George Janko on Marriage, Faith, and How Jesus Transformed His Life from Dead Success to Living Purpose
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George Janko on Marriage, Faith, and How Jesus Transformed His Life from Dead Success to Living Purpose
George Janko opens up about his spiritual transformation and the profound impact marriage had on his life. After achieving career success that left him feeling empty, George discovered that his prayers had been focused on himself rather than God's purpose. He shares his journey from living in the secular world, convincing his girlfriend to move in before marriage, to getting on his hands and knees in tears after realizing the blessing he had been pushing away. George challenges young people to stop fearing what the world tells them to fear, to prepare for what they pray for, and to understand that following Jesus isn't for the weak, it's the toughest thing he's ever done. With raw honesty, he confronts hookup culture, defends biblical marriage, and calls for Christians to stop dividing each other and start asking Christ what He wants from them.
George Janko reflects on his marriage transformation with striking honesty. He admits that before getting married, he wasn't following God's word. He slept with his wife before marriage, convinced her they should live together, and rationalized it all by thinking Jesus wouldn't get angry at him. But after experiencing marriage the way God intended, George realized something profound: God wasn't angry—He was sad.
"I lived in the world where is Jesus going to get mad at me? I mean is he going to get angry at me? And the truth is after I got married and I saw all the beauty behind it, he wasn't angry, he was sad when he sees that I chose the secular world," George explains.
When George finally got married, he got on his hands and knees and cried because he realized he had been pushing away the blessing God was offering him. He had taught everyone around him that it was okay to "get it out of your system" before marriage, but he learned quickly that if you fear anything besides God, you're going to pay for that.
Life Before and After Marriage
George compares his life before and after marriage in stark terms. Before marriage, he was constantly trying to find happiness and joy through clubs, women, and all the things the secular world offered. After marriage, his life became filled with joy, peace, and security. He learned how to be a husband, how to be a better son, and saw what his mom was doing that he didn't appreciate before.
He challenges men who claim they're waiting for God to bring them the right woman: "How dare you. Why would he bring you that woman when you're acting like a child? I am the head of my household but he is the head of everything. So how could he give me something to manage and grow with and build and teach and sharpen if my me myself I'm acting arrogant and selfish and stupid?"
George emphasizes that anything that goes against the word of God is foolishness, plain and simple.
Overcoming the Anti-Marriage Propaganda
When asked how to overcome the cultural messaging that marriage is outdated and not worth it, George's answer is direct: "Don't listen to the world, listen to God. Plain and simple."
He explains that God didn't give rules and regulations because He sits on a throne demanding obedience. He gave them because He's our Father and He loves us. The fear of God isn't about being scared of disappointing Him because He'll unleash pain—it's the same fear George has with his earthly father, not wanting to disappoint someone who has sacrificed so much.
"We've lived in a world where everybody wants to give their truth. There's no such thing. There's only one truth, there's only one way, there's only one," George declares.
The Dead Bury the Dead: Finding Life in Surrender
George shares a powerful biblical passage that transformed his understanding. A man wanted to bury his relative and asked Jesus for time. Jesus responded, "Let the dead bury the dead." George didn't understand this until he reached the peak of his career, with the best finances and everything he had begged God for at his possession—yet he felt dead inside.
"I'm looking around and I feel like that dead man and I asked God, God how is it that I feel dead here but when I was working at Five Guys I felt alive? And he whispered in my heart not audibly but he said because when you were flipping burgers you thought about what I wanted not what you wanted."
This revelation changed George's prayer life completely. He realized every time he talked to God, he only talked about himself and his needs. God asked him how He could send George to do great work if all he was concerned about was himself. George humbled himself and his new prayers became focused on walking in the Spirit and bearing the fruits of the Spirit.
Prepare for What You Pray For
George challenges the common saying "be careful what you pray for," declaring that Satan is behind that phrase. Instead, he insists: "Prepare for what you pray for. Following Jesus isn't for the weak, it's the toughest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but he did all of the work."
He encourages new Christians to prepare to be in the presence of a light they've never experienced before. When you stand before God in such a bright atmosphere, you suddenly realize who you are—you see your flaws and your imperfections. But if any man tells you to clean yourself up first before you're ready to meet God, he goes against scripture. Jesus says come as you are.
"You could never work for what he's going to give to you for free. It's a gift. You don't have to work for a gift. Christmas is around the corner, have any of you worked for that gift? So then why do we question our God for salvation?"
We Kicked God Out and Wonder Why Things Are Dark
George doesn't hold back when addressing the state of the country: "The reason why we're in a dark place right now in this country—and a lot of people might get mad at me for saying this—we kicked God out of this country. You can't complain about the schools after you took God out of the schools. You cannot get upset about the government when you know damn well they don't care about Christ, but they did before when we were prospering."
His solution is simple: "All it takes is one person to stand up and says no, I'm not going to believe the lie. You could tell the snake grab the apple kick a rock, I follow my God, my king."
Pain and Sorrow Brought Him Back
When asked what had the biggest impact on him coming back to Christianity, George's answer is honest: "Pain and sorrow." He grew up in a Middle Eastern household where his parents never spared the rod, and he believes there needs to be proper order and structure in families.
He references a conversation with Ben Carson who said, "We cannot be the land of the free if we are not the home of the brave." George asks what people are being brave about. People tell him they love the way he speaks about Jesus, and his response is, "Why are you scared about talking about Jesus?"
"Have you not read the gospel where there was millions of people against barely anybody and all they did is dance and sing and praise God and all the armies fell down to their feet? And you're scared about a social media post? You're scared that somebody's going to unfollow you? You're scared you're not going to have enough followers? Jesus had 12. One unfollowed him."
Stop Dividing Each Other
George makes a passionate appeal for Christian unity: "The only people we have to be worried about is the people here, our neighbors. We are too busy dividing each other. A house that is divided cannot stand, and I see more Christians going after Christians than I've ever seen in my life."
He emphasizes that if you're going to righteously judge a man, you better bring the word of God to the table. When you see your neighbor who believes in God but maybe his traditions, worship, or church isn't perfect to the word of God, be the one that God sent to help him get on the right path instead of kicking him while he's down.
"There's enough people in this country to say that we're crazy for believing in Christ. My sister and I don't always agree but there will never be one of you guys that could take us apart from each other. Why? Because she's my family. And if you say that Jesus is Lord and king, you are my family regardless of where you're from."
Marching Orders for College Campuses
When asked what young people's marching orders should be for spreading the gospel on college campuses, George emphasizes humility: "Humility plays a big part in Jesus working with you. A lot of people would come up to me like oh my God the way you preach, but I never preached. All I did was work on my flaws in front of the world and there God was able to grow fruit."
He explains that it wasn't because he was telling people to follow him—it was because he was showing people what not to do based on how he almost robbed himself. Once he took the time to ask Jesus what He wanted from him, everything in his life became fruitful.
"If you think you're talented now, if you think you're wise now, if you think that you're sharp now, wait until you go to the king of kings and say hey, what do you want from me."
You Are Who You Hang Out With
George uses the biblical metaphor of sheep to make his point: "In the gospel we're sheep. I don't know if you ever hung out with sheep before but they do two things: they act like the other sheep next to them and then they scream for help all the time."
His advice is to start your morning with Christ, fill yourself up with the Holy Spirit, so that when you walk outside you're not acting like your friends who don't believe in Jesus Christ, but your friends will start acting like you who are reflecting Jesus Christ.
Read the Gospel for Yourself
George encourages people to read the Bible themselves rather than relying on others to tell them what God is saying: "I think we got into a very lazy generation where people would rather have another man tell them what God is saying. But how many of you guys like listening to me talk? I appreciate it, but what if I told you I'm a pile of dirt and nothing I say should ever be something you guys should take to heart?"
He explains that he's just a man trying to figure it out, and the only reason he might inspire people is because he's bringing a tiny percentage of what he received from Christ. "Imagine where our country would be if we stop asking our neighbors what we could do and if we start asking Jesus what we could do."
Final Challenge: Know How Much Jesus Loves You
George closes with a reference to John F. Kennedy's famous quote, reimagining it for the kingdom of God: "Don't ask what the country could do for you but what you could do for the country. I stand before you guys as George Janko and I'm saying this truly to you guys, our people, our family, for our kingdom: stop asking your neighbors, your country, your family what you should be, how you should act, and what you should be doing. Go to your creator, go to Christ. He knows you more than you'll ever know and he loves you with all of his heart."
His final words carry a powerful message: "The problem is you do not know Jesus enough. The truth is you do not know how much Jesus loves you. Because if you would have known that, you would have ripped your clothes off, gone to the church, put your head onto the ground and did nothing besides worship the way the angels in heaven are worshiping God."
