In this episode of 12-Minute Convos with Jesus Believers, Engel Jones connects with missionary and youth leader Ishaya Gabriel Balarabe. Growing up, Ishaya experienced vivid, mysterious dreams that sparked his journey into discovering the person of Jesus Christ. Encouraged by a pastor to open up to his mother, Ishaya found that she possessed a spiritual gift for interpreting his dreams, each of which came to pass with remarkable accuracy. This shared spiritual bond eventually paved the way for his father's powerful conversion and complete deliverance from alcoholism. Ishaya shares the pivotal moments that solidified his faith, including a convention where he was singled out from a crowd while reading his Bible to pray for others undergoing deliverance. Later, as a university student, a skeptic challenged Ishaya by predicting his passion for God would fade by his third year. Instead of falling away, that challenge set Ishaya on an unyielding path of commitment.
Today, Ishaya serves as a dedicated missionary on the front lines, working with teenagers and equipping the next generation to stand firm in Christ. If you want to be encouraged by a story of prophetic dreams, family transformation, and unwavering youth ministry, Ishaya's testimony will inspire you!
Guest's Bio
Ishaye Gabriel Balarabe is a Nigerian pastor, educator, author, youth formation advocate and founder of the Teenage Formation and Leadership Initiative (TFLI), a movement committed to helping teenagers understand who they are, discover purpose and develop the capacity to lead and serve.
His work with teenagers is deeply rooted in his own journey through pain, identity crisis, personal struggles and transformation. Having experienced seasons that challenged his understanding of identity, purpose and direction, Gabriel came through that journey with a conviction that became central to his life: young people should have someone to walk with them while they are still discovering who they are and who they can become.
He captured part of this journey in his book, Still Standing Here, which reflects the movement from pain and uncertainty towards faith, identity, purpose and hope. What began as a personal journey of transformation has grown into a passion for helping teenagers navigate their own journeys.
Through TFLI, Gabriel has reached more than 1,300 teenagers across 17 Nigerian states, working with young people in schools and communities and engaging families and young people beyond Nigeria. The initiative has developed a growing international presence, with connections and participants across the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.
His work focuses on teenage formation, identity, purpose, emotional intelligence, experiential discipleship, life navigation, leadership and service, helping young people move beyond simply becoming successful to becoming grounded, purposeful and responsible people.
Gabriel is a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria and brings together pastoral ministry, teaching, writing and youth formation in his work. He holds degrees and professional qualifications in Geography and Christian Religious Studies, disciplines that have strengthened his understanding of people, communities, faith and the social realities that shape young lives. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Population Studies at the University of Jos.
At the heart of Gabriel's story is a simple conviction: pain does not have to be the end of a person's story. It can become the soil from which purpose grows. His journey from pain and identity struggles to purpose and service continues to shape his commitment to helping the next generation stand, discover who they are and become who they were created to be."
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishayagabrielbalarabe/