← Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
Stop Playing It Safe: The Kind of Faith Hebrews 11 Calls Us To
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Stay True podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it@progressive.com, progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. At Amica Insurance, your time and peace of mind matter. Bundle your auto and home coverage with us and enjoy savings that make life a little easier. As a mutual insurance company, we're built for our customers. We prioritize your needs and are here for you when you need us. Amica Empathy is our best policy. Visit amica.com and get a quote today. I always say obedience over outcome. Obedience is our job. Outcome is God's job. You're living in sin thinking that's going to to give you satisfaction, thinking that you're going to be okay and you can still be close to God. That's a lie and the lie will keep you bound. But when you discover the truth, when you find the truth, it's the truth that sets you free. Faith is saying, God, I can't physically see you right before me, but I trust in you. What is the weight that you're carrying or that is hindering your ability to run your race with perseverance? Those who are of God do not continue to live in sin. You can't live in God and live in sin at the same time. I think living a life by faith is so awesome, often being led by convictions and then clarity comes later. If you want to know what God's love language is, it's obedience. How do I know if you really love God? Do you obey Him? What's up guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt Trout, and if you're not watching this, you should be watching this because we are in a new studio or a redecorated season three studio. It looks so, so good, guys. We wanted the vibe to be like we're kind of in a library. It's cozy, it's comfy. It's like we're sitting on a couch together and it's a good hang. I'm so excited about this new look and this new vibe. So let me know what you guys think about it. But welcome to season three. We start a new season after around my birthday. So I'm about to be 30 years old, you guys. How am I about to be 30 years old? I feel like, okay, so I went on the bachelor. I was 23, 24, something like that. And I just feel like I'm still, like, kind of there, but also like I've lived so much life that it's like, no, I don't even relate to that person anymore. So I just can't believe I'm about to be 30. And I've been just learning so much in the last little bit. I feel like it's been a minute since I've had a solo episode, and God has just been doing so much in my heart. A lot of my life and world has changed. I have been off social media. I am not traveling and speaking. Grant and I are focusing on living so much more locally right now and serving at our local church and doing different types of discipleship and things like that in our city. And I am just loving being a mom. And so it has been such a sweet season. And my word for the year is rest. And I feel like that is what is happening, is I'm getting to rest and not just like, oh, you know, take some naps, get some good sleep. I mean, like, rest for my soul. When Jesus talks about that in Matthew 11, 28:30, I will give you rest for your soul. And I'm seeing that happen. Like, so much is being restored in my soul. Even I would say, when it comes to calling and purpose, I, um. I just feel like the Lord is reshaping so much of that in me right now and. And kind of like giving a new meaning and perspective to what, you know, calling and purpose is, or at least what it looks like for me in this season. I was just talking about with a friend right before we pressed record, you know, that there is a time and a season for everything. And Ecclesiastes 3, it talks all about that. And so even just asking yourself, like, what is my season right now? Like, as I read through this, what where does God have me right now? What is God trying to teach me right now? And my husband Grant challenged me with that the other day, and so I just was sitting on that and reading that, and I haven't had my crazy revelation yet, but it really spoke to me of, yeah, there is a time and a season for everything. We serve a God who is the God of seasons. And I think so often we don't like change, and we love to be comfortable, so we just want to, like, stay in this one season. And what I have seen already in, you know, the first few little months of the year is, is that this is a new season and God wants to do something new for you. For me, in, in our lives, in our hearts, through us, for other people. And I'm already seeing that in my life this year so far. And it's been really, really cool. And motherhood is the best. I mean, I have a one year old and I mean she's practically a toddler. Sister is the cutest, funniest. She has the funniest personality, you guys. Like I. She gives this smile and her teeth are like all in now and it's like the cutest thing. She gives this smile and she like scre. Scrunches her nose and like squints her eyes and smiles. Like her smile takes over her entire face. And I'm like, you, you're so cute. But she's just the best thing ever and just a fireball. A little strong willed personality. I'm like, girl, where you get that from? I don't know where that comes from. Where you get that from? My mom hangs out with her and she's like, oh yeah, I know, I know where she gets that from. But she's, she's just been the best and it's so cute. We've taught her like all of these sign language things because you know, they say to do sign language when they're babies because before they can say all of these words, they can kind of like sign to you what they need. And so we have like taught her all these different sign language things and we've taught her like all done, which is kind of like waving your hands, both hands. We've taught her water, which is like a W to your mouth. We've taught her food, which is like, I don't know, going to your mouth like you're, you're putting food in your mouth. And then we've taught her more and that has been her favorite. And more is just like your hands like coming together. And she does it all the time, like so out of context. I mean, just all the time. She'll just be walking around, she's like, more, more. And I'm like, more what? But she loves food, you guys. So she has kind of started weaning off her bottles and she just loves her some food. And so I will put like some eggs or some chicken or whatever on her plate and she will eat it so fast and like in two seconds she's already like, more, more. And I'm like, sister, I haven't even had time to like tear to put on your plate because of how fast you just ate that. But I'm actually preparing for a message to speak at our Our church here in Nashville Way Church. And I was actually thinking about that because I'm speaking this weekend on the Woman at the well in John chapter four. And I was thinking about how so many of us are so thirsty for something more. Like, our souls are like my little hosanna doing this, saying, more, more, more, please, more. Like, there's got to be more. There's got to be more for my life. There's got to be something, something more than what I'm settling for. There's got to be something better than what I'm seeing right here and right now. Like, God has got to have something different for me. And so I just want to say, if that's a season of your life right now where you find yourself saying more and more and more, please, God, please, God, there's got to be something more. I just want you to know, God sees you, God hears you, God loves you. And whatever season you're in right now, he wants to speak something to you. He wants to do something in you. He wants to use you for something greater than. And I know so often, like, for me, I can turn to all of the wrong things looking for the right thing. I can turn to a lot of these empty wells looking for a fill. When Jesus is saying in John chapter four, hey, you're gonna keep being thirsty if you keep going to all of these different places, because I am the only one who can satisfy you. When you come to me, you will thirst no more because I will give you living water. And I just want to start off. That's not even what we're talking about today. But I just want to start off our solo episode, our time together, just encouraging you with, like, God sees you. He meets you right where you. Where you're at. And, like, your thirst doesn't repel him, it actually attracts him. Like, he. He is drawn to you. He loves you, and he wants to satisfy you. He wants to satisfy your desires and your needs and your wants, and he wants to answer your prayers. He wants your heart. He wants a relationship with you. And I know for me, there's just been so many times in my life where I've turned to, even in this last season. And one of the reasons I made a decision to get off social media and change up a lot, you know, with what my life looks like this year is for that reason. It's so easy for me to run to these empty wells looking for security and validation and purpose. You know, looking to social media, looking to followers, looking to status, looking to book sales Looking to, you know, just feeling important by how many times I'm traveling and speaking, looking to other people's praise and affirmation, looking to security and my own marriage or relationship or whatever it may be. And it's so easy to look, you know, to creation rather than to the Creator for that satisfaction and security. But ultimately, only Jesus will be able to give you what you need because he's the one who created you, therefore he's the only one who can satisfy you. And it says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, we talk about it all the time on this podcast that God has put eternity on every man's heart, which means that you are not going to find what you're looking for here on this earth and satisfaction in what's been created. You are only going to be able to find what you're looking for in something greater than what this earth can offer you and something greater than what you can physically see. And speaking of, like, what you physically can see, I wanted to do an episode on faith and what it looks like to live boldly and what it looks like to live faithfully. How to run your race well, because so many of us are stuck and focused on what we can physically see that we're missing out on so much more. And we're like, there's got to be something more because we're just living for the right here, right now. We're just living for what's right in front of us, what's all around us. We're so consumed with our own problems, with our own circumstances, with our own desires and wants and what's happening right around us that we don't have our eyes on eternity. We don't have our eyes on the race set before us. We're not running well. We're not running faithfully because we're trying to, like, I don't know, get it all right here, right now and just, like, live in this happy little life. Live in this comfortable, happy little life. And there's just some. There's so much more for you. And that's what I want you to hear from this conversation, is that if you have been asking the question of, is there more? I wanna say, yes, there is so much more. And maybe for you, like, you love the Lord, he has changed your life. And you, like, He. He is everything to you, but you still feel like there's something more. Like, maybe I, I, I, I've been saved. You know, I read my Bible, I go to church, I have, like, my godly friends, but there's something more. Like, there's a. There's a deeper depth with the Lord. Like, I want to have a depth and an intimacy with him. I want to be filled with his power and with his spirit that I go. And I lived bold and unashamed for him. Where I don't fear man, I don't fear rejection. I don't fear the unknown. I laugh at the future because I'm clothed in strength and dignity. And I know who is with me and who goes before me and who it's all for. And I want you to have that kind of life and live that kind of life. Because I know for me, I've had my seasons. And in the past, where I feared man, I feared rejection. I lived for the right here, right now. I looked in empty wells for satisfaction. And I constantly felt, you know, distant from God, depressed or, like, struggling with despair, discouragement, all of these different things. And I just felt my soul saying, like, there's gotta be something more. And so if that's you asking that again, maybe you. You've been following the Lord for a while, but you know that there's something more. Or maybe for you, you've kind of been, like, not really that serious about your faith. You know, you've kind of been in two worlds. You have one foot in, one foot out. You've been trying to have a relationship with Jesus and a relationship with the world. You've been trying to do this whole God thing, but you're also living in sin continuously. And I just want to say, like, I always want to be someone who meets you where you're at, just like Jesus does. I always want to start with, you know, a hug with grace, you know, and a love full of grace. But I also want to, just like Jesus does, I want to call out sin like it is. And I want to point you to the truth. Because it says in scripture, in John 8:32, that it's only the truth that will set you free. So if you're living in a lie, if you're living in sin, thinking that's going to give you satisfaction, thinking that you're going to be okay and you can still be close to God, that that's a lie, and the lie will keep you bound. But when you discover the truth, when you find the truth, it's the truth that sets you free. And Jesus wants you to live a life of freedom. Jesus wants. He came to give you abundantly more. Like we're talking about. John 10 talks about that. For the enemy comes to steal, kill and Destroy and the enemy is a liar. But Jesus says in John 14, I'm the truth, and I'm the truth that comes to set you free. And I've come to give you abundant life. Not just abundant life in eternity, but abundant life here. Like, he wants you to experience abundant life here on this earth. And so that's what I want for you. That's what I want for me. That's what I want for my children. That's what I want for my friends. That's what I want for my family. And that's my prayer for you guys. And so if you know that there's something more, I really pray that this speaks to you. And. Yeah. And that the Lord does something in your heart during this time. I was invited to speak at this conference recently, and we were kind of praying about, like, what. What should this message be on? What should I talk about? And a few days before, the Lord laid on my heart, Hebrews 12 and Hebrews 11. I feel like I've read those passages in scripture so much that I almost had a little bit of pride in my heart. Like, no, no, no, I don't want to talk about that. Like, you know, a lot of people have talked about that. I don't wanna talk about that. And I was so challenged, convicted, and moved by reading these passages of scripture again and. And then studying them in depth to teach on them. I was so convicted. And as I was preparing about what do I want to talk about on the podcast today, that's what came back to my mind, because I think it's so easy to kind of coast in our faith. Like, we have this moment where we're like, yeah, I want to follow Jesus. Like, I love God. And then we kind of just like, nothing changes. It's like we just, like, kind of stay there, or we constantly rely on other people's revelation and intimacy with Jesus. Like, maybe you're watching this podcast and you're like, maddie, I love faith. Maddie, I love your relationship with Jesus. It's not kind of, you know, what mine looks like, but I love that for you. I. I wish I had that. And I want to say, you can have that. You don't have to rely on my faith. My faith isn't going to be what gets you into heaven. You know, it's got to be your faith. You've got to walk by faith every single day. And that's what I want for you. And so when we're talking about faith, there's actually three different types of faith that are described throughout Scripture. So you have saving faith, which is what Ephesians 2 talks about. And, you know, it talks about how it is God's. It's God's grace that saves us, but it's faith in his grace. It's faith in him and the death and resurrection of Jesus that saves us. That's saving faith. Ephesians 2, 8, 10. And then you have the gift of faith, which, first Corinthians 12 talks all about the different gifts of the Spirit. And so you have the gift of prophecy, you have the gift of tongues, you have the gift of healing and miracles. You have the gift of faith. You have all these different gifts that are listed. And I want to speak to that, too, because the gift of faith is not saying that. Okay, yeah, maybe some people have faith, some people don't have faith. The gift of faith is kind of like, you know, those people that no matter what is going on, like, it could be literally like they're in the middle of a fire and they're like, no, God's going to come through. I believe he is who he says he is. He will do what he says he will do, like, no matter what. Like, I trust him. And you're just like, wow, you're not even, like a fellow affected in the least bit by your circumstances. Like, I'm so amazed and inspired by that. I know I've had people in my life like that that I'm like, wow, how are you going through what you're going through? And you're not even, like, flinching at it. You're so overwhelmed by God's character, and your. Your faith is just getting you through this. Like, I have a friend who right now has. Is going through, like, a really hard cancer journey. And just every time I talk to her, she's just so. She's just telling me how good God is. She's just telling me his promises. She's just telling me His Word. And it's not like she's faking. It's like she actually. The depth and the core of who she is. She has this overwhelming faith that I would say is she has the gift of faith. And so that is kind of. So we've talked about the saving faith. Ephesians 2, 1st Corinthians 12 is the gift of faith, but Hebrews 11 and 12 is talking all about faith, living by faith. And so that's a different topic. And this is for those who you have chosen to follow Jesus. You have already made the decision that I. I have faith in Jesus and his death. And his resurrection, he and that he lives on the inside of me, that I am living for him. Like, you have made that decision and now you are living by faith. And so this is like this continual. I am choosing to walk by faith every day. And maybe you're like, so then what is faith? Well, Hebrews 11:1 gives us that definition. It says, now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. So it's literally saying faith is not in evidence. Like, faith is in confidence in what we don't see. Like, faith is saying, God, I can't physically see you right before me. Like, I'm not seeing God in flesh right before me. But I. I trust in you. I believe in you. I have deep confidence that you are who you say you are and living by that faith. And then when you read through Hebrews 11, it's kind of taking you through all of these different people who lived by faith and who lived this great life that I know for me, I would read this and I'd be like, man, well, these people are just like, they're special, you know, Like, I don't know what my name would be on there. Like, these are like the heroes of faith. This is like the faith hall of Fame. Like, these people are like, so legit. But as you really study these people's lives, you're like, wait, they're actually so ordinary. They're actually so normal. They're actually just like you and me. And. And it was just their faith and their obedience to trust God that set them apart from everybody else. Before we get started today, I have an exciting announcement here on Stay True podcast. I am introducing an additional episode each week. Woo. I'm so excited. So you guys can check back every Thursday morning for episodes from me or Grant or us together and. And it will be like our own mini Bible study time together. I'm so, so excited. We will study and read scripture. We will spend time in prayer. And I want you to think of these episodes as this quick reset for your heart and your mind that will just set you up for an amazing day. You will grow deeper in your love and knowledge for the word of God. We will spend time together in prayer and reflection. And these shorter episodes, we will be addressing lies. We hear questions we carry the weights we all feel and what God actually says about it. All these will be short and simple and really intentional episodes. Something you can listen to on your way to work while you're getting ready or just when you need a peaceful moment in the middle of the day, because I know I need that, too. And my heart is that these Thursday episodes become a consistent place that you can come to be grounded, encouraged, and reminded of what's true. And now my Monday episodes are typically interviews with amazing guests. But I'm so excited to now have these Thursday episodes, to have time to just open the word and. And grow in the truth together. I'll see y' all Thursday morning. I actually wanna go to Hebrews 12 first, and then we'll talk a little bit more about Hebrews 11. But Hebrews 12:1 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, because I believe that every single person under the sound of my voice right now, listening to this, watching this, you have a calling. You have a reason that you were on this planet. There is a reason that you are alive and you are breathing. God has something special, special for you. There is a race set before you. There is a plan and a good purpose set before you. And Hebrews 12:1 reminds us of that. It says, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witness, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. I love that verse so much because it's such a reminder that there is a race set before you. But the only way you run that race, well, the only way you can run that race at all is if you throw off the weights and the sins that are slowing you down. And I think about it, like, imagine you're watching the Olympics, okay? One of my favorite, probably one of the only things that I watch at the Olympics typically, is like, I don't know. I love the swimming, I love the gymnastics, and I love the track, like, the running. And so I used to run track, and I love to watch, you know, them run track. And I'm like, man, they're so amazing and fast. And imagine, like, you see Team USA and you see them walk out. You see a girl walk out, and she's gonna be, you know, our girl. And we're cheering for her, and we're like, yes. She's. She's got this. She's supposed to win. She's favored. Like, she's. She's the best. But you see her walk out, and she's in baggy jeans, she's in boots, she's got a backpack on. She's got a ball cap on. She's got a big old baggy sweatshirt on. You'd be like, what is she doing? What Is she doing? No, no, no, no, no. What are you doing? No, no, no. Like, you can't run with all that on. That's going to slow you down. You're not going to win. You're not going to win the race. You can't. You got. You got to take it all off. Like, it's going to slow you down. And you would think she was crazy, but I think that's a picture of so many of us. Like, we have so many. We got rocks in our backpack. We got things we're lugging around, taking around. We got things we're holding on to and that we're in relationship with. We got things that we're so distracted, we're looking to the right or to the left. We. We have things we're wearing, things we're. That are slowing us down and keeping us from running our race. And so I just wanna start by asking, like, what is the sin? What is the weight that is that you are carrying or that is hindering your ability to run your race with perseverance? What's the thing that's getting in your way from being able to run boldly and faithfully? Like, be so honest with yourself? We can only be as free as we are as honest. And so you've got to. In order to be healed, you've got to reveal it. What are the things. What are the. What are the weights that you're carrying? What are the things that you've come into agreement with? What are the things that you've overlooked or bypassed or treated like it's not a big deal, but it's weighing you down, it's holding you back. And in different translations, it actually very much differentiates the difference between weights and sins. And so I just want to take a second to explain that, because some of you, maybe there's not like all of these known sins in your life that are holding you back. You know, maybe it's not like there's all of these things that you're like, oh, yeah, like, I know I'm not supposed to be doing that and I'm doing it anyways. Like, maybe it's. It's truly just like there's some weights in your life, like, things that are outside of your control. Maybe it's health, maybe it's, you know, anxieties. Maybe it's like family tensions and relationship tensions that are outside of your control. You've done everything you can do, and now you're just kind of like sitting in this overwhelming tension. Maybe it's something that was done to you. Like, there's these weights that a lot of us carry and that hold us back that we're not meant to carry. And then there's also this camp over here of these sins that so many of us are, you know, trying to, like, do this whole God thing. But we're staying in relationship with sin, and we're wondering why we don't feel free. We're wondering why we continually maybe feel some shame. We're wondering why, like, we don't. We see other people's lives and we're like, man, she. She's following Jesus, but she seems to have, like, you know, a lot of joy. She seems to be, like, really free. She seems to, like, have a little something that I don't have, you know, and we're having these moments, and we're like, I wonder why. And it's because we're staying in relationship with the very thing that's separating us from God. You know, scripture is clear. Like, those who are of God do not continue to live in sin. You can't live in God and live in sin at the same time. You choose one or the other. And so you have to ask yourself, like, am I in a relationship with sin that's hindering my relationship with God? Is there something in my life that I've overlooked or I've. I've not wanted to confront? Because maybe it's comfortable, because maybe it's easy, because maybe I kind of like it, but I know it's hurting my purpose. I know it's hurting my. My intimacy and relationship with. With Jesus. We've got to be honest with ourself in those things. Because, again, in order to run our race well, we first have to address and confront what is the thing or the things that are holding me back and keeping me from running. And so I just want to invite you into a moment right now of just like, I don't know, close your eyes, get quiet, journal, pray, pause this podcast. Ask the Holy Spirit, ask God to reveal, is there anything in my life that maybe I've been overlooking or anything in my life that maybe I know about, but I just haven't done anything about? And what is that for you? What is that for you? Because in order to live your life with this mindset of I am made for more, and I'm living for that more. In order to live your life freely, boldly, faithfully, in order to run your race, what you were called and created to do, you have to throw off the sin and the weights. And I also Love that. It's like this intense action of you gotta throw it off. Like, let's not just, like, sit around in a small group and keep talking about it week after week after week after week after week. No, like, you gotta throw it off. You gotta do something about it. If you don't deal with that sin, it will deal with you. If you don't deal with that shame, it will deal with you. If you don't deal with that weight, it will deal with you. It's either gonna get dealt with or it's gonna deal with you. So you have to do something about it. Matthew 5 also talks about it. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out, throw it away. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And that's intense. But so is sin. So is sin. And, you know, it also talks about in Scripture, like, the things that so often keep us from running our race are the deceitfulness of wealth and the anxieties of life. And so, so often we can get, like. I would even associate some of that with, like, the weights or maybe some of it is. Is the sins for us. But like, so often we can get so caught up in the things of this world, and so we don't run our race well because we're so obsessed with the right here, right now and getting the happiness and the comfort and the pleasures that we can get here on this earth that we're. We're missing out on what we were made for. And I just want to encourage you again, like, you have a race to run that only you can run. I can't run it for you. And you're also not going to be able to run it well if you're looking to the right or to the left focused on what everybody else's race looks like. And so one thing you're going to have to kill, not only is your sin and the weights and throwing that off, but you're also going to have to kill comparison in your life. You cannot run your race well if you're so focused and consumed about everybody else's race and how they're running, and if they're ahead or if they're behind or if they're, you know, going to have a different kind of reward. I mean, it's got. It can't be that way. Like, we all have to realize we've all been given different gifts, you know, I was talking about the gifts of the spirit. We've all been given different gifts. Your gift may look different than my gift. And so many people right now in this generation want the same gift. We all want to be the mouthpiece. We all want to be on the camera. We all want to be in the spotlight. But the reality is, is we weren't all made for that. And if you try to force that or manipulate that or, you know, make that happen because you want that, because it comes with maybe a platform or praise or approval or, you know, whatever. I just. I don't know what to tell you other than it's going to be really, really hard and you're going to find yourself striving and exhausted and straining and never feeling good enough and always, you know, just like, I don't know, living in this tension of, like, why am I not satisfied? And it's because you're not living out what you were made for. You're not running your race. You're trying to run someone else's race because you think it looks better. I want to talk directly to the college women listening right now who loves Jesus and are craving more intentional community. This is for you. Delight Ministries is a college women's community with chapters on over 200 college campuses. Each chapter hosts weekly gatherings with incredible curriculum written just for college women. This gathering unites women on your campus and creates vulnerable conversation centered around Jesus. They also host worship events and fun gatherings that create a true sense of community. It's a place you can be known, challenged and can ultimately change the culture of your entire campus. I know for me, some of the most impactful seasons in my faith came through being in community with other women who were chasing after Jesus. And sometimes stepping into that starts with one simple yes, even when it feels a little scary. And here's the really cool part. If there isn't a Delight chapter already on your campus, you could be the one to start it. Here's how it works. Fill out an interest form. You'll get connected with your own Delight coach who will equip and train you to build a team, become an official campus org, and hopefully see hundreds of girls gathering together in the name of Jesus at your school. If you get the sense that God is calling you to be a leader on your campus, head to delightministries.com startadelight to get started today. It's crazy to think about what God could do through your simple, yes, that's delightministries.com start a delight to see revival on your campus. This episode is sponsored by Better Help March, includes International Women's Day and As a new mom, this season has made me especially thankful for my own mom and all she's done for me. When you step into motherhood yourself, you start to see the sacrifices, the prayers, the unseen weight your mom carried, and it gives you such a deeper appreciation. Women carry so much in every season, whether that's motherhood, work, relationships, or supporting the people around them. And often, while caring for everyone else, their own emotional wellbeing gets pushed aside. This month is a good moment to reflect on the roles you carry and the expectations you feel, and to remember that your wellbeing matters too. Therapy can be a meaningful way to create a space for yourself, to process what you're carrying, establish healthy boundaries, and grow. For many believers, therapy can be a great tool to pair with your faith as you steward your heart and mind well. BetterHelp has over 30,000 licensed therapists and has served more than 6 million people worldwide. You fill out a short questionnaire. They match you with a therapist based on your needs and if you ever want a different match, you can switch at any time. Your emotional well being matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off@betterhelp.com StayTrue that's BetterHelp. H E L P.com Stay True. Yeah, just as an encouragement, like run your race. There is a race God has set before you, and in order to do that, you got to throw off some sin and some weights and so got to address that first. Before we run into like, or talk about, I guess, more of what does it look like to live this life boldly and faithfully? What does it look like to live a life of faith? And so I actually came up with a little acronym. B O L D Bold. And the first B is bold. Because I can't do an acronym of BOLD without making the very first B bold. So the first acronym is bold. And what does BOLD mean? First, I want to say boldness is not a personality trait. Boldness is not a platform. Boldness is not the family you were born into. Boldness is not because of the way that you look. Boldness is when you have something on the inside of you that you can't help but get out. And we're all bold about something. All of us. We're all bold about something. So it's not a matter of are you bold? It's a matter of what are you bold about? What are you passionate about? What are you bold about? What are you Telling people about, is it, Is it social media? Is it politics? Is it skincare? Is it, is it your work? Is it gossiping about other people? You're bold about something, but are you bold about the things that actually matter? Are you bold about the things that you're called to be bold about and be honest with yourself? Like, on a scale of 1 to 10, how bold are you? When I read through the Book of Acts, I am so challenged and convicted. If you haven't read through that book of the Bible, I would so encourage you to do that, especially if you have been a follower for. Of Jesus for a while. If you're newer to the faith, maybe start in John first, then go to Acts. But I love the Book of John. It's one of my favorite books of the Bible. But it's such a powerful book of the Bible in the Book of Acts, because you're seeing, what does it look like? Like right after Jesus, he, He, he experienced, you know, his death and his resurrection. And then he kind of empowers the disciples. And then he. He raises up and he ascends to heaven. And then there's this, like, descending of the Holy Spirit and the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit. And then they go out and they begin to preach and they begin to heal, and they begin to raise up other disciples. And all of this is happening, and it's really showing us what is the church supposed to look like. And you and I, we're the church. And so when you look at the Book of Acts, there is like this one characteristic that, that describes this book of the Bible and it's boldness. And that is what marked the early church, that is what marked these disciples. And so when I read through the Book of Acts, I am so challenged and inspired of man. I want to live bold like this. I mean, they were so bold that right after, you know, Jesus was crucified on the cross and they, they watched him, you know, be crucified and then he went up to heaven. And they watch all this happen. The same people who crucified him are coming up to them saying, hey, you can't preach about this guy Jesus. You can't tell other people about Jesus. Like, and we're. And they're threatening them. And the disciples were like, listen, we don't care what you have to say because we don't live to please you. We leave. We live to please him. And they have this, like, radical boldness. And it says that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees were amazed because of their boldness. It says that these were unschooled ordinary men. But they could tell that these men had spent time with Jesus because of how bold they were about Jesus and how unashamed they were. It was like, okay, you can threaten us, you can do whatever you want to us, but I'm bold and unashamed because Jesus has changed my life, Jesus has set me free, and even, like, the very next. So that was chapter four in the Book of Acts, and then chapter five in the Book of Acts. Like, again, they get. Cause it says they left after getting threatened by the Pharisees. They left and they went right back to, you know, praying with other people and preaching to other people. And it says that, you know, the teachers of the law brought them back into the Sanhedrin and said, hey, we told you, you cannot preach about the name of Jesus. They're like, listen, we can't help but teach about what we've seen and what we've heard. Like, we're going to teach about the name of Jesus. We're going to tell people about Jesus. And it says that they were flogged, they were persecuted, they were beaten, they were whipped. And it says that they all left after that, and they were rejoicing that they were counted as worthy for suffering for the name. And I think so often when we think about boldness, we don't think about that. You know, we think about the David and Goliath moment of like, I'm gonna go forth and I'm gonna throw my rock. I'm gonna knock Goliath down, and then everyone's gonna cheer my name. Everyone's gonna praise and say, oh, my goodness, look at her. Like, she just did that. Look at how cool she. She's bold. Like, I wanna be bold like that. And we love boldness when it comes with praise. We don't love boldness when it comes with persecution. We love boldness when it comes with crowds. We don't love boldness when it comes with the cross. And I think that's what you have to ask yourself. Am I bold only when it's convenient for me? Am I bold only when it's comfortable for me? Am I bold only when I'm going to get something out of it? Or am I bold and unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ because it's what saved me and it's what can save other people. And I am living my life on mission knowing that they need to know this Jesus. And even if it comes at a cost, even if it comes with persecution, even if it comes with losing some friends, even if it comes with me having to break up with this boyfriend, even if it comes with me having to give up this thing. It's worth it because he is worth it. And that's the kind of bold living that I want for all of us, that we live our life so bold, so filled with his spirit, so on mission, that we're not just bold when it's, when it's good for us. You know, I think a lot of times we can have a really selfish faith and we, we demand this full time God while we live this part time, compartmentalized faith. And we're like, man, why isn't God giving me this? Why isn't God showing up for me in this? Why? Why am I receiving all this backlash and backlash and persecution? And God's like, you're not, you're not even wholehearted devoted to me. You just want things from me. You just want me to show up and bless you and be with you and protect you. You're calling upon my name just when you need something from me, but you're not actually living for me. Maybe you live for me in private when no one's around, but as soon as you're in public, you know, you don't even act like you belong to me, like your heart and your actions are completely in two different places. Or maybe you, you talk about me online and you publicly acknowledge me, but you don't really have a relationship with me intimately and personally. And you see that even in John chapter three and John chapter four. Are these crazy, like juxtaposing, like situations and encounters? Because in John chapter three, Jesus has this encounter with a Pharisee, with a teacher of the law, this high regarded, really important person. And this man seeks Jesus out at night and wants to have a conversation with him, wants to, you know, ask him all of these questions. And that's when we get the really famous John 3:16, you know, for God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son. And so that's where that kind of whole conversation comes from. And then you have, in the very next chapter, you have Jesus seeks out this woman at the well, this unnamed sinful woman who was an outcast, who was low. No one either knew her or cared about her. She was kind of treated like unfairly and not right because of maybe her past sins or her mistakes or the things about her life. And you see this completely different situation where Jesus is seeking her out. But in both situations, you see, okay, one man sought Jesus out privately, but he didn't really live for him publicly because he was so afraid of what the people would think about him. And so he kept his secret time with Jesus secret. And it never became public. Or then you have this other girl who was this sinful girl who other people were ashamed of, and it's like, oh, how could you be see, associated with associating with this woman? And Jesus goes out of his way to meet her, where she's at, but then she has this crazy transforming moment with the Lord that she then goes out and begins to boast and tell everybody about him. Hey, you've got to know about this Jesus. You've got to know about him. He changed my life. He told me everything I've ever done. Like, he loves me, even in spite of all of my sin and all of the shame I've been carrying. Like, he loves me. He met me where I'm at, but he also, like, called me higher. He sees something in me. And she goes out and she begins to evangelize and tell and win her city over for Jesus. And I think so often we can be like this Pharisee in John chapter three, so focused on what we look like on the outside that we don't even have a real and pure intimate relationship with Jesus on the inside in our private life. Or I think often we can swing to the other side and it can be all about, you know, like. It's like, what if that woman at the well had this crazy moment where she, like, went out and told everybody about Jesus and won them all for Jesus and she grew really popular and became like the main, like, evangelist of the entire town, and everybody knew her name. And, you know, then she became this really important quote, unquote person. But then she never had a relationship with him. You know, it's like, you can't just. It can't just be one or the other. Like, you can't just have a relationship with him publicly, but then not privately. But you also can't just have a relationship with him privately. And then no one in your life even knows that you have a relationship with Him. It's not meant to stay secret. It's meant to be shared with everybody. And so that's what I want. That's b. Boldness. I pray that every single one of you are filled with his spirit, that every single one of you live your life boldly and unashamedly. O is for obedient that you are obedient to where he leads you and where he calls you to go. Even if you don't know where that is, even if you don't know the outcome. I always say obedience over outcome. Obedience is our job. Outcome is God's job. We can't just make decisions based off of what we think the outcome is going to be. We have to. We have to choose to live by faith. That's what it is. You live by faith by choosing to be obedient even if you don't know what's going to come of it. And you see that all throughout. That's like a consistent theme throughout. Hebrews 11 is a lot of these people. It says that even Abraham, he. He went where, where God was leading him to go without knowing where he was even going. You know those expenses you just can't avoid, like gas, groceries or grabbing a quick meal out. No matter how int you are with your budget, those things are always there. 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I need you to, like, tell me exactly where I'm going. I started getting convicted about praying for clarity because I think so often living a life of faith is not living a life being always led by clarity. I think living a life by faith is so often being led by convictions. And then clarity comes later. Like, you. You go off of conviction, and then you're like, oh, now I see why God called me to it. I didn't understand it in the moment, but now I see it. And I think that is what you see when you look at these. These, you know, heroes of the faith. They so often went where God was calling them to go, even though they didn't know where they were going. They just trusted in the God who was leading them. And so you see that all throughout this. Hebrews 11. And so if you want to know, like. Like, think about love languages, right? Like, what's your love language? Mine is physical touch. Mine is gifts. I honestly just say my love language is thoughtfulness. If you were thoughtful, I love you. Like, we. We're gonna be like, I just want to be thoughtful. I tell Grant that all the time. He's like, babe, you don't have a love language. All of them are your love languages. And I'm like, no, no, no. Thoughtfulness is my love language. If you give me a gift and you were thoughtful about it, I love that. If you write me a letter and you were thoughtful about it, I love that if you come and give me a hug because you can tell I just really need that right now. I love that. And so if you want to know what God's love language is, it's obedience. It says in scripture, if you love me, you will obey me. How do I know if you really love God? Do you obey him? Do you obey him? Because it's one thing to have a moment where you're like, Jesus, yes. Like, you saved me. You saved me. You saved me from the pit of hell. You saved me from my sins. You saved me from myself. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you saved me. But then it stays there, and he just only is Savior to you, but he never actually becomes Lord. He can't just stay Savior. He has to become Lord. Because without him being Lord, that means you're never fully submitting to him. You've Only you've only accepted him as Savior because it's added something to your life. Like, it's given you this blessing of, like, you no longer have to pay for your sins. Like, someone's paid for your sins, right? But then some. A lot of us, like, a lot of the times, we don't actually submit to him as Lord because that means that we have to actually lay something down. That means we have to actually lay down our plans, our agendas, our desires, our things that we want and the wills that we have for our life. Our timeline, our. Our. You know, and what is Jesus's invitation to come and follow him? He says, deny yourself. Pick up your cross. Come and follow Me. And so that is just my encouragement to you of obedience so often. Looks like you don't have clarity. You don't always know where you're going. And it does come with a cost, but it's so worth it. And you will see that it's actually in those seasons of obedience where you develop such a deep desperation and dependence upon the Lord because you're like, I don't know how I'm gonna get through this. Or, I don't know what's gonna happen with this. Or, I don't know. And I've even seen that in this season of my life, with so much change and transition and, you know, working way less, so much has been exposed. I'm like, wow, I am a. I am a busybody. I am a goer. I am a doer. You know, I'm used to speaking on stages. I'm used to, like, being in crowds of people. And now, you know, like, my gift is just like everybody else's, and I get to use my gift to just encourage the person in front of me. And so now I'm like, okay, I've got to rewire my thinking. Like, I'm gonna walk into, like, every room that I walk into. When I go to my favorite coffee shop here, I'm gonna find that person. And whether it's someone sitting at a table or whether it's my waitress, I'm gonna find that person. I'm gonna ask the Holy Spirit, who can I love? Who can I challenge? Who can I pray for? Who can I encourage? I'm gonna walk in, I'm gonna say, lord, help me to be bold. Help me to be bold for you. And then when you show me who to love and encourage, give me the obedience and the courage to do it. Like, I. I need you. I need you to do it. Like, help me to be obedient. To do it. And I, I try to pray that often because it's one thing to, like, be bold, but then to just, like, feel or I guess one thing to, like, you know, you have that courage, but then you're not really obedient with it. Like, you, you feel like, okay, maybe God's calling me to do that, but then you don't actually obey and go do it. I just think that those are two different things. And so one way you can do that is just, just like in your day to day, as you're going throughout your day, like, Lord, who can I love? Who can I encourage? And then, like, give me the strength to be able to obey you into whatever you're calling me to do. Okay, that's B, that's O. And then L is live for eternity. Live for eternity. And we see that also in this passage of Hebrews 11. It says, if they. And this is in verse 15, Hebrews 11, verse 15. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. They were eternally minded. They knew they were pilgrims passing through. These men and these women of faith. They knew, like, I am living for eternity. I am living for an eternal reward. I'm not living for the rewards here. I'm living for an eternal reward. I'm storing up for myself treasures in heaven. It's about eternity for me. And Even in Hebrews 12, as we were reading earlier, it talks about, it goes on to talk about Jesus. And it says, fixing our eyes on Jesus, how do we run our race? Well, we fix our eyes on Jesus. And it says, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him. He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. And I love that so much because it's showing us that Jesus was able to endure the cross and all of the pain that came with that, all of the emotional pain, all of the like. He had to bear our sin and our shame. Imagine how heavy that was. I can't even imagine. And he was able to do that because of the joy set before him, because he saw the end result, because he saw eternity in mind, because he saw a relationship with you. And so often we have to take a step back and say, okay. I'm so consumed with what's going on right here, right now. I'm so stressed. I'm so anxious. I'm so overwhelmed. I'm so focused on what's right in front of me. I need to take a step back and say, what really matters? What really matters? Why am I here? What is all of this for? Why does God have me in this season? Why has God given me these gifts? Why was I born into that family? Why am I living in this city? And ask yourself those questions and say, okay, if this is all for eternity, that totally changes how I steward my days. That totally changes the kind of thoughts that I think. That totally changes how I treat other people. I read this and I. I think to myself at first, like, I'm never going to be able to be like this. Like, these were. These were such set apart people. Like, they. They had it all. They had something different. They had something. And it's like, no, no. The reality was they were just unashamed of God. They just were obedient to where God called them to go. And they just had their eyes set on eternity. They weren't consumed and living for the. Right here, right now. They saw what was ahead. I think about Hosanna. We were at the beach. I don't know. This was. This was months ago. And we're sitting out on the balcony and we're looking at this amazing beach sunset. You know when, like, the sun is hitting and it's, like, reflecting on the water and it's unbelievably beautiful. Like, it's, like, lighting up the sky. Orange. The water's orange. I mean, it just. Everything is just perfect. And you're like, this is the most beautiful moment. And I'd never want to forget this picture. And I'm sitting out on the balcony at the beach with Hosanna. And I'm trying to show her. I'm like, baby, look. Look at this sunset. Look. Look at this. Look how beautiful this is. You've got to see this. And my sweet little Hosanna is obsessed with the railings right in front of her. And she's, like, grabbing onto the railings and these are, like, dirty, like, need to be painted. I mean, you know, like, not cute railings. Okay? It's not like they're like gold gorgeous. It's like they're, like white, the paint chipping off. And she's, like, obsessed with these railings. And she's, like, grabbing onto them. She's trying to, like, bite on them. And she's like, banging on them and just can't even see the sunset because she's so focused on the railings. And I'm sitting here like, hosanna, baby. Look. Look at the sunset. Look how beautiful. It's so amazing. Look at it. And she's just, like, sitting here banging on the railings. And I just think that's a picture of all of us. Like, so many of us are missing the beautiful sunset and what we were created for, what we were made for because we're so consumed with what's right in front of us. And I don't want you to miss out on the sunset. I don't want you to miss out on the beauty, on the freedom, on the. The. The relationship that God wants with you and that God has for you. If you can just take your eyes off of the right here, right now. Moses says in. In Psalm 90, Lord, teach me to number my days. And I remember I heard this quote from Christine Cain the other day, and I hope I don't butcher it, but she said something like, if we don't count our days, our days won't count. And I thought that was so powerful. Because if we don't live our life like every day matters and we don't take each day seriously, knowing that it's not just right here, right now for what we're living for, we're living for eternity. If we don't count our days, our days won't count. They won't matter. They won't have impact, they won't have legacy, they won't have power, they won't have transformation. Souls won't be won for eternity because we're going to live in this comfort mentality, in this chasing happiness mentality, because that's the way of the world. The way of the world is. Is constantly conforming to those things. And we're going to be sucked into that. We're going to be pulled into that. We're going to be weighed down with sins and weights, not running our race unless our eyes are set on eternity. And we know we're not here for long. This is but a short. This is a breath, this is a short, a mistake. And every day I have here matters. And I've got to live like it. How I live matters. Am I living holy? Am I living on mission? Am I living like I'm going to be judged one day for my. For my words, for my. For my actions, for my thoughts? And that's not something to, like, strike fear. That's something to hopefully promote holiness. That's Something to hopefully put you in a place where you're like, I want more of Jesus. I want to live for him. And then the last one, D, B, O L D, bold. The D is deny yourself. Deny yourself. Deny your flesh. Deny your fleshly passions. Deny your fleshly desires. Deny your self. The world says, promote yourself. The world says, it's all about yourself. The world says, you, you, you. Jesus says, deny yourself. Jesus says, come and die. Jesus says, lose your life. You want to find life? Lose your life. You want to follow me, Die to yourself. It says in Galatians 2:20, it's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me. And if you are truly a born again follower of Jesus Christ, if you choose to put your faith in him and the man who died for you and the man who loves you, and the man who rose from the grave for you, and the man who gives you resurrection power in the man who wants a relationship with you, if you choose to believe in that Jesus, there is a call, there is a cost. And that call and that cost is you die to yourself. But it's actually in that that you find the life you were made for, that you find everything you were designed for. And it's crazy how opposite it feels because the world says, no, Chase everything that you want. Chase everything that makes you happy. Chase everything that would give you satisfaction and happiness and completion and all of these things, success and money and power and love and sex and relationships. And Jesus says, no, no, die to all of those things and you'll find real life. It's like, what? It's true? Because I can't tell you how many empty wells I ran to looking for life and all the wrong things. And it wasn't until I got to the point, the end of the road, and I said, okay, I've tried it. I've tasted it. It doesn't satisfy. I feel emptier. I feel achy. I feel confused. I feel lost. I feel hopeless. Okay, Lord, I'm gonna go all in with you. I wanna run to you. You are the well that never runs dry. I'm gonna choose to put my faith, my hope, my life in your hands. I'm gonna give you all of me, not just a part of me. Not just the Sunday mornings, you know, not just sometimes when I feel like reading my Bible, because I just, like, need an encouraging, uplifting word. Not just sometimes when I pray, when I'm scared and I, like, need you to make me feel better, but, like, I'm actually gonna follow you. I'm gonna give you all of me. And it was in that moment and in every day past that where I have found true life. Because life is not found in creation. Life is found in your Creator. He's the one who created you. He's the only one that's gonna be able to give you what you were made for. And I pray that we all live boldly and faithfully for him. Because that's what we're called to do, to live a life unashamed of the gospel that saved you, so that others may come to know Him. Because the same freedom you have experienced, you are not just free from something, you're free for something. You were set free by Him. In the same way. The woman at the well had this encounter with Jesus and she was set free from her sin and from her shame. It wasn't just for that moment, for her to feel so much better, sure, that, that that was a part of it, but it was also for her to go and tell everybody. She went and she told everybody and she lived this bold and unashamed life because she had been set free. And so I just want to challenge and hopefully spur all of you on to let go of what you've been carrying that you're not meant to carry, to leave behind the empty wells that you've been running to and why you keep coming up empty where you've been looking to for satisfaction. And you keep saying, but I know there's something more. I have a thirst for something more. I know that there's something, something more for my life. Leave it behind. Find Jesus. Jesus the only one that can satisfy. And I also want to challenge those of you who you have found Jesus. You have gotten to that point like he is the well you've run to. Live boldly for him, live unashamed for Him. Like, where is an area in your life that you can grow in boldness? Where is an area in your life that you can live more unashamed? And I pray that he would reveal that to you. And I pray that you would continue to throw off anything that so easily untangles anything that would hinder your relationship with Him. Maybe that's sexual sin. Maybe that's an addiction to food or to alcohol. Maybe that's an addiction to materialism and overspending. Maybe that's an addiction to praise and wanting approval from people. Maybe for you that's. That's an eating disorder because you really care about how people view you and you want to look a certain way and you want to be liked and accepted by other people or guys. And maybe for you, you know, that's you're carrying a lot of. Of doubt and anger towards God because of you lost someone that you loved and that you cared about. Maybe you're carrying shame from past sins and you don't know how to fully let go. Maybe it's bitterness and unforgiveness that you're carrying and harboring in your heart that you don't know how to forgive that person that so deeply betrayed you and hurt you that you thought would, you know, always be there for you and love you. Maybe someone has taken advantage of you. I don't know what your story is, but I know that there is a God who says. Says I don't see your scars. I came to die for you, and that by my scars you can be free. That by my scars and because of my scars, you can be healed. And I just believe that there is freedom. There is more for all of us. For all of us. I pray that for me every day, Lord. I want more of you and less of me. I want more of you, and I want more. I want to desire the greater gifts and more of what you can give me. I want to desire more of your presence. I want to be with you more. I want to. I want to live more for you. I want to impact more people for your name's sake. And I just want us to all live with that posture of there is something more. What is that more that God has for you, and what is it that you need to leave behind? What is that less that you've been settling for? And what is that more that God has for you? I love all of you. I believe in all of you. I want to know what this, you know, maybe encouraged you in or what maybe God is speaking to right now. I want to know your prayer requests. I want to know what you want to hear about next. You know, I'm gonna try to start doing more solo episodes and hopefully doing some where I'm, like, really answering some of your questions and some of the things that you guys are wanting to hear, because this is all for you guys. And I want to know what. What you want to hear about. And so I'd love to just, like, pray a quick prayer for you guys as we wrap up. But, Lord, thank you so much for who you are. Thank you, Lord, for what you've done. Thank you that you died on the cross, Lord, for our sin and our shame, so that we didn't have to carry it, so that we didn't have to bear it and so that we didn't have to pay for it. Thank you, Lord, that by your wounds we have been healed. That by your blood we have been set free. And I pray that over, my friends, I pray, Lord, that the blood still works. We thank you that the blood still works. And I pray for right now, wherever they find themselves, that they would just experience right now in this moment the power of God just meeting them wherever they're at and rushing upon them and bubbling up on the inside of the them and overflowing out of them, Lord, that they would be transformed by your spirit. That they would not stay comfortable, that they would not stay selfish, that they would not stay worldly, but that they would live their life set apart boldly and faithfully, running the race you have set out for them and marked out for them with perseverance, fixing their eyes on you, throwing off the sin and the weights and finishing well. Lord, we just want to finish well. We want to hear the words from you. Good job, well done, my good and faithful servant. And so, Lord, I just pray for godly community to come alongside of them. I pray, Lord, for a filling of your holy spirit. I pray that they would spend deep time, intimate time in your word and in your presence and in their prayer closets wherever they choose to pray. And that you would continue to reveal yourself to them. Thank you, Lord, that it's. It's not up to our might or our strength, but by your might and your strength and your power that we can be free and live free in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, guys, I love y' all as always. Be sure to stay you and stay true. Love you. Here at the Zebra, research shows the average person would rather endure a root canal than search for auto and home insurance. Just try to relax. Or be trapped in a car for eight hours with toddlers on a sugar high. Or remove a nest of irate hornets. That's why the Zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can compare. Today at thezebra. Com, we do the searching, you do the saving. I think I'll wait inside.