Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1243 | Gen Z Wants Authentic Faith. Here’s What They Need to Know | Madi Prewett Troutt

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Holy Spirit is up to something, y'all. It feels like America is in the midst of or on the brink of revival. And what we need right now is to know the Word of God, to be filled with this spirit from the wisdom in His Word. And we need sincere, on-fire Christians to not only know the truth, but live the truth and speak the truth fully. And today we are having an emboldening conversation with Christian author and podcast. Master, Maddie Trout. I am so excited for you to listen to this. We recorded this episode

Starting point is 00:00:36 a couple weeks ago before everything has happened over the past two weeks. And I still find everything that was shared here to be so perfect for this moment. And that's because God always knows what he is doing. He is always working all things together for the good of those who love him, for the good of his people and for his glory. So I just pray that this conversation glorifies him and encourages all of you. If you love this podcast, please subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, leave us a five-star review. We love that there are so many new people now in our community.

Starting point is 00:01:13 Welcome to the relatable family. I hope this is an edifying next hour for you. It's brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers. Go to Good Ranchers.com. Use Code Allie at checkout. That's good ranchers.com. Code Allie. Maddie, thanks so much for taking the time to join us for the,

Starting point is 00:01:39 those who may not know, I know a lot of people out there already follow you, but for those who don't, who are you? And what do you do? I am a speaker, a writer, I guess I should have started with wife and mama, follower of Jesus and have a past of going on reality TV, which is a crazy time of my life going on The Bachelor. Yes. I was to say specifically. But yeah, now I get to just spend my time telling people about Jesus, which is fun. Yes, the Bachelor was a long time ago, yet a lot of people probably still attach that long time ago thing that you did to you and probably kind of say this is why people know her, which might have been originally true. So for those who are interested about that time, how old were you? How did you get on The Bachelor? How'd that go?

Starting point is 00:02:26 So I was 23 years old living in Alabama. And I was going through Bible College at the time, had just ended a relationship with a guy that I had been dating for four years, thought I was going to Mary. God asked me to lay the relationship down, didn't understand why. I'm a part of this small group called Single Dating Engage, Married based off of a book that Ben Stewart wrote. And I'm helping lead this small group and I'm hanging out with these girls. I come over and they're all watching the Bachelor. Yeah. I immediately start judging them, Ali. I'm going to be really honest with you. I started judging them. And I was like, you guys, we have to turn this off. Why are we watching the show? And I had never watched it before. So I truly didn't really understand what it was about. I just

Starting point is 00:03:05 knew it was reality TV, so I was like, okay, this is probably trash. And so immediately, I'm judging and telling them to turn it off. They make a joke, you should go on the show. You would be great on the show. I'm like, I don't know anything about this show, but you will never catch me going on a show like this. I literally say that. They all start laughing in the corner. I don't know what they're laughing about. Months passed by. I'm working out at the gym. I get a call from a California number. I answer, and they're like, is this, is this Maddie Pruitt? And I'm like, yes. And they're like, hey, this is so-and-so from The Bachelor.

Starting point is 00:03:38 We would love for you to come on our show. We got your application. I'm like, well, you have the wrong Maddie because I'm in seminary. And I didn't apply for your show. And they were like, no, we got your application and we really think you should consider it. And, you know, I very much shrugged my shoulder, like said, no, I would never do that. Didn't think much about it. Called my mom thinking she would laugh about it with me and think it was just so ridiculous.

Starting point is 00:04:03 and she was like, well, I think we should pray about it. Like, I think you should take it to God and just ask him why this came about and what to do with it because the first thing we always do is pray. And I was like, what? I wasn't expecting that. And so I was shook by her answer and challenged and just was like, okay, well, I'll take it to God, but I know God's going to say no. And over the course of a couple of months. Ironically, I kept feeling a pool to say yes. I kept feeling a pool and a piece to take that step of obedience and go on reality TV. And I really had no idea what to expect. Like I said, I hadn't really watched an episode before, maybe one or two after I said yes to kind of prep for it and went in with just an open mind, open hands, thinking I'm here to share the gospel with the

Starting point is 00:04:50 girls on the show. Like, I don't know why I'm here. I just am saying yes. and ended up going all the way to the end. Okay, wait, who applied for you? Okay, so my friends, oh yeah, let me backtrack there. So my friends who were watching the show, who were a part of my small group, applied me. That's why they were laughing in the corner. They applied me for the show without me knowing.

Starting point is 00:05:11 And they submitted a picture and everything. They submitted the pictures, the full application. So you didn't even do an in-person audition or interview. They just saw the picture, saw the application. It was actually a long interview process. So in those months of praying, I was going through all that. interviews. And then the top 100, like they fly you to California. It's a very intense interview once you make it to California. And I just the whole time am praying like, Lord, I don't know how I'm going

Starting point is 00:05:37 to do this. Like, I think you need to choose someone else. But I just kept feeling such a peace about it. And of course, right when I feel peace to say yes, all the friends that applied me are like, no, actually, I don't think you should go on the show. And I'm like, you applied me to go on the show. And I do feel a piece about it. And I just feel like I need to say, yes. And I didn't know why I was saying yes, but now in looking back, I so see how the Lord has used it and even grown me so much in my faith independence in him. And it's truly crazy the opportunities and moments that I had, even behind the scenes filming the show with producers and with the girls to get to just talk about Jesus. And sometimes not even talk about Jesus.

Starting point is 00:06:17 They just would see me reading my Bible. They just would see me, you know, praying and not gossiping and not dressing a certain way and not drinking in these things. and would be curious about it and just would ask questions. And it just was really cool in a culture of there being such compromise and competition to just say, hey, I know who I am in Christ and I'm not here to, you know, steal a rose from you or anything like that. Like I am here to just because I feel like the Lord called me to go on the show. And, you know, I think it was really cool how the Lord used that.

Starting point is 00:06:48 And then when it aired, you know, getting to take a stand for Jesus and for my purity was. Yeah, tell us more about that because some people don't know what happened there with the fantasy suite. Totally. So this was kind of the last few weeks. And if you don't know much about The Bachelor, there's this week called Fantasy Suite Weeks. And I just thought it was a crazy concept. Yeah. I'm like, this is wild.

Starting point is 00:07:14 Yeah. That in order to see if we want to be together forever, we have to explore things physically and sexually, but you're going to do this with multiple people. Like that concept to me was really wild. And I just remember being so prayerful about it because I was like, I know a lot of people are going to be watching this who aren't believers. And I don't want to come across judgmental at all, but I also know my values and my convictions that I'm unwilling to compromise in. And, you know, there was just a lot going on. A lot of, I've probably signed so many things that I'm not allowed

Starting point is 00:07:48 to say, but just a lot happening behind the scenes that there was definitely a set up going on of trying to make this a really big thing. When in my mind, it's just like, yeah, these are my convictions and I'm not going to, I'm not going to compromise. And essentially have a moment with The Bachelor and, you know, just shared, hey, these are my values. I'm saving myself for marriage. And I'm going to be with someone who values purity, who values a relationship with Jesus,

Starting point is 00:08:15 who sees the importance of this. And I'm not saying that has to be your story in the past. But in order to move forward, like I do. need to be with someone who does understand this and at least like understands my values behind this. And I just remember like explaining how it would be so hard for me to say yes to someone getting down on one knee after he had just said yes to all these other girls physically and intimately three, four, five days before. And so I just was explaining, you know, to him, hey, I just, I can't. I'm sorry. And he's just explaining to me, but you know, I really,

Starting point is 00:08:51 I love you. But there's also other people here. here and, you know, I got to explore this. And I'm like, you don't have to do anything. And I'm not going to stick around if you choose to do that. And then he ended up telling me he did choose to do that because I was the last one-on-one of that week. And, you know, it was a very confusing, weird time. I ended up breaking up with him like a couple of days before engagement. Just out of praying through Lord, you know, I don't see this being someone that I could partner with. in life forever. I don't see this being someone that we share the same beliefs and convictions. And so I ended up breaking up with him. And then I ended up kind of getting brought back into it

Starting point is 00:09:33 again and we go into the finale together. And then I get chewed out by his mom. And it's just a whole little situation. I mean, now looking back, I'm kind of like, the girl wasn't that off because we weren't on the same page spiritually. And so the whole thing was essentially just like, you know, I don't approve of you or bless this relationship because you're not on the same page. And there were probably a few other things that were said that were not kind. But I just remember the whole time praying, Holy Spirit, speak to me, give me wisdom on what to say and what not to say. I truly believe that meekness is strength under control. And I'm like, Lord, I just want to be meek.

Starting point is 00:10:12 I want to be humble and I want to be strong. I want to know who I am in this moment and not say anything out of hungering for validation and approval from other people. I don't want to say anything that's, you know, me being governed by my flesh. I want to have a mind governed by the spirit in this moment. And I want to point others to you. And I'm just sitting here having like this wrestle in my mind of like, what do I say? How do I handle this moment? And I honestly don't even remember what I said.

Starting point is 00:10:35 It was kind of the craziest 10 minutes of my life very quick. And, you know, of course I left the set and immediately locked myself in the bathroom and cried. And just was like, Lord, that was so hard. And I don't understand why I had to go through that. But I just trust you with it. And I trust you're going to use. it, which he has, and if not for any other reason, then even to grow my own faith and dependence on him. And so I'm so grateful for it, but it definitely has led to my ability now to be able

Starting point is 00:11:03 to talk about purity and talk about Jesus. I mean, as soon as I came off the stage, I remember a few days later, I got reached out to by churches, hey, will you come to our church and talk about standing firm in faith and in your convictions under pressure, can you come and talk about purity and the importance of purity? And it just was really, really cool because I never imagined in a million years that saying yes to going on The Bachelor would ultimately lead to what I felt God had put on my heart to do years and years before that, which is why I was going through Bible college and got my certificate in ministry, which was to share the gospel and teach the truth. And so that is a wild way to get there.

Starting point is 00:11:44 Yeah. I am so thankful for this encouraging and edifying conversation. It's exactly what we need right now. And if you feel like you need encouragement and edification, please come to share the arrows. Share the arrows is our Christian women's conference. It's happening on October 11th in Dallas, Texas. And y'all, the response has just been incredible. We are looking at having 5,000 Christian women come together.

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Starting point is 00:12:42 Press unlock on ticket master. Use code alley 20. You'll get 20% off your ticket when you do that. Share the Aeros this year is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers. Go to share the arrows.com. And before we get back into that conversation, let me tell you about another amazing sponsor. And that is Every Life. Every Life is America's Pro Life diaper company.

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Starting point is 00:13:57 So we, we went off the finale somewhat together, confused on what was going on. And then about two days later, I said, but this is not going to work out. Yeah. So that was final after that. So after you left The Bachelor and we'll get into kind of the trajectory of you speaking and being an author and all of that. How does you deal emotionally with that whirlwind? Because I just can't imagine how difficult it must be,

Starting point is 00:14:25 obviously different for you as a Christian, but I'm thinking about all of these other girls who don't have that source of stability and identity in Christ. Like you are putting so much hope in this one person competing against all these other girls that maybe in any other context would be your best friends, but now there are your, like arch enemies in some ways. they're your competitors, you might be falling head over heels for this person. He might be

Starting point is 00:14:48 communicating the same to you. And then you, you know, he picks someone else and you find out he loves someone else. I just can't imagine how difficult that is. So how did you kind of come out of that? Yeah. It was a crazy culture and environment. And I just remember, I mean, the only moments I would get alone on filming, because you have a camera from the moment you wake up at 6 a.m. till the moment you go to sleep at like 3 a.m. because there's you're getting no sleep. There's constant alcohol around you. And so that's the reason. I mean, people are like, how could someone ever act like that? It's like, well, you're getting no sleep and people are drinking. So, you know, people start getting on hens real fast. And, you know, thankfully, like I chose not to

Starting point is 00:15:35 drink and I made a commitment to myself to not gossip and not, you know, in interviews when certain agendas were trying to be pushed and certain things were encouraged to say. I just was like, Lord, help me stand firm and what I believe to be true and what I know is true. And so it really required lots of moments of me truly locking myself in the bathroom and just crying and saying, Lord, help me. Like, I need your Holy Spirit to guide me, to lead me, to comfort me to speak through me. I don't feel like I have the strength to keep going. I don't know how to be a light in this. I mean, it was like a very dark environment and culture of, I mean, even producers who literally would call themselves witches. And just a very toxic, unhealthy, obviously ungodly atmosphere. And you're cut off

Starting point is 00:16:25 from everything that would give you life. You know, you, I mean, you do, you have your Bible, but it's not like you have a ton of quiet time to really just like sit with the Lord. You don't have music to listen to. You don't have your phone. You don't have your church. You don't have your family and friends and community. and mentors and all of these people that help make you, you and help lead you along the path of righteousness. And so it really does feel like you're kind of stranded out there with your Bible and you're like, all right, Lord, help me. And so it was a very, very, very hard and trying and testing time during filming. But then it's like you undergo a whole other set of trauma while it's being

Starting point is 00:17:05 aired because it's being aired two months later. So you come home and you kind of get a sense of normalcy again, but then you relive everything, things that you didn't even know went down, things that you don't even know were said about you. And you sign so many things that basically give them permission to paint you however they want to paint you. So I could be in an interview talking about my dad and how I miss my dad and love my dad so much. And that could be portrayed in a way like I'm talking about The Bachelor. You know, I mean, they just, they have full right to do whatever they want to do with your words. And with moments of, you know, you're laughing or rolling. your eyes at something that's silly, but then they play it for a moment that's like you being mean

Starting point is 00:17:43 or, you know, dramatic. And it's just crazy. And then you're also inviting in millions of opinions. I mean, I just remember I, my job before going on The Bachelor was in foster care and adoption. And again, I was also going through Bible College. And so that was my life before, very private, very local church, very just service oriented. And then you get thrown into something like the bachelor and now you're inviting in millions of opinions and thoughts so i went from having like five thousand followers four thousand followers to i think after the first episode it was like 200,000 followers overnight and all of these people making judgments and having things to say about you and even the good things that were being said it was just so overwhelming and i just remember

Starting point is 00:18:34 i had all of my friends come over to watch the first episode with me and i literally had to step out and just like take deep breaths. And it was actually a very kind episode, that first one that they painted of me, which I was thankful. But it was still overwhelming. It was like, I'm seeing myself on TV. All of these people are talking about me and tweeting about me. And I don't know them. And they don't really know me. And it's just a very, very bizarre feeling. And moving forward from that moment, I mean, the next couple of months were just really hard. I ended up losing like over 20 pounds and just had so anxiety. Yeah, I mean, so much anxiety. You don't know what's going to be aired and how they're going to paint you or anything that's going to happen or how people are obviously going to respond to it.

Starting point is 00:19:17 And so every week, you're just filled with so much angst of like, okay, what's going to be this week? Like, what's going to be said and what's going to be posted? And it just was the time when social media, I feel like, was really starting to get. It was right when COVID was about to hit. And so social media was really starting to like take off cancel culture people having lots of opinions and so it was just filled with anxiety but at the same time i would say so much desperation and dependence on the lord of lord you are my defender you are my protector you are my hope you are where my security comes from you are where like my satisfaction and everything that i'm looking for my peace like i just know you give that to me and this world can't and so i'm just going to keep running to you and

Starting point is 00:20:04 living for the approval of you and not of people. And I just had to learn that really quickly as Galatians 110 talks about, you can't do both. You can't live for the approval of people and the approval of God. And if you live for the approval of people, you're not a servant of Christ. And it was a very humbling and convicting reminder for me of I'm going to spend all of my time and energy trying to get people to like me. And even when I get them to like me the next day, I'm going to do something that makes them mad and they're going to hate me. And I'm going to live on this roller coaster of highs and lows. And that's just an exhausting way to live in an empty way of living. And so I just remember being like, Lord, I need you to continue

Starting point is 00:20:40 to tell me who I am. And then surrounding myself with people that would affirm that and encourage that and remind me of the truth when other voices and things were just so loud was really huge for me. Quick pause to tell you about our next sponsor. We've got lots of awesome sponsors to tell you about today. And that is good ranchers. All good ranchers meet is 100% American. And in very perilous times like this, I think it is so important for Christians to band together for you to support people, families, businesses that also support your values. Instead of giving your money to entities that are actively working against you and the safety and freedom of your family, you need to be buying your meat, which you're buying anyway, from a company that is fighting for you, that is fighting

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Starting point is 00:21:59 Good Ranchers.com slash Alley code Alley. So you started getting these calls from churches saying, okay, we want you to come speak. And as you said, that's kind of what you were pursuing and wanting to do when you were in Bible college. So when you started getting these kinds of requests, were you excited? Were you nervous? Was there an aha moment? Were you like, yes, this is why God had me do this and this is what I'm called to? I think I was still healing from trauma.

Starting point is 00:22:28 So I think it took my mind a little bit of time to heal and process of just like God's faithfulness and hand in all of it. and in what I was stepping into and how he was allowing me to use my hurt pain story to point to his glory. It just, it took my mind some time. But at the same time, I was also so excited and honored. I mean, these pastors that had made such a big difference in my life and people that had been an inspiration to me and someone that I had been listening to for years, you know, reaching out and asking me to come and speak to their young adults and their, youth was just such an honor and such a yeah it was just so exciting so I think it was both and it was like a whirlwind of like I was a little bit just like what is going on and still trying to

Starting point is 00:23:23 heal and then also so excited and just continuing to say all right lord like I do I am starting to see maybe this is the reason that are one of the reasons why yeah I went through that okay so you started speaking at churches and you wrote your first book When did that come out? That came out. Oh, goodness. So I came off the show in March of 2020. Like I stepped off the finale and I'm not kidding.

Starting point is 00:23:50 A week later, COVID. Wow. What a crazy time. Not just in the world, but in your specific life. It was wild. Yes. It was really wild, which honestly was God's blessing because then I got to just tuck away and spend time with my family and heal.

Starting point is 00:24:03 And I think I would have been traveling and doing media and all of these things. And I got to just like sit with Jesus. and my family and it was really beautiful. But I came off in March of 2020 and then 2021, October of 2021, was when Made for this Moment came out. Okay. And it was really fun. It's cool that I feel like each book has really represented, I think, what God was doing

Starting point is 00:24:29 in my own personal life in that season. And I look at all three of my books and now this new one coming out and I'm like, man, I can even see my own maturing in my faith and growth in spirit, like my own, just how the Lord has taught me and what he's done in my life through these writings. And so it's been really cool to see. But yeah, that book was all on purpose and just really talking about why I went on the bachelor and how the Lord used it. And this book, Dare to Be True. What does this focus on? Yeah. So it's all about defeating the lies that bind us and living out the truth that frees us. And, And it is a, it's really linking together truth and freedom.

Starting point is 00:25:10 When I look at our culture today, I'm reminded of this conversation that a Roman governor had 2,000 years ago with Jesus when he looks at Jesus and he says, what is truth? And I see that being the cry of our generation today, our world today, of just saying, what is true. I don't know what to believe. I don't know what's real, especially with AI and so many, I mean, mixed messages, media agendas. There's so much out there that you're just like, I don't know what's true.

Starting point is 00:25:37 I don't know what to believe. I don't know if I can trust the news. I don't know if I can trust social media. I don't know if I can trust. Is this actually real? And just truth becoming subjective and experience and opinion and feeling based. And I just see a culture and a generation who have been sold a lie. They've believed a lie.

Starting point is 00:25:56 And you see that's the reason there's so much bondage. There's so much confusion. There's so much doubt. There's so much depression and anxiety and suicide. It's just all of these things, but you go back to it's because we believed a lie as a culture and as a generation. But you don't only see that happening externally and around us, but you also see it happening internally and just the lies that we believe on a very personal level about our worth, about our purpose. We may feel maybe free in our hearts, but we feel bound in our minds. And I think if we're being really honest, there are a lot of forgiven Christians, but there's not a lot of.

Starting point is 00:26:35 free Christians. And so there's a lot of people who believe, okay, God has forgiven me of my sins, but they still find themselves getting stuck in it again or going back to the thing that Jesus died to set them free from or just being stuck in their minds and believing lies from the enemy. And so I wrote this book, honestly, because I found myself in a place of believing lies about, you know, kind of getting caught up in this whirlwind of I got to keep up. I got to, I got to keep, I got to meet this standard. I got to look this way. And, you know, in order to walk out my true purpose, like, I got to be constantly producing and striving and performing and all of these different things. And I just remember having a moment of looking at my husband and being like, I'm so tired. I'm so exhausted.

Starting point is 00:27:21 I'm burnt out. And I just want to be free. Like, I just want to feel free. And then I remember he looked at me and he was just like, you know, Matthew 11, 28 through 30 applies to you too. Like, you can come to him and he will give you rest for your soul. you can come to him and he will give you a yoke that is light because what the world puts on us is heavy and what the world tells us to strive for and go for is heavy and we're not meant to carry that. We're not meant to live that out. And I just remember him having that moment with me and then just praying. And I had felt led to write this book. And I actually had started writing it and I was like seven or eight chapters in on a totally different concept. And then the Lord laid this on my heart. And I was like, oh my gosh, I have to start over. I don't want to start over.

Starting point is 00:28:04 Yeah. And I started, I started over from, from scratch because I truly believe that the enemy has such a, he is so deceived this generation and our world today. And you go back to the garden and the same play that he ran then is the same play that he runs today. The same three lies and temptations that were then are the same three lies and temptations that we deal with today. And in Genesis 3, this conversation between the enemy and Adam is just this moment where Satan is in the form of a serpent. And he's saying, you know, did God really say? Like, oh, did God really say that? Are you sure about that? And you see that today play out in a way of like, oh, the Bible doesn't, does the Bible really say that? That's probably not what the Bible means. Like,

Starting point is 00:28:52 this is what the Bible means. And we start framing Jesus in scripture the way we want Jesus to be and the way we want to interpret scripture. And we begin to, the enemy starts planning those doubts in our mind. And then the next lie is like, you know, he didn't really say that. You won't, you won't actually, you won't actually die. And then that's like this idea of sin isn't that big of a deal. And that's what you see even in Disney Channel movies today of this trying to desensitize even children to sin. And sin being seen as it's not a big deal. It's really, this is what everybody does. does. This is just culture. This is just the world. This is just the world we live in. We can go on a whole tangent about that, about how most Disney princess movies start with disobedience to parents.

Starting point is 00:29:37 Oh, gosh, I know. And then it's glorified. And I'm, you know, like, I like Disney and fine and all that stuff, not like that's like that much. But I'm not one of those people that's like anti-Disney. But to your point, yes, culture is constantly saying, this is not that big of a deal, just as Satan did to Eve. The consequence that God says that you're going to have, you're not going to have it. And doesn't, Satan do that all the time to us, especially when it comes to those who are dating sexual sin. It's going to feel good. You're not going to be fine. I know you've heard that this will lead to heartache and a broken body and all that, but it's not going to negatively affect you. That's absolutely what he does. He minimizes the consequences of sin. He minimizes the consequences of sin.

Starting point is 00:30:19 And then he even speaks to the advantages of sin, which is the next lie of like, oh, but if you eat this, you will be like God. This will make you like God. You'll have the wisdom. and the power that God has. And I think in the same way, we see, oh, if we just, if we do this, maybe we can gain something that God can't give us. And we don't need God. We can be our own God. We'll make our own truth. We'll live our own truth. We don't need the truth. We'll make our own truth. And the enemy has just started planning all the end. I mean, just even though the day I was watching Shrek with my husband. And it's like, there's these little moments where you're just like, man, as a kid, I didn't even pick up on these things. But there's these little, little things

Starting point is 00:30:58 that you're just like, wow, I mean, from a young age, you see how the enemy is so crafty. And I talk about in my book how the enemy is crafty. He's cunning, but he's not creative. He runs the same play again and again. And so you look back at the garden, what he did with Adam and Eve. He still does today. He still plays on those same three things. And we have to be aware of it to be able to not give in and to not fall. And so I talk about that in the book of just there, there is an enemy. We have an enemy. He is after us, but there is a good God. And he, he came to set us free. And I also talk about the importance of not just experiencing one moment of breakthrough and experiencing this one moment of, I give my life to you, Lord. I'm following you,

Starting point is 00:31:47 and accepting, you know, him as our Savior and Lord, but also continuing to walk out that freedom, continuing to be obedient to his word. So not just a moment of getting free, but how to stay free, how to continue to walk in freedom every day. Because that's the hang up I see with so many people, even with what we've seen on college campuses with this ministry that my mom started called Unite. We've been going to all these different college campuses. And I remember having this conversation with one girl. And she looked at me and she was like, Maddie, I'm so frustrated because I'm seeing this message of God's grace be spoken in a way that endorses and overlooks sin, where people are being told, hey, God will forgive you and God's grace covers that. And so go live how you want to live.

Starting point is 00:32:31 And she's like, what people don't understand is that sin is killing people. It's, I'm literally watching it kill my friends. I'm watching it kill the people around me that I love. And I remember walking away from that conversation being fired up, but also being so upset and broken because what we don't realize, like Titus 2, 11 through 13, talks about the grace of God. And the grace of God, yes, is a pardon for our sin, but also gives us the ability to say no to sin, to resist sin. And it talks about in that Titus 2 verse that it's the grace of God that gives us the ability to say no to ungodliness, but also to say yes to living an upright, godly, and holy life. And so for us as believers, it's understanding that it is only by God's grace and God's spirit

Starting point is 00:33:18 that we can stay free. But God's grace is not an excuse to sin and keep living in sin, but rather an ability. to resist sin and walk in holiness and righteousness because that's God's best for our life. He's not trying to rip us off. And I think that's what so many people believe. They believe that lie of like, I actually can have more fun and gain more of what this world can give me apart from the Lord. And it's like, yeah, but you're going to be miserable because that's not what you're made for. God says in Ecclesiastes 311. He's put eternity on all of our hearts. He's written eternity for all of our hearts. And so when we try to fill that with the temporary

Starting point is 00:33:55 things, it's just never going to satisfy. And that's why you see, you know, even the most famous people in the whole world who have literally everything this world could offer. And I've been in rooms and on couches with some of those people. They have everything. They literally have everything you could want. And they're so broken. Look at me, Maddie, saying, Maddie, is there more? Yeah. I'm like, yeah, there's so much more. And when you find real truth, Jesus says, I am the way the truth in the life. When you find real truth, that's when you can find real freedom. That's when you find real life and what you were made for. I can't wait to tell you about preborn.

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Starting point is 00:35:45 And the truth is you're not actually free apart from Christ. It might feel like freedom, but we read in Romans 6, I believe it is, that you are either a slave to sin or you're a slave to righteousness. And so I think when we are living in sin apart from Christ, it might feel like liberation. It might feel like freedom because we say we are doing what we want to do. No, if you're living in sin, you're doing what you have to do. You are a slave to your flesh. You are a slave to the devil.

Starting point is 00:36:19 You are a slave to sin. And all of us walked in that. That's the Ephesians 2 said. Like we hear that Satan is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once walked. We were literally walking dead people, basically in service to Satan. And without even knowing it, like apart from Christ, we are in bondage to that sin. I just want people to hear.

Starting point is 00:36:47 I want to emphasize again what you said about Satan's pattern of temptation, that what we see in the garden still happens today, it plays out in our everyday lives. So when Satan is tempting us, he won, makes us question God's goodness, his trust, worthworthiness. Two, he minimizes the consequences of sin. And then three, really important point that I don't hear a lot of people say, he magnifies or distorts the advantages of sin. And that is a very difficult thing to resist. Obviously, Eve, who was walking in the cool of the day with God, even she didn't resist that, which is why I'm so thankful for the helper and the Holy Spirit that we have. But in those day-to-day moments when we are feeling that tug that this sin is going to be good it's not going to harm you like

Starting point is 00:37:33 God says what is in our tool ballots like what can we do to say no thanks say yeah yeah i really believe and i unpack this more in the book but i really believe the word of god the spirit of god and the people of God are how we stay free i mean it's how we continue to walk in that freedom every day I don't go a single day without opening up my word and meditating on scripture and memorizing scripture. And you even see the same three ways that Satan tempted Adam and Eve. He comes against Jesus in the wilderness with three lies. And every single time he comes at Jesus with a lie, Jesus responds not with his own. He responds with the truth. He doesn't try and engage in this whole little conversation. How can I bounce around? How can we? He just responds with truth, with

Starting point is 00:38:24 scripture. And I just think that's so powerful and such a powerful picture that Jesus paints for us of the only way to defeat a lie is to replace it with the truth. And that's why it talks about in scripture, we have to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. So thoughts are going to come. Lies are going to come. It's not about, you know, being a perfect person that never gets, you know, never hears a lie or never feels the weight of temptation. But it's what do you do in the face of that lie. What do you do in the face of that temptation? And the only way we can overcome is by the spirit of God, but also leaning on the word of God, memorizing it, meditating on it, looking that lie in the face and being like, I hear you, but this is the truth. And God's word says in John 832, when you know the

Starting point is 00:39:09 truth, then the truth will set you free. And so I'm going to choose to lean on the truth and to speak the truth. And so I believe that the word of God is so powerful. I believe the Spirit of God, Galatians 5, talks about it so much. It opens up with, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, but do not return back. Do not go back to that yoke of slavery. Do not go back to that bondage that once kept you bound. And I think that's such a beautiful picture because it's what we're talking about of so often we have this moment of we experience like this breakthrough, this revelation of Jesus came to set me free, but then we get stuck again. And we go right back to what had kept us bound for so long. And I,

Starting point is 00:39:50 I just love what Galatians 5 does is it just unpacks the beauty of the Holy Spirit and keeping in step with the spirit because apart from the spirit, we can't resist. We can't do it on our own. That's the reality. It's what you just said of Ephesians 2 is so clear that every single once, every single one of us were once far away. But we've only been brought near by the blood of Jesus Christ. Every single one of us were deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God who is rich and mercy made us a lot. live with Christ. And so it is only by God's grace through faith that we can be saved. And that's such an important thing for us to understand. And also such a beautiful revelation for everyone to know because every other religion is like, work your way to salvation. Work your way to God. Be good enough.

Starting point is 00:40:38 And it's like you will never be good enough. Shout out to your book. You will never be good enough. It's like only by God's grace, but also we have a role to play. We have to. We have to not only accept him as Savior, we have to also submit to him as Lord. It's if we don't submit to him as Lord, we will continue to be enslaved to the things that keep us bound. And so it's not just enough, I think, for us to just have a moment of like, thank you Jesus for dying for my sins. Scripture is so clear that to be a Jesus follower is to pick up your cross, to deny yourself and to follow him. It talks about in 1 John, how do you know that you love, how do I know that you love me, you follow my commands, you obey my commands. So we can't live in sin and also have a

Starting point is 00:41:27 relationship with God. And in order to have a relationship with God, we have to be submitted to His Lordship. And I've just seen that be so important in my life of having moments where I really loved the Lord, but I was stuck in sin. And I didn't know how to break free from sin. I didn't know how to walk in true freedom, even though I had been raised in a Christian family, even though I was a part of a church, even though I was a chaplain on my basketball team. I loved God, but I was stuck in sexual hidden secret sin that I hadn't told anyone about. And for the longest time, that was such a shameful thing. And it kept me bound for so long and fully living free, like walking in my true identity, walking in my true purpose. And I just remember having this moment of being like,

Starting point is 00:42:14 okay, as long as I continue to have this moment, Lord, where I come before you and I'm so mad at myself and broken over my sin, but then I keep going back to and I don't change anything about it. Nothing's going to change. And it wasn't until I brought other people into that and begin to confess to other people, which goes to my third point of like the importance of having people of God around you. It wasn't until I brought other people into that. And I said, hey, here are the things that I'm dealing with that I've not told anybody and that I've been keeping in the dark. And when I brought that into the light and I began to confess those things that Satan had had such a hold on me because I was keeping it in the dark and he is just, he operates in the dark. He thrives in secrecy and sin spreads in secrecy.

Starting point is 00:43:01 And so it was like as I was continuing to keep that in the dark, it was like more sin was happening. And I was just in that cycle, that never ending cycle. But as soon as I brought that into the light, I begin to feel hope and free for the first time in that area of my life. life. And I've seen that be the same pattern of it's important to confess and repent to the Lord because that is how we are forgiven. But it's also important to bring that to other people and confess to others because James 5 is very clear that when we confess to our brothers and sisters in Christ and they pray for us, that is how we experience healing. That's how we experience freedom. And so I saw that in my own life. And that is still the same three things that I try to live by

Starting point is 00:43:43 in order to continue to walk in freedom every day. Next sponsor is Fellowship Home Loans. So, guys, this is another opportunity to make sure you are working with a company that does their business, not just by the book, but by the book, by the Word of God. Mike and Brian at Fellowship Home Loans, they are the real deal. Not only do they want to make sure that you can buy the house that you need or refinance if you need to in a way that makes the best sense for you, that is financially wisest for you, but they also want to glorify God in everything they do.

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Starting point is 00:44:49 That's fellowship home loans, mortgage lending by the book. Nationwide mortgage bankers, DBA Fellowship Home Loans, Equal Housing Lender, NMLS number 819-382. Can you talk more about that season of struggle? Because there's a lot of people out there, especially when it comes to sexual sin. There is understandable embarrassment and shame around that. And there is something different to sexual sin in that.

Starting point is 00:45:17 it is a sin against your own body. That's what we read in scripture and sex is supposed to be sacred in the bonds of marriage. So there's a lot of people out there being like, oh, okay. Yeah, she might have struggled with something, but there's no way that anyone is struggling how I'm struggling. So can you talk a little bit more about what that was and how you brought it to the light? Because I'm sure that was really difficult. Yeah. I think it's interesting how the enemy always dangles bait in front of us.

Starting point is 00:45:46 but as soon as we fall for it, what is promised is never what is given. And so for me even, you know, taking the bait of falling into porn and masturbation and that being a part of my story that I lived in secrecy for for a long time, it's satisfied for a moment, but then what followed was so much shame and so much separation from God and from godly people. And I see that same pattern of it starts with Satan's lies. Then it leads to shame or it leads to sense. and then it leads to shame and then it leads to separation from God and God's people. Because that's what happens. Every time we fall for sin, it's not going to give us what we actually want, which is freedom, which is actually relationship with God. It's going to enslave us every time.

Starting point is 00:46:32 And so I remember being in that season, and I had been exposed because a friend had shown it to me. And I was very young. I was 13, 14 years old. And so you're already at a weird time in your life where you're just trying to figure out, what is happening? You're like, who am I? My body's changing. I'm now all of a sudden, boy crazy. What's going on? And I just, I felt, you know, I was already insecure about my body and curious about certain things. And then you get exposed to something like that. And then Satan just begins to work and gets that footholding and that stronghold in it. And it keeps you stuck until you take action to get free. And so for me, that was a really, really hard season. And what I want to speak about purity. And I talk about it in my book is I do think it's a much bigger concept than we give it credit.

Starting point is 00:47:21 I think so often we hear the word purity and immediately our mind goes to bodily inaction and restraining, you know, being abstinent. And I just, and when you read scripture, it's like there is 100% so much being talked about fleeing from sexual sin and that is so important. I talk about that a lot in my book. But there's also such an important call to understanding that purity is a posture of our heart. And God cares so much more about our heart. And that's why it says in Matthew 5, Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Purity leads us to his presence. And when we

Starting point is 00:47:56 experience his presence, he begins to weed out all that other yucky stuff. And he begins to speak to us and cut off things that we've been allowing and living with for so long. And so for me, I had to get to that place where I understood God is not trying to withhold from me. He's also not up there as this like judge ready to just like, you know, hit me upside the head every time I do something wrong. He's calling me to purity because he loves me, because it's his best. And so for me, realizing that purity is actually a blessing and it's a gift. And when I get my heart right and my heart pure and I give my heart fully to him, then he begins to give me wisdom on how to make decisions that are pure and decisions that honor him and how to honor him with my body and how to

Starting point is 00:48:42 honor him with my relationships. But I think we just in church so often focus on purity just in the form of physical in action. And I think what happens when we talk about it in that way is then you just have a lot of Christians who are really focused on having a clean resume, but their heart is really impure and ungodly. And they are so focused on reputation that they have no intimacy and revelation. And that's why for me, I'm so passionate about speaking to the fact. that purity is so much more than that. And God really, really cares about our heart. And when we give our heart to him, then all those other things begin to fall into place. And it makes me think about, you know, when you're young and your parents are like, go clean your room. And I'm going to come up in 10 minutes

Starting point is 00:49:27 and, you know, and check your room. And I remember having this moment. And my dad's like, hey, go clean your room. And I run up to my room. And immediately, like, my room is so messy and filthy and disgusting. And I just start shoving everything, of course, you know, in drawers and under my bed. And my dad, like, peeks his head in the room 10 minutes later. And he sees, like, nothing on the floor. And he's like, good job. But the reality is, is I had just hidden the mess. It wasn't actually clean. It was just hidden. And the mess was just moved. And I think so often Christians are just hiding their mess. And the Lord is like, I am coming back for a pure bride. I'm coming back for a ready bride. and I think what is so important for us to understand is that he he wants our heart to be pure because

Starting point is 00:50:11 he looks at these he looks at these Pharisees these religious leaders and he's like hey you're whitewashed tombs like the outside of you looks really clean and pretty but the inside of you is full of hypocrisy and dead bones and I just remember having a moment and I've had to continue to have a moment with Jesus of being like I just don't want that to be me and so Lord search my heart remove anything impure cleanse me and help me me help me make decisions that honor you. And for me, when I had that revelation, I went to friends and I said, hey, I've been living in secret sin. I have been committing the sin with, no one has been made known about it. And I've been stuck for a really long time. And I just want to be

Starting point is 00:50:53 free. Will you pray for me and hold me accountable in this area? And that was the start of freedom for me. And that was the start of me understanding the importance of community and accountability, that we were never made to go through this life alone, that we serve a God who in and of himself is a communal God. God the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So we were not made to go through this life alone. We need both communal with God and dependence on God and community with one another, godly community with one another, and having people that will lead us along the path of righteousness

Starting point is 00:51:30 and not push us to sin, of course, our community really, really matters. How we choose those friends is really important because our friends are contagious. I like to say, our friends are like the flu, that we're going to get whatever they got. And so if we are hanging out with people that are pushing us to sin, then we're going to be falling into sin more and more. But if we surround ourselves with people that push us closer to Jesus, then we're going to love Jesus more and more. Yeah, the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God.

Starting point is 00:51:58 those are gracious gifts that God has given us to combat sin. So I want everyone to get this book, Dare to Be True. It's out now when this interview is airing. It'll look a little bit different than this. This is the preview copy, but everyone needs to go out and get it. It is going to be a bestseller, but it needs to be a bestseller because this generation needs to see this. Last sponsor for the day is Jace Medical. Y'all, we don't know what the future holds.

Starting point is 00:52:26 Supply chain issues, economic woes. You just don't know what's going to happen to the medication that you were lying. on, whether it's antibiotics that could save your life or save your children's life if you have a sudden infection, or whether it's the daily medication that you rely on. You want to make sure you have an emergency stash of these things. So Jace case takes you through a confidential telemedicine process so that you can either purchase the Jace case, which is an emergency stash of the most common antibiotics, and or you can purchase the Jace Daily case, which is about a year-long supply of the daily prescriptions that you rely on, it is so much better to be safe than sorry when it comes

Starting point is 00:53:05 to your family's life when it comes to their health. So go to jace.com and promo code Allie, you'll get a discount on your order when you use my code. That is j-a-s-com code Alley. All right, before we close out, one thing that I didn't get to ask you about, I just want to hear how becoming a mom has been for people who don't know your journey and they're wondering, okay wait what happened after the bachelor in addition to writing books and speaking and sharing the gospel you became a wife to grant and then you became a mom to a baby girl so just tell us a little bit about that oh it's literally the best thing in the whole world i am um so she'll be let's see almost eight months i think by the time the book is coming out she's six months right now and it is

Starting point is 00:53:57 truly the greatest gift i it's taught me so much about god's love it's taught me so much about gospel in a whole new way. It's so beautiful how, I mean, God's design is just so intentional and perfect. And it's like, of course, Satan wants to distort it in every single way. But I've just fallen more and more in love with God's design, I think, truly. And being married and having a child, I've just seen, oh, okay, this is why. God said, I'm making you in my image and male and female. And you're going to come together and be fruitful and multiply. And just in all of it and the fact that God is our father and we are his children. He needs adopted as his sons and daughters. It's just giving me a whole new understanding of the gospel. And I would say in a very like just real way, it's also just made me

Starting point is 00:54:48 so much more dependent on the Lord. And I'm so, I mean, I'm brand new to it. But early on, I mean, those first few weeks, those first few months of parenting and just your whole world being flipped upside down in the best way, but also in a hard way of it. Just everything is so new. Has been, it's been humbling. It's, um, it's been truly like a purpose that I didn't even know I was made for, like that I, that I just craved deep down. And it's just been so beautiful to step into that. She's such a gift. And just to even see the way it strikes up, cool conversations with people that, you know, we'll just see your baby on the plane and just like, oh my gosh, baby's so cute. And then you get to be like, hi, her name's Hosanna. And Hosanna means God save us and

Starting point is 00:55:35 praise be to God. And it just like strikes up these cool conversations and moments. But it really is, it's so much fun. We, we love it so much. And just truly consider it to be the greatest honor and joy. And I think it just even made us more passionate about God's design and the fight for life and the fight for marriage and for families because you see how the enemy is trying to stop that from happening in every way they can. And so it's just, I think, struck up a passion even more so in me for the fight for it because it's truly such a gift from God. Yeah. Well, Maddie, thank you so much. And again, I just encourage everyone to go out and get her book and they can follow you on Instagram and all that good stuff, right? I appreciate you so much.

Starting point is 00:56:26 Thank you for taking the time to come on. Thank you so much for having me.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1243 | Gen Z Wants Authentic Faith. Here’s What They Need to Know | Madi Prewett Troutt

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