Moving from the familiar to the spectacular!

Heaven wants to move us from the familiar to the spectacular!

The Holy Spirit wants to lead us, grow us and equip us with courage so that we can learn to live outside the boat! There is a rest at times inside of the boat, but adventures with God will always involve walking on the water, facing the storms of life, the highs and the lows!

It's called FAITH. Storms may come but the faith walk continues!

Parable of the Sower Mark 4

He continued, “Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.

14-15 “The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

16-17 “And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

18-19 “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

20 “But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

If you're still standing, and you're still hungry for God then you're still producing good fruit!! Sometimes we forget all the good fruit and the harvests we’ve produced, the ways God has blessed us, used us to encourage others. Yes, we’ve made mistakes, had doubts, unbelief, allowed fear in, had our wobbles, temper tantrums, made comparisons! You might be bruised and battered but, you’re still standing! Wanting more of the Holy Spirit!

Maybe you’re in great shape spiritually, praise God, theirs always more!

We are living in an age that’s preparing for the return of the Lord.

‘Dear children, the last hour is here.’ 1JN 2:18

If it was the last hour then, surely we must now be in the last second of the last hour!

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations[c] will hear it; and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:4-14

God is giving us a heads up, so that we won’t be frightened, or taken by surprise.

Without great discernment it is so easy to be decieved by what we hear and read, both about the world and the church. So much of what has been swept under the carpet is now coming into the light! Sin can no longer rule in the heart of the church.

We can no longer tolerate sin in our lives or in the fabric of our churches.

What we tolerate will eventual rule over us!

Our house, [self] won’t stand if it’s built on the traditions of man or the lies that the enemy would have us believe about ourselves! Our foundations must be rooted in the word of God!

“The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:8

Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 7

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” Matt 7:24-27

We can all desire to be comfortable and stay in the safety of what we know or our church experience. Staying in the safety of the boat rather than walking on the water. The familiar is somehow comfortable and safe!

The familiar can also destroy you!

What’s familiar to me will probably be totally different to yours.

I have had the joy of seeing and experiencing some wonderful moves of the Holy Spirit.

However, if I live in the memory of the past, however good it was, I stand to miss out on what and how God is moving today.

We need to be like the sons of Issachar who understood the times and seasons of their day.

'The men from Issachar understood what was going on at that time.' 1 Chronicles 12:32

Familiarisation: dictionary definition

Is the process or act of making oneself or someone else acquainted, conversant, or well-informed with a particular subject, environment, or skill. It involves learning, adapting, or undergoing training to gain knowledge and comfort with new information, policies, or equipment.

We are so good at this in the natural realm. Studying for an exam, learning a new skill, hobby, etc. When I had my first camera at 18 I wasn't familiar with how to use it so I read books, went on a course, There was no google or internet available back then!

If I wanted to pass my exams, I had to attend the lessons and spend time in revision. We make sacrifices for the things that we really want in life. There are no short cuts either with developing our relationship with the Holy Spirit! Too many people are chasing God's hand rather than seeking his face!

In a biblical context, "familiarisation" (or familiarity) is generally understood in two contrasting ways:

as a deep, intimate knowledge of God and His Word, or as a dangerous complacency that leads to spiritual blindness.

What is familiar to you? Or what are you being tempted to believe about yourself, or God?

Negative thoughts about yourself?

Condemnation, sickness, doubts, fear, anxiety, worry, self-hatred, insecurity, unforgiveness, stress, your past! You might have over come some of those area’s but doubt that you have an anointing, doubt that you have anything to offer, get tongue tied, disqualify yourself etc.

‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’ Jn 10:10

‘Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So, keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are! —will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.’ 1Peter 5:8 MSG

The devil wants to destabilise the church, that’s me and you.

If he captures our attention and keeps it on what’s happening in the news, You Tube, for example, or keeps us captive to our past and undermines how we see ourselves we can lose our confidence and boldness and feel uncertain and open the door to doubt and unbelief.

The Holy Spirit wants to restore your boldness and confidence and increase it.

Sometimes we forget who we are in Jesus!

We need to be reminded of truth.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jn 8:32

Psalm 139 shows us how amazingly wonderful we are. It reinforces Gen 1:26

It’s still plan A!

“You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! You know every step I will take before my journey even begins.

You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. You have laid your hand on me! This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength. Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from your face? If I go up to heaven, you’re there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, you’re there too! If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, you’re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, you’re there waiting! Wherever I go, your hand will guide me; your strength will empower me.

It’s impossible to disappear from you or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night. There is no such thing as darkness with you. The night, to you, is as bright as the day; there’s no difference between the two.

You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something.

You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me. God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭2‬-‭24‬ ‭TPT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

If you're a parent, do you think your children are wonderful? What do you say to them when they cry over their looks, their hair their skin, their body image! Do you agree with them, or do you say and do everything within your power to change their perception of themselves?

If some of truths of this psalm are bouncing off your heart, then the lie or lies you’re believing has roots in wounding from probably your childhood. With the help of Holy Spirit we can trace the fruit to it's roots!

You are looking for a pattern of behaviour, we can all be nervous or anxious starting something new, I’m talking about a pattern of behaviour, you know it’s illogical and unbiblical but you fall into it every time. You are faced with a situation in a relationship for example and your default position is 'fight or flight'!

Wisdom would say, ask the Holy Spirit what your default reaction is rooted in!

‘This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ Jeremiah 6:16

Fear is often the reason that we say no!

'Once you were like sheep

who wandered away.

But now you have turned to your Shepherd,

the Guardian of your souls'. 1Peter 2:25

When you become born again, your spirit becomes new and it will always agree with the word. Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. 2Cor 5:17

However our soul [ mind, will, emotions our character] is the part of us that needs to be renewed.

'that, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation].' Eph 4: 22-24

'Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually].'3 John 2

God wants us healthy in every way, and when your soul is healthy your body lines up with the truth. The unhealed pockets of our hearts can be the very things that are preventing our spiritual growth!

The enemy lies to us by saying if you take the lid of this, it’s a pandoras box.

I fell for that lie many years ago. Thankfully the Holy Spirit led me into a greater freedom through healing in my soul!

Hopefully you are saying YES!

The time is ripe for those pockets in your heart that the Holy Spirit wants to heal so that you can have a greater freedom, confidence and boldness to enjoy your Christian life more fully.

I came across this Face Book post by David Baugh which so many of us can so relate to!

We can't let the past or the present determine our lives. We have a comforter, teacher and advocate who lives within us who will guide us as we navigate the season that we are in.

Your calling is going to crush you.

If you are called to mend the broken hearted, you are going to wrestle with a broken heart.

If you are called to heal God's little ones, you are going to experience your own share of trauma.

If you're called to preach and teach the gospel, you WILL be sifted for the wisdom that anoints your message.

If you are called to empower, your self-esteem will be attacked- your successes hard fought.

Your calling will come with spiritual warfare and a sifting - BOTH are necessary for your mantle to be authentic, humble and powerful.

Your crushing won't be easy because your assignment is not easy - and you can't minister

POWERFULLY what you haven't walked out. Read that sentence again.

When you're feeling the weight of it coming down on you, RUN to the Father who longs to be your comfort. Let him whisper your true identity over you while resting under the shadow of his wings.

Position yourself against his heartbeat. Let him renew your strength and set your eyes forward.

No olives, no oil. No grapes no wine!

Jesus turned water into wine, the best wine came out last!

YOU are in the kingdom for such a time as this, and we have the ear of the king. His sceptre is extended towards us. Will you reach out and embrace it!