As the prayer was ongoing, suddenly the pain disappeared
and I really felt peace in my heart, which is something that I've never felt since I was born.
As I was growing up, I've always had this in my heart to say -
it seems like it's really not me who's living; I’m living someone’s life.
Since that Interactive Prayer, that's when
I felt like I'm being connected to the real me.
That's when I had control of my heart.
You devil, wherever you are operating in their lives,
your time of deception has come to an end.
Your time of stealing, killing and destruction has come to an end.
I command you devil, to leave right now!
Leave with your bondage!
Leave with your sickness!
Leave with your nightmares!
Leave with your pain!
Leave with your depression!
My name is Lonwabo and I'm connecting from South Africa.
The person next to me is my lovely wife, Tumediso.
And the reason I joined the Interactive Prayer with Brother Chris was that
I had a problem with excessive anxiety.
I was suffering from this problem for over 18 years.
Back in the days when I was still in tertiary school,
one thing that I remember vividly when I had this challenge -
I stopped going to church.
And that was because I had a fear that I just could not control,
over losing my bursary because my studies were funded by a bursary scheme.
So there came a point, when I was going through my studies,
I felt like the time that I spent going to church, attending church services
was actually taking much of my time and I wasn't focusing enough in my studies.
And therefore, I was afraid that I was going to lose my bursary
and that would have meant I wouldn't be able to continue with my studies.
So that’s just how the problem affected me from when I was back at the tertiary school.
And also, this problem persisted because
by the grace of God, when I completed my studies, after five years of study,
I was ready to begin a new job.
So one thing that was strange with my situation -
I think for anyone, when they start their new job,
there is excitement of getting a new job, sustainable means of making a living.
But my situation was a little bit different in the sense that I was overwhelmed by fear.
What would the people I’m joining in this new job think of me, of my competency?
Am I competent enough?
Am I the right fit for the position?
So I was just overwhelmed with questions that I couldn't really answer.
And that added a lot of frustration.
The focus wasn't really on me starting the new job.
I felt uneasy with the whole situation of a new job.
As I was gaining experience over the years, I got promoted to a management position.
So the position itself obviously brought additional demands
in terms of accountability and responsibilities.
And I was still having this problem.
So it actually made it more intensive with the additional load.
Because there was so much expected at work
and I was still battling with this excessive anxiety.
So it got worse around 2023, last year.
I was having a lot of headaches that I couldn't control.
And then I started taking some general pills to try and ease the pain
and to just get me going through the days.
But really, that didn't seem to be a permanent solution.
And then I got to a point where I was referred to a specialist,
a psychiatrist by our family doctor,
That’s where I was actually diagnosed for the first time with excessive anxiety.
That was around April 2023.
And then, in that process, I was put on treatment,
three weeks of treatment where I was taking some medication
that was aimed at helping me to try and recover from this anxiety.
But I did not really end up finishing this treatment session
because there were side effects.
I used to feel dizzy at work and it used to change my mood.
And I was not myself. I would react very awkwardly,
especially if I was in front of or among people.
So I decided to discontinue the treatment,
and I was really looking for a solution that would help me
and I didn’t have any at the time.
This problem really impacted not only my career but also my family as well.
Because when I was going through the phases where I was being frustrated
by the work demands and I couldn't really find solution,
even a professional solution to the problem,
I ended up drinking and in the process, I was also fornicating,
I was thinking that this would alleviate the situation and help but that really didn’t help.
But instead, it really threatened my marriage with my wife.
And I wasn't really playing the role of father-figure to my kids as well.
And I wasn't really supportive to my wife during this time.
Really, it broke trust between myself and my wife - that my wife couldn't trust me.
It was a very devastating situation that the problem put us through.
Every area of my life was not stable, in a sense that I couldn't even make
and sustain good friendship with people.
I was in isolation.
So by the grace of God, I joined the Interactive Prayer on May 6, 2023.
During the prayer session, I had a painful sensation right at the back of my neck.
In my heart, I really asked God for His mercy.
I asked God to see me through as Brother Chris was praying.
I asked God to forgive my sins.
And, as the prayer was ongoing, suddenly the pain disappeared
and I really felt peace in my heart, which is something that I've never felt since I was born.
As I was growing up, I've always had this in my heart to say -
it seems like it's really not me who's living; I’m living someone’s life.
Since that Interactive Prayer, that's when
I felt like I'm being connected to the real me.
That's when I had control of my heart.
And I really thank God for that.
There has been a significant change in my life,
not only in my family, but also in my career.
Because around June, I was demoted.
Going through demotion at work was really a devastating situation,
where I was asking myself, as young as I am, with my wife and the kids,
what are we going to do?
That was really when we had no options.
We didn’t know what to do but we soldiered on in that period.
So as I was demoted and signed a letter in June,
by the grace of God, in October of the same year, 2023,
I was actually promoted to a more senior position
than the previous one where I was demoted, so really I thank God for that.
The other issue I used to battle with - I used to feel in isolation,
even when I walked around the mall, even when I had to deliver a speech.
Because my position is very demanding and at times, I deliver speeches
to the directors, and more senior people.
So the problem really affected me as well - from self-esteem, self-confidence.
That was an issue and really dimmed the performance
or effort I could bring to the table
But after the prayer, I really gained control.
I can really deliver a very informative and well-received presentation
with the directors and management in my company.
I’m now even walking around more.
Before the Interactive Prayer, when I went with my wife to the town,
I would always rush to get back home
because I felt like everyone was just looking at me and there's something wrong I was doing.
And now all of that is a thing of the past.
Because I’m myself. I'm in control of my heart, by God's grace.
So even going to the mall, that is no longer a problem for me.
I can express myself freely and I really thank God for that.
My relationship with my family has improved.
Most importantly, we are going to church - with my wife and kids,
and I’m really taking the responsibility as a father.
I am there for my kids.
I am supporting my wife with the kids.
And our marital life has really improved.
I'm there for her when she needs me and support her in every area of her life.
My name is Tumediso and I’m connecting from South Africa.
The man beside me is my husband, Lonwabo.
I can attest to this testimony he has just shared.
For the past years, he has suffered from anxiety.
He has experienced episodes of anxiety.
He always used to stay isolated, showing a shame-based nature, being antisocial.
And when we walked around town, he didn’t feel comfortable.
He always wanted to go home as soon as we were done in town.
So it was a big problem for me.
Now, he is a ‘perfect husband’ that I always knew before all these changes came.
My advice - let us have faith in God.
And we must believe that God is in our lives; He’s there for us.
There is always power in praise.
When you are in a spiritual battle, you must normalise using the weapon of praise always.
God is good all the time.
My advice to the viewers all over the world is really for us to ask for God’s grace
to help us to learn not to put our fears above Him.
And in reference to Proverbs 3:5,
we need to trust God with all of our hearts and not lean on our own understanding.
So really, that's my advice to viewers all over the world.