Guest Blog: God’s preservation: Escaping a cult | Benicia’s story
Benicia Masangu was born in Congo, but spent 7 years in the USA before moving to the UK to complete her Masters in Strategy and International Business. She’s a writer and aspiring missionary. This is her story, in her own words about how she ended up in a cult which was disguised as a church, how God helped her out of that situation, preserved her and has kept her in the Christian faith even until this day.
1. How did you end up in an unhealthy church?
I’ve moved around a lot in the last 9 years and one of the most fundamental parts to moving to a new place for me is to find a church home. When I initially moved to Birmingham, I wanted to find a community of Christians with whom I can grow in faith, worship, and serve the Lord. However, whether it was God's plan, Satan's deceitfulness, a coincidence, or my lack of spiritual discernment, I fell into the hands of a church that were Christ's only by name and evil by deeds.
I met two students on campus, who introduced me to their Bible study group. Thinking that I could be in the company of students who also believed in Christ and wanted to grow in faith, I joined a Bible study group. After a few months, I came to a realization that it was, in fact, a cult that I had become a part of. A cult in which a man – whom they believe is the Christ – is revered and worshiped as a god.
2. Were there any signs that things were wrong?
From the beginning, I had an uneasy feeling in my spirit. I knew that something was cloudy, but I’d yet to find that out. I’ve stated above that I did not know whether it was a coincidence or God's plan because I was praying to God to orient me for my theological pursuit. At the time, I was enrolling in a Hebrew Bible course in Israel. However, I wasn’t sure that it was God's direction for my calling. So when I met those people who offered a Bible study, my first instinct was that God gave me the direction. So, I dropped the Hebrew course to enroll in this other one.
I was privileged and blessed because I’d known God since an incredibly young age. So, I was familiar with the Gospel, the teachings of the Apostles, and the message of Christ. As we progressed in the course, I started to see the difference between their doctrine and theology with what I knew. Most notably, it did not emphasize faith and salvation through grace. According to their doctrine, salvation was through human deeds, and it was only given to a minimal number of people (a secret society of some sort).
Apart from this big sign, there were many other subtle signs of a cult, such as uniformity of members' thinking (brainwashing), denial of the need for individuality (not to be confused with individualism), separation from families, friends, and society in general, and constant emotional manipulation and physical exhaustion. As a naturally observant person, I connected the dots after observing all of these signs over the time I was there.
3. How did you manage to leave?
In all honesty, doubts started to overcome me. It seems their brainwashing techniques were working. Because those people had wowed me with their kindness and humility, I was almost blinded to reason when I was having spiritual doubts. Think of it as someone being manipulated in a relationship. The target can practically not spot the signs clearly because their manipulator is brainwashing them emotionally. I became torn between my spirit and my heart. As Christians, we all know that this is when we need to pray and let the spirit prevail. Therefore, I took time to go into deep prayers and fasting, and God started to talk to me. Miraculously, I received a message on my phone early in the morning. It read: Galatians 1, 6-10.
Upon reading this, I was brought to tears and praised God, for He had opened my eyes to see that I was brought into a cult.
4. How did this affect your relationship with God?
The good thing is that my relationship with God was strengthened rather than strained during this period. Even when I took that course, I was also continuing in my personal Bible studies, book readings, and personal devotions. However, there was one thing that made me almost frustrated with God. I’d always struggled with social anxieties, and I have had many trust issues due to past manipulations. So getting out of the cult caused me a lot of emotional pain that made me decide to leave my studies altogether. Causing me more pain and frustration, like Job, I wondered why God will allow me such pain again. However, God did not leave my side and sight throughout pain and frustration.
6. What did you learn about God and his preservation during that time?
I learned that everything works for the good of those who love God. Those who have been called according to His Purpose. Like Moses, I said that the enemy meant it for evil, but God intended it for good. Once more, my faith was put to the test, but God - who does not give us more than we can take – was preserving me from being lost in that fog. Whether good or bad, many experiences of life will teach us something novel about God that we did not know before. For me, this one was no exception. Like Job and Joseph, I came out, glorying God all the more and seeing His Might and Love on an all-new dimension.
7. What advice would you give to Christians who are looking for a church family?
My first advice will be to pray to God for direction and ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you because He intercedes for God's children according to the Will of God (Romans 8, 26-27). If you want to pray according to God's Will, ask the Spirit of God to help you as you pray, and God will orient you. And test every spirit (1 John 4, 1) by referring to the Word of God. We use our spirit, of course, but God gave us a mind to also reason. So, the testing will not just be spiritual – it is also about making logical connections that shows you whether you are in the right place or not.
Let us say you get lost into the wilderness, and you encounter some beasts. You only have a few minutes to battle between your heart and mind about the right thing to do. Your heart may tell you this beast is beautiful; let me approach and touch it or let me fight it. On the other side, your mind may ask you to flee because the brain is working on logic. This is to say, your heart and mind may always not be in the same place when making important life decisions. Fortunately, God gave us also a spirit to commune with Him. You might be torn between your heart, which sees one thing, your mind, which sees another. However, your spirit will know the truth (it is our arbiter when torn), and you will hear the Voice of God in there, telling you to join or to flee.
8. What are some signs that you believe show that a church is a healthy environment?
Depending on what a person is looking for: a permanent place to serve and worship or a temporary place to join other believers and serve while on a trip, we might look for different signs. However, it is my understanding that generally, a healthy church professes the name of Jesus as Savior and God. Jesus is not simply a preacher to look up to for moral reasons but rather a Savior that brings God's Word to life in us. This leads to the second sign: grace is preached. Jesus was able to become a fully human being even when God gave us salvation. Not because we deserved it or worked for it but by grace. So, the duality of Jesus – as fully human and God – is taught.
The next sign is recognition of the trinity – the Godhead family made of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as One – Elohim. The last vital signs are found in Acts 2, 42- 47. A healthy environment includes following the Apostles' teachings, praying, sharing, having faith in common, giving to the needy, loving one another, and being sincere in all of these. Of course, many cults will do the same as they just follow what the church does to falsely persuade others. This is why the fundamental signs given above are of significant priority.
9. How have you grown because of this?
Like I have stated before, I have known God deeper and greater. As an aspiring missionary, it was my test to see that I was founded and healthy in the elementary teachings and solid food. I can go on a mission trip with confidence that I can preach to others the Gospel. I can use this experience to help others see the danger of worshiping a religion rather than God, who gave us the Gospel in the New Covenant. I have grown in this way, and I hope to grow even more. This means I will be facing even more challenges ahead. But I am strengthened by the Apostles' message, who endured countless trials as they set on the journey to bring Good News.
10. Is there anything you’d like to leave the readers with?
I would like the readers to remember this one thing: confidence in the salvation you have obtained through your faith in Christ by grace. Many people are being led astray because they promise you that a church or an individual may add to your freely given salvation. If you do not have confidence that you have already been set free, your debts paid, and your sins are forgiven, you will be a target for the devil to deceive. When I look at Adam and Eve's story, I often wonder why they listened to the serpent, knowing well that God had been truthful and faithful to them.
It teaches us that when we start to question our belief in God (what He said, promised, and did), we will lose confidence in the belief and eventually stumble. When God sent Moses multiple times to Pharaoh, he was being faced with the challenge to either give up because Pharaoh is not letting them go or continue to believe what God promised: that they will leave at last. This is simply to say, have confidence in God and His Promise; not a man, not a church, not a circumstance, and not yourself. This will set you for a journey of growth in your faith and confidence in discernment.
Blog written by Benicia
Donate to Daughters & Heirs
Would you join us as we work to reach as many people as possible to tell them about the greatest treasure in all the world: Jesus. If you would like to donate to this ministry and find out more, find our donation page here.