Does God test your faith, or is He refining your heart?

In this episode of Speak Jesus Discipleship, Vito shares insights from 15 months of walking by faith to unpack a fundamental spiritual principle: God refines and proves your heart, while the adversary tests your faith.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How God Operates: Why God works through faith and puts His faith into His Word as a seed planted in our hearts.

• Heart vs. Faith: How God purifies our hearts to bear lasting fruit, while the tempter comes to bring doubt and test our trust in God's promises.

• Biblical Examples: Lessons from the wilderness in Deuteronomy, Abraham, and Jesus' temptations.

• Standing Firm: How to use the Word of God as your sword and the shield of faith to quench every attack of the enemy.

The Bible teaches that the same faith that was in Jesus came to life in the apostles and also all that received the Word of God as the gospel message spread. We start in 2 Peter 1:1 to unpack this revelation.

Key verses: 2 Peter 1:1, 1 Corinthians 15:47, Galatians 2:20,3:14-16, John 12:24

In this episode Vito shares the difference between human faith vs. God's faith and how to allow the faith of Christ to shape a vision in your heart.

Trees, fruit, and the Kingdom of Heaven-we all carry something. This podcast shares a new understanding of how we may carry Kingdom everywhere we go.

Hebrews 13 says that it is good for our hearts to be established by grace that we may live each moment in life with a focus on the Kingdom of heaven. Slow down and abide in Him. NEW SONG- I Abide (Psalm 61)

How do we practically move from abstractly wanting to love God to walking in direct communication with Him through daily life? In this episode of Speak Jesus Discipleship, Vito breaks down the biblical contrast between abstract, Western ways of thinking and the concrete, image-driven communication God uses with His children.

Starting with the Shema in Deuteronomy 6, discover how God gives us specific pictures and daily actions—talking about His Word while walking, resting, getting up, and entering our homes—so His truth stays before our eyes and in our hearts. Vito also addresses the true Hebrew meaning of Proverbs 16:9 ("a man's heart devises/imagines his way, but the Lord directs his steps"), revealing how what we meditate on and imagine in our hearts forms the seed for where God directs our steps.

Key Scriptures & References:

• Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (The Shema) – Loving the Lord with all your heart and keeping His words in constant focus through daily life.

• Proverbs 16:9 – "A man's heart devises his way: but the Lord directeth his steps."

• Psalm 119:105 & Psalm 119:140 – The pure, refined, and guiding nature of God's Word.

• Matthew 13 (Parable of the Sower) – The Word as seed planted in the soil of the heart.

Connect & Listen: speakjesus.life

Why discipleship? Our vision for discipleship came from the heart of God. Listen to how a vision became established in the heart.

The Bible is God's Word written to our hearts. How can we learn to be God's children that follow after His own heart??