Sing! O Barren One

To be a seer of the Kingdom of Yahweh you must have hope. We need hope to be planted with the ability to produce fruit that will feed others. To be honest, hopelessness has been our default but how do we change that?

Have you ever seen a plant that has been in a pot for too long? When you take it out the roots are bound up. The dangers of root bound plants are they get dehydrated and have low oxygen. They have nutrient deficiencies and can develop disease. Overall, they will suffer in their health and not reach their purpose because someone failed to plant them in soil. If you refuse to plant yourself in a Kingdom family, you stunt your growth, and this will have devastating effects not only on you but also on your children. You will not live in the purposes Yahweh created you for. I can understand sometimes these decisions are made from a place of trauma and hurt from past churches, but this is why you must ask and seek Yahweh for family. Seek a family who is about one thing, an intimate relationship with Jesus. In family, you discover a safe place for healing and wholeness. Hope can be restored.

The scriptures give us clear directions on how to respond to hopelessness. Oh yes, you can do this without a kingdom family, but it is meant to be shared with others. There’s so much power in a multitude. So how do we respond to hopelessness?

“Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. Isaiah 54:1

Barren means dry, empty, lifeless, lack; stuck in a rut. We all have situations that have been overwhelming, discouraging and just downright sad. It is so easy to focus on the lack or find yourself just going through the motions of the day. You feel stuck in the same rut. So many people claim to be lovers of Jesus, yet do not display the fruit of a life walked with Him. There is no joy, hope, or peace. You could ask anyone if they would prefer a barren life or one full of hope. We would all say a life of hope, yet we choose barren when we refuse to sing.

SING! Break forth into singing, cry aloud you who have not borne. The answer to the dry, empty places in your heart is to sing. Give a sacrifice of praise to the Lord. Our worship cannot be decided based on our personality or even how well we can sing. Every voice lifted to Jesus in worship breaks the power of barrenness in your life. We sing because of who He is. We sing to Him because He is worthy to be lifted high and honored. We cannot wait until things change to sing. Your worship to Him- your singing is what brings hope to your life. Hope for every situation abounds when we sing.

When you get the diagnosis - SING! When you get the pink slip - SING!

When the relationship is failing - SING! When the child is far from the Lord - SING!

When you aren’t seeing the dream of your own home come to pass - SING!

When you have the worst car in the parking lot - SING!

When your family is at odds - SING! When your bank account is low - SING!

When you feel lost and wonder, “what is my purpose”? SING!

Hope shows up when you sing even though there is no reason to sing. You must grab hold of the reality of the Kingdom of Yahweh. Sing to Him. Sing about Him. Our families need our singing. Our city needs our singing.

Sing, O Barren one, for your breakthrough is on the horizon. Hope is within and waiting for you to sing!

I Surrender

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Romans 12:1-2

This week we have talked about exclusivity to Jesus. Meaning we only have one lover and it’s Him. In order to get to this place where our love is not splintered and scattered in multiple directions we must keep showing up and surrendering our lives to Him as a living sacrifice. Our proper response to Jesus’ mercy upon our lives is complete surrender of every area. We can have areas that are good or seemingly good. You like what is happening, you’re happy with the job, relationship, activity but it isn’t actually what Jesus had in His plans for you. When we speak of surrender it does not only apply to the areas of struggle. This applies to it all. It isn’t surrender until you give up something you love or enjoy. We are called to live in holiness. Holiness is not about behaviors or your outward appearance. To be holy means you are pure in heart, you have chosen to be set apart for Him and only Him. We must stop coming into agreement with old theology that says we are human and can’t be perfect in our purity. Jesus never sets a standard He doesn’t give us the grace to achieve. His standard is holiness- set apart for Him only. When we truly surrender and choose holiness, we delight the heart of the Father and give Him a genuine expression of worship.

We can’t stop imitating the culture of the world without complete surrender to Jesus. Exclusivity. This doesn’t happen overnight. This becomes a reality by showing up in your walk with Him daily. You must keep showing up. By showing up you will begin to see an inward transformation the Holy Spirit is doing in you because you will begin to think differently about things. When you think different, you act different. When you act different, you talk different. When you talk different, you see change. The Kingdom demands change. Your actions always speak louder than your words.

So, what does it look like to show up? Eyes open in the morning your first thought is good morning, Lord. What do you want me to know about today? What wisdom would you like me to have? When we start our day with asking Him questions about what He wants it is training our hearts to listen for His voice. It is surrendering what we want to His desire. This tells your heart you are going to be listening for His direction and guidance that day. He knows the baggage you bring along; the other lovers you still have in tow but when you’re honest with Him about it He says let’s walk together until they disappear. Let’s talk as we walk. There is no shame with Jesus.

Other ways we show up is by gathering together with our Kingdom family. He sees honor in your heart when you set your life up to be faithful to the family he has planted you in. Being faithful to the gatherings is essential to building infrastructure in the Kingdom. When you show up on Sunday and Tuesday or special family gatherings with honor in your heart for Jesus and your family you are setting another stone in the wall. I sought for a man or woman who would stand in the gap. This is bigger than us as individuals. When we miss coming together on Sunday with honor in our hearts, we miss out on partnering with the King to see transformation. For example, this past Sunday four ladies in the family came together to pray and declare His promises of healing and peace over a situation of a family member outside the church. On Monday there was a testimony of peace in the situation. Had those four ladies not shown up to honor and partner with Jesus what would have happened in that person’s life? We MUST see this with Kingdom eyes and Kingdom thinking.

When we show up with honor in our hearts for Jesus we will see transformation. Remember the Kingdom does not operate on casualness. Come with expectations of seeing His glory fall. Come ready to partner with Him on behalf of others. The next generation is watching and they’re ready to experience the Kingdom and all it contains.

“Kings don’t show up where people don’t honor Kings” Pastor Tim

We will be people of honor because we have one passion and that is to host King Jesus.

Train Your Heart

“So train your heart to listen when I speak and open your spirit wide to expand your discernment— then pass it onto your sons and daughters.” Proverbs 2:2

Train your heart to listen. This word train is an action word. It means to develop or form the habit, thoughts or behavior. When an athlete has a competition, they do not show up without first training. In this training they are focused on one thing. Everything they eat. Everything they drink. Everything they do is for one thing. In order to train our hearts to listen for the voice of Yahweh we must be diligent about one thing. Our hearts can get off track so easily and in subtle ways we almost don’t recognize it happening.

The Kingdom demands exclusivity. In marriage you would not be ok with your partner having any other lover, but we think it’s ok to have multiple lovers inside our covenant with Yahweh. If we are not intentional about protecting the sanctity of our covenant with Him, we can find ourselves eating and drinking from multiple things to our own determent. Pastor Tim shared a story from Luke 14 where Jesus was inviting people to the feast. When they received the invitation, they sent back word with what we would call ridiculous excuses to not attend the feast, yet we too will find excuses why we cannot attend the feast He has laid out for us.

“The church has spent so much time telling you what you should avoid and not do because they cannot tell you how great the feast is. If we can demonstrate in our own lives how great he's been to us and that He is our only lover, then people will be attracted to Jesus. People are attracted to things they don't have. They will be attracted to the presence and goodness of the King in your life, and they will want it for themselves and their children. The only way to have increased measures of the presence of Jesus is to dismiss other lovers. Pastor Tim

The Kingdom demands exclusivity. The word Peripoiesis in English means weird, but the original word means one belonging exclusively to Him. This does not happen by chance. It is an intentional pursuit daily. Moment by moment. If you have been in a relationship with Jesus for any length of time and are not exclusive to Him, you have missed the point of this relationship. When you are exclusive to Him you are training your heart to listen for His voice. He speaks wisdom, life and instruction for each day that is laid out before you. Think about this…if you are training your heart to listen it means eventually every step is not a mishap or mistake you have to seek redemption for. It becomes a walk of glory to glory.

He then gives us the instruction of open your spirit wide to expand your discernment. We are learning when we openly turn our hearts to the Holy Spirit, He is able to reveal matters of the heart to us. Every time we come into agreement with what He is showing us it expands our understanding, and we are able to discern matters according to His Spirit in us. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine telling Jesus, “No, thanks, I don’t want your wisdom.” If we are honest, it is what we do when we refuse to train our hearts to listen. It is dishonor. We cannot and will not receive from the Kingdom when operating in dishonor.

“Such amazing mysteries are found within every miracle that nearly everyone seems to miss. Those with no discernment can never really discover the deep and glorious secrets hidden in your ways.” Psalm 92:6

Without honor we have no discernment and without discernment we miss out on mysteries and miracles. This glorious life with Jesus is meant to be a LIVING DISPLAY OF HIS GOODNESS.

Treasure His Wisdom

“My child, will you treasure my wisdom? Then, and only then, will you acquire it. And only if you accept my advice and hide it within will you succeed.” Proverbs 2:1

When Yahweh says, “my child” this indicates He is ready to give you instructions He intends for you to follow through with, to obey. As a beloved child of Yahweh, you have a special relationship with Him. You are precious, the apple of His eye. He longs to tell you so many things, but this is only possible if you will treasure the wisdom he desires to share with you.

This word treasure means to keep carefully, cherish, place great value on, preserve or be devoted to. Let’s think about the words carefully, cherish or place great value on. What if you had the most expensive jewel in all the world would you leave it lying around? Maybe on the patio table where you have coffee in the morning or better yet in the glove box of your car? No, you wouldn’t do that. You would place great value on it. You would handle it with care. How much more care, value and preservation should we have on the words Abba is speaking to us? They are far more valuable than any jewel. How are you caring for the words our Kingdom family is receiving on Sundays, through The Walk or the words He is speaking to you? Are you placing great value on them? Are you devoted to what He is saying to you? Take a few minutes here to pause and let Him help you answer that question. One thing I know to be true is we can automatically answer a question with what we know to be the “right answer”, but it is not actually the truth. Turn your heart openly to the Holy Spirit and hear what He has to say in this moment. Remember, He steps in to help when we are honest.

Let’s go back to treasure. Pastor Tim said Sunday, “no treasure worth having is easily found.” We must position our hearts and lives to seek Him in every moment. His wisdom for our lives is the treasure we need, but we can’t be casual about it. The Kingdom does not operate in casualness. Showing up to the house of Yahweh on Sunday with the anticipation of His glory falling is treasuring the moment. What other moments is He putting in our paths we have the opportunity to treasure? Reading and meditating on scriptures. Listening for what He wants to say in that moment. A hard conversation with your spouse or loved one, a moment with your children, praying for a friend, giving an encouraging word to someone. These little moments lead up to big moments. Anything of value Abba is going to give us He will also give us what we need to hold on to it and see it come to fruition in our lives. The Kingdom demands fruit, but we must treasure His wisdom in order to begin to see that fruit and even still He will prune the fruit we get so we can produce more for His glory.

Treasure = Honor. Honor is an important word for our family. Intimacy, honor and order are the infrastructure we are building at The Wilderness Place. The second part of this verse reveals we will only succeed when we accept His advice and hide it within. We are endeavoring to host the King of Kings in our daily lives. In every moment our hearts are turning to Him to listen for his wisdom. When we do this the overflow of honoring and treasuring will change the world around us. Then when we gather together on a Sunday or Tuesday, we will experience the glory of Yahweh in a mighty way that will physically affect anyone in the room. We are not here to play church and check the box. We are here to glorify Him with our lives and to light up the world with our glow, but it starts with treasuring His wisdom in the little moments.

Sit with your beloved Father today. Allow Him to reveal areas you haven’t treasured. He is not ready to reprimand you. He wants to pull you closer to His heart, hold you until you feel safe and can be honest with Him. There is no greater than He has for you. Freedom is on the other side of His lap.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Wilderness Place wants to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. May your day be filled with love and peace as you walk in His presence today. May your heart be overwhelmed with thankfulness for who He is to you and who you are to Him. May you pause today and see the many blessings He has placed in your life and be filled with gratitude.

“Sing out with songs of thanksgiving to the Lord! Let’s sing our praises with melodies overflowing!” Psalm 147:7

“Now I’ll worship you passionately and bring to you my sacrifice of praise, drenched with thanksgiving! Psalm 116:17

Thanksgiving

We will not have a daily walk this Thanksgiving week. We encourage you to go back and listen to Sunday’s message Pastor Tim shared and pay attention for those moments Jesus speaks to you. Spend some time talking to Jesus about what He wants to say specifically to you. You may even want to go back through the last couple of weeks in The Walk and go deeper in the areas He has highlighted already. Remember 2 Corinthians 3:16 “But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.”

Have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family this week.

Wind of Love

What a beautiful week it has been seeking the Lord. We have discussed the importance of preparing our hearts to carry His glory. We understand the magnitude of this responsibility and it cannot be approached lightly or casually. Jesus says in John 16:20, “There is so much more I would like to say to you, but it’s more than you can grasp at this moment.” Oh, but how He desires to pour out His glory upon His children. Don’t be intimated by the cost, the reward outweighs the sacrifice we make to be the image bearers of Jesus now on earth.

Yesterday in the story we read in Judges, we could see how the Israelites had to change what they did to get the results they knew Yahweh intended for them to have. Truth is if we want more of Yahweh it is going to cost us more covenant. Do you want to hear his voice more? You will have to honestly check your covenant level. What is covenant exactly? Everyone knows it is a commitment between two people but it’s more than that. You bind yourself to one another in a lifelong relationship of faithfulness and devotion.

Are you willing to put yourself in uncomfortable situations or a conversation with the Holy Spirit so you can experience the more He has for you? None of us like awkward conversations or hard conversations but we cannot grow and mature to a place of strength to carry His glory if we refuse to do things differently. What is He asking of you? What area is He wanting to talk to you about?

The Lord has destiny and purpose for each one of us, but he can’t give it to us if we give up so easily on ourselves, others or circumstances. Truth is, I see so many of you putting roots in the ground at The Wilderness Place and the wind of love is blowing and hard things are happening, but you’re committed to what He wants to do. He’s pouring more of His presence out over you. Your Abba is so proud of you. He sees your heart and your efforts to get closer and closer to Him. Let the wind of His love continue to blow over your life. Yes, it stirs things up but that’s ok because He’s helping you get it all in order.

In closing, would you step outside for a few moments today. Close your eyes and feel the wind blow across you and imagine His love blowing through your thoughts, your heart, and situations. Let Him take you where He wants to go.

Up the Ante

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matt 6:33

The question for today: Do you inquire of the Lord before you make a decision to do something? Most of us would say, “yes, absolutely I do.” How many times have you asked and felt you heard Him say to go forward with what you are asking but it failed? This does something to our hearts. Every time this happens it can cause a callus to form over our hearts. If we are not careful, we can become numb to the Holy Spirit and hearing His voice.

Pastor Tim shared a passage of scripture from Judges 20 on Sunday that can help us in disappointment and failure. Prior to this particular part of the story the tribe of Benjamin had done a horrendous act and there needed to be consequences, so the other eleven tribes of Israel went before the Lord to ask Him what they should do.

“Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The Lord said, “Judah first!” So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah. Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.” Judges 20:19-20

In their seeking the Lord, He tells them they must send the tribe of Judah first. Judah means praise. For us today this communicates our battles are won through praise. In Psalm 22:3, it suggests Yahweh inhabits the praises of His people. In other words, when you praise it ushers in His presence. He can’t help but show up when you turn your heart to Him openly and lift His name up in song or words. But what happens when the battle isn’t won in your time of praise? We see in Judges they did exactly what they were told of Yahweh, but they lost the battle. This can be so discouraging when we feel we did exactly what He asked us to no avail. We have all cried out for situations in the dark night of the soul, but nothing changed.

We asked for forgiveness, we extended forgiveness, we wrote the letters and made the calls, we sent the text, but nothing ever really changed. Maybe for a moment it did, and you became hopeful to only find the situation right back to the way it was. Do you stop believing Jesus will intervene? Do you stop asking Him to help?

We can really get in our heads sometimes with circumstances and convince ourselves - “It is what it is” and give up on a person or a situation. In this moment right now, we have a choice to make. Regardless of what it looks like or the outcome I will encourage myself in the Lord. I will remember He is YAHWEH, the God of IMPOSSIBILTY!

Even still this may not change the outcome, then what? Let’s continue on in our story in Judges.

“And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.” So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day. And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword. Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

We see the Israelites encouraged themselves in the Lord, they asked him again what to do, only to lose again. Oh, how many times have we encouraged ourselves to only be disappointed again. But what did they do the third time in their approach to Yahweh? It says, ALL the people came to the house of God and fasted until evening, then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. When they inquired again, He says, “I will deliver them into your hand.”

Our advancement in situations demands we up the ante. The Kingdom doesn’t work on the mentality of “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” meaning we cannot do the same things over and over in our walk with Jesus. Oftentimes what brings victories in one place cannot be the same for this battle. Where can you give more to see more victories?

What is the one thing you’ve prayed so long for but have stopped and given up? Maybe it’s a spouse or a family member. Maybe it’s financial or your health.

Spend some time with Jesus today asking Him where you need resurrection power in your belief for the impossible.

The Veil is Lifted

“But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted, and they see. Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

This passage of scripture is packed with so much that can help us in our day to day lives. Let’s walk through it to see all the goodness it has. The moment one turns to the Lord, we see Paul makes it very clear He is referring to the Holy Spirit in this instance as Lord. When you turn to the Holy Spirit with an open heart, this means you give Him permission to speak into your life. So many show up every week to a building or maybe watch online thinking they are opening their hearts to Jesus yet wondering why they are not experiencing freedom in their lives. He is a gentleman. He will not barge in where He has not been given permission.

Once we turn to the Holy Spirit with an open heart the veil is lifted, and we can see. Let’s think about this…every person who has not opened their heart to Him and given Him permission to speak into every area of their lives they are veiled. When your eyes are veiled, you are basically blind. You cannot see things clearly. Wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. What about the places we have not made Him Lord? We all have areas in our lives we just can’t or actually won’t give permission for Him to address. What are some areas we hold back in? Maybe there is an area of hurt someone caused in your heart years ago and you forgave them, but you continue to bring it up on occasion. You have not allowed Him to be Lord in this area. What about your finances? Oh, you give what you’re supposed to but the rest you do what you want with it. Are you asking Him how he wants you to manage the gifts he has given you? What about parenting? Is He wanting to teach you the Kingdom way in parenting or do you still fall back on how you were raised? This matters so much in how our children see themselves. What are we saying to them because whatever we say they will think Abba believes the same about them. What about your marriage? What is the Holy Spirit wanting to say about your relationship with your spouse? How can you make it reflect the Kingdom? Remember Kingdom means the King’s dominion. He wants to have dominion in all of these areas. The Kingdom of Yahweh works on Lordship.

Unless we make Him Lord of our lives, we cannot experience freedom. Pastor Tim said it perfectly Sunday.

“Anywhere the Holy Spirit is Lord it demands freedom. It demands wholeness. It demands elevation. It demands the standard and value to be lifted in a place, a person and in a heart.”

See Abba’s heart in this. He wants you and your family free in every area. He wants you whole in your mind, body and spirit. The King of Kings wants to be able to lean on you to see the world changed around you. When we are free, He can rest His glory on our lives. This passage says, “And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus.” We must behold His face, His voice and His instructions. Let’s move away from beholding our issues and problems. Reading every book or blog about issues doesn’t change it. Only by staring at His goodness- His loving eyes will it transform us into the same image as Jesus. What you magnify you become. The last part of this passage says we are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. This transformation is by beholding the beauty and splendor of Jesus.

Moving forward it is time to give the Holy Spirit permission to highlight and speak into those areas we have shut off from Him. None of us want to continue dealing with hurt and things that keep us from experiencing all he has for us and all he has for those around us. Spend some time today turning your heart to Him openly and give Him permission to be Lord. Remember, His grace also comes as healing balm for those areas that are hurtful.

Beloved lets show the world who Jesus really is by reflecting His true nature in us.

Glory to Glory

Yesterday we talked about the glory of Yahweh, and how we can prepare ourselves to carry His glory. Honestly, for every person who declares themselves children of Yahweh should have a desire to become image bearers going from glory to glory. The standard of the Kingdom for us right now is on earth as it is in heaven.

Our family at The Wilderness Place is currently building infrastructure to host Him well. What is infrastructure exactly? It’s the basic foundation of something. Think about your house. It is a system of beams, weight-bearing walls and a strong foundation. In order for us to walk in the reality of what Jesus says we must have the right infrastructure. We must understand we are His beloved sons and daughters; our purpose is not to wait for a trumpet blast to rescue us from a dark world, in fact we are to become the light of the world just as Jesus declared we would. We are the ones He has called to see our families changed, our city changed, our state and nation changed. We must continue to build a strong foundation to bear the weight of His glory.

Do you think Jesus would tell us to pray like this if it wasn’t possible? He tells us in Matthew 6:10, to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Any word Jesus speaks comes with the ability for it to happen. There are so many incidents in all of our lives where we have prayed for things to come to pass, and it has taken a long time. Maybe you're still waiting right now. We must not give up in praying these matters through. This builds the integrity of our lives so we may carry more and more of His glory. Trust me when I say I know it is not easy to continue to pray for a matter or a person for years without seeing any answers, but we must continue to pray. We must declare in our homes as it is in heaven, in our marriages as it is in heaven, in our children as it is in heaven, on our jobs as it is in heaven. Our prayer at The Wilderness Place for the past three years has been on Pass Rd as it is in heaven. We have begun to see new life springing up all around us. We must continue to pray in the authority Jesus gave us.

“So Jesus taught them this prayer: “Our heavenly Father, may the glory of your name be the center on which our life turns. May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us. Manifest your kingdom on earth.” Luke 11:2

May the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. The weight of His name. The power His name carries is what our lives are to be centered on. The Holy Spirit comes upon us in power and cleanses us from wrong thinking. If the way we think lines up with the Holy Spirit so will our actions. As this happens, we see the Kingdom of Yahweh manifest in our lives and those around us. His glory can be hosted in your family, on your job, in school, and the grocery store. Our part is to center Him in our day to day.

Who have you been praying for so long you finally have given up and thought they are who they are? What have you been believing and asking Yahweh to bring to pass but it just hasn’t happened yet?

Abba, we ask for you to give us your eyes to see those people we have prayed for as you see them. Will you give us endurance to continue to pray for those matters we haven’t seen answered yet. Let us have a glimpse of why it is taking time to manifest. Thank you for being such a great father to us. We know you are building in us the ability to carry your glory through these times of testing and it is all worth it. Amen

The Glory Cost

We hear a lot about the glory of the Lord, the glory of Yahweh, or maybe you say most often the glory of God. Do we actually know what glory means? In years past I just thought it was a way of saying His presence was available. The Hebrew word for glory is kavod, meaning heavy or weighty. In scripture kavod is used to describe Yahweh’s worth, value, and majesty. In a sense, Yahweh’s glory is the magnificence, worth, loveliness, and grandeur of his many perfections. It also communicates His special presence, as in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night. We often cry out for His glory to fall on us, as in, we want to experience His presence in our lives. In His care for us He will only give us what we can handle. In John 16:12, Jesus says, “There is so much more I would like to say to you, but it’s more than you can grasp at this moment.”

What is Jesus saying? We can’t get the glory of Yahweh on discount. It cost to carry the glory of Yahweh. This glory is to be honored, valued, and longed for. When we honor or value someone, we will go the extra mile to do things for them or show our love.

Pastor Tim made a statement on Sunday that is so true. “The gift of salvation is free, but it will cost you everything.” We cannot earn our salvation. Jesus paid for this by way of the cross, but our part in displaying His gift on earth will cost us everything in how we think, talk, love, walk and it will require a complete surrender to Him.

“So listen, my sons and daughters, to everything I tell you, for nothing will bring you more joy than following my ways. Listen to my counsel, for my instruction will enlighten you. You’ll be wise not to ignore it. If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say. For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord.” Proverbs 8:32

To experience more and more of the glory of Yahweh in our lives, it will require us to do things differently than before. In this proverb, it gives us instructions for every day. Wait at the door of wisdom daily, longing to hear His voice concerning the day. When we do our part by seeking Him more consistently, He promises the fountain of life will pour into us and we will grow in the delight and favor of the Lord. I believe in this we will grow in our ability to carry more of His glory.

Take some time as you finish reading this and sit at the door of wisdom listening for His counsel today. Allow His presence to fill you with joy as you delight yourself in Him and He pours out delight over you.

The Right Perspective

“Now, the older son was out working in the field when his brother returned, and as he approached the house, he heard the music of celebration and dancing. He called over one of the servants and asked, ‘What’s going on?’ “The servant replied, ‘It’s your younger brother. He’s returned home and your father is throwing a party to celebrate his homecoming.’ “The older son became angry and refused to go in and celebrate. So his father came out and pleaded with him, ‘Come and enjoy the feast with us!’ “The son said, ‘Father, listen! How many years have I worked like a slave for you, performing every duty you’ve asked as a faithful son? And I’ve never once disobeyed you. But you’ve never thrown a party for me because of my faithfulness. Never once have you even given me a goat that I could feast on and celebrate with my friends as this son of yours is doing now. Look at him! He comes back after wasting your wealth on prostitutes and reckless living, and here you are throwing a great feast to celebrate—for him!’ “The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me by my side. Everything I have is yours to enjoy.” Luke 15:25

The older son represents so many who are caught in the trap of American Christianity. Let’s look at the older son’s thinking and how he sees the father and his inheritance. This part of the story starts with the older son coming in from working in the field and he realizes his younger brother, who he thought was dishonorable and lost all morality had come home from his wasteful living. When he found out the father was throwing him a party, he became very angry. Why in the world would you be angry about your brother returning home? Could it be because he didn’t see himself correctly? He sees himself as one who has been faithful to his father. He had served him all these years without ever leaving his house. He feels betrayed by the father. We know this by his response to his father. How many years have I been working like a slave for you, performing every duty you’ve asked faithfully and never have you thrown me a party! First, he sees himself as only a slave doing the work in the field. How many of us have seen ourselves as the same way? We worked the fields to win souls and make disciples, we’re spreading a “gospel” our own lives never displayed while sacrificing our families (mostly children) on the altar of ministry vying for leadership’s attention against our own brothers/sisters in the house.

You can be in the house of God; you can “serve” Jesus for all the years and never actually know the Father. This son never knew how much he was actually loved by the father. He didn’t have to ask for his inheritance. He didn’t have to ask for a fatted calf. It was already his. He already had access to his inheritance. Yet, he lived as a slave in the house. This is what the American church as taught people for decades and we have lost sight of the true nature of Abba, Father. We get the inheritance right up front as Beloved Sons & Daughters.

So many go to church every time the doors open and serve in every capacity available but live their day to day in complete brokenness because they do not see the Father correctly nor do they see themselves as He does.

If you find yourself as the older son, serving Jesus yet broken and hurt, not knowing how deeply you are really loved I encourage you to stare into the eyes of Jesus until the reality of His love captivates your heart. You must know the Father loves you with the same love as He loves Jesus. You are not a servant; You are beloved!

For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me. John 17:22

Welcome Home!

Let the truth of the Gospel convince you of who you really are. Jesus came to invade our lives with His reality. In Mark 15:38, we see this reality, “At that moment the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to bottom.” What does this mean exactly? The veil separated the Holy of Holies which is where the presence of Yahweh resided and only the High Priest could enter in at certain times. The veil being torn proved that it was Yahweh who came to invade our hearts with His presence. This veil could have only been torn by Him, it was very thick, heavy and nearly 60 feet tall. Hebrews 10:20 tells us, “For he has dedicated a new, life-giving way for us to approach Yahweh. For just as the veil was torn in two, Jesus’ body was torn open to give us free and fresh access to Him.” Let’s continue with Hebrews 10 to see what He came to convince us of. “And since we now have a magnificent High Priest to welcome us into Yahweh’s house, we come closer to Yahweh and approach him with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience. Now we are clean, unstained and presentable to Yahweh inside and out.”

We did not have to do anything to receive this glorious inheritance. We only have to believe what He says about us. Since the veil has been torn, we can see the truth of our identity. Beloved identity does not come and go based on our actions or behaviors. We can see this in the story of the redeemed heir in Luke 15. This story is about the love of the Father more than it is about the son. Most of us have heard him called the Prodigal son and made this story about his reckless living and disrespect by asking for his inheritance. This story is more so about how we can have our inheritance now and even if we do not handle it well it doesn’t change the love of the Father nor does it disqualify us from our identity as sons and daughters.

“Then Jesus said, “Once there was a father with two sons. The younger son came to his father and said, ‘Father, don’t you think it’s time to give me my share of your estate?’ So the father went ahead and distributed between the two sons their inheritance. Shortly afterward, the younger son packed up all his belongings and traveled off to see the world. He journeyed to a far-off land where he soon wasted all he was given in a binge of extravagant and reckless living.

“With everything spent and nothing left, he grew hungry, because there was a severe famine in that land. So he begged a farmer in that country to hire him. The farmer hired him and sent him out to feed the pigs. The son was so famished, he was willing even to eat the slop given to the pigs, because no one would feed him a thing.

“Humiliated, the son finally realized what he was doing, and he thought, ‘There are many workers at my father’s house who have all the food they want with plenty to spare. They lack nothing. Why am I here dying of hunger, feeding these pigs and eating their slop? I want to go back home to my father’s house, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I’ll never again be worthy to be called your son. Please, Father, just treat me like one of your employees.” ’

“So the young son set off for home. From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. The father raced out to meet him, swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love.

“Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’“The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’ “Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate. For my beloved son was once dead, but now he’s alive! Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy.”

Love will always lure you back home. My favorite part is when the father interrupts the son’s speech about how he doesn’t deserve sonship. He can’t even listen to shame and condemnation spill out of our mouths. Why? Because love covers it all- the failures, the mess ups, sin, our own thoughts of ourselves, and the damaging words of others. You must let His love cover it all. He is ready to clothes you with His own robe, place the ring of sonship and the shoes on your feet. Remember the value He sees in you? The price He paid for you to be His beloved. Welcome home, beloved! Welcome home back into the arms of your Father.

For Yahweh So Loved…

“For this is how much God loved the world- he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it.” John 3:16-17

Many of us have been taught the word world means all people. Let’s dig deeper into the language of scripture. In the Greek, world means cosmos. It refers to the arrangement of things. The order of things. We have learned a lot recently concerning the importance of order in our lives. In the Hebrew the word for world is olam. It denotes the long duration of existence, both human and divine, future and past.

So, what does this mean? Yahweh the Creator of all things, seen and unseen, loves all that He has made, and because of His great love He could not allow what He so carefully created be out of order. He sent His unique Son, Jesus as a gift to you, me and all of humanity but also the cosmos to be redeemed and restored back to His original purpose.

This passage is so beautiful. It reminds us of the intimate relationship we get to have with Jesus, the Father and Holy Spirit right now and forever. It is important to remember Jesus did not come into the world just so we could be saved from hell. He came to put things back in order. This order is a close, intimate relationship with Him daily right now.

Through us, His beloved sons and daughters, the planet and all that it contains can be saved and rescued. We have many promises to reveal His intentions. Like this one in Romans 8.

“I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us. The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.” Romans 8:18

Conclusion: The Father sent His Son because of His love for us not so He could love us. His love empowers us to see the change He desires for His creation, both humanity and the physical earth.

It all goes back to His love for us and seeing ourselves as He does. Think of it this way, everyone determines the value of something by how much someone else is willing to pay for it. The Father paid for humanity and all creation with His Son. Beloved, I would say He finds us very valuable.

Tethered

“I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest. The words I have spoken over you have already cleansed you. John 15

When you are a farmer, you are invested in your plants. They become like your babies. When you see one beginning to struggle you don’t just pull it out of the ground to throw it away. No, you prop it up off the ground. You give it special attention. You study and examine your plant baby. How can I help it thrive and mature?

In John 15 we know Jesus is the sprouting Vine, and the Father, who we refer to as Abba (dada in Aramaic) is the farmer. Jesus is telling us when we as beloved sons and daughters struggle the Father comes to us to give us special attention. He definitely doesn’t throw us away or push us to the side. The beautiful thing about this relationship with the Father is we sometimes can’t see the areas we are not bearing fruit in, but He does. He is so faithful to not leave us there to struggle. Even the areas we are fruitful he comes to prune us so we can bear more. The word prune in the Greek means to cleanse. This isn’t necessarily from something bad. This can be a way of thinking about ourselves or Him. His heart is to always see us thriving because He loves us and, in our thriving, we bring glory to Him.

“So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine. “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless.” John 15

Remember yesterday we talked about connecting our hearts to Jesus first thing in the morning? When we continuously connect to Him, we are remaining in life-union with Him. He never leaves us. He says, “I REMAIN in life-union with you,” we hear Pastor Tim tells us all the time, the Father is not the weak link. We have our part to do and that is remaining intimately joined to Jesus. If we are not intimately joined to Jesus, we cannot bring our sacrifices of prayer to the altar. We are powerless without intimacy. Intimacy is the level where we are known at the deepest of who we are. This level of intimacy requires the greatest amount of trust. We can know in this close, intimate relationship with Jesus, we can trust Him with the depths of who we are and where we struggle. He will never reject you for any reason.

We as beloved sons and daughters can no longer live our lives in separate containers. This container has work, this one has family, this one has friends, this one has church and Jesus. We must start and remain with Jesus daily and everything else flows from that central place in our lives.

Tether yourself to Jesus. Remain in life-union. This is our responsibility. He does the rest.

At Each Sunrise

“At each and every sunrise you will hear my voice as I prepare my sacrifice of prayer to you. Every morning, I lay out the pieces of my life on the altar and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart.” Psalm 5:3

Every morning is an opportunity to engage your heart to the King, our Friend, Jesus. He is faithful to hear our hearts as we prepare our sacrifice of prayer to Him. The word prepare in the Hebrew is ‘arak and it means lighting the altar fire. We understand through this verse who's responsible for the fire in our hearts. It is us. We are to rise every morning with the intention of lighting the fire of connection to Jesus.

Why does it say my sacrifice of prayer? What makes it a sacrifice? We all have things in our hearts that are hard to face sometimes. A childhood memory that still hurts deeply, a failed relationship, a choice you made long ago that still effects your family today, maybe as a parent you failed in an area that you still feel guilty in, lost trust in a relationship you would like to see restored, wounded family relationships, maybe you lost a loved one you still question God about, you feel lost, and hopeless or maybe it’s your job. Every single one of us had something come to our mind as we read through that list we don’t like to talk about. We would rather push it down and just go on with our day, but the goodness of Yahweh will not let us move on.

“Every morning, I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar.” The Bible talks a lot about sunrise. What is so significant about the sun rising? In Lamentations 3, we read, “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. The sun rising speaks of new beginnings, promises of a new day, hope, and the renewal of our hearts and minds. Sunrises serve as time markers. Think of them as new starts and the unfolding of Yahweh’s promises of healing and restoration.

These promises hinge on our willingness to lay these pieces of our hearts on the altar. When we light the fire of our hearts and put our sacrifices on the altar, He promises to come and consume them with His everlasting fire. His fire brings healing and restoration. A sure thing is this: as He watches you prepare to face these difficult areas, He pours out grace to help you. You are never alone in catching the sly foxes.

Here are some other promises concerning the sun rising:

Let the sunrise of your love end our dark night. Break through our clouded dawn again! Only you can satisfy our hearts, filling us with songs of joy to the end of our days. Psalm 90:14

Rise up in splendor and be radiant, for your light has dawned, and Yahweh’s glory now streams from you! Isa 60:1

I’ve learned that his anger lasts for a moment, but his loving favor lasts a lifetime! We may weep through the night, but at daybreak it will turn into shouts of ecstatic joy. Psalm 30:5

I encourage you to ask Him to help you bring the sacrifices of your heart and lay them down for His consuming fire of love to burn away. Spend some time in His presence so He may restore hope and joy to you today.

The Budding Vineyard

“Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth. The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of their flower’s whispers, “There is change in the air.” Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place. For now, is the time to arise and come away with me. For you are my dove, hidden in the split-open rock. It was I who took you and hid you up high in the secret stairway of the sky. Let me see your radiant face and hear your sweet voice. How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer. You must catch the troubling foxes, those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship. For they raid our budding vineyard of love to ruin what I’ve planted within you. Will you catch them and remove them for me? We will do it together.” Song of Songs 2

In order for this new day to break forth we must take the seeds of truth Jesus is speaking to us about who we are and plant them in the ground. We all know enough about plants to know when you put seeds in soil you can’t just forget about them. You must be intentional in watering the seeds. How do you practically apply this to what Jesus is speaking to you? You bring them back to Him in conversation. Ask Him questions. Worship Him. Pouring your heart out in worship to Him for who He is brings answers to our questions.

As you continue to water the seeds of the Kingdom you will begin to see these budding vines break forth. Seed, time and harvest is an important part of who we are at The Wilderness Place. Yahweh birthed our logo from this concept. The seed is the acorn. In this acorn is many, many oak trees. We heard the voice of Yahweh say plant yourself here in this land at 208 Pass Rd. Put the acorn in the ground and water it. As a family here at TWP, we have watered and been intentional about caring for His words of life to us. We are beginning to see the seedling of baby oaks rising up out of the ground. We are getting stronger in His presence and by His voice. Our trees are Oaks of Righteousness, each person (family) who has planted themselves here are those Oaks planted by Yahweh’s design. One of the words Yahweh gave us in the beginning is from Isaiah 61:4, “they will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory. They will restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. They will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations.”

We are already beginning to see the promises of ruins and desolations of the past be restored in our area. It is truly remarkable what Jesus is doing in our community.

Each mighty oak planted becomes the shade of abundance and refreshment for the next generation to play in. The acorn seed you planted grows to produce more acorns (our children) and they will only know beloved identity from the very beginning because it’s all they’ve seen from us. They will continue to produce Oaks of Righteousness for thousands of generations. This is the reward of His suffering. A world restored and redeemed by beloved sons and daughters who are planted by His design. This is why understanding you are His beloved is so important.

Can you not discern? It’s a new day for the budding to break forth. He is letting us know in this passage we are His beloved and He is ours so we can face anything when we are walking in our true identity. There will be troubling foxes, but we will face them with Jesus.

Beloved, go forth today in who you are. Immensely loved by the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. Dance your way through the day and spring forth life for those around you.

How You See Yourself Matters

When was the last time you stepped into a hostile situation, and you had nothing to prove? Life brings storms and tough circumstances. How you respond to these situations you encounter proves what you believe about yourself.

Imagine your life without triggers. How people act or what they say can no longer cause a reaction from you. As a beloved son or daughter, you don’t have to fight for yourself. You’re not fighting to have a position or be seen in certain circles. You are happier serving others in the background. You are not worried about failing because even if you do, it doesn’t change who you are. Your identity is beloved! Jesus NEVER gives you the inheritance of a sinner saved by grace. Your inheritance is one whom Jesus dearly loves, and He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. We are beloved with resurrection power.

Pastor Tim reminds us of the heart of Jesus for us today, in these very moments of our lives.

“Jesus loves you enough not to leave you in a condition where you just confess you believe something. He wants to heal your heart, so you actually believe what He says about you. Peter found out at the end of Jesus's life that confess with your mouth and believe with your heart is the entrance door, but it doesn't give you the power to be one who remains. It does not give you the anointing to reach down and heal. It does not give you the ability to carry the Kingdom with you wherever you go. You can't reproduce what you are not carrying.

It is time for you to believe you deserve to be in the room, in the very presence of the King of Kings, the Anointed One. As a matter of fact, He is beckoning you to come be with Him. He is ready to reveal who you really are. You are His beloved. You are the one who Jesus dearly loves. Nothing you have done or will do changes His love for you. The beauty of the Circle Dance is the continuous love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit spinning and pulling us into the intimate love with them where we never stop dancing. This passage of the Song of Songs below is an exchange between us and Jesus, the Shepherd. Hear yourself saying these words today, and hear the words of Jesus over you.

“Listen! I hear my lover’s voice. I know it’s him coming to me—leaping with joy over mountains, skipping in love over the hills that separate us, to come to me. Let me describe him: he is graceful as a gazelle, swift as a wild stag. Now he comes closer, even to the places where I hide. He gazes into my soul, peering through the portal as he blossoms within my heart.

The Shepherd: The one I love calls to me: Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. Come away with me! I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful one. The season has changed, the bondage of your barren winter has ended, and the season of hiding is over and gone. The rains have soaked the earth and left it bright with blossoming flowers. The season for singing and pruning the vines has arrived. I hear the cooing of doves in our land, filling the air with songs to awaken you and guide you forth.” Song of Songs 2

Jesus, we are here ready to see ourselves as You see us. We are ready to be who you designed us to be. We are ready to give you the reward of your suffering. Thank you for always drawing us closer to your heart and into the dance of a lifetime.

Honesty Opens the Door

We can learn by others’ stories. Which is why testimony is important. The stories in the Bible are testimonies for us to learn from. Let’s go through Peter’s story leading up to why he was walking with John to the temple in Acts 3. If you don’t know this Peter is 30 and John is 17 at the time they were walking to the temple. It is odd for that age group to be “hanging out” together.

We’ll start in Matthew where we read last week about Jesus asking His disciples who they say He is. Peter was the first disciple to confess who Jesus really is - the Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus made it plain to Peter and all of the other disciples that Peter heard the voice of the Father for himself. He was the first disciple to do this. Oh, I am sure he was so proud of himself knowing Peter’s personality. A bit later they find themselves in the upper room getting ready to have their last supper together when Jesus - the Christ - Anointed One begins to wash the disciples’ feet. Peter was bold in telling Jesus you will not wash my feet. He even rebuked Jesus to his face when Jesus told them he would be arrested and killed. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Jesus. He was even so bold to say; I will give my life, so you don’t have to. Fast forward to the garden with Jesus when the soldiers came to arrest Him Peter pulls out his sword to cut a man’s ear off. He was ready to fight for Jesus.

On the other side of Jesus’ arrest Peter denies even knowing Him three different times. How after all these bold declarations and getting the revelation right from the mouth of Yahweh could you crumble so easily in the face of adversity? Peter was devastated at his actions but still could not find the strength and courage to be at the cross in support of Jesus in his hardest time. Peter thought all was lost. He even went back to fishing. But I believe this is when the questions started in his mind. The honesty in his own heart. He began to realize all the way on the other side of the resurrection there was one who remained. This one made it all the way from his calling to the foot of the cross. I am sure Peter was thinking why did he not run and hide like the rest of us men? He’s a boy. Why was he not afraid for his life. What does he have that I do not?

We must find ourselves in a place where when we see someone who has something we don’t have - we draw closer to them. We should never get jealous or pull away in disappointment or anger. In order to become like someone, we must get closer to them. Don’t we want to love like Jesus, do what Jesus says we can do, wouldn’t we all want to reach out and pull someone from a wheelchair and see them walk?

Peter became brave enough to acknowledge he didn’t have what John the beloved had. He realized confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart is not enough to see change and to be that change. Family, we cannot stop at confession. We have been learning the Kingdom starts with honesty. If we can’t be honest with ourselves and Jesus, we will not be able to do what He says we can.

Peter realizes the only way he could have what John the beloved had was to be with him to see how he walked this life out. This is why Peter chose to walk with John to the temple. This is why you see a 30-year-old man walking with the 17-year-old. He needed to inherit what John was carrying. Think about this…just by Peter walking with Beloved identity HE was the one who reached out his hand to the crippled man to pull him up. I imagine in the past when he went to the temple without John he walked past the crippled man because he knew he didn’t have what the man needed. It was only when walking with beloved could he move in resurrection power.

Spend some time today with Jesus being honest about where you are. He is not afraid of what you will say. Truth is He already knows; the honesty is for us to open ourselves up to the grace needed to walk in beloved identity.

Where are you in your walk but more importantly where do you want to go?

Faith Without Works

When you hear someone say, “you have the same power in you that raised Jesus from the dead,” what is your first thought? Or do you think about it? It is time for us to stop just saying stuff we have heard in church and even read in our bibles, yet we are not living out.

The time has come for you to be convinced you carry resurrection power. Sunday Pastor Tim took us deeper into the message of Peter and John going up into the temple in Acts 3. They encountered the crippled man and instead of giving him money they offered him what they carried. Resurrection power!

Was Peter and John more qualified than you and me? No, they just believed what Jesus said about them. He took care of their resume just like He has taken care of ours. Peter and John used the phrase we all use - In Jesus name yet, Peter walked in what he said by holding out his right hand and pulling the crippled man up to his feet. The scripture says suddenly power surged into the crippled man’s feet and ankles.

Our actions prove what we believe. You ever heard, “actions speak louder than words?” It is true. We like words of faith, but our words of faith are meaningless without our walk of faith. In James 2:17 it says, “So then faith that doesn’t involve action is phony.” It is fruitless.

“Nothing you say will override what you believe in your heart.” Pastor Tim

You must believe you are His beloved. We cannot move into what Yahweh is calling us to display in the earth by just repeating I am beloved. We must believe it. In the story of Peter and John something fascinating is happening behind the scenes. If you will grab hold it will change your life, family, legacy and Gulfport MS. Pastor Tim made an excellent point Sunday if you are going to church to hear another message or reading another walk to just read it- You are wasting your time. He (Pastor Tim) tells us truth because that is what a father in the house does. He loves each one of you and desires to see the fruit that Jesus died for to begin to pop up in your life. This is more that another sermon or devotional.

Stop believing what you see and start believing what Jesus is whispering to your heart. You are my beloved and you carry the same resurrection power that I do. Walk in it!

“I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling —that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm!” Ephesians 1:18-19