It’s OK to Tell God “I Can’t”

About The Podcast

Shane Pruitt, his wife, and five kids are all active people with a wide variety of interests and activities. That means Shane, the national Next Gen director for the North American Mission Board, has a lot of insight to share about keeping God at the forefront even when your family’s calendar is full. He and Redeemed director Nate Dewberry discuss priority setting, dealing with grief and loss, and being willing to tell God “I can’t” when the challenges, struggles, and temptations of life become too great to bear.

Show Notes

Timestamps

Discussion

1. “If you hear it from a man, go pray on it,” Ryan advises. “If you hear it from God, go do it.” Does this describe how you’ve handled difficult decisions in your life? Or have you been more likely to follow what people tell you to do and look for a way out of the challenging things God asks of you? Is there a dilemma you’ve faced recently in which you’ve sought other people’s advice but not God’s?

2. Of all the activities and interests that you and your loved ones are currently pursuing, which ones take up the greatest portion of your time and mental energy? Have you found yourself devoting less time and effort to prayer and churchgoing as a result? Is it time to sit down with your family and re-calibrate? Are there any activities or obligations you might need to put aside for a while so that you can maintain the right priorities? Matthew 10:38-39

3. Have any of your kids or other family members ever put so much emphasis on a sport or activity that it was becoming detrimental to their attitude, even their mental health? Have you made it clear to them that their worth is not solely determined by their talent at a certain pursuit—that their identity in Christ comes before all of that? Ephesians 2:8-10

4. Did you ever experience that problem yourself as a young man—placing so much of your self-worth in your ability at a certain activity that it started making your life worse? How did you eventually solve that problem, and what lessons did you learn from the experience that might be helpful to your kids or other loved ones as they face similar difficulties? Psalm 139: 13-14

5. When you get home from work, or obligations related to work such as business trips, are you mentally present for your spouse and family? Or do you find yourself falling into the trap of thinking that as long as you’re physically there, everything’s fine and they should be satisfied?

6. When you pray about challenges you’re facing and/or temptations you’ve given in to, do you put the emphasis on your own ability, saying things like “I promise to do better” or “I’ll never do it again”? Or do you surrender honestly, admitting your weakness and putting the emphasis on God’s strength? Do you find that you’ve been conditioned by your upbringing, your career field, or popular culture to believe that you should never say “I can’t” because it’s an admission of failure? What might change if you were to tell God “I can’t” and seek his strength rather than your own? Amos 4:13, 1 Corinthians 10:13

7. Shane says that faith doesn’t mean waiting until you’ve solved all your problems to put your trust in God. Is there anything that’s been weighing on your heart lately that you’ve been unwilling to confess to God in prayer? Given that God already knows everything that’s in your heart and mind, does that make it easier to open up and be fully honest with him? 1 John 1:9

8. Think of the biggest difficulty or loss you’re grieving in your life right now. To whom have you opened up about this situation? Is there anyone in your community or circle of friends who’s been through a similar challenge and might be able to offer some insight into what God is trying to teach you? Romans 12:15

Additional Resources

Books by Shane:
9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why God’s Truth Is Infinitely Better
Calling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership
Revival Generation: Awakening to a Movement of God

Shane’s podcast, The GenSend Podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)