Kingdom R&R - Tag, You're It!

I love the refreshing that some good ole’ R&R brings, but there’s another R&R the Holy Spirit has been impressing on me more than ever for this hour—something important that you and I have and the world needs. It’s the Receive & Release of the anointing within us: what we receive, we are to give. We have been “tagged”—touched—by the love and power of God, and this is what we touch others with as we reach out beyond ourselves.

Many of Abba’s children don’t fully understand what they have inside them—a Kingdom of authority to heal the ills of fallen mankind and free an earth in bondage. Jesus demonstrated it: He healed the sick, cast out demons, multiplied bread, and silenced storms. The Spirit of Jesus lives in every child of God and this is how He means to live! Loving and caring for others is who we are. The Word says we have His same anointing abiding in us, empowering us with authority over sickness, demon activity, death, oppression, and even over earth’s elements as keepers of the earth.

We are not mere business people, teachers or parents. We are vessels filled with a healing, delivering anointing for our homes, communities, and nation….conduits, not containers with lids.

So how do we release the power of the anointing? Simple active faith—acting on what we hear God say. And here’s the kicker: the more we act on what we hear the more clearly we hear, and the more we hear, the more we act….the greater our faith grows in confidence to release the anointing within us. The opposite is true as well: the less we act on what we hear, the duller our hearing becomes: faith to release what’s been imparted diminishes.

Many of God’s children feel they can’t hear Him. But we can! Mostly it’s a matter of learning His language and recognizing His Voice. However, some of our hearing problems also stem from being taught a religious value system of “believe and receive”, but not to release the anointing we have. The prophet Isaiah (prophets know a lot about hearing God) said that an inability to hear God is often a result of a “heart full of fat”. Fat is a build-up of stored oils—an excess of oil consumption and not enough oil burning action. Stored oil clogs our spiritual ears.

Did you hear that? Not enough oil burning action going on! Taking it in, but not using it dulls our hearing. Father wants us to use what we’ve been given. Don’t let someone or some spirit dupe you into believing that you have nothing to give. Release that oil and you’ll start to see how much more clear you hear as faith rises in you to do the works you are meant to do. You will be surprised how God will use you! It’s so simple—just a word, just a touch, can release heaven and change a life. I know. I’ve experienced it, and I’ve seen it displayed over and over again.

It’s not an absence of the anointing that hinders us as Abba’s children, but a veil over our understanding of who we are and our divine DNA that wants to release heaven throughout our earthly day. It time to take off the shroud and burn some oil. “Freely have you received, freely give.” Tag, you’re it. Now go touch someone today!

J Nicole - Basking in the Son

Siblings: Committed to One Another

I’m learning a deeper realm of commitment to others lately—a broader understanding that springs from the intimate knowledge of God’s commitment to us and how He wants that same commitment of love to motivate our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

As God’s children, we are not only intimately connected to Him but to one another. We are family. Of the same Spirit. Kindred. Siblings. For some, the term “family” conjures up painful thoughts. To others it’s a delight. But just as God is a Good Father, He is teaching us how to be good siblings, kind siblings, loving siblings who love one another deeply—seeing past the flesh and failings to view one another by the Spirit, seeing one another’s true identity and divine destiny….to understand we are connected to one another with a responsibility to that relationship.

In American culture, we are not only prone to live naturally independent lives, but spiritually independent lives too. We may or may not attend church gatherings. We may be involved in church programs, committees, or ministry. But the real question is: how deeply are we committed to love one another, stick by one another, support one another until each comes into the fullness of who God created them to be? How much do we cherish our siblings with favor? Are we inclusive or exclusive? 

Do we continually encourage them? Affirm them? Treat them with invitations to fellowship? Are we as hospitable with our siblings as Father God is with us? Or are we only concerned about our own spiritual walk and well-being? When Paul said, “That I may know Him in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death,” I think he must have been thinking not only about his relationship with the Lord, but his relationship with others, too. Why? Because the sufferings of Christ were for the world and all who would become His brothers and sisters.

The bond of fellowship, hospitality, and caring for one another was a core value of the early church. They were committed to fellowship with God and one another, not in mere words, but in authentic display of love. After all, the church wasn’t birthed from a divine encounter of one, but of the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon one hundred and twenty waiting on God, in fellowship together. If we are only concerned about God’s commitment to us and not His commitment in us toward one another, then we are having an incomplete God encounter in our lives. Why? Because the nature of God is family. No wonder Jesus prayed, “Father, make them one even as We are one.” He knew our self-centered, independent nature, and the dynamics of the flesh that stumbles over one another’s faults.

1 Peter 4:8 says, “Love one another deeply, for love covers a multitude of sins.” I’m joining my prayer today with the Son in asking: Father make us one. Teach us to be committed to one another even as You are committed to us. Begin with my heart.

J Nicole – Being Fathered for a Divine Purpose

Committed to the Process

I was talking with a young man this morning who is reading my book Being Fathered for a Divine Purpose. He commented how thankful he is that God, as a parent, is committed to him. Through thick and thin, God as a parent IS committed to walk with us, help us grow, and nurture us to full development in our identity as His children. Perhaps because of life circumstances, difficult family dynamics or how we see ourselves, this is something we are continually learning to wrap our minds around. Learning to trust.

As a parent, I know what it is to feel a tenacious love toward my children—a love that fights for their future and invests in their well-being and development. At this very moment I’m watching the news of a couple who are searching Spain for their disappeared son—desperate for news that he’s alright. They are fighting for his future. I pray he is found and well. 

As parents we work with different temperaments and stages in our children’s life. We love and are learning to love. And while our learning may be imperfect, I think what a child wants to know most is—are you committed to me? To love me on my journey no matter what it looks like at the moment? Will you keep investing in me and not give up? 

God’s parental love is that kind of love. And what’s more, there is no imperfection in Him—no lack of patience, no misjudgments, no false assumptions, no over reactions. His love is relentless, consistent, full of mercy, will not give up on us, leave us, or get tired of us. He believes in us even when we don’t believe in ourselves. He corrects us because He sees our destiny and works tirelessly with us in gentleness and grace toward that end. 

So when those thoughts come that make you question your value to Him, remember: Abba Father greatly values you, loves you, and is perfectly committed to you as His child.

“He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Philippians 1:6

J. Nicole –

Knowing God as Papa