Godly Suffering

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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Episode Transcript

WALTER (00:01):
Welcome back to another episode of Stepping in Faith,
where, together, we explore theimportance of having a
relationship with God and howthat relationship with God can
impact the relationship you havewith others.
I'm your host, walter.
I'm joined here alongside mylovely wife.

SHANEA (00:15):
Shania.

WALTER (00:18):
What episode is this?

SHANEA (00:22):
23?
.

WALTER (00:23):
I think so I think.
Episode 23.
Yes, this is episode 23.
Of course we are believers, sobefore 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 youhear hear anything we are in the

(00:44):
midst of a major storm outside,but to god be the glory to god
be the glory rain is always goodbut it's so soothing it is
soothing.
You just sound like where youwere from did I yes, you did my
accent came out, it came out um,so we're gonna let my wife open

(01:07):
us up in prayer.

SHANEA (01:09):
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, andwe call you holy.
We call you holy, father god,and we just give you glory.
Today, we just you honor and wegive you praise.
We ask, father God, that youwill open up our listeners' ears
and their eyes to hear and seewhat it is that you are saying,

(01:32):
father God, and we bind everymind, binding spirit, father God
, to try to keep them from thetruth.
So, holy Spirit, we thank youfor working through us, allowing
us to be a vessel of truth,allowing us to be a vessel of
your word and your grace, fatherGod, and your love.
In the mighty name of Jesus, wepray.

WALTER (01:51):
Amen Amen.

SHANEA (01:53):
Amen.

WALTER (01:54):
So, babe, what is the title of today's, of this week's
episode?
Because it's not today, it'snighttime.

SHANEA (02:04):
Godly, suffering Godly suffering, godly suffering.
Yes, godly suffering.

WALTER (02:10):
We both got that at the same time.

SHANEA (02:13):
Yeah, in different ways.
I don't remember what I wasdoing, but I think we were
watching something.
I would I don't remember.

WALTER (02:23):
He was driving somewhere .
Yeah, I think he was droppingoff the youngest and I was at
home getting ready for work, Ithink.

SHANEA (02:33):
Yeah, but I had got it before you did, okay.
Okay, I think I got it like aday before or after.
Actually, we were recordingthis last, the last episode,
last episode, okay you ain'ttelling me anything.
No, because I really it waslike an impression.
I didn't really understand.
It was just like a thought,even though it wasn't my thought

(02:55):
, because sometimes my thoughtsaren't my thoughts.

WALTER (02:57):
Like god, what do you want us to talk about?
He already gave it to my wife.
Beholding, withholding thegoods.
What that song say?
Withholding nothing,withholding nothing I surrender
all not to me, but to god, butyeah to god.
Um, so yeah, this is.
It's a topic that many may notlike.

SHANEA (03:36):
Yeah, actually.
I mean, people talk aboutsuffering for Christ all the
time I hear it.
I hear it all the time.
I'm suffering for Christ.
I'm suffering for Christ allthe time I hear it.
I hear it all the time.
I'm suffering for Christ, I'msuffering for Christ.
You actually look good, by theway.

WALTER (03:51):
So do you, babe, look beautiful over there.
Thank you, I'm going to try notto get sidetracked.

SHANEA (03:58):
Okay.

WALTER (03:58):
The light just glistening.

SHANEA (04:00):
Okay.

WALTER (04:04):
It's not suffering right now, though.
Okay.

SHANEA (04:06):
It's not suffering right now, though.
Okay.

WALTER (04:08):
So yeah, they do talk about suffering a lot.

SHANEA (04:11):
But people misconstrue I'm sorry, I just snagged my
teeth but people misconstruewhat suffering actually is.
They have their own thoughtsand ideas of what suffering is
and a lot of times people assumesuffering for Christ is this

(04:32):
dramatic persecution.

WALTER (04:35):
Sometimes it can be, but a lot of times it's not.

SHANEA (04:38):
Like getting beaten or imprisoned or we're not there
yet.

WALTER (04:41):
in the West, here in the United States at least, yeah.
Other places they are.
Yeah, it's extreme.

SHANEA (04:47):
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 torebel or when you feel like
resenting someone when you'resupposed to be forgiving them
yeah you know, yeah, it's, it's.

WALTER (05:11):
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 andjump right in then ma'am.

SHANEA (05:23):
Okay, you guys got your Bibles out.

WALTER (05:27):
What are we going to first, luke 22?

SHANEA (05:29):
Yeah, luke, 22, 42.
Mm-hmm.
Know what I got here.

WALTER (05:38):
Yeah, luke, 22, 42.
22.
42.

SHANEA (05:44):
42.

WALTER (05:45):
42.
22.

SHANEA (05:47):
42.
42.
And this is Jesus speaking.
And he says Father, if you'rewilling, please take this cup of
suffering away from me.
Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.

WALTER (06:05):
Your will, father not mine, yeah, Well, you know, here
the thing that we have tounderstand is that there's this
idea, and I think you probablyhave more notes.
There was this idea thatsuffering for Christ is just
this over extreme martyrdom orpersecution or imprisonment type

(06:31):
ideology.
Yet we don't realize that it'smore to it than that.

SHANEA (06:38):
Yeah, it's literally giving up your will for his will
.
Yeah.
In suffering.
Father, take this cup away fromme if you're willing yet, not
my will, but your will be doneexactly and I think a lot of
times it's like this.
Your god's will can negativelyimpact you, like your feelings.

(07:02):
Feelings, your emotions, yourbeing, your state of being, your
state of mind, your physicalbody.
Yeah.
But we have to surrender.

WALTER (07:12):
Yeah, because what Jesus was was at a really at a
breaking point.
We've said this so many timeshe was taking on the sins of the
world and he knew he had totake on the sins of the world
and he knew that there would bea moment in time where the
father would have to turn hisback on him because he took on
the sins of world of the worldand if god, god can't look upon

(07:34):
sin without destroying it.
And so there was a moment likehe knew what he was going to
have to face the trauma, theagony, all for something that he
didn't even do.

SHANEA (07:45):
Yeah, but he loved him so much.
He loved him so much.
If Jesus would have decided notto do it, I don't think God
would have been mad at him.

WALTER (07:55):
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 thingthere, right, we have to look
into what does it look likesuffering for God on a daily
basis, right?
How does that look?

(08:17):
How does that look?

SHANEA (08:21):
That can be.
Yeah, like I said before,choosing to forgive someone when
you don't want to how?
Holding resentment when youknow you shouldn't be?

WALTER (08:30):
yeah, walking in purity, when temptation screaming at
you, when you have all of thesetemptations around you, choosing
to walk, uh, in purity,choosing to be consecrated and
holy, um, that can be notwatching certain movies, not
listening to a certain type ofmusic, not doing away with

(08:52):
certain relationships that willpull you away from God, that
will lead you away from thethings of God.
That can be anything.
I think the challenge withdaily suffering is obeying God
when no one else can see thatyou're obeying God.

SHANEA (09:10):
I think the thing is, when people give their life to
Christ and it's no fault oftheir own, it's actually the
church's fault about countingthe cost, what it's going to
cost you.
Cost what it's going to costyou.
People preach this message likeoh you know, give your life to
Christ, you're going to be saved, and everything is just going
to be peaches and cream.

(09:32):
And there is a cost because he,he, he died for us, the
ultimate sacrifice.
He died for us.

WALTER (09:56):
He took a.
He took brutal punishment,brutal punishment, and he didn't
even do anything wrong.
Gospel, that is very nice it's afeel-good gospel that says hey,
come to jesus, and it's justthis comfortable lifestyle that
you're going to be able to live.
It's going to be all peachesand cream and you shouldn't
suffer, and you're going to beblessed and you're going to have

(10:17):
prosperity and you're going tohave all of these wonderful
things and it's just going to bebirds 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 thegospel yes you are blessed yeah
yes, there are things that takeplace, yet you are going from

(10:38):
one system into another you haveto literally like this bible
that you're reading.

SHANEA (10:44):
You literally look at every prophet, every apostle in
the Bible.
Look at their lives.

WALTER (10:49):
They went through.

SHANEA (10:50):
Look at their lives.

WALTER (10:51):
For example, we look at Joseph.
We like to talk about howJoseph was in the palace, but we
forget that Joseph was soldinto slavery by his brothers.
He was rejected by his family,sold into slavery by them Right.
He was accused of rape byPotiphar's wife and thrown into
prison after being in slavery.
So you went from slavery, whichwas already bad, to

(11:13):
imprisonment for upwards of 10years or so Before he got to the
point of being in the palace.
Yeah.
Being a man under the Pharaoh.
Yeah, he went through all ofthis suffering.
He didn't do anything todeserve it.
He didn't do anything to hisbrothers.
He didn't do anything toPotiphar's wife.

(11:34):
Matter of fact, he dideverything he could to run away
from Potiphar's wife.
He didn't want no parts in itwhich is why his garment was
ripped, Because he's like no, mymaster has been good to me.
I found favor with him.
I can't do this and this isgood.
It goes against what my Godtells me to stand for.
Right.
Ended up in jail.
Even when he went in the jail,he interpreted the dreams by way

(11:59):
of the Holy Spirit, by the wayof 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 thePharaoh of me, let him know I'm
here for something I did not do.
I was unjustly imprisoned.

SHANEA (12:15):
Still forgot about him.
I think the thing is is youwant God to move on your time
when you give your life to him,and it just does not work that
way.

WALTER (12:28):
No.

SHANEA (12:29):
And it's kind of taught that way.
It's like you give your life toChrist and all your troubles is
going to go away, and that'sjust not the case and a lot of
times, a lot of these troublesaren't going to go away because
of the decision that you madeand also because God is God and
he doesn't have to do anythingthat he don't want to do when he
don't want to do it, justbecause you ask.

WALTER (12:52):
And we'll dig into this further on.
I think we have the scripturesomewhere in here where we will
explore 2 Corinthians to bringforth a greater understanding.

SHANEA (13:01):
Yeah.

WALTER (13:01):
Yet the thing that really is interesting here is
Christ's suffering began beforethe cross.
It began with obedience in thegarden.
So it's understanding thatobedience to God many times
produce some type of suffering.

(13:21):
Yes, produce some type ofsuffering.
Yes, because you are goingthrough the process of
crucifying your flesh and thethings that you want in the
comforts of this life, and whatyou're taught and what's
comfortable to you and what youknow, because, like I said
before, you're going from oneworld system, you're going from

(13:43):
the system of this world to akingdom system.

SHANEA (13:45):
Right, and so suffering for Christ always starts with
your yes.
It means yes, god, I give youeverything, I surrender
everything to you, I submiteverything to you, even when
your flesh wants to say no,because you know what that means
.
When you say yes to god, whenyou say yes to christ, it means

(14:08):
everything that you had prior towas given to you in another
kingdom.
You acquired it in a differentkingdom, you were under a
different rulership, which issatan right, and so everything
that you had in that it has tofall away.
Yeah, you have to become a newcreation yeah, we try to hold on

(14:32):
to things that we should beactually in fact letting go.

WALTER (14:38):
and that becomes even more challenging because it's
hard to see things going haywireand sometimes we think that
things going haywire is theenemy fighting you.

SHANEA (14:51):
Yeah, they're like oh, you know.
I gave my life to Christ andever since I gave my life to
Christ, I'm losing money, I'mlosing friends, I'm losing
family.
The enemy is fighting me.
The enemy is fighting me.
I got married and this marriageis crazy, and it's just like
you acquired all this stuff.

WALTER (15:08):
Before God, before God, before Christ.
And the enemy comes to collectBecause you're going into a new
covenant, you're going under adifferent covenant.
You're coming into covenantwith Christ.
Yes, you're coming intocovenant with God, and before
that you were in covenant withSatan.
Exactly, and so everything thatyou actually obtained was
through that covenant with Satan.

SHANEA (15:29):
Yeah.

WALTER (15:30):
And Satan is like, and we talked about this before
based on what we was listeningto.
Satan be in heaven.
Petitioning.

SHANEA (15:36):
Yes.

WALTER (15:37):
Well, you know, they made this covenant with me.
They made this covenant with me, God.
Their house, their car, theirchildren, their marriage, their
relationships, all of thesethings were things that I gave
them, I allowed them to have,and each time they were being
disobedient to you and they keptmaking a covenant with me.

SHANEA (15:58):
Right, so they belong to me.

WALTER (16:00):
I want them and I want my stuff.
Yes, because they mine.
They've been mine for thisamount of time.

SHANEA (16:08):
You guys really have to look at the spirit realm as a
judicial system, a heavenlycourt system.
We see that with Job.
He petitioned yeah, I think Joblying.

WALTER (16:25):
He don't really like you .
Like that with.

SHANEA (16:26):
Job he petitioned.
Yeah, I think Job lying.
He don't really like you, likethat Lord.

WALTER (16:30):
But they're looking and say, oh well, that's not every
example, that's just the quoteunquote story of Job, not
realizing that if this issomething that happened with Job
, this is something that'sconsistently happening.
There is nothing that the enemycan do with Job.
This is something that'sconsistently happening.
There is nothing that the enemycan do, especially to women and

(16:53):
men of God without first goingto God about it.
Right, Because we belong to himand 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 dowith it.
The enemy wants you to befoolish to the fact that
everything is covenant based.
If he can have you, every timeyou lay down with that woman,
every time you lay down withthat man, that's a covenant.
You have kids with them?

(17:14):
That's an additional covenant.
You make a decision to do thiswith your money, that's a
covenant.
You make a decision to workhere?
That's a covenant.
Every single move you make.

SHANEA (17:23):
And that's why God said he will hand you over to your
tormentor.
Because you don't have anythingto 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 showup to court.

WALTER (17:38):
So we're getting, we're going to keep going.

SHANEA (17:40):
We are getting a little off track, but we're going to
keep it going and we might.
This might have to be a parttwo.
We're not going to try and keepthis too long, but it's a lot
of good stuff.

WALTER (17:55):
Our will versus God's will Right.
Scripture references Galatians6, verse 7 through 8.

SHANEA (18:02):
Let me see.
It's basically saying do not bedeceived, god is not mocked.
A man reaps what he sows.

WALTER (18:12):
You will reap what you sow yeah, those who live only to
satisfy their own sin fornature will harvest decay and
death from that sin for nature.
But those who live to pleasethe spirit will harvest
everlasting life from the spirit.
So let's not get tired of doingwhat is good at just the right
time.
We will reap a harvest ofblessing if we don't give up,

(18:34):
and you will reap a harvest ofchaos and destruction.
Yeah.
If you sow into that.

SHANEA (18:40):
Right, yeah, right.
So not all suffering is aresult of persecution or
spiritual warfare.
Sometimes it's just you're justreaping what you sowed.

WALTER (18:52):
And we've mistaken that for suffering.
So this is going to besomething that's going to kind
of sound controversial, but ifyou are struggling with
homosexuality and a desire to bewith the same sex, some would
tell you that's suffering.
That's not suffering.
That's reflecting that you needto be delivered and your mind

(19:12):
need to be renewed.

SHANEA (19:14):
That's bondage.

WALTER (19:15):
That's bondage.
That's not how God has calledyou to live.
If you are a man or a woman andyou are struggling with lust
and you are choosing to remain,you're saying I'm suffering with
this, but I'm suffering in thename of Christ, because I could
be out here sleeping withwhomever I want to be sleeping
with, or I can be doing whatever, but I choose to follow Christ.
That's not suffering.

(19:35):
You are in bondage.
You need to make sure you'redelivered, your mind needs to be
renewed and you need to die toself.
Those are just examples.
Like if you like, we can getinto jobs, we can get into
relationships.

SHANEA (19:48):
Yeah.
So if, like, you quit a jobprematurely because of pride or
offense and now you're like Ican't really find no job, or you
just you're struggling and it'slike well, you decided to do
that, you decided to choose thatjob.

WALTER (20:04):
But just you would think that you're suffering in the
name of Christ or you're in arelationship.
This is a big one because onceagain we hear so many women,
women of God.

SHANEA (20:15):
interestingly, Because these are and, when you think
about it, you're sowing to yourflesh.
You did this because of yourfleshly desire, so you're just
going to reap what you sow.
If you're reaping from yoursoul and your soul is tainted,
you're going to.
If you're sowing something fromyour soul, you're going to reap

(20:38):
something that's soulish, based, which is not of God.

WALTER (20:42):
Yeah, I mean, it's as simple as this and we'll get
into what godly suffering is ina second and the reason behind
it or what it would produce.
But let me let's say this let'sjust address the elephant in
the room Women, you're notsuffering in the name of christ

(21:05):
because you choose and remain ina relationship where you're
being abused emotionally,physically, mentally, and you're
consistently being cheated on.
That's not suffering in thename of christ no, and there is
no that's just suffering it'sjust suffering because of your
own decision.
Because you decide to stay inthat marriage and don't let the

(21:26):
church make you think that youare suffering.
Well, because it's sointeresting to me, right?
When we look at all of thesedifferent statistics and cases,
it's men that go through it, andmen go through it as well,
right?
Yeah.
Yet many times, when men aregoing through it, men encourage
other men to leave, but when itcomes to women, they're

(21:47):
encouraged to stay.
Yes and so for men.
A man is always looked at fromtheir perspective or, for the
most part, either A.
If you stay, you know you'restupid.

SHANEA (21:56):
Yeah.

WALTER (21:56):
You're foolish.
Why are you staying with her?

SHANEA (21:58):
You're stupid.
Are you a wimp?

WALTER (22:00):
Yeah, when you leave, they're actually praised for
leaving.
Yeah, when you leave, they'reactually praised for leaving,
yeah, but when a woman stays, ohyou know, god has graced you
with this.
You a strong woman, you a rideor die.
I wish more women were justlike you.
Yeah, but when you leave, theychastise you.

SHANEA (22:17):
Oh yeah, they speak down .

WALTER (22:19):
They persecute you and so.

SHANEA (22:22):
You know that man don't know no better.

WALTER (22:27):
It's just understanding that that's not suffering in the
name of christ.
That's suffering because youmade the decision to be with
someone that god didn't call youto be with or at the time that
he didn't call you to be withthat person.
Because, at the end of the day,if the scripture says in
ephesians is ephesians five andI'm looking as I'm speaking this
cause, I want to make sure Ireferenced the correct scripture

(22:48):
.
I believe it's Ephesians fiveIf the scripture says in
Ephesians five, yes, ephesiansfive, verse 25 through verse 32,
33.
If it states that husbands areto love your wives as Christ
loves the church, my questionbecomes this why does it seem

(23:11):
like we have so many womenloving their husbands as Christ
loves the church?

SHANEA (23:20):
I mean because that's what they're told to do.

WALTER (23:22):
But that's backwards, because the Bible says husbands,
love your wives as Christ lovesthe church.
And.
I just have to be honest.
I don't see Christ cheating onus.

SHANEA (23:33):
No, a lot of times they teach the women to be the
leaders in the marriage.

WALTER (23:41):
So, women, you got to stop thinking that it's your
responsibility to be Christ inyour marriage.

SHANEA (23:47):
Or grow these men up or, like you have to stay and teach
them a lesson.

WALTER (23:52):
Spiritually it's out of order.
Yes, it is spiritually out oforder.
If anything, if we are movingas Christ has called us to move,
you will have more stories ofmen who stayed with their wives
after they cheated on them.
Yet we also have to understandthat if you cheat, the Bible
said if you commit adultery,that's reasons for divorce.

SHANEA (24:13):
Yeah, but if you're already in adultery in your
marriage, I'm sorry.
Yeah, because you marriedsomebody you wasn't supposed to
be and God didn't ordain for youto be with in the first place.
Why?

WALTER (24:24):
are you doing that to?

SHANEA (24:25):
them.
I'm sorry.

WALTER (24:27):
All right, we're going to move on.
They're going to try to come.
That's a whole another, that'sa nugget that they may not be
able to.

SHANEA (24:34):
Let's just be.
There are people you're notsupposed to be with.
That's why you're out heredating.
You're like, oh, oh, I don'twant.
This person isn't for me.
I know God didn't send thisperson for me.
And then you decide I want tomarry this person and then come
to find out later.
I don't know if this is reallythe person God called me to be
with.
So you're going to go all theway in.

WALTER (24:54):
Huh, we can move on and you be talking about me, listen,
okay.
Yeah, I mean we.
Yeah, I mean we're sorry, notsorry y'all.

SHANEA (25:09):
No, I mean the thing is people like to make covenants
with God on their own terms.
As if God serves them as if Godserves them.

WALTER (25:22):
He is God, the creator of the heavens and the earth.
Like he, literally.

SHANEA (25:26):
The only covenants you can make with God is to give
your life to Jesus Christ andbecome a servant.

WALTER (25:35):
You can try to make a covenant with God, but that
don't mean that he's going tohonor it.
But that's another story.
So, moving on, and it's just totie this all together, not all
suffering is a spiritual attack.
Not all suffering is aspiritual attack.
Some is harvest fromdisobedience.

SHANEA (25:56):
Yeah, it's as simple as that.
Yeah, if we step outside ofGod's timing or we disobey his
leading, we suffer, but it's notsuffering for Christ.
It's suffering because we puttrust in ourself and not in God.
So second Timothy, three and 12, you want to read that um that

(26:20):
lightning just hit well, itdepends on when you read it from
.
It's already on here.
All who desire to live a godlylife will be persecuted is that
um the whole scripture?
No, I think it's just a summary.
It's just a summary.

WALTER (26:34):
Okay, you got it yeah, second timothy, three and twelve
, yes, and everyone who wants tolive a godly life in Christ
Jesus will suffer persecution.
Yeah, you're right.
It sucks.

(26:57):
I'm not going to lie to you.
It's not easy.
It's not easy, but if youdesire to live a godly life,
you're going to do a persecution.

SHANEA (27:07):
Yes, and if you're not being persecuted, you're not
doing something right.

WALTER (27:12):
And persecution looks different with different
situations.
We deal with it all the time.

SHANEA (27:18):
Yeah, persecution looks different depending on what God
has called you to do.

WALTER (27:21):
Listen, let's be honest.
There's things that I no longerhave desires for right.
But like I used to watch, Iused to like to watch certain
movies.
My wife would tell you.
I was huge on vampire movies.
I was huge on vampire movies andzombie movies.
I didn't watch the other stuffand I used to love my
action-packed movies that had alot of cursing in it and so God

(27:46):
removed the desire.
But there are moments in timewhere it's like, bruh, I
wouldn't mind watching a goodaction-packed movie, and
sometimes, as movies is comingout, they coming out with my boy
, mahershala Ali, with the Blademovie.

SHANEA (28:04):
Oh yeah.

WALTER (28:07):
And I was a huge Blade fan with us.
We grew up with you know,wesley Snipes, Eddie Murphy.
Yeah.
You know.
So, like I was feeling sometype of way Hurt, I was hurt.
My wife was looking at me likeI was hurt and I was about to
cry because, you know, I'm ahuge Mahershala Ali fan.
And it's really making adecision of saying I can't go

(28:30):
backwards, I can't go backwards.
So I can't watch that, I can'tsupport that, because I know the
spiritual implementations tothat, I know what's inside it, I
know what it could open me upto.

SHANEA (28:45):
Yeah, suffering for Christ, like I said, is just
doing away with everything thatyou did prior to, so it looks
like you may lose some friends.

WALTER (28:53):
That too.

SHANEA (28:54):
You may be overlooked in some areas, because God has a
different purpose for you.

WALTER (28:58):
And it may seem as if you're doing everything you're
supposed to be doing and no onenotices it.
But can you still?
Can you suffer well, even whenit seems as if you're suffering
alone?
Can you suffer well, even whenit seems you're suffering alone?
Yeah.
So, when we have Matthew 10,22,.

(29:24):
And just to summarize it, youwill be hated by everyone
because of me.

SHANEA (29:30):
Yeah, right, and this was Jesus speaking, but the one
who stands firm to the end willbe saved, and standing firm
means you're standing on hisword.
His word meaning trusting himand everything that he said he's
going to do and everything thathe has done and is about to do

(29:52):
so.

WALTER (29:53):
Obedience guarantees rejection, but also a favor with
God.
Yes, obedience, it guaranteesrejection.

SHANEA (30:01):
It guarantees persecution.

WALTER (30:02):
Yet it also.
You receive favor from God,yeah, right.
Yeah.
And you stated before.
You may be overlooked, you maybe misunderstood, you may be
mocked.
Right.
But it's redemptive suffering.
So obedience is a spiritualthreat to darkness.
That's why it attractsspiritual oppression, because

(30:27):
one of the greatest things thatthe enemy despises is a child of
god that is totally surrenderedto god and obedient to god.
Yeah, which is why he attackedadam and eve in the beginning,
to get them to be disobedient.
We we touched on this in adifferent episode.
Obedience is God's lovelanguage, yet disobedience to

(30:49):
God is the enemy's love language.
That ain't scripture, it's inthe Bible.

SHANEA (30:55):
It's in the Bible.
It's in the Bible, it surely is.
It's being obedient throughtrials.
It's not abandoning God when itgets hard.
It means choosing his way, evenwhen it's uncomfortable.
And when and basicallydestroyed all the prophets of

(31:15):
Baal and Jezebel, said youunalived all my prophets.

WALTER (31:34):
I'm coming after you.

SHANEA (31:36):
If I am not deceased by this time tomorrow.
I want your head, I'm comingfor your head, I'm coming for
your head, I'm coming for yourhead.
And this is first, kings 18through 19.
You guys can read Very, verygreat story.
But Elijah got discouraged, hewas depressed, he was that man

(31:59):
was fearful.

WALTER (32:01):
He was afraid he was like this woman, cray cray.

SHANEA (32:07):
He ran and hid.
Yeah, he ran and hid for hislife.

WALTER (32:11):
And he forgot he was Elijah.
He forgot he was a prophet ofGod.

SHANEA (32:15):
And just before when the soldiers were coming to him,
fire from heaven would fall onthese soldiers, elijah wouldn't
move.
He said, elijah was was likeyou here to come get me.
Okay, god, let your holy firefall down on them and boom if
I'm the one who serves you, Idon't.

(32:37):
And elijah was saying I don'tmove because somebody else tells
me to move.
I don't go because you'reasking me to go.
I don't care if you are thepolice, I don't go because
you're asking me to go.
I don't care if you are thepolice, I don't care if you're
the president, I'm not goingunless God tells me to go.
And God didn't tell him to go.
So every time the soldiers willcome, that fire from heaven

(32:59):
will fall down and burn up allthem soldiers.
Except I think they came threetimes, three or four times, I
think on the third time one ofthe 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

(33:20):
Elijah said bet I'll go.

WALTER (33:21):
You know what, though, with Elijah, and this is so
simple.
But he took his focus off Godand he placed it on Jezebel.

SHANEA (33:28):
Yes, he did.

WALTER (33:30):
He took his focus off God and he placed it on Jezebel.

SHANEA (33:33):
He did.

WALTER (33:33):
And that moment, as the soldiers were coming and they
were doing everything they wasdoing, his eyes were focused on
God.

SHANEA (33:38):
Yes.

WALTER (33:44):
The moment he took his focus off God and placed it on
Jezebel or in our situation, ourcircumstances, you become
fearful and you forget the Godyou serve.
You forget everything that hedid for you before and how he
made a way for you before, andnow your circumstances become
real.

SHANEA (33:57):
Yeah, so you open a door for a spirit of fear and that
spirit of fear opened up otherdoors.
Spirit of fear, and that spiritof fear opened up other doors.
So now you're depressed, youhave anxiety, you don't know
what's going on.
And in here um first Kings 19,10, um.
Elijah says I have been veryzealous for the Lord, God

(34:18):
almighty, I am the only one left, and now they are trying to
unalive me too.
And the Lord said you're notthe only one.

WALTER (34:30):
You feel that way.

SHANEA (34:31):
You might feel like you're the only one, but you are
not the only one, I think.
He said he had thousands ofothers who were obedient to him.

WALTER (34:40):
Yeah, other prophets elsewhere yeah, that he knew
nothing of.
Yeah, but God didn't to him.

SHANEA (34:44):
Yeah, other prophets elsewhere yeah, that he knew
nothing of yeah, but God, goddidn't shame him, he just
responded with restoration LikeI have other people here for you
.
You're not alone.
You're not alone in this.
There are others going throughsome other things and other far
away lands.
You're not alone.

WALTER (35:09):
And I'm looking to see.

SHANEA (35:09):
I wanted to see how many prophets he said were, but
we'll continue to go, yeah, butlike, his obedience to him
didn't exempt him from emotionalturmoil or emotional warfare.
It's going to come, but the keyis what you said is keeping
your eye on God when you aredoing what he's called you to do
.

WALTER (35:27):
No matter how great the level of persecution is, because
this was something that wasgreat at this point in time.

SHANEA (35:34):
And God's not going to always tell you what's going to
happen to you when he tells youto move.

WALTER (35:38):
Most times he's not.
Most times he's not trust usbecause that's where your faith
lies and he's trying to producesomething in you and I'm not
going to get ahead, but that'swhat hebrews 11 come in at
because, when you think ofsuffering, suffering produces a
greater a level a greater levelof faith in you, a greater level

(36:02):
of resilience to say I am goingto rely on God.
Right, because I've been herebefore.
My back has been against thewall.
I was near I was to the pointof death and he rescued me.
So he will rescue me again andyou will learn to suffer well,
yeah, it's hard, yeah, it's hard.

SHANEA (36:27):
But, that's what your eyes got.
Gotta remain focused on god.
Yeah, because when you takeyour focus off god, you start
focusing it on the problem andnot the solution, when the
solution is always god is alwaysthrough jesus christ, and it
was seven thousand 7,000, 7,000other men, okay so.
Yeah, and so this just bringsus to.

(36:47):
We don't get to choose theterms of our obedience.

WALTER (36:52):
Yeah, before we go there , some points on here that I'll
only speak on.
Oh, okay.
Okay, and then we'll move onbecause we're pressed for time.
Okay, two things that I reallylike here.
Obedience may isolate you you,but it never cuts you all from
god.
Yeah, so you may be isolatedfrom people, right, it may seem

(37:13):
as if it's isolating you frompeople and things, and things
and places and resources whathave yet it never cuts you off
from God.

SHANEA (37:24):
Yeah.

WALTER (37:25):
And we have to get to a point, to where we are more
focused on what heaven saysabout us, what God says about us
what Jesus sees, more than weare on what people say.
Right.
And then sometimes thewilderness is preparation, not
punishment.

SHANEA (37:44):
It's always preparation.
It's always preparation, it'salways preparation.

WALTER (37:48):
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 statedthat he came out with the power
of the Holy Spirit.
He went in receiving the HolySpirit.
He was ushered in by the HolySpirit.
He went in receiving the HolySpirit.
He was ushered in by the HolySpirit.
Yet, when he left the 40 dayfast and the 40 day wilderness

(38:10):
experience, he came out with allof the power to do all of the
things that God had called himto do on earth.

SHANEA (38:16):
Yeah, and you know, what came to me was when I first
converted I felt like I wasbeing punished.
I felt like I was beingpunished.
I couldn't talk to my family, Icouldn't go to the gym, I
couldn't do anything that I usedto do, I couldn't go to the spa
, I couldn't talk to people Iused to talk to.
I would say Lord, I feel likeI'm being punished and I was so

(38:40):
mad at God.
I was so mad, I was furiousbecause I was used to doing what
I wanted to do, yeah, yeah, andI never really had anybody to
tell me what to do.
And I, the thing is, I wasrebellious, I was rebellious
which is what witchcraft.
I was rebellious.
I was rebellious in my walkprior to god, and he had to

(39:05):
break me from that which is whyhe took you through what he took
you oh, absolutely which waschallenging it was so
challenging, and sometimes itstill 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 (39:23):
Because you learn how to play with God.

SHANEA (39:25):
He got me right.

WALTER (39:26):
You learn how to play with God.
Yes, and that goes right intothis next part, we don't get to
choose the terms of obedience.

SHANEA (39:33):
We don't, no, we don't?

WALTER (39:35):
We often want to obey God on our own terms, when it's
easy and when it feels good.
But real obedience doesn'tnegotiate.

SHANEA (39:44):
Right, right Jeez, real obedience doesn't negotiate Wow.

WALTER (39:51):
Can we let that just marinate?
Wow Jeez, that's going to makethat right.
There alone, we get a lot ofpeople right, because you all be
thinking that you can negotiatewith God.
Yes, we think that we cannegotiate with God.
Yes, we think that we cannegotiate with God.
We think we can negotiate withGod let's talk about it on who
we want to be with yes, god, Iwant this type of person.

SHANEA (40:13):
I want him to look like this and be like this and do
that.

WALTER (40:16):
You want to make a covenant on your own terms this
is what I like, this is what Ienjoy 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 andyou don't know what's best for
you.

SHANEA (40:32):
God does, and you don't really want what God has for you
, and he knows that, so you'renot going to get it negotiate
with God.

WALTER (40:45):
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 towork.
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 bethis, so I want to do this, I
want to live here, I want to dothis, I want to do that, and I
believe you're going to bless mebecause you are such a loving
God.
You're a loving father.

SHANEA (41:03):
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 willallow you to do that and make
those decisions.
And then, when you're ready, toopen your eyes and say, hey,
you know what, god, I reallywant, what you want.

WALTER (41:18):
But you're going to go through hell, you're going to go
through hell You're going to gothrough hell.
We got to understand this and Idon't know why we we try to
approach and we're going to keepmoving, but we try to approach
God like God is our best friend.
Jesus never approached God likehe was his best friend.

(41:40):
Jesus always approached God ashe was, which is the father.
He always referenced him as thefather.
He always had a certain level,a great level of obedience to
the father.
He always referenced him as thefather.
He always had a certain level,a great level of obedience to
the father.
There was a great level ofsubmission he had to the father.
And if Jesus is to be ourexample, why are we not
submitted to the father?
Why do we want to look at thefather as our best friend?
We even know in earthlyrelationships, when fathers and

(42:01):
mothers are best friends withtheir kids.
Their kids don't respect them.

SHANEA (42:05):
Yeah, no, you know, sometimes we'd be playing with
our kids and they'd beforgetting.

WALTER (42:10):
And you got to remind them and I remind them and be
like this is why I don't playwith you, because you need to
know who I am Exactly.
But it's serious, like we can'tapproach God like he's our best
friend, he's our father.

SHANEA (42:23):
Yes, he's your daddy.

WALTER (42:25):
And you got to approach him as such?
Yes, there's a reference youhave, and he is the king.
Yes.
He is the king.

SHANEA (42:35):
He's God.

WALTER (42:36):
So if Jesus, being right under God right, the one and
only begotten son of God, has agreat level of reverence for God
, the father.
How in the world do we thinkthat we aren't expected to be
the same?
But we're going to continue,Betty.

SHANEA (42:58):
Yeah, I know I was thinking like you, asking your
parent, ask your father, dad, Iwant a Toyota, I want a car, but
I want a BMW and it got to beblack.
Your parents going to belooking at you like you crazy.
I'm going to get you whatevercar I want to get you and I'm
going to get you a car that Ithink that you should have,

(43:20):
because I know you.

WALTER (43:23):
I know what you can handle Exactly.

SHANEA (43:24):
I know what you can handle.

WALTER (43:24):
Exactly.
I know what's good for you.

SHANEA (43:25):
Yeah.

WALTER (43:26):
Yeah, so this Romans 8, 18, right, mm-hmm.

SHANEA (43:34):
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory thatwill be revealed to us.
Mm-hmm.
So, like we said before, weoften serve God on our own terms
when it's convenient, when it'seasy, when it costs little
right.
But real obedience doesn't askfor permission to bargain with

(43:55):
God.
Yeah.
It says yes, no matter the cost.

WALTER (44:01):
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 (44:07):
No.

WALTER (44:08):
But it's what obedience looks like.

SHANEA (44:11):
It's hard to hear because nobody talks about it.
No, that's why people are outhere not having a relationship
with God, because they're outhere doing what they want to do
and that's fine, and no one'ssaying you're going to hell.
But what I'm saying is you'renot in communion with God,
you're not in a good, you don'thave a.
There's a peace and a closenesswith God that you have when

(44:37):
you're being obedient.

WALTER (44:39):
Well, the thing is and you want to be real careful,
right, we think of what Jesussaid.
Many will come and say that weprophesied in your name.

SHANEA (44:48):
Exactly.

WALTER (44:49):
We healed the sick in your name.
We cast out demons in your name.
Yeah.
And he would say turn away fromme, for I never knew you.

SHANEA (44:56):
Right, I don't have a relationship with you.

WALTER (45:01):
Relationship is what's so important, and the greatest
thing is if God's love languageis obedience.

SHANEA (45:07):
Yes.

WALTER (45:09):
Are we showing God that we love him?

SHANEA (45:11):
Yes.

WALTER (45:13):
So that's the thing that we have to think about.
Yeah.
So let me see where are we atFirst Peter 4, 15 through 6.

SHANEA (45:28):
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 aChristian, do not be ashamed but
praise God that you bear thename, and meddler means, like

(45:48):
you, meddling in people'sbusiness not minding your
business.

WALTER (45:52):
So not all suffering is spiritual.
We said this before.
Some is sin based, so don'tcall a lack of discipline or
consequences a trial.

SHANEA (46:08):
Right yeah, not all suffering is honorable.
You can suffer because of sin,envy, manipulation, bitterness,
you in people's business, likeif I'm outside of a conversation

(46:29):
and I come in a conversationand the people in the
conversation start going in atme.
I I can't be mad.

WALTER (46:35):
And say I'm suffering for Christ and that's what we do
.
It's an extreme case, butthat's really what we do a lot.
We make decisions, we putourselves in situations, we put
ourselves in relationships, weput ourselves in circumstances
and we scream and we pull outthe I'm a Christian card and say
I'm suffering well for Christbecause we talked about this

(46:58):
right and we can do.
We got a lot more to go through, or?

SHANEA (47:07):
We have.
I think we have like four moresegments.
We don't have a lot, but we cantry and get through it.

WALTER (47:14):
So the thing that I was thinking about and I think it's
somewhere in here is what Godwas doing with me on last night.
Let me see and I may be goingout of order, but I want to read
this no, that's fine.
Where is it?

SHANEA (47:32):
Because I forgot what I was doing when God gave me this
revelation in Peter, when Ithink I think, oh, I think we
were talking about what thechurch and people, people who
have these YouTube podcasts andchannels and stuff talking about
suffering, and I'm like what issuffering and it's like
suffering is not suffering, forGod has nothing to do with

(47:55):
things that you decide that youwant to do, and that's exactly
what Peter is saying.
You decided you want to be amurderer or a thief or criminal.
You decided you want to be inother people's business.
You decided you wanted to dothis and do that.
That is not suffering forChrist.

WALTER (48:10):
No.

SHANEA (48:12):
These are consequences of your actions, because you
went outside of what God nevercalled you to.
It's a consequence.

WALTER (48:23):
And we got so much stuff here.
We got, but we're going to keepgoing.
We got so much stuff we alwaysgo through this with each
episode A lot of stuff we don'teven touch on.

SHANEA (48:34):
Yeah, but it's a lot to unpack, but it's, I mean yeah,
it is a lot to unpack, so.

WALTER (48:41):
So where do we go next um?
For time's sake, we got gotabout 15 minutes.
We don't have to rush you wantto turn it into a two segment,
don't you?

SHANEA (48:51):
no, we don't have to rush, I'm just saying saying
where are we right now?
We're at the danger ofmislabeling your suffering,
right yeah?
So it just breaks down intowhat people mislabel suffering
as yeah, well, and that's.

WALTER (49:11):
We touched on this, um.
It talks about financialstruggle due to poor stewardship
.
It talks about relationshipdrama due to disobedience, and I
think relationship is a big one.
Yeah.
Relationship is a big one.

SHANEA (49:27):
Yeah, so relationship drama due to disobedience.

WALTER (49:31):
I'd say this oh then, this is challenging and this is
what just came to me.
You want to be careful, evenwith finances.
Right, because your pastor tellyou that it's God's will for
you to give this specialoffering.
You give this special offering,your lights get turned off, you
don't have your rent, you don'thave your mortgage.

(49:52):
You don't have your car note andyou're going based off of what
your pastor said, and then yousay well, I am suffering in the
name of christ.
God is about to bless me withsomething greater and this is
why this has happened to me.
No, that's not why that'sself-induced yeah did you ask
god whether you were supposed todo that?

SHANEA (50:10):
or how much you were supposed to, or how much you
were supposed to give were yousupposed I hit you on the head
with this one.

WALTER (50:15):
I know.
Were you supposed to tap intoyour rent to do that?
Were you supposed to tap intoyour light bill to do that?
Were you supposed to tap intoyour car note to do that?
Because whose money is it?

SHANEA (50:27):
Exactly Whose money is it?
It's God's, it's God's.

WALTER (50:29):
So you need to seek wisdom from God on what you give
, not from your pastor.
Because you need to seek wisdomfrom 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 introuble.
I've seen people be there.
I've seen people give thousandsof dollars to church, trusting
that God was going to open thedoor.
And I'm telling you somethingthat God dealt with me on, and

(50:50):
he told me that not every groundis good ground.

SHANEA (50:53):
Yes, you reap on what you sow.

WALTER (50:56):
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 givesomething don't mean he has to
bless it, because if he didn'ttell you to give it, it's up to
him on whether he blesses it ornot.

SHANEA (51:17):
And how he wants to bless it, if he chooses to.

WALTER (51:20):
So please be careful, please be careful.
This is why you have to have apersonal relationship with God,
but we'll continue.
I'm sorry.

SHANEA (51:28):
No, you're good babe.
You're good.

WALTER (51:31):
So, and we touched on this, conviction is not
condemnation.
This is good.

SHANEA (51:37):
Use it to repent and realign yeah don't stay in a
place of conviction yeah, butsometimes conviction looks like
offense, so sometimes peoplewill get offended um for you
saying something to them, butit's really conviction.
And they don't know whatconviction feels like because

(51:59):
they're so used to doing whatthey want to do.
Yeah, that's very true, theyget offended and they get mad,
but it's like I'm telling youthe truth.
Please take this If you areoffended, go take this to God,
because you should not be mad.

WALTER (52:16):
And they think that that is a righteous anger.
No, that they have.

SHANEA (52:20):
That's conviction.
It's called conviction.
If you've never been convictedbefore, you might mistake
conviction as offense, becauseconviction is correction and if
you like to do what you want todo, you don't like people to
correct you.

WALTER (52:39):
And correction is love.

SHANEA (52:40):
It is.

WALTER (52:41):
Correction is love.

SHANEA (52:42):
It's protection.

WALTER (52:46):
So test, trial or bondage, go ahead babe.

SHANEA (52:55):
Let's see, so we have here 1 Peter.

WALTER (53:08):
Let me get it together 1 Peter 4, 12 through 16.

SHANEA (53:15):
1 Peter 4, 12 through 16 .
1 Peter 4, 12 through 16.
Dear friends, don't besurprised at the fiery trials
you are going through, as ifsomething strange were happening
to you.
Instead, be very glad for thesetrials.
Make you partners with Christin his suffering, so that you
will have the wonderful joy ofseeing his glory when it is

(53:37):
revealed to all the world you'renot reading the 16 oh you read
to 14.

WALTER (53:48):
I read to 14.
I'm sorry, to 13 I'm sorry.

SHANEA (53:51):
If you're insulted because you bear the name of
christ, you will be blessed, forthe glorious spirit of God
rests upon you.
If you suffer, however, it mustnot be for murder, stealing,
making trouble or prying intoother people's affairs.
But it is no shame to sufferfor being a Christian.
Praise God for the privilege ofbeing called by his name.

WALTER (54:14):
I think we read that before I think we just read that
.

SHANEA (54:16):
Yeah, we did.
Oh, I guess I just didn't readthe whole thing.

WALTER (54:20):
No, but it's fine.

SHANEA (54:22):
My bad, it's fine.

WALTER (54:23):
And then John 10 and 10 says the thief's purpose is to
steal and kill and destroy.
My purpose is to give them arich and satisfying life.
So when you think about testsor suffering, when you think
about suffering, it literally ismeant to build your faith in
God.
When it comes from God, it'sliterally meant to build your

(54:44):
faith in God, right so?
Or a trial from God, somethingthat's allowed by God, it
literally what are you lookingat?

SHANEA (54:58):
I'm looking because, you know, God gave me a revelation
on this.

WALTER (55:01):
You got to go back into your notes because I summarized
it.

SHANEA (55:10):
Oh, no, no, no, we could keep going.
I got it down in the nextsection.

WALTER (55:14):
Okay, oh, no, no, no, we could keep going.
I got it down in the nextsection.
Okay, so, trials when you thinkof a trial, it's allowed by God
, but it's allowed to stretchyou and it builds endurance.
So we think of and I don't knowif it's in here or not 2
Corinthians 1, verse 9.
We probably have it somewhere,but I'll read that real quick.

SHANEA (55:35):
Yeah, it's in the next section.

WALTER (55:37):
Okay, so we'll have it somewhere.
When I read that real quick andthat's yeah, it's in the next
section, okay, so we'll let itbe.
But, um, when you think ofbondage is is enemy inflicted,
so, and that results fromdisobedience or sin.
So test, produce growth, peaceand clarity.
Bondage breaks or breedsconfusion, shame and stagnation.

SHANEA (56:00):
Yeah.
So test and trials are allowedby God to grow us and not harm
us Right, and they help refineand build our faith, build up
endurance, because we're goingto need it.
Yes, and then a test will oftencome.
With God's presence, God'speace, it will be God directed

(56:27):
right.

WALTER (56:28):
Now with peace.
Let's make this clear we'retalking about peace that
surpasses all understanding.
So what that means is that youhave peace in the midst of chaos
yes, you have peace, even inpain.

SHANEA (56:39):
Yeah, you know.
And then a trial will juststretch your character, but it
won't separate you from god'slove or lead you, you know, into
sin or some type of shame orconfusion.
Bondage is.
Bondage is a result from sin ordemonic oppression.

(56:59):
It brings torment.
There are cycles, likegenerational cycles, there's
spiritual heaviness.
It doesn't produce any growth.
There's no fruit.
There's no fruit in thissuffering.
Yeah, because it's bondage.

WALTER (57:13):
Nothing comes from it.
No, but fear Right.

SHANEA (57:16):
You're stuck in this cycle or something that you just
can't break.

WALTER (57:20):
You're stuck and that goes back into generational
curse.
When you start studying yourfamily tree you see that.

SHANEA (57:28):
your mom went through it , your grandma went through it,
your granddad went through it.
That's bondage.
Yeah, that is definitely notGod.
That is the enemy for sure yeah.

WALTER (57:41):
So I think, Okay.
We got about 10 more minutestops.

SHANEA (57:48):
Okay, all right, well, we'll go here.
So I think God gave merevelation on um second
Corinthians, or was that is that?
Was that you?

WALTER (58:03):
You're talking about second Corinthians, one and nine
.

SHANEA (58:05):
Yes, that's you.

WALTER (58:09):
Let me see I was going there.
Let me pull it up.
And everything that we'rereading, everyone it's from the
new living translation uh,second corinthians oh yeah,
that's you um, I'll start atverse eight for time's sake, but
read all of it, beginning fromverse one to verse 11.
So verse eight says we thankyou all.

(58:32):
To know where I go here, versethree all praise, all praise to
God, the Father of our Lord,jesus Christ.
God is our merciful Father andthe source of all comfort.
He comforts us in all ourtroubles so that we can comfort
others when they are troubled.
We will be able to give themthe same comfort God has given

(58:52):
us, for the more we suffer forChrist, the more God will shower
us with his comfort throughChrist.
Even when we are weighed downwith troubles, it is for your
comfort and salvation, for whenwe ourselves are comforted, we
will certainly comfort you.
Then you can patiently endurethe same things we suffer.

(59:12):
We are confident that as youshare in our sufferings, you
will also share in the comfortGod has given us, or God gives
us.
We think you ought to know, dearbrothers and sisters, about the
troubles we went through in theprovince of Asia.
We were crushed and overwhelmed, beyond our ability to endure,
and we thought we would neverlive through it.

(59:33):
In fact, we expected to die,but as a result, we stopped
relying on ourselves and learnedto rely only on God, whom
raises the dead, and he didrescue us from mortal danger and
he will rescue us again.
We have placed our confidencein him and he will continue to

(59:55):
rescue us.
So, when we think of suffering,suffering is something that
places us in a position don'tthink we have time to read but
that takes into the latter partof Hebrew 11.

(01:00:20):
The latter part of Hebrew 11touches on people who were
persecuted, people who werestoned, people who were unalived
in very extreme cases, and ittalked about how it produced a
great amount of faith, that theywere willing to suffer in the
name of Christ and they wereincluded in what we would

(01:00:41):
consider the hall of fame forthose who had faith In the Bible
.
Hebrew 11 is like the hall offame chapter for the like, the
grace of the faith.
It will be considered with, wewould say, modern day, the
greatest of all time is Hebrew11.

(01:01:01):
It's the greatest of all timefaith the faith chapter.
Yeah, but that stood out to mebecause we touched on this
before when you go through.
Paul said he was at the brinkof death and this is an example
of Shadrach, meshach andAbednego right.
They were about to be thrown ina fiery furnace if they wouldn't

(01:01:23):
bow down to the gods of KingNebuchadnezzar.
Yet because of what they hadalready been through and the
relationship they had with thefather, they stated to him that
we believe that our God willsave us.
Yet even if he don't, we stillwill not bow down to your gods.

(01:01:44):
Right.
That is such a.
That is the place thatsuffering in the name of Christ
will put you at yes To where,even if I am unalived yes, I
will still stand firm on theprinciples of Christ will put
you at yes To where, even if Iam unalived.
Yes, I will still stand firm onthe principles of trusting God
and when you dig into the faithchapter Hebrews 11,.
That's what happened in manycases with those.

SHANEA (01:02:06):
Oh, absolutely.

WALTER (01:02:06):
They were unalived.
Yet they stood firm, even tothe point of being unalived,
right and saying I still standfirm on the fact that I serve
God.

SHANEA (01:02:17):
Jesus Christ is my Lord and savior, if you could do
whatever you want to do to me?

WALTER (01:02:22):
I don't care.
Yes.

SHANEA (01:02:24):
Because I serve a God.

WALTER (01:02:25):
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 givingup our life from a spiritual
perspective, from a physicalperspective of saying, oh well,
I'm not going to stay here, I'mnot going to be with this person
, I'm not going to hang out withthese people, I'm not going to
deal with this.
If you struggle with that, howthe heck are you going to deal

(01:02:47):
with a greater level ofpersecution that some of the
other countries are dealing within China, where they have to do
church secretly in their homesand they got to ask the Holy
Spirit to lead them to thoseunderground churches?
How are you going to deal withthat type of persecution when
you can't even deal with?
Oh, I don't need to be watchingthis movie, I don't need to be
listening to this music, but I'mgoing to digress.

(01:03:08):
Go ahead, babe.
No, you good, I think we can,you know, sum it up there Unless
you, no, you good, I think wecan, you know, sum it up there
unless you want to keep going.
Is there anything else that youwant to add?
What do you mean that inanything that you want to touch

(01:03:33):
on?
Because we have a lot here, butI don't think it requires
another episode, like a part two.
So if you got five minutes, howwould you summarize within the
next five minutes?

SHANEA (01:03:39):
Oh well, I think, cause God gave me two revelations.
Okay, go ahead, so I can justspeak on those.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah just speak on those.

(01:04:03):
The floor is yours.
Okay, so I was reading.
It was the first, firstCorinthians 10, 12 through 13.
Let me pull that up real quick,so this might be a little
longer.
But first Corinthians, first.

WALTER (01:04:28):
Corinthians 10.
10, 12 through 13.

SHANEA (01:04:32):
12 through 13.

WALTER (01:04:33):
You hear yeah, 10, 12 through 13,.

SHANEA (01:04:36):
12 through 13.
Yes, yeah, so um it, becausewhat came to me was the
scripture.
Or when people say he won't puton, put more on you than you
can bear.
This is where this comes from,um, but people don't know what
it is they're bearing and theydon't know what the more is.
And so, for this verse says isif you think you are standing

(01:04:59):
strong, be careful not to fall.
The temptations in your lifeare no different from what
others experience, and God isfaithful.
He will not allow thetemptation to be more than you
can stand.
When you are tempted, he willshow you a way out so that you
can endure.
And what I had wrote down herewas temptation is common among

(01:05:23):
us and we'll be tempted with thesame experiences.
We will be tempted with desiresthat feed our flesh, but with
God, he will give us theguidance and conviction to stand
against these temptations.
He has shown us a way outthrough Christ.
Christ is the way out.
Resist the devil and he willflee.

(01:05:44):
How do we flee from him?
Through Christ, with Christ,temptations come through
thoughts, feelings, emotions.
It gives us a rise in our flesh.
Temptation in Hebrew is istrial or test.
Um, I don't know.
I lost my trial or test.
God also teaches us to testevery spirit that it may lead

(01:06:06):
you to God and not other gods.
So if I'm tempted to, temptedto try something, god, I'm sorry
If I'm tempted or tried bysomething.
God gives us permission tochoose Christ's way and not lean
on our own strength andunderstanding to figure it out

(01:06:28):
Mm-hmm.
So when you're being tempted,temptation is not the same thing
as suffering.
The temptation will bringsuffering, but the temptation
isn't the suffering.
So you dealing with somethinglike lust or have some type of

(01:06:49):
addiction, that's not suffering,it's a temptation.
If I go to the store and I'msupposed to be on a diet and I
see a donut shop, if I see adonut shop, the enemy's gonna
say you should go to that donutshop and I'm like, no, I
shouldn't really go to thatdonut shop.
That's conviction, that'stemptation, because I'm supposed

(01:07:10):
to be on a.
I don't want a gluttonousspirit, but I have to listen to
that conviction.
That's the temptation, that'sthe trial.
I know I need to go and do whatGod told me to do.
I need to stray away from this.

WALTER (01:07:25):
So what my wife is saying to you all is very true,
but I want to make sure you letthem know, babe, because I don't
want people to use this tojustify, for example, a man
who's thinking thoughts as amarried man on other women.
Oh, this is just temptation andthis is normal and it's not so
there's.
We got to draw the line in thetwo right y'all not going to use

(01:07:47):
this.
I'm sorry, but go ahead baberight.

SHANEA (01:07:50):
So that's temptation and , I think, the other thing, the
other revelation that God gaveme.
While I was sitting in a bedand he was like, he asked us to
read Isaiah 7.
I'm like why do you want me toread Isaiah 7?
He was like you wanted me togive you an example of a test,
and I was like, oh okay.
So I was up for like I was upto like two o'clock going

(01:08:14):
through the scripture and he wasjust speaking through me or
speaking to me.
So I was up to like two o'clockgoing through the scripture and
he was just speaking through meor speaking to me, and this is
a test that he gave King Ahaz.
And so the Lord gave arevelation to Ahaz and his faith
was being tested in this.
So Isaiah 7, 10 through 11, Godtells Ahaz to ask for a sign to

(01:08:35):
confirm that he will protectjudah and but ahaz refuse,
refuses, and, and so when herefuses, he's like I will not
ask, I will not put the lord tothe test.
But he was being funny becausehe already made up in his mind
that he was going to makeallegiance to a man, right, he

(01:08:57):
already made allegiance in hismind to trust Assyria and not
God.
So Isaiah rebuked him.
Right, and Isaiah rebuked him.
And I want to say exactly whathe said said because you
wouldn't really get it unlessyou read it, and that's Isaiah

(01:09:24):
where is it at?
Isaiah 7, 13.
Then Isaiah said listen.
Well you royal, well you royalfamily of David, isn't it enough
to exhaust human patience?
Must you exhaust the patienceof my God as well?

(01:09:44):
All right, then the Lord willgive you the sign.
And then you continue to readthe sign, which is a prophecy.

WALTER (01:09:52):
Of Christ.

SHANEA (01:09:53):
Yeah, and basically what Isaiah was saying is you trust
man more than you trust God.
Like you'll exhaust a manbefore you exhaust God.
You'll go to a man asking himfor all these things and what he
can do for you, but you won'tgo to God.
Come on now Talking about youdon't want to test the Lord.

WALTER (01:10:11):
Well, I sound like he's about to say come on son.
Okay, you had a moment.
Okay, come on son.

SHANEA (01:10:21):
But in the end, god did.
He did exactly.
The prophecy came to pass, andbecause Ahazaz only because ahaz
didn't trust him, he said okay,well, since you don't trust me,
this is what's going to happento you.

(01:10:43):
And ahaz didn't believe it, buthe still did what he wanted to
do anyway and got that work hedid.
He placed his trust in man andgave temple treasures, treasures
to bribe the king of Assyria sothat Assyria could help him in
the battle.
But Assyria turned on him, tookhim out.

(01:11:03):
God allowed that very nation tobecome his instrument of
judgment.
God will give you what Over toyour tormentors.
That's exactly what he did,because he didn't trust him.
And that was a test.
He failed because he refused totrust God.
God will send things out foryou to test.

(01:11:28):
That's why it says test thespirit, for you to test, to see
if it's from God, if it'sleading you towards God or away
from him.

WALTER (01:11:40):
That's good.
That's good, and we had to.
We got to get ready to bring itto an end, so how would you end
this off this week, babe?

SHANEA (01:11:54):
How would you end this off this week, babe?
I think because we can justkeep going in on and on and on.

WALTER (01:12:01):
We could and we're trying to be mindful of your
time, everyone.
So we do apologize if it was alittle bit longer this week, but
you know, I know that thosewere things that God had dealt
with.
My wife on.
And it was important that sheshare it yeah.

SHANEA (01:12:16):
So I have a closing statement.

WALTER (01:12:19):
Wait, you have a closing statement.

SHANEA (01:12:22):
I do, I do Okay, I do Okay Sorry.

WALTER (01:12:28):
Like you're behind the podium about to give a speech.

SHANEA (01:12:31):
Right?
No, I'm just kidding, so it'sjust something to ponder on it.
You're not called to suffer andsin, and you're called to
suffer and obedience.
One leads to bondage and theother one leads to God's glory.
Are you suffering becauseyou're walking in obedience or

(01:12:55):
are you suffering because you'rewalking in disobedience?
Are you suffering because ofthe consequences of your
disobedience?
And that's really what you haveto ask yourself.
Yeah, I'm going through thisright now, but is it because of
something that I did, or is thisbecause I'm really being
persecuted because I'm doingwhat God told me to do?

(01:13:18):
God called me to do?

WALTER (01:13:21):
And that's a self-reflection that has to take
place.
That's a self-reflectioneveryone.
Yeah.
Okay, yeah, which is hard,which is why you have to submit
it to God to see what's reallygoing on in your life.

Speaker 3 (01:13:33):
Yeah, so, babe, do you want to submit it to God to
see what's really going on inyour life?

WALTER (01:13:35):
Yeah, so, babe, do you want to end us out?

SHANEA (01:13:39):
No, I want you to end us out.

WALTER (01:13:40):
You do so well.

SHANEA (01:13:42):
But you do good sometimes.

WALTER (01:13:45):
Wait, I'm going to let that slide.
Listen.
We are grateful for everyone.
We pray that this is still, andwill continue to be, a blessing
to you.
We do read the comments, werespond my wife responds many of
the times.

(01:14:05):
We appreciate you and we'veread your testimonies and your
stories and we ask that you willcontinue to share your stories
and share how you know God hasbeen blessing you and how this
has been blessing you, and ifthis is something that has been
blessing you, of course, shareit with others so others can

(01:14:26):
hear.
And we will end it there.
I don't know what else to add.
Babe, you have anything?

SHANEA (01:14:33):
else.
Thank you guys, we appreciateyou.
Please subscribe.

WALTER (01:14:39):
You see my point Exactly .

SHANEA (01:14:41):
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 womenfollowing 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 (01:14:57):
That's the problem.

SHANEA (01:14:58):
Leading these women and we're out here struggling being
the leaders.

WALTER (01:15:04):
Well, the women can't make the men, come in, men, it's
your responsibility to sharethis with your brothers, because
we need, please, we need to bein this.
We need men of god who can leadtheir families, who can lead uh
this next generation, nextgeneration so my, my hope and my
desire and my heart is that wehave, at least it be, a

(01:15:30):
situation, at the very least, of60 40 situation where it's 60
women, 40, 40% men, preferably50% both.

SHANEA (01:15:38):
But it's crazy because it's just a reflection of what
you see in a church.
When you walk in a church, youjust see a bunch of women.
Yeah.
You rarely see men in there.

WALTER (01:15:46):
It's a problem and if they are.

SHANEA (01:15:47):
They're there with their wife.

WALTER (01:15:48):
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 willsee you next time.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.