Four12 news image for 'No Rosy Romance' about the cost of serving

No Rosy Romance

In November last year, Andrew told me that he felt he heard God telling us to give up our home for a season to enable us to travel full-time, apostolically working into the various Four12 churches around South Africa and into the nations for longer periods. My response was, ‘If you have heard God, let’s do it!’ However, he turned to me and said, ‘You have to hear God. It might get a bit rough and we will be in the caravan most of the time. So you need to know that you heard God.’ So I asked God to confirm it to me and, oh boy, did He just do that! The very next morning, God spoke to me out of Micah 4:10, ‘For now you must leave the city and go camp in the open field’. There it was, in black and white!

When we told our daughter, Enyah, and asked her to pray, God also spoke to her out of Ezekiel with The Valley of Dry Bones.

When we told our daughter, Enyah, and asked her to pray, God also spoke to her out of Ezekiel with The Valley of Dry Bones. She said she felt that as we rise up and go to the different churches, these churches will come to life again and tendons and flesh will come onto them, and they will arise to become a mighty army. Wow! Needless to say, we started preparing for our journey soon thereafter. There was so much to do! Packing, sorting, renting out our home, organising homeschooling supplies, etc. The list was long and time was short, but finally, on 9 December 2015, we started our adventure. 

Here we are today, May 2016, five months into our gypsy trip. I know some of you are wondering, ‘How has the experience been so far?’ Well, to start with, I have to confess that I do normally enjoy camping, but only for a few days, and then I want to go home! So to be honest, in the physical, it hasn’t all been rosy and romantic (Sorry, I know some of you were thinking it was!). The cost has been real – not just being away from your home, but also being away from family, friends, and experiencing physical sickness at times too.

Yes, in the natural there has been a cost, but…The reward far outweighs the cost!

Working into the various churches has been amazing, and such a privilege, but pouring oneself out, giving all, tearing down, uprooting, coming against strongholds…it is tiring! Yes, in the natural there has been a cost, but that does not matter, because it is not about the cost – it’s never about the cost. It is about the fruit; it is about the reward. The reward far outweighs the cost!

To see churches being revived; to see people genuinely repenting and getting rid of idols; to see those who have fallen by the wayside getting back into the race; to see unity being forged, marriages been restored, souls being plucked from Hell, hope and courage being restored to leaders and saints – how can you compare anything to that?

It might not be all rosy and romantic…but in our hearts there is such a deep contentment and a joy

It might not be all rosy and romantic in the natural, but in our hearts there is such a deep contentment and a joy, not only because we see the fruit, but because we are walking in obedience to God, and that inner knowing surpasses any earthly emotion or feeling.

I am so glad God has called us to do this, and I am so glad He spoke so clearly. Every time I find it a bit stretching or it gets a bit hard, I hear Him whispering, ‘…you must leave the city and go camp in the open field’, and then a warm feeling floods my heart and my spirit is at ease again, because I am pleasing and obeying my heavenly Father and NOTHING compares to that!

Emma is married to Andrew and mom to Enya. They planted Joshua Generation Church in 1999 and now also minister around the world through Four12. Emma has great faith, a visible love for Jesus and His Word, and is passionate about speaking to and seeing women find more in God.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

RELATED NEWS

PRIVACY POLICY

We respect your privacy and freedom to choose, so if you continue to use our Website then you agree to be bound by the terms set out in this legal notice & Privacy Policy