Bring Your Questions

Yesterday we spent some time allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal disappointment we’ve had packed away in our broken hearts. These times of reflection can be very hard to sit through because no one wants to remember the pain of these moments in life and live through it again. Thankfully we have an Abba that loves us too much to let us continue in brokenness. Even a hairline fracture in your heart effects your whole life.

Why would God let this happen? We have all had that question at some point in our lives. Pastor Tim shared his testimony about the death of his father when he was just fifteen. His father was a truck driver, and someone had been talking to him about Jesus. He wanted his family to start going to church. The first Sunday morning they went his father had to work so he wasn’t able to go. Pastor Tim shares his excitement about that morning feeling like he could be all in for this God thing. He really had a great time. They went back for the Sunday evening service but before the service started the pastor took his mom to the back first then came for him, his brother and sister to only find out his father was in an accident that morning and had passed away.

How could YOU let this happen? He shares about his anger towards God. This was the first day going to church. He was so heart broken and disappointed. So angry with Jesus. He was determined to get as far away from Him as possible.

Have you ever been so angry and hurt that you pulled away from Abba? This pulling away has many forms actually. You can be so intentional like Pastor Tim where you avoid any thing that has to do with Jesus. Or maybe you still believe in Him, but He doesn’t have your heart. You really don’t feel He’s trustworthy. Many people show up to church every week as a routine with no space given to the Holy Spirit to transform their heart. This is really hard if the disappointment comes as a result of the death of a loved one. Grief is very difficult. When Pastor Tim was sharing his testimony the Holy Spirit said, “you are still disappointed in Me for the passing of your dad.” I hadn’t felt like I was but when we give the Holy Spirit space to speak into our hearts, He will reveal all things that hinder our intimacy with Jesus.

Some of us have had disappointments come by our own choices. We are just thankful He still lets us in the building. We struggle with the idea of Him loving us because when you are disappointed in yourself you believe He is too. Jesus is willing to meet you right where you are. He is patient, kind, gentle and longsuffering. He never gives up on us. Never. He is always ready to start the process of healing every disappointment completely.

Do not be afraid to drag all of your questions and thoughts of what ifs into His presence. He wastes nothing - every tear, every whisper of I’m tired, this is too painful, I don’t want to think about it. Bring it all to Him. Look at His hands, at His feet, and His side. He loves you this much.

Disappointment is Hard

Today is a time for reflection. Think about the first time you made a decision to be all in with Jesus. It’s like sunshine being poured into your soul. You come alive and find yourself so excited about life. Your heart is sincere in following Jesus to the ends of the earth. Jesus, my heart is yours. My life is yours.

How long have you been a believer? March 2003, I made a decision to be all in with Jesus. I was so excited to give my heart and life to Jesus. What happens to a person that would cause them to be all in then find themselves barely living with Jesus on the back burner of life? That was me.

Let’s look at John 11 to see who Thomas was before he was labeled by religion as doubting. “Then Jesus made it plain to them, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I’m glad I wasn’t there, because now you have another opportunity to see who I am so that you will learn to trust in me. Come, let’s go and see him.” So Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, remarked to the other disciples, “Let’s go so that we can die with him.”

Thomas is willing to lay his life down for Jesus. He is all in, full of faith and trust in the Lord. The disciples have already seen many miracles and now they get to experience one more and it is a major one. It’s resurrection after four days. Thomas is here for it all. What happens to Thomas that he would later be known as doubting?

He experienced disappointment. Disappointment if not brought to the Lord will cause a broken heart. When Jesus was crucified, his disciples were heartbroken, disappointed and discouraged. Have you ever been disappointed? Disappointed in yourself, someone else or a tragic life altering situation. These moments in life can cause us to pull back from Jesus. Truth is when you pull back from Jesus you pull back from life itself. You can find yourself just going through the motions of life. You’re not really living. When we make decisions from disappointment it effects our whole life. In Galatians 5, it talks about a little leaven ruins the whole lump of dough. Disappointment effects everything.

How do we deal with disappointment? Let’s look at John 20. “One of the twelve wasn’t present when Jesus appeared to them—it was Thomas, whose nickname was “the Twin.” So, the disciples informed him, “We have seen the Lord with our own eyes!” Still unconvinced, Thomas replied, “There’s no way I’m going to believe this unless I personally see the wounds of the nails in his hands, touch them with my finger, and put my hand into the wound of his side where he was pierced!” Then eight days later, Thomas and all the others were in the house together. And even though all the doors were locked, Jesus suddenly stood before them! “Peace to you,” he said. Then, looking into Thomas’ eyes, he said, “Put your finger here in the wounds of my hands. Here—put your hand into my wounded side and see for yourself. Thomas, don’t give in to your doubts any longer, just believe!” Then the words spilled out of his heart—“You are my Lord, and you are my God!”

Jesus is not disappointed in you for having doubts or a broken heart with walls all around. In this passage we see Him go past all the disciples who had faith. Straight to the one who was struggling to believe. In our most troubling and darkest moments He shows up. A lot of us have gone through some very traumatic, heartbreaking things in life that has caused us to withhold parts of our heart.

Jesus says to you, “Put your finger here in the wounds of my hands and put your hand into the wound of my side.” He is saying to you today, “You have to put your fingers in my wounds if you expect your wounds to be healed.” Only by staring at His scars can our disappointment and broken hearts be healed.

Thomas’ response to Jesus, “You are my Lord, and you are my God!”

Bring your disappointments to your Lord today. It doesn’t matter if it happened yesterday or twenty years ago. Time is irrelevant to Him. He just wants to heal your heart and bring encouragement to you. His wounds heal, just stare at them.

Yeshua, my heart is yours

As we discussed yesterday, we’re designed to be the image of Yeshua on the earth. If we are the mirror image, then we only do what we see Him do. Truth is Yeshua never asked anyone if they were saved or instructed them in a prayer of salvation.

What did He do? In Luke 4 we see Yeshua read the scriptures for the first time after being in the wilderness for 40 days. “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The order in which things are written and spoken are important. Yeshua says I AM anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. He came to spread the good news of His Kingdom to those who are poor in their spirit. Yeshua says, He (Abba) has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted. If you have a broken heart concerning any area of your life you are not living to the degree, He was resurrected for. When you have a broken heart, you have not allowed love to do what it came to do. Perfect love comes to deal with all fear.

The reason we usually keep perfect love at a distance is we still have a question about how He sees us and how we see ourselves. He is LOVE. Perfect love. He is not disappointed in you for any reason. His love abounds toward you. He has come to heal any area of brokenness in your heart because He knows without that healing you cannot become who He designed you to be.

Yeshua didn’t ask people if they were saved. What he did say was metonia, change the way you think. Repentance is a poor translation for the word metonia. He was telling people then and now, change your perspective because the Kingdom is at hand. This means you can have everything that is available in heaven on earth right now.

In order to change how we think about things we must first allow Him to heal any brokenness we still carry in our hearts. Living with brokenness only causes us to become exhausted because we begin to strive in prayer. We decree and declare to only become discouraged by not seeing those things come to pass. We can’t speak with the authority He gave us when we also carry brokenness.

Come into a posture of rest today. Right now, take a deep breath and as you breath out turn your heart to Him. Say to Him, Jesus, my heart is yours. My life is yours. Take some time just sitting with Him to say this over and over. Allow Him to pour His perfect love over you as you say these words. Careful not to rush out of His presence today. Carry Him with you throughout today to be in constant conversation with what He is showing you concerning your heart.

One Tiny Seed

Today let’s go deeper into Matthew 17. We will start with the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain.

“Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, Jacob and John, and hiked up a high mountain to be alone. Then Jesus’ appearance was dramatically altered. A radiant light as bright as the sun poured from his face. And his clothing became luminescent dazzling like lightning. He was transfigured before their very eyes. Then suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared, and they spoke with Jesus.

Peter blurted out, “Lord, it’s so wonderful that we are all here together! If you want, I’ll construct three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

But while Peter was still speaking, a bright radiant cloud spread over them, enveloping them all. And God’s voice suddenly spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, the constant focus of my delight. Listen to him!”

This radiant light that spread over them is actually the same as Mary being overshadowed and conceived a child. The Greek word is episkiazo, which is used exclusively for the power of Yahweh. It is supernatural power. Jesus being transfigured into this radiant light by the glorious power of Abba is a witness to us. This is part of our destiny as well. It is the same Greek word used twice for us, His beloved in renewing our minds. “But be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think” Romans 12:2. Then in 2 Corinthians 3:18 concerning us becoming like Him on the earth. “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 can hear the voice of Abba also say over us, this is My dearly loved son and daughter, the constant focus of My delight. We too can be transformed into His image and radiate with light and power. When you read statements like this do you believe you can radiate with the same light and power as Jesus? Or do you struggle with the thought of actually being able to lay hands on someone and they be healed. Or pray for a city to be changed and it actually happen.

In Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells His disciples (also us), “I promise you, if you have faith inside of you no bigger than the size of a small mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move away from here and go over there,’ and you will see it move! There is nothing you couldn’t do!”

Just like a seed must be planted to grow and become what it is designed to be you too must be rooted in His love to grow in your faith. We all start with the small seed of faith of believing in who Jesus is and what He did for us, but we cannot stop there. Our faith must grow into who He says we are designed to be. He gave His life for this. Faith grows as it is nurtured by the love of Abba. You must let Him love you. Sometimes this can be difficult if we don’t love ourselves.

A mountain is anything you have exalted above truth. We talked last week about the danger of not taking every lie captive and casting them out. These lies become mountains in front of us. We get discouraged because we feel overwhelmed by what we are looking at. Oftentimes these mountains are really a facade of the lies we believe. It causes us to forget who we are. Knowing who you are in Him causes great power to rise up and the words you speak will cause these mountains to be moved. Jesus says, “there is nothing you couldn’t do.” We know Jesus is not liar so if He says we can- WE CAN!

Let’s start here today: Jesus, my heart is yours. My life is yours. I am planting my seed of faith into the soil of your love. I will rest in You. I will soak in your love being poured out on me today and every day. As I soak in your love, I know my faith will grow into the beautiful life you’ve designed for me. Abba, I will display your glory to those around me just like Jesus did on that mountain. Thank you for your love.

Thank you, Yeshua

Christ is Supreme: Colossians 1:19

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

“It is finished, My bride.” John 19

Two Opinions

Elijah camped by the brook for an extended period of time learning to trust Yahweh for his needs. The Kerith brook means cutting away. Oftentimes, He will call us to sit and learn to trust His provisions. In the posture of rest and trust He will cut away those thoughts or beliefs that hinder our intimacy with Him. When we are obedient to His voice we find all of our needs met. These needs are not just financial. It can be physical healing, the healing of relationships or restoration of family.

Elijah moves from the brook on the word of the Lord and ultimately after some time came back before King Ahab with a challenge. He serves the God of Israel, but the King and his prophets serve baal. This is what he says to the people. 1 Kings 18:21 “Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.”

How long will you waver between two opinions? If you are reading this walk, then you would probably say I know Jesus can do anything. I believe in Him as my savior, but I also have thoughts that are not from Him. I struggle in my daily life with trusting Him. I have my own opinions and thoughts. We either follow Jesus or we follow our own opinions and beliefs. And the people were silent.

When you have lies come into your mind like thoughts of yourself or a situation that go unanswered you come into an agreement with the lie. A lie becomes a truth when you give it your authority. We are instructed in 2 Corinthians 10 to take every thought captive that is raised in defiance of the true knowledge of Yahweh. Jesus gave us His authority to trample every lie that the enemy tries to speak. (Luke 10:19) When these lies go unanswered in our minds we come into agreement with it and then it has power.

YOU HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST! Declare this over yourself and your children daily. You are created in His image and likeness. You must know who you are. When you know who you are so will your children, grandchildren and for the next ten generations. We have been given a word here at TWP of things being established right now that will affect the next ten generations for the glory of Yahweh. We have hope because we are hearing the voice of Yeshua say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Repent actually means metanoia which translates to change the way you think. We refuse to be silent to the lies and allow them to govern our legacy. We will hear His voice and speak His words over us and our family. We will speak His words over our community and the State of Mississippi!

Trusted with His Voice

Can you be trusted with His voice? Yesterday we talked about the importance of hearing His voice in every moment. Abba is a good steward of everything especially what He speaks to you. Sunday, we talked about Elijah. Let’s look at 1 Kings 17. “Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

What does this have to do with being trusted with His voice? This is the first mention of Elijah. He shows up on the scene to give a “word” to a King. A very important word, one that controls the atmosphere, no rain or dew until he says. That is some serious authority given to him. He gives this powerful word to the King and then the Lord said to go hide by the Kerith Brook until I tell you otherwise.

Has the Lord ever given you a “word” for someone? When you gave the word to them did you try to make sure they followed through? Like did you stick around to monitor their response. If we are honest all of us have done this. This is not our responsibility. We are not the Holy Spirit. When He gives us a word for someone it’s like seed being planted. One plants and one waters but it’s the Lord that brings the increase. This is one reason why hearing His whisper is so important.

Another reason would be hearing His voice concerning someone but hide in the secret place to pray over it. He does not always want us to “share it” with that person. Jesus says, I only do what I see the Father do. (John 5:19) We can be a people who only do and say what He whispers to us. Hearing and obeying are better than sacrifice. This is probably the most difficult thing because we want people to know Him. We want to share about His love, but can I tell you what will win people to Jesus? A life of surrendered life. Preaching to them or correcting them will not do it. Telling them He loves them does not work but loving them like He does will.

A surrendered heart is precious to Him. Will you choose this day to be trusted with His whispers? Let Him draw you in closer to hear Him. Truth is nothing we could ever “do for Him” is better than “being with Him” listening to His voice.

His Whisper

“It’s easier and cost less to do things for Yeshua than to be loved by Him.” Pastor Tim

Think about the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. But Martha became exasperated with finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.”

The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.”

The description is Mary sat down attentively before Yeshua to absorb every word. She was quiet before Him and every word He spoke was like tangible love being poured over her.

As I was praying over this walk, I heard the Lord say, “If you can’t sit at My feet and be loved you cannot hear My whisper. You’ll share about Me from head knowledge and not My voice.” When you look at Martha, she became irritated by her ministry. She was so busy she could not hear what was most important: His voice.

We must have His voice. We must be able to hear His whisper in a moment. We must be able to hear Him in a crowd. This is what on earth as it is in heaven looks like. In any given moment He may speak a word to us about the situation. We must be a people who can hear Him, but with His voice must come wisdom. Not every word He speaks is meant to be shared. We will talk more about that tomorrow.

Today begin to intentionally turn your heart to Him and come into the posture of rest to hear His voice. Ask Him to help you not be distracted by the demands of life. Slow down. Take a deep breath. Listen. According to Yeshua, it is a privilege to sit with Him undistracted.

A Journey of Renewal

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

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

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

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

How do you allow Him to uproot and pull-down old ways of thinking? There are two foundational scriptures for us here at TWP. 1 John 1:5 “This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.” And 2 Corinthians 3:16-17, “But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted, and they see. Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.”

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

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

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

A Time of Reflection

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

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

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

Blessings this week in your time of reflection.

Dear Abba

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

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

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

Haptomai

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

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

Leper Conscience

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s the Goodness of Yahweh

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

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

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

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

Jesus himself spent 30 years on the earth through humanity falling in love with Abba before He did anything. He gave us the perfect example of what this union should look like. If you came to Jesus through fear or purpose, today you can turn your heart to Him and ask to start fresh based on love. Like Paul, in Philippians said, “to truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all his greatness.”

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

The Depth of Your Heart

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

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

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

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

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

Faith and Delight

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

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

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

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

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

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

Responding to His Presence

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honor is a very important aspect of our relationship with Him. I encourage you to ask Him what His definition of honor is. We can think we honor but it’s more than not talking bad about someone. It’s more than following the principals of the Kingdom. Many are successful to a certain point in following principal without honor, but it is dangerous. Remember, John the Beloved had to write a letter to Apostle Timothy? Timothy pastored one of the largest churches in history. Even Yeshua’s mother went to this church. They were so caught up in doing church they left the most important thing. “I know all that you’ve done for me—you have worked hard and persevered. I know that you don’t tolerate evil. You have tested those who claimed to be apostles and proved they are not, for they were imposters. I also know how you have bravely endured trials and persecutions because of my name, yet you have not become discouraged. But I have this against you: you have abandoned the passionate love you had for me at the beginning.” Revelation 2

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

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

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

Lift the Standard

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

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

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

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

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

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

Delight Yourself in Him

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Foundational Truths

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

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

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

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

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