Can the work of the cross of Calvary really be seen in our lives? Not just by the things we say, but can people actually see that you are from a different kingdom? This is part of the message that the Lord is laying on my heart for the year to come. I can hear Yeshua saying to me: “Retah, this is the year when you will experience supernatural miracles.... healing, deliverance, restoration... all because of My love that flows through you. I’m not looking for fancy sermons and eloquent words. I’m not looking for duplications of the past, for I make everything new. I want you to “serve” as you minister to others at your events, so that the work of the cross can be seen through your life, through the love in your eyes, and the healing in your touch.”
This takes “Retah” even more out of the way, and I am learning that the old nature and our carnal man cannot be fixed or improved... it needs to die. We see the reflections of the uncrucified life when the deep work of the cross has not thoroughly penetrated every area of our lives – when we have not changed from the way we were before. Even if we seem “holy” in our outward appearance but the deep work of the cross has not been established in our lives, we will see that adulterous affairs and idols are still a part of our lives. People struggle to turn their back on pornography, or the love of money, or the love of the world without the deep work of the cross. Without the deep work of the cross, we will struggle to choose the love of the Lord above the love of distractions.
It can be seen that even men and women in ministry don’t live out what the cross stands for. We can talk the talk so easily, but do we walk the walk? Let me assure you that I am the first to put my hand in my own bosom to see what comes out. During our intense spiritual battle last year, I heard the Lord say to me: “Retah, you can’t fight the enemy if a part of him is still in you. You have to die to self, My child. You have to take back the ground that the enemy has stolen from you so that the work of the cross can be manifested in you.” Yeshua Himself said of the enemy: “He has nothing in me” (John 14:30).
Yhwh is not impressed with our Bible knowledge, or about who knows the most about a certain subject, or about our titles and positions; or even about the great work we do in His name. What impresses Him is when He looks into our eyes and sees His own Son. I have experienced this so many times in my life. I clearly remember an elderly lady in Ruanda who sought the Lord with all her heart in her shack. She was illiterate and she didn’t belong to any Church denomination. Her daughter worked in the Congo and came home from time to time and then shared with her mother about her King Yeshua. There in her shack the Holy Spirit “downloaded” the Our Father prayer into her spirit. She prayed it daily. One day when her daughter came home again after being a way for a while, she stood amazed at her mother’s prayers, because her mom didn’t even have a Bible. That elderly lady experienced miracle after miracle in her little shack as she grew in her love relationship with Yeshua. The fruits of the Spirit were abundant in her life, and it drew everyone closer to her to come and taste of His sweetness.
With this I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have Bible knowledge, but rather that we should have an intense desire for His Word – because Yeshua is the Word (John 1:1). He speaks to us through His Word, He instructs us through His Word, and He guides us through His Spirit in His Word. I daily pray that Yhwh will grant my family and I a greater hunger for His Word.
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you (John 16:13-15).
The Lord will lead us through His Spirit into all truth, not into a Babylonian system of trying to reach God by our works. Yhwh doesn’t measure us according to the human standards we have set for ourselves, but rather on whether He can see Yeshua in us or not. He asks this important question of us: “Are you and empty vessel through whom I can flow and manifest My Kingdom here on earth?”
I see how so many of us repent of our sin, but still continue in our sinful nature and selfishness. We use the excuse that “Yhwh knows our hearts,” and that He understands when our flesh overrides our spirit. It is as if we have taken out “fire insurance”, and feel comforted thinking that we won’t go to hell while we keep on living in sin as before.
Salvation is not only to be saved from our sin, but to be saved from ourselves – from the very man of sin that abides within – and to be placed into the Son of Righteousness, the very Son of Yhwh.
I daily walk the road of dying to self. Believe me, I don’t even understand this journey that Yhwh has placed us on, or the way He uses Aldo to reveal things to us through Wisdom, but it requires great responsibility from us and therefore I don’t reveal everything Aldo writes.
In order for Yeshua to do what He wants to do in our lives, He requires sanctification. “Sanctification Retah... sanctification,” I can so often hear Him whisper into my heart. “Not judgement, not fame, not self-righteousness... but to walk the way of the cross and to die to self. Allow Me to work through you. I want to use your hands and feet to manifest Myself in this last hour.”
Yhwh says this to all of us: “Lay down your preconceived ideas, place your life in My hands and trust Me – for I am the Lord of heaven and earth!”
The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (1 Cor. 15:47-49).
Just like Yeshua said to Phillip: “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father,” so can we who have died and been resurrected in Christ say: “If you have seen me, you have seen Christ.” Those born from above have Him as our sole identity; we therefore should no longer trust in ourselves, or in our good works, or eloquent sermons – but we should only boast in Him (Jer. 9:23-24). To rebuild the walls of Nehemiah around ourselves is a daily process of dying to self and being resurrected in Christ.
What words come out of our mouth? What shines out of our eyes? Or are we only busy with ministry activities and manmade kingdoms rather that truly serving the Living God?
Help us Father to realize that you are not interested in how many facts we know about You, but that You want to teach us Your glory and power and the sweetness of Your presence; and that You want to manifest Yourself through the glory that shines through your bride.
I stand amazed at what Yahweh does on my weekend ministry events. This weekend there was a fresh release of His love anointing to bring healing to His Bride. To You be a all the glory, Lord!
I arrived home on Sunday evening after my ministry weekend in Hermanus. On the flight back to Lanseria I looked forward to soaking up every moment with my children before they had to go to bed; and then for my special time with Tinus.
We are excitedly walking this road with Aldo. I know that we need to persevere until the end because restoration is an ongoing process. When I read his letters I can see that Wisdom is leading us to undiscovered areas where there is still trauma hiding that we need to work through. I daily bless his wounded places with Yhwh’s healing. I have seen that so many people give up just short of their breakthrough, but I will keep on pressing forward until Yeshua’s plan for his life has come to full completion. We learn so much from Wisdom, and He shows us step by step how to move forward. It will always be a road of faith in Yhwh.
As the last rays of sunlight faded away last light, Josh was hitting a tennis ball against an outside wall. Aldo (who usually goes to bed quite early), was kept awake by the sound of the thumping tennis ball and eventually stumbled out of his room to ask Josh to stop making noise. Being half asleep, he lost his balance and fell. He hit the ground face first, and injured himself with a deep cut to his nose. After taking care of his wound, I sat him down on my bed and we prayed together. While I was still busy asking the Lord to calm Aldo’s soul and spirit, he interrupted me and prayed: “Father, I ask you to restore my body and my balance so that I don’t have to fall down and hurt myself so much. I pray that my body will come in line with Your Word. Please Lord Yeshua, I ask You to please heal my body, because I don’t want to fall down everywhere I go.” The tears were pouring down my cheeks, because I could see how painful the deep cut in his nose and the blue swelling had to be. I heard the pain in his voice, and I knew that if he had tears to cry they would be rolling over his cheeks by now. As he got up from the bed to go to his own room he turned around and said, “goodnight Mommy.” I quietly sat on the edge of my bed for a few moments longer and thought about the high price this young man of God was paying, while never complaining. And as I was sitting there, I knew that I knew that I knew, that Yhwh is the God of heaven and earth and that I will keep on believing for His perfect work on the cross to manifest completely in Aldo’s life! And while we are waiting for our miracle, I know that He is our miracle. Yhwh is busy with us. He paid the price on the cross, and He will fulfil his perfect will in our lives.
I walked out of my room and picked Josh up into my lap. “Zozzie, I’m sorry that you have to see such pain when you just want to be a normal boy of 10 years old that likes to play ball outside. I’m sorry for all the times that we have to ask you to be quiet because Aldo is sleeping. I’m sorry that you have to go through so much at such a young age...”
“Mommy,” he said and stroked my hair, “that’s nothing. I understand. You named me Joshua – and that means I am strong and courageous. Will you please rub my back, Mommy?” We prayed and he fell asleep in Yeshua’s arms.
Now I can climb onto my husband’s lap, look him in the eyes, and find out how his weekend was. I’m not his evangelist – I’m his wife! I had to learn in our marriage that I’m the one that has to change. After I replaced the crown on his head and started loving him for who he is – without any preconditions – we started experiencing a new fire in our marriage.
God is the God of love. Give love, and you will receive love in return.
Have a blessed week!
Retah and family.