Stepping In Faith

Godly Suffering

• Stepping In Faith • Season 1 • Episode 23

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Do you know the difference between godly suffering and self-induced pain? In this eye-opening episode, we tackle the often misunderstood concept of what it really means to "suffer for Christ." 

Many believers automatically label their struggles as spiritual warfare or persecution without examining the true source. But what if your relationship drama, financial troubles, or personal struggles aren't spiritual attacks at all, but rather the natural harvest of choices made outside God's will?

We cut through common misconceptions to reveal what Scripture actually teaches about suffering. True godly suffering begins with surrendering your will to God's will—choosing obedience when your flesh wants to rebel, forgiving when resentment feels easier, walking in purity when surrounded by temptation. It's not about dramatic martyrdom but daily surrender.

For those struggling in relationships, we address a painful truth: staying in an abusive or unfaithful relationship isn't "suffering for Christ"—it's suffering from your own decision to remain where God hasn't called you to be. The same applies to financial hardships resulting from poor stewardship or impulsive choices.

This challenging but liberating message will transform how you view your trials and help you distinguish between tests that build faith and consequences of disobedience. The wilderness seasons in your life might be preparation, not punishment. Are you suffering because you're walking in obedience, or because you're facing the aftermath of walking your own way?

 Ready to dive deeper? 🎧 Join us on YouTube for the full video podcast where we explore faith, love, and relationships through a Christian lens. Whether married, single, or seeking spiritual growth, our episodes offer practical advice and profound insights to strengthen your walk with Jesus. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss a powerful episode. Let’s grow together in faith and purpose!

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Introduction to Godly Suffering

WALTER

Welcome back to another episode of Stepping in Faith, where, together, we explore the importance of having a relationship with God and how that relationship with God can impact the relationship you have with others. I'm your host, walter. I'm joined here alongside my lovely wife.

SHANEA

Shania.

WALTER

What episode is this?

SHANEA

23?.

WALTER

I think so I think. Episode 23. Yes, this is episode 23. Of course we are believers, so before we get started, we have to open this up in prayer. I believe I prayed last time, so I will leave that to my wife. And, by the way, in case you hear hear anything we are in the midst of a major storm outside, but to god be the glory to god be the glory rain is always good but it's so soothing it is soothing.

WALTER

You just sound like where you were from did I yes, you did my accent came out, it came out um, so we're gonna let my wife open us up in prayer.

SHANEA

So, babe, the floor is yours father god, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your love, your grace, your mercy. We thank you, father god, and we call you holy. We call you holy, father god, and we just give you glory. Today, we just you honor and we give you praise. We ask, father God, that you will open up our listeners' ears and their eyes to hear and see what it is that you are saying, father God, and we bind every mind, binding spirit, father God, to try to keep them from the truth. So, holy Spirit, we thank you for working through us, allowing us to be a vessel of truth, allowing us to be a vessel of your word and your grace, father God, and your love. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray.

WALTER

Amen Amen.

SHANEA

Amen.

WALTER

So, babe, what is the title of today's, of this week's episode? Because it's not today, it's nighttime.

SHANEA

Godly, suffering Godly suffering, godly suffering. Yes, godly suffering.

WALTER

We both got that at the same time.

SHANEA

Yeah, in different ways. I don't remember what I was doing, but I think we were watching something. I would I don't remember.

WALTER

He was driving somewhere. Yeah, I think he was dropping off the youngest and I was at home getting ready for work, I think.

SHANEA

Yeah, but I had got it before you did, okay. Okay, I think I got it like a day before or after. Actually, we were recording this last, the last episode, last episode, okay you ain't telling me anything. No, because I really it was like an impression. I didn't really understand. It was just like a thought, even though it wasn't my thought, because sometimes my thoughts aren't my thoughts.

WALTER

Like god, what do you want us to talk about? He already gave it to my wife. Beholding, withholding the goods. What that song say? Withholding nothing, withholding nothing I surrender all not to me, but to god, but yeah to god. Um, so yeah, this is. It's a topic that many may not like.

SHANEA

Yeah, actually. I mean, people talk about suffering for Christ all the time I hear it. I hear it all the time. I'm suffering for Christ. I'm suffering for Christ all the time I hear it. I hear it all the time. I'm suffering for Christ, I'm suffering for Christ. You actually look good, by the way.

WALTER

So do you, babe, look beautiful over there. Thank you, I'm going to try not to get sidetracked.

SHANEA

Okay.

WALTER

The light just glistening.

SHANEA

Okay.

WALTER

It's not suffering right now, though. Okay.

SHANEA

It's not suffering right now, though. Okay.

WALTER

So yeah, they do talk about suffering a lot.

SHANEA

But people misconstrue I'm sorry, I just snagged my teeth but people misconstrue what suffering actually is. They have their own thoughts and ideas of what suffering is and a lot of times people assume suffering for Christ is this dramatic persecution.

WALTER

Sometimes it can be, but a lot of times it's not.

SHANEA

Like getting beaten or imprisoned or we're not there yet.

WALTER

in the West, here in the United States at least, yeah. Other places they are. Yeah, it's extreme.

SHANEA

Yeah, suffering for Christ could literally just mean like you. It's just your decision to obey, you know, like a decision to obey when your flesh wants to rebel or when you feel like resenting someone when you're supposed to be forgiving them yeah you know, yeah, it's, it's.

WALTER

It can be more, uh, discreet it's literally just. It's literally obedience yeah, so let's get started. I'm gonna let you go ahead and jump right in then ma'am.

SHANEA

Okay, you guys got your Bibles out.

WALTER

What are we going to first, luke 22?

SHANEA

Yeah, luke, 22, 42. Mm-hmm. Know what I got here.

WALTER

Yeah, luke, 22, 42. 22. 42.

SHANEA

42.

WALTER

42. 22.

SHANEA

42. 42. And this is Jesus speaking. And he says Father, if you're willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.

WALTER

Your will, father not mine, yeah, Well, you know, here the thing that we have to understand is that there's this idea, and I think you probably have more notes. There was this idea that suffering for Christ is just this over extreme martyrdom or persecution or imprisonment type ideology. Yet we don't realize that it's more to it than that.

SHANEA

Yeah, it's literally giving up your will for his will. Yeah. In suffering. Father, take this cup away from me if you're willing yet, not my will, but your will be done exactly and I think a lot of times it's like this. Your god's will can negatively impact you, like your feelings. Feelings, your emotions, your being, your state of being, your state of mind, your physical body. Yeah. But we have to surrender.

WALTER

Yeah, because what Jesus was was at a really at a breaking point. We've said this so many times he was taking on the sins of the world and he knew he had to take on the sins of the world and he knew that there would be a moment in time where the father would have to turn his back on him because he took on the sins of world of the world and if god, god can't look upon sin without destroying it.

WALTER

And so there was a moment like he knew what he was going to have to face the trauma, the agony, all for something that he didn't even do.

SHANEA

Yeah, but he loved him so much. He loved him so much. If Jesus would have decided not to do it, I don't think God would have been mad at him.

WALTER

He wouldn't have been mad at him, but he knew it had to be done, right, and so, because there's a greater purpose the interesting thing there, right, we have to look into what does it look like suffering for God on a daily basis, right? How does that look? How does that look?

SHANEA

That can be. Yeah, like I said before, choosing to forgive someone when you don't want to how? Holding resentment when you know you shouldn't be?

WALTER

yeah, walking in purity, when temptation screaming at you, when you have all of these temptations around you, choosing to walk, uh, in purity, choosing to be consecrated and holy, um, that can be not watching certain movies, not listening to a certain type of music, not doing away with certain relationships that will pull you away from God, that will lead you away from the things of God. That can be anything. I think the challenge with daily suffering is obeying God when no one else can see that you're obeying God.

SHANEA

I think the thing is, when people give their life to Christ and it's no fault of their own, it's actually the church's fault about counting the cost, what it's going to cost you. Cost what it's going to cost you. People preach this message like oh you know, give your life to Christ, you're going to be saved, and everything is just going to be peaches and cream. And there is a cost because he, he, he died for us, the ultimate sacrifice. He died for us.

WALTER

He took a. He took brutal punishment, brutal punishment, and he didn't even do anything wrong.

WALTER

Gospel, that is very nice it's a feel-good gospel that says hey, come to jesus, and it's just this comfortable lifestyle that you're going to be able to live. It's going to be all peaches and cream and you shouldn't suffer, and you're going to be blessed and you're going to have prosperity and you're going to have all of these wonderful things and it's just going to be birds and chirping and all of this stuff and it's like nah, that's not the gospel that's gonna bless you that is not the gospel yes you are blessed yeah yes, there are things that take place, yet you are going from one system into another you have to literally like this bible that you're reading.

Misconceptions About Christian Suffering

SHANEA

You literally look at every prophet, every apostle in the Bible. Look at their lives.

WALTER

They went through.

SHANEA

Look at their lives.

WALTER

For example, we look at Joseph. We like to talk about how Joseph was in the palace, but we forget that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was rejected by his family, sold into slavery by them Right. He was accused of rape by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison after being in slavery. So you went from slavery, which was already bad, to imprisonment for upwards of 10 years or so Before he got to the point of being in the palace. Yeah.

WALTER

Being a man under the Pharaoh. Yeah, he went through all of this suffering. He didn't do anything to deserve it. He didn't do anything to his brothers. He didn't do anything to Potiphar's wife. Matter of fact, he did everything he could to run away from Potiphar's wife. He didn't want no parts in it which is why his garment was ripped, Because he's like no, my master has been good to me. I found favor with him. I can't do this and this is good. It goes against what my God tells me to stand for. Right.

WALTER

Ended up in jail. Even when he went in the jail, he interpreted the dreams by way of the Holy Spirit, by the way of the power of God, and even when they got, when he got out, forgot about him, took him two years. He did. He told him please remind the Pharaoh of me, let him know I'm here for something I did not do. I was unjustly imprisoned.

SHANEA

Still forgot about him. I think the thing is is you want God to move on your time when you give your life to him, and it just does not work that way.

WALTER

No.

SHANEA

And it's kind of taught that way. It's like you give your life to Christ and all your troubles is going to go away, and that's just not the case and a lot of times, a lot of these troubles aren't going to go away because of the decision that you made and also because God is God and he doesn't have to do anything that he don't want to do when he don't want to do it, just because you ask.

WALTER

And we'll dig into this further on. I think we have the scripture somewhere in here where we will explore 2 Corinthians to bring forth a greater understanding.

SHANEA

Yeah.

WALTER

Yet the thing that really is interesting here is Christ's suffering began before the cross. It began with obedience in the garden. So it's understanding that obedience to God many times produce some type of suffering. Yes, produce some type of suffering.

WALTER

Yes, because you are going through the process of crucifying your flesh and the things that you want in the comforts of this life, and what you're taught and what's comfortable to you and what you know, because, like I said before, you're going from one world system, you're going from the system of this world to a kingdom system.

SHANEA

Right, and so suffering for Christ always starts with your yes. It means yes, god, I give you everything, I surrender everything to you, I submit everything to you, even when your flesh wants to say no, because you know what that means. When you say yes to god, when you say yes to christ, it means everything that you had prior to was given to you in another kingdom. You acquired it in a different kingdom, you were under a different rulership, which is satan right, and so everything that you had in that it has to fall away. Yeah, you have to become a new creation yeah, we try to hold on to things that we should be actually in fact letting go.

WALTER

and that becomes even more challenging because it's hard to see things going haywire and sometimes we think that things going haywire is the enemy fighting you.

SHANEA

Yeah, they're like oh, you know. I gave my life to Christ and ever since I gave my life to Christ, I'm losing money, I'm losing friends, I'm losing family. The enemy is fighting me. The enemy is fighting me. I got married and this marriage is crazy, and it's just like you acquired all this stuff.

WALTER

Before God, before God, before Christ. And the enemy comes to collect Because you're going into a new covenant, you're going under a different covenant. You're coming into covenant with Christ. Yes, you're coming into covenant with God, and before that you were in covenant with Satan. Exactly, and so everything that you actually obtained was through that covenant with Satan.

SHANEA

Yeah.

WALTER

And Satan is like, and we talked about this before based on what we was listening to. Satan be in heaven. Petitioning.

SHANEA

Yes.

WALTER

Well, you know, they made this covenant with me. They made this covenant with me, God. Their house, their car, their children, their marriage, their relationships, all of these things were things that I gave them, I allowed them to have, and each time they were being disobedient to you and they kept making a covenant with me.

SHANEA

Right, so they belong to me.

WALTER

I want them and I want my stuff. Yes, because they mine. They've been mine for this amount of time.

SHANEA

You guys really have to look at the spirit realm as a judicial system, a heavenly court system. We see that with Job. He petitioned yeah, I think Job lying.

WALTER

He don't really like you. Like that with.

SHANEA

Job he petitioned. Yeah, I think Job lying. He don't really like you, like that Lord.

WALTER

But they're looking and say, oh well, that's not every example, that's just the quote unquote story of Job, not realizing that if this is something that happened with Job, this is something that's consistently happening. There is nothing that the enemy can do with Job. This is something that's consistently happening. There is nothing that the enemy can do, especially to women and men of God without first going to God about it.

WALTER

Right, Because we belong to him and that we have to understand that we are making covenants. Whether you accept it or not, whether you believe it or not, that ain't got nothing to do with it. The enemy wants you to be foolish to the fact that everything is covenant based.

WALTER

If he can have you, every time you lay down with that woman, every time you lay down with that man, that's a covenant. You have kids with them? That's an additional covenant. You make a decision to do this with your money, that's a covenant. You make a decision to work here? That's a covenant. Every single move you make.

SHANEA

And that's why God said he will hand you over to your tormentor. Because you don't have anything to petition. You don't have any. You don't have no argument. You don't have any argument. It's like you didn't even show up to court.

WALTER

So we're getting, we're going to keep going.

SHANEA

We are getting a little off track, but we're going to keep it going and we might. This might have to be a part two. We're not going to try and keep this too long, but it's a lot of good stuff.

WALTER

Our will versus God's will Right. Scripture references Galatians 6, verse 7 through 8.

SHANEA

Let me see. It's basically saying do not be deceived, god is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

WALTER

You will reap what you sow yeah, those who live only to satisfy their own sin for nature will harvest decay and death from that sin for nature. But those who live to please the spirit will harvest everlasting life from the spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good at just the right time. We will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up, and you will reap a harvest of chaos and destruction. Yeah. If you sow into that.

SHANEA

Right, yeah, right. So not all suffering is a result of persecution or spiritual warfare. Sometimes it's just you're just reaping what you sowed.

Obedience vs Self-Induced Suffering

WALTER

And we've mistaken that for suffering. So this is going to be something that's going to kind of sound controversial, but if you are struggling with homosexuality and a desire to be with the same sex, some would tell you that's suffering. That's not suffering. That's reflecting that you need to be delivered and your mind need to be renewed.

SHANEA

That's bondage.

WALTER

That's bondage. That's not how God has called you to live. If you are a man or a woman and you are struggling with lust and you are choosing to remain, you're saying I'm suffering with this, but I'm suffering in the name of Christ, because I could be out here sleeping with whomever I want to be sleeping with, or I can be doing whatever, but I choose to follow Christ. That's not suffering. You are in bondage. You need to make sure you're delivered, your mind needs to be renewed and you need to die to self. Those are just examples. Like if you like, we can get into jobs, we can get into relationships.

SHANEA

Yeah. So if, like, you quit a job prematurely because of pride or offense and now you're like I can't really find no job, or you just you're struggling and it's like well, you decided to do that, you decided to choose that job.

WALTER

But just you would think that you're suffering in the name of Christ or you're in a relationship. This is a big one because once again we hear so many women, women of God.

SHANEA

interestingly, Because these are and, when you think about it, you're sowing to your flesh. You did this because of your fleshly desire, so you're just going to reap what you sow. If you're reaping from your soul and your soul is tainted, you're going to. If you're sowing something from your soul, you're going to reap something that's soulish, based, which is not of God.

WALTER

Yeah, I mean, it's as simple as this and we'll get into what godly suffering is in a second and the reason behind it or what it would produce. But let me let's say this let's just address the elephant in the room Women, you're not suffering in the name of christ because you choose and remain in a relationship where you're being abused emotionally, physically, mentally, and you're consistently being cheated on. That's not suffering in the name of christ no, and there is no that's just suffering it's just suffering because of your own decision.

WALTER

Because you decide to stay in that marriage and don't let the church make you think that you are suffering. Well, because it's so interesting to me, right? When we look at all of these different statistics and cases, it's men that go through it, and men go through it as well, right? Yeah.

WALTER

Yet many times, when men are going through it, men encourage other men to leave, but when it comes to women, they're encouraged to stay. Yes and so for men. A man is always looked at from their perspective or, for the most part, either A. If you stay, you know you're stupid.

SHANEA

Yeah.

WALTER

You're foolish. Why are you staying with her?

SHANEA

You're stupid. Are you a wimp?

WALTER

Yeah, when you leave, they're actually praised for leaving. Yeah, when you leave, they're actually praised for leaving, yeah, but when a woman stays, oh you know, god has graced you with this. You a strong woman, you a ride or die. I wish more women were just like you. Yeah, but when you leave, they chastise you.

SHANEA

Oh yeah, they speak down.

WALTER

They persecute you and so.

SHANEA

You know that man don't know no better.

WALTER

It's just understanding that that's not suffering in the name of christ. That's suffering because you made the decision to be with someone that god didn't call you to be with or at the time that he didn't call you to be with that person. Because, at the end of the day, if the scripture says in ephesians is ephesians five and I'm looking as I'm speaking this cause, I want to make sure I referenced the correct scripture. I believe it's Ephesians five If the scripture says in Ephesians five, yes, ephesians five, verse 25 through verse 32, 33. If it states that husbands are to love your wives as Christ loves the church, my question becomes this why does it seem like we have so many women loving their husbands as Christ loves the church?

SHANEA

I mean because that's what they're told to do.

WALTER

But that's backwards, because the Bible says husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church. And. I just have to be honest. I don't see Christ cheating on us.

SHANEA

No, a lot of times they teach the women to be the leaders in the marriage.

WALTER

So, women, you got to stop thinking that it's your responsibility to be Christ in your marriage.

SHANEA

Or grow these men up or, like you have to stay and teach them a lesson.

WALTER

Spiritually it's out of order. Yes, it is spiritually out of order. If anything, if we are moving as Christ has called us to move, you will have more stories of men who stayed with their wives after they cheated on them. Yet we also have to understand that if you cheat, the Bible said if you commit adultery, that's reasons for divorce.

SHANEA

Yeah, but if you're already in adultery in your marriage, I'm sorry. Yeah, because you married somebody you wasn't supposed to be and God didn't ordain for you to be with in the first place. Why?

WALTER

are you doing that to?

SHANEA

them. I'm sorry.

WALTER

All right, we're going to move on. They're going to try to come. That's a whole another, that's a nugget that they may not be able to.

SHANEA

Let's just be. There are people you're not supposed to be with. That's why you're out here dating. You're like, oh, oh, I don't want. This person isn't for me. I know God didn't send this person for me. And then you decide I want to marry this person and then come to find out later. I don't know if this is really the person God called me to be with. So you're going to go all the way in.

WALTER

Huh, we can move on and you be talking about me, listen, okay. Yeah, I mean we. Yeah, I mean we're sorry, not sorry y'all.

SHANEA

No, I mean the thing is people like to make covenants with God on their own terms. As if God serves them as if God serves them.

WALTER

He is God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. Like he, literally.

SHANEA

The only covenants you can make with God is to give your life to Jesus Christ and become a servant.

WALTER

You can try to make a covenant with God, but that don't mean that he's going to honor it. But that's another story. So, moving on, and it's just to tie this all together, not all suffering is a spiritual attack. Not all suffering is a spiritual attack. Some is harvest from disobedience.

SHANEA

Yeah, it's as simple as that. Yeah, if we step outside of God's timing or we disobey his leading, we suffer, but it's not suffering for Christ. It's suffering because we put trust in ourself and not in God. So second Timothy, three and 12, you want to read that um that lightning just hit well, it depends on when you read it from. It's already on here. All who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted is that um the whole scripture? No, I think it's just a summary. It's just a summary.

WALTER

Okay, you got it yeah, second timothy, three and twelve, yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Yeah, you're right. It sucks. I'm not going to lie to you. It's not easy. It's not easy, but if you desire to live a godly life, you're going to do a persecution.

SHANEA

Yes, and if you're not being persecuted, you're not doing something right.

WALTER

And persecution looks different with different situations. We deal with it all the time.

SHANEA

Yeah, persecution looks different depending on what God has called you to do.

WALTER

Listen, let's be honest. There's things that I no longer have desires for right. But like I used to watch, I used to like to watch certain movies. My wife would tell you. I was huge on vampire movies.

WALTER

I was huge on vampire movies and zombie movies. I didn't watch the other stuff and I used to love my action-packed movies that had a lot of cursing in it and so God removed the desire. But there are moments in time where it's like, bruh, I wouldn't mind watching a good action-packed movie, and sometimes, as movies is coming out, they coming out with my boy, mahershala Ali, with the Blade movie.

SHANEA

Oh yeah.

WALTER

And I was a huge Blade fan with us. We grew up with you know, wesley Snipes, Eddie Murphy. Yeah.

WALTER

You know. So, like I was feeling some type of way Hurt, I was hurt. My wife was looking at me like I was hurt and I was about to cry because, you know, I'm a huge Mahershala Ali fan. And it's really making a decision of saying I can't go backwards, I can't go backwards. So I can't watch that, I can't support that, because I know the spiritual implementations to that, I know what's inside it, I know what it could open me up to.

SHANEA

Yeah, suffering for Christ, like I said, is just doing away with everything that you did prior to, so it looks like you may lose some friends.

WALTER

That too.

SHANEA

You may be overlooked in some areas, because God has a different purpose for you.

WALTER

And it may seem as if you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing and no one notices it. But can you still? Can you suffer well, even when it seems as if you're suffering alone? Can you suffer well, even when it seems you're suffering alone? Yeah. So, when we have Matthew 10, 22,. And just to summarize it, you will be hated by everyone because of me.

SHANEA

Yeah, right, and this was Jesus speaking, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved, and standing firm means you're standing on his word. His word meaning trusting him and everything that he said he's going to do and everything that he has done and is about to do so.

WALTER

Obedience guarantees rejection, but also a favor with God. Yes, obedience, it guarantees rejection.

SHANEA

It guarantees persecution.

WALTER

Yet it also. You receive favor from God, yeah, right. Yeah. And you stated before. You may be overlooked, you may be misunderstood, you may be mocked. Right.

WALTER

But it's redemptive suffering. So obedience is a spiritual threat to darkness. That's why it attracts spiritual oppression, because one of the greatest things that the enemy despises is a child of god that is totally surrendered to god and obedient to god. Yeah, which is why he attacked adam and eve in the beginning, to get them to be disobedient. We we touched on this in a different episode. Obedience is God's love language, yet disobedience to God is the enemy's love language. That ain't scripture, it's in the Bible.

SHANEA

It's in the Bible. It's in the Bible, it surely is. It's being obedient through trials. It's not abandoning God when it gets hard. It means choosing his way, even when it's uncomfortable. And when and basically destroyed all the prophets of Baal and Jezebel, said you unalived all my prophets.

WALTER

I'm coming after you.

SHANEA

If I am not deceased by this time tomorrow. I want your head, I'm coming for your head, I'm coming for your head, I'm coming for your head. And this is first, kings 18 through 19. You guys can read Very, very great story. But Elijah got discouraged, he was depressed, he was that man was fearful.

WALTER

He was afraid he was like this woman, cray cray.

SHANEA

He ran and hid. Yeah, he ran and hid for his life.

WALTER

And he forgot he was Elijah. He forgot he was a prophet of God.

Relationship Drama and Financial Struggles

SHANEA

And just before when the soldiers were coming to him, fire from heaven would fall on these soldiers, elijah wouldn't move. He said, elijah was was like you here to come get me. Okay, god, let your holy fire fall down on them and boom if I'm the one who serves you, I don't.

SHANEA

And elijah was saying I don't move because somebody else tells me to move. I don't go because you're asking me to go. I don't care if you are the police, I don't go because you're asking me to go. I don't care if you are the police, I don't care if you're the president, I'm not going unless God tells me to go. And God didn't tell him to go. So every time the soldiers will come, that fire from heaven will fall down and burn up all them soldiers.

SHANEA

Except I think they came three times, three or four times, I think on the third time one of the soldiers came and said hey, elijah, look, I come in peace, but the king really wants you to come. And the Lord told Elijah OK, you can go with this man and Elijah said bet I'll go.

WALTER

You know what, though, with Elijah, and this is so simple. But he took his focus off God and he placed it on Jezebel.

SHANEA

Yes, he did.

WALTER

He took his focus off God and he placed it on Jezebel.

SHANEA

He did.

WALTER

And that moment, as the soldiers were coming and they were doing everything they was doing, his eyes were focused on God.

SHANEA

Yes.

WALTER

The moment he took his focus off God and placed it on Jezebel or in our situation, our circumstances, you become fearful and you forget the God you serve. You forget everything that he did for you before and how he made a way for you before, and now your circumstances become real.

SHANEA

Yeah, so you open a door for a spirit of fear and that spirit of fear opened up other doors. Spirit of fear, and that spirit of fear opened up other doors. So now you're depressed, you have anxiety, you don't know what's going on. And in here um first Kings 19, 10, um. Elijah says I have been very zealous for the Lord, God almighty, I am the only one left, and now they are trying to unalive me too. And the Lord said you're not the only one.

WALTER

You feel that way.

SHANEA

You might feel like you're the only one, but you are not the only one, I think. He said he had thousands of others who were obedient to him.

WALTER

Yeah, other prophets elsewhere yeah, that he knew nothing of. Yeah, but God didn't to him.

SHANEA

Yeah, other prophets elsewhere yeah, that he knew nothing of yeah, but God, god didn't shame him, he just responded with restoration Like I have other people here for you. You're not alone. You're not alone in this. There are others going through some other things and other far away lands. You're not alone.

WALTER

And I'm looking to see.

SHANEA

I wanted to see how many prophets he said were, but we'll continue to go, yeah, but like, his obedience to him didn't exempt him from emotional turmoil or emotional warfare. It's going to come, but the key is what you said is keeping your eye on God when you are doing what he's called you to do.

WALTER

No matter how great the level of persecution is, because this was something that was great at this point in time.

SHANEA

And God's not going to always tell you what's going to happen to you when he tells you to move.

WALTER

Most times he's not. Most times he's not trust us because that's where your faith lies and he's trying to produce something in you and I'm not going to get ahead, but that's what hebrews 11 come in at because, when you think of suffering, suffering produces a greater a level a greater level of faith in you, a greater level of resilience to say I am going to rely on God. Right, because I've been here before.

WALTER

My back has been against the wall. I was near I was to the point of death and he rescued me. So he will rescue me again and you will learn to suffer well, yeah, it's hard, yeah, it's hard.

SHANEA

But, that's what your eyes got. Gotta remain focused on god. Yeah, because when you take your focus off god, you start focusing it on the problem and not the solution, when the solution is always god is always through jesus christ, and it was seven thousand 7,000, 7,000 other men, okay so. Yeah, and so this just brings us to. We don't get to choose the terms of our obedience.

WALTER

Yeah, before we go there, some points on here that I'll only speak on. Oh, okay. Okay, and then we'll move on because we're pressed for time. Okay, two things that I really like here. Obedience may isolate you you, but it never cuts you all from god. Yeah, so you may be isolated from people, right, it may seem as if it's isolating you from people and things, and things and places and resources what have yet it never cuts you off from God.

SHANEA

Yeah.

WALTER

And we have to get to a point, to where we are more focused on what heaven says about us, what God says about us what Jesus sees, more than we are on what people say. Right. And then sometimes the wilderness is preparation, not punishment.

SHANEA

It's always preparation. It's always preparation, it's always preparation.

WALTER

We see that with Jesus, with the fast for 40 days and 40 nights. Yeah, that was preparing him, because when he came out I believe it's in Luke it stated that he came out with the power of the Holy Spirit. He went in receiving the Holy Spirit. He was ushered in by the Holy Spirit. He went in receiving the Holy Spirit. He was ushered in by the Holy Spirit. Yet, when he left the 40 day fast and the 40 day wilderness experience, he came out with all of the power to do all of the things that God had called him to do on earth.

SHANEA

Yeah, and you know, what came to me was when I first converted I felt like I was being punished. I felt like I was being punished. I couldn't talk to my family, I couldn't go to the gym, I couldn't do anything that I used to do, I couldn't go to the spa, I couldn't talk to people I used to talk to. I would say Lord, I feel like I'm being punished and I was so mad at God. I was so mad, I was furious because I was used to doing what I wanted to do, yeah, yeah, and I never really had anybody to tell me what to do. And I, the thing is, I was rebellious, I was rebellious which is what witchcraft.

SHANEA

I was rebellious. I was rebellious in my walk prior to god, and he had to break me from that which is why he took you through what he took you oh, absolutely which was challenging it was so challenging, and sometimes it still is, but I've gotten much better. Yeah, but I was. I mean I was fuming, oh and he, he got me right too. He got me right. You learn how to play with god. He got me right too. He got me right.

WALTER

Because you learn how to play with God.

SHANEA

He got me right.

WALTER

You learn how to play with God. Yes, and that goes right into this next part, we don't get to choose the terms of obedience.

SHANEA

We don't, no, we don't?

WALTER

We often want to obey God on our own terms, when it's easy and when it feels good. But real obedience doesn't negotiate.

SHANEA

Right, right Jeez, real obedience doesn't negotiate Wow.

WALTER

Can we let that just marinate? Wow Jeez, that's going to make that right. There alone, we get a lot of people right, because you all be thinking that you can negotiate with God. Yes, we think that we can negotiate with God. Yes, we think that we can negotiate with God. We think we can negotiate with God let's talk about it on who we want to be with yes, god, I want this type of person.

SHANEA

I want him to look like this and be like this and do that.

WALTER

You want to make a covenant on your own terms this is what I like, this is what I enjoy being around, this is how I want them to look, that. But you don't even realize that, in that you are very selfish, you are driven by your flesh and you don't know what's best for you.

SHANEA

God does, and you don't really want what God has for you, and he knows that, so you're not going to get it negotiate with God.

WALTER

I'll be obedient to you yet, cause I mean, I know you've called for me to be married, but I want it to be like this. I know you've called for me to work. You see, a man that won't work, won't eat, but this is what I want to do for my work. I know you don't want me to be this, so I want to do this, I want to live here, I want to do this, I want to do that, and I believe you're going to bless me because you are such a loving God. You're a loving father.

SHANEA

And the thing is, you can do what you want to do and God's going to let you do that, but he also, he also knows what you're going to do and he will allow you to do that and make those decisions. And then, when you're ready, to open your eyes and say, hey, you know what, god, I really want, what you want.

WALTER

But you're going to go through hell, you're going to go through hell You're going to go through hell. We got to understand this and I don't know why we we try to approach and we're going to keep moving, but we try to approach God like God is our best friend. Jesus never approached God like he was his best friend. Jesus always approached God as he was, which is the father. He always referenced him as the father. He always had a certain level, a great level of obedience to the father.

WALTER

He always referenced him as the father. He always had a certain level, a great level of obedience to the father. There was a great level of submission he had to the father. And if Jesus is to be our example, why are we not submitted to the father? Why do we want to look at the father as our best friend? We even know in earthly relationships, when fathers and mothers are best friends with their kids. Their kids don't respect them.

SHANEA

Yeah, no, you know, sometimes we'd be playing with our kids and they'd be forgetting.

WALTER

And you got to remind them and I remind them and be like this is why I don't play with you, because you need to know who I am Exactly. But it's serious, like we can't approach God like he's our best friend, he's our father.

SHANEA

Yes, he's your daddy.

WALTER

And you got to approach him as such? Yes, there's a reference you have, and he is the king. Yes. He is the king.

SHANEA

He's God.

WALTER

So if Jesus, being right under God right, the one and only begotten son of God, has a great level of reverence for God, the father. How in the world do we think that we aren't expected to be the same? But we're going to continue, Betty.

Tests, Trials, and Bondage Explained

SHANEA

Yeah, I know I was thinking like you, asking your parent, ask your father, dad, I want a Toyota, I want a car, but I want a BMW and it got to be black. Your parents going to be looking at you like you crazy. I'm going to get you whatever car I want to get you and I'm going to get you a car that I think that you should have, because I know you.

WALTER

I know what you can handle Exactly.

SHANEA

I know what you can handle.

WALTER

Exactly. I know what's good for you.

SHANEA

Yeah.

WALTER

Yeah, so this Romans 8, 18, right, mm-hmm.

SHANEA

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us. Mm-hmm. So, like we said before, we often serve God on our own terms when it's convenient, when it's easy, when it costs little right. But real obedience doesn't ask for permission to bargain with God. Yeah. It says yes, no matter the cost.

WALTER

No matter what yeah. That's good. It's not easy to cost. No matter what. Yeah, that's good. It's not easy to hear.

SHANEA

No.

WALTER

But it's what obedience looks like.

SHANEA

It's hard to hear because nobody talks about it. No, that's why people are out here not having a relationship with God, because they're out here doing what they want to do and that's fine, and no one's saying you're going to hell. But what I'm saying is you're not in communion with God, you're not in a good, you don't have a. There's a peace and a closeness with God that you have when you're being obedient.

WALTER

Well, the thing is and you want to be real careful, right, we think of what Jesus said. Many will come and say that we prophesied in your name.

SHANEA

Exactly.

WALTER

We healed the sick in your name. We cast out demons in your name. Yeah. And he would say turn away from me, for I never knew you.

SHANEA

Right, I don't have a relationship with you.

WALTER

Relationship is what's so important, and the greatest thing is if God's love language is obedience.

SHANEA

Yes.

WALTER

Are we showing God that we love him?

SHANEA

Yes.

WALTER

So that's the thing that we have to think about. Yeah. So let me see where are we at First Peter 4, 15 through 6.

SHANEA

If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear the name, and meddler means, like you, meddling in people's business not minding your business.

WALTER

So not all suffering is spiritual. We said this before. Some is sin based, so don't call a lack of discipline or consequences a trial.

SHANEA

Right yeah, not all suffering is honorable. You can suffer because of sin, envy, manipulation, bitterness, you in people's business, like if I'm outside of a conversation and I come in a conversation and the people in the conversation start going in at me. I I can't be mad.

WALTER

And say I'm suffering for Christ and that's what we do. It's an extreme case, but that's really what we do a lot. We make decisions, we put ourselves in situations, we put ourselves in relationships, we put ourselves in circumstances and we scream and we pull out the I'm a Christian card and say I'm suffering well for Christ because we talked about this right and we can do. We got a lot more to go through, or?

SHANEA

We have. I think we have like four more segments. We don't have a lot, but we can try and get through it.

WALTER

So the thing that I was thinking about and I think it's somewhere in here is what God was doing with me on last night. Let me see and I may be going out of order, but I want to read this no, that's fine. Where is it?

SHANEA

Because I forgot what I was doing when God gave me this revelation in Peter, when I think I think, oh, I think we were talking about what the church and people, people who have these YouTube podcasts and channels and stuff talking about suffering, and I'm like what is suffering and it's like suffering is not suffering, for God has nothing to do with things that you decide that you want to do, and that's exactly what Peter is saying. You decided you want to be a murderer or a thief or criminal. You decided you want to be in other people's business.

SHANEA

You decided you wanted to do this and do that. That is not suffering for Christ.

WALTER

No.

SHANEA

These are consequences of your actions, because you went outside of what God never called you to. It's a consequence.

WALTER

And we got so much stuff here. We got, but we're going to keep going. We got so much stuff we always go through this with each episode A lot of stuff we don't even touch on.

SHANEA

Yeah, but it's a lot to unpack, but it's, I mean yeah, it is a lot to unpack, so.

WALTER

So where do we go next um? For time's sake, we got got about 15 minutes. We don't have to rush you want to turn it into a two segment, don't you?

SHANEA

no, we don't have to rush, I'm just saying saying where are we right now? We're at the danger of mislabeling your suffering, right yeah? So it just breaks down into what people mislabel suffering as yeah, well, and that's.

WALTER

We touched on this, um. It talks about financial struggle due to poor stewardship. It talks about relationship drama due to disobedience, and I think relationship is a big one. Yeah. Relationship is a big one.

SHANEA

Yeah, so relationship drama due to disobedience.

WALTER

I'd say this oh then, this is challenging and this is what just came to me. You want to be careful, even with finances. Right, because your pastor tell you that it's God's will for you to give this special offering. You give this special offering, your lights get turned off, you don't have your rent, you don't have your mortgage.

WALTER

You don't have your car note and you're going based off of what your pastor said, and then you say well, I am suffering in the name of christ. God is about to bless me with something greater and this is why this has happened to me. No, that's not why that's self-induced yeah did you ask god whether you were supposed to do that?

SHANEA

or how much you were supposed to, or how much you were supposed to give were you supposed I hit you on the head with this one.

WALTER

I know. Were you supposed to tap into your rent to do that? Were you supposed to tap into your light bill to do that? Were you supposed to tap into your car note to do that? Because whose money is it?

SHANEA

Exactly Whose money is it? It's God's, it's God's.

WALTER

So you need to seek wisdom from God on what you give, not from your pastor. Because you need to seek wisdom from God on what you give, not from your pastor, because, listen to me, you will get yourself. I've been there. You will get yourself in trouble. I've seen people be there. I've seen people give thousands of dollars to church, trusting that God was going to open the door. And I'm telling you something that God dealt with me on, and he told me that not every ground is good ground.

SHANEA

Yes, you reap on what you sow.

WALTER

Not all ground is good ground, which is why you should always submit to him and say, father, should I sow into this ground? And just because you give something don't mean he has to bless it, because if he didn't tell you to give it, it's up to him on whether he blesses it or not.

SHANEA

And how he wants to bless it, if he chooses to.

WALTER

So please be careful, please be careful. This is why you have to have a personal relationship with God, but we'll continue. I'm sorry.

SHANEA

No, you're good babe. You're good.

WALTER

So, and we touched on this, conviction is not condemnation. This is good.

SHANEA

Use it to repent and realign yeah don't stay in a place of conviction yeah, but sometimes conviction looks like offense, so sometimes people will get offended um for you saying something to them, but it's really conviction. And they don't know what conviction feels like because they're so used to doing what they want to do. Yeah, that's very true, they get offended and they get mad, but it's like I'm telling you the truth. Please take this If you are offended, go take this to God, because you should not be mad.

WALTER

And they think that that is a righteous anger. No, that they have.

SHANEA

That's conviction. It's called conviction. If you've never been convicted before, you might mistake conviction as offense, because conviction is correction and if you like to do what you want to do, you don't like people to correct you.

WALTER

And correction is love.

SHANEA

It is.

WALTER

Correction is love.

SHANEA

It's protection.

WALTER

So test, trial or bondage, go ahead babe.

SHANEA

Let's see, so we have here 1 Peter.

WALTER

Let me get it together 1 Peter 4, 12 through 16.

SHANEA

1 Peter 4, 12 through 16. 1 Peter 4, 12 through 16. Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad for these trials. Make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world you're not reading the 16 oh you read to 14.

WALTER

I read to 14. I'm sorry, to 13 I'm sorry.

SHANEA

If you're insulted because you bear the name of christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble or prying into other people's affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name.

WALTER

I think we read that before I think we just read that.

SHANEA

Yeah, we did. Oh, I guess I just didn't read the whole thing.

WALTER

No, but it's fine.

SHANEA

My bad, it's fine.

WALTER

And then John 10 and 10 says the thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. So when you think about tests or suffering, when you think about suffering, it literally is meant to build your faith in God. When it comes from God, it's literally meant to build your faith in God, right so? Or a trial from God, something that's allowed by God, it literally what are you looking at?

SHANEA

I'm looking because, you know, God gave me a revelation on this.

WALTER

You got to go back into your notes because I summarized it.

SHANEA

Oh, no, no, no, we could keep going. I got it down in the next section.

What Godly Suffering Produces

WALTER

Okay, oh, no, no, no, we could keep going. I got it down in the next section. Okay, so, trials when you think of a trial, it's allowed by God, but it's allowed to stretch you and it builds endurance. So we think of and I don't know if it's in here or not 2 Corinthians 1, verse 9. We probably have it somewhere, but I'll read that real quick.

SHANEA

Yeah, it's in the next section.

WALTER

Okay, so we'll have it somewhere. When I read that real quick and that's yeah, it's in the next section, okay, so we'll let it be. But, um, when you think of bondage is is enemy inflicted, so, and that results from disobedience or sin. So test, produce growth, peace and clarity. Bondage breaks or breeds confusion, shame and stagnation.

SHANEA

Yeah. So test and trials are allowed by God to grow us and not harm us Right, and they help refine and build our faith, build up endurance, because we're going to need it. Yes, and then a test will often come. With God's presence, God's peace, it will be God directed right.

WALTER

Now with peace. Let's make this clear we're talking about peace that surpasses all understanding. So what that means is that you have peace in the midst of chaos yes, you have peace, even in pain.

SHANEA

Yeah, you know. And then a trial will just stretch your character, but it won't separate you from god's love or lead you, you know, into sin or some type of shame or confusion. Bondage is. Bondage is a result from sin or demonic oppression. It brings torment. There are cycles, like generational cycles, there's spiritual heaviness. It doesn't produce any growth. There's no fruit. There's no fruit in this suffering. Yeah, because it's bondage.

WALTER

Nothing comes from it. No, but fear Right.

SHANEA

You're stuck in this cycle or something that you just can't break.

WALTER

You're stuck and that goes back into generational curse. When you start studying your family tree you see that.

SHANEA

your mom went through it, your grandma went through it, your granddad went through it. That's bondage. Yeah, that is definitely not God. That is the enemy for sure yeah.

WALTER

So I think, Okay. We got about 10 more minutes tops.

SHANEA

Okay, all right, well, we'll go here. So I think God gave me revelation on um second Corinthians, or was that is that? Was that you?

WALTER

You're talking about second Corinthians, one and nine.

SHANEA

Yes, that's you.

WALTER

Let me see I was going there. Let me pull it up.

WALTER

And everything that we're reading, everyone it's from the new living translation uh, second corinthians oh yeah, that's you um, I'll start at verse eight for time's sake, but read all of it, beginning from verse one to verse 11. So verse eight says we thank you all. To know where I go here, verse three all praise, all praise to God, the Father of our Lord, jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others when they are troubled. We will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us, for the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, for when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God has given us, or God gives us.

WALTER

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the troubles we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed, beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die, but as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, whom raises the dead, and he did rescue us from mortal danger and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him and he will continue to rescue us.

WALTER

So, when we think of suffering, suffering is something that places us in a position don't think we have time to read but that takes into the latter part of Hebrew 11. The latter part of Hebrew 11 touches on people who were persecuted, people who were stoned, people who were unalived in very extreme cases, and it talked about how it produced a great amount of faith, that they were willing to suffer in the name of Christ and they were included in what we would consider the hall of fame for those who had faith In the Bible. Hebrew 11 is like the hall of fame chapter for the like, the grace of the faith. It will be considered with, we would say, modern day, the greatest of all time is Hebrew 11. It's the greatest of all time faith the faith chapter.

WALTER

Yeah, but that stood out to me because we touched on this before when you go through. Paul said he was at the brink of death and this is an example of Shadrach, meshach and Abednego right.

WALTER

They were about to be thrown in a fiery furnace if they wouldn't bow down to the gods of King Nebuchadnezzar. Yet because of what they had already been through and the relationship they had with the father, they stated to him that we believe that our God will save us. Yet even if he don't, we still will not bow down to your gods. Right.

WALTER

That is such a. That is the place that suffering in the name of Christ will put you at yes To where, even if I am unalived yes, I will still stand firm on the principles of Christ will put you at yes To where, even if I am unalived. Yes, I will still stand firm on the principles of trusting God and when you dig into the faith chapter Hebrews 11,. That's what happened in many cases with those.

SHANEA

Oh, absolutely.

WALTER

They were unalived. Yet they stood firm, even to the point of being unalived, right and saying I still stand firm on the fact that I serve God.

SHANEA

Jesus Christ is my Lord and savior, if you could do whatever you want to do to me?

WALTER

I don't care. Yes.

SHANEA

Because I serve a God.

WALTER

That's greater than everything and I am willing to give up my life for, physically, literally give up my life for and we struggle with just giving up our life from a spiritual perspective, from a physical perspective of saying, oh well, I'm not going to stay here, I'm not going to be with this person, I'm not going to hang out with these people, I'm not going to deal with this. If you struggle with that, how the heck are you going to deal with a greater level of persecution that some of the other countries are dealing with in China, where they have to do church secretly in their homes and they got to ask the Holy Spirit to lead them to those underground churches? How are you going to deal with that type of persecution when you can't even deal with? Oh, I don't need to be watching this movie, I don't need to be listening to this music, but I'm going to digress. Go ahead, babe.

WALTER

No, you good, I think we can, you know, sum it up there Unless you, no, you good, I think we can, you know, sum it up there unless you want to keep going. Is there anything else that you want to add? What do you mean that in anything that you want to touch on? Because we have a lot here, but I don't think it requires another episode, like a part two. So if you got five minutes, how would you summarize within the next five minutes?

SHANEA

Oh well, I think, cause God gave me two revelations. Okay, go ahead, so I can just speak on those. Mm-hmm. Yeah just speak on those. The floor is yours. Okay, so I was reading. It was the first, first Corinthians 10, 12 through 13. Let me pull that up real quick, so this might be a little longer. But first Corinthians, first.

WALTER

Corinthians 10. 10, 12 through 13.

SHANEA

12 through 13.

WALTER

You hear yeah, 10, 12 through 13,.

SHANEA

12 through 13. Yes, yeah, so um it, because what came to me was the scripture. Or when people say he won't put on, put more on you than you can bear.

SHANEA

This is where this comes from, um, but people don't know what it is they're bearing and they don't know what the more is. And so, for this verse says is if you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience, and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. And what I had wrote down here was temptation is common among us and we'll be tempted with the same experiences. We will be tempted with desires that feed our flesh, but with God, he will give us the guidance and conviction to stand against these temptations. He has shown us a way out through Christ. Christ is the way out. Resist the devil and he will flee. How do we flee from him?

SHANEA

Through Christ, with Christ, temptations come through thoughts, feelings, emotions. It gives us a rise in our flesh. Temptation in Hebrew is is trial or test. Um, I don't know. I lost my trial or test. God also teaches us to test every spirit that it may lead you to God and not other gods. So if I'm tempted to, tempted to try something, god, I'm sorry If I'm tempted or tried by something. God gives us permission to choose Christ's way and not lean on our own strength and understanding to figure it out Mm-hmm.

SHANEA

So when you're being tempted, temptation is not the same thing as suffering. The temptation will bring suffering, but the temptation isn't the suffering. So you dealing with something like lust or have some type of addiction, that's not suffering, it's a temptation. If I go to the store and I'm supposed to be on a diet and I see a donut shop, if I see a donut shop, the enemy's gonna say you should go to that donut shop and I'm like, no, I shouldn't really go to that donut shop. That's conviction, that's temptation, because I'm supposed to be on a. I don't want a gluttonous spirit, but I have to listen to that conviction. That's the temptation, that's the trial. I know I need to go and do what God told me to do. I need to stray away from this.

WALTER

So what my wife is saying to you all is very true, but I want to make sure you let them know, babe, because I don't want people to use this to justify, for example, a man who's thinking thoughts as a married man on other women. Oh, this is just temptation and this is normal and it's not so there's. We got to draw the line in the two right y'all not going to use this. I'm sorry, but go ahead babe right.

SHANEA

So that's temptation and, I think, the other thing, the other revelation that God gave me. While I was sitting in a bed and he was like, he asked us to read Isaiah 7.

Final Reflections and Self-Examination

SHANEA

I'm like why do you want me to read Isaiah 7? He was like you wanted me to give you an example of a test, and I was like, oh okay. So I was up for like I was up to like two o'clock going through the scripture and he was just speaking through me or speaking to me. So I was up to like two o'clock going through the scripture and he was just speaking through me or speaking to me, and this is a test that he gave King Ahaz. And so the Lord gave a revelation to Ahaz and his faith was being tested in this. So Isaiah 7, 10 through 11, God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign to confirm that he will protect judah and but ahaz refuse, refuses, and, and so when he refuses, he's like I will not ask, I will not put the lord to the test.

SHANEA

But he was being funny because he already made up in his mind that he was going to make allegiance to a man, right, he already made allegiance in his mind to trust Assyria and not God. So Isaiah rebuked him. Right, and Isaiah rebuked him. And I want to say exactly what he said said because you wouldn't really get it unless you read it, and that's Isaiah where is it at?

SHANEA

Isaiah 7, 13. Then Isaiah said listen. Well you royal, well you royal family of David, isn't it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right, then the Lord will give you the sign. And then you continue to read the sign, which is a prophecy.

WALTER

Of Christ.

SHANEA

Yeah, and basically what Isaiah was saying is you trust man more than you trust God. Like you'll exhaust a man before you exhaust God. You'll go to a man asking him for all these things and what he can do for you, but you won't go to God. Come on now Talking about you don't want to test the Lord.

WALTER

Well, I sound like he's about to say come on son. Okay, you had a moment. Okay, come on son.

SHANEA

But in the end, god did. He did exactly. The prophecy came to pass, and because Ahazaz only because ahaz didn't trust him, he said okay, well, since you don't trust me, this is what's going to happen to you. And ahaz didn't believe it, but he still did what he wanted to do anyway and got that work he did.

SHANEA

He placed his trust in man and gave temple treasures, treasures to bribe the king of Assyria so that Assyria could help him in the battle. But Assyria turned on him, took him out. God allowed that very nation to become his instrument of judgment. God will give you what Over to your tormentors. That's exactly what he did, because he didn't trust him. And that was a test. He failed because he refused to trust God. God will send things out for you to test. That's why it says test the spirit, for you to test, to see if it's from God, if it's leading you towards God or away from him.

WALTER

That's good. That's good, and we had to. We got to get ready to bring it to an end, so how would you end this off this week, babe?

SHANEA

How would you end this off this week, babe? I think because we can just keep going in on and on and on.

WALTER

We could and we're trying to be mindful of your time, everyone. So we do apologize if it was a little bit longer this week, but you know, I know that those were things that God had dealt with. My wife on. And it was important that she share it yeah.

SHANEA

So I have a closing statement.

WALTER

Wait, you have a closing statement.

SHANEA

I do, I do Okay, I do Okay Sorry.

WALTER

Like you're behind the podium about to give a speech.

SHANEA

Right? No, I'm just kidding, so it's just something to ponder on it. You're not called to suffer and sin, and you're called to suffer and obedience. One leads to bondage and the other one leads to God's glory. Are you suffering because you're walking in obedience or are you suffering because you're walking in disobedience? Are you suffering because of the consequences of your disobedience? And that's really what you have to ask yourself. Yeah, I'm going through this right now, but is it because of something that I did, or is this because I'm really being persecuted because I'm doing what God told me to do? God called me to do?

WALTER

And that's a self-reflection that has to take place. That's a self-reflection everyone. Yeah. Okay, yeah, which is hard, which is why you have to submit it to God to see what's really going on in your life.

Speaker 3

Yeah, so, babe, do you want to submit it to God to see what's really going on in your life?

WALTER

Yeah, so, babe, do you want to end us out?

SHANEA

No, I want you to end us out.

WALTER

You do so well.

SHANEA

But you do good sometimes.

WALTER

Wait, I'm going to let that slide. Listen. We are grateful for everyone. We pray that this is still, and will continue to be, a blessing to you. We do read the comments, we respond my wife responds many of the times. We appreciate you and we've read your testimonies and your stories and we ask that you will continue to share your stories and share how you know God has been blessing you and how this has been blessing you, and if this is something that has been blessing you, of course, share it with others so others can hear. And we will end it there. I don't know what else to add. Babe, you have anything?

SHANEA

else. Thank you guys, we appreciate you. Please subscribe.

WALTER

You see my point Exactly.

SHANEA

Please hit the subscribe button. I'm just kidding. Okay, um, but share this, um, please share this with men, because I see a lot of women following and there's there's no men leaders. There's no men, there's no men, there's not a lot of men out here.

WALTER

That's the problem.

SHANEA

Leading these women and we're out here struggling being the leaders.

WALTER

Well, the women can't make the men, come in, men, it's your responsibility to share this with your brothers, because we need, please, we need to be in this. We need men of god who can lead their families, who can lead uh this next generation, next generation so my, my hope and my desire and my heart is that we have, at least it be, a situation, at the very least, of 60 40 situation where it's 60 women, 40, 40% men, preferably 50% both.

SHANEA

But it's crazy because it's just a reflection of what you see in a church. When you walk in a church, you just see a bunch of women. Yeah. You rarely see men in there.

WALTER

It's a problem and if they are.

SHANEA

They're there with their wife.

WALTER

It's a problem and prayerfully, there will be a shift that takes place. I hope so. So you all be blessed. We appreciate you and we will see you next time. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.