About this episode
In Part 4 of the Experiencing God series, Dillon and Pastor Drew dive into one of the most pivotal moments in the Christian life: the crisis of belief. After God reveals His work and invites us to join Him, every believer comes to a crossroads—will we truly trust God and obey, or allow fear and uncertainty to hold us back? This episode explores why obedience often feels risky, why God's assignments frequently seem impossible, and how faith is tested when the outcome is unclear. Through Scripture, personal stories, and biblical examples like Joseph, Gideon, and Noah, Dillon and Pastor Drew discuss how crises reveal what we truly believe about God, why God-sized assignments leave no room for self-reliance, and how obedience positions us to experience God in deeper, more powerful ways.
Key takeaways
- This is episode 4 of a six-episode series on Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God, picking up at the crisis of belief after the earlier realities: God is working, he pursues a loving relationship, he invites us into his work, and he speaks.
- Every calling from God leads to a crossroads, and the long and short of that crossroads is obedience or disobedience.
- The crossroads is often not a clear right-versus-wrong decision but a question of whether we are willing to obey in front of family, peers, and people close to us.
- Obedience is where the rubber meets the road, but trusting God is what enables the obedience, and God often gives simple directions ("follow me") without much information about where, how long, or what to bring.
- Fear is faith turned inside out, and Satan works to keep believers frozen in fear so they don't step forward in simple obedience, even after they have already seen God work.
- God's assignments are God-sized and often look impossible so that faith grows and so that God, not a person or a church, gets the glory.
- Testing reveals what we actually believe about God and exposes what is really in us and in other people, so a crisis of belief should be expected rather than read as a sign that we are on the wrong path.
From the conversation
"A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted."Drew Rogers
"Trust creates transparency. Trust doesn't hide things."Dillon McCurdy
"God doesn't change my circumstances. God changes me, and that changes my circumstances."Drew Rogers
Scripture referenced
- James 1:2-4 — "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," the trying of your faith works patience (paraphrased)
- Romans 5:2-4 — Paul glorying in hope and in tribulations, which bring patience, experience, hope (paraphrased)
- 2 Timothy 1:7 — God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (paraphrased)
- Genesis 2:19 — God brings the animals to Adam to see what he would call them (paraphrased)
- Genesis 3 — Adam and Eve hiding after they sinned (paraphrased)
- Genesis 6-9 — Noah building the ark (paraphrased)
- Genesis 22 — Abraham taking Isaac to the mountain; "now I know" (paraphrased)
- Genesis 37-50 — Joseph, from his brothers' treatment to prime minister of Egypt (paraphrased)
- Exodus 3 — Moses at the burning bush, sent to Pharaoh (paraphrased)
- Exodus 14:11 — "Were there not enough graves in Egypt?" (paraphrased)
- Joshua 2 — Jericho still afraid of Israel because of what happened in Egypt (paraphrased)
- Judges 6-7 — Gideon, his confirmations from the Lord, and the army whittled down (paraphrased)
- 1 Samuel 17 — David and Goliath (paraphrased)
- Job 13:15 — "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (paraphrased)
- Job 23:10 — "When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (paraphrased)
- Daniel 3 — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refusing to bow, "but if not" (paraphrased)
- Hosea — mentioned as read the night before (paraphrased)
- Matthew 1 — Joseph, the husband of Mary, and the angel in the dream (paraphrased)
- Matthew 4:19 — Jesus calling his disciples with "follow me" (paraphrased)
- Philippians 1:6 — he who began the work will perform it
- Hebrews 11 — people who never saw the promise come to fruition but trusted God (paraphrased)
Mentioned in this episode
- Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby — the book and workbook the series is working through; hosts encourage listeners to get both.
- Dr. Blackaby — scheduled to be interviewed in episode 6 of the series.
- Adrian Rogers — quoted by Drew: "fear is faith turned inside out."
- Martin Luther — credited by Dillon with the line "thy dross consume, and thy gold to refine."
- Rogers City Baptist Church, Rogers City, Michigan — where Drew Rogers pastors.
- First Baptist in Hammond — the church Dillon grew up at, site of the pastors school where he responded to a missions emphasis at age nine.
- Kurt — Drew's brother, whom he hired as his assistant and who later became a pastor in another town.
- inthemidstpod.com — the podcast's site for resources, episodes, and updates.
Discussion questions
Take it further
- Drew says every calling from God ends at a crossroads of obedience or disobedience. Can you name a crossroads you are standing at right now, or one you have already passed?
- Dillon describes the pressure of obeying in front of family and peers as harder than choosing between right and wrong. Where has that kind of pressure shaped a decision you made?
- Jesus told his disciples "follow me" without telling them where they were going or how long they would be gone. How do you respond when God gives you direction but not details?
- Drew says Satan works to keep us frozen in fear so we don't step out in faith, even after we have already watched God provide. What past provision have you forgotten that would help you obey now?
- If God's assignments are God-sized so that he gets the glory, where have you chosen the thing you could accomplish yourself over the thing only God could do?
- "A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted." What has a recent trial exposed about what you actually believe about God?
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