Pastor Brent's Blog

God Really Is There For You - by Pastor Susan Fochler

2012-01-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about our God, is that He is, and will always continue to be, exactly Who He says He is. And He has a whole lot to say about who He is. It is by increasingly coming to know who He is, that we come to discover who we truly are, His sons and His daughters, created out of His love, to be His.

One of the names He calls Himself is the “God who is there”, Adoni Shahmah. Last summer, as I sat by Russ’s bedside as he lay “partly dead” for a number of weeks, I really needed to know God was there, with me. It was an overwhelming, stark time, where I could not keep up emotionally or mentally with the changes and information being thrown at me day after day. My friends and family came to support me and be with me, and were an incredible help to me when I didn’t quite know how to ask for help. The challenge was in knowing how to be with myself, and with Jesus, in an emotional space I had never experienced before. It wasn’t a surprise to Jesus that this was going to be hard for me.

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:1,2

But He has promised us, although we may have never “passed this way before”, He has. Deuteronomy 31:8 states that “...The Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you.”

As I encountered places in myself I had not known before, missing Russ desperately, unable to talk with him for several long weeks after being married for 32 years, Jesus kept reassuring me, “I will be with you.” It took a while for my heart to catch up with what my mind knew was His reality. It really is true. There is nowhere we can go, in place, time, emotion, thought process, where He will not go with us. He goes with us to our highest highs, and our lowest lows. His love for us is all-encompassing, ever-present, constant. This is His unconditional love: in His infinite wisdom, and most tender of mercy, He does not respect the boundaries we place on our own hearts.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. Psalm 139:7,8.

I began to experience the gentleness, the sweetness of His mercy in a way I had never known before. He whispered this encouragement to me, “Remember I’m here; lean on Me. And if you feel weak, lean even more. You aren’t supposed to be strong in and of yourself. I am your strength. I will always be here, I will never leave you, turn away or stop being for you. Everything you need is right here.”

I truly believe the most unexplored part of our universe is our own hearts. The place where we are to encounter God most profoundly is right here, within. He has already been there, but we have not. And it is His great joy to go there with us...and stay...always. And in making His manifest presence known to us, His joy fills us in recognizing He has joy in our presence.

If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139: 9,10

The amazing thing with our God, is that He knows us, everything about us, right where we are. You never, ever, have to feel that you have to be “on” with God. He has already been to your “off” place, anyway...even goes ahead of you into it! Let’s get over ourselves! He has!

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139: 17,18

God is not capable of rejecting you, turning His back on you, ever. There is nothing you are capable of doing that can possibly cause Him to do anything less than adore you. He knows all of our secrets, already; He’s already been there!

You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Psalm 139: 5,6

Such amazing, unconditional, holy and tender love is beyond our comprehension. I think we have to just accept that as fact. But the really good news is that we don’t have to wait until we understand it to receive it. It’s all yours, already. The whole of His heart is yours for the asking. Just open up and receive.

Susan Fochler

Liberty and Justice for All - By Pastor Karena Lout

2012-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

"I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth and I delight in these things.” Jeremiah 9:24

My Dad has always had a huge heart for justice. As president of a union in the Bay Area, he works hard to ensure that people are being treated fairly and that they’re protected. He has also become the answer to many other causes and just seems to spread love to everyone he meets. Much like my Dad, I've found I have a deep desire to protect and love people who may not always have a voice too.

Likewise, we reflect the image of our Abba Father who is Justice Himself. He sent His Son to make all things right and justified us through His shed blood on the cross. Since Christ became justice for us, we get to express and communicate that to the whole world. We carry it on the inside of us. The law would say that justice is punishment, revenge or "getting what they deserve." But the new covenant's definition is: Receiving all Jesus paid for on the cross. All mankind reconciled, fully acquitted, made right, whole, redeemed back to their original design. Or as Paul Manwarring has put it: "Justice is a man and woman walking into divorce court and coming out reconciled." Justice is salvation for ALL, just as God intended it from the very beginning.

I have a deep passion to see justice in the area of human trafficking, not only in other nations but right here in the U.S. where young girls are forced into slavery every day. Though the statistics are alarming and the victims' stories heartbreaking, God has encouraged me not to keep my focus on the problem but on the solution. This doesn't mean I'm ignorant to what's happening but I no longer "camp out" there. Sometimes sympathy can keep people locked into a problem, but the compassion of God draws them out. Heaven sees things very differently. We have been invited to see from that perspective. "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand." (Colossians 3:1 NLT) Jesus always asks me, "How do you want to be the answer?" One way Wildfire answered this question was by selling their prophetic art at BFC and donating the funds to a shelter in the Bay Area that houses and brings restoration to survivors of human trafficking. YOU supported this and were part of the solution! Because we are walking representations of Christ on the earth, we just can’t help but be the answer the world is looking for.

We don’t need to gather around who we’re against but around who and what we're for. As we celebrate and honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr. this week, I've been reminded that he changed the course of world history through DREAMING with God. He carried a vision in his heart and kept his focus on the answer, the dream. What is your dream? What moves your heart and stirs up passion? How does God want to be the answer through you? I want to encourage you that Christ in you is shining forth and you are carrying Him, who is the answer, everywhere you go!

“But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”-Martin Luther King Jr.

I love you Family,
Karena Lout

About Glory by Pastor Russ Fochler

2012-01-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

In the last Blazing Fire weekly email/blog, we looked at Yahweh’s plan to fill the earth with the experiential knowledge of His glory – by revealing His Son Jesus. And we are part of that plan because Jesus the Messiah dwells in us – and together we are His Body on the earth.

We have this great privilege to shine the light of the knowledge of His glory:
"6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor 4: 6 NKJV)

This week, we’ll explore a bit more of nature of “glory”.

The Hebrew word for "glory" is כבוד, (“kavod” or “kabod”). The Greek word used for glory in the New Testament is doxa (δόξα) - which is a Greek word meaning “common belief” or “popular opinion”. The reason New Testament scholars translate the New Testament Greek “doxa” as “glory” is because the 70 Hebrew scholars who translated the Hebrew scriptures into Greek (called The Septuagint) chose to translate the Hebrew “kabod” into the Greek “doxa”.

The Hebrew word “kabod “ at it root means "weight" or "heaviness." The same word is then used to express importance, honor, and majesty.

So “glory” conveys the sense of being “weighty”. Sometimes when God’s presence increases in a meeting, people actually feel something like a heavy blanket upon them or their limbs feel tangibly heavy.

Here is an account of God’s weighty presence when Smith Wigglesworth visited New Zealand in 1922:

“There were eleven leading Christians in prayer with our Brother (Wigglesworth) at a special afternoon meeting. Each had taken a part. The Evangelist then began to pray for the Dominion, and as he continued, each, according to their measure of spirituality, got out. The power of God filled the room and they could not remain in an atmosphere supercharged by the power of God.

The author on hearing of this from one who was present registered a vow that if the opportunity came, he at any rate would remain whoever else went out. During the stay in the Sounds a special meeting was called to pray for the other towns in New Zealand yet to be visited. A like position to the other meeting now arose. Here was the opportunity, the challenge, the contest was on. A number prayed. Then the old saint began to lift up his voice, and strange as it may seem, the exodus began. A Divine influence began to fill the place. The room became holy. The power of God began to feel like a heavy weight. With set chin, and a definite decision not to budge, the only other one now left in the room hung on and hung on, until the pressure became too great, and he could stay no longer. With the flood gate of his soul pouring out a stream of tears, and with uncontrollable sobbing he had to get out or die; and a man who knew God as few do was left alone immersed in an atmosphere that few men could breathe in.”

(From: “New Zealand’s Greatest Revival (An Eyewitness Account)” by Pastor Harry V. Roberts page 29-30)

Now that sounds like glory to me! Note also that God likes to reveal His glory when people are praying passionately for His will to be done on earth.

In John 17, Jesus prayed an astounding prayer to His Father. We’ll look at verses 20 – 23.:
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Jesus states that He has given those who believe in Him – His glory. Why? So that we may be one with Jesus, Father God, and each other. This is a mystery!

The author C.S. Lewis gives us a sense of part of this mystery in his fictional book: “The Great Divorce”. The idea is that people from Hell could take a bus excursion to the outskirts of Heaven. Upon arriving, they were like ghosts compared to the solidness of the grass, the river, the apples of gold, etc. If the visitors were willing to choose to let go of their self-justifying, egotistic mind-sets and simply trust in Jesus for their righteousness – they were assured they would become more and more solid as they journeyed further into Heaven.

I believe that the glory that Jesus has already provided for us – is so that we are able to withstand His glory and the glory of our Father “face to face” – in sweet, holy, eternal common–union.

May we experience more of His glory – and shine more of His glory while we are on this earth. And take some time to "drink in" the magnitude of Jesus' gift to those who believe - His glory; so we may be one!

Russ Fochler

Finding God's Glory - by Pastor Russ Fochler

2012-01-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

Years ago, I put up a poster in my room near the ceiling. I can see it easily from my bed. The poster has streams of color that rise like smoke. It says “Encountering God’s Glory.” And something deep inside me yearns for this.

“...they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.” (Ex 16:10b NKJV)

What cloud?

Moses exclaimed to God: “They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.” (Num 14:14b)

So, its apparent that a cloud from God also travelled with the Israelites - possibly to provide shade. And sometimes, God’s glory - His splendorous presence - filled the cloud or filled the Tent of Meeting.

And many of us have heard of a mysterious cloud that has appeared in the main sanctuary of Bethel Church in Redding. Bill Hernandez witnessed this in person. It is more than a mist - there are swirling, sparkling things in the cloud. Beni Johnson observed that when she looked into this cloud, she felt the peace of Heaven - and she couldn’t be concerned or worried about anything while looking into this cloud.

I sense that 2012 will a time when those who love Jesus will experience Isaiah 60 in greater ways. Here are the first few verses:

1 Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

That glory is rising upon us because Jesus lives in us! Col 1:27: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which[a] is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The prophet Habakkuk records this declaration from God in Hab 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge (the “yada” - the experiential, relational “knowing”) of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

The glory of Yahweh already fills His creation! What is missing has been our ability to perceive and relationally experience more of His glory. Yahweh’s plan is that humanity will see Him and His glory in His Son Jesus:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

But since that time, the eyes of many have been blinded by the enemy from seeing this glory in the person of Jesus. And this is where you and I come in. We are called and empowered to shine that experiential, relational knowledge of Jesus wherever we go:

3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:3-4 & 6 NKJV)

Many people this year will be looking for anyone who is walking in peace and is shining hope in the midst of difficult circumstances. It is our great privilege to turn the amazing grace that we’ve received - into eternal life and peace for them - and more joy and glory for Jesus.

He is the King of Glory!
Russ Fochler

P.S. To look further into God’s glory, I recommend Paul Manwaring’s new book: “What On Earth Is Glory?”.

Great Expectations for 2012! - by Pastor Lonnie Ellis

2011-12-30T14:34:00.000-08:00

The time is here that the door to 2011 is closing and the door to 2012 is opening. This is the perfect time to thank Jesus for all that He has done in our lives and thank Him for the things He will do in our lives. Thank you Jesus for the things we know about and for the things we don’t know about.

You don’t have to be a prophetic person to see the world we know is changing. That is a constant since time began. There is a lot being said for the change that is coming in 2012. Some of it is positive and some is negative. I believe there is some truth in both. According 1 Corinthians 13:9 - Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! (New Living Translation (©2007)). I want to share the very small part of what I believe Papa has placed in my heart. A boss I had a long time ago said to me, “Make change your friend”. I use to be scared of change but because of what he spoke into my life several years ago I learned to embrace change.

Though the world seems to be in a place of flux, uncertainty and what some might call chaos, I believe we are in a time that heaven is showing up in AMAZING ways like never before. There is a shaking going on and though we don’t fully understand it, it is good.

I feel there is an invitation from heaven for deeper levels of intimacy with Papa like never experienced. Also we should expect His Greatness to show up in our lives in 2012. One of our school of supernatural students said in class “See God in everything” That placed a challenge in my spirit and heart. I continue to meditate and process her statement with Holy Spirit. When the storms of life that happen in this world (See John 16:33 & Romans 5:3-5) shows up in my life I remember her words and begin to ask Papa for His perspective. This helps to keep me in his gift of grace and peace. Before you know it, I no longer remember the storm because His love and peace overtakes me. Then the answer from heaven shows up. I do not claim to have perfected this but it is true for many, many people. In 2012 we are going to hear an increase of positive and negative information from the world and the body of Christ. The wise thing we can do when this information comes is to go before Papa (intimacy) and ask Him to give us heavens perspective for our lives and journey. We must remember that He is good and that He loves us with an everlasting love and nothing can ever change that.

Have a Happy New Years and expect GREAT things from Papa for your life in 2012 no matter how the world may or may not look.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Lonnie

Below is a video link from a major prophetic voice Larry Randolph. He touches on things to come in 2012. It spoke to my spirit.

"Prophetic teaching: a shift is now happening" - Watch Video HERE

Emmanuel: Our Unspeakable Gift by Pastor Susan Fochler

2011-12-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

I have a little calendar sitting on my desk at work. Looking ahead to the scripture for December 25, I was struck by the words: “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!” 2 Cor. 9:15. Unspeakable: An inability to define, describe, find the words for....beyond the capability of human language to capture. How can one find language to give full expression to the reality of an all knowing, all powerful God, who chose to leave the flawless Light of heaven in order to come and live among us in this darkened world? And He did this just so He could remain in continuous relationship with each of us for the rest of eternity.

Last weekend, while listening to the familiar reading of the Christmas Story, I found myself entering into that time 2,000 years ago as I never had before. Perhaps because I had been contemplating how “unspeakable”, how beyond my ability to comprehend the full meaning of Jesus come to earth. I seemed to be both here and there at the same time.

The nativity creche scene came to life. Mary sitting and Joseph standing with newborn baby Jesus lying before them. The shepherds came, amazed and uncertain how to best communicate their worship and allegiance. Their faces still radiant from the sight of many angels filling the night sky with the brilliance of God’s Glory, heralding the coming of their long looked-for King. The wise men then approach, their eyes on the star illuminating the stable almost as bright as day. Joy overwhelming them at finding the object of their long search. They came bowing low in humble awareness of the honor bestowed upon them; that they should live to see this day when God became a child living among man.

But most of all, I was aware of Mary. Her eyes fixed on this baby, this tiny One who had so radically caused her life to derail off the predictable norm and onto a path never traveled before. As she looked upon her baby it was beginning to dawn on her that, “Let it be unto me” meant far more than a mysterious pregnancy. Aware that the birth was not the end of her surrender; that the usual hopes and expectations a mother might have for her son would not be hers. She had said yes to something much bigger than herself, and could not take that back. Yet somehow, in her honest humility, she had no regrets. This was the Gift Who would usher in a new Kingdom through which God would set up residence on earth as never seen before. She had known from the beginning He was only hers to hold very lightly. and that her Son would be shared with all of mankind for all time.

This One who knows all things, has all power, created all things through the utterance of His Word, willing to be contained within human parameters during His time on earth. Born utterly dependent on frail human beings. Raised by loving but not fully comprehending parents. Born to hear the same sounds, see the same sights, work through the same relational issues and bear the same physical and emotional limitations as you and me. Heb 2:17 reminds us that it was “...essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful High Priest...” Apparently there was no other way for Love to bridge the gulf between heaven and earth.

What amazing love has been poured out upon us! That Love that invites us into something much bigger, much more powerful, much more transformational than our own individual lives. We thank you, Lord, for being willing to come to us, dwell among us, live and breathe among us; the Unspeakable gift...that You chose to be as us, so that now we get to be as You in the world!

THE REAL STORY OF ST. NICHOLAS

2011-12-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

St. Nicholas should be an inspiration to us all. He was a godly man whose reputation for giving to people caused him to be a revered example of what compassion and giving are all about.

Stories of his life—a life full of Christian beliefs and values—are the real background for today's mythical Santa Claus.

A Gift From God
Nicholas and his parents lived in Turkey in the third century and were Christians. Nicholas' parents had prayed and asked God for a child, much as Abraham and Sarah had done. From the time Nicholas was born in about A.D. 280, they considered him a gift from God. Diligently, they taught their young son devotion to God and to be very generous to the poor. Although they both died when Nicholas was in his teens, their heritage of living for God and giving followed Nicholas.

Ordained as a young teenager, Nicholas entered the priesthood at age 19. His uncle, the bishop who ordained him, prophesied that Nicholas would offer guidance and consolation to many people, that he would eventually become a bishop, and that he would live a life of enlightenment. Eventually he did become the bishop of a small, coastal village, and his influence spread into many nations.

Many accounts have been written about the life of Nicholas. It was said that he would spend all night studying God's Word to bring it to the people. He was known for helping the poor, for praying, fasting and standing steadfast in faith and goodness.

Many miracles were brought about through his prayers. Included among the accounts of his ministry is the report of twin brothers who were raised from the dead. It was written that one could hardly keep count if the virtue and goodness he spread around him.

When Nicholas died on December 6, A.D. 343, he is said to have quoted Psalm 11 with his last breath, "In the Lord I put my trust." In the Greek language, the name Nicholas means "victorious" or "hero of the people," and he did indeed become a very popular figure in the centuries that followed his death. Stories of Nicholas spread throughout Greece and into Russia. He became the popular patron saint of Russians, who called him "Nikolai, the wonderworker."

His Gift Was His Legacy
In 1087, the remains of St. Nicholas' grave were transported from Turkey to Bari, Italy, where a basilica was built in his honor. Soon after, his popularity spread throughout Italy and across Western Europe. December 6, the day of his death, became St. Nicholas Day on the Roman Catholic calendar, and the custom of gift-giving on December 6 began in France and spread across all of Europe.

With the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s, the worshiping of the saints was denounced, and St. Nicholas Day was no longer observed in England. In Holland and Belgium, the traditional day of December 6 was still celebrated. There, Sinter Klaas rode through the streets on a white horse, rewarding good children with treats and toys and giving rods or switches to bad children.

Christopher Columbus brought the first celebration of St. Nicholas Day to the New World when he landed in the West Indies on December 6, 1492, and named the harbor Port of St. Nicholas, in honor of the patron saint of sailors.

All of these traditions blended with immigration to the New World. As the English and Dutch came and intermarried, Father Christmas and Sinter Klaas blended into one figure. Dutch Americans eventually adopted December 25 as their day of celebration, and by the end of the Civil War, St. Nicholas the bishop was generally known in the United States as Santa Claus.

The poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" further shaped the American Santa. Another popular poem, originally titled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," was penned by New York professor Clement Moore in the 1800s and created a word picture portraying a round-bellied Santa with a huge pack on his back.

Picking up on this image, cartoonist Thomas Nast added a North Pole toy workshop in his cartoon for Harper's Weekly magazine. In 1925, a large corporation ran an advertising campaign of Santa Claus further defining him as a large man with a red and white fur suit, black boots and a long, flowing beard—the closest description of our present-day Santa.

The American Santa Claus, like America itself, came from a melting pot of Old World cultures and characters. He is the Dutch Sinter Klaas and the Lutheran Kris Kringle who bring gifts to children. His red garment is lined with fur like the German version of Nicholas, and he spreads merriment and cheer like Father Christmas. And a team of reindeer, borrowed from a Russian legend, accompanies Santa Claus on his journey through the night.

The story of the true St. Nicholas is a beautiful picture of the giving that Christmas is really about. St. Nicholas represents the giving heart of our Heavenly Father, Who doesn't give switches and rods but Who always gives only good gifts.

The greatest gift of all is the gift of Jesus Christ to us from God the Father. Jesus is our hope, redemption and victory. He is our advocate with the Father, our blood-covenant Friend Who will never leave nor forsake us. In Him, we have the joy of living a heavenly life on earth.

He is the meaning of Christmas "Christ mass" means "anointing celebration." It's the celebration of "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power…."

It's the celebration of how the anointed Jesus "…went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil…" (Acts 10:38). It's the story of our triumphant Savior—Jesus, the Christ—the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Now, that's a Merry Christmas!

Jesus, Our Ever PRESENT Help

2011-12-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Last week, the girl I've done home care for the last 10 years went home to be with Jesus. Her brother, whom I also cared for, graduated to greater glory several years ago. Nicole and Josh had a rare genetic disease and they actually lived much longer than doctors determined. Nicole was a daughter to me. She taught me how to love in ways I can't quite describe. Though I have found so much comfort in knowing she isn't suffering anymore, my heart has still been hurting quite a bit. It's in these times of pain, that I have found myself more than ever, pressed into Jesus' chest. He has been so kind, so sweet, so available and so present for me.

This week, I have been experiencing more and more just how “ever present” Christ is. He bore all of our pain when He went to the Cross. It is a done deal, finished, past tense. Yet there are times in our lives that we still hurt in the “present.” The beautiful thing about my Jesus is that He is willing to stay “present” with us though He already took upon Himself every hurt we currently feel. He is not confined by time or space. He is just as present in our pain as He is in all of our joys. He never tells us, “Get over it!” He knows there is a time to grieve and is not uncomfortable with it. He always stays connected with us in every aspect of our lives and knows exactly what we need and when.

I want to encourage you right now, to enjoy Christ in your “present.” Whether it's His hand drying your tears, His breath on your face, His steady gaze in worship, His company as you go Christmas shopping or His joy bubbling up in your belly. He never disconnects from you. You carry Christ inside of you and He lives to stay present with you in every minute, every moment, every day of your life.

“I AM is our past, present and future. Enjoy and express Him daily in total abandonment.” - Francois du Toit

I love you family,
Karena Lout

Brent & Suzanne are going on a Sabbatical Rest!

2011-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Suzanne and I will be taking a much needed sabbatical this December and January. After 21 years of ministry, including two church plants, we need the down time to enjoy the unforced rhythms of grace. Don't worry--our stake is in the ground here and we will be back before you know it rested and ready to be part of the huge end-time harvest that is most assuredly on the way!

Our sabbatical rest will start this Sunday, Dec. 4th. I will be preaching this Saturday, Dec. 3rd, sharing from my heart some things the Lord's been doing in me and how I see this sabbatical in light of the bigger picture of what is happening with Blazing Fire and God's plans for the Bay Area. Please make it a point to be there this Saturday, December 3rd at Blazing Fire's worship service if you are able.

This sabbatical is truly a gift from the Blazing Fire family to us! We can't take this time away without your continued support financially. Any end of the year extra gift to Blazing Fire would be a huge blessing! And thank you, ahead of time, for remembering to bring Suzanne and myself before the Lord, asking him to refresh, restore and renew us during this time away.

All of the life-giving ministries of Blazing Fire Church, inlcuding our Saturday night Blazing FIre worship services will continue without missing a beat! Our amazing Elder team is all set to continue providing pastoral care. The Blazing Fire Church phone number (925-997-5774) will still be functional and Pastor Russ Fochler will be receiving the calls. Any e-mails sent to me or Suzanne will not be read until our return on February 1st. You can reach anyone on the elder team via e-mail. Go to this link to see their e-mail addresses:

http://www.blazingfire.org/meet.htm

Again, I will say much more when I share this Saturday night, so please join us.

We love and appreciate you all!
Brent & Suzanne

Transitional Time!

2011-11-19T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent prophetic words from Doug Addison who will be speaking at Blazing FIre Church this Saturday, November 19th:

Transition

Eleven is a number that is symbolic of transition (almost twelve, which represents the government of God and the starting of a new day). We are entering into a new time in which things will begin to flow much more easily. Over the past eleven years (2000–2011) we saw a negative transition occur, which introduced dark events such as terrorism, economic downturn, and global unrest. We now have the opportunity to see a turnaround over the next eleven months.

God is bringing justice and repaying people for all that was lost, stolen, or cut short during the past nine years (from 2002–2011).

God spoke to me that the enemy has overplayed his hand against us and that if we would ask Him to, He will bring repayment. There is not a time limit on this prophetic word, because God is outside of time, but I highly recommend that you continue to ask God to repay all that you have lost. Your repayment might come to you in various forms and increments. So watch for things like new favor, unexpected money, raises, promotions, restored relationships, new spiritual gifts and God’s power in your life.

Deuteronomy 11:11 “But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.”

We are entering into a time of refreshing from Heaven in which God is going to supply our needs beyond what we can imagine.

Prophetic word on Rosh Hashanah

As the sun set on Rosh Hashanah (Friday, September 30th) an old season came to a close. We are now in three months of transition from October through December. Transition is when many old ways of doing things are not as effective but yet the new has not been fully revealed. Don’t be discouraged by this transitional time, as it may look opposite from what you may expect. God is rearranging things, bringing new angelic assignments and lining things up for a fresh new start in January 2012.

Recently, I heard two strategic series of dates: November 14–17, 2011 and December 9–14, 2011. These will be significant times of connections and in some cases restoration of things we have let go of in the past. Watch for new creativity and new relationships to emerge. Pray that God’s purposes will be accomplished especially during these days.

Things that are coming in 2012

We are going to see new medical breakthroughs in the coming new year. With the onslaught of destructive disease and viruses, God is offsetting this attack by initiating radical medical discoveries and cures.

There will be new inventions and business strategies released from Heaven. Some people will be shown how to make a million dollars overnight. Business partnerships will be formed to release finances for Kingdom projects.

New insight will come from God on how to deal with some major political and social “hot buttons” that have separated people in the past. God is releasing the Spirit of Reconciliation that will bring healing of differences between people groups and nations.

Hurray for God!

2011-11-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite passages in Scripture is Ephesians 1:3-6 because it so wonderfully portrays the huge heart of our Father towards us, His beloved children. Each year, I have our Kingdom Training School of Supernatural Ministry students write their own fun and creative paraphrase of that passage and here are two of them to encourage you today.

"Hurray! Shout praise to your Daddy because He unloaded a dump truck full of goodies right into your lap! You were hand picked to be on His championship team before you even knew there was a game to be played. And His team always has an undefeated season, making you a champion over and over! It was His love for you that got you picked--His lavish, gigantic love that you did nothing to earn. And now it's just victory after victory, glory after glory!" (Derek Mitchell, 2nd year KTSSM student)

"Papa Bear is so soft and cuddly. He always has the biggest hugs for each of us every time...all the time...and He thought of me first. Did you know He thought of you first too? Even though we all look different, He sees us wholey and completely as His own and He loves that we love HIs family and are best friends with His Son! Super, big cuddly soft hugs for infinity and beyond!" (Erin Johnson, 1st year KTSSM student)

Blazing Fire Prayer Ministry Team

Calling folks of prayer & compassion! We're forming a Prayer Ministry Team that can help pray blessings & healing after our services. We also hope to meet periodically to grow together. If you're interested in serving or would like to find out more information, we're having a pre-service meeting on Saturday, Nov 19th at 4 - 5:00 pm in one of the downstairs rooms at Sunset Community Church. We hope to see you there!

(If you have questions, you can contact Clayton Jung at thejungs@sonic.net or
Lai-Kit Chan at dunamisozo@earthlink.net)

Unfolding Grace!

2011-10-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Papa is your greatest supporter and encourager. He wants you to rise to the top, to soar into your appointed destiny, to finish strong in this race to receive your gold medal with him on the winner's stand!

And he knows that along the way, it can be very hard at times. If you have been feeling overwhelmed, discouraged or disillusioned in any way, I want to bring you encouragement straight from the throne of God.

First of all, I want to assure you that through the battles, the Father is strengthening your faith in ways that would boggle your mind, if you only knew! I also want to encourage you to run into the arms of your loving Father who has always wanted you and who will never, ever give up on you! Go to that place of intimacy with God, no matter what it takes. Ignore the discouragements and enjoy the huge heart of the One who adores you! Lay your frustrations and anxieties on the One who has the broad shoulders to take the load and choose to fix your gaze on the Lover of your soul! He loves you so very much! He has chosen you to be His forever!

If you want to throw in the towel, listen to these words from the Lord to your heart:

"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace!" (2 Corinthians 4:16, The Message Bible)

His unfolding grace! That is his astounding grace that keeps on presenting itself to you each time you require it. God's grace is enough! It is enough for you to make it through the difficult times. It is enough to give you hope when you are disappointed. It is enough to give you vision when you have lost sight of the goal of your faith. It is enough!

Papa says to you, His precious child:

"Don't despair. I am still for you. My heart hasn't changed one little bit. I know you don't understand all my ways. I haven't asked you to. But, one day you will see everything for the way it truly is, from My perspective. Until that time, know that I am with you and I am for you! I will be everything you need! I AM everything you need! Keep drawing into me. My presence will never disappoint you. My presence is everything you need. My presence is your ultimate destiny! Keep believing my good and tender heart toward you because I will never disappoint you!"

New Beginnings TODAY!

2011-10-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 28th we entered 5772 of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). Here is the description of the New Year from Chuck Pierce:

We are poised to enter a new season where the Eye of the Lord is looking to see how His House develops. The Hebraic Year 5772 (Ayin Bet) actually conveys piercing into world structures to recover and restore Kingdom blessings that have been captured. Another way of understanding the season ahead is as a time of unexpected favor. This is when both Israel and God’s people aligned with Israel become the “apple of His eye.”

We are entering a season when the synergistic power of the gifts of the Spirit comes together. This is also a time when gender, races and generations come together in a new way. Begin looking for divided hearts to become one, before the Lord. Family will become more important than it has been in the last 40 years, and there will be a recovery of family principles.

We have all the reason in the world to be the most hope-filled, optimistic people on the planet! Our Father is for us and has given us the indescribable gift of Jesus--and with Jesus we have been given freedom, joy, love and every other part of His rich inheritance that is ours. Since this is a new year, why not agree with all of the promises for you that are set for 'Today' (Hebrews 4:7). Say this out loud...

"Today is a day of New Beginnings for me!! I am not stuck! Today is my day to agree that my past is past and my future in Christ is here right now! Today is my day to agree that Christ in me is superabundant and everything I could possibly need! Today is my day to agree absolutely nothing is impossible for me! Today is the day to bust out of old barriers that have held me down. It’s the day to rise up and break free from the bondage of addictions. It’s the day to declare and see miracles in my family, my finances and my personal destiny! It’s the day to revel in the resurrection that I share THIS DAY with Christ as a brand new, completely restored, massively loved, beautifully regenerated creation! No matter what has happened in my life to this point, my slate is wiped completely clean and my destiny lies before me as an attainable, well-lit path because Jesus is walking it with me! Above all, I agree today that I am loved and treasured beyond compare by this astounding Father of New Beginnings!"

Look in the Mirror!

2011-09-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

What does it mean for you and me to be a carrier of God’s glory? I talked about this last Saturday night (you can catch the podcast at http://blazingfire.podbean.com/)

Here it is in a nutshell:

In the Old Covenant, Moses made a bold request to God in Exodus 33:18, “Show me your glory,” to which God responded, “All right, then, I will allow my character, the goodness of my nature to pass in front of you. I’ll show you how good I really am.”

Sometimes we read that story and say, “Dang, I wish I was Moses to see that!” No really you don’t—you have it way better than Moses in the New Covenant of Grace!

2 Corinthians 3:13 explains how Moses, after he met with the Israelite people to share what God had told him, put a veil over his face because he didn’t want them to see the glory fading. Why was it fading? Because it was external. Remember that God’s glory passed before him.

Now, you gotta catch this!

For you who are in the New Covenant of Grace, God’s goodness doesn't pass before you, but lives in you! That glorious goodness of God that Moses got to see the backside of as He passed by has made His home in you!! Have you ever really looked at people who spend a lot of time with God? They glow and leak all over the place—they can’t help it!

In the Old Covenant, when Moses said, show me your glory, God’s goodness passed before him. In the New Covenant, when we say, “God, show me your glory,” God's response is...

“Look in the mirror!!”

Have you ever really done that--intently looking to see Christ in you, the hope of glory? It's REAL, my friends! Many times and with much more frequency now, I look into my own eyes in the mirror and see God's glory. “Oh My! There you are Jesus! I can see you! I carry your glory! I release it everywhere I go!"

And so do you! Jesus said to his Father, "I have given them the glory that you gave to me." (John 17:22) The very same glory that the Father deposited into Jesus as the Light of the World, permeates and pours out of each of us as well!

So I want to encourage you today--right now if you can--look in the mirror, but before you do, ask God, “Show me your glory!”

And while you're at it, say out loud these declarations that we made together Saturday night:

I CARRY GOD'S GLORY!

I AM GREAT BEYOND MEASURE!

I AM MADE FOR INTIMACY WITH THE LORD!

I BRING HIS PRESENCE WITH ME EVERYWHERE I GO!

So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord. (2 Cor 3:18, Contemporary English Bible)

You Are Not a Failure!

2011-08-19T20:09:00.001-07:00

If you're feeling like a failure, like you've let God down, listen to the voice of your Daddy in heaven...

"My child, I know everything about you and I have always known that you've needed a Savior--that's why I sent my Son to die for you and that's why I've left nothing to chance!

I rejoice over you! I am enamored with you! If you have forgotten who you are, I will remind you and bring you back to the path of life where you were born again in my Spirit to exist.

You are not a failure, you are my success story! Wait until you see the next chapters that I have written for you unfold in your life.

You are not a disappointment, you are a treasure to me! I invite you to look in the mirror and see what I see. Every time I look at you, I say, "Wow!" Actually, you so capture my heart that I can't take my eyes off you!

I am not "putting up with you," I celebrate you! I call over the angels and say, "Look at my son/my daugther! Aren't they amazing! They're everything I ever wanted! They are my dream fulfilled"

You are not a failure. Don't ever listen to that lie. When I made you, I knew exactly what I was doing and I was thrilled with what I had made! I want you. Come, rest your head on my chest and hear my heart beat for you. Listen closer. It sound like this...

I love you...I love you...I love you...I love you...I love you...I love you...I love you...I love you...I love you...and it goes on like this for eternity!

Amazing Revelation

2011-07-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

(An encouragement from Tammy Von Horn who will be preaching at Blazing Fire this Saturday night)

Didn’t you just love Pastor Brent’s email last week describing Jesus as our most awesome and powerful King? Didn’t that email both remind you of truth you already know and challenge you to be amazed all over again at the absolute majesty of our Savior?

John the Baptist spoke something very similar in John 3. John’s disciples approached John with a tone of concern that more people were beginning to go to Jesus to be baptized instead of coming to John’s camp.

In response to their concern, John beautifully describes his perspective of Jesus and himself,

"You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for Him.’ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at Jesus’ success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. Jesus has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what He has seen and heard, but how few believe what He tells them! Anyone who accepts Jesus’ testimony can affirm that God is true. For Jesus is sent by God. Jesus speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit."

Because of the amazing revelation given to him, John understood who Jesus was and also knew who he was. We, like John, are invited into this revelation where we also behold and understand the majesty of Jesus and in that knowing come to understand how precisely we were created and reborn into His likeness.

In the beginning when God created everything, He deliberately created you and I in His image. Now on one end of this spectrum, this may mean that some of us have His nose or His chin or even His ears. Or that likeness may apply to your mannerisms – do you laugh like God or sneeze the way that He does? But on the completely other end of the spectrum, you were designed to mirror your big brother Jesus, shaped to carry as He does, God’s spirit without limit. Aren’t you amazing?!

I am so excited to share even more about this very topic on Saturday. And just to let you in on a little tip, if you come with your Bible (we’ll be camping in John 3, 6 and 9) AND a hand mirror, you will be just as blown away as I’ve been lately at how unfathomably kind God was towards us when He simply conceived, shaped and presented us in His very image.

KING JESUS!

2011-07-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

This morning I experienced the extravagant joy of knowing that Jesus is the King of the earth. Now that may seem really obvious at first, but in light of all that is happening, both in our personal lives and also in the United States and the nations around the world, it is easy to begin fretting about what's going to happen.

In a most glorious moment, purely by God's grace, I was ushered into a near euphoric state of bilssful confidence in my King Jesus! Jesus knows EXACTLY what he is doing! He can let me know everything that I need to know, but nothing more than I should know. He is the King and I am not!

My primary job is to remain in his presence and enjoy Him, fully confident in his strength, not focusing on my weakness. That's just extremely good news right there!

In light of that, I bless each one of you today with the deep peace that comes from knowing that your King is working all things out on the earth and that he is in your corner working things out for you at this very moment! I bless you with the joy of experiencing the depth of his very real passion for you that never changes! And I bless you with the grace of staying in this place of resting in the astounding goodness of God continuously.

We love you!
Brent & Suzanne

BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!

2011-07-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Amazing Saints!

Yes, YOU!!

Don't let the world tell you who you are. The world doesn't know the first thing about your astounding new nature in Christ! The angels are looking on in awe at what the Lord has chosen to do to make you a carrier of His divine glory!

Colossians 1:5 in the Mirror Transalation says this:

"Heaven (the spiritual realm) is the limitless reservoir of your expectation. The announcement of the goodness of God is not far fetched or too good to be true. The word you heard is absolutely true!"

Do you know what this means? It means that the goodness and love of your Father towards you, who absolutely adores you and is proud to call you his son or daughter, is absolutely 100% true!! You can bank on it!

Colossians 1:10 explains what you get to do with this exceptionally Good News:

"Go on a walkabout tour to explore the extent of the land that is yours under His Lordship. Now you can conduct yourselves appropriately towards Him; pleasing Him in every harvest of good works that you bear. Meanwhile you continue to increase in your intimate acquaintance with God; this results in the most attractive and fulfilled life possible."

Your singular job (if you want to call it that) is to draw in closer and closer to the One who wants you with all of his heart! As you do that, the deepest longings within you find fulfillment as the Lord saturates you with his tender love and mercies every day of your life. This is what you have to look forward to for all of eternity!

You are truly blessed beyond measure! Get used to it!!

We love you!
Brent & Suzanne

Jesus is Holding it All Together!

2011-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

With all of the upheaval and apparent uncertainty in the world, it is more crucial than ever that we have a firm grasp on the immensity of Christ who is the certain hope of the world! Check out Hebrews 1:1-3 in The Mirror Translation (with some of my thoughts in blue):

"Throughout ancient times God spoke in many fragments and glimpses of prophetic thought to our fathers.

Now, the sum total of his conversation with man has finally culminated in a son. He is the official heir of all things. He is, after all, the author of the ages. (Sonship, as represented in Jesus, is the crescendo of God’s conversation with man).

We have our beginning and our present being in him (Christ in us, the author and perfector of our faith!). He is the force of the universe, sustaining everything that exists by his eternal utterance! (did you get that?? He is THE one and only force of the universe, sustaining everything! Keep yourselves firmly fixed on that truth whenever you are feeling unsettled by what you see going on around you!) Jesus is the radiant and flawless expression of the person of God. He makes the glory (intent) of God visible and exemplifies the character and every attribute of God in human form. This powerful final utterance of God (the incarnation) is the vehicle that carries the weight of the universe. He is the central theme of everything that exists. The content of his message celebrates the fact that God took it upon himself to successfully cleanse and acquit mankind. (acquittal means that the case against you was thrown out of court for all time because there is absolutely NO evidence against you!!) Jesus is now his right hand of power, seated in the boundless measure of his majesty (where you are also seated with Him--WHOA!). He occupies the highest seat of authority, in which our innocence is represented."

Uncertainty on the earth? It's true that everything that can be shaken is being shaken, but nothing could be any more certain than Jesus Christ who holds everything together! He alone holds the keys to His unshakable Kingdom and invites us to rule and reign with Him!

"For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body." (Colossians 1:16-18, The Message Bible)

Church, we are in EXCELLENT hands!

Much love you to all!
Brent & Suzanne

Phrases from a Good Papa!

2011-05-14T11:35:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, I shared about our amazing Papa God (who also has a Mamma's comfort) who has uplifting things to say to you. Receive these words of encouragement straight from His heart to yours. And as you receive them, you will have the very same words to share with others who also need His encouragement through you!

So...Papa God says to you:

* "I'm proud of you!"

* "I celebrate you!"

* "I will never, ever give up on you!"

* "I am always for you, never against you!"

* "I see the treasures in you and I will continuously call them out!"

* "I am cheering you on!"

* "My ceiling is your floor! I am committed to your success!"

* "I will allow you to make mistakes and learn, but I will not enable you!"

* "I will discipline you because I love you!"

* "I will make sacrifices to assure your success!"

* "I love you!"

What you have freely received, you get to now freely give away!

The Empty Tomb Is Our Launching Pad!

2011-05-01T11:40:00.001-07:00

It's the week after Easter.

Last Saturday at Blazing Fire, we filled you with the unchanging, spectacularly Good News that because of Christ’s sacrifice, you are perfectly right with God and you have access to His presence ALL the time!

Admittedly, we can begin to lose sight of this truth when the long list of "to do's" and the circumstances of life start chipping away at our peace and joy. BUT WAIT!! We can choose to seek first God’s Kingdom (which is defined as Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit!) and all these things that we were worrying about will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33). We can go about our routine and still stay out of the rut because we know our lives have been forever redirected by heaven's power and Jesus' abiding presence. We will not allow circumstances to steal away the assurance, encouragement, and hope of what Christ finished on the cross for us! We will remember that the empty tomb is our launching pad for hope, transformation, and victory!

The Lord isn’t dead! Christ lives in you! He lives for you! His victory is yours! Nothing will ever change that!

Here is my paraphrase of Titus 3:4-7 that I read to you last Saturday night at Blazing Fire. Read this out loud and fully agree with the truth that never changes!

“Because Papa’s outrageous love and extreme kindness were undeniably displayed through Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf, it has become crystal clear that this action was all God’s doing and had absolutely nothing to do with us earning His acceptance and approval. We were completely and perfectly saved for one reason alone—God’s faithful love and desire for us compelled Him! We have been purified and made holy through and through with complete access to enjoy God’s glorious presence as a brand new creation of Christ-like glory! Because of Christ’s death on the cross--doing for us what we could never do for ourselves in a million years--we have already been tried and found not guilty. As a result, we are filled with child-like, giddy joy, knowing that everything Jesus purchased is already ours--especially eternal life with Papa who loves us, desires us and wants us to be with Him forever!”

The empty tomb is our launching pad to transform the earth with the love, joy and power of Jesus that fills us every day of our lives!! GO FOR IT!!!

Seeing From Heaven's Perspective!

2011-04-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this encouragement from Karena Lout (captivatedbytheking@gmail.com), an elder of Blazing Fire Church who, along with her husband Todd, are amazing pastors of our on-fire teenagers!

We've all heard the saying "Some see the glass half empty and some see it half full." Perspective is everything. Do we only see what's missing or do we see an opportunity for more? At the beginning of March, Jesus encouraged me to keep a journal for 30 days, writing down three things.

1. Something I'm thankful for

2. Something I saw God do that day

3. A declaration of something GREAT to come

I have to admit, I haven't always been very consistent with keeping a journal but this seemed pretty feasible. And after all, how could I say no to being encouraged! I soon found myself being thankful for rain on days when others were less than happy about it. I saw God do some pretty amazing things that I may not have noticed before I began looking for His goodness. When you focus on what God IS doing and not on what you think He isn't doing, you see everything through Heaven's perspective. This isn't to say that we ignore difficulties, pain and tragedy that so many are facing. But when you contemplate on what Christ has done, you become part of the solution that so many are looking for. You can't help but be encouraged! Jesus is after all, the eternally extreme optimist! His glass is ALWAYS FULL! And so is yours!

So I encourage you to take some time to thank Him for the simple things, the monumental things, the ways He's moving in your life and on the earth. Believe me, it won't be difficult and you will not be disappointed. Each day is an opportunity to breathe in and savor the goodness of a God who is so in love with you!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" Psalm 107:1

"Becoming affectionately acquainted with Throne Room thoughts will keep you from being distracted again by the earthly realm" Col. 3:2 (The Mirror Translation)

2011-03-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here's to a BRILLIANT New Year!

The New Year is traditionally a time of reflection where we examine where we are, where we are going and what we would want life to be like in the near future. We think about change and we make a wish list of resolutions that usually fails to make it beyond January.

I think it fails because we make the wrong sort of list for the wrong motives. We usually make a list of what we most want to change about our situations or ourselves. Most of the items on that list are negatives.

"I'm not going to be a doormat for people this year. I'm going to lose all this weight. I'm going to stop being angry. I hate the fact that I'm so impatient. I really need to stop being so anxious. Why am I so pessimistic?! I need to change that?"

Our motive is improvement, increase, upgrade. We want something better and more of it. Our difficulty is that when we focus on a negative we become drawn into its cycle. We become obsessed by what we are not. We fall back into the pit from which we are trying to escape.

We cannot change a negative by being involved with the negativity. Our lives can never be distinguished by the absence of something. When we focus on a negative we make a feature of an identity that is in itself debilitating. It is easier for us to repeat a defeat, step into denial, and disagree with our own potential.

A negative in photographic terms is an image from which positive prints can be made. Therefor in terms of personal change we must have a process by which our negative image goes through a series of steps in order that our vision of ourselves can be upgraded positively.

Firstly, make a list of the negative things you would like to change about yourself.

Secondly, convert each item on that list into a positive.

For example:

"I'm not going to be a doormat for people"
becomes: I'm going to have a bigger sense of my own worth and value.
"I'm going to lose all this weight"
becomes: I'm going to enjoy getting fit and getting healthy.
"I'm going to stop being angry"
becomes: I am going to practice being more loving.
"I hate the fact that I'm so impatient"
becomes: I'm going to make better use of my own time; smile more and be kind.
"I really need to stop being so anxious"
becomes: I am going to enjoy being more trusting, carefree and happy.
"Why am I so pessimistic?"
becomes: I am going to live a life that attracts joy and laughter to me.

You get the picture. Convert the negative into a positive and then deal with who you want to be; not who you are not. (The CD Turning Passivity Into Prophecy deals with this at www.BrilliantBookHouse.com)

Thirdly, please remember that the old you is actually dead. As we convert the negative list into a positive one we move our focus from your old nature to your new nature in Christ. Read Romans 6:2-14. This is a template for walking in newness. If we are going to be successful, happy and powerful then this passage is the basis for all of our story and journey in Christ. In Him we are already dead to the old (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) which has passed away and everything is new. Be alive to your new self in God and crucially do not allow people to resurrect the old you. Take joyful possession of your new self in Jesus and have fun establishing that reality.

Fourthly, don't try to become the new person. Accept that in Christ you are already there! You do not become a new person by changing your behavior. You accept the person you already are in Christ and behave accordingly. Abiding is the key new testament desire and delight. Stay, dwell and remain in Christ. Do not allow yourself to be moved away from His reality within your heart. As you focus on Him, it is His peace, love, joy and calm wisdom that will surface in every situation.

Lastly, enjoy the journey! Remember that you do not live in your circumstances. You live in Christ. Stay there! Focus from there. Practice life from there. See from His perspective. That is the nature of Abiding! Let joy walk with you this year. The joy of the Lord shall be your strength, courage, firmness, health, stamina, energy, power and intentionality.

Have a Brilliant new year!

Graham

Letter From Jesus!

2011-03-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

"I no longer call you servants...I call you friends!"
John 15:15

I Am so excited to spend this life with you! Thank you for accepting My invitation. I hope you will enjoy this lifetime of love and romance that I have created just for you. You are the one I dream of, my heart is overflowing with love for you. When you look at Me, I can barely restrain Myself! You ravish Me with a single one of your glances!

“The King greatly desires your beauty, He is your Lord, the One you adore!” (Ps 45:11) Please join me every day in this celebration of our love! Look into My eyes and you will see just what you mean to Me!

“The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is pleasant fruit, both new and old, that I have prepared for you, my lover.” (Song of Songs 7:13)

Oh, my beautiful one, will you come to my table? I have prepared a feast for you, designed to delight your senses! Your perfume has
captivated me, love is in the air! Taste and see how sweet my love is for you, let me woo you daily!

“He leads me into a banquet room and looks at me with love.” (Song of Songs 2:4)

Darling, you are My guest of honor! Sharing a love feast with you is the desire of my heart. Seeing your shining eyes smiling at me across the table makes my heart beat faster! You are the Princess-Bride I always dreamed of, no one but you will do for Me! Your beautiful feet are perfect, you are the very one I've been searching for. I love you with all My heart. I AM Your Knight in Shining Armor!

"...as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God rejoices over you." (Isa. 62:5)

I cherish you, Beloved, I have written your name on My hand. I can't take My eyes off you, even while you sleep. Your beauty enraptures Me! All day long I dream of ways to show you how great My love for you truly is, and all night long I sing love songs and lullabies over you while I guard your sleep. When you smile at Me, I am undone! I long for you to know the depths of My passion for you, my Sister, my Bride!

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Ps 119:103)

How wonderful you are, My Love! Before the world was created, My love for you overflowed like a fountain, like a spring that could not be contained! My thoughts dance like light on the water as I plan our future together. You are the delight of My Spirit, You are the apple of My Father's eye! My family is your family. I Am eagerly waiting for the day when you dance with Me before My Father's throne! You are my Joy, and I love you beyond forever.

“I have entered my garden, my treasure, My bride! I gather myrrh with My spices and eat honeycomb with My honey. I drink wine with My milk. Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love! Your love delights Me, my treasure, My bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices.” (Song of Songs 5:1, 4:10)

My radiant one, my precious Bride, thank you for saying Yes to me. Thank you for loving me with abandon, for not holding your love back from Me. Thank you for taking My name as your own, and giving me every part of yourself. My vows to you are stronger than death, and I promise you, nothing will ever come between us! You are everything to Me. Come away with me now to the secret place, to the garden I have created for us. Come and rest in my arms, lean on me and let me carry you away. Draw close to Me and you will find that I Am closer to you than your breath. Stay with Me awhile, dream with me among the lilies.

I Am your husband, the Lover of your soul! ~ Jesus

This amazing letter was penned by Lisa-Anne Wooldridge, OpenHeaven@gmail.com

Letter From Papa!

2011-03-09T18:33:00.001-08:00

"I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
Hebrews 8:10-12

My child, you are my absolute joy! You are everything I ever wanted! At times I miss your company when you wander, but I am never angry with you. My son, Jesus, took all of that away forever for you.

It's time that we go places together that I have planned for a very long time. It's time to set your sights in the direction of My Kingdom alone. You are great beyond measure and I have been building you up to believe this. I am making you believe this because of where we are going together. I have given you great favor and I have massively blessed your life. I HAVE loved you with an everlasting love and I WILL maintain my love for you to the end--although in reality there is no end!

You and I are on a journey, climbing mountains, forging streams, flying above the clouds, even hiking deep ravines and valleys--but it's a great adventure and I will never leave your side. You are my beloved child and I love you! Always have--always will!

Get to know me even more. I'm still far better than what you've experienced thus far and even what you've spoken to others about me. But find out why. Go deeper still! This is a brand new phase of your journey with me. Trust me! Enjoy me! I have such plans for you--plans to touch the world through you--plans to release the oppressed--Plans to draw you in deeper and to have you sit longer in my refreshing, restoring Presence as I share my secrets with you about myself and my Kingdom.

I love to share my secrets with the one I love! That's you, ya know!

New Beginnings!

2011-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

I want to share with you an encouraging message from Blazing Fire sister, Tammy Von Horn, who is one of the founders of Pockets of Dreams

(www.pocketsofdreams.com), an amazing company that makes girls clothing with the proceeds directly helping mothers in developing countries to expand their own sewing businesses to support their children. Tammy also hosts "Amazing Women Parties" once a month, so if you are a woman needing massive encouragement and want to be invited, write to Tammy at: tammy@pocketsofdreams.com.

Enjoy Tammy's encouragement:

Happy February! As much as I am thrilled to start a new month, can you believe that January 2011 is already history?

For those of you who vowed changes in this year, how are your resolutions coming? Mine? Well, I've yet to loose or gain the things on my list but, OH WELL!!

Oh well? You say? No guilt or regret Tammy? My answer, no, not so much. Sure, I wish I could brag of a smaller waist, fatter wallet or an emptier calendar, but from my view point, I am blessing with "New Beginnings" all the time.
Consider the following:

- 1 time every 365 days, I get a brand new year. But if I need a new 'new year' I can decide to celebrate. . .
- Chinese New Year in February (Gong Xi Fa Cai!) or
- Rosh Hoshanah, Jewish New Year, in September
- 4 times each year, I get a new season. . . winter, spring, summer and fall
- 12 times each year, I get a brand new month. . . Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, and Dec
- Every 24 hours, I get a brand new day and if I want to start that day in prayer, I can:
- Pray in the morning hours, the traditional start of the day in the Western world or (and this is good news for us non-morning people)
- Pray in the evening, since the new day starts at sundown according to Jewish tradition

New Beginnings are an absolute constant in life. God promised that His mercies were renewed every day - literally guaranteeing that every morning we start with a fresh start, a clean slate, and a renewed opportunity to live. Because of His goodness, we are invited to leave behind yesterday and boldly step into today.

If this year seems to be moving too fast or if you just want a new start, just wait, your new day is just hours away. :)

Constantly Renewed,
Tammy

P.S. The best part of all of these new beginnings is that you don't get to just start-over with the leftovers from yesterday but instead He makes all things new!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Declarations Part II

2011-01-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, January 1st, at Blazing Fire Church, we had a powerful time of making declarations. Below are the second half of the declarations we made that night together that Lonnie Ellis led us in. Declare God's truth out loud as often as you can!

· I am a child of the King!
· I have been adopted into the family of God
with full rights and privileges!
· I am perfectly loved by my Heavenly Father!
· I have received Jesus as my Forgiver & my Leade!
· He has redeemed me from hell!
· He has given me a new destiny!
· I am saved by grace through faith. And not  by my own work!
· Jesus delivered me from the domain of darkness!
· He transferred me into His Kingdom!
· I have been forgiven of all my sins!
· I am fully acceptable to God!
· I am a co-heir with Jesus!
· All Jesus bought and paid for is my inheritance!
· Jesus destroyed the works of the devil!
· He disarmed the rulers and the authorities!
· Jesus triumphed over them through His shed blood on the cross!
· Jesus now has all authority in heaven and on earth!
· Jesus has given me authority over sin!
· Jesus has given me authority over sickness!
· Jesus has given me authority over death!
· Jesus has me authority over the works of the devil!
· I am united with Jesus, Jesus and I are ONE. I have been crucified with Christ!
· I have been buried with Jesus!
· I was raised with Jesus!
· I am seated with Jesus in the heavenly places far above all rule, all power, all authority and above every name that is named. Not only in this age, but also the age to come!
· Because I am ONE with Jesus!
· I am perfectly righteous!
· I am completely holy!
· I am a saint!
· I live above sin!
· Because I am prone to do righteousness!
· I am not prone to do sin anymore!
· I am a new creature!
· The old one is gone!
· The new has come!
· Because of my oneness with Christ!
· I have authority over sickness, over sin, over the flesh, over demons, and over the world!
· I can resist the devil and he will flee from me!
· I will displace the darkness!
· I have the full armor of God!
· I am the salt of the earth!
· I am the light of the world!
· I will not live in fear!
· My trust is in the Lord and the power of His might!
· I live a victorious life!
· I am not a victim!
· I am more than a conqueror!
· I can do all things through Christ!
· I have over come in this world!
· I have overcome sickness through Jesus!
· I live in divine health!
· I am 100%, emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally healed and whole!
· I have the mind of Christ!
· I release divine healing to others!
· Because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world!

AMEN!
We love you!
Pastors Brent & Suzanne Lokker

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Declarations Part I

2011-01-07T00:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, January 1st, at Blazing Fire Church, we had a powerful time of making declarations and then moving through a victory tunnel as the Spirit of God was blowing as a tailwind to launch us forward. Below are the first half of the declarations we made that night together (I will send the 2nd half next time). Declare God's truth out loud as often as you can!

· Daddy, You LOVE me!!

· I am Yours and You are mine forever!

· Nothing will ever change your great heart for me!

· I am wanted, loved, accepted and celebrated by You!

· I love you, Papa!

· I have been paid for IN FULL!

· God, You have judged in my favor!

· The Old Covenant is Dead!

· I am FREE!

· Sin has lost its power!

· Grace is the New Order!

· I am LOVED, FORGIVEN and JUSTIFIED!

· I am HOLY & BLAMELESS and Right with God!

· I am PERFECT in Christ!

· I am EMPOWERED and VICTORIOUS!

· IT IS FINISHED!!!!!

· I have a covenant with God, and by the blood of Jesus I release my

divine protection and divine provision!

· My angels are carrying out the Word of God on my behalf!

· Any adversity, attack, accidents and tragedies that were headed my way

are diverted right now in Jesus’ name!

· I speak to the raging waters in my life: “Peace, be still!” I say to my

mind: “Peace, be still!” I say to my emotions: “Peace, be still!” I say to my

body: “Peace, be still!” I say to my home: “Peace, be still!” I say to my

family: “Peace, be still!”

· Now I speak to every mountain of fear, every mountain of depression,

every mountain of lack and insufficiency, and I say, “Be removed and cast into

the sea in Jesus’ name!”

· And I speak to this day and I call you blessed! I declare that I serve

a mighty God who today will do exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that I can

ask or think. I say, “You are a GOOD God and I eagerly anticipate your

goodness today!”

· I set the course of my life with my declarations

· God is on my side! Therefore, I declare that I cannot be defeated,

discouraged, depressed or disappointed.

· I am the head, not the tail. I have insight. I have wisdom. I have

divine ideas and divine strategies. I have authority!

· As I speak God’s promises, they come to pass. They stop all attacks,

assaults, oppression and fear from my life.

· I have the wisdom of God today. I will think the right thoughts, say

the right words, and make the right decisions in every situation I face.

· I expect to have powerful divine appointments today to heal the sick, to

raise the dead, to prophesy life, to lead people to Christ, to bring

deliverance, to release signs and wonders and to bless every place I go!

· I expect the best day of my life spiritually, emotionally, relationally,

and financially in Jesus’ name!

The Offering Declaration:

· As we receive today’s offering, we are believing the Lord for: Jobs and

better jobs, Raises and bonuses, Benefits, Sales and commissions, Favorable

settlements, Estates and inheritances, Interests and income, Rebates and

returns, Checks in the mail, Gifts and surprises, Finding money, Debts paid

off, Bills decrease, Blessings and increase!

· Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have

more than enough to give into the Kingdom of God and promote the Gospel of

Jesus Christ! HALLELUJAH!!!!!

We love you!

Pastors Brent & Suzanne Lokker

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Lokker Family wishes you a Joy-drenched, Peace-filled Chrismas season!

EMMANUEL--GOD WITH US!!
We needed a Savior--Jesus came!
We needed forgiveness--Jesus paid the price!
Those who know the love and mercy of their God and King are the most blessed of all people!!

"'Hark!' the herald angels sing, Glory to the Newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners RECONCILED!!"

"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do your us--set us right with him, make us fit for him--we have it all together with God because of our Master, Jesus. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, THERE IS NO LONGER A QUESTION OF BEING AT ODDS WITH GOD IN ANY WAY!!" (Romans 5:1, 9, The Message Bible)

Our complete and total reconciliation with our Father in heaven because of our Savior Jesus is the foundation for our joy-filled, peace-drenched life in Christ!

With or without presents under your tree, you are rich beyond measure!

We love you,
Brent & Suzanne!

EnCOURAGEment to Keep Going!

2010-12-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday at Blazing Fire Church I spoke about the courage and boldness that you have when you know that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah walks behind and with you everywhere you go! See yourself as this lamb with all of the power of Jesus himself at your back!

The only place you are going to find peace, joy, security, contentment and stability is in the presence of the Lord. It is imperative that we do whatever we have to do to find that time for going deeper into the Lord's heart--truly experiencing the hugeness of the Lord's good and tender heart towards us.

When you need enCOURAGEment, you must agree with what the Lord says is truth. Feed on it! I gave you many scriptures last Saturday to build you up and encourage you to keep going. One of them was Psalm 23:6 that says, "Your kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life!" Another was Proverbs 4:18, "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day."

Here is a list of other scriptures I used:

Psalm 34:5
Psalm 16:5-6
Psalm 4:8
Psalm 5:12
Psalm 18:35-36
Psalm 21:1-6 (Read this in the first person since you are royalty!)
Psalm 16:11
Psalm 32:10
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Psalm 36:8
Ephesians 1:3-11 (I read this in the Mirror Translation. You can read it at http://mirror.scripturetext.com/ephesians/1.htm)

The last Scritpure is Jude 24-25, a great one to end on. Take this in and agree with it. Say "Yes Lord!" to all He has done for you. You truly are blessed and highly favored beyond measure!

"To Him who is able to keep you from falling and bring you safe to His glorious presence innocent (blameless! faultless!) and joyful! To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ be glory, majesty, authority and power, before all ages, now and forever. Amen!"

And this is the very same One who stands behind, with and in you! Take GREAT COURAGE from Him and keep going! He is working everything out for your very best!

We love and and appreciate you all!
Brent & Suzanne

Love Wins!

2010-11-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

"Did you learn to love?"

When Bob Jones was taken to heaven many years ago, this was the question Jesus asked him. It was not even, "Did you tell people about me?" or "Did you worship me?" though both of these are great things to do. But, "Did you learn to love?"

Jesus gave his followers a command on the night of his arrest--an exclamation point to his ministry on the earth. He said, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34)

Listen to how Paul highlights this (from the Mirror Translation):

"Love (the revealed value that God sees in every person) gives truth its voice. In this atmosphere (of love) spontaneous growth is inevitable The whole person is addressed in Christ who is the head of the body (pictured as a conductor of music, epichoregeo). From Him flows the original composition and detail of our design like words intertwined in poetry, they connect layer upon layer to complete the harmony, following the rhythm of His thoughts like footprints. Meanwhile the body thrives and pulsates with the energy of love. Each individual part (portion) finds its full measure there." Ephesians 4:15-16

The simple truth is that love changes people and love wins! When we finally accept and receive the super-abundant love and acceptance of our Papa in heaven, we are forever changed! And when we freely give away to others what we have freely recieved, they are changed too!

I have watched over the years as love has caused inevitable spontaneous growth in you! And I want to thank you for being part of this culture of love, grace and honor at Blazing Fire that has radically changed the hearts of so many! Week after week, I watch as people come (often broken and hurting) to Blazing Fire Church for the first time and are changed by the love and acceptance that they encounter. Thank you also for choosing to take the love that you receive and give it away everywhere you go!

Papa says, "Thank you!" too!!

You Are A Masterpiece - by Russ Fochler

2010-10-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

On his 1994 album “Poiema”, Michael Card wrote: "The Bible tells us that we are God's masterpieces (poiema in Greek); not only creatures, but His creations, His poems (Eph 2:10). We are living epistles (2 Cor 3:3). And so, our lives are meant to be listened to, because it is God who is speaking into and out of and through the symphony of the years, and the masterpiece of a lifetime."

What if we saw Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith - as an artist as well as our savior? How would we view our journey through life? How would that change how we relate with Him? How would we view time and timing? I'm looking forward to exploring this with many of you in this Saturday's message.

Changing the Culture:

As sons and daughters of the King of Kings, we have the joy and mission to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to cultures and people. One way we can be "salt and light" is to study the issues and candidates with the counsel of the Holy Spirit. And then cast our vote. And then continue to pray for grace, wisdom, justice, and life-giving values for our governmental leaders; no matter who is elected.

Redeeming the Time - October 31st

God created each day of the year - including October 31st when many in our country celebrate Halloween. I encourage you to celebrate and worship Jesus on this day. And shine His light in your neighborhood.

Another opportunity to redeem this time is offered by Gina Prince:

"Holy Ghost Story Night" at Rick & Gina's home at 220 Love Ln, Danville, CA at 5:30 PM. Please bring an appetizer, salad or dessert to share (and a candle if you'd like). Contact: 925-580-8758 An offering will be given for special guest Recie Saunders. Come to share your "God stories" and to celebrate the "God stories" of others....

Russ Fochler

You Are God's Choice

2010-10-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks have been supernaturally charged as we have seen God heal, conservatively, over 100 people of all kinds of injuries and illnesses, including cancerous tumors disappearing (with a doctor's examination) and decades-long traumatic injuries instantly removed! Why does he do these things? It's very simple: He is a good papa who loves his kids!

To bring home my point, I want to share with you a few paraphrased renditions of Ephesians 1:3-6 as creatively written by our Kingdom Training School of Supernatural students. We have 43 amazing students this year, by the way. I wish I could share what all of them wrote, but here are just a few...Enjoy!

"I pour out my congratulations with my whole heart, mind & soul and give my greatest & deepest expression of thanksgiving and utmost excitement to the best, most loving and generous Daddy ever!!! His generosity supersedes the extravagance of the most extravagant, providing all of the invaluable riches & treasures of the heavens, because of Who & What Jesus is and did for me/us. Daddy God has always wanted this. It's been brewing in His heart to the point of implosion, to bring us into the family so that we can live in His house and have full access to the fridge whenever we want. He couldn't wait for us to make ourselves at home. Our room has been prepared with our favorite wall colors. He initiated this out of His own desire and purpose - to show outrageous preferential treatment as His kids that we don't deserve or could ever earn." (Damali Vaughn, 2nd year student)

"God is astounding! How incredible He is! He moves me into beautiful blessing through his Son, Jesus. He had his eye on me before he created time in order that I might know the bounty of his love, the very essence of who he is, all for myself! He couldn't wait to make me part of his family with Jesus bringing me in! BAM!! How amazing is that! And now I get to receive more awesome gifts from his hand than I can ever carry in one load!" (David Vahlstrom, 1st year student)

And just one more...

"Wow! Wow! Wow! To my Father in Heaven! You have so blessed me in the anointing Jesus, full and jam-packed with blessing in our heavenly realm. Father, in his love, actually pulled me out of the frying pan--holding me now close to him. Showing me I am forever consecrated and set apart for him. W O W !!! I am blameless. I am free from reproach. Always before him in love. For he adopted me in his plan of love." (Dana Ortiz, 2nd year student)

As You Go...

2010-10-07T11:19:00.001-07:00

Jesus came to perfectly show us the Father's heart. He said, "If you have seen me, you've seen my Dad!" Everything he did reflected the goodness, kindness and power of our Father in Heaven. And what did Jesus do? He loved people! He healed people! He gave them hope! He set them free!

AND

He said to us,

"I want you to do the same!"

He said it this way: "And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin diseases, drive out demons. You received without charge, give without charge." (Matthew 10:6-8)

How is this possible?

Quite simple: CHRIST IN YOU!

If you are needing greater revelation of the glory that you carry and the authority that you have to represent Father God as an ambassador of His Kingdom just as Jesus did,

I encourage you to attend as much of the Angels & Miracles conference as you can this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

As Suzanne and I were having dinner with Gary Oates tonight, he was sharing one miracle story after another and describing how each Angels & Miracles conference they have held has been more powerful than the last.

You will be empowered and encouraged to do just what Jesus asked!

You will be immersed in an atmosphere of expectancy to see and experience the unseen realm of the Kingdom!

You will have fun with a Father who's in a really good mood
and who is proud to call you His own!

Come with a great expectancy in your heart that God is going to do
abundantly above and beyond all that you can ask or imagine!!

MASSIVE BLESSINGS!!

Pastor Brent

You're From the Same Stock As Jesus!!

2010-09-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

"It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, make perfect through suffering the leader of their salvation. For the consecrator (Jesus) and the consecrated (us) are all of the same stock! That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters!" (Hebrews 2:10-11)

Jesus knew who he was! He was God's beloved and massively favored Son, the perfect ambassador of His father's Kingdom, and the inheritor of absolutely everything that belonged to his Dad!

Do YOU know who YOU are? Jesus knows who you are! So does the Father! And so does Holy Spirit who lives in you to convince you of the truth!

Jesus' status as God's beloved son is exactly the same status that you have as God's son or daughter! Exactly the same! That phrase, all of the same stock can also be translated "we form a single whole" with Jesus! There is no separating us out from him. He shares his identity with us and we are perfectly one with him!

The Mirror Translation puts it like this:

"Because both He who performed the rescuing act and those rescued and restored to innocence, originate from the same source, He proudly introduces them to be identified as His immediate family."

Come on! How much better can this get? Jesus has his arm around you, beaming, so very proud, and says about you, "This is my AWESOME bro! This is my AMAZING sis! We've got the same genes and Dad loves us ALL the SAME!!"

Jesus, who was given all authority in heaven and on earth by our Father, says to us, "You are a purebred from heaven just like me! You're made of what I'm made of! And what's mine is yours. Let's all use the authority that Dad has given us. Go and ROCK the world with his love, grace and power! I showed you how and now I'll go with you to the ends of the earth because I'm your true brother and I've got your back! We're family!!

By the way, your family with us, too!

Love,
Brent & Suzanne

A Doting Father!

2010-09-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

When my oldest son, Derek, was a few months old, he would make the cutest cooing sounds as he was waking up in the morning. My wife, Suzanne, and I would hear him and get out of bed and quietly tip-toe over to gaze through the crack in the door and watch with utter delight as our son would look around and make the most adorable gurgling noises. I can’t tell you how precious he was! After a time, we would push the door open, enter the room and begin sweetly singing over him a good morning song. Immediately, he would begin searching the room for us with his eyes until he spotted us, squealing with delight!

Your Father in heaven gazes on you all the time! Not so that he can somehow spy on you, but because he can’t take his eyes off of you! Yes, God is smitten with you! I can picture him calling the angels over to himself, pointing towards you and saying,

“Hey! Come take a look at my awesome son! He’s remarkable!”

“Would you just look at my daughter? Wow! She’s beautiful, isn’t she?!”

And then he begins to sing his love song over us…

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

And as his song fills the air with choice words of adoration and approval for us, we begin to search for the origin of that sweet voice. Then we squeal with delight,

“Oh, Papa! There you are! You LOVE me!”

The Kingdom of God is YOURS!

2010-08-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I preached that the Kingdom of God is Yours! Jesus told us, "Do not be afraid, little ones, for it has pleased your Father to GIVE you the Kingdom!" (Luke 12:32)

The KINGDOM IS YOURS!! Which means that Righteousness is YOURS!! Peace is YOURS!! Joy is YOURS!! (See Romans 14:17). The question is, what are we going to do with what we've been given?

While you're thinking about the answer to that one, ponder this from Hebrews 2:6-7 in the Mirror Translation (www.mirror.scripturetext.com):

"What is it about man that God cannot get him out of his thoughts? Why would God bother to benefit the son of man? Why would God make so much of man? He has made man all but equal to himself, he crowned him with his own glory and dignity, and appointed him in a position of authority over all the works of his hands.”

Did you catch that?! Come on!! God not only loves you with a passion that surpasses anything we know about passion, but he says to you, let's rule my Kingdom together! Of course, that means that it has to be done according to his specs--love, grace, honor, mercy, but also power, signs and wonders, seeing the impossible invade this earth! If you are wondering if that description could possibly be for you, read the above scripture again from Hebrews. Go ahead, read it again!

You are crowned with God's own glory and dignity AND you have been given a position of authority in His Kingdom. Looks like you and God have some work to do together! And God's promise is, if you take care of my business (mostly loving and encouraging people), he will take care of your business. He summed it up this way,

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33

That's a promise you can bank on!

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing!

2010-08-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Blazing Fire Church exists so that you have a place to come and enjoy the Lord’s presence within the framework of our unique life-transforming Core Values and for you to be empowered to go give it away!

Our first and most important Core Value is this: We value intimacy with the One who loves us! God's presence is the prize and the goal of our life with Him!

No matter where you are in life and no matter what you are going through, only one thing will bring you true joy--the sweet, transforming presence of the Lord! This is why we are in no hurry at all to rush through worship at Blazing Fire, but instead to linger with Him. However, this is not supposed to be a Saturday night only experience. The Lord desires to take you to His intimate place of rest every single day of your life!

My strong encouragement is for you to take time--even this very moment--to focus your heart and thoughts on Jesus who loves you with an everlasting love! And He reminds you of a Father who has always wanted you and who has only the very best plans for your life! God is working absolutely everything out for your best--that's His covenant promise to you--one that He will never break. This is a Father you can trust, so allow yourself to be taken into the depths of His heart. Be still and know that He is God. THIS is the presence that you were made for!

By keeping the Main Thing (His presence) the main thing, you will find true rest in the mist of any storm, and eventually you will no longer even see the storm becuase your gaze is so perfectly fixed on the Lord's eyes of blazing fire--His passion for you!!

Baptisms This Saturday - July 24th.

2010-07-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, July 24th, we have the awesome privilege and celebration of baptizing about 20 people during Blazing Fire's worship service! I will say much more about the significance of baptism on Saturday night, but to whet your whistle for what is coming, read this from Galatians 3:26-27:

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

Here's those same two verses in The Word on the Street by Rob Lacey:

"You're all God's kids 'cos you took Jesus the Liberator at his word. The baptism thing symbolized it and now it's a daily habit--like getting dressed. You wouldn't dream of not putting on Jesus. It'd be like going out naked, middle of the winter. 'God's kids' -- that's the only designer label we need!"

And one more paraphrase of that same passage from The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson:

"By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe--Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise."

Baptism doesn't save you. Jesus saved you by his death on the cross that set you free from a life of destruction and shame. Your agreement with his sacrifice that makes you right with God is what allows you to enjoy what he already paid for in full. Baptism is our agreement with heaven that our union with Christ and our new life in him is complete! Now it's time to start living it out!

Let's go, Saints!!

(If you desire to be baptized Saturday night, email immediately to let me know.)

A Testimony of Freedom!

2010-07-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I spoke about the choices we make to use the freedom we have to protect what is most valuable to us. I want to share with you a remarkable testimony of freedom as openly shared by one of our Kingdom School of Supernatural Ministry students, Dana Ortiz. Dana writes a daily encouragement e-mail called "Rivers of Living Water" (you can subscribe to this free encouragement e-mail by writing to her at danaortiz@prodigy.net. Here are two of her daily entries that describes her journey into freedom:

Hebrews 4:5-16: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to hep us in our time of need."

Reading this scripture for me is like standing out in a meadow full of flowers, wind blowing and I looking up to heaven, with the biggest smile on my face! FREEDOM surrounding every part of me. But I didn't always feel this way. I returned to the Lord in 2004, not with confidence, because I had just spent 10 years turned away from God. My biggest fear was failing him once again. The first four years of my return I tried hiding all my junk from him. My junk was the size of a huge auto wrecking yard! Now seriously, how did I ever think I could hide that? Well I'll tell ya, I worked! I tried being the best little servant I could muster up. The more I did, I was hoping, the more I would begin to outweigh all the sin I had done, and unfortunately was still doing. Talk about a vicious cycle! The enemy loved it--I was in bondage and exhausted! I was absolutely no threat to him, just one he could torment and laugh at. Broken and helpless I literally crawled to the cross. I stretched my arm up and Mercy took hold of me. I found Grace smiling down, compassion consuming me. Humility no longer bitter, but so very sweet! No one understands you better than Jesus!

Galatians 6:9: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Three years ago, I chose to face my drinking problem. It was impacting every part of my life. Imagine your living room and in the living room is an enormous ball. To walk around it you really have to maneuver your body. That was my drinking. Once I was unable to work myself around it, I had to really see it for what it was. A huge problem! I had two choices: allow the addiction to take me, or take the addiction! I chose to take the addiction. As I was walking my freedom out, nothing around me was changing. The very reasons why I chose to drink were still there, but I knew that what I was doing was GOOD! Little by little a shifting was taking place. Each area of my life began to change for the better. Today I have one year, ten months sober. I am reaping a wonderful harvest. Papa God is my everything! I can't imagine one breath without inhaling him! My children respect me, count on me, and seek me for wisdom! My husband and I communicate at a level that I thought would never be be possible. My physical body is healing. And the real kicker: the harvest will never end! I can't wait to see next year's harvest!

Are you facing something difficult? I want to encourage you to push onward! do what is right and good! You will reap a never ending harvest!

Fatherly Advice

2010-07-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day weekend, I gave some fatherly advice and encouragement. Some of you were asking me to send it out in this newsletter and I also wanted to encourage out to those of you who weren't there that night. Enjoy your place as Daddy's favored one!

1. You're doing better than you think! (Phil 1:6; Proverbs 4:18)
2. You're making more of a difference than you know! (Hebrews 6:10)
3. Be Yourself! No one can re-present Christ the way YOU do! (2 Cor. 3:3)
4. You can't change other people--You can only give God permission to change you. (Psalm 139:23)
5. Introspection will kill you--ask Holy Spirit what He sees
6. Take the time to encourage someone every day! (Here is the link to that amazing video called "Validation": www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao --you may have to copy and paste the address)
7. Take the plunge into God's love and joy! (Psalm 37:8)
8. You don't have to choose side--you can choose to be for everybody!
9. Let old offenses go (Matthew 18:21-22)
10. Have more fun along the way! Your destiny is a journey, not an end point.
11. No one can take your joy away from you! (Nehemiah 8:10)
12. Take a step towards one of your dreams--see where it takes you...
13. Don't hang on to past regrets--Nothing is stopping you from living life to the fullest TODAY!
14. When you make a mistake, you get to know God's grace in a deeper way! (Romans 11:32)
15. The truth really will set you free! But it has to be the genuine truth of the gospel (I then read from portions of Colossians 1 and 2 from The Mirror Translation--www.mirror.scripturetext.com--an AMAZING translation to enjoy!!)
16. Advice from Papa Bill Johnson: "I can't afford to have a thought in my head about me that is not his!" and "Make a case FOR God not against Him."
17. Advice from Papa Kris Vallotton: "You will always produce the environment around you that you cultivate within you." and "Royal people have a powerful sense of justice in the depth of their souls compelling them to action when they come upon injustice."
18. Advice from Papa Danny Silk: "Accurately acknowledging who people are will position us to give them what they deserve and to receive the gift of who they are in our lives."
19. And one more from me: Rest more in Papa's love!

At that point, about 10 papas from Blazing Fire came up and gave a piece of fatherly advice to us. All of this is on podcast (www.blazingfire.org) if you want to listen to the entire message.

Your Father in heaven is so proud to call you his very own!

God is On Your Side!

2010-06-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

No matter what is happening in your life, there are some things that you MUST remember.

• God is on your side—always!

• Jesus took the full punishment for you in your place—there is no punishment left for you!

• You are God’s choice—He won’t change his mind!

• Good things are bound to happen to you—it’s called GRACE!

• You have a full and vibrant life ahead of you—God wants you to live it!

• All things are working in your favor—even when it doesn’t look that way—believe it!

• This is God’s heart for you always—that’s just the way it is!

• Allow yourself to believe that the Good News is this good! Anything else is a counterfeit.

Read and believe the Good News found in Ephesians 1:3-11 in the Mirror translation

http://mirror.scripturetext.com/:

“Let’s celebrate God! Every spiritual blessing in heavenly places has found its definition in the fact that we are in Christ. This association goes back to before the fall of the world, His love knew that He would present us again face to face before Him, identified in Christ in blameless innocence. He is the architect of our design; His heart dream realized our coming of age in Christ. His grace-plan is to be celebrated: He greatly endeared us and highly favored us in Christ; His love for His Son is His love for us! Since we are fully represented in Him, His blood is the ransom that secures our redemption. His forgiving us our sins measures the wealth of His grace. This grace shown towards us communicates a wisdom and discernment of our worth that completely surpasses any definition. The secret is out! His cherished love-dream now unfolds in front of our very eyes. In the economy of the fullness of time, everything culminates in Christ; all that is in heaven and all that is on earth is made right in Him. This is how we fit into God's picture, Christ is the measure of our portion, we are in Him; invented and defined in Him. God's blueprint intention is on exhibition in us, everything He accomplishes is inspired by the energy and intent of His affection!”

Revel in the Father’s affection for you! It’s the only thing that keeps you happy and on track with his very perfect plan for your life! Do not lose hope, Beloved!! God has never lost his belief in you! He has put absolutely everything on the line for you in sending Jesus to the cross! You can't lose!! You are a winner, not a loser! You are treasured, not tossed aside! You are priceless and moving ever further into your destined purpose of displaying the Father's glory on this earth! Keep going, Friends!!

A Building For Blazing Fire Church?!

2010-05-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Blazing Fire is 8 1/2 years along in our journey into the depth of the Father's heart and what a joy-filled ride it has been! In that time we have been in at least 8 different locations--none of them belonging to us. And while we have not needed our own place to host God's presence on Saturday nights and see people set free to walk out more of their God- appointed destinies, we have also been limited in what we know to be the huge vision God has given us to bring Kingdom transformation across the Bay Area and impacting the world!

So, we have been searching for a place to host the Presence of God where people can come to experience him throughout the week and where we can have a home base to send forth world-changers! This Saturday, May 29th, from 3:30-5:00 pm, we are having a meeting before our worship service (3200 Hopyard Road in Pleasanton) to share about our plans to proceed with an offer to lease the anchor spot of Vintage Hills shopping center in Pleasanton. It is a meeting for our Vision Builders (those who have let us know they see themselves as part of helping Blazing Fire fulfill our vision together), but the meeting is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the next steps we are taking. I will be sharing some of the 12 year history of how God has spoken to me specifically about this property, the process that we are moving through to attempt to lease it, and the ways we need to agree together in declarations for God to do what only He can do.

All of us have to chose between two options as we walk through life with the Lord--we can either step out and take risks when we truly believe we have received his direction and see where that takes us, or we can ignore those directions, not take any risks and wonder what might have been. Long ago, Suzanne and I made our choice that we have to push all of our chips into the middle of the table and bet on God. What else is there, really? And do you know what we've found out? The outcome isn't always what we thought would happen, but God has proved himself to be exceedingly good to us and the journey has been far better than we thought possible!

I share King David's sentiments, who said, "Who am I, Lord God, and what is my lineage, for you to have led me as far as this? Yet, to you, Lord God, this seemed too little, and now you extend your promises for your servant's family into the distant future...Because of your promise and since you were so inclined, you have had the generosity to reveal this to your servant. That is why you are great, Lord God! There is no one like you, no God but you alone, as everything that we have heard confirms." (2 Samuel 7:18-22)

Faith pleases God to no end. It tickles him to see that we trust him when we do not know what is coming. He invites us to live in the certainty that even though we don't know what the future holds, we firmly know who holds our future and we know that it will be a good one!

"'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future!'" (Jeremiah 29:11)

So, is stepping out a little freaky at times? Maybe so, but it's also tremendously exciting to see what God will do when we follow his voice to higher ground. Let's keep going, all of us, in whatever God puts before us. And let's see how faithful God really is!

Hope is Stirring!

2010-05-14T16:43:00.001-07:00

Hope, the way God defines it, is not wishing for something to happen, but it's a giddy anticipation of knowing that what God promised is absolutely going to happen! It's a feeling of almost not being able to contain yourself because you can't wait to see how God is going to come through for you! Huge deposits of hope that have been stored up within you--hope that may have been so hidden you didn't even know it was there, are beginning to burst forth as newfound excitement is overtaking old circumstances!! RISE UP and AGREE with the increased hope that is present! Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." God knows that you cannot go too long without that fire of hope rekindled in your soul, so he continually fulfills your longings from the inheritance that has been marked out for you through Christ, our perpetual Tree of Life!

The enemy's job is to get you to focus on what has not happened yet, rather than on celebrating the goodness of God and what He has done for you. You are blessed beyond measure and you are God's success story!! Don't fall into the trap of discouragement, thinking that difficult circumstances will never change or that you won't find your way out of a more challenging season of your life. God has chapters of your life prepared for you that would make you do flips in the air and squeal in delight, it's so good! Allow yourself to believe what I just said and you will start experiencing the hope that is already within you.

Yes, God is far better than you can imagine and he has mind-boggling plans for you that are unfolding at this very instant. Why? Because he is a Papa who ADORES you and who loves to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Sometimes, we are afraid to hope because we don't want to be disappointed, but if you do not give yourself full permission to hope, you have already lost the battle.

So, the Lord says to you: "Let the hope I have placed inside of you find its expression in the child-like joy of being mine and the certainty of knowing I am working all things out for your very best. Get excited about what I have in store for you because it's much better than you think!"

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart!" (Psalm 37:4)

Hope is Stirring!

2010-05-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart!" (Psalm 37:4)

One-Liners from Bethel Church in Redding

2010-05-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

This past week, Suzanne and I, along with our Elders, went to the Leadership Advance at Bethel Church in Redding. Blazing Fire Church is in submission to Bill Johnson and the Senior Leadership of Bethel Church and we travel up there twice a year to remember our identity as world-changers and bringers of the Kingdom of God. Take in these one-liners and remember how big your God is and how much your life is changing because of Christ in you!

"If I can explain everything that’s going on in my life, I have an inferior God. You don’t want a God that looks just like you!"

"When you’re acting like God, you’re being yourself!"

"Religion is exalting wineskins over the wine--The treasure has always been the wine!"

"Revelation is the product of a friendship with God."

"Passion always looks like sacrifice to people who are not in love."

"The Lord only leads us into a conflict we are ready to win. The only chance the enemy has is to get us to be fearful, to get us disengaged from what the Lord has already done for us!!!"

"The honor I give determines the honor I will receive."

"In a culture of honor, you learn to celebrate who a person is without stumbling over who they are not."

"You would have to be completely intoxicated in the presence of God to believe all that God says will happen and all that he has promised :)"

"Slowing down helps you to go faster--We can only go in Christian activity where we have already gone in rest!"

"Vision gives pain a purpose."

"The people who never make a mistake are people who never do anything."

His Banner over You is LOVE!! And He's NOT changing His mind!

2010-04-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

When the Lord says to you, "I've brought you to my banqueting table and my banner over you is love" (Song of Songs 2:4), he is saying so much more than "I got a great meal for you with a love sign posted over your head!" You see, it's not actually a banquet table, but more literally a wine cellar! And the banner is not a sign, it is a HUGE flag that is hoisted and wildly waved as a sign of victory and triumph! So look at it this way...God ushers you into the deepest places of intimacy with him and as you are toasting to your everlasting relationship together, he breaks out the biggest, most glorious flag you have ever seen because he can't help himself! The love-embroidered flag is leaving splashes of His glory as it rips through the air, trumpeting the finality of your love relationship with Him which has been sealed forever because of the victory of Jesus on the cross!! He is beside himself with joy and laughter, reveling in the unchangeable status of you and He engaged in an eternal gaze of mutual adoration! Lest you think I am stretching the truth, remember His words to you: "You ravish my heart with a single one of your glances" and "You are wholly beautiful, my beloved, and without a blemish!" (Song of Songs 4:9,7)

How is it possible that He sees you without a blemish? With great joy I remind you that Jesus loves the church, his bride, and "gave himself up for her so that He might make her holy, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless!" (Ephesians 5:25-27)

When you know that you are loved like this, you feel lovable and look radiant! Ask God for his eyes to see yourself and then go look in the mirror. I think you're going to be shocked at just how good you look!!

Doug Addison this Saturday night at Blazing Fire!

2010-04-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

I really want to encourage you to come and be filled up and blessed as Doug Addison (www.dougaddison.com) comes to minister at Blazing Fire tomorrow night, Saturday, April 17th (6 pm at Harvest Valley Church, 3200 Hopyard Blvd., Pleasanton, CA). Doug and I are long time friends and he has blessed our socks off many times previously at Blazing Fire. Doug is a highly encouraging prophet and this is sure to be a fun and wild night and one in which you will be encouraged to soar higher in your destiny!

Here is a word that came out on the Elijah List from Doug just 11 days ago:

Four Prophetic Words Being Fulfilled Right Now!

I want to give an update on four prophetic words that I released over the past few months, as we are seeing them begin to unfold. Last year I prophesied that God had brought us all into a wilderness time beginning in 2006. I also saw that in the spring of 2010 something new was going to be released that would begin to catapult people into a new season. I saw a great realignment of people within the Kingdom of God and an attack coming in the area of identity theft. Here are the original words and my thoughts regarding them:

The Wilderness Started in 2006

Several years ago God spoke to me and others about something new from Heaven that was going to be released on the earth in 2005. I was telling people everywhere I went and was helping to prepare for a revival that we knew was and is still to come. Then 2005 came and went with nothing new. In fact, everything began to look the opposite. I did not understand it at the time, but Bob Jones, a prophetic friend of mine, told me that I had not been mistaken with what I had prophesied. He said it just came in a different form than we all expected.

In September 2009 I had a prophetic dream in which I heard the audible voice of God tell me that He really did want to bring something new in 2005, but the majority of Christians were not ready for it. Because of that, God brought us into a time of wilderness which was designed to reveal our motives, heal and prepare us for His greater intentions.

The first month of the wilderness began in January 2006. In my life and ministry I can look at the calendar and see that things began to look completely opposite than what I had expected or heard from God. We had tried to start an outreach center in Hollywood, but suddenly it was like hitting a brick wall. As a result, we moved and lived for three years in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. I got a lot of similar feedback from people everywhere who had experienced the same thing in 2006.

The Wilderness is Over on the First Day of Spring

I was speaking at a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January 2006 with Heidi Baker and Mel Tari when this wilderness time officially began. Just this month, on the first day of spring (March 20, 2010), I was in Albuquerque again speaking at the same church with Mel Tari. God reminded me that it was 50 months ago (January 2006) that the wilderness had begun, and He told me that on the first day of spring of 2010 the wilderness time has officially ended!

Spring Forward

As part of the prophetic insight God gave me for 2010, God showed me that when we set the clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, we will all begin to "Spring Forward" spiritually. Then, when we set the clocks back, things will begin to "Fall into Place." This is beginning to happen right now. I am experiencing it personally, as I am seeing prophetic words and promises God gave me years ago begin to be fulfilled. Many people are reporting feeling new energy, vibrancy, and spiritual hope. We are starting to see breakthrough in the areas of ministry, business, finances, and relationships, and many will begin to see changes almost immediately. This is the season to start something new! Start a new diet, exercise, a business, ministry, or write a new book. This is a time of new beginnings as strategies from Heaven are coming to earth.

Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV) Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

As God releases new things from Heaven, we will experience a great shift of positions. We are seeing this happen as well. I heard three words: Resign, Realign and Reassign. People are being divinely realigned by God right now to increase our Kingdom effectiveness. It has happened in my own ministry and with many people everywhere. I saw a chessboard, and God is strategically positioning us for this next season.

Spiritual Identity Theft

In January 2010 I released a prophetic word about spiritual identify theft, a plan of the enemy to get people to miss their destiny by attacking their identity in Christ. Just last week I had a spiritual experience in the middle of the night in which I battled a dark spirit that had come to literally steal the identity of people. At first I thought it was retaliation against me for releasing the prophetic word. But as I began to share it, I am getting feedback that people everywhere are getting attacked right now in the area of theft. People are getting things stolen, websites and email hacked, and being ripped off of what rightfully belongs to them.

When satan attacks us in a particular area, it is an indicator that this is an area of our life where God is bringing blessing or wants to use for His Kingdom. Since God is releasing new things from Heaven, the enemy will try to distract us and get us to believe that nothing is changing. This is a lie and we need to get "eyes to see" what God is doing in this time of our lives.

Prophetic Word: Year of Destiny

I am prophesying that the wilderness is over, we are springing into new life and finding our identities in Christ like never before. This is a year of destiny and we will begin to fulfill things that have been promised to us. It is a year that we need to develop ourselves personally in the unique way that God has called us. It is time to take action and not be passive. New doors of opportunity are opening and we have new strength and resources to walk through them. The future is now!

Matthew 7:7–8 (NLT) Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Doug Addison
InLight Connection
Email: respond@dougaddison.com

All Has Been Made Right!

2010-04-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Loved and Treasured Friends!

During this Holy week when we especially focus with extreme gratitude all that our beautiful Savior, Jesus accomplished for us on the cross in accordance with the Father's will that we would be His forever, I want to look at this amazing passage in Hebrews:

"At many moments in the past and by many means, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the ages. Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and bears the perfect imprint of God's own being, sustaining all things by his powerful command; and now that he has purged sins away, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high!" (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Jesus is the Father's ultimate and supreme statement of His abundant love for us, His unmerited favor towards us, His extreme graciousness that purges and sustains us, and His unparalleled goodness that continually showers us with His blessings!

As He has proven to us through Jesus, the Father says to us, "You are my greatest treasure! You are worth everything to me! I absolutely must have you as my very own forever and ever. I have left NOTHING to chance! By my will, Jesus took upon himself every hideous thing that would ever try to come between you and me. At the final moment of his sacrifice for you on the cross, I tore the veil that supposedly kept us from being together as though it were a piece of frail tissue paper. And as I did so, I screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO!" No more separation!! No more division!! No more estrangement, disconnection or indifference!! All has been made right!! Never again will my children be at odds with me!! Complete and total reconciliation has been restored!! Never do you need to tip toe into my Presence--I urge you to run with reckless abandon, knocking things over on your way if you must! Come and leap into my waiting arms of love and let's laugh and enjoy life together!! THIS is my heart! For all who have misunderstood me, I sent my Son, Jesus, to perfectly display my unchanging character of love. And please believe me when I tell you that this love is yours forever!"

To Proclaim the Favorable Year of the Lord!

2010-03-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, March 13th, from 3:00-4:45 pm, I will be sharing "The Blazing Fire Story"--our history, vision and values. This is particularly for those of you who have started coming to Blazing Fire Church over the past year or two and want to get caught up on our unique church culture. By ending at 4:45 pm, you will have time to get some dinner before the start of worship at 6:00 pm.

GRAHAM COOKE will be here Friday, March 19th at 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 20th at 6:00 pm!!! We have been waiting for years to have Graham come to Blazing Fire. You REALLY do not want to miss this. No matter what you are experiencing in life, you will leave greatly encouraged and filled with the wonder and awe of who God is and what He has called you to do!! We will be at a larger venue that weekend because of the larger number of people we are expecting. We will be at Celebration Christian Center, 1135 Bluebell Drive in Livermore. This is the same location where we had the Holy Spirit conference last Fall.

To give you a taste of Graham, I am including portions of a word he gave in 2001 called, "To Proclaim the Favorable Year of the Lord." This word got inside me and changed me! It is just as true now as it was then. Grab hold of this and watch the favor of God take over your life! It's a bit long, but well worth reading as many times as it takes until you believe it!

This is a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor of God. This is a year when the anointing on your church will experientially increase. This is a year of corporate anointing so profound that it will be sometimes like an open heaven in your meetings. The Lord says whatever you can do to get together and collectively dream about together, you wouldn't even hit the mark of what God has really got planned for you.

This is a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor of God. It's a year of God's favor on your family, it's a year of favor on your marriage. Let me tell you right now, whatever marriage difficulties you are having, the Lord is saying to you, this year if you believe, He will reconnect you. And it will be like it was in the beginning. The romance, the love, the favor, the kindness. For your marriage, a year of unprecedented favor. For your kids a year of unprecedented favor of God upon your family. It's a year when the prodigals will return. When God is going to reach out as you pray, as you believe, as you come and as you put their names on the alter of God, and say, Lord, please this year. It'll be a year when God will begin to touch the hearts of children who are far away from Him. And He will begin to move in upon their hearts. And I tell you, He will pursue them like the hound of heaven. There is no escape from the mercy and the glory of God. It doesn't matter how far they go, how far they fallen, and where they are. The Lord is saying this is a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor upon your family. And not just your immediate family, but your family line. Whatever curses have been upon your family can be removed this year.

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EVEN IF AMERICA EXPERIENCES AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN? YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE OPPOSITE!
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It's a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor of God. Just in your jobs, if you've ever been passed over for promotion. If you've ever not made a raise, if you're finding it difficult to make sales, the Lord is saying to you, This is a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor of God. That when you go out to make deals, pray for the favor of God. And you pray for your company that the favor of God will be upon them. It doesn't matter what economic down-turn America is going to experience, you are going to experience the opposite. Pray for your company, pray for your business because this is a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor of God. Because you see, you are the people of God and you get to prosper when other people are not. That's how everyone knows that the favor of God is upon you. Because they may be subject to the economic vagaries of life, but we are not because we are the people of God and we are living in the favor of God.

There's prosperity in your jobs, in your finances and the Lord says this is the year to give like you've never given before. And He will give to you pressed down, shaken together and running over. Beloved, it's not like after 12 months, the tap is going to turn off. This 12 months is catch up time. We should have been living here all along. We've given up on things, we've stopped praying about things, we've stopped expecting God, we've stopped believing God for things. This is a year when we are playing catch up. It's not like after 12 months it's going to stop, it's going to continue. This whole 12 months is about you getting back on track with where you should always have been living.

The favor of God upon you will cause you to come into such a place with God that you will get revenge on the enemy for everything he has ever done. Listen. You know, personally, I would make a list. I would make a list. Cause I want pay-back for everything. I want payback with interest, thank you very much.

You know God will turn your captivity into a ministry. Whatever your struggles have been, there is a spirit of breakthrough this year. Whatever your past history, this is a year of jubilee. This is a year of breakthrough. This is a year when you will break out, you'll break in, you'll break through. On the right hand and on the left. Whatever has oppressed your family will be broken. Wherever you've been a victim, God will make you a hero in that very same area. This is revenge, big time.

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THIS YEAR, PROPHECIES TO BE RESTORED . . . FULFILLED
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Whatever previous prophecies have been spoken over you the Lord says to you, "This year, take those words back because the answer is still yes!" God will restore what the locust has eaten, God will restore what the enemy has stolen. There will be grace upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace, upon grace upon us. Because in this year you are going to understand what the nature of God really is like.

Beloved, this is a holy moment. You don't want to waste this time. I tell you something, it will be possible for you to go through this year and not experience a tenth of what God wants to give you. You need to take this word 365 days, not just the next few weeks. Don't let go of this word. You know, we've wasted opportunities in the past.

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GET REVENGE WITH THE ENEMY IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS
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This is a year designed to get you back on track with God. So if I were you, if you were really sensible, you would make adjustments really early on. Get revenge in the next couple of months. Get yourself totally sorted out in the next two months. Then you got ten months after that to enjoy what God's going to do with you. Don't wait. I'm serious. I'm as serious as a heart attack, don't wait. Don't wait. Don't treat this lightly or casually. Go to war with it. Every single day, think "favor". Every single day! Every single situation you come in, you go into it saying, "Father, I know I have favor in these circumstances, what should I do?" Every single thing, every single day, for the next twelve months, until it gets into your mind, this is the way you should be living. Until you are so soaked in the spirituality of this you cannot change. Until your mind set is so set on the favor and goodness of God, it is impossible for you to be any different.

This is a year of unprecedented, unparalleled, favor of God. When you will become a people of promise and the promise here in this passage is that you will have a garland instead of ashes. See life won't taste like dust in your mouth. There will be a fragrance there. You will have the oil of gladness for mourning. What does that mean? It means you'll never be miserable again. It means there is an oil of gladness upon you. It's a glad heart, a glad eye, a glad ear. You're a person of glad tidings, people are glad to see you. It means there is a mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness. What does that mean? It means whatever oppressive spirit is over you or over your community, you're going to replace it with the mantle of praise.

Also it means that you're going to be an oak of righteousness that's planted by the Lord in that community and people are going to come and congregate under your shade. It means that other people will bless you abundantly. It means that you will be called priests and ministers of God. It means that the prosperity that God flows on you, you will be able to use for Kingdom purposes. It means you'll have a double portion where there was once shame. It means there are going to be days when you just shout for sheer joy of what God is doing. It means you'll have a double portion in the land. What does that mean? It means you've got a double portion in your community. That God is going to have an investment in your community.

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IT'S GOING TO BE JOY EVERLASTING!
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This joy that you have is not going to be transient, it's going to be everlasting. You know, because I'll tell you, some of us need to be trained to be joyful. That's true. I'll tell you, some of us find it so easy to be flippin' miserable. And God is going to train you to be joyful. But you've got to realize that this joy is everlasting because God is the happiest person I have ever met in my entire life. And what that means is, it doesn't matter what the enemy throws at us, we just stand there and grin. Because we know something he doesn't know. We are fighting a good fight and we ain't losing.

See, you're going to get this new testimony about the nature of God. The yoke is going to snap through the anointing. And because of all of that a spirit of restoration will be upon you. And you will rebuild ancient ruins. You'll raise up devastated areas.

Burn the Fat and BE the Fire!

2010-03-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Wonderful Friends!

Last Saturday I began my message talking about my time praying with Peter Holthe, Kara's husband, who was battling cancer (you can hear what I said on podcast by going to www.blazingfire.org). I said that he was very close to being home with Jesus. I didn't know it at the time, but it turns out that Peter was already home with Jesus when I spoke those words. He passed from life to More Life just about the time we concluded the worship portion of our service (about 7:30 pm). Although Peter did not attend Blazing Fire, I had the distinct privilege of getting to know him in quite a special way over these past two weekends. Kara has been coming to Blazing Fire for several years, and for those of you who wish to surround her with loving support, you are warmly invited to Peter's memorial service to be held this Saturday, March 6th, at 2 pm at The Church on the Hill, 20801 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon, CA, with a reception following at the Senior Center in Dublin. If you would be willing to help with some of the set up and clean up of the sanctuary, please respond to this e-mail to let me know.

This coming Saturday night at Blazing Fire will be a very special family time together, hearing from the missionaries returning from Israel and as well as a few others. We will end with prophetic ministry to bring great encouragement, hope and vision to God's people!

Last Saturday at our service, I read a prophetic word from Chuck Pierce that we acted upon by allowing the Fire of God to burn away those things in our life which were holding us down. It was a pretty wild night and I expect that much good fruit will spring forth from the faith that was displayed last Saturday. Here is that word:

Dear Glory Seekers:

We are entering a new glory realm. This is such a key time and the Lord is calling us forth to "see His glory." We are developing a new identity in this new season. We wear the glory. Ask the Lord for a new prophetic release and a new level of supply. Wealth and glory go together. This past week the Lord has shown me some patterns to help us move forward. We must discern our present place and go beyond.

As we gathered this past week, the Lord spoke: "You will go beyond where you have been in the past. You had fire in one season, but now you will go beyond and BE fire for the next season. You will draw back the bow and shoot beyond where you have gone in the past. You will ford and eddy and you will go into that water, and yet you will not back up when the water deepens around you. You will go beyond!"

I see a picture. It's almost like you were lost in a snow storm and you've been pressing to find your way out. You are almost through the forest, but you feel like you need to lie down and sleep—that it is too hard to press on through. I hear the Lord say, "The fire is coming in you and melting away what is trying to cause you to slumber in this season. You have lost your 'soul press.' I am rekindling your soul, for there is an identity in you that is going to be fiery and will burn your way through this season. Momentum is coming through the fire gate. Catch the moment and you will create the event you've been watching for. You have said, 'The event is escaping me.' Catch the moment when I blow up through your soul and awaken the past deposits of My glory that have fallen asleep.

"Your soul has been dry and your soul has cried, but today there is a sound of rushing waters in your soul that is causing your soul not only to be healed, but to see. By seeing deep into your soul, your identity will be displayed. Allow the rivers flowing from My throne to flow in your soul so that your soul comes alive in Me with new energy to press forward. Your soul will now see! You have not seen your identity reflect the desires deep within you. I am causing a river to cause a reflection to come through you that you have not seen.

"The identities of My people in the earth are now changing and they will have a different identity as they cross into their future. Remove that which is not reflecting Me. Words have been spoken that stopped you from digesting My word in the past and stopped you with fear from branching out into places that I am calling you to branch out into. Those words are now being pushed out by the River and the Fire in you so that you will have a boldness to say, 'This is who I am in this season.'

"There is a smell of sacrifice that I am calling to arise from My people, because the fire that was once burning has been rekindled. You have smelled the burning from the past but have not seen the fire. Smell the burning and watch, for the fire will come alive. I am blowing on the fire. The smell of burning is on you, but now the fire will blaze in you. There must be a release of new fire through My people. Ask Me to open that fire gate and cause the smell of burning that has been purifying you in the last several months to turn to a new, blazing fire.

"The fat is going in the fire! You have been trying to lose weight on your own, in the flesh. You have been trying to get rid of weight—not just physically, but spiritual weights—and the fat is going in the fire. The fire gate of Heaven is opening and the fat is in the fire! You will move toward the river and go beyond the river and the depth you have been in the past season."

LeAnn Squier shared: One of the things about fat is that all the toxins are stored there. It is so good of God to say for us just to throw all of the fat on the fire. I also thought about how Paul was bitten by the serpent and shook it off into the fire. The Lord is saying, "There is a lot of stuff in the fat of that past season that I am asking you to offer Me, because there are serpents in it. I'm asking you to shake it off and let Me consume it on My fire, on My altar.

"Bring a sacrifice to Me. Go forward beyond where you have been before. Bring a sacrifice of you to Me, and in your sacrificing to Me, what has been held up (brooding within you) now will begin to move out of you and deliverance will come. You will find yourself standing in the place that I have longed for you to stand. Deliverance now has been activated. The flood gate, the fire gate of deliverance, have now opened up and deliverance is moving through My people. They are sacrificing to Me in a new way. Watch Me set a fire within you!"

Lastly, I wanted to share with you some cool things that Terry Lawrence saw in the Spirit last Saturday night at Blazing Fire:

Last night at Blazing Fire, our Jesus showed up in a different way that I have ever seen Him at BFC before!!! YAY! He was as tall as the ceiling. He was wearing a loose tan, coarse looking but soft ,cloth tunic that came down to His calves, and with loose sleeves that came to about his elbows (the cloth glowed! ), and dark brown dreadlocks (can we call them lovelocks?).

Part of the time Brent was teaching Jesus was standing in front of him swaying gently side to side, looking and listening but He also kissed Brent on the head a few times and stood behind him once with His hands on his shoulders. At times He danced; always joyful, deeply loving, deeply peaceful and those attributes flowed over us from His very Presence. During the drum time at the end Jesus was beating a drum too, very energetically and having a grand time dancing very enthusiastically at times!

The atmosphere was full of light,healing and deliverance. [There must be many testimonies today of what Jesus did last night, today and forever!]

When Brent talked about the Lion of the Tribe of Judah…The Lion showed up with the enemy in His mouth, shaking , shaking, shaking him! I can hear Him growling now as I write this! J He was huge too, almost as tall as the ceiling, golden tan, glowing mane, fierce but kind, confidently powerful, enjoying Himself and definitely “not tame, but very good.”

YAY JESUS!!!! YAY JESUS!!!!

Change for Saturday + BFC's History, Vision & Values!

2010-02-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends,

Just a quick e-mail this week to let you know two things.

No Stephen DeSilva this Saturday
Stephen DeSilva from Bethel Church in Redding will not be speaking at Blazing Fire Church tomorrow night due to illness. Nothing serious, but he needed to stay home and rest. We have rescheduled him to come on May 8th! The good news is that Jesus is still going to be there on Saturday and he wants to hang out with YOU!! I will be speaking Saturday night and we will also hear a bit from Karissa Glanville, author of The Realm, a fascinating Fiction story about the realms of light and darkness.

Blazing Fire Church's History, Vision & Values: March 13th!
On Saturday, March 13th, from 3-4:45 pm, I will share how God orchestrated things in my life that lead to the start of Blazing Fire Church 8 years ago and share a brief overview of our history as a church. I will briefly describe the vision and values of our church as well. EVERYONE is welcome to attend this meeting and it is especially an attempt to help those of you who have been coming more recently to catch you up as to who we are and why we do things the way we do. The meeting will take place at our regular place of worship, Harvest Valley Christian Church, 3200 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton. There will be time after the meeting to go get a bite to eat for dinner before the service starts at 6:00 pm that night.

I declare MASSIVE blessings, favor, grace, love, joy, and peace upon you!!!

Doors Are Opening!

2010-02-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

I continue to be GREATLY encouraged in this new year. Something within me has intensified--both the passion to know my Jesus more closely than I ever have before and the heightened desire to see my Father's Kingdom breaking forth upon the earth, and more specifically, in the Bay Area! No matter what is happening in your life, I URGE you to keep your attention focused on the great big smile of the Lord and on the steadiness of his eyes upon you, giving you the confidence and boldness to be who you truly are! There's no time for His Bride to be moping around in discouragement. We are LOVED! We are EMPOWERED! We are bringers of God's LIGHT! We are releasers of God's ENCOURAGEMENT! We are carriers of God's GLORY! We are GREAT beyond measure! We are UNITED with CHRIST! NOTHING is impossible for those who know their King! NOTHING!!

Recently, I had a dream where I could not open a door because the handle was missing. As I turned to get something to repair it, a "Fix-It Man" was already passing me by, not with a doorknob, but with an entire new door! Now just Who do you suppose that "Fix-It Man" was? You guessed it...Jesus was already on it! The things you haven't been able to fix or do for yourself or make happen, Jesus is ready to do for you! He's already on it!

This dream fits right into a portion of a word on the Elijah List by Taffie Furr that greatly encouraged me a week or two back. I pray it does the same for you:

Prophesied on January 8, 2010 in Albany, Oregon at The ElijahList's "What is God Saying for 2010?" Conference

"2010 is a year of your transitioning being established into positioning. Many doors, both big and small, that have been kept both hidden and sealed closed, shall be made obviously visible and opened.

"Your pathways shall be cleared away for a free and steady run as you seek My instructions and walk in obedience to both My rhema and logos word. Remain where you are until the clarity of My Spirit overtakes you for the next jog of your journey. Yes, this time will be known as being fast-paced because acceleration is upon you and set in motion upon the season, but it will not be without rest and it will not be aggressively strenuous. I am in it and all over it and I give rest and joy, not heavy burdens."

I have given the order—promises fulfilled for those who have been, and are willing to wait upon the Lord. Take it, receive it, move and live in it," says the Spirit of the Lord. "The vault of Heaven is opened to My children and I will pour out My blessings and treasures, multiplied, as you are willing to receive in faith, knowing that I am good and that My word produces, supplies and never runs dry.

"As the world looks for and is assuming the worst, I am fulfilling the desires of My precious Bride and giving you the best.

Taffie Furr

Finally, some of you have been asking for the links to the youtube videos I showed last Saturday night at Blazing Fire Church. Here is the one about how much your heavenly Father loves you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmd64f9C21s (the first few seconds are black, so keep watching!)

And here are the two clips I used to talk about our intimacy with the Lord being like the relationship Lucy had with Aslan, even burying her face into His mane! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0AwNDoUTbE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qMwk7azBs

Enjoy!

Enjoy Me in the Journey!

2010-02-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Amazing Passionate Followers of Jesus!

On this journey that we are on with Jesus, we often get really down on ourselves if we don't think we are where we ought to be. The problem is, I don't know anyone who is completely where they want to be since all of us are still in the catch up phase of apprehending all that has already taken place when we received our brand new life in Christ.

In light of that, I hear God saying to each one of you,
"Chillax and enjoy Me in the journey more! It doesn't always look the way you think it should, but I assure you that I am taking you to good places! And don't be so hard on yourself as we travel together. I am constantly changing and molding you to look just like my Son, Jesus, and I know JUST how to do it in your life. I have given you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), one that is responsive and sensitive to my touch and my voice. Yes, you DO hear my voice (John 10:27) and I am lovingly teaching you that responding to my Spirit within you is your life-line. I want to remind you that anything the enemy does to try and slow you down, I will use to accelerate your growth! I AM trustworthy!! I AM faithful!! I AM good in all that I do!! I AM convincing you that the death blow of my Son's death on the cross to your old sin nature was 100% complete! Nothing from your old way of life has power over you any longer! (Rom. 6:6) You live solely to please me now. YOU ARE MINE! I won't share you with another. I am causing a distaste in you for anything that draws you away from me. I have put within you a voracious appetite for my presence. You will continually eat from my Tree of Life and continually drink from my River of Living Water! 2010 is a year of MASSIVE victory for you! You will stand at the end of this year, look back, and be amazed at all I have done. BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!!"

The Sparkle in My Eyes!

2010-01-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

I asked the Lord how He wanted to encourage you today and this is what I heard:

My Children,

Look into my eyes and see the sparkle. That sparkle is there because I am looking at YOU! Don’t lose hope! All is going according to my plans. Trust me and enjoy the journey more. You are worried about many things that you do not have control over, but I have already told you that I will take care of you. I know how to get you from where you are to where I am taking you. And where I am taking you is a GOOD place. Do you know why? Because I am a GOOD Father and I am taking you deeper and deeper into where and who I am! I will do all that I have said I will do in your life and in this world! Whenever you start to fear or become discouraged, look even deeper into my eyes. See the joy, the delight, the absolute certainty that all is well!!

Then the Lord highlighted these three verses from the book of Isaiah:

“Lord, you will grant us peace, having completed all our undertakings for us.” (Is. 26:12)

“Do you hear? Long ago I prepared this, from days of old I actually planned it. Now I carry it out.” (Is. 37:26)

“The jealous love of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this!” (Is. 26:32)

Extended Worship this Saturday the 9th + Encouragement from Doug Addison!

2010-01-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Amazing Friends!

About two weeks ago, I met an amazing woman, Lani Netter, who is the wife of Gil Netter, the producer of "The Blind Side" as well as many other movies ("A Walk in the Clouds", "Fever Pitch" & "Marley and Me", to name just a few). Lani has been interceding for Hollywood for quite a while and is seeing the fruit of her labor coming forth. She has a great passion to see the mountain of entertainment ruled by Jesus! I am super excited to announce that Lani Netter will be coming to speak Blazing Fire on January 23rd, as well as speaking at Wildfire (youth group) on Monday night, January 25th, and at our Kingdom Training School of Supernatural Ministry on January 26th. She will be sharing about how and why "The Blind Side" is shaking Hollywood (it has grossed well over 200 million dollars!) as well as sharing some of her own personal journey in how God has prepared her for such a time as this.

Also, I want to encourage you to come this Saturday, January 9th, for our Extended Night of Worship from 5:00-11:00 pm to spend 6 hours enjoying the presence of God and also receiving prophetic or healing ministry (come at 5:30 pm for sign-ups to receive ministry).

Here is a really encouraging word from Doug Addison, who will be coming to speak at Blazing Fire in April:

A really great thing about God is that He sees us as who we are becoming through His love and power. As He looks at our lives, He knows our past, understands our present, and can see us in the future, all at the same time. His love, mercy, and grace are unfathomable. Imagine the possibilities if we could see ourselves the same way that God sees us. Much of the time we are not able to see our purpose and destiny with much clarity, so we are required to rely on faith. The principle of faith allows us to trust that there is something special and unique for us, even if our experiences have been the opposite. Sometimes there is great resistance or even setbacks before we are able to get into the fullness of God's desires for us. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV

We need to be certain of the fact that God has nothing but good intentions for us, even though we may not see them yet. You'll see this in this powerful Biblical principle: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

These are God's intentions for us. His plans are to prosper us, to give us hope and a future. If you read on, you'll see the benefits of grasping this. Then (after you discover God's plans for you) you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 NIV

We must see what God is doing in our lives and work with Him to bring it about. It's time to take a stand against what satan has in mind for us and come into line with God's wonderful intentions for us. If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed. Proverbs 29:18 The Message

Our Identity is in Christ!

The foundation of my life is this: in Christ, I am a new creation, and all the old thoughts and behaviors no longer have power over me. I am being renewed every day with God's love and character. I share in God's divine nature because God's Spirit lives in me. I am free from condemnation and have the strength to live my life free of despairing thoughts and the competing desires of my flesh. I am God's workmanship, created to do good works, which God has prepared ahead of time for me to accomplish. I am more than a conqueror through God who loves me. I have a clear mind and can make good decisions. I am increasing daily in faith, strength, wisdom, and love. I am able to love others because God has first loved me.

New Years Bliss!

2009-12-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hello Wonderful Friends!

I am declaring over each and every one of you the most blessed and favor-filled, outrageous, amazing, and stupendous New Year and New Decade in Jesus!! You are further along in your destiny than ever before and God has not forgotten a single one of his precious promises over your life! Each day that you are given the gift of life on this earth, you are one step further along in the journey that the Lord has planned for you before the foundation of the earth--A plan to prosper you and not to harm you, a plan to give you hope and a future!! (Jer. 29:11) Be massively encouraged that you are right in the heart of God's best for you! Don't lose hope! Keep going! You are doing so much better than you think!!

Thanks for the friendship and love and encouragement that you all keep on pouring over Suzanne and myself. You're the best!

If you are looking for some place to go tonight to celebrate the New Year, I have 7 suggestions for you:

1. IHOP, East Bay--8 pm to Midnight at Parkway Baptist Church, 7485 Village Parkway, Dublin, CA

2. Fred Long's place--7 pm, 785 Hampton Road, Hayward, CA

3. Charles & Tina Razzel's place, 8 pm, 1805 Brooktree Way, Pleasanton, CA

4. Sausalito Christian Fellowship--7 pm at 131 Filbert Ave., Sausalito, CA. Blazing Fire's Janet Shottelkorb will be leading worship!

5. Harvest House in Fremont, 6 pm-Midnight--Worship & Praying for the 7 mountains of influence! - 40645 Fremont Blvd., Suite 10A, Fremont, CA

6. New Ecstatics w/Ben Dunn & John Crowder, 9 pm @ Studio E, 152 Harvey West Blvd., Santa Cruz, CA

7. Stay at home and sit at the feet of Jesus! Now there's a choice that will never be taken away from you!!

We are going to have an extremely powerful time together this Saturday night, January 2nd, at Blazing Fire Church as we make bold declarations from heaven to earth!!! Expect shifts to happen! We will most likely end in a New Year's blessing tunnel!! It all starts at 6 pm at our usual location, 3200 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton.

I look forward to seeing many of you and ushering the new decade in with authority and much joy!!

Christmas Night - 2009

2009-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hello Wonderful Friends!

Just a quick note to share something that was on my heart for you today. Sometimes because of all the stress getting ready for Christmas, there can be a feeling of let-down. You might think to yourself, "I did all that for this?!!"

If you are feeling any sort of post-Christmas blues whatsoever, let me assure you that nothing of eternal significance has changed since yesterday, nor will it be different tomorrow...You are still Daddy's favorite! You are still the delight of His eyes! You still touch his heart more deeply than you will ever know! Wonderful Holy Spirit still lives within you! Jesus has still paid the full price for your freedom! And you still have a destiny as a world-changer, loving people one heart at a time!

No matter how you are feeling, remember this:
"Jesus is so completely able to rescue and preserve those who come to God through him because he is always alive to intercede on their behalf." (Hebrews 7:25)

You know what that means? You can have on off day, but Jesus never does! He's always on and He's always for you. He neither sleeps nor slumbers (Ps. 121), but his eye is upon you, and he is declaring God's truth over you, finishing the good work he started in you!

Hope your day-after-Christmas is filled with the joy and peace of knowing that you belong to the Lord...and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that...

A Merry Christmas! - Dec 17, 2009

2009-12-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

As Christmas approaches, I declare the Peace of Jesus upon you! If you need more of that peace, take a listen to my sermon last week, "The Prince of Peace" on our podcast.

Be encouraged by this brief description of the "real" story of St. Nicholas:

St. Nicholas should be an inspiration to us all. He was a godly man whose reputation for giving to people caused him to be a revered example of what compassion and giving are all about. He was not a jolly large man who climbed down chimneys, and he didn't have flying reindeer.

A Gift From God
Nicholas and his parents lived in Turkey in the third century and were Christians. Nicholas' parents had prayed and asked God for a child, much as Abraham and Sarah had done. From the time Nicholas was born in about A.D. 280, they considered him a gift from God. Diligently, they taught their young son devotion to God and to be very generous to the poor. Although they both died when Nicholas was in his teens, their heritage of living for God and giving followed Nicholas.

Ordained as a young teenager, Nicholas entered the priesthood at age 19. His uncle, the bishop who ordained him, prophesied that Nicholas would offer guidance and consolation to many people, that he would eventually become a bishop, and that he would live a life of enlightenment. Eventually he did become the bishop of a small, coastal village, and his influence spread into many nations.

Many accounts have been written about the life of Nicholas. It was said that he would spend all night studying God's Word to bring it to the people. He was known for helping the poor, for praying, fasting and standing steadfast in faith and goodness. Many miracles were brought about through his prayers. Included among the accounts of his ministry is the report of twin brothers who were raised from the dead. It was written that one could hardly keep count of the virtue and goodness he spread around him.

When Nicholas died on December 6, A.D. 343, he is said to have quoted Psalm 11 with his last breath, "In the Lord I put my trust." In the Greek language, the name Nicholas means "victorious" or "hero of the people," and he did indeed become a very popular figure in the centuries that followed his death. Stories of Nicholas spread throughout Greece and into Russia. He became the popular patron saint of Russians, who called him "Nikolai, the wonderworker."

The story of the true St. Nicholas is a beautiful picture of the giving that Christmas is really about. St. Nicholas represents the giving heart of our Heavenly Father, Who always gives good gifts. The greatest gift of all is the gift of Jesus Christ to us from God the Father. Jesus is our hope, redemption and victory. He is our advocate with the Father, our blood-covenant Friend Who will never leave nor forsake us. In Him, we have the joy of living a heavenly life on earth.

He is the meaning of Christmas "Christ mass" means "anointing celebration." It's the celebration of "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power…." It's the celebration of how the anointed Jesus "…went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil…" (Acts 10:38). It's the story of our triumphant Savior—Jesus, the Christ—the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Now, that's a Merry Christmas!

There Is A River - Dec 12, 2009

2009-12-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

Daddy approves of you! Yes, YOU! You are the delight of His eyes and you are exactly what he wanted when he made you! If you do nothing else today, take time to snuggle up to your Heavenly Papa and take in the love! That is the ONE THING that will truly make your heart merry this season! Oh, and then go spread the love the first chance you get! Papa loves it when you do that!!

Last Saturday during and after our time of worship, I sensed and felt a huge, strong River that was flowing through the church building and, subsequently, right through each person who was present! The Lord led me to play my Native American double flute while encouraging each person to receive from that heavenly River exactly what they needed: love, mercy, healing, peace, forgiveness, strength, hope--absolutely anything and everything we needed was available!

Here is one testimony from Cheryl Field, who was there that night:

Pastor Brent,

I have to tell you want happened Saturday night! When you asked us to stand for healing, I stood up for my brother who has hidradenitis and my 16-year-old nephew who has Crone's disease, even though I have been in constant pain in my shoulder. On the way home, I asked Papa to heal my shoulder and take the pain away. Later, around 11:30 pm, I was laying in bed re-reading Blazing Fire's Core Values, and my heart started to race and I felt Holy Spirit's presence...all of a sudden my shoulder started quivering and shaking like I have never seen before! The pain was gone!!! This morning is the first time in I don't know how long that I didn't wake up in pain or have to take any Tylenol! Papa is so awesome! Thank You Holy Spirit, and Jesus for making it possible!!!

In Papa's love, Cheryl

Thank you, Jesus! We are seeing more and more miracles of people being completely healed and set free! And do you know why? Because the river of God's love and presence and power and joy is flowing mightily from his throne and it's getting deeper and wider all the time!! (see Ezekiel 47) The Source of that refreshing, cleansing Water from Heaven is nothing less than the Father's heart, and let me tell you, His heart is infinite and it is unlimited! God's supernatural world is totally invading the natural world that we see with our eyes and ears. And it's only going to increase because the Kingdom is always advancing!!

Psalm 46:4 says, "There is a River whose streams bring joy to God's city. It sanctifies the dwelling of the Most High."

That river is not just a fun concept--a nice idea. It's REAL!!!

So, I declare this river of supernatural joy to gush upon you and within you RIGHT NOW! I declare that river to break forth from you, bursting out from your belly (John 7:38) to saturate a hurting and severely malnourished world with blessing and encouragement straight from God's heart--through you--to theirs!

Anyone for some River rafting?! The water level is UP...again!!

SO Thankful for YOU! - November 26, 2009

2009-11-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!!

Paul's words from 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 are a perfect expression of how Suzanne and I feel about all of you:

"You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure, it's a must! We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally and your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it's only right that we give thanks. We're SO proud of you! You're so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have come down on you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you." (The Message Bible)

It's actually quite true! Whenever I talk about what God is doing at Blazing Fire, I start talking about the obvious transformation I see happening in you all over the months and years as you have willingly embraced the truth of the Father's deep love for you and the astounding grace that is yours because of the finished work Jesus on the cross!

After 8 wonderful years of this journey called Blazing Fire, our hearts are FILLED with gratitude to the Lord for surrounding us with so many passionate lovers of Jesus! Thanks so much for helping to make the journey so fun and meaningful! We are truly blessed to have so many amazing friends!!

Love,
Brent & Suzanne

P.S. The Lord graciously multiplied food (turkey, mashed potatoes & pie) last Saturday at the Oakland homeless outreach! Karen shared about it at Blazing Fire and another server told us her story of the same phenomenon--more and more food every time they went back to check! How cool is that?!!

The God Who Heals - Nov 20, 2009

2009-11-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of years before Jesus came on the scene to walk the earth and display the true heart of His Father who loves and heals his children, there was a man who 'got it' to the core of his being--He knew the depth of God's love and compassion that is displayed in miracles, signs and wonders.

The man's name was King David, and this is what he said about his amazing God:

"Bless the Lord, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness. He forgives all your offences, cures all your diseases, he redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with faithful love and tenderness; he contents you with good things all your life and renews your youth like an eagle's." (Psalm 103:

God has never changed. Everything David said was true, and Jesus came to demonstrate the true nature of his Father with extravagant acts of love and power. Yet, a battle still lingers, mostly in the confines of our own minds, about the goodness of God. Not wanting us imprisoned with the misconceptions that have been perpetuated by the enemy, God is graciously revealing more and more of the depth of his great love toward us, causing us to see Him for who He really is.

As a result, we are seeing a dramatic increase in how God is powerfully touching and healing people. A few weeks ago, a teenager came to Blazing Fire's worship service in desperate need of deliverance. He was in a very dark place and wanted freedom, but didn't know how to receive it. In the middle of the worship, God gripped this young man's heart, so much so, that for over an hour he was taken by God to a place in the Spirit that was 'other than' where he was standing in the natural. In that place, God was sovereignly and supernaturally setting him free to the point where he became a radically changed person. The most amazing part of the story is that no human being prayed for him! God just did it! Two Saturdays ago, there were well over 50 people healed of ailments, injuries and diseases. Most of you have heard by now of a creative miracle that took place that night as Lee Betancourt (who oversees our outreach to the homeless in Oakland) had the tip of his pinkie finger, that had been chopped off in an industrial accident 35 years before, grow back!! Lee and Daniel (who was praying for him) watched in utter amazement as God not only grew the 1/2" of his finger back out in a matter of seconds, but even fully restored the nail as well!! Come on!!!!!!!!!! That's just absurdly astounding!! A testimony like this will mess with you!! Just who is this God, anyway??? Well, He's so glad you asked because he really wants to show you. And when you see greater and greater displays of his power (and that is absolutely going to happen), just know that he is really displaying the fullness of his love towards you and all of his children.

What David saw and what Jesus demonstrated, is what we are seeing before our very eyes: God is GOOD and He cannot withhold his extravagant love for us!! And that love is showing itself in dramatic ways--He can't help himself!!

Are you ready? Because we are entering into unchartered territory where the outrageous goodness of God is going to surpass our ability to even explain what He's doing. Here we go!!!!!!!!!

A Perpetual Party! Oct 31, 2009

2009-10-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday at Blazing Fire Church we had a blow-out party at our Father's house where He shares His full inheritance with us forever! (And can I say that you all know how to party in the Spirit?!!) This was just after having the finest robe of righteousness put over our shoulders, the ring of power and authority to represent our Father put on our finger, and the shoes of sonship and daughtership placed on our feet! We had to celebrate because we BELONG!

At this point in the evening, I forgot the to share with you the significance of killing the fatted calf which was the punchline of the story. As the story is told in Luke 15, they killed the fatted calf that had been prepared for this celebration. The Bible tells us that Jesus, as the sacrificial lamb, was slain before the foundation of the earth for our sins (Rev. 13:8). In other words, Jesus' sacrifice was not in reponse to man's sin, but was prepared ahead of time for us by God, who being completely outside of time, knew of and prepared for our desperate need for a Savior from the very beginning. Wow!

But there did come a time when the fulness of that salvation plan came to pass in our time line of history. And when Jesus died on the cross two thousand years ago, the perpetual celebration party of the Father's unconditional love and acceptance of his wayward children officially began!

Absolutely EVERYONE has been invited to this party! The offer has gone out to each and every child of God to come back home to the Father's house and enjoy His deep pleasure. This is the exceptionally Good News that we must continue to convey to a world who has been lied to by the enemy that God is angry and does not love them or want them. We cannot make people come to the party, but we sure can speak of the goodness of the Father's heart until they come to their senses and make their way back to the One who adores them! And we never have to be apologetic for continually celebrating in the truth of God's passionate love, enduring faithfulness and unending mercy towards us!

If you happened to miss the fun, please re-live it with us on the free podcast that you can find on our home page at www.blazingfire.org.

Also, if you missed some or all of the Holy Spirit conference with Jason Upton, Sean Smith & Dennis Rainier, you can purchase CD's or DVD's of the various sessions by going to: www.revivalcryresources.com.

It's Party Time Tonight! - Oct 24, 2009

2009-10-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Amazing Friends!

When my sons, Derek and Aaron, were growing up, Suzanne and I loved planning parties for them and we loved even more having the parties--watching them laugh as they played with their friends and enjoying their faces light up with the delight of feeling special. And there was something exceptionally fun about watching them open a gift that sent them squealing with joy. An outsider looking in might think that the gift was excessive and over-the-top. But we couldn't help ourselves...and we didn't want to. That's the joy of lavishing love on your children!

Your Father in heaven loves a good party! So much so, that he's the one throwing it! When Jesus told Parables to let people know what his Father was really like, he made it pretty clear that his Dad loved parties. When the lost sheep was found... he threw a party! When a lost coin was found...he threw a party! And when his lost son came home, even after wasting the Father's inheritance, he simply had to throw a party! And not just a quaint little tea party, but an all-out, kill-the-fatted-calf, everybody-get-crazy-fun bash! (Luke 15) What explanation can you give for this kind of excessiveness? The best one I can think of is that God is just really, really happy and he loves to spread the joy around! And just what brings him so much joy that he can't help himself and can't keep it to himself? I believe that deep down inside of you, you already know the answer to that one. YOU do! YOU bring him intense joy! You bring him so much joy that he looks for ways to lavish his love on you. And he looks for gifts to give you that are over-the-top and excessive. Not because he has to but because he wants to. That's what love does!

YOU are the one he must have! One glance from YOU turns his heart inside out! The one He is lovesick for is YOU! And since the price has been paid for in full by Jesus on the cross to have you as His very own forever, he chooses to throw a perpetual party!

During tonight's worship service at Blazing Fire, Saturday, October 24th, we're going to enjoy the Father's Party together!! I'm going to preach from the story of the excessively lavish love of the Father from the parable that Jesus told in Luke 15. And at the end, we're going to celebrate! Not just a little, "wa hoo," mind you. But a "WAAAAA HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" party! The exceptionally Good News is worth getting really, really happy about! And why wouldn't you? You're made in the image of your Father who happens to love throwing parties. And even better than that, you are the object of his great affection!

So, bring your shofars and tambourines and even a party hat if you want to. It's time for the younger sons & daughters to come back home and it's time for the elder sons and daughters to stop working for what is already theirs, so that we can all thoroughly enjoy our Father who absolutely adores all of his children!

A Rising Up Is Happening! - Oct 9, 2009

2009-10-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Amazing Friends!

I want to share with you some revelation that Blazing Fire's Leona Mendiola (worshipwaryor@yahoo.com) received from the Lord at Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) just a few weeks ago. As you read it, where there is agreement within your spirit, be sure to declare it out loud!

For the United States, there will be a great calling back--a calling back to morality and purity. A great justice will arise from the earth and many will be awakened. Do not become complacent but stand for justice--stand for truth. There will be a great divide as my spirit sweeps upon the earth. There will be a division of the sheep and of the goats and those who are lukewarm will experience an inner revival. My kingdom will grow in power, purity, favor, and success. As the world continues to crumble I am establishing a greater level of the seven mountains of society this year, for my Kingdom will be known across the earth as a Kingdom arising in great strength. My people will walk in divine health, favor, success, and creativity as this world is being shaken. Even as it was upon the children of Israel as they prospered in the midst of darkness, so too my church will be lit with the light of Goshen. It will cause such a stirring that people will say, "Truly God is with them!''

The Lord says to you, "By my light you will walk through darkness unharmed covered by a supernatural cloud of glory and fire of love! I am releasing in you creativity, prosperity, and a rising up. Follow my voice and I will release the way into your hearing through a dream in the night--through a whisper. Stay near to me and I will release the secrets, and financial wisdom--the hidden things unknown by man but by my Spirit I shall reveal them. Come to the waters and drink- you who have no money come and buy honey, milk and wine from my Kingdom. Freely, I will give to you all things and surely I will take care of my love and my bride. Follow in the footsteps of the flock, and feed beside the shepherd's tent--there you will find me."

This year will be known as the presence of God!

"Not only an awareness of the angels--as my people have been infatuated with the angels--but a season of my presence, a season of rest and a season of the presence of God. As Moses knew the revelation and the secret to walking with me--he knew that he would go forward victoriously--so, too, you will know the power of my presence and stand in the confidence of me as your source of victory and deliverance! As I go before you clearing out the land I have given you, I will cause you to walk in the power of truth and darkness will loose its hold."

"This year, I will open the hearts of those who have been hard hearted. I am unlocking the gate. Purity and restoration are on my heart this year! There will be a filtration system in the spirit and a straining out of all contaminants. They will see the filth that the enemy has given to them for what it is--polluting their water--and there will be a refusal to drink of the polluted waters. A choice again will be offered--Choose now this day who you will serve. I do this for those who are ignorant they are drinking pollution. Today, I offer them a fresh glass of water!"

"Do not be afraid of the enemy! Stand in my favor because it testifies that there is a God in heaven, a father who loves you and cares for you in all things. Stand out! Don't shrink back, for this is the message of my Kingdom. Stand out and beam--knowing you are loved!"

"And I am calling the youth into an even deeper intimacy with me. They will find me in the secret places and I will begin to disciple them in the deeper things. They will go forth in prophecy and healing. They will be leaders in an even greater way."

Pray for boldness for these young ones. They are humble and still need to be broken away from the 'old mindset' and brought into a place of equality with 'adults.' What I saw was a powerful wave that is coming upon the youth, but they don't yet know their ability to come along side in powerful leadership positions--like Jeremiah when he said, ''Oh, but I'm just a youth.'' God is breaking that and bringing them up into their positions in the fullness of where they are supposed to be.

I see people of all ages coming into greater wholeness within themselves and into a rest with who they are. I see them coming to the true revelation of who they are suppose to be inside. I heard the scripture when, in the midst of corruption, Elijah cried out, "I'm the only one left!' and the Lord responded, "I have 7000 prophets hidden away who have not bowed their knee to Baal." And I saw that with homeschooled children--that they were some of the ones being hidden away for a time being prepared by God for something great--a double portion. The Elisha generation is in the rising! Children who aren't defiled by immorality. And I saw that God always hid away a remnant when he was about to do something great. He's always preserved something when a breakthrough was imminent. This goes beyond just homeschoolers--but an Elisha double-portion, hidden generation is arising!

Finally, I saw Blazing Fire soaring and branching out--spreading out through other people in other cities. What I saw in this was an even greater way that people are carrying the distinctives of Blazing Fire and impacting their cities and starting things there.

Leona

Drink In the Fall Feasts! - October 2, 2009

2009-10-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hello Amazing Friends!

First of all, a reminder that Paul Manwaring of the Bethel pastoral staff in Redding, will be with us this Saturday evening at Blazing Fire Church!! Paul is an amazing man of God with brilliant insight for the emerging new wineskins that the Lord is revealing to His Church. If you cannot come, it will be available to listen to for free on podcast sometime next week (www.blazingfire.org).

Now, I want to share with you a quick overview of the three Jewish Fall Festivals, along with some of the significance for us who live in the glorious New Covenant of Grace!

There is a reason God has put certain traditions in place for His children—it’s because we tend to forget. We are in the midst of three very important feasts that God instituted for the Israelites centuries ago that are wonderful reminders for us today.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which this year began at sundown on Sept. 18^th, the beginning of “10 days of Awe” which is a time for repentance. Repentance is not saying to God, ‘I am a worm,’ but it is coming into complete agreement with who you are as a Son or Daughter of God who has been paid for by the blood of Jesus. It is a time to turn our backs on the lies that keep us in chains and remember our freedom in Christ to bring his light and life to a world who desperately needs to know the Good News!

That 10 days ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This year, that happened at sundown on September 26th. It was on this one day of the year that the high priest would enter the Holy of holies to present a blood sacrifice to alleviate people of the guilt they had from their sin. This is the reminder that Jesus has absolutely done everything to make us right with God. Hebrews 10:11-14 reminds us that, “Every priest stands at his duties every day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices which are quite incapable of taking away sins. Jesus, on the other hand, has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his seat forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified!” That would be you and me! Everyone who has said yes to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus is perfectly cleansed from all unrighteousness!! There is not one thing that we can do to add to his finished work on the cross. We are not at odds with God in any way!! Waaaa Hoooooo!

And now, the third Fall Feast is approaching—Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles—which this year falls on Oct. 3rd, this Saturday. It is a joyful celebration of the harvest--the perfect provision of God--and it is a reminder that Jesus is God's perfect provision as Savior of all nations! It was on this festival that Jesus cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37 & 38)

This is a reminder to you to drink and drink and drink of the goodness of God! And after you have done that…drink some more!!

Wedding Bells Are Ringing! - September 18, 2009

2009-09-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, September 19th, Lonnie Ellis, an Elder of Blazing Fire, and Angela Elias are getting married during our worship service! The service begins at 6:00 pm. We have enjoyed a wedding during our worship service one other time before and it was positively "off-the-hook!" We are anticipating an extra large crowd, so I encourage you to come a bit early to get a seat. We will begin with the same passionate worship time that you are used to experiencing at Blazing Fire and at the conclusion of that time, Angela will come down the aisle to meet her waiting groom!

There is, of course, another Groom who is waiting as well! He has his gaze fixed attentively on his bride--a gaze marked by expressive pleasure, delightful joy, and steadfast love! This was the Groom who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, thinking nothing of the shame (Heb. 12:2). You were absolutely the joy that was set before Jesus! He had to have you as his very own for all of eternity and he willingly chose to lay down his life to set you free to become his perfect match that you were meant to be. He not only sacrificed himself to be sure that sin could not take you down, but he also continuosly sings his truth over you to be sure that your beauty increases from glory to glory!

The Message Bible translates part of Ephesians 5 like this: "Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness!" That's you and me, beloved! This is what Jesus does for us without fail because He WILL have a radiant, beautiful bride at his side, and His strong love will faithfully and perfectly bring us down the isle where he will capture his prize to be his forever!

Here is a foretaste of what is coming: "Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty ctaract, the sound of strong thunder: 'Hallelujah! The Master reigns, our God, the Sovereign-Strong! Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let us give him the glory! The Marriage of the Lamb has come, his Wife has made herself ready. She was given a bridal gown of bright and shining linen. The linen is the righteousness of the saints.'"

Can you hear the wedding bells ringing? They are louder than they have ever been and you are looking more beautiful to Jesus than ever before! Keep your eye on the Prize just as he is doing with you!

Waaaa Hoooo! - September 10, 2009

2009-09-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

"Waaaaa Hoooooo!" That's what the Lord says when he looks at you!! He also says, "Wow! Look what I did when I made you! I really outdid myself!! Wow! Wow! WOW!!!" And He's not just saying it--He's feeling it and His whole being is deeply moved by you.

Now, if you think I am stretching the truth a bit, take another look at the Scripture that reads, "Yahweh, your God is there with you, the warrior-Savior. He rejoices over you with happy song, he renews you by his love, he dances with shouts of joy for you, as on a day of festival!" (Zeph. 3:17)

He's not putting up with you, he's CELEBRATING you!! His heart is longing and aching for us to see what he sees so that we can truly walk in the greatness of who we are! In fact, all of God's creation, in harmony with Him, is longing for the very same thing (Romans 8:19).

So, once again, it's time to agree with God's assessment of the truth about yourself. Anything else is believing in an inferior reality. Your Father says about you: "Child, You are Amazing! Inspiring! A delight! A joy to look at and be with! You cause my heart to dance, to sing, to leap with gladness because you are exquisitely made! I formed you with pleasure and fashinoned you with pride! You are my finest creation--one that I choose to intertwine myself with for all of eternity! Yes, YOU! You are the one who makes my heart beat faster each time you glance at me! You are the one who turns me inside out when you choose to worship and love me! YOU! You are the one I love and adore and cherish and treasure...it's YOU!"

Time is much too precious and our place in Kingdom history is much too far along for us to be waylaid by incorrect thinking anymore. Rise up, Saints! Take your rightful place as the Beloved Sons and Daughters of the Most High God! Know that you are loved! Agree with it...Savor it...Revel in it...Operate from it...And share it with as many others as you possibly can! Tell me one person on this planet who in the depth of their being does not want to heart that there is an eternal Father who says about them..."Waaaaaa Hoooooo!"

A New, Supernatural Creation! - Sept 4, 2009

2009-09-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Just a short message this week to remind you that there is an important Kingdom Training School of Supernatural Ministry Informational Meeting tomorrow, Saturday, September 5th, at 4 pm for those who are considering attending the school but need more information. The meeting will take place at our usual place of worship, Harvest Valley Christian Church, 3200 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, CA.

Also, a few of you were asking me to post the declaration we made together a few weeks ago when I preached about "A Supernatural God and His Supernatural People." Here is the declaration. I encourage you to say it out loud like you mean it! Agreeing with God's truth changes us!

"I am a New Creation! My old natural self is gone and I live in the power of God's Spirit as a supernatural being! I have been born from above and Christ has made his permanent home inside of me! God has empowered me with his authority to usher in His Kingdom of light and to make a real difference in this world! With God's permission, I am a broker of the spiritual realm wherever I go, releasing the light, life, hope, love and power of Jesus!"

YES!!!!

A Big Dose of Joy! - August 28, 2009

2009-08-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

Having just talked last Saturday about how God moves supernaturally, I thought that this article from Beni Johnson (of Bethel Church in Redding) would be a perfect word for many of you. Although this is a word for 2009 and we are 2/3 through the year, this word is just for YOU right NOW!

"We have eight grandchildren. I really love learning from them. One of our granddaughters, Selah, is a mystic. What I mean by that is that she sees into the spirit realm and she lives there; that is her life. We have some amazing stories from her. I would like to share with you what Selah saw about 2009.

Selah loves to dance, and when she dances, she brings heaven to earth. She uses dance as a way of intercession and warfare sometimes. She was dancing in one of our Friday night services and it was a mix between ballet, hip hop and gymnastics. When she was dancing, she was having a vision at the same time. All of a sudden, she began laughing hysterically out of control and rolling around on the floor. Her mom had to take her out of the service when worship ended because she was the only one laughing.

After she calmed down, her mom asked her what had happened. Selah said, "I was dancing, and I saw these gifts beginning to fall all over the building. God told me what was inside two of the gifts. One was the gift of peace and the other was the gift of not being afraid. Then, there was one gift that was wrapped in brown with a red ribbon and it had a big S on it. I knew that was special for me and I opened my box and it was the gift of laughter! " Selah then rolled over and drew a picture of the two gifts and a person lying down and holding a sign up that said, "Laughing 2009."

After this happened, my son called me and told me her vision. I absolutely loved it. I don't know about you, but I will take that! I will take those three things for 2009: peace, fearlessness and laughter! Let's dive into the heart of the Father for this year. Laughter for 2009

Love,
Beni
www.benij.org"

You have every reason to be filled with hope and joy--you have a Daddy in heaven who totally adores you and is always 100% for you!

A Good, Generous Benefactor - August 21, 2009

2009-08-21T20:36:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends!

Unless you have had a truly good, generous & benevolent parent or guardian in your life to know what that's like, it can be difficult to believe that our Heavenly Father is exactly that--Good AND Generous AND Benevolent!

2 Corinthians 9:8, 10 describes Him like this:
"God has the power to cause all kinds of gifts to overflow to you, so that you will be wealthy in all things at all times, and will have much left over for every good work. God who fully supplies every single expense, plus more, to pay for the seed for the sower, and to pay for all the expenses for bread to the eater, will supply all the expenses to pay for, as well as multiply, the seed you sow, and make the crops of your righteousness grow!" (from The Source N.T.)

The verb for "fully supplies every single expense, plus more" (epi-khoregeo) refers to the paying of all expenses, every single one of them, even additional, unplanned expenses. In other words, no stone is left unturned! The word used is the same one used for 5th century Greek drama where a private citizen, known as a khoregos, would vie for the great honor of paying for the entire drama--elaborate stage sets and costumes, training--whatever was needed. The expenses were considerable, but it was considered a huge privilege to pay the costs to make it all happen. At the end of the drama, the khoregos would be brought forward to the thunderous applause of the crowd.

Our Father is the One who knows every word of every scene of every act in the drama called "our lives." He considers it his great honor and huge privilege to pay for what is needed on your behalf! And not just what you need to get by, but to include the added touches--the extra kisses from heaven--to show you his good, generous and benevolent heart! A Day is coming soon when we will all be with God and see how all of our lives were perfectly woven together in this "Story of Christ through the ages", in which we all were given a significant part to play--and we will rise as one in a THUNDEROUS OVATION in gratefulness to the One who supplied everything we needed to do our part and to get us home safely!!!

Yeah...He's THAT good!

Planetary Revival! - August 7, 2009

2009-08-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Amazing Friends!

The last several weeks at Blazing Fire's worship gathering, we have been receiving astounding kisses from heaven! Something very special is going on! Something special has been going on for many years, but this is greater and sweeter still. Holy Spirit has been drawing us so much deeper into the Father's heart in worship--two weeks ago we were taken into an extended time of spontaneous heavenly singing in the Spirit and last Saturday into an erupting crescendo of wild full-throated adulation. We are getting tastes of the Heavenly Throne Room where praise and worship abound unceasingly for our great and mighty God!! This past Saturday, we were at the bubbling-over point from worship all the way through to the fire tunnel at the end, led by our Wildfire youth and by the angels that sent us over the edge!

In the midst of difficult circumstances, God is pouring out the supernatural because WE NEED IT more than ever! It is his way of preparing His bride to go through anything and everything victoriously in Christ! Here is an amazing prophetic word given just after worship Saturday night by Blazing Fire's own Lani Langlais (RiverGlory@sbcglobal.net):

"Plenary (full; complete; entire; absolute; unqualified) and planetary revival—everywhere! You are revival--Each one of you! Where you go, you leave a trail of my fire. Where you go, I go. Where you walk, I walk. Nothing can stand before you. My word is in your heart. My word is in your mind. My word is in your mouth. My word is fire! My word is FIRE! My fire covers the earth. The fire of my glory covers the earth, covers you. There is no part of you that is not burning with my love, with my grace, with the attractive reality of who I am…of who I am…of who I AM. You will be surprised by the revelation of my glory where you do not expect it. You will be surprised, for my voice is given to you to hear under all circumstances and in the strangest places and from the most unusual sources. Speak my word. Speak my pure word. Speak my love at all times. Let all your communication be 'whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are right, whatsoever things are pure and holy and wonderful and Good News and great and awesome', because this is who I am in you!

The Lord has so much more to say to each and every one of us, but I am overwhelmed with his goodness—totally undone! Undone! Undone! Take this--this is yours! I can’t carry it—this is yours! This is yours! All the anointing. All that you want is in Christ! Take it all! Take it all! He gives it all to you—everything. You come behind in nothing—you do have it all. You do have all things necessary for life and godliness. You possess everything. You are the inheritors of the ages. You are heirs and heiresses of my love and nothing can stand before you. Nothing!

Each and every one of you is released to bring revival. Each and every one of you is a revivalist. God has prophesied your life—read all about it. You will go and do new things. New things! You are a new song!

Revival is breaking out all over the place. You are an epicenter of revival and you are in one right here and now!"

After this prophetic declaration, Leona Mendiola (worshipwaryor@yahoo.com) got up to say this about our upcoming Children's Conference, "Back to the Future: A Divine Invitation:"

"When you were talking about revival, I saw that it's pouring over the children. We are having a conference for the children and I am being reminded that the Spirit is being poured out on ALL flesh. I see the children being called and drawn by the Spirit of God to the waters, to God. This conference has the supernatural, heavenly divine anointing on it. God is forming this conference--It hasn't been put together by man. It has been inspired by this divine inspiration that has been hidden in the DNA that God used to birth it. When the children come, they are going to be imparted with this heavenly impartation of spiritual wonders and signs and dreams. The conference is saturated by so many prophetic people who have these gifts that God has given them. We're going to give the children the beauty of His love--just what we have here--we're pouring it out on them, and they are SO ready! They are so prepared, and they are going to leave that conference with something that's supernatural--this planetary revival! So we're going "Back to the Future" because our children are the future revivalists and the NOW revivalists!

And there's a parent conference at the same time. God is raising up beautiful parents and we're going to be part of that! This conference will give us the ability to raise up these supernatural, anointed children!"

How Does Your Garden Grow - July 31, 2009

2009-07-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

Earlier this summer I bought some gorgeous deep-purple petunias and planted them in our front yard. As I took care to water them daily, each of the plants had numerous colorful blooms that were continually replaced by new flowers. But somewhere in the middle of the heart of the summer, I neglected to water them daily and although the plants still lived, the purple pedals were soon no longer present. Just watering them "whenever I got around to it" wasn't bringing the flowers back. So, I determined once again to water them daily. After day one of watering, no flowers emerged. After day two and three of watering, there were still no flowers. But some time in the middle of that week, a few glimpses of violet were making their way back, and it was then that the sweet voice of the Lord began speaking to me...

"My intent is for you to reflect and display My glory all of the time. But to do that, you must immerse yourself in My love and saturate yourself in My grace and commune with me every single day. If you have been dry for a while by living your life apart from enjoying Me, you will still live, because I am in you, but your life will not fully reflect the color of My Presence to the world around you. As you seek Me and spend time with Me in the cool of the garden, My life will begin to breath freshness into your spirit. Don't get discouraged if you meet with Me and don't see an immediate change. As you come and interact with Me day after day after day, the fullness of my brightness will shine brilliantly forth from you! It is inevitable! You will feel the assurance of My love and My pleasure for you and those around you will see the obvious evidence that you have been with Me. If you feel dry, come back to Me with all your heart! If you feel lifeless and colorless, remember that your First Love has never left you and that I am still waiting to pick up right where we left off. I AM your life! I AM the Living Water that refreshes and restores your soul! I AM your color! I AM the absolute only One who will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart!"

"Let's enjoy each other RIGHT NOW!! I can hardly wait!!!"

"How beautiful you are, my love, and how you delight me! Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, come!" (Song of Songs, 1:16; 2:10)

God's Presence is Enough! - July 24, 2009

2009-07-24T17:45:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends,

Jesus is amazing! He is wonderful! He is beautiful! He is all that and so much more!!!

He is interceding for you at this very moment (Romans 8:34) and is your greatest supporter and encourager! He wants you to rise to the top, to soar into your appointed destiny, to finish strong in this race to receive your gold medal with him on the winner's stand!

And he knows that along the way, it can be very hard at times. Remember that he lived this life as a human and knows everything you are going through! This is why Jesus says to you, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me! Get away with me and you will recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest." (Matthew 11:28, The Message Bible)

If you have been feeling overwhelmed, discouraged or disillusioned in any way, I want to bring you encouragement straight from the throne of God. First of all, I want to assure you that through the battles, the Father is strengthening your faith in ways that would boggle your mind, if you only knew! I also want to encourage you to run into the arms of your loving Father who has always wanted you and who will never, ever give up on you! Go to the that place of intimacy with God, no matter what it takes. Ignore the discouragements and enjoy the huge heart of the One who adores you! Lay your frustrations and anxieties on the One who has the broad shoulders to take the load and choose to fix your gaze on the Lover of your soul! He loves you so very much! He has chosen you to be His forever!

If you have been wanting to throw in the towel, listen to these words from the Lord to your heart:
"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace!"
(2 Corinthians 4:16, The Message Bible)

His unfolding grace! That is His astounding grace that keeps on presenting itself to you each time you require it! God's grace is enough!!! It is enough for you to make it through the difficult times! It is enough to give you hope when you are disappointed. It is enough to give you vision when you have lost sight of the goal of your faith. It is enough!!!!!

Earlier today, I heard these words from the Lord...

"Don't despair. I am still for you. My heart hasn't changed one little bit. I know you don't understand all my ways. I have not asked you to. But, one day you will see everything for the way it truly is--from my perspective. Until that time, know that I am with you and I am for you! I will be everything you need! I AM everything you need! Keep drawing into me. My presence will never disappoint you! My presence is everything you need! My presence is your ultimate destiny!!! Keep coming after me because I will never disappoint you!"

Lonnie Ellis Jr. Graduates to Glory - July 3, 2009

2009-07-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Beloved Friends,

Lonnie Ellis Jr. graduated to glory in the sweet embrace of Jesus just before 4 am this morning. These are not the words I wanted to be writing to you this morning--especially after the intercessory battle for his life that many of you so lovingly and powerfully engaged in. None of that, by the way, is wasted! In a way that only God truly knows right now, every prayer and declaration was heard and will be acted upon.

Lonnie is now part of the Great Cloud of Witnesses (Heb. 12:1) where he is fulfilling his destiny and prophetic promises from the other side of this paper thin division we call life after death. It is much more accurately Life after life as Jesus told us that we would never die (John 11:26), but we will go on from life to more Life!

For now, we trust our Papa as children who fully believe the absolute truth that He is good at all times in all ways! Our Father, who knows all things and all eventualities, who is outside of time and sees the beginning from the end, has chosen to do what He knows will bring the most people possible to Jesus and to glorify His name in the greatest possible way through Lonnie Jr.

Lonnie Sr. has conveyed to me that he and the family are not praying for Lonnie to be raised from the dead. While that may seem like a contradiction to some of you in a culture where we are believing for the impossible, it is really a matter of listening to the Father's voice. While Jesus did raise several people from the dead while he was alive as a man walking on this earth, he clearly did not raise everyone who died in that time span. Instead, he only did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19)

Right now, Lonnie Sr. is getting some much needed rest since he has not slept much in the last several days. As much as you want to convey your love and concern for him, please give him a little time first, or write to him at lonnie@drmi.org. I will send out more information as soon as I receive it about the service celebrating Lonnie's life as well as ways that you can bless the family should you want to do that.

Tomorrow, July 4th, we will most certainly be gathering to worship God together (6 pm at Harvest Valley Christian Church, 3200 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton). I anticipate that it is going to be a very meaningful family time together and we are going to celebrate communion in complete agreement with the eternal truth of our union with Christ, now and forever! The last thing Lonnie Jr. told me when we were leaving his hospital room last night was, "When I beat this cancer and get out of the hospital this weekend, I'm coming to Blazing Fire to give my testimony!" My response was, "Lonnie, you can have the whole night--preaching and everything!" He joked back, "Not the singing part!" I believe that Lonnie's testimony will be heard on Saturday night and well beyond!

I declare God's grace and love-filled Presence to saturate each one of you in the glorious name of Jesus!

A Father's Day Blessing - June 19, 2009

2009-06-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

First off, I want to extend a blessing to all fathers out there on this Father's Day weekend:

Your Heavenly Father says to you:

"My sons! I am so very proud of you! You have no idea how pleased I am with you. You are doing so much better than you think you are. Keep going! I made you just the way I wanted and I like who you are! You are enough. You measure up. No matter what anyone else has told you contrary to that, my voice of truth is the one that matters.

My princes, you are my success story! I will make sure that your life makes a difference in this world. I will take you on an adventurous journey into the depths of my heart and thenout into the world where you will give away what I have poured into you. I am inviting you into my "Father & Sons" construction business where I will teach you all that I know about how to genuinely care about people and see the best in them. You and I will build up and not tear down. I will make you the excellent fathers and husbands and friends that you've always wanted to be. Even if you did not receive affection from your earthly fathers, I will teach you about love and how it is never a sign of weakness to show affection.

It is my greatest joy to lavish my love on you and to bless you with all of the spiritual blessings that I have. I gladly and openly bless you with my extravagant favor, my sons! I will always love you, because you are mine!!"

Of course, these words of affirmation are for daughters as well (God has an equally impressive "Father & Daughters" Sewing Business, where he teaches you to restore all things!)

Donna Fuller (dfuller@blazingfire.org),our children's pastor, had this encouraging word to share:

I can't believe it's Thursday already. It's our garbage day and I was a day behind. I don't know how it happened, but I just called the company and they are sending the truck back for our "stuff". Hmmmm is that a prophetic picture? I'm calling it forth in the spirit.
I am declaring FREEDOM! Freedom to all who have gotten side-tracked and feel like they have missed their "day of visitation". It's NOT too late! I'm calling the "angels that gather all things that offend" to move into our situations and take out the garbage AND the recyclibles... I am declaring a clean slate! A fresh start! A new beginning! Our garbage pick-up day is Thursday... I am declaring a new Thirst-Day! New Thirst for the Presence of the Living Water.. the ONLY one who can satisfy!

Yesssssss!

Don't worry about...ANYTHING! - June 12, 2009

2009-06-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends!

First off, I want to direct your attention to Blazing Fire's brand new web site! It's still at the same web address, www.blazingfire.org. Bill Hernandez (of Blazing Fire Church) has done an amazing job constructing it and it now has more of the features (along with a brand new look) that we needed to better fulfill the vision God has given us to impact the world with the fire of His love--see how creatively this is depicted in our new logo! If you have a web design need, you can see Bill's website at www.upperdesignstudio.com. Check out our new site www.blazingfire.org and look around!

Now for an encouraging word!

Don’t worry about…

ANYTHING!

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)

With the barrage of negative news coming at you from every direction, you have a moment by moment choice before you. The choice is this: “Whose report am I going to believe?” God’s report is this: “You have been chosen by me to be my blessed and highly favored child and to be a light in the midst of darkness. All things are working for your good at all times!” But the world’s report which is fueled by fear and the enemy’s intimidation is…well…not very encouraging to say the least.

The world says, “Fret! Be anxious!”

God says to you, “Peace! Be still!”

The world says, “Lose sleep worrying! All is lost!”

God says to you, “I am for you!” I am in total control! All is going according to my plan!”

He assures you of a peace that surpasses all understanding. What that means is that you have to give up your demand to have everything all figured out in your mind, because that’s still you trying to take care of you. God’s peace, which bypasses your understanding, is a direct feed from His Spirit to your spirit. So, even when your mind can’t come up with the solutions, your spirit is already at rest. Next you listen to the truth of that still small voice inside of you (that would be the Spirit of Christ) and let Him restore the peace of your emotions and your thinking back into their proper alignment.

Take a deep breath (right now!) and remind yourself, “All is well! I have a GOOD shepherd who promised to take exceptional care of me! I am my beloveds and He is mine! All things are working out for my good! Ahhhhhhhhhh…I will worry about…NOTHING!

Jesus says to you:

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid!” (John 14:27)

Lenses of Love - June 5, 2009

2009-06-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Family & Friends of Blazing Fire!

I wanted to inform you that I will not be preaching over the next month so that I can focus more on a book that I have been writing about the extreme passion of the Father's love for his kids! Here is a portion of what I have been writing. Enjoy and be massively encouraged!

We each have a certain way of looking at life depending upon the lenses through which we view it. What determines our lenses is the experiences we have in life that shape our perceptions. You have read numerous truths in this book about the love that your Father in heaven has for you, but how readily you believe those truths has everything to do with the lenses through which you are looking. If you had parents or significant people in your life who abused their power and used it to hurt you, then it will be much more difficult for you to embrace the truth that God uses his unlimited power for your absolute best, working on your behalf all of the time. If you were told growing up that you were 'no good' or 'less than' and if whatever you did was never enough, then there will be more of a disconnect when you hear God’s comforting words that he totally accepts you and that he has made you exactly the way he wanted—and that he LIKES you!

The list of lies that some of you have been told or the abuses that some of you have endured would be too long to write about here, but can I tell you something you must hear? Every time a lie was spoken that tarnished your beautiful image and every time your innocence was robbed because of an abuse of power, your Daddy in heaven wept. It was never ever his intent for the precious ones he loves to be damaged and taken advantage of. We do have an enemy—the devil and his army of darkness who seeks to destroy. When we attribute everything that happens to God, we fall prey to the enemy’s plan to steal from us the intimacy with God that we were made to enjoy. God is good and the devil is bad. It’s really important that we don’t mix the two up. God gives free will to his children which is sometimes misused, but He also has a way of miraculously turning everything to our good (Romans 8:28).

Your Father knows every single thing that has happened to you in your life and he is more than able to prove to you his love and compassion. He says to you, “I’m going to love you the way you deserve to be loved! I will treat you as the prince/princess that you are until you believe it and you hold your head up high as my priceless treasure!"

God is in a process with you of erasing the hard drive of past deceptions and filling you with affirming words until your lenses are completely cleaned and you see clearly the love of a Father who has always adored you and who has nothing but good in store for you. And the more you believe His goodness, the more you experience it!

And you will experience the goodness of your Father because he is giving you his lenses of love to look through!

Pastor Brent Lokker

Blazing Fire Church