Series 4. 1. THE FATHER'S HEART - a talk

Series 4. 1. THE FATHER"S HEART - a talk

The Waterfall Journey is the Father's heart to bring us into the living, vibrant relationship He always intended for us. We can be restored, renewed and live in all the fullness that Jesus died to give us. Leading and guiding us on this journey back to the heart of God is the Holy Spirit's ministry, our part is being willing to travel and accept God's invitation to join Him in His story.
Are you ready for the adventure?

SERIES 5: This is the audio version of The Waterfall Journey the Manual. Part the Biblical foundation; part the 'HOW DO I DO THAT' of living abiding in the presence of the Father as Jesus did: part testimony of my journey and part reflections and exercises to assist you on your way.

SERIES 1: Episodes 1-19 The nuts and bolts of TWFJ
SERIES 2: Episodes 1-12 Essentials for Travellers. SERIES 3: Workbooks: I. Biblical Foundations & 2. The Tools of Transformation SERIES 4: Occasional Talks

The Waterfall Journey the Manual of Discipleship is available on Amazon.
Plus check out The Waterfall Channel on YouTube
Contact on us thewaterfalljourney.podcasts@gmail.com

Transcript

THE FATHER'S HEART

We are here because we are loved by our Father in heaven. We are family.

We are also here as individuals and as a body, the Father would use us in His heart's purposes in the big picture of His story.

 WE HAVE A PICTURE OF THE INTIMACY, OF THE WAY HE CREATED US IN GENESIS CHAPTER 2.

Each one of us has the best parent rooting for us and watching over us. 

Individually we are loved beyond measure and part of our walk with God is learning to understand what that means as we experience the depth of his love. 

That we might live our lives in the safety and security of knowing we are loved and we belong to Him.

That in His eyes we are the apple of His eye and that He trusts us and has a part for us to play in His purposes

We know that individually it means we have a journey to take so that we can live in love. 

For that we need healing from the damage caused in the Fallen World So that we may properly receive love and release love into our lives.

We also need to discover the giftings that the Father has given us and learn to move in those gifts under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.

But all this is NOT JUST ABOUT THE SMALL WORLD WHERE WE ARE PLACED. We are CALLED TO PLAY OUR PART IN THE SPIRITUAL REALMS in the heart purposes of the Father. We have a part to play God's story.

LET ME JUST EXPLAIN WHY I'M PUTTING TODAY'S WORD IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FATHER'S HEART and not using the word God. Understanding who the Father is, is key to seeing the picture clearly. The Father is the head of a family. 

         Jesus made the Father pre-eminent - His attitude on the temptations, He's doing what         the Father told him to do  JOHN 14:10

                  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work

         Jesus always points the way to the Father, AND It is because the Father is holy that sinmcannot be in His presence that Jesus came and died. 

MY SENSE

My sense was that today the Father wants to speak into our hearts, to hear afresh how much He loves us and how much we mean to Him. In addition He wants us to know how important we are for his plans and purposes. HIS CHALLENGE TO US IS TO HEAR, AS JESUS HEARD AND TO CHECK OUR ALIGNMENT TO HIS HEART PURPOSES.

 GOD'S WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS - REALIGNMENT

UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WAYS IS NOT ALWAYS STRAIGHT-FORWARD IS IT?

In our personal spiritual journey the landscape is always changing, 

the seasons change, we grow and mature, we age 

all these things bring different rhythms to our journeying with God. 

Plus there is a strategic view - where are we in God's story? What is His purpose now today ? How do we play our part? 

It's really helpful if we can recognise where we are. Sometimes God seems to keep us in the dark. Sometimes we have to re-align,

We have a promise don't we that when we seek Him, He will be found by us.

There is the day-to-day guidance of the Holy Spirit but there is also the strategic overview of what God is doing in us and through us the big picture.

 READ:  Lion Bites Friday 17th JAN 2025                                                                 

Come into alignment with my timings as we crossover into a new season. The time for comfort and living in the comfortable places that have been built for us is no longer my agenda and never was. 

I am bringing a new juxtaposition in the Body of Christ at this time. The world will see division but I see unity, as different people stand together functioning in the fullness of their call together as one body and one spirit. I am putting teams of people together to build and birth the new structures. 

Ordinarily they may not place themselves in these positions but I am repositioning many in the earth realm at this time to function with one another as a body. This is a time of the body of Christ being restored to its function.  

I am asking you to say yes to radical life changes, to move away from the comfort and the ordinary and to instead move with a wave of my spirit to build and establish something never yet seen before. 

I am asking you to move in synergy with my spirit and with one another as you come into this new season.

THE LORD SAYS, “WHAT THINGS DO YOU KNOW I'M ASKING YOU TO LEAVE BEHIND?                                     THEN THERE IS A LIST:-                                                                                                                                                                                            Is it a place,          a people group,  an old way of functioning,             a mind set,            a habit,                                     an addiction,       a false idol,           a comfort that takes president over my desires for you,                                        a hope deferred,                  a wounding                   or a pain?”

Today, ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you what He is asking you to leave behind in order to fully move with His Spirit.

Ask Him how to put down the things that you are holding onto in your heart, mind or life and come into alignment with him. 

What is God asking you to say yes to as you lay down what is old and not fit for purpose anymore? Lean into the Spirit, listen and look as you ask him..

Come into alignment with the Father's Heart - His heart's purposes

MAY I SHARE WHAT IS I BELIEVE HAPPENING WITH TWFJ. I have been puzzled since Nov of 22 when God said we'd laid the foundations well after 30 years but we seem to have had two fallow years since then. There was nothing in the diary for 23. For the last 2 years my base in Worcester where i do much was not available. Then at the end of January 23 that was the e-mail from Norway asking me to take TWFJ out at the end of June. It had been 12 years since my last visit and I came to realise that in the intervening years God had developed TWFJ and repositioned people both for the team and for the hosts in Norway. Since then there has been little opportunity to take TWFJ to bigger audiences. My whole sense was that God was going to release TWFJ but it wasn't happening.

FOLLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT I PUSHED ON THREE DOORS that would have given TWFJ mega audiences but the doors were firmly closed. I didn't stop believing that openings would come but in the waiting I couldn't see how and time marching on at this stage of life somewhat limits energy and capacity. And so I wondered.

AT THE END OF MY TRIP TO NORWAY THE LAST NIGHT IN THE HOTEL IN BERGEN GOD HAD SPOKEN VERY DIRECTLY ABOUT GIVING UP THE ELDERSHIP BY THE END OF JULY 23 in order to concentrate on TWFJ. 

But what was it all about. I didn't really see God's strategy until just before New Year when I was thinking I had done nothing much towards advancing the Waterfall Journey over the last two years. So what has been going on. 

BUT THEN He has changed my situation

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in November and that had depressed me at the time because I thought that I was becoming too old to see TWFJ blossom and bring fruit. 

Going through my diaries I found a different story as I wrote down the things I had actually done and what was happening.  THE STRATEGY APPEARED 

Going forward God has made it clear that it is not through big organisations that TWFJ will move forward but through little people. He shut the three big doors and has 

repositioned people so there are local champions here and the base is ready to deliver in Worcester this year. 

THE WAITING WAS TO GET PEOPLE POSITIONED AND ME FIT TO BE READY FOR NOW. I saw strategically that 2024 had been a year where I had done major works with quite a number of individuals. One star fish at a time. The time was not wasted.

With my health He was giving me a heads up to see that I needed to make life style changes including taking more exercise and that has got me fit for taking on the challenges of more work.  I am a work in progress on that front. God works in mysterious ways. 

IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS YEAR CAME UP to both work in Cranleigh through the year and to work in Bromley. God seem to be bringing more work locally. At the same time He was positioning others to be TWFJ champions Derek has always been one and he has recovered is mojo, Tina has always wanted to be part of the team, Ali and Julian have arrived and embraced the Waterfall Journey and seeing it as part of their ongoing ministry. 

GOD'S TIMING SEEMED IN ALL THINGS IS PERFECT. 

IN LIVING DAY BY DAY IT WASN'T UNTIL I SAT AND WROTE DOWN WHAT HAD BEEN HAPPENING THAT I SAW GOD'S STRATEGY. 

FOR TWFJ We have been waiting for Him to position and bring others to be ready. Now we have the materials, a team and opportunities.

GOD IS SAYING TO US AS A CHURCH IT IS TIME TO GO OUT. To take our ministries out and to make a difference. 

I wonder where you are.?

I wonder if you like me in day-to-day living have perhaps missed what God is doing strategically in your life. Having seen God's strategic view has refocused and energised me. 

MY SENSE NOW IS THAT I COULD HAVE KNOWN SOONER WHAT GOD WAS PLANNING. In the day-to-day I had forgotten to sit and review the big picture. I had not gone up the mountain to sit beside Jesus and view the landscape I had let the business and the concerns of the day mist my vision.

There are three things I am taking from this.

SIT, REFLECT AND WRITE DOWN WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY LIFE AND MINISTRY TO MAKE SURE I AM SEEING GOD'S STATEGIC PICTURE and where that sits with God's heart for the church.

AND TO REFLECT ON :- 

1.       THE LORD SAYS, “WHAT THINGS DO YOU KNOW I'M ASKING YOU TO LEAVE BEHIND?                                                                                                                         Today, ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you what he is asking you to leave behind in order   to fully move with His Spirit.                                                                                               Ask him how to put down the things that you are holding onto 

2.       WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO SAY YES TO as you lay down what is old and not fit for purpose anymore? 

3.         COME INTO ALIGNMENT WITH THE FATHER'S HEART - HIS HEART'S PURPOSES. REGULARLY REVIEW  and WRITE DOWN