Girls Gone Bible — "If You Need God's Love Today, Watch This"

Hosts: Angela Halili & Arielle Reitsma
Date: December 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid, upbeat episode, Angela and Arielle offer a heartfelt blend of vulnerability, humor, and spiritual encouragement. The pair tackle themes of anxiety, suffering, humility, and God’s faithfulness, sprinkled with light-hearted banter, Q&A, and memorable personal stories. Their aim: to remind listeners of God’s loving, grace-filled presence, especially in life’s messiest seasons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Openness About Anxiety & The Challenges of Ministry

• Angela and Arielle both share honestly about recent struggles with anxiety and restlessness.

  • Angela explains sometimes, even as women of faith, it’s hard to find peace or commit to prayer.
  • Angela (04:42): “Sometimes when you’re so anxious, it’s so hard to stay on your knees, stay in that quiet time.... I just want to let you know you’re not alone.”
  • The hosts highlight how sharing vulnerability with friends dulls the power of anxiety and shame.
  • Arielle (08:28): “Even just telling you guys I feel anxious today—it almost loses its power a little bit.”

• Reality of ministry's heaviness and cost.

  • Angela and Ari admit that ministry isn’t easy and comes with spiritual battles and deep emotional burdens.
  • Angela (07:23): “Ministry is... not easy.”
  • Angela (07:28): “If you are representing and proclaiming the name of Jesus, you’re in battle 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

2. Suffering, God's Character, & Faithfulness Reflected in Scripture

Isaiah 48 & The Furnace of Affliction

• Angela reads and unpacks Isaiah 48:9-11 as a comfort in difficult seasons.

  • God refines but never destroys His children—He keeps His promises even when we are unfaithful.
  • Angela (15:01): “‘For my name’s sake, I defer my anger... Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have tried you in the furnace of affliction... My glory I will not give to another.’”
  • God’s discipline isn’t about punishment but shaping us for His glory and our good.
  • Angela (16:45): “Even if I’m facing such deep suffering, I will never be destroyed by it.”

• Suffering “under the blood of Jesus” produces growth rather than bitterness.

  • Angela (21:00): “Suffering that’s not submitted to Jesus will end in bitterness and a calloused heart... but suffering that is under the blood of Jesus can only produce goodness inside of you.”
  • They stress that pain often produces Christlikeness, humility, and compassion.

Romans 8:28 and Humility

• God works all things together for good, but that doesn’t always mean it will feel good.

  • Arielle (18:22): “He said, I work all things together for the good, but he doesn’t say that it’s going to feel good.”

• Personal stories of difficult upbringings and God’s redemption.

  • Arielle (19:16): “I used to be so embarrassed about how I grew up... but I couldn’t be more proud now because I would never be tough the way I am if I didn’t go through all I did.”

3. Repentance, Shame, and God’s Forgiveness

Psalm 32—The Gift of Coming Clean

• Arielle shares Psalm 32 as solace for anyone struggling with guilt or repentance.
  • Arielle (27:10): “‘Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight... when I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away... Finally I confessed all my sins... and you forgave me, all my guilt is gone.’”
• Encouragement to run to God honestly with failings; repentance softens the heart over time.
  • Arielle (29:11): “Ask the Lord to help you with your heart. Say, help me love you more than I love that thing.”

On Humility

• Angela (30:40): “Life with Jesus is all about humbling, getting humbled, being humbled... God cares way more about you being humble than he cares about you being comfortable.”

4. Letting Go of Shame

• The hosts caution against lingering shame after repentance—reminding listeners that shame is not from God.
  • Arielle (34:28): “Sometimes I just... I’ve had it on my heart that some of you guys are repenting, but you’re still walking away feeling shame. And that is not of the Lord.”
  • Angela (34:59): “You punch that thought in the face and say, shut up, goofy spirit. Get out.”

5. Community & Vulnerability

• The importance of building strong friendships and grieving in community.
  • Angela (24:13): “One of the greatest practices... is not only falling into His arms like a child, but also falling into your friend’s arms like a child and just not hiding.”
  • They quote advice about developing friendships in the good times, so support is ready in the bad.

6. Fun & Light-Hearted Q&A

• The rest of the episode is filled with playful Q&A, banter, and impressions:

  • Favorite embarrassing moments on stage:

    • Angela recounts untightening her belt on stage and Arielle leaving her dress tags on.
    • (38:14) Angela: “I went on stage and, like, I tightened my belt super tight... my belt was so tight and I was on stage... I can’t breathe.”

  • Silly theological debate:

    • “Do you think Jesus farted?”
      • All agree: Jesus was fully human, so probably yes.
      • (38:45) Angela: “Do you think Jesus farted?”
        (38:50) Angela: “The answer is probably yes. He’s a human.”

  • Impressions of each other & inside jokes:

    • Exaggerated impressions about each other’s quirks (“can’t sit still,” “obsessing over sugar in almond milk,” “dwelling on past interactions”) deliver big laughs.
    • (55:23–56:22) Hilarious extended riff: “Thank you so, so, so, so much. No, you don’t understand. Thank you so, so, so... I’m dwelling, Angie. I’m dwelling.”

  • Do You Think God Has a Sense of Humor?

    • Unanimous yes, God laughs with us, and Jesus enjoys our sense of humor.

  • If Paul Wrote a Letter to Girls Gone Bible

    • They joke that Paul would probably correct their dating advice and encourage them to help more people internationally.
    • (52:24) Angela: “Stop giving dating advice. Neither of you are married.”

  • Annoyances about Each Other

    • Angela: Arielle’s bad with technology.
    • Arielle: Angela can’t sit still.
    • Both laugh and accept each other’s quirks with love.
    • (47:11) Angela: “Probably how bad you are with technology sometimes.”
    • (48:00) Arielle: “Oh, I know. It annoys me. You can’t sit still...”

7. Gentle Calls to Action

• Rejoicing in suffering, building community, and engaging with the podcast.
  • Angela (60:24): “Go love Jesus. Go rejoice in your suffering.”
  • Arielle (59:01): “What’s been going on? What do you guys need prayers for? We read every single one of your comments.”
  • Repeated encouragement to leave comments, share prayer requests, and join the "GGB gang" in the community.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On suffering and God’s faithfulness:
  • (16:45) “Even if I’m facing such deep suffering, I will never be destroyed by it. God’s never going to take you through something that will destroy you.” — Angela
• On humility:
  • (30:40) “Life with Jesus... is all about humbling, getting humbled, being humbled.” — Angela
• On shame after repentance:
  • (34:28) “And that is not of the Lord. He will never condemn you or make you feel shame.” — Arielle
  • (34:59) “You punch that thought in the face and say, shut up, goofy spirit. Get out.” — Angela
• On community:
  • (24:13) “One of the greatest practices of relationship with Jesus is... falling into your friend’s arms like a child and just not hiding. Not, you know, grieving in community, crying out in community. It really does heal.” — Arielle
• On God’s promises:
  • (18:21) “If God’s made promises over my life—which he has—I can count on them, not even just because God loves me... but he cares about his own reputation.” — Angela

Tone & Style

• Warm, infectious friendship. Non-judgmental, approachable, and infused with laughter.
• Spiritually deep, yet relatable. Serious spiritual teachings paired naturally with honesty about their own flaws and struggles.
• Silly and self-deprecating. Willingness to poke fun at themselves and each other brings levity.

Recommended Segments & Timestamps

• Struggling with Anxiety: (04:37–08:49)
• Isaiah 48 Reflection on Suffering: (13:43–18:21)
• Personal Experiences with Humbling & Redemption: (19:14–21:56)
• Psalm 32 & Overcoming Shame: (27:10–34:28)
• Q&A and Playful Banter: (35:07–56:37)
• Impressions and Lighthearted Ending: (55:23–57:15)
• Final Encouragement to Community & Blessing: (59:01–61:08)

Final Thoughts

In classic Girls Gone Bible fashion, Angela and Arielle provide invaluable spiritual encouragement—and tons of laughter. They remind listeners that suffering is not the end, that humility and repentance are gifts, and that God’s love is as real in our anxiety and awkwardness as in our triumphs. This episode is a comfort for anyone craving God’s love, authenticity, or just a good laugh, and a warm reminder: you don’t have to walk through life’s struggles alone.