Be the Real You! by Pastor Suzanne Lokker

Be the REAL you! How has the journey into your heart been this week?  I know, loaded question.  If it’s been temper tantrum-ish, remember God is holding you through it all—He can take it.  And He’s just waiting until you get so tired of you being not your real self.  When you’re ready, He’s there to gently remind you of the amazing you that He created—your faith-filled heart that reflects His love in a way that only YOU can.  I think the following, that Shannon Heyman posted on facebook, encapsulates this struggle: I saw a bound bird holding on to stuff, but once the bird let go, she could finally fly and soar. It is then that God's power indeed moves through us. I used to say I felt like my wings were clipped, but revelation tells me, "No, let go and you will be able to fly." It was I that clipped my own wings and it is God when I chose yes to heal them.   Be encouraged that Jesus is so in on helping you be who you really are! “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith!  (Heb 12:2, NLT) “And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope.  And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” (Romans 3:5)   I’ve felt more life surging through me as I choose to want to be the real me.  It is truly exhilarating. YAY, God!   Suzanne   Here are the links to the songs that were played during communion.  The lyrics unlocked that desire inside me to really be me.  Be blessed! “Take Courage” by Kristene Dimarco “Letting Go” by Steffany Gretzinger To listen to Suzanne's podcast from Saturday's message at Blazing FIre, click here.

Healing Happens by Pastor Brent Lokker

Healing Happens By Pastor Brent Lokker God has given us astounding bodies that heal!  Last Saturday, Dr. Susan Richards once again ushered us into this reality. (You can listen to her testimonies and healing prayer beginning at the 66 minute mark here: http://blazingfire.podbean.com/e/healing-miracles-for-you-dr-susan-richards/). I believe that every single person there was touched by God and healing of many kinds progressed in each body, and in some cases, the progression was dramatic enough to notice a sudden change. One of the reasons Dr. Susan Richards sees so much healing is because she has an unyielding, child-like faith that says, Of course this person is going to heal! However, the times we don't experience the "instant change" we can lose heart, thinking nothing is happening. But healing is a huge part of God's Kingdom plan and declaring healing over ourselves or others activates and accelerates that plan.  But an even greater struggle can come when those with life-threatening illnesses who we pray fervently for don't appear to be healed and their life in this earthly body ends, as in the cases of Alice Hortensius (Rolland's wife) and Carol Dew who were both battling the awful effects of cancer and both went home to be with Jesus during these past few days. But what seems like a contradiction is really more of a matter of perspective. To the baby inside the confines of mommy's dark yet secure womb, the birth transition into the brighter, busier "real world" is unwanted. Given the choice, most babies would stay put rather than face the unknown adventure of a life they're unfamiliar with.  In the same way, though we know heaven is Papa's ultimate destination for each of us as His children, the birth transition into that glorious Kingdom is unknown, so we cling to what we know here, including the ones we love.  Yet we will all go through that transition. What I'm saying is this: God is our healer and He's given us bodies that heal, so healing is the norm.  AND there will come a time when each one of us experiences a complete healing and a glorious transition from what we thought was the "real world" into a place of perfect fulfillment that will truly feel like home in every way imaginable.  Only when we are there will we wonder why we were clinging so hard to this life. But until Papa decides to bring someone home, healing is the norm and healing happens.  May God give each of us an unyielding, child-like faith that believes this to the core.  Here are a few testimonies from this past Saturday to build your faith: M.C. had pain in her knees for 15-20 years because of bone on bone that caused swelling and stiffness. She felt lots of heat when the healing team prayed for more cartilage and the pain left completely!  She's now more limber and can move quicker! S.M. experienced a healing of deep peace inside.  For decades, she had anxiety over her sons and granddaughter which affected her sleep. Something shifted inside and there was an assurance the Lord was in control and she was able to trust in a deeper way! E.J. has a slipped, bulged disk with painful flare-ups for the past 30 years (pain was at a level of 8/10) and had knee pain for the past 12 years (pain was 6/10).  All pain left her back and knee (0/10)! W.H. had broken her arm 5 years ago and was in constant pain (8/10) with heaviness and weakness in her arm ever since.  As she was prayed for by one of the healing prayer teams, she felt heat, lightness and all strength returning. She was able to use her arm to pull herself up! All pain was gone! C.M. experienced seizures for the past 4 years that caused loss of his memory, consciousness, and thought process. The anxiety of these returning was high. Through prayer agreement, something shifted. His faith soared and he knows they're gone!  All worry and anxiety left! Can we take time to thank Jesus for these stories of healing and agree in our hearts that healing happens because it's part of God's wonderful plan?!  For those who want to be present when we celebrate Alice Hortensius' life, we'll have that service on Saturday, November 12th, at 1 pm at our current location, 6533 Sierra Lane, Dublin, CA. Life is precious and meant to be enjoyed! Embrace the adventure day by day and choose to love wholeheartedly. With Much Love, Brent

There's Something Bigger Going On! by Pastor Brent Lokker

There's Something Bigger Going On! By Pastor Brent Lokker Sunday was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It ushers in the 10 "Days of Awe," a time to intentionally reflect what God is doing on the earth and ask how we need to align ourselves with His purposes.  I shared this word last Saturday night at Blazing Fire, taken from Tony Cavener: The year we've just entered, 5777, will be a breakout and breakthrough year! Five is the number of grace and the number of government, and the five-fold expression of God. Seven is the number of rest; it can symbolize a sword, and it represents the perfection of the finished work. This year we will begin to exercise His authority and government in a way like we've never experienced before, as we enter into a rest in Him like we have never known. We, the new covenant people of God, are poised for a moment in the Kingdom of God like the days when Joshua and Caleb went into the Promised Land and took the land that was their inheritance. We are moving into a 7-year period of great favor, provision, and victory in the Body of Christ! Don't look at the giants in the land, or the fortifications of the enemy, for the Lord is with us! This is a time of completing purposes and bringing them to fullness. Let the Sword of the Lord be placed in your hand so that you can cut your way into the future! This is a year that we will see the "triune" sword of the Lord released against His enemies and continue through this new season! And this word about the year 5777 from Johnny Enlow: The REST that God has for us is the inheritance of the nations (Ps. 2:8). The REST He has for us is seeing the reformation of society. This is our Promised Land and it is "His REST" He has provided for us. It simply means He has already done all the preliminary work of securing total victory of the mission and all that remains for us is the courage to show up where He told us to show up. In REST the children of Israel took Jericho. They did not have to develop explosive weapons to blow up the thick walls of Jericho. They did not need to hope for helicopters. The victory was already assured; they only needed to show up with the intent of obeying the commandment to inherit the nations. Yes REST is also learning to do ministry in balance, not burning out body, soul and spirit; but beyond that the REST of 5777 is that we are assured victory, after victory after victory – if we will finally connect to the correct narrative that He has for us. We are now accelerating towards where we will be known for our love, for our healing power, for our societal solutions, for our kindness, for our innovation, for our wealth, for our patience – almost entirely of things we are not presently known for. The good news is we are all going to shift or be shifted. This Hebraic year becomes a reset year even for the Church. She will begin to be more Kingdom than ever, as the Holy Spirit pours out Himself in all of the right places and on all of the right people, in all of the right measures. This Is An Exceptional Time to Be Alive! There's never been a time in history as alive with the purposes and intentions of Papa God as the times we are living in.  It's time for our spirits to be awakened by His Spirit so we can wholeheartedly say "Yes" to being part of all He is doing on the earth!  To hear my message from last Saturday, There's Something Bigger Going On, click here: http://blazingfire.podbean.com/e/theres-something-bigger-going-on-brent-lokker/ With Much Love, Pastor Brent

Learning to Belong - Jen Bentley BF guest contributor and Pastor Susan Fochler

The women of Blazing Fire church recently experienced a wonderful time of gathering together to enjoy one another on a weekend retreat in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains.  For some women this kind of event feels natural and easy, but for many it triggers feelings of deep insecurity about how to connect and be with each other. I so appreciated what Jen Bentley shared regarding her growth in this area of family and belonging.  She shares her process of coming to believe she has worth and value, both to other people as well as to God.  Jen says so eloquently what many of us have thought as we navigate the nuances of connection and relationship:

Hiding in Shame I grew up not having people I could trust with my deep self.  I had enough experiences of rejection and hurt to know that staying hidden was the best way to avoid pain and the ugly truth that I believed: that I was boring, stupid and really not much fun.  Shame would wash over me if I answered a question wrong, or got teased...the shame was so painful, I avoided it at all costs.  This may sound overwhelming, but life did go on for me and I found ways to be happy, make the best of it, manage to live on the outside even with this deep shame on the inside. Learning to Receive It has been during the past 4 or 5 years that God has been wooing me, drawing me out, inviting me in to embrace truths about myself I never knew were possible. I began to listen for His voice and He said the sweetest, most loving and intimate things about me...it was embarrassing at first!  From the first few interactions with Pastors Russ and Brent, I felt that they were seeing something in me I never saw in myself... I felt that they really saw me and knew me. I was welcomed into this culture of love, acceptance, and truth-telling. I really began to agree with the truth about me: that I am loving, insightful, kind, and fun!  I Belong! This culture we have is like none I have ever experienced. I was invited in from the beginning and celebrated for who I was, not what I could do or how I could perform. Believing I could be accepted just being has seeped into my soul slowly these past 4 years. I have been taking steps, slowly coming out of hiding. I realized this last weekend at our Women's retreat. I found myself happily doing things that used to be frightening... like walking up to a table full of women and sitting down, making conversation with ease and not feeling as if I was imposing or not wanted. I like this confident, courageous Jen that is slowly making her way to the surface. This is what it feels like to belong, to be seen and loved and accepted with all my weirdness and awkwardness. To know that I am unique, like no other, and cherished for that. This is what our Blazing Fire culture invites, cherishes and celebrates...the beauty and uniqueness of you.  Jen Bentley

Belonging is for All of Us Like Jen, we are all invited in.  In Christ we have stepped out of the Kingdom of this world, where we are orphans, and into the Kingdom of Heaven where we are chosen sons and daughters.  Let these words from Ephesians wash over you with the profound truth of what your Father in Heaven has to say about you:  “And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to Himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe!  Because of the great love, He ordained us as one with Christ from the beginning, so that we would be seen as holy in His eyes with an unstained innocence.  For it was always in His perfect plan to adopt us as His delightful children, so that His tremendous grace that cascades over us would bring him glory--for the same love He has for His Beloved One, Jesus, He has for us!”   Eph 1:4-6 The Passion Translation Love, Susan Fochler

Easy, Accessible Prophesying by Bill Hernandez - BF Prophetic Overseer

If you have received Jesus you can be a rocket scientist or anyone at any age who can have the ability to prophesy. This is because it does not depend on you, but on the Holy Spirit to flow through you. You have guaranteed access to this ability because it is your right and your inheritance.   "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance..." Eph 1:13-14   Anything belonging to the Holy Spirit is now accessible by you as the King's kid and He wants you to grow into all that He has for you. He will give to you a measure of grace to operate in some or all of the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit spoken of in I Corinthians 12. We need to be proactive and desire earnestly the gifts as we are commanded to in I Corinthians 14:1 and especially to prophesy. I don't think there will be any holding back if there is such eagerness from heaven on our behalf. As a matter of fact the many people I train and encourage are launching into prophesying quickly and accurately because I train with faith knowing that the Father is giving a big push to activate us. He's happy to see us take baby steps into all that belongs to us.   The whole process is so very simple. The first step after accepting Jesus is all spelled out in I Co 13, the chapter on love. Grace for others is so very important. Walk in that grace for others to be a carrier of the graces of the Holy Spirit, one of which is prophesying. Grace and compassion oils the flow of revelation. That revelation is God's heart of encouragement to His people.   The second step is understanding what your motive should be or what your job description is as a prophesyer. In I Cor 14:1-3 the duties of prophesying that are entrusted to us is to Edify, Exhort and Console - to build up, to call near, to cheer up. We are to look for treasures and look for all the good things in a person's heart and call those things out and they become a great encouragement.   Pretty much prophesying is helping people to see awesome things about themselves that God sees. We are not called to call out any bad stuff or dig around for pains and sorrows. We are called to bless and always leave that person blessed. If you see something heavy in a person's life ask the Lord what the solution is and give that to the person. If you see discouragement He might have you say that God is on his side and things are looking up.   Love and encouragement is easy, so prophesying is easy then. If you don't have something good to say, then you are done. Don't  say anymore. If you can't think of anything else to say, you're done.   Here is an easy exercise to accessing your new prophetic abilities:   Practice on your friends. Start with a few simple words of encouragement and work your way up as you practice over time.    First ask the Lord to use you. Wait for a bit to connect your heart to His. Speak to your friend, "When I look at you I see or I sense...." Voila! You have just prophesied. The feedback will most likely be positive or even astonishment the first time at the accuracy. Keep practicing and then try it on someone you don't know. Keep on practicing and develop your confidence. Building confidence will help you get over feelings of awkwardness and when all those feelings get out the way more and more you will hear more from the Lord. You will be a great encourager of the church and those around you, at home and the market place.   Please feel free to join me and Joel Pollard at Blazing Fire School of Prophets training which is free to everyone. Our next training is Oct 1 - 2:30-4:00. Visit blazingfire.org for more info.   Blessings - Bill Hernandez Prophetic Overseer

I Live For This by Pastor Brent Lokker

What happened this past Saturday at Blazing Fire Church was what I live for.  We’ve had nights somewhat similar before and, by God’s grace and design, many more are on the horizon.  So what happened?   The way our musicians tell it, their practice time before church did not go well, but the moment the first chord of the first song in worship hit our ears, something had shifted. Heaven was already partnering with them. But it started with a worship leader, Todd Lout, who determined in his heart, “I’m going for it—worshipping You with reckless abandon, Lord!  I must experience You—Nothing else will do!” And it required a worship team that would follow his lead and want the same.   But even that would not have taken us to the place we went together last Saturday.  There was a whole room full of people who had that same hunger and desire for the sweet and transforming Presence of God.  So many more of you than usual were actually there at the start of worship—almost as if something (or rather, Someone) had pulled you there with anticipation in your heart. The worship team would say later that they could feel your full, willing participation with heaven.   Our worship to the Lord with longing hearts for Him was a sweet smelling sacrifice. Heaven noticed and joined in.  We entered into Revelation 4:8, “Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!“   Holy…holy…holy…the room was transforming and many of us were glued to the floor with a reverent awe of the Lord, all of us transfixed by His overwhelming beauty.   Then prolonged sweet silence.  As if the Lord were saying to us, “Shhhhhhh…let your heart marinate in what it longed for. This is True Love’s embrace.”   Eventually, a word from the Lord came. “Everything you need is there for the taking.” In heaven’s realm where we live right now, there is no lack (Psalm 23:1).  The Lord is showing us what it means to live in two realms at the same time, which is what He’s always invited us into.   While on the floor, I told Papa, “I don’t need to preach. This is what we came for!” Those kinds of decisions are ones we all need to make—to lay aside certain things which are good in order to take in His best.  Don’t get me wrong, preaching God’s word is important, but there are times when He Himself supersedes our plans and agendas to say, “The Living Word is in your midst!  Open your mouths wide and receive the nourishment I have for you.”   In heaven’s environment that was in the room, healing broke out!  George, a man who was in great pain with metal throughout his body due to many surgeries and unable to walk for 20 years, was prayed for by Diana, a young woman who was at Blazing Fire for the first time, and he walked to the front of the room, beaming with joy and wonder, to give his testimony of the extreme goodness of God!

In heaven’s environment that was in the room, healing broke out!  George, a man who was in great pain with metal throughout his body due to many surgeries and unable to walk for 20 years, was prayed for by Diana, a young woman who was at Blazing Fire for the first time, and he walked to the front of the room, beaming with joy and wonder, to give his testimony of the extreme goodness of God!

The rest of the night was filled with saints, angels, tears, laughter, power, love, healing, freedom, prophetic encouragement…in short, heaven on earth!   When you sense His presence, take notice and honor that moment.  More and more of these moments are coming, my friends. This is what we all live for!

His Full Expression by BF guest contributor Charles Razzell

I've been stuck (in a good way) on the word "fulness" for the past week, which led me to read the following scripture in a new light:

"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." (Ephesians 1:22-23, NIV)

What do you see when you consider the body of Christ, the church? We probably tend to think most about our experience with our church family, and perhaps other local churches we may have attended in the past. Those who have travelled and ministered internationally typically see more of the “abundance of the nations” than those who have stayed close to home. But the stunning truth revealed in this scripture gives us another perspective, (Heaven’s perspective). The word “fullness", which is being applied here to the church on Earth, can be translated as “completeness” or “plenitude”.Another translation of this verse that I like is... "which is His body, the full expression of Him Who fills all creation." (CJB) So the church is expected to be, (and in some sense is), the full expression / fullness / completeness of Jesus, who fills all creation! If, perhaps, we are feeling inadequate, under resourced, or numerically challenged, it’s time to get a heavenly perspective on just how glorious and stunning the church already is and must become! Some of us, when faced with the vastness of the heavenly perspective, get a bit intimidated, perhaps even depressed, by the apparent gap between what we seem to have and what we're told we've inherited! It is good to realize that no single, local body of believers is intended to be the "full expression" of Him on their own, but part of a wonderful mosaic that builds world-wide into a glorious picture. Nor, does any one local expression (such as Blazing Fire Church) depend on any individual for its glory, but "From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." -- Eph 4:16, NIV. I hope these thoughts can be encouraging to you today.                                                                                    Blessings! - Charles