Empty Cisterns

Jeremiah 2:13, "For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water." The Spirit brought this passage to my heart as I was preparing for this evening's service. What is my (our) source of strength in this day and time? Where am I (we) looking for direction? What is the source of my (our) hope and dreams? Which cistern am I (we) drinking from? We must take the time to make an honest evaluation of these questions. The spirit which is at work in this culture has led us to drink from the cistern of fame, the cistern of wealth and possessions, and the cistern of empty and vain works. We also have been influenced to build the cisterns that are filled with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. What have these cisterns supplied for this generation? This generation is living under the influence of sin and rebellion. Our lives are filled with everything but a true relationship with Christ. Take a moment and examine the cistern from which you are drinking. Make sure you are drinking from the "fountain of living waters."

Weekend Review

The past weekend was a very busy one. Friday and Saturday found us in Lizella, GA in a Minister's Conference with Bishop Billy Adams and his wife, Charlotte. I can truly say that the anointing of the Holy Ghost was upon each session of this Conference and that each of us encountered a life-altering experience with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit challenged us to be "fresh" in our approach to the ministry opportunities that God will place in our path. Each session found leaders from across Georgia seeking God for a deeper and fresher anointing of the Holy Spirit in their personal lives. I truly believe that there was an impartation and transfer of Holy Spirit anointing in each of those who made themselves available to God. Sunday found us in the Harris Chapel church joining with them in a Homecoming Celebration revival. The church is celebrating their 82nd Anniversary. I was able to sense the same anointing in AL as we experienced in GA. I believe that God will reveal Himself to anyone who is looking for the revelation of Christ. The altars of the local church filled with people who were looking for the ministering presence of the Holy Spirit. The Word still declares that we will find Him when we seek for Him with all of our heart. I desire to be one of those who seek for Him with all my heart. Each of us need to commit our heart to God without reservation!

Feelings of Inadequacy

Life is filled with struggles that reveal our human inadequacy.  These struggles span the cross section of the physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial sectors of our lives.  We encounter some of these struggles on a daily basis yet we do not have to feel hopeless or helpless.  The Lord has already provided a remedy for those moments of defeat and discouragement.  The Apostle Paul shares these words of encouragement and strength with us in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (NKJV).  Each of us can identify with those moments in which we were incapable of meeting the challenges that life had placed before us.  We identified our weaknesses and failed to realize that Christ would provide the strength that we needed to move through that particular situation.  Each of us can identify what we lack in our lives yet we fail to remember that Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider, is at work on our behalf as we face the challenges of life.

Let us take a moment and consider that our inadequacies can actually be converted into a blessing from God.  How can that statement be true?  Our inadequacy drives us to God as we recognize our helplessness.  We cry out to God and let Him know that we need Him to provide the strength that we need.  Our recognition of our inadequacy relieves us of the burden of trying to do God's will in our own power and strength.  Many of us try to please God through the work and ability of flesh when in reality that is impossible to do.  We please God when we walk in faith, trust, and obedience to the provision of His love and grace.  Christianity is more than just a form of spiritual performance; it is a life that is fully surrendered to the mighty presence of God who provides the courage and strength to live out the will of God in our daily lives.  God is able to give us His peace as we rely upon Him.  Many Christians live in a spirit of restlessness and frustration as we identify our faults, failures, weaknesses, and our inadequacies.  Rest assured that the the "accuser of the brethren" will join  in the process of self-humiliation and self-depreciation if we allow him that opportunity.  I am not advocating that we walk in pride and arrogance but I am advocating that we walk in the provision that the death of Jesus Christ has made for us.  Remember, "...our sufficiency is from God."

Love of God

Isaiah 54:10: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love (emphasis mine) for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (NIV).

It is very easy to say that we know that God is love and that He loves this world.  But we must also understand that the love of God is the foundational truth of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  The "unfailing love" of God provides us the opportunity to exchange our sins for the righteousness of Christ.  We must learn to allow the love of God to permeate every aspect of our life and as a sponge we need to soak up and soak in the wonderful presence of His love.  I feel that many people fail in their journey with God because they fail to embrace this foundational principle.  We become overwhelmed through the process of trying to earn the favor and love of God.  The love of God can not be earned it can only be accepted and appreciated.  The NASB translation of Psalm 46:10a gives us this thought, "Stop striving and know that I am God..."  We must stop striving to earn the love of God through our actions and activities; we need to accept the idea that God loves us and remember that according to Romans 8 nothing can separate us from the love of God.  Accepting the fact that God truly loves us is such a liberating principle and that principle encourages us to focus on building our relationship with Jesus Christ.

We were created to know God.  We were created to love God.  We were created to enjoy our relationship with God.  We were created to center our life around the relationship that God has offered to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Don't you think that it is time that we started "enjoying" our relationship with God?  Walking in the knowledge that God is love and that His love is unchangeable and unmovable allows us to focus on the greatness of God and all that He has offered to us through Jesus Christ.
Each of us need to take some time and reflect on the faithfulness of God and realize that the promises and covenants of God are true.  The love and care of man can be fickle and change at any moment but we can be confident that the love of God is founded on the principle of God's inability to lie or change.  God loved us as we were brought into this world through the process of birth and God will love us as we travel through the process of life.  Give God some "serious praise" for the love that He extends to you on a daily basis.  Your life will be enriched and encouraged as you place this principle of love deep in your heart.

Thirst for the Presence of God

Over the past several weeks the Spirit has dealt with my heart concerning our thirst for the presence of God.  I am convinced that God has much to deposit in the lives of His children if only I (we) would position ourselves to receive them.  We must position ourselves at the proper place even when we are hungry or thirsty for the natural nutriments that our physical body needs.  We can not remain in the family room if the meal being served is in the dining room.  We must move toward the natural meal and I believe that we must move toward the spiritual drink or the spiritual food that we need as we face these trying and challenging days.  I still believe that Christ is the One that we need in our lives; He will sustain us as we face the decisions of daily living.  Let us be encouraged and strengthened by the Word of God today.

Psalm 63:1-5, "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you...I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you" (NIV).  Read the last verse of this passage and be encouraged today.  Christ is able to satisfy the "hunger" that you sense in your life.  We do not have to look to the "food and drink supplies" of the world to satisfy what we need, Christ can meet the need of our soul.

Weekend Review

I was blessed to be able to enjoy a wonderful weekend.  My wife and I were able to spend some time with our grandchildren and children through some family activities (meal, football game, and local festival activities).  I am still amazed at the energy level of our grandchildren.  I truly believe that their energy level has increased and our energy level has decreased.  Oh well, the challenge of being grandparents.  Seriously, we are blessed with a wonderful family for which I am grateful.

We were blessed to be able to participate in a wonderful worship service on Sunday morning at New River Worship Center in Radcliff, KY.  New River is the church plant in which I am participating and we are seeing the blessings of God upon our desire to reach out to the community surrounding Fort Knox, KY.  The service began with a testimony from our Children's Church Minister regarding the progressive healing of her sister from a very serious illness.  Then the call to worship song reminded us to worship God for who is He and to trust Him to fulfill His promises.  The singer's testimony reminded us to "worship while we wait."  It goes without saying that the presence of anointing was powerful as I stepped to the pulpit to share the Word of God.  I reminded the people that Christ is still the "drink of living water" that we need and that we do not need to drink any substitute that the culture of our world will offer.  The "spirit" of the culture is offering many  imitations of a true relationship with God but many people will soon learn that this spiked drink of false religion will only leave them spiritually dry, thirsty, and looking for something that is real and lasting.  I am thankful that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and I am committed to following Him with all of my heart.  Have you made that decision today?  Do not fall prey to the spirit of deception that is very prevalent in our society but drink in life from the presence of Truth and Life.

Last night found us conducting an informational meeting concerning the possible relocation of New River Worship Center.  The blessings of God have caused us to have outgrown our present facility and we are in need of more room to expand our outreach ministry.  I have shared this information because I am asking for your prayer covering.  We are in need of direction as well as provision.  Every decision that we have made up to this time has been a decision based on our faith in the power of God.  God has provided what we have needed because we are doing our best to stay focused on the call that we have heard and are hearing from God.  Would you join us in prayer for God to lead us in the right direction and for us to trust Him for the Provision that we need?


Have a great week as you walk in the strength of the presence of God!

Light vs. Darkness

The discussion concerning the struggle between light and darkness has been very prominent in the media over the past few weeks.  We have discussed the building of the mosque near Ground Zero in New York City; we have discussed the burning of books that are a part of the religion of Islam as well as other individual battles that pit the powers of darkness against the power of the True Light.  The Words TRUE LIGHT have resonated in my heart over the past few days.  I believe that the answer to the struggles with the powers of darkness is the declaration of the truth concerning True Light.  The enemy of our soul does not want the Truth declared.  The Truth will reveal and expose the fallacies of the darkness.  This is one of the reasons that the church must resist the temptation to operate under the influence of the philosophies and ideologies of man; we must have the direction and anointing of God upon the spiritual leadership of our nation.  Satan always struggles with the truth because his kingdom is built upon the foundation of lies and deception.  The Truth called satan a liar and the father of lies.  We combat lies with truth.  We combat darkness with Light and the True Light is Jesus Christ our Lord.  Christ still remains the Light of the world regardless of the actions of the darkness.  Just as a light bulb will dispel darkness in a room so the power of Christ will dispel the power of darkness in this sinful and evil world.  Our greatest weapon against darkness is the revelation of Light.  Each of us need to display the Light of Christ in our lives so that people can recognize that the Way, the Truth, and the Life are at work in our personal life.  Light still defeats the power of darkness.  The Body of Christ is hearing the renewed call to remain faithful to our call and to our message.  We still have the message of Truth and Light to declare and we need to remain resolved to declare that message to a world living under the influence of darkness.

Revival Services

The services this week have been wonderful and challenging.  I have been in many, many services in my lifetime but I am still amazed at the ministering presence of the Holy Spirit.  I am still amazed that a group of individuals, with different needs I might add, can gather in a room and the Spirit of God deal with them on an individual basis.  The Word of God can speak to individuals at their point of need and each individual can hear from God what they need to hear.  Certain items can be purchased that use these words in their advertisements, "one size fits all."  But with God it is different, the Spirit of God tailors the Word of God to fit the specific need or needs of the individual person who is sitting in any particular service.  That is one of the reasons that you see a teenager as well as a Senior respond to the Spirit; that is one of the reasons that you see seasoned believers as well as new converts respond to the Spirit; and that is the reason that you see the Minister as well as the congregation respond to the Spirit.  We should never forget that God identifies our individual needs as well as the corporate needs of the local body of believers.  As a preacher of the Gospel I am glad that I can report these encouraging words to you because I notice this happening in service after service that I attend.  We must praise God that He recognizes our individuality and that He will respond to the cry of our hearts (Jeremiah 29:12).

The above listed testimony is one of the reasons that I truly believe that God will respond to the honest hearted application of the spiritual process found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  The Word teaches that God will fulfill the portion of His promises/covenants with His people.  We see that declared and revealed throughout the stories of interaction between God and His people that we find in the Holy Scriptures.  I am convinced that God will respond to His people if we will obey Him in honest and sincere obedience.  God will recognize any half-hearted obedience and He will recognize any attempt to walk in the state of hypocrisy.  I desire to be open and honest with God and allow Him to perform His work in my individual life.  I trust and pray that you are looking at 2 Chronicles 7 in the manner of personal application instead of just a corporate application to the Body of Christ.

Turning to God

Is it possible that the modern day church overlooks the passages of scriptures that place requirements on us?  Is it possible that people who have desired to escape the challenges of legalism find it easy to justify themselves as they ignore Biblical passages that require a response to God?  Is it possible that those people who desire to live under the influence of grace also seek to ignore any passage that may place requirements on them?  Each of us understand that we need to live under the influence and direction of the blessings of God but many of these so called blessings are contingent on our obedience to the commands of God.  I do not intend for this post to be a harsh chastisement of the church body rather I desire it to be a reminder of our need to look at our individual as well as collective responsibility to the directives that come from God.  God's plan will work in our lives if we will allow it have the full effect on us.  My problem centers around this fleshly battle; there are times in which I consider my plan superior to the one that God has offered.  My unwillingness to submit to the directives of God causes me to walk in rebellion and disobedience.  Rebellion and disobedience hinder the flow of the Spirit in my heart and my life.  Rebellion and disobedience hinder my relationship with God who does have a plan and purpose for my life.  Many of us desire His plan and purpose but that plan and purpose comes with the need to submit to the conditional promises of God.  The conditional promises of God require the participation of each of us with God in the spirit of surrender and obedience.

I believe that 2 Chronicles is one of those conditional promises.  I look forward to the "God part" of the passage such as forgiving our sin and healing our land; but do I seriously consider my responsibility which is also stated in that same passage?  The passage also uses the words "humble themselves, pray, and seek my face, and turn from their (our) wicked ways."  Don't these words reflect our need to accept and live out our responsibility to God and to our fellow man?  The way that we respond to God is a personal matter between each of us and God.  I can not tell you what to do or how to apply these directives from God to your life but I do feel that it is my responsibility to bring these directives to your attention.  The church is in need of a great infusion of the presence and power of God.  The church is in need for the spirit of awakening and renewal to grip our hearts.  We are always looking for answers yet we find ourselves overlooking or in some cases simply ignoring the answers that we find in the Word of God.  I believe that I am writing to people who have come to this spiritual intersection and they are prepared to take the correct steps on their spiritual journey.  I can state emphatically that I am at that place on my journey and I am preparing my heart to follow the directives of the Word of God.  I encourage you today to be open to the leading of the Spirit and allow Him full freedom to direct your heart!

Prayer

I have encouraged the opportunity of prayer on many occasions as I have shared my thoughts and inspirations with the readers of this blog.  A few days ago I began to write about the "Spiritual Stimulus Package" that is defined in 2 Chronicles 7.  If the church in America is going to expect different results from our spiritual activities then we must be willing to take the different steps that the writer describes in this passage of scripture.  An old statement comes to mind at this point in our war against the forces of evil and wickedness, "Desperate times call for desperate measures."  We must ask ourselves this question; "Am I (we) prepared to do whatever is necessary to see the Divine intervention that we so desperately need?"  We must further ask ourselves; "Am I (we) willing to put into practice those spiritual principles that will bring the favor of God on our individual life as well as corporate lives?"  I am not talking about some temporary state of "doing better with the prayer thing"; no, I am talking about a full commitment to the development of my prayer life.  The modern day church must redevelop the spiritual discipline and practice of PRAYER.  We must be willing to answer the call from God and respond to Him in faithful surrender and obedience.

Prayer is more than just a list of my wants and needs.  God is not our Spiritual Santa Claus to which we take our "wish list" and ask Him to bring what we want to make us happy.  Prayer is a time of open and honest conversation in which we talk to God but one in which we allow God to talk back to us.  Many of us have developed the thought process that prayer is just my opportunity to share my thoughts with God all the while ignoring His input into my life.  We must do some serious study and reflection on our prayer life.  Prayer affords me (us) the opportunity to develop my (our) relationship with the Heavenly Father.  Prayer affords me (us) the opportunity to learn more about the heart of God as well as learn more about the focus of my heart and my desires.  Prayer affords me (us) the opportunity to receive direction from God for my individual life as well as my participation in the corporate life of the Body of Christ.  Prayer opens to the door for me to walk in deeper fellowship and communion with God.  We must stop avoiding prayer and embrace the opportunity to pray.  Take some time today and get alone with God and just express your love and worship, you may be surprised at the response that you will receive from God.  I believe that God will welcome you with open arms as you develop your deeper relationship with the Lord God Almighty.  He stands ready to listen to the cry of your heart and He stands ready to respond to your worship and adoration.

Weekend Review

This weekend was a very busy one to say the least.  We were involved in two weddings as well as two wonderful church services.  We are thankful for the traveling mercies of the Lord as the wedding were in two different states on separate days.  God is so kind and gracious as we make our journey through life and I am determined not to forget His many blessings that are revealed and released on a daily basis.

The two church services were wonderful; the presence of God was awesome and challenging in each one and I am always prepared to recognize the unction and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Oh how my hearts hungers and craves for the presence of Spirit that will transform all of us into the people that God desires us to become.  In each of the services we were able to see people respond to the love of Christ and allow Him to speak His Life changing strength and courage to their soul.  Christ will bring the Word of Life that each of us need if we will be willing to surrender our cares and difficulties to Him.  We must lay aside all of the hindrances that come against us and commit our life to following after Christ regardless of the interruptions of satan.  We must never forget that the enemy will do all in his power to interrupt our walk with Christ.  He will seek to interfere with the development of our relationship with Christ if we afford him the opportunity and that is one of the reasons that the Apostle Paul reminds us "not to give place to the devil."  We must not make room for him in our lives but we must stay focused on our walk with Jesus Christ.

Friendships

I desire to share an important principle with you today.  I will share some other thoughts concerning the Spiritual Stimulus Package in the near future.

I am participating in two weddings this weekend.  Each of these weddings represent unique relationships that my wife and I have developed with these individuals throughout the past years of our life.  These weddings have reminded me of the blessing of the development of what I will call "long term friendships."  Each of us have had those friends who were only a part of our lives for a very brief time; life either took them in another direction or life took us in another direction.  But we also have encountered those friends that regardless of the direction of their life or your life you were able to maintain a strong steady relationship regardless of the changes that you encountered.  My wife has been friends with Linda since the 5th grade of elementary school; their friendship has spanned 47 years.  Life has not allowed them to leave near each other for over 37 years yet I am amazed to hear them talk on the phone; they just share with each other as though they lived next door to one another.  It is always amazing to see the love and kindness that exists between them when they are able to physically visit with each other on those rare occasions.  Friendship is such a rare and wonderful gift that we need to treasure and appreciate. 

I have sensed the Lord reminding me of this blessing as we have been able to renew friendships that were established several years ago.  It will be an honor to stand and officiate these wedding ceremonies this weekend for people who have played a major role in our family through the years.  Let us recommit to cherishing our friends and family and realize that each of them are one of the gifts that God has given to us to assist us on our journey through life.  Have a great weekend!  Take time to speak with one your dear friends and let them know how much you appreciate their friendship!

Stimulus Package for the Church, Part 2

I sincerely believe that God desires to perform a great spiritual work among His people as well as through His people.  Is it possible that we (the people of God) have become more concerned with what God wants to do through us more than what God desires to do in us?  The people of God must consistently seek to allow God to direct our steps into a deeper time of relationship with Him.  We can become so captured by the "public display" of our relationship with God that we fail to allow God to work in our hearts during our private time of interaction with Him.  We must be committed to those principles of God that will bring life and strength to our walk with Him.

I realize that we bear great responsibility as believers as I review the spiritual principles found in the Stimulus Package Passage found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  We must recognize our spiritual identity (people of God) and this recognition brings responsibility.  We understand that we have a mandate from God when we are given the identification as people who are "called by my (His) name."  Our scriptural passage reveals to us those actions that we, the people of God, need to take if we are going to look for divine intervention.  We don't mind identifying the responsibilities of God but oftentimes we ignore our spiritual responsibilities in response to the direction of God.  If we are going to receive the full benefits from God we must be willing to accept our spiritual responsibilities.  God reveals a portion of these responsibilities in the passage in 2 Chronicles.  Is it possible that we need to change the word "responsibilities" to the word "opportunities"?  God in His gracious love and mercy gives us the wonderful and marvelous opportunity to respond to Him in obedience.  If I am planning on receiving the blessings of God then I need to be willing to accept my responsibilities in anticipation of those blessings being released in my life.  Take some time today and ask God to help you accept your responsibilities to respond appropriately to the directions of God found in His Word.  We must resist the temptation to walk in disobedience or rebellion; we are being called to walk in obedience and surrender to the Spirit of God that is at work in our lives and in our world.

Stimulus Package for the Church

Over the past few days we have heard our President discuss the possible need for another stimulus package to help bring the nation out of the economic decline that we have confronted in the recent months and days.  There are many financial prognosticators who seem to agree with the assumptions of the President.  They also believe if we can take the appropriate financial steps our nation will finally recover from the economic tragedies of the past.  I for one certainly support the need for a full economic recovery for our nation but the previous stimulus packages have not brought the full recovery as of yet.  But we continue to seek for the appropriate answers to the economic questions that have become a part of our national landscape.  I will choose to allow the political pundits of our nation to argue and discuss the economic issues and decisions that we are facing.  There is already disagreement among the political parties of whether or not this additional stimulus package will bring added benefit to our economy.  I will continue to pray for our government leaders and ask God to give them wisdom, knowledge, and direction to do make the right decisions concerning the future of our nation.  We can no longer just talk about the Biblical mandate to pray for our leaders; WE MUST PRAY FOR THE LEADERS OF OUR NATION!

A few days while I was praying I felt the Holy Spirit remind me that the church (body of believers across this nation) is in need of a spiritual stimulus package.  This package will not come from the abilities and strategies of man rather this package will come from the direction of the Holy Spirit as the Word of God is applied appropriately to our lives.  Each of us have many ideas concerning the need of the local churches that we attend but each of these ideas are only speculative at the very best.  Now that does not mean that we do not mean well as we articulate those ideas but we must remember that we do not have the ability to know all things.  But we do have a resource available to us and that resource is the inspired, infallible Word of God.  The Spirit led me to a familiar passage to many of us when we reflect on the need for spiritual awakening in our nation.  The stimulus package passage is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (NKJV).  I sincerely believe that this passage contains the spiritual stimulus that we need to face and defeat the enemy of our souls which has come to overthrow our faith and in turn lead us away from our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We can truly trust this directive that is given to us from the Lord God Almighty.  Over the next few days I will take a look at this passage as the Lord directs my heart but let each one of us turn our hearts to God in sincere supplication and allow His presence to direct our steps.

Weekend Service

I trust that each one of you are enjoying a restful and relaxing Labor Day weekend.  It is always a blessing to see our schedules slow down somewhat and to be able to enjoy some time of relaxation with family and friends.  We have been able to spend some time with our children and grandchildren this weekend and we were also blessed to have a portion of our family in service with us yesterday at New River Worship Center in Radcliff, KY.  It is always a blessing to be able to worship together with our extended family.  Due to my schedule the past several years those moments of "family worship" have been few and far between and I truly cherish those moments in which our children and grandchildren are able to be in church service with us.  I will take a moment and encourage all parents to teach your children the importance of attending church.  I am thankful that I was raised in a home that emphasized the importance of church attendance and the importance of worshiping God.

We enjoyed a wonderful service yesterday as I ministered at the new church plant in Radcliff, KY.  The favor of the Lord was very present in the service from the beginning as we celebrated Communion as the family of God.  It is a great blessing and honor to be able to obey God and put into practice those Biblical principles that bring the presence of Life and Strength among the people of God.  The time of worship and praise was encouraging and enlightening.  The Spirit used our Worship Leader to remind us that we need to believe Christ and not just believe in Him.  I truly desire to believe what Christ is saying to the church in this present hour.  The ministry time of the Word and the prayer time after the message was very powerful.  I am fully convinced that God will meet with us as we respond to His invitation.  The Word of God still declares that as we "draw near to God, He will draw near to us" (James 4:8).  We were able to witness that promise fulfilled in the service on Sunday at New River Worship Center.

I encourage you to come and visit with us if you live in the Radcliff/Fort Knox, KY community.  Feel free to contact me if you have any family or friends who live in the area or if you have family or friends who are presently stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky.  We also ask for your prayer covering as we seek to follow the leading of the Spirit as we reach out to people with the message of the Gospel.

Greatness of God

The book of Ephesians has spoken to my heart over the past few months.  I have found myself seeking to understand the revelation that Paul received concerning the greatness of God and the rich reserves of His grace and mercy.  This morning my eyes fell on this passage found in Ephesians 1:19-20, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms" (NLT).  My, what a powerful prayer for understanding that Paul is declaring over the believers.

Today I am asking God to release that understanding in each of our lives.  We must recognize the greatness of God's power and understand that He is able to perform the impossible and the improbable.  We were able to recognize a small portion of the greatness of God's power in the revival meeting this past week in Brecksville, OH.  On Wednesday night we witnessed a precious Hindu woman accept Jesus Christ as her Savior as she sensed the true love of God being released in her heart.  We were able to see people receive healing of all sorts of challenges that they were facing.  I was blessed as people asked for prayer for specific situations that they were facing at that particular moment in their life.  Don't you think that it is time for the "church" to lift our eyes to God and realize that His power and authority is great and awesome?  Many of us have come to the end of our abilities but we are understanding that there is someone greater than us and that He has the power to meet the challenges of life that we are confronting.  Take a moment out of your busy day and truly reflect on the "incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him."

Have a great weekend; turn your heart toward Christ during worship service and allow Him to speak LIFE into your very soul!

Greatness of God

The book of Ephesians has spoken to my heart over the past few months.  I have found myself seeking to understand the revelation that Paul received concerning the greatness of God and the rich reserves of His grace and mercy.  This morning my eyes fell on this passage found in Ephesians 1:19-20, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms" (NLT).  My, what a powerful prayer for understanding that Paul is declaring over the believers.  

Today I am asking God to release that understanding in each of our lives.  We must recognize the greatness of God's power and understand that He is able to perform the impossible and the improbable.  We were able to recognize a small portion of the greatness of God's power in the revival meeting this past week in Brecksville, OH.  On Wednesday night we witnessed a precious Hindu woman accept Jesus Christ as her Savior as she sensed the true love of God being released in her heart.  We were able to see people receive healing of all sorts of challenges that they were facing.  I was blessed as people asked for prayer for specific situations that they were facing at that particular moment in their life.  Don't you think that it is time for the "church" to lift our eyes to God and realize that His power and authority is great and awesome?  Many of us have come to the end of our abilities but we are understanding that there is someone greater than us and that He has the power to meet the challenges of life that we are confronting.  Take a moment out of your busy day and truly reflect on the "incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him."

Have a great weekend; turn your heart toward Christ during worship service and allow Him to speak LIFE into your very soul!