65. Finding God's Plan for 2024 and Hope for 2025

In this episode, we reflect on the profound truth that just as the Bible is a collection of many books and stories, it tells one overarching story of God’s plan to restore and redeem His people. Similarly, our lives are part of a bigger story—a grand narrative that God is weaving, even if we often can’t see it while living day-to-day.

Life’s setbacks, unexpected events, and redirections can throw us off course and make us lose sight of the bigger picture. But what if these moments are not interruptions but part of God’s divine plan for something better? How do we discern when to press forward and when to surrender?

In this episode, I revisit my conversation with Bible scholar Courtney Bailey, who shares insights into the overarching narrative of the Bible and how we can connect it to our own lives.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
• How God’s overarching story in the Bible connects to your personal journey.
• Insights from Bible scholar Courtney Bailey about the grand narrative of Scripture.
• How to navigate life’s unexpected twists and find peace in surrendering to God’s redirection.
• Why Christmas reminds us of God’s promise of restoration and ultimate happy ending.
• A practical year-end challenge to help you reflect on God’s work in your life in 2024.

Key Takeaways:
• The Big Picture: Just as the Bible is one cohesive story of God redeeming and restoring His people, our lives are part of His greater narrative.
• Garden Moments: We all face choices that reflect Adam and Eve’s temptation or Jesus’ surrender in Gethsemane. Trusting God leads to peace and purpose.
• The Hope of Restoration: Revelation 22 reminds us that the story ends with perfect harmony—a restored relationship with God where we reign with Him forever.

Reflection Challenge for 2024:
1. Write down one significant event, challenge, or blessing from each month this year.
2. Look for recurring patterns or themes.
3. Reflect on God’s faithfulness—how have you seen Him at work?

Share your discoveries with us in the Curious for Christ community:
• Facebook group: bit.ly/curiousforchristcommunity
• Email: hello@alexandraalvarezcoaching.com

Special Mention:
Want to explore more of Courtney Bailey’s teaching? Check out his latest series on the story of Abraham on YouTube or his Website.

Join the Journey:
As we close out 2024 and look to 2025, let’s remember that God is still writing our stories, and He’s not finished yet. Trust Him, seek His wisdom, and anchor your life on His unshakeable foundation.

Connect with me:
• Let's connect and learn about Spiritual Growth Coaching


If this episode resonates with you, make sure to listen to these similar episodes:

#5. Understand the Bible and Trust God's plan for your life. Discussion with Bible Scholar Courtney Bailey
#52. Is God Holding Back on Me?


May you find peace in His presence this season and beyond. See you next time on Curious for Christ!

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Transcript

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Welcome to curious for Christ, where we explore faith, seek to understand God's will and plan for our lives and build our lives on the unshakeable hope found in Jesus. As we reflect on the Christmas season and the year 2024. I am reminded that just as God has a grand story woven throughout the Bible. He also has a grand story for each of us. And often we can't see the bigger picture while living day to day. If you're like me, January always feels like a fresh start. We make plants. Said goals and dream big, but life happens. Doesn't it plans get derailed. Maybe it's the unexpected loss or illness, a career change, or even just the day-to-day surprises that throw us off track. By the time December rolls around we're left comparing our original plans to what actually happened is kind of the. Discrepancy between dreams and well-wishes and then reality. And here's the thing. Sometimes we stop pursuing our plans because we get overwhelmed or discouraged, but all the unexpected twists. I know this year has been a year of. Lots of unexpected twists. But then other times those interruptions might actually be God's way of saying. I have something else, something better in mind for you. So, how do we know the difference? How do we discern when to press forward and when to surrender to God's redirection. And most importantly, how can we find peace no matter what. One powerful way that I've found to experience peace is by trusting that God has a plan for me. I'm not wandering aimlessly. I'm going somewhere. And the best part I'm not alone in figuring out the details. So today I want to revisit an interview I had earlier this year with Bible scholar, Courtney Bailey. If you haven't listened to the full conversation yet past this episode and go back to episode five. Do you want one to miss it? Courtney shared such profound insights about connecting the threads of God's biggest story. And navigating our personal seasons with clarity, keeping Christ at the center. Let's listen again to Courtney. Talk about the overarching story of the Bible. Welcome to curious for Christ. Do you ever find yourself lying awake at night? Wondering about God's plan for your life. Maybe you wake up with big dreams, but feel unsure where to start or what your next step should be. If you're curious about exploring your faith and finding purpose, then you've come to the right place. Hi, I'm Monica, Sandra. I too felt lost unsure of the direction my life was taking. I yearned to understand my purpose and have someone guide me. But I kept telling myself I was too busy, the timing wasn't right. And my lack of clarity prevented me from being consistent until I found Christ. He brought peace into my life and we field the way to find purpose by anchoring myself. In him. In this podcast, we'll journey together, exploring the Bible to gain a deeper understanding of him. and cultivate your own personal relationship with Christ. So open up your Bible, put in those ear buds and listen up because God is speaking to you. He is making everything new and you don't want to miss it. Let's get started. Hey there, before we dive in today's episode, I want to take a moment to talk about something really important. When we become Christians, God takes the lead in every decision we make. We step back and let him guide. Because we know he has the ultimate plan. My coaching program, spiritual growth coaching. Isn't just an option. It's essential. Your relationship with God is the foundation of everything, your identity, your purpose, your relationships, your family, your children, your children's children. And so on. And of course in every aspect of your business. Can creation understand a creator's plan. Remember when God asked job. Were you there when the earth was formed? Where are we. It's time to stop relying on our limited understanding and start building our lives on the truth of God's plan. God is mighty. He is. Almighty. And he is the answer to everything we're searching for. So if you are unsure of how to start building a relationship with God, Connect with me for a quick discovery call. Just go to bit dot L Y forward slash curious for Christ discovery to book a free call and start living your life on the unshakeable foundation of God almighty. B I T dot L Y forward slash curious for Christ discovery. we have all of these different stories, these different documents, really, that are pulled together in God's providence to give us what we call the Bible, which really is one overarching story. And sometimes we can get so focused on the individual pieces. That we don't see the big picture, but God is not just trying to give us the individual pieces off the sky. He's trying to give us a whole picture that reveals who He is and who we are and why our world is the way it is and where He wants to take us. So I think the biblical story really begins by telling us what God's desire is, that God wants to bless humankind and to dwell with us. But, as with every story, there is some conflict that is introduced, and that conflict comes fairly early in the story with mankind rebelling against God, and by bringing sin and disorder into the world, thwarting God's desire to bless us and dwell with us intimately. And the rest of the story is about God trying to resolve that conflict, about God relentlessly pursuing a way. of restoring our relationship with him, of redeeming us from our fallenness and restoring the good world that he created. And the story climaxes in Jesus, because in Jesus, we find that God does, in fact, reverse the curse that sin brings into the world, and brings about the beginning of the restoration of the good world that he created. And then we get to the end of the story in Revelation, we see the happy ending. They lived happily ever after in God, dispelling the curse and restoring us to relationship with him. And we see really even restored. So that's a big story. Just like the Bible reveals God's ultimate plan piece by piece. Our lives may seem like fragments now, but God is weaving a larger tapestry. In first Corinthians 13, verse 12, it says for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror. Then meaning when we are in heaven, we shall see face to face. Now I know in part then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. This first reminds us that our understanding is incomplete now, but one day we'll see God's full plan and how every piece fits into his greater purpose. In the meantime, we can ask God for wisdom to guide us through life, trusting that he gives it generously in James one, verse five. It says, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault. And it will be given to you. And as we trust in the Lord with all our hearts, he will guide our steps and give us peace. Even when the full picture isn't clear yet. As we can see. In Proverbs three, verses five and six. In our day-to-day lives, we are faced with decisions that will lead us closer to God or away from him. So let's listen to Courtney, as he talks about what he calls the garden moments in our lives. the story that we have of Adam and Eve is telling us about Adam and Eve, but it's also telling us about ourselves. Because I think when we read it, we all can relate to Eve and Adam. And, and what we find is God gives them everything in the garden all the trees they can eat from. But there's one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where God says, don't eat of that because the moment that you eat of it, you will die. But the serpent comes along and he tempts Eve by putting in her head this idea that God is holding out on her. That the reason why God says, don't take from that tree. It's because God does not want her to become like him, to become like God, and she falls for it. She, looks at the fruit of that tree, and she finds that it's desirable to her, and she sees it is good in her eyes. And that's a significant point, because what that tree really represents is, our autonomy from God, or determining for ourselves what is good, even if God says it is not good. Because God, in the beginning, everything He creates, it says God saw it was good. So Eve, she is now arrogating to herself the place of God, to choose for herself what is good and what is bad. And so she sees what God says is not good as good, and she takes from it. And I think that is the temptation that we all face, a temptation to put ourself in the place of God, to choose for ourself what we think is good and what we think is bad, unrelated to what God says in our relationship with him. And I think that we do that because we want control over our world. And what tempts us to do that is this idea that God is holding out on us. God wants to give everything to us. And the reason that he doesn't want her to take up this tree is because he understands that if she does, it is going to separate her from God. from him. And there are consequences that will flow when, we put ourselves in the center instead of God. And so that I think is the guard moment that we all face. I think we face it every day. Will I fear God and obey him? The proverb said, the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. Or will I do what seems right in my own eyes? The Proverbs say, There's a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death. Those are the two paths. We're going to fear God and have life, or we are going to do what seems right to us. And that will lead to death and chaos in our lives. And I know we all can relate to that He faced a choice in the garden of Eden to trust God or to believe the lie that he was holding out on her. I can totally relate to that. And during the challenges of 2024, we may have faced these garden moments. Where we felt tempted to lean on our own understanding, but trusting God instead can lead to peace, even in uncertainty. But it's a decision that we need to make. To trust. As Proverbs three verse five, again, says trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean, not on your own understanding because my understanding is I feel like God is holding out on me. And like Courtney said, God sees that, that moment, that I doubt can be a moment where I can. Trust my own understanding and separate myself from God. Courtney then shares that the way back to Eden is through get 70. So Eden represents the perfect relationship humanity once had with God, a life free from sin, from shame and separation with God. The way back isn't through, uh, on efforts or perfection it's through the garden of get 70. Another garden where Jesus showed us the path get so many, is this place, this garden where Jesus prayed before he was taken to die. And then get salmony Jesus surrender to God's will, even as he struggled deeply, he eventually. Chose God's plan over his own. And he paved the way for us to be restored to a relationship with God. So the path isn't always easy. It wasn't easy for Jesus. It calls for self denial where you need to die to self basically, and trust in God's love and wisdom over your own. Even when it doesn't make sense to you. Even when it's hard, and that's what Christmas is truly about. It's about reflecting on the incredible gift of Jesus who came to lead us back to God, his birth. Mark's. The beginning of the redemptive journey, a journey of hope. Of grace. And a restored connection with our creator. It's a beautiful reminder that while surrender may be difficult. We're never alone. Jesus walked this path first and he walks it with us now. So if you face challenges this year, You may have experienced some garden moments. Sometimes when surrender felt heavy. But necessary. And I want to meet Luke 22 verse 42, not my will, but yours. Be done. Those were the words of Jesus in get 70, not my will, but yours be done. May these words be yours so you can find peace. Piece. That's what you want. So do you want to know how you story will end if you follow Christ and stay close to God? Listen to this. So we have in Genesis 1 2, God creates this beautiful world, and then as we talked about, we have all this conflict and sin, and Jesus comes to restore it, and then when we get to the end of the Bible, we have again this image of a perfect world. The world that God really had intended for us to enjoy in the beginning, and the parts of it described in Revelation 21, and there are parts in Revelation 22, but interestingly, what we see is the tree of life, which Adam and Eve were expelled and separated from. is restored. We have this river of water of life, which was in the garden of Eden right there. And we have them restored to an intimate relationship with God. They can see his face. When we know that throughout the biblical story, people really could not see God's face because they did, they would die. And now we are seeing God face to face. And there is no need for any light because God himself will be our light. And it talks about the fact that there is no, there's no temple because the Lamb is going to dwell in the city. And there are all these images, but what it is telling us is that what God intended in the beginning He's going to restore. We will be able to dwell with God, and we will be able to not just dwell with him, we are going to be able to reign with him in this world that he has restored. So it is a great hope, and the curse that sin has brought will be reversed, because in Revelation 22, it says that there will be nothing that is a curse. And so all the wrongs of our world that we are so grieved by now, will be righted. And it is an incredible hope that God offers us, but it is a hope that we can enjoy. By putting God in the center of our lives, by not going the way of Eve, but going the way of Jesus and following Him. When He says they will reign with Him forever, that's like how we end our stories. They will live. happily ever after. Doesn't that sound incredible. I absolutely love happy endings. This promise, the hope of restoration and a perfect relationship with God is the ultimate happy ending. And Christmas reminds us that this restoration is already in motion through the birth of Christ. His arrival marked the beginning of this redemptive journey. And one day. We will fully experience the fulfillment of God's promise. And revelation 22. Versus three to five says, and there will no longer be any curse. They will reign forever and ever. As we close this episode in this year, let's hold on to the bigger picture of God's story and the hope of restoration. While the seasons of life may be uncertain, Christ remained steadfast through him. We can navigate our garden moment trusting in his love and sovereignty. I just want to thank Courtney so much for reminding us that the story God is writing for each of us is part of his greater narrative. May we end this year with renewed hope. And as we celebrate Christmas, may we keep our eyes on the one who came to make all things new again? If you'd like to dive deeper into Courtney Bailey's teachings, check out his latest series on the story of Abraham available on YouTube and his website@wwwdotscripturewindow.com. I'd include the links in the show notes for easy access. As we wrap up, I want to leave you with a challenge, something practical to help you reflect on how God has been at work in your life this past year. My hope is that this reflection will bring you clarity and inspire you to go deeper, allowing God to continue his great work in your life in 2025. So take a moment to think about this. What is this use thread for you? What has been the overarching theme of 2024? In your life. So, how did you find out three things? Number one. Write down one significant event challenge or blessing. From each month of the year. So you should have 12. Number two. Look for patterns. What we Kering themes do you see are emerging? Number three, we flecked on God's faithfulness. How have you seen God at work through it all? I love to hear what you discover. Join a conversation in our Facebook group at bit to Dell. At Y forward slash curious for Christ community or email me. At hello at Alexandra Alvarez, coaching.com. Share your story and let's focus on 2025 together. God bless you. And remember, no matter what this year has held, God is still writing your story and he's not finished yet. Hi, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, would you like to take 30 seconds and share it with a friend who may also struggle with knowing God and His purpose for their life. Also, leave a review on applepodcast. com. Podcast, and let me know what topics you'd like to hear about in the future. Your voice matters. I'll meet you back next Friday for another episode.