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 5/31/24 The Wilderness Place 5/31/24

Abba Is Asking You To Camp

(8 minutes)

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

"Everything you're going through has purpose... can't stop saying that. Everything that you're encountering, you didn't get there by accident. God is in control. He sees what's happening. It's not a mistake. It is an invitation into learning more about you and Him." (Pastor Tim)

If we don't get this, it will be hard for us to receive from Abba in the midst of our day. Every moment is designed to pull us deeper into intimacy with Him. Every moment is meant to be an opportunity to metanoia, to have our thinking changed. We have a way we think things should go, but Abba's goodness is leading us with wisdom into the places that will deliver true freedom into our lives. Are we trusting Abba with every step?

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

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

"God is inviting you and me into camp. If it's me and you, and we just got out of slavery, we want to run from our problems. That's not how God deals with your problems. God asks you to turn and camp." (Pastor Tim)

It's one thing to trust Abba in complete safety. It's another thing to trust Him while you're encamped in enemy territory. But Yahweh is asking us to camp. Yahweh is asking us to stop running away from our problems and the things that have caused us pain. This goes against everything inside of us because we want nothing more than to put distance between us and things that we think will hurt us. But this is not the way that Yahweh operates.

"Why is this important? Because we think freedom is getting further away from the things that have trapped us. God's idea of freedom is killing what kept you captive. So the things that we struggle with, God orchestrates a camp. The things that you struggle with, God orchestrates a meeting with... I think we struggle with so much anxiety and fear because we won't camp and let God deal with issues in us because we're always running from hard issues." (Pastor Tim)

The goodness of God will not allow us to live our lives constantly looking over our shoulders to see if the enemy is gaining ground and catching up to us. This is why Abba has us camp and stand still. This is why Abba uses us as bait to draw the enemy even closer. Because He wants to deal with our enslaver once and for all. He wants us to witness our enemy being drowned in the Red Sea. But we only get to witness this if we trust Him enough to camp where He tells us to camp.

True freedom is not just putting distance between you and the problem. True freedom is allowing Yahweh to deal with the issue once and for all. This is what the grace of God is trying to accomplish in our lives right now. Grace is trying to shut the door, roll up its sleeves, and not allow our problem to see the light of another day.

But as long we're chaotic, complaining, and panicking, we won't be able to hear what Abba is trying to say to us. We must learn how to trust. We must learn how to rest in Abba's arms and hold our peace. There is a purpose in this! Abba's goodness is trying to set us free, for good. Are we trusting Abba enough to camp where He tells us to camp?

What issue are you running from that Abba is asking you to set up camp in?

Beloved One, Abba wants you free and fully alive.

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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 5/30/24 The Wilderness Place 5/30/24

Every Moment An Opportunity For Intimacy

(5 minutes)

"Every circumstance and situation that you are in right now, good or bad, is by design. That should make you very excited because that means everything that's going on right now has a purpose. That means in everything that's happening in your life, God is trying to same something to you. Are you listening? Or are you veiled because you value your opinion over His?" (Pastor Tim)

Abba is using every situation in our life to draw us deeper into union with Him. Every moment is an opportunity to encounter Him and have the veil removed. He's inviting us to learn who He is and learn who we are. What does this mean? Like Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday, it means that every moment, even the most frustrating moments, is valuable, if we'll turn our hearts to Him and allow the moment to lead us to Him.

Like us, the children of God are leaving Egypt, but they still have a slavery mentality, and Yahweh is going to use every situation to undo that. Abba is using every situation to change our mind (metanoia) and bring us into the ways and thinking of His Kingdom. And He will not allow us to be in any situation that we're not ready for. "We will only encounter what God has intended for us to encounter." (Pastor Tim)

Let's allow this truth to go down deep in us today, because some of us are walking around in fear and anxiety because we don't believe Abba is directing our steps, and He is. Abba, like any good father, is always mindful of our maturity, and He knows best what our level of maturity can handle and what it can't handle. It would be dangerous for us to be put in a situation that our maturity was not ready for. Abba knows that! We are only encountering what God has intended for us to encounter.

"And Abba is here, bringing situations along, not to frustrate you, not to discourage you, not to make you feel like you're inadequate or you can't do what He's called you to do, it's to invite you into intimacy with Him." (Pastor Tim)

There are no non-sacred moments. We've heard this so much at The Wilderness Place. Abba is inviting us deeper into this truth today.

Will we respond to the issues of our day like they are random, isolated, and unattached from His presence, or will we see every moment as one perfectly designed to draw us into intimacy with Abba?

Beloved One, let every moment pull you even deeper into intimacy with Abba. When you turn to Him with an open heart, the veil will be lifted and you will see.

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Worship: "Make Room" by Community 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 5/29/24 The Wilderness Place 5/29/24

Where Your Treasure Is, Your Heart Will Also Be

(8 minutes)

But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

"God's heart is to draw you close with nothing in between you and Him. That's His heart. And He's constantly drawing us near, and if we don't turn our hearts to Him there's a veil between us and Him and we can't see Him properly. What could that veil be? When I don't turn my attention, focus, and my life to Him, I'm deciding to live my life based on my opinions. And a lot of times, what I already think, my opinions, keep me from seeing Him right. And I'll make excuses as to why I'm right and He's wrong. Now, we don't say that. But we prefer excuses over God's truth sometimes because we want to do what we want to do." (Pastor Tim)

Why is this the case? Why do we sometimes prefer our own opinions over God's truth? Why are we drawn to one thing over another? There is a Kingdom principle that gives us the answer.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21-24 NKJV)

This may sound backwards, but the Kingdom principle here is that whatever we treasure, our heart will begin to flow towards. Our hearts will always be drawn to what we treasure. Remember, we become what we behold.

"Whatever I really want to do, I will move heaven and earth to do. Including ignoring the truth of the Holy Spirit. How many times do you shut yourself off to what's being said by the Holy Spirit because it's not what you want to do?... There's always evidence to what you treasure. That's what this scripture is saying." (Pastor Tim)

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:21-24 NKJV)

This scripture is not talking about secular music and movies. Religion always made this about what we were looking at. It's not talking about behavior at all. It's talking about your perspective (the eye), and how you see. If your perspective has been entwined with Yahweh's point of view, your entire body will be full of light. But if your perspective is being directed by your own opinions, what you assume to be right apart from Yahweh's influence, then your whole body will be full of darkness (imagine the veil). Did you know there is a light that can be darkness? It's our opinion, that we've convinced ourselves is truth, but was never joined to Abba's point of view.

"If you look at something with your perception, if you're going to look at it through the way you see things, you're going to fill your entire life with your darkness, and you will pretend it's light... Remember what I said, every situation, every circumstance, God is using to fill your life with His light, to draw you closer, to see things like He sees them. And all you have to do to make that happen is turn your attention to Him. That's it." (Pastor Tim)

Jesus gives us the perfect example of how powerful our perspective is by using God and money. We can't focus on God and money at the same time, because whatever our focus is will end up driving our life. What in our lives is in competition with Abba's point of view? What are we giving our focus and attention to that's drawing our hearts away from Abba's perspective? Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, there are a lot of masters besides money. You can trace down the masters by paying attention to what your heart treasures because your heart will always follow what you're focusing on and giving your attention to.

Turn your heart towards Abba throughout the day and allow Him to lift the veil and show you where your treasure is. Allow Him to reveal the things that are speaking louder than His voice in your life. What's competing with Abba's point of view?

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Worship: "High and Lifted Up" by Rick Pino

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 5/28/24 The Wilderness Place 5/28/24

Who’s Teaching Who?

(6 minutes)

"Every single one of us has the Holy Spirit on the inside of us. Every one of us. He's there, not to sit with you in darkness, He's there to light your darkness up. He's there to change situations and circumstances. Let me ask you a question: are you having a problem making the same decisions over and over, you have patterns you'd like to see broken in your life? The Holy Spirit is with you to break those patterns. He's not here to let us teach Him how to do life. He's here to teach us how to do life. You have God Himself, here, to teach you how to do life every step of the way. But we have not, because we have not asked, or we have asked amiss." (Pastor Tim)

The Holy Spirit is not here to accompany us through the same issues over and over again like a silent bystander. We all have patterns of brokenness in our lives, areas that we keep responding the same way in, and the change that must happen is our surrendering to the Lordship of the Spirit. We must surrender to the fact that the Spirit desires to teach us in every area of life. We must wake up to the reality that there can be freedom in the areas where the Holy Spirit is Lord.

He doesn't just want us to turn our hearts to Him on Sundays and Tuesday evenings, He wants every day, every moment, to be an opportunity for us to hear Him speak. And He will use everything in our lives to speak to us.

"Guess what? Every single thing in your life is designed to get you closer to Him. Even the things that hurt. Crushing is how wine is actually made. Grapes are crushed and every single one us go through moments of crushing to bring out the Kingdom of God within us...Being planted and being buried looks the same from the outside...Some of us believe we've been buried, and our lives are over, and situations are over, but actually what has happened is you've just been planted." (Pastor Tim)

Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us throughout the day? Are we intentionally turning our hearts to Him in order to learn from the Spirit of Yahweh that's inside of us? Are we allowing every moment, even the hard, crushing ones to be opportunities for Abba to speak to us and teach us a new way?

In every area where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom. And in every area where He is not Lord, we will continue to struggle. Abba has an answer for the areas where we struggle. Abba has wisdom for our lives that would literally change generations. It's locked up in our surrendering to the Spirit, yielding to His Lordship, and turning our hearts to Him in these moments so we can receive what Abba has for us.

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Worship: "Beauty for Ashes + You're Good" 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 5/27/24 The Wilderness Place 5/27/24

Abba’s Promise: The Veil Will Be Lifted

(6 minutes)

"That means anytime you have not turned to the Lord about something, you have a veil on your heart. Think about it, it's not a bad thing, it just means you don't know everything. The scripture is telling us that we don't know everything. I think we kind of already knew that, right? But sometimes we get into situations that we're familiar with and we think we know everything." (Pastor Tim)

This is literally the first step to turning your heart to the Lord: admitting that you don't know everything there is to know about a certain situation. This can be a big hurdle for some people, especially when we get into familiar waters that we think we already know how to navigate. This is when we start responding the same way we always respond, instead of relying on the Lordship of the Spirit to direct us. Coming to grips with the fact that I may not be seeing this correctly is our initial act of yielding to the Spirit. What area in your life are you responding to out of the place of familiarity, instead of the direction of the Holy Spirit? What areas have you already made judgments about just because you thought you already knew?

Abba is inviting us into turning our hearts. His promise to us is that the moment we turn to Him with an open heart (that's important, an OPEN heart), the veil will be lifted and we will see.

"This is a promise. If you are in a situation, not talking about on a Sunday morning, this is talking about at work on a Wednesday night... if you'll stop for moment and turn your heart to the Lord, a veil will be lifted. Why? Because God's got something to tell you about the situation you're in. He's got some instructions for us. He's telling us that there's some wisdom that you can have that can change the situation you want to see changed. You don't have to keep doing the same old thing, expecting different results. You can actually have different results!" (Pastor Tim)

You've been given the Spirit of Yahweh. He's not just around you and with you...He's in you. You have access to the presence of Abba at every moment of the day because His Spirit is dwelling in you. What's keeping us from stepping into the Lordship of the Spirit? What's keeping us from going to Him for direction? Why would we continue to lean on our own understanding when the Spirit of Yahweh is inside of us?

On the walk today, Abba may ask you to revisit some areas that you already thought you had an understanding of. The area that you were so familiar with that you responded out of that familiarity instead of yielding to the Spirit. Let Abba take your hand and walk with you through those areas. Open your heart to Him with a willingness to unlearn what you thought you already knew. His promise to us is that at that moment, the veil will be lifted and we will see.

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Worship: "Come and Behold" by Maverick City Music & 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 5/24/24 The Wilderness Place 5/24/24

A Picture of Real Kingdom Family

(8 minutes)

Now there were a number of foreigners from among the nations who were worshipers at the feast. They went to Philip (who came from the village of Bethsaida in Galilee) and they asked him, "Would you take us to see Jesus? We want to see him." So Philip went to find Andrew, and then they both went to inform Jesus. He replied to them, "Now is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified. Let me make this clear: A single grain of wheat will never be more than a single grain of wheat unless it drops into the ground and dies. Because then it sprouts and produces a great harvest of wheat - all because one grain died. The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss true life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to me, will find true life and enjoy it forever! If you want to be my disciple, follow me and you will go where I am going. And if you truly follow me as my disciple, the Father will shower his favor upon your life. (John 12:20-26)

"There's something on the inside of every single one of us, when we see or hear illustrations of someone putting their life in danger for someone else, that says, 'That's right. That's true. That's what life is meant to be, me laying my life down for something that matters. Me not trying to squeeze my life out for everything that I can get for it, building my kingdoms, doing what I want to do, but me putting my life in the ground for others so they can have..'" (Pastor Tim)

This is what a covenant relationship looks like. Two people laying down their lives for each other. Two people willing to plant their lives in the ground like seed, so it can yield something greater than what could have been produced if they protected their own. In this scripture, Jesus is inviting us into a covenant relationship with Him. And the most beautiful thing is that He went first. He laid His life down first. With no guarantee as to what we would do with it, Jesus made His intentions so clear when He laid His life down. He wants to be in covenant with us.

"Can you imagine what your life is designed to produce if you were willing to put it where it was designed to be put? Can you imagine the transformation in a place, in a family? Because if we're honest, we've seen the other side of this, where people refuse to give their lives for others and they give their lives to themselves. We've seen the devastation and the destruction of people not caring about a place, a people, or a city. We've seen the illustrations of let's just build big buildings, and gather and house people once a week, and then go our own ways and not have anything to do with one another. You don't know me and I don't know you, and I like it that way. Because if I don't do it that way it's going to cost me something." (Pastor Tim)

Every covenant relationship will cost us something. Jesus' desire to be in a covenant relationship with us cost Him something. And if we're going to enter into covenant with Him, or anyone else, it's going to cost us something, too. If we want to see fruit produced in our family, in our kingdom family, in our city, then the seed of our life must go into the ground.

Listen to the fruit in the lives of the first kingdom family:

Those who believed the word that day numbered three thousand. They were all baptized and added to the church. Every believer was faithfully devoted to following the teachings of the apostles. Their hearts were mutually linked to one another, sharing communion and coming together regularly for prayer. A deep sense of holy awe swept over everyone, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. All the believers were in fellowship as one body, and they shared with one another whatever they had. Out of generosity they even sold their assets to distribute the proceeds to those who were in need among them. Daily they met together in the temple courts and in one another's homes to celebrate communion. They shared meals together with joyful hearts and tender humility. They were continually filled with praises to God, enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were coming to life. (Acts 2:41-47)

And in Acts 4:34, we're told that out of all the thousands of people in this kingdom family, there were no needs among them.

This can only happen when you're in a covenant relationship, when your life has been laid down and has become a seed in the ground.

Who is Lord of your life?

Who's controlling your life?

What is your life for?

This is what Abba is inviting us into. He doesn't want us to be casually connected and not producing the fruit of a life that's fully alive. He wants us in covenant, living the abundant life that He died to give us. And the first covenant relationship that Abba wants us to be in is with Him. Being in a covenant relationship with Yahweh will be our true north, teaching us how to be in covenant relationships with everyone else.

It has to begin with Him.

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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 5/23/24 The Wilderness Place 5/23/24

Your Life, A Seed In The Ground

(8 minutes)

Before we look at this story, it's important to remember something that Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday. This story appears in all four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Not only does it appear in each gospel, but it's mentioned six times across those gospels. This is significant and it shows us just how important this story is to Abba's heart.

What is Jesus trying to say? What is Jesus trying to tell his disciples, these foreigners, and all of us? What does this have to do with Lordship?

“He's teaching His disciples and these foreigners what it's going to take to see Him in the future. To be His disciple, to be favored by the Father...He's telling them it's much more than following me around, seeing miracles be done. It's much more than coming to me for what you can get. He's telling them, 'If you want to be my disciple, if you want to know Me, you're going to have to lay your life down.'" (Pastor Tim)

This scripture is telling us what it's going to take to be in life-union with Jesus. What it's going to take to abide in Him. So many of us start with the right desires, to see Jesus, but Jesus is showing us that our desires have to lead us to the place where we lay ourselves down. We can't take our own point of view and our own plans for life into this life-union with Him. Maybe this is why we feel stuck. Because we keep coming to Jesus with our own plans, and He's trying to talk to us about something completely different.

"Every time we go to Him and ask for what we think we want, He shows us what we need. Every time I go to Jesus, He wants to talk about something that I don't want to talk about. What He's telling me is, 'The things you don't want to talk about are the things that's keeping you from what you want.' The things that we fear, that we think we already know, and that we've already settled in our lives, He's telling us those things you don't want to hear, the things that are offensive to you, is actually what we need to deal with to get you to where your heart desires." (Pastor Tim)

How many times are we circling the same mountain, all because we're unwilling to talk about what Jesus is wanting to talk about? Our avoiding His voice in these areas could be the thing that's keeping us from getting what our heart has been crying out for. What is Jesus saying that you can't hear? Because you're unwilling to hear.

Here's an even deeper question: what are we afraid of?

Jesus could not be any clearer as to what He's after: life-union. "I will lay My life down to be joined to you. Will you lay your life down to be joined to Me?"

"It's going to take a covenant. It's going to take a union. It's going to take an exchange, your life for mine. That's what He's saying. You're going to have to lay down your concerns for your life. You're going to have to let your life be a seed in the ground." (Pastor Tim)

It all comes down to what we're really after: a real relationship with Yeshua, or the illusion of a relationship where we're calling the shots and dressing up our decisions with His name. A covenant marriage is two people willing to lay down their lives to be joined to one another. Is this what our relationship with Jesus looks like?

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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 5/22/24 The Wilderness Place 5/22/24

It Only Takes A Moment

(7 minutes)

But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

"Take a time-out. Abba, I'm going to invite you into this moment. Maybe, just maybe, I'm not seeing it right...That's easy for areas we want to see changed, but much harder in the areas we're satisfied. Much harder when it's an area that we have become satisfied in. And what happens is we never inquire, we just throw the name of Jesus over our decision." (Pastor Tim)

It only takes a moment to turn our hearts to Abba. How many things would be different in our lives if we took the moment to turn our affections to Abba and have the veil removed so we could see? What if we took this moment before we made any decision? What if we took time to inquire of the Lord, even when asked a question by someone else?

What insights, wisdom, and Kingdom solutions are we leaving on the table simply because we're not taking a moment to turn our open hearts to Abba?

Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

We have to start honoring the Holy Spirit inside of us. As Pastor Tim said on Sunday, Holy Spirit is not an "it." He is Yahweh Himself, living on the inside of us. And the Apostle Paul is telling us that wherever He is Lord (owner, decider, one in control), there is freedom.

"I don't know if we know this, or is it we don't want this. Because if we're honest, there are some areas, yes, that we want to absolutely change, and we don't mind turning our hearts to the Lord. But I'm talking about the areas where you've built the kingdom for yourself. Where you've built the life for yourself. Where you've made decisions for yourself. Where everything you do and I do is about me, and for me...There's an invitation here for us, one that's different than the one being given in the world. That is, there's a better life but you have to let your life go. This is what we're talking about. We're talking about, 'Will I surrender control of every aspect of me to Him?' We want that when it's dealing with eternity and where we're going when we close our eyes for the last time. We would love for Him to be Lord. Actually, we like for Him to be Savior. But I'm telling you, as sweet as everybody is in this room, there's an area or areas in our lives that we get upset when someone challenges what we're doing." (Pastor Tim)

The Spirit of Yahweh desires to be Lord of every area. Not just the areas we're okay with surrendering, but the areas where we would rather make the decisions for ourselves. What area have you made off-limits to Holy Spirit? What area have you already determined that He will not be Lord of? If you're wondering what those areas are, this scripture tells us that the best way to locate them is to look for the areas where you're still not experiencing freedom. Those are the areas that are still crying out for Holy Spirit to be Lord.

Our freedom is at stake.

And the freedom of generations that are coming after us.

That's why this is so important to Abba.

There is a grace that is coming to us with this word. A grace to accept Abba's invitation to trust. A grace to make the Spirit of Yahweh Lord of every area. A grace to surrender the life we've wanted for ourselves, so we can have the abundant life that Abba has waiting for us.

Beloved One, you can trust Abba with this area. He is pure Light and has no trace of darkness in Him at all.

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Worship: "Have My Heart" by Maverick City Music

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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

The Wilderness Place 5/21/24 The Wilderness Place 5/21/24

The Veil Will Be Lifted and You Will See

(7 minutes)

It's so important to stay with the words we're hearing from Abba. We are tempted to move on too quickly and abandon the seed that has been deposited in our hearts. This is why we value reviewing and remembering what we've heard at The Wilderness Place.

"Review is a good thing. Review is how you consume everything and keep it for yourself. Anything that's valuable, you want to stare at until it becomes real in your life. The powerful thing about the words of God is they have a unique ability to change your life. You can't just hear God's word one time and walk away from it and say, 'That was a good word.' We have to hold on to it until it becomes who we are." (Pastor Tim)

We have to be intentional about standing under a word from Abba until we see it established in our own lives. That's how valuable every word from Abba is to us.

“If you've ever wondered how you get freedom in your life, if you've ever wondered how you have the Kingdom of God established in every area of your life, Paul is going to give us the secret to that." (Pastor Tim)

But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.

"How many things do we go into believing we have an understanding that is correct and we do not take the time to turn our hearts to the Lord? I've been in danger of this. You know, you've been on the job a little while, you think you understand how things go, you think you know the person you work with. You think you know your spouse. You think you know your kids. And all of a sudden, you start doing life from a place where you think you see, and you never take the time to say, 'I'm going to turn my heart to the Lord and see what He's saying about this.' I'm telling you, your life will be radically different if you take one moment, time out, let me turn my heart to Him and see what He says about this." (Pastor Tim)

When we take a moment to turn to the Lord with an open heart, that's when the veil will be lifted and we can be given the gift of seeing things rightly, from His point of view.

Let's really take the question to heart that Pastor Tim put before us: how many things do we go into believing that we already have an understanding that is correct, so we never take the time to turn our hearts to Abba? Because this scripture tells us that we're not truly seeing from His point of view until we turn to Him with an open heart, willing to lay down our own perspective to inherit His.

The moment we turn to the Lord with an open heart, the veil will be lifted and we will see. This is Abba's promise to us.

There are areas in our lives that we desperately want to see rightly, and there are areas in our lives that we are already convinced we understand. The Spirit of Yahweh desires to be the Lord of them all. And He's inviting us to a place of trust, where we are not ever leaning on our own understanding, but in every single one of our ways we're turning to Him and inquiring of Him so we can inherit His point of view. Until we are fully transformed into the image of Yeshua, only doing what we see Abba doing and only saying what we hear Him saying. The place of perfect union.

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Worship: "When I Lock Eyes With You" by Maverick City Music & 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 5/20/24 The Wilderness Place 5/20/24

Undivided Attention

(4 minutes)

"I've been hearing that word all week: undivided attention. If we're honest, I don't think or know that I give Him, or anything, my undivided attention. And I feel Him calling us to an undivided attention towards Him. We've gotten so good at multitasking that I think sometimes we have lost the ability to focus on one thing. I know I have. I have to be intentional about turning my attention, my focus, to Him." (Pastor Tim)

When was the last time that Abba had your undivided attention?

Undivided attention takes intentionality. Turning our attention and our focus to one thing takes great intentionality. It's so easy for us to get lost in the busyness of taking care of multiple things that we lose sight of the One thing we're called to give our whole heart to: intimacy with the King. If we're not careful, the only things that will get our attention are the urgent things. All the while, the important things will get neglected.

Let's recall a familiar story:

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared.

But Martha became exasperated with finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, "Lord, don't you think it's unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me."

The Lord answered her, "Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won't take this privilege from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Intentionality is an attitude of purposefulness, a commitment to deliberate action. Intentionality is the setting of the heart to seek after one thing. It's choosing to be undistracted at the feet of Jesus. It's choosing to give Him your undivided attention.

Let's take the question even deeper: when, today, will you give Abba your undivided attention? Have you set your heart to seek after the One thing that is most important?

Intentionality is our commitment to make room for Abba throughout our day. He's calling us into undivided attention.

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Worship: "Make Room" by Community 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 5/17/24 The Wilderness Place 5/17/24

Offense: Abba’s Way of Revealing Our Heart

(6 minutes)

Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

After Jesus multiplied food and fed thousands, He had quite the following. He and the disciples had ventured to another town and the thousands that had just been fed by Jesus tracked Him down, but they weren't there for the right reasons. They were only there to get more of what they wanted. Jesus then tells the crowd that in order to follow Him they would have to eat His body and drink His blood. This is where we pick up the story:

And when many of Jesus' followers heard these things, it caused a stir. "That's disgusting!" they said. "How could anybody accept it?" Without anyone telling him, Jesus knew they were outraged and told them, "Are you offended over my teaching? What will you do when you see the Son of Man ascending into the realm from where he came? The Holy Spirit is the one who gives life, that which is of the natural realm is of no help. The words I speak to you are Spirit and life. But there are still some of your who won't believe." (John 6:60-63)

"What He's saying is, 'You're hearing the truth. You're hearing something that will bring life to you, but you won't believe it, or even attempt to surrender your life to My lordship.'" (Pastor Tim)

Sometimes Jesus has to shock us out of the system of control that we've built our life around. You can always tell when He's doing this because it will offend you in some way, just like the words He spoke in John 6 offended His followers. Something has to jolt us out of the place where we are calling Jesus our Savior, but not embracing Him as Lord. And Abba's goodness is perfectly fine with offending our minds in order to reveal our hearts. How far would you go for one of your own children if knew their freedom was hanging in the balance?

I want to echo these words again: you can have control or you can have freedom, but you can't have both. This is what 2 Corinthians 3:17, is inviting us into - freedom. But it will require us to trust Abba in every area of our lives. That's what Lordship is really about - trust. In the areas where we trust Abba, we are fine with Him being Lord. It's the areas where we still think there's a trace of darkness in Him where we struggle to make Him Lord.

This is an invitation into trusting Abba and letting Him convince you that He is pure light, not having a trace of darkness in Him at all. This is an invitation to encounter an even greater degree of His goodness. And it's on the other side of Lordship.

Who's making the decisions for you? You or the Spirit of Yahweh inside of you?

These may be hard words to hear, but just like Jesus' words in John 6, they're meant to reveal your heart so you can start being honest with yourself and honest with Abba.

Where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom. But what about the areas where He is not Lord? Well, what's the opposite of freedom? Captivity. Slavery. Bondage. This is not what Abba wants for His beloved sons and daughters, which is why He's so fierce in coming against everything that's hindering the love that we're destined to share with Him.

At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past. (Galatians 5:1)

For if you embrace the truth, it will release true freedom into your lives. (John 8:32)

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Worship: "Make Room" by Community 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 5/16/24 The Wilderness Place 5/16/24

Where The Spirit Is Lord, There Is Freedom

(5 minutes)

"As you get closer, and you give Him lordship of more areas of your life, you become more glorious. Let me just make it super simple: every area that I'm not free in is because I still have not settled the question of who is Lord." (Pastor Tim)

At Linger House this past Tuesday, Pastor Tim told a story about a sculptor who was carving an eagle out of piece of wood. Someone standing nearby asked the sculptor how he was able to do such a thing. The sculptor replied, "That's easy, you just chip away everything that doesn't look like an eagle."

Abba's heart is for us to be transformed into the very image of Jesus. He's coming after everything that doesn't look like Him. Think about it: Jesus was surrendered to the will of the Father in every area. Yahweh was Lord over every aspect of Jesus' life. What does Lordship look like? Let's see.

So Jesus said, "I speak to you eternal truth. The Son is unable to do anything from himself or through his own initiative. I only do the works that I see the Father doing, for the Son does the same works as his Father. (John 5:19)

Lordship is letting Abba decide.

Let's take a closer look at the Greek word for lord - kyrios. It comes from the root word "kuros" which means supremacy. A lord (kyrios) is he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding. A lord (kyrios) is the owner; one who has control.

For Yahweh to be Lord, He must have supremacy. Whatever area it is, it must belong to Him. He must have the power to make the call, to make the decision. He has to be the owner and the One who is in control.

What does this mean for us? We can have control or we can have freedom, but we can't have both. What area are we crying out for freedom in that is still waiting on Yahweh to become Lord?

Let Abba take you deeper into these truths today as you take the walk with Him. He's giving you the grace to surrender areas of your life that you have never been able to relinquish control of. He's inviting you into freedom, complete wholeness, and the most fully alive version of yourself - until you are brightly reflecting the glory of Jesus.

Beloved One, embrace this process of transformation. You're moving from one brighter level of glory to another, becoming the very image of Yeshua.

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Worship: "Whatever It Costs" by Rachel Morley

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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The Wilderness Place 5/15/24 The Wilderness Place 5/15/24

Who Is Lord Over Your Life?

(5 minutes)

But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NKJV)

The question of the Kingdom is this: Who is Lord of your life?

Who sets your standards? Who makes your decisions? You, or the Spirit of Yahweh inside of you?

We must embrace this truth: wherever the Spirit of Yahweh is Lord, there is freedom. And any area where we are not experiencing freedom, He is still not Lord. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, we are handing away our freedom every single time that we make ourselves Lord over an area.

We have to stop and answer the questions that the Kingdom is putting before us: Who is making our decisions? Who determines when we show up to a gathering of the believers? Who determines how much we give? Who determines where we go? Who determines where we sit, what we wear, and what we eat? Who determines what happens in the lives of our children? Who determines where we live?

What area are you crying out for freedom in that is still waiting on Yahweh to become Lord?

"It boils down to this: do I want His Lordship over my life, or do I want to live my life the way I want to live it? A lot of us stay in poverty because we won't live by His principles, and then we cry about being in poverty...You're stuck in awful relationships because He's not Lord of your relationships. You're stuck in a lousy job because He's not Lord of your job. Your money looks the way it looks because He's not Lord of your money. Your health is what it is because He's not Lord of your health. I love you enough to say it. Wherever Abba is Lord, there's freedom. Are you sick and tired of some things? Is He Lord? We want our minds to change. Is He Lord of the way you think? This is simple, guys." (Pastor Tim)

Let's ask this question again: What area are you crying out for freedom in that is still waiting on Yahweh to become Lord?

Pastor Tim said it right: this is simple. Abba has made this simple. All it takes is for us to surrender to His Lordship in every area of our life. It's incredibly simple, but at the same time, it's one of the hardest things we will ever do. But let that question go deeper in your intimacy with Abba: Why is it so hard for me to surrender to your Lordship in this area, Abba? That's a great question to bring into intimacy with Him today. It may be that there is an area in your heart that is still hard and calloused, that needs to be healed. And that healing can happen in His presence.

Let's take a walk with Abba today, and let's allow Him to talk to us about the areas in which He is still not Lord. It may be an uncomfortable conversation, but keep these truths before you: He is pure light and there is no trace of darkness in Him and there is freedom on the other side of making Him Lord in that area.

Beloved One, His way is better.

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Worship: "Make Room" 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 5/14/24 The Wilderness Place 5/14/24

The Question of the Kingdom

(5 minutes)

Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, this is where the rubber meets the road. We've been on this journey discovering what Abba's heart is for us, to be fully alive. And we've even gotten a glimpse as to what that could look like. Now we have to answer the question that the Kingdom of God brings to us, and how we respond to the question will determine if anything changes. It will determine if we actually experience freedom.

"I want to talk about the reason we are still waiting on some of these things to happen. There is a question that the Kingdom asks." (Pastor Tim)

But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

"When you turn your heart to God, a veil is then lifted from your heart and you are able to see the things of the Kingdom. But it doesn't stop there. That's where American Christianity stops. That's their priority. But that's why we haven't seen Isaiah 61:1-4. Because they say the end all of God's Kingdom is you accepting whether or not you want to go to heaven or hell. And Jesus says that question is not even on the table. That is not the question. The question is not, 'Where are you going to spend eternity?' The question is not, 'Are you saved?' The question is, 'Who is Lord of your life?'" (Pastor Tim)

Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

There's only one problem: there are areas of my life where I'm still not seeing freedom!

That only means one thing: "Wherever God is Lord there is freedom. That means every area of your life where there's no freedom, He is not Lord. And here we are, where the rubber meets the road. Who sets your standards? Who makes your decisions?" (Pastor Tim)

The question of the Kingdom is this: Who is Lord of your life?

Who sets your standards? Who makes your decisions? You, or the Spirit of Yahweh inside of you?

The hard thing about this truth is that there's no guesswork involved. We don't have to ponder long on the answer to these questions, because Abba has given us the litmus test of Lordship.......freedom. Wherever He is Lord, there is freedom. And wherever He is not Lord, there is no freedom.

We can read Isaiah 61:1-4, until we're blue in the face, and still not see any of it established in our own life. Why? Because freedom is on the other side of Him becoming Lord. He must become the One who calls the shots, makes the decisions, and leads us in every area.

Do you know why Lordship is a tough conversation? Because it deals with the question, "Who is in control?" And this is the last thing that some of us want to let go of - control. But we can't have the freedom of God's Kingdom and keep ruling our own life. That's not how kingdoms work.

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Worship: "Your Will, Your Way" by Bryan & Katie Torwalt

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 5/13/24 The Wilderness Place 5/13/24

The Lens of His Love

(4 minutes)

Now, the "Lord" I'm referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

We've been on a journey for the past couple of weeks. It all started with Isaiah 61. We've talked about having our hearts healed in the presence of Abba, trading our ashes for His beauty. We talked about hopelessness and we heard about Abba's heart for us to be Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted in the earth to restore ruins from long ago. We talked about Abba's heart to see His Kingdom come and His will be done on the earth, right here, right now. We talked about metanoia, the changing of our minds, the changing of our point of view.

Let's stop for a moment and go back. Let's read Isaiah 61 again and hear Abba's heart for us:

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)

We experienced something very important in our gathering this past Sunday. Abba had us climb up in His lap during our time of worship. He wanted us to feel and know just how loved we are by Him. And that's important. Like Pastor Tim said at the start of his message, "I am so grateful for what God did this morning in worship because we need the lens of His love to understand some of the things we're going to talk about today." We need the lens of His love to understand the things He's pulling us into this week. We need the lens of His love.

Before we move on to anything else this week, let's go back to that place of being wrapped up in His love. Let's climb into His lap today and be seated there, and let's receive from Him in that place and in that posture. Let's ask for the lens of His love today so we can understand everything He's going to talk to us about this week.

Beloved One, climb up in Abba’s lap, lean back in His arms, listen to His heart beating for you, and rest in His embrace. This is the best posture to be in when receiving from Abba.

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Worship: "I Love Your Presence" 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 5/10/24 The Wilderness Place 5/10/24

Streaked, Speckled, and Spotted

(8 minutes)

The next story we're going to look at is going to show us that we become what we behold. If we keep our current point of view, it will keep producing the same thing in our lives over and over again. Whatever kingdom we're feeding from and being intimate with will determine what is being produced in our lives.

We're going to look at the life of Jacob. He's been working for his uncle, Laban, for years and he has already married Leah and Rachel, and has had plenty of children. Once Joseph, the favorite, was born, Jacob could finally make the decision to change his perspective and go back to his own country.

But Laban was a master manipulator and didn't want to lose Jacob, because he knew that so much of his success was tied to him. So Jacob struck up a deal. Jacob would stay and tend to Laban's flocks but he would start building his own wealth while he was there so he could support his family when they chose to leave. Here's where we pick up in the story:

“What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.

Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”

“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.

Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.

Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches. But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s. As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys. (Genesis 30:31-43 NLT)

The first thing we need to notice is how Jacob responded to Laban. He had just been mistreated, stolen from, and manipulated. And he didn't waste one single moment staring at that. He didn't waste one moment on Laban and how he had just been treated. He stepped right into the Kingdom solution that Yahweh had for this situation. That's incredible!

"Stop staring at what you don't have, and start asking Abba for solutions to the world's problems, primarily yours. But we spend so much time focusing on what's not happening, what we don't have, and what we're not getting that's due us." (Pastor Tim)

What Kingdom solutions are we missing out on because we are focusing on the wrong things?

"Until we change our point of view to match the Kingdom of God we will stay mired in the thinking of this world. We've got to come out of agreement with what the world says is possible, and start staring at what is possible." (Pastor Tim)

Jacob knew this Kingdom principle: we become what we behold. Whatever we focus on we will become. Jacob knew that this principle would work in his life, and he also knew it would work in the lives of the livestock that he shepherding. He knew that the only way to get streaked, speckled, and spotted sheep and goats was to have them focus on something that was streaked, speckled, and spotted. And that's exactly what he did.

When we focus on the wrong things and entertain this world's point of view, we relinquish the Kingdom authority and Kingdom solutions that Abba has given us.

We will always produce what we become intimate with. We will produce whatever point of view we become intimate with. So, what is your life producing? This will always tell us what we're being intimate with.

As you walk with Abba today, let Him put His finger on the areas of your life that need to start staring more at Him and His Kingdom. Come out of agreement with the world's point of view, and start feeding on Abba's perspective. Abba has Kingdom solutions for every area of our lives, but they can't be given to us as long as we're holding out our hands, while our hearts and minds are staring in a different direction.

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Worship: "We Make Space" by Melissa Helser

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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

The Wilderness Place 5/9/24 The Wilderness Place 5/9/24

Beloved Identity Comes First

(8 minutes)

We're going to look at the life of Jacob. He's been working for his uncle, Laban, for years and he has already married Leah and Rachel, and has had plenty of children. But we're given a significant statement in verse 25 about what happened before Jacob was inspired to leave his current situation, or change his point of view.

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. (Genesis 30:25 NKJV)

"Why are we getting this information? Why are we getting the moment that someone is born as a reference point for something that is fixing to happen? Well, who's Joseph? Joseph is Jacob's favorite. God is trying to tell you that before you change your point of view you need to start with, 'You are His favorite.' Joseph is Jacob's favorite. And this changing of the point of view is not going to take place until the favorite steps into being the favorite. That means there's some point of views you cannot receive until you realize how loved you are by Him. I can talk all the live long day about changing your point of view, but you will not receive it if you don't realize you are His favorite. You're not just a worthless sinner that He just tossed Jesus over so He could even look at you. Do you understand the scripture when it says that God so loved you that He sent Jesus? It does not say that He so tolerated you, and sent Jesus so He could then love you. But that's how the church teaches it. We've got to change that up. You think you're loved because Jesus showed up....you're loved because He was sent. You were loved before He was sent. He was sent because you are loved!" (Pastor Tim)

These words are priceless.

We will never be able to receive a Kingdom point of view until we step into believing that we are actually Abba's favorite. No change can happen until we start believing the truth about who we are, that we are beloved sons and daughters, and always have been.

We inherited such a horrible picture of who the Father is. American Christianity told us that God tolerated us, but when Jesus died, then He started loving us, but only if we stayed wrapped up in Jesus. Heaven help us if Jesus tripped or stepped to the side and we were exposed in the presence of God because that would be the end of us, because He only really likes Jesus and simply tolerates us. American Christianity relegated us to some kind of third wheel that got to tag along because of Jesus. You remember, don't you? You loved Jesus, but you were always unsure of how the Father felt. There was a constant cloud of disapproval. But our point of view was all wrong!

Abba has always loved us, from the very beginning. There was never a moment that we were not beloved sons and daughters. Jesus didn't come to make the Father love us. Jesus came because the Father loves us.

You are Abba's favorite!

And when you start being convinced of that truth, you will be ready to receive a Kingdom point of view. Why is it so important that we believe that we are loved before we receive Abba's perspective and point of view?

Here's a story that may help:

"In a small town there lived a couple, Anna and John. Anna, who had always struggled with shame and condemnation, was given a beautiful mirror by John on their wedding day. However, the mirror was dropped and suffered a small crack. Every time she looked into it, she focused only on the crack, which distorted her reflection.
John would always tell Anna how beautiful and perfect she was, but looking into her cracked mirror, Anna could never see what John saw; she only saw flaws and imperfections. Confused and saddened, John one day replaced the cracked mirror with a new, flawless one without telling her.
The next morning, Anna looked into the new mirror and for the first time, saw what John had always seen - a beautiful, perfect bride. She realized that the fault was never with her appearance but with the cracked mirror she was using to define herself."

Why is beloved identity so important?

Because if you continue to view yourself through a lens marred by shame and condemnation, you will never be able to see the truth about yourself or believe it when Abba tries to tell you. If you heal the mirror, you begin to see more clearly.

Believing you're beloved is what sets you free to see things from Abba's point of view. If you're not convinced that you're His favorite, you'll never really believe anything that He has to say.

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

Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place

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

The Wilderness Place 5/8/24 The Wilderness Place 5/8/24

Embracing Abba’s Point of View

(5 minutes)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. (Romans 12:2 TPT)

"When you become intimate with a thought, a point of view, that is not God, you lose your ability to see altogether. Then you start talking about how great God is, but how worthless you are. You can't be worthless and God be great. But that's false humility. Kingdom humility is you confessing what God says about you and you are amazing. You are not worthless." (Pastor Tim)

When we become intimate with, and start feeding on a thought or point of view that is not from Abba, we lose our ability to see. As long as we're entertaining delusional thinking, we will not be able to see the difference between what is of Yahweh and what is not. Not only will we not be able to see Him correctly, we won't be able to see ourselves correctly.

This all started in the Garden of Eden. The enemy came and planted a seed in Eve that she wasn't good enough. That she didn't measure up. That she was lacking something. That she was broken. The enemy convinced her that she was nothing like God. Eve and her husband were made in the very image and likeness of Yahweh, but because Eve believed (partnered with, was convinced of, and became intimate with) a lie about herself, her life and behavior followed suit. Because whatever a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

We can no longer partner and be in agreement with things that Abba doesn't think about us.

What are you believing about yourself that isn't in agreement with Abba's point of view? What are you believing about other people that isn't in agreement with Abba's point of view? What are you believing about certain situations and circumstances that isn't in agreement with Abba's perspective?

Metanoia is an invitation to a new way of seeing. It's an invitation into seeing everything with Abba's eyes and Abba's heart. And this starts with seeing Him and ourselves rightly. When we make intimacy with Abba a priority, His goodness will lead us into His point of view. As we get intentional about taking the walk with Abba and stepping into these daily, intimate encounters with Him, our perspective will be changed and our mind will be renewed.

Beloved One, you were made in the image and likeness of Yahweh. You are not worthless. You are amazing.

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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 5/7/24 The Wilderness Place 5/7/24

American Christianity vs. God’s Point of View

(8 minutes)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

"You can have a point of view that's in opposition to God's point of view. You can have a point of view, called Christianity, that is not God's point of view." (Pastor Tim)

Did you know that "Christian" wasn't even the name that believers went by in the 1st century? We were originally called Followers of The Way. And one day we were being made fun of by the onlookers and they called us "little Christs" or "Christians." But this was never supposed to be our identity. Like Pastor Tim mentioned on Sunday, there's nothing little about your life and there's nothing little about Christ. We were never supposed to be relegated to a "little version" of who He is, we are destined to become the exact same image or version of who He is. Names matter. What you call yourself matters.

While we're on names, let's spend a moment on Jesus. His real name is Yeshua. So where did we get Jesus? That's a great question. "Jesus" is the English form of the Greek name Iēsous, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew name Yeshua. So "Jesus" is a translation of a translation of the real name, Yeshua. If we were translating Yeshua into English today, a more literal translation would actually be Joshua. Yeshua means "Yahweh is salvation."

Names matter.

This is why we don't call ourselves Christians, but Lovers of Jesus.

This is why we don't call The Wilderness Place a church, but a Kingdom Family.

This is why we don't refer to Yahweh as God or Master, because we know Him as Abba.

As Pastor Tim mentioned, we may say Jesus for the benefit of others, but His name is Yeshua.

"I am done with playing with American Christianity, because it causes nothing but death and destruction. There's nothing more dangerous on this planet than American Christianity. Nothing, not even the enemy. The enemy has no authority." (Pastor Tim)

Why does it matter so much? Is it really that serious?

Let me answer with a parable:

"In the heart of Paris, there was a little-known art gallery that housed an original painting by the great impressionist, Claude Monet. This painting was mesmerizing, a landscape of Giverny's water lilies, and it was famous for its vivid colors and the play of light on the water. It was a genuine masterpiece, and it drew art enthusiasts from all around the world who wished to gaze at its authenticity.
One summer, a skilled forger crafted a replica of Monet's painting. He was well-versed in Monet's techniques, and his forgery was so precise that even the trained eye could be fooled. He managed to have his replica displayed at a nearby cafe, marketing to the visitors that it was a "little-known original Monet" that had been recently discovered.
Word spread quickly, and soon, many visitors preferred the cafe to the gallery, believing they were experiencing a unique piece of art history. The gallery noticed a significant drop in visitors, as everyone flocked to the cafe instead.
As months passed, the true art critics began to notice some differences in the replica, subtle deviations that made it stand apart from Monet's originals. The truth of the forgery was eventually exposed. The authenticity of the original painting was questioned, and trust in the local art scene wavered.
The gallery, despite possessing the genuine article, struggled to regain its former prestige. The incident served as a stark reminder that the presence of something very similar, yet not authentic, could indeed overshadow and threaten the genuine, reducing the public's ability to appreciate and value the real over the mimic."

This is where Yeshua would say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The greatest threat to the real thing is not something obvious and markedly different; the greatest threat to the real thing is something so similar that it may cause you to miss the real thing altogether.

We could have a point of view that sounds so similar to God's point of view, possibly even using some of the same terms and language, and the same scriptures, but it still not be the real thing. There's only one way to know that you have the real thing: intimacy. You can no longer settle for having someone else hear Abba's voice for you. You must hear for yourself.

Beloved One, pull up your chair at His table. Taste and see for yourself that He is good. Remember, the only people who could tell the difference in the art pieces were those who had become so intimate with the real thing that they could spot a fake anywhere.

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Worship: "O Taste and See" 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 5/6/24 The Wilderness Place 5/6/24

Change Your Point of View

(5 minutes)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

"Your mind is your perception, it's how you see things. Let me put it another way: change your point of view! Some of us have long held our point of view, and that point of view is from this world, not His...I have some casualties of holding on to religious points of view in my own life. I have casualties. That means I have received damage from holding on to the point of view that I inherited from religion. If you're honest, everything you think about God, you inherited from someone else. Most of the things that we regurgitate out of our mouths, we just heard someone else say, and it sounded right. And then we started implementing that point of view in our life and all of a sudden that point of view leads us down a road that causes casualties. But God's point of view doesn't lead you down a road that causes casualties." (Pastor Tim)

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, your perception, your point of view. What point of view are we still holding onto that we didn't receive from Yahweh? What point of view are we still nursing that didn't even come from Abba's mouth? How much of our perception is still shaped by the religious point of view that we inherited from someone else?

This is so important for us. We cannot trust anything that comes from an unrenewed mind, even our own unrenewed mind, and what it thought and believed five years ago, or ten years ago, or thirty years ago. We should not hold on to a point of view just because it's been around a long time.

Our relationship with Yahweh and the Kingdom of God is ever-expanding and ever-growing. We're being invited deeper and deeper with every encounter. The unrenewed mind will always want to cling to doctrinal certitude and be right, but the renewed mind learns to trust what is coming from Abba's mouth day by day. The renewed mind has learned to live on daily bread from the presence of God. Like Pastor Tim said on Sunday, are we more concerned with being right or having right thinking? There is a difference.

As we take the walk with Abba today and continue the conversation that He started with us, let's allow Him to speak to our hearts about our point of view. Abba and His goodness will lead us into a new way of seeing, and a new way of thinking, if we let Him.

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Worship: "I Love Your Presence" 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 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