The Creative Power of Blessing!

A friend who is a pastor recently shared some things the Lord had revealed to him in the area of cursing and blessing.  Then I was studying and sharing with my kids about God's blessing over Adam and Eve.  The Holy Spirit began to reveal to me that fruitfulness and multiplication follow blessing, God did not command Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply He blessed them which actually gave them the power to carry it out.  I believe we would all agree that God is the most poweful being that exists, it is through His Word that not only are things created but given their enablement to carry out their purpose.  I began to see that blessing is also the creative power of God's Word being released bringing about what is spoken.  We are created in God's image and according to  His likeness (Genesis 1:26), so since Adam named the animals like God named us then we must be able to bless as God blesses.  We see that throughout the Old and New Testament blessing is a powerful theme that shapes people's destinies.  Isaac was called on by Hebraic tradition to bless his first-born son (Genesis 27:27-29) but he is deceived by his wife and Jacob for Jacob to receive the blessing instead of Esau.  When Esau found out that his father only had one blessing to give, this big hairy tough man went out and wept.  Why?  Both Isaac and Esau understood that the blessing had the backing of God to bring about what Isaac, inspired by God, spoke over his son.  In other words without a blessing Esau's life was going to be cursed and miserable no matter how hard he tried, Isaac even goes on to prophetically tell Esau what was going to happen in his life.  In the New Testament this theme of blessing is continued, one place we see this is when Jesus tells his disciples and others to not only love their enemies but instructs them to do this through blessing them (Matthew 5:43-45).  The Holy Spirit through Paul instructs us to bless and not curse those who persecute us (Romans 12:14).  In another place Jesus (Mark 11:21) speaks a curse on the fig tree because it was not fruitful and then the disciples later notice it is dead.  What follows curse is death, whereas what follows blessing is life and fruitfulness.  Yet we live in a culture where we are constantly cursing (not swearing) but speaking bad over someone or something.  We often curse ourselves because of past failures, out of our discouragement, or because of fear inside.  We often curse others because we pridefully look better, or we speak out of our own fear, or simply because we are relying on human wisdom and not the wisdom of God.  What follows these curses but the very thing people have been speaking out, Proverbs reveals this theme when it says that death and life is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).  Listen to this amazing verse in Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ..."  If you are a new creation "in Christ" that the Father has already blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.  Understanding that Heaven is a superior reality to our created earth because Heaven created this one.  Therefore if we removed whatever was in the way we would experience every spiritual blessing which would translate into our life on earth.  What is in the way:  an active curse blocks us from receiving the blessing that God has already bestowed on us but we are unable to receive.  Have you cursed yourself or others?  Repent and turn toward God and His way, begin to speak blessing over those who you have cursed and speak the blessings the Lord speaks to your heart over yourself.  David encouraged himself in the Lord by rebuking his own soul, I believe many of us could learn from David.  This is not just the power of positive thinking because true blessing comes from the Lord but it is us who speak it out.  I recently saw a marriage that was in trouble and the Lord began to show me that it was because of the word curses they had been speaking over each other and themselves, they were breathing the very atmosphere of curse that they had released like a toxic cloud of gas.  Heaven is releasing blessings even over those who are not believers, are we going to agree with Heaven and bless those around us from our new nature united with Christ or are we going to let the flesh have it's way (curse).  In James 3 we are warned of the power of the tongue but can you imagine the power of a tongue yielded to the Holy Spirit's words and power.  Jesus often broke off bondages, the demonic, and even illness through the words released from His mouth.  I believe Jesus is not just someone to look at in awe but our model for living this new life.

Blessings,
Bret

The War for our Kids Hearts

After I dropped off the kids at school I was listening to Family Life on the radio, they were talking with two moms who both had sons who got into drugs.  They both talked about the environment their sons grew up in, the changes in their sons outward appearance and their friends before they started using, when they became enslaved to drugs, and finally the rode out.  I was struck when one mom didn't know what to say to help other parents from having their son or daughter go down this rode, because they thought they had done everything right.  What struck me is the mindset that I heard which now became evident as I put it against the backdrop of Psalm 127 (especially verses 4 & 5) and the revelations shared by Ed Silvoso many years back.  Through these verses Ed Silvoso painted a very different picture than what most Christian parents attempt to do.  Ed was on the front lines of ministry in South America where demonic manifestations were common and there was all kinds of evil but he was really concerned with his kids being led astray by the world while they were raised in Los Angeles.  The revelation the Lord gave to Ed was that his children were like arrows in the hands of the warrior but he had never fired them in battle but instead was protecting them from worldly influences.  Rather than his children being part of the Lord's plan to overthrow the works of the Enemy (vs. 5), so he took his kids with him to minister in these dark place in South America and saw their faith grow.  I believe that while we want to protect our kids, there is also a subtle temptation to begin to build on fear and thus not move in faith.  Let's face it all of us know that faith grows in the midst of adversity, difficulty, challenge, and impossibilities.  I heard one pastor say you know where you are in the war based on what you talk about and what you complain about, those who are not in the battle complain about not having enough popcorn or the move is not what they want.  If you are on the front lines you are in a place of constant dependence on the Lord for resources and empowerment.  As I listened to these very dear mothers who struggling so profoundly with these boys, I realized they we as believers don't expect to have victory over drugs we just hope our kids are not involved.  How sad that our vision has become hoping to make it out of the this world, rather than overcome the world through the manifestation of God's Kingdom.  The thought hit me that if when my kids are older I am afraid they may be into drugs, that it would be powerful to somehow have them be a part of helping others get free of bondage to drugs.  In this way they would see the ruined lives, the bondage, the loss, and the battle to be free up close.  I believe there are way too many kids that are not protected by their parents, yet when this protection becomes dependent on ourselves and not God I believe it becomes destructive.  Jeremiah 17:5 tells us that there is a curse when we trust in man or ourselves, we need to begin to see how truly dangerous it is to rely on ourselves rather than trust God.  Instead we often build fortress of protection around our kids believing we are trusting God only to have terrible consequences.  It is a hard truth that Grace does not take away our free will or the consequences of sowing to the flesh.  I can see why Jesus rebuked the church at Laodecia for having lukewarm beliefs, because I believe all out passion for Jesus and His Kingdom is the best protection from the evils of this world.  I realize there are no guarantees in this world but I do believe the only guarantees are Heavenly, we can realize these through the promises of God for us on the earth.  God is absolutely faithful to do what He says He will do.

Warrior in Christ,
Bret

Children a blessing: Abba's Redemption

My wife asked me if I would help my son, Joshua 7 years old, with his "Simple Machines" assignment.  I was familiar with the assignment when my daughter was in 2nd grade but honestly in a fleshly way I just wanted to relax on a Sunday afternoon.  After looking at his assignment we decided to go to the garage to make a couple of things out of wood.  Now I am not exactly a Master craftsmen, when I fix something around the house we all celebrate in amazement.  Not having an earthly father who taught me these things I have learned by trial and error (mostly error).  We decided to make a doorstop, I fired up my Skill saw to cut the shape and the workbench to hold it in place.  Joshua was very interested but also a little apprehensive because dad and tools are not the most common picture.  After marking out the shape and then cutting the wood, we had a rough piece of wood.  My Skill saw has a dull blade not because of my work but because my brother-in-law (who really uses tools) passed it down to me with I think this same blade.  So then it was time to pull out the finishing sander (a fairly benign power tool that could only sand some skin off), I decided this was a good time to introduce my son to the world of wood working power tools.  As I showed Joshua the ins and outs of the sander I decided it was his turn, so I had him put his hands on the sander and I put my hands over his.  Joshua was a little apprehensive but started to gain confidence as I put confidence in his growing new skill.  It was not until later that it struck me that this is how our Abba is with us.   When I was hit with this small revelation, it brought up both joy and grief.  There were so many days I had wished my dad would do what I was doing with Joshua, yet through this very time with my son there was part of my heart that was getting healed.  I couldn't change that my dad hadn't been there for me but I could be the manifestation of God's love to my son and somehow the blessing I was giving was coming back to me.  I was amazed as my son got more confident, how he would inspect the piece of wood and see places that needed to be sanded.  God is not a distant father but a father like I was in that moment leaning over my son with my hands over his on the sander.  It was as if my confidence, knowledge, and understanding (what I have) was passing from me into my son and becoming his.  I often have had the frustration of just expecting myself to be able to do something but hiding in shame because I didn't know how, but the truth is I often had not learned.  Most good fathers that I know don't expect their kids to know something without being taught and mentored, yet we live in a culture that celebrates the end results but often does not show the process or work behind it.  In Psalm 127 it says that children are gift from the Lord and a blessing, I am now beginning to glimpse even more how children can be a blessing.  Yet often as parents we get pull toward managing our children, carting them to endless events, correcting them, or just getting frustrated by their misbehavior.  As a western culture we do not place a high value on our children:  dads often refer to babysitting their own children, we have endless things to entertain them, or they often get plopped in front of the TV.  On the contrary these verses in Psalm 127 and the encounter with Jesus and the children in Matthew 18 paint a very different picture in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus elevates children before the disciples when they try to stop them from coming to Jesus (the Rabbi), yet he says you must become like a child to enter the Kingdom of God.  Becoming like a child means entering into a place of humility, trust, openness, honesty, and simple faith.  I believe children are part of Abba's redemptive plan because when we see our sin and bad patterns in our children, it is a way that the Lord seeks to have us humble ourselves and receive His grace so the cycle will be broken.  It is often painful to see your child act out your anger, frustration, impatience, or critical tongue on someone else because we know that we have passed that sin to them.  But we as parents can also be can be an instrument of God's grace if we will humble ourselves, own our sin, and ask them to forgive us.

Abba's child,
Bret

Freedom from Fear of Death

It seems in our society today that fear is a normal part of everyday life and it is just expected that because of the condition of the world we should be in fear about something.  Our Abba says something very different in His Word, 1 John 4:18 tell us "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear...."  For us to not be in fear we must believe at the deepest parts of our being that our core needs will be taken care of, thus no matter what comes we can rest in knowing that any season of lack will end.  This does not mean that every whim, desire, want, or craving will be fulfilled.  One of the main difficulties in this is that we often confuse wanting an item or possession as meeting our need, rather than allowing God to meet the need underneath it.  Every human being since Adam and Eve carries a fear of death to some extent, we may bury it, ignore it, or pretend we have overcome it but when someone close to us dies then we face our own mortality.  Yet the fear of the death does not have to do with just the end of our mortal lives, which by the way 1 out of 1 die, but the fear of the death is all around us.  We often live with an underlying fear that we could lose our job in a poor economy and our family will go without.  We may live with a secret fear that I will be abandoned, thus I hold onto a loved one too tightly to give me the security that I will never be left.  The fear of death according to Hebrews 2:14-15 has held us all in slavery.  "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." (Hebrews 2:14-15)  Either the Word of God has missed it or we are all very good at hiding this lurking fear that drives much of what we do in life.  Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before the Fall had no fear of death because there was absolutely no lack and no thought that there would ever be lack.  Yet Satan's suggestion of current lack led Adam and Eve to agree with Satan's view on God and the world, thus they chose the very death due to the seeds of fear Satan sowed.  Satan says, "...Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?..." (Genesis 3:1)  This powerful question that sowed seeds of doubt about the very character and nature of God but also was questioned the provision God had made for them.  The Lord recently brought exposure in my heart of the fear of death but in the form of rejection.  As I felt filled with fear one night and sought the Lord to reveal the source, He showed me this old fear of rejection that I had give a lot of mental real estate.  I began to see how this avoidance of any perceived rejection had put in a place to miss many opportunities and even led me to hide truth from people around me.  It was not rejection that had cost me so dearly over the years, I have had a fair amount of rejection, but it was the avoidance of this painful event.  The Holy Spirit began to expose the truth that it was time for me to face this fear through His power and presence, because this fear was interfering with the destiny "in Christ" that He has for me.  Those who yield to the discipline of the Father through the Holy Spirit will mature in intimacy and trust with God, those who ignore it will continue to be trapped in many bondages.  The decision to walk through this fear of death (rejection) did not immediately take it away but brought more peace as I saw the revealed will of God and His path.  Death for believers is not the end but can often be the ultimate deliverance from a bondage, since we have died with Christ I no longer need to be influenced by the fear of pleasing man.  The new Bret that was resurrected with Christ does not have any fear of man because this new man is created to please and worship God first.  The Word of God does talk about us growing in favor before God and man, yet I believe when these are out of order we will not be able to walk freely in our destiny.  You do not see anywhere in the life of Jesus (who is our model) take any public opinion polls before performing a miracle or doing a healing, His vital connection with the Father guided His steps.  I believe the fear of man (rejection) will keep us from walking in boldness in the Holy Spirit.  This form of boldness does not mean being loud, obnoxious, or abrasive but I do believe it means standing on the authority of the Word and the Holy Spirit's direction.  When we get the revelation that we are righteous "in Christ" it means we are acceptable to God but also acceptable as a person because of what God did through Christ.

In His Freedom,
Bret

Stewardship and Grace

The Lord has been revealing more about two concepts that seem to be opposites but actually work together, that is stewardship and grace.  Grace is unmerited favor or I have heard it said an operative power that enables me to do what I cannot do of my own ability.  I believe that God is a gracious God who freely gives, yet some seem to receive and others don't.  Why do certain people seem to accelerate in receiving grace, walking towards their destinies, and living in greater authority?  I have often heard people ask the question, "How do you grow in Grace?".  In the world you grow or advancement by performance or merit, yet we are not "in the world".  In an effort to be "fair" people often make Grace out to be evenly distributed as if equality is the most important in the Kingdom.  The Word of God can hold two ideas that seem at odds with each other as both true (a paradox), for example that "...understand now that God is not one to show partiality." (Acts 10:34) and "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away." (Matthew 25:29)  God shows no partiality yet the second verse seems to indicate that it does matter how someone stewards what God has given him as to what is entrusted to him in the future.  I have brought these things up because recently I believe Father is challenging me to learn how to steward what He has given (Grace/Unmerited Favor), to see this favor grow and multiply.  I believe that it is the Grace of God that provides us the opportunity to come into the Light and allow the Holy Spirit to show us areas He wants to strengthen or transform.  My grandfather was entrusted with some of the world's resources and spend the end of his life giving into the Kingdom to see it extended, he had learned something about stewardship in his life.  I believe this is part of my spiritual heritage since every good and perfect gift comes from above and my grandfather had a lasting impact on many because of the Grace God had given him.  I seek to honor the Lord on my grandfather's life that I may receive the grace on his life as an inheritance.  Honor does not seek to measure a person's performance but seeks to see who they are "in Christ" without stumbling over their sins, mistakes, or character defects.  Stewardship is not about performance but about faithfulness to the Master with what has been given.  I continue to learn that faithfulness is not doing your best to perform for God but being faithful to trust His direction with what He has entrusted to you.  The video at the beginning of this entry maybe difficult to watch and it may even be harder to agree with Genesis 2:15 that we are to steward over Creation.  We cannot be good stewards without seeking the Face of God and knowing His heart for His people and Creation.  We will be yielded to Him to learn to steward or will we look for that to be someone else's job.

One of Abba's Stewards,
Bret

Worry Negative Dreams

The Lord has recently been bringing conviction to me in the area of worry.  I grew up in an environment of worry and fear, so letting my mind go into places of worry for a few minutes didn't seem like such a bad thing.  Yet God is now unveiling the darkness and deception in worry.  I have a friend who says that fear is negative faith, that fear works to bring about that which you fear.  It is basically the Enemy using our belief that the thing we fear could happen to actually have us sow this into our future and thus becoming part of bringing it about.  I believe worry is part of "orphan thinking" where we believe we have no father to take care of us so this void begins to pull us into a place of fear, lack, and then speculating into our future a negative picture.  Worry may seem reasonable in our fear-driven, uncertain, and unstable times but is of the Kingdom of Darkness.  In Philippians 4:6 we are told "Do not be anxious for nothing..."  Anxiety and worry are similar if not exactly alike.  I believe worry is not just a sin but a powerful weapon of the Enemy to lead us away from Christ, into idolatry, and toward death.  We really can only begin to dream when we believe we are safe and taken care of, otherwise our minds will get obsessed on having the one thing we are in need of.  When we know we are safe and taken care of, we begin to dream without limits, this is important because one author said, "...you don't inherit through logic but through your dreams..."  So as sons and daughters of the Most High God dreaming is important because we must dream it before we are to actually receive what we dream of as inheritance.  So the Enemy has schemed to get us off track, his first line of attack is our identity and then he looks to steal our inheritance "in Christ".  His weapons are not a sword or a spear but thoughts that seek to hook us into a pattern of think that will lead us away from Christ and away from our inheritance.  In Romans 1:21 we see the consequences of the failure to worship God, "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."  The Lord was revealing to me that futility in their speculations came before their foolish hearts became darkened, so in other words we must think it before we reap the fruit of it in our hearts.  The word for speculations in the Greek is dialogismos which means inward perceptions, this fits with worry as an inward perception or thought pattern that springs from fear of something or someone but not God.  Worry is deeply rooted in unbelief or "orphan thinking".  Bill Johnson said, "I cannot afford to have a thought in my head that is about me that is not in His."  I can now see why the renewed mind is so important for us to be transformed (Romans 12:1-2).  The Holy Spirit is bringing more conviction as I write this, so I am seeing how I have given room to the Enemy's deception and one of the ways he has brought me into discouragement.  As I repent toward God for allowing my mind to go into the dark place of worry which usually includes lack and then lack to an extreme (death), I am asking God to teach me how to dream.  Dreaming would be natural if you grow up in an environment of abundance and possibilities but when lack is your experience than worry becomes natural.  The Good News is that in Isaiah 61 the first thing the anointing of the Spirit deals with is poverty because it is so destructive and is not of the Kingdom of God.  I am not saying that God's desire is that we move into hoarding, greed, or being materialistic.  Poverty did not come from God this entered into the world through the "Lie" and the idea that God is withholding.

Free from worry to Dream,
Bret

The Kingdom for Dreamers!

As My Abba was ministering to me around the barriers to vision, He began to show me how I had given up on my dreams or judged them as not practical.  In every one of the dreams I began to see His heart for me, it wasn't so much whether the dream happened but what became of the seed (the dream) that was planted in my heart.  So many times in our world which is overly adult, we are often shown all the reasons a dream can't happen so we relegate ourselves to a life without passion.  Dreams don't have the barriers and limitations that we find so present in our world, yet this reminds me of the Kingdom of God which is vast and limitless.  I began to see that since I was made in the image of God my dreams were birthed from how I was made like the Creator but soon my thinking, which was wrapped around the "Lie", took over and twisted the dream into something that would serve to meet my needs and was then self-centered.  Yet I began to see all the inventions that we now count as part of everyday life (IE., the cell phone, electricity, the car) were once dreams in the heart of someone created in the image of God.  Seeing God's divine fingerprint reminds me that everything that is good truly comes from God, even if we don't give Him any praise or thanks.  It is an amazing truth that in Joel 2:28 the fruit of the Spirit being poured out on all mankind is prophecy, dreams, and visions.  So often in our world we have another program, plan, or agenda to solve a problem.  Whereas God's plan was to give Himself in the form of Christ and then to give His Body in the form of His people filled with His Spirit (sons and daughters of God).  The fruit of an encounter with the Spirit being poured out is hope, faith, and love manifesting in prophecy, visions, and dreams.  I am realizing that I never learned how to steward the dreams/seeds I had been given so they were quickly lost or squelched.  I believe this is a mark of sonship is that the Father is teaching me how to steward the dreams He has birthed in me.  I believe from Romans 8 that the earth is groaning for God's sons and daughters to be revealed with creative dreams and visions for all the problems we now face on this earth.  Only the people that have God's DNA "in Christ" will bring the creative and life-giving solutions (centered in Christ's redemptive work) that can stand against this fallen and sin tarnished world.  Jesus says in Matthew 18 that to enter the kingdom of heaven you must become like a little child, what a contrast to this world's insatiable thirst for more information and knowledge.  I believe Jesus is highlighting the simple trust and faith of a child in contrast to the world's view of who would be great in heaven.  I have included the Trailer to the movie "Secretariat" about a dream that seemed totally impossible and yet one woman believed, it was her dream that led to a Triple Crown winner.  In this story it is not this woman's skill, knowledge of horses, or business background that leads to the win but a dream that was birthed by her father that she risks everything to see fulfilled.  Dreams that God births in us are God-sized and can't possibly be fulfilled by us alone, thus if we believe it is all up to us we will quickly shut it down because we can't accomplish it according to the flesh.   I believe we are to be conduits of God's grace and love, not focusing on improving ourselves or even taking care of our own need.  We were born of the Spirit of God for more than that but too much of our time and energy is focused on ourselves rather than on all that Jesus is in and through us.  I pray that you will allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to steward the dreams (seeds) He has deposited in you and you will be released to dream again.  Many of our dreams are merely a slice of Heaven, God has so much to pour out on us.

In Abba the Dreamer,
Bret

New Covenant Rest

In the culture around us "Rest" is not celebrated but seen as avoiding or being lazy.  This is not true of all cultures but especially the American culture values what you "do" more than "being".  I even get tired hearing about some friends vacation plans where they are constantly on the go and there is no "down time".  Yet in stark contrast to all the striving, anxiety, and restlessness there comes Hebrews 4 which talks about a Sabbath rest which is not a day but a state of being through the finished work of Christ.  This is the place we can truly rest because we have been brought into union "in Christ" therefore we share the favor, relationship, and love that the Father has for Jesus.  Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us.   This grace is far beyond forgiveness, which is incredible mercy.  We cannot conceive of it by only looking from an earthly perspective, we need to experience Heaven to really begin to taste of the Father's great love for us.  I am continuing this journey into the Father's Arms where I can rest in His unconditional love for me, I have found this means exposing many of my anxieties and insecurities.  I believe in Father's love for me He is exposing the roots of these love deficits so He can pour in His healing love.  The command in Scripture is to "...be filled with the Spirit." which means continually, what blocks this is agreements with lies, unbelief, and sin.  Father is lovingly squeezing all of this out so I can be more deeply filled with His Spirit, the New Covenant is all about the Spirit who reveals to us personally what Jesus has done on our behalf.  I believe that true rest does not come from "down time" but from experiencing the secure place in your Abba's arms.  I was given Hebrews 4 as a promise by God for me, I believe over the last few years His Spirit has been working in me to remove anxieties, insecurities, and worries.  Considering some of the instability in my background continuing in faith till promise is manifest in me may take some time.  I love the instant transformation but honestly can't say I have seen that too much in people's lives or my own.  It often seems like a slow building of brick by brick of Promise ("in Christ"), til I come to a point where I can really agree with a Promise in my heart.  I believe true rest is for those who have come to a place of revelation that they know they are a beloved son or daughter secure in their Father's love.  I can say I know this at a head level but the Holy Spirit continues to bring revelation and move me into this place of rest.  I pray that you would invite the Holy Spirit to do a work in your life to bring you into a place of rest, there are things that God will only entrust to sons and daughters.

In Father's Rest,
Bret

What do you want?

This is the question so often asked by Jesus (in different forms).  This is a strange question because religion would not come up with that question for fear of what a person might answer that religion may not be able to deliver.  Religion would seek to tell you what you are looking for and then tell you what you really want.  The reason I bring this up is that at this point in my life, I am 42 years old, I sense my Father asking me the same question.  I had not given this question much attention because first I didn't know if there was an answer and it seems a rather brash question.  Desire is what drives all of us but you have to look closely to understand what truly drives a person.  For the first time in my life I admitted before God and others that I don't really know, I could have given those nice Christian-ease answers (like do the will of God, serve the Lord, or even have Christ be my life).  There would be some truth in these answers but it would not come out of Christ united with me at the deepest part of my being and it would not allow the question to do it's probing work on my heart.  I believe there are some questions that have the ability to dig beyond the skin, even beyond the tissues and reach down into the very bones of our being.  When Jesus would ask this question, it was as if He was reaching into the person's very heart and inviting them to reveal a once hidden place within them.  It seems to me that desire and faith are intertwined.  Jesus would so often say after a healing or a deliverance that their faith had made them well, this is strange because their faith was not very religious or proper but more like raw desire that collided with God/Man Jesus.  Often in religious circles desire is sought to be controlled, squelched, or even killed in the name of being godly.  Desire is messy and often does not fit into the neat boxes we have designed to organize and control life.  Yet Jesus not only welcomes desire but even stirs it up through His probing questions which bring the person's hunger to the forefront.  As I asked a person if they really wanted the affair they were in or to be loved, accepted, cherished, and filled.  I could see that desire had led them into the affair but would eventually be destructive but the desire itself was not bad just the way of getting it filled.  This gives new meaning to the verse, "we like sheep have all gone astray."  It is not circumstances that have led us astray but our desire married to the Lie that we are self-sufficient and independent of God.  We, in the Body of Christ, seem to bemoan people's selfishness and lack of fervor for the Lord but are we somehow missing how to tap into people's desire as Jesus did and then offer Christ flowing through us in power as the solution.  I believe that people have been drawn away by counterfeit affections, not that there desire is bad in the first place.  I believe we could embrace people more lovingly if we learn how to tap into people's deep desires instead of constantly sending them the message that they must control their desire because it is bad.  Maybe its true that God wants to fill our deepest desires, longings, and dreams.  I seem to be too practical or just plain worldly because I gauge my desire according to the resources I possess, this really puts fences around desire.  God even seems to throw gasoline on the fire when in Ephesians 3 the Holy Spirit says through Paul, "...is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]"  That is a lot of gasoline!!!

In Christ who invites us to desire,
Bret

Are you hungry?

The theme of the 6th chapter of John is hunger, food, and Jesus Himself as food.  What was the Father up to through Jesus in this point in His ministry and life?  The miracles, signs, and wonders were not about a show, God was revealing who He was and is.  Jesus in John 6:48 declares, " I am the bread of life" and then invites everyone to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.  This is clearly not another religion that gives you the rules to follower, when the founder invites you to eat Him.  Jesus often used metaphors and spoke in parables to illustrate a deep spiritual truths.  I was struck by the passage in 2 Peter 1:3-4 where we are told that by receiving the promises of God we will participate in the divine nature and escape the lust in the world.  So could it be that we can eat of Jesus by receiving His revealed promises purchased through His finished work.  In 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that all the promises find there "yes" in Christ Jesus and then they are waiting for our "Amen" which means "so be it".   Agreement with heaven means this promise of God will manifest in us through the work of the Holy Spirit what God has said.  How many of us as believers, not only know what the promises of God are but also believe by faith that they will be manifest in us.  There are times when the presence of the Holy Spirit is so thick, the atmosphere of faith is strong, and the hunger of the people of God is present that you come away getting filled by God.  There are other religious environments where the manifest presence of the Spirit is absent and there is not expectation of God but only man; these are not filling but draining.  It is amazing to me the way God seeks to reveal who He is, all the Jews would be familiar with the taking of the Covenant meal but when Jesus said that He was the meal they were disturbed.  The Jewish people of the day saw Jesus through the lens of who they thought he might be, rather than seeing Him through the truth God was revealing.  A tough reality is that we will never see Jesus for who He really is without the revelation by Holy Spirit.  This is why through Jesus 3 year ministry He was constantly revealing who He was and the Father, yet so many misinterpreted who He was or were unwilling to change their paradigm to let Him in.  What promises has the Holy Spirit brought before you through His highlighter pen.  That is one dimension of the Holy Spirit's role to act as a highlighter for the work of Jesus to us.

A Child of Promise,
Bret

My Father's Healing Love

The Holy Spirit was revealing something new about My Father and His love, that much of what we struggle with comes from a perceived lack of love.  Let me first clarify that Jesus said, "And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (Luke 10:27)  This is important that you realize truly being able to love and accept other people is blocked by self-rejection, condemnation, unforgiveness, and self-loathing.  As I read someones account of a touch from Father of His healing love, I saw that love deficits are truly the root of so many of our problems and issues in life (especially in relationships).  In 1 John 4:18 we see the clash of the two forces, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love."  Fear was the negative of faith and was first to enter into the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned bringing about the Fall.  I would submit to you than much of the anger, resentment, criticalness, control, worry, grief, discouragement, despair, insecurity, defensiveness, manipulation, and hiding is due to a lack of love.  In all of these there is an underlying need we are seeking to get me but what is truly empowering these things is fear (an awareness of lack).  The Holy Spirit has been helping me position my heart when I feel a lack in one of these areas to receive a touch of Father's Love and comfort.  It takes faith (believing what God says - spoken and written Word) to position us in a place to receive from Him meeting our deep needs.  As I had one client wisely observed, the kind of love we are talking about does not exist on the earth but is unique to God and Him being manifested through us.  I have long believed that most of us are powered by the love we received or motivated by the lack of love to satisfy what we are missing.  I am again and again drawn to the love of God which is the very heart of the New Covenant "in Christ" and 1 John even says it will be the mark of the authentic Body of Christ.  In the midst of fear-based emotions and needs you have a wonderful opportunity to position your heart to receive a new infusion of Father's love.  All of this love (the love of Christ) is present in our spirits yet needs to be shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5).  I believe the Father longs for us to focus on the depth of His love for us "in Christ" and receive in our moments of weakness and need, rather than attempt to solve the problem as an orphan without a Father.  Much of our issue with sin is a poor solution to attempt to fill our love deficits.  I am not minimizing sin, only that pointing out that it is the love of God "in Christ" that will overcome the very root of sin (not our attempts to manage sin or hide it).  I pray Holy Spirit would work in your heart to reveal to you how to position your heart for His fresh touch on your life.  After all you are not an orphan but the Beloved of God, receive the truth and let the truth set you free.

Abba's favorite (You are too),
Bret

Our Brand of Righteousness vs. God's

As the Lord was working in me but I was having a hard time putting words to how He was moving, the Holy Spirit took me to Romans 10:2-8 (especially verses 3-5).  The Holy Spirit was showing me that the battle in my life was to establish righteousness but what was at war within me against the righteousness of God was the righteousness I learned as a child.  Righteousness is a big theological word but what does it mean in real life.  I have heard some say it is right living, yet others say it is right relationship with God, or still others say it is purity or holiness.  These still leave me somewhat lost looking for true revelation and freedom.  What the Lord began to reveal to me is that when it comes to our view of righteousness, the way we find a place of acceptance and love growing up is our version of righteousness.  Righteousness on a human level seems to be more caught then formally taught, although many religious organizations have formal ways of making people comply.  It was a revelation to me that like the Jews in this passage who were "seeking to establish their own" righteousness that I had done the same thing in my life (Romans 10:2-8).  The Holy Spirit revealed that being "right" and avoiding mistakes was part of the righteousness I had sought to establish.  This type of righteousness (or way of living) makes you wound pretty "tightly" and not a whole lot of fun.  My daughter tells me that God is fun, some times I think she knows Him better than I do.  Also the righteousness I sought to establish was to avoid real or perceived rejection, yet a part of me comes alive when I step out in being authentic and open to others who could reject me.  Through the Holy Spirit's light I also saw that the righteousness I sought to establish was about seeking perfection in the things around me and sometimes sadly the people (the most damaging aspect).  In Romans 10:3 the Word says, "For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."  The phrase in italics in the Greek means- to place, put, set, fix establish, to stand (of the foundation of a building).  Interesting that it is like they were seeking to build a building (or monument) of their own righteousness and this was the very thing that was blocking them from receiving the Righteousness of God which comes by faith.  The second phrase (which is in bold) says that they did not "subject themselves" which means in the Greek- to submit to one's control, to obey, or to arrange in a military fashion under the command of a leader.  The contrast is of a group of people building their own righteousness through their own establishing or submitting to an authority that you obey or yield to.  Sounds like the difference between seeking to obey rules/standards in an effort to be accepting versus yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit who is now in us through the finished work of Christ.  Our version of righteousness seems to be these internal set of belief systems that run our life but only use relationships and are not based on a relationship.  When Christ enters the world He comes bringing a new form of righteousness that is wholly different than the Laws that Pharisees sought to follow to be acceptable before God.  Now we don't go around trying to follow the Law (well some are being deceived to go back to Jewish Law for living) but most of us followed our parents way of being right.  Parents by design are to be conduits of unconditional love but God is the source.  Subjecting ourselves to God's righteousness through Christ means that we receive God's unconditional love and acceptance through Christ and ongoing encounters with Him.  This word "subject" implies that we can position our heart in such a way to receive or continue to establish even my own way that I come to God but I find that religion and even my own form of righteousness leaves me empty and frustrated.  God's righteousness means we come the way that He guides (through His Word and His Spirit) and not my way to meet my own needs (flesh).  I am so thankful that this New Covenant "in Christ" allows us to come as we are and receive from the God who has everything and is full of grace and truth.

In Abba's Love,
Bret

Father's Day

Link as a resource:  http://www.familydads.com/

It is such an amazing reality that earthly fathers have the opportunity to reflect their Heavenly Father to their children.  I believe fathers are under attack not physically but in the unseen, they are pulled by the need to measure up to their own father's expectations, by society who has an increasingly negative picture of dads (as dumb, deadbeats, or just checked out), and even under attack by religion that they aren't doing enough (stepping up to the plate, providing, being the spiritual head, etc...).  I can testify that it is easy to look at myself as a father through the eyes of measurement, performance, and some shadow of the father I should be that I am boxing with.  Yet as the Holy Spirit touched my heart I saw that my own earthly father had judged himself as an inadequate father with inadequate love which was part of what led him to suicide.  Abba spoke into my heart that what He was looking for from my dad was to let Abba love me through him, when love becomes performance and measurement it ceases to be love.  Our Abba did not measure His love for us but was willing to bankrupt heaven, have His own Son die, and risk everything to display His love to a people that may not return it.  This kind of love is not just sacrificially and costly but the ultimate expression of the very heart of God for us.  The Word of God even says that we are "...heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:17), we heirs of God Himself!  What an amazing gift, God gave us Himself not just the benefits and blessings that are ours as an inheritance but God is the ultimate gift.  There have been many amazing self-sacrificing fathers who have been celebrated in history and we need to celebrate them.  But can any of them compare to the Father of Glory who has expressed such a love that comes to fill the deepest voids in the heart of His people.  We all need a father, yet through unforgiveness of the fathers who have hurt us the Enemy seeks to undermine us looking into the very nature of our glorious Abba.  We have a choice we can rejoice in the nature of Abba and His presence receiving healing (ongoing) or we can continue in the pattern of walling off our hurt from the things we hold against our earthly father.  All of our earthly fathers failed, which hurt deeply but their main role was to point us to the perfect Father.

In Abba's Embrace,
Bret

Building Up or Tearing Down

As I was recently on a hike with my two precious children, I realized I am still prone to see their mistakes and be overly sensitive at times to things being done a certain way.  I realized that I have a critical eye and can use that to tear down two growing and wonderful little saplings.  So as we were hiking I asked the Lord to show me what this critical attitude looked like on me, I almost immediately saw a black pointing glove on my hand that was menacing.  The Lord showed me that I used this glove to be in control and to protect myself because this critical attitude had been used on me in earlier life.   There is a desire within being human (the best sense of the word) where we want things and people to grow who are around us.  Yet when we fail to understand how to help people grow, then there is a turn towards discouragement, anger, and criticism which then comes out on those we love.  I sensed the Lord was leading me into a deeper place of learning how to nurture, encourage, and grow the the little people I love so dearly.  So as I took off the black glove of criticism and destroyed it, I then asked the Lord what He had for me to put on it's place.  The Lord gave me a set of green gloves (like having a green thumb), then I sensed He put words in my mouth (to build up and not tear down).  I had been encouraged that my son, Joshua, who normally doesn't like hikes and often complains.  Maybe it had to do with that I decided to let him choose the points in the hike to stop for snacks and I let him carry (and thus drink) his own water.  In the past I would just get frustrated by his complaining but now I was seeking to build him up and help him have a good time.  I am amazed at what the Lord can teach us when we are available to listen to Him and learn His ways.  When we live in the fleshly land of criticism, complaining, discouragement, and frustration we are living at a very low level of experience.  These things are all very common to this human condition (after the Fall) without the invasion of God's love in Christ.  The Holy Spirit is very straight-forward in Galatians 6:8, "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."  Notice you need to connect Romans 8:1 that says there is no condemnation, so in other words there is no condemnation but freedom means there are still consequences to our belief and choice.  I believe the Father is inviting us to live and experience a whole new dimension of life (Zoe= the life of God Himself) but we have freedom in what we choose.  I believe Ephesians 2:6 is an invitation, "...and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,.." and not simply doctrine.  The atmosphere seated in "heavenly places" is much different than the normal everyday run of the mill type of earthly life.  Let's let the very life of Christ flow through us to build others up in love.

In His Love,
Bret

Abba's Will

There are times that we are familiar with a verse of Scripture but the richness of it's meaning seems to be hidden like some great mystery, then all the sudden in a moment of illumination and light the words on the page become real in our heart.  I was deep in prayer to God crying out to Him from my heart, when the verses when Jesus said, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42) were opened up in a new way.  What came crashing in on me in that moment was that the Father's will was to have Jesus die as the sacrafice that would atone for my sin and reconcile me back into a relationship with the Father.  I knew this concept in my mind but when the Holy Spirit highlighted it to me that from the Father's heart He so wanted a relationship with me that His Son was worth the price, I was again flooded with the love of the Father.  I love the Word of God but the Word combined with the touch of the Holy Spirit who wrote the book is what I was created for, real relationship with my Abba.  I pray that as the people of God we will not settle for proper theology, playing church, and wrote prayers but will cry out for real encounters with the "Living God".  This deep cry coming from our new spirit united to Christ leads us into to divine encounters, our mind can't lead us there and neither can religion.  Know today that the will of Your Abba was for His own Son to die as the final sacrafice that give us into intimate access to the Holy of Holies and real relationship with the God Almighty.  You may have heard something like this in church many times but "familiarity often breeds contempt" instead of the wonder and the awe when the Holy Spirit breathes life on something we have only seen as a shadow previously.  As we understand that Abba's will was that Jesus sacrafice His life to reconcile us to our Father, we must see that there is so much behind "God's will".  There are thousands of propehcies speaking of the Messiah and His sacrafice, it is even propehsied in the book of Genesis after the Fall.  The point is that "God's will" is not some passing wish but a burning desire birthed in the very heart of God over thousands of years to be reconciled to you.  I believe for us to experience Abba's will personally is so critical in a world where we can easily generalize or depersonalize something to apply to the masses.  The Gospel is personal, even though John 3:16 says that the invitation is to the world.  Yet God seeks an intensley personal and intimate relationship with each unique person, losing this reality means that we become legalistic, stale, and mechanical.  I love to see how God encounters people uniquely, lovingly, and personally to win the affections of their hearts and make them His own.  I believe the Father longs for us to encounter Him being caught up by His loving, restorative, and life-giving words which make our soul come to life even more.  Are you willing to push past the barriers of unbelief, doubt, shame, guilt, lies, and the ever present to do list to have this kind of encounter with your Abba?

Learning His Love,
Bret

Abba & Family

As I have been listening to a book on the Millenials (those born 1980-2000) which is the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, I was struck how the statistics reveal that this is a very family-centered generation.  In Luke 1:17 in speaking of John the Baptist it is said, "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."   It is amazing to hear a book, that is looking at a statistical sample (1200) of the nearly 78 million, say that this is one of the most family-centered generations in history!  I see Abba's heart for family being actually displayed in the attitudes and relationships or this generation but the Kingdom takes it to a new level.  I believe that no one can have the kind of family relationships they dream of without a revelation of Abba and who they are in Him.  In Ephesians 3:14-15 the Holy Spirit through Paul says, "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name..."  It is from the Father that all family comes from and it is in knowing our name, that we can experience what the next verses talk about.  The next verses talk about experiencing the height, depth, width, and breadth of the love of Christ.  I believe Abba's heart is that we experience here on earth "heavenly families" because the original design of families was smashed and damaged by sin's entrance into the Garden.  I believe that the finished work of Christ has restored family and even expanded it, not only do we have the potential to have life-giving, honoring. loving, and alive biological families but we can be connected to the greater family of God (His Kingdom family of all those "in Christ).   When there is a Body of believers who walk in God's ways as His children and relate to each other through Kingdom values (based on what Jesus has done), then this becomes a transformational community that impact all those who come into to contact with them.  Unfortunately too many Body of believers are not functioning in God's grace towards one another but in a lower level of life which is based on the flesh and fleshly values.  A culture of grace is empowered and equipped to deal with people's mistakes in an environment of hope, restoration, personal responsibility, and freedom.  The Word says that in James 2:13 that, "...mercy triumphs over judgment.", which  in essence says that to exalt over or to be higher than.  Thus judgment is a reality of the natural world that is active and operational but mercy (flowing from Christ on the cross) is more powerful and life-giving that judgment or justice.  A culture of grace in a family would be a place where the very life of God (Zoe) could be displayed and even give others a taste of Heaven.  People in our society are longing for authentic, transformational, and life-giving Christianity (re-presenting Jesus) not the form of fleshly living that is often displayed.  This is another mark of the Millenials they are looking not for Jesus in church or institutions but are interested in people who are authentic, transparent, have integrity, and really care about them (sounds like Jesus).  In other words Millenials are not interested in Religion but would be drawn to a people who are authentically living out "the life of Christ".  The Body of Christ has been truly made a family through what God has done "in Christ" not through our programs, our effort, or the next leadership trend.

In His Family,
Bret

Father who sees all and loves

As I have been slowly working my way through the book of John to see the face of my Father in Jesus, I have come to a section in John 4 that the Holy Spirit highlighted for me.  The Samiritan woman at the well is having a discussion with Jesus about water which Jesus turns to spiritual things and living water.  At one point in the discussion when she finally asks him for some of this living water, he invites her to call her husband.  This is a time when she gets exposed because Jesus through a word of knowledge points out that she has had five husbands and the man she is currently with is not her husband.  In this culture to have many different men either through marriage or simply being unmarried would have been a scandal if it was revealed.  Good reason she came out to gather water in the hottest part of the day when no one else would be around, it may be she wanted to avoid public scorn for her lifestyle.  When Jesus spoke out about her life, He pointed out what she spoke that was true but also revealed what she had not shared.  Then later the woman says, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" (John 4:29).    I put in bold this amazing statement she made, she had such an encounter with Jesus that she felt as if Jesus told her all the things that she had done.  As we look at the passage the only area of her life Jesus discussed with her was her intimate relationship but I believe the encounter was so deep and profound she felt He was staring straight into her seeing everything.  As she shares this encounter with the people in her town, she does so openly with no shame.  I believe she saw such acceptance and love in His eyes (grace) that she experineced no shame or judement.  I believe Jesus is inviting us into this same kind of naked vulnerability that this woman experienced but through the grace of His presence there is no shame.  Grace changes everything, no longer do we have to hide behind our fig leaves and masks.  This woman was not changed by attempting to change her life but through being exposed to the living water of the Spirit through Christ.

In His Grace,
Bret

Child Dreams

Dreams can be the source of so much joy, excitement, and then also pain, disappointment, hurt, and sadness.  But however you feel about dreams, they will remain important to the human spirit and I believe to our Abba.  I once heard Graham Cooke say, "you don't inherit through logic but through dreams."  It seems that dreams are one of the languages of Heaven and yet on earth can be the source of so much pain.  Jesus says this about children, "and said, "And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:2-4)  I point this out because it is children who are more free to dream, imagine, and go into fantasy.  Yet to experience the Kingdom of God Jesus is inviting us (and the disciples) to become like little children again and dream.  It is adults who are constantly worried about how much it will take to do something, how to do it, when to do it, if you can do it, and getting it done by the deadline.  These are not the things of dreams but of the everyday world of work, home, school, and life in the adult world.  Everything has to do with the limits, the amount of resources, managing what I have, and staying within the boundaries.  When we choose to enter into the world of dreams, limits are blown away and the only barriers are the ones we put up.  Interesting that Jesus would hold up children as the ones who could enter the Kingdom because they know how to dream, trust, get excited, play, and see beyond this world.  Since the Kingdom of God is not something we can see with our natural eyes, the eyes of our heart need to be opened up (Ephesians 1:18).  For me I gave up dreaming as a child because I judged others who had dreams that never happened.  After I had been continually disappointed when I would dream I gave up dreaming and became an adult at early age.  Failure is part of life, yet when you let failure take your dreams than you lose hope because we were made to dream.  The Lord showed me that He made me to dream and that He likes when I risk to dream.  I recently worked with a young woman involved in a legalistic cult, one of the things the Lord showed me that was taken from her was her dreams.  Legalism is very black and white, so creativity is sacrificed for control, predictability, and selfish gain.  Our spirit was made to soar in the heavenly places "in Christ" but how are we going to do that if we don't imagine but simply look at the day to day life and the natural world.  Through Christ's finished work we are able to soar, things that were once totally impossible can become possible for those who will have their imagination directed through Christ.  Dreams come to us in seed form, they are ideas that are far beyond where things are now and we are today.  Seeds are fragile, so are our dreams and the need an environment where they can grow and take root.  Often at this stage is when the Enemy seeks to destroy dreams through all the thoughts that say the dream is not possible, practical, or will ever happen.  When we agree with these thoughts then they start the process of aborting the seed of the dream that God wanted to birth through us, we need a renewed mine, others that will believe in us, and the work of the Holy Spirit to ultimately bring the dream to pass.  The YouTube clip is actually an clip for a past Conference but he says well what keeps us from our dreams.  It was God who dreamed the biggest dream ever possible to redeem a world that had been distorted and twisted through the entrance of sin.  Christ's entrance in the world was the ultimate dream come to fruition.

In the Master Dreamer,
Bret

Naked Honesty

As I was at a conference in Myrtle Beach, SC listening to a John Lynch who wrote "TrueFaced" I was challenged by the Lord how powerful honesty is.  Living in grace is the only way that we can take off the masks, be totally honest, and be completely loved and accepted.  I was also listening to another sermon that talked about Hebrews 4:13 which says, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."  The speaker talked about this verse referring to our inability to hide from God and that all things are exposed but this is not scary because we are totally accepted and righteousness in His sight "in Christ".  Also Ephesians 5:13 says, "But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light."  Also in 1 John the Lord talks about walking in the Light and God being Light.  I believe the Lord is revealing to me the power and freedom in walking in honesty, vulnerability, and openness before God and others.  This takes courage because in our society we are constantly hiding behind masks, false identities, and busy schedules to not expose the hidden places of our lives.  I have learned to live a hidden life early on as a child and it seems that it is always a risk to open up areas of my life, putting off the old man which is a darkness dweller.  I like so many desire an intimate relationship with the Lord and vital connections with family, friends, and others but this is constantly putting pressure against the desires of the Old Man who wants to remain hidden and safe.  One book I read said that it always takes courage to be honest, I would agree whole-heartedly.  I am so glad that Christ in me has courage because I know in of myself I will let the Old Man have his way.  As I was sitting at the Conference a deep desire was stirred for greater and more authentic community but I know there is a cost.  Protection and safety are core needs of every human being, everyone has a way of meeting these needs but if we are going to truly live abundantly we must throw off the Old Man with his deceitful lies and risk rejection to be fully known and fully loved.  I see so many times in counseling where people can no longer hold inside the secrets, struggles, failures, and pain that they have hidden in the darkness.  The exposure of their inner world is a big part of the freedom people experience, I believe they are experiencing Jesus and New Covenant righteousness.  It is now our new nature to be Light dwellers, yet the Old Man so loves the dark and being hidden.  Pure unconditional love invites us into the Light where we can be fully known and fully loved.  His love is a safe place but we must be willing to lay down our old safe places where we have been hidden inside, I notice the Holy Spirit can be unrelenting gently but consistently pushing me towards the Light.  Again it is counter intuitive that we must die to really live but I see this is the only way.

In the Light,
Bret

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:7).  As the inner prompting of the Lord has led me to honor my father, I took time with his best friend growing up to hear more of the story of who he really was over his short lifetime.  As we sat in a screened in porch area of an old golf club backing the 18th tee in the Georgia mountains there was calm in the air as I listened to the stories of my dad's best friend.  I got a very different picture in my mind than the one that had been imprinted on me of a father who abandoned me through suicide.  Here was a young man full of hopes, energy, compassion, fun, and good-hearted joking around finding his way in life.  This verse in 2 Corinthians is offensive to the values of our culture of self-effort, having it together, and not showing weakness.  I am coming to believe that we were made weak/earthen vessels (to depend on God), yet it is our humanity that we seem to be at war with instead of accepting it.  I believe the Lord directed me to this passage as I thought about seeing God's Spirit in and through my dad and his life, even though he ended his life in such a horrific way.  My dad's best friend continually pointed to this amazing spirit in my dad of compassion, giving of one's self, a search for greater enlightenment, and genuine desire to help people.  He circled back around in the conversation several times to my dad's boundless energy and all his ideas, that he admitted wore him out.  It is no wonder Jesus made a bold statement that He had come to give abundant life but just before had given a dire warning about the thief coming to steal, kill, and destroy.  Many years ago I went to visit my dad's grave site, still in the middle of years of grief dragging on like a comedy that is no longer funny.  As I stood that gray day at the family grave site and then found my dad's full-length grave stone, the Lord spoke deep in my heart that the passion that was in my father that was from Him did not die and that now this same passion lived in me.  As the Lord continues to refine the direction and call He has given me in life, my sense is this passion is the love of the Father for His people.  I believe it is the ultimate journey in every one of our lives to see the loving face of our Father and hear His life-giving words that become our very identity.  After this safe of life had shared his stories, insights, and memories about my dad, I asked him to pray for me sensing there was an important impartation of grace that he had been given through my dad to bestow on me.  This time not only helped to restore a missing piece in the puzzle but also gave me a deeper sense of who I was by seeing who God was in my dad's life.  Honoring him by seeing the treasure in him without stumbling over the reality of his humanity, especially how he see shortly cut his life off when I was only 6 years old.

Hearing Abba's Voice,
Bret

Without Measure!

As I have been studying through John to see the Father's heart in Jesus I was struck by a simple but life changing verse.  John the Baptist is speaking about Jesus and says, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure." (John 3:34)  The last part of this verse leaped off the page as if the word were dancing all around me!  See I had a previous day where I had as one former co-worker used to say, "slogging through the sand" day.  The Holy Spirit would come upon a prophet or man of God throughout the Old Testament but would most of the time be withdrawn.  Then there was even 400 years between the time God spoke and the coming of the Son of God.  So we see a measure of the Spirit manifested in the Old Testament, we see miracles, prophets, miraculous provision, signs, and God communicating with His people but there was always a limit.  John the Baptist is to prepare the Way for Jesus and speak of what is to come through Christ, so when the Prophet of God declares that through Jesus Christ the Spirit will be given without measure this means it is time to do the Happy Dance.  As I talked about in my last blog entry of when the Spirit flows we see that Father has chosen to pour His Spirit out through Jesus Christ (who is both grace and truth) in a specific way.  My question is :  Why don't we see the Spirit more active among the Body of Christ?  The Holy Spirit seems to be a no-show to some services, a trickle at others, and gone all together at other places of worship.  Here the Word of God says that Jesus Christ gives the Spirit without measure, so where is the dam because even in John 4 Jesus is telling the Samaritan woman that He can give her living water that "...will become a well of water springing up to eternal life."  The phrase that He will give His Spirit without measure has made me so thirsty to experience more of His life-giving Spirit.  The very life of God (the Holy Spirit) is pushing at the dams of our hearts, our churches, our families, and our churches.  The dam is not on God's side because He has already stated this and the fullness of the grace of God through the New Covenant backs this up, so the dam must be on my side.  God sure gets a bad rap about how much He is withholding from us, so this is why the earth is such a mess and people are hurting.  The Word of God paints another whole picture of the story and challenges my own heart to a new level of faith, trust, and expectation.  I admit I don't look at my future as one life-giving God encounter to the next but this is because of my faulty thinking not God withholding.  All I can say to the Lord is let this verse be done in me and I repent for my unbelief, I believe this is one of my new anchors in my soul to lead me deeper into my God-given destiny. 

Walking with Abba,
Bret

Spirit on the Move

I realized it is important to see how the Holy Spirit moves, He doesn't move through Old Covenant paradigms.  In other words you don't see Him being active in people's lives when the focus is on keeping rules, being self-sufficient, or relying on the natural order of things.  I have noticed that the Lord moves through love, humility, vulnerability, honor, worship, compassion, peace, healing, rest, faith, freedom, truth, hope, forgiveness, and grace (there are probably more).  These are principals in the Kingdom of God and where we see the activity of the Holy Spirit moving on people's heart encountering God.  Many times we wonder in the Body of Christ why we have prayed for revival so many times and yet are not seeing the manifestation of revival.  I believe we are following many Old Covenant paradigms and teaching a mixture of Covenants which does not bring the activity of the Holy Spirit.  In 2 Corinthians 3:6 the Word says, "who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  This is a verse that seems to sum up the gospel in just a short phrase, the Spirit gives life but the letter kills.  Without the activity of the Holy Spirit there is no life imparted but it is the responsibility of sons and daughters to learn the ways of the Holy Spirit, so that we minister to others from a place of intimacy imparting life rather than bringing the ministry of death which is by the letter.  The letter imparts condemnation, shame, fear, blame, guilt, defeat, and hopelessness.  The Biblical principals of the Kingdom of God guide us into encounters with God where life is imparted because Holy Spirit is the executor of the New Covenant.  The Holy Spirit is faithful to manifest Himself when we are guided by Him through the principals found in the Word.  My heart burns to learn how to walk in the manifest presence of the Lord throughout my day, instead of living life independent of the Lord.  I was born again to carry the presence of Christ, yet my choices do make a difference in being a host for the Lord.  We who have been born again have Christ in us and He will never leave us but having the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit on us is impacted by our belief and choice.  I pray that each of us would enter into the adventure of hosting the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Walking with Abba,
Bret