But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. —Matthew 6:33

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. —Psalm 119:30

Have you read the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12–14? It talks about how the shepherd leaves his ninety-nine sheep to find the one that is lost, and likewise, God does the same with us. Every time I (Britt) read these words, a sense of comfort washes over me. It’s not just the idea that He searches tirelessly for His lost sheep, but that He deeply values each and every individual soul. Even just the one.

This truth has been a guide in our ministry, Her True Worth. When I started it back in 2015, I had this feeling in my heart that we would have a team with many leaders. I never sought to make this an avenue for fame but rather an opportunity to walk in obedience and faithfulness to minister to “the one” person.

That became a driving force for me. The one. And that’s what ended up drawing me to Cass when I stumbled upon her on Instagram.

We hadn’t met in person. She was a total stranger. As I was praying for a team at this time, something drew me to her ministry. She had a modest following, and the way she faithfully nurtured what God had given stood out to me. Her words were more than just letters on a digital screen; they were God-breathed and always aimed at reaching “the one.” In a world obsessed with followers, likes, numbers, and strategy, there’s something incredibly refreshing about setting out to minister to just one person.

As Britt mentioned above, I (Cass) have always approached writing with an intended audience of one. I don’t think I could’ve pressed the post button for the first time if I genuinely thought millions of people would be reading my words back then. It’s still a bit unnerving even now as I’m typing these words. To tell the truth, I found a level of comfort in thinking hardly anyone would see what I was writing. I felt like I was safely wrapped in a blanket of obscurity.

During the first few years of my writing journey, I was able to build confidence as I wrote, because there weren’t a lot of eyes on me. At the time, hustle culture was booming, and there were pervading messages everywhere encouraging people to build online platforms and to know your niche, along with mounting pressure to establish yourself as a unique expert in your field. It wasn’t long before the term “influencer” made its way into our vernacular. Meanwhile, I found myself longing to build a “bench,” a safe space for my reader to rest. I wanted to sit alongside them instead of positioning myself above them on my platform as I spoke at them. I doubt this is an original thought, but it’s how I’ve come to approach social media over the years.

I don’t think I would have been nearly as successful had my primary motivation been to gain followers and fame. Don’t get me wrong. Being able to write books has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I acknowledge that the publishing industry does leverage platforms for profit, but that isn’t what got me to where I am today. Intentionality, obedience, and reverence for God’s Word are what led me to write the posts that eventually put me on Britt’s radar. It wasn’t a strategy that caught her attention; it was my heartfelt sincerity.

There were plenty of painful rejections and redirections along the way that would have crushed me if I had built my foundation upon a desire for approval from others. Building a foundation on popularity and the opinions of others is like building a house on sand. It shifts whenever the tide comes in and comes crashing down when the rain falls and the wind blows. It doesn’t hold firm when hard times come. Notice I said when and not if, because hardship eventually comes for us all.

There’s an Old Testament prophet who knew a thing or two about experiencing the disapproval of others. Let’s talk about Jeremiah. The prophet’s obedience to God didn’t exactly make him friends; his decision to proclaim the word of the Lord made him enemies in high places. In addition to experiencing the harsh judgment of others, Jeremiah also experienced cruel punishment. One incident takes place in Jeremiah 20, when Pashhur, the chief officer of the priests, takes it upon himself to have Jeremiah beaten and placed in the stocks, only released the next day, after suffering excruciating physical pain and public humiliation (vv. 3–5).

Jeremiah’s obedience to God cost him dearly. He had to pay a painful price to remain faithful to his role as a messenger of God. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah considered either giving up or changing the message God had given to him on multiple occasions. He might not have said this publicly, but Jeremiah clearly wrestled with the tension of the suffering and humiliation he faced inwardly and openly with God. I imagine he wanted to quit and stop speaking out.

Have you ever considered giving up? I’ll be the first to admit that I have, often. I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve danced with defeat, but it’s true. I’ve told you I value honesty, and that starts with me. I think it’s important to remember that our obedience to Christ will often come at a personal cost. For me, it’s my comfort. This ultimately points to what I value most, which is safety and security. Following God is risky. Ask anyone who has dedicated their life to Jesus. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah knew this better than most of us could possibly comprehend. But, ultimately, Jeremiah’s trust and belief in God empowered him to press onward toward his calling.

I, too, have experienced obedience coming at a cost. I’ve lost friendships, social media followers, and opportunities because of my choice to be obedient to what I felt God was calling me to do. But when we choose faithfulness over fame, we change the game. The earthly rewards no longer satisfy and entice us. We no longer live our lives within the confines of other people’s comfort zones. And as we choose to obey, God increases our capacity beyond what we could have done on our own.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (NIV). Matthew didn’t say to seek health, wealth, popularity, and prosperity, and all these things will be given to you. No. He said to seek God’s kingdom first. I know this is much easier to read than it is to live out. I’ve got years of experience fighting my own selfish ambitions, but I can tell you there is freedom found in seeking God first.

Following God will often come with adversity and opposition, just like it did for Jeremiah. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Just as Jeremiah chose to bring his pain and problems to God, we, too, need to make the intentional choice to go to God first. Prioritizing His kingdom above building our own.

This looks like constant surrender and placing our preferences at the foot of the cross. It looks like choosing faithfulness over fame.

Let’s be faithful to the One who has always been faithful to us, no matter the cost.

Excerpted from Ready as You Are by Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer. © 2025 Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. HarperCollinsChristian.com.

Brittany Maher (Britt) is the founder and president of Her True Worth, a large and growing online community designed to liberate an entire generation of faith-filled women with the freedom found in discovering their true worth in Christ. She and her husband Ryan invest most of their time in equipping and empowering God’s people for digital evangelism across the globe. Brittany is planted in Michigan with her husband, Ryan, and their daughter, Ariana.

Cassandra Speer (Cass) is a bestselling author, dynamic Bible teacher, host of the Hard and Holy podcast, and vice president of Her True Worth, a global ministry encouraging women to find their identity and validation in Christ alone. With a deep passion for the weary and wounded, Cassandra writes to offer hope and practical biblical encouragement to those searching for faith in the midst of life’s challenges. In addition to her writing and ministry work, Cassandra is pursuing a Master’s in Biblical and Theological Studies at Denver Seminary. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband and their three rowdy and wonderful children.