“I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.” John 14:18
I had a dream a few weeks ago that got my attention. In the dream, Todd and I were in an old, dilapidated house rescuing precious children who were victims of child slavery. The house was so run down that we knew it was only a matter of time before it would collapse. As we carefully carried the children out of the rubble, I suddenly realized that my purse was gone and began to panic. I told Todd that I needed to go to the bank to cancel my debit card because it was about to close. He stayed calm and said we needed to finish what we were doing and that everything would be fine. I was a little annoyed that he wasn’t worried (as if that would help). Though I was still upset by the loss, I knew what we were doing was more important and took precedence over slipping into worry about finances. After we made sure the children were all safe and in their new royal home, we went to the car where Todd found my purse hidden under the passenger seat. End of Dream.
This dream was really timely and significant for me on several levels. The part I want to highlight though is the feeling of doubt that came up that God may not provide for me as I pursue what’s in my heart. Taking risks and following your heart’s passions can sometimes be scary, especially if you’ve experienced loss or disappointment in the past as a result. But I’ve also decided in my heart that I’d rather dive full on into the ocean of adventure than sit on the shore of “what ifs”, wondering and fear. Making the choice to follow your dreams takes courage and trust but it’s so worth it! And when we also come to believe that Christ is our all-sufficiency, not only will we help a hurting world, but we’ll show them their worth as sons, not orphans. Knowing who we are as the Father’s beloved children greatly influences our beliefs about His provision in our lives.
A few weeks after I had this dream, I went to a friend’s house to pick up some items she was donating to drop off at a shelter. After we finished loading up the car, we went in and had lunch. When returning to the car, I realized I had left the door wide open with my purse sitting out by the passenger seat (just as in the dream, ironically). My friend lives on a very busy street in an area where homes have recently been burglarized. It hit me in that moment that just as in my dream, God is so covering me and taking care of me. As I left, He said these sweet words that I pray you will receive for yourself as you courageously pursue your heart’s passions.
“Keep your head close to my chest, pressed into me. I got you. You’re not doing this alone. Let me take the lead, provide for you, care for you. Your dreams originated in my heart first. I am the one who gives them flight. Rest in my love. I’ve got you and I will never let go.”
Love, Karena
Friday, June 28, 2013
Enduring Hardships by Pastor Angela Ellis
In my life I have endured many hardships. Some I can say honestly because of my choices and others because of other peoples’ choices that directly affected my life. Some hardships felt uncomfortable others that felt at the time, life shattering.
Whatever the case, I have to say I have learned much through every hardship I have had to face. I have learned to a deeper degree the Love of the triune God and many, if not all of the fruits of the spirit have been refined in me throughout the trials. Not that I’ve mastered any of them, but I can say some I have done double time in for sure!
Why do I highlight what seems to be a negative? Well, because I’ve come to a place where I would not trade those seemingly negative things for anything! I have through these trials and challenges come to a place of actual rejoicing over them. I rejoice because through them I have learned a piece of heaven that only I can release through my perspective and my truth. I have been made more like Christ through them and more than anything I have learned to value things that I didn’t value before. I’ve learned that I can overcome anything with Christ and more important, I’ve learned to truly lean on my beloved in all things.
Really, there are endless lessons that have come through what seems to be a negative. So my question is, if so many positives come out of hardships or challenges then why do we still consider these as negatives? I believe perspective has a huge role in how we see or view things. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe we have to necessarily like every situation we are in, but I think if we can somehow remember to ask Holy Spirit how He see’s things in the midst of our different situations, I believe our limited earthly perspective can quickly become a heavenly perspective. And while we may not be able to overt the situation we can stay steady in walking through them asking Holy Spirit to reveal all the hidden treasures in them along the way. We can learn and grow without challenges or hardships throwing us out of the game or making us stuck.
As we move forward into a new season lets try going through things with heavens perspective. Let’s stay steady and steadfast believing always the Lord is for us and He really is working all things for good! As we go let’s look for the treasures in the lessons we are learning along the way, while handing out our pearls of wisdom to others that are put on our path. Imagine what it would be like if we changed the old way of thinking from these challenges or hardships are “hard” to instead thinking“ I’m gathering treasure…pearls even!” When we look at it that way suddenly we have no lack but actually can see our abundance we have to freely give away!
May you be abundantly blessed in ALL things!
With much love,
Angela
Whatever the case, I have to say I have learned much through every hardship I have had to face. I have learned to a deeper degree the Love of the triune God and many, if not all of the fruits of the spirit have been refined in me throughout the trials. Not that I’ve mastered any of them, but I can say some I have done double time in for sure!
Why do I highlight what seems to be a negative? Well, because I’ve come to a place where I would not trade those seemingly negative things for anything! I have through these trials and challenges come to a place of actual rejoicing over them. I rejoice because through them I have learned a piece of heaven that only I can release through my perspective and my truth. I have been made more like Christ through them and more than anything I have learned to value things that I didn’t value before. I’ve learned that I can overcome anything with Christ and more important, I’ve learned to truly lean on my beloved in all things.
Really, there are endless lessons that have come through what seems to be a negative. So my question is, if so many positives come out of hardships or challenges then why do we still consider these as negatives? I believe perspective has a huge role in how we see or view things. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe we have to necessarily like every situation we are in, but I think if we can somehow remember to ask Holy Spirit how He see’s things in the midst of our different situations, I believe our limited earthly perspective can quickly become a heavenly perspective. And while we may not be able to overt the situation we can stay steady in walking through them asking Holy Spirit to reveal all the hidden treasures in them along the way. We can learn and grow without challenges or hardships throwing us out of the game or making us stuck.
As we move forward into a new season lets try going through things with heavens perspective. Let’s stay steady and steadfast believing always the Lord is for us and He really is working all things for good! As we go let’s look for the treasures in the lessons we are learning along the way, while handing out our pearls of wisdom to others that are put on our path. Imagine what it would be like if we changed the old way of thinking from these challenges or hardships are “hard” to instead thinking“ I’m gathering treasure…pearls even!” When we look at it that way suddenly we have no lack but actually can see our abundance we have to freely give away!
May you be abundantly blessed in ALL things!
With much love,
Angela
Thursday, June 20, 2013
BORN TO BLESS! by Pastor Brent Lokker
Many years ago, I approached Pastor Bill Johnson at Bethel Church in Redding, someone who I regarded as a spiritual father to me. I expressed to him with deep feeling just what an impact he had on my life and how grateful to the Lord I was for him. He responded, “Brent, you make me as proud as any father could be.” Afterwards, I stood there by myself in stunned silence. In that exchange that took all of 60 seconds, I was dramatically impacted. Did I just hear Bill say…? I ran his words over and over again in my mind.
Why did his words have such a dramatic impact on me? What was going on in the core of my being?
Quite simply, blessing was going on!
John 1:16 in the Amplified Bible reads:
For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
We are made in the glorious image of God who blesses and blesses some more. We have a choice to be just like our Daddy to bless and bless some more. However, God always gives us choice. What makes blessing people so very powerful is that we have the equal choice to curse.
James 3:8-10 came to my mind: "But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be this way."
In this passage the word "curse" means "to speak evil of, or to not speak well of." The word "bless" means "to speak well of."
Bill Johnson chose to bless me by speaking well of me and something inside of me deeply needed it. What I discovered is that his choice to bless me gave me an even greater ability and authority to bless the hearts of others.
This Saturday at Blazing Fire Church is a night of Generational Blessings, where people of all ages will have the opportunity to receive blessings as well as to bless others in order to be congruent with who we are as sons and daughters of Yahweh God. Specifically, I want the younger ones to bless the wisdom of the older, and the older ones to bless the zeal of the younger.
We were born to bless! It's in our new nature in Christ to do so.
Choose today to bless others and to let all curses fall lifelessly to the ground, unspoken by your lips. By doing so, you're looking just like your Daddy!
Why did his words have such a dramatic impact on me? What was going on in the core of my being?
Quite simply, blessing was going on!
John 1:16 in the Amplified Bible reads:
For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
We are made in the glorious image of God who blesses and blesses some more. We have a choice to be just like our Daddy to bless and bless some more. However, God always gives us choice. What makes blessing people so very powerful is that we have the equal choice to curse.
James 3:8-10 came to my mind: "But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be this way."
In this passage the word "curse" means "to speak evil of, or to not speak well of." The word "bless" means "to speak well of."
Bill Johnson chose to bless me by speaking well of me and something inside of me deeply needed it. What I discovered is that his choice to bless me gave me an even greater ability and authority to bless the hearts of others.
This Saturday at Blazing Fire Church is a night of Generational Blessings, where people of all ages will have the opportunity to receive blessings as well as to bless others in order to be congruent with who we are as sons and daughters of Yahweh God. Specifically, I want the younger ones to bless the wisdom of the older, and the older ones to bless the zeal of the younger.
We were born to bless! It's in our new nature in Christ to do so.
Choose today to bless others and to let all curses fall lifelessly to the ground, unspoken by your lips. By doing so, you're looking just like your Daddy!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
God Is Good All The Time - by Pastor Lonnie Ellis
Dear Beloved Family,
In Christiandom we here a lot of cliché
phrases along the lines of just the few listed below. We hear songs,
sermons and even read books about them. We often speak these words over
each other as a form of encouragement as we often should.
“God is Good All The Time”.
“If God is for you then who Could Be Against You”
“Taste & See That The Lord is Good”
“ Daddy You Love Me’
These statements are based in
BIBLICAL TRUTHS and Papa wants to IMPACT and bring TRANSFORMATION in our
lives with these Kingdom Life-Changing words.
But when we go through or we are in the midst of:
Loss (financial, divorce, home, savings, job ect.)
Death of a loved one or friend
A son or daughter leaving homee
Transition
Hurricaines, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Fires ect.
and more…
Our spirits and hearts can at times become numb to the impact they should have on our lives.
We all will experience up’s and downs in
our lives. It’s easy to feel uncomfortable, be around or avoid friends
and family that might be experiencing challenging times. I want to
encourage us all (as we are called to do and be) that God Is Good All The Time, in our good-times and our challenging times PERIOD!
To release or give insight on this topic I included a link of an article from the Elijah List that will go into greater detail.
Written by:
Gary Elkins: Senior Leader
- Living Waters Church
Medford, Oregon
Title: "Can't I Bless You In Your Suffering?"
Each family will go through seasons of
challenge and suffering in the course of a lifetime. As a family, we
recently experienced one of those times. In the end, God showed up and
pointed the situation in a new direction, but at the start we felt
overwhelmed.
Click on this link to read the whole article. It is worth it:
I pray that your spirit is blessed as mine was blessed and encouraged.
Be Blessed and Be A Blessing.
Lonnie Ellis
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