"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," says Hebrews 11:6.
There's a definite hunger and searching for God amongst the people at the moment. The manuscripts we have received lately all (sort of) have the same central message, but they all have different audiences. (Besides, of course, our Audience of One.)
When I went for a jog in our neighbourhood a while ago, I left my phone at home. As I went down one of the streets, the thought struck me: What if my husband urgently needs to find me, and I don’t have my phone with me?
Immediately, I heard the Lord’s voice in my spirit, saying, “He will find you if he really wants to find you. He will criss-cross through every street in this neighbourhood until he finds you!”
Wow, I thought. This is a profound truth.
“Yes,” the Holy Spirit continued, “in that same way, anyone who really seeks Me will find Me! Those who don’t believe that I exist, never really earnestly searched for Me everywhere. If they did, they would find Me.”
I was stunned. I had just received a new manuscript the day before, and I was still praying about whether I should publish the book or not. Knowing that this book was, in fact, about a woman’s (very long and arduous) journey back to God after rejecting Him as a young woman, I was a bit nervous. Why? Because of the fact that the book would describe her spiritual journey in detail, which included travelling to India, Nepal, France, Costa Rica, and India again, fully embracing New Age practices, Yoga, and Buddhism. I was uncertain, because a good Christian shouldn’t mess around with those things… but my thoughts about searching and finding during my run led me to asking God again, “So, Lord, should I publish this book?”
“Yes.”
The answer was so definitive, I couldn’t deny hearing it.
The editing of this book has been a unique challenge for me as a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian who has never tried any other religions and don’t really know much about them. It didn't challenge my faith at all, but it did challenge my spirit! The story made me cringe, it made me cry “NOOOO!” it freaked me out. I had to control myself not to write one judgemental comment after the other as I read through this book.
You see, she wrote this book as she had experienced each religion while she practised them. She wrote it as she felt it then, not as she would feel about each aspect now, as a born-again Christian, safely back in God’s arms. It is like a spiritual suspense movie.
You might think this blog should come with a spoiler alert, I know, but trust me, even the second time as I read through this book again, I cringed again, and it pained me again, even knowing the ending! However, the absolute delight, the absolute relief, the tears, when all is well again, made it absolutely worth the agony!
Putting my own feelings and worldview aside, this book really is a gem. It teaches a lot, and it sketches beautiful pictures of all the exotic places she visited. We can almost smell it, taste the food, see the beauty, hear the noise... and the silence. We can feel her desperation and heartbreak. We can experience her sadness and joy.
It is beautifully written.
After telling her how much her book had challenged me, she gently told me that her audience is not really Christians, but those who are seeking… truly seeking to find a personal, loving God. Those who have been searching high and low but haven’t found Him yet. Those who don’t know Jesus! I think we all know someone like that!
What it did, was make me thankful again for what I do have in Christ! I am so eternally grateful for what He has done!
It really struck me how faithful our God is, how absolutely personal He is in knowing our hearts, our unique personalities. He knew Leela and what it would take to "win" her back. Even if she had to travel afar to see the truth, which was right at her doorstep.
This book, titled “Spirit @ Rest”, was written by Leela Verity. It will be released soon, probably early in 2025. Let us know if you are interested in reserving a copy.
More future releases...
The Afrikaans book, Laat die Lig binne, was released earlier this year, and is being translated to English as we speak. This book tells of an Afrikaans lady's journey from traditional religion to relationship with Jesus in the South African context. It is an honest, but powerful testimony to the difference between knowing of God and being a Christian because your parents said so, and really finding a deep, personal revelation that leads to a deep, personal love relationship with Him.
The point being, she also searched for God and found Him, although she didn’t have to travel the world to find Him, she had to dig deep into her own soul, her own spirit, and her own body. Her “house”, so to speak, to clean it out, to clear the cobwebs and let the Light in. She teaches the reader all about the most important aspects of the (reborn) Christian faith, including salvation, baptism, healing, etc. She added stories from her own life, miraculous happenings where God moved beyond a doubt.
Another Afrikaans book that will be released early in 2025, is the autobiographical novel, Sionsbruid. This book also made my heart ache and root for the feisty Roxanne Hogan, who had to tackle a life filled with trials and tribulations. We quickly see that there is a scarlet thread running through her life, which we follow from the age of three to the age of about fifty-three. Three books in one. Three generations. Lots of drama, action, love, loss, and joy. This book is one that you will not be able to put down. Roxanne is just too endearing. So many times, I wanted to slap her dad, her brothers, and her husband(s) for treating this special woman this way. But Roxanne was chosen by God - He reached out to her and gave her favour, and she had to grab Him and hold on to Him for all she's worth to survive her life. Roxanne's story is the story of so many women in South Africa today. In fact, women all over! This is a must read.
Next time, we will discuss some other new releases, such as the Afrikaans compilation, Net 'n Komma, nie 'n Punt nie, Vol. 2, the next volume of the Yeshua is die Woord-reeks, Eksodus, and many more.
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