? No, I'm sanctifying me.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He was through a child. He will sanctify us one way or another, man.

[Grant]

So I'm, I'm excited to talk about it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. And all those questions you ask are questions that we're asking currently. And so as we speak about different topics on Stay True, it's Just good for everyone to know. We're not speaking from a place of complete authority. We're not speaking from a place of this is what we. This is the final answer. We're in it with you guys, but we seek to study, pray, and through our life experiences walking with Jesus, we want to share what we've learned through it and what we've studied in it. And so hopefully this is helpful to you guys. But life is nuanced and stories are personal and unique. And so what we talk about, we just seek to speak from a place of, hey, we're in it with you. Peer to peer, but hopefully a little bit of older brother, older sister mentality. I just wanted to say that that's important.

[Grant]

And there's some things that aren't so black and white.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Right? And we want to make. We want it to be yes or no, A or B. And I think you can get there in certain things. But. But there are also options. C. That the Lord's goodness and character must always take precedent. So you may not understand it. Isaiah 55 says, My ways are higher than your ways, my thoughts are higher than your and so when we don't understand it, like I've heard this quote, when you can't trace his hand, you must trust his heart. And so when you can't always understand what he's doing in the present moment, we may not have the perspective to say, this is his discipline. This is my punishment. This is his wrath. We may not be able to say that in the moment, but we must trust his heart.

[Grant]

Yeah, that's right.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We must trust his character, because that can always be a trust fall. We lean back into going, I know he's good, I know he's.

[Grant]

For me, that's really good. And the perfect setup of just diving in. So what is, what is God's discipline? And why does God discipline us?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Hebrews 12, verse 5. The Lord disciplines those whom he loves. Revelation 3:19. Jesus says, I discipline and rebuke those whom I love. Red letters, words of Jesus. So who does the Lord discipline? His children. It says, I discipline you as I discipline a son. I don't treat you as illegitimate children. I treat you as sons and daughters. And so who does the Lord discipline? He disciplines his children. Why does he discipline? He always disciplines out of correction, to pull you back into his love. He never disciplines you out of anger. And that's the difference between human discipline and between the Lord's discipline. And he addresses this. He says in Hebrews 12, you guys should study this. And we should pull it out.

[Grant]

But.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But it says you had fathers who disciplined you as it seemed best to them. So they did their best. But the Lord disciplines you so that you may share his holiness. He wants to share Himself with you. That's why he disciplines you. It's always guided from love. It's never guided from, I'm going to hurt you. So first and foremost, you need to know that the Lord's discipline is never disciplined out of emotion. Me and Maddie will discipline Hosanna out of emotion at times. Hey, I'm flawed and human, therefore I'm going to react to this. God never does that. God disciplines those whom he loves. And so what is the Lord's discipline? I think about multiple things. The Lord's discipline is always off of the heels of disobedience or sin. And so think about it. When you have a child, you don't just discipline them for being good and obeying you. Right? Like, if Hosanna obeys us, we're not like, come here, girl. Come here. All right, pull him down. Get the. You know, Mama. Get her. Which will be hilarious when we start spanking Hosanna, which we will on the record, because the Bible so clearly says. It says folly is bound up in a child, but discipline drives it far away.

[Grant]

Well, and it also specifically talks about discipline. With the rod.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

With the rod. It says it will not kill them.

[Grant]

Some people could say, well, you can discipline them with timeouts. Hold on. It says, with the rod, she gonna.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Get a little bit. It's not gonna be. Yeah.

[Grant]

And it's not. And. And it's gonna be in a very loving way of saying, hi, sweetheart. Do you know why you're being disciplined? Mommy does not want to discipline you. Mommy does not enjoy having to spank you. But there are consequences to disobedience. And that's what you're saying is there are consequences to our sin. There are consequences to disobedience. And I love that you're speaking to this idea of, like, even our understanding between an earthly father and child, because the Lord gives us that example. Like, we're given that example in Scripture. And the reality is discipline proves that we are God's children. It's not. It's not God's rejection towards us. It's actually proof that we belong to him. Because you know what's interesting is we wouldn't ever be in a situation where we would have, over. Some of our friends, kids, or strangers.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Thought about this, too, where we are.

[Grant]

Like, all right, you messed up. Now we're gonna Discipline you and spank you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Right?

[Grant]

Like, that's not okay. Yeah, we would never do that because they're not our children. They don't belong to us. Now, we might have a conversation with their parents after and be like, hey, what they did is not okay. You should go discipline your children. But we're not responsible for them, and we're not called to discipline them. But when it's our own child. When it's our own children, we are responsible. We are called to discipline so that they may be more like Jesus, so that they may be righteous and holy, and so that they may understand that obedience is important. And the same goes for our relationship with the Lord.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, it's great. So good man. It's like, it's a father, son. That's who God is to us. Father, son. His discipline is from the fatherly role. So does the Lord discipline those that aren't his children? I don't. I do not think he does. Because the Lord disciplines those that are in his household, those that are his legitimate sons. And so let me just read this. This is Hebrews 12, verse 5. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons, my son? Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. Last two verses. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom His Father does not discipline? And if you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. This last verse is really good. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

[Grant]

So good.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

There is so much there. The Lord is a father. And the Lord disciplines us because he loves us. The Lord disciplines us not. Not to just, you know, correct and say you messed up. It's to always draw us back into his love. And that's what we have to remember. And there's a million questions that are spraying out in people's minds of so how do I know if I'm in the discipline of the Lord? How do I know? Does he discipline me for every thought I have, every lie I told, or just the big ones? Is it just the David and Bathsheba he disciplines? Is it just like Jonah? Like how do I know what all the Lord disciplines? And those are all good questions, but off this scripture, like, talk to me about what you think about that.

[Grant]

Well, I want to jump into. You bring up a really good point, because is God's discipline always based off of our sin? Is God's discipline always because of a. Like, our own consequences to falling into sin? And I think personally that God's discipline comes in two forms. I do think that some of it is, how do you say this word? Punitive? Like base. Like it's punishing us for our. Like it not punishing us, but it's. I guess, like, it's. It's a consequence to us choosing to disobey him and choosing to, like, choose sin over him. Then I think there's this other side where God's discipline is not always to reprove us because of our sin, but rather to test us and train us in righteousness. So, like, let me give an example. I think if you are playing on a team and you have a coach and you do something that is, you know, not okay, and the coach, like, sits you on the bench and doesn't let you play for like, three games because you did something that was not okay. Okay, that is a consequence. That is a. You're being punished for something that you did and that was your fault. However, I think there's another side to it too, where sometimes a coach is just pushing you harder and calling you higher and disciplining you because he sees more in you and because there's more for you. And I think in the same way, in our relationship with the Lord, he's going to let certain things happen in our life to test our faith, to grow us deeper in intimacy with him and to grow our dependency on Him. And. And it's not always because we sinned. Like, it's not always as a result of a sin that we're walking in knowingly. And I think that's important because, you know, sometimes you and I, like, we're walking through something. And our first question, and I think this is really good for everyone who's listening. I think the question that we often like to ask ourselves and that those listening can even ask is, is there anything in my life that I know is. Is a sin for me that I'm walking in? There are both sides to God's discipline. And I think that's important to talk about because there is a part that we play a role in that we chose willingly to disobey God, and there is a consequence to that. And then There's a flip side of that, of sometimes it's not, you know, punitive, but it's formative. Like he's forming us into more of his holiness. Like you talked about. God's discipline is for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Holiness as Hebrews 12 talks about. And so sometimes God's discipline is just so that we grow in our faith. So can you talk to me a little bit more about that? Like, how do we know?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Is it.

[Grant]

Is it. Is it my. Is a consequence of my sin? Or is it God's? Just like, allowing this to test my faith? This is an ad by Better Help. Coming back from maternity leave was honestly one of the most overwhelming transitions that I faced. Jumping straight, straight back into work left me feeling completely drained. And I know I'm not alone. Workplace stress is a huge issue right now, with over 60% of the global workforce experiencing higher than normal stress levels. One thing that helped me take small steps forward, feeling more balanced, was prioritizing my mental wellness Therapy can also be such a powerful tool in that process. Better Help is the world's largest online therapy platform with over 30,000 therapists and 5 million people served the globally. You can match with a licensed therapist, scheduled sessions right from your phone and even switch therapists anytime. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, Better Help can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Unwind from work. With Better Help, our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] Stay true. That's better Help. H E L P.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

All right, I'm going to speak to both of them. One from a personal experience, one from just the Scripture. John 15, verse 2. This is. This is Jesus giving the illustration about the branch and the vine. And he says, I'm the vine, you're the branches. And then he says in verse 2, every branch of me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. So those are the ones that are not bearing fruit, that are not. Following Jesus, it says, he throws away every branch in me that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it may bear more fruit. Yeah, if you're not familiar with the pruning process, it is to take a branch that is bearing fruit and to snip it down all the way to its roots, to strip it down so that in order it comes back to bear even more fruit. Jesus just said, if you're following me, if you're obeying me, if you're saying yes to me, you, you know what's gonna happen out of love, I'm gonna prune you so that you may bear more fruit. So the person right now that's going, what have I done? Did I mess up? Why is God punishing me? Is God hurting me? It may not be punishment. It might be pruning. It might just be because you said yes to God, that he's going, I can trust that one. And they're gonna bear more fruit. So I wanna just put at ease somebody that's going, is God punishing me? No, he's just pruning you. He's just, because you said yes to him, causing you to be stripped for a season so that you may bear more fruit. So that's very key to understand that sometimes he's just pruning us. So that's always something to look at and go, okay, right now in my life, is there any hidden sin? Is there any sin I haven't confessed? Am I in habitual sin? And if the answer is no, and I'm not talking about, you're living a perfect life, we sin every day. But is there any sin that you're not fighting to get free from? Then you can go, okay, wait, this might just be pruning. This just might be the testing that First Peter 5 talks about. That purifies gold, that melts it down and the impurities rise, and then God scrapes those away. Really important. Jesus in John chapter nine walked up to a blind man. His disciples go, hey, Jesus, who sinned? Who messed up this man? Or his parents said he was born blind. And Jesus goes, no, no, no, no, no. That theology is all wrong. Nobody sinned that. He was born blind. He was born blind so that I may get glory. Your situation may not be just because you messed up. It might be so that God can take it and make it good and get all the glory. That's very important. If not, you are constantly walking in every other religion, which is workspace religion, which is, if I mess up, he's going to hurt me, so I better do some more good today. That's the opposite of Christianity. That's not the gospel. You cannot climb out mount good enough. You can't climb it. That's why Matthew, chapter 8, verse 1, Jesus came down the mountain and said, you can't climb up, so I'm going to become you so that you can get my glory. So that's Christianity, is that you don't have to be good enough, Right? So another example is in Luke 13, Jesus looks at his disciples and he says, do you think that the people that that Tower of Siloam fell on and killed were worse than the other people that ran and escaped. He says, no, but I tell you, if you don't repent your ending, you will likewise perish. What he's saying is, because that situation happened, do you think they were worse than the others? Jesus says, no. Psalm 103. This is a verse that you need to memorize. I think it's in verse eight or nine. It says, he does not repay us according to our sins. He does not treat us according to our iniquities, for he remembers that we are dust.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He remembers our state, our form. So God is not a God that's going, oh, this end.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But here's what he does. Here's what God does for his children. He will discipline those that are in disobedience to him. Just like if we said, hosanna, do not run with scissors, baby, don't do it. If you do it, there will be consequences. Now, in her little mind, she can't understand why we would say that. Now, imagine you and I are on the stairs, and we see Hosanna running up the stairs at 4 years old, and she's holding scissors. Now, what would be unloving?

[Grant]

Ah, baby, you're good to just let her do it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You're good.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Now, if we grabbed her and we pulled the scissors and we said, hey, Hosanna, we told you not to do that, but you did that. So now there's going to be consequences. And she's crying, and she can understand it. That's the way God is saying, I discipline you because I love you, because I don't want you to hurt yourself. So there's things that we're doing in our life that are hurting ourself. And God, as the Father, is going, I need to discipline you, not to make you sad or mad or distant. I'm actually showing how much I love you. So when you're disciplined by the Lord, don't think that's discouraging. That's actually really encouraging because you're going, I know how close we are.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I know that you're treating me as a son. If you're not being disciplined by the Lord, that's when you need to get a little anxious going, why aren't you disciplining me?

[Grant]

Yeah, that's so. That's so good. I. I think about it, and we talked about this a little bit before we started the podcast, but, like, discipline, it. It proves and shows that we do belong to God. And so as a father, would discipline their child. It's like, that's when we belong to the Lord, when we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and we walk in intimate relationship with him, we don't have to feel fear. His discipline because his discipline doesn't mean that he's rejecting us or that he's punishing us. Because. Let me, Let me just speak to this. Discipline is not punishment. I want people to hear that there are consequences when we disobey. That will happen. Discipline is not punishment because Jesus has already taken on all of that for us. For those of us who believe in.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Jesus Christ, those that are disciplined by the Lord, you're saying, are sons and daughters. So then there's this other category where people are going, wait, are there people that aren't sons and daughters now? We are all sinners, right? Which separate us from God, which put us in this category of we are not the adopted sons and daughters of God. So the wrath that's on us is just and due. How do you get into this other category where it's discipline, not the wrath?

[Grant]

Yeah. So God's wrath is on those who are living in unrepentant sin, who are will willfully choosing to disobey him, who do not seek to have a relationship with him, who do not seek to repent and ask for forgiveness, and seek to walk in intimacy with him and in his spirit and according to his will. But those of us who do believe in Jesus, we don't experience God's wrath. We can't experience God's wrath because all of that was put. Jesus took on Jesus.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yes.

[Grant]

And so as sons and daughters of God, we cannot experience God's wrath. Like we, we get to experience, experience God's blessing, but in God's blessing, we get disciplined. Like, we. We were talking about this before. Like, a lot of times we think of God's blessing only as really, really good stuff. Like, we think of it as, you know, oh, like, I got this promotion, I got this opportunity, I got this open door, I got this. And it's like, no, in God's kindness and in God's love and in God's grace, he disciplines us. Like, his discipline is actually his kindness to us because we get to become and be made more holy and be made more like him. So God's wrath and God's discipline, very different. People who choose not to follow Jesus, people who choose to stay in their sin, people who choose to walk in. In relationship and in love with the world like that, you are opening up yourself to God's. Wrath. Yeah, right.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, yeah. So just like to summarize all that, you said, we are all born with a sin nature. We all have the wrath of God justly due to us. God can't overlook sin because he's just. He can't say, oh, because of that rape, because of that custom. I can't just say, they didn't really mean it. Like, if you go to court and that judge says, well, you've done a lot of good too, so just go free, that you gotta punish what's been done. Right? That's the good news of the gospel, is that the wrath of God that was heading straight for us, Jesus Christ said, I will take it. And it's a free gift that you get to receive, therefore you're adopted as sons and daughters. So we were all, all in the wrath of God. And the good news of the gospel is you can receive the free gift. And now you're a son and a daughter. That's why Jesus says, I've adopted you. God says, you're my sons and my daughters now. So pause right now for you to just go, hey, am I in the wrath of God or in the discipline of the Lord? Well, if you've accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, you follow him as Lord, then you can know the wrath of God's not on you, it's on his son. The Bible says when he looks at you, he sees the righteousness of Jesus, doesn't see your sin, but he still wants to discipline you and prune you to be more like his son. All that to say is, how do I know which category I'm in and which camp I'm in? If I have not trusted that the Son of God took my sin on him, then I still have to pay for my sins. Therefore I'm in the judgment and the wrath of God camp. But if I say, jesus, you took my sin on the cross, then I'm in the free camp. I'm in the adopted son and daughter camp. And that's the good camp of discipline.

[Grant]

Yeah, so good. There are so many, I feel like question marks around discipline because you kind of. Like when I was thinking about this, this topic, you can ask that question of how do I know if it's God's wrath and punishment or if it's God's discipline? And I think another question with that is one that I know you've asked me and I've wondered and probably asked you too, is, is it God's discipline or is it spiritual warfare? Is it, you know, God's testing. Or is it Satan's attack? And I think that is something we've wondered a lot that I'm sure those listening are also asking. And I'd love to ask you that question, like, how. How do you know the difference between, you know, is this something Satan is doing to me, or is this something God is trying to refine and sanctify in me?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I think it can be all at the same time.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

2019. I'm following Jesus and I love Jesus. I'm early in my faith, still looking at pornography, still occasionally smoking weed, still falling back into all these sins. It's this up and down. It's this three days good, one day bad. It's this shameful rollercoaster cycle. And at the end of 2019, I started having panic attacks. And in 2020, panic attacks got really bad, and all this anxiety got really bad. And, you know, one of the last times I ever smoked weed had this, like, crazy panic attack. Thought I was overdosing. And all these moments were happening to me. And as I look back and what that did to me is it scared the heck out of me to do any drugs. I was like, no more. I remember taking my sexual sin seriously not because I was like, this is from God. Just because I was like, man, like, lord, I just need you. I got nothing. Like, I want to be dependent on you. I remember being in my closet, and I was just like, God, I have nothing but you. It drove me to this place where I have nothing but you. And I just remember walking with Jesus. Walking with Jesus. He was healing me. It was like he was stripping everything in my life because it was drawing me right into the person of Jesus Christ. And as I look back now, and I go, hey, were the panic attacks from God because of my sexual sin? No. Did God allow those? Yes. Was it a consequence of my sin? I don't know. But what I do know is that because of what I was walking through, it led me into the arms of Jesus Christ. So here's what you need to know. Hebrews 5, verse 12 says, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those that are trained by it. You could be in the discipline of the Lord, but if you are not being trained by it, you're wasting that season. So the question is, are you taking advantage and learning and going, God, what do you have for me? Or are you just going, man, forget this. But you can be trained by the discipline. And that's the prayer that changed my life, which was, God, do not deliver me until you've developed me. You're doing something in me right now. And don't deliver me until you've done all you need to do inside of me. And it's the picture of thousands and thousands of years ago, the shepherds who were watching their flock of sheep. If a sheep kept straying, if it kept leaving, it would find itself surrounded by wolves. It would find itself in a ditch. The shepherd would go get the sheep, go get the sheep. Finally, it would get the sheep and it would break its leg. This is history. This is what shepherds would do. And it would hold the sheep on its shoulders as the shepherd would watch the rest of the flock and it would feed it and it would water it and it would watch over the sheep. And all of a sudden, when the sheep was healed, months later, the shepherd would set the sheep down and the sheep would not leave the shepherd's side. It saw. He feeds me. He waters me. He's trustworthy. I'm not going anywhere because I have all I need right here. Yeah, that's an illustration of the goodness of God that he will allow hard things to happen so that we can realize he's the good shepherd. Does God break my arm? Well, not literally or figuratively, but will he allow hard things to happen to draw us back into Him? That's the illustration. And so I look back and go, I know it could have been Satan that gave me the panic attacks. Could have been my own consequences of. Of all the drugs I did. It could have been that I was getting so healthy and things were coming up. I can't tell you that's exactly what it is, but I knew I was saved in the blood of Jesus Christ, therefore it's not the wrath of God. And I knew the Lord disciplines those he loves. And so I'm going to let this draw me into him.

[Grant]

Yeah, yeah. Because Scripture is clear that God does not give us a spirit of fear, not from God. So we. And it says in, in James 1, every good and perfect gift comes from our Father. And so we know that God does not give us the bad things of this world. He does not give us anxiety. He does not give us these things. However, as Paul talks about in, in Scripture, there is a thorn in my flesh that I have begged God to remove. There is a messenger of Satan tormenting me that I have asked God to take away. Yet it remains. And then he goes on and he talks about, you know, because in my weakness he is made strong. And so it's this example of the Lord is allowing this hardship in My life to happen, not to hurt me, but to bring me to a point of desperation and dependence because it's creating something in me that says, I'm weak. I can't do this. Apart from you, Lord, I need you. You talked about John 15, and it's all about the vine and the branches, like you said. And the whole point is, like, we. Apart from him, we can do nothing. Only way we bear fruit is when we're attached and connected to Him. And so when there's, you know, discipline and when there's all these things that, that come in, no matter whether it's based off of our sin, whether it's based off, like, it's to bring us to this place of deeper connection to Him.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's.

[Grant]

And that's what I want everyone to understand, that the. The discipline from the Lord is not something to fear. It's. It's something that hopefully it brings us into a deeper intimacy with him. If we. And it talks about in that Hebrews 12: Passage, endure hardship as discipline, we may not know, like you're. Like you're talking to. Which I think is such a good point. We may not know where it's coming from. I don't know if this is a consequence. I don't know if this is spiritual warfare. I don't know if this is, you know. But what I do know is I can give God my pain. I can give God my hardship, and I can. Even if the enemy meant this to break me and to harm me, God will use this for my good. God will use this for his glory. God will use this to make me more like him. God will use this to bring more glory to his name. And that's what we get to do as, as believers. That's the hope that we have. I'd love to. To kind of pivot to this idea of the difference between God's discipline and the suffering and the brokenness of the world. Because you. You were kind of getting there a little bit. But I think you. You look at death, you look at rape, you look at abuse, you look at neglect. And what we want to be so clear about is that is not.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's not from God.

[Grant]

From God in upper case letters. That is not from God. That is a result of the brokenness of this world. And so I want to speak. I want us to speak to that a little bit, because I don't want anyone to hear a secret say, like, oh, that person that raped me, or that abuse that I experience, or my parent who left me, you know, whatever the the really broken situation is that that was from God or that God was trying to teach you something. There is a difference between God's discipline is always to develop something in you and to lead you closer to Him. But then there's also just the suffering and the brokenness of the world that is just a result of something sin being in the world that we've been born into. And so there is a big difference there. And I I want to speak to that. And then I'd love to just end practically and with some verses to really encourage and wrap this idea up.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

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[Grant]

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[Madison Pruitt Trout]

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[Grant]

NMLS 696891 okay guys, I'm taking a short break from this podcast to tell you about some exciting news. My new book, Dare to be True Stay true. Dare to be True. It just makes sense. When God laid this podcast on my heart, I actually had already started working on my next book, Dare to be True. And the whole point of this podcast and the whole point of this book is we were all designed and made for truth and everyone in this world is searching for it. Yet so many of us are searching for the right things and all of the wrong and places. And this book is all about tackling the lies that often entangle us and bind us and finding the truth that sets us free. And so in this book we're going to be tackling all the things from sin and shame and the lies around eternity and the lies around your identity and the lies around your purpose and how to find the truth and live free. Because the reality is, it says in Proverbs 14:12 that there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. There is a way that the world preached that we should go, that we should follow, that we should conform to, that we should look like, and in the end it leads to death. Yet what God's word says is Jesus says in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So he is saying, the truth you are looking for can only be found in me. I am the truth And I'm not only the truth, I am the truth that leads to life and life abundantly. And then it says in John 8:32, when you know the truth, it's the truth that will set you free. And so if you have ever felt bound by lies, if you have ever questioned your worth, your confidence, your purpose, if you've ever wondered how you can break free from feeling weighed down, exhausted, overwhelmed, or even insecure about who you truly are and what your purpose is on this earth, this book is for you. I have often said, I just want to be free. I have looked at my husband many of times and said, I just want to be free. I'm tired of feeling way down. I'm tired of feeling not enough. I'm tired of being on this endless cycle of striving and performing and never feeling like I can reach what I need to reach and be who I need to be. And when I go back to the truth, when I go back to who God is and who God says I am, that is when I experience true freedom. And so this book is for you. And I am so excited. True crew for you to go and get your copy of Dare to Be True. You can pre order it now. I will be including the link in this episode and so you can go and pre order it. It will be coming out this fall. I'm so, so excited and I can't wait. We're going to be doing some really fun series all about some of the content in this book, but you're going to want to get your hands on it because there's some really, really fun, special pieces in this book that you can't get in this podcast. So you guys can go and pre order Dare to Be True now. If you want to break free from what is breaking you, you can.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You can go, Is this from God? And I just feel like we're going to get to heaven and you're going to see the tears that were wept over the brokenness of the world. And because of Genesis 3, the Lord even sent a flood. And it's just like, this is not our home. This is not what it's supposed to be like. There's so much pain. And it's not God teaching you a lesson. It's not. Will God use it? Yes. Was my dad born out of rape? Yes. Was he supposed to be aborted? Yes. Did my dad break every generational curse? My grandfather killed himself. Shot himself. That's my line. That's my lineage. I'm one generation removed from rapist suicide. All that. And yet the Lord used that brokenness and chose my grandma to have a baby out of that situation, to not abort the baby. And my dad was raised, and Jesus met him, and now I'm here with you, and now hosanna. And so it's like, out of that pain, does God use, like, a master artist and make it good? Yes. But was that from God? No, man, that was not from God. And so you can just rest assured, like, we've got to get out of the mindset that everything bad that happens is from God. Why do bad things happen to good people? Mary Michael said it last night. That's only happened one time. Jesus on the cross. Okay, but was the bad things that happened to you because you were bad? No, it's because we live in a broken world. Now. How do I know the difference? Discipline is when you understand clearly the assignment from God, the rules of God, the commands of God, and. And you are breaking them, and you're disobedient knowing those, then you can start to ask, okay, God, are you disciplining me in this? Is this a season of singleness for me? Is this a season where I just need to get off Instagram completely? But I don't think you can look at cancer and go, man, I really shouldn't have looked at porn last night. That's not how God works. That's a. That's an awful way of Satan to go. You can't trust him because remember what we said? It all has to go back to the character of God. And if you don't know Psalm 103, verse 8, then. Then everything you through in life, you're going to constantly question, is he good? Which was Satan's first original lie.

[Grant]

Yeah. Wow.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's all dating back to Genesis, where Satan's going to whisper because this. You can't trust him. And we've got to fight constantly against the current of our world and our flesh to go, I trust him. And if this discipline is happening, if panic attacks are what it takes to bring me to my knees, then don't take them away, because I want to be with you. And I got to that point. Can you get to that point? And whatever you're walking through where you're like, if this is it for it, for it, for it. It's brought me to my knees in the closet with you, so do not take it away.

[Grant]

Yeah. Yeah. Amen. So good. I love that you brought it back to that of it. Ha. God's discipline, when you look at your situation, it has to Go back to. Does this line up with God's character? Does this line up with God's Word? Does this line up with who God says he is and how he has shown himself faithful in the past? Because the difference is, is the enemy will come in and he will accuse and he will whisper lies and he will try and make you question God's goodness because of your circumstances. And there is a difference. And you have to go back to this place of, I might be going through pain and suffering, but, oh, yeah, the word of God says, I will have trouble in this world, but I get to take heart because he's overcome the world. Okay, The. The Bible says that you know, what the enemy meant for harm, God will use for good. The Bible says that in him, like, he will work all things together for the good of those who love him and who've been called according to his purpose. The Bible says that in this world there will be suffering and that the children of God are groaning, as in the pains of childbirth, waiting for the children of God to be revealed. We're waiting for Jesus to come back and to make all things perfected and for us to experience the fullness of his glory. And so we have to go back to the Word of God. We have to go back to the character of God because there is a difference. Condemnation does not come from God. Shame does not come from God. And so what you have to ask yourself in this season, the discipline or the. The pain or the suffering or the hardship that you're experiencing, is this in line with God's character and God's word? Or am I coming into agreement with the things that from the Father of lies, not my Father, from the Father of lies who comes to steal, kill and destroy, who comes to separate me from God? Or am I experiencing discipline and God is using this to draw me closer to God? And so there is a difference. One speaks to conviction, and it brings you closer to God. And one speaks to shame and condemnation, and it drives you away from God. And so you have to ask yourself, what voice am I listening to? And, yeah, like, because there is a difference.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

His kindness leads us to repentance and shame. And guilt is always from Satan. So is that discipline? Is it masked with shame? Is it masked with guilt? Is it masked with I messed up? Not from God? Yeah, very clear way. Satan's voice always masked with shame, guilt. God's voice always feels like love. It may hurt, it may be hard. Always feels like it's his kindness that leads us to repentance. I love what you said about suffering. Paul, Acts 19, I think, was just stoned. They thought he was dead. They dragged him out of the gates and they thought he was dead. Brother gets up, preaches the gospel the next day, you know what he says? Through. Through much trial and hardship, we must enter the kingdom of God. Paul could go, did I mess up? Is that why I was stoned? Was that. Was I stoned because, like.

[Grant]

Because he had every reason to experience consequences. He literally killed the children of God.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Well, he could. Well, yeah. And he could have been like, God, I'm the number one dude for you right now.

[Grant]

I'm evangelizing everybody.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Why did I get stoned?

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

How did every single destiny and ending of the disciples end up death? And you may be wondering in the midst of that, when you're getting filleted alive or you're getting crucified upside down, man, there's a call to suffering that God has promised. So when we're walking through things, God wasn't going to up in heaven when he saw his disciples martyred, like, I wanted this, but he's like, I'm so proud of you for how you're handling this.

[Grant]

Yeah, because our reward is in heaven.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So I don't think it's our job to necessarily figure out exactly why this is happening. I think if there's hidden sin, it's always good to evaluate. But I think what God's more interested in is son and daughter. How are you going to handle what's happening to you? Because you can either be trained by it, or you can despise it, you can reject it. And those that are trained by it bear the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Talks all in scripture about, count it all joy, my brother, when you face many trials and sufferings because it's producing something. Romans 5, it says, suffering produces hope, hope produces endurance, which is crazy. So these are all things that produce in us.

[Grant]

And it shows us even in the life of Jesus. I talk about this scripture a lot, but it says Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered. And you look at that as like, wait, so did Jesus disobey? No, because Jesus never sinned. Which means that Jesus was not punished for falling into sin, but it means that He, God, was allowing things to test him so that he may be made more and more holy and obedient. Which is. It's a crazy concept because it's like, wait, Jesus was the holiest of the holiest because he was God. But it shows us that even in Jesus, Jesus being perfect, but also Jesus being faithful fully Human, even. He had to go through great suffering, and he had to be trained in obedience. He had to be trained in holiness. And so why. Why would we think that we. We wouldn't have to. Like, why. Why would we only accept God's blessing, but not God's discipline? Like, why. Why would we think that God wouldn't? And so it's just. It's a crazy. It's a crazy thought because a lot of times we're like, God, why are you letting this happen to me? And it's like, no, it's because God loves you so much. God. God is treating you as his. His child. And I just. I love that you're talking about that. Because there's also an acts like the Disciples, where I can't remember the exact story. You will remember it, but it's. They either had been imprisoned or they had been beaten, or they had been something. And then they're like, praise be that we've been suffering. We get to suffer for the name. Like, they literally were like, thank God. We get to suffer for the name.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

They were counted worthy to suffer for the name.

[Grant]

Like, always.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You always say, I think we're gonna get to heaven and go, why didn't I suffer more for the gospel? And I do think the way we handle what may not be from God, but the way we handle cancer, the way we handle those things, I think it's like, man, let this sanctify and draw you into him. Not go, why could you let this happen to me? I think it's things. My hip injury. I always was like, why, God? And now I'm like, oh, yeah, thank you, God. Thank you, God, that you didn't let me go the way I thought I wanted to go.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So did he hit my hip in that game and say, you're done? No, but I think he allowed it.

[Grant]

Yeah. Well, I mean, and even now, you're in constant pain, and because of it. And. And you're. Because of your shoulder. And. And so it's like, but you're not constantly saying, God, why are you doing this to me? Rather, you're asking for healing while also just saying, okay, like, I'm gonna allow this to push me to my knees. I'm gonna allow this to. And same with panic attacks and. And different things that I've walked through, too. It's like, there's been so many times in my life where I'm like, I don't like this season that I'm in. It's not fun. And it talks about that in scripture. Discipline is not pleasant. No one enjoys. When my dad spanked me when I was young, I didn't enjoy being spanked. But now I look back and I'm like, praise God my dad loved me enough to discipline me. Praise God that my dad loved me enough to train me in righteousness. And I look back to those moments and I'm so thankful. And in the same way, we get to do that with the Lord. And I really want to end this, you know, just kind of giving some practicals or at least like some reflections of all we've talked about. I think the first place to start is am I in a season of discipline? Am I experiencing God's discipline because of a sin I've committed? So asking yourself, am I? Is there any sin. Sin in my life that I need to address and that I need to confess? Is there any sin in my life that I need to repent from or repent for? That's the first place to start and, and to come before the Lord and. And ask him for forgiveness and confess the sins and confess to someone else and have them pray over you. Because that could be a huge reason where you're experiencing discipline in your life. If there is. I would say the second question to that. If you know there's no sin in your life that you can think of, I think you ask God, what are you trying to teach me right now in this season? What are you doing in me in this season? And just pray the prayer. Psalm 139 Search me, O God, and remove any offensive way in me, and lead me on the path of everlasting life. There might not be sin that you're aware of in your life, but there's always opportunities to grow more and more in righteousness and holiness.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Y. Yeah.

[Grant]

What other practical steps or things that would be helpful tools for those listening to operate in such a surrendered place when it comes to God's discipline and to not resist and run from. Because there's danger in running from God's discipline.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant]

And there's danger in. Of front. Fearing God's discipline. You know, we don't. It talks about in Romans 8, like God did not give us a spirit of fear so that we live as slave like he gives us the spirit of adoption. We are sons and daughters for those of us who belong to Christ. And so we don't have to live in fear. We don't have to be afraid of his discipline and His. His rebuke. And so what encouragement would you give to those who might be in a season of Experiencing God's discipline, it's meant to.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

To draw you into relationship with God. You don't discipline those you have no relationship with.

[Grant]

Wow.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You discipline those that you have relationship with that you want a deeper relationship with. So remember, God wants your relationship. So it's all about drawing you back to him. And that's not shameful. That's not guilt, that's not fear.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Those don't align with a false father who wants to be closer to you. So I would ask in every season of your life, God, what do you want to teach me in this season? So name your hardship. I'd write it down, and I go, this is what is really hard right now, God, what are you teaching me, Lord? Is there anything I need to repent of that I'm not aware of? Father, make me more like your son.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Thank you. I think it's very simple. I don't think you overthink it. God is not a God of confusion.

[Grant]

Right.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He doesn't want to kind of keep you wondering, did I mess up too much?

[Grant]

God, is it this? Is it this?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No, man. He wants your heart so religion can get you all jacked up. That's the religion says, like, do good, get good. And God says, you did bad, yet I want so much good for you.

[Grant]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So I would ask, have you fully surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? Because you know what Jesus always said is, you will likewise perish if you don't repent. And so what he was always saying is like, hey, bad things, they're not just happening to bad people, but they're gonna happen to your spiritual world if you don't come to know me. And so I would just. I would also ask that question, if I give him my. Like, am I under the wrath of God still? It's not kind of. We all are under the wrath. It's not like, how are y'?

[Grant]

All?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's like, we all are. But if you put your faith in Jesus, but Jesus, the good news of the gospel.

[Grant]

But Jesus.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And then lastly, man, I would thank God for the hard things you've been through and say, God, don't let me waste that. How do you want to use that for my good? If you're in the middle of the storm, it's very hard to thank him. But I think you can look back and go, I wouldn't change those things that were so hard in the middle. So, Lord, whatever, I'm in right now. There's a story in Mark, chapter four, it says Jesus was asleep on the cushion in the midst of a really big storm. And those disciples ran down and they asked the question that maybe a lot of people are question are asking, do you not care? They were perishing. And Jesus wakes up, doesn't even address it. He quiets the storm. And what he was modeling was, I want you to come and rest on me in the middle of the storm. Yeah, I'm not worried about this. And you can rest in the midst of a storm knowing that Jesus Christ is on it with you. So you're not alone in this storm. Jesus, I'm going to lay next to you. I want you to teach me and you're going to quiet this whenever you need to. I can trust you.

[Grant]

Yeah. So good. This was a really good conversation and I know a deeper, a deeper conversation and a deeper topic, but we want to know how the spoken to you and what God speaks to you from this episode. And we always encourage you in any time, whether you're listening to this podcast or you know, just, just having a moment with the Lord, any moment in your day to not just let this be a one time moment. You listen to this podcast, you go about throughout your day. Let this like drive you to your knees. Like, let this bring you to a place of God. What do you want to speak to me, God? What do you want to do in me, God? I want to be more like you, God. I want to know you more. God, I want more of you in my life. Un of me in my life. Like ask those questions, pray those prayers and let this be just the like start of that conversation between you and God. Let this be just the like start to going deeper in your faith. Don't let this just be like a one time moment. And so I pray that this, this was a convicting conversation. I know it was for me and, and also an encouraging one. And man, I just, I want to end this with just speaking Romans 8. We were talking about this last night, but at the end of Romans 8 it says, because I want to speak this to the person who, who might be fearing discipline, who might be carrying shame, who might be, you know, struggling with going back to that same sin, but wanting to break free. I just, I speak this over the children of God. I speak this over those of you who do believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It says in Romans 8 who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen. It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? And no one. No one. And then it goes on to say like, who will separate you from the love of Christ. Nothing, like nothing can separate you from the love of Christ and it gives you all these different things. Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Who can shame you? No one. Who can punish you? No one. Like when the enemy comes against you, you remind the enemy of your God and that your God took on your punishment and took on your sin and took on your shame. And so I just, I speak that over you. If you are a child of God, the inheritance that you have is, is a love that nothing can separate you from the love of God. And it is, it is the greatest, it is the greatest gift of all time. And so I, I pray that this was encouraging, this was not shaming in any way, but that this was hopeful and informative and also convicting. And so we love you guys and we want you to just continue to grow deeper and deeper in your relationship with the Lord. And we want this to just push you to ask more questions and to search the scriptures yourself. And on the Stay True podcast, it's always about truth. And so turn to God's word and find that truth for yourself in God's word. But thank you for this conversation. You're so full of wisdom and I'm so thankful for the way that you push me in my faith with.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Thanks for having. I love being on this.

[Grant]

I love you. Okay, guys, as always, be sure to stay. You stay. Stay true. We love you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

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