Availability to God

Many of us are more concerned about our abilities than we are our availability. We allow the enemy to hinder our walk with God because we only identify the lack of talent, gifts, abilities, etc. in our lives. We fail to remember that God needs our availability more than He needs our abilities. He can train, teach, and mold us if we are willing to submit to His process of development. I am at the crossroads of my life in which I desire to be available to the process and plan of God. Jesus reminds us that His sheep His hear voice and they follow Him when He calls. Are we truly willing to follow Him when He calls or has that scriptural principle merely become a "religious" theory that we know should be true in our lives? I certainly desire more than just religious knowledge of God; I desire to be available to Him so that He can complete what He has begun in me. I desire to enjoy the journey with God as well as the excitement that surrounds the destination. Take a moment today and recommit your availability to God and allow Him to use you to be a blessing to someone who needs to see the love of God revealed through your life.

God's Love

It seems that in recent days and recent services God keeps reminding me about the blessings of His love. In the service last night the overwhelming presence of God's love was released in the service. We remained in the altar for a significant amount of time praying with people and reinforcing to them that God was genuinely interested in their lives. So many people are searching for love and acceptance; but many of them are looking in all of the wrong places. It is time for the church to step forward and share the true love of God with people and let them realize that they are important to God. I witnessed this taking place in the service last night and and I am still rejoicing over that fact today. One thing that you can always be certain of is God's love for you. When you go through hard times, it doesn't mean that God has abandoned you. Rather, hard times allow God to reveal His infinite love and care for you. Assurance from other relationships is good at times, but God is the only one in whom you can trust completely without fear of disappointment. You can be assured that what He says is true and what He does is reliable. The world is full of uncertainty, so why search for assurance in it? Assurance in this life comes from experiencing God's love for you, which gives you security for today and for eternity! SPECIAL NOTICE: I want to use this means to wish our son, Kyle, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Kyle, we love you and we are proud to call you our son.

Scripture of the Day

The revival service last night was very challenging. The Lord taught us that we are living in the days of challenge, anxiety, stress, and demonic oppression. But in the midst of these days God is raising up in our hearts a greater desire to serve Him and follow Him into greater victories. If I am going to walk in the strength of this victory I must learn to lean on the promises of God. The Lord led me to one of those promises this morning and I would like to share it with you. Isaiah 43:1-3, "Listen to the Lord who created you...the One who formed you says, Do not be afraid. For I have ransomed you. I have called you by name: you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, Your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior." (NLT) All of us will face times in which we are required to trust God. There are times that we will face challenges and situations which are greater than our ability to handle them. It is at those times that we release our faith and realize that God will see us through those challenging moments. Today is the day to release your faith and allow Him to strengthen you in the day of battle.

Sunday Services

The first two services at the Crossroads church with the Riley's was a great blessing to all of us who gathered on the Lord's day to offer worship and praise to our great King. I am convinced that God is calling us into a deeper time of praise and adoration. God is asking us to lay aside our pre-conceived ideas and our fleshly pride. We must realize that there is a great struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh wants to stay in our comfort zone and the Spirit is calling us to pursue a deeper relationship with God. We must choose which course of action we will take. Do we want to remain relaxed, lethargic and unchanged or do we desire for the presence of God to manifest Himself in such a manner that we are transformed into the people that God desires us to become? I want to do my best and answer the call of the Spirit and not allow the flesh to dominate my process of responding to God. Will you join with me in making this declaration to God? O God, I am ready to respond to You, I am ready to step out of my "spiritual comfort zone", and I am ready to obey You to the best of my ability. Let us declare this from the very depth of our soul; God is ready to respond the cry of our hearts.

New Week

I am looking forward to being in Revival at the Crossroads Church in White Bluff, TN with Pastor Gary Riley. I sense that in these days of challenges the Lord is prepared to reveal His Glory to those who will seek His presence. Do you want to be in the number of those who will seek after the face of God? Many of us desire His blessings but do we sincerely desire His presence? The presence of God reveals His power to transform us into His into image and likeness. I desire to reflect His presence in my life. I am excited about this coming week; would you continue to pray for the anointing of the Spirit to rest upon the services? We can do nothing without HIM!

Rest in God!

During my devotional time this morning I received an encouraging thought from the Lord. His Word reminded me that I could find the rest and peace that I needed even though the world is in a state of crisis at this moment. Everyone of us are facing certain circumstances that will try to rob us of our peace and rest in God. We all face those moments of anxiety, concern, fear, or disappointment. We look for the hand of God to direct our steps. At a very important point in the journey of Moses God shared with Him (and us, I might say) these encouraging words in Exodus 33:14, "And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." The promise of the presence of God has such a calming effect as we face the challenges of daily living. Do not feel forsaken or lonely; Christ has promised to be with us. We can rejoice and declare that we can still find peace and rest in the strength of God.

Praising God!

After service last night the Lord challenged me with this thought. Have I forgotten the true joy of just praising God for all that He has done for me? Have I forgotten the joy that the Father receives when I offer Him thanksgiving and appreciation? Has praise become a lost treasure among those of us who have attended church for much of our lives? Do we wait on the "new converts" to express all of the joy, excitement, thankfulness for us or should not the "seasoned believers" be leading the way when it comes to praise and adoration of our God? Praise and worship is good for both the "new converts" as well as the "seasoned converts." I challenge you to take some time today and make a definite statement of praise to God. But please remember the praise needs to come from your heart and not just speak words that we have learned through the years of our connection with the church. The last two nights of the revival at Dacusville have been great. The Lord has spoken a direct word to many of us and we are choosing to walk in the stength of that declaration to us. I anticipate a mighty encounter with God tonight.

God's Encouragement to His People

It seems that God keeps reminding me to remind His people of the great LOVE that He possesses for all of His creation. I am understanding that I am unable to truly fathom and understand the power of His love and the desire that God has to release His love in our lives. Yesterday at Dacusville there was a great release of the love of God in the services. Many people struggle with the concept that God truly loves me and that He is interested in my life and that He is concerned about the challenges that I am facing. I told the church yesterday; the Lord will meet you in your time of crisis. He will not forget you and He does not expect you and me to navigate this journey on our own. He is our Shepherd/Guide who travels in front us and He leads us through the perils of our journey. We must learn to not only rejoice about the love of God we must learn to walk in the strength of His great and wonderful love. Some of you who are reading this blog today need to be reminded that God TRULY DOES LOVE YOU AND THAT YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO HIM! Walk in the revelation and declaration of His love over your life today. The Sunday services at Dacusville were wonderful. Surely the presence of the Lord was in the services as we lifted our voices together in praise and worship. People came forward during the invitation time and shared their needs with the Lord. I anticipate a great move of the Spirit throughout the remainder of the services.

We Are Not Alone

As I was reading a devotional this morning I was reminded of the blessing of my fellow Christians on the journey of life. It is sad that many times we take for granted those that are dear to us. I realize that God has placed wonderful people in my life through the years that have encouraged me and blessed me/us with their support and friendship. Take a moment today and remind yourself of the wonderful people that God has placed in your life and remember the blessing that they have been to you. You are not alone on the journey; God has given you friends and family that provide support, encouragement, love, and prayers to assist you through the challenges of life. This past week I have been in the home of a friend who has allowed me to use his computer and internet service so that I can stay in contact with people around this nation. I am staying in my brother's home during my revival tour in SC. These are great reminders that I am not alone. My wife is praying for me and for the success of the meetings although we are located in different states yet our hearts are connected through the call of God. Take a moment and thank God for all of the WONDERFUL people that He has placed in your life.

Time of Rejoicing

Last night concluded the services at the Piedmont, SC church. It was a great time of refreshing, encouragement, deliverance, strength, and victory. Pastor Manley and the local church are to be commended for their spiritual preparation before the meeting. The anointing of the Spirit was truly AWESOME! Each evening the Spirit challenged us to allow our faith to expand; last evening the Spirit taught us that the presence of God will release the stream of cleansing in our lives. We must be free and cleansed from any obstacle that the enemy will place in our lives; the enemy seeks to hinder my walk with God but God seeks to fulfill His good pleasure in my life. I desire to choose what God has planned for me and to reject the tactics of the enemy. Let us continue to walk in faith; let us continue to seek God with sincere and serious passion; let us continue to desire for His Kingdom to come in our lives; and let us lift our hearts to God who is our true source of help and strength. One final thought. During prayer the Lord reminded me that I do not need to allow the "issues" of life to hinder my desire to reach people with the message of the Gospel. All of us have a sphere of influence and in this sphere are people who need to know about the marvelous love of God. It is so easy to be consumed by what is taking place in our lives that we fail to see the harvest fields that are all around us. Let us open our eyes and believe that we are truly living in the "days of the harvest."

Decision Time

During the service last night the Spirit reminded us that we are in great need of making the proper decision regarding our walk with Christ. These are not the days to be living in the "valley of decision." We can not afford to live in the moments of indecision. Indecision leads us down the road of lethargy, apathy, unconcern, and spiritual laziness. I do not want to miss what God is doing because I have become content and satisfied in my relationship with God. God desires that my faith is growing and maturing so that I can reach the full potential of my relationship with Him. Will I make the right choice and follow Him? God is calling for active faith; active faith causes me to release my life into His hands so that He can be glorified in all that I do. I desire to please and surrender my heart to God. Will you join me in stepping out of the valley of indecision and making a sincere commitment to Christ? These are the days to follow Christ with passion and sincere desire.

God's Call

The service last night at Piedmont was great. You could sense the presence of Christ from the very opening song. The Worship Team led us deeper into the presence of God and the Word of God challenged us to participate with God. I desire to release my faith in such a manner that I am in agreement with God and the purpose that He desires to release in my life. We witnessed the Holy Spirit give the second invitation of the evening and many others responded to "God's Call." Are you responding to "God's Call?" Do we spend time listening to all of the noise that is going around us? Does this "noise" block out the Voice of the Shepherd who is calling us to draw near to Him into deeper fellowship/relationship. We need to listen for the Voice of Christ and allow Him to speak words of direction, conviction, guidance, and encouragement into our lives. All of us are facing situations in which we need the guidance of the Lord. O Lord, give me ears to hear what You are declaring to me.

Weekend Review

The presence of the Spirit was very powerful in the Sunday services at Piedmont, SC. Pastor Barry & Georgia Manley are doing a wonderful job leading the church in a deeper pursuit of the anointing of the Spirit. Many people responded to the altar invitation and came forward to receive strength from God. God is at work in the lives of people if only we will take the time and notice what God is doing among us and what He is saying to us. We must be serious in our response to God and we must recognize the majesty of God as we worship Him. During prayer this morning the Lord reminded me that I needed to be careful and not become sidetracked or distracted with everything that is going on around us. It is so easy to lose our focus and not walk in a passionate pursuit of God. I desire to remain in touch with God so that He can shape, form, mold and make me in His image and likeness. I must choose to focus on Him and allow His presence to order and direct my steps.

The Process of God

Last night Ann spoke at the monthly meeting of the Faith Builders Group at Eastside Praise. During her presentation she spoke that every product has to go through a process before it becomes the finished product. She related that illustration to our journey with God; our walk with God is a process and we must submit to that process if we are going to become the finished product that God has planned for us to become. We must all remember that God does have plans for all of our lives and we must live with that anticipation. It is not always easy to submit to the process; Ann also told us that we must be willing to let go of yesterday and embrace the freshness and newness of today. God is ready to provide fresh life and direction to all of us if we will embrace His process and willingly place our lives in His hands. How many times have I resisted the "process of God" rather than allowing Him to complete what He has started in my life? I want to repent for my spirit of resistance and I want to say yes to what God desires to accomplish in my life. God has great plans for you, yield to the process and enjoy your journey with God!

Heart for God

I am preparing my heart for the revival meetings in the next few weeks. The schedule for the fall is going to be very busy but I am excited about the opportunities to minister in the various churches. As I was preparing some bio information for a Pastor this morning I was reminded about a prayer that God placed in my heart several years ago. He reminded me that I was interested in what others thought about me and what I was doing in the Kingdom of God but it had been a long time since I had asked Him what He thought about what I was doing in His Kingdom. Today God reminded me that I still needed to be asking for His heart to be revealed to me not just in a ministerial manner but in the personal manner of my relationship with Him. How long has it been since you asked God what was He thinking regarding your life and what your life was releasing in this world? Are you more interested in the thoughts of others more than you are in the thoughts of God toward your walk with Him? This is the time to be honest and open with God; we do not need to ignore the heart of God and what He desires to deposit in our lives. I re-commit to seeking after the "heart of God" every day of my life. I desire to hear Him say "well done thou good and faithful servant."

Scripture Passage

During my devotional time this morning the Lord led me to this passage of scripture found in Psalms 9: 9-10, "The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee" (KJV). I can trust God because He is truth; their is no lie found in God. Truth is not just a character trait of God; it is the essence of God. Many of us are facing situations that is requiring us to "trust"; we can depend on the truthfulness of God. He has declared that He will not forsake (abandon) us during those moments of challenge/decision. Be encouraged today and know that God is ready to come along side of you and walk with you on your journey. Give Him praise today for His great and precious promises that have been declared over our lives. AMEN!

Looking Ahead

It is such a joy to be able to serve the Lord. Although we are surrounded by great challenges we can look ahead by faith and realize that God is very present with us at all times. God not only lives in our past but He is living in our future. I desire to learn to trust Him more; I want to be faithful in all that God is calling us to do. Faith will provide the means of my spiritual success; I must walk by faith and not by sight. All of us are facing situations, circumstances and challenges that can discourage us but as we keep our hearts focused on God we can realize that He is leading us down the road of victory. Do not be discouraged today; lift your heart toward God and be reminded that He is Sovereign over all situations. As I am writing I felt led to ask you to pray with me for our nation. Will we allow God to speak to us at this critical time in our history? Will we look not only at our financial challenges but also look at the spiritual needs that are among us? Have we walked away from God and endeavoured to walk in our own strength? O God, open our eyes so that we can see You at work drawing us near to You?

Weekend Review

The services at Bethesda Community Church went very well. Pastor Tony & Linda Cooper are working in the field of this new church plant and the Lord is blessing their labor of love. They are being supported and encouraged by a group of people who have a heart to make an impact in their community through the message of Christ and His mercy and love. Each of us need to pray that God will provide the resources that they need to finish the building that they are leasing to own as well as the leadership they need to fulfill the vision of Pastor Tony. God is sending a move of His Spirit in the lives of those people who are seeking His presence; I want to be among those who are seeking the presence of God. We need to continue praying for our nation; we are seeing that man does not have the ability to meet the needs of our society. Let us look to God and realize that He is still the answer for humanity.

Uncertain Times

God is teaching me that I need to trust Him in these uncertain times. These are unique days to say the least but in the midst of the challenge God is revealing His presence and power. He is reminding us that we are not alone and that He is aware of our journey. He will not walk away from us during our distress or discouragement. Pastor Tony Cooper taught us last night that God desires to fellowship with us and that if we will draw near to Him He will draw near to us. I desire to believe the promises of God's Word which are being released into my spirit. PRAYER: O God, strengthen Your people as we face the difficulties of life. Let us understand that we are weak and that You are strong. Forgive us for pushing You away through our arrogance and pride. Allow us to understand that we are in great need for Your love and direction. AMEN!

"Bail-out or Rescue"

Over the past several days the U.S. Congress has been dealing with the financial crisis that is facing our country. I do not profess to have the knowledge to fully understand all of the matters that are being discussed; but I have spent time in prayer asking God to give our leaders direction in working through this problem. This legislation was first introduced as a "bail-out" for the struggling economy but in recent days the strategy of the politicians has changed and now they are referring to this legislation as a "rescue." NOTE: The legislation passed today in the House and it passed yesterday in the Senate. During today's prayer time for the service in Willard, Ohio the Lord reminded me that He has already provided the true "rescue" plan for mankind. When Jesus died on the cross He opened the door that humanity could be redeemed and rescued from their lifestyle of sin. We do not have to wait for some scheme and plan of man; we have the presence of the risen Savior who is ready to respond to the battles that we are facing. Today, each one of us needs to take a moment and thank God that we have been rescued from the hands of the enemy. We have been delivered from the power of the adversary and now we walk in the freedom of relationship with the Heavenly Father. I look forward to the evening service at Bethesda Community Church with Pastor Tony & Linda Cooper. I can sense the presence of God that is ready to be released in the service tonight. We ask that you cover this weekend meeting in your prayers.

"Great Love"

Wednesday night's service at Brecksville was outstanding. We were blessed to have Pastor Fred Robinette and the Worship Team from the Elyria Church of God of Prophecy. They were anointed as they led us into the presence of God and we were able to celebrate the greatness of our God. During the course of the message God encouraged me to speak these words; "great revivals come as the result of great love." During devotional time this morning I reflected on those words and I was reminded that I (we) must seek for our love to grow deeper and stronger. First, we must love God more and second, we must love people with a deeper love that is filled with compassion and concern. I am convinced that God is ready to fill the church with a fresh and vibrant love that reaches out to this hurting world. Will you join me in asking God to refill and refresh our love for God and our love for our fellow man? During the altar (alter) call we witnessed twelve (12) youth give their heart to Christ and many others move forward for their needs to be met. Truly the presence of the Lord was revealed in the services. Pastor Markham and the congregation are to be commended for being open to the moving of the Spirit. Each night found us walking in the strength of a new and fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. God is at work and I am determined to follow Him with all of my heart. Will you continue to join me on that journey and walk of faith?

Tuesday's Service

Tuesday night at Brecksville, Ohio was AWESOME! It was amazing to see the simplicity of the Gospel message at work in the lives of people. The love of God reminded all of us that He is looking for us and that He desires to minister to the needs that we are facing. People with various needs came forward as the Spirit of God through an interpretation declared God's love over those who were gathered to worship. People needing to be saved came forward, people who needed to be delivered from the oppression of sinful habits came forward, people who desired to receive the baptism of the Spirit came forward, and people with emotional and physical needs came forward. The great grace and presence of God was encountered in the altar (alter) service. We give God praise for all those who received Christ (at least 3) and for those who received the baptism of the Spirit (at least 4). We give God praise for those who were healed and delivered of various oppressions. We rejoice over what God is doing among those who dare to release their faith and trust God to answer their prayers. We must return to the heart of the Gospel message which reveals to us the great care, concern and interest that God has in our journey through life. Be blessed today as you walk in the benefits and blessings of the provision of the cross.