The Invitation to be An Original! - by Leif Hetland

Enjoy this word from Leif Hetland, one of the good friends of Blazing Fire Church

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

You are an original! There’s never been one like you before, and will never be one like you again. On the day God created you He didn’t have a bad day. Some people think that God must have made a mistake when He created them. No, He didn’t make a mistake. You are God’s original design, and He broke the mold when He finished his work of designing you! As shocking as that may sound, you were put on this earth, at this time, for a divine purpose. No one can fulfill your purpose but you.

 

God has written a book about every person. It reads, “BEST SELLER!” His book about you will always be #1 on the New York Times’ bestseller list. You do not have to be afraid of the future or fear walking through life without a purpose. Tomorrow is already Gods’ past, and next week is already His history. God is in your past, present, and all of your tomorrows! His thoughts toward you are awesome, more numerous than the sands of the shore.

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands." (Psalm 138:7-8)

"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. Then you will call on 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 29:11)

Just as you see a “forest inside a seed,” God sees your future and it looks bright to Him. What others cannot see, God already sees. He has big dreams for you, and He has given you the ability to dream along with Him. (See Ephesians 2:20)


Much Love,
Leif Hetland

We Are His Beloved Children by Pastor Lonnie Ellis

Romans 8:16 (NKJV)
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

1 John 3:1 (MSG)
What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.

How AMAZING and AWESOME is this. The Creator of everything seen
and unseen calls us His children. And because we are His
children we get to spend intimate times with Him.
Let's mediate and soak in that for a while.

The bible says in: Genesis: 1:26-28 (MSG)

God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting
our nature, So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in
the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves
on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created
them godlike, Reflecting God's nature.

He created them male and female.
God blessed them:  "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on
the face of Earth."

WOW did you get that. Not only are we His children but He also created us in
Their image and reflecting Their nature (Father, Son & Holy Ghost).

Then He blessed us and gave us a commission to

"Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Take charge!

Ok I know this is lot to take in. Read it again slowly and ask Holy Spirit to take it
to the core level of your being. Do it  daily, weekly or monthly until
it transforms your mind, body, soul and spirit in
who He created you to be.

I leave you with this:

May We Seek and Experience God Daily

My prayer is for all of us is, “Dear Lord, don’t let me miss You! Use me everyday
in a mighty way. Let me feel Your Presence and Your fresh renewal each and
every day of my life. I thank You for the memories of yesterday, but I
need to experience You today and expect great things from You
tomorrow. Yesterday is gone, but today and tomorrow I live in
expectation of a new and wonderful outpouring
of Your Mighty Spirit all around me.

Amen!

from page 127 in:

His Blessings are upon you!

Lonnie Ellis
Blazing Fire Church

Soaking by Sr. Pastor Brent Lokker

Since Paul Yadao's visit to Blazing Fire last month, I've been spending much more time soaking in the Lord's sweet presence and my heart has become softer than ever to Papa God's pleasure over me.  In this critical hour in which we are living, it's more imperative than ever that we "be still and know that He is God." (Ps 46:10).  That word 'know' is an experiential connection with the Father that He longs for and that we cannot live without! 

As the name implies, soaking is about being competely saturated in the glorious presence of our Maker without any agenda other than to enjoy Him and be enjoyed by Him.  In that place of intimacy, He will communicate truths to your heart you need in this moment of time.

Papa is wildly pleased with you and you MUST know this truth to the core of your being for yourself!  I encourage you to spend chunks of time daily setting everything else aside for the One Thing that can never be taken from you (Luke 10:42)

This Saturday, May 12th, we'll be providing an atmosphere for you to come and soak in the Lord's presence prior to worship, from 5:00-5:45 pm downstairs from the sanctuary.  Come and bless your Papa's heart and get your own heart blessed by Him at the same time!

We'll also have pre-service soaking nights at 5:00 pm on June 16, July 21 and August 18.

You Are The Boast of Heaven - By Pastor Karena Lout

"He establishes you from start to finish; to stand vindicated in your identity in the light of day as evidenced in the Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corin. 1:8 (Mirror Trans.)

Lately Todd and I have been reflecting on some really sweet memories with our son Josiah, as his high school graduation is quickly approaching. We're amazed at how time seems to have flown by, since we still remember so vividly the day he was born. He didn't need to do a thing for us. We fell in love the moment we laid eyes on him simply because he was our son. I've been enjoying going through pictures, cards and school memorabilia and recognizing the growth in him physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was remembering the milestones of his first words, first steps, first home run in little league, first time he prayed for me and Todd, first time he swam in the deep end of the pool, first time he cooked dinner by himself. And now as a teenager, getting his first job and driver's license. I was reminiscing about the the time he broke one wrist and sprained the other at the same time (yikes!), the way he'd get the attention of a whole restaurant with his silly faces and humor, waking his sister Sierra up every morning by throwing every single toy he owned in her crib, his constant silly singing and dancing throughout the house, our deep talks, the tears, the laughter, the fun.

Probably sounds like I could talk for days and days about my kids. You're right, I can! :) Just as your Father boasts about you to all of Heaven. He speaks with limitless pride about you. Your name is continually on His lips. There isn't a moment that goes by that He isn't thinking about you. The Father has captured every sweet moment of your life and recorded it all. "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:16

Like most parents, as my kids entered public high school, I prayed that I'd given them all the tools they needed to grow up healthy and to make good choices. Growth and development is the Kingdom as we move from Glory to Glory to Glory. There always seemed to be a negative tone as people would warn me of the "dreaded" teen years which has actually proven to be quite the opposite! Todd and I celebrate every season of their lives as we watch them grow up into all Jesus has designed for them to be. With each year, my heart overflows as I watch them discover something new about themselves, excel in a new responsibility, or grasp the truth of the Father's love for them on a deeper level.

The Father delights in watching you discover and explore the expanse of His love for you. As each year passes, know that He is so pleased with how you've grown. After all, He has been involved in every aspect of it. He is cheering you on, celebrating every victory, every moment with you. Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, all that's His is YOURS so you can be confident that you are fully equipped to succeed, lacking nothing. As Pastor Brent says, "You are doing so much better than you think you are!" Sometimes we tend to focus on what we still need to grow in and become unaware of all of the many ways we've grown and matured. Be assured that the Father is extremely delighted in you and is smiling over you just as a proud Father would!

Love, Karena