FASTING is regarded as a faith-enhancing act in the life of a Christian, but the residents of Katete District in Eastern Province are now beginning to question the true value of the practice after one of their own renowned evangelists died after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights.
Canaan Mwanza, 38, a well-known evangelist with the Charismatic Movement in Katete, agonisingly gave up his breath just days after completing his period of fasting.
His mother, Avaida Mwanza, was at pains to narrate the ordeal to this writer after the counsel of several friends, relatives and the general public – most of whom convinced her that she should not talk about the incident, saying it was an act of God.
But after much persuasion, and with the help of her husband, Godrick Mwanza, she was able to open up. And Canaan’s tale of his prayer and fasting-based life unfolds like this:
Some time in 2007, Canaan, a teacher in Mfuwe District, did what Christians call light fasting – abstaining from food and water from morning till 18:30 hours for 40 days as a way of strengthening his faith, much to the amusement of fellow believers and friends.
A known family prayer warrior, Canaan followed this act a year later with a total fasting for 28 days in some hills of Mfuwe area where, according to his mother, he encountered dangerous beasts which, however, did not harm him in any way.
The mother puts his safety during the Mfuwe fasting down to divine protection!
“He was there for 28 days, without eating and bathing. He met animals such as leopards and lions, which just stared at him, without harming him … As you may be aware, that area (Mfuwe) is a game reserve area,” she says.
Upon his return and subsequent recovery from the 28-day fast, he was said to have gone flat out praying for people with different ailments and those who were demon-possessed.
With that somewhat strengthened and renewed faith, Canaan decided to take yet another challenging step of faith in his quest for an enhanced spiritual life.
He decided to embark on a programme to travel by road to Nigeria, with intention to go and have a face-to-face meeting with global renowned tele-evangelist, Prophet TB Joshua, who is also said to have fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before establishing his ministry – the Synagogue Church of All Nations and Emmanuel TV station.
Though it took him a lot of time to reach Nigeria, Canaan never got the chance to meet the Man of God for he (TB Joshua) always had a long-winding queue of people from all over the world with appointments to meet him.
And Canaan was surely not among the thousands who had applied from around the world.
“We became worried as a family such that we resorted to prayer because we did not hear from him for over the three weeks while he had travelled to Nigeria,” the mother recalls.
Later, the Mwanzas got to hear from Canaan who assured them of his safety, and informed them that his mission to meet the Prophet of God had failed.
Canaan headed back home, but is said to have never regretted the fact that he never got to meet TB Joshua.
Instead, people who were close to him say he believed strongly that God had a purpose for not enabling him to meet the prophet.
On April 22, 2010, Canaan decided to go for yet another total fasting for 40 days and nights on Mphangwe Hills in Katete.
Initially, fellow believers accompanied him on his last prayer and fasting mission that would later lead to his death.
But confronted with the “cares of this life”, just after the first two days, his fellow believers backed-off, leaving the spiritual man to continue with the fast alone.
Canaan was determined to spend 40 days and 40 nights on the hills. During the period, he ate nothing, drank nothing, not even water, and never took a bath.
The only thing he would ask from those who would visit him was for them to go and re-charge his mobile phone, which he was using to communicate with family and friends.
“What a strong faith!” many people admired him.
Like Jesus Christ, the pillar of the Christian faith, who fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before embarking on his earthly ministry, Canaan also finished his fasting, though with varied results from those of Christ.
While Jesus Christ went on to establish a ministry whose faith still saves and gives life to those who call on His name even today – over 2,000 years after his death – Canaan never got to establish any ministry.
Two days before he finished his fast, the people who went to visit him (the sister and brother-in-law) reported to have found him too weak to do anything. But defiantly, he refused to break his fast, determined to finish the 40 days.
He told them that although his body was weak, his spirit was stronger than ever. And so, they left him to finish despite their worry.
Afterwards, the father accompanied by his fellow charismatic friends, went to get him down from the hills, as he was too weak to come down on his own.
When they reached home, Canaan’s mother put him on a light diet of porridge to help him regain his strength gradually.
But five days later, the man started hallucinating. Suggestions that he be taken to the hospital were shot down by some of his fellow believers who said the hallucinations were a sign that he was seeing God and having conversation with the Creator.
Convinced, the family left Canaan to recuperate from home, away from the healthcare workers who are trained to preserve lives!
But one Friday afternoon, which Ms Mwanza reckons she will live to remember, her son died right before her eyes.
“When I went to his room to give him some food, I just saw him stretch up and that was it. I thought he was sleeping but when I called his name three times and without response, I touched him and realised that he had died,” she sobbed.
The death of Canaan has been received with mixed feelings in Katete with many people blaming the family for not taking him to the hospital.
But on the other side, Canaan’s family is convinced that his death came at an appointed time, which was foretold.
“We found a piece of cloth in his room written ‘Friday’ (the day he died) and we don’t know where it came from … It is all from God and must be treated as such,” the family believes.
A large, framed and captioned portrait of the smiling Canaan Mwanza still hangs just above the door in the Mwanzas’ house as a remembrance to their hero of faith, whose death is now causing some to begin questioning the true value of prayer and fasting.
[Times of Zambia]
Koma niolimba mukamba uyu. Awe sure!!
He was carnal. He has no faith in what he was doing….
Ubuwelewele muchalo!
Alikookola nokukokola. Who fasts for that long without dying?
May God bless his family and all those who met him. One thing for sure his death has caused people to consider spiritual things. god gives us many purposes in life some are grand and others not so in our eyes but in God’s eyes our purpose is equally important. from the little I have read he was an inspiration to those around him. May God really bless his family
“Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first deprives of their senses.”
“When falls on man the anger of the gods, first from his mind they banish understanding.”
“When divine power plans evil for a man, it first injures his mind.”
For those whom God to ruin has design’d, He fits for fate, and first destroys their mind.”
Take your pick and have Blessed weekend
God Loves you
Deuces bane:)>-
Ba Mwinemushi #2, I dont think you need to jugde Mwanza`s faith here. Remember faith is something quiet complicated to comprehend. The damage was already done by the colonialists that brought with them some of these so called faiths.
Faith is spiritual exercise but dont exergarate what we call total fasting(without food and water) is not mostly recommanded partial fasting (fasting with light food or fluids only) is better. if is total dont go more than seven days. Because fasting may weaken your system if you are already sickly can cause death. 40 days and night is too much for our system it seems Mwanza was already weak he when starting it. Fast with light food unless you know your body better. on this stories there some information which are missing to give a balanced comment.
ubupuba bwine bwine
Medically speaking, dehydration is more dangerous to your body/health than hunger. A few water IVs at the nearest clinic would have done even better miracles for him.
Faith aside, God will never send his faithfuls on suicide missions, and what this preacher did was suicidal, period!!
hahahahahahah abakamba bansekesha but its very encouraging
but why didnt God allow him to meet t.b joshua :-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-? natina
Fools die! Died for nothing. Shame on his stupidity!
number 12 are u sure u ok?
This chap was on hunger strike not a fast! Any Christian should know how to go about a 40 day fast – occassionally drink water and do not do it after coming from another fast – advice: undertake it once a year after seeking medical guidelines.
Faith without Reason is superstition (John Paul II). Reason and Faith are not incompatible. Whilst you can Fast as a way to strengthen faith you also have to be human and accept that God loves the human fralities.
He might not live to see or experience the fruits of his fasting, if he truly was a christian, but Gods will will surely be revealed one day and people will know that our prayers and fasting are not only for us but also for the generations to come. When God promised the Israelites about this famous promised land it took them many years in the wilderness and most if not all of those that started the journey so this promised land. But still their children children’s enjoyed the promised land.
That is why I cannot laugh or wonder, if one person dies after fasting for Gods rewards happen in his own time, and to his own chosen generation and with a reason best known by him alone. To God be the glory for it all belongs to him.
Could anybody who knows this incident please tell us if this charismatic movement is the one found in the Catholic church or if it is an independent church?
It was very unfortunate for him but he tried. May his soul rest in peace. Be careful with God. How we worship him. we should not try God, like the Bemba saying, “LESA AAFWA ABAYAFWA” It is a bad saying. that does not even exist in the BIBLE, maybe the bible of others.
So how did they know he waqs fasting? Fasting is a private matter that you should never share with anyone according to the bible. I bet he was one of those that announced it and wanted to appear holier than thou. Surely if one dies from fasting then theres definately something wrong and a communication break down with heaven. Nobody died from fasting in the bible and those guys did it right. Its disturbng ttto think people thought hallucinations were holy, it just goes to show how buffoonery is condoned as religion nowadays
Nomatter what, fasting and praying continues till Christ comes bak period! :d/
From what I can deduce, this guy was not 100% upstairs. MHSRIP
Anyway, it was just his day to go. I think he has no faith, he was just doing it to show the pple and God embarassed him. You must first be sinless and have faith. Just becoz he heard that one pastor did that does not mean he could do it, thats being foolish. pple must be careful what they copy and where they copy it from. Some pple are making money of Gods name and telling lies.
The family should have started giving him ORS immediately upon returne from the mountains. Cause of death, dehydration. Symptoms – hullucinations.
People do not judge him,coz u re not the judge.Be carefully on how u comment,leave everything to GOD to judge.period…………….
Is it really true that TB J fasted for 40 days!! and who says Nigeria is a holy place because TB J lives there or because it has more pastors than any country in Africa? Its amazing how gullible people are really. U people should know nigerians by now!!
Fasting is a spiritual discipline with spiritual benefits. Fasting is recognized by medical practitioners too. but is foolishness to fast 40 days and 40 nights without water and solid food or fruit and vegetables. Believers, don’t tempt God by fasting 40 days and 40 nights without water. You can go to heaven early and before your God ordained time. This idea of every preacher going to see TB should be discouraged. TB is not God. We have the Holy Spirit everywhere and not just in Nigeria. Seek God in Zambia and God will meet you at the point of your need. there will always be one TB no matter how many people go to meet him
The spirities of the ancestors burns with anger at him for he died for a religion he knows not; a foreign religion!. That’s why I follow the religion of my ancestor for they don’t demand that I starve myself. Return back to the religion of the ancestors and our land will prosper again. We are poor because we have abandon our roots like this guy canaan…..I guess in our history as Africans, no one ever died in such a manner…that’s a curse on our land.
# 26 may GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR WISDOM. I believe the last prophet was JESUS CHRIST and when it was time for him to go back to the Father, HE PROMISED US THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BE OUR HELPER. HE DID’NT PROMISE US A PROPHET. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS HERE IN ZAMBIA. PLEASE SEEK THE HOLY SPIRIT. YES WE MIGHT FAST, BUT THE MAJOR FAST WAS DONE FOR US BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Faith Faith..any way nothing to comment but just to say Its un heard of walking from Katete to Nigeria and then back. Mhhhh bane…iyo bakali !!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, many Zambians at home and in the diaspora have crossed the line between faith and Hallucination.
A Zambian pastor in the US casts demons from women by putting salt in their vaginas (an act he performs himself)
Single women pour their earnings in churches and these so called prophets because they are promised marriage to men who are non-existence.
Its a shame. Simply, Zambians are the most gullible people on earth. They copy even things they don’t understand.
His father should have gone in the hills and have this conversation with him
Father: Canaan, siya mpumvya tiye ku nganda. (Canaan, stop this madness. let’s go home)
Pride comes before a fall.
If TB cannot meet me after walking all the way from Katete to Nigeria, then I’ll also fast for 40 days and nights like he did before he started his Ministry. Then I’ll also be as powerfull a prophet as him.
Greetings all
Well, this is a very interesting report to read. I have heard of many cases of spiritual extremity in our country but this one surpasses all I’ve heard. I am only wondering why we never read about him while he was yet alive? Did the journalists and family members have to wait until the man died before reporting on him?
Anyhow, this report brings to my mind a certain scripture that says: “All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.” Ecclesistes 7:15
#27 Well said. These imported religions are killing us both spiritually and economically. How long does it take to walk from Zambia to Nigeria? Surely it must be more than three weeks? You would have to go through DRC which is very large, then Congo Brazzaville, then Cameroon, then Eastern Nigeria. Perhaps he had not recovered from such a long journey but that is what fundamentalism does – it makes you irrational. Surprises me how people take everything written in the bible literally.
People who are singing song praise for TB and claim to be messiah.Read Eden Djokotoe’s Nollyhood Part II and his findings and how South Africans were tricked by you Bishop.I know Nigerians inside out.Liars and opportunist!!
Infact the is Nightmare from Nollyhood Part 2 in The Post.It also highlights how Nigerian pastors have invaded Zed taking advantage of desperate people seeking spiritual help.
The easiest people to con in this world are Zambians! How we can starve ourselves to death for things we cant understand is unbelievable. How can one walk to Akwa Ibom on foot from Katete to see a well trained conman? I feel really angry readeing this and i can only conclude one thing; Zambians are generally rubish, useless and stupid things! Am sorry to say this but at least let us agree that this is our status.
Sad story about Evangelist & school teacher Canaan Mwanza.
I DID NOT NEED TO READ THROUGH ALL THE COMMENTS: JUST READING A FEW COMMENTS, THE ELEMENT OF ZAMBIANESS WAS ALL OVER THE SHOW. AMA ZAMBIAN LACK DETERMINATION AND PURPOSE, WE CANNOT SEE APPRECIATE THAT SOME OF THE THINGS ARE HARD EARNED AND COME WITH THE SHADING OF BLOOD. THIS MAN SHADE HIS OWN BLOOD FOR WHAT HE WAS FASTING FOR. GOD WILL GRANT HIS REQUEST IN DUE TIME, EVEN IN TIME AFTER HIS LIFE. PA ZAMBIA, WE LACK PURPOSE AND DETERMINATION: WE GO BY LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
Talk of Islamic Fundamentalism. Well, this is a good case of Christian Fundamentalism. Sad he did not see his god Joshua. Why travel that far to see another human being who you don’t even know and if God is in that person for real. Let us hope he is now talking to the right God. It is like those crazy kids who think they will have seven virgins in heaven. Sad and sorry behavior.
#40
72 virgins,pure and undefiled.Crazy!!
I have mixed feelings about this. It’s sad he died before really sharing experinces of his fast but I think he had good intentions to enter this fast. Faith is personal and we all desire to have an increase in our faith so methods used tend to vary.
Let’s pray for his family to find strength from this experience.
This is one of David Blaine’s stunts that went wrong….Israel and the promised land…bollocks! This Zionist country is at the centre of ‘Aparthied’ and yet we support them because of the bibilical sentiments. Who wrote the bible…whats the difference between the old testament and the new one….and add judhism in the mix? Sometimes it pays to use common sense. Reading this article has made me realise that am the wrong business and all I need to do is teach people how to make use of their bloody common sense…this is purely indoctrination through religion, christianity that has justified the wrong approach to faith. There is only one Jesus, and he is coming back someday…so they say. Get real people.
A part of me is saddened for mankind, frustrated in considering all the folks generationally brainwashed from birth, indoctrinated from their first breath, and subsequently immersed in the propaganda of religion to the point where rational thought to the contrary becomes impossible, as their brains have created thousands, perhaps millions, of neural transmitter pathways all reinforcing the same faulty information as if it were scientific fact.
Continued….
For those religiously afflicted, the misinformation permeates, thus contaminating, their entire cognitive decision making process, rendering true objective religious examination as well as many other mental explorations, unlikely at best. For those religiously afflicted, the misinformation permeates, thus contaminating, their entire cognitive decision making process, rendering true objective religious examination as well as many other mental explorations, unlikely at best.
Continued..
Not that those of us spared of such mental aberration have all the answers, but at least we’re free to scientically investigate for the truth, rather than attempt to divine it through a fog of mysticism, fable, and superstition.
I lay my case…..
😕
Thus Katete for you.Life not astreasured.To bury a baby is an everyday occurence.
how do u ket somenone commit suicide like that..?
Is this the wisdom from ku maaba???
I can say one thing..This Evangelist is so hungry,,,so hungry for the power of God in his life. i am deeply impressed. You have to know this ..it is good to go to our heavenly father..rather preaching gospel in merely human words and dead gospel. This Beloved man of God died because of his vision. i think he choose to fast and pray to God to manifest the power of God in his lives so thousands can reach in gospel.But in the midst something happen ..he died. I appreciate Him He died for his vision..and that is better…it is good to fie for ur vision with such great commitment to his vision rather than ..living for bread.
But i have learn one thing… how it was good if he had taken water while he fasted. if we determine to fast long time we need to take water. water is pure and…
The best thing to do is to leave everything to God to judge. It’s only him who k the truth. MHSRIEP