Thursday, December 20, 2007
Moving Forward
There is only 11 days left in 2007 and it's been a hectic but good year. As I look forward to 2008 I wanted to give you some thoughts on what I think God is saying as we step into the year 2008. Biblically the number 8 stood for new beginnings and brithing of something. I am 1 week into my new "assignment" for this season as the associate youth director at Abundant Life and I can honestly say that my prayer for 08 is that the fire of God will take the youth by storm. As I was driving into work today God began to speak to me about not looking back and to begin to walk forward and not allow the things that happened in 07, 06 or anything in the past to hold me back. I am excited to see what God is going to do in 2008 for our youth.
Decision Effect
I received this devotional from Ed Young this morning and I wanted to share it with everyone.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
- Romans 7:15
Paul was the ultimate Christ-follower. He dedicated his life to spreading the message of Jesus Christ and started churches throughout the known world. He even wrote most of the New Testament, yet Paul still struggled with lining up his actions with what he knew and understood to be right.
We are not alone in our struggle to match our priorities and commitments. It has been a problem for thousands of years And has cost many Christian men and women the freedom that God desires for them. But the sad thing is that many Christ-followers do not realize they are sacrificing their freedom.
We pay attention to the major decisions of life like who we should marry and what career path we should take, yet we neglect the seemingly mundane decisions. God does not want us to live that way. He wants us to pay attention to the little opportunities that shape our lives instead of living for the next "opportunity of a lifetime."
Daily decisions can add up to shape a lifetime, but wisdom is found in making the most of both the little opportunities and the big ones. All of our decisions matter to God and they impact our lives. But if we want to live in the freedom Christ came to offer, our priorities and commitments (even the little ones) must line up with God's principles.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
- Romans 7:15
Paul was the ultimate Christ-follower. He dedicated his life to spreading the message of Jesus Christ and started churches throughout the known world. He even wrote most of the New Testament, yet Paul still struggled with lining up his actions with what he knew and understood to be right.
We are not alone in our struggle to match our priorities and commitments. It has been a problem for thousands of years And has cost many Christian men and women the freedom that God desires for them. But the sad thing is that many Christ-followers do not realize they are sacrificing their freedom.
We pay attention to the major decisions of life like who we should marry and what career path we should take, yet we neglect the seemingly mundane decisions. God does not want us to live that way. He wants us to pay attention to the little opportunities that shape our lives instead of living for the next "opportunity of a lifetime."
Daily decisions can add up to shape a lifetime, but wisdom is found in making the most of both the little opportunities and the big ones. All of our decisions matter to God and they impact our lives. But if we want to live in the freedom Christ came to offer, our priorities and commitments (even the little ones) must line up with God's principles.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Desire - The Key To Absolute Victory
God needs us to desire what we are asking Him for. We don’t receive the fullness of what God wants us to have is lack of desire. If you look up the word desire in the dictionary you will find the following meanings. Desire (verb) – to long or hope for; exhibit or feel a desire for. Some synonyms for desire are: wish, want, crave, or covet: which all mean to have a longing for. Desire (noun) – a conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment; a usually formal request or petition for some action. One translation of desire is: consuming passion; unrelenting undying drive; insatiable hunger; unquenchable thirst; intense fervency. Desire is the difference between winners and losers. You will never do anything great with out desire.
Those of you that know me know how much of a sports nut I am. If you have seen any type of sports program you will often hear the terms “Eye of the tiger or past his prime.” Both statements deal with desire OR lack there of. How many things have we missed out on because we don’t have the eye of the tiger for the kingdom? How many miracles have been missed; how many souls haven’t been saved; how many times has God desired to move but because of our lack of desire He wasn’t able to. I am fully persuaded to the fact that America is in the spiritual state it is because for generation after generation there has been a lack of DESIRE and we are paying the price for it.
Throughout scripture the blessing of God and desire were always in relationship with each other. If you want something bad enough then you will do whatever it takes (DESIRE) to bring the promise to pass. There’s no substitute for desire; you can’t fake desire; you can’t pretend to have desire. You either have it or you don’t. Everything that has ever been accomplished has come because of desire. It doesn’t take ability or talent it takes desire. I would much rather have a group of desirous people then a group of “talented people.” If you know your talented then you will rely on your talent to bring things to pass; if you are desirous you will rely on your desire to bring things to pass.
Everything God does for His people; comes when the fire of desire is ignited. If you trace great moves of God back through history you will see that before the fire of revival comes there was an igniting of desire first. Charles Seymour (the father of the Azusa Street outpouring) would pray with his face in a shoebox so he wouldn’t be distracted while he was praying. The outpouring in Brownsville came because a group of people got together to pray and seek God’s face. Our hunger for the word or lack there of is how God gauges our level of desire. Why is it that when ever there’s a special speaker for a revival service or for a potluck the church is packed but on a Wednesday night Bible study or a Sunday evening prayer meeting the church has 10 people?
I believe it’s because our desire for hero’s and food is greater than our desire for the move of God. We have got to get out of the hero mentality and move to a God mentality. Prominent people in the ministry are no different than you and I. They may have a different calling than us but they are where they are because of the desire in their hearts. It takes heart and desire to do something great for God.
In closing I want to leave you with a couple of things for you to keep in your memory. The story of the hare and the turtle is an amazing story that relates to desire (turtle) and lack there of (hare). This should have been no match for the rabbit; it was obvious that the rabbit was blessed more than the turtle. But the problem with the rabbit was the fact that he knew he was blessed and once he got a “comfortable lead” he laid down and took a nap. But the turtle kept on going he was reaching and struggling but he had desire to win. To make a long story short we all know that the turtle wound up winning because the rabbit got lazy. It doesn’t matter how fast others around you received their blessing all that matters is your posture of desire while you are in the race. Where there’s faith and optimism there will always be a way. I believe that your level of faith is a picture of your level of desire.
We have got to get the “push back” mentality. It’s the mentality that says you have pushed me long enough and I am going to start pushing back. That push back is called the power of the word. Jer. 1:9 says “behold I have placed my words in your mouth.” God was telling Jeremiah that His words were in Jeremiah’s mouth. The word in Jer. 1:9 is neither logos (written word) or rhema (spoken word) but it’s a connotation of the word debar which is a Hebrew connotation of an action verb. The word means that it is going to create something, do something & manifest something
It carries the connotation of dynamic action. Debar- to get behind & drive forward; or drive forward that which is behind. We have got to stop telling everyone about what we struggle with and use the debar and desire we have to drive them out. God gave us a weapon and we need to quit using it to kill people and gossip and use it to deliver. Every time fear rises up and paralyzes you; the debar word of God needs to rise up and drive it out. Once we understand this we can drive forward everything that is behind us. It’s time to tell the enemy that if anyone is backing down it’s going to be them because of the debar and desire in you
If we would begin to desire the things of God MORE than the things of this world there will be nothing that can hold us back. If God is going to do anything in our lives and through our lives our desire MUST be refreshed. David said in the book of Psalms 27:4 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” Is that the cry of your heart for 2008? I believe that God is looking for a group of people that will allow the fire of desire to be ignited and when that happens God will begin to move. God Bless and may 2008 be the best year in your life.
**Some of these thoughts were from a sermon Jentenzen Franklin Preached**
Those of you that know me know how much of a sports nut I am. If you have seen any type of sports program you will often hear the terms “Eye of the tiger or past his prime.” Both statements deal with desire OR lack there of. How many things have we missed out on because we don’t have the eye of the tiger for the kingdom? How many miracles have been missed; how many souls haven’t been saved; how many times has God desired to move but because of our lack of desire He wasn’t able to. I am fully persuaded to the fact that America is in the spiritual state it is because for generation after generation there has been a lack of DESIRE and we are paying the price for it.
Throughout scripture the blessing of God and desire were always in relationship with each other. If you want something bad enough then you will do whatever it takes (DESIRE) to bring the promise to pass. There’s no substitute for desire; you can’t fake desire; you can’t pretend to have desire. You either have it or you don’t. Everything that has ever been accomplished has come because of desire. It doesn’t take ability or talent it takes desire. I would much rather have a group of desirous people then a group of “talented people.” If you know your talented then you will rely on your talent to bring things to pass; if you are desirous you will rely on your desire to bring things to pass.
Everything God does for His people; comes when the fire of desire is ignited. If you trace great moves of God back through history you will see that before the fire of revival comes there was an igniting of desire first. Charles Seymour (the father of the Azusa Street outpouring) would pray with his face in a shoebox so he wouldn’t be distracted while he was praying. The outpouring in Brownsville came because a group of people got together to pray and seek God’s face. Our hunger for the word or lack there of is how God gauges our level of desire. Why is it that when ever there’s a special speaker for a revival service or for a potluck the church is packed but on a Wednesday night Bible study or a Sunday evening prayer meeting the church has 10 people?
I believe it’s because our desire for hero’s and food is greater than our desire for the move of God. We have got to get out of the hero mentality and move to a God mentality. Prominent people in the ministry are no different than you and I. They may have a different calling than us but they are where they are because of the desire in their hearts. It takes heart and desire to do something great for God.
In closing I want to leave you with a couple of things for you to keep in your memory. The story of the hare and the turtle is an amazing story that relates to desire (turtle) and lack there of (hare). This should have been no match for the rabbit; it was obvious that the rabbit was blessed more than the turtle. But the problem with the rabbit was the fact that he knew he was blessed and once he got a “comfortable lead” he laid down and took a nap. But the turtle kept on going he was reaching and struggling but he had desire to win. To make a long story short we all know that the turtle wound up winning because the rabbit got lazy. It doesn’t matter how fast others around you received their blessing all that matters is your posture of desire while you are in the race. Where there’s faith and optimism there will always be a way. I believe that your level of faith is a picture of your level of desire.
We have got to get the “push back” mentality. It’s the mentality that says you have pushed me long enough and I am going to start pushing back. That push back is called the power of the word. Jer. 1:9 says “behold I have placed my words in your mouth.” God was telling Jeremiah that His words were in Jeremiah’s mouth. The word in Jer. 1:9 is neither logos (written word) or rhema (spoken word) but it’s a connotation of the word debar which is a Hebrew connotation of an action verb. The word means that it is going to create something, do something & manifest something
It carries the connotation of dynamic action. Debar- to get behind & drive forward; or drive forward that which is behind. We have got to stop telling everyone about what we struggle with and use the debar and desire we have to drive them out. God gave us a weapon and we need to quit using it to kill people and gossip and use it to deliver. Every time fear rises up and paralyzes you; the debar word of God needs to rise up and drive it out. Once we understand this we can drive forward everything that is behind us. It’s time to tell the enemy that if anyone is backing down it’s going to be them because of the debar and desire in you
If we would begin to desire the things of God MORE than the things of this world there will be nothing that can hold us back. If God is going to do anything in our lives and through our lives our desire MUST be refreshed. David said in the book of Psalms 27:4 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” Is that the cry of your heart for 2008? I believe that God is looking for a group of people that will allow the fire of desire to be ignited and when that happens God will begin to move. God Bless and may 2008 be the best year in your life.
**Some of these thoughts were from a sermon Jentenzen Franklin Preached**
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Discerning Between State & Fate
TD Jakes talks about this in his book "Reposition Yourself - Living Without Limits". It spoke to me and I hope it does the same for you.
We all go through situations that cause us to wonder if we are ever going to come out of it. It's our attitude in the situations that ultimately determine our attitude and progression once we come out of the situation. I am reminded of Joseph in the book of Genesis and the "situations" he went through. If you have been saved any amount of time you know that the only crime that Joseph was guilty of was being a man of integrity and a "dreamer." But it seemed like no matter what he did he could never get out of it.
He was sold into slavery by his brother's, accused of rape by Potiphar's wife, put in prison, interpreted the dreams of the prisoner's who promised to not forget when they got out, but they didn't even breath his name. Yet all the time he kept his heart pure. I am sure that during that time it would have been so easy for him to get bitter and resent his gift but he kept himself from reproach. Until the day came that no one could interpret the dream that Pharoh had except Joseph. If anyone had a right to give up and not pursue their calling it would be Joseph. The thing I love about this story was the fact that Joseph was given every opportunity to give up and be resentful but he kept his heart right.
If you are in a situation today and you think that it's not going to get any better I want to encourage you to keep doing what you're doing and you WILL come out of this thing and bring people with you. You never know you could be in a financial crisis and everything is closing in around you and God give you a dream like John Deere and it go froms a dream to a plan to a product and you come out and get out of debt and give your prosperity to the church. Keep doing what you are doing. God's not freaking out about your situation because He's already in your future. He's not looking at your present situation He's looking at your future position. Keep doing it and evantually you will get to where God is!!!
The one thing you need to do in your situation is to determine whether or not this is a temporary situation or a permanent destination. You can't succumb to fear and despair but you need to persevere. We need to also remember that if God wants to promote He'll send a person and if Satan wants to stop you he'll send a person. So either way your blessing or your cursing is going to come wrapped in some flesh.
How Do You Move From State To Fate?
1.) Take An Inventory of Where You Are
- Before we can move any further we need to do a self-analysis and determine where we are.
- You can only correct what you are willing to confront
2.) Recognize How Gifted We Are
- We must recognize the power of the gifts God has given us to escape the prison of despair and defeat. Joseph was bound by his circumstances but he overcame them by using his gifts.
3.) Keep A Pure Spirit Before God
- When all hell's breaking loose in your life and you feel it's going to be easier to quit keep your heart right and know that if God brings you to it He'll bring you through it.
4.) Learn How To Re-Create Yourself In A Time Of Need
- Joseph went from convict to commissioner in a matter of hours b/c of his creativity.
- The spirit of favor and creativity WILL ALWAYS bring you out.
We all go through situations that cause us to wonder if we are ever going to come out of it. It's our attitude in the situations that ultimately determine our attitude and progression once we come out of the situation. I am reminded of Joseph in the book of Genesis and the "situations" he went through. If you have been saved any amount of time you know that the only crime that Joseph was guilty of was being a man of integrity and a "dreamer." But it seemed like no matter what he did he could never get out of it.
He was sold into slavery by his brother's, accused of rape by Potiphar's wife, put in prison, interpreted the dreams of the prisoner's who promised to not forget when they got out, but they didn't even breath his name. Yet all the time he kept his heart pure. I am sure that during that time it would have been so easy for him to get bitter and resent his gift but he kept himself from reproach. Until the day came that no one could interpret the dream that Pharoh had except Joseph. If anyone had a right to give up and not pursue their calling it would be Joseph. The thing I love about this story was the fact that Joseph was given every opportunity to give up and be resentful but he kept his heart right.
If you are in a situation today and you think that it's not going to get any better I want to encourage you to keep doing what you're doing and you WILL come out of this thing and bring people with you. You never know you could be in a financial crisis and everything is closing in around you and God give you a dream like John Deere and it go froms a dream to a plan to a product and you come out and get out of debt and give your prosperity to the church. Keep doing what you are doing. God's not freaking out about your situation because He's already in your future. He's not looking at your present situation He's looking at your future position. Keep doing it and evantually you will get to where God is!!!
The one thing you need to do in your situation is to determine whether or not this is a temporary situation or a permanent destination. You can't succumb to fear and despair but you need to persevere. We need to also remember that if God wants to promote He'll send a person and if Satan wants to stop you he'll send a person. So either way your blessing or your cursing is going to come wrapped in some flesh.
How Do You Move From State To Fate?
1.) Take An Inventory of Where You Are
- Before we can move any further we need to do a self-analysis and determine where we are.
- You can only correct what you are willing to confront
2.) Recognize How Gifted We Are
- We must recognize the power of the gifts God has given us to escape the prison of despair and defeat. Joseph was bound by his circumstances but he overcame them by using his gifts.
3.) Keep A Pure Spirit Before God
- When all hell's breaking loose in your life and you feel it's going to be easier to quit keep your heart right and know that if God brings you to it He'll bring you through it.
4.) Learn How To Re-Create Yourself In A Time Of Need
- Joseph went from convict to commissioner in a matter of hours b/c of his creativity.
- The spirit of favor and creativity WILL ALWAYS bring you out.
Know When To Bend
I received the following this morning from Michael Pink, author of Selling Among Wolves Without Joining The Pack. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
"Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings,(2) to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (3) I will go before you, and (4) make the crooked places straight: (Isa 45:1-3)
So I ask you, what makes a crooked path? I believe there are two causes of the crooked path and they both serve a purpose. The first cause of the crooked path is God Himself. It is on the crooked path that we learn to rely on Him. It is on the crooked path that we come to the end of ourselves. It is on the crooked path that we behold the beauty of the Lord and His glory. It is on the crooked path, that we must bend our will to His way. It is on the crooked path that we become entwined with Him. We injure ourselves when we try to straighten what God has made crooked. We must learn to bend with the Father and conform to His "way". He is taking us to school along the crooked path. Learn to enjoy the scenery.Charles Kuralt of CBS fame once said, "Interstate highways allow you to drive coast to coast, without seeing anything". It's the curse of the straight path. While it's true that the shortest path between any two points is a straight line, the straight line is not always best. The devil always tells us, we deserve it now. Get rich quick. Take the shortest path. Don't wait. Time's a wasting! If you get on the straight path, (the interstate highway), before you have the Father's heart built in and the old nature brought under, you may find yourself broadsided by a fast moving 18 wheeler, you didn't see coming!Give a young man his inheritance before he has the wisdom to steward it and you will lose both the inheritance and quite possibly your son. Before you give your child any inheritance, make sure you have passed on the inheritance of your heart. A great way to do that is on the difficult path. The crooked path. The inheritance of your heart is more "caught than taught" and the trials of life provide the perfect context to pass on the wealth of understanding God has deposited in your heart as you learned to bend to His will and His ways along the winding path.
"Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will (1) loose the armor of kings,(2) to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (3) I will go before you, and (4) make the crooked places straight: (Isa 45:1-3)
So I ask you, what makes a crooked path? I believe there are two causes of the crooked path and they both serve a purpose. The first cause of the crooked path is God Himself. It is on the crooked path that we learn to rely on Him. It is on the crooked path that we come to the end of ourselves. It is on the crooked path that we behold the beauty of the Lord and His glory. It is on the crooked path, that we must bend our will to His way. It is on the crooked path that we become entwined with Him. We injure ourselves when we try to straighten what God has made crooked. We must learn to bend with the Father and conform to His "way". He is taking us to school along the crooked path. Learn to enjoy the scenery.Charles Kuralt of CBS fame once said, "Interstate highways allow you to drive coast to coast, without seeing anything". It's the curse of the straight path. While it's true that the shortest path between any two points is a straight line, the straight line is not always best. The devil always tells us, we deserve it now. Get rich quick. Take the shortest path. Don't wait. Time's a wasting! If you get on the straight path, (the interstate highway), before you have the Father's heart built in and the old nature brought under, you may find yourself broadsided by a fast moving 18 wheeler, you didn't see coming!Give a young man his inheritance before he has the wisdom to steward it and you will lose both the inheritance and quite possibly your son. Before you give your child any inheritance, make sure you have passed on the inheritance of your heart. A great way to do that is on the difficult path. The crooked path. The inheritance of your heart is more "caught than taught" and the trials of life provide the perfect context to pass on the wealth of understanding God has deposited in your heart as you learned to bend to His will and His ways along the winding path.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Stuck On Standby!!!
I know that Pastor Clint Brown used this title for a recent sermon that I ministered in Michigan. I feel that it was a "now word" for a lot of the youth and young adults that were in attendance and I wanted to share some points with you.
I ministered out of Deut. 1:5-8; here are some key points; the children of Israel had been stuck in the wilderness for 40 years because of the negative report of 10 people. The journey should have only taken them 11 days but they were "stuck on standby" for 40 years. I feel that the church of America has been "stuck" for too long and it's time to move on. There were three things God told Moses before they were to possess their promise.
The word standby means: held near at hand & ready for use.
1.) Realize They Dwelt Here Long Enough
- You've been at the same place for too long and it's time you realize it and move on.
2.) Break Camp
- Before you can FULLY move into your destiny you have to break the thing that is "comfortable" to you and start progressing.
- We need to forget who has wronged us and ran us through the mud and move on. We have got to quit talking about the "used to" move and start talking about the "NOW" move. People aren't interested in the used to they want to know the now move.
- You can never fully get "here" until you are willing to leave "there."
3.) Go & Occupy
- The word occupy in v 8 literally means to possess the land. The word possess means to drive out other tenants. We have tenants that are "squatting" illegally on our land & it's time we go and drive them out.
Hope you enjoyed.
I ministered out of Deut. 1:5-8; here are some key points; the children of Israel had been stuck in the wilderness for 40 years because of the negative report of 10 people. The journey should have only taken them 11 days but they were "stuck on standby" for 40 years. I feel that the church of America has been "stuck" for too long and it's time to move on. There were three things God told Moses before they were to possess their promise.
The word standby means: held near at hand & ready for use.
1.) Realize They Dwelt Here Long Enough
- You've been at the same place for too long and it's time you realize it and move on.
2.) Break Camp
- Before you can FULLY move into your destiny you have to break the thing that is "comfortable" to you and start progressing.
- We need to forget who has wronged us and ran us through the mud and move on. We have got to quit talking about the "used to" move and start talking about the "NOW" move. People aren't interested in the used to they want to know the now move.
- You can never fully get "here" until you are willing to leave "there."
3.) Go & Occupy
- The word occupy in v 8 literally means to possess the land. The word possess means to drive out other tenants. We have tenants that are "squatting" illegally on our land & it's time we go and drive them out.
Hope you enjoyed.
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