The Footsteps of Jesus

There will be no daily walk sent this week. Please read and pray over the scriptures Pastor Tim shared on Sunday and follow Jesus’ example. This message is important for your growth in the Lord. Sometimes we lose sight of Jesus, but He always guides us back. We just need to listen and obey.

“Listen, my radiant one—if you ever lose sight of me, just follow in my footsteps where I lead my lovers. Come with your burdens and cares. Come to the place near the sanctuary of my shepherds.” Song of Songs 1:8

The footsteps of Jesus begins before His birth in Matthew when an Angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream to instruct him to take Mary as his wife. “don’t hesitate to take Mary into your home as your wife, because the power of the Holy Spirit has conceived a child in her womb. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to name him ‘Jesus,’ for he is destined to give his life to save his people.”

Joseph would have understood the meaning of the name Jesus which is actually Yeshua in Hebrew. Yeshua means Yahweh is salvation, restoration and deliverance. Abba specifically chose Joseph to be the spiritual father to Jesus on earth.

Matthew 2:13, “After they had gone, Joseph had another dream. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, “Get up now and flee to Egypt. Take Mary and the little child and stay there until I tell you to leave, for Herod intends to search for the child to kill him.”

Matthew 2:19-23, “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared again to Joseph in a dream while he was still in Egypt, saying, “Go back to the land of Israel and take the child and his mother with you, for those who sought to kill the child are dead.” So, he awoke and took Jesus and Mary and returned to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded him as ruler over all of the territory of Judah, he was afraid to go back. Then he had another dream from God, warning him to avoid that region and instructing him instead to go to the province of Galilee.”

The prophesy of Jesus being from Nazareth was fulfilled by Joseph’s obedience to take Jesus to that region.

Luke 2:41-52, “Every year Jesus’ parents went to worship at Jerusalem during the Passover festival. When Jesus turned twelve, his parents took him to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, as was their custom. A full day after they began their journey home, Joseph and Mary realized that Jesus was missing. They had assumed he was somewhere in their entourage, but he was nowhere to be found. After a frantic search among relatives and friends, Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After being separated from him for three days, they finally found him in the temple, sitting among the Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking probing questions. All who heard Jesus speak were awestruck at his intelligent understanding of all that was being discussed and at his wise answers to their questions. His parents were shocked to find him there, and Mary scolded him, saying, “Son, your father and I have searched for you everywhere! We have been worried sick over not finding you. Why would you do this to us?” Jesus said to them, “Why would you need to search for me? Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be here in my Father’s house, consumed with him?” Mary and Joseph didn’t fully understand what Jesus meant. Jesus went back home with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured Jesus’ words deeply in her heart. As Jesus grew, so did his wisdom and maturity. The favor of men increased upon his life, for he was greatly loved by God.”

Proverbs 3:3, Let your life be shaped by integrity, with truth written upon your heart. That’s how you will find favor and understanding with both God and men—you will gain the reputation of living life well.

Shaped by integrity means you are always willing to listen to correction and instruction. Jesus was willing to listen to correction and instruction from Joseph and Mary.

As we follow the footsteps of Jesus through these scriptures, we see one common thread that is very important for us to grow in wisdom and maturity and that is the importance of a spiritual father. If it was necessary for Jesus how much more is it for us. Jesus submitted His authority to Joseph as a father. He learned the trade of carpentry from His father which meant He spent a lot of time with Joseph learning how to walk out the everyday human aspect of life.

Every single one of us want to grow in wisdom and maturity in the Lord, to increase in our favor with both Yahweh and man but we can see this comes by tethering ourselves to a spiritual father. At TWP, we are honored and so thankful for Pastor Tim’s heart as a spiritual father to each one of us who call this our home. He loves his kingdom family and cares deeply for each one uniquely.

This week the Holy Spirit is inviting you to yield to the footsteps of Jesus. Where are you in tethering your heart to a spiritual father? There is safety in this Kingdom family camped in the wilderness.

The Salvation of the Lord

“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14

Stand still! Abba is calling you to camp by that which has plagued you for so long. He is giving us a front row seat so we can watch Him destroy it forever. It is not easy to stand still. We need His strength to stand in these moments when we just want to run. We must understand He gives us grace for what He calls us to do, and grace is needed to stand still.

See the salvation of the Lord. The salvation He is talking about is not yours and my journey to heaven. It is life and life more abundant. Jesus said, I came so you may have life and life more abundant. His salvation is displayed in how He shows up for us. He’s always on time. He never misses an opportunity to display His love for us. Even when we mess up because Love never fails, Love never gives up, and Love never loses hope.

Can you stand still and see the salvation of the Lord for you and your family? Even in moments you want to hide, run, give up or blow up because of shame, regret, embarrassment, hopelessness, anger, disappointment or just hurt there is grace to stand still and watch the Lord fight for you.

Everyday Love comes to tell you something different about itself. Are you ready to listen for His voice, lock eyes with Him as He sets you free from all the things that have harassed you. As you stand still and watch this happen you will see something incredible happen for generations to come. There is a generation born in the wilderness who will never know slavery.

May you ponder the ISNESS of GOD this weekend. God is Pure Light, God is Love, God is a Consuming Fire and God is Your Salvation.

Stand Still

“Egypt is not the representation of the world. Can't be. See, Egypt was salvation to God's people. And the people stayed there for 400 years being fed by Egypt until Egypt is no longer salvation. It became slavery because when you stop being dependent on the voice and become dependent on a form, a system, a denomination, a church, you have now become a slave.” - Pastor Tim

We, as beloved sons and daughters are developing senses to recognize Abba in every moment of our day. In order to do this, we must see and understand how He moves in our lives. It is not always the most convenient comfortable way. Honestly, it seems He always takes us on the path that seems most difficult. He is more concerned with your heart than your comfort. Jesus paid for your freedom, and He intends for you to be truly free in every way. Let’s look at the story of the children of Yahweh coming out of Egypt and what He had them do in Exodus 14.

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.”

First thing Abba asked them to do when they leave Egypt is to camp in the wilderness by the sea. They have questions. They have been released from slavery by Pharaoh but now have been led to the wilderness to just camp. Why would Abba do this?

“Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them”

What? Now you’re causing our enemy to pursue us. This doesn’t seem like love. In this story, Pharaoh obviously represents the enemy. What is your enemy that seems to always be pursuing you? Fear, anxiety, shame, insecurity, uncertainty, difficulty. Maybe it’s the clock- do you feel like time is being wasted waiting for the desires of your heart to come to pass?

Maybe it’s your past mistakes that you keep thinking will catch up with you. Like Pastor Tim said Sunday, there was a mess made, you’ve distanced yourself from the mess but you’re always looking over your shoulder for it to show up. Maybe it’s a mess your parents made, and you distanced yourself from their mess but try to keep it in the dark, so no one knows where you came from.

Freedom is not putting boundaries up to avoid the encounters with what enslaves you. If Jesus said on the Cross- It is Finished, then why are we still enslaved to anything? Perfect Love- the Consuming Fire of His love will orchestrate moments of pursuit for one reason. To destroy anything and everything that has put its hand on your life. Everything that has caused damage to your heart, He is coming after with His consuming fire.

Abba’s idea of freedom is what Jesus did on the Cross. Tetelestai is the Greek word for It is finished. The root of this word is telew and it means to bring to an end, finish, or complete.

“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Today, ask the Lord where to camp so He can defeat the enemy chasing you. We belong to Christ and should not be controlled by anything. Let His consuming fire reveal and destroy what is after you.

God is a Consuming Fire

“For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29

This consuming fire comes after everything that has kept you from being your authentic self which is a passionate lover of Jesus. One who is ferocious about your relationship with Him. It consumes all things that cause fear and apprehension about who you are. It is important for us to develop in our daily lives what this consuming fire looks like day to day. I love how The Passion Translations tells us we are no longer a part of the old order, anything that causes the foundation of our faith in Abba to be shaken because we are of an unshakable Kingdom.

“Now this phrase “once and for all” clearly indicates the final removal of things that are shaking, that is, the old order, so only what is unshakable will remain. Since we are receiving our rights to an unshakable Kingdom, we should be extremely thankful and offer God the purest worship that delights his heart as we lay down our lives in absolute surrender, filled with awe. For our God is a holy, devouring fire!”

Once and for all Abba is removing, consuming all of the old things that caused us fear. How does He do this in our day to day? He speaks to us in every moment. So why are we not hearing Him in every moment? We aren’t paying attention. We aren’t listening for His voice. It’s hard for some to believe the Father is always speaking because we were taught something different about Him.

As you lay down your life in absolute surrender to our beautiful Father who is a holy, consuming, devouring fire you will realize with every breath you take He is there speaking to you. The light of His fire guiding you yet at the same time consuming anything that would hinder who you really are in Him. Any thoughts that tell you something other than what He says about you will be consumed in His fire of love. The words spoken over you from childhood no longer get to speak to you because they are consumed in His fire of love. The rejection. Consumed. The painful past. Consumed. The fear. Consumed. The anxiety. Consumed. The worry. Consumed. It will all be consumed by His love. He is jealous for your heart to be whole.

It doesn’t matter where you are in your relationship with the Father if you will let Him finish the work He has begun in you one day you will wake up with no concern of tomorrow. His consuming love will devour all those things that have hinder the authentic you that He created from the foundation of the world.

God Is Love

As you know we as a family at TWP are building our foundation on the truth of the fullness of Abba’s love. Our hearts will camp right here until we grow in our understanding of this magnificent love He has for us. Our first foundational scripture is 1 John 1:5. We discussed this yesterday.

Our 2nd foundational scripture is 1 John 4:16-18, “We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us. God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them. By living in God, love has been brought to its full expression in us so that we may fearlessly face the day of judgment, because all that Jesus now is, so are we in this world. Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment has not reached love’s perfection.”

Our first question when we read this: Have I had an intimate experience with Abba? We can read these types of questions and immediately begin to think about being in church or some sort of meeting, but the truth of the matter is His love wants to be experienced in every moment of your life. He wants you to have this very personal, intimate experience when you are walking in the grocery store, talking to your neighbor, combing your child’s hair, helping an elderly parent or grandparent. This is not meant to be experienced only when you're in church, praying or reading the Bible. THOSE who are living in love are living in Jesus and Jesus lives through them. All that Jesus is, so are we right now in this world. Ponder that statement for a moment.

Second question: Do you truly trust His love? We often say we believe Abba loves us. But when problems come, we doubt and ask why it’s happening if He loves us. We need to know deep inside that He can be trusted.

By trusting in His love and experiencing Him in every moment we are living in Him. When we live in God we have no fear of the future. This passage states we can face the day of judgement without fear. Most of us were taught the day of judgement is when we die and stand before Jesus, but we face judgement every day by someone or some circumstance. When these times of judgement arise and our hearts respond through fear, anxiety or worry we know that His love has not has its full work in us. His love never brings fear so if you experience fear, anxiety or worry this is His invitation to you to come closer and let His love wash over you. As His love is experienced you will begin to fully trust Him with your future, your family, your community, your state, your nation and all the world. He’s got the whole world in His loving hands. Knowing this confidently in your heart starts with you intimately experiencing Him daily in every moment.

How do I do that, you ask? Constantly turn your heart and thoughts to Him. Ask Him questions about every moment. Keep your heart connected to His and you will begin to hear Him speaking to you. You will feel His delight in you. I recently had this experience with His delight. I was driving down the road. I wasn’t listening to anything or talking to Him but all of a sudden, I had this joy begin to rise in my heart and I could feel a freshness around me like standing in an open field of flowers and I thought what is happening. I heard the Lord say, “It’s My delight.”

GOD IS LOVE. He wants you to KNOW His love intimately.

The Warmth of His Love

Faith over fear is a phrase widely used in the Christian community. It is intended to encourage us to walk in faith, meaning to put our trust in Yahweh in every situation, especially in times of fearful moments. But if you do not understand where faith comes from this could actually be the opposite of encouragement. Let me explain.

When you face fear and feel you don’t have enough faith to deal with it, you get discouraged and disappointed in yourself. The phrase “faith over fear” makes it seem like it’s your fault if your faith isn’t strong enough. How do we get faith? Where does it come from?

Galatians 5:6 states faith works by love. So actually, only love deals with fear. What happens when you have not experienced the love required to increase faith? If you focus on building faith without knowing the true love of Abba, you’ll feel disappointment every time.

Our hearts desire has to be the pursuit of understanding His love. Pastor Tim made a statement Sunday, “every time I get more understanding of His love my faith grows in Him.” Our faith has to be in the love of Abba. He then deals with everything that would show up as fear.

This week our focus will be on the “isness” of God. We will look at scriptures that tell us who God is. We are building a foundation here at TWP for many generations to be able to build their lives on for the glory of God and to see the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our God. One of our foundational scriptures is 1 John 1:5

“This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.”

God IS pure light! Light represents all things good and holy. It illuminates and reveals. He is the source of all truth and knowledge. When we choose to walk in His pure light we can have unbroken fellowship with Him. This fellowship involves being open, transparent and honest allowing Him to reveal those areas His love has not yet had it works. He’s coming after every trace of darkness that still responds to fear. As we understand He is pure light and walk in this understanding our faith is made strong.

Will you open your heart to His light today and allow His love to pour in. Have you ever stood in the brightness of the sun and closed your eyes to feel the warmth of it? Imagine you are standing in the warmth of the sun today and feel His love covering you.

Wisdom: Buy It!

“Then my father taught me, saying, “Never forget my words. If you do everything that I teach you, you will reign in life.” So make wisdom your quest—search for the revelation of life’s meaning. Don’t let what I say go in one ear and out the other. Stick with wisdom and she will stick to you, protecting you throughout your days. She will rescue all those who passionately listen to her voice.

Wisdom is the most valuable commodity—so buy it! Revelation-knowledge is what you need—so invest in it! Wisdom will exalt you when you exalt her truth. She will lead you to honor and favor when you live your life by her insights.” Proverbs 4

Proverbs tell us to make wisdom our quest. A quest is when you continually search or seek for something. This tells me that asking for wisdom is not a one-time thing. We are to seek Wisdom daily. This makes sense because Jesus tells us to not worry about tomorrow but to remain in the moment of today. As Wisdom speaks to us daily, we are instructed to not forget the words of Abba.

He says: stay close (stick) to wisdom, and it will stay close to you. Why use the word "stick"? Have you ever faced a situation where you knew what wisdom said, but you chose your own idea instead? Ignoring wisdom leads to bad choices and problems. But when we stay close to her and listen, she will protect us and rescue us every time.

Wisdom is the most valuable thing we can have and yes, it will cost us. The cost of surrendering our own opinions, old belief systems and even sometimes how we were raised. Truth is there is nothing we have outside of the true revelation-knowledge of Jesus and His wisdom that is worth having. We must invest our lives in acquiring Wisdom. I would dare say anyone reading this would never have the intention of leading someone else astray in their decision making of life but when you give people your opinion or there is a lack of discernment in your conversation you could lead them down a path in life or even in thought that is not Abba’s heart for them. So, when you don’t have wisdom or discernment it doesn’t just affect you, it affects everyone around you.

In pursuit of purpose and destiny, we must have certain foundational things in order. The very first and most important step is to give Jesus the throne of our heart, mind, body, and soul completely and without reservation. When we live our lives outside of being fully surrendered to Him, we risk missing out on the true purpose He has designed for us. Preparation for this journey involves laying down our own opinions, our personal ideas of how things should unfold, and even our judgments concerning others. It all begins with Jesus being at the very center of everything we do. When you make the conscious decision to truly put Him in His rightful place, you must be prepared to face difficult choices. This may mean having to walk away from certain things or even people, but it's important to always remember that what He has prepared for us is infinitely better than anything we imagine we want or need on our own. (Ephesians 3:20)

Jesus is Wisdom and wisdom leads us to a life of honor and favor when we live by His insights. He showers us with grace and mercy as we pursue His purpose for our lives. He knows there are difficult moments ahead but there are also times of refreshing, hope restored and a life full of peace and joy.

Reigning Begins with Discernment

Yesterday we talked about Soloman having the whereabouts to ask Yahweh for wisdom when given an opportunity to ask for whatever he desired. He was prepared by his parents, King David and Bethsheba. Today we are going to look at what his father, King David told him when he was a little child. He didn’t tell him one time. This was a way of life as Soloman grew up. Let’s look at Proverbs 4.

“Listen to my correction, my sons, for I speak to you as your father. Let discernment enter your heart and you will grow wise with the understanding I impart.”

In this Proverbs passage, Solomon shares what his father told him, likely every day as a child. We should read it three ways: to see how Solomon was prepared for his future, to remind us as parents and grandparents to speak carefully to our children, and to realize Jesus is speaking to us now, preparing us for His purpose and our destiny.

Listen to my correction. There has to be correction along the way or else we become wise in our own eyes. This is especially true for our children. LET discernment enter your heart. When Jesus says let discernment- this means we have a choice as to whether or not we have discernment in every situation. What is discernment? The definition is the ability to judge well. When you are in a conversation with someone or see something on social media, are you sensitive to the Holy Spirit as to what you should say or not say. Pastor Tim made a great point on Sunday concerning discernment in how we share Jesus with people. Knowing when to talk about Jesus or spiritual things is important because people may not be ready to hear them. They may not be ready for your words, but they do notice how you live. When we pay attention and listen carefully to the Holy Spirit, Jesus says we become wise with the understanding He gives us.

'‘My revelation-truth is a gift to you, so remain faithful to my instruction. For I, too, was once the delight of my father and cherished by my mother—their beloved child. Then my father taught me, saying, “Never forget my words. If you do everything that I teach you, you will reign in life.”

The Words of Jesus both in scripture and His voice are a gift to us. They are instructions for an abundant life. Just like David taught Soloman to never forget his words and to do everything he taught him, we too must teach our children how to hear the voice of Jesus for themselves. We must teach them the Words of Yeshua through the scriptures. Our purpose is to reign in life for the glory of Yahweh and this reign will be for many, many generations.

Preparation Attracts Purpose

Solomon had an incredible opportunity to ask the Lord for anything. Yahweh basically offered him a blank check. How did he get this opportunity from the Lord? Soloman was prepared to answer the question correctly which is why the Lord asked him.

Your loving Father won’t ask questions you can’t answer. We rarely prepare; instead, we try every door. Abba’s kindness gives us free will, so we enter doors not meant for us. We lack the wisdom to know which door is truly ours. The right door will only open when you’re ready to walk through it.

The majority of people are looking for purpose and destiny, but the Kingdom is looking for people who are prepared for purpose and destiny. Where do we start with preparation? How do you prepare for your purpose?

What does your morning look like? If your morning is frantic and rushing around, you will miss out on preparation for that day. Preparation looks like turning your heart to Jesus when you wake up. Connect to Him. Have a conversation with Him. Then invite Him into the rest of your day. Now your heart has prepared to encounter the Presence of Jesus all day. Preparation attracts what you want.

Pastor Tim spoke Sunday about preparation for a spouse. If you have a desire for a spouse, preparation says prepare yourself to be the best wife or husband and then the Lord will move in your life. Picking the wrong spouse can be detrimental for the couple but ultimately for the children that come. PREPARE WISELY.

You have a desire to increase finances? Prepare by learning to budget what you have. This thing of preparation is the key for every area of our lives. There’s no condemnation if you find yourself on the other side of poor choices because you didn’t prepare. Most all of us find ourselves with consequences because of a lack of wisdom at some point in our lives. Abba is full of grace and mercy. As you turn your heart to Him for help in preparing to make better choices, He will lead you to restoration.

Soloman gets this opportunity because of David’s walk before the Lord. His father and mother, Bethsheba prepared him by always talking to him about what was important and showing him by living it out in front of him. Parents, Grandparents, your walk with the Lord matters to your future legacy. When you show up and are faithful to the Lord they see it.

“That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.

“Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3

This answer really pleased the Lord. Soloman had a humble heart, and the Lord could see his true desire was to be pleasing to the Lord by governing His people well. The Lord knows the depth of our hearts and why we really ask for certain things. He’s looking for hearts that are prepared with humility, love, compassion and a desire to please Him first above all other things. His response to Soloman is His response to us when we have prepared our hearts in His presence.

“I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame.”

We Are Zion! His Dwelling Place

We all have a desire to see things change for the better. This desire was actually put there by Abba Himself. How you view the future of the world will depend on the change you are prepared to make. Let me explain. If you are waiting on the trumpet blast to be rescued from a fallen world you're actually wasting your days and the days of the future generations. That is a bold statement, but we really have to start looking at the scriptures to line our hearts up with Yahweh. Let’s look at Isaiah 62.

For Zion’s sake, how can I keep silent? For Jerusalem’s sake, how can I remain quiet? I will keep interceding until her righteousness breaks forth like the blazing light of dawn and her salvation like a burning torch! Nations will see your victory-vindication, and every king will witness your blinding radiance! You will be called by a brand-new name, given to you from the mouth of Yahweh himself. You will be a beautiful crown held high in the hand of Yahweh, a royal crown of splendor held in the open palm of your God! You will never again be called the Abandoned One, nor will your land be called Deserted. But you will be called My Delight Is in You, and your land My Beloved Wife, for Yahweh finds his delight in you and he married your land. As a young man marries the young woman he loves, so your builder-sons will marry you. As the bridegroom finds joy in his union with his bride, so will your God take joy in his union with you!

Zion is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Yahweh dwells in the hearts of His beloved ones on this side of the Cross. We are Zion! We are His chosen people, a royal people in His hand. He is saying this day, I AM calling you by a new name, given directly from My mouth. You are a crown held high in My hand. You will never be called Abandoned again nor will your land be called Deserted. YOU are now known as My Delight Is in You! Your land is now known as My Beloved Wife, for I find My delight in you and make a covenant of Marriage to your land.

Yahweh begins to declare the presence of builder-sons and builder-daughters to marry a place as He, Himself takes delight in His union with us, His Bride. Anywhere the Lord is attracting His beloved ones, who are His builder sons and daughters you will see the desolate places become beautiful.

When we see the heart of Yahweh correctly, we can see our future correctly. We are Zion! We are here to see the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord. We host the presence of Yeshua and anywhere He is hosted well the people, and the land will be transformed.

Say what He says and see what He does. You are His delight, and He finds joy in His union with you. Remember you are a catalyst for transformation, but it starts with how you see yourself.

We Will Profit!

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:1-2

What does a promise mean? According to Dictionary.com, it means a declaration that something will or will not be done or given by one. It also means an express assurance on which expectation is based.

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest. Jesus never fails in keeping His promise so why do so many in the Bride of Christ find themselves restless and in chaos? Why is the world restless?

Jesus says we are the Light of the world. A catalyst of transformation. He gives us, His beloved bride all authority to rule and reign on earth (Matthew 18:18). So, why are we still restless? Why is there still chaos?

In this passage of Hebrews, it says the gospel was preached to them but the word they heard did not profit them. A profit is what is left over from an exchange. Every time you gather with your Kingdom family, every time you pray, every time you read your Bible, devotional or a book, every conversation you have Jesus intends to make an exchange with you that will profit your life and the lives of those around you. Unfortunately, many sons and daughters are missing out on a profit.

Our Kingdom family at TWP has determined to be profitable in every exchange we have with Jesus. We have set our hearts to receive a profit every time we step foot on our Kingdom family’s property at 208 Pass Rd because we know the significance of the family He is planting in this special place. We see the transformation of a city once destitute. This transformation began in our hearts and families and we’re seeing the fruit of it in the buildings all down Pass Rd. Not only are we seeing transformation in Gulfport, but we are seeing it in the state of Mississippi. It was just announced MS is ranked #2 in the GDP growth. GDP is Gross Domestic Product, it is the total value of all goods and services produced within a country’s borders during a specific time, typically a year. It’s a key indicator of a nation’s economic health and performance, reflecting the size and growth of its economy.

How is this happening? In Hebrews, it says they did not profit because they did not mix their faith with what they heard. So, in order to see a profit you must add your faith to what you are hearing. We (TWP families) are seeing a profit in our lives both spiritually and physically, a profit in our city and surrounding areas, and a profit in Mississippi because we have determined to be who Jesus says we are- The Light of the World. A City set on a Hill whose light will not be hidden. We aren’t running from the dark, desolate places instead we are lighting them up and declaring the Peace of Heaven to reign.

Will you join us in adding your faith to what you are hearing so you can profit in your life and be a catalyst of change for your family? You can find rest in Him, but it requires adding your faith to what you hear Him speaking to you. Will you steward a little in order to govern a lot?

Were You Challenged?

What are you willing to give up to chase after Jesus?

Our walk this week with Jesus in the wilderness started with a reminder to have His perspective. We cannot have a thought in our minds He does not have. When you think of that statement it can feel overwhelming because we often let our minds run like trains off the rails. Our thoughts can get so far away from the presence of Jesus and His peace in a matter of seconds. One of my favorite aspects of His grace is when these moments happen, He gently and lovingly whispers to guide us back to how He thinks. We do have a responsibility in this moment. We have to stop our runaway train of thoughts and respond to His whisper. The more we discipline ourselves to hear His whisper the more our thoughts become His. It takes time and intentionality.

As we begin to have His perspective we understand more and more who Jesus really is to us. He is more than the sacrificial lamb that gave His life so we can spend eternity in heaven. OH! There are really no words to describe who He is to us. He has many names: Messiah, Lord, Son of God, Son of Man, Immanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Good Shepard, Redeemer, King of Kings and the list goes on but WHO is HE to YOU?

He is the lover of my soul, deeply caring and steadfast. When you begin to truly understand and embrace this beautiful aspect of Him, the relationship naturally becomes more intimate and meaningful. You come to be fully known by Him, and in turn, He becomes fully known to you in a profound way. As you continue to walk closely with Him, every part of who He is gradually becomes deeply real and significant to you.

As you have walked closely with Him this week, what questions has He asked? Sometimes His questions can be hard to answer. They can be very provoking, and not always in a direction we really want to go, but as you get closer and closer to Jesus you understand these questions bring you to the place He has always designed for you.

Yesterday we talked about surrender. What part of your life have you not fully surrendered? This could be your opinions, a relationship, a job, your future, your finances, your children, your marriage, your thoughts about yourself. One thing we do know about walking with Jesus is the outcome is always better than we could have ever imagined. This week has been challenging but His love helps us to conquer the challenges that lie before us.

You are predestined to look just like Jesus. How long this takes depends on your surrender to His love. You can trust Him with every aspect of your life.

Full Surrender

“Jesus looked at the faces of his disciples and said, “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter into God’s kingdom realm.” The disciples were startled when they heard this. But Jesus again said to them, “Children, it is next to impossible for those who trust in their riches to find their way into God’s kingdom. It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter into God’s kingdom.” Mark 10

Growing up I heard the phrase, “God supplies your needs, not your wants.” The ones who shared this statement adopted this belief through the words Jesus said in this parable. This is why it is so dangerous to read scripture without an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand the meanings without Him.

Do you think Jesus is saying you need to be poor in order to enter His kingdom? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, in 2 Corinthians 8:9, it states “For you have experienced the extravagant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was infinitely rich, He impoverished Himself for our sake, so that by His poverty, we become rich beyond measure.” Some would say this pertains to our spiritual wealth but if you read on Paul is talking about the giving of our resources.

Remember Jesus always goes to the heart of the matter. He cares about your heart and knows if you put your trust into your wealth, it blinds you from the Kingdom realm. Like the disciples, most people still think of the Kingdom realm as salvation for when we die. It is so much more than that and pertains to the here and now.

Brian Simmons gives a great explanation in the footnotes of Mark 10 concerning entering the Kingdom realm. “To enter into God’s kingdom realm means more than salvation. It implies a participation in its principals and an experience of its power to change our hearts. The principals of God’s kingdom are not the principals of the world. Greed is conquered by generosity. Promotion is given to the humble. The power of God’s kingdom is found in the Holy Spirit.”

Father, Son and Holy Spirit want your full surrender and trust. The circle dance of love comes after everything that hinders your full surrender. Our trust can only be in His Love. This love never fails.

Love Asks Questions

“The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have carefully obeyed these laws since my youth.”

Jesus fixed his gaze upon the man, with tender love, and said to him, “Yet there is still one thing in you lacking. Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then all of your treasure will be in heaven. After you’ve done this, come back and walk with me.”

Completely shocked by Jesus’ answer, he turned and walked away very sad, for he was extremely rich.” Mark 10

Love will not demand anything, but it will go after the depths of our heart. Just like with this young man, Jesus fixes His gaze upon you and me, with tender love and says, “you’re still lacking one thing.”

He asks for what replaces Him as Lord. What do you trust instead of Jesus? A job, a relationship, a title, or your image? Jesus told the young man to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Him. He would lose money, power, and status.

Completely shocked he walked away from Jesus very sad. He took pride in all the things he had already done but the one thing that was most important he refused. What is Jesus asking you to walk away from in order to be fully surrendered. All Jesus wanted was this man to walk with Him daily.

What the man didn’t know was these daily walks with Jesus makes us richer than we could ever imagine. We become who love originally designed us to be and without lacking anything. In walking with Jesus, we will have everything we need for life now and eternity.

“So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. Matthew 6:33

Nothing will ever be more satisfying than eating from His table and drinking from the cup in His hand. There’s nothing more valuable than our walks with Jesus. Would you surrender to His perfect love today?

Who is Jesus to You?

“Jesus always goes to the heart of the matter because the matter is the heart.” Pastor Tim

Our beautiful Jesus cares more about your heart than your eternity. That’s a big statement because we’ve been taught for so long, He died on the Cross so we could have our sins forgiven in order to enter Heaven when we die. He came to restore everything including our intimate relationship with Him right now. Let’s look at Mark 10 to see what happens after Jesus rebuked His disciples over hindering the children. Let me set this up. A man, who is known in Bible stories as the rich young ruler is watching this exchange with Jesus and the children. He sees how the children are running to Jesus and how happy it makes Him.

“As Jesus started on his way, a man came running up to him. Kneeling down in front of him, he cried out, “Good Teacher, what one thing am I required to do to gain eternal life?”

Pastor Tim reminded us on Sunday you would have never seen a rich man running and definitely not one who was a ruler. He would have been carried everywhere he went. So why is he running to Jesus? He watched the children as they ran to Jesus and how He laid hands on them to bless them. He did what the children did so he could hopefully get what he wanted. As he kneels before Jesus he cries out: Good Teacher, what is ONE thing I must do to have eternal life. In other words, what do I need to do to be saved when I die.

In every situation Jesus goes to the heart of the matter. Jesus responds with a question.

“Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good. You already know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give a false testimony, do not cheat, and honor your father and mother.”

This is the teacher answer. The one you have been told your whole life growing up in church. Do this and not this in order to be saved. Our hearts are made for love not for laws, forms, routines or systems. “The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have carefully obeyed these laws since my youth.” Here he is with a lifelong history of going to church and doing everything they told him to do and not do, yet he feels lost and empty.

We’re made for intimacy with Jesus. We’re made for love- radical love.

Ask yourself today: Where am I in this part of the story? Are there parts of my life I feel lost and empty? Am I only allowing Jesus to be a teacher and not Lord of my life? Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you today in the discovery of your heart and thoughts. Remember, His mercy and grace are sufficient when dealing with our hearts. He is tender and gentle with us.

What’s His Perspective?

Monday mornings are the start of the rest of the week. How you begin each day can affect the rest of your day and ultimately determine your week. The first thing we must do after greeting the Lord when we wake up is begin a conversation with Him concerning how you think and your perspective.

Lord, I cannot afford to have a thought in my mind that you do not have in yours. I cannot afford to see it differently than you do. Will you help me to see things the way you do? Will you help me to think like you? Will you help me to recognize a thought pattern that is not yours?

Oftentimes this starts with how we see ourselves when we look in the mirror. You must see yourself the way Abba sees you. You are loved with a depth of unconditional love not imaginable. You are wonderfully and beautifully made. You are His beloved and He is yours.

Every morning there is mercy to yield your opinions and perspective to His. In every situation we must ask Him, “Lord, how do you see this? What would you say about this?”

The disciples spent more time with Jesus than anyone else and we see in Mark 10 they are doing something Jesus did not agree with. Maybe they should have asked Him before they responded. Jesus loves our questions.

“The parents kept bringing their little children to Jesus so that he would lay his hands on them and bless them. But the disciples kept rebuking and scolding the people for doing it.”

They just assumed it was what He wanted or maybe it’s what made them comfortable. Remember we cannot afford to think or see things differently than He does, not if we want on Earth as it is in Heaven and most certainly not if we want to be the image of Jesus to others.

“When Jesus saw what was happening, he became indignant with his disciples and said to them, “Let all the little children come to me and never hinder them! Don’t you know that God’s kingdom exists for such as these? Listen to the truth I speak: Whoever does not open their arms to receive God’s kingdom like a teachable child will never enter it.” Then he embraced each child, and laying his hands on them, he lovingly blessed each one.”

Abba, we ask you to give us eyes to see every situation as You see it. We ask for hearts to have understanding and wisdom so we can respond the way You would respond. Let us not continue to say and do things that do not represent You. Help us to be like little children who run to You and are teachable in every circumstance. Our hearts cry is to be the image of Yeshua in a world who has lost hope. May we be the catalyst of hope to those around us, but this starts with us yielding our opinions and perspectives to Yours. Thank you, Abba for your truth and your guidance. Amen.

The Oil of Generosity

Yesterday we talked about the widow in 2 Kings with the small flask of oil. In this story she sends her sons out to borrow empty jars from friends and family. She poured oil into every jar they borrowed until her son told her there weren’t any more jars. Then the oil stopped flowing. This seed of provision from the Kingdom could have lasted them for generations. It could have met the needs of the whole village, but her vision was small and inward. In her mind she needed just enough to take care of the creditors but what if she would have lifted her eyes to the needs of others. Jesus always intends for us to share the seeds of blessing from His Kingdom with others.

“Generosity brings prosperity, but withholding from charity brings poverty.” Proverbs 11:24

Your generosity can be more than money. It could be how you help others with your time, efforts, and resources. TWP had a clean-up day on the property last weekend to remove buildings that have been there for years. It was a big task, but we had people show up with tools, big equipment, dump trailers, and many hands with a heart to pour their time into making a place beautiful. They showed tremendous generosity. Jesus is inviting you to lift your eyes to the needs around you. We must make our vision bigger than ourselves and our household.

“Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor.” Proverbs 11:25

In order for you to be able to lift your eyes to the needs of others and expand your vision it will require you to trust Abba with your own life. This trust will cause you to come into a posture of rest knowing He will take care of you. The truth is when we continue to pour our oil out for others the oil will never stop flowing and you will be saturated with favor.

Will you seek the Lord today and ask Him where you can pour out generosity?

What’s in Your House?

“One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.” 1 Kings 4

What do you have in the house? This widow has a need and can see no way to solve it. The only thing she knew to do was to go to the Prophet. He asked her two questions: what can I do to help and tell me, what do you have in the house. Almost always when we have a need we go straight to the Lord with the anticipation of Him fixing it.

Jesus will say to us: what do you have in the house? We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and have every answer we need in our house. Most of the solutions we need we already have but do not see it right or we’re not hearing His voice right. The widow’s response was, “nothing at all.” She could not see past her immediate need. Do you know most people live on this side of that comma. We think we have zero answers and zero solutions but as a beloved child of Abba you have everything you need. We have to lift up our eyes and ask the Lord to show us what we have.

The Kingdom gives you a seed that has everything in it you will need for your entire life. What does a seed require? It requires attention and diligence in care. You often do not realize the importance of the seed Abba has given you. At first, you may see the seed as valuable but when it doesn’t produce the fruit you expect in the time you desire you abandon the seed. The seeds He gives you requires prayer, protection, to stand in the gap, and see the value. Even when no one else can see the value you still remain and diligently care for the seed. Every seed from Abba is the most valuable thing you have in your possession.

This widow’s seed was a small flask of oil, but she could barely see it as valuable because she couldn’t get past the comma of her need. What area of your life are you living on the wrong side of the comma?

What seed did the Lord give you that you tossed out because you didn’t see the value?

Let these questions prompt you into a conversation with Jesus today. He is faithful to restore the seed, but He is also a good steward. As His love nourishes your heart today may it help you see the value of the seed.

Step by Step

Most of us live our lives looking for our destiny and purpose. The big question I heard a lot when I first entered Christianity, “What is God’s will for my life?” When our daily focus is on our purpose, destiny and trying to figure out Yahweh’s will for us we miss a whole lot of stuff that He deems very important.

See, most people are waiting on big moments, but the Kingdom is built on small moments. When you set your heart to look for Jesus in each step every day you are in His will. One thing in everything.

Abba is more concerned with your integrity to be able to carry the weight of your purpose. He’s a great steward and a loving Father. Just like you wouldn’t give your ten-year-old keys to the car because they are not mature enough to handle it, Abba will withhold your destiny and purpose until you can learn to walk through each day with Him growing in maturity. Jesus gave us a beautiful description of this in Luke 2:52, “As Jesus grew, so did His wisdom and maturity. The favor of men and God increased upon His life.”

From the footnotes in The Passion Translation: We know little to nothing of the eighteen years between Jesus at the temple as a child and Him being baptized in the Jordan other than He grew in favor with men and God. It is likely He served His earthly father in a carpenter’s shop. Most likely Joseph died during this time which left Jesus as the firstborn with the responsibility of caring for His mother.

How important is it for us to be mindful of our daily lives each step growing in favor with God and with men. We must not be so focused on reaching this imaginary pinnacle when the glory of Yahweh rest upon us with each step. Truth is you may miss your purpose if you’re always looking into the future for the big moment or the suddenly.

Learning to keep Jesus at the forefront of your mind in each step takes practice. He’s not disappointed in you when you forget to bring Him along in your daily life. When He’s at the door of your heart knocking just let Him in. The more you become aware of Him you realize the door of your heart remains open, and He never has to knock again. Start where you are today. Let Him lead you in each moment.

Abba, we are so grateful for your gentleness and kindness. You are so patient with us as we learn to never let go of your hand and always have an open heart to hear your whispers. You quietly remind us: look for Me in this moment. Some moments are very difficult, painful, frustrating, overwhelming, confusing and yet, others are funny, crazy, silly and happy. You are in them all. We ask for eyes to see you, ears to hear, hearts to understand and a walk that is always in step with you. This is your will for us. We love you!

People of Hope

Jesus is looking for people who will say, “I am the light of the world- I will stand up and see restoration brought about where I am planted.” Do you believe you are the light of the world?

We must be people with hearts of hope believing Jesus intends for all things to be restored. The leaven of the Kingdom deposited into a heart that receives it will see things change.

What business are you designed to start and see become successful? Examine your heart and find that dream He deposited long ago. It’s not out of reach. What passion do you have inside that you think is just a hobby, but He has so much more planned for your passion.

We experienced something here at TWP in the last nine months that proves when Jesus stirs up a business idea in you and you say yes, He will breathe on it. Last June He spoke a word of instruction to Pastor Tim about opening a dance studio. With zero experience in dance, studio, and without a teacher we said yes to Jesus. Within a couple of weeks, we are meeting the most qualified, Jesus loving dance instructor anyone could dream to have. By October, The Circle Dance Studio is open with students. At the end of nine months, we had our first recital, and the breath of heaven permeated the hearts of people we won’t soon forget. What is the Father wanting to birth in you that will bring restoration?

The Wilderness Place is not a place who is trying to gather people so we can help build a ministry. This is a place you come, and we partner with the vision Abba has given you and help you become successful. We want you to own your own home, cars and businesses. We want to be people who give cars and houses away.

Will you choose to be a person who profits when you hear the voice of Jesus as He deposits dreams into your heart? “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4

The Gospel is more than just believing a message to get to heaven. Jesus has promised life and life more abundant.