Hello and welcome to Pathway to Freedom by the Life by Design. I'm your host, Virireader Harry, also known as Vee, and I'm so glad you're here. This podcast is a space for us to uncover God's original blueprint for life so you can walk in the freedom he intended for you from the very beginning. Each week we'll explore faith, family, finances, health, purpose, and much more. Why? Because you were created in his image on purpose and for purpose. Be sure to follow so you never miss an episode. Welcome to Pathway to Freedom by the Life by Design, where we rediscover God's original blueprint for our lives. Because you were created in his image on purpose and for purpose. Hello, my name is Virireader, but feel free to call me Vee. I'm so glad you're here. This space is all about learning to live free, grounded in truth, anchored in faith, and aligned with who God created you to be. Each episode is a journey toward wholeness, renewal, and a deeper understanding in Christ. Today though, I'm gonna be sharing something deeply personal. The story behind why Pathway to Freedom. You see, before I could ever help anyone find freedom in Christ, I had to experience what real freedom meant for myself. There was a time where I can truly say I believed in God, I went to church, I got baptized, but I didn't know that believing in God wasn't the same as having a relationship with Him. You see, I thought being a Christian meant trying harder, fixing myself, and doing better. I didn't realize I was living by the flesh, not by the spirit. But God, in his mercy, began to show me the difference. I didn't need to do more for him. I needed to be with him, to sit still long enough to hear his voice, to stop trying to earn what he had already given: grace, love, and identity in Christ. That's when I began to understand freedom isn't about performance, it's about surrender. Real freedom comes when we stop striving to be good enough and start resting in the truth that Jesus already made us complete. That revelation right there changed everything. I gotta tell you, not overnight, but over time and still. And it's the reason Pathway to Freedom exists today to help others experience that same transformation from religion to relationship, from striving to surrender, from believing in God to truly knowing Him. Before we begin, I want to share that today's episode is a little longer than usual because this one holds the heart of Pathway to Freedom. It's my personal journey of how God turned religion into relationship and showed me what real freedom in Christ truly means. You know, people would say Jesus is God's son, he died for your sins, and I would nod, but inside I had questions. Questions that I was afraid to ask. I remember wondering, if Jesus came back to life, why was his death such a big deal? I missed that part. Didn't God just get his son back? Of course, I didn't say this out loud, but the question stayed in my heart. One day I got real with God. I prayed. God, I believe in you. I really do, but I really don't understand, you know, Jesus. I don't know about Jesus. That part has me confused. I don't understand. I want to, but I don't. Please show me who Jesus is. That prayer was the beginning of change for me. It was December 2018, and from the outside, life looked pretty good. I was successful, vice president of operations, earning well over six figures, but inside, I felt empty. I prayed, God, you know, I feel like I'm playing small in this world. There's just there's this empty void. I don't think I'm doing what I came to this earth to do. God, please give me radical positive transformation. I want to be evicted from this life. I want my life to be barely recognizable in the best way possible. I gotta tell you, I didn't know what I was asking for, but I meant it. I truly meant it. It came from my heart, and God heard me. That prayer was answered on August 2nd, 2019. That day I had a near-death encounter with God. He allowed me to see that I was dying by showing me the people in the room as spirit energy. They no longer had flesh. That was his message. I was leaving this world. I said, God, I don't want to die. It's too, it's too soon. Remember all the stuff I have to get done? Remember and remember my family? Remember, I gotta do the life by design, I gotta do. And I just started rattling off things that I needed to get done. And he responded clearly. Ask and you shall receive. It wasn't audible, it was loud in my spirit. I remember being overjoyed. I said, That's right, Lord. You didn't say ask and I'll think about it. You said ask and you shall receive. So I asked him to let me live, to fulfill my purpose and finish what he placed me here to do. And he did. And he did. Even as I lay in ICU, I could see and hear everything. I saw my family, I saw their faces, and I heard the doctor explaining to them what had happened. Though my physical body was in a medicated coma and couldn't feel, my spirit was fully awake. I felt peace and joy beyond what words can describe. Within days, I recovered from what doctors said was impossible. Two major surgeries, seven transfusions, and organ damage. Yet I felt no pain. My body healed completely. I walked out pain free, with only follow-up appointments to confirm everything was healing correctly. No ongoing treatment, no medication, and no dialysis required. Yeah. That's when I knew. That's when I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt. God didn't just save my life, He gave me new life. That day was the beginning of my true relationship with Him. Man, was that a beautiful day? I will never ever forget that. Before that encounter, I didn't even understand my soul. I thought I was my titles. You know, I'm a wife, I'm a mother, a leader. I didn't know my soul was me, the unseen seat of my will, emotions, and desires. When God pulled back the veil, I saw my soul and my spirit. It was real, it was sobering, and it was so beautiful. That day, I stopped just believing about God and began walking with Him. The encounter, it wasn't just about life and death, it was about identity, about soul, spirit, and purpose. That's when the journey of pathway to freedom began. Because freedom starts when you finally know who you are, not by what you do or what people say, but by who God says you are. And when you know whose you are, everything else, your purpose, your peace, your confidence flows from that truth. That's the real freedom. Knowing who you are, and even more, knowing whose you are, because when you truly belong to Him, nothing else can define you. Before that moment, I was living below the promises of God. I was fearful, worried, stressed, and restless. I was saved, but not walking in freedom. I had religion, not relationship. I heard phrases like save your soul, but no one explained what that meant. I didn't realize my soul was a part of me. God longed to restore the eternal part that thinks, feels, and chooses. That's why the pathway to freedom had to be born, to bridge the gap between the words we say and the truth our hearts need to understand. God met me in my honesty. He began revealing Jesus not as a symbol, but as the living Son of God who came to restore me to the Father. I used to pray and then try to fix everything myself, as if God needed my help. I thought hustle was faith, but I learned that freedom doesn't come from striving, it comes from surrender. It's not passive surrender, it's active trust. Active trust means walking out your faith while resting in God's faithfulness. Taking the next step he shows you. Take that step that is being revealed to you. Even when you can't see the whole path, it's choosing obedience over control, movement over fear, and confidence that he's working behind the scenes while you stay aligned with his direction. Because faith is not pretending the storm doesn't exist, it's choosing to trust the one who commands the winds, the waves, gravity, and all creation itself. When I stopped begging people and started trusting God, everything changed. I began to see that He is not just a giver of resources, He is the source. That revelation brought peace beyond understanding. If you're listening and if you've ever been confused, tired, or just questioning your faith, you're not alone. You're not fake, you're not failing, you're just unfinished, and God can work with honesty. You see, He meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. Sometimes we say all the right words, you know, but our hearts haven't yet caught up with what our mouths declare. You get that, right? And that's okay. Because God isn't judging our faith by its volume, but by its growth. Faith is strengthened in that sacred space between what we speak and what we're still learning to truly believe. That's why pathway to freedom had to be born, to bridge the gap between the words we speak in faith and the truth our hearts are still learning to fully believe. Because you see, it's one thing to say we trust God and another to truly live from that trust when life shakes us. This is why pathway to freedom exists, to help bridge the gap between religion and relationship. Belief and understanding. It's about transformation from the inside out, healing your soul, renewing your mind, and discovering what life in Christ truly means. This space was created to help close that distance where belief becomes understanding and understanding becomes transformation. If your heart is open, God will show you who Jesus is, because only God can reveal him. This is a spiritual revelation, not intellectual knowledge. We are mere humans, blind until our eyes are opened, and we are restored to our Creator through Christ, who came to give life, not to condemn. The journey to freedom begins with knowing who we are and whose we are. And as we'll explore together, God's word reminds us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there too is freedom. That's the heart of freedom. Knowing Jesus for yourself, not just for knowing about Him. And once you truly know Him, you will never be the same. I promise you that. You'll never be the same. You can't be the same. He transforms you from the inside out. As you reflect on today's message, remember freedom isn't a destination, it's a daily walk with God. Each step we take in truth draws us closer to the life He designed for us from the very beginning. I'm Vee, and I pray something I share today helps you to see yourself and your journey through the lens of His grace. Stay encouraged, stay anchored, and keep walking in freedom. Thank you for tuning in to Pathway to Freedom by the Life by Design, where we rediscover God's original blueprint for our lives because you were created in his image on purpose and for purpose. Until next time, walk boldly in his design. If today's episode encouraged you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs this message. Until next time, walk boldly in his design and embrace the freedom he intended for you.