From Secular Music to Worship: Music, Marriage, Forgiveness & Adoption | Josh Banton's Testimony

What happens when God asks you to surrender the very thing you’ve spent years building? In this powerful and deeply vulnerable episode of The Raw Faith Podcast, Marlyn sits down with Christian music artist, husband, and father Josh Banton for a testimony about surrender, obedience, marriage, forgiveness, adoption, and discovering what it truly means to live for God. Josh opens up about his journey from secular music into Christian music—and the moment God confronted him with a question that changed everything: Whose name are you trying to glorify—His or yours? He shares how God interrupted his plans, halted a music video that could have deeply impacted his marriage, and ultimately redirected his musical gift toward God's glory. What looked like disappointment and closed doors became divine protection and redemption. But Josh's testimony goes much deeper. He gets vulnerable about the struggles within his marriage, learning to surrender his pride and ego, choosing to love his wife even when it's difficult, and understanding that biblical marriage requires daily sacrifice, humility, prayer, and obedience. He also shares the powerful story of being adopted, growing up with questions of rejection and abandonment, discovering his biological family, and learning how God's grace can redefine the wounds we carry. And perhaps one of the most moving parts of the conversation is Josh's perspective on being forgiven—what it feels like to receive grace when you know you have fallen short, and how someone else's willingness to forgive him changed the way he understands God's unconditional love. This conversation is a reminder that sometimes what feels like a closed door is actually God's protection. Sometimes surrender is the beginning of your real purpose. And sometimes God doesn't take away the gift—He simply changes who the gift is for. In this episode, we talk about: • Leaving secular music behind and becoming a Christian artist • Hearing God say, “Change the message and I’ll bless the music” • Surrendering your gifts and ambitions to God • Finding validation in God instead of people's applause • How obedience transformed Josh's music • Marriage, humility, pride, and learning to serve your spouse • Fighting for your marriage through difficult seasons • The power of forgiveness and extending grace • Adoption, rejection, abandonment, and identity • How God can redeem the things we thought were broken • The story behind Josh's song “Stand On It” • Trusting God when He interrupts your plans If you've ever struggled with surrender, purpose, identity, forgiveness, marriage, rejection, or wondering why God keeps closing certain doors, this episode is for you. Sometimes God isn't saying no. He's protecting you from what you can't see. Host IG: @therealmsmarlyn Podcast IG & Tiktok: @therawfaithpodcast Guest IG: @joshbantonn YouTube: @joshbantonn1 — 🎙️ The Raw Faith Podcast is a guest-based Christian podcast where real people share their testimonies, faith journeys, and honest conversations about walking with Jesus in today’s world. 00:00 — Intro & Meet Josh Banton 01:45 — Josh’s Background & Music Journey 05:30 — The Moment God Challenged His Music 07:25 — When God Interrupted His Plans 11:00 — What Surrendering His Music to God Looked Like 15:40 — Trading People’s Validation for God’s Approval 20:00 — The Story Behind “Stand On It” 24:00 — How Surrender Changed His Marriage 28:15 — Choosing God Over Pride in Marriage 30:15 — Seeking God Together as a Couple 34:50 — The Music Video God Stopped 39:15 — When God Turns Closed Doors Into Redemption 41:40 — The Power of Receiving Forgiveness 46:15 — A Father’s Radical Example of Grace 48:25 — Adoption, Rejection & Finding Family 52:00 — “God Chose Me”: Finding Hope in His Story 54:25 — Rapid-Fire Faith Questions 57:40 — Closing Prayer & Encouragement 1:02:25 — Final Thoughts & Outro #ChristianTestimony #ChristianPodcast #TheRawFaithPodcast #FaithJourney #ChristianMusic #ChristianArtist #GodsPlan #SurrenderToGod #ChristianMarriage #forgiveness #Jesus #God #Faith #Prayer #Testimony #GodsTiming #Purpose #Redemption #Obedience #Christianity #Bible #HolySpirit #Marriage #Adoption #Healing #Transformation