When God Calls You, Will You Take the First Step? | Tyler Marston & 1189

What do you do when you believe God has put something on your heart? How can you tell whether it’s truly a calling from God—and what happens when following that calling requires you to step outside your comfort zone?

In this Episode 473 conversation, Steve Marston welcomes his son, Tyler Marston, creator of the 1189 YouTube channel, for a practical discussion about calling, obedience, discipleship, and having the courage to take the first step.

Tyler shares the story behind 1189, an ambitious project to create a free, accessible video commentary for all 1,189 chapters of the Bible. Rather than simply recognizing that a resource like this should exist, Tyler felt challenged by a much more personal question: “Why not you?”

Steve and Tyler discuss how Christians can discern whether an idea or desire is actually from God. Tyler points to several important tests: Does it align with Scripture? Does it reflect biblical principles and further the gospel? What do mature believers, mentors, family members, and pastors say when you seek their counsel?

They also explore the importance of discipleship. Following Jesus was never intended to be an isolated journey. Christians should have people pouring into them while they intentionally invest in and disciple others—following the New Testament model demonstrated by Paul and people like Timothy.

The conversation concludes with a powerful lesson from Acts 24 and the apostle Paul. Even while imprisoned and seeing little visible fruit from his ministry, Paul remained faithful to what God had called him to do. As Tyler explains, success isn't necessarily getting the outcome we want—success is being obedient to what God has called us to do.

If there’s something God has placed on your heart that you just can’t shake, this conversation may be the encouragement you need to stop saying, “Somebody should do something,” and start asking, “Why not me?”