Faith Without Borders
Faith Without Borders Podcast is your guide to living a life of bold faith and purpose. Inspired by Jeremiah 29:11, we explore powerful testimonies, God-centered relationships, and the transformative power of surrendering to His will.
Join us for real conversations on faith, purpose, and perseverance—discovering the peace, hope, and fulfillment that come from trusting in God’s greater plan!
Faith Without Borders
Faith and Life Journey Part 3: Surrendering to God's Grand Design
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🎙Episode 7: Faith and Life Journey Part 3: Surrendering to God's Grand Design
In this episode, Mr Victor shares profound insights on cultivating authentic intimacy with God through vulnerability, surrender, and intentionality in our faith journeys. He explores how making decisions with God, testing His Word through practical application, and maintaining trust during seasons of waiting can transform our walk with Christ.
🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✨ Vulnerability before God is crucial for intimacy – removing masks and hiding nothing from Him
✨ Surrender requires releasing control of areas we've tightly held onto because we don't fully trust God
✨ Intentionality transforms mechanical spiritual practices into organic connection with God
✨Test God's Word practically rather than merely accumulating knowledge
✨ Be consistent in your faith application – many Christians give up too quickly
✨ Focus on what God is doing NOW while trusting His promises for the future
✨ Find spiritual "prototypes" – people already walking in the promises you're believing for
✨ Worship deeply to surrender and be broken before God, especially during seasons of doubt
✨ God's promises sometimes manifest in our children's lives rather than our own
Key Scriptures Mentioned:
📖 John 4:1-42 - The Samaritan woman at the well.
📖 Exodus 33:12-13 - Moses’ plea for God’s presence.
📖 Jeremiah 1:5 - God’s foreknowledge and purpose for Jeremiah.
📖 Ephesians 1:3 - Blessed with every spiritual blessing.
📖 Haggai 2:8 - God owns the silver and gold.
📖 Hebrews 6:12 - Follow those who inherit promises through faith and patience.
🎙Guest Spotlight: Mr Victor
Victor Jeremiah Oba is a passionate Writer, Public Speaker, Actor, and Creative who serves as the Lead Pastor at City of Nations. He is also a seasoned Brand Consultant and Communications Strategist, helping individuals and businesses craft compelling stories and build impactful identities. With expertise in content creation, storytelling, leadership, and social media management, Victor empowers startups and emerging entrepreneurs through practical teachings at masterclasses, conferences, and workshops. His mission is simple yet powerful: to inspire purpose, unlock potential, and communicate with clarity.
Connect with Mr Victor: Instagram
Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Faith Without Borders Podcast! I hope it encouraged and inspired you to take bold steps in your faith journey.
Remember, faith grows when we trust God without limits, so keep leaning into His promises and walking in His purpose for your life.
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Until next time, keep living with faith without borders!
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Before we dive into this episode, I want to personally invite you to join this growing community where we share insights and inspiring stories to strengthen your faith and deepen your walk with God. The Bible reminds us in Revelation 12, verses 11, that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. In this podcast, we'll also feature interviews with individuals who have experienced incredible testimonies from their faith journey, offering fresh perspectives and real-life examples of God's goodness. All you need to do is click the follow button to stay connected. Your support has been amazing thus far, and this is just the beginning. I'm so excited to go on this journey of faith with you. Thank you for being part of this community. I stumbled on your Instagram post and I was really stunned At that moment. I had just published my third episode, which was on biblical principles, on finances, and then there was this Instagram carousel that you posted posted which was very much aligned with that topic, and I was like, oh wow, let me reach out to you to see if you're able to be part of this podcast. And, thank god, you agreed and here we are.
Speaker 1:Victor Jeremiah Oba is a multi-talented writer, public speaker, actor and creative serving as the lead pastor at City of Nations. With a passion for impactful communication and brand development, he also works as a personal and business brand consultant and communication strategist. Victor brings a wealth of experience in content creation, storytelling, ideation, leadership and copywriting. He's passionate about helping startups thrive and is well-versed in social media management and digital engagement. Beyond his work with brands and businesses, victor shares his knowledge and inspires the next generation of entrepreneurs through masterclasses, conferences and workshops, particularly those at starter level, where he teaches practical strategies for growth and visibility. Welcome, mr Victor. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey of faith.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. By the way, when you meet people, often God has to. By the way, when you meet sweet people, often God has to increase the capacity with which you use to discern. Sometimes you just have like five minutes or 10 minutes to about in just discerning what someone is about and what their mission is about. Right, I think that was it. I just felt that. Peace. You know? My name is Victor Jeremiah Oba. I'm a writer, I'm an actor, I'm a pastor. By the grace of God, I'm the lead pastor of City of Nations. I'm into social media management. That's my nine to five. I'm a child of God.
Speaker 2:My journey of faith has been an amazing one. It was important for me to find God by myself. It was designed in such a way where I became curious of who God was, even though I had seen droplets of his expressions and manifestations in my life as I was growing up. I was born in church, my dad's a pastor, and when you are brought up in that kind of setting, it's easy to think that you know God. You don't think that you have a monopoly of God. Know because you wake up early in the morning, there's morning devotion, you're going to church, you're coming back in school, you know you're attacked as this pastor's kid and you might fall into that trap of thinking, of thinking you know God, right until there's that, there's that personal.
Speaker 2:First of that, personal, apart from what my parents are teaching me, apart from what I'm hearing in church, right, there must be like a personal encounter that I must have with God. Right, something very solid that I can hold on to. I don't want to say, oh, I heard this testimony in church, you know, and especially when I think there's just a level of hunger, when you are seeing God deal with people in your church environment, right, you're seeing God deal with people in such a good way, when someone's having testimonies and you're like, oh, it is this same God that did it. And sometimes it's like your own life might be void of those kinds of testimonies. Maybe it's not like God is not doing much, but those kinds of testimonies that you're seeing in others are not in your life. You have to ask some questions what exactly am I not getting right? I think my journey with God has been ordained by God.
Speaker 1:Going through your Instagram page, it's obvious that you have this very close and intimate relationship with God, right? So I'm just curious what does God mean to you and how did you develop that intimacy with God?
Speaker 2:Intimacy for me springs out from some of the major highlights that I have consistently invested in over the years. Number one on the list for me is vulnerability. Right, I think that vulnerability is a very huge part of intimacy. You know, and I'll give a very quick example when someone like the Samaritan woman by the well is speaking to Jesus, right, and first off she had no idea that it was Jesus she was speaking to. She had no idea that this is like literally the son of God. And then, when she finally did, she ran into the city.
Speaker 2:Oh, I have seen a man who told me all the stories of my life and all of that, but one would beckon to wonder that why did God pay attention to someone that was like that, whose life was like that? I think there's so much to learn in that, when we come before God, you know that there is no outer self that you intend to hide, there is no iota of self that you intend to hide. I think it has actually helped my intimacy with God a lot when I'm not so self-conscious to a point where I intentionally withhold from God something that I already know that he knows, and that's another thing. I mean, he already knows everything right. God is not someone who would infringe on your will to get his you know, to get his purposes done. There is also that point where man will also contribute to say, yes, this is the parts of my life, these are the areas of my life where I'm flawed, these are my weaknesses, these are my strengths, you know, and these are my past, you know. I think a lot of vulnerability sort of like speaks volumes.
Speaker 2:When you want to enjoy intimacy with God, there's surrender Over the years. If you have had a kind of life where maybe you now began to take God seriously in your 20s, or maybe in your 30s, maybe early 30s, you'd find out that there are certain areas of your life that you hold on to, maybe because you don't trust God enough to handle that area of your life, or maybe you don't see God as important enough to know about that area of your life right. Surrender has a lot to do with intimacy where, if you want to come to a point where you are comfortable with God, there will be nothing heavy that you cannot spill before him. I can let go of the mistakes of my past. I can let go of some of the things that I intentionally did. It wasn't subconsciously like I intentionally did these things. I can surrender those aspects of my life because I want to have a relationship with God, right.
Speaker 2:And then the last one I think that matters is intentionality. People have encounters with God but are not consistent with those encounters, have encounters with God but are not consistent with those encounters. I think that if you want to come to a point of intimacy where God even sorts of like quote-unquote, he stumbles upon your daily schedule and it wasn't like we're planning to pray but you just get a nudging to pray, you know, or you're just doing something random and you hear the voice of God. As that's the kind of relationship that I have with God, humbly speaking, I think that for you to come to that apex of intent, that apex of intimacy where God can sort of like budge into you without asking for your permission, there's a lot of intentionality that goes into it.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it might even begin mechanical. You know to say, oh, I'm going to pray 12 pm, I'm going to pray 6 pm, I'm going to pray 9 pm. At some point, when you pay attention to what was mechanical, it then begins to flow out of the secret place. It is not your scheduled time of prayer but you get a nudge into prayer. That's when you now realize that, as intentional as you are in your relationship with God, god is now becoming intentional with you in his relationship with you. Right For me, those three attributes really stand firm, you know, in my intimacy with God vulnerability, surrender and intentionality.
Speaker 1:That's really powerful. Thank you so much for sharing that. How has your personal relationship with God you know this beautiful and intimate relationship that you have. How has it shaped your daily life and decision making?
Speaker 2:I think that the beauty of intimacy is when you have come to that point where, even subconsciously, it will be God. It's not like a mat that you put on and put off. It's not like, oh, I am deep on Instagram. And then when you come in contact with me in person, it's like, oh, this person is not even what he claims he is Right, and I think that's like the beauty of intimacy. It just comes to a point where the relationship becomes like a glove, like it just fits, you know, and it's not like you have to put out a kind of personality because you want to look like God. At the end of the day, you find out that there's such a profound synergy between you and all that God is. And how has this shaped my daily life and my decision making? Make decisions that God is going to be proud of. Don't do things that people now begin to ask do you really know God? And of that I think, if there is one way where my relationship with God has shaped my decision-making processes is how I make decisions with God, and I'm saying this with all sense of humility. I think that's also the beauty of partnership, right? I mean, you have to now think about not going to places that you make the spirit not comfortable with. I have seen this to be very repetitive. I think people lose God because of the choices that they make, not necessarily because of who they are. Some people think that God is no longer with them because they sinned, but you have to understand that this God loves you even before you give your life to Christ.
Speaker 2:I've noticed now that people enter into new phases of their life where God will not be comfortable with. I think the major secret to that is I make decisions with God, something that might look appealing to me. I have to also find out is this at peace with God? Is this an environment where God will want to dwell with me in? If it's something that I will struggle to get God into, then I'd rather just stay where I am, you know, and I think there's also there's a beautiful text. I think it's in the book of Exodus, 33, verse 24, 30. And Moses said if you will not go with us, you know, let's just stay Right, and I also think that that's another apex of intimacy where you are fine with the last instruction, even though you don't hear from him.
Speaker 2:In a new season that you are in. I have come to that point where if he's Lord, then I have to be comfortable with bringing him into all the seasons of my life. Whatever thing I want to do on a daily basis, if it doesn't align, you know, with what God wants for my life, then I can't just wait. You know, I don't have to be in a hurry if the one person that made me is not following. I think that has really influenced the thought and the perspective of. I want to make my decisions with God, and if God is not at peace and you know, the beauty of this thing is you can actually tell. If you are someone who has been to the sacred place before, I'm not even saying someone who is a pro or a master or a man of God if you have been to the secret place before, you can tell when you are no longer there. For me, it's understanding that if the ambience of a place is not conducive for my God, I would rather not go.
Speaker 1:Basically, you're saying that you live a surrendered life. You surrender when you trust who you're surrendering to right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What does faith mean to you? This total surrender to God and waiting on him for your next phase or the next instructions? Where does that come from?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that faith for me stemmed on from what my parents believed in. I saw my parents hold on to God for the most part of their life and they still do, even till now. I'll give an instance. There were times in my life when we would go out, we would come back and then my mom and my dad you see them on their knees praying and thanking God for a safe journey, and it almost didn't make sense to me know until when. Until when I stumbled upon a verse in scripture I think it's Deuteronomy. It says you're going out and your coming name shall be blessed. That's the ability for someone to go out and come back in peace. That that's like a testimony on its own it. But it is the humility to just accept that it is God and it is not necessarily oh, I know how to drive or the road was smooth. When you receive that kind of faith, you will come to a point where even the little, the seemingly little things that might not matter to other people will be something that you could thank God for right.
Speaker 2:A very huge part of my faith came from what my parents showed me how they served God, how they worshiped Him, their reverence and their honor for God. There were some times in my life where we felt like sleeping, but my mom would still wake us up and take us to Vigil, you know, to go and pray and encounter God, and all of that right God has been preparing me for this season of my life. God was speaking to Jeremiah when Jeremiah was very young. He said before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you. He designed everything from my past Considering the fact that God knew I was going to make some silly mistakes, in as much as I felt like they weren't silly enough or I felt like, oh, I was just doing what I wanted to do. He sort of like still captured all of my silly mistakes into the grand scheme of things.
Speaker 2:I think where my faith comes from.
Speaker 2:A lot of my faith comes from the fact that God has handled my past in such a way where my life still matters to what he wants to do in the future. A huge part of my faith comes from what God has done with my life over the years, to see that I could have missed him. But yet, even with those opportunities where I could have missed him, I could still see droplets of him in different phases of my life. My faith comes from that retrospective thinking and spending time in God in secret to see that, oh my God, even the classmates that I had in my primary school were part of this grand design of what he wanted to do with my life. Some of the encounters that I had when I was much more younger, some of the dreams I had, some of the visions that I had that I could still remember, still made sense to everything he wanted to do with my future. I think that with the fact that God has helped me, even from my past, it's easy for me to trust him for my future.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. It's evident that your faith stems from the foundation that your parents have given you and I believe also seeing God's evidence in their lives and also your own personal journey, and looking back and seeing, oh, god has done this, this was all part of his plan for my life. That's beautiful. How can we truly take hold of the abundant life God has intended for us? We know that God intends for us to have our lives flourishing and prospering and living our lives to the fullest.
Speaker 2:There are quite a number of things. I will speak from a pastor's perspective. Then I'll touch a little bit on the finances. Much of my members say maybe we'll have like a few early 30s Most of them are just early 20s, mid 20s, late 20s. And number one, which is first off, perspective, perspective Especially for finances and work with God.
Speaker 2:There are many people who feel like they will get a hand of God when they are in their later years, like, say, 50, you know, 45, 40 years old. They think that what they're doing right now, you know, in their youth years or in their early years, is just to set a foundation for the future. You know, subculture also comes to realize. One of the things that God does is to bless you even in the now. Now you might not have all the billion dollars of the world, but there is a way that God compensates you with blessings in this season and you can tell that you will not know poverty. I'm going to give an example.
Speaker 2:Even with my life, there was one day I was in a ride and then I was headed for somewhere. I was in the car and I had paid about, say, almost 35,000 Naira that's, in Nigerian currency, 35,000 Naira for the ride and while we were on the bridge, I started crying. And why was I crying? I was just crying about the fact that there was a time in my life that if I stepped out of the house, that I was going out, I never used to think of transport because I didn't have the money. It's like when you are going out and you already know that you are going to trek to where you are going to and trek back home. It was that bad. And then, after a while, one of the major things God now began to do was to reveal to me where he was taking me to, and I think that's an aspect that many people still don't understand. When God is showing you visions of the future, it's to help you now begin to see that whatever is happening in your life now, this is not what it's supposed to be and this is not how everything would always look like.
Speaker 2:The Bible says that faith comes by hearing, and by hearing of the word of God. I promise you there are many people that are listening to sermons but have not heard the message. Just like in scriptures, it says once have you spoken, but twice have I heard. I'm just trying to note all of these things together One of the major gaps I have also seen. There is a difference when you hear and when you do. You see that doing part, I can promise you.
Speaker 2:Not many Christians have the audacity to step into certain realities of life. Not many Christians. Not many Christians and subconsciously, most Christians have learned how to glorify their situation. So, for example, if you tell someone, maybe like an average Christian, to say, oh, why don't you save 70% of your income, the first thing they will tell you is what do you mean save 70% of my income? What is entering is not even enough. You is what do you mean save 70% of my income? What is entering is not even enough. Well, the truth is, even if, even if there's an increase in your salary, if you tend to have the chance of increasing the standard of your living, you still would not have enough.
Speaker 2:Think, I think not many Christians are actually doing what is heard, and the reason for that is because many of us, we serve God emotionally. We serve God like our going to church will someday yield. It will be like oh, I have served God for 10 years and now God has relocated me abroad. I have served God for 10 years and now God has gotten me a car. That's the context of testimonies that we have in our mind. But much more than that you don't get blessed because you came to church. You get blessed because you made use of the principles that you see in scriptures, and that's why an unbeliever can make use of those principles and have results, even much more than a Christian would do. Because most Christians, the average Christian, still struggles with knowing how to think of the principle that you have heard and was preached to you and actually implement it. Some people implement it once and they get tired and they be like oh, the result did not come out immediately. Well, god is not a magician, for I mean for crying out loud.
Speaker 2:It's funny that people even have this perspective of tithes and some people don't even see that they're giving the tithes, tithing to church. They'll be like, oh, if I'm giving the pastor 10%, I think this God should give me back 90%. Or God should give me 70%. Oh, I give my tithe. Why is it that I don't have? I don't now have money and subconsciously we have made an idol out of money. First off, the reason why God is asking you to even give is for you, is for you to come to that understanding that money would not be above you, that you are above it. So you have to give from the mentality of I have more than enough. That's why I'm giving this. It's not like I'm giving so that I can have you already. You already have. The bible says that how god has blessed us, you know, with all blessings in spiritual places, has blessed us with all blessings in spiritual places. He has blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, right, so I am giving from the abundance that is already in my mind. Then I can now see the abundance in my heart.
Speaker 2:I think, first off, if we can get the believer's perspective on wealth and finances to change, it's for that believer to implement what is being thought. It's not just information, it has to become revelation that sponsors you to move. I'll give an example. By the grace of God, I started pastoring City of Nations last year and if I did not step out two years after, we would not have the impact that we have. And I would never know that we can have this impact that we have if I did not step out two years ago when I had the calling. There's one thing to listen to a sermon that blessed you, it's another thing to do the principles of what that sermon, you know, shared to you.
Speaker 2:I think a major part why we don't see much of the possibilities of God, even as documented in scriptures, is because not many Christians do what is being said, and the ones that do there are those who don't even have the consistency to stay until everything that God said will be seen in their lives. Some people already have a squashed perspective that money is for unbelievers. There are some Christians that believe that the kind of money they are looking for it has to be by an illegal means, that somebody that really knows God but that has a nine to five or that has a business cannot make as much wealth like unbelievers do. So first off, that's already a faulted perspective. You know Haggai 2, verse 8 tells us that God is the one that owns silver and gold. If you don't believe God enough to provide for the rest of your life, I think you will struggle with that God.
Speaker 2:Most Christians listen to the word. They can, they can quote scriptures on finances. They can even give you confessions on finances, but how many are really setting out? How many are really stepping up to start businesses? How many are putting their money in stocks. It's a lot of financial education gap in and of itself. First you know and then, like a whole lot of, do you believe that God can bless.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. It's clear that a lot of Christians have the wrong mindset and this mindset is affecting their faith. The Bible says my people perish for lack of understanding. How do Christians apply faith practically in their life journey?
Speaker 2:Number one I tell my people you have to test the word. If PVO is preaching and PVO says if you wake up for 21 days and pray at midnight, you will see visions. I want you to test it, especially inspired words, when you can tell that this is what God wants me to do in this season. Maybe God wants me to pray at midnight. Maybe God wants me to evangelize more. Or maybe I am in the bus and I receive a nudging to evangelize. Don't let it slide. I want you to test it.
Speaker 2:Unbelievers would go as far as to test their voodoo and all of that. And meanwhile we as Christians, we have the word. We trust that God can get the word done, but we still don't test the word. For me, that's one of the major ways I believe that people should apply it. Don't just store it in your journal. I want you to do something about it. If God is speaking to you about something, what are the chances? I mean you can as well just try it. So many Christians have to have that propelling force to not just listen, that propelling force to not just be counseled. Take that counsel and do something with it.
Speaker 2:Number two a major way that you can apply faith is to apply faith consistently. I see people who try something for one month and then they stop. Most Christians will now come to you and say, oh, I did it, I tried it, but I didn't hear anything. And you're like, okay, how many times did you pray on this matter? And they'll be like, oh, I prayed, I prayed, I prayed Like for how long? Of course I'm not saying that in all cases this has to be the same, that oh, you have to pray for long, but like to say that, oh, you have to pray for love. But I'm saying how long did you give this thing? How long did you pay attention to this thing?
Speaker 2:I think consistency is missing. First, in a Christian experience, if you look through the life of Jesus, right, the Bible always says that he would redraw to a solitary place After he has done miracles. Just stay and connect, you know and connect with God, right? I think consistency is a very major aspect of what we do in God. So, when it comes to the application of faith, the question is how long are you ready to apply?
Speaker 2:So, number one I said you know, test all things. Test it If you are sure, if you are getting a note that this is from God. Test it. Don't leave it to something that you want to do one year after. Test it. And number two test it consistently. And then, number three, make sure that you are not disconnected from the God that sent you on that assignment.
Speaker 2:See, let's be honest, if the last time you spoke to God was last year, you would not really know what he's saying in the moment.
Speaker 2:Even when he speaks to you in a season, I believe that the foundation of everything is still boils down to intimacy and the secret place. The moment you begin to feel like I don't even know what God is saying, I don't know what God thinks about it, when the last time you hear from God is months before, there is a tendency for you to make mistakes. So if there are three things I would just give to anybody on how to apply faith, number one test whatever you have received from God. Number two test it consistently. And then, number three make sure you're not disconnected from God. And when I mean disconnected, I don't mean that God is going to leave you. Of course, we know that the presence of God is everywhere, but I'm talking about the manifestation presence, that kind of presence that envelops you and you can tell when you step out of it, maybe by sin or negligence or lack of consistency in the sacred place, you can just tell. When you have stepped out from God, you can tell.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. That's very powerful Test be consistent and ensure that your intimacy is intact with God. Maybe this is a great segue to the next question. When you've applied this faith and you're consistent and you're still anchored and intimate with God, when reality doesn't align with the promise, what do you do? An experience with your own journey when you had to hold on to faith despite the current circumstances. You know God is saying you're the light of the world, but around you is all darkness.
Speaker 2:I think I would use the experience of my finances. There's so many things god has said to me that looks like that was my prayer place recently and I was, and I was just praying and then I was just receiving words and I was like god, I was just talking, you know, just talking, and I said god, do you know that if you, if you don't promise this, if you don't promise me this thing, you know, do you know that I, I will still serve you. You know, because I felt what he had just said was so big and you know there's a human way to think about. Give an example maybe you have like a child, maybe like a five-year-old child. You can lure your child to do something right by promising something bigger than what he already has. I felt like that was maybe what God was doing with me. Let me just use an example with private jets. And I'm like God, if you don't give me private jets, I will still love you. You don't have to tell me that you will buy me a private jet so that I can love you. I will still pray, I will still be fine, I will still serve you, and that's just me being vulnerable with God, that he doesn't have to use things to compel me to serve.
Speaker 2:But I have found out that if God says he's going to do something, most of the times his integrity is always on the line, in the sense that I don't know if this has happened to you before where you do something not because of the person, but you do something because the person is related to you. You do it because there is a name. There is a name, there is a name on ground right. Because you're associated with me, I will do it for my sake, even though I do it for you. I have been in that circumstances a few times and I think that's like that's just the beauty of my relationship with god, where there are many things god does in my life. Not because I am the most aligned person, it's because God wants it done, because God wants to do it and I happen to be the person he wants to do it through. Yeah, there are things in my life. I still think that it might happen, maybe in 15 years. I don't even think it will happen anytime now and my heart is not even even fixed on it. I expect, but my heart is not fixed on it Because I know if God doesn't do it, I will still love him, but then it now becomes his prerogative. He wants to do it in my life, and so a major way that I handle issues like that is to know that. You see, this is God's promise. If he has said it, he will do it. Even when the circumstances don't look like it, he will do it.
Speaker 2:What, then, do I do? If I'm expecting something that I feel like might be 10 years, might be 20 years, before I see it done? Is to focus on what he has asked me to do before, is to focus on what is working. I mean, I don't have to pause the rest of my life because God said it's going to show up for me in 2030. Or because God said it will show up for me in my life, maybe in 10 years from now. I will now wait and be idle, and then I'll now begin to trust God for what it's going to do in 20 years. No, what is working in my life right now? What do I need to pay attention to in my life right now? What do I need to pay attention to in my life right now?
Speaker 2:One of the reasons why sarah was laughing when the angel told sarah that she was going to give birth to his son is because if you don't give me that, promise me, I'm already fine. If I leave this earth not having a child, it's fine. But the fact that you are reminding me again, you are making me hope again. All right, I, abraham, has already given birth to Ishmael. Even though they sent him away, it's fine. If I'm not going to have a child, it's okay. It might look like God was opening up the wounds of Sarah. Maybe Sarah was no longer expecting at that time, but it is in God's prerogative to get the door.
Speaker 2:I think that's one of the major things that I've studied over my life. There are some things that God wants done. It will come as promises and because God wants to do it, even me, I no longer have a choice. It's fine for me to even forget that he wants to do it and just focus on what is working in my life right now. I just have things in my life that I can thank God for, apart from those things I'm expecting from Him. There's so much I can't thank God for. If I begin to list, at least I'll list 10. There's so much I can thank God for. Look at the quality and the caliber of people that are listening to me now. These people did not know me one year ago. They didn't even know me three months ago. You know, sometimes when you receive messages from people to say how inspiring your work have been and you check the quality of these people because they're not small You're just blown away. I mean, this is something I just started to do. It's not like I saw a vision to do it right.
Speaker 2:One of the humbling things in my life is as much as we hope for God to give us promises when our realities does not look like it, if you're being honest when you look around, there will still be things to be grateful for. I have trained my mind. It's fine to forget some of the promises of God. That would take years, but because I know that he will do it I expect that he will do it and I trust that he will do it I take that promise as a done deal already. Let me just go and focus. If there is a part that I need to play to get that promise to fruition, I'd rather focus on that part that I need to play and then I'll focus on what is working. What is God asking me to do in the now. I think that has helped over the years In as much, as there are many things God has said to me many years ago that have not yet happened in the now. It still doesn't shake my faith. I would still just focus on what works.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. I think that's a great perspective.
Speaker 2:There are many things that God promised you that it will not be in your lifetime, that it will happen, not like it will not be in your lifetime, but your eyes will see it. But it will not be by your hands, it will be by the hands of your children. A major example is going to be David. David had everything to build the temple. He actually bought the materials ahead of time, but God came and told David it will not be by you. Of course we understand that. Of course you know David had seen, killed Uriah and all of that. So that was God's excuse.
Speaker 2:But at the end of the day you will find out that, because God is already transgenerational in nature, there are some promises that God will give you. It will be in your children's children that it will be fulfilled. I'm not saying all the promises, I'm just saying some promises. When you look at your children and you say, ah, this is everything God told me. It is still you because it's from your offspring. So I think that's another perspective to have. There are some things that might not necessarily happen to you that God has said, but in your lifetime your eyes will see it.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for adding that. I mean, I think I always say this, rory, similar to your own experience. I grew up in a Christian home, seeing my parents trust God. I've seen my parents do good to other people During our own lives. You know, we, the kids, we see God's favor. You'd be like, no, it's some seed that has been sown. It just didn't happen, because I mean you didn't do much, but somehow all these blessings. What I mean is imagine, when you sow, like you would expect to reap almost immediately, right, but sometimes it doesn't work that way. You're sowing and the the ripping is for your kids and grandkids and all that you know. I, I have experienced it and I know that is is a seed that has been sown beforehand. For me to like experience some of this. You know favor and grace, and I believe my siblings also say the same. Let's go to the fire chat question. Okay, what's your go-to bible verse for faith?
Speaker 2:that would be joshua 21, verse 45. Yes, it says no good thing that the lord has spoken to the house of over. That's why I put my name there. So it's no good thing that the lord has spoken to the house of overfield. Everything came to pass hall.
Speaker 1:One piece of advice for someone struggling with doubt.
Speaker 2:I would advise the person to spend a lot of time worshipping God in secret. Spend time worshipping God in song, especially at midnight. I wish I could teach more about that, but I'm not going to teach. There are two major things worship does. Worship will make you surrender and then worship will break you. Of course, we know what it means to be broken by God. That's what worship will do. When you are broken and then you surrender. You would have much more faith than you can ever imagine, and even in the place of worship, give more attention to the lyrics of the song.
Speaker 1:It's powerful. What's the biggest lesson faith has taught you?
Speaker 2:Faith has taught me that it would not come the way you expected. Faith has taught me that your mind is small. Faith has taught me that your mind is small If you really trust God and let God move the way he wants to move.
Speaker 1:you will be shocked at how God did it. Powerful, yeah. The scripture that says eyes have not seen, ears have not heard. Exactly.
Speaker 2:You know the plans that God has for those he has called according to his purpose.
Speaker 1:I think I think subconsciously you can reduce the quality of god's blessing because you were not patient about it. What's one way christians can live boldly in faith?
Speaker 2:look for somebody that is doing already what you want to do, and follow the person like your life depends on it. I'll give two examples. You know how that? There was a time in the wilderness where the children of Israel did something, and then the Bible says serpents began to bite their heels and Moses took one of the serpents you know and set it upon a pole and told them to gaze at it. You know that they were going to be healed.
Speaker 2:I think that when it comes to faith and audacity, one of the very strong protocols of God is to give you somebody that looks like a prototype of what God wants to do in your life. So if you're a woman that is expecting to give it to each other and you're entrusting God for the fruit of the womb, don't just join different prayer sections. You know different prayer meetings. Look for somebody that went through what you are going through and spend time with that person. Glean from their wisdom, you know. Follow them closely. Sometimes it might even lead you to, you know, maybe give. There must also be a kind of faith that the person held onto in their own seasons of waiting. Most of the times, what your intimacy with that person will do is to communicate their kind of faith to you, but there has to be like a prototype of what God wants to do in your life. There has to be someone you are seeing that is already in the promise of what God has given you. Even though you are not in the promises yet, that person is already in the promise of what God wants to do. May there be a revelation of that person by God and then you pay more attention to that person. Yeah, it's not a doctrine, but it's something personal for me. If you really want to touch a level and an audacity of faith on a matter that you're trusting God for maybe starting a ministry, maybe it's the fruit of the womb, maybe he's getting whatever it is If there is someone who has done it, someone who has been there by God, if God has helped someone to achieve that thing, you can always pay attention to that person.
Speaker 2:I'll give a very simple example. I think it was Paul that was speaking to Timothy. He says follow those who, through faith and patience, have obtained the promise. So there are those who have obtained the promise through faith and patience. When you closely follow them, it is that faith and patience that is communicated to you almost like an impartation. There's a level to which you follow someone, you can know that something left from them to you. Almost like an impartation. There's a level to which you follow someone, you can know that something left from them to you. You can tell, and then it becomes easier for you to obtain the promise.
Speaker 1:That's very powerful and I intend to implement that in my life. Please do I promise you will come back.
Speaker 2:You will come back with testimony. I promise you. It's one of the major secrets of my life. If there is something I'm trusting God for, I would get scriptures on that matter and I would look for somebody that is already walking in that reality and I would pay my attention to the person. Until something from that person drops to me, I don't even have to meet the person.
Speaker 1:That's powerful, even though a part of what you're saying is the idea of this podcast. Really, someone could be blessed, whether it's through your own episode or someone else's episode that we can relate to, going through or has been through something similar and um, what you've shared, the insights you've shared, the steps you've taken, what you did and the results, someone can listen to it and replicate or be inspired by some things that you've said. It doesn't have to be everything and take that bold step in faith is actually the idea, I would say physical evidence that can strengthen your faith. It's important that people share their testimonies and their journeys. Sometimes it's not even for us, but for the impact.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, mr Victor, for taking out the time to share such powerful insights on deepening our intimacy with God, reminding us to trust Him wholeheartedly, knowing that if he has promised, he will surely bring it to pass. You have also encouraged us to seek out prototypes, those who have gone ahead of us, as sources of wisdom and faith as we wait on God, and to our amazing listeners, thank you for tuning in. We are so glad you joined us for the enriching conversation. Until next time, stay rooted in faith, keep trusting God and never stop growing. See you in the next episode. Bye for now.
Speaker 3:I need you to lift your hands Heaven one more time. Well, lord, this is that ocean, this is that place, father, where you lead us. Faith without borders. Lord, I pray tonight in Jesus' Name as we step out and into all that you have for us, as we have the courage sometimes to step into the great unknown that there we meet Jesus and we meet the will of God and we meet the purpose of God and we meet the will of God and we meet the purpose of God and we meet the promise of God and we meet the goodness of God. Lord, give us that courage, give us that Holy Spirit, boldness to keep on trusting you to walk on those waters, lord, to go into that great unknown at times, but knowing that the God of all knowledge, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, god, that you lead us, you take us.