A year ago, I almost died. I know exactly why. So, since then, I’ve been considering how many people die without knowing Jesus. That’s the ultimate tragedy.

My last post lost me 4 subscribers from this substack. I get why.

But I hate death with everything in my soul. I fear that all we will continue to hear is story after story of hate having its way in our world.

Matthew 5:21–22 (NKJV)

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

²²But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Hate is murder, and murderers go to hell.

This means that hating someone for the color of their skin makes you a murderer.

Do you understand how serious that statement is? Jesus is saying the difference between hate and murder is just the act.

Everyone who hates is capable of murder, and that is dangerous.

We’ve let a lot of hate creep in; what happens as a result is what we’re witnessing. I will play my role in combating it with every breath.

Because the death of unrepentant people robs them of an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

It’s not enough to love God; you must hate wickedness.

Hebrews 1:9 (NKJV)

⁹You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

I find myself trying to be more intentional with my words because I would hate to be the reason why someone else hates me.

But honestly, IF I’m hated for Christ's sake, then it’s beyond me.

Jesus is coming soon.

We are witnessing lynchings…

You need to be praying and in your Bible.

Every effort from your body should be aligned with the Kingdom.

It’s devastating what is going on.

Pray.

Substances and pleasures and things that would just only feed my flesh and not my spirit. Now I take the advice of David in

Psalm 61:1-2

Hear my cry. Oh God, attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth, I will cry to you. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

We've been talking about prayer a lot this season, so let's keep that going. David wants God to hear his cry, to attend to his prayer, no matter where he is in the world, no matter what situation, whether he's in the throne room or the battlefield. Wherever he is. When he gets overwhelmed, he asks that God leads him to the rock that is higher than I.

That is the rock of salvation, the rock on which the church is built upon, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. That is what you stand on when you get overwhelmed. You begin to realize that you are only overwhelmed because you think you are the one doing it. If God is doing it through you, there's no way that God can be overwhelmed.

So the first thing that I do when I'm feeling overwhelmed is take a step back. The second thing that I do when I'm overwhelmed is to pray. Prayer is the solution. To anxiety. When I'm overwhelmed, my soul is looking for an outlet. It wants to express something, but the busyness of life chokes it out. My soul is seeking rest.

It's seeking peace, is seeking east, but struggles to find them all. So I step back and step inside my prayer closet. David, in the same place, turned to prayer. Not just any prayer, a prayer that God hears. Now, I want to caution you, there's a process to prayer.

John 9:31 reads,

Now we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he hears him.

So as you step back and step into prayer, don't forget to step into repentance. Allow God to hear you by worshiping him and doing his will. Scripture tells us two things. There are prayers that God hears and there prayers that he doesn't. So when David asked God to hear him his cry, his will, his thoughts in that moment, his worship is seeking the will of God.

I like to believe that anxiety is introducing the lives of men. When there's an absence of God's will, you won't be anxious about what you're already expecting. God hears prayer when it's in his will. God's will is in his word, and his word is in his will. The fourth thing that I do is I step back and step into prayer, and then repent is to pray prayers that align with his word.

When you pray in alignment with his word, he will always hear it. Think of this: if I sign a contract promising to give you a thousand dollars and then you ask me for that thousand dollars, I've already promised it to you. So I'm already prepared to give it. And in fact, because I made a promise, I'm obligated to give it.

That's what happens when you ask for what God promises. God's intention towards you is for good. When you ground your petitions in his word, he will answer. So here's what I'm saying. When I'm overwhelmed, I step back. I step into prayer, I repent, and I align to his will that is being led to the rock that is higher than I, the rock of salvation, the rock on which he built his church, the Rock on which his will is done.

1 Timothy 2:3-4

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

It's a powerful reality that we can pray God's will into existence. The next question is, how do I know God's will for me in this season? I'll let you know in the next letter.

God bless you,
PO.

The first two parts is the point of prayer, parts one and two.

The second two parts is the power of prayer, parts one and two.

The power of prayer will be in person and live-streamed on 7/29. By the end, you'll want to join the Prayer Gym Challenge, a 30-day challenge to pray every day for 30 minutes a day at the same time.

Challenge begins August 1st.

Let's dive in.

If you knew how much help you needed, you will pray more. You don't pray because you're prideful.

You believe you can help yourself or someone around you can help you. When you realize only God can help you, you will pray. Let's define prayer. It's simply a two-way communication with God.

To understand prayer, you need to go to Genesis. The first three chapters of Genesis introduces something profound about prayer. We find the first word spoken in who spoke them.

The first by God.

Genesis 1:3:

"Then God said, let there be light. And there was light."

The second person that spoke was Adam.

Genesis 2:23:

"And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man."

The third person to speak was the serpent.

Genesis 3:1:

"Now, the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden."

And the fourth person to speak was Eve.

Genesis 3:2:

"And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruits of the trees of the garden."

Did you see that?

The first person that spoke was God, and he spoke life into all of creation, including Adam. Very productive.

The second person to speak was Adam and Adam spoke to God and adoration, thanking him for what he had done.

The third person to speak spoke to Eve. The serpent. This was where the problems began. Anytime you disrupt the natural flow of dialogue between God and man, temptation creeps in the serpent's. First words were to discredit the words of God.

And a fourth person to speak was Eve. And Eve could have defeated this temptation by simply speaking to God by her first recorded words.

And the Genesis accounts were to the serpent. We can't blame the serpent for doing serpent how things, but we can always blame man for not praying. A prayerless life is a breeding ground for temptation. The extended dialogue between Eve and the serpent led to the fall of men and a major shift in the Genesis account.

God spoke to Adam before the fall

Genesis 2:18:

"And the Lord God said, it is not good. That man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him."

God knew what Adam wanted before Adam asked for it.

Then Adam essentially prayed for it.

Genesis 2:20:

"But for Adam, there was not found a helper comparable to him."

God answered that deep desire by giving Adam E the very next words. God speaks to Adam after answering his prayer.

Genesis 3:9:

"Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you?"

Anyone who does not pray will not be found where God placed them. Said another way, people who don't pray are lost. The points of prayer is to position yourself where God is looking for you. God is looking for relationship fellowship and communion, but God is spirit. So we need a spiritual interface to interact with God.

That interface is prayer. You must be very careful not to allow the voice of another to interrupt the constant dialogue we are to have with God The moment any voice apart from the voice of God enters your thoughts. Temptation is closely behind. This is why Jesus teaches

Luke 18:1:

"Then he spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not to lose heart."

Lose hearts here in the Greek means to be weak. Or to faint.

Have you ever seen someone faint before? What happens? They fall.

Men fall when they stop relying on God to hold them up.

Adam and Eve fail the very moment they stopped praying. Are you getting this? Sin enters the life of a person when they stop talking to God.

When Adam was talking to God, he had a purpose. His needs were being met and he existed in paradise.

That's what prayer does. It brings us back to a position where we can understand God's plan for our lives and get this.

God wanted to populate the earth. He already knew that Adam would need and eve. So he positioned Adam in such a way that Adam would ask for the very thin God wanted for him.

This is so profound. When you are in perfect harmony with God, all our prayers will be answered because we are perfectly aligned with his will. That's prayer.

Before we wrap up, I want you to know this. Praying for five minutes every day at the same time is more powerful than praying one day a week for one hour.

It's a muscle. Do you want to grow that muscle in the prayer jam? Then join us for this 30 day challenge.

It begins August 1st. If you're interested, just subscribe to this newsletter and we'll get you all the information you need.

I believe this is a revelation for anyone connected to this community.

First, a question:

What happens when a light bulb dies?

The room gets darker, right?

Likewise, when you hide your light, the world gets darker.

This is what’s destroying the world.

It’s false humility to shrink your light so someone else can shine.

I suffer from this all the time. I want to take the backseat or step out of the way so others don’t feel like I’m taking something away.

What I’m doing is making it darker around then.

Imagine if all the stars said they would stop shining because they want the sun to have its moment. As bright as the sun is, the universe will be darker if that happened.

If you get what I’m saying, you’ll let your light shine no matter how small you think it is.

Every single light inside a Believer contributes to the Light God shines upon the Earth.

This is the meaning of this scripture:

Matthew 5:14–16 (NKJV)

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

¹⁵Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Turn on every light in your house. The moment you turn any one of them off, even the oven light, the house gets darker.

I want to expand on this, but I don’t want to preach; I just want to pray.

Every hidden talent and potential inside of you begins to shine forth in the name of Jesus.

May nothing God gives you to show ever be hidden in the name of Jesus.

May your light bring light to the Gospel in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Matthew 11:28–29 (NKJV)

²⁸Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

One thing about rest, that’s very powerful:

Rest existed before men fell.

Genesis 2:2–3 (NKJV)

²And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

³Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Everything that existed before the fall was PERFECT.

Jesus came to restore man to his pre-fall state.

So until we understand the idea of rest, we’ll live a life a part from God’s original plan.

One of the best places in the Bible to understand the concept of rest is in Exodus 16.

Exodus 16:26–27 (NKJV)

²⁶Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

²⁷Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.

God told them to gather double on the 6th day, because there would be none on the 7th.

Two things here:

1. The rest is trusting that God has done enough for you.

2. Working when you should be resting will lead to nothing.

Rest begins when your efforts end.

You can only enter into this rest when you realize that God has kept his end of the bargain, and there’s nothing you can do to add to the work of God.

Can you imagine God creating the whole universe in 6 days, and then Adam wants to add to that?

There’s nothing we can add to perfect.

There’s nothing we can add to the finished work of Christ.

All we can do is come to Him and realize, our efforts are only fruitful within the allocated period He’s given us to work.

The days He’s telling us to gather, to harvest, to build, we must work. It will be productive and fruitful.

When we partner with God, we can go far with the grace He makes available.

But then God will always create seasons in our lives where He tests our hearts to reveal something.

Were we trusting in His effort the entire time? Or our own? This is revealed on that day of rest when the manna stops, the creativity stops, the inspiration stops, but we continue anyway.

That’s when disaster strikes. Labor with no fruit.

It’s a waste of time.

I could go on and on, but I think we get the picture.

Here’s some scripture to encourage you:

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)

⁶So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NKJV)

¹¹I returned and saw under the sun that— The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.

Psalm 127:1–2 (NKJV)

¹Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

²It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.

I deleted my social media yesterday and found out my wife deleted hers the night prior.

We didn’t even discuss it, it’s just confirmation of the season we’re in.

I believe God is calling others into this season.

A season where we have to be very intentional about hearing him.

Last night I had a very powerful dream, vivid and clear. Essentially, I was in harm’s way, but someone came to my rescue.

God speaks through many avenues, and dreams are one of them.

Two people can not speak to you at the same time, and to hear from God, you have to ignore the world.

Multiple people speaking to you will sound like noise, even though to them, what they’re saying is clear.

We must train our ears to listen for and listen to the voice of God.

I will be spending more time in our private chat.

This week, I’ll share how to listen to God.

I might be back on socials in days or weeks. I’ll automate my posts, but I’ll be intentional about staying away personally.

For now, let’s chat here.

How else would He have found you?

Selah.

I was talking to Mercedes after service, and she said, “Even if one person reads your post, you don’t know the impact it could’ve had on that person”.

I took a nap, woke up, and this verse was heavy on my heart.

Luke 15:6–7 (NKJV)

⁶And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

⁷I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Our work is so catered to the 99 that it’s hard to imagine how else it should look.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the numbers game:

• How many people attended the church service?

• How many views did we get on a post?

Meanwhile, the registry of Heaven does not consider just saints, but also the sinners who repented.

So if we evaluate our programs, shouldn’t it be based not just on how many people came, but how many people repented?

Repentance is so important that Jesus’ first messages in ministry were teaching people to REPENT.

Mark 1:14–15 (NKJV)

¹⁴Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

I hope I’m not boring you, because this is exciting stuff.

Jesus saw humanity heading down a path of destruction, knowing that HELL was the only inheritance for them, needed to preach a message that would save a people, and folded it into one word, REPENT.

The Gospel is full of many other teachings of Jesus, but there is a foundation that they all point to. The precipice of everything that we read in the Gospels is on the condition that we are a repentant people, that we have turned away from the world and are looking towards the kingdom of heaven.

In theory, the number of people who need to hear this message should decrease over time. Everyone will have had an opportunity to hear the Gospel at the time of the Lord’s return, so an evangelistic ministry needs to be deadset on one equation.

One Savior + One Sinner = One Salvation

I don’t like sharing things like this, but I want to share a comment from someone on YouTube.

This brought me so much joy. Because I know the road to heaven is paved with the bricks of repentance.

May we always leave the 99 to find the 1. When we’re whole, we can rejoice, we can celebrate. But if one of us is lost, we must be deadset on reconciling them.

It’s so easy to focus on the masses, the normal churchgoers.

Let’s bring Heaven MORE joy.

Let’s never shy away from the message of the Gospel and Repentance.

Peace be with you!

33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

this verse should destroy the entire church hurt argument. just in case it doesn't, let's talk about it. first, two points.

no one has been more hurt by the church, than Christ.

church-hurt should not prevent you from being Christ-like.

i'm not being inconsiderate. just a few Sundays ago something happened to me at church that hurt. but as i'm writing now, i realize that some people don't know how much damage their selfishness can cause.

the root of church hurt stems from people thinking more about themselves than they do others. which is unbiblical.

Philippians 2:3–4 (NKJV)

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

please hear me, you can not play the role of the victim in Christ's Church.

i am not saying that you can't be wronged. but in Christ's Church, we have victory through Him. victory over anything anyone could ever say or do to you.

let me put it like this.

imagine leaving the hospital because there were sick people there.

that is exactly how it sounds when people say they're leaving the church because of x reason.

now there are some legitimate reasons to leave a church, and i encourage you to use your discernment.

apart from the obvious, Christianity is about covenant. you can't divorce your wife because your neighbor is mean.

let me give you some practical ways to deal with church hurt.

remember, there are some very obvious situations in which you don't walk away from a church, but RUN, but i'll cover that later.

1. forgive by giving.

   • learn to forgive people that has not apologized. giving helps that.

2. speak up.

   • it's not always easy, but tell them their actions hurt you.

3. pray.

   • this isn't 3rd because it's the last resort, it's 3rd because there is a good chance that prayer will lead you to doing 1 and/or 2.

Jesus is the head of the Church and has set a remarkable example for us of how we should deal with pain, struggle and suffering.

one of the fruits of the Spirit is the ability to suffer long. so why do we leave so soon?

i've heard some absolute horror stories about the church. from publicly exposing and shaming an individual to betrayal and backstabbing. spiritual and physical abuse, manipulation and the sorts.

leave that church, but don’t leave The Church.

just remember, you don't go to a hospital and expect to see whole people.

apart from God's grace, you can't go to church and expect to see all Holy people. but the Church must be the closest thing to it and constantly striving for it.

we need to take the attention away from ourselves, even in the cases where we've been wronged.

whether you've hurt someone in the church, or have been hurt by someone in the church, we all need to ensure that Jesus remains at the center of it all.

if we follow the instructions He has laid before us, we will consider others emphatically and divorce from any ounce of pride that wants to make it all about us.

i pray this blesses you.
o.

theophany and divine presence

- burning bush as theophany (visible manifestation of God)

- fire symbolizes God's presence throughout scripture

- unconsumed bush shows God's preserving grace

- parallels other supernatural fire (Daniel 3, Acts 2)

- demonstrates God's transcendence and immanence

- holy ground theology

- sanctification through God's presence

- removal of sandals signifies:

- submission to divine authority

- recognition of God's holiness

- stripping of earthly connections

- pattern continues in tabernacle/temple worship

divine calling and preparation

- Moses' preparation for ministry

- royal egyptian education (Acts 7:22)

- wilderness shepherd training

- Levitical priesthood heritage

- God's sovereign timing in calling

- characteristics of divine calling

- comes with divine enablement

- requires human response

- includes specific commission

- often meets initial resistance

covenant theology

- God's identification: "I AM WHO I AM" (Yahweh)

- look up the “I AM” statements

- eternal self-existence

- covenant faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

- promise fulfillment through generations

- basis for future deliverance

practical hermeneutics

typological significance

- Moses as type of Christ

- the deliverer of God's people

- mediator of covenant

- shepherd of God's flock

- confronter of worldly powers

- egypt as type of bondage

- represents slavery to sin

- worldly system opposition

- need for divine intervention

- pattern for spiritual warfare

prophetic elements

- signs and wonders

- authentication of divine message

- demonstration of God's power

- continuing role in Church

- relationship to faith

pastoral applications

spiritual formation

- encountering God's holiness

- personal preparation

- heart posture

- response to conviction

- ongoing sanctification

leadership principles

- overcoming inadequacy

- focus on God's character vs human ability

- importance of divine equipping

- role of community support

- progressive revelation of calling

prayer and intercession

- approaching God's presence

- reverence in prayer

- faith-filled petitions

- waiting on divine timing

- corporate implications

practical disciplines

study methods

- examine historical context

- connect to broader biblical narrative

- apply typological interpretation

- seek pastoral applications

action items

- read Exodus 4 and Acts 7

- analyze Moses-God dialogue

- consider personal applications

- join study community

preparation focus

- theological reflection questions:

- how does Exodus 4 reveal God's character?

- what patterns of divine calling emerge?

- where do we see Christ prefigured?

- how does this apply to Church today?

prayer

"Holy God, grant us a deeper understanding of Your Word, reverence in Your presence, and courage to respond to Your calling. shape us through Your truth and prepare us for Your service."

note: these theological insights serve to deepen our understanding of God's redemptive work through history and in our lives today.

to the faithful in rcln,

during our after-prayer last night, i was pretty vulnerable about how i pray.

i approach prayer like a child - a literal baby - beckoning to his Father for help.

i've always derived my strength from vulnerability. i disarm the enemy by leaving him with no accusation.

you can't call me weak. you can't call me helpless. you can't call me broken. i acknowledge all of these things before the God of Heaven, and He responds with strength, help, and healing.

there are points in life when you will have no idea what to do.

that's a clear sign from God to pray. this is not just for big things but also small things.

there are times when i sit on the couch and i have no idea what i should be doing at that moment, so i go into my prayer closet.

i replace opportunities for boredom with prayer.

being uncertain isn't a position of weakness; it's an opportunity to cry to God and receive clarity from Him.

i do believe that uncertainty should reduce as one matures in the faith and hears from God regularly, but if we knew it all, there'd be no need for prayer.

the truth is, we don't pray enough. we can't pray enough. so there should always be a desire to talk to God.

i've spoken to many people about issues they're facing - from relationships to work to health issues. the more you are a helping hand to others, the more you will need to pray,

because the needs of others will become a burden for your soul, and we know all too well that we are called to bear one another's burdens.

we get clarity from God's instruction. God's instruction will always sound like it does in scripture. He is not the author of confusion; He is very clear on how He wants things done,

how He wants the ark built, the temple constructed, and His Son to reign.

He never guesses and is never surprised.

so when you don't know what to do,
talk to the one who always knows what to do.

in Christ,
o.

moses as a type of Christ

- born in humble circumstances (ark/manger)

- left position of comfort to help others

- showed compassion for the oppressed

- trained specifically for ministry

egypt as a picture of bondage

- represents sin's enslavement

- God's deliverance required

- importance of complete exodus

spiritual insights

wells and marriage imagery

- wells as meeting places with God

- marriage symbolism points to Christ and Church

- importance of divine appointments

- God's timing in relationships

humble beginnings

- God uses lowly circumstances

- importance of levite lineage

- name "moses" meaning "son of"

- not belonging as part of God's plan

practical applications

prayer focus

- turn complaints into prayer points

- trust God's timing and control

- seek complete deliverance

- stay in consistent prayer

- name and confront sins specifically

community growth

- support through struggles

- maintain active discussion

- share insights respectfully

- participate in group chat

study methods

- look for Christ in passages

- examine historical context

- connect old and new testament

- study in community

action items

- read exodus chapter 3 for next week

- consider thursday greek life exodus series

- attend upcoming retreat ("the tent")

- stay engaged in study chat

prayer

"Lord, give us wisdom to understand Your Word, patience in Your timing, and courage to follow Your leading. help us see Christ in all scripture and apply these truths to our lives."

next week preparation

- read exodus 3

- look for Christ-centered typology

- consider areas needing exodus in your life

- prepare heart for discussion

note: these insights combine our collective study. continue praying over these truths as we grow together.

understanding scripture's context

- Genesis sets the foundation for understanding Exodus

- God's establishment of His kingdom and man's fall

- Joseph's story as prophetic example of God's preservation plan

- everything in scripture points to salvation

the importance of godly fear

- the example of the midwives who feared God over pharaoh

- standing boldly for truth in face of authority

- understanding real authority comes through prayer, not position

- the enemy's attempts to prevent salvation potential

practical insights for our walk

spiritual armor & strength

- our strength must be found in God, not personal willpower

- protection of our spiritual armor is crucial

- righteousness

- truth

- faith

- prayer

- using our words as weapons in spiritual warfare

true blessings in christ

- beatitudes teach us God's view of blessing

- true blessing often involves suffering

- being transformed by faith is blessing, even amid criticism

- pray for spiritual blessings:

- humility

- peacemaking

- righteousness

seasons and change

- recognizing when God calls us to move

- comfort with being outcast for Christ

- embracing the role of outsiders in bringing change

- supporting one another through struggles

study methods and growth

deepening our bible study

- use study bibles for deeper understanding

- explore different study methods:

- character studies

- word studies

- contextual studies

- importance of community in interpretation

practical steps forward

- download logos bible software

- read exodus chapter 2 before next meeting

- look for Christ and the Church while reading

- participate actively in group discussions

prayer focus

"Lord, give us boldness to stand for truth, wisdom to understand Your Word, and hearts to embrace Your blessings, even when they come through suffering."

moving forward together

- maintain regular Bible study

- support each other in spiritual growth

- stay active in community discussions

- remain bold in sharing the Gospel

note: these insights emerge from our collective study of God's Word, particularly focusing on exodus and its relevance to our lives today. let's apply these truths as we continue growing in faith together.

"Lord, give us a desire to pursue You, to seek You in all aspects of life. let us not be lukewarm in our faith. kindle a fresh fire in our lives - one that will never be extinguished."

a perspective on ministry

the state of our faith

- there's a concerning trend: church numbers are increasing, but true Christianity appears to be declining

- we must move beyond comfortable Christianity

- the importance of face-to-face ministry cannot be overstated

- our online presence should support, not replace, personal evangelism

spiritual urgency

- while we cannot ensure others' salvation, we must maintain urgency in our spiritual lives

- remaining in God is essential for producing fruit

- prayer and fasting remain vital spiritual disciplines

- love must be at the center of all our ministry efforts (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

discernment in ministry

- the critical need to discern spirits and recognize false teachings

- focus on the Holy Spirit's guidance rather than personal interpretations

- understanding spiritual gifts while being careful of misuse

- the Bible remains our foundation for truth and discernment

personal growth areas

overcoming common struggles

- finding authentic community in a digital age

- managing screen time and digital distractions

- reconciling faith with other areas of knowledge

- overcoming fear in sharing the Gospel

steps toward growth

1. commit to regular Bible study before meetings

2. engage in face-to-face evangelism

3. focus on personal holiness and consecration

4. take active roles in ministry rather than passive observation

ministry focus for 2025

key priorities

- emphasis on salvation stories over success stories

- meeting people where they are, following Paul's example

- building genuine relationships across different communities

- developing stronger prayer and worship lives

practical steps

- regular Scripture study and preparation

- active participation in outreach

- supporting ministry development

- taking ownership in planning and executing

a word on sharing the Gospel

remember: you don't need to have everything figured out to share your faith. the power is in the Gospel itself, not in our perfect delivery of it. each of us plays a vital role, even if we're just one part of someone's journey to faith.

moving forward together

- let's maintain our focus on God's presence in daily life

- continue developing our prayer lives

- support one another in ministry growth

- remember the importance of genuine community

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"the Bible is the most powerful physical object in the world" - let's commit to studying it together, applying it faithfully, and sharing it boldly.

note: these insights came from our shared time of prayer, study, and discussion. let's put them into practice as we seek to serve God more effectively.

next tuesday, we are be back!

• 1/28 @ 7pm - the cave | our monthly intercession meeting

• 1/28 @ 8pm - the study | our weekly bible study

we also accept rsvps for some of our flagship programs.

• 2/23 @ 5:30 pm - the tent | our quarterly worship night in chicago, illinois

• 3/7-9 @ 7pm - the retreat | our yearly wilderness retreat in douglas, michigan

2025 will be a year like no other, and we can’t wait to sojourn with you through it all.

in Christ,
rcln (reconciliation)

i hope you haven’t eaten yet… we’re fasting.

can i be honest? im in the wilderness, and it’s well-timed. because we begin 21 days of prayer & fasting today.

let’s read Matthew 4:1

Matthew 4:1–2 (ESV)

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

²And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

i made a short video about the wilderness.

with that, here is a guide on fasting.

talk soon,
o.

a spiritual guide to fasting: drawing closer to God

introduction: understanding true fasting

let me challenge you with a question that i always ask people who discuss fasting with me: are you truly fasting, or are you just not eating? this distinction is crucial because when you're simply not eating under the guise of fasting, it will be unproductive and have undesired consequences.

the biblical foundation of fasting

from the Old Testament to the New Testament, there have been multiple accounts of God's children being instructed to fast. but before we dive deeper, let's examine a powerful interaction between Jesus and some questioning disciples, found in Matthew 9:14-15:

"Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast."

here's the powerful revelation: we fast to produce a certain result and experience. Jesus is the bridegroom, and one of our primary reasons for fasting is to get closer to Him. we want to experience His closeness, feel His proximity to our hearts and souls, and draw nearer to the Spirit of the Living Christ.

the purpose of fasting

1. spiritual over physical

food, as nourishing as it is to the flesh, can sometimes tarnish the spirit. when Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-4), it was the Spirit that led and sustained Him. this teaches us that fasting is about spiritual nourishment over physical satisfaction.

2. declaration of love

fasting is telling God, "I love You more than i love food, social media, gaming, or anything that could become an idol in my life." Philippians 3:19 warns us about those "whose god is their belly, who mind earthly things."

3. spiritual warfare

when you fast, you're suppressing your physical self and entering into the realm of the spirit. your engagement with both heavenly and wicked spirits increases massively. this allows you to:

- strengthen your spirit by fighting off evil

- learn about your spirit through drawing nearer to the Holy Spirit

- enter spiritual battles that can only be won through fasting and prayer

how to fast properly

Jesus gave us clear guidelines for fasting in Matthew 6:16-18. the key principles are:

1. keep it private between you and God

2. don't make a show of your fasting

3. maintain your regular appearance and routine

4. trust that your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly

types of fasts

based on my personal experience and biblical guidance, here are different fasting approaches:

duration options:

- 1-day fast

- 3-day fast

- 7-day fast

- 21-day fast (like Daniel)

- 40-day fast

- purpose-driven fast (until breakthrough)

sample structure

from my personal 40-day fast experience:

- no food or drink until noon

- fruits only from noon to 3 pm

- kosher food from 3 pm to 6 pm

- the final three days: complete fast from food and water

what true fasting is

fasting is the crucifixion of the flesh to the point where only the spirit remains. it's an act of humility showing:

- how weak our bodies are

- how strong our desires can be

- how desperately we need GOD

as written in Ezra 8:21: "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us."

spiritual benefits of fasting

during my fasts, i've experienced:

- nightly dreams and visions

- revelations that came to pass

- unprecedented closeness to Abba Father

- growing aversion to worldly distractions

- spiritual breakthrough

- increased spiritual sensitivity

a final word of encouragement

remember Romans 8:14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." when the fast becomes challenging, hold onto these words that God spoke to me during my struggle: "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT."

this isn't about intermittent fasting for health benefits. this is about entering into a deeper relationship with God, fighting spiritual battles, and experiencing breakthroughs that only come through dedicated fasting and prayer.

may your fasting journey bring you closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

happy new year!

wow, this is the 5th year of our existence, and i'm reminded of why we began.

to create a space for individuals to get one step closer to God.

in 2024 by the Grace of God, we've helped many people, including myself, move closer to God. we studied, worshiped, evangelized, launched a business (shop.rcln.org), rebranded and so much more. most importantly, they were used as a vessel for God's mission to reconcile the world. the heart of it all is the heart of God and the heart of men.

i am so grateful to our team, our laborers who have selflessly placed their hands on the plow, working tirelessly for the Lord. as we enter 2025, i want to share how God told me to process everything.

1. thank you.

2. i'm sorry.

3. help me.

i want us to include this in our prayers daily, thank Him, repent, and ask for help. we won't meet this month but will find time to pray.

our verse for the year is Exodus 3:13-14

the encounter Moses had with God, that changed the life of Moses.

Exodus 3:13–14 (KJV 1900)

13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

this year we will constantly ask and answer the question, who is God?

we must know who God is if we want to work for Him and introduce people to Him. this encounter was not only life-changing for Moses, but he was used to rescue an entire nation.

we will spend a lot of time in the Old Testament this year, to learn about who God is. read the Old Testament in 90 days with me. or listen to it here. depending on what version you use, you can listen to the whole audio Bible in 9-11 hours. it’s good to listen and read at the same time as well. read and listen slowly and carefully.

i am excited to make this pursuit with you all and will post, record, and do all i can to share with you all that God is saying. i pray you do the same.

i love you.

o.

you can’t lack anything you give.

in our study yesterday, we discussed a profound truth: everything God gives us is meant to be shared—both with Him and with others.

i would be lying if i said i never thought of giving up, but something always reminds me that it's not an option. you can only quit something that you're doing yourself. when you yield completely to God and allow Him to work through you, the pressure dissolves. you're not the one doing it, so you're free from controlling the outcome.

consider this: i can pray for someone's miracle, but i'm not the one performing it. whether the miracle happens or not has no bearing on my ministry because God is the one doing the work.

ministry is like being a waiter. we simply take what the Master Chef prepares and deliver it to others. a waiter neither bears blame for the taste nor claims credit for the meal's excellence. similarly, as ministers, we must remember that Christ in us is the true measure of our ministry. our effectiveness in this life is measured by how deeply we know Him and engage with His presence.

Scripture tells us that "greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world." therefore, we must focus inward on this greater presence. any attention we give to worldly measures will inevitably lead us to settle for less.

i encourage you: fix your eyes on the unseen. pray to God who sees you in secret. center your thoughts on divine matters. direct your energy toward knowing and communing with God. true success isn't found in answered prayers but in the act of prayer itself. our ultimate goal should be hearing from God, regardless of what He says.

i pray i never keep in my hands, what should be in yours.

your brother,
o.