The Bells Are Ringing In The U.K

I am beyond excited as a few weeks ago I got news that I have been accepted onto the Bethel missions team for the England trip next April. England has always been a nation on my heart, and their rich heritage of revival has left a mark on my memory whilst igniting something within me to want to play a part in seeing fresh waves of revival fire sweep the nation.
As the missions trip options were given to us, I didn't hesitate to put England as my number one choice, and am so ecstatic that I am being given the honor of traveling to the nation with a team of fiery revivalists to impact the nation through love, joy and the good news of the cross!

As a team we will be ministering in a number of churches, leading a women's conference, doing street ministry as well as working with the police force in order to minster in brothels and other areas that could use some joy of the Lord!
Lately, I have been chatting to a number of my English friends who are over here studying at Bethel with me, and the testimonies of unity, revival and the good news that have been spreading across the nation have deeply stirred me and increased my excitement for the trip all the more.

Until April, the team and I will be meeting regularly, formulating our plan of action and praying into what God is doing in beautiful England. Also, in order for me to go on this trip, I am in need of some financial support, if you would like to sow into the fertile soil of what God is doing in England and partner with me in spreading the good news to this nation, then you are able to give financially towards my trip by clicking on this link https://missiontrips.ibethel.org/transactions/new/1379
I will not be able to make this dream a reality without the help and support of people that believe in me and believe that God want to radically change the nation of England.

If you feel let to pray for us as a team, that would be so appreciated. Pray that we have open doors to be influencers of the influential, to ignite revival in the hearts of every man, woman and child and to see people saved, healed, delivered and filled with glory! It's going to be such an extravagant trip, my heart is brooding with expectancy!

He Lives In Me

A beautiful and passionate friend of mine who is ever falling in love with the work of the cross always inspires me with her childlike heart and view of Jesus. I am honored to be in class with her here at Bethel's 2nd year and she is one of those people who's walk with the Lord is so fragrant that it leaves you more in love with Him every time you encounter her.
I thought I'd share this beautiful quote of hers that was birthed out of her revelation of "Christ in me."

"Inside of me lives the person who loves you most in the whole universe." - Michal Langton

Isn't this so beautiful and life-giving? We no longer have to strive in our own might to love the world around us. We house Jesus himself, the sacrificial lover and he is dying to unleash his love onto every life that comes near to ours. Not only do we get to love people, we get to love them just as he would because the very Jesus that died for the world, has taken up residence in you and I. 

Before The World Began

Something that has been exploding my brain lately is the concept of time. Being intimately acquainted with a God who dwells beyond the constraints of time, and actually being held by him in those unfathomable realms could leave me dazed for eternity if I allowed myself to really ponder it's implications. Over the past week any time I hear the word 'time' or anything that implies it, I am immediately drawn into adoring the one who so effortless holds this creation of his in his everlasting arms.
This semester at Bethel, I have chosen the 'Exploring Ephesians' bible elective led by the incredible Michael Brodeur. I am two weeks into the journey to the heart of this book and I feel as though I've rather been on a journey into the heart of Him. Michael said something profound last week with regards to the ever-debatable issue of predestination, he stated "God is outside of time, but is interfering with time, all the time." This post is definitely not going aimed at trying to rationalize the concept of predestination and election, in fact, the opposite. The more I learn about the nature of our God and his unsearchable glory, the more I realize that I must approach the concepts of his Kingdom from outside the realm of time and human reasoning. If I peer at God and the things of the Kingdom through the lenses of time lines and the ticking hands of clocks, I will only ever see in part. The one who lives in the eternal realm invites us to leave our cloaks of time at the doorway of his presence and allow him to shape us with an eternal paradigm.

Two things that have always mesmerized me are the facts that we have been "in Christ since before the foundation of the world" and the lamb that has been slain "since before the world began." What value could these have to a being that only knows the confines of their own earthly timeline? I feel that these words are doorways; invitations if you will, into deeper realms of understanding our glorious Father. This past week I have been meditating upon "before the foundation of the world," and at times it is overwhelming, but mostly it is astounding. Most of us can barley handle the thought of an unknown future, but what about the fact that you existed to him before you even existed to yourself. Now that will blow any analytical brain out the water.
Every human being is eternal, whether saved or unsaved, the only difference is where we will spend our eternity. Some of us think that our the eternity of our being will begin only once we die and cross over into higher realms. But isn't the point of being eternal the fact that you have always and will always exist, outside of time? Is it possible that he has known us, held us, embraced us in himself long before we breathed our first breath? I'll let Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) do the talking "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes."
Oh, to see like he sees and know like he knows! Our glorious Father has always been intimately acquainted with us and he even views us from outside the confines of our own timeline. God is with us in the present, he goes back to our past and visits our future. He knows how we started, how we are running and how we will cross the finish line, and he loves us just the same. He is staring over my shoulder as my fingers type these words, whilst simultaneously watching my formation in my mother's womb and celebrating the fulfillment of my destiny that lies before me. I want to sit upon His lap and I too want to have this same three dimensional paradigm. I feel he's inviting us in to be a people that transcends the limitations of time so that we can see as he sees.

In Revelation 13:8 we see the "lamb that was slain from the creation of the world," an innocent savior who's sacrifice was so profound that it echoed into eternity. As the nails were being driven into the hands and feet of our lamb, they pierced the unending realm and left an eternal mark. That's the security of our salvation, that's the impact of the cross. Oh, how I love spending time at the cross, I love running my hands over the cracks in the wood, smelling the fragrance of his sacrifice, and every time I gaze upon the cross I catch a new glimpse of His heart and a love so fierce that it endured a torturous death. This week as I've been enjoying the cross, I've seen it's timeless beauty. An eternal sacrifice. A lamb slain since before the world had been spoken into existence. How rich is the love of our Father that he had formulated a plan for our salvation and oneness with him even before we made the decision in this realm of time to betray him. The cross was not a retaliation plan. He was not taken by surprise. Jesus was always God's plan A, salvation was always his dream for us.
Isn't he beautiful.

Before I even existed to myself, I existed to you.

Unity of Love or Unity of Belief?

Something that has been on my heart lately is the shift that I can see taking place in the church regarding theology and unity. For so long we have gathered around certain truths and our agreement has been mistaken for our unity. As soon as a disagreement arises, theological debates give way to church splits at least and broken relationships at worst. These days it seems as though two people can disagree on the color of the drapes and one of them will leave the church as a result.
As the body of Christ, we all know that we've been called to unity, but does unity look like total agreement? I'm not so sure. If we are rallying around theologies and doctrines and hoping that they will be our bond of peace instead of the love of Christ that knits us all together, then I'm afraid we may have missed the forest for the trees.
Our call as believers was never to all link arms and form a circle around perfect theology, but we were called to love unconditionally. I believe that the shift currently taking place is God elevating the importance of human beings over theology. Is theology and truth important? Absolutely, but I believe that people and relationships are of greater importance. Does the word say "by your great theology and boardroom agreements people shall know that you are my disciples?" No, the world will know our love for the Lord by our love for each other.
Paul in his wisdom described the church as a body not an assembly line. A body is the most intricately woven structure in all creation and every square inch looks different and was created for a purpose entirely it's own. I know that this example gets used constantly to refer to embracing our unique roles, so without beating a dead horse I wanted to use it again to reveal that differences can and always should equal unity.
Is Jesus coming back for a bride that is unified by her agreement or is Jesus coming back for a bride that is knit together through the kind of love that says "I value you too much to let our differences or disagreements stop me from loving you, working with you and honoring who you are."
I look forward to the day when churches rally around fathers and mothers, rally around Jesus himself, who resembles perfect theology instead of clutching at analytical straws that only provide a platform for disunity.
Something that I learn a while ago and that has set me free to love like never before was the understanding that to honor someone does not mean to be in total agreement with them. Should I love and honor a prison convict for the person they were created to be? Of course. Does this love mean I agree with their behavioral choices? Probably not. This even goes so far as to say that I will love and honor everyone who's theology is perhaps legalistic and religious. Why? Because they are a part of the body just as I am, and praise be to our good Father that he never waits for us to have the perfect balance of beliefs before he loves us, if this were the case, there would be a whole lot of unloved Christians running around this planet.
I believe that our challenge in these last days is to discover the depths of love, his love for us and his love for the ones we often times find it difficult to love. Will we try and build kingdoms around belief systems or will join together in our common love for the Lord Jesus? I await the day when the bride stands in the same unity that the trinity possesses,  with all differences embraced and celebrated.

Back to Bethel

I arrived back in Redding, California a little over two weeks ago, and now my name tag testifies to the fact that I am a second year student at BSSM. A lot of people classed me as crazy for even doing round one of Bethel's world-renowned ministry school, I mean, who sells everything and goes to church camp (as some like to call it) for a whole year?... 
In my 20 years of life, I have come to realize that when you're guided by your passion, and when that passion happens to be God himself, you find yourself doing things that your logic screams is foolishness but your spirit knows is the pathway to destiny fulfilled. Last year, the sacrifices I made to be a first-year student paled in comparison to the eternal investment that was made with my time. I landed in Redding a girl in search of a greater reality of the King and his Kingdom and I left as one who knew her worth as beloved and knew His worth as owner of her heart. 
This year my floor is last year's ceiling, and this year's start line is last year's finish line. Glory to glory, it's always increasing when you're in heaven's pleasure centre. 
I began second year last week, and as someone who loves crafting sentences to convey thoughts, I'm struggling to find the vocabulary to give due credit to the past two weeks of my school life. If I were to go home today, I would sit on that plane assured that although only here for a few days, I met with the God of the universe. As my class of 500 burning ones has been gazing upon the face of God, we've had new meaning added to our existence and will not be the same again. Prophetically I feel that this is the year of grace, wisdom, supernatural invasions like no other, kingdom perspective, and face-to-face living. There is such a tangible weight of glory upon this class of mine and I can feel it upon me even now. It's a holy weight, although not a burden, and it feels as though a heavenly thunderstorm is brewing overhead and we are about to get caught in a glory deluge. Huge things are on heaven's agenda for this year and I cannot wait to fill this blog with testimonies of the wondrous works that our God is about to do. 

He Was Never Angry With Us

I like this controversial title, so I think I'll stick with it. Before I tell you how I came to the above mentioned conclusion, I wanted to take an opportunity to rave about the unending goodness of God towards myself and all humanity.


This past week I feel as though I have received an intravenous shot of truth that has devoured any remaining traces of religiosity and futile striving in my life. I have been like a giddy, love-sick teenager, drunk with adoration and brim-full with joy unspeakable. The good news tends to have this effect on all victims that it grabs a hold of. I am fully convinced that the Gospel has a life of it's own and that it is daily getting better and better. Every time I hear it, it feels like the first time. Born again, again. First love jitters. 


The theme song of my life this week has been "He is so good. He is better than I could imagine." As I have been drinking the Gospel, straight up, with no additives, I realize all the more that this is the best of news. This is not news that you want to keep a secret. No way am I sweeping this one under the rug. This news belongs on the busy street-corners. It deserves to be yelled from the rooftops. 
A preacher I love once said "when I get to heaven, if there is anything I want to be accused of, it would be that I made God out to be better than he actually was." I love this. And if raving about his goodness is a crime, then I am guilty as charged. 


Recognizing truth has been a lesson I've been schooled on lately. With thousands of streams and branches of Christianity intertwined everywhere, I'd say that knowing how to separate truth from non-truth or 'half-truth' is a vital tool to have on your Charismatic belt. Good thing truth is a person and spending time with Him, makes seeing Him everywhere second nature to us. Whenever the truth is proclaimed, I feel as though Jesus himself has stepped into the building, probably because he has. His spirit rides on the words of truth for the substance of truth is Jesus. After all, he did call himself "the way, the truth and the life." 


One truth that has knocked me off my horse this week is that He has never been angry with us. 
When I heard this spoken, my brain jumped into action recalling stories of wrath laced throughout the Old Testament, while my heart sat comfortably in it's arm chair, not batting an eye-lid, knowing that truth himself had just been breathed into the room.


"If he was never angry with us, even while we were sinners" my brain protested "then please explain the countless scriptures of wrath in the Old Testament."
Am I saying that God had no wrath? Of course not. His wrath was as real as his love. But that's just it, his wrath was an extension of his love. We were not the object of His wrath, but the sinful nature that once occupied us was the worthy recipient of all the fury of God, and rightfully so. In his intense love for us, He saw how sin abused and molested his beloved children and he burned hot with rage against it. He hated sin so much, that he stopped at nothing, not even his own death, to abolish it forever. 
Jesus clothed himself in humanity, succumbed to torture, humiliation and even death in order for him that knew no sin, to become sin for us, therefore satisfying God's wrath.


As Jesus hung on the cross, he was not merely an example of humanity, but our substitute. In every way, he became like us, in order for us to become like him. It was a divine exchange, one for another. He allowed himself to be tempted, he knew human limitations, he got tired, his body needed food, in every way, he was just like us. In the same way, upon the cross as he cried out "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus had climbed into the emotional state of a human being in order to witness with us in every way. Had God forsaken Jesus upon the cross? Not according to Psalm 22:24 "For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but was heard when he cried to him."
In fact, in 2 Corinthians 5:19 it says "For God was IN Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting man's sins against them."Where was God when nails were being driven into the tender flesh of Jesus? He was INSIDE him. As Jesus cried out to God upon the cross, it was as if he had stepped fully into the state of a human being who was alienated from God in their mind. As he hung on that tree, the sins of the world weightily piled upon him, he was able to witness with the mind of a man who knows he is sinful. 


The key to unlocking this is the truth that sin never separated God from us, but it did separate us from God. Rewind back to Eden. Our forefathers, now conscious of their fallen state, run, hide, from the God that is everywhere. Does God fear nearness to them as if their state will contaminate His? No. We see a loving father come and find his hiding children. You see, their sin didn't keep God away from them, but it prevented their conscience from allowing them confidence before His Holiness.
In Colossians 1:21, Paul says "Once you were all alienate in your MINDS because of your evil behavior." God's wrath didn't alienate us, our sin-conscience did.
The good news is, Jesus skillfully through his broken body and shed blood sprinkled clean our conscience  and gave the boldness before the Father that was lost in the garden. No longer do we hide in the bushes covered in the blood of bulls and goats (our own attempts at holiness that could never justify) but we stand in the wide open spaces of his saving grace, knowing that he never was, nor ever will be angry with us. God is love, and all his affections are for us. Our shame and hostility of mind before the throne was what he murdered upon the cross. Who we once saw as a punisher, we now see as a loving father, empty of wrath towards his children as our eyes and minds have been cleansed by the spilt blood of His son. 

Celebrate Immanuel's Name

There is so much glory on certain old Christian Hymns. Many of them are long forgotten or considered out-dated and boring, but this one I came across today, is anything but that. 
I have been brim-full with joy this week as I have been getting back to the basics of Christ crucified and all the bliss contained in the knowledge of the cross. This beautiful, glorious hymn made my day.

Celebrate Immanuel's Name:

(By: Charles Wesley 1707-1788)

Celebrate Immanuel’s Name, the Prince of life and peace.
God with us, our lips proclaim, our faithful hearts confess.
God is in our flesh revealed; heav’n and earth in Jesus join.
Mortal with Immortal filled, and human with Divine.

Fullness of the Deity in Jesus’ body dwells,
Dwells in all His saints and me when God His Son reveals.
Father, manifest Thy Son; breathe the true incarnate Word.
In our inmost souls make known the presence of the Lord.

Let the Spirit of our Head through every member flow;
By our Lord inhabited, we then Immanuel know.
Then He doth His Name express; God in us we truly prove,
Find with all the life of grace and all the power of love.

A letter from my love

A letter from Him, to me and you, and those still to come...

Beloved. Beautiful. Child of Glory,

I love you. I don't just love you with my whole heart, but my entire being pulsates with the consuming flame of love. You are the target of all my affections. The apple of my eye; my creation in which I take pride and delight. I want to put you on display so that all the world will know me and see my beauty as you so effortlessly reflect it.
When I created you, I had my pleasure in mind. I intricately fashioned every facet of your being so that it would bring intoxicating delight to me and leave me captivated at each glance. I formed your inner being as the castle in which I would delight in dwelling, and now that you have opened the door to my knocking I get to rest and abide within you for eternity, a place that is beautifully fit for a King.
Just as you opened your door to me, so I first opened mine unto you. I became the doorway through which you walked, a new and living way. My flesh the torn curtain unveiling your heavenly father and his courts. Do come and join us in celebrating life eternal. We've sent out the invitations; the Gospel, the Word and even the song of creation. Don't get dressed up, and with the invitation in hand, think you've arrived at the party. Come my love, come up here. Feast with us. We've prepared always a table before you, a spread of heaven's delicacies, with the body and blood being the main course. All it requires to find the way is faith. Faith in truth beyond facts. In transcendent realities beyond temporal ones.
Do you trust me? Do you? Believe and trust. Rest and abide, and I will take you where you could never access alone. I will show you a whole new world and open your eyes to perspectives that will alter the way you see even the most ordinary things. The mundane will become the glorious if you'll only allow me to take you there. Quit trying. I tried on your behalf, and do you know the best part? I succeeded for you, already. Through me you are already a conquerer. You've already won and have the trophy of salvation in your arms yet you haven't finished the race. Oh, don't try and figure out my kingdom using earthly ways and knowledge, over here in this country, we do things a little differently.
Cheerfully come before the throne with no projections and you will start to really see the true order of life. It is yours for the taking. I have stored up an eternal supply of joy, bliss, peace, rest, presence, encounters and wisdom for you, and there is nothing that can be done to stop me from pouring these out upon you. They have your name on them, they've been reserved just for you!
The joy it brings me to do life with you is beyond what words on a page could hold. Everything you do is laced with glory. I gave you the gift of me, and it's as if you give this gift back to me every time I see myself in you. We can't keep our eyes from you. Even the angels can't help but gather in your presence for it astounds them how alike we look. It barely matters what you do, it's all beautiful to me. You carry just as much of me when you are sleeping or daydreaming as when you are praying or preaching. It's immaterial what you do; being you is your greatest gift to me. It doesn't matter where you go, just as long as we are together. Oh, if only you knew the way you look through my eyes. The way you make me feel when you wake up in the morning and the way my heart burns within me you you look my way. Don't take your eyes off of me, gaze upon me, see into my heart. See my will for you and the world. I have not hidden it away in a locked chamber, but openly display it that you may know this love of mine like you know the world is round.
Don't let them tell you you're just a dreamer. Don't let them pull you down to earth. It is not too good to be true. If your mind can fathom my goodness and the richness of my love, then you have not yet known it fully. It goes beyond mental comprehension, so throw your analysis to the wind and set your spirit free to soar in the thermals of me. I won't let you down. Disappointment is not in heaven's vocabulary. There is no hope too great for me, no dream that I am below. So get busy dreaming, I can't wait for you to see all the places I've planned for us to go.
Run into me. These wings were made to cover you. Sit beneath my shade, let my countenance quicken you. Revive you. Keep always the let-downs of the world in your rear-view mirror and continue to accelerate into the wide open spaces of my dreams for you. If ever the fog of condemnation clouds your view of me, just open the nearest window of my finished work, and you will see me again in the place I've always been. Right before you. Eye to eye. Nose to nose. I cancelled every definition of distance as I breathed my last breath upon that tree, and do you know what, I'd do it again if that's what was required to bring you close to me. As my spirit clung to my weakened body, all that could occupy my mind were flashes of our future union together. I endured it all for intimacy. Death was better than a life apart from you.

Can you see it? Can you see my love more clearly now? Oh, my dear, this is only the sweet beginning.
Come up here. Come away. I've got so much more to tell you than any words could say.

Hebrews 10 - Barnes

Barnes Commentary on Hebrews 10:1

For the law having a shadow - That is, the whole of the Mosaic economy was a shadow; for

so the word “Law” is often used. The word “shadow” here refers to a rough outline of

anything, a mere sketch, such as a carpenter draws with a piece of chalk, or such as an artist

delineates when he is about to make a picture. He sketches an outline of the object which he

designs to draw, which has “some” resemblance to it, but is not the “very image;” for it is not

yet complete. The words rendered “the very image” refer to a painting or statue which is

finished, where every part is an exact representation of the original. The “good things to

come” here refer to the future blessings which would be conferred on man by the gospel. The

idea is, that under the ancient sacrifices there was an imperfect representation; a dim outline

of the blessings which the gospel would impart to people. They were a typical

representation; they were not such that it could be pretended that they would answer the

purpose of the things themselves which they were to represent, and would make those who

offered them perfect. Such a rude outline; such a mere sketch, or imperfect delineation, could

no more answer the purpose of saving the soul than the rough sketch which an architect

makes would answer the purpose of a house, or than the first outline which a painter draws

would answer the purpose of a perfect and finished portrait. All that could be done by either

would be to convey some distant and obscure idea of what the house or the picture might be,

and this was all that was done by the Law of Moses.

Jesus, The Answer To Creation's Question

He is the Father of all things. Everything exists for Him and because of Him. The Great Conductor of creation's symphony, He is the harmony of life and the one in whom everything discovers it's true significance.  
Like the elaborate centre piece on a banqueting table and the focal point in a fine-art painting, Jesus is the answer to the question of creation. Like the golden thread woven into the tapestry of time and the crescendo of eternity's song, Jesus is all and in all. 


The space between every atom in existence is occupied by vibrations; the word of God. He uttered the words that bore in them the substance of creation. By the sounds of His lips the heavens and the earth were fashioned, and by these words all things are continuously upheld. 
Where is Jesus? The question is, where is he not.


I exist not because my father and mother do, but because He does. Apart from Him, I am not. I can not. I do not. He is the substance of me. We died together at Calvary, where he clothed me in himself. It is no longer I who live, but he that lives through me. Apart from Him I can do no thing. 


From the galaxies distant and unexplored, to parts of my being unchartered and unseen, there he dwells. He lives in the chorus of creation's silence and makes his home in the melody of a heartbeat. Life means adventuring in the wide open spaces of his plans for me. It's a field of flowers, which are his dreams for me, thought up before the foundation of time. 

"If I rise up on the wings of dawn

Or settle on the far side of the sea

Even there your hand will guide me

Your right hand will hold me."

-Psalm 139:9

Thought for the day

I was reading the introduction to the book of Hebrews in the Mirror Translation this morning and the author, Francois Du Toit added this quote by Emile Mersch into his prelude. It is beautiful and escorted me into yet another revelation of my union with God. 

"Look within. Don't be afraid to use your mind to

the utmost and to seek your deepest center. Far from this attention to the deepest realm of

the human spirit walling you up within yourself, it will open out on to the whole mystery of

the universe and the human race. It will show You your union with the forests and birds and

distant galaxies, and every other human being who ever was or ever will be. And this kind of

metaphysical seeing will give you a tiny glimpse of the fiery mystery of existence from which

all things have come and by which they are continually sustained and to which they strive to

return. But as splendid as this mystery is, it is meant to draw you into the mystery of Christ. The

Word of God has become flesh, and by taking a human nature in that very act has

transformed it and transforms, as well, the universe and the human race. You have a new

being in Christ in which you share through him in the very life of the Trinity." - Emile Mersch (inner explorations.com)

The Happy Trinity Is Her Home

This weekend I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with C.S Lewis's masterpiece 'The Great Divorce.' Although entirely fictional, this book bears a weight of revelation and wisdom that is unprecedented. At times I feel my heart leaping with excitement at the prospects of paradise and at other times it ached to experience these transcendent realities in the here and now. 

This is an exert from chapter 12, and although unnamed, I believe it is Lewis's poetic paraphrase of Psalm 91. It's pure literary brilliance. 

The happy trinity is her home, 

Nothing can trouble her joy.

She is the bird that evades every net,

 The wild deer that leaps every pitfall.

Like the mother bird to its chickens or a shield to the armed knight,
 So is the Lord to her mind, his unchanging lucidity.

Bogies will not scare her in the dark,

 Bullets will not frighten her in the day.

Falsehoods tricked out as truths assail her in vain,

 She sees through the lie as if it were glass.

The invisible germ will not harm her,

 Nor yet the glittering sun-stroke.

A thousand fail to solve the problem, ten thousand chose the wrong turning,

But she passes safely through.

He details immortal gods to attend her,

 Upon every road where she must travel.

They take her hand at hard places,

 She will not stub her toes in the dark.

She may walk among lions and rattlesnakes,

 Among dinosaurs and nurseries of lionets.

He fills her brim full with immensity of life,

 He leads her to see the world’s desire.

He is wonder-full

Taking a step back and thinking to myself "how can life be this good" has become a daily occurrence since living in Redding and being a part of the Bethel community.
Last night, this was especially true as I stood under a cloud of God's manifest glory with eyes full of tears and a heart full of child-like awe.

I was sitting in the overflow room at Bethel worshipping and adoring the love of my life and I had a vision of God, but all I could see were whirlwinds of colour surrounding him. This was a high energy vision with lots of sound (that I could hear with my 'spiritual ears' only); sounds of thunder and swirling winds, and the image seemed to be rapidly changing and evolving although I couldn't quite make out any distinct images amidst the blur of colour.

I then had a vision of Bethel church as it stands upon the hill, and I saw it as being a supernatural airport. There was much spiritual activity surrounding the building and a wide open heaven over it's entire area. There were heavenly beings and substances ascending and descending and it were as if the membrane between heaven and earth was nonexistent.

I was then 'awakened' from this vision by the sounds of cheering coming from the sanctuary. I knew in my spirit that the glory cloud was here again, and so it was.
Without thinking twice, I rushed into the sanctuary and began to sob as the overwhelming peace and manifest presence of God filled the room.
I looked above me and saw what can only be explained as a blizzard of a gold glitter-like substance hanging thick in the air. This 'cloud' was seemingly alive and active, it was moving, growing and swirling. As we began to sing out "Our Father in Heaven" the glittery mass increased as if positively responding to the praise of the people.

Why He chooses to reveal himself in this way is beyond human reason, but what I do know is that there was not a being in the building that wasn't captivated and awestruck with the wonder of God.

I felt Him say to me that we need to expect the tangible, physical manifestations of His Glory and Goodness if we have any hope of revealing him to the world. The days of empty words are done. Now is the time of undeniable invasions of heaven, whereby experiences trump arguments and analytical reasoning. I also felt the two words "glory" and "power" and that we are in the days of God's glory and power being realized by our generation unlike any successive generations that have gone before us.

The membrane between heaven and earth is thinner than ever and to be alive and part of an army of radical lovers of God at such a time as this is the highest honor.
2012 is the year of heaven meets earth, and His will being done in the here and the now.
I get chills down my spine at the revelation of His goodness and how he delights in revealing his glorious self to the eyes, hearts and minds of his bride.

And do you know what the best part is? This is only the beginning. Glory to Glory is our inheritance. Heaven on earth our reality. His presence our continual companion.
It is a joy to be alive and truly living.

Jesus, Our Doorway To Bliss

Here is the post that I wrote for Phil Drysdale's blog. I wanted to share it on my own page as well because I feel that this encompasses so much of what the Lord has been speaking to me about lately.

Jesus, Our Doorway To Bliss:

Blood gushes from the wounds of a scorned King and stains the wood on which his tender body hangs. The curtain tears violently, along with His flesh. Through his wounds, lost children run into the open arms of their Father, Creator. Through the torn curtain a Royal Priesthood shamelessly enters the Holy of Holies, their eternal dwelling place.  A divine exchange. Separation for union. Striving for rest. Desert for Eden. He became the new and living way, the Ancient doorway unto the Everlasting God, and invited all to step through the curtain of his broken flesh into a new life, real life. As I lifted my feet in faith and walked through the cross-shaped door, who I once was gave way to who I was created to be.

A few years ago I had a head-on collision with the real Gospel that had been hidden under the illusion of freedom that was once my reality. This marked the start of a radical pendulum shift in every avenue of life, every thought process and every once warped view of Father God and myself. As if I had been born-again, again, I began to see everything with new eyes through the lenses of Grace.  I traded in my do-it-yourself morality program for a life of embracing all that he had already done for me. His blood purchased in a moment what a lifetime of human sweat and tears never could.

Ever since, Jesus has swept me off on an adventure of discovering the sweet and intoxicating dimensions that lie like secret passageways behind the cross.

For the most part of my Christian life, the cross meant forgiveness of sins and this was the pinnacle of its purpose, until Holy Spirit opened up the world behind the John 17 prayer for union. Jesus prayed “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am.” At the core of God clothing himself in humanity, was an unquenchable desire to not only be with the ones he loved, but to have them inside him, and he in them. As the sinful nature was the only thing that stood to prevent this, through his death, he changed the genetic code of everyone who would come to him by faith and through a divine transaction, replaced our sin with his own holiness. Like the mixing of two colors, we have become one new substance in Christ, and the Father cannot tell where we end and Christ begins. “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

The mystery of “Christ in me” is one I have been blissfully freefalling into since the day he revealed this to me, and I know I will never see its end. Life as a new creation means that we not only have access to Christ, but we have his DNA and have been grafted into the bloodline of the trinity. Wherever we go, the holiness in us diffuses out into the darkest parts of the atmosphere that are most thirsty for the reality of true light.

As new creatures in Christ, we are his dwelling place, the contact point between heaven and earth. We live with one foot in time, the other in eternity whilst our entire being is saturated in his presence. Christ doesn’t live in one compartment of our hearts, but all of Him dwells in all of us. Every cell, every atom filled with all the fullness of God. We haven’t merely come into the tabernacle, the tabernacle has become us. Living, breathing vessels of the presence of God, a bride that with one glance of her eye captivates her beloved. He has created us with the ability to take his breath away, to mesmerize Him with our flawless beauty as we sit at his banqueting table adorned with jewels of purity and draped in robes of righteousness. The King swept us off our feet and carried us into the bridal chamber, the innermost place of intimacy where he is eternally delighting in us. Whether our consciousness realizes it, we are ever being adored by the King, ever feasting on the bounty of His house, and ever drinking from the torrent of divine pleasure. His presence is not something we come in and out of as the ancient priests once did, but is a constant state of being that is both in us and around us. Whether in solitude and on our knees, or in the midst of chaos and confusion, we are the target of all the Beloved’s affections and all his delight is in us, his bride. (Song of Solomon 7:10).

“The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation, the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21). Our walk of faith is not about lifting ourselves up onto our tip-toes trying to reach to the top of heaven’s closet and pull the nearness of God towards ourselves. The Kingdom has been placed within, this is where the King is enthroned, and this is where he can be found. Distance from his presence exists only between the ears. To assume we are still separate from the King and can know distance from his presence is to assume Jesus failed on the cross. Intimacy is the height of his desire. Oneness was His mission. Union is the trophy of the cross. He in us and us in him. We walk to the rhythm of the beating of His heart. Our spirit dances with His to the Song of Songs. This life is a marriage of wills, a harmony of desires and an infusion of two things, that have become inseparably one.

Some people travel the world to find themselves. I find myself hidden in him

Support My Dream

My vision for 2012 is that I have a vision that goes beyond myself, my own needs and wants and my own haves and have-nots. 

This year my vision is to see my life change the lives of those around the world through the power of genuine love, honor and service. 

Life is too short to live it just for yourself, and this year I am choosing to lend a helping hand to the world at large, in the big and small things alike. 

If you would like to get on board and help me fulfill this vision, here's how:

Here's the link to my Bethel profile in which you can donate towards the mission

https://www.ibssm.org/?action=donate&target=missions&student_id=214279

Birth Determines Identity

"Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's  disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased,grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:18-21

How many sins does it take to become a sinner? None.

We were once called sinners not because we committed a sinful act but because we were born into the bloodline of Adam. Through one man's sin, all who would be born upon the Earth would possess the same nature as their forefather, a nature prone to sin. It was not what we did that made us unrighteous but who we were. Birth always determines identity. You are given your father's last name and it is His blood that pulses through your veins. You didn't become a part of your family by mimicking their actions and gestures, rather you were born with their DNA, and just as you did nothing to receive their genetic code, so you can do nothing to change it.

How many good deeds does it take to become righteous? None. 

We have been made righteous not because we did any amount of good deeds but because we were born again into the bloodline of Christ, the last Adam. Through one man's life of righteousness, holiness has been imputed to all who simply believe that he died for us, and with us, so that he could ascend to the Father carrying us in Him. Birth always determines identity. We were not adopted into the family of God by trying to mimic the life of Jesus and climb the ladder of the law hoping to someday make it up to heaven, but by our simple faith in Christ's accomplishment's on our behalf, he gave us his DNA, for we died with him, a death to the nature of Adam, and were raised with him to a life of righteousness. We did nothing to deserve this, nor can we do anything to change this.

Now that's amazing grace. 

Guest post for Phil Drysdale Ministries

This week I had the honor of writing a guest post for my friend Phil's blog entitled "Jesus, our doorway to bliss." Click here to read it.