November 30, 2012

Pull Me a Little Closer

 
Just moments before the dawn of a new day; Papa pierces the dark night of our soul with the blinding brilliance of His heart. It blazes against the contrast of  the darkness as a constant reminder of His great love!  

The question is not whether He will pierce our darkness; but, can we receive His heart-sight? (This is a real photograph taken just before dawn by a friend capturing this powerful, prophetic image!) 
" Look, God, your God, has placed this land as a gift before you. Go ahead and take it now. God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, promised it to you. Don't be afraid. Don't lose heart."Deuteronomy 1:21 (MSG) 
The land placed before us as a gift is the security of the same closeness Jesus has enjoyed with His Father for all eternity. When life seems the darkest he is just around the corner with fresh blazing revelation and wisdom. 
"Jesus reveals that we pre-existed in His Father; He defines us. He justified us and also glorified us. He redeemed our innocence and restored the glory we lost in Adam's fall...What further ground can there possibly be to condemn us?
In His death he faced our judgment; in His resurrection he declares our innocence; the implications cannot be undone! He now occupies the highest seat of authority as the executive of our redemption in the throne room of God.
What would (could) it take to distance us from the love of Christ? You name any potential calamity; intense pressure of the worst possible kind, cluster-phobia, persecution, destitution, loneliness, extreme exposure, life-threatening danger or war? His love has placed us above the reach of any onslaught. (Adapted from verses in Romans 8)  
  
Therefore; throw caution, fear and religious inhibitions to the wind of Holy Spirit and embrace His passionate draw, pulling you closer to His heart than you ever imagined was possible! 
As the previous waves come crashing on the shore of your faith journey, be pulled by the overwhelming undertow of His great love and be ready to ride the next waves of Glory!  

Drawn by Papa's Heart, Ron Ross

http://youtu.be/QLQOC_MSVLY




Draw me a Little Closer

November 26, 2012

Living Embraced


Living Embraced
What happened? What happened to our abundant aliveness? Are we spiritually acquiescing to living our life on the outer fringes of Grace? Are we simply content to live on the edges of God’s love? Have we allowed a wall of fear or doubt to come between our reality and Papa’s continuous kisses of intimacy through Jesus, by His Spirit?
The struggle of the centuries has been to free our souls from a narrow or jaded interpretation of Father’s love for us in Jesus. He is the very essence and heart of the Father’s love message. The world is still waiting to see Jesus as He truly is through us!

He is: Jesus the magnificent lover, Jesus the resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus the hope of History and the Nations, Jesus the kinsman redeemer, Jesus the compassionate healer, and Jesus the dynamic wonder of the ages!
Take the shackles and/or blinders off; let Him have a chance to bless mankind through us without limitations! Daily embrace the Father’s lavish love in Jesus! This is our first matter of faith, removing any and all shackles, blinders and/or limitations. Only then can we see and show what great love the Father has lavished on us. It matters not what we are going through. Even:
When I feel the cold of winter
Endless cloak of sadness, I need You
All the evil things that shake me
All the words that break me, I need You

Over the mountains, over the sea
Here You come running, my Lover, to me

Do not hide me from Your presence
Pull me from these shadows, I need You
Beauty, wrap Your arms around me
Sing Your song of kindness, I need You

Over the mountains, over the sea
Here, You come running, my Lover, to me.
All through the valleys, through the dark of night
Here You come running, to hold me, til’ it’s light.

Over the mountains, over the sea
Here You come running, my Lover, to me.
All through the valleys, through the dark of night.
Here You come running, to hold me
‘Til it’s light.

Song of Solomon - Martin Smith
1 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it - we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or takes us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to. 2 But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him - and in seeing him, become like him. (1 John 3:1-2, Msg)
 http://youtu.be/AoJ91a9AeBk
Living embraced by The Lover, Ron Ross

 

November 21, 2012

Over the Mountains



Even if you are presently in the deepest fog of pain, shame, despair, fear, confusion, lack or sadness, He is coming over the mountain, running to you. Over the valley, through the dark of night; faith gives clarity to my heart-sight. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen!
Through the eyes of faith, I can see all and who I am presently agonizing over turning and running to jump heart-first into His waiting embrace. The prevenient grace of God (that part of God’s Grace which draws us to him) will not be denied—His great, unconditional, patient love will finish all He started concerning you before the dawn of eternity.
Anchor all of your faintest hopes in the surety of His completed Calvary, blood washed embrace! Simply open wide the ears and arms of your heart afresh to Him and him alone. He is all and in all and he is always more than sufficient for all that will ever concern you. Over the mountains, He comes running…Ron Ross

November 19, 2012

An Essay on Your Inner Journey
 “Let My love enfold you in the radiance of My Glory. Sit still in the Light of My Presence, and receive My Peace. These quiet moments with Me transcends time, accomplishing far more than you can imagine. Bring Me the sacrifice of your time, and watch to see how abundantly I bless you and your loved ones. Through the intimacy of our relationship, you are being transformed from the inside out. As you keep your focus on Me, I form you into the one I desire you to be. Your part is to yield to My creative work in you, neither resisting it nor trying to speed it up. Enjoy the tempo of a God-breathed life by letting Me set the pace. Hold My hand in childlike trust, and the way before you will open up step by step.” Jesus Calling, pg, 26-Sarah Young
Learning to Live From Your New Heart
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and lay bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”(Hebrews 4: 7, 12, 13, The Message)
One thing is absolute for the follower of Jesus—God gives us a new heart! The significance of this gift is immeasurable. Our heart of birth had been broken, bruised, battered, used, diseased, rejected, hardened, and corrupted. In short; it is unfixable. That’s why we are candidates for nothing less than a ‘heart transplant’. Anything else would fall woefully short. Prior to the new birth our old heart is as the Prophet Jeremiah proclaimed: “sick, desperately wicked…Who can know it?” Never has our Inner Journey been more critical than at this juncture in His-story.
“I’ll give you a new heart; I’ll put a new spirit in you. I’ll cut out your stone heart and replace it with a red-blooded, firm muscled heart.” (Ezekiel 11:19, The Message) “I will give them an un-divided heart…”
Too many of us characterized our old heart as shattered, decimated, and broken to pieces. King David expressed the cry of most, “Unite my heart to fear thy name.” This is what takes place slowly, day by day, as we remain sensitized to his encouraging words in our new heart.
The daily condition of our new heart becomes primary as we progress in our Journey. All the experiences of our life, up to this moment, are not what shaped us. Rather: it is what has come out of our heart that makes the greatest difference.
Simply stated, how we respond to the experiences of life are the greater determinate in defining our human and/or spiritual condition. In the Inner Journey God will show you in simple specifics how it has not been what went into you that defiled you, but what came out of your heart diminished your life.
In no way does this challenge that you may be deeply wounded and then left to fend for yourself. Most have suffered some form of trauma; either by abuses done to them by significant others or by being neglected or abandoned. Unfortunately, the pain and struggle during your journey has been devastating to your development and ability to function in life’s most critical areas.
Jesus, Immanuel; which means ‘God with you’ will come to your wounded life and embrace your heart with deep healing, restoration, forgiveness and peace. He will strengthen your inner life and deposit his joy to empower the remainder of your journey. He understands your condition and needs better than you could possibly imagine and he will take your hand and gently walk you all the way to wholeness and maturity.
Too many authentic believers have languished in the hurts of their dysfunctional upbringing, (suffering too long in a code of religious silence) while sincerely longing to move beyond these issues to maturity. We were so impaired that if we do not get repaired it will be very hard for us to become prepared to live the rest of our journey in the fullness Jesus wants to bring to our new heart. As we embrace Jesus in our heart he will nurture us to grow beyond past and present infirmities.
In the Bible, the word infirmity indicates a weakness or lack of strength that is the result of previous unhealed wounding or crippling. The word is rarely used in a purely physical sense. Rather, it indicates spiritual, moral, character, relational, developmental, mental, emotional weakness or a lack of strength. Having infirmities is not sin, but they do weaken one’s resistance to temptation.
The good news that you can look forward to from Jesus in your Inner Journey is that he not only understands the fact of your infirmities, but as your High Priest, he understands the feeling of your infirmities…not just the crippling, not just the weaknesses, not just the emotional hang-ups and chronic inner conflicts, but the woundedness, self-hate, and pain that come from them.
He understands the shame, the frustration, the anxiety, the depression, and the sense of failure. He also understands the rejection of self and others, the abandonment, the struggle to stay attached in healthy relational bonds, the loneliness and the isolation. He understands the addictions, self-medicating behaviors and the repeated failures.
He understands the vain attempts to cope and cover up. He understands your secret wars and your many losses. He uniquely understands it all and can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Jesus will embrace all of these infirmities through our Inner Journey. He alone can heal our history, present and future as we daily come to him as the High Priest of our new heart! 
“He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (Matthew 8:17)
“Like-wise his Holy Spirit also helps us with our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us…according to the will of God.” (Romans 8: 26-27)
In Hebrews 4: 15, Jesus is portrayed as the one “who can be touched by the feeling of your infirmities.” The scripture also exhorts the church in Romans 14 that the strong ought to bear with those who are weak, not passing judgment on them for their ongoing struggles.
His daily bread/word will penetrate our present heart condition. All of who we are will be laid bare before His and our eyes. His exposure is life-giving. It will enable us to better see and understand all the parts of our life that are out of harmony with his purposes.
Our heart directly affects our thinking, choices, emotions, memories, relational reality and ultimately our daily ‘obedience’.  In our Inner Journey we learn the heart attitudes that negatively affect our relationships with our self, significant others and fellowship with him. This happens as we simply listen and put into action (obey) all that he says to us.
Samuel replied, “Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obe dience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him. (1 Samuel 16:22, LB)
Hearing and Seeing Hearts Jesus said, “ I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual.” (Matthew 12:7, The Message)
This is how it works: whenever someone has a ready heart, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness of heart, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That is why Jesus taught using ‘stories’ or ‘parables’.
They create readiness, to nudge you toward receptive insight. In a hardened heart state we can stare at the obvious till doomsday and not see it, listen until we are blue in the face and not get it. Not only that, but we also tend to leak out and forget what seemed plain and simple yesterday.
This is how (Isaiah 6:9, 10) put it; ‘your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their finger in their ears so they won’t have to listen; they screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.’
Through our daily Inner Journey he imparts to our new heart God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! Ask yourself the following questions; do I have a ready heart? Are my ears on? Are the eyes of my heart focused on Jesus abiding on the throne of my new heart? If the ears and eyes of your heart are receptive and tuned to Jesus insight and understanding will flow freely.
God is continually using the story of our own Inner Journey with him to create readiness and to nudge us toward receptive insight/God-sight and God-sound. His story in and through us creates a deepening hunger and thirst for intimacy (into—me—see). And it’s not only in us; but those around us gain fresh insight into their personal journey through our grace story as it is told in our daily journey and reflected through our heart.
According to the story of the sower in Luke, Jesus teaches that it is from our hearts that we gain all spiritual guidance and understanding. “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a ‘crop’. “ (Luke 8: 15 NIV) The Inner Journey will shape that noble and good heart, which increasingly enables you to hear, retain and persevere with Jesus through anything!
‘All valid spiritual direction comes to us through our heart—the seat of true knowing and our ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ in the spirit. If we discern the “will of God” it is through our heart. Knowing our true identity and destiny is achieved through our hearts as well.’ (Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You, pg. 67)
“In solitary silence we listen (in our new heart throne room) with great attentiveness to the voice that calls us beloved. God speaks into the deepest strata of our souls, into our self-hatred and shame, our narcissism (total self-focus), and takes us through the night into the daylight of His truth.” Brennan Manning
“A hostile world! I call to God (from my heart), I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence—a private audience! (Psalm 18: 6, The Message)
Just like the mother of a newborn; his ears are attentive to our heart-felt cry for him. He alone will suffice. A daily private audience with the King of Kings keeps our heart soft, broken and pliable. So we remind ourselves as we learn this new life lived from the heart—I will daily veil myself in thee and wrap my tender new heart with the softness of your presence.
Contrary to the viewpoint of pop culture, our hearts aren’t just the ‘feeling’ or ‘emotional’ side of us. Feelings are certainly generated and experienced from the heart, but also by the mind/body. “The function of the heart is to organize our life as a whole. (Dallas Willard) This is especially true for our prayer life—a life not previously understood or experienced.
Our disorganized, wounded, incongruent ‘old heart’ betrays our masks, and reflects our daily core need for a Savior. Jesus (from the throne of our heart) sweeps into our ‘brokenness’ with a new heart—one that is capable of containing the very love of God—one that also develops the capacity to express Father’s heart to our own core, our family and friends, and then to the world.
The new heart Jesus gives us, passionately organizes our life around the Trinity. We tend to focus on either; ‘Jesus’ or ‘Father—yet we discover on our Inner Journey they are a relational community filled with their Holy Spirit. Jesus takes up residence in our new heart, the very essence of their community. From there, they model how we can live a whole, good and godly new life. Their heart beats with fiery passion and contrite humility. And that new heart is empowered by the redemptive blood of Jesus.
You/we are now charged with the high responsibility of caring for your/our new heart. The heart work of the Inner Journey keeps it pliable and molded to Father, Son and Holy Spirit’s awesome will lived out through us. Our new hearts literally become the ‘manger’ of Christ’s daily birth in us! He alone can nurture his life in and through us! This is our intentional, continuous coming to Jesus to believe the gospel for our lives every day!
We are Nurtured by Father’s Heart in the Journey! Ron Ross



November 16, 2012

Becoming a Seeing and Hearing Child

My dear friend Ray shared some things with me recently that I wanted to pass on. Jesus had already been stirring the slow simmer of this liberating revelation in my heart. Of course, that is not unusual. He often yokes us together with those who can hear Holy Spirit with us. That is, if we are inclined to listen relationally. First, there is a vital issue that needs to be continually cleared up in our perceptions.

"We don't yet see things clearly (we see as through a glass darkly-we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror). We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist." (1 Cor. 13:12a) Are you feeling encouraged yet? No! Okay, here we go. We are placed in the Body of Christ very strategically. God is always relationally connecting us in such a manner that we can help one another see what Daddy is up to and be enabled to hear his awesome voice in the sanctuary of our hearts continually. Even in the midst of all 'hell' breaking loose!

Two of the most confrontational things Jesus said during his earthly ministry as the Son of Man were: "I only do what I see my Father doing and I must be about my Father's business!" In other words; all of his seeing and hearing was relational, not intellectual. That smacks religion and self-righteousness right in the old kisser! Here's the rest of the story.

"But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!" (1 Cor. 13:12b) We are now at the precipice/edge of a great clearing away of all that distracts, deceives, defeats, and discourages. There is little time left! We must be about the Father's business-not church or worldly business! 

We must intention relationships that are connected by the Spirit and the heart; not perfect doctrine or intellectual, political correctness. Our agreement, unity, and oneness must spring forth from the depths of loving community! We must become known by our love! We must become known by our walk of trusting, confident faith in an utterly faithful Father! We must also become known by our servant hearts toward the world.

"Unless and until, the future of the world becomes more important than the future of the church, the church has no future." Say what? "For God so loved the world..." "If you have seen me (now literally we are him here) you have seen the Father." This was his purpose, to resonate and redeem the Abba echo in every human heart. Jesus is what the Bible is all about and he died, was resurrected and glorified so we would become in this present darkness what Jesus is all about.

Be Being a Son or Daughter of Papa! Ron Ross