God’s Plan Isn’t Random: Finding Purpose in Pain & Uncertainty Ep. 39

This week on Unfiltered Faith: Beyond the Church Walls, Evelyn and Krystal sit down for a real, honest conversation about what they’ve been learning in their Tuesday night Bible study.

We’re currently going through The King Is Coming by John Bevere, and this episode is simply our personal reflection—what stood out, what challenged us, and how it’s impacting our walk with God.

This is not a teaching or retelling of the book, but a conversation about:
• God’s plan being intentional—not random
• Why suffering isn’t wasted
• What it means to live with eternity in mind
• How faith shifts when life doesn’t make sense

If you’ve ever questioned God’s timing or wondered what He’s really doing in your life… this one is for you.

We strongly encourage you to grab the book and study it for yourself.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER (include in description or show notes)

This podcast episode is a personal discussion based on our Bible study experience.
 We are not affiliated with or representing John Bevere or Messenger International.

We do not reproduce or teach the content of the book.
 All credit for the study material belongs to John Bevere.

We are not pastors, theologians, or Bible scholars—just two women who love Jesus, love His Word, and share what we’re learning along the way.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello everybody. Welcome back to Unfiltered Faith Beyond the Church Walls. I am Evelyn. And I'm Crystal. And today we're going to do another Bible study recap from what we have been going through as a group. I just want to say it right up front: this one was a lot, and uh, but in a good way.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

Yeah, this one was not one of those easy just skim a few pages and move on. Uh, this study makes you really stop and you just really have to sit with it.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Yeah, that's true. And before we get started, we want to say this clearly so that nobody misunderstands. We are not pastors, we're not theologians, as we've said before, we're not biblical scholars.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

Nope. We are just two women who love the Lord, love his word, and love sharing what we're learning in our group study.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

That's right. And this particular study that we're going through now is over like the next, I think we're gonna do it like in a total of five or six weeks. We're not exactly sure, but we're in um like segment or lesson two of it. The King is Coming by John Bevere. Uh, we absolutely want to give credit here because it is an amazing book. And right now, so far, we're going through an amazing um Bible study together from his materials. We're not here to reteach his materials, you know, word for word, we're literally just sharing kind of what stood out to us and what challenged us and stirred us up as a group while we were studying.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Yeah, and if this episode blesses you, um please go support the author. Get the book for yourself, study it for yourself. Don't just take our recap and leave it there.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

That's right. Um, go get the word for yourself directly directly from uh the author. So, Chris, we're gonna open up in prayer. Father God, thank you for this time. Thank you for your word. Thank you that you are faithful, steady, and true. Thank you that nothing has ever taken you by surprise, and nothing will. We ask that you help us speak clearly, help whoever is listening hear what you want them to hear, and let this conversation point people directly back to Jesus. In Jesus' mighty precious name we pray. Amen. Amen. Okay. So let's just start with the thing that hit me the hardest and from the beginning of this session is like God is not scrambling. You know, we know he's not up there like, you know, what do I do next? You know? Right.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

And that's and that's really a simple way to say it, because he really isn't this nothing is surprising to him. He's not like, oh my gosh, what do I do next?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

That's right. No. And I think if we're being honest, sometimes people don't say this out loud, but they live like God is like reacting. Right. You know, like life happens, things fall apart, people make messes, and now God has to step in and patch it up and make it all better. That's not how it is. No, he is he's basically adjusting as he goes. Exactly. Like, okay, well, now humanity sins, so now let's go figure out redemption. But this study really brought out that God plans never are reactionary. No, they're always intentional. Um, like Jesus was never a plan B. The cross was never God trying to recover from something he didn't see coming. It was always the plan.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Because when you think that way, it changes how you see, I mean, not just the Bible, but your own life too.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Yeah, it's true. Because if God knew the end from the beginning, then he was never in heaven panicking, right? Which we know, right? He does know the beginning from the end. He is the Alpha of the Omega. Um, he's never caught off guard, like you said, certainly not by our sin. He knew we were gonna sin, certainly not by Jesus, you know, being hung on the cross. Um, he's not at all surprised. Like this was always his plan for Jesus to return and give redemption to us. Um, and honestly, not by my life either. Like he wasn't surprised of all the things that's happened throughout my life, good, bad, and indifferent.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Right. And that's where people I think need to let that sink in. Because a lot of us know how to say, well, God has a plan, but when life gets messy, we start acting like, well, maybe he misplaced the file. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Yeah, like somehow our life got outside of his reach or his wisdom. And we know that's certainly not true. Um, this study was such a reminder that God's story is intentional, like the entire thing from beginning to end. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

I mean, so let's be honest, that all sounds great, right? Until you're in a season that makes absolutely no sense.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Exactly. It's easy to say God has a plan when prayers are being answered the way you'd hoped, when things are moving right along like you'd hoped, when doors are opening beautifully and you see the fruit, you know, of your prayers.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

That's so true. But when life feels delayed, quiet, painful, or let's be honest, just flat out confusing. I mean, that's where people I know, myself included, just really start struggling.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Yes, because when you're asking, okay, Lord, if you have a plan, what exactly is going on here? And that's where the study questions were actually really good because they were honest. They got right into that tension of what makes it hard to trust God when you can't see how his plan is unfolding.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

Yeah, and I would say that's where maybe a lot of people are, right? So they're not struggling to believe that God is real. I believe they're struggling to trust him in the parts they just cannot understand.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Exactly. And not seeing the plan can really mess with people, you know, not having like the details like the next step, especially someone, you know, who has like a controlling nature. Yeah. Um, we like movement. We want to see some kind of evidence, and what we're hoping for is that we actually see everything happen and plan out exactly how we want them to plan out, if we're trying if we're honest, right, you know. Yeah, but you know, God does not always give that. No, he doesn't. Like sometimes, like he gives a promise and leaves you to walk it out in faith. Like we have to, we've talked about before, you have to take that first step of faith. And that's the hard part. It really is, because faith sounds great until it costs you certainty.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Yeah. I mean, that's true, and faith sounds beautiful in a sermon, right? But we know in real life it can really feel uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Very uncomfortable, actually. Because it means like I do not get to be God's manager. I you know, um, I don't get to demand a full explanation before I decide to obey. Nope. Um, I do not get to say, Lord, I'll trust you after you show me the whole layout, you know?

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Yeah, and I think that's where the study was extremely helpful because it kept pulling the focus back to who God is, not just what I can see.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Yes, because sometimes the biggest comfort is not that I don't know the details, it's that I know the one who does, who's in charge, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Okay, so another thing that I liked about this study um is that this didn't treat prophecy like some niche topic or for people who love charts and debates.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

And thank God for that, because some people have really made prophecy super weird.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

They sure have, and that's the part of why like regular believers often back away from it. And they hear prophecy and think confusion, hype, argument, fear, you know, a lot of it's fear-based. Um, and just like you said, plain strange, uh strange behaviors, and that's not from the Lord. He doesn't want that.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

But this study really brought it back to what matters. So prophecy isn't just about future events, it is about understanding the heart and purpose of God.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Yeah. You know, it shows that, you know, like we said, history is not random. It shows God says what he means and does what he says. Right. You know, and it helps us to stop living like this world here, this earth, is the whole story because it is far from it. Right. And I think without that kind of vision, people drift. Exactly. That's one of the strongest points. Without vision, people lose restraint, you know, they start living for what they can see, um, and and they settle into this world worldliness that and get attached to it, you know. Um, and this world is a temporary space, this is not our home. And you know, they just turn and start getting spiritually sleepy.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

And then when you're spiritually sleepy, the return of Jesus starts feeling distant and basically irrelevant.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Right. It becomes a church phrase instead of like real truth. But when you understand the bigger story, you realize that the return of Jesus is not a random future trivia questionnaire, you know, it is where all this is going. And we watched even a second video last night, just short I did a little short clip because I there was a few things I wanted everybody to see that I had watched um about end times and prophecy and all these things. And Rick Renner was being interviewed by John Bever. Yeah, and it was very enlightening. And I think that, you know, they just talked really plain and simple. And I again I recommend people watching um John Bevere interview Rick Renner over um Rick Renner's book called The Rapture, the Antichrist and the Tribulation. Again, a great, another great book.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

So um what do you say?

SPEAKER_02 9:41

So I also really liked the born for more, I guess, part of a study. Because that speaks right into identity.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yes, and that part is needed because a lot of people, even in church, still live like they are forgotten extras in like God's story, you know. Uh they love him, but they carry this deep feeling of being overlooked or you know, being left behind, or just trying to fit in and survive until heaven, like we're just gonna like mosey along, you know. And that's not what scripture says. No, scripture actually says we're heirs of God, you know, co-heirs with Christ. Um, and that's not a small thing, you know. That means if if I belong to him, then I need to stop thinking of myself like I'm barely tolerated, you know, like I'm an afterthought because that is not true. No. Um, you know, I'm not an accident, I was wonderfully made, you know. And just like you and everybody else, we all are born with a purpose given by God, and I'm not just waiting around for something meaningful to start, you know?

SPEAKER_02 10:54

And I think that really matters a lot because daily life can make people feel small. We have work, we have our routines, there's just family stress, maybe disappointments. Um some of us are maybe dealing with unanswered prayers. So all of that can make us feel like our life is just ordinary, and that maybe we're just stuck.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Yeah. But this study was reminding us that God's goal was never just to save people from destruction and stop there. And that's not that was not what his plan was. He wants a family, he wants closeness, he wants sons and daughters, people who reflect him, and people who walk with him, people who will reign with him.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Yeah, and and I think understanding that will change how you carry yourself, or at least it should.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yes, it should carry yourself. It should, you're right. If I really believe that I'm an heir with Christ, then my choices matter. You know, my obedience matters, my hidden life matters, um responses to pressure matters, and even my attitude at work, even at home, matters, right? Because I'm not just floating along through life. I I I belong to Christ, I belong to God, and that should make a difference in how I you know behave every day, you know, and that's for all of us. Now, this next part is where the study really got heavy, and in the right way, going into the love of Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

Yeah, it's not and it's not like a soft, sentimental way, but a real way, like a real love, like the real love of Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Exactly. When we say Jesus loves me so easily, that sometimes it loses its weight. But when you stop and really think about what he endured, that statement really starts to hit differently. And we talked about the like none of us can imagine what he went through. And we even talked about like the in-dail, you know, uh well, John did in the video like exactly where his uh the stakes went through his actual wrist, not his hand, they say. Um it's just horrific. I can't imagine it.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Yeah, and I mean, honestly, Jesus didn't just say he loved us, I mean, he proved it by going to the cross for us.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Yeah, yeah. And not in a safe, comfortable, pain-free way either. Like his love cost him something, yeah, like a lot. And what really stood out to me is that Jesus knew what was ahead. Yeah you know, he uh didn't stumble into this suffering unaware, he knew what what the you know God sent him here for. Um he knew the rejection that he was going to endure, he knew the mocking, the betrayal, the pain, and the cross, like he knew it all.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

Yep. And it didn't stop him. He still kept going, he went willingly for us.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Yeah, and that's the part that actually really gets me. Like he stayed the course that is true love. Um, love that doesn't like walk away because it got painful. Um, because I don't think painful is a good description. It's it was more excruciating than we can anybody could possibly imagine, I believe. Um it doesn't it's love that doesn't collapse under pressure. Um, even though on the cross he asked God if he could take it away, if he could take this cup away, go ahead. But he he submitted to his will. So that wasn't collapsing under pressure, that was just saying, if you can, but I'll submit, right? And love does not hold back because it costs something, you know, it became that cost became real.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Yeah, and I mean I think the study exposes how weak our idea of love can be sometimes, because you know, people talk about love until it costs them something.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Yeah, exactly. We we like love when it feels good, when we're appreciated, when it's easy, but you know, Jesus loved when it was costly, humiliating, painful, and lonely. And that's not a shallow love. I mean, right now I think all social social media has made love very shallow because likes and loves and all this stuff. We talk about even the word awesome that is used in the we use that too much. Maybe that really should be reserved for the Lord, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:22

And it is humbling to remember that he went to the cross while we were still sinners. He knew he who he was dying for. So he didn't go to the cross after we got cleaned up, which is impossible, right? Right, and not after we proved ourselves worthy of being saved and have a chance at redemption.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Exactly. I mean, that destroys pride because nobody can say they earned it. Not at all. I mean, I I know I certainly can't say that.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

So now this is the point in the study where it started pushing into something people and myself included don't always want to hear, maybe didn't know, and that is that suffering actually has a purpose.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Yeah. And I'm gonna say this carefully because I don't want anybody to get it twisted. We are not saying pain is automatically good, because it certainly is not, and we are not saying every bad thing is directly from God, and we are not glorifying suffering like it's something to chase.

SPEAKER_02 16:28

Right, exactly. Um, but the scripture is clear that God uses suffering and obedience under pressure matters.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Exactly, and then all through this section, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered, and again, not because he was sinful, because he was not at all, and he wasn't rebellious, but because obedience was walked out in a costly place, and that mattered. Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

And a lot of people, you know, they want to follow Jesus as long as it doesn't hurt, as long as it doesn't cost them anything, and as long as it doesn't make their life harder. I mean, look at the in scripture, the the prince. He wanted to follow Jesus. He says, What does he need to do? And he he basically told him to give up all his money. And so the prince got depressed and turned away from Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Yep, yeah, and we know that is not how it works, you know. Sometimes obedience is very costly, you know, it may cost us comfort, it may cost us reputation. We've talked about this many times over. Um, definitely could cost us some ease. Um, and sometimes even our own will, you know, could cost that. So and people often assume if it's hard, then they must be doing something wrong. Right. But sometimes the hard thing is what the right thing is, you know. That's what believers need to really understand. That's a smooth life is not always like the clearest sign God's faith of God's favor because it is not. Um, you know, and I've heard that so many times. Oh, you know, they must have God's favor on their life because they it's all everything's going good. Uh-uh. No. Sometimes faithfulness brings friction. Sometimes things are going bad in your life and you still have God's favor because He's saving you from something, you know. Look at Job. Yeah, yeah. Um, because we do live in a fallen world that resists the ways of God. You know, truth. So one of the strongest ideas in this study was also that was shared was you know, suffering actually deepens the bond, deepens our our bond, you know, with Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

Yeah, and when you think about, you know, real life, I mean, that does kind of make sense, you know. Some of the deepest bonds people have, you know, it comes through walking through something hard together.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Well, that's true. I mean, we've experienced 2020 was a pretty rough year for us, you know. Our families suffered a lot of grief that year. We also know that there are families who have suffered grief, soldiers who have been in battle, friends who have walked through crisis together. There is a depth there that easy seasons alone often do not produce that.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Yeah, and you know, and then this the study tied that to Jesus and his bride, which is us.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

Yeah, well, and that part was very powerful too, right? Jesus suffered first for us, not only to redeem us, but to draw us into a deep relationship with him. And then as we walk with him faithfully in a broken world that we live in here, there is fellowship formed there.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

And you know, that does make Paul's words hit differently about wanting to know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Yeah, yeah, because Paul wasn't being dramatic. He understood that deep intimacy with Christ is not built only in easy moments, but it's it's paved in difficult moments. And a lot of people have met the Lord in their pain and suffering in ways they never would have through comfort.

SPEAKER_02 19:47

That is real.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

You know, some of the deepest prayers come from our broken places. Yeah, and some of the closest moments with God happen when everything else gets stripped away. You know, I know I've been there, I have been there more than once. Um, that doesn't mean like we enjoy the pain at all or what the suffering that we are, you know, we're enduring. It just means that it means God knows how to meet us there and use it to deepen us rather than totally destroy us.

SPEAKER_02 20:15

Yeah, and this actually reminds me of our a little bit of our reading that we did for our Bible recap. It kind of brought Hannah's story to my mind. Here this woman is, she's barren. Her husband's other wife just bullies her and makes her feel like crap that she can't provide a child. Right. So she goes, their family's going to the tabernacle for their yearly when they give their offerings, and she is crying out to the Lord. She's praying in a way like her mouth is moving, but nothing's coming out. And the priest actually called her a drunk woman. He thought she was drunk. She's so passionate in her her cries to God, and she's like, Oh, don't think of me as a like a burdened woman. She's like, I am just basically craw crying out to the Lord in the depths of my pain. I was like, dang, that kind of kind of brought that story to the forefront of my mind. I actually was there thinking, like, man, what was our Bible recap reading today? And this brought that right back to me. Yeah, yeah. So the reading today that we did for the Bible recap, it actually helped me understand the distinction about what the Bible talks about, like with suffering, because she was suffering, Jesus suffered, right?

SPEAKER_00 21:31

I can't even imagine Jesus' suffering. Yeah, and because that matters, not every painful thing is the same. Yeah. But biblical suffering in this context is is choosing obedience to God in a world that does not want his ways. And like you said, when Hannah was crying out to the Lord, that was her way of you know, uh of biblical suffering for her, something she was going th, you know, keeping that in context, something she was going through. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

When I think about biblical suffering, you know, I I also look at like is it temptation, persecution, you know, trials, resistance, um, choosing holiness when our flesh wants something else, and then, you know, standing for the truth when it's unpopular.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Yeah. It can be like the friction of obeying God when everything around you and even in you sometimes is pulling you the other direction. Right. You know.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

And that means that some of what believers are going through is not proof that God left them. That's right. It may be proof they are actually in a real fight of faith.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Yeah, that's good. Because if you are serious about obeying God, there will always be resistance. He's he's warned us of that, right? If you're serious about walking in truth, you will always see resistance. Um, if you're serious about staying clean in a dirty world or an evil world that we live in, you're gonna get resistance, you know, because we live in this fallen world, and that's just the way it is.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

And you know, if we're if we're honest, resistance can do one of two things it can make you bitter towards God, or it can drive you closer to Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah, exactly right. And that is always a choice, you know. Yeah. Um, now let's talk about the phrase forged to rain. I really liked that.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

Yeah, me too, because you know, forged, I mean, it's not comfortable. It's not a comfortable word by any means because it means heat, pressure, shaping, refining.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Exactly. Nothing gets forged in a lazy, easy place, you know. And spiritually, that tells us something like God is not just trying to get us through life, He is forming something in us.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

Yes, and and that part about the fire not being punishment, but refinement, I mean, we we hear it, and that's so it's just so strong.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Yeah, it really was because like so many people see hard seasons and assume God must be angry with me or God's distant. Where is he? When sometimes he's doing a deep work they could not have gotten any other way, but through the fire, right?

SPEAKER_02 24:14

Yeah, and I mean, I know people don't always want to hear that, but it's it's the truth. Yeah, you know, a lot of spiritual maturity is forged. It's it's not just downloaded from heaven. You've got to be refined. Say that again. Oh, I mean, it's a lot of spiritual maturity is forged. It's not downloaded from heaven.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

That's that that's exactly it. I mean, people want instant depth. Again, we've talked about this so many times. Like, we live in a society that everything here, now, right now, like instant, you know? And but the depth usually comes through walking with God through real life, through real pain, through real testing, you know, through our faithfulness when it would actually just be easier to quit.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Yeah. And then this is the part that brought it all together for me. Is the second coming of Jesus is not just an event, it is a reunion.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Yes, and that really did change the whole tone of the conversation last night. We really sat and talked about that. It's like because now we are not just talking about prophecy like future headlines.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

We are talking about Christ and his body.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

Absolutely, and that makes it personal. I mean, it makes it relational.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Exactly. It means like readiness is not just about information, it's about devotion. Yeah, it's about love and about closeness, it's about preparing your heart for the one Jesus you belong to.

SPEAKER_02 25:54

And one of the strongest questions from the study: how does seeing the second coming as the reunion of Christ and his bride change how you think about your relationship with Jesus right now?

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Yeah, you know, that's really a deep question because if I really believe he's coming and not just coming in in the general sense, but like coming for his bride, then I cannot and should not be living casually. Like a bride preparing for her wedding is intentional. She's paying attention to every detail and waiting like expectantly, right?

SPEAKER_02 26:30

Yeah. And you know, I've I know you and I both have planned a wedding, you know. So we cared about the preparing.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

Yeah, the total the all the preparation, you know, and spiritually, that means that we're not like drifting, we're not getting too attached to this world because again, this is not our destiny, this is not our home. You know, we belong with Jesus. Um, this is not treating holiness like it doesn't matter because it does, and not acting like Jesus is some side topic in my life, he needs to be the center.

SPEAKER_02 27:03

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

You know, so where does that leave us? Like, what do we actually do with all this information, you know, that we learned last night?

SPEAKER_02 27:13

Well, I think for me, it you know means I need to trust God more deeply when life just feels unpredictable.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Yeah, because unpredictability really does expose us, you know, when life is steady and everybody seems to say they trust God, but when things shift, when prayers linger unanswered, which I'm sure most, if not all people have a unan unanswered prayer. I know I do. Um and I've been living with unanswered prayers, you know, for a while, but I trust in God, you know, when pain hits or when plans fail that we had were trusting the Lord for, um, then you find out where your trust actually is, you know.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

So that also means that I need to stop viewing every hard thing as proof that something is wrong.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:03

You know, sometimes the hard thing is where God is just deepening me.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

That's true. And for me, it also means I need to live less like a spectator and more like somebody who actually believes God's story is true. Meaning basically, my obedience matters, like I should be stepping out first, you know, my endurance matters. Um, and the way I handle pressure, they matter.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

And it means not getting so wrapped up in temporary things that eternity just fades into the background.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Yeah, because honestly, it's easy to get consumed by everyday life. You know, work, stress, money, schedules, you know, responsibility, people and just disappointment in general, you know. And before too long, you're like, we're living like the world right in front of us is like the whole story, you know, like we're just living for today, here, now, and not really paying attention to eternity, which this book that John Bevere that we're studying, that's what it's about, like living for eternity, right? Yep. All right, so let me ask you this. Um, what stood out to you most personally?

SPEAKER_02 29:14

Um, honestly, uh the reminder that Jesus didn't just love us enough to save us, but he loved us enough to stay the course all the way through the suffering. And I think that makes me think differently about the depth of his love.

SPEAKER_00 29:34

Well, that's good, yeah. And for me, I would say it rem it's a reminder that God has never been reactionary, like he doesn't just react. Um, that really settled something in me because when life does feel chaotic, and it it does at times, I just need to remember that chaos on my side doesn't mean chaos in his side, right? He's always there, he'll always see me through it. I just gotta trust and obey.

SPEAKER_02 30:01

Yep, that's true. So, what do you think people misunderstand most about suffering?

SPEAKER_00 30:10

I think people often think suffering means God's favor is gone. Kind of touched on that a little earlier, but sometimes suffering is again just simply the cost of obedience in a broken world. Yeah, that's true, you know, and sometimes it's where God does, like we said, some of his deepest work in us.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

Yeah, that's good. So I would say that people think intimacy with God is built mostly in like you know, good seasons, but a lot of us know him most deeply because of what we walked through with him.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Yeah, yeah. And hard seasons have a way of like showing you whether your faith is real or whether your roots are actually deep enough, you know, deep, you know.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

Yeah, that's good. And uh last one is what does living ready look like?

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Well, we've talked about this, I think, a lot over the last few weeks in all of our different studies because we're really focused on like eternity, like with the Lord. And so I just again staying close to the Lord, always staying in his word, um, remaining humble, yeah, um, staying honest, and just not living numb, you know, just not do more than just going through the motions, you know, really get deep in the word and not getting attached to this world, you know, because we need to be living every day like we know eternity is real because it is.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

That's uh that's truth right there.

SPEAKER_00 31:39

So if we had to sum up all of this, um, I'd like to say God has a plan. Yes. We've talked about this for Jesus was never plan B, it was always the plan, the cross was always the plan. Um, we are definitely not an afterthought. We were born for more than what this world can ever offer us. You know, we were born with a purpose. Um, Jesus' love is steady and costly. Yes. Hardship isn't always a punishment. So if you're always looking at hardships as, oh my gosh, I'm being punished, that is not biblical. Um, sometimes it's just refinement and it's being showing obedience under pressure that matters. And the return of Jesus is not just an event to study. We need to know he's coming, we need to prepare, and it is the coming reunion of Christ and his bride, which is the church.

SPEAKER_02 32:34

Yep, and knowing all of that, especially about Christ's second return, you know, that should change how we live right now. Not someday, but this very moment.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Yeah, because if you are in a hard season right now, don't assume God has forgotten you because he has not. Um, you know, he knows every hair on our head, right? And don't assume the pain means the plan is falling apart. Just stay close to him, even in the hard times, and let him do what he what only he can do.

SPEAKER_02 33:07

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

You know, and that's bring you through whatever that hard thing is you're going through.

SPEAKER_02 33:11

Yep. And if you've been living distracted, casually, or just spiritually sleepy, um, let this wake you up a little because Jesus is too important to keep on the edge of your life. He needs to be centered. So true. So why don't we close in prayer? Okay. So, Father God, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you that your plans stand, that your promises are true, and your love never, never does it fail. So, Lord, help us trust you when we cannot see what you are doing. Help us obey you when it costs us something. Help us not waste hard seasons by becoming bitter, offended, or distant. Help us to let those seasons draw us closer to you. Yes, make us watchful, faithful, and steady. In Jesus' mighty name we pray.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Amen. Amen. So we want to thank you for joining us for this episode. And I'm Evelyn. And again, I'm Crystal. And we want to encourage you to go support John Bevere. Yes. Get The King is Coming and study it for yourself. It is an amazing book, and it's he's got a good study uh guide that goes with it, which will also give you a live stream along with that. So go get that.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Yep. And don't just, you know, listen to us talk about it because you're only getting what we're getting out of it. You're not getting the depth of the study. And then open your Bible, get your book, let the Lord speak to you personally. Yes. Okay, so we love you guys.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Until then, stay grounded, stay hungry, and stay unfiltered in your walk with Jesus. This is Unfiltered Faith beyond the church walls. We'll see you next Thursday. God bless.