LET'S GIVE UP

What in the world could I mean by this??? What I mean is let's give up and let God take control!!! I know, we've all said this before this is no profound statement in the least. But, I've been in many situations lately that show me that I am nothing, reminding me of 1 Cor. 3:6-8. I may water and/or plant, but it doesn't matter at all, GOD MAKES IT GROW!!! So, what does this mean to me? It means I need to GO and MAKE and BAPTIZE in the name of Jesus Christ!! Let's step out and make a difference and look different!!! God should not ever be put into a box, so let Him out. Let's give up and let God take us on the wildest adventure we'll ever go on, with Him in control!!! You may look weird, dumb, funny, abnormal, but if it is of God, you will be redeemed and God will make the seeds grow!!!

In the Dumps

Yesterday while working security at the mall, myself and another officer came upon a guy in an overflow parking lot who had cuyt his wrist and was trying to cut it deeper with a box knife. Now, being a pastor and in ministry I understand the oppression that the enemy has. So, coming upon a situation like this I almost hate to call the police and EMS because I know that this guy is going to see a psychiatrist and get some drugs and then everyone will be happy. But, looking into this guy's eyes was scary. They were completely dialated, completely black. As I talked with him I asked him about drug use and all that and he seemed alert and oriented and stated that he wasn't on any drug or anything. I just wanted to scream, 'In the name of Jesus I command you to leave," to the enemy in this guy's life, but that's not very kosher in the law enforcement/security world and this is when I started thinking. Does it really matter if it is kosher in the world?? Surely if I am following the great commission and following the spirit's lead I will be taken care of. I think I am really starting to grasp this reckless abandon thing!1 Which I don't know if I ever would have if I weren't called to be bi-vocational. God is good and we need to make a stand for Him, not being a crazy or always doing really outrageous things, but when He speaks we need to have immediate obedience no matter what the cost. The cause of Christ is greater than any cost we will face!!!!

What is reality??

What do think about the comment, "We can't just throw everything we've done out the window?"

Broken Hearted for Jesus

Man, what a night Friday night waS. I decided to go with a friend to aN IHOP 24 hour prayer event. I get there and see the Spirit moving and just stand and pray and listen. God started speaking(of course). An older woman in her 50's is sitting about 20 feet in front of me and God speaks clearly to me. I clearly hear that God is blessed that this woman has come to this meeting unknowing as to what it entails(which, I was in the same boat). So, here I am at this place that I know two people and am surrounded by about 50 people. What do I do, well it's pretty obvious God speaks so I have to be obedient, so I go tell this woman that God is blessed by her willingness to step out. She says, " Well thank you." I go back to my seat and begin to pray and God continues to lay this woman on my mind and is showing me that there is something going on with her, but it is not really up to me personally to deal with. Well then of course I ask, "Who?" By this time the woman comes back to where I am sitting and as she pulls the cotton out of here ears(because she said the music was too loud) she asks me what I said to her earlier and asks me to step out and share with her. Instantly my alarm goes off, because I absolutely don't minister to a woman one-on-one, but God gave me peace to go as there were many around and it was us alone. I began speaking to her and instantly see the bondage in her life. The enemy had this woman by the hair and she didn't know what to do. The heart breaking thing aside from the bondage was that her husband in an elder in a nearby church!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!!! She goes on to tell me that she has had an overwhelming voice of doubt in her walk with God for TWENTY YEARS!!! I was able to grab another woman(whom I didn't know) to stand in while I prayed with this woman. Does this make you wonder what is wrong with the "church" today?? An "elder"(quotes used quite sarcastically) in a church has a wife who has been living in bondage for twenty stinking years. How in the world can this man be an elder, he obviously doesn't meet any sort of requirement as laid out in Scripture. This showed me that God has me doing what I'm doing for a reason. To get the people out of the pews, building, pastor's study, and sending them out into the battle with the weapons of the Lord!!! I get a little passionate, but truly my heart is broken for God as He is being represented by many who don't even really know Him or His Spirit at all!!! Let's go, make, and baptize in the name of Jesus and get these people into the Kingdom mindset!!!

Discipleship what??

I was reading in Matthew 25 and was struck anew by a story that many of us know, the story of the three servants. As soon as I read 25:29 I was struck. "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away."(NLT) This is extremely challenging to me and hopefully challenging to all of you. I am interpreting this in a minsitry and personal sense. As disciplers it is our job to challenge our disciples in spiritual formation and to make sure that we are building them up as not only faithful followers of Christ, but as workers for Christ(which will come naturally as they are truly living for Christ in a personal way). I am thinking of this servant who was only given one bag of gold. You must invest this bag of gold in the bank(discipleship and disciplines), so that the bag of gold gains interest(them making a disciple themselves). But, if you are unfaithful with this task even what little you have(1 disciple) will be taken away. As disciplers we must be disciplined ourselves and following hard after God as disciplined warriors. If we are not then how can we train someone to do the same. Luke 6:40 says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone, when fully trained, will be like his teacher." So, what is your disciple going to look like when fully trained? With discipleship comes discipline in itself, meaning that we have to meet weekly, if you can't, try and schedule another time during the week, we should never go more than one week without meeting. I

Also, we have to pray continuously for our disciples that they would learn to follow the Spirit of God and have discernment to hear His voice. Let's not bury the bags of gold, that God is giving us, in the ground, but invest them for a phenominal return. God is depending on us to work for Him, let's be the good and faithful servants that He wants us to be. Not only will your disciples be blessed, but you will be blessed to see the awesome transformation of God in your own life!!!