Insider Investment Advice from Jesus

This year we are invited to value and increase our intimacy with God.

It's been awhile since my last message. 

My promise to you is to drop more spiritual encouragement in your inbox this year but make it easier to read (less than 10 minutes). My prayer is that it will be a reminder of who you are in Christ and a revelation of how to live victoriously in God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Deep inside each of us is a desire to shift and make an adjustment to receive more from the beautiful life Jesus has promised us. This is a good desire and the Holy Spirit in you is at the center of it.

But true change happens when we do something different.

The place where perspectives shift, life actions change, bad patterns and habits dissolve, and courage increases to do the “new” thing is in the heart.

How is your heart? How is your soul? How would you describe it if it was an ocean?

Everything concerning your life flows like a river directly from your heart. When you made Jesus Lord of your life a flood from the throne of heaven began to flow through your heart: a river of life that quenches all spiritual thirst. Now His love continuously nourishes your heart. And the reality of the Christian life is this-Jesus has appointed Himself to be the Healer-Restorer of your heart and the Lover of your soul. 

He heals every heart condition. He never leaves you. Even in this minute of time you are reading, you can stop and be aware that a fresh Spirit-water baptism can cleanse your heart of anger, bitterness, anxiety, grief, or any other heavy thing. With Jesus, you can be led by wisdom from your inner man (or heart) everyday.

This practice of awareness and surrender is the way to deepen your intimacy with God. When we practice being honest with God and having the true desire to surrender what is hurting us, we can experience Him from our heart and when we do everything shifts.

“I pray that the light of God would illuminate the eyes of your imagination (heart) flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of His calling-that is the wealth of His inheritance that He finds in [you}, His holy one.” Ephesians 1:17 TPT

It is natural for us to try and figure things out intellectually using reasoning, understanding, and leaning on our ability to change situations. But I have found it is like a child’s merry-go-round: desire to make the change… fail to change…desire to make the change...fail to change. The only way to change any situation is to yield to God and deepen your intimacy with Him. Seems simple but created inside of you is a need to communicate with your Creator. Our hearts want to “see” the Kingdom of God on this earth. When we pray, He gives us eyes to see and ears to hear.

Jesus, how do we deepen our intimacy with the Father?

“When you pray, go into your innermost chamber {your heart} and be alone with Father God, praying to Him in secret.” Matthew 6:6

And…

“Stockpile heavenly treasure for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19 

I sense an urgency in the Spirit for every follower of Jesus to seriously heed these words of Jesus. There are times and seasons and the God of the Universe is the one who holds them all. As the years move forward, Jesus told us we are coming into a time of great deception (Mark 13:5). The heart is where deception begins. We need to hear the voice of God every day. This is not a sweet encouragement to let God “Bless your little heart”, it is a serious call for change in your life. The heart that doesn’t live joined to Jesus can be deceived.

Jesus speaks to us right now in 2024 through His parable:

“At the time my coming draws near, heaven’s kingdom realm can be compared to ten maidens who took their oil lamps and went outside to meet the bridegroom and his bride.

Five of them were foolish and ill-prepared, for they took no extra oil for their lamps. Five of them were wise and sensible, for they took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.

When the bridegroom didn’t come when they expected, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

Then suddenly in the middle of the night, they were awakened by the shout “Get up! The bridegroom is here! Come out and have an encounter with him!’

So all the girls got up and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish ones were running out of oil, so they said to the five wise ones, ‘Share your oil with us, because our lamps are going out!’

‘We can’t,’ they replied. ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. You’ll have to go and buy some for yourselves!’

‘While the five girls were out buying oil, the bridegroom appeared. Those who were ready and waiting were escorted inside with him and the wedding party to enjoy the feast. And the door was locked.

Later the five foolish girls came running up to the door and pleaded, ‘Lord, Lord, let us come in!’

But he called back, ‘Go away! Do I know you? I can assure you I don’t even know you!’

That is the reason you should always stay awake and be alert because you do not know the day or hour the Bridegroom will appear.” Matthew 25:1-13 TPT

Have you ever been given information that a certain investment was going to quickly increase in value in the coming year so this is when you should buy? Or had a fantasy where you bought stock in 1980 in a small company called Apple? Well, it is time to purchase the oil Jesus is describing in this parable…now!

How do we purchase the oil?

We purchase what we have decided is valuable. We search for it, find it, give up something for it, receive it as our own, and treasure it. This spiritual oil is found only in the Presence of God. It is found in honest prayer and conversation. It is an oil that is released by the Holy Spirit who is given to you by the Father through Jesus, the Anointed One. When we value the person of the Holy Spirit we become filled with the oil of the Kingdom. Everything is connected to the heavy value you place on Him. He connects you to eternal wisdom. 

When you put a heavy value on His voice speaking to your heart, and “spend” valuable time listening in prayer, then you are “purchasing” His oil.

“Come out and have an encounter with Him!”

The lamp that is ignited is your inner man or heart. When you spend intimate time with the Father, the lamp begins to burn with the oil of His Presence. The more you acknowledge Him during the day or night the lamp burns brighter and brighter. Others see the lamp within you burn brightly. Fear cannot quench it. His Light leads you to Him when the darkness is heavy. In the storms of life, you find Him. The more you value time in prayer, listening to Him, the oil increases…the authority of the Light of the World changes every environment you walk into. When He calls you to have an encounter with Him, you run to Him just as you have so many times before.

The foolish ones said, “Share your oil with us, because our lamps are going out!”

As the days grow spiritually darker and the distraction increases, the ability to find the light and hear the voice of our Savior will be extremely difficult. The oil is abundant and available now… but in that day it will be extremely rare.  People will ask, “What is God saying? Is this Him? Where am I suppose to go to hear Him?“

There is coming a time when it will be a matter of life and death to hear His voice. In the parable the oil was not honored or treasured and then came the day of the coming of Jesus and it was desperately valuable. We can hardly imagine a day when it will be too late to hear God.

Jesus tells us there is a day when it will be too late for the foolish to hear God…

But he called back, “Go away! Do I know you? I can assure you I don’t even KNOW you!”

When the words of the Master, Jesus, are LIFE to you… you will be intimately KNOWN by Him. Jesus told His friends,

“I am the Way, the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with Me. To KNOW Me is to know My Father too. And from now on you will realize that you have seen Him and experienced Him….

So when that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and that you are one with Me, for I will be living in you.

Those who truly love Me are those who obey My commands. Whoever passionately loves Me will be passionately loved by My Father. And I will passionately love him in return and will reveal myself to him…

Loving Me empowers you to love My word. And My Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place.” John 14: 6, 20-21, 23 TPT

When He makes your heart His dwelling place, you are KNOWN.

Remember:

We are in the days to purchase spiritual treasure while we can.

We are in the days to value an abundant commodity, time with God.

We are in the days when, in the natural world we live in, we don’t need to prepare a lamp because the natural sun lights our day and electricity lights our night but there is coming a day where it will be so dark that spiritual light will be rare.

We are in the days to invest and increase the King’s treasures. (More about this in coming letters).

We are in the days to be known by the Most High God and called His “friend”. 

There is nothing unknown in His presence.

2024: Value, purchase, invest, increase, treasure, and intimately know Heaven’s Wealth.

Will you pray this with me?

Father, beloved and wonderful Father, I praise You because You set it all in place. Everything I see you spoke into existence and even more amazing you love me with a personal love. I want to know you more. I want to be known. Forgive me for being distracted and placing my heart on natural world things. You created me to communicate with you. You re-created me in Jesus so that I can boldly come into Your Presence clothed in His holiness. I want to learn more about how Your Kingdom rules and reigns now on earth. Give me eyes that see and ears that hear. Wash my heart. Heal the broken places. Reveal the treasures of the Spirit that can be activated in me. I want you to know that I choose to value Your voice above all others. Thank you for bringing me into a new place of freedom while I spend time with you.

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

I pray a blessing over you and look forward to next time.

Teresa L. Hoffman

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