Come, and follow (but you’re carrying too much..)

God showed me a beautiful moment of His redemptive love yesterday. A young man, after years of abuse, confusion, depression, standing and worshipping Jesus.

It’s what led me to today’s revelation. 

“One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very say, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:25.2-25

When Jesus asked us to sell everything and follow him, there was an offer of an exchange. Everything God asks us to do in loving Him involves an exchange. God never leaves us empty handed. There is a kindness to God that we cannot comprehend unless we have areas in our life that require kindness. We cannot understand the beautiful character of God that ministers to our wounded places if we are not vulnerable to Him. I think, in a sense, He asked us to sell everything because in doing so we become yielded and surrendered to Him, but as an exchange, we have a mindset that becomes awakened to God’s blessing because we then have areas that need to be blessed. There is a fullness of His characteristics that we don’t often understand or see because we simply have too many things in the way. He called us to live a possession-less life so that we see His goodness in our daily walk as He provides for us abundantly and beautifully. Philippians 4:19 tells us that He will provide for our every need through His glorious riches. You want to know glory? Surrender your needs to Him and let Him fulfil His promise to you.

He is ministering to me with knowledge. He is ministering to me with wisdom, and vision, and understanding. I love my Jesus. 

Revelation…

Just a couple of things Eric Johnson said in a sermon I just listened too that I wanted to stir/challenge peoples hearts with:

- There are absolute truths in the Kingdom, but there are also tensions too. Ephesians 1v1-8 pretty much states that we have been given everything, however Matthew 5v3 - ‘blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ looks at keeping the mentality of being poor and being humble in our spirit.
- We’re called to walk in confidence with what we’re given, not in arrogance. 
- You have the contrast of having everything and being poor: your responsibility is to carry both well and have balance. If you want to be loved in relationship then you have to learn to carry tension.
- We have to make sure that we’re not lead by our anointing and gifts, but by our heart and Spirit. 
- Purity is not for the purpose of looking good but for the purpose of clarity.
- God is willing to give us things that we don’t even know how to carry yet. There is an enormous amount of authority and ownership that comes when you’re given something you have to learn how to carry.

Another revelation I’ve had this week (many thanks go to John Bevere for helping me with this one…) is learning to please the Lord and be pleasing to Him. In Matthew, when Jesus is baptised by the Holy Spirit, God speaks down from heaven introducing his son and stating that he is well pleased with him. Jesus had not done one act of ministry at that stage. God was well pleased with Jesus because he had stayed true to himself under the persecutions he faced and his journey growing up. My prayer is that I learn what it means to stay true to myself, being the identity that the Lord has called me into, instead of finding myself in a projected or perceived identity. If a man looks in the mirror, walks away from the mirror and forgets the manner of his identity then he is functioning from a projected image. Consecrate me, oh Lord. I will walk in the light of who you are in me..

Mmmmmmm. More more more revelation…

Alive

There is a tenacious aftermath that touches my soul when I know that I am entitled to claim Him in my everyday walk - and its the moments that I know I do. There is a fervent heartbeat that I continually affirm in these moments, on my continually strengthened knees that I hold so fragile. My arms could never hold such moments of wonder or magnitude or power - but His arms become my own and I’m unstoppable. 

I had prayed for abundant favour, blessing and provision in my walk this week, and I have been completely covered in all those areas this week. I love that I already have the victory in heaven, I just have to claim it here. He’s so good.

I have particularly felt the topic of identity in Christ on my heart. Recent revelation had exposed something in me that placed my identity in the hands of my anointing and what I consider my talent. If we’re called to live a counter-cutural life, then we are not what we own or possess - so how then do we claim the identity of Christ? If love is universal and God is relational, then our identity is found in relationship through love. Our anointing and possessions are all His and have been given to us to build relationship and impart the characteristics of Christ that we already have.

My strength in life, is I am Yours
My souls delights because I am Yours

Hosting The Dove of God.

One thing I absolutely love doing is sharing revelation. It’s such a fantastic way to encourage growth in others and it builds up your own faith as you become more aware of opportunities to share the Word and your experience. Sometimes it’s not my personal revelation, but someone else’s that they’ve passed onto me.. 

My good friend Riley shared his revelation with me once and it taught me the importance of sharing what we know: Dueteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children, that we may follow all the words of his law.” It’s our duty, to pass on what we’ve learnt, because unless we have the Spirit of Christ, we are never going to understand what the Word tells us - so how will others know? :)

Here’s my latest revelation.

I’ve been listening to yet another sermon by Bill Johnson (Pastor from Bethel Church.) about resting in the anointing of the Lord and learning to host the presence of God. You see, the presence of God is like a dove - and we have to learn to offer a perfect place to host the dove on our shoulder.

Now, hypothetically, if I have a dove on my shoulder and I don’t want it to fly away - how will I get down a flight of stairs? If we’re conscious of the dove on our shoulder, every step we take we will take with caution, so the dove does not take flight. Doves take flight in tranquil, they’re not found in the midst of chaos or torment.

We have to learn how to host the presence of God so that we’re equipped in every situation with His unfailing grace and mercy.