Following the Father – Like

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A few years ago while taking a group of high school students to Africa a group of them thought I needed to be on the social network Instagram, so I could stay updated with what was going on in their lives. Most of you know how it works, but just in case you don’t, the whole idea is to post a picture and message on Instagram and then it goes out to anyone who has this app and has requested to follow you. Through this communication you are able to peer into the lives of the people you follow, see where they have vacationed, people they hang with, and whatever interesting and sometimes crazy things they want to reveal. Once you “see it” you have the opportunity to tap a little red heart that indicates you “like it!”

Instagram is just one of the many ways social media keeps people connected or in some cases addicted :). We live in a society that spends hours a day looking down at their phone not wanting to lose touch with their social network of friends and certainly don’t want to miss out on any relevant posts, all this got me wondering what if God the Father had an Instagram to communicate His heart to us, how many of us would follow Him or like what He posted? I would hope He would have around 2 billion followers adding to it daily and at least a billion likes each post.

But in all reality He has given us something better to communicate His heart and that is His Son Jesus. The Bible says He is the very image of the invisible God:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being sustaining all things by His powerful word (Heb. 1:3).

Jesus is the Father’s Instagram post to communicate His heart of love to each of His followers. For the next several blogs I want to remind you how Abba Father communicates through Jesus to us and how Jesus shows us how to hear the Father’s voice. Those who pay attention to the voice of the Father as Jesus did will experience the Father’s Spirit, which leads to a glorious transformation.

As a pre-teen Jesus made knowing the Father His number 1 passion. In Luke 2:41ff we read about the 12 year old Jesus leaving his mom and Joseph to spend time at His Father’s house right after the Passover. In fact it took the family 3 days to find Jesus after they realized He wasn’t with them on the journey back home to Nazareth. You can imagine their anger and relief when they found Jesus at the temple. An upset Mary likely was quite upset as you can imagine but notice Jesus’ reply:

“Why were you searching for me?” He asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (vs. 49).

At an early age Jesus made hearing and knowing the Father His consuming passion. We too should adjust our hearing so that it begins with an all out search for the Father, a search that places all else secondary compared to finding and following the voice of the Father and claiming His heart for us. My prayer is that you will join me on this journey of Following the Father!

 

 

Following the Father’s Voice, Kirstein Interview

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I had the blessing of interviewing Lindiwe & Peter Kirstein back in June, the soon-to-be directors at Beautiful Gate Care Center in Lesotho Africa. Their story of following God’s voice to become directors is amazing. I pray that you will be inspired as well to follow the voice of Abba Father in your life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:39 — 36.0MB)

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“Dynamos of Praise”

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East Colfax is one of the darkest streets in the Denver area. The crime rate in this section is off the charts. It has long been a hang out for drug dealers, pimps, prostitutes, and those stifled with severe poverty living in dozens of run down motels. Last week my wife Patty and I joined a ministry called “Jesus on Colfax” led by a pastor friend Shawn Sikkema, we handed out food and offered prayers for any takers living in two motel complexes.

Together we ministered to addicts, wayward sons and daughters, those with mental illness, health issues, ex-prisoners, and others who for one reason or another found themselves calling a motel home. Jesus truly was on Colfax that night.

In the midst of this battlefield for the mind and soul was a powerful light found in room 15. John and Juanita lived in this unit for the past two months and as the door opened Juanita boldly uttered, “The LORD is Good!!!” Pastor Shawn warned us about this room, he told us that once we met this couple we would want to come back every Tuesday. He was spot on with this prediction, as a spirit of joy flowed out of Juanita fueled by a heart anchored in the worship of her Savior Jesus Christ.

John and Juanita are “unofficially ordained” as the pastors of their motel complex and are quick to offer loving prayers for the others, their prayers are filed with truth and compassion. We too were grateful to be recipients of their blessed words. Before our conversation ended Juanita broke out in praise that filled East Colfax with a fresh invasion of the light of King Jesus. As we departed room 15 with the joy of Jesus and some big hugs one of the residents a few rooms down shouted out, “You all are having much too fun!!” He couldn’t have said it better, in one of highest homicide areas in Denver we did “church” and it was a blast.

As we left we were reminded by Juanita what a gift praise is and the dynamos or explosive power, that flows from it to overcome the darkness and bring a “breakthrough” of Heaven’s Light. When we praise our Father no matter how dark our situation we flood the area around us with the dynamos of the Holy Spirit and His light will overtake the darkness for the glory of His Kingdom.

I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:1-3

What a challenge for each of us to call upon the Lord in prayer and praise!

 

 

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“Breakthrough”

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Hiking the 14,000-foot Mount Democrat meant that we must arrive early at the trailhead in order to beat the predictable afternoon thunderstorms. My son had planned this climb for sometime; he figured it was a great way to end the summer before everyone headed back to school, and a great motivator to keep his dad in shape. As adrenaline carried us up the first few miles we noticed the mountain beginning to disappear as a cloudbank rapidly rolled in. As we plodded upward people started to rush downward sharing that they heard thunder and we should get off the mountain ASAP! We looked at each other and determined to go a little further and than decide. As we made it to a place called the saddle the weather got worse and we discussed what to do next.

Earlier that morning while driving up we talked about an email I recently received from a friend who shared how God was bringing about breakthroughs in his life after a long season of dark clouds of suffering. Perhaps it was because of that conversation we located a small wooden shelter to huddle in for protection and waited for a breakthrough and hoped this was a good idea. While the cold whipping wind swirled around us I built a small prayer altar from nearby rocks. After about 20 minutes we noticed the clouds lifting and the mountain was in view again. As we meandered to the closest ledge a glorious rainbow broke forth which energized our souls. We had our breakthrough and continued the climb, when we reached the summit the view was glorious and any struggles with the hike were quickly forgotten.

While on that mountain God gave us a picture none of us will ever forget. Truth is all of us have faced spiritual storms filled with dark cold clouds where God’s presence seems to vanish. And yes the thought of turning around and finding a familiar shelter in our spiritual walk has happened on more than one occasion. One hiker, who made a U-turn down the mountain, said to us, “Time to turn around, get a beer, sit on the couch, and enjoy the Olympics.” But as you read Scripture time and again the spiritual mountain climbers who kept going in the midst of the darkness in time experienced seasons of powerful breakthroughs!

The greatest of all climbers was Jesus, He crawled His way up Mount Moriah climbed on a wooden cross and waited out the horrific storm trusting in His Father for a breakthrough. On the third day the ultimate breakthrough came as darkness fled from the glory of a resurrected Savior who became King! And He offers the same powerful breakthroughs to all who are willing to put their hope and trust in His promises in the midst of their own individual storms.

For some reason I have heard the word breakthrough numerous times over the last few months. I’m holding on in prayer that our Abba Father is about to break forth in a powerful way for His waiting children. His beloved children who have not turned back in the storm but are holding on in faith for a mighty breakthrough to shine the way up to the places He is calling us to climb and showing us a fresh revelation of His glory and grace. Keep holding on for the coming breakthrough!

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“When God Dances!”

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What makes God dance? Dependence! For a month a friend and I committed to study and through Luke 10. This is an amazing text that is foundational for the mission of God’s church, yet, often neglected. The first half of Luke 10 is about Jesus sending out 72 of His followers on a short- term mission trip. He gives them a set of instructions, which they follow and the glory of Heaven comes to earth through these disciples who are overcome with joy at what they experienced.

As Jesus takes time to debrief with them He too is overwhelmed by what had happened and responds in a prayer of praise to His Father:

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children, Yes Father, for this was your good pleasure.” (vs. 21)

The Greek word for “joy” in vs. 21 means to be exceedingly glad, over come with such joy that one breaks out jumping and dancing. This is the only place in scripture where we see Jesus “full of joy.” I’m sure there were time when Jesus laughed and experienced joy but I believe this text highlights for us what brings God the most joy, a joy that makes Him leap and dance. And as the text points out it is when the Father reveals His glory to “little children.” The word “little” means infants who live in total dependence on their parents.

I have been learning through this text and especially the last two years that the Father has been calling me to live as an infant resting on His chest in full dependence for everything in my life. When I lean into this truth I find the greatest of all joys in my Father’s love and provision for all my needs and I know this makes Him dance with exuberant joy over this trust.

My friend and I hiked up to a waterfall last week and pondered Luke 10 and the lessons that the Holy Spirit has been teaching us through it. We both agreed we are most full of God’s joy when we realize we are powerless and totally dependent on Him for everything. This is when we begin to experience Jesus‘ dance of joy over us and the fullness of His love flowing down in and through us like a mighty waterfall of His amazing grace.

I tell you the truth unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3).