Ted J. Hanson's Weekly Blog – ted4you.com

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

I hope you are well today. I was blessed to minister at Everyone’s Church in Mt. Vernon, WA. yesterday. I will be headed for a journey out this week to Portugal, Angola, and then South Africa. I will be out for several weeks. I have been in a season at home but will transition to some time out.

What is it that determines the seasons of our lives? In the Western world, we live our lives around dates that are fixed upon a calendar, but the seasons of the year very often seem to ignore the times that we think they should appear. Sometimes spring is late or early, summer is short or long, fall is dry or rainy, and winter is hard or easy. The natural seasons of the earth are not dependent upon a calendar. The seasons of our world are determined from heaven. We cannot change the seasons by the independent works of our own hands, but we can navigate each season by our dependance upon God.

The seasons for Israel in the Old Covenant were not determined by specific calendar dates. They were determined by the conditions of heaven. The activity of the sun and the activity of the moon determined the natural seasons of the earth, and the feasts and celebrations of Israel were determined by that activity. The signs in the heavens proclaimed the beginning of a season and the full harvests of the spring and summer seasons determined their tabernacle with God. The last day of the seventh month year was determined by the sign in the heavens of the first day. God set signs in the heavens that determined the harvest season. These things are but a sign to our way in life.

The seasons of harvest in the earth create an environment for mankind to reveal God’s likeness and image in and to our world. Creation groans for us to manifest as sons and daughters of God in our course of life. The seasons of our earth are meant to end in harvest. The testimony of every season serves the purpose of life in and to our world. God created us for this purpose.

Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God has given, is giving, and will continue to give, to each of us, gifts for a harvest. Every aspect of the seasons of our lives serves the ultimate testimony of a last trumpet of life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.

Some of the seasons sound wonderful and others we wish we could reject, but in every season there is a purpose. The secret to navigating every season in our lives is found in our intimacy with God. Knowing God’s love is the key to every season of our lives. The seasons change, but the constant in every season is God. The seasons of our lives are not determined by our actions, but by the heavens. However, we very often violate the seasons of our lives by the actions of our lives. The seasons are meant to reveal a testimony of knowing God. Knowing God and living in His love will produce the fruit of life, even in the difficult seasons of our lives. Eternal life is not a destination, but a part of our destiny in knowing God our Father and Jesus Christ His Son through the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit in our lives.

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

To meditate in the law of God is to meditate in His law of love. We were born to be loved by God and the secret to every season of our lives is to navigate our course through a connection and response to God’s love. Everything that God has created is dependent upon God’s presence for their due season.

Psalms 104:27 These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. 28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.

Psalms 145:15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. 16 You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

To wait upon the Lord is to intertwine our lives with Him in every season. We cannot escape the seasons of our lives, but we can navigate them well through intimacy with God in Christ.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Today I am in Redding, California. Bonnie and I are having a blessed time with our son Aaron and his family. Our grandchildren are always a delight. We have a few more days and then we will head home to Bellingham. Family is a great blessing.

We find our identity, testimony, and purpose in Christ. Only in Christ, can we know who we really are. We were created in Christ to walk in good works that were prepared for us in this world. Those good works will bring life to our world. They will reveal the love and life of God to those that God has given to us. Each of us are a one and only and only by seeking our Creator can we live in and as the truth that we are meant to be.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

This is a year of truth, and the truth is discovered by knowing God so that we can know who we are in this world. We cannot become who we are meant to be if we put any created thing at a higher priority than our Creator. Whatever we worship determines who we become.

Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Whatever we put first in our lives determines what happens next. Who, or what, do we put first? When we put our Creator first, we discover the creation we should be. When what is created worships the Creator, the blessings of the Creator are released to all of creation. This is a key to living in the truth of who we are. Our purpose in life can only be discovered and fulfilled when we honor the Lord with all that we possess. We honor Him with our attitudes, actions, and accomplishments in life. We give Him the firstfruits of all that He gives us in life. In doing so our barns will be filled with plenty, and our vats will overflow with new wine. These are the fruits of all that we are and do that brings life to our world. This fruit is both natural and spiritual and it brings the blessings of God to our world. We don’t just honor God as a powerful being. We honor Him as a loving Father who gives us our identity, testimony, and eternal purpose. When we put Him first as our Father, we become sons and daughters of God that are led in the path of life in all things. This includes any needed correction and direction that leads to our destiny.

Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.

Correction is not simply a matter of being right and not wrong. It is a matter of being a giver of life as our heavenly Father is a giver of life. When we live as givers of life to our world, we are true to who we are as sons and daughters of God. God’s correction in our lives keeps us in the path of life that enables us to give life to our world. This is truth.

Truth is not about what we know. Truth is about who we are. Jesus demonstrated truth though a living testimony of One who gave life to His world. In this, He was exalted as Lord and Christ to be the Savior of the whole world. If we look to any created thing as a source of happiness, we will be disappointed and we will even trade what is truth for a lie. It is most deceptive. The path of life is only found in the One who gives us life, breath, and all things!

Acts 17:24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

When we know truth, we will live as truth. We will be givers of life to our world. This is the testimony of our true identity, testimony, and purpose in life.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

We had another great week and weekend here in Bellingham. It was good to gather together yesterday as a church family. I hope you were able to celebrate the life and presence of God with others in a Christ centered community.

I believe that this is a year of truth. What is truth? Truth is not measured by a knowledge of good and evil. Truth is measured by the fruit of life. Jesus said that knowing the truth will make us free. Truth is ultimately revealed in the person Jesus, the Christ. He was the Son of Man as a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. His once for all sacrifice made it possible for each of us to become a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. By this we will know truth and we will become testimonies of that truth. The truth of God is always found in conjunction with God’s mercy, His kindness towards us in Christ.

Proverbs 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.

Whatever is bound around our neck will determine the direction of our vision in life. Just as the neck controls the position of our head, so will mercy (kindness) and truth give us a right direction to look in life. If something is not kind, something is wrong. If something is not true, something is wrong. It is not just what we think is kind, but what God knows to be kind. It is not what we think is true, but what God knows to be true that is the testimony of truth.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

The steps of our path in life must be determined by God’s direction. We must acknowledge Him in all of our ways. We don’t have our way and His way. His way must be the source of desire for our ways in life. This is for us as individuals, in our marriages, in our families, our social connections, our occupations, our recreations, our dreams and vision for every aspect of our lives. When God directs our steps in life the path of our life will lead to greater life.

Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.

Our wisdom is very often a self-seeking, self-focused, and even a self-preserving wisdom. It is based upon our natural understanding. It is often inspired by our emotions and personal desires. It can even be influenced by demonic powers, though we become blind to that reality.

James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

God’s wisdom inspires us to be God-seeking. God’s wisdom is motivated by a fear of the Lord. That is not a fear of death or a fear of circumstances. It is an awe of God and a willingness and desire to be consumed by the zeal of His house, even as Jesus lived His life for the zeal of God’s house. When we live by God’s wisdom we find health in this world.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

When we live for God’s will and way, we become testimonies of God’s presence in and through our lives to our world. This is a year of truth, and truth in only found in God’s way.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

We have just celebrated Easter. As a believer in Christ this is a time when we celebrate the resurrection life of Christ. We remember that Jesus gave His life for us upon the cross so that we can have an intimate relationship with Him today in His resurrection. This is not just a hope for our future but a testimony to each and every day. Jesus is our salvation in every situation of our lives. We have been granted the right to become children of God. We have been invited to know a life of being a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. This is not a life of self, but a life of partnership with God in all things. In this, we are granted the ability to know our Father’s heart and respond to His desires.

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

What does it mean to keep the commands of God from your heart? The commands of God are not merely doing what God tells you to do. The commands of God reveal the character, nature, and way of God’s heart. God is not a taker; He is a giver of life. His commands are never about what He can get from us. His commands reveal His character, and His character enables us to receive what He desires to give to us. He gives life, breath, and all good things. He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk rightly before Him.

Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

To keep God’s commands from our heart, is to embrace His character, nature, and way. It is to embrace the principles, patterns, and values of God in our hearts. God doesn’t just want us to do what He tells us to do. He wants us to embrace the values of His heart. He wants us to believe what He believes. We are not called, anointed, or appointed to create, form, or shape who God is. He is our Creator and as our Creator only He can form our hearts and minds as they should be. Only He can shape us to be as we should be in our world.

Psalms 119:68 You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes.

Knowing God is not about knowing a sovereign God who commands our will. It is about a privilege of knowing God as our Father and friend. We get to present our bodies to Him for His will to be done and His kingdom to come through the expressions of our lives. In this, He transforms our lives to become what we could not be without Him.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Do you understand the mercy of God? Do you understand how good He is? Mercy ends the past. He passed over our sins. He looked at our formless, void and dark places and He saw who we were. Then He touched us, and He breathed into us the breath of life. He planted a place of life for us and He put us there. So, we need to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Let this be the place where He lives.

When we live as a dwelling place of God in all things, we are transformed in the renewing of our minds. A metamorphosis takes place. Our old way of thinking is changed by the influence of the mind of Christ within us. The power of this transformation comes by knowing the love of God in our hearts.

Taste and know that He is good. Don’t fall for the lie that you need to know what you are doing. Don’t fall for the lie that you need to be smart. Hold fast to the truth that He will transform your way of thinking and your way of being from the inside out. He will change the beliefs of your heart and inspire new thinking in your mind that is inspired from within your heart. He will prove the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God in your life because He rests in you.

We need the places of our lives to become the place where He rests. When God rests in our marriage, our church, in the nation, or wherever; things will be healed. God wants to rest in our lives!

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

I hope you had a great Palm Sunday. We had a great time at Alife and we are looking forward to a week of seeking God, worship, and a Resurrection Sunday celebration next weekend. I am growing stronger and increasing my morning walking to include some segments of running. I continue to depend upon my friend God.

God wants us to have full length of days, long life, and peace. When we know His desires and we respond to His will, we find a secret to partnering with Him in life. Partnership with God will give us fullness in our days, purpose in our lives, and the goodness of God’s presence in all that we do.

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

Have you ever expressed, “there’s just not enough time in the day to get this done?” I have said that many times. I believe that this statement is connected to a sense of purpose. This is even true in the practical things of our lives. It is especially true concerning our purpose in Christ. When we know who we are and we know that we have purpose, the days will seem too short to get done what needs to be done. Is it possible to lengthen one’s days? Every day requires wisdom for that day. To get from today to tomorrow is not just the knowledge of the day but the wisdom for that day that leads to the steps of tomorrow.

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you”.

Knowing God will lead to knowing His wisdom. Knowing Him personally will bring His guidance to our lives. When we live with an awe of God, we acknowledge Him for the course of every day.

Do you know who you are? You are a son or daughter of God; therefore, you are an heir of His purpose in life, and you are anointed to parter with Him in all that you do. Length of days is connected to the purpose of each day. Long life is connected to the inheritance that goes even beyond our days. When the Scripture talks about living as long as a tree, it is a term for living generationally.

Isaiah 65:22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Trees, in biblical language, are often a symbol of the generations of men in the third and fourth generations. Straw is a symbol of the daily comforts and desires of a man. Grass or hay represents a man’s lifetime. Wood is a generational description of things that humans do, which can become a generational testimony. To live as long as the days of a tree does not necessarily mean living to be as old as a tree; it is living on in the generations of one’s posterity. The roots, trunk, and limbs of a tree live on in the branches of tomorrow.

Isaiah 61:3b …that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. 

The Scripture describes the children of God as trees of righteousness. This implies that they are a family of fathers, sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons; they are a testimony of four generations, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, or Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others also.

“Often, people in the world are more generationally minded than people in Christ. We need to think generationally—God wants us to think this way. So, when the prophet in Scripture says they’ll be like a tree, understand it’s a generational term, not merely a promise that you will live to an old age yourself. It means you’re going to live on in the earth beyond your natural days; things of inheritance will go to your children and your children’s children.

As declared by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 65:22, “they won’t build and another inhabit.” In other words, their generations will not be cut off. They won’t plant and another eat. It will continue to their sons, their sons’ sons, and their sons’ sons’ sons. They will be like a tree; they will be generational. This is what the prophet was declaring to God’s people. There was a permanence to who they were to be as the family of God.”

A key to full length of days, long life, and peace is to value what God values and to seek to know Him to be like Him in all you are and do. Every day is another opportunity to partner with God for His will to be done and His kingdom to come into the expressions of your kingdom in this world.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

I am home continuing to recover in my process to regain good health. We finally got a break from the rain and I am hoping for some dryer weather in the days to come. I am ready for spring. We had another great day together yesterday as a church family here in Bellingham.

Our relationship with God is one that transforms our lives. He changes us from glory to glory. That change comes by the Kairos moments of God in our lives. I have been a believer for fifty-three years. I’m not the same person that I was fifty-three years ago. I’m not the same person I was twenty years ago, ten years ago, or even a year ago. As believers in Christ, we believe in Him and His presence in our lives transforms us from within.

This is a year of truth and truth comes by knowing the One who is Truth. When we know Him, we become like Him in increasing measures. It’s not dependent on how smart we are. It’s not dependent on how hard we work. It’s dependent on times of refreshing that come to us through knowing Jesus Christ in our lives. It’s dependent upon His presence in our lives.

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…

To repent is to have a changed mind that gives us a changed way of thinking. Repentance in the Old Covenant was a discipline of the flesh. Repentance in the New Covenant is not a discipline of the flesh. It’s a grace that is granted to us by the Spirit of Christ in our lives. He manifests as the Spirit of the Lord within our hearts and He gives us new desires from within.

John the Baptist was the best that it can be in the Old Covenant. His message was a message of repentance—stop being bad. So you would discipline yourself according to the law to not be bad. So if you’re a thief, you would discipline yourself to not steal anymore, but your internal nature was still tempted to steal. The law could not change the desires of the heart and mind; it could only restrain them.

In the law, in the Old Covenant, the best you can do with a thief is restrain them in their cultures or put them in jail. So you restrain them, you confine them so that they’re restrained from acting upon their will, from acting upon their true nature, their true desire. That’s how the law works.

Jesus didn’t come to put us in another prison. He came to change our hearts, to change our minds, to give us a different desire so that we’re no longer people who are in prison. He came to set captives free and to open prison doors to those who are bound.

A captive is something that happens to you when someone does something to you. They took you and they made a captive out of you. You didn’t do anything wrong, but they took and made a captive out of you. Jesus came to free the captives. He also came to open the prison doors for those who are bound.  Prison is something you did to yourself. Prison is a consequence from your own actions. You’re not a captive, you’re a prisoner.

Jesus doesn’t come and set prisoners free. He opens prison doors and makes it so that you can walk out of prison and you can’t go back because there’s nothing about you that can be incarcerated. He changes your nature from within. You are not a thief! You’re not a liar! Your life is changed!

So the repentance of the kingdom of God, the repentance of the New Covenant is different than repentance of the Old Covenant. It’s not a discipline of your thoughts. It’s a changed heart. If you will, it’s a changed brain. You think different.

The journey of Abram to become Abraham was a shadow of the good thing that is found in Christ for us all. Abram was a Chaldean, but Abraham was not a Chaldean. Abraham was a Hebrew. Abraham was transformed by the influence of heaven in His life. Abram was born on earth, but Abraham was born by faith. The sound of God in Abraham’s name was his citizenship. He was born in heaven. There were no Hebrews on earth. Abraham was not a Jew and Abraham was not a Gentile. Abraham was a Hebrew. He was a shadow of something that’s destined for all tribes, tongues, peoples and nations to be that can only happen in Christ.

In Christ we can find our citizenship in heaven but then have a responsibility in the earth to bring the influence of heaven into the earth. So repentance in the New Covenant is to be given a gift, a grant of what is in heaven. Repentance onto life.

I’m changed. So I see what God sees. I think what God thinks. Abraham thought differently than Abram. That’s how he could willingly offer his son Isaac because he knew his friend God would raise Isaac from the dead. He didn’t offer him because he knew his friend would give him another son. No, he knew that it was not like his friend to have his son end in death. He knew that if he offered his son, his friend would raise his son from the dead.

Hebrews 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

God saw Abraham’s heart. He knew Abraham’s mind. God knew that, ah, yes, he is Abraham. So that’s when God said, stop, look; and the substitute ram, Jesus, the lamb slain before the foundations of the world were laid was in the thicket. The substitute ram was in the thicket.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

I thought I would give an update as to my present situation. Like you, I am on a journey of faith. Faith comes by hearing God and hearing God is the fruit of being loved by Him. It doesn’t matter what is going on in our lives, good or bad, our journey in life is a testimony of a personal relationship with God in all things. Every day is a day to know God more deeply and to receive His love. The challenges in our lives are opportunities to become genuine in our faith toward, and in, God.

Today I am in Bellingham. I was supposed to be in Portugal and then the Netherlands, but due to some health issues, I had to cancel my travel at this time. I have been challenged with some heart issues since the end of December and have gone through many tests to find the answer to my situation. I spent a few days in the hospital last week, but the good news is that they found the problem—and the challenge is, they found my problem.

After undergoing an angiogram, I have been diagnosed with coronary microvascular disease. Although there is some blockage in some arteries, they said that my daily running routine helped so that even with some blockage there is plenty of blood flow. They did not need to put in any stints and there is no surgery needed. There is some damage to the tiny blood vessels within the heart that restricts some flow, causing the chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath and other things. They will treat it with medication, and I will continue in my journey of life, knowing that God is my friend and He will work all things out for good according to His purpose in my life. I am believing for Jesus to create in me a clean heart—spirit, soul, and body.

I now know what has been going on. I will continue to do my routine of walking, running, eating right, taking some medications (to keep me humble) and most of all: knowing that in Jesus’ name all is made right! These are simply challenging circumstances in life.

God told me that this year is a year of truth. He told me this would be a year something new, something that I have never experienced in my life before. I’ve learned that when God says something to me, I have to lay down what I think I know. Because when He says something, it has to do with something I haven’t seen, or heard, or thought before. When you’re 70 years old, 53 years old in Christ, you’ve seen some things, you’ve thought some things, you’ve heard some things, so your biggest problem is you know too much. When you know too much, then you have to humble yourself and become like a little child so you’re willing to learn some new things. The circumstances of my life define things that are true, but God’s love defines what is truth.

Truth is a person and nothing can separate us from His love. He wants to meet us each day of our journey in this world. His meeting with us, defines who we are in life. When we see Him, we are changed by Him. He is truth and His presence in our lives is what defines who we are. True things, or lies, don’t define us. Knowing the truth in the midst of true things and in the mist of lies is what makes us free.

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Repentance in the New Covenant is an obedience to receiving God’s love. When we know His love, our hearts and minds are changed by His love. Repentance in the New Covenant is a repentance unto life. An encounter with Christ in our lives enables us to repent and be converted. When we experience God’s love we are changed by His love. Our connection with Him today, heals us of our disconnections from Him in the past. His presence in our lives blots out our sins. His presence in our lives gives us refreshing in the midst of our circumstance.

The word refreshing in verse 19, means to recover our breath. Sometimes our wind gets knocked out of us, but times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord in our lives. There is a day when we will experience the culmination of a full coming of Jesus to our lives, but each season of our lives is another opportunity to experience Him more. He desires to come to us each day as a life-giving Spirit. His presence in us restores our breath.

In these verses, there’s two different times. It says that times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. That word for time there is the Greek word Kairos. Kairos times are the experiences, divine moments, and connections to God that transform our lives.

Jesus is held up in the heavens until the times of the restoration of all things. This word for times is the Greek word Chronos. Chronos time is the chronology of our lives. Our lives are measured in Chronos measurements. Our whole life would be a Chronos time, but in our Chronos time, there are Kairos moments that define us.

Chronos is the measurement of our destiny and Kairos is the measurement of experience in that destiny. Jesus is not held up in the heavens until a moment when He comes and magically fixes everything. He’s held up in the heavens while there’s a process of fixing going on. He’s held up in the heavens while there’s a process of Kairos experiences with Him happening in our lives. We don’t know the full measurement of the Chronos time of our lives, but we can find new life every day in our journey through the Kairos moments of Him revealed to us from within.

In your life, God has ordained that there will be Kairos moments. There will be experiences with Him in your life that will give you your breath, refresh you, refine you, redefine you, and transform you. These Kairos moments are the experiences in your life that make you different than you were before those Kairos moments, and they’re part of your whole destiny. Your whole life is a Chronos destiny and it’s destined for times of God’s presence that give you your breath in the midst of the journey.

Our lives are not measured by the circumstances that we go through. Our lives are defined by our experiences with God in the midst of our journey. I am praying for us all that we will find refreshing from God’s presence in our lives today. This is a season of truth and God is giving us breath that defines who we are.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Today I am in Bellingham. I was blessed to minister in our home church yesterday. It was a great morning. God’s presence was there and the people were hungry and ready for what God is giving to us in this new year. I am expectant of and with life.

The kingdom of God is not a natural kingdom. It’s a supernatural kingdom that has the power to transform the kingdoms of our world to become heavenly testimonies of God’s grace and truth. The truth is not merely what is true. The truth is a matter of becoming what the kingdom of heaven declares us to be from within our hearts. The kingdom of heaven is a reality of the New Covenant testimony of God’s love transforming our hearts and minds to become what we could not be before. We become a testimony of the One who dwells within us in increasing measures. From glory to glory He changes us.

2 Corinthians 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Spirit of the Lord within our hearts transforms our lives from within. The treasure within us is Christ, and Christ in us is our hope of glory. That hope is in our lives today and into all the days of eternity. We are a dwelling place of God by His Spirit, and we have the celebration of God’s life within us.

What were meant to be feasts in the Old Covenant become celebrations of life within our hearts in the New Covenant. Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles were but a shadow of an internal knowing of God’s presence in our lives.

Our righteousness is found in our relationship with God—spirit to Spirit. He abides in us and we abide in Him in Christ. Righteousness is not about being right. It’s about a right relationship with God who loves us and gives us life. Jesus’ death reconciled us to our Heavenly Father and our relationship with God in Christ transforms our hearts and minds from within. We are not justified by doing right things. We are loved by God and that is what justifies us to live. The once for all shed blood of Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. Our sins have been forgiven, and we know the Father’s love. Being loved by God in our hearts empowers us to know His righteousness. We must seek righteousness in the Holy Spirit to grow in the testimony of God’s love. Knowing God’s presence in our lives produces the fruit of life and love to our world. We will do right things—life-giving things. Our righteousness is by faith, and the sign of our righteousness is the circumcision of our hearts (2 Cor. 5:14-17). We are new creations in Christ, and we live by faith in Him with love in our hearts. He gives us life!

We have peace in the Holy Spirit. There is no separation between us and God. All of His promises to us from heaven become the testimony of our lives. We have a feast of internal Pentecost. We are growing in being strong in God’s word and strong in the testimony of His Spirit. We overcome everything that seeks to separate us from being a heavenly testimony in our lives.  Our peace is a gift by the blood of Jesus Christ that puts us in the Father’s house (Eph. 2:13-18). The evidence of our peace with God is seen in the manifestation of His promises in our lives. He gives us breath and we are expressions of Him to our world.

We have joy in the Holy Spirit. Joy is not dependent upon happiness. Joy is deeper and stronger. In the presence of the Lord there is the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). That Joy is connected to purpose, and our true purpose is found when we partner with God and He partners with us in all things. We have an internal celebration of Tabernacles, and our kingdoms become expressions of God’s kingdom within us. He gives us all things for His glory in all things.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Today I am in Bellingham. I have enjoyed being home with family and I am looking forward to a couple more weeks here before I am out again. The sun is shining and I am grateful for life today. I hope you are all well and that you have a blessed week. I am praying for miracles and divine testimonies of God’s love for you all.

The kingdom of God is the kingdom of heaven. It’s an internal kingdom of life that influences the kingdoms of our world by transforming us to become sons and daughters of God. The kingdom of God doesn’t come by observation; it’s within us. Although the kingdom of God doesn’t come by observation, its influence upon our lives can be seen in our kingdoms in this world.

A revelation of Christ in our lives gives us the influence of Christ to our world. Christ in us is the hope of glory and that glory is not just going to heaven when we die. It’s the influence of the kingdom of heaven in our hearts. That influence causes us to be motivated by God’s presence, His promises, and His purpose in all things.

Matthew 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

A revelation of Christ, and from Christ, in our hearts will give us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. We are the body of Christ, the church—the co-reigning partner of Jesus on earth. The realm of the dead, Hades, cannot keep out the influence of the light and life of heaven. What God has determined to be loosed in heaven must be loosed upon the earth to release the blessings that come from the open door of grace. Darkness and death will be subdued as light and life prevails in all things. What God has determined to be bound in heaven must be bound upon the earth to bring God’s dominion in expanding ways in our lives. The goodness of God’s truth will crumble the lies that oppose God’s purpose in the earth.

What is loosed within us can be loosed by us to our world. What is bound within us can be bound in our world. What happens within us is the key to what can happen through us to our world. The kingdom of God within us is the secret to releasing the power of Christ’s influence to our world.

What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is within us, and it’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God is an internal influence of God’s life.

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The kingdom of God within us gives us our identity, testimony, and purpose. Our righteousness is found in Christ through a personal relationship with Jesus as our Savior in all things. His righteousness is a testimony of His presence in our hearts. His presence gives us our true identity. Our peace is an internal connection to God, whereby the promises of God are a daily reality that reveal the testimony of God’s Spirit and Word working within us. Our lives become expressions of the promises of God, empowering us to overcome anything that seeks to separate us from God and the power of His love.  Our joy is a testimony of an internal partnership with God for the will of His kingdom in all things.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings.

Today I am heading home after a great weekend in Deming, New Mexico with CityLife Church. It has been a busy season with Portugal, Angola, and now New Mexico. I’m looking forward to a little time at home.

We are in a new year and there is a new season at hand. There is a new season within our reach. What are we seeking in 2026? What are we asking? Those who ask receive, and those who seek, find. Our focus must be upon the kingdom of God and not the kingdoms of men. Our responsibility is in the realm of the kingdoms of men, but our source for all things is the kingdom of God.

Psalms 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.

The heaven and the heavens belong to the Lord, but our earthly world has been given to the kingdoms of men. When we look at the kingdoms of men, we can quickly discern that they don’t look like heaven. They don’t look like heaven because they are not. They are the kingdoms of men. God’s kingdom is heaven and even the heavens and He has always desired to bring the influence of His kingdom to the kingdoms of men.

He wants us to abide in Him and for Him to abide in us. When we know Him, we live. When the kingdom of heaven fills the hearts of the kingdoms of men, it influences the earth. This is the testimony of sons and daughters of God in Christ.

Psalms 115:17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!

Without God, we are the dead, but Christ in us is the hope of glory. We are no longer the dead, but those who live as God’s praise in all things. Eternal life is to know God the Father and Jesus the Son. This is made possible by the abiding presence of Holy Spirit in our hearts.

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”

God loved humanity so much that He became one of us and moved into our neighborhood as a man. God the Father, God the Eternal Expression, the Word, and God the Holy Spirit determined that the fullness of the times had come, and the Eternal Word became flesh and came to our world. He was born of the Spirit but formed in a human womb to be the Son of Man, Son of God, that would reconcile our world to our Father in heaven.

His death ended our old life, and His resurrection from the dead was our gift of a new life in Him. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, exercising the authority of life for all who receive Him. Holy Spirit has come as the life-giving Spirit of Jesus in us. He is the anointing of Christ upon us. Jesus is our rescue from the strongholds of a world separated from our heavenly Father. The kingdom of God is an internal kingdom of life. When the kingdom of God is within us, our kingdom increasingly becomes a testimony of our Lord and Christ (Acts 2.36).

Luke 17:20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

We find the kingdom of God within us. When the kingdom of God is within us, it empowers us to be expressions of His kingdom through the kingdoms of our lives in this world. Our lives, marriages, families, jobs, businesses, ministries, and everything about us becomes empowered from within to be expressions of the ways of God to our world.

Heaven is in our hearts, and heaven and even the heavens belong to God. We must seek the kingdom within us to be expressions of His kingdom through the kingdoms of our world. Like the stars of heaven, we have been sent to rule in the night.

Blessings,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728