"leaves for healing the nations."

"In Hebrew, the word for wilderness is midbar. It is surely interesting that the root of midbar means "speak" or "word." God speaks to us in the wilderness."

Trusting God has nothing to do with our setting or circumstances.

Revelation 22 says the trees planted near the river of the water of life bear fruit in every season with leaves for healing the nations. This river flows from the throne of God and the Lamb. When we, through Jesus Christ, plant ourselves in the presence of the Almighty, we take on the very likeness of these trees, drawing water from the river of life which flows from the throne of God and healing reaches the depths of our beings. "Anything with roots that draw from the river of life will bear fruit in every season and will bring healing to the nations." - Mattie Montgomery

We were created for nearness to the Father.

Often times, when things don't go our way, surprise us, or catch us off guard and we wind up in the wilderness, we become so upset and calloused that God cannot communicate with us what He willed to teach. We refuse to listen out of selfishness and pain. We too soon forget who God is and, for even the slightest moment, allow ourselves and the situation to govern our thoughts and lives.

Humility heightens in His holy presence.

"Let all that I am wait quietly before God,  for my hope is in him. My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times.  Pour out your heart to him,  for God is our refuge" (psalm 62:5-6). "it is virtually impossible to stumble when walking in the light with our Father God, and fearful, anxious thoughts melt away in God's presence" (Elvia Meza).

We find our fulfillment in nearness to the Father.

When things are ripped from you, when you're pushed away from something, when you feel like you're alone and stranded in an arid wasteland, remember what the purpose of your life is: the praise, adoration, and glorification of the Most High God. When God moves you to the wilderness, there is a lesson to learn and a desperate desire for Him to be developed. The next chapter of Psalms says, "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water." the entire chapter brings worlds of encouragement, but the sum of it is encapsulated in this verse. When we seek Him earnestly, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), and this is to be true in the desert, in every setting and season. Bear fruit, abide in Christ  (John 15).

Our praise explodes when we are brought close the Father. 

Jesus encourages us again in the book of John when He says, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). When we "abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (ps 91:1), the river mentioned above flows through us, and we explode with the glory of God upon the earth. Ezekiel trusted God in the valley of the dry bones and prophesied as he was commanded. He was faithful to God's demands, regardless of the circumstance, and an exceedingly great army (representative of Israel) rose up from bones and waste to life and power.

Comfort and healing are found in the presence of the Father.

We are called to dwell in God's presence and trust Him in every situation. When things don't go your way, trust Yahweh. Our infinitely loving Father, the Creator of everything that has ever or will ever exist, sent His own Son to redeem and reconcile His creation unto Himself. Obviously He's beyond proven His love for you. He speaks in the wilderness. He disciplines. He prunes. Let the Man do His job!

Holiness, by healing and discipline, comes in nearness to the Father.

I declare in the name of Jesus Christ, the wilderness you're in will bring the humility and revelation God has for you. Fully. Completely. No forces of evil, no powers or rulers of hell can touch you when you rest in the presence of the King. He will heal what's been broken and wounded. He will teach what He requires. He will move as He desires, and His glory and power will explode upon the earth. We are the gates, we are the ancient doors David spoke of in psalm 24. We are the portals through which the King of Glory chooses to usher Himself into the world.

His glory flows through those who are constantly near Him.

The good news about the wilderness is.. The other side is the Promise Land. Breakthrough. There is an exceedingly great army being brought forth in the name of our Most High God. Weapons are being constructed in the hands of  our Warrior King. This happens in the wilderness! Joshua and Caleb developed trust and maturity to lead Israel to its prolonged inheritance where? In the desert. You aren't the first one to feel this way. Trust. Believe.

Draw near to Him. He is waiting for you.

In the name of Jesus, these dry bones will live. In the name of Jesus, we will see an epidemic of freedom and healing breakout over our culture, our generation, and our world. God is able to do exceedingly more than we could think, imagine, or ask for (Ephesians 3:20), so why do we dream so small? Allow the will-derness to work to FRUITion, and watch the Father usher you into the Promise Land. Thank you, Jesus.

Billions of People, One Language.

I guess I'm due for a new update. HI! I am STILL alive and I am well. The Lord is good, guys. We've been in Portland three weeks and are still in the process of discovery and diving into the community. We're definitely past the point of people noticing us. We've struck up more conversations and done our best to leave an impression on the community. Just a few (by few I mean 10-12) blocks from our house some people are constructing a  farmer's community market that we've been blessed to help build. By helping them complete their project, we've built influence and connection with the workers and they have expressed a ton of appreciation. I've continued to play basketball at the park across the street and keeping credibility on the court with the competition that's out there is totally due to the Lord. I can play ball, but He's just blessed my ability and I've made some connections because of it. Our biggest success so far is our regular coffee shop, Caffe Destino. The staff there knows our names and love seeing our faces. Just today I've had two very encouraging and engaging conversations with two of the baristas, Sarah and Jenny. I've found out a LOT about them and made some definite progress towards truly befriending the staff and making time outside of their working hours to pursue further friendship and, hopefully, sharing of the Gospel with our lives.

How? Love. There are 6 billionish people on the planet with numerous languages worldwide. We all, however, speak one language: love. We all crave and desire it. Ultimately, there's only one true love and we are constantly trying to share that with our lives. Caffe Destino's staff have taken notice to our kindness. We are trying to show people Jesus in us, leading to us sharing why we are who we are, how we got there, and that they can meet the same love we found. People take notice to love. We aren't being creepy, just intentional. We are being patient and forced to humbly trust the Lord in all we do, but since when does life not require that?

prayers would be greatly appreciated, and we love and thank you all for your support! much love from Portland!

Portland Chronicles

There is entirely too much going on to share in just one simple blog post.

The Lord is good. Portland is continuing to challenge my faith and perspective on the Church and our calling to our Bridegroom and to those who don’t know Him. Fellowship with our brothers and sisters at church meetings and gatherings is a necessity, but are we to invite nonbelievers to the church or to take the Church to them? Jesus spent His time in the synagogue teaching, yet most of His time was spent in prayer, discipleship, and loving and serving the prostitutes, homeless, fatherless, widows, orphans: the outcasts of society, OUTSIDE the walls of the church (where most of our time is spent as well). These people step foot inside of a church and immediately feel judged. Why has this become the norm? Why aren’t we as Christians defending the causes of the social outcasts?

In John 8, Jesus defends the cause of a woman “taken in adultery, in the very act.” According to the law, she was to be stoned, but what is Jesus’ response? “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Jesus knew the law better than all the accusers of the woman, and yet He defended her. Why should we do anything else? Won’t people see the character of Jesus, the heart of God, in us if we don’t join the crowd, stones in hand, and instead stand before them willing to die to defend the poor and needy [And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Mt. 25:40)]? When people see love, grace, and acceptance in us, when we are the champions of their cause, fending for them, will they not be more open to our reasoning, our message, our drive: our Jesus?

Romans 13:14 says, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” We are those preachers. Since when does preaching have to be done from a pulpit? We are walking through the streets of NE Portland praying in declaration, “victory in the name of Jesus.” Verse 15 continues, saying, “And how are they to preach unless they are SENT? As it is written, "How beautiful are the FEET of those who preach the good news!" We are SENT! We are to go to them, not wait on them to come to us! The more people see us reflecting the God we know, love, and serve, the more apt they’ll be to visit our churches. Even then, why wait on them to come to us! JUST BE LOVE!

That’s essentially what is happening here in Portland. We are watching and waiting on the Lord patiently. He’s coordinating divine meetings and appointments for His ultimate glorification, for His creation to become His children. Moreover, He’s beckoning the lost to be found and you and me, “come and die.” I am found, my identity is, in Christ alone. He’s all I need, He’s all I have. Everything I am, I have, or I will become is due to Him, to the Spirit’s leading and teaching. What’s happening here in Portland is on the backburner to an intimate relationship with the Creator God. What goes on where you are should do the same. Trust and obey. TRUST and obey. My prayer is that people will cease to see Ryan Sears and begin to see my Jesus and the Spirit at work inside me.

“Jesus not only deserves your everything, He paid for it. Justice dictates that you give it to Him.” – Mattie Montgomery

This video is basically just the trip up here. It’s funny, kind of long, but totally worth it. I kind of slaved over it... so... I hope you like it. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, CARE, CONCERN, and, most importantly, PRAYERS! I love you all and thank God for you! Be blessed in the Lord!

Portland, Day One Video!