How Fear Hides Behind “Wisdom” - Spiritually Fit Today

Welcome to Spiritually Fit Today with Arnie Cole and guest Pastor Ricky Kennedy. In this episode we talk about the tension between comfort and obedience, stepping out in faith (church planting), wrestling with doubt and bad timing during COVID, and the spiritual habits that sustained a fledgling church—daily Bible reading, prayer, staff support, and trusting God’s voice. Our memory verse: Luke 9:23 — "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." 4 R action steps: - Read: Luke 9:23 and nearby context (Luke 9:22–27) to see what following Jesus cost him and asks of us. - Reflect: Ask, Where is comfort keeping me from obedience? Which voice am I following—circumstance or God? - Respond: Short prayer — "Lord, give me courage to deny myself, clarity to hear Your voice, and faith to obey even when it’s costly. Amen." - Reveal: Share Luke 9:23 and your own story of a hard obedience with one friend or invite someone to a conversation about faith to demonstrate this truth. Contact: [email protected] Keywords: Spiritually Fit Today, Arnie Cole, Ricky Kennedy, church planting, discipleship, Luke 9:23, faith, obedience, spiritual disciplines, prayer, Bible reading, Christian podcast, pastoral encouragement Subscribe to get each episode delivered to your Inbox daily at: https://bttb.org/subscribe2sft