We can find our identity in Him, who loved us first and came to the world to die for our sins (John 1:4; Acts 17:28). When we find our identity based on intimacy with God we will see ourselves successful based upon how we grow in this anointing. This is the primary way in which we want to see and measure (evaluate) the success of our lives. When our spiritual identity is first in this we can live with a free and joyful heart in the midst of chaos in our lives (Psalm 61:1-11).

Our identity must be established on being loved by God and in loving Him instead of on our own accomplishments or failures. Meditate upon truths of scripture and declare these back to God and your own heart until your heart, mind and soul come into alignment with truth.  For further reading check out Prov. 18:21; Mt. 4:1-11; Lk. 4:1-12; Jam. 3:3-4; Ps. 16:3; Ps. 18:19; Song 6:5.

By Jennie Estrada, Director of the NightWatch

A couple of years ago my wife was going through some of my old journals and song books and suddenly she exclaimed, “You were made for PIHOP!”  I was surprised and asked her what she meant.  She told me that as she was reading through my old books she could see that in PIHOP I found a community that had the same spiritual DNA as I did.  In a sense, I found a family of like hearted worshipers who want to pursue intimacy in worship.  This is one of the things I love about PIHOP; it is a community that is designed and loves to go “vertical” in it’s worship of the Lord Jesus.

by Khalid McKinley

Man desires unfailing love, according to Provebrs 19:22.  The capacity to receive the undying, unswerving love of God is instilled in us by our mothers.  If there is something that impedes a child’s connection to his or her mother in the first few months of life, we will have a very difficult time receiving affection.  We may experience a continual need to be touched or affirmed or to feel an emotional or spiritual high.  There will be a constant backdrop of desperation to our life and we’ll often feel panicked because whatever emotional and spiritual sustenance we get will never feel like enough.  We may be unable to hold on to God’s “mothering” as described in Isaiah 66:12-13.  Without it we will feel ungrounded, rootless, and constantly hungering for stimulation to fill the void.  Addictions and compulsions often find their roots in disharmony between mother and child.

Our first experience of our mother is in utero.  During this time she is literally everything to us—we don’t know anything outside of her and we don’t need anything outside of her.  She is our shelter, she is our source of nourishment and connection.  The act of being born can be very traumatic for the child (as well as the mother!)  We are breathing for the first time, we’re seeing for the first time, we’re cold for the first time, we’re more alone than we’ve ever been.  The mother is there to extend the shelter and comfort we first found in her womb into this larger world we are now a part of.

Our mother’s love becomes our paradigm for the “secret place” of God, of finding shelter in His love.  During the first months of our life she is not only our first model of the love of God physically and emotionally, but she instills in us the ability to “be” that is the foundation of our soul.  We learn from her that we exist and that our existence is a good thing.  She establishes within us the ability to receive and hold on to love, acceptance, and comfort.  Because of her connection to us, we begin to form the internal solidity that allows us to be still, to be alone and to be with God.  Our early relationship with our mother makes it possible for us to abide.

Psalm 131:2-3 says “I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child resting against my mother is my soul within me.”  Notice, “a weaned child.”  The process of weaning a child from a mother’s breast involves disappointment and pain for the child; but that distress is temporary.  Once the child is weaned there is contentment, which is a product of trust in the mother. The child knows it will still be fed. The child has learned that the mother will still be there.

The weaned child illustrates contentment, satisfaction and peace, all products of trust. When we’ve experienced the security of our mother’s love, we’re also able to trust God completely and deeply – we have the contentment and peace of a weaned child.

Till next time,

Matt Muhonen

Matt and Kelly Muhonen lead The River at PIHOP.  The River is an inner healing and discipleship ministry.  Check out pihop.com for information how to get more involved at The River.

Today at work, as I was KINDLY helping a lil’ preschooler get his wet diaper off, however, in resistence of my kindness, he thought it would be cute to scream in my ear, grab my face, and pinch my cheek as hard as he possibly could (he was even shaking because he was pinching me so hard)…I almost lost it. His physical assault just triggered an anger button in me that I didn’t even know I had.

Another incident happened a week or two ago, in which I brought a different lil’ guy to the bathroom to change his dirty diaper (unfortunately, the school’s autism program has a policy of trying to poddy train lil’ guys by making them stay standing while you change their diapers-a lil’ difficult to do to say the least). Well, I’m sure you can about imagine what happened next…as I’m praying that Jesus would give me grace so that my stomach would not over react to the situation, the lil’ boy suddenly decides to start peeing all over me! I couldn’t believe it…I just had to bit my cheeks and finish the job.

As I’ve been working with these wonderful li’ boys (they truly are!), I’ve been realizing how much I thrive on the reactions of others as I love and care for them. I’ve recently been reminded as to how much more difficult it is choosing to be patient and loving with those whom, most of the time, are not visibly cognitively aware of your kindness or patience towards them. As a matter of fact, much of the time, it feels as though truly no one sees your patience or kindness towards them. So much of the time no once sees the moments where it takes every ounce of godliness within me to hold myself back from completely loosing it — Today it hit me though, wow, this is the way it is for our Heavenly Daddy. This it the way He is towards us so very much of the time. Most of the time, we are completely unaware of His kindness, grace, or patience towards us, but yet, in His selflessness, He continues to lavish us with his unconditional, unwavering love. Wow. What an amazing heavenly Daddy we have.

Who could ever love all of us hard-hearted people? Who could possibly continue to lavish so many unaware, ungrateful children with such amazing love, compassion, and grace? We’re continually unaware of the great kindness shown to us. Our Heavenly Daddy is truly “Love”…there is no one that could even begin to compare to Him.

Daddy, please give us grace to Love like you. Forgive us for being so consumed with life that we don’t even take time to say “thank-you” for all that you do for us.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” -excerpts from 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

In Psalm 84:5-7, it reads, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca (The Valley of Weeping), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.”

I was so touched as I read this…I guess it was just a reminder to me that our tears of repentance, requests, sorrow, and intercession, are the very droplets that bring forth EVERLASTING fruit in our lives while we are in the dry, desert-like places (which many of us have felt like we’ve been in for YEARS). However, although we find ourselves in many “desert-like” places this side of eternity, we can always find comfort in knowing that our tears of sorrow do not drop to the ground without watering the desert place in which we are walking through. Our heavenly Daddy holds our tears so preciously in his hands and then gently lets each one drop to the dry soil which we are pilgrimaging through,…our tears never go unnoticed in his eyes, even our tears of remorse, regret, and repentance, he doesn’t say, “I told you so,” but rather, he hold them ever so preciously as he see the sincerity of our hearts.

I think many times we long for our circumstances to change, whether it be finally finding our “soul-mate”, at last seeing our loved ones come to Christ, or finally experiencing freedom from the unforgiveness, bitterness, and/or a habitual sin that has kept us bound for so many years.

Wherever you are in your journey, I believe Jesus wants you to know that the tears that you cry water the desert that you have been treading through. It is in the tears that you shed that you will find the strength and victory that you have been contending for.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good things does he withhold from those whose walk is blamelessl O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
Ps. 84:10-12

“The pilgrims to the heavenly city may have to pass through many a valley of weeping, and many a thirsty desert; but wells of salvation shall be opened for them, and consolations sent for their support. Those that press forward in their Christian course, shall find God add grace to their graces. And those who grow in grace, shall be perfect in glory.” Henry commentary on Ps. 84

Our Father in heaven is so kind to us everyday,
we can`t escape His kindness..

I`ve learned that it is good to pause during the day and think about all the things I am thankful for.

Free air to breathe everyday,
people around me who care,
birds that sing a pretty tune..

All of these were created by our wonderful God.

When someone is kind to me, I’m thankful to that person but I’m also thankful to God..
Why?
Because kindness is an attribute of God, and He put kindness in us.

Thank you Father, for all Your goodness to us..

Richard Foster:
“In our day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emerging of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated,
Spirit-empowered people. All of creation watches expectantly for the springing up of a disciplined,
freely gathered martyr people who know in this life the  life and power of the kingdom of God.
It has happened before. It can happen again.”  (Celebration of Discipline)

Thomas A. Smail:
“The whole experience of these years makes us ask with new urgency, `How are God`s promises fulfilled?`
Is it by working through a catalogue of conditions and performing human works that comply with them,
or is it that God in his grace leads us step by step towards the receiving of his promises at
ways and times of his own choosing, so that there is no question of forcing his hand from our side?
If the latter, our business in ministering to people is not to prescribe a method, but in each case to see
what my Father is doing, as Jesus did, whether it be healing or waiting, bringing about a crisis or continuing
a process, renewing inwardly or healing outwardly-and when we have seen what he is doing to follow him in the
sovereign way he is taking.” (The Forgotten Father)

Teresa of Avila:
“Never pay heed to such matters of popular opinion. This is no time for believing
everyone; believe only those whom you see modeling their lives on the life of Christ.”

Catherine of Siena:
“Why must you have such care for yourselves? Let God`s providence watch over you. His
eyes are on you continually in your fears. Not a moment passes but He is thinking of your welfare.”

Bonaventure:
“A saint`s life must be pure, that is, everything must be done out of love for God.”

A few years ago, I started to seriously try to listen to the Lord`s voice.
It says in scripture that “my sheep hear my voice” and slowly but surely, I was starting to recognize that still small voice.
But even after years of hearing God,
there are times where I am not quite exactly sure if its Him or not.
But I’m resting assured that the Lord is my good shepherd guiding me beyond my ability to hear perfectly all the time.
If you are someone sincerely asking Him to be “Your shepherd” everyday,
you are probably led more than you realize.
And as I look back to my childhood,
I realize how many times the Lord guided me without  me even realizing it.
 

Blessed be the Lord, King of the Universe,
who guides us in His ways..

As humans, we need to be careful of not judging how others judge us.

If he had only asked what I thought of him, I would have poured out affection and love.

I think we judge the Father in a harsh way..
But we need to spend time with Him and ask Him what He thinks of us.

I spend a lot of time with the Father,
and I know He really really likes me.

I love to feast on His “well done.” His praises mean more to me than anything.

And with ministry, I live out that “well-done.”

It`s like the Father reveals to me His wonderful plan,
and I set about and do it.
So I do the ministry after I`ve received His approval.
I do it IN His approval.

It`s a great life .

You are more loved than you realize.

Spend time and ask Him what He thinks of you.