FEED Validator

for Atom and RSS and KML

Congratulations!

This is a valid Atom 1.0 feed.

Recommendations

This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

line 1, column 0: Use of unknown namespace: http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008 [help]
```
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blog ...
```
line 1, column 0: Unable to validate namespace: http://schemas.google.com/g/2005. See the Google Data specification at https://developers.google.com/gdata/docs/1.0/elements [help]
```
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blog ...
```

line 1, column 594: subtitle should not be blank [help]

... #39;s Blog</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://sch ...
                                             ^

line 1, column 865: Self reference doesn't match document location [help]

... eds/4817155889538702737/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text ...
                                             ^

line 1, column 8682: style attribute contains potentially dangerous content: max-width (1011 occurrences) [help]

... ;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</content><link rel='replies' ty ...
                                             ^

Source: http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737</id><updated>2024-05-05T21:07:44.648-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Blazing Fire Pastor's Blog</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default?start-index=26&max-results=25'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>579</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-7097398812883458389</id><published>2024-05-01T15:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-05-01T15:24:37.990-07:00</updated><title type='text'>RESTING IN THE PROMISE OF HIS LOVE - by Joel Pollard</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/c42a208d-3354-d630-f6da-a7a1379378ec.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;lucida sans unicode&quot;, &quot;lucida grande&quot;, sans-serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;I am forever grateful for all of the promises in God’s Word, especially Psalm 23. Verse 2 in the The Passion Translation reads like this: “He offers a resting place for me in luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.” The Greek word here for the love of God is ‘agape’ from the word, ago, meaning to lead like a shepherd guides his sheep and ‘pao’, meaning to rest, i.e. “he leads me besides still waters.” It is by the waters of reflection that our souls remember who we are. God’s rest is established upon his image and likeness which is redeemed in us, thus to encounter agape is to remember who we are.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: &quot;lucida sans unicode&quot;, &quot;lucida grande&quot;, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Down in verse 5, ‘he prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies’. I believe in this season that the Holy Spirit is showing us where he has prepared a table in so many seasons of our lives when we have felt surrounded on all sides. He is redeeming the time and restoring wholeness to those moments, showing the victory that we had in the midst of countless circumstances and the victory we continue to have in Jesus from our union with him.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: &quot;lucida sans unicode&quot;, &quot;lucida grande&quot;, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Regardless of how things seem, feel or appear, I want to encourage us to keep moving forward on the journey of letting our hearts lead us to the place that keeps setting us free and restoring us back to our inherent identity—the image and likeness of God, which is Love Himself.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: &quot;lucida sans unicode&quot;, &quot;lucida grande&quot;, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I want to leave you with this powerful promise that the Apostle Paul encourages, exhorts and proclaims in Ephesians 3:18-19 TPT: “Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!”</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: &quot;lucida sans unicode&quot;, &quot;lucida grande&quot;, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">With Love,<br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;">Joel</div><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/7097398812883458389/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/05/resting-in-promise-of-his-love-by-joel.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7097398812883458389'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7097398812883458389'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/05/resting-in-promise-of-his-love-by-joel.html' title='RESTING IN THE PROMISE OF HIS LOVE - by Joel Pollard'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-3233279966612691045</id><published>2024-04-18T14:46:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-04-18T14:46:29.298-07:00</updated><title type='text'>THE BEAUTY OF GOD - by Todd Benjamin Lout</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnButtonBlockOuter"><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonBlockInner" style="padding: 0px 18px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonContentContainer" style="border-radius: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonContent" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; padding: 5px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="middle"><a class="mcnButton " href="https://www.youtube.com/@blazingfirechurchworshipse3845/streams" style="color: #585d5e; display: block; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration-line: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank" title="CLICK THIS TO JOIN US ON YOUTUBE"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/2fd493d7-d169-b48d-941d-504daa4950e3.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="600" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>No one has seen God at any time.<br />But if we love one another (with unselfish concern),<br />God abides in us, and His&nbsp;love (the love that is His essence abides in us and)<br />is completed and perfected in us.&nbsp;<br />1 JOHN 4:12 - Aplified</strong></span><br />&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Recently I was contemplating, again, the concept of God's beauty. As a worship leader, I lead many songs that speak of His beauty. At times I've checked in with myself about how much I believe it. Like you, I want to see for myself!!&nbsp;<br /><br />But time and again my heart comes back to the assurance that God, Himself, is so magnificent that He simply gives us glimpses on this side of eternity.&nbsp; This passage above speaks of this.&nbsp;<br /><br />For sure, when we allow ourselves to be flooded with love, releasing others of our judgment and letting go of ill feelings, we get clearer eyes. Our hearts become tenderized and we begin to see God's beauty in the face of those around us.&nbsp; Of course we can also see it in nature, that's a given,&nbsp; (and a good reason to get in nature as much as possible), but He made us in HIs likeness. When we serve someone out of love, we start to see Him.&nbsp;<br /><br />He's not left us without. I think He just knows that when we finally see His actual face, we will need our new, heavenly bodies to be able to handle it!<br /><br />Love, Todd</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/3233279966612691045/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-beauty-of-god-by-todd-benjamin-lout.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3233279966612691045'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3233279966612691045'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-beauty-of-god-by-todd-benjamin-lout.html' title='THE BEAUTY OF GOD - by Todd Benjamin Lout'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-5176054043855101573</id><published>2024-04-11T18:58:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-04-11T18:58:50.781-07:00</updated><title type='text'>WHAT SERVING OTHERS LOOKS LIKE - by Brent Lokker</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/8cc545aa-5e0b-0869-947b-5bc868d04532.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="600" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">To think that Jesus, the King of kings, came to serve us is extremely difficult for us to fathom. Yet, that’s precisely what he told us he came to do, so to ask us to follow his lead in serving others is significant, to say the least.<br />&nbsp;<br />Following his brilliant leading, we discover that serving is first about seeing each person—truly seeing every human creation as a significant, unique, made-in-the-divine-image child of God. Next, it’s about being present with that person. That requires a choice to lay aside our own agendas, perceptions, and judgements to be Jesus in any way God’s Spirit nudges you in the moment.<br />&nbsp;<br />This is the only way we can, without resentment, feed the hungry, invite in the homeless, cover the poorly clothed, care for the sick, visit those in prison. And Jesus reminds us that “<em>When you cared for one of the least of these, my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.”&nbsp;</em>(Matthew 25:40)<br />&nbsp;<br />Richard Rohr explains our need to identify with the death of Christ to experience his resurrection life, and thus, how to serve in the same way Jesus did:<br />&nbsp;<br /><em>“Death and life are two sides of the same coin; we cannot have one without the other. Each time we choose to surrender, each time we trust the dying, our faith is led to a deeper level, and we discover a Larger Self underneath. We decide not to push to the front of the line, and something much better happens in the back of the line. We let go of narcissistic anger, and we find that we start feeling much happier. We surrender our need to control our partner, and finally the relationship blossoms. Yet each time it is a choice—and each time it is a kind of dying. It seems we only know what life is when we know what death is."</em><br />&nbsp;<br /><em>“We can begin resurrection today by living connected to God. Resurrection happens every time we love someone even though they were not very loving to us. At that moment we have been brought to new life. Every time we decide to trust and begin again, even after repeated failures, at that moment we’ve been resurrected. Every time we refuse to become negative, cynical, hopeless, we have experienced the Risen Christ. We don’t have to wait for it later. Resurrection is always possible&nbsp;now.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</em><br />&nbsp;<br />I’ll end with a few word pictures the Apostle Paul paints of what being a servant looks like:<br />&nbsp;<br /><em>“Take tender care of one another with fondness and affection; esteem one another’s unique value.”</em><br /><strong>Romans 12:10 (Mirror)</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><em>“Purpose with resolve to treat strangers as saints; pursue and embrace them with fondness as friends on equal terms of fellowship. Make yourself useful in the most practical way possible.”</em><br /><strong>Romans 12:13 (Mirror)</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><em>“Affirm the worth of those who try to put you down. Affirm them, don’t try to put them down harder.”</em><br /><strong>Romans 12:14 (Heart of Paul)</strong><br />&nbsp;<br /><em>If your enemy is hungry, give him food. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. By your actions you will reveal the contradictions in his behavior.</em><br /><strong>Romans 12:20 (Heart of Paul)</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Your life hidden in Christ is the truest version of your authentic self. This is the sweet spot where you experience the joy-filled life Jesus came to share with you. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />With Love,<br />&nbsp;<br />Brent</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/5176054043855101573/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/04/what-serving-others-looks-like-by-brent.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/5176054043855101573'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/5176054043855101573'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/04/what-serving-others-looks-like-by-brent.html' title='WHAT SERVING OTHERS LOOKS LIKE - by Brent Lokker'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-711757783828398905</id><published>2024-04-04T15:07:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-04-04T15:07:43.381-07:00</updated><title type='text'>LIVING RIGH-SIDE UP AS A SERVANT - by Brent Lokker</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/d914bba2-adac-0805-3b31-e22ae11c1b42.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="600" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Jesus had a way of flipping just about everything upside down from the way the world wants to tell us things are. In a conversation with his disciples, he told them&nbsp;<em>“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,&nbsp;and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.”</em>&nbsp;(Matthew 20:25-26, NLT)<br />&nbsp;<br />Come on, you’re just not going to hear that in the&nbsp;<em>“Young Entrepreneur’s Rise to Fame”&nbsp;</em>seminar. Not even in the advanced course! Yet, Jesus not only said this is the way of his Father’s Kingdom, but he lived it!<br />&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“Jesus’ mission was not to prove his deity, but to embrace our humanity. Emptied of his reputation as God, he fully embraced our physical human form; born in our resemblance, he identified himself as the servant of the human race. His love enslaved him to us. The man Jesus Christ who is fully God, became fully man to the extent of willingly dying humanity’s death at the hands of his own creation. He embraced the curse and shame of the lowest kind<br />in dying a criminal’s death.”</em><br />Philippians 2:7-8 (Mirror)</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">&nbsp;<br />He also demonstrated a life of serving others in remarkable ways: He made time for those whom others would ignore and walk past; He had great compassion on those others would judge; He kept no record of wrongs of those who betrayed him, even washing the feet of Judas who Jesus already knew would turn him in to begin the most undignified and unjust trial in all of human history that would lead to his gruesome death on a cross. Yet, instead of thinking of how wronged he was, he only thought of those whom his death would reconcile for eternity, once again serving us in perfect love:</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his,&nbsp;<br />he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation,&nbsp;<br />and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!”</em><br />Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">&nbsp;<br />And now Jesus invites us into his realm of servanthood, one in which love rules the day:</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“Live happily together in a spirit of harmony and be as mindful of another’s worth as you are your own. Don’t live with a lofty mind-set, thinking you are too important to serve others, but be willing to do menial tasks and identify with those who are humble minded.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don’t be smug or even think for a moment that you know it all. Never hold a grudge or try to get even but plan your life around the noblest way to benefit others. Do your best to live as everybody’s friend.”</em><br />Romans 12:16-18 (TPT)</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">&nbsp;<br />Don’t think of this as a try-harder-to-be-a-servant program. That will never work in a million years (we’ve all tried!). Instead, realize this has always been a ‘Christ in me, the hope of glory’ infusion and that his life through us expresses itself in these most beautiful, glorious ways when we yield to his Spirit leading the way. This is the abundant, fulfilling life Jesus promised us. It’s upside down from the world’s ways, but that’s actually because the world sees things upside down from heaven’s kingdom. You are living right side up with Jesus!<br />&nbsp;<br />With Love,<br />&nbsp;<br />Brent</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/711757783828398905/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/04/living-righ-side-up-as-servant-by-brent.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/711757783828398905'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/711757783828398905'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/04/living-righ-side-up-as-servant-by-brent.html' title='LIVING RIGH-SIDE UP AS A SERVANT - by Brent Lokker'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-665556988994411378</id><published>2024-03-29T15:57:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-03-29T15:57:30.318-07:00</updated><title type='text'>DISCOVERING, NOT BECOMING - by Chris Gore</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/5e4a4865-5b8e-bbbe-a82a-d18d3793e13c.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="600" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">What a joy it was to be at Blazing Fire this past weekend after an incredible conference in Mexico before flying back to New Zealand to enjoy Easter with my family! Having lived 16 years in Redding, I returned to New Zealand in 2022 carrying and burning with the good news message of Jesus!<br />&nbsp;<br />Having been a minister for over 25 years, it’s only been in the last 15 years that I have really begun to understand the good news of the Gospel. Jesus did not come as a part of a prison exchange program, in which He took us from the Prison of darkness to transfer us to the prison of light, but He came to transfer us from the prison of darkness to freedom (Galatians 5:1). The Gospel is a beautiful message of discovering and beholding—not a message of becoming more like Him, but discovering what we already have in Him!<br />&nbsp;<br />Today while reading one of my favorite bible stories in Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son, it struck me afresh that the son returned to the HOUSE of His loving Father, when the Father was eagerly awaiting his return and not the FIELD where the older son was working and laboring for what He already had. I have to wonder which of the two son’s was more lost.<br />&nbsp;<br />I love to see believers come into freedom from the bondage of the law because when we are stuck in the bondage of the law, it prevents us from coming boldly to the throne of grace in the time of need. I totally believe that it should be the normal expression of the believer’s life to have answers to their prayers, yet religion and legalism have kept us in bondage and kept us from the spirit of sonship.<br />&nbsp;<br />The younger son returned to his Father with his great repentance speech, but never got to give it before the Father lavished His love on the younger son. It’s the Fathers kindness and goodness that brings us to repentance, it’s not our repentance that brings His goodness. When the son finally gets to bring his repentance speech, the Father totally ignores it and quickly calls the son back into his identity by reminding him who he is! In this journey of the Father’s heart over the past 15 years in particular, there have been many times that I have had to remind myself that we cannot have thoughts in our head that our Father does not have in His. Is this why the Father ignored the Son, because his thoughts were not aligned with what the Father thought of him. When we begin to change what He thinks of us and we begin to truly understand the love and goodness of our Father, that He’s actually the loving Father and not your parole officer just waiting for you to mess up, then we begin to approach the throne of Grace with boldness and see answered prayers in our life.<br />&nbsp;<br />We are not going to become what He thinks of us, but we will become what we think He thinks of us, so what do you think He thinks of you?! I challenge you to stop laboring for what you already have provision and access to and let’s adjust our hearts and mindsets to the spirit of sonship and what we think He thinks of us!<br />&nbsp;<br />Much Love and Grace<br />Chris Gore<br />chrisgore.org<br />Author of&nbsp;<em>Apprehended Identity</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>#Positioned</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/665556988994411378/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/discovering-not-becoming-by-chris-gore.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/665556988994411378'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/665556988994411378'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/discovering-not-becoming-by-chris-gore.html' title='DISCOVERING, NOT BECOMING - by Chris Gore'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-7229927214284354146</id><published>2024-03-18T15:06:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-03-18T15:06:04.131-07:00</updated><title type='text'>FIXING OUR GAZE ON JESUS - by Joel Pollard</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/3b15c50f-5d3e-e8b0-d40c-b06623ca8de3.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="600" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">2 Corinthians 3:18 in The Passion Translation tells us, “We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">I am forever grateful that there is no longer a veil between us and the Father, for Jesus came to fulfill the law. I love how the promise of this verse implies how we all with unveiled faces, behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. When we fix our gaze on the eyes of our Beloved, paradigms shift, hearts are transformed and we are forever changed in His glory, that’s how come ‘we move from one brighter level of glory to another’. When we do this, we are awakening to the reality of our original identity of who the Trinity created us as, in Their image and likeness (Gen. 1:27).</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Could it be that us awakening to the truth of who we really are is a prophetic precursor to the fulfillment of Romans 8:19, “For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are?” There is something that is encountered and experienced over and over when we choose to look into the eyes of the One who takes our breath away. He knows exactly where to guide us, leading us into truth that sets us free and reveals who we have been all along.</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Wherever we are in our journey with the Lord, I want to invite us to give further access and permission to the Holy Spirit to keep revealing the wholeness and authenticity of who He has created us to be. How do we do this? By keeping our gaze on the One who continues to reveal our true nature.</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Love, Joel</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/7229927214284354146/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/fixing-our-gaze-on-jesus-by-joel-pollard.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7229927214284354146'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7229927214284354146'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/fixing-our-gaze-on-jesus-by-joel-pollard.html' title='FIXING OUR GAZE ON JESUS - by Joel Pollard'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-2122008593795608848</id><published>2024-03-14T15:12:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2024-03-14T15:12:06.220-07:00</updated><title type='text'>TASTING THE GOODNESS OF GOD - by Susan Fochler</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/5bb4b920-ee78-6d0b-e7ba-99b68fe43090.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="600" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">It is good to remember what it was that first drew us to know Jesus, for it can give us compassion for those who are still on their journey to discover Him.&nbsp; For myself, I distinctly recall 2 people from my high school, a brother and a sister, who just seemed to radiate love and kindness.&nbsp; Whatever it was that I saw on them I found very attractive.&nbsp; Neither of them ever talked to me about God, but looking back, I realize that I was seeing the presence of the Holy Spirit illuminating their lives.&nbsp; It was one point of light among several others that helped me choose to say yes to Jesus.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">As we spend time communing with God, we become more and more like Him, and our lives increasingly reflect His life.&nbsp; In John 15:5, Jesus tells us that “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches.&nbsp; As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you” TPT.&nbsp; In this union with Christ our hearts soften and yield.&nbsp; We connect to Him, spirit to spirit, and receive direct downloads of His essence.&nbsp; After all, it is Christ who lives in you, the hope of glory.&nbsp; Not by trying hard to be good but by turning our thoughts to Him again and again, in worship, in gratitude, in simple acknowledgment.</span></p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Being filled with His love, we release a river of living water into the world around us.&nbsp; And this water “tastes” like something, just like I tasted in high school.&nbsp; Jesus had this to say: &nbsp;“if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied!&nbsp; For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” (John 4:14-15).&nbsp; I can think of many times when I’ve seen someone “taste” that water for the first time, and they are always amazed!&nbsp; It is so beyond anything the world has to offer!&nbsp;</span></p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of abiding in Christ looks like this:&nbsp; love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, self-control, goodness and faith.&nbsp; These are the same qualities that flowed through Jesus and impacted His world when He walked on earth, and they impact our world through us as well.&nbsp; Our hearts are the conduits through which Heaven is reaching earth.&nbsp; May we continue to abide in this love as those thirsty ones around us have eyes to see what is readily available to them.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Love,<br />Pastor Susan</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/2122008593795608848/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/tasting-goodness-of-god-by-susan-fochler.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/2122008593795608848'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/2122008593795608848'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/tasting-goodness-of-god-by-susan-fochler.html' title='TASTING THE GOODNESS OF GOD - by Susan Fochler'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-952327134199016895</id><published>2024-03-07T15:13:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-03-07T15:13:36.228-08:00</updated><title type='text'>DON'T DISCOUNT THE SMALL STUFF - by Karena Lout</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/5463bade-d791-cdba-1a12-ea5c8c186dfa.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 14px;">It’s been important to me to know my neighbors but I found it more difficult when we moved to a new neighborhood several years ago. Recently our neighbor’s dog escaped and was running in busy traffic on our street. After returning her back to their house, the family was extremely grateful. The mom began to share her life story with me and has been sharing family photos and bringing homemade treats over. A small act of kindness opened the door to a new relationship.<br />&nbsp;<br />Sometimes we discount our small, kind interactions with people because we might feel we’re not preaching the gospel or it doesn’t feel comparable to an encounter from the book of Acts. But I’ve found that staying consistent in showing kindness builds relationship and trust. Your life is an epistle, a letter to the world (2 Corin. 3:2).</span><br />&nbsp;<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;“Purpose with resolve to treat strangers as saints; pursue and embrace them with fondness<br />as friends on equal terms of fellowship. Make yourself useful in the most practical way possible.”<br />Romans 12:13 (Mirror translation)</span></div><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">“Take tender care of one another with fondness and affection; esteem one another’s unique value.” Romans 12:10 (Mirror)</span></div><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;<br />At the beginning of this year, I felt God encourage me to keep my heart more open to love and honor those he put in my path. Honor is accurately acknowledging someone’s God-given value whether we think they deserve it or not. While trust is often earned and built over time, honor is God’s gift to us. Psalm 8 says “God crowned us with glory and honor.” We often don’t know if honor is a part of our value system until we’re challenged to give it to someone we think doesn’t deserve it.<br />&nbsp;<br />A good question to ask Jesus this week: “Is there someone you want me to encourage?” Maybe you smile and complement a store employee or reach out to a family member who needs encouragement. What may feel like a small step has greater impact than you know. To take it a step further, try showing kindness to someone you haven’t been fond of or agree with. The light and love of Jesus in you is brighter than you know.<br />&nbsp;<br />Love, Karena</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/952327134199016895/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/dont-discount-small-stuff-by-karena-lout.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/952327134199016895'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/952327134199016895'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/dont-discount-small-stuff-by-karena-lout.html' title='DON'T DISCOUNT THE SMALL STUFF - by Karena Lout'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-1772007972971738696</id><published>2024-03-01T12:27:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-03-01T12:27:42.639-08:00</updated><title type='text'>REVIVAL OF LOVE - by Shannon Downs</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/a84828cb-4f9d-c6ba-fa35-389efc04cd34.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnBoxedTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnBoxedTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnBoxedTextBlockInner" style="text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnBoxedTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 9px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="background-color: #9badaf; border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #f2f2f2; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; padding: 18px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top">This last Saturday night we hade a long time of worship, lingering in front of the Throne of God, you could say. Holy Spirit moved on a few of our folks to share some things. One in particular was amazing friend Shiela.&nbsp;<br /><br />Shannon, who moved to Texas a while back but still connects with us online, was so moved as she was tuning in. The things that Sheila was sharing went so very beautifully with a poem that Shannon had written that very day!&nbsp;<br />We wanted to share that poem with you below:</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Revival of Love<br /><br />I closed my eyes and I did see:&nbsp;<br /><br />Jesus and I sitting on a bench&nbsp;<br />There are trees all around<br />Yellow flowers blooming on them<br />Like stars in the sky<br />A river flowing nearby<br /><br />I look into your eyes<br />I look away<br />Feeling a little shy<br />I hear him whisper, He did say<br />My child, there is no shame<br />No guilt, just the foundation&nbsp;<br />Of my Love that is being built<br /><br />So look at me, tell me, child<br />What do you see?<br />I see the night falling<br />Dusk disappearing<br />The darkness has come<br />Yet you are sitting here<br />Shining glory bright<br />Like the noonday sun<br />Leading the way<br />As if the darkness never came<br /><br />My heart is burning with<br />The fire of your love<br />I see you transforming every heart<br />Of those who cry out your name<br />Longing for the same<br /><br />My child, tap into my love&nbsp;<br />Let it flow so others may know<br />My love is never-ending<br />The river of love is flowing<br />It keeps on flowing&nbsp;<br />From the throne room of Heaven<br /><br />It is a revival of love that will never end<br />Oh, it will never end….</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;">©Jennifer Shannon<br />02/24/24&nbsp;</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/1772007972971738696/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/revival-of-love-by-shannon-downs.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1772007972971738696'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1772007972971738696'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/03/revival-of-love-by-shannon-downs.html' title='REVIVAL OF LOVE - by Shannon Downs'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-1820562469730630428</id><published>2024-02-22T16:37:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-02-22T16:37:02.076-08:00</updated><title type='text'>What Are We Surrendering To? - by Sarah Eom</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/5f0b3a0c-cba8-27a0-cfd8-fa404f6de6c4.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">The word ‘surrender’ used to scare me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I felt it meant resigning to some bad, painful or uncomfortable circumstance and being ok with it.&nbsp;&nbsp;A while ago, I had a physical symptom that was very bothersome and debilitating.&nbsp;&nbsp;A few loving and wise people suggested that I ‘surrender’ this to the Lord.&nbsp;&nbsp;I thought that meant that I accept the status quo and be ok with never getting better.&nbsp;&nbsp;I tried but just could not do that!&nbsp;&nbsp;Then I felt bad that I couldn’t. I felt&nbsp;&nbsp;my inability to surrender was because I didn’t love and trust God enough.&nbsp;&nbsp;The result was I now had shame to deal with as well as the original symptom.<br /><br />Then recently, I realized something that I believe is from the Holy Spirit.&nbsp;&nbsp;The surrendering I am to do is not to the situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am not surrendering to the problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jesus was never a victim of his circumstances and neither is he calling us to.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, I am being asked to take my focus, even for the moment, off the problem and turn my attention to God.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was being invited to surrender to Him.&nbsp;&nbsp;You see,&nbsp;&nbsp;I was barking up the wrong tree by trying to surrender to the problem.<br /><br />Do you feel you are being invited to surrender?&nbsp;&nbsp;Does the prospect scare you?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It’s ok.&nbsp;&nbsp;There is no shame in that.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just remember that you are not surrendering to a dreaded future or a difficult present.&nbsp;&nbsp;You are giving yourself over to God’s goodness and mercy.&nbsp;&nbsp;You are yielding to Jesus who is called ‘Faithful and True.’&nbsp;&nbsp;You are surrendering to the enough-ness of God.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/1820562469730630428/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/what-are-we-surrendering-to-by-sarah-eom.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1820562469730630428'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1820562469730630428'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/what-are-we-surrendering-to-by-sarah-eom.html' title='What Are We Surrendering To? - by Sarah Eom'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-3194462035189419215</id><published>2024-02-15T14:51:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-02-15T14:51:49.170-08:00</updated><title type='text'>THE GLORY OF HIS LOVE - by Bill Hernandez</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/1ff9aa80-8d67-088d-d003-4049fd5f1b30.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">The Lord is personally, fully accessible, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He has removed any barriers that separated us from Him, making it easy to experience His radiant glory. This glory is an expression of His very being which is Love. Simply opening our hearts and talking with Him opens the door to a deeper relationship. He longs to share His love with us, and in turn, we can become like Him - bearers of His love, His glory.<br /><br />As Hebrews 4:16 encourages, we can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." He actively seeks us out, as Revelation 3:20 reminds us: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." He calls for openness and fellowship, as stated in 1 John 1:7: "if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another..." As we actively seek Him and open our hearts, He exemplifies love in His actions. As a result our connections deepen with Him, our community and beyond.<br /><br />We all have many doors in our lives where we can persistently invite Jesus in deeper. The more honestly and openly we share with Him, the more we discover His loving nature - His tenderness, patience, and kindness. His response to our vulnerability is never what we expect; it's always filled with empathy, understanding, and endless compassion. His transforming glory in our openness with Him causes us to show His glory to others - to show His love to others. We become bearers of His glory to the world. Glorious love bearers.<br /><br />The light of His glory is about to be released in an unprecedented revival. We are His lights of love in the Great Commission. We came to Him and opened everything to Him and He opened up what true love looks like and feels like. Go therefore and shine!<br /><br />I John 4:7-8 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnButtonBlockOuter"><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonBlockInner" style="padding: 0px 18px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonContentContainer" style="background-color: #2baadf; border-radius: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonContent" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; padding: 6px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="middle"><a class="mcnButton " href="https://whisperoflove.org/prophetic-words/love-connection-sermon/" style="color: white; display: block; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; text-decoration-line: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank" title="For my audio sermone that expands on this topic, you may listen here.">For my audio sermone that expands on this topic, you may listen here.</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/3194462035189419215/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-glory-of-his-love-by-bill-hernandez.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3194462035189419215'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3194462035189419215'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-glory-of-his-love-by-bill-hernandez.html' title='THE GLORY OF HIS LOVE - by Bill Hernandez'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-4052680906840572648</id><published>2024-02-09T07:03:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-02-09T07:03:32.497-08:00</updated><title type='text'>THE POWER OF YOUR STORY - by Brent Lokker</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/8227d1e8-2a7a-1651-da9b-80c64a58a53f.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Last week after going through a few challenging days, I said,&nbsp;<em>“Father, I need your encouragement.”&nbsp;</em>Sometimes when we’re needing something, we can forget the obvious, which is asking God directly to provide for us what we can’t seem to muster on our own. Our Father loves this childlike dependance on him.<br />&nbsp;<br />A day or two after asking for encouragement, I was sitting at my back window looking out at a sky filled with dark grey clouds while also looking down to read from the Mirror Bible. When I got to Titus 3:4, I read&nbsp;<em>“But then, oh happy day. It was the generosity of God and his fondness for humankind that dawned on us like a shaft of light. Our days of darkness were over. Light shone everywhere and we became aware: God rescued the human race.”</em><br />&nbsp;<br />At that very instant, I looked up and that sky had opened up right in middle with a golden shaft of sunlight pouring through! When sharing this story last Saturday at our worship service, I failed to mention that after encountering this sudden burst of sunlight through the otherwise entirely grey-filled sky, I looked down to read another verse or two and looked up to see that the sunlight had completely vanished behind the thick curtain of grey once again. It had only been there for that one verse I was greatly encouraged by.<br />&nbsp;<br />I didn’t think that just maybe God was doing that to encourage and bless me…I&nbsp;<em>knew</em>&nbsp;He was! By cultivating a life that expects blessings to follow me all the days of my life, I try not to miss Papa’s kisses of kindness and I make intentional decisions not to dismiss them either.<br />&nbsp;<br />This is an example of one small story in my life that has the power to interact with someone else’s story at just the right time. If I were listening to another person’s struggle, I could first empathize and draw out more of their story and at a time that seems right, offer this part of my story as a way to bring encouragement and hope. This is how we get to keep bringing portions of the light we carry to a world full of people often steeped in anxiety and depression who desperately need a ray of sunshine.<br />&nbsp;<br /><em>You&nbsp;</em>are that ray of sunshine:<br /><em>“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day.”&nbsp;</em>(Proverbs 4:18)<br />&nbsp;<br />As we take time to truly listen to someone else’s story, we don’t have to be quick to share our own, but we can take time to draw that person out with genuine interest in the questions we ask. And at just the right times, Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance a bit of your own story to share that will be a bright ray of sunshine.<br />&nbsp;<br />It’s not our job to fix people nor to tell them what they have to believe. But just like Jesus did, we get to drop a seed of hope into the soil of the heart of the one we’re sharing life with and watch how God causes that seed to grow.<br />&nbsp;<br />Your story is quite likely the most powerful and inspirational thing you have to share. Don’t believe the lie that it isn’t important or flashy enough or whatever other lies we may tell ourselves. Your story is actually the story of Jesus encountering you in a million different ways. Don’t miss or dismiss it.<br />&nbsp;<br />Enjoy sharing a bit of yourself as you also allow another to share a bit of themselves with you. This is the beautiful transaction of life.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/4052680906840572648/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-power-of-your-story-by-brent-lokker.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/4052680906840572648'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/4052680906840572648'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-power-of-your-story-by-brent-lokker.html' title='THE POWER OF YOUR STORY - by Brent Lokker'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-8116407633117986255</id><published>2024-02-01T09:51:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-02-01T09:51:13.518-08:00</updated><title type='text'>SEEING GOD IN OUR STORIES - by Susan Fochler</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/4aff9c9e-b633-b245-249c-42e4169f5cbc.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">When we pray,&nbsp;<strong>“Your Kingdom Come”</strong>, we are inviting God’s kingdom to invade our daily lives, both in the big events, and the tiny details.&nbsp; And when we add “Your will be done”-we are agreeing that His ways are higher than our ways, and that life is better when we embrace His perspective and priorities in how we engage with our world.&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">In Joshua 3 and 4 we read how the Israelites finally get ready to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land after 400 years of slavery and wandering in the wilderness.&nbsp; God gives clear instructions on how they are to do this:&nbsp;<br />1) Keep your eyes on the ark (God's&nbsp;presence)<br />2) Remember what He has done for you, and keep telling that story to your children.&nbsp;And He immediately gives them something to remember: as the priests carry the ark across the Jordan River the water miraculously dries up just as it did for Mosesat the Red Sea!&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Those instructions still apply to our stories today.&nbsp; But there’s one part of that story that’s been a mystery to me: why they were told to stay so far behind the ark, approximately 1/2 mile.&nbsp; The priests stood in the middle of the river, and the Israelites were to keep their eyes on the ark as they crossed over to the other side.&nbsp; God reminded me that sometimes I can get so close to and familiar with my story that I become&nbsp;hyper-focused on the expected outcome and I can miss the fullness of what God is doing in the moment.&nbsp; In the Kingdom of Heaven, the process is just as important as the outcome, perhaps even more; for God is all about filling our process with His presence and purposes, and allowing the end result to develop as the fruit of that journey.&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">On my work computer system, a change made on one monitor won’t automatically transfer that change to my computer unless I do a “refresh”.&nbsp; Sometimes I need to do the same thing in my life’s journey.&nbsp; I need to step back, invite Heaven in, widen my view and “refresh” my perspective to see where He is and what He’s doing.&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">And may He continue to do, in us and through us, abundantly beyond anything we could ask or imagine!</p><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Love, Susan</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/8116407633117986255/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/seeing-god-in-our-stories-by-susan.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/8116407633117986255'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/8116407633117986255'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/02/seeing-god-in-our-stories-by-susan.html' title='SEEING GOD IN OUR STORIES - by Susan Fochler'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-1638167352489309421</id><published>2024-01-26T07:49:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-01-26T07:49:16.515-08:00</updated><title type='text'>PUT ON GARMENTS OF PRAISE - by Todd Benjamin Lout</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/1eef157a-6e16-209a-ab9b-ee6783726f51.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1080px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top">Sadness, heaviness, depression...these are all too common for so many today. The causes are many many, from societal pressures, to trying to make marriage work in today's atmosphere, from financial bindings to living in regret and so on.&nbsp;<br /><br />There is NO SHAME to be had for experiencing sadness.&nbsp; In fact, the shame so many feel over this is another lie! But God, knowing we are in human bodies in human conditions with human emotions, is kind and loving. He offers us a way to ultimately replace sadness, by praising!&nbsp; Does this mean He's egotistic and refuses to help us until we tell Him how great He is? Not at all!&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />God created us in His image. We have some heaven in our DNA.&nbsp; There, (in heaven), the atmosphere is completely flooded with praise.&nbsp; One enormous component of praise is thanksgiving. God&nbsp; knows that when we turn our focus on things that are blessings, things God has done, and generally His goodness, that the things we're sad about seemingly shrink. The sting of depression is not so effective anymore.&nbsp; This is how God has set things up because in Heaven it just IS and always was!&nbsp;<br /><br />Our Father tells us that He will wrap us in victory, gladness and praise to replace depression and hopelessness.&nbsp; This is in Isa. 61:3 (the Voice).&nbsp; Here's the key, we need to open our arms to have this garment placed on us.&nbsp; Even in the sadness we can allow faith to open our arms enough to be clothed.&nbsp; This is us making up our mind to shift focus to what is praiseworthy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />We can do this!&nbsp; God knows best and He has given us free will and we can do this. YOU can do this!&nbsp; This week, whenever those sad feelings try to settle in, turn your eyes upon Jesus. He's got the answer. He IS the answer.</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/1638167352489309421/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/put-on-garments-of-praise-by-todd.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1638167352489309421'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1638167352489309421'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/put-on-garments-of-praise-by-todd.html' title='PUT ON GARMENTS OF PRAISE - by Todd Benjamin Lout'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-8139816168901018559</id><published>2024-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-01-18T13:45:28.479-08:00</updated><title type='text'>GO AND BE JESUS - by Brent Lokker</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/0dde6822-207e-b039-6259-88c28c31332d.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top">Our Blazing Fire Staff got away on a retreat the first weekend of January to lean our hearts together into the Lord’s sweet Spirit for anything he would want to communicate with us. One of the more tender and fun things we did was thanking God for all the ways he has blessed our Blazing Fire family throughout these many years. Maybe it’s just human nature, but we often have this tendency of focusing on what’s not going well or what needs to change—and some of that can be helpful—instead of celebrating what’s going right. So, we did just that and here are just a few of the many wonderful things expressed:<br />&nbsp;<ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">We give room for God’s Spirit to move and space is made for personal encounter.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">The worship atmosphere is free with no expectations to act or perform a certain way.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">We are loved for who we are and not judged.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">We value and practice vulnerability and authenticity as an important aspect of our intimacy with the Trinity and in our relationships with each other.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">It’s safe to explore and ask questions, not feeling like we must have everything figured out in this lifetime journey with God.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">We enjoy a prophetic culture of encouragement as we build each other up and remind one another of our authentic identity in Christ.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">We choose loving connection over having to be right.</li></ul>&nbsp;<br />I could share many more, but I wanted to give you a taste of what all of you have been a part of creating and sustaining as we’ve learned to open our hearts more and more to the goodness of God and to Holy Spirit’s brilliant leading. Thank you, fam!<br />&nbsp;<br />Through these remembrances of what’s going right, God was communicating his deep pleasure to us of how we’ve all been living out our vision together with his help:<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Encounter God’s transforming presence</strong><br /><strong>Enjoy Kingdom life as His family</strong><br /><strong>Equip world changers!</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />I can see our Father’s beaming smile saying to us,&nbsp;<em>“Well done!”</em><br />&nbsp;<br />We also sensed his desire to help us even more intentionally this year to go and be Jesus to the ones who so need to experience his love and acceptance—the entire world full of people who are longing to belong, not knowing they’ve always been included in the Father’s tender heart. Jesus is the one—through his death and resurrection—who opened the way for all to come to our Father in a warm embrace and we have been commissioned to go as the face of Jesus to our family, our office, our school—literally anywhere we are—to love without judging. With his kindness and compassion that has it's source in Christ within, we get to take part in the heaven to earth transformation that continues to happen in the heart of each person we encounter.<br />&nbsp;<br />Father and Jesus and Holy Spirit have been faithfully transforming us through encounters and by drawing us into their loving union and fellowship so we can know our authentic selves as they’ve created us and let our light within shine this year in a way that will surprise us!<br />&nbsp;<br />What Jesus instructed his followers over two thousand years ago hasn’t changed:<br />&nbsp;<div style="text-align: center;"><em>“Go into the roads and search every nook and cranny,</em><br /><em>find them behind every hedge and barrier and</em><br /><em>compel them to come in and fill my house to the brim,</em><br /><em>because the fields are ripe for harvest!”</em><br />(taken from Luke 14:23 &amp; John 4:35)</div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/8139816168901018559/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/go-and-be-jesus-by-brent-lokker.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/8139816168901018559'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/8139816168901018559'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/go-and-be-jesus-by-brent-lokker.html' title='GO AND BE JESUS - by Brent Lokker'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-1355655165870683995</id><published>2024-01-12T15:07:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-01-12T15:07:52.628-08:00</updated><title type='text'>REMEMBER - by Elijah Breon</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/9ea5d115-f65d-5354-4efb-765db870b569.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top">At the start of December I asked God for a word for 2024. I was feeling a bit behind spiritually and felt that I needed to catch up on what God was doing in my life. So I expected to hear something that would inspire and challenge me going into 2024, but instead I heard quite clearly, “REMEMBER.” Immediately I knew what Jesus was communicating to my soul.<br /><br />“Remember what I have done in your life? Remember where you came from? Do you remember how I delivered you from fear, from anxiety, from living without a purpose?”<br /><br />When we remember what God has done, it always sets us up for what is to come. Our God is a builder and he uses each season of our life as a stone to build a monument before the world of His love and faithfulness.<br /><br />Are you having a hard time looking forward? I encourage you to sit with our Father and remember what he has done in your life.<br />Like the children coming from the wilderness to the promise land, recalling what God has done in our lives will speak to the future generations of the realities of God.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><strong style="font-size: 12px;">”When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’<br />then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’;<br />for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over… that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty,<br />that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”“</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>Joshua 4:21-24 NKJV</strong></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/1355655165870683995/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/remember-by-elijah-breon.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1355655165870683995'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/1355655165870683995'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/remember-by-elijah-breon.html' title='REMEMBER - by Elijah Breon'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-2897838078155334427</id><published>2024-01-05T10:11:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2024-01-05T10:11:38.433-08:00</updated><title type='text'>2024 - YEAR OF THE HEART CRY</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 10px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/afd3bbfa-c827-3a36-8e39-15e616fc73ef.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-size: 14px;">Last Saturday, we were greatly encouraged by Joel Pollard, Tiffany James, and Bill Hernandez as they shared what they were sensing from God’s heart. It was a night of encouragement and instruction for the heart. You can check it out on our Youtube Channel or Facebook page.<br /><br />One major theme, Saturday, was that 2024 is the year of the heart cry. Tiffany was getting this from Holy Spirit for us all.&nbsp; This cry of the heart is an important one for us.&nbsp; When we position ourselves before a loving God, fully trusting Him with our vulnerability, we get His heart.&nbsp; It's like when our own kids cry for us. We know that voice very well and will drop everything else to answer.&nbsp; God loves us like that and He wants us to come without masks, without us trying to show that we have it all together, without holding back.&nbsp; In our weakness He is strong. He's not looking for us to be perfected in our own strength.&nbsp;<br /><br />And God is fully aware that this life we are living on Earth is hard at times. Our cry to Him invites Him to display His love for us through the rough stuff.&nbsp;<br /><br />In Matthew 5 we read the Beatitueds, which sound like a heart cry:</span></strong><h3 style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><sup>3&nbsp;</sup>“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.<br /><sup>4&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those who mourn,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for they will be comforted.<br /><sup>5&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those who are humble,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for they will inherit the whole earth.<br /><sup>6&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for they will be satisfied.<br /><sup>7&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those who are merciful,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for they will be shown mercy.<br /><sup>8&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those whose hearts are pure,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for they will see God.<br /><sup>9&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those who work for peace,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for they will be called the children of God.<br /><sup>10&nbsp;</sup>God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial, &quot;helvetica neue&quot;, helvetica, sans-serif;">The HEART is the core of us....our entire self. This year let's bring it all before Him who is love. Let the heart cry be lifted before the King of our Hearts!&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />By the way, even our tears are precious to God. Psalms 56:8 says: "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all&nbsp;<em>my tears</em>&nbsp;in your&nbsp;<em>bottle</em>. You have recorded each one in your book."</span></span></h3></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/2897838078155334427/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/2024-year-of-heart-cry.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/2897838078155334427'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/2897838078155334427'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2024/01/2024-year-of-heart-cry.html' title='2024 - YEAR OF THE HEART CRY'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-4767477068219669697</id><published>2023-12-20T16:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2023-12-20T16:01:40.416-08:00</updated><title type='text'>CELEBRATING INCARNATION</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I wanted to share with you a slice of the fascinating history of why we celebrate Christmas the way we have as followers of Christ. It’s written by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan theologian.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />Merry Christmas with Love!<br />&nbsp;<br />Pastor Brent</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/5c02a803-ecae-cbe6-79a8-88a5c47be9d3.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top">In the first 1200 years of Christianity, the central feast or celebration was Easter, with the high holy days of Holy Week leading up to the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. But in the thirteenth century, Francis of Assisi entered the scene. He intuited that we didn’t need to wait for God to love us through the cross and resurrection. Francis believed the whole thing started with incarnate love. He popularized what we now take for granted as Christmas, which for many became the major Christian feast. Christmas is the Feast of the Incarnation when we celebrate God taking human form in the birth of Jesus.<br /><br />Francis realized that since God had become flesh—taken on materiality, physicality, humanity—then we didn’t have to wait for Good Friday and Easter to “solve the problem” of human sin: the problem was solved from the beginning. It makes sense that Christmas became the great celebratory feast of Christians because it basically says that it’s good to be human, it’s good to be on this Earth, it’s good to have a body, it’s good to have emotions. We don’t need to be ashamed of any of it! God loves matter and physicality.<br /><br />With that insight, it’s no wonder Francis went wild over Christmas. (I do too—my little house is filled with candles at Christmastime.) Francis believed that trees should be decorated with lights to show their true status as God’s creations, and that’s exactly what we still do eight hundred years later.<br /><br />And there’s more: when we speak of Advent or preparing for Christmas, we’re not just talking about waiting for the little baby Jesus to be born. That already happened two thousand years ago. In fact, we’re welcoming the Christ that is forever being born (incarnating) in the human soul and into history. The gifts of incarnation just keep coming! Perhaps this is&nbsp;<em>enlightenment.&nbsp;</em><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”<br />John 1:9 (NLT)</strong></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/4767477068219669697/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/12/celebrating-incarnation.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/4767477068219669697'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/4767477068219669697'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/12/celebrating-incarnation.html' title='CELEBRATING INCARNATION'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-3041616339369998820</id><published>2023-12-14T16:17:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2023-12-14T16:17:27.194-08:00</updated><title type='text'>FAITH WITHOUT HOPE IS WEIRD - by Steve Buckland</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/26a8e253-cfd0-ef90-97a8-b0a611287692.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateHeader" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top">I remember hearing Wendy speak these words while we were preaching together years ago. It captures an important truth for those who want to have a healthy faith.&nbsp;<br /><br />Hope is an overall optimistic attitude about the future based on the goodness and promises of God. I am not a proponent of simple positive thinking, but I do ascribe to biblical optimism.&nbsp;<em>“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful”</em>&nbsp;(Hebrews 10:23).&nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>Faith is very specific while hope is more general.</strong>&nbsp;<br />Faith says, “God is going to do&nbsp;<em>this</em>!”<br />Hope says, “I don’t know&nbsp;<em>what&nbsp;</em>God is going to do but good things are coming.”&nbsp;<br /><br />We are all waiting on something. Whether it’s a promise from God, restoration for our family, breakthrough in our finances, or physical healing, things are not where we’d like them to be. Although faith keeps us focused on the breakthrough that is coming for us, hope helps us thrive in the season we’re in right now.&nbsp;<br /><br />Without hope, it is impossible to thrive until things are perfect. Hope says the future will be better than the present and I have the power to help make it so. You don’t have to wait a single day to have radical hope. It might not be a convenient time to stir up radical hope, but you can thrive right now, even in the season of waiting for what’s to come.&nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>Let’s explore more about the difference between faith and hope:</strong><br />&nbsp;<ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Faith-people without hope tend to believe they cannot really live until certain things happen. Faith-people with hope are living while they are waiting.&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;<ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Faith-people without hope have difficulty overcoming disappointment because they believe their fulfillment and purpose depend on specific things happening. Faith-people with hope are adaptable and believe they can thrive in whatever situation they face.&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;<ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Faith-people without hope tend to have a spirit of heaviness while they are waiting for something to happen. Faith-people with hope are delighters in the Lord while they are waiting for their desires to be fulfilled.&nbsp;<em>“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”&nbsp;</em>(Psalm 37:4). Delighting, a main aspect of hope, is key to seeing what we are believing for in faith to manifest.&nbsp;</li></ul><br />When we add hope to our faith, we become adaptable and live with many options.</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnButtonBlockOuter"><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonBlockInner" style="padding: 0px 18px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonContentContainer" style="background-color: #bbc2c5; border-radius: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonContent" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; padding: 8px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="middle"><a class="mcnButton " href="https://www.ignitinghopeacademy.com/courses/40-days-of-hope-eg" style="color: white; display: block; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration-line: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank" title="For more on hope, check out my online devotional, &quot;40 Days of Hope&quot;">For more on hope, check out my online devotional, "40 Days of Hope"</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnButtonBlockOuter"><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonBlockInner" style="padding: 0px 18px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnButtonContentContainer" style="background-color: #bbc2c5; border-radius: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="mcnButtonContent" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; padding: 8px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="middle"><a class="mcnButton " href="https://www.amazon.com/Igniting-Hope-Days-Steve-Backlund/dp/1736360132/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RMLH1SZE65UG&amp;keywords=igniting+hope+in+40+days+by+steve+backlund&amp;qid=1699577512&amp;sprefix=igniting+hope+in+40+days+by+steve+backlund%2Caps%2C151&amp;sr=8-1" style="color: white; display: block; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration-line: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank" title="Click to check out Steve's book, &quot;Igniting Hope in 40 Days&quot;">Click to check out Steve's book, "Igniting Hope in 40 Days"</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="templateBody" style="background: none center center / cover no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/3041616339369998820/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/12/faith-without-hope-is-weird-by-steve.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3041616339369998820'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3041616339369998820'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/12/faith-without-hope-is-weird-by-steve.html' title='FAITH WITHOUT HOPE IS WEIRD - by Steve Buckland'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-3733202866913978941</id><published>2023-12-08T09:52:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2023-12-08T09:52:25.455-08:00</updated><title type='text'>OUR SOURCE OF HOPE - by Karena Lout</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/e31c42c0-01db-2074-a88f-1f1998067717.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Thank you so much for all your help and donations that made the<br />Christmas Outreach so special for the community! City Serve shared<br />that 111 households were served which includes 500 family members and<br />278 children. It was so beautiful to look around the room and see kids<br />choosing toys, doing crafts, getting their face painted, parents<br />receiving prayer and encouragement, receiving needed items, enjoying<br />apple cider.<br /><br />I met a young couple who have four children. They shared how difficult<br />life has been and that the day brought a smile to their childrens'<br />faces and brought them hope. Jesus, our source of hope, never<br />disappoints.</span><br />&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><strong>"May God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with<br />uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the<br />power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his<br />super-abundance until you radiate with hope!"<br />Romans 15:13 (TPT)</strong></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;">As we celebrate Jesus, I pray you too are filled with abundant joy and hope!<br /><br />So thankful for you, Karena</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageGroupBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 273px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/e647c680-ee42-f328-b4f3-7cbcbb034521.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="264" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 273px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-right: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/635dbd84-b72f-183e-dc79-9bec2ab057ac.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="264" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 273px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/7b975ead-6a14-ef8d-93db-fd380c7e79c5.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 900px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="264" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 273px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-right: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/208d6f52-f767-bc8f-ff1b-f2201bfbed3e.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 900px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="264" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageGroupBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 564px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/f38aff8f-52a3-b195-4b47-1ffaed27707a.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 273px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/17b0e528-1759-1d71-a090-b41e03c967a8.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 1117px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="264" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageGroupContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 273px;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageGroupContent" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-right: 9px; padding-top: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/f27dd01c-9987-3cdd-c3fe-963875c811c8.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="264" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/3733202866913978941/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/12/our-source-of-hope-by-karena-lout.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3733202866913978941'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/3733202866913978941'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/12/our-source-of-hope-by-karena-lout.html' title='OUR SOURCE OF HOPE - by Karena Lout'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-521032595407046682</id><published>2023-11-24T12:41:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2023-11-24T12:41:55.000-08:00</updated><title type='text'>FEASTING ON THE TRUTH - by Brent Lokker</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/d414a21c-c0c8-d25a-aaee-737267ca409f.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 14px;">After yesterday’s Thanksgiving festivities, feasting is not just an arbitrary concept but it’s still locked and loaded in our short term memory!<br />&nbsp;<br />What if we just couldn’t help ourselves and had to fill our plates and stuff ourselves with the truth of how God sees us? And what if that gave us new eyes to see each person as equally valuable? What a world we would live in if everyone believed the truth that genuinely sets us free—free to be our authentic selves, filled with light and love and the wonder of a wide-eyed child!<br />&nbsp;<br />The Apostle Paul dares us to “<em>feast&nbsp;</em>on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.” And in the previous verse, he gave us the key to how this happens: “Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor and authority!” (Colossians 2:1-2, TPT)<br />&nbsp;<br />Where are you&nbsp;<em>at this very moment?&nbsp;</em>&nbsp;You are in seamless union with Jesus who included you eternally with himself and gave you access to everything that is his, especially his intimate relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit! Now&nbsp;<em>that</em>&nbsp;is truth that sets us free!<br />&nbsp;<br />I invite you to feast on the following heavenly realities like a wide-eyed, filled-with-wonder, lavishly-loved child, which is exactly who you are!<br />&nbsp;<br />For maximum impact, read these out loud and take your time, soaking them in.<br />&nbsp;</span><ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am seen, known, and loved by God (Rom 8:38-39)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am in union with Jesus who is my life (John 15)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am hidden in Christ but seen and celebrated by all of heaven! (Col 3:3; Heb 12:1-2)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am important, significant, and shining brightly in this generation! (Eph 1; Is 60)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am anointed to pave new paths and create new things that have never existed before! (Joshua 3)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">No weapon turned against me will succeed (Is 54:17)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">God turns all things around for my good (Rom 8:28)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am a super-conqueror through Christ who loves me (Rom 8:37)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I carry the hope and abundant life of Jesus! (John 10:10; Rom 5)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Out of my belly flows rivers of the Holy Spirit’s living waters (John 7:37-39)</span></li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am a burning one who runs with Jesus, sharing his heart and his passion (Heb 12:1-2)</span></li></ul><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;<br />If this hasn’t brought a warmth to your soul, by all means read them again and ask Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see yourself in the same way God does. Happy feasting!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/521032595407046682/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/11/feasting-on-truth-by-brent-lokker.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/521032595407046682'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/521032595407046682'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/11/feasting-on-truth-by-brent-lokker.html' title='FEASTING ON THE TRUTH - by Brent Lokker'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-7850342164488209792</id><published>2023-11-16T11:03:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2023-11-16T11:03:20.071-08:00</updated><title type='text'>THE OIL - by Jennifer Miskov</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/d5165113-0713-0f00-6d2b-6e806a247165.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/1e3b71bc-25fc-6b92-d6d7-25c40e27f971.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Without oil in your car, you can go for sometime on gas alone but a day will come where the lack of oil will cause your car to shut down and no longer be able to get you to where you need to go.&nbsp;<br /><br />In our walk with Jesus, we must stay full of the oil of the Holy Spirit and of intimacy. We must be like the five wise virgins in Matthew 25 who paid a price to protect and steward their oil so that when their time came to step into their moment of destiny, they were ready.&nbsp;<br /><br />Oil comes at a price. There is a shaking that must first happen to get the olives off of the tree, then there is a crushing with a huge mill stone. Then the crushed olive paste is placed on flat circular plates on top of each other before they are then pressed down for the oil to be extracted. After that it goes through a filtering process to purify it.&nbsp;<br /><br />Don’t be surprised if golden oil is released from your life on the other side of extreme hardships, shaking, and pressing. God is forming something beneath the surface. Don’t give up. Hold on to hope. He will take your pain and turn it into golden oil in due time.&nbsp;<br /><br />The oil poured out upon the feet of Jesus in John 12 came at a cost. Some scholars think that particular oil was so expensive that it would have taken a year’s salary to buy it. And it was all “wasted” at the feet of Jesus. But, when that one act of lavish love was poured out, the fragrant aroma of that oil filled the room and permeated the atmosphere with heaven’s scent. It is likely that Jesus had residue of this fragrant aroma on him at the crucifixion.&nbsp;<br /><br />There is only one way to become a person full of the oil. There are no shortcuts. No Impartations strong enough to fill your oil. The price of getting the oil is TIME. Spending my time with Jesus in the Secret Place, not just checking off a list of prayer requests or daily devotions, but time set apart simply to commune with Jesus, be vulnerable to share your heart, yield fully and receive His love, listen to His heart. That is the key to the anointing. There’s no other way. He’s longing for us to be oily ones that carry and release the perfume of heaven wherever we go.&nbsp;<br /><br />Will you set apart time this week simply to worship and adore Jesus, bringing an offering of love and devotion, come to Him with no other agenda than to pour out your heart of love before Him? He’s drawing you near. When you respond to come close, then you will see an outpouring of oil springing from the depths of your being and overflowing with God’s love, presence, and power to all you come in contact with.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/7850342164488209792/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-oil-by-jennifer-miskov.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7850342164488209792'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7850342164488209792'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-oil-by-jennifer-miskov.html' title='THE OIL - by Jennifer Miskov'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-7265181814537158100</id><published>2023-11-09T15:44:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2023-11-09T15:44:15.788-08:00</updated><title type='text'>REMAIN CONNECTED IN MYSTERY AND DOUBT - by Karena Lout</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/33c596e5-8a2d-fb02-4f6f-3a09c074ab6b.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Recently I found myself questioning why there are so many tragic things happening in the world. I felt so burdened that I was having difficulty sleeping or functioning during the day. When there’s a demand for answers, there can be a tendency to slip into religious reasoning or definitive boxes why. We can even use scripture to justify why there’s suffering in the world. The psalms are all about David’s wrestle with God.<br />But he continually invited him into that place with him.<br />&nbsp;<br />The father of the young boy who was being tormented by the enemy says in Mark 9:24,<br />“I do believe but help me overcome my unbelief.”<br />Often times both coexist in our hearts. A part of him believed Jesus could heal his son but his pain and disappointment was clouding that.<br />&nbsp;<br />I have many people in my life who are struggling with their faith and questioning God.<br />Their process of “deconstruction” may seem scary to many believers but if we take time to lean in and listen, I believe God is moving in ways we might not understand yet.<br />I’ve found a few helpful things to remember as we walk with people through this:<br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong>*</strong></span><span style="font-size: 14px;">Listen to understand what’s really going on without judgement or an agenda to try to change their mind. Only Jesus can do that, not our good theology or answers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong>*</strong></span><span style="font-size: 14px;">Empathize and validate pain. Sometimes we dismiss people’s experience because it’s not our own or it makes us uncomfortable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong>*</strong></span><span style="font-size: 14px;">Don’t retreat. When we stay connected, we’re communicating that our relationship isn’t based on beliefs but our love for them.<br />&nbsp;<br />Mystery and unanswered questions are just as important as revelation. Because mystery is often where faith finds a foundation in our hearts. Jesus isn’t put off by our lack of faith,<br />our questions, even our doubt. He is present with us in our mountaintop experiences and equally present in our valley of doubt and pain.<br /><br />I invite you to receive this prayer over your heart today:</span><br />&nbsp;<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>“I am contending for you that your hearts will be wrapped up in the comfort of heaven and woven together into love’s fabric. This will give you access to all the riches of God as you experience the revelation of God’s great mystery- Christ! For our spiritual wealth is in him, like hidden treasure waiting to be discovered- heaven’s wisdom and endless riches of revelation knowledge.” Colossians 2:2-3 (TPT)</strong></div>&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 14px;">Love, Karena</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/7265181814537158100/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/11/remain-connected-in-mystery-and-doubt.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7265181814537158100'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/7265181814537158100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/11/remain-connected-in-mystery-and-doubt.html' title='REMAIN CONNECTED IN MYSTERY AND DOUBT - by Karena Lout'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-6039331390321696509</id><published>2023-09-14T15:53:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2023-09-14T15:53:12.834-07:00</updated><title type='text'>LOVE NEVER FAILS - by Elijah & Sierra Breon</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/1f3fd5cc-7561-6094-0490-09fcf20ff934.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1200px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p dir="auto" style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">There are so many things to do each day, each week, each month. We can get so focused on the tasks that are in front of us that we miss connecting with the people around us, especially those who don’t know Christ.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The only thing that is eternal in our everyday lives is the love that is given and received in relationships. Love is eternal and when we choose to give even the smallest bit of love that we have to those around us, we invest into eternity.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><strong>“Love never fails...”</strong></span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><strong><em>‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬a NKJV‬‬</em></strong><br /><span style="font-size: 14px;">There are so many people around us everyday who have never known the love of Christ, never experienced the kindness and intentionality of our Father. We seek the kingdom first when we choose to turn our hearts outward to serve the needs of those around us how ever shall they might seem. It can be as simple as having a conversation with those that we work with, praying for the homeless, or giving space for people around us to be vulnerable.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”</span><br /><strong>‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭40‬ ‭ESV‬‬</strong></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">When we choose to love another, we are choosing to love God.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">So, the challenge for us, love-filled children of God, is to turn our hearts in affection towards a world in pain and darkness, and to trust that as we give, God will bring the fruit.</span></p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">&nbsp;</p><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><strong>“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,<br />and all these things shall be added to you.”</strong><br /><strong>‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/6039331390321696509/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/09/love-never-fails-by-elijah-sierra-breon.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/6039331390321696509'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/6039331390321696509'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/09/love-never-fails-by-elijah-sierra-breon.html' title='LOVE NEVER FAILS - by Elijah & Sierra Breon'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817155889538702737.post-2707231537210453160</id><published>2023-09-08T15:29:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2023-09-08T15:29:26.881-07:00</updated><title type='text'>LIVING AS OVERCOMERS - by Brent Lokker</title><content type='html'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="templateContainer" style="background-color: #fafafa; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px; color: black; max-width: 600px !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td id="templatePreheader" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnImageBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnImageBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnImageContent" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><img align="center" alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/ce4ada2ceadd32bb7a100374b/images/c8a193de-22d4-0e17-85d7-b3b242321823.png" style="border: 0px; display: inline !important; height: auto; max-width: 1000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="564" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"><tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #656565; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Even the title of this article implies that you have something to overcome. That something would be the enemy’s lies and accusations to you about who you are and about how to process what is happening in your life.<br />&nbsp;<br />Let’s begin with the truth:</p><ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">God is exceptionally kind and everything he does is good—Always.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">He is light and in him there is no darkness—Ever.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">You belong to God—Eternally.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">No one can snatch you out of his hands—Not the enemy and not even you on your worst day.</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">All things are being worked into something good in your life—All things means&nbsp;<em>all</em>&nbsp;things.</li></ul>&nbsp;<br />The enemy will try to plant ideas in your mind that are contrary to what you just read. Not to fret—Jesus has already overcome the enemy and you are one with Jesus!<br />&nbsp;<br />So, our greatest obstacle to joining Jesus in his overcoming victory is simply to agree with the Trinity’s assessment of truth even when we have a thought that is contrary. Only the problem is that doesn’t always feel so simple when the lies feel so real.<br />&nbsp;<br />Lies and accusations can sound like a myriad of things, but it might sound something like this:<ul><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“Why is everything seem to work against me?”</em>&nbsp;(Poor me! I’m a victim.)</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“How come evil is winning?”</em>&nbsp;(We’re doomed! Nothing matters.)</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“How can you put up with me, God?”</em>&nbsp;(I’m damaged and unlovable )</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“Aren’t you sick of me by now?”&nbsp;</em>(Let me sabotage this relationship before you cut me off!)</li><li style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><em>“If you really loved me, you would change this or that in my life.”</em>&nbsp;(Why don’t you care?)</li></ul><p style="line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">&nbsp;<br />So, what do we do with thoughts that are contrary to God’s truth? We bring them to Jesus and allow him to show us what is real and what is a fraud, because on our own it’s impossible to do. Remember:&nbsp;<em>“Apart from me, you can do nothing.”</em>&nbsp;(John 15:5)<br />&nbsp;<br />Here’s Paul’s description of what that looks like to bring those faulty thoughts to Jesus:<br /><em>“The dynamic of our strategy is revealed in God’s ability to disengage mindsets and perceptions that have held people captive in pseudo fortresses for centuries. Every lofty idea and argument positioned against God’s knowledge of us is cast down and exposed to be a mere invention of our own imagination. We arrest every thought as spear point—anything that could possibly trigger an opposing threat to our redeemed identity and innocence is taken captive. The caliber of our weapon is empowered by the revelation of the ultimate consequence of the obedience of Christ.”</em><br /><strong>2 Corinthians 10:5-6 (Mirror)</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />In your struggles, don’t try harder, but instead give in quicker to Christ-in-you. “Jesus, I can’t do this, but you’ve already won every battle for me, so I trust you to lead me into a place of freedom from the thoughts that have tried to hold me captive.”<br />&nbsp;<br />Exercise: Sit with Jesus and ask him what lies you’ve been believing. Wait until you have a sense of what that is. Now, agree with Jesus-in-you that these lies have no hold on you and renounce them (“I don’t agree with the lie that…” speak it out loud)<br />Next, ask Jesus to reveal to you what the truth is instead. His truth is the only one that sets you free! (speak out loud the truth he reveals)<br />&nbsp;<br />Remember that this freedom comes over time as we agree more and more with the truth of who God sees us as, so give yourself plenty of grace and choose to trust that God is bringing to completion what he begun in you just as he promised he would!<br />&nbsp;<br />With Love,<br />&nbsp;<br />Pastor Brent</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/2707231537210453160/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/09/living-as-overcomers-by-brent-lokker.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/2707231537210453160'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4817155889538702737/posts/default/2707231537210453160'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/2023/09/living-as-overcomers-by-brent-lokker.html' title='LIVING AS OVERCOMERS - by Brent Lokker'/><author><name>Unknown</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry></feed>

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

Download the "valid Atom 1.0" banner.
Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)
Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

<a href="http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A//blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"><img src="valid-atom.png" alt="[Valid Atom 1.0]" title="Validate my Atom 1.0 feed" /></a>

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A//blazingfirechurch.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Home · About · News · Docs · Terms