"O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore." (Psalm 131 ESV) Many people are not content. They constantly seek new passions or desires, possessions or hobbies, activities or busyness. These things may not be wrong in themselves, but they are not the things that bring ultimate satisfaction or contentment. There is a constant pressure to 'do' or to 'have'. This pressure is taken away when our heart is comforted and content. Being constantly comforted, even when we think we don't need to be, will cause a reservoir, or foundation of comfort to grow in our heart. Life becomes a lot easier when we are able to live out of this surplus rather than constantly trying to fill an empty hole. When we live from the overflow of comfort our heart is free. We become too free to fear, we are more confident to be ourselves, rather than trying to meet other people's expectations. We become more creative. We live free of condemnation, guilt or shame. We begin to live in the anointing that Isaiah describes in the first four verses of chapter 61. We are anointed simply because we are his sons and daughters: we will take good news to the poor, we will bind the broken hearted, we will set the captives free, we will comfort those who mourn and we will announce the year of the Lord's favour. This is our inheritance and I pray that, as you live a comforted life, you will discover the truth of this prayer: "And I pray that he would pour out over you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life, providing you with a secure foundation that grows and grows. Then, as your spiritual strength increases, you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement, beyond academic knowledge—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you." (Ephesians 3:16-20 TPT) If you would like to go deeper there is a series of teaching on Comfort, together with an article which you can download at http://afathertoyou.com/conferences The next Fatherheart 'A' School in the UK is in July at Cloverley Hall in Shropshire. This is an opportunity for you to experience Father's love and to know his comforting love filling your heart. All the details together with an online booking form are at http://fhmaschool.uk You are all very welcome. "For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord...." "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isaiah 51: 3&11 ESV) Comfort was never meant to be purely a sticking plaster for past hurts. We are comforted so our heart becomes strong and rather than playing 'catch-up' we have the reserves and resources to live more fully from the heart. We are enabled to live in our true inheritance as sons and daughters. As we are comforted our heart is brought home. We see this no more clearly than in the story of the lost son in Luke 15. The son had prepared a speech about returning as a servant but the father would not have it - so far as he was concerned the son had never lost his place in the family, he belonged. When the Father comforts us he brings us home. Our homecoming is not to scoop us out of and away from disaster. It is not a rescue plan for those who feel like they're sinking. Our homecoming is the outworking of our inheritance as we discover the peace and rest of knowing we belong in the Father's heart. It will enable you to live with a free heart. If you would like to go deeper there is a series of teaching on Comfort, together with an article which you can download at http://afathertoyou.com/conferences The next Fatherheart 'A' School in the UK is in July at Cloverley Hall in Shropshire. This is an opportunity for you to experience Father's love and to know his comforting love filling your heart. All the details together with an online booking form are at http://fhmaschool.uk You are all very welcome. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV) Over the past few weeks I've laid a foundation of being comforted in our pain, for our past hurts and wounds but now I want to begin to look at how important comfort is in our daily lives. I see it a bit like the daily manna which the Israelites received during their forty years in the wilderness. Every day without fail (except for the Sabbath when they received a double portion on the day before) there was new manna. However, the thing about this manna was it landed on the ground outside their tents. They had to get up, go outside and gather it in. There was daily provision but they had to do something in order to make it their own - they had to receive the free gift which was being given to them. We too are recipients of the daily flow of comfort into our heart, as we receive it so it will become a reservoir within us which will enable us to live from a free heart. I believe the apostle Paul learnt to receive comfort each and every day. It was the thing that enabled him to recognise his own weakness and dependency on the Father. It was the key to his contentedness and peace. For us too, it is the doorway to freedom. As we open our heart and allow him to comfort us daily, whether we feel we need it or not, the reservoir of love and comfort within will grow and we will live more like Jesus. If you would like to go deeper there is a series of teaching on Comfort, together with an article which you can download at http://afathertoyou.com/conferences The next Fatherheart 'A' School in the UK is in July at Cloverley Hall in Shropshire. This is an opportunity for you to experience Father's love and to know his comforting love filling your heart. All the details together with an online booking form are at http://fhmaschool.uk You are all very welcome. "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever." "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you" (John 14: 16&18) Throughout the gospel stories we don't see the word 'comfort' being used but through Jesus' actions and life we see him comforting both his disciples and the crowds who followed him. He is the exact representation of his Father and therefore he must have been the most comforting person who ever lived. He was the person of love and he has made himself known to us. Jesus took a disparate group of young men and turned them into a passionate band of brothers who formed the early church. Not only that but they suffered persecution for the sake of the gospel. As people met Jesus they encountered love and, I'm sure, comfort. When Jesus was rejected by the people of his home town, Nazareth, he moved to Capernaum and made it his home. Interestingly, Capernaum means village of comfort. In John 14, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his return to his Father. As he does so, he promises 'another Comforter', the Holy Spirit who will continue all the work that Jesus begun. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the Father promise to make their home in our heart (John 14:23). The outpouring of comfort continues through the Holy Spirit who pours the love of the Father into our heart and who enables us to cry 'Abba, Father'. We are not abandoned, nor are we required to work out everything for ourselves. We have One dwelling in us who continues to comfort us and as he does he strengthens our spirit and enables us to walk as Jesus walked. Today, my prayer is that you will continue to receive the comfort you need. If you would like to go deeper there is a series of teaching on Comfort, together with an article which you can download at http://afathertoyou.com/conferences The next Fatherheart 'A' School in the UK is in July at Cloverley Hall in Shropshire. This is an opportunity for you to experience Father's love and to know his comforting love filling your heart. All the details together with an online booking form are at http://fhmaschool.uk You are all very welcome. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4 NIV) We can lose our job, our possessions, our home, our income, our friends, our pets, our church or even the painful loss of a loved one. We all suffer loss, it often comes unannounced, it is always significant and can affect us deeply. When we suffer loss we need to be able to mourn as it is part of the natural grieving process. If we are unable to mourn then the pain remains in our heart and may fester, producing only bitterness and resentment. Mourning allows us to release that which we've lost and, in time, we allow ourselves to be renewed. When we mourn we are comforted. I particularly like the way the Message translates this beatitude: "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you." When we mourn, we allow ourselves to be embraced and held in perfect love. We are held in the Father's arms in the same way as a shepherd carries a lamb. We are nurtured in a way that heals and strengthens us. If you are suffering, allow yourself to mourn and in doing so you open yourself to receive his comforting love. If you would like to go deeper there is a series of teaching on Comfort, together with an article which you can download at http://afathertoyou.com/conferences The next Fatherheart 'A' School in the UK is in July at Cloverley Hall in Shropshire. This is an opportunity for you to experience Father's love and to know his comforting love filling your heart. All the details together with an online booking form are at http://fhmaschool.uk You are all very welcome. |
Weekly SignpostA Father to YOU is a signpost to the heart of the Perfect Father. When we became Christians we were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Sadly, many of us fail to take up that right and instead continue to live as slaves or orphans. But our true destiny is being sons and daughters who have a permanent place in the Father's family. This blog is an encouragement to help you know who God really is and who you really are. Click here to subscribe. |