The Messiah is coming,

and you are not ready.

Get ready.

We are back to the central theme of scripture:

God is a Father looking for bride for his son.

The bride is faithless,

so the son lays down his life to redeem her,

and then we all sit down at the Father's table

forever.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://christjohnotto.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

God is saying today,

take the lid off.

There are no limitations.

With God all things are possible.

There is something in you 

that only you can do.

God has given you unique abilities,

callings,

giftings,

and experiences.

There will never be another you.

It's okay to celebrate that and embrace that.

And when you do,

when you discover that embrace,

you can experience and walk in

the flow of God for your life.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://christjohnotto.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Jeremiah is being given a promise:

the house of David,

which seems to be at a very low point,

is going to produce a Branch.

Isaiah tells us a

branch will come from the stump of Jesse.

And Zechariah also gives us this image

of a righteous branch.

In the ancient world,

and especially among royalty,

the idea of a branch

always refers to a royal line.

This is the Kingly line.

This is the Messianic promise

God made to David in II Samuel 7:

You will not build me a house,

but I will build you a house,

and someone will sit on your throne

forever.

We are looking back,

and we are looking forward.

Jeremiah

in a hopeless situation

is promised that a Branch will come forth,

and by this branch,

We will know the LORD is our righteousness.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://christjohnotto.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Jim Leach, the "Rustic Mystic" shares insights on waiting with God from Isaiah 40.  

Belonging House is an international fellowship of Christian artists called to build a throne for Jesus in the earth.

Jim Leach is co-leader of the Spirit Wind Center in Stonington, Connecticut.  You can find out more at https://spiritwindcenter.org

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://missionofbezalel.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

If you have spent any time among 

conservative types of churches,

this topic can become a real turnoff,

because there is a cottage industry

around the rapture

and end-times prophecy.

And honestly,

it seems like the second coming takes

a back seat to the tribulation,

and the whole thing is completely

disconnected from reality.

Let's go back to our main thesis:

Jesus Christ did not come to start a religion,

he came to establish a Kingdom.

The whole Bible

from beginning to end

is about this Kingdom.

It is not about religion.

And when you try to understand the second coming

from a religious grid,

things get weird.

And it is really important for artists and creative people.

Because if you try to fit your life

into the religious grid,

you produce bad art.

If you are an artist for the Kingdom

there is a lot of freedom.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://missionofbezalel.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

I Kings 17:9-16

If you have one take away today,

it is this:

We are characters in God's story,

God is not a character in our story.

When you get this right,

your thinking will begin to change.

The second important takeaway is this:

you have to let go and release 

if you are going to receive.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://christjohnotto.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

My new book is Artists at a Shift in Time. https:// tinyurl.com/3etazb6s

Matthew 5:1-9

The Kingdom is always advancing.

This teaching is the heart of all that Jesus said.

Go low,

let the Holy Spirit fill you.

Let your inner life determine your creative output.

And as you do,

the blessing of God,

the enlargement of the Kingdom

is going to manifest in you.

And yes,

that is going to result in resistance,

but that resistance is the proof you are going in the right direction.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://missionofbezalel.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

My new book is Artists at a Shift in Time.  

Jesus Christ, as it says in Galatians 3:13-14,

became a curse for us on the cross.

He took upon himself our curses.  

And when he did,

he made a way for us to be free.

The process of getting free from a curse,

because Jesus did the hard part, 

is relatively simple.

Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://missionofbezalel.substack.com

If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto

Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

My new book is Artists at a Shift in Time.  The audio book comes out November 1.

And finally,

all spiritual warfare

comes back down to basic discipleship.

Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you.

Pray.

Know your Bible.

Receive the Eucharist weekly.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

And be normal.

Satan loves weird Christians

who don't do these things and run from one trend to another.

The slow steady walk with Jesus

has so much power

that Satan will do anything to keep you from it.

Belonging House is an international fellowship of artists and creative people, who since 2006, have been raising up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth.

You can receive Christ (rhymes with "wrist") John Otto's Friday email at https://belonginghouse.org

If these messages encourage you, share them with your friends.

One of the topics that comes up in our community is the subject of spiritual warfare. It is very clear when you walk into the world of the arts that there is a spiritual battle going on for the cultures of the world. So for the next three weeks I am going to talk about spiritual warfare. This week will be a foundation, next week will be about the nature of witchcraft, and the last week will be on blessing and cursing.

Each week Christ John Otto teaches at Beth Charashim, the House of Artisans, on Zoom. His most recent book is Artists at a Shift in Time (ISBN 979-8987409916), available wherever books are sold. https://bookshop.org/shop/christjohnotto You can find his Friday email at https://belonginghouse.org He writes longer essays at https://missionofbezalel.substack.com You can be part of the provision flow at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto #belonginghouse #spiritualwarfare