Luke 17:12-19
"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
"Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late- and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work." -A.W. Tozer
It has been said that he who believes obeys, and he who obeys believes. Perhaps as startling as it may seem, prayer without obedience is powerless. We have been programmed to believe that prayer is the only answer we need, while I agree prayer is vital to the success of an individual or a collective unit of people. But if we don't start training ourselves to be obedient to the word of God, then those prayers will be pointless.
Our text reveals to us an encounter between ten lepers and Jesus; in this scene the Bible depicts these men as being afar off. Due to their condition a gap was formed between them and God. I understand at times it seems as if God is too far away to do anything in your life. I know it seems as if sometimes your mistakes and failures have left you so wounded and battered that God can't reach you from where you are. But some body needs to be encouraged as you read this, because the Bible says that even though they were afar off, even though there was a gap in between them and even though their scars and their wounds were evident still, Jesus looked on them. Someone needs to be reaffirmed that God still knows where you are. It doesn't matter how bad it may look, it doesn't matter how far you may be, it doesn't matter how wounded, battered or beaten you might be; Jesus still knows where to look to find you!
And the Bible says that when he saw them, he gave them this command; Go show yourselves unto the priests. Now this is where I personally would've had problem. Show myself to the priests? Really? That's the best you got? You brought Israel out of Egypt; You parted the Red Sea; You provided manna and Quail; You brought water out of a rock! And all you have for me right now is to go show myself to the priests? In case you didn't realize, by going and showing myself to the priests is how I got to where I'm at in the first place. He's the one that labeled me unclean, and excommunicated me from my family! Now you want me to go back to him? There is no way this made sense to any of them, nevertheless the Bible says they went...
I wonder what our response would be today if Jesus asked us to take that kind of leap of faith. What if Jesus called you to do something that didn't add up, that just doesn't make sense! What if Jesus decided the best avenue for you to take right now, is to go to a place where you've already been labeled and judged. Would your faith really allow you to go? Or would you allow you're mentality to keep you bound?
Notice the power of this text, Jesus never healed them! Jesus never said he would either! All Jesus told them was to go to the priests!!
In our fast aced, drive thru world; we've become so impatient! We pray and if there are no fireworks then there must be no power. So we leave the church discouraged, frustrated and defeated. But I wonder how many people miss out on miracles and blessings because they failed to acknowledge the power of obedience? Sometimes Jesus may not heal you, sometimes Jesus may not deliver you, but there is always an opportunity to go to the priests! Don't allow your wounds and your pain to keep you from the temple! The priests may just have a word that can change your life!
So these ten lepers decide to obey the words of Jesus, and they start walking. I don't know if they walked 12 steps or 12 miles, either way the Bible says as they went, they were cleansed! As they obeyed! As they stayed faithful, as they kept worshiping, as they kept dancing they received their miracle! Somebody needs to hear these words YOUR MIRACLE IS ON THE ROAD OF YOUR OBEDIENCE!!! When it doesn't make sense, stay faithful, when it seems like you've lost, keep shouting, when it seems like God doesn't even know where your at, trust in his words!!
What a beautiful example of the mercy of God. But this blog is not so much about the miracle, the power or the obedience. The lesson I learned from this leper is found in verse 15-16. "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back...and fell down on his face at his feet...and he was a Samaritan" 9 Jewish boys kept on walking, 9 church boys decided what they received on that road was good enough. They figured that since the leprosy was dried up, that they were done. This is the danger of our world; we come to God with our hands out, and we leave with a small blessing and assume that's all God wants to give us! But 1 man, a Samaritan, decided to turn back and give God thanks! Not only did that 1 leper not become satisifed with one touch, he came back looking for more! He sought after God with more zeal after his cleansing than he did when leprosy was eating up his body!
I can understand that, I too have felt the devastation of leprosy (sin) as it ate away at everything in my life. And I can still remember the day at 16 years of age when God touched me and cleansed me of my leprosy!! What a glorious day!! But I never allowed that one altar call to satisfy me! That one experience has driven me for over 10 years now!! I'm not satisfied, I want more of Jesus than I've ever had in my life! Am I still a leper? No! But I still need Him!
And as that leper came back, Jesus looked down at him and told him; go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole!!! Those 9 church boys who were satisfied with what they got, will always carry the scars of their past. Every time they see their reflection they will be reminded of what they went through. And their futures still rested in the judgment of a priest! But this man, Jesus told him, your not just cleansed any longer, now ou are made completely whole! I've taken your future out of man's hands, and I'm declaring it from the throne room, your past is erased, your scars are removed, the damage of your leprosy is restored like new!! your not just forgiven, your a brand new creature!!!!
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The Journey
Numbers 21:4
"And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way."
"Life is just a journey" -Princess Diana
Perhaps truer words have never been spoken. When we consider the ups and downs of life, we can admittedly concur that life is simply a journey. Just when we think we have figured it all, and feel like we have a firm grasp on it, without warning the rug is yanked out from beneath us and we're faced with the recognition that life really is a journey. Oh don't get me wrong, this journey possesses many great moments. Life is full of celebrations, milestones and accomplishments; the day I got married and the birth of my children rank at the top of life's greatest thrills. I can't forget the feeling of buying my first home or purchasing my first car. This journey is rewarding at times as well; I've experienced a lot on this journey. My upbringing although at times very troubling was one of my greatest blessings, not curses. It revealed to me more about the nature of God than anything I've ever experienced. Nothing can replace the knowledge, understanding and wisdom that can be attained along this journey of life.
With all of that being said, life can at times become very overwhelming. Although life is filled with exuberant mountain top experiences, it's the valleys on this journey that threaten to destroy you. It's the valley's that cause even the strongest people to become weak, and the bravest souls to fear. It's in these valleys of torment where you question your calling, your purpose and your value. It's here in the loneliness of the valley where your mind will be tested and your nights become sleepless. Regardless of how high your mountain tops appear to be, I warn you friend this journey will take you to these valleys. These valleys strike without warning, one day everything is going great, the next you walk outside to see police officers outside your house and your world begins to unravel. It's when your minding your own business and your cell phone rings; it's one car wreck, one lie, one stab in the back or one bad decision that can altar your entire life! And suddenly as you look around your surrounded by the darkness of that valley and the voices of hell are calling out to you. It's no wonder the Psalmist David said these words...
"Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." Psalm 23:4
It can be debilitating walking in this valley, as your compassed by a shadow it feels as if death is the only sure possibility. How do I escape this? In this place it feels as if your prayers can't reach the ceiling, as if everyone around you is blessed and your the only one struggling. It's here where the thoughts of giving up and throwing in the towel parade around your mind.
When Joel prophesied about the last days he makes this observation. Joel 3:14 "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision..."
Millions of people tragically searching for hope from within the shadows of death. And this valley can simply be labeled the valley of decision. From the midst of this tormented place a decision will be made. To walk closer to God, or to finally succumb to the voice of defeat.
But David recognized, even while surrounded by the teeth of hell, I have nothing here to fear. He states even though I'm walking through this valley, I will fear no evil. How can he say this? How in the world could a man be surrounded by such pain and despair, and honestly say such a thing? It was because David had this revelation... thou art with me!!
Maybe that's why the Psalmist gives this address in Psalm 139:7-10, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."
What peace!! To know that even in my lowest valley, God is with me! And not only is he with me, but he is leading me through this valley, and he holds me in his right hand!
Psalm 16:11, "Thou wilt show me the path of life (reveal the journey): in thy presence is the fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
It doesn't matter what element of the journey you find yourself in, stay connected to the master! He will show you the way through the tough times, he will lead you with his divine hand, and he will hold you together with his right hand! And in his right hand friend are pleasures forevermore!! I can be in the darkest valley and still sing and shout, because I'm in the hand of God! And I will never fear what evil may be present, for I know my God is right beside me! Be encouraged in your valley today! God may not bring you out, but he will LEAD you through! And while I'm here, I'm not going to feel sorry for myself, but I will enjoy the beautiful blessings of God!
Psalm 23:5, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..."
Be blessed!
"And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way."
"Life is just a journey" -Princess Diana
Perhaps truer words have never been spoken. When we consider the ups and downs of life, we can admittedly concur that life is simply a journey. Just when we think we have figured it all, and feel like we have a firm grasp on it, without warning the rug is yanked out from beneath us and we're faced with the recognition that life really is a journey. Oh don't get me wrong, this journey possesses many great moments. Life is full of celebrations, milestones and accomplishments; the day I got married and the birth of my children rank at the top of life's greatest thrills. I can't forget the feeling of buying my first home or purchasing my first car. This journey is rewarding at times as well; I've experienced a lot on this journey. My upbringing although at times very troubling was one of my greatest blessings, not curses. It revealed to me more about the nature of God than anything I've ever experienced. Nothing can replace the knowledge, understanding and wisdom that can be attained along this journey of life.
With all of that being said, life can at times become very overwhelming. Although life is filled with exuberant mountain top experiences, it's the valleys on this journey that threaten to destroy you. It's the valley's that cause even the strongest people to become weak, and the bravest souls to fear. It's in these valleys of torment where you question your calling, your purpose and your value. It's here in the loneliness of the valley where your mind will be tested and your nights become sleepless. Regardless of how high your mountain tops appear to be, I warn you friend this journey will take you to these valleys. These valleys strike without warning, one day everything is going great, the next you walk outside to see police officers outside your house and your world begins to unravel. It's when your minding your own business and your cell phone rings; it's one car wreck, one lie, one stab in the back or one bad decision that can altar your entire life! And suddenly as you look around your surrounded by the darkness of that valley and the voices of hell are calling out to you. It's no wonder the Psalmist David said these words...
"Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." Psalm 23:4
It can be debilitating walking in this valley, as your compassed by a shadow it feels as if death is the only sure possibility. How do I escape this? In this place it feels as if your prayers can't reach the ceiling, as if everyone around you is blessed and your the only one struggling. It's here where the thoughts of giving up and throwing in the towel parade around your mind.
When Joel prophesied about the last days he makes this observation. Joel 3:14 "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision..."
Millions of people tragically searching for hope from within the shadows of death. And this valley can simply be labeled the valley of decision. From the midst of this tormented place a decision will be made. To walk closer to God, or to finally succumb to the voice of defeat.
But David recognized, even while surrounded by the teeth of hell, I have nothing here to fear. He states even though I'm walking through this valley, I will fear no evil. How can he say this? How in the world could a man be surrounded by such pain and despair, and honestly say such a thing? It was because David had this revelation... thou art with me!!
Maybe that's why the Psalmist gives this address in Psalm 139:7-10, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."
What peace!! To know that even in my lowest valley, God is with me! And not only is he with me, but he is leading me through this valley, and he holds me in his right hand!
Psalm 16:11, "Thou wilt show me the path of life (reveal the journey): in thy presence is the fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
It doesn't matter what element of the journey you find yourself in, stay connected to the master! He will show you the way through the tough times, he will lead you with his divine hand, and he will hold you together with his right hand! And in his right hand friend are pleasures forevermore!! I can be in the darkest valley and still sing and shout, because I'm in the hand of God! And I will never fear what evil may be present, for I know my God is right beside me! Be encouraged in your valley today! God may not bring you out, but he will LEAD you through! And while I'm here, I'm not going to feel sorry for myself, but I will enjoy the beautiful blessings of God!
Psalm 23:5, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..."
Be blessed!
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Temptation To Be Silent
Luke 4:32-33
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried with a loud voice,"
It's 2013, and the word of God is still powerful! We can debate theology, hermeneutics, homiletics or doctrine all day; but the reality is unless it is drawn straight from the word it is powerless. It's not the religion, the preacher or the doctrine that is powerful; it's the word of God! Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, "Where the word of a King is, there is power..."! All it takes is one word from the mouth of the King, and creation will begin to flow! Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away." The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:89, "Your word, Lord, is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens". This word is so powerful that the Psalmist went as far as to say this in Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." The word will not only deliver you, heal you, sanctify you and bless you, but the word will also keep you from offense and fill your life with peace!!
But as powerful as the word is, it is powerless in your life unless it is received. This brings us to the essence of this passage, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue; and suddenly it began to happen, revelation began to flow. The minds and hearts of God's people began to grasp the reality that the words of Jesus were beyond human, and that this man just might be the messiah! And the Bible says that they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power! It is a beautiful thing when revelation is opened in the hearts of people. But this text isn't really about the necessity of revelation, or about the power of his word as much as it is about the response of Hell to revelation. As the people began to believe in His word, suddenly verse 33 tells us a man possessed with a devil began to cry with a loud voice. Anytime revelation is released hell will begin to scream at you with a loud voice. His mission is to drown out the word of God with the voice of evil! Any time you get an understanding of how powerful the word of God can be, hell will unleash a distraction that doesn't whisper in your ear, but rather screams at you from the top of it's lungs.
As I look at our world today, it is evident that the church is in revival! At FIrst Church Tyler we are currently enjoying revival as well; however, as the church thrives in revival, hell's voice is loud and clear. And when hell begins to scream it is intended to overwhelm you! 1 school shooting doesn't cut it, try 19 in the last calendar year; killing 47 innocent people, 20 of which were children age 6-7, while injuring over 25 more! In Kaufman County the Arian Brotherhood, a white supremacy organization, has launched a revenge attack against the Kaufman County District Attorney's office; having already successfully assassinated the Assistant District Attorney in January, and murdering the District Attorney and his wife in there home the Saturday before Easter. Everywhere we look it appears evil has prevailed! Gay rights and Gay marriages are on the verge of legalization, and nobody is attempting to speak up or speak out about the radically advancing agenda of evil! The voice of the spirit of hell is screaming from the mountain tops, while the voice of truth seems to be quiet, dormant and intimidated! With the onslaught of evil, there is a temptation to be silent! We worry of coming across as extremists, we ponder the effects it will have on our attendance and our perception. So we remain quiet on issues of morality, doctrine and truth. And if this trend continues, hell will prevail...
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmond Burke
There is only one way hell will be successful in their attempt to drown out the voice of truth and revelation, and that's if the church goes silent! Silence is never the answer..
In Judges 13:2 the Bible gives us an introduction into the soon to be parents of Samson. Only at this point in scripture the Bible says that Manoah and his wife were barren. One day as I was studying God spoke a revelation to me. I found out that the name Manoah literally means quiet; and The Lord whispered to my spirit these words..."Quietness produces barrenness"! Israel needed somebody with a voice, and the man with virtue was quiet! If your voice is stopped you will become barren and unproductive!
In Esther chapter 4 we see the dialogue between Esther and her uncle Mordecai regarding her purpose in the palace. Esther is struggling with her mission, she's afraid of the King's law, and she began to think that since she was in the palace that she would be ok. In Esther 4:14 in the NIV Mordecai says, "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will for the Jews will arise from another place (God will keep his church), but you and your father's family will perish..." In other words he was telling Esther that if she remains silent in this critical hour of the church, that she will be lost! Again I say, silence is not the answer!
I love how Jesus responds to this spirit, as he shows us what our response should be as well. He looks that man in the face and says in Luke 4:35, "...hold thy peace, and come out of him..." Basically Jesus was saying, "Devil, shut your mouth and leave them alone"!! The only way to counteract the voice of evil, is to respond with a voice of truth! It's not time to be quiet, it's time the church arose from the doldrums of normality with a voice in this generation!!
In Revelations 5:2 John saw a strong angel proclaim with a loud voice! This tells me that the strength of the church is determined by the volume of it's voice! If we are to be a strong church in these last days, we need a loud voice in this generation! And in Revelations 20:3 John sees an angel with the key and chain! Here we find 2 critical elements to success; the key to success is a church with a voice! The result of the voice is the chain of truth! And the vision tells us that that angel equipped with the key and the chain, bound the devil with truth!! And SHUT HIM UP with his voice!!
When the church arises with a loud voice of it's own, we are given the key to operate like Jesus did in Luke 4, to yell back at those voices from hell... Devil shut your mouth, and leave us alone! We're not a weak church, we're not an intimidated church; we are a strong church, with a loud voice!!
John the Baptist broke the silence of 400 years with a voice!! He was prophesied as the voice of him crying in the wilderness!! The only way to break through the silence of our generation and allow the revelation of God to flow is to awake from our complacency with a voice like never before!!
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried with a loud voice,"
It's 2013, and the word of God is still powerful! We can debate theology, hermeneutics, homiletics or doctrine all day; but the reality is unless it is drawn straight from the word it is powerless. It's not the religion, the preacher or the doctrine that is powerful; it's the word of God! Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, "Where the word of a King is, there is power..."! All it takes is one word from the mouth of the King, and creation will begin to flow! Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away." The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:89, "Your word, Lord, is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens". This word is so powerful that the Psalmist went as far as to say this in Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." The word will not only deliver you, heal you, sanctify you and bless you, but the word will also keep you from offense and fill your life with peace!!
But as powerful as the word is, it is powerless in your life unless it is received. This brings us to the essence of this passage, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue; and suddenly it began to happen, revelation began to flow. The minds and hearts of God's people began to grasp the reality that the words of Jesus were beyond human, and that this man just might be the messiah! And the Bible says that they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power! It is a beautiful thing when revelation is opened in the hearts of people. But this text isn't really about the necessity of revelation, or about the power of his word as much as it is about the response of Hell to revelation. As the people began to believe in His word, suddenly verse 33 tells us a man possessed with a devil began to cry with a loud voice. Anytime revelation is released hell will begin to scream at you with a loud voice. His mission is to drown out the word of God with the voice of evil! Any time you get an understanding of how powerful the word of God can be, hell will unleash a distraction that doesn't whisper in your ear, but rather screams at you from the top of it's lungs.
As I look at our world today, it is evident that the church is in revival! At FIrst Church Tyler we are currently enjoying revival as well; however, as the church thrives in revival, hell's voice is loud and clear. And when hell begins to scream it is intended to overwhelm you! 1 school shooting doesn't cut it, try 19 in the last calendar year; killing 47 innocent people, 20 of which were children age 6-7, while injuring over 25 more! In Kaufman County the Arian Brotherhood, a white supremacy organization, has launched a revenge attack against the Kaufman County District Attorney's office; having already successfully assassinated the Assistant District Attorney in January, and murdering the District Attorney and his wife in there home the Saturday before Easter. Everywhere we look it appears evil has prevailed! Gay rights and Gay marriages are on the verge of legalization, and nobody is attempting to speak up or speak out about the radically advancing agenda of evil! The voice of the spirit of hell is screaming from the mountain tops, while the voice of truth seems to be quiet, dormant and intimidated! With the onslaught of evil, there is a temptation to be silent! We worry of coming across as extremists, we ponder the effects it will have on our attendance and our perception. So we remain quiet on issues of morality, doctrine and truth. And if this trend continues, hell will prevail...
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmond Burke
There is only one way hell will be successful in their attempt to drown out the voice of truth and revelation, and that's if the church goes silent! Silence is never the answer..
In Judges 13:2 the Bible gives us an introduction into the soon to be parents of Samson. Only at this point in scripture the Bible says that Manoah and his wife were barren. One day as I was studying God spoke a revelation to me. I found out that the name Manoah literally means quiet; and The Lord whispered to my spirit these words..."Quietness produces barrenness"! Israel needed somebody with a voice, and the man with virtue was quiet! If your voice is stopped you will become barren and unproductive!
In Esther chapter 4 we see the dialogue between Esther and her uncle Mordecai regarding her purpose in the palace. Esther is struggling with her mission, she's afraid of the King's law, and she began to think that since she was in the palace that she would be ok. In Esther 4:14 in the NIV Mordecai says, "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will for the Jews will arise from another place (God will keep his church), but you and your father's family will perish..." In other words he was telling Esther that if she remains silent in this critical hour of the church, that she will be lost! Again I say, silence is not the answer!
I love how Jesus responds to this spirit, as he shows us what our response should be as well. He looks that man in the face and says in Luke 4:35, "...hold thy peace, and come out of him..." Basically Jesus was saying, "Devil, shut your mouth and leave them alone"!! The only way to counteract the voice of evil, is to respond with a voice of truth! It's not time to be quiet, it's time the church arose from the doldrums of normality with a voice in this generation!!
In Revelations 5:2 John saw a strong angel proclaim with a loud voice! This tells me that the strength of the church is determined by the volume of it's voice! If we are to be a strong church in these last days, we need a loud voice in this generation! And in Revelations 20:3 John sees an angel with the key and chain! Here we find 2 critical elements to success; the key to success is a church with a voice! The result of the voice is the chain of truth! And the vision tells us that that angel equipped with the key and the chain, bound the devil with truth!! And SHUT HIM UP with his voice!!
When the church arises with a loud voice of it's own, we are given the key to operate like Jesus did in Luke 4, to yell back at those voices from hell... Devil shut your mouth, and leave us alone! We're not a weak church, we're not an intimidated church; we are a strong church, with a loud voice!!
John the Baptist broke the silence of 400 years with a voice!! He was prophesied as the voice of him crying in the wilderness!! The only way to break through the silence of our generation and allow the revelation of God to flow is to awake from our complacency with a voice like never before!!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
The Second Dimension of Favor
Exodus 4:1-8
Moses pleads with God, explaining to Him that the children of Israel will not believe that God had actually called him. So God asks Moses a question. What is in your hand? The hand symbolizes his ministry, what was in his hand symbolizes his gifts. Lord all I have is this rod; and God told him to throw the rod down. And when Moses submitted his gifts to the word of The Lord the rod became a serpent. God was telling Moses through your gifts the people will know I have called you. But then The Lord goes a step further, he tells Moses to stick his hand into his robe, and when he does his hands turns white, when he does it again his hand is restored. And God tells him if they refuse to believe the first sign, they'll believe this one.
When I examine the Apostolic Pentecostal movement, I recognize the gifting that God has placed on it. The gifts of the spirit are actually promised of God. It doesn't take long for somebody to begin to manifest those gifts in a Holy Ghost atmosphere. Usually once the flow of the spirit takes off, those who possess these gifts will begin to walk in those gifts. It's not unusual, and it's not reserved for ministry. I've witnessed countless saints of God who were used tremendously used in the gifts of the spirit. Most of us at least acknowledge this fact. However, this passage spoke life to me this morning...
As most people, we struggle at times through life. Not marriage difficulties, my wife is my best friend; not church difficulties, I'm blessed to be a part of a great church with great people; and it's not difficulties with my kids, they bring nothing but joy to our life. What I'm talking about is the trying times that appear so small and insignificant in the beginning, but after the process of time it begins to increasingly take its toll on you. Long hours at work, increased hours on church stuff, trying to spend quality time with family and the constant expectation to be everywhere all the time! I know all of us face these dilemmas at one time or another, it's a fact of life. And after those grueling hours have been spent, you wonder at times, do I have anything left? I write this at 5:30 on Sunday morning, as I sit outside Brookshires in Athens. Not by choice but by work obligation. I had the privilege of working this Sunday, only when I am scheduled to work on Sunday I refuse to miss church; because that's my life! So my alarm sounds at 2:30 a.m. to attempt to wake my zombified corpse from its slumber, so i can finish this route before church! Aside from the physical toll this kind of schedule puts on me, the agony of working so hard for so little money, and the frustration of just trying to catch up. I know God is faithful, I know God has even promised me that everything will be ok, but the enemy keeps bombarding my mind with that constant fear of what if its not? This is how Satan works, he comes at you with scripture and with testimonies of others and uses that to question your calling and your relationship with God. Well Josh, if you are so called of God, why hasn't he blessed you like so and so? If you were really anointed, why are you struggling so bad? To the one struggling, these seem like very rational questions! But as I sit here in this empty parking lot waiting for this store to open, I'm surrounded by the sounds of birds chirping in the coolness of morning. And although the sun has yet to arise, activity in this small town has begun. In this parking lot however, it's just me and God! Oh how I love to sit in his presence, and feel the overwhelming sensation of rest and joy! There is no place this morning I'd rather be than right here in this car, in the glory of my God!
Here is where The Lord encouraged me; I recognize the gifts that I have, although there but a few. I know when I stand behind the pulpit, or work the altars of our church that something will begin to work through me, thats the gifts. But that is so generic! I posted earlier about the Mantle of Favor, last night about Standard of Anointing. So why would a generic sign be enough to convince anybody that I'm called to be where I am? Then God revealed to me the second dimension of favor! You see many men and woman operate in the first dimension of favor, and they become content and satisfied operating with gifts! And it's not a bad thing, after all it's a blessing to have gifts submitted to God. But what God revealed to me is something very powerful! You see Moses was a lot like most of us, insecure, intimidated, and his own worst critic. And God wanted to show us a principle through the life of Moses. So he took Moses to the second dimension!
The first dimension of favor deals with you submitting your gifts (what's in your hand) to God. This can deal with talents, money, resources or abilities. When you say God this isn't my talent it's yours, this isn't my money it's yours, it isn't my ability it's yours! God will take that talent and use it for his glory. But there is another dimension of favor. This is what set Moses apart from every other leader in history! God anointed his gift (rod) but then God anointed his hand (ministry)! I know what your thinking, of course his ministry was anointed!! Hold on let me explain before you exit out of this blog. The individual ministry is not the focus of the anointing, the gift is; why? Because the anointing is designed by nature to bless the people not the minister. Gifts are designed to reach the people, the ministry only affects the minister. This is how this works, so where you used to be anointed when you stepping into a ministry role and began to operate in the gifts, now God said I will transfer you to a higher dimension of favor, and your ministry will now be anointed! In other words you will be anointed before you ever even get to church! You'll be anointed in the grocery store, in your home, at work or walking down the street! In the second dimension of favor, God allows the miracles to transfer from the rod to the hand! Now anything you touch, and anywhere you go is anointed!!!
God revealed to me this morning that he is drawing his people to this next dimension of favor! And he said your used to seeing miracles happen to others as a result of your ministry, your used to blessing others with your ministry, but once you get into the next dimension , your miso try will begin to produce miracles in your own life! Your ministry will begin to produce blessings in your own life! Because in the second dimension the miracle always extends from the rod to the hand!!!
Be encouraged friend, your blessing is awaiting you on the other side!
Moses pleads with God, explaining to Him that the children of Israel will not believe that God had actually called him. So God asks Moses a question. What is in your hand? The hand symbolizes his ministry, what was in his hand symbolizes his gifts. Lord all I have is this rod; and God told him to throw the rod down. And when Moses submitted his gifts to the word of The Lord the rod became a serpent. God was telling Moses through your gifts the people will know I have called you. But then The Lord goes a step further, he tells Moses to stick his hand into his robe, and when he does his hands turns white, when he does it again his hand is restored. And God tells him if they refuse to believe the first sign, they'll believe this one.
When I examine the Apostolic Pentecostal movement, I recognize the gifting that God has placed on it. The gifts of the spirit are actually promised of God. It doesn't take long for somebody to begin to manifest those gifts in a Holy Ghost atmosphere. Usually once the flow of the spirit takes off, those who possess these gifts will begin to walk in those gifts. It's not unusual, and it's not reserved for ministry. I've witnessed countless saints of God who were used tremendously used in the gifts of the spirit. Most of us at least acknowledge this fact. However, this passage spoke life to me this morning...
As most people, we struggle at times through life. Not marriage difficulties, my wife is my best friend; not church difficulties, I'm blessed to be a part of a great church with great people; and it's not difficulties with my kids, they bring nothing but joy to our life. What I'm talking about is the trying times that appear so small and insignificant in the beginning, but after the process of time it begins to increasingly take its toll on you. Long hours at work, increased hours on church stuff, trying to spend quality time with family and the constant expectation to be everywhere all the time! I know all of us face these dilemmas at one time or another, it's a fact of life. And after those grueling hours have been spent, you wonder at times, do I have anything left? I write this at 5:30 on Sunday morning, as I sit outside Brookshires in Athens. Not by choice but by work obligation. I had the privilege of working this Sunday, only when I am scheduled to work on Sunday I refuse to miss church; because that's my life! So my alarm sounds at 2:30 a.m. to attempt to wake my zombified corpse from its slumber, so i can finish this route before church! Aside from the physical toll this kind of schedule puts on me, the agony of working so hard for so little money, and the frustration of just trying to catch up. I know God is faithful, I know God has even promised me that everything will be ok, but the enemy keeps bombarding my mind with that constant fear of what if its not? This is how Satan works, he comes at you with scripture and with testimonies of others and uses that to question your calling and your relationship with God. Well Josh, if you are so called of God, why hasn't he blessed you like so and so? If you were really anointed, why are you struggling so bad? To the one struggling, these seem like very rational questions! But as I sit here in this empty parking lot waiting for this store to open, I'm surrounded by the sounds of birds chirping in the coolness of morning. And although the sun has yet to arise, activity in this small town has begun. In this parking lot however, it's just me and God! Oh how I love to sit in his presence, and feel the overwhelming sensation of rest and joy! There is no place this morning I'd rather be than right here in this car, in the glory of my God!
Here is where The Lord encouraged me; I recognize the gifts that I have, although there but a few. I know when I stand behind the pulpit, or work the altars of our church that something will begin to work through me, thats the gifts. But that is so generic! I posted earlier about the Mantle of Favor, last night about Standard of Anointing. So why would a generic sign be enough to convince anybody that I'm called to be where I am? Then God revealed to me the second dimension of favor! You see many men and woman operate in the first dimension of favor, and they become content and satisfied operating with gifts! And it's not a bad thing, after all it's a blessing to have gifts submitted to God. But what God revealed to me is something very powerful! You see Moses was a lot like most of us, insecure, intimidated, and his own worst critic. And God wanted to show us a principle through the life of Moses. So he took Moses to the second dimension!
The first dimension of favor deals with you submitting your gifts (what's in your hand) to God. This can deal with talents, money, resources or abilities. When you say God this isn't my talent it's yours, this isn't my money it's yours, it isn't my ability it's yours! God will take that talent and use it for his glory. But there is another dimension of favor. This is what set Moses apart from every other leader in history! God anointed his gift (rod) but then God anointed his hand (ministry)! I know what your thinking, of course his ministry was anointed!! Hold on let me explain before you exit out of this blog. The individual ministry is not the focus of the anointing, the gift is; why? Because the anointing is designed by nature to bless the people not the minister. Gifts are designed to reach the people, the ministry only affects the minister. This is how this works, so where you used to be anointed when you stepping into a ministry role and began to operate in the gifts, now God said I will transfer you to a higher dimension of favor, and your ministry will now be anointed! In other words you will be anointed before you ever even get to church! You'll be anointed in the grocery store, in your home, at work or walking down the street! In the second dimension of favor, God allows the miracles to transfer from the rod to the hand! Now anything you touch, and anywhere you go is anointed!!!
God revealed to me this morning that he is drawing his people to this next dimension of favor! And he said your used to seeing miracles happen to others as a result of your ministry, your used to blessing others with your ministry, but once you get into the next dimension , your miso try will begin to produce miracles in your own life! Your ministry will begin to produce blessings in your own life! Because in the second dimension the miracle always extends from the rod to the hand!!!
Be encouraged friend, your blessing is awaiting you on the other side!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The Standard of Anointing
Isaiah 59:19
"...when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of The Lord shall lift up a standard aginst him..."
It was Friday night of HYC, the Louisiana State Youth Choir was singing, my mind was fixated on the 4,000+ young people who were passionately involved in worship when this scripture ran across my mind. My first reaction was less than spiritual to say the least, I simply filed that thought under randomness and continued in the service. But no mater how intently I tried to engage myself in the service my mind was suddenly arrested with these words.. when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of The Lord shall lift up a standard against him... It echoed like a PA system, as random as it seemed I knew now that this was not a random passing thought, I knew that God was trying to tell me something. So I paused for a second to hear these words.... I have released an elevated standard of anointing...
When we examine the layout and the conditions of the world in which we live, it is unquestionable; the enemy has come like a flood. I love how detailed the Bible is, when we imagine the effects of a flood, we can sense the dread and the destruction it leaves in its wake. Floods are destructive by nature, and they strike sometimes without warning. This is how hell operates, without warning it unleashes trajedy after trajedy until you feel completely overwhelmed beneath the surge and rising tide of evil. Notice the words of the prophet, WHEN the enemy...not IF. We have to understand that the objective of your adversary is not to simply cause you to have a bad day, his mission is to destroy you. But I'm glad to know that God didn't stop with that, he continued... the spirit of The Lord SHALL lift up a standard against him! I get the picture in my mind of a powerful dam, designed and structured by God. It's this standard of anointing that will serve as the dam that keeps the flood of evil at bay!
As I went home from that meeting I was still captivated by that passage, but my mind was consumed with preperations for Easter Sunday; and this passage has nothing to do with an Easter message... so I thought. As I began to pray and seek The Lord, suddenly I began to realize what The Lord was trying to show me...
Isaiah 40:29-31
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint."
God has promised to empower the weak and to strengthen those who have no might. Why? Because the prophecy states that even the youth will faint and they'll become weary, and the strongest of young men will fall. Dependance on youthful energy and youthful enthusiasm isn't the avenue of success. It may work for a season, but there will come a time when the words of this prophecy will be revealed. But the scripture tells us that they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength. That word renew literally means to exchange. It means God will remove your strength from you, and replace it with his strength! And with this transformation comes a 3 dimensional promise of anointing! God promised those who experience the transformation of strength would fly, run and walk. That reveals to us the 3 dimensions of anointing; Elevation, Acceleration and Determination.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the first standard that God raises up is the standard of Elevation. God will literally take you to a higher dimension in him. Peter experienced this 6 days after his proclamation of faith; thou art the Christ! Jesus knew, with revelation comes a stronger wave of demonic activity, he knew that at the base of that mountain would be a boy possessed with a demon that they had never experienced before. That's why 9 disciples stood there powerless and clueless about what to do. But in order for the church to be successful against this new wave of radically advancing sin, it required Peter, John and James to travel to the Mt of Transfiguration; because the only counteraction against a surge of demonic activity is to ascend to a higher dimension of revelation and understanding. What I'm trying to instill into the hearts of our people is, if we are to be successful in this hour against the onslaught of evil is to have willingness to journey to a higher altitude of revelation and understanding. We will not be able to withstand the flood of the enemy with the experiences, revelations and understanding of yesterday! We desperately need an elevation of the spirit to take us to a dimension of God we never knew existed!!
Secondly God will raise a standard of acceleration. Once you reach that altitude of revelation and understanding, things will begin to accelerate in your life. When David as a youth, walked into that valley to fight a Giant he was ill prepared physically to fight; he climbed into a higher dimesnion of revelation. He didn't walk into that valley thinking he could kill a giant, he walked in there with an understanding that God could kill a giant. That's what revelation is, it's reconizing who God is! And once David graduated from stage 1 things began to progress rapidly. Saul never allowed David to go back home, and shortly after it is recorded in scripture, the people began to chant; Saul has killed his thousands, and David has killed his ten thousands. Although Saul didn't like the accelerated anointing, there was nothing he could do to stop it. We see men and woman of God advance very quickly, we think they seemingly came out of no where, but in reality God has simply given them an accelerated anointing! What I believe is going to happen to those who are willing to travel to the mnountain of revelation is this, God is about to accelerate your minitries. Your about to start preaching things you're not smart enough to preach! You're about to start teaching Bible studies your not equipt to teach! How? It's the accelerated anointing of God!
Finally, God will raise a standard of determination. In Luke 17:20, Jesus was asked of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answered them and said, the kingdom of God does not come with observation, but the kingdom of God is within you! What he was telling them is this; there was a time when a structure was in place. This structure was for me to respond to your cries and for me to do all the work. However, shortly this structure will be broken, and you will no longer have me here with you to do all your bidding. But I have told you I will not leave you comfortless, and you will be filled with power! In other words, once you've been equipt with revelation and understanding, and once God begins to accelerate your ministry, you will then be expected of God to develop a spirit of determination. What Jesus was trying to get them to understand is, no longer do you have to wait for something to happen, you now have the power to make it happen! Now you've got the power to pray things into existence! We need revival, make it happen! We need a miracle of healing, make it happen! Not out of your power, but from the power that God has given you! My power has been exchanged for His power!!
We need a standard of anointing to flow throughout our churches! Let's elevate to accelerate, and allow our faith to be transformed to determine in our hearts, it will happen!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The Mantle of Favor
Genesis 37:3-4
"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."
"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Regardless of your career choice, interests or desires in life; you will inevitably fall into one of three categories. You will either blend in with the crowd, rise above the crowd or fall short of the crowd. We as humans, have somehow adopted the idea that only certain people can be successful. We assume those who have enjoyed the benefits of success were born with some abnormality of DNA that gives them greater intelligence, a stronger drive, and an uncanny ability to turn everything they touch into gold. We admire men and woman of great success and accredit their success to luck, or simply being born in the right family, or possibly knowing the right people. I will not sit here and pretend that these thoughts have never crossed my mind, we must understand this mindset is a lie! Although being born in the right circumstances has it's advantages, and although getting the right connections are beneficial and although sometimes luck plays a factor; we must never allow ourselves to believe that success is reserved for a select few! You can be anyone you want to be, you can achieve anything you want to achieve; there is no cieling on your potential, if you want it go get it!
Our text reveals to us an insight into the story of Joseph, many times in our zeal to uncover the glorious story of his ascension from the prison room to the throne room, we mistakenly omit this portion of the story. Joseph was the favorite son, the Bible tells us. A few days ago, the Lord began to really open up my mind. I wasn't praying, i wasn't at church; I was simply driving down the road. Yes, God can speak to us, even when we're not in "apostolic" mode. The Bible actually tells us to pray without ceasing, it doesn't mean to stop living in exchange for prayer, rather it simply means to keep in touch. Make sure that you are readily available when I call for you. Anyhow, I found myself in one of those God moments, where it becomes undeniable that the Lord is speaking, not audibly, but speaking nonetheless.
I've found myself at times on a roller coaster, some weeks I feel as though I can accomplish anything I set my sights on; other weeks I feel as useless as a catcher in T-ball! I've always desires a genuine relationship with the Lord, even in some of my most rebellious years, deep inside of my gut was an unquenchable hunger for Him. Friend, never attempt to quiet that hunger with carnality, or relationships. that void was placed there by God Himself, and is to only be occupied by God Himself! But throughout my journey through life and ministry, I have found myself admiring the great men and woman of God. I read their books, I listen to their sermons, I watch them at conference, I hear their testimonies and I witness their success. Each time my soul is stirred for a moment, and I believe for just a second that I too can taste that! All too soon I suddenly find myself back in reality; the outrageous hours spent at work, which average between 55-60 hours a week, the craziness of 2 children age 4 and 2, the demand of our local church; the studying, sermon preparation, the hours spent on website development, with help from my sister, Facebook page maintenance, and whatever else I can find to improve. After the hustle of a full week, I'm just thankful to be where I am. It's in this whirlwind of life that I find myself saying, If only....
Abraham was given a promise, God told him his seed would be numbered like the stars of the sky; and the sands of the earth. Wow! What an incredible word from God! But Abraham only has 1 son, Isaac. And Isaac, the promised son has only 1 son that the Lord accepts. It appears as if the promise may never come to pass, after all, how do you create a great nation and achieve that many offspring with simple replacement mode. Issac replaced Abraham, Jacob replaced Isaac; they had to be thinking when does the multiplication start? But then suddenly it happens, Jacob is blessed with 12 sons. Which become the pillars if Israel, and established the 12 tribes of Israel. These 12 sons were part of a generation that changed the landscape of Israel. They brought into existence a structure never before seen. I believe this generation has the opportunity to achieve that same level of success. I believe that this generation is about to step into an anointing that will completely reshape the structure of the church. We've been accustomed to operating in a reactionary mode. Where we simply react to events as they happen. But I can sense this generation stepping into an anointing that will transform us from reactive people to proactive people. Where we no longer wait for things to happen, but we actually step out in faith and make things happen!
This is where God stepped in and began to talk to me. You see I'm my own worst critic, as most of us are. I recognize someone more talented than me, I recognize those who are better preachers, and better orators. I can see when somebody is smarter and has better leadership qualities. And usually I accept those facts and begin to think less of myself. I have often found myself intimidated and almost fearful because I view my self as less talented, and by assumption less anointed. It's a dangerous trap that will destroy your faith. With that being said, I usually try not to dwell on those areas of life as much, and focus my energy on our local church, my family and so on. As I was driving that day, the Lord actually began to remind me of that very idea. He told me there would always be a better preacher, there will always be a better leader, always be a better speaker and teacher. But he began to show me that Joseph wasn't the most qualified son. Reuben was the first born, he was better qualified according to the law. Judah was a better leader, and lead by example and by love. Joseph wasn't all that! But there something about Joseph that stood out to daddy! And this is where God revolutionized my mentality; he said although there will be many with greater talents and abilities; they may out preach you, out teach you or out smart you, but never allow anyone to out pray you, out fast you, or out love you!
Suddenly it was as if God rolled a curtain back and began to reveal to me the purpose of this encounter. Questions began to flood my mind; will you be satisfied just being a part of the greatest movement on earth? Will you be satisfied being counted among the millions of Pentecostal preachers who have ever preached? Are you content with being on par with every other anointed man of God? Or do you desire that Mantle of Favor that Joseph so proudly wore? Joseph was a part of a generation that brought change and revival; but by Joseph's hand (ministry) all the ends of the earth were blessed! Joesph never settled for ordinary, and his drive positioned him in a place to be successful! What the Lord showed me is that if we hunger for him, and pursue him above the call of duty (extended fasting, unrehearsed prayer etc..) he is willing to place on our ministries a Mantle of Favor! I don't know about you but I don't want to settle for average when a Mantle is available! And once that Mantle hits your shoulders you will be given a vision and a dream that appears unreachable! But do not fret the small things, you've got the favor of God!
"What you want to do, and what you can do, is limited only by what you can dream." -Mike Melville
"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."
"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Regardless of your career choice, interests or desires in life; you will inevitably fall into one of three categories. You will either blend in with the crowd, rise above the crowd or fall short of the crowd. We as humans, have somehow adopted the idea that only certain people can be successful. We assume those who have enjoyed the benefits of success were born with some abnormality of DNA that gives them greater intelligence, a stronger drive, and an uncanny ability to turn everything they touch into gold. We admire men and woman of great success and accredit their success to luck, or simply being born in the right family, or possibly knowing the right people. I will not sit here and pretend that these thoughts have never crossed my mind, we must understand this mindset is a lie! Although being born in the right circumstances has it's advantages, and although getting the right connections are beneficial and although sometimes luck plays a factor; we must never allow ourselves to believe that success is reserved for a select few! You can be anyone you want to be, you can achieve anything you want to achieve; there is no cieling on your potential, if you want it go get it!
Our text reveals to us an insight into the story of Joseph, many times in our zeal to uncover the glorious story of his ascension from the prison room to the throne room, we mistakenly omit this portion of the story. Joseph was the favorite son, the Bible tells us. A few days ago, the Lord began to really open up my mind. I wasn't praying, i wasn't at church; I was simply driving down the road. Yes, God can speak to us, even when we're not in "apostolic" mode. The Bible actually tells us to pray without ceasing, it doesn't mean to stop living in exchange for prayer, rather it simply means to keep in touch. Make sure that you are readily available when I call for you. Anyhow, I found myself in one of those God moments, where it becomes undeniable that the Lord is speaking, not audibly, but speaking nonetheless.
I've found myself at times on a roller coaster, some weeks I feel as though I can accomplish anything I set my sights on; other weeks I feel as useless as a catcher in T-ball! I've always desires a genuine relationship with the Lord, even in some of my most rebellious years, deep inside of my gut was an unquenchable hunger for Him. Friend, never attempt to quiet that hunger with carnality, or relationships. that void was placed there by God Himself, and is to only be occupied by God Himself! But throughout my journey through life and ministry, I have found myself admiring the great men and woman of God. I read their books, I listen to their sermons, I watch them at conference, I hear their testimonies and I witness their success. Each time my soul is stirred for a moment, and I believe for just a second that I too can taste that! All too soon I suddenly find myself back in reality; the outrageous hours spent at work, which average between 55-60 hours a week, the craziness of 2 children age 4 and 2, the demand of our local church; the studying, sermon preparation, the hours spent on website development, with help from my sister, Facebook page maintenance, and whatever else I can find to improve. After the hustle of a full week, I'm just thankful to be where I am. It's in this whirlwind of life that I find myself saying, If only....
Abraham was given a promise, God told him his seed would be numbered like the stars of the sky; and the sands of the earth. Wow! What an incredible word from God! But Abraham only has 1 son, Isaac. And Isaac, the promised son has only 1 son that the Lord accepts. It appears as if the promise may never come to pass, after all, how do you create a great nation and achieve that many offspring with simple replacement mode. Issac replaced Abraham, Jacob replaced Isaac; they had to be thinking when does the multiplication start? But then suddenly it happens, Jacob is blessed with 12 sons. Which become the pillars if Israel, and established the 12 tribes of Israel. These 12 sons were part of a generation that changed the landscape of Israel. They brought into existence a structure never before seen. I believe this generation has the opportunity to achieve that same level of success. I believe that this generation is about to step into an anointing that will completely reshape the structure of the church. We've been accustomed to operating in a reactionary mode. Where we simply react to events as they happen. But I can sense this generation stepping into an anointing that will transform us from reactive people to proactive people. Where we no longer wait for things to happen, but we actually step out in faith and make things happen!
This is where God stepped in and began to talk to me. You see I'm my own worst critic, as most of us are. I recognize someone more talented than me, I recognize those who are better preachers, and better orators. I can see when somebody is smarter and has better leadership qualities. And usually I accept those facts and begin to think less of myself. I have often found myself intimidated and almost fearful because I view my self as less talented, and by assumption less anointed. It's a dangerous trap that will destroy your faith. With that being said, I usually try not to dwell on those areas of life as much, and focus my energy on our local church, my family and so on. As I was driving that day, the Lord actually began to remind me of that very idea. He told me there would always be a better preacher, there will always be a better leader, always be a better speaker and teacher. But he began to show me that Joseph wasn't the most qualified son. Reuben was the first born, he was better qualified according to the law. Judah was a better leader, and lead by example and by love. Joseph wasn't all that! But there something about Joseph that stood out to daddy! And this is where God revolutionized my mentality; he said although there will be many with greater talents and abilities; they may out preach you, out teach you or out smart you, but never allow anyone to out pray you, out fast you, or out love you!
Suddenly it was as if God rolled a curtain back and began to reveal to me the purpose of this encounter. Questions began to flood my mind; will you be satisfied just being a part of the greatest movement on earth? Will you be satisfied being counted among the millions of Pentecostal preachers who have ever preached? Are you content with being on par with every other anointed man of God? Or do you desire that Mantle of Favor that Joseph so proudly wore? Joseph was a part of a generation that brought change and revival; but by Joseph's hand (ministry) all the ends of the earth were blessed! Joesph never settled for ordinary, and his drive positioned him in a place to be successful! What the Lord showed me is that if we hunger for him, and pursue him above the call of duty (extended fasting, unrehearsed prayer etc..) he is willing to place on our ministries a Mantle of Favor! I don't know about you but I don't want to settle for average when a Mantle is available! And once that Mantle hits your shoulders you will be given a vision and a dream that appears unreachable! But do not fret the small things, you've got the favor of God!
"What you want to do, and what you can do, is limited only by what you can dream." -Mike Melville
Friday, March 29, 2013
The Impact of an Experience
Acts 9:3-6
"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, SAul, why persecutest thou me? And he said who art thou, Lord? And The Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what will thou have me to do?..."
Life is defined by moments. Scrapbooks, photo albums, diaries, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and even blogs like this one chronicle these moments. Ususally events, monuments, historical landmarks and even people can bring about the moments that impact you beyond today. I personally have witnessed great things, traveled to great places, and have had the privelege of meeting great people. And it was in these moments, where I as a young man was impacted and my life has been shaped around these moments. But in life there is one defining moment unlike any other; it's the only time in life, I have ever crossed the threshold of a moment to an experience! You see a moment can affect your life for a season; but an experience will affect your life for a lifetime! A moment will conform you, an experience will transform you! In life we can become content and even satisfied with these moments that have no enduring sustenance, or we can become driven to encounter an experience that will transform us into an entirely different person!
Saul of Tarsus was a very intelligent and strong willed individual. He lived his life to the fullest, grabbed life by the horns so to speak. Early in his life Saul was driven by a desire to be something other than ordinary. He is recorded as being the young man holding the coats as Stephen was stoned. He is recorded as having sat at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the greatest Pharisees who ever lived. He is recorded as being a chief Pharisee; Saul was not about to settle for normality. This is what I believe was his driving force on that fateful road that evening. He wasn't driven by hatred or by malice, although those were the emotions of his spirit at the time. Saul was driven by a desire for something more than a fleeting moment. How many of us live our lives in vain, as we aimlessly pursue things to fill a void inside of our spirits, a void that was put there by God himself. Rather than turning to Him to fill that deep longing we mistakenly wreck our lives in pursuit of these passing moments that we believe will one day fulfill our lifes emptiness.
God knew what Saul was after, it really wasn't about killing Christians, although that was the avenue he took, it was about doing something that would make a difference. Don't judge somebody by their misguided attempts to bring about change to outr world, we simply need to pray that Gold would pen their eyes to an experience that will transform them into a vessel God can use to impact the world with Gospel of Jesus Christ!!! So Jesus appears to Saul as a bright light, immediatley causing him to become blind. And that familiar voice echoed from heaven saying, Saul, Saul why persecutest thou me? Imagine what Saul must have thought at this moment! And so in a bit of shock Saul responds to that voice by asking this question, who art thou Lord? And Jesus simply responds; I am Jesus whom thou persecutest! And after spending most of his life pursuing these fleeting moments and temporary fulfilments, Saul was now having for the first time in his life, and experience! This experience impacted Saul to such a degree, that he is known as the greatest Apostle who ever lived, his ministry single handedly brought revival to all of Asia. 2/3 of the New Testament was penned from the hands of Paul! But How do you know when you've been impacted like this? How do you know when what you fell at the altar call is more than another passing moment of emotionalism, and it's really something deeper?
Philippians 3:12
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if tthat I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."
The Apostle Paul explains to the Philippians church the defining factor in knowing the difference between a moment and an experience. After his experience on that road to Damascus, he explained his new perspective of life. He said my life no longer consists of what I can do to make a difference, my life is now consumed by trying to apprehend the very thing that has apprehended me! In other words Paul is saying I've been arrested by God! I no longer do what I do because I want to, I do what I do because I have to! I've been apprehended by an experience!!
When you come face to face with Jesus, and experience him in this manner your life will never be the same!
I'l never forget the day when I experienced God for the first time. I was struggling in my life, I had the Holy Ghost and I was baptized in Jesus name; but there was still something missing in my life. But that day at an altar, I saw him like never before, I was apprehended with a call of GOd that forever changed my life. I don't have the same friends I had before that day, I don't like the things i liked then, I don't do the things I did then; now my life is patterned after the one who I experienced! There is more to Christianity than emotion and knowledge, if your a "Christian" today and still feel like something is missing; then you need to pursue an experience! An experience can change your life for ever!! The impact of 1 experience with God will transform you into a brand new creature!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Lessons From a Leper
Mark 1:40-42
"And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed."
I am convinced in life there are two ways in which we learn; from our own mistakes, or from others mistakes. Fortunately for me, I learned at an early age to learn what I could from other peoples mistakes; not to say that I've never made mistakes, I've just been privileged to have been raised around people who have had their fair share of them. But there is another way in which we learn from, and thats from watching people endure seemingly impossible circumstances, and watch how they respond. Some of the greatest lessons I've learned is by watching people react while dealing with what appears to be unsurmountable odds. I've watched 2 precious ladies in our church, one of whom is our Pastor's wife, deal with the dreadful diagnosis of cancer. And I learned from them the value of consistency, as they never wavered and never lost faith in their God! I've watched my parents, as they were strung out on drugs, and had lost everything they had, mount up the courage to turn to God, and I have witnessed restoration first hand! I don't worry about the odds that are against me! I know I serve a God who is ALL powerful, ALL knowing and ALWAYS on time!
This story from the book of Mark reveals to us a man dealing with these surreal life scenarios. The Bible tells us that this man was a leper; now understand that this disease was one of the most miserable sicknesses you could ever have. It began in the nervous system and would cause your body to violently shake. It was severely painful and debilitating. But as this disease progresses, it begins to move from the internal organs of your body and begins to expose itself on the outside of your body. It begins to slowly eat away at portions of your body. It was not uncommon to see a leper without a nose, or without an ear. They were considered unclean by the priest and were expelled out of the city and forbidden to have any interaction with humanity again. Imagine the desperation that would eat at your soul, imagine the loneliness and the torment of this lifestyle. So I can imagine as Jesus approached that suddenly hope began to fill his spirit...
Now I know how I would've reacted. I would've made the biggest scene possible, I would've cried as loud as I can cry. I would beg Jesus to heal and deliver me from the torment of a disease that was considered incurable. But as I read this story I was blown away by the response of this man. He sees Jesus, and instead of begging for a miracle, this man instead gives me the greatest lesson I've learned so far in my ministry. He responds...
"If you will, I know you can make me clean."
His faith understood, Jesus can heal me! His faith understood all my hope rests in Him! His faith understood, Jesus is the answer to all my problems. But his faith recognized something even more powerful than a miracle. He told Jesus there was something more important than being healed, and being restored; and that's living in the will of God! I know you can heal me, he said, but if it's not your will for my life, I still believe in you! I still believe in your word! Because my physical condition is not more important than my spiritual condition! And I'd rather live a leper and be saved, than to live cleansed and be lost!
I've completely changed my approach in prayer. I no longer pray for specific miracles or blessings, I want to know I'm in the will of God! Oh, I could use a financial miracle; I could use healing and provision; but if that will deter me from the will of God I'd rather be broke, sick and without, and still have Jesus!
Now look at the power of this kind of submission. The Bible says when this leper made this statement, that Jesus was moved with compassion. This is the key to unlocking the door of God's compassion. Mark 5 shows us a man who's son was possessed with a devil, and when he saw Jesus he responded this way. "My son is possessed and often times he throws himself in the fire and in the water, and if you can do anything; have compassion." (Paraphrased) He thought that by telling God how bad he had it that it would open up the compassion of God. But God does not respond to need, or else we would all be healed; God responds to faith! And when that leper tapped into that dimension of faith, when he got consumed with being in line with the will of God; Jesus was moved with compassion! And Jesus said, It is my will!
If your going through what seems to be impossible situations, don't feel sorry for yourself, and don't allow yourself to get consumed with the pity party of life. But start approaching God with this new mindset. It's not about the miracle, it's about being submitted to the will of God!
"And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed."
I am convinced in life there are two ways in which we learn; from our own mistakes, or from others mistakes. Fortunately for me, I learned at an early age to learn what I could from other peoples mistakes; not to say that I've never made mistakes, I've just been privileged to have been raised around people who have had their fair share of them. But there is another way in which we learn from, and thats from watching people endure seemingly impossible circumstances, and watch how they respond. Some of the greatest lessons I've learned is by watching people react while dealing with what appears to be unsurmountable odds. I've watched 2 precious ladies in our church, one of whom is our Pastor's wife, deal with the dreadful diagnosis of cancer. And I learned from them the value of consistency, as they never wavered and never lost faith in their God! I've watched my parents, as they were strung out on drugs, and had lost everything they had, mount up the courage to turn to God, and I have witnessed restoration first hand! I don't worry about the odds that are against me! I know I serve a God who is ALL powerful, ALL knowing and ALWAYS on time!
This story from the book of Mark reveals to us a man dealing with these surreal life scenarios. The Bible tells us that this man was a leper; now understand that this disease was one of the most miserable sicknesses you could ever have. It began in the nervous system and would cause your body to violently shake. It was severely painful and debilitating. But as this disease progresses, it begins to move from the internal organs of your body and begins to expose itself on the outside of your body. It begins to slowly eat away at portions of your body. It was not uncommon to see a leper without a nose, or without an ear. They were considered unclean by the priest and were expelled out of the city and forbidden to have any interaction with humanity again. Imagine the desperation that would eat at your soul, imagine the loneliness and the torment of this lifestyle. So I can imagine as Jesus approached that suddenly hope began to fill his spirit...
Now I know how I would've reacted. I would've made the biggest scene possible, I would've cried as loud as I can cry. I would beg Jesus to heal and deliver me from the torment of a disease that was considered incurable. But as I read this story I was blown away by the response of this man. He sees Jesus, and instead of begging for a miracle, this man instead gives me the greatest lesson I've learned so far in my ministry. He responds...
"If you will, I know you can make me clean."
His faith understood, Jesus can heal me! His faith understood all my hope rests in Him! His faith understood, Jesus is the answer to all my problems. But his faith recognized something even more powerful than a miracle. He told Jesus there was something more important than being healed, and being restored; and that's living in the will of God! I know you can heal me, he said, but if it's not your will for my life, I still believe in you! I still believe in your word! Because my physical condition is not more important than my spiritual condition! And I'd rather live a leper and be saved, than to live cleansed and be lost!
I've completely changed my approach in prayer. I no longer pray for specific miracles or blessings, I want to know I'm in the will of God! Oh, I could use a financial miracle; I could use healing and provision; but if that will deter me from the will of God I'd rather be broke, sick and without, and still have Jesus!
Now look at the power of this kind of submission. The Bible says when this leper made this statement, that Jesus was moved with compassion. This is the key to unlocking the door of God's compassion. Mark 5 shows us a man who's son was possessed with a devil, and when he saw Jesus he responded this way. "My son is possessed and often times he throws himself in the fire and in the water, and if you can do anything; have compassion." (Paraphrased) He thought that by telling God how bad he had it that it would open up the compassion of God. But God does not respond to need, or else we would all be healed; God responds to faith! And when that leper tapped into that dimension of faith, when he got consumed with being in line with the will of God; Jesus was moved with compassion! And Jesus said, It is my will!
If your going through what seems to be impossible situations, don't feel sorry for yourself, and don't allow yourself to get consumed with the pity party of life. But start approaching God with this new mindset. It's not about the miracle, it's about being submitted to the will of God!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Influence of Sincere Prayer
Acts 9:10-11
"And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said The Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And The Lord said unto him, Arise, and go unto the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth."
The story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul is well chronicled. It's a fascinating account of the mercy, grace and compassion of God. Instead of killing the man responsible for wrecking havoc on the church, God instead reaches for his heart in an attempt to save his soul. This lets me know that it doesn't matter where I've been, what I've done or where I've come from; God's love is still reaching for me! Be encouraged friend, regardless of your plight in life, God still loves you! This story is of a man who is traveling down a road to Damascus, searching for even more power and influence; and is interrupted by Jesus along the way. I call this Mercy's Intercession. How many times have you and I been traveling down the wrong road in life only to be blindsided by tragedy or hardships. In the moment we can't see what's just happened, but days, even weeks later you realize if it had not been for that moment; my soul might be lost! Where would we be today if it wasn't for Mercy's Intercession? What a beautiful revelation about the mercy of God!
But the part of this story that catches my attention doesn't deal with the event described above; but it deals with the passage I opened this blog up with. Ananias is minding his own business, when all of a sudden God begins to speak to him. And I can almost imagine the look of his face as God tells him of what his mission involves. Seriously God? You want me to go look for Saul of Tarsus? You do know who this is right? I mean he's made a reputation for himself for his abuse and destruction of Christians! But noticed the words of Jesus here, he speaks to Ananias to go to the house of Judas and to enquire of Saul of Tarsus. Why? Becuase he's praying...
There is something powerful about prayer that reaches beyond the routine of "Apostolic Prayer". We're all guilty of this, we recite cliche' after cliche' loud enough to impress the people around us. But sincere prayer flows from your heart. And when sincere prayer is released God always responds! Recently my wife and I traveled to Lufkin to pick our kids up from my sister-in-law. We went to church with them that evening, and they asked me to testify. So I went through my notes and bookmarks in my Bible, and I found something I thought would go over good. As the worship began however, God began to speak into my heart. He showed me the face of a young lady who was in the service, and told me exactly what to say. I began to not just speak planned out words, but began to speak words of life! Not of myself but as God moved through me. I don't use this story to build myself up, I was simply the vessel God used that night; the incredible part is the young lady who influenced God! We've all been in those moments of need, and have had people in our local church or our pastor speak to us, but we can sometimes write that off as inside information. But when God moves on somebody you don't know, from a town you don't live in to come the night you need a word; you've got influence! As God was showing me her face and revealing to me what to speak, I knew in my spirit, this girl has been praying! And the sincerity of her prayers were influencing the entire service! What a testament of faith! Never discount the power of sincere prayer!!
The text in Acts 9 reveals this principle. Saul without the Holy Ghost, without being baptized in Jesus Name, without having had time to prove himself as changed; influenced the God of glory with his prayer! It's recorded that Saul spent 3 days alone; blind and hungry in the desert. I don't know how long it would've taken for him to find Ananias on his own, but what I do know is that the moment that wretched man (his words) tapped into this dimension of sincere prayer, he didn't have to go looking for the man of God, the man of God came looking for him!!!
I don't know what your battling, or what kind of challenges you face; I don't know how long you've been searching for a word from God, but I do know this, If you can tap into this dimension of prayer, that word of God will find you wherever you may be! Because God is always influenced by sincere prayer!
"And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said The Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And The Lord said unto him, Arise, and go unto the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth."
The story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul is well chronicled. It's a fascinating account of the mercy, grace and compassion of God. Instead of killing the man responsible for wrecking havoc on the church, God instead reaches for his heart in an attempt to save his soul. This lets me know that it doesn't matter where I've been, what I've done or where I've come from; God's love is still reaching for me! Be encouraged friend, regardless of your plight in life, God still loves you! This story is of a man who is traveling down a road to Damascus, searching for even more power and influence; and is interrupted by Jesus along the way. I call this Mercy's Intercession. How many times have you and I been traveling down the wrong road in life only to be blindsided by tragedy or hardships. In the moment we can't see what's just happened, but days, even weeks later you realize if it had not been for that moment; my soul might be lost! Where would we be today if it wasn't for Mercy's Intercession? What a beautiful revelation about the mercy of God!
But the part of this story that catches my attention doesn't deal with the event described above; but it deals with the passage I opened this blog up with. Ananias is minding his own business, when all of a sudden God begins to speak to him. And I can almost imagine the look of his face as God tells him of what his mission involves. Seriously God? You want me to go look for Saul of Tarsus? You do know who this is right? I mean he's made a reputation for himself for his abuse and destruction of Christians! But noticed the words of Jesus here, he speaks to Ananias to go to the house of Judas and to enquire of Saul of Tarsus. Why? Becuase he's praying...
There is something powerful about prayer that reaches beyond the routine of "Apostolic Prayer". We're all guilty of this, we recite cliche' after cliche' loud enough to impress the people around us. But sincere prayer flows from your heart. And when sincere prayer is released God always responds! Recently my wife and I traveled to Lufkin to pick our kids up from my sister-in-law. We went to church with them that evening, and they asked me to testify. So I went through my notes and bookmarks in my Bible, and I found something I thought would go over good. As the worship began however, God began to speak into my heart. He showed me the face of a young lady who was in the service, and told me exactly what to say. I began to not just speak planned out words, but began to speak words of life! Not of myself but as God moved through me. I don't use this story to build myself up, I was simply the vessel God used that night; the incredible part is the young lady who influenced God! We've all been in those moments of need, and have had people in our local church or our pastor speak to us, but we can sometimes write that off as inside information. But when God moves on somebody you don't know, from a town you don't live in to come the night you need a word; you've got influence! As God was showing me her face and revealing to me what to speak, I knew in my spirit, this girl has been praying! And the sincerity of her prayers were influencing the entire service! What a testament of faith! Never discount the power of sincere prayer!!
The text in Acts 9 reveals this principle. Saul without the Holy Ghost, without being baptized in Jesus Name, without having had time to prove himself as changed; influenced the God of glory with his prayer! It's recorded that Saul spent 3 days alone; blind and hungry in the desert. I don't know how long it would've taken for him to find Ananias on his own, but what I do know is that the moment that wretched man (his words) tapped into this dimension of sincere prayer, he didn't have to go looking for the man of God, the man of God came looking for him!!!
I don't know what your battling, or what kind of challenges you face; I don't know how long you've been searching for a word from God, but I do know this, If you can tap into this dimension of prayer, that word of God will find you wherever you may be! Because God is always influenced by sincere prayer!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Overcoming the Mustard Seed Mentality
Mark 4:30-32
"And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it GROWETH up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and shooteth out branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."
Jesus asked a question, what's the kingdom of God like? The kingdom of God, he says, is like a grain of mustard seed. In this "mustard seed" parable Jesus begins to address one of the major mindsets of Christianity, what I call the mustard seed mentality. It's not what you would think, you see Jesus was addressing a mindset that would cause man to struggle with their ministry; and would cause many people to fall short of their purpose. What Jesus is saying is that there will come a time in the life of every believer when, without question, you you will suffer from the "less than" syndrome. This syndrome is dangerous and has critical side effects. With this "less than" syndrome you will become a small thinker, and will never allow yourself to grow into your potential. This "less than" syndrome will handicap your future and dwarf your growth! This syndrome is birthed from the hearts of impatient people, who are quick to compare themselves to their counterparts; their mistake, however, is comparing themselves while still in the seed stage! This happens in churches as well as saints, we see others who are bigger, more successful, and seem to have more going their way; and we feel inadequate and useless. You begin to question whether or not God will actually use you, or whether or not your church will ever see revival. The mustard seed mentality begins to become who you are, and you just settle for "less"....
But notice Jesus continues the parable by saying that the mustard seed, when it is sown, grows to such a degree that the birds of the air can live in the branches. Although that seed starts out small and seemingly insignificant, if that seed will submit to the process of growth, it has the potential to become great! What Jesus is trying to tell these people, and what I feel Jesus trying to get His church to understand now is this; stop looking at what you are now! Stop looking at what you have now! Stop looking at what talent you have now! You may not see it now, your family may not see it now, your church may not see it right now; but God has a purpose for you, and a destiny reserved for your future! Your not destined to be small! You're not destined to be less than every other church! God is wanting to release his presence in these last days, and if we'll allow the process to grow us, we will become that tree of destiny, and the birds of the air will dwell in our branches. Let me show you the revelation.....
Genesis 8:8-12
"Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him unto the ark, for the waters were on the face the of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark: and the dove came unto him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."
This story is a multifaceted story; it reveals the historical plot of Noah and the flood, yet also reveals a prophetic insight into revival. God showed me this passage some time back, and I couldn't catch the fullness of what he was showing me until tonight. The dove that is sent out is symbolic of the spirit of God. The spirit is searching for a place to dwell. But as Noah soon found out, unless the waters subside and the trees grow up, the dove will always go back to the boat. What God is showing us here is an illustration into modern day religion. People are drowning in traditionalist doctrines, we are quick to hold to what the way it's always been done, yet hesitant to grasp the reality of truth. God has released his spirit upon the earth, and he's searching for a branch (church) to rest on! Only as the search progresses, the spirit is left without a habitation. What is happening is, people are conforming to the mustard seed mentality, and allowing the "less than" syndrome to define them. So instead of actively pursuing revival; they sit stagnant and never allow themselves or their churches to grow!
But, as Jesus taught his parable regarding the mustard seed, he reveals to us the grey areas of understanding. When, and only when, the seed allows itself to be changed by it's environment, and allows the water and the sun to develop it into what it's purpose is, will there be a habitation for the birds to rest in. This reveals to us a critical principle into the success of not only our individual lives, but also the success and eventual growth of a church. The Apostle Paul exposed this principle to the church of Galatia when he stated in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." In the NIV version it reads this way, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!" Don't allow your mentality to become small by the weariness of life! Do not allow yourself to be conformed to the "less than" syndrome, if you can avoid the desire to give up, if you can avoid the temptation to throw in the towel; if you can avoid the mindset of smallness and realize, my due season is on it's way!!! Allow yourself to grow, and the harvest (birds) will find a home in your destiny!! and When God releases the dove (spirit) into the world, the dove will find a church to rest in!! And When the church is anointed by His spirit, and the people are empowered with determination and perseverance; we create an atmosphere conducive for a great revival, and a great harvest of souls!
Let's not become small thinkers in these last days, let's not judge our future by our present; buy into the vision of God, and allow yourself to be transformed into your purpose! Revival is looking for a home, the harvest is searching for a church, and within you is the ability to bring it into fruition! Remember no matter how small you seem, and no matter how small your church is; Jesus said the mustard seed is always the smallest in the beginning, but when God is allowed to have his way, the growth of that seed will exceed your wildest imaginations! For the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." In other words, your wildest imagination pales in comparison to the reality of the prepared destination!! It doesn't say to the most talented, or to the biggest church, it says to those that love him! This revival is not limited to the parameters of talent or connection, it is dependent solely on the ability of the seed to grow!
"And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it GROWETH up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and shooteth out branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."
Jesus asked a question, what's the kingdom of God like? The kingdom of God, he says, is like a grain of mustard seed. In this "mustard seed" parable Jesus begins to address one of the major mindsets of Christianity, what I call the mustard seed mentality. It's not what you would think, you see Jesus was addressing a mindset that would cause man to struggle with their ministry; and would cause many people to fall short of their purpose. What Jesus is saying is that there will come a time in the life of every believer when, without question, you you will suffer from the "less than" syndrome. This syndrome is dangerous and has critical side effects. With this "less than" syndrome you will become a small thinker, and will never allow yourself to grow into your potential. This "less than" syndrome will handicap your future and dwarf your growth! This syndrome is birthed from the hearts of impatient people, who are quick to compare themselves to their counterparts; their mistake, however, is comparing themselves while still in the seed stage! This happens in churches as well as saints, we see others who are bigger, more successful, and seem to have more going their way; and we feel inadequate and useless. You begin to question whether or not God will actually use you, or whether or not your church will ever see revival. The mustard seed mentality begins to become who you are, and you just settle for "less"....
But notice Jesus continues the parable by saying that the mustard seed, when it is sown, grows to such a degree that the birds of the air can live in the branches. Although that seed starts out small and seemingly insignificant, if that seed will submit to the process of growth, it has the potential to become great! What Jesus is trying to tell these people, and what I feel Jesus trying to get His church to understand now is this; stop looking at what you are now! Stop looking at what you have now! Stop looking at what talent you have now! You may not see it now, your family may not see it now, your church may not see it right now; but God has a purpose for you, and a destiny reserved for your future! Your not destined to be small! You're not destined to be less than every other church! God is wanting to release his presence in these last days, and if we'll allow the process to grow us, we will become that tree of destiny, and the birds of the air will dwell in our branches. Let me show you the revelation.....
Genesis 8:8-12
"Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him unto the ark, for the waters were on the face the of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark: and the dove came unto him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."
This story is a multifaceted story; it reveals the historical plot of Noah and the flood, yet also reveals a prophetic insight into revival. God showed me this passage some time back, and I couldn't catch the fullness of what he was showing me until tonight. The dove that is sent out is symbolic of the spirit of God. The spirit is searching for a place to dwell. But as Noah soon found out, unless the waters subside and the trees grow up, the dove will always go back to the boat. What God is showing us here is an illustration into modern day religion. People are drowning in traditionalist doctrines, we are quick to hold to what the way it's always been done, yet hesitant to grasp the reality of truth. God has released his spirit upon the earth, and he's searching for a branch (church) to rest on! Only as the search progresses, the spirit is left without a habitation. What is happening is, people are conforming to the mustard seed mentality, and allowing the "less than" syndrome to define them. So instead of actively pursuing revival; they sit stagnant and never allow themselves or their churches to grow!
But, as Jesus taught his parable regarding the mustard seed, he reveals to us the grey areas of understanding. When, and only when, the seed allows itself to be changed by it's environment, and allows the water and the sun to develop it into what it's purpose is, will there be a habitation for the birds to rest in. This reveals to us a critical principle into the success of not only our individual lives, but also the success and eventual growth of a church. The Apostle Paul exposed this principle to the church of Galatia when he stated in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." In the NIV version it reads this way, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!" Don't allow your mentality to become small by the weariness of life! Do not allow yourself to be conformed to the "less than" syndrome, if you can avoid the desire to give up, if you can avoid the temptation to throw in the towel; if you can avoid the mindset of smallness and realize, my due season is on it's way!!! Allow yourself to grow, and the harvest (birds) will find a home in your destiny!! and When God releases the dove (spirit) into the world, the dove will find a church to rest in!! And When the church is anointed by His spirit, and the people are empowered with determination and perseverance; we create an atmosphere conducive for a great revival, and a great harvest of souls!
Let's not become small thinkers in these last days, let's not judge our future by our present; buy into the vision of God, and allow yourself to be transformed into your purpose! Revival is looking for a home, the harvest is searching for a church, and within you is the ability to bring it into fruition! Remember no matter how small you seem, and no matter how small your church is; Jesus said the mustard seed is always the smallest in the beginning, but when God is allowed to have his way, the growth of that seed will exceed your wildest imaginations! For the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." In other words, your wildest imagination pales in comparison to the reality of the prepared destination!! It doesn't say to the most talented, or to the biggest church, it says to those that love him! This revival is not limited to the parameters of talent or connection, it is dependent solely on the ability of the seed to grow!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Climbing out of the Tree of Observation
Luke 19:1-5
"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus ho he was; and could not for the press, because he was of little stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house."
Luke 19 starts out in a very familiar tone, Jesus entered and passed through... How often have we sat in service and been eyewitnesses as Jesus entered in our midst and passed through the sanctuary. Truly, it is an incredible moment to feel the supernatural power of God passing through. But this text reveals to us a man named Zacchaeus, a tax collector, who was of little stature. The Bible says that this man sought to see Jesus for who he was. Now, in my opinion, not enough attention has been paid to this statement. It is one thing to want to see Jesus for what He DOES; it is an entirely different matter to desire to see Him for WHO HE IS! Where our churches could be if the pews on Sunday morning would be filled with people who have come to see Jesus for who he is! Sadly, however, most of the people of our world, and even in our movement, have no desire to see Him as he is, only to see what miracle they can pry from his hands. It bothers me that the only time some people get desperate for God is when they have a desperate need. I understand the sense of desperation that comes with trials and tragedy, God knows we've all been there. But I wonder of someone's character, when they never pursue to see Jesus for who He is! Without a revelation of who Jesus is, we will never bee pursuaded to abandon our lives on the earth in search of a life with Him. The Apostle Paul, knew who Jesus was, he even knew of his miracles, yet Paul was a murderer of Christians. But one day on a road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul finally saw Jesus for who He was! That revelation is what preceded this statement by this Apostle, "For I am persuaded!!" No trial, no temptation, no storm, no betrayal is bad enough to separate me from the love of God! When you KNOW HIM, it changes your response to difficulties, it strengthens your stance in your doctrine, and it encourages you that nothing from human or demonic forces are powerful enough to separate you from the perfect love of God!
So Look as Zacchaeus, in his desperation to see Him, runs ahead of the crowd and climbs into a tree. What I call the Tree of Observation. I commend Zacchaeus for his desire to see Jesus for who he is, and I wish every soul in our world possessed this same zeal and determination to simply catch a glimpse of who Jesus is. I am all for Bible studies, and I believe that Bible studies are part of our duty as Christians. But I have learned through the years, from observations of others and through my own person experiences that unlocking the mystery of Godliness as Paul put it, can not come from knowledge.
I understand that Hosea 4:6 tells us that the people of God are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. But without a relationship, knowledge can be just as destructive. In the book of Genesis, we see a painful revelation; as the serpent fills their ears with the temptation to sin, the Bible says that Adam and Eve desired the tree as to make one wise! They sought the tree of knowledge, because they perceived that knowledge produced wisdom. Wisdom does not come from knowledge, as the great philosopher Socrates once said, "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing". That's why the Apostle Paul offered these words in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "I know nothing but Christ and Him crucified." Wisdom doesn't come from how much you know, it is birthed by a desire to know Him! Adam and Eve's biggest mistake was when they, through knowledge sought wisdom; when the plan of God was for them through relationship to pursue him, and wisdom is a byproduct of our relationship with God!
What I'm saying is, that no matter how many Bible studies we participate in, and no matter how much preaching we hear on the matter, there will always come that defining moment in a life when Jesus looks you in the eyes and says, "...make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." There comes a time in every believers life when we face this crossroad of faith, and we find ourselves in this defining moment of reality; do I sit in this Tree of observation trying to learn of all I can? Or do I harken unto the words of Jesus saying, climb our of that tree, for today I'm coming to your house! You see what Jesus is showing us here in this text is that as long as you and I stay in this Tree of Observation, we will never know Him for who he is. But as he mentions to the crowd that day that began to murmur at this announcement, "For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus didn't say he came to seek and to save those who were lost, but he came to save THAT which was lost! Knowledge wasn't what was lost, relationship was. And what Jesus is telling this man is this, all your observations are fine, its what brought you to where I'm at; but if you really are sincere in wanting to know who I am, then it's time you climbed down from that tree of observation, and entered into an intimate relationship with me. I can't be learned about, I have to be experienced!
Abraham knew about God, and had even heard his voice, but as he drew that knife into the air and heard the voice of GOd speak, Abraham behold a ram in the bushes! Abraham knew who God was!
Jacob knew about God, but one night in the wilderness wrestling with God all night, Jacob learned who God was!
Moses knew about God, until Moses encountered a burning bush; then Moses knew who God was!
Elisha knew about God, and had witnessed God work through Elijah; but when Elisha walked down to that river and and cried, where is the God of Elijah, Elisha found out who God was!
God can't be discovered by observations. God desires intimacy with him, he's come today to seek and to save that relationship that was lost in the garden. But will we climb out of the comforts of the tree of observation today? Or will live a life short of the abundance God promises to those who make him their priority? The choice is yours Zacchaeus, the call has been made...
"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus ho he was; and could not for the press, because he was of little stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house."
Luke 19 starts out in a very familiar tone, Jesus entered and passed through... How often have we sat in service and been eyewitnesses as Jesus entered in our midst and passed through the sanctuary. Truly, it is an incredible moment to feel the supernatural power of God passing through. But this text reveals to us a man named Zacchaeus, a tax collector, who was of little stature. The Bible says that this man sought to see Jesus for who he was. Now, in my opinion, not enough attention has been paid to this statement. It is one thing to want to see Jesus for what He DOES; it is an entirely different matter to desire to see Him for WHO HE IS! Where our churches could be if the pews on Sunday morning would be filled with people who have come to see Jesus for who he is! Sadly, however, most of the people of our world, and even in our movement, have no desire to see Him as he is, only to see what miracle they can pry from his hands. It bothers me that the only time some people get desperate for God is when they have a desperate need. I understand the sense of desperation that comes with trials and tragedy, God knows we've all been there. But I wonder of someone's character, when they never pursue to see Jesus for who He is! Without a revelation of who Jesus is, we will never bee pursuaded to abandon our lives on the earth in search of a life with Him. The Apostle Paul, knew who Jesus was, he even knew of his miracles, yet Paul was a murderer of Christians. But one day on a road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul finally saw Jesus for who He was! That revelation is what preceded this statement by this Apostle, "For I am persuaded!!" No trial, no temptation, no storm, no betrayal is bad enough to separate me from the love of God! When you KNOW HIM, it changes your response to difficulties, it strengthens your stance in your doctrine, and it encourages you that nothing from human or demonic forces are powerful enough to separate you from the perfect love of God!
So Look as Zacchaeus, in his desperation to see Him, runs ahead of the crowd and climbs into a tree. What I call the Tree of Observation. I commend Zacchaeus for his desire to see Jesus for who he is, and I wish every soul in our world possessed this same zeal and determination to simply catch a glimpse of who Jesus is. I am all for Bible studies, and I believe that Bible studies are part of our duty as Christians. But I have learned through the years, from observations of others and through my own person experiences that unlocking the mystery of Godliness as Paul put it, can not come from knowledge.
I understand that Hosea 4:6 tells us that the people of God are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. But without a relationship, knowledge can be just as destructive. In the book of Genesis, we see a painful revelation; as the serpent fills their ears with the temptation to sin, the Bible says that Adam and Eve desired the tree as to make one wise! They sought the tree of knowledge, because they perceived that knowledge produced wisdom. Wisdom does not come from knowledge, as the great philosopher Socrates once said, "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing". That's why the Apostle Paul offered these words in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "I know nothing but Christ and Him crucified." Wisdom doesn't come from how much you know, it is birthed by a desire to know Him! Adam and Eve's biggest mistake was when they, through knowledge sought wisdom; when the plan of God was for them through relationship to pursue him, and wisdom is a byproduct of our relationship with God!
What I'm saying is, that no matter how many Bible studies we participate in, and no matter how much preaching we hear on the matter, there will always come that defining moment in a life when Jesus looks you in the eyes and says, "...make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." There comes a time in every believers life when we face this crossroad of faith, and we find ourselves in this defining moment of reality; do I sit in this Tree of observation trying to learn of all I can? Or do I harken unto the words of Jesus saying, climb our of that tree, for today I'm coming to your house! You see what Jesus is showing us here in this text is that as long as you and I stay in this Tree of Observation, we will never know Him for who he is. But as he mentions to the crowd that day that began to murmur at this announcement, "For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus didn't say he came to seek and to save those who were lost, but he came to save THAT which was lost! Knowledge wasn't what was lost, relationship was. And what Jesus is telling this man is this, all your observations are fine, its what brought you to where I'm at; but if you really are sincere in wanting to know who I am, then it's time you climbed down from that tree of observation, and entered into an intimate relationship with me. I can't be learned about, I have to be experienced!
Abraham knew about God, and had even heard his voice, but as he drew that knife into the air and heard the voice of GOd speak, Abraham behold a ram in the bushes! Abraham knew who God was!
Jacob knew about God, but one night in the wilderness wrestling with God all night, Jacob learned who God was!
Moses knew about God, until Moses encountered a burning bush; then Moses knew who God was!
Elisha knew about God, and had witnessed God work through Elijah; but when Elisha walked down to that river and and cried, where is the God of Elijah, Elisha found out who God was!
God can't be discovered by observations. God desires intimacy with him, he's come today to seek and to save that relationship that was lost in the garden. But will we climb out of the comforts of the tree of observation today? Or will live a life short of the abundance God promises to those who make him their priority? The choice is yours Zacchaeus, the call has been made...
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Blueprint to Apostolic Revival Part 2 The 3 Keys of Revival
In part 1 we covered the joy factor. We need joy in the church if we are to have any success in reaching our world. This part is going to deal with what I feel to be the 3 keys of end-time revival. We understand Joel's prophecy concerning the last days, the last days church will be built round revival and soul-winning. Joel says that the last days church will be empowered by the Holy Ghost with visions and dreams. But if we lose our joy, all of those resources will wither and die. So now that we have a full understanding of our need for joy, let's dive deeper into Joel's prophecy and unlock the three keys to revival!
Joel 1:10
"...the corn is wasted, the new wine has dried up, and the oil languisheth."
The Corn is wasted:
Genesis 42:1-2
"Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: Get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die."
We find here Jacob, the patriarch of God, embedded in a famine. It was so bad that all the sons of Jacob, were sitting there looking at each other wondering, what in the world are we going to do! But Jacob tells them, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Most of us understand the story of Joseph and how he ended up in Pharaoh's palace; Joseph through all his trials found himself in the prison, where the Bible says Joseph worked. We must always be willing to do a work with God regardless of where we are in life! So Joseph interprets a couple of dreams, and now Pharaoh has a dream and they remember, oh there is a guy in the prison who can interpret dreams. So Joseph receives the dream, and understood the warning of God, a famine is coming. This insight and knowledge into the plan of God required Joseph to act with wisdom, vision and determination to implement a plan that would reach the world, and eventually save all the families of the earth.
Amos 8:11
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
We must understand that the famine of Jacob's day was a foreshadow of the famine of the last days. God said there would be a famine in the last days, only this time it won't be of bread or water; its going to a famine of truth! And now that we have been given access into this plan of God, we are now bound with an obligation like Joseph to begin to implement a strategy for world-wide revival! We may have truth, but unless we learn to utilize vision, determination and wisdom to make a way for all the ends of the earth to be reached; the corn will be wasted!
Proverbs 23:23 tells us to buy the truth and sell it not! We can't just sit back and assume that truth will take care of itself! We had better learn to value the corn! We'd better take the time to make sure we're teaching our children the word of God! When that famine hit the world in Joseph's day, the people of the world abandoned their backgrounds, and all the things they believed in. Why? Not because of a new fad, but because the corn in Egypt was real! And if we want to be available for the floods of people who will swarm the apostolic church in these last days, we'd better stock pile some truth! The world is in need of truth, and we'd better make sure that there is still corn available in the apostolic church!
New wine is dried up:
Mark 2:22
"And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
Jesus said if new wine isn't accompanied with new bottles there is a danger that the old bottles will not be able to contain the new wine; and the bottle will break, and the wine will be spilled. Jesus is referring to the Holy Ghost here; and the Holy Ghost will not dwell in an old vessel. Unfortunately, we see this often; people come to church and receive the beautiful gift of the Holy Ghost, only before they can make it back for another service, they've already lost what they received and now they've been wounded on top of it. Was the Holy Ghost not good enough? Yes it is! The danger comes when we don't allow that spirit to change us! Yes the Holy Ghost will guide you on the journey of change, but it must be your hands on the plow with determination to change regardless of what must go! But when Joel looked through the eyes of the spirit, he said that the new wine is dried up! What a dreadful sight!!
Paul admonished the Thessalonian church, "Quench not the spirit!" When truth isn't valued like it should be, the people of God begin to desire the things of the world. And through the desire and pursuit of "worldly lusts" the spirit of God will be replaced with the spirit of flesh. The result? A church with dried up spirit. A Chruch that no longer responds with the spirit of God, but now through ritual and practice attempt to manipulate the spirit of God. My prayer in these last days is that the church would empty herself of all unrighteousness, and allow the new wine to fill us up like never before! If we want to be effective in these last days, we can't depend on anything but the spirit of God! Don't let the Holy Ghost dry up in your life.
The Oil Languisheth:
Isaiah 10:27
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."
The anointing of God is a powerful asset to the church: with it we can do incredible things, without it we can do nothing! Jesus sad in Luke 18:27, "...the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." The anointing will empower us to operate beyond our human ability, and to operate with His authority. With the anointing we are literally agents of God's divine power!
When I read and study the life of Samson, I see a man who is a symbol of the apostolic church. He was set apart, he was anointed, he couldn't do what every one else did. But Samson played with his anointing...Samson always ended up doing what was in his best interest, and never learned the value of submitting completely to the word of God. But the biggest mistake Samson ever made wasn't marrying the wrong woman, it wasn't going in to the harlot's tent or even flirting with Delilah. No, the greatest mistake Samson ever made was in assuming that his power actually came from his hair!
And this is where i'm terrified; I'm witnessing a generation of apostolic people who thinks that their anointing comes from their obedience to our standards. So they play with their anointing, never sold out completely to the word of God. After all, they still "look" the part. But we have a culture now in the church, where people lilve how they want to live, and yet still expect God to show up when they need him to perform because of their "nazarite vow". Listen I still wholeheartedly believe in our standards, I still try and live as far from the world as possible. But are we really presumptuous enough to think, that because we're obedient to a list of guidelines that God is obligated to use us? Your power is not in your standards Samson, your power comes from God! What we need to understand in these last days is that the anointing does not flow from your rituals, the anointing flows from your relationship!
What I'm saying is that we cannot allow our "Pentecostalism" to ever replace our relationship with God!
If we want the kind of revival that is prophesied in the book; then we must use these keys to unlock the door of revival! We need corn in the church, we need new wine that is fresh, and we must be able to operate in the genuine anointing of God! Without is, we'll become tinkling brass and sounding cymbals...with it? We'll discover a revival that will turn our world upside down!!!
Joel 1:10
"...the corn is wasted, the new wine has dried up, and the oil languisheth."
The Corn is wasted:
Genesis 42:1-2
"Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: Get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die."
We find here Jacob, the patriarch of God, embedded in a famine. It was so bad that all the sons of Jacob, were sitting there looking at each other wondering, what in the world are we going to do! But Jacob tells them, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Most of us understand the story of Joseph and how he ended up in Pharaoh's palace; Joseph through all his trials found himself in the prison, where the Bible says Joseph worked. We must always be willing to do a work with God regardless of where we are in life! So Joseph interprets a couple of dreams, and now Pharaoh has a dream and they remember, oh there is a guy in the prison who can interpret dreams. So Joseph receives the dream, and understood the warning of God, a famine is coming. This insight and knowledge into the plan of God required Joseph to act with wisdom, vision and determination to implement a plan that would reach the world, and eventually save all the families of the earth.
Amos 8:11
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
We must understand that the famine of Jacob's day was a foreshadow of the famine of the last days. God said there would be a famine in the last days, only this time it won't be of bread or water; its going to a famine of truth! And now that we have been given access into this plan of God, we are now bound with an obligation like Joseph to begin to implement a strategy for world-wide revival! We may have truth, but unless we learn to utilize vision, determination and wisdom to make a way for all the ends of the earth to be reached; the corn will be wasted!
Proverbs 23:23 tells us to buy the truth and sell it not! We can't just sit back and assume that truth will take care of itself! We had better learn to value the corn! We'd better take the time to make sure we're teaching our children the word of God! When that famine hit the world in Joseph's day, the people of the world abandoned their backgrounds, and all the things they believed in. Why? Not because of a new fad, but because the corn in Egypt was real! And if we want to be available for the floods of people who will swarm the apostolic church in these last days, we'd better stock pile some truth! The world is in need of truth, and we'd better make sure that there is still corn available in the apostolic church!
New wine is dried up:
Mark 2:22
"And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles."
Jesus said if new wine isn't accompanied with new bottles there is a danger that the old bottles will not be able to contain the new wine; and the bottle will break, and the wine will be spilled. Jesus is referring to the Holy Ghost here; and the Holy Ghost will not dwell in an old vessel. Unfortunately, we see this often; people come to church and receive the beautiful gift of the Holy Ghost, only before they can make it back for another service, they've already lost what they received and now they've been wounded on top of it. Was the Holy Ghost not good enough? Yes it is! The danger comes when we don't allow that spirit to change us! Yes the Holy Ghost will guide you on the journey of change, but it must be your hands on the plow with determination to change regardless of what must go! But when Joel looked through the eyes of the spirit, he said that the new wine is dried up! What a dreadful sight!!
Paul admonished the Thessalonian church, "Quench not the spirit!" When truth isn't valued like it should be, the people of God begin to desire the things of the world. And through the desire and pursuit of "worldly lusts" the spirit of God will be replaced with the spirit of flesh. The result? A church with dried up spirit. A Chruch that no longer responds with the spirit of God, but now through ritual and practice attempt to manipulate the spirit of God. My prayer in these last days is that the church would empty herself of all unrighteousness, and allow the new wine to fill us up like never before! If we want to be effective in these last days, we can't depend on anything but the spirit of God! Don't let the Holy Ghost dry up in your life.
The Oil Languisheth:
Isaiah 10:27
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."
The anointing of God is a powerful asset to the church: with it we can do incredible things, without it we can do nothing! Jesus sad in Luke 18:27, "...the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." The anointing will empower us to operate beyond our human ability, and to operate with His authority. With the anointing we are literally agents of God's divine power!
When I read and study the life of Samson, I see a man who is a symbol of the apostolic church. He was set apart, he was anointed, he couldn't do what every one else did. But Samson played with his anointing...Samson always ended up doing what was in his best interest, and never learned the value of submitting completely to the word of God. But the biggest mistake Samson ever made wasn't marrying the wrong woman, it wasn't going in to the harlot's tent or even flirting with Delilah. No, the greatest mistake Samson ever made was in assuming that his power actually came from his hair!
And this is where i'm terrified; I'm witnessing a generation of apostolic people who thinks that their anointing comes from their obedience to our standards. So they play with their anointing, never sold out completely to the word of God. After all, they still "look" the part. But we have a culture now in the church, where people lilve how they want to live, and yet still expect God to show up when they need him to perform because of their "nazarite vow". Listen I still wholeheartedly believe in our standards, I still try and live as far from the world as possible. But are we really presumptuous enough to think, that because we're obedient to a list of guidelines that God is obligated to use us? Your power is not in your standards Samson, your power comes from God! What we need to understand in these last days is that the anointing does not flow from your rituals, the anointing flows from your relationship!
What I'm saying is that we cannot allow our "Pentecostalism" to ever replace our relationship with God!
If we want the kind of revival that is prophesied in the book; then we must use these keys to unlock the door of revival! We need corn in the church, we need new wine that is fresh, and we must be able to operate in the genuine anointing of God! Without is, we'll become tinkling brass and sounding cymbals...with it? We'll discover a revival that will turn our world upside down!!!
The Blueprint To Apostolic Revival Part 1 The Joy Factor
Joel 1:10-12
"The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: Thew new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vine dressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men."
Joel is a very interesting book, when we read his prophecy we immediately get the understanding that Joel is very connected with our generation. After all it was Joel who prophesied the last days church when he looked into the future with spiritual eyes and said, "and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." Joel is seeing with perfect clarity the end time generational church. Joel begins his prophecy in a very intriguing way. he paints the picture of a generation in which the field, or the people of the world, is looking for hope, searching for peace and longing for a change; yet when they come into "our" fields they find no corn, no wine, and no oil.
Now what strikes me at first glance is the condition of the tress that reside in the vineyard. All the trees of this field are withered, unproductive and fruitless, because the Bible tells us that joy had withered from the hearts of the sons of men. This assures me that the fruitlessness of our generation is not the result of poor teaching or poor leadership; although admittedly that may be a small factor. The fruitlessness of our time is the direct result of a joyless generation. It is to be understood that fruit and joy always walk hand in hand. There is no possible way to exhibit the fruit of the spirit without possessing first the joy of the Lord. Because without joy, the fruit cannot survive.
Unfortunately today our world has become a vacuum of self indulgent and self entitled people; people who spend all of their energy and all of their resources seeking some form or fashion of joy. They dedicate their lives, their money, their energy and all their hopes in finding that golden ticket to joy and happiness. The result? A world of unbridled searching for pleasure and self-fulfillment; and anything goes in this pursuit of happiness. As made evident by the various avenues of self expression in our world people truly have no idea what makes them happy. So through their searching for that joy and happiness we see a trail of heartache and devastation. Pain and poor choices have now left a trail of broken dreams and disappointment, and without question if you were to dig through the wreckage in search of what went wrong, you would come to the understanding that all of your efforts and all of your searching were in vain...
You see joy, that is true joy, cannot come from material possessions; true joy can't be found in relationships or people; true joy can't be found in the right career or business move; in fact, joy can't be purchased at all: joy can only be found in one place as the Psalmist so eloquently puts it...
Psalm 16:11 "...In thy presence is the fullness of joy!"
Truth can be kind of shocking can't it? Especially once we realize that everything we've been pursuing doesn't possess that magical formula we hoped to find, or the key to a life overflowing with joy. I understand our careers are vital to happiness, our family is to be valued, time spent with our spouses and our children are to be treasured; but we cannot afford to mistakenly think that these things which can be taken from us tomorrow are the foundation of our joy. And sadly, the driving force in most lives today are these temporary "moments" of happiness that simply will not endure beyond the moment. What we need flowing in our lives is not happiness, what I'm talking about isn't some emotion that can be altered by the events of your day; I'm talking about a joy that can sustain in the face of destruction and will allow you to face any challenge, conquer any foe and defeat any enemy! A joy, I believe, if ever allowed to flow in our lives and in our churches that will produce a "true apostolic revival"!
Psalm 30:5 "weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning"
How often have we quoted this passage when surrounded by the difficulties of life, as some far out attempt to comfort our fears and uncertainties?
But look at Psalm 126:5, "They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy"
Could it be that what the Psalmist spoke of in Psalm 30:5 means more than just holding on through the difficulties of night? Could it be that the avenue for joy might be found through weeping and through tears? Not tears for the bad things in life, but tears of sorrow, a Godly sorrow, that is rooted from a deep, burning desire to be changed! I am of the opinion, that if we ever spent the night paving a trail of tears; not because of how bad we have it, not because of bad things happening, but simply because we desired to be like him: I believe this passionate pursuit for change will give birth to a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory!
If we truly want to experience genuine joy, then we must be willing to pick up that old cross, deny ourselves, learn to live not after our wants, but after His will; and patterning our lives after the one who first said "not my will, but thine be done"! And on the other side of this conversion is a joy that will produce a true apostolic revival in our homes and in our churches....
Continue on part 2...
"The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: Thew new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vine dressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men."
Joel is a very interesting book, when we read his prophecy we immediately get the understanding that Joel is very connected with our generation. After all it was Joel who prophesied the last days church when he looked into the future with spiritual eyes and said, "and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." Joel is seeing with perfect clarity the end time generational church. Joel begins his prophecy in a very intriguing way. he paints the picture of a generation in which the field, or the people of the world, is looking for hope, searching for peace and longing for a change; yet when they come into "our" fields they find no corn, no wine, and no oil.
Now what strikes me at first glance is the condition of the tress that reside in the vineyard. All the trees of this field are withered, unproductive and fruitless, because the Bible tells us that joy had withered from the hearts of the sons of men. This assures me that the fruitlessness of our generation is not the result of poor teaching or poor leadership; although admittedly that may be a small factor. The fruitlessness of our time is the direct result of a joyless generation. It is to be understood that fruit and joy always walk hand in hand. There is no possible way to exhibit the fruit of the spirit without possessing first the joy of the Lord. Because without joy, the fruit cannot survive.
Unfortunately today our world has become a vacuum of self indulgent and self entitled people; people who spend all of their energy and all of their resources seeking some form or fashion of joy. They dedicate their lives, their money, their energy and all their hopes in finding that golden ticket to joy and happiness. The result? A world of unbridled searching for pleasure and self-fulfillment; and anything goes in this pursuit of happiness. As made evident by the various avenues of self expression in our world people truly have no idea what makes them happy. So through their searching for that joy and happiness we see a trail of heartache and devastation. Pain and poor choices have now left a trail of broken dreams and disappointment, and without question if you were to dig through the wreckage in search of what went wrong, you would come to the understanding that all of your efforts and all of your searching were in vain...
You see joy, that is true joy, cannot come from material possessions; true joy can't be found in relationships or people; true joy can't be found in the right career or business move; in fact, joy can't be purchased at all: joy can only be found in one place as the Psalmist so eloquently puts it...
Psalm 16:11 "...In thy presence is the fullness of joy!"
Truth can be kind of shocking can't it? Especially once we realize that everything we've been pursuing doesn't possess that magical formula we hoped to find, or the key to a life overflowing with joy. I understand our careers are vital to happiness, our family is to be valued, time spent with our spouses and our children are to be treasured; but we cannot afford to mistakenly think that these things which can be taken from us tomorrow are the foundation of our joy. And sadly, the driving force in most lives today are these temporary "moments" of happiness that simply will not endure beyond the moment. What we need flowing in our lives is not happiness, what I'm talking about isn't some emotion that can be altered by the events of your day; I'm talking about a joy that can sustain in the face of destruction and will allow you to face any challenge, conquer any foe and defeat any enemy! A joy, I believe, if ever allowed to flow in our lives and in our churches that will produce a "true apostolic revival"!
Psalm 30:5 "weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning"
How often have we quoted this passage when surrounded by the difficulties of life, as some far out attempt to comfort our fears and uncertainties?
But look at Psalm 126:5, "They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy"
Could it be that what the Psalmist spoke of in Psalm 30:5 means more than just holding on through the difficulties of night? Could it be that the avenue for joy might be found through weeping and through tears? Not tears for the bad things in life, but tears of sorrow, a Godly sorrow, that is rooted from a deep, burning desire to be changed! I am of the opinion, that if we ever spent the night paving a trail of tears; not because of how bad we have it, not because of bad things happening, but simply because we desired to be like him: I believe this passionate pursuit for change will give birth to a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory!
If we truly want to experience genuine joy, then we must be willing to pick up that old cross, deny ourselves, learn to live not after our wants, but after His will; and patterning our lives after the one who first said "not my will, but thine be done"! And on the other side of this conversion is a joy that will produce a true apostolic revival in our homes and in our churches....
Continue on part 2...
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Give me children, or else I die!
Genesis 30:1
"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die."
The story of Jacob and his wives is a fascinating story of love. Jacob loved Rachel with all his heart, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make her his wife. Laban his father-in-law made an agreement, if you will work 7 years she will be yours. 7 years? That's nothing, and the Bible says that those 7 years were but a few days to him because he loved her so much. (Gen 29:20) But when Jacob woke up the next morning after consummating the marriage, he horrifically discovered that he was married to Leah, Rachel's older sister. Livid he goes to Laban, and demands an explanation, to which Laban explains; how can I give Rachel away when Leah the older sister is still unmarried? Serve 7 more years and Rachel will be yours. Notice Jacob served 14 years for Rachel, but he served nothing for Leah. Rachel is the bride that Jacob paid the price for, Leah was only his bride through deception. And the Bible says that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah....
Sunday morning I was reading this text as I was finishing my notes for Sunday's message. As I was reading this God began to speak to me about this text, this text is actually the key to revival! God told me that Jacob is a symbol of Him here, and Rachel is the true church. God loves his church and has from the beginning; and the Bible teaches that God paid a price for this church (he purchased it with his own blood Acts 20:28!). Unfortunately as much as Jacob loved Rachel, Rachel was unproductive (barren). And because Rachel couldn't reproduce, Leah had all the children. And this must have gone unnoticed for a while for our text says, "...When Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister..." Suddenly Rachel realizes that she is barren, and that Leah is having the children that should be hers. You see for too long the church has been unproductive, without concern. We're content to live in maintenance mode, just simply getting by. All the while Leah, the deceptive bride, is having the children that should be ours. It's time the true church of God woke up, it's time we come to our senses and realize how unproductive we really are!
So when Rachel comes to her senses she goes to her husband and demands of him, "...give me children, else I die!!" Here we find the order of true revival. Rachel gives Jacob her maid, and that maid produces 2 sons. To Rachel, she's complete now. She has her sons. But God told me that he did not call Rachel to babysit another person's children. God's promise is for Rachel (His church) to birth children of her own! See the first glimpse of revival is when the church begins to receive move-ins and already established Christians. This is not the revival God promised. Rachel don't allow yourself to become content with somebody elses labor! I you want to experience the revival God has promised you must be willing to go through the labor yourself!! You might have children but your still second fiddle to Leah, because until you learn to produce by yourself, until you learn to be productive on your own, you'll still live in Leah's shadow! Its time for Rachel to have her children!! It's time the church woke up and approached our bridegroom with a determined spirit; Give us revival or else we'll die!!!
Leah has been stealing our harvest for long enough, Leah has been enjoying our children for long enough, Leah has been living with our promise for long enough! It's time for Rachel to awake from her state of complacency and began to get desperate in the spirit. There's no other option, there's no other alternative, it's revival or it's death!
Now catch this part; when Rachel conceived and began to have children of her own, Leah became barren. What this tells me is that when the true bride awakes from her slumber and becomes a productive entity; the deceptive church will become barren. The deception of the world is no match for a productive bride of Christ! If we can get to our rightful place in God, and do what we've been chosen to do, then revival is in our future! It doesn't matter how successful the deceptive bride seems to be right now; when the womb of the bride is opened, the womb of deception is closed! It's a promise for Rachel; the beloved bride, who was bought with a price. Let's awaken and celebrate the beginnings of a new season of anointing; and a new season of revival!
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