Julius Magan rebelliously refused formal musical training during his upbrin… Read Full Bio ↴Julius Magan rebelliously refused formal musical training during his upbringing. Born and raised in a very musical family, he decided to be the exception.

After leaving Port Shepstone High School, he farmed for a short period of time before he embarked on a term of service in the SA Defense Force. It was during the latter part of this, in 1981, that he attended a Reinhardt Bonnke church service, and dramatically gave his heart to the Lord.

The following year Julius attended Bible School in Durban. He discovered his evangelistic heart, while working with the street people at Point Road at the time. This is also where he first discovered the potential power of music as a tool for ministry. Soon afterwards, he joined a team, who established a hotel for Christians in the Drakensberg. This is where he met his wife, Theresa.

In 1984, they moved to Rayton. Julius started an Estate Agency and progressed to successfully manage three branches. During this time his church asked him to lead their praise and worship, which proved to be instrumental. From that point onwards, Julius began serving the Lord with his musical gift.

It was not long after that the Lord called him into full time music ministry. Julius obediently closed his business and followed his heart. It was a very difficult thing to do. He was forced to trust God for his family's most basic needs. But the Lord was faithful. Today, many years of hard work later, he has many heart-rending testimonies to tell.

His is not your average music ministry at all. It is astonishing to hear what one of his performances entails. He never knows beforehand what is going to happen. He just starts singing, and he continues for the next two hours - never to repeat a song ever again. It is a brand new song, done on the spur of the moment, prompted by the passion in his heart for the Lord. His whole aim is to get people to follow him into the presence of God. He even has a term for it; "new worship" or "free worship". He just follows the Holy Spirit. "People forget about me, as they experience the worship and the presence of God like never before!"

Julius received one of his biggest lessons in life from a prostitute. These were her words: "You Christians come here with your banners. You tell us 'Jesus loves us' and then you leave. Where are you when the street children freeze and die of hunger? Then your banners mean nothing."

Julius and Theresa (having been prompted by God) now stay in Kroonstad and have been blessed with two teenage boys (Shane and Matthew) and a pre-teen daughter, Megan. Shane features with him on his new album, Beautiful.

Julius now spends up to ninety percent of his ministry time in churches or church events such as camps and retreats. He is also involved in serving beyond the borders of South Africa in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia as well doing his annual month -long trip to America.

Julius, above all else, has a yearning for the Holy Spirit at his "concerts". He urges his audience to experience the real presence of God through his music - to take the time to sit at His feet and receive His unconditional love and acceptance.

It is not easy to classify Julius' music style, apart from saying it is uniquely his own. It is a comfortable mix of rock, blues and ballads . . . but ultimately - it is pure worship.

Lay It Down
Julius Magan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I lay it down
All that's in my heart, I lay it down
And place it at Your feet, for You alone
Are everything I need, I lay it down

I lay it down
My need to understand, why I believe
You have the perfect plan, yes I believe

That You alone are God, I lay it down

And I want more You
I need more of You

So I come to You
With arms open wide
Give my heart to You
Only You can satisfy

Let Your fire burn in the paths in my soul
Take me deeper Lord, I wanna lose control

Lay it down
Down at Your feet
Lay it down
I lay down my life

I lay it down (Let Your fire burn)
I lay down my rights
I lay it down (Let Your fire burn)
I lay down my life

I lay it down
All that's in my heart, I lay it down
And place it at Your feet, for You alone
Are everything I need, I lay it down

I lay it down
My need to understand
Oh, I believe
You have the perfect plan
Yes, I believe
That You alone are God, I lay it down

And I want more of You
I need more of You

Overall Meaning

In the song "Lay It Down", Julius Magan expresses his desire to surrender everything to God. He starts by declaring his willingness to lay down everything in his heart and place it at God's feet. For him, God is everything he needs, so he is ready to surrender his life's desires to Him. He recognizes that he may not always understand the ways of God, but he believes that God has a perfect plan for his life, and he is ready to submit himself to that plan. The song is a prayer where he asks God to fill him with more of His presence and to let His fire burn in the depths of his soul.

Julius Magan's lyrics have a deep spiritual meaning that can resonate with many people. Often, we struggle to understand the mystery of God, and we want to know everything about our lives, but the song reminds us that God has everything under control. When we surrender everything to Him, He can take charge and lead us in the way we should go. The song speaks of the importance of letting go of our own preconceived notions of what we need and allowing God to be the sole provider of our needs.

Line by Line Meaning

I lay it down
I surrender everything to God

All that's in my heart, I lay it down
I give all of my hopes, dreams, and fears to God

And place it at Your feet, for You alone
I acknowledge God as sovereign over my life

Are everything I need, I lay it down
I trust that God is sufficient to provide for all my needs

My need to understand, why I believe
I give up trying to comprehend everything and accept God's wisdom

You have the perfect plan, yes I believe
I have faith that God's plan is better than my own

That You alone are God, I lay it down
I acknowledge God as the one true deity

And I want more of You
I desire a deeper relationship with God

I need more of You
I recognize my dependence on God

So I come to You
I seek God's presence

With arms open wide
I approach God with vulnerability