Exactly one year ago, God led Kendall and I to Toronto, Canada where we attended Light the fire again by CFAN. It was an event that I will always remember as it impacted us in such intricate ways.
This was our second year taking part in this conference. Three thousand hungry worshipers from every nation gathered for four days under an open heaven environment, just as in the times of the upper room in Pentecost, the encounter marked us for life. We were able to witness some incredible miracles, prophecy and Gods power all around us! I believe it was a small glimmer into seeing what the next wave is going to be like. When the former and latter rains unite. Joel 2:23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring.
Every morning we arose very early by about 6am to get to the Catch The fire Church, at the Atwell location, the home where the original Toronto blessing was hosted. The hunger was intense, as the crowds made their way to get into the church. At times the line would wrap around the church and we would sit for two or three hours just waiting for the doors to open. As we waited we got to speak to many people from all walks of life. So many hungry followers came from every nation, it was a melting pot of every language and every people group, all coming to receive a new flame, seeking to have their torch lit to take back to their nations and spread the fire of Gods love!
The second day we met a young man named Andrew from Ohio, who was delivered from prison and heroin through an encounter with Jesus, while watching Bethel worship. He was a modern day Saul, who stepped into Christ and became like a Paul, now destined to reign with Jesus and lead many into his kingdom. He ministered to us and we prayed together, Gods Presence was eager to move even in the outer courts of the church. It was encounter after encounter with many more amazing people, all predestined by Holy Spirits devine setup.
Along with meeting other friends that we will cherish for life, we also met a few beautiful pastors, some from El Paso, Juarez and Canada! The Lord brought us together at very special moments and we were able to partner with them in delivering and interpreting prophetic words over those whom God chose. In some instances, we received prophetic word that sparked the fire in our hearts at other times we were used to usher fire into their hearts through the word, as we encouraged one another. It was so amazing, it’s as if God wanted to mature our gifts so he placed opportunities all around us and told us step in. As we said yes, this helped to form relationships and trust with people we had just met, but felt like they were family all along. As it is when we meet people who have the same zeal and love of our father as we do. John 13:34-35 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” These pastors became brothers and sisters in our lives, we felt so united and continue to allow them to speak into our lives. I believe there is going to come a time, where we will unite again and God will bring us into places that are in need of his fire and great love.
If I could sum up the entire four day encounter under the open heavens, I would say it all comes down to one name! JESUS! Everything else is just the outflow from the central connection we have to Jesus. He downloaded this revelation into my heart a few days after the revival, just as Jesus is light, he brings life to all things. It’s like the waters begin at his feet then streams move outward towards all soil with a purpose and desire to cover everything dry so that all things around us become green pastures. We could encounter amazing waves in his ocean, flowing with his love as we’re awakened into an awareness of Jesus, he then releases new gifting and blessings over our lives. If a prophet or evangelist enters into our lives riding a wave of supernatural love, at times we can try to jump on board their waves and at other times fail to see that we ourselves are also wave carriers, ready conduits for God‘s currents to be carried in greater measures! As we become Holy Spirit led conduits, we begin our journey at the alter of the the sacred sanctuary, as we ask God to open a new river line that we can ride on in faith and move further and deeper than we dare think or imagine. As new wells are dug up through prayer and intimacy, we are taken through channels that eventually lead into areas of great refreshing, restoring and renewing!
As we then reflect his goodness back to The source where all the Glory and splendor reside it becomes a beautiful road map leading people to Jesus. In the same way, that we are propelled by his spirit to ride great title waves in prophecy, healings and in demonstrations of his Glory, Jesus gives himself fully to us. May our hearts never forget the source of the flow, where it all begins and where it all comes from! JESUS!
Thus, as Jesus becomes our hearts pursuit we won’t get lost in the outskirts of his fringes, because he is glorious. But at the end of it all, it becomes evident that the sustainment comes from being in connection and beholding the King who sits on the thrown of our hearts. He becomes our first love! Our hearts desire! Have we done well by remembering that Jesus is the prize at the end of every encounter! Have we set stones of remembrance to give Jesus praise and let him be glorified with every part of ourselves! Have we come back after the immense move of greatness, to accredit that it was not possible to ride any wave if it had not been for his goodness! He is the gift, He is the prize! He alone is what matters most! Did I sell everything to follow him? Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Jesus was asking me if I could always keep my eyes on him? He brought me back to the beginning and reminded me of the times that I valued him before anything or anyone else! The days in my youth that I was so head over heals in Love with him, that I looked forward to escaping from others and going into a secret place to bare my heart before him! He reminded me of my hearts deep cries! When I was a child and I looked for moments to go into seclusion with only my beloved, I would pack a sack with refreshments and tell my mother I was going for a walk, then I would go sit beside the waters near a creek of the Coyote mountains in New Mexico. I would lay a blanket under the shade of a tree, I would set up a picnic for the one I loved. I talked to him and sang to him as if though he was right there. He really was letting me begin to see him in vision, my heart knew that he was pleased and loved our times together. I could envision his thrown and the father sat in all splendor holding his scepter outward, extending it as an invitation to allow me to speak and commune with the creator of the universe. Just as the king did with His Esther. These memories were landmarks of my first love encounters.
Ecclesiastes-1 everything is a foolish-account of chasing the wrong things. I’m Wrecked as his Holy Spirit spoke to me about this in my car Heading home from the revival. He gave me the verse in my heart as he referenced it! This Sums up my encounter! All that matters is Jesus! Did I fall in Love with him, did I meet him again as if though it was the first time, or better yet was it even deeper than when I first lay my eyes and heart on him! I was prepared to receive him in more depth! All the preparing of the word in us and all the cleansing he’s allowed us to walk through, at the end of this encounter showed me that they had saturated and pealed off the hardness of our hearts so that Jesus cold be unveiled and revealed to us, so that we could Behold him with pure eyes and clean hearts, that seek only him! As if looking at him again for the very first time! Every time we glance towards him he’s even more Glorious!
The waters flow into rivers at the Holy throne of Jesus! They then move outward with pure glistening waters, Holy Spirit vibrancy fills us and takes us further out as his depths increases in us. Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky. More faith arises as we ride the river of the Holy Spirit into further places than we’ve gone. He is pleased with faith! So as we say, take me wherever you want, it shows our father a true heart of worship. As we come to the end of ourselves we don’t look for our way, we look for his desire in us! His rivers are much more able to lead us where he best wants to take us! A stream flows with power based on the letting go and emerging of many waters, it washes everything in its path, smoothing out the jagged rocks. He was leading me to stay in sinc with his spiritual flow, downstream, with less work. It flows easy with wind and gravity leading it to go downward into a conversion point of a larger body! If we’re trying to go upstream and feel resistance we’ve got to ask ourselves, are we following the title wave left from another man! Did we miss the linking point which brings us back to the source! If you feel like your becoming an upstream trout, fighting for survival daily, a good question to ask is, are things really hard and not fun anymore? It could just be that the presence of Jesus needs to become your central point again! You may need him to remind you of where it all stems from, his thrown! Revelations 22:1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It all comes back to loving him and being loved by him! Dancing with him again and laying next to his feet as he rewards you with visions of his beautiful garden!
I was reminded of Elijah at the brook at Cherith, meaning brook where he was hidden. God was his provision. Ravens fed him and he drank from the brook as he withdrew into intimacy with the father! He went to a secluded place and let God become his everything! His weaknesses became exposed and God met his needs with strength, as all his reliance was placed upon the alter of God! Even after he saw the natural river bed dry up, he then kept listening to the word and moved only where his father led him! That showed complete reliance upon his daddy! He knew he was going to be, ok! He had already been fed by the ravens, he knew Gods sustainment would come as he kept being obedient to move with the word! Obedience is always followed with great reward. Obey – The Biblical word for “obey" comes from the Greek “hupakou" which means to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority.
The word, is the provision he had that also led Elijah to the widow in Zerapheth! At times God may call us to dig deeper wells! Uncover rivers by going deep into partnered faith with Jesus and his word and even finding people who are able to build us up. God provides yet again through a partner in the faith, have we dared to partner our faith with others! We can walk alone and stay fed if we’re in Christ, because he’s the source but he also wants us to go out of our comfort and find people who we can encourage with our faith and partner with them to bring greater resources of life and sustainment unto many others! In this case ultimately leading to new rain, new crop and new awakening. His partnered faith with the widow, the least among them led to his next breakthroughs, oils and food flourished again and eventually he was led to speak with the King. Where he was then able to release rains of great outpouring for the whole region! Many lives were saved!(1 Kings 17)
Thank you to our pastors for their faith in partnering to raise our faith in Christ, as they keep tending to the deeper needs for the least among us. They are opening great floodgates of God’s goodness to pass before us all! Let his fire come upon us all and bring us into deep love encounters with Jesus! Daniel 7:10-and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened.
As we’re in Him, we’re not only dead to our sins but we’re becoming the resurrected. (Reflecting his transformation power in our lives to be like Christ, and showing His image). Therefore, when people see us, they see Him.
I pray that his Love keeps perfecting us every day! As we come close to him, let Jesus fire consume everything in us to bring us into unity with his light! Let us be aware that we’re His Betrothed, burning with unquenchable love for our Lord. Let our fire be stoked by the wind of the Holy Spirit! As we say in one accord come, Lord, Jesus! Amen!