Pay them half

This account deals with a typical encounter I have had with the living God in addressing a financial situation pertaining to accommodation and sustenance, whilst living in Sea Point, Cape Town, during the mid-1990s.

      

Prior to moving to Sea Point, I had been renting a room (on a weekly basis) at The Lennox, then still a reasonably appointed residential establishment in Gardens, Cape Town.  I was asked to vacate it at months end as it had been pre-booked by cyclists partaking in the annual Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Race.

As still is the case today, I had been walking out my preordained destiny in Jesus, going to where He was leading, resolving everything in Him, step by step, as I went along.^[1]

However, as is perhaps still the case, I was reluctant to commit myself to long-term fixed accommodation, especially to a protracted lease agreement.  I was totally reliant on God for all my accommodation, food, and clothes, which He had faithfully provided[2], albeit always at the very last minute.  Living like this is exhilarating but can also be nerve-wracking, as one has to wait to see how and when He chooses to provide.  Moreover, there always is the possibility that He might choose, for very valid reasons of His own, not to provide.^[3]  Safeguarding me against such an embarrassing financial eventuality always seems to cause me to irrationally want to hedge my bets.  Such reasoning, ultimately is, of course, fallacious and perhaps still, to some extent, needs to be worked out of me in my walk with him.^[4]  (Unfortunately the lost, but especially believers, often scrutinizes one’s every move/step, to watch to see if one comes undone.  If this happens, it seemingly will validate their own theories or interpretation of Scripture, as apposed to what one is practically walking/working out in Him.)

Whilst seeking God’s face for alternative accommodation, a sister-in-the-Lord one day took me to a residential hotel located in Kei Apple road, Sea Point (not far from where she herself lived), then known as The King David Hotel (previously also known, I was recently told by someone who knew the area well, as The Queens Hotel). 

By God’s grace, I was able to book a room for R700.00 per month (obviously at a more beneficial rate than on a daily, weekly or bi-weekly basis) providing some form of stability, albeit only briefly.^[5]

Having recently returned to Cape Town,^[6] I looked up the location of the hotel to determine if it still exists.  Where it once stood is now a new development, know as Planet Africa  (However, in case you are interested, it used to be situated within a few minutes’ walking distance from the Checkers Supermarket, located at the corner of Regent street and St Andrews road.)

Planet Africa (ex-King David Hotel
Sea Point, South Africa)

View from King David Hotel
(to local Checkers supermarket)

Google aerial view of above images

Although the hotel offered pre-paid restaurant meals to residents wanting to use such facilities, I chose not to, instead daily visiting the local supermarket for my daily sustenance.

Also staying at the hotel at the time was Dino, a brother-in-the-Lord (of Italian extraction).  By occupation he was a chef who had worked in a guesthouse in the Eastern Transvaal.  After a serious car accident, he moved to Cape Town, hoping to utilise the compensation received (from a personal injury insurance settlement), to set up a coffee shop or similar establishment, perhaps even providing light meals for potential customers.

Having previously been in business for my own account, I assisted him in working through his limited options, mostly trying to prevent him from squandering his cash and by him avoiding costly, irreversible financial mistakes, such as locating it in the wrong area, entering into unfavourable lease arrangements, superfluous or costly expenditure on the wrong items, etc.^[7]  He almost daily came to see me to assist him in exploring his options and we got to know each other reasonably well as a result.

Despite my own arrangement, I knew that, at some point, in the near future, I was going to run out of cash, a prospect too frightening to contemplate for most people.  At least I had the temporary “security” of a pre-paid room for a month in advance, providing me with some breathing space—but it was not going to last long, and so, as this day approached, with a little more than R 700.00 to cover my existence, I began seeking God’s face for solutions.

Whilst in prayer one day, He suddenly responded by saying, “Pay them half.”  “I cannot do so Lord,” I protested, “there will be a rate amendment (as if He was oblivious to it).”  My mindless riposte remained unanswered.  In obedience, I eventually went to the receptionist on duty, saying, “I do not know for how long I will be staying with you.  Can I pay you R350.00 in the meantime?”  “I am not sure,” she said.  “When I see the manager again I will ask him and get back to you.”  I nonetheless insisted paying her the R350.00 (as He had instructed), which she accepted, and for which I received a receipt.

When over the next few days no one responded to my request, I approached the manager concerning my situation.  He informed me that the hotel was owned by a Jewish landlord.  The premises had been leased to a Swiss citizen, living in Constantia, operating it as a hotel.  The lease expired at the end of that month but the landlord decided not to renew it.  Instead, he planned auctioning the property.  His intentions totally surprised the lessee, potentially leaving him without his primary source of income.  His staff likewise faced a dilemma, not sure what was going to unfold, with them all ultimately risking loosing the “security” of their jobs.  “As far as I am concerned,” he said, “you can stay on for as long as you like, at no extra cost, until we all have to leave.”

The news quickly spread, especially to the residential tenants, some having lived there for years.  Everyone was forced to hastily try and secure alternative accommodation.

With the upcoming Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycling event, this proved to be almost impossible, as the cyclists have also pre-booked virtually all available residential accommodation in the area.  People were bewildered, left in an extremely vulnerable situation.  Some even approached a local radio station to air their discontent, frustration and anger—but all to no avail.

Dino joined the mad rush to find new accommodation and would check in with me daily, informing me about the prospects he had unearthed.  He was totally oblivious of my circumstances, but made it clear he was trying to find a place “for us both” to stay.  I assume he presumed I could or would pay half the rent.  Given what I had already shared above, I could not commit myself to such an arrangement, but he forged ahead nonetheless, on behalf of us both.

Having become accustomed to seeking God’s Face on everything in life, I once again turned to Him for resolution.^[8]  “Lord, what must I do?”  I kept on asking—anticipating a response.

Everyone was doing everything possible to find a place to stay.  I did not.  Instead, I awaited God’s response in the solitude of my room.

Then one day, during all this uncertainty, a hotel staff member knocked on my door, “There’s a phone call for you,” she said, informing me to take it (on what seemed to be a communal line) near the staircase on my floor.  On the phone was an unredeemed, retired coloured^[9] schoolteacher whom I had met whilst living in Jerusalem.  (She was on holiday there at the time.)  Having witnessed to her in Israel, I gave her the telephone number of a believer in Johannesburg to contact, when visiting her daughter (who lived and worked there), should she feel inclined to do so.

Before I returned from Israel, she somehow obtained my mother’s phone number from someone and tried to reach me at her retirement home in Vanderbijlpark, leaving a message for me to contact her upon my return (if I ever did).  When I arrived back in South Africa I tried to contact her at the number provided, but learnt she had left, this time for Zambia.  That was the last time I thought I would ever hear from her, but here she now was on the line, this time having heard from another South African (who had also visited Israel at the same time) that I was now living in Cape Town, the city where they both resided.

She suggested we meet for tea at an outdoor restaurant located at the botanical gardens, off the city centre, which we did, soon thereafter.  It was a casual meeting without any agenda or set purpose.  She was inquisitive about my plans.  I said I was between things (not knowing what God had in mind), but that I would soon (given the aforesaid) move, although not sure where to yet.  We parted company and again I truly thought I would never see or hear from her again.

Edna and I had nothing in common.  Our backgrounds differed radically and so did our outlook on life, interests and activities.  Nevertheless, a few days later, she phoned again—this time suggesting that I come and stay with her.  She even suggested Dino do likewise.  I took this as coming from the Lord (Dino had a different view), and soon moved to Grassy Park, a predominantly coloured area, in which she resided.

The flatlet, adjoining her home, consisted of two bedrooms (the one abutting the other), a bathroom and kitchen.  It was freely available to me, for as long as I wanted to stay there.  Although relatively far away from everything, it was secluded, well appointed and comfortable.[10]  Whilst Edna was going about her daily business, most days going off somewhere, I predominantly spent my time in Scripture and simply being with Him.

One day as I sat at the desk in the spare bedroom, studying (the Person of) the Holy Spirit, as revealed in Scripture (particularly in Acts 4), I suddenly heard Him say, “Go look at your passport.”

I got up from my chair and retrieved my passport from my suitcase.  As I opened it, I noticed that it was expiring during that particular week.  When Dino came to visit, and learnt what God had told me, he insisted that we immediately drive to Home Affairs (located) in Wynberg (if my memory serves me correctly) to have it renewed, and so we did.

Not long thereafter God moved me thousands of miles away—his time to Zambia, for which I needed a renewed passport!

I could have solved all of the aforesaid intellectually, by using my God-given mental faculty—and that, I can assure you, is what most Christians would have urged/advised  me to do based on their understanding of God’s word, leaving only that for which they had no answers to Him.

I deliberately chose not to do so.

Among others, Scripture in Proverbs declares, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”^[11]

How true this proved to be the case in the aforementioned incident.

I was not (and no longer am) part of the maelstrom of everyday events in a godless world, primarily obsessed with and serving itself.[12]  I was (and still am) serving Him, walking out my destiny in Him[13], as best I know how, with Him directing my paths superlatively in the midst of untold greed, strive and turmoil—as the aforementioned incident attests.

The manner in which He so graciously dealt with me may not be the way you would have handled it.  So let me ask you this: How would you have resolved my situation and how are you practically resolving the daily issues of your life? 

Do you perhaps still act as if you are wiser than Him, resolving issues, (hopefully/presumably) to your advantage, as you see fit—or do you truly submit to Him, viewing Him as the source of all life, serving His purposes, on His terms?

In my experience, it is best to line up with the revelation of Him; to die completely to self and to find life in Him alone^[14] on His terms; as He directs,[15] serving and loving “ the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”^[16]

We can delude ourselves, but He cannot be fooled.  He knows who His servants truly are, and those pretending to be (or even those wanting to do “something” for Him), and He deals with them both accordingly.

The daily reality of it will be revealed in whether one clearly encounters the living God (or not) as we grapple (or not) with the issues of life flowing out of His Being. 

This is not an optional process and the consequences, whether one realises/appreciate it or not, are eternal.

Peter wrote, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”^[17]

May He bless you abundantly in encountering Him as you diligently seek His word and Face with all your might for a clearer understanding of Him and His ways.

Blessed be His Name forevermore!

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[1] In 1 Corinthians 16.6-8 we see glimpses of the same processes in Paul’s life (even though his calling was already broadly defined as can be clearly seen in passages, such as, for example, Acts 9 and 22).

[2] See Matthew 6.24-34

[3] Proverbs 9.11-12 says, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son [in whom] he delights.”

[4] I am doing far better with the fear (or anxiousness) of Him not providing.  This was something I needed to overcome.  God sometimes allow us to come horribly undone—but allows this always for our own benefit and it usually occurs when He needs to deal with something we need to come to terms with doctrinally, relating to misconceptions, etc He wants corrected.  In this respect, Paul says, in 1 Cor 15.31, “I die daily,” i.e. there are aspects of our lives that still need to die, in subjugation, to His Lordship.  In working out our destiny, we are placed in hardship, sometimes totally beyond our control to learn to no longer trust in self, but totally in God, as 2 Cor 1.8-11, for example, teaches.

[5] In today’s terms this is equivalent of roughly R 8,662.82, assuming a growth rate of 15% over that period or  $971.17 pm (converted at R8.92/$1.00 in September 2012)

[6] On 14 August 2012

[7] Thus functioning in the gift of helps, as found in 1 Cor 12.28: “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” (My emphasis)

[8] “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ^7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,”  (Phil 2.6-7) with “…in Him we live and move and have our being …” (Ac 17.28)

[9] I do not like to refer to people by their race, as it is irrelevant, but this places it in the South African context of the time.

[10] Staying here, you may want to know where I got cash from to sustain myself.  I honestly cannot even remember.  I have long ago taken another text to mind and ceased wondering where my next meal was going to come from, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  (Col 3.1-3)

^[11]The New King James Version . 1996, c1982 (electronic ed.) (Pr 3:5). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[12] “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one,” (1 Jn 5.19) with “And you [He made alive,] who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others,” (Ep 2.2-3) with “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 Jn 2.15-17)

[13] “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  (Ep 2.10)

[14] “…if One died for all, then all died; ^15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”  (2 Co 5.14-15)

[15] “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Ro 8.28, NIV)

^[16]The New King James Version . 1996, c1982 (electronic ed.) (Mk 12:30). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[17]The New King James Version . 1996, c1982 (electronic ed.) (2 Pe 1:2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

$ 400

Although a lost world looks at Christianity as a predominantly unappealing and impractical belief-system, adhered to by some members of society, Christians themselves sometimes, unfortunately,[1] hold vastly differing Scriptural viewpoints.

At times, as individual believers work out these viewpoints, there is a convergence of lives and an encounter with the living God.  This is what happened to four of us living in Jerusalem in the early 90s.

It concerned three women: a Finn, a Swede and a South African (the latter two of Jewish extraction, all of whom had accepted Yeshua as their Saviour) and lastly me, a South African male.  We were all at various levels of Scriptural insight and maturity, but wholeheartedly committed to the Lord.

To some believers Christianity is no more than a moral code, a value system, a philosophy, or, at best, a theology, explaining their beliefs and approach to life.  This was not the case with the first two women.  They were truly committed to the Lord, knowing Him as the source of all life, and were led by Him to reside, for a period, in Jerusalem.

I cannot speak regarding what they were working out in Him, but I had the utmost respect for especially the aforementioned Finn, who had an astonishingly intimate walk with Him, and whom, of the three, I got to know best.  Personally, I came to Israel because I have heard Him, on one chilly Friday afternoon speaking the following words, “Go to Israel.  That is where I walked and taught.”  At the time, although searching for answers anew as a backslidden businessman, I had no idea why He wanted me to go to Israel, but nonetheless packed up, lock stock and barrel, and left in obedience.

I first met the Finn, at a bible study conducted in the rented apartment of an American, Dr. Harold Kastner,[2] in Gi’vat Shapira (or French Hill).  She, in turn, brought the Swede, with whom she shared an apartment in Rahavia (a suburb of Jerusalem, situated opposite the Israeli Knesset or Parliament).  I initially got to know them both as we stood chatting opposite Harold’s apartment, waiting for a bus to our respective abodes.  The South African I met whilst living in a hostel in the Old City of Jerusalem.  She borrowed my laptop to type correspondence needing urgently to be dispatched to South Africa.[3]  I did not know her at all really, but it was clear she was struggling and unwilling, perhaps because of it, to open up to strangers.  At the time, I also lived in the Old City (amongst two nuns) at the Sisters of the Rosary (opposite the Latin Patriarch).

What I did not know was that the South African has previously shared the apartment with the Finn and Swede, and thus all four our paths, had at some point, intertwined.

When Harold and his wife went overseas temporarily to minister, an older America believer, from Boise, Idaho in the United States, who had also attended Harold’s meetings, suggested a few of us continue meeting at her place,  until they return.

The first time we did so the Swede wanted us to pray about something.  When I learnt it concerned money, I said a quick prayer, asking the Lord to address the need.  Having been in business in Johannesburg, first in the corporate world and later for my own account, having recently restored my situation with the Lord, I still felt uncomfortable praying about monetary issues.  To me it was easier to simply devise a plan to make as much as needed.  (I have since adopted a completely different stance; often praying about it—as I also began working out my own destiny in Him and became totally financially dependant on Him.[4])

Months later, as I visited the Finn at her Rahavia apartment one day, the Swede joined us, having returned from running errands.  She wanted us to urgently pray about something.  “Is it the same problem we prayed about previously?”  I wanted to know.  It was.

When I left South Africa for Israel, the maximum amount I could then take out the country, because of the severe foreign exchange restrictions brought about by the governments apartheid policies, was R 30,000.00 (and then via one of my businesses!).  I knew it was not going to last long.  As the amount began to dwindle, I not only got concerned, I instinctively began exploring Israeli business opportunities.

Then, during this process, I read the following text one day:  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [meaning riches in Aramaic, but personified here].  ^25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ^26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ^27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  ^28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ^29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ^30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will] He not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith?  ^31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ^32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ^33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  ^34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” ^[5] (Annotation and emphasis mine)

I had been raised to be diligent, to study and work hard, to do more than what was expected of me.  This, I was told, would bring me success in life.  Everything I was told; what I had learnt scholastically, in tertiary institutions, empirically, and in business (from the advice given by mentors, etc. and practically) and by observing and studying the actions of extremely successful people the world over—none of it—corresponds with Jesus’ words above.

Instead, He directs us to consider how God sustains life in His created order via the lives of birds and what appears to be ‘naturally’ growing in the field.  Although loving being out in nature, it invariable served as an escape from the pressures of live.  I have never truly observed it, for its own sake, but heeding Jesus’ words, I began noticing what He intended conveying.  One particularly beautiful tree, on my way to the King of Kings assembly (opposite the King David Hotel in Jerusalem), I soon concluded, was more perfectly in God’s will than I will ever be.  There it stood in all its glory, extremely pleasing to the eye.  It did not move an inch to sustain itself.  All the nourishment from the soil and rain He provided—and unless He did so, it would die.  It was a great lesson.

Jesus said, “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  I had no idea what He truly meant by it, but instinctively knew I was somehow going to be taught by Him in this respect in the days ahead.

I considered myself fortunate, ‘successful’ in just about everything I have ever tackled in life.  Although not a natural businessman, every three months or so, I generated the kind of profits most people were hoping to make in a lifetime.  Nevertheless, despite all of this, I knew I did not have the answers to a lot of questions, and it deeply troubled me.  (That in itself, let me assure you, is a blessing.  Those who self assuredly plod along, believing they have all the answers to life, neatly packaged, are more often than not living in deception.)  Seeking answers, I began reading the Scriptures even more ferociously.

Whilst still living in South Africa, travelling home from bird watching one Sunday afternoon, I listened to the Scriptures on the tape player in my car.  Most of it, I concluded, was not relevant to my situation.  Then these words hit me like a sledgehammer, “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”^[6] (Emphasis mine)  Astonishingly it addressed my problem in a nutshell—in a single verse of Scripture!  I was driven to determine my own fate in life, wanting to be in control of my own destiny.  This simple verse stated the exact opposite!

When I got home, I pondered its meaning.  “Surely, it cannot practically mean taking my hands off my own life,” I reasoned.  “It will fall apart.  Guaranteed,” I assured myself.  And yet, not long thereafter, this is precisely what I did.

I understood and became skilful at managing business risks.  In fact, I thrived on it, with the odds always overwhelmingly in my favour, before embarking on any new venture—but, at the time, in taking what I considered to be an extremely radical decision, it felt as if I was about to jump off a steep, never ending cliff.  There was no way in which I could possibly determine, control or influence the course or outcome of this decision.  It felt as if no one has ever taken such a drastic step.

I tried bargaining with God, “I will not live for myself anymore; I will take the leap, but please catch me before I come totally unstuck, falling myself to smithereens.”  Completely vulnerable, I nonetheless ignorantly acted as if I was the initiator of the terms of the “deal.”  (Needless to say, He did not respond, and at times in my walk with Him since, He has deliberately (and rightly so) removed the safety net and, as a result, taught me invaluable lessons as I came unstuck, which I otherwise never could or would have learnt.[7])

So here I was, living in Israel, at the point where I had run out of money myself, sitting opposite two women, being asked to pray about someone else’s money problems.  Apart from the same problem having been raised only a few weeks ago, I had never been in this situation before and was totally unaccustomed to and uncomfortable with it.

A few days prior to this request, I was going through my own monetary struggles.  I was wondering if God would take care of me financially since I was now pursuing Him, no longer serving mammon.  Although not Catholic, I have rented a room at the Sisters of the Rosary.  My rent was overdue and I was unable to meet my commitments.  I hung in with God as long as I could, trying to figure out how the aforementioned passage in Matthew 6, especially verse 33, applied to my situation/dilemma.  In the end, I buckled and contacted South Africa, requesting someone to send me $1000.00 of my own money.

Wanting to get to know the Finn better, I asked her to travel with me to a hotel in Tel Aviv where I had arranged to collect it from Cathy Futterman’s (an ex-girlfriend’s) sister, who was in Israel for medical treatment.  I had deliberately restricted the amount requested, as I felt I still needed to push the envelope with God, needing to come to grips with many textual references dealing with His assured provision.

The morning before I visited the Finn and Swede, I added up the remaining balance (after having incurred travelling expenditure and other costs) and clipped it into two sets of $400.00 notes, saying to myself, “After I having paid the amount owed the Sisters of the Rosary, this is all I have to live on.”  Thinking, “I have to be careful how I spend it.  It will have to take care of a roof over my head somewhere and all my other needs.”  (How dumb can one be and how false this sense of security?  This, clearly, also was not going to last long, merely delaying the inevitable.)

So here we were now praying for someone else’s financial needs.  She felt it needed to be resolved that same day.  The Finn advised her on something, I felt led to tell her not worry about it being resolved that day specifically, and said so.  She felt the same and so, agreeing, we set off for the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

As we stood in conversation, with my hands tucked into my Levi’s (my right hand clutching the two bundles of notes), I suddenly heard Him saying to me, saying, “Give her the money.”  I was dumbfounded.  I have lived without cash for a while and I had just received the amount I was ‘hanging’ onto.  Since collecting it, I had not even bought a cold drink and now I was being told to give it all away.

I immediately excused myself, made a u-turn and walked out of the tiny kitchen, turned left into the passage and then right into the Swede’s bedroom and, via it, walked out onto the balcony (it was the only way I could get there) and looked out over the houses lining the beautiful slopes of Rehavia.

“How much do you want me to leave Lord,” I asked.  “You made two plies of notes this morning, didn’t you?”  He said.  (Somehow, it surprised me that He had noticed, as if He was not omnipresent.)  “Yes Lord,” I answered.  “Leave the one pile here and pay your rent with the other,” He said.  “I would be penniless, yet again,” I thought and made another u-turn, heading back through the bedroom towards the kitchen, wondering where I should “leave” the money.

I noticed a phone on Ingrid’s bedside table and tucked the one pile of notes under it.  It barely stuck out but was sufficiently visible to be noticed and walked into the kitchen.

“I’ve got to leave,” I said.  “I owe the Sisters of the Rosary rent and I am going to pay them right away.”  The Finn decided to accompany me and so we set off together.

That, as far as I was concerned, settled the issue.

Months later, however, I again visited my sisters-in-the-Lord in Rehavia.  The Swede wanted to know if I had left the $ 400.00 under the phone.  I tried skirting the issue.  “No, it is important,” she countered, “I want to tell the person who left the money what had happened.”  Curious, I acknowledged giving them the cash.

She told me they provided accommodation to our Jewish sister-in-the-Lord (whom I had met staying in the Old City of Jerusalem).  Attempting arranging a money transfer from South Africa, she ran up an enormous unpaid phone bill of $ 400.00 (and a few cents), which my sisters-in-the-Lord were unable to settle.  They themselves trusted God completely for their financial needs.  In fact, their entire apartment, everything in it (furniture, cutlery, crockery and linen, and everything else in it, in addition to their daily sustenance) He had divinely provided and continued doing so.  In receipt of the much-needed cash, they searched through their clothing (of all things) for the small change needed to settle the full account with the telephone company and found the exact amount needed.

This is so like our God.  He settles issues to the “T” (probably a South African saying, meaning precisely).  I have experienced His exacting provision on countless occasions since.  I suspect He does so leaving no doubt in the mind of the recipient whatsoever that it is His provision, in the manner He deemed best.

For a variety of reasons (apart from having to resolve my own issues), I desperately wanted to hear His wonderful voice.  The feedback from my sister-in-the-Lord was very encouraging.  It was very pleasing to learn I had heard Him correctly—even if it seemed to be to my own detriment, which of course it was not.[8]  If I had it, and was asked by Him to do so, I would have left them a million dollars.

Learning to hear His voice and obeying Him is extremely important.  If one is raised up to function as a prophet in His kingdom, to the body of Christ (or to whomever He wishes to speak), this is, for example, exactly the sort of thing situation one will be exposed to in Him.

Unbeknown to me at the time, all of it served as a wonderful learning curve, not only of Scriptural realities, but also in the ways of our God.  All of it eventually leading to me becoming more proficient in my function and role in the temple of our God—where He reigns supremely—embarking on the road to the fulfilment of my own preordained role in the body of Christ.

The ways of our God are truly beyond searching out.

If one is to encounter the living God, one has to die to self.  One has to find life in His Being and on His terms.  Unless one does so, one will never come to grips with the reality of Scripture and who He truly is—the Source of all the issues of life flowing from His Person.

You also will encounter the living God as you seek His face at the exclusion of all else—and may He richly bless you as you do so!

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[1] On occasion, I have Christians who disagree with me theologically, brush it off with comments, such as, “It is all right.  I do not hold it against you,” but in reality they do.  This approach is not only a cop-out but contradicts what Scripture clearly teaches. We are called to be of the same mind according to according to 1 Corinthians 1.10; 2 Corinthians 13.11; Philippians  1.27, 3.16, 4.2; 1 Pe 4.1, etc..

[2] A remarkable servant of God, who had earned a doctorate in Cost and Management Accounting, who, at one point, was responsible for the tertiary educational funding needs of the State of Florida.  Apparently, this involved liaising with Washington Senators, etc.  The Lord has appeared to him, handing him seven scrolls, unsealing the first, on which were written what had been assigned to his life.  At the time I met him, he was systematically working out what had been written on this scroll in God’s time and way.

[3] This was in the early 90s before the internet was the primary means of international correspondence.

[4] “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them,” with “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ^2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ^3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”^[4]

^[5]The New King James Version . 1996, c1982 (electronic ed.) (Mt 6:24). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[6]The New King James Version . 1996, c1982 (electronic ed.) (2 Co 5:15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[7] “And we know that in all things God works for the good [even if it does not seem so] of those who [1] love him, who [2] have been called according to his purpose.”^[7] (Annotation and emphasis mine.)   To many Jesus’ death, for example, solved their self-serving agenda’s.  To other’s it seemed a total disaster.  Personally, privately, He was publicly working out His own destiny in God, reconciling the world to Himself through His obedient and glorious Servant.

[8] Romans 8.28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.^[8]

Vision of Soldier

On 9 March 2003, almost exactly 9 years ago, I saw a vision of a Roman soldier.  I believe it is as relevant today as when I saw it.

After listening to, what I considered to be a poor sermon on the need for spiritual warfare, Kobus Oosthuizen, an elder of that particular assembly in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, drove me home, where we continued fellowshipping.

As was usually the case, we randomly discussed a variety of kingdom issues, this time way into the night. We primarily spoke about our callings in Yeshua (Jesus) and the wonderful revelations and encounters we both have had, along with that of brothers and sisters in the Lord all over the world. We also briefly deliberated on what we believed He was doing in our midst or what may be unfolding in future.

Time sped by and at around 1h30 we decided to pray before parting company.  Whilst in prayer my brother-in-the-Lord suddenly addressed me saying, “You are going to see a vision.”  As he uttered those words I was already seeing it.

Standing upright, in full “battle gear,” I was observing (in an “inner” vision) a single stocky, sturdy “Roman” soldier facing me. I could see him from the top of his helmet to just below his knees. I couldn’t make out his face or see any idiosyncratic features of his person (and I do not, on reflection, believe this to be important.) The only distinctive aspect of this man was the fact that he was a soldier “dressed” in battle array.

His head gear was somehow bulkier than I had imagined it to be.  He was clothed in a thick brown, almost impenetrable leather covering, stretching all the way from his shoulders to his thighs, where it turned into leather strips (presumably, I thought, to provide legroom or freedom of movement, without which, I instantly realized, he would be unable to walk).

When I saw this covering I somehow thought of it as a “breastplate,” or upper body protection, but soon realized that it must have been something worn by all soldiers underneath a breastplate. It was of one peace, made of solid leather and slid over the persons’ head. (In view of what I am going to share next, I was of the opinion that the absence of the breastplate, and the feet and other equipment, could be as significant.)

His arms hung straight down his sides and in his hand he held a sword. This noticeably, above all else, captivated my attention—because the blade was missing. The handle of the sword and his hand was obscured from view, being covered by a rounded shield or hand guard, presumably for protection in battle. In appearance the hand shield of the sword looked like that used by shipping outlaws, as seen in drawings or movies of pirates of old. Where the blade should have extended from the sword handle, a round piece of steel of no more than a few centimeters in diameter protruded.  It appeared to be no more than 7 inches or so in length.[1] In observing this, I noticed that this odd extension didn’t line up with the center of the handle, as one would have expected. It seems to have been affixed above the center. I wondered why this was the case.

From my perspective, it seemed obvious to me that the soldier was not capable of using such an instrument resourcefully. A proper sword is a far more effective and lethal weapon.

That was all I saw.

Since it was early in the morning, way past the normal bedtime of most, I didn’t think much of it, but I briefly related what I saw both (immediately) to Kobus and his pastor the following morning, as I considered it to be relevant to his sermon of the previous evening.

What I saw, or more accurately—didn’t see!¾terribly reflects on the Scriptures, as set out in Ephesians 6.10-20:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord [given the nature of the vision I do not think this man was “strong in the Lord”] and in the power of His might [this man had been fighting his own loosing battles].  ¹¹ Put on the whole armor [some parts were missing and/or dysfunctional] of God, that you may be able to stand [he was standing, but how successfully is debatable] against the wiles of the devil.  ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  [I seriously doubt if he could defeat any of them] ¹³Therefore take up [apart from the helmet and broken sword, he had not taken up anything] the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all [again this was debatable], to stand.  ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded [I saw no girding] your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate [I saw no breastplate] of righteousness, ¹⁵and having shod your feet [I saw no feet or footwear] with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶above all, taking the shield of faith [I saw no shield] with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation [I saw a helmet at least!], and the sword of the Spirit [I saw a broken sword], which is the word of God; ¹⁸praying always [he was not praying or being watchful, he just stood there] with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— ¹⁹and for me [in this case, the author of the vision], that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  (Annotation and emphasis mine)^[2]

On initial reflection I believed it to be significant that the breastplate had been absent and that I could not see his footwear, but reading through the aforementioned text again, I began to realize that mush more was missing (other than the helmet of salvation or, in this case, basic salvation knowledge, the condition, unfortunately, of most contemporary believers).

The whole armor was not worn.  Nothing was being done as the aforementioned text so clearly exhorts.  There was no truth or true righteousness.  The gospel of peace was not brought to people (i.e. the absence of feet, presumably because shoes or sandals were missing, and there was every indication that he was not going to engage in such activity).  Faith was non-existent, perhaps indicating that God wasn’t truly being believed and/or trusted.  It seems as if (spiritually) this person had experienced salvation but was grossly ignorant of what it meant, let alone the offensive and defensive power of particularly God’s word¾the sword—which only the Holy Spirit can truly effectively wield in our lives or in the situations we find ourselves, into which we are deliberately being led by God as a soldier enlisted in His army.  In fact, there was nothing He could use at all!

Given the aforesaid, and the fact that the man was a mature individual, the vision resembled a frightening picture.  Generally, unless clearly revealed by the Lord, one needs to diligently seek His face as to the interpretation and application of a vision in order to respond appropriately.   Through the vision I believe God was testifying to the appropriateness of the sermon subject matter—but, more importantly, that He had something far more meaningful to say—revealing the general situation not only among the flock of this particular pastor, but also the deplorable state of the body of Christ worldwide.

On the positive side, although woefully inadequately prepared, the soldier seemed to have been in battles before and more than willing to engage in future conflicts. I did not get the impression that the man was about to engage in a battle or that he had returned from one, but rather that he simply wore all he had to wear.

Could this mean that his leadership had failed him, not having supplied him with the equipment needed for battle? Or was he merely negligent and ignorant of the provision (God had already made) and of his preparedness for battle. Thinking back to what I had seen, I think both are equally applicable. Although I didn’t get this impression, it may also indicate that as a solitary individual he had discounted the effective impact of fellow soldiers in combat.

I had not been asked by the Lord to share the vision to anyone in particular at the time, but in doing so here, having been prompted to do so now, may He give insight and understanding to us all concerning this revelation.  I am positive He has spoken to others concerning warfare since and/or what needs to be accomplished now or in the days ahead.

Nothing would give me greater pleasure than others, at some future date, reporting that they had seen a vision of a mighty soldier properly attired, yielding a mighty sword in great victories.

I profoundly grateful for the vision and still view it in serious light.

May the Lord richly bless you in the battles He wants fought, with great and awesome victories, as you encounter the living God, as a fully prepared and enlisted soldier in His great army.

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[1] 17.78 centimetres

[2]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Maps of Israel - Scriptural and Contemporary

Israel - contemporary

Israel - contemporary

Headaches

Standing in a typical African market in Lusaka, Zambia, chatting to two Zairians, selling their goods to the locals, I observed a black woman walking up the dirt road.

“Do you see that woman,” the Lord said to me.  “Yes, Lord,” I responded.  “She is on her way to see a doctor.  She has a headache.  A demon is causing it,” He informed me.

I kept her in sight, and as she approached us, stopped her.  “Excuse me,” I said, “where are you headed?”  “I am on my way to see a doctor,” she said.  “A sangoma[1] or a medical doctor?”  I asked.  “A medical doctor.  I am a Christian,” she said.  “What is the problem,” I wanted to know.  “I get terrible headaches,” she said.

“Do you mind if I tell you what the Lord told me as you walked towards us?”  I asked.  I cannot remember her response, but proceeded to tell her what the Lord had told me.  “Do you mind if I deal with your problem?”  I asked.  She did not seem to mind.

I then addressed the demon, took authority over it, bound it and cast it out of her.  It was as simple as that.  She then proceeded towards her intended destination.

I did not see her again for months thereafter, until I eventually found out where she lived (at the bottom of the market).  Early one evening I went to see her.  She courteously and respectfully invited me into her home.  (I am always curious as to what He did, especially when he so clearly spoke about an individual and/or situation.)  She was a widow whose deceased husband had a relatively senior position in the Zambian military.  She shared the house with her children, still attending school. 

Her headaches ceased the very day God spoke regarding her condition, never to return.  She was so impressed, she eventually drove me to the school she owned to address all her pupils and took me to people with all sorts of medical and other ailments.

Having been taught by the Lord about the demonic cause of this woman’s headache, I have since cast out demons from others, similarly afflicted by them.

The second case involved a coloured couple who lived south of Johannesburg, South Africa.  They often visited the Vaal River at Vanderbijlpark, three-quarters of an hour or so further south, to spend a day along its banks simply to relax, escaping the daily grind and pressures from running their own business.

It was New Years Day.  They saw the For Sale sign at the brand new house I was house sitting and knocked on the door late that afternoon, hoping to view it before heading home.  I was reluctant to accommodate them, but when asked, discovered they were Christians, so I invited them in.

The house had been riddled with all sorts of man-made problems.  The foundations were not level.  The roof leaked, with water pouring through the ceiling and down the walls, causing the paint to peal.  All around the house damp crept up the walls, also causing the outside paint to peal.  The Christian owner could not even fit the bath-cum-jacuzzi in the main bedroom—because the walls were not square!  There were all sorts of other problems.

The owner discounted all sound advice given prior to construction.  He contracted a rogue to build him a house.  This man totally ripped him off.  Needless to say, he did not listen to God either!  Apart from an extremely poorly constructed home, he lost in excess of R 100,00.00 (monies advanced to put up the roof, when the owner visited his daughter overseas during its construction).  In addition to all of the foregoing, it was constructed over the municipal boundary lines!  It was a first class mess.

Before the house was completed God told me the owner was going to ask me to move into the property.  Moreover, that he would never move into the property and that I would be stationed there until it was sold.  This is exactly what happened.

Just about everyone who came to view the property directly (or of his or her own accord, i.e. not via a realtor) were, to my astonishment, born again believers.  Given all of the aforementioned, I knew none of them listened to Him or truly sought His face.

Not only did this generally reflect the uncommitted walk of His people with a Being they profess to know and love, they were all (almost without fail) busy building their own houses, sitting on their own thrones—rather than finding their place in His temple and functioning in it, to His glory.

I invited the couple in, made them tea, and began sharing His things with them (as well as her sister and mother, who tagged along for the day).  During the course of our conversation, I noticed from the wife’s facial expression that she was in great pain.  When asked what the matter was she said she had a massive headache.  “I will get rid of it for you,” I said, suspecting it to be caused by a demon, and said so.  She though it was a result of spiritual warfare they had engaged in at their church service earlier that day.

When they got up to leave, her mother addressed me in a challenging manner, “What about the headache?” she wanted to know.  She wanted to determine if I could back up my words, the assertion made earlier.  I politely asked her and her other daughter to step outside the house, and closed the glass sliding door behind them.  I then asked her husband to lay his hands on his wife and addressed the demons in the same fashion as described above.

I could literally see the pain leave her.  Her headache instantly disappeared!

As we exited the house, standing chatting beside their minibus, I noticed a scar on her face.  “A demon caused it,” He said.  “What happened to your face,” I enquired.  As a youngster, she got injured in a car that had overturned.  I instantly “knew” the driver was drunk.  This she confirmed.  I also “knew” the man driving the car was full of demons.

Before they departed, her husband astonished me by saying “I also had a headache.” “It developed as I sat next to you on the couch.”  “When you cast the demons out of her, my headache also instantly left,” he said.

Let me relate two more instances of people who suffered headaches.

Staying in the same poorly constructed property, I lived off a meagre, irregular monthly stipend.  Returning from friends late one evening, I pushed my luck getting home in a car, low on fuel, someone had graciously allowed me to use whilst living there.  I somehow managed to scrape home.  (No doubt, my pleading with Him helped!)  The next morning the car would not start.  I was stuck.

When a man bicycled past the property, I asked if he would mind filling a can for me at the nearest service station.  I offered to pay him for his efforts and so he set off and soon returned with 5 litres of fuel.

When I shared the gospel with him, he suddenly pulled out of his pocket a worn see through plastic bag containing an old prescription, and some pills.  He suffered from debilitating headaches, he said.  When asked how it came about, he recounted how when he sat at his kitchen table one day, blood suddenly started streaming from his nose, followed by an excruciating headache which he has had ever since and struggled with daily.

I explained that demons might be the cause of his problem, but that I cannot effectively address them unless he accepted Jesus as his Saviour.  This he did.  I then cast the demons out (as described above) and he left.

Weeks later, as I stepped outside the house, to observe gardeners and domestic workers heading home, after their daily toil, taking their usual shortcuts across the open veld (surrounding the property), on their way to their respective bus/taxi stops, I noticed this man cycling past the house.

When he saw me, he jumped of his bicycle, allowing it to hit the tar road with an almighty clatter.  Before he even addressed me, I knew his headaches were a thing of the past!  “Hau!” he exclaimed, “I told my people about this (supposedly me) powerful white man!”  I quickly corrected him!  “It is by the stripes of Jesus you were we are healed,” I said.  “He conquered Satan and all his demons, so we can be free from their evil,” I quickly added.

For moths thereafter, I wondered how he was doing.  He was nowhere to be seen.  Then, in the week before God moved me, he came running down from the opposite direction late one morning.  His already dilapidated bicycle apparently ceased functioning altogether.  He had to go to work on foot and was terribly late.

I was low on fuel again and suggested him joining me on my way to the gas station, whereupon I would drive him to his gardening job.  I had an ulterior motive.  I wanted to be sure that he was still healed and free from demons.  He was, thank God!  I dropped him off at his employer’s and have not seen him since.

The last account is of a woman, not so long ago, who worked as casual labourer for a farmer, slicing apricots to be dried and sold to a company packaging it as a component for the well-known Safari dried fruit product range.

I rented the old farmstead at a place known as Kouga Wilderness, approximately three-quarters of an hour inland from Joubertina (on route R62, towards the Kouga Mountains), in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Kouga Wilderness

The farmstead

Farmstead below mountain
(on right)

As I headed up the road for a long walk one evening, I walked past the humble building barely serving as a shelter for the labourers during the week (before being transported back to Joubertina for the weekend).  Somehow, I got talking to them as they prepared their supper.

A woman approached me, saying she suffers from chronic headaches.  I asked if she knew Jesus as her Saviour.  She did not.  I explained that I could not help her unless she had he sins forgiven, having accepted Him for who He is and what He accomplished on the cross.  I intimated that if she does so I will address the demons causing her headaches and that their departure and her healing would be proof of the reality of Jesus’ work on the cross.[2]  I assured her she would forever be freed from the headaches and the demons causing it.

I led her to the Lord in prayer and quickly got rid of the demons in Jesus’ name.  I asked her to let me know on Friday afternoon, prior to their departure for town, if she was cured.

Late that afternoon there was a knock on my door.  (I had completely forgotten about it all!)  “I just want you to know,” she said “my headaches are gone.”  I was overjoyed for her.

When I told the farmer’s wife about what He had done, she told me that she approached her for headache pills every day.  She even gave her fake medication, believing her problems to be psychosomatic.

This was definitely not the case.  For as long as I remained on the farm I regularly checked in with this woman to ensure she was free from pain.  It never returned.  In fact, it so affected others working with her, who soon learnt about what had happened, they started approaching me, through her, to find relief for their ailments (arthritic pain, etc).  God healed them also!

Before you so easily pop a headache pill next time or hand someone a pill to get rid of one, why not ask the Lord if a demon is not perhaps the cause of your, his, or her problem.  If that is the case, no pill on earth will provide an effective, lasting solution.  A cure will only be found if the root cause of the problem—the demon(s)—is addressed.

This is exactly what an elder did in a Pentecostal assembly I briefly attended.  Upon learning of my encounters with the living God solving headaches, he “took a chance” by addressing demons he thought may also afflict the wife of a prominent elder in his assembly.  She got instantly delivered and completely healed.

Had she not stood up in church one evening and testified about it, I probably never would have heard of her deliverance.

Jesus not only died for our sins, He also came to destroy the works of the devil[3] so we could be freed from their evil intent.  We do not need to pop pills for the rest of our lives to mange the pain they cause.  We need to rid ourselves from them forever.

Praise His wonderful name.

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[1] A witchdoctor working with and through demons.

[2] Hebrews 2.1-4 states, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ^2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard [Him], ⁴ God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”^[2] (Emphasis mine).  This passage, together with several encounters I have had with the Lord, bearing testimony to the reality thereof, soon made me realize that whenever we share the gospel He manifests His Presence.  I have since come to expect His manifest Presence, usual through one of the gifts of the Spirit (in my case usually, “the word of knowledge”) whenever I share the gospel.  Thus my boldness in her case!

[3] “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”^[3]