Your True Identity: It's Not What You Think with Grant Troutt

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Your True Identity: It's Not What You Think with Grant Troutt"

Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt hosted a compelling episode on April 28, 2025, featuring special guest Grant Troutt. Titled "Your True Identity: It's Not What You Think with Grant Troutt," this episode delves deep into the essence of understanding one’s true identity in Christ and breaking free from the pervasive need for external approval. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from their heartfelt conversation.

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1. Introduction to the Episode

Madison Prewett Troutt warmly welcomes Grant Troutt as a special guest, setting a tone of intimacy and camaraderie. They engage in light-hearted banter about guest hosting dynamics and personal anecdotes, establishing a comfortable environment for the ensuing profound discussion about identity and faith.

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2. Grant’s Transformative Shift in Identity

Grant opens the conversation by sharing a pivotal moment in his spiritual journey:

[00:08] Grant Troutt: "The Lord gave me three words. He said, grant. When you try and find acceptance, approval, and applause from them, you will carry so much weight. You will not be able to run in who I called you to be."

This revelation marks Grant's conscious shift from seeking validation externally to finding acceptance in Christ, thereby freeing him to pursue his divine calling without the burden of societal approval.

Madison echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the peace that comes from recognizing one’s identity in Christ:

[00:21] Madison Prewett Troutt: "I'm okay because I know who I am in Christ. And because of that, I'm not coming from this place of longing for approval and acceptance, but rather I'm coming from this place of being able to love from acceptance."

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3. Overcoming the Addiction to Approval

Understanding the Root of Anxiety

Grant elaborates on the underlying causes of anxiety among Christians, distinguishing it from sin:

[00:33] Grant Troutt: "Everybody listening has the image of God on them, and the inscription on their soul is child of God. I think most of the anxiety that's crippling Christians from sprinting in their calling is not sin. It's looking to the left and to the right at other lanes going, I want to be like that. Or, why don't I sound like him?"

Madison's Perspective on True Humility

Madison delves into the concept of true humility versus false humility (pride), highlighting how knowing one’s identity in Christ fosters genuine encouragement and confidence:

[12:32] Madison Prewett Troutt: "When you know who you are in Christ, then you're able to walk into rooms, and instead of thinking about, 'I wonder what they think about me,' and 'let me get them to like me and accept me,' instead you're like, 'How can I serve them? How can I see them? How can I love them? How can I help them?'"

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4. Biblical Insights: The Contrast Between Saul and David

A significant portion of the episode contrasts the lives of Saul and David from the Book of 1 Samuel, illustrating the impact of their understanding of identity in God.

Saul’s Struggle with False Humility

[43:15] Grant Troutt: "Saul was striving to be someone he didn't think he was, operating in a false humility that was essentially pride. This prevented him from fulfilling his divine calling."

Saul’s inability to embrace his God-given identity led to his downfall, primarily driven by his fear of people’s opinions and his desire to please others over God.

David’s Exemplary Confidence in God’s Identity

[44:20] Madison Prewett Troutt: "David didn't seek validation from those around him. When faced with Goliath, he didn’t worry about his lack of armor or experience; he focused solely on God’s support."

David’s unwavering confidence, rooted in his relationship with God, showcases the essence of true identity. His actions were guided by a deep sense of purpose and reliance on God, contrasting sharply with Saul’s insecurity.

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5. Practical Steps to Embrace Your True Identity

Madison and Grant outline actionable steps for listeners to solidify their identity in Christ and overcome the need for external approval:

a. Get Alone with God

Grant emphasizes the importance of solitude with God to uncover one’s true identity:

[55:40] Grant Troutt: "What happens when you get alone with God is that he just chips away everything that isn't Jesus, and you become the statue of David."

b. Serve Others

Shifting focus from self to others is pivotal in breaking the cycle of self-obsession. Madison highlights the joy and fulfillment found in serving:

[58:21] Madison Prewett Troutt: "So I would say that's a good practical step, is go, serve."

c. Out Loud Prayer

Grant discusses the power of verbalizing God’s promises to reinforce one’s identity:

[61:13] Grant Troutt: "I am chosen, I am holy, I am royal, and I am his own possession."

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6. Personal Reflections and Growth

Both hosts share their personal struggles and triumphs in embracing their identities in Christ. Madison recounts past insecurities and how her relationship with Grant and her faith journey helped redefine her self-worth. Grant relates his desire to break free from past behaviors, striving to live authentically as approved by God.

Madison shares a poignant story from her college days, illustrating the pain of seeking external validation:

[Live Interaction Details] Madison describes feeling overlooked during a ministry team acknowledgment, leading to deep internal conflict and realization through the Holy Spirit about living for God’s approval over people's.

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7. Conclusion and Prayer

The episode culminates with a powerful prayer led by Grant, encapsulating the episode’s themes of identity, freedom, and reliance on God. Madison and Grant reinforce the message of walking confidently in their God-given identities, grounded in divine approval and purpose.

[72:17] Grant Troutt: "Lord, I pray that Maddie and I would live a life that would claim that Jesus Christ brings freedom. And, Lord, it's a battle every day. But we don't fight for victory. We fight from victory."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt serves as a profound exploration of true identity in Christ. Through biblical narratives, personal testimonies, and practical advice, Madison and Grant inspire listeners to shift their focus from seeking external approval to embracing their divine identity and purpose. The conversation underscores the liberation that comes from knowing oneself in God, encouraging a life of service, humility, and unwavering faith.

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Notable Quotes:

• Grant Troutt [00:08]: "The Lord gave me three words. He said, grant. When you try and find acceptance, approval, and applause from them, you will carry so much weight. You will not be able to run in who I called you to be."

• Madison Prewett Troutt [00:21]: "I'm okay because I know who I am in Christ. And because of that, I'm not coming from this place of longing for approval and acceptance, but rather I'm coming from this place of being able to love from acceptance."

• Grant Troutt [00:33]: "Everybody listening has the image of God on them, and the inscription on their soul is child of God. I think most of the anxiety that's crippling Christians from sprinting in their calling is not sin. It's looking to the left and to the right at other lanes going, I want to be like that. Or, why don't I sound like him?"

• Grant Troutt [55:40]: "What happens when you get alone with God is that he just chips away everything that isn't Jesus, and you become the statue of David."

• Grant Troutt [61:13]: "I am chosen, I am holy, I am royal, and I am his own possession."

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This detailed summary encapsulates the essence of the episode, providing an engaging and comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened to the full conversation.

Transcript

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

When was that shift for you? And what would you encourage those listening of how to break that cycle of this addiction for approval.

[Grant Trout]

The Lord gave me three words. He said, grant. When you try and find acceptance, approval, and applause from them, you will carry so much weight. You will not be able to run in who I called you to be.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I'm okay because I know who I am in Christ. And because of that, I'm not coming from this place of longing for approval and acceptance, but rather I'm coming from this place of being able to love from acceptance.

[Grant Trout]

Everybody listening has the image of God on them, and the inscription on their soul is child of God. I think most of the anxiety that's crippling Christians from sprinting in their calling is not sin. It's looking to the left and to the right at other lanes going, I want to be like that. Or, why don't I sound like him?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

A couch really is, like, a good vibe for, like, two. Like, girls have girl talk.

[Grant Trout]

Because I was like, matt, should I go crisscross? Apple talk.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And how do you think that would.

[Grant Trout]

Make everyone else with my w.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt Trout, with not co host, but kind of co host.

[Grant Trout]

What up, Grant girl, What's going on, baby?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I mean, everyone thinks you're co host. I really like you being co host, but he rejected me, guys. I don't think he wants to be co host, so he just gets to be a special guest.

[Grant Trout]

I don't know if you actually invited me to be that, though.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We thought about it, but remember, you were like, oh, I don't have peace.

[Grant Trout]

Oh, wow.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He prayed about it. He didn't have peace. So I was like, fine, I'll go solo dolo then.

[Grant Trout]

And I think that was the right move.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And it was the right move because.

[Grant Trout]

You'Ve been crushing it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

God's been crushing.

[Grant Trout]

God has. And you know what else you're crushing?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What?

[Grant Trout]

That slick back ponytail girl. What in the world?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Thank you.

[Grant Trout]

Was it just one of those days?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It was one of those days because I haven't washed my hair in six or seven days.

[Grant Trout]

No, you washed it a couple days ago right when we got home.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No. Okay, well, it's been a minute. Days turn into it. Like, feels like, oh, that was a couple days ago. It was like a week ago. Man, when you baby life a new parent, you're like, I don't know what day it is. I don't know what time it is. Do I know who I am.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. And I'm going to tell you who you are. A really good mom. Because I've been watching you be mom to Hosanna, and it has been unbelievable.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But speaking of, do I know who I am?

[Grant Trout]

David.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's not what I was going to think, but I was going to remember a seamless, beautiful transition into what we were going to talk about today.

[Grant Trout]

But do you remember that House of David scene?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, you're right.

[Grant Trout]

House of David. Oh, my gosh.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's one of our favorite shows now.

[Grant Trout]

It is so good.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's just a seamless plug. We didn't get paid to say that.

[Grant Trout]

We didn't. But House of David, if you want.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

To work with us so much, we'd also love to work with you.

[Grant Trout]

So, Maddie, give me the scene of when David. I know who I am.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Well, we don't want to ruin it for the viewers.

[Grant Trout]

Okay.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You need to go watch the House of David. It's really good. David is a boss, and he is, you know, they would say just a shepherd boy. They'd say it like that.

[Grant Trout]

They wouldn't call him by his name.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Just a shepherd boy. But my brother knows who he is in Christ.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah, he does.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And that actually inspired this podcast, this.

[Grant Trout]

Whole conversation with that moment. Yeah. Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And just what God's been teaching you and things that I've walked through. And so I'm real pumped to. To dive in.

[Grant Trout]

Me, too. Your eyes look really blue today.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Thank you, man. Thanks. You remember when you like the switch up of the chairs?

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. Wow.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We. We switched up. We don't have the couch going on right now. If you're watching this video. I. I wasn't vibing with the, like, the white with the light gray behind.

[Grant Trout]

Right.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Was a little too much. It was just. There wasn't enough contrast. There was enough color.

[Grant Trout]

I feel better in my own seat.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Grant struggled on the couch.

[Grant Trout]

I. I feel like I always, like, sink into the back of it, and Maddie can crisscross applesauce.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We'd be ready to record, and he would move 500 times. And I'm like, we just found the perfect spot.

[Grant Trout]

Okay. It's because it's one of those chairs that, like, rides up your shirt.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's fair.

[Grant Trout]

And it pushes down your collar. So I'm wearing, like, a deep.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

The couch really is, like, a good vibe for, like, two, like, girls having a girl talk.

[Grant Trout]

Because I was like, matt, should I go crisscross apple?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And how do you think that would.

[Grant Trout]

Make everyone feel with my wife?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Everyone be like, I feel like I'm imposing.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah, a little too. A little too close to comfort, to rel.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Relax, Bryant. Don't be that comfortable.

[Grant Trout]

I.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Okay. What was your high this week?

[Grant Trout]

Wow. It's a really good question. I would say my beautiful, amazing wife turned 29 years old.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, yeah. We are recording this in March right now, end of March. And I just turned.

[Grant Trout]

And you turned 29 on Tuesday. And I just feel like you had one of the best. It wasn't, like, a crazy big celebration, but it was probably the best birthday I've been with you on and in, because of, like, the intimacy of your friendships and the words that were spoken over you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And honestly, like. And again, this kind of goes back to what we're talking about today, but having not only you knowing who you are in Christ, but having other friends who know who they are in Christ, because not only can they remind you of who you are when you forget, but they're so secure in who they are that when they encourage you, it's not a hit on themselves. Like, you know, when you're not a secure person, you don't know how to fully encourage other people. 100, you know, like, and that's something I've seen you do so well. You are very confident who you are. Therefore, you can walk into rooms and be so joyfully encouraging to other people that they almost. If. If they're not super secure, like, they don't know how to handle it. They're like, oh, like, is that genuine? Do you really mean that?

[Grant Trout]

It's like.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No, he really means that. He's just encouraging you. But that was truly one of the best birthdays I've had, ma'am. And I think part of that is just, I'm a mom now.

[Grant Trout]

How far God's brought you in one year?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I mean, all that happened in 28. And now stepping into 29, I'm just so excited to see what. What God.

[Grant Trout]

Because what's crazy is you is a year ago at 28, you did not. You. You had just launched a true podcast.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

On my birthday.

[Grant Trout]

On your birthday. So this has only been going for. It feels like this has been going for 10 years. It's crazy.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

You were with no child, living in Waco, Texas. No podcast.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

And now at 29, you're a mom with a beautiful baby with a podcast that's thriving with Tennessee. We moved to Tennessee. We're in a new home. So much happened. So I'm just really proud because I've seen you become something new, which is you're just so much more rooted in exactly who God has said you are.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

And it's really beautiful to see.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's been. It's been a journey. It has not always been. I feel like even looking back, I've been in this, like, reminiscing mode. You know, this is actually something Grant does all the time. No, you will randomly just scroll through your photos and just, like, find old photos. I'll get a text from grant at, like, 2:00pm on a Wednesday, and it's like a photo that is from 2018.

[Grant Trout]

And I'm like, what? I go deep in the photos.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It goes deep in the photos because I think you're newer to the Instagram game. So when you didn't have social media, you would just spend your time scrolling through your photo album.

[Grant Trout]

Well, okay. To fight all the temptation. Back in the day, took off everything on my phone except texting. And so my social media would be, let's go through photos just to see something.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I kind of like it, and I've been doing it.

[Grant Trout]

Cool.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You're rubbing off on me.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So lately I've been going through really just photos of Hosanna because I'm so obsessed with her. And she's only been here for, you know, nine weeks, but I'm already crying because of how much she's changed and that she's not a widow baby anymore.

[Grant Trout]

But she's in Bess Hosanna phase right now.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No, she's so cute. But I also was, like, going through just older photos and photos from 28 and just seeing how much I've grown over the past, like, multiple years, but even over the last year and all that. God did. It's. It's so crazy to see and really cool. But anyways, okay. So that was your high?

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Was my birthday.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. Yeah, 100%. When you cried when I was telling.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You about guys, he gave me the most amazing encouragement in front of all my friends, and I started crying. And I'm not a crier. I mean, I don't know if you guys noticed about me. I know. I think I've cried on this podcast.

[Grant Trout]

It's a little hard, but.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Hey.

[Grant Trout]

But it's okay. She's definitely softened.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I've softened, but I cried. He just. I don't know. You just said it was so beautiful. And it was in front of, like, my people, and it just got me. And I started crying, and we just got to have this little moment in front of all of our friends.

[Grant Trout]

It was awesome.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It was sweet.

[Grant Trout]

It was Amazing.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I think that would be my high, too.

[Grant Trout]

Was that moment had to be birthday night?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. Yeah, it was that moment.

[Grant Trout]

So amazing.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Okay, so speaking of, you know, knowing who you are, is that what we're going to be talking about today?

[Grant Trout]

I think so.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Should we call it Grant?

[Grant Trout]

No, I don't think we should, Maddie. I, like, don't remember when you said bath yesterday.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

What'd I say? Ball. I'll randomly have moments where I'll, like, try and switch accents, and Grant's like, what are you doing, girl?

[Grant Trout]

Please.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Okay, anyways. Sidetracked.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. Okay, so. So who. Who am I?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Like, who am I really? Yeah, like, who are you really, Grant?

[Grant Trout]

It's a really good question.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And how did you figure out who you were?

[Grant Trout]

Yeah, I had to let God tell me who I was and not people or identities or things Tell me who I was. And so last night, I'm speaking to a group of high schoolers, and Jesus is talking about. He's answering a question, and they say, hey, should we pay taxes to Caesar? And everyone's expecting him to say, well, no, because you're the Messiah. Like, we don't need to pay taxes to a foreign rule. Like, you're supposed to obliterate that. But then all of the. All of Rome was right there going, hey, if you say that we sh. That you shouldn't pay taxes, we're going to kill you. So he's put in this predicament of, like, oh, what. What is he going to say? And he just says, hey, bring me a coin. And all the people are watching. And he says, whose inscription is on this coin? And everyone says, it's Caesar's, and the image is Caesar. And he says, okay, give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but give to God what is God's. And it's a moment where he takes this seemingly not very valuable prop, but he communicates one of the most valuable, richest truths in the whole Bible is that just like that coin, everybody listening has the image of God on them, and the inscription on their soul is child of God, he says, just like this coin. Yeah, give that to Caesar, Sure. But give to gods what is God's. What's he saying? Give your life to God's because you're made in the image of God. And when I gripped that, I have God, his image on my soul. That tells me who I am. Not basketball, not my relationship, not what happens to me, not my personality, not my job. None of that tells me who I am. God Almighty tells me who I am. And when you Begin to walk in that man. Just like David. It's a nothing to prove, nothing to lose mindset that you just get to sprint in your gift. And I feel like I'm in a season right now of the false humility and insecurity is being shed off right now because I'm actually letting God tell me who I am and being confident in that not going, no, God, not me. This, like, weird insecurity. That's like, false humility. I'm like, no, God, you've said that. I'm gonna run in that because it's.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Boasting in the cross. It's boasting in Christ, not in self. And I think people can get that confused. It's like, true humility is, you know, like, oh, I am not Sit in a corner. Yeah, my voice doesn't matter. And it's like, no. True humility is saying, I am unashamed of the gospel that saved my soul. Let me boast in who he is and in what he's done for me. Let me walk in true God confidence saying, this is who I used to be, but this is who I am now in Christ Jesus. And I've seen you step into your. This, like, authoritative posture, and it's the most humble I've ever seen you, which is so interesting because you would think that those would be direct competition with each other, but it's not. You're walking in this. In this state of, I know who I am in Christ. You know, I. These things that used to bother me, they don't bother me anymore. The ways that I used to strive, I don't strive anymore. The things that I used to really, really care about and how people viewed me and how people saw me. Like, I don't really care about anymore, because you know who you are in Christ. And when you know who you are in Christ, then you're able to walk into rooms, and instead of thinking about. I wonder what they think about me, and let me, you know, get them to like me and accept me. Instead you're like, how can I serve them?

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

How can I see them? How can I love them? How can I help them? And who modeled that best? Jesus. Yeah, Jesus. Like, he knew who he was, and everywhere he went, he saw people. He really saw people. And I think most of the time, we miss the whole point of our purpose on this earth, which is to love God and love people, because we're so consumed with ourselves and what other people think about us. And I want to, like, really jump into that in a little Bit, but something you said that I thought was really good and I'd love for you to touch on a little bit more, is you said not striving. Nothing. What did you say? Nothing to prove, nothing to lose. And I think that if we're really honest, we don't live our lives like that. No, we live our lives usually. Most of us. I would say I don't want to speak for everyone, because, I don't know, maybe that's not your story, but I. I would go as far as to say probably 98 of us live our lives often like we have a lot to lose and we have a lot to prove.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And we're constantly striving. We're constantly proving we're in this endless cycle of, like, please pick me, please choose me, please want me, please like me. When was that shift for you? And what would you encourage those listening of how to break that cycle of this addiction for approval?

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. Gradual and very recent.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

So gradual. Because in 2018, I said, Jesus Christ, you're now my savior. You're now my Lord. And instantly his holy spirit came into me and began to transform everything about my life. And that was a gradual process. Still smoking a blunt every once in a while, still wanting to drink. You know, all the things girls, it's like, oh, that didn't instantly get cut off. So I'm still. I know I'm saved. If I died, I was going to heaven, but the Lord was so patient with me. The journey is patient, like, just for anybody right now. If you instantly gave your life to Jesus Christ and you're like, why am I still doing what I used to do? He's patient, man. It's a journey. It's a process of sanctification. So I'm figuring out, who am I now? If it's just Jesus. If it's Jesus plus nothing equals grants satisfaction. Is that true? And that took a while recently. And this may help somebody. I told you, the Lord gave me three words. And as I speak now, I remember I would carry so much weight going into these speaking engagements of man. What do they think? Like, is this going to be good? There was this pressure on me to, like, perform. And I was driving around one day. This is months ago. This is very recent. And the Lord gave me three words. He said, grant. When you try and find acceptance, approval, and applause from them, you will carry so much weight. You will not be able to run in who I called you to be. But when you find acceptance, approval, and applause from me, you will sprint in your Gift. And here's what's crazy, is I'm like, man, that, yeah, okay, you know what? And then I just felt in my spirit. Listen to 1 Thessalonians. I'm in my car, I press 1st Thessalonians. Get to chapter 2, verse 4. 1st Thessalonians 2, 4. But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to please man, but to please God, who tests our hearts. Yeah, it felt like a chain fell off of me. And God looked at me and said, I've approved you. I've entrusted you with the gospel. So speak not to please man, but to please God. And I'm like, whoa, I'm approved by God. And so I'm going to speak. And then I told you that night I'm driving, and Maddie, for Christmas gave me this painting that a girl painted for me. And it was. It's my favorite verse. It's Acts 4, 20. For we cannot help but speak of what we've seen and heard. And it's me from, like, the side. It's the back of my head, but looking to the side, Jesus is right there in front of me, and he's whispering in my ear. And it's this moment of. For we cannot help but speak of what we've seen and heard. Me and Jesus just talking. But what I didn't realize is that in the. In the background is, like, rows of people. So it's as I'm stepping up to speak, and I had never seen that before. And I'm pulling up to speak at this thing, and I stop and it falls off my dashboard onto my Bible. I pick it up, and for the first time, I see me stepping onto the stage and Jesus right there, and he's just like, hey, just tell them what I've told you. Just tell them what you and I have. And all the fears of, is the sermon good? Does it sound good? Am I going to be okay? It just, like, melted away. And I was like, just tell them what Jesus has told you. And so it's been a process, but I'm walking now in this authority and confidence that I'm sprinting in my gift. Not cause I'm great, but God told me who I am, so who am I not to walk in that? And that's the difference between Saul and David that you and I have been talking about off camera.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It is so true. How freeing it is to just be exactly who God's called you to be and to operate from his truth and not trying to search for truth in ourselves or in other people and trying to find that satisfaction and trying to find that approval in other things and in other people, it is so freeing. You feel such a, I mean, you spoke to this, but you feel such a weight lifted. And I think about with what you just shared. Hebrews 12.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That says, let us throw off every sin and every weight. Like often when we hear that verse, we think, oh, like, let me, let me get rid of the sin in my life. And it's like sometimes it's just weights that we're holding on to and carrying that we're not giving to God. And it says, let us throw off all the sin, all the weight that so easily entangles itself and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us totally. And when you're talking about walking in your true God given identity and letting go and breaking free from this approval addiction and striving, that's what I think about when I hear that verse. It's like, let me throw off the weight of having to be good enough in other people's eyes. Let me throw off the weight of what other people's opinions of me are. Let me throw off the weight of striving and proving and just trying to be this and be that and fit in this. It's like, let me just. Because it's weighing me down, it's holding me back. But when I know who I am in Christ and I throw that off right then I'm able to run the race God has marked out for me.

[Grant Trout]

And I, I think most of the anxiety that's crippling Christians from sprinting in their calling is not sin. It's looking to the left and to the right at other lanes going, I want to be like that or why don't I sound like him? And when you can look straight ahead, because remember at the end of verse two, it says looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith. So for us, we all have a race. Grant, Maddie, every listener right now you have been created with a race ahead of you to run in. And the quickest way to not run that race or finish that race is when you look side to side and Jesus says, I want you to look straight ahead at the prize. And I feel like that's what the Lord's really been teaching you and I is the way that this, the enemy, is going to cripple your calling is by looking at other people and going, am I doing good enough? And Jesus is like, do what I've made you to do. And you're going to be the freest you'll ever be.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's so good.

[Grant Trout]

When you can walk in a room and be so free to not think, what are they thinking about me? Just who can I encourage? Who's down? That's true confidence. When you can walk into a room and just add value everywhere you go, not look to be asked a question, but you're just like, hey, look at that jacket. That's amazing. Where did you get that? Yeah, that necklace. And just when you can always see people like that, that's a free person.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

And when you can boast in your weakness and not take yourself too serious and go, man, I'm still in the battle. But the Christian that thinks it's like, I got to put it all together, man. It's like, that's not free. The people that encountered Jesus, they boasted in what they used to be ashamed of. That's a free person.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen. And when you can have a conversation with someone and truly listen to what they're saying and not only think, what am I gonna say next, man? But and that's convicting because I'll even be in the most like spirit filled room with some amazing godly people and we're in a circle and it's like everyone go around and share a word of encouragement or everyone go around and say a prayer or whatever. And it's like, do you know how hard it is in that moment to actually be so present and to be worshipful and to be encouraging of other people's gift and talent and testimony instead of only thinking what am I going to say? And what are they going to think about what I say? And are they going to like what I say? Is it going to be as good as what they say? It's so hard for that not to be the mindset that bleeds into so many things that we do. But I, but I love that verse so much and I love what you're saying about when we look to the right and to the left, it keeps us from running forward because you, you can't run. I mean I used to run track. You can't run at least well at all. Looking if you're looking to the side, I mean you're going to eventually trip, you're going to run into other lanes, you're going to fall off the course 100. There's going to be something that's going to go wrong because you're not made to look to the right or to the left. You're made to have your eyes set on Jesus. And I think that comparison is such a big thing that keeps us from being who we were made to be. And another thing is what we're talking about is like being weighed down. Imagine running your race with, like a backpack full of bricks. It's like, you ain't going to win, sweet heart. Like, you're not going to win. Runners wear the least amount of things that they. They need to wear in order to win. Like, they have very minimal anything on. It's like very windbreaker, light shorts, tight. It's like light shirt. I mean, they're not decked out in jewelry. They're not wearing their best boots and all the. They're in the very minimal things. And so even thinking about that, too, it's like, what's weighing you down? What's keeping you back from running your race with perseverance? And so often it's. It's this false humility. It's this even obsession with self. And I think a lot of times we. And I've talked about this on the podcast, but a lot of times we can confuse pride, right, with only being arrogant, only thinking, oh, I'm the best in the room. Everybody wants to see me. But pride also looks like having the mindset of man. I'm not. I wish I was. I wish I was as good as her. Like, I. I'm not good enough. I wonder what she thinks about me. I wonder what he's thinking right now. I wonder if he'll like me if. If I do this. Do you think he'll like me? It's. Pride is thinking about yourself more than anything else. Like, pride is when your thoughts are constantly revolved around self. And you alluded to this earlier, but I think we live in a time and we've talked a lot about this off camera, but I'm. I think we're living in a time where because of this self obsession, it's creating self sabotage. It's leading to this anxiety, this depression, this not ever feeling good enough or measuring up.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. Yep, yep.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And you look at America and there's such a rise in anxiety and in, you know, coping with even, like, drugs and alcohol and all of these different things. Suicide rate so high. And you look at other countries, especially countries that you know are poorer countries, and they don't have access to all that we have access to in America, and they have so much more contentment and they have so much more peace, and they have so much more joy, and it's because they're not constantly obsessed with themselves. They're waking up every day and they're like, okay, I just like, let me, let me get my next meal and let me share it with my, my neighbor because they actually have less food than me and let me take care of my child and let me, like, it's constantly in thinking about serving people and they're living their life that way. But here in America, it's like, okay, how can I make my career better? How can I post this reel that will go viral? How can I build my own kingdom? How can I be good enough for this guy to, to like me? And everything starts to become about ourselves and it's leading to all these issues. And I've seen this in our own lives too. I've seen this with myself. I've seen this with you.

[Grant Trout]

Like literally the person in Africa right now that has nothing is not dealing with anxiety. And I, and I like. You're like, what? No. They have so much to worry about. Yeah, maybe some worries. But when I say anxiety, what we're talking about is this self obsessed spinning out in your mind ocd, not able to think straight, panic attack filled. Because like a lot of it, man, is we're just so consumed with the self and that person has so much else to think about.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

And I think that's a really, really, really good point. And the way that, that we can fight that in America is, is to look outwardly, not inwardly, and go my whole day. How can I fill it and consume it with, how can I serve this person and bless this person and see this person and call this person? But you got to fight for that. Because the natural current of the culture is going to say yourself, your profile, your looks, that mirror. How do I? And you're just. The more you think about yourself, the more you're just like, I don't like that. I really don't like that. I wish that would change. But when you have so much else going on outwardly, you're like, I gotta focus on him and her. That's really important. And I think that's. So many people are struggling with that, including us.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. Something that has been so game changing for me in this last week and in my faith journey has been the Glorify app. Right now on the app they have what they call the Holy Week challenge. And it is this beautiful challenge that has been such a good reminder to me that Jesus died for everyone. If you haven't heard of the Glorify app, it is the number one Christian daily devotional app. And they have everything from guided meditations to prayer to worship music, to all of these sessions that you can take to really just still your soul before the Lord. And something that is so beautiful on the Glorify app are these daily walks with God. If you're ready to celebrate what Jesus did for you and for me in a new and refreshing way, join me and Glorify's Holy Week challenge. You'll also get access to exclusive reflections and insights from the Chosen's Laura Silva, guiding you through the season of renewal. Visit glorified D app.com staytrue to download the glorify app for free. That's glorify-app.com staytrue one more time glorify dapp.com staytrue it talks about in it's either one or two Timothy, but it says in the last days people will be lovers of themselves. And you see that being preached in today's culture of self love, self love, just love yourself, right? And the Lord is literally saying like the, the he, he starts describing all of these things that are not of him and that are not godly and that are not what marks his children. And one of them is lovers of self. And so as Christians, we are not to be lovers of self. We are to be lovers of God and lovers of people. And, and I've, I've even preached like, you know, you have to love yourself. And I think when I've said that in the past, because I would even go back and, and argue with myself now, I think, and I, when I said that in the past, I was thinking it from the perspective of, like, man, if you just knew your value in Christ, if you just knew who you were in Christ and you came from that place of confidence and you know, already knowing you're accepted, then you're able to love other people, which I do think is true. But I think more than anything more, it's not loving yourself, it's actually dying to yourself. And when we die to ourself, it's no longer us, it's Christ in us. And so that's what other people are getting. And so it's to live as Christ, right? It's like he, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Galatians 2:20. And when that happens, that means when I go and love people, when I go and share my faith, when I go and serve those around me, they're getting Christ, they're getting the spirit of God in me. Not Maddie. Not Maddie's flesh.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I think we can get that really confused. And in a culture that's constantly preaching self love, self love, here at Stay True, we want to say it's actually not self love. It's. It's die to self, man. And it's a daily death. It's a daily. A daily die. And sometimes I don't daily die like I should. And. And then the days that I do, I see the fruit of it because I see the Holy Spirit use me in ways that, that I could never do on my own. You know, it's not by my own strength or my own power, but it's Christ in me, and that is what bears fruit. That's what creates life change. And so we were even joking about this right before we started the podcast. I was like, grant, you're have to carry this podcast. My brain is mush today. I didn't get much sleep, and he just reminded me, he's like, good, good boast in that. Because when you're weak, he is strong. And it was such a good reminder of like, oh, yeah, it's actually not about me and the wise words Maddie has to say, but it's like when I come to the end of myself, that's when I leave room for the Holy Spirit to really move. And I've just. I've seen us both grow in this so much, and I'm just so proud of you and the ways that I've seen you grow. And what. What would you say has been like something you've learned and something you would encourage them of, like a. A daily die to self in how you can operate in true humility and God confidence.

[Grant Trout]

If you want to be free, you believe Jesus words. And he said, whoever finds his life will lose it. Whoever holds on to what he wants for his life, you will lose it. You will lose your mind, you will lose your joy, you will lose your relationships. You will come to the end of yourself and go, I've got nothing. But he says, whoever loses his life for my sake, you'll find it the most joyful, free, sprinting in their gifts. Smiling people are those that have lost their life to Christ and found something so much greater.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

So daily you go, if I follow Jesus Christ, Galatians 5, 24 says, if anyone is in Christ, he crucifies his passions and desires. It is not about what you feel or what you think or what you want. It's about what he wants for your life. So when you lay that down and he tells you who you are, you walk in fullness of freedom and fullness of joy. So it's. It's opposite. It's like true joy is found in the death. It's. You gotta die to self to be resurrected in the true life that Jesus has for you. And it's opposite. And that's why it's the upside down kingdom. Because culture says, no, you gotta rise up, you gotta go get it. You gotta hold on to all these things. And Jesus says, you gotta let that go. And then I'm gonna tell you who you are, and that's when you're gonna sprint in your gift. So whoever finds his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. That's just been true of my life. I wanted all these things for my life, and Jesus said, would you give me those? And in return, I have true joy, true life, eternal life. It's. It's no trade off. We're like, well, God, I don't know. Like, is it worth the trade? It's incomparable from giving everything to Jesus. And he'll be like, okay, now you're ready. Let's go.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. That is so good and so true. I was reminded of that verse this morning as I was thinking about this podcast, and I was like, man, what does it look like to really lose your life? Because so many of us are trying to find it. You know, so many of us are trying to find God. Let me find my calling. Let me find my spouse. Let me find happiness. Let me find. And it's like Jesus is quite literally saying, actually, just lose it all for my sake, right? Find me. And then everything else will take care of itself. And we totally get that. We. We flip that. It's like, God, I'm actually gonna let me find all these things, then come to you and say, will you bless it? Let me find my spouse and be like, God, God, bless this relationship. Let me find what actually makes me happy and be like, God, will you bless it? Let me find. And instead, like, Jesus is saying, hey, lose your life, and in me you will find life, and I will take care of the rest. And it's convincing for me because I'm like, how often do I try to take my life into my own hands and then just bring it to God and be like, okay, now bless it. Thanks. Totally, you know, like, thanks, this is what I want. So here you go. And what does it look like to quite literally Matthew 6:33, it to say, I'm going to seek first the kingdom of God? And his righteousness, knowing that everything else will be given unto me in what he wills, knowing that his will is best. And it might not look like my wants list, but it's gonna be so much better because his ways are higher and his thoughts are higher. And so I hope that that's encouraging to someone or maybe just straight up convicting, because it's convicting to me of. Of so often we're not trying to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel. We're trying to find it, and then we're trying to ask God to bless it. And instead, as true believers and followers of Jesus, we're called to die to ourself, and we're called to lose our life for the sake of Christ and know that that is where true life is found.

[Grant Trout]

Give me into how you've done that in your journey. I mean, going on the Bachelor and getting a platform and having all these things get me into how you've. How do you think through this is how I lose my life? Because some people could hear that and go, well, then, man, should you give away all your money, all your clothes, all your houses? Does that. Is that what it means to lose your life? Or. Or what. What does it look like for you, man?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I've been far from perfect at doing this. I have had so many moments, and you've seen me wrestle of just. Am I living a life that truly pleases God? Is what I'm doing? Is what I. Is how I view myself and. And clothes and. And career and all of these things? Am I doing it right, Lord? Are you pleased by it? Are you honored by it? And so it's a constant. I try to stay in this constant posture of wrestling with it. And I. I think that, honestly, that is beautiful to the Lord. And staying in this posture of everything I have, Lord, is yours. And so it's this every day, waking up, saying, the body, you've given me, the spouse, you've given me the. The child, you've given me the house you've given me the platform you've given me the gifts you've given me the relationships. Everything that I have in my life, Lord, is from you and for you. And so it's not to hold to myself. It's not to use for my own advantage. It's to give back to you. And so I pray that the relationships I have, the talents that I have, the house that I have, everything that I have would be pleasing to you, would. Would be worship to you, and that you would use to bring glory to your name. And if you've entrusted, you know, this marriage to me, may I use it to point other people back to you? If you've entrusted this podcast to me, may I use it to point other people back to you? If you've, like, anything and everything, I'm like, lord, I just want people to know you. And that's when I wake up on. In a good. You know what I mean? On a good day. There's other days. There's other days. There's other days where I'm like, I really, really pray that this podcast does well. And I just. I hope I, you know, say the right thing and this clip goes viral. And there's other days where I really care about what people think. And. And that's. Man, that's hard. And that's the wrestle of, like, it's an everyday choice. You don't just arrive one day and.

[Grant Trout]

Coast from there and coast. Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's like, oh, Maddie didn't just, like, have this crazy big moment of, like, I know who I am in Christ.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

There's no other struggles for me. It's like, no, I. I actually have to choose every single day. I know who I am in Christ Jesus. This is what God's word says about me. And because of that, when he tells me that to find, like, to. To lose my life for the sake of him is where I truly find life, then I. I must believe that I must actually follow that, because his word also tells me that I can't just be a hearer of the Word. I must be a doer of the Word. And so I should be obedient in that. I should be walking that out in action. And so. Okay, Lord, I know what you say about me is true. So not only am I gonna believe it and hear it, now I'm gonna follow it and do it.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And so often as. As believers, I think we can have these cute little moments in the Word where, you know, we highlight something and we aim in something and we even post it on Instagram, but we don't truly walk it out. It's like, oh, God caused me to. To not think of myself more highly than I ought, but I should actually think of myself with sober judgment and think of others as more important than myself. Okay, that's great. That's so good. Amen. Yes, Lord. But then we don't actually follow that out and actually take the action steps that we need to. To do that.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah, it's really good.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I am convicted of that. Just, like, as I'm sure you listening would are convicted of that as well. And so, yeah, there's some days where I wake up and, you know, I look in the mirror and I am like, dang it, I have acne on my face. All of a sudden, I feel really ugly, and I'm ashamed of what I look like, you know, or postpartum. I mean, my body don't look like what it did before. And I've had so many thanks, babe. I've had so many moments with Grant, truly, of just being honestly emotional and sad and frustrated at how different I feel and how different I look since having a baby. And you remind me of just like man. It's your heart that is so beautiful. Like, yes, you are beautiful on the outside, but it's your heart that.

[Grant Trout]

That I'm attracted to.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. And it's. It's what is in scripture, in First Samuel, as we keep talking about, you know, David and Saul, it's, man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. And so what is. What is my heart saying about me? What is my heart saying about what I believe about God? And is my heart set on longing for man's approval and longing for, you know, being good enough in the world's eyes and being good enough in. In other people's eyes? Or is my heart longing to just please God? And it talks about in Galatians 1:10, like, are you living for the approval of man, or are you living to please God? Because you cannot do both. Like, you cannot do both. And if you're living to please people, then you are not a servant of Christ, which is so convicting, because how often do we live to please people? And it takes me back to when I was in college, how I was a part of this college ministry at my church, and I loved Jesus so much, but I was so in this cycle of really wanting to be good enough and really wanting to be accepted and validated and to get man's approval, like, really bad. And I would not have told you that in that moment. I would have been like, no, I just love God, and I just want to tell everyone about God. But I was struggling in college of just. I just so badly. I wanted a microphone. I so badly wanted a stage. I so badly wanted a good job. And you. You have God's calling and anointing and gift on your life. I so badly wanted other people to see me and to speak that over me, that I often, you know, elevated other people's acceptance and approval of me over God's acceptance and Approval of me. And I just remember this one moment. And I may have shared this on the podcast before, but I remember this one moment. The campus pastor at the time was going through and just thanking everyone on the. The college team and was telling everyone, you know, and going through name by name, calling them out and just calling out their gifts and calling out how much he appreciated them. And there was about, I don't know, six or seven of us on the team named out each one except me. Literally, I was the only one that he forgot about. And I was so hurt by that. I. I let myself out. I went and cried in the dark outside by myself in the church parking lot. And I just remember the Holy Spirit being like, why are you so bothered by that? Why do you care so much that he didn't say your name? Why do you want your name to be said so bad? And I was so convicted, but also so hurt. I was like, why was I left out? Why am I not good enough? Do I not mean as much? Do I not have as much gifting on my life? Like, why am I overlooked? And that was really, really, really hard. But I just remember in that moment the Holy Spirit teaching me, like, listen, I. I give favor. I lift up. You humble yourself under my hand. In due time, I will lift you up. Approval comes from me. Favor comes from me. Blessing comes from me. You don't live to. To please this guy. You don't live for your name to be. It's about me. It's my name that should be glorified and lifted up. And I was just so convicted because I was like, man, I'm. I'm on a ministry team, you know, I'm going around, like, telling all these college students, like, know who you are in Christ. And here I was in the parking lot not knowing. Not knowing at all who I was in Christ. Totally, totally living for the approval of people. And that's just something I've learned so much through the years of. And it's why I was able to step foot onto a show with millions of people, you know, watching me saying, I know who I am. Because I've had many moments of not knowing who I am. I've had many moments of letting other people tell me who I am. But I was then able, because of that and all God had done in my heart before that moment, I was able to step into the Bachelor. Not looking for other people to validate me, not looking for other people to tell me who I am, but to say, I know who I am in Christ. Jesus I know my God, and I know what my God says about me. And therefore, if I don't get accepted, if I don't get a rose, if I don't get told that I'm cute, if I don't get a date, whatever, I'm okay. Because I know who I am in Christ. And because of that, I'm not coming from this place of longing for approval and acceptance, but rather, I'm coming from this place of being able to love, from acceptance, because I'm. I'm able to say, hey, I'm not looking to you to give me those things, but actually, now I'm looking to give those things because I already have it. Like, I already am accepted. I already do belong in Christ. So therefore, I can come into this situation and say, now let me love you so that you may know Christ. Let me, you know, show you that you're already accepted and belong. Because I know who I am in Christ. And that's. That's the difference. Like, that's the difference. I look at those two versions of Maddie, and I'm like, man, they don't even look the same. And I've still had moments today in 2025 of going back to that college, Maddie.

[Grant Trout]

Totally, man. It's an everyday decision.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's an everyday decision.

[Grant Trout]

So it. That is so good, because it reminds me of the difference between Saul and David that we've been talking about. So I always thought Saul was prideful in the sense of he thought he was better than blank. But really, as I study first Samuel, 9, 13, you know, he's only king from chapter 10 to 13.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Crazy.

[Grant Trout]

Isn't that crazy? Like, the Lord in he lasts three chapters before Samuel says, the Lord's ripped the kingdom from you. Not because he thought he was better than it was, because his whole entire kingship, he was striving to be someone he didn't think he was. So here's the story of Saul came from a weak clan, just like David. He wasn't born into royalty. He was nothing. And the Lord chose him and anointed Saul as king. Now, in front of all the people in Israel, Samuel says, okay, I'm going to anoint a king for you. And it came, and he said, saul. And salt was nowhere to be found. And it said Saul was hiding in the baggage.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

This is his, like, anointing party, by the way.

[Grant Trout]

Introduction to kingship.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Kingship. And he's hiding.

[Grant Trout]

He didn't show up. He was hiding. So pattern number one, he didn't think he was worthy or that he was who God was saying he was.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

And hiding in the baggage is a whole message. Because what was the baggage he was hiding in? Like, it was real baggage. But what was the metaphorical baggage? That Saul didn't step up to the plate and go, yes, God chose me. So number one, Saul didn't step up to God saying, this is who you are. He was like, no, no, no, that's that. I'm not that. So finally, Samuel drags him up because the Lord says he's hiding there. He says, this is king. And then what you see next is Saul goes and he wins this battle. But Saul does not wait on the Lord. So get this, Saul wins the battle. And you're supposed to wait on Samuel to come and have the offering, and you're supposed to do it with Samuel.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Which Samuel is a prophet.

[Grant Trout]

He was a prophet. Yeah, he was like the one that could like officiate the offering. And it says that Saul started to see the people scattering away from him. And Samuel had not come yet. So Saul forced himself and did the offering without Samuel. Samuel shows up and says, why did you do this without me? He said, I saw the people scattering from me. So Saul, this entire time, this insecurity that he's not stepping up into, all God says that he was. He's like, the people. I can't lose the people. So that, that, that's the pattern number two. Pattern number three. And this is where Samuel says, the Lord's ripped the kingdom from you, is God said, saul, go kill all of the Amalekites. And Saul went and he won the victory, but he didn't kill the king and he kept all the good cattle. And the Lord said, kill everything. He kept the good cattle. Samuel shows up and goes, saul, why didn't you do what God commanded you? He said, the people wanted to keep all the cattle, so they did. And he said, saul, like you were commissioned by God not to do that. And he's like, but the people. And I feared the people. I feared the people and the whole entire kingship of Saul. Was Saul not operating in his God given identity. Therefore he's operating in this insecurity of the people. Tell me who I am, not God. So the reason the kingdom was stripped from Saul was Saul operated in this false humility of, I'm not good enough for what God's called me to, which is so opposite of, you see this new man, David, who's anointed that shows up to the front lines of the Philistines versus the Israelites and David goes, y'all won't fight this person talking about our God? I will. Do you know who my God is? Do you know who they're talking about? And he steps up, and you know what he faces? Fear of man. The greatest giant that David faced was not Goliath. It was discouragement. Discouragement. Number one, David showed up and he looked at all these men and he goes, hey, what's going to happen for the man that kills this giant? And you know who comes up to him? Older brother. And he says, david, I know the evil in your heart. I know that you just want to come watch this. I know your motive. And in. In front of all of the warriors, David is publicly embarrassed by his older brother. Yet this little shepherd, who's not even in the battle. Family and close friends can discourage you from your greatest moment. Don't think they mean to, but the enemy can use the people closest to you to tell you, who are you to do this? Samuel, it says. David turns and says the same thing to the other men. Number one. Number two, he goes to Saul and he says, saul, I'm ready to fight Goliath. And Saul goes, you're just a youth. He's been a man of war since his youth. You can't go do that. Leadership. The people you idolize, the people ahead of you, they can discourage you, just like that guy at that church did for you. That can cripple you. Did David find his hope in Saul? Nope. David goes, you have not seen me alone with my sheep. I've killed lions and bears, and I will destroy this Philistine because God Almighty's on my side. And then, number three, he shows up to Goliath, and Goliath says, am I a dog that you come to me with a stick? I'm going to cut your head off in front of everybody. That's the enemy. You can't defeat me. And then David runs at him and says, I have God Almighty on my side. In this day, Israel will defeat the Philistines. All of that is such a beautiful picture of Saul versus David. Saul said, I'm actually not who you say I am God. Therefore my whole life is striving. David says, I am who you say I am, God. Therefore I'm walking in victory.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen.

[Grant Trout]

One looked like false humility, which was pride. The other looked like pride to people that didn't know what real humility was.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen.

[Grant Trout]

Does that make sense?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's so good.

[Grant Trout]

That's so good that. That David, his brother, said, you're prideful Saul said, you're prideful. Goliath said, I'll destroy you. All the while, it says, he was a man after God's own heart. So the world will mistake true confidence for pride, and the world will say, true pride is actually humility. So I heard this, and it was so good. There's a fine line between humility and pride. And false humility can look a lot like pride, and it will destroy your calling. So I want to be a David now that says, God said this about me, gave me these gifts, called me to sprint. No one will stop me, not because I'm great, but God Almighty. Just like that coin, his image is on me. So I'm going to sprint. And if we could all grip that and sprint, the gates of hell could not stop the church. But we're so worried about what he'll think or how this will come across. Well, they think I'm trying to get my own platform. All these things, and it cripples you. And David's like, man, I know who God says I am.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's so good. That needs to be. You need to preach that message.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah, I need to.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's really good. I'm like, I need to take notes. Man, what a powerful word. Because you see in David such a fear of the Lord that he feared God more than he feared man. I mean, he. He had such a worship. I mean, that's why he wrote. He wrote so many of the Psalms. He. He. He had such a deep, intimate relationship with the Lord. He feared the Lord. He loved the Lord. That he had this mindset and attitude of, I don't care if you're a giant. I don't care if you're the king. I don't care if you're my older brother. Which, back in the time, it's like older. Older siblings were like, right. Like, if you were the bottom of the pack, if you were the smallest or the, you know, the youngest, it's like, you don't speak up, like, you're not that important, you know? And he didn't care who he was talking to, who he was coming against, who was rebuking him. Because he was like, I come in the name of the Lord. And he knew who he was in Christ and when he is coming at Goliath, he's like, who? And he's saying it to the people around. He's like, who. Who. Who is saying this against my God? Like, what. What does he say? Who's this uncircumcised Philistine?

[Grant Trout]

What?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love you. Know.

[Grant Trout]

Is that it wasn't about preserving David's name. It was about preserving the name of God.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yes.

[Grant Trout]

Because he was coming at the name of God.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yes.

[Grant Trout]

He's like, I cannot stand by and watch someone do say this little. The name of God. I must do something. And that's the difference, is that you can pee. You can have the people that want to show up and go, if I slay Goliath, my name will be great. And David was like, they're talking about God. His name is great. I'm gonna slay Goliath.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And you can. You can do the most insane things in the name of the Lord when you see yourself the way God sees you and not through the lens of how other people see you. Because you. You see David step up, probably in these dirty shepherd boy clothes, no armor, no training, no experience. He's never probably fought another human in his life other than the bear and the lion, which is actually insane to think about. Actually insane.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah. Lions.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And here he comes and he's having this moment of like, man, y'all are all standing around scared like this, this. This guy over here, this dude over here is. Is saying horrible things about our God. I'm not gonna sit back and let him do that. Like, here we go. I'm. I'm gonna take him. And I'm like, he had such confidence to do the impossible because he saw himself through the. The lens of how God saw him and not how other people saw him. Because as you're saying, and I love that, like, the greatest enemy that was against David was the enemy of discouragement. He. He constantly had to fight three battles.

[Grant Trout]

For Goliath that most people quit. Most people tap out in one of those three battles.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Most people don't even make it to. To the battle. Yeah, they don't even make it the enemy.

[Grant Trout]

Sense discouragement.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

They're. Well, they're in the fields and they're like, God, why have you forsaken me? Like, how come everybody else is at the battle and I'm here in the field?

[Grant Trout]

Dude, David. So David wasn't invited into the anointing party or the next Gen summit or the leaders, whatever. He wasn't invited to it. He's in the field, but he wasn't on his phone on Snapchat going, man, I can't believe I'm not there. He's in there slinging that. That rock. He's in there just worshiping God, being faithful. So here's practicals. How do we get practical? Because David did not show up that confident because he had showed up in other battles confident. It wasn't that. How do you show up knowing exactly who you are in God? David spent so much time alone with God. If you don't spend time alone with God, you can't let God tell you who you are. He had saturated this solitude time with God to let God tell him who he was. So that when the battle came, that was public, all this private time of God whispering, this is who you are, son. This is who you are, son. That is what came out. And a lot of people think, when I get to my Goliath moment or when I get on The Bachelor and 10 million people watch, that's when I'll really show up and be confident. That is just a revealing moment of all of the moments alone with God. That's what you would say, is that you weren't strong on that moment. You were strong a million other times when no one saw it. And that was just another time for you to be strong.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Man, that's so good. Psalm 46 says, Be still and know that I am God. When we still ourselves in those quiet, alone moments with the Lord, that's how we will know that he is Lord. And when we know that he is God in that moment, we will know who we are in him, because he will begin to speak it. He will begin to reveal it. He will begin to speak the truth. This is who I made you to be. This is why you are on this planet. This is what I've called and commissioned you to do. But it's only in the moments where we still the noises around us when we're not. It's not about, hey, let me get this quiet time in so I can post it on social media. Hey, let me do this so that I can give it to someone else or preach it at this thing. It's like. And I'm convicted of that. But it's, let me just sit alone with the Lord. This is not for someone else or for something else. This is between me and God, okay? Right now, in this moment, I declare you are God. There is no other God before you. You are the God that is above all other gods. You are the name that is above all other names. You are the king that sits on the throne forever. Your dominion has no end. It's in that moment where we begin to see that he is God and we begin to profess it and confess it. And in that moment, he begins to reveal who we are in Him. And it takes that. You can't. You can't like you're saying you can't know who you are apart from that. That is so crucial. So I love that you said that one practical is get alone with God and begin to spend time with Him. And in that, there will be a revealing, a great revealing.

[Grant Trout]

In that time, they asked Michelangelo, how did you chisel the statue of David? And he just said, oh, it was easy. I just chipped away everything that wasn't David. And what happens when you get alone with God is that he just chips away everything that isn't Jesus, and he begins to chip away all these other false identities. I had a fake ID in high school. 1942, Whiskey Road, Grant Trout. And I think it was Tennessee. No, I think it was Tennessee. And so many of us carry around fake IDs. Well, I'm so and so's son, or I'm from here. I go to this school. This is my job. That's my boyfriend. And you attach all these things. And what the Lord does when you're alone with him is he grabs that chisel, like Michelangelo, and he just begins to chip those off. You have different identities attached to your soul that are not from Him. And when you spend that elongated time with him, it just. He chisels that away and you become the statue of David. Where all of a sudden, you show up and you're like, I am simply a child of God, and I can show up into a room and not say anything and sit in the corner and be so content and happy. I don't have to be the charismatic, loud person. I don't have to show them I'm cool if I'm in a room full of really awesome spiritual leaders. I don't have to sound impressive. I don't even have to open my mouth. Or if I do, I can. And that's great. But are you content either way? Are you content to show up and just be like, hey, what's going on? I'm gonna find the person that's really lonely here and just talk to them the whole time. That's true confidence. And that only comes when God says, this is who you are. KB had a line. He said, your presence is my surgery. Surgery is to take what's messed up and wrong and make it right. He says, in your presence, you just do surgery on my soul. You make what's wrong right. And we don't want to spend time in his presence. We want the podcast on 1.5 and the John Mark Comer book and all these supplemental things that are not bad, quick things, hitters and your identity cannot be fast tracked. It's a slow, soothing, like listening to his voice and that's what makes you who you are.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's the slow. It's the solitude, it's the silence. It's all the good S's, it's in the breaking. It's not the. It's not the fast, it's not the famous. It's not the. It's not those things, the things that the world says.

[Grant Trout]

Nope.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's how you find happiness and confidence and all of those things. That's so good. So one, get alone with God. I would say two, we've talked about this a lot so far on this podcast, but go and serve someone in need. Go and serve someone who can do nothing.

[Grant Trout]

Get your mind off of.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Get your mind off yourself.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Because our mission, when, when Jesus says two greatest commandments. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and then love your neighbor as yourself. We are going to miss our neighbor every single time. If we're so consumed with ourselves, we are going to miss loving the person in front of us and the person next to. If we're so focused on ourselves, if we're only looking in the mirror, if we're only zooming into the photos with people to look at ourselves and how we look, if we're only consumed with what other people think about us, how are we going to be able to love them and serve them and, and. And be the hands and feet of Jesus? And so true confidence. When you know who you are in Christ, you're able to love other people. Well, you're able to love people the way God calls you to love people.

[Grant Trout]

I had a commitment with JP One time. It was off a video we saw and I sent it to him and the video said, anytime this guy was talking about him and his brothers, he said, anytime we get anxious or insecure or discouraged, we have a commitment to one another. Immediately we go and serve somebody. And step one before you're like, what's wrong with me? And how do I fix this? We drop everything and we're like, I'm gonna go serve somebody. And in that, you start to just get your eyes off of everything with you and you're like, oh yeah, there's people that, that have nothing out here that have way worse than me. I'm gonna go serve them. And I just believe God programmed us to be fully happy and satisfied when we're doing that and we're self sabotaging our life when we're just like, what's wrong with me? Yeah, just pause that and just go, love somebody.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen. It talks about in Romans 12. It has this whole section of love in action. This is what true love looks like. And it's going on to say, honor one another above yourselves. And then it goes on to say and share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice, hospitality. It's showing you again and again and again, hey, true love, real love is when you love other people in a way that it's a little bit of inconvenience and disservice to yourself. Like, it's not for you. And the gifts you've been given, the things you've been given are only given to then give back to God and to bless other people. And because it goes on like in that verse it's talking all about, actually, right before that, it's talking all about, if you've been given this gift, if you've been given the gift of prophecy, go and prophesy in accordance with your faith that was given to you. If your gift is to serve, to teach, to give, to encourage all these different things, if that's the gift God has given you, then go and do it. But then it goes on and it's telling us, hey, you've been given those gifts to love people, to build up the body. Build up the body, to edify the body and to. To glorify God. And so the gifts God has given you are not for you. You know, the gifts God gave David were not for David. The gifts God gave grant are not for grant. The gift God has given Maddie is not for Maddie. It's to. To bless people, and it's to glorify God and to give back to him.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And I. I just. I think one of the best ways we can keep that mindset, because it's so easy to forget that mindset. One of the best ways we can keep that mindset is to just go and serve people. To go and bless people. So I would say that's a good practical step, is go, serve.

[Grant Trout]

And then the last one I believe has been most transformational for me is out loud prayer. And so how do I know who I am? Man? I've gotta speak the promises of God back over my life. I have to claim the promises of God every day. And so I have these prayers that I read out loud. There's something about the power of the tongue has death and life in it. So I'm gonna speak life over who God says I am and what I would Encourage you to do is find promises of God in the Bible. First Peter 2, 9. Here's just in one verse. The promises over your life that you are royal, that you are chosen, that you are holy, that you're his own possession. That is four promises of God right there that you get to speak because of Christ. I am chosen, I am holy, I am royal, and I am his own possession. If you actually speak that and believe that and claim that, you gotta put that on like a jacket in the morning and go, this is what God says about me. This is who I am. Second Corinthians 1 says, all of the promises of God find their yes in Christ. And Galatians 5 says that because we're sons of Abraham in Christ, every promise Old Testament, New Testament is now for believers. You get to claim that. So when you pray out loud, there have been many moments on our mirrors are these I am statements rooted in scripture. It's not manifesting like the world. It's not, I am rich, I am wealthy. I am beautiful. That's the world that's demonic. But when you say, I am chosen. Here's my verse. I am beautiful. Here's my verse. I have good works that only I can walk in. Here's my verse. Ephesians 2, 10. That is really powerful. How do you reinforce your identity? You speak it over yourself in prayer. You beg God to help you believe who he says you are. And then you surround yourself with people like my Maddie, that I can go, would you remind me who I am? And you get to just go off rooted in scripture.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So good, so good. God's truth of what's true about me. When you're asking that question, what's true about me? Who. Who am I really Turn to God's word search.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

If you're. If you're searching right now, I promise you, you can search all around the world, and you still going to be left with the same question, who am I? Who am I? Why do I feel satisfied in a moment? And then now I'm confused again on who I am. But when you turn to God's word and you begin searching the scriptures, asking that question, who am I really? God will begin to highlight verses to you. And you will begin to see. Wait, that. That. That feels. That feels right. This feels different. Okay. I'm gonna choose to believe it. I'm gonna choose to walk it out. And you will begin to see true confidence like you didn't even know was possible for your life. You will begin to see things. Break off jackets. You've been wearing for too long that other people have put on you. You will begin to throw off things that you have been believing, labels that have become attached to you. You will begin to shed off and break free from and, and shame that you've been carrying. Lies you've been believing about yourself that the enemy's been speaking over you. You will begin to just. You'll say, no, that's not true. Like, I know who I am in Christ. And again, it's, it's a daily choice. And I want to continue to speak that because it's not a one time moment indecision. It is a daily choice of every single day. I'm going to wake up, I'm going to get alone with God and I'm going to say, you are. It's, it's. I'm not even going to make it about me like this. This, this has nothing to do with me. Not God. Show me who I am. God. Show me who. It's just. You are God. You are good. And I am undeserving of your grace and your mercy and your. Your truth. And you, you hold all victory. You hold all power. You are the God above all. And you just have that moment of knowing he is God, instilling yourself before him. And then next you have this moment of now I'm going to take all that he has instilled in me and all that he has told me to do, and I'm gonna go and I'm gonna. I'm gonna love people, I'm gonna serve people. I'm gonna take his truths and I'm gonna me and be the hands and feet of Jesus. And then lastly, I'm going to sit in this posture of prayer and, and meditate on His Word. And in that I'm gonna. I'm gonna know that, okay, he. He says that I am chosen. He says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Therefore, I'm not looking to other people to tell me am I wonderful. I'm not looking for other people to tell me am I good enough? God's word says I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And therefore I will build my life on God's truth, on God's word. And God says that he has called me and appointed me to bear fruit. Fruit that will last. Therefore, I know I have purpose on this earth. I'm not here to just sit back comfortably and live my life or, you know, wondering what other people think about me. I am here to bear fruit that will last and to tell people about the good news of, of God's grace and so going back to his word, meditating on it and praying it out loud, and even asking the Lord to purify your heart and your motives. That's something that grant and I do Daily of Psalm 139, God, search my heart, you know, remove offensive things in me, cleanse me of all unrighteousness, all the things that are not of you or from you. Remove it. I don't want it. And it's a constant journey. It's a constant daily decision. And those are three practical things. And just to kind of wrap up and, and end. I think about that verse that's in. I think it's First Corinthians where it's talking about whatever you do, whether in work or deed, like, do it all in the name of the Lord for the glory of God. And think about in everything that you do, whether you are brushing your teeth or whether you are, you know, feeding your baby, or whether you are teaching a classroom or whether you are taking a test, or whatever God has called you to do. Do it faithfully, do it well, do it with excellence, and do it all for the glory of God. That is one of the greatest ways that you can walk in your true God given identity and purpose is knowing that I am not doing it for myself. I am not striving for other people's approval. I am not trying to prove myself for anyone else. I am doing it all for the name and the glory of God alone. Everything that. Everything, everything. The small, simple things and the big mighty things. I'm doing it all in the name of the Lord, for the glory of God and just keeping that mindset. I used to have this thing I would write on my hand and I would. We would say before every basketball game in high school with my whole basketball team, we would say, audience of one. And we would ride a 01 on our hand. And every single basketball game, we would just remind ourselves, hey, there's an audience out there that's looking at us. There's an audience out there that's clapping for us and cheering for us. But we need to remember that we are doing this for the glory of one name. We are doing this for one audience. And that's like a silly basketball game. But if we actually kept that mindset in everything that we do, it's like, oh, as soon as I step out of my door, there's an audience. There's people, there's viewers, people are looking at my life. I'm not doing it for Them. Everything that I do, whether it's picking up the trash off the floor that no one sees or maybe a lot of people see, whether it's. I'm doing it all for the glory of God. I'm doing it for an audience of one. So I'm so glad we did this podcast because it's honestly been, like, convicting to me, and I just hope this is, you know, challenging and empowering to you guys of, again, whether you've done a great job of this or you feel like you've royally failed and you've fallen into the category of more of a Saul than a David. You know, I just. We want to be the first to say, like, same. You know, we've. We have been there, and I'm sure we'll be there again. But there is such a difference in David and Saul. They were both anointed to be king, and they both started the same, but they didn't finish the same totally. David finished being known as a man after God's own heart. That was David's legacy. And through David's household, you know, through. Through David's line, the true king Jesus Christ came. Saul, he was anointed as king. He didn't finish as God's anointed. He finished as God, taking his anointed from him, and he fell on his own sword and took his own life. That was how Saul finished. So we all can raise our hands and say, I love Jesus. I choose to follow Jesus. We can all have that moment in a church service where we have goosebumps and there's the worship team, but it's what we do from there, and it's how we live daily, and it's how we choose to follow the Lord, and it's how we finish of what our legacy is going to look like and how God can truly use us. And so just want to encourage you guys, even if you've had that moment of, like, I've been a Christian my whole life, like, just take a moment and do, like, a heart check and be like, am I truly living for the audience of one? Am I living to please God and not please people? Do I know who I really am, or am I living in false humility and pride? So I am grateful to be married to a man who knows who he is and to get to do this life with you. I'd love for you to just pray over the true crew and, yeah, just close us in prayer so that we may walk in who we were made to be.

[Grant Trout]

Yeah, I would love that. Lord, thank you so much for this incredible day. Thank you. That you speak who we are. And that just like that coin that we have, the image of the creator of the heavens and the earth in our hearts, that is in our DNA is your image, God. And so, Lord, I pray that that reality would not be something that we yawn at and move past, but something that we go that changes everything about the way I walk, about the way I walk in a room, about the way I see people, about the way I treat people that could do nothing for me. That everybody has the image of God on their soul. And so, Lord, I pray right now for the people that are believing lies. That in the name of Jesus, Lord, you would just speak a better word over them. You would speak a truer song over their hearts. That they believe it, Lord. That they confess their thoughts and that they believe the truth about what you say about them. That they are not damaged goods. They are not too far gone. They are not something you're upset at, Lord. They are a child of God. And that while we were still sinners, Christ looked at us and wanted to go to that cross, although it cost him everything.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

He said that we are worth it. And therefore, whoever receives that gift that believes that he died for their sins and rose from the grave three days later, that we will have eternal life. And, Lord, that eternal life is our truest identity. That we're going to be in heaven one day with you forever and ever and ever if we receive that gift. And there's somebody listening right now that just is beating in their chest right now going, I want to receive that. And you can right now. You can say, jesus Christ, I believe you died for my sins and that you rose from the grave and that you are Lord and savior of my life. God, I pray that you would remind us every day that freedom is a choice. That we are not bound unless we actually let ourselves be bound by the enemy. So, Lord, I pray that Maddie and I would live a life that would claim that Jesus Christ brings freedom. And, Lord, it's a battle every day. But we don't fight for victory. We fight from victory.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Grant Trout]

From the victory of the cross. And I pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen. What did I used to say? Amen, Brother Ben. Shot a rooster, killed a hen the.

[Grant Trout]

Weirdest thing she does.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Don't know. Don't know where it came from.

[Grant Trout]

Alabama. Right there.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's atmore Alabama, baby.

[Grant Trout]

Sweet tea and some cornbread.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And you say it loud and proud, Brother Ben. Brother Ben. Okay, true crew man, this was a good episode. We love you guys so much. Thanks, G, for coming on.

[Grant Trout]

Thanks for having me.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Okay. As always, guys, be sure to stay you and stay true. We love.