Quench or Ignite?

It’s crazy to think you have to give Jesus, the Anointed One, Lord of Lord, and King of Kings permission to do something. When Jesus is Lord over your life, He has permission to direct your steps. Did you know you can quench the Holy Spirit? We know this is possible because in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, it says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” What does this even mean? Quench means to suppress, stifle, hinder or restrain the Spirit from moving through you. For example, you know He wants you to pray for someone but you’re nervous and you don’t do it. He has given you a word of encouragement for someone, but you just aren’t sure if they will receive it. He desires to move through us. We are the light of the world - a city set on a hill. It is the Holy Spirit in us that makes us shine. We are to shine His presence and power to those around us.

Pastor Tim shared a moment in service Sunday of this very thing happening to him last week. He was leaving the church and heard the Holy Spirit tell him to go to a certain store that he does not typically shop. He kind of passed it off at first because it was next to another stop, he was making. As he was checking out there was a lady standing there who recognized him as a pastor. They exchanged conversation and when he left the store, he realized Abba had directed his steps just to show this young lady how much Jesus loves her. This young lady was in the service Sunday and Pastor Tim was able to say to her, Abba moved heaven and earth to let you know He sees you and He loves you. What a powerful moment it was in the room. What if Pastor Tim thought no, I will just go where I usually go. I am familiar with that store. I can get in and out. He would have quenched the Holy Spirit, and this young lady would have missed the encounter with Jesus. We must slow down and be in tune with His voice so He can show others how much they are loved by Him.

We must surrender to His Lordship. At The Wilderness Place we have been in 2 Corinthians 3:16-17 all year. This verse had revealed some truth, and we have experienced freedom from things that have held us back from being all He designed us to be. “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.”

There is freedom! This isn’t just all about you and I being free from sin and bondage and wrong thinking. This is freedom to do his will. Freedom to be led by him. We can go where he directs us to go. We can give like he wants us to give. Pray like he says pray. Love like he says love. This intimate relationship with Jesus has to reproduce fruit in the earth. So many fail to see the beauty of complete surrender. The focus is on what we don’t get to do if we surrender instead of the focus being on Him. Our appetites matter so much. We must keep coming to His table, eating His food and drinking from His fountain. This is what changes us into who He designed. The image of Jesus displayed on the earth.

You are significant and there is so much more in you than you know right now. Surrender to Him to reveal the promises, power and hope in you! The world is waiting in anticipation for the revealing of Jesus through His beloved children.

You Get to Choose!

At what point did you stop believing Yahweh’s promises? Are not His promises yes and amen? The delay in seeing His promises come to fruition is on us, not Him. We blame Him for lack of miracles and presence by saying He’s sovereign. When He’s ready he’ll do it. The thought of this belief rattles me. Obviously, He is sovereign, but He designed this relationship to work together with us. The real question you must ask yourself- do you want a regular Sunday morning relationship, or do you want the Kingdom of Yahweh relationship? They are not the same.

Regular Sunday morning looks like this- you dress up, show up and nothing in your life really ever changes except you adopt a mask the church handed you at the door your first Sunday. Why a mask? It is for hiding and pretending. There is no freedom in participating in something Jesus never told us to do. When you read the teachings of Jesus, He never gave instructions for us to label ourselves with titles such as Pentecostal, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Etc., etc., because there is a lot. The saddest thing about this is the American church is the most segregated group of people. This is not the heart of Jesus. You can never truly be who He designed you to be if you put this coat of religion on. We are so thankful it is not and never will be like that at The Wilderness Place.

The Kingdom of Yahweh is where you and your family come to encounter His presence. You get to be honest about where you are and what you have done. You’ll never have to fear rejection from Him or a Kingdom family. This Kingdom operates on honesty. Yahweh shows up and transforms your life when you are honest. How do we know? Let’s look at the story of Gideon. “Yahweh’s Angel suddenly appeared to Gideon and said, “Yahweh’s presence goes with you, man of fearless courage!” “Me?” Gideon replied. “But sir, if Yahweh is truly with us, why have all these troubles come to us? Where are all his miracle-wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not Yahweh deliver us out of Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has abandoned us and put us under the power of the Midianites.” Then Yahweh himself faced Gideon directly and said, “Am I not sending you? With my presence you have all you need. Go in the strength that you now have and rescue Israel from Midian’s power!” Judges 6

Yahweh sends His angel first to speak with Gideon but when Gideon is honest, real and raw it says, “then Yahweh himself faced Gideon.” We can no longer afford to hide behind the masks. We must give Jesus his due reward for laying his life down. As we learn to surrender every area of our lives to Him, we begin to see transformation in us first, then our families, and our cities. Just like Gideon, Yahweh will send us with His presence, and we will have all we need.

Jesus said in John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” Why are we not seeing greater works than Jesus? We stopped believing it is possible. Jesus raised people from the dead. He delivered people from demonic oppression. Oh yes, we pray for the sick from a distance, but we have come into agreement with oppression. Like anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, and so many more. I am not saying these things don’t exist, they do but we stopped believing the Kingdom can change it. We stopped demanding on earth as it is in heaven. This is what Jesus said we can have. Why are we not seeing it? Did He lie, absolutely not! We stopped believing and began to agree with darkness. There is no anxiety or depression or sickness of any kind in heaven. We want the promises He paid for. Therefore, we must begin to agree with the Kingdom of Yahweh.

We are so thankful for the leadership and example of Pastor Tim at The Wilderness Place. His passion for Jesus is contagious, awkward, beautiful and provoking. All the things Jesus was to those when He walked the earth. The truths we are being taught is life changing if you will lean into it. Understand these truths are an invitation for you to RSVP to the dinner table of the Lord. You are being invited to a banquet to taste and see that the Lord is Good!

Will you accept the invitation to a transformed life for generations to come?

Loving Him Empowers Me

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. John 14:15-16 NKJV

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. John 14:23 NKJV

IF you love Me- you will obey My commandments. This version of scripture communicates if you aren’t obeying everything Jesus commands you don’t love Him. We have all had many moments where we think, I do love Him but man, why do I keep messing up? Then this cycle starts again. Where we ask Him to HELP us but then we lean on our own ability to try to obey again. Only to fail once more.

In verse 23 it reads if we love Jesus and obey then the Father will love us, and they will come and make their home in us. This seems like fools’ gold because none of us can keep his commandments or obey His word on our own accord. Therefore, it tells us He can’t and won’t love us if we can’t obey. It seems hopeless with this belief. The way this has been taught for so many decades has really hurt a lot of people. This type of message is why we have seen so many come into the church to give their lives to Jesus and really try to do what they think is right. They really do try but seem to keep falling short of obedience. After so many times of failing they begin to believe the lies of you can’t do this. He’s disappointed in you again. He’s angry with you because you messed up again. They leave feeling defeated and unloved. We as the church have to look at how things have been taught and be willing to say we got some things wrong.

Now let’s look at how it is really meant to be taught by looking at The Passion Translation. If you don’t know, this translation is written by studying the original language of the day and translating the words to its true meaning.

“Loving me empowers you to obey my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you.”

“Jesus replied, “Loving me empowers you to obey my word. And my Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place.”

Jesus is actually teaching us falling in love with Him will empower us to obey. What is my part and your part? We keep coming back to learn to love Him. We keep beholding Him. Keep worshiping Him. Keep pouring the oil on His feet. You must know that when you mess up the first place you run is to His arms. Never run away from Him. Pastor Tim asked a powerful question on Sunday. “What if the thing that is holding you captive is based on how well you let Him love you?”

We must see Him right. We must allow Him to challenge the way we have thought about Him. He says plainly in these verses. He empowers us to obey. Falling in love with Him brings power to our innermost being. How? He sends the Holy Spirit of Truth who will never leave us. He is the same power who raised Jesus from the dead, and He lives in us. Jesus continues to tell us in verse 23, loving me empowers you. He also tells us the Father loves us so deeply that He makes His dwelling place in us. All we have to do is love Him.

Let’s talk about this love affair with Jesus. Think of it this way. Meeting someone new feels exciting. You notice qualities you like, and you spend time together, talking often. As you spend time talking, your feelings grow stronger, and trust builds. You open your heart, allowing love to grow on both sides. You learn more about each other and commit to a lifelong covenant. There will be disappointments and mistakes, but instead of running away, you choose to face challenges together. Your love continues to grow making the two of you a force to be reckoned with.

This is the progression of our relationship with Jesus. The more we spend time with Him talking, listening and facing challenges together you will love Him more and more. As we grow in our love for Him, we are empowered to be who He created us to be. The bright shining light of His goodness.

Every day you surrender that day to Him. The more you behold His goodness the more in love you become and the empowered you are to obey. This walk with Him is not a race. We don’t have to be in a hurry.

Hey, Jesus! What do you think?

Jesus came to reveal the true nature of the Father. Right away He offended the Pharisees by making this declaration in John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” This really upset them because they had in their scriptures as we do today where it says Moses saw Yahweh face-to-face. Moses saw an aspect of Yahweh. He did not see the fullness. They took that one image of Yahweh and developed a whole religion around it.

Even people in the church misunderstand things. We often think that those who don’t attend church are far from Yahweh and question why they don’t surrender to Jesus. They have not seen a true picture of the Father. Instead, they see a God who is quick to judge and punishes harshly, even sacrificing His son just to be able to look at us. This is a damaging view the church has presented to the world.

Jesus came saying, “Metanoia, repent.” We have taken repentance has saying you're sorry and asking for forgiveness to only keep doing the same thing over and over. What does metanoia really mean? The origin of the word is Greek and means to change one’s mind or perspective. We are not saying you shouldn’t ask for forgiveness when you have done something that disagrees with Abba’s plan for your life. Obviously, as lovers of Jesus when we do opposite of what we know to be true with Jesus we need to bring it to Him and let Him talk to us about it. But we must remember there is no shame and condemnation with the Father. He is always ready to pour out grace and mercy and love us right into His lap.

We see the word repent a lot in the New Testament. Why was it so important for Jesus to emphasize over and over change the way you think? Your entire life is lived out by the way you think. All of your decisions come from how you see things. If we don't see things as He does, we'll make the wrong choices. This doesn’t just affect us as individuals. It affects our children and grandchildren. It affects those who desperately need to see the correct image of the Father.

How do we change the way we think? By exposing our thoughts to Him. For example, growing up you watch how your parents’ handled money. If they were not good with money you are most likely to not be good with it either. If they did not communicate well, guess what? I remember thinking as a child there were certain things my mom would say and do as a measure of discipline, that I said I would never do as a parent. Before coming into this measure of beloved identity I would find myself saying and doing some of the same things she did. Every time I did, I would bring it to Him and say I don’t want to do it that way. We change these patterns by exposing our thoughts to His. He always has a better way with finances, parenting, work, and family matters.

Ask Jesus what He thinks about it. How does He see it? We can learn the answer to these questions by reading the scriptures looking for Him, taking a quiet moment with our thoughts on Him, listening for Him to speak. One of my favorite ways of knowing Him better is looking for Him throughout my day wherever I am going or whatever I’m doing. He really is in every moment. He always has something to say to us to show us a better way. The Kingdom way. Today begin to bring everything to Him even things that seem to work well. Is it how He sees it?

Arise, and shine! You are a city set on a hill! We must start thinking like it!

What Am I?

When someone ask you about your faith what do you tell them? I’m a Christian, is the typical answer. If they say, what kind of church do you go to, how do you respond? Baptist, Catholic, Protestant, Pentacostal, etc.

Why did we ever allow ourselves to be labeled with a term Jesus never did? We have put on the coat of denominations and segregated ourselves in the church. Jesus never told us to do that. You cannot find in the scriptures one place where Jesus said to label yourself anything other than a child of Yahweh, a bride, or lover. Even non-denomination has become a denomination. If our pursuit is to look like Jesus and display His glory on the earth like He instructed, then we must lose the titles and labels given by men and become who Jesus says we are.

Pastor Tim shared with us what he tells people when they ask about his faith and who we are at The Wilderness Place. He tells people he is a lover of Jesus. If you are around him for any length of time you will know this to be true. It is one thing to proclaim your belief but another to display it. Jesus did not just proclaim, “the Kingdom is here now" He displayed it. We must stop labeling ourselves with “groups of people” and display Jesus to the world around us. It is what is needed and what He deserves! It is what Jesus gave His life for.

What does it look like to be a lover of Jesus? It is a lifestyle of learning about Him. Every day paying attention to His voice, eyes and studying His written word. Remember you become what you behold. If you are married or in a relationship, think about how you treat your partner compared to your relationship with Jesus. For example, if you spend and give the same time and attention to your partner as you do to Jesus, how would that affect your relationship?

Being a lover of Jesus consumes your thoughts about Him. What does he like? How does this make him feel? What makes him happy? What moves his heart? This is our cry as His lovers. Being His lover isn’t just when I am in the church building on a Sunday morning or during my ten-minute devotion time every day or so. It is moments throughout my day thinking about Him, talking to Him, asking Him questions.

As lovers there must be a clear-cut difference to the world around us than what they’ve seen from denominations.

Ask yourself today this question. “What Am I?” Be honest with yourself, because He already knows. Just like Pastor Tim said yesterday when you are honest Abba shows up to help and have a conversation.

Psalm 84 is the heart cry of a Lover of Jesus:

God of Heaven’s Armies, you find so much beauty in your people! They’re like lovely sanctuaries of your presence. Deep within me are these lovesick longings, desires and daydreams of living in union with you. When I’m near you, my heart and my soul will sing and worship with my joyful songs of you, my true source and spring of life! O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God, even the sparrows and swallows are welcome to build a nest among your altars to raise their young. What pleasure fills those who live every day in your temple, enjoying you as they worship in your presence!

How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord; within their hearts are the highways of holiness! Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain. He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring. They grow stronger and stronger with every step forward, and the God of all gods will appear before them in Zion. Hear my cry, O God of Heaven’s Armies! God of Jacob, listen to my loving prayer.

God, your wraparound presence is our defense. In your kindness look upon the faces of your anointed ones. For just one day of intimacy with you is like a thousand days of joy rolled into one! I’d rather stand at the threshold in front of the Gate Beautiful, ready to go in and worship my God, than to live my life without you in the most beautiful palace of the wicked. For the Lord God is brighter than the brilliance of a sunrise! Wrapping himself around me like a shield, he is so generous with his gifts of grace and glory. Those who walk along his paths with integrity will never lack one thing they need, for he provides it all! O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what euphoria fills those who forever trust in you!

Can You See It?

“I am the seer!” Samuel replied. “Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning, I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.” 1 Samuel 9:19

Saul thought his mission and purpose was to look for his father’s donkeys. He had no idea what had been planted in his heart by the Creator. He had taken on his father’s vision not realizing who he really was created to do. How many of us have taken on someone else’s vision for ourselves and we have no idea what the Creator has planted in our heart. I would dare say most of us are doing what we think were supposed to be doing but it’s not actually what we are called to do. We need people in our lives that can “see” with eyes of the Kingdom and can call forth what Jesus put in our heart.

Maybe you’re doing the job you are designed to do but without the vision of the Kingdom. As a beloved son and beloved daughter, we are designed to see the world around us through the eyes of the King. Every person can be a seer. It really comes down to what you believe about yourself. Saul didn’t see himself as a king. When Samuel tells him he was born to be a king he disqualifies himself because of where he is from and what family he came from. Don’t think for a moment you are disqualified because of where you came from or where you live right now. It does not matter which family you are from. When we allow what others say to infiltrate our way of thinking and seeing we are ultimately letting them set the standards for our lives.

Abba is calling us out of veiled vision. He’s extending the invitation today to see with Kingdom eyes. We must be people of hope so we can see into a city and say this is who you are designed to be. Gulfport is dependent upon us. Mississippi is dependent upon us. Your family is dependent upon you. Parents, I think we have the most important role. We have to be careful to not put something on our children they were never designed to do. We can get off track by trying to guide them down a path that seems right because it’s what your family has always done. We must have eyes of the Kingdom to “see” our children in the manner in which He created them. Grandparents, this applies to you as well. I don’t think Kish, Saul’s father realized he was raising a king. If he did, I don’t imagine he would have had him out there looking for donkeys. Pastor Tim said it perfectly Sunday.

“Do you see your kids with hope? Do you see what God is establishing through some of the difficult moments you are enduring? You think nobody sees you. God sees what you do. God sees how you give. He sees what's happening in your kids. I need to fix how you see yourself and the only one I know that can do that is Jesus. Matthew five, this is Jesus himself talking to you and me. You are the salt of the earth but if the salt loses its flavor how can it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Salt loses its saltness by not understanding the value of itself. The salt matters and Jesus is calling you and me salt. Your life matters. Where you live matters. What you're doing matters. How you invest your life matters. Don't let others tell you why you're here. Let Abba tell you why you're here and what you're doing. You are the light of the world. Your children and grandchildren are the light of the world. A city set on a hill.

How we see ourselves and our children matter! We talk all the time about why it is important to plant yourself in a family with those who can see with Kingdom eyes. We must begin calling forth what Jesus has planted in each one of our hearts. In 1 Samuel 10, Samuel poured oil over Saul’s head and said the Lord has appointed you to be ruler over Israel. He anointed Saul for such a time that he was walking into. I am here to tell you the Lord has a flask of oil He is pouring out over the family at the Wilderness Place. He says, “I am here to anoint you for such as time as this. You are My light. You have the Kingdom to rule and reign. I am here to give you eyes to see how I see.”

Family, it’s time to step into what is already in your heart. Can you see it?

Celebrate the King

“One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere. Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!” But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.” “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.” “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.) 1 Samuel 9

This passage starts off telling us about a father who has some donkeys that went missing. This father was a very wealthy influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. When his donkeys went missing, he told his son, Saul to take a servant and go find the donkeys. The two of them traveled for three days looking for donkeys. What does this have to do with us today? The things you are doing right now may seem like it is for someone else’s wellbeing or a daily mundane task. Maybe you think what is this all really for anyway? Yahweh was setting Saul up. Saul thought he was just out completing a task for his father in looking for donkeys, but he was being brought into his destiny. Be careful you don’t miss what Yahweh is wanting to do through you. Every step we take matters for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom and changing the world around us.

In verse 6, we see the servant suggest to Saul they should go see the man of God that is in that town. He can help them in finding the donkeys. Saul replies with a Kingdom principal that is important for us today. “We don’t have anything to offer him.” But the servant says, I have one piece of silver. The honor established in their hearts is what is on display here. They wouldn’t dare to think of showing up to the man of God without first displaying honor in what they have to offer. One piece of silver. This isn’t about money. This is a probing thought from the Holy Spirit. How do you show up to the house of Yahweh every week?

We can no longer treat the meeting together as common. Our times together on Sundays and Tuesdays isn’t just a day we attend church. If we are wanting Abba to ever increase the water level, we must honor what He has invited us into. How do you honor this invitation? You must come with expectation and anticipation of encountering the King. We’re growing from glory to glory therefore how we approach our coming together for One Passion, One Purpose, and One Person has to increase in honor and value. We must let Abba set our standards.

We are invited to the most exquisite wedding banquet of all times every week. We get to sing and dance with the King. Are you on the dance floor or waiting in the corner? I can’t think of a more exciting thing to do than celebrate the King with my singing and dancing. Think of all He has done for you. He is worth celebrating with outward expressions regardless of who is watching.

Those who have been forgiven much will show extravagant love. In Luke 7, we see this woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. She didn’t care who was in the room. He’s given us so much. He deserves an expression of worship beyond what you’re comfortable with.

Who else is worthy? There’s only ONE!

Ordinary to Extraordinary

Abba uses ordinary things to get us where we need to be but if we aren’t careful, we can miss out on extraordinary moments. We have many examples in scripture of people who were about their daily lives when they encountered Jesus. For instance, the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, the Roman soldier with a sick servant and many others. We also have examples of those who missed the life changing encounter with Jesus like Martha. She was so busy and honestly didn’t value the friendship she had available with Jesus. What about the ten lepers who encounter Jesus in Luke 17? Ten lepers passed by Jesus asking from a distance to be healed. Jesus gives them instructions to go be examined by the priests. As they walked away, they were healed of leprosy. One of them ran back to Jesus to honor Him by falling down at his feet thanking him over and over. The point in this parable is they all left their houses that day to do what they normally did but this day they encountered Jesus. They asked for healing and received it but one realized the significance of what happened and gave honor. By doing so he received even more of the Kingdom of Yahweh. He received healing for his heart, not just his skin.

How do you wake up each day? When you walk out the door to go to work, the store, or dinner what are you anticipating? We must realize and remember every moment is ordained by Abba to experience Him. When you anticipate meeting Him in every moment you will. Are you looking for Jesus in the conversations with your co-workers, your students at school, your children at home, your friends or family members?

It is so important to guard your heart. “So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

If you watch the news and it tells you how bad the world is or if you follow ministries with an end of the world vision, guess what you will see when you look at the world? What you behold you become. This is why we must behold Jesus. We must have hope to see Him in everyday life. He brought hope, life and light.

Be careful you don’t miss the most valuable parts of your day. Let’s be like the one man in Luke 17 where we honor every encounter throughout our day. How well we honor the Kingdom determines how much we get to experience. This life isn’t just about us; it’s about representing Him well in the world around us. We must be people of hope. Pastor Tim shared an acronym on Sunday for HOPE- Honoring Our Presence Encounter. When we honor the encounter with His presence we see with eyes of hope. We must be people who can see into someone’s life and bring hope to them. I will quote Pastor Tim here, “You have to have hope to see how people were designed to be when they were first formed by the King.” This is a powerful statement. When we honor the encounters we have with Him, we become people of hope where the Lord can give us the vision of who He designed someone to be when He formed them. This is an incredible opportunity. This is how we change the world. If not us, then our children.

Anything of value will cost you something. The value of the future of this world, the value of the commission of Jesus must cause us to desire His plans over our own. As you embark on your day be intentional about your steps. Ask the Holy Spirit to not let you miss Him in any given moment. He loves you and wants to display His love to you, and through you.

The Message of Jesus

I was asked this question last week. When you read scriptures what are you looking for? If I’m honest, I was a little stumped by the question. My answer was well, I am looking for Him but mostly what is He wanting to say to me. Later, I began to talk to Jesus about the question, and I had to be honest. It is mostly to see and hear for myself and others. Rarely is it to “look FOR Him” but I love these questions because they bring us to the reality of the Kingdom. This is where we grow from glory to glory if we’re honest when the questions come.

Pastor Tim asked a very important question on Sunday. Jesus came with one message that can be summed up in three words. What are the three words? I will let you think about it for a moment.

He tells us in John 17. “I have glorified you on the earth by faithfully doing everything you’ve told me to do.”

This is obviously before the cross and resurrection. We have been told our entire lives Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins and was resurrected so we could be forgiven and go to heaven when we die. This is not what He is saying in John 17. The answer to the question is- Kingdom of God. His message was the Kingdom of God. In all the Gospels you can see Jesus saying, the kingdom of God is like…the kingdom of God can be compared to this…the kingdom of God operates like this. In John 17 Jesus looks at his disciples and says I have finished the task that I was sent to do. Wait, Sunday school told us his task was to die on the cross for our sins and to be resurrected three days later. How can Jesus look at His disciples and say I finished what the Father told me to do? I'm done with the purpose in which I'm here for, before the cross and before the resurrection. What was he here to do? He was here to talk about the kingdom of God. It's at hand, it's available to you. He taught his disciples to pray for Yahweh’s kingdom on Earth. He never told us to suffer through this dark world until we die and can go to heaven. Jesus was telling us the commission I gave Adam to subdue and populate the earth is back on. We can start again. Adam gets the commission in Gensis 1:28, “And God blessed them in love, saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Populate the earth and subdue it! Reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every creature that lives on earth.” Adam gets off track and takes a bite from an apple. We all fall but Jesus shows up to teach us what the kingdom and the planet is supposed to look like. He is showing us what's available to you and me. He goes to the Cross and into the grave. He comes out of the grave and tells his disciples; all authority has been given to me and now I give it back to you. Everything Adam gave up in the garden I give it back to you. Everything that was lost by biting the apple I give it back to you.

We have to change the way we think. We have to believe the Cross and Resurrection was to get back what was lost in the garden and do what Adam was supposed to do. Have dominion on earth. One thing Jesus said a lot was “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” Jesus has given us all authority to rule and reign. We CAN see Heaven on Earth. It starts with faith, hope and honesty.

Faith in what Jesus says. We can no longer afford to believe a false gospel that was given to us out of fear of the future. Waiting for a trumpet blast to be rescued from a dark world is a false gospel. We are commissioned to subdue which means take over in Love and Power. We are commissioned to populate. If He planned to rescue us from a dark world, He would not have told us to populate. We must have faith in the words of Jesus.

Hope is being anchored in Jesus. Everything He did and said is where hope is born. It is believing in what we haven’t seen YET! We have hope for the future. A multi-generational future. We must see it with Kingdom eyes.

Honesty. We must be honest with how we have approached scripture, how we have seen Jesus and what we have believed. Our lives have to begin to look like Jesus said they should. He left the throne of Heaven and came as a baby. He subjected himself to the same temptations we have growing up. He gave us wisdom and taught us truth. He suffered and died then took back all the authority lost in the garden so we could be who Abba created us to be. If you have believed this false gospel there is no shame or condemnation. You get to start again. Bring all of your beliefs, hopelessness and lack of faith to Jesus. Ask Him to restore hope. Ask Him to open your eyes to see Him in scripture. Ask Him to give you ears to hear His voice when He speaks to you. One of the many benefits we have because of the cross and resurrection is to have an intimate relationship with Him. We can walk hand in hand with Him as we subdue and see the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God.

Jesus’ prayer over His disciples in John 17 is also a prayer for each of us.

“Father, I have manifested who you really are and I have revealed you to the men and women that you gave to me. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have fastened your Word firmly to their hearts. And now at last they know that everything I have is a gift from you, And the very words you gave to me to speak I have passed on to them. They have received your words and carry them in their hearts. They are convinced that I have come from your presence, and they have fully believed that you sent me to represent you. So with deep love, I pray for my disciples. I’m not asking on behalf of the unbelieving world, but for those who belong to you, those you have given me. For all who belong to me now belong to you. And all who belong to you now belong to me as well, and my glory is revealed through their surrendered lives.”

May you go forward from this day on being who you are designed to be. His beloved son and beloved daughter destined to see Heaven on Earth. May you walk in the authority Jesus gave you in every area of your life. Blessings.

We Don’t Have to Pretend

Honesty wins every time. If you are asked the question, “Are you an honest person?” What would you say?

I believe every person reading this would answer yes, of course I am honest. There is not one of us who would want to think otherwise about ourselves. Oh, we are honest when we go to the store. We wouldn’t leave without paying. If you are a parent one of the big things you teach your children from the beginning is about being honest about their actions. You expect your spouse to be honest. You expect your friends and family members to be honest. We have made honesty a surface matter. Meaning it’s about what everyone can see.

There is a very important aspect to the Kingdom of Yahweh we have missed in the church. Honesty. The sad thing is the world sees it and it is why they want nothing to do with “church” now. As beloved sons and daughters the standard for us has to be different. It starts with being honest with Abba.

He will not entertain pretenders. It is unfortunate what has happened to the children of Yahweh in the past. We have gotten into the habit of hiding our true selves from others. We wear masks so people can’t really see the struggles in our lives or our families. Even those secret habits we still have. Here is the dangerous part about the mask. We get so familiar with hiding what is in our hearts we then wear the mask in front of Abba. We try to pretend with Him.

The scripture shows us a very important detail about Abba. He will show up wherever the real you shows up even if it's not glamorous. Adam is hiding and Abba shows up to find him. He doesn't say Adam I see you behind that bush. “Adam where are you?” Adam is hiding and the Lord needs him to come out of hiding and be honest. Lord, we ate apples you told us not to eat. Is Abba calling you out of hiding?

This is why it is important to be part of a Kingdom family and not just attend a church on Sunday morning. A family has a father who cares and will lead you to the feet of Jesus. A father can hear the most offensive, embarrassing acts and not make you feel like less of a person. He embraces you and points you to the face of Abba so you can finally be free from the cage you have been hiding in. When we begin to be honest with ourselves about what is really going on in our hearts, we can lay it out before the Lord and even our Kingdom family. What beautiful gifts He has offered us. The safe place of His lap and the hearts of a family.

Proverbs 21:3, “The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer Him sacrifices.”

Being honest is more important to Abba than any service you give on a Sunday morning. What is he putting His finger on today and saying I want to talk about this? It is time to come out of hiding and put it out on the table.

Your healed, whole heart is on the other side of your honesty. It is supernatural the way He comes in to heal and set us free as soon as we are honest with ourselves and Him.

Lord, We’re Invested

Have you ever known someone who seems to get their breakthrough so easily? Like everything comes so naturally for them, but you find yourself always seeming to claw your way through life. Nothing comes easy. How do you respond to these situations? Do you murmur about how easy they have it and it’s never like that for you? If you find yourself in the midst of people who see breakthrough so easily it is important that you honor and celebrate what is happening in their lives.

“Anything you can’t honor and praise, you aren’t ready for.” Pastor Tim

Invest in what is happening with others and places. When you wait until you get what you’re praying for to invest you aren’t trusting Him. Worship isn’t just singing. It’s giving, serving others, celebrating and honoring what is happening around you. What does this all do? It makes room in your life for what’s coming. The rest of Isaiah 54 tells us what is to follow when you, O barren one sings.

“Increase is coming, so enlarge your tent and add extensions to your dwelling. Hold nothing back! Make the tent ropes longer and the pegs stronger. You will increase and spread out in every direction. Your sons and daughters will conquer nations and revitalize desolate cities. Do not fear, for your shame is no more. Do not be embarrassed, for you will not be disgraced. You will forget the inadequacy you felt in your youth and will no longer remember the shame of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband; his name is Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies! Your Kinsman-Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel! He has the title Mighty God of All the Earth!” Isaiah 54

Enlarge and add extensions is terms for investing. All you have to invest up front is an open heart that sings to Jesus. As hope is revived in your heart you will want to invest in others, in your city and state. You begin to see your sons and daughters rise up with wisdom, honor, hope and truth to conquer the hearts of humanity and revitalize desolate cities. Hope brings resurrection to so many things.

In this hope revival we will forget the times of inadequacy, shame and embarrassment. We have a promise here. Our Maker is our husband. Every aspect of your life He cares about. He is Yahweh, the very breathe in your lungs. He is Commander of Angel Armies; he protects you and your descendants. He is your Kinsman-Redeemer; He redeems every aspect of your life making you holy in His sight and before others. He is Mighty! Nothing is impossible for your life. The dreams He has put in your heart for your life and purpose He has the power to see it come to fruition. It all begins with singing.

Pastor Tim ended Sunday with a beautiful prayer over our Kingdom family and it is worth finishing up our walk this week. I encourage you to print this out and pray in agreement with us over what Yahweh is doing in our hearts right here on Pass Rd in Gulfport.

Lord, we pray for hope revival in every heart, in every family, in every situation. Lord let us be the first to sing even in our barrenness, in our brokenness, in the places we have been stuck for what seems to be a lifetime. Lord, let hope revival break forth from the very places that seem to be the less likely. That's the story of a King born in a manger. It’s a baby's first breath being the beginning of conquering death. Help us see the kingdom in seed form and honor the smallest of sparks. Can we be the flames that light hope in Gulfport? Lord, I know there are situations and lifetimes of dishonor but Lord, let us start again. Let us begin to value every moment with you like it is the first. Let us begin to see our lives like you see them. Let us begin to see hope in situations that seem hopeless. Let us close our mouths if we become people of who complain, like you did Zachariah. Let no evil thing come out of these lips, no words of doubt. Lord, begin to transform our imagination into Kingdom imaginations just like the imagination of children. Let us start to look at broken relationships like they are brand new. Hearts being knitted back together in unity and honor. Let tenderness and innocence begin to be poured out in situations. Let us be the first to forgive because we are first forgiven. The ones who bridge the gap. We want to do whatever moves your heart. Lord how do you see our lives changing? What dream should I start dreaming? What business or how many businesses should I own? Lord how much acreage should I have? How many animals should be on that acreage? I pray that every person that is currently an employee would begin to let you build owner in their heart. We would begin to take care of other businesses as if they are our own to bring glory to your name. We would begin to see streets in our neighborhood as ours. Lord, trash would not roll by us because we would be the first ones to lean down and pick it up even if it's not ours. Let us be the first one to worship you the loudest. One to worship you no matter the situation. Help us realize we determine how long we stay barren. We want an overflow of your kingdom. Lord your will be done your kingdom come. Your will be done in us just like it is in heaven. We love you, Lord. We honor you. Lord, will you teach us to honor and treasure what you're saying and what you're doing. Teach us to see value in others and the situation we find ourselves in. Everything has purpose even what we are going through right now. Lord, we thank you for planting incredible families here at The Wilderness Place. We ask all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen

Sing! O Barren One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Surrender

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Train Your Heart

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Treasure His Wisdom

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

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

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

Thanksgiving

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

Have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family this week.

Wind of Love

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

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

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

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

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

Up the Ante

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Veil is Lifted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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