Live with Grant & Laurel, S2, E27: Dealing with Addiction, Identity & Longing for Heaven

Devotional

Day 1: Holding on to hope when God feels silent.

In the space between a prayer and its answer, it can feel as if heaven is silent. This season of waiting, much like the Saturday after the crucifixion, is where hope is most needed. It is a time to cling to the promises of God, even when the circumstances suggest otherwise. The tomb was not the end of the story, and your current situation is not the final chapter. Resurrection power is available, and hope will flood in. [09:00]

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV)

Reflection: What is one situation in your life right now that feels like a ‘silent Saturday,’ where hope is difficult to hold onto? How can you actively choose to trust in God’s resurrection power in the midst of it?

Day 2: Walking in the victory Christ has already won.

Victory over long-term struggles is often a daily, sometimes hourly, choice. It begins with a surrendered declaration that this day belongs to God. By submitting our weaknesses and choosing to act contrary to temptation, we walk in the identity Christ secured for us. We are more than conquerors through Him, and each faithful step builds a legacy of long-term freedom. [14:37]

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

Reflection: For a specific area where you desire victory, what would it look like to start your day with a prayer of submission, surrender, and declaration of Christ’s victory?

Day 3: Finding our true identity in how God sees us.

The search for identity often leads people to create alternative versions of themselves when they feel insecure. The core need is to be secure in who God says they are. He created each person with a unique purpose and imprinted them with immense value. The most foundational truth is that you are a dearly loved child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made, and more than enough in His eyes. [21:39]

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14 NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to find your identity or security in something other than who God says you are? How can you reinforce the truth of being His “dearly loved child” today?

Day 4: Asking God for His eyes, ears, and heart.

Discernment moves beyond our own feelings and emotions into seeing situations from God’s perspective. It starts with a humble prayer, inviting the Lord to align our hearts with His. This request for supernatural knowledge, understanding, and wisdom opens the door to navigating life with divine insight and the courage to act upon it. [24:57]

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5 NIV)

Reflection: In what current relationship or circumstance do you most need God’s perspective? How might you begin your prayer by asking for His eyes, ears, and heart for that situation?

Day 5: Embracing an eternal perspective on today’s troubles.

The challenges of this world can make us homesick for heaven, but our time here is a mission. While we long for our eternal home, we are called to be about our Father’s business today. Viewing our problems through the lens of eternity reveals that our light and momentary troubles are achieving a glory that far outweighs them all. God always has a plan, even when we cannot see it. [53:57]

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV)

Reflection: What is one concern that feels overwhelming when you look at it from a worldly perspective? How does shifting to an eternal perspective change your view of it and your response?

Sermon Summary

The Easter story reframes waiting as active hope. Silent Saturday becomes a space where longing and doubt meet the promises of God, and resurrection power reopens closed tombs to begin healing. When life stays broken longer than expected, the resurrection shows that God works most dramatically in the small, desperate windows where all hope seems lost. That same power stands ready for deliverance from long-term addictions and recurring sin; identity in Christ supplies the authority to resist shame and to embrace daily choices that shape years of faithfulness.

Genuine victory starts in simple, disciplined practices: daily surrender, choosing the opposite of temptation, and refusing vulnerable patterns that invite relapse. Small, faithful decisions compound into lasting change—hours become days, days become months, months become decades of transformed living. Counselling, community, prayer, and practical boundaries form a pathway back from entrenched sin toward fruitfulness.

Identity questions drive many cultural and family struggles. Children and young people who experiment with alternate identities often respond to insecurity and trauma. Asking open, curious questions and naming the God-given gifts beneath the longing opens the door to restoration. Patience and empathy matter; adults should invite reflection on the precipitating events that pushed a person into alternative communities and then gently reframe beauty in God’s design.

Discernment grows out of humble dependence on God. Regular prayers for supernatural wisdom reshape perception and give courage to act. End-of-life doubts, hidden fruit, and unseen spiritual investments all receive perspective from promises: confession brings forgiveness, heaven anchors hope, and faithfully lived prayer produces legacy even when results remain invisible. Finally, the call to be the church narrows to a daily invitation: become a safe person, start with the person God places next, and steward each day as sacred work on the Father’s mission. Practical care, wise boundaries, and steady prayer mark faithful presence while awaiting the full revelation of God’s redeeming work.

Key Takeaways

1. Hold hope through silent Saturdays Silent Saturdays test faith with apparent absence, but the pause does not cancel God’s promises. Waiting can refine trust rather than erode it; holding truth in the dark prepares the heart to receive sudden resurrection work. Refuse to let temporary silence rewrite eternal truth, and let patient hope shape responses until breakthrough appears. [09:00]
2. Claim victory over besetting sin Victory emerges when identity in Christ displaces shame and when daily choices align with that identity. Resist temptation by arranging the day toward holiness, refusing risky relationships and asking for God’s way out at the present moment. Small faithful victories accumulate into lasting freedom and a reoriented life. [11:58]
3. Reaffirm true identity, reject alternatives Alternative identities often mask insecurity and trauma; exploration begins by naming the gifts God placed within. Ask honest questions, listen for root hurts, and point repeatedly to the dignity and purpose imprinted by the Creator. Restoration grows where belonging replaces escape. [16:58]
4. Follow Jesus with immediate obedience Delaying commitment often becomes a pattern that avoids costly change; immediacy invites transformation now. Choose to follow rather than defer, and let discipleship reorder decisions and relationships from this moment forward. Starting now prevents faith from being perpetually postponed. [49:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:36] - Prayer amid doubt
[09:00] - The silence of Holy Saturday
[10:52] - Testimony of deliverance
[11:40] - Promises versus shame
[13:37] - Daily surrender and victory
[15:24] - Talking with children about identity
[16:58] - Celebrating God‑made identity
[24:57] - Praying for discernment
[26:04] - End‑of‑life doubts and hope
[29:08] - Unseen fruit and legacy
[33:22] - Becoming a safe person

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

James 4:7 (ESV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Observation questions

According to 1 Peter 1:3, what is the source of our "living hope"?
What two actions does James 4:7 instruct believers to take in resisting the devil?
What promise does 1 Corinthians 10:13 give regarding temptation?
What did the testimony in the sermon illustrate about how shame can be overcome? [10:52]

Interpretation questions

How might the "living hope" mentioned in 1 Peter 1:3 change the way someone endures a difficult season of waiting?
Why do you think resisting the devil requires first submitting to God (James 4:7)?
In what ways can identity in Christ provide a foundation for resisting recurring sin or addiction? [11:58]
How can asking curious, open questions help someone explore their God-given identity rather than alternative ones? [16:58]

Application questions

What is one area of your life where you are currently in a "Silent Saturday" season of waiting? How can you actively hold onto hope this week? [09:00]
What is one daily, surrendered choice you can make to align with your identity in Christ and resist a specific temptation? [13:37]
Is there someone in your life exploring an alternative identity? What is one open, non-threatening question you could ask them to better understand their longing for belonging? [15:24]
What is one practical step you can take this week to "start with the person God put right in front of you" and be a safe person for them? [33:22]
When you feel shame over a recurring struggle, what is one truth from Scripture you can speak to yourself to reject that shame? [11:40]
What is one vulnerable pattern or relationship you need to set a boundary against to walk in greater victory? [13:37]
How can you incorporate a simple prayer for supernatural wisdom and discernment into your daily routine? [24:57]

Sermon Clips

25s

#YouMadeADifference

“we're your fruit. Yeah. You inspired both of us. We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for your prayer and your mentorship. Like, you poured into us. Now we've got the torch. Like, what do you mean no fruit? Yeah. Here's an apple. Here's an orange. We're right here in front of you. And the comfort, sometimes you just need somebody to say it out loud. No. You have made a difference.”

73s

#StartWithOne

“Years ago, I got to go to India, got to go to mother Teresa's house, and there was a there was a plaque on the one wall of her prayer room that said, how do you start world revival? You start with the person god put right in front of you. Yeah. That's where you start. So I think it's an internal piece. How can I be a safe person today, and then how can I provide safety for somebody that god puts in my path? It's a good place to start.”

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Live with Grant & Laurel, S2, E27: Dealing with Addiction, Identity & Longing for Heaven

Devotional

Day 1: Holding on to hope when God feels silent.

Day 2: Walking in the victory Christ has already won.

Day 3: Finding our true identity in how God sees us.

Day 4: Asking God for His eyes, ears, and heart.

Day 5: Embracing an eternal perspective on today’s troubles.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Live with Grant & Laurel, S2, E27: Dealing with Addiction, Identity & Longing for Heaven

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