I only arrived home on Monday afternoon after my ministry events in the Eastern Cape over the weekend. Very, very tired I sat on the airplane and closed my eyes for a few moments. The moment I shut myself off from the world and focussed my eyes on Yeshua the tears started rolling – these were tears of joy. I am so thankful to be flying home, and to know that Aldo is healthy.
I phoned them on Sunday night and Josh kept on telling me over the telephone, “I love you, Mom. Please always remember that I love you!” Aldo said, “Do you listen to what Wisdom is telling you, Mom?” “Off course I do, Aldo.” “Mom, Holy Spirit is there to help you with everything you are struggling with in life. Just ask Him, Mom. Just ask Him if you need help.”
After I ministered on Sunday evening I rushed off to bed, because I had to wake up very early the next morning. When I was talking to Jesus while lying in my bed, this truth came to me: “It is My Holy Spirit Retah, that gives people a desire for more of Me. When you are in love, you can’t help but think about the other person. Holy Spirit is the one that leads your thoughts to Me. He draws you deeper and deeper into My love.”
It is Holy Spirit that opens the eyes of our hearts that we might see all the riches we have in Christ. I find that people are far from Christ because their eyes are not fixed on Him. Holy Spirit’s role in each of us is to lead us to daily encounter the manifest presence of God.
People ask me often, “Please teach me how to hear God’s voice.” Well the fact that Holy Spirit continually guides us to seek, to love, and exalt Yeshua, enables us to hear God’s voice, and He then responds to the cry of our hearts. Holy Spirit generates prayers from inside of us, and with a heart that overflows with love for God, we will hear his voice.
The sounds of His voice become so much clearer and easier to discern with a humble heart – a heart that is pure, sanctified and full of thankfulness. The Person, Holy Spirit, saturates our lives so that we act and live because of His influence and not that of our flesh. It is a daily walk – a daily focus on Him.
Holy Spirit comes to dwell in every Christian at the time of salvation, but not every Christian is necessarily saturated, filled, and overflowing with the Holy Spirit. It is God’s desire for every Christian to be saturated and filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. To be filled and saturated means that God permeates every cell in our bodies, and that in turn, will influence our relationships, our thoughts, and it will transform every area of our lives.
I see that many people distance themselves from this place of the “fullness of Holy Spirit” because it sometimes has the stigma of wild behaviour. Remember, Holy Spirit is God, so when you encounter Him, you encounter God - His love, His mercy, His kindness, His truth, His peace, His compassion, His gentleness. That is why Holy Spirit is supposed to be our best, best, best friend – our everything. He saturates us, and then it becomes so easy to hear His voice.
We need to get to the place where He has dominion over us. Holy Spirit wants to invade every part of our beings so that we can radiate for Jesus. To be filled with Holy Spirit is not that you will now suddenly hear bells ringing in your ears or something like that; it is seen in the fruit of your life. Holy Spirit is the one that exposes the areas where we still need to be purified; and then - because of His love and peace in us – we will want to confess and lay down those things that hinder our fellowship with Him. It is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance, not law or fear – but His love for us is what makes us want to love Him more. The more I became obedient to His voice, the more the joy became visible in my life.
“Lord Jesus, Your Word says if anyone is thirsty they must come and drink from You. You are the life giving water. Well, Lord Jesus - here I am. I am so thirsty for You. Please saturate me now with Your Holy Spirit - MY SOUL , MY BODY AND MY SPIRIT - every cell in me, every relationship, every word that I speak.
“Your Word says: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by the hearing with faith?
“No, we don’t receive anything by works – only by faith. I thank You that I can receive a fresh infilling of Your Holy Spirit – for by faith I ask you for it.”
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph. 4:30-32).
We grieve the Holy Spirit when we wilfully do what He is telling us not to do.
We quench the Holy Spirit when we refuse to do what He is asking us to do.
He can only rule in your life if you surrender everything to Him. Everything... even the things that you struggle with - sin, addictions, finances, marriage, thought life, career – everything! Don’t keep on struggling on your own. In our weakness, His strength is made perfect. Surrender now!
People settle for so much less than what God has planned for them. He planned that we could be in a love relationship with HIM – hearing His voice every day of our lives. Those who are led by the spirit of God are called sons of God.
This weekend is my first weekend off this year, and I just cannot wait to go and watch Zozzie play hockey on Saturday, and celebrate his birthday on Sunday. Last night we sat the whole night and planned what we were going to do. For all of us it is strange to think that I will be home for the whole weekend.
Since the accident I have never planted flowers in the garden, and one of the things on my list for the weekend is to go to the nursery and buy some plants. I want to smell the flowers again. This is how I know healing is taking place in my soul. Suddenly Josh yelled, “Surprize! We already planted your favourite flowers for you last weekend, Mom. We wanted it to be ready for you when you got home.”
For the last couple of years I have been working 7 days a week, year in and year out. I know the season has changed. Next year I am going to do the overseas trips with Aldo, and fewer trips in our country on weekends. I will keep doing the Spirit School, and Inner Healing School, because then I can stay home during the week and over the weekends and I won’t have to travel so much. I know it is straight from Abba’s hand so that I can be home more often and spend more time with the family. It is not His plan for us to not have a life of our own. His plan for all of us is to celebrate life!
I asked Josh what he would like for his birthday and he said that he asked Jesus that he wanted me home for the weekend so that I could see him play hockey. That is exactly what Jesus gave him!
I walked past Josh while he was watching “The Cake Boss” on the Discovery channel and he said, “Mom, come and see! Will you bake me a cake that looks like the new Durban soccer stadium please?” “Zozzie, I can try. I’ll be happy to bake a cake for you, but I am not sure if it will look like the soccer stadium. You know I am not that good with the cooking and baking.” From his room Aldo yelled, “Please no, Mom! We all know you were called to preach and not to bake cakes!”
We all laughed together; because Josh and Aldo know backing cakes is not my greatest talent. “Josh, why are you watching programs like that? I am sure it will put pressure on any Mom, not just me!” I was so thankful when he said it was okay for me to order a cake.
I am not ashamed that I can’t do all these things. I am at peace with who I am. We don’t have to be good at everything. My kids know their mom isn’t the best cook in the kitchen, but they do know that their mom loves them a lot! I am just a normal mom, with a normal life, and normal responsibilities – but I trust God.
Last night Aldo wrote in his journal, “Mom, it makes God glad when you read His Word. Keep on doing what you do – and order a cake.” As I read it I just smiled and thanked God for His love and grace on us. We are laughing again together– and I am living again.
This is the story of my life – God is faithful and true.
Love to you all
Retah and family