When the fire comes


Good evening.

This is a personal story.
Not so long ago, without me knowing or being aware of it, I was getting up every day in a bit of a comfort zone. Just a little bit. Then one email changed everything. On 4 June 2024, my contract was terminated. I had poured my heart and soul into that company for five years.
I was devastated. I didn’t know how to handle it. Very quickly I realised I was in trouble. There was no income in the foreseeable future. There were no prospects. Anxiety set in. I prayed with my heart in my mouth. A huge amount of emotions flooded my soul.
Our son was in matric. Life came to a standstill. I will never forget the moment I had to tell my wife that I lost my job. I felt rejected, alone, and helpless. But somehow, only by God’s grace, we made it. For the next four months we lived in that grace. Then a breakthrough came. A contract job that sustained our family for 18 months. It lasted till 23 April 2026.
Before I tell you what happened next, it is important for context. From June 2025 till December 2025 I was on a spiritual journey that turned my life around completely. I carry a very deep personal testimony of how God can enter your life and heal you. This healing reached many years of disappointments and pain, some going back 43 years.
At the start of 2026 we decided to minister to people. We wanted to share what God has been doing in our lives. So we started a life group in February 2026. Since then we have seen our lives become wrapped in the Holy Spirit’s guidance and God’s Word.
23 April 2026 came the same as 4 June 2024. But this time it was different. Although I was devastated and emotional, an inner peace started to push through. The voice of God broke through the moments of disappointment  And I was struggeling with a big question?
Why am I here again?
In the middle of the fire?
In both storms, certain portions of Scripture became my anchor. They were not just verses I read. They were the words that kept me breathing.
Matthew 6 became my daily bread. Jesus said do not worry about your life. He spoke of what we will eat or drink, about our body and what we will wear. Those words confronted my anxiety. I read them slowly each morning. If the Father feeds the birds and clothes the lilies, He sees me too. Seek first His kingdom.
John chapters 15, 16 and 17 carried me deeper. John 15 taught me to abide in the Vine. John 16 told me trouble would come, but to take heart because He has overcome the world. John 17 is Jesus’ prayer for His disciples. Knowing He prayed for me brought me to tears and gave me great comfort.
Ephesians chapters 1, 2 and 3 restored my identity. I am chosen, adopted, redeemed and sealed. I am saved by grace, not by my performance or contracts. His love has height, depth, length and width. God is able to do immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine.
These passages did not remove the pain instantly. But they reshaped my heart inside the fire. My life is not defined by a company’s decision. It rests in the unchanging Word of a faithful God.
If you are walking through loss or disappointment right now, sit with these chapters. Read them slowly. Let them speak louder than your fears. They can sustain you too.
I still don’t have all the answers. But this season feels different. The fear has lost its full power. Something deeper has taken root.
I will share more as the story unfolds. You are not alone.
Stay encouraged.
Carl

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