Baroni Bloggin’

In the darkness, in the cold and the silence, beneath the frozen ground of December; a promise waits.

As I walked my typical neighborhood route recently I noticed a barren tree. As I drew closer I saw that what had looked like bare limbs actually had tiny buds, almost imperceptible yet pregnant with the promise of new blossoms to burst forth at the right time… in the springtime.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe.” Paul the apostle wrote about seeing the unseen, by faith looking beyond the circumstances and trusting in the God Who holds the seasons in His Hand.

One of my favorite songs, “Faithful God,” puts it this way:

Even when it’s hard to believe,
Even when our hope seems all gone
There has never been a night without a dawn!

And there has never been a winter without a spring. Our Father is the God of new life, of promises kept. He is a faithful God!

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As I was about to read in the Psalms today, a heading over Psalm 22 caught my attention: “A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.”

That phrase, added by the Bible publisher, started me thinking. Isn’t that how life is a lot of the time?

It reminds me of the song my daughter Bethany and I wrote called “I Will Worship”:

In the good and the bad Lord I worship Your Name
No matter what happens You love me the same
I will worship You Jesus
Wherever You lead I will follow You
Knowing Your faithfulness God You are good
So I worship You Jesus

The second verse of the song says:

When sorrow becomes overwhelming
You come wrap your arms around me
And then like the wind Lord You whisper to me
Breathing hope into the depths of my soul

I wish life was just one great happy encounter after another…or do I?
Another song I wrote a long time ago:

If I never had sorrow I could never be comforted
I’d never know healing if I didn’t feel pain
Without the fire gold could not be freed from dross
Through the power of the cross, loss is gain

The truth is that our trials are lovingly used by our Father to conform us into the image of Christ. We get to know Christ, and ourselves better through suffering. Do we seek suffering? I don’t! But I do know that this life will have cries of anguish; sometimes right along with songs of praise, and I am glad that we have the assurance that “God is faithful Who will not allow us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear, but with the temptation will make a way of escape.”

He will complete what He has begun in us! And we will be glad.
Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni
7/14/2009

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These are two powerful principles taught to us by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
First, we are a kingdom of priests:
Rev. 5:9,10 (my paraphrase) You have redeemed them from every tribe and tongue by Your Blood and have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth! (emphasis mine).

The role of the priest in the Old Testament was to minister to God on behalf of the people and minister to the people on the behalf of God. in other words, the priest was to be a mediator between God and man.
Now, of course, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, through the Holy Spirit residing in the believer, we are all part of the royal priesthood. (1st Peter 2:9)

Christ is in us as the Great High Priest, giving us access into the very Holy of Holies, the place of intimacy with Almighty God. Not only that, but Christ in us is also reconciling the world unto Himself through us!

Our first ministry is to the Lord. From the overflow of that worship and obedience and acknowledgement of our dependence on Him (Christ Who is our life) comes our ministry to others. To reverse the order is to rob ourselves of freshness, vitality and effectiveness- regardless of how well-intentioned we may be. We are a kingdom of priests. Not independently, but in unity- though we all have different giftings, callings and expressions of the life of Christ through us.

That is only half of the exciting revelation.

We are also a priesthood of kings!

One of the Names for the Lord Jesus Christ is “King of kings”.
Notice that He is not just the King of subjects. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This doesn’t merely mean that He is the King that is better than all the other kings (though of course that is true.) He is the King Who reigns over all the “little k” kings.

Who are these “little k” kings?
I am! You are, if you are a born-again believer in Jesus!
We are given the opportunity (and responsibility) of ruling and reigning “on the earth” with Him! Everywhere we go, we are ambassadors of the heavenly Kingdom. We carry heaven with us and fulfill the original mandate given to Adam and Eve to :
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it:” in other words to advance the agenda, the Kingdom of our Father God!

We are a Priesthood of Kings! From our attitude and posture of humility, worship and delight in caring about those people and things that are on the Heart of God, we have been privileged by grace to partner with the Almighty!

Again, in Romans the scripture: “The entire creation groans and travails together in pain until now waiting for the unveiling of the sons of God.”

Arise and shine kings and priests of our God for your Light has come and the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you!
God’s greatest goal is not to get us to heaven, but to get heaven into us and through us to His world, to conform us to the image of Christ!

Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni

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Where do believers in Christ go when they die? Why, heaven of course. Of all the beliefs that could (and do) divide people, this is not one of them.

This writing borrows a lot from Pastor Bill Johnson at Bethel Church in Redding CA. There is a biblical passage, John 3:13 in which Jesus states: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who descended: The Son of Man who is in heaven.” (emphasis mine)

Some translations leave off the last four words. That is unfortunate, for in those four words: “…who is in heaven,” there is a wonderful, empowering truth for those who have ears to hear.

Jesus was standing on terra firma, solid ground, fully present in the physical realm when He declared that the Son of Man…”is in heaven.” What could He possibly have meant by that statement?

Let’s go back to my first question. Where do we go when we die? When we die physically, we go to heaven. But what about before then? In Romans 6:4 the Word says: “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” We, through faith, died in Him and are raised in Him to new life. If He, Jesus, said He was in heaven while He walked on earth, and if we are in Him, then we too are, by faith, already in heaven!

Paul in Ephesians tells us that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
If that be true (and I believe that the Word of God is true), how shall we then live?

From heaven!

Again to paraphrase Bill Johnson: “Because we are born again and our old nature was crucified with Christ and we’re raised into newness of life we have constant legal access to heavenly realms… the realm where faith is normal. We, by grace have influence upon humanity through yielded vessels that is significant beyond all human talent and human ability.”

Again, one of my favorite passages in Romans talks about the entire creation groaning and travailing together in pain waiting for… the manifestation of the sons of God! We are more than we’ve imagined through Jesus Christ!

I hasten to add that being “in heaven” and on earth at the same time does not exempt us from the limitations of our physical body. Jesus Himself got hungry and thirsty and tired. But He operated in the realm of faith, in the realm of the Spirit. He saw the invisible, heard the inaudible and did the impossible- yet not Him but His Father in Him did the works! His meat (sustenance, agenda, passion, motivating force) was to do the will of His Father Who sent Him and to finish His work. We receive the peace that transcends the natural by merely, and profoundly, receiving and appropriating by faith His Very Life!!

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away- behold, all is become new!” In Him we have…
Godrest and Godspeed!
David Baroni

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My Help Comes From The Holy One

My help comes from the Holy One
My hope is far above
When storms and darkness threaten me
I’m anchored in His Love

My Faith has found a resting place
In Jesus Christ the Lord
Beyond what mortal eyes can see
I live by God’s own Word

And who in heav’n or on the earth
Compares with God Most High
Who laid aside His kingly robe
Through Mary born to die

The only One both God and man
Proclaimed God’s Kingdom come
The good news of redeeming Love
The Father’s will was done

They buried Him in borrowed tomb
Such sorrow on that day
But oh the joy came on the morn
The stone was rolled away

Christ rose into the heavenlies
At God’s right hand He reigns
And now we are complete in Him
Oh blessed be His Name!

My help comes from the Holy One
My hope is far above
When storms and darkness threaten me
I’m anchored in His Love
I’m anchored in His Love

(2007 David Baroni/ Kingdomsongs Inc./ BMI/CCLI)

If you would like a demo mp3 and a chord sheet for this song, email me at david@davidbaroni.com
Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni

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I am emotional today.
Yesterday my son-in-law Ben and his bride, my daughter Bethany, introduced me to a song written by John Mark McMillan and led by Kim Walker called “How He Loves”.

I was blown away starting at the very first lines:

“He is jealous for me
He is a hurricane I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy…”

I highly recommend you acquiring this song, recorded live on the “We Cry Out” CD from Bill Johnson’s church in Redding, CA. Just go on Itunes and enter “How He Loves” and “Kim Walker” as the artist.

The freshness of the lyric, the obvious passion in Kim Walker and the well-done, heartfelt musical arrangement is a wonderful vehicle for the incredible love of God.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, with all this time of walking with the Lord, but I am amazed and delighted and overwhelmed afresh with the sense of His fiery love. “God loves us” can’t remain merely a soothing, sappy cliche’ when we really get a glimpse of His passionate heart for us…

God’s love sets us free from, again in the words of the song, the need to “maintain our regrets
when we think about the way… He loves us, Oh How He loves us”!

I am emotional for another reason:
Our daughter Charity is moving to L.A. on Thursday, May, 1st to pursue her dreams of being involved in the entertainment field. We are so for her and I believe she will do well and wonderfully there and… I am going to miss her so!

Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni

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Jesus said…”the Kingdom of God comes not with observation (natural perception), behold- the Kingdom of God is within you.”

George Warnock, in his powerful book, “The Feast of Tabernacles” talks about the great privilege that those who have received Christ and are led by the Holy Spirit have been given.

These new creations in Christ, the sons of God-

See the invisible

Do the impossible

So many times I am reminded that I have lived far beneath my calling and empowerment as a son of God. As Simba’s father Mufasa in the Lion King reminds his wandering son:

“You have forgotten who you are”

and

“You are more than you have become”.

As I study the power of thoughts and words. I am reminded often that the realm of spirit is more real than the realm of the temporal, “earthy”. The Apostle Paul writes:…”for we look not at things which are seen but things that are invisible, for the visible things are temporary but the invisible things are eternal.”

Reality is far beyond the physical realm. It includes (of course) the physical, but the “sense” realm is just the beginning. That’s where faith comes in. Faith calls things which are not as though they are through the power of the word of God.

We carry great capacity to bless- by our presence (or more specifically God’s Presence in us), by our words, and by faith-motivated actions. Sometimes, in fact most times, we are not aware of the power of our presence, words and actions. That’s probably a good thing as it relates to our pride, but not so good as it pertains to our lack of intentionality to live, as the Reformers said, coram Deo – before the Face of God.

Conversely, we can also bring damage and death by our presence,words and actions if we are not aware of the realm beyond the natural. Even believers in Christ can unwittingly be used by the enemy to speak word curses and bring “dis-ease” and strife if we are not aware of the importance of our God-given ability to influence the atmosphere and peole around us.

This is not to say that I advocate a paralyzing legalism or acute self-consciousness. Jesus said “You shall know the Truth and the truth shall make you free.” Through the death, resurrection, ascension and indwelling of Jesus Christ in us by the power of the Holy Spirit we are free to live without fear, alert to His goodness, and make a difference for the exalting of God by merely being!

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God will move us from fear of calamity to the Fear of the Lord.
From love of this world and distractions to the Love of God.

Perfect Love casts out fear.

There is an unholy spirit of fear that tries to attach itself to the child of God. That spirit of fear is manifested in worry, terror, a sense of foreboding or expectation of disaster or disease. It can be debilitating and draining and cause one to forget who he or she is as a royal citizen of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

Whatever you feed grows. If you feed the spirit of fear by too much television news, or being around fearful people all the time, or neglecting to hear what God says about you and about circumstances, fear gains a stronger influence in your life.

There is, thank God, an answer for unholy fear. That answer is to be filled with the “Fear of the Lord”.

The fear of the Lord is healthy. It is to be desired. The fear of the Lord is not terror or false humility- it is simply and profoundly to have a deep respect and reverence for Who God is. To be in His Presence and on the quest to know Him by His Spirit and Word is to learn to love what He loves and hate what He hates.

To be a recipient of grace is a wonderful and overwhelming thing. It is not, however, a license to be casual in our dealings with the Almighty.

Some may say to have the fear of the Lord is an old-fashioned, unenlightened way of relating to God. That is not what is taught by the Word of God:

“The fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.”
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Blessed is the man or woman that fears (has proper esteem, reverence and respect for) the Lord. My FATHER is the King of the Universe. I know that He loves me unconditionally and will never reject me. I am safe in His love. As I get to know Him better, my awe and respect, yes my “fear” of Him grows as well. It’s a good thing. Indeed a necessary thing to fear the Lord.

As I was praying and playing piano before the Lord this morning I realized that God in His goodness was giving me the grace to put off the unholy fear that has been subtly (and sometimes more overtly) paralyzing me, and receive a fresh baptism of the fear of the Lord.

We become like that which we behold.

I have been allowing myself to be consumed by distractions, a love for entertainment for example. It isn’t that I have been watching things that are blatantly sinful, it’s just that I have allowed myself to be distracted by the unimportant in an attempt to fill up what only God can satisfy. I am asking the Lord to refill and refocus me on Him. Ministry doesn’t ultimately satisfy, good works, money, even cherished relationships can’t fill up the part of me (and you) that is reserved for God alone.

“…we with open face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2nd. Cor. 3:18

So Lord, thank you for replacing unholy fear with your Holy fear, and replacing earthly distractions- other loves- with Your Love. Your Perfect, Mature Love.
Thank you for giving us a singleness of heart.

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after- to behold the beauty of the Lord and to dwell in Your Presence forever.”
Perfect Love casts out fear.

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I love paradox. Here is a lyric from the new CD release: The Songwriter Sessions. It is a new song called “O Beautiful Fear”.
Godrest and Godspeed!
David Baroni

“O Beautiful Fear”
David Baroni/ Kingdomsongs Inc./CCLI /BMI/ 2007

O Beautiful Fear stunned in your Presence
Trembling here bowing in reverence
You hold out Your sceptre
And bid me come near
Now I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid anymore
Beautiful Fear Beautiful Fear

O Beautiful Fear O Joy that enfolds me
Holding me near like no one else holds me
Your heart like a flame
Has drawn me here
Now I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid anymore
Beautiful Fear Beautiful Fear

O the flavor of Your favor
How I savor the wonder of You
My lover my King
You make my heart sing
Incredibly You
Are in love with me too!

O Beautiful Fear O Love beyond measure
To know I am Yours
There’s no greater treasure
Gazing at You
Everything’s clear
Now I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid
I’m not afraid anymore
Beautiful Fear
Beautiful Fear

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“Godrest and Godspeed”.

I add this signature to almost every letter or email.

The order of the words are important. Godrest

“He that has entered into His rest has ceased from his own works, even as God did from His.”

As I travel around the globe and around the United States I get to meet people from many different denominational backgrounds. One thing I have noticed (and of course it is also evident in my own life), is that a lot of God’s people are just plain tired.

It’s not just because the world has gotten more demanding, bill collectors are louder in their cries to be paid, we need to learn restraint in our consumption, etc. etc.; those things may be true, but the weariness goes a whole lot deeper than that.

We have a “soul-weariness” because we have been trying to do the will and work of God in our own strength. As my friend Steve Fry says, we must learn to do Father’s work His way.

Watchman Nee, in his masterpiece “The Normal Christian Life” puts it this way: “Only Jesus Christ has ever lived the normal Christian life and only He can.” So let’s stop trying to live for God and let Him live His Life in us!

He is the One who makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us beside the restful waters, He restores our soul (mind. will and emotions.)

That’s what I mean when I say Godrest.

From a place of rest then we can live with “Godspeed”-

In other words, what God commands, He gives grace for.
As the Psalmist David says: “Through my God I can run through a troop and leap over a wall. Through my God I will do valiantly, for it is He Who overcomes my enemy.”

Rather than ask God to bless what we are doing, we ask Him to show us what He is on His heart for His world and his people, and ask for grace to flow with His purposes! Seek first the Kingdom!

Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni

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