In this powerful episode, Buddy sits down with Raphael Vargas a serial entrepreneur who went from nearly being murdered at 18 to building a multimillion-dollar business empire, only to lose it all. This isn’t just a story of financial rise and fall—this is a testimony of how God refines us through the fire, kills the flesh, and prepares us for real purpose.

🎙️ We talk about: Near-death experiences & radical salvation Celibacy, discipline, and overcoming lust Killing the flesh & hearing God's voice Masculine leadership, dating, and identity How to rebuild when everything falls apart 🙌 “He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.” – Psalm 107:14 🙌 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” – Proverbs 9:10 🙌 “We are in the world, but not of the world.” – John 17:14-16

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Atheist to Faithful

01:12 – What “Faith Through the Fire” Means

02:40 – Raphael’s Backstory: Real Estate, Coaching, and Obedience

04:00 – Near-Death Experience & Hearing God

07:45 – Family Trauma & God’s Divine Protection

10:30 – How the Enemy Attacks Identity

12:20 – From Rejection to Relentless Obedience

14:05 – Rock Bottom: Losing $10M and Facing Death Threats

17:55 – Rediscovering Purpose & Rebuilding Through the Word

21:03 – Why Discipline Matters: Fasting, Celibacy, and Structure

24:15 – Masculinity, Dating & Spiritual Leadership

29:45 – Avoiding Lust: True Masculinity Protects, Doesn’t Take

34:30 – Final Advice: Don’t Date Until You’re Aligned with God

38:15 – Outro & What’s Next

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Let me know what your biggest takeaway was from this episode.👇

This is where it all began—Episode 1 of Faith Through The Fire. I sat down with my daughter Chanelle to open up about the hardest seasons of our life—addiction, prison, grief, betrayal—and how God used all of it to lead us to redemption. Her faith, her prayers, and her boldness brought me back to Christ. This is our raw, unfiltered story of generational healing through the Holy Spirit. 📖 “The prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective.” – James 5:16 ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Welcome to Faith Through The Fire 0:31 – Why this podcast had to begin with Chanelle 1:10 – Growing up without mom and dad 3:20 – What Chanelle remembers from her early childhood 5:21 – “I always knew where you were, Dad…” 6:45 – Spiritual darkness, bloody noses, and early church confusion 8:41 – Was it witchcraft? 12:34 – Reunion after prison, broken love languages 14:11 – Chanelle’s first major heartbreak in our relationship 17:00 – The start of my drug addiction and fall into the party life 19:56 – Discovering the truth about my lifestyle 23:55 – Chanelle: “I didn’t want to live anymore…” 25:20 – Her first encounter with the Holy Spirit 28:35 – Getting baptized despite opposition 30:50 – Praying for me to come to Jesus 32:30 – Her prayer broke generational chains 35:00 – The moment I was kidnapped 38:00 – Chanelle’s fear and the escape that changed everything 43:40 – A supernatural encounter at Popeyes 45:00 – How that moment changed my life forever 49:10 – Almost shot again in another toxic relationship 51:10 – Chanelle processes the betrayal 53:45 – Forgiveness vs. Trust 56:30 – Why the old me had to die 58:40 – Chanelle’s transformation and college journey 1:05:40 – When I let go, God took over 1:08:20 – Chanelle’s calling to help kids in pain 1:10:25 – What love is—and what it’s not 1:11:55 – Final word of encouragement 🙏 This testimony is for anyone who’s been broken, anyone who’s looked for love in the wrong places, and anyone ready to stop running and come home to God. ➡️ Follow our journey on Instagram: @buddybrandfitness 📲 Watch more on TikTok: @buddybrandfitness #FaithThroughTheFire #Testimony #ChristianPodcast #GenerationalHealing #JesusSaves #Forgiveness #HolySpirit #FatherDaughter #Redemption #VOUSChurch

Reading Today From James 2:14-17 The only "Work" that matters is this! Tune in this week for Bible study as we go deeper into this revelation!