God Really Is There For You - by Pastor Susan Fochler

One of the things I love about our God, is that He is, and will always continue to be, exactly Who He says He is. And He has a whole lot to say about who He is. It is by increasingly coming to know who He is, that we come to discover who we truly are, His sons and His daughters, created out of His love, to be His.

One of the names He calls Himself is the “God who is there”, Adoni Shahmah. Last summer, as I sat by Russ’s bedside as he lay “partly dead” for a number of weeks, I really needed to know God was there, with me. It was an overwhelming, stark time, where I could not keep up emotionally or mentally with the changes and information being thrown at me day after day. My friends and family came to support me and be with me, and were an incredible help to me when I didn’t quite know how to ask for help. The challenge was in knowing how to be with myself, and with Jesus, in an emotional space I had never experienced before. It wasn’t a surprise to Jesus that this was going to be hard for me.

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:1,2

But He has promised us, although we may have never “passed this way before”, He has. Deuteronomy 31:8 states that “...The Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you.”

As I encountered places in myself I had not known before, missing Russ desperately, unable to talk with him for several long weeks after being married for 32 years, Jesus kept reassuring me, “I will be with you.” It took a while for my heart to catch up with what my mind knew was His reality. It really is true. There is nowhere we can go, in place, time, emotion, thought process, where He will not go with us. He goes with us to our highest highs, and our lowest lows. His love for us is all-encompassing, ever-present, constant. This is His unconditional love: in His infinite wisdom, and most tender of mercy, He does not respect the boundaries we place on our own hearts.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. Psalm 139:7,8.

I began to experience the gentleness, the sweetness of His mercy in a way I had never known before. He whispered this encouragement to me, “Remember I’m here; lean on Me. And if you feel weak, lean even more. You aren’t supposed to be strong in and of yourself. I am your strength. I will always be here, I will never leave you, turn away or stop being for you. Everything you need is right here.”

I truly believe the most unexplored part of our universe is our own hearts. The place where we are to encounter God most profoundly is right here, within. He has already been there, but we have not. And it is His great joy to go there with us...and stay...always. And in making His manifest presence known to us, His joy fills us in recognizing He has joy in our presence.

If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139: 9,10

The amazing thing with our God, is that He knows us, everything about us, right where we are. You never, ever, have to feel that you have to be “on” with God. He has already been to your “off” place, anyway...even goes ahead of you into it! Let’s get over ourselves! He has!

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139: 17,18

God is not capable of rejecting you, turning His back on you, ever. There is nothing you are capable of doing that can possibly cause Him to do anything less than adore you. He knows all of our secrets, already; He’s already been there!

You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Psalm 139: 5,6

Such amazing, unconditional, holy and tender love is beyond our comprehension. I think we have to just accept that as fact. But the really good news is that we don’t have to wait until we understand it to receive it. It’s all yours, already. The whole of His heart is yours for the asking. Just open up and receive.

Susan Fochler

Liberty and Justice for All - By Pastor Karena Lout

"I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth and I delight in these things.” Jeremiah 9:24

My Dad has always had a huge heart for justice. As president of a union in the Bay Area, he works hard to ensure that people are being treated fairly and that they’re protected. He has also become the answer to many other causes and just seems to spread love to everyone he meets. Much like my Dad, I've found I have a deep desire to protect and love people who may not always have a voice too.

Likewise, we reflect the image of our Abba Father who is Justice Himself. He sent His Son to make all things right and justified us through His shed blood on the cross. Since Christ became justice for us, we get to express and communicate that to the whole world. We carry it on the inside of us. The law would say that justice is punishment, revenge or "getting what they deserve." But the new covenant's definition is: Receiving all Jesus paid for on the cross. All mankind reconciled, fully acquitted, made right, whole, redeemed back to their original design. Or as Paul Manwarring has put it: "Justice is a man and woman walking into divorce court and coming out reconciled." Justice is salvation for ALL, just as God intended it from the very beginning.

I have a deep passion to see justice in the area of human trafficking, not only in other nations but right here in the U.S. where young girls are forced into slavery every day. Though the statistics are alarming and the victims' stories heartbreaking, God has encouraged me not to keep my focus on the problem but on the solution. This doesn't mean I'm ignorant to what's happening but I no longer "camp out" there. Sometimes sympathy can keep people locked into a problem, but the compassion of God draws them out. Heaven sees things very differently. We have been invited to see from that perspective. "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand." (Colossians 3:1 NLT) Jesus always asks me, "How do you want to be the answer?" One way Wildfire answered this question was by selling their prophetic art at BFC and donating the funds to a shelter in the Bay Area that houses and brings restoration to survivors of human trafficking. YOU supported this and were part of the solution! Because we are walking representations of Christ on the earth, we just can’t help but be the answer the world is looking for.

We don’t need to gather around who we’re against but around who and what we're for. As we celebrate and honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr. this week, I've been reminded that he changed the course of world history through DREAMING with God. He carried a vision in his heart and kept his focus on the answer, the dream. What is your dream? What moves your heart and stirs up passion? How does God want to be the answer through you? I want to encourage you that Christ in you is shining forth and you are carrying Him, who is the answer, everywhere you go!

“But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”-Martin Luther King Jr.

I love you Family,
Karena Lout

About Glory by Pastor Russ Fochler

In the last Blazing Fire weekly email/blog, we looked at Yahweh’s plan to fill the earth with the experiential knowledge of His glory – by revealing His Son Jesus. And we are part of that plan because Jesus the Messiah dwells in us – and together we are His Body on the earth.

We have this great privilege to shine the light of the knowledge of His glory:
"6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor 4: 6 NKJV)

This week, we’ll explore a bit more of nature of “glory”.

The Hebrew word for "glory" is כבוד, (“kavod” or “kabod”). The Greek word used for glory in the New Testament is doxa (δόξα) - which is a Greek word meaning “common belief” or “popular opinion”. The reason New Testament scholars translate the New Testament Greek “doxa” as “glory” is because the 70 Hebrew scholars who translated the Hebrew scriptures into Greek (called The Septuagint) chose to translate the Hebrew “kabod” into the Greek “doxa”.

The Hebrew word “kabod “ at it root means "weight" or "heaviness." The same word is then used to express importance, honor, and majesty.

So “glory” conveys the sense of being “weighty”. Sometimes when God’s presence increases in a meeting, people actually feel something like a heavy blanket upon them or their limbs feel tangibly heavy.

Here is an account of God’s weighty presence when Smith Wigglesworth visited New Zealand in 1922:

“There were eleven leading Christians in prayer with our Brother (Wigglesworth) at a special afternoon meeting. Each had taken a part. The Evangelist then began to pray for the Dominion, and as he continued, each, according to their measure of spirituality, got out. The power of God filled the room and they could not remain in an atmosphere supercharged by the power of God.

The author on hearing of this from one who was present registered a vow that if the opportunity came, he at any rate would remain whoever else went out. During the stay in the Sounds a special meeting was called to pray for the other towns in New Zealand yet to be visited. A like position to the other meeting now arose. Here was the opportunity, the challenge, the contest was on. A number prayed. Then the old saint began to lift up his voice, and strange as it may seem, the exodus began. A Divine influence began to fill the place. The room became holy. The power of God began to feel like a heavy weight. With set chin, and a definite decision not to budge, the only other one now left in the room hung on and hung on, until the pressure became too great, and he could stay no longer. With the flood gate of his soul pouring out a stream of tears, and with uncontrollable sobbing he had to get out or die; and a man who knew God as few do was left alone immersed in an atmosphere that few men could breathe in.”

(From: “New Zealand’s Greatest Revival (An Eyewitness Account)” by Pastor Harry V. Roberts page 29-30)

Now that sounds like glory to me! Note also that God likes to reveal His glory when people are praying passionately for His will to be done on earth.

In John 17, Jesus prayed an astounding prayer to His Father. We’ll look at verses 20 – 23.:
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Jesus states that He has given those who believe in Him – His glory. Why? So that we may be one with Jesus, Father God, and each other. This is a mystery!

The author C.S. Lewis gives us a sense of part of this mystery in his fictional book: “The Great Divorce”. The idea is that people from Hell could take a bus excursion to the outskirts of Heaven. Upon arriving, they were like ghosts compared to the solidness of the grass, the river, the apples of gold, etc. If the visitors were willing to choose to let go of their self-justifying, egotistic mind-sets and simply trust in Jesus for their righteousness – they were assured they would become more and more solid as they journeyed further into Heaven.

I believe that the glory that Jesus has already provided for us – is so that we are able to withstand His glory and the glory of our Father “face to face” – in sweet, holy, eternal common–union.

May we experience more of His glory – and shine more of His glory while we are on this earth. And take some time to "drink in" the magnitude of Jesus' gift to those who believe - His glory; so we may be one!

Russ Fochler

Finding God's Glory - by Pastor Russ Fochler

Years ago, I put up a poster in my room near the ceiling. I can see it easily from my bed. The poster has streams of color that rise like smoke. It says “Encountering God’s Glory.” And something deep inside me yearns for this.

“...they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.” (Ex 16:10b NKJV)

What cloud?

Moses exclaimed to God: “They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.” (Num 14:14b)

So, its apparent that a cloud from God also travelled with the Israelites - possibly to provide shade. And sometimes, God’s glory - His splendorous presence - filled the cloud or filled the Tent of Meeting.

And many of us have heard of a mysterious cloud that has appeared in the main sanctuary of Bethel Church in Redding. Bill Hernandez witnessed this in person. It is more than a mist - there are swirling, sparkling things in the cloud. Beni Johnson observed that when she looked into this cloud, she felt the peace of Heaven - and she couldn’t be concerned or worried about anything while looking into this cloud.

I sense that 2012 will a time when those who love Jesus will experience Isaiah 60 in greater ways. Here are the first few verses:

1 Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

That glory is rising upon us because Jesus lives in us! Col 1:27: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which[a] is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The prophet Habakkuk records this declaration from God in Hab 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge (the “yada” - the experiential, relational “knowing”) of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

The glory of Yahweh already fills His creation! What is missing has been our ability to perceive and relationally experience more of His glory. Yahweh’s plan is that humanity will see Him and His glory in His Son Jesus:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

But since that time, the eyes of many have been blinded by the enemy from seeing this glory in the person of Jesus. And this is where you and I come in. We are called and empowered to shine that experiential, relational knowledge of Jesus wherever we go:

3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:3-4 & 6 NKJV)

Many people this year will be looking for anyone who is walking in peace and is shining hope in the midst of difficult circumstances. It is our great privilege to turn the amazing grace that we’ve received - into eternal life and peace for them - and more joy and glory for Jesus.

He is the King of Glory!
Russ Fochler

P.S. To look further into God’s glory, I recommend Paul Manwaring’s new book: “What On Earth Is Glory?”.

Great Expectations for 2012! - by Pastor Lonnie Ellis

The time is here that the door to 2011 is closing and the door to 2012 is opening. This is the perfect time to thank Jesus for all that He has done in our lives and thank Him for the things He will do in our lives. Thank you Jesus for the things we know about and for the things we don’t know about.

You don’t have to be a prophetic person to see the world we know is changing. That is a constant since time began. There is a lot being said for the change that is coming in 2012. Some of it is positive and some is negative. I believe there is some truth in both. According 1 Corinthians 13:9 - Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! (New Living Translation (©2007)). I want to share the very small part of what I believe Papa has placed in my heart. A boss I had a long time ago said to me, “Make change your friend”. I use to be scared of change but because of what he spoke into my life several years ago I learned to embrace change.

Though the world seems to be in a place of flux, uncertainty and what some might call chaos, I believe we are in a time that heaven is showing up in AMAZING ways like never before. There is a shaking going on and though we don’t fully understand it, it is good.

I feel there is an invitation from heaven for deeper levels of intimacy with Papa like never experienced. Also we should expect His Greatness to show up in our lives in 2012. One of our school of supernatural students said in class “See God in everything” That placed a challenge in my spirit and heart. I continue to meditate and process her statement with Holy Spirit. When the storms of life that happen in this world (See John 16:33 & Romans 5:3-5) shows up in my life I remember her words and begin to ask Papa for His perspective. This helps to keep me in his gift of grace and peace. Before you know it, I no longer remember the storm because His love and peace overtakes me. Then the answer from heaven shows up. I do not claim to have perfected this but it is true for many, many people. In 2012 we are going to hear an increase of positive and negative information from the world and the body of Christ. The wise thing we can do when this information comes is to go before Papa (intimacy) and ask Him to give us heavens perspective for our lives and journey. We must remember that He is good and that He loves us with an everlasting love and nothing can ever change that.

Have a Happy New Years and expect GREAT things from Papa for your life in 2012 no matter how the world may or may not look.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Lonnie

Below is a video link from a major prophetic voice Larry Randolph. He touches on things to come in 2012. It spoke to my spirit.

"Prophetic teaching: a shift is now happening" - Watch Video HERE

Emmanuel: Our Unspeakable Gift by Pastor Susan Fochler

I have a little calendar sitting on my desk at work. Looking ahead to the scripture for December 25, I was struck by the words: “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!” 2 Cor. 9:15. Unspeakable: An inability to define, describe, find the words for....beyond the capability of human language to capture. How can one find language to give full expression to the reality of an all knowing, all powerful God, who chose to leave the flawless Light of heaven in order to come and live among us in this darkened world? And He did this just so He could remain in continuous relationship with each of us for the rest of eternity.

Last weekend, while listening to the familiar reading of the Christmas Story, I found myself entering into that time 2,000 years ago as I never had before. Perhaps because I had been contemplating how “unspeakable”, how beyond my ability to comprehend the full meaning of Jesus come to earth. I seemed to be both here and there at the same time.

The nativity creche scene came to life. Mary sitting and Joseph standing with newborn baby Jesus lying before them. The shepherds came, amazed and uncertain how to best communicate their worship and allegiance. Their faces still radiant from the sight of many angels filling the night sky with the brilliance of God’s Glory, heralding the coming of their long looked-for King. The wise men then approach, their eyes on the star illuminating the stable almost as bright as day. Joy overwhelming them at finding the object of their long search. They came bowing low in humble awareness of the honor bestowed upon them; that they should live to see this day when God became a child living among man.

But most of all, I was aware of Mary. Her eyes fixed on this baby, this tiny One who had so radically caused her life to derail off the predictable norm and onto a path never traveled before. As she looked upon her baby it was beginning to dawn on her that, “Let it be unto me” meant far more than a mysterious pregnancy. Aware that the birth was not the end of her surrender; that the usual hopes and expectations a mother might have for her son would not be hers. She had said yes to something much bigger than herself, and could not take that back. Yet somehow, in her honest humility, she had no regrets. This was the Gift Who would usher in a new Kingdom through which God would set up residence on earth as never seen before. She had known from the beginning He was only hers to hold very lightly. and that her Son would be shared with all of mankind for all time.

This One who knows all things, has all power, created all things through the utterance of His Word, willing to be contained within human parameters during His time on earth. Born utterly dependent on frail human beings. Raised by loving but not fully comprehending parents. Born to hear the same sounds, see the same sights, work through the same relational issues and bear the same physical and emotional limitations as you and me. Heb 2:17 reminds us that it was “...essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful High Priest...” Apparently there was no other way for Love to bridge the gulf between heaven and earth.

What amazing love has been poured out upon us! That Love that invites us into something much bigger, much more powerful, much more transformational than our own individual lives. We thank you, Lord, for being willing to come to us, dwell among us, live and breathe among us; the Unspeakable gift...that You chose to be as us, so that now we get to be as You in the world!

THE REAL STORY OF ST. NICHOLAS

St. Nicholas should be an inspiration to us all. He was a godly man whose reputation for giving to people caused him to be a revered example of what compassion and giving are all about.

Stories of his life—a life full of Christian beliefs and values—are the real background for today's mythical Santa Claus.

A Gift From God
Nicholas and his parents lived in Turkey in the third century and were Christians. Nicholas' parents had prayed and asked God for a child, much as Abraham and Sarah had done. From the time Nicholas was born in about A.D. 280, they considered him a gift from God. Diligently, they taught their young son devotion to God and to be very generous to the poor. Although they both died when Nicholas was in his teens, their heritage of living for God and giving followed Nicholas.

Ordained as a young teenager, Nicholas entered the priesthood at age 19. His uncle, the bishop who ordained him, prophesied that Nicholas would offer guidance and consolation to many people, that he would eventually become a bishop, and that he would live a life of enlightenment. Eventually he did become the bishop of a small, coastal village, and his influence spread into many nations.

Many accounts have been written about the life of Nicholas. It was said that he would spend all night studying God's Word to bring it to the people. He was known for helping the poor, for praying, fasting and standing steadfast in faith and goodness.

Many miracles were brought about through his prayers. Included among the accounts of his ministry is the report of twin brothers who were raised from the dead. It was written that one could hardly keep count if the virtue and goodness he spread around him.

When Nicholas died on December 6, A.D. 343, he is said to have quoted Psalm 11 with his last breath, "In the Lord I put my trust." In the Greek language, the name Nicholas means "victorious" or "hero of the people," and he did indeed become a very popular figure in the centuries that followed his death. Stories of Nicholas spread throughout Greece and into Russia. He became the popular patron saint of Russians, who called him "Nikolai, the wonderworker."

His Gift Was His Legacy
In 1087, the remains of St. Nicholas' grave were transported from Turkey to Bari, Italy, where a basilica was built in his honor. Soon after, his popularity spread throughout Italy and across Western Europe. December 6, the day of his death, became St. Nicholas Day on the Roman Catholic calendar, and the custom of gift-giving on December 6 began in France and spread across all of Europe.

With the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s, the worshiping of the saints was denounced, and St. Nicholas Day was no longer observed in England. In Holland and Belgium, the traditional day of December 6 was still celebrated. There, Sinter Klaas rode through the streets on a white horse, rewarding good children with treats and toys and giving rods or switches to bad children.

Christopher Columbus brought the first celebration of St. Nicholas Day to the New World when he landed in the West Indies on December 6, 1492, and named the harbor Port of St. Nicholas, in honor of the patron saint of sailors.

All of these traditions blended with immigration to the New World. As the English and Dutch came and intermarried, Father Christmas and Sinter Klaas blended into one figure. Dutch Americans eventually adopted December 25 as their day of celebration, and by the end of the Civil War, St. Nicholas the bishop was generally known in the United States as Santa Claus.

The poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" further shaped the American Santa. Another popular poem, originally titled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," was penned by New York professor Clement Moore in the 1800s and created a word picture portraying a round-bellied Santa with a huge pack on his back.

Picking up on this image, cartoonist Thomas Nast added a North Pole toy workshop in his cartoon for Harper's Weekly magazine. In 1925, a large corporation ran an advertising campaign of Santa Claus further defining him as a large man with a red and white fur suit, black boots and a long, flowing beard—the closest description of our present-day Santa.

The American Santa Claus, like America itself, came from a melting pot of Old World cultures and characters. He is the Dutch Sinter Klaas and the Lutheran Kris Kringle who bring gifts to children. His red garment is lined with fur like the German version of Nicholas, and he spreads merriment and cheer like Father Christmas. And a team of reindeer, borrowed from a Russian legend, accompanies Santa Claus on his journey through the night.

The story of the true St. Nicholas is a beautiful picture of the giving that Christmas is really about. St. Nicholas represents the giving heart of our Heavenly Father, Who doesn't give switches and rods but Who always gives only good gifts.

The greatest gift of all is the gift of Jesus Christ to us from God the Father. Jesus is our hope, redemption and victory. He is our advocate with the Father, our blood-covenant Friend Who will never leave nor forsake us. In Him, we have the joy of living a heavenly life on earth.

He is the meaning of Christmas "Christ mass" means "anointing celebration." It's the celebration of "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power…."

It's the celebration of how the anointed Jesus "…went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil…" (Acts 10:38). It's the story of our triumphant Savior—Jesus, the Christ—the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Now, that's a Merry Christmas!