Weekend Services

This week finds me in Murfreesboro, TN with Pastor Verlin and Jean Thornton. It is a blessing to be able to return to this local church body for revival services. The presence of the Lord was very evident in each of the services on Sunday; you could sense the unction and anointing of the Spirit in each segment of the meeting. I am always thankful to sense the anointing of the Spirit as people gather to honor the great and mighty God. Last evening we were blessed to have Pastor Ed Ferrell and the Youth Praise Team from the Portland, TN church. They were a great blessing and inspiration as they sang praises to God from the depths of their hearts. I was also blessed as several of them responded to the call of the Spirit during the altar invitation. God will respond to ANYONE who calls out to Him in faith! Pastor Thornton spoke a challenging word at the close of the Sunday evening service. He spoke about the need for us to have the presence of "conviction" in our services. Many of us may be aware of the meaning of the term conviction while others of us are not so sure about the meaning. Conviction is the presence of the Spirit which brings to each of us the recognition that we need more of God in our lives. I realize that this may be a simple definition but I do think that it describes the true desire of the heart of God. As I was praying this morning God gave me some understanding concerning the lack of "conviction" in our services. Is it possible that the influences of the culture are at work seeking to remove the presence of God in our services? We are certainly living in an anti-Christ society; many people are disillusioned and discouraged by "religion" and we have allowed the distractions of the world to interfere in the work of God in our lives. We must counteract these "spirits" through the power of prayer but also through the power of obedience to the Spirit. I truly desire to respond to the presence of God when He speaks into my heart. Let each of us commit to responding to the Spirit when we gather together in worship services. Your obedience to God will serve as an encouragement to others who are present in the service. Together we can respond to God and enhance the presence of conviction in our services.