The Receive Experience

Near the end of this conversation, Chris Cook said something I keep coming back to... a lot of what we’ve called spiritual maturity is really emotional avoidance with a Bible verse duct-taped to it. We get into the truth about spiritual maturity, emotional healing, and his 40 months in the wilderness.Christopher Cook is a pastor, leadership coach, host of the Win Today podcast, and the author of ‘Healing What You Can’t Erase.’ His life’s work is helping people heal from fear, guilt, shame and burnout so they can walk in real transformation and spiritual maturity.Expect to learn what spiritual maturity actually is (and what it isn’t), how so many of us were discipled into managing appearances instead of letting God heal the root, why true worship is surrender and not a slow song, what it means to live as a “functional atheist” (a phrase from the 17th-century archbishop Fénelon), why spiritual growth is slower than we expect and why we’re not healed just to feel better, a simple way to set the Lord before you before you pick up your phone in the morning, what God said to Chris in his wilderness season about healing what couldn’t be erased, why we can’t speed up God’s work in us but we can slow it down, why suffering doesn’t automatically make us mature, and how the church can stop calling repression maturity and start making room for people to meet the Lord in their grief, and more...Chapters00:00 What We’ve Been Calling Spiritual Maturity02:03 What Is Spiritual Maturity, Really?04:08 True Worship Is Surrender, Not a Slow Song06:18 Are We Living as Functional Atheists?08:20 Why Spiritual Growth Is Slower and Bigger Than We Think15:41 A Simple Morning Practice for Setting the Lord Before You18:39 What a 40-Month Wilderness Season Taught Chris20:47 “I Had to Heal What Couldn’t Be Erased”24:27 Why Suffering Doesn’t Automatically Make Us Mature27:07 How the Church Unintentionally Discipled Us Into Emotional DishonestyIf something in this conversation stirred something in you, I’d love for you to sit with it for a bit. And if you want to go deeper in hearing God for yourself, join us for the next Hearing God Challenge... the link is below.🔗 Sign up for the next Hearing God Challenge - https://hearinggodchallenge.com/#SpiritualMaturity #EmotionalHealing #ChristianPodcast

What happens when a stage 4 cancer diagnosis brings you closer to God than you've ever been before?When Nathan Bailey was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma that had spread to his brain and lungs, his entire life changed. But during those difficult months of treatment, Nathan experienced God's love and presence in extraordinary ways. He describes moments when the veil between heaven and earth felt so thin he could almost reach through it.Nathan and I talk about what cancer taught him about hearing God's voice, why he now calls every day the best day of his life, and what it means to walk in step with Jesus rather than striving to produce results. We also explore why so many Christians struggle to hear God, how fear and expectations can get in the way, and why sometimes God doesn't want us to do anything—He simply wants us to receive His love.Want to practice hearing God for yourself? Join the Hearing God Challenge: https://hearinggodchallenge.com/Connect with Nathan and Business Church: https://mybusinesschurch.com/CHAPTERS00:00 From Religious Duty to Hearing God's Voice06:14 Stage 4 Cancer and Experiencing God's Presence11:04 Why Every Day Is the Best Day of His Life15:39 Walking With Jesus Instead of Chasing Results23:39 A Simple Method for Hearing God's Voice31:41 Why Christians Struggle to Hear God37:19 How Fear, Safety, and God's Love Affect Our Ability to Hear Him #HearingGod #ChristianTestimony #ChristianPodcast

What do you do when you believe God led you somewhere, but following that call leaves you overwhelmed?After adopting two children, Megan B. Nilsen found herself on a counselor’s couch, exhausted and questioning everything. Then her counselor said something she never expected: “Motherhood is not your highest and greatest calling.” That moment changed how Megan understood her identity—and what it meant to live by the Holy Spirit rather than her own strength.Megan and I talk about hearing God in everyday life, journaling through difficult questions, and the fear and control that can make it hard to trust what we hear.Want to practice hearing God for yourself? Join the free Hearing God Challenge: https://hearinggodchallenge.com/Connect with Megan: https://meganbnilsen.com/CHAPTERS00:00 The words that changed Megan’s perspective03:49 Hearing God’s call to adopt09:01 “Motherhood is not your highest calling”12:29 Learning to listen to God throughout the day17:56 Megan’s journaling practice for hearing God29:12 Fear, control, and barriers to trust48:51 Finding identity beyond motherhood#HearingGod #IdentityInChrist #ChristianPodcast

What if the reason you struggle to hear God isn’t because He’s not speaking—but because part of you doesn’t feel safe enough to listen?
In this conversation, Christian counselor Stefanie Hinman explains how our nervous system, attachment wounds, trauma, shame, and past relationships can affect the way we experience God.
Sometimes we can believe in our heads that Jesus is loving and safe while our bodies respond as though connection is dangerous. Stefanie describes how learning to quiet, regulate, and experience safety can create space for a deeper connection with Jesus.
We also talk about why people often withdraw when they’re hurting, how to support someone without trying to fix them, and why simply being seen and known can be deeply healing.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
Why fight, flight, or freeze can make connection with God difficult
The difference between knowing God is safe and actually feeling safe with Him
How childhood and attachment wounds can shape your picture of Jesus
Why regulation can sometimes come before deeper emotional or spiritual processing
What to do when you pray or listen and feel like you “got nothing”
How to respond to someone’s pain without minimizing or fixing it
How to notice the things that cause you to withdraw from God—and reconnect
Stefanie describes flourishing as becoming aware of what draws us toward connection and what causes us to withdraw, especially patterns rooted in fear, shame, lack, or striving.
Learn more about Stefanie and her resources:
https://bounceproject.org
Want to learn how to hear God more clearly?
Join the free Hearing God Challenge:
https://hearinggodchallenge.com

Chapters
00:00 Why hearing God can feel difficult
03:10 Learning to experience Jesus as safe
08:24 Trauma, attachment, and the need for safety
16:45 How your nervous system affects hearing God
22:59 Stop trying to fix people who are hurting
34:09 What to do when you hear “nothing” from God
40:48 Striving, withdrawal, and learning to flourish

What if one of the biggest mistakes we make in following God is asking Him to bless the direction we’ve already chosen?In this conversation, I sit down with Rachael Groll, author, pastor, speaker, and host of the Hearing Jesus Podcast, to talk about what it actually looks like to let God lead.Rachael shares why following God sometimes means stepping into the water before you know how He’s going to make a way, why God may use a completely different strategy than He has in the past, and why surrendering our expectations is so important if we want to hear Him clearly.We also talk about the role Scripture plays in discerning God’s voice, how our view of God affects the way we read the Bible, and one of Rachael’s favorite approaches to prayer: “I never say amen.” Instead of treating prayer like something that starts and stops, she tries to live in an ongoing conversation with God and gives Him permission to interrupt her plans.If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I actually following God—or am I just asking Him to follow me?” this conversation is for you.Rachael’s work is focused on helping people understand Scripture and hear God more clearly through biblical teaching, Bible studies, and the Hearing Jesus Podcast.👉 Learn more about Rachael: rachaelgroll.com👉 Listen to the Hearing Jesus Podcast through Rachael’s website👉 Join the FREE Hearing God Challenge: hearinggodchallenge.comCHAPTERS00:00 Are You Asking God to Bless Your Plans?04:14 When God Changes the Strategy14:34 The Biggest Mistake in Trying to Hear God18:13 Reading the Bible vs. Actually Studying It25:53 How to Trust God When You Don’t Understand31:10 “I Never Say Amen” — Hearing God Throughout the Day39:00 Casting Your Crowns & Surrendering the OutcomeIf this conversation helps you, subscribe for more conversations and practical experiences designed to help you hear God, deepen your friendship with Jesus, and live from connection instead of fear.