Hi Everyone,

Will has limited wifi and reception so has sent me this message via messenger and asked that I forward on to you all. Thanks so much for your ongoing support. Sounds like he and the YWAM teams are needing it and so appreciating it as they are now out on their outreaches. Sarah Rattray

Wednesday 9th April
Talofa from Samoa family and friends,
Our team and I are two weeks into our outreach, and we have already seen God move in so many different ways that we haven’t seen before. The culture of serving in the Samoans has blown us away and we have definitely been well looked after.
We left for American Samoa two weeks ago today after a big send off from everyone on base and said some tough goodbyes, but it came with an excitement of what was waiting for us as well. It’s incredible the strength of connection you can create with people in such a short time when you spend every second of every day with them!!

Arriving in American Samoa (A.S), we were met by big boss Randall who was our main contact from YWAM Samoa and He is also one of the men in charge for the 50th year anniversary of YWAM in A.S and Samoa. Our week in Leone, the village we stayed in in A.S, looked like attending church every day and hosting youth rallies alongside a team from YWAM Samoa, YWAM Honolulu and Island Breeze Ministries which is a team whose ministry is focused around bringing the different cultures from different islands, mainly in the pacific, through the likes of dance and songs. On one of our last days, we split in half with everyone and half of us went and did wave ministry which is where we would line a busy road right beside McDonalds and take a bunch of signs that we had made all with encouragement and a bit of fun but sharing the message of Jesus Christ. Was a blast!!!

After this week, we headed to Savai’i which is the bigger of the two islands of Samoa. First part of the journey began with an eight-hour ferry from American Samoa to Apia. We then spent the night at the YWAM Samoa base and left the next day for another ferry to get to Savai’i. Since being in Savai’i we have been to three different High Schools so far this week (one each day), where I’ve never seen so much engagement from youth that age. Every day we have been going into classrooms and sharing testimonies and encouraging students who may not have an idea about what they would want to do after school. We have also been sharing with them the opportunities that YWAM, specifically University of the Nations, offers. After we share in the classes we get the whole school together and run through a program lead by Island Breeze which contains dances and songs (some which our team have learnt), testimonies, worship and a message. At the end of every message there has been an opportunity to respond and every day, we have seen around 30 students respond to wanting to know Jesus on a personal level.
Have been having such an incredible time but prayer for covering of protection over our team would be much appreciated. Sickness has hit almost everyone but myself and one of our leaders so to extend those prayers for our team like I said would be much appreciated!! Once again, thank you so much for the ongoing prayer and support.  God Bless you all!!!
 

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Developing sensitivity to the HS is crucial to moving in the authority of Jesus. That is a given. However on the flip side it is also important to recognize when HS is not the origin of what we are hearing.  This is discernment, and the HS will develop this in us. The highest use of discernment is to connect with what HS is doing in a situation, or speaking to us. Discerning the genuine also shows up the counterfeit for what it is and empowers us to discern and resist the voice of Satan.

Jesus hears God the Father speak, then HS leads Jesus into the wilderness. Through the HS we encounter, and overcome all voices that claim authority in our lives. Only the voice of the Father can be our authority.

As Jesus encounters Satan I don't think he announced who he was or what his intentions were. He would be in his best outfit, making his most skilled attempt to seduce and deceive Jesus. Notice that Satan even quotes scripture. He has done his home work.

• Satan quotes scripture, but they are twisted to a self focused perspective
• Jesus countered with scripture which is interpreted from a God centered persecutive

Satan was cunning and cleaver, but in playing his hand he gives away some of his strategies. There is a method to what was happening here…

• If you are…God had already spoken to Jesus, already had the word in Him. Doubt and confusion creates opportunity to exploit.
  • God given identity and relationship is the very first thing he went for. The jugular vein of our spirituality
  • Example 1 Cor 14:33 - Confusion in handling gifts can render them ineffective
  • Four soils parable - Satan tries to snatch the word away - in this case the word was "You are my Son"
  • Eden - "Did God really say..."
• Make Bread…put personal comfort first. Self interests first.
  • Jesus rebuked Peter “get behind me Satan” for his rejection of sacrifice
  • Romans 8 - flesh vs spirit. The entire chapter is about this
  • Esau sold his birthright for a meal - with massive implications
  • Israelites complained about food in the wilderness, this motivated their desire to  return to Egypt
• All authority...this is an outright lie. 
  • Ps 2:7-8 – Jesus had just been named the Son - He only needed to ask the Father for the nations. Tempted with a short-cut. The easy road of compromise. This would save the messiness and pain of the cross
  • Philippians 2 – Spiritual authority comes through sacrificial obedience, not sucking up or having friends in high places. 
  • It is a terrible mistake to confuse position with spiritual authority...
• Jump off the Temple…What an amazing entrance into public ministry that would be. Descending from on high on a staircase of angle hands...yet Jesus frequently warns us to do things in secret and not for the praise of others.
  • Jesus challenged the crowds on this issue regarding John – “What did you come here to see…”
  • Mat 6:6,18 etc
  • Romans 2:28-29 - there is a play on words -  Judah (Jew) means "praise". Is our praise (Jew) from God or people...

If you think about it - it was an amazing spiritual experience. Visions, out of body experiences, visitations from angelic beings, but at the centre was compromise and self-promotion. Jesus recognized that this experience didn't reflect the nature or will of the Father. It just show how careful we must be to discern the origin of what we are experiencing or hearing.

Jesus knew his position of athority with the Father (You are my Son - the named heir), and His working relationship with the Holy Spirit (The Spirit of the Lord is upon me - the Power of creation).

What Satan attempted was to set the agenda and call the shots in Jesus life. He attempted to assume a position of authority over Jesus. Jesus responses did two things - He answered Satan' s temptation, and also held Satan himself accountable to the word of God. Jesus exercised His spiritual authority without gtiving it away or allowing it to be manipulated.

Strategies - It is really important to understand Satan’s strategies.

1. Satan’s power comes from the Nature of God - Holy (law) and Just (vengance). His is a delegated authority
   • He appeals against us – He is the accuser. Rev 12:10, Job 1, Luke 22:31
   • Depowered by Jesus – Col 2:14-15
   • Grace is administered through Jesus Christ alone (Is 53), we exchange the conviction of guilt (a legal term) for Christ's righteousness
   • If he can errode our faith and obedience in Christ he postions us outside grace, we are exposed to justice and he gains power through accusation
2. If he cannot overpower them, get God to do it for him.  Satan does this by tempting people to violate God’s holiness – then God’s justice is aroused.
   • Tree of knowledge - Gen 3
   • Balaam – 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Rev 2:14, Numbers 24 & 25, Numbers 31:15
   • Activates the power of God’s curse. Deut 28, 29
   • The old and younger prophet: 1 Kings 13, 2 kings 23:16-18
   • Eg Occult, blatant sin etc.
3. Get them doing the wrong thing for the right reasons
   • See the temptations of Jesus
   • Galatians 3:3 – perfecting in human strength
   • Abraham and Hagar – Ishmael
   • Moves faith away from God’s ability to our own
4. Get them to do the right things for the wrong reasons
   • The internal work is easy to ignore because no one can see
   • Romans 12, Acts 5 - Lying to the HS
5. His mission is to kill, steal and destroy. But he cannot do this without our consent. First he must errode spiritual authority
   • James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 9:1, 10:19

Ezekiel 12:4-8

By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity. Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it. In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.

So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.

And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying...

Sometimes the call of God is clear, but at the sometime can be a bit vague....

Ezekiel was commanded to dig through the wall, which he did - that much was clear - then what? There was a night of waiting, wondering, looking foolish. A demolished wall behind him but no fanfare of obedience awaiting outside, no reward just an awkward silence. He became a public spectacle without understanding why. God didn't explain until the next day.

"Did I really hear correctly...I have obeyed you Lord and now you go quiet?"

No, there is no hesitation. Ezekiel is confident because he knows a key to walking with the HS. Sometimes God say "go", other times he says "no", and Ezekiel understands "slow". When God calls us to walk with Him and match His pace.

God gave enough for Ezekiel to be obedient, but not enough for him to be independent. That's Slow. One step at a time, at His speed.

Abraham learned this too...

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

Did you catch that?
God didn't give directions to Abram, arriving at the destination isn't what this is about, it was an invitation from God to go on a journey with Him. 

This is the slow.

It is too easy to do God's work for Him at our pace and in our own way. We get a sniff "go", of His call, and roar off with all our energy doing God's work for Him. Then what happens? He has to pull us back in. And we start to hear "No". And we bounce between these realities. We need to hear and understand when God tells us "slow".

You see God doesn't need our strength, wisdom or assistance. We kid ourselves. The destination of His call is always in His capable hands. He asks us along for the journey.

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Water baptism is an important step in our Christian walk, not only as an act of obedience but as a powerful declaration. By being baptised like Jesus did, we declare publicly our identity with him, and our intention to follow His teaching and will for our lives.

John called it baptism of repentance - a sign of turning away from one thing, and turning towards something else. The water a symbol of becoming clean.
For example you may be doing something which is dirty - digging the flowers, and want to go for a nap. You wouldn't jump into bed with the boot and overalls on. You would change and wash. You would prepare for the environment you are about to enter.

That is what baptism means. It symbolizes our intention to become clean and enter into the call of God. It is acceptance of God's invitation.

Invitation into what?

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

At his baptism God the Father proclaimed His favor over Jesus...well of course He does this is Jesus we are talking bout.

Do you believe God loves you too?

Do you really believe He looks on you and whispers "You are my beloved"
He does. Always has. Always will.
The cross shouts it at us. The truth of the cross grabs us by our chin, looks deep into our eyes. He sees the brokenness, unworthiness and pain and embraces it all. 

"You are worthy"

When our hearts hear this voice and we believe, baptism is our reply. 

We join Jesus in the water, standing before God the Father in acceptance of His word "You are my beloved".

Baptism is a powerful declaration we make to God the Father that we accept His love and invitation to be a son or daughter and part of the family of God.

Talk to one of the pastors or your home group leader if you think water baptism may be a step the Lord is calling you to take.