http://www.elijahanointing.org.uk The Elijah Anointing for Northamptonshire en-PI http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ JellyCast http://www.jellycast.com johnmclean@tesco.net (ElijahNN Admin) Religion & Spirituality Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:24:33 +0100 Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:36:09 +0100 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/files/144Logo.jpg http://www.elijahanointing.org.uk 144 144 The Elijah Anointing for Northamptonshire ElijahNN ElijahNN Admin johnmclean@tesco.net podcast No No The Elijah Anointing for Northamptonshire This Podcast series contains messages relating to the Elijah Anointing for Northamptonshire https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/154 ‘HEARING GOD for OURSELVES and OTHERS’ INTRODUCTION • Having a right image of God as our Heavenly Father is foundational for us – if we’re going to have an intimate relationship with Him • Just as in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, God wants relationship and intimacy with us (Psalm 16v11 – In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore) • John 14v23 – If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him (intimacy). He who does not love Me does not keep My words) • Love and intimacy with God includes living righteously before Him and obeying His word • Out of that place of intimacy, obedience, and living righteously before God, we are in a good place to hear God, not only for ourselves, but also for others. This is what the bible calls prophecy. • All gifts, including prophecy, are initially given by the grace of God - but the development of these gifts are determined by our character growth and personal walk and intimacy with God. PROPHECY (Slide 1) Prophecy is like a swimming pool – it goes from the Shallow End to the Deep End. Shallow End (Prophetic gifting). This is ‘inspirational level’ prophecy where our aim is to edify, encourage, comfort. It seeks to bless people and glorify the Lord in simple terms. This is the level the apostle Paul was referring to when he said “Pursue love, and eagerly desire the gifts, especially that you may prophesy (1 Cor 14v1) Middle Section (Prophetic ministry). This is ‘revelational level’ prophecy where we believe God for more specific ‘revelational’ words instead of the general ‘inspirational’ type. Prophetic ministry brings God’s perspective, releases vision and calling, undermines the enemy, and can bring direction, correction, or warning, to individuals/churches. Prophetic ministry will move in the supernatural realm more. Deep End (Office of prophet). The prophet will continue with ‘revelational level’ prophecy but at a deeper level. The prophet will be concerned with holiness and purity, building the church, and establishing kingdom values and practices for Christ’s return. He will speak to churches, cities, regions, and nations. Their words will be heard by those in authority – church leaders, kings, and governments. Their words will often be accompanied by signs and wonders and healing miracles, and clear signs of the supernatural presence of the Lord. We are going to stay at the Shallow End – where we will look to edify, encourage, and comfort others! Adapted from a word given to Larry Randolph “One of the greatest ministries you can ever possess is the ministry of encouragement. In a world without hope, people need the affirmation of My love. Signs, wonders, miracles, and healings, are important, but the most important thing is love with encouragement. Encouragement was the motivational force behind the ministry of Jesus, and should also be the priority of all Christians. So bless rather than curse, build up where others have torn down, and always use your gift for the edification of mankind”. GUIDELINES & SAFEGUARDS FOR PROPHECY (Slide 2) “And it shall come to pass in the last days…..your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2v17) “Pursue love and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor 14:1) “The one who prophesies edifies, encourages, and comforts” (1 Cor 14:3) 1. What is prophecy? Prophecy is hearing from God out of our relationship and intimacy with Him – then speaking forth His heart, mind, and counsel – this can be ‘current’ or ‘predictive’. 2. Why is prophecy so important? – Every Spirit filled Christian can prophesy at an ‘inspirational level’ – some develop a ‘prophetic ministry’ – a few become ‘prophets’ – It edifies, encourages, comforts, and points to God – By direct verbal communication it brings people into contact with God’s real perspective on their lives and situations. – It opens people’s eyes to God’s love and care. – It equips believers to fight the fight of faith and delivers them from the wiles of the enemy. – It reminds believers of their identity and purpose, and all that God has provided for them in Christ. 3. Prophecy can include a word of knowledge/word of wisdom. A word of knowledge on its own can be positive or negative. For example, a word of knowledge about a person who is suffering from particular physical symptoms can encourage faith to receive healing. This is positive. On the other hand, a word of knowledge about a person or situation which reveals the problem can appear negative at first. When this happens hold it and wait for word of wisdom/prophecy to come. This is God’s answer to the problem and should be positive and encouraging. 4. It is not always right to prophesy. – If you know about a situation in the natural it is unwise to prophesy. – It is dangerous to continually bring the same word to the same person. Let others confirm God’s word to them. – Do NOT prophesy correction, direction, warning, or about marriages, babies, or serious illnesses. If you believe God has revealed something to you pray into it and inform leaders (Cliff Richard to get married?) – If God reveals something in a counselling situation it is not always wise to prophesy, but better to ask questions based upon what God has revealed to you. 5. How do I recognise God’s voice? Prophecy comes from within us and not from ‘somewhere out there’. Thought, Impression, Words, Picture, Dream, Vision, or Voice. 6. How do I activate the prophetic gift? Begin to ask God who He wants you to pray for and to give you something to encourage them. In a meeting, or in the company of people, have the desire to prophesy, be expectant, stir up the gift within you, pray in tongues – ask Father for ‘prophecy’. If we are expectant for God to use us, we may receive a ‘thought’ or a ‘picture’, or we may see a ‘word’ over a particular person. Sometimes God’s voice can be ‘very faint’ and we can miss it if we’re not paying attention. When we believe we have received something from God, we then need the wisdom of God to know what this means, and if, when, and how, to speak out. 7. When do I speak out? Hold it and pray? Ask - ‘What does this mean?’ - and - ‘What do I do with it?’ (‘Is this word for me/others?’ ‘Is this word for prayer/prophecy?’ ‘Is this word for now/later?’) Occasionally God will give you something without revealing the meaning, and just tell you to share it with a particular person, because it will be meaningful to them. Sometimes you will have to ‘capture the first thought’ and just run with it, by faith. If you are in a meeting and are still unsure check with the leader of the meeting? God will show you what He wants you to do in one way or another, 8. How do I speak out? Lovingly and clearly and in the right spirit. Guard against being harsh and judgemental. Remember prophecy is to edify, encourage, and comfort – not to knock down or condemn. Also, it is better to say ‘I believe God is saying …’ than ‘Thus says the Lord…’ because people are then free to judge the prophetic word. If we say ‘Thus says the Lord’ how can people argue with God? 9. Our model is New Testament prophecy – not Old Testament prophets. As New Testament believers our model must be to ‘pursue love, and to encourage and build up’. We are not called to model ourselves upon some of the Old Testament prophets and ‘thunder forth’ words of correction or judgement from the Lord!! 10. What about words of correction, direction, or warning? As a general rule words of correction, direction, or warning, for an individual or church, would only be given to those with a ‘maturing prophetic ministry’ and should always be submitted to the local church leaders and not brought publicly. This builds in accountability. When people know this framework is in place it makes them feel safe and secure, because they then know that when this kind of prophetic word is spoken it has already been tested by the leaders. Also, as a rule of thumb, it is ok to give general words of encouragement to a person on a ‘one to one basis’. But words of correction, direction, or warning, as well as needing to be checked and confirmed by leaders, should only be given to an individual with a third person present as witness. 11.All personal prophecy is partial, progressive, and conditional. All personal prophecy is partial (it is incomplete with a mixture of the flesh), progressive (it is always unfolding), and conditional (it depends upon our response and obedience to the prophetic word. 12. How do I test and weigh prophecy? All prophecy must be tested and weighed. What God is saying will never contradict scripture, and will be Christ honouring because “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10). We also need to test the attitude and spirit of the person bringing the prophetic word. Whatever is said can have three origins – it can be human, demonic, or of God. Love does not insist on its own way (1 Cor 13:5 Amp) – therefore a person bringing a prophecy should believe they have heard God and speak out by faith – but not insist that they are right. Remember also that “we prophesy in part” (1 Cor 13:9) so prophecy will be incomplete, and there will be a human element to our prophesying which will need to be sifted. If you are still unsure check with your house group leader or someone else in a leadership position. 13. Revelation, interpretation, application, and timing. When we receive a prophetic word it needs all four of the above. In one sense receiving the revelation is the easy part. The more difficult part is to get the right interpretation, application, and timing. Because if we get these wrong it could result in true prophecy from God being rejected as false prophecy. This is because a wrong interpretation can lead to a wrong application, and wrong timing. Negative fruit could be the result. Therefore, it is always wise to receive insight from others, particularly from leaders. It is unwise to share prophetic words with ‘friends’ to get ‘their opinion’. PROPHETIC ACTIVATION What exactly is ‘prophetic activation’? Prophetic activation is where we activate the gift of prophecy, by making the choice to prophesy, regardless of how we feel. We say ‘Yes’ to God, and by doing this we open the tap for prophecy to flow from within us. We don’t have to feel anything, get goose bumps, or stir up our flesh. All we have to do is make the choice, listen for God’s word, and begin to prophesy by faith. WRITING THE THOUGHTS OF GOD (Slide 3 + Slide 4) The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate that we can hear the voice of the Lord with confidence, and to have the opportunity to experience this for ourselves. 1) Take out your pen and paper and relax. When we begin like this and listen, paying attention to whatever comes to our spirits, the words will generally begin to come to mind. Don’t try to scrutinize the words during the time of listening, just write what comes to your spirit, and judge the content later when the Lord has finished speaking. Give Him your full attention and ignore the distractions around you. 2) Pray. “Father, thank You that I am Your son/daughter, and You have said for us to come boldly to Your throne of grace and make our requests known to You. Therefore, I am asking You to speak to me now and share some of the thoughts You have towards me. I am going to believe You for this, and write what I hear You say to me. In Jesus name. Amen.” 3) Be silent and listen. Take a minute or so and just meditate on the Lord. Focus on Him, see Him in your mind, know He is thinking of you right now, and wants to share with you what He is thinking. 4) Begin to write. Start with “Lord, I believe You are saying to me…….”. Place no limitations on what you write, just let your pen flow with what you hear. Just write what comes to mind and wait for more. 5) Do this exercise regularly. Take this process into your quiet time with the Lord and watch your devotional life really come alive, as your time with Him becomes a two-way conversation. PROPHECY (Slide 5) Prophecy is very similar to writing the thoughts of God. It is simply the Holy Spirit giving us thoughts and information in our spirit for another person. The main difference is, that in prophecy we speak it out. Again, the procedure is as above. 1) Father’s presence. Ask person’s name and give them yours. Encourage them to relax, and bring them into Father’s presence. Believe the Holy Spirit wants to speak through you to encourage and bless. 2) Be Silent – Look, Listen, and Feel. Relax and expect to enjoy yourself. Go silent for 45-60 seconds to ‘tune in’. During this time begin to ‘look’, ‘listen’, and ‘feel’ what God is saying. Look to ‘draw out the gold’. 3) Prophesy. Prophesy to the person what you believe you have received from God. Get feedback to test the accuracy of the prophecy. 4) After prophesying. Pray for God to seal what was from Him in the person’s heart, and for anything not from Him to fall away. FINALLY (Slide 6) • Father God loves us – is in a good mood – and wants intimacy with us • Showing our love for God includes living righteously and obeying His word • From that place of intimacy, obedience, and living righteously before God, we are in a good place to hear His voice, and ‘swim in the supernatural’, both individually and corporately, as the body of Christ Sat, 29 Mar 2014 21:42:16 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/154 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/154 No Podcast 00:46:14 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/153 Sat, 29 Mar 2014 19:03:23 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/153 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/153 No Podcast 01:03:10 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/152 Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:47:27 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/152 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/152 No Podcast 00:43:08 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/151 Hey Church... I just want to spend the next couple of hours stating the case for intimacy. Tomorrow you will hear some teaching on how, and you will hear some encouragement on our response to the call to intimacy, but I want to outline to you briefly why this Father wants an intimate relationship with you. I may cover some things you will hear tomorrow, but that's ok. We sometimes need to hear things repeated to allow them to seep in. A definition of intimacy is 'close familiarity or friendship'. It is that place where two people share a closeness that allows for vulnerability and knows no shame. When I was young... Lady in the cafe with the toddler... Intimacy is born either out of desire or necessity... Hazel and toothbrush... I want to show you that intimacy with Christ is both desirable and required. God wants you to know Him. And tonight we begin a shift, as a church in this town and for this town, from knowing about him to knowing him. A church that knows about him will produce religion. 'I know Jesus did this so I will do it'. That can produce some amazing good works but our intellect is exalted and Jesus JUST becomes an example. But when you know Jesus we will produce Kingdom and He will be exalted. I wasn't to show you that intimacy is not just a preserve of the full time minister who needs to hear words, or for those who have time. I want to show you that it is the basis of ALL we receive from heaven. Turn with me to 1 John 1:1 'That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life'. Here we see John describing an increasing level of intimacy. We hear something, like on the radio; you add vision to that it increases and intensifies the experience; then there is a difference between seeing and looking; finally our hands have handled. John did not just know Jesus. He handled him. Knowing God can be reduced to an intellectual concept. He can only be known through what we read in the book. We need the book, but a book cannot contain God. Even the heavens cannot. God is to be handled, and wants to handle. Every revelation from His Word should lead to an encounter with Jesus and exalt Him. Anything else produces pride, self, religion. He is a Father who longs for intimacy. I know this because I am a father and I love intimacy with my children. In my 19 years as a parent I have had to shout at my children at times, to discipline them. Bohr I have not enjoyed that. What I have enjoyed is wrestling on the bed with them, and tickling them until they begged me to stop or else they are gonna wet themselves! To you have a concept of an Abba, a papa, who wants to treat you so uproariously, so tenderly, so intimately, that he would want to pin you down and tickle you? That's too irreverent Dave. Listen, God has many concepts and there are times for awe and times for repentance but I am made in His image and nothing pleases me than seeing my kids laughing and full of joy. So why not my father. And look at this John, the one who handled Jesus, in John 13:21-23: 'When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.' John, lying at the table for dinner as they did in those days, had his head between Jesus' arms with his head on his chest. Is that irreverent? This is God himself, the creator, the one who spoke galaxies into existence, allowing a mere creates being to recline on His bosom. Now to most guys here, this is slightly creepy. But it shows us the level of intimacy allowed, how close we are permitted to get. That innocence and purity that allowed me to prod my mother inappropriately, with no shame and full access, is available to you and I today. He is not a remote entity which just requires studying: He is a personal Abba who longs to connect. Really quickly, what did this intimacy produce? What did it produce in and from John? What kind of man did he become? Why was it so desired and so necessary? What was the payback of such a relationship and what can it bring today for us today? This John is the most prolific NT writer of all those who walked with Jesus through his earthly ministry, writing a Gospel, three letters and the final book. His Intimacy had great affect. Here are four reasons you will want to be intimate with God: 1. Intimacy means you know Christ. There is a real desire to know Christ and to study him. You can buy books that explain Him, and you can watch and listen to discussions about Him. We can debate about predestination, creation, pre, post or a-millenniumism... When you read Johns writings, it is simple, plain, straightforward. The Greek us simple and uncomplicated, and he uses simple contrasts: light and dark, day and night, up and down. He speaks in a way that is clear and without room for negotiation. And that is not popular today. Look at 1 John. Short, simple, staccato statements of fact. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Any ambiguity? Is he arrogant and dogmatic? No, it is simply that he speaks from a place of intimacy because he has heard, seen, looked at and handled Jesus Christ. You can not live off other peoples convictions. Thank God for them, but I need to know Him, and in knowing Him all my doubts are scattered. Joe and evolution... 2. Intimacy means you know His love I have, after being a Christian for over 30 years, at least realised that his love for me is more important than my love for him. The quality of his love is more important than the quality of mine. He is my high priest and he is perfect in love. The closer you get to Christ, the more you will know His greatest power and His greatest motivator - Love. John majored on His love because he had learned it leaning on the breast of Jesus, and he saw it at Calvary. He penned these great words in 1 John 4: 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. John was the most secure person in the love of God. He was the disciple who Jesus loved, and he gave himself the title... Many of us are striving to earn our way to his breast so we can receive his love. His arms are open, whatever your state, to come and receive that love. It has been won for you. You are the disciple whom Jesus loved. 3. Intimacy means you can love Him John had no problem with how he loved, and how we should love God. 1 John 5: '3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.' Worship is not just about singing, loving God is not just about serving. Loving God encompasses doing what he says and walking in his light. For years I strove to try and live right. Then I started believing right, and believing in his grace to enable me to walk free from sin. It is not my goodness that grants me access to intimacy: it is his intimacy which enables me to live free from sin. John was clear: there is a right and wrong. No fudgy, flakey doctrine of sloppy grace for John.his law still stands. What has changed is that there is now a place of intimacy where grace transfers kingdom power to live at the highest level of purity. And it comes from Him. You cannot control your flesh. It cannot be corralled. You can try but you end up in the perpetual state described in Romans 7. You will win some and looses some and life will be a religious attempt to make yourself better. This is the law. But John, who handled Jesus, says that I can obey Gods commands and they are not burdensome. The more intimate with Jesus we become, the more we will want to, not have to, say no to sin. I love my wife and it is not hard to not do things that she does not like. She does not like pilchards so I will not add them to her cornflakes! Gods motivation is love. Bt it is more than that. This is grace, the delivery system of the Kingdom, which transfers power from the other dimension in to our hearts so we overcome the world. The only way to deal with the flesh is to kill it. You spend time in Jesus' presence you will literally have no need for sin. It will become like a third shoe. Romans 6: '6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[fn] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.' We all fall from time to time, but my practice is to say, with no fear of condemnation or guilt, 'that is not me. I am declared righteous and that is not who I am'. And sin falls away. Holiness is a fruit of intimacy not a route to intimacy. The more we see,the more we love him, the more we will do what he says. 4. Intimacy is the source of true Revelation I am sure most people here want to receive from God to share with him others. We all want to hear what God is saying. How do we do this? More study, more work? I am sure John was studious and disciplined, but this disciple whom Jesus loved, this man who handled the Messiah, who lent on His breast, was trusted with what many would argue was the most famous, amazing revelation in all scripture. He saw our future; he saw events he could not fully understand but which are being played out before our eyes. It was The Revelation of Jesus, carrying messages to global and regional churches and mapped the next millennia's of history. It started next to the heartbeat of the Saviour. What kind of church do we want to be for this world. We owe the world a church that knows its God and demonstrates its God. We owe the world a church that has not studied God and can explain Him, but a Church that experiences God and can demonstrate him. A church that goes from our physical, four dimensional home and dwells in that multi-dimensional world of His Kingdom and brings back the grace and power to invade and displace the kingdoms of this world. His arms are open this evening for you to 'know' Him. God does not want a business relationship with you. He wants a love relationship. He wants to make you glow with His goodness, like Moses did, so that what we share with the world is not based on others experience and testimonies, but on our encounters where we went to share Him, not have to share Him. Better a single day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. This is why the most uneducated spiritually can possess the greatest power. God, and the intimacy of his presence, produces power. Our ability, our wisdom, adds nothing. Indeed learning can reduce this power because it draws attention to me. Is your faith plagued by questions - intimacy with God will answer those. Are you unsure of Gods love for you - intimacy with God will show you. Are you frustrated by your love for God - intimacy with God will produce that Are you longing for new things in Him, new revelation - get intimate with Jesus today. Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:06:32 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/151 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/151 No Podcast 00:33:19 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/150 Intimacy with God Conference Session1 Adam Eakins Sat, 29 Mar 2014 17:46:55 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/150 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/150 No Podcast 00:19:02 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/105 Local Houses of Prayer - Session 3 - Roy Godwin June 22 2013 at KLC Northampton Sat, 22 Jun 2013 16:54:23 +0100 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/105 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/105 No Podcast 01:02:43 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/104 Local Houses of Prayer Session 2 - Roy Godwin June 22 2013 at KLC Northampton Sat, 22 Jun 2013 16:48:11 +0100 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/104 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/104 No Podcast 01:12:55 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/100 Local Houses of Prayer - Session1 - Roy Godwin June 22 2013 at KLC Northampton Sat, 22 Jun 2013 13:53:29 +0100 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/100 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/100 No Podcast 01:44:10 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/84 THE ROAD TO FREEDOM AND HEALING FOR THE HARVEST INTRODUCTION Personal Testimony – father/step father/drink/occult/searching We’re all on a journey to wholeness, and there’s none of us there yet! But, if we are to achieve lasting breakthroughs from the wounds and hurts in our lives we must take responsibility for our lives We need to move from being ‘victims’ to being ‘victors’. Suffering can make us ‘bitter’ or ‘better’. Victors choose to become ‘better’ – victims choose to become ‘bitter’. To maintain lasting breakthroughs we need to live a lifestyle of FAITH and FORGIVENESS and know how to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS FAITH (Mark 11v22-24) Living a life of faith keeps us at the VICTOR end of the spectrum. Definitions of Faith: “NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11v1) “Faith hears the inaudible, sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible” Have faith in God What is your image of God? A big policeman in the sky? – OR – A loving Father? How big is your God? The same size as you? – OR – The Sovereign Lord God Almighty? Have faith in God’s Word We cannot separate God from His Word. God and His Word are one. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1v1) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom 10v17) Exercise your faith Faith contains three ingredients: (1) Believing in our heart (2) Confessing with our lips (3) Corresponding actions (doing what we couldn’t do before) Faith is like a muscle, it needs exercising Speak to the mountain (by faith). This speaks of anything in our lives which is a problem or obstacle, and blocks our vision of the future Receive the answer to your prayer (by faith) (Mark 11v24 “received”) Thanks Father you now have the answer (by faith) Where appropriate ‘act accordingly’ (by faith) FORGIVENESS (Mark 11v25-26) Forgiveness is the most important thing we can do, if we want to remove the blockages that prevent the Father’s love from filling our hearts, and overflowing to others What forgiveness is not It is not saying that the other person was right It is not saying that what the other person did doesn’t matter It does not mean you have to restart a relationship with that person It does not mean that you automatically trust someone again and allow them back into your life to hurt you again What forgiveness is It is renouncing retaliation, giving up the right to hit back It is tearing up your IOUs, what you feel people owe you It is giving a gift that people don’t deserve It is speaking a blessing over the other person’s life We forgive by faith not feelings If we want Father God to heal and restore our souls then we need to exercise our faith and release forgiveness to others Who do you need to forgive? Don’t forget to forgive yourself! Choose forgiveness as your lifestyle! Max Lucado – “Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free – and then realising that you were the prisoner” Personal Testimony – ‘Field of Dreams’ DEMOLISHING THE ORPHAN STRONGHOLD (2 Cor 10v4-5) What is a spiritual stronghold? A spiritual stronghold is any wrong way of thinking that the enemy uses to exert control over a person, a family, a community, and even a nation The enemy wants believers to think like orphans and not sons and daughters:- Orphans Sons/Daughters (PowerPoint) Insecure Secure Guarded Open Mistrustful Trusting Rebellious Submissive Resentful Forgiving Controlling Releasing Self-Rejecting Self-Accepting Ashamed Significant Despairing Hopeful What is the orphan stronghold? (PowerPoint) The orphan stronghold is a mindset based on the following lies:- • I’m all alone • No one cares about me • I can trust no one • I have to go it alone • I’m not worth loving • My value is in what I do • I have no real purpose Believers can be held captive by these ungodly beliefs to the extent that they claim to be children of God on a Sunday – but live like orphans on a Monday – and throughout the rest of the week Where do these lies come from? Lies come from Satan, who is the original orphan and is also the father of lies (John 8v44). The original orphan tries to keep us in an orphan state by lying to us How do these lies enter? When we are wounded, or have a negative experience, we can start to believe lies - and these lies can affect our behaviour and lead to negative expectations about our future For example, what was the lie, or lies, you started to believe when you were wounded by your father and/or mother? Remember, Satan, the original orphan wants us to think like orphans – and not like royal sons and daughters How do we demolish the orphan stronghold? (1) Through an encounter with the Father’s love “There is no fear in love. Perfect loves casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4v18) Logic cannot displace our pain – only love can Only a positive experience can displace a negative experience. This experience may be instant or gradual or come by revelation (2) Through believing and confessing the truth of God’s Word “…and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make your free” (John 8v32) Write the lie down on a piece of paper. This makes it blunt and clear. Write down the truth on another piece of paper. Now throw away your first piece of paper – and renounce and break off the lie – in Jesus name Then speak the truth of God’s Word into your life for the next 30 days, so that it becomes part of you Summary of steps to demolish the orphan stronghold (PowerPoint) No 1: Confess the orphan stronghold in your life No 2: Pray for the healing of the root wound No 3: Forgive those who have hurt you No 4: Renounce the lies and ungodly beliefs No 5: Exercise your spiritual authority No 6; Ask for an experience of the Father’s love (instant/gradual?) No 7: Continually confess the truth of God’s Word in your life Satan’s Lies Father’s Truth (PowerPoint) I am worthless I am Father God’s royal child I am a mistake I am created by Father God I am an accident I am here by appointment I am ugly I am Father God’s work of art I am hopeless I am hopeful in God’s future for me I am shameful I am precious and honoured I am all alone I am never abandoned by God I am without purpose I am here on Father God’s mission So what is Father God’s mission? FATHER GOD’S MISSION Jesus said “I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2v49) What did Jesus do when He walked upon the earth? “…He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil…” (Acts 10v38) As God’s sons and daughters we need to get involved in ‘The Family Business’ Therefore, our personal healing isn’t the end result. We are healed by Father God’s love, so that we in turn can share His love and bring healing to others, because this is ‘The Family Business’!!! In other words, WE ARE HEALED FOR THE HARVEST! We also have a particular responsibility here in Northamptonshire to respond to the prophetic words about the Elijah anointing. This is the particular branch of ‘The Family Business’ that we are to get involved in! Here in the Northampton Branch we are to share the Father’s love with others “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and children to their fathers” (Mal 4v5-6) - pursue love and unity as led by the Holy Spirit - stand up for truth and righteousness - and look to demonstrate the supernatural provision and power of the Kingdom of God – amongst other things FINALLY (PowerPoint) Some final confessions:- “God loves me and accepts me – I love and accept myself” “God likes me – I like myself” And remember, there are many unplanned pregnancies – but there are NO unplanned adoptions! We were INDIVIDUALLY CHOSEN by God to become part of His family – what amazing grace and love! Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:08:18 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/84 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/84 No Podcast 00:55:54 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/54 FOLLOW UP TO ELIJAH PROPHECY By David Devenish & David Carr (1 Kings 17,18,19 & 2 Kings 1, 2) David Devenish Elijah Was Afraid And Ran For His Life • Not exactly a victorious message • This is the reality of a massive anointing on frail human flesh • Elijah was a man just like us (James 5v17) • Therefore if you have frail human flesh you qualify for God’s anointing The Jezebel Spirit • This is a powerful spirit which can move through men as well as women • It will particularly attack those in authority and/or those who carry genuine prophetic anointing • This spirit will try to dominate, manipulate, and control (witchcraft) • Allowing this spirit to operate can lead to sexual immorality, deception, and depression. It can make you feel like crawling into a corner and giving up • Very often this spirit will get angry when crossed or confronted • We need to keep our guard up against this spirit in the church, and be aware that any sexual immorality is a door through which this spirit will enter Elijah Felt Weak And Lay Down • God knew that Elijah needed a rest. It’s ok in ministry to have a rest • God sent an angel to refresh and provide sustenance for Elijah and God will refresh and provide sustenance for us. • Part of this is to rest in, and receive, the imparted grace of God. We need to become good receivers of His grace Elijah Was A Loner • Sometimes breakthroughs require loners, but God’s long term purpose is not for loners, but for His church to break through • This is the purpose for God’s church in Northampton. We are called to be forerunners. Other places will have others purposes under God • Revivals are when the kingdom of God makes its greatest advances • Revivals are spurs to our faith, but don’t set precedents on how God will work • We need to discover how God wants to work in each revival season and listen for His voice • Very often God’s voice isn’t found in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the still small voice • God will be whispering to those who are listening, and telling them what He is doing to do in this next revival season • God told Elijah to go and anoint Elisha, who was the next generation, because this anointing isn’t just for one man or one generation, but for all those who will receive and embrace it • God’s purpose is for His whole church and every generation to flow together in Him, and for this mighty river to reach out into a needy world David Carr Elijah Suddenly Arrived • Where did Elijah come from? How did he get in and out of the palace? • Elijah may have suddenly arrived on the public scene but he must have been thoroughly prepared by God in secret • The bible doesn’t dwell on Elijah’s past, and we shouldn’t dwell on our past either • Our past will never get us into our future. In fact if we dwell on our past it can prevent us coming into our future • We must draw a line under our past Victory And Provision • Victories can become dangerous times, because when we are winning it is easy to become less reliant on God • God only takes us into the wilderness by His Spirit to prepare us for something better • When we look to God as our source of supply He can even use ravens to feed us, therefore we are not limited by poverty in the world • Have we lost the victory we previously had? Transfer Of Anointing • God does not use inactive people. Prove Him in the natural, and He will use you in the spiritual • We must produce people from the pews who are as good as we would expect from the pulpit • Ever had an argument with God and He hasn’t spoken? BUT His presence has revealed who He is – who I am – and what I should be • If it doesn’t cost us we will never move in the anointing • We need to be forming a character which can contain the anointing • This anointing must be transferred to the body – there must be widespread connections – Leaders must make this happen. If the relationships and anointing are only within leadership this will not work Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, And Jordan • Gilgal is the place of circumcision. Churches at this time, not just leaders, must get rid of all fleshliness and past history • Bethel is the house of God. What condition are our homes in? Bethel must be a place that people want to come. We must get churches ready to absorb those coming in • Jericho is the place of reproach. Are we ready to accept our failures? Are we prepared to accept that we cannot solve every problem? We cannot do it all, but the next generation can achieve what we can not do • Jordan is a place of separation. ‘If you see me you will get the anointing’. We must keep our eyes on the past anointing, the anointing of our fathers, and, know how to use the present anointing, to be able to use the future anointing – when the old and new come together • It is easy to change from ‘bad to good’, but it is much harder to change from ‘good to better’ Summary How are we on all of the above? Are we willing to leave our past behind us? Are we willing to pay the cost, to get our homes and our churches right? This is not a time for loners, but for whole churches, and every generation to get involved. Are we willing for hard work and sacrifice? Will we take time to listen for the still small voice? We need to lay a platform for the next generation, but the next generation needs to be prepared to wash hands and clean shoes. Transformation doesn’t just happen, but needs working at. God’s grace is sufficient for all He has called us to do! Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:18:50 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/54 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/54 No Podcast 01:35:29 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/80 Session 1 - Adam Eakins Father’s Heart Conference Session One – A Fresh Revelation of the Father’s Love Fatherless Culture in the UK • 15% of babies are born without a resident biological father • 7% have no fathers on the birth certificate Children who grow up without a father present are  75% more likely to fail at school  70% more likely to be drug addicts  50% more likely to develop alcohol problems  40% more likely to be in serious debt  33% more likely to experience unemployment  70% of young offenders come from fatherless households  85% of male prisoners have no connection with their fathers. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Gal 4:4-6 • Absent Father __________________________________________ • Apathetic Father ________________________________________ • Addicted Father _________________________________________ • Achievement-driven Father ________________________________ • Authoritarian Father _____________________________________ • Abdicating Father ________________________________________ • Abusive Father __________________________________________ The effect of men and women can be different. They can include Effect on Women  Unsure about femininity and self-worth  Doubts over attractiveness and value  Confused about identity  Act out in inappropriate and harmful ways  Look for a daddy figure in men  Can be suspicious of men Effect on Men  Underdeveloped sense of masculinity  Not sure how to relate to woman  Confused about identity  Fall into performance achievement – work, money, position, sporting prowess and fame  Violence and gangs  End up with frozen feelings  Or feel too much so numb the pain with alcohol, food or drugs or behave in a way to avoid the pain – sex, work or/and violence However, a good dad  Values fatherhood  Displays affections  Get involved  Provides security  Sets an example  Gives affirmation  Shares wisdom  Establish boundaries  Releases hope  Leaves a legacy John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 2 Cor 6:18 I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. John 14:8 Philip said, Lord shows us the Father and that will be enough for us. The deepest desire of our hearts is for union with God. From the first moment of our existence our most powerful yearning is to fulfil the original purpose of our lives – ‘to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, following Him more nearly’. We are made for God and nothing less will really satisfy us. Brennan Manning The Father Sees ______________________________________________________ Feels ______________________________________________________ Runs ______________________________________________________ Embraces __________________________________________________ Kisses _____________________________________________________ What did the Father give him? ROBE ______________________________________________________ RING ______________________________________________________ SHOES _____________________________________________________ FATHER WOUND INVENTORY Put an X on the lines below, If your X lies nearer the wound end of these lines, then acknowledge that you have been unjustly denied a father’s love in these areas. If your X lies nearer the blessing end of the spectrum, then give thanks for your father’s gift to you in this area. Wound MY FATHER Blessing Absent in my life Present in my life Detached and disinterested Emotionally engaged with me Abandoned me Stuck with me Addicted/compulsive Self-controlled/sober A strict disciplinarian Loving in the use of discipline Critical/demanding o f me Accepting/affirming of me Encouraged me to earn love Loved me for who I was Left it to others to look after me Looked after me personally Didn’t keep his promises to me Always kept his promises to me Abusive/harsh with me Kind to me Shamed me Honoured me Left me bad example as a legacy Left me a good example as a legacy Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:55:39 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/80 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/80 No Podcast 01:05:59 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/81 Dave Weston - Session 2 The Orphan Heart Condition Symptoms of Pain and Interpreting the signs God calls us into perfect and loving relationship with Him as a father. We live in the new covenant of Grace, with a Father on the walls not waiting for us to come home and beat us, but to welcome us. But when our view of father is warped by our own experience of parent’s, or simply from being disconnected to the perfect heavenly father, our lives can be troubled and we are left with an orphan heart, with little expectation of good or blessing. Our experiences cause various signs and symptoms to be felt and manifested. My father was a good father, loving in the best way he knew how, yet a warped view of the Father heart of God can still be conditioned by applying earthly parenting to Godly parenting. One memory I have of my childhood is sitting in the evening meeting at church with my mum and Joy my sister whilst my dad was on the platform preaching, and Joy would get me into trouble by messing around! My mother in her exasperation would utter the dread words: ‘wait till we get home!’ The rest of the service, which seemed to drag on for hours, was torture as I awaited my fate. The walk or drive home was conducted in silence on my part as I awaited my punishment. And the hardest part of all would actually be the fact that my mum would sometime remember I had been bad, and sometimes not. If I knew I was gonna get slapped it would have made it a whole lot easier. But there was this big unknown. But my usual way to deal with it would be to be as unnoticed as possible, and sneak upstairs to the bathroom and sit it out in silence. After about 20 minutes, it felt safe to go downstairs. But, sometimes, I would hear the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and hear the words ‘David! David, where are you?’… I tell you this story not because this incident scarred me. He disciplined me as He saw best and he was probably right. But I share this by way of illustration because it produced in me certain symptoms and signs. And an Orphan Heart, a heart with a view of our Heavenly Father warped by wounds be it from mothers or fathers or whatever, will find that they carry symptoms and signs which may stay hidden, but are known to you and when the pressure comes on they come to the surface. For me, this episode evoked within me symptoms of fear and dread and uncertainty. Symptoms are feelings or attitudes you carry within you which indicate to you something is wrong. The sign this produced in me was that I hid myself away. The sign is the result, or the output or outworking, behavioural patterns produced by the internal symptom. Now the wounds we carry which damage our view of God our Father have the power to impact every area of our life, and take truth and turn it into hurt. For example: See God as Master IMAGE OF GOD See God as a loving Father Live by the Love of Law THEOLOGY Live by the Law of Love Insecure/Lack Peace SECURITY Rest and Peace Strive for the praise, approval and acceptance of man NEED FOR APPROVAL Totally accepted in God’s love and justified by grace “Must” be holy to have God’s favour, increasing a sense of shame and guilt MOTIVE FOR PURITY “Want to” be holy; nothing to hinder intimate relationship with God Self-rejection from comparing yourself to others SELF-IMAGE Positive and affirmed because you know you have such value to God Competition, rivalry and jealousy toward others’ success and position PEER RELATIONSHIPS Humility and unity as you value others and are able to rejoice in their blessings and success See authority as a source of pain; distrustful toward them and lack a heart attitude of submission VIEW OF AUTHORITY Respectful, honouring; you see them as ministers of God for good in your life Fight for what you can get! FUTURE Sonship releases your inheritance! The wounds or blessings of Fathers go towards creating our view of God. And this list we see here, along with a few obvious symptoms and signs I am going to show you now, help us to recognise the Orphan Heart condition. Now church, I have a thing about hanging around the streets of Negativity City looking for problems! It is possible I think to jump on negative things and try to make them fit into our lives, almost looking for trouble and engaging in personal witch hunts! So remember this has purpose: the goal is healing and health, and we refuse condemnation! Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your heart what He wants to show you, because it is only revelation that will change us. Otherwise we can wallow in self and failure. I am going to give you some symptoms, internal feelings which can demonstrate am orphan heart, disconnected from the true love of the Father. Ask yourself if you recognise any of these in yourself. And I will highlight a couple of them…   Symptoms of an Orphan Heart  Abandonment: feelings of being left alone or deserted. Can come from temporary acts of abandonment – dropping off at nursery, etc., or the wound caused when a parent leaves permanently. Can leave a sense of being utterly forsaken, producing low self-esteem  Rejection: This can be an act or a state of being. Can be produced actively (e.g. bullying) or passively (by neglect or silence). Deliberate exclusion can result in isolation and pain. The act of rejection generally intends to harm and leaves a sense of little or no worth in the one rejected.  Loneliness: This is not simply the condition of being on your own: it is having no one to share your heart with or share intimacy with. Those who have suffered relationship breakdowns with their father can feel dislocated, uprooted and isolated – an outcast  Hopelessness: A person separated from a fathers love can carry around with them a sense of despair, unable to think of themselves as having gifts, potential or a future. A good father is a cheer-leader and a dream-giver. Without this understanding the future is bleak  Worthlessness: Shame about who they are can radiate from the heart of an orphan. They carry little or no sense of honour. They do not hear a father saying how proud they are of them, or how beautiful they are. They easily believes lies about themselves and presume failure  Sadness: An outward comedic approach can mask a deep sadness. A void is filled with grief and upset which should be filled with the love of a father.  Insecurity: The absence of the reassuring and affirming love of a father can produce symptoms of profound insecurity. This person requires and lives off constant affirmation from those around them. They are unsure of their own identity as they have never accepted their true selves and find it hard to believe others would accept them.  Hypersensitivity: Twinned with insecurity, those unsure of their own identity can carry symptoms of hypersensitivity towards the words, actions and even gestures of others. It turns harmless signals into hurtful, spiteful attitudes against them. This can create a reclusive character who avoids contact or an obsessive character prone to fits of jealousy and envy  Fear: Having no positive father figure can mean an absence of security and safety right where you would expect it to be, bringing a constant state of fear regarding people and events  Poverty: A good father is a provider, and the absence of this can produce a poverty-mentality: never having enough or constantly hoarding away for the future. This in turn can generate a selfish attitude. Also, it can produce a life devoid of expectation, good and of blessing Signs of an Orphan Heart  Mistrust: Being unable to trust your father can result in a person unable to trust others, arising from a deep suspicion of the motives and purposes of others. This mistrust can stretch from people to organisations and institutions. Churches and church leaders included. This attitude often leads to that person being mistrusted by others  Hiding: A person battling an orphan heart can find it hard to show their true selves or feelings. However much they are hurting inside, they conceal their emotions. This can lead to a person saying nothing of meaning, even if they talk a great deal  Superficiality: Linked with hiding, some people never allow others to see below a very superficial level. They comment generally on life and focus on material things, or in Christian circles are happy to debate doctrine or practices. But they never delve very far below the surface for fear of exposing the hurt of a fatherless heart. Such people can form relationships not based on what they can give but on what they can get  Attachments/Addiction: Wounded people can become attached or addicted to objects because they mask pain, alter moods and takes our minds off reality. This can involve substance abuse but could incorporate such things as sex/relationships, shopping, materialism, danger, sport, computer games, gadgets, etc.  Manipulation: An orphan heart can be highly manipulative, seeking to gain personal advantage and control of others by underhand means. This is generally born of fear. Having been hurt before, there is deep fear of being hurt again and so such a person is eager to manipulate people and circumstances to protect themselves  Anger: An obvious sign, an orphan heart can be prone to regular bouts of anger and resentment. This can come for example from wounds of abandonment as they react in anger to their father and therefore to anyone else who causes them pain. Or from abusive behaviour carried out towards them which causes them in their anger to do the same to others  Independence: An orphan heart may seek to be free from control, oversight and guidance from other people. Disconnection from fathers in general society has produced viral independence: ’No one can tell me what to do’. Where the father has been absent there are a lack of boundaries and therefore a rejection of authority figures; a cruel or abusive father can produce an unwillingness to submit and a presumption that others seek simply to control them  Striving: An orphan heart is constantly working, never at rest, seeking to find solutions to all the symptoms and signs listed by their own effort and means. Some points from these above Symptoms:  Hopelessness. To be devoid of hope is a horrible place to be. You hear many people speak of their future with no expectation of good or of God. This is the great lie and deception caused by the orphan heart. It removes Gods greatest achievement, the cross, from our lives and reduces the Christian to the same plane as those in the world. Paul said in Ephesians 2:12 ‘That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.’ To live without hope is effectively to live without God and a revelation of His heart. It is a deception. So many Christians use language exactly the same as those in the world: well the economy is down so I guess we will struggle; there is a history of heart disease in my family so I will get that too; I’ll never amount to anything… We speak as if the cross never happened. Ask yourself and one another: what about the cross? An understanding of the Fathers Heart of love restores hope to its throne.  Poverty. A poverty mentality can rob individuals and the church of all the goodness of God. We have a fear of the word ‘prosperity’ but I am afraid you cannot escape it in the Word of God. He wants to prosper you. He wants to bless you. This is not just money of course, far more than that, but I believe it includes this provision. The lie that God wants to keep us humble through trouble and strife may be alive if you have a misunderstanding of the Fathers Heart of love. I want to bless my family! I want to provide for them. Would the God who put that in me not have it in His own heart? How much more then does God feel this way about us? You can work for and get reward from the world, and enjoy it. But it will come with strings. The best kind of prosperity is Gods. Proverbs 10:22 ‘The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.’ Signs:  Superficiality. A big problem, especially maybe for guys here. The macho propensity to say everything is ok, to deflect hard questions and deal only with ‘men’s’ stuff is legendary. We don’t like to face issues, whether it means opening up to our wives or the doctor! But this is so dangerous and unnecessary. Many pastors or leaders will recognize the experience of having met with people and spent an hour talking with them and realised you have learned nothing at all! We must understand that darkness is the devils domain. If he can keep things in darkness he will succeed. But when the light is exposed to it, the darkness has to flee away. It may be painful but it is more than worth it. James talked about confessing our trespasses to one another so we can be healed for this very reason. This is not talking about forgiveness but healing. Why confess it to one another? Because you expose it to the light. Those fears that keep you from addressing the deep issues of your heart can be healed today.  Striving. For me, this last issue is actually prevalent in all of us. The effort to achieve, to win, to be accepted, to perform, to earn respect and love, trying to measure up to fathers expectations, to find acceptance especially from God. This is the major sign we all experience and is actually the battle Paul describes between law & grace, and where I want to end today with sharing a bit of my testimony… ************************************************************************************* Paul Worth - Session 2 The Orphan Heart Intro: Session on the orphan heart – what is the orphan heart? What are the effects of an orphan heart? Wounded heart > wounded behaviour In a fatherless generation there is a deep and sorrowful cry; Lucien Lawrence: Dear Father Christmas, (p.69 I am Your Father- M Stibbe) Orphan Heart not Orphan Spirit > wound that needs healing not a spirit which can be cast out. Orphaned physically – orphan by degrees because of poor father All orphaned spiritually because of the fall 1 Imperfect Fathers No one has a perfect earthly father > we need to acknowledge and forgive where they failed us (whether deliberate or not) • Distant or Passive Father: rarely speaks his love or shows emotion toward you / feel rejected • The Authoritarian Father : over bearing and demanding – wants obedience not intimacy / feel worthless • The Absent Father: through death or divorce love and affirmation has not been communicated / feel abandoned • The Abusive Father: deliberately inflicting hurting you emotionally and or physically / destroys emotions • The Performance based Father: love is conditional based on achievement / driven • The Good Father: loved so well that we find there’s little need for a heavenly Father Combination of earthly fathers and spiritual orphan condition > wounds > negative feelings and behaviours rejection, shame, hyper sensitive, critical, perfectionism 2 An Orphaned Race We may have had great earthly fathers but we are all spiritual orphans Genesis 3:1-10, 22-24 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field… Two key ingredients of the orphan heart – separation and shame > covered themselves and hid Covered themselves > shame – negative feeling about who I am – a loss of identity Hid > separation – fear – loss of intimacy An orphan heart keeps us from intimacy with God – we hide (in Christian circles we put on the mask) God wants to restore identity and intimacy Little wonder that the revelation of Christ is a revelation of the Father God as Father mentioned 16 times in OT and 160+ in the Gospels alone! John 14:9-11 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. The Spirit of Adoption Intro: All of us suffer with orphan heart – what is the cure? The Spirit of adoption If we are going to be healed and restored then we need to receive the Spirit of adoption Capital S Spirit because this is part of the role of the Holy Spirit 1 Servants or Sons? Story of Prodigal Son > son returns to his father Luke 15:17-21 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants… Many of us stay as servants and orphans > we stop at the point of confession We don’t receive His embrace – His kiss 2 Adoption – Legally a son Eph 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, Amazing that God predestined us to adoption Don’t get caught in theological debate > important truth > God chose you despite your sin It was His good pleasure! > because He is a good Father > it was His desire, His plan, because He loves you! Paul writes with understanding of Roman adoption Childless couple adopt son of slave Lifted from slavery > Debts cancelled > heir to estate (puts us in credit!) New person > old person no longer exists Legally a son > legally free but are we actually free (like prison cell that we choose to live in even though its open) 3 Adoption – Living as a son Rom 8:14-15 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Free from fear – orphans live with fear > anxiety (what will become of me?) > fear of what others think > fear of being alone / abandoned / rejected – God wants to break off fear! God wants us to receive the Spirit of adoption > imparted to your spirit > know that you are accepted, loved, liked First fruits (v21) – the Spirit of adoption is just the beginning (explore your sonship) We are going to ask God for healing of Father wounds We are going to repent of orphan tendencies (and receive forgiveness) We are going to ask for the Spirit of adoption Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:03:51 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/81 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/81 No Podcast 01:04:10 https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/82 The ‘Mother’ Heart of God God is a Father and always considered male. Gen 1:26-27 ‘God said “let us make man in our own image, according to our likeness” – so God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female he created them’ If God made man and woman ‘In His image’, He must have feminine characteristics as well as masculine ones. God is fully complete – He is a father with paternal characteristics but has a mother heart with maternal characteristics too. When a mother’s love is missing A mother’s love is critical to the development of a child. Psalm 22:9 ‘You are he who took me out of the womb, you made me trust while on my mother’s breast. I was cast upon you from birth and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.’ The mother’s love imparts faith in the child to trust and to give and receive love. Is 66:13 ‘As a mother comforts her child so I will comfort you.’ Parental/family love = ‘storge’ love. Lack of ‘storge’ love, particularly from a mother, can lead to difficulties: • We will find it hard to give and receive love from others and from God. • We may fall for addictions • We may experience emotional problems • We may have a distorted view of femininity • We will often have issues with our identity We are God’s children, adopted into His family, made for love, created for intimacy, destined for greatness. We are powerful when we know who we are. Psalm 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Even if these forget you, I will not forget you – I have inscribed you on the palm of my hand.” God is a good Father and ‘mother’ to us. It is only in receiving the completeness of His love that we can be who we were made to be, regardless how perfect or how lacking our natural parentage has been. Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:38:35 +0000 Content https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/82 jellycast https://klc-word.jellycast.com/node/82 No Podcast 00:49:23