'I Spent 19 Years In A Cult…This Is What They Did To Me'

“I DIDN’T JOIN A CULT. I JOINED A PLACE THAT PROMISED ME DESTINY.” For 19 years, she believed she was serving God. Raised in a church from infancy, she was taught to fast, pray and walk closely with God. But as she grew older, she began encountering rituals, prophetic practices and spiritual experiences that increasingly left her questioning what she had actually been part of. In this episode an anonymous guest — referred to as “Martha” to protect her identity — shares the story of growing up inside a movement she later came to believe was deeply unhealthy and spiritually dangerous. From rituals involving oils, candles, water and the sea, to questions surrounding spiritual manipulation, abuse, destiny and the idolisation of church leaders, she explains how what once felt normal gradually began to look very different. Eventually, she began asking a simple question: “Why is my life not progressing despite everything I'm doing?” That question led her back to the Bible, into another church, and eventually into a powerful deliverance experience she describes as finally being able to “see very clearly.” This is a conversation about spiritual abuse, discernment, false rituals, deliverance, church culture, destiny and finding your way back to Christ. IN THIS EPISODE Being raised in the church for 19 years How prophecy first drew her family into the movement The rituals she was taught to participate in Why she began questioning the lack of “fruit” in her life What happened when she started reading the Bible for herself Her experience of deliverance and what happened afterward Spiritual abuse, manipulation and the danger of idolising leaders Her experience of seeing rituals appear again in another church The story behind the “destiny bowl” Why she and other members eventually decided they had to leave Learning to recognise the difference between genuine faith and counterfeit spirituality Why Christ — not a spiritual leader, ritual or institution — must remain at the centre This is a difficult but important conversation about discernment, deception and what happens when spiritual experiences begin to replace Scripture and a personal relationship with God. 👇 COMMENT BELOW: What part of this testimony stood out to you the most? JOIN OUR WATCH AFRICA TOUR: https://www.thewatchglobal.com/watch-... 📲 JOIN THE TAP WHATSAPP COMMUNITY: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KF716F9APZm... 🛍️ SHOP TAP MERCH: https://tap-7324.myshopify.com/ 📚 GET ACCESS TO STEWARD: https://tap-7324.myshopify.com/produc... 💼 WANT TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS? Get our free business diagnosis quiz: https://winnerscrcl.org/bizdiagnosis-... 🔥 Subscribe for more prophetic analysis, geopolitics, economics, faith and spiritual intelligence. Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open 01:34 Welcome & Why Her Identity Is Hidden 02:17 “I Didn’t Join a Cult…” 03:16 Raised in the Church for 19 Years 04:27 What Drew Her Mother Into the Movement 12:00 The Rituals Begin 36:00 The Seaside Rituals 51:00 Spiritual Abuse, Grooming & Destiny 54:30 When She Realised Something Was Wrong 1:01:00 “Why Is My Life Not Progressing?” 1:06:00 The Deliverance Experience 1:09:21 “It Felt Like a Train Ran Through Me” 1:11:35 Finding Another Church 1:13:00 When the Rituals Appeared Again 1:14:00 Disturbing Allegations & Spiritual Experiences 1:25:00 Leaving the Church 1:33:00 Humanising Christ & Avoiding Spiritual Extremes 1:39:00 Finding Freedom & Learning to Serve 1:41:00 The Authentic and the Real 1:44:00 Closing Thoughts & Prayer #TheAlarmPoint #TAP #Cult #Christianity #Church #SpiritualAbuse #Deliverance #SpiritualWarfare #Discernment #Faith #Testimony #Jesus #ApostleTobi