The Gospel is Relational, Not Transactional by Joel Pollard

In Acts 8:9-24, we read about the story of Simon the Sorcerer and his reaction to wanting to buy the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, after seeing how the power was released to the Samaritans through the laying on of hands. In Acts 8:18, Simon's reaction to Peter becomes all about struggle vs. evil. He reacted from what he knew and was familiar with. He reacted to the power instead of responding to the Process. He reacted with a transactional thought, not a relational truth. The Bible tells us that it is the "Truth" that sets us free. Who is the truth but Christ Jesus! It is the Holy Spirit that continues to draw us to Jesus.   The role of our partnership with the Holy Spirit must be one that is not transactional but relational.   True intimacy is found in our ongoing fellowship with the Holy Spirit, where the communion and connection are. It’s out of that place where we know our identity (sonship), which leads to authenticity, being authentic as God originally designed us to be. From there, it leads us to taking our authority as sons and daughters of God, as mothers and fathers, and to raise up others, which in turn puts us in alignment with Romans 8:19, "for the earth is groaning for the manifestations of the sons and daughters of God"--that's us! When we put a "yes" to the Process (Holy Spirit), there are depths of relationship in Him that will ALWAYS be available to us; depths and realms He wants to take us to, not alone, but together. Togetherness is a constant embrace in every step we take and in every place we’re at; He wants to be right there with us. The Holy Spirit wants to be our best friend.   In the story of Simon, he saw “the goods”, but not the Person; he wanted the power, without the process; he wanted power over relationship. We must realize that the Holy Spirit is not a commodity. We cannot have the power of the Spirit without the Person of the Spirit. How many times have we treated the Holy Spirit as a commodity and how many times have we wanted the power without relationship? Even in times where we feel we have missed it, there is no shame, guilt or condemnation for we are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8). When we say yes to Him, what does this look like? Process. Walking it out on the journey together. I am thankful that His grace is sufficient for us and His mercies are new every morning. There's a backside to grace and it's called process.   The Holy Spirit is always inviting us into deeper waters with Him, to move away from the banks of the river and to be willing to be led into further truths (deeper waters), to be led into ALL TRUTH. This is all about JESUS! It’s the Holy Spirit who keeps pointing us to Jesus, who He wants to be to us, in us and through us!   Our hearts were created to co-labor with God (1 Corinthians 3). It all goes back to how we hear the Lord. A few different practical ways we can co-labor with God and hear Him are journaling, soaking, listening prayer, worship/devotion time and through dreams and visions. When God looks at you and me, He has no filters, nor lenses. He sees the prophetic version of you and me; He’s sees us as we were created according to His original design. He has chosen to do this Gospel through the covenant of family with His sons and daughters—this is a do-it-together Gospel!   This week, let's give Holy Spirit permission and access to our hearts. Let's ask Him to show us the times where we have wanted power over relationship. We repent for our fleshly motives that sought power over relationship; we renounce this lie and ask Jesus to give us eyes to see and ears to hear what Holy Spirit wants to do and where He wants to go in us.   We must rely on Holy Spirit more and more and more and more! Holy Spirit, keep showing us who Jesus is and who we are! You can listen to Joel Pollard's message last Saturday at Blazing Fire by clicking here

Christ In Me Is Your Greatest Reality by Pastor Brent Lokker

Last Saturday I shared about an encounter I recently had in the middle of the night when I was praying for healing from a cold. I heard God say to me, “Go back.” So I started to pray to block the moment whenever the cold virus entered my body. But I heard a second time, “Go back.” My spirit then knew I was being invited back to the scourging of Jesus where by his stripes I am healed (Is 53:5), back to the cross where I had been crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20), back to the tomb where I was buried with Christ (Rom 6:4), and into the heavens where I have been resurrected with Christ and am now seated with Him in heavenly places (Col 3:1, Eph 2:6).  I then saw superimposed over my body a huge “I” and heard the Spirit say, “’I’ no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in you.” In my half asleep state, I repeated this again and again for a significant amount of time. It comes from Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” The next morning when reflecting on this encounter, Holy Spirit began to show me even more of the beauty and miracle of “’I’ no longer lives, but it is Christ who lives in me.” I encourage you to speak the following truths out loud to yourself. It would be therapeutic and healing! “I” gets afraid and wants to hide. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is courageous. “I” feels isolated and wants to cut off from others. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is connected with God, with me and with others. “I” compares itself to others, gets intimidated by others and gets jealous of others. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is content and values me infinitely. “I” wants to numb out with additions and distractions. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is holy and pure. “I” feels less than and incomplete. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is whole. “I” thinks its life has no meaning. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is full of life and bears much fruit. “I” wants to do whatever “I” wants to do. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and I no longer belong to myself, but to Him who loves me and has only the best designs and purposes for my life. “I” feels disjointed and separated from God at times. But “I” no longer lives. It is Christ who lives in me and Christ in me is present at all times. Jesus’ Spirit and mine are intertwined. He and I are one. Christ in me is the truest reality of who I am! Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)

When Heaven's Realities Overtake Our Impossibilities by Pastor Brent Lokker

By Pastor Brent Lokker Jesus said something that seems downright crazy…except that crazy is a word that would never fit for Jesus.  He said, “I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! For I will do whatever you ask me to do when you ask me in my name. And that is how the Son will show what the Father is really like and bring glory to him.  Ask me anything in my name, and I will do it for you!” (John14:12-14, TPT) There was a particular time in my life when this verse went from theory to reality for me. In my late 20’s I had a serious backpacking accident. I was several days out into the wilderness when, in a split second, I lost my footing and slid helplessly, watching my right knee slice right into the sharp edge of a protruding rock. The cut went so deep that I could see the white cartilage. I bandaged it up as best I could and toughed it out the several days hike back but my knee was never the same after that. I couldn’t run or kneel down without pain. This pain persisted for about a year before a miracle took place one day. Up to this point, my spiritual journey had taken me from my childhood years where I learned to trust there is a God, but didn’t actually know much about His nature; through my college years where I encountered a Jesus I could know, but was unaware of His power and authority; to this place in my life in my late 20’s where I had experienced a crisis of faith after witnessing the tragic death of my father-in-law that I couldn’t stop that caused me to search for the true nature, power and authority of the Jesus I had given my life to. Most miracles have an element of faith attached—the belief that what God says is actually true. On this particular day in my spiritual journey I made a distinct choice to believe that the words of Jesus were true: If I believed in Jesus, I could do the same miracles and even greater miracles than he did! So on a hot day in June while taking the kitchen trash out to the garbage bin of our apartment complex, I suddenly stopped smack dab in the middle of the hot parking lot pavement and put the trash can down. “If healing is true, then I’m going to do something about it!” I placed my hand on my knee and commanded, “Cartilage, tendons and muscles, be healed in Jesus’ name!” That was it. No pleading. No long prayer. And to be honest, I didn’t feel anything. Since it didn’t seem like anything miraculous had happened, I picked up the trash can, finished dumping it and went back to my apartment. Moments later I got down on my knees to do a set of push-ups and suddenly realized that there was zero pain! Without thinking about the possible consequences, I put all my weight on my right knee and kind of rolled around on it. No pain!! I then went out and ran 3 miles and, you guessed it…no pain! Not then and not once since then. I was completely healed! On that day, heaven's reality of healing overtook my impossibility and that opened the door to seeing hundreds more miracles since that time. We’ve been making our way through the book of Acts, but not just to look back in amazement at how the early church exploded all over the world through the power and love of Jesus. We’re also reading it to be reminded and amazed that we have the very same Holy Spirit within and that the miracles have never ceased! Our life with Jesus was meant to usher in heaven’s realities in the midst of what appears to be our impossibilities. This Saturday night at Blazing Fire, we’re going to teach you and show you practical ways to step out into the realities of heaven. Come ready to believe and participate. We'll also take communion where we will make a choice to believe that we are the very Body of Christ representing the One who fills us to a world of people seeking truth, freedom and love. It’s time for God’s Spirit to awaken us again to the truth that He has placed Himself within us to usher in heaven’s realities!

It's a Good Journey by Jennifer Shannon

Be assured that your heavenly Father traverses every step of your life with you!  Here is a timely and encouraging word from Blazing Fire's own Jennifer Shannon, a mega-dose of truth to keep you aligned with heaven's reality: As the Lord says, we will rise, awaken to love’s truth. The perfect peace will flow like a river, gracefully yet powerfully from His throne room. The waterfall of mercy immerses us gleefully as we, daughters and sons of God take a step forward in our journey. Every step He leads us is a step toward maturity in Him.    Those dark nights where many have cried out in pain, sorrow, and fear. Your voice, He did hear and reached out with His hand to be the lifter of your head, the restorer of your heart, spirit and soul. In so doing He has washed it all away with the blood He shed.   The mountain climb strengthens you and enables you to climb higher. The feet become nimble like hinds’ feet as you jump from ledge to ledge trusting Him to catch you lest you fall. The joy you see on His face, the laughter that bellows forth is the heart of a Father cheering you on and the voice you hear says” You can do this! I am with you always, never will I leave you all alone!”   The hand of a potter is He, molding and making you the beautiful creation that you are. Lovely in His eyes to behold His glory within only to be poured out with such divine purpose to touch all those you encounter and pass by.    How the enemy wants to destroy, yet the Lord of Love overcomes and protects you within the depths of His heart. This is the overflow of the heart of a Savior and Friend that meets you in that secret place and holds your heart for you to see. Some parts may be hidden yet being brought to light so that you can let Him who paid the cost set it free.    The journey that is taken, it often is a wild ride with twists and turns and surprises along the way. Yet the inner healing that bursts forth is like a caterpillar into a butterfly, from that hidden place to the open skies emerging into truth and disposing the lie.   That yoke, so burdensome and heavy, carried alone may hold you back and slow you down from accomplishing what your heart dreams of and what His purpose is for your life! Let Him help you along the way and let Him carry what is not yours.    When you find your identity and who you truly are; the lies that the enemy of God may try to spew will begin to fall to the ground and dry up like worms baking in the sun during the heat of the day.   The truth of who you are is not found in what you do but in who He says you are. Finding your place, finding where you belong and knowing that you're loved is a victory in itself. You will find your true freedom by dwelling in His peace, embracing His presence and believing in who He really is!