What If My Decision Feels Really Hard to Make?

Summary

The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast

Episode: What If My Decision Feels Really Hard to Make?
Date: June 30, 2026
Host: Candace Cameron Bure
Guest: Jason Jackson Jr.

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt episode, Candace Cameron Bure and her guest Jason Jackson Jr. dive into the challenges of making tough decisions, understanding personal faith, and living with integrity and purpose. The conversation weaves through Jason’s compelling life story—from his experiences growing up in a poverty-stricken environment to turning down a promising NFL career to pursue ministry. They offer practical advice for navigating difficult choices through prayer, humility, and honesty, while also responding to listener questions about reading the Bible and stepping into adulthood.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Approaching Difficult Decisions with Faith

• Theme: Life is a rollercoaster, and decision-making can be daunting, but faith, prayer, and honest reflection are crucial guides (02:46, 29:37).
• Jason’s Perspective: Decisions, especially life-altering ones, require moving out of comfort zones and into God’s calling, even when this means embracing discomfort.
  • “There comes a moment in every believer’s life where you will have to leave your place of comfortability and go to what God has called you to do.” — Jason (31:30)
• Candace’s Emphasis: Praying before making decisions centers the heart and mind, allowing for divine guidance rather than relying solely on personal wisdom.
  • “Don’t make your decision and then pray about it. You gotta pray about it before you make your decision.” — Candace (33:01)

2. Understanding and Studying the Bible

• Listener Question (Ashley): How do you begin to understand the Bible as a new Christian, especially with complex Old Testament stories? (04:48)
• Jason’s Advice:
  • Read the Bible from the perspective of the people Jesus addresses, not as the “Savior,” but as those in need.
    • “If I don’t, I’ll get the miracle, but I’ll miss the message.” — Jason (06:48)
  • Take it slow; don’t rush to finish but focus on understanding.
  • Use modern tools, e.g., YouTube sermons from trusted teachers, multiple Bible translations.
  • “I gotta feed my spirit before I feed my body.” — Jason (08:09)
• Candace’s Tools:
  • The Bible Recap app and podcast for daily context (08:56).
  • A study Bible and reference guides for deeper understanding.
  • Suggestion to compare various translations (e.g., ESV, NLT, The Message).
    • “It doesn’t diminish Scripture in any way... It just helps you understand.” — Candace (11:56)

3. Personal Journey: From Poverty to Purpose

• Jason’s Story:
  • Growing up in the ghetto from age 6 to 16, frequently living with different families to lessen his mother’s burden (14:16–16:09).
  • Vivid illustration of normalized hardship, e.g., providing urine for family drug tests so they could find work.
    • “I thought this was just something you do at this point in life, you know?” — Jason (15:34)
  • Football became a means to escape his environment and help his family, but ultimately was not his true calling.

4. Making Hard Decisions: Walking Away from the NFL

• Pivotal Moment: Choosing to leave a promising football career for ministry (17:30–27:22).
  • Rationale: Football was consuming his identity. He questioned whether he wanted to merely make millions or impact millions for God.
    • “Would you rather have millions of dollars in your pocket, or would you rather change the lives of millions of people?” — Jason (25:51)
  • Conviction: “A job is what you get paid to do, but work is what you were created to do. NFL would have been a job for me. Ministry is work for me.” — Jason (26:32)
  • Handling Criticism: Faced disappointment from coaches and the football community but followed his conviction.

5. Principles for Guiding Decisions

• Living for More Than Yourself: Actions should reflect a responsibility to family, faith, and future self.
  • “There’s a version of you in the future that’s gonna need you. Don’t tarnish your reputation now...” — Jason (29:09)
• Importance of Prayer: Prayer is less about informing God, more about acknowledging dependence on Him (33:04).
  • “Prayer isn’t to inform God about something; it’s to express your dependency on God for everything.” — Jason (33:26)

6. Valley Moments: Between Peace and Pressure

• Biblical Insight: Jesus in the Kidron Valley—caught between Jerusalem (peace) and the Mount of Olives (pressure).
  • “Jesus was in between a place of peace and pressure. And what he did when he found himself in there is he went to prayer.” — Jason (31:17)
• Personal Valleys: Constant need to pray for humility and heart posture despite blessings and influence.
  • “Never allowing myself to get too high up on my horse that God’s got to pull me down.” — Jason (36:40)
• Travel Experience: Visiting Israel, seeing biblical sites firsthand deepened Jason’s connection to Scripture and brought stories to life, e.g., viewing from King David’s palace (34:31–35:38).

7. Advice for New Adults

• Listener Question (Gracie): Best advice for transitioning into adulthood? (38:11)
  • Jason: Serve others. “The more you serve, the higher you will get to the top... The world will say you gotta step on people to get to where you want to go, but God teaches the lower you go, the further you get.” (38:24)
  • Candace: Be honest, even in small things. Honesty builds a life with a clear conscience—no backtracking or cover-ups necessary (39:39).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If I don’t, I’ll get the miracle, but I’ll miss the message.”
  Jason on reading the Bible as the people Jesus addresses, not just as an observer of miracles. (06:48)
• “Would you rather have millions of dollars in your pocket or would you rather change the lives of millions of people?”
  Jason’s pivotal question in leaving football for ministry. (25:51)
• “A job is what you get paid to do, but work is what you were created to do.”
  Jason drawing distinction between profession and calling. (26:32)
• “Don’t make your decision and then pray about it. You gotta pray about it before you make your decision.”
  Candace on centering key life choices in prayer. (33:01)
• “Prayer isn’t to inform God about something; it’s to express your dependency on God for everything.”
  Jason reframing the purpose of prayer. (33:26)
• “The world teaches you the opposite. The world will say...you gotta step on people...but God teaches the lower you go, the further you get.”
  Jason’s profound advice for young adults entering the world. (38:24)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Listener Bible Question and Study Tips: 04:48–13:02
• Jason’s Childhood and Life Challenges: 14:16–17:20
• Turning Point: Walking Away from NFL Prospects: 17:30–27:22
• On Making Decisions and Integrity: 27:51–29:22
• Biblical “Valley of Decision” Study: 29:37–33:44
• Traveling to Israel & Bible Stories Come Alive: 33:48–35:38
• Ongoing Valley: Praying for Humility: 35:50–37:55
• Advice for New Adults: 38:11–40:41

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Practical Takeaways

• For Navigating Hard Decisions:
  Center your process in prayer, honest self-reflection, and openness to God’s direction—even if it leads away from security or societal expectations.
• For Bible Study:
  Use multiple translations and supportive resources (study Bibles, trusted podcasts/apps, YouTube sermons). Prioritize understanding over speed.
• For Young Adults:
  Embrace a lifestyle of service and unwavering honesty—these traits form the foundation of long-term character and impact.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is an encouragement to face life’s “rollercoaster” moments not alone, but grounded in faithful community, prayerful discernment, and a posture of humble service. Jason’s testimony and Candace’s wisdom blend to inspire listeners of all ages to lead lives marked by integrity, purpose, and generous faith.

Transcript

[Candace Cameron Bure]

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[Jason Jackson Jr.]

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[Candace Cameron Bure]

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[Candace Cameron Bure]

Life is like a roller coaster, but it's Better when we go through it together. Welcome to the Candace Cameron Bureau Podcast, where we're here to share conversations about life's challenges, celebrations, and everything in between. My guest this season is Jason Jackson Jr. And he's here to help you understand the Bible in new and fresh ways. If you're watching on YouTube, make sure to subscribe and click below to tap the bell so you'll always know about new episodes. Come join us. Hi, Jason. Hey.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

How you doing?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Welcome back.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Thank you so much.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

I was so encouraged by our conversation last week and just hearing your story and how God is working in your life and how you're using that to teach others.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Thank you. Well, yeah, it's being. Like I said last week, being here is kind of just proof that God is always listening. You know, you pray for opportunities like this to sit down with people like yourself, and then once it happens, it's like, God, I pray for that back in the day and you still heard me. So thank you for listening to me.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You know, do you. Do you journal at all or write things out? So you remember or do you just remember?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

No, I journal. I journal all the time. I said, I have a set of notes, actually, from 2023, where there are so many different things that I wrote down that I thought were just out of the world. Like, there's no way this could happen. And now I look back at them and I'm like, wow, I'm living in it right now.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah. Yeah. It is really cool to go back and look. And whether you make little check marks or you write a date beside it, when you're like, that's when God answered it is because you do. You forget. You can forget quickly, especially when years have gone by from certain prayers and you're like, wait, whoa, I forgot. I prayed for this. And now I'm living in it right now.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So cool. Well, last week we ended with a listener question, and so this week I thought we'd start with a listener question.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Okay.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

This one is from Ashley, and she asks, as someone who is finally taking the steps to read through the Bible, yay, Ashley. Go you. And is somewhat new to Christianity, though. I've always felt that I had a relationship with God. Just without fully understanding everything about the Bible, I find myself confused with many of the stories. Especially in the Old Testament, when you're learning the books of the Bible, how did you wrap your head around it all? It is quite the book. Oh, well, I could answer this, but I thought of you immediately, Jason. I thought you would have such a Good answer. Because it's basically what happened to you. The Bible comes alive for you in a way and simplifies for you in a way that it doesn't for most people. So how would you help, Ashley?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, well, just to be completely honest with you, the Bible was confusing for me as well when I first started. So please don't feel like you are alone in that is the first thing that I would say.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Same.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

But second, I would say it really changed when I started reading the Bible from the perspective of the sinner instead of the perspective of the Savior, so.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Oh, that's interesting. That's the opposite for me.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Okay. Yes, yes. So typically, when we read the Bible and for instance, let's say we are in one of the Gospels and we see the words in red, we're reading what Jesus is saying and we're putting ourselves in Jesus's shoes, when really we should be putting ourselves in the shoes of the people that Jesus is speaking to, because we know how it feels to experience whatever it is that this person is going through that Jesus is speaking to, but we don't know how it feels to save somebody. We don't know how it feels to have all the answers. So what happens? Okay, yes, yes, yes. You go right ahead.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

No, no, no, Keep going. Keep going. Because we actually are viewing the Bible in the same way. It's just the way we're saying it is different, that's all. But, yes, like, I am. But I want you to keep going.

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[Candace Cameron Bure]

I want to cut you off.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

What I noticed, the reason why I started reading the Bible from the perspective of the sinner instead of the Savior is because I noticed that if I don't, I'll get the miracle, but I'll miss the message. So I'll see what Jesus is doing, but I won't really understand what Jesus is saying because I'm like, he ain't saying that to me. Like, he's saying that to them. I'm not going through that. Not realizing you're more likely to go through the same thing that they're going through than to have the same answer that Jesus has to that same situation. So that helped me out a lot. And then just understanding that the Bible is a story is comprised of many stories and their principles. Okay. So it's not like you're reading to get to the next word. You're reading to figure out what the first word means. So it's not a novel. It's more of a encyclopedia. And I need to discover what each step of this Story means before I go to the next. The next part of it, yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Did you use other tools, meaning other books, reference guides, concordances, study Bibles? Were there other things that helped you or were you like, I'm just gonna figure this out on my own with a dictionary?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I didn't use other books per se, but YouTube was my best friend.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

See, that's the difference between our generation. I'm looking at the encyclopedia and you're going to YouTube, right?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I get on YouTube. I remember. Even still, my motto is, every morning that I wake up, I say, I gotta feed my spirit before I feed my body. So what I would do in the beginning is I would go on YouTube when I made it my mission to learn the Bible. And. And I would just watch a sermon that was like maybe 30 minutes to an hour long. And I would go to pastors and stuff who were accredited and, you know, very, very highly appreciated. And I would be. I would go to the stories that I was curious about and I would type in their name and this story. Odds are they've probably preached on it before. And I would hear what they had to say and I would take what they said, and then I'll take a few others and come to one common agreement about this is what this means. And then from there, I would put it into my own words so that people that I'm ministering to will be able to understand it.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, that's great. Well, I have told about my love or talked about my love for the Bible Recap a ton over the years, and on this podcast, and we've had Tara Lee Cobble on, who is the host of the Bible Recap. But that, that app has helped me so much in her. Her podcast because she does give you context through the whole Bible as to what you're reading on that day. So if you are confused, Ashley, with some of the Old Testament stories, context from what was happening back in the day and that city that they were in is so, so helpful. And the Bible Recap does do all of that. But I would say that it also helped me. I. One of my first Bibles was a study Bible, and so I would look at all of the references. When there was a reference, I would then flip to the back and just take my time to read. So that was giving me context as to what was happening.

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[Candace Cameron Bure]

There are Bibles that have help finders. I used to have one out there, and it's not available right now. And. But. But those types of tools are also super Helpful to, to help you get context in them. And I would say when reading the Bible, don't feel pressured with time. So you might have a goal to say, hey, I want to read the Bible in a year. And you do have to read a certain amount each day to get through it in a year. But this is your first time reading through. Take your time. And if it means that you are only reading three verses in one day because you really want to take the time to study each of those words and to understand the context, I'm like, do that. There's no time limit on reading the Bible and hopefully you'll keep reading it every day of your life for all the days of your life.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It. I would also pray each time before you read the Bible because the biggest difference for me was when I really had my understanding of God and who he was and what the Gospel meant, it was like he lifted a veil off of my eyes and I supernaturally had a clearer understanding of the Bible. It didn't look so much like a foreign language to me. And I really believe that is supernatural that God reveals those things to you. It gives you a heart and a mind to see it and understand it. But again, there's lots of practical tools out there. There's also different versions of the Bible that I would suggest that are more easy to read, more contemporary English. And another little. Sorry, this is a really long answer, but I'm like, I want people to read the Bible. So I'm giving you as much as I can to encourage you to. Because whatever version you're reading, maybe you're reading from an esv, the English Standard Version, but you could contrast that with the nlt, the New Living translation, which is an even easier kind of phrase for phrase translation. You could even side by side that with the message version, which is a very storytelling version of it. And that doesn't diminish Scripture in any way. But those easier translations could be a good kind of co laborer with you to just help you understand. Oh, I get what that means now. If I'm reading from New King James or esv, I get it now because they're putting it in some simpler words for me.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Absolutely. I did the same thing too. I did that. So that helped me out a lot. Because you reading the King James and we don't use he, we don't use that language. So yeah, making it simple for you, that absolutely helps. Reading those different translations and comparing them to come to one common agreement about what they mean.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah, yeah. And I like taking Some verses that we hear over and over and over that are more common. You might see them posted in someone's house or they've got it framed and. But you read it within the different versions, the two different translations of the Bible and they all mean the same thing. They do. But sometimes the difference of one word might give you a different perspective on it and you're like, oh, that makes even more sense to me. Or that affects me in a way that is gripping my heart right now and I just didn't see it that way before. So anyway, try reading from some different translations. There's great free Bible apps like the Bible app. Right, the YouVersion Bible app that you can look and it will give you every single translation and that's for free. So that's always a great resource. Okay, so last week you started sharing about your upbringing, your childhood, where you came from. I, I know there's so much more to talk about and I would just love to hear another story if you have one of what life looked like growing up for you and the hardships of that.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, I would say from probably about 6 to 16, you know, you grow up in these poverty stricken environments in the ghetto and life was like a psychological war zone. It felt like because there were things that I thought was normal and they just weren't normal. That wasn't what the natural kid or natural human would go through life experiencing. So I could think back to times where I would get woken up out of my sleep to pee in a bottle for my cousins or aunts, uncles, whoever it is, who's about to go to interview for a job and this is their drug test. They need to pass the drug test. They aren't clean. We know that you clean. You a kid, you aren't doing drugs and stuff. So we gonna use your p to to make sure that they get this job. And I didn't know what was going on at the time. You know, I'm just thinking, well, this person needs a job so I need to help them. And I'm not thinking, wow, this person, you know, they didn't take the time to make sure that they were in a good position so that they could get a job like this.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And well, you're only nine years old, you shouldn't be thinking about that. You're just doing what the adult in the room is telling you what to do. Or, or the older person in the room is telling you what to do.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Exactly. Like that's the truth. And it happened so much around me with my cousins and my Brothers, that I thought this was just something you do at this point in life, you know? But that's not something that's normal. And it took me moving in with friends, and when I turned 11, I tell people all the time. That's when I moved out and I started living with different people.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Oh, wow.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

So, yeah. Yeah. 11 years old.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

What did your mom think about that?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Well, she wasn't too. I explained it like this. You know how generally children will go and stay with friends, but they live with their parents?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yep.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It was the opposite for me. I stayed with my friends or I lived with my friends, but I would stay with my mom here and there. And the reason behind it, I think she understood where I was coming from, and it was because she never told me that I was a burden to her. But I'm seeing this lady work hard and still barely make ends meet. And though sometimes they never met, she did everything she could to make sure that they became familiar with one another. And I'm seeing that as a kid. And I said, I think the best thing that I could do is find somewhere else to live so that she'll have one less mouth to feed. And so I'm going, and I'm staying with this friend for this semester and the next semester. Y', all. You think your parents will let me stay with y' all for this semester of school? And she never rebelled against that. But, you know, I think as a parent, you hate to see that's the reason why my child isn't at home is because in a way, she probably felt like. In ways like, maybe I'm not enough, you know? But it was never any animosity towards my mom. It was just, I want to help you as much as I can, and I'm a kid. This is the only way that I see that I can help.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

It's amazing to me that you had that perspective at 11 years old.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Like, truly it is. Talk to me about a very pivotal moment in your life.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, it was. I would say, the most pivotal up to date is when I transitioned from the football life to what I do now, and that's walking away from guaranteed millions of dollars with the NFL. And you have all these opportunities to. Now you're starting from ground zero.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So wait, back up a little bit, because you told us last week that you started playing football. You saw that as an out, right? That was positive, as opposed to going the drug route and looking at drug dealers as the people you want to admire. But now you're saying, oh, football's an avenue where I can make good money, I can be known, I can be clean and. Yeah. And get out of my situation. And so you started playing in middle school, high school.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I started playing at the end of elementary and then through high school.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And did you get to the point that you were being scouted?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

For the NFL?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. So my. One of my really good friends, we still talk today, he was the first player that was ever drafted from the college that I went to.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

And obviously phenomenal athlete. I was his backup at the time. So he went down one game and I came in and I played, you know, and I performed pretty well. And so naturally, with the scouts being at the game to watch him, when he goes down, they're looking at, who's the next guy up? Cause he's down. Let's see how they fill this gap and if it leaves a void on the team. So when I performed now it's like, wow, this, this guy is. He can. He can. He can play pretty well too. So his notoriety, his fame, him being this, this great player is what actually brought attention to me. And when I walked away from that opportunity and you meet with these coaches and you talk with these people, my coaches on my staff that I was a part of, they were not too happy about that. You know, one of my coach, it was January, mind you, but when I called him and I delivered the news, hey, I'm not coming back to play next season. He said, this is the worst thing I've heard all year. It was January 2nd. I'm like, of course, like you haven't heard much, right?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

But this isn't because you were injured. It wasn't because things weren't going your way. This was because you felt God called you to a different.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, I just felt like football was slowly becoming who I was and not what I did anymore. I couldn't tell you anything about Jason Jackson Jr. As a human. I could only tell you this is how you defend this formation and this is what this coverage looks like. That's the only thing that I could tell you. I had brainwashed myself into becoming a football mogul. But that wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. And I knew I had more than that.

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And how did you know that was, did you, did you have a talk with God? Did this come in a prayer? Did this in a dream? Did it happen in one day overnight? Or was it a gradual feeling?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It was football was, it was never my ultimate dream. You know, it was simply an outlet. It was, this is how I can provide a way for my family. And I just have always been the type of person, if I'm doing something, I'm going all in and I want to reach whatever height I can reach, like whatever the mountain type is, I believe I can get there.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Some people would say, but the NFL, yeah, big goal. And if you have the talent to get there, why in the world would you give that up?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah, it's because I sat back and I asked myself one day, this was in college and I said, okay, let's say you make it to the NFL. Average lifespan is about three years in NFL. You make it, you have a great three year career. Now what you going to be starting over regardless. And would you rather have millions of dollars in your pocket or would you rather change the lives of millions of people? And so from that moment, 20, 21 years old, I was like, I just want to, you know, do God's will. And I want to do what I was created to do, not what someone told me I was good at. Doing football was a skill that I developed. Yeah, you have the God given talent, but I developed that skill over time. I tell people all the time, a job is what you get paid to do, but work is what you were created to do. NFL would have been a Job for me. Ministry is work for me. If I die today, there's still gonna be work that's being done because of the time that I put into what God gifted me to do.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Listen, I so appreciate those decisions and that perspective. I know there's some people that are going, yeah, but you could have still played football and made your money and had your ministry and, you know, you could have ministered while you were playing football, but you just felt incredibly called that, like, this is becoming more of an idol in my life and who I am and who I truly am, which is Son of God. And I want to use my time and effort.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

To preach the gospel.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

That's exactly right. And it would have been. I would have been. It would have been all about me. I could have said, I'm in NFL. I'm ministering, but it wouldn't have been about God. It would have been about how big is Jason's ministry, not how many people are Jason reaching on behalf of God. So, like, it's. It's probably best that I don't become an enemy of God trying to do his will, you know?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Well, it's an incredible perspective. And how has that perspective shaped some of the other decisions in your. In your life?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I would say I always, always live life through the. Through the lens of life is lived forward, but it's only understood backwards. So whenever I'm about to make a decision, I think about if this is something that I wouldn't want people to find out about, I probably shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You know, You're a man of conviction.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Oh, yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You have strong conviction.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah. And those decisions, it comes from. I know that I'm always representing something and someone that is higher than myself. For a long time, it was. It's my family. And even. Even in high school, I think back to when I was 16 years old, I was on a trip to Missouri. My brother had a college visit at Alcorn State University. Great football player. And they. Our Twitters were flooding because we were on campus visiting. And I remember saying, I really need to be mindful about the things that I post on social media. So from that moment forward, I was like, I'm not gonna entertain social media anymore. I'm gonna get off of this. So that a decision that I made now at this age of 16, doesn't come back and haunt me at the age of 24. So I just was like, this isn't. I'm not gonna bother you.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You're gonna be a great dad, can I tell you that? A great dad.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. So those decisions, I've always thought there's a version of you in the future that's gonna need you. Don't tarnish your reputation now, but for something that won't even matter in 10 years.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

So talk about that moment. We talked a little bit last week about storms, thorns and crosses. And when you're on a cross, meaning you're God stretching you in some way, there's a moment before that cross, which is the valley.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

The valley.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Can you talk a little bit about that?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yeah. The valley. We always talk about the cross when it comes to Jesus, but we rarely ever talk about the decision and what happened before the cross. Now, most people think we're talking about carrying the cross and. But what I'm referring to is there was a moment where Jesus found himself in the valley. Okay? So there is a valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. Okay? So to just get into a quick little Bible study, Jerusalem, the word can be broken up into two words, which is Jeru and Salem. Now, Jeru means jurisdiction, so place or city. And Salem means peace. Ok? So the place of peace. When you read Jerusalem in scripture, always think this is the place of peace. And so when you read that, you'll see the significance of whatever is surrounding it. So we see, even with the story of the Good Samaritan, a man was going down from Jericho, from Jerusalem to Jericho. So he was leaving Jericho, going to Jerusalem, and he was attacked by robbers. That's significant because he's going to a place of peace. But there's chaos happening. So that's the principle right there of that story. But between, on the other side of Jerusalem, there is the Mount of Olives. Now, the Mount of Olives was known for pressing olives, and that's where the oil press was made. Okay? So Jesus was in between a place of peace and pressure. And what he did when he found himself in there is he went to prayer. So the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane is where we see Jesus going in to pray. Okay? But the Kidron Valley is what it's referred to as, is also known as the Valley of Decisions. Jesus could have easily said, I'm not going into this place to pray. I'm going to just retreat and go back to Jerusalem. That's where everything is peaceful at. But there comes a moment in every believer's life where you will have to leave your place of comfortability and go to what God has called you to do. Right? But I Don't think that we often acknowledge the fact that, like I said last week, God is sometimes going to call you to a place that requires you to be uncomfortable. Okay? Jesus knew. I'm about to pray this prayer. I'm going to ask God. Look, man, look. Okay, I have decided. I know I was all in. I wanted to do this and I told you I know what my calling is, but it's just too much. Can you please remove this cup from me? That's the human nature of Jesus, which we really don't talk about a lot. When we refer to Jesus, we usually only talk about him as being God, the deity version, but we don't talk about the human version. The human version is, I know I made this decision. Can I please back out? If there's any way that's what that prayer was in the garden.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

There was.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

And then he said, God, not my will, but your will be done. So that shows us that Jesus had a way that he wanted things to go and he reverted. He submitted to the way that God wants things to go. When you find yourself in that valley, the valley of decisions, make sure you find yourself going into prayer. That's the whole purpose of that Message in John 18:1. Make sure you're going into prayer.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

When you find yourself in the valley. So important. It should be the start of everything.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Not. Not the finishing end of it. Don't make your decision and then pray about it.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You gotta pray about it before you make your decision.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right. And I think just real quick, when we talk about prayer, sometimes people are like, well, if God knows everything, what's the point of me praying? But it's just, you don't really have the whole idea of prayer. Prayer isn't to inform God about something, is to express your dependency on God for everything.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It's not God. What has just happened. I just thought I'd let you know. It's God. This just happened. I would say it's really. Prayer is an indication of the revelation that I have limitations as a human. You're God and I'm not. I need you for this situation. That's the purpose of prayer?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yes.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

You know, for so good. Just conversation. Yeah.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

You've actually been to the Kidron Valley, Correct. You went to Israel?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

How was that?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It was. It really did bring the Bible to life. And when I was there and I got back to the States, I was like, man, all I can do now is read the Bible. Which sounds crazy, but once you see it, it's like, wow, I wish I Could just be here all the time. But it made the Bible even more real, because there's no way that you could have that much detail about this place and it not have any significance.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Did it help you remember or memorize certain events in the Bible because you saw it? And then you could actually put.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

A place to the names.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes. One. One story. An example is when we were there. We were in King David's palace. They didn't know it was King David's palace until probably, like, 20, 23. And the way that they discovered it is because there were certain stones that they found, and it had the carvings of his signature on them. And so when we were there, I looked out and they were like, do you know what you're looking at? I'm like, no, I don't. I mean, I'm from America. Why would I know what this is? And so we looked down. They said, those are where the generals would live. And I'm like, okay, that's cool. And they're like, no story comes to mind. And then it hit me. The story that they were referring to was the story with Bathsheba. So you could see where King David would have been standing, which is approximately where I was standing, looking down to see Bathsheba. And so you can see, wow. This is where he would see and tell someone, go get that woman right there. Because you can see through all of the houses and stuff. So those stories came to life, and it made me really put a picture with the. The scripture that I always read and hear about, you know?

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

That's incredible. What is a valley that has been in your life that you've had to pray over?

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

There have been. There have been quite a few, but I would say the. The most significant one is I'm always having to pray for the posture of my heart and humility, because God has blessed me tremendously with platform, with resources and influence and relationships. And it's easy to think that you did this on your own. And sometimes you'll find yourself in a position where it was peaceful at one second, and now you're going into a chaotic situation. But the reason why prayer is so important for me in those moments is because I've seen some of the very people that I look up to get to the same place that I'm at now, and they fail. And it's all because, like the Bible says, pride leads to the fall. You know, first come pride, then comes a great crash, as Jesus said. So never. Never allowing myself to. To get too high up on my Horse. Yeah, that guy got to pull me down and have me walk on the horse, you know? So I would say that's. That's always. It is humility. Don't ever think that. Don't ever think that.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Got a high five you for that.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Yes, yes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Honestly, I'm like. Because I'm. I'm 30 years older than you, almost 25 years older than you. Keep praying that prayer every day of your life. I know I do for myself. Because it is. Everything that you're saying is so true. I think so many of us strive for a position of influence, and then we forget where it came from.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Right.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And it might not be your intention to have an ego or feel high and mighty, and yet it just. It will just creep in so easily over a long period of time that you just don't realize how far away you got. You've been removed from that humility. And so I see humility all over you, and I know it's because you pray for that.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Thank you so much.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Keep praying for that every day of your life.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

I will. We'll do.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

We'll do.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay, Mama. Candace. Okay. Well, we are going to go to a listener question. Today's is from Gracie, and she says, hi, I'm Gracie. I recently turned 18.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

Happy birthday.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Birthday. What is one piece of advice that you would give me as a new adult? It can be relational, spiritual, practical, whatever. I would just love to hear any advice.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

My number one piece of advice, I tell this to college students, students that I kind of mentor, that I grew up playing ball with. Serve as many people as you can. You are at the age now where you no longer have the reputation of your parents, so you're no longer under their household. You're not going to school. And the teachers know you are a good student because your parents are good people. You are now becoming your own person. And the more you serve, the higher you will get to the top. The world teaches you the opposite. The world will say, you know, you got to step on people to get to where you want to go, but God teaches the lower you go, the further you get. So the more that you can get your hands dirty and go into those places where it may be a little dark, but you know that you. The light that's going to shine in those places, God will elevate you to places that you could have never. I'm sitting here with you right now, and it's all because I wasn't afraid to serve people that the world just shunned away. So just serve. Serve People.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Yeah. That is fantastic advice, Gracie. Go serve. What would my mom advise be to you? I'm thinking of the most important things that I've told my kids.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

I truly believe that honesty will always get you the farthest.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

And it, and it's the little things. It's about not compromising on even like the little white lies, we just think they're, they're so easy to do and we get caught up in them. You know, I can get caught up in them too, but honesty is such a better way of life. Not just because about God. And the Bible tells us to be honest, but you don't have to backtrack. You don't have to think about what you told someone else to cover the lie, to tell someone else. And life is just so much better when you can live with a clear conscience. So be honest. Be honest with your friends. Be honest with yourself and what you're looking for, what you want. Be honest with God. He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart before you even see say that. So just, I would, I would say aside from Bible reading, because you know, my mom will, my mama Candace will tell you read your Bible every day. But I'm going to tell you be honest with yourself and those around you and with God.

[Jason Jackson Jr.]

It's great advice.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay, well, we're coming back next week and remember, we have a brand new resource for you this season. It is an exclusive video series hosted by Jason. The video series is called Unfiltered Faith and Jason will walk you through a lot of questions that Christians have but might be too afraid to talk about. You can go to Candice.com together to find the link to buy that course and that course does have a cost, but I'm telling you, it is really worth it. You'll also find a [e-mail] to ask

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

questions for future episodes.

[Candace Cameron Bure]

Okay, guys, until next time, be grateful all day, every day.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

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