God With Us In The Waiting by Pastor Brent Lokker

What a special time we all shared together this past Saturday night at Blazing Fire! At the end of my message when you all came forward to give your collective “Yes!” to the Lord, I felt we were all in a warm cocoon of His love and grace.    Papa loved your courageous hearts that are “all in” even though you are still waiting on many of His promises to be fulfilled.   In the midst of the promises of God we’re waiting upon together and the ones you are waiting on individually, remember how faithful He is to hear each prayer we utter and to answer every one of our cries. But His faithful answers are often contained in storehouses that are then released at exactly the right moment that will produce the greatest possible blessing. And when you experience frustration during the times of waiting, remember Papa is never silent and is always breathing His life and hope into us.   Remember Jesus’ words:  “A woman in childbirth suffers because her time has come but when he has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering in her joy that a human being has been born into the world.” John 16:21   There is coming a time very shortly when God will pour out such a generous measure of His Spirit and His glory that we will forget the time of waiting when we’ve been crying out to experience a greater measure of His presence.   We’re about to enter into a most amazing Kingdom time together—I feel it with every fiber of my being! And we’re doing so as a family whose hearts are more deeply connected than ever—drawn close through the Spirit’s sweet, sweet presence among us.   It’s about to get really, really good. Just you wait and see!   “We are not those who shrink back and are destroyed, but are of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” Hebrews 10:39   Take courage my heart, stay steadfast my soul He’s in the waiting! He’s in the waiting! Hold on to your hope as your triumph unfolds He’s in the waiting! He’s in the waiting!   You can hear Pastor Brent’s message from Saturday here: http://blazingfire.podbean.com/e/god-with-us-brent-lokker/

Transformation From The Inside Out by BF guest contributors

As we follow Jesus, we all want to see transformation in our personal lives, in our friendships, with other believers, and in our society as a whole.  What does this look like?  Holy Spirit took us on an exciting journey last Saturday of what transformation looks like from intimacy with our Father, to unity within His Body,  and in outreach to the world around us. It all begins with our individual pursuit of our Father through Intimacy - living a life of no separation.  It isn’t action driven, but motivated by His love.  We see the example of Jesus who was always retreating to a mountain top to be with His Father.  In John 15:9-10 Jesus says to his followers “I have loved you the way my Father has loved me.   Make yourselves at home in my love.”  In other words, Jesus says, “don’t timidly approach my love and drink of it sparingly, but get comfy and roll in it!.” – Favor Mitchell.   Duty and obligation are not enough to sustain anything, but love is like rocket fuel that presses us passed our fears and into intimacy with Him.  As we spend time with our Heavenly Father we will begin to go out of our way to do things for one another, knowing it benefits His entire body. “When a part of the body of Christ rejects and fails to honor another part of the body, it is like an autoimmune disease within the body.” – Damali Vaughn.   Every part of the Church is unique, and through intimacy, God will give us a greater understanding to discover what our focus should be, based on the gifts He gives us, rather than having a critical spirit.  We will become healthy to bless other parts of His Body (including different members, cultures, denominations, etc).  Many conflicts will be resolved when God gives us His eyes to see how He has uniquely created and gifted others.  As we become healthy, growing members of the Body of Christ, we will be able to see things from others perspectives because we will see their unique purpose. While being united with the Lord Himself and with others in His Body, we are compelled to share Him with others, and not keep what we have received to ourselves.  2 Cor. 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.   Jesus also said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” There will definitely be bumps along the way.  The enemy sometimes can make us feel tied up when it comes to sharing the love of the Father with those in our daily environments outside of church.   Our society can seem intimidating; we can sometimes become too busy and our own problems can take away our joy and passion for sharing Jesus to those around us.  Yet in Colossians 4:5-6 Paul wrote to the Body of Christ in Colosse while he was in prison, “ devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful  and pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message…Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer to everyone.”  Paul wasn’t worried about his prison, but asked for opportunities to witness of God’s greatness to those around him.  This is the result of his intimacy with the Father and his unity with the Body of Christ as he wrote to them while in prison.      Let’s ask God to draw us more intimately toward his love and with each other in unity.  When we ask Him, He also will give wisdom and grace for opportunities to share with those around us, no matter our surroundings.  From intimacy, to unity, to outreach, He is transforming us from the inside out.

Wisdom & Clarity of Purpose by Pastor Brent Lokker and Bobby Conner

Suzanne and I have been praying more than ever these past several weeks for God’s wisdom and clarity of purpose. We pray the same for you as well.  We have the sense that we’re living in such an important moment in history and therefore our Father will be making clear what each one of us needs to know about His heart and His purpose for our lives.   God threw another log on the fire of this prayer yesterday when I read this word from Bobby Conner on the Elijah List which I want to share with you:   “You were chosen by Almighty God in eternity past, to live in the present and to forge the future (see Ephesians 2:10). You have divine destiny. No one on earth can accomplish what you have been commissioned to do!”   Sound asleep, I was awakened by an exceptionally pleasant voice speaking in my room. The message was articulated with extreme clarity. Upon hearing the words, immense comfort and courage immediately flooded my heart. This word was audible; it was not something I heard in my head or heart—I heard it with my ears. However, let me be straightforward: I did not see who spoke to me, because when I looked in the direction of the voice, I was suddenly blinded by a bright flash of LIGHT. It was almost as if a strong flash from a camera blinded my eyes. Yet, He continued to speak, saying, "Tell My people they have purpose—they have been chosen by ME for ME." Upon hearing this declaration, I was immediately overwhelmed with joy and excitement.   Never allow the devil to discourage you again; you have divine purpose! You are divinely prepared to accomplish the task God has assigned you. You can do something no other human being can do.   Meditate and ponder this message; believe that you have been chosen by Christ, for Christ, and your life will take on even greater zeal and purpose. Jesus said: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." (John 15:16)   Your confidence and courage will soar, as you understand in greater capacity the depth of these words, "YOU ARE CHOSEN BY CHRIST!" Let these words wash over your soul—they are like refreshing water to the thirsty. You have been chosen by Christ, for Christ; the choice was made before the foundation of the world (see Ephesians 1:4). Knowing this promise, will release you from rejection and depression.   The goal is to finish the course and to be able to say with all confidence, "I've kept the faith and stayed on course accomplishing the task set before me" (2 Timothy 4:7). God gives us His power for purpose; the gifts are tools not toys and anointing is for action (see Acts 1:8). God releases His anointing on His children for one main purpose: to impact the nations by bringing the hurting and lost to Himself.   The Lord has been fanning the flame of discontentment within the hearts of His people. He is creating an insatiable hunger to see the power of God revealed so that we would not settle for less than what He desires to give us (see Psalm 90:16-17). The discontentment is driving us to seek the Lord and to search for His answers to life's problems (see Psalm 42:1-2).   This is a season of sensitivity. You will find the Lord in a much deeper, intimate way as you seek HIM (see Jeremiah 29:12-13). The Spirit of Truth is Preparing You for Spiritual Promotion! You have a divine destiny. You are to be a powerful conduit for change. You are anointed to be a history maker and one that will be a changer of our culture.   Bobby Conner