The Walk is a daily writing to inspire you in your own personal intimacy with Abba.
Listen, my radiant one—if you ever lose sight of me, just follow in my footsteps where I lead my lovers. (Song of Songs 1:8)
You Weren’t Thrown Away
Written by Jarred Rushing
(9 minutes)
So once again they summoned the man who was healed of blindness and said to him, "Swear to God to tell us the truth! We know the man who healed you is a sinful man! Do you agree?" The healed man replied, "I have no idea what kind of man he is. All I know is that I was blind and now I can see for the first time in my life!" (John 9:24-25)
Some of the Jewish leaders were enraged and said, "Just who do you think you are to lecture us! You were born a blind, filthy sinner!" So they threw the man out in the street. When Jesus learned they had thrown him out, he went to find him and said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The man whose blind eyes were healed answered, "Who is he, Master? Tell me so that I can place all my faith in him." Jesus replied, "You're looking right at him. He's speaking with you. It's me, the one in front of you now." Then the man threw himself at his feet and worshiped Jesus and said, "Lord, I believe in you!" (John 9:34-38)
Our intimate encounters with Jesus change everything, especially our vision. With every moment in His presence, our sight is restored and we see Him a little clearer. And don't be fooled, the closer you get to Him, the less appealing you'll become to the religious system. This is what this ex-blind man discovered as he was trying to tell the religious leaders of his day about the encounter he just had with the man called Jesus. They wouldn't hear it. When their heart motives were being pressed by a man who had a significant experience with Yahweh, they resorted to name-calling and then they did what religion typically does when the conversation turns toward the heart; they kicked him out. A healed man was standing before them, trying to convince them that his testimony was true, and they threw him out on the street. Have you ever tried to convince the religious system of your intimate encounter with Jesus only to find yourself thrown away? Don't worry, that's a common testimony in the lives of those who have found themselves lured into the wilderness by Yahweh. Some of us couldn't keep up with religion's endless list of demands and chose to leave, while others of us did everything we could to stay only to be kicked out and thrown into the street. The spirit of religion doesn't tolerate questions of any kind and it certainly doesn't tolerate anyone that tries to address issues of the heart.
With all of that said you need to know something. It was Abba's grace that didn't allow it to work.
Like Pastor Tim said last Sunday, "You weren't thrown away, you were thrown to the feet of Jesus." It was Abba's grace that didn't allow you to succeed in that system. If that system had "worked" for you and had you found any measure of success in it, you never would have found the feet of Jesus. Abba saw you. He saw what your heart was really crying out for. When you tried to find acceptance and purpose in the eyes of religion, He said, "No!" And He used every moment to drive you further into His hands.
You weren't thrown away.
You were thrown to the feet of Jesus, the place you've always longed to be.
Be overwhelmed by Abba's grace that didn't allow it to work.
Be overtaken with gratitude that you weren't allowed to settle in slavery to the law.
It was Abba who lured you out of religion, so you could become a Lover of Jesus.
And now, all you know is that you met Jesus and everything changed. You tried so many other ways, but they all ended in disaster. Again, Abba's grace. Like St. Augustine penned, "Our heart is restless until it rests in you." Thank you, Abba, for not allowing us to find satisfaction in anything other than you! Thank you for using every moment to drive us into Your arms!
After the man healed of blindness throws himself at the feet of Jesus, Jesus lifts his head and utters some profound words:
And Jesus said, "I have come to judge those who think they see and make them blind. And for those who are blind, I have come to make them see." Some of the Pharisees were standing nearby and overheard these words. They interrupted Jesus and said, "You mean to tell us that we are blind?" Jesus told them, "If you would acknowledge your blindness, then your sin would be removed. But now that you claim to see, your sin remains with you!" (John 9:39-41)
I know those are hard words from Jesus, but keep them in mind as we look back at the Kingdom principle that we learned earlier this week. What we just saw in this story of the blind man and the Pharisees is the playing out of the Kingdom principle about revelation-light. Originally we read about this principle in Luke 11:33-36, but did you know Jesus mentions the same principle a couple of chapters earlier in the same Gospel of Luke? I think that highlights the importance of this Kingdom truth. Listen to the variation found in Luke 8:
"No one lights a lamp and then hides it, covering it over or putting it where its light won't be seen. No, the lamp is placed on a lampstand so others are able to benefit from its brightness. Because this revelation lamp now shines within you, nothing will be hidden from you--it will all be revealed. Every secret of the kingdom will be unveiled and out in the open, made known by the revelation-light. So pay careful attention to your hearts as you hear my teaching, for those who have open hearts, even more revelation will be given to them until it overflows. And for those who do not listen with open hearts, what little light they imagine to have will be taken away." (Luke 8:16-18)
Pay careful attention to your heart as you hear from Jesus.
The willing, tender, open heart will receive revelation-light until it overflows out into the world for others to see, shining brightly on a lampstand. But those with hard and closed hearts will lose what little light they imagine they have. The man healed of blindness heard Jesus offensively spitting in the dirt and then listened to his words with an open heart and he allowed that revelation-light to affect him. He heard Jesus' words and trusted Him, stumbling to the pool of Siloam to wash his blindness away forever. And I believe we see him receive even more revelation-light as he discerns the heart of the religious leaders in his conversation with them. And then he receives even more at the feet of Jesus, as he worships. And we see the Pharisees, with hard hearts, losing the light (the sight) that they believed they possessed. They had more physical sight and intellectual knowledge about the Messiah than the blind man, yet they were the ones who were not able to see. The Kingdom principle of revelation-light.
Are you paying careful attention to the words that Abba is speaking over you? Over your family? He's coming to the blind areas of our hearts today with the desire to restore our vision and bring us into a deeper union with Him, but it requires an open heart that is willing to be affected by His words. What are you doing with the words that Jesus is speaking? It's not just about hearing, the Pharisees could hear. It's about having a tender heart that can hear and trust His words enough to allow them to change the direction and focus of your life. When Jesus speaks, does your life become reoriented around what He has said? Reorientation means to adjust, align, or position things again around something else. Jesus' words should be rearranging our lives. All according to the degree that our heart is open and tender.
This is stirring me to revisit some past words that I've heard from Him and be honest about how those words have affected my life. Let's begin by honoring words that we've already heard. He has promised to pour out more and more until we're overflowing, but let's be good stewards and treasure the revelation-light we've already received.
Abba, thank you for your grace that doesn't allow us to stay where we are. Your grace that didn't allow us to thrive in that old, religious system of slavery. Your grace that is constantly rescuing us from the chains we've become comfortable wearing. Your grace that is willing to offend our minds to reveal our hearts, if it means getting us closer to You. Jesus was your final word, that separation and abandonment would not be an option in this love affair. Abba, thank you for coming after everything that was standing between us!
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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 Wrong Questions
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do." (John 9:1-3)
When I read this scripture from Sunday in The Message translation today I could feel so much weight on this phrase: "You're asking the wrong question." I don't know about you, but when hard situations arise I'm usually asking the wrong questions, and they typically start with how or why.
How could I not see this coming?
Why did this happen to me?
How can I fix this?
Why did God allow this?
How could they do something like that?
Why am I always dealing with this same issue?
You see, my questions normally begin with how or why. We ask questions like this when we want an explanation. But as someone pointed out to me this week at Linger House, Jesus rarely stops to explain things. Explanations are given to rehash the past, but Abba seems way more interested in where we are going, not where we are coming from.
What if we're asking the wrong questions?
What if Abba is trying to change our perspective as we take the walk with Him today?
What if how we see things could change?
As we get closer to Jesus in intimacy, our perspective will begin to shift. Most of the wrong questions that we ask are rooted in an inaccurate view of God. We just need to get more familiar with His nature, and we do that by staring at Jesus. When the foundation of your theology tells you that God is distant and disapproving, that He's temperamental and falls in and out of love with you depending on your behavior, and that He has no choice but to cast you out of His presence at the first sign of sin, then it gets harder to see difficult situations with the right heart. When fear of punishment rules your inner world, you'll always be looking for who's to blame. Can you ever see things right when you're constantly looking over your shoulder expecting the heavy hand of judgment to come your way? This is why we're so quick to look for who's to blame. Because when Daddy shows up we need to know who to point the finger at. But this is all based on an incorrect view of Abba's nature. When we begin to see Abba's true nature revealed in Jesus, it becomes easier to see the situations of life as they are, in the Light.
If we knew how good Abba truly was we'd never waste time asking the wrong questions! When we see Him right, we'll see everything else right.
What would your questions sound like if you believed wholeheartedly that Abba was good? Where would your curiosity take you if you weren't afraid of being punished or pushed away? If you were completely convinced of the Father's unconditional love for you, what would you ask Him?
Let's read the scripture again in The Passion Translation:
Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Teacher, whose sin caused this guy's blindness, his own, or the sin of his parents?" Jesus answered, "Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God's miracle." (John 9:1-3)
Let's take it one step further: what if we were so convinced of Abba's goodness that we no longer needed to ask questions at all? What if we were so certain that "every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God's perfect plan of bringing good into our lives," that questions became irrelevant? (Romans 8:28) What if the questions faded away and were replaced by Abba's final answer? Every detail is designed so we can witness a miracle that was tailor-made for our ultimate good. That's Abba's final answer.
Too far? Let's just focus on Abba's next footstep in front of us. On your walk today, ask Him to talk to you about how you see things, especially the hard things in life. Open your heart and allow Him to say whatever He wants to say. And know that whatever He highlights in your heart, He also gives you the grace to walk away from, if you are willing to trust Him as unconditionally loving, kind, and good. He will do whatever it takes for you to see Him and yourself rightly. That's the heart of the most perfect Father you will ever know!
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Worship: "When I Lock Eyes With You / Your Love Is Extravagant" by Harvest & Jon Thurlow
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!
Are you willing?
Written by Jarred Rushing
(4 minutes)
"No one would think of lighting a lamp and then hiding it in the basement where no one would benefit. A lamp belongs on a lampstand, where all who enter may see its light. The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. But when your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place. Open your heart and consider my words. Watch out that you do not mistake your opinion for revelation-light! If your spirit burns with light, fully illuminated with no trace of darkness, you will be a shining lamp, reflecting rays of truth by the way you live." (Luke 11:33-36)
The openness of our hearts will determine how much of our spirit will burn with revelation-light. Religion always told us it was the amount of things that we could do that would change our lives - read our Bible, pray, serve, tithe, and the list goes on. In religion, these were always a means to an end - a finish line we could never cross. Religion promised us that if we did these things and many more, we would experience true transformation. But it never came. Why? You know, as well as I do, that all of these things can be done with a hard and closed heart. Jesus is telling us in this scripture that revelation-light comes to the heart that is open, vulnerable, and willing to walk away from its own opinion.
Are you willing to give up what you think about yourself for what Abba thinks about you?
Are you willing to walk away from your long-held theological opinions about God to discover the real thing?
The open heart is simply the willing heart. Willing to embrace Abba's perspective over its own.
The walk we take with Abba is not a time to become more certain of our own opinions. It's a time to lay down our thoughts and ideas so we can inherit His.
How do you know if your heart is open or closed?
Well, closed hearts can only hear things from Abba that they already agree with. Closed hearts don't hear thoughts or ideas that they don't already believe. An open heart can hear the truth even if it's foreign to them at first. I guess the plainest way to say it is if Abba is always agreeing with you, then your heart may not be as open as you think it is. Pastor Tim has mentioned an old quote in past services that says, "In the beginning God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since." Another quote I've heard that gets a similar point across says, "You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out God hates all the same people you do." Does God always seem to like who you like and dislike who you dislike? Is God always agreeing with you and your plans? Does He ever say anything that challenges what you think or believe?
An open heart is willing to hear whatever Yahweh has to say.
A closed heart can only hear what it already believes.
An open heart values Abba's revelation-light.
A closed heart values its own opinion.
As you take the walk with Abba today, allow Him to smother you with kisses. Allow His kindness to lead you to the place of vulnerability. Intimacy with Jesus is the only thing that can open us up. Religion taught us to close our hearts to protect us from being truly known and seen. When you're trying to hide the dirtiest parts of yourself, being open is a threat to your being accepted and embraced. Abba wants you to open up so you can see that He desires to embrace every part of you, even the ugly parts that religion told you to hide from Him. An open heart is a witness that we've truly encountered Perfect Love, because we no longer fear what will happen if we come out of hiding. We've been so convinced of Abba's goodness that we feel no need to protect our hearts or our own opinions. Will you entrust your whole heart to Abba and hold nothing back? He's ready to pour His love out on you, every part of you. You don't have to be afraid of His love. You won't find any rejection in Him. He doesn't do abandonment.
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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!
When Open Hearts Get Flooded
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
"No one would think of lighting a lamp and then hiding it in the basement where no one would benefit. A lamp belongs on a lampstand, where all who enter may see its light. The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. But when your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place. Open your heart and consider my words. Watch out that you do not mistake your opinion for revelation-light! If your spirit burns with light, fully illuminated with no trace of darkness, you will be a shining lamp, reflecting rays of truth by the way you live." (Luke 11:33-36)
Did you know that something exists that the light cannot penetrate? In this scripture, we have Jesus, the Light of the World, telling us that there's something that the light cannot enter into, something it cannot pierce. Revelation-light brings change and transformation, but there is something that it is powerless to access no matter how brilliant and compelling it is.
What does Jesus tell us the light is powerless to invade?
A heart that is hard and closed.
The light cannot penetrate a hard heart. It takes a tender, open heart to receive revelation-light from Yahweh. The tenderness of our hearts can be found in our openness, in our vulnerability. Pastor Tim gave a great explanation of vulnerability when he said, "Transparency is me telling you that I've had a bad day. Vulnerability is me telling you why I've had a bad day." The tender heart is honest. The tender heart can trust someone with the truth instead of hiding.
Jesus goes on to give a warning about the hard heart. He says, "Watch out that you do not mistake your opinion for revelation-light!" If the tender, open heart is ruled by honest truth-telling. The closed, hard heart must be ruled by guarded opinions. The hard heart doesn't value honesty and truth over protecting itself and its long-held ideas.
The tender heart has a willingness to relearn, even if it means the loss of personal opinions. The open heart is flexible and can be reshaped. The hard heart is fixed and immovable.
There are areas of our life that are not shining as brightly as others. Some areas still seem to be hiding under a basket. What if these areas are not waiting on Abba, but you? What if these areas of struggle and striving have more to do with an opinion that you’re holding onto, that if you were to surrender then you would suddenly see revelation-light begin to flood in?
We're designed to be reflecting rays of light by the way we live. If Jesus is telling the truth in this scripture, then those areas where we are not reflecting light are areas that are still being ruled by a guarded, hard, and closed-off heart. We're not waiting on Abba to bring revelation-light. He's waiting for us to trust Him over our own opinion.
Abba wants more for us than we are even capable of thinking, asking, or imagining. He will not be the weak link in this relationship. If it seems like you are in a period of waiting, then Abba's expectation is that you would braid your perspective with His. The Hebrew word for "wait" literally means to be entwined or to braid like hair. Waiting on the Lord is a time of grace for us to give up our ideas and be braided together with His truth. It's a time to let go of the hard heart that is protecting our personal opinions and allow the Spirit to tenderize us again with openness and vulnerability in His presence.
What if the waiting is over only after we've been fully entwined with His perspective?
It's time to come out from under this basket and shine. As you take a walk with Abba today, let the consuming fire of His love melt the hardness away. Let His love tenderize your heart. Be open and vulnerable with Him. He is the safest place you will ever be!
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Worship: "Open Space" 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!
What Your Faith Expects
Written by Jarred Rushing
(6 minutes)
As Jesus left the house, two blind men began following him, shouting out over and over, "Son of David, show us mercy and heal us!" And they followed him right into the house where Jesus was staying. So Jesus asked them, "Do you believe that I have the power to restore sight to your eyes?" They replied, "Yes Lord, we believe!" Then Jesus put his hands over their eyes and said, "You will have what your faith expects!" And instantly their eyes opened--they could see! (Matthew 9:27-30)
You will have what your faith expects.
There is a Kingdom principle wrapped up in that tiny phrase that could change our lives. What if, right now, we are only able to receive what our faith expects? In six short sentences, we have two blind men combining their hunger for Jesus with their high, faith-filled expectations, and look what happens. In six short sentences, two ordinary guys go from blindness to restored sight. What would happen if we took our hunger for the feet of Jesus and started marrying that with some real expectancy? These blind men couldn't see, but they had vision. The faith and hope they had allowed them to expect something from the Anointed One that had not been realized yet.
What if the Kingdom principle is as simple as this: you will get what your faith expects every time.
What if this whole day was hinged on what your faith in Yahweh was expecting? What would be in store? Would anything happen at all? Would it be an exciting adventure, filled with miracles and intimate whispers around every corner? Or would it be stale and stagnant? If it was up to your faith to decide, what would we encounter today?
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)
I need to stop for a moment and help us with some definitions because, for a long time, we have been confused when it comes to faith. Faith is not your wishful thinking. Faith is not what you are praying and believing for. Faith is your being convinced that Yahweh is real and that He loves to reward those who passionately seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is your being convinced that He is not only God, but He is also good. Faith is your deep conviction that He's not just able to do things for you, He desires and finds His greatest delight in lavishing you with love. Faith is not suspicious; it is your restful trust in Abba's love. It's your confidence and assurance that flows from your being intimate with Yahweh and knowing His nature. And when that faith is combined with hope, we start to acquire the things we long for. Hope is our expectations, our deep longings, and what we are excited to see come to pass.
Our faith in Yahweh brings our hopeful expectations into reality.
The marrying of these two things is how we acquire what we long for.
Two blind men received exactly what their faith was expecting.
Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday that "staring at His goodness will change what we expect." Our being convinced of Abba's nature will transform what we think is possible. Some of us are still detoxing from the image of God that religion sold us. We're still in the process of relearning and letting Yahweh teach us all over again who He is and how He feels about us. And as our faith in Him rises, we'll notice that our hopes and expectations will begin to rise too. It does take time and time is best described as "history with God." Faith comes naturally to us when we have a history with something. I'm pretty confident that none of us go into our homes and inspect the integrity of our chairs before we sit down in them. That's because we have a history with our chairs, and that history has produced faith in us, a restful trust that we can plop down on that chair and it won't betray us. We have more history with religion's distant and disapproving God than we do with the real One we know as Abba. That's why we're still leery around Him, suspecting that the other shoe will soon drop and our worst nightmare will have come true. The old image of God that we inherited from religion has left us suspicious. You know how it feels to sit on an old, decrepit chair. You never give your whole self to it. You're always halfway seated and halfway ready to stand up. This posture is not one of faith. You'll never be truly rested and trusting in that chair, and the same applies if that's your posture with Yahweh. This relationship requires faith, restful trust. When it comes to Abba, you have to throw your whole self into Him and His love. Halfway won't work. You must be seated!
Let's build our history with Yahweh today as we take a walk with Him. Let's stare at His goodness until we can't help but hope for bigger things. A true revelation of His goodness won't allow us to carry ordinary expectations. It definitely won't allow us to carry no expectations at all.
What is my faith expecting?
Take this question on your walk with Abba and let His love introduce you to new expectations. Higher expectations. Hopes and dreams that His goodness will still outdo and outshine every single time.
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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!
You Can Have My Heart
Written by Jarred Rushing
(7 minutes)
As Jesus left the house, two blind men began following him, shouting out over and over, "Son of David, show us mercy and heal us!" And they followed him right into the house where Jesus was staying. So Jesus asked them, "Do you believe that I have the power to restore sight to your eyes?" They replied, "Yes Lord, we believe!" (Matthew 9:27-28)
Why is Jesus always asking, what seems to be, the most insensitive questions? If not insensitive, then definitely the most obvious questions!
These blind men just stammered through a crowded town, tripping over every unseen obstacle in their way and drawing the attention of every onlooker because of their loud, continual shouting. They just barged into someone else's home just because Jesus was in the house. I don't know about you, but doesn't it seem obvious that they believe that Jesus can restore their sight? If I'm one of the disciples, I would probably be turning towards Jesus as He's asking this question with a puzzled face and squinting eyes, thinking to myself, "Jesus, what do you mean? Why would these guys go through everything that they've been through if they didn't believe that you could heal them? Of course, they believe!"
But still, in light of everything that these blind men just endured, Jesus asks the question, "Do you believe that I have the power to restore sight to your eyes?"
Why does Jesus ask this question?
Because the motive of our heart isn’t always clear to us or the world, but it’s always clear to Abba. Yahweh said it plainly to Samuel when picking a new king that "man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
The same acts that flow from love can sometimes look identical to the self-earning that flows from fear. It's the posture and motive of the heart that separates the two. It's possible to read the Bible every day, pray often, and serve in ministry, but do it all from a place of fear, shame, and self-earning. It's also possible to do those same things from a place of intimacy and union. It all comes down to the motive of the heart and Jesus wants our heart. Listen to Jesus' words in Matthew 7:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the realm of heaven's kingdom. It is only those who persist in doing the will of my heavenly Father. On the day of judgment many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, don't you remember us? Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we cast out demons and do many miracles for the sake of your name?' But I will have to say to them, 'Go away from me, you lawless rebels! I've never been joined to you!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus makes it abundantly clear to us here that we can be doing some pretty incredible things, but not from a place of life-union and love for Him. We can do all sorts of things in His name, but not from a place of intimate fellowship and being joined to Him. And remember from Hebrews 11:6, it's not these great works that please Abba, but our faith, the restful trust that these works flow from, that pleases Him.
Let me give you another picture of this in family life. Sometimes our kids clean up their room because they don't want to get in trouble. Sometimes our kids clean up their room because they want something. Sometimes our kids clean up their room because they love us and want to partner with us in cleaning our home. A clean room doesn't tell the whole story. The posture of the heart does.
So Jesus bypasses everything these blind men have done and goes straight for the heart, because with the heart man believes. So He asks, "Do you believe that I have the power to restore sight to your eyes? I know everything that you have been through and all that you have done to get to this moment, but is your heart truly convinced that I can do this for you?"
I must be honest with you, the deeper you go in intimacy with Yahweh the more it becomes about your heart.
These blind men push deeper and deeper into the presence of Jesus and are met with a question about their hearts.
We all have something in our lives that we want to be different. And we are pushing deeper and deeper into intimacy with Jesus. And as we get closer we will begin to hear His voice speaking tenderly to...our heart.
Is your heart truly convinced that Jesus can restore sight to your eyes?
Is your heart truly convinced that Jesus can restore your health?
Do you believe that He can restore your marriage or your strained relationship with your children?
Do you believe that He can restore your life to a place of wholeness, innocence, and purity?
Every question that Abba asks is an invitation to sit at His table and enjoy a meal that He has prepared for you. Every question is an invitation to a deeper measure of intimacy. And as you get more acquainted with the goodness of Yahweh, your heart will become fully convinced of what He can and is most willing to do on your behalf. Faith, restful trust, is not just believing that He can, but it's also believing that He wants to. Abba needs you to know that He doesn't just possess the power and ability to perform this thing in your life, but He also possesses the deepest and most extravagant love and desire to do it just for you. When He asks the question, “Do you believe that I can do this?”, He wants your whole heart to respond with confidence, “Yes Abba, I believe!”
God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart.
Examine me through and through;
find out everything that may be hidden within me.
Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares.
See if there is any path of pain I'm walking on,
and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways--
the path that brings me back to you.
(Psalm 139:23-24)
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Worship: "Have My Heart" 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!
So Longings Can Be Exposed
Written by Jarred Rushing
(4 minutes)
As Jesus left the house, two blind men began following him, shouting out over and over, "Son of David, show us mercy and heal us!" And they followed him right into the house where Jesus was staying. (Matthew 9:27-28)
The Pharisees were reading and studying the scriptures, praying every day, and going to the temple as much as they could, yet they couldn't see Jesus rightly. But two blind men who were unable to read the scriptures and were kept out of the temple for being unclean could see Jesus perfectly. Stumbling throughout the town and yelling at the top of their lungs, these blind men were going to do whatever they could to get to the feet of Jesus, even if it meant barging into a home that wasn't their own. They are pushing through all the barriers and obstacles to get to Jesus. And speaking of Jesus, He isn't making it easy on them. He allows them stumble in desperate pursuit, shouting over and over, and corner Him in a house that didn't belong to them. Why?
There is a common attribute among people who want the real thing: hunger.
Their hunger for the real thing can't be quieted by anything. They simply will not give up until they get to His feet. Let's be honest, American Christianity would've stopped right before we started "shouting out over and over" because that is just too undignified and silly. But it's not undignified and silly if you're hungry for the real thing. American Christianity has to bait and entertain people into following Jesus. But Jesus' way is so different. He keeps walking and He allows the hunger to be stirred in these two blind men. He doesn't make it easy for them. He wants them to get exactly what they long for, but He makes space for their longing to be exposed.
How hungry are we for the real thing? Is our hunger stirring us to drop everything and overcome whatever obstacles we need to in order to get to His feet? What are we willing to go through to get to the real thing?
Put yourself in the shoes of these two blind men.
Would you have followed Jesus even though you couldn't see or feel Him? Would you have stumbled through the town, tripping over things and bumping into random strangers? You wouldn't be able to see their faces full of judgment and pity, but you could fill in the blanks with your imagination. Would you still follow after Him? Would you shout at the top of your lungs over and over again even if you weren't getting any response from Jesus? Would you continue to yell and fight to be heard by Him even though the surrounding crowd kept hushing you? Would you barge into someone else's home like it was your own, if you knew Jesus was there?
Or would you have stopped short?
There was more than enough fear, shame, condemnation, embarrassment, and discomfort to go around. Would you let it quiet the hunger in you for the real thing?
It couldn't quiet the hunger in these two blind men. Jesus allowed their longing to be exposed. What if we're walking through things right now in order for our longing to be exposed?
I want to suggest something to you. Abba has lured you into the wilderness to expose your longing. The wilderness has a way of doing that to us. Listen to these words of King David, the words to a song he wrote while he was exiled in a wilderness.
O God of my life, I'm lovesick for you in this weary wilderness.
I thirst with the deepest longings to love you more,
with cravings in my heart that can't be described.
Such yearning grips my soul for you, my God!
I'm energized every time I enter your heavenly sanctuary
to seek more of your power and drink in more of your glory.
For your tender mercies mean more to me than life itself.
How I love and praise you, God!
(Psalm 63:1-3)
Let your hunger be stirred for Yahweh today!
Let your yearning for Him grip your soul.
Let your worship passionately overflow.
Let your arms wave like banners no matter who is in the room.
With passion, pursue and cling to Him!
See this wilderness for what it is - a grace given to you by Yahweh so your hunger for Him can increase to overflowing, so you can be ushered into the thing you always said you wanted...the real thing.
What if the hard things are actually opportunities for you to fall more in love with Jesus?
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Worship: "I Love 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!
A Presence Even Blind Men Could Follow
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
As Jesus left the house, two blind men began following him, shouting out over and over, "Son of David, show us mercy and heal us!" (Matthew 9:27)
Blind men... following Jesus? That’s peculiar.
Pastor Tim shared a powerful question about this verse on Sunday that I believe Abba wants us to take on our walk with Him today.
How do blind men follow anybody, unless you're carrying something so significant that even blind men could follow you?
What are we carrying? And what is it producing in our life?
Having an honest conversation with Abba that produces a greater measure of intimacy must begin with questions like this. For far too long in American Christianity we've shifted blame and avoided responsibility because we didn't want to talk about what WE were carrying, personally, and what that was producing in our own lives. Let's be honest, we haven't had blind men shouting us down because they could sense that we were carrying such a powerful measure of His presence. Shoot, we haven't had anyone shouting us down (for the right reasons), even people with great eyesight. Religion came along and taught us how to point fingers at the world and the devil, and that allowed us to escape even more the honest conversations that Abba was wanting to have with us.
You can see this so clearly in the Garden of Eden. What happens when Yahweh wants to have a conversation with Adam about Adam? "It's not my fault! The problem is this woman that YOU gave to me!" And what happens when Yahweh wants to have a conversation with Eve about Eve? "It's not my fault! The problem is this devilish serpent that deceived me!" Avoiding responsibility is an ancient practice that was established by a man and woman who were afraid of God. Fear keeps us from having honest conversations with Abba.
This is why we must stare at the face of Jesus and allow Him to show us the true nature of the Father. As we begin to see Abba's kindness in the face of Jesus, we will be ushered into true metanoia, the changing of our mind, real transformation. When we encounter Abba's kindness, we will lower the weapons that we've used to protect our heart and we will allow His perfect love to cast out all fear. Our hearts will become tender, allowing us to have an open, honest conversation with Abba about the things that He wants to talk about.
Is Abba allowed to talk to us about anything?
Or is there a place in our heart that is still ruled by fear that won't entertain any questions or conversations, even from Yahweh?
A place in our heart that, when it's poked and prodded, only produces blame-shifting and avoiding responsibility?
I can remember a moment years ago when I was troubled by a thought I had while journaling. I remember thinking, "There are things, right now, that I couldn't hear God say, even if He wanted to say it." That thought really bothered me. I think all of us have to get to that place, especially if you're crying out for the real thing. Because at some point, after you lose your obsession with the world and the devil, all that's left is you and Abba, and He's not going to be the weak link in this relationship.
That leaves us with a sobering question: what if the chaos, the restlessness, and the lack of real Kingdom-solutions comes down to my own inner world, not the world around me?
What if it's my avoiding the conversation that Abba wants to have that's producing the struggle, the weariness, and the confusion?
What if He's trying to break through to me, but fear isn't allowing me to hear His voice in a certain area?
Am I willing to go into the secret place with Him, remove all the distractions and say, "Abba, I want the real thing, even if it requires me to be honest and open about my own heart."
And here's the best part. Abba doesn't want to waste time studying the problem, rehearsing where it came from and figuring out who's to blame for the darkness. He just wants your tender, fully-open heart, even the darkest parts, to encounter the light of His presence. He wants to embrace the leper that we've tirelessly tried to hide from everyone. We've even tried to hide the inner-leper from ourselves. Will we take the advice of the Song of Songs and "let Him" smother us with kisses? Will we let Him smother every part of us with kisses? Even the areas we have named unlovable?
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Let him smother me with kisses - his Spirit-kiss divine. (Song of Songs 1:2)
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Worship: "One Thing" 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 Most Dangerous Way To Read The Bible
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
You are busy analyzing the Scriptures, poring over them hoping to gain eternal life. Everything you read points to me, yet you still refuse to come to me so I can give you the life you're looking for--eternal life. (John 5:39-40)
Pastor Tim opened the message on Sunday with a personal story that showed us all how damaging and dangerous it is to read the scriptures without Jesus. On the morning of one of the most heartbreaking days of his life he was introduced to the book of Job and when he heard the news of his father's death later that day, the book of Job became the lens through which he saw the Father. As a fifteen year old boy, he saw God "as someone rolling the dice with his life," testing him to see if he would buckle underneath the pressure.
This is why Jesus warns us of the leaven of Herod (the political spirit) and the leaven of the Pharisees (the religious spirit). Because if either of them hijack your perspective of God, you will end up farther away from the real thing then when you first began.
This is how the spirit of religion ropes you in:
The first thing it does is paint the Father with darkness. It has to start here, with a distant and disapproving God, because nothing moves us to into action like the thought of someone secretly working against us. Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, he calls Abba's nature of love into question with words like, "Has God really said?" Religion skews your perspective of the Father by laying the foundation that God is not really for you - that God is holding out on you and He's not really good.
The next thing that religion introduces is the lie that you can earn your way into Abba's love if you just try harder. This is where religion sells itself. It promises you that with enough effort you can change how God feels about you. This is where we begin to believe that religion could actually help us, not hurt us. And just like the serpent in the Garden, he appeals to your innate desire for union with Yahweh by promising you that "you will be like God." The only problem is that Adam and Eve were already made in the image and likeness of God, just like we are. Religion tells you that you are missing out and that you are lacking something. The truth is - you had it all along.
Did you know that you can read the scriptures through the lens of religion and never see the Father for who He actually is? The same scriptures that Jesus used to reveal Himself to the men on the road to Emmaus is the same scriptures that the Pharisees had memorized and analyzed their entire lives, but they still could not see Him. That's a scary thought.
You can do the same thing through the lens of the political spirit and never see Yahweh rightly.
This is why Pastor Tim made the statement that, "studying the scriptures without Jesus doesn't get you to Jesus." You can read the Bible until you're blue in the face, but if you read it under the influence of the political spirit or the spirit of religion, you will have read it in vain because you will be farther from His face than when you first began.
There's only ONE way to see Abba rightly. There's only ONE way to experience face-to-face-ness with Him. You must stare into the eyes of Jesus. He is the most perfect picture of the Father. If you've seen Him, you've seen the Father.
Philip, a disciple of Jesus, had grown up with the same lens of the Father that most of us grew up with - the distant, disapproving God. And years into following Jesus, he still raises the question by pleading with Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be all that we need!" It sounds like Philip trusted Jesus, but was still extremely leery of the Father.
In John 14:9, Jesus replies to the disciple, "Philip, 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." This is why we need to stare into the eyes of Jesus. Because it's only in His face that we see the perfect, most accurate image of Abba.
If you're ever reading a story in the Bible and it raises a question in you about the nature of the Father, go and ask Jesus for the answer! If you can't find that nature in Jesus, then you might be dealing with a perspective of the Father that was painted dark by the spirit of religion. Jesus is perfect theology! Jesus is everything the Father has to say about Himself.
When you have questions, Abba wants you go to Jesus, not Job, for the answer.
Part of our journey into the wilderness with Yahweh is allowing Him to redefine how we've seen Him. It has to start with an honest heart that says, "Abba, I haven't seen you rightly. I've only ever known you through the lens of religion. Show me who you really are." And then Abba introduces you to His radiant Son and says, "Everything you need to know about Me is wrapped up in Him." So we become like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus and staring into His eyes. It becomes the ONE thing our heart craves and desires. And as we stare into His eyes, our perspective of the Father begins to change. His kindness and goodness lead us out of religion's sophisticated trap, and we finally begin to see Him for who He really is - our Abba who loves us perfectly and finds His greatest delight in His beloved sons and daughters.
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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!
What Are My Beliefs Producing?
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
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. (Psalm 27:4)
So above all else, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
The scriptures make it abundantly clear that the issues of life flow from the heart. What we allow to occupy this space will affect everything in our lives. Giving our heart to ONE thing has significant consequences, just like giving our heart to MANY things does.
We've already seen the effects of giving our heart to many things. Doublemindedness leads to instability. It produces a troubled and worried spirit like Martha. Chaos continually swirls around us, because there's chaos in our heart. Whatever is being harbored in the heart will eventually leak out into our life. It's a principle of the Kingdom. Our outer world will only prosper to the degree that our inner world is whole. And wholeness begins with giving the heart to ONE thing.
What will this ONE thing lifestyle produce in us?
Well, David gives us a little insight. Before he tells us what his heart craves and desires most, he gives us a glimpse into what that desire was producing in his life.
Yahweh is my revelation-light and the source of my salvation. I fear no one!
I'll never turn back and run, for you, 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.
(Psalm 27:1-3)
No more fear. No more turning back. No more being shaken.
The ONE thing lifestyle produces peace. It produces a restful trust in the Bridegroom to be our revelation-light and our only source of salvation. We can't truly be seated in rest until our whole heart is baptized in His perfect love. If we're holding back any part of our heart there will remain a restlessness that finds restful trust to be an uncomfortable posture to sit in. Distractions become our preferred method to protect us from feeling the condition that our heart is actually in. But the ONE thing lifestyle creates a quietness in our life that is able to be seated in any circumstance. If David is able to stand and hold his peace in the face of an enemy army, it must be because he is trusting Yahweh to do all the protecting. Yahweh being His single, greatest desire is producing a peace in his life that allows him to be seated no matter what is happening around him. So what does it mean if I still feel the need to pick up my sword and protect myself? What does it mean if my reaction to enemy thoughts is to cave, turn back and run? If fear still rules my life, what does that say about my heart? What does all my busyness say about what I believe?
We have to stop and ask ourselves: what are my beliefs producing in my life?
My life reveals what my heart believes. It's not a mystery!
We have to be honest with Abba and with ourselves about what our beliefs are producing in our lives. We can’t go deeper into Abba’s love while we’re hiding.
Remember, honesty is the highest form of intimacy. Interestingly enough, the word "honest" comes from the word "honor." What if the most honorable thing we can do in our relationship with Abba is be honest with Him?
Intimacy requires a tender, vulnerable heart being wholly given to another.
Why is it so important to be honest with Abba?
Because He longs to love the real us, not the version we're pretending to be.
As He becomes the ONE thing, it will influence every area of our life. Just like our entertaining a multitude of things has influenced every area of our life. One has produced chaos, the other can produce peace. One has produced a frantic busyness, the other can produce a restful trust. Pastor Tim has said this often, "The only thing that can change the world around me is the world within me." As the clutter is cleared out of our heart and it is reoriented around the Anointed One, it will begin to change every environment we find ourselves in. Things will shift in a room because we are in it. The wholeness that has come to our innermost being will begin to flow into our family, our home, our job, our city, and eventually our state and nation. But wholeness must first come to our heart.
There's a group of people at The Wilderness Place who are endeavoring to make Jesus the ONE and ONLY. And we're already seeing the most incredible transformation in our lives and families. We're beginning to see those significant changes even with the degree that our heart has turned towards Him already. Every day that we choose to take the walk with Abba, our hearts are turning even more. We're taking His hand and wading out into the river of His love. With every step, our heart is being washed and our mind is being changed. And it's His kindness that is luring and drawing us deeper. What religion promised and could not deliver, Abba is pouring out over us in bucketloads. Peace, true rest, and a content heart that can finally enjoy life. Every single day He is inviting us to pull a chair up to His table, and the command is always the same, "Eat and drink until you are satisfied!"
Abba's presence is the safest place we could ever be!
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Worship: "We Make Space" by 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!
With The Bridegroom In Mind
Written by Jarred Rushing
(6 minutes)
Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.
Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” (Mark 14:32-42)
When the disciples started walking with Jesus they were full of passion and enthusiasm. They left everything behind to follow the footsteps of the Anointed One. But in the hour of Jesus' greatest need all we see is apathy. This moment in the garden with His own inner circle is the first manifestation of what slowly begins to unfold in the rest of Jesus' followers - a dispassionate indifference. The man that drew crowds in the thousands is only left with a handful at the cross and only one of his twelve disciples, as He delivers His greatest message to the world.
What is this trying to show us?
Why were these details left in the scriptures by the very men who carried out these acts of betrayal, apathy, and indifference?
What if they are trying to show us what happens when we get distracted by the addition of our own ideas, opinions, ministries, and the busyness of life?
This is, after all, what causes us to be apathetic towards something that we were once passionate about. It's the migration from ONE thing to MANY things.
The disciples, who were once honored to drop everything and serve the Messiah, were preoccupied with very different concerns in their last days with Jesus.
In Matthew 26:8, days before the last Passover meal, we find the disciples offended when the woman breaks her alabaster flask of expensive oil and pours it over Jesus' head, grumbling that it was a total waste of resources.
In Mark 14:19, after hearing the shocking news that one of the disciples would betray Jesus, they were all secretly wondering if it was them.
In Luke 22:24, during the last Passover meal and hours away from the crucifixion of Christ, we see the disciples bickering and arguing over which of them would be considered the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus had to interrupt them, while He was eating His last meal, and turn their hearts back to Him.
And in John 18:15-27, while Jesus is being interrogated and beaten by the authorities, we are given the details of the first, second and third time that Peter denied knowing the Christ.
By the time we get to the cross, we're left with John the Beloved, Jesus' mother and aunt, and Mary Magdalene. These are the ones who loved Jesus to the bitter end. Dr. Simmons adds in his footnotes of John 19:26 that, "Love doesn't quit, run away, or hide from pain. It endures all things, overcomes all things, and empowers us in all things. John didn't run from the suffering of the Savior. We must be those who will stand next to Jesus even if the entire world is against us."
Falling in love with Jesus and being passionate about His presence is easy in the beginning when the first-love fires are burning bright. But that flame gets watered down as we introduce other loves into our life. These come in the form of our own opinions, thoughts and ideas. They also come in the form of distractions and restless busyness. They can even come in the form of ministries, causes and serving in His name. It's the subtle shift away from receiving validation only from His eyes. It's the migration from ONE thing to MANY things. And this shift may be acceptable in other areas of life, but when it comes to a covenant marriage it only has one name: adultery. That may seem heavy, but we have to keep all of our theology nestled in relational language or else we might start to see the whole thing as trivial and unimportant. You must understand, we're not talking about adding another side dish to a meal. We're talking about adding another lover to a marriage. We're talking about placing our trust and faith in a multitude of ideas, things and people, instead of letting Yahweh be our sole Protector, Provider and Priest. The ONE thing lifestyle is simply a decision to keep the Bridegroom in mind at all times. The ONE thing lifestyle is saying "Yes, and I do!" to ONE person. Princess Diana uttered a famous line about her relationship to Prince Charles that may help us understand. She said, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." There's not enough room for anyone else in our covenant marriage to Yahweh. He must be the ONE and ONLY.
Let's get back to the disciples. I'm happy to report that the previous accounts were not the end of their story. As a matter of fact, we find some very different disciples after the resurrection of Jesus. Thomas is no longer doubting. Peter is no longer denying. We don't hear anymore bickering or arguing about status and position. No, our post-resurrection disciples have been transformed. In the beginning, Jesus was someone they left everything to live for. After the resurrection, Jesus becomes someone they would leave everything to die for. What changed? What happened? What shifted in their hearts? Now, we have a group of men who are quite literally putting all of their eggs in ONE basket. They're not holding out hope for another savior. They have put their entire life, even unto death. in the hands of ONE person. What happened?
I believe Abba wants us to take this question into our intimacy with Him today. I feel like He wants to lead us into the answer Himself. He wants to usher us out of the chaos of doublemindedness back to a ONE thing lifestyle. He wants to carry us across the threshold and introduce us to a brand new life where we can trust Him with everything.
"Beloved Bride, there is no need for you to hold out hope for another savior today. You can trust me with everything. You no longer have to provide for yourself; I AM already providing for you. You no longer have to protect yourself; I AM already protecting you. You no longer have to sacrifice in order to gain acceptance; I have already done the sacrificing. You are safe in My arms. You can trust Me with your heart. You are my one thing. Will you make Me yours?"
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Worship: "Covering Me With Affection" by William Augusto
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!
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!