A Journey of Renewal

A journey of renewal. At The Wilderness Place we’ve been on a journey over the last four years. April is a very significant month for us. April of 2021 began a process of surrendering to Abba as we have watched and experienced Jeremiah 1:10 unfold right here at 208 Pass Rd and in our own personal lives.

“See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

This verse is extremely important because we all have found ourselves with old ways of thinking and doing that Abba says needs to be rooted out and pulled down to include the property at 208 Pass Rd. Don’t you know Abba cares about a place and its people. This is why it is important to Him that we root out, destroy, pull down, and throw down anything not of His Kingdom before we try to build and plant.

Picture this: An old farm that has overgrown fields and a barn that is barely standing. Would you begin to plant in the fields right away or store valuables in the barn without first uprooting and tearing down? Absolutely not! That would be unwise. The same is true for us as individuals and also for the property of 208 Pass Rd.

How do you allow Him to uproot and pull-down old ways of thinking? There are two foundational scriptures for us here at TWP. 1 John 1:5 “This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.” And 2 Corinthians 3:16-17, “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.”

It starts with knowing and believing there is absolutely no darkness in Him. He is pure light. Which helps us to turn to the Holy Spirit with an open heart. When we do this, He lifts the veil and we can see all of what He wants to show us regarding Himself, His Kingdom, our lives, our family and our city. When we walk in the freedom of the Spirit we will see change. We will see on earth as it is in heaven right here in Gulfport. You will see heaven on earth right there in your home with your family.

It seems like the process of renewal has been long, and sometimes painful but we know one thing about Jesus. He loves the process because He loves us more than we could ever know. He leaves no stone unturned. He desires for us to be made whole in every area. It is why He gave His life for us. There is truly no greater love than one who will lay down His life for another.

Would you ask Him today to reveal to you any stone left unturned or any area that still needs to be rooted out or pulled down? Let His love cascade over you today like fountain as He speaks to you.

A Time of Reflection

“But Jesus often slipped away from them and went into the wilderness to pray.” Luke 5:16

Last night I felt a pulling from Abba to spend some time with Him in prayer. If you’ve read or listen to anything from the Wilderness Place, we talk a lot about being intentional in our daily walk with Him but sometimes He calls you to go deeper in your leaning into His voice. This week I feel Him calling me to do that. With that being said there will not be a daily walk published. I encourage you in a time of reflection with the Holy Spirit. What does He want to say to you? Where is He asking you to stir your faith?

Yesterday was a beautiful, inspiring message from Pastor Tim about the last four years at TWP and what is to come. I encourage you to watch it and ask Abba questions and let Him ask you questions.

Blessings this week in your time of reflection.

Dear Abba

Yeshua finds his greatest delight in you. He loves the embrace of your arms and your head laying on His chest. There's nothing more precious to Him than your heart connecting with His. There's nothing more powerful than the goodness and love of Yeshua. It heals every heart, every scar, removes every sign of the leper consciousness. All you have to do is let Him pour His love over you. It’s like standing under a fountain.

“Abba, keep us near your mercy-fountain and bless us! And when you look down on us, may your face beam with joy!” Psalm 67:1

Let this be your prayer today: Abba, I am truly in awe of your endless goodness and boundless kindness towards me. I recognize that I could never fully comprehend the depth of your love for me. It is simply so amazing and beautiful. Thank you for continuously revealing the immeasurable love, grace, and mercy that I require every single day in my love affair with You. May I never leave the mercy fountain and always look for your smiling face upon me. I am the one whom You love. Thank you for the intensity of your pursuit of my delicate heart. You never miss even a tiny detail. You care about everything in my life. Thank you!

Haptomai

Today’s walk can really only be understood to the depths Jesus desires for us by watching the video clip. The scripture base is Luke 5:12. The man cried out to Jesus for healing of his leprosy. He knew Jesus was able to heal him, but he wasn’t sure He really wanted to. Isn’t this us sometimes, we all know Jesus can do the impossible in our lives. We just are not sure He actually wants to especially if it stems from a poor decision we made. In this story, Jesus’ “touches” the man and says, “I AM willing.” What happens next changes this man’s life forever.

Are you actually willing to let Jesus haptomai you in your state of leper conscience? He is willing to heal every aspect of your heart. The Greek word haptomai means to take hold of, fasten, to adhere. Take a few minutes to watch this clip of what haptomai is and what actually happened between Jesus and the man of Luke 5.

Leper Conscience

One word we read often in the scriptures is the word leprosy. This referred to a range of skin diseases where the individual was seen as unclean. A person who had leprosy was isolated from everyone. Not only were they separated from others, but they had to yell out to anyone coming they were unclean. Think about that for a moment. If you had this disease you have to constantly declare every day, “I am unclean.” This would be so damaging to how you see yourself. Some of us reading this are probably thinking, “Thank God leprosy isn’t a thing anymore.”

Actually, leprosy is very much still a thing just not on the outside. (there are still cases in the natural mostly in Africa and Asia) Leprosy is a disease that attaches to our thoughts. Let’s look at Psalm 51.

“Purify my conscience! Make this leper clean again! Wash me in your love until I am pure in heart. Satisfy me in your sweetness, and my song of joy will return. The places you have crushed within me will rejoice in your healing touch. Hide my sins from your face; erase all my guilt by your saving grace. Keep creating in me a clean heart. Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you. May you never reject me! May you never take from me your sacred Spirit!”

David says purify my conscience. Make this leper clean again. We can have a leper conscience that causes us to hide and isolate ourselves. Do you realize thousands of people show up to church each week across this nation wearing a mask pretending they are one way but struggling deep in their thoughts about themselves. They are actually isolated within themselves. They refuse to let others in to their thoughts or brokenness because they are ashamed or afraid of what others may think. Oftentimes the things we are ashamed of really aren’t that big a deal, but we’ve developed this leper conscience which tells us to hide. How do we deal with this thought pattern? David says wash me in your love until I am pure in heart.

Letting Yeshua love you causes your heart to be satisfied and tender. David asked the Lord to hide his sins. Once Yeshua came our sins are not only forgiven but cast into the sea and never to be remembered again. This is why it is important for our conscience to be purified by Him. We must stop bringing up our past to disqualify ourselves from the things of the Kingdom. We have to see ourselves as He sees us.

Abba never desires to take His Spirit from you. Even when you keep messing up in moments. Our mess ups are always an invitation from Him to draw us closer to His heart. Every day choose to let Yeshua love you.

You yelled at your children? Run underneath His love. You fought with your spouse or became sideways in your heart towards them? Run to Him. You cursed the person driving slow in front of you? Run to Him. You don’t like the person you sit next to in school or work? Run to Him.

These moments of choosing to run to Him isn’t just about us. Every time we run to Him, we become more and more like Him which changes the world around us. It changes how our children will see themselves. Want to stop bullying in schools? Let Him love you. Show your children how well He loves so they can be loved. Love will change the world, but it starts with letting Him love us.

It’s the Goodness of Yahweh

First impressions usually set the tone of a relationship when you first meet someone. Let me ask you a question. How were you first introduced to Jesus? Spend some time thinking about this question.

For as long as I can remember there have been at least three different ways people have been introduced to Jesus. First, is by fear of your final destination. People have spent many years manipulating others with the fear of hell to get them to give their lives to Jesus. It hasn’t worked. Second, the focus of your own brokenness. You’re a wretched sinner and need a savior but even then, you’ll never really be good enough because the focus is always on you, a sinner saved by grace. So, all you do in this situation is stare at yourself. The third one is tricky because it seems right. Find Jesus and you find your purpose. We are all here for a reason and a purpose. Have you ever met someone whose been through some tough things or escaped death? People will say, “well, God still has something for you to do.” We enter into this relationship with Jesus to find our purpose because obviously there is a lot to do in our communities. There are a lot of causes we can make a difference in. Although this may be true but if it is not from an overflow from beloved identity there is not true transformation. If just coming to Jesus and finding our purpose worked, our world would be a different place.

Fear never leads to transformation, neither does busy work. Are you wondering what will bring transformation? Like real transformation and change. Let’s look at Romans 2:4 in the Passion Translation. “Do the riches of his extraordinary kindness make you take him for granted and despise him? Haven’t you experienced how kind and understanding he has been to you? Don’t mistake his tolerance for acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?”

It is His divine goodness that leads to repentance. It is His kindness towards us that draws us in to a relationship with Him. When we come to Jesus based on His love for us, we will remain in union with Him. If we come based on fear, our own sinfulness or to find our purpose we will not tether ourselves to Him in a way that transforms us for His glory.

Jesus himself spent 30 years on the earth through humanity falling in love with Abba before He did anything. He gave us the perfect example of what this union should look like. If you came to Jesus through fear or purpose, today you can turn your heart to Him and ask to start fresh based on love. Like Paul, in Philippians said, “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 his greatness.”

Let His extravagant love and kindness draw you to Him today. In every day after continuing to lean into His goodness. Love casts out all fear. Fear of your past, present and future. Be rooted in His love and care for you. This is what brings transformation. No one will ever care for you like Him.

The Depth of Your Heart

Your intimate walk with Yeshua is not about the outward display of fruit for others to see and judge your success as a Christian or lover of Yeshua. It’s about the love affair between you and Him. Delighting yourself in Him and Him delighting in you. Being planted and rooted in beloved identity is the foundation of your entire life.

You and I can’t even understand the scriptures or hear His voice correctly without beloved identity. There was one man who stood before Yeshua in heaven and gave us a description of Him- it was John the Beloved. He identified himself as the one whom Yeshua loves. When we see ourselves as the one whom Yeshua loves our hearts become tender. Love opens up the obscurity of our heart. The depths of who we are. It is imperative we stop defining ourselves by our failures or even our success on how fast our lives is producing fruit. We must only see ourselves as the one whom Yeshua loves.

When your heart is tender before the Lord it is like a seed planted in the soil. No one on the outside can see what is happening but you know the changes happening in the secret place of your heart. What happens if you pull the seed out? The whole process resets. Allow yourself to be tender in His presence. Tenderness is the compass in the Kingdom. Without it you will get lost. It causes you to fall in love with Yeshua. There is a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. We love our family, friends and even other people. You want good things for them, but the love you have for a significant other is different than the love for others. Being in love is always seeking their presence. You love being with them, talking to them, and just having fun together. Being tender before the Lord in the secret place causes you to fall in love with Him.

We cannot shift the subject to anything else until our fulfillment comes only from Him. Trying to find satisfaction any other way will always leave you feeling empty and lacking. We can only be satisfied completely by His love and care.

If you missed Sunday’s message, I encourage you to watch it here on our YouTube channel.

Faith and Delight

“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for. Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.” Hebrews 11

Faith goes beyond believing that Yeshua died on the cross and then was resurrected just so we will spend eternity in Heaven. He gave it all to see “on earth as it is in heaven”. A complete restoration to the cosmos. Depending on where you are right now in your faith that can be hard to believe in but we know He is faithful to meet us where we are. Sometimes all you can do is come into agreement with what you are hearing concerning His truth. A simple amen ushers in grace to the slightest move towards faith.

Think about the many thousands of people who witnessed the miracles of Yeshua but there were only 120 in an upper room with faith waiting for ten days. Yeshua told them to wait a couple of days, and the promise would come. After a couple of days, they did not walk away from faith. They remained to honor and believed in what He said would happen. Everything regarding the Kingdom comes in seed form. What are you doing with the seed Abba has placed in your hand?

By faith, hold out your hand right now. Imagine the Holy Spirit placing a seed in your hand. He says, “here’s the seed to your breakthrough.” “Here’s the seed to see your whole family restored.” “Here’s the seed to see all of Mississippi go from dead last to first.” “Here’s the seed to see the next generation in Mississippi come alive for Yeshua.” “Here’s the seed for revival in Mississippi.” How will you honor the seed He just placed in your hand? He’s not asking you to do it all. He’s asking for you to move your heart in faith towards Him and believe. James 4 tells us when we draw near to Him, Abba will draw near to us. Are you willing to forsake all you’ve believed for one thing? Just Jesus.

We are created in His image. He gave us the same imagination He has. The One who spoke, and all was created except the garden- He planted seed. Our imagination is designed to see what Abba is ready to birth in us and around us. Imagination is us reimagining a nation. What you say matters. What you come into agreement with matters. In order for us to move in this mighty faith we must delight ourselves in Yeshua.

As you make this a lifestyle of delighting in Him and moving in faith, always be mindful of the seed He is placing in your hand. What seed did He place in your hand today? Will you honor the seed by placing it in the ground and tending it until you see the fruit of your faith in Him.

Responding to His Presence

What you do with the presence of Yeshua matters. It determines the outcome of your life and the answers to your prayers. Think of how many times you experienced the presence of Yeshua. Now think about what you did next. Did you leave the service thinking that was so good. I am so encouraged. Then you moved on with life waiting for the following Sunday. There is no condemnation in these thought provoking questions but if we never slow down to let Him reveal things to us we will miss it. No one wants to miss out on what Abba has for them, but we do it all the time. Let’s look at a story. Mark 6:1-6

“Then He (Yeshua) went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were overwhelmed with astonishment, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.”

At His teaching it says they were overwhelmed with astonishment. Astonished can also mean amazed, stunned, surprised, in awe and wonder. The wisdom and insights He spoke had their hearts captivated in that moment. They longed for more of what He was saying. They couldn’t stop listening with eyes of wonder staring at Him. Then someone in the crowd said, “wait isn’t this Mary’s son? You know, the carpenter. He’s the brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon. Even His sisters are here.” What just happened to change the whole atmosphere? It took one person to get offended and start spreading their offense. Dishonor ran through the crowd.

Because they dishonored the King and His teaching they lost out on miracles. You may say, well they didn’t know at the time He was the Messiah. They dishonored the seed Yahweh sent them. Remember everything from the Kingdom comes in seed form. Every time we experience His presence there is seed being given to us.

This scripture tells us Yeshua could not do any mighty miracles among them because of their unbelief. He only healed a few sick people. I imagine these people were healed because He knew they believed in their heart and was honoring what He was saying. Be careful going with the crowd on matters of opinion. You will miss out on the blessings He has for you.

Honor is a very important aspect of our relationship with Him. I encourage you to ask Him what His definition of honor is. We can think we honor but it’s more than not talking bad about someone. It’s more than following the principals of the Kingdom. Many are successful to a certain point in following principal without honor, but it is dangerous. Remember, John the Beloved had to write a letter to Apostle Timothy? Timothy pastored one of the largest churches in history. Even Yeshua’s mother went to this church. They were so caught up in doing church they left the most important thing. “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.” Revelation 2

Honor is a way of life, but the first thing that must take place is you falling in love with Yeshua. It is easy to say I love Jesus but never include Him in any aspect of your life other than church service. On earth as it is in Heaven demands a different standard in our lives. We must return to our first love. *The Greek word for first is protos meaning foremost, best, paramount, supreme, crowning, number one. Yeshua is referring to exclusive love that has first place in our hearts above all else. This is a love that will be expressed by our passionate devotion for Yeshua and seen in our relationships with others. (TPT footnotes)

This is an invitation to start today honoring Yeshua and His presence in your everyday life. Ask Him-

What have I done with what you’ve already given me? Then wait for the answer.

Lift the Standard

We have been talking about delight this week. Delight is pursuing the presence of Yeshua. Inclining to His voice. As the Bride of Christ, we must know His voice and His ways. This intimate relationship with Yeshua goes much deeper than Sunday mornings.

In Exodus 19 we see Moses goes up the mountain to get a word for the people. When Yahweh gives him the word, he goes back down to the people to tell them what Yahweh had said. In verse 8 this is what they said, “we will do everything the Lord has commanded.” So, Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord. This “Christian life” can no longer be about one person getting a word from the Lord to feed the people on Sunday. They eat but they never digest it. Meaning there is no change in their lives.

Our Kingdom family at The Wilderness Place is lifting the standard. We will be a family who climbs the mountain together to the feet of Yeshua to hear His voice for ourselves. We are thankful Abba has led us to a more excellent way with a spiritual father in Pastor Tim. He leads us on a journey together in pursuit of Yeshua. Teaching us what it looks like to delight in the Lord.

When you read the verse before and after Psalm 37:4 this is what it says:

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.

We only learn to trust, delight and commit everything to the Lord when we know Him. This knowing is not head knowledge. It is the same know that Mary meant when she told Gabriel, how can this be as I have not ever known a man. This is an intimate know. Be intentional today and every day to turn your heart to Him. Pursue Him. Delight in His presence today.

Delight Yourself in Him

“Find your delight and true pleasure in Yahweh, and he will give you what you desire the most.” Ps 37:4 TPT

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Ps 37:4 NKJV

Delight in Hebrew means, “to bend towards, to be inclined towards, to be pleased with or to desire.” When we delight ourselves in the Lord, we gain great pleasure and satisfaction. Our lives display joy, happiness and excitement. Pastor Tim gave a great illustration Sunday. When you were finding your significant other you were intentional about being together. Every waking moment you were thinking about them, talking to them, making plans for the future. You were inclined towards them and found great delight in being with them.

When we delight ourselves in Yeshua our desires come from a place of union with Him. Our desires are His desires because we are now one, just like when you are married. The two of you are now one and your desires begin to line up with each other. The truth is you cannot trust your desires if they are not birthed from delighting in Yeshua.

Our desires should lead us to His feet. This can be difficult if you have a broken heart. It is hard to be tender in His presence with a broken heart especially if you have buried your brokenness to the point of not even realizing the pain deep in your heart. We can’t truly be who we were created to be with a broken heart. We must allow Him to love us. His love heals. His kisses heal.

Sunday when Pastor Tim was sharing this part of the message the Holy Spirit showed me a Japanese pottery piece with gold. I later looked up why their culture has pottery pieces with gold. It is called Kintsugi. It is their tradition of repairing broken pottery. The concept embraces imperfections. Instead of trying to hide the damage, it highlights the breaks, transforming them into a source of beauty and strength. Kintsugi has a powerful metaphor of life. Even though you have experienced hardship and setbacks, you can find strength and beauty in the process of healing and rebuilding.

This is exactly what the Holy Spirit is inviting us into. Gold in the Bible represents divine presence, holiness, purity and refinement. When we surrender our brokenness, He fills in all the cracks with His love. Divine presence brings healing and restoration. All of what was ugly is made into a beautiful masterpiece.

Abba is whispering to you today. Lean into His words and invitation:

My beloved, come sit with Me. Let Me hold you. I know you are hurting. I know you are disappointed in how it all turned out. I know you struggle with guilt and shame from the choices you’ve made. I don’t care where you’ve been or what you did. I only care about your heart. I just want to love you and hold you. My kisses of tender love will heal you. I know it’s hard, but My grace helps you remain right here in My arms. The longer you stay in My presence the more you want to stay. I love you, Abba

Foundational Truths

You may have seen a post on Facebook this past weekend with these words, “God’s presence is not enough.” Pastor Tim explained Sunday the meaning behind this statement. A lot of people (think about the magnitude of this number) encountered the presence of God and did nothing with it. This is true for all of times past to the present day. How do we change this?

If you do not allow yourself to fall in love with Him, you’ll find you have wasted your time building things that do not last. Storms come regardless. What matters is what you have built your life on. The foundation is the most important aspect of a house. Let’s consider Yeshua’s own words in Matthew 7. “Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation. When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation.

“But everyone who hears my teaching and does not apply it to his life can be compared to a foolish man who built his house on sand. When it rained and rained and the flood came, with wind and waves beating upon his house, it collapsed and was swept away.” We must take His word, the teachings we hear, and His presence into the secret place and allow Him to ask us questions. Allow Him to give us direction concerning our everyday life. Complete surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives will seem odd at first but may we be the people coming out of the wilderness alive with eyes full of fire and passion for one thing. This is what changes the world around you and for generations to come.

Let me leave you with this incredible description of Yeshua describing you, His beloved when you arise from the secret place of your encounters with Him. Song of Songs 8- Who is this one? She arises out of her desert, clinging to her beloved. When I awakened you under the apple tree, as you were feasting upon me, I awakened your innermost being with the travail of birth as you longed for more of me. Fasten me upon your heart as a seal of fire forevermore. This living, consuming flame will seal you as my prisoner of love. My passion is stronger than the chains of death and the grave, all-consuming as the very flashes of fire from the burning heart of God. Place this fierce, unrelenting fire over your entire being. Rivers of pain and persecution will never extinguish this flame. Endless floods will be unable to quench this raging fire that burns within you. Everything will be consumed. It will stop at nothing as you yield everything to this furious fire until it won’t even seem to you like a sacrifice anymore.”

I encourage you to finish reading Song of Songs 8 to hear the Brides response.

He’s Asking a Question

As I was praying in preparation for today’s walk, I kept hearing the Lord ask a question. “What have you done with what you’ve already heard?” I knew He did not want me to write on something different today but to extend the question to you.

In Monday’s devotional we discussed the pursuit of His presence daily and the importance of tethering ourselves to a Kingdom family to walk this out in one accord. One of the statements made was, “There is a difference at The Wilderness Place.” One of those differences is we refuse to be a part of consumerism where we only consume information but never allow it to change who we are. We have a purpose here to see the Goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living. On Earth as it is in Heaven! If you are only consuming and never transforming what will your legacy look like?

Caterpillars consume a lot of vegetation but there comes a time when they go away into the secret place to become what they are designed to be. What did you consume this week to take away into the secret place to be transformed?

Perfect Love

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” 1 John 4:18

Abba is love. It is sometimes very difficult to wrap our minds around the magnitude of this love. It is not like earthly love or human love where we’ve seen and experienced hurt or rejection. We often view Abba through the pain we have encountered from someone we loved. Maybe you can’t even call Him Abba yet. He is still known to you as God. Language matters. It reveals the contents of our heart. Luke 6:45, “For the overflow of what has been stored in your heart will be seen by your fruit and will be heard in your words.”

When we encounter the perfect love of Abba it is there to cast out any and all fear we have in our hearts. Fear causes you to be suspicious of Abba and other people. If you are always waiting for something to happen in your health, relationships, finances, or world matters you are living in a measure of fear. This points back to one thing: you have not allowed Him to love you. Did you know you can stop the love of Abba from going deeper into your heart?

The Creator of all things. The most powerful being. This One who speaks, and life is created can be hindered in your life. He gave us free will to choose Him. Even in this we see His love and goodness.

You don’t have to be afraid of anything. Your Abba, your Dada wants to love you perfectly to the degree you have no fear of anything. He is trustworthy in every sense of the word. Let love reach its goal in you starting today. He will meet you where you are. Be honest with Him concerning these areas of fear. Today let’s believe our hearts can be whole again with confident hope. No fear of the future or rejection.

Everything is His

Everything you have is His. Abba gives us the air we breathe. He created us in His very image, weaving together perfectly how we look, sound, and walk. We are wonderfully made by Him. The ground we walk on is His. Everything is held together by Abba. If He stopped holding it all together, we would cease to exist.

We read Sunday the parable in Matthew 25 concerning the three men who received talents. One five, one two and the third one received one. This parable is about money, but this can apply to any gift given to us by Abba. Our life is a gift. The first two men doubled their talents. It doesn’t tell us how long it took other than it says after much time the master returned. These men were obviously faithful and intentional concerning what they had been entrusted with. Like all of us I am sure they encountered difficult situations as they were managing what had been given to them. They remained faithful because they had an understanding of the wealthy man who gave them these talents. He was good and faithful. A rewarder of those who seek to please Him. (Hebrews 11:5)

The third man with one talent buried his and left it. He wasn’t faithful with what he was given. He saw the wealthy man as a slave master who was angry and shrewd. Since he had this idea concerning the wealthy man, he was afraid of Him. He gave zero effort because of fear. What if I mess up? He’ll punish me. How we see Abba matters so much. It will determine what you do with the life He has given you.

Abba’s heart is for us to increase in every area of our lives. In order to increase you have to take risk sometimes. You have to trust His leading. Today, look in the mirror and ask Abba this question. Am I stewarding the life you gave me the way you want?

Maturity says everything I have is His and if He has entrusted me to increase it for His glory then I know even if I mess up, He is there to help me back to the right path. He is not angry- ever! Our life is multi-faceted meaning there are a lot of different responsibilities in our day to day. The Kingdom comes in seed form. Every moment with your spouse is an opportunity for seeds of His goodness to be sown. How are you stewarding your marriage? It doesn’t matter if you have been married one week or eighty years, your marriage is a representation of the Kingdom of Heaven. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend of young people we are to be faithful with your words to them. He’s given us a great responsibility to care for and see the success of the next generation to go further with the things of the Kingdom than us. Maybe you're not married nor have children. This is a beautiful opportunity to hear His voice concerning your future. How can you honor what He has given you in this season of your life. Regardless of where we are in life and what it looks like we want to be faithful with our lives, gifts, talents, thoughts and opportunities.

He has much to say to us each day, but we must be faithful with the little He’s given us in order to hear all of what He wants to say in moments. Will you be intentional today in hosting His presence? Your life is really His. I encourage you to honor Him with the gift of life He’s given you. When you see someone show gratitude for gifts they received, it makes your heart so happy. How much more can we make Abba happy with our expression of thankfulness today?

His Glory is Goodness

“And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Exodus 33

In pursuit of His presence Moses also knew there was something else needed. He asked Yahweh to show him His glory. How did Yahweh respond? “I will make My goodness pass before you.” So we have Abba telling us today My glory is My goodness. This truth is such a treasure.

So what is the goodness of Yahweh? His benevolence which is His kindness, mercy and generosity. His virtue. What does virtue mean? A habitual and firm disposition to do good. Let’s look at some scriptures that describe His goodness.

Psalm 145:9 - Yahweh, everyone sees your goodness, for your tender love is blended into everything you do.

Psalm 104:13- From your kindness you send the rain to water the mountains from the upper rooms of your palace. Your goodness brings forth fruit for all to enjoy.

Acts 14 - Yet he has never left himself without clear evidence of his goodness. For he blesses us with rain from heaven and seasons of fruitful harvests, and he nourishes us with food to meet our needs. He satisfies our lives, and euphoria fills our hearts. (This food is both spiritual and natural)

1 Corinthians 13:13 - There are three things that remain: faith, hope, and love - yet love surpasses them all.

“Faith and hope both spring from love, which makes love the greatest virtue of all. Faith and hope are temporary, but love is eternal.” Brian Simmons- The Passion Translation

Paul gives us the characteristics of Abba’s love in this chapter of Corinthians. Love is patient, it is kind (always), He is generous in every circumstance, humble, His love never allows Him to be rude, He will never manipulate you with fear, shame or condemnation, He’s not irritable or offended, He always celebrates honesty, He never focuses on your mistakes, and His love is loyal for eternity.

The goodness of Yahweh is so deep we will never fully grasp the entirety of just how incredible His love truly is. As we pursue His presence, we also experience His goodness. We grow from glory to glory which means we go deeper and deeper into His love. Every time we go deeper, we become more like Him in this beautiful love affair with Yeshua. As we become like Him, we will have His same characteristics in our love towards others. What you behold you become. As we behold His patience, kindness, generosity, humility, honesty, and loyal love we become those to others.

Remember we are not alone in this pursuit. We have each other. May faith be stirred in your heart today for that you have not seen. May hope be an anchor for all He says we can have and experience.

In Pursuit of Him

“Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.” So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:15-18

His presence has to be a daily pursuit in our lives but not only as individuals. We need each other as a family to pursue the presence of Yahweh. Moses wasn’t seeking the presence just for himself. It was on behalf of all of the people who were in this together. We help each other grow in grace before the Lord.

If I may bring up a difficult season for all the world. In 2020 and the following couple of years we had a pandemic sweep across our nation and the world, which demanded isolation. In this isolation we became so comfortable with streaming church services we lost an important aspect of walking with the Lord. The importance of coming together in once accord. There is a reason why the scripture tells us to not forsake the assembly of others. We are designed to do life together. Jesus did not tell His disciples to each go home and wait for the promise. He told them to go to the upper room together and wait. They prayed together; they fasted together; they did life together.

It is important for you to know this truth. It is dangerous for you to glean from the truths you hear at The Wilderness Place and not make it a priority to be part of the Kingdom family pursuing the Presence of Yahweh on Sundays. Once you know these truths you are responsible for them. Obviously, the Lord understands people have to work, or the children are ill. Things come up but we can no longer take the casualness of pursuing His presence with Kingdom family lightly. Your life matters to other people. He created each one of us to bring an aspect of His goodness to a family. A family is incomplete without every person there. It is important to seek the Lord about where your home is; who is your Kingdom family? Wherever He directs I encourage you to plant yourself there with others in the pursuit of His Presence.

There is a difference at The Wilderness Place. We are in pursuit of His presence. We are not interested in religion. That is a system of entertainment for non-seekers. You cannot add presence to religion. It causes a person to be unstable. James 1:6 says, a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. In pursuit of Him, we desire for all people to be free in His presence. It is there you can become who you are designed to be. We are learning to be open and transparent with each other in our kingdom family. That may seem scary at first but when you know you are in a safe place within a family who are lovers of Jesus is it easier to take the mask off.

Moses tells Yahweh if we do not have your presence there will not be a difference in us than those in the world. We must be people who display the grace and favor of Yahweh so we can draw others to Him. There must be a difference in us as beloved sons and beloved daughters.

We have found grace in His sight, and He will meet each one of us where we are. What is He saying to you today concerning you seeking His presence? Are you committed to seeking Him within a family of beloved ones?

Open up to His questions today. Take the walk with Him.

May He Find Us Faithful

Jesus had the mandate I do nothing I haven’t seen the Father do. (John 5:19) Yesterday we talked about being a good steward. Knowing when and what to say to people about Yeshua is being a good steward. He tells us in Matthew 7:6, “who would hang earrings on a dog’s ear or throw pearls in front of wild pigs? They’ll only trample them under their feet and then turn around and tear you to pieces.” In the footnotes of the Passion Translation, it says the Aramaic word for earrings is most identical to the word holy. Earrings and pearls are symbols of spiritual truths given to us by Yahweh. They give us beautiful ears to hear his voice and impart lovely pearls of wisdom, which are not to be regarded lightly or shared with those who have their hearts closed. The Aramaic for throw is “to instruct” or “to teach.” The value of wisdom is not appreciated by those who have no ears to hear it.

Some people are not ready to hear certain things. We must be like Yeshua- only do what we see Him do and speak. We spent some time in Matthew 15 last week concerning the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter. Yeshua ignores her when she speaks to Him. He cannot allow himself to be moved by His feelings and emotions. We know His heart is to see everyone whole, but His heart is first to do what the Father reveals.

What an incredible example for us. Our heart must be only about what the Father wants in every moment. Yeshua was here to be obedient. Period. The question we must ask ourselves- is my heart to do only what the Father wants? Pastor Tim taught us a while back about being careful not to take a portion of scripture as instructions from the Father to do just so we can say it’s the right thing to do. We must take those scriptures to Him in the secret place and ask if it’s what He want you to do right now?

The truth is we have a hard time doing nothing. A lot of people do so many “works” for the kingdom to find value in themselves instead of letting His love prove us valuable. If you do not feel completely loved by Him, it is not wise to run around and try to minister to others from brokenness. Be a testimony and get healed first. Let your journey of healing and wholeness be the witness to others. Stop running from hard things and let him build His integrity to carry His glory.

“On the other side of moments you are avoiding and running from is the life you’ve been made for.” Pastor Tim.

In His rest is where we find the answers to the problems within and around us. BE at rest in Him. Steward the words He is speaking to you. Not every word needs to be told to others. He may want to see if you will be faithful to just pray over the things He reveals.

May He find us faithful in stewarding His voice and presence every day. Holy Spirit, draw us closer to your heart to hear your truths. In the areas we have our hearts closed off to you we ask for your tender mercy to soften and open our hearts to you. We truly want to be open to you in every way. We choose this day March 14, 2025, to be a day of transformation in our hearts. Thank you for always luring us into the wilderness to be loved by You.

Being a Good Steward

One of the aspects of the kingdom is value. When we value something as important, we are good stewards of it. In order to be a good steward, you must be attentive to that which you are stewarding. Be honest with yourself when I ask you this question. When you first read the word steward did you automatically think money?

If we are honest, we would all say yes. This isn’t a bad thing. We should be good stewards of money, but society has made this word about money. As beloved sons and beloved daughters our first thought has to be - am I being a good steward of my encounters with Yeshua? Every good gift comes from Him. When we are faithful with His voice, His words, His people, His creation we will receive more. When we value these things, we make them a priority in our lives. He has to be the center of every decision we make.

“The one who faithfully manages the little he has been given will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. But those who cheat with the little they have been given will not be considered trustworthy to receive more. If you have not handled the riches of this world with integrity, why should you be trusted with the eternal treasures of the spiritual world?” Luke 16:10-11

We cannot make this word riches just about money. Riches are people. Are you faithful with caring for your family? Are intentional in your conversation with your spouse and children? Establishing a legacy on Yeshua begins with stewarding little conversations every day. What about those people who the Holy Spirit has orchestrated to be in your life? Coworkers, business relationships, people you come in contact with each day. Are you being attentive to the Holy Spirit in every moment to value the purpose of the encounter?

What about your houses, cars, the earth? All of this matters. Are you being a good steward of what He has given you? We want to be people of integrity that can handle the weight of His glory, but we must first sow faithfulness.

One of my favorite quotes from Pastor Tim on Sunday was “it is easier to do than be.” What does this mean? We can read a devotional today about being faithful and good stewards of what He has given us and get to work trying to be a good steward. Being faithful and a good steward is built on the foundation of intimacy, honor and order. Being established as beloved through intimacy and honor is the foundation. Then He begins to order your steps. Being one with Him is where the faithfulness is established.

Remember those who are faithful with little are entrusted to more. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be faithful with His voice today. Steward every step, every conversation, every opportunity to reveal His love and care to those around you.

There is Tension in the Air

“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.” Romans 8:18

This word glory in the Greek is doxa which can also mean radiant beauty, splendor, or perfection. Every trial and suffering we endure is meant to unveil within us the radiant beauty, splendor and perfection of Yeshua. When others see you and I, do they see Yeshua?

We often think suffering and trials come from tragic moments in our lives, but these moments of suffering can happen in everyday life. What happens when we encounter rude customers or a co-worker that is hard to deal with? This moment of tension reveals one of two things: Yeshua or you. Yeshua will have revelation knowledge of what is happening in their life that causes the outward behaviors. We too can have revelation knowledge if we choose to see what He sees.

We face trials with our children. This ranges from baby to adults. Who do we display when our children are struggling? Yeshua or ourselves? As a child I did not grow up with parents who displayed the image of Yeshua. My heart’s desire is for our children to see Yeshua when they encounter me. My response isn’t perfect every time but more and more when they see me, they see Yeshua. This is the fruit of valuing my encounters with Him. A couple of days ago one of my children said, “when I was ten you responded to me a lot different than you do now.” It’s been a couple of years since she was ten. That was a kiss from Yeshua to say they see Me in you.

Pastor Tim gave us a great illustration on Sunday when he said, “there is a tension between already and not yet.” You are already like Yeshua but not yet. We grow from glory to glory.

“This moment of tension is going to produce a glory in you that will make more of the Kingdom’s glory available to you. It is increasing your integrity. What you can carry without buckling under pressure.” Pastor Tim

If you continue to read Romans 8 it tells us why glory will continue to be unveiled in us, because the universe is standing on tiptoe yearning to see the unveiling of Yahweh’s beloved sons and beloved daughters. The world around you and I have had to endure futility against its will because of the consequences of humanity not knowing they are made in His image. The universe is “with eager expectations” waiting for freedom from decay to become who it is designed to be.

There is a tension between what we see and what our faith says is possible. As you have opportunities of suffering and trials today let it pull you closer to the heart of Yeshua. Allow Him to reveal what is really happening. The more we allow these moments of tension to be filled with His presence the more we look like Yeshua to those around us.