The #1 Reason You Are Stuck In Your Singleness and Heartbreak

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The #1 Reason You Are Stuck In Your Singleness and Heartbreak"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
• Host: Madison Prewett Troutt
• Episode: The #1 Reason You Are Stuck In Your Singleness and Heartbreak
• Release Date: December 9, 2024

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1. Introduction and Personal Updates

Madison Prewett Troutt kicks off the episode by welcoming listeners and introduces her husband, Grant Troutt, who often surprises guests by being a central figure despite not being the official co-host.

• Madison (00:07): "Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt Troutt, here with my husband."
• Grant (00:27): "I'm honored to be here."

Madison shares a recent challenge they've faced: their Stay True Instagram account was hacked. This incident not only exposed Madison's personal information but also disrupted their content creation.

• Madison (00:56): "Stay True Instagram got hacked...some person hacked in, got in, can see my personal information, which just is not a good feeling."
• Grant (01:33): "We pray for them. We pray that they get saved... we pray that we get Stay True's Instagram back."

2. Christmas Traditions and Upcoming Changes

As the holiday season approaches, Madison and Grant reflect on their evolving Christmas traditions over the years. This year marks their third Christmas married, with a baby girl on the way.

• Madison (04:27): "We have to celebrate. Like, we gotta have some Christmas furniture."
• Grant (05:07): "We did get a house, guys."

They discuss the excitement of decorating their new home for Christmas and the anticipation of welcoming their child shortly after the holiday season.

• Madison (04:54): "Can't believe baby girl is coming so soon."
• Grant (09:26): "Next Christmas we'll have a little baby girl running around."

3. Book Announcement and Discussion

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to announcing the paperback release of Grant Troutt's book, "The Love Everybody Wants," which now includes a bonus chapter authored by Grant himself.

• Madison (11:07): "The Love Everybody Wants is now on paperback... Grant wrote his very first chapter."
• Grant (12:14): "I wrote like six pages of a chapter, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

They emphasize the biblical foundation of the book, touching upon topics like singleness, dating, rejection, and godly marriage. The book aims to provide listeners with a comprehensive guide to navigating relationships through a Christian lens.

• Madison (15:35): "How can you do singleness well? How can you do dating well?"
• Grant (15:36): "It covers a lot. It's really good."

4. Singleness: Biblical Insights and Advice

Madison and Grant delve deep into the concept of singleness, drawing insights from First Corinthians 7. They highlight singleness as a season of undivided devotion to Christ, emphasizing its importance in personal growth and spiritual development.

• Grant (20:29): "You've never had a chance to be more like your savior, Jesus Christ."
• Madison (24:54): "Singleness is that test of what's the idol on your heart."

Key Quotes:

• Madison (24:54): "Singleness is a gift. It is a place where you get to have undivided devotion to Jesus."
• Grant (26:01): "Singleness was so great for me. So great for me."

They offer practical advice for singles:

1. Learn Your Word: Deepen your understanding of the Bible.
2. Pray: Develop a strong prayer life.
3. Serve: Engage in service and mission work to foster community and purpose.

Madison underscores the necessity of finding contentment in Jesus alone, asserting that without it, even the most fulfilling marriage can fall short.

• Madison (23:26): "Jesus is the only one that can fully satisfy us."
• Madison (26:01): "Singleness is a gift... you are Jesus. You are Jesus."

5. Dealing with Rejection and Waiting Seasons

The conversation transitions to handling rejection and the challenges of waiting seasons. They discuss how rejection can lead to God's redirection, helping individuals grow closer to Him and find deeper satisfaction in their relationship with Jesus.

• Madison (32:42): "Rejection on this earth... we're like, God, why God?"
• Grant (43:06): "Rejection leads to God's redirection to something better."

Key Concepts:

• Rejection as Redirection: Viewing rejection not as a setback but as a pathway to God's greater plan.
• Emotional Processing: Encouraging listeners to cry, seek support, and process their emotions authentically.
• Godly Community: Emphasizing the importance of finding support within a local church or faith community.

Notable Quotes:

• Grant (55:11): "Rejection leads to a deeper connection with Jesus."
• Madison (61:24): "Rejection leads to God's protection."

They urge listeners to pray through rejection, trusting that God uses these experiences to refine their faith and purpose.

• Madison (47:18): "If you want that, the Bible says it's a relationship. So ask your heavenly Father, hey, God, I really want this."
• Grant (48:14): "God is always doing something in you that far outweighs anything that he could give you."

6. The Gospel Presentation and Conclusion

In the closing segment, Grant passionately presents the Gospel, explaining the fundamental Christian belief that Jesus Christ is the Savior, who forgave humanity's sins through His sacrifice.

• Grant (56:13): "That's the gospel, that you and I are unclean, not with leprosy, but with sin."
• Madison (61:24): "Having a relationship with Jesus changes everything."

They invite listeners to believe in the Gospel and make a personal commitment to Jesus, offering a prayer for those ready to accept Him as their Savior.

Invitation to Prayer:

• Grant (66:30): "Dear Jesus, I am a sinner and I need a savior... In Jesus name, Amen."
• Madison (65:09): "Jesus, you are my Lord."

Madison concludes by encouraging listeners to engage with community, emphasizing that Christianity is not a journey to be traveled alone. They reiterate the availability of their book and express gratitude for their listeners' support.

• Madison (67:32): "Find godly community. Find a local church. Don't try and do it alone."
• Madison (67:48): "Have a relationship with Jesus changes everything."

They end with heartfelt affirmations of love and support for their audience, reinforcing the podcast’s mission to provide a safe, growth-oriented space for listeners.

• Grant (67:48): "The gospel is greater than any marriage, any relationship."
• Madison (67:56): "This is a community here at Stay True. We love you guys so much."

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Conclusion: In this deeply engaging episode, Madison and Grant Troutt explore the profound reasons behind singleness and heartbreak, offering biblical insights, personal anecdotes, and practical advice to help listeners navigate their emotional and spiritual journeys. By intertwining personal experiences with scripture, they provide a comprehensive guide for those seeking to stay true to their values and find fulfillment in their relationship with God.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Madison (00:56): "Stay True Instagram got hacked...some person hacked in, got in, can see my personal information."
• Grant (20:29): "You've never had a chance to be more like your savior, Jesus Christ."
• Madison (24:54): "Singleness is a gift. It is a place where you get to have undivided devotion to Jesus."
• Grant (55:11): "Rejection leads to a deeper connection with Jesus."
• Grant (56:13): "That's the gospel, that you and I are unclean, not with leprosy, but with sin."
• Madison (67:56): "Have a relationship with Jesus changes everything."

Listeners are encouraged to engage with the discussed materials, including the book "The Love Everybody Wants," and to join the Stay True community for further support and growth.

Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

Great to be here.

[A]

The other. Everyone thinks you're a co host. Actually, everyone thinks this is our podcast.

[B]

I'm really great to be on your podcast.

[A]

Basically, are a co host, but not.

[B]

I'm honored to be here.

[A]

I'm thankful that Grant Trout is in the building and is so full of joy and just constantly challenges me when I'm grumpy or moody hormonal or when the Lord's testing my faith.

[B]

Which he's doing right now.

[A]

Which he's doing right now because in many ways, because just to let you guys into what's been going on, we're letting them in 24 hours.

[B]

I didn't know.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Stay True Instagram got hacked. Y and we've just been dealing with that for the last little bit. And, you know, some person hacked in, got in, can see my personal information, which just is not a good feeling and is just not being very kind and Christlike. And we pray for them. We pray that they get saved. And we also pray that we get Stay True's Instagram back. We're also film filming this, like, weeks in advance. So hopefully by the time this episode is coming out, Stay True Instagram is totally fine.

[B]

So here's our prayer. Our prayer last night is, Lord, whoever has this, I pray you meet them in a dream. I pray you tell them to give the account back. But, Lord, that you save them. That their heart literally gets surrendered to you. And I'm believing that maybe that person is watching this podcast today. And we want you to know we prayed for you. We did and genuinely prayed for you. It wasn't like, lord, like, bring your wrath. It was like, lord, save them. Yeah, like, save them. Like, what if him or her hacking this account was the pathway for their soul to go to heaven, Then it.

[A]

Was way worth it.

[B]

Way worth it. Have the account, dude. You can have the account.

[A]

Keep it. You can have Stay True. You want to be the co host?

[B]

We need a new social media director if you want to run it. Honestly.

[A]

Stop. No.

[B]

You look really good in red. I'm going to go ahead and say.

[A]

That we do look like we're about to take Christmas card pictures.

[B]

Which are we going to do that this year?

[A]

Guys, we. Well, okay, this is.

[B]

We have to, right?

[A]

This is our third Christmas, third holy mess, our third Christmas married.

[B]

You better believe it. You cried the first one because.

[A]

Because our first Christma married, we had only been married for two months. Yes, less than. About two months. And then this. Then last Christmas was. We had been married for a little. And then this is our third Christmas. This is crazy. And baby girl is coming like a month. Ish. Two months after Christmas and. Yeah, like a month. A month and a half.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So next Christmas we'll have a little baby girl running around.

[B]

If it's a girl.

[A]

Crazy. Stop. Okay.

[B]

Have we. Have you explained to them?

[A]

No. Guys, everyone keeps saying we have this feeling that it might be a boy.

[B]

Like, multiple people are like, hey, I've had. I've had a dream. This is so weird.

[A]

My sister Mallory gets like, God dreams.

[B]

I've had a dream that you're having a boy. And I was like.

[A]

And she had a dream.

[B]

But I've been so nervous because I'm like, maddie, we've been talking to her like she's a girl. What if we're making him soft?

[A]

Stop. It's a girl.

[B]

We've been like, hey, sweet girl. What if my dude's in there?

[A]

It's a girl, guys, don't worry.

[B]

I. I mean, I hope it's a girl.

[A]

I mean, God's will be done, you know?

[B]

Amen. My goodness. Amen.

[A]

God's will be done.

[B]

Go ahead and preach it, baby.

[A]

Whatever is supposed to be will be. But we did the anatomy scan, they did the blood work. I mean, it's very, very, very real.

[B]

Right?

[A]

That it could come out a boy, dude. I don't know, guys, we're just. We're bringing you guys into all the things going on. We're in Christmas clothes. We have a couple of Christmas things behind us because it's December and Christmas is almost here and. Oh, gosh, moving into a house soon.

[B]

Thank you, Lord.

[A]

We did get a house, guys.

[B]

So thankful.

[A]

So this is our. One of our last little films in our apartment. And so I got like a little mini Christmas tree. And I was like, we just. We have to celebrate. Like, we gotta have some Christmas furniture. There were still pumpkins everywhere. I was like, we gotta have some Christmas spirit.

[B]

It's the biggest Christmas person. I am the biggest Christmas of all time.

[A]

And living in an apartment has been such a gift. But, like, I am really excited to be in a home and to have the Christmas tree.

[B]

I could do apartment life all day long. 24 hour gym.

[A]

Because he can walk to Chipotle.

[B]

No lawn to take care of trash down the hall lobby. Yeah, I vibe with the apartment.

[A]

I.

[B]

But my wife needs to nest.

[A]

I don't.

[B]

She does.

[A]

And It's. But it's been good. It's been really good for us. It's been really good for me. Anyways, we got a house, guys, so we're celebrating with that. We still don't have a Stay True studio. That will still probably take some time, but, boy, but we have a house.

[B]

Dreaming of I am.

[A]

And a lot of you guys have sent in.

[B]

Oh, have they?

[A]

Some really cool designs.

[B]

Dope.

[A]

Yeah, dope. I mean, there's a lot of you guys, like, really talented. So if, you know, want to apply for a job with Maddie Peru, go ahead and send it in. Send in your resume. I don't know. I don't know if I will. I'm taking inspo from some people, and then I haven't found one that I'm like, that is the exact thing that I want to go for. But some of you guys have sent some stuff that I'm like, that's a really good idea. Like, I'm going to keep that in my mind when I'm.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

Designing the studio.

[B]

That's incredible. I love it.

[A]

So we're really excited for the new Stay True Studio, and this will be one of the last times you guys see us in this apartment. There may be, like, one more episode. We have Christmas in a couple weeks. I think we should go ahead and get them into some of our favorite Christmas traditions and what our first Christmas married was like versus our second and what you think our third.

[B]

Wow. Okay. First one, we were with my incredible family. And Christmas Eve, we go to the Dallas Cowboys game, and Maddie's sitting there, and she's like, grant, I'm so happy to be here, but I'm not In my Christmas PJs with my family, making gingerbread houses. Starts crying. I was like, sweet girl, it's okay.

[A]

But we have been married for two months. It's okay. It was my first time not spending Christmas with my family.

[B]

That's hard. I get that.

[A]

And I love Grant's family.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But it's like, when you've grown up with your family, doing it, like the way that you do Christmas with your family your whole life, it is, like, a really crazy adjustment when you get.

[B]

Married, it is wild.

[A]

And you're doing the, like, trade off, you know, one Christmas with one family, a Thanksgiving with the other family, whatever, vice versa.

[B]

So wait, what was last year, though? I'm trying to remember Christmas.

[A]

Last year, we did Christmas early with my family because Grant worked at Harris Creek Church.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And so we were there Christmas Eve. And so then Christmas morning we went and spent time with your family Christmas Day and the next day.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

So anyways, we did. We did hit both families last year.

[B]

We did. And we don't. I wouldn't say we have many traditions yet though. I mean we're about to have our first baby, so.

[A]

Yeah, that's true. We don't have a ton of traditions. We really want to make sure that we raise our kids to know that it is much better to give than to receive. That's something that's super, super important to us. Obviously. We want to make sure that we're reading and sharing the Christmas story, the real Christmas story, the story of Jesus being born and what that means for us and how that impacts and changes our life. And so, you know, there's like some things like that. We definitely do the Christmas PJs. You gotta do the Christmas magic PJs. You have to.

[B]

What's the movie I love?

[A]

Oh, I so I with my sisters would always watch at my grandmother's house this one movie. It's so random.

[B]

I hate it on it.

[A]

I don't even know if you guys have heard of this movie. It's called I'll be Home for Christmas Banger. And I, Grant was so annoyed with how much I wanted to watch Christmas movies. He was over like all, like all of the just, you know, same old, same old Christmas movies that he's already seen a 100 times. He's like, why are we going to watch that again? And he had never seen alie Home for Christmas. So I like convinced him. I was like, let's watch I'll Be Home for Christmas. And you loved it, dude.

[B]

I loved it. I can't wait to watch it this year. I'll Be Home for Christmas. Shout out. I can't wait.

[A]

Such a random movie. But I'm a big Christmas girly. I would watch Christmas movies every single day, listen to Christmas music every single day if I could. Very excited to get in our home and decorate everything for Christmas. Can't believe baby girl is coming so soon.

[B]

And next, keep the Christmas lights up for her birth. Right?

[A]

Oh, should we. We have to like she's coming home to.

[B]

To like lit up Christmas lights. Yes.

[A]

Really sweet.

[B]

Yes, she has to.

[A]

I'm so excited. And by the time that like she has her first Christmas, she'll be like aware enough to kind of know what's going on. Like I mean she's going to be really young still, but yeah, but she's going to be so Cute.

[B]

I have, like, zero concept of baby ability. I'm like, do they talk it two months? Do they. What are they running like? I have no idea. When their advancement takes place.

[A]

It's okay. We haven't had our baby class yet, so. Our baby class. We do have a baby class through the hospital that we're giving birth. We're. I'm giving birth. That.

[B]

It's a team.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Baby. I'm part of this team.

[A]

Assisting my goodness. He will be helping me breathe and praying over me.

[B]

I'm gonna be on your bed.

[A]

How are you feeling about that?

[B]

I. I feel many things. I feel ready, though.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I feel absolutely prepared, ready and equipped to deliver this baby with you.

[A]

Deliver the baby.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You're gonna catch it.

[B]

We're one. We are one.

[A]

And so he is ready for my strength. He's going to be so good. He's going to be such a rock. He's going to be so encouraging.

[B]

I'm going to be preaching to this doctor and this doula, and I'm going to be declared.

[A]

We love our doula.

[B]

My goodness. What's her name?

[A]

Amanda.

[B]

Amanda Rose. You are amazing.

[A]

He.

[B]

She makes me feel so confident.

[A]

You just said you loved her, and then you just asked what her name was.

[B]

I knew her name was Rose. Middle name.

[A]

Middle name was Rose.

[B]

I forgot Amanda. But, man, Rose is crazy.

[A]

She's. She's awesome. And my middle name's Rose was like this whole God thing. We were like, this is meant to be.

[B]

My middle name is Michael.

[A]

Yeah. Not Rose.

[B]

But isn't that a good middle name? It is a good, strong. Huh?

[A]

That's really good. Okay, so we should probably dive into what we're.

[B]

What are we. What are we talking about?

[A]

Well, we do have a big announcement.

[B]

Oh, shoot. Yes.

[A]

Should we show them?

[B]

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[A]

Guys, if you're not watching the video, you should be watching the video because. Wait, that's going to make it go out of focus.

[B]

Oh, no. Come back.

[A]

Because the Love Everybody Wants dropped with a.

[B]

But.

[A]

Bonus chapter.

[B]

Bonus chapter. And you're probably going by who. Wait, you've seen this cover before? Like, why is this new? You need to look very, very carefully, because what you're gonna see in this little white circle says what now includes.

[A]

A bonus chapter from your boy, Grant Trout.

[B]

Grant Trout. Yes.

[A]

The Love Everybody wants is now on paperback, which is huge. Which feels better. A good paperback.

[B]

I do, too.

[A]

Copyright.

[B]

I do, too.

[A]

And y'all, Grant wrote his very first chapter.

[B]

I wrote a chapter on the back.

[A]

It's really good.

[B]

Listen, I'm going to say this. I don't want to steal your shine, but I feel like there's a new favorite author in the family. You guys go check out my chapter.

[A]

He's really good.

[B]

I wrote like six pages of a chapter, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. And I said, maddie, I quit. Take it.

[A]

He was very much over it. And I was like, you do realize I wrote the whole book, right? Do you realize all the other pages?

[B]

So, guys, I'm like, what do I call my chapter? The love everybody wants. Blah, blah, blah. What do I put? Here's what I said. The love he wants.

[A]

The love he wants.

[B]

But is the he God or is it Grant?

[A]

Oh, guys, they're gonna have to read to find out which G. Is it.

[B]

God, Grant or guys?

[A]

Oh, I don't think Grant, because you're only for me. So it's God or guys?

[B]

God guys are little G gods. Wow.

[A]

Little G gods. Little G gods.

[B]

Hey, check out this chapter. Because I feel like everything, which is extremely limited that I've learned about godly dating is put in this book.

[A]

That just ruins your credibility. It's like, I know nothing, but I wrote an entire book.

[B]

When I say extremely limited, I mean packed full of power.

[A]

Well, you just mean you've only really dated me, especially in a godly way. And so, like, you've only really had one dating godly relationship. And it works.

[B]

Here's the deal.

[A]

Clearly you do know what you're doing.

[B]

Who's the guy that taught about marriage in the Bible? Paul?

[A]

I was gonna say Jesus.

[B]

Sure. But Paul mainly taught about marriage and Paul was single. So here's the deal. You don't always have to experience what you teach about, because if it's godly and it's biblical, you can teach it. Truth is the truth. Have you ever heard of stay true? Truth is the truth. Truth doesn't get outdated. Oh, and so shout out Jonathan. Shout out JP his book is called outdated.

[A]

But anyways, guys, we're really excited about this. And so today we thought it actually would be really helpful because we haven't done. We've done a couple of episodes on relationships, but it's been a minute. And so I thought it would be really cool for us to jump into specifically talking about singleness, specifically talking about rejection, those waiting seasons, how to date, what marriage, what a godly marriage should look like, what it's been like for us. I mean, we can kind of just be bop around all over the place. But in this book, so much is covered. And so if you haven't read the Love Everybody Wants, I get so many dms from you guys saying, like, I need advice for how to date. I need advice for what to look for in a spouse. I need advice like, should I break up with this person or should I marry them? You know? And I get asked so many questions. I'm dealing with rejection. I'm in a waiting season. I'm tired of being single. How do I optimize this season? And so this book truly is my one, my own personal journey, our personal journey, but also just takes you through, like, a biblical journey of, like, how can you do singleness well? How can you do dating well? How can you handle rejection well? How can you deal with your shame so that your shame doesn't keep you from all that God has for you? How can you get. How can you move past your past so that your past doesn't keep you from the future? How can you date well, marry well? I mean, it covers a lot.

[B]

It covers a lot.

[A]

It covers a lot. It's.

[B]

I read this whole book cover to cover, and it's the best dating book I've ever read. And I'm not even just saying that it truly does cover everything.

[A]

It does. And he also loves it extra. Because I dedicated the book to him.

[B]

Yeah, hey, Loki.

[A]

And so he does love it. But, yeah, we talk about all things. I mean, just some of the chapters are, pick me, which is how to talk about or like, talking about how to know your worth and how to have a strong confidence in who you are. Because if you don't know who you are, then you're going to be looking to other people to tell you who you are. And that's going to make relationships really, really hard because you're going to be trying to find something in someone else that ultimately only God can give you. And so you're going to be entering in these relationships from a place of lack rather than from a place of assurance and belonging and confidence, knowing who you are. And so that chapter we really dive into, how can you be confident in who you are and know your true worth and value and not leave it in the hands of. Of other people. Another chapter we talk about is if he wanted to, he would. If this is a dude listening, if she wanted to, she would. And that's just talking about how to know what you deserve. Like, don't put up with. Don't settle. You know, Like, I. There's a lot of people that settle, and we don't want to see you guys settle.

[B]

Yeah, no, we don't.

[A]

We. You should never settle for less than God's best.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then we talk about. Love is Blind is one of the chapters, which is, like, all on red flags. What to avoid, what to run from, flee from. How to know when to break up with someone. We talk about in my feelings. Emotions, boy. How to handle your emotions when it comes to relationships. That emotions aren't bad, but they also shouldn't lead and guide your life either. And then we talk about shame, rejection, singleness, purity, and marriage waiting. Well, all of those things. So we're going to dive into some of those topics today, and we're going to open up the word of God, too, and talk about what the Bible has to say about it. But I'm really excited. I'm excited to talk about this because it's been a minute since I've honestly talked about this book. It came out over a year ago.

[B]

Yeah, September. Last year.

[A]

September of last year. So it's been a minute since it's come out. But it's been so cool to hear from you guys, like, how it's impacted your life and how God has used it to encourage you and help you. A lot of you have, like, broken up with people and gotten out of bad relationships, which praise Jesus. A lot of you. It's helped you heal from breakups or rejection or how to break up with shame, because shame has been breaking you. And a lot of you guys have healed your hearts and just the. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and through reading this book. And so it's been so cool to hear the stories from you guys. So if you haven't read the book, we're going to include it in the show notes, but I'd love to just jump in. So let's first talk about singleness. Yeah, you did singleness. Really, really well. Like, saved you.

[B]

Yeah, totally.

[A]

I mean, obviously, anything not saved totally you was not done. Well, he. We've talked about this on the podcast, but he got voted biggest flirt in high school.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And I got voted biggest flirt in high school.

[B]

Dangerous duo right there. That's a dangerous duo.

[A]

We were just with friends the other day and they were like, what did they say?

[B]

Something about us just. I don't even know.

[A]

No, what they were saying how you walked into a store and. Oh, yeah, he had to, like, warn his. His wife or girlfriend. I don't know if they were married or dating at the time.

[B]

They were dating.

[A]

That. That this guy Grant was going to be walking in, and he was, like, the biggest flirt ever. And he was gonna try and flirt with everyone in there.

[B]

She was so cut. She was over here, and she was like, grant, every time I watch you on the podcast with Maddie, I, like, tear up. I was like, why? She's like, cause I remember when I first met you, my boyfriend called me and said, hey, I'm so sorry. I'm bringing this guy Grant to Cryotherapy. She worked at cryotherapy, so I'm about to get, like, frozen. And she's like, he had to, like, warn her of, like, hey, I don't know what he's gonna say or do. I'm sorry. And she's like, I just can't believe how far God's brought you. And I was like, I can't either.

[A]

Actually, it's pretty crazy. We both. We've learned so much through getting saved and then through just, like, the Lord, sanctifying our hearts and just chipping away all of those things that were worldly and placing our worth and value in the wrong things. And so I am very grateful for where we're at now. Neither. Neither of us are flirts. We only flirt with each other.

[B]

Thank God.

[A]

We only flirt with each other.

[B]

That's all I need.

[A]

Yeah. Singleness. What would be your best piece of singleness? Is that how you would say it? What's your best singleness advice? If for someone who is single right now, what's your advice to them?

[B]

You've never had a chance to be more like your savior, Jesus Christ, who was single, who had a mission, who was so focused on why he was put on this earth. You've never been closer to that. Like, you've never had a chance to be as mirror image to your savior, Jesus Christ, and not saying you can't in marriage. Marriage is a mystery of the gospel, mystery of the marriage between Christ and the church. But Paul said, says in First Corinthians 7, he says, man, you don't even understand. Like, for those that are single, you have a fully devoted, undivided attention and heart towards Jesus Christ that married people do not have. He says that. He says married people are focused on how to please their wife and their husband and Christ. He said, the single person like me, Paul said, and like your savior, Jesus, you have one sole mission and focus. So what I would tell you right now is you have an opportunity to sprint, unlike you ever will in the rest of your life after Jesus Christ, which, when we die, is the only thing that's gonna matter. So what I would say right now is you're in the greatest season of your life. Not that marriage isn't incredible, it's awesome. You're in the season right now that's gonna equip and prepare you for what God has for you. Singleness was so great for me. So great for me. And what I want to, like, I get that people want to be married. I get that people want someone. But, like, when you are actually reading the word of God and you've been transformed and you see if anyone would follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me. When you read that and you understand that Jesus mission was to come and seek and save the lost, I don't honestly understand how some people are like, yeah, but like, if I just had a spouse, I'm like, you run after Christ with everything you have. Run, like, run after him. And if he brings someone along the way, that's so great. But for me, I wasn't looking to the left or to the right because, like, and I'm not special, But I just believe if you've been transformed by the cross of Christ, you just throw off everything that hinders you from running after that. And along the way, Maddie was right there.

[A]

Yeah, she was.

[B]

And so my singleness advice to you is, learn your word, learn your word, learn your word, learn how to pray. You'll never have more time to be in your closet lighting a candle and just pray. And then number three, serve. Go on a mission trip. Serve someone to your left and to your right, serve people. Serve your family. Serve your brothers and sisters who are married. Go over there, serve people. And I just guarantee you you're not going to be aching left and right going, only, I just had someone. Jesus satisfies man, not a person.

[A]

Yeah. Jesus is the only one that can fully satisfy us. And so what I've seen a lot is if you don't learn true contentment and full satisfaction in Jesus alone in singleness, you won't know true contentment and satisfaction in Jesus in marriage. You will see that even when you get the thing that you're asking God for that you so desperately want, that you think everything in your life is going to get better, it's going to grow. You're going to be the happiest you've ever been in your whole life. Nothing's going to change if you don't learn true contentment where you're at right now and learn that Jesus alone is enough. Because when you're trying to put that in another person you're going to see when you get married, they fail you totally. Because humans. I fail myself. I fail my husband. I fail other people. We're human beings. We're going to. We're going to let each other down. No person is meant to fully satisfy you. Only Jesus can do that. And so I think that's such a good word in First Corinthians 7, which I want to read in a second, is such a good passage when we're talking about singleness. Because singleness is not a season of lack. It's not a season of less than. You're not on the sidelines waiting to be put into the game called marriage. It's not like you're. You know, I think JP always says this, like, you're. What is it like, what is it in sports when you have, like, the first jv. Yeah. JV versus varsity. Like, singleness is not the JV team Christianity.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. It's not the JV League of Christianity. And I think we can get in this place in singleness where we can become so discontent and so frustrated that we're not where we want to be, that we totally miss out on where God has us right now and what God wants to teach us and do in us in this season. And singleness is. It's a gift. And I used to hear singleness as a gift, and it made me want to puke. It made me want to punch someone. And what I can say now is, it is so true. Singleness is such a gift. And it is. It's a place where you get to have undivided devotion to Jesus. It's a place where you get to get holy. It's a place where you get to heal parts of your heart that you didn't even know needed to be healed. It's a place where you get to develop healthy habits. You get to create these habits and these rhythms and these routines that when you get married, you're already a whole person. You and Jesus. You're not looking for someone else to complete you. And you've already developed your healthy habits, and you've already gotten your heart healed and healthy to where it just makes marriage that much better.

[B]

Yeah, that's so good. And, like, I feel like without singleness, I wouldn't be anywhere close to the person I am today, and you wouldn't be anywhere close to the person you are today. Singleness is what made us who we are now. It's like, I heard. I remember hearing a pastor one time, and they were like, man, when do you like, how do you learn so much Scripture? How are you pulling all of this with all that you have going on? You have kids, you run into church. Like, when are you sitting and going through your note cards? He's like, bro. He's like, a lot of what I know today is what I Learned in my 20s. He's like, I'm pulling from those years when I had all this time to go to a coffee shop for 60 hours and absorb the word of God and learn it and then go serve all night and then wake up in the morning and make meal. Like, he's like, all of that. I'm still growing now, but I'm drawing from all of that. And that is why singleness is so important.

[A]

That's really good. And I would love to read the first Corinthians 7 passage, because I think that this is so helpful when we're talking about singleness, to just turn to Scripture and it's like, what does Scripture say? Because a lot of times we can think about, you know, our life as well. The Bible was written so long ago, it doesn't really apply to what I'm feeling and what I'm walking through. And it does because it literally addresses everything. And there is a specific section, an entire passage actually, on singleness. And so let's dive into it. It is found in First Corinthians 7, verses 29 through. I don't know about maybe the end of the passage 40, but we'll just read some of those verses. So it says in verse 29, what I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on. Those who have wives should live as they do not. Those who mourn as if they do not. Those who are happy as if they were not. Those who buy something as if it's not theirs to keep. Those who use the things of this world as if not engrossed in them. For in this world in its present form, is passing away, and I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs, how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife. And his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs. Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way. In undivided devotion to the Lord. So what is this saying? It's what Grant was talking about earlier. When we are married, there is naturally a. As it should be in a way of like, I want to please my husband. I want to be a good wife. I want to serve my husband. And I'm called in marriage to serve my husband, to lay my life down for my spouse. But when I do that, it is taking away the attention of being able to give all of me to Jesus. And so it's saying in singleness, you get that undivided devotion to the Lord, like Jesus is the only thing on your mind, body, soul, and spirit. You are his. It's not body, soul, and spirit. I'm my spouse's and Jesus's. It's like, I am Jesus. I am. He has all of me. And it is such an amazing place to be because you get to go deep with the Lord. And it's what Grant was saying it. You get to read and meditate and study Scripture. You get to store up those things in your heart and memorize Scripture. And you get to learn how to please the Lord and serve his people and get plugged into a local church and develop godly community and learn what it looks like to confess regularly and have people hold you accountable. And of course, if you're married right now and you didn't practice some of those things, you can totally start practicing those now. And I also don't think Paul's trying to say that it's wrong to be married like he does. Go on to say, it's not a sin to be married. Like, that's great if that's what you choose. But Paul does want to communicate that singleness is not a lack. It's actually a great abundance. It's actually a great gift. And it gives us the gift of undivided devotion to Jesus. It gives us the gift of the Lord's presence. And we are told in Psalms that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy, which means that in the presence of the Lord, we lack Nothing. And Psalm 23:1 tells us that the Lord is our shepherd. We lack nothing. I lack nothing. Which means as a believer, if I. If God has called me to be in a season of singleness or to be single, I lack nothing because he is everything that I need. And I think that's so important for us to fully grasp and understand. And I also don't want to, you know, pretend like there's not this huge desire, especially for girls, you know, when we have a desire to be married and we have a desire to have kids. And especially if a lot of our friends are in that season of life. I remember being in that season of life when all of my friends were getting married and all of my friends were having, having kids, and I was single as a Pringle, and I was frustrated with the Lord and I went through a season of resenting and being bitter about my singleness. And I had to really pray through that. And I had to really remind myself again and again of that psalm verse of the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He is everything that I need. He is not withholding from me to be cruel. He is actually giving me where I'm at right now. And what he's doing in me right now, like, he's giving me more than what I could ever get in a spouse or in him just coming through in this circumstance because what he's producing in me and what he's teaching me, and more than anything, just our relationship being cultivated and growing in more intimacy is like the greatest gift in the world. And I had to learn that. And I had to learn to embrace my season of singleness. And once I started doing that, I truly started thriving and loving my single life and loving doing life with other godly single girls and like, doing ministry together and serving together and encouraging each other.

[B]

So good. A good, like, sequential way to think about singleness to dating, to marriage is Genesis 1:27 says, you were created in God's image, and so you're an image bearer. So the reason you were created on this earth is to bear the image of God, to love God and then to love people through that love. And so that's your number one priority. If you don't start there, you start by finding identity and purpose in a person, a place, or a thing. So if you know, number one, my identity and my purpose is found in knowing God and then using my gifts to love other people. You can know, okay, my purpose is not found once I get there. But then you're going, grant, golly, is my desire for this spouse wrong? Like, why do I feel it so deeply? And I'm seeing those weddings online and I'm like, something is crying out. It's biblical. Your desire is biblical. Genesis 2:18. God looked at Adam and said, it's not good that you're alone. It's not good that you don't have anybody. And so he created Eve. That was the first wedding. In Genesis 2, God ordained the first wedding. He was the officiant and your desire is biblical, but know that it doesn't fully complete. And we've said that a thousand times, it's in your book. But that's the truth. And so number one, you're not completed. You're not satisfied when you find the spouse. Singleness is that test of what's the idol on your heart. You're passing a test every single day. Although your desire is biblical and godly, it's in you. It's a test to do you want that more than you want me? Do you want the gift more than you want the person, the God that is so good giving you that gift? And if you don't pass that test, you're going to continually, continually fail and fail and fail and fail in marriage because you're gonna try and find it in that spouse. So you're in a test right now. What is on the throne of my heart? Is it that one day, wedding day when I find that person? Or is it right now Jesus plus nothing equals everything? That's the test you're in.

[A]

Yeah, that's so good. What is the idol that's on your heart? I mean, that's a question to really ask and to be super vulnerable with you guys. I actually had that moment with the Lord yester where just in tears, I said, lord, I want to be fully yours and I want you to be fully mine. And I don't want anything to take your place. I don't want any other person place thing. I don't want my work, I don't want my spouse, I don't want my future child. I don't want anything to be on the throne of my heart. I want it to be you and I want you to have all of me and all that I have to be yours. And I was having this moment with the Lord and I was like, lord, search my heart. If there's anything in my life that is ahead of you, if there's anything in my life that is an idol for me or a comfort for me or something that I have placed above you, will you just remove it? Will you expose it? Will you show me? Because I don't want it if it's not you. I want you to be on the throne of my heart. And I'm having this tear filled prayer moment with the Lord, just feeling convicted and really meaning what. I'm praying and then I go about my day. And then later on in the day is when I found out that the Stay True podcast Instagram got hacked and that was that it was taken and I couldn't get into it. And I'm like, you know, everything in me wants to panic, wants to control, wants to freak out, wants to. You know, And I just remember that I prayed that prayer earlier. And I remember that I was on my knees in tears saying, lord, I just want you like nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. You are the only thing that satisfies. You are the only thing that I want on my heart, and you are what I want to live for. I don't want anything in this world to have my heart. I don't want. I don't want anything to have all of me like you do. And so I just was convicted in that moment when I wanted to freak out and panic. And I just took deep breaths and I just said, lord, stay true has always been yours. It's always been yours. I'm yours. Stay true as yours. You know, any. Any ounce of influence or platform that you've given me yours, any relationship you've given me yours, any opportunity, you've given me yours. Like, none of this is mine, and none of this is for me. It's by you, from you, and for you that I have these things. And so, Lord, if you want to take it away, take it away. If you want to give it back and you want to bless it tenfold, great. But may you be the one who's on the throne of my heart, and may you be the one who gets all the glory. And I just was having this moment with the Lord, and I share that because that's. That's maybe, like, a silly little thing. You're like, oh, Maddie, that's an Instagram account. And, like, to me, it was, like, a really big deal in the moment, and it's still something that I'm walking through right now. And so I'm a little more emotional about it. But it also reveals that so often we put these little G Gods on our heart, and we have these little idols that we allow to be ahead of God. And for a lot of people, if you're listening to this podcast, those little idols might be your desire to get married. Those little idols might be your desire to, if you are married, have kids or might be your kids. You know, if, you know, you're dating, it's like your. Your desire is to get engaged and to get the ring you want and the wedding that you want. Like, we have these little G Gods that take over our heart sometimes. Maybe it's work, maybe it's your image. Maybe it's what other people think about you. Maybe it's your social media. I don't know what those little g go gods are for you, but I was reading in First Corinthians 8 this morning and it was talking about idolatry. And I want to read this over you and I want to encourage you to ask God that same question. It's a scary prayer to pray and get ready for the Lord to test you in it, but also get ready for the Lord to step in and take his rightful place on your heart because that's the only place he should be and the best place for him to be. Like, I wouldn't want it any other way. I don't want anything else to be on the throne of my heart. And I was reading in First Corinthians 8 this, this morning, in verse 5, it says, for even if there are so called little g gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many little g gods and many little lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live. And there is one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. And it is such a good reminder that whatever season of life that you're in, ask God. Is there anything on my heart, Is there any idol on my heart that is keeping me from being intimate with you, that is keeping me from loving you, that is keeping me from serving you? Is there anything that has replaced you in my life? And there were moments that for sure, in singleness, like relationship status, wanting to be married was an idol on my heart. Like, I'll be honest. And I think that's the case for a lot of people. And so that's not something to shame you with, but it is something to challenge you. Just like I challenged myself to get on your knees and to ask God to reveal those idols and to remove them, remove the high places, remove the idols from my heart.

[B]

And I think it's so different for girls and guys. I think girls were like, created with this innate desire. Like, think about the way Eve was made. She was made from Adam, like, from his rib. And so there's this, like, desire to be like, connected to, like, almost like re redrawn to. But there's something in a man, especially with this culture that we're in, that is just like, oh, I can wait. Like, I'll wait. I'll wait for the perfect. And that's why you see this, like, unbelievable, just like disconnection in the church right now with like an overabundance of godly women and Such a lack of godly men. It's. Pornography is destroying the brain. It's creating us for this, like, addiction to the perfect. And so every dude is like, well, what if there's a better thing out there? Terrified to commit. And so it's just like, you see what's happening in culture, which is like, you have these incredible godly women ready for their godly man to come, but there's such a lack. And that could even go back to, like, father figures, like, who was their dad and who was their dad? So it's like, you see Satan, if he was going to come after anything, it's like, let me come after the man, the father, because then I can start to just create this cycle. And what this cycle is going to create is this gap. And I'm going to make, like, work and fame and power and money and wealth and sex, this, like, idol in the man's heart. I'm going to make marriage and family and children and even career an idol in the woman's heart. And so they're like, you're not. It's like magnets going the opposite way. And so I'm sure there's a lot of girls listening right now that are like, I just wish there was a godly dude in my life to ask me out.

[A]

And I'm like, where are the godly men?

[B]

I want that for you. And we both have a role to play in that. But it's like, man, I feel like we've got to recall this call. I was part of a men's conference recently, and I'm getting fired up about recalling men to being men. And it's like, we're seeing steps being taken in the right direction. So I empathize with you, but it's no excuse to go, well, then I'm just going to sit and wait. And I'm upset. It's like, that's not an option. You know, the option is not. Where is the owl? Just God, if you really love me, it's okay right now, today, today. What's the most faithful way to steward my day? Today? What can I control? The Bible says God knows what you need before you ask him. The Bible says you seek him first. He'll provide for you. If you trust that, if you actually believe that, focus on today. Focus on knowing him more and then loving people around you.

[A]

Yeah. And in the waiting, it can get tiring. Like, you can have this attitude that we're talking about, and then the longer you're waiting, it's like, okay, all right. Like, I had this attitude for maybe a year, but now, God, where are you? You know, Or I had this. I've had this attitude for four years. God, where are you? You know, now I'm in my 30s and I'm looking around and I don't see any potential mates. And it's like, that can be super discouraging. And I. We just want to say, like, we are. We empathize with you and see you. And I understand that that is really, really hard. And like Grant has said, the desire to be married and the desire to have children is a good desire. It is. God designed it. And it is in the original design, before sin entered the world, like in God's perfect design, totally marriage and be fruitful and multiply was in his original design. And so that is a good thing. That is not something to be ashamed of, and that's not something to feel bad for. And with that, ask God to test you and to remove any idol of your heart if you've gotten to a place where that has become an idol for you. And if you've gotten to a place where that has become more important than just spending time with God and finding contentment in God, because that is where it can get dangerous is God, I trust you, except in this area of my life, because you're not moving quick enough. Because you're not moving the way that I want you to. And we can begin to doubt God's goodness. We can begin to doubt God's sovereignty. We can begin to doubt God's provision because it's not operating in the way in which we would have planned it for ourselves. But it tells us in Isaiah 55 that God's thoughts are higher. His ways are higher. We don't understand the ways of the Lord. We don't understand the thoughts of the Lord. We don't understand why He. His will is what it is. And there's. There's sometimes where his will, it's hard to accept sometimes. And we may not ever fully understand it on this side of eternity, but I promise you, it's for your good and his glory. He's not withholding from you to be cruel. He is always doing something in you that far outweighs anything that he could give you. And also what he can give you are the things that are eternal, like peace, like joy, like purpose, like calling, like. Like all of these things that he gives you, no matter what season of life that you're in. And so I just want to say, like, waiting seasons can be really, really hard. And I get that no matter what it is that you're waiting for, and my encouragement is in waiting. Well, it doesn't mean that you act like those desires aren't there. It doesn't mean that you shame yourself or beat yourself up for having those desires. But it does mean that you are faithful with where you are and you are present with where you are, and you are learning true contentment and satisfaction in Jesus alone with where he has you, while still being able to dream and while still being able to have hope for what that desire is and for what you're hoping for. And so continuing to take that to God and saying, this is a desire of mine. But Lord, let your will be done. And we've seen throughout Scripture where when we take it to God, sometimes, God, this is a desire of mine. Will you give it to me? He does. And then sometimes we see, like Jesus prayed, you know, in the garden right before being taken to be crucified. And he said, lord, take this cup for me. Yet not my will, but your will be done. That exact prayer wasn't granted in the way that maybe Jesus was asking for it to be. You know, to not let me have to be crucified. But it was given in a much greater way. Of now, he ascended at the right hand, and he's sitting at the right hand, and we've been given and granted eternal life through him. And so it's like, if it's not working out the way you thought it would, I promise you, it's because God is up to something so much bigger than anything you could ever imagine.

[B]

Pray. I would some. I would. I would say all that to be like, you want a boyfriend? Do you want to be married? Ask God.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he'll give you a couple different responses. Yes, no. And attached to that no in his kindness is a better plan. And always. And there's more I'm doing in you. And so, like, if you want. But if you want that, the Bible says it's a relationship. So ask your dad, ask your heavenly father, hey, God, I really want this. Yeah, I do. And, like, it might be wrong. Is it wrong? I don't think it's wrong. But would you. What do you think? And let him talk to you. He'll either say, okay, thanks for asking me. Thanks for trusting me. Here you go. Or he'll say, no, you're not ready. Let him do something in you. Maybe there's more to grow in you. Or third, it's like, not yet. Yeah, maybe.

[A]

Totally. The power of prayer. I mean, I prayed power of prayer every single day. I did pray every single day over my future spouse. And I said, lord, if this is your will, like, this is what I pray for for him. I pray that he has a heart to serve you and love you and know you. I pray that he is a man of. Of God, that he seeks you with everything that he has, that he's a man on mission, that he wants to do great things for you. And by doing that, I mean that he serves and loves your people well, that he's a man who's full of joy and kindness. And I prayed these things for my future husband. And don't be unrealistic. Like, don't be, you know, he has to be a cowboy with, you know, this whatever. I don't know, he's gotta drive this car and have this attached to his name or have this many followers. It's like, let's not be superficial. When we're praying to God about the kind of person that he's called us to be with. Think about, you know, who's the person that's going to, you know, make me love Jesus more? Who's the person that's going to come alongside of me? And together we can, you know, have an eternal impact together. Who's the person that's going to raise these godly children with me and teach my children to love and fear God? And that's what I cared about. Like, I was like, of course it's a bonus if he's handsome and he likes basketball. And, you know, it's like, those are bonuses. But that's not what I was, like, praying for. And so I love that you. You mentioned prayer. And I think prayer oftentimes does more in us than even what God can give us. And so for me, when I took things to God and I said, these are the things that I'm praying for, it also did a lot in me. It's like, am I doing these things? Am I pursuing holiness? Am I pursuing joy? Am I pursuing, you know, am I living on mission? Am I these things that I'm hoping for and praying for in a spouse, Am I pursuing these things? I'd love to just, like, kind of wrap up this podcast, talking a little bit about rejection and talking about maybe when things don't go, whether it's. We feel rejected by God because our plans aren't going according to what we thought they would be. You know, our timeline, it's not lining up with what we thought it was going to be. And we feel like God has Rejected us. We feel like God has let us down. And God is not, you know, he doesn't care. Or maybe it's a rejection that we've had in a romantic relationship. It's something that we've dealt with in the past, whether we've been cheated on or broken up with or, you know, said really, really hurtful things to. From another person. There was, you know, hurtful language. Rejection can be really, really hard. And I talked about this in the book, and I want to read a little bit of this and then we can talk a little bit more about it as we. As we wrap up. But it says God's rejection. Actually, I don't even know where it says this exactly in here, but I talk about how rejection leads to God's redirection. And so rejection on this earth. When we experience rejection with another human being, a lot of times we're like, God, why God? Why God? Why? But. But if you trust the Lord with that pain and you take it to him, we will see that he will always redirect it to something so much better and something so much greater. And so for me, when I've experienced certain breakups and I'm like, God, why, God, why? This is hurtful. This is painful every single time. It's like, because I have something better for you. God's rejection will lead to God's redirection and. Or maybe not God's rejection, but rejection can lead to God's redirection. And so I talk about in this specific part that God's redirection will always expose what matters to us most. Feeling disappointment isn't always wrong, but it does show where we've placed our hope. God's redirection forces something out of our hands that we had hoped to keep. Through that, we begin to realize God's plan for our lives doesn't equate to the easy or comfortable road. Rather, he is working all things, even the disappointment, for our good. Romans 8:28 reminds us we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. And so rejection exposes something in our hearts. And a lot of times it's the idols that we've placed on our hearts. But it also reveals, like, where we've placed our hope. And so for me, when I've had moments of rejection or letdowns or betrayals, it reveals to me, oh, my, I had, like, on the throne of my heart Instagram or I had on the throne of my heart, my spouse or I had on the throne of my heart, like a relationship status or an opportunity and people seeing me as important or significant and it reveals, wow, okay, God, sorry, that wasn't you on the throne of my heart. And so in rejection, God can lead us to something so much better. And more than anything, he leads us closer to him in those seasons.

[B]

I would say your Savior knows what it's like to be rejected. Maybe more than you'll ever know. So good, you know, like, rejected by the people you came to save. Rejected by your friends in your darkest moment, rejected by your family and your ministry. Rejected by your own people. Like, you just like talk about rejection. You read the Bible and it just says Jesus was rejected. That's that word that marked his life. And so I would just say, talk to him about your rejection and ask him how to walk through it. And ask him to walk through it with you. He promised that he would walk through rejection with you. And he paved the way. Yeah, he paved the way. And so a couple of things that I would do in the midst of rejection is cry with him. Cry with him. Cry with him. Cry with people. Cry with people. Like, let, let out some of that pain, man. I don't know who your safe place is, but rejection really hurts. Rejection really hurts. And I'm sorry, I've got a friend walking through a similar situation of rejection romantically. And it really hurts. Hurts. And my job is not to say, but remember where your hope is, brother. There's a time and a place for that, I think. But sometimes we can throw scripture and it's almost hurtful because it almost takes away the humanity and emotion. And so your emotion. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Especially if something's been done to you. I'm really sorry. But just know God is the greatest rejection. Like, he flips it, man. He flips it. He flips it to like your greatest connection to him. You know, like rejection almost leads to deeper connection because it forces you to not find life in things other than him.

[A]

That's good.

[B]

You know, if you think about it, like when you're rejected by someone or some group, where does it lead you? It leads you to go, man, I need something greater than people. I need something greater than this world. So let rejection lead you to deeper connection. If I was to say, what are some of the few things I've seen be most pivotal in some of my friends lives in their walk with Jesus? It's rejection or breakup in relationships. I think that is one of the most pivotal crossroad moments. For people where when you experience that or you experience the breakup, you have this resetting, this recalibration of, who am I? Who is God? Why am I on this earth? And so if you're in the midst of that, you're in the perfect position for God to capture all of your heart and for you to go all in and say, okay, that didn't work out. I need something greater. His name's Jesus. He's walked through rejection. Lead it into deeper connection with him.

[A]

So good. And it talks about in Hebrews that we do not have a high priest that is unable to empathize with us in our weakness. But we have someone who has, like Grant is saying, walked with it. He's experienced it. And because of that, he can not only walk with us through it like, he's walked through it, he's felt it. He's experienced rejection to the highest level. He's experienced pain to the highest level. Therefore, we can take our rejection to him and say, you get it. Like, you get it. You know how hard it is to like, talk to someone. And it's like, oh, you actually just don't get this at all. You've no idea what I'm talking about. You have no idea. Jesus is like, I get it, I get it. I get your pain. I get your rejection. Bring it to me, bring it to me. Lay it at my feet and watch what I'll do with it. I love what you said. What did you say? Rejection leads to a deeper connection. So, yeah, I mean, just some like little write down takeaways is rejection leads to a deeper connection to Jesus. Rejection leads to God's redirection to something better. Romans 8, 28. You know, rejection leads to God's protection. Maybe sometimes what feels like rejection in a moment is actually God protecting you from something that maybe you were going to settle for. Or maybe protecting you from something that was going to take you further away from him. And you don't want that. And I promise you, in a moment of loss, but, like, it may hurt. And what is lost in a, in a moment, that temporary loss may hurt and sting, but when you take a step back and you look back three, four, five years later, you're like, wow, that actually was the best thing that could have ever happened. That temporary loss turned into an eternal gain. Like, it turned into something so much greater than I could have ever imagined. That's what God does. That's what God does. That's who he is. And he's so, he's so, so good. It Says every good and perfect gift comes from him. So he's not here to, like, punish you and give you these bad gifts and, you know, test you and say, let's see how they handle. You know, he gives good gifts. He's a good gift giver. And I grant alluded to this earlier, but I think something to ask yourself and to really test and search your heart is, do I desire the gift more the giver? Am I looking for God to give me things more than I'm looking to God? More than I'm looking for God? More than I'm trying to spend time with God? Am I seeking the things God can give me more than I'm seeking God? And that is a really, really good question for us to ask when it comes to relationships, when it comes to even our purpose. You know, that's a huge question in the world today. What's my purpose? What am I called to do? What am I going to do with my life? It's like, how much time are you just spending with the Lord? How much time are you spending in the word of God? Because that's the best place to start. So these, those were kind of like the two main subjects, I guess we kind of sat on was singleness and rejection and touching on waiting seasons a little bit. But this was, this was really good. And I. I just want you guys to know, like, we're. We've in no way mastered anything or figured this whole thing out. Like, we even in being married, still have to. It talks about in that First Corinthians 7, it says, those who are married should act as if they are unmarried because this, the time on earth is short. Like, we belong to God, even though, yes, I am married and I'm in oneness with grant, like I am in oneness with the Lord, and ultimately I belong to the Lord and I can't take. I can't take anything with me here on this earth when I go to heaven. Like, it is my soul, it is how I use the gifts and the. And the things that God has given me for his glory, that is alone what I can take with me to heaven. And so though I am so grateful for a man that loves Jesus and that pushes me closer to Jesus and that helps me make a difference for Jesus, it's because our love is rooted on the love of Jesus Christ and because he's helping me do what I'm called to do, whether I was single or married to him. Like, he's helping me fulfill my eternal purpose with Jesus. And because of that I am so grateful for our marriage. And our marriage is built on something that can't be stolen or shaken or taken. Like it's built on the love of Jesus. And it's the greatest love of all time. And so we. I talk about in this book, like we talk about in this book that what you're looking for, what you're wanting, what you're waiting for, it's already yours. It's already yours. It already belongs to you. It's already yours. And it's found in Jesus Christ. And he is the greatest love and the only love that can fully satisfy and meet every desire and longing of your heart. And so the desires you have are real and not to be overlooked and not to be shamed. But also know that when you find Jesus, you find everything you need, and he will meet the desires of your heart. And just keep walking with him, keep taking those things to him, keep praying with him, and watch what he does. Watch what he does.

[B]

I'm going to end with the gospel because I feel like sometimes things like relationships can feel really important. And when we remind ourselves of the Gospel, it just can reframe everything. I asked a friend one time, I said, what's the gospel? And in tears they said that God loves me. And I want to ask you, if I asked you, what's the gospel? If I said, can you explain to me the gospel? What would you say? And I looked at my friend and I said, God loves. God loves everybody. But not everyone goes to heaven. And this is the gospel. This is the gospel right here. That you and I chose our own desires over following God in some way, shape or form. We said, God, I don't want you. I want to do what I want to do. And that's called sin. Sin is just the word. To miss the mark of godliness, to miss the mark of perfection. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So me, you, Maddie, the Pope, your pastor, everyone sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Now, every other religion in the world, every heart, every soul, the desire of every human being in our DNA is, how do we get back to God? And what every other religion other than Christianity says is, you must climb the mountain up to God, AKA be good enough, do more good than bad. Now, what we see in Jesus's life through the Sermon on the Mount is he took everybody up a mountain. Sermon on the Mount. He took him up a mountain. And he then went on to give the most impossible sermon of all time. And what that sermon said is, this is the law, and this is the standard, and the standard is perfection. He said, you therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. And everyone on this mountain is going, that's impossible. And what Jesus was doing is saying, I did not come to abolish the law. I came to fulfill it. What he said is, there's only one that can fulfill the law. That's me. And Jesus walked down the mountain in Roman in Matthew, chapter 8, verse 1. And he met a man with leprosy. And this whole crowd is walking behind Jesus after just hearing this impossible sermon. And what Jesus is demonstrating right here in this moment is, I'm not asking you to climb up the mountain to me. I'm coming down the mountain to you. I'm coming down to save you. So you right now, personally, you in 2024, stuck in that sin, stuck in that addiction, have that sexual past, have that thing that no one knows about. Jesus came down the mountain. He said, you can't climb up and be good enough. Every other religion says, I hope I'm good enough. Jesus says, you don't have to worry about that. I'm coming in flesh to you. I'm going to be perfect so that you don't have to. Jesus met a man with leprosy. And the man with leprosy, who was not allowed to even be around people if he walked into town, he said, I'm unclean. I'm unclean. And he fell down before Jesus and said, if you will, will you heal me? And Jesus said, I will be healed. And he touched him. And that is the gospel, that you and I are unclean, not with leprosy, but with sin. And our only chance is to throw ourselves before Jesus and say, if you will, can you make me clean?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so a couple years into that ministry, Jesus went to another mountain, Mount Calvary. And on that mountain, they crucified him. And he bled out. And as everybody said, jesus, if you're the son of God, save yourself. Save yourself. But there was a thief crucified next to him that looked at Jesus and he said, I deserve to be here. But you don't. What's he doing in that moment? I'm the sinner, but you're not. Why are you taking my place? Why are you dying right here? And then he looked at Jesus and he said, jesus, will you remember me when you go into your kingdom? And Jesus said, today you'll be with me in paradise. What's the gospel? You're A sinner who needed a savior. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for your saving. And all the thief on the cross had to do was say, I'm a sinner. Jesus, you're the Savior. Will you save me Right now? You can ask that to Jesus. Will you save me? He came to save you. Jesus rose from the grave three days later, defeating sin, death, Satan in the grave. That's the gospel. That's the best news of all time, that you don't have to go to hell to pay for your sins. Jesus paid for him on the cross so that you could be in heaven. And if you believe that, we want to hear about that with, like, this is your moment right now.

[A]

If you made that decision, please reach out to us.

[B]

And so I'm just going to lead us in a prayer right now that if you're alone right now, or if you're with friends right now and you're raising your hand, I want you to raise your physical hand and say, I want that. I want to believe that gospel. Because you can only do two things with the free gift of the gospel. You can receive it, or you can reject it, but you can't earn it. And so if you want to receive that today, I want you to bow your heads with me right now. And I want you to repeat this out loud after me. Dear Jesus, I am a sinner and I need a savior. And I know that you're my savior. Jesus, will you save me from my sins? I want to trust you with all of my heart. I want you to be lord of my life. I want the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead me. Jesus, you are my Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

That prayer is not what saves you you. It's believing the words of that prayer. The Bible says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That's the greatest news you'll ever hear.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's greater than any marriage, any relationship. That's the gospel you need to believe in. Everything else will take care of itself.

[A]

It's the best. It's the greatest love of all time. It's the best relationship you ever find. It is the best thing ever. And having a relationship with Jesus changes everything. It changes everything about your life. And I was just smiling so big because baby girl was jumping up and down. I think she was raising her hand. Was she. She got saved, y'all. Our child just got saved in the womb. Oh, man, that was so good. Thank you. For, for leading us in that moment. And please let us know if, if that was a decision that you made. You can email us, you can go to the website, you can, hopefully, if we have our Instagram back, you can go to our Instagram and let us know. DM us, let us know that you prayed that prayer and we'd love to continue to pray for you. The next step is find godly community. Find a local church. Don't try and do it alone. We weren't made to go through this Christian life alone. We need people to hold us accountable, to hold us up when we're tired and to encourage us us when we're weary, to help us even in knowing how to read the scriptures and knowing how to apply them to our life. And so that will continue to be our prayer for you guys. And we love you so much. This is a community here at Stay True. And I want to continue to host lots of different little events so that we can continue to build this community. I'm so excited for what's to come. And also a reminder that the book, the Love Everybody Wants paperback with Grant's new chapter, the bonus chapter, let's go. It is available now. Now everywhere books are sold. You can get it at Amazon, which is where I pretty much buy all of my books. And it also will be included in the link in the show notes. Whether you're watching this on YouTube or on Spotify, Apple Podcast, wherever you listen or watch your podcast, it will be included there too. So go and check it out. This is a great Christmas gift. This is a good read to give to if parents are listening right now, to give to your kids kids or to give to a friend. I've had so many people be like, I bought this book and I've just been handing it around to all my friends. And so it's a good gift to get a friend as well. So anyways, we love you guys so much. We're praying for you, we're proud of you, we believe in you. And as always, guys, be sure to stay you and stay true. We love.