Pastor Kristin…
I was just in my office and Pastor Ray was praying in France. I had him on live stream. So, right now, let’s just kind of join our hearts with his.
Prayed…
Heavenly Father, we thank You that there is no time or distance in You. And we stand with Pastor Ray right now and Pastor Lynne, Patsy, Marie, and everyone at the prayer conference. We thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are there in their midst. We thank You that You are able to do all that You intend to do in that conference. We lift up each one of them and we pray for Holy Ghost utterance. Thank You, Father, that You manifest Yourself in those meetings, for encounters for each and every person there, for power that will go out from that meeting and effect that nation.
We pray for the nation of France and lift it up to You, Father. We know that it is strategic in Your plan. And we hold them before You, Father, each and every one. Thank You, Lord, that You have made a way, You have opened the door of utterance for them to be there. And we thank You, Father, that it is heaven being streamed through each and every one of them that are speaking. We lift them up, Father. We hold them before You.
Thank You, Lord. Hallelujah, hallelujah. We welcome You here in this place, Father, right now. We give this time to You and thank You for all that You are. Hallelujah. Amen.
Shared…
It’s so fun to hear him, Pastor Ray, with an interpreter. We love Pastor Ray. We call him P. Ray and I love how it goes with Pray! (ha, ha, ha) Oh, what a gift he is. Awesome.
I had a couple things on my heart that I wanted to share. I have a prayer group that I do with our staff on Tuesdays. It’s been a lot of quietness and I kind of shared about that last week too. It’s just been a reverent time, I feel, just being in the presence of the Lord.
Yesterday He led me to share a few things and I felt led to share them with you all today too. I think as most of you know, Pastor Mac has asked all of our staff to be praying on a daily basis. And I am hoping that is not like shattering to people to think that we weren’t already doing that beforehand. It’s just kind of more a directed time. He really heard from the Lord that was something we needed to be doing. So, all of our departments were coming together usually a half hour a day and just seeking the Lord and not even, you know, for the finances of the Church, not for that kind of thing. But honestly to seek Him for ourselves because that’s a big thing, we need to know Him for ourselves. And in our department we were praying and another lady in our group saw gifts in our staff and in the body here. You know, so many gifts that were just not opened and not in operation. And I see that is so true and it started me thinking about gifts and how I had viewed them in the past. It had almost seemed like a burden to think that I had maybe a gift, that it was something that I had to study and I had to make this gift be something. But He has just been showing me that’s not what a gift is. Your gift is not you “have to.” Your gift is you “get to.” It is your revealing of the Father. It is your reflection of Him.
And yes, He has put things in each and every one of us that are abilities, strengths, tendencies but when you are operating in that, it’s a flow. It should be a flow from heaven, just a channel and not something you’re struggling to make and struggling to come up with but just a flow because it’s strengthened by the Lord.
And I have also become so aware that there are things that block our gifts. There are things that kind of stop them. When Lucifer was in heaven, the reason he got kicked out actually was because he wanted to be like God. And when he saw that God was creating all of us in His image, that we were going to be a reflection of Him, that loosed him. He was like “What? You are going to make them to be what I always wanted to be?” So he is after you. He is threatened by you. He is scared by you. And he starts before you are even born to try and stop you from coming into being. You know the world, we’ve got sickness in the world, we’ve got sin in the world, and those are all tools of the enemy to try to stop you from walking in the fullness of your gift.
One of the major things I believe is true is that we believe lies about ourselves. I think the enemy from the very beginning of time tries to assign labels to you, tries to make you believe something that is so not true, that you are somehow incapable of being a reflection of God.
Just even in my own life, I can think of so many things that I started believing that had nothing to do with what the Father said about me. I grew up in a family of divorce. My parents divorced when I was two years old. And just that one thing, that put so many things in my mind, in my heart that were just debilitating, that were stoppages. You know, thinking that I wasn’t enough, that I wasn’t chosen by my father, so why would the Father choose me. Just different things that over time I hadn’t really done anything with those thoughts. I had just taken them on. And that’s what the enemy does. He will take things that just happen to you in your life. It could be just one word that somebody said and you take it on and it effects and stops you from walking in the fullness of who God created you to be.
I think another thing the enemy uses is disappointment. How many times have people let us down or even something we maybe have been believing God for and we haven’t seen it come to pass. It stopped you. Oh, it’s probably covering up that gift. I do believe that the enemy’s major plan is to steal your purpose and to steal your identity. And the major identity is who we are. We are sons and we are daughters. You know your identity is not your job. It’s not your family. It’s not something you can do. That’s not your identity. You are a son and you are a daughter. You know that is the sole purpose that the Father sent Jesus to the earth was to reveal Himself as a Father. He can’t reveal Himself without having a son. Right? I mean if He hadn’t sent His son… He could have sent somebody else but He sent His son so that He could reveal Himself as Father.
You think of the disciples spending all of their time with Jesus. They saw Him perform mighty miracles. They saw Him multiply the food, turn water into wine, heal people, and raise Lazarus from the dead. I mean amazing things. Did they ever ask Him how He did that? No. They asked Him “Teach us to pray.” That was the one thing. They saw that relationship that Jesus had with His Father. Teach me that. And I love His prayer right away. He says “Our Father.” Right there He is bringing them in with who He is and showing them that He is your Father too. Amen.
Scripture focus…
(19) The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! Romans 8:19 (TPT)
And I love that it says “unveiling.” I think so many times we are trying to make ourselves something. We are trying to put something into ourselves. But honestly it is an unveiling. It’s a revealing.
The version I just read was the Passion Translation and one of the footnotes says things. Another way of saying the unveiling “The manifestations of the sons of God.” Interestingly, the Greek word used for “unveiling” (apokalypsis) is the same word for the full title of the last book of the Bible, “The Revelation [Unveiling] of Jesus Christ.” The created universe is but the backdrop for the dramatic appearing of God’s sons and daughters unveiled with the glory of Jesus Christ upon them. The verb tense in the Greek text is clear that this “unveiling” is imminent, soon to happen, and destined to take place. Christ’s glory will come to us, enter us, fill us, envelop us, and then be revealed through us as partakers of the glory. Although God will not share His glory with any other, we are no longer “another,” for we are one with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through faith in Christ.
Isn’t that awesome? The world is waiting for us to be unveiled.
I love John 17. That was Jesus praying before He went to the Cross.
(21) I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me.
(22) For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy.
(23) You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me.
(24) Father, I ask that you allow everyone that you have given to me to be with me where I am! Then they will see my full glory— the very splendor you have placed upon me because you have loved me even before the beginning of time.
(25) You are my righteous Father, but the unbelieving world has never known you in the perfect way that I know you! And all those who believe in me also know that you have sent me!
(26) I have revealed to them who you are and I will continue to make you even more real to them, so that they may experience the same endless love that you have for me, for your love will now live in them, even as I live in them!” John 17:21–26 (TPT)
Pastor Kristin…
Just think of that. I love it because I have been to Israel. I have been in that garden. And to know that Jesus thought of me in that garden, He thought of you. And He wanted you to know that He loved you. He wanted you to know the Father’s love. It’s amazing.
So, in this revealing… again it’s not a working. It’s not a something you have to conjure up. I know some people think of the Grace Message as a lazy, you don’t have to do anything kind of message. And I am sure there are some that maybe abused it in that way or taken that way but the Grace Message is about knowing the love of God. It’s a knowing everything He created for you, you can have and you can do. And so I know this unveiling, this is not a working. It is a coming to know Him. And the Word says we become what we behold.
Scripture focus…
(3) As a result of our ministry, you are living letters written by Christ, not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God—not carved onto stone tablets but on the tablets of tender hearts. (4) We carry this confidence in our hearts because of our union with Christ before God. (5) Yet we don’t see ourselves as capable enough to do anything in our own strength, for our true competence flows from God’s empowering presence. (6) He alone makes us adequate ministers who are focused on an entirely new covenant. Our ministry is not based on the letter of the law but through the power of the Spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit pours out life.
The Glorious Ministry of the Spirit
(7) Even the ministry that was characterized by chiseled letters on stone tablets came with a dazzling measure of glory, though it produced death. The Israelites couldn’t bear to gaze on the glowing face of Moses because of the radiant splendor shining from his countenance—a glory destined to fade away.
(8) Yet how much more radiant is this new and glorious ministry of the Spirit that shines from us! (9) For if the former ministry of condemnation was ushered in with a measure of glory, how much more does the ministry that imparts righteousness far excel in glory. (10) What once was glorious no longer holds any glory because of the increasingly greater glory that has replaced it. (11) The fading ministry came with a portion of glory, but now we embrace the unfading ministry of a permanent impartation of glory. (12) So then, with this amazing hope living in us, we step out in freedom and boldness to speak the truth. (13) We are not like Moses, who used a veil to hide the glory to keep the Israelites from staring at him as it faded away.
(14) Their minds were closed and hardened, for even to this day that same veil comes over their minds when they hear the words of the former covenant. The veil has not yet been lifted from them, for it is only eliminated when one is joined to the Messiah. (15) So until now, whenever the Old Testament is being read, the same blinding comes over their hearts. (16) But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. (17) Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.
(18) 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. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 (TPT)
Pastor Kristin…
I love that. Oh, we carry Him. We reflect Him. I am going to share a little clip later and it may seem like it’s going to kind of contradict this, that we are mirrors. Because in the clip, she says that we should be windows. And it will make sense when you hear it but I just want to plant that in your mind before you listen.
So, as I said Jesus’ primary purpose was to reveal the Father. And I’ve noticed because I think I lived like this for a long time, I was almost more interested in reflecting a person. I would see somebody I thought was doing great. You know I loved their walk with the Lord or just somebody I admired and I thought “I am going to be like them.” And I would find myself trying to do the same things they were doing or saying the same things they were saying. And that I am sure hurt the heart of God. There are great people, there are amazing people but that’s not what we are to follow. That is not what we are to reveal. We are not to be a bunch of imitations. You know every single one of us carries a piece of Him, individual reflections of Him. Which when you think of it, it’s amazing. I am not a crowd person. I do not like the Mall of America. I don’t like going to super crowded places because of all of the people. It’s like Ahhhh! So many people. But sometimes it’s just a mind shift. If you just stop and look at everyone. It’s like oh, my Father, that’s a part of Him. They might not be showing it beautifully but they are a piece and part of Him, a reflection of Him. I still don’t like to go (ha, ha, ha). But if I can change my thinking when I am in that spot, it’s amazing. And in that it’s a confidence in knowing that God created you that way, that He made you unique. His relationship with you is unique. Every single part is special. Don’t try to copy somebody else.
The prayer group I do on Tuesdays… I have had this kind of “ugh” because I am sure it’s very different than a lot of people have done. I know it’s not for everybody but it is the way that I hear from the Lord and I think a lot of other people hear from the Lord and it’s just making a place, making a way. I just think the important thing is no matter what it is, no matter how it looks, we need to be in the presence of the Father.
For a long time, I would look up at the clouds and oh my word! I could cry looking at a cloud because I felt His presence. I would tell people “He did that for me.” That was my God wink. That was Him saying “I did that for you, Kristin. I know you love that I know you see Me in that.” You know, I just think there are going to be different things for everybody. The important thing is do it your way. Do it the way the Father ministers to you.
In my prayer group on Tuesdays, we do a lot of time of just quiet and resting in the Lord. I started kind of wondering about it “Is this right?”
He is showing me “Yes, this is right. This is how you are meeting with Me, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
He said “Okay.” And He’s giving me a little back up too because I like that (ha, ha, ha). Have you all read Carolyn Leaf’s book Switch on the Brain? Good book. So, there is even scientific evidence for the power of doing this.
The following excerpt was taken from Switch on Your Brain by Carolyn Leaf:
Entering into Directed Rest
The nonconscious part of our minds is where most of the mind-action takes place, and it is always dominant, twenty-four hours a day. It is where we are thinking, choosing, building, and sorting thoughts. Simply put, it is the constant, high-energy activity that is always going on in the nonconscious mind, even when we are resting. What we consciously think and what we say and do is all driven by the information and activity in the nonconscious mind. Research shows us that when we go into a directed rest a focused, introspective state—we enhance and increase the effectiveness of the activity in the nonconscious.
PET scans and EEG recordings show portions of the brain bulk up that produce happiness and peace. This is wisdom from Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
What I find fascinating is that when we shift into the default mode network (DMN) we don’t switch off to rest. Quite contrary, we switch off to switch on to a mode of thinking that gives us perspective and wisdom and the opportunity to connect with God. This is a state of mind in which we switch off to the external and switch on to the internal.
Pastor Kristin…
So rest and silence is good. I just like to get validated sometimes (ha, ha, ha).
I just think there is such value and such importance in taking time to be quiet and to be still. There are times to be more vocal, to be worshiping, to be doing things but I know as we are doing this, we are becoming more familiar with the Holy Spirit and with His leadings and when He is telling us to do things. And that’s the most important thing, not pushing our prayer, our own agenda, saying “This is how I do it, this is how I always do it, and this is what we are going to do, Lord.”
But as you just spend time with Him, it develops those parts in your brain where it’s easier for you to flow with Him because you know Him and you are revealing more of Him and that connection is strengthening.
I heard this amazing quote this morning. There is a worship leader from Bethel. It was in a podcast with Shawn Boltz who is another minister. And what she said the Lord has been showing her is that He is much better at being found than worship leaders or pastors are at introducing Him. He is better at being found than anybody up here can introduce Him.
You know this is important, this coming together, coming to Church, hearing the Word. It’s so good. We need to be together. But if we are looking at the person here, we are going to miss a whole lot. But He is not sneaky and hiding and making it difficult. He’s like “Here I Am. I want to reveal Myself to you. I want to be with you.” It’s not a maze that you got to figure out. You know I have heard it said about Him too, what kind of Father would He be if He would speak to you in a whisper and then discipline you because you didn’t hear Him? That’s not the kind of Father He is. He’s with you. He’s speaking to you all the time. And it’s sometimes just a matter of us being still long enough to hear it. We can go into prayer firing away for an hour and not spend one single second with Him, not spend one single second hearing Him. What’s the point? We spent an hour shooting our mouths off.
I just think one of the most important things is listening, connecting, letting Him be found. And so it’s just a matter of looking at Him. However it is that you see Him, take note and do it because I believe going back to Jesus’ prayer in John 17, it was for the world. You know our hearts do need to be for the Kingdom. I know there’s a lot of us being in a good place, us knowing our identity but us doing that, it’s for the world. You know, we cannot just sit here in Church for the rest of our lives and not touch people. And again, that touching people, honestly will be evident just in our lives. It’s not so much of going and preaching to people. It’s letting them see Him in you. The unveiling of you living as a son and a daughter and revealing the Father, that is what will speak more than anything. It will impact the world because you are looking at Him will allow Him to be found by others.
Another thing that I was thinking about, when we think of being unveiled and revealed for what’s really inside of us, I think a lot of times the enemy tells you the lie that if people see what’s really in you, they’re not going to like it, you are not going to like what you see. And that is such a lie. Oh, my goodness. What a lie. What is in you is the Father. He made you. He made you. And sometimes it’s scary because we know ourselves so well or we think we do. We see all the junk. We see all the jealously, the insecurity, the things the Devil has made us to believe to be true and we just get afraid of being vulnerable, being open. But honestly what’s in there, what’s really inside of you is the beauty of God. It’s His image that is inside of you, His daughter and His son in His image.
I had mentioned there was a clip I had wanted to play for you. The speaker in this is another worship leader from Bethel Church and she’s a song writer and she just has a lot of insight into the issues of the heart.
We listened to a Hillsong Creative Podcast on the Finding the Prophetic Edge in Creativity
(Go to 31.50 minutes in through 45.30)
Pastor Kristin…
Does that make sense to everybody? By looking at Him, by just absorbing Who He is, it’s the most powerful way of expressing Him. You know we can think that it’s only going to be by being on a platform or speaking something to somebody. There is power in that. There is definitely power in that but I think some of the most powerful ministry is just done by people watching you just being so full of Him. That’s my heart. I just want to be full of Him. Praise You, Father. Praise You, Father.
Oh, Lord, in the stillness, in the quiet is when we can see You. You’re clear. And, Father, we just look to You in all of Your glory, in all of Your goodness, in all of Your love.
We spent a few minutes being quiet and still in His presence…
Father, I thank You that You are revealing Yourself as Father. We are stepping over into new realms of son-ship, of daughter-ship. We are stepping into new realms of knowing who we are, of seeing who we are. We want to absorb all of You. Just increase our capacity, Father. Help us to see. Help us to let go of the lies, the disappointments, things that have clouded our vision, that has held us back. We let them go. And we replace those lies with the truth, the truth of who You created us to be. We are Your beloved, Your chosen. We are anointed. We are precious in Your sight. Yes, we are. That the world may know, that the world may see how glorious…
Lord, we know You put this hunger inside of us, we are not having to work anything up. It’s Your desire. You want to be with us. Yes, Lord.
We remained quiet and still…
I thank You, Father, that the pressure is off. It’s off of us. I thank You that in Your revealing, in the work that You are doing in our hearts. It’s so that You can shine. Thank You, Lord. I thank You for the places that You have each one of us for that purpose.
Yes, Lord, we are Your beloved. Thank You.
You know living in that beloved-ness, living in that place knowing that you are the beloved of God, that His affections are toward you, it’s the most empowering thing in the world, knowing that He’s got you, that you can trust Him implicitly with every single thing. I heard this in a message a while ago. It has become like my anthem. “It’s impossible for Him to not be faithful.” Living in that revelation, living in that knowing, that your Father, that it’s impossible for Him to not be faithful gives you so much boldness, so much rest, such a peace and that’s Who He is. He is peace. That’s in you. That peace that passes any understanding is inside you. It’s not something that your faith makes happen. It’s an unveiling of what’s already in there. It’s there. And so is joy. Your joy is not dependent on circumstances, on what’s happening around you. It’s been planted in you. It’s the reality. It’s more real than your circumstances. Joy unspeakable.
We spent the last couple minutes just thanking Him for all that He is.
