Practicing The Presence

Written by Jarred Rushing

(5 minutes)

The next morning, Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer. Later, Simon and his friends searched for him, and when they finally tracked him down, they told him, "Everyone is looking for you -- they want you!" (Mark 1:35-37)

In Jesus we see the best expression of the ONE thing lifestyle. He is continually turning His heart towards the Father and intentionally spending time alone with Him. And even though we see Jesus slipping away for these quiet moments, we also get a glimpse of an ongoing discussion that He had with Abba.

So Jesus said, "I speak to you timeless truth. The Son is not able to do anything from himself or through my own initiative. I only do the works that I see the Father doing, for the Son does the same works as his Father." (John 5:19)

How much focus would Jesus have to give to His relationship with the Father if He was only ever doing what He saw the Father doing? We're not just talking about an hour getaway when things were quiet and peaceful (although Jesus prioritized this as well). We're talk about an ongoing, continual turning of the heart toward God. We're talking about a nonstop conversation that Jesus was having with Abba. Jesus said that He couldn't "do anything from himself or through [his] own initiative." That would require a never-ending connection to the Father. 

Is that even possible for us?

It must be, because we're destined to be transformed into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18) 

For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. (Romans 8:29)

The Holy Spirit is working in us today to make us just like Jesus. We're designed to have the same relationship that Jesus shared with the Father - to the same degree, the same fullness. We are destined to walk in that same measure of closeness and union. Jesus did not possess some unattainable, unachievable relationship with God. His life is our map, our pattern, and our blueprint. We have been predestined to become just like Him. 

It's important that we see this, because if Jesus remains an unattainable goal then so does His relationship with Abba. We have to start seeing Jesus as our older brother, and just like little brothers and sisters do - we're following His footsteps. We're watching how He does it, and we're imitating Him until it becomes who we are. But we need to believe that it WILL become who we are. 

Brother Lawrence, a 17th century hermit and friar, coined an important phrase that you've heard in our language at The Wilderness Place - it's "practicing the presence of God." He made a decision to stop all of his set forms of prayer and devotion, and he started pursuing the presence of God in every moment, letting his heart turn towards the face of Abba as often as possible. He believed that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him. Listen to his words:

“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”

We need to tear the down the wall that we've erected between our quiet time and the rest of our day. The same face-to-face presence we enjoy in our time alone with Abba needs to bleed into every moment, by having a continual conversation with Him. We might be taken away for a moment, but we are always picking up where we left off. "Okay, Abba, I'm back. Where were we?" 

It's the turning of the heart towards Him. 

It's practicing the presence of God. 

Abba wants to speak to us in and through everything. If our ear is tuned in to this constant conversation, we will begin to hear Him in ways we've never heard Him before. He'll talk to us while we're cooking a meal or watching a movie. He'll reveal things to us through an offhand conversation with a stranger. He'll teach us through ordinary moments with our children and grandchildren. He'll use pets, trees, mountains, boardgames, homework, yard work, flowers, birds and so much more to speak to us. Practicing the presence of God is about developing an ear that is always tuned in to the conversation and a spirit that is always sensitive to Abba's heart. You'll be doing the most ordinary task and then your ear will perk up and your spirit will agree, "I just heard Abba's voice in that moment." 

We must choose at the start of every day to engage in this walk with Abba. We can't let the distractions of the day quiet our hunger for His voice. Saying "Yes and I do!" to Abba is saying "No and I don't!" to all the annoying little foxes that are only trying to ruin the vineyard of our love affair with Jesus. As He becomes the ONE thing our heart desires, all the noisy intrusions of our own enemy-thoughts will die down. Brother Lawrence would call those "trifles and fooleries." They are not worth our time. But He is worthy of our life. 

Let your walk with Abba span the length of this entire day! Let the wall between your quiet time and the rest of your day be torn down. Let your conversation with Him have no end. 

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Worship: "You Walk With Me" by Housefires  

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

The ONE Thing Lifestyle

Written by Jarred Rushing

(5 minutes)

Here's the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer. 

Lord, when you said to me, "Seek my face,"
my inner being responded, "I'm seeking Your face with all my heart."
(Psalm 27: 4, 8)

Abba lures us out into the wilderness in order to produce a ONE thing lifestyle in us. He's trying to produce in us something that He already carries in Him. We are the beloved of the Father and in us He finds His greatest delight. It sounds like Yahweh is already enjoying this ONE thing lifestyle. And isn't that what it's all about. The ONE thing lifestyle is all about the love affair, the relationship we have with Him. It's about unearthing what your single, greatest delight is in this world. The thing that is worthy of your whole life. The thing that is so valuable that you’re willing to offload everything else in order to acquire it. Whatever you enjoy the most occupies the ONE thing status of your heart. 

Pastor Tim shared a revealing question on Sunday that's meant to help us unearth that single, greatest delight that we have in this world. Remember, honesty is the greatest form of intimacy. Hard questions that are answered honestly usher us into a greater measure of intimacy. This was the statement that Pastor Tim made:

"You can only know what you worship by looking at what you give the most time to."

Now, go back and read that again, slowly.

Remember, craving ONE thing above all else is a matter of the heart. Our heart is ever-drifting towards the thing we worship. We're intentionally designed this way. We ask questions like, "How can I give more of my life to God?" and, "How do you make Jesus the one thing in your life?" The problem with these questions is that they're not addressing the root issue. What we're really asking is, "How do I fall in love with Jesus?" Because you will naturally give more of your life to the thing you love. You will naturally make what you love the ONE thing that you crave and desire. You don't have to drum up these feelings when it's something you honestly and authentically love. We didn't have to ask those questions when we were falling in love with our spouses. Because the heart naturally returns to what it loves the most. It's always conspiring and making plans on the best route back to what it loves. 

The most common scenario is the one that Pastor Tim shared about on Sunday when he said, "We start off in wonder and excitement, thrilled to be in the presence of Jesus, then something happens." We know what it's like to feel that first-love fire being ignited in our heart. We know what it's like to crave and desire His presence above all else. We know what it's like to be at work or at home or with family and friends and to feel our heart returning to Him, drifting back to our heart's greatest delight. We start off in this place of passion, where love is guiding us back to His face continually. And then something happens. It's different in every story, but something eventually happens that causes our heart to get distracted and things begin to shift. What causes a disruption to the ONE thing lifestyle? The addition of another thing. 

What started off like Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, enthralled with every word pouring from His lips, ends like Martha who is running around, worried about many things. Listen to Jesus' words to Martha in Luke 10:41-42: 

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."

Martha was pulled away by many distractions. 
Mary discovered the ONE thing most important to her.

Martha was upset and troubled.
Mary was undistracted.

Martha was trying to love multiple things at one time.
Mary was trying to love what she delighted in the most. 

Are you pulled away by many distractions?
Are you upset and troubled?
Do you feel unstable?

Listen to what produces instability in our life:

When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you're in that condition? (James 1:8) 

It's doubleminded thinking that produces the instability in our life. And doublemindedness isn't us thinking about bad things; it's us thinking about more than one thing. It leaves us restless and disengaged, and apathetic - not interested, not enthusiastic, not concerned. And James is right to ask, "Can we really expect to receive anything from the Lord when we're in that condition?" Have you ever been half-hearted in your marriage? Did you receive anything while you were in that state? Or were you unstable, upset and troubled? 

Abba wants us to discover the ONE thing that is most important because it will bring an endless amount of joy and peace to us - the abundant life He died to give us. A life that doesn't just meet our expectations, but one that far exceeds what we are able to ask, think or even imagine. He wants us living fully alive until we're overflowing! And the only way to walk in that level of abundance is to simplify the aim of our life. Simple and single are one in the same. It must be about ONE thing. Can you imagine the chaos that our universe would be in if we tried to introduce something that would compete with our sun for centerstage? Our life is scattered and thrown off of it's axis when we introduce a multitude of things that contend for our heart's attention. 

How do you rid your life of the distractions and the things that are pulling you away? You fall more in love with Jesus, and as you fall more in love with Him you will fall out of love with everything that steals your heart away from Him. As you stare into His face, you will notice that distractions will fall away and the things that promote your love affair with Him will intensify. Let love do what it does best. Saint Catherine of Siena said, "Love transforms one into what love loves." Let your love for Jesus take centerstage and watch what happens next! As He becomes the ONE thing, we will be transformed into His image.

Take a walk with Abba today, and don't stare at the distractions - stare at Him! The distractions will be dissolved in the river of His love. 

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Worship: "After You" by UPPERROOM

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

With All My Heart

Written by Jarred Rushing

(4 minutes)

Yahweh is my revelation-light and the source of my salvation. I fear no one!
I'll never turn back and run, for you, Yahweh, surround and protect me.
When evil ones come to destroy me, they will be the ones who turn back.
My heart will not fear even if an army rises to attack.
I will not be shaken, even if war is imminent.
Here's the one thing I crave from Yahweh,
the one thing I seek above all else:
I want to live with him every moment in his house,
beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh,
filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace.
I want to contemplate in his temple.
In the day of trouble, he will treasure me in his shelter,
under the cover of his tent.
He will lift me high upon a rock,
out of reach from all my enemies who surround me.
Triumphant now, I'll bring him my offerings of praise,
singing and shouting with ecstatic joy!
Yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh!
Hear my cry. Show me mercy, and send the help I need!
I heard your voice in my heart say, "Come, seek my face;"
my inner being responded, "Yahweh, I'm seeking your face with all my heart."
(Psalm 27:1-8)

"Yahweh, I'm seeking your face with all my heart."

With all my heart.

Craving one thing above all else, to behold Yahweh face-to-face, is a matter of the heart. This is where it all begins. Making our life about one thing demands 100% of our heart. It must be tender. It must be settled. It must be ever-drifting towards the thing we worship. That's how we're designed to be: ever-drifting towards the thing that our heart loves the most. It's a magnetic pull towards what we adore that supersedes time, space, and whatever activity we're engaged in at the moment. The heart is always returning to what it loves most. It's always conspiring and making plans on the best route back to worshipping that person, place, or thing. 

Abba, am I seeking You with all my heart?

That's a relational question. And it's not an invitation to sit with shame, but an invitation into deeper intimacy. It's a revealing question as it demands that the heart answer with honesty to what it wants the most. Heart, what are you seeking with all of yourself? What are you thinking about throughout the day? What are you longing to get back to? What are you craving above all else?

Abba is inviting us into a deeper measure of intimacy. 

I recently read a quote that said, "Honesty is the highest form of intimacy."

If that's true, then any invitation into a deeper measure of intimacy must begin with a deeper measure of honesty and truth. That's why the question, "Abba, am I seeking you with all of my heart?," can be quite uncomfortable at first. Because it demands that we be honest with Him and with ourselves. The heart must give an honest answer or we forfeit the invitation into that more intimate place. It's not unfair, it's how relationships work. The price of entry into more is always honesty about where we are currently. So, don't be afraid to entertain the question. There's always going to be infinitely more to Abba than we could ever encounter or experience in this lifetime. That's why eternal life is knowing Him (John 17:3), because it will take that long to unfold the riches and depths of love that are being offering to us in Him. Our covenant in our earthly marriage is to continually know and experience intimacy with our spouse for our entire life on this planet. Our covenant in our marriage to Yahweh is to continually know and experience intimacy with Him for all eternity. So let's start our week with thankfulness that we'll never "arrive" when it comes to Abba's love. It is limitless. It knows no bounds. Eternity has already started for us. We're experiencing true intimacy and face-to-face-ness with Abba that deepens with every walk we take with Him. 

There will always be more, so let's respond to His invitation into deeper intimacy with a resounding, "Yes, and I do!" And let's allow Holy Spirit to lead us into an honest conversation with Abba about where our heart is right now and what it actually longs for. It may help you to know that the answer is not for Him - He already knows. The answer is for you. And when your honesty collides with Abba's goodness, you will have descended into deeper waters of intimacy with Him. His kindness leads us into real change and transformation, real metanoia.

Abba, am I seeking You with all my heart?

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Worship: "Come to the River" by Housefires 

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

His Heart For Us

Written by Jarred Rushing

(3 minutes)

Our heart is designed to be yielded to the heart of God.

Abba lures us into the wilderness and out of the religious system so He can transform us into a glorious Bride. The whole point of the wilderness is oneness. It's a covenant marriage between us and Yahweh where the two become one. The goal of the wilderness is not to have two independent hearts that are each seeking their own will. It's the sharing of one heart and one mind. This is the union that Yahweh is after. This is the union that is being cultivated in the wilderness place. (Hosea 2:14)

I want to echo a very important thought that Pastor Tim shared this past Sunday that has everything to do with inheriting Abba's heart for us. 

"When you become hungry to the point where all you want is Him, He makes it very clear what His heart's desire is for you. On the other side of that, if we casually want Him, then we can't hear what His heart wants standing right next to Him." 

Inheriting Abba's heart for us can't be achieved while we're entertaining other lovers.

Yahweh is jealous and has no plans on sharing us with anyone or anything else. I know for myself that there have been other things in my life that I have trusted in to protect me and provide for me. Those are the "other lovers" that I'm referring to - it's the other things and people that we put our trust in, instead of giving our whole heart to Him. We'll never be able to hear His heart for us while we're entertaining and trusting in these other things. I can promise you this: if Abba is luring you into the wilderness, He has every intention of ridding all of these other lovers from your life. He won't allow any of them to remain if they are hindering the love that is reserved only for you and Him. 

There is a quote that I picked up sometime ago that has proven true to this day: "We give up things we love for things we love even more." The only way to shake the lingering lovers in our life that are stealing our trust away from Abba is to fall more in love with Him. Lesser loves always fall away when you are introduced to something even more lovely. Our intimacy with Yahweh is the only cure. It's the only thing that effortlessly removes the little foxes that are raiding the vineyard of our love with Him.

Hear Yahweh's invitation today into a deeper place of intimacy:

Arise, my love, my beautiful companion,
and run with me to the higher place.
For now is the time to arise and come away with me.
For you are my dove, hidden in the split-open rock.
It was I who took you and hid you up high
in the secret stairway of the sky.
Let me see your radiant face and hear your sweet voice.
How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer.
You must catch the troubling foxes,
those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship.
For they raid our budding vineyard of love
to ruin what I've planted within you.
Will you catch them and remove them for me?
We will do it together.
(Song of Songs 2:13-15)

Abba is showing up for the walk with you today, because He wants to do it together. He wants to do everything together. And we want to know and obey His heart in all things. We just can't do that if we're approaching Him casually. He will not be an option among many. He must be the One and Only. 

Don't allow the little foxes to quiet your hunger for the only One who can satisfy you!

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Worship: "Dove's Eyes" by Misty Edwards

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Always The Baptizer, Never The Baptized

Written by Jarred Rushing

(7 minutes)

Then Jesus and his disciples left for a length of time into the Judean countryside where they baptized the people. At this time John was still baptizing people at Aenon, near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and the people kept coming for John to baptize them. (This was before John was thrown into prison.) An argument started between John's disciples and a particular Jewish man about baptism. So they went to John and asked him, "Teacher, are you aware that the One you told us about at the crossing place--he's now baptizing crowds larger than yours. People are flocking to him!" John answered them, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless God bestows it. You've heard me tell you that I am not the Messiah, but certainly I am the messenger sent ahead of him. He is the Bridegroom, and the bride belongs to him. I am the friend of the Bridegroom who stands nearby and listens with great joy to the Bridegroom's voice. Because of his words, my joy is complete and overflows! It is necessary for him to increase and for me to decrease."  (John 3:22-30)

Make no mistake, John the Baptizer was one of the greatest men that ever lived and he had one of the most important, if not the most important, ministries in preparing the way for the Messiah to come. But I've always wondered one thing about John - after baptizing Jesus and seeing the long-awaited Messiah come on the scene, why did he continue ministering and not stop everything to follow Jesus? Even John's disciples didn't hesitate to leave him to walk with Jesus. 

The next day, Jesus walked right past where John and two of his disciples were standing. John, gazing upon Jesus, pointed to him and prophesied, "Look! There's God's sacrificial Lamb!" And as soon as John's two disciples heard this, they immediately left John and began to follow a short distance behind Jesus. Jesus turned around and saw they were following him and asked, "What do you want?" They responded, "Rabbi (which means, Master Teacher), where are you staying? Jesus answered, "Come and discover for yourselves." (John 1:35-39) 

No hesitation at all! One of these two disciples was actually Andrew, who brought his brother, Simon Peter, into the fold of Jesus' disciples. But why not John? John continues his own ministry. John continues to baptize people. I thought it was funny that even the name of the location where John was baptizing seems to be sending a message to John. If you string the two names (Aenon and Salim) together, they will translate "follow the dove's eyes." In Song of Songs 5:12, we are given a picture of Jesus as the writer pens, "His eyes are like doves." It seems to me that all signs are pointing for John to surrender his ministry and follow the One his life was pointing to. 

John is saying all the right things. "He [Jesus] is the Bridegroom, and the bride belongs to him," and, "It is necessary for him to increase and for me to decrease." But we never see John join the ranks of the bride that belongs to the Christ. I guess you could say that John was always a bridesmaid, never a bride. He was always the baptiz-er, and never the baptiz-ed. It appears that John was defined by his ministry. His whole life was poured into his purpose. His occupation became his name - John the Baptizer.

It's hard to put away something that you've let define you and your life. Who am I if I don't do this? I think it's significant that John's disciples call the place where John baptized Jesus, "the crossing place," because that was a "crossroads moment" for John. On that day his ministry went toe-to-toe with the eyes of Yeshua, and John had a decision to make. Will I continue to be John the Baptizer or will I become John the Baptized? Will I find my identity and purpose in my ministry or will I find my identity and purpose in being called "Beloved Bride." I don't think John was called to just be the friend of the Bridegroom, who stands nearby. I think he was called to be joined to Jesus, fully baptized in His love. 

John kept pursuing his own ministry. And one day the crowds died down at the waters of baptism and the Baptizer suddenly had no one left to baptize. So he partnered with the political spirit and found a thread of identity in railing against Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea, because he divorced his first wife and married his sister-in-law, Herodias, who turned out to be the one who called for John's head on a platter. And before he died, John the Baptizer, the one who would prophesy over Jesus as he walked by and the one who recognized the Lamb of God standing on the banks of the Jordan River, this same John, from his prison cell, sent messengers to ask the Christ as question: "Are you really the one the prophets said would come, or should we still wait for another?" (Matthew 11:2-3)

This is what happens when we find false identity in what we do, instead of finding our identity in Abba's voice: we lose sight of ourselves and we lose sight of Him. There are so many noble causes in the world. John had the privilege of being the forerunner to the Christ, yet he never should have let that define him. There was a higher calling that was reaching out for John. "John, come and discover who you really are - my Beloved One." 

Again, there are tons of noble causes in the world, worthy of our attention. Helping the poor. Healing the brokenhearted. Caring for the widow and orphan. Being a good mother and a good father. Being the best boss or employee. Leading and serving in ministry. And the list truly does go on and on. But we can never let these things take the place of our highest calling in life. Being the Baptizer can never become more important than being the Beloved of the Father. Abba wants us to find our identity in the only thing that can't be taken away from us - His perfect love. It's the only firm foundation that there is. There's only one thing that has the ability to grant us true rest. There's only one thing that has the ability to stop all of our striving and self-earning. There's only one place where all of our purpose and identity should flow from: being found in Him, as His beloved, in whom He finds the greatest delight. 

I've had a couple questions the past few days as I'm standing under this teaching: Did John ever have the opportunity to be baptized in the river that he so faithfully baptized others in? What difference would it have made in John's life if he had made a different decision at the crossing place that day? What if he would have shut the whole operation down to walk with Jesus?

Abba, am I at a crossing place right now? Is there something in my life that is competing with my finding all of my identity in You? Is there something, a title - an image - a theological opinion - a ministry or cause - a job or position - a place of safety where I feel protected from the world, that I'm unwilling to give up in order to be fully immersed in my true identity as Beloved One? Abba, come and walk with me. Abba, come and talk with me about this. It's a hard conversation, but You are the safest place I could ever be. I'd rather have this conversation with You right now, than have it with myself later as I'm sitting in a prison cell, wondering if You're really who You said You were. I don't just want to be a friend of the Bridegroom. I want to be ONE with the Bridegroom. Let everything else fall away effortlessly as I stare into Your eyes. Nothing compares to being found in You. Abba, let me descend into my beloved identity. Let me be fully immersed, baptized in Your perfect love. I trust the flow of Your river!

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Worship: "I Am Your Beloved" by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Abba Has An Announcement To Make

Written by Jarred Rushing

(5 minutes)

Then Jesus left Galilee to come to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But when he waded into the water, John resisted him, saying, "Why are you doing this? I'm the one who needs to be baptized by you, and yet you come to be baptized by me?" 

Jesus replied, "It is only right to do all that God requires." Then John baptized Jesus. And as Jesus rose up out of the water, the heavenly realm opened up over him and he saw the Holy Spirit descend out of the heavens and rest upon him in the form of a dove. Then suddenly the voice of the Father shouted from the sky, saying, "This is the Son I love, and my greatest delight is in him." (Matthew 3:13-17)

This is perhaps one of the greatest scriptures that we have in our Bibles. All scripture is God-breathed but in this story we have one of only two instances where the Father speaks for Himself from the heavenly realm. I think that's important. It's something we should pay attention to. The Father was content to send Jesus to be His exact representation on the earth, yet in this moment we get to hear from Him directly. Think about it: the Father is going to take an opportunity to say something that everyone will be able to hear and what does He choose to say? 

"THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, AND MY GREATEST DELIGHT IS IN HIM."

This was the most important message that Jesus could hear from the Father. And it's the most important message that we could ever hear from the Father. As Jesus waded out into the Jordan River he was about to be immersed in that which flows down from the God, and this message is it. The announcement of our beloved identity is what Abba is calling us to be immersed in. "Come and be plunged in My love for you!" We have always made baptism about sin, but it's what we're being baptized IN that is dealing with the sin. We're being baptized in our beloved identity. We're baptized in that which flows down from the Father. We're being baptized in the same message that Jesus was submerged in as He arose from the waters of the Jordan. Baptism is our choosing to be identified by Abba's voice alone, and He calls us "Beloved."

Isn't Abba's unconditional love what deals most effortlessly and effectively with our sin?  Isn't it His kindness that lures us into transformation? 

The confession that we were supposed to make in the waters of baptism was not "I am a sinner." The confession was supposed to be, "I am a beloved son and daughter of Yahweh, and He finds His greatest delight in me! I'm choosing to live a life immersed in THAT revelation."

We become what we behold. This is why we must fix our gaze on the face of Yahweh. Because His eyes tell us everything we need to know about how He feels about us. We've been beholding our own sinfulness and shortcomings so long that we've become the very thing that Jesus delivered us from. As we start beholding His thoughts about us, His kindness towards us, our own belovedness, then we'll become just like Jesus, drenched in Abba's image and authority. 

Can you hear the Father's voice speaking these words over you today?

"You are My beloved son.
You are My beloved daughter.
My greatest delight is in you."

But Abba, I haven't done anything significant for You. I haven't made any difference for the Kingdom. I'm still dealing with the same issues and thought patterns. I haven't seen enough change in me to be worthy of these words. 

"Oh, Beloved One, you don't know the limitlessness of My love. The full force of My love was flowing to you before you even existed in the physical world. You were nothing that any natural eye could see, but I saw you. You were suspended in My heart and had not even made your entrance on to earth's stage, and I loved you. You may not know it yet, but you were My idea. Please stop reducing My love to what You have and have not done. My love is not fickle and it's not reserved only for those who can keep up. My love is reserved for you - all of you. You do not know how much I love you yet, but I am willing to show up and walk with you every single day for all eternity to convince you. Will you come away with Me?"

You know, I never understood why Jesus needed to be baptized. It never made sense to me, because Jesus was sinless and had no need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. And religion could never answer that question for me. It wasn't until I learned about beloved identity that I saw this story in the light of the truth. Jesus was being baptized in Abba's love. He was being baptized in the one announcement that Abba wants to make over all of His sons and daughters. It's the unconditional love that's flowing down from His throne. These waters aren't reserved only for sinners. These waters are reserved for anyone willing to wade into them and hear Abba's voice for themselves. 

I am so grateful for this revelation. I am so grateful for Abba's love that calls me "Beloved One." These waters have changed everything. These waters are changing everything. This river is wild, just like His love for me. 

Let's be washed again as we wade out with Abba today! He's showing up for the walk and He's ready to convince us even more. So we say, "Thank you, Abba. Show me more!"

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Worship: "Pieces" by Amanda Cook

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Immersed In The River

Written by Jarred Rushing

(6 minutes)

It was at this time that John the Baptizer began to preach in the desert of Judah. His message was this: "Heaven's kingdom is about to appear--so you'd better keep turning away from evil and turn back to God!" Isaiah was referring to John when he prophesied:

A thunderous voice! One will be crying out in the wilderness,
"Prepare yourself for the Lord's coming and level a straight path inside your hearts for him."

Now, John wore clothing made from camel's hair, tied at the waist with a leather strap, and his food consisted of dried locusts and wild honey. A steady stream of people from Jerusalem, all the surrounding countryside, and the region near the Jordan came out to the wilderness to be baptized by him. And while they were publicly confessing their sins, he would immerse them in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:1-6)

Yesterday we learned about the wilderness and why Abba is so passionate about luring us to this place, so He can speak tenderly to our hearts and transform us from religious slaves into intimate lovers of God. This wilderness walk with Abba will redefine us and everything that we've ever believed about Him and about ourselves. It can be scary at times because we've found our identity in so many other things instead of Abba's voice, and when those things get shaken and begin to be removed it can feel like you're being exposed or unveiled, like you're losing parts of yourself even though those parts were rooted in a false identity.

After John goes through his own wilderness walk he becomes a thundering voice that calls other people into the wilderness to have their hearts washed in a river. Anytime you see the Jordan River mentioned in scripture it is calling our attention to Abba's love and our beloved identity. "Jordan" in the Hebrew language literally means "that which is flowing down." The river that is flowing down from Abba's throne is His unconditional love for His children. It is always flowing down and He is calling all of us to be immersed in it. This is what produces change in our lives. This is what produces real repentance, metanoia, a complete change of mind. 

This is why I envision our wilderness walk with Abba like we're wading into the river of His love.

We always start in the shallow end. This is where easy things fall away. This is where you shed trivial desires that mostly pertain to life in this natural, physical world. Stuff you always thought you needed now feels small and insignificant. Almost in the blink of an eye you find yourself able to walk away from things that you once used as a crutch in life. These are the things that you would always run to when you felt alone or unacceptable, but now that you're discovering that you are never alone and always acceptable to Abba, the running starts to cease. You notice your behavior is starting to change. And then you wade out a little further into the river of His love and the current picks up and begins to carry some bigger things away.

We've moved away from trivial, natural desires and the river seems to be flowing with force against our long-held beliefs. This is the part of the river where our theology gets washed. Things we've always thought were true about God, His love is beginning to redefine. And we're finding out in the process just how much stock we put into those beliefs. They somehow got woven into the fabric of our identity and when they're questioned or redefined we begin to feel some anxiety or even some offense rise up in us. This is how you know that a belief has become a stronghold in your heart: when it can't be poked or prodded without producing offense, anger or anxiety. This is also where fingerprints of the past begin to be exposed. Abba's love wants to wash away all the illegal ways that we were handled by others. I'll be honest with you, this is where most people turn around and go back to Egypt. This is where you start facing hard things and surrendering to the flow of His love feels a lot like you're losing control, like you're losing your footing...and you are. The fun of the river is being swept away and allowing yourself to be directed by the river's flow instead of your own. If staying in control is important to you, then you won't find any enjoyment in the river of God's love. Allowing the river to wash away our untrue theology and the fingerprints of the past is a healing journey. Abba wants us to be completely whole, every part of us must be immersed in His lovingkindness. 

And then when you think there's nothing left and you're stumbling and trying to stay upright in the water, the river suddenly gets deeper and picks up speed again. Your feet fly up and your head goes under. At this point, it's too late to turn around. And Abba's love addresses the deepest thing about you: the motive of your heart. It's the ugliest parts of who we are that we try our very best to hide from everyone, even ourselves. You know you've tried to hide it from yourself when it seems shocking to you once it's revealed. I've had Abba reveal things about me and my response was, "Abba, I didn't know that was in there." That's because I hid it so well that I even forgot where it was! Why does Abba feel the need to expose even the ugliest parts of who we are? It's not really something that He needs, it's something that we need. He wants us to be a first-hand witness of just how deep His love flows for us. He wants us to know that His love is so unconditional that it can even embrace the dirtiest, ugliest parts of who we are - effortlessly with no hesitation. This is why we must be immersed in beloved identity. This is why He wants us fully convinced of His love. Because in order for us to enjoy ourselves in this river, we must know that every part of us is loved. Once we know that Abba loves us entirely, we will stop trying to protect ourselves and control the flow of our life, and we will finally be able to enjoy the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. 

No matter what part of the river you are in right now, keep wading with Abba. The exposure is not meant to produce shame or condemnation or fear. The exposure is so you can witness first-hand just how much Abba loves you. You'll never be more loved than you are right now. And that doesn't just pertain to the clean parts of you that you deem worthy enough to show the world. It applies to the leper that you've hidden in the deepest corner of your heart, too. 

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Worship: "Preference" by Rachel Morley

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Why The Wilderness?

Written by Jarred Rushing

(5 minutes)

The wilderness and dry land will be joyously glad!
The desert will blossom like a rose and rejoice! (Isaiah 35:1)

Wilderness places are overjoyed when a Kingdom man or woman steps into them, fully convinced of Yahweh's goodness and their own beloved identity. They cannot help but rejoice because someone who actually carries the Kingdom of God has arrived to establish that Kingdom in their midst. This is the bright, glory-filled future of every beloved son and daughter of Yahweh: to carry the very Kingdom and Presence of God wherever they go. And it only costs us one thing - our plans. 

This past Sunday we were introduced to the life of John the Baptizer, named for his occupation of immersing people in the Jordan River for the repentance of their sins.

But where did John's story begin? 

John wasn't born and raised in the wilderness. He was actually born to Zechariah, a priest, and Elizabeth who lived in the hill-country of Judah. Zechariah was right in the middle of performing his priestly service before the Lord when an angel appeared to him with the announcement of John's birth.

But the angel reassured him, saying, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God is showing grace to you. For I have come to tell you that your prayer for a child has been answered. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son and you are to name him John. His birth will bring you much joy and gladness. Many will rejoice because of him. He will be one of the great ones in the sight of God. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even while still in his mother's womb. And he will persuade many in Israel to convert and turn back to the Lord their God. He will go before the Lord as a forerunner, with the same power and anointing as Elijah the prophet. He will be instrumental in turning the hearts of the fathers in tenderness back to their children and the hearts of the disobedient back to the wisdom of their righteous fathers. And he will prepare a united people who are ready for the Lord's appearing." (Luke 1:13-17)

Can you imagine? Not only is Yahweh answering a long-awaited prayer, but the son that's being given to Zechariah and Elizabeth is going to carry something the world has never seen. The prophecy concerning John's future, the weight of what this child would carry, is simply amazing. Oh, the pride that must have filled Zechariah's heart after he could bring himself to believe that it was true, because even though an angel appeared to him with this announcement he still did not believe that it was possible. But what a proud father Zechariah must have been knowing that his boy, born to a priest in the temple, would accomplish so much as a man. 

And after John's birth we are given only one small glimpse into his hidden years.

Afterward, their son grew up and was strengthened by the Holy Spirit and he grew in his love for God. John chose to live in the lonely wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. (Luke 1:80)

We're not given anymore details about John's departure from his father's house to go and live in the wilderness, but we are told that John chose to leave. This was undoubtedly one of the hardest conversations that John would ever have in his life. He had an amazing calling and one would think, "This is perfect! It is brilliant that this Forerunner to the Messiah would be born into the home of a priest! He will have an automatic entrance into the lineage of priests, the perfect stage to fulfill the mission that Yahweh has put on his life." And then John enters the room, asks his mother and father to sit down, and shares with them the news that he must leave their home and the religious system that he was raised in and go out into the wilderness to be alone with Yahweh. Have you ever told your family something that seemed so bizarre to them that they couldn't hide their looks of disbelief and slight disappointment? That was probably the same looks that John was getting as he shared this news with his parents. And doesn't it beg the question, "Why would Yahweh allow John to be born into the home of a priest if He was only going to call him out into the wilderness and away from the religious system that he was born into?"

Why is the wilderness so important to Yahweh? He does seem slightly infatuated with the place. Abraham was lured into the wilderness. Jacob was lured into the wilderness. Elijah was lured into the wilderness. Moses was lured into the wilderness. David was lured into the wilderness. Isaiah had so many prophetic decrees concerning the wilderness. John the Baptizer is lured into the wilderness. And then Jesus, the Son of God, was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness as well. 

What is it with the wilderness?
Why is it even a thing?
Why is it necessary?

We're given such a beautiful answer to these questions in Hosea 2:14. 

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her
And bring her into the wilderness
And speak to her heart.
Then I will give her her vineyards from there
And the valley of trouble as a door of hope. 
And she will sing there as in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
And it will be in that day," declares Yahweh,
"That you will call Me, Husband,
And will no longer call Me, Master."

Why does Yahweh lure people out of religion and into the wilderness?
So He can speak tenderly to their hearts and make them Lovers instead of Doers. 

As we are lured into the wilderness, Abba begins to speak to our hearts in a way we've never known. We discover His quiet, intimate whisper in the wilderness place. The Hebrew word for wilderness is "midbar" and it isn't defined as dry and desert-like. It actually means "an uninhabited land." A place void of other people and their manmade forms and structures. It can be thought of like a wide-open field that would be a perfect pasture for grazing animals (Psalm 23:2). Another interesting thing to note is that the same word the Hebrews use for "wilderness" can also be translated as "mouth." It's not a linguistic coincidence at all, because the wilderness is where Abba brings people so He can SPEAK tenderly to their heart. The wilderness is all about hearing the voice of Yahweh for yourself! This is why it's so important. This is why Abba lures us out of religion and into the wilderness place. 

We go into the wilderness as lowly servants not knowing our worth and not knowing His nature, but we exit as Brides, as lovers of God. And now everything is defined by our covenant marriage to Jesus, not by the religious system to which we were slaves. Religion told us to relate to Yahweh only as our Master. Yahweh lures us out into the wilderness to convince us that His real name is Husband. Our relationship is no longer defined by fear, but by perfect love. And now it is His voice that is leading and guiding us, and not our own voice or the voice of others.

This is why Yahweh loves the wilderness. This is why John had to leave the religious system that others thought was perfectly suited for him.

Are you ready to embrace your wilderness walk with Yahweh?

It will only cost you everything that you've thought about Him and about yourself. That will all be redefined by His love as you take the walk. 

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Worship: "In The Wilderness" by Rachel Morley 

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

When Grasshoppers Become More Than Conquerors

Written by Jarred Rushing

(8 minutes)

What if how willing we are to believe that He is kind determines how far into transformation we will go?

After the Israelites encountered Yahweh's kindness at the Red Sea and journeyed through the wilderness, they arrived at the edge of the land that was promised to them. And Yahweh tells Moses to send men into the land to spy it out.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” (Numbers 13:1-2)

All Yahweh says is, "Send some men who are leaders to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give you." So Moses passes the message to the Israelites, but notice his additions to Yahweh's words.

Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” (Numbers 13:17-20)

This is what happens when our ashes get ahold of Yahweh's words. Our fear and insecurity always want to measure and analyze beforehand. We want to know everything there is to know so we can avoid trusting and having faith in Abba's kindness. The fact of the matter is this: if we really believed He was kind, we would never shore up His words with our own anxiety-fueled measurements. Yahweh told Moses to go and spy out the land that He was giving to them, as if to say, "Go and catch a glimpse of what's about to be yours!" And then Moses comes along with his measuring rods: Are the people strong or weak? Are they few or many? Is the land good or bad? Are the cities small campsites or castles? Is the land bountiful or bare? Are there things growing there or is it a desert? With every question rooted in fear, Moses is avoiding having to trust in Yahweh's kindness. You could rephrase every single question Moses asked like this: Is Yahweh really good? Is Yahweh really kind? Can Yahweh really be trusted? Will Yahweh really take care of us? 

Let's not fool ourselves. It's not about the people in the land, or the number of them, or if the land is nice, or if the cities are protected, or if the land is vibrant, or if there's fruitful vegetation; it's about trusting Abba vs. knowing for ourselves. This is the Garden of Eden all over again. Moses is opting for the tree of knowing good and evil for himself, instead of trusting the Tree of Life to provide everything he needs. This is always the choice that's before us. Will I allow fear to drive me toward knowing what's good and evil in my own sight? Or will I allow love to drive me toward trusting someone else with my life?

The twelve spies spent forty days in the land of Canaan. They collected all the information they could about the people who lived there and the land itself. They studied the people so well that they knew things about their ancestors who lived there before them. They took cuttings of the fruit and samples of the milk and honey. They knew everything there was to know about the people and land that Yahweh was trying to give them. 

The spies came back and reported, “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” (Numbers 13:27-29)

They knew everything they could possibly know. And in light of all of the facts and information, Caleb quieted the crowd much like the Holy Spirit quiets us, and he said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

But the majority of the spies were all standing in agreement with fear. They responded to Caleb's insane and laughable judgment with these words: 

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:31-33)

We can't do it.
They're too strong.
|Even the land is a monster.
The people are like giants. 

And the most significant phrase in the men's bad report is this: "And we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Now, with all of the exaggerated facts and figures that they were presenting, this was the most honest and truthful statement that they made. The reason we can't do it is because we have become like grasshoppers... in our own sight. The sheer size of the people, the cities, and the land has completely overwhelmed us. The facts and figures, all of our measuring, has robbed us of our identity and now we don't see ourselves correctly anymore. Why? Because we've accounted for everything, except the kindness of God. Fear never accounts for the kindness of Abba. Fear conveniently leaves out of all its evaluations the only thing that actually matters when determining our future and well-being: Abba's kindness. There is a pattern worth noting in this story. When Israel lost sight of the kindness of Yahweh, they lost sight of themselves, which led to the entire world losing sight of just how special and valuable these children of Israel actually were. 

When we lose sight of Abba's kindness, we lose sight of ourselves. Seeing Him correctly is the key to seeing ourselves correctly.

Will we be cheek-swabbers, who waste our time studying why things won't work and why the problem is too big for us to handle? Or will be land-surveyors, who use our imagination to spy out the land that Abba already says is ours? 

Cheek-swabbing, with all of its facts and figures, will never account for the kindness of God. Land-surveying only accounts for the kindness of God and does not allow problems to have any influence or say in how we move forward. 

Caleb saw everything that the other spies saw, but he was more familiar and intimate with Abba's kindness than he was with fear. And when the kindness of Yahweh is your foundation, your report will always be, "Let's go up at once and take the land. We are surely able to overcome it!"

One of our nicknames as beloved sons and daughters is this: More Than Conquerors.

A conqueror is someone who successfully overtakes a land. The only way for us to be more than conquerors is to have someone else successfully overtake the land on our behalf. This is the reality for sons and daughters who are convinced that Yahweh is perfectly good and kind. 

Fear will always make you fight for yourself. Fear forces us to be mere conquerors who rely on our own strength and ability to see victory, which leads more often to defeat because grasshoppers aren't good at conquering anything. They are good at running away. Oh, but lovers trust the kindness of Abba and allow Him to fight on their behalf. This is why lovers always get more done than doers. Because the lovers get to stand still and watch their Bridegroom win battles they never have to fight. 

There are areas in our life that we have always approached as cheek-swabbers. We've never allowed the kindness of Yahweh to define our perspective. As you take a walk with Abba today, find the area where He is giving you grace to change your mind. "Beloved son and beloved daughter, I want My kindness to be the only lens that you see this through going forward. Will you hold My hand and see this through My eyes? Will you hold My hand and see yourself through My eyes? This will change everything. And this will ultimately change the world."

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Worship: "Goodness of God" by Bethel Music

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Fear Not, Stand Still & Hold Your Peace

Written by Jarred Rushing

(6 minutes)

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” (Exodus 14:10-12)

We left off yesterday with a very important thought that I want to bring into our walk with Abba today. Are we truly convinced that Abba is good?

What if how willing we are to believe that He is kind determines how far into transformation we will go?

If our soul is not quieted by His kindness, our anxiety will cause us to run away from the sea that we're supposed to see our enemy drowned in. Our believing that Abba is kind has everything to do with how far we will go into the freedom that He has in store for us. You can see the truth of this statement in Israel's reaction to the enemy army drawing closer to their camp. The threat of being overtaken always brings out the deepest beliefs we hold in our heart. For Israel, it wasn't the firm foundation of Abba's kindness that came pouring out, it was their anxiety-fueled belief that a life in bondage to Egypt would be better than trusting Yahweh out in the wilderness. We'd rather be secure and in control with chains on our feet than vulnerable and exposed with only Yahweh to protect us. Yeah, that would be better for us! Humanity is funny in this way: we'd rather stay in control in chaos than trust someone else in freedom. And true freedom requires that very thing: trusting someone else to protect you. I don't believe we're ever truly free if we're still relying on our own ability to protect and defend ourselves against the issues and problems of life. You can't be enjoying abundant life and on guard against enemy attack at the same time. Joy and anxiety don't play well together. This is why most people choose religion over surrendering everything to Yahweh, because true freedom requires me to put down my weapons and hold peace while someone else fights for me. Anxiety and fear require me to be "at the ready" and fight my own battles; or better yet, to never be put in the position to fight at all. We said, "Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” (Exodus 14:12)

So what does "fighting" look like in the Kingdom of God? What does true freedom require us to do when a battle is before us?

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

Here's the Kingdom-way to fight a battle: Don't be afraid, stand still, and hold your peace (literally translated as "keep quiet").

I know what you're thinking.

One, that's not what you learned in Spiritual Warfare 101.

And two, how in the world is this posture even possible when there's a battle unfolding before your very eyes? How do you not be afraid? How do you stand still and watch? Even more difficult, how do you stay quiet and hold your peace? 

Let me answer those questions first. How is it possible to have that posture when there's a battle unfolding before you? How can you hold your peace when everything is falling apart? Here's how: you have to be more familiar with the kindness of God than you are with the lie that says He's not with you, He's left you to fend for yourself, and He's abandoned you here to die. There's only one way that you can be in the midst of a war and not be afraid, stand still, and hold your peace: You must be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Abba's love would never leave you, forsake you, or put you in harm's way. Being in the presence of the Father, even if an army surrounds me, is the safest place I could ever be. The kindness of God is how you fear not, stand still, and hold your peace. We must become more intimate with Yahweh's kindness than we have been with fear and anxiety.

And yes, I know it's not what you learned in your spiritual warfare class. The class would have been much shorter if it was taught by Yahweh. There's no screaming, shouting or talking to the enemy involved in His battle plans. Real spiritual warfare is the most quiet, calm and battle-less activity that you will ever engage in when you're walking with Abba. Listen! It doesn't even require you to offer up prayers of desperation to Yahweh. Notice what GOD says in the next verse:

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Speak to the sons of Israel so that they go forward." (Exodus 14:15)

This could possibly be the most awesome thing I've ever heard God say. "Why are you crying out to Me?" Yahweh goes on to say to Moses, "Your job is to clear the way. Their job is to walk across on dry ground. My job is to make sure that you never see Pharaoh's face ever again. Start walking!" 

I can't help but think of the song lyrics, "This is how I fight my battles. This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You." 

Establishing the foundation of Abba's kindness in our heart will lead to a whole new perspective concerning the issues and problems that come our way. We're inheriting a completely different set of blueprints as we begin building on this foundation of being convinced that God is actually good. Egypt will make less and less sense as Abba becomes more and more kind in our eyes.

I will say it again: If our soul is not quieted by His kindness, our anxiety will cause us to run away from the sea that we're supposed to see our enemy drowned in. Our believing that Abba is kind has everything to do with how far we will go into the freedom that He has in store for us.

Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? (Romans 2:4)

Be overwhelmed by the kindness of Abba as you walk with Him today! Let it melt your heart and open your eyes to the truth: Yahweh doesn't do abandonment. He'll never leave His beloved sons and daughters behind. His love is a consuming fire. It never burns us, but it burns every weapon formed against us. Don't be afraid, stand still, and hold your peace!

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Worship: "Surrounded (Fight My Battles)" by UPPERROOM

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Your Future Is Enemy-Less

Written by Jarred Rushing

(6 minutes)

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle. (Exodus 13:17-18)

Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon. Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told. (Exodus 14:1-4)

One of the most extraordinary pictures of Yahweh's kindness is found here in the Exodus story. Pharaoh finally lets the people of God go from the land where they were slaves and instead of taking them on the short route to the promise, Yahweh led them in "a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea." 

Yahweh gave instructions to Moses to turn back and have the nation camp in a very peculiar place. With the Red Sea in front of them, the Israelites would have been wedged between mountainous terrain and some caverns, with Egypt at their back. The campsite was so strange that Pharaoh thought the Israelites were deeply confused and literally trapped in the wilderness. Listen: it was the most vulnerable position that Israel could have been put in. Yahweh orders them to camp at this site and then explains to Moses that He's going to go and harden Pharaoh's heart so that he'll chase after the Israelites. 

Why in the world would Abba send the children of Israel to this vulnerable position to be chased down by the Egyptians?

Why would Yahweh use the Israelites as bait in the wilderness? 

Because Abba's heart is to see His people completely free, and complete freedom requires our being a first-hand witness to the drowning of our enemy. You see, if Israel doesn't see the Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea they will have walked into that wilderness with one eye always peering back to see if their enslaver was closing in on them. They would have spent their nights with watchmen on shifts to make sure that their enemy wasn't planning a raid while they slept. Partial freedom always has you looking over your shoulder, hoping and praying that the pain of your past will not catch up to you. Real freedom gives you the assurance that your enemy is no longer a threat to you or your future at all.

Can you imagine being the Israelites camped in this vulnerable position with the dark cloud of Egypt looming overhead, getting closer and closer to you and your family? 

Our old mind, trained by religion, would've told us that Yahweh was mad at us. We must have missed something or made a mistake, because if we were really walking with Him it wouldn't have led us to this place. We would never be in this vulnerable state, trapped on all sides, with the threat of death marching in our direction if we were in the right place with God. We stepped out of His will somewhere. This must be punishment for our bad decisions.

But our new mind that is rooted in the kindness of Abba tells us a very different story. We don't see problems the same way anymore. They are no longer a witness that we've done something wrong; they are a witness that Abba is about to bring us into a greater measure of freedom than we were previously walking in. Because it's the kindness of Yahweh that would lure our enemy out so we could be first-hand witnesses to the death of that which we were slaves to for so many years. He wants us completely whole, no longer feeling the threat of that enemy at all. 

Have you ever wondered why the Shepherd-King in Psalm 23 would lead us to green pastures and still waters, and then proceed to prepare a table for us IN THE PRESENCE of our enemies? It's almost as if Yahweh is saying to us, "Sit down and enjoy yourself. I want you to watch as I put an end to the thing that has tormented you for all these years. After this, you'll never have to deal with it ever again. The only thing that will be chasing you after today is My goodness and lovingkindness."

This is so much better than what we inherited under the influence of religion. Religion told us that the closest we could get to freedom was removing ourselves from the presence of the things that were a threat. Run as fast as you can away from those areas. Get an accountability partner, someone to help you keep watch for the enemy. Download this software that will block you from having access to those sites. Never go here or there alone. Don't read those books. Don't watch those movies. Your best chances at freedom is to avoid the problem at all costs. Religion promised us freedom and failed to deliver. It just taught us to remove the temptation and call ourselves, "Free indeed." Abba wants so much more for us than this!

Real freedom.

Complete wholeness.

Restored to innocence. 

Certainty and assurance concerning our enemy-less future.

Yahweh wants you as free as you were before you ever encountered Egypt, so He invites you to stand still and watch as He drowns your enemy in the sea.

The kindness of the Father is changing how I see issues and problems. They are no longer signs that I've done something wrong or that I'm not where I'm supposed to be. My being vulnerable and seeming trapped is no longer an indicator that I've drifted off course. If you are hearing His voice and pursuing His presence and you find yourself in a vulnerable position, trapped and exposed to the enemy, this is Abba's invitation to pull up your chair and recline at His table as He deals openly with the thing that has enslaved you. The kindness of the Father gives you peace to hold as He fights your battle. Your only responsibility is to relax and enjoy the freedom that is being won for you.

Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? (Romans 2:4)

What if how willing we are to believe that He is kind determines how far into transformation we will go?

If our soul is not quieted by His kindness, our anxiety will cause us to run away from the sea that we're supposed to see our enemy drowned in. Our believing that Abba is kind has everything to do with how far we will go into the freedom that He has in store for us. 

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Worship: "Hell Or High Water" by Amanda Cook 

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

He’s So Much Sweeter

Written by Jarred Rushing

(6 minutes)

Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? (Romans 2:4)

One of the greatest questions that we could ask ourselves is, "Are we truly convinced that God is good?" All of our religious, law-infused theology was built on the lie that Yahweh was not really kind. 

And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5)

The first thing the enemy ever did was sow a seed of doubt in us concerning the goodness of the Father. "No, Yahweh isn't good. He's withholding good things from you because He doesn't want you to be powerful like Him. He can't be trusted." The enemy painted the Father with darkness and made us call His nature into question. And so the question has remained in play since that moment, "Is the Father really loving? Is the Father really good? Is the Father really kind?"

Religion never allowed us to see Abba rightly. He was always untrustworthy and suspicious. Let me see if I can sum up the trashy, impoverished, no-good gospel that we all received: Religion told us that the Father was distant, disapproving, and disgusted with our sin, so much so that He couldn't even look upon us without compromising His own holiness. Until one day Jesus convinced the Father that we were worthy to be redeemed so He came to the earth to live holy like the Father always wanted us to live, and then Jesus died to absorb the wrath of God that was meant to be poured out on us, because someone had to be punished for sin. And now the Father can barely stand to have us in His presence and we can only be there as long as we're clothed in Jesus. If He ever sees us poking our head out of our Jesus dress-up suit, He will cast us out because He really only tolerates us because of the Son. We have no worth on our own. We really deserve to go to hell. And then religion enters on stage right and boldly exclaims, "Don't give up! There's something you can DO to make Him love you more!" And this is how we inherited the endless list of laws that we could keep to stay in God's good graces. So we try to keep up with them all, until the day comes where we mess up and fall off the wagon. Then we get a flat tire and think, "This is God getting me back for messing up." And suddenly the unconditional love of God becomes conditional, rising and falling with my ability to keep up with the endless list of laws. And what we thought was the finished work of Christ turns out to be unfinished, because there's still something I have to do to make God love me. 

Did I miss anything? 

No wonder we have to be convinced that the Father is good and kind! Religion painted Him with darkness and now we're left with questions about His nature. Religion produced an entire generation that is anxious to be in the presence of God because they aren't really sure how He'll treat them. 

This is the same problem that Jesus' disciples had. Listen to what Phillip says after walking with Jesus for three years:

Phillip spoke up, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be all that we need!" (John 14:8)

Why in the world would Phillip still be asking, after three years, for Jesus to show him the Father? Because Phillip still wasn't sure that the Father was as good as Jesus was. "Jesus, you're the most loving person I've ever encountered in my whole life. You are perfectly and completely good. But could you just pull the curtain back on the Father, because I'm not sure that He's as good as you are. I'd hate to get closer to Him and then have the rug pulled out from under me. Jesus, show me the Father, and I'll be good to go!"

Many of us are at this exact place with Abba right now. How could we share the same feeling as this first-century disciple? Because religion hasn't changed it's story since the beginning of time. Religion taught Philip everything he knew about God. And religion taught us everything we know about God. And religion never told us the truth! 

So Jesus responds to Phillip, "Phillip, I've been with you all this time and you still don't know who I am? How could you ask me to show you the Father, for anyone who has looked at me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

This is why Jesus came. To bring Light to the darkness. He came to show us what the Father is really like. John 1:18 says, "No one has ever gazed upon the fullness of God's splendor except the uniquely beloved Son, who is cherished by the Father and held close to his heart. Now he has unfolded to us the full explanation of who God truly is!" When we see Jesus, we see the Father. 

Jesus is everything that the Father has to say about Himself. Jesus is perfect theology. If you want to know what the Father is like, look at the Son, because they are one and the same. 

Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance? (Romans 2:4)

Our only hope at change and transformation is to get well-acquainted with the kindness of God. Dr. Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, helps us see that the Aramaic word for kindness can be translated "sweetness." There is a sweetness to Abba that we have yet to encounter and it is the only thing that will change us.

Pastor Tim presented an incredible question to us this past Sunday: What if how willing you are to believe that He is kind is how far into transformation you will go?

What if our transformation and change is directly tied to how far we're willing to go in letting our heart be convinced that He is actually good?

Dr. Simmons adds that this verse in Aramaic could be translated "Do you not know that it is the fulfillment of God to bring you blessings?" That's not what we were taught. We only ever heard that there was wrath stored up for us. Believing that it is actually blessings that He has in store for us will require a whole new theology, a brand new wineskin. 

Everything that was built on religion's lie about the Father must be thrown away. We can't trust anything that was built on the foundation of that lie. Our foundation must be the complete kindness, the perfect goodness, and the wonderful sweetness of our Abba. He is trustworthy and there is no trace of darkness in Him. 

As we take our walk today, we must let our heart descend into the loving-kindness of Abba. The wealth of His extravagant kindness will be the thing that melts our heart and brings us to the place of metanoia, our mind being completely changed. Let the river of His love erode the bedrock of religion's lie and carry it away from your heart. And let Him replace the lie with the truth of who He really is and what He really thinks about you. This will be the new foundation that will hold all the new revelation you will receive about Yahweh. It's the new wineskin that will be capable of holding the new wine without seeing any go to waste. It's the beginning of an exciting journey with Abba. Enjoy your walk with Him today!

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Worship: "Fill My Cup" by Kingdom Culture Worship 

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Abba, How Can I Thank You?

Written by Jarred Rushing

(2 minutes)

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak to her heart. Then I will give her her vineyards from there and the valley of Trouble will become a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt."

"And it will be in that day," declares Yahweh, "that you will call Me 'Husband' and will no longer call me 'Master.’” (Hosea 2:14-16)

We have received so much revelation over the past couple weeks. We are seeing our ashes being replaced with a beautiful crown of glory. We're seeing hopelessness drift away along with all of its fear-driven thoughts about our future. Our imagination is being awakened to its true and original purpose - to see what Yahweh sees. We are seeing God for who He really is - our Abba. And as we stare into His face and see the love that burns in His eyes it begins to change how we see ourselves. We are receiving a more full revelation of the hope that He has actually called us to walk in. What we are starting to feel deep in our hearts is assurance. This may be something we've never experienced before when it comes to our relationship with Yahweh. In religion there was always this lurking thought in the back of our minds that we made up the story of God's love. It wasn't until we were lured out into the wilderness that we heard His voice for ourselves, and it was not a harsh, condemning voice...it was an intimate, love-filled whisper. Now, what was once just a theory has become our reality. We are living in the downpour of the Father's perfect love.

It's so important as we receive such beautiful revelation about Yahweh to stop and let our hearts feel the gratitude and thankfulness that His love has produced in us. Remember, it is honor that keeps the flow of intimacy open. Honor is really just our gratitude overflowing in such a way that it cannot be contained. Honor is the manifestation of a heart filled with thankfulness.

We must pause today, in light of all that He's done and all that He has revealed, and bring an offering of honor to the Lord. Let your thankful heart carry a gift of love to the King. We have things in our possession that we can use to honor Him - our thoughts, our words, our time, our talents and our treasure. Abba has made us owner of all of these things, and they are the substance of our offerings of worship to Him. When they are attached to a thankful heart, they become an offering of honor. 

As you take a walk with Abba today, bring an intentional offering of honor to Him. Break your costly, alabaster box of worship at His feet. Be overwhelmed by the river of love that He has immersed you in this past week. Your honor blesses His heart. When my children honor me for who I am, I cannot help but pour out more of my affection on them. How much more will our Abba pour out even more onto us as He sees the honor flowing from our hearts?

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Worship: "How Can I Thank You" by Lion's Den

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Can You See It?

Written by Jarred Rushing

(4 minutes)

Are you convinced that you are already made whole? Can you see it?

Pastor Tim made a statement this past Sunday that really resonated in our gathering at The Wilderness Place.

"There are things that we are called to do and be, but we haven't started because when we imagine what it will look like we can only see ourselves struggling." 

The room was quiet, but there was a collective agreement in the hearts of everyone in attendance. Here's why: because even though we've spent most of our lives only using our imagination to avoid problems and make escape plans, there is still a seed of our original blueprint deep inside of our heart that is waiting for us to step into the fullness of who we are. We all have a witness in our spirit and in Abba's Spirit inside of us that we are designed for more. The thing that has quieted that hunger in us for more is our own imagination only seeing every potential problem. After coming up with a hundred different ways that it won't work, we tell ourselves that it is too risky and to protect ourselves from disappointment, failure or rejection we shut the entire adventure down before it even gets started. We forfeit what is rightfully ours, our inheritance, and we commit our lives instead to circling the same mountain in the same desert, always wondering what could have been. We're told in Romans 8:19 that "the entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God's glorious sons and daughters!" Our own inner world is groaning and waiting, too. 

The first step to any wilderness being transformed into a beautiful place is this:  someone has to see it. 

Never doubt God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. (Ephesians 3:20)

Yahweh is ready to do infinitely more than what we could ever ask, think, or imagine. But if you can't imagine it then you won't think about it, and if you're not thinking about it then you won't ever ask for it. I'm not the best mathematician, but I believe "infinitely more x 0 = 0." If we have no hope to see it, then faith has no foundation to build upon. What if seeing is the part we play in the miraculous restoration of all things? When it comes to co-laboring with Yahweh, what if our only job as the Bride is to imagine it and His job is to outdo our wildest imaginations?

Can you see it?

Can you see yourself already made whole?

Can you see yourself already free?

Abba's inviting you into a new, hope-filled, Kingdom-way of seeing. It truly is beauty for ashes. We must release the ashes, rest in His love, and receive our inheritance. Jesus is asking us if we are ready to abandon how we see ourselves and receive the wholeness that He's already purchased for us. We'll never have faith to become who we really are until we first have faith to let go of who we think we are. We must divorce this inaccurate, untrue view of ourselves. Bill Johnson says it like this: "I can't afford to have thoughts in my head about me that God doesn't have in His.” 

This is why it's so important to immerse ourselves in how He thinks about us. This is why beloved identity is so important and foundational for us. If we don't let Abba's perfect love change how we view ourselves, then we will have inherited a new language but not a new way of life. But we cried out for the real thing. We told Him that we wanted more. That is why we've found ourselves in the wilderness, because that is where Abba lures us to give us what we've always wanted: a perfect union with Him. The only thing this union with Yahweh will cost you is how you see yourself. Those ashes must be checked at the door.

Let your walk with Abba today be filled with great requests, unbelievable dreams, and wild imaginations! He has promised to outdo them all. Get your hopes up until they're in harmony with His. You possess the mind of Christ, already. Use it.

I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling--that is, the wealth of God's glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! (Ephesians 1:18)  

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Worship: "I Lose My Ability" by Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser 

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Thanksgiving Restored

Written by Jarred Rushing

(7 minutes)

Now there was a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years lying among the multitude of the sick. When Jesus saw him lying there, he knew that the man had been crippled for a long time. So Jesus said to him, "Do you truly long to be healed?” (John 5:6)

Yesterday we discovered a more accurate reading of this question: "Are you convinced that you are already made whole?"

Dr. Simmons adds that, "Jesus is asking the crippled man if he is ready to abandon how he sees himself and now receive the faith for his healing."

Are you convinced that you are already made whole?

Can you see yourself already healed?

Can you use your God-given imagination to see what Yahweh sees?

For so long we've only ever used our imagination to concoct worse-case scenarios and detailed escape plans to avoid all the potential problems and unforeseeable dangers in the world. We are experts at using our imagination in this way. We've had years and years of practice. The funny part is that somewhere along the way we spiritualized our future-tripping abilities and called it "wisdom" or "spiritual discernment." Not so much! And the cherry on top is that the religious and political spirit in the church and in the world has praised us for our ability to point out problems. And whatever gets praised gets repeated. So we are now highly trained at using our imagination to see every possible way something could go wrong. Our creative and resourceful imagination that is designed to see what Yahweh sees has gone from problem-solver, to problem-seeker, to problem-lover. Yes, there are still issues and problems that we encounter. But like Pastor Bill Johnson says, "Faith doesn't deny a problems existence. It denies it a place of influence." 

Abba is reawakening our imagination and restoring it back to its original intent - to see what He already sees. "Are you convinced that you are already made whole?" Can you use your imagination to see yourself the way Abba already sees you? Can you use your imagination to dream with God about all the ways He wants to bring restoration to the world around us? We're going to see our imagination restored to see what Yahweh sees in the same way we saw it reduced to worst-case scenario thinking, through repetition. We're going to become obsessed with dreaming about all the possible ways that Abba could transform and restore a thing, instead of obsessing over all the ways that thing could get worse. It's going to be a journey of relearning how to use our imagination, and the Holy Spirit will be our teacher. 

Pastor Tim suggested a great starting place for us this past Sunday...Thanksgiving. A day where we would have used our imagination to see all the potential problems and think about all the ways it could go wrong. The family members we aren't looking forward to seeing. The conversations we don't want to have. Pastor Tim said that some us don't even have hope for a good turkey. We can't even imagine the food being delicious. Well, we're going to let the Holy Spirit teach us how to use our imagination to see what Yahweh sees and this is the perfect place to start. 

So, as you take a walk with Abba today, allow the Holy Spirit to escort you into your Thanksgiving gatherings. Hold Abba's hand and walk through the door of the house you'll be going to. Ask Him to show you what He sees. Ask Him to show you what each individual needs to hear. Abba, what's your heart for ___________? And let Him give you the words designed just for their heart. Hear His voice concerning each person in the room. He'll give you heart-language for each one of them. We're using our imagination to travel ahead with the Holy Spirit and see what Abba sees. Would you believe that He even wants to dream with you about the food?

Let me show you how this could go. You ask Abba what dish you should bring to Thanksgiving and He tells you to bake an apple pie. You've never baked an apple pie but you trust His voice and look up the best apple pie recipe in the world and you bring it to your Thanksgiving gathering. While the desserts are getting dished out you notice your sister-in-law eating your apple pie and her eyes begin to water. You make your way over to her and ask her if everything is okay and she looks up at you and says, "This apple pie is just like the one my grandmother used to make. She would make one every Thanksgiving. She passed away a couple months ago and I never got to say goodbye. I miss her so much and this apple pie reminds me of her." As you are hearing this story you are remembering what the Holy Spirit told you about this sister-in-law when you asked Him what each person would need. While using your imagination to walk with the Holy Spirit through this gathering, He told you that this exact sister-in-law was going to need a very long hug. You had no clue why at the time, but it all makes sense now. So you look at your sister-in-law as her eyes fill with tears and you say, "God really wants you to know how loved you are. He's the one that told me to bake that apple pie. That's the first apple pie I've ever made and the only reason I made it was because He told me to, and I think it was just for you. And He told me that you were going to need a big hug today." So you give your sister-in-law the most anointed hug she's ever had and you whisper in her ear, "He loves you so much." It changes her day. It marks her. She feels the love of the Father flowing towards her and it plants the seed of His love in her heart. You just co-labored with Yahweh to bring restoration and hope to someone's heart, beauty in the place of ashes. 

Can you see Thanksgiving already healed? Can you see the Thanksgiving that Abba already sees? Your imagination is perfectly designed to perceive the heart of God in every situation you encounter. Faith doesn't deny a problems existence. It denies the problem a place of influence. Abba is calling us to co-labor with Him in seeing the restoration of all things. And the first place that restoration will come is to our mind and our imagination. 

I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling--that is, the wealth of God's glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! (Ephesians 1:18)  

Abba, let your light illuminate the eyes of my imagination today. Flood me with light, until I experience the full revelation of the hope that You've called me to - the wealth of Your glorious inheritances that you have already placed in me! I'm exclusively Yours!

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Worship: "Real Thing" by Maverick City Music

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Get Your Hope Up

(6 minutes)

Then Jesus returned to Jerusalem to observe one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city near the Sheep Gate there is a pool called in Aramaic, The House of Loving Kindness. And this pool is surrounded by five covered porches. Hundreds of sick people were lying there on the porches---the paralyzed, the blind, and the crippled, all of them waiting for their healing. For an angel of God would periodically descend into the pool to stir the waters, and the first one who stepped into the pool after the waters swirled would instantly be healed. 

Now there was a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years lying among the multitude of the sick. When Jesus saw him lying there, he knew that the man had been crippled for a long time. So Jesus said to him, "Do you truly long to be healed?" (John 5:1-6)

As we are entering the scene of Jesus' next miracle, we are given some specific details about the location. There is a pool situated near the Sheep Gate, where the sacrifices were brought into the temple, and it's called in Aramaic, The House of Loving Kindness. And this pool was enclosed with five covered porches or alcoves that signify the first five books of the Old Testament scriptures containing the Law. We're told that the outcasts of society, the culturally unclean, would lie around this pool all day long waiting for their chance to be healed. They were convinced that an angel would periodically stir the waters and the first one to be immersed in the pool after the waters were stirred would win. Sounds a lot like some of our past church experience, right? A bunch of spiritually sick people showing up to the same place for years and years, drenched in religious law-keeping, believing that their own self-effort will heal them one day if they don't give up and keep trying really hard. Except it's hard to make it into those healing waters when you can't walk or see. For those who can run fast enough, the system actually "works" and they find a measure of success (defined by religion). But for those who can't keep up, all that's left is shame. And the irony is we've called this system The House of Loving Kindness. But this doesn't sound like Abba's way at all. It sounds more cruel than kind. Let's pause and be filled with thankfulness that religion was dead wrong about the Father. The best that religion could give us was a disapproving God who was only kind to those that could keep up. But Abba is nothing like that! 

As we move on in the story Jesus approaches a man who had been waiting at that pool for thirty-eight years. Thirty-eight years of lying around and watching those that were stronger and faster than him get to the miracle water before he could lift a finger. Thirty-eight years in that system of striving and self-effort left him hopeless. His ashes told him that he would never be healed. His ashes told him that no one cared about him. 

Jesus passes a hundred other sick people and approaches this one man who was likely the most hopeless one at the pool and precedes to ask him what appears to be the most insulting question that you could ask someone in that position: "Do you really want to be healed?"

Dr. Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, gives us some insight into this profoundly rude question that Jesus just asked. 

The question could also be read, “'Are you convinced that you are already made whole?' The Greek phrase 'genesthai' is actually not a future tense ('want to be healed') but an aorist middle infinitive that indicates something already accomplished. Jesus is asking the crippled man if he is ready to abandon how he sees himself and now receive the faith for his healing."

Now that changes things a bit, doesn't it? 

Let's descend into this revelation today.

Are you convinced that you are already made whole?

Can you see yourself already healed?

Can you stop letting doubt hijack your imagination and allow your eyes of faith to see something different?

Jesus is coming to us today to awaken the eyes of our imagination to see what Yahweh sees. He's coming to us with the express desire to get our hopes up. He wants our hope to be as high as His. Anything less is an insult to the heart of God. Abba is about to take us on a journey that will be defined by our being full of faith and wildly hopeful. It will not make sense to the people around us because faith and hope stick out like a sore thumb to a culture of doubt and hopelessness. 

What we need today is a lens correction. That is why Jesus poses the question in the first place. He could've easily healed the man without any conversation at all. But Abba's heart is to bring us into the process of healing. He wants us to be participants in the miracle taking place. He wants the seed of every miracle we experience to be germinated first in our heart and in our imagination. He wants us to see it before we see it. That is called hope. It's the miracle first taking place in our mind. 

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. (Hebrews 11:1)

Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Hope gives faith something to look at.

If faith can't see it, it will likely not obtain it. 

On your walk today, invite Abba to come and correct the way you see. Like the man who was waiting by the pool for thirty-eight years, we need Jesus to come and renew our minds. We have a very active imagination that was given to us by Yahweh but it has been hijacked by our ashes for so many years. This week the Holy Spirit is going to teach us how to dream again. He's going to get our hopes up. Remember, we're releasing our ashes, resting in His love, and receiving our inheritance.

I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling--that is, the wealth of God's glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! (Ephesians 1:18)  

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Worship: "Miracle of the Mind" by Amanda Cook 

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Already

Written by Jarred Rushing

(4 minutes)

To grant those who mourn in Zion, 
Giving them a headdress instead of ashes,
The oil of rejoicing instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of Yahweh,
that He may show forth His beautiful glory.
Then they will rebuild the ancient waste places;
They will raise up the former desolations;
And they will make new the ruined cities,
The desolations from generation to generation.
(Isaiah 61:3-4)

Ashes: the things I think about myself that Abba does not think about me. It is so fitting that Yahweh would place a crown of beauty on our heads because this is the place that our ashes reside, in our thought-life. To exchange these ashes for a crown of beauty is to give away the ongoing thoughts of fear, shame and condemnation and to inherit Abba's thoughts about us. It is the renewing of the mind. 

Here's a sobering idea: if we had to give away all the negative thoughts we think about ourselves and all the anxious thoughts we have about our own future, what would be left? Would there be any thoughts left if we had to divorce ourselves from all the ashy ones? 

As we venture into a new week of wilderness walks with Abba, I want you to focus on one word: already. 

You already have the mind of Christ. 

You already have an active imagination that can see how Yahweh sees. 

You already have everything you need to be who Abba has created you to be. 

Jesus already bought and paid for the crown of beauty that sits on your head. 

Everything He has is already yours to enjoy. 

Already. 

What we are doing this week is releasing ashes, resting in His love, and receiving our inheritance. This crown of beauty belongs to you. It's something you were always designed to carry. Can you believe that you already possess it?

For Who has ever intimately known the mind of the Lord Yahweh well enough to become his counselor? Christ has, and we possess Christ's perceptions. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

This verse literally says, "But we have the mind of Christ."

This is vital for us to understand, because if we think we're working from a deficit, a place of lack, we will be tempted to strive and earn our way into this new way of thinking and seeing. We're not working from a deficit at all. We lack nothing. We already possess everything we need. Our part is to release the ashes, rest in His love and receive our inheritance by way of the Spirit. 

Can you believe that you already possess the crown of beauty?

Can you believe that you already have the mind of Christ? 

This very well could be your first step in using your imagination and thoughts to think and see like Yahweh, because He believes that you already possess His mind. Can you believe about yourself what Abba already believes about you?

This is the renewing of the mind. We are being trained by the Spirit to think with Abba's mind, see with Abba's eyes, and feel with Abba's heart. And this journey is meant to be enjoyed. Abba treats this like a newborn baby learning to walk or a child learning to ride a bike that they got for Christmas. He is delighting in this process. And as we release the ashes, we'll begin to inherit His feelings of delight and joy in the process, too. Don't worry, He's already woven every mistake and misstep into the story. There's no way you can mess this up. 

Abba, I release the ashes, I rest in Your love, and I receive the inheritance that You have already given to me. I take Your hand today for the walk and I yield my heart to You. I'm following Your footsteps. Smuggle me into the secret place where the loveliness of Your face will change how I see myself. If You are for me, who can be against me? I can no longer be against myself. I can't afford to think thoughts about me that You are not thinking. Abba, I love you and I love to be loved by You. Thank You for placing this crown of beauty on my head.

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Worship: "You Keep On Getting Better" by Maverick City Music

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

Hope Is The Witness

Written by Jarred Rushing

(7 minutes)

Jesus is always waiting in the places where our ashes tell us to go and hide. And if we can open up our hearts to be embraced by our Bridegroom King, the great exchange can take place. Beauty for ashes. Joy for mourning. Praise for heaviness. It doesn't require any earning or striving on our part. It only requires an openness to accept, receive, and embrace what Christ is desiring to bring into our life. And it's His love that produces that tenderness of heart. The consuming fire of Yahweh's love melts our defenses. It truly comes down to letting Him do what only He can do. Our part is to rest and be loved.

And what does it look like when this great exchange has taken place? What happens after you receive a crown of beauty in place of ashes? What's different?

Let's look again at Isaiah 61 and John 4 to see the fruit of this great exchange. 

To grant those who mourn in Zion, 
Giving them a headdress instead of ashes,
The oil of rejoicing instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of Yahweh,
that He may show forth His beautiful glory.
Then they will rebuild the ancient waste places;
They will raise up the former desolations;
And they will make new the ruined cities,
The desolations from generation to generation.
(Isaiah 61:3-4)

Let's read this same scripture in The Passion Translation:

To strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion--
to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes,
the oil of bliss instead of tears,
and the mantle of joyous praise
instead of the spirit of heaviness.
Because of this, they will be known as
Mighty Oaks of Righteousness,
planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory.
They will restore ruins from long ago
and rebuild what was long devastated.
They will renew ruined cities
and desolations of past generations.
(Isaiah 61:3-4)

What does it look like when the great exchange has taken place? 

What will it produce in us once our ashes are traded for beauty?

Hope.

Hope is the witness. 

As long as we're holding onto our ashes we will have a dim, ever-worsening view of the days ahead. But once the great exchange has taken place and our ashes have been removed, we inherit a very different perspective. Our ashes paint the picture that everything is getting worse, that the world is in ruins, and our only hope is to escape this God-forbidden place and people. We've let our ashes define so much in our life. Our hopelessness has formed and shaped so many of our opinions. And hopelessness has definitely shaped some of our theology, especially our theology of the end-times. 

Let me show you how this happened. The man that shaped our end-times perspective the most had a deep-seated belief that "the church was in ruins" and that there was literally no hope left. He was disillusioned by the religious and political spirit inside of the church of his day and couldn't see any redeeming glimmer on the horizon. (Let's note: the leaven of the religious and political spirit inside of the church produce hopelessness in the Bride to this day.) After walking through is his own personal tragedy, he fell into deep despair and in his bedridden state the theology of a raptured church was born. You see, the greatest form of despair is to think that only death will deliver you from the pain you're experiencing. The second greatest form of despair is to think that only a rapture will deliver you from the pain you're experiencing. This is all we can see through the ashes that have dimmed our perspective. But our hearts were not designed to find hope in an escape plan. Our hearts were designed to find hope in the restoration of all things. You can see this in Isaiah 61. When hope sets in you don't see ruins as a witness that we're leaving soon, you see ruins as an invitation for Yahweh to plant you and produce the most glorious makeover the world has ever seen. Look at it again:

Then they will rebuild the ancient waste places;
They will raise up the former desolations;
And they will make new the ruined cities,
The desolations from generation to generation. 
(Isaiah 61:4)

The great exchange changes how you see the future. Our ashes tell us it has to get worse. The crown of beauty we receive from Abba, the very mind of Christ, tells us it has to get better. 

The Samaritan woman made the great exchange. She encountered the perfect love of Yeshua and it removed all fear from her heart. Let's see what the fruit of her encounter was:

The woman said, "This is all so confusing, but I do know that the Anointed One is coming--the true Messiah. And when he comes, he will tell us everything we need to know." [Notice the ashy theology. "When Jesus comes back, it'll all be better."]  

Jesus said to her, "You don't have to wait any longer, the Anointed One is here speaking with you--I am the One you're looking for."

At that moment the disciples returned and were stunned to see Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman. Yet none of them dared to ask him why or what they were discussing. All at once, the woman dropped her water jar and ran off to her village and told everyone, "Come and meet a man at the well who told me everything I've ever done! He could be the Anointed One we've been waiting for." Hearing this, the people came streaming out of the village to go see Jesus. (John 4:27-30)

Beauty for ashes. The great exchange.

What did it produce in the Samaritan woman?

Hope. 

Her ashes had her bound in a place of hopelessness, despair and shame. But when she encountered the perfect love of God and let Jesus embrace her, everything changed. My favorite words in this verse are, "All at once." That's how powerful the great exchange is. All at once, we have hope where there was only hopelessness. All at once, we have a new perspective. This is what real metanoia looks like, real repentance. Abba's love changing our mind. 

Two beautiful things that happened because of the great exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman:

1. She instantly inherited wholeness and freedom. The witness of this lies in her RUNNING to the very people that she was HIDING from moments ago. Other translations add that she specifically went to the men of the town. The very source of her shame became the place she was running to in order to bring the hope and restoration she had just received.

2. She went from having a hopeless view of her future to becoming the instrument of restoring hope to an entire city. Before the great exchange, her posture was that of biding her time. After her ashes were removed, her posture was that of being an active participant in the restoration of all things. 

Hope is the witness of receiving beauty for ashes. Hope is restored to your inner world and then it begins to reform and reshape your perspective of what Abba is doing around you. Shame in you produces the hopelessness of seeing anything change. Christ in you produces the hope of glory!

When you think about the future, what do you see? How do you feel about the future? How do you feel about your future? The answer to these questions may reveal if you've really received beauty for your ashes. 

Remember, you can't hold hope and hopelessness at the same time.

Hopelessness speaks to the presence of ashes.

Hope speaks to the presence of receiving the mind of Christ.

Bring these questions and your honest perspective into your walk with Abba today. And allow His voice to speak into these areas the same way that the Samaritan woman let Him speak into hers. You are safe in His arms! Let His love replace your ashes with beauty. How will you know that it's happened? Hope will be the witness. And that hope won't have you avoiding the ruins, the brokenness in the world, or the things that brought you shame in the past. Hope will have you being attracted to those ruins. Hope will have you running into the areas that brought you shame.

You see, religion tells you to avoid the problems and call yourself "Free indeed!"

Abba's love restores you to such a degree of wholeness and freedom that you can actually carry restoration into the problems religion told you to avoid. Because you carry something different now. You're carrying a beautiful crown of authority and power to reproduce the freedom and wholeness that you have received from the Christ, your Bridegroom King.

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Worship: "You Restore Everything" by Rick Pino & Abbie Gamboa

Honor: Give to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

He Loves Us, Ashes And All

(5 minutes)

Ashes. 

Our brokenness.  The things we don't like about ourselves that we feel powerless to change.  The things we hide from others. When someone mentions our ashes our face gets flushed, our stomach begins to turn, and our first instinct is to run as far away from that conversation as possible. Our ashes are the only thing we wear that we hope others never see. We do everything we can to avoid situations that might stir up our ashes. Pretty soon our ashes are dictating every move we make. Where we go. What we wear. Where we sit. Who we associate with. What we say and how we say it. Our ashes become our true north in every area of life. 

That's exactly what the Samaritan woman at the well was dealing with the day Jesus embraced her. 

Nobody draws water from the well in the afternoon. It's literally the hottest time of the day. The only reason someone would be going to the well at that time is if their ashes told them to.

I'd like to do something a bit different today. Instead of reading the story, I'd like us to see the story and be immersed in how it felt for this Samaritan woman to have her ashes traded for a beautiful crown. Take a moment and watch this, and then we'll come back together. If you prefer to read the story, you can find it in John 4:5-30. 

Beauty for ashes. Did you feel how Jesus lifted the Samaritan woman's ashes away and gave her a crown of beauty? Jesus literally lifted away her broken perspective of herself and of God, and gave her His very own mind, thoughts, and perspective. With every push away from Him, He embraced her more.  

Ashamed she says, "You picked the wrong person." - the ashes.
And Jesus answers, "I came to Samaria just to meet you. Do you think it's an accident that I'm here in the middle of the day?" - the crown of beauty.

Trembling she says, "I am rejected by others." - the ashes. 
And Jesus answers, "I know, but not by the Messiah." - the crown of beauty. 

This is what an intimate encounter with Yeshua produces. Beauty for ashes.

Wholeness, restored.

Innocence, restored.

Hope, restored. 

I want you to feel this. I want you to feel the exclusive love of Yahweh in this story. And yes, according to the Apostle John, this Samaritan woman was the first person that Jesus revealed Himself to as Messiah. Can you imagine how special that must have been? To feel rejected and unworthy of love and then to encounter the Christ and be the first one He revealed Himself to as Savior of the world. How can I live rejected when Yeshua the Christ has accepted and embraced me in this way? In this one moment, the Samaritan woman at the well experienced metanoia, repentance, her thinking was completely changed. She left her ashes and her water jars at the well, and emerged as a Bride wearing a crown of beauty. 

There is one thing I want us to see when it comes to the Samaritan woman's story:
Jesus was waiting in the place where her ashes told her to go and hide. 

Jesus is waiting in the place where your ashes tell you to go and hide. This is the thing about the Light. He's unwilling to allow even a trace of darkness to exist in our hearts. He's waiting at our well and His greatest desire is to make an exchange with us there: His beauty for our ashes. His thoughts for our thoughts. How He feels about us for how we feel about ourselves. 

It truly is the great exchange. 

We don't deal with ashes by studying ashes. By buying the latest self-improvement book on our ashes. By listening to a podcast about our ashes. By joining a small group about our ashes or by listening to a sermon series all about our ashes. Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that." You don't need to dwell upon or analyze your darkness one moment longer. You simply need to introduce it to the Light. It is Light that deals most effectively and effortlessly with removing darkness. 

This can happen as we take a walk with Abba today. This great exchange can happen every time we're in the presence of God. Hope and complete wholeness belong to you. It is the good gift that Abba wants to give you today and everyday. You deserve this. You were never supposed to carry those ashes around. And their voice was never supposed to be the true north in your life. Abba's voice is the only one that should define and direct you. 

Feel Abba's love as you gaze into the eyes of Yeshua and as you embrace what He says about you. It's no accident that He showed up at your well today.

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Worship: "Out Of Hiding" by Steffany Gretzinger & Amanda Cook

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!

The Exclusive Love of God

Written by Jarred Rushing

(5 minutes)

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

Beloved identity is all about discovering how valuable you are to the Father's heart. 

For the longest time I think we've found it easy to believe that God loves the world, but harder to truly believe that He loves us, specifically and personally. Because of the fingerprints of our past and the influence of religion in our life we have an easier time relating to Him as God, Lord and Master, and we have a harder time relating to Him as Abba, Yahweh and Bridegroom King. Do you know that I actually had a hard time calling Him "Abba" at first? It didn't feel natural to relate to Him in that way. The relationship had always been distant and impersonal so "God" and "Lord" were my standard greetings. But as I started learning how valuable I was to Him, the impersonal words started to feel out of place. The depth of relationship required more intimate language. 

When you are lured into the wilderness, you first have to be convinced of your beloved identity. You have to be convinced that Abba is fascinated and totally enamored by you. The scriptures actually tell us that He is jealous. 

"For Yahweh your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." (Deuteronomy 4:24)

Do you believe that Yahweh, the Creator of all things, would go out of His way just to lock eyes with you?

Do you believe that as Abba looks across the cosmos His heart is drawn to yours?

Do you believe that what He wants more than anything today is to spend time with you?

Do you believe that you are His favorite?

As you exit the system of religion and are lured into the wilderness, this is the first stop you'll be making on your journey. Because Abba doesn't want you to take one more step without knowing how He feels about you. 

We're going to look at a story about Abba's exclusive love. In John 4, Jesus is garnering the attention of the crowds in Judea. His next move is to leave the crowds, because He has plans to meet with one woman by a well. We're going to look at one line in the beginning of this story.

He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. (John 4:3-4)

I know at first glance it doesn't seem like much, but every word in the scripture is calling us deeper into this love affair with Yahweh. The scripture says "He had to pass through Samaria." Well, that simply isn't true. Like most Jews, He could have taken the long way around Samaria and still ended up in Galilee. You see, Jews hated Samarians. They were seen as unfaithful, compromising, and half-hearted followers of God. They were a stain on the religious culture of the day because they couldn't keep up with the endless demands of the law. Jews would sooner walk 70 miles out of their way than have to engage with a Samaritan. Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? Yeah, that story was actually offensive to the Jews because they would never put "good" and "Samaritan" in the same sentence. So Jesus didn't "have to" pass through Samaria out of cultural custom or practice, He had to pass through Samaria out of personal desire to meet with ONE person. 

What others would avoid, Jesus was passionate to encounter. 

Religion taught us that God avoids us. Religion taught us that He would sooner go 70 miles out of His way than to look upon our sinfulness. The very foundation of religion's lie is that we are separated from God, that we need to strive and effort our way back to Him, that we are currently unacceptable but there are 613 laws we can observe to get back on His good side. We've been trained to believe that He's distant. We found some hope when we heard that He lumps us into a whole world that He loves. But what if He cares about us, individually? What if He's not going out of His way to avoid us, but He's going out of His way to encounter us? What if Abba is setting everything up today in order to get as close to you as He possibly can without violating your own will? What if He's trying to put Himself right in your path?

As we walk with Abba today, let's rest in His exclusive love for us. I know it can be uncomfortable to meditate on you being Abba's favorite, but that uncomfortable feeling is not based on the truth, it's based on a lie. It's based on years of religion telling us that humility is thinking less of yourself and that meditating on how valuable you are would produce a prideful heart, and then a fall. That lie has kept us from believing the one thing that would completely change our life, that we've never been more loved than we are right now, in our current condition. No, true humility is not thinking less of yourself. True humility is you coming into agreement with what Abba thinks about you. Knowing that you are valuable will not produce pride, it will produce assurance and confidence in who Abba is and who He's called you to be. Get comfortable with being His favorite. You are valuable, precious, and beautiful beyond compare. 

I invite you to read all of Psalm 139 in The Passion Translation today, but especially these verses:

Every single moment you are thinking of me!
How precious and wonderful to consider
that you cherish me constantly in your every thought!
O God, your desires toward me are more
than the grains of sand on every shore!
When I awake each morning, you're still with me. 
(Psalm 139:17-18)

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Worship: "Pieces" by Amanda Cook

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!