My Story

Mine is not a story of wayward living and drugs resulting in a desperate call on the Lord but rather that of a small quiet, and beckoning voice of the Holy Ghost who cautioned me that whether good or bad, unless I call on the name of the Lord that I too would be dammed.

I was blessed to grow up in a home with parents who pointed be towards the Lord. Besides this, as a family, we attended a small, Pentecostal fellowship which were fully persuaded of the fact that "All Scripture [was] inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness". This fundamental, Bible-believing fellowship of believers, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, played a crucial role in moulding me into the person that I am today. Their discipleship engendered in me a love for the Word of God and the fellowship of the saints, while the teachings that I received provided me with a solid foundation in Christ together with a good knowledge and understanding of His word.

As a baby, during the services I slept under the pews. As I got older, I would read a book or colour in pictures, sitting at my parents' feet while they listened or participated in the service. By twelve years old I was an active listener, engaging in the meetings while sitting alongside my parents. By that time I knew the songs by heart and had a sound knowledge of scripture and understanding of what we commonly believed. Things like Sunday school, Junior Church and Youth Group activities were always scheduled at times that did not clash with the main services times and these we attended as a family right up until the time that I left home to study and then to work.

Mine was not a unique experience but was the same as the other youth growing up in our church. Not only were we attending regular church services but from young we were all encouraged to participate in these meetings either through prayer, testimony or sharing a word. Indeed, this foundation had an eternal impact, establishing our spiritual well-being and growth. I have often said to the younger folk that you don't just wake up one day saying, "Today I'm going to be a teacher of Scripture, or today I'm going to do this or that for the Lord." Generally, when it comes to spiritual things, our desires and actions start like a small seed which needs to be exposed to the elements while being protected and nurtured. When this happens, this seed is then given the opportunity to grow into a strong and established tree that by God's grace will not only stand unmoved in life's storms but will also be a source of strength and comfort to other. I thank God that the church environment that I grew up in provided me with the opportunity to be exercised in and to grow in the Word.

I don't remember when I confessed my need of Him, repented of my sin, and committed my life to Christ but I do know that it happened somewhere between the ages of 7 and 10 years old. During this time, I remember very clearly walking down the school corridors chatting with God as one would talk to your father. While I have often not been true or faithful to Him, ever since those days He has always been true and faithful to me. I used to think that having dark past with a radical turn to Christ would have made me a better Christian and witness for Christ, however age and experience has shown me that this is not the necessarily the case. Rather I now consider myself fortunate to not have to deal with the consequences of truly bad past decisions; and for this I am truly grateful.

While the details are now a little vague, there was a period in my life (somewhere in my late pre-teens) that I stopped attending fellowship regularly. For about two years I wondered in a spiritual wilderness, not rejecting the Lord but at the same time not allowing Him to be Lord of my life. Two issues helped fuel this state and those were ones of pride and hate. My pride was simply part of my adamic nature while the hate issue was a result of a fistfight that I got myself into. These experiences taught me how crippling secret sins of the heart can be. At the end of the day I confessed both, forgave and forgot and was able to reconnect with my Lord again.

The following was a watershed experience for me; if I remember correctly, it took place somewhere in the middle of the above period. One evening in the middle of the night I woke up to a very real and evil presence in my room. At that moment, as I fled my room I realised that I was either serving God fully or I was not serving Him at all; if I was serving God half-baked then I could land up being at the mercies of a different master. While the result of this was me recommitting my life to Christ it also resulted in my living in paralyzing fear of the dark for about two years. The conclusion of this was me having to truly work out my salvation with Christ, continually calling on Him, and trusting Him to deliver me from this blinding fear which in the end He did do; praise His name.

Other highlights in my walk with the Lord were when I was baptised as well as when I received the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Both milestones reflect the gracious and patient working of God in my life and confirmed that no matter who we are, or how old we are, that He wants relationship with us.

And what more can I say except that through the years that my Lord has proved Himself to be faithful, patient and continually merciful in my life. Further, I confess with Job that I know that my redeemer lives and I have a hope that even though I may often miss the mark that He does love me and that (probably in the not too distant future) all that are His will be gathered together to Him in glory, together with the great cloud of witnesses. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus".