If following Jesus is the right path, why does it sometimes make life harder?

Faithfulness can cost us approval, comfort, opportunities, or relationships. When that happens, it is easy to wonder whether we have taken a wrong turn. But Jesus never hid the cost of discipleship.

In this episode of Walking with Conviction in an Anxious Age, Pastor Chris Miller explores Luke 14:25–33 and Jesus’ invitation to count the cost. What did Jesus mean by putting Him before family, carrying our cross, and surrendering all we have? How can we take those words seriously without isolating ourselves from others or thinking we must earn salvation?

Through personal experience and practical biblical teaching, we consider how our deepest loyalties shape everyday decisions—and how to prepare for pressure before fear takes control.

Courage does not require the absence of fear. It means fear does not get the final say. The question is both what following Jesus might cost and why He is worth it.

Scripture: Luke 14:25–33.

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Whose approval are you afraid to lose and how much is that fear shaping your faith?

Wanting to be respected, understood, and accepted is human. But what happens when people’s approval starts deciding what we will say, where we will stand, and whether we will openly follow Jesus?

In John 12:37–43, some leaders believed in Jesus but stayed silent because they feared rejection. In this episode of Walking with Conviction in an Anxious Age, Pastor Chris Miller explores people-pleasing, the fear of rejection, and how approval can quietly become an idol. He considers how repeated resistance forms habits, why comfort can weaken conviction, and how knowing Christ changes our understanding of what is worth losing.

Following Jesus calls us to be truthful, wise, and gentle, even when faithfulness costs us approval. We can care deeply about people without allowing their acceptance to govern our obedience.

Scripture: John 12:37–43; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 3:7–8.

Follow or subscribe for more biblical encouragement, and share this episode with someone facing pressure to keep their faith quiet.

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When pressure rises, what does your presence communicate?

Every man changes the emotional temperature of the spaces he enters. Some men use authority to control. Some become reactive or aggressive. Others withdraw, remain passive, or surrender their moral responsibility to the crowd.

In John 18:1–11, religious leaders, soldiers, Judas, Peter, the disciples, and Jesus all respond differently under pressure. Among them, Jesus stands apart. He is powerful without being threatening, truthful without being cruel, peaceful without being passive, and willing to use His strength for the good of others.

In this episode, Pastor Chris examines biblical masculinity, authority, responsibility, listening, courage, and the difference between merely avoiding conflict and genuinely making peace. Jesus does not use His power to save Himself. He steps forward to save others.

Scripture: John 18:1–11; Mark 10:42–45

Ask yourself: What does my presence communicate when I am under pressure?

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Have you ever wondered whether a difficult time or situation means God is leading you somewhere new or if you just want relief?

When progress slows, affirmation disappears, people disappoint us, and obedience begins to cost something, leaving can feel like the only faithful option. In John 15, Jesus gives us the source of strength: “Remain in Me.”

In this episode, Pastor Chris explores:

• why pain is not always proof that something is wrong • why biblical information without spiritual formation is incomplete • how God’s pruning can feel like loss • one faithful step to take when leaving feels easier

Abiding in Jesus never means tolerating abuse, remaining in harm, or refusing necessary change. It means learning to love, serve, forgive, grow, and obey from the life of Christ rather than from willpower alone.

If this episode helps you stay grounded in a difficult time, follow or subscribe to Walking with Conviction in an Anxious Age on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen so you don’t miss the next conversation. Share it with someone who may need strength to keep walking with Jesus.

If Walking with Conviction has encouraged your faith and you'd like to help support the ministry, you can buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/walking_with_conviction

Your generosity helps cover the costs of producing the podcast and allows these conversations to reach more people around the world. Thank you for your support.

What do you do when you have prayed, served, given, or spoken truth... and nothing seems to happen?

Faithfulness can feel wasted when there is no visible response. In Mark 4:26–32, Jesus describes a farmer who sows seed and then sleeps while it grows through a process he cannot see, control, or fully explain. The farmer has a genuine responsibility, but producing life and growth belongs to God.

In this episode of Walking with Conviction in an Anxious Age, Pastor Christopher B. Miller explores:

• Why hidden growth is not the same as no growth • How our need for reassurance can tempt us to force spiritual outcomes • The difference between faithful action and trying to control the results • Why manufactured fruit can never replace the genuine work of God • How the death and resurrection of Jesus reveal God’s power at work where human eyes see only an ending

If your prayers seem unanswered, your service feels unseen, or your faithful effort appears to have disappeared without a trace, this message will help you identify your responsibility, take the next obedient step, and trust God with what happens beneath the surface.

Your responsibility is to sow the seed. God’s responsibility is to give life and growth.

Follow Walking with Conviction in an Anxious Age for more biblically grounded conversations about following Jesus with courage, clarity, and enduring faith.

If you know someone who feels their faithfulness is being wasted, share this episode with them. What has disappeared from their sight has not disappeared from God’s hands.

If Walking with Conviction has encouraged your faith and you’d like to help support the ministry, you can buy me a coffee here:

https://buymeacoffee.com/walking_with_conviction

Your generosity helps cover the costs of producing the podcast and allows these conversations to reach more people around the world. Thank you for your support.

What do you do when you have prayed about the same thing for months or even years and nothing seems to change?

You still believe God is good. You still believe He hears you. But if we are honest, His silence can begin to feel like absence.

In Psalm 13, David begins by asking, “How long, O Lord?” Yet he ends by declaring, “I will sing to the Lord” without any evidence that his circumstances have changed. What changes is David’s posture toward God.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why honest lament is an act of trust, not a failure of faith • The difference between trusting God and merely toughing it out • Why persistent prayer does not mean you lack faith • How to hold what you feel against what you know about God • Why peace can begin before your circumstances change

You do not need to pretend that the fear, disappointment or sorrow has disappeared. Bring your pain to Jesus. Speak honestly, ask boldly, remember who He is all while choosing to trust.

This is part two of The Quiet Work of God, a series about trusting God when His work is hidden.

Follow Walking with Conviction so the next episode appears automatically. If you know someone waiting for an answer that has not come, share this episode with them. They may need permission to pray, “How long?” without believing their faith has failed.

Support Walking with Conviction

If Walking with Conviction has encouraged your faith and you would like to help support the ministry, you can buy me a coffee here:

https://buymeacoffee.com/walking_with_conviction

Your support helps cover the cost of producing the podcast and enables these conversations to reach more people around the world. Thank you.

What do you do when you have been faithful, but nothing seems to be changing?

When there is no visible progress, encouragement or reward, it is easy to wonder whether your obedience matters or whether God is doing anything at all.

Drawing from 1 Corinthians 3:5–9, Pastor Chris explores the tension between faithful effort and results we can’t control. We are called to plant and water, but God alone gives the growth.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why a lack of visible results does not mean you have failed

• How the need for recognition can turn stewardship into ownership

• Why faithfulness is neither passivity nor control

• How to keep obeying God when the soil still looks unchanged

• Why hidden faithfulness never escapes God’s notice

Sometimes faithfulness simply means putting one foot in front of the other and continuing along the path God has given you. Don’t force the outcome. Obey Jesus, trust Him with the growth and keep walking.

Follow Walking with Conviction so the next episode appears automatically. If you know someone who is tired of doing good without seeing results, share this episode with them.

Support Walking with Conviction

If Walking with Conviction has encouraged your faith and you would like to help support the ministry, you can buy me a coffee here:

https://buymeacoffee.com/walking_with_conviction

Your support helps cover the cost of producing the podcast and enables these conversations to reach more people around the world. Thank you.

Can church challenge us without controlling us—and love us without becoming passive?

People hurt by manipulative or authoritarian church culture often protect themselves through isolation. But isolation can also separate us from the Christian community God uses to heal, encourage and form us.

Drawing from Israel’s journey from slavery into freedom, Hebrews 10:24–25 and the Gospel, Pastor Chris explores the difference between religious control and godly authority and shows why truth, grace, boundaries and sacrificial love belong together.

This message is for anyone wrestling with church hurt, spiritual abuse, leaving a cult, mistrust or the question of what a healthy church should be. Listen to the end for practical Grow–Live–Go steps, then share it with someone who needs a safer, more biblical vision of Christian community.

If you would like to support the podcast you can do so here:

https://buymeacoffee.com/walking_with_conviction