Aspects of the Kingdom Lifestyle

Yesterday we discussed our hearts desire is to display Yeshua to those around us. It is our heart for on earth as it is in heaven. There is a process to becoming like Yeshua. At The Wilderness Place we call this the Kingdom Lifestyle. The first three aspects of this lifestyle are Encounter, Perspective and Value.

When we encounter Yeshua, this encounter is designed to change our perspective. Every whisper of the Holy Spirit, every book you read, every conversation you have, every situation, every test is an opportunity for us to turn our hearts to Him openly and ask what are you trying to show us?

He wants us to have His perspective regarding every aspect of our daily lives. When we have the perspective of the Kingdom of Yahweh, we can see others like He sees them. We can love like He loves. His perspective is wisdom. Proverbs 4:7-8, “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.”

Wisdom and revelation will cost you. The Kingdom lifestyle will cost you. What is most valuable to you? Whatever you value you will get more of. If you value every encounter you have with the Holy Spirit as He reveals Yeshua, you will have more encounters with Him. If you value His perspective, wisdom and knowledge you will get more of those. Like Pastor Tim said Sunday, at one time none of us valued reading the Bible, gathering with our Kingdom family, or worshipping Yeshua. We valued other things but once you get a taste of His goodness nothing else matters. We are like Paul and throw everything from our past on to the garbage heap.

What did Yeshua value? He valued His time alone with His Abba. He valued the face and voice of Abba.

Ask yourself today: Am I being a good steward with my encounters with Him? Am I being a good steward with the perspective He is offering me? Do I value my time with Him? Do I value His words?

One Passion

Our hearts as beloved sons and beloved daughters desire one thing. Our one thing is intimacy with Jesus. Intimacy is not a one-time event then you move on to the next step. It is a moment by moment each day loving Him and being loved by Him. This produces life and life more abundant on earth as it is in heaven.

In order to have a beautiful, lasting marriage you must be intentional about your relationship with your spouse. It is the same as with our relationship with Jesus. When you value something, you take care of it. The fruit of our intimacy with Jesus shows up in our daily lives for others to see. We like to call it public displays of affection. What does this look like for others to see the results of our secret place with Jesus? Every step we take, every word we speak, every response we have should display Jesus.

This can seem impossible when we look at our daily lives and think, well in this moment I did not respond to my husband correctly or I didn’t really listen to what my wife had to say. I yelled at my children. I fussed at the person driving slow in the left lane. I was impatient in the grocery store. Truth is we cannot reveal the real Yeshua to the world without the help of the Holy Spirit, but with Him all things are possible.

As the Holy Spirit reveals Yeshua to us, we must remember He is the exact image of the Father. It is so important for us to understand and know the real image of the Father. How do we know this to be true? Let’s look at John 14. “Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too. And from now on you will realize that you have seen him and experienced him.” Philip spoke up, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be all that we need!” Jesus replied, “Philip, I’ve been with you all this time and you still don’t know who I am? How could you ask me to show you the Father, for anyone who has looked at me has seen the Father. Don’t you believe that the Father is living in me and that I am living in the Father? Even my words are not my own but come from my Father, for he lives in me and performs his miracles of power through me. Believe that I live as one with my Father and that my Father lives as one with me”

Yeshua goes on to say: “I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! When Yeshua goes to be with the Father He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. He gives us the grace to do everything He asks of us. One of those asks is to display Yeshua to those who do not know Him.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “I want you to pattern your lives after me, just as I pattern mine after Christ.” What was Paul’s pattern? We find this in Philippians 3.

“To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all of his greatness.

My passion is to be consumed with him and not cling to my own “righteousness” based in keeping the written Law. My only “righteousness” will be his, based on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—the very righteousness that comes from God. And I continually long to know the wonders of Jesus and to experience the overflowing power of his resurrection working in me. I will be one with him in his sufferings and become like him in his death. Only then will I be able to experience complete oneness with him in his resurrection from the realm of death.

I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus. So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, God will reveal it to them. And let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion.

My beloved friends, imitate my walk with God and follow all those who walk according to the way of life we modeled before you.”

This victory-prize is to be the image of Yeshua who displays the image of our Abba on earth just as they are displayed in heaven. We must be gripped with this one passion just as Paul was.

The Path to SOZO

This week we’ve walked through some challenging scriptures that ultimately keep bringing us back to the feet of Jesus. We see a Canaanite woman who refused to be offended by the words of Jesus because she wasn’t there for herself but for her daughter. Our willingness to stay tethered to Jesus and those He’s designed us to do life with changes generations. We will hear things that are offensive but if we remain it will make an incredible impact on our children, our children’s children and so on.

What are you feeding on? We talked about Jesus being the Bread of Life. When we eat His body and drink His blood it brings life, power, and virtue to not only our spiritual bodies but also our physical bodies. It matters what you consume in what you look at, listen to and put in your body. Remember we want to be a Tree of Life those around us. A tree of life provides fruit when someone is hungry for truth and revelation, but it also provides shade for rest. Let’s be a people of rest and substance.

We discussed the ten lepers. All forgiven of their sins. Nine went on to do what they have always done. Church, work and fellowship hiding the real issue which is in their hearts. Isn’t that what church has taught us? Hide issues, the family secrets, grab your mask on the way out the door and you stay broken your whole life and pass it down to the next generation. Oh, but there was one who said I will not be like the others. He ran back to the one who had forgiven him shouting and praising. He fell at the feet of Jesus. He was not only forgiven but he was SOZO. Completely restored and made whole in every way. What do you think happened to his children and family? I can imagine they came alive in ways they never knew possible. I’ll take running to His feet and throwing all dignity to the wind to be whole and to see the next generation free.

At His feet is where we find the person He designed us to be. The person who brings heaven to earth. The person who leads the next generation in grace, intimacy, honor and order. Oh, yes, His feet come with a warning. He will ask questions and talk to you about those hidden areas you want to avoid. This is the part of being tethered to Him no matter what. We put our seed in the ground at His feet. The seed must die in the ground before it can come to new life. You are safe with Him. His love and care for our hearts is beyond comprehension.

I encourage you to reach out to someone you trust and share with them what Jesus has revealed to you this week through the walk. This is why He puts us in Kingdom family so we can walk through life together.

It’s at His Feet

“So where are the other nine?” Jesus asked. “Weren’t there ten who were healed? They all refused to return to give thanks and give glory to God except you, a foreigner from Samaria?” Then Jesus said to the healed man lying at his feet, “Arise and go. It was your faith that brought you salvation and made you whole.” Luke 17

Jesus knew actually where these men had gone. They followed their heart. It was to be back in church with their family doing all the things the leaders told them was important. Or maybe they were doing whatever they wanted and wore the coat of the synagogue they belonged to. Whatever it was Jesus makes a point to say- “they refused to return and give thanks and glorify Yahweh.”

What else does he point out here? “Weren’t there ten who were healed?” Leprosy represented sin in the scriptures. All ten were forgiven of their sin. Nine of them went out telling everyone they were forgiven but because they refused to return in thanksgiving to glorify Yahweh they missed out on the most important part. It’s dangerous to take bits and pieces of His word to weaponize them for the Gospel and miss the most important part. So many, I was one of them, were forgiven of our sins and immediately went to work telling everyone how great Jesus is at forgiving us. We are out there throwing pearls at swine when Jesus never asked us to do that. Jesus only did what He saw the Father do. We, beloved ones, are to only do what He tells us to do in each moment of the day. We are missing the most important part of this encounter with Jesus when we weaponize His word for war on humanity.

What happens when you return to lay at His feet? When you spend time at His feet thanking Him and glorifying Yahweh? You get SOZOed. Jesus says to the man lying at His feet, “it was your faith that brought you salvation and made you whole.” Jesus cares more for your whole being than just forgiving your sins.

What is SOZO? It is a Greek word meaning to save, deliver, make whole or restore, heal, be whole. Every aspect of your heart and mind is healed. This is available to everyone of us, but it is only found at His feet.

You and I find kindness at His feet which leads us to repentance the changing of how we think. We find His goodness that heals our broken heart. His goodness leads us into a life that represents Him well outside the doors of a building or this devotion. We find rest for those areas of our lives we haven’t quite surrendered to His Lordship. If we are not at rest, we cannot hear His voice concerning the matters of our hearts or life’s trials. There’s a love affair awaiting you and me at His feet that will change everything in our lives and for many generations to come.

But His feet come with a warning. He is going to say some things to you while at His feet you really want to avoid. It is the hard questions and conversations we do not want to have. Jesus goes straight to the heart of the matter. What we must remember is He is a safe place. He represents the best Father anyone could imagine. You are safe in His arms to have those hard conversations. On the other side you find yourself SOZO.

Today sit at His feet. Let Him love you. When I say sit, I understand we can’t all sit down all day at His feet, but you can turn your heart to Him all day and meditate on His love. Let Him ask you questions. This whole, healed you will not be found overnight. It takes every day turning your heart to Him. He wants nothing more than for you to be all He paid for.

Break Out of the Box

“On his way to Jerusalem Jesus passed through the border region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one village, ten men approached him, but they kept their distance, for they were lepers. They shouted to him, “Mighty Lord, our wonderful Master! Won’t you have mercy on us and heal us?”

When Jesus stopped to look at them, he spoke these words: “Go to be examined by the Jewish priests.”

They set off, and they were healed while walking along the way. One of them, a Samaritan, when he discovered that he was completely healed, turned back to find Jesus, shouting out joyous praises and glorifying God. When he found Jesus, he fell down at his feet and thanked him over and over, saying to him, “You are the Messiah.” Luke 17

The passage of Jesus healing the ten lepers has so many truths hidden that we will explore for the rest of the week. Let’s start with the beginning. Jesus is traveling and comes upon ten men who have leprosy. This is a terrible skin disease that causes great harm to your body. People who had this disease were not allowed to be around anyone else. They were considered unclean. They had to be in a community with only people who had leprosy. Think of the loneliness they must feel. How long had it been since they had a hug? Or seen their families. They weren’t able to go to the synagogue to worship Yahweh.

As they approach Jesus, they knew He was the one who could heal them. They identified Him as Mighty Lord, wonderful Master. The Greek word here for Master denotes one with supernatural authority and power. They knew who He was. They shouted, “Have mercy on us and heal us.” This is where you put your thinking cap on. They are standing in front of who they know to be the One with ALL AUTHORITY AND POWER. Jesus responds, “Go be examined by the Jewish priests.” At this moment, they still have leprosy. As they turn to begin walking away doing what Jesus told them to do, they are healed.

One realized I am healed, and I don’t need the priest to tell me who or what I am. I need the Man who I just encountered. He ran back to Jesus singing and shouting praises. He was glorifying Yahweh. This man was a Samaritan. They did not worship Yahweh. When he found Jesus, he fell at His feet thanking Him over and over.

Which one are you? One who seeks the approval of religious leaders to identify you and determine whether or not your good enough to be a part of what they are doing. Or the one who has been radically changed by Jesus and all you want to do is sit at His feet and worship Him

Why would Jesus tell them to go be examined? He knew what they wanted. They wanted to do what they have always done. The nine had a word from the Lord to stand on. He told us to do this. There are a lot of people finding a word to stand on in the scriptures but will not sit at His feet to hear His voice in the matter. We see people doing things “for God” but their marriage is falling apart, their kids don’t want to be around them, their entire life is crumbling but they are standing on a word. Sadly, most will say this is an attack from the enemy, but Jesus never asked you specifically to do it. Be careful wanting His principals more than you want Him.

The motive of the heart matters in every situation. It has to be about the feet of Jesus. We find wisdom and revelation at His feet. Wisdom that will change our families, our neighbors, our city, state and nation. It is absolutely possible to see this transformation from a seated place of rest at His feet.

“So go ahead, everyone, and shout out your praises with joy! Break out of the box and let loose with the most joyous sound of praise!” Psalm 98

The Bread of Life

Let’s set up our scripture reference today. In John 6, we read about Jesus feeding the multitude. This could have been up to 15,000 people when you count the women and children. The crowd was amazed by what He had done. Jesus knew it was not time for Him to be completely revealed as the Messiah, so he slipped away to the mountaintop. In the evening, Jesus walked across the water to the other side. When the crowd realized he wasn’t there they went looking for Him.

How far would you walk to be with Jesus? And why would you take a long journey to be in His presence?

Jesus knew why the crowd followed Him and he called them out in verse 26. “Jesus replied, “Let me make this very clear, you came looking for me because I fed you by a miracle, not because you believe in me. Why would you strive for food that is perishable and not be passionate to seek the food of eternal life, which never spoils? I, the Son of Man, am ready to give you what matters most, for God the Father has destined me for this purpose.”

They were there for what they could get for themselves. Jesus came to save that which was lost, which was everything. He didn’t come to just show us miracles. They even said, “show us miracles we can see then we will believe in You.” Oh my, doesn’t the church still do this. We pray for things to happen and when they don’t we turn our focus away from Jesus to make our own bread that only spoils.

Because He knew their hearts He challenged them with this statement. “Jesus replied to them, “Listen to this eternal truth: Unless you eat the body of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have eternal life. Eternal life comes to the one who eats my body and drinks my blood.” (verse 53-54) What does this even mean? The eating and drinking are receiving the life, power, and virtue of all that Jesus is. He is the Tree of Life. They were offended by what Jesus said and walked away. We are finding the better way in the wilderness. Like we learned yesterday, we are choosing to tether ourselves to Jesus and allow Him to challenge our beliefs.

We aren’t showing up to a building for what He can do for us. We are laying down our lives to become the Tree of Life for others. I have a phrase written in my office. “I want my kids to sit in the shade of my covenant with Abba.” My covenant with Him becomes a tree of life for others. When I say my kids, I am not just talking about those we are raising in our home but every child, and young adult I have the honor to stand firm in His image for them to find rest in His love and grace.

Jesus is known as the Kinsman Redeemer. He came to redeem the land back to its original design. As we have studied in the past, we are here on earth to be His image and see Heaven displayed.

Let’s go back to the question at the top. How far will you go to be with Jesus and why? Spend some time with the Holy Spirit and let Him reveal your heart and motives. It is ok wherever you are right now. He wants to love you into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him.

Why Are You Here?

How do we become like Jesus if we really don’t know Him? Most people are introduced to the Gospel of Salvation instead of the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Gospel of Salvation is the starting point. It is the entry into the Kingdom. As you enter in and begin to walk with Jesus you learn His way of doing things. His way isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. It can actually seem very painful and offensive if you don’t understand Him. He cares way more about your heart than your comfort. Let’s look at a story in Matthew 15.

“Then Jesus left and went north into the non-Jewish region of Lebanon. He encountered there a Canaanite woman who shouted out to him, “Lord, Son of David, show mercy to me! My daughter is horribly afflicted by a demon that torments her.” But Jesus never answered her. So his disciples said to him, “Why do you ignore this woman who is crying out to us?” Jesus said, “I’ve only been sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” But she came and bowed down before him and said, “Lord, help me!” Jesus responded, “It’s not right for a man to take bread from his children and throw it out to the dogs.” “You’re right, Lord,” she replied. “But even puppies get to eat the crumbs that fall from the prince’s table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Dear woman, your faith is strong! What you desire will be done for you.” And at that very moment, her daughter was instantly set free from demonic torment.

There are a couple of things happening here that Jesus is wanting to point out to us today. First of all, Jesus took his disciples to a non-Jewish region. Jews did not speak to Gentiles because it was considered unclean. When Jesus ignores the woman, the disciples asked him why he was ignoring her. In the Greek this phrase is translated by them asking Him to send her away. They did not want to deal with her, but what they did not know is He was there to deal with their thinking. He was schooling his disciples. For us today, we often try to get through our own trials quickly, but Jesus will allow them to tarry until He schools us in the areas he knows we need. We must learn to take our focus off of our trials and put it on Him. We can only hear His voice when we come into rest and trust with Him at the center. He taught the disciples through this story a different way of seeing the Gentiles. They saw themselves as the Children of Yahweh and the Gentiles as dogs. Jesus reveals to them how He sees all people. How do you see those who do not have the fruit of the Kingdom? Do you want to send them away or be like Jesus and show them the real Kingdom of Yahweh?

Second part of this story is highlighted through the response of the woman when Jesus refers to her as a dog. Did she get offended and leave? No, she didn’t. This reveals her heart for her family. Jesus will often confront situations in our lives by saying things we do not want to hear. In these moments we have a choice. Do I listen to what He is saying to me or am I listening through offense in my heart? Her response reveals faith and fascination of who He is and what He can do for her children. Just think if she walked away offended. Who would pay the price for her offense? Her daughter would pay the price not her.

Your willingness to stay tethered to Jesus even when you hear something offensive shows you are not just here for you. If you come to Jesus just for you and walk out when you don’t like what you hear you’re actually walking out on your children. Let me clarify the term “walk out.” We can actually remain in a Kingdom family showing up every week but still “walk out” in our hearts. Will you remain when you hear something you don’t like for the next generation? He is in the processing of making all things new in us and sometimes that is a painful process, but we are being made into His image, so the next generation has the “right” image of Jesus. We are here for them.

A Higher Standard

In Revelation 12:11 it says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. This week we’ve been challenged with what can seem like a great task to accomplish if we are not looking at it correctly. On Earth as it is in Heaven seems like a stretch if we make it about the whole world all at once. We overcome by the testimony of others as well as our own. Pastor Tim shared Sunday the story of one of our favorite people in all of history. George Washington Carver. I encourage you to read his full story, but I will give you the short story here. He was a black male born into slavery. His mother, sister and he were stolen from the family they belonged to. He was only three months old at the time. The thieves left him in the wilderness to die because he was so little. The family found him and due to sickness, he wasn’t raised outside in the field. This opened up to him education. He endured a lot of mistreatments from the world around him due to the color of his skin, but he did not let that stop him. At a young age he was introduced to Jesus, and he fell in love with Him. As he grew up, he would take long early morning walks in the woods to talk to Jesus. He cultivated an ear to hear the voice of Jesus. Fast forward after college he received a teaching job in Alabama. As he entered the state the Lord asked him what did he see? He said, I see a land and a people who are starving. As he walked with Jesus each day for over twenty years, he single-handily changed the economy of Alabama and some of Mississippi with his over three hundred fifty uses of the peanut.

He did not allow all of the tribulations and troubles of religion and politics to affect his heart. He was about one thing. The voice and heart of Jesus for a land and its people. His story gives us hope. When you set your heart on Jesus you too can change the world around you. Mr. Carver saw Heaven on Earth as he listened to the voice of Jesus tell him all the things that could be done with the peanut and then he taught others what he learned.

Abba is calling us to a different standard than what you see today as the body of Christ. He has put a passion on the inside of you for a purpose just like He did for Mr. Carver. We have to stop settling for low standards so we can raise the standards in Gulfport and your city to where Abba says they should be.

These Walks are not a devotion to read every day then walk away and forget what you’ve read. It is an invitation to transformation. Let hope arise in you to passionately see things the way Abba does. We want His heart!

Beware of Two Things

In three of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke we see a warning from Jesus concerning two things. Jesus says there are two things to avoid. The political spirit and the religious spirit. Let’s look at these scriptures starting with Matthew. “Don’t you understand? I’m not talking about bread, but I’m warning you to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Then finally they realized he wasn’t talking about yeast found in bread, but the error of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Matthew 16

Why the Pharisees? The Pharisees refused to have anything to do with the common people because they saw themselves as separated unto Yahweh. Jesus referred to them as religious frauds who wanted to have the final say on all doctrines that was taught to the people. They demanded their interpretation of the Scriptures. They were law keepers and loved money. This is the religious spirit, which demands its way.

Who are the Sadducees? They were wealthy priests, aristocratic families and merchants with political connections to Herod. They didn’t believe in the afterlife, angels or the miraculous. They strictly wanted the law of Moses, and they loved politics. They demanded their own way.

“And as they were sailing across the lake, Jesus repeatedly warned them, “Be on your guard against the yeast inside of the Pharisees and the yeast inside of Herod!” Mark 8

“Jesus turned to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. It permeates everything they do and teach, like leaven, serving their own interests.” Luke 12

Jesus uses the word yeast to warn us even a little bit of either one of these will permeate our entire belief system and we will lose our way to who we are really called to be. If we are His beloved children, then why do we wear other labels He warns against? Jesus never wore a coat of any denomination nor was He a part of a political party. We are called to be lovers of Yahweh!

As a lover you set your everyday life to be with Jesus, to talk to Him, and listen for His voice. This union should radically change our whole lifestyle. Truth is most of us have only been introduced to the religious agenda when it comes to church which is often influenced by politics. Our own appetites have made our choices for us, and it has left us malnourished in our hearts and spirits.

We are called to be exclusively His Bride. Peripoiesis which means belonging exclusively to one. This week we’ve been talking about what we are saved for- On Earth as it is in Heaven. Nothing on earth changes until it happens in us first.

Today, I encourage you to walk with Abba asking Him to reveal any area you have allowed the leaven of religion or politics to permeate your beliefs. We often don’t realize the trap we are in until we allow Him to shine the truth on those areas. Remember Song of Songs? “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.” He never asks us to do something on our own other than surrender to His wisdom and guidance and even then, He gives us the grace to surrender our will to His.

You Are Predestined.

Yesterday in the Walk we talked about Jesus returning after the restoration of all things. Remember in Acts 3 it says this restoration is fulfilling everything that Yahweh said long ago through his holy prophets? One of those prophets is Isaiah. Today we will look at the description of the Kingdom of Yahweh and what He says the earth will look like in Isaiah 65.

“Look! I am creating entirely new heavens and a new earth! They will be so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore! As you wait for the reality of what I am creating, be filled with joy and unending gladness! Look! I am ready to create Jerusalem as a source of sheer joy, and her people, an absolute delight! I will rejoice in this new Jerusalem and find great delight in my people. You will no longer hear the sound of weeping or cries of distress. No baby will die in infancy there, and everyone will live out their full lifespan. For when centenarians die, they will be considered youngsters, and anyone who dies earlier will be considered of no account. People will build their own houses to live in, and they will not be taken over by someone else. They will plant their own vineyards to enjoy, and they will not be confiscated by someone else. They will live long lives, like age-old trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest the work of their hands throughout their lives. They will neither work in vain for someone else, nor will their children face disaster for they will be children and grandchildren who are blessed by Yahweh. Before they even call out to me, I will answer them; before they’ve finished telling me what they need, I’ll have already heard. The wolf and the lamb will graze side by side, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and the serpent’s food will be dust. There will be neither violence nor murder on my entire holy mountain of Zion,” says Yahweh.”

Most of us have been told this is what heaven will be when we get there but this is Heaven on Earth. How does a wolf and lamb graze side by side or a lion eat straw like an ox? The nature of the wolf and lion are changed. It’s hard to read this and believe it when the facts of the world staring us in the face are the opposite of what we read in Isaiah. Again, do you believe Jesus? When He said, I have all authority and now I am giving it to you, why did He give us His authority? To wait to die and go to heaven or bring the Kingdom of Yahweh to the Earth?

The earth is groaning for the revealing of the Beloved sons and Beloved daughters. Shouldn’t it be waiting for the return of Jesus instead, unless it knows something we haven’t quite believed YET! We are created in the image of Jesus. We’ve been given all of His authority for right now. The earth, our country, our state, our city, our neighbors, our family, and our children need the image of Jesus now.

So, why as Beloved ones are we not seeing what Jesus says is available? Could it be that we have given our authority away? When you come into agreement with a lie you give it your authority to exist and reign over you. Pastor Tim explained it well like this, “The enemy has no authority except what you and I give him. A lie only has power when you give it your authority over your life. So, when you read stuff like Isaiah 65 and say this can’t be, you’ve come into agreement with a false narrative. A delusional thought. Giving a false narrative or delusional thought your authority it then becomes the governing factor over your life.”

What do we want governing our lives? The Kingdom of Yahweh or a false narrative? That seems like a simple answer doesn’t it.

You have been predestined for life and life more abundant now. Abba says as the days of a tree so are the days of my people. He is waiting for you to come into agreement with Him. When we come into agreement with His voice in our everyday life, we get to bring the government of peace to those around us. This is how the wolf and lamb graze together. We begin to experience rest in our own souls and then it flows to those around us. You must surrender your life, your beliefs, your agenda to the voice and guidance of Jesus.

Do You Believe Jesus?

After Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to His disciples many times over the course of forty days. During this time, He was teaching them a lot about the Kingdom. Even after three and half years of walking with Jesus they still had this picture in their mind of how Jesus was going to deal with the Romans. Let’s look at Acts 1 to see the question they kept asking. “Every time they were gathered together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is it now the time for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” When will you restore OUR kingdom? They wanted Him to remove and annulate the Romans but that is not why Jesus came. What was Jesus’ response about His return?

“The Father is the one who sets the fixed dates and the times of their fulfillment. You are not permitted to know the timing of all that he has prepared by his own authority. But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will be seized with power. You will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces —even to the remotest places on earth!”

Unfortunately, we have had a lot of misinformation about the return of Christ. Like we discussed yesterday it has caused us to get off of the wall and wait to escape. This is called escapism. Why would Jesus promise us the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit and His power just so we could wait around to escape. That makes no sense. This matters more than we’ve ever realized. In Acts 3, we see where the Holy Spirit gave Peter revelation knowledge in Jesus’ return. We don’t know the time, but we do have a picture of what it will look like. “For He (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things has taken place, fulfilling everything that God said long ago through his holy prophets.” Acts 3:21

What does the restoration of all things mean? The word restoration in the Greek is apokatastasis which infers the restoration of creation to the state of existence before the fall. The Gospel of Luke chose a Greek word that has a medical term, meaning the restoration of perfect health. (See the footnotes in TPT) If Jesus isn’t returning until the cosmos is restored to its original condition who is responsible for the restoration? It makes sense of why He would give us the gift of the Holy Spirit and His power to see this restoration come to pass. In 1 Corithians 15, Jesus says when He returns, He will deal with the last enemy death. We are responsible for dealing with the other enemies like cancer, disease, divorce, addiction, obesity, mental health and all the other enemies of His perfect plan for His creation.

On Earth as it is in Heaven. We are on Earth and have the power of the Holy Spirit to address all of these issues. Remember, this walk is building on the foundation of our intimacy with Jesus. As we choose Him daily and hear Him speak to us, it is in these moments we get to encourage others, love them like Jesus, pray for healings, and we begin to see the restoration take place one person at a time.

If Jesus says this is possible, do you believe?

I Sought a Man/Woman

Jesus says in Matthew 6:9-10, “Pray like this: ‘Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. Manifest your kingdom realm and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is in heaven.”

If you ever want to know what to pray Jesus gives us clear instructions in Matthew 6. He starts out with our Beloved Father. In the original language Jesus spoke in Aramaic which is actually Abba. It means Dada. Every word He says has the purpose of redemption. He tells them to say Abba to redeem how they see Yahweh. In those days people were so afraid of Him they wouldn’t even say His name. Just like today some people refer to Him as the “Man upstairs” or the “Eye in the Sky” or maybe you mostly hear “Heavenly Father.” He is our heavenly Father, but that language makes Him seem so far away. Jesus is saying it is more intimate than that. Abba- Dada is a very intimate word. This is the relationship he is calling us into.

Maybe you’re struggling with calling Him Abba because this is new for you. That’s ok. He is so loving and kind He will meet you right where you are and love you closer and closer to the position of sitting in His lap leaning your head on His chest just like a child being held by its father.

“May the glory of your name be the center of our lives.” We know His glory is His goodness. When our lives are truly centered on Him, we see His goodness in every area and so will those around us. Pastor Tim made a statement Sunday that is very powerful. “I will not manipulate people when He’s as good as He is.”

We do not need to manipulate people into loving Jesus IF our lives really display His goodness. Total transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with how we see the things of the Kingdom. If you believe we are being rescued from this dark world every decision you make and how you raise your children will be based off of that belief. Jesus is telling us something to pray for: on earth as it is in heaven. We MUST line our belief with what Jesus is saying is possible.

This is our vision at The Wilderness Place. On Earth as it is in Heaven. How do we begin to see this transpire? It starts with intimacy with Jesus and living life from Him being the center. Ephesians 4 tells us IF we really know Jesus it shows up in our lives. Let’s get a bit more specific. It shows up in our marriage, it shows up in our family, it shows up in our workplace. Take a moment to think about your life right now and the areas mentioned. Can you say with certainty I see Jesus (peace, order, honor, gentleness, kindness, etc.) in every area? Every one of us have areas we can say, “no, this area here, I control.” Honesty is the first step.

Did you know Mississippi has the highest number of people who confess to be believers (Christians) in the US? This is disheartening. Why? We are ranked at the bottom of all the things that matter. According to US News, Mississippi is #35 in education, #50 in economy, #50 in healthcare and #50 in the nation for family and community. Which means we have a high percentage of single parent homes, high teen birth rates and children living in high poverty areas. THIS HAS TO CHANGE! This is NOT the heart of Abba! He has solutions for every area, but He needs Beloved Sons and Daughters who are willing to stand on the wall and in the gap to hear His voice. Ezekiel 22, “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”

It is not his heart to destroy. He set His beloved ones filled with His Spirit to rule and reign over the earth, but we fell for a delusion of being rescued from a dying world, so we got off the wall and destruction came. His heart is to rule and reign through His children on the earth. We refuse to continue to be ok with these statistics in Mississippi. Our children and grandchildren and thousands of generations to come deserve better.

Today you get to choose to stand on the wall and put Him as the center of your life. Wait for His voice to tell you what to do. This takes surrendering your agenda. We can and will see Mississippi become the place to raise a family. The place that truly host His presence and displays the real image of Jesus.

On Earth as it is in Heaven!

Are You Ready for Elevation?

This week our walk with Jesus and each other as been about intimacy, honor and order. The deeper we go in surrendering to the love of Jesus the closer we walk with Him. When you think of a ladder, the idea of using one is to bring you to an elevated position. It is peculiar when we go deeper in surrendered intimacy with Jesus, honor in every area and allow Him to order our lives we are elevated to a higher dimension in our hearts and minds. As this happens fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives. We then are true lights and His image to those around us.

He’s luring us to go deeper and higher than ever before but, in this process, we must let Him confront some things in our lives. He’s so patient, tender and kind. He allows us to go as fast as we want or as slow depending on how transparent we are with Him. Pastor Tim said something on Tuesday night at Linger House. That is our midweek service. He said, “the areas we struggle the most in we get more grace, and He gets more glory, but we avoid them.” Where we are weak, He is strong. These are the areas he wants to confront gently, and in love full of grace. He is a safe place.

Another safe place is family, which is why it has been designed by Abba Himself. We are surrendering to the culture He wants to build in the wilderness, and we are seeing fathers and mothers with tender hearts commit to raising their children in Kingdom family. By committing to raise our children in this environment of Beloved identity with family it ensures they will never know the damage from a religious system. They will only know His love and care for every area in their lives. Our family is about ONE THING- the beautiful face of Yeshua! As we focus on the exchange of Him loving us and us loving Him it permeates the culture, and our families flourish together in the Kingdom.

This is a picture of Him building a family that is prepared to deal with desolation and ruined cities. Can you imagine the generations to follow? On Earth as it is in Heaven!

Kingdom Family

Kingdom culture is being established at The Wilderness Place, and it is a beautiful place to be. What does kingdom culture look like? It starts with a large family gathering around the Kings table for a meal on Sundays and Tuesdays. Each person brings something special to our time together including the children in the room. In a family we gather around fathers and mothers. This is very different from gathering around pastors, teachers or doctrines.

Let’s take a peek into the story of Esther again. In chapter two of Esther, we get a description of a Jewish man who adopted his cousin after her parents died. When you think about his scenario you realize Esther may not have had a choice in him adopting her, but she did a have a choice in submitting her heart to his guidance and leadership. Since she chose to honor him as her father this opened up tremendous blessings in her life. Oftentimes, Abba puts us in family that isn’t blood, and it becomes the greatest gift of all. Sometime after Mordecai adopts Esther there is a decree by the King, so he brings her to the kingdom. When he brought her to the kingdom, he gave her special instructions on how to conduct herself. He also instructed her to not reveal the origin of her family. Esther had great favor with Hegai who, is the King’s eunuch. He knows all about the King. Everything he likes and desires. Hegai represents the Holy Spirit. Hegai moved Esther into a special place, gave her special food from the Kings table, and ordered beauty treatments for her daily. Esther spends a year soaking in oil and perfume. The Holy Spirit was making her tender to the things of the King. At the end of her soaking, she only wanted to please the King. What makes your heart happy? What do you like? Because her heart was for the King only, she received the crown. She gained so much favor and blessings with the King that is literally changed the world around her. We all know the story of Esther and how she saved her people. This part of the story is talked about a lot in the church. You are saved for such a time as this, but no one really digs into how she got to this place.

She got here by choosing to surrender to a father. Kingdom culture starts with surrendering to a father in the kingdom family. We must choose to plant ourselves in a family. We don’t always like what a father says but if we honor his guidance and leadership, it brings blessings to our lives. I am sure Esther probably did not agree with keeping her family origin a secret, but she submitted to his guidance. Her honor brought incredible blessings to her life. These blessings are not monetary. They are the healing of the heart and wholeness to your soul. The physical healing of your body. The restoration of families.

We are seeing a beautiful family emerge out of the wilderness with a father who has a heart for the King. A father who always points his family to Jesus. It is truly incredible what the Holy Spirit is doing in Mississippi through The Wilderness Place. We are so thankful for Pastor Tim, our Spiritual father who is leading us to establish the ways of the Kingdom. We are thankful for the family who has planted themselves here and is honoring his leadership and guidance. It is changing us and everything about our families. Kingdom culture is family choosing each other in the good moments but most importantly in the hard ones. We are walking through parenting together, growing in our tenderness to the Holy Spirit together, encouraging each other in our marriages, we have walked through the death of family together, sickness and it is changing us not only inside the four walls of the church but most importantly to the world around us.

Family, we are coming alive in the wilderness. Thank you for your honor and commitment to establish this culture in Gulfport and Mississippi. The last shall be first.

If you are reading this and find yourself thinking I don’t have a family or a spiritual father to guide me. We invite you to the table. You are always welcome to our home. There’s always room for more. You’ll find love, grace and mercy. The tenderness of Jesus is always in the air.

What Fruit Do You Display?

Let’s start today with a quote from Pastor Tim on Sunday.

“Let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen a group of people standing around an apple tree arguing over whether or not it's an apple tree? No, why? Because it has apples. We have to convince people we love Jesus because they can't see it. This is revelation knowledge. This has to become more than a message we hear. It has to become something that shows up in our life.” Pastor Tim

Yesterday we talked about what Jesus says we are save for and that is to see transformation in ourselves but also the world around us. Therefore, it is necessary for us to examine the fruit in our lives. I love the illustration Pastor Tim gave about the apple tree. No one questions an apple tree because the fruit clearly displays its identity. Do you ever wonder why we have friends or relatives that refuse to surrender to Jesus? Could it be because of the fruit they see on our “tree of life”?

Jesus gives us a clear picture in Luke 6 pertaining to fruit. “You’ll never find choice fruit hanging on a bad, unhealthy tree. And rotten fruit doesn’t hang on a good, healthy tree. Every tree will be revealed by the quality of fruit that it produces. You will never pick figs or grapes from thorn trees. People are known in this same way. Out of the virtue stored in their hearts, good and upright people will produce good fruit. Likewise, out of the evil hidden in their hearts, evil ones will produce what is evil. For the overflow of what has been stored in your heart will be seen by your fruit and will be heard in your words. “What good does it do for you to say I am your Lord and Master if you don’t put into practice what I teach you? Let me describe the one who truly follows me and does what I say: He is like a man who chooses the right place to build a house and then lays a deep and secure foundation. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it continues to stand strong and unshaken through the tempest, for he built it wisely on the right foundation. But the one who has heard my teaching and does not obey it is like a man who builds a house without laying any foundation at all. When the storms and floods rage against that house, it will immediately collapse and become a total loss. Which of these two builders will you be?

Jesus gives us a choice concerning the kind of fruit we offer the world around us. We know the fruit of the Spirit that is produced in us is divine LOVE in all its varied expressions: joy, peace, patience, kindness, virtue, faith, gentleness, and strength of spirit. (See Galatians 5:22 TPT) We can’t have two kinds of fruit and be an effective tree of life to those around us.

Kingdom culture looks like you laying down your opinions and appetites to do your will and be led by His voice. Let’s sit for a moment. Turn your heart to the Holy Spirit. Ask Him how he wants your day to look. Write in a journal what He shows you for today.

Healing is a Process- Don’t Give Up!

“So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4

The condition of our hearts matter. Our hearts are like a rudder on a boat. It directs us wherever we go. If your heart is broken, cracked, wounded or afraid from past experiences you will view everything and everyone in life from that perspective. Unfortunately, there are many, many children of Yahweh who still live from a broken perspective. In Luke 4, we see Jesus stepping up to the front of the synagogue to read the Scriptures as He was handed Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

For so long we have focused on what Jesus came to save us from, but He wants us to know what we are saved for. The first step after Jesus says I am here to preach the gospel - the Good News to those who are poor in spirit is to heal your heart. The healing of the heart is priority because we cannot be free until our hearts are healed. It takes time to heal a heart but as we talked about yesterday you must surrender every area of your heart to the oil of the Spirit. There’s an exchange Jesus wants to make with us. His beauty for our ashes. Ashes are the negative thoughts you have about yourself, doubts and disappointments you have from others, behaviors and appetites you are frustrated with. The beauty of the Lord is peace, love, acceptance of who you are in Him, fascination with His eyes. He gives you joy in place of sadness and depression. You no longer have to walk around with heaviness. He gives the freedom to praise Him openly and without restraint.

This is a process. It does not happen overnight but a consistent turning your heart to Him daily will bring you to the place of what you are saved for. In Isaiah 61: 4 it says we are Mighty Oaks of Righteousness planted by Yahweh as a living display of His glory. We will restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. We will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations. We have been saved to see restoration of many, many generations. The task is not too great. Each one of us must allow Him to heal us to wholeness and our hearts will come alive in Him. This changes things around us one person at a time.

If you don’t feel a fire blazing inside of you for Jesus, you only feel weighed down, sad, tired and unhappy with you this is an invitation to ask Him where you need to make the exchange. Sit with Him and let him love you. Receive His love. It purifies our hearts and brings the impurities to the top to be removed. He is not disappointed in you. He is jealous for you to be who He sees deep inside your heart.

The Ladder

At The Wilderness Place we have foundational truths we are building our Kingdom Culture on and one of those is the Ladder. The Holy Spirit is always teaching us deeper meanings as we walk with Him.

Where did the concept of this ladder come from? In Genesis 28, it says “He (Jacob) encountered a certain place (Bethel, a holy place) at sunset and camped there for the night. He took a stone from there, made it his pillow, and lay down to sleep. He had a dream of a stairway securely fixed on the earth and reaching into heaven. And there were messengers of God ascending and descending on the stairway.”

Let’s first talk about the stone. Why would anyone use a stone as a pillow? The stone is believed to be one of the altar stones that Abraham used when he built the memorial at the place of Bethel. Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather. We know Jesus is the Cornerstone. It is He who we build our lives on. Could it be that Jacob lying his head on this stone represents us resting our head on Jesus. Our head represents our thoughts and dreams. When we rest on Jesus, He opens heaven to reveal fresh revelation and His vision for our lives. By Jacon using this stone as a pillow it opened him up to Yahweh’s plan for him.

In this dream the ladder represents Jesus. He is the only way we have access to the Spiritual realm. We have the absolute honor as beloved sons and beloved daughters to have access to the heavenlies by way of Jesus. On our ladder of Jesus, we see three very important aspects. Intimacy, Honor and Order. In order for the ladder to work properly you need all three aspects. If either side is missing or the rungs are missing the ladder is useless. I love the explanation in the Passion Translation. “Each step is a progressive revelation of Yahweh’s purpose for our lives found in Jesus.”

What is intimacy with Jesus? It goes beyond just knowing about Him. Intimacy involves being vulnerable. In order to be vulnerable, you must have trust in the person. Trust can be really hard if we have been hurt or rejected in the past. It is ok to be honest with Jesus. Honesty opens us up for healing of the wounds we’ve experienced. If you have a hard time trusting Him because of past hurts, you can tell Him. He doesn’t get angry with us when we expose our hearts and thoughts to Him. Intimacy is surrender. We must surrender to His love and allow Him to heal our brokenness by way of His kisses. Intimacy happens when we are constantly talking to Him throughout the day. This past week in Kingdom Academy we were teaching the children that Jesus wants them to know Him as well as He knows them. He knows the intricate parts of who we are. We can know him by communication all day long. Prayer isn’t a few minutes in the morning while you read a devotional or your prayer closet. It is an ongoing conversation with Jesus all day.

Honor: This is a tough one because we have so many opinions about EVERYTHING! Pastor Tim shared with us Sunday about how the Lord asked him to surrender his entitlement to respond. Meaning he doesn’t have to have an opinion about everything. I’ve told my children for years you cannot learn if you’re not listening. We don’t listen if we’re always talking. We can cut ourselves off from what Jesus wants to do in our lives by dishonor. In Mark 6, Jesus tells us He could not do any miracles in His hometown because of dishonor. We have to be mindful of our words when speaking to people or about people. All people. This doesn’t mean we agree with everything but our maturity in Christ will lead us to His feet to share our thoughts with Him. We must bring everything that springs up in our hearts to Him. None of us want to dishonor intentionally but our walk with Jesus is not based on intentions. We answer for every word. So, let’s use our words to honor Jesus and others.

Order in our lives begins to take place when we are intimate with Jesus and walk in honor in every area. What does order look like? The order of our lives can be displayed by how we respond. When we allow Him to order our lives it can look like the wives submitting to their husbands. This is not a popular opinion in the world, but we are going to redeem this word. Submission and order in the home is a foundational truth that must be recovered. If you are a wife whose husband doesn’t serve the Lord, you still submit and honor to their leading. The scripture tells us wives as we honor and submit to our husbands they will be won to the Lord. It is all done from a place of love not duty. If you are a mother raising your children, you submit to Jesus as you husband. Ladies let your children see you in humble surrender. It teaches them from the beginning to trust Jesus. What they see and feel in the home is peace, rest and order. Husbands have a great responsibility to lead their families. As they learn to honor the Lord and others order takes place. We must remember as a family this is about the future generations.

Order is also displayed by how we give. You can always know where a person’s heart is by where they spend their money. Intimacy and honor open your heart to the leading of Jesus in how to manage your finances and where He wants you to give. You cannot out give the Lord. Obedience to His ordering of things opens us up to a multitude of goodness. As we are walking in intimacy, honor and order we are like full glasses of water spilling out His love and goodness wherever we go. This is the reward of Jesus’ suffering, His beloved ones displaying His nature to those around them.

Restoration of All Things

It is so interesting we have been on the subject of love this week leading up to Valentines. I did not realize this until yesterday. Abba really does want to rescue everything from an inferior meaning. We will do a recap of where we walked this week and what the Holy Spirit has been speaking to us. As we know it is important to value every seed.

Ephesians 4 tells us, IF we have really experienced Jesus and heard His truth, it will be seen in our lives. We are called to be transformed into His image right now. A true, tangible expression of Jesus to those around us. How do we do this? By hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. Allowing Him to speak into areas of our lives that do not quite look like Him. Remember, this is not about dos and don’ts it is about growing in our intimacy with Jesus.

This week we walked in the story of John the Baptizer. A man who had a prophesy about him in the Old Testament, and one whose birth was a miraculous story. John grew up in a household of significant priestly family. He and his parents all being filled with the Holy Spirit. John loved Abba and knew he had a special calling on his life. He did exactly what he was supposed to do, until he didn’t. John lost track of who he was designed to be because he let success cloud his judgement. When he baptized Jesus and heard the voice of Abba come from heaven, he should have made the pivot to follow Jesus. Instead, he continued to do his own thing even though Jesus asked him not to do what he was planning. This is why it is important for us to seek the voice of the Holy Spirit for our lives, so we are walking the path Abba has for us. When we choose our own way, it leads to death. It may not be physical death, but it is spiritual death. Our soul suffers and so will those around us. We must be willing to lay down anything he is asking of us. Faith is not needed when we choose our own way. It is required to follow after Him, but it is the absolute most rewarding. Has He asked you to lay something down this week?

Even in ministry where we think, “but I am doing this all for Jesus,” we are reminded He has to be our first priority. We walked through Revelations this week and looked into the letter John the Beloved wrote to the church of Ephesus about where their heart was. It was not on Jesus. It was on their ministry. Jesus is not interested in anything we are doing if He is not priority. Why? He knows what happens to us when we put him on the back burner. Have you ever witnessed a couple who were married for twenty plus years, raised a family and looked so successful to end up getting a divorce after the children were out of the house? How does this happen? They forgot how it all started. With the two of them. If you don’t make your relationship with your spouse a priority the rest will fail. How much more do we need to make our relationship with Jesus a priority. He has to be our first love. Every morning you wake up choose Him. Let Him be the first one you talk to and gaze upon. As we learn to walk out our intimate union with Him our relationship grows stronger and stronger.

As this happens, the beautiful agape love we experience with Jesus will extend to those around us. This is how we make the world a better place by how we love others. When we love others with agape love not expecting anything in return it extends grace and mercy for their hearts to soften to the Holy Spirit. When we love unconditionally it causes people to ask, “what is different about them?” They will see the real Jesus in us and feel the real love of a Father. This is what will change the world.

Aren’t you thankful for the truths we are hearing and the transformation we are seeing in our lives? I cannot express the excitement in our hearts for what is happening in this family. It is only the beginning of what He has planned for 208 Pass Rd and our cities and the state of Mississippi. We are here to rescue the meaning of love, fathers and family.

He is just getting started! Let’s tell Him thank you for what He has done and will do through our union and love.

Agape Love

“So, I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.” John 13 

Jesus, the Anointed One, the High Priest, Savior of the Cosmos gives very clear instructions here about how we should carry on in the earth after his resurrection. Love each other just as I have loved you. How did Jesus love?

Agape. What does this word mean? This is a Greek word meaning brotherly love or charity. It is the highest form of love there is because of its characteristics. Agape love is selfless. Meaning you choose to love someone without expecting anything in return. Agape love is unconditional. It is not based on contractual love. Unconditional is absolute without question. Agape love is sacrificial. You make sacrifices for others to show your concern and care. Agape love is pure. There is no boasting, envy or pride in your heart. Agape love is patient. You extend grace and mercy to others even when it is not returned. Agape love is forgiving. You don’t hold grudges, and you give people the benefit of the doubt.

How do we extend this agape love to others like Jesus extended it to us? The beginning of this circle of perfect agape love starts with allowing Abba to love us with this highest form of love and us returning this same love back to Him. We love Him not for what He can do for us but because of WHO HE IS. There are eyes of fire coming alive in our Kingdom family because we are learning to be loved by Him, and we are loving Him for who He is. From this circle of perfect love, we extend this beautiful agape love to others. We all have people in our lives we know need to have a relationship with Jesus but preaching to them and pointing out their faults will not usher them into His presence. This can only be done by the way we love them. Pastor Tim mentioned Sunday about the reward of Jesus’ suffering. How we love others gives Jesus His due reward for all He did for us.

I will end this Walk with a passage we are all very familiar with so please take some real time to let the Holy Spirit speak to you as you read this passage. How are we loving others? Are we displaying the TRUE MESSIAH, OUR BEAUTIFUL JESUS? Agape Love.

“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving. 1 Corinthians 13

Who Is Your First Love?

Yesterday we looked into the life of John the Baptizer. How he went from fulfilling the prophesy on his life to losing his life because he refused to lay down a ministry that was no longer needed. He lost sight of Jesus. Today, we are looking at the book of Revelation concerning the church of Ephesus. Let’s lay some facts out about this church. The church of Ephesus was established by Paul 15 to 20 years after the Resurrection of Jesus. He spent a great deal of time there preaching and building the church. He had a significant impact on the community. Ephesus had a history of strong pagan culture, but Paul built a strong foundation of truth and understanding. He set the groundwork for unity in faith among the family of Ephesus and encouraged them to mature in their understanding of Jesus. Later on, he established Timothy has the Pastor. We know Jesus’ mother, Mary attended the church. John the Beloved, Priscilla, Aquilla and Apollos all attended the church of Ephesus. This church grew to be very large as they established the truth of Jesus in the heart of the city. It became well established.

But we have a letter from John the Beloved to the church of Ephesus that came as a warning.

“Write the following to the messenger of the congregation in Ephesus. For these are the words of the one who holds the seven stars firmly in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know all that you’ve done for me—you have worked hard and persevered. I know that you don’t tolerate evil. You have tested those who claimed to be apostles and proved they are not, for they were imposters. I also know how you have bravely endured trials and persecutions because of my name, yet you have not become discouraged. But I have this against you: you have abandoned the passionate love you had for me at the beginning. Think about how far you have fallen! Repent and do the works of love you did at first. I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place of influence if you do not repent. Although, to your credit, you despise the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also despise. The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying now to all the churches. To the one who overcomes I will give access to feast on the fruit of the Tree of Life that is found in the paradise of God.” Revelation 2

Jesus instructs John to write this letter to the church of Ephesus as a warning. We must understand something about Jesus. His warnings (judgements) are always aimed at that which hinders our intimacy with Him. He is never angry with us. His heart is always for restoration. He sees the church is doing well at leading in the area of ministry. They are persevering, working hard, they recognize false teaching, they are not tolerating evil, and Jesus even says you despise the practices of Nicolaitans, this can be translated in Aramaic as the performing of rituals, which he also despises. But there is one problem with this church. They have left their love for Jesus. Did they stop loving Jesus? Absolutely not! But they are no longer making it about one thing. His presence, His face, His voice. Jesus is telling them I have no choice but to remove my Presence (the lampstand) from you if you do not repent. If you do not change the way you think. How we think directs every step we take in life. He is not doing it as a punishment. This is a principal of the Kingdom. If we leave Jesus behind to do our own thing, we will not have His tangible presence guiding us. It is true, He never leaves us and, in His goodness, will always try to lure us back on the path He has for us, but WE MUST CHOOSE HIM! He even says, “the one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying.” Our heart must be open to His voice to hear Him.

Where have you left Him to do your own thing? This is the invitation to come back into intimate union with Jesus. Our choice is not always to intentionally leave Jesus behind. We often times are so focused on life in generally we fail to open our heart to listen to the Spirit. Or maybe it is more about how you see yourself that is keeping you from really leaning into His voice. He is so good and faithful to never give up on us. It is us who have to choose to never give up on His glorious plan for us.