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 4/5/24 The Wilderness Place 4/5/24

I Found Resurrection Life

(7 minutes)

Peter told them, "I'm going fishing." And they all replied, "We'll go with you." So they went out and fished through the night but caught nothing. Then at dawn, Jesus was standing there on the shore, but the disciples didn't realize that it was him! He called out to them saying, "Hey guys! Did you catch any fish?"

"Not a thing," they replied. Jesus shouted to them, "Throw your net over the starboard side, and you'll catch some!" And so they did as he said, and they caught so many fish they couldn't even pull in the net! Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Peter heard him say that, he quickly wrapped his outer garment around him, and because he was athletic, he dove right into the lake to go to Jesus! (John 21:3-7)

Peter goes right back to the thing he was doing before he followed Jesus, fishing. And because he was a leader, the others followed him even though it was in the wrong direction. Peter returns to the thing he abandoned before he gave his life to Jesus. After we experience a failure like Peter did, we resort to the life we lived before we knew Him. We return to the things we were good at before, because we feel like we failed at being who God called us to be. Peter went right back to fishing, but he couldn't catch anything.

"You catching nothing is the goodness of God. You going back to what you were before the call, and being unsuccessful, is the goodness of God." (Pastor Tim)

Jesus shows up on the shore at dawn, ushering in the new mercies of Yahweh, but the disciples couldn't recognize him.

"Jesus was standing on the shore, but His disciples didn't recognize that it was Him. Because when hopelessness is still there, you don't expect anything to happen. When hopelessness is there you can't see Jesus, because don't expect to. This is why we go to work day in and day out and never expect to hear His voice or to experience Him in a radical way. And we just go through the routine, with no expectation, because I don't measure up...I failed." (Pastor Tim)

The first one who realizes that it was Jesus was the disciple with beloved identity, the disciple whom Jesus loved, John. "Beloved identity is the only one who can see Jesus for who He is." (Pastor Tim)

When Peter hears John's words, the one who was once weeping bitterly and running away is now diving into the water, unwilling to wait for the boat and the other disciples to get to the shore. Peter is running to Jesus after making the biggest mistake of his entire life.

Once they are on the shore, Jesus pulls Peter aside. Peter finds himself by another fire, just like the one he was around days before when he denied knowing Jesus. And Jesus begins to ask him three questions, the same number of times that Peter denied Jesus. Jesus is pulling Peter back into intimacy with Him, back into union. The hopelessness that came from Peter's biggest failure, Jesus is about to restore. Jesus is taking Peter back to the moment those tears started - the moment that discouragement and disappointment set in.

"Don't think that your mistake disqualifies you from face-to-face with Jesus. Don't think that your decision disqualifies you from the love affair of Jesus. Don't think that you missed your appointed time and everything is ruined." (Pastor Tim)

Jesus still chooses you.

Even after your biggest failure.

And He will make you into everything you always dreamed to be.

This is resurrection life.

"He comes back with resurrection life and restores every area that you fell, that you were weak, that you made a mistake, that you couldn't hold up under the pressure...He restores everything." (Pastor Tim)

Beloved One, there's no such thing as "too late" or "too far gone" with Abba. Resurrection life is coming to restore everything - every area, every failure, every misstep, down to the last detail. Nothing will be wasted. Resurrection life is restoring everything and making your heart whole again. As you walk with Abba today, let Him bring you back to those moments of failure and restore you and your heart, so He can make you into the beloved son and daughter that you were originally designed to be - one that is fully alive.

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Worship: "I Can't Get Away & Downpour" by Melissa Helser & Naomi Raine

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

When The Rooster Crows

(7 minutes)

The disciples are leaving their last supper with Jesus and they engage in a conversation they have been having, off and on, the entire time they've been following Him. Who's going to be the greatest? After Jesus interrupts their argument and corrects their thinking, He pulls Peter off to the side and shares some really important words with him.

"Peter, my dear friend, listen to what I'm about to tell you. Satan has obtained permission to come and sift you all like wheat and test your faith. But I have prayed for you, Peter, that you would stay faithful to me no matter what comes. Remember this: after you have turned back to me and have been restored, make it your life mission to strengthen the faith of your brothers."

"But Lord," Peter replied, "I am ready to stand with you to the very end, even if it means prison or death!"

Jesus looked at him and prophesied, "Before the rooster crows in the morning, you will deny three times that you even know me." (Luke 22:31-34)

"Jesus is telling Peter, 'You're about to go through a very bad situation, but I waste nothing.' Everything you walk through has purpose. Abba wastes nothing, even if it was your choice. Even if you were the villain in the story. Everything has purpose." (Pastor Tim)

Jesus is telling Peter that he is about to suffer, and go through one of the hardest things he will ever go through, but Jesus has prayed for him. If we're Peter this is where we start begging Jesus to go back and tell Satan to stand down. Jesus, just go back and tell him, "No!" But that's not the case. Satan had to obtain permission, but Yahweh was the One to grant it. Why? Because on the back side of this, Peter, you're going to be able to reach back and strengthen the faith of anyone who falls.

The religious leaders seized Jesus and led him away, but Peter followed from a safe distance. They brought him to the home of the high priest, where people were already gathered out in the courtyard. Someone had built a fire, so Peter inched closer and sat down among them to stay warm.

A girl noticed Peter sitting in the firelight. Staring at him, she pointed him out and said, "This man is one of Jesus' disciples!" Peter flatly denied it, saying, "What are you talking about, girl? I don't know him!"

A little while later, someone else spotted Peter and said, "I recognize you. You're one of his, I know it!" Peter again said, "I'm not one of his disciples."

About an hour later, someone else identified Peter and insisted he was a disciple of Jesus, saying, "Look at him! He's from Galilee, just like Jesus. I know he's one of them." But Peter was adamant. "Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. Don't you understand? I don't even know him." While the words were still in his mouth, the rooster crowed.

At that moment, the Lord, who was being led through the courtyard by his captors, turned around and gazed at Peter. All at once Peter remembered the words Jesus had prophesied over him, "Before the rooster crows in the morning, you will deny three times that you even know me." Peter burst into tears, ran off from the crowd, and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62)

What did you believe God for before you fell? Before everything crumbled to the ground, what did you dream about? What expectations and aspirations did you carry in your heart before you messed up? Before the relationship fell apart, before you were caught up in addiction, before you realized that you weren't as strong as you thought you were, before you realized that you couldn't live up to words that came out of your own mouth...what did you believe God for before you fell?

"None of us actually walk away from serving God, we just don't serve Him like we used to. And then all of a sudden you encounter something that breaks you down. It causes you to question everything you believed about yourself." (Pastor Tim)

This is the moment that hopelessness comes in. It's one thing to have something done to you, it's a whole other thing when you're the one that failed. This is when hopelessness comes in and becomes a permanent resident. This is when we start following Jesus from a safe distance.

Abba is trying to convince us of something today that's very important - He doesn't waste anything, not even your failure that was brought about by your own doing. On your walk today, would you allow Abba to walk you back to that moment, the moment you fell? If you go back there with Him, He will show you that moments before it happened, He was there. He was whispering in your ear, "Beloved Son or Daughter, the enemy has obtained permission to come and sift you like wheat, and test your faith with the most violent storm you'll ever walk through, but I have prayed for you and I'm with you. And after all of this, when you are restored and your heart is healed, you'll be able to bring life to ruined cities, to broken families, to hopeless people. I prayed that you would be faithful to Me no matter what comes. No matter what comes. Even this will not be wasted."

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Worship: "Promises" by Joe L Barnes & Naomi Raine

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

Hope Deferred Makes The Heart Sick

(4 minutes)

Have you ever looked up the definition of hopelessness?

Websters Dictionary defines hopelessness as having no expectation of good or success. The next definition is this: not susceptible to remedy or cure. Have you ever shared some helpful information or answers with someone, but they had no capacity to receive it? You were giving them the solutions they needed to the problems they were facing, but they could not hear or receive any help. Why? Because hopelessness is incapable of receiving a remedy or cure. When hopelessness is sitting on our heart we are suddenly turned off from receiving Kingdom solutions.

What Kingdom solutions and dreams are we not able to receive because of the hopelessness that's sitting on our own heart? What gifts are we unable to receive from Abba because hopelessness has become the lens that we see things through? And don't get me wrong, it's not hopelessness in all areas of our life. There are some areas where we are still hopeful and we can dream and access Kingdom solutions from Yahweh. But there are other areas where hopelessness has darkened our perspective, where unrelenting despair and disappointment have left our hearts sick.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

"Without hope, you have nothing to exchange, to use your imagination to dream for. That means your hopelessness is keeping you from dreaming of what you were actually designed to dream for. That's why you think it's never going to change." (Pastor Tim)

What areas of your life is hopelessness sitting on? What areas have you ceased to have dreams for, ceased to seek out Kingdom solutions for? What areas have you determined in your heart will never change? These are the places where Abba wants to bring healing. These are the places He wants to lavish with His love. These are the areas that are keeping us from seeing significant Kingdom change in our lives. Faith and hope go hand in hand. Faith requires hope.

Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. (Hebrews 11:1)

Ask yourself an important question concerning the verse above: what happens if you remove hope from the equation? Suddenly, faith has nothing to grab hold of, because hope is gone. Do you see why it's impossible to see and receive Kingdom solutions in an area where hopelessness reigns?

Take these questions into your walk with Abba today. He wants to restore everything - until you are living fully alive. The first witness of a healed heart is hope, and hope is rising!

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Worship: "Rest On Us" 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 4/2/24 The Wilderness Place 4/2/24

Is hopelessness sitting on your heart?

(6 minutes)

"Hopelessness doesn't cause you quit God, it just causes you to settle. God's done too much for us to quit God. We've seen too much. We've heard too much. But you know what, you don't follow Him as hard as you used to. You don't believe for the impossible anymore. You can tell how much hopelessness has taken over your heart by what you dream for. We've got an empty tomb to tell us you can be anything you want to be." (Pastor Tim)

Why have we stopped dreaming? Why have we stopped believing for the impossible things? Why have we settled? Why have we come to a place where we value our own opinions over what Yahweh says about us?

Hopelessness.

Like Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday, hopelessness is sitting on the throne of our hearts and there's no room for the King there. And this hopelessness speaks louder and is more convincing now than Abba's voice. This is how we get to the place where we read scriptures like Isaiah 61 which says we're to be Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh, bringing life to ruined cities, and we don't feel anything when we read it and we certainly don't think it's possible for us. Maybe someone else, but not me. We hear Abba's voice and we're not moved to excitement anymore, we sink even more into despair. Why? Because hopelessness has taken root, and it's been sitting on our heart for quite some time.

Hopelessness would want us to rush through these things and get away from verses like Isaiah 61, but we shouldn't leave it until we believe it. It is intimacy with Yahweh and hearing His voice that will root the hopelessness out. How far would you go to rescue your children out of hopelessness? Abba will go so much further.

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)

"There's an exchange that has to take place. You have to let some things go in order to receive what He has for you." (Pastor Tim)

Abba wants to make a trade with you. Your ashes, for His beauty. Your hopelessness, for His heart and how He sees. Your thoughts about yourself, for His thoughts about you. We can't hold on to our hopelessness and see everything the Kingdom has for us. We must make the trade, so we can inherit the abundant life that Jesus purchased for us.

Abba's heart is to see you become fully alive.

Yes, fully alive.

The most authentic, unhindered, tender, childlike, trusting version of yourself. You, fully alive.

He's committed to this process and to seeing you become the most fully alive, beloved son and daughter that you were designed to be from the beginning. He won't stop until your lips declare with complete faith - "There's nothing missing, nothing broken, nothing wasted, and nothing stolen. I am exactly who He says I am and He's planted me in this place to be a living display of what a beloved son or daughter of Yahweh looks like when they let go of their broken hearts and hopelessness in order to receive everything that Jesus died for - life, and life more abundant."

Are you starting to believe it's possible?

Beloved One, it's all yours. The empty tomb says you can be exactly who you were designed to be. Don't let hopelessness hold you back!

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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 4/1/24 The Wilderness Place 4/1/24

Nothing Missing, Nothing Broken

(5 minutes)

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...(Isaiah 61:1)

"We heard the gospel so many times we can repeat it in our sleep. The problem is we never stepped over into having our hearts healed...You can say a prayer a thousand times every Sunday and still walk around with a broken heart. You can make your decisions from a broken heart. You can live your entire life believing Jesus is Lord and He's the Savior, and you love with Him with all that you are, yet everything in you can still be broken." (Pastor Tim)

After having an encounter with Jesus and your life pierced with the good news of the Kingdom, the very next thing that Yahweh wants to do is heal your heart. Except most of us stopped with having the gospel preached to us, and we never waded into the healing waters that Yahweh wanted to escort us into. So we had the good news, but we didn't have a whole heart that could reflect that good news to the world through a life that was radiant. Abba never wanted us to settle for having the gospel on our lips, but no healing in our hearts. He desires to see every part of your heart healed and made whole. Nothing missing. Nothing broken.

What comes next? After the heart is healed?

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.

After hearts are made whole, prisoners and captives can be totally set free and never have to worry about drifting back into chains again. Without a healed heart, your brokenness will lead you right back into captivity. After the heart is made whole, prisoners and captives are finally and forever set free. And you begin to live in a new eon or era of grace, where you're enjoying Yahweh's permission to be exactly who you were created to be. In this time, Yahweh is coming after all of HIS enemies - everything that hinders our love affair with Him. We experience Abba's comfort and are strengthened, no longer subject to sorrow and despair. We've gone through the great exchange, having our ashes removed and a crown placed on our heads, having our tears traded for bliss and joy, having the spirit of heaviness lifted off of us and the mantle of praise released in our lives.

Then we will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, those planted by Yahweh Himself. And we will be living displays of His goodness and glory. And just by our being planted in a place, we will bring restoration and renewal to ruined cities.

This all begins with having the heart healed by Abba's embrace. It all begins with allowing Him to come in and light up every part of our inner world with His radiant light until there's no trace of darkness or shadow hiding anywhere in us. This is how deep Abba wants the healing to go.

Beloved One, don't settle for the brokenness. Jesus purchased a whole heart for you on the cross. And the empty tomb says it's yours for the taking.

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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 3/29/24 The Wilderness Place 3/29/24

Resurrecting Hope

(5 minutes)

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is the only disciple who gives us the story of resurrection life in a man named Lazarus. It takes beloved identity to see Abba's heart in this story.

In the village of Bethany there was a man named Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary was the one who would anoint Jesus' feet with costly perfume and dry his feet with her long hair. One day Lazarus became very sick to the point of death. So his sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, our brother Lazarus, the one you love, is very sick. Please come! When he heard this, he said, "This sickness will not end in death for Lazarus, but will bring glory and praise to God. This will reveal the greatness of the Son of God by what takes place." Now even though Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, he remained where he was for two more days. (John 11:1-5)

There are areas in our lives that don't look how we want them to look. There are areas where our hopeless lens is still seeing death and decay. And on top of that, it seems like God isn't doing anything about it. This was the case for Mary and Martha as they watched their beloved brother waste away, without any response from Jesus. And even though Jesus is delaying his arrival on purpose and declares that it will put His greatness on display, Mary and Martha are still having a hard time. What areas are you losing hope in because it seems like Abba's promise is being delayed? What areas are you struggling to hold hope for because of the time it's taking to see a change?

Now when they arrived at Bethany, which was only about two miles from Jerusalem, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Many friends of Mary and Martha had come from the region to console them over the loss of their brother. And when Martha heard that Jesus was approaching the village, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "My Lord, if only you had come sooner, my brother wouldn't have died. But I know that if you were to ask God for anything, he would do it for you. Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise and live." She replied, "Yes, I know he will rise with everyone else on resurrection day." "Martha," Jesus said, "You don't have to wait until then. I am the Resurrection, and I am Life Eternal. Anyone who clings to me in faith, even though he dies, will live forever. And the one who lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:17-25)

Martha utters these words that some of us are speaking over certain areas in our lives: if only. Jesus, if only you would have come sooner, this could have been fixed. This "if only" language is the witness of hopelessness. "If only" really means "it's too late." It's over. There's nothing we can do about it now. Are you carrying this language of hopelessness? If so, you need to hear Abba's voice today speaking His truth over that area. Abba's word is "it's never too late, it's never too far gone, and it's never over."

"We don't have to wait until death comes to get us to have hope. I know this situation looks like death. I know it's been buried. I know it's been going on so long it's starting to deform, and decay, and stink. But resurrection is here right now. And you can have it right now. Eternal life is now." (Pastor Tim)

Abba is coming after the hopelessness in us. He's coming after that perspective that only sees death and destruction, instead of resurrection life and hope. Beloved sons and daughters who have allowed their hearts to be healed and their hope to be restored will be planted by Yahweh in ruined cities and devastated places, and they will bring His resurrection life and hope into that place to see it rebuilt and restored. In order for this to happen, we can't be affected by what things look like and how long they've looked a certain way. We must have Abba's perspective, or else the death and decay will always speak louder than His word concerning a matter.

Abba is coming after the hopelessness that still remains in our hearts. And we have to open ourselves up to His embrace and let him deal with that hopelessness. We have to bring our honesty to Him in intimacy concerning these areas. He can handle our questions, and He wants us to run to Him with these things. What areas have you stopped dreaming about? What areas have you stopped asking Him to heal and restore? These are the areas where hopelessness has set in. These are the areas that we've settled for death and decay. We've settled for tending a tomb, instead of trusting Abba to resurrect every dead thing.

"Do you remember when you believed that you be anything or you could do anything? I feel the Spirit of God asking us, 'Do you remember when you believed anything was possible?'" (Pastor Tim)

Beloved One, your imagination was designed for hope. It was designed to dream of all the ways Abba could resurrect and bring life to dead things. It was designed to trust Abba with every detail. Let Him resurrect hope in you today, because eternal life is here. You don't have to wait!

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Worship: "Promises" 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 Wilderness Place 3/28/24 The Wilderness Place 3/28/24

The Lens of Hopelessness

(5 minutes)

"The lens of hopelessness will affect everything we do, whether we know it or not. It is why it's so important that we have our hearts healed. Because it will taint everything we see, even the things of God, if we're not careful." (Pastor Tim)

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2 NKJV)

I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest. (John 15:1-2 TPT)

Do you see the difference in these two translations? Answer this: what Father would you rather have? One who throws you away for not bearing fruit? Or one who gives you extra attention and care when you're struggling?

So why do we have one scripture with two different lens of the Father?

"They didn't deliberately set out to do this. But when you have lens of hopelessness you see God the way you see Him in your life. How can this be so different? It's the same original language! Because it matters who's looking at the language." (Pastor Tim)

When you have a lens of hopelessness, you can even twist the scriptures and end up with a Father that nobody would want. Hopelessness darkens your perspective, even your perspective of God. And if a person with a lens of hopelessness translates John 15:1-2, all they will see is an angry, distant Father who throws you away when you can't keep up. But give that same scripture to a man or woman that knows how deeply loved they are by Abba, and you get a more accurate picture of the Father because they have a lens of hope, and they've come to know Abba's true nature through intimacy.

"You can have the God you want to have, and your life proves it. Keep having your vision of God. Keep having the God you can't even call "Abba." Keep seeing the Father the way you see Him. Keep thinking that what He really wants to do is use you." (Pastor Tim)

Abba doesn't want to use you. Abba wants to be in union with you!

Here's an example of how this plays out: there are people in the hospital right now dealing with serious illness and disease. Some of them think they're there because God has thrown them out and this is the punishment for their fruitless lives. Others know how deeply loved they are by Abba and that He's walking hand-in-hand with them through every moment, because He doesn't do abandonment.

Does the Father throw you out when you can't keep up or does the Father never leave you or forsake you? Which is it? What lens are you looking through to see Him, hope or hopelessness?

Beloved One, hope is being restored in you. Allow it to go deep and undo all the distorted perspectives you have had of the Father. He's not the angry, dark, distant Father that religion painted Him to be. He is delighting in you. He's good. And when you're struggling He comes even closer and gives you special attention. That's what good fathers do! Let His goodness lead you out of hopelessness today.

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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 3/27/24 The Wilderness Place 3/27/24

What Does Trust Look Like?

(5 minutes)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

"Abba has to restore hope and trust in Him before we can go any further." (Pastor Tim)

Abba is inviting us into the restoration of the entire cosmos. The resurrection of Jesus was the turning point, the moment that marked the restoration of the original design that we had with Abba in the garden, in the beginning. As our hearts are healed and hope is restored, we become the radiant bride that Yahweh plants in the earth to bring about this great restoration of all things. But it's so hard for us to have hope for that, because we're still dealing with areas that are not redeemed or restored.

"Can I just say something: there's no way the Kingdom can enter that situation until you're able to trust first. What does trust look like? What does it feel like? It's you, being able to be in any circumstance, not needing anything to change to be happy. Trust is being able to remain in every circumstance and situation, not needing anything to change to be happy, or in rest, or in peace." (Pastor Tim)

This is the seated posture that we've been talking about. This is what it looks like to come into rest. It's the place of complete faith, or restful trust, in Abba's goodness. It's what allows Jesus to be asleep in the middle of a storm.

You see, the Kingdom can't enter into areas where we're still running around in chaos and unrest, desperately crying out for things to change, so we can have peace.

"God refuses to step in because if He allows things to change to bring you happiness, you'll think change brings happiness. God wants you to know it's His intimacy, it's His love, that brings happiness." (Pastor Tim)

What area is the Kingdom waiting on you to get seated in? What area is waiting on your restful trust?

These are the areas that Abba wants to bring healing to, because your emotions are still submitting to the circumstance and not His goodness.

Abba is inviting us into healing waters. He wants every part of our heart made whole. He wants hope restored in every area of our life. He wants us to be seated in His goodness, no matter what situation or circumstance we find ourselves in.

Will you let His love nourish your heart?

Beloved One, Abba has so much in store for you and your family, and the city that He's planted you in. He has so much in store for the entire cosmos! But it will require healed hearts full of hope to see any of it become a tree of life. Go into your intimacy with Abba today and allow His love to invade your heart. He wants to nourish and bring life to the whole thing. Ruined cities and barren places are waiting on healed, whole Kingdom men and women to step into them with hope that can see Abba's dreams become a reality. This is your inheritance!

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Worship: "You Always Restore" 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 3/26/24 The Wilderness Place 3/26/24

Hope Restored

(5 minutes)

When the wounded hearts are healed, and the captives are set free, when we trade our ashes for His beauty, and our tears for His joy, and our heaviness for His praise, we then become Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh, to restore ruined cities. We are planted by Yahweh in devastated places to bring restoration and healing. What has been leveled by generations of brokenness, we will build up again, because of the deep healing that has happened in our own lives. As our inner world is transformed by His goodness, He plants us in dark places so we can shine His radiant light and see cities transformed.

"Imagine not having to strive to see things changed, you just being there sees things changed. That's what we're designed to be." (Pastor Tim)

What keeps us from being excited about this thing that Yahweh is doing in us? What causes us to read Isaiah 61, and respond with a "well, that would be nice...but" deep down in our heart? Why can't we see ourselves being completely healed, planted by Yahweh, bringing restoration and healing to desolated cities? Why can't we receive it for ourselves?

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

"When hopelessness has taken root, you can't even dream anymore. Let me ask you a question: when did you stop telling yourself the same things you tell little children? You can be or do whatever you want to do. Do you know why you stopped? Hopelessness. Hopelessness causes you to stop dreaming dreams." (Pastor Tim)

This scripture in Proverbs tells us that without hope, we stop having desires and passions. Without hope, we can't see ourselves being Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh, bringing restoration to devastated places. We can't see ourselves doing or being anything, because hope is what causes us to see with expectation and dream. And hopelessness kills all desire in us.

This is a practical way to gauge hope in your life: what impossible things are you asking Abba for? Do you have any expectations at all? Not from a place of desperation, but from a place of dreaming. From a place of allowing the passions that Abba has put inside you to be stirred.

Do you want to know one of the first witnesses to a heart being healed? Hope restored. Dreams restored. Passions restored. When we allow our hearts to be made whole, we start to hope again.

Beloved One, hopelessness may have set in and made your heart sick, but Abba is healing your heart and bringing desire and passion back to you. It will be a tree of life! And Abba will turn around and plant you as a tree of life in the city. You will restore ruins from long ago. You will rebuild what was long devastated. You will renew ruined cities. You will renew the desolations of past generations. Yes, you will.

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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 3/25/24 The Wilderness Place 3/25/24

Learning To Be Loved

(5 minutes)

"Who wants to live a life worshipping the King, yet everything we do and every decision we make is made from a broken heart? And every decision we make causes more broken hearts along the way? Because broken hearts begets broken hearts." (Pastor Tim)

Brokenness begets brokenness. Like King David himself, when we live life with wounded, broken hearts and don't allow Abba to heal them, we inevitably pass that brokenness on to the next generation. King David doesn't have a life that any of us would want. He also doesn't have children that any of us would want. As Pastor Tim said on Sunday, we're not always doing this maliciously, we're just doing the only thing we know to do. When we don't allow the wounds of our broken hearts to be healed, we live and love out of those wounds, instead of whole hearts.

Jesus told us to love people the way He has loved us. This requires that we learn to be loved by Him. "Because the danger is we will love people exactly the way we've been loved." (Pastor Tim) And this is how the brokenness is perpetuated, generation after generation. Because we are loving our our families, our spouses, and our children out of the wounds of our broken hearts, instead of hearts that have been healed and taught to love by Abba. We love how we've been loved because that's the only example we have. Abba is asking us to take the walk with Him so we can learn to be loved and so we can be healed of every heart-shot that we are still living with, and loving with, from the past.

What areas do see in your life where you are still living and loving from a broken place? Can you come into His presence, let His grace extinguish any shame and condemnation surrounding that brokenness, and allow Him to speak tenderly to your heart about what He thinks?

I remember getting hurt as a toddler and running to my parents. The incidents always hurt my feelings more than they hurt me. And I was told something back then that I believed with all my heart - "a kiss will make it all better." And it actually worked, because the kiss wasn't for my injury, it was for my heart. Would you believe me if I said that Abba's kiss is designed to make it all better? Abba's kiss doesn't remove what happened, but it does remove what happened to your heart. The healing is very real and it's a result of Him lavishing His love on the wounded area inside of you. The real question is...will you let Him?

Let him smother me with kisses... (Song of Songs 1:2)

Beloved One, let Him smother you with kisses. Let Him lavish His love on the wounded areas of your heart. Don't resist. Don't recoil as He comes near them. Don't push Him away and tell Him not to touch. A kiss from Abba will make it all better!

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Worship: "Learning To Be Loved By You" 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!

The Wilderness Place 3/22/24 The Wilderness Place 3/22/24

Being Seated

(6 minutes)

Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling [settled, made himself at home, sat down] in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains. (2 Samuel 7:1-2)

"How much are we missing out on because broken hearts make us feel guilty when we're not doing something? Maybe the idea of sitting and resting we have avoided because we do hear God's voice so often and we do not like what we hear." (Pastor Tim)

Why do we get so antsy when we come into a posture of rest and stillness? Why do we resist being seated? This is the question that must be asked. Abba desires to speak to us and shine His pure light into the areas where our perspective is still darkened. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, we don't know how valuable we are to the Lord, so we think we constantly have to be producing something, and we've actually settled for a cheap imitation of what God really wants to give us - His love. And it's a broken heart that keeps the restlessness stirred up in us. It's the broken heart that avoids the still, quiet moments with the Lord.

Like little children, we are always asking, "What's next?" And Abba is responding to us, saying, "Beloved child, I want you to rest in the quietness of my presence and learn to be loved by Me. Come be still so you can hear how I feel about you and see just how loved and accepted you are." These are the things our heart is longing to hear, but the brokenness keeps us too busy to engage with the heart of Abba.

What are you doing right now to prove that you're valuable? Are you aware that it's a broken heart that is fueling that restlessness in you?

King David is finally being seated in his home, entering into a still, quiet place where he can hear Yahweh's voice for himself, and he is immediately stirred to action. His restlessness won't allow him to sit still with the Lord. So Nathan has to hear God's voice on his behalf. This is a byproduct of not letting Abba heal our broken hearts: we have to rely on other people to hear God's voice for us. But this is not Abba's heart. He wants to have an unbroken companionship, an ongoing conversation, with His beloved sons and daughters. Face to face, mouth to mouth, is what we're made for.

Can you sit down and do nothing? Can you hang your sword up and get seated so Abba can talk to you about the things that really matter to Him? Like your family? This would've been on the top of the list for King David because although he was a mighty warrior, he was a horrible father. He was so disconnected from his family that a seed of bitterness was planted in their hearts and his own children were turning on him. He had a family that nobody would want. What are we missing out on because we can't enter into rest? What things are happening in our lives right now that are directly tied to our inability to get seated in Abba's presence? What affect is our brokenness having on our legacy, on the generations that are coming after us?

"If you're not quiet, you'll never learn what comes from your brokenness. You'll remain who you've always been." (Pastor Tim)

Beloved One, will you get seated and let Me speak the words that your heart is longing to hear? I will give you beauty for ashes, joy instead of tears, and a mantle of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Then you will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness. I never called you to be a warrior, only a worshipper. Only a Lover of My presence! Enter into My rest. It's your inheritance.

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Worship: "Rest" by Kari Jobe

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 3/21/24 The Wilderness Place 3/21/24

Coming Into Rest

(5 minutes)

Today we are going to learn the most important Kingdom principle when it comes to hearing the voice of Abba for ourselves. To receive anything of value from the Kingdom you must be seated. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, when we talk about being seated we're not talking about an external posture, but the posture of our hearts.

"You can't hear God's voice running around in chaos. There are places, people, words from God, businesses your heart has desired, money you have needed, resources that your family needs, miracles that you've been crying out for...that are off-limits until you sit down." (Pastor Tim)

Our chaos, anxiety, and frantic pacing are keeping us from inheriting what we are designed to simply receive as beloved sons and daughters. Until we sit down in rest we will not hear His voice or receive from His hand. Our fragmented attention will never hold space for the things that Abba wants to give us. This will require restful trust. "We must bring our emotions, our heart, and the chaos of our life underneath the authority of His peace." (Pastor Tim)

We learn from this scripture that David sat down, and then Yahweh gave him rest from all of his enemies that were all around him. This is the way of the Kingdom. Your coming into rest can't wait on the perfect conditions, it must come first. When you make the decision to stop striving and sit down, then you will experience the peace of Abba. But as long as you are anxiously running around, you can't inherit anything from the Kingdom. What are you missing out on because you refuse to be still?

To be seated means to come into a quiet, still place. But what happens when you get still? What do you feel?

When David came into this seated posture, this quiet, still place...he was immediately moved into unrest and busyness. "How can I sit down right now? How can I enjoy this place that Yahweh has planted me when He is still living out there in a tent? I can't just sit down. There's things to be done." David started feeling guilty for coming into rest. What do you feel when you come into rest? Do you feel the peace of God or do you start feeling guilty? The shame and guilt we feel is robbing us from hearing Abba's voice for ourselves. Sometimes we're running from a seated posture because we don't want to deal with the things we feel when we get still. But getting still and coming into rest is the only way for us to experience the healing and wholeness of the Kingdom. Can you see the war that's being waged over your being seated in the presence of God?

Beloved One, don't miss out on everything that Abba has for you today. You've believed the lie that you can't afford to sit down and rest, but that is not the truth. You can't afford not to come into this seated posture. There are words from Abba at stake. There are people, places, businesses, Kingdom-solutions for the world's problems, money, resources, and miracles...at stake. The resources of heaven are waiting to be downloaded into the heart that has come into rest. Are you ready to hear God's voice for yourself?

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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!

The Wilderness Place 3/20/24 The Wilderness Place 3/20/24

Made For Whole Hearts

(4 minutes)

"Most people have heard the good news until they're blue in the face. They've just been listening to it with broken hearts." (Pastor Tim)

Keep your heart with 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)

"Every decision we make is either from a healed heart, or a broken heart." (Pastor Tim)

We have to understand that our heart is in the driver's seat and it's affecting all that we do. As we find ourselves in situations that cause us to question ourselves, we must go to the heart to find the answers because everything we do, everything we like, everything we're attracted to and everything that's attracted to us is flowing from our innermost being, the heart.

This is why it's so important for us to open our hearts up to Abba and allow Him to heal every heart-shot that we've suffered from the past. We've been making decisions, big and small, from a broken heart. We've been picking spouses, choosing careers, and attending churches from a broken heart. Scripture tells us that deep cries out to deep, and if that's true then shallow must cry out to shallow. Our brokenness has been calling out to the brokenness in others. The things that we drift towards and the habitual situations that we find ourselves in all come back to our unhealed hearts.

The truth of the Kingdom is this: everything in your life has been flowing from your heart. You can trace every issue back to your heart, be it broken or healed.

This week we're going to learn an important Kingdom truth about hearing Abba's voice. Hearing His voice for ourselves will be the thing that heals the brokenness in our hearts. But we must open up our hearts and be willing to be fathered by Him. Are we willing to let Abba come and speak to us about every area? Even the parts that have been off-limits for so long? Even the parts that we deem the most unlovable? This is what it means to be fathered - giving Abba access to speak into every single area - staying honest and vulnerable with Him as the healing goes deep. It takes a restful trust in His goodness to allow this healing to take place. If you don't trust Him to be pure light, with no trace of darkness at all, then you'll recoil every time He comes near and you'll cower every time He speaks.

Beloved One, you were uniquely made to be fathered by Abba. His presence and voice in your life will bring restoration to every area of your heart. You were made to hear His voice for yourself. This is why He's lured you into the wilderness, so He can speak tenderly to your heart and make it whole.

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Worship: "You And You Alone" 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 3/19/24 The Wilderness Place 3/19/24

The Pace of the Kingdom

(7 minutes)

"This is a process. You might be in a hurry, but Yahweh is not. You might be fretting every step, and in anxiety and fear about your life, but He is not. Can you see Him telling you to slow down a minute?" (Pastor Tim)

Restlessness and a hurried pace abound in our culture. Like Martha, we're often running around engaging in all sorts of things that are distracting us from the thing that would transform our entire life: being seated at the feet of Jesus so we can hear His voice for ourselves.

Have you ever stopped long enough to ask Abba why it's difficult for you to slow down? Why it's difficult for you to slow your pace and find value in being seated at His feet? The heart is incredibly deep and it is the man. It's so deep that some of its intricacies aren't even known by us, and can't be known while we're running from one thing to the next.

One thing is sure: if we're going to receive anything from Abba and see it have the effect that it's meant to have, we must find our way out of restlessness and make our way to being seated at His feet. The only way to receive from the Kingdom is to match the pace of the Kingdom. Yahweh isn't trying to see how fast you can run to reach the finish line. He's trying to see how slow you can walk, so you can actually begin enjoying the process as much as He does. This is not a competition to be won, this is a dance to be enjoyed.

In what areas are we outrunning the pace of Abba? In what areas are we striving, when we should be sitting? This is an easy one to answer. It's the areas that you are not enjoying. You can know when the Kingdom arrives because it carries peace, joy, and an overwhelming feeling that "this is right." The places where we're not matching the pace of the Kingdom will be laden with chaos, dread, and the sinking feeling that "this is not who I am or where I'm supposed to be."

And it will have nothing to do with your external circumstances, and everything to do with your inner world and how deeply your heart is connecting with Abba's heart in intimacy. When your heart has taken a seated posture in His presence, you can be in the fiercest storm of your life and be sleeping in the bow of the boat with Jesus. And the opposite is true as well: when your heart is striving and out of sync with Abba, you can be in the most comfortable and pleasant external situation in the world, and be exhausted and overwhelmed by the restlessness and chaos that still exists in your heart.

Beloved One, this is Abba's invitation to rest. The Kingdom is calling out to you and luring you into a pace that will allow you to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear Him speak the words that your heart has longed to hear. When your restlessness demands that you start running, respond to it the same way that Jesus responded to Martha: "I have discovered the ONE thing that is most important by choosing to sit at Jesus' feet. I am undistracted, seated in His presence, and I'm hearing His voice for myself... and this will not be taken away from me."

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Worship: "You Can Just Rest" 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!

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.

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...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 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