We’ve been in a tough stretch for a few years now. By we, I mean all of us…everyone I know. Life itself can be difficult as it is, but the extenuating circumstances surrounding the pandemic; such as, loss of income, loss of friends & family, failing businesses, economic downturns — and everything that comes with it, not the least of which is a deep distrust of government and media. -     All these together have added to people’s burdens. Of course, in the post-pandemic world, there are a wide variety of changes that society is being forced to embrace, some positive and some negative. It became popular for people to say, “I’m just ready for things to get back to normal.” ·       One problem with that is that by now we can all agree that nothing is going back to the way it was before. ·       Another problem is when we improperly define what is and is not normal—then we begin to struggle to set and reach goals—because our “sights” are ever so slightly “off.” In the discussion of “life” and all that has happened, is happening and will happen — there is no such thing as normal. Ø What we really mean is…COMFORTABLE. Comfortable is what we all crave. By comfort, I am not referring to furniture, but rather, all expectations met.  There are those of us who enjoy New Years celebrations, and using the time to reflect on goals & accomplishments, as well as areas of our life we need a reset in—or we need to release altogether. We also desire to use them as an opportunity to leave the undesirable parts of a previous season behind us…so we can move forward into something that resembles “the meeting of expectations”—or something more comfortable. However, we eventually remember that the flip of a calendar really does not change anything at all. Likewise, people who put their hope in political parties or government systems, also end up with a reality check and a very rude letdown.   My intention isn’t to be bleak or stay focused on the negative. ·       Rather, I want to take a look at what the Father thinks about these difficult days — and how He reacts to us when we face seasons like this. After all, our Father is also the Creator, and He can declare the new beginning of a calendar year if He sees fit—and when He does, it’s always connected to your Exodus out of bondage. (NEW BEGINNING)   Exodus 12:2: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you."   He generally uses a gauge rather than a clock—when determining your “time.”  {Meaning He isn’t watching a clock on the wall, as much as He is gauging your growth & maturity.} Adversity, tragedy & failure are three enemies we’ve all stared in the face at one time or another in our lives, some of us – more than once, others of us all at once. At first glance - these three may look or sound the same - and even though they than can be interwoven or entangled at time...but they don’t always come together, nor do they mean the same thing. For example, tragedy & failure may sometimes reflect the presence of adversity; but adversity doesn’t always indicate the presence of tragedy & failure.    Adverse/adversity: -     unfavorable or antagonistic in purpose or effect: -     opposing one's interests or desire: -     being or acting in a contrary direction; opposed or opposing: opposite; confronting: Life itself can be very adverse for all of us at times. Tragedy: A lamentable, dreadful, often fatal event; a calamity or disaster.  Most of us can raise our hands to having experienced adversity and tragedy in our lives. In fact, many people have no problem wearing “tough times” like a badge of honor, making sure everyone around sees it and knows about it. We’ll talk about it, testify about it, sing about it & write books about it. But very few of us are as anxious to raise our hands and brag about the tragedies that have deeply affected us emotionally — or even worse, the failures we’ve endured in life.  Fail/Failure: -     to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired -     to receive less than the passing grade or mark in an examination, class, or course of study: -     to be unsuccessful in the performance or completion of: -     an embarrassing mistake or humiliating situation   Here are some words related to “fail” in the dictionary: decline, fall, neglect, break, close, drop, finish, end, flounder, flop, blunder, fold, abort, fizzle, slip, miscarry, miss something altogether, backslide {to relapse into bad habits or behavior; or undesirable activities}   It’s no wonder we don’t like to talk about our failures, because in many cases, we’re still running from them or trying to rebound from them. Often in our minds, to talk about our failure publicly is to: ·       Relive the shame of it ·       Stir up the negative emotions of it ·       Still feel tied or connected to it ·       Have to face all the question as to why, all over again We’ll openly discuss the tragedy and adversity we’ve stared down; like a big scar we’re showing off to or friends. (Mel Gibson and Rene Russo in Lethal Weapon 3, arguing over who has the most scars! 😊) But our failures feel more like deformities or defects…that we try to hide from one another, for fear of judgment. We will roll our sleeves up and show off our scars… …but because the damage failure causes is INTERNAL, MENTAL and EMOTIONAL, we’re content to keep hiding it. We fail to understand that like a wound, unless it breathes, it won’t heal properly. ·       We try to move forward in life, but we continue to bleed from an unclosed internal or emotional injury, which has a negative impact on every relationship and venture we begin.     Isaiah 61 The Passion Translation Messiah’s Mission   1 The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me because Yahweh has anointed me, as a messenger to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted, to tell captives, “You are free,” and to tell prisoners, “Be free from your darkness.”2 I am sent to announce a new season of Yahweh’s grace and a time of God’s recompense on his enemies, to comfort all who are in sorrow,3 to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. Because of this, they will be known as Mighty Oaks of Righteousness, planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory. This verse is referencing the use of “sackcloth & ashes” while mourning or repenting.   4 They will restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. They will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations.   I want to make sure you’re seeing all there is to see here so we’ll take our time, so you’ll know how it impacts you as well: We’re in the section of the Chapter known as Messiah’s Mission; …so, His mission is – still to this day, to usher in divine exchange in your life. He is anointed by God to preach: -     Good news to the poor -     Heal the wounds of the broken hearted -     Tell the captives that they’re free -     Deliver the prisoners from darkness (spiritual blindness) -     Announce a new covenant of GRACE -     Comfort all who sorrow -     Strengthen those who mourn because they’re crushed by despair -     To give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes  Right there, in the place where: ·       the dream burned up ·       in the spot where the business burned down ·       in the very location where your dream of a perfect marriage…went up in flames because of “someone else” in the relationship, who had no right to be there ·       at the location where the drunk driver crossed the center median and killed your loved one ·       in the hospital room, where the Dr informed you, your baby would be stillborn ·       Right there in the spot where life hit you so hard – you just wish you could die now. ·       Right there, where, perhaps you cheated on your spouse, broke your covenant and broke their heart…and now you don’t think you can ever forgive yourself. Now we’re gonna find out just how real you’re willing to be ·       Right where you were the driver who had too much to drink that night, and knew you shouldn’t be behind the wheel – and you crossed into oncoming traffic – and took another life. …Now you don’t believe God can ever forgive you and you’ve sworn you’ll never forgive yourself.   It’s in those places, where Jesus came to bring a powerful message of hope from Heaven, that says; “I know you’re hurting and you wanna die… …but let me help you carry that – let me heal that – and let me show you how powerful forgiveness can be when you trust ME.”   Vs. 5, Foreigners will be appointed to shepherd your many flocks; strangers will cultivate your fields and tend your vines.   {You never thought you’d break free from that place of pain…but He’s just connected and expanded you globally; in other words, outside of the place you’ve called “your world.”} His favor ON you will attract strangers TO you! Messiah’s Ministers 6 But you will be known as Priests of Yahweh, and called Servants of our God. You will feast on the wealth of nations and revel in their riches!7 Because you received a double dose of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of endless joy and everlasting bliss! This is simply a picture of the truth that the divine exchange He offers us is to bring healing to us – in order to bring healing through us!   His Mission is to minister to you, then minister through you. In between is where revelation of identity and transformation of character takes place!   8 “For I, Yahweh, love fairness and justice, and I hate sin. I will rightly repay them because of my faithfulness and enter into an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their seed will be famous among the nations, and their descendants the center of attention of the people. All who see them will recognize that they are the seed that Yahweh has blessed with favor!” Your witness & testimony are important in the earth, for the glory of the Kingdom. Messiah’s Music 10 I will sing and greatly rejoice in Yahweh! My whole being vibrates with shouts of joy in my God! For he has dressed me with salvation and wrapped me in the robe of his righteousness! I appear like a bridegroom on his wedding day, decked out with a beautiful sash, or like a radiant bride adorned with sparkling jewels.   When the Father takes the burden from you and removes the sting from the adversity, tragedy & failure you’ve endured— …you then begin to embrace Heaven’s perspective of your life. You begin to see yourself how Heaven sees you, wrapped in His righteousness, decked out with His splendor, radiant with His glory! ·       When you begin seeing yourself the way Heaven sees you, it means you’re coming into agreement and alignment. You then begin to say the same thing Heaven says, and it produces a beautiful, harmonious sound, as you begin to vibrate internally (spiritually, emotionally and mentally) to the sound of Heaven, and release that sound externally into the earth.  11 In the same way the earth produces its crops and seeds spring up in a garden, so will the Lord Yahweh cause righteousness and praise to blossom before all the nations!   The Prophet ends this section by revisiting the seed – time – harvest principle, declaring that “righteousness and praise” will blossom from the Lord’s Garden! {And you are the planting of the Lord…} In spite of Sir Isaac Newton’s declaration, “What goes up, must come down”— I’m telling you that…   “What Goes Down – Can Come Back Up” Particularly in the context of Kingdom; with the right perspective we learn that what we release as seed sown, has the potential to come up multiplied—in resurrection form. When the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead also lives in you – whether it’s a dream, a business, a ministry or a relationship… …you cannot look at the end of something as FINAL – without factoring in the possibility of something new blossoming from it!   Psalm 103 The Passion Translation  1 With my whole heart, with my whole life, and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God!2 Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me?3 You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease.4 You’ve rescued me from destruction/the pit/hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy.5 You satisfy my every desire with good things. You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky! 6 You’re a God who makes things right, giving justice to the defenseless.7 You unveiled to Moses your plans and showed Israel’s sons what you could do.8 Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted-{compassionate} to those who don’t deserve it and so patient with people who fail you! Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness. 9 You don’t look at us only to find our faults, just so that you can hold a grudge against us.10 You may discipline us for our many sins, but never as much as we really deserve. Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done.11 Higher than the highest heavens—that’s how high your tender mercy extends! Greater than the grandeur of heaven above is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all who fear you and bow down before you!12 Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset—that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us.13 The same way a loving father feels toward his children—that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, your beloved children, who live in awe of you.14 You know all about us, inside and out. You are mindful that we’re made from dust.   Allow me to shine a light on a few phrases from this text: …“like a father has deep compassion on his children.”   The Hebrew word for “compassion,” “tender feelings,” as well as “tender hearted” in the previous verse, is raham, which is a homonym and can also be translated “womb.” It’s a beautiful word play in Aramaic, that says, “God loves and protects us like a FATHER but also nurtures us like a mother would her children.”   If I can just give you a few points to take home with you regarding any adversity, tragedy & failures that you’ve faced in your life, the first one would be:   1.   God is tenderhearted and nurturing toward us, like any good parent would be when they see they’re kids struggling in life. Allow yourself to see and be seen that way…   2.  Jesus was—and still is—deeply moved with compassion for humanity.   Matt 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matt 14:14, When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick Matt 15:32, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat…”   3.  You will find comfort in your affliction, as you learn to comfort others in theirs.   2 Corinthians 1:2-4  “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Redemption says, I will take your misery, add my grace to it and make it a ministry. 4.   There is no guilt, shame or condemnation to anyone who is “in Christ”! There’s no reason for you to continue carrying guilt, shame or condemnation over any adversity you’ve faced, tragedy you’ve experienced or failures you’ve endured.  God doesn’t judge you for it, in fact His heart is moved for you! ·       He wants to help you turn the tide, reverse the momentum and rise from the ashes and build again. We’ve all, every single one of us, experienced it in our own lives as well. Shake the shame, lose the guilt, stop condemning yourself; and you’ll find a “spiritual Teflon” begin to form over you, so that even the condemnation of others cannot stick to you – or effect you like it used to.  Make the necessary adjustments to correct what caused it, if need be, but if not, allow forgiveness to flow so you can move forward! Failure may spell the end of a thing – but it doesn’t have to be the end of you! Own your failures, but then SOW them into the garden of experience and you’ll reap back wisdom & perspective.   Regardless of what you’ve faced, encountered or endured—you can rise from the ashes and build again, love again and live again! -     Especially when you receive the revelation of “God as Father!” There’s something to be said about The Father’s heart for humanity, and thank God we’ve finally heard a wave of messages AND worship songs in recent years, correcting our Theology to help us see Him as a loving Father, instead of an angry “courtroom” judge. His heart is to meet you in the "living room" rather than the courtroom. -     I could put it this way; a better "living room" relationship would eliminate the need for a "courtroom appearance." If our emotions are unhealthy, or we’ve spent more time in the courtroom pleading our case, than we have in the living room talking to our dad…then we begin to identify with failure to the degree that we feel we’ve BECOME a failure, rather than simply endured one.  Regardless of whether the adversity, tragedy & failure we face is: •      Our own doing •      Someone else’s doing •      Or simply life itself …the Father’s heart is always for us, and He desires to help us navigate troubled water and bounce back from any blows that come our way—especially the one’s that hit us like a sucker punch!

We often pray and decree to the Heavens to send the rain, or let it rain, but here is some food for thought. The hydrologic cycle begins in the earth, not in the sky. Most liquid water is on the surface of the earth so that’s where the cycle begins, with evaporation. Evaporation is the process by which water is converted from its liquid state to the gaseous state, also known as water vapor. In other words, water leaves the Earth's surface and enters the atmosphere as a gas. In fact, the United States Geological Survey (the USGS) says that up to 90% of the water vapor in the air comes from surface water, including oceans, lakes and rivers, with the rest coming from plants. When this happens, anything that is in the water, dissolved or undissolved, remains behind. This includes salt, rocks, minerals, and other materials that often end up in the surface water. Evaporation is a purifying process.  One of the ways you can purify sea water is to heat it so it evaporates and then collect the steam. The steam is pure water, and getting it back to a liquid requires our next phase of the water cycle. Condensation (http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-condensation-definition-examples-quiz.html)is the process by which water vapor is changed back into liquid water. Condensation is very important to our weather and climate because it is what is responsible for cloud formation. Fog is condensation near the ground.  Fog forms when moist warmer air comes in contact with cooler air near the surface. Precipitation, the next phase of the water cycle, is water that falls from the atmosphere in the form of rain, sleet, snow, hail, or freezing rain. Clouds are required for precipitation because the raindrops are the drops of the clouds that have condensed enough water to begin falling. The cloud particles do not have enough mass to fall, but as condensation continues to add water to those particles, gravity eventually pulls them towards the Earth as precipitation.   Now let’s apply some spiritual principles to what we just learned. As a new creation we are both spiritual and physical beings; which means we are of the earth and of heaven.  The Book of Colossians says we “have members on the earth” and we are “seated in heavenly places with Christ.”  There is a cycle that exists in our life, that we must learn to harness the energy and power of; certain principles at work, that have been since Genesis.   -Evaporation is me offering up praise and worship, as well as my perceptions; allowing myself to ‘be caught up into the spirit’…and my spirit communing with His Spirit.   {Think positionally, not geographically. Up is also a dimension, not just a direction.}   Remember, science in school taught us that evaporation is also purification, because anything that was in the water…was left behind through the process of me being caught up. 😊  You need to be caught up more often.   Moisture that doesn’t get caught up…accumulates near the ground and “fogs my vision”…making it hard to see. Moisture caught up however, begins to collect and condense, gaining volume through the process of condensation…and eventually is transformed to precipitation and gravity takes it from there, because what goes up, can come back down.   Precipitation is the completion of a cycle; what was offered up…has now come back down, purified by the process, so now my perceptions have been exchanged for His! 😊 Here is a thought to consider; if condensation is tied directly to evaporation, perhaps you're not waiting on heaven as much as you think. Start releasing what you have and empty yourself out through WORSHIP & renewing your mind — and you'll begin to create the very season you crave.  Start participating in the process and principles of God. Examine and see what type of conditions in your own heart, might be altering spiritual weather patterns, or stopping spiritual cycles in your life.     -  Heaven will flow through a person, to impact a place; then the place becomes attractive to a people. The places we identify as "portals" are really just larger gatherings of "people" who’ve learned to release Heaven’s flow in their assigned regions.   Once established, people are attracted to the place, but every 'attractive' place of glory started with a person who was 'attracted' to glory and learned to let it flow! Upgrade your perspective and your thinking during your worship; releasing what you know to be true about you, those around you…and anything you may be facing in life… …and as you worship, embrace His perspective of those same things; get caught up today! You may be surprised to find out that you’re perfectly positioned to release glory into the situation!

 Romans 1: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.  17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” The underlying theme of the four synoptic Gospels, as well as the “Gospel” within the NT, is how God became KING of kings – and LORD of lords – in the person and through the finished work of Jesus Christ! Jesus wasn’t just offering a teaching to be compared to that of other teachers – although His teaching – as it stands, was remarkable. He wasn’t just offering a moral example, although if we want that, His was impeccable. ·      He was claiming to do things through which the world would be healed, transformed, rescued and renewed.   He was, in short, announcing Good News, not only for Israel – but for the world, and all of creation. Once He became King, he didn’t flex his muscles, pound his chest and compare his power to all of the other world rulers that had come before him. His kingdom comes through us, not by OVERTHROWING the powers that be; but by OVERFLOWING the power of the One living in me.   The unprecedented manner in which His kingdom overcame all of the kingdoms around, and continues to this day, is not by show of force – but by demonstration of His great LOVE.  When the Roman governor sentenced Jesus to death, he was proving the whole point – that the kingdoms of this world run on violence & power; but Jesus was declaring: “The Kingdom of God runs on Love!”   That’s GOOD NEWS!   In one of Paul’s earliest letters he wrote, “The Son of God – loved me and gave Himself for me.” {Galatians 2:20} Many years ago, Albert Schweitzer gave us a strong image of the love of God: He said, “Jesus was like a man convinced the wheel of history was going to turn in the opposite direction. He waited for this to happen, but it didn’t. Then He threw Himself upon the wheel, and it crushed Him – but it did indeed start to turn the other direction.” Jesus on the Cross was the ultimate good news – in person. -     When they placed Him in the tomb, they had no idea that He was “the Resurrection and the Life” – wrapped in flesh. “The tomb became the WOMB – that birthed the New Creation.”    His ascension however, is what positioned us in the Heavenlies. Like a satellite, or a receiver of sorts; we hear Heaven’s message and transmit the GOOD NEWS into the earth. Oh…be careful little ears what you hear… I watched a video last year - that came across my inbox, from a well-meaning Pastor, of that I have no doubt. In it he mentioned that he read or listened to 40 different news sources every day – in an effort to keep himself well informed. That helped me understand why his message was gloom and doom, with no redemption in it; he’s getting his information from the wrong source.   ·      I’m not saying to ignore everything around us. ·      I’m saying don’t succumb to it; don’t let it change WHO you are or WHAT you know to be TRUTH.   I’m not looking at, or listening to – the earth, in order to know what I should prophesy and declare into the earth; because that wisdom can only come from Heaven.   Do you trust HIM? {We usually trust Him in our triumphs, but can we also learn to trust Him in transitions or tragedies?} Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect {mature} peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.   Great peace flows from the understanding of: Who HE is- a good Father, a compassionate High Priest, a friend, spouse, companion, a redeemer, restorer, etc How He is- loving, kind, graceful, compassionate, merciful, sovereign, faithful Where He is- ever present help, near to the broken hearted, never leaves or forsakes you, always at hand, residing within you, revealing Himself through you   Because He is risen, He is also positioned; positioned for maximum influence & impact. As He is, so are we in this world; positioned for maximum influence & impact. -       But how can we have maximum influence and impact à when we’re living life – overwhelmed?   “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The context of John 14:27, and the entire chapter, is the Holy Spirit taking up residence within us, making us the abode of the Father. With His Spirit indwelling us, we are made righteous and we are empowered for Him to think His thoughts and live His life through us! The preaching of the Gospel has nothing to do with us telling a world what all is wrong with them. Rather, it is telling the world what has been made right through Jesus! In it (the Gospel), the righteousness of God is revealed! The sound of Good News is irresistable to creation! The sound of it "affects" & "effects" everyone!

2 Corinthians 3:18  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.    Here are a couple of other translations, just to help us see this particular text better:   Message Bible: Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.   2 Corinthians 3:18 {TPT} 'We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ' {The source of our transformation is Christ’s glory—and our destination is MORE glory.}   Here in this chapter, we can also see ten aspects of New Testament ministry given by Paul:  (1)     It is based on the triumph of Christ over every power of darkness (2:14). (2)     It diffuses the fragrant aroma of Christ everywhere (2:15–16). (3)     It refuses to water down the Word of God (2:17). (4)     It produces living letters of Christ (3:3). (5)     It is not based on the clever abilities of men but God’s empowering presence (3:6). (6)     It imparts life (3:6). (7)     It flows from the Holy Spirit (3:8, 17–18). (8) It imparts righteousness (3:9). (9) It contains a greater glory than the law (3:10–11). (10)  It brings the transfiguration of believers into greater levels of glory (3:18).   One of the things I would like to discuss before moving away from the subject of Identity, is how we might tie our understanding of New Covenant—and specifically—GRACE, into our understanding of IDENTITY. -     How do they relate? We could attempt to define the “word” Grace, as we all have heard so many definitions of what it is and what it is not. {Unmerited favor, divine empowerment or enablement, divine gifting, etc.}  -        Instead, what I want to do is define the concept of grace—and I believe it can be defined in this statement; “The heart of the Father for humanity, as revealed and demonstrated in the person of Jesus Christ.”   A few points I believe we need a clear understanding of are: ·      Seeing Christ in the Scriptures  (Not just finding Him in every Book, but allowing Him to becoming the hermeneutic or filter that all Scriptural understanding flows through) ·      Seeing Christ as He is  (Getting our meditations off of an Old Covenant concept of God, and off of seeing Jesus on a Cross, and shifting it to seeing Him as ascended, seated and reigning victoriously) ·      Seeing Christ in us  (Embracing New Covenant Theology and New Creation Concepts) ·      Seeing Christ in others  (To understand and operate in mature, Agape love as HE does, we must be able to see everyone around us “in the image of Christ.”)  As much as you did it unto the least of these…you did it to ME…” In a day and time when the phrase “express yourself” has taken hold of so many parts of society—and through the influence of music & social media—has infiltrated and changed culture, I just want to remind you that we’re not told anywhere in Scripture to “express ourselves.” -        In round about ways, we discover our identity and purpose, but those are both intrinsically tied to Christ… …so we're not told to 'express ourselves' but we were created to be an expression of HIM.  Your identity is anchored in Christ—so then your understanding of identity ‘best’ expands as you explore and uncover things like purpose & destiny—as they relate to HIM.      ** In other words, apart from Him, you’ll never have the greatest clarity possible on your journey.   In fact, I’ve known so many people through the years, who are determined to walk away from God – and exclude Him from their lives; only to realize that every path they take, inevitably leads them to an encounter with Him – only at a later time.  Your destiny is not just discovered…it’s also developed…as you partner with God in the journey that is your life! Even the prophetic words we receive over us…are not inevitable as much as they are invitational!   -Genesis tells us we were created in His likeness and image, and then in John 1, we see a 'new creation' begin to take place, one in which the Spirit of God eventually begins to tabernacle in man, empowering us to not only look like HIM, but to think like HIM, talk like HIM and act like HIM... …because we died and were buried with Him. But wait…there’s more! 😊 ~Amazingly we were also raised {and seated} with Him so that it's no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives "in" me; living HIS life "through" me.   "Jesus was not offering a teaching that could be compared with that of other teachers--although His teaching, as it stands, is truly remarkable. He was not just offering a moral example, though if we want such a thing, He remains outstanding. He was claiming to do things through which the world would be healed, transformed, rescued and renewed. He was, in short, announcing good news, for Israel and the whole world." -        Professor NT Wright {world renown scholar, theologian, Anglican Bishop and presently Lead Researcher at Oxford University.}   We do the Gospel a great disservice when we reduce it from being "good news" to simply "good advice." Good advice can only address how to live but good news is about something significant that has happened...that changes everything. When you discover the magnitude of what Christ has done, it goes far beyond telling you ‘How to live'. It gives you a reason to live AND announces "in whom you now live, move and have your being!" Jesus is not our example; He is our identity! ~If He were only our example, we would know how to 'act', but since He is our 'identity'...we know how to BE!   The difference is crucial because knowing how to act...doesn't always empower us to act right. However, knowing who I am in Christ, renews my mind and transforms my life...and right living flows from that right believing!   "For I through the law, died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:19-20

It’s not surprising that most of us think of freedom as only being FROM some type of bondage or restriction; which causes us to miss that it’s not just FROM, but it’s “freedom for” AND “freedom to.” - Freedom TO live as a new creation - Freedom TO house the spirit of God inside of us - Freedom TO be the righteousness of God in Christ - Freedom TO be in union with the Father - Freedom TO be governed from the inside out. But many prefer “secure slavery over scary freedom.” {Jamie Englehart} - Slavery/systems of bondage requires only obedience. Freedom however, requires growth, maturity and responsibility; all things that require emotional, mental and spiritual investment. Faith working by love is what matters most in the new creation, therefore, we are free to live and love like Christ. Law reveals how love would act. - However, it cannot empower one to act that way; it can only offer incentives and consequences – neither of which change a heart or transform a life. We’re free from Law – but also free TO live the life of Christ, operating by the faith of the Son of God. - One key element of living HIS life by HIS faith is having union with the Father and communion with Holy Spirit. - We’re invited, in an atmosphere and culture of freedom, to be led by the spirit – and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For more, click on the link below and see my notes on the subject:

James 1:13-18 "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." One thing being “a child of light” means is that we have an open invitation to walk according to revelation, not limiting ourselves to situation. When dealing with the “darkness” of doubt or uncertainty in the midst of a struggle, you’re only ever one revelation away from victory! What you see by REVELATION cannot be unseen by SITUATION. For more, follow the link to my notes:

Transformation comes by way of revelation! Revelation from the Word causes a quickening to take place in us! - I’m not just talking about something jumping off the page of your Bible, although, that is part of it. I’m talking about Him whispering affirmation, confirmation and direction – from His spirit to yours! * A quickening is an “alive word from God” that breathes life into a dead or unrenewed area of our thinking. You can look at a situation or circumstance from every conceivable angle and draw a natural conclusion, but that wisdom and perspective is very limited. • "Situation" can lie to you and make you think you’re seeing all there is to see; but "revelation" will unveil things that your natural eye and carnal reasoning could never catch; offering HIS perspective. What you see by revelation - cannot be unseen by situation! Especially when it comes to your identity. We need a revelation of WHO, HOW and WHERE He is in every situation; because as He is, so are we in this world. My prayer is that you see HIM in your present situation today, and see yourself - in Him. ~ Pastor Mark

Let's talk about grace today, and unpack it from the perspective of the "new creation" - those of us living in the awareness of our position In Christ! Some may say, isn’t this “hyper grace” message today dangerous? Doesn’t it imply that people can go on living however they want to? -I think that’s a question that deserves to be looked at. -When we go to Scripture to exegete the subject, what we find is that you will only see that question arise…if the “true Gospel” is being preached. -The Apostle Paul had to answer the same questions when he began preaching “grace and forgiveness of sins” to those who were still under the influence of the Mosaic Law. Questions began to arise in the letters being written to him and he addresses it in Romans 6 when he says in paraphrase: “Listen, I know it sounds like I am telling you to go ahead and keep sinning but I’m really not. -What I am actually telling you is that you are dead to sin altogether. You died with Christ, you were buried with Him and raised with Him to be seated in Heavenly places!” “Does grace allow people to keep sinning?” …is really the wrong question to ask. -Too many are concerned over what grace “allows” rather than what grace “empowers.” That very mindset hints at traces of ‘sin consciousness’ being present rather than ‘righteousness consciousness.’ To that I say…stop walking in fear and start walking in faith. Stop hanging out in the tombs of sin-consciousness! Grace empowers the new creation to live the life of Christ! (Not I who lives…but Christ who lives in Me) Click on the link below for access to my full notes on the subject, and as always, feel free to leave comments & questions.

For many within the "church", especially leadership, we've understood the need for "connection" for some time now. (Although sometimes, well meaning preachers have limited the term to 'being at church' - rather than 'being THE church.') Hear my heart, I'm a huge advocate of the gathering of the saints, both in small groups and larger groups. I simply want to make sure 'attendance' & 'audience' are not the main goals, but rather - activation, equipping & sending, etc. One definition of connection is this: - The energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment – and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship. Energy is what one has, synergy is what one shares. Ephesians 2:20, Eph. 4:16, 1 Cor. 11 & 12 and Colossians 2:19 all agree, that synergy is what we're after; the "body" being made healthy and mature by "what every joint/member supplies." Here is what I'm after though. I'm both glad and grateful that I have got to see in my lifetime, the tide began to turn, so that leadership within the Church is finally recognizing the need for collaboration and cooperation between the corporate members of the body - not just connection between the individual members within a single church. - I personally think it can be directly attributed to the restoration of the five-fold ministry the past 20 years, that we're beginning to see cooperation & collaboration on the scale that we are. Egos & insecurities are being laid aside, and we're learning to focus on regional assignments, not just individual ones. Building a large church within the community is becoming less important than strengthening THE church within the community; which can only empower the people living within said community. - Watch for God to continue doing more and more globally in the coming years, through men & women who are willing to lay ego & insecurity aside, and cooperate & collaborate with other men & women, crossing all manner of dividing lines and demarcations; as we continue learning to forsake personal agendas for Kingdom assignments. I understand where denominations came from, and I am not bitter about it, and we should stop being hateful towards them as well. They were meant to express the diversity of Heaven (and perhaps they did for a season), but they also began to manifest the division of men over time, as lines were drawn in the sand, so we could create labels for our comfort...and sufficiently identify the supposedly "heretical" beliefs of those different from us. This happened because of ego & insecurity - and our unwillingness to cooperate & collaborate. I'm not bitter about it, but I have known for some time now that the Father is moving the Body away from that type of expression in the earth - and beginning to unveil something more "kingdom" and "Body" modeled - because they reflect diversity AND deflect divisive mindsets. I sat at lunch recently with a minister who is very seasoned and experienced; much more so than I am, but his humility and willingness to bestow honor was very refreshing, even encouraging to this "reformation minded" man. I'm filled with hope for the future. How can you be a citizen of the Kingdom of Christ, and not be? (Unless you're listening to other kingdoms "heralds" too often.) Collaboration: “The action of working with someone – to produce or create something.” ~ Thoughts from Pastor Mark

Isaiah 7:1 (TPT) During the reign of Ahaz, the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, two kings launched an attack against Jerusalem: Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel. But they failed to conquer it. Ahaz was the king of Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem. He took the throne at the age of twenty and reigned sixteen years; and here he is, a young leader facing his first major test as king. {For more details on the story, see See 2 Kings 16.} This section of Isaiah (7–11) is known as the “Book of Immanuel.” · Rezin means “wicked pleasure,” and he’s a prophetic picture of a carnal, fleshly life. · Pekah means “open-eyed, seeing,” a picture of human reasoning. Two kings (two principalities), Rezin and Pekah, rose up against the king of Judah. This was an alliance between carnal, sense-based thinking, which pursues passion over purpose, and human reasoning, which operates apart from the wisdom and perspective of God. This unholy alliance of two kings threatened to invade if King Ahaz didn’t agree to surrender his throne, compromise and join their plan. -The northern kingdom of Israel (Rezin) and Syria (Pekah) joined each other to overthrow Ahaz and put “the son of Tabeel” on the throne in his place. -The pressure was on King Ahaz to join this united front against the Assyrian expansion, which was a larger threat to them all. I’m inviting you to use spiritual insight with me and picture the similarities between what’s happening in this story, what was still happening when Jesus was born – and what’s happening currently in our time: · Political unions were being made, that were not born of God, but were born of self-preservation. · The men and women behind them were not living with an awareness of Godly purposes for their nations, as much as they were being driven by carnal desires and grabs for power. · Human reasoning was attempting to dethrone “faith, prayer, trust in God, and staying in patient covenantal alignment and partnership with the development of His kingdom structure in the earth.” It’s not that politics don’t have a place, because in a society like ours, with the government we have, they’re important. However, remember this: “They’re an anemic substitution for the transformational message of the Gospel and the ever-increasing kingdom of God in the earth!” They play a role, but they cannot be the foundation on which the church builds, or the source from which our wisdom flows; KINGDOM THINKING has to be the influencer of our politics, not the other way around. For access to my full notes, click the link...and as always, feel free to comment and leave your thoughts.

In Romans 1, Paul identifies himself as a “bondservant of Jesus Christ” – called to be an apostle – separated to the “Gospel of God”. This is part of Paul’s introduction, as he is writing a letter to: - “all who are in Rome” - “beloved of God” - “called to be saints” In Vs. 8 he mentions, “the Gospel of the Son.” - He mentions the diversity of the audience he is indebted to: · Jew & Gentile · Greek & Barbarian · Wise & Unwise He goes on to say, “this qualifies me to preach the Gospel to all of you who are in Rome as well.” Then he takes us into the famous passage that many of us know: Romans 1: 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Gospel, by definition means, "good news." But what's so good about it, and how does the good news differ from good advice? What’s to be done with this “Gospel message” after we’ve received it? For my full thoughts on it give my notes a read...

Romans 8:37-39 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Passion Translation - 37 Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and His demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! Living the “More Than” Life In my mind, I understand what it means to be a conqueror, for the most part. Conquer: to acquire by force of arms; win in war: to overcome by force; subdue: to gain, win, or obtain by effort, personal appeal, to gain a victory over; surmount; master; overcome · By definition a conqueror is one who does the above listed activities What does it mean however, to be more than – a conqueror? For the full read into my thoughts on the subject, click on the file and browse my notes...

The purpose of praise isn't simply to inflate the ego of an insecure deity, who needs us to affirm Him. It’s for us to harmonize with the universe itself in declaring Who He is, Where He is and How He is. · It's a heavenly song, which is irresistible to creation. When we harmonize with it, we join in with Heaven - streaming glory and majesty into the earth. For more on this subject, click on the attached message, Purpose of Praise.