Podcast Summary: The Wake-Up Call

Episode Title: From Believing in God to Believing God
Host: Seedbed (J.D. Walt)
Date: February 25, 2026
Theme: Moving from intellectual assent to personal trust in Jesus, especially as experienced through the practices and lessons of Lent.

Episode Overview

This episode, part of the 40 Days of Lent journey, focuses on the vital distinction between "believing in God" (intellectual or doctrinal assent) and "believing God" (deep personal trust and reliance). Through scripture reflection, prayer, memorable illustrations, and a time of singing, J.D. Walt (with guests, including his father, David Walt) invites listeners to examine the difference—and the life-changing implications—of truly trusting Jesus.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Waking Up to Jesus and the Heart of Lent

• The episode begins with an emphasis on spiritual alertness:

  "Wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." (01:13)
  The host encourages the audience to not merely go through the motions, but to pray and open their hearts to the ongoing movement of Jesus in daily life.

2. The Central Question: Who Do You Say I Am?

• Scripture Focus: Mark 8:29

  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” (03:04)

• This moment is described as the "question of all questions"—not about what others say of Jesus, but about one's own answer and personal relationship.

3. Catechesis, Catechumens, and Catechism

• The history of Lent as a time for training new Christians, introducing terms like "catechumens" and "catechesis" (04:39).
• Main teaching point:

  "A person can learn all the answers to all the questions and still fail the test...if a person knows all the answers...but still misses the answer to the question of all questions, all their learning will have been for naught." (05:51)

• Knowledge about God, while good, can be incomplete without real trust and surrender to Jesus himself.

4. The Medicine Analogy: Faith as Action

• The difference between belief and action is highlighted with this memorable illustration:

  “A sick person is cured not by believing in the medicine, but by taking it.” (07:38)

• Salvation isn't about mental assent or hard effort, but about receiving grace through faith—a faith that takes Jesus in.
• Notable quote:

  "We are saved by grace through faith in the atoning life, death, resurrection, ascension and coming return of Jesus Christ. Period. Full stop." (08:20)

5. Sin, Symptoms, and the True Cure

• Discusses the conceptual difference:

  • Capital S Sin = the root sickness
  • Little s sins = symptoms (12:03)

• True transformation comes from repeatedly "taking the medicine" of Jesus—actively trusting and receiving him each day, not settling for once-and-done conversion.

• Personal story:

  "As soon as I felt better, I stopped taking the medicine...I got real sick at that point...because I just quit." (13:47)
  Used to describe how many Christians plateau or struggle because they stop intentionally trusting Jesus daily.

6. The Power and Purpose of Song and Worship (16:08–18:45)

• The hosts make a gentle case for why singing matters, regardless of skill:

  "It's not about singing. It's about worshiping God... We were made for music." (16:28)

• Encouragement to make worship a natural part of life:

  "We want to go through life singing. We want to go out of life singing." (18:08)

• Reminder:

  "There are no wrong notes." (18:15, David Walt)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On religious learning:

  "Just getting. Learning all this stuff is not faith... The goal...is to actually get us to believe God. Okay, to take the medicine." (12:29)

• On true faith:

  "You gotta take it. You see, faith is taking the medicine. Faith is inviting ... Jesus, you... you gotta come in here." (12:39)

• On everyday trust:

  "Jesus is much better than that. He's like, no, I'm gonna first deal with the sickness... then I'm going to help you deal with all those symptoms, all those patterns that sin created in your life." (14:31)

• On the journey:

  "It's simple, but it's demanding... It takes focused attention, but just staying with it." (15:45)

Song & Worship Segment

Timestamps: 18:45–22:45

• The hosts and guests sing “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” (all four verses, #154).
• They personalize the final chorus:

  “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust you/How I’ve proved you o’er and o’er..." (22:18)

• Afterwards:

  "I have a feeling he loved that song today. That's what he wants... Because if we're trusting him, he's proven himself to us." (22:45–23:01)

Reflection & Application

• Journal prompts and questions:
  • Have you thought of sin (big S, little s) as sickness and symptoms?
  • How does that help you understand your need for an ongoing relationship with Christ?
  • Are you in the routine of religion, or truly waking up to the reality and presence of Jesus?

Episode Takeaways

• Knowledge about God is not enough—true Christianity is about trusting God, receiving his grace, and daily living in relationship with Jesus.
• The journey of faith, like taking ongoing medicine, requires focused, intentional trust—not just a "one and done" attitude.
• Worship and community (including singing together) play a key role in forming and sustaining that trust.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (01:13) – J.D. Walt
• "The only necessary thing comes down to the only necessary question... It's not do you believe in God? It's much deeper than that. The question is: do you believe God?" (06:42) – J.D. Walt
• "We are saved by grace alone, through faith, alone in the atoning life... death, resurrection, ascension and coming return of Jesus Christ. Period. Full stop." (08:20) – J.D. Walt
• "Faith is taking the medicine... Wake me up to the reality of you, not the routine of religion." (12:39) – J.D. Walt
• "There are no wrong notes." (18:15) – David Walt
• “That’s what the world needs. That’s how the world sees Jesus—when we trust him. Because he proves himself.” (23:01) – J.D. Walt

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–03:04: Opening, prayer, and scripture (Mark 8:29)
• 04:39–06:42: On catechumens and the purpose of catechism
• 07:38–08:20: The medicine analogy and nature of saving faith
• 12:03–15:45: Sin as sickness/symptoms; taking the medicine daily
• 16:08–18:45: Discussion about singing and worship, encouragement to participate
• 18:45–22:45: Singing “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”
• 22:45–23:16: Closing thoughts and encouragement

Final Words

This episode offers a heart-level challenge for Lent: don’t settle for knowledge about God, but step into deeper trust—believing God, not just believing in God. Through scripture, story, analogy, reflective questions, and song, listeners are invited to pursue a faith that is real, relational, and transformative.