Theology Matters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s Make an Exchange

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will It Profit You?

Are you ready to believe things can be different?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unto the Lord

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Wrestling Match

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tenderness is the Key

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Restoration of all Things

“When Isaac was very old and blind, he called for his oldest son, Esau, and asked him, “My son?”

“I am here, father,” Esau answered. “As you can see, I am now an old man,” Isaac said. “And I may die any day now. So please take your hunting gear—your bow and arrows—and go out into the field and hunt some wild game for me. Then prepare me a savory meal, the food I love, and bring it to me. After I eat it, I will bless you from my innermost being before I die.” Genesis 27

The Father craves the authentic you. Isaac asked Esau to hunt for wild game to bring to him. This wild game represents the authentic nature of you and me. He wants the person He designed you to be. The alternative is someone who is in captivity. This person believes or chooses to believe something about themselves that is not authentic to the design of the Father.

This part of the passage shows us true blessings come upon us when we are authentically who Abba created us to be. Sometimes this can be very difficult to know. Unfortunately, our identity can be hindered during childhood. Yesterday, we discussed the condition of the heart. Only healed hearts can heal other hearts. This is true especially in regard to parenting. If you were raised with parents who were misidentified or had broken hearts, then unfortunately your parents could not see your true identity either. It is a cycle we are breaking in Jesus’ name.

We see a clear example in this story in Genesis. Rebekah, Esau and Jacob’s mother overheard Isaac speaking to his oldest son. She then does something that will mark her son Jacob for the rest of his life. She taught him to deceive but most tragically what she communicated was he was not enough as he was. He needed to become someone else to get his father’s blessing.

We have all had situations in our upbringing we could point back to and say, “this was the point in my childhood things changed,” or maybe it was when you were a teenager, and it came as peer pressure to fit in because you believed you were not enough. Somewhere along the way our innocence was stolen. Our true identity as beloved, one who is loved by the Father and found complete in Him was lost. We took on identities formed by the words of others or wounds we experienced.

Do you remember a moment when your life was marked and your identity was stolen? Take some time to ask Abba to show you. Maybe you’re a parent who has spoken words to your children that have marked them. This is a great time to ask Abba. These markings and loss of identity are not gone forever. We have a God who redeems all of time.

Jesus gave everything so you and I could know who we are in Him and who we are designed to be on the Earth. He will redeem what was lost as a child. He will redeem the mishaps as a parent. The first step is being honest with Him and allowing Him to reveal those moments to heal them. Even at an old age, He re-identifies us and restores our innocence. Lean into His mercy and grace today.

The Gentleness of Jesus

In Isaiah 61, Jesus says I am anointed to preach the gospel, and then He says, heal the broken hearted. Healing of the heart is very important to Jesus therefore it must be important to us.

“The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me because Yahweh has anointed me, as a messenger to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted” Isa 61

Why is healing the wounds of the brokenhearted priority for Jesus? Because we view everything through the lens of our heart. If our heart is broken, then every response and choice we make will filter through our brokenness. We overlay everything with our broken heart to include the meaning of scriptures and how we see Abba.

Find a place like The Wilderness that seeks to host the Presence of Jesus and allow Him to heal your broken heart. Here’s the reality, sometimes we forget just how broken certain areas are because we tuck them away and pile things on top to move on in life, but Jesus sees. He’s not looking at the brokenness with eyes of judgment. He’s moved with compassion for us.

This is why when you find yourself in His presence you begin to feel His prompting concerning a certain area He wants to uncover. You have to let Him. Oh, yes, it can be painful and disappointing. Sometimes even shame will want to creep in, but He is so gentle with our hearts. His kiss of agape love causes the shame to disappear so you can be honest with Him concerning the hurt you feel.

As you begin to be honest with Him, then you can be honest with yourself, and you begin to feel the brokenness of your heart start to heal. The next step is being honest with others. This is a process. Understand this doesn’t always happen overnight because our hearts are deep and only Jesus can know them fully. As you surrender to His care He will walk with you through the process of discovering the healed you!

Ultimately, we will discover our hearts completely healed. Then we begin to help others find their healing in Jesus.

Only healed hearts can see hearts healed. Surrender your heart fully to Him today. Let’s pray the prayer of David in Psalm 139 today.

“God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way—the path that brings me back to you.”

Child of the King!

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

“Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’

“The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’ Luke 15

This story isn’t just about people who leave church or walk away from Yahweh. The son can represent those of us who show up every Sunday, yet we have compartments of our heart we haven’t surrendered. We haven’t given Him permission to guide us in how we steward our inheritance. In this moment, let the Holy Spirit reveal an area you haven’t surrendered or feel unworthy to be in His presence? The moment you turn your heart to Him there is great compassion from the Father towards you.

He races out to meet you and me when we come back to Him. His tender love for us is truly beyond comprehension. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is so passionate for us. Do you know why He races out to you? He’s getting ahead of shame and condemnation. Regardless of our choices, He never wants you to feel ashamed or condemned by Him.

What does He do when you return or surrender fully?

‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate.

He reminds you of who you are. You are His beloved son and beloved daughter! He places His very own robe upon your shoulders. It is the Robe of Righteousness. It is not a lesser one. You and I are as righteous as Jesus. The problem is we take our robes off too often because of what others say or a thought we have about ourselves. Never take off the robe Abba places on you.

He puts a ring on your finger. The ring is an emblem of authority. Meaning you get to do business in the father’s name. You have the same authority as Jesus. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit. The shoes represent full acceptance into the family. You are His beloved and He is yours.

We are to feast upon Christ. It is only Jesus who will satisfy your life fully. Our life as beloved sons and beloved daughters should always represent a celebration. It doesn’t mean there won’t be difficult things to walk through, but we will walk through them celebrating because we know who we are!

See yourself with the Father today as He places the robe over your shoulders, puts the ring on your finger and sandals on your feet. Let’s go a step further- a crown on your head because you are a child of the King!

The Loving Father

Jesus came to fix our broken perspective of the Father. Today, He is still revealing to you and me the true nature of Abba because religion has given us a perspective that is not correct. Let’s start with the story most of us know well in Luke 15. We all know this story as the Prodigal Son, but it is not about the son. It’s about a Loving Father.

The Loving Father

Then Jesus said, “Once there was a father with two sons. The younger son came to his father and said, ‘Father, don’t you think it’s time to give me my share of your estate?’ So the father went ahead and distributed between the two sons their inheritance.

Unfortunately, religion makes everything about us and how we are wretched, but that is darkness masquerading as light. Let’s go through this story and ask Jesus to give us the right perspective. First of all, the Father freely gives both sons their inheritance even though only one asked. Do you realize Abba has an inheritance for you, right now! This inheritance is not for when we get to heaven. We have not because we ask not. We were told this son was arrogant and prideful for even asking for the inheritance. This translates to us not to ask Abba for what belongs to us. He does not intend for you to live just making ends meet. Truth, He wants you wealthy. Use the beautiful imagination He gave you to be who He designed you to be. When you are free to be open to the Father and hear His voice, you can ask without hesitation.

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

Oh yes, this was his own doing. He made the choices that put him in this situation. We have all made choices that were not the best. This isn’t just about money, we have made poor choices concerning relationships, jobs, or family. Regardless, the Father does not want you begging and looking to fill a longing that is only meant for Him.

This son is loved just like you and me but if we don’t see Abba right, we will seek resources and fulfillment in other places rather than from our loving Father. He is calling us to be a people who knows without a shadow of doubt no matter what we’ve done He will always take us in. We don’t need to come as beggars knocking on the door hoping He’ll accept us. We must know His door is always open and we belong in His presence.

The first place you can tell how you see the Father is in your prayer time. Do you pray with a poverty mindset begging Him for an answer? Or do you pray from a place of known inheritance? This matters.

I want to encourage you to watch Sunday’s message starting at 46:20. Pastor Tim teaches this Luke 15 in such a beautiful way that you will never see the Father in any light other than loving and you will see yourself as a beloved son and beloved daughter.

Masquerading as Light

“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:23

Yesterday we talked about good being a singular focus on Jesus. If good means single, then bad must mean focusing on many things. When this is your life you will find darkness dwelling within. Not darkness as in evil behaviors but darkness in how you think or see things.

Jesus says, “therefore the light that is in you is darkness.” How can light be darkness? When you have an idea or perspective that is delusional it will be masqueraded as light. Here is an example of something we’ve been taught for years that is darkness masquerading as light. When Jesus was on the Cross He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” We were taught the Father turned His back on Jesus because He could not look at sin. This is darkness masquerading as light. Jesus was actually quoting Old Testament from David. He was showing us He would go to the darkness place in us to let us know the Father will never abandon us. Right before the Cross, Jesus told His disciples, “You will abandon Me, but My Father never will.”

It is vitally important to be able to see things in pure light. When you believe that Abba turned His back on Jesus in His darkest time you will believe He can and will do it to you. He’s coming after all of these things we were taught that gave us the wrong perspective of Abba, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We haven’t even seen the scriptures right because of our perspective being darkness masquerading as light.

1 John 1:5 says, this is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. We must stop casting our shadows onto Abba and stand in His pure light to let Him deal with how we see and think.

His question to you today: Who told you that?

Singular Focus

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” Matthew 6:22

Your eye is your perspective. This represents how you see things. They way you think. If your eye is good your whole body will be full of light. Religion made this word good about behaviors or things you do like what movies you watch. This word good means singular.

If your eye is singular meaning a single focus on one person. Jesus. Just Jesus. He will change everything in your life with His light. How do you focus on Jesus in everyday life? You look for Him. When you read your Bible, read it to find Jesus. Don’t read it for yourself. Look for Him in every conversation you have with everyone. When you’re at work - look for Him. When you’re shopping. This requires being intentional because our thoughts can wonder. We get distracted easily. When you feel maybe you left Him somewhere just stop in that moment and turn your heart back to Him. The more you do this the more it becomes who you are.

The way we think can determine the life we live. Your thoughts can snowball into a place you do not want them to go. The more you think about something or someone outside the light of Jesus the more darkness rules your thoughts. You must be aggressive with how you think and what you are focusing on.

We all have shadows in us, but the Light of Jesus is meant to deal with those shadows. When our focus is not solely on Jesus, we find ourselves being tossed around in life. Up one minute and down the next. This is not the life He has for His beloved children.

“Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering, it leaves you unstable.” James 1

Singular focus of Jesus causes you to know who you are in Him and who He is to you. We refuse to be half-hearted and wavering any longer. We will no longer go through life tossed around. We are His beloved with a single focus.

Talk with Jesus today about where you are in your single focus of Him. Let His love nourish your heart. He wants to draw you back into His lap. Ask Him to help you live a life focused on Him.

Reflection

We sincerely pray that as you have walked with Jesus throughout this week, your heart has been opened to embrace His questions. In this openness, we hope you have discovered the grace and mercy needed to surrender every single part of your heart to Him. We encourage you to let Him shine His radiant light on your innermost thoughts, gently prompting you to reflect and inquire, "Am I seeing this right?"

We will not rest until we fully become who He declares us to be, beloved sons and beloved daughters, uniquely reflecting Jesus here on earth. We are intended to reflect Jesus in our daily lives, embodying His virtues and love. "And all who focus their hope on him will always be purifying themselves, just as Jesus is pure." 1 John 3:3. Remember, the unwavering focus must always be on Him!

Hard Questions/Gentle Love

“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.”

“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

When this man realized he was healed he began to shout out praises as he turned back looking for Jesus. Our encounters with Jesus should produce an outward display of worship. Can you imagine what people were thinking when they saw him shouting out praises? A Samaritan. He obviously did not care what others thought.

Jesus, help us get to this place of an outward display of praises because of who You are.

He fell down at the feet of Jesus full of thanksgiving declaring YOU ARE THE MESSIAH! The reality of this in our lives is overwhelming in a beautiful way. Take a moment to just ponder this truth. You and I have the Messiah, the King of Kings, Lord of Lord, most powerful of all who invites us with an open invitation to His feet. Anytime and for any reason we get to be at the feet of a King. If I’m honest, I have taken that for granted. What about you?

Maybe the reason we don’t realize the incredible gift of grace and mercy we have is because of the questions that come when we are at His feet. Jesus’ response to the man at first was with questions. When we get to the feet of Jesus He will ask us questions. Hard questions but in a gentle way. My experience in this last year has been just that. As I have surrendered to His questions I am finding the tangible gentleness of His love for me. Every time I go back to His feet, He will have another question. They are getting easier because now I know the gentleness that comes with them.

You and I decide how far we allow Him to go into our hearts. The heart is like a house. Houses have many doors and so it is with your heart. Most people let Jesus in the front door which represents salvation but never allow Him to explore the house. The first step to wholeness is being honest with Him about what is going on inside your house.

Jesus responds to this man, “Arise and go. It was your faith that saved you and made you whole.” This word whole is sozo. This is more than salvation. It includes healing of mind, body and spirit. The restoration of who you are originally designed to be before the shadows and residue of our past. Do you believe Jesus can make you whole?

This is our part. You must have faith and keep showing up to His feet to surrender to His radiant light. This light exposes all the shadows and residue in the form of questions. Give Him permission to speak to those areas. His voice and presence are the most valuable things on earth. If you want to be whole surrender to His gentle love.

Who Examines You?

“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.” Luke 17

Jesus looked at them and spoke these words, “Go to be examined by the Jewish priests.” Jesus knew what their hearts longed for, and it was to be restored back to a life with their family and friends. In those days when you had leprosy you had to stay away from everyone. History tells us it took three days for them to get to the Temple.

What does this scenario look like in today’s society? We have people who have problems/issues/sin that come into the church. They meet Jesus. He saves them and heals them. They set off to share their testimony with all who will listen. The more they share their testimony the more focused they are on what they’re “doing for Jesus” rather than focusing on Him.

Be examined by the priests. This translates to what others think about us. When you live your life concerned by what others think you lose sight of Jesus altogether. We must long to be examined by Jesus. Opening up to His radiant light keeps our eyes gazing into His.

These men were healed, yes but they lived with the effects of leprosy the rest of their lives. We can dress up the outside, but it is the condition of our hearts and minds that matter the most to Him. Truthfully, it should matter to us as well. We do not have to live with the effects of past mistakes, hurtful circumstances or even the result of being raised by broken parents. They did the best they knew how, but we are learning a more excellent way in the wilderness.

When you receive a message from Jesus on Sundays, Tuesdays, or whenever you read the Walk, you must believe in those words to see the change He wants for you. The men did this; they acted on His word even while still having leprosy, but they did not return to Jesus. They sought what they desired, rather than His presence.

Our vision here is Jesus! We will be a people who always find our way back to His feet, with our eyes locked on the King.

Skeletons in the Closet

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.” “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

The first thing we notice about this passage are these men are all believers. We know this by the way they called out to Jesus. “Mighty Lord, our wonderful Master!” They did everything they were supposed to do- confessed, believed and cried out! Let’s lean into the teaching from Sunday. This is a message that can transform your life if you apply everything you hear.

We, the church, have to stop showing up to a place like it’s a gym to watch everyone else work out leave thinking we will change. Transformation doesn’t happen that way.

What is the first breakthrough these men received? Acknowledging their problem/issue. They displayed their need for mercy and healing. A lot of us try to hide our problems/issues from others and even Jesus. We lock them up behind a secret door of our heart trying to pretend they are not there. Have you ever heard the term “skeletons in your closet?”

Sometimes it’s not intentional. You legit don’t see it right or you’ve gotten accustomed to hiding it so long it’s just a part of who you think you are. You have to expose yourself to His pure light. You must allow Him to show you these areas. Choose to open the closet door and let Him see. He stands at the door and knocks but you have the choice to open it.

The truth is He will expose these areas with the words of others. It could be your children, grandchildren, parents, co-workers, friends, family or even a stranger. When the comments come you have a choice to get offended or bring it before the Lord. Abba, is there any truth to what this person has said? You must give Him permission to answer.

This is why it’s important to be planted in a Kingdom family to give others permission to speak truth into your life. Almost always others can see our skeletons before we acknowledge them openly.

As believers/lovers of His presence, we must come into the fullness of who He says we are, and our lives have to represent that on the inside and outside. Jesus deserves a life lived out in the open for His glory.

We Emit Light

“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.” 1 John 1:5

There is absolutely no darkness in Yahweh. Period. You cannot find even a trace of darkness in Him. We and the world attributes darkness to Him all the time. We must see Him rightly. He is love and love does not hurt or destroy. Love restores and renews. He is light and light brings life. When you see Him right then you can see yourself as He sees you.

Jesus says we are Fos. This is the Greek word for light meaning not just a physical light, but it is associated with life, truth, and divine presence. We are the same light as Jesus. Do you believe that truth?

We can only be what we believe we are. The unfortunate message that has embedded Christianity for so long is this: we are sinners saved by grace. People continually use their faith to believe this and it’s how they live their lives. This is not who Jesus says you are.

He chose to create each one of us. How special are you that the Creator of the Universe, our Abba chose you specifically to be here at this very moment. How could we not be who He says we are. Let’s decide today to BE His Beloved. Believe in WHO He says you are.

“Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light!” Ephesians 5

Sin is not merely behaviors. It is you coming into agreement with something you are not. When we believe a lie about who we are we come into agreement with darkness and give it our authority. Remember last week we talked about when Jesus reidentified Peter, it gave him the authority to release on earth what is released in heaven and the bind on earth what is bound in Heaven. You and I must come into agreement with who we truly are.

WE are the light of the world. A city set on a hill. We are FOS - the perfect light of Jesus shining. It’s true, you are as righteous as Jesus. He said so! Choose today to use your faith for truth.

Who Told You That?

Yesterday we talked about being re-identified by the voice of Yeshua. In order to be transformed by His voice we have to eliminate all other voices. This can be very difficult unless you filter everything you hear, think and believe through this one question from Yahweh.

“Then Adam and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh-God passing through the garden in the breeze of the day. So, they hid among the trees concealing themselves from the face of Yahweh-God. Then Yahweh-God called Adam’s name and asked, “Where are you?” Adam answered, “I heard your powerful presence moving in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so, I hid.” “Who told you that you were naked?” God said.” Genesis 3

WHO TOLD YOU THAT?

We all know this story. Eve listened to a voice that lured her away from the instructions of the Lord. When they both believed the lie, they began to see themselves in a way Yahweh had not designed them to see. Why would Adam and Eve hide from an all knowing, all powerful, everywhere all at once God? The initial lie they believed led to more delusion in how they saw things. “Who told you that you were naked?” They had begun to listen to voices that were Yahweh’s.

We must filter every thought and belief through this question. Who told you that?

Open the eyes of our hearts Lord! We want to see you. We want to hear you. Help us stand in the light of your glory so we can know you and be known by who you say we are.

Re-Identified

We are designed to be changed by the voice of Yeshua as He speaks to us. We do not have to be what our past experiences call out to us. Yeshua made a way for us to know Him personally and intimately. Do you really know Him?

“When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples this question: “What are the people saying about me, the Son of Man? Who do they believe I am?” They answered, “Some are convinced you are John the Baptizer, others say you are Elijah reincarnated, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

“But you—who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked. Simon Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God!” Jesus replied, “You are favored and privileged Simeon, son of Jonah! For you didn’t discover this on your own, but my Father in heaven has supernaturally revealed it to you.” Matthew 16

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

The disciples were influenced by what others said about Yeshua. They repeated what they’ve heard. In the church, and most of us reading this have only repeated what we’ve heard about Him. We’re influenced by what others believe but do we know Him in such a way we can speak out like Simon.

How did he know Yeshua was the Anointed One? He received the revelation of who He was directly from Abba. Something happens when you get a revelation from Abba yourself. There is a transformation that happens. A re-identification takes place.

“I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this rock will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it! I will give you the keys of heaven’s kingdom realm to forbid on earth that which is forbidden in heaven, and to release on earth that which is released in heaven.” Matthew 16

When we come to know Yeshua in an intimate way it will change who we are. We can hear Him identify us as His own regardless of our past or future failures. Yeshua changed (re-identified) Simon to Peter after this revelation took place even though He knew Peter would fail Him in the future. What is He saying to you? What identity is He speaking over you?

Look at what this new identity allowed Peter to do. Yeshua says, “I will give you the keys of heaven’s kingdom realm to forbid on earth that which is forbidden in heaven, and to release on earth that which is released in heaven.”

Our identity as beloved, one belonging exclusively to Him gives us authority in the earth to release all of heaven and to bind up that which does not belong. Are you forfeiting your authority in any area because of what you see or hear? Let His voice speak over you and believe what He says about you.

He is the lover of your soul!

Examination Day

Examination day. It’s the day you go to the doctor for your yearly exam to make sure everything is well with you. They will even collect blood samples to see what is happening on the inside. You know, those things you can’t see. How do you prepare for the doctor appointment? You’re intentional about getting ready, right?

Did you know it’s important to be examined by Jesus daily? Not in the sense of judgement. Oh no, He comes to rid us of those shadows that want to hang around. The ones we choose not to see. He loves us so furiously that He will not allow anything not of Him to remain, but we have a part to play. We must prepare ourselves for the exam.

Let’s look at how Naomi teaches Ruth to be intentional in her approach to Boaz. Then pay attention to Ruth’s response to Naomi.

“One day, Naomi said to Ruth: “I want to see you marry so that you’ll be happy and secure. Now listen, a man named Boaz is our relative. You worked with his servant girls in his fields. This evening, he’ll be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Now, take a bath and put on some nice perfume. Dress in your best clothes and go to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you’re there until he’s had plenty to eat and drink. Watch closely to see where he lies down. Then go, uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.” Ruth answered, “I’ll do everything you’ve told me.” Ruth 3

How we show up to engage with Jesus matters. When we gather with family on Sunday or Tuesday are you coming into the room with anticipation to encounter Jesus? Is the posture of your heart tender and ready to worship and honor Him? How do you approach Him daily? These questions are part of the exam. We must allow hard questions so we can know what is hiding inside that does not belong.

Naomi tells Ruth to wash herself, put on perfume, and her best dress. Ephesians 5:26 tells us we are washed by the water of His word. This is His spoken word and written word. We are to be intentional in drinking in His written word and listening for His voice as He speaks to us. His voice comes in many forms and through different people. Oftentimes in an offensive way. We must be listening.

Put on perfume: for us today this represents worship, love, prayer and soaking in the fragrance of His presence.

Her best dress: You wear a garment of praise. You are His beloved, an Oak of Righteousness. It matters what you think about yourself. Pastor Tim says all the time, “you can only do what you think you are.” If we do not allow Him to examine our thoughts, we are not showing up for Him or to Him in the proper manner.

We are to show up to Jesus in a posture of humility uncover His feet and lie down. This is complete surrender of all areas of our lives. Remember our declaration: My heart is yours. My life is yours. Only in full surrender and humility can we hear His voice tell us what to do next.

Ruth’s response to Naomi was I will do everything you told me. Ask yourself this question. Am I applying everything I am being taught? If so, get ready for radical transformation. Get ready for doors to be open no man can shut. Get ready for the windows of heaven to open up over your life. Blessings come when we hear and obey.

Will you prepare to be examined today by Jesus? There is abundant grace with the hard questions and answers that come. Do not forfeit your freedom and healing because it’s hard to talk about.