VL - Issue 40 - July 2021

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GOD IS PURSUING YOU THE STORY OF VENNESA VIEKE For as far back as I can remember, I have felt drawn to Christ. When I was a kid, my school held regular retreats and reflection days that allowed us to consider God. They gave us Christian crosses and other reminders of God’s love. I knew these people had something I needed, but my father, whom I loved dearly, was an atheist. Wanting to honor him, I denied all things Christian. After all, he was my dad, and I trusted him. My father and I enjoyed water skiing together. We lived in Western Australia, and he took me to competitions all over the country. We competed for 10 years, and I longed to be a world champion skier. I had the opportunity to represent Australia at various international events. At 18, I began working at a surf shop in my hometown of Perth. Suddenly, it seemed every time I turned around, there was a Bible thumper in my path. Christians were everywhere! PHOTO BY SALT ON MY LENS 20 Issue 03 / 2021 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
One day, a coworker invited me to church, and for some reason, I went. Everything the pastor said made sense to me and resonated with something deep in my spirit. At the end of the service, the pastor invited people to accept Jesus into their lives. My arm immediately shot up in the air, and I made my way to the front of the church. I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior that day. Excited, I went home and shared my decision with those closest to me. But just as in my youth, my loved ones didn’t share in my excitement; they were sure I’d joined a cult. I immediately felt guilt and remorse for going against the wishes and beliefs of my family. Their approval meant so much to me that I never went back to that church, and I denied my faith in Christ. When I was 21, my father died from throat cancer. His absence left a deep hole in my heart, and I began a subconscious search for a father figure to replace him. Sadly, I didn’t pursue my heavenly Father, the only One who could heal my broken heart. Instead, I turned to the pleasures and offerings of the world. I focused on getting my degree and working hard. And with every day that went by, I grew more liberal and more deceived by the enemy’s lies. After my father passed away, I began skiing with a Christian couple named Steve and Jenny. I didn’t know it, but they were praying and fasting for me, asking God to help me surrender to His love. There were times that their very presence annoyed me because I felt like they were always trying to influence me with their faith. But in my heart, I knew I needed what they had. Years later, they told me how they’d shed many tears as they petitioned the Lord to save my soul. They had even grown frustrated, wondering why in the world God wasn’t moving faster. But God had a plan, and He was at work. In 2012, my mom faced the same cancer battle that my father had, and I almost lost her. At that point, I made plans to move to the northern territory of Australia. I was hoping to escape my pain and find healing and wholeness in a new place, far away from home. The week before I was to leave, some friends threw me a going-away party at their farm. At the end of the evening, I climbed into a car with them; we had all been drinking. I was in the middle of the back seat without a seatbelt when suddenly, the car veered off the road and slammed into a tree. Only by God’s grace was I not ejected through the front windshield. One of my friends was critically injured. I suffered a concussion, an eye laceration, and a fractured bone in my eye socket. I’ll never forget waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Amid that bloody scene, I began to pray and ask my Father—my heavenly Father—to save us. My friends and I survived the incident, but my head trauma prevented me from moving up north. It also forced me to cancel an upcoming vacation to Mexico. I had been looking forward to traveling with my friends and partying it up on a different continent. Now I had to put my international plane ticket on hold. A year later, an urge to qualify for the world water-ski championships began stirring within me. I hadn’t skied competitively since my father passed away. Remembering that I still had an international ticket available, I booked a flight to South Florida to train with Chet Raley, a world-renowned water-ski coach. Incredibly, I wasn’t at his training site five minutes before Chet and one of his boat drivers, Noah, began talking about Jesus. I couldn’t believe my ears. Could I not go anywhere in this world without having to hear about God? I grew more irritated by their conversation by the second. Sure, I had prayed to God when I needed help at the scene of that car accident, and I was grateful for His intervention. But I was by no stretch of the imagination ready to give up my life plans to follow Jesus. I was still in denial and on the run. Then, something crazy happened. Noah asked if I wanted to hang out later that week with some friends. I accepted the invitation but wrestled with it the rest of the day. I wasn’t ready to socialize on a grand scale. I had come to America to train and to reach my goal of becoming a world champion water skier. Partying wouldn’t get me there. I had heard him talking to someone else about doing something at a church on Wednesday though. I ended up writing an email that canceled I HEARD HIM WHISPER, “I HAVE PICKED YOU UP AND PLACED YOU HERE. SURRENDER. IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO LET GO.” our plans…and then asked if I could join him for the church meeting. I hit Send, and then realized what I’d just done. What in the world? Church was the last place I wanted to go. Why did I say that? I know now that God was at work, and the rest is history. Noah and I ended up going to church on April 10, 2013. I’ll never forget that date because it’s the day I laid my life down before Christ. The moment I stepped into Calvary Chapel, God’s loving arms wrapped around me. He engulfed me with His VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM Issue 03 / 2021 21
Page 1 and 2: REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL H
Page 3 and 4: ISSUE 3, JULY 2021 Humble yourselve
Page 5 and 6: ISSUE 3, JULY 2021 CONTENTS 8 9 15
Page 7 and 8: Through the stories of Victorious L
Page 9 and 10: STEPPING FORWARD God’s weapon of
Page 11 and 12: TRANSFORMED LIVES 300 articles and
Page 13 and 14: God has blessed me greatly, but ple
Page 15 and 16: STEPPING FORWARD The Importance of
Page 17 and 18: PHOTO BY TOM ROWE erything else I h
Page 19: STEPPING FORWARD hastily open the d
Page 23 and 24: BY NOAH VIEKE PHOTO BY SALT ON MY L
Page 25 and 26: STEPPING FORWARD Embrace Your Purpo
Page 27 and 28: there. My life became a witness to
Page 29 and 30: STEPPING FORWARD God’s Provision:
Page 31 and 32: TRANSFORMED LIVES ESCAPING EGYPT BY
Page 33 and 34: GOING DEEPER: Christ Can Make the D

VL - Issue 40 - July 2021

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