Gaining God's Perspective

Last Saturday at Blazing Fire, we enjoyed a beautiful family time together with intimate worship, communion, the deep sharing of hearts and a profound word the Lord had given Susan Fochler about how He’s inviting us into the process of removing old structures and old ways of perceiving ourselves and others. He’s doing this in order to build upon the foundation of Jesus something in us that knows our true self and that will hold the weight of His glory as He will reveal it. Several more people then shared spontaneously about engaging in this process of giving the Lord access to the deepest places of their hearts. In today’s email, we wanted you to be encouraged by another such story by a courageous one among us. Here’s Shannon’s story:   I am finding out quickly that no matter how you feel, no matter what you are going through, no matter how many jackhammered-turned-temper-tantrums you have, no matter how distant from God you feel, He still speaks to you, He still gets your attention and He still loves you. I’ve literally been asking for this, but I didn't think it would look like this. It’s terrifying at times to be face to face with your deepest emotions, good or bad. The pendulum swinging of the eruption within the foundation of your true self, the tearing of the old thought patterns, the changing of perceptions, and embracing who you really are can be challenging when wading through the junk of the past. The enemy only remembers where you have been, God knows where you will be. The challenges I have personally faced are the demons of the past. Oh, how the enemy wants to destroy me, but I am forever holding the strong hand of a Father who cherishes me deeply. It is His strength going through every fiber of my being to remain faithful to His word, His truth, and embrace deeply His love.   My entire life, from the womb until present day, all I have known is to fight. Conceived out of wedlock, born to a young married couple, I literally flew into this world with the doctor arriving just in time to catch me in his hands. That was the foundation—the beginning of my fight to live in this world. I was born six weeks early, weighing 3 pounds 7 ounces. According to the doctor I wasn’t going to make it. My father's words were, “Let her die here, I don’t want to get attached and have her die at home.” Two days later the doctor declared I would live because I was a girl and fought for my life. When I reached 5 pounds, I was able to leave the hospital. Little did they know this was just the beginning of my fight to fit into this world!   Because my mother had Rubella (German measles) I was a sick baby. I was born with a cataract in my right eye, leaving that eye blind. I was born with all my baby teeth falling out one by one and a few adult teeth growing in its place. When I was three, they found I was profoundly deaf. To Satan, I am a threat to this world, so he tried to shut my mouth, my eyes and my ears. Silly thing, didn't he know that spiritually I can function well in all three? What the enemy stole in the womb, God knows how to restore. He did, He has and He will!   The enemy tried so hard to shut me down in so many ways. Yet I stood and remained in the fight for my life, for the world I live in, for the love I so needed, and for the embrace of God. Do I want to give up? Yes and no. Hiding is not an option, neither is fleeing. In my continuing to fight, finding rest and peace has not been easy as everything within me is being remodeled to have that stronger foundation the Lord is building upon. So, I continue to keep my eyes focused on HIM. As the whispers of the enemy come and go, I lean in to hear my Father's voice, clearly. Thank God He doesn't have a mask on! It is His crisp and clear voice that speaks while I go through the shakings of my inner being. I get to truly see with a different perspective and know that He is my hope, He is my strength, He is my lover, He is my friend, He is my biggest cheerleader and He fights for me. With that being said, the piece I wrote is called Perspective. Enjoy and be encouraged! Perspective When you turn to a new perspective When you change your mindset You no longer see what you thought You believed No longer are you in the shadow Of the night You are now in the shadow under His wings Reach up and hold His hand Let His strength run through Your veins and Help you to stand again Lift up your head, Child Upon His face, is a beautiful smile Melting away all the pain No matter where you have been, Where you are or will be He will always love you Every tear that you cry Falls upon your heart He holds it to soften, to heal, And be made whole Oh, Child, He fights for you No matter the journey You are on He is always for you His love runs deep Setting your heart free Never forget who you are Child of God Oh, Beloved Child of God © Jennifer Shannon

Getting Ready For His Glory

A few days ago I opened up my journal and invited God to speak.  I was surprised at the impressions that started to form in my mind.  Initially I thought it was just for me but then as I pondered further I realized it was for the body as well.       So I offer this word as a way to understand the process we’ve been undergoing during this season.   Yes, it is unto something!  No, it has not always been fun or easy.  The dying process never is.  Your Father is at work on your heart, and you are invited into the demolition and rebuilding, otherwise known as the renewal of our mind (Romans 12:2)  We may not yet understand all His plans, but we are coming to trust that His ways really are higher, and better, than ours.   He has a goal for your life and it is really, really good: to create in you a beautiful bride so captivated by His love that your heart beats as one with His.  (Rev. 22:17)   1. He is building in us a new foundation, rooted in His love, and clearing away our tendency to be independent in our opinions, expectations and understanding.  This new foundation is building deep, solid girders into Gods heart.   Just as a two-story house requires a stronger foundation than a one-story home, what is coming will require a stronger foundation.  For we, His kids, are to be the containers of His manifest glory He would radiate through to the world.   (Rom 8:19)  And yes, that is each one of us!   2. He is asking us to be patient to wait as He does His work in us, for the work will build a new awareness of the essential need for the Holy Spirit to empower us in all things.  (Jn 14:26)  We are becoming more sensitive and tuned into the ways of the Holy Spirit.  Just as a sail is utterly helpless without the wind, so are we learning complete dependency on Him.  To think with Him, love with Him, and breathe with delight every breath with Him.  (Acts 17:28)   3. This process is an unlearning of what has been familiar and a surrendering of what has, in the past, kept us secure.  Without realizing it we have erected boundaries in our hearts that He has respected.  He would have those come down so He can enter in as never before.  Beyond what we can yet imagine, partnering in power, in love, in revelation as we live from heaven to earth.  His Voice would reign supreme in our hearts.  (Ps. 29)  Holy Spirit would become the greatest influence of our lives.   4. He delights in our worship and our desire to know His heart.  And he seeks to satisfy these deep desires for more of Him; what’s coming is beyond anything we could expect.  We are to surrender our expectations, lay down our limitations and let all of who He is have full access to all of who we are.  He would inhabit our hearts as one in inseparable union. (Eph 4:24)  He asks you: Do you want that?   With Love; Pastor Susan

A Sound Is Rising

As I write this article, the election of the next President of the United States hangs in the balance.   The Father of Lights and the King of the Universe does not.   No matter how this election turns out, half our country will be bitterly disappointed and the narrative for those disgruntled, fearful ones will begin of how horrible the next four years and beyond will be. Are you going to buy into that narrative or believe in a superior King and His Kingdom? Honestly, you do have a choice.   The enemy is doing his best to lure us into finding any reason to divide and to see another human being as less than how God sees them. Don’t nibble on this and certainly don’t bite!   We have a choice daily, not just every four years, to find our hope and peace in Jesus alone. Not Jesus and the president any one of us thought in our very limited understanding was going to be our hope for the next four years. Not Jesus and anything else in this world’s system. Just Jesus.   In pondering this, I remembered a scene from the Christmas cartoon many of us grew up with, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” I’m sure you know the story well. After stealing all of the Whos’ Christmas presents, decorations and food, the Grinch couldn’t wait to hear their sad despairing “boo hoo” voices. But he never heard them! No matter what earthly riches were stolen, no matter how their rights may have been violated, the Whos down in Whoville did not take on a victim spirit or plan a way of revenge. They simply gathered as a family, a community who had love for one another, and they worshipped!   --The Grinch did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow.--   They worshipped with sincere joy. The kind that comes from something deep within that can’t be taken away. You may be thinking, I don’t remember them worshipping. Weren’t they singing something like “Fahoo fores, dahoo dores”?  The point is, the words themselves weren’t the essence of their worship. Their worship in that moment was to cling to joy, to hold fast to the hope within, and to love each other deeply no matter what. Holding hands in a circle, seeing the light within each other, nothing could be stolen from them!    This is who we are together in Christ and this is our moment to worship in the way we love each other and hold onto hope. This is what the world will take notice of!   This Saturday, we are going to gather to worship. And it won’t necessarily be about the lyrics we sing, though they will be significant. The essence of our true worship will spring from the very Spirit of Jesus within us rising up in this moment with hope and joy because we live in an unshakable kingdom and we trust in our very dear Father.    We carry the heart and sound of our good, good Father and that sound is rising up from within and growing! Love, Pastor Brent Lokker

What Is The Hope Of His Calling?

"I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling that is the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!" EPHESIANS 1:18

In this passage, Paul is praying over the ecclesia (God's called out ones...us, the ambassadors of Christ on the Earth).  He's issuing a plea that the scales of the mundane would be removed from our vision for our lives so that we would see the earnest expectation of the good God has called us to.  Mainly, that call is unto Himself. It's a prayer that we would understand that we are what God wants, His own inheritance.  This calling is the epitome of not only our life in Him, but our life altogether! Here's a little picture I see to help describe this in some other terms.  We are like a radio, designed to tune into the most clear frequency.  But this radio has the option of being completely battery operated, or to plug into an ongoing and much stronger power source.   We run on those batteries that wear out, causing the frequency and volume to weaken. But, we decided to take that extra step to get that power chord out, plug it in and operate at full capacity. So it is with the hope of God's calling. If we see it and say, "YES!", we will be much much better equipped to produce fruit, make wiser choices that will enhance our lives and carry on with those other mantles we each carry.  Under our foremost calling to God's side, we do have mantles or mandates on us as well. Some, from the start, are so drawn to the medical world because they are going dabble in the realm of healing and how God intricately fashioned our bodies. Some smell dirt and feel the urge to grow life, like our Father.  So many mandates out there and each unique to every individual.  If we ignore these "passions" (if you will) because of fear, doubt, lethargy, trauma, or whatever reason, a part of us will feel so much less alive.  However, we can go right back to the source of energy and excellency, get His heart and gain momentum. Very recently, our gracious Father illuminated to me that over time in my mind, the mandate as a worship pastor has become reduced to the task of preparing sets and teams for our services.  He reminded me that part of my call is to provoke my community to see God's goodness, enormity and worthiness to be worshiped.  It's to inspire hearts to turn their affections toward Him.  I heard this phrase, "the hope of your calling", in this moment.  My prayer then?: "God, open my eyes again. Set my heart on fire and help me with the zeal and insights for this. I'll do whatever it takes!" It's in my heart to encourage us all to wake up to the hope of His calling to be His, and all that encompasses.  I promise He will then enlighten your spirit-eyes about whatever else He's got in HIs flawless mind for your life. Big blessings and energy on you today! - Todd  (DISCLAIMER: I used the word "epitome" because it sounded epic and grown up, and I had to google it to insure what it even meant.)

Transformed In The Glory

I recently had a dream encounter where I saw the church, His sons and daughters, being led into a new realm, a realm where it was bright and luminous. The only focus we had was on Jesus, alone. The Lord begin to show me that He is taking us from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) and this past season of what we have found ourselves in (COVID, racial injustice, politics/election season, personal and family issues). God is coming and breaking in with joy and bliss, where He is transforming us, at the depths and core of who we are. I believe there is a greater glory God is leading us into, amidst all of the things going on in the world right now (COVID, racial injustices, election season, personal and family issues). This glory we’re entering into couldn’t have come any other way. It’s from the old to the new, Jesus is taking us. He has prepared new wineskins for the new wine He is pouring out. God is coming to anoint us, again, with fresh oil on our heads, to give us the oil of gladness (Isaiah 61). I believe because of our willingness to go with Jesus to the deep places in our hearts, we are setting ourselves up for another glory transformation. It’s what we have been praying and believing for, what we have prophesied time over again and have declared for so long. What does being transformed from glory to glory actually look like? I believe this not only encompasses the spiritual, but manifests and impacts us in the natural as well. Below are 19 Living from the Unseen Declarations by Wendy Backlund. Through declarations, God has given us a powerful, relevant tool to renew our minds and direct the path of our lives with our words. Declarations have the power to increase our level of faith to launch us to experience all that Jesus has won for us. As you read and declare these, may your heart and spirit receive the fullness of not only who God says you are, but the transformation of outpouring and breakthrough.   I anticipate good coming my way every day. My peace is a powerful weapon to change circumstances. The light of God dwells in me and destroys the works of the enemy. The supernatural is not something that happens to me, it is who I am. God and His realm have greater weight than my circumstances for this natural realm. I am aware of the unseen realm and I influence people and atmospheres with my spirit. My spirit is a powerful substance that is a force of light and revelation. Holy Spirit is communicating with my spirit and I easily hear Him. I get my identity from my future, not my past. I can do what my Father does, because I have His DNA.   I carry the substance of favor and I don’t need to perform for people to like me. I live from my spirit, and let my spirit have a voice. The substance of Gods love and peace overwhelms people everywhere I go. I am a partaker of the divine nature, and I look like my Father. I easily rest and receive in His presence. I know my past, but I imagine my future according to the power that works in me. I attach great faith to everything I do; therefore, everything I do creates life and change. I have unseen resources and spiritual blessings to overcome every negative circumstance. The eyes of my imagination are enlightened to see the glorious inheritance and power that I have been called into (Eph. 1:18-19).                                                                  Love,                                                                          Pastor Joel

The Good Journey We're On

We are on a journey. It’s a good one!   Sometimes we’re aware of that and often times we aren’t. Our awareness or lack thereof doesn’t change that each of us is on a beautiful journey with Papa God.   We were created in the heart of our Father long before we were born, secure in His heart at this very moment, and safely in His heart for eternity! This can never change.   Our Father loves us and tenderly cares for us in every moment, even through the moments and seasons of our worry, anxiety, regret, anger, addictions, self-induced pressure, temper tantrums, self-punishment (and the list goes on).   All of this negativity is the toxic fruit of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—the forbidden one that Adam ate from. This is the “independent, fleshly, do-it-yourself yet you-are-never-enough, leading to hopelessness and despair” tree. Does that description hit too close to home? Don’t worry, it’s a problem that every person on the earth shares.   Our Father already knows that and has provided a way for us to ascend with Him and leave the destructive perceptions behind on your journey. Don’t worry or fret that it’s taking a while. God already knows that too.   Our Father gives us fruit to eat from the tree of Life—Jesus himself—the Risen Christ in us! The Overcomer who is one with us! Our hope and certainty of glory! Eating from this tree is the Spirit-filled and Spirit-directed life which is simply Jesus in us and leads us into the sheer joy of belonging solely to the Lover of our Souls!   God orchestrates our lives in such a way that even moments of crisis bring us to a place of surrender, wanting His life in us instead of trying to be the director of our own play. This is the part where, in humility, you ask Holy Spirit to show you, moment by moment, when you are eating of destructive thought patterns and to teach you how to choose life instead. This is the part of your journey where you learn to trust, moment by moment, that you have everything you need from your very dear Father, and you willingly choose to submit yourself to His good and perfect will for your life.   And the outcome? You traverse more and more on the part of the journey called rest—an ongoing place where you cease from striving and know that God is.   God is here. God is enough. God is for you. Always!   Proverbs 4:18 (TPT) “The lovers of God walk on the highway of light, and their way shines brighter and brighter until they bring forth the perfect day.” --- Galatians 5:16 (Mirror Bible) “Engage your spirit to be the dominant influence in your daily walk and see how it defeats the cravings of flesh.” --- Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still and know that I am God”    On the Good Journey With You,                                                   Brent

Let Hope Hold You

I was recently reflecting on different things happening in the world right now. In that same moment, the Holy Spirit spoke these words to my heart, “let Hope hold you”. As I heard these words, I was reminded that there is no one or anything that can hold us and protect us, like Jesus can. He is longing and will always be available and willing to hold us, embrace us and continue to show us the reality of who we are and who He sees us as — His sons and daughters. Regardless of where you’re at on your journey in life, Hope wants to hold you like never before. Holy Spirit, we give you access and permission to go deeper in us, to the places where You are longing to encounter, experience and embrace of us in.  May your heart and soul be deeply encouraged as you read the following passage of scripture taken from Psalm 91:1-4; 9-16 TPT. “When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. He’s the hope that holds me and the Stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence. He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy, and he will protect you from false accusation and any deadly curse. His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm. When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us? God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm. If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you and keep you from stumbling. You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness, trampling every one of them beneath your feet! For here is what the Lord has spoken to me: “Because you have delighted in me as my great lover, I will greatly protect you. I will set you in a high place, safe and secure before my face. I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will find and feel my presence even in your time of pressure and trouble. I will be your glorious hero and give you a feast. You will be satisfied with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!”                                                                                      With Love,                                                                                                       Pastor Joel