Fixate PHX

by Fixate Phoenix

Christianity Spirituality Religion

Jude Pt 2: Twice Dead Darkness

Jude 1:10-16 Genesis 4; 1-8 3 tests that reveal roots, fruits, and who not to become in your pursuit of Jesus. 1- The Cain test; ‘They have taken the way of Cain’... Oftentimes it is our withholding from God that hinders our becoming in God. Man has had covetous and competitive desire since Genesis. If not submitted, and not fully released, it can become an angry bitterness at what others have that you do not, that becomes a lifestyle of cutting corners and controlling everything in order to gain what you think will elevate and bring approval from others in your life. Being surrendered, submitted and giving God my ABSOLUTE best, is what elevated Abel above Cain. Being not fully surrendered, not submitted, and not giving God my best, was the place the concept of murder in mankind originated and bore sin from. 2- The Balaam Test; ‘They have rushed for profit into Balaam's error’.. Is the only reason I am pursuing God for a fulfillment of my needs and desires? Or is my devotion to God a deeper surrender and submission that he is the only who knows my needs and desires and in his hands and spirit, is the place my life flourishes most. So often we come to God when we are out of options, seeking a God that would restore my fortunes. We must be sensitive and discerning of a life in God in which he is not there to build my brand and bank account, but to build a heart and life so rooted in him it bears a fruit that remains long after we are gone. He’s not a genie in a bottle, he's a king on the cross, and your dreams placed in the hands of the one who created them, are better than any life you could ever build on your own. 3- The Korah Test; ‘They have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion’.. Your devotion to God is not just found in a sanctified and righteously rhythmic walk. It is also revealed in the levels of self awareness and personal perception of what we need to eliminate in our individual circumstance that steals from the growth God has for my life. The flesh is in constant rebellion to the spirit, and this is most evident in the place of pride, authority, and submission that can be masked even spiritually; to place him on the throne of our hearts means we have to first remove ourselves from that place. Korah had every right as a levite to be a leader, but his character was rooted in jealousy, ambition, and rebellion that ultimately led to his death. We must keep our own jealousy and ambition submitted to God, or it will swallow up the work of the spirit in our lives.

Jude Pt. 1: Delivered, Yet Destroyed

Jude 1:1-10 NIV Three places where the grace of God shows its true deliverance power, and the same three areas the enemy wants to destroy in before you can experience freedom: Place number 1: Your faith must be a disciple of renewal within the whole of your mind/heart/spirit... we must have a faith that practices the hard stuff, even the things I don't want to believe. Faith that only majors on passion points, but never engages pain points, will miss the power that comes from the intersection of Jesus and His Spirit in the deepest part of our souls. My faith must be willing to wrestle in the dark of doubt and weakness, just as much as it grasps for the light and resurrection. My heart must come into alignment, spirit into alignment, mind into alignment, and if one is off... the alignment is off. Place number 2: A faith that believes as I am a walking, breathing, and functional temple of the Holy Spirit... what I do with my life everyday is building, strengthening, and mirroring the temple of God. The whole of you must be devoted to the whole of Him. My diet of eating and drinking, the things I allow to comfort me, the sexual desires I must learn to submit over my feelings, the judge-mentalness of people that I won't give space to that I know is wrong, the numbing agents I permit to allow me not to feel... all parts of me must seek sanctification in every area... for in the sanctification there comes sainthood. Place number 3: We must have a faith that willingly and humbly submits to the authority of Scripture, the authority of the leadership of the body, and the authority of corrective and accountable relationships.... a faith that will not submit to anyone (person) or anything (Scripture)... a faith that at some point will become shipwrecked upon the pride of oneself, you find protection, when you find submission.

Forgiveness: A Look In The Mirror

Matt. 6:14-15 Matt 18:21-22 Rom. 12:17-19 Prov. 28:13 Heb. 12:13-14 Definitions: Original Definition: “to give away/to grant” APA: "Willfully setting aside feelings of resentment toward an individual who has committed a wrong, been unfair or hurtful, or otherwise harmed one in some way" Forgiveness Institute: "You let go of resentment and the urge to seek revenge." The Practicals: 1. Uncovering 2. Decision 3. Work 4. Outcome Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling It is meant for my benefit and for the benefit of those around me I need to wrestle with the actions, emotions, all while choosing to forgive Our dependence on Jesus for forgiveness

Faces of Fixate (Emmanuel, Megan, Jose, and Amy)

Emmanuel: Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What does it look like for manna to rain down and you lack nothing, and what would it look like to include someone else in that image? Megan: Jeremiah 29 10-14 NLT Jose: James 1:5-8 (NIV) Psalm 139:7-12 (NIV) Amy: Zechariah 4: 6 Psalm 143:10-12 Romans 12:1 1 Peter 2:9 Colossians 1:16 Daniel 2:22

Power Cord / What's Your Name

I Cor, 1:1-25. Daniel 1: 1-5 1. Power Cord - different cords for different appliances. But all are meant to provide power/electric power from a source to a specific item. 2. What's in a Name. How may I know your name? Have you ever searched out the meaning of your name. And I ask who made the decision that your name means such and such. The name Daniel, of Hebrew origin, means "God is my judge". It is derived from the Hebrew words "dan" (meaning judge) and "el" (meaning God). The name gained prominence through the biblical figure Daniel, known for his wisdom and faith. The name Hananiah, of Hebrew origin, means "Yahweh is gracious" or "God has favored" The name Mishael (מִישָׁאֵל) is of Hebrew origin and generally means "who is what God is" or "who is like God? The name Azariah, of Hebrew origin, generally means "helped by God" or "Yahweh has helped" Captured by the Babylonians King Nebuchadnezzar had his servant teach them the Babylonians language and gave them a new name. Belshazzar- the name Belteshazzar, given to Daniel by the Babylonian prince of the eunuchs, means "Protect the life of the king" or "Bel's prince". the name Shadrach, originally Hananiah, is of Babylonian origin and is interpreted to mean "command of Aku," the moon god. the Babylonian name Meshach is thought to be related to the Babylonian god Aku of after SHAK a Venus god in Babylon. The name Abednego, likely means "servant of Nabu" or "servant of Nebo". Nabu (or Nebo) was the Babylonian god of wisdom and writing.

Encountering Jesus in the Scriptures

1 Corinthians 2:2 Romans 5:17-21 Leviticus 14:1-7

Townhall; Delight, Desire, and How It All Can Go Wrong

Genesis 3:1-13 The Test of Delight, Desire, and Provision 1 - The development and sanctification of delight in God is when your spirit can discern and go deeper than the surface layer of pleasure, and has the ability to bypass our flesh's hardwiring for instant gratification. Desire that disobeys is just desire we have allowed to rewire our appetites, impulses, and brain chemistry. It's hard to be a disciple when you're always searching for dopamine. Delaying cheap desire allows you to enter true fulfillment. Our souls don't want instant, they want real. If you do not rewire desire, desire will rewire you. 2 - For every action of fallen desire, there is a reaction to resurrect it through Jesus' life and example. If impulsive food and coping appetites is your desire, fasting becomes your weapon of submission. If coveting, spending, purchasing, and providing the stressor or easy dopamine fix... generosity becomes the rewiring and renewing element of the spirit. If my desire is for sex, a mate or a relationship that gives me meaning... I must first find relational intimacy in God, or I will struggle to find that in another. Your manna becomes moldy the second God becomes a vehicle of accomplishing your desire, and not a relationship of devotion. 3 - Rhythm can and will restore any and all desire if you will guard, tend, and keep it. If you do not live rhythmically close to Jesus, you will always struggle to see Him as the fulfiller of your desire, the one you delight in and who delights in you, and your provider and supplier. Your weakness in His hand of a proximate life, can become strength in due time. You cannot have New Testament promises with Old Testament behaviors. We redeem what is fallen, we don't identify as fallen. How we do this is learning, leaning, and living His Word, Spirit, and Presence through prioritized relationship. Rhythms restore, disciplines disciple, and wholeness only comes from oneness, with Jesus.

Townhall, Knowledge, and Novel: Advocacy

Mark 2:14-17 Matthew 9:9-13 Luke 5:27-32 Walking in Activated Advocation: 1 - Advocacy is when we desire to recognize purpose beneath the surface of every person made in the image of God. There is no stereotype, skin color, past-situation, socio-economic class, sin, or mistake that invalidates someone's right to belong. We believe through our written Word of God that the pronouncement of faith and surrendered life brings you into alignment within the family of God. Advocacy is my maturity into activated faith that bridges the gap between heaven to remind people we are all sons and daughters of God (Yahweh). We build bridges, we don't burn them. We will not be a church that offers sacrifice, but does not offer mercy, or we will need a new pastor. 2 - The foundation of advocacy is the foundation of the character of the throne of God; righteousness and justice. Righteousness is the inward challenge of surrendered life, justice is the outward fruit of it. How we walk in advocacy rooted in righteousness and justice is centered on three words: awareness (pursuit of knowledge), empathy (pursuit of proximity), and solidarity (action born of previous two things). Jesus was aware of Matthew's situation, went to his house and got proximate not just to him to others that had been considered outcasts and sinners, and then defended him in solidarity to those who would accuse or condemn him based off his life. Our call is to unite all people into kingdom purposes. 3 - Vasili Arkhipov

Townhall, Knowledge, and Novel: Mental Health

1 Kings 19:1-18 How to experience breakthrough from a breakdown. 1- There is a difference between fatigue and failure. Just because you are tired, worn down, scared, questioning, running does not make you a failure. However, fatigue can bring all sorts of failure if you do not properly reorient yourself to God's rest, provision, and voice. Health starts when your pursuit of help does. Your mind, heart, and spirit will always be restless until it finds its rest in Jesus. 2- Spiritual maturity is when your mind starts to switch from just looking for God in the profound; to the one gentle blowing... the powerful; to the low whisper... the extraordinary; to the realization of God as a present person in my ordinary life. Maturity is inviting and learning to see God outside of the arenas I expect to see Him in (the flat and bang of cultural Christianity)... and that He longs to reveal to us a space of hearing the blowing and wisher of his spirit as it affirms, guides, protects, and provides for the deep needs of our souls. 3- The black rat.

Town Hall, Knowledge, and Novel: Doubt

Luke 7:11-18-28 Luke 22:31-32 Hebrews 4:12-13 What To Do When What's Happening to Them Isn't Happening to Me: 1- Doubt begins to entomb when the outside circumstances begin to prevail against the internal disposition. When the external reality doesn't match the internal optimism we are taught to have in faith, it is up to us to go to a deeper place, and that's by design. You cannot stay in the spiritual shallows when life gets heavy. When outside is getting loud, the inside better be learning and leaning into the quiet with God. Life can easily become a reaction to the world around me, rather than an overflow of the world I have built within me. We are to be inwardly formed, while outwardly facing. 2 - There is a distinct difference between healthy doubt and deconstruction, and walking away and deconversion. Jesus can go as deep as we want to go, the tension is if we trust Him and His plan with our unknowns... He is with you in the prison, pain, weakness, unmet request, tension of waiting, fear, brokenness, and the main question of it all, "why doesn't He just do for me what He has done for others?"... it is life's great question that we find He does not always give answers, as much as He just becomes the answer, and reinforces who we are, and what we mean to Him. 3 - The Spirit's greatest work in your life is 'sifting'. Sifting either purifies the promise or offends the promisee towards the promiser. Doubt is the sifting of our souls to purify the purposes of our Creator in His creation. To wrestle, to question, to seek more... is an invitation to drink of deeper waters, to find a deeper rest. When His spirit sifts our motives, desires, pursuits, and ambitions, we become the home in which His Spirit dwells in its fullness. Don't allow the offense of what He hasn't done rob you of the faith in what He is going to do.

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