ccm Cross 0048 – Balfour, South Africa

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2
“So proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit.”  

 

My name is Pastor Jacob Khumalo from Balfour Maranatha Church in Balfour, South Africa and this is my testimony. My wife is Gertrude and we have four grown children.

 

I was the oldest of 7 children growing up in Balfour and our father was a policeman — his brother was a Pastor of the local church. Our family did not have any spiritual direction from mom and dad so our Pastor Uncle encouraged us and from time to time we attended his church. 

 

From the beginning my life was not right — beer and cigarettes were in control of my life and I could not break their hold on me. Gertrude and I got married at a young age and we both hoped for a better life. But the beer and cigarettes and spending time with my corrupt friends was all I wanted do. We had children and still my life was worthless. I began roaming the streets with my worthless friends as a drunk.

All the while this was going on my wife Gertrude began to pray for my soul. She joined a local church and asked others to pray for me. The more they prayed the more I drank and smoked away what little money we had. 

 

Weeks of this turned into months which ultimately turned into years. Drinking beer until I got sick and then spending the next day sick, hung over and in physical and emotional pain.

Gertrude did not give up — she and the Pastor decided that they had had enough. Satan was controlling me and they needed to do something drastic to save my soul. They searched the scriptures and determined that their prayer must be accompanied by a fast. They made a pact to wrestle me away from Satan. The Pastor and Gertrude went on a 30 day challenge of prayer and fasting for me.

 

30 days later it happened. I was invited by my corrupt friends to attend a party — I was all in — when I arrived I was handed beer and a cigarette. I took one taste of beer and spit it out — the bitter taste was the worst taste I have ever tasted. Tried again and the bitter taste was stronger. Then I took a drag on my cigarette — the bitter taste was in the smoke. I was angry and upset — I went home to bed. 

 

When I was in bed my son Simon came to me and asked me this question, “Dad, will the devil help you because every day you are drunk?” I told him to get away from me and I went to sleep. In the morning I was in severe pain all over my body and asked Gertrude for more pillows. Face to face with Gertrude and my body racked with pain I was confronted with Jesus Christ — then the Pastor came and prayed for me. I felt better and he invited me to a youth service that night. I went and as the youth were singing my hands and fingers got very hot — so hot I could not touch them together — when the altar call came I accepted Jesus as Lord in my life. That was June 5th 1986. 

 

Then we started attending the church as a whole family. I became hungry for the word of the Lord in the Bible. Years passed and the Lord was good in restoring our marriage and my relationship with my children. Then the Pastor was moving. He told all of us and we were not happy about it. The Pastor said someone would follow him and he too would bring life to the community. The Pastor went to the mountain and prayed for 30 days. When he came back he said the Lord had chosen me to Pastor this flock. I was shocked, amazed and bewildered —- how could a sinner like me do that? 

 

Then came Easter time — we have our annual Maranatha Pastors conference — it was then that I was anointed by the leadership of the church to be the pastor. That was 1999. Since then the Lord has been good and strong in my life developing my gift of healing. I had dreams of people coming to this church for healing and it began to happen. I prayed for a man with diabetes and he was healed — I prayed for a woman who was riddled with arthritis and she too was healed. Jesus is real and he was showing up for a wretch like me! 

 

Our local Gold Mine has ceased production — many of our community have lost their jobs — now the Lord has anointed me to pray for those who are out of work — and Jesus is giving them new jobs, better jobs — Hallelujah! 

 

My favorite Bible verse is Mark 16:15: Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone” NCV (Bible Paraphrase) 

 

This cross we just planted is now a major landmark in our community. It is the largest Cross in Balfour — from the beginning it will be a light that will shine throughout this community to tell everyone that Jesus is the answer. 

 

The cross is calling to me as a challenge to reach out even further, stronger and harder to bring others to Christ. This Cross will bring people as my dream showed — that need healing in their lives. 

 

Prayer: Father thank you for answering the 30 day Challenge of Gertrude and the Pastor making beer and cigarettes bitter bringing Jacob into your Kingdom for such a time as this. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!