FaithfulFin Talk | Ep 53 Refined by Fire – The Faith That Lasts

This episode is for the one who’s been under pressure — spiritually, emotionally, or financially.

In Episode 53 of FaithfulFin Talk, Juantrell Lovette opens her heart and her Bible to explore how God uses trials as tools for transformation. Pulling from 1 Peter 1 and her own faith journey, she explains how tested faith becomes lasting faith.

🔥 Key Points:

• The fire isn’t to kill you — it’s to crown you
• You’re not being punished. You’re being purified
• Faith, like gumbo, needs heat to develop its flavor
• Real legacy is built through what you overcome — not what you avoid
• You don’t pass down just wealth, but wisdom

📖 Scriptures:

• 1 Peter 1:2–7
• James 1:2–4

👂🏽 Listen, reflect, and share your story with the community.

Tag @faithfulfintalk or visit faithfulfintalk.com

Transcript

Introducing Refined by Fire

Speaker 1 0:05

Breaking the chain , feeling the gain . Now I'm rising . Open the gate , never too late . No hiding Wings open wide , trusting my God , ready to take off , ready to take off , ah , someday , someday . I know I'm moving in the right way . Oh , one day I keep praying , I keep praying .

Speaker 2 0:38

Hey , y'all , welcome back to another episode of faithful fin Fin Talk . Today's title for our episode is Refined by Fire the Faith that Lasts . Our scripture that we are going to be focused on today it's 1 Peter , 1 . So you can grab your Bibles , grab your notes , grab your whatever you want phone , whatever . Get into the story today . This is real stories , real scripture and real growth . I'm your host , wontrell LeVette , and you are tuned in to the best podcast that you ever going to come across . I'm just saying there's a lot out there , but right here with me , you're going to get real stories , real scripture and real growth , because I've been on this journey . It's been a great journey , it's been an experience and I'm taking you with me this time .

Speaker 2 1:31

So , before we begin today , I want you to picture something . I want you to picture a person , whether man or female . If you're a man , picture a man . If you're a female , picture a female , whatever it is . Picture someone standing in the middle of a fire . They're not running , they're not screaming , they're still , because they know something most people don't . Most people don't they know that this fire isn't to kill them , it is to crown them , and that person might just be you . It's so funny that I'm talking about fire . Some of you guys don't know , but if you do know , I come from the entertainment industry . I'm a dancer and my stage name is Fire . It's so funny when I tell people my stage name and I'm like , oh , my name is Fire and I'm like Fire , that's a pretty hot name . Where did you get that from ? We're always key , can . But to go into this story about fire , about not being burned , about standing in the middle of a fire , it kind of touched home for me . So I'm picturing myself standing in the middle of a fire , not getting burnt , not running , not screaming , but allowing God to refine my crown . I'm just saying I can see myself there .

Standing in the Fire's Meaning

Speaker 2 3:00

So I'm still in the comeback . Welcome to Faithful Fin .

Speaker 2 3:03

Talk you guys . This journey that we're on , it's been on fire , it's been faith and foundation . We talked about grace in Galatians , resurrection in Ephesians , but today we're stepping into refinement . First , peter 1 came to me like a whisper and a warning , because sometimes the fire you're in isn't meant to destroy you , it's meant to define you . In the Bible there's a story about three people being thrown into the furnace fire . These people did not burn . These people did not die and instead God was standing in that fire with them and the king at the time , because these three boys , they would not worship this gold staff that the king wanted . It's in the Bible . Go ahead and read your Bible . But they didn't worship the staff or whatever it was , and so the king threw them in the furnace fire and these people did not burn at all , and so I saw myself like that , god standing somewhere with me , refining me , making sure that I don't burn me . So our scripture 1 , peter .

Speaker 2 4:13

As I did my study and I did my research and I was like what is Peter talking about ? What is this whole idea of the whole Bible of Peter ? Peter was talking to people that was exiled out , people that wasn't represented by the community . So he was speaking life into people because Peter walked with God . So basically , he wrote a letter out and he was telling the people like , look , this is what Jesus did . You know , this is what Christ did , and we're all saved by Christ . So first Peter , one , six through seven .

Speaker 2 4:46

In a new living translation it says so be truly glad . There is wonderful joy ahead , even though you must endure many trials for a little while . These trials will show that your faith is genuine . It is being tested as fire test and purifies gold , though your faith is far more precious than mere gold . Um , my kids I want to say my daughter especially she's allergic to fake jewelry . So even buying her any kind of jewelry whatsoever and putting them in her ears even with myself sometimes like I'm allergic to fake gold , fake jewelry , so we do have to buy real gold , which ? This ?

Speaker 2 5:32

Why this story makes sense to me , is because , if my faith is way more precious than mere gold and gold is one of those things that constantly you know it doesn't lose its value you can actually keep your value . With gold . It sometimes goes up . It makes sense to me about firing gold . You cannot make gold without it being broke down , melted down , right , so it has to be refined . So refinement is the real proof . Peter's not telling us life is going to be easy . He's telling us it's going to be real , and that's exactly what this is . It's a real story

First Peter's Message of Refinement

Speaker 2 6:14

because , just like gold doesn't become gold until it's been through heat , your faith doesn't shine until it's been through pressure . I've been pressure .

Speaker 2 6:23

I had to learn that when everything around me felt unstable emotionally , spiritually , financially . I wasn't being punished , I was being purified . I was one of those persons like oh my God , why is this happening to me ? But God was trying to break me . And when they say God is trying to break you , he doesn't break you to hurt you . No , no , no , no . God is trying to break you . He doesn't break you to hurt you . No , no , no , no . God breaks you to build you . He breaks you to build you . He breaks you to build you better than what you think you could be . God was trying to break me . He was trying to . He wasn't trying to break me , but he was trying to burn away what didn't belong . So he's getting rid of all of this stuff that don't belong on me anymore . He's making sure that everything that I tried to put on myself , he's refining it for me .

Speaker 2 7:13

So at this moment , I like for us to breathe , something that I haven't been able to do for a while . I've been studying the idealization of breathing , what it means to put that breath back into your body , that oxygen back into your lungs , giving yourself that fresh breath . So , as a community , let's breathe here Just for a second and ask yourself what has God been burning away in your life lately . I know for me it's been a lot . It has been comfort , it has been control . So , whatever it is for you , trust that he's making the space for something more solid .

Speaker 2 8:04

I constantly try to be in control . I constantly try to be in control . I constantly try to stay in my comfort zone . But there's no way that I'll be sitting here in this chair and shout out to Taylor , shout out to Chris , shout out to Santiago , the people that's behind this podcast helping me . Even though I pay for service , there's still people behind the service that still have to go in and do a job . Those people are being refined in their work , in their process , when they have to deal with people dealing with me , dealing with other clients , dealing with other things , like we're all here trying to be refined by God , whether we see it that way or not . So you know , whatever that space is that you need God to burn away with is just trust that he's making that space for something more solid .

Speaker 2 8:54

Faithful Fin Talk for me is a solid space . Levette Legacy for me is a solid space because I allow God to be CEO . I'm sitting here because God is CEO , making refinement of something that I thought was no good . He literally burned away things that , no , no longer have purpose for me , no longer can go with me . God has allowed me to shed those things away . So go ahead and say it out loud with me I trust the fire .

Speaker 2 9:29

Okay , my faith in the fire has been something . That's what's brought me here , brought me out , because there was a time I thought I was strong , because I was surviving . But survival doesn't mean peace we talked about this last episode and hustle doesn't mean healing , because just because you're out there , hustling doesn't mean you're really healing . So I was out here making money , keeping up with my appearance , but on the inside , whoo child , that fire was hot , and I'm not talking like a good hot , I'm talking a hot that I couldn't sustain . I'm like Lord , take me out the kitchen , I can't handle the heat . I'm like Lord , take me out the kitchen , I can't handle the heat . And so I remember thinking , I remember telling God if you love me , why is this so hard for me ? Why is this so hard to accept , to understand ? And I can hear God tell me well , it's because I love you that I would not let you stay unrefined , and that's what broke me and , at the same time . That's what freed me .

Speaker 2 10:40

So I did my research in First Peter . I read the NIV version , the NLT version , the Message version , amplify version , and as I was going through it there was some things that kind of like . You know , I was looking at sideways . I'm like , okay , first Peter two , we're not in first Peter two , but I was just like kind of side-eyed in that because there are some things about slaves

Breaking to Build: God's Purification

Speaker 2 11:00

and stuff . But since we're only in first Peter one , I wanted to focus on what was God trying to talk to me about first Peter one ? Because first Peter 1 is the whole book of Peter is just a letter . It's a letter that he wrote to his people , to the exiled . If you ever felt exiled out , if you ever felt unwanted , ever felt like you didn't belong , ever felt like you were kind of like a disruptor , you came to do something different . I think first Peter is talking to you guys , because it was definitely talking to me .

Speaker 2 11:31

So a scripture to highlight in first Peter is three through five verse , three to five . All praise to God , the father of our Lord Jesus Christ . It is by his great mercy that we have been born again , because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead . Now we live with the expectations and we have a priceless inheritance . Let's talk priceless inheritance for a minute , because this Faithful Finn talk .

Speaker 2 11:59

Obviously Faithful Finn Finn stands for finances . Allowing my faith and finance to go hand in hand is me understanding that I have a priceless inheritance in the kingdom , not here on earth , but in the kingdom . So all the money , all the riches that I inherit here on earth , I do not store here because I have an inheritance in the kingdom . That means the legacy that I'm building for my children has to come from an inheritance that's already priceless . Right , I had to get with God to have that priceless inheritance . So my son Isaac , my daughter Peyton , they're going to inherit a legacy that come from a kingdom because they have a priceless inheritance . That's big y'all , that's huge .

Speaker 2 12:49

I can't sustain nothing on earth like it's already sustained in heaven . When they say um , allow heaven to be here on earth . Heaven has the gifts for us and it's for us . But we don't know how to receive those things because some of us don't get with God . I constantly get with God all day , every day .

Speaker 2 13:11

And no , I am not perfect . No , I am not a preacher . No , I'm not a prophesier ? That's just not me , that's not my title , that's not what this is . And so , if you think that I'm trying to prophesy to you , if you think that I'm trying to preach to you , I'm not . I'm simply just allowing God to use me , to use my platform , to build a platform so that I can talk to people that's just like me Christ believers , god believers , people that look for a relationship in Christ or in God , but don't know how to do it , don't know which way to go . This platform is for you , this platform is for me , and that's something that God has allowed me to build . So you're not just going through whatever it is that you're going through for no reason .

Speaker 2 13:55

There is an inheritance on the other side of your integrity . There is promise beyond the pressure . Okay , so , when it feels too hard , just know like we have a priceless inheritance in the kingdom . To anybody that's listening right now and wondering if it's all worth it , yes , yes , it is . It's more than just worth it , because the pain isn't permanent . The purpose

The Priceless Kingdom Inheritance

Speaker 2 14:24

is You're not crazy for crying , you're not weak for needing rest , and you're not broken . You're becoming . I know this . I felt tired , I felt weak , I felt undeserving and constantly . God is like you're my child , you belong to me . There's an inheritance for you in a kingdom I provide for you better than any job can any world can , anybody can . All you have to do is get with me . There's an inheritance for you in the kingdom I provide for you better than any job can any world can , anybody can . All you have to do is get with me .

Speaker 2 14:55

So trying to avoid , trying to avoid trials as a believer , is like trying to make gumbo without heat . And everybody know I makes a good gumbo , ain't that right pie ? So I make a great gumbo and just like trying to avoid trials is like a believer trying to make gumbo without heat . It ain't gonna happen . You can't have gumbo without the roux and you can't have roux without the heat . You got to have the right mixtures of things and , as I show and I teach my kids because I was I'm teaching my son how to make gumbo . Well , he think he got it all packed , and my daughter is learning um too . But it's a process . It takes hours , it takes steps . So you might throw in all the right stuff , but without that simmer , without that roux , without the right ingredients , but without that simmer , without that roux . Without the right ingredients it would never set right . If you like gumbo , like I like gumbo , then you know everybody can't make a good gumbo . So faith got to cook a little baby . But when it's done it'll be so worth it .

Speaker 2 16:03

My faith is constantly cooking every day , like let her cook for real . So I'm constantly trying to get with God and I'm like All right , god , you know what you got planned for me today , because I know if I make my plans , you just gonna come on up in here . So I stopped trying to make my plans , meet God's plans and I just start giving all of my plans to God like okay , god , check this plan out . Do you think this fit ? If it fits , show me the sign , give me the signs that I can see that it works for me . Invite the people into my life that should be here . Remove the people out of my life that shouldn't be here . And when I say God , come through like the feds for me all the time , baby , he'll come , sweep some stuff up real fast .

Speaker 2 16:56

A bonus verse that I want to talk to you guys about , that cross-reference with 1 Peter , is James 1 . I like the book of James . James has a lot of teaching in depth into it . So I definitely like the book of James , but if you want to cross-reference from 1 Peter 1 , go ahead and look at James , chapter 1 , verse 2 to 4 . It says Consider it pure joy , my brothers and sister , that whenever you face trials of many kind , because you know that the testing of your faith produce perseverance . So James says joy , peter says gladness . Both are pointing us to the one truth Pressure is proof of God's process . That's it , the faith that stays . What you pass down isn't just money , it's mindset , it's not just wealth , but it's wisdom . What I want my kids to know and what I want this entire community to know is that tested faith is lasting faith . My faith is constantly being tested as a parent , as a friend , as a person , as a legacy builder , as a creator , a content creator , everything . My faith is constantly being tested in my finances , how I handle things , how I handle my mom , how

Faith Like Gumbo: Let It Cook

Speaker 2 18:15

I handle my family , how I handle my situations . It's constantly being tested right . So that's what we're building here with LeVette Legacy and Faithful Fin Talk .

Speaker 2 18:28

Not a fantasy life , but a faithful one , a true faithful one , and I want to hear from you a true faithful one , and I want to hear from you . I want to hear what a fire God has brought you through that changed you forever . Tag us , dm us . Faithful Fin Talks social media platforms Facebook , instagram , all of that stuff Talk to me about what God has brought you through . What fire has he brought you out of , what fire has he burned away so that you can shine bright ? I want to highlight some of you guys moments . I want to highlight your stories . I want you a part of this community , because this community of Faithful Fin Talk is not just for me , it's for my children , it's for you , it's for your children , it's for the next generation , it's for my children , it's for you , it's for your children , it's for the next generation , it's for that generation after that generation , all the way until I'm long gone .

Speaker 2 19:22

I'm going to make a way that this podcast , these shows , this episode , this TV , this channel lasts forever , because God's words last forever . It's super important to me . You guys like super important to me , so I want to highlight some of your stories in our next episode , that'd be episode 54 . I want to hear from you guys . This community isn't just about my testimony , but it's about our testimony . I want you guys to stay connected . Stay connected to me . That's like the most important thing to do .

Speaker 2 19:53

So if today's word hits your spirit , don't let it just stay there . Share it , save it , let it sit with you until you understand that our relationship with God is not just what people tell you . It's not people putting their God on you . It's you actually taking that initiation and you waking up and you going to sleep with God . Nobody needs to know what that look like . Nobody needs to know what your relationship looks like with God , because it's going to show in the fruit that you produce . It's going to show in how you treat people , how you act , how you deal with things . It's going to show right , I know it does with me . There's no way that I'm sitting here on my free will . God is like okay , you want to work for me ? All right , let's put some things into tact . So I want you guys to subscribe to faithfulfintalkcom and join the movement .

Speaker 2 20:49

Let's keep growing through the fire together Because , if you don't know , my name is fire . That's something that I kept for a long time and it's just my dance name . But 20 years of having a name named fire I'll talk more about that on the next episode , or probably on episode 55 . Only because I know for a fact stripping saved my life . Something controversy , but they call me fire and this episode is about fire . So let's keep growing together through the fire .

Speaker 2 21:23

I want to say a prayer God , thank you for the refining fire , for every tear that became a testimony , not just for me , but for all of your children who have cried , who have shed tears , who didn't know what to say , who didn't know what to think . I want you to let those tears be a voice to you , a whisper to the , to the children . That belongs to you , and for reminding us that what's real doesn't burn . It becomes brighter , lighter .

Call to Share Your Fire Story

Speaker 2 22:00

Thank you for walking with me , thank you for growing with me . Welcome to Faithful Fin Talk . You guys , we are on a journey and this journey is just getting started . This is real stories , real scripture and real growth . Until next time , you guys .

Speaker 1 22:30

I will see you in episode 54 . Bye , wings open wide , trusting my God , ready to take off , ready to take off Someday I know I'm moving in the right way oh , one day . I keep praying , I keep praying .