“My name is John from the Philippines. I want to testify about the academic breakthrough I received from God. When I was a fourth-year student back in 2023-2024, there was so much doubt in my heart whether or not I was going to succeed in my studies because of the physical and psychological challenges I was facing at the time. During that period, I already knew about God’s Heart TV and I had listened to Brother Chris’ encouraging sermons from time to time. But when worry arose within me that my health challenges might compromise my duties and result in failure – it was only then that I submitted my prayer request. I was experiencing high blood pressure, going to the bathroom too often, and social anxiety. So, I joined the Interactive Prayer and even had the chance to talk to Brother Chris in a follow-up call after the service. I didn’t feel anything during the prayer but the encouraging sermon gave me strength about how to go about my everyday life. From that point on, things changed!
“Before my affiliation with God’s Heart TV, my relationship with my colleagues were good and my goings were not too difficult. But after my interaction with God’s Heart TV, my goings seemed to become even tougher. The people I considered friends turned against me. The lack of self-confidence caused by the severity of my challenges affected my final remarks. But this brought me to God daily. During the first shift of my internship as a student-teacher, I was assigned to a different classroom, away from my former colleagues. By God’s grace, I excelled in my duties and received positive feedback from my mentor. Despite the challenges, I worked hard and performed well with everything I laid my hand on and in every task I was given.
“But days before the internship ended, something unexpected happened again. In the classroom, I was silently singing praises to God in my heart because of the thought that things would soon to be over, but before I could finish, my mentor called me out for some minor issues in my lesson plan. She was hesitant to sign it, but did anyway. That night, I felt unsettled, thinking that what I thought was a breakthrough for me turned out to be another disappointment. I reworked the lesson plan as she had requested and had her sign it again the next day. The night before doing so, I sat alone, reflecting on my journey. I saw how I had not only been struggling but also rejected and humiliated by some of my friends. I cried out to God because of what I thought was an academic failure, but I never gave up or saw God in a bad light for my situation.
“But people of God, time answered everything! A few months later, as I was walking through the school’s hallway, a friend of mine approached me and said, ‘Friend, I saw your name on the list of students with achievements.’ At first, I didn’t believe him, but when I checked, I saw that I was the ‘Best Pre-Service Teacher’ of the Secondary Level. I was amazed! I also ranked 3rd in our Pre-Board Examination for Teachers and graduated with academic distinction. Truly, the Lord prepared a table for me! And by God’s grace, after I took the board examination on September 29, 2024, the results came out on December 13 and I am glad to say that I passed the Board Examination and on February 24, 2025, I got my license as a professional teacher!
“Brethren, God did not bless me because I was attacked. I was attacked because God blessed me. It was just a matter of time. Above everything else, I learned that sometimes God would not remove your obstacles in exchange for the fleeting things of this world. He uses that obstacle to build character in you. He uses your pain to preserve your life. In my case, God honoured me to the point that the challenges that were supposed to bring setback to me never seemed to matter at all. If God wants to bring you somewhere, what you are going through – no matter how great of a river it is, will not matter; you will always get through the other side of it. It takes special grace from above to recognise that what you consider as obstacle or enemy may actually be your friend. If God is using that foolish thing to save your soul, stop seeing Him in a bad light.
“To everyone reading this, especially the young people going through a lot and to those who are at the point of saying ‘I give up!’ – my message is simple: Never give up! Just because you are going through hard times doesn’t mean you are not a Christian or God doesn’t love you. No – you just need a special grace from above to recognise His hand working in the spirit. Sometimes, what we see as an interruption may actually be a divine intervention. Your challenges are just informants to remind you about your coming promotion, success and greatness. Cheer up! I thank Jesus for His goodness and kindness in my life. I also thank Brother Chris and God’s Heart TV for their prayers. Truly, the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”