Why Most Christians Stay Spiritually Stuck
& the One Shift That Changes Everything
A special thank you to our podcast guest, Andrew Yates!
If you’ve ever felt like your faith was on repeat—going to church, reading the Bible, maybe even leading a small group—but still wondering why your heart feels unchanged, you’re not alone. In a recent conversation with Andrew Yates, some powerful truths came to light that hit directly at the root of spiritual stagnation.
The problem isn’t always that we don’t know enough truth. It’s that we’re not living the truth we already know. And that gap between knowing and living is where the battle is won or lost.
1. Information Isn’t Transformation
Our culture prizes knowledge. We chase the next book, podcast, or sermon thinking “this is the thing that will finally make me grow.” But discipleship is not about stockpiling information—it’s about letting the truth reshape our hearts, habits, and communities.
Andrew pointed out that transformation happens not in the echo chamber of our own thoughts, but in the messy space of relationships. When truth is spoken, tested, and lived out with others, it stops being theory and starts becoming reality.
2. We Need to Rediscover the Power of Story
Facts and propositions are valuable, but people rarely change because of bullet points. They change because of stories. Stories reach the imagination before they reach the intellect.
This is why Jesus taught in parables. The gospel is not a sterile formula—it’s the greatest story ever told, and it invites us to enter it. Andrew reminded us that if we want faith to come alive in our families, friendships, and churches, we need to reclaim the art of telling God’s story in a way that intersects with people’s real lives.
3. Theology Must Touch Real Life
Another key takeaway: theology isn’t meant to live in books or lecture halls. It’s meant to live in our kitchens, marriages, and workplaces.
When theology stays abstract, it’s easy to ignore. But when theology steps into prayer, romance, conflict, and forgiveness—it suddenly matters. This is where discipleship shifts from dry obligation into daily invitation.
4. Transformation Requires Community and Accountability
One of the hardest truths Andrew shared is that isolation kills growth. Lone-ranger Christianity is not biblical Christianity.
We need voices that can both affirm us and confront us. Real friendships, the kind where people actually know what’s happening in your life, create the soil where discipleship can flourish. Without it, our blind spots remain untouched, and our sins remain unchallenged.
Final Thought
Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intentionality, story, theology lived in real life, and authentic community. The good news is that anyone can start today.
You don’t need another podcast episode to grow. You need to take the truths you already know, step into real relationships, and live them out. That’s where the shift from stuck to transformed begins.
