Tired of the Spiritual Roller Coaster? The Answer Is Hearkening

Do you sometimes feel like your walk with God is a spiritual roller coaster — full of highs and lows, with the downs coming a whole lot faster than the ups? In this episode of the Confianza en Dios podcast, host Julie McGhghy uncovers a powerful gold nugget hidden in Psalm 81:8-9 that holds the key to getting off that ride for good.

Julie dives deep into the difference between hearing God’s Word and truly hearkening to it — and why that distinction makes all the difference in keeping God first in your life. Through Scripture, including the story of Samuel’s growth from simply hearing to fully hearkening, you’ll discover how to move from inconsistency to a confident, steady walk with God.

Resources: 

Walking with Confidence

Understanding God’s Expectations

Episode Timeline: Total Time 17:26

| Timestamp | Section

| 0:00 | Introduction — Welcome & podcast goal
| 0:13 | The Roller Coaster Analogy — Do you love roller coasters?
| 0:57 | The Spiritual Roller Coaster — Up and down walk with God
| 1:47 | Episode Overview — Gold nuggets in Scripture; 3-part series intro
| 2:38 | Previous Episodes Referenced — Love & Protection; Guilt & Shame
| 3:26 | Psalm 81:8-9 — The if/then statement introduced
| 3:51 | Breaking Down the Promise — If you hearken, then no strange gods
| 4:06 | Applies to Christians — Romans 11:11-21; grafted into the tree
| 4:47 | Strange Gods Today — Career, money, family, comfort; enmity (Romans 8:6)
| 6:00 | The Gold Nugget — Hearkening keeps God first
| 6:33 | Defining “Hearken” — Hebrew definitions explored
| 6:47 | Hearing Only — Prophecies & parables (2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Mark 4)
| 7:08 | Hearing & Obeying — Abraham, Samuel (1 Samuel 15:22)
| 7:40 | Hearing & Understanding — Solomon (1 Kings 3:9); Jesus in Mark 7
| 8:21 | Which Kind of Hearkening Is the Key? — Revisiting Psalm 81
| 9:17 | Hearing Only Is Not Enough
| 10:47 | Samuel’s Story — From hearing only to hearkening (1 Samuel 3:3-11)
| 12:07 | The Lesson from Samuel — Connect with a teacher; hear, then obey
| 12:39 | Recap — From hearing to hearkening; getting off the roller coaster
| 13:46 | Looking Ahead — Next episode; reflection challenge
| 14:31 | Closing Prayer