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)

The Wilderness Place 3/18/24 The Wilderness Place 3/18/24

Beauty for Ashes

(6 minutes)

"The wilderness is an invitation into the unfamiliar. The reason most people don't like to go into the wilderness is because they don't know what to expect, every single time it doesn't look like anything it's ever looked like before, and this is the issue: familiar methods always war against the things of God. Do I want it to be familiar or do I want the heart of God? The wilderness is where you make this decision." (Pastor Tim)

The wilderness is where we trade our familiar, religious lens for Jesus. We let go of everything that we've known up to this point and we allow Jesus to shape our beliefs, opinions, and ideas. Jesus is exactly what the Father has to say about Himself. Jesus is perfect theology. If you want to know the Father's heart, you must go to Jesus to find out. If you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father.

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

Because of this, they (you, me, us) will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory. They will restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. They will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4)

This scripture is the heart of God for you and the places that you are planted.

Christianity stopped after "preach good news to the poor," but Yahweh has so much more for his Beloved Sons and Daughters! Religion cut us off from experiencing the rest of this verse. We settled for telling people about Jesus when our intimacy with Abba was supposed to take us into so much more. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, what's the use of telling people about Jesus when you don't have a life that anyone wants? Our intimacy with Jesus was meant to produce abundant life, overflowing with the peace, joy and righteousness of the Kingdom. There was a deeper healing that was supposed to come after hearing the good news, but religion cut us off from that encounter. We traded true healing for man-handling our brokenness and keeping it out of view. We traded complete wholeness for hiding. We traded real rest for shameful striving. But not so for those that Abba is luring our into the wilderness!

"It's easy to tell stories about Jesus and confess how good He is. It's a whole other situation to open your heart up and let Him heal every area of your life until you become someone worth following." (Pastor Tim)

This is where we are in this process: "He sent Jesus to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted."

Our Kingdom family is walking into healing waters. We're opening up and allowing Abba to address every broken part of our hearts. We're trading our ashes for beauty. We're trading our tears for joy. We're trading the heavy weight of shame for praise. It's a process. It's a journey. One that Abba greatly enjoys taking with His kids.

But if we're not letting Abba set the pace, we may be missing out on what He's trying to do. And we certainly won't be enjoying the process with Him. Our pace matters and it's something Abba wants to put His finger on this week, if we let Him.

Beloved One, open your heart up today, in honesty and vulnerability, and allow Abba to address every broken area. He's coming to mend your heart and make it whole again. He's giving you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for heaviness. He doesn't want your life to be spent managing your brokenness. He wants your life spent enjoying every moment as you walk with Him in the place He's planted you, with a whole heart, like you were designed to have from the very beginning.

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Worship: "Beauty for Ashes" 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!

The Wilderness Place 3/15/24 The Wilderness Place 3/15/24

The Price We Pay For Picking Up Swords

(5 minutes)

David laid down his harp and picked up a sword, all because he never allowed the heart-shot to be healed. Yahweh never intended for David to become a man of war. And that wasn't David's real passion either. David had a deep longing in his heart, one that we discover as we continue in his story. David longed to build a house for the Lord, a temple where the presence of God could dwell. One day when David is old and near death, he gathers his mighty men around him and delivers a message to them. It's his last words and last words are typically some of the most important words of our life because we recount what really mattered to us the entire time. Listen to King David's:

Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people; I had it within my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and for the footstool of the feet of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.'" (1 Chronicles 28:2-3)

The one thing that David was most passionate about, and I would say most passionate about from the very beginning of his life, he was not allowed to do. Yahweh would not allow him to build a house for Him because David was a man of war and had too much blood on his hands. What is the price that you pay for never allowing your heart to be healed? You settle for a life of striving and chasing applause, instead of the life you were uniquely and passionately designed to live. The price of picking up the sword is forfeiting the rest, peace, and fulfillment that could have been inherited from Yahweh had you just kept hosting His presence and being healed as you played your harp.

You can be named, Beloved. You can love God and God can love you. You can be known by God as a man or woman after His own heart. And you can be all of that without receiving the whole heart that Abba desired for you to have the entire time. I believe that Yahweh was constantly inviting David into the rest, the stillness, and the secret place of His presence so He could deal with David's heart. But David could not sit long enough to allow the healing to go as deep as it needed to go. It's impossible to hear Abba's voice while you're swinging swords.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life [the one that you were originally passionate about living]. 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 MSG)

Beloved One, you were not created to strive and chase the applause of people. You were not designed to live with a heart that is starved for affection. You were not made to find fulfillment in the cheap imitation of other people's approval. Allow Abba's love to come and heal every heart-shot of the past. Allow His affection to fill every crack and wound. Rest in His hands and let him make you again, into another vessel. One that is healed, whole, and filled with His perfect love.

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

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 Wilderness Place 3/14/24 The Wilderness Place 3/14/24

Harps, Swords, and Chasing Applause

(6 minutes)

And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. (1 Samuel 16:19-23)

David was so anointed he could play a harp and evil spirits would have to leave because of the presence of God. David has an opportunity to use this gift in front of King Saul and Saul is greatly impressed. This is the very first moment that David's gift is put on display for someone to see.

Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:32-37)

We all know this story well. David goes out on the battlefield and kills the giant. This was the second opportunity David had to use his gift in front of others. This display didn't just leave King Saul impressed, but the entire nation of Israel. King Saul goes on to appoint David as commander over the men of war. And scripture says that David "was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants." As King Saul and David returned to the city after defeating the Philistines, all the women poured out into the streets, singing and dancing, saying, "Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands."

We have two stories here of David using his gifts. One sent evil spirits running and the other garnered him the applause and the acceptance of people. Which one did he choose to pursue for the rest of his life? From that day on David put his harp down, and picked up a sword.

"Why? Why did he choose to put the harp down and pick up a sword? Remember, David isn't making the decisions in his life just like you're not making the decisions in yours. Your broken heart is making the decisions, and David's broken heart was making his decisions, too." (Pastor Tim)

The heart-shot that David suffered in his youth is staying with him. Because his heart was broken and emptied of all love and acceptance, he ran into the arms of a nation that accepted him because he could kill giants. He devoted his entire life to conquering, killing, and shedding blood. Why? That wasn't what David was uniquely designed to do. That was what bought him the affection that his heart longed for because it wasn't healed.

How many of us are doing things right now only because we learned it could buy us the affection that we were starved for? How many decisions are we making from a broken heart? How many of us have laid down our harps and picked up swords, because that's what made someone else happy?

Do you see why Abba is so fiercely coming after our hearts? Do you see why He's coming after everything that hinders love?

St. Augustine famously said, "Our heart is restless until it rests in You." This is just another way of saying that our hearts are broken and starved for affection and they will chase after anything that looks remotely similar to the affection that our heart was made for. And until we let Abba heal our hearts and lavish His affection on us, we will be restless.

Beloved One, only one thing will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart - the arms of a loving Father. Be filled up with His love, affection, and approval, and you'll never have to worry about collecting it from any other source ever again. The flow of His love rushing towards you is endless. This is what He meant when He said, "You will never thirst again." You were called to the harp, not the sword.

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Worship: "Never Gonna Leave Me Dry" 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!

The Wilderness Place 3/13/24 The Wilderness Place 3/13/24

The Heart-Shot of A King

(6 minutes)

The heart-shot comes to steal our tenderness and vulnerability. King David suffered a heart-shot in his youth that he was never healed from.

In Psalm 51 we get a significant piece of David's story. Religion used this verse to teach us that everyone is a dirty, rotten totally depraved sinners from the moment they're born, but that has nothing to do with what David is trying to convey. David is trying to give us insight into how he was brought into the world. He was the product of his father's failure, a constant reminder of dad's adulterous affair with another woman.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5)

Can you imagine being David in a family that was whole before he showed up? The black sheep in the family? Now we know why David was put out with the sheep. David didn't receive the love and acceptance that a son and daughter need from their parents. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, David wasn't the recipient of any long hugs growing up. David was treated like a mistake. But one day a prophet sends an announcement that he's coming to Jesse's house to anoint the next King of Israel.

“Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:5-7)

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”
“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

The biggest moment in this family's life is happening, and Jesse fails to include his youngest son. But Yahweh is not looking at the outward appearance. Yahweh shows up at Jesse's house and He's looking at the hearts, and He finds the one that is the most broken and says, "I choose you."

Understanding the beginning of David's life is going to be important as we witness what comes next. Seeing that David suffered a heart-shot in his youth that produced a broken heart is going to be an important piece of the puzzle as we see how David's life unfolds. David goes on and because his broken heart is never healed, he allows it to dictate what he does and does not do.

Where did the heart-shot come from for you?

What moment stole your tenderness and vulnerability?

This walk with Abba will require honesty, and honesty is the first step into intimacy. We must be honest about where we are and what got us here.

Will you allow Abba to walk back into that moment with you and heal your heart? David's life shows us that you can be beloved (David's name means "beloved"), you can love God and God can love you, you can be known by Yahweh as a man or woman after His own heart, and still not be healed of a broken heart. And, subsequently, you can live a life that no one would trade you for. That's the case with King David. It doesn't have to be the case with you.

Beloved One, take Abba's hand and walk back into the moment where the heart-shot came. When you get there, allow Him to speak the truth over your heart. His voice will heal what the enemy came to steal. Your innocence has been restored. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape Abba's notice. He chooses you every single time!

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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!

The Wilderness Place 3/12/24 The Wilderness Place 3/12/24

Intimate In All That We Do

(5 minutes)

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV)

Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. (Proverbs 3:6 TPT)

Acknowledging the Lord in all that we do - another one of our coffee cup verses that we really haven't understood the true meaning of. Like Pastor Tim said, it's not referring to a casual mention of Jesus when we're accepting an award. It's not giving Him the occasional credit for some sudden success. This scripture is asking us to KNOW Him in all the things we do. The same way that "Adam knew Eve, and she bore a son." This knowing isn't pointing to intellectual head-knowledge, but a deep, intimate intertwining of two hearts. The Passion Translation gets us closer with, "Become intimate with him in whatever we do."

I believe this scripture is giving us a Kingdom principle. Whatever we're intimate with will ultimately lead us. We've said this other ways: we become what we behold. If our heart is most intimate with brokenness, then brokenness will lead us wherever we go. No matter where we find ourselves in life, whatever our heart is intimately engaging with will call the shots.

This is also why you've heard it said at The Wilderness Place that intimacy changes everything. Intimacy with Yahweh will unbraid the brokenness of our hearts.

"This is what intimacy looks like: Abba, why did I do that? Abba, why do I care about what they think? Abba, why am I attracted to that?" (Pastor Tim)

Intimacy with Him is how the heart gets healed. And intimacy first begins with a deep exploration of Abba's heart in every situation and circumstance that you find yourself in. Do you remember when you first met your spouse? Do you remember asking them a billion questions about what they liked, what they thought about certain things, what they wanted to do, and where they wanted to go? Intimacy begins with getting inquisitive about what Abba is thinking. Intimacy is about being more concerned about what He thinks, than what you think.

The heart-shots that we've taken over time have caused our hearts to be broken in different areas. And we've become intimate with this brokenness and allowed it to lead us wherever we go. Our brokenness is telling us how to dress, where to go, how to get there, where to sit, who to be around, who to avoid, how to talk, and when to go home. Do you know why? Because we consult (seek advice from) that brokenness every time we need to make a decision, even a small decision. And the only way our hearts get healed is to start being that intimate with Yahweh. It requires a conscious choice. And it begins with bringing the questions to Him, instead of bringing them to your broken heart.

Remember, this is what intimacy looks like: Abba, why did I do that? Abba, why do I care about what they think? Abba, why am I attracted to that?

Beloved One, practice intimacy with Yahweh today. There are questions you have right now that you've been asking your brokenness to answer. It has no answers. Ask Abba instead. Become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and He'll lead you into the healing waters of His love.

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Worship: "You Always Restore (Winter Is Over)" 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!

The Wilderness Place 3/11/24 The Wilderness Place 3/11/24

The “Heart Shot”

(4 minutes)

Why do we do what we do? This is the question that we're seeking to answer. Have you ever stopped long enough to ask this question?

Why do I like what I like?

Why am I drawn to what I'm drawn to?

Why do I choose what I choose?

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV)

So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23 TPT)

"So above all...before you seek a spouse, a job, before you find out what you're good at, before you do anything else in life, guard the affections of your heart for they affect all that you are. Your heart determines everything about you. Why you like what you like. Why you do what you do. Why you say the things you say." (Pastor Tim)

All that we are flows from the heart. The truer translation of Jeremiah 17:9, tells us that the heart is deep beyond all things, and it is the man. Each one of us is the perfect representation of our heart. But Pastor Tim posed a great question this past Sunday, what happens if you pray a prayer but never have your heart healed?

There's a hunting term that describes the ideal shot that a hunter seeks before killing an animal - it's called the "heart shot." It's the shot that will guarantee the immediate collapse of whatever is being hunted. "Our adversary is the same way. He's not trying to blow your tires up on your car or destroy your washing machine, he's trying to steal your heart. He's trying to break your heart. Do you think you're making decisions in life? You're not. Your heart is, and if it's broken every decision you make in life will be broken." (Pastor Tim)

If deep cries out to deep, broken calls out to broken. This is why the heart must be healed. If it remains broken, we will constantly call out, search for, attract, and find ourselves mired in brokenness. The condition of our heart will affect all that we are.

Abba is bringing our Kingdom family on a journey into healing waters. Why? Because He is committed to seeing us brought into complete wholeness. This is the meaning of the peace, the shalom, that Jesus is inviting us into. It's total harmony. Our heart, whole, as it should be. It's the very next work of Yahweh in Isaiah 61 after good news is sent - He restores the brokenhearted. He binds them up. He heals every "heart shot" that the enemy and his weapon of choice, religion, has inflicted upon us, until we are whole as we were in the beginning - innocence restored.

Beloved One, can you be honest with Abba about your heart? Are you willing to invite Him into every moment to address what's happening in your heart? At some point today when you see yourself respond or act out of a place of brokenness...stop...and in that moment ask Him, "Abba, why did I do that? Where did that come from? Why did I respond that way?" Turn your heart to Him and listen to His voice. This is how the heart gets healed - by hearing Abba's voice for yourself.

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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 Wilderness Place 3/8/24 The Wilderness Place 3/8/24

A Singular Perspective

(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 opinions 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)

Jesus is inviting us into the wilderness so our perspective can be changed, so our perspective can be singular or one with His. "How does it become singular? The same way the two become one. You come into a union with God. His perspective becomes your perspective. You see it the way He sees it." (Pastor Tim)

Our perspective matters. This scripture isn't talking about our behavior, but how we see things. How we think determines everything we do. We have to get this or we'll just keep trying to manage our bad habits instead of truly changing the way we think - which is the repentance, or metanoia, that Abba's goodness is leading us into. He's asking us to pay attention to our perspective. Is our perspective being changed by His revelation-light, or is our heart still closed to His voice, mistaking our own opinions for revelation-light.

"How I think determines if I'm full of God's light. And it's my thinking that causes me to be full of darkness." (Pastor Tim)

Do you see how important your perspective is? This is why Jesus' message was "Change the way you think, the Kingdom of God is at hand."

When we don't allow Abba to heal our hearts we can begin to masquerade as someone who is filled with revelation-light, but on the inside we're still holding on to our own way of thinking. Another version of this scripture says, "Take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness."

"This is how your light can be darkness: your opinion matters more than God's opinion. You have mistaken what you believe about something to be what God believes about it." (Pastor Tim)

This was the common theme in everyone who opposed Jesus. They mistook what they believed to be what Yahweh believed, and it wasn't the truth. Jesus was trying to usher in Abba's way of seeing, and some people thought they already possessed that way of thinking and ended up rejecting the very Son of God.

Abba desires that we be full of light like He is full of light. You were designed to think like God. It's possible! But not while we're dressing up our own opinions to look like His. Our opinions must be abandoned to take hold of His way of seeing.

And how do we know if Abba's perspective is having an effect on our hearts? It will inevitably show up in the way we live. Our life will always be a witness to what perspective we're carrying. When you begin to inherit Abba's perspective you start inheriting a life that you wouldn't trade for anything! Your perspective becomes so entwined with Abba's that it's producing the abundant life that Jesus paid for, and you start enjoying the unbroken fellowship you have with Him. It changes everything! But it all starts with a willingness to have your mind changed by His goodness.

Beloved One, allow Abba's goodness to lead you into the place of metanoia. Hear Jesus whispering to you today, "Change the way you think, the Kingdom of God is at hand - the Kingdom of God is within." Abba is ready for you to experience abundant life. This is why He's inviting you into the unfamiliar, the place of trust, the place of having your perspective changed. You're not becoming someone else, you're becoming who you were always meant to be. Open your heart and His revelation-light will flood in!

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Worship: "Palm of Your Hand" by TRIBL

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 Wilderness Place 3/7/24 The Wilderness Place 3/7/24

The Comfort of the Potter’s Hands

(5 minutes)

The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh saying, "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will make you hear My words." Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter, so he turned around and made it into another vessel, according to what was right in the eyes of the potter to make. (Jeremiah 18:1-4)

"Jeremiah is obssessed with hearing God's voice. He'll go anywhere God tells him to go. He'll do anything God tells Him to do. He doesn't care about the circumstances he's stepping into; he only cares about hearing the voice of the Lord for himself. Is that your obsession? Is that your focus?" (Pastor Tim)

This must become our true north: hearing Abba's voice for ourselves. We must become utterly obsessed with what He is speaking over us. This is the fruit of a surrendered, seated life. Because you can't hear His voice when you're running around, starved for affection, and striving to get the illegal validation of those around you. You can't receive from the Kingdom until you're seated in rest.

Jeremiah asked no questions and gave no opinions when Yahweh told him to go down to the potter's house. He simply heard Yahweh's voice and responded with, "Yes, and I do!" What if our ability to hear His voice hinges on our already possessing a heart that is determined to listen to Him no matter what? You can desire to hear His voice, but if your opinions and long-held beliefs are more important to you than His heart concerning a matter, you will likely struggle to hear Him speak. Yahweh is not one to waste a word.

Jeremiah witnesses the potter at the wheel and watches him remake a vessel. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, the most beautiful vessels we've seen all started as dirt and water, spinning violently on the wheel, being shaped by the hands of a potter. "The clay doesn't get to determine how fast the wheel spins, what the wheel looks like, or what it will be made into. It can't look up at the potter and say, 'I don't like the way you made me.'" (Pastor Tim)

We must be willing to let go and lose control. This is what submitting to Yahweh's wheel looks like. How much control do I get to keep in this Kingdom? Can I bring any of my old ways and beliefs with me? Can I just add to my life the parts of the Kingdom that I like and agree with, or must I surrender to it all? We know the answers to these questions, and that's why we struggle. Our issue is trust. Our broken hearts simply cannot do it. This is why we must allow Abba to mend our brokenness. And that's precisely what He's trying to do on the wheel. Remember, the clay was marred in His hands, but Abba takes that brokenness and completely reshapes us - He makes us again into another vessel, one that’s healed and whole.

"You have to make a decision. Do you want to stay the vessel you were before, or are you going to allow youself to be put on the wheel? There's a benefit of being on the wheel, though. The potter's hands are always on the clay. There is a benefit in the spinning. You can feel the comfort of the potter's hands." (Pastor Tim)

Those beloved sons and daughters who are making the journey into healing and complete wholeness made one very important decision from the start: I'd rather be in His hands than anywhere else.

Beloved One, can you open your heart to trust, one more time? You've felt the illegal fingerprints of mishandling in your past and you know, deep down, that they broke you, but the Potter's hands are not the same. Abba's hands don't break...they bind up. They don't abuse...they restore. The hands your heart has longed for were always His. The clay is held by a potter. The child is held by a father. Will you let Abba hold you in this same way? It only requires one thing: a restful trust.

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

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 Wilderness Place 3/6/24 The Wilderness Place 3/6/24

Your {Offensive} Kingdom Come

(5 minutes)

The Kingdom will offend your mind, to reveal your heart. Whether we'd like to admit it or not, this was the way of Jesus when He dealt with the religious mind. What He did, when He did it, who He claimed to be, who He declared Yahweh to be was all offensive.

Take a look at this. This scripture would have been the deeply held belief in Jesus' first-century, Jewish culture.

"Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." (Exodus 33:11)

The entire Jewish culture believed that God and Moses spoke face to face.

Then Jesus comes along...

"No one has seen God at any time..." (1 John 4:12)

"No one has seen God at any time..." (John 1:18)

"Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father." (John 6:46)

So which is it? Did Moses speak face-to-face with God? Or are Jesus and John the Beloved right when they say that no one has seen God at any time? This was deeply offensive to the Jewish culture who loved Moses. And this is just one example. Jesus was always doing and saying the most offensive things. He could've healed people any day of the week, but He deliberately chose to do it on the Sabbath, the one day that He wasn't allowed to do it according to the religious law. Why? Why did He do that?

"Changing the way you think only happens when you encounter a different way of thinking." (Pastor Tim)

Remember, the message in Jesus' mouth was, "Change the way you think, the Kingdom of God is at hand." Yahweh often comes wrapped up in offense, so our heart can be revealed, and so we can be invited into a different way of seeing.

But what happens when we continue running from Yahweh's invitations? Well, we learn the way of religion...we make it about everything else except God, because we don't like what He has to say and we'd rather hold onto our own way of thinking than embrace His.

"When you make it about everything except God, it means that you're not encountering God. When you have not experienced and encountered Jesus, you have to make it about other things because when you encounter the God of Heaven you're not interested in anything else. You're telling me if Jesus comes into the room, you're going to be concerned about anything but His feet? The fact that you're concerned about other things tells you that you're not a lover of Jesus, but a lover of you and what you think, and what you believe. And the Kingdom says, 'I've come to offend the way you believe.'" (Pastor Tim)

When was the last time you were offended? How did you respond? Did you even stop to consider that Yahweh may have been wrapped up in that offense, trying to reveal your heart and invite you into a deeper measure of healing and a Kingdom way of seeing?

Let's start seeing offense with Kingdom eyes, starting today. The offense is the love of Abba attacking the trust we've put in our own opinion. Every single time.

Abba, come and offend our minds, to reveal our hearts. We don't want to worship our own beliefs, we want to pour out extravagant worship at Your feet. We choose you!

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Worship: "Preference" by Rachel Morley

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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The Wilderness Place 3/5/24 The Wilderness Place 3/5/24

An Invitation Into Unfamiliar

(5 minutes)

"The wilderness is an invitation from God into the unfamiliar. The problem is we don't like the unfamiliar. We want a map. We want to know exactly where we're going. We want it to look the way we want it to look. We want to know what we're going to encounter along the way. But God doesn't work that way!" (Pastor Tim)

Walking with Abba requires trust. And this is why we don't like venturing into the wilderness with Yahweh, because it requires us to trust Him completely. This reminds me of a quote that sums up our wilderness walk with Abba:

"Sometimes God is leading you to a place where there are no roads, markers, familiar sights, or even a path you can see in your peripheral. It's here you have two choices: create a trail or walk on a road that has expired. One leads to legacy, the other to atrophy."

Yahweh said to his people:
"Stand at the crossroads.
Now, consider your ways
and ask for the ancient paths.
Which is God's way?
Walk on his path, and you'll enjoy a resting place
for yourselves.
But they said, 'We will not.
That's not the path we want.'"
(Jeremiah 6:16)

Crossroads are significant in our walk with Abba. These are critical moments that require us to answer the question all over again: do I want His way or do I want my own? Do I want to enjoy the resting place that only comes when I'm seated in absolute trust? Or do I want to continue in my own striving where I get to be in control and choose the direction I go? What path do I really want? These crossroads are created when Abba desires something different for us than what we are currently settling for. They're created when our desires are different than His.

"Every single thing that's going on in your life is to bring you into deeper intimacy with the Lord, not to make you more confident in what you already believe." (Pastor Tim)

Abba wants deeper intimacy with us. He wants us to trust His goodness to such a degree that we relinquish our need to know what comes next. He wants us to trust His goodness until the unfamiliar is no longer uncomfortable, until all of our joy and peace is drawn from His presence and not our ability to be in control of every twist and turn in our lives.

We're at a crossroads, and Abba's way will require the laying down of our understanding. the surrendering of our long-held beliefs, and the yielding of our perpetual need to be in control. If I believe that Abba is pure light, having no trace of darkness in Him at all, then this will be an easy decision to make. But if I'm still leery of Him and His nature, if my heart is still calloused, if I'm still recoiling from the hands of the Father when He comes close...trust will continue to be the most agonizing condition that I could ever find myself in.

I believe the words that Pastor Tim shared a couple of weeks ago for our Kingdom family need repeating...

The first one is this: "We are making another shift. We attempted to go into where we are going once before, but we were still too out of order to make the journey. This is going to be an incredible year of healing. The shift is this: a Father is sending us into Healing Waters."

The second word is this: "Some of you are going through things right now, and will go through things this year, that will be hard. And this is the word of the Lord to you in that situation: 'You settled for something that you were never intended to settle for.' You got comfortable with it. You built your life around it. And you tolerated things God never intended for you to tolerate. You went through things, you went through rejection and abuse, that you were never called to go through. And the reason it's coming up now is because God says, 'You deserve better! Your family deserves better! Your kids deserve better!' So when you're in the midst of that you need to look back to this word and stop saying, 'Why is this happening?', and, 'Why is it so hard?', and understand that this is God's goodness, too."

Beloved One, you were created to let go and trust Him! It's your original design.

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Worship: "Abba" by Jonathan David Helser

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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The Wilderness Place 3/4/24 The Wilderness Place 3/4/24

We’re At A Crossroads

(4 minutes)

One of the hardest things for us to do is change our minds, yet that was the message of Jesus. Jesus came saying, "Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand." The word repent has been hijacked by religion to mean all sorts of things, except what it really means. The Greek word for repent is "metanoia" and it literally means to change your mind (meta=beyond, noia=the mind). Jesus came saying, "Change the way you think, the Kingdom of God is at hand."

"The main thing Jesus came to earth to say was, 'Change the way you think,' yet we repel and run from any idea or thing that causes us offense." (Pastor Tim)

We are living in an age where the common theme across the globe is to run from anyone who doesn't look like, act like, sound like, and think like you. We live on high alert and the moment we feel the slightest offense, we run. The problem with this is that sometimes Yahweh comes to us wrapped up in an offense. Why? Because the offended mind reveals the heart of a person. Sometimes we aren't even aware of what lies beneath the surface of our heart until we stumble over an offense.

We have opportunities every single day to be offended, but what if Abba is trying to use the offense to change our minds?

We are certainly at a crossroads. Abba is inviting us into the unfamiliar. He is inviting us into freedom and wholeness. But the road to healing is paved with metanoia, with changing the way we think. The crossroads is this: will we embrace the things that stir offense inside of us and ask Abba why we feel that way, or will we continue to do what religion taught us to do so well - run and hide from anything or anyone who doesn't think exactly like us? This one thing will separate those who want the real thing no matter what the cost, and those who will turn back and settle for less than Abba's best for them. The disciples and the Pharisees had the same choice that we have today. Will I embrace the path that leads to His feet or will I recoil because it's not the path I want to take?

As we take the walk with Abba today, let's start by asking Him to change the way we think about changing the way we think. Let's ask Him to give us His perspective when it comes to the offense that's been stirred in us. If we are offended, and Abba is not, shouldn't that stir us to ask Him what His heart is concerning the matter? This question requires us to embrace a very significant thought that religion never allowed us to think...."What if what I think…is wrong?"

Remember, Abba never comes to bring shame and condemnation. If He offends the mind to reveal the heart it is because He has a greater measure of healing and wholeness prepared for you.

Beloved One, don't run from what Abba is inviting you into - the unfamiliar, also known as the place of trusting Him with every single step! You wanted the real thing. This is it!

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Worship: "Palm of Your Hand" by TRIBL

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 Wilderness Place 3/1/24 The Wilderness Place 3/1/24

The Presence-Conscious Posture

(5 minutes)

During those days, another massive crowd gathered to hear Jesus, and again, there was no food and the people were hungry. So Jesus called his disciples to come near him and said to them, "My heart goes out to this crowd, for they've already been here with me for three days with nothing to eat. I'm concerned that if I send them home hungry, some may faint along the way, for many have come a long, long way just to be with me." His disciples replied, "But could anyone possibly get enough food to satisfy a crowd this size out here in this isolated place?" (Mark 8:1-4)

“Storms, and lack, and disappointment, and hopelessness cause amnesia.” (Pastor Tim) Just a couple chapters earlier the disciples witness the miraculous feeding of a very large crowd, but here they are again and they have lost confidence. You see, it's the goodness of God that brings us back into these situations so the truth can go even deeper into our hearts. One time around wasn't enough for the disciples. They needed another trip through this situation so they could be convinced of God's goodness. Abba does the same for us, so we can be convinced that He is pure light and there's no trace of darkness in Him.

He [Jesus] asked them, "How many loaves of flatbread do you have?"
"Seven," they replied. (Mark 8:5)

Why is Jesus asking the disciples this question? Does God not know the amount of food that's available on the scene? Of course, He knows. "He's asking them to stop and ask the question, 'Do we need to even ask this question?' We've got the presence of God here. What does it matter how many loaves we have? He's trying to tell them, 'You're still need-conscious, and you need to be presence-conscious. You're still too focused on what you do have and what you don't have.'" (Pastor Tim)

The "and again" keeps happening because we haven't learned to trust Him. Abba's not bringing us through these situations to bring shame and condemnation. He's simply trying to wake us up to the fact that we still don't trust Him. And we don't even know that's the case until we walk through something, again. He wants us more focused on presence, not resources. What we need is irrelevant when we're in the presence of the King.

Jesus instructed the crowd to sit down on the grass. After he took the seven loaves, he gave thanks to God, broke them, and started handing them to his disciples. They kept distributing the bread until they had served the entire crowd. They also had a few small fish, and after giving thanks for these, Jesus had his disciples serve them to the crowd. Everyone ate until they were satisfied. Then the disciples gathered up the broken pieces and filled seven large baskets with leftovers. (Mark 8:6-8)

Why does Jesus instruct the crowd to sit down? "Because you can't receive anything from the Kingdom while you're running around, stressed out about what you don't have. Jesus refuses to do a single thing until everyone has the posture of peace." (Pastor Tim) He takes what the disciples are willing to surrender to Him, He breaks it, and then He uses it to feed thousands of people.

"It's the goodness of God that keeps giving us opportunity after opportunity to respond the way He's wanting us to respond." (Pastor Tim) It's the goodness of God that keeps ushering us into these situations, again and again, until we are so settled and seated in trust that we respond differently than we ever have before. That's healing. That's complete wholeness. You're free when you can go into the same situation, and respond from a place of peace and trust.

This is the process of healing and wholeness that Abba is taking us on. And He's not resentful, shaking His head in disapproval, annoyed that we are taking so long to come around. No! He's enjoying every moment of this process. He's enjoying walking His children through the process of maturity. He's concerned with every single detail of this journey. It's not a marathon, it's a dance. And He's enjoying every moment of it. He's inviting us into the same level of enjoyment!

Are we running around, stressed over our lack? Or are we seated in a posture of peace ready to receive from the King's table? Are we more conscious of our own needs? Or are we conscious of the presence of Yahweh? Every "and again" moment that we walk through is an opportunity to trust Him more.

As we take the walk with Abba today, let's allow Him to speak to us concerning our posture in His presence. There are things we're walking through right now and we have the distinct honor and privilege to respond with a heart of trust and pour out an extravagant worship on His feet that will transform us. There's a grace for us to walk through this "and again" much differently than we have in the past.

Beloved One, take My hand, and let's sit down in this moment. Stop worrying and questioning the details of your life, and wake up to the fact that you're in this place again because My goodness won't allow you to settle in the land of the brokenhearted. My beloved sons and daughters deserve so much more. I'm committed to showing up every day and walking with you into the healing, wholeness, and freedom that you were made for. I love you too much to leave you!

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Worship: "Love Note" 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!

The Wilderness Place 2/29/24 The Wilderness Place 2/29/24

And Again

(5 minutes)

"I want to show you the goodness of God to continue to bring us back, even to spots where we failed." (Pastor Tim)

When it comes to this process of healing, wholeness, and maturity, Abba is going to bring you the best way, which is not always the path of least resistance. He knows exactly what we need to be brought into wholeness. He knows exactly what we need to walk through with Him.

Jesus has already fed the 5,000. We've already been in this situation before. The disciple failed miserably the first time around and now we find ourselves in the midst of another massive crowd, and again, there is no food to eat and the people are hungry.

"Jesus is not afraid of your failures. When you fail, He doesn't avoid it. He wants to take you right back to that place and say, 'Let's do it again!'" (Pastor Tim)

But we're not like this! Pastor Tim always says that storms cause amnesia, we suddenly forget how the goodness of God brought us through similar situations. Storms also cause us to become expert forecasters so we never find ourselves in another storm ever again. There is nothing in us that desires to relive past failures...again. We never want to be put in that uncomfortable situation ever again. Not so with Jesus!

"Religion will tell you that God will cause you to avoid your mistakes, but He says, 'And again.' Let's do it again. Let's set the scenario up again. Let's put you in the situation of vulnerability, again." (Pastor Tim)

This is why we keep finding ourselves in the same situations, at the gate of our worst failures. He's bringing us through an "and again" moment so He can take us by the hand and walk us through it.

"If you go into this thinking that God cares more about your comfort than your character, that's when you're going to lose who God really is. He has promised that we're going to look like Him at any cost." (Pastor Tim)

What is Abba wanting to say or do, again?

What are we trying to avoid and not deal with that Abba wants us to face, again? What area of our life are we saying, "Not again!," that Abba is trying to bring us through, again, so we can look more like Him?

Listen, He's not wanting to produce fear in you; He wants to cast the fear out of you by way of His perfect love. If we're not careful we can get so good at avoiding past failures that we believe we're walking in a measure of freedom, when that's not the case at all. We're just not letting ourselves be put in a situation that exposes our brokenness. That's not true freedom. That's decorating the jail cell. That's the best that religion has to offer, but it's not the best that Abba has for us.

You've been asking yourself why you keep encountering the same issues or problems over and over again. Abba is giving you the answer in this word. He wants to take you by the hand and walk through it with you, again. But this time...He wants you to come out healed, whole, and completely free.

Muscles don't get stronger by being left alone. They require resistance to grow. The first thing that must change is our perspective. Can you see these "and again" moments differently today? Can you see them as opportunities instead of offenses? Can you run toward them instead of away from them? Can you see them as invitations from Abba into a greater degree of healing?

Beloved One, your confidence in every situation is this: you are not alone! Abba doesn't abandon you to walk through these "and again" moments by yourself. He prefers to walk through them with you, hand in hand. Hear His voice whispering to your heart, "Let's do it together this time."

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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 Wilderness Place 2/28/24 The Wilderness Place 2/28/24

I’m Done Pretending, I Want The Real Thing

(4 minutes)

"Let me tell you something about the Kingdom: nothing changes as long as you continue to pretend that there's nothing wrong." (Pastor Tim)

Too often we fall into the trap of pretending. We hide our ashes, decorate our lives with Christianity, and pretend that there is nothing wrong. We make our whole life about looking right and sounding right, instead of actually being right. This is the fruit of religion. Religion can't actually deal with any of our problems or the issues of the heart. We're just taught to become experts at hiding. And we're taught to run far away from anything that would seek to uncover and expose these areas. We live our lives being offended around every turn, and it's just our way of protecting ourselves from dealing with the deepest, darkest parts of our hearts. Those places are crying out to encounter Abba's love.

What brings the change we long for? What brings the wholeness that we were made for? "It takes a constant, consistent, at His feet, exposing of your heart so that your heart gets healed." (Pastor Tim)

We can't run from the revealing of these areas and be healed. They must be exposed to Abba's presence and encounter His goodness and perfect love. We must submit to His "wheel."

The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh saying, "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will make you hear My words." Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined (marred) in the hand of the potter, so he turned around and made it again, into another vessel, according to what was right in the eyes of the potter to make. (Jeremiah 18:1-4)

"You can't be remade into God's image if you still like your image." (Pastor Tim)

Surrendering to Abba's "wheel" requires the laying down and letting go of what we want so we can be remade again into another vessel. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, some of us prayed a prayer and some of us got on a wheel. You have to ask yourself which one you did. Is Jesus surrendering to your desires and the life that you want for yourself? Or are you surrendering to His desires and the life that He has for you? Being remade again into another vessel requires that we trust the hands of Abba. The spinning feels like you're losing control, but that means that He is in control.

Another thing is true when it comes to surrendering to Abba's wheel: the costs are laughable compared to the reward. What you inherit is far greater than what you lose. Abba's goodness will usher you into abundant life and you'll be made into the person you were always meant to be. Don't be fooled: you're not becoming a different person, you're becoming the most authentic and real version of yourself that you've ever seen - and that version just happens to look exactly like Jesus. You were made for unbroken fellowship with Yahweh. You were made for loving and being loved. You were made for complete faith and trust in Abba. You were made for a whole heart, healed in every way. You were made to find utter enjoyment in every moment because of your being joined to Jesus.

Beloved One, there's more for you! Will you surrender to Abba's hands and the spinning of His wheel? Will you allow Him to sit on the throne of your heart and lead you into wholeness and freedom? Will you let go of your image, so you can be remade into His image?

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Worship: "Once and For All" by Lauren Daigle

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 Wilderness Place 2/27/24 The Wilderness Place 2/27/24

The Process on the Potter’s Wheel

(5 minutes)

Sometimes we can get discouraged that we're not further along, or we're not where we think we should be. There's a beautiful thing that Abba has built into the cosmos and it's called "process." Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday that "God created everything in six days, but He planted a garden." Abba enjoys the process of growth and seeing something come to maturity, whether it's a seed in the ground or a seed in the womb. He doesn't view our walk with Him as a marathon. It's less about the destination, and more about the dance along the way. Why? Because He enjoys the process, and He wants us to enjoy it, too.

"Every single one of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior has instantly been saved from something, but the church has neglected to tell us what we've been saved for. You were designed to be whole. You were designed to have your heart healed. You were designed to have the ashes removed from your head and a bouquet of beauty put on. You were designed to carry joy. You were designed to be planted in the ground where the city has been completely destroyed, and because you get planted by the Lord there you see the city transformed and changed. But this is a process of allowing our hearts to soak in the goodness of God." (Pastor Tim)

In Esther's story, we catch a glimpse of the process. She submits herself to 365 days of daily soaking. This soaking removes the hardness of the heart caused by hardships. This soaking removes the ashes. This soaking removes the distrust and suspicion caused by our being mishandled in the past. This soaking mends the broken places of our hearts. Esther submitted to the process of healing.

The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh saying, "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will make you hear My words." Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined (marred) in the hand of the potter, so he turned around and made it again, into another vessel, according to what was right in the eyes of the potter to make. (Jeremiah 18:1-4)

Can you see process in the picture of the potter's wheel? There is a remaking of the vessel that's happening on the potter's spinning wheel. As Pastor Tim said, we have become expert avoiders of all spinning, but the most transformation happens to the clay when the wheel is spinning and the potter's hands can reshape and remold the clay into what he desires.

This begs the question: are we enjoying the process like Abba is? He delights in seeing the seed transform into the mighty oak. Are we equally delighted as we walk with Him through that transformation in our own lives? Do we see the spinning as something He's doing for us? Or do we still see the spinning as something we should avoid at all costs?

Let's go deeper with that question. Do we trust that Abba is good? Do we believe that His hands are the safest place we could ever be? Our hesitancy and recoiling away from the process of healing is a witness that there are still areas of the heart that must be convinced that He is pure light, having no trace of darkness in Him. We will only submit to the process of healing when we trust Abba and believe that He only has good for us. Soaking in His goodness is what leads us into transformation.

Beloved One, what step can you take towards trusting Abba today? Allow His goodness to lead you into the healing waters - first to the ankles, then to the knees, up to the waste, until we're completely overtaken by the perfect love of our Father!

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Worship: "I Lose My Ability" 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!

The Wilderness Place 2/26/24 The Wilderness Place 2/26/24

Clarity vs. Trust

(5 minutes)

"When John Kavanaugh, the noted and famous ethicist, went to Calcutta, he was seeking Mother Theresa...and more. He went for three months to work at "the house of the dying" to find out how best he could spend the rest of his life.

When he met Mother Theresa, he asked her to pray for him. 'What do you want me to pray for?' she replied. He then uttered the request he had carried thousands of miles: 'Clarity. Pray that I have clarity.'

'No,' Mother Theresa answered, 'I will not do that.' When he asked her why, she said, 'Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.' When Kavanaugh said that she always seemed to have clarity, the very kind of clarity he was looking for, Mother Theresa laughed and said: 'I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.'"

How many of us are crying out for clarity, when Abba is calling out for trust? Are we seeking to understand, or are we seeking the peace that only comes from trusting God?

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:7)

"This scripture is telling us that your clarity and His peace are in a race...He's saying, 'You can wrestle with understanding and clarity or you can rest in My peace and trust me.'" (Pastor Tim)

All of us want to be this person. Every one of us wants to respond with trust and have the peace of God in every circumstance. Like Pastor Tim said, it's the situations that catch us off guard, that we didn't see coming, that cause us to react with little to no faith or trust in Yahweh. But it's these moments that become the rare opportunities for us to give God an offering of worship that is much different than the ones we give Him when everything is going okay. It's when negative situations arise that our trust in Him is tested. You don't need trust when everything is smooth, and going your way, when you're in control and have clarity.

Pastor Tim mentioned a very practical and tangible way for us to begin leaning into trust and peace. He told the story of a Navy Seal Commander who determined that no matter what happened in his life, good or bad, he would only have only one response: Good! Lost your job? Good! Got divorced? Good! Got no money? Good! You see, once he developed the habit of responding this way, all of a sudden his brain started helping him come up with all the reasons it was good. The enemy's advancing and broke through the lines - Good! We lost - Good! We get to train harder, and the next time it happens we'll be ready.

Our mind will always find evidence for what our heart wants to believe. The truth is, we focus so much on worse-case scenarios because we aren't fully convinced of the goodness of God.

This week, Abba is going to teach us how to trust Him in every situation and circumstance. This word is going to be tested with opportunities to lay our clarity and understanding down and pick up trust and peace. As we walk with Abba today, let's open up to Him like Kavanaugh opened up to Mother Theresa and allow Him to show us what we need to let go of so we can start enjoying more of Him and His presence.

Beloved One, I give you permission to see everything that happens today through the lens of My goodness. It's all being worked out for your good because you love Me!

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Worship: "Palm of Your Hand" by TRIBL

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 Wilderness Place 2/23/24 The Wilderness Place 2/23/24

Soaking In The Spirit

(5 minutes)

Before each young woman was taken to the king's bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments--six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. When it was time for her to go to the king's palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. (Esther 2:12-13)

Now that we've seen the favor that Esther gained by being fathered, there is one more truth we need to highlight in this story - soaking in the Holy Spirit.

"A healed heart only happens in soaking in the Spirit of the Lord. We went straight to your behavior because we didn't have time to let you soak." (Pastor Tim)

Before Esther goes before the king, she is taken through the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments - soaking six months in the oil of myrrh, followed by another six months of soaking in special perfumes and ointments. She submits to 365 days of soaking.

Soaking in the Spirit is about letting the love of Abba tenderize our hearts, making them whole again. Soaking in the Spirit allows the calloused areas of our hearts, the areas that have been hardened by hardships, to be dealt with and completely healed. This only happens if we slow our pace and allow ourselves to be undressed in vulnerability and honesty as we soak in His love. "Here's the issue: most of us don't want to be that vulnerable in the presence of God. We don't want to talk about how we were abused and misused, and how trust was broken the first day. We don't want to talk about how most of us had no present fathers or present mothers. We don't want to talk about how we've messed up in this area or been rejected in this area. We don't want to talk about it." (Pastor Tim)

But a healed heart only happens in soaking. We will not love or be loved to the degree that we're designed to until we submit to soaking in the Spirit. Esther decided that she wasn't going to go before the king, calloused. She was going to take the time to be made tender, to be restored to her original design - innocence.

After the soaking process was over and her heart was soft, it was time to prepare to go into the king's presence. Esther was allowed to pick whatever clothes and jewelry she liked as she planned for the occasion. Later in the story, we find out that Esther made all her decisions based on what Hegai, the picture of the Holy Spirit, suggested. After the soaking had done its work, she was free to focus on the king instead of herself, so when others were picking based on their own preferences and desires, Esther was able to make decisions based on what the king would enjoy. What happens after you submit to soaking in the Spirit? You're able to go into every situation and circumstance, not led by fear, insecurity, or past hurts that cause you to only be concerned with yourself, but you can finally be directed by one question: what does the King like?

Abba, what do You want? What is Your heart concerning this matter? What do You want me to do today? What do You want me to say in this situation? What is Your heart towards this person? How would you like me to worship You and host Your presence today? Only a healed heart can ask these questions. The broken heart will only bow to what protects it from being hurt. But the healed heart can bow to the King and others in perfect love.

Are you ready to submit to soaking in the Spirit? This soaking requires you to be fully immersed in Yahweh's thoughts about you. This soaking is a commitment to being exposed in His presence so He can lavish His love on every area, especially the ones you're not proud of and do your best to hide. This season of soaking is about learning to be loved by Abba. We were made for His eyes...every part of us!

Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. (Esther 2:16-17)

Beloved One, bring your heart to Me, your whole heart. You can trust Me with it all. There's not one part of you that I don't adore. Come soak in My goodness! Let me heal your heart, so you can love and be loved like I created you to. Let My perfect love cast out all your fear!

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Worship: "You Say" by Lauren Daigle

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 Wilderness Place 2/22/24 The Wilderness Place 2/22/24

Fathered Into Favor

(6 minutes)

At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. His family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.

As a result of the king's decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king's harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai's care. Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.

Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her. (Esther 2:5-11)

The story of Esther has so much to do with our own intimacy with Jesus and the healing that Abba wants to bring to our hearts. It's the journey from shameful slave to beautiful bride, and this is the same journey we're on in the wilderness. Yahweh lures us into the wilderness and by His love, He transforms us. The declaration that He makes in Hosea 2:16, is we will no longer call Him "my master," but instead we will call Him "my husband." Esther's story is so significant because we can see this process of healing in her that Abba wants for each of us.

As soon as Esther gets to the harem, Hegai, who is a picture of the Holy Spirit - "the keeper of the women" - is very pleased with her. She begins to find favor, unlike the other women who are in the house. Hegai quickly provides her with cosmetics and the choicest food there is. He gives her seven choice maids directly from the king's palace and transfers her to the best place in the harem.

The question we must ask ourselves is, "Why?"

Why is Esther receiving this kind of treatment?

Right after reading about Esther's favor in the harem, we get a seemingly out-of-place verse that may give us some insight into why she is getting special treatment. It says, "Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so." This verse isn't out of place at all. This verse shows us that Esther is finding favor because she is allowing her father to give her directions about how to navigate this journey inside the king's kingdom. Even though she's in the harem and under the charge of Hegai, she is still listening to the voice of a father.

We can't overlook this. At our gathering on Sunday, Pastor Tim said, "Most of us have neglected to come into submission to fathers."

We are living in the most fatherless state in our nation. We are living in the most fatherless time in history. What if this is the root of many of our problems? The absence of true fathers. What if our confusion, anxiety, insecurities, and questions concerning our identity are wrapped up in our not coming under the covering of a father?

This is one of the hardest things for us to do. The whole idea of submitting to a father triggers us to no end. This is why we recoil at the idea of submitting to anyone. Why? Because of the mishandling of past leaders who abused our hearts. Now, we've shut ourselves off from all authority.

Esther had the same experience. Her father died when she was just a girl. But somehow she didn't become calloused, but instead chose to open her heart again to a father. I'm not sure where Esther ends up if she had not been submitted to Mordecai. "Esther doesn't get favoritism in this house unless she's allowed herself to be fathered. She has no access to where she's fixing to go unless she's allowed herself to be fathered." (Pastor Tim)

What healing and wholeness are we not experiencing because we haven't come under a true father? What if we weren't designed to do it on our own? What if we're confused, lacking confidence, and riddled with anxiety and fear all because we haven't submitted ourselves to being fathered?

This is an area of our life that Abba wants to talk to us about. He doesn't want us to be directed by the pain of the past anymore.

Beloved One, don't let the brokenness of the past keep you from experiencing the real thing today. Let Me heal your heart, so you can open up again.

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

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 Wilderness Place 2/21/24 The Wilderness Place 2/21/24

Abba, I Trust You

(5 minutes)

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

"The church dealt with behavior; God deals with your heart." (Pastor Tim)

Have you ever wondered why you drift back into the traps that you were set free from? Have you ever asked yourself, "Why do I keep ending up here?" What makes us so susceptible to falling back into brokenness?

It's because we didn't allow Abba to heal our hearts. We started staring at our external behaviors instead. When we don't allow Abba to heal our brokenness, we put all of our energy into modifying our behavior, and we end up becoming expert pretenders because the brokenness never really goes away. We learn to manage, mask, and hide the parts of us that haven't experienced the freedom that Jesus paid for. Just like the Pharisees forced the lepers to live in dark caves out of the public eye, our religious facade learns to keep our brokenness hidden from others. Pastor Tim said, "This becomes a more sophisticated trap, and we're further from Abba than we ever were." Why? Because we did not surrender to the process of having our brokenness healed in the presence of Jesus.

This life of pretending slowly moves us right back into the place of captivity, where we're merely living in a dressed-up jail cell that's decorated with Jesus, but lacks any real freedom and wholeness at all.

Your heart has to be made whole! Why?

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV)

Everything we're dealing with in our lives is flowing from our heart.

"You're worried about your behavior, but I'm telling you that your behavior is a symptom of a broken heart." (Pastor Tim)

Pastor Tim asked this question on Sunday, and it's the question we have to ask ourselves today: are we okay to settle for a far-off, distant heaven or do we want to experience heaven on earth? Would we like to have our own Tree of Life right here and right now?

Where do we begin?

We begin by letting Abba heal our hearts. And to do this we have to open ourselves up to trusting again. Because of our past, we've become excellent at being suspicious. Because of our being mishandled in the past, we're leery of getting close to anyone called, "Father." But we're not going to have our hearts healed if we're not willing to be vulnerable and open with Abba. Our distrust doesn't allow us to get close enough to experience healing. We have to trust again.

As we take the walk with Abba today, let's have a conversation with Him about our hearts and about trusting Him with healing our brokenness. Maybe at some point today we can whisper, "Abba, I trust you with my heart."

One of the beloved sons at The Wilderness Place shared this picture after our gathering on Sunday. Imagine a person sitting in a jail cell, the door is wide open, and Jesus is standing on the outside inviting us into freedom. But we are so convinced that we BELONG there that we never accept His invitation and walk through those doors. Trevor, thank you for this picture!

Beloved One, you don't have to pretend to be free, you can have the real thing!

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Worship: "Palm of Your Hand" by Harvest & TRIBL

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 Wilderness Place 2/20/24 The Wilderness Place 2/20/24

The Poverty of the Past

(7 minutes)

This scripture, penned by Isaiah, is a prophetic announcement about Jesus, himself, and every beloved son and daughter of Yahweh. Our destiny and calling are wrapped up in this scripture.

But how much of it have we experienced? As Pastor Tim said on Sunday, the church seemed to stop after the part about being messengers to preach good news to the poor. Our own history could testify to that fact, more than likely. After the good news was preached, well...that was all there was. We were off to the religious races. And since we had not been exposed to the real healing and wholeness that the rest of this scripture talks about, we simply had to pretend that we had it all together. We had the good news, but we didn't have healed hearts. The areas of our lives where we were in captivity and being held prisoner were not experiencing freedom and abundant life. We were just decorating our jail cells and calling it freedom, like Pastor Tim said. We became great pretenders.

So what comes after the good news? According to this scripture, God starts with healing the heart. He heals the wounds of the brokenhearted. It's the healing of the past seasons of brokenness, pain, regrets, shame, loss, guilt, and fear. All the illegal fingerprints that were put on us by others. All the wrong beliefs and mindsets that were planted in our hearts by people we trusted, that didn't know any better. All the bad decisions we made that we still believe we have to pay for in some way. The rejection that we experienced that caused our hearts to be closed off to others. The fatherlessness that we grew up in, the lack of covering and protection, that made us fearful, distrusting, and suspicious of our surroundings. This is where Abba starts - with healing our broken hearts.

Pastor Tim said something extremely important on Sunday. It is a key to moving forward in the healing and complete wholeness that the Kingdom has for each of us.

"You can't get healed until you're willing to admit the poverty of what you actually had before. It's not going to happen. You can't save face and get to His face."

We have a hard time admitting defeat. It's something we all try to avoid as best we can. But in every testimony of true transformation, you hear about a moment of surrender. This moment of surrender is the moment that you're finally honest and open about the poverty of the past. You stop trying to dress it up and make it seem better than it actually is and you admit that it's not producing the freedom that Jesus paid for. It's the moment where you get honest and open about how your way didn't work.

I experienced a moment like this almost three years ago on my back porch. I couldn't run from the past anymore. I was too tired and worn out. I couldn't hide it - all my pain and shame were hovering at the surface. Everything was falling apart. I had run out of all my good ideas to make things work. I was riddled with anxiety and hopelessness. My boat had officially run ashore with nothing to show for all my striving. This was the moment that Abba was waiting for, and He made sure that I had the safe, loving arms of a true father on that back porch with me who already had the words that my heart needed to hear. I spent nearly four hours on that back porch with Tim Ladner, and my life has never been the same. Abba's declaration of beloved identity pierced my heart and put it back together. Do you know what met me as I admitted the poverty of my past? Perfect love. If you are wondering what's on the other side of surrender, let me tell you. This moment saved my life. It saved my wife's husband. It saved my children's father. It saved an entire church family. I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything! And more than that, I'm thankful for every single moment that led me to that back porch. Had I experienced any measure of success I might have stayed where I was, but the poverty and pain led me right to His feet.

Abba is not stopping at good news. He's coming after healed hearts. He's coming after beloved sons and daughters who walk in complete wholeness, who have truly been set free, until we become Mighty Oaks of Righteousness planted by Yahweh Himself. Abba is not stopping at good news, because you were made for so much more.

Are you willing to surrender the poverty and pain of the past so Abba can give you the royal ring, robe, and sandals that you were designed to wear? The poverty of the past and life of pretending pales in comparison to the perfect love and freedom you experience on the other side.

Beloved One, don't settle!

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Worship: "Real Thing" by Maverick City Music

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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

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)

208 Pass RoadGulfport, MS 39507

208 Pass Road
Gulfport, MS 39507