Reflections after Prayer

This has been a wonderful week in Coweta, OK. We have been privileged to walk in the presence of God's love and mercy and He has reminded us of His desire to minister to the needs that we have in our lives. This week has also afforded me to take some time for introspection. Many of us are more familiar with inspecting the lives of others more than we are taking a serious look at our own life. God is reminding me on a consistent basis that I need to listen to the Voice of the Lord concerning my daily walk with God. This week of reflection has reminded me of the need to lay aside any hindrance that will keep me from becoming the person that God has planned for me to become. As I way praying this morning the Lord encouraged me to ask Him to search those "hidden" areas of my soul so that I could be free to reach my spiritual potential. God is aware of desires, potential actions, faults, etc that I may not even recognize. I must be aware that the Spirit will do His work if I allow Him the accessibility to my life. Are we ready to allow God the accessibility that He desires so that He can complete what He has begun in us? God is teaching me this fresh principle this week; only God truly "knows" me"; He knows my potential and He knows my points of struggle and challenge. I must become more comfortable with the presence of God searching and examining my life for those areas of weakness so that I can become mature and complete in Him. I challenge all of us to allow God to examine our walk with Him as we reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ. This is a time of great introspection; this introspection will afford us the strength to follow God with our complete heart as we move into the remaining days of our journey on this earth.

Weekend Review

This week finds me in Coweta, OK with Pastor Larry & Susan Duncan. The services yesterday were wonderful as we gathered in the house of God to lift our hearts in adoration and praise to our Savior. Yesterday was Palm Sunday; this week begins a time of sincere reflection for the people of God. We are able to remember the price that our King and Saviour paid for our redemption and salvation. I trust and pray that each one of us will spend time this week in prayer and meditation concerning our personal relationship with God. The time in which we are living is demanding that we have a strong, maturing relationship with God. God is prepared to strengthen those followers who are determined to pursue Him at the cost of their comfort and ease. I desire that my heart will be firmly set on a pursuit of a deeper trust and faith in God. People responded to the call of God in each of the altar services on Sunday. As I was praying this morning, the Lord placed this thought in my heart. We must change our mindset when we prepare our hearts for the invitation from the Pastor or visiting Minister. We are not being asked to respond to the "plea of the Preacher" but we are being asked to respond to the "call of the Heavenly Father." We must decide to respond to the call from the Father; the Father has much to offer us if we are willing to listen to His voice. I want to leave this passage with you today; "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:9-11 (NKJV).

Let us Experience God

Philippians 2:13, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (NLT). I believe that far too many Christians limit God to "something" that they experienced in a previous encounter with Him. They only have Him active in their memories rather than being an active agent of daily change in their lives. But I feel the need to declare to you today that God is at work in you at this present moment. We are to EXPERIENCE GOD and not just talk about an "experience" with God. God is more than just some moment or a group of moments in our yesterdays. God is alive and powerful at this very moment and according to the words of Paul, "God is working in you." Isn't that an exciting revelation to understand? I can believe and receive the ongoing presence of the Lord God Almighty at work in my walk with Him. The revelation of truth gives me the courage and strength to continue this journey; I can realize that God is performing His work in my heart and that His work in me is what is providing the power and direction to do what is right. The revelation of truth releases me from the pressure of feeling that I am alone and that it is up to me to fulfill the plan of God in my life. My responsibility becomes one of obedience and surrender to "His working" in my life. He will provide the power and unction that I need if I willingly offer my life to Him in sacrificial surrender. Take some time day and offer yourself to God and let Him know that you accept His work in your life. He will finish what He started if we provide Him a surrendered heart and life. We may be surprised by what He would do in us if we would submit to His plan and purpose for our lives.

Reminder & Testimonies

It is a privilege to see the presence and power of God work in the lives of people who allow their faith to lead them into the appropriate response to the call of the Spirit. I am able to witness that on a nightly basis as the Spirit confirms the preaching of the Word of God. I believe that God is at work in this world and I refuse to let the devil make me doubt what I sense in my heart and what I recognize with my own eyes. I witnessed the manifestations of the Spirit last night in the services at the Johnston Community Church in Selma, NC. The Spirit of God released people from the bondage and strongholds of the enemy; the Spirit of God encouraged those that have been walking through the valley of challenges and trials; and the Spirit of God reminded His people that He is aware of their struggles and that He has seen their tears of heartbreak and heartache. Oh, what a wonderful God we serve today! During prayer this morning the Lord reminded me of something that He placed in my heart over four years ago when we began this portion of our journey. Over four years ago God reminded me that He was not finished with the church in America. He encouraged me to pray and intercede for the church in America; He encouraged me not to give up on the church in America. Over the past few years I have seen signs from God that the prayers of people are being heard across the land. I know that we are living in the "perilous" (dangerous) times that the Bible describes but I also know that we are living in the times in which we are seeing the revelation of the presence of God in our midst. Last night I heard testimonies that encouraged me to keep interceding; one Pastor spoke about four youth accepting Christ in their Sunday School class, another Pastor spoke of people receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and people receiving their healing, another Pastor spoke of the powerful altar services that they have recently encountered in their Sunday services. I have shared these testimonies so that I can issue these challenges one more time; "GOD IS AT WORK IN THIS LAND. WILL WE JOIN HIM OR WILL WE IGNORE HIM? WILL WE OBEY HIM OR WILL WE REJECT HIM? WILL WE FOLLOW HIM OR WILL WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW OUR OWN PATH WHICH WILL LEAD TO DESTRUCTION? I AM CHOOSING TO LISTEN FOR THE VOICE OF GOD AND FOLLOW HIM IN OBEDIENCE. WILL YOU JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY?"

Weekend Services

This week finds me in Selma, NC at the Johnston Community Church. Pastor Kenny and Melissa Lee extended to me a warm welcome into the fellowship of the local body. I also have been blessed and encouraged by the fellowship that the local church has extended to me. It is always a blessing to encounter people who are interested in the work of the Kingdom of God. The services yesterday were filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit; we could sense the unction of the Spirit from the very first song of praise that was offered to our Heavenly Father. I say it often, but I will make this declaration one more time; it is truly a honor and privilege to offer my praise and worship to God. God has blessed my life and He continues to rain those blessings upon my life. He is worthy to be praised and honored for His great presence. Other churches in this area will be joining us tonight through Wednesday night for joint revival services. I anticipate the spirit of revival to intensify as other believers gather with us to seek after the presence of God! People responded to the call of the Spirit in each of the services. I sincerely believe that needs were met as people came forward for prayer. We heard testimonies to confirm what I sensed in my heart; God is at work in the lives of His people. I realize that we are living in some very challenging times but I also realize that we serve "a great big wonderful God" who is still in charge of this world. Not one thing happens that catches God unaware or surprises Him. We can trust in the fact that God is "all knowing" and that He is aware of what is taking place in our individual lives. I tell God each morning during prayer that I just want to trust Him more. He has plans for my future and I want to be obedient to His plans; I want to willingly offer myself to His will and way. Take a moment today and offer your life to God as a living sacrifice. You and I might be surprised what God would do in us and through us if we would fully surrender our lives to Him. Let each of us take that step of faith and obedience today.

Scripture Passages

Today I felt impressed to share some passages of scripture as an encouragement to you. The Word of God is where we find our strength to continue to travel the road of life. We can realize and understand that God has provided us the Word on which to build our relationship with Him. Be blessed as you allow the Word to bring strength to your heart today. Psalm 61:1-5, "O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies can not reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name" (NLT). Psalm 62:1-2, "I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I shall never be shaken" (NLT). Philippians 4:19-20, "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen" (NLT). May the Word of God encourage you today and may you find the needed strength to continue your walk of fellowship with Christ.

Restoration Fellowship

I was blessed to be able to participate in a wonderful meeting at Restoration Fellowship in Murfreesboro, TN. Thank you Pastor Thornton for the invitation to minister the Word of God and the opportunity to pray with those who responded to the call from the Spirit. The presence of the Lord was evident in each of the services and we could sense the Lord reminding us of His presence. I felt led to remind each of you today that God is present with you regardless of the circumstances that you are facing. We can place our confidence in the promises of God that are revealed in the Word of God. We must take the time to become acquainted and in some cases reacquainted with the Word of God. The Word of God is the basis of our hope in the midst of these challenging times in which we are living. I have been intrigued about the name of the church in Murfreesboro. The true purpose and mission of Christ was to restore the broken fellowship between God and man. Sin had created a great divide between God and man and the cross became the bridge that closed that gap. According to the Word of God the Spirit is still at work in this world restoring fellowship between God and man. I am able to witness that work in the lives of people all across the Midwest and Southeast. I asked myself this question this morning; "Am I actively involved with God in the process of restoration?" Is my heart so connected with the heart of God that I refuse to miss His spiritual activity in the lives of fallen humanity? Each one of us were separated from true fellowship with God prior to our conversion or new birth; but Christ has provided the means to close that gap and bring us into sweet communion and relationship with our Heavenly Father. We must commit our hearts to the process of preparing the way for restoration. We must demonstrate the genuine love of God so that people can identify the "Hope" that lives in us and that needs to flow from us to the hurting, bruised, shattered and disillusioned of our communities. I am convinced that God is placing a renewed desire to see people brought into a right relationship with God. I want to become actively involved in the process of restoration. Are you ready to make yourself available to the Spirit so that He can use you to reach someone with the message of the life changing Gospel?

Prayer

Many of you who read this blog on a daily basis know that I certainly believe in the power of prayer and I certainly believe in the need for prayer. As a matter of fact I just finished a phone call with someone who was sharing a testimony with me of someone who was recently healed. Prayer works and prayer is our opportunity to communicate with our Heavenly Father. The Bible teaches that God hears us when we pray and that His ears are open to the cry of our hearts. I am thankful that God has given to us the vehicle of prayer; prayer allows us to express to God our love, our praise, and the opportunity to make our requests known. During prayer time this morning the Lord spoke to my heart concerning my responsibility after I pray. We know that we are to "believe" as we pray and even after we pray. But God reminded me that we also have other responsibilities during this spiritual transaction we call prayer. First of all, I must be willing to listen to God when He speaks to me. Second, I must be willing to obey His directions and instructions. Third, I must be willing to commit my life to Him in the role of service and servanthood. Finally, I must be willing to recognize that God has the right and the power to say yes or no to my petitions of prayer. God knows what is best for me although I have the tendency to think that I am better equipped to make that decision. We need to take the time to listen to God when we pray; prayer will allow God to do His transformation work in my life as I surrender to His will and way.

Personal Testimony

I am truly grateful for all of the blessings that God has bestowed on my life. I felt impressed to share this praise report today. It was four years ago yesterday that we resigned the Highland Park Church in Louisville, Kentucky and began this journey as an Evangelist/Missionary to churches in America. This walk of faith has been rewarded in many ways as we have seen God provide many wonderful outpourings of the Spirit as people were willing to bring their needs to the Lord. We have seen people saved, healed, delivered, encouraged, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and other various miracles that only Heaven can record. I come today to offer praise and thanksgiving to God. God has provided spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially through the work of the past four years. We have seen God as our Provider as well as Protector. My heart is full of thankfulness as I reflect on my journey with God. Yes, there have been some challenging and difficult days on the journey but it has been during those times that we have been able to see the Hand of God in a fresh moment of revelation. Each of us need to understand that moments of challenge become moments of revelation of the presence of God. We are able to see the character of God when we face those overwhelming circumstances. I did not think that I could let this day pass without offering God praise for His faithfulness. I also thank God for people such as you who have invested in our lives through prayer, encouragement and financial support. God has used people such as you to help us follow the vision and passion that God has placed in our hearts. To God be the Glory for what He has already completed, what He will complete in the future, and what He is presently performing in our lives. As the Psalmist declared, "God is great and greatly to be praised." The service in Murfreesboro, TN last night was wonderful. God taught us about welcoming the presence of the "majesty" of God into our lives. Do I truly recognize the "majesty" of God or have I grown so comfortable in church that I fail to fully comprehend the presence of His Majesty? I desire to be more alert to the majesty of God and welcome His presence into my life.

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.

Endurance, Part 3

Romans 2:7. "He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, Seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers" (NLT). As I read this passage two things draw my attention. First, there is the need to continue doing the good things of life regardless of what situations that we may be facing. We are also presented with the need to stay focused on living the life that pleases God even when we are walking through the valley of trials and challenges. Second, we are challenged to continue seeking those provisions that God offers to us as we follow after Him in our developing relationship. We can not afford to allow the enemy to take away our desire to seek after God no matter what we are facing in our lives. We must continue to maintain our desire to seek after God and watch Him reveal Himself to us. The Word still encourages us to "ask, seek, and knock"; that can be a real challenge when we are living in the valley of trials and struggles. We also need to remember that God will give us the strength we need to keep going when we are exhausted (both physically as well as emotionally) and the faith to keep believing when we are discouraged. The more I think about endurance the more I think about the provisions that God has made for me to be successful in my walk with Him. It is my responsibility to recognize the strength that God will place in my life. Endurance is like the fire that purifies precious metals and hardens valuable pottery. Endurance cleanses, clarifies, and solidifies our faith. It is during those challenging moments when we are able to recognize and appreciate our strong desire to follow God regardless of the circumstances. The "tough decisions" of life allow us to be strengthened in the inner man which then brings us into a deeper communion with our Heavenly Father. Living through the trials, tests, and challenges of life is often the most significant way to discover the riches of your faith and to develop godly character. The development of our character may not always be enjoyable but it will be profitable to our walk with Christ. Do not feel overwhelmed with the challenges of life but allow those moments to develop your spiritual fortitude. The development of your spiritual fortitude will allow you to stay focused on your relationship with Christ which will provide the strength of His presence throughout the days of your walk on this earth.

Endurance, Part 2

I Peter 1:7; "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (NLT) I am sure that each one of us desire for our faith to be lived out in a genuine manner. We desire for our life to be able to endure the trials and struggles that confront us. But we must always remember that we do not have to only depend on our own strength to endure; we can put our sincere trust in God who is able to bring us through the tests that we will face. Each one of us will face and some of us are presently facing those moments in which our faith walk with God is going through the process of purification. These are not easy moments to deal with but they are important moments on our journey. These "moments" allow us to focus on the maturing of our faith. God desires for our faith and trust in Him to grow strong and vibrant. The Apostle Peter reminds us that the process of fire tests gold and removes the impurities. I was blessed by this translation of the scripture that reminds us that our faith is "far more precious than mere gold." The enemy seeks to make us feel less than "precious to God" when we are facing those fiery moments of trials and challenges. The enemy desires for us to feel that we are in a time of spiritual drought and that God has forgotten and forsaken us. The enemy seeks for us to believe that God is punishing us or that God is out to destroy us. At all cost we must remember that God desires to purify, strengthen, and increase our level of maturity as we face the trials of life. Reflect on this thought today: God offers to help you, giving you strength and His supernatural power to sustain. Philippians 1:6, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (NLT). We can trust in the certainty of God and the promise that He will complete what He started in our lives at the time of our conversion. Rejoice in the strength and purposes of God!

Endurance

Philippians 1:6, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until until it is finally finished on that day when Christ returns." (NLT) Each of us need to be secure in the knowledge that God plans on completing what He has started in our lives when we were converted. We need to remember that we can walk in confidence with the knowledge that God is working toward the completion of our journey with Him. You may have heard this principle of completion referred to in this manner; "Our walk with God is not a sprint but a marathon." Our life with God is one of faithful endurance. Yes, we are to be committed to a faithful walk with God but we also need to realize that God has made a faithful commitment to us. Read the promise found in our text one more time, "...will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ returns." That promise of Paul referring to the work of Christ in our lives offers hope and strength for the future days of our walk with God. We are not traveling this road alone but we have the accompanying presence of Christ guiding us as we face our individual challenges. We do not rejoice when trouble or difficulty comes our way but we do rejoice when we realize that we are not alone. We also can rejoice when we realize that Christ has not given up on us and that He is still at work completing what He has begun. Do not give into the pressure to stop in the midst of your journey; as of now the grade of our life is "incomplete" but Christ is not finished yet. There is still work to be done in my life and even now as I am writing this note the Spirit is at work. The enemy seeks to make us feel alone or feel that our life is a failure. But remember that we are still in the process of spiritual completion. If you stopped an assembly line in the middle of the process of furniture being built you and I would not want to purchase that product for our home. The reason behind our lack of a purchase would be the fact that there was still work to be done on the product. DO NOT GIVE UP on yourself and DO NOT GIVE UP on others. The project of our lives is not finished or completed yet; He (Christ) is still at work in us. Do not lose your hope or your faith; we can trust in the fact that God has planned for His work to be completed in our lives and we need to walk in the strength of that promise. I begin each day realizing that God is still at work in me and I need to respond with a commitment to follow the Lord to the best of my ability.

The Gifts in the Body of Christ

Last night I had the privilege to sit with a group of gifted leaders of New River Ministries in Radcliff, KY. As many of you know I have been working with this group in a new church plant in Radcliff. In January of 2009 the Lord began to deal with my heart concerning an outreach effort to this area that sits next door to Fort Knox. We conducted our first service on September 11, 2009 in a school cafeteria; we are now renting a facility and conducting services on Thursday night and Sunday afternoon. The Lord began to put a team together that would become captured by the same vision and desire that God had placed in my heart during prayer. I am always amazed at the greatness of God who truly "orders the steps" of people who are willing to seek the heart of God and who are also willing to follow the direction that comes from the heart of God. I could continue talking more about the team and the direction of God but I will save that for a later time. Today I need to write about an observation that God placed on my heart as I reflected on the meeting once I arrived home. I was reminded about the great diversity of the Body of Christ. God can take people of different backgrounds, different personalities, different talents, different gifts and mold them into a team with a desire to please the heart of God. I truly believe that the diversity of the Body of Christ is a very strong positive and not a negative. Is it possible that we do not celebrate the gifts that God has placed in the heart of different individuals? Is it possible that we have forced people to overlook their gift and walk in some role that we have defined for them? Each of you reading this blog need to spend time in prayer asking God to reveal the gift, talent, or ability that He has placed in you. I will remind you that the ability or gift that He has placed in you is not meant to exalt you or elevate you to a spirit of pride or haughtiness. NO, a thousand times NO; rather the talent, ability, or gift that resides in your heart is meant to edify (build up), encourage and strengthen the fellow members of the Body of Christ. I ask you to do two things today: 1) Recognize and appreciate the gift that God has placed in you; 2) Recognize and appreciate the gift that God has placed in the other members of the family of God.

Weekend Services

This past weekend was very busy but also very rewarding. I was reminded of the great privilege of serving God and serving people as I sat down to write on the blog today. I have been blessed to be able to witness the presence of God touch the lives of people as the Word was shared and the invitation was given. I was reminded of the tears that I have seen stream down the faces of people looking for hope and strength in their time of trouble. I was reminded of the shouts of praise and adoration that I have heard as people have been able to receive the breakthrough that they needed. I was reminded of the embraces and hugs that I have received as people have been lifted out of the dark valley of discouragement and despair. All of these memories encourage me to remember that God cares about the challenges that we face that and that He will use each of us to minister to those who are in need. This past weekend found me in Coeburn, VA as well as Radcliff, KY. I was able to witness much of what I wrote about in the previous paragraph as well as other manifestations of the presence of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This past weekend afforded me the opportunity to remind the congregations that we do face challenges, difficulties and obstacles in our lives. These appear large and gigantic and we do not have the ability to overcome them but God has provided a Savior who does have the power to defeat the powers of the enemy. We are called to walk in an obedient response to the leading of the Spirit as He prepares the way of victory for us. I see obstacles but I also see victories. I see struggles but I also see people who overcome. I see the tears of people who are walking through the dark valleys of despair but I also see our great Savior wiping the tears from our eyes as He reminds us that we are not alone in our valleys. I saw this and much more happen this weekend as the Spirit of God was given freedom to do His ministry work in the services. Always take the time to recognize the presence of the Spirit and realize that He desires to accomplish His work if we will be obedient. On a personal note, the congregation at New River Ministries in Radcliff, KY surprised me with a birthday celebration after the Sunday afternoon service. We enjoyed a time of fellowship which included a cake decorated with the colors of my favorite football team, the Alabama Crimson Tide (National Champions). An old song comes to my mind at this point, "Isn't God good to give us so many blessings?" I was in Coeburn, VA on my birthday and a lady in the church also gave me a cake decorated with the colors of the Alabama Crimson Tide. I mentioned these because I want each of you to realize that our world still contains people who are thoughtful and kind. We hear much about the evil of the world but we also need to hear about the good people who still exist to be an encouragement to their fellow human beings.

Personal Reflection

Each of one of us have those days in which God allows us to have the opportunity to reflect on our lives. I have been blessed to reach another milestone in my life (it is referred to as a birthday). As I was driving home last night after a service in Radcliff, KY God began to stir my memories concerning my life. One week ago today my wife and I celebrated our 38th Wedding Anniversary. As we drove we began to reflect on the direction that God has brought to our lives over the past 38 years of marriage. As we stood at that wedding altar in 1972 in Huntsville, AL we would never have imagined that our lives would have taken us down the roads of life that we have traveled. But we had two things in our favor at that point of decision; we knew that we possessed a strong love for God and a desire to please Him and we also possessed a love and commitment to each other. I will confess that both of these "loves" have matured and developed over the years that we have been together. Although I believed that I loved God and that I loved my wife; I have been able to see that love strengthened as we have faced the challenges of life together. God is reminding me of that today as I sit and write this blog. The challenges of life were not meant to make me feel weak and inferior but they made me feel strong as I learned to trust in the Lord every day and not just trust Him on the good days of life. Today someone needs to remember that principle as you face those difficult moments of your life. Over the past few days I have received birthday wishes from family and friends. I have been reminded that I am a "rich man." Oh, I am not rich in the way that the culture would define rich but I am rich through the relationships that I have developed with my family and with those dear friends who have influenced me in an important manner. I am reminded how blessed that I am every time that I drive away from my home (you notice I did not say house) toward my next destination. Each of us need to realize that as long as we are living God has other destinations for us. God has daily plans and daily purposes for you and me to fulfill. We get so captured and enamored by the larger picture of life that we fail to notice those daily opportunities to interact with God and to interact with those people that God places in our lives on that day. I remember an old song that we sang when I was part of a trio (my sons will laugh when they read this) many years ago. We made this declaration; "Well, I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now, I have got make it to heaven some how..." I want to publicly thank God for my journey and let Him know that I recognize that I am a blessed man. I thank my family for their love, support, and encouragement through the years of our ministry involvement. I thank my parents for teaching me the principles of God and modeling those principles before me. I realize that I would not have been able to make the journey if I had not had people in my life who have served as my cheerleaders when things were going rough. I want to thank my wife who has served as the "chief cheerleader" and has always encouraged me to follow the plan and call of God that I sensed. I want to say THANK YOU to each of them and let them know that they are loved and appreciated today. Take a moment today and reflect on your journey and remember the goodness of God that has been revealed in your life. Let us take a moment and appreciate all of those people who have assisted us on the journey that we call life.

Words of Encouragement, Part 3

I continue to sense the need to speak encouragement to those who are facing the challenging days of life. Life has a way of placing things in our path that will either cause our faith to "fold up or hold up." It is during those moments in which we turn our hearts to God and allow Him to place His strength within us. No one of us can truly face the challenges of life alone; we need the presence of the Savior to stand with us and to abide in us as we travel the road of discouragement. I sincerely believe that all of us will face the challenge of discouragement at some point on our journey. But Christ has given to us the ability to respond in the appropriate manner to the challenge so that we can become the victor and not the victim. Discouragement can appear in many forms to all of us. Discouragement can appear from physical weariness, emotional strain, mental taxation or stress, the strife and hurt of broken relationships, or even the struggle with spiritual apathy or unconcern. We must realize that the enemy has a planned strategy for our demise or defeat and he will use whatever is available to overthrow our faith. But in the midst of the enemy's strategy we can find the power and might of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is ALWAYS present to meet the needs that we are facing. We just have to be willing to turn our faith toward Him with renewed fervor and desire. The Word of God will offer encouragement; the Word of God will provide comfort, hope, and strength. Each of us need to remember to turn to the Lord every day and walk in the knowledge of His great love for us. A line from a worship chorus declares; "Oh, how He loves us." Remember that God loves you when the challenges of life arise. Be encouraged today through the promise of His great love for you!

Words of Encouragement, Part 2

John 6:27a; "Don't be so concerned about perishable things like food, spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you..." (NLT). Life can bring many challenges into each of our lives. Many of these challenges can become a distraction to us; we can feel the pressure to become discouraged or distraught by all of the events that are taking place around us. It is during these moments that the Spirit of God can give us the inspiration to receive encouragement from God. When your world seems to be crashing down around you and nothing is going well, it is a comfort to know that God already knows exactly what you need. This morning I have thought about the number of times that God used different people to bring to me the reminder that God is the true source of my hope and peace. It is during these difficult times that we can sense the presence of God bringing to us the "energy" to seek the eternal things of God and not allow the temporary challenges of life to overwhelm us. This "energy" can come from external sources (fellow believers, sermons, music, etc) or this "energy" can come from an internal source. David taught us that there would be times in which we encouraged ourselves. I believe we do this through the power of reflection and memory. We revisit moments in which God provided the strength that we needed to face the events of life on that particular day. We also encourage ourselves through the recognition that God is in charge of our life regardless of what events are taking place and that He is still worthy of our praise and adoration. We can encourage ourselves as we read the promises of God found in the declaration of His Word to His family. Be open to responding to whatever method God may use to bring encouragement to you today. God has not forgotten you neither has He forsaken you; BE ENCOURAGED today by His presence in your life.

Words of Encouragement

"Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well. And the woman was healed at that moment." Matthew 9:22, (NLT) As I was preparing to begin this part of my ministerial journey I knew that God was dealing with my heart concerning the need of encouragement among the people of God as well as non-believers. The call to action was almost four years ago and I see that the need is even greater today. The enemy of our soul is using all of his weapons to bring an attitude of discouragement and despair in the lives of people. I can certainly understand that we are facing challenging times as we listen to the news and view the circumstances of our lives and the events of the world in which we live. But the Word of God has some good news today; "Daughter (Son), be encouraged!" We can lift our hearts to the Lord and realize that He is near and that He understands all that we are facing in our particular lives. The Spirit of God can provide corporate encouragement for a local body of believers but He also provides specific encouragement for individual believers. There are moments in services which I participate that I sense the Spirit of God speaking directly to individuals concerning their current situations. God may use the sermon, God may use the worship, or God may use the individual word of encouragement spoken through someone. The vehicle that God uses is not as important as the person whom God is encouraging. Rest assured that God desires to encourage you today and that He will meet you at your point of need. I rejoice as I notice this truth being revealed on a daily basis as God continues to minister to His creation. BE ENCOURAGED TODAY!

Weekend Services

It can truly be said that we had a very busy Sunday. I was given the privilege to minister in the Shepherdsville church in the morning and evening services and I was given the privilege to minister in the afternoon service at New River Ministries in Radcliff (both of these churches are located in KY). You may become weary of reading these words but I must declare that the presence of the Lord was present in each of these meetings. I also recognized that God spoke to people in each of the services; I could sense the Spirit doing His work as the truth of God was released and as the open hearts of people began to receive the Word into their lives. I firmly believe that the Word of God and the Spirit of God will perform the work if we will be sensitive to His presence and be obedient in our response. I was both blessed and encouraged as we were given the awesome opportunity to worship the Lord God Almighty with passion and purpose. I want to encourage each of you to be passionate and purposeful as you offer your worship and adoration to the King of all Kings. He is worthy of our praise. I would like to share an inspiration with you that I received as I was reading the text scripture for the message last evening. I was convicted of the Spirit concerning the Word of God. How often have I read the Word or heard the Word of God read and not allowed it to have an effect on my life? Have I grown so "comfortable" with the Word of God that I fail to recognize the significant impact that it will make on my life if I truly "hear" what it is saying? Has the Word of God just become another "book" that I read rather than realizing that the Word of God TRULY comes from the heart of God? Paul told Timothy that the Word of God is "profitable" to those who listen. Am I allowing the Word of God to be profitable to my journey through life or have I just looked at the Word of God as another book of good information? I encourage you to allow the Word of God to be released in your heart in such a manner that it will accomplish God's purpose and will for your life.