How Far Is Too Far? Breaking Patterns That Keep You Stuck

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "How Far Is Too Far? Breaking Patterns That Keep You Stuck"

The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast
Host: Candace Cameron Bure
Guest: Madison Pruitt Trout
Date: February 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this candid and heartfelt episode, Candace Cameron Bure is joined by author and former Bachelor contestant Madison Pruitt Trout. They delve into a meaningful conversation about breaking the patterns and habits that keep us spiritually and emotionally stuck, particularly focusing on the topic of sin, how small compromises can lead us down the wrong path, the importance of confession and accountability, and the practicalities of living a Christ-centered life. Listeners are treated to both lighthearted personal stories and deep spiritual insights, all delivered with warmth, humor, and authenticity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Light-Hearted Beginnings: Personal Fun Facts

• Birthday banter & celebrations (03:08–04:21)
  • Candace and Madison share about upcoming big birthdays (30 and 50).
  • Discussion of how to celebrate milestone birthdays with family and friends.
• Madison’s pageant and game show tales (04:45–06:49)
  • Madison laughs about her one-and-done pageant experience, missing the swimsuit round.
  • She also shares her success on The Price is Right, using an Alabama accent to stand out and winning $8,000.

"I had to put on this Alabama accent... They loved the accent." — Madison Pruitt Trout [06:22]

2. Music Preferences as a Window into Faith and Identity

• Favorite artists and Christian music’s impact (07:02–08:15)
  • Madison shares admiration for worship artists Tiffany Hudson and Forrest Frank.
  • Candace talks about switching to Spotify, discovering new Christian artists.
  • Both admit struggles with secular music; Candace occasionally listens to Eminem or EDM when working out, but is moving toward Christian alternatives.

"I just want a beat that drops because it kicks in this whole other gear." — Candace Cameron Bure [08:32]

3. Listener Question: Can You Talk to God Like Your Best Friend?

• Honoring God: Friendship and Reverence (09:48–14:32)
  • Madison reflects on balancing intimacy and reverence in prayer.
    • God is safe and loving, but not to be addressed with flippancy.
    • The “fear of the Lord” is about awe and wanting to stay close, not terror.
  • Candace uses an analogy about respect (like encountering a powerful animal) to make the point about reverence.

"There shouldn't be a casualness to it... He's still to be worshiped." — Madison Pruitt Trout [11:31]
"He's holy, and I am not. And yet he's so gracious and allows me to be in his presence." — Candace Cameron Bure [12:47]

4. Main Theme: Sin — Big, Small, and the Patterns That Bind Us

• Why do we tolerate 'little' sins and how do they build up? (15:11–19:37)
  • Madison compares sin to ignoring dangerous ocean currents: "So many of us are playing with and flirting with and treating casually what can kill us and keep us from God's best for our life." [16:56]
  • The conversation highlights how sin often starts small and escalates, especially when minimized or hidden.
  • The importance of confession, accountability, and not isolating oneself.

"Sin never starts big. It always starts as small, unconfessed sins that we overlook and treat as not a big deal." — Madison Pruitt Trout [15:50]

• How far is too far? Testing the boundaries (19:37–22:46)
  • They tackle the recurring Christian question: “How close can I get to the line without falling into sin?”
  • Madison asserts the heart should shift from “how close can I get?” to “how close to God can I get?”
  • Cites Titus 2:12 on godliness and the evidence of grace.
  • Madison shares her own discipline: quickly confessing negative thoughts or actions to God and trusted friends to prevent escalation of sin.

5. Breaking Patterns: Confession, Community & Daily Renewal

• Candace on daily choices, habits, and accountability (24:00–30:15)
  • Emphasizes prayer, the daily walk, denying self in small ways for Christlikeness.
  • The value of Christian community and friends who can lovingly call out missteps.
  • Not every sin is dramatic—sometimes rudeness, a harsh word, or pride are the real dangers.

"One of the most powerful words you can say is the word 'no' to yourself... Each time you deny yourself something, it's a little more strength of just becoming more Christ-like." — Candace Cameron Bure [29:33]

• Madison’s ‘body prayer’ practice (30:18–31:44)
  • She describes a daily practice of submitting every part of herself to God—eyes, mind, ears, mouth—rooted in Romans 12.
  • Importance of confessing sins “at the thought level” and inviting others to help, using Darth Vader as a metaphor for how evil builds in isolation.

"Confessing at the thought level... has been transformative in my ability to continue to walk in the light and live a holy life." — Madison Pruitt Trout [32:44]

• Moving from a defensive to an offensive pursuit of holiness (32:44–33:20)

  • Not just avoiding sin, but actively pursuing godliness and proactive accountability.

• Candace praises Madison’s deep biblical knowledge as proof of real time spent in scripture (33:20–34:57)

  • She encourages listeners that time in God’s presence brings joy and transformation.

6. The Joy and Fruitfulness of Time with God

• Practical Encouragement (34:57–35:52)
  • Both affirm that intimacy with God—not rule-keeping—drives inner change.
  • Madison shares: "Sin always looks like a delight and a desire at first, but it will always lead to death every single time, even the smallest of sins." [34:57]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Sometimes I listen to Eminem when I'm working out." — Candace Cameron Bure [00:00]
• "I now can't go back to listening to secular music. I'll turn on a secular song, and I just can't listen to it anymore." — Madison Pruitt Trout [08:06]
• "There's a reverence there. You hold him up high." — Candace Cameron Bure [11:47]
• "Please, get out of the water. It's dangerous. I know it looks like a good, but it will kill you. I'm not trying to keep you from fun. I'm trying to save your life." (Lifeguard anecdote) — Madison Pruitt Trout [16:54]
• "Why do I do the things that I don't want to do?... But I'm so grateful God gives us a new day every day and we have a chance to start new." — Candace Cameron Bure [28:24, paraphrasing Romans]
• "When we've truly experienced the grace of God, we will not want to run towards sin. We will want to run as far away from it as possible." — Madison Pruitt Trout [19:48]

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Important Timestamps

• 03:08 – Birthday talk and celebrations
• 04:45 – Madison's pageant & Price Is Right stories
• 07:02 – Favorite Christian music & the impact of music on faith
• 09:48 – Listener question: Can you talk to God like a best friend?
• 15:11 – Main topic shift: What is sin and why does it matter?
• 16:54 – Ocean/lifeguard metaphor for the danger of “small” sin
• 19:37 – Discussion on pushing boundaries & the “how far is too far?” mentality
• 28:09 – The importance of Christian friendship and correction
• 30:18 – Madison’s practice of submitting every aspect of herself to God
• 32:44 – Confessing sin even at the thought level & building offensive holiness
• 34:57 – The role of time with God in changing the heart
• 35:52 – Listener question: Best advice for a couple new to faith

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Final Listener Q&A: Marriage and New Faith

• Advice for couples new to faith (36:18–37:28)
  • Candace: Find a Bible-teaching church and build community.
  • Madison: Begin praying together daily for unity and spiritual growth.

"There's so much power in prayer, and just continually inviting the Holy Spirit into our marriage." — Madison Pruitt Trout [37:14]

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Recurring Themes

• Sin is subtle, often starting small, and should be taken seriously.
• Intimacy and reverence for God are not exclusive—He is accessible, but holy.
• Breaking patterns requires daily, intentional walking with God and confession.
• Accountability and community—friends who will challenge you—are essential.
• Time in God’s word and prayer leads to transformation, not just good intentions.

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For anyone seeking practical wisdom on defeating drifting habits, tackling the seriousness of sin (big and small), and stepping into joyful, purposeful living through Christ—this episode is for you. Candace and Madison offer relatable stories, scriptural grounding, and actionable encouragement for all ages and stages of faith.

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Transcript

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Since my last podcast when I talked about it because I said sometimes I sometimes I listen to Eminem when I'm working out.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That was the unexpected right there. I was not prepared for that or.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Some EDM like I just want a beat that drops. There's so many small choices we make every day that quietly shape the life we're building. One of those choices is where we choose to bank. I recently learned about 316 Financial, an online bank that gives 10% of its profits back to faith based Ministries and I love that. It's a simple everyday decision decision that can make a meaningful impact behind the scenes. And the accounts themselves are really solid. No monthly fees, free ATM access nationwide and competitive interest. Right now, when you open a 316 financial savings account and keep an average balance of $5,000 for 90 days, they'll add $250 to your account. You can learn more at bank316.com candice and be sure to use the promo code Candice when you open your account. Banking services are provided by 316 Financial, a division of Premise bank member FDIC deposit accounts can be opened with as little as $1. I'm excited to share something that's close to my heart, the History and the People of Israel As a follower of Jesus Israel is where it all started. It's where he walked, taught and ministered. The Bible reminds us that God never breaks his promises. We Romans 11:28 says that the people of Israel are deeply loved because of the promises God made long ago and he's faithful to keep those promises. That's why I'm sharing with you about the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. For over 40 years they've provided food, shelter and life saving aid to Israel's most vulnerable, especially Holocaust survivors and the elderly. Will you join me in standing with the people in Israel? To learn more and find out how you can help, visit ifcj.org that's ifcj.org. Life is like a roller coaster, but it's better when we go through it together. Welcome to the Candace Cameron Bury Podcast. We talk about life's challenges, celebrations and everything in between, always with heart and hope. This episode answers a big question. Why can't I get past the patterns and habits that just seem to always hold me back? Madison Pruitt Trout and I are getting real as she shares some honest stories to join a private podcast chat. You can become a [e-mail] together, where I also have an exclusive monthly live stream. Come join us. Hi, we're Back. You look ravishing in pink.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's feeling like it's a very loving time.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It is a loving time. It is. Do you have any birthdays in February in your family?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

March.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

March.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

We got your birthday coming up in March. My husband and I are 20 days apart, so he's March 5th, I'm March 25th. Then it was the end of January, thankfully. But we're all right there at the.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Beginning of the year, and I'm just a few days after you. I'm April, but I'm April 6th, and I think you're turning a big number 30. And I'm turning a big number 50.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, my goodness. You gotta have, like, a really big birthday celebration.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know. What are you gonna do for yours?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I don't know. I've been telling my husband. I'm like, part of me wants to keep it, like, chill, and then the other part of me is like, cabo, Cayman Islands, with some of our best friends. I don't know.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Oh, do the Cabo. The Cayman Islands. I'm like, don't ch. Chill. It's 30.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

30.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I. I don't know what I. I want to do yet.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Really.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It's coming up so fast, and I feel like we should have planned something, and I still haven't, so. I don't know.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You look so amazing. I. I need all of your secrets. The fact that you look like this and you look my age, turning 50.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Well, you're very amazing. You're very kind. I don't think I look your age, but. But thank you. I have a great hair and makeup team that makes me look nicer than I look in real life. I don't know what to say.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It is always a hard. It's like, how do I respond back when someone's like, you look amazing.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Well, thank you. Thank you. I thought that we would get. Continue to get to know you. I loved hearing your story about the Bachelor, but I want to know more about you, so I had a couple of fun questions. But tell me, were you. Are you a pageant winner? Are you a pageant girl?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, no.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Did I read that in your bio?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Listen. No. I did one pageant one time, and it was not my thing. I totally forgot I was in the back. So it was the swimsuit competition time, and I was in the back, put on my evening gown. I'm, like, fluffing up my hair, doing my practice pageant walk, like, trying to get myself ready and excited, and I have my friend come running down, and she's like, maddie, what are you doing? You just Missed you. They called your name, and you missed your whole swimsuit port. So, no, I did not place. Oh. Never did another pageant.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Sorry I asked.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Like, let me bring up your.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I thought you won, like, a significant pageant.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Definitely not. But I have lots of fun pageant friends, and they have thrived in that area. But honestly, I learned a lot from that experience. I really did.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So did you have to have a talent? Do you have a hidden talent?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I do not have a hidden talent. I would say. Well, so my fun fact is always that my. I won a lot of basketball championships.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

And that I went on the prices right before I went on the Bachelor.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You did. My sister went on the prices right, too. Did you get up?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, I won $8,000.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Good for you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I was so proud of myself because it was the. Like, you had to. Yeah, you have to, like, guess the amount or whatever, and then you go up and then I had to guess, like, what was in the bag. It's called, like, what's in the bag? And I had to guess the grocery store item, like, how much it is.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

To put it in the bag or something.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It was crazy. But the way that I got it was I really put on this Alabama accent. Oh. I was.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You made it real.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, listen. They were trying to choose, and I was like, I've got to set myself apart. And so I was like, hi, my name is Madison from Alabama, and it's so good to meet you. And they loved it. They loved the accent.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

That's so fun. Did you get to spin the big wheel?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, yeah, but I did really, really well.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

But you didn't make the showcase.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Mm. Mm. Didn't make the show. Okay. I was like, I need to start working out after that. That wheel is heavier than it appears. But, yeah, so that's my. That's my little fun fact.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I love that. I love that.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No hidden talents. I would not have been good on that pageant either. The America. I was the usa. The no talents. Not the no talents, but you know what I mean.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know what you mean. Okay. Do you have a favorite musical artist right now?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love Tiffany Hudson, who's, like, worship music route. And then, honestly, Forest Frank, who's also kind of in that worship music.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

He's great.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He's awesome.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

There's so much good Christian music right now. The thing is, I don't. Okay. I just switched over to Spotify from Apple Music probably, like, six months ago or something, and they have videos on Spotify. Okay. This is all new to me. I might really be sounding like the old lady right now. But it didn't have that on my Apple music. So they show videos. And now I'm starting to put faces to the musicians because there's so many great artists, but I would never know their names or what they look like.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Because I haven't gone to con. I'm not, like, I'm not sitting. There's no mtv. There is mtv, but you know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know how to place all of these artists, but there's so many. There's so much great contemporary Christian music. That's all I listen to.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

It's my favorite. I now. I honestly now can't go back to listening to secular music. I can't do anymore. I'll, like, turn on a secular song, and I just. I can't listen to it anymore. I don't know.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know. I very, very rarely do. I, once in a while do when I'm working out for a beat. However, since my last podcast, when I talked about it. Cause I said sometimes I. Sometimes I listen to Eminem when I'm working out.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That was the unexpected right there.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I was not prepared for that or some edm. Like, I just want a beat that drops because it just, like, kicks in this whole other gear. But since I said that and we aired, I had so many great recommendations for other rap. Like Christian rap artists that were hardcore. Enough with the beat. That have pushed me through. And now I. I. Once in a while, we'll listen to 80s or 90s music, because that's nostalgic for me. But I love. And it was just better back then. Sorry, you guys. I don't know, you guys. We. You guys. We grew up in the 80s and it was just better music.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love that so much. I grew up listening to the 80s all the time because my parents love the 80s. So I'm with you.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yacht rock is a great station. Okay, I'm gonna stop being old right now. And we're laughing, but we're about to talk about something really serious.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, we're about to make a hard turn.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

We're making a hard left turn right now into sin.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, sin.

[Commercial Announcer 1]

Sin.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

The sin is that I listened to Eminem.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. That was your confession. That was your confession.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

My confession.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You know, my confession is that I used to be obsessed with Miley Cyrus was my, like, favorite.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I love her voice.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I love her. I really love her. Hannah Montana was my favorite show.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Oh, yeah. Before we talk about sin, we're gonna take a listener question. This one is From Sheila. She asks, can you talk to God like he's your best friend, or is that disrespectful? I really like this question. You talked about it briefly last week. And how would you answer this? I'm curious.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

That's a big question. I think that the answer is yes and no. I think it's a both and question. Because yes, in the sense of God is ever present. And I would love for us all to have the mindset that he is our first place that we run to before we call up a friend, before we go to Google, before we turn to anything else. We're turning first to God, and He is our place of refuge. He's our place of safety. He's our sounding board where we go to for when we need answers, when we need wisdom, when we need comfort, just like we would a best friend, just like we would someone that we really love and trust. And he is that safe place. And then I think at the same time, where we have to be careful is that God is not like another imperfect human being. He is to be worshiped and revered and feared in the best way. You. You described the fear of the Lord really well in a previous episode recording that we did together, that it's this beautiful thing that makes you want to be as close to him as possible and not want to be far from him or separated from Him. I think when we think about the fear of the Lord, it's like, I'm scared of God, but it's not that. It's. You actually just want to be so close to him and you don't want to partake in anything that separates you from him, any type of sin. And so I would just say, yes, run to him, go to him with everything. But also, there shouldn't be a casualness to it in the sense of we're just treating God like He's, you know, just your homie. Your homie. He's just like, you know, he's still to be worshiped.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And yeah, you know, yeah, there's. There's reverence there. You hold him up high. I read something in a book the other day, and they gave an example of, like, if you were walking in the woods and a mountain lion kind of jumped out and just was looking at you, you. There would be a fear.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

But it's. It's also an awe and respect because, you know, that animal is powerful and strong, and you wouldn't like, walk up to it and go, hey, kitty, kitty, like, come, you know, and that's. It's like, there's a reverence of respect for that. That animal. And I'm not trying to compare God to that, but just to give a more emotional feel to you. Have an. If you even saw a snake in the road, you would kind of jump. There's an automatic respect of like, oh, that thing. That it could do something to me.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna not be casual about this. And so it's the same way. It's not. But it's not a fear of God that He's gonna harm you. But there is just an automatic. Like, he's holy. He's holy, and I am not. And yet he's so gracious and allows me to be in his presence, wants me to be in his presence, invites me in every moment. And so. I agree. Your answer was great. I want. I know that, like a best friend, he's always available. He always wants me to come to him. He wants to.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

He.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

He wants me to come under his wing or like a little child to their mommy or daddy to come and snuggle in. And he's like, I've got you. I'm here. I'm listening. I'll protect you. All of the things, however.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I'm not your homie.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Like, we're not going to go drinking and be drinking buddies on the side, you know?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Totally. Totally. I love that. It reminds me of. I think it's Proverbs 18:10, and it says that the Lord is a strong tower that the righteous can run to and find safety. That the name of the Lord. So even just calling upon his name is that strong tower that we can run to for safety. Literally just speaking the name of Jesus. And so sometimes I'll just. If I don't even know what else to say or pray, I'm just like, in the name of Jesus, help me, you know? But just knowing that he. I love that you said he's always accessible and available. And Hebrews talks about we can approach. Approach his throne of grace with confidence. Like, we can enter his presence with confidence and assurance that he hears us, that he loves us, that he sees us, that he cares for us. But it's not a flippant or casual. Just like, I can go live however I want to live, and God's still there. There's still a fear of him and a worship of him, but yet a. An access and a. He wants us.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah. That makes me think of in Esther, in the book of Esther, when she approached the king, she was never allowed to. You weren't allowed to approach the king. He had to summons you. And if you approached him, the penalty would be death, if that's what he chose. And so to think that God's like, I'm not a king, like that. I invite you in. You have access at all times. You, you don't. I don't. I'm not going to summons you in that way. I'm here and available. Yeah, Just knock and you know the door will is open for you.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

So cool.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay, so we are talking about sin. This is never a fun subject. No one wants to really talk about, share about their sin. It is a pain point in our lives. Some that we can easily point to. We know what it is in our life and others that other places where we really hide it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

In our lives because it feels shameful. We're going to talk about that next week. But talk about what? Do you talk about sin within your book? How did you approach the subject that.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Sin is serious and that it will keep us from everything that God has for us, even the little sins? I think so often we just. When we think about sin, it's like, oh, these really big sins. But sin never starts big. It always starts as small, unconfessed sins that we overlook and treat as not a big deal. You know, it starts at the little moments of gossiping or the moments of, you know, having a materialistic mindset or turning to worldly comforts instead of God. Constantly living your life for the approval of people. We've talked a lot about that. You know, whatever it may be, that sin struggle, idolizing your body, you know, pornography, taking it too far with or thinking about someone lustfully, I mean, you could fill in the blank of whatever that is. But I think oftentimes we think of those, like, really, really big sins. And I remember I had this moment when I was at the beach with some of my friends, and we walked out onto the beach and we see these two double red flags. And we automatically knew what that meant. And we were bummed because we were so excited to get in the water. And as we're sitting out, laying out.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

For people, for people that aren't beach people.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Okay, for people that aren't double red flags, that means you can't get in the water because. Dangerous. It's dangerous. And so we're sitting out and I see this one lifeguard on duty, and he is running back and forth on the beach because there's some daredevils and some people still getting in the water even with the double red flags and he's, you know, asking them to get out of the water and just reminding them that there's an undercurrent that's really, really dangerous, asking them to get out of the water. And finally, after running back and forth for a long time, he just gets up in his lifeguard stand, he grabs a megaphone, and he just, like, passionately speaks out to everyone, and he's like, please, get out of the water. It's dangerous. I know it looks like a good, but it will kill you. I'm not trying to keep you from fun. I'm trying to save your life. And he speaks with such passion. And in that moment, I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to me. That is a picture of sin that so many of us are playing with and flirting with and treating casually what can kill us and keep us from God's best for our life. And just, like, dangerous ocean water with a powerful undercurrent. You know, we start off in the water with, like, ankle deep, and we're like, this is fine. It's not a big deal. I'm still in control. And then we go a little bit deeper. We stay a little bit longer. It's like, up to our waist now, and we're feeling the weight of it, but yet we're still kind of above the water, feel in control a little bit. Other people are joining in. And then we go a little bit further, and next thing you know, a wave, you know, comes, comes over us, takes us under, and it. And it ends up costing us everything. And that is such a picture of sin, because sin lures us in, and it seems like it's not a big deal. We treat it casually. We overlook certain sins because maybe we see somebody else struggles worse in another area. And we treat it like it's not a big deal. And we just keep, you know, either excusing it or hiding it or, you know, just living in an unconfessed way. And it's robbing us. It's keeping us from the. From the life that Jesus wants us to have. And it talks about in Scripture that sin leads to death, and a mind governed by the flesh leads to death, and it's the mind governed by the Spirit that leads to life and peace. And so sin separates us from God. We cannot be intimate with Jesus and walk in his will for our life when we're living in continual sin. For those of us who are practicing and living in sin, there's a difference I talk about in the chapter, you know, a difference between living in sin and falling into sin because, you know, we are living in a sinful world. We were born with a sin nature. And so there's going to be moments because we're imperfect human beings where we fall into sin. Yeah, but then that's where it comes in, where we have to have a heart posture that is repentant and confesses that sin and turns from that sin versus choosing to continually live in it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Is it still like a lot of people your age are going, how, how close can I get? Like, how close can I get to the cliff without falling off?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, I think that's a question that a lot of us are, are feeling and think. I think no matter even the age demographic, like trying to naturally push that line of like, how close can I get to sin? And without fully falling in. But I think what's so interesting is when it talks about in Scripture, like, when we've truly experienced the grace of God, we will not want to run towards sin. We will want to run as far away from it as possible. We won't be asking, how close to the line can I get? But we will be asking, how close to God can I get? How can I glorify God with my life, with my thoughts, with my decisions, with my heart posture, with my relationships? And that I think as Christians should be our goal. And you, you talked actually a lot about this in your testimony. You know, like, I think a lot of times we can judge our holiness based off of the world standards instead of off of God's standards. It's like, oh, well, I'm a little bit better and holier than my friends. Like, I'm not doing what they're doing. So it's fine, I'm good, you know, but, but the Lord has a very clear, you know, picture of, of what it looks like to live a life of purity and holiness. And it says in Titus 2, verses 12 that the grace of God teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope. And I think that for me has been such a beautiful reminder of when we have truly encountered God's grace. Like, we, we do not want to partake in anything that causes us to be separated from a good God because we know that he is where the true joy and peace is found. Yeah, and I, for me, it was realizing that it's these small sins that were left unconfessed that were robbing me from living a life of true holiness. And so I'VE started practicing now, like even to this day of just anytime I even have like a sinful thought, a thought of comparison or jealousy or insecurity or anger or maybe I like speak in an ugly tone to my husband or I have just like a yucky heart posture about something. Yeah, having those friends that I'm confessing to and that I'm repenting. I'm repenting and confessing to God and then I'm ask. Confessing to those friends and asking them to hold me accountable in those areas has really helped me be on the proactive side when it comes to sin instead of the reactive side of now I've fallen into this place where I'm like, how did I get here? And I think, yeah, we just, we don't often treat sin as serious as we should. I mean, for you, what does that look like to. I mean, I think the fear of the Lord as we've been talking about a good bit, you know, it says to fear God is to hate sin. And so there should be a hatred of sin and anything that separates us from God. What does that look like for you daily to like practice this hatred of sin and resisting of sin?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

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[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And it takes a really good close friend in your life to have those, to receive it and to thank them for the correction. So be grateful for those friends, even if it just burns.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah, totally.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You know, we. Again, we all have our pride, and sometimes it hurts, but. And then sometimes there's the obvious. The obvious sin. I've struggled with things in my life that I've talked all about over the seasons. And. And it's a daily. It's a daily walk. And the. The biggest difference is once you are in relationship with God and you're desiring to honor him, to please him, you said it. You're not. You may still fall into sin. You may still do the thing. Paul talks about it in Romans. Why do I do the things that I don't want to do? Yeah, you may still fall into those things, but there's a big difference in diving into it and just willingly knowing that you're like God. I know this doesn't honor you, it doesn't please you, but I don't care. I'm going to do it anyway. Then there's a heart issue there. And it's again, a daily walk. It's like a renewal of the mind. It's refreshing. I'm so grateful that God gives us a new day every day and we have a chance, wants to start new. It's a clean slate every single day. But little by little, you build habits over time. And I think one of the most powerful words you can say is the word no to yourself and deny yourself something, deny yourself. Not even a sacrifice, but to deny. To say, I am not going to choose to react that way today. And each time you deny yourself something, it's a little notch in your belt. It's a little more strength of just becoming more Christ like. And those notches build upon each other. It's like you take one step, one step, one step, and soon enough you're gonna climb up the whole ladder, you know?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

No, that's so good.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

But it's a. It's a step at a time.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Yeah. No, that's a great reminder. Galatians 2:20 talks about it too. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me. And so the old patterns, the old ways of thinking, reacting, living, the choices, those things you have chosen to die to, and you have to choose daily. It's a daily death. It's a daily. Lord, I give you all of me, body, soul and spirit. I belong to you. I give you my mind. I give you my eyes, my mouth, my ears. And I really try to go through that daily prayer honestly. Romans 12:2 of like or 12:1 of giving my body as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Lord, show me how to please you with my eyes today. I want to see what you see. Lord, I give you my mind. I wanna have the mind of Christ. I wanna think thoughts that are holy and true and pure and praiseworthy. Lord, I give you my ears. I wanna be sensitive to your voice and not susceptible to fall for the lies of the world, but help me to hear your voice and what you're speaking. Lord, I want my mouth to be pleasing to you with what I say and how I honor others and honor you. And so just even that prayer daily, kind of going through, like, different parts of my body, as interesting as that sounds, just. It really has helped so much of just. I'm dying to myself. I'm giving you all of me, Lord, is so helpful, I think about, in talking about friends and confessing and having those friends around you. I watched Lord of the Rings recently. Yeah, not Lord of the Rings, Star Wars. I watched Star wars recently.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I think I saw it when I was 10 and I don't remember it.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

But here's the crazy thing about it, is that, sorry to spoiler alert anybody who wants to watch it and hasn't seen it, but Darth Vader did not become Darth Vader overnight. Like, it started as these little small things that he overlooked and didn't confess and didn't bring people into. Like, he lived his life in isolation and he allowed those thoughts to fester. And it ended up, you know, he became this person that ultimately he probably was, like, how in the world did I get here? And the way we prevent that from happening is bringing other people into that and confessing at the thought level. I really think that's been so powerful in my daily walk with Jesus of just resisting sin by confessing at the thought level of, gosh, I'm thinking this thought that I know is not godly and it's not true. And so I'm going to confess that and repent to God, but also confess that to my, you know, my sister in Christ and just ask her to hold me accountable and pray for me in this area. And it has been transformative in my ability to continue to walk in the light and live a holy life.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Because I think that it's a, a, it's a offensive, you know, kind of step of faith as well. I think a lot of times when we think about sin, it's just defense. It's like, don't do this, don't do that.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

True.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

You know, like in church, it's like, that's what even just talking about, you know, like sex outside of marriage, for example, I feel like that's a very easy one that's talked about in the church a lot. It's like, don't do that. That's really, really bad. But there is an offensive approach. There is a pursuit of holiness and righteousness and goodness as well as, you know, some things that we're called to resist and say no to. And a lot of what we're talking about is that pursuit of things.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It is. And that's why it's so important to have quiet time or study time, whatever word you want to call it, Bible time. And it is remarkable for me to sit here and talk to you. You know Scripture like the back of your hand. You have so much memorized. There is so, there's so much wealth in you, Biblical wealth and knowledge that you've memorized and really bound to your heart. It's so impressive. And I, I say that not just as a compliment, I compliment you, but that tells me how much time you've spent in the Word, that you know the Bible, you've spent time with God, you've sat and meditated on his Word. You've, you've put it, you've written it upon your heart so that you know it. And it comes out and overflows within your speech and your dialogue, your conversations. And you don't get that way without spending real time and to even come to a place of, well, how do I have a heart change? A heart posture that wants to be pleasing and honoring to God, you gotta just start spending time with them, however that looks. And that's always the battle in our world, whether you're in school and you have all your classes. Classes, or you're a young mom and you've got a baby and you're taking. I get it. Like, lives are busy. But that time that you spent every single day is another notch in your belt. Again, not in an achieving kind of way, but just spending time with God. And he is going to mold and shape you in that time.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Gosh. Well, thank you for that compliment and encouragement. And I hope that's an encouragement to everyone listening, because we've talked about this. But in the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy. And I've just learned that sin always, you know, looks like a delight and a desire at first, but it will always lead to death every single time, even the smallest of sins. I will not find what I'm looking for in the world. I can only find that in Jesus and in his presence. And it talks about in Psalm 119, how do I. How do I live a pure life by living according to the Word. Like, how do I live a life, an honest life, a life of integrity, a life resisting sin by studying the Word. Like, you're talking about diving into it, falling in love with it, delighting in it. And truly, I've just seen, like, anytime I've flirted with sin and tried to get as close to the line as I can get, it always led to just, like, confusion and not feeling the best. But every time I just fall more and more with Jesus and dive into His Word, I'm like, this is what I was made for.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah. It's so true. Oh, this was great. Well, we have a listener question, and this is from Rita. It's not a question about sin. We. Oh, we get to say congratulations. Rita is getting married in a month. Congrats. What is some of the best advice you would give to a couple who are fairly new to their faith?

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

I'll let you go first.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I know. My goodness. Well, this is super exciting. It. It's super exciting. If you're on this journey together, that you're both new to your faith. I would say that find a church. That would be my first step. Find a good Bible believing, teaching church.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Amen.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And if you can get into community, there's no better time or place to start than as a couple together. You can still do separate study times, like women's Bible study. He could do men's Bible study, but there's things together that you can study study the word with and and go to church. So I'm excited for you and congrats. I hope your wedding's all that you dreamed it would be.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

Oh, so good. I I agree with both of those things. And then I just would say one of the best things that my husband and I started doing when we got married. I don't really love to encourage this in like dating or engagement, but once married, just praying together every single day.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yes.

[Madison Pruitt Trout]

There's so much power in prayer and so he praise every night before we go to bed. And I've just seen how unifying that is and how. Yeah, just continually inviting the Holy Spirit into our marriage and into our relationship.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, that's great. Good one. Okay, well, we'll be back next week. And don't forget there's a free Dare to Be True guide [e-mail] it's designed to walk you through Maddie's book and especially helpful if you're reading her book book with a small group. To join a private podcast, chat and get a monthly live stream with me, go to Candice.com together and become part of the together community. Until next time, be grateful all day, every day. Candy Rock Entertainment all rights reserved.

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