There is something that is so powerful about
a personal story. I mean, a story where God has
worked in another person's life. I love to hear
testimonies. And today, you're going to hear
a couple stories that will inspire your faith,
encourage your heart, and make you want to live
for Jesus like never before. Welcome to this
edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
We are an international discipleship ministry
devoted to helping Christians worldwide live
out their faith for the glory of God and the
benefit of all people. I'm Dave Drewy, and today
we're pushing pause on our study in the book
of Philippians to do something special. In fact,
Chip's here in studio to reveal what we're going
to do today. Chip? Thanks, Dave. If you've listened
to Living on the Edge for a very long time, you've
heard us talk about Christians really living
like Christians. For years, we've been passionate
about equipping believers to move beyond the
basics and truly embody the life Jesus modeled.
We believe that discipleship isn't just a program.
It's a lifestyle. It's about following Jesus.
It's about knowing him. It's about his life impacting
every area of your life. I think it's so easy
to make the Christian life a bunch of rules,
and it's about morality. When you walk with Jesus,
your morality will change, but that isn't the
focus. You know, over the years, we've talked
about BIO, B -I -O. It's an acronym. It's for
life. I can tell you throughout church history
or today, you meet a man or a woman that is a
lot like Jesus. And I will tell you for sure,
three things are happening in their life, in
their practice. They come before God regularly,
probably daily. They get in his word, and they
pray, and they worship, and it's a relationship.
And then they're doing life I in community. They're
connected to other believers, not just even in
a group, but from the heart. There's support.
There's accountability. There's real love. And
finally, on mission. They develop over time,
by God's grace, a servant's attitude in their
home, and at work, and at church. And then as
they grow, they realize God has specifically,
uniquely gifted them with spiritual gifts, and
they have a calling on their life. And they discover
it. They have meaning and purpose and direction.
The heartbeat of this ministry is believers not
just hearing God's Word, but actually living
it out. Today, we're not just going to talk about
the concept of discipleship. We've gathered some
powerful testimonies from individuals like you,
and we've asked some of the Living on the Edge
team if they would read them. I'm not going to
teach today directly, but I'm going to highlight
some principles from these testimonies, and here's
what you need to remember about testimonies.
Number one, they inspire. All of us have heard
how God has worked in someone else's life, and
it inspires us to do what they've done, to believe
like they've believed. Faith really is more caught
than taught, and we want you to experience that.
The other thing is that the Scripture is really
clear. In Revelation 12, 11, it says, They overcame
Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of their testimony, and they loved not their
life even unto death. There's something powerful
about testimonies, and so I want you to get to
hear them, to be inspired by them, and then I
hope you'll do what I did when I read them and
listened. I want to be like some of these people.
I want to obey God and trust God and experience
Him with the same kind of power that they have.
So, let's get started. Hi, my name's Greg, and
I'm on staff here at Living on the Edge, and
I'd like to share Mike's story with you. I first
came across Living on the Edge when I was not
a Christian, but I've since committed my life
to Christ and listen every day on the app. I
want you to know that God is working through
your ministry. Personally, I was in a very dark
place in my life, and God used you, Chip, and
Living on the Edge to completely change my life.
The teaching I listened to through the app has
strengthened my faith and helped me build a better
understanding of the Bible. It's almost as if
God places lessons in front of me to help me
understand and deal with the issues that I'm
facing at that time. After I accepted Jesus,
I had a very limited knowledge of godly principles.
But through studying Romans 12, I've come to
understand what it truly means to be a follower
of Christ. Living on the edge has been a tremendous
blessing in my life. And after the Bible, the
Chip Ingram app is my go -to resource. Hey, this
is Adele and I work on the international team
here at Living on the Edge. And I wanted to share
a testimony we received from a woman named Kathy.
Thank you, Living on the Edge, for all the work
you do. I have listened to Chip on the radio
for over 16 years as I'm getting ready for work
each morning. I also use many of your resources,
too. Through the ups and downs of everyday life,
this ministry has encouraged and challenged me
to have a real relationship with Jesus, renew
my mind daily, and, as Chip always says, keep
pressing ahead. Also, I went through the real
you, and I've come to better understand my personality
and how God desires to use me, which goes way
beyond what I learned in church growing up. I
so appreciate how real Chip is. He's so honest
about his insecurities and struggles with pride
and believing the lies that trip all of us up.
Also, I am very grateful for Teresa and her bravery
in sharing her story. Her testimony has been
a great encouragement to me too. Wow. Thank you
so much, Mike and Kathy, for sharing your story.
And actually, I'll make sure my wife, Teresa,
gets to hear that as well. Isaiah 55 says, God's
word goes forth. And it always accomplishes exactly
what he wants it to accomplish. It never returns
void. And, you know, we teach over a million
people every week, and then there's over a million
readers on YouVersion and all kind of different
places. But what we want to do, we want God's
Word to go forth that's biblical, accurate, relevant,
practical, with the goal of life change, with
the goal of really meeting Jesus. And those two
testimonies are just two of literally hundreds
and hundreds that we receive all the time. I
was visiting another church a few weeks ago and
I walked in and... this lady that at least I
didn't think I knew her, she said, Chip, and
she opened up her arms and she came over and
hugged me like I was a long lost brother. And
she began to tell me a story of years ago, attending
the church that I used to pastor in San Jose.
And then she talked about from that time on how
she listens to the podcast. Then she told me
a very, very painful story of a broken marriage
and raising kids on her own and how God changed
her life. In the same service, I was sitting
down and a lady walks up and she goes, for the
last 20 years, every morning I listened to your
podcast. And I just want to tell you, it's changed
the whole course of my life. It's how I've raised
my kids. It's impacted my marriage. Wherever
I go, it's just amazing that these stories of
how God uses his word. And I would say to those
of you that pray for and give to Living on the
Edge, God's answering your prayers and he's using
your gifts in a powerful, powerful way. Now,
the next testimonies talk about that journey
of transformation. How does it really work? What
is it that we do at Living on the Edge in this
core concept of discipling God's people? So take
it away, team. My name is Kitty, and I'm on staff
here at Living on the Edge. I'd like to share
an email we got from Billie. She writes, I have
just finished Chip's daily discipleship series,
Growing Deeper with God. And before that, I went
through Discover Your True Self from the book
of Ephesians. I just wanted to write in and say
thank you to Chip and everyone at Living on the
Edge. God is working through this ministry in
incredible ways. For most of my life, I have
wrestled with feeling like I don't measure up,
like I keep trying to make time to read and study
the Bible, but fail to be consistent. With Chip's
help, I realized I was living for God's approval
and not from it. I cannot begin to describe the
freedom I'm experiencing now in Christ. I have
deep joy in reading His Word and hearing His
voice. If not for the work of this ministry,
I would have continued to struggle with that
weight for the rest of my life. Thank you so
much. Well, Billy, thank you so much for sharing
your story, and what a great reminder for all
of us. Did you hear what she said? I have learned
to live from God's approval, not for his approval.
I still struggle with this. The Christian life
is just a transaction. It's checking a box. It's
trying hard and never feeling like you measure
up unless you understand grace, unless you understand
you're already loved. And once Billy did that,
then her time with God, her reading of scripture,
her developing some of those habits, it wasn't
about... getting God to love her. It was about
recognizing she was already loved. I never tire
of reading and listening to testimonies that
remind me of truth that I know, but I need to
hear it again. Hey there, this is Erin, and I'm
on staff with the Ministry Partners team here
at Living on the Edge, and I wanted to read a
touching testimony we got from Will. I grew up
in the church, and I always thought Christianity
was just another religion, nothing really unique
or special from what others believe. To me, everyone
was doing certain things or acting right to get
on God's good side. I didn't think I could ever
live up to that standard, so as a result, I pursued
a self -seeking life and made other things a
priority, like sports, partying, drinking, dating,
school, and my career. I spent more than 20 years
chasing happiness and security in a bunch of
things that didn't deliver and brought a lot
of anxiety. At the height of all of this, I experienced
a lot of panic attacks and struggled with OCD.
In my early 30s, I was in a secular relationship
and feeling lost, so I began to do some soul
searching, and that's where God started to pursue
me. I came across Living on the Edge in my car.
And one night, as I listened to Chip, God suddenly
became all too real to me. I got to know his
heart. He didn't need anything from me. He just
wanted a relationship with me. Chip explained
that God had wanted that since the fall in the
garden, and His love continued pursuing us by
sacrificing His Son, Jesus, who paved the way
for all of us to be reconciled to our loving
Heavenly Father. When I heard all of that, I
broke down in tears right there in my car, and
I had to pull over. On the side of the road,
I surrendered my life to Jesus, confessed my
sin, and decided to make Him the number one priority.
My new life with Jesus has been incredible, but
not easy. And in fact, there have actually been
some really big challenges. I jumped into singleness
with a leap of faith, and I am still single at
age 41. However, I've experienced so much joy
and peace. walking with him daily. And I am eternally
grateful for the ways God has used living on
the edge to call me back to him. And I've been
a faithful supporter of this ministry ever since.
Will, thank you so much for sharing your story.
If I got a dollar for every time a person that
I've met over the last 20 or 30 years who said,
I was driving in my car, I was going through
these hills, it was the middle of the night.
I have one guy who said, I was barring a guy's
truck and his radio was broken and he only had
one station. And the only station was this Christian
station. and he wasn't a believer. And he said,
oh, brother, I am always amazed at the unusual
ways that God uses living on the edge to take
people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom
of light. In fact, one of the ones that just
moves me the most is a man that's on our board
now. He was religious, but not born again. He
was very successful, but not very happy. He started
listening to the radio, and I was doing a series
on heaven. As I thought about heaven, and the
gospel came forth clearly, he said, I was in
L .A. on Highway 5. I mean, it's like seven lanes.
He said, I took the exit, I pulled off, I cried
like a baby, and I received Christ. That was
about 11 years ago. And from that point, I watched
Mike's life grow. I watched him get connected
to his church. I've watched him begin to help
other people. It's so amazing. You know, that
last line of Psalm 23, goodness and mercy will
follow us all the days of our life. Jesus in
John 4, he says to this woman at the well, The
Father is seeking, literally He's pursuing those
who would worship Him in spirit and in truth.
God is pursuing us. He's longing for people.
And as we get the broadcast on radio and on apps
and in every way possible, the Spirit of God
takes the Word of God in individuals' lives and
He transforms them. And we get to be a part of
that. And those of you who pray are a part of
that. And those of you who give are a part of
it. I don't think there's anything more exciting
than watching a life being transformed. And then
one of the areas that I find that people need
the most help in is guidance or direction. I
don't know how many emails, thousands and thousands
of emails that will talk about, I have a question
in my marriage or should I marry this person
or I need God's will for my money for one of
my kids or what school should they go to. God
speaks by his spirit through his word to guide
and direct our lives. And some of the most encouraging
testimonies are about how God uses Living on
the Edge to be His instrument to give guidance
and direction. Hi, my name is Steve, and I work
on the Living on the Edge team. And I want to
share a quick story we received from Chad. I
found Chip on SiriusXM during my long commute
to work each day. I am really enjoying my time
in God's Word. I've learned so much with Chip
as he's turned a meaningless drive to work into
something of continuous wisdom. And because I
listen every day, that led me to discover daily
discipleship with Chip, which has elevated my
time in the Bible to another level I did not
even know was possible. I'm so excited to see
what God has next for me. I pray for continued
blessing on Chip Ingram and living on the edge.
Your impact on my life is greater than you'll
ever know. Hey, this is Taylor, and I work on
the ministry partner team here at Living on the
Edge, and I'm excited to share a powerful testimony
from a young woman named Natalie. I discovered
Living on the Edge when I moved to North Carolina
for college over 10 years ago. Being raised in
the church, I would listen to music stations
like the Light FM or his radio, but it wasn't
until I went out on my own that I started listening
to sermons too. Chip has been one of my favorite
pastors to listen to. He's always sounded like
a wise dad giving practical, biblical advice.
There's always been something in his voice that
has made me feel like I could trust him. I started
watching his sermons on YouTube and saw how series
like True Spirituality, The Real God, and The
Invisible War, along with many others, have shaped
my belief system. Chip also stressed how important
biblical community is, so I found a small group
and started memorizing scripture every day. I
even got big theological books like Knowledge
of the Holy, which Chip talks about a lot, and
it remains one of my favorite books. While Chip
and this ministry are dear to me, it was actually
a simple phone call from someone on the Living
on the Edge team that truly impacted me and my
family. As I grew in my career and could give
back to the ministry, a sweet woman named Robin
called me to thank me for my donation. Little
did I know that this beautiful soul would become
a longtime friend and prayer warrior to me and
my family. For years, Robin and I connected through
monthly donations. She listened and prayed with
me through life's ups and downs, and her calls
were a constant reminder of God's love. I have
been so blessed by Chip and the Living on the
Edge team, and while I'm blown away by how they're
changing the world, I will be forever grateful
for the ways Robin has changed my world. Wow,
thanks so much, Natalie, for being willing to
share your journey. And I guess I take it as
a real compliment that I sound like a wise dad.
And what's also encouraging for me that many
of you don't know is that we have a team of people
at Living on the Edge that call and pray and
listen and care. And we have a mantra that we
live by. ministry first. And as we minister to
people, we'll trust that whatever we need financially,
the Lord will provide. But ministry always has
to come first. We believe if we will do what
God wants us to do, He knows what we need and
He knows how to provide it. Hey, this is Christian.
I work on the IT team on Living on the Edge,
and I'd like to share an email from Naomi. She
writes to us from Romania. She says, the resources
your ministry sends out have been an absolute
lifeline for me, as I've discovered them exactly
when I've needed them. Especially the Yes, You
Really Can Change discipleship series. It completely
transformed my life. As someone who deeply cherishes
God's Word and has journeyed through countless
Bible studies, I've often struggled to find trustworthy
Christian resources here in Romania that consistently
guide me closer to God's heart. Your ministry
has filled that void. It's like the resources
were designed to speak directly to the longings
of my heart for a deeper connection with God.
Thank you for providing such valuable tools.
Hello, this is Wadani, and I work on the audio
production team here at Living on the Edge. And
here's another international story, this time
from Bianca. Living on the Edge is a ministry
that is so close to my heart. I thank God for
the incredible work the Lord is doing in the
many lives around the globe, and I'm deeply grateful
for how Chip has impacted my life. I see Living
on the Edge as the first significant influence
in my life, like the first face on my personal
Mount Rushmore. Since then, God has added other
important influences. Secondly, a close friendship
with a co -worker in the ministry. Thirdly, the
opportunity to connect with and serve a hybrid
church in the U .S., even though I live far away
in Denmark. And fourthly, studying God's word
with other women through the organization Bible
Study Fellowship. But the Lord is continuing
to show me that while these four influences are
great and helpful, they are not enough. He wants
me to rely on Him above all else. I'm continually
reminded to walk with Him daily. Thank you, Chip,
for all you do. Thanks so much, Naomi and Bianca.
It's exciting to see God's Word go all around
the world. And over the last 15, 20 years or
more, we have just said we want to scatter the
seed of God's Word wildly. And so anybody who
asks us, can we use this? Can we use that? The
answer is simple. Yes, freely we've received
and freely we give. And when I hear testimonies
like this, it reminds me our labor is not in
vain, most especially. When I hear stories of
people that are in very, very painful situations
and where God has intervened, emotional healing
and God at work are the next few testimonies.
So lean back and give praise to God as you listen
to these. Hey, my name is Davis, and I work on
the Living on the Edge team. I wanted to share
this powerful story that we've gotten from Dustin.
Dustin says, a few years ago, I survived a terrible
motorcycle accident, walking away with only bruises,
praise God. When I started to drive again, I
began listening to Christian radio and I heard
a lot of powerful testimonies. Hearing all of
that sparked something in me and I decided to
give my life to Jesus. Living on the edge was
there and Chip taught me what it meant to live
like a Christian and take my relationship with
Jesus to the next level. After that, I ended
a 12 -year relationship. and I began looking
for a local church to get plugged into. Now,
I even work on a church staff. I will forever
be thankful for Chip and Living on the Edge.
Hey, this is Michael, and I work on the Ministry
Partnerships team here at Living on the Edge,
and this testimony came to us from a woman named
Amy. I first connected with Living on the Edge
when I was 24. Growing up Catholic, I didn't
really understand how to have a personal relationship
with the Lord. But in college, through friends
and church, I experienced the Holy Spirit in
a profound, intimate way, and it transformed
my life. That's when I started asking, how do
I live this out? How do I really live for Christ?
I found the answer through Living on the Edge's
material. I started listening to their podcast
and reading books like Balancing Life's Demands
and Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships. I was
on a personal journey. learning how to live out
my faith in practical ways. For example, I took
a dating sabbatical and went through love, sex,
and lasting relationships to get my relational
priorities in line. My job is in psychology,
and I started applying what I was learning to
my work with trauma survivors. I also used the
love, sex, and lasting relationships material
with high school students, and it was amazing
to see the transformations even though they had
no idea that these practices were based on a
Bible study. This material helped them navigate
things like infatuation versus love and gave
them tools for healthier relationships. Later,
I worked with kids in a foster care, and we used
material from Chip's series Overcoming Emotions
That Destroy to help them manage things like
anger. We would explore the root causes of their
emotions and give them practical tools to deal
with them. It was incredible to see how these
resources brought about real change in their
lives. The impact on me personally has been tremendous
too. When I faced challenges, the material from
The Invisible War gave me the context to understand
and navigate spiritual warfare. Now as a supervisor,
I'm able to share these resources with others
I work with, and I've seen the same transformation
in them. Living on the Edge has been a vital
part of my journey, and I'm grateful for how
all of these resources have shaped my life and
the lives of others. Hi, my name is Vida, and
I work on the Living on the Edge team. And I
want to share a quick story we received from
Jesse. Jesse writes, Chip's series, Overcoming
Emotions That Destroy, was incredibly helpful
to me in one of my most trying times. God put
this fantastic resource in front of me at just
the right moment. This teaching is so biblically
sound and challenged me to rid my heart of deep
anger or allow unforgiveness to fester while
I walk through this difficult trial. Because
of how God transformed my life and the healing
I've received by putting these techniques into
practice, I've shared this impactful series with
numerous people. I've even had one person commit
their life to Jesus through this teaching. I
look forward to using the resources this ministry
creates to help even more believers in their
faith journey. Thanks, Living on the Edge. These
are very powerful stories and had something in
common. Specific tools or resources we've developed.
Thanks to your generosity that have made a difference
in people's lives. You know, it's one thing to
say, hey, love your wife or love your husband.
It's a different thing to give them a tool, whether
it's a book or whether it's truth cards or something
specific. Overcoming Emotions That Destroy is
a book and a series and The Invisible War and
The Real You. All these are specific tools that
God has used here and around the world. And it's
been so exciting because the other thing I heard
about these stories, God changed their life and
then what did they do? They're passing it on
to others. I'm an old basketball player, as most
of you know. And so I think about goals and strategy
and clarity. Our target is that we will help
Christians live like Christians. But the bullseye
of our target is that we get to help people.
and their life gets transformed, and they catch
the vision, and they take tools that we have
made, and they begin to share it with others.
I was in Dubai recently, and a young man said,
you know, I just went through your book, Holy
Ambition, and it gave me direction and clarity
about my life. Now I know why I'm in this business.
Now I know why I have this direction. Now I have
a process to take these five guys that I'm meeting
with, all of them very successful business people,
All of them wanting to know, what does God want
to do in me and what does God want to do through
me? And so when you help us create those kind
of tools, you are making a difference as the
ripples of discipleship go from one person to
the next person to the next person. And as we
do that, I will tell you, there's nothing better.
There's no amount of likes or fame or money or
anything that compares with being in the center
of God's will and Him using you to love others.
Hi there, my name is Carly, and I work on the
Living on the Edge team, and I'd like to share
Janet's story with you. I'm a nurse, and for
a few years, I felt God prompting me to start
a Bible study for the other young moms I work
with. But I've been afraid to take that step.
It's crazy how powerful that fear of rejection
is. But anyway, three months ago, a handful of
coworkers and I were getting dinner, and I shyly
threw out the idea of doing a Bible study. And
all of them said yes. It's amazing how loudly
God speaks sometimes. We are about to finish
true spirituality and how to be Romans 12 Christians.
Next, we'll tackle the real God study. I've been
blessed beyond measure to have these sweet young
women at my house to grow in faith and wisdom
together. Hi, this is Donna, and I work on the
operations team here at Living on the Edge. And
this testimony came to us from a mom named Melissa.
I'm experiencing a wonderful season with my three
boys. One's in eighth grade, the other a sophomore,
and the oldest is about to go to college. I'm
grateful he's decided to go to a Christian school,
but it's so hard to see him go. We're trying
to soak in all the time with him, but I'm so
grateful for Chip's teaching that I listen to
daily, and now my boys are listening to the podcast
too. My oldest came to me recently after listening
to one of your series and said, Mom, the narrow
path to follow Jesus is even more narrow at a
private school. Sometimes it feels like no one
else is on it but me. Chip, I want you to know
how valuable your resources and podcasts are
to my family because the narrow path is getting
narrower for parents guiding their kids, and
the kids are realizing what it really takes to
follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Thank you from a
mom and her boys. I love that story by Melissa
because it really sums up what we're all about
at Living on the Edge. We want to help Christians
live like Christians, and that's just our terminology
for discipleship and disciple -making. And we
have three very clear strategies. The first is
to disciple God's people, teaching, training,
and tools. The second is equipping pastors and
leaders, because if you really want to disciple
people, you go upstream. Who are the people that
have the influence? Healthy pastors with disciple
-making resources and mindset produce healthy
churches. Healthy churches transform families.
Healthy families transform communities, and you
get the idea. It's the way God made it to be.
So we disciple God's people, we equip pastors
and leaders, and the third is reaching the next
generation. Thanks for being with me. And by
the way, we would love to hear your story. Why
don't you write us an email or write a letter
and tell us this is how God is working in your
life. And finally, if these stories inspire you.
and you want to be a part of seeing people's
lives changed forever and ever and ever, can
I encourage you to give to Living on the Edge?
And there's never been a better time because
every gift, as you've heard this month, will
be matched dollar for dollar. Would you pray
about that and then join the team? God bless
you and keep pressing ahead. Thanks, Chip. Well,
if you'd like to partner with us during our mid
-year match, visit livingontheedge .org or call
us at 888 -333 -6003. And like Chip said, every
dollar we receive until midnight on June 30th
will be doubled for greater impact. So if you
want to help us create discipleship resources,
encourage and support pastors, and share the
gospel with today's youth, prayerfully consider
becoming a financial partner. Go to livingontheedge
.org or call us at 888 -333 -6003 to give a gift
today. App listeners, tap Donate. And thanks
in advance for doing whatever God leads you to
do. Well, join us next time as Chip dives back
into his study of Philippians chapter 1 through
our series, I Choose Joy. Until then, I'm Dave
Drewy saying thanks for listening to this edition
of Living on the Edge.