Don't Give Up! by Pastor Karena Lout

There’s something about the story of Nehemiah that’s been speaking to me lately. To give you a short recap, after learning that Judah’s remnant was in need and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he asked the king for permission to return and rebuild the city. Nehemiah discussed his plans with him, and he not only approved, but appointed him Judah’s governor. But when he arrived at Jerusalem, he discovered right away that the Israelites’ enemies opposed his plan. They argue in chapter 4, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing?” They tried to intimidate the Israelites by claiming they were incompetent and threatened them if they kept going. But Nehemiah persevered, depending completely on God’s strength and wisdom.    We can all relate to feeling opposition at times when we’re pursuing the dreams God’s planted in our hearts. Sometimes that opposition is external but a lot of times it’s internal. Our thoughts, past pain and disappointment keep us from moving forward. The more we choose to bravely look at these things with Jesus, He will reveal truth to our hearts and these things begin to lose the power they once had over us.    Some of Nehemiah’s biggest obstacles were intimidation and criticism. Intimidation is really just false power. It uses anger and bullying as a scare tactic to get you to shut down. Behind intimidation, is usually a frightened little boy or girl who feels powerless themselves. The good news is Jesus paid the high price so we could all live freely.    The voice of criticism can often be our own. We tend to spotlight our perceived weaknesses and shortcomings and shame the parts of our heart that can’t seem to “pull it together.” I want to encourage you to start celebrating the small victories in your life; how far you’ve come already. Give yourself more grace and kindness. After all, you can only give away what you own yourself.    As we pursue our dreams, fear can be our worst enemy. It immobilizes us and imprisons our dreams and desires because we view it as this big, ambiguous, scary goliath that holds all the power. We often don’t take the time to explore what it is we’re really afraid of. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll fail if you try something new. Perhaps you’re afraid that if you move forward with the dreams in your heart, God won’t provide for you. I want to encourage you to take some time to zero in and talk to Jesus about what it is you’re actually afraid of. I pray fear will no longer dictate your decisions and that Jesus will bring truth and healing to your heart!    Nehemiah was invested in Jerusalem and the people. He wept over his city. Sometimes we can focus so much on the “what God’s called us to” that we forget our “WHY”. I pray that God would soften and tenderize your heart right now for what He’s placed in front of you. As I was sharing on Sat. night, I felt so much fire in my heart for each of you, to not settle for less than ALL Jesus has for you. He’s not holding anything back from you. Keep going. Don’t give up. Jesus is completely committed to see you through!

Love, Karena

Gifts vs Calling by guest speaker Mark Neitz

Mark Neitz (Why Not Now Ministries) spoke at Blazing Fire in June. He gave a timely and encouraging word on Gifts vs. Calling: Making disciples in nations and making disciples of nations are both vital directives given by Jesus. However, both are distinct commands. It is important that we never lose sight of the”one.” At the same time it is important to realize that He said,”Ask, and I will give you the Nations as an inheritance.” Going after the “one”  is key because it carries the very seed for the transformation of Nations. Living in Cambodia, my desire is to reach individuals and represent the King and His Kingdom. At the same time, my mandate is to see a nation transformed and see the Kingdom of Heaven manifested in the Kingdom of Cambodia. As we look at our assignment in life, most of us look through the lens of our gifting. We tend to limit our personal commission to areas that we’re good at. It is important that we look at our assignment based on our calling not merely our gifting. Calling goes far beyond our gifts and passion. It actually goes into risky territory...our weakness. You see, when we move in our giftings, we receive the glory, but when we move in our weakness, He gets the glory! As a missionary, rescuing children from trafficking, people say to me that I have such a gift for what I do. I can assure you it’s no gift, it’s a calling. Most of what I do I’m not gifted in. I just know without a shadow of doubt that I’m walking in my calling. Because of this, when times are tough and I face enormous obstacles, the word “quit” never enters my thought process. When we move in our gifting and things get tough, many times we begin to look for a new season or new area of influence where our giftings can shine and we can feel valued and useful again. The Father wants us to function in our weakness, because that is when He can show Himself strong. When we accomplish things with Him that we couldn't do on our own, He is glorified. Look at the Apostle Paul. He was educated in the Jewish Law. He was a pharisee of pharisees. He understood and functioned in the Jewish culture better than most. If God were to commission anyone to the Jews, you’d think it would be Paul. After all, he was the most gifted to do so. But, that’s not what Father did. He sent him to the gentile. The point is this, we each have an enormous assignment. To limit our calling to just areas of gifting we greatly reduce the adventure that has been set before us. He pours out His spirit without measure and He gives us all authority. These enable us to go places and accomplish things that go far beyond our ability. As we walk in weakness we will go places beyond our dreams and have the privilege to see His Kingdom come on Earth as in Heaven! Much Grace,                      Mark Neitz - Why Not Now Ministries Inc

The Essential Importance of Baptism by Pastor Brent Lokker

This Saturday at Blazing Fire, we’re going to be celebrating the baptisms of many people who, because of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, will symbolically and prophetically bury all the remnants of their past as they’re submerged under the baptismal water. They will come up out of the water in newness of life, new creations in Christ Jesus! (2 Cor. 5:17) So is baptism necessary? I guess it all depends on what you’re asking. If you’re asking, “Am I saved and will I be escorted into heaven when I pass from this life if I’m not baptized?” then the answer is baptism isn’t necessary to be saved. The Scriptures make it very clear that belief in Jesus as your Savior is the key: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Romans 10:9 But if you’re asking, “Is baptism necessary in order to experience the fullness of all that Jesus paid on the cross for me?” my answer is an unequivocal YES! Baptism is symbolic of your old life dying as you receive your new life in Christ, but it is so much more than just symbolism. The spirit realm of God’s Kingdom is far more real than what we see with our eyes in the natural realm. I am convinced that in baptism, there’s a demarcation that’s unmistakable from heaven’s vantage point. And what does that signify for the one being baptized? ·       Complete identification with Christ—You are ONE with Him! (Col. 2:11-15) ·       An agreement that your old life ruled by an evil master called sin is over and one with for good!  You have a new master, Jesus, who is good and grants you his freedom instead! (Romans 6:2-6) ·       Agreement that as His favored child, you are right with God and can jump into His Papa’s arms any time you want without fear or guilt or shame! (Galatians 3:26-27, 1 John 3:1) ·       An entrance into a life ruled by the Spirit of God where anything is possible! (Acts 2:38, Acts 16:5-7) You can listen to my message on Baptism from last Saturday, explaining these passages, at the link below. Jesus made a choice to be baptized and He instructed us to do the same. He even empowered us to baptize others before He ascended into heaven. Whoa! Baptism must be a significant part of our spiritual journey, don’t you think?  If you are a follower of Jesus but you’ve never been baptized, this Saturday is your opportunity! Step up and take this opportunity to identify yourself with Jesus for all eternity…heaven is watching with great excitement and anticipation! To let us know you want to be baptized, simply write to Pastor Karena at karena@blazingfire.org Because this is a great celebration, after the baptisms, we’re going to worship our King together, take communion and go through a “fire tunnel” of empowerment to take the Good News out with us everywhere we go! This will be an epic night to be sure. And if you’ve never been baptized and choose to do so this Saturday, it will truly be a night you won’t forget. I hope you can join us. With Much Love and Anticipation,                                                        Pastor Brent