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“For Yahweh is always good and ready to receive you. He’s so loving that it will amaze you—so kind that it will astound you! And he is famous for his faithfulness toward all. Everyone knows our God can be trusted, for he keeps his promises to every generation!” Psalms 100:5

He (Yahweh) NEVER leaves. There really is no word to adequately describe His faithfulness to us. He left His throne to come be with us through His Son. Immanuel- God with us. He is for you. Even when you have made mistakes. He doesn’t pull away from you. He is not disappointed in you.

Maybe you are in a place of discouragement by circumstances you have found yourself in and you have pulled away from Him. He is patiently waiting for you to turn your heart back to His. Re-Engage with Him.

Today in The Walk let’s talk about the INVITATION that came to our family during worship yesterday. He never stops alluring us to His love. The invitation was to an OVERWHELMING LOVE AFFAIR- the Romance of the Ages. What does this look like? Song of Songs 2:6 gives us a beautiful description. “His left hand cradles my head while, his right hand holds me close. I am at rest in this love.” Take a moment to picture this scene. Imagine being held this way. This is a clear description of Face-to-Face Revival. You can hear His encouraging whispers of love.

Maybe you are thinking- but I feel so far away from Him. I have wandered away in my heart and become consumed by other things vying for my attention. When this happens, we can feel weak, discouraged and even numb to the things of the Kingdom, especially His voice. Oh, but His faithfulness, it never stops coming after us to restore the Love Affair.

Our part- RSVP to the invitation TODAY! Yield to His love and goodness. Give Him the seat of honor in your heart. Give Him Lordship in your life. Become obsessed with His eyes, His voice, His face, His presence. There is truly nothing better to give your attention to.

“I am fully devoted to my beloved, and my beloved is fully devoted to me” Song of Songs 6:3

Jesus, we accept your invitation to this romance of the ages- the most overwhelming love affair. As we yield our heart and attention to You, will you teach us to love you like you deserve? There is no one who deserves our affection like you do. You gave it all for us and continue to draw us to yourself. You are worthy of our attention. Forgive us for putting other things ahead of your love. As we choose you each morning putting our hand in yours, we know you will strengthen us, restore us and show us who you created us to be. We are your beloved. Thank you for your faithfulness, your kindness and care.

Faith Meets Obedience

“How about this Jesus? How about you heal my hand and then I'll let everybody see it when you’ve healed it. Lord I'll come to the front when you heal my hand, and I'll give a testimony. That's not how Jesus does things. He says come on down with your withered hand that you've been hiding from everybody, then stretch it out. He stretches out his hand and as he attempts to do what he has not been able to do his entire life then Jesus heals his hand. Do you see where faith meets the voice of Jesus? He took a step, reached out your hand and it was restored.” Pastor Tim

Jesus is asking us to do something we have attempted many times on our own without success so then we just hid it from everyone. But this time is different because you have a spoken word from the voice of a loving Father.

“He (Jesus) said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other” Mark 3:5

Faith meets obedience and your life is never the same. This week we have walked the paths of Kingdom thinking, learning we must hear things in order to see things change, we know He is here to revive hope and breathe life back into us, but we must step forward first. I encourage you to meditate on what He has been showing you this week. All you need is a little faith; the size of a mustard seed and He will meet you there. Obey what He is asking. Step forward. Reach out to someone you trust and share with them what you are struggling with. Remember, there is freedom in honesty.

Holy Spirit, thank you for never being willing to allow us to stay hidden in darkness and despair. We may not always like how you call us out and expose those things we don’t want others to know about, but we know you have our best in mind. Here we are stepping forward in faith to stretch out to you and our kingdom family that which we’ve struggled with. We trust you to heal us and our family. We know when we struggle with something it affects everyone around us. Our heart is to have a whole, healed family. Thank you for restoration and freedom.

Please reach out for prayer. You are not alone. Our Kingdom family is here so we can all walk through this together.

You can watch Sunday’s message to hear Pastor Tim teach what we have been walking in this week.

Step Forward

“Then Jesus left them and went again into the synagogue, where he encountered a man who had an atrophied, paralyzed hand. Everyone was watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath, giving them a reason to accuse him of breaking Sabbath rules. Jesus said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand here in the middle of the room.” Mark 3:1-3

In the New King James Version, Jesus tells the man to step forward. See in every situation the man was always at the back of the room or crowd because he was hiding a part of himself, he didn’t want anyone to see. He was insecure, broken, and ashamed. We are not so different. There are parts of who we are we do not want anyone to see or know about.

Jesus doesn’t want you to hide in your failure or weakness. He doesn’t want the masked version of you. Jesus says, “STEP FORWARD.” He calls him out to stand in front of everyone. The TRUTH is what really brings FREEDOM. What are you hiding from people? Why are you pretending to be fine when you are not? If you are thinking of something in your life you know Jesus is shining a light on right now to expose it, LET HIM. Make room for Him to speak to you. Allow Him to expose the depths of your heart to heal you. He is not here to embarrass you. He is more concerned about the whole, authenticate you. Exposure of the heart and mind can be difficult, but His grace will be poured out in those moments of truth. You will be free of your “withered hand,” something you have longed for. You do not have to do this alone. You have a family at The Wilderness Place to walk with you through it all.

This story is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In Luke, we are told it is the man’s right hand. The right hand in scripture is very significant. It represents power, pleasure, approval and righteousness. A crippled right hand points to lack in all of these areas. When we do not allow Jesus to expose and heal areas in our lives, I dare say we are not in this relationship with Him for the right reasons. Religion will allow you to pretend you have a relationship with Jesus, but the Wilderness will not. As Beloved sons and daughters our lives must represent His power, His pleasure, His approval and His righteousness. These things will change your family and cause it to be in order just as the Kingdom is in order. Then we begin to see our community changed. We will see our young people come alive in the things of the Kingdom. The benefits on the other side of you STEPPING FORWARD outweighs the initial exposure.

Now is the time to finally be free of everything that has held you bound from His promises.

Please let us know how we can pray with you. Remember you are not alone in this Walk.

We Can’t See Until We Hear

“How do you expect to deal with praise from people if you don’t handle criticism well? The Kingdom operates differently based on how you steward what you encounter. How can you expect to handle resources or wealth if you don’t handle lack well.” Pastor Tim

“The one who faithfully manages the little he has been given will be promoted and trusted with greater responsibilities. But those who cheat with the little they have been given will not be considered trustworthy to receive more. If you have not handled the riches of this world with integrity, why should you be trusted with the eternal treasures of the spiritual world?” Luke 16:10

How we steward our encounters with Jesus determines how deep we go into our walk with Him. Everything is about teaching us to look more like Him. Truth is before we can be a credible testimony to others of His power and love we must have good character and integrity.

Ladies, let me speak to you a moment. “I’ll submit to my husband when he starts leading like he is supposed to.” Have you ever said that- better yet, have you thought it? Here’s the thing….it doesn’t work like that. You have to submit to your husband even if he doesn’t seem to be the spiritual one. The scripture gives us clear instructions and it is not based on the behavior of our husband. When you obey this command from the Lord you will begin to see your husband rise to lead your family.

“And out of your reverence for Christ be supportive of each other in love. For wives, this means being devoted to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord, for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. In the same way the church is devoted to Christ, let the wives be devoted to their husbands in everything.” Ephesians 5

Pastor Tim asked us a question last week and reminded us again this past Sunday. “What if the breakthrough you need or the changes you want to see is on the other side of what you don’t want to hear?” Remember Jesus wants to ask us questions to change how we think. Why is this so important? How a man thinks so goes his life.

Is the Holy Spirit asking you things about your money, marriage, health or maybe your children? Let’s talk marriage. Scripture tells us we are to put others ahead of our own wants and needs. Are you doing this in your marriage? If your spouse has a bad day and they come home to rant, how do you respond? Eye roll- get over yourself- everyone has bad days or do you respond with grace and love. “I’m sorry you had a bad day. How can I help to make it better?

Let’s talk health. Abba started talking to us about our health awhile back. To me, he would say, “how’s your health? You are approaching 50.” Wow, really, Lord? He would say - You have children to raise. How old were your parents when they passed? That seems offensive and hurtful, doesn’t it? But not if you have Kingdom thinking. These are hard questions, but I gave Him permission to ask. It caused me to look at my children and say I want to see my great grandchildren. I don’t want to die or be bedridden in my 60s and 70s. For the last 3 or 4 months we have been weight training. I see and feel the difference already. It is hard to go some days, but we have made our health a priority for the sake of our legacy. Everything about us is a reflection of Jesus to others.

Is it your finances? I will give more when I have more to give. That is not Kingdom thinking. Pastor Tim shared about the widow woman who gave more than everyone else. She did that because she valued what was in front of her and she trusted God to care for her. Give the Holy Spirit permission to speak into areas of your life so that you can witness His miracles and see what you have always longed to see. Then follow His voice in what is next. It may be to just sit and let Him love you.

“Will you hear what you don’t want to hear so you can see what you’ve always longed to see?”

Kingdom Thinking

Do you have Kingdom thinking? Let’s look at what Jesus says about the Kingdom of God. Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of rules about food and drink, but is in the realm of the Holy Spirit, filled with righteousness, peace and joy.”

When things go haywire in your life or even the life of someone you know what is your first thought?

Let’s say you have a situation happen like a flat tire, a broken refrigerator, car trouble or something more personal like problems with your children or your marriage. How do you generally respond? “This is punishment for xyz, you reap what you sow,” these thoughts never bring solutions because you are seeing yourself and the Kingdom wrong.

Or maybe you are the one who points fingers at others. “It’s their fault we are in this situation.” It can be easier to blame others than to allow it to reveal what Abba wants to do. We have been studying John 9 where the disciples ask Jesus why the man was born blind. They assumed it was something he did wrong or sin from his parents. Jesus says- NEITHER! It happened so you could see the miracle of God.

In that story Jesus is trying to change how the disciples thought about things. He is doing the same thing in our lives right now. He is here to challenge how we think because how we deal with disappointment matters.

When you read the stories of Jesus and how he approached problems or situations you’ll never find Him say this is a lost cause or you’re too far gone for Me to help. He always approached with grace, love and a solution. Only one instance He could not help because there was a lack of honor in His hometown. When we approach our problems, we must do it in union with the Holy Spirit and honor what He is showing us. It is the only way to bring grace, love and the solution.

Let’s say the problem is with a loved one who hasn’t surrendered their heart to Jesus. When your thoughts of this person are based in the Kingdom realm you have brought grace and love to this relationship to mend it and bring this person one step closer to restoration but if you approach in your emotions, you’ve given them a wrong image of Jesus.

In order for Jesus to challenge how we think He will ask us questions we often do not want to answer. He doesn’t come to tear us down. His questions may seem offensive at first, but He knows how to get us to the place where we think like Him. He is here to build you up to see change in your family, community and city for generations to come. There is one thing you have to do first. YOU have to give Jesus permission to ask the questions and challenge how you think. He is a gentleman. He will never force you but know there is no greater way to become who He designed you to be than surrendering to His way.

“Jesus responded, “God’s kingdom does not come simply by obeying principles or waiting for signs. The kingdom is not discovered in one place or another, for God’s kingdom realm is already expanding within some of you.” Luke 17:20-21

If you need someone to pray with you, please let us know.

Times of Refreshing

“Times of refreshing in a hope revival. He’s here to revive hope, dreams, and desires.”

These words were given yesterday during the service. Some of us may be in a place of hopelessness right now, and Jesus is here to revive hope in your life. What is hope? A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Truthfully some of us may be in a place where we have never really hoped for anything because we have blindly walked through life each day doing our regular routine. Oh, but there is so much more He has for you.

“And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” Romans 5:5

This hope starts with the endless love of Yahweh pouring into our hearts. His love is beyond anything you have ever experienced on earth. It transcends doubt, hurt, anger, disappointment, hopelessness and lack of desire. You must come to the understanding He loves you regardless of what you have done or better yet not done. Some of us look at the accomplishments of others and question our own abilities or maybe you think I missed the boat. I am too old to go after dreams and desires of long ago. Both of these thoughts will rob you of joy and quench your hunger for who He designed you to be. He is here for a time of refreshing.

“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1

You must believe He has a life of abundance for you. It doesn’t always come how we think it should because He will confront disbelief and hopelessness in a way that causes you to question everything but LET HIM! Give Him permission to talk to you about that which has led you down this road. He can be trusted.

Are you in a place you feel like you do not have dreams or desires? Ask Him to restore and revive the ones He gave you as a child. The child in all of us was once excited about those dreams He designed for us, but life can bury them to the point we forgot about them. He is ready to bring them back to life.

“Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope! Romans 15:13

If you need someone to pray with you, please send us a request.

Spit is Offensive but Healing

“As long as I am with you my life is the light that pierces the world’s darkness.” Then Jesus spat on the ground and made some clay with his saliva. Then he anointed the blind man’s eyes with the clay. And he said to the blind man, “Now go and wash the clay from your eyes in the ritual pool of Siloam.” So he went and washed his face and as he came back, he could see for the first time in his life!” John 9:5-7

Yesterday we talked about seeing situations the way Jesus wants us to see them, but sometimes this comes by way of hearing first. Let me explain. We learned yesterday the belief in this culture was if someone was blind or sick in any way, they believed it was a direct effect of some type of sin therefore they would show their disgust with that person by way of spitting at their feet. When a person is blind, they typically have excellent hearing. This blind man’s whole life has been filled with hearing the sounds of spitting at his feet. After a while I am sure this effected what he believed about himself. We too have heard a lot of things in our lives that would be similar to the spitting on the ground. As a child, maybe you had parents or grandparents who spoke down to you. It made you feel low and like nothing you ever did would be good enough for them, so you’ve allowed it to blind you to who you really are. Maybe it was a spouse who was verbally or physically abusive and you believed it was all your fault. Or you were bullied in school growing up and it has affected how you see yourself.

Jesus never wants to leave us in our darkness. He will come after those things that hinder how we see ourselves, but oftentimes when He initially comforts those areas it will seem offensive. He initiated this man’s healing by doing what everyone else did. He spat on the ground. All this man could hear was the same old thing- the spit of what he thought was disgust. Oh, but was he in for a treat. He just didn’t know it at first.

Here’s the question to you:

What if what your heart has always wanted to see is on the other side of what you refuse to hear?

This is the time to sit and ponder. Ask questions. Lord, what does my heart long to see in my life and the lives of my family? Allow Him to show you dreams you’ve given up on, longings you buried deep inside because you lost hope. Holy Spirit, what have I refused to hear you say because of pride or pain? Maybe the refusal stems directly from something your parents did or didn’t do, an action by another person who hurt you, or it is a choice of your own doing, either way Jesus has come to confront it. This could be the hardest thing you have ever had to hear but OH, on the other side of this YOU WILL SEE A MIRACLE in your life.

This past June the Lord was talking to me about things in my life I was putting before Him. At first, I didn’t want to admit it. I made excuses of why, but He kept pouring on grace with His truth and my eyes were open. On this side of making Him priority I have seen things shift in my own life and heart. I can hear His voice now in a crowded room. Let Him speak to you. He wants the absolute best for you. Surrender to what He wants to tell you and obey His leading, even if at first it seems offensive.

In the beginning of this scripture, Jesus says, “As long as I am with you my life is the light that pierces the world’s darkness.” Let Him light up the dark parts of your heart so you can go and LIGHT UP THE WORLD AROUND YOU!

What Lense are You Using?

“Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused this guy’s blindness, his own, or the sin of his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God’s miracle” John 9:1-3

The disciples had this perspective if someone has a sickness or suffering in some way, they must have done something wrong. This perspective came from the culture around them. It was thought in that time if you had any type of ailment, it was a punishment for something you did, or it was a generational curse.

We often think the same way. Who do you know that always has something bad happening in their life? Have you ever thought, “what did they do to deserve all of this?” Or maybe it is finances for you. Always a struggle every month. Have you ever thought, “Why is this happening? I work hard. I give,” but there is always something that keeps you from getting ahead.

Jesus is here to teach us the correct way of thinking. He said, “Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God’s miracle.” Today, He is here to challenge how we approach problems in our own lives and in the lives of others. These moments of sickness or some issue happening is the opportunity to encounter Jesus. Stop and ask the Holy Spirit, what miracle do you want me to see? He wants us to look through the lenses of the Cross. These lenses are of love, restoration, and hope. Never of punishment. It starts with seeing things how he sees them. We cannot continue to carry beliefs that were passed down or beliefs that are part of a culture around us. We are the ones to bring hope, restoration and love to others, but it has to be the core of who we are. You can’t fake the power of the Cross. It brings real miracles and real change to people’s lives.

It is time to give Jesus His due reward for the sacrifice He made. We do this by walking in our true identity, Beloved sons and Beloved daughters and then we bring this hope and truth to others so they can witness His miracles too.

Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing the truth of your Word to us. Help us to see ourselves as You see us. Beloved sons and daughters full of love and hope for others. Let us see the world around us through your eyes, so when people encounter us, they encounter You and will experience miracles in their life.

Kingdom Family

FAMILY.

When you think of the word family what feeling is evoked? For some, this word brings a smile to your face. For others, you may not have had a good experience with family. Abba wants to change every perspective we have in our lives and family is a big one. Pastor Tim made mention of family Sunday and Abba wants to go deeper in how He designed Kingdom family.

“Abba does something incredible. He puts you in family for them to confirm what He is already saying to you.” Pastor Tim

We will explore scripture today and see what He says about Kingdom family and why it is important. In Psalms 68, it says, “let them all rejoice in your presence and be carried away with gladness. Let them laugh and be radiant with joy! Let them sing their celebration-songs for the coming of the cloud rider whose name is Yah! To the fatherless he is a father. To the widow he is a champion friend. The lonely he makes part of a family.” Abba designed us to be together. No one wants to be alone. Loneliness changes who you are originally designed to be.

We have all heard the phrase, “do not forsake the assembly of one another.” This is what it says in Hebrews 10. “Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing. In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.”

Kingdom family cultural is so important and it is vital to us here at The Wilderness Place. Hebrews gives us an example of what we are to do to establish this Kingdom lifestyle. We are to encourage one another, be compassionate and express love. We do this by coming together. Sharing with one another. One of the beautiful aspects of our family here at TWP is compassion for each other. The love that is between us. It doesn’t see color or class. We are all His beloved sons and daughters. When we miss coming together in person, whether it be on Sunday, Tuesday, dinner together, coffee together or however He is leading you- we miss an opportunity for the presence of Jesus to be established in lives and miracles to happen. He says, wherever two or more are gathered I am in the midst.

“Let the word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts! Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you! Colossians 3:14

Festive praise and prophetic songs are given when we come together. Our lives are drenched in the beauty of Jesus. When we are established together in the atmosphere of praise, we can change the world around us. In our jobs, our families, in the grocery store, in the gym, at our children’s school. People changing because they encounter the Kingdom of God when they are around you starts with an established Kingdom family that you embrace. It takes us walking together to make a difference.

“It takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade, and so one person sharpens the character of another.” Proverbs 27:17

We need each other. If you are reading this and you feel like you don’t have that type of family our doors and hearts here at The Wilderness Place is always open to you. I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit where your family is and let Him lead you. This walk is not meant to be done alone.

The Blessing is His Voice

“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3

ARE YOU HUNGRY ENOUGH TO HEAR WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR?

“We have to be dependent on the Voice, not what we see. Do you know what manna means? It means “what is it?” God provided something they could not describe, reproduce or even store it up for later. Why? Abba doesn't want our trust in the manna. He desires for your trust to be in His voice.” Pastor Tim

The Israelites could not explain what this substance was. They could not reproduce it. This was Yahweh’s way of teaching them to trust in what He was speaking completely. Even when they tried to save for a rainy day it became rotten.

Has that ever happened to you? You think, I’ll save this for a rainy day but then something comes up, and you have to use it. Or Yahweh ask you to give financial help to someone, but you think, “really? right now, Lord?” Are we leaning into His voice concerning EVERY aspect of our lives? He will allow you to hunger and ask, “what is it?” “Why is this happening right now?” to teach us to listen for His voice.

Ponder this: the more we read the better we get at reading, the more we write the better we get, the more we practice doing anything - we get better. The same is true for hearing His voice. The more you lean in, asking Him to give you an ear to hear His whisper the more you will hear Him even in a crowded room. I honestly cannot think of anything better than walking each day as He guides me along with His voice. He really does want to lead us into the promise land, but it must come from the direction of His voice. The BLESSING is HIS VOICE!

Yahweh goes on to tell the Israelites what lies ahead for them if they obey His commands; the same is true for us as we hear His voice and obey.

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” Deuteronomy 8:8-10

The Foundation of Your Heart

“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:2-3

Pastor Tim shared these verses Sunday. Let’s go deeper in what Abba is wanting to teach us here. God led the Israelites into the wilderness for forty years. Why? This verse tells us He did it to humble them and test them, to know what was in their hearts, whether they would obey His commandments.

Abba never tempts us, but He will allow us to be tested. We can have a perspective of ourselves that may not actually be who we are in the depths of our hearts, and we can’t know this until we are put in a situation that reveals our heart. He didn’t put the Israelites in the wilderness because He didn’t know what was in their heart, it was because THEY didn’t know. Just like us, He already knows what is there and what is required for us to see for ourselves. What have you bumped up against recently that has revealed an aspect of your heart that He is wanting to address? Disappointment in someone you trusted, loss of a relationship, loss of a job, lack, maybe it is realizing your dependance on something other than Him?

This is always about Him teaching us to hear His voice. Whispering for our hearts to trust Him alone. He allows us to get to a place of humility and oftentimes this starts at the foundation of what is in our hearts. We cannot move any further when we have bitterness, resentment or unforgiveness in our hearts. I want to ask you to do something today. Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to show you who you have unforgiveness in your heart towards? It could even be yourself. Who are you still angry with? Who is the person when you hear their name bitterness or resentment rises up? Allow Him to go back as far as He needs to. This is a really hard thing for some of us to do, but Jesus is with you. His grace is so tangible in these moments. Trust Him to comfort you.

As He is showing you, I want you to write it down on paper. Imagine this paper is your altar unto the Lord. Once you feel like you have written everyone and everything He has shown you then I want you to shred it and put it in the trash. It is now covered by His grace. Gone forever. Your heart can be free to experience a greater depth of His love and presence. Jesus gave His life for you and this very moment. Embrace it.

Are you hungry enough to hear what you need to hear?

What Is He Whispering?

“Then he said to them, “Be diligent to understand the meaning behind everything you hear, for as you do, more understanding will be given to you. And according to your longing to understand, much more will be added to you. For those who listen with open hearts will receive more revelation. But those who don’t listen with open hearts will lose what little they think they have!” Mark 4:24-25

This week in the Walk we have been discussing and meditating on encounters with Jesus and our perspective. These two go hand in hand because your perspective determines the depth of your encounter with Him. Remember, encounters are intended to change our perspective, if we allow it. In Mark we are encouraged to be diligent to understand the meaning behind everything we hear. In what area of your life has the Holy Spirit spoken to you this week about your perspective? Take a few moments to think about what He has shown you.

How have you responded to Him concerning this matter? Most of us will respond initially, one of two ways. In humility and say, yes, Lord I can see where I think like that, or we choose our perspective over His and make excuses to Him of why we do something or think a certain way. Last Sunday, Pastor Tim shared a story out of Acts where Paul was a prisoner on a cargo ship that was encountering a massive storm. The wind was preventing them from going the way they wanted, but they were persistent in moving forward. Paul, the Apostolic voice on the boat, was trying to tell them what to do so their lives could be saved, but they would not hear of it. They had the idea this boat had to be saved. They risked their lives girding the boat so it wouldn’t be destroyed. Ultimately the boat was destroyed, and they were safely on shore but not without a fight.

What “boat” are you trying to save that the Holy Spirit is wanting to break apart from you? If you have a storm in your life because of a perspective you are trying to hold on to I encourage you to let it go. Trust Him. The encounter that is meant to change your family is more important than a perspective or long-held belief. We have to allow Him to help us see things correctly. He cares about you so much. Every breath you have is important to Him. Pastor Tim shared something on Tuesday night at Linger House. He said, “His heart is for us to be near to Him so we can hear His whisper.”

Think about this for a moment. If someone is whispering, what do you need to do to hear them? Lean in. Be diligent to listen. I can promise you this- the words coming out of Abba’s mouth is more important than anything else. When we long to understand what He is saying more understanding will be given. In turn this will transform our lives and those around us.

Lean into Him this weekend.

Correct Image

In yesterday’s walk our prayer was “we long to know you so we can give our children and grandchildren the right image of who You are and who we are.” In all honesty, we have a desperate world around us needing a right image of not only Jesus, but the Father as well. How do we give them the correct image if our perspective of Jesus or the Father is wrong? Let’s take some time today soaking in what Jesus has to say about Himself and the Father and how this applies to our lives today.

“I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness!” John 15:9-11

There is no greater love than that of the Father and Jesus. We must know and believe in the power of this love. A perspective some of us may have grown up being taught was the Father could only tolerate us wretched people because Jesus stood in the gap for us. This is a wrong perspective. The Father, who you will hear us call Abba (Aramaic for Dada) at the Wilderness Place, gave His Son, Jesus because He loves us so much and desires an intimate relationship with us. The Father loves us with the same love He loves Jesus. This is a perspective that will change your life. How does it change your life? Because their love nourishes our hearts, and our lives are empowered with joy. What happens when you are joyful? Everyone around you will experience joy as well.

Pastor Tim made a comment Sunday - You are intended to glow in the dark.

Our lives are meant to shine so bright with His love that joy, peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness is like an illuminating light wherever we go. This is what changes lives and generations. In John 14:12 Jesus says, “I tell you this timeless truth. The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do — even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father.” These are Jesus’ words. When we have a correct perspective of who Father, Son and Holy Spirit are we can do mightier miracles than what Jesus did on the earth. How do we get to this place of seeing miracles like this today? It starts with believing YOU are loved, and Jesus longs to have an intimate relationship with you. As you cultivate this relationship, you begin to GLOW, and then the miracles begin to happen all around you. Days are ahead when you will begin to share with others of what He has done and is doing in your life. People need hope. We are here to offer it to them.

I will leave you with this message from the Bridegroom to His bride - that is you.

The shining of your spirit shows how you have taken my truth to become balanced and complete. Your beautiful blushing cheeks reveal how real your passion is for me, even hidden behind your veil of humility. I could have chosen any from among the vast multitude of royal ones who follow me. But unique is my beloved dove—unrivaled in beauty, without equal, beyond compare, the perfect one, the favorite one. Others see your beauty and sing of your joy. Brides and queens chant your praise: “How blessed is she!” Look at you now—arising as the dayspring of the dawn, fair as the shining moon, bright and brilliant as the sun in all its strength—astonishing to behold as a majestic army waving banners of victory. Song of Songs 6:6-10

Perspective: How you think

“Every encounter is designed to change our perspective. What happens when we bring our established perspective into an encounter with the Lord? The encounter is aborted because we are holding on to a perspective that the encounter is designed to change.” Pastor Tim

Perspective is how we view things. The way we think about a matter. Our beliefs become our perspective.

Question: Do you want to be right in how you think or have right thinking? Oftentimes we have been handed down long held beliefs we refuse to let go of because we want our traditions and history to be right. Understandably so, because it hard to think maybe your grandparents or parents were way off, but what did they miss out on because of a long-held belief? I personally do not want to pass down a perspective to my children and grandchildren or anyone’s children just because it is tradition. At The Wilderness Place we are endeavoring to have right thinking. We desire for Jesus to have the full reward of His sacrifice. Let’s go deeper in what Pastor Tim said about an encounter being aborted if we go into it with our own perspective. We are going to look at Mark 6.

“Afterward, Jesus left Capernaum and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. On the Sabbath, he went to teach in the synagogue. Everyone who heard his teaching was overwhelmed with astonishment. They said among themselves, “What incredible wisdom has been given to him! Where did he receive such profound insights? And what mighty miracles flow through his hands!

Isn’t this Mary’s son, the carpenter, the brother of Jacob, Joseph, Judah, and Simon? And don’t his sisters all live here in Nazareth?” And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is treated with honor everywhere except in his own hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” He was unable to do any great miracle in Nazareth, except to heal a few sick people by laying his hands upon them. He was amazed at the depth of their unbelief!

Then Jesus went out into the different villages and taught the people.”

At first the people were amazed by Jesus. Then someone came with their own perspective - “Wait, isn’t this Mary’s son?” In that moment, not only did they interrupt the encounter they were having with Jesus but caused their whole town to miss out on miracles He could have done for them because they brought their own perspective in to play. The scripture says, “He was unable to do any great miracles.”

He WANTS to do many miracles in our lives as well, but we must choose to come into encounters with Him prepared to have our perspective changed. If you are ready to encounter Him in a greater way, I encourage you to lay down those long-held beliefs and surrender to what He wants to show you.

Holy Spirit, here we are with our perspectives, long-held beliefs, resentments, doubts, mistrusts and all the things that hinder our encounters with you. We lay them at your feet. We long to see you in the right way. We long to know you greater so we can give our children and grandchildren the right image of who You are and who we are. Thank you for your grace and mercy. You are always willing to teach us. Help us to always be willing to be taught.

Are You Prepared?

“When my coming draws near, heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared to ten maidens who took their oil lamps and went outside to meet the bridegroom and his bride. Five of them were foolish and ill-prepared, for they took no extra oil for their lamps. Five of them were wise, for they took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. When the bridegroom didn’t come when they expected, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. Then suddenly, in the middle of the night, they were awakened by the shout ‘Get up! The bridegroom is here! Come out and have an encounter with him!’ Matthew 25:1-6

GET UP! THE BRIDEGROOM IS HERE! COME OUT AND HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH HIM!

At any given moment the Holy Spirit will want to talk to you or show you something. Are you anticipating His voice? The importance of being aware of Him at all times can be a matter of life and death, not just for us but for those around us. Let’s look at the story of the ten maidens. In the scripture oil is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. Five of the maidens chose not to take extra oil. Today this can be those of us who have a full schedule in life. Work, children, school, and social activities. We get drowsy to the presence of the Lord throughout the day because we are so busy. We miss His voice of guidance. We are ill prepared in carrying His presence around with us. Family, let me tell you our purpose on this earth is not about what He can do for us- it is about how brightly we can shine for Him. Lamps glow brighter the more oil they have in them.

Let me tell you a testimony about last week. I was ordering coffee at a stand. We were having a brief conversation with the lady about different coffees. When it was time to pay, she wouldn’t let us. I began to thank her and tell her how much I appreciated her. I could see a brightness in her eyes. I told her I pray that Jesus would bless her for her kindness to us. She said, “I pray every morning that He would allow His light to shine through me so people can see Him.” We held hands and both had tears as we talked about Jesus. The oil in both our lamps met and it was a glorious moment. I will never forget her. She is an example of someone who is prepared with extra oil each day.

We have to have our own encounters with Him to bring transformation to those around us. We must have our own oil burning in our lamps so we can be light to others. In the story of the maidens, the foolish ones wanted the others to share their oil with them. We cannot ride the coat tails of other people’s walk with Jesus. In the story, while they were out buying oil they missed the Bridegroom, then were unable to join the wedding feast. What are we missing out on with the Lord because we are not being intentional about our time with Him. It is vitally important to seek Him in all moments of the day so you can be light to others.

When we all continuously have extra oil and burning lamps throughout each day then when we come together on Sunday and Tuesday, I expect there would be a glory cloud that could change some things in the atmosphere of our city. At The Wilderness Place we are believing for families to be restored, for our youth to be safe and prosperous, for those bound by addiction to be set free, and violence to cease. This only happens when we are prepared with oil and carry the Holy Spirit throughout our day into the world around us. I encourage you to spend time asking the Holy Spirit to refill your oil and then be intentional in your walk with Him each day. The more you shine for Him the more oil He gives.

Encounter

Encounter. What does this mean?

Oxford dictionary defines encounter as an unexpected or casual meeting with someone or something. Merriam-webster describes it as to come upon face-to-face. As we pursue our relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit it is important to understand what encounter means, and also equally important to know how to respond to them.

Everything in the Kingdom of God starts with an encounter. This encounter is about a person. The Holy Spirit. We are not talking about having a feeling or experiencing some type of force. We are talking about face-to-face with the Holy Spirit. Do you remember your first encounter with the Holy Spirit? Take some time here to ponder when this occurred.

I remember when I was 12, I went to a stadium meeting with one of my friends and her parents. I had my first encounter with the Holy Spirit. I felt His love for the first time. I committed my life to Him that night. Unfortunately, I did not have parents who would help me grow in that encounter. The atmosphere of our home was not based on the love of Jesus. The encounter waned and I forgot about it. Fast forward seventeen years and lots of heartache and poor choices, my life was a mess. I was sitting on my porch smoking, and I remember clear as day He said, “I have a better life for you.” I knew it was Him because it was the same feeling as when I was 12. It took me a little while to respond to Him, but I ultimately laid it all down for Him. The point to this testimony is that it matters how we respond to these encounters with Him. It is our choice. The Holy Spirit’s intention in these moments is to build our relationship with Him and for us to become more like Jesus. This is a two-way relationship; our will and choices are involved. It is our choice to be open to what He is speaking to us and what He is showing us about ourselves. Then it is our choice of what we do with what He has spoken.

Imagine standing at a fork in the road every time you have a moment with the Holy Spirit. When we choose Him, we know it will work out for the absolute best for our lives, even though it may be an extremely difficult decision. If we choose to not heed His voice, we will have to endure things in life we weren’t intended to experience. Had I had someone at 12 help me with what I felt and heard my life would have been completely different. Thankfully His grace and mercy never gave up on me, but I could have avoided a lot. Let’s look at some examples in scripture of those who responded to encounters with Jesus.

Let’s start with the rich, young ruler in Matthew 19, “Jesus said to him, “If you really want to be perfect, go now and sell everything you own. Give your money to the poor and your treasure will be transferred into heaven. Then come back and follow me for the rest of your life.” When the young man heard these words, he walked away sad, for he had great wealth.”

We don’t know for certain, but church history tells us decades later the Roman armies devastated Jerusalem and much of Judea. Many of the Jews lost their riches and some their lives. This was a hard choice for him, and he chose his wealth over what Jesus was offering. He had in his mind (his perspective) he was doing all the things he was supposed to do but Jesus wanted the young man to choose Him. Are we choosing Him in these moments? He will often ask for things that will challenge our trust and belief in His care for us. We have to release control over lives, every aspect.

On the contrast, let’s look at the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection. I encourage you to go read Luke 24, the entire chapter. Jesus suddenly appears to different ones in different ways. He speaks to them about where they are in their thoughts and feelings. I love how intimate Jesus is with His disciples. He is intimate with each of us too. Encounters look different for each of us. No one has the same encounter in the same way. He made us different and because He cares so deeply for each one, He meets us in the way He knows is most effective. Jesus ultimately gathered them in one place to speak to them before His Ascencion and their response must be our response to the encounters we have with Him.

“Jesus led his disciples out to Bethany. He lifted his hands over them and blessed them in his love. While he was still speaking words of love and blessing, he floated off the ground into the sky, ascending into heaven before their very eyes! And all they could do was worship him. Overwhelmed and ecstatic with joy, they made their way back to Jerusalem. Every day they went to the temple, to praise and worship God.”

We all know the stories of the disciples and what they went on to do for the Kingdom of God. We too are His beloved ones created to change the world around us for the glory of God. We do this by responding to His encounters each day. Our response transforms our lives therefore transforms the atmosphere around us. At the Wilderness Place our Kingdom family’s purpose is to come together to host Him well and celebrate Him in a powerful way. As we allow Him to speak to us in our secret place, we become fully alive individuals and unstoppable as a family.

As you read this what is He speaking to you? Ask Him to help your awareness of His encounters today and this week.

Luke 24 | TPT Bible | YouVersion

Lift Up Your Eyes

“After Lot separated from him, Yahweh spoke to Abram, “Lift up your eyes and look around you to the north, the south, the east, and the west. As far as you can see in every direction is the land that I will give to you forever—to you and your seed. I will multiply them until they are as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. If anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could also be counted. Now, get up and walk through the land—its length and its breadth. All the land you walk upon will be my gift to you!” Genesis 13:14-17

Let’s not look at Lot as a person. Where we have been this week Lot represents the remnant of a broken heart. Remember Lot was the nephew of Abram’s brother who had died so he reminded Abram of past hurts. When Abram made a mistake as the leader by leaving Canaan for Egypt, Lot saw his mistake and failure in that moment and there began tension between them. Abram suggested to Lot they separate. He could have demanded first choice but he didn’t. He realized by not trusting Yahweh he wasn’t seeing things clearly, so he let Lot choose which land he wanted. It seemed Abram didn’t get the best part of the deal, but don’t you know when Yahweh is involved in our surrendered life, we always get the best deal.

Yahweh was teaching Abram a lesson through this story. You have to let the past go. Period. We see an important truth here. We cannot continue in some of the processes Yahweh wants us to go if we are unable to let go of a broken heart.

You need to understand something about the process and the journey. It is where the Lord is training your heart to trust Him. To believe in Him again. To have hope again. To imagine what is possible again. By Abram being willing to let Lot go he is saying, I’ll open up fully to you, Lord because I trust you in this moment.” Pastor Tim

It is the process Jesus is most concerned with, not the outcome. We want the outcome and want it quickly. Every time you choose to trust Jesus in a moment of any given circumstance it is like laying a stone in the foundation of your life.

Let’s finish this story by looking at what happens when Abram let the past leave? In verse 14, Yahweh shows up and says, NOW, let me show you what I have in store for you. Lift up your eyes and as far as you can see either direction, I give to you and your seed. You walk its length and width, and everywhere you go I will give you as a gift.

Beloved, see yourself at the altar right now. What from your past are you still carrying in your heart? What has the Holy Spirit shown you this week? I ask you to take what you are thinking of right now and lay it down at His feet. Let go and trust Him with your future.

Lift up your eyes, Beloved! He has a gift for you and your descendants!

Restoration of All Things

“I am sent to announce a new season 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 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 61:2-4

Our Kingdom family here at The Wilderness Place have been on quite the journey in discovering who we are to Yahweh and Who He is to us. He is a faithful, good Father and we are beloved sons and beloved daughters.

Picture for a moment your own children, or think of a nephew, niece or friends’ children. When your children are hurting what do you do? Tell them to figure it out or here is one I heard growing up -you made your bed now you have to lay in it? No, as beloved parents we would never tell our children these things. We want to help them walk through it. In Luke 11, it says “if imperfect parents know how to lovingly take care of their children and give them what they need, how much more will the perfect heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit’s fullness when his children ask him.”

He sees our pain and knows exactly what to do to bring us into the fullness of His spirit. He loves you too much to allow you to continue down the road of despair. He says, “let me strengthen you as we walk this road together.

The beautiful exchange. A beautiful bouquet in place of ashes, we have learned in the past the bouquet is actually a headdress. It represents changing how we think about the situation we are in. We must walk in trust knowing He has the power to change things in our lives to make them beautiful. The oil of bliss instead of tears. Joy is a powerful fruit He has made available to us. Joy changes the atmosphere around us in such an incredible way. Have you ever encountered someone who was full of joy when you had a tough day and before you know it you are feeling better? It is a glorious aspect of our walk with Jesus. Joyous praise instead of heaviness. When we begin to praise Him for who He is the heaviness in our hearts lift, and we are experiencing the fullness of His Spirit. He gives us the choice. We can remain in the state we are in, or we can give Jesus His due reward of His beloved ones living in freedom, a life fully alive in His Presence.

On the other side of this beautiful exchange, we become Mighty Oaks of Righteousness. He will display His glory through our lives. We WILL restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was devastated. These ruins could be our belief and trust in Him or family relationships. “They will renew ruined cities” and “desolations of past generations.” We can see our cities, state and country changed for the Glory of Yahweh. We can determine the outcome of our future generations.

THIS is GOOD NEWS! It causes a stir in my heart, an excitement of what is to come and what is happening right now in people’s hearts. We are seeing our Kingdom family come alive in His presence and it is catching fire in our hearts.

Spend some time meditating on what He is saying to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to ask you questions about your heart.

The Door of Grace

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” Isaiah 61:1

Isaiah is prophesying of the coming of our Anointed One, Jesus. In Luke 4 we can see the words come to life by Jesus himself. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has anointed me to be hope for the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, and new eyes for the blind, and to preach to prisoners, ‘You are set free!’ I have come to share the message of Jubilee, for the time of God’s great acceptance has begun.” Luke 4:18-19

Jesus has opened the door of grace for those who are lowly, depressed and held captive to their brokenness. Yesterday in The Walk we talked about allowing the Holy Spirit to restore tenderness to your heart. This allows you to walk through this door of grace. Grace opens us up to allow the Holy Spirit to ask us questions about our hearts. Pastor Tim has said many times the order in which scripture is given is important. Let’s look at the order of what Jesus is saying. He’s come to preach good news, to give hope. Where do you need hope restored? We see and have experienced loss that causes us to lose hope in the future, but Jesus is here to restore hope.

He is here to heal your broken heart. Take a moment here and ask Him- where is my heart broken? Oftentimes we walk around not realizing our hearts are broken yet the fruit of our life shows brokenness.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter why it is broken. Maybe it is a choice you made or a choice someone else made that effected your life, either way, He is here to set you free from the captivity of the thoughts in your mine, the fear you carry about certain things happening, the anger and resentment towards your parents or family member because of pain they have caused you. When you walk through the door of grace and surrender your pain and brokenness to Jesus YOU ARE FREE!

It is the year of Jubilee! It is the acceptable time of Yahweh to set you on the journey He has designed just for you.

Are you ready to go on this beautiful adventure with Jesus? It isn’t easy facing the brokenness, but you are not alone He walks with you in every moment. As we journey from the wilderness to a beautiful promise land, I sense an excitement in the air and a time of celebration.

“God, all at once you turned on a floodlight for me! You are the revelation-light in my darkness, and in your brightness, I can see the path ahead. Psalms 18:28

Ask Yahweh to shine His light on those hidden parts and allow His brightness to shine on your future.

Your Life Depends On It

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

Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Proverbs 4:23 MSG

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

Yesterday, in our Sunday Service Pastor Tim mentioned the verse above at the beginning of the message. Stop for a moment and consider every choice you make, everything you say and everything you think is produced from your heart. In short Proverbs 4:23 is telling us how important it is to have a healed heart. It is literally the first thing Jesus turns His attention to in our lives. Let’s start by looking at these key words in each version of the Bible, it uses three different words. Diligence, vigilant, and guard.

Diligence means persistent, steadfast, and careful

These words mean you never give up paying attention to what is happening in your heart. Never allow yourself to be numb to how your heart is feeling in every moment. These are the opportunities we invite the Holy Spirit to give us understanding about why we feel the way we feel. When was the last time you asked the Holy Spirit about your heart? Diligence looks like building a habit of asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom.

Vigilant means watchful, attentive, circumspect in order to avoid danger. Vigilant requires action. Actively pay attention to what is affecting you and what is vying for your attention.

Guard means to be careful. Take seriously the influences you allow to penetrate your heart. Everything you do in your life is at stake. So, guard your heart like your life depends on it because it does.

We encourage you to spend some time today listening to this song and allow the Holy Spirit to restore tenderness to areas of your heart.