Do You Feel Stuck? by Pastor Brent Lokker

There’s a man described in the Bible (in John 5) who had an illness for 38 years that made it impossible for him to walk. Day after day he would somehow drag his way to sit near a special pool called Bethesda. What made this particular pool so special is that an angel of God would occasionally come and stir up the water of the pool. Whoever was the first to get into the water after the stirring would be healed. Because of this, hundreds of sick, blind, lame and paralyzed people were milling about wanting to be the first one in.

The major dilemma this ill man finds himself in is this: he can’t walk and he has no one there with him to put him into the pool. He’s so very close to an apparent healing to his physical body, yet there might as well be a 10-foot high stone wall between him and the water because he can’t get there when he needs to.

How often do we feel stuck in life because we see only one solution to a problem and what looks like an insurmountable barrier in the way? We look at our own limited resources and can’t seem to reason out a way to fix it. It’s in these times we can feel very much like a victim to our circumstances--frustrated and, at times, afraid to the core of our being.

Jesus walks up to this man, obviously aware of his need for healing and the dilemma he finds himself in. He asks the man, “Would you like to get well?”

The man is only thinking of his one solution, so his response indicates he thinks Jesus might be the one to pick him up and put him in the water after it’s stirred. He clearly doesn’t know he’s talking to the miracle maker and Son of God. But Jesus didn’t come to be what this man viewed him as (a strong body to lift him to the water at the appropriate time). Instead, Jesus confidently told him, “Stand up, roll up your sleeping mat and walk on home!”

In effect, Jesus was saying, “I AM who I AM! And I AM your Solution! I’m not giving you what you think you need—I’m giving you what the Father has determined you should have. You were looking for the old way things used to be done. I am here to show you my Father’s Kingdom—a new reality you never knew existed.”

Instantly, the man was healed!! He rolled up the mat and began walking!

Jesus is a Savior in every aspect of our lives. He came to make wrong things right again. When you feel stuck, it’s good and right to tell him about it. Just understand that his response will often come in a very different form that what you thought you needed. God’s perfect timing is involved and what our powerful and loving Shepherd will do for us will be something above and beyond what we were even asking for.

This Saturday night at Blazing Fire Church we’ll be inviting Jesus, the miracle maker, to be Himself and to touch those who need healing. Come, not expecting that He will do exactly what you think He should, but that He will do immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine. Look not to the solution you’ve determined you need, but look into the eyes of the One who IS your Solution and is making all things right and new again.

Jesus knows what you’re going through—He’s here with you and for you—and He IS your answer!

I Believe In You by Pastor Karena Lout

I recently went to a public high school with a non-profit organization to share my story and talk about abuse. To give some background, teachers and school officials in this particular school district were noticing that many of their students were being exploited and sold on the streets. Overwhelmed by the growing problem, they’ve asked this organization to implement a program that would focus on healthy relationships as well as exploitation. Educating boys would be just as crucial as educating girls because unfortunately, many of the young boys have been aspiring to be “pimps,” and they are vulnerable to abuse too. So with a good amount of courage in my back pocket, I’m stepping out into this new territory with excitement as I watch Jesus bring healing and justice like only He can.

After I shared my story at this particular school, I began telling the students how valuable they are. “You are worth so much more than you realize. Even if no one has ever told you that they believe in you, I’m telling you today. I BELIEVE IN YOU. You’re going to make it.” It was as if I was speaking a new language to them. As I was talking, several young boys who were slouched down in their chair, completely disinterested in the class, began to sit up and look me in the eye. I could see the slight hesitation and look that read, “Are you feeding me empty words or is there truth to what you’re saying?” I knew every fiber of their being wanted to believe that it was true. That their worth and value far exceeded what they’ve ever known to be true.

Jesus is continually speaking words of life to bring healing to our hearts and to cause us to realize our identity as His own. We can choose to hear it as just another piece of information that we reason with or we can choose to allow it to tenderize the places we’ve tried to protect. When you’ve been pained by disappointment and hurt, it takes being vulnerable to choose to trust that Jesus means what He says. Does opening your heart to Him mean you’re immune from ever getting hurt again? Unfortunately no. But you can be assured that Jesus will be ever present with you in every aspect of your life. “God is our refuge and strength, our ever present help in times of trouble”

Psalm 46:1. He went to the cross to ensure that you would never experience separation from Him and so you would have full access to His heart as He brings healing to your situation.

We all thrive from a very early age when a parent or loving authority figure is rooting us on, shouting on the sidelines, “You can do it!” Yes, I was the loud Mom when my kids were younger, yelling as they were on the soccer and baseball field. It wasn’t about how they were performing out there. I was yelling for them because they were mine. The first time Jesus spoke the words,

“I believe in you” to me, I asked Him what He meant by that. He explained that He believes what He accomplished on the cross for me was sufficient. He believes in His own power, His perfect love, His faithfulness deposited inside of us to be carried out in our lives. He believes we are worth it.

Our part: simply believing Him. Belief is the key that unlocks the prison doors that have held our hearts and minds captive. It takes the victim and makes them powerful, gives our dreams flight, causes us to dance on mountaintops and empowers us to love without limits.

“Then we will know even as we have always been known.”

1 Corin. 13:12

Karena

Being You is Enough by Pastor Susan Foch​ler

I have been pondering of late what it means to truly know who I am as a Daughter of the One Most High, just as Jesus knew He was a Son of His Father in heaven. Growing up I never felt I measured up to what was expected of me. I had a constant sense that if only I was a different person; more perfect, more able to do everything just right, I would have been able to somehow satisfy the swirl of expectations around me. But I never could. The authority figures in my life unknowingly were carrying around an invisible measuring stick that said, “do it better”, “get it right the first time”, “be more perfect”, “don’t be angry”, “don’t be sad”, and “never make a mistake”. Perhaps you, like me, unwittingly accepted a mantle of shame and unworthiness - and assumed that was your reality.

We are Human Beings, not Human Doings
All of these messages are incredibly confusing and shaming for us as children. We grow up thinking we aren’t enough..if only we were someone else; more capable, more smart, more talented, more attractive, more popular, etc., and then we will feel OK about ourselves. None of those external qualities, however, are ever sufficient to fill the aching void of insufficiency. We get a message that if only we can do enough things well enough, we will feel that we are enough. God did not design us to determine our worth based on what we do, but on who we are. It is in knowing Him as a Loving Father who believes in us that our identity is firmly established. We are children of the One Most High; reborn of seed that is incorruptible. The Tree of Life says: "I live, so I have worth." It is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that says: "To live, I must keep trying to prove my worth."

You are Chosen and Accepted, just as you are
When we accept entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, we are adopted into a Family like we’ve never known before. Jesus says to us: "I have chosen you and I give My heart to you. I compare you to no one. You, being you, is enough. I accept you being simply yourself; and not because of anything you could ever possibly do for Me. There are no requirements or expectations you have to meet. I took care of all of that for you. Everything you have ever felt you needed to measure up to, I take upon myself."

The Price has been Paid in Full!
Upon being welcomed into God’s Kingdom here on earth, we now belong as we have never belonged before. We belong in such a way that there is nothing we can do to ever be disqualified or rejected. Our worth is based on the price Christ paid for us with His death. His acceptance is forever and unconditional. Isaiah 55:1-2 says:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;
And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”

A Place is Reserved for You
Jesus our Friend and Savior, has proven everything that will ever need to be proven. All that Christ paid for is free, available, and satisfying. You have a place reserved for you at the King's table, as part of your inheritance in Christ as a joint heir, and He wants to satisfy you there with the abundance that flows from His river of life. Come, recognize the thirst you have to know you belong and take your place at this table that will satisfy your every yearning. He considers you worth the highest price that could ever be paid!

Love,
Susan

Enjoying God’s Righteousness and Justice by Pastor Russ Fochler

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face.
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound
They walk, O Lord in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long,

And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
Psalm 89:14-16 NKJV

These verses struck me today.

We are often painfully aware that there is much that is not right or just in our world - including for the ones we love.

Lets look at these verses again with some of the Hebrew words highlighted:

Righteousness and justice (mish-pawt – a verdict)
are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy (kheh'-sed – kindness, goodness) and
truth (eh-meth – stability, trustworthiness) go before Your face.
Blessed (eh'-sher – happy!) are the people who know the
joyful sound (ter-oo-aw'- like trumpets sounding)!

They walk, O Lord (Yahweh), in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long,

And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

I believe that these verses are about the joy of knowing God as the loving and righteous Judge – and being able to go Him to render a “mish-pawt” – a verdict on our behalf. Indeed, I can imagine the sounds of the trumpets – the “ter-oo-aw” as God’s verdict is proclaimed! It is our joy to live in the light of His face – His countenance. Face to face – not far away!

I further believe that because of Jesus, we as His Church, being led by His Spirit, living as His sons and daughters – have full access to His throne to ask for “it to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”. So, go with both reverence and confidence into the Court of Heaven and ask for justice in the Earth realm.

The spiritual realm is complex. Besides angels and demons, there are powerful spiritual beings that were originally given various kinds of authority by God. Paul the Apostle describes them as “powers and principalities”. Many of these beings are not following their Yahweh-given charter; but have become “spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places” (Eph 6:12) – overseeing evil influences on the Earth. Through Jesus, we as the church have been given the grace to reveal the manifold wisdom of God to these spiritual beings:

Ephesians 3:9-12 (NKJV)
9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

For some issues, the Holy Spirit will call a larger group of us together to petition God for His righteousness and justice to be accomplished on Earth as it is in Heaven. For example, it took many people to pray for me over a period of several weeks so my life would be saved from a deadly illness during June-July of 2011. In April 2012, Mario Murillo prophetically spoke that “the devil himself” tried to kill me. The one known as “the devil” - is also called “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2). I needed the Great Judge to render a verdict for me and against the actions of this principality. Thank you Abba! And thank you my sisters and brothers! As another example, many of us have been asking for God’s verdict to shift the atmospheric high-pressure ridge over the Pacific – and bring the abundant snow and rain that our land needs….

For other issues, it is sufficient for us to go individually or with a brother or sister into the Court Room and ask Papa Abba Yahweh to judge on our behalf or on behalf of others. A single man – Elijah prayed fervently - and rain returned after 3 ½ years (James 5:17-18). Sometimes God’s verdict is immediately carried out. And sometimes the effects of the verdict take quite a while to be seen. Sometimes what we ask for is not aligned with Papa Abba Yahweh’s life-giving wisdom (see James 3:17 – 4:3). In His love, He will not fulfill those requests. As we grow together to be mature in love - like Jesus; more and more of our petitions can be granted.

There is great joy and exaltation when we live “face to face” with the One who is loving-kindness and stability for us – and see Him render verdicts on our behalf - so that it is done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Russ Fochler

Jesus is Revealing Himself as the Lion and the Lamb!

Jesus is revealing Himself in and through us as the lion and the lamb. The lion is the courage of Christ in us, going forth in His power. The lamb is the compassion and gentleness of Christ that keeps our hearts soft as we learn true vulnerability from Him. We don't choose one or the other--He is both and, therefore, so are we! "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Galatians 2:20 Recently, Shannon Downs from Blazing Fire Church had this amazing insight: When we choose to be vulnerable, to be real, we are choosing to be brave and walk with courage! When we choose to be brave and be courageous, we are being vulnerable and real! Being brave has nothing to do with bravado but everything to do with vulnerability. Being Brave empowers vulnerability, bringing with it the freedom to fly and soar. When we choose to face our fears, we open the door for love to come in. Love breathes upon us the ability to be brave in the face of vulnerability. ********************************************** 2012 was my year of embracing the word valuable. It was the first time I heard I was valuable. 2013 was vulnerability, I never realized it was okay to be vulnerable in the face of fear and trust! Brave is a "new" word for me to embrace in 2014...I don't ever remember being told to be brave. Here's to 2014 and beyond, we will go where no one has gone before! We are on a journey... together! ********************************************** Here I am, standing here Looking into my Father’s eyes No longer do I see the shadows of the night I now see the glorious light of day Into His heart I go I hear His heart beat singing songs of Heaven Feeling the wind of His breath upon me Carrying me deeper and deeper into His love Deeper and deeper into his love The waves are crashing upon the shores I choose to be courageous and brave In the incoming storms Listening to the heavenly sounds Hearing the heavenly sounds Taking me to that place Of His perfect grace And the walls will come down And the walls will come down As scary as it may be That place of vulnerability You will find the victory and freedom To fly and soar to those places You could not go before Open up your heart before Him Let Him come in His love song He sings within Will awaken your heart and soul To become more alive in Him, more alive in Him And there you will find the joyful heart That was always meant to be yours That was always meant to be yours….. ©Jennifer Shannon Jan 15th 2014

The Light of Jesus Through You Full Force!!

Are you feeling the stress of all that you have to do with just five days leading up to Christmas? Does it seem a little out-of-control, like life is just happening to you?

Remember what a teenage girl was going through a week before giving birth to her first baby. Not only did Mary’s back ache from carrying 8 pounds of continuously shifting and squirming life inside of her, but she had to ride a burro from Nazareth to Bethlehem (that’s 80 miles!!! And not long after Jesus was born they had to travel 200 more miles to Egypt because the government wanted to kill all young boys!!!) Undoubtedly, she was also stressing over the normal uncertainties of being a momma for the first time (even Mary was human, you know!). The first labor pains brought an even greater urgency to the turmoil:

“We’re homeless! Where are we going to stay?”

“Will my baby be healthy?”

“Will I be a good momma?”

“My son is going to save the world…wait…what?!”

“What did I say yes to?”

“What’s going on, God?”

In spite of all Mary’s questions, concerns and uncertainties, she was still carrying the son of God who would be the brightest light this dark world he was entering had ever seen. No matter what she was feeling, the truth remained. The light was coming full force!

You may feel out of control, discouraged or even depressed at circumstances that appear to be happening to you. Just as Mary was never a victim of very stressful circumstances, let me assure you that you are no victim. You are still carrying the brightest light the world has ever seen, “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” (Colossians 1:27)

If you don’t “get it all done” before Christmas, that’s okay. Everything that’s most important in your life, Jesus already did for you. Jesus was born to bring “joy to the world!” He died to leave His “Peace on earth.” He lives inside of you to be the brightest light this world has ever seen. No matter what you are going through, the truth remains. The light of Jesus through you is being released everywhere you go—full force!

Practical Ways to Love Yourself - by Leif Hetland

Leif brings the tangible presence of Papa God's love everywhere He goes. He oozes love!

Here is a message from Leif giving some very practical ways to love yourself:

Hello friends and family,

The habit of a loving heart is a daily practice that is helping me to Love my Life Away!  In the school of love, learning the language of love is the only language that blind eyes see and deaf ears hear.  Loving God and Loving people became me as I re-discovered kingdom love.  My greatest problem and challenge has been to love myself the way that the Father loves me.  I'm sure many of you face this challenge as well.  We often take care of business and neglect ourselves!  Here are some steps to help you take care of you!

1.  Develop habits that refresh you physically!
The hard work of REST is needed to be all God wants for us.  Rest is our weapon of warfare.
BALANCED DIET and EXERCISE - However that looks for you.

2.  Develop habits that re-charge you emotionally!
SOLITUDE and SOAKING re-charges my emotional battery.  DRIVING, SWIMMING, WALKING in nature, also charges my battery.  FELLOWSHIP and FUN - being with family and friends laughing makes me feel good!

3.  Develop habits that renew you spiritually!
Being ALONE with my heavenly Father in prayer, the WORD, a book or listening to music are great ways to renew.  I am sitting with Jack Taylor, my spiritual Papa who is turning 80 years old.  He is still hungry for the manifest Presence of God.

4.  Spiritual treasure hunt.
Take time to find a stranger to bless and be a blessing to.

Putting these steps into practice will help move along your assignment of loving yourself and will change not just you, but those around you.

When you feel tired or empty, how do you recharge? What is fun to you?  What is beautiful to you?

LET LOVE BE YOUR HIGHEST GOAL! - ( I Corinthians 14:1, NLT)

Much Love,
Leif Hetland

Leif travels the world releasing the Baptism of the Father's Love to walk in our true identity as sons and daughters!  This is one weekend you do not want to miss!

Friday, Dec. 13th, 7 pm
Saturday, Dec. 14th, 2 pm & 6 pm
In our new location: 3410 Cornerstone Court, Pleasanton, CA 94566

The weekend is free.  We will take love offerings to bless Leif.  Childcare is only available on Saturday night.