How far has God carried you?

Summary

The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast

Episode: “How far has God carried you?”

Date: July 7, 2026
Host: Candace Cameron Bure
Guest: Jason Jackson Jr.

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Episode Overview

This heartfelt episode of The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast centers on the transformative power of faith, humility, and gratitude in everyday life. Through candid stories and practical insights, Candace and her guest, Jason Jackson Jr., explore how faith in God has carried them through challenging seasons, instilling resilience, empathy, and a deeper understanding of purpose. The conversation highlights the importance of remembering where you’ve come from, developing spiritual disciplines, and navigating faith-based struggles with honesty and hope.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rapid Fire Questions and Personal Background

(05:00)

• Favorite Place: Jason’s favorite travel destination is New York, contrasting its reality with an underwhelming Hollywood.
• Creativity: Jason feels most creative when given creative control, especially while being in nature.
• Bucket List Accomplishments:
  • Achieved being featured on a Times Square billboard, right across from the M&M Store tied to a formative memory.
  • New goal: “Be in a movie with you [Candace].” (08:05)
• Mentorship: Jason’s college mentor, Kinnelle Purifoy, is his role model, exemplifying “what it looks like to live, love and lead like Jesus” (08:23).
• Adventurous vs. Safe Choices: No interest in skydiving, prefers “scuba diving – fish feel a little safer” (09:19).

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2. Testimonies of God’s Provision and Humbling Moments

The Bologna Story

(09:30 - 15:27)

• Lowest Point: Jason recounts a time in Houston with only eight quarters to his name, buying the cheapest pack of bologna with change. An embarrassing checkout experience becomes a profound lesson in humility when God tells him:

  “Don’t you ever judge a book by its cover, because you don’t know what a person is going through.” — Jason Jackson Jr. (12:32)

• Divine Provision:
  After tithing his last $10 (found eight quarters later), Jason journals the date (June 10, 2023). Ten days later, receives an unexpected $10,000 payment:

  “You can never outgive God, no matter what you do. You can’t outgive him.” — Jason (14:16)
  Candace adds: “God took care of your needs because…when you can’t let go of something, you don’t have a hold of it. It has a hold of you.” — Candace (14:33)

Recent Humbling Experience

(15:27 - 17:09)

• After signing his biggest contract ever, Jason is forced to sleep in his car due to fully booked hotels.

  “Don’t forget to remember, this didn’t used to be an option. This used to be a way of life.” — Jason (16:19)

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3. The Importance of Remembering and Staying Humble

• God’s Blessings: They reflect on how quickly success can arrive and how easily it can depart if not stewarded well:
  “If you don’t handle God’s business before you start prioritizing your own self, it could be gone in an instant.” — Jason (17:28)

• Biblical Reflection:

  • Jason imagines being a disciple of Jesus, noting their youth and initial skepticism, ultimately finding humility, correction, and amazement (18:01-18:57).

• The Ten Lepers (Luke):

  • Only one of the healed lepers returns to thank Jesus.

  “The message of that story is how quick we can forget what it feels like to itch. … Sometimes our familiarity with God can just breed so much contempt. … The worst thing that God has ever been to any one of us is good.” — Jason (19:07-20:55)

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4. Cultivating Humility and Gratitude

Practices for Remembering

(24:31 - 27:50)

• Intentional Remembrance:
  • Jason quotes Deuteronomy 8: “Humility—you remain humble by remembering on purpose.”
  • He journals especially after pivotal moments, to counter human forgetfulness.
  • After big life events, he practices humility by making a “pallet on the floor”—reminding himself of past hardships and God’s faithfulness.

  “Everything that you are now living was once a dream that the kid version of you used to have sleeping on the floor just like this.” — Jason (26:32)

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5. Listener Q&A

Reagan (Age 14): Developing Bible Reading Habits

(27:57 - 32:14)

• Struggles: Difficulty waking up early to read the Bible.
• Jason’s Advice:
  • “Make it your mission to feed your spirit before you feed your body.”
  • Use supporting resources—music, teachings.
  • “The Bible is the protein, but you still need something to wash it down with that makes it the full meal.”
• Candace’s Encouragement:
  • Celebrate obedience and effort, not perfection.
  • “The most important thing I think, is the obedience that you’re reading it…God notices that.”
  • It’s normal not to remember everything; revisit passages as needed.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Jason suggests writing down difficult verses and asking God to make them relevant during the day.

Hannah: Healing After Spiritual Abuse

(32:14 - 37:42)

• Painful Experience: Distance from God due to spiritual abuse and bad theology.
• Jason’s Insight:
  • Even “church people” can harm others unintentionally (references Peter in Gethsemane).
  • “Your relationship with Jesus isn’t based upon what someone else said or did—it’s simply, ‘my faith is in this man [Jesus], not in man alone.’” (34:53)
  • Encourages online community (comments on Christian creators’ social media) as support.
• Candace’s Advice:
  • Recommends rebuilding faith with sound, biblically grounded churches and teachings.
  • Suggests Shepherd Church LA as a resource and emphasizes the importance of finding teaching based in biblical truth.
  • Encourages honesty, prayer, and sometimes stepping back from human voices to listen directly to God.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• “I woke up breathing sunshine. Hey, what’s not to be happy about?” — Candace (04:46)
• “My grandfather always says: I’m doing better than the devil expected.” — Jason (04:54)
• “You can never outgive God, no matter what you do. You can’t outgive him.” — Jason (14:16)
• “Don’t you ever judge a book by its cover, because you don’t know what a person is going through.” — Jason (12:32)
• “Humility—you remain humble by remembering on purpose.” — Jason (24:36)
• “Everything that you are now living was once a dream that the kid version of you used to have sleeping on the floor just like this.” — Jason (26:32)
• “The message of that story is how quick we can forget what it feels like to itch.” — Jason on the lepers narrative (19:07)
• “Your relationship with Jesus isn’t based upon what someone else said or did—it’s simply, ‘my faith is in this man, not in man alone.’” — Jason (34:53)
• “Don’t worry too much if it’s not the best, most amazing Bible study every single morning…Some days you’re just going to be a little extra sleepy.” — Candace (29:43)
• “Pastors are important parts of our lives, but we want to make sure that we’re listening to good theology.” — Candace (37:16)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro to Rapid Fire Questions: (05:00)
• Jason’s Testimony of Financial Struggle: (09:30 - 15:27)
• Recent Humbling Experience (Sleeping in Car): (15:27 - 17:09)
• Discussion about Disciples and Humility: (17:47 - 20:55)
• Listener Q&A - Reagan’s Question: (27:57 - 32:14)
• Listener Q&A - Hannah’s Question: (32:14 - 37:42)

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Overall Tone & Style

The conversation is deeply personal, authentic, and encouraging, full of warmth and humor (e.g., “If you see me jumping out of a plane, you need to jump, too, because something is chasing us.” – Jason (09:10)), grounded in practical Christianity, humility, and a heart for helping others see God’s goodness, even in the hard places.

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Summary

This episode is a moving exploration of how faith in God carries people through hardship, the importance of remembering where you come from, and the practical ways to cultivate humility and gratitude. Through stories, scriptural reflection, and listener Q&A, Candace and Jason demonstrate that no circumstance is wasted when handed over to God, and that true joy and success are found in a posture of thankfulness, remembrance, and spiritual discipline.

Transcript

[A]

Before this episode begins, I want to hang out with you. If a girls night out sounds exciting, I want you to join me this September for my Life tour. We are going to have so much fun together talking about women's health, playing trivia games, yes, full house and Christmas movie fans, and best of all Jesus. Go to candice.comtour for cities and dates. That's candice.com forward/tour.

[B]

the time she's walking up, I'm handing her this change, she said, ooh girl, not the quarters. And then when I said you can keep the change, her friend was like, and you can keep the change. And they just started laughing.

[A]

We've talked a lot on this show about having a healthy relationship with our bodies. And let me remind you, God doesn't love us anymore or any less because of the number on the scale. Yet weight loss can be a very valid goal and sometimes it feels a whole lot harder than it should. I know how it goes. You're making better choices, you're trying to eat healthier, you're staying active, and yet the scale barely moves. And that can be incredibly discouraging. That's something PhD weight loss really understands because for many people, the issue isn't willpower at all, it's what's happening under the surface. At PhD weight loss, the focus isn't just on eating less or moving more, it's about helping your body work with you again, Their approach looks at metabolism, mindset and habits together, not in isolation. Many traditional diets solely focus on calorie counting and restriction, which can actually make weight loss much harder over time. PhD starts by helping people become metabolically flexible, training the body to use fat for fuel instead of constantly relying on sugar for energy. When that happens, energy levels stabilize, cravings quiet down, and weight loss stops feeling like a daily battle. Their meal plans are intentionally designed to support that process. They're rooted in whole, nutrient dense foods, similar to an ancestral or Paleo style approach, while also using familiar, thoughtfully formulated meal replacements early on to ease the transition. That way, clients aren't shocked into change overnight. Instead, they're guided step by step towards sustainable habits their body can actually maintain. And just as importantly, PhD does not ignore the mental and emotional side of weight loss. That component has been instrumental in my health journey. They help clients understand their patterns, triggers, and relationship with food. So progress isn't driven by guilt or restriction, but by clarity and confidence. Call 864-644-1900 to book your consultation. It's free and it's personalized for Your specific goals, call 864-644-1900 or visit myphdweightloss.com and make sure that you tell them Candice sent you. I've had friends go through medical scares, and it seems the difficult part is dealing with the medical bills. It made their situation more stressful. They felt like a number, not a person. And it was all about the cost care. That's why I was so encouraged after my conversation with Andy Schoonover of Crowd Health. They focus on people, not just costs. Like many of us, Andy was frustrated with the rising costs and confusing bills. So he created Crowd Health, a crowdfunding membership that helps families take control of their healthcare spending with real support along the way. Instead of paying high monthly premiums, you pay a simple membership when a medical need comes up. The community helps to fund your bills and even works to lower costs. It's a more transparent, supportive approach without the stress. Go to joincrowdhealth.com and use the code Candice. Crowd health is not insurance. It's a better approach to health care that puts people and community first. Life is like a roller coaster, but it's so much better when we go through it together. Welcome to the Candace Cameron Burry Podcast. This show is not about me. I have made it for you and this season is with Jason Jackson Jr. Who's helping people learn the Bible with fresh eyes. Come join us. Hey there.

[B]

Hey. How you doing this time?

[A]

I'm so good. Having a good day? Yeah, I woke up breathing sunshine. Hey, what's not to be happy about?

[B]

My grandfather always says I'm doing better than the devil expected.

[A]

I like that.

[B]

Yeah, so true.

[A]

Well, I have been enjoying these conversations and just looking forward to hearing more about your story and what you've been learning, what you have to share with us. And I thought it would be just fun to ask you a few rapid fire questions.

[B]

Okay, let's do it. Let's do it.

[A]

What is your favorite place that you've ever visited?

[B]

I would say New York. New York.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I would say New York. I just love it. It's everything that the movies make it out to be. That was the one thing I got from it. I went to LA and I was like, oh, wait, this is the walk of fame. I didn't even know I was standing on it. But New York was like the billboard. That's real life. So I'll say New York.

[A]

I do love New York too. Um, yeah. I will say that Hollywood is really underwhelming when you get there. Because you think, like, oh, this is Hollywood, but it's dirty, and.

[B]

Yeah. It's a lot of kind of scary. Love it.

[A]

It is scary. When do you feel the most creative?

[B]

So great question. I would say when someone gives me a project and they say you have full creative control. Like, they give me kind of, like an outline, but I have to put my little Jason sauce on it and jazz it up. I think it's that. And when I'm in a creative space, it's usually, like, out in nature. I'm walking and I'm thinking, and I'm making this thing make sense in my head. So.

[A]

Yeah, I love that. Yeah. Nature makes you creative.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

What is. What's a bucket list item for you? Maybe something that you absolutely want to do before you die.

[B]

Okay. You know, it used to be be on a billboard in Times Square. That's one of the things you asked me about in a few weeks ago if I had wrote down any of my do I journal. I wrote down be on a billboard in Times Square, and I put in, like, parentheses for a good reason. And so that happened now. So that used to be, like, at the top of my list. Yes. But now I'll give you a first one.

[A]

What was the billboard? What did. It was your face.

[B]

It was my face. Yeah. And I got to tell the story of how I was the first time I'd ever gone to New York. I was there on a work trip. So they flew us out, and what they did was they reimbursed us for the money that we spent. I didn't have any money at the time, so I went and I was at the M and M store, and I bought a bag of peanut M&MS. And for the next 48 hours, that was my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And so the billboard. This is in 2023, when that Eminem story happened. The billboard happened last year, and it was right across from that Eminem store.

[A]

And so.

[B]

Well, I got that. I got to tell the. I got to tell that story. And it was for a company that I partnered with on banking for creators. And I was like, wow, this is a full circle moment.

[A]

That's incredible.

[B]

But I would say that my. My new bucket list bucket list item. I'll give you a new one.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Be in a movie with you. How about that?

[A]

Really?

[B]

That's a great one. Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna do it. We gonna make it happen.

[A]

One of the things I love when I can be a part of someone's bucket list item.

[B]

Yeah. I'll make Sure. I write it down, too.

[A]

Yeah, write it down. We're gonna make that happen. We are.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

What is. Who is one person that you really look up to?

[B]

I'll say my mentor. My mentor from college. Kinnelle Purifoy. I've mentioned him. He is just probably the best example of Jesus that I've ever seen in my life. And I make the joke all the time. If he was alive back then, he would have a pair of sandals and he probably would have been one of the disciples. But he just. He just really shows me what it looks like to live, love and lead like Jesus. So I don't think I can get any. Any better than that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, I want to talk about mentors later. Later in the conversation. Okay. Would you rather go skydiving or scuba diving? Have you ever done either?

[B]

I have not. And I don't plan on jumping out on a plane unless I need to. Okay. But that's my thing.

[A]

If you see with you, I don't want to jump out of a plane.

[B]

If you see me jumping out of plane, you need to jump, too, because something is chasing us. But. So I'm going to say scuba diving. I like swimming and all that stuff. Yeah, I'm going to say scuba diving.

[A]

Fish feel a little safer, Right? Okay. How has God answered specific prayer in your life?

[B]

I can think back to a moment when I was in Houston and I was just at my wits end. You know, I don't have any money. I have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. And I'm like, God, I just. I'm praying that I can eat. You know, that's the only thing. I'm just trying to make ends meet at this point. And I had eight quarters to my name. I had eight quarters to my name. And I go to Kroger, and I grew up eating bologna sandwiches and all that type of stuff. And so I know at least I can get some bologna. Put it in the skillet and I'll have something to put on my stomach. So I get to Kroger and I get to the meat section, and I see that now, if you eat bologna, you know that there are two types of bologna. Okay? You got a yellow pack and you have a red pack. Now the yellow pack is a little more expensive. It was 2.97. And that was the moment that hit me, like, wow, I am really, like, I'm at my lowest point in life right now. It was $2.97. And I said, I don't even have enough money to Afford bologna. All I got is $2. Okay? So I walk a little further down. I'm like, surely they got this red pack of bologna. I don't even know the name of it, but I'm like, surely they have this bologna. I found it. It was $1.57. I go to the cash register, and I talked to the cashier. I said, do y' all accept change? And she looked at me with the most disgusted look on her face, and she said, like, quarters? And I said, yeah, do y' all accept quarters? And I'm trying to keep my. My voice low because I'm a little bit embarrassed. And at this time, people are beginning to know me a little bit too. So I'm like, hopefully people don't see me in this position. So I said, yeah, do y' all accept quarters? At that time, her coworker is walking up as well. And I said, okay. She rung up the baloney, and it was $1.57 even. Okay, so I have eight quarters. So that means I have to give her seven. I feel like I'm teaching you about math, but I have to give her seven in order to cover the bill. I give her seven. And I said, you know what? You can keep the change. Her friend at the time, she's walking up, I'm handing her this change. She said, ooh, girl, not the quarters. And I'm like, wow. Like, they really, you know, making fun of me in this space. And then when I said, you can keep the change, her friend was like, and you can keep the change. And they just started laughing. So I remember I grabbed my baloney, and I just walked outside and got. That was. That was at the time when I was so sensitive to God's voice, because it was like the first time I had really started to hear him. He said, now you understand. And I was like, understand what? He said, what he feels like. And I looked to my right, and there was a man who was pushing a shopping cart, and he had on. It was, like, a bed sheet, and it was, like, torn up, cut up and stuff. And he had this white hair. And he said, God said, what he feels like. The man was shaking a cup, and I can hear that change was rattling. And I was just sitting there, and I was thinking, if people, like, had us sit side by side and ask, who do you think has more money? Most people would have chose me. But I could tell since I heard that chain driving, that man had more money than I did. And God was like, don't you ever judge a Book by its cover, because you don't know what a person is going through. So that's why, now that God has blessed me financially and I'm not in that situation anymore, I'm just like God, thank you for seeing me through that situation, because it could have been so different. You know, I'm blessed. And not everybody gets to have this experience of life that I get to live. And that doesn't mean that I'm any more blessed than they are, but it gives me some perspective about situations like that.

[A]

So tell me, where did your next dollar come from?

[B]

So the reason why I had no money left, I had $10. Okay. That was like, I got $10, okay. And what I did was I tithed that $10, and I was like, God, I'm giving you everything I got. I'm giving you all I have. And I know it ain't much, but this is all I have to give. So. And I found the eight quarters in my car. I didn't know that they were there. And I was like, oh, I still got something. So that was June 10, 2023. And I wrote, this is in my journal, too. That was June 10, 2023, when I tithed that $10. And it was the last 10 I had. June 20, 2023, I woke up one morning. This is no lie. Still have the screenshot. $10,000 in my bank account.

[A]

What?

[B]

Yes, $10,000. And it was. The message was, hey, we've been meaning to pay you this for a while now. How in the world. I still have a screenshot to this day. And from then, that's when I understood. You can never outgive God, no matter what you do. You can't outgive him.

[A]

No. And God provides.

[B]

God provides.

[A]

God took care of your needs because

[B]

it's the whole thing of. I know we kind of maybe getting a little off topic, but when you can't let go of something, you don't have a hold of it. It has a hold of you. And though it was $10, it was hard for me to let go of that.

[A]

Yeah. But that's also survival for you. That feels like a difference of you not just holding on to something that is like, okay, you don't really need it in life. Like, you need that $10 to eat.

[B]

Yeah. And I had. I had bill, I had car note. I had. I mean, a stomach that I had to feel. I had rent that was due. And so I was like, God, I'm just trusting that you gonna make a way. And when I. When I Notice that I don't have enough for something. I don't look at it as, you know, I'm in lack right now. I say, this must be a seed, so I'mma sow it and God will. Will do the rest. So. Wow.

[A]

Do you have another time in your life that has really humbled you? I mean, that story that you just shared is incredibly humbling.

[B]

That one is. I always think back to that one. But, oh, recently. Okay, so I moved to the area around. It was the day after Christmas. I got here December 26, 2025 is when I got here. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna get there and I'll just. I'll get a hotel for tonight because I don't move in until the 27th. So I'll just get a hotel and I'll be fine. Well, all of the hotels were booked. Everybody's family's here for Christmas. I'm like, okay, well, let me try to figure something out if I can. Airbnb, everything was booked. I'm like, there is no way. And I had just drove 16 and a half hours from Texas. I'm tired. You know, nothing was open. I had to sleep in my car that night after signing that a couple of days before, I signed probably the biggest contract that I had ever signed before. And I had to sleep in my car the very, like, a couple days later. And that was God's reminder to me, like, don't forget to remember, this didn't used to be an option. This used to be a way of life. That humbled me. And it was a fresh humbling because I never slept in my car before. I had slept on the floor and, you know, done a lot of things just to be able to eat. But that really humbled me. It's like, a lot of people have this experience every day. You better be glad God has just given you this experience for one night.

[A]

Yeah. And this is. This is still fairly recent.

[B]

Yeah. This is what, six months ago? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

And even all of this right now, because people that are just starting to listen or maybe they didn't catch the first episode.

[B]

All.

[A]

All that you have right now, even the platform that you have, this is all very new. Within the last couple of years, like three, three, four years of your life.

[B]

Yeah. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like had I not had those experiences, because they showed me, look, man, God can bless you in this way, but if you don't take care of what God does and you don't handle God's Business before you start prioritizing your own self. It could be gone in an instant.

[A]

Yeah. You talked about your mentor kind of joking, saying if he lived back in Jesus days, he'd probably have those sandals on and be one of the disciples. So what do you think it would have been like to be a disciple of Jesus?

[B]

I could only imagine. And what I've learned about the disciples is most of them were young. Like, very, very, very young. So you even see in the Bible, some of them didn't. When Jesus had the conversation about paying taxes, he only had it with one of them because one of them was of age to pay taxes. The other ones weren't in that. In that situation. So I think at first it would have been. If I'm just speaking from my perspective, I would have been a little bit rebellious at first to think, like, who is this guy coming along? And he thinks that he's better than the synagogue leaders. And then eventually I would have came along and been like, he really knows what he's talking. Like, how do you know this about me? I haven't even told anyone else about that. I think it would have been absolutely amazing to experience being a disciple. I mean, we are in our own ways, but to really walk with him, it probably would have been humbling, too, because he would have had to.

[A]

Incredibly humbling.

[B]

Check us on a few things.

[A]

Was there something that you want to talk about with Jesus healing 10 lepers?

[B]

Yes, yes. Just. That is the. The. The message of humility. To me. I always think back to that story. And so we have this story in the book of Luke where Jesus heals these lepers, okay? And there are 10 lepers that he heals. He heals them. They're crying out in the beginning, lord, please help us. Please save us. And he tells them, go, go show yourself to the priests. Okay? One of them comes back. So One of the 10 comes back and says, lord, thank you. Jesus said, did I not heal 10? Why is this foreigner the only one to come back and say thank you? The message of that story is it shows us how quick we can forget what it feels like to itch. The message of that story is how quick we can forget what it feels like to itch. They were going through a situation that they were praying to God, can you please help me get out of this? So they thought it has to be a miracle in order for this to happen. And then once he did it, they saw it as something that was just, oh, this is mundane. It's expected, you know? And I think sometimes the our familiarity with God can just breed so much contempt. And the worst thing that God has ever been to any one of us is good, right? That's the worst thing he's ever been. And we take his goodness for granted. And a lot of times we find ourselves in these situations where I prayed for it. God did it. Okay, now what's next? God, I need you to do the next thing instead of sitting in that moment and really saying, God, I appreciate you for this. Even if you don't do anything else. You have done enough in my life. Most people won't say that because we're in a in a give me gospel, not a God, make me more like you gospel.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Of not taking things for granted. Maybe a time that you have.

[B]

Yeah. The scripture I always like to think about is in Deuteronomy, chapter 8. God is now. We don't really talk about the Old Testament a lot anymore for some reason, but God is giving these commands. He's telling them, this is what life is about to be like for you. You're about to be blessed. You're about to have more than you could have ever imagined. And he is constantly saying, don't forget the Lord your God when you get these things. So it shows us that humility. You remain humble by remembering on purpose. When you remember on purpose, and you make it a practice to remember what God did for you, it's going to be hard to take credit for the things that God is doing because you'll say, I remember when this happened to me. I remember this situation in my life. I remember when I didn't have. And now, you know, I may not have the apartment that I want, but I got a roof over my head when I was sleeping in my car. So when you constantly allow or really force yourself to remember who God is and not just what he did, you won't have to worry about being humble. Being humble will be who you are.

[A]

And are there specific practices that you use? We talked a little bit last week about journaling to then remember those things where what God has done in our life. Do you have other practices? I mean, I would imagine just the fact that you share those stories over and over, they help you remember you're sharing for the other people to hear because it's a testimony, but they're also reminding you of where you were.

[B]

Right. I say journaling is my biggest one. After moments like that, I journal those moments because naturally, as a human, if you read the Bible, anytime God is saying, don't do this or don't do that, or it's not because he's a strict father and he wants you. It's because naturally, as a human, you will forget if you're not constantly being reminded. So journaling is my number one. But there are also different situations that I always put myself in. Here's a big one for me. After anything magnificent happens in my life, like, for me, this is huge. Sitting here with you. This is huge for me. So tonight, what I'm gonna do, I got a flight in the morning to catch. I'm gonna be on a plane for a while. I know that what I should do is get in my big bed and go to sleep and have a great night's rest so I can manage this flight tomorrow. But what I'm gonna do is make a pallet on my floor and go to sleep and remind myself, everything that you are now living was once a dream that the kid version of you used to have sleeping on the floor just like this. This was his bed. You know? So I always remind myself, like, this is not always how life was. You know, you got to go back to someone. And sometimes I'll even. I'll have a pantry, cabinet, refrigerator full of food, and I'll be like, okay, you having a struggle meal tonight? And the reason why is because at one point, that was the only meal you had. So you just gotta think about your own personal life and your own personal story and say, what are some things that I went through growing up that weren't necessarily ideal, but they got me to where I am? Because that's. That's the person that really got you here. All of this is just the fruit of it, you know? Yeah.

[A]

Wow. That's incredible. Well, we're gonna go to a listener question. This one is from Reagan.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

She says, I'm 14. This is my first year reading through the whole Bible. I am doing the Bible recap. Yay. I'm truly loving it. But I struggle to get up in the morning before school to read my Bible. I know myself well enough that I would procrastinate if I did it in the afternoons or evenings before bed. What are some strategies that I can use to help me get the most out of the Bible recap? In the mornings, while I'm still trying to wake up.

[B]

Oh, that's great. Hey, Reagan, I also want to tell you that that's a great age to really start diving into your faith. I tell people all the time. They ask me for what do I need to do to get like you. The first thing is don't be like me. I waited until I was at rock bottom to start developing my relationship with God. But I would say when you wake up in the morning, kind of like what I mentioned before, make it your mission to feed your spirit before you feed your body. And when you do that, now, when you eat as a human, you want to eat until you're satisfied. Do that same thing with the spirit, and I think you may be able to give a little more advice about Bible recap. But just naturally, when I'm reading scripture, sometimes it's not, I need to read my Bible this morning so that I can get what I need. Now, I'm always gonna read, but sometimes the fuel that I'm looking for comes from me listening to someone else speak about this same passage or even music that references this scripture. You know, worship is a privilege. So that's what I would say is just make it your mission to find a way to get that fuel in you. The Bible is the protein, but you still need something to wash it down with that makes it the full meal. You know what I mean? So, yeah, practice it in that way.

[A]

Yeah, that's great. Listen, I know what it feels like. You wake up, you want to read your Bible, but you're still a little sleepy. And even though you do read the Bible, sometimes you're getting every other word or only half of it, because you're just still asleep, and you're like, lord, what did I just read? I don't even remember right two minutes from now what I just read. And tis the. Tis the way of life like that may go on for the rest of your life. And it's okay. You are not the only one, Reagan. I still have those days many times. So sometimes I don't know if you drink caffeine, but, you know, sometimes you want to have your tea or your whatever. That kind of helps you wake up while you're reading it. But here's what I think. The most important thing I think, is the obedience that you're reading it. So the fact that you want to wake up a little extra early before you go to school and have some Bible time, whether that's five minutes or 15 minutes, I am applauding your effort. And God notices that and you can always come back later in the day and reread what you just read if you don't think that you retained it all. But I know there is a difference in starting out your day with the word of God, because we always try to have our plan for the day, but really God is going to ordain our day, right? And when we tap into the Holy Spirit, read from, from His Word, we're just acknowledging that, like God, you're in control of my day. And so don't worry too much. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Don't worry too much. If you like it, it's not the best, most amazing Bible study. Every single morning that you wake up, some days you're just going to be a little extra sleepy. But you know what? Maybe for, like, I don't even remember what I read, find the time to just go back for 5 minutes, 10 minutes the next day in the afternoon and just reread. And I bet you're gonna even probably read it quicker than you did in the morning, and then you'll be like, oh, you know, that hit me.

[B]

So another thing I would say, too, is the times when I feel like that I wake up and I'm like, I didn't really get much out of that. You know, what I do is I write it down or find whatever way I can to remember it. And I ask God, can you challenge me by using this verse today? So that makes it a little more personal.

[A]

Oh, that's great.

[B]

And now I'm going throughout the day looking for opportunities to actually implement that verse into my life. So that's what. That's what helps me a lot.

[A]

Yeah, I love that. That is so great. Well, thank you, Reagan, for writing in. Okay, we have another question. This one's from Hannah. Before experiencing some really bad theology and spiritual abuse, I felt so near and close to God's love in person. Ever since, it's been a battle to see him clearly and understand truth. It's so hard to know how he views me now that so much has changed and remembering how sweet and safe things used to feel. Are there resources for people overcoming the lies and harm of leaders, using the Bible deliverance, things of God in harmful ways to restore your view of God.

[B]

Again, great question. And that is such a good question.

[A]

And my heart breaks, Hannah, that when people misuse and abuse the Bible and God's word and are creating a wrong view of who he is.

[B]

Right? It's so unfortunate, but it's real and it happens. More than I think a lot of times, us as the church like to acknowledge it. Everything is not always peaches and cream. And since we do live in this broken world, you are going to have some people who weaponize scripture and use things, use godly things in an ungodly way. Even an example is in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was telling Peter, James and John, pray so that you don't fall into temptation. Pray that you don't fall into temptation. And they kept falling asleep. And when they came to capture Jesus, the first thing Peter did was he went to war. You're not taking Jesus and he cuts them. What does Jesus do? He corrects Peter and then he heals the person. So the reference that I'm making there is we would say that Peter is a church person. Right. And he used what he thought was a godly thing in an ungodly way. And he hurt somebody. This church person just hurt somebody who maybe wasn't in the church. Jesus still healed that person whether they were in the church or not.

[A]

That's a great example.

[B]

Great example. Yeah. And I was reading scripture, I was like, wow, Jesus really healed this person that was hurt by the church, and they still ended up hurting Jesus. So what you can't do is this. You can't allow what you have experienced in life to shape and mold who you are as a person who you've already worked so hard to become. So your relationship with Jesus isn't based upon what someone else said or what someone else did. It's simply my faith is in this man, not in man alone.

[A]

So it's in Christ.

[B]

Exactly, exactly. So that's what I would say is just to be encouraged and it's going to happen. But Jesus said, take heart, I've overcome the world.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I'm just so sorry that's happened to you. And you know, I think this is where a lot of people want to then deconstruct the unhealthy faith that they've been or faith version that they've been taught. But you do have to rebuild it, you have to reconstruct it. And you want it to come from solid biblical teaching sources.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I don't know where you're at. You know, I'm always encouraging to find a church. You can find so much information on a website as to how they view things. And you know, I think the most, some of the most important parts are to make sure that they are Bible teaching churches, that they believe in the Trinity, that they believe in sin. And hell and redemption and these are all the foundations of our, of the church. But some churches actually don't believe that and teach that and they might lean on things that are like prosperity gospel driven or you know, things that are more selfish leaning than God leaning. So listen, if all else fails, I'm going to recommend an incredible great church. There's so many out there that you can start watching online until you find a church that's near you. But Shepherd Church LA Pastor Dudley Rutherford has been incredible and pastored our family for many years and he's solid. He's been pastoring for over 40 years.

[B]

So that's great. You know, one that's actually uncommon and I've just noticed this, this kind of shows, like the, this kind of shows my age a little bit. The comment section, I'm like Christian creators or Christian personalities. TikTok and Instagram page. That's a great place for community.

[A]

Oh yeah, great.

[B]

Yeah. So many people have commented certain things and then you have the community helping them with that situation and they build friendships outside of that comment section that ultimately help them later on in life. So I would say take it to the comments and people will probably help you a little bit, you know.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. It's great. But Hannah, thanks for listening to this podcast. I really appreciate it and I always want to bring people on this show that I really believe in, in the theology that they are sharing and you know, I do my research and none of us are perfect people and sometimes we're going to have differing opinions and views and that's okay. You know, those are great discussions to have.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But, but don't. My prayer for you is that you don't allow that to cause you to walk away from God, but that you actually lean more into God and just get with God. You and him start praying, read your Bible and maybe you just need to listen to him for a while and not, not a, not a pastor right now. Yeah, I don't want that to be taken out of context, but like, pastors are important parts of our lives, but we want to make sure that we're listening to good theology. So. All right, well, we're going to be back back next week and I want to remind you that we have a brand new resource for you. It is an exclusive video series hosted by Jason. The video series is called Unfiltered Faith and Jason walks you through a lot of questions that Christians have but might be too afraid to talk about. So Hannah, maybe you need to check that out. You can go to candice.com together. You'll find a link to buy that course. And yes, this one does have a cost, but it really is worth it. Jason's whole goal is to help you see the Bible in a new light. You'll also find a [e-mail] to ask questions for future episodes. And I also have an app where you can become a monthly member and you can ask more questions and join a podcast discussion group and a party. It's called the Together Community, and you can download the app and learn how to join [e-mail] together. Until next time. Be grateful all day, every day. Candy Rock Entertainment all rights reserved.