Baptisms This Saturday - July 24th.

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!

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

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!