There is no truer blessing than experiencing the presence of the Lord. What happens thoughwhen one doesn’t understand the magnitude of the grace they have been afforded?
This week, a young man, Bonginkosi Malangwane, a 27-year-old from Simunye FEA, gives a retelling of how worldly desires steered him away from God’s presence.
“Growing up as a pastor’s child didn’t really mean I was born a Christian, to be honest. I always just thought me attending church was enough. It took me my whole childhood and teenage years to understand that it really wasn’t just that.
In 2012, I got saved and that was my first true encounter with God. I think that was the time I felt God’s hand over me. So, I started serving as a fully committed Christian in church and became a member of the praise and worship team. I got baptised on March 23, 2015. The journey felt truly amazing and I found peace in Christ,” he narrates.
In 2019, Malangwane recalls experiencing setbacks that deterred him from his path: “I had quite a few attacks; I slowly drifted away from God’s presence until I was completely away from church. The devil used me in many ways; I started engaging in alcohol and enjoyed all kinds of worldly pleasures.”
However, in 2022, he started making his way back to the house of the Lord; “because the streets were not working for me and I was a mess. I needed nothing else than just feeling God speak to me again, but that took long.”
The year 2023 was a redefining year for Malangwane, as he walked away from sin and set on a path of righteousness. “Since then, I have been clean and pure. I got back to church and never looked back. I am standing today as a testimony of God’s undeserving Grace!
“My faith in Christ has grown stronger and tighter now than before. I have found myself eternal peace; I’ve learnt to trust in Him more than anything, despite all the challenges and how testing life can be and trust in His promises,” Malangwane testifies.
He continues to serve the Lord using his gift of singing in the Simunye FEA praise and worship team. “I’d encourage young people to run to Christ for there is no longer time! It is our time to serve Him like we are mad; the things of the world are only meant to kill and destroy us, but Christ is our only Saviour! Let us seek God more than anything else; there’s nothing more peaceful than knowing there’s a God in Heaven, who doesn’t care how many times we’ve sinned, but only accepts us as we are, as long as our hearts are true in seeking His presence,” Malangwane advised.
