Ownership a blessing or curse?

The Lord often speaks to me in subtle ways, through thoughts, impressions, and directions. It is easy for me to ignore these because He is the "still small voice" and yet listening to His voice is so vital for relationship. It is amazing to me that so many Born Again Christians do not believe God speaks to His children today but as you look at John 10 you clearly see His sheep hear His voice. That is off the subject but an important "bunny trail". The "still small voice" was pointing me towards this idea of ownership that we take as a given in nation where Capitalism dominates. Capitalism has given us the freedom to own many things, to buy and sell material goods, and to own property. I am not here to question Capitalism, I enjoy many of the benefits of living in the world's wealthiest nation and I am blessed. We are examining the Kingdom of God to understand His ways and to live according to the freedom of Him being King in life. God began to challenge my possession of many things: my children, my house, my own spiritual walk, among others. As I looked at Psalm 24:1-2 which says "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers." I was remembering that the Lord owns it all. Even from the very beginning in Genesis, God gives stewardship over the earth and it's resources but He alone retains ownership. We see this theme carried into the New Testament down to God owning us as believers (We are His Workmanship and we belong to the Lord - Ephesians 2:10 & 1 Corinthians 3:23). I realized that for many years I was quietly offended by the statements of believers saying "God owns it all". See the mind of my flesh (carnal) still felt I had a right to myself, my money, my life, my stuff, and my etc... What the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me is that stewardship is a blessing, because you are not responsible for the end result. If I look at all the things I own materially and believe it is all up to me to maintain it, fix it, replace it, and buy new stuff then it quickly becomes a burden. In the Kingdom of God (where Christ is worshiped as King) I am set free of constantly trying to possess because it is the King who cares for His children. Another example is that if I believe as my children's father that I am totally responsible to raise them up and make them godly children then I have a tremendous task. I may start off well and with good intentions on disciplining them, teaching them, loving on them and even instructing them in the Word but I quickly burn out recognizing my limitations and weaknesses. Now on the otherhand if I believe that God has entrusted them to me as a parent but ultimately they are His, then parenting becomes cooperating/yielding to the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit as God raises His children through me. We live in a culture obsessed with possessing more and more, Jesus points to this when He talks about "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need these things." (referring to food and clothing) - Matthew 6:32. Jesus is contrasting how children of God live in His Kingdom versus how people who don't know God live. I believe that our culture's focus on possessing, owning, and controlling is really the world system which is under the direction of the Enemy. Being a steward of what God has given or entrusted to us frees us from constantly striving after things, we understand that God owns it all regardless of man's claims of things. Since God owns it all He can transfer property, wealth, and other things to people He decides. I have not taken this revelation any farther than this but I believe there are many implications in our life and areas of influence. Let's begin by agreeing with the Word "...the world has been cruicified to me, and I to the world." -Galatians 6:14. In other words I don't operate by the beliefs of the world system, even the religious world, but according to the Word of God revealing the finished work of Christ. I believe there is much freedom for you if you will go on this journey with the Holy Spirit.



In His Amazing Grace,

Bret

Healing for Families

If you have been in a family you have been disappointed, hurt, rejected, or misunderstood. If not in your current family than the family you came from. It seems to experience these things is as human as breathing. No where in Scripture do I see a promise of an easy life, a life that is blessed does not necessarily mean easy. In my own journey with the Lord I have found that I have, at times, carried many of these painful experiences of family. I believe the reason we carry these things is because we are looking for some validation that the hurt, sadness, or disappointment is real. Self-comfort is deceptive because it keeps us stuck and can lead to self-pity and dispair. The Lord recently pointed me to a passage in Isaiah 53:4 in which it says that Jesus has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, and pains but the error that's pointed out in this passage is that we thought He was afflicted by God instead of that He did this for us. If my image of Jesus is one of a Savior that floated through life seemingly unscathed by the difficulties of the world because He was God I will miss His humanity. If Jesus was not fully human than how can He understand what I have been through. I must have my mind renewed to the truth of His humanity and His total identification with the sin infested, pain-filled, and troubled humanity that you and I live in. When I see that Jesus experienced what I have experienced than I receive the validation my heart has been looking for then I can give Him my griefs, sorrows, and pains. The amazing thing is that God will allow us to try to comfort ourselves unsuccessfully. What does all this have to do with family? We are most likely hurt in our intimate relationships, as well as blessed, so families are a place where we can heal. I recently challenged someone to see their family from the perspective of Heaven, since according to Ephesians 2:6 we are seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ. Also Jesus encourages us to release Heaven into earth in the Lord's prayer. My friend began to see his family restored, reconciled, and healed. He just sent me an email that he is seeing miraculous changes in his family. Looking at our families from the world's perspective can lead us to believe the barriers and walls will never be overcome but this is a perspective without the finished work of Christ. I pray you will get Heaven's perspective because this is where the Will of God is done perfectly.

In His Grace,
Bret

You have Divine Favor

There are always so many challenges in life, it seems that they are unending yet the finished work of Christ is enough for our victory. As we were praying over potential buildings to move ELM into in the future the Lord began to open my eyes about some verses in Scripture. I realized that we need favor, favor opens doors that men can't open and it is supernatural. I remember when we adopted my son Joshua how the Lord had revealed the power of His Favor. We were amazed as barrier after barrier were overcome by the power of the Lord's favor released through faith-filled prayers (at times mustard seed size). So as the Lord quickened to my spirit the verses in Proverbs 3:4-6, "So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." This is a wonderful few verses that had been prayed over me many years back, yet I struggled with a inner ache of was I really trusting in the Lord with all my heart because this was the condition to receiving Divine Favor. It seemed if I was totally honest with myself and God that I didn't trust Him with all my heart even though I had the desire. This is what I saw if I was to look at these verses through the Old Covenant (Law) but through the New Covenant (finished work of Christ) it comes alive. Jesus did trust in the Lord with all His heart and thus fulfilled the condition to receive Divine Favor, as our representantive (human being) in the New Covenant with God we were then given the result by God putting us "in Christ". In other words in a Covenant relationship you share with another party everything you have, God has not withheld from us so we are fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). This means that through Christ God has given me Divine Favor and faith in what Christ has done for me unlocks this promise in my life. Praise God! This makes sense when almost a year ago I was asking the Lord for favor, He stopped me and said "Why do you pray for what I have already given you?". The definition for Grace is unmerited favor, if it was merited I would have had to earn it but the Divine Favor by being "in Christ" is Grace. This is all wonderful but I can put pressure on myself to "have faith", yet Galatians 2:20 tells us that we live by the faith "of the Son of God". It isn't even my faith but faith given to me as a gift from Jesus. Wow! I now see that I have a right to Divine Favor, not because I am special in my own ability or estimation but because of the Grace of God. I pray that you would agree that God has given you favor and walk in it. Favor can open amazing doors, put you before important people, and give solutions that no one else has. It is the right of every believer, yet the Enemy has done a good job of deceiving us into believing we have to earn it through our right and holy living (Old Covenant-Law).

In His Grace,
Bret

God's Desire

I am not leaving the subject of God's redemption of the family, this is just a look into what God has put on my heart lately. Our church recently entered a season of 40 days of consecration (originally centered on a form of Nazirite vow) and a day of waiting on the Lord as part of this season. As I sat and listened to worship music and just enjoyed the presence of the Lord I was directed by the Spirit to look at the John's vision of the returning Jesus in Revelation 1. Instead of an attempt to increase my desire for God, the Spirit was directing me to look at God's desire for me through the eyes of our returning King (Jesus). The picture in Revelation 1 is not one of a stern, judgmental, or disappointed Jesus but one of eyes aflame with desire for His Bride. I thought how can Jesus have this desire for His bride (me included), when we the Body are such a mess. The Spirit directed me to Ephesians 2 where Paul recounts our state of death, hopelessness, and total disobedience (following Satan rather than God). Right in the middle of the chapter God's desire explodes onto the scene, But God so rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.... (Ephesians 2:4). In the next verse Paul again restates our condition of death (without life-giving desire). This began a journey of understanding why did God want me to focus on His desire for me, rather than what I want to do for Him. I know see that any desire that originates with me and not with God is desire that ends in death (unfulfilled and misdirected). One author said (Bill Johnson) "Probing your heart to see if you love God enough is always a dead end." It was God who brought us back to life, gave us a desire for Him, caused us to hear His voice, put His Spirit within us, and leads us to know Him. I believe the radical announcement of the New Covenant is that we bring nothing to the table and God brings everything "in Christ". As I see God's passionate desire for me then I respond (come to life), trying to create a desire for God to follow Him, know Him better, or even give more of my life to Him only ends in defeat and failure. Also none of my efforts at vigorous self-improvement or spiritual discipline make me attractive to God, He desires me because of who He is (God is love). Also in Ephesians 2:10 I am told that I am God's workmanship, I have told God that He has a big project on His hands. I have believed the lie from childhood that I needed to make myself acceptable and thus somehow worthy of love. It is such freedom to not have to work on myself or make myself pure. It is only through the finished work of Christ that Paul says about me "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17) If I agree with the Word of God I am a New Creature already changed, not my own project to be tweaked, ridiculed, chastised, then I can give up on endless thoughts and efforts to try to change me. I heard one person say we don't need a change, we need a transformation. Transformation is when our very nature is made new, only God could do that through the finished work of Jesus Christ. In our society we are very image-focused, I believe the desire to transform our image is from God but Satan offers the external counterfeit to the authentic (who we are "in Christ"). It is so amazing that a God that knows everything about me, absolutely declares His love for me and welcomes me home as a son. I pray Holy Spirit you would lead me into the truth of this every day of my life, may I live as His beloved child. Join me in soaring with Our Father.

In Christ,
Bret Rutland

Forgiveness and Family

As I look to see that I have not written in a while I must apologize. We have recently had 8 students involved in our 4 week Advanced Training, I found myself overwhelmed with clients and needing a rest. On Tuesday as I sat in discussion about compassion, forgiveness, and judgements I was reminded by the Lord of the importance of forgiveness. As I met with several clients the Spirit immediately showed me the importance of them letting go of judgments to find freedom. We are told throughout our Christian lives that we are forgiven and then to forgive but we are often not shown how to walk this road. Especially if I have been in a legalistic church the expectation is that of course I would just forgive and who should be taught. The truth I find is that while many know they need to forgive somewhere deep inside they have not had a revelation by the Spirit of God on how to forgive so they stay trapped in a prison of emotional pain. First we must get a revelation of how much we have been forgiven, in Colossians 2:14 it says record of our sins was nailed to the cross and taken away. In Jesus' parable of the king taking an account He describes one slave owing 10,000 talents (which if you do the math comes out to be $120 billion in today's dollars). Something that is rather confusing about forgiveness is that it is not forgiving a person as it is "sending away" (the original greek word) the debt that was incurred. In other words when someone hurts us (sinnning against us) we hold a debt against them because our sense of justice has been violated. If I attempt to forgive them but do not release them of the debt then I just remain in bondage to the debt. When the king in the parable took an account, Jesus was showing us in order to forgive we must see what the debt is (what we believe the person owes us for hurting us). We are commanded under the New Covenant of Grace to forgive in many places in the Word but we must understand that any command given in the New Covenant can only be followed through by the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. In other words if we have not received a revelation of how to walk New Covenant forgiveness we will appeal to our fleshly resources which won't work. If I have tried to forgive someone unsuccessfully (meaning I still feel anger or hurt when I think of them) then I have not had New Covenant forgiveness revealed to me. A collegue in ministry had a revelation of Matthew 7:1-2 on Judgements and why Jesus would say "Do not judge...". This revelation was that when we are hurt by another person we naturally judge them for how they have hurt us, which then produces anger and this keeps us connected to the person in a damaging way through sin/judgement. Since judgements are a legal perspective, we in escense set the person up as guilty in our court of law (with us as the judge). I have walked many clients through the courtroom in their mind (just picturing a courtroom) to have them see the judgements they have made in their hearts and then release them. It is the fact that we are forgiven that empowers us to forgive and there are many scriptures tying our forgiveness of others to receiving God's forgiveness of us. How does this relate to the family? We are hurt most deeply in intimate relationships, so thus there is a great need to have a working model of forgiveness in our families. Denying the hurts that have occurred in a family is what leads to continued broken relationships in the future. As my colleague shared that 60% of his one on one ministry is dealing with forgiveness I began to sense the Lord nudging me to make this more functional in my own life and family. The Lord then helped me walk through some self-judgements and other judgements that had been hidden. I am now seeking the Lord on how to teach my kids and family a working model of New Covenant forgiveness. Forgiveness is a powerful part of walking in freedom under the New Covenant. I pray the Lord would lead you in forgiving those debts/judgements that have hindered your freedom.

In His Peace,
Bret Rutland

The Freedom to Love

I was struck as I watched people who were freely worshipping Jesus, that in the world's eyes our love for Him doesn't make sense. To many Christians it doesn't make sense to be radically in love with Jesus because religion (performance) has so invaded the Church. To truly love someone is to be willing to be made a fool because this love overpowers fear. This is a radical, scarey, and passionate love that only comes as we understand God through the New Covenant. We can't imagine a God who would not only love us in our most selfish, embarrassing, and foolish moments but would even desire to bless us when we have blown it so bad. Being one of His children has nothing to do with how good our last attempt at obeying Him was, He is not after the slavish obedience under the Old Covenant or Law but to walk in newness of life (Romans 8:2). Does God being love by nature (see 1 John 4:8) have the ability because of who He is, to give to me when I am not perfected, put together, and still frail. These words of light are difficult to believe in a world that focuses so much on a person's appearance, performance, ability, and resources. I can now see why to love God you must hate the world (the system of beliefs contrary to the Word). I am seeing that a big part of being free to love others where they are, is being able to love and accept myself. Jesus said, love your neighbor as yourself. How many people truly love themselves? I have found many that secretly hold a disdain for themselves and their choices. I have to honestly say I have been there, Paul shares my experience in Romans 7 but he moves into victory in Romans 8. Worldly self-acceptance is looking at all I have accomplished, built, fashioned, created, and in pride pronouncing it as good like I was God (God did this after His Creation). Biblical self-acceptance and love is in total contrast to this, Paul in Romans 5 points to Jesus sacrafice for us while we were in a wretched sin condition as the foundation for self-love. We can love and accept ourselves because God did totally through the finished work of Christ. Religion cannot deal with the radical love of the Father that Jesus portrays in the story of the Prodigal son (Luke 15). Could it be that your Abba and mine is not tolerant about you but passionately and radically delighted with you? Abba doesn't wake us up with the line from the movie Parenthood, "Get up scumbag". Many of us living in this daily reality as we awake to a new day, believing that God somehow carries yesterdays disappointments into today. I believe this is partly why the Word tells us, His mercies are new every morning. There is a freshness in God's love that brings us to life each day. So who is the author of these accusations, is it just as Psychology diagnosis it as poor self-esteem or do we have an Enemy who is deceptive, hidden, and dark? I believe the Word when it says in Revelation that the Enemy is constantly accusing the brethern (you and me). What would happen if we awoke each day acknowledging the truth that we are Christ's beloved bride? As one speaker even said, he congratulated God on His workmanship of this man (Ephesians 2:10). With Christ in you, you are amazing, astonishing, a whole new human race (sons and daughters of God).

In His Amazing Grace,
Bret Rutland

Family Under Attack!! (part 2)

As the prophet Isaiah says the gospel truly is good news but do we understand all that has been given to us in the New Covenant? As someone who has walked with the Lord for 21 years, I can only confess that I have been ignorant. In my ingnorance I turned to my own failed resources (an orphan heart/flesh) but I am now seeing His Amazing grace in new ways (not truly new but simply being revealed). In the last blog we saw the way of Adam but also we see the way of Eve to lead her husband towards death by offering him the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I had to wonder before the Lord if she might have said something to Adam to encourage him to eat of the tree. I don't know but Satan used Eve as an instrument to bring death to Adam. As both were deceived through the Lie their eyes were open to see that utter lack without the life of God sustaining them. The results of the Fall are recorded in Genesis 3, God states that their is a curse on the serpent, a curse over childrearing/birth that Eve and decendents would have great pain, that Eve's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her, and a curse on the ground that Adam would toil over it. As I asked the Holy Spirit about this I sensed that God did not bring the curse but simply carried out His Word (if you eat of the tree you will die). As I looked in Genesis 3:17 it was through Adam listening to Eve's voice that he was deceived. The Lord revealed to me that it was out of the loving heart of God that the ways Adam and Eve would seek life apart from Him were under a curse. For many men who turn to success in their career or profession to give them a sense of identity, worth, and significance they are left with a sense of emptiness. For women that seek relationships for their value, worth, love, and identity they often find great pain and disappointment. Even childrearing/childbirth is under a curse (in the Old Covenant) as well as romantic relationships because her desire will be for her husband and he will rule or reign over her. I have often seen women who are desperately holding onto their husbands trying to make him be the father they never had only to be deeply disappointed and hurt. This disappointment and hurt left unchecked turns into bitterness, unforgiveness, and even eventual dispair. I also see many mothers who are in great pain as they have held onto their children, trying to have them come out like they hoped. Fastforward to Ephesians 5 and the New Covenant of grace to see God's redemptive plan for families. Through the finished work of Christ He is placed as the Head and under him husbands are lifted up into head of the wife. As I saw this through the grace of God I realized that all men have followed Adam's lead of being passive and abdicating their original given authority with damaging results to their families. In otherwords we men don't deserve (haven't earned) being head of the wife, this is totally an act of God's redemptive grace. It was through Adam that Satan got into the Garden and it is through the last Adam Christ that through our given authority "in Christ" we will crush Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20). Husbands have the opporunity through Christ's work on the cross and His life in them to lead their families in freedom and victory. Many husbands, relying on their fleshly power, have lead their family into defeat, frustration, and loss. Wives are to be subject or submissive to their husbands (Ephesians 5) but this really is a redemptive role of building her husband up. Remember that it was through Eve that Satan deceived Adam, now wives have a crucial role through the finished work of Christ in building up their husband and restoring what was lost in the Garden. Thus a wife's words over her husband have power to bring blessing and restoration through the New Covenant (guided by the Holy Spirit) or they have the power to tear down (Power of death and life is in the tongue). I have seen many a frustrated wife who in an attempt to motivate their husbands to take up their authority tear down their husbands through harh and critical words. This has the opposite affect intended and leads to more frustration and failure. I pray that the Holy Spirit would show you the greatness of what has been done in Christ and lead you into the freedom purchased for you.

In His Grace,
Bret