As I am reading through my mails, I hear the cries of many people. I am looking over the dam with my Bible open at Paul and Silas’ lives and thinking about what happened to Paul and Silas. I find myself staring and thinking about what happened to our lives – yours and mine. I think about how our dreams got shattered, how we all want answers. I hear how you ask ‘Retah, I have done everything! What now?’
My dear friend, let’s look again at Paul and Silas, and the choices that they had. They could grumble and complain or praise YHVH for who He is. All the grumbling, complaining and feeling sorry for yourself cannot open one prison door. Many a time I see how self-pity just seals the prison doors even more. The more we complain, the more we work for and with Satan, and against YHVH. The more we lose hope the more we hinder Yeshua to work, because He needs faith. Demon spirits are always busy and at work, using our words, to chain and bind the situation even more. We then find the situation becoming tougher and more difficult to handle. Someone needs to make a stand. Someone needs to be a Paul and a Silas.
Every time we speak evil about a person, we bind that person in an evil chain of bondage. That person starts to believe all that is being said over him because he is so trapped in that belief system of bondage.
Your words carry a lot of power and all our negative words bind our spirits into greater bondage. Sometimes Satan doesn’t even need someone else to chain you, he just uses your own tongue with all your own negative thoughts and fears. Satan’s plan is to keep your eyes fixed on the situation and not unto the word of faith in your heart.
2 Tim 2:26 b If God perhaps will grand them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their ‘senses’ and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him TO DO HIS WILL.
That is what happens to us when we move into fear and complaining – we do Satan’s will. You lose your senses and give your will over to Satan by speaking what he wants you to speak. By this you are being taken captive by Satan and then he can do his will and work through you. His goal - to put and keep you in a place of despair.
So how do I keep my senses, and my will out of Satan’s service? By choosing faith and reliance upon YHVH, choosing praises, choosing to stand, choosing to learn, choosing to be humbled, choosing to be in correct standing before YHVH, choosing love, choosing to be cleansed by the Word, choosing to be the least - all so that I can be a vessel of honour sanctified and useful for the Master’s use.
When Paul and Silas sang praises, their words of faith came against all the negative deeds and atmosphere in the prison. Yes, you could be taken captive by Satan, yes, you could be in a prison, but if you have done everything – then STAND AND START TO PRAISE YHVH.
Praise Him even if you do not see anything! Just praise Him for who He is.
Two forces are at war all the time. It is positive and negative, good and evil. Yes, sometimes there are sparks; sometimes there are tears, sometimes there are emotions, sometimes there are no words, sometimes there are only begging, sometimes just prayers, but the most power are being released out of a place of praise to YHVH. It is from the place where you just take your stand and don’t even tell the world what you are going through, but focussing only on praising His Holy name. And then once again you realise – it is not about me, but all about You!
When Paul and Silas started praising YHVH, they showed Satan that they had no fear and that they would keep on trusting even if they don’t see anything hopeful. They did not know the outcome, but they knew their God. This is a pattern set by Paul and Silas for you and me. We cannot escape painful and difficult situations, but we can make a choice on how we are going to handle it.
Let’s make a choice today to praise Yeshua for everything. ‘For everything?’ You may ask. Praising Him even for my pain? Yes, I have learned that praising Him takes my focus completely off of me and puts it on Him. Yeshua is enough for us. Our praise will set others free, as well as ourselves.
Your prison doors will not always open the way you planned it, or in the time you planned it. When I started my journey, I cried my heart out. I was telling everyone about my battles. I often felt so sorry for myself. Today, 10 years later I have become much more quiet. I learned to walk my walk step by step in faith. This is my circumstances and no one can change it for me. I have to walk it with my hand in Yeshua’s hand, my eyes on Him. I choose to smile, I choose to laugh, to exercise, to stay humble in total dependency on YHVH, to not look around, to not be moved by people’s opinions, to pray constantly, to have a teachable spirit, to acknowledge when I was wrong. And most of all I have learned to praise YHVH, all in spite of what I go through.
As we grow in Christ, our faith grows and we realise that you can only stand if your legs are strong, having trained your spirit in Godliness and taking your STAND on Him as Rock and sure Foundation!
A brain injury has its own challenges. And I have to run this race, with Aldo, every day of my life. But, I made a choice to celebrate life, even in the midst of the storms. Somebody said to us the other day – ‘You are moving to Stellenbosch and there are a lot of rain and storms’. I spontaneously said ‘we are used to rainy days (in the spirit), but we made a choice to rejoice and praise YHVH even in the rain’.
Abba, my Abba, so many times we lose our focus. Please help us to always keep our focus on the greatest event of our lives. The wedding feast - where we will be Your Bride, ready and spotless having no mixed seed in us. And all these difficulties will be nothing compared with being your Bride. We choose to worship you in Spirit and in Truth, in all that we have to face. You are wonderful, faithful even in preparing us, cleansing us by using all our challenges to form us into your likeness. We love You Abba, and thank You for keeping us!
“My child, come on – allow Me to dream for you. When you are weak, let Me carry you for I AM strong. Let go of your own efforts, stop crying about your dreams that shattered, because I have a dream for you – I will take you further than you think you can. Just let Me dream for you!
Your life is not falling apart – it is falling into place!
Letter Translation:
"We all seek happiness. “Truth” says happiness is found in the Word of God. In God is life. For years I have doubted. Now I, son Samuel, realize Ruth was right. Yeshua is all I need. Thank you Yeshua, for parents that never give up. Ruth helps Chans to bring her old wounds in the light. We do not always understand, but our lies brings sour (destruction) over people. Stay in light and truth. Sin feeds your flesh and Truth feeds your Spirit. Mom amazes me. She is a “wound nurse”. She helps Chans and me, and blesses us all the time. Sara is so light, light, light. Chans O Chans, peacefully she becomes lighter and lighter. The truth is wounds that are sour (cursed), are wounds that were not brought into the light. Please dream for me as well Yeshua. The “dung” in my DNA stole my dream. Then Yeshua said to me; “Become My hands and feet on earth. Aldo, this I bless you with – My Wisdom in you, My dream is in you. Will you allow me?” Yes Abba, yes!”
Love to you all , Retah and family.