What Is Your Comfort Zone Stealing from You?, with Lisa Anderson and Tom Meyer

 

Change is scary. Growth is hard. Faith is risky. Learn to embrace stretching seasons with guest Lisa Anderson on this episode of Grounded.

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Episode Notes:

Unexpected Grace: An Attitude of Surrender, with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

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Dannah Gresh: Are you stuck in a comfort zone? What could that be stealing from you? You're watching Grounded. I'm Dannah Gresh.

Portia Collins: I am Portia Collins, and sisters guess what? When we say comfort. We aren't talking about our American obsessions with air conditioners and A-grade mattresses. We are going straight for the places in your life that may be stealing your spiritual growth, the calling of God on your life, and even your blessings.

Dannah: Bam, go right for it, Portia girl. That's right, we are not talking about this morning, my eyes were extra baggy, they're always a little baggy in the morning, and I put ice on them. Portia, don't do that. I do not recommend it. It is discomforting. That's not the kind we're talking about. We're going for something much deeper. And the reason we're talking about this topic is because in recent years, there's really been a surge of TED talks, studies, and research on what's being called a cultural addiction to comfort. 

Now, researchers note that it's trapping people in jobs they hate; it's preventing them from trying new things. I mean, it's really a trending topic. What we want to do today is put that conversation through a biblical filter, because we believe that it's very easy to live in the comfort zone, rather than the obedient zone.

Portia: Yes, absolutely. We're here every week to give you hope and perspective, because if you're stuck in a comfort rut, it could be keeping you from the things God wants to use to grow you. Okay, and stretch you. So, is there an area that He's asking you to change? Is there a sin that He's asking you to turn away from, to repent? Is there a purpose on your life that's calling you away from a comfortable income? Or maybe a circumstance that makes you feel uneasy, but you know, you’ve got to do it? 

Dannah: Yeah, dropping truth bombs already this morning, Portia. Our guest today is Lisa Anderson. She's someone I'm kind of a big fan of, in just a moment, you'll see why. Her voice reminds me of velvet, she's so fun to listen to. She ministers to young adults through Focus on the Family. Lisa says that when we cling to what's easy and comfortable, we can miss an important opportunity to grow in the Lord.

Portia: Absolutely. Grounded is a conversation. And guess what? We want to hear from you. Is God calling you to something, to do something in your life right now that makes you uncomfortable? Get in the chat. Tell us about it. And while you're at your keyboard, hit those shares and subscribe buttons. That really helps us to reach more women with hope and perspective from Jesus Christ.

Dannah: That's right. Well, it's time for some good news. I know just the person to bring it to us. You already got a glimpse of her beautiful face this morning. 

Portia: That was the good news, to see her face. 

Erin Davis: I am the poster child for uncomfortable. I was like, I think I'm not supposed to be on here right now, but I’ll just keep smiling. So just modeling it for everybody this morning. You girls make it fun.

Dannah: Good morning, Erin Davis.

Good News with the Bible Memory Man (13:52)

Erin: Good morning! Well, I get to be the bearer of good news this morning. I'm so excited that I get to have a question for you. We're already stretching you in this episode of Grounded. 

How much Scripture do you have memorized? Do you have a handful of verses memorized? I mean, John 3:16 is a good verse. We probably all at least have that one. Do you maybe have a whole psalm memorized? It's one of my life goals to memorize Psalm 119, which just happens to be the longest psalm in the Bible. You will certainly have to step outside of your comfort zone to practice memorizing Scripture. I've heard a lot of women tell me they just can't do it. And that's true of every spiritual discipline. It takes discomfort. King David once famously wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart.”

But you know what we don't get when we become Christians. We don't get a USB drive, where God just inserts His Word into our cranium. So, we do have to have that discipline of learning it. Memorizing God's Word can be challenging. Like I said, lots of women have told me I just can't. Well, today's good news guest has a challenge to that way of thinking. He's known as the Bible Memory Man, and he's gonna tell us what's the big deal about Bible memory? Welcome to Grounded, Tom.

Tom Meyer: Thank you. It's great to be here.

Erin: Tom, how much of the Bible have you memorized?

Tom: Well, when King David counted the people, he got in really big trouble. So I try not to count verses, etc. But they say about 20 complete books.

Erin: Wow. Give us a taste. Share a little bit from one of your favorite passages.

Tom: Want something happy or something angry? 

Erin: Happy, give us something happy.

Tom: Happy. Okay.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? (Ps. 8:1–4)

Erin: Amazing. Do you have some sort of memorizing superpower? Or how is it you're able to memorize so much?

Tom: It's really difficult for me to memorize. Well, the hardest thing, of course, is obeying it. But it's really hard. I mean, I have a life. I have four kids under 10. I have a full-time ministry. And I'm busy like everybody else. But you know, God's Word is a treasure. It's worth laying up in our hearts. If it's in your hands, you're going to lose it or have it stolen from you. If it's your in your head, you're gonna forget it. But if it's locked away in your heart, you own it, and no one can take that from you.

Erin: Oh, man, what a great way of saying that. Just last week I said to my husband, “My brain isn't working.” 

He said, “Your brain’s fine. You just try to keep too much in your short-term memory.” 

And he's right. I tried to keep about a billion things in my short-term memory, including Scripture sometimes. I love that idea of getting it into our heart. You sent something to me in the mail. I was so excited when I got mail from you. It's a Memorization Study Bible, but I know it's like a tool I don't know how to use. So, teach us your process for memorization?

Tom: Well, I had the privilege of living in the Holy Land for 1,000 days. I earned two masters degrees on Mount Zion. And a lot of amazing things happen there. I met my wife there on Mount Zion. We were engaged in Bethlehem in Shepherds’ Field on Christmas Eve. And the cherry on top is we were married in the Old City of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. 

One of the really amazing things . . . I mean, you lived there for so long, you can do so many cool things. It's an easy place to fall in love. It's like, want to go on a date tonight and walk around the Mount of Olives?

So, I really learned how to memorize there from the best. The Memorization Study Bible, and you know, there's so many great study Bibles out there, Erin. But there isn't one dedicated to the all-important principle of hiding God's Word in your heart. We give lip service to memorizing Scripture. We all know Psalm 191:11 We sing the song, but nobody does it, if we're honest with ourselves. And that's a different subject.

But I learned there how to do it. And so to answer your question, it's basically three ways which are all fleshed out in more detail in the Memorization Study Bible. But reading aloud, because no one reads a lot in the west. That's so important to stare at the page, the power of format, then number two, is to hear it. We really don't hear God's voice throughout the week in the literal sense, if you think about it. When we read the Bible, we read it with our lips sealed. When we're in the car, we're listening to whatever. I mean, in my world, it's whatever DVDs playing on the back for the four kids. 

Erin: Right, me too.

Tom: When we go to church on Sunday, it's all good. We pray, and we do all those kinds of things. And don't get me wrong. I know we need verse by verse teaching and preaching and application and commentary, and etc. But we don't hear the book Revelation from memory, or 1 John from memory. We don't even hear God's Word, which is sad. The Bible is originally meant more for the ears than the eyes. Faith comes by hearing, be doers of the Word, not hearers only. So, there's an orality of Scripture that has been lost, but we're getting it back inch by inch. So, number two, listen to it. And then number three, and finally, it's how I do it, which is to write it out and say it when you write it.

Erin: I'm a write it out girl all the way. I recently just kind of had an epiphany that Jesus' words in the gospel are the only words from Jesus I'm going to get in this lifetime. They're Jesus' words; they came out of His mouth. So, to hear them, obviously, I'd love to hear them from Jesus' own mouth audibly, but to hear them, there's power in that. 

So, everything you're saying, I'm kind of wrestling with, in my own walk with Jesus. I appreciate your humility. I really do. I know you've been empowered by the Holy Spirit to memorize Scripture, memorizing a third of the Bible is a feat. But you are good news because I feel like you represent what happens when we are obedient, when we're willing to be stretched by God to do things for His glory. So, what has been the impact in your own life of memorizing so much of Scripture?

Tom: Well, that's just, you know, why should I do it? I mean, many people are self-defeatist, “I can't do it.” Well, then I can't help you. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Number one last time I checked, right? But look, I mean, just do a verse a week. You'll see that you'll be able to better defend your faith. You didn't go from the zoo to you by a series of time and chance and over billions of years. God created you in His own image and His own likeness has made you a little lower than the angels. Number two, it provides words of comfort in times of need. I got a call last week. My dad just dropped not dead but just dropped almost dead.

Where does your mind go? Where does your heart go? Where do you race? To the memorized Scripture? You can't fumble through your Bible sometimes, or pull out your phone and swipe around and look for that right verse. You need to have it on the tip of your tongue. It also provides words of comfort for other people. I mean, you get tongue tied. You don't know what to say to someone. But to speak the right verse in the right context is like apples of gold, pitchers of silver. It's the most valuable precious thing you can say to someone when it comes from the Word of God and nowhere else. It also more quickly provides us with our weapon of choice. Your weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 

If I was to take away every single Bible in the world, not me, let's make a bad guy do it. If the bad guy took the Bibles in the world, where are you? Where are you going to fight? What are you going to fight with? You only have what you have stored up in your heart. Think of Jesus tempted in the wilderness. What does He do under distress? He speaks the oracles of the living God from heart. And there you go. And then finally, it puts the mind of the living God within reach. It helps you set your mind, your heart on things above and keeps you stayed on Yahweh.

Erin: I'm in, man. There's more than enough reason there to start memorizing Scripture. What about those four kids of yours? Are they memorizing God's Word? And how are you doing that as a family?

Tom: Well, you know, I'm not an ogre, like, “You must memorize.”

Erin: Right.

Tom: I want them to want to do it. So, at bedtime, I'll take from my proverbial Rolodex, they can hear whatever Scriptures I have memorized. This is like Deuteronomy 6, right? Reciting these words is like the original intent of that meeting: recite these words to your children when you're sitting at the table, when you're walking by the way. In other words, we're supposed to be able to have the Word of God on the tip of our tongue and to be able to share that with our kids throughout the course of daily life. That's what it's all about. But if we don't have the Word of God hidden in our hearts, and it's on our lips, how do we expect to be able to instruct our children in the way which they should go?

Erin: Amen. We sing the doxology with our boys every night, and we repeat the high priestly prayer to them as we're tucking them in. I just know that that's going to bubble up in them in the future. It's been sung over them, said over them their whole lives, and that comes straight from God's Word. 

Well, we picked you as our good news today because we think you're going to inspire women to memorize Scripture for themselves for all of the great reasons you've given us this morning. So, say there's a woman in Brazil watching this morning or in Iowa or anywhere in-between, and she wants to hide God's Word in her heart. Where does she start?

Tom: Number one, start with something that's manageable. Don't overreach. Do something with light at the end of the tunnel. If you just did one verse a week from Titus, you do the whole book in a year, or Jonah, whole book in a year. It’s something that you can already walk through and be familiar with, and then it'll help build some confidence. 

You'll see it's gonna be hard at first, it's like working on exercising, you don't want to do it. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. And the more you see results, and the more you're encouraged that you're making a difference, and how much more with the Word of God? You'll see that all those blessings that are going to come to your mind, into your heart through meditating on the Word of God. They can get more tips and techniques on how to do it at TheBibleMemoryMan.com.

Erin: Awesome. All right, I hear a challenge there Grounded family. Pick up your Sword and memorize it. Get it into your heart. Be sure and tell us about it. Give us that website one more time, Tom, where people can find out more about you.

Tom: Sure, TheBibleMemoryMan.com.

Erin: Awesome. Thanks for being with us. 

Tom: Thanks, Erin. You're the best.

Erin: Thank you. 

Dannah: Wow, that was good stuff, Erin Davis. I had memorized Psalm 1. And do you know how I did it? Oh, it was embedded. It was a reading in a recorded worship song. 

Erin: Okay.

Dannah: I just loved that worship song, and I kept listening to it. And before I knew it, I had that memorized. There is such power in the hearing of the Word. I may have just found a key to unlock my challenges with memorizing Scripture.

Erin: I think you did. Maybe we're all going to have a memorization challenge. 

Dannah: I feel a challenge coming on. 

Erin: Me, too. 

Grounded with Lisa Anderson (25:15)

Dannah: I feel it coming on. Well, it's time to continue getting Grounded with God's people. Today I am so excited about today's guest. She has experienced a relationship stretching kind of discomfort when God called her housemate to do something radical to obey God. Lisa Anderson hosts Focus on the Family's weekly Boundless podcast. She loves Jesus, people, ideas, and if I have the fourth thing, right, guacamole. Lisa Anderson, is that right? Do you love guacamole?

Lisa Anderson: I do. You know only in fourth place though. So I have to get my priorities straight. But yeah, I make my own. I's fun. I mix it up. You know you can't go wrong with avocados. It's a good fat, Dannah.

Dannah: It is a good fat. I gotta ask you, do you do smooth guacamole or chunky guacamole?

Lisa: I kind of prefer chunky myself. 

Dannah: I do too! 

Lisa: So yeah, I would throw a bunch of things in it if I could. But when I'm sharing with friends, they get very particular about it. So I don't get too weird. I have to adjust my tastes a little bit.

Dannah: You're a good friend. All right, Lisa. Today we're talking about getting out of our comfort zone and into the obedient zone. I understand that God used a really specific experience to stretch you out of your comfort zone. Can you tell us about that?

Lisa: Yeah. I love it when people ask me to tell this story, because it's one of those stories that puts me in a horrible light. So, I feel like God is teaching me through it. 

Dannah: Oh no. 

Lisa: One of my dearest friends who also, as you said, happens to be my housemate . . . We're both single girls, friends from church. She decided, not on a whim, but she announced to methe Christmas before last that she was going to donate a kidney to my sister. My sister has long needed a kidney. She’s had for about four-and-a-half years now an autoimmune disease that shut down her kidneys. She was out here visiting me when that happened. She had a month-long hospital stay. 

And so unbeknownst to me, my friend had been praying about this. And it was, not immediately that was she convicted. She thought about it, prayed about it. There were other kinds of options in play. And then it was on Christmas Day of 2020 that she gave me a little card. It basically listed information from the National Kidney Registry about donation. She said, “This is something I've decided to do.” 

And then she added Dannah, the kicker. She said, “And by the way, I sent this same thing to your sister so that you can't talk me out of it.” And it was just so funny how in my heart, you know, here I am, of course I want my sister to get a kidney. But did I want one of my dearest friends to give one? No. I just wanted God to miraculously heal my sister, or to have maybe an anonymous donor step forward, that would in no way touch my life, or my comfort zone. I could script it out. I could plan it. I could control. That was not the way that God was choosing to meet this need. 

And so, to say the least, it ruined my Christmas. Basically, in the course of a couple of days, God had to do a lot of work with me through His Word to say, this is the way this is going so get on board.

Dannah: Take us into those days, because I feel like a lot of times when we tell our stories, we skip past those agonizing moments when we're talking with the Lord and searching through the Scriptures. What did you find in the Word? How did God get you in a place where you could rejoice over this risky procedure for both of them, I imagine, right?

Lisa: Yeah, absolutely. It was interesting, because first of all, my friend, was convicted by Scripture in order to do this. And she talked me through what God had shown her. And one passage was 1 John 3. That passage beginning in verse 17 says,

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (vv. 17–18)

And for her that was very convicting. It was only a few days after that, that she had come across the passage, she does caregiving, as well as one of her jobs. And with one of her ladies, they read the passage about whatever you've done for the least of these, you've done it for me. And for her, that was a pivotal deciding point of like, “This is something I'm going to do.” So she announces it to me. And she has never once looked back, Dannah. It was a confidence. She has not had any fear about this decision. And for me, I was like, “I feel like you're being a little cavalier with the kidneys. Do you even know where your kidneys are? Do you understand what kind of a gift this is?” It was very fascinating. 

Like I said, I went into a little bit of a downward spiral. It was a couple days later that I was reading specifically in James 2 where a parallel passage says,”What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith but doesn't have works? And can that faith save him?” And specifically this example, and I'm bringing it up here. “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body?’” What good is that and then it reiterates the whole idea that your faith is going to be lived out through works. 

It was weird because in parallel to that, I was also walking through portions of the Old Testament, and God brought the story of Abraham and Isaac to mind. Abraham is marching up the mountain with his son. God has told him that he is most likely going to have to sacrifice his own son. He's saying to himself, “Aren't all the nations of the earth supposed to be blessed? Aren't I supposed to populate? Aren't I supposed to build up God's people through my own seed? And how is this supposed to work?” 

And it was like God said to me, “Lisa, to do something scary is a very fearful thing. And there are scary things that I will ask you to walk through. But much worse is Me calling you to do something and you refusing to obey.” What in the world? 

You know, it was just like when I think of Jonah. I think of the other stories that come up. And my goodness, like why would I doubt the goodness of God and choose to not obey? I mean, choose to not obey Dannah, this isn't like some ambiguity out there. You know the heart of all sin is unbelief. If I'm going to walk in unbelief, what is that saying about my trust in the heart of my very own Father God. 

And so, it was a little bit of a process and some conversations with my friend Juliana, but God was there. Not that I didn't try to manipulate a few things on the side. There were a few bargaining days with God. I mean, let's not over spiritualize this and act like guys just on board. But He was so good in the process. It was just four months ago now that that kidney donation happened. 

Dannah: How are they doing? How's your sister? How's Juliana, your roommate? How are they doing? How's their health?

Lisa: Yeah, just fantastic. Juliana has come through. Obviously, that whole surgery is kind of weird, and your body has to adjust to it. But of course, because God is so miraculous. Many people don't know that when you give a kidney that other kidney grows some to compensate for that kidney function. And so, she said, she feels totally normal. 

My sister is great. That kidney started working on the table as they hooked it up before she was even out of anesthesia. She has never done dialysis since. She still has, and women watching can pray, some edema, some swelling. That is a side effect of her medication. She will be on anti-rejections the rest of her life. That's a slow road that she needs to walk through. But she is, of course, so grateful. 

One thing I want to say, too, is the impact of our obedience and the choices that we make. Sometimes we won't even see the immediate effects. But one thing that Juliana has seen is and I've even seen it in telling this story. People cannot believe it. I mean, we have gotten neighbors, we have got coworkers, we have got other folks who stop and say, “Why would you give a kidney to someone, not even a relative? Why would you choose to do this?” It's like an entrance to sharing the entire gospel and the love of God and His power in our lives. And it's just like God is giving Juliana and even myself in a secondary way, a stage to say, “Here's how God is good. Here's how He meets our needs.” He is at the center of everything that is good and gracious for His glory alone.

Dannah: How beautiful. And that's the ultimate reason why we all need to get out of our comfort zone and into the obedient zone. It puts the gospel on display and people say, “You're doing what?” It shines a light on Him. It's not about us. It's about him. I love what you're saying today. It's speaking to my heart. It's like the Holy Spirit is saying, “Dannah, are you taking notes?” This morning I was interceding for something. It wasn't about kidneys. I don't think that many of us are going to be called to give up our kidneys or support our roommate as they give up their kidney. But I had this thing that I was saying, “Lord, will You just do this for me? I need You to show up.” 

I had this stillness in my heart. God said something in my spirit. Like, I'm gonna need you to put some elbow grease in this, girl. I mean, that was not God's language. He doesn't sound like that. But that's what I sensed in my heart. So, speak to the woman right now who's being called to something. What would you say is the first step if she's feeling uncomfortable with what God is calling her to do? What is her first step to begin to walk in obedience?

Lisa: Yeah. You kind of are delineating it right there. There's only one step. The only step we can take is the one right in front of us. I think a lot of times . . . This is where we get into our own heads too much. We start projecting out to worst case scenarios. We start thinking, But what if, but what if, but what if, and don't trust that God will meet us there. I would say the absolute first step is to just stop and deliver the whole thing over to the Lord Himself. Start praying about it, acknowledge your fear. You know, God says in the psalms to pour out your complaint to Him. The person you're not supposed to pour out your complaint to is all the people that want to sit around with you and gripe and blame God. Talk about fears, pour it out to God, because not only does He care, but He can actually do something about it.

Dannah: I love that. 

Lisa: So that's step one. And then the next thing is just take that next step. So my story in this, Dannah, as I alluded to, is I just realized what a control freak I am and how I wanted to step in, I remember going on a hike right here near me. And by the time I was done, I was so wound up about situations in my life, beginning with the kidney. Then it spiraled into other things. I came home and in less than five minutes, I wrote down 36 people and situations I was trying to control that I had no control over. 

I'm talking about most of the women in my Bible study. I'm talking about every member of my family, most of them had multiple entries under them. And then it went from there to coworkers to my own boss, to the people who run Twitter, to the United States government. And I mean, it's just like, one by one, God said, turn those over to me. I had to systematically just say, “I gotta let it go.” 

So that's a big thing. The other thing is, get support from your Christian community, from your friends. When we're all walking through something hard or choosing to do something hard together, we can link arms. We can say, it's scary to step out in this. But if I know people are going to have my back, if I know people are praying for me, if I know that they're kind of assenting, to the fact that, “Yeah, I think God might be calling you to do this.” We can do it. 

There's so many great Scriptures that apply to this as well. Going back to the Israelites with manna, Dannah, this was really impressed upon me just in the last week. We see in that story that manna that is hoarded, spoils. We are meant to be a conduit. If we think of a pipe, God's blessings to us, shoot them out the other direction to people to the world, to the people who don't know the Lord, to the people in your own church, in your own family. We’ve got to be passing it on. Because otherwise, it's just going to be stocked up. And ultimately, the blessings will spoil. And so, keeping that forward mindset is also really helpful for folks who want to get started.

Dannah: I love that one last question. I know there's a woman sitting there thinking, Ah, this is speaking to me, but I am terrified. Let's motivate her. What do you think we miss when we don't obey God and follow His will for our lives? Or I guess another way of asking that is, How did God show up in your life in a special way when you did obey Him in this?

Lisa: Some days it was just a day-by-day thing, because again, I didn't just say, “Okay, I'm deciding to do this.” And now all of a sudden, “I'm fear free.” In fact, it was kind of hard for me that my friend Juliana didn't experience fear in this area. But it was very helpful for her to say to me, “Lisa, maybe this isn't just my area of fear. I feel like God's really convicted me of this. But it doesn't mean I don't fear in other areas.” 

I was able to see. I wasn't setting her up on some kind of pedestal of, “Well, you're just a special person, and God only uses special people.” God uses fearful, ill-equipped women to do things. And so, I would say that could be you right there watching and listening. 

And again, like Dannah said before, don't say, “Well, I better just start looking into kidney donation.” That may not be what God's calling you to do. But He may be calling you to ask a neighbor over for coffee. He may be asking you to open up your home for that event at church. He may be asking you to volunteer for VBS this summer when you're just like, “Can anyone else volunteer?” You know, it just is that hard thing that maybe you're gonna bless someone by just saying “yes” and being willing to step out. 

If we don't do it, you don't know whose life may be impacted. You don't know. I mean, Scripture says the woman who is a blessing to others will be blessed. And that's not some weird kind of prosperity gospel. We don't need to look for the tangibles. But we need to trust God at His Word and say, “God's got this, and He's big, and I don't know what He's doing. I may not see the fruit of it now, but I know that a world is watching and God will be pleased and ultimately will bring glory to His name.”

Dannah: I love it. I have no doubt that Erin Davis is going to come on here any minute and say, Lisa is a Grounded favorite. Thank you for being with us today. I am so blessed to have had you and to get to interface with you once again. If you want to stay in touch with Lisa, you’ll want to follow her at Boundless.org. Don't you just love her? Thank you, Lisa.

Lisa: Absolutely.

Erin: I'm gonna have to make that list of people that I'm trying to control. It's gonna be longer than 36 entries I'm afraid. Good, good, good conviction.

Dannah, as you and Lisa were talking, I was reminded of a photo I keep on my phone. You probably can't see it very well, but it's a woman on a tightrope way high up. And that's because I call obedience, the tightrope of terrified obedience. It is scary otherwise. I mean, it wouldn't be obedience if it didn't cost us some skin in the game. But as she modeled for us, man, is it worth it. So, I'm going to have to go back and listen to that interview for all that the Lord wants to apply in my life.

And you guys are writing us comments about the things the Lord is calling you to do. It's not always going under anesthesia and having a body part removed, as was the case of her housemate. Some of them are really good things, some of you are feeling stretched in the area of your family planning, that God wants you to have more children, and that makes you feel uncomfortable for some of you. It's an opportunity that has dropped into your lap, that is a good opportunity, but you feel stretched in it. 

Sometimes really good things can make us feel really stretched. And that means they become an opportunity to surrender ourselves in a brand-new way to God's plan. That's what happened to our friend Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. She's the founder of Revive Our Hearts, when get this, God called her to get married for the first time at age 57. Talking about the tightrope of terrified obedience, watch this short clip.

Video from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (42:30)

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: My story is obviously different than anyone else's. And yours is different than anyone else's. So, the details have been different and certainly being single all these years and joyfully serving the Lord as a single woman and then considering the prospect of marriage in your mid-fifties. There are many stories quite like that. But I do think there are components of this story that I would say should be true of anyone thinking of marriage at any age. 

So, I've got a lot of young friends, I've walked through a dating and courtship process that in many cases has led to marriage. I've had young women come to me numerous times over the years, “How can I know? Is this the right man? Am I supposed to be married?” I had a young woman come to me very close to her wedding. She was having some real fears and doubts and second thoughts. Those are hard questions to answer, because you're not God, and you can't tell someone else what exactly He may be wanting in their life in that season. 

But as I've sought to share wisdom from God's Word with others, I would say to anyone else at any age seeking the Lord about marriage, I think it's so critical, first of all, to know that your own will is surrendered to the will of God. And not just about marriage, but any other thing in life. Should we have children, should we not? Should I take this job? Should I move? Should I build this house? Should I buy this? Whatever big things, little things, the goal is that my attitude will always be, “Lord, I want what you want. Not my will but Yours be done, or make my will to be what your will is. I want You. I want what will please You. I want what will honor You. I want what will advance Your kingdom.” 

And then in that process, yes, we have emotions. Yes, we have desires. And those aren't necessarily sinful or bad things. Those emotions which can be very volatile, they can be up and down depending on how much sleep you've had, what you've had to eat, who you've been with what your inputs you're getting, the emotions can go up and down. They can be a bit of a roller coaster. But what is steady? What is sure and what is secure is the Word of God. It's the ways of God. It's the wisdom of God. 

So, my goal in this and I would say to anybody considering marriage or any other life-changing decision is to say, “Lord, lead me by Your Spirit. And then let my mind follow You, and let my emotions follow You as well.”

Grounded in the Word: Philippians 4:13 (45:24)

Portia: Amen. Such good wisdom from my very own Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. Well, it is time to get grounded in God's Word. So ladies, grab those Bibles and turn with me to the book of Philippians chapter 4, verse 13. Many of us may not even need our Bibles to say this verse because a lot of us have it memorized. And so, looking at chapter 4, verse 13, it says, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” 

This is the apostle Paul talking here. The Him in this verse is the Lord Jesus Christ. The context of this verse focuses on the God-given power to endure any circumstance, even the most difficult and uncomfortable circumstances. 

Now to be clear, this passage is not a permission slip, to treat God as if He is some genie in a bottle only good for granting your every wish. This is not that, okay? Sometimes what we want is simply not God's will for our lives. But this verse is certainly a comfort and an assurance that God will strengthen us through those hard things that He calls us to. 

This is not a theory or a hypothesis. It's a fact. He will strengthen us through the hard things that He calls us to. God strengthening is something I have experienced time and time again. 

This past week I celebrated my one-year anniversary of serving here at Revive Our Hearts. And as I reflected on my journey, I was reminded of how coming to Revive Our Hearts actually started with a very hard and uncomfortable decision. 

Before I even knew that I would come and serve here, God called me to quit my job at that particular time and to follow His leading for the next step. I can remember texting Dannah and Erin, terrified. I told them that God had laid on my heart to quit my executive level job and to begin restructuring my life in a way that reflected Him first, family next, and then everything else. This was an incredibly hard decision to make, for a variety of reasons, because it was completely different than what I had ever known. 

I had always worked full time. I wouldn't say cushy, but a pretty good job. And honestly, I prided myself on my career. I had two degrees and 10 years of experience. I felt like making this decision was throwing all of that away. On top of that, I was afraid of what this decision would mean for our family financially. 

We were comfortable; we were a two-income family. And leaving that job just did not make sense to me. But you know what? God's math doesn't always make sense, especially when He calls us to a new career, or to leave our careers entirely to focus more on our family's home life. Sometimes trusting Him fully means leaving the comfortable security of a paycheck or just abandoning what your plans are. And that's exactly what God called me to do. 

Honestly, I did not have the strength to do it. But thankfully, I didn't have to have the strength. I was able to make the hard decision of walking away from that job and moving in obedience because of Him who strengthens me. I don't know what uncomfortable or hard thing God is calling you to do. My words and testimony alone can only provide you with a sliver of comfort. But know this, if God calls you to it, He can most certainly strengthen you through it. 

Don't delay in your obedience, get out of your comfort zone and follow Him completely.

Dannah: That is so good. If God calls you to it, He can most assuredly strengthen you through it. What a good word today. P., thank you for bringing that to us. I should say Portia, my nickname for you tends to be P. So there’s that. 

Portia: What is my nickname for you? Dannah Banana.

Dannah: Dannah Banana, I'll take it.

Hey, if you're listening today, I know some of these ladies are so encouraged. I was reading the comments and people are so encouraged. One of the things that's really coming up over and over again is that control, losing control. Control gives us some level of comfort. Erin, I think we have a new episode topic for the next few weeks.

Erin: Yes, we do.

Dannah: We're gonna have to tackle that one. Well, if you're struggling with control, and you want to submit and surrender your life to Jesus, I have a tool. I’m just dying to introduce to you, maybe you know about it, it's really helped me in my life and taught me to obey God when it's hard for me to. It's the Bible study Seeking Him. It's cowritten by our own Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

I've done the study twice. One of my favorite parts of it is the inventories that you find in the pages. They really allow you to assess your walk with the Lord. I love that because sometimes I get in my comfort zone, and I don't even know it. So this study helps you examine, Am I surrendering my plans to His? Am I walking in obedience?

In fact, Erin, if my memory serves me correctly, you and I did this study leading up to a True Woman event several years ago, because we wanted to make sure our hearts were poised in surrender. As we I think on that particular year, we were leading the Teen Track of the conference, is that right? 

Erin: Yeah, that's a true story. And the story behind the story is that I moved during that time when we'd set out to do Seeking Him. I was so glad when I got to put that Bible study in a box and tape it up because it was stretching me in ways I did not expect to be stretched. 

Dannah: Yeah.

Erin: Exposing some areas where I was not obedient. Of course, I had to unbox it and finish the study and walk in obedience. But that's right. We've done that study together. I've done it several times. The women in my church just did it last fall. The Lord did a great deal of work in our hearts. Obedience is not a one and done. It is a part of the Christian life that keeps going. 

So whether you've told us that area where you know you need to obey, we want you to get a grab this study because the Lord will expose some areas. 

Seeking Him as part of our summer Bible study sale here at Revive Our Hearts. And you know, we love to give you the inside scoop: Every Bible study is for sale at Revive Our Hearts as part of this summer Bible study sale. We're calling it our summer sale. But we know that a lot of women are thinking about their fall studies, women's ministry leaders are preparing for that new ministry season that's right around the corner. 

So, you might want to grab a bunch of copies of Seeking Him while they're at a discounted price. You can learn more about that ReviveOurHearts.com. And there's a Teen Track room at True Woman ’22 this year again, but we've passed the baton. I don't know if we're getting too old for it or not, but we are going to let someone else lead the Teen Track.

Dannah: That's right, Staci Rudolph will be leading the True You Teen Track this year. I'm so proud of her. That's this fall at the True Woman ’22 conference in Indianapolis. We also have a lot of other guest speakers: Kelly Needham, she's a favored speaker, Laura Perry Smalts, and you Erin. You have not aged out of there. 

Erin: I’ll be there. I'll be there when I have white hair. You're not gonna keep me out of that Teen Track. Staci might be feeling like she's on the tightrope of terrified obedience. Dannah is gonna be a part of that Teen Track as well. 

Dannah: Yeah. 

Erin: So, in case that wasn't on your radar screen, let us be the ones who encourage you to bring your 13- to 17-year-old daughter, neighbor, granddaughter, friend to True Woman in Indianapolis. It's happening September 22—24. I feel like that soon it's coming at us really soon. And when you bring her, she'll enjoy all of the main sessions with you. You'll hear from other great teachers like Nancy, Kay Arthur, Chris Brooks, but there's a full day of discipleship playing just for those true young women. Learn all about it at TrueWoman22.com.

Dannah: You know, I can't help since our topic today is on the comfort zone versus the obedient zone. Many years I hear from moms saying, “I kind of had to force my daughter and my daughter doesn't want to come.” 

Erin: Some eyes are rolling is what you’re saying. 

Dannah: Exactly. The eyeballs are rolling. That might happen in Christian households. And moms, I just want to encourage you to push past your comfort zone if you're sensing this could be fruitful in your daughter's life. One of the things we hear is that they don't want to come alone. Well, every year we host this Teen Track and there are maybe half the teens who do come without a friend. They show up alone. And it's not what you would call comfortable for a minute or two in the beginning of the True WomanTeen Track until we help them reach out and they meet new sisters in Christ. They press past that discomfort. What a wonderful opportunity to learn to rise above the comfort zone and to live in the obedient zone to draw closer to Jesus. Please invite your teen daughters and granddaughters to join you at True Woman ’22 in just a few weeks.

Erin: We can't wait to hug their necks. 

Wow, what a challenging episode. I've been thinking about my boys the whole time. My two oldest boys just got back from church camp, so they have that church camp feeling. They're reading their Bibles; they're eager to serve their little brothers. We just had a conversation yesterday that once you get a taste of how free obeying God is, you just gonna want more and more of it. 

So, I wouldn't say that I think I've grown in this area of obedience. I'm quicker to obey, and quicker to turn away from my comfort zone, to obey the Lord because there's so many rewards in it. I want to be on the tightrope because that's where God is. How about you? Think you're getting quicker at it? Dannah?

Dannah: I think I live afraid. I obey afraid. But I think in general I am walking in the right direction of obedience. That doesn't mean sometimes I don't disobey. I felt some conviction of the Lord today. But I am trying to walk in the right direction.

Erin: I say I do everything scared and tired. I just do.

Dannah: You must be a mom.

Erin: I am totally a mom. But I do want to just put the period on the fact that obeying God is so rich, we should run towards it, because He's so good to us in it.

Dannah: He is. Friends, join us next week. Our episode is a big one. We've been waiting for this. It's been on our hearts for a really long time. Diane Langberg will be our guest she is a foremost expert on caring for those hurt by abuse, particularly abuse in the church. I really believe that it's a conversation you cannot afford to miss because we need more people in the body of Christ equipped to help hurting hearts heal. I hope you'll join us next week. Let's wake up with hope together on Grounded.

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