Blazing Fire's Encouraging Blog

-Brent Lokker - Jesus didn’t come to the earth and die on the cross to undo what humanity had gotten wrong. He came to inaugurate what the Trinity had covenanted to do for us before the world even began in order to make all things right.   God’s covenant promises to include us in Christ and to care for and nurture us into wholeness wasn’t in reaction to correct something that happened, but rather it was fully his decision based on his unchanging nature of merciful love—a decision to open our eyes to his beauty and to our beauty created in his image, a decision we weren’t there to vote on.   Let me show you from the Scriptures: “God has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” (2 Timothy 1:9 NIV)  And   “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” (...

Last Saturday we began a journey together to become more aware of the heart of our Father through the book of 2 Corinthians. We will likely be in this book for a good part of 2025. The backdrop to reading this very personal letter written by the Apostle Paul, who was a spiritual father to the dearly loved church he started in Corinth, is that Jesus had to first radically transform his heart. Paul, who was born Saul was a super devout Pharisee (a Jewish law cop) who thought he was doing God a favor by imprisoning and killing Christians who were teaching this grace ‘garbage’ from a Savior who was all about love. Saul was sincere in his devotion to God but had the wrong God in his sights, and sometimes we can fall into the same trap.   What each of us needs and even requires are transformational moments when our beautiful King and Savior reveals himself in a way that is so much better than we ever imagined, so far beyond what we thought grace could deliver, that it opens kingdom dimen...

2 Corinthians 3:7-12 in The Passion declares, “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. Yet how much more radiant is the new and glorious ministry of the Spirit that shines from us! 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. What once was glorious no longer holds any glory because of the increasingly greater glory that has replaced it. The fading ministry came with a portion of glory, but now we embrace the unfading ministry of a permanent impartation of glory. So then, with this amazing hope living in us, we step out in freedom and boldness to speak the truth.” But wait, there’s more….it keeps getting better! A...

I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, I think because—at least for me—it’s often an attempt to try harder to change myself which, though it sounds noble, is not possible to do on my own, which is what the Lord told us.  But just before the New Year, Suzanne was reading an article about our intentions for this coming year. While the two words have some similarities, I see our intentions as a cry within our hearts that echoes God’s own heart for us. And then, like everything that is of God, it is only a gift of the Spirit that makes it happen.   Yet, our choice to listen to that cry in our hearts and to agree with God is a big deal and an important one in our growth from glory to glory. So here are a few Scriptures and intentions we spoke out loud last Saturday. Whether or not you were there, I encourage you to speak them out loud today.   Galatians 2:20 (NLT) My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I ...