Wake Up and Grow: Recent Episodes
Natillie Bittinger
A biweekly up-lifter, devotional, look in God's Word. This podcast aims to open the listeners' eyes, mind, heart, and spirit with "raw and unfiltered", "unashamed", "unafraid" thoughts and comments from the narrator(s). Join narrator Natillie Bittinger as she takes a hardcore dive into God's Word over a mug of her favorite tea and with the occasional guest speaker.
Why does God do what He does? What's His ultimate motivation? In today's episode, Natillie seeks to answer those questions by looking at both Old and New Testament.
We ask a lot of questions within our lifetime; we're curious creatures! As children, we ask the question, "Why?" a lot. Jeremiah asks this question of God in the Old Testament when he is faced with hardship, and God's answer is a peculiar one.
Why do we sin?
This is a question that opens up our minds to multiple different answers, but most of them are unfortunate blaming! Today, Natillie tackles the act of blaming and how we use it to avoid dealing with sin.
We live in a world full of forced compromises, where if you don't quietly accept our way, you will be relabeled as a bad person. For the Christian, what does this mean? Do we continue to compromise our standards, our beliefs, and our identity? No! We cannot expect to lead others down the narrow path if we are still lukewarm, if we are forsaking our new, and true, identity as a Saint.
What do you think of when you hear the word "humility"? Most people think it is a lack of self-value; lowering how we think of ourselves. But what does the Bible say? Today, Natillie explores this important aspect of the Christian life and seeks to define humility outside of its original worldly defnition.
Anybody else ever strut around the house with a plastic crown on your head as a kid? Did wearing that crown make you a king or queen? No, it didn't. In today's episode, Natillie talks about who should be wearing the crown of authority in our lives, and why it shouldn't be us.
What's the importance of missions? What is missions? In today's episode, Natillie tackles the topic of missions with, special guest and Gen Z evangelist, JD by looking at the Great Commission
JD socials: @heyjdhere; @jdchats; www.hopp.bio/heyjdhere
Do you desire for God to use you? Do you want to be a part of a body of believers who are moving in boldness? Do you want all that, but still doubt your ability to do so? AWESOME!! Well, not the doubting part. In today's episode, Natillie takes a look at the life of Moses to help listeners understand how God can use them for His Kingdom here on earth.
More than likely, the title of today's episode now has that old Christmas carol playing on repeat in your head. And for that, we're sorry. But did you know that there is a 12 Days of Christmas celebration apart from that never-ending song? In today's episode, Natillie looks back into Christian tradition to see how we can recover this amazing Christmas tradition.
In today's American culture, we are taught that we should be independent. That's great and all, but how does this play into our Christian faith? Can independence actually harm us in the long run? Natillie tackles these questions and others in today's episode.
Does it ever feel as if God isn't blessing you? What is God's blessing anyway? In today's episode, Natillie looks at how God blessed His people in the past and how He is blessing us today, along with how we perceive those blessings can affect us.
What's the one thing you're most afraid of? For Natillie, it's spiders (ew!). Whether it's creepy crawlers or letting down a loved one, we can all admit we've experienced fear. But, why? And what does the Bible, what does God, say about fear?
Plants need their soil to be healthy in order for them to grow and flourish. Our souls are similar. Today Natillie dives into the meaning behind this well known parable, given by Jesus in Mark ch. 4, and how our souls are in desperate need of a change of soil.
Has your pastor asked for the members of the congregation to come up and share their testimonies? Have you ever felt that your testimony wasn't significant or relatable enough to share with others? Natillie's been there too. Many of us don't believe that our testimony will amount to much, and so we don't share it. In today's episode, Natillie looks at the importance of our testimony and the impact it has on others.
In this episode, Natillie tackles one of the biggest issues facing this generation of Christians today: DISTRACTIONS. Do you find yourself easily distracted or pulled from time with God? Join Natillie as she sharpens her weapons to fight these distractions and return her focus back to God.
No one wants to be contaminated with an agonizing, infectious disease (we saw how that went with COVID). So, why are we okay with allowing sin to fester inside of us, when it's 10x worse than any disease we could encounter here on Earth??? In today's episode, Natillie talks about how sin is like a disease and how we can be rid of its symptom, "eternal death".
What's next after we get saved? Is there another part to this Christian life? Why do I not feel saved? All good questions with answers we could explore for hours. But today, Natillie tackles the core reason why many newly saved Christians feel like they're missing something: they still have a heart of stone. Not literally, obviously, but a heart that is still set in sinful ways and habits.
"Why am I here?"
No, Natillie isn't having an existential crisis, but it seems that the world in general is. No one seems to find fulfillment in anything anymore because it wasn't their "purpose". So, what is our purpose? Why were we created? Why are we here? What are we to do? Natillie explores our God-given purpose that is laid out in the Bible to answer those questions that the world can't seem to.
Do the false prophets talked about in the Bible still exist today? If so, then how do we avoid falling for their traps? Natillie explores those questions in today's episode.
WARNING: This episode will require you to be brutally honest about your anger. Anger is a common emotion that everyone, including Jesus, has felt. So, why does the Bible give us so many warnings about anger? What happens when we allow anger to be prevalent in our lives? Natillie explores her own anger and these questions with the help of the Word and Levi Lusko's I Declare War; 4 Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself.
As humans, we have the ability to pass things, other than just genetics and skills, down to the next generation via wills and final testaments. For some of us it may be money, property, or that interesting heirloom that's been in your family for what seems like centuries. But what about the things we inherit from God? This week, Natillie explores the things we inherit from our Heavenly Father and how blessed we are to be called His children.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!! First of all, thank you to all of our veterans and those who are currently serving. Second, this week Natillie explores what James, the author of, you guessed it, the Biblical book of James, meant when he said, "Faith without works is dead."
High priests and animal sacrifices are a thing of the past, the Old Testament, right? Well . . . kinda sorta. We still need a high priest to intercede for us today. But what does that mean or even look like? In today's episode, Natillie does a little digging and research into what high priests did in the Bible and how that applies to our lives today with Jesus as our high priest.
Here's an awkward and tough question; How committed to your faith, to God, are you? OR What would you compare your relationship with God to? A contract? A rollercoaster? A friendship? How about a covenant? In today's episode, Natillie discusses the thought that we aren't taking our relationship with God as serious as we should be; we've gotten lazy in our faith.
Have you ever felt as if your faith is simply coasting along? Maybe you're missing out on God's presence when it's right in front of you. Natillie looks into how God is present in both the miraculous and mundane in our lives.
If you were raised in church, then you've probably heard Matthew 5:13-16 preached about before, but what does it really mean to be the "salt and light of the world"? Natillie explores this notion in today's episode, taking a look into what salt and light meant for the people of Jesus' time to help us better understand our calling.
Have you ever felt so dirty that you HAVE TO take a long, hot shower? And no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you scrub, you can't shake that feeling of ick? Sometimes when we fall back into sin, this is what it feels like; like we've fallen into mud and can't wash it off. In today's episode, Natillie explores the cleaning power of Jesus' sacrifice and why being cleansed by Him is the best decision one could ever make.
When God calls you to do something, do you ever feel unqualified or unable? Moses did too. In this episode, Natillie takes a look at the story of Moses' calling and how it applies to our own calling.
So, you're a Christian, but you suddenly realize that you're still being tempted! WHAT THE HECK?! No worries, every Christian, whether new or old, still struggles with temptation. In today's episode, Natillie talks about temptation and the tools we can use to fight and defeat our temptations before they cause us to fall.
If you grew up in church, then you've probably read or heard the story about the woman at the well before and how Jesus offered her this "living water", that He said would never leave her thirsty again. But what exactly is this "living water" and how does it affect us modern-day Christians? Natillie seeks to unravel that question in today's episode.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! As we step into this new year, many of us Christians will make the resolution that sounds like, "I want to grow closer to Jesus,". But, in order to learn more about someone or grow closer to them, you first have to know/learn who they are. In this episode, Natillie explores who Jesus was according to the book of Jeremiah 9:6 and how that same Jesus can be what He was back then to us today.
God created you differently than He created all the other creatures on Earth; He gave you the ability to create like He did. But why? Why do we, as humans, have this desire and ability to create with genuine creativity and uniqueness? Natillie explores this idea and what it means to be a creative creation.
We all need a little shelter from the chaos and storms of life every now and then. Often when we are caught in a weather storm, we retreat to a solid building to protect ourselves. But, have you ever considered that God could be that shelter for you? Not just when you face stormy weather, but when you face storms in your marriage, health, career, etc. This week Natillie looks at what it means to have some shelter and how God can be just that.
We've all heard of the gods Zeus and Thor, but we don't worship them, because we know they aren't real. In this episode, Natillie challenges Christians to look at the other things they might be placing as an idol or god in their lives.
Have you ever sat and thought, "I don't deserve God's grace."? Well, you're not the only person who has thought that. Actually, none of us deserve His grace, and yet, we've received it. Today Natillie takes this concept of grace and dissects it, getting into the nitty-gritty and explaining how God extends us His grace and then expects us to extend grace to others in return.
Do you ever feel like you're in this tug-of-war or wrestling match with God? Does it sometimes feel as if you being hit blow by blow? Jacob felt that way too, although he actually fought with God physically. Listen as Natillie tries to discern what this passage of Scripture in Genesis might be able to teach us about our "wrestling" with God.
Do you enjoy waiting in line or for anything at all? No? Neither does Natillie (she can be a bit impatient at times). Waiting can be a challenge for some of us, especially when we don't know when whatever we're waiting for is going to come. How can we endure the waiting we face when it comes to God? Natillie explores the waiting period Christians face and how one can use that time to grow closer to God instead of dropping the ball and whatever blessing was around the corner before we decided to give up on waiting.
Have you ever been a guest at someone's house and thought, "Wow. They are really hospitable!"? Natillie knows a bit about hospitality, being from the South. But what about hospitality that centers around Christ? Today Natillie explains what Christ-centered hospitality is and how we can show it to others.
The Bible is considered one of the sought after book in the world, and yet, many Christians seem to simply leave it on their bedside table like a decorative piece. Join Natillie as she and her sister Brooklin explore the spiritual importance of the Bible.
Who else enjoys jammin' out to a good song in their car? Or do you sometimes have to pull over to the side of the road because the worship song is SO GOOD that you might accidently meet Jesus early? Today Natillie answers the question of the importance and significance of praise.
In a world that teaches us to harden our hearts towards others, it can be hard to find people who seem to genuinely care. In this week's episode, Natillie explores what it means to have a heart that is softened towards others and the Holy Spirit.
New Wake Up and Grow Instagram account name: "wugpodcast".
Do you ever feel as if you're not reaching enough people with the Gospel? Or that you're not spreading the Gospel in the right way? Natillie felt the same way. Listen this week as she explores how God can use something small to create a big impact.
What's in a name? Why do the names in the Bible hold such a significant meaning? Why do we pray "In the name of Jesus"? Natillie took these questions and let her inner nerd come out while researching for this week's episode, so prepare for a long one. Natillie lets you in on the many names that Jesus goes by and what they mean.
Getting ready to graduate high school or college? AWESOME!! So proud of you! Now, are you ready for that next step you have to take? No? That's okay, Natillie wasn't either. During this transition in life, many feel lost and unsure of what to do next. But don't worry, God has an amazing plan for you.
Happy Mother's Day (a week early) to all the moms out there! WE LOVE YOU LOTS!!! We wanted to dedicate this episode of Wake Up and Grow to you and thank you for all the amazing things you do. This week Natillie explores the characteristics of a godly woman and how they apply to mothers today.
We've probably all seen the examples overseas missionaries bring back about Christians being executed or imprisoned for their faith, but what does persecution look like in countries where Christianity is welcomed? And how can we prepare ourselves for it? This week, Natillie explores those questions and what it means to be persecuted.
Do you ever feel as if God is too busy or "too holy" to notice you and your problems? Many of the people we recognize in the Bible felt the same way. In this week's episode, Natillie looks into Nathanael's perspective of this topic (he's one of the Twelve Disciples).
Do you like fruit? GREAT, but Natillie's not talking about papayas or pineapples today. No, she's talking about the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. ENJOY!!
Happy Valentine's day!!! We wanted to express our love to y'all by giving you this new episode about wisdom; something we think everybody would want. Listen as Natillie dives into the writings of King Solomon and discovers the importance and attributes of wisdom.
Today's episode explores the idea of God searching us and truly knowing us as Hid Children. Natillie will be focusing on Psalm chapter 139 for this one, so grab your Bibles, your tea or coffee, and get ready to grow.
Here's the link to the "Bible Hub" website: https://biblehub.com/
Why is following God's will so important? What even is God's will??? These are important questions to answer and explore as we enter this new year of 2022.
This is the last episode of the "Advent Special" series, where Natillie is focusing on peace. Where do we get peace, true peace? What is peace? Answers to these questions and more about peace in this episode.
Sometimes the holiday/Christmas season can be tough, and that's okay, we get it. But what if it didn't have to STAY that way? This episode, Natillie explores what it means to receive the joy of Christmas and how that effects our lives today.
This week, join Natillie as she looks into the second Sunday of Advent which is sometimes referred to as "Faith Sunday". Faith is incredibly important to our walk with God and is something we should all learn to examine and take stock of.
WE ARE BACK! Wake Up and Grow has returned from a temporary hiatus with a new episode for you. This week, and the next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas, Natillie is going to dive into the season of Advent and what it means. So, buckle up, grab your favorite cup of tea, grab your Bible, and prepare to explore Advent and prepare yourself for this coming Christmas season.
Why is prayer mentioned nearly 114 times in the Bible and why do so many people tend to neglect it? In this episode, Natillie looks into and dissects the examples of prayer that Jesus gave us in the Bible and looks into how they apply in today's world. Stay tuned to the end for an announcement.
How powerful are your words, really? Well, pretty powerful. In fact the Bible says that our words hold the power of death and life in them. Dang! In this episode, Natillie explores and explains just how powerful our words can be and why it is vitally important that we allow God to be the influence of our words.
WHO WANTS TO TALK ABOUT GRIEF?!?!?! . . . . yeah, me neither, but we're doing it anyway! (just an FYI this episode is kinda heavy). In today's episode, Natillie talks about her own experience with grief, loss, and death in hopes that her listeners can find some comfort in knowing that they're not alone, and that it's okay to mourn those you've lost; Jesus mourned.
Do you ever feel as if you're . . . well, drowning in doubt? Are you constantly asking questions like, "Does God care?" "Is God even listening to me?" "What if He doesn't do what He said He'll do?", etc.? Doubt is something that everyone faces and it can be detrimental to our faith if we ignore it. In this episode, Natillie share about how doubt can overcome our faith, but also how we can overcome our doubt.
Do you think you don't have enough time for God in your life? Do you feel as if you can't find time to pray or do your devotions? Well, it might be because you've crammed your schedule with things you don't need. Oops! Did I just say that? Well, more often than not, that's the actual case. Believe me, been there, done that and it wasn't fun. In this episode, Natillie describes why busy doesn't always equal effective and why it's important that we set aside time to spend with God in our day-to-day lives.
Any wannabe storm-chasers out there?! While watching powerful thunderstorms is fun, there are some storms in life that we would rather not face. But within the midst of those storms, we forget that there is One who is bigger than our storms. Listen as Natillie talks about how we should respond to the storms of life.
Got an attitude problem? Same here; sometimes my attitude can be so ugly that I just feel like I need to take a shower . . . or two! Did you know that your attitude doesn't have to match your situation? Natillie explores the attitudes we face as Christians that can be a bit un-Christ-like, and she looks at how to reign in control of those ugly attitudes of ours.
The topic of "love" again?! Yes, yes, again. But that's because of the importance of the love of God in our lives. Why are we commanded to show God's love to others and what does it mean if we have that same love in our lives? Read along in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; John 13: 34-35; Matthew 5:34-35; Matthew 22:39; and John 3:16
ANNOUNCEMENT If you normally skip my outro in episodes, that's totally cool but don't skip this one. I have an announcement in this episode's outro that you won't want to miss.
In Ephesians chapter 6, Paul talks about putting on the "Armor of God". But what does that even mean? Are we really going to war and need to wear all this? Listen as Natillie dissects the Armor of God and explores its pieces and their purposes.
What's the difference between living and thriving? GROWTH. In this episode, Natillie compares the spiritual growth we are to experience to the growth of a healthy houseplant. Stick with us here; it's not that weird of an analogy. Grab your houseplants, Bible, and notebooks and get ready for another episode of Wake Up and Grow.
You all have been so patiently waiting for this episode to come out, so thank you! Today's episode is special in that it lands on and before a couple important Christian holidays; Good Friday and Easter. While Easter is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection, Good Friday is often seen as the day He died and was crucified. Natillie would like to read to you the crucifixion of Jesus.
Have you ever wondered why God would choose to use us, as flawed and broken humans, to carry His Word to the lost? Same! Natillie takes a look at 2 Corinthians 4:7 and finds out why God would bother to put His treasure in jars of clay instead of a treasure chest.
Have you ever been given an opportunity that you really didn't want in the first place? Or have you wanted and opportunity and never gotten it? When God presents us with opportunities, we refer to it as "opening doors". Some doors seem to open and then shut, or are locked and never open at all, even when we put some muscle into it. Why is that? Natillie looks through the Bible and shares what it means to be faced with doors that God has either opened or closed and what is the best thing to do in those situations.
Do you ever think that your past is too messy and full of sin for God to forgive? If you find yourself asking that question, then listen in as Natillie dives into the life of Saul or Paul the Apostle.
Are you afraid of something? For Natillie it's spiders. EW! But it seems as if Christians, particularly in America, are afraid of sharing the Gospel. Why is that? In this episode, Natillie looks into the instances in which fear tends to overshadow our faith when it comes to sharing the Gospel.
With February coming, that means people are going to be getting ready for Valentien's day (ew). So, Natillie decides to take a dive into our society's perspective and definition of love and comparing it to what Christians think of when they think of love, boiling it down to essentially romantic love vs agape love.
With the new year of 2021 upon us, Natillie invites you to the challenge of discipleship. But first, let's figure out what discipleship is and what it look like. You have a greater impact on the people around you than you realize.
Last episode Natillie explored the Christmas story. This episode she looks at the reason for Christ's coming and birth and the gifts that He brought to earth with Him.
This month, Natillie is going to dive into the Christmas story we all know; the birth of Jesus Christ. This episode takes a look at how God's promises are always kept and how the beginning of the life of our Saviour has an impact on those who played a part in His coming. Join back in two weeks for part two!
Today's episode is centered around the importance of the Bible, why we as Christians ought to read it, and spending intimate time with God.
Today's episode concerns the Holy Spirit and how it is meant to flow out of us like rushing waters, touching everyone we come in contact with. Do you want to experience a personal Pentecost? Do you want to have the Holy Spirit fill and overflow in you? Join Natillie as she looks through Acts and explores the first Pentecost.
The content for this week's episode was inspired by "Kingdom Movement USA", created by David Matteucci and JD. If you want to learn more about the movement and how you can get involved please visit https://www.kingdommovementworship.com/ . The Holy Spirit is going to fill and overflow from this generation, will you join the movement?
Why do we as humans, even those of us who prefer some personal space, value the kind touch of a hand and how does that apply to our spiritual life? The touch of Jesus is powerful. Listen as Natillie gives examples of and explains how Jesus' touch can change your life for the better.
This is episode 12, which was supposed to come out 2 weeks ago (oops). Natillie explores the topic of finding one's identity in Christ and why that's so important for us as Christians, learning to love yourself because God loves you, and why it is we were made. There may or may not also be mentions of The Lion King.
Trusting is hard, like really hard. People betray our trust so often, so it seems pointless to place our trust in anyone else's hands, right? What about God? Can He be trusted? Listen as Natillie answers and explores this question of 'who can we trust?'. Also, Natillie has tried the oolong tea and has come up with a verdict.
The human mind/psyche is one of the most attacked areas of our lives by Satan. It is vulnerable and complex, but there are ways to deflect Satan's attacks and send him running with his tail between his legs. Join Natillie as she revisits some of her psychology notes and dives into God's Word in order to explain how to retake control of our minds from Satan.
Pardon the tea slurping . . . In this episode of Wake Up and Grow, Natillie dissects the term "weak flesh" that seems to be used quite often in the church lingo and language. What does it mean to be of weak flesh? What does it mean to be flesh minded? Can our fleshly desires be overcome? Answers to these questions and more in today's episode of Wake Up and Grow.
This episode of Wake Up and Grow covers the two hunting hounds of Satan, Jealousy and Envy. Natillie takes a quick dive into how jealousy and envy can be so easily used to destroy not only the Church body, but the faith of the believer as well. Pardon Natillie's lower and scratchier voice ;) she's a little under-the-weather.
Natillie and special guest Brooklin Bittinger discuss what it feels like being a young adult Christian in a world that seems to have neglected God, as well as how music has shaped their faith. Listen as they chat, dive down rabbit holes, and laugh all without a background music track because the editor wanted you to hear every little detail of conversation between these two! ;)
No one wants to think that they are self-centered, especially those who claim to follow Christ. But sometimes we're not fully aware of just how self-centered we actually are until someone else points it out to us. Listen as Natillie, who has struggled with self-centeredness, talks about what the symptoms of self-centeredness are and what medicine should be prescribed to get rid of it.
Do you struggle to give up control over things in your life? Well, you're not alone. As a fellow "control freak", Natillie understands the pain of letting things fall out of her hands an into someone else's. But, if that someone else is God, then those things are in the best pair of hands they could ever be in. Join Natillie as she goes through what made it easier for her to let go of her life and allow God take control of it.
Do you ever feel as if you're alone in this world, surrounded by darkness? Join Natillie as she tries to understand this darkness that has covered our world and what can be done about it and answer these questions. Does the light you hold have any purpose? Why does the darkness exist? How do we spread the light we have to the world around us?
Do you have a Goliath in your life? Not a literal giant, of course, but something that you struggle with? Natillie looks into the story of David versus Goliath to see how we can become Giant Slayers and how God has already prepared us to defeat those giants we face during our lifetime.
Why is this social distancing so hard to get through? God made us social beings for a reason. Join Natillie as she explores why we need companionship and relationships.
During this time of hoarding, fear, and pandemic let Natillie share with you the hope God has shared with her, and in turn, share that hope with those around you. True hope is contagious. True hope is alive. True hope is single-sourced, God being that source.
Just the basic, Who, What, and When of this podcast. Get ready to grab your tea and grow when the upcoming full episodes come!