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.

Theology Matters

Your theology matters! What you believe about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit matter. We’ve been taught a lie in the West, a darkness masquerading as light covered in Jesus’ name. We are so thankful Jesus is removing the veil through His beloved sons and beloved daughters so we may become who He originally designed. Let me explain.

When you hear about wars breaking out in the Middle East the first thing you begin to hear people say is this, “Jesus is coming back. He’s coming to rapture His church and take us out of here. He’s coming with a sword in His hand to deal with darkness for good. Y’all better get ready.” Is this not what we’ve been taught in Christianity?

Do you know Christianity in the West is the only one who believes in the rapture. If you study the words of Jesus with the Holy Spirit as your guide, you will see this is not truth. In Acts 3, Peter tells us when Heaven will release Jesus to return.

“And now you must repent and turn back to God so that your sins will be removed, and so that times of refreshing will stream from the Lord’s presence. And he will send you Jesus, the Messiah, the appointed one. For he must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things has taken place, fulfilling everything that God said long ago through his holy prophets.”

Repent, we know now that repent is changing the way you think. We must turn back to the Father so we can think like He thinks. Sins are actually believing something about yourself and displaying behaviors outside of who the Father says you are. When our sins (the way we see ourselves) are removed we then experience refreshment in His presence.

So, Peter says, He must remain until the restoration of all things has taken place.” What does this mean? In the original language all things mean universal restoration. *The word restoration in the Greek is apokatatasis, which infers the restoration of creation to the state of existence before the fall. Interestingly enough, Luke’s Greek term is a medical term meaning “restoration of perfect health.” (credit: TPT footnotes)

Did Jesus say to His disciples and to us, love cannot overcome darkness, so I’ll have to come back and wipe people off the planet? No, He did not. He said, “A fountain of life was in Him, for His life is light for all humanity. And this Light never fails to shine through darkness- Light that darkness could not overcome! 1 John 1

He then gave us, His beloved children, the same light by way of the Holy Spirit when He ascended into heaven. We are designed to bring restoration to the planet. We are not here to hunker down until His return. We are here to light it up. The Father gave specific instructions to humanity. Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them in His love, saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Populate the earth and subdue it! Reign over the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and every creature that lives on earth.”

It is unfortunate that so many people have bought into the lie of darkness taking over to the point they do not want to bring children into a dark world. It’s too scary. Have you ever heard someone say that? Do you know that the Muslim community believes the best way to evangelize is to reproduce. We’ve been fed the wrong theology for too long. It is time for the veil to be removed so we can see the truth of the Gospel correctly and we can see ourselves correctly.

Jesus wants to restore all things. He gave His life for the cosmos, not just so we can go to Heaven when we die. He came to give us life and life more abundant. Period.

I invite you to seek the Holy Spirit in prayer and the scriptures. Ask Him to reveal the truth of the Gospel. Ask Him to remove the veil that’s kept you in the dark to who you really are. Remember, there’s an exchange every time we commune with Him. Happy Seeking!

Let’s Make an Exchange

“The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me because Yahweh has anointed me, as a messenger to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted, to tell captives, “You are free,” and to tell prisoners, “Be free from your darkness.” I am sent to announce a new season of Yahweh’s grace and a time of God’s recompense on his enemies, to comfort all who are in sorrow, to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness.” Isaiah 61

There is an exchange expected to happen every time you turn your heart to Jesus. Every time you go to church, every time you pray and read the Bible, Jesus is there to make an exchange with you. He tells us in Isaiah He has come with the anointing of Heaven to give good news to those who are poor in their hearts. Poor is not about money. People with lots of money can be poor. The first thing Jesus wants to do for you is heal your broken heart.

This is the time to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Ask Him if there is any brokenness hiding deep within. Brokenness you don’t even realize is there will affect your decision making. Once your heart is healed you begin to see freedom in your life in areas you’ve struggled a long time. You will also see freedom in your children’s lives. Whatever overshadows you - overshadows your children.

“To give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes.” This bouquet is actually a headdress (a turban) in the original language. He’s putting a beautiful headdress on you instead of ashes. This is not Him putting a crown over the ashes. No, He comes to remove the ashes completely from your head. These ashes represent every negative thought you have about yourself. Every shame, regret, guilt, and condemnation, it all has to be removed. Every time you have a negative thought about yourself or feel a certain way it is an opportunity for an exchange.

Don’t get discouraged when you feel heaviness. Jesus is telling us these things come but every time turn your heart to Him and make the exchange. It does not matter how many times you have to give it to Jesus; He will not be disappointed in you. What He wants you to do is stop coming into agreement with the lies that come.

When you have a thought that is not from Him immediately turn to Him and say I am here to make the exchange. I’ll take what you have and believe what you say about me and my family. The more you walk in this the faster you’ll see transformation take place. Then on the other side of the transformation you begin to lead the broken hearted to Jesus through your transformed lives. You will be known as a Mighty Oak of Righteousness. A living display of His glory.

You must value what you are hearing. How do you value this information, so that it transforms your life? Keep it at the forefront of your mind today, tomorrow and however long it takes to walk in the freedom and righteousness Jesus has for you. This process takes longer for some because they do not value the seeds of the Kingdom.

Write it down, talk about it with people you trust, keep an ongoing conversation with Jesus. These are ways you value what He is giving you.

Will It Profit You?

Are you ready to believe things can be different?

Think about this question, then ask yourself what you have settled for. The Kingdom is supposed to profit you every time you have an exchange with the King. There is an unfortunate thing that has happened to the church in the West. There is no profitable exchange taking place when believers go to church. It’s actually way worse than that but that’s for another time.

Let’s look at a man Jesus had an encounter with that is very similar to us today. In John 5, there is a man who has been crippled for thirty-eight years. He comes inside the Beautiful Gate to sit on the porch waiting for someone to do something for him so he can be healed. Unfortunately, because he has put this responsibility on to someone else, he now believes in his mind he can never be healed, so why is he still there. What happens when Jesus shows up?

“When Jesus saw him lying there, he knew that the man had been crippled for a long time. Jesus said to him, “Do you truly long to be well?” John 5

This seems a bit offensive Jesus. He has been here for a long time waiting for someone to put him in the water. Why would you be so harsh? Of course, he wants to be healed. This would be like Jesus showing up to you on a Sunday morning sitting in church and ask you- Why are you so dead? Why are you here if you believe nothing can change? This man at the pool responds to Jesus, “Sir, there’s no way I can get healed, for I have no one to lower me into the water when the angel comes. As soon as I try to crawl to the edge of the pool, someone else jumps in ahead of me.”

Are you showing up with the same belief that things can’t change? Are you settling for showing up to listen or read and nothing change? This is your choice. Everything we need for change in our lives has already been purchased and settled by Jesus. It is in the Kingdom realm of Yahweh; we just have to believe and step into it. Let’s not settle for our exchange with the Kingdom to be unprofitable. Jesus is actually asking this man, “Are you ready to abandon how you see yourself and receive the faith for your healing.”

We must believe and be intentional to go after the profit of the Kingdom that is promised to us. There is an exchange that should happen when you encounter Jesus every day, not just Sunday and Tuesday. You would never go to work without it profiting you so why do we settle for showing up to church, reading our bibles and devotionals, encountering Jesus and it not profit us?

“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

We refuse to be a people who do not profit every time we gather together. Profit is something being birthed in you by what you hear and experience. Our standard is being set to profit every time we encounter Jesus alone or with our Kingdom family. Jesus is worthy of a mature bride.

Are you ready to mix faith with what you’ve heard and see things change?

Unto the Lord

“Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed.” Proverbs 16

We talk a lot about hearing the voice of the Lord for ourselves. What a privilege it is to be able to commune with Yahweh in such an intimate, personal way. When we surrender our lives to Him the direction in which we go becomes the most beautiful journey. Yesterday, Pastor Tim shared the testimony of The Circle Dance Studio and how it came about. This is a testimony of hearing the voice of the Lord and then saying yes to His spoken word.

June of 2024, Jesus spoke to Pastor Tim, “I want you to open a dance studio.” We had zero experience in dance or running a studio, but we knew if Jesus gave the word He would work out all the details starting with an instructor. The very next week, one of our beloved daughters of the house, Maylin, brought up she has a friend who is a dance instructor who’s looking for a place to maybe hold a class and she had thought about our Event Center. We could not believe how fast the Lord was moving in this. We shared with Maylin what the Lord had asked, and the next step was meeting our beloved instructor, Becca. June 28, 2024, was our first meeting and the presence of Jesus was so tangible. We all knew this was the Lord. We had our first ballet class in October and nine months later the Lord birthed the most beautiful, presence filled recital with the most precious girls.

Yes, we planned but mostly we showed up every week unto the Lord to practice with joy and peace. The best part of this studio is the girls are learning and doing something they love as worship unto Him. They are growing in Fine Arts and developing a relationship with Jesus at the same time. Only Jesus could see how beautiful this would actually be on the other side of our first year.

“Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others. For we know that we will receive a reward, an inheritance from the Lord, as we serve the Lord Yahweh, the Anointed One!” Colossians 3

Why is this testimony important for you today? There are so many ideas the Lord has for you and your family, for His children but there’s a shortage of people who are willing to take a risk on His voice. Most people are afraid or apprehensive for lack of hope and knowledge. When you say yes to His voice and prompting, He will work out every detail. When you do everything unto the Lord, you will find hope rising to the surface. You don’t have to be afraid of failure. Abba has and continues to have us in a hope revival at TWP for our individual lives and for our communities. Hope is stirring!

What has Jesus told you before that you were afraid to accept because you couldn’t imagine how it would happen? Maybe you haven’t heard Him because facts made you closed off to His voice. Facts are not the truth – Jesus is the TRUTH!

Start the conversation with Him today. Stir up hope and do everything unto the Lord. We can’t wait to hear your testimony!

A Wrestling Match

“And Jacob was left all alone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man appeared and wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he was not winning the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint, leaving it wrenched as he continued to wrestle with him. Eventually, the man said to him, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob refused. “No! Not until you bless me!” “What is your name?” asked the man. “Jacob,” he replied. “Not anymore,” the man said to him. “Your new name is Israel, for you have struggled both with God and with people and have overcome.” Genesis 32

Jacob was alone in the wilderness. We must learn to see the wilderness correctly through the eyes of Yahweh. He is jealous for you and me to be our authentic self. It’s in the wilderness where you find, YOU!

All of a sudden Jacob finds himself wrestling with a man. We’ve been told by religion this man was Yahweh or an angel. This can’t be because this passage states, “the man saw he was not winning the match and struck Jacob’s hip.” First of all, there is no way a human being could wrestle down and beat Yahweh, or an angel and Yahweh would not inflict pain on us. We oftentimes inflict pain on ourselves by wearing the wrong identity.

This man Jacob is wrestling is himself. He’s come face to face with who he is and who he is meant to be. I love how Pastor Tim shared this on Sunday and how it’s for us today because the truth is we are all wrestling with something right now.

Jacob is coming face to face with the decision just like you and me. You can know God and still be misidentified but the thing about Jesus, the love affair with Him makes you stand face to face with who He's designed you to be. He’ll ask you a question- will you take off that misidentified garment and put on what I designed for you? It’s a wrestling match. There's some type of behavior, something you’ve believed about yourself. There’s something in your life that you're wrestling with right now. Yahweh is saying, "It's time to lay that down. You're not hard-hearted. You're not designed to be rough. You're designed to be tender. You're designed to be free. You're designed to be wild. You're designed to be weird and peculiar. And in His presence, he says "I want the real you."

The wilderness is where every significant identity change happens. Don’t be afraid of the wilderness. Just like Jacob, we will find our new identity in the wilderness. Even when it’s hard and you feel like you are losing the fight in certain areas, hold on and keep going back to who Abba says you are. He has a new name for you. Our old identity can be very familiar, and it can be scary to let go of what we’ve always thought of ourselves or a situation.

In this wrestling, Abba is teaching us He can be trusted with the uncharted territory and it’s glorious! The authentic you is ready to come alive! Are you ready to surrender to authenticity?

Tenderness is the Key

Tenderness is the key to the Kingdom. It is the quality of being gentle, loving and kind. What does it look like to bring the tenderness of the Kingdom into the world around you. When you’re tender you have a deep, compassionate, and gentleness of spirit about you especially towards others. This is a reflection of Jesus. This is heaven on earth.

You will find that you are sensitive to the needs of others, willing to forgive and your heart is moved by love and kindness. You’re able to foster healthy relationships and see the truth of situations around you. This is why it is so important to be tender.

What happens when your tenderness is lost? What happens when your true identity is stolen?

Pastor Tim shared the story of Jacob’s life in Gensis on Sunday and it’s quite fascinating how much you see this happening today. This is an opportunity for us to apply our faith to what we are hearing and demand things to change in our lives and the body of Christ so we can represent Jesus well in the earth and make this a better place for thousands of generations ahead of us.

We talked about Rebekah stealing the authentic identity of her son Jacob and what that communicated to him. He was not good enough. She also took his tenderness by covering us his smooth skin with goat hair so the father would not recognize him. Parents, we must be extremely careful with our words to our children. What you think is just a comment can change the course of your child’s life forever and not in a good way. We must hear the voice of the Lord when it comes to speaking to our children.

In life, we encounter people and situations that hurt us. Most often if the wounds we received go unhealed by the Lord, we tend to get calloused hearts. Jacob was forced to leave home after his identity and tenderness were stolen by someone who was supposed to protect him. A lot of people feel homeless in their own hearts because they do not know where they belong. When you lose your true identity and your tenderness, you wonder around in life making decisions that do not profit you.

When your heart is calloused, you trust no one including Abba. You find fault in everyone and everything. Your critical of everything you see and hear. How do we find our way back to tenderness? It starts with real intimacy with Jesus. Real intimacy exposes every part of you to Him. We are talking intimacy in the light, not the dark where you hide some parts of who you are.

Allow His love to remove the callouses. It’s a process of one layer at a time. As you begin to be tender towards Him and find you can trust Him again then you’ll to see changes start in other relationships. All of us who love Jesus, we really do want to be just like Him, but we must be willing to be tender again. This requires vulnerability but we can trust Him with our hearts and our lives.

Today say what He says and see what He does. He says, “You are my beloved, and I Am yours.” You walk in the light of my love. Your heart is tender toward My voice, and you can trust Me.”

Make this declaration over yourself today! I am my beloved’s, and He is mine. I walk in the light of His love and my heart is moved by the tenderness of His voice. I can trust Abba!