Blazing Fire's Encouraging Blog

Jesus said, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?" For an answer he called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me." (this was in Matthew, chapter 18, verse 3) Allow me to explain that the "Kingdom" in this passage is the government of God in our lives....in our thinking, in our dealings, in our relationships.  It's talking about God's better way of existing in all aspects. Also, Jesus is not referring to the maturity of a young child here. Rather, He's referring to the uninhibited, free from the fear of man, dance-around-in-faith-knowing-t...

As we have continued our journey through 2 Corinthians, I feel like I have gotten to know Paul better.  He has such passionate love for both Jesus and the church!  It is Paul’s great desire that the fledgling Corinthian church continues to be pure and growing in their love for God.  He also encourages them to develop discernment in order to avoid the influenced of false teachers who would pull them back into legalism and works.  Paul’s is reminding them of the central theme of the gospel: to intimately know and draw life from “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified”, the foundational truth of our spiritual lives.  (1 Cor 2:2).   In this context, Paul shares how he had a spiritual experience years ago that was so profound, he is neither able or permitted to share the specifics.  He shares this story not to glorify himself, but to help legitimize his standing as one who presents the truth of Christ, in contrast to those who are criticizing him and bringing fals...

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect; but I  press on that I may lay hold of that for whichChrist Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Philippians 3:12 So much about walking with God is about receiving. I think of life kind of like a big ship on the ocean. In order for the ship to move forward, the sails need to be open. Even if everything else on the boat looks perfect, clean, tidy, put together, prepared, if the sails aren’t open the ship won’t make it far. God has encouraged me not to put so much effort in making my life look put together, but instead to open my heart to Him. To come back to receiving His love, allowing Him to be the wind that carries me forward.  I can get sidetracked by my insufficient efforts, or I can open my heart to what He says and where He leads.  I challenge you to press on. To open your heart with vulnerability towards the Father, leaving your insufficiency behind and receive His Love to carry you forward. You were born to jour...

Last Saturday, we continued our journey through 2 nd  Corinthians, focusing on chapter 11:1-4. Paul was feeling burdened because the church was beginning to listen to false teachings and forgetting the simplicity of the gospel. This is something I can relate to. I was eighteen when I first heard about Jesus. I finally felt deeply loved and free for the first time in my life. But over time, I started to hear mixed messages and began to forget all that Jesus had freely given me, the joy of my salvation. I easily fell into religious thinking because I was looking for someone (or a system) to tell me what to do to feel okay. I grew up without a lot of boundaries or rules and felt I had too much freedom which led me to a very dark place. Of course, we need boundaries and an effective justice system but it’s when we feel we need to follow a set of rules to earn our way into Jesus’ acceptance that gets us off track.    “I am trying to help you and make things easier for you and ...

Negative thoughts running through our minds and tearing at the fabric of our joy is a universal problem. Jesus is the universal answer, if we will trust him to tell us what the truth is and agree with his assessment.   Theologian Richard Rohr states, “Jesus came to teach us the way of wisdom by bringing us a message that offers to liberate us from both the lies of the world and the lies lodged within ourselves.”   This is precisely what the Apostle Paul is getting at when he writes, “The weapons of the war we’re fighting are not of this world but are powered by God and effective at tearing down the strongholds   erected against His truth. We are demolishing arguments and ideas…We are taking prisoners of every thought,   every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One, Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (VOICE)    If you would like to hear more about how every thought (healthy as well as negative) takes up space in your brain, making those...

We love because God first loved us. We forgive because God forgave us first. We extend mercy because of the mercy our Lord extended to us beforehand. We show compassion because of the compassion first granted to us by our tenderhearted Father. And we are hilarious givers because God first poured out in lavish abundance his extravagant goodness and every possible gift we could ever need. And why do we follow in God’s footsteps to do what he does? Because we are created in His image and share in his likeness. We are children of the King, partakers of the divine nature, and one with the Trinity because we’ve been ‘de-otherized’ through Christ’s death and resurrection to be in perfect union with our Creator. In short, our most authentic self is just like our Dad!   I remember as a young, excited follower of Jesus how I discovered the sheer joy of giving. I was part of our church college choir and each Monday evening when we gathered to rehearse, we would first share testimonies of God’...