Blog

Let’s go back to the beginning.

What would it look like to live in the delight of the Father’s gaze 24 hours, 7 days a week?

Does anyone do that? Is it even possible?

From the beginning, you were created to live from the life source of perfect love. Did you know that your home was intended to be in the heart of God; in the pleasure of being with the family of love: the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit?

That’s our original story. We were created for delight. You were created for delight.

One day, a voice that rejected love, the orphan spirit, gained influence in the Garden, shifting humanity’s connection and perspective of the God of the universe. Shame and fear affected the psyche of mankind for the first time. There was a rift in our home.

The best news is that nothing and no one could separate us from the love of Papa God as He has brought us close to Himself through His beloved Son. While Jesus walked the Earth, He was mending the image of God. Jesus showed the world what Papa looks like. He showed us that we were made for unbroken communion.

Has your heart been steeped in fear? Have you been affected by shame? Has life felt purposeless?

Let us return back to the beginning where shame couldn’t keep us from intimacy and we could experience the transformational love of the Father. This is the place where we see in full color and love is the only way. It’s the place where we go to rest with our Father and we wake up to love. 

My new book, The Love Awakening, will be released on April 19th. Sign up today to receive a sneak peek of the first three chapters and other bonuses, click here >>> https://www.leifhetland.com/resources/the-love-awakening/

 

Once when I was ministering in Norway, a very frustrated man came up to me. “You prayed for a baptism of love the last time I was here, but the opposite is happening.” He explained that he was having more trouble with anger and fear. The gentleman wondered why his life took a turn for the worst after a prayer imparting supernatural love.  

Sometimes after an impartation of love people come up and tell me how much their lives have changed. Other times, love is a process that takes time and I’ve learned to appreciate both scenarios. When love moves in, fear moves out because “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). When the bad things manifest on the way out, it’s a good sign. I excitedly answered this man, “Good!” To which he looked at me like I was crazy.

Of course, my encouragement was shocking and didn’t meet his expectations. When love starts to move in, everything else has to move out. Fear comes up. Anger resurfaces. Our transformation is an inside-out process. The baptism of love was doing a deep work. It was uprooting the things that cannot coexist with love. When we get squeezed, whatever is inside starts to come out. 

Imagine perfect love at work in everyday life, in the ordinary experiences on cloudy days and dark nights. Imagine the carpentry that went on in Jesus’ earthly father’s workshop.  What happened if Mary ran out of olive oil? Did her son, Jesus make more? 

Love does not just live among us in the mountain top experiences, in our encounters with God and the noteworthy stories of the Gospels. He lived⸺and still lives⸺among us in the ordinary days. This is one reason it’s so important to value both your mountaintop experiences and the valleys between them. The Father is not loving you and ministering to you only during those intense, overwhelming moments. You need to listen for His endearing whispers as you go about mundane tasks like washing the dishes or taking out the garbage. 

Love thrives in the ordinary. 

Some people saw the dove come down at Jesus’ baptism and the radiance of Heaven at Jesus’s transfiguration. But in between those highlights, lepers saw the face of cleansing, paralytics saw the face of healing, sinners saw the face of forgiveness, parents, and elders saw the face of honor and respect, and the poor saw the face of generosity. 

Jesus did not just receive love and show love; He is a perfect manifestation of the Father’s love. Jesus became the face of love for everyone who encountered Him.

 

The Parable of the Vine and the Branches, in John 15, contains secrets to the Kingdom lifestyle. It gives keys to fruitfulness, abundance, intimacy, authority, favor, joy and fullness of life. This parable outlines how we should live our lives on this Earth, as citizens of the Kingdom of God. The essence of our Christian life is captured in Jesus’ words saying, “Abide in Me and I will abide in you”. This is what divine union is all about and it is possible through the Holy Spirit alone. 

We have access to be in the presence of God, at all times by abiding and remaining in Jesus, organically – in a living, love-relationship.

Intimacy brings us to the depths of God in Christ. What is true of Christ becomes true of us in that place. Just as the life-giving sap of the vine flows throughout the branches, the same life that is in Christ flows through us as we remain in Him. 

Eternal, spiritual fruits are natural by-products of this divine union with Him. These fruits are born out of the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in and through us, as we respond in faith and obedience. These fruits lead to the expansion and demonstration of the Kingdom of God to the world around us.  He is glorified when we bear much fruit and that our fruits remain. These fruits can be signs, wonders and miracles through us. It could also be breakthroughs, victories, exploits, creativity, wisdom and everything that is available from heaven to us, His children.

The fruits of our union with God in the secret place can be manifested in every aspect of our being. What happens in the secret will be rewarded in the open.  This goes beyond our responsibility and ministry in the church. It encompasses our spirit, our soul and body.  In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months. “And the Lord blessed his family with all that he had.” (1 Chronicles 13:14). The Ark is the only physical thing in the Old Testament that ‘housed’ the glorious presence of God.

God’s presence brings blessings and fruitfulness. David confidently declared in the wilderness while Saul, driven by jealousy, was running after him to kill him, yet he said, “my soul is satisfied with marrow and fatness” (Psalm 63:5). The physical setting around him was contrary to this proclamation, but David was so assured of the blessings and the abundance of God coming his way. Why? Because God was with him and he made His Presence his dwelling place and refuge. In Psalm 23 he wrote, “…surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”  How’s that for boldness and confidence?

How to Overcome Dream Killers 

Take a moment and remember the first dream you had as a child. What did you want to do when you grew up? You could be living in your dream right now, you may have given up and pursued a new dream, or maybe you are still waiting on the fruition of your dream. Perhaps you gave up on dreaming altogether and are waiting for a resurrection of your dreams. Let’s dive into what kills dreams and how we can revive those dreams.

When I think of “Dreamers” in the Bible, I think of the story of Joseph. Joseph was the ultimate “Dreamer.” From having dreams of grandeur to interpreting other’s dreams, we see how dreams in Joseph’s life led him from persecution to destiny. In Genesis 37, Joseph has two dreams that he shares with his family. The first dream begins with him and his brothers working in the fields and gathering stock of grain when all of the sudden, his brother’s stocks bow down to his stock. In the second dream the sun, the moon, and the stars all bow down to Joseph. He shares this dream with his family only to be rebuked by his father and build further resentment from his brothers. This resentment ultimately culminates in the brothers selling Joseph to salvery. 

We, of course, know the ending of that story with Joseph rising in status (second only to Pharaoh)  to influence Egypt and save his family from famine, but Joseph didn’t know that. He had faith that God was working even though his circumstances continued to prove otherwise. He held on to his dream despite the dream killers in his life and persevered to his destiny.  So what were those dream killers and how did Joseph overcome them? 

Discouragement

If “En-couragement” is to “input courage” into someone, “Dis-couragement” is to rob someone of their courage. The root of a dream lies in courage. You have to be courageous enough to dream of the ideal circumstance and future for yourself. The fulfillment of these dreams require even more courage to act out. When Joseph shared his dream with his family, he was met with resentment and even rebuke. His own family attempted to discourage Joseph’s dream. Entrusting the people you share your dream with is crucial. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will “En-courage” or input courage into you to work towards your God-given dream. 

Disappointment

There is no doubt that when you strive for something greater than yourself, you will fail at various times in that attempt. Those failures can turn into disappointments and the risk is that we end up reducing the expected outcome of the dream into something easily achievable by our own strength. This leads into survival mode rather than thrive mode. 

Joseph faced disappointment when he worked hard and rose in rank as master of the household at Potiphar’s house, only to be falsely accused and thrown in prison. To Joseph, it would appear his dream was going backwards. From beloved son to slave, and now from slave to prisoner. No doubt that Joseph would have been justified in his disappointment, however he did not stay in that place. Genesis 39:21 states that “The Lord was with Joseph and showed him his faithful love.” This allowed Joseph, despite his circumstances, to continue to work hard, and with the favor from the Lord, was given authority over the prison under the warden. He chose to focus on God’s faithful love for him rather than his circumstance. 

Distraction 

“If life gives you lemons… then make lemonade.” This is a life quote that exemplifies how life will throw “curveballs” your way and how to make the best of them. These so-called “lemons” can be distractors towards your dream and you end up focusing on the distractor rather than the dream. These distractors can present themselves as giants that need to be addressed such as unforeseen emergencies and debt. 

Joseph had many opportunities to be distracted and many distractors in his life. What kept him going and thriving in the midst of the distractors was the realization that the Lord was with him. (Gen. 39:2, Gen. 39:21) When Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him and take him off his course of being a faithful servant to Potiphar, Joseph resisted. Scripture mentions how day after day, Potiphar’s wife pressured Joseph, but Joseph resisted and refused her advances. He went as far as to avoid her as much as possible in his job. She presented herself as a distractor to Joseph’s character and destiny. In the midst of distraction, Joseph kept his eyes on God. 

Delay

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12. Have you ever had a dream that God has given you that you dismissed or given up on due to a lack of fruit? Maybe it’s the promise of a spouse and a family or a vocation and a calling. Dreams and promises from God are bound by His faithfulness, but trusting in His perfect process and timing can be difficult. 

Joseph was only 17 years old when his brothers sold him into slavery. At 30 years old, Pharaoh puts his signet ring on Joseph’s hand and puts him in charge of all of Egypt. For 13 years, he had to endure the process and trust that God was in control. God’s process was to prepare Joseph for His promise. Joseph didn’t know that it would take 13 years, he didn’t know he would lose his social status twice, and he didn’t know how his story would end. He only trusted God and persevered through every season. As a slave, he exemplified a trustworthy character and was given dominion over the household. As a prisoner he exemplified the same character and was given charge over the prison. God things take time and He operates on His time. Philippians 1:6 states that “He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” In times of delay, trust in His process and make the best out of each season because this process is preparing you for the promise.   

A God dream will always require faith and His power to complete. The enemy will always attack a God dream because a God dream that comes into fruition can change the world. Joseph became a father to Pharaoh and helped deliver Egypt and his entire family from famine (Gen. 45:8). His journey from beloved son to slave, to prisoner, and finally father to Pharaoh encourages us to persevere through the dream killers. Surround yourself with like-minded encouragers in times of discouragement, choose to focus on His faithful love in times of disappointment, keep your eyes on Jesus in times of distraction, and trust in His process in times of delay.   

Check out our Dare to Dream Again 5 Day Challenge and dream God-sized dreams with us. Do you have long unfulfilled dreams? Has one of these dream killers affected how you dream with God? 

On January 17th at 12 o’clock EST. tune into our online event and Dare to Dream Again! 

Click here to register today! 

https://www.kingdomlifeblueprint.com/challenge

 

When great men die, great legacy and inheritance become available. As believers, the greatest inheritance that we received is through the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed that it’s actually better for him to go away, so believers can receive the Helper who is the Holy Spirit. He knew the radical power of laying down his own life.

Jesus is the greatest inheritance anyone could ever have. 

It is important to understand our inheritance, so that we can steward it properly. When we know how to value something, we are able to steward it, and when we can steward it we can multiply it. When we are able to multiply something, then we gain authority over it. You were created to steward the priceless inheritance of Christ. 

Psalm 2:8 says, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” The nations are a gift to be received by those who are coheirs with Christ. Would you like to learn how to receive all that Jesus paid for?

Join us in the Blueprint for Kingdom Identity Masterclass to learn about your inheritance and identity, so you can fully realize what it means to be a co-heir with Christ. Click here to register today and learn how to become an ambassador of love.

It is harvest time, Kingdom Family!

We have an opportunity to turn on the light in some of the darkest places in the world. God is opening doors in nations that have millions of people who have never heard the gospel of the kingdom. Uncommon favor with God and man is making way for the glory of the Lord to flood the Earth.

We believe that the greatest gift we can give to Jesus in this season is to make sure that the gospel reaches every heart and that they experience a God that looks like Jesus. 

Our prayer is that God would raise up an army of people to pray and release angels on assignment into the areas that we have been called to. 

Are you one of those people called to help to raise up and send out the sons and daughters of glory, the ambassadors of love to the nations? 

We need intercessors leading the way in prayer and kingdom partners investing into advancing the kingdom on this earth practically so missionaries can go into all the world and preach the gospel of the kingdom. Maybe you are a partner and Papa God is inviting you to upgrade your partnership; maybe He is asking you to become a partner if you are not yet one. We want to invite you to ask the Lord about joining us in our assignment and call to turn the light on.

We believe that these nations will be changed by the love and light of Jesus. We deeply desire to connect the fire from the places that are burning the brightest for Jesus to the darkest nations in the 10/40 window. The Father is asking us to steward these opened doors. We have said “Here am I send me.” and we want to know, will you join us?

To watch a special video message and follow me on social media, click here 

 

Iris is first and foremost about sharing the good news of Jesus and His love. We are not a faith-based humanitarian charity, rather we are a missions movement committed to a tangible expression of love. Our call, in particular, is to serve the destitute, the lost, the broken, and the forgotten.

Heidi & Rolland Baker didn’t set out to start an organization – they didn’t survey the landscape and choose a social problem to tackle.  Instead, they embarked on a life-mission to reach the lost with the soul-saving truth of Jesus.

In Rolland’s book, Keeping the Fire, he explores how Iris approaches ministry and uses the Core Values as a guide.  Our first value is to know Him in a passionate relationship with a love that is stronger than death. We major first of all not on mission strategy, methods, projects, and fundraising, but on encountering the love that a love-starved world craves and needs. This does not mean we are attracted to mindless, impersonal mysticism – to “experience” without content or relationship. No – Jesus is our heart’s desire. We relate to Him with both our minds and hearts; we engage with Him and find life and joy in our interaction. When we find Him we find and gain everything. Without Him we can do nothing of real value. Therefore we start by finding God and relying on Him! And as Heidi succinctly puts it, “All fruitfulness flows from intimacy.”

Our priority is prayer and worship, and the interesting thing is this: the more we pray, the more we want to go out on the streets. The more we dedicate ourselves to seeking the Father, the more we want to minister to the lost.  It is a natural overflow to progress from loving God with heart, soul, mind, and strength to loving our neighbor. The results of that overflow are the projects and programs Iris has to stop for the one in need.

We are confident in the part God has called us to play and we want to carry that call on faithfully to the end. It is with that confidence we humbly and earnestly cheer on others who are also part of God’s grand plan to show the world how much He loves it. Heidi has often explained this idea with an image of a fishing net. In her description, Iris is just one little piece of the net with other groups and individuals making up the rest. If we were all separate, no one would catch any fish, but it is through connection and support that many fish are caught.  The strength that Iris brings to the net is this: When you are filled with Love and grasp His beautiful pursuit of the ones He loves, you will take every opportunity to stop for the one in front of you.

It has been an unusually challenging few years for our teams in Mozambique with instability, unprecedented natural disasters, and now extremist violence impacting the northern province of Cabo Delgado. And yet — God. We marvel at His kindness and faithfulness and divine capacity to use all things for His glory.

In 2019, Cyclone Kenneth ravaged the northern coast of Mozambique a mere two months after Cyclone Idai broke records for flooding, damage, and lives lost in central Mozambique. We mobilized our relief efforts immediately and started by literally rescuing people out of trees. Cyclone Kenneth hit a region sparsely populated, difficult to reach, and already simmering with a violent insurgency — to an extent that international relief agencies refused to bring aid there. When our team based in Pemba found out no one would go there and that it was the very area we had been trying to bring the Gospel to, but had been repeatedly rebuffed, we volunteered to go. An official with one of the international agencies said if we went we would be on our own because of the danger. He told one of our missionaries, “You don’t care about your own lives enough and you’re all about Jesus.” What he thought might dissuade us only galvanized our conviction that we needed to go.

The only way to access these villages was by the ocean, so we loaded up a wooden fishing boat with food and supplies. As we approached, the people gathered to see what was happening. It had been three weeks since the cyclone and we were the first ones to bring relief. This same village that had refused us in the past now welcomed us with open arms and heartfelt gratitude. They happily accepted the supplies and were even more accepting to hear about Jesus and how much He loves them.

In November 2020, a man showed up at our church in Mieze (a small village near Pemba). He stood up on Sunday morning and gave an unexpected testimony. He began by saying he was from Nambo —the very first village we brought relief supplies to. He said after the cyclone, Iris came into his village and were the first people to make contact with them.

“…they gave us food, and then they came back and gave us tarps, and then they kept coming back to give us food. We didn’t understand why they did this. We were of another faith. They were Christians. Last month, the violent insurgents came back and attacked yet again completely destroying our village and burning everything. I ran with my family and told them wherever we ended up we’re going to go find a church. So I am here today to become a Christian and I want to find Jesus because of the help we received after the cyclone.”

Our Pastor Martinho and elders prayed with the man and his family and they all have received Jesus and the hope of eternity. To God be the glory!

Before you were conceived in your mother’s womb you were a thought in the heart of Papa God, according to Jeremiah 1:4. 

Think about that for a second. Papa God knew you. 

This begs the question, who were you before you were in your mother’s womb? 

It is important for us to come back to our original intention that the Father created us with. Therein, we find the glory we were created for; there we can move towards our destiny. Like the eagle’s home is in the sky, you were created to live within the ocean of God’s love. Living in the fullness of who God created us to be is the place where we become fully alive in Jesus. 

Who are you? 

This question is more important than “What do you do?” I’m not talking about your title, but your identity. If you cannot answer this question, I believe that today you have a sweet invitation from the Father to discover who you were in Him before time began.

The truth is, you were made in God’s image. While there are things about you that may be true, they are not THE TRUTH. What God says and thinks about you is the whole truth.

You were created to reflect an aspect of the beauty and the glory of God uniquely that those around you are able to experience the goodness, the kindness and the glory of who God is, through you, His beloved. 

One of my favorite quotes is this, “I dare say we have heard a bit about original sin, but not nearly enough about original glory, which comes before sin and is deeper to our nature. We were crowned with glory and honor.” 

– John Eldredge

How has the Father crowned you?

I want to challenge you to answer this important question today — Who does Papa God say that you are? Make a list of ten things that you hear Papa God saying and declare them over yourself for the next 30 days.