Update

I have not made a post in the past week due to recovering from some injuries that I received in a fall from an extension ladder.  I was assisting my son in a painting project when the ladder slid out from under me.  My typing is limited to one hand so my posts may be limited over the next few weeks.  I certainly desire your prayers  for a speedy and healthy recovery from the injuries that I sustained (cuts, bruises, fractured elbow & shoulder).  I have work to do and I need to be at full strength.  I am truly THANKFUL for the mercies and kindness of God; my injuries could have been and should have been more serious.  I give God praise and glory for His protection.

Thoughts from the Weekend

The Spirit uses many things and many situations to speak illumination and information into our hearts.  I am doing my best to become more sensitive to the revelation of the Spirit and also more responsive to those truths and reminders that He is placing in my life.  I spoke with a young man this weekend who had been sensing the unction from the Spirit to draw closer to God.  In some ways He wanted to respond to this call yet in other ways he was intimidated by this calling because of the fear that people might think that he had committed sin.  This reminded me that all of us face the challenge to either respond or reject the call from the Spirit based on our assumption of the feelings of other people.  Regardless of our age all of us are concerned about the perceptions of our peers and even the perception of our family and friends.  We must allow the Spirit to help us look beyond this intimidation and realize the reward of obedience.

The service on Sunday night at New River Worship Center spoke powerfully in my heart.  The children and youth of this outreach effort took the lead in the service and provided the ministry to the people who attended the Sunday night celebration.  I was blessed by the preparation and presentation of the Gospel message by these "children" of God.  The service reminded me of the blessing of watching people allow God to use their talents and gifts to share the message of the Gospel in their unique manner ( I use the word "unique" in a very POSITIVE manner).  The previous statement is true of people on any generation but especially true of this younger generation.  The older we become the more likely we are to think inside the box of learned actions but when you are young you look at ways to say the same thing but in a different way.  I rejoice over the fact that God is raising up children and youth who are willing to think outside of the box and use different measures and means to share the love of God.  These methods may be new to many of us yet they call for a decision from a generation that is being challenged to accept many philosophies and religions of man as the Truth of God.  I desire to be a believer and leader that encourages the release of these gifts and let these young Christians know that there is room for them in the family of God and that we welcome their gifts and abilities.  I am preparing my heart to learn from them and allow them to enrich my life with their passion for Christ.

Trusting God

Psalm 91:14, "The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name " (NLT).  


It is such a privilege and honor to place our trust in the True and Living God.  It is such a privilege and honor to recognize that the True and Living God has made Himself available to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is such a privilege and honor to take the bold step of releasing our faith and to believe that God is at work in our lives and that God has our best interests in mind as He directs our steps.  True trust in God allows us to recognize His love and presence even in the most difficult and trying times.  Even when we don't "feel" God we can rest assured that He is present to protect us.  Many people in our nation have alarm systems in their place of residence.  These alarm systems provide us a certain amount of comfort but even they are not full proof by any means.  The combination of the Word of God and the presence of the Spirit can provide us the comfort that we need as we confront the tactics and the challenges of the enemy.  We need to remember that the enemy seeks to make us feel lonely and vulnerable.  Thieves may try to steal our possessions but the "thief" of our soul seeks to steal our peace, our hope, our rest, and our confidence in the strength of the Lord God Almighty.  It is during those times that we must rest in the promises of the protection of God.  We can rest in the fact that God is on duty 24/7; He is ever present to respond to the cry of our hearts.

It is reassuring to know that we can trust in God and place our life in His hands.  But our trust in God is more than just some emotional feeling.  Our trust in God is rooted in a deep faith that the Creator of the Universe loves us and that He is interested in each of us as individuals.  There will be times in our lives in which it may "feel" that God is very distant or even in some cases absent from the events that are taking place around us.  It is during those types of situations that we turn our hearts to the Word of God and read once more the true revelation and declaration of God's presence.  Our feelings can be unreliable and fickle but the Word of God remains true and faithful regardless of how we feel or how those feel who live around us.  Our feelings are a lot like the weather; they can change quickly.  We can place our complete trust in God because He is trustworthy and the Bible declares that He can not lie.  We just need to remember that God is present with us whether we "feel" Him or not.  He is prepared to release His love and mercy as we face the daily challenges of life as well as those moments of emergency in which we need an unique visitation of the Spirit in our hearts.

Thought for the Day

God places people with gifts, talents, and abilities in our lives. God has a plan to use these people to assist us on the journey of life. Each of us must be willing to receive these people as a gift from God and value them as a gift from God. This means that each of us need to mature so that we are not intimidated by those gifted individuals. I desire to recognize the gifts that God is sending my way today!

Weekend Thoughts

Throughout the past several weeks the Spirit has been speaking to my heart regarding the connection between our past and our future.   I am thankful for my walk with the Lord up till this point in my life but I am interested in my future journey with God.  My ongoing relationship with God allows me to be excited about my future.  I must not allow either my failures or my successes hinder me from walking into the promises of my future.  I sincerely feel that God has blessings prepared for this day and time and I have not fully received those blessings as of yet.  I must continue my passionate pursuit of a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and truly sense that my today and tomorrow can be greater than my yesterday.  I must allow the Holy Spirit to fully prepare my spirit for my future walk with Christ.  I need to embrace the leading of the Spirit rather than resisting the leading of the Spirit if I fully expect to receive the full measure of God's future direction for my life.  The Prophet Amos challenges us to remember this principle; "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos3:3)  We must be willing to walk in agreement with God if we are truly looking to reach our full potential in Christ.  We can not afford to settle for less than our full potential.  Coaches of various sports teams are always encouraging their players to play up to their potential. Spiritual success will be obtained as we live up to our potential through the power and presence of Christ.

Answered Prayers

I am quite sure that many of us are looking to God to answer our prayers concerning a variety of needs.  We are facing spiritual, physical, emotional, financial challenges and we are looking to God to bring the proper solution to these situations.  But we can pray in confidence because of the promises that God has spoken in His Word.  One of these promises is found in Luke 1:37, "For nothing is impossible with God" (NLT).  I felt led to encourage those of you who are praying for answers to needs that either you or your family are facing.  As a matter of fact, I received an email this morning from a mother whose son is facing a battle with depression.  We are facing all types of situations but we can understand that with God all things are possible.  God is able to perform the impossible even in the midst of the overwhelming challenges of life.

The enemy would have each of us to believe that we are facing situations that are too big for God to handle.  We may have prayed for something but deep inside of us the enemy tried to sow the seed of doubt and a lack of trust that God would make provision in that need.  It is so easy to feel that our prayer may be the one that goes unanswered by our God.  But we must remember that nothing is impossible with God!  God who created the universe is able to change the unbeliever's heart.  God is able to heal the broken body that is facing a battle with an illness or disease.  God who looks at everything from an eternal purpose has a plan for each of us and He is working to complete that plan in our lives.  I  must learn to trust Him more and pray in confidence that God does hear me when I pray (Jeremiah 29:12).  We also learn to trust God as we recognize that He has the authority to answer the prayer in His way and plan rather than the plan that always satisfies and pleases us.  God loves us more than you and I can ever fully comprehend; He desires to reveal that love through His care and concern for us and for the issues of life that we face.  I encourage you this morning to continue bringing your needs to the Lord through the opportunity of prayer and allow Him to work His plan in your life.  Remember, nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with God!

Thought for Today

Do we truly possess a strong desire to draw closer to God or have we just learned to "talk the language of religion?" There is a distinct difference between talking and seeking. Read Psalm 42:1-2.

The Presence of God, Part 2

It is so easy to become captured by the spirit and attitudes of the culture of this world.  Even our thought process can be tainted by the flesh which will hinder us from identifying the life-changing presence of God.  Our lives are changed when we learn to identify and respond to the presence of God.  The Apostle Paul was inspired of the Holy Spirit to share some encouraging words in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will" (NIV).


I want to focus on the "renewing of your mind."  I must allow the process of the Spirit to influence my thinking about myself as well as about God.  It is very easy to think on the negative side of life rather than viewing the positive influence and presence of God at all times in our lives.  We easily identify the problem and many of us set in motion the process to repair or fix the problem that we are facing.  I am not saying that we do not need to be pro-active in our response to the challenges of life; but I am saying that we need to make room for the renewing of our minds through the power and presence of the Spirit.  God desires to work His will in us and through us and there are times that His will runs contrary to my thought pattern.  It is during those moments that I must make the choice to surrender my life and will to Christ and allow Him to work HIS process in my life.  I must allow my thoughts to flow toward God and His awesome love and concern for me as an individual believer.

I must stop trying to rest in my self sufficiency and trust in the all sufficiency of Christ.  He is truly all that I (You) need as we make our way though life.  We must remember that we live in a world that is broken and prior to our conversion we were living under the influence of that brokenness.  Our lives have been healed and redeemed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We now can walk in the strength of the "renewing of our mind" on a daily basis.  The Psalmist David declared these words in Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way" (NASB).  Christ will lead if we will follow!

The Presence of God

Each of us face our own unique set of circumstances as we travel down the road of life.  Some of these circumstances can not be avoided even if we tried; they are just a part of life.  We face the common issues of sickness, death of a loved one, financial concerns, raising our children, and a long list of other issues that can challenge our faith and our plan to walk after the Heart of God.  It is during those moments that we learn to focus on the presence of God and not just focus on the presence of our problems.  There will certainly be times when we can identify the presence of our problems quicker than we can identify the supernatural presence of God.  Faith allows us to look to the Lord and realize that we can come to Him and seek His help as we face these issues and challenges of life.  Each of us make the conscious decision that we will turn to the Lord and allow His presence to strengthen us during those difficult times.

Jesus shares some encouraging words with us in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (NIV).  Each of us can know the facts concerning the invitation of God but no one can make that decision to accept His invitation but you.  Each of us must choose to make our way to Christ as we face those moments of weariness and heavy burdens.  We can cast our care on Him because He truly cares about us.  We can find rest in Christ because we can trust in the promises of His Word.  The Word of God is true and we can receive His truth into our hearts and lives.  My perspective on life can become more joyful and peaceful as I learn to keep my focus on Christ and the promises that He has made in His Word.  I can find myself feeling overwhelmed and discouraged when I become preoccupied with my problems and my difficulties.  But when I turn my thoughts toward the presence of God I can sense the strength and calmness of Christ and remember one more time that I am not alone on my journey.  It is very important to remember that you are not alone and that Christ is at work in your life as you face the issues of life.  We must choose to focus on the presence of Christ and not just the presence of our problems.

Weekend Reflections

I was blessed to be able to enjoy a spiritually challenging as well as fulfilling weekend. The Spirit of the Lord challenged my heart at a Minister's Conference in Kentucky. The Friday evening service was led by a group of "on-fire" youth who love Jesus Christ and they are not ashamed of Him. Saturday's service included a testimony/sermon by Dr. Tom Renfroe who received a dramatic healing from cancer in 1997. These services reminded me of the Awesome power of God and they also served as a reminder that we have a responsibility to share the Good News of the Gospel with this world. Sunday morning found me sharing the Gospel at New River Worship Center in Radcliff, KY. The presence of God was very near as we celebrated Communion as a family of God. The call to Worship as well as the entire Worship service reminded us that God is still able to meet our needs as we continue to put our trust in Him. I then proceeded to remind the congregation that we can trust God as He leads us into the destiny of our future. We are living in perilous or dangerous times but we can take courage as we realize who is walking with us and in us on this journey. Do not be discouraged or overwhelmed; God is still at work in the lives of His children. Trust in Him and in the promises of His Word.

Be Encouraged

I returned yesterday from a great week of spiritual activities.  The Minister's Conference in Georgia was awesome and the Revival meeting at the Harris Chapel church in Alabama was highly anointed and the Word of God challenged us each evening.  The past few days have challenged me to expand my view of the influence of the Kingdom of God.  It is so easy to limit the ability of God and the power of His Kingdom that is at work in this world.  I can have the tendency to look at the influence of the Kingdom of God through the eyes of the flesh rather than through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  The Kingdom of God is an ever expanding Kingdom that is encompassing people from all around the world.  It is a blessing to be a part of a Kingdom that is inclusive rather than exclusive.  The Kingdom of God is open to anyone and everyone who will choose to commit their life to Jesus Christ and commit to following after Him in a lifetime of discipleship and development.  The people of God can be encouraged as we observe the spiritual landscape and realize that Christ is still making a difference in this world.  I encourage you to continue your passionate pursuit of a personal relationship with our Great Savior and allow Him to use you in the harvest field of His pursuit of the lost and hurting of our world.  Remember that Christ came to "seek and save that which is lost."  Let us be encouraged as we continue to commit to the ministry efforts of the Kingdom of God!