Glory

“Death, burial and Resurrection.”

It was perhaps around Thursday during the Holy Week when the Lord washed the disciples feet, thereby demonstrating the full extent of His Love which finds authentic expression in what Pastor Bill Johnson often says,

“Rule with the heart of a servant, and serve with the heart of a king.”

Jesus always used His authority to build up, never tear down. He released life and light wherever He went. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He opened blind eyes and unstopped deaf ears. He cleansed the lepers and cast out demons. He dignified women and ate with tax collectors. He taught in the synagogue and freely forgave.

And on Thursday, He stooped down to now wash the disciples feet.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.” (John 13:3-4)

It is astonishing and refreshing to learn that an awareness of His Identity as the Son of God did not lead Jesus to demonstrate any sort of worldly flamboyance which was not uncommon in those days for a king, but rather it led Him to serve.

He perfectly exemplified the heart of the servant-king that He was.

Not only that, He also encouraged His disciples to do the same.

And He encourages us too.

The Kingdom of God always works in paradox, sometimes too mysterious for us to comprehend. And what I’m learning is that what we can’t necessarily wrap our minds around, we certainly can choose to receive with our hearts by faith.

We may never understand the kind of Love that compelled the Lord to go to that Cross at Calvary, wilfully die a gruesome death both, ‘as’ us and ‘for’ us, and then on the third day, be raised again from the dead.

All so that we could receive a forgiveness of sin, an authentic hope for our future and life everlasting with our Father in Heaven.

We may never understand this kind of Love, but we are free to choose to receive it.

Revel in it. Bask in it. Glory in it.

He paid a most unreasonable price to ransom us and redeem us.

And there is perhaps no better way for us to honour this kind of Love, other than simply learn to receive it like little children.

Little children who belong to the family and the kingdom of God.

Sons and daughters that were on our Saviour’s mind as He breathed His last on that Cross.

So He could release a fresh breath of Heaven into us when He rose again.

Death could not hold Him. Hope could not be left buried or entombed. For He is Risen.

And He is alive.

He is breathing right now. Into you. Into me.

A new life. A resurrection life. An ascended life.

A life He paid with his own for us to receive.

Like little children.

Sons and Daughters that are marked with glorious divine destiny that have The Father’s fingerprints all over.

So as we head into the last three days that mark the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord; let us, like Him, remember whose children we are, where we come from and where we return.

For when all is said and done, He will get the Glory.

Because He paid a mighty price for it and as His Children, may we never settle for anything less than God’s best.

On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Glory!

The sound of hope.

It’s either a bold adventure in You
Or nothing at all
To embrace the unknown
For it’s for Freedom that we were born.

A freedom that comes from knowing we aren’t alone
But for everything, we can lean on The One who shone
As a beacon of hope when we most needed Him
His radiance continued unabated so nothing can leave us grim.

Sure, storms will come
But who we become
In and through our relationship with The One
Is the eternal value of our journey bound to leave us undone.

Every trial designed to liberate us some more
For our pains and sorrows are what He bore
In exchange, we get to be transformed into His image
Cultivating peace, joy and everything that resembles His visage.

What greater glory could we behold?
Apart from The One who told
The whole world that He loves us
With a Love so outrageous that it defines our story thus.

Victory is what He calls it
Love is what frames it
Strength is what envelopes it
So we embrace our adventures that develop us, bit by bit.

Amen👑

You announce Your Presence
Bold and unafraid
Standing tall, yet humble
For a King like You needs no parade.

They may have expected a lot of fanfare
But You came as a babe
Wrapped in swaddling clothes
Your one purpose being to fulfil your oaths.

The ones You took before time began
With Our Father, to redeem all humanity
To reconcile, transform and mould
All that love You into the image of The One who carries all the glory.

You were hidden in obscurity
Most of Your lifetime here
Yet You retained Your integrity
For Your Purpose had a timing to which You had to adhere.

But when the time did come
You made history, and rearranged our Destiny
Took our pain and sorrow
Rose again with the hope of a brighter morrow.

In the light of Your sacrifice, we live with a hope unmoved
Our feet planted on solid ground, lifting our hands to You
Calling on Your Name to feel Your Presence again
Gently wrapping it up with a warm, “Amen.”
❤️

Monday musings

The beauty of being led by You
Is something nothing can compare to
Caught in the midst of a grand adventure
Tapping into the joy of walking in step with The Great Quencher.

Rivers of living water flow ceaselessly
As we continue trekking with thee
Climbing mountains or scaling valleys
You’re The One with whom we rally.

A deep well of Eternal life
Dwelling deep within
You give what You give without score
For from You always begins a huge downpour.

Freely we’ve received
So freely we give
For the grace-gifts You bestow
Carry an oil that makes them glow.

Their light illuminating the deepest crevices
Shining bright within our premises
Creating freedom everywhere they go
For they found their origin in The One who goes to show.

Show that which can never be told
But is the very beauty that we behold
And as we do, we become
More like The One who defines our outcome.

Victory is what You call it
So we simply believe
For You’re The Great Quencher
Who found us in our time of need.

The echo of Eternity

As I roll it on Your shoulders
I’ll watch You move the boulders
Split the sea wide open
As You’ve always proven.

Let the waves of Your Love
Cast out all fear
Turning the deluge into a tiny drizzle
The drops sliding off the one You hold dear.

I know You reign supreme, Lord
So I call You, “Holy and True,”
In turn, You call me Your preciousness
For that’s who I am in You.

Seasons change
But the way we walk will remain
Forever etched out in the depths of my soul
For now I know You in the way I have never known.

An oasis of peace
Are the depths of Your Love to me
Brooks of bliss You offer me
In the middle of the mystery.

So whether on this side or that
It doesn’t really matter anymore
For The One who does
Has found me forevermore.

You’re my Father
But also the King of Glory
Whose bloodstains have titled my story
With a song called, “Victory.”

Praise 🙌🏻

Foreknew.

Lately, this verse has become an anchor for my soul, firm and secure. He tells me that before He put me in the womb of my mother’s belly, He knew me.

There is something beautifully comforting about the foreknowledge of God. Even before I was conceived, He knew me. He knew me by name, He knew where I would be born, He knew where He would encounter me, He knew the plans He has for me. He knew from time beginning the point in time where I would enter into the beginning of times. He knew that in this current season of my life, this is the pathway that I would be treading. He knew all the detours I would take and all the transitions I would need to make. He knew the things I would need to let go of, and the things I simply can’t afford to. He knew the losses I would incur and the seven fold return that He would promise me. He knew the depths of my being before I would ever get a glimpse of His, and He released me.

He released me from Eternity into time as a Daughter of The Most High God. He knew that I would need to know myself the way He does. He knew that I would have to slowly learn to see myself the way He does. He knew that I would have to learn to trust myself the way He does. He knew that I would have to understand that I don’t have to despise my weakness because when I am weak, then I am strong for Christ’s power rests on me.

He knew.

On this side of Eternity, I’m only getting to know. I’m only walking in the unraveling of that which has always been a part of God’s predetermined purpose for my life. I’m only being schooled to align with what He has already written. I’m only learning the power of surrendering to a will Higher than mine and reveling in the joy thus found. I’m only beginning to understand that now that I know more than I ever did, I feel like a child all over again.

A child that longs to know more of her Father’s Heart. A child that wants to be seated in the center of her Father’s Heart. A child that yearns to be found in the high tower of her Father’s Heart.

A child who is adamant to be anchored in the love of her Father’s Heart and rest secure in the foreknowledge of her Father’s Intentions.

For amongst the many things I don’t know, the one thing that I do know is that He knows. And perhaps the best thing I can do with this fragile life of mine, is to simply know Him.

To know Him as The One who holds me through all my vulnerabilities. To know Him as The One who loves me through my deepest disappointments. To know Him as The One who walks with me through the steepest valleys. To know Him as The One who rejoices with me through all the mountaintops. To know Him as The One who has my best interests at heart. To know Him as The One who knows me better than I know myself.

Because in His foreknowledge, He foreknew. And because He foreknew, I can seek to know Him now.

As an anchor for my soul, firm and secure.

Selah.

Completion.

“Identity is birthed in a state of total dependency.”

The Identity that God bestows upon us is not tied to the things of this world, rather it is tethered to The One who dwells in Eternity. When we yield our life to Christ, it is an absolute privilege to be connected to The One who orchestrates events and circumstances in our lives in a manner that would require us to seek Him. Whoever seeks, finds; and there is nothing better than finding The God of the Universe tabernacling in our midst. Simply because when we do, we begin to find ourselves too.

God, in my experience, reveals Himself through Jesus in innumerable ways. When we first receive Him in our hearts, it is a response of love to Love. He reveals Himself as the Lover of our souls who died and rose again in order that we may have a life beyond our past and a hope for the future, a life more abundant here on Earth and life everlasting in Heaven. This is the heartbeat of Perfect Love, which once tasted of begins to manifest seeds on the inside of us that gives us the heart to believe again. We are encouraged by Love to believe for an exceeding, abundant life which is sure to blow all our paradigms of what life can look like. One of the most beautiful verses from The Bible is as follows,

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

I think it is imperative to note that The Word says, “according to the power that is at work within us.” I believe that The Lord says this because the degree to which we can enjoy a life abundant in the riches of Heaven depends on how much we have yielded to the work of The Holy Spirit who resides on the inside of us. The more we yield, the more it demonstrates our need for complete dependency on The Lord.

The Good News is that we can easily depend on Him for He is Faithful. As I write, I am reminded of yet another verse. Allow me to share it,

“He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38, AMP)

In His encounter with the Samaritan woman, Jesus revealed Himself as the living water, that whoever drinks of, will never thirst again. It follows that as we surrender ourselves to the working of The Holy Spirit, He will give us revelation upon revelation of The Father’s Character and Heart, exemplied by the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. The more we start to know Him, the more revelation we will inevitably receive of who we are IN Him. As He is, so are we in this world.

I know that is a loaded statement because He surely is a lot of things. His Character is faithful, steadfast, unchanging, immovable, unwavering. His personality is revealed as The Savior of nations, The Father of Love, The Warrior King, The Prince of Peace, The Joy of the world, The Alpha and Omega. In and through a relationship with The Holy Spirit, we too get to become all these things. We too can remain steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of The Lord. We too can cultivate the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. We too can resolve to finish what we start. We too can learn to war and contend against circumstances until they yield to the Promises of God on our lives, as surely as we have yielded to the work of God in ours.

This, to me, represents the birthing place of our Identity in Christ. The more we are yoked to Him, the more we are able to step into who it is that God is calling us to be, here on Earth. The more that we are able to step into that God ordained Identity, the more we are able to shine as beacons of light in a world that is lost, hurting and broken. The Eternal Words of Our King come to remembrance,

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)

There is therefore, no need for us to hide or minimize ourselves. At the same time, it is vital to know that our place in Christ is both, royal and humble. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ in order that we may be humble enough to extend the same invitation to those that we are called to touch and transform. We are at The Right Hand of The Father in Heaven, and at His Feet here on Earth ; both at the same time. This posture, paradoxical as it is, is the heartbeat of our Identity in Christ.

It is an Identity that is birthed, cultivated, sustained and eventually brought to completion on the other side. The Word puts it like this,

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV)

On this side of Eternity, we depend on Him to reveal our Identity from glory to glory. On the other side, however, we will not need to depend on Him, for we will be found IN Him, and brought to completion. And this time, forevermore.

Amen.

Nothing left to lose!

“On the other side of our pain is purpose, and passion paves the way.”

While googling the etymology of the word, “passion,” I learned that it points straight to the sufferings of Christ Jesus on The Cross. The image of the Invisible God wrapped Himself up in flesh, descended from Eternity and tabernacled with us. After three highly effective years in ministry, He took that Cross with a relentless passion, so that we may take ours too. There is nothing that He asks us to do which He hasn’t already modeled out for us. And that includes the crucifixion of the flesh.

So, when I use the term, “passion,” in this context, I’m referring to Jesus’s crucifixion. I’m thinking what could possibly give our Savior the zeal to do what He did for us, if not to leave an incontestable evidence of God’s Agape Love towards us. The Bible says He did it for the joy set before Him. Clearly, rewards are important but I believe passion remains the driving force.

Life is anything but a bed of roses. In sharp contrast, it actually is a battlefield between the forces that are for us and those that are not. Loss, grief, disappointment, betrayal, failure happen to all of us, leaving us a bit broken, a bit marred, a bit scarred. The passion of Christ however, assures us that even though things may happen to us, they do not get to define us. Only the Truth of God’s Word does, and His Word says that our brokenness in His Careful Hand produces a wholeness that can only point to His Highest Name. Our pain, when entrusted to The Only One who is wholly trustworthy, finds a purpose in ways that are uncanny, mysterious, glorious. It is a purpose that when discerned through Heaven’s perspective, fetches us an Eternal Glory. This is why The Bible says,

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Pain is temporary, but what we do with it can be Eternal. Pain can make us bitter or better. With God’s help, we can forgive, let go of things that are behind us and press on towards a purpose that is so saturated with love, grace, mercy, kindness and a sincere desire to help our brethren so much so that it makes the kingdom of darkness tremble. Things won’t always go our way, but when we realize that God can take our mess and make it into a message, our test into a testimony, and translate our pain into a purpose for His Glory, it truly changes the game.

Pain looks different for everyone. It can look like a teenage pregnancy, a background of abuse, a child gone astray, a marriage on the rocks, a vision that came plummeting down, a dysfunctional family and the list can go on. It can look like a struggle to make ends meet or take the form of generational curses that only the Power of God can break. It could be anything, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that with the help of God, we find the purpose behind our pain and go on an ardent quest to see it come to full manifestation, for our good and His Glory.

In my experience through life thus far, I can say that passion will bridge the gap. Passion that has been demonstrated by our King and points straight to the crucifixion of the flesh.

Why do I say this?

I say this because when we have endured all that life has hurled our way, there will be toxic waste and residue such as bitterness, anger, malice, unforgiveness, self pity, blame and shame. Such things have no place in our lives that have been bought with a price too heavy to even comprehend. Through the price that was paid, we have access to Heaven’s resources. All we have to do is simply activate that which has already been entrusted to us. We have The Holy Spirit to help us realize how God, in Christ, has forgiven us of our very many sins, that we may learn to forgive too. That perhaps is the most important thing in the life of a believer, and something we all struggle with.That is why it a part of the crucifixion of our flesh. The Word informs us that the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. But I have realized that it is only when we make a decision between God and us to freely forgive that we permit God to create a healthy, life giving environment on the inside of us that can serve as an invigorating womb to birth all the dreams that God had in His mind for us, even before He laid the foundations of the Earth, even before the beginning of time. I like the way Christine Caine puts it,

“We are a product of Eternity, positioned in time, and given gifts and talents to serve our generation.”

However, in order to be in a position to serve, we simply must come to a point where we allow God to deal with the issues of our heart, to sanctify us, and to honestly confess to Him as Psalmist David did,

“create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Once we have confessed, committed to a cleansing process, allowed God to create within us something new, we will be in a position to answer our calling and manifest our purpose in the Earth. Passion, the crucifixion of our flesh, will embark us upon a journey of evolving into the highest and best version of ourselves. Hate will give way to love. Self pity will give way to self worth. Anger will give way to compassion. Shame will give way to freedom. Fear will give way to faith. Death will give way to life. As Jesus says,

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Jesus is the Way to The Father’s Heart, and what He would have us become as a result of being transformed and conformed to the image of His Son, a process that can take us from the pit to the palace, creating within us a story that will point many in the same direction. That is our Purpose, friends.

Having said what I believe He revealed, it is my earnest exhortation that instead of despising our pain, we will learn to embrace it, release it and transform it into a Purpose so gigantic in its scope that there will be a day on Earth as it is in Heaven when we will look back and thank God that He allowed us to walk through what we thought would be the end only to find that it was, in fact, only a divine invitation into another new beginning, a fresh start, a grand adventure that sees our pain seamlessly morph into Purpose; while passion serves as the bridge between the two.

Simply because there is nothing left to lose, but everything to gain and everything to give.

Selah.

The Last Word

“Let Love have the last word, because love never has to have the last word.”

Agape Love is usually defined as the unconditional Love of God that comes with no strings attached. It finds us just the way we are, joyfully accepts us and gently molds us. We have all tasted of it and it has undoubtedly bought our hearts over. But to me personally, an expression of The Father’s Love is also the truth that He fights for us. He goes to war for us. He works behind the scenes all things together for our good and His Glory. He never quits. He never gives up. He is a Fighter.

As His chosen ones, we have the unique privilege of being vessels that get to carry and extend this love in our spheres of influence. Ours is a message of Love, Grace, Hope, Mercy and Eternity. We may share this message with the best of intentions, but may not always receive the desired response. In fact, in the beginning, we may just be met with sheer indifference or perhaps even rejection. However, will we let such responses that are subject to change whenever He so desires deter us from continuing to love?

The Bible says,

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails.”

I love the fact that love never fails. When we look up the fruits of The Holy Spirit, the first to be mentioned is love, and the kind of love that really reaches the hearts of our near and dear ones is the kind of love that simply loves without ANY agenda. It is the kind of love that meets people where they are and helps them at their point of need. It is the kind of love that fosters trust and creates an atmosphere of safety that inspires vulnerability from both sides. It is the kind of love that never forces its way into another’s life, rather presents itself as an open invitation to a greater encounter. It is the kind of love with which Jesus loves us.

Safe. Secure. Stable. Sound. Steadfast.

A natural expression of this love would be to share The Good News and point our people to the Truth which is able to set them free. But in our haste to get across, let us not lose ourselves. Let us simply accept we are only instruments in the Hands of God, who loves His People more than we can fathom. The Word says we were all formed and created for His Glory. He desires them and is well able to draw them close. As I write, I’m reminded of what the very well known worship leader, Steffany Gretzinger shared in one of her podcasts. Speaking of her anxiety to usher in the Presence of God in a room flooded with His flock, she heard Jesus’s gentle whisper calm her distraught soul,

“I’m so much better at being found than you are at introducing me.”

To carry out our mandate in the Earth, we will have to take to heart both, the simplicity and the profundity of this simple revelation from The Lord. Seekers will always find, and those who don’t, we will love nonetheless because, as I often say, love is not what we do. It is who we are.

In our interactions with our loved ones, let us make use of every opportunity to point to The One that has sent us in the first place. He is Immanuel – God WITH us. So, no matter what the outcome of our exchange looks like in the natural, we can trust that the supernatural is already at work. Jesus promises us,

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

It is not just us going in the strength of our human wisdom, but it is us going in the power of His Anointing that counts. As His Children, we are backed by Heaven’s resources, Heaven’s Protection and Heaven’s Favor. Our part is to love our people enough to point them to The Truth, and trust God to do what ONLY He can do. The Bible tells us that He is constantly at work. Hence, we can rest.

Rest in the assurance that as the hands and feet of The One who saved us, we can love our people enough to hear them out, give them their time and space, but continue to pray and believe for them, even when they can’t believe for themselves yet. Tracing back my own journey, Jesus never gave up on me. And He will never give up on you, nor on the ones you’re believing for. They are first, HIS and then ours. Let us always let that truth keep us sober.

I call you and me, “love” with a small L. Our love, at its best, is just that. But what gives us confidence is that Our Father honors whatever it is that we have and backs it up. He sees you and me make strides for His Glory, and He is well pleased. He sees how we reach out to point the prodigals back Home, and He goes to war. I write this because in our various interactions with the people God has brought into our lives, there will be plenty of opportunity to argue, debate or contest. But friends, our world is not a courtroom, but a giant neighborhood full of people that are delightfully different and will inevitably test our patience, needless to say, our love. If we truly trust the nature and character, the power and might, the splendor and majesty, and to put it in a word, the “invincibility” of Our King, we would not be shaken. We would be content in doing our part, and letting Him know that we trust Him enough to let go of that which is beyond us but well within The Father’s Sovereign Reign. We do not have to let our delicate love handle that which only a revelation of His Gigantic Love can do. We get to participate for sure, but that is also where we learn to let go and let God.

A thought which brings me back to what I first began with,

“Let Love have the last word, because love never has to have the last word,”

Selah.