Chasing Happiness with Ryan DeMent

I used to think God was a vending machine. Put in the prayer, get out the provision. Pay off the debt. Done. What I did not understand is that God was waiting for me to move first. This episode is about the moment that changes. In this episode, I walk through five specific signs that God is calling you out of debt right now, not someday, not when things settle down, right now. Each sign comes with...

If you have been waiting on God for longer than a year and are starting to wonder if He has forgotten about you, this episode is for you. Waiting on God is not passive. There are three distinct phases, and most people get stuck in one without realizing it. In this episode, I walk you through all three phases, what each one feels like from the inside, and the one practical move you need to make at...

Are you in a season where God just feels quiet? You are praying, you are showing up, and you cannot hear Him. In this episode, I want to talk about what is actually happening in that silence. I share five signs that tell you God is preparing you for something bigger than you can see right now. And I get personal about my own story: 18 months ago, we were two days away from closing on a major prope...

Morning prayer is where most people start. But what if God is waiting for something more from you than a quick prayer before your day gets crazy? In this raw and honest episode, I share exactly how my week went in the middle of my financial storm. The battles. The anxiety. The moments where I went astray. And the two faith practices that are keeping me moving forward 1% every day, even when the st...

How to surrender to God is the question nobody wants to ask out loud. Because surrendering means admitting you cannot fix it yourself. And that is exactly where I am right now. In this raw and honest episode, I confess something I am not proud of. I am still fighting God on multiple fronts. Still stubborn and bullheaded even while my financial storm keeps going. And the things I try to fix on my o...

Surrendering to God is the hardest thing you will ever do. Especially when the storm keeps coming, and rock bottom keeps finding you. What if that storm was not sent to destroy you? What if God sent it specifically to change you from the inside out? In this raw and honest episode, I share where I am right now. Bouncing off rock bottom more than once. Chasing materialism and keeping up with people...

When you hit rock bottom, you don't need a motivational speech. You need someone who's actually there right now telling you the truth. In this episode of the Chasing Happiness Podcast, I get completely raw about the last few days of my life. Financially low, emotionally drained, and spiritually tested, I woke up angry at God. Legs off the bed, feet on the floor, asking "Why? What am I...

Why can't I just change this on my own terms? I've asked that question more times than I want to admit. In this episode, Ryan gets honest about something most people in the faith space won't say out loud. Being saved doesn't mean the storm stops. It means you finally start asking better questions. Ryan shares where he's at right now, still in it, still wrestling, and what God keeps nudging him to...

Be still and know that I'm God. That's one of the most quoted verses out there and one of the least understood. This week I'm getting honest about something I've wrestled with for a long time: I don't know how to be still. My still is anxiety. Worrying about what's down the road that probably won't even happen. Asking "why is this happening" instead of asking...

I want to be able to put my head down on the pillow and go to sleep while everything is burning, and right now, I can't. This week, I'm wrestling with something that's been eating at me: why do I keep trying to fix everything myself instead of giving it to God? My friend's wife has this unrelenting faith; she just lets it all go and has no anxiety. Me? I'm stuck in the exhausti...

Why won't we give each other mercy? When someone is going through a storm, addiction, divorce, or financial collapse, too often we judge instead of showing up. We withhold the very thing they need most. In this episode, we dig into what it really means to meet people where they are. Why did Jesus break bread with the people no one else would? Why your tribe matters more than your beliefs. And...

When life falls apart, most of us do the one thing that makes it worse. We pull away from God and try to fix the storm on our own. In this episode of Chasing Happiness, Ryan DeMent shares candidly about why we walk away from God in painful seasons, how God uses those storms to reach our hearts, and the daily habits that help you come back. Honest prayer, daily Scripture, serving others, and findin...

When the storm has lasted so long that quitting feels like the only logical option, it is time to get brutally honest with yourself and with God. In this episode of  Chasing Happiness , Ryan DeMent shares unfiltered lessons from his own never-ending financial and business storm. He covers why he refuses to quit, how daily prayer, Scripture, and radical consistency are holding him together, and wha...

How to pray when your life is falling apart, because God doesn't need your perfect words; He needs the real you. Ryan DeMent knows what it's like to be pushed to the edge. A house deal in Indiana is draining him financially, bills are piling up, and he has no clear answers, but he still chooses to lean into God instead of giving up. In this episode of the Chasing Happiness Podcast, Ryan ge...

Are you in the middle of a storm right now — wondering if God even cares? In this episode of Chasing Happiness, I share what hit me like a ton of bricks on a prayer walk: I realized I didn't have enough faith to believe God would give me peace WHILE I'm in the storm. This is raw. This is real. And it just might change the way you see your struggle.🎙️ In this episode you'll learn:✅ Why...

Why Your Storm Gets Worse When You Don't Change This — and what God is actually doing in the middle of your hardest season. This episode of the Chasing Happiness Podcast is one I needed to record for myself as much as for you. I'm in a storm right now. Financially. In business. In real estate development. And it's been going on longer than I ever planned. Bills aren't getting paid....

Trusting God in hard times — what do you do when the storm won't stop and you've been asking "why" with no answer? This is the rawest episode of the Chasing Happiness Podcast I've ever recorded. I'm in a storm right now — it's financial, it's business-related, it's real estate development — and it's been going on for longer than I ever expected. Bills stac...

Faith isn't comfort. Being faithful to God was never meant to be comfortable — and that's actually good news. In this episode of Chasing Happiness Podcast, I'm breaking down why the storms of life aren't punishment — they're purpose. God never promised an easy life. He promised He'd be there through it. So why do we keep chasing comfort instead of growth? We're talking...

When you’re in a long storm and your prayers seem to hit the ceiling, it’s easy to assume God has abandoned you. In this episode of  Chasing Happiness , Ryan DeMent unpacks three reasons God may feel silent shaping you from the inside out, nudging you toward needed change, and drawing you closer to His presence and shares how daily time with God, simplifying life, and finding a small circle of tru...

In this episode of Chasing Happiness, host Ryan DeMent invites listeners to look beyond the question of why and start asking what’s my purpose? If you’ve ever felt stuck, anxious, or disconnected from your faith, this conversation will help you realign with God’s plan for your life. Together, we explore how to: Draw closer to God during difficult seasons Discover purpose through serving others Rep...

When your back is against the wall, and you’re out of options, it’s easy to assume God is late, but His timing is never off. In this episode of  Chasing Happiness , Ryan DeMent shares a raw look at ongoing financial storms, anxiety, and exhaustion, and how daily time with God and passages like Deuteronomy 8 have reminded him that God provides in the wilderness, blesses in abundance, and calls us t...

In this episode of Chasing Happiness, host Ryan DeMent invites listeners to look beyond the question of why and start asking what’s my purpose? If you’ve ever felt stuck, anxious, or disconnected from your faith, this conversation will help you realign with God’s plan for your life. Together, we explore how to: Draw closer to God during difficult seasons Discover purpose through serving others Rep...

When life won’t let up and everything feels like one long storm, it’s easy to assume God has abandoned you—but what if He’s actually protecting you? In this episode of  Chasing Happiness , Ryan DeMent shares a raw financial struggle with a rental property and how it revealed God’s protection, not punishment, along with practical ways to find peace in the storm through Scripture, prayer, journaling...

When life falls apart and you’re asking, “God, why is this happening?”, this episode helps you find clarity in the chaos by uncovering your God-given purpose, even in the middle of the storm. Drawing from real struggles with anxiety, burnout, and loneliness, Ryan DeMent shares how drawing closer to God, serving others with your gifts, and building a Christ-centered community can transform your fun...

For followers of Jesus who feel overwhelmed by money stress, business pressure, or constant setbacks, this episode explores how faith and persistence can turn “why me?” into a deeper sense of purpose and peace. Ryan shares honest stories about financial struggle, daily Bible reading with YouVersion and The Bible Recap, serving others, and leaning on small-group community so you can let God use you...