Jesus in the Journey

Hi Family!  Last Saturday night at Blazing Fire, the Lord encouraged me to share a piece of my journey and I am so thankful I followed through! I am in a new season of my life and lately it has felt as though there are just constant challenges. A vision came to me during worship that completely shifted my mindset.  I envisioned I was hiking up a steep mountain and all I could think about was just getting through this hike. Nothing else mattered except making it up this mountain. Once I reached the top of the mountain, there was another one to climb; mountain after mountain and it was never ending. Until finally Jesus stopped me in my tracks. He told me to look back and recognize where I had come from. When I turned around I saw an entire mountain range that I had just climbed. I was so focused on just getting through the painful part that I had forgotten to celebrate the journey. Jesus then asked me to look down at my right hand. He had been holding my hand the entire time and never let go for a second. I had gotten so lost in overcoming this challenge that my eyes weren't on Jesus. Often times, I find myself in a season that feels as though it’s just one challenge after another. Jesus never fails to remind me that life is worth enjoying and I should celebrate the journey! It's so easy to get caught up in earthly challenges but when I look to Jesus, he reminds me that life is more than just challenges. Thank you Jesus for bringing color and joy to life!   "Truth's shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your word makes my pathway clear." Psalm 119:105 (TPT) Love, Katie

What Does It Mean To Be Jesus' Apprentice?

Another way to look at being a disciple of Jesus is to be his apprentice which means we are learning directly from him. When I finished college, I became an intern working with Junior High students at my church. I learned from our Youth Pastor, Scott, who I met with a few times per week where we talked about life and ministry. But even more impactful was what I learned by watching how engaging he was with teenagers, how he shared a message with sincerity, how he treated his wife with love and honor and even how he taught me with patience and a touch of humor at times. I was Scott’s apprentice and by the end of that year, I made the decision to go to seminary and become an ordained minister.   In the same way, Jesus has invited us to be his apprentice, his disciple, his student learning directly from him by seeing (in the Bible) how he lived life as a human who was totally yielded to the Father’s will and empowered by Holy Spirit. Since Jesus is very much alive, we are still learning from him today. This is why it’s so important that each one of us has a vibrant relationship with Jesus and learns how he communicates with us. Often, Jesus will give us greater insight into what we can already read in the Bible.   Let me give you an example. We read these words from our master Jesus in Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,     because he has anointed me     to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners     and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,      to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”   This is an amazing passage of what Jesus came to do, but when we start understanding that he is teaching us everything he did as well as empowering us to do the same, that changes how we read the Bible, doesn’t it?  And instead of putting pressure on ourselves to try to do everything in our own power (which isn’t possible anyway), we ask our Teacher and Master, Jesus, to live his life through us!   So, read the above passage from Luke again, only this time ask Jesus to teach you as you read. For example, when I read the first phrase, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” I immediately sense from Jesus that I have to start from that place as well—total agreement that I am already filled with God’s Spirit so everything else that follows will be the good fruit of a life yielded to Holy Spirit, just like Jesus lived while on the earth.   Now, you keep going with the rest of the verse. Jesus will help you and give you more understanding. Just ask him!   And enjoy the journey of discovery of the freedom that will come as you learn to live life in the Spirit!   Love,  Pastor Brent

#toddsfaithmemes

Social media can, most certainly, be an avenue for horrendous division, gossip, misinformation, accusation and all kinds of stressful balderdash.  If it's seriously dragging you down, stressing you out or causing you to feel addicted to nonsense, it's time to break away!  If it seems like it will tear you apart to do so, then it's REALLY TIME! HOWEVER, like any other tool or powerful thing, there can be really great uses for the same thing that can be used for such yuck.  There's so much opportunity to spread good news online.  Usage like this actually stands out more than ever because of how much negative is out there.   One tiny little corner of the web is the hashtag #toddsfaithmemes.  A "meme" is an idea or behavior spread around from person to person, technically.  It's also been shortened down to a simple saying (usually humorous) with a photo for reference. I decided to use that word, "meme", for photos and designs with scriptures, inspiring quotes and sayings.  On our church instagram, @blazingfirechurch, we have some informational posts. Even our weekly email is posted there.  Mostly, though, it's filled with these "faith memes", accompanied by a short devo to go with it.  Now that you can actually follow a hashtag, you can always be informed when a new one is posted.  These can be bright lights somewhere in your day.  Soon, many of them will be available for purchase as refrigerator magnets and postcards. By the way, I've gotten much great feedback from folks, even strangers, about how these little words have changed an entire week, and so on. Praise God! You, too, can bring light into areas that seem to lack such. Let's ask the Lord what that might be this week and makes some moves on it! After all "this Living Expression is the Light that bursts through gloom - the Light that darkness could not diminish." (John 1:5) Here's some examples of #toddsfaithmemes below:

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Let no anxiety about anything distract you! Rather, translate moments into prayerful worship, and soak your requests in gratitude before God. Definitely a whole lot of anxiety going on out there. You don't want to let it get in you. God knows what's going on a billions times better than we do, AND He knows how to resolve it all. The distraction of anxiety causes us to forget that. But He is faithful, always inviting us into a place of peace.

This will truly change everything for the better. It's not too late to make the switch either! Jesus actually commands this in John 15. He’s so wants us to experience being loved and loving. He also wants us to have lots and lots of joy! Simply lining ourselves up with God’s way of doing things (righteousness) will automatically cause us to see Him, and His realm, more clearly. It transforms us. Then we realize just how unconditional His love truly is.

Do You Need Comfort?

A few mornings ago, I woke up to the Lord’s voice within saying,   Comfort, comfort my people.   I knew this came from the prophet Isaiah, so I looked it up in the Passion Translation and read the first two verses of Isaiah 40: Your God says to you: “Comfort, comfort my people with gentle, compassionate words. Speak tenderly from the heart to revive those in Jerusalem, and proclaim that their warfare is over. Her debt of sin is paid for, and she will not be treated as guilty. Prophesy to her that she has received from the hand of Yahweh twice as many blessings as all her sins.” Despite the poor choices that God’s people were making at the time because they were straying from the truth of who God said they were, this promise from God’s tender heart came to them through his son, servant and friend, Isaiah, to bring comfort, assurance and hope. Restoration happens because God, our Father, extends His merciful hand out…again. I say again because this is always what God does. This is His heart for us that never changes. He is well aware that unless He comes to where we are in our misperceptions and leads us gently back to the truth of who He says we are, we have no way of turning ourselves around to experience the peace and joy of resting in His goodness. We all need comfort—genuine comfort, not the Band-aids of comfort foods, Netflix binge watching or addictions we try to self-administer in an attempt to find relief from feelings of loneliness, fear or despair. So, I speak to you the tender words of our Father to revive your heart during this tumultuous time in world history.   My child, no matter what messes you’ve made because of your misperceptions about Me, yourself, or others, I have forgiven you and I’m right here to comfort you.  You need to know I’m not at war with the world, nor with you. I so loved the world that I sent my son, Jesus, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. My heart has never changed. This is true for the world, and it is true for you. Sin has been paid for on the cross. The lie of separation was taken to the grave so you can live with an ongoing awareness of your oneness with me. In the midst of these tumultuous times, don’t be afraid! It is my intention to bless you, to bless your family, and to bless the nations of the world.   Colossians 2:13, 20 (TPT) “God made you alive with Christ; he forgave us all our sins. And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself, back to its original intent, restored to innocence again.”   Friends, I encourage you to choose to surrender your own understanding of what you think is happening in the world; Choose to surrender being the director of your own play in an attempt to control the outcome the way you want it to be; And choose to rest and be comforted by the truth of your Father’s tender heart for you.   I declare Shalom! It is well with your soul!   Love, Brent

For even more comfort, watch this short video.