FEASTING ON THE TRUTH - by Brent Lokker

After yesterday’s Thanksgiving festivities, feasting is not just an arbitrary concept but it’s still locked and loaded in our short term memory!   What if we just couldn’t help ourselves and had to fill our plates and stuff ourselves with the truth of how God sees us? And what if that gave us new eyes to see each person as equally valuable? What a world we would live in if everyone believed the truth that genuinely sets us free—free to be our authentic selves, filled with light and love and the wonder of a wide-eyed child!   The Apostle Paul dares us to “feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.” And in the previous verse, he gave us the key to how this happens: “Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor and authority!” (Colossians 2:1-2, TPT)   Where are you at this very moment?  You are in seamless union with Jesus who included you eternally with himself and gave you access to everything that is his, especially his intimate relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit! Now that is truth that sets us free!   I invite you to feast on the following heavenly realities like a wide-eyed, filled-with-wonder, lavishly-loved child, which is exactly who you are!   For maximum impact, read these out loud and take your time, soaking them in.   I am seen, known, and loved by God (Rom 8:38-39) I am in union with Jesus who is my life (John 15) I am hidden in Christ but seen and celebrated by all of heaven! (Col 3:3; Heb 12:1-2) I am important, significant, and shining brightly in this generation! (Eph 1; Is 60) I am anointed to pave new paths and create new things that have never existed before! (Joshua 3) No weapon turned against me will succeed (Is 54:17) God turns all things around for my good (Rom 8:28) I am a super-conqueror through Christ who loves me (Rom 8:37) I carry the hope and abundant life of Jesus! (John 10:10; Rom 5) Out of my belly flows rivers of the Holy Spirit’s living waters (John 7:37-39) I am a burning one who runs with Jesus, sharing his heart and his passion (Heb 12:1-2)   If this hasn’t brought a warmth to your soul, by all means read them again and ask Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see yourself in the same way God does. Happy feasting!

THE OIL - by Jennifer Miskov

Without oil in your car, you can go for sometime on gas alone but a day will come where the lack of oil will cause your car to shut down and no longer be able to get you to where you need to go.  In our walk with Jesus, we must stay full of the oil of the Holy Spirit and of intimacy. We must be like the five wise virgins in Matthew 25 who paid a price to protect and steward their oil so that when their time came to step into their moment of destiny, they were ready.  Oil comes at a price. There is a shaking that must first happen to get the olives off of the tree, then there is a crushing with a huge mill stone. Then the crushed olive paste is placed on flat circular plates on top of each other before they are then pressed down for the oil to be extracted. After that it goes through a filtering process to purify it.  Don’t be surprised if golden oil is released from your life on the other side of extreme hardships, shaking, and pressing. God is forming something beneath the surface. Don’t give up. Hold on to hope. He will take your pain and turn it into golden oil in due time.  The oil poured out upon the feet of Jesus in John 12 came at a cost. Some scholars think that particular oil was so expensive that it would have taken a year’s salary to buy it. And it was all “wasted” at the feet of Jesus. But, when that one act of lavish love was poured out, the fragrant aroma of that oil filled the room and permeated the atmosphere with heaven’s scent. It is likely that Jesus had residue of this fragrant aroma on him at the crucifixion.  There is only one way to become a person full of the oil. There are no shortcuts. No Impartations strong enough to fill your oil. The price of getting the oil is TIME. Spending my time with Jesus in the Secret Place, not just checking off a list of prayer requests or daily devotions, but time set apart simply to commune with Jesus, be vulnerable to share your heart, yield fully and receive His love, listen to His heart. That is the key to the anointing. There’s no other way. He’s longing for us to be oily ones that carry and release the perfume of heaven wherever we go.  Will you set apart time this week simply to worship and adore Jesus, bringing an offering of love and devotion, come to Him with no other agenda than to pour out your heart of love before Him? He’s drawing you near. When you respond to come close, then you will see an outpouring of oil springing from the depths of your being and overflowing with God’s love, presence, and power to all you come in contact with.

REMAIN CONNECTED IN MYSTERY AND DOUBT - by Karena Lout

Recently I found myself questioning why there are so many tragic things happening in the world. I felt so burdened that I was having difficulty sleeping or functioning during the day. When there’s a demand for answers, there can be a tendency to slip into religious reasoning or definitive boxes why. We can even use scripture to justify why there’s suffering in the world. The psalms are all about David’s wrestle with God. But he continually invited him into that place with him.   The father of the young boy who was being tormented by the enemy says in Mark 9:24, “I do believe but help me overcome my unbelief.” Often times both coexist in our hearts. A part of him believed Jesus could heal his son but his pain and disappointment was clouding that.   I have many people in my life who are struggling with their faith and questioning God. Their process of “deconstruction” may seem scary to many believers but if we take time to lean in and listen, I believe God is moving in ways we might not understand yet. I’ve found a few helpful things to remember as we walk with people through this:   *Listen to understand what’s really going on without judgement or an agenda to try to change their mind. Only Jesus can do that, not our good theology or answers. *Empathize and validate pain. Sometimes we dismiss people’s experience because it’s not our own or it makes us uncomfortable. *Don’t retreat. When we stay connected, we’re communicating that our relationship isn’t based on beliefs but our love for them.   Mystery and unanswered questions are just as important as revelation. Because mystery is often where faith finds a foundation in our hearts. Jesus isn’t put off by our lack of faith, our questions, even our doubt. He is present with us in our mountaintop experiences and equally present in our valley of doubt and pain. I invite you to receive this prayer over your heart today:   “I am contending for you that your hearts will be wrapped up in the comfort of heaven and woven together into love’s fabric. This will give you access to all the riches of God as you experience the revelation of God’s great mystery- Christ! For our spiritual wealth is in him, like hidden treasure waiting to be discovered- heaven’s wisdom and endless riches of revelation knowledge.” Colossians 2:2-3 (TPT)    Love, Karena