REAL CHANGE IS EASY!

1 Samuel 10:6, 10 The Spirit of the Lord will come UPON you in POWER, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be CHANGED into a DIFFERENT person…. [10] When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. If we are looking for real change we must realize that it only comes when God’s Spirit moves upon us! So many times we think we are changing because we have read a book on change or have went to a conference on change but real change comes when we hit our knees and submit to the presence of God almighty and then He changes our very character. Jacob was a liar and a cheater until in the presence of God his named was changed, his character was changed, his outlook was changed and even his enemies heart was changed. I desire a real change in my life and in the life of the church I pastor. I don’t need another self help book on how to better my relationship with Christ, I don’t need another message preach to me about the changes I need in my life, I  simply need to allow God’s spirit to come upon me and change me into a different person.

A SAD PLACE TO LIVE

I believe that there is nothing more dangerous to a man than living a life without dreams. So many give up their dreams so easily because other belittle them but remember that people that put down your dreams are just small minded people. If you have no hope in the future then you will have no power in the present. God gives you and I the dreams not only for us but so in due time we can help other people and many times our dreams completed end up helping the very people that belittled our dreams. Joseph was a dreamer and his family put him down and sold him off but in the end he was the rescuer for his family. The church needs to be filled with leaders that will dream and dream big. I know that Satan hates our salvation, our walk with God, our praise and worship but what he hates more than anything is a dreamer.

Gloria Steinem: Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

If our churches are to grow then there must be a dreamer so that we are not just shooting aimlessly at the future but aim high and shoot straight so that we can accomplish what God has put in our spirit. There are to many CEREAL Christians laying in the bottom of the bowl soaking up the milk. We need Christians that dreaming and seeking for more.

IN THE MELTING POT

During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, there was a shortage of currency in the British Empire. Representatives carefully searched the nation in hopes of finding silver to meet the emergency. After one month, the committee returned with its report. “We have searched the Empire in vain seeking to find silver,” they said. “To our dismay, we found none anywhere except in the cathedrals where the statues of the saints are made of the finest silver.” To this, Cromwell replied, “Then let us melt down the saints and put them into circulation.” In today’s world Christians have become as statues, we look pretty and look the part but we are not doing anything.We have become like silver statues in our beautiful sanctuaries influence of the mindset of security and safety. I pray that we would be melted down and put into circulation. It is time to allow the hand of God to turn up the heat and cause a melting of our hearts so we can be remade to serve our purpose of reaching every man, woman, boy and girl with this great Gospel. We have become so comfortable in our salvation that we do not want to be disturbed and called into the field. We must lay down our pride and allow God to use us in the way He planned for us. We tell God “you can have this and that but don’t touch this area. God wants all or nothing and remember He doesn’t drive parked cars. It is time to get out of neutral and become all for the KINGDOM!

The Time To Act Is NOW!

In July 1976, one hundred and three Jewish hostages were taken by terrorist in Entebbe, Uganda. The Jewish nation sent secretly their commandos into Entebbe to free their people. The problem was tremendous; how do they free one hundred and three of their own people from seven terrorist? Their plan was simple. They entered the area where the hostages and terrorist were together and shouted in Hebrew “GET DOWN NOW, CRAWL!” since the terrorist didn’t understand Hebrew and all the Jewish citizens did they simply shot everyone still standing after they yelled this! It was a great success as an escape story! All seven terrorist were killed and all one hundred and three Jewish hostages were freed! Only two Jews were hit during the firing, one because he hesitated to obey, the other because he stood back up too soon.

I believe God is shouting out orders to the church in 2010. He is calling us to new levels and a great and mighty move of His spirit. We are in the last days and it is not time to sit back and wait any longer! I am challenging you to not hesitate. I am convinced that those who hesitate will not succeed in fact will miss out on the greatest moment in church history. The time is now for the Apostolic church to become what God has intended us to be. Signs and wonders should be following us but will not if we do not hear the voice of the Lord shouting out “GET UP NOW, AND MOVE FORWARD”. As a Pastor I can not afford to miss my moment in church history and I have heard the voice of the Lord and am responding. THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!!!!

IF YOUR ON EMPTY ITS OK!!

In II KINGS Chapter we find a woman that had two sons and was in debt. The creditors were about to take away her boys and put them to work to pay the debt off. We know that she called upon Elisha and he told her to collect as many vessels as she could find and begin to pour into the vessels the only thing she had left in her life (the oil) and when she ran out of vessels she ran out of oil. I believe God is looking for some empty vessels to pour into. And I and convinced the reason the oil is stops flowing in our churches is because we stoop bringing empty souls. Remember the earth was void and without form and look around at what God did, God flung the universe into a expanse of emptiness/ he hung stars upon nothing. (He turned nothing into something , then hung it on nothing.) In John 6 – 5000 plus empty stomachs were filled with almost nothing. In John 2 – Empty washpots – filled with water and turned into wine! Its time to empty pour out of ourselves into this lost world so God can pour more anointing into us. Are you running on empty? Good because God can’t fill a vessel that has no room to por into. An empty cross! An empty tomb! Without an empty tomb. There is no Savior. No salvation. No hope and no power in us. So if you are on empty God has you right were He wants you.

Kingdom Work Can Be Distracting

Every single day of our lives, opportunities come along that have the potential to distract us from the main things that God has called us to do. Often they are “good” things. But to accomplish the most important things, we must learn to say no to some good things. We can get so busy doing “church” that we miss seeing the big picture. Have you ever put building the kingdom above your family? Of course at one time we all have done this and all in the name of church. And have we ever been so busy doing church stuff that we missed what God had planned for us? I find myself getting so into doing all the things that are “important” that I miss or almost miss the URGENT thing God wants me to do. If we are to busy doing churchy stuff to pray or dig into the Word then we are to busy. Another distraction we face is focusing on the critics and not on the vision God gave us. Don’t waste your time focusing on those who may criticize you. We must remain focused on the main thing and that is completing the perfect will of God for our lives. I am convinced that the cares of life and the things that seem important distract us so much that we miss the mark. We must have a clear head to see the clear picture to complete the clear plan for our lives. Remember, GOD then FAMILY and then CHURCH.

How Strong Are Your Beliefs?

Noun: strong belief – An unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence! I know what the facts are,  I know what the doctors say, I know what everybody says but I have strong belief in a God that is not shaken by the facts, reports or opinions of the world. Facts tell me that the economy is in terrible condition but God will not allow the righteous forsaken and will bless me in spite of the report. The doctors told Pat a few weeks ago that she HAD MS but we prayed and now for some strange reason there is NO MS. It is time that we as God’s chosen stand strong in our belief that with God all things are possible! A strong belief in something pushes away the facts and allows us to live in the supernatural and that is where God wants us to set up shop. To transform that dream into reality, you have to believe in your faith and in God and His ability to create something from nothing. Remember even Satan has a strong belief system so the question is not if you believe strongly but what do you believe strongly in. So stay strong in your belief in the miraculous and your belief will stay strong in you. I am convinced that the enemy of our souls would try and soften our belief system because if we are double minded we will surely fall. My present circumstances will not shake my belief in the supernatural power of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER IS THE BATTLE

“No Christian is greater than his prayer life.” If we don’t or won’t pray we become powerless. Prayer is not a passive act on our part. Prayer is AN AGGRESSIVE, ACTIVE MINISTRY. You are putting your shoulder to the wheel and moving the forces of heaven. Churches will not grow unless there is prayer,lives won’t be changed unless there is prayer. Prayer simply equals POWER.  For our prayers to be effective, we need to be praying in accordance with God’s will but also in faith that he can do anything.  Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that a time would come when true believers would not be confined to worship in a certain place such as the nearby mountain or Jerusalem.  Our prayers are not affected by our location likewise.  There is no “holier” place to pray.  God will answer a prayer the same way if it is prayed at home or at church.  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8 Ask  Seek  Knock. There is a progression built into this passage.  While it is repeating the idea that God will answer prayer it also builds upon the previous thought.  Each step in the progression demonstrates a deeper relationship with God.

CREATED TO WORSHIP!

The need or desire to worship is born in every person the very reason God created us was for us to worship HIM. It is not something that should have to be taught or developed and yet we have to teach and train our churches to worship. It should be a natural response. It is created within us to do. Every culture in the world worships something.  No tribe or culture has ever been found that did not worship. Each culture worships something or someone. Some worship self or money, some idols, others false gods. Because we are born with a desire and instinct to worship, the question is not do we worship, but whom do we worship. “Worship is first and foremost for His benefit, not ours, though it is marvelous to discover that in giving Him pleasure, we ourselves enter into what can become our richest and most wholesome experience in life.” A True Heart for Worship by LAmar Boschman. We come together and sing the songs of praise but the song is not the worship. We love to hear the music play but the music itself is not the worship. All of these things are what we use to bring us into a place of worship, but they are not worship in and of themselves, for true worship comes only from the heart. I want to go back to the heart of worship when finding God is much more important than completing the program or preaching the “message”. so many times we come to church having “slapped” together the plan to have good church and yet we haven’t prepared to worship. I am convinced that true worship takes preparation. Abraham said that Isaac and himself were going up the mountain to worship and preparation was made. what many would call sacrifice Abraham called worship.We will breakthrough into a Kabod place when we stop looking at what God is seeking from us as sacrifices and start seeing it as worship.

SETTLER OR PIONEER

I believe God is CALLING us on a NEW JOURNEY. I believe God is LEADING us on a NEW PATH. I believe God has been PREPARING us to ENTER into a NEW WAY where “We have never been before!” The pioneers—those who are willing to venture forth and take risks. If you are in a settler church you will find it self-centered, focused primarily on the wants and desires of those in the church family. The ministry of the pioneer church, on the other hand, is centered on the needs of the world—on feeding the hungry, caring for the hurting, seeking the lost,and is a hospital for the sin sick. When it comes to outreach, the settler church says: “Everyone knows we are here! They can come and join us if they want to.” The pioneer church, however, goes out into the highways and byways to offer an invitation to the Kingdom. True pioneers of the Spirit are never satisfied. They are always looking for new ways and avenues to build God’s kingdom. They are hungry and thirsty for spiritual reality. They defy all limitations that man places upon them. They dance to the beat of a different drum. When faced with obstacles, they just climb over them in faith and keep on going. They don’t allow anyone or anything to stop them from doing the will of God. The word “compromise” is not even in their vocabulary. True pioneers are willing to lay down everything in order to gain Christ. They are willing to travel down roads that are not paved, but are long, hard, full of potholes and very rocky. They are fully aware that the way may not always be easy, but will one day be very rewarding. The pioneers who traveled across America many years ago were always stopping to look from a high vantage point to see what might be in the path ahead of them. It’s the same for pioneers of the spirit. We must be able to stop and spend some quality time with Jesus so He can show us what lies in the path ahead of us. Are you a SETTLER or a PIONEER?