After being away from home for two weeks, it is amazing to be reunited with my family in South Africa. My body clock is still not completely reset yet, so at 3 o’clock this morning I was awake. I got up and went to sit outside on our patio overlooking the Hartebeespoort dam. I listened to the early morning sounds of the frogs and the crickets making their music. I looked up in awe at the beautiful, bright stars in the Milky Way... stars that can’t be seen from America. It made me realize that everything is so much more relaxed in Africa... slower... more peaceful. I like it this way, and I know that there is a reason why God placed us here.
(Photo: Retah and Linda at Vancouver, Canada.)
Right across the world I meet beautiful sons and daughters of God, and each of them has their own special hand-picked place where Yahweh has determined for them to live.
Here in Africa we experience the fire of God, and we can see how the fire of God moves to the nations. There are so many people who are called from Africa to pray for America, and also Israel. Believers are strategically gathering to pray and intercede for our country of South-Africa and the nations – but what makes me even more excited than the mobilization, is to see that people are recognizing that we need to fight in the spirit if we want to see change manifest in the flesh.
Our road with Aldo – especially the last couple of months – has taught me so much about the spiritual dimension, and I know that it is all part of Yahweh’s plan to equip us for the spiritual battle. Every word and deed in the flesh has a correlating result in the spirit. That is why Yeshua warned us about idle words: “The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things. But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced” (Matt. 12:35-37, Amp). Don’t think that your words will disappear like mist in the sun. Every word lets something manifest in the spirit, because that is where the battle is – and only later will we see the result of our words.
We have been through five months of intense spiritual warfare mostly because of the “word curses” people spoke over Aldo. Words of death immediately bind the person who is spoken about, and Aldo, who is so sensitive to what happens in the spiritual realm, picks up what is said and it makes him angry. Because he doesn’t talk much, he often doesn’t deal with his emotions; and then the anger turns into hatred, hatred turns into rebellion, and all of these things give the enemy a foothold.
The fruit of this was evident in his life. Because Aldo can see so much in the spirit, he wrote down many of the things people said about him that kept him in bondage. We spent so much time in prayer working through issues like forgiveness; and afterwards we had to remove the arrows of the word curses from his heart. The wounds the arrows left can only be healed by Holy Spirit – and He is still busy with the process.
We learned the hard way that if you can’t say anything good about someone, you should rather say nothing. What you say about someone in the flesh, manifests in the spirit. I don’t want to elaborate about this too much, but I want to leave you with this: we had the real life experience of how serious the effects of our words are. There will be no words of death coming out of our mouths, because we know what the fruit of those words will be.
I explain in detail what we had to go through in the book that I’m busy writing now. While I’m writing, I realize that it will come as a shock to many people to see what a serious effect the words of death and judgement has on our lives.
Although our fight was mostly because of the word curses, the enemy was still able to do with Aldo exactly what he wanted to. Aldo didn’t deal with the pain, and consequently he became bitter in his heart towards the people as the hatred took root. After a lot of repentance, and working through the “spiritual root” prayers I mentioned on one of my previous web letters, Yahweh came and set Aldo free. Today he is free and happy! We learned that we have to break the word curses everyday that people speak over us – but also to bless our enemies, because “blessing” is such a powerful weapon!
In South-Africa we are in a situation where there are so many word curses being spoken over our country in the political arena due to a certain youth leader in one of the political parties. They are marching through the streets and all around people are filled with fear and negativity because of this. As a family we prayed for our government last night, but before we could really get into the prayers, Wisdom immediately led us to repent for what the generations before us did – and also if there was any hatred, pride or bitterness in our own hearts.
The Word of God promises us in 2 Chron. 7:14:
“If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
We need to humble ourselves before God, and also pray for those in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.
God’s plans are always plain, simple and practical – and it works! What does He require of us in order to see a nation healed: “humble yourself, pray, trust God.”
The Bible says that if we pray for anything according to God’s will, He will hear us (see. 1 John 5:14).
If we know that we are praying according to God’s will, then we can know that He hears us; and if He hears us – then we can know that we will receive His favourable answer to the petition we presented.
I don’t think it will happen instantaneously, but if we as Christians start to repent for our nation and humble ourselves before God, and start praying rather than criticizing, God will start changing things in our beautiful country.
God asked Moses: “Will you stand in the gap for your people? If not, I will wipe them out.” What will you say today if God asked the same of you? Will you repent and stand in the gap for your nation? I am not only talking to the people in South-Africa, but also to America. Will you stand in the gap for your nation and ask God to forgive the United States!?
There is a very definitely Scriptural reason why we need to do this... because we are the only people who have the means to accomplish lasting results.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere (Ephesians 6:12, Amp).
Paul says here that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against:
Principalities – unseen kingdoms;
Powers – the realms of authority occupied by these unseen kingdoms;
The rulers of darkness of the age – the word rulers of this present darkness;
Spiritual wickedness – more literally: spirits of wickedness.
And where is this fight taking place? In high places... in heavenly realms.
We as a family have really come to understand this revelation. There is an organized kingdom set up in opposition to God and all His purposes; or to make it more relative: to God’s destiny for your life. That is Satan’s kingdom. It is not dived, and it is in total opposition to God. There is an unseen kingdom that is above the level of this world, and it is the kingdom of darkness. It is a kingdom that holds a complete and unrelenting hatred towards God’s purposes and all God’s people. That includes you and me. It is our business as Christians to bring this kingdom down.
This fight can’t be fought through natural presidents or generals – because they don’t have the right weapons. If it were a question of fighting against flesh and blood, our security forces would have turned loose the tanks and missiles long ago... but army tanks are useless in this battle – because we are not fighting against flesh and blood.
This principle is also applicable to the many diseases we encounter these days. People are fighting with the wrong weapons, and they are not wearing their spiritual armour.
For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.
For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) (2 Cor. 10:3-5, Amp.).
Our warfare is not in the natural realm – it is not carnal – because it is not flesh and blood. Our weapons aren’t bombs, tanks and guns... but the spiritual weapons the Lord has given us are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds – Santan’s strongholds.
I heard about a story that took place in one of the other African countries where their criminals are still punishable by death. On the way to his execution one rebel kept on shouting: “I’ll be back, I’ll be back!” It was not flesh and blood that screamed those words – it was a demon! We are not fighting flesh and blood – we are fighting a different enemy, and therefore we need different armour.
There are many other Christians who also believe as I do that behind every kingdom, every nation, and every city – there is a throne and a ruler ship. As I travel to so many places around the world, I can recognize the different territorial spirits that rule over the city or area. They range from sexual impurity, to addiction, violence and witchcraft (to name a few). The more sensitive I become to the spirit, the more I can recognize these powers at work.
I could feel the difference when I went to America this time, because I prayed those “spiritual roots” prayers. I have closed off my roots to the enemy. I could still discern the enemy, but the attacks were no longer there.
God is calling us to start praying and interceding – like Daniel who also had to fast and pray on behalf of his people. At the end of the fast an angel appeared to Daniel with a divine revelation and a word from God in answer to his prayer (see Daniel 9). Please note that what happened on earth (Daniel’s obedience and intercession), determined the course of events in heaven. This is a tremendous truth. Nothing happened until Daniel prayed.
Revelation 12:11 tells us that God’s people will overcome Satan by “the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and because they did not love their lives unto death.”
The Lord gives us a stern exhortation to pray in Ezekiel 22:30-31: “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
When I read this Scripture it hits me that one man could have turned the tide for a whole nation. God said that He would have listened to the pleas of one person, yet He found no one. God is looking for one person... you and I can be that person! We need stand in the gap for our nation through repentance and prayer, and start building up the wall.
In South-Africa so many people are responding to this call of God, and people are meeting together and praying like never before. I see how the King smiles at us for doing so – because this is how we will be more than conquerors! Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord (Zech. 4:6)!
As a family we truly understand that the fight is in the spirit – and we have overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and because we do not love our lives unto death.
Love, from a very hot South-Africa.
Retah and family.