.jpg)
The Wife of a Fourth Musketeer: A Testimony of God's Grace and a Marriage Restored
- Anrika Bresler
- Apr 29
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 5
My marriage was over.
Of that, I was certain.
By then, we were living separately, and deep down, I believed that people were incapable of true change. A tiger couldn’t change its stripes.
So when a stranger at a children's birthday party casually asked, “Do you want to save it?” and I heard myself answer "Yes" without hesitation, I was shocked by my own response.
I had overheard this man sharing about a mountain adventure — an experience that, he said, changed how he showed up as a man in all aspects of his life.
Naturally, desperate for any hope, I asked questions. This felt like it could be our last shot. If this couldn't shift things, I would embrace life as a single mom.
I never expected my life to turn out like this. I tried so hard to avoid it. But it seemed inevitable at that point.
I mentioned the hike to my husband.
I asked him to consider meeting this man and learning more about the experience.
To my surprise, he was interested and signed up for the 4M September 2023 XCC (Extreme Character Challenge) in the Cederberg.
This hike was still three months away.
The man from the birthday party and his wife, who would soon become precious mentors, asked me to hold off on any decision about divorce until my husband returned from the XCC.
They were so confident in what God could do on that mountain that I agreed.
Meanwhile, I would begin my own healing journey with them.
But this testimony isn’t about my healing. It's about what happened after my husband came down from that mountain.
Before the Mountain
To understand the miracle, you must understand the man who went up that mountain:
A man haunted by addiction, not to substances, but just as destructive.
A man paralyzed by insecurity, unable to lead his home.
A man who isolated himself even when I confessed my darkest thoughts.
A man whose betrayal finally drew a line in the sand.
I knew if I was going to survive — for my children’s sake — I had to end the cycle.
We separated in April 2023.
Although I acknowledge that I had my own faults, transformation couldn’t come from me alone. And during the three months apart, my husband showed little sign of real change.
His selfishness deepened into an obsession over my whereabouts.
I was convinced:
Nothing could make a difference.
Yet I clung to one word God gave me:
"Let be, be still and know that I am God." - (Psalm 46:10) AMPC
So I waited.
The Storms — Natural and Spiritual
The weekend of September 22–26, 2023, the Western Cape faced record-breaking storms. A "cut-off low" system dumped over 250mm of rain, causing rivers to flood and trapping the XCC men on the mountain.
Meanwhile, back home in Tshwane, we were hit by hurricane-like winds, with gusts reaching up to 105 km/h.
The storm was relentless, and we lost power for nine long days.
Across WhatsApp groups, worried 4M wives were praying and sharing updates. Yet, I felt strangely detached from them — almost like an outsider looking in.
Deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had somehow caused this.
After all, I had prayed that my husband would face challenges on this trip, hoping it would break through his hardened shell. Now, chaos was erupting around us.
Was I being punished?
But deeper still, I trusted that God was at work (Romans 8:28).
Amid the storm, I chose to believe.
Coming Down the Mountain
When the men finally crossed the swollen rivers, my husband came straight to our doorstep. Mud still on his boots, the mountain still clinging to him.
He didn’t stop to rest.
He didn’t stop to clean up.
He came like a man who had remembered something precious he thought he had lost.
Like someone running late to a homecoming he wasn’t sure he deserved.
When he spoke, the apology wasn’t dressed in grand promises or heavy words.
It was simple.
It was raw.
It lived in his eyes before it ever reached his mouth — and somehow, it found its way into the broken places in my heart.
I wanted to believe him. Oh, how I wanted to believe.
But the years had made me cautious, taught me that dreams are fragile and hearts even more so.
One weekend can’t change a lifetime, I thought.
But heaven was already whispering: Just wait and see.
Fruit of True Transformation
Since that XCC:
He would show up at the house before work with flowers "just because."(We were still living in separate homes)
He left surprise gifts and notes around the house when I was not there.
He handled conflicts and my insecurities with patience, grace, and understanding.
He started to pursue me like he had never before.
He noticed my exhaustion and supported me without being asked.
He joined a church on his own initiative.
He started building authentic, godly friendships.
Two months after XCC, he got baptized.
He was truly living as a new creation:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
But I was still cautious, still praying for confirmation.
Visions, Revelations, and God’s Assurance
In November 2023, torn between divorce and restoration, I prayed. Desperately seeking answers.
God gave me a vision: a Green thorn tree bearing red apples.
Yeah, I was confused too.
But when I started to draw the image I saw in my mind, the meaning became clear:
The thorn tree symbolized God's miraculous presence in my life.
The red apples symbolized fruitfulness and restoration.
The message:
As long as God remains at the center of everything I do, even the impossible will bear fruit.
John 15:5 (NIV):
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Whether I choose to stay or leave, as long as God is at the center, even what seems barren can bear abundant, miraculous fruit. But my heart knew...
I wanted restoration.
Yet I still needed a second confirmation.
One night, alone in worship, I cried out to God. I longed to experience Jesus not just in spirit, but in a way my human heart could see and touch.
As I prayed, I felt an unexpected nudge — draw, He whispered.
So I picked up a pen, expecting to sketch the face of Christ.
But as the drawing came to life, line by line, I realized... this face resembled my husband!
In that precious moment of realisation, it was as if heaven leaned close and God breathed into my heart:
"I met him on that mountain. My Spirit lives in him, too."
Romans 8:11 (NIV):
"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
Tears poured down my face. I knew — in the deepest part of me — that the change was not just real, it was holy.
A Marriage Restored
In April 2024, one year after separating, we renewed our wedding vows. God had restored what I thought was dead, fixing 33 years of brokenness in a single year.
To quote the 4M movement:
"There are two important days in a man's life: the day he is born, and the day he finds out why."
Through the 4M XCC and the powerful brotherhood that 4MZA represents, rooted in adventure, faith, brotherhood, and justice, my husband found his "why."
And so did I.
Today, I testify: The XCC is not just a hike. It is a battlefield where God fights for hearts and households — and wins.
Final Reflections
Every XCC is now a spiritual battleground.
One my husband faces in the mountains, and I face on my knees.
I often joke that I feel like Moses in Exodus 17, holding up his hands as Israel fought their enemies. Because sometimes, the battle begins long before the hike — in the weeks of spiritual preparation, resistance, and prayer.
But when I grow weary, Jesus is my strength.
And in all this, I’ve learned this truth:
A woman on her knees in prayer is more powerful than armies on the battlefield.
Her whispers reach heaven. Her faith moves mountains.
That’s why I now carry Ephesians 6 with me daily:
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” — Ephesians 6:11–12 (NIV)
And I hold fast to the promise in James 5:16:
“The heartfelt prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
So I kneel, and I fight wars in prayer. Because I've seen firsthand what happens when one man meets God on that mountain — it doesn't just change his life; it transforms an entire household.
If you’re able, I urge you: Do an XCC. Because if even one more man encounters God the way mine did, it could rewrite generations.
For more about the 4MZA movement and the life-changing experiences they offer, visit www.4mza.com.
(Not sponsored)
Comments