This is a new year and my heart is overflowing with joy!
What an awesome God we serve!
We arrived home this weekend after spending a month in Cape Town. Aldo did very well on the trip back home. He is so much better – all the Gory to God. After the second operation and spending some time in the ICU the day before Christmas, he started feeling much better but after a week of smooth sailing his body rejected the shunt. I could see how his health was deteriorating again and he wrote to me: “Do not be scared Mom, this is just an infection - God says all is well.” I got antibiotics for the infection and now Aldo is well on the road to full recovery again!
I am leaving for New Zeeland today with total peace in my heart. God is faithful and true – to Him I entrust my family and my life. It was definitively not in my planning to be in and out of ICU during the December holidays; but God showed me His way. His way was for me to be on my knees. To be connected to His presence and staying in the throne room all the time, because then - all things are possible. It is He and He alone that can lead us into triumph.
God showed me how He is busy isolating us from the worldly things. I have learnt that God did not create me and you to be self-sufficient, trusting in our own strength. He created us to rely on Him, to trust Him, to put all our hope in Him, to look for His hand in everything – yes everything!
And somehow we always want to be independent – No, depend on God for every little detail.
This is where I am now. We battled for Aldo’s life again and only God could have given us the revelation of what was wrong through the Holy Spirit and Aldo’s letters. That was a great miracle! In his sickness he wrote “Jesus says there is water on my brain – you need to take x-rays to see it”
I realize now that total dependency on God was His plan for us from the beginning - because it drives us to intimacy with God Himself. And what a great, great place to be. Listen to me; intimacy with the Father is the key to the anointing; it is the key to everything in life!
John 15 speaks of “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
To be intimate with God is conditional upon walking in the light. 1 John 1: 5-6: “God is light and in Him there is no darkness.” When you walk in darkness, don’t expect the privileges of His intimacy. This year we have to stay out of the darkness at all cost if you want to be one with Jesus.
You will never experience the hidden treasures when you only play on the surface of the beach. While you are self-sufficient you will not experience the intimacy of being totally dependent on God. The time that I spent in Cape Town - one month with a very sick child - took me much deeper, so deep into the treasures of God. There He could show me day by day what His heart looks like and reveal to me His plans for our lives. To have Aldo as a prophet of God in my house is a humbling experience. The wisdom that comes out of him has a way of cutting to my heart with his simple words.
What is your New-Year’s resolution?
My greatest desire this year is “TO KNOW HIM MORE!”
Philippians 3:10 Paul says “That I may know Him more”
Exodus 33:13 Moses said “Let me know Your ways that I can know You more”
Psalm 27 David wanted to know the fullness of God – how about you?
I have a longing that burns inside of me for more of Him, His Spirit, His Wisdom, for more of His love. In these tough times I feel God working in the deep places of my heart. You see it is when deep calls unto deep where you find the hidden treasures of holiness and pure love.
The world can no longer satisfy; money and riches don’t come close to His fullness – only Jesus can give you life...in His presence there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever more.
There is nothing more powerful than prayer – it is where your relationship is established and you push into His presence. The Word of God is our sword and we have to use it!!! Speak the Word, all that you need for your miracle is inside of you. SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD.
No Bride will fall in love with her Groom if their relationship doesn’t have a foundation of fellowship, communication, sharing thoughts, sharing hearts, sharing life.
Aldo wrote “Mom Jesus and the angles were in the operating room – when you look into His eyes you will know - Jesus sees things that we don’t see” When last did you look into your spouse’s or children’s eyes – it is there where you will see their hearts.
The Lord keeps on talking to me about perseverance – press on Retha, push in. There is no turning back. The road gets more narrow and lonely every day. “Lord why?” Because if the road is wide you will keep looking back; stay focused only on Me, not on your situation or on your emotions.
It is such a good place to be dependant, it makes you vulnerable – but be vulnerable to God, depending only on Him, looking only at Him.
I am leaving the office now to go and pack for my trip to New-Zealand. A phone call – “Retha, are you ready to leave now, after all that you when through?” O yes, more than ever! I know what God is going to do in New Zeeland! You see, the nights I spent looking after Aldo and only sleeping an hour or two was quality time in the throne room. There I could see, hear, sing and worship with the angles – yes there I received new fire! My heart is guarded by His peace, because God is God and He is faithfully in control.
Jesus is coming – His Bride needs to be ready.
Aldo wrote “Mom, Jesus showed me He is coming soon– please tell people that they have to be ready , not many people are going in.”
Wake up, be alert – He is coming.
Come into the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit - for God is Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14: “Now we have not received the spirit that belongs to the world, but the Holy Spirit Who is from God, given to us that we might realize and appreciate the gifts [of divine favour and blessing so freely] bestowed on us by God. And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Holy Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language. But the natural man does not accept into his heart the gifts and teachings of the Spirit of God for they are folly to him...”
If that is you – Go on your knees right now and ask God to take your veil off.
Holy Father, we come to You in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ who by His death brought us passage into the Holy of Holies where You dwell. Lord we ask that You will please open our eyes and lift the veil from our minds so we can behold Your beauty and worship You in Spirit and Truth. Holy Spirit please fill us with Your wisdom that we can walk by faith and not by sight, and let us welcome Your teachings into our hearts with joy! Amen.
A special thank you to all our partners for 2008! We appreciate all you did for us and we can only thank God for sending you to cross our paths...we are all a team and without you all this would not have been possible.
We hope to reach out to America more and more this year because God keeps on giving Aldo prophetic words for His people there. Please keep on praying for Israel, and let our prayers for the peace of Jerusalem fill the bowls in heaven!
I know Aldo’s time is coming soon when he will start travelling with me but for now he has to fully recover and yes, he has to finish school!
He prays all the time, and when he prays you can feel the fire – because he stays in the fire!
If you want us to pray for you, please send your request to us – God is faithful and true, nothing is impossible for Him and He will watch over you. Thank you for your prayers.
God bless you and keep you. Retha