The Connection AZ

07/21/2023

Jesus' secret to moving in the power of God was rooted in being one with God; meaning; the same character, the same nature, the same truth and the same actions. In order for you and I to become one with God, we must clearly see who He has revealed Himself to be.

Jesus was the perfect model of God and the perfect model of a man yielded to God. When we look at His life and believe God's account of who He is, we can do the things He did and even more. (John 14:12)

Knowing God and receiving a revelation from Him is all about building our faith and trust in who He is and what we have as His children. So, ask yourself today, "Do I really know the Biblical definition of Who God is?" The more time we spend building a relationship with Him and reading His word, we discover the true nature and character of a loving Heavenly Father who wants the best for each one of His children. We begin to lay a foundation of truth where we cannot be moved!

07/15/2023

Spiritual Warfare, or as I like to call it, Spiritual Enforcement, is not about what you do, but about Who God Is. We have all dealt with difficult and trying situations in our lives. Whether it is physical, mental or emotional, as a human living in a physical body, we all have had to face hardships. During these times it is easy to lose sight of what Jesus has already accomplished through His death, burial and resurrection. Simply put, as a believer, we lose sight of our new identity in Christ.

In some of the most difficult circumstances in my life, the Lord would often remind me of what I had as a child of God. I was reminded that it wasn't about what I was or was not doing, but Who God is and what Jesus had done for me through His finished work. I would say out loud, "Lord, I know in you I am not lacking anything. I know you have provided everything I need to walk through this storm." (2 Peter 1:3) It was during these times the person of the Holy Spirit would begin to comfort, encourage and fill me with peace.

So, today I would ask you, what are you focused on? Is it the lie of the enemy or the promise of a powerful and loving Heavenly Father? Are you still living from your old nature or pursuing and resting in your new nature as a son or daughter of God? Jesus already did the work, we just have to align our beliefs.

06/01/2023

Stop and meditate on this today. God’s promises are relational, not just circumstantial. The Bible is full of promises from a loving Heavenly Father. “If God be for us who can be against us,” (Romans 8:32) and “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)

As a believer learning to walk in your God given identity; what does this look like in your everyday life? And how does this impact your relationship with the Lord?

05/15/2023

One of the many benefits we have as a believer in Christ is the person of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus ascended into heaven He told His disciple that He would ask the Father to give them another Helper, the Holy Spirit! (John 14:16-17)

Where many individuals get frustrated in their walk with the Lord is, they are trying to "do" the work of the Holy Spirit instead of "living" from a place of Identity. What do I mean by this? For many Christians, they have good intentions of walking in love, being kind, joyful and living in self-control, but then something happens in life and those good intentions go out the window. For many, we are trying to work up or drum up these feelings in ourselves, and many times, we just don't have the energy or desire to do it. This leads to feelings of failure, lack and condemnation which are not from a loving Heavenly Father.

On the flip side of this coin, when we live and operate from the place of being and identity in Christ, we know we are loaded with the fruit of the Spirit. We know we have an unlimited supply of love, joy, peace and self-control because the Holy Spirit is living inside of us. Our identity is in the finished work of Jesus Christ and we know He is not lacking in any area. So when we feel life closing in around us and we are facing difficult circumstances, we ask the Holy Spirit to help. When we do this, we are leaning on and trusting in our Helper, Comforter and Guide.

A practical example would be; when we start to feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed in any area of our life, we stop and say, "Holy Spirit, I know you have given me peace no matter what I am facing. I'm asking you to take over and flood my heart with peace right now. I need your help!" Then allow yourself to experience the supernatural peace begin to flood your mind, body and emotions. It's yours and it has been made available to you because of the finished work of Christ. What happens is we begin to live from our identity in Christ and the Holy Spirit loves to show up.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When we begin to live from a place of already having these fruit and allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work, the burden is lifted and we don't have to try and "Do". Remember, you have a loving Heavenly Father who is for you and not against you. He desires to see His children enjoying life and not carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. So today, live from a place of fullness and not lack.

04/01/2023

Who Is God? Where do we discover the true nature and character of God? Have you ever considered who or what has shaped your thoughts and opinions about God?

Cultural ideas, through movies, music, friends, family, and social media influencers have often carried more weight than God's Word because they make more sense to us. Paul said to the Galatians, "You've made Christ of no affect in your life. You're on your way to Heaven, but religious concepts prevent Christ from changing your life."

"Through your culture (tradition), you will make the Word of God of no affect." Mark 7:13

The church has made God out to be bi-polar or schizophrenic with conflicting teaching that says, "God may kill you today, but if He's in a good mood, He may heal you tomorrow. God will bless you, but if you get too much, He'll take it away to keep you humble." You find yourself scared and wondering, "Who are you today, God?"

The Apostle Paul said he had to let go of everything he thought he already knew about God in order to truly know Him. Paul knew the law, probably better than anyone, and if he said that's what it takes, then we would be wise to follow his lead.

I encourage you to commit to knowing God for yourself today. You can say, "God, I won't believe anything about You until I find it in the Bible for myself. I'll consider what I hear, but I'll determine first if it is consistent with Your Word, Your names, and what I have been provided through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection before I believe it."

03/30/2023

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus offers an invitation to anyone who is weary and burdened. This is an invitation to come to Him and build a relationship and find rest. What Jesus is saying in this passage is that he understands the struggles and challenges we face in this life, and He offers us a solution: to take His yoke upon us and walk with and learn from Him.

A yoke is a wooden beam used to harness two animals together for the purpose of pulling a heavy load. In this context, Jesus is inviting us to partner with Him in this journey through life. When we take His yoke upon us , we are entrusting ourselves to Jesus to help us carry those burdens.

Jesus promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. This doesn't mean that we wont face challenges or experience difficulties, but it does mean that we will have the help and support we need from a loving Heavenly Father, to face these challenges. When we learn from the ministry and life of Jesus and follow His example, we will find rest.

So if you're feeling weighed down and beat up by the burdens and storms of life, know that Jesus is inviting you to come to Him and find rest, peace and joy. Take His yoke upon you, learn from Him, walk and talk with Him, and trust that He will walk with you through the difficult and hard times in life! When you do this, you will experience the love of God in a very real way, and you will desire to draw closer to Him!

03/24/2023

The Apostle John not only believed in God's love, but he also experienced it. He had tapped into the greatest power in existence, the love of God! You will only grasp the fullness of God's power to the degree that you grasp the fullness of His love.

"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Love is the motivating factor behind all that God does. More than anything else, God is love. So, you only know and understand God by understanding the God-kind of love. This is the key to experiencing miracles, healing, faith, and peace in your life.

I would encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you experience His love in a deeper way than you have before. He sent His son to die on a cross so that you could be in a close personal relationship with Him. He cares about what you are dealing with and going through!

03/21/2023

I want to share something with you that hit home for me while I was reading yesterday. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Real faith is always a product of HOPE. The word hope in the original language means, "a confident expectation of good things." A confident expectation of bad things produces fear.

Expectation of good things should always be the general view of all Christians. In all our different situations we should be expecting good things from God. This is why it is so important to understand the true nature and character of God and what Jesus did for us through His death, burial and resurrection. When we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become righteous (justified, in right standing with God). This means all He has is now ours, and all we have is now His.

Let that sink in for a minute. Is God lacking in anything? No He is not. So, as a child of God, we do not have to live from a place of lack in any area of our life. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. (Roman 8:37)

I would encourage you today to examine your expectations. Are you filled with faith (hope) or filled with fear and doubt? God desires for each one of His children to experience His goodness and love each and every day. I believe when we begin to meditate on the word of God and how much He loves us, our expectations will begin to change and we will see the handiwork of God showing up in every area of our lives.

03/11/2023

The past few weeks I started to feel like writing again. Why do I do it? Well, I want to give hope and encourage individuals who need it. My motto for ministry has always been to encourage, empower and equip people. With everything that has been going on in the world over the past few years, here is a passage of scripture I believe has been grossly ignored or even forgotten by many believers.

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”” Mark 16:17-18 (Jesus’ words)

This is yet another example of the promises of God through the death, burial and resurrection of His son Jesus. Unfortunately, many believers have not built their house on the rock (Word) with Jesus as their cornerstone. Many built a house on sand and feel unsettled and unsure when the storms become fierce and eventually that house comes crumbling down. (Matt 7:24-27)

I know it’s not always easy to feel secure and confident when the world around you is in chaos, but that’s the time we go back to the Word and listen to what our Spirit is telling us. When we spend time with the Lord and reading His word, we begin to understand His true nature and character. When we believe that God is good, he fights our battles, he leads and guides us in truth, and if He is for us, no one can be against us, our stance becomes strong. Fear, doubt, confusion and worry begin to disappear because of who our Daddy God is. I would encourage you to think on this today as you go about your normal routine and see what impact it has on your daily life! Don’t let the buzz of the world get you out of peace, but find rest in true relationship with a loving Heavenly Father!

09/18/2022

Someone sent me this song a few years ago because they knew I was a Jason Upton fan. I was in awe when I heard the backstory that he’s actually singing with an angel while flowing and worshiping. The words of the song have new meaning now from the first time I heard it. I’ve been missing times of flow and worship with strong moves of the Spirit and heavenly visitation. I think now is a good time for the church to take the Holy Spirit off the bench and put him back in the game. God inhabits the praises of His people. The Spirit breaks down the walls, softens the heart to allow healing in every area of our life. It’s time the church starts to wait on the Lord again! All I’m gonna say is; this is going to be fun.

FLY TESTIMONY -- PLEASE READ THIS FIRSTJason Upton and his band were engaged in concert/worship at a college auditorium in Alexandria, Louisiana, when a God...

08/02/2022

You cannot go through the trials or storms in life and come out unchanged. You will either change for the better or for the worse. The choice is yours. We either lean into the Lord and allow Him to lead us through or we pull away and try to do it ourselves. The results from each are vastly different. One leads to growth, maturity, blessings and promotion. The other leaves us exhausted, angry, hurt, and bitter.