Ever Learning, Never Knowing

“Always learning, and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
2 TIMOTHY 3:7

If in our quest for spiritual growth our idea is only to learn a few facts about the Bible, glean tidbits of information from this preacher and that teacher, fill our brains with facts and fill our libraries with more books and magazines, we run the risk of fooling ourselves into thinking that we know and understand God – when it could be that we are ever learning “truths” without knowing the Truth.
Have you met someone like this? They seem to have all the right answers, but they have the wrong spirit. They tenaciously cling to their minute opinions and cannot be persuaded otherwise. Their knowledge has not changed them, except to make them worse: for now they are puffed up in the vanity of their own mind (1 Corinthians 8:1,2). True spiritual growth is characterized by grace (not works) and an increased knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). And, we maintain that this knowledge of Jesus Christ cannot be obtained by study, but is only granted by way of revelation.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

I Will Empower You

I Will Empower You

My child, it is here in my arms that you will find refuge from the storm. When you are weary, run to me, as your strong tower. Out there in the world, it can be tough and there are very few breaks that you get.

But in my arms, you can be weak and foolish, my child. I will give you strength when you need it and I will fill you up once again. You are not meant to just get by in life, but you were created to reign and to be a shining a light Ð an example of my power.

However, you cannot be that, without drawing power and strength from me. Instead of ploughing through when you are weary, run to me and fill up with my strength. I will give you refreshment for your spirit and rest for your soul.

I will fill you up to overflowing until you are able to fill others up around you. I will give you the joy, the love, the patience and every good fruit that you need to reign in this life. Run to me, and indeed, you will come away ready to take on the world! Amen.

The Fruit is the Evidence

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.”
JOHN 15:8

An orange tree is an orange tree as soon as it is planted, even before it produces fruit. It is not an orange tree because it produces oranges; it produces oranges because it is an orange tree. The fruit is the evidence of what it already is. If it were to suddenly produce rotten apples then we know for certain that it is not what we thought it was. The one who has really been saved will produce “much fruit” and will “walk worthy” of their calling (Ephesians 4:1).
That is to say, the evidence of a “born again” person is not in what they say they believe, but in how they actually live. Even the phrase “born again” indicates more than just a change of heart; it represents a spiritual death, burial, and resurrection; a new life. Thus, no one can be truly “born again” until and unless they embrace the Cross, die with Christ, and are raised to Life in Him.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Two Destinies Linked

“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:15

Not I, but Christ. That is the goal, and the Cross is where the process begins. The crucifixion of Christ is inexorably, inescapably linked to the crucifixion of the disciple. It cannot be otherwise. This is where everything that is Christ’s becomes ours as well. On the Cross the two are made one, and the destiny of the One is linked forever with the destiny of the Many.
There in the Cross the Head is joined to the many members of the Body; the Vine is made one with the many branches. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). Where are they joined? At the Cross. Paul was not there physically when Christ was crucified; yet Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ.” Obviously this is a spiritual union, a spiritual oneness.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

The Small Seed

The Small Seed

When a seed is just a seed, it does not look like very much. It is small and vulnerable, yet it has the potential to grow into a mighty tree or a beautiful fragrant flower.

It has in it, the DNA that it needs to be what I have already created it to be. It does not have to fight to create its color or shape or form. It simply takes in the water and the sun and life around it, until one day, it grows into the thing that I have decided it to be.

In the same way, you have within you, my DNA. You are my seed and within you is all the power of heaven. You do not need to become somebody because you already are somebody. Perhaps right now you feel like that seed that is small and vulnerable. Even so, know that you have within you, everything you need to shoot up and sprout into what you were created for.

Rest assured that I will water and nurture you and bathe you in the sun, until what you are is no longer a potential, but a reality. Amen.

No Restrictions!

No Restrictions!

My child, in my presence there are no restrictions. In my presence you will find everything you need. Not only that, but when you come to me, you can just truly be you. You don't have to feel stressed or restricted for I have loved you from the very beginning. I knew you and loved you before you even were born.

You are my precious child. So realize that when you come to me, you can come weak, you can come strong. You can come foolish, angry, or whatever it is you feel at the time. You can be you. As you stand in my presence I will then help you to overcome anything that is in your way and if there is something you are doing wrong, I will show you.

As you bask in my love you will find the way and the truth. So come to me just as you are my precious. Don't hide away or think that you need to be a certain way when you come to me. You can truly come as you are and don't have to give in to any restriction or rules. I will make you whole and I will show you the way because I passionately love you my child. So just take my hand, sit on my lap and tell me what's happening, says the Lord.

Our God Delivers

“There is no other God who can deliver like this.”
DANIEL 3:29

The Lord reveals Himself to us when we are at our end, when the fire burns the hottest. When we have reached the end of ourselves then He intervenes. He is committed to us there in the fire, because we are committed to Him outside the fire. As we have stood for His Will and His Kingdom in a state of universal compromise, darkness, and deception, so He will stand with us in our state of temptation, testing, and trial.
Toward what end? That the preeminence we have been proclaiming may be demonstrated. He will rise to the occasion and prove Himself faithful.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

My Love Surpasses All Understanding

My Love Surpasses All Understanding

My child, I love you so much. My love for you is not tied to any circumstances or your own righteousness. My blessing in your life is not tied to how good you are. I love you no matter what. My love for you will never end and it's always filled with great passion. You are special to me.

Today I just want to call you to come to me and revel in my love. Don't run around so much and try to make everything right in our own strength. There is nothing you could do to change my love for you. Whether you are up or you are down, whether you struggle or succeed, my love is always the same. I loved you even before your mother's womb and I have a plan of blessing for you. So just stop running for a moment. Open your heart to me and allow me to show you the way, my child. You are so very precious. I am with you every step of the way and want to set you free with the power of my love this day, says the Lord.

Like a Child

Like a Child

My child, let go of the cares and burdens of the world and come to Me like a child. Come into My embrace and rest your head on my shoulder. Feel my strong arms envelop you and keep you safe. There is a time to be a warrior and to fight the battles of the world, but there is also the time to be a child and to let Me comfort, protect and encourage you.
Remember that My joy is your strength, so take time to rejoice in the many blessings that I have showered upon you, and to enjoy this life that you are living. Forget the strategies and plans of adulthood and spend some time as a child that just believes in the promises that I have given you.
Rest in the knowledge that I have every single one of your plans and situations in the palm of my hand. I am with you my child. Let my love fill every part of your heart and being. Know without a shadow of a doubt exactly how precious and loved you are!

Lift Your Head Up

Lift Your Head Up

My child, there is so much in this world that can discourage or dissuade you from following the path that I have laid out for you to walk on. When your head hangs in weariness, all you tend to see is how slowly you are walking, or how all these rocks and obstacles are blocking your path. Lift your head up my child and look beyond what is in front of you to the dreams and visions that I placed into your heart.
Look to the possibility that you can do anything with Me at your side. Remember that the fire that I have placed inside of you is strong, powerful and burns hot enough to carry you past what you can do in your own strength, to be able to do all things with Mine.
Lift your head and enjoy your journey for there is much to see and experience. Take comfort that you are not alone in your journey and that I am with you every step of the way. Take hold of my strength, my joy and my power to see you through!

Stand in Me

Stand in Me

My child, do not allow the enemy to steal from you, but stand on your land and do not accept defeat. You were created to reign and to rule in this life.
Do not let circumstances determine who you are or what you are, for I have already decided what you are. I have called you a conqueror and one who overcomes. You are not a victim, my child, but a warrior and a king.
So take up the shield and the sword that I have given you and put on the joy that makes you a light to the nations. Stand in me and take back every promise and piece of land that has been stolen from you. As you stand in me, you will also see that I am fighting on your behalf.
You will see that you are not alone, but that my strength and my power are with you. As you lean on me, the enemy and the world around you will recognize that I have put my glory within you. As you stand in me, so also will I stand in you. Amen.

You Are My Arrow

You Are My Arrow
My child, I love you so much and I have a specific plan for you. Even now, I am shaping you into an arrow that will hit the mark. So donÕt despair if it seems that things are taking a while to fall into place. It takes a while to make an arrow that will go far and hit the mark. And so, you are like that arrow in my hand even now.

I am shaping you. I am sharpening you and I am getting you ready to be shoot out into the dark to hit the mark and accomplish that which I have sent you for. My child, even though you may feel that you are stuck or that you are not doing all that much for me right now, realize that all of the things you are going through right now, are part of the process.

ItÕs all part of me getting you ready to hit the mark. So just surrender to me and allow me to do what I do best. When the time comes, I will take you and I will launch you out there. So surrender afresh and be at ease my child. I am with you and my strong hand is upon you, says the Lord.

My Anointing Breaks the Yoke

My Anointing Breaks the Yoke
My child, come and drink my living water. Come and sit by my waterfall and let me fill you up. My child, the burdens of life have become heavy upon your shoulders. My child, donÕt allow those things to weigh you down but come into my presence. My anointing breaks any yoke. My presence refreshes you.

So, instead of keeping on running and thinking that you must carry this burden, just drop it and come and sit by my waterfall. Allow the fresh water of my presence to wash you clean and to strengthen you to carry on.

Nothing is too hard for me. As you surrender to me and ask me to help you and ask me to give you my burden, you will rise up beyond your wildest imagination my child. I love you and I have the best of plans for you.

I donÕt want you weighed down and running a race that is not the race I have for you. So leave it all behind and run to me. Then, I can show you where you need to go and what I have for you, says the Lord.

Rearranging is a good Thing

Rearranging is a Good Thing
My child, even in the natural if you want to clean your house properly, you may have to move some furniture, so do you have to be ready for rearranging to take place in your walk with me.

My child, donÕt get into a rut. Allow me to give you fresh bread each day. Allow me to shower you with fresh water each day. As you rise up and allow me to change you, things will begin to change. You will find that certain things that used to work donÕt work any longer and a rearranging must take place.

Place your trust in me and just be ready for me to do anything. I have plans of a good future and of hope for you. So seek me and stand in my presence and allow me to do what I do best.

I know what you need and when you need it. DonÕt get stuck in a rut in your walk and your relationship with me, but remain hungry for more. Remain hungry for change and remain ready for me to surprise you.

Take my hand this day, and allow me to lead you. Have your ears and eyes open for what I am saying to you and what I am showing you, says the Lord. You are precious to me and I love you.

Rest In My Presence

Rest in My Presence

There is a time to work hard, but there is also a time to rest my child. I am calling you to rest because the work of your hands will only be effective when you work from My rest. Take a moment to lay down your weapons and lay down the tools of the harvest. Take a moment to come into my arms and lay next to Me by grass that is green and a stream that is full of sweet water for you to drink.

Remember that time spent in my presence will equip you with everything that you need to do my child, so come and enjoy the succulent fruit of the spirit, and fellowship with Me.

Know that there is a joy and peace that comes with working through my spirit. So come and fill yourself with that peace. There will always be work, and things to do. But when you are full of Me, it will not feel like work, it will feel like rest. So come and rest. Fill yourself up in my presence so that when you go back out, everything your hands touch will be filled with my fragrance, power and joy!

Hidden Treasure

Hidden Treasure

When you take gold out of the earth, it is covered in mud and dirt. Sometimes gold is missed because it looks like an ordinary rock. First thing that needs to happen is that a miner must wash away the dirt and grime to recognize the gold that is there. It is so with you my child. When you were first called, I saw the gold that is within you, even if others did not. Let me wash away the dirt and the mud that hides the treasure that is within you, from the world. Let my presence strengthen and encourage you.

As you continue your journey, the cares of life will be as dirt and mud. Know that no matter how soiled, dirty or unrecognizable you think you are, I know who I have made and see the treasure beneath the dirt. Come to Me and I will wash and refresh you. Let my presence wash away and remove anything that keeps you from shining and sharing the treasure I have put inside of you, with others.

See yourself as I see you, my child. You are precious and unique and a gift to the body of Christ. Do not be afraid of what people will say, or how they will treat you. I am your retreat from the world and your place of refreshment. Stand in confidence of who I have made you to be and share what is precious inside you with the world! Amen.

Let Them Run

Let Them Run

Know that when you stand in My authority, every demon must flee and the enemy must bow at the name of Christ. Do not let the enemy fool you into thinking you are powerless. You are my child and the power that raised Christ from the dead is inside you!

So put on your armor, and pick up your sword and shield for I have called you as a warrior to fight. I have called you to raid the camp of the enemy and to take back what he has stolen from my children. I have called you to take back the land that the enemy thought was his. I have made you a mighty conqueror in the spirit and in the natural. Do not stand in your strength but in mine and you will stand victorious each and every time you battle. Let my strength and wisdom be your weapons of warfare and demolish every obstacle the enemy tries to erect against you. Rise up and be the warrior that I have called you to be! Amen

Sakit Gigi

SAKIT GIGI

Jika kamu harus menanggung ganjaran; Allah memperlakukan kamu seperti anak. (Ibrani 12:7)

Saya ingat saat masih kecil dulu, saat gigi sakit akibat saya malas sikat gigi sebelum tidur malam. Saya akan berupaya sedemikian rupa agar Mama tidak tahu penderitaan saya. Saya paling takut ke dokter gigi, membayangkan suara mesin bor gigi dan rasa linu saat gigi dibor. Saya tahu sebenarnya bila saya pergi ke dokter gigi maka penderitaan saya akan dapat berakhir dan sehat kembali. Namun kadang saya berkeras hingga infeksi dan bengkak, setelah ketahuan Mama akhirnya secara paksa saya harus ke dokter gigi. Semua itu dilakukan olehnya bukan karena Mama jahat tetapi karena sangat mengasihi saya.

Di dalam perjalanan kehidupan kita pun seringkali kita berhadapan dengan masalah, entah akibat keteledoran kita ataupun orang lain. Mungkin sikap atau perkataan orang lain yang melukai kita. Kita mungkin sadar bahwa kita perlu bertobat dan berubah saat mengetahui bahwa kebiasaan buruk kita dapat merugikan baik orang lain maupun diri sendiri namun kita berkeras untuk tetap berkubang dalam dosa. Atau mungkin Anda terluka akibat perlakuan orang lain, namun Anda tidak mau mengampuni dan membiarkan diri hidup dalam kepahitan.

Tuhan adalah Bapa Surgawi kita, IA sangat mengasihi kita. Di dalam kasih bukan saja ada perhatian dan limpah kasih sayang tetapi juga ada disiplin. Disiplin ilahi saat diberikan mungkin akan terasa menyakitkan tetapi IA melakukannya dengan penuh kasih sayang karena IA tidak ingin hidup kita hancur. Bapa merindukan kita menjadi serupa dengan gambaran Anak-Nya, Yesus Kristus.

Apapun pergumulan yang membebani dan masalah yang membelit, datanglah pada Tuhan sebab IA mampu mengubahkan segala kekacauan menjadi kehidupan yang penuh kemerdekaan dan sukacita kembali.

Doa: Tuhan terimakasih telah mengungkapkan kesalahanku, kini kuingin bangkit bersamaMU dan beroleh hidup berkemenangan kembali. Amin

Firman TUhan: Ibrani 12:3-11

Set Your Face like a Flint

Set Your Face like a Flint

My child, look at the road ahead and keep your eyes focused on the goal. No matter what surrounds you at the moment and what challenges you face, do not lose sight of the promise that I have given you. Do not deter from the path that I have given you to take. 
When you are discouraged, just lift up your eyes to me and see the promise that I have given you. Meditate on the goal up ahead and the treasure that I have prepared for you – smell it and taste it and see it. Live in it and as you do, you will also begin to walk it out.  When you know where you are going, my child, and set your eyes on your destination, the terrain that you may have to walk through is a small price compared to the place that I have prepared for you. 
So do not be discouraged, but know that I am here guiding you along with my hands. I am here watching your every move and leading you along the right path. As you keep walking forward and not looking back, you will soon be walking into the future that I have planned for you. You will even look back and see how the journey that I have taken you on has shaped you into the mighty warrior that you are today. You will even praise me for the journey that you have gone through. Amen.

A Blanket of Love

A Blanket of Love

Allow my love to rest upon you today like a warm blanket my child. For the world can feel cold and unwelcoming. When you step out into the world, you often feel as if it takes and makes demands until you feel weary and drained. That is why you need to come into my presence often to receive healing and warmth again.

For it is only in my arms that you will feel comfort. It is only in my arms that you will be surrounded with acceptance and joy. Only in my presence will you feel a place of belonging. For I have not invited you into my presence to take something from you my child, but rather to give out to you! I have not come to take the life from you and to make demands of you that you cannot meet. No, I am a loving father that has come to give you life. I have come to shower you with my blessings and tenderness. I have come to give you strength and rest. So come to my arms then and experience the blanket of my rest. Then you will be strengthened and then you will also see that I will guide your path and cause the way ahead of you to prosper. Trust me, my child and receive the warmth that I have to give to you today. Amen.

The Winds of Change

The Winds of Change

The wind is a powerful source, but you do not know where it will blow and when it will blow. Just like the wind is in my hand and I decide the course it will take, so you are in my hand child, and I have everything in hand. Even before you were born have I made the plans for your life and even now I have everything in hand. So just trust in me and as you do I will open the way before you and make a way for you where there seems to be no way.
It is in the power of the wind that a seed is picked up and repositioned to another place, so do not fear the wind of My spirit, but rather embrace it and when the wind comes know that it is just taking the seeds you have already put into the ground and repositioning it. Many times seeds are not sown in the right place, and changes need to take place to make them fertile to grow. This is the responsibility of the wind.
The wind carries it to a fertile place where there is water and sunlight, and soon that seed that seemed to be sowed on dead ground will come to life and you will begin to see new life come forth. Just like in the natural I am taking the seeds that you have sown and I am bringing them to life so that your harvest will be bountiful, for I desire to bless you child. To give to you the very desires of your heart and to bring to fruition that which I have called you to be, so even now, when the wind starts to blow, know that I am at work deep in your life, says the Lord.

Tuning Into His Voice

Tuning Into His Voice

When you switch on the radio, you can flip through the stations until you come to the familiar sound of the station you want. You turn the knob and sort through all the rubbish until you get to the station of your choice.

You know what soothes your soul and what comforts you, and you know what rattles your spirit.

It is the same in the spirit, my child. You can choose what you want to listen to. You can tune into my voice or you can tune into the lies of the enemy. In the same way that you would switch off a radio station that you do not like, so too you can turn off the voices that are not Mine.

You know my voice. It is that familiar station that brings comfort. It brings joy and it builds you up. It lifts the heavy loads off your back. It brings love and it gives you hope. It allows you to see the good in all things.

But if the voice brings with it weights for you to bear, if it brings you doubt and confusion and brings fear into your life, then it is clearly not Me. So what have you been listening to?

My words are faithful and my voice leads. Choose today to tune into my voice alone and indeed, you will grow stronger in Me. Then when you have heard my voice, nothing will be able to shake you down or trouble you, because my Word is in you and its truth sets you free, says the Lord.

A Season for Everything

A Season for Everything

When winter sets in, a bear takes shelter and hides from it. They go into a deep sleep and only emerges when the weather allows it again. In your life there are also seasons where I hide you from others and draw you into the secret place to spend time with me. Those seasons have a very specific purpose My child and they are there so that you can grow strong and learn to walk.
A new-born baby does not know how to walk when it is born, but through loving care it learns all the basic skills to become an adult one day. It is the same in your spiritual walk with Me. You start out as a babe and you learn to walk out your calling day by day, but what you do not realize is that it is in the times of hiding that you become strong and confident, not in the times when you run ahead and do the work of the ministry.
Those times when you run ahead, you are ploughing and sowing into the soil of your life, but the times you spend with me, you are nurturing the seeds and watering them, so do not think that the one can survive without the other. Go and sow your seeds, but take the time to come and water them and as you do, I will make them into big trees that will bring shelter for My people to come and rest from the heat and the cold, says the Lord.