What is there in this life that can prepare us for the constant dying in self that leads to the abundant life we can have in Christ? Interestingly enough, I am at a place in my life where I am quietly sitting and looking around me. I look at people, ministries, relationships, families, businesses and I see how everyone is consumed by “self”. Sadly, I can hear and see “self” even in very large and successful ministries. I can see how quickly self-promotion wants to creep in. I can even see how people want to push me into that line, because once you have opened the “self” door, the enemy quickly wants to puff you up, and pride is shortly on its heels. This is the message that Jesus is putting on my heart - Take your eyes of man, and put it on Christ!
Pride walks around with Jesus on the lips and a sword in the hands – but not the sword of the Word of God. I see plastic sword - a sharp tongue, speaking of high and lofty things, but with very little power. As the people want to push me into this direction, I hide behind one of the large pillars in God’s throne room. I crouch on the ground, and with my hands I catch my falling tears.
“Jesus, what changed that I am suddenly recognizing all these things?” I wonder. I am at a quiet place in my life, my eyes are only on Jesus. My heart is peaceful within me, and I choose to hide rather than to stand in the line of self-promotion. With this new perspective, I can see that self-promotion is the first step to a big fall – it is a blindness that is presented as a marvelous truth. We have become so fat because of “self” that we can no longer distinguish the lie from the truth.
(Photo: While dancing and worshipping we are defeating the enemy's plans!) For two weeks now I have been experiencing the powerful working of the Holy Spirit, and I can see how Jesus Himself is busy healing and freeing people at every meeting. I had the most amazing experience in Cape Town last Thursday when I was ministering on the blood of the Lamb. A young lady came up to me afterwards and testified that she had been healed of a sickness that had been plaguing her for years. She said the moment I started talking about the blood, she experienced a touch from the Lord – she testified of how her blood rushed through her veins, and then her healing was there. Tears were running over her cheeks and she said: “The blood of Jesus healed me!” The Bible says it this way: By the power of the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of their testimony, and because they do not love their lives unto death, they will overcome! (Revelations 12:11).
For a long time Yeshua has been speaking to me that I should minister about His blood. But I could only start when His blood was all that I had left to hold on to – only the blood of Jesus – and then the revelation knowledge came. A new world opened up to me. Yes, and you can be sure the enemy doesn’t like it, but greater is He that lives in me than He that lives in the world!
That is my prayer for you tonight – keep your eyes on Yeshua, on the power of the blood and the victory that we have through the blood of the Lamb. Remember Revelations 12:11, the power of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony is where the victory is secured. That is all that we need!
Don’t seek your answers from men. To look constantly in the eyes of Yeshua will bring you to a humble, dependant place, but this is also a very powerful place to be. In the Kingdom of God your love relationship with the King determines your authority in the Kingdom. Rather build on your relationship with God than spending too much time building relationships on your Nokia. Do not place the opinion of man, above the voice of God.
“This is what the LORD says: Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jer. 17: 5-8).
As I sat before Aldo and prayed for him, and I heard the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit saying, “Retha, put his heart in My hands as a bird in a nest. Be still and know that I am God. Let not your eyes look around bewildered – focus on My eyes, so that I can fill your vision with My thoughts. I will fill your hands with more power… My power will flow through you as you praise My name. My child, only where My name is being glorified will lives be changed. Where “self” comes to try and steal the show, nothing will change in the spirit even through it looks very impressive from the outside. I meet you in the midst of the turmoil and storms.
There where you were hiding behind the pillar, there I met you and spoke deep into your spirit even though there was a lot of movement going on around you in the natural. I am waiting for you. Don’t wait for “quiet-times” to come into My presence. Come, come.. Come in your pain, come in the midst of a hectic day, come regardless of the world’s distractions. Just come! I will meet you as your eyes meet Mine. That is why so many people don’t enter in. Because even if they are looking for Me, their focus is still on other people. I am looking for a body, not a one-man-band trying to steal the show. I am waiting in expectation for your eyes to be fixed on Me. And as you look up – even while you are busy preaching – I look with love into your spirit and fill you with more of Myself. I desire to pour out My fullness on you. To pour out My blessings on you.
Why could I not see these blessings before? I could only recognize it in my pain - when the world no longer distracted my focus with all those things that are only temporary… once my focus was completely on God my eyes were seeking for those things that are of eternal value.
Be still Retha, and know I am God. Don’t let the toil and cares of the day rob you from this sweet, wonderful, fellowship with Me. I know what you need, I see all your responsibilities – but I want you to look in My eyes and experience how those cares vanish and your load is lightened by My unseen hand.
I have nothing to offer you Father other than my love for You.
(Photo: While dancing and worshipping we are defeating the enemy's plans!) My child, don’t you see? In return, I cover you and your family with My love and My power so that you will work effortlessly with Me in two-fold measure. I work for you in ways that you cannot see – so just keep going on. I will make your path clear as you trust me and give a step, and then trust me and give the next step. Don’t worry about tomorrow’s step, the foundation, Jesus Christ, will be laid by your words of life. Things that you yourself could never have accomplished will come to pass, and you will know that it is the doing of your ABBA!
Things that you are busy with absorb your energy and want to wear you out. But remember that My promises are attained by faith and patience, and as a family you will stand, stand, stand and see that God is good!
So today I say to you, Retha, Tinus, Aldo and Josh: Rest in Me, wait upon Me, be set apart for Me. Seek My face, seek My fellowship.
Lord I cry out that you will make Your will – our will. Intensify our hunger for You and give us more of Your fire!
As I prayed that, Aldo jumped up again and put his hands under the running tap – “Mom, my hands are burning!”
Yes Aldo, that is the only thing that is going to consecrate and prepare the bride - true anointing… not merely from the lips, but from God’s heart. The battle the bride is fighting is what prepares her to be God’s warrior-bride. So see yourself fortunate when God trains you for warfare. Remember this promise: Resist the enemy and HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. Draw close to God, AND HE WILL DRAW CLOSE TO YOU (James 4:78).
Glory to God who uses a broken situation to glorify Himself; for in our weakness His strength is made perfect!
Retha
A Word in Season:
2 Chronicles 16
Asa’s Treaty with Syria
1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 3 “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” 4 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Message to Asa 7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
Illness and Death of Asa 11 Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. 13 So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made a very great burning for him.