The One Thing - by Susan Fochler

When David said in Psalm 27:4, that “the one thing I seek above all else;  … living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace”,  he meant that more than winning a battle against Saul, more than becoming the king, more than fame and wealth, he wanted to live in the presence of the Lord every day of his life.   David knew this was not to simply be a transactional relationship but an intimacy in knowing, enjoying and beholding Him, recognizing His beauty, glory and love.  And as we read in Song of Solomon 2:`14, God is calling us into the secret place not just that we would behold Him, but that we would experience Him beholding us;  for he wants to see our face, hear our voice; it may be hard to believe, but He actually finds us sweet and lovely!   When I first got saved, I came to Jesus out of an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame, simply because I felt so unworthy of love.  I deeply yearned to be freed from my prison of depression, and hoped, somehow, Jesus would “fix” me.  I had no grid for a heart to heart connection with Him, or anyone as far as that goes.  It was like I invited Him into the entryway of my heart, but no deeper. It wasn’t until years later, as I was introduced to Holy Spirit and hung around people who engaged in passionate worship that I began to realize Jesus wanted to be invited into every room of the house of my soul.  What a difference that made!    I began to spend time simply enjoying Him, and started to realize how much Jesus wanted to be with me too.  The “one thing” Jesus invites us into is the realization that being in His presence is the sweetest, most satisfying place we can live from.  And it is not for now and then, but a living experience available to us every day, every moment of our lives.  It is a simple awareness that once we have said “Yes” to Him, God gives us the key to His heart.  That means, the door into His presence is always open.  As I look back on my earlier life, I can see how filled with self-hatred and self-rejection I was.  I didn’t know how to respond when kindness was extended to me.  I couldn’t believe it was really true that someone could care so deeply and actually want to be with me.  As I have gradually learned to accept myself, It’s become easier to believe He wants to fully indwell the house of my soul, not out of obligation but because of the high value God has for me.  If we struggle to believe we are lovable, it can be hard to believe God wants  to be with us.  If that’s you, this is where grace becomes our only sufficiency.  Psalm 84:3 says that even the “sparrows and swallows” belong in His courts, how much more a child made in His own image, like you?  Jesus has laid down a red carpet of His sacrificial love and grace straight into the throne room.  Come with confidence into His welcoming arms With Love, Susan

Better Than Our Best Understanding - by Jason Clark

Two thousand years ago Jesus was a living expression of perfect theology. His life, death, and resurrection revealed exactly what God is like. And God was not like what we thought He was like.   Jesus seemed to do stuff God wouldn’t do. He also often seemed to contradict scripture. He was counter-cultural, challenged cruel ideology, and confronted punishing theology. He was simply better than our best understanding, and often offensively so. For instance.   He healed people on the Sabbath, something many were convinced God wouldn’t do. “Stretch out your hand,” Jesus said, and the man with a shriveled hand “stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.” And many of those who believed they knew best what God was like, were murderously offended. They “went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”(See Mark 3:1-6)   Jesus seemed to value children more than His disciples thought God would. “Let the little children come to me…” He said, confronting His disciples who were in the midst of rebuking parents. “Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (See Matt 19:14)   Jesus’ kindness and mercy toward women, especially those most oppressed, was offensively better than what the Pharisees thought about God’s kindness and mercy. “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner!” they thought with their hierarchy of disdain. (Luke 7:39)   Jesus even valued gentile women in a way God surely wouldn’t, “tell her to go away… she is bothering us” the disciples said. But Jesus ignored his disciple’s offense, engaged with the woman’s faith, and released eternal life. He was offensively better than how His followers thought God should be. (See Matt 15:21-28)   And remember when Jesus didn’t call down fire on that village? Remember when He didn’t savagely rain down holy hell on men, women, and children even though His disciples not only believed it was something God would do, they wanted God to do it. They even had biblical precedence to support their malicious offense when Jesus confronted them saying, “you know not what kind of spirit you are of.” (See Luke 9:55)   And Jesus didn’t cruelly punish that woman caught in adultery even though those who had dragged her naked before Him were certain that’s what God would do. They were so convinced that they had already picked up rocks as willing accomplices. They too pointed to scripture to justify the us or them, for or against, punishing spirit they participated in. And yet Jesus said, “where are your accusers” and there were none, not even God. (See John 8:10) Even on the cross, torn flesh, bones out of joint, a death rattle in His lungs, Jesus just kept offending us with God’s goodness. “Father forgive them, they know not what they do,” He said, even though it sure as shit seemed like they knew what they were doing. (See Luke 23:34)   Jesus constantly did things that were better than how humanity believed God would do them. Even better than how the Bible seemed to describe what God was like. And all along the way, in every act of Greater Love, in every expression of kindness, in every interaction of forgiveness, mercy, and grace, Jesus offended people with how good He believed God was. Especially those who thought they knew God best.   And nothing has changed.   Humanity has always had ‘god-boxes.’ We have often demanded God’s goodness fit within our capacity to comprehend. We measure His forgiveness through our insecurity, fear, and shame. We balance His grace with our often-cruel thoughts about Him and ourselves. We determine the measure of His mercy and kindness based on our finite thoughts about mercy and kindness. And we use the word justice to make God small. Mankind has been submitting the goodness of God to our broken experiences since the fall. But thankfully, Jesus is the goodness of God revealed, and He climbs inside every god-box we create and blows them up from the inside with His goodness. Jesus continues to reveal that God is better than our best understanding, even better than our best Biblical interpretations. And He continues to confront our certainties with the Cornerstone of all certainty, Greater Love…

There In The Middle - by Karena Lout

“Beloved, we are God’s children right now; however, it is not yet apparent what we will become. But we do know that when it’s finally made visible, we will be just like him, for we will see him as he truly is.” 1 John 3:2   We’ve all received prophetic words and promises that we haven’t seen fulfilled in our lives yet. The waiting can sometimes cause pain, disappointment, and disillusionment. Paul told the Galatians that he felt labor pains until he would see Christ fully formed in their lives. We live in the tension of “the already and not yet.”   “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Romans 8:28 (The Message)   Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus acknowledges our condition? What is God developing and forming in you? He is right there with you in the middle of your story.   While we’re waiting to see some things come to pass in our lives, it’s also important to recognize what God is doing right in front of us. So many didn’t recognize Jesus when he came to earth because they had preconceived ideas about what their Messiah would look like. Our prophetic words and promises might not always come in the form we thought they would. God is always bigger than the boxes we try to build around him.   I encourage you to take some time and ask Jesus, “How are things working FOR me and not to me?” I’m confident he will show you how he’s already fulfilled promises in your life and he will be faithful to you in your tomorrow.   Love, Karena

Authentic You - by Brent Lokker

Queen Elizabeth’s death last week is a stark reminder that even that which appears to be the most constant and stable in this world is, in fact, not and that the only solid bedrock foundation is the person and character of Jesus. He said it this way:   “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)   Notice that both houses (which represents two different people in this metaphor) experienced the same battering conditions of wind and rain. This is consistent with Jesus’ words to us: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)   Jesus doesn’t promise that intimacy with him eliminates all the hard challenges that batter us at times, but rather his promise is that these difficulties won’t cause our lives to crumble and shatter—that somehow, we can even walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil because we are so aware of our sweet union with Jesus who has us securely in his affections.   This parable is making it clear that each of us has a choice. We either trust that our Savior Jesus, in his kindness, is always truthful as he reminds us of who our authentic, genuine self is so we can experience the fulness of life he promised, or we choose to do life on our own terms, which includes assessing for ourselves what we think is true. We either believe him or we believe our own perceptions. The latter is equivalent to living out of our false self (our flesh, our prideful ego) which doesn’t bear any resemblance to our authentic self, our life-in-Christ self. It’s the only real self we have—the one created in the image and likeness of our heavenly Father.   Here are just a few examples to help you become more aware of what the difference between your false self and your authentic self is your authentic self vs. your false self: Your false self wants and needs attention, whereas your authentically-created-in-Christ self doesn’t need the spotlight because you already know your value in Christ! Your false self has a need to be right which leads to judging and categorizing others, whereas your authentic, in-Christ self doesn’t feel any need to prove yourself or put others down because you can see them as having infinite worth as created in Christ just like you. Your false self is all about self-preservation, but your authentic in-Christ self knows you’re already living in his eternal life so you can enjoy the moment you’re in without being anxious for what tomorrow holds.   Paraphrasing what the Apostle Paul was affirming as his reality: “My false self is dead to me—it no longer lives. The only true life I have is lived as the Christ-in me self! This is the only authentic me that exists.” (my paraphrase of Galatians 2:20)   Only the Spirit of Jesus within you can help you see and know what is true about you and what lies needs to be removed by his kind and gracious love. I pray for each of you the supernatural grace of God to be made more aware of your union with the life of Jesus, to be more willing to believe who he says you are, and to be more courageous to let him remove the old perceptions of yourself that haven’t been serving you well.   The authentic you is enough and exactly who your heavenly Father intended you to be.   With Love, Brent

Our Source of Validation - by Bill Hernandez

The Lord is rearranging our priorities in regards to where we get our nurture and care. Being recruited by the Lord to serve in whatever capacity great or small was not meant to bring healing or resolve to our personal issues. It’s a misuse and application of the callings and anointings in our lives. He said that healing comes from us being intimate and honest with Him and letting Him in deeper into all that stuff inside. All the accolades, the applause, the admiration and respect that can come from being used by Him can become a kind of medicine for our damaged, hurt souls. This damage can come from rejection, an orphan spirit, being humiliated and dishonored, being abused and judged. A way to compensate for these things is to rely upon the very public we serve to assuage and ameliorate our suffering. He says that it’s His job to do this in His intimate relationship with us. None of the our power anointings, our spiritual abilities and our holy passions are as important to Him as His connection to us and our connection to Him in the deepest transparency and honesty. Everything else pales in comparison to this covenant. The 1st commandment, not to have any other god’s before Him is about this. Relationship first. We can lose all abilities, anointings, powers, and assignments, but what remains will always be the holy bond we have with Him that never ends. He is in love with us and knows us. Any calling or ability is merely a tool that He supplies for us to get a job done – spreading the good news. He is not in love with the tools, but with us. We are the object of His glorious love. The more we become enthralled with Him, heart to heart, the less important all else is. His love is perfect and, in a way, we do away with in our hearts, clinging to power and anointing as we become more and more reliant on the perfect, tender care He abundantly supplies. The only person that can fill any void inside our hearts is Him. We respond to clinging to Him and reprioritizing our affections. This happens through fearless openness with Him and thereby discovering His great compassion for us. He’s calling us to serve blessings or deliver the good news extracting nothing from the hearer or recipient. We’re called to be other centered. We deliver expecting nothing in return nor requiring any accolade, thanksgiving, payment, nothing. We let it go that His words and will be done.  Not only is He having us reprioritize our relationship with Him, but He is also changing our motives. Nothing will do except Him for our health and wholeness. As the Good Shepherd He is guiding us to hear and follow only His voice. May our hearts be healed in relationship with Him of all our pains and may we be servants that respond to His calling with clean motives. May no man serve us for what we supply on His behalf. His callings were not meant to be validations. Validation comes from intimate interaction with Him over all things in the heart. This is where we get significance, validation, comfort, honor, accolades, healing, compassion, understanding, care and joy. Those things were not meant to be acquired through our assignments for furthering the kingdom. If we look to our callings and assignments for those things, there’s no end to the constant hunger for those things. There is no end to a compromised message or ministry. There’s no satisfaction or fulfillment and in the end they abandon us and we are left hollow and starving. When the assignments, callings, credibility, admiration are withheld and we feel anxious, hurt, pain or humiliation, this is an indicator that something is amiss. Our priorities and motives need an honest personal assessment. I believe this is what the Holy Spirit is dealing with now. In the end we can’t barter what we did for Him for His acceptance. Grace has already been supplied freely and we have everything we need in His deepest love for us. He wants us to walk in being known by Him. There’s no want in His love. There’s no fear of punishment or emptiness in it. His love is all. The things that we feel condemn us before Him don’t, but even more so invite greater love and tenderness from Him. We are uncondemned forever. In light of this exhortation from Him, I believe this is all part of Him getting us ready for powerful assignments, anointings, gifts of the Spirit and astounding works of power so therefore there’s nothing wrong with asking for these. This is the ship we are sailing on and He is saying to keep our hand on the rudder and don’t abandon the ship through impatience. He’s preparing us by getting us used to always being dazzled by the depth of our relationship with Him. His works can then flow through us unencumbered by any emotional need we might have because He will be the center of our care and warm kindness. Our messages will be pure and objective not being influenced by fear of man and we won’t be fishing for compliments by what we do. As I have alluded to in previous messages, all this takes time and being proactive, and always saying yes to letting Him go deeper into all areas of our lives. Hebrews 4:16  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Colossians 3:23-24  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - THIS MESSAGE COMES FROM WHISPEROFLOVE.ORG -

Building the Church and Expanding the Kingdom as Kings and Priests - Joel Pollard

Jesus declared that “The Kingdom of God is within you”, meaning that it was already within reach and available for people to experience now, in this life. Luke 17:21 in The Passion says, “The kingdom is not discovered in one place or another, for God’s kingdom realm is already expanding within some of you”. In the Aramaic, the implication here is that God’s kingdom realm is a person, Jesus Christ. The reality of God’s kingdom appears when Jesus lives within us by faith. Paul explains in Romans 14:17 that the Kingdom of God is for now, and it consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The inheritance that we have in and through Jesus is for now, not for when “we get to heaven” but it’s a living inheritance for now, “on earth as it is in heaven”; we inherit everything that is ours as sons and daughters of the Most High. Not only is Jesus Lord over a Kingdom, but He is building a Temple, the House of God to dwell in, the Church! He’s building it made out of His living stones (sons and daughters) and in Matthew 16:18, Jesus told us that this Temple (Ekklesia) would be victorious and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. THE CHURCH IS NOT THE KINGDOM!!! To see this distinction, think of the Temple and the Kingdom in Solomon’s day. Solomon’s Temple was glorious, yet small compared with the Kingdom which encompassed the Temple and reached to lands far beyond it. Similarly, the Church is glorious, yet smaller than the Kingdom of God over which Jesus reigns. Why does the Church and Kingdom exist? The primary purpose of the Church is to be a dwelling place for God. Of course, there are other purposes, e.g. equipping, inner healing/deliverance, sending people out for ministry but the foremost purpose is to be a community of believers in whom God dwells. In contrast, the primary purpose of the Kingdom is to establish the rulership of Jesus Christ, and that’s why we pray out of Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” It is time for you to be released in to Kingdom. It is time to discover who you are! This is the time to arise in your own giftings! What does it mean to be a King and Priest? Jesus came into the Earth as both King and Priest. Now He sits at the right hand of the throne of God as King, and He is making intercession for us as the Highest Priest. He rules over a Kingdom and He is building a Temple. Through our inheritance in Jesus, we are Kings and Priests. Some of us may be called to serve within the church or it may be to expand the Kingdom of God into every area of society, every area of influence. We are the salt and light, hands and feet - Jesus unlimited. Marketplace ministry is not going to happen just because it’s a good idea. We must renew our minds and change our theology, allowing the paradigm shift to embrace the values which yield these compelling kingly motivations. This is not about how to be successful at your job. It’s about how to be successful at your dream, allowing the Lord to unveil the oneness of your vocation, your pursuits, your ministry, and God’s purpose for your life because working with God instead of performing for Him is fun, addictive, pleasurable, adventurous, joyful, meaningful, and rewarding. Holy Spirit, help us shift our mindsets. Take us from a place of “religious” to “relational” motivation and keep returning us to our first love. Amen! Love, Joel

Control or Surrender? - by Karena Lout

Does it feel that life has been unpredictable, uncomfortable, out of control? Unfortunately, that’s been the reality for most people (especially the last few years.) There’s a tendency to want to jump in the driver’s seat when that happens. It takes a great amount of trust to surrender areas of our life that still feel “in process.” Control can be more appealing than trust because it gives us a false sense of protection. But ultimately, our safe place is in knowing that Jesus is our good Shepherd.   Jesus doesn’t just want to be our Savior. He wants to be our King. His leadership is perfect in every way. He uses his power to heal us; to love us. I heard someone once say, “In the world, we surrender when we lose. But in the kingdom, we surrender to win.” I’ve found that surrender isn’t a one-time thing. Every day, I have a choice to hold a firm grip on all the things I think I can control OR I can live with my hands open, giving Jesus access to it all.    “Father, into your hands, I commit my Spirit.” Luke 23:46  “Father, I surrender my Spirit into your hands.”  (TPT)   As we took communion last Saturday night, we remembered how Jesus completely submitted himself to his Father when he went to the cross. I encourage you to tell him today, “Father, I surrender my Spirit into your hands.” Then ask him to show you what that looks like every day in your life.   Love, Karena