- 1 week ago
Tofara and Viwe had a strong conviction that they were meant to be married, but financial and cultural obstacles seemed to stand firmly in their way. However, through the God’s Heart TV Marriage Seminars, they put godly principles into action and witnessed God do the impossible. Allow this testimony to inspire you to put God's Word into action in your own life and witness God do the impossible in your home and heart.
The God's Heart TV Marriage Seminars are freely available at: https://godsheart.tv/marriage-seminar
To join the next Interactive Prayer Service with Brother Chris through Zoom, simply submit your prayer request here - https://www.godsheart.tv/zoom - and the God's Heart TV Team will be in touch with you soon via email at info@godsheart.tv
The God's Heart TV Marriage Seminars are freely available at: https://godsheart.tv/marriage-seminar
To join the next Interactive Prayer Service with Brother Chris through Zoom, simply submit your prayer request here - https://www.godsheart.tv/zoom - and the God's Heart TV Team will be in touch with you soon via email at info@godsheart.tv
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TVTranscript
00:00Our commitment to the principles of God's word should not have a financial threshold.
00:08It's not about how much you have.
00:14It is about how well you manage it.
00:19That's when we saw we really had financial indiscipline in certain areas where the money was just going out of
00:27our accounts.
00:28The resources were just being spent on frivolous things, things that are not geared towards getting married.
00:36And from that, you know, doors started opening, opportunities started opening left, right and center.
00:48Good morning, grace and peace to you all.
00:51Hello, my name is Tofara and the woman besides me, the lovely woman besides me is my wife, Vila.
01:01And our testimony goes like this.
01:04So we've been trying to get married for a very long time.
01:09I would say most probably for four or five years, but we're facing challenges left, right and center, challenges that
01:19you cannot comprehend.
01:23So from financial challenges to tension to resistance, but the biggest out of all was the financial challenges.
01:32We're from South Africa, but I'm originally from Zimbabwe and she's from South Africa.
01:38So we're two different countries, two different nationalities and two different cultures and tribes.
01:45So as you can imagine, there is a lot of misunderstanding.
01:52There is a lot of resistance to a certain extent.
01:55So we're having so many, many challenges.
02:00The financial challenges are piling on because as you can imagine, in our cultures, we do what we call the
02:06aurora.
02:08So for me to bring my family down to South Africa in Eastern Cape was definitely going to be a
02:16logistic challenge and a financial burden, a big financial burden.
02:21And so that's what kept us, you know, discussing about marriage and still not getting over the line, over the
02:28threshold.
02:29And as I was praying and fasting about it with her together, I came about to know about the marriage
02:37seminars that were happening last year, 2025.
02:41And for me, this was just God shining a light on us saying we need to attend the marriage seminars
02:49because I've followed brother Chris all along from his days when he was at school in Nigeria.
02:56So when the marriage seminars came for me, I took it as God is definitely speaking to us.
03:03So we started to attend the marriage seminars and started fasting together, praying together and sending many, many prayer requests,
03:12as well as attending the interactive prayer sessions.
03:15So we decided, her and I, to attend the marriage seminars in all honesty.
03:22Because at some point, you know, we started having doubts whether, are you supposed to be with this person?
03:28Are you supposed to marry this person?
03:30Are you guys supposed to be together?
03:32And because of that, there was a lot of doubt, but we're like, we're going to put it to God
03:36because God is the one who blesses and marriage comes from God.
03:41To create a Christian home, it comes from God.
03:44So like, we're going to take it to God and pray and fast and attend the seminars.
03:50And attending the seminars, for me, they did a lot to change the mindset that we were having at that
03:57point.
03:57Because our mindset is, we don't have money, we don't have enough resources, so maybe this shouldn't happen.
04:05But in the financial management seminar, Brother Chris talked about, you have to start with what you have.
04:14You cannot wait until everything is coming and then you want to start.
04:20Because how do you know that you'll be disciplined enough when those resources come?
04:24And how do you know that those resources will ever come?
04:27So start with what you have.
04:29And from that, we started changing our mindsets towards how we manage our finances.
04:34We became more transparent about our finances from there going forward, how to plan the finances.
04:42And we continued to pray for God to show us the way, to lead the way.
04:48Because all along, we've been trying with our own might, our own power, our own skill.
04:54And then I remembered a verse in Zechariah 4, verse 6.
04:59Like, not by might, not by strength, but by my spirit, says God.
05:03And men shall not prevail because of their own strength.
05:06So we decided to surrender in that sense.
05:10Say, you know what, everything that's financial, we place it in God's hands.
05:15And that's when we started learning better how to manage the finances.
05:20That's when we saw we really had financial indiscipline in certain areas where the money was just going out of
05:28the accounts.
05:29The resources were just being spent on frivolous things, things that are not geared towards getting married.
05:37And from that, you know, doors started opening, opportunities started opening left, right and center.
05:44And because of that, we managed to get married and we had a very wonderful marriage.
05:50Good morning to everyone.
05:51My name is Viwe from South Africa, as my husband already said.
05:56And for us, I attended the marriage seminars because my husband, a partner at the time, asked me to join
06:05the marriage seminars.
06:07And from the first very marriage seminar, we were so enlightened because firstly, he taught us about building a Christian
06:17home.
06:18And before it was not like that because we didn't understand to this particular extent that building a Christian home,
06:28you have to do it through biblical foundations.
06:31So that was our very first foundation.
06:33And we started seeing, OK, this is where we were going wrong.
06:38And before we did not understand that.
06:40So because we were facing this challenge of having so much resistance, as my husband said, financially and also just
06:47between us, it took so much time for us to get to that.
06:51But however, as we saw things were happening, God just came through for us.
06:57There were so many breakthroughs for us to get to that point.
07:01So the first thing that happened is that I got a job as we were starting the marriage seminars.
07:08So I was like, OK, fine.
07:09So now change in career.
07:11But God didn't stop there.
07:13We were in this situation where we still are going through this financial situation.
07:17So God also did another breakthrough within six months of me working in this new job.
07:25I got a raise.
07:27This was just things just happening.
07:30So meaning that God was saying yes to us getting married.
07:33And just from getting that raise right when we were about to get married, I got a bonus.
07:39So things were just going through and they were happening.
07:43Even just going through the preparations for our wedding.
07:48What happened is that we were so because I come from the Eastern Cape.
07:52So it's not very easy to find people who are the right vendors.
07:58They charge you way more because obviously it's not in the city or closer to the city.
08:04So obviously it's quite expensive.
08:06So to get all of these things, it was very challenging and very difficult.
08:09So we were so scared to approach a deco person because she was known as this person who is extremely
08:17expensive.
08:18But somehow we spoke about it.
08:20My husband was like, you know what?
08:21I prayed about it.
08:22Go and just approach the person.
08:25And somehow I approached the vendor and it was very cheaper than what we expected.
08:32And half of what we actually expected.
08:34So we saw that God is working behind the scenes.
08:40And next thing we have this person who is fully booked all the time, but all of a sudden is
08:46willing to do our wedding at such a very affordable price.
08:51So we saw that God is actually speaking to us and that happened for us.
08:55And also we just saw everything rolling out with our families, the way that they were coordinating for the Lomola.
09:03It was so simple.
09:04It was not as difficult as it usually is.
09:07And we know it to be.
09:08Everything just worked out within our families.
09:11So looking at it from my point of view, every time that we joined, we realized that by going back
09:19to God and making him our foundation and praying about our marriage and knowing that obviously by attending and also
09:26applying the building blocks of marriage, even just in the beginning, everything was just opening up.
09:33And then we saw the benefits of being married just by consistently attending the marriage seminars, it really changed our
09:41perspective, just the way we are as a couple, because what we did is that we completely surrendered to God.
09:49And as we kept on attending, because Brother Chris kept on saying that you have to surrender to God.
09:56That's the first thing that we have to do, because in marriage, it's God first and then it's husband and
10:01wife.
10:02And so everything became so simple because we were not resisting God, but we were going to God with our
10:09problems.
10:09And that's how we started seeing all of these changes.
10:14And also, like my husband mentioned, the cultural differences did not become a problem anymore, because in the very, very
10:22first seminar, Brother Chris was talking about we are building a Christian home.
10:27So it's not just about the cultural differences.
10:29All those processes, they meant nothing, because now we're just focusing on building a Christian home.
10:36So that really changed our lives, our mindset, our finances, because we're not looking at finances and culture, but we're
10:46looking at we are building a Christian home with a biblical foundation and understanding that we are now coming into
10:52a covenant of marriage.
10:54The wedding was more of a process where my husband's family comes to my family to pay Lomola.
11:02So we call it Lomola Aurora in his language.
11:05So in this wedding, the way it was so special is that usually you don't have the whole entire family
11:13from the husband's home.
11:14But because God had allowed, he managed to bring his whole family, his parents, and we saw that as a
11:22blessing.
11:23And also in the pictures there, you would see that's my husband's father praying for us because he's also a
11:30minister.
11:30So that was really a blessing for us because it was touching based on all the challenges that we had
11:37faced.
11:38And to go through such a memorable time, that was a blessing from God to have all of our families
11:44there.
11:44And what had happened, we had planned for 40 people, but because we understand that we come from big communities
11:53and cultures,
11:53we ended up having more than 100 people, but somehow God provided enough that we would be able to feed
12:02everyone who was there.
12:03So the wedding went, it was so special from what we had planned.
12:08And also just by being patient, we got more than what we actually even prayed for.
12:14Tafara, tell us now, how are the marriage seminars helping you in this step of being a husband?
12:20I think I can write a book if I'm to speak the whole day here.
12:25But the marriage seminars, as is always my advice, is when you attend the marriage seminars,
12:31you have to attend with an open heart and with a willing heart and with a heart that's willing to
12:38learn.
12:38Not only to just come and hear and then go, but to come here, meditate, let it influence your conduct
12:47and your character, and then apply it to your life.
12:49So for me, it has been about applying the principles in the marriage seminars.
12:56As I was talking about, in terms of financial management, there is so much transparency between the two of us.
13:02You know, it's not a question of, there is, let's say, friction when it comes to finances.
13:09Finance is one thing that we rarely fight about in this household.
13:14It's something, because of the mindset that we have, it changes the way you think, the way you approach money,
13:21the way you approach blessings.
13:23Because you know, whatever financial resource that you have, it was a blessing from God.
13:29So therefore, you need to steward it in the way that God expects you to steward it.
13:34So for that, for me, anything that has to come regarding financial issues between us as a husband and wife
13:44or as a household, we take it to God.
13:47Everything is through prayer.
13:48We pray.
13:49Okay, what do we need to do?
13:50We pray.
13:51We pray.
13:52And for me, that has been the key lesson of the marriage seminars, is that anchor your marriage in God
14:00first.
14:01And then you love your wife as Christ loved the church.
14:08So which means it's total sacrifice.
14:11It's total love, love without strings attached to it.
14:16So because of that, everything else just flows from love.
14:20Like she said, you know, given that we're coming from two different countries, two different cultures, you would think that
14:28it's something that was going to cause so much friction, so much resistance.
14:31But when God is in it, nothing is impossible.
14:35What I learned from this process is that a Christian home does not just happen.
14:42You have to understand that it's the building blocks are love, basically, and it starts from loving Christ, and then
14:50it will trickle down to me being able to love my husband.
14:54And the more I keep on surrendering to God, the more I'm able to do these things, because even in
15:01the seminars, brother Chris really stressed on this, that you cannot center yourself.
15:06You need to be able to sacrifice, and it made it easy for me to be able to submit, but
15:13also based on the fact that we are both Christians and we are following, it was not too difficult, because
15:19now I understand that my husband is the leader.
15:21And also the way that he leads, because he's taking his leadership from God, and it made me be safe
15:28to be able to follow through and surrender in my own marriage.
15:33So because of these seminars, it changed how I look at marriage, and also there is no 50-50, I
15:41understand my role, he understands his role.
15:44It's more of us being together, picking each other up, and following the word, and by making God our foundation,
15:52and that's the most important thing that has made me see our marriage in a different way.
15:58But also being in it now, applying it, and understanding these building blocks, being able to love him because I
16:04love God, because I have surrendered to God.
16:07So that is something that I've found to have helped me, and also doing things wholeheartedly.
16:15That is something that brother Chris kept on emphasizing on.
16:18So it really helped me joining the marriage seminars, because how I looked at it is that I just have
16:25to be able to submit to my husband, but same as him, by loving me.
16:30And that's why I'm so grateful that we kept on joining the marriage seminars.
16:34My word of advice would be to believe.
16:39Even in the first seminar, brother Chris said that the problem is that we are pretenders.
16:44We say that we are Christians, but we are not really, truly Christians.
16:49And so before you even attend the marriage seminars, firstly, if you say you want to build a Christian home,
16:56you need to firstly be a Christian.
16:58So what I would say is that anyone who wants to attend these marriage seminars, please surrender to God firstly.
17:09And the more you surrender to God, the more you'll be able to understand the message.
17:13So that is my main thing.
17:16And I would say anyone who wants to get married, please focus on that.
17:21Surrender to God.
17:23My advice to them, to everyone who's watching, everyone who's listening, is that go and watch those marriage seminars from
17:31last year into this year.
17:34They are very valuable.
17:36It's not brother Chris speaking.
17:39It's brother Chris speaking, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
17:43So take it as the word of God coming directly to you.
17:47And when you have learned and you're watching these seminars, truly, truly open your heart to it.
17:58Receive the word.
18:00Even with the scriptures that he puts along with the seminars, go and read afterwards.
18:08Meditate on the scriptures.
18:10Take it as seriously as you take your own life.
18:13Because if you are truly geared toward wanting to get married, it's not something that you can take lightly.
18:22So take it as it is your own life.
18:25And then God is leading you.
18:27You have to meditate on those scriptures.
18:30You have to meditate on the message.
18:32You have to keep on walking the path.
18:35It might not be easy.
18:37And because sometimes we are trying to fight and do things from a carnal perspective, with a carnal mindset that,
18:45no, I can do this.
18:46I can do this.
18:47No, you can't.
18:49You need God.
18:50God, everything is possible.
18:52So I would say, attend the marriage seminars.
18:56Also watch the previous marriage seminars.
18:58That will be of the greatest value to your life and to your future and to you building a Christian
19:05home, with God being the anchor and the head of your family and your marriage.
19:16When Brother Chris touched my knee, I knew it wasn't Brother Chris that touched me.
19:21I knew I was standing right before my maker, just using Brother Chris because he went straight into my problem.
19:41We'll see you then.
19:43Bye.
19:44Bye.
19:44Bye.
19:44Bye.
19:45Bye.
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