Worship

Bishop Larry Duncan (Cleveland, TN) taught a powerful and challenging sermon on Worship last evening. The Lord spoke a mighty Word through him as he took us down the road of Worship through the life of King David. I will not try to re-teach or re-preach this sermon but I do want to share some personal revelation that God placed in my heart. Worship is not just a time slot in service prior to the delivery of the sermon or message. True Worship must become a lifestyle not just a few "dedicated" moments that I offer to God. I want to do more than appease God in some form of religious activity; I want to offer to Him my sincere adoration and recognition of who is He and what He offers to this hurting world. Worship must come from my heart and not just from my lips. I must be willing to Worship God even if it goes against the prevailing attitudes of the world and those that are around me. I must be willing to offer to God the highest praise and gratitude for all that He has provided for me. I could go in more detail but I just wanted you to sense a portion of the Word that was deposited in our lives last evening at the AL Convention. I was given the privilege to follow Bro. Duncan with an exhortation and invitation. The Lord impressed upon me the need to interact with God. Worship is a time of interaction and participation with God. As I proceeded to invite people to come forward to Worship and Praise God the anointing of the Holy Spirit moved into the place. The power of "ministry" began to erupt among the participants with God and needs were met. People were slain in the Spirit, some received the baptism of the Spirit, and others were encouraged to continue their pursuit of the will of God for their lives. I want to declare this to you today; true Worship opens the door of opportunity for God to release His ministering spirit in our lives. Make the commitment, become a worshipper today and see what God will do in your life.

NOW

Last night's altar service was very powerful. The Lord reminded us that He is present with us NOW! Many of us can believe that God has been with us and that God has promised to be with us in the future but we are living in the present. We are facing circumstances, challenges, and decisions in which we need the wisdom of God NOW. He has promised to be with us at this moment in our lives and we can rejoice in the faithfulness of God. God also reminded us that each of us do matter to Him and that He is aware of all that we do for the sake of His Kingdom. There are times that all of us feel that what we do is not making an impact in this world. But remember that you are serving Christ because someone made an impact on your life. You are serving Christ because someone took the time to invest time, energy, prayers, and encouragement in your life. Always remember that people appreciate those people who truly care about them and those people who speak encouragement into their lives. Take time today to invest a kind word in those people that cross your path on a daily basis. Your effort to serve God in this manner will prove a great benefit to those who you serve as well as your own personal walk with God.

Wisdom from God

The Spirit of God began to deal with my heart and mind as I was preparing for this evening's service. Each one of us is in need of the wisdom of God in some area of our lives. But do we find ourselves waiting for some "supernatural moment" in the future in which the wisdom that we need will be revealed? Or do we fully understand that God is prepared to reveal that wisdom NOW? The word "now" keeps resonating in my heart as I receive what God is saying; I know that God has plans for the future but He also has plans for the present. Is it possible that many of us spend our time waiting when in reality God is prepared to reveal the action that we need to take? The same God who is prepared for the future of our lives is also prepared for the present day circumstances and situations that we are facing. Each of us must be willing to not only ask God for His wisdom and direction; we must be willing to take the appropriate action when that wisdom is revealed. Many dreams and aspirations have died in the birthing process because we were unwilling to walk in the strength of God's revelation in our lives. Oh men and women of God it is time to arise and follow after the direction of God!

Travel Day

Today I have traveled to Hoover, AL (near Birmingham) for the Alabama State Convention. I am both blessed and excited about the opportunity of ministering to the people who will attend the state gathering of the Churches of God of Prophecy. God is so amazing and He provides many wonderful opportunities to share the Word of God and that Word has the power to impact our lives in a transforming manner. I know that the Word that God shares through me is certainly making an impact in my journey with God. The more that I learn about God the more that I recognize that I need Him and that I want Him working in my heart. Alabama holds a special place in our hearts; it is both mine as well as Ann's birth place. We were born in Huntsville and we began our ministerial journey with God in this state in the early 70's. That statement makes me feel and sound "old" but in reality we just started at a very young age. Alabama will always hold a place of significance to us because the people gave us the opportunity to begin this amazing walk with God and we will always be grateful to those who invested in our lives at a very critical time. We were privileged to serve the Athens and Hazel Green churches as Pastor before we transitioned to Kentucky in 1975. We look forward to renewing old friendships and the development of new friendships. We will also have the opportunity to visit with some family members and that is always a blessing.

Prayer Burden

Today's post will be unique in which I will share what the Lord placed on my heart during prayer this morning. I could sense that many of you who read this blog are facing some challenging moments in your life at this present time. These are the days of trials, challenges, and difficulties to say the least. But we can also rest assured that God is at work in all of our lives working His will and way even in the midst of our daily journey. I felt led of the Lord to ask for the readers of this blog to join together in prayer for the needs of our fellow believers. The family of God needs to come together and intercede for one another and let satan know that we are united and not divided. A divided house can not stand (teachings of Jesus); this is not the time to allow our lives to be separated by small and insignificant differences. Families, homes, marriages, and even our churches are under satanic and demonic attack at this moment. But in the midst of these events I sense that God is calling many of us to fervent prayer which will allow us to intercede for one another and realize that God is still in charge of the affairs of man. Different individuals are always sharing prayer requests with me as I travel around this nation. Some of these are too personal or private to reveal the nature of the request. Rest assured that God is aware of all that you need even if you can not adequately define or describe your need. Let this be a day of prayer for those needs that exists in the lives of our fellow believers. God still hears the cry of intercessors. As you pray today listen for the Voice of God to bring the needs of others to your heart and mind. Call these people's names out to the Lord and allow Him to teach you to help carry the burden of your brothers and sisters in the family of God. You will be blessed through this action and the family of God will feel the strength of your prayers.

Weekend Review

Due to the busy schedule of the weekend activities at the meeting in Ft. Smith, AR I have been unable to update the blog. Yesterday was a travel day home from the services. The old song says what I feel in my heart today, "Surely the presence of the Lord was in the place." The anointing and unction of the Lord was upon each of the services and the Spirit of God touched the lives of many who were in attendance. State Bishop Wayne Pense and his lovely wife, Adana as well as the people of Arkansas and Oklahoma welcomed us with open arms of love and fellowship. Their kindness and fellowship was a great source of blessing and encouragement. It is truly a blessing to be able to spend time with the family of God in times of conversation as well as times of worship. I truly believe that the Lord reminded us that "greater things" can be accomplished in the Kingdom of God if we remain focused on Christ and His call to minister to the needs of people. We have to be willing to accept people at their point of need and point them to the power of Christ. Christ can still impact and change the lives of people; we must be determined to allow Christ the opportunity to do His work among people. There were several people in the Friday night service who received the baptism of the Spirit. Many people came forward for prayer in the Saturday night healing service. I give God praise for all that was accomplished in each of the meetings. GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD AND HE IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE! I was both blessed and encouraged by the number of young people who were in the altar seeking after God in the Friday as well as Saturday night services. I truly believe that this does not have to be a "lost generation" of children and youth. The Region of AR/OK is making a strong commitment to reach the children and youth of their communities. This is the day to arise and be about the Father's Business. Let us look to Him and trust in Him with all of our hearts and allow Him to use us in the field of harvest. We must open our eyes and realize that the fields are ripe and ready for harvest (John 4). Are you actively involved in some form of outreach to your family and friends? If not, you need to allow the Spirit to touch your life so that you can realize the importance of reaching people with the message of the Gospel. I desire to tell people about Christ and the difference that He can make in their lives.

Servants of God

Last night I had the privilege to sit with Pastors and their companions from across the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. I also was given the privilege to share some comments with these men and women of God. As I was preparing for the meeting I was reminded of the opportunity of sitting with true servants of God. Pastors, Ministers, and other leaders of churches do many things which are done in the privacy of serving others. Pastors are called on in situations that do not grab the headlines of the local newspapers, or make the stories of the local newscasts but they are recognized and remembered in Heaven. God does not forget the service we offer to Him as we serve others. I am thankful to be able to cross paths with true servants of God as I travel around this country sharing the good news of the Gospel. Many of you are faithful servants of God who daily offer their lives to God as a living sacrifice. You willingly serve others without much fanfare or recognition. No news organizations shows up to interview you and present you with any rewards or certificates yet you remain committed to the cause of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. To each of you I say THANK YOU and I want you to know that your service has not gone unnoticed by our Heavenly Father. Jesus gave us the example of service and now you are committed to follow in His footsteps. Churches would never be able to operate the ministries of local churches if it were not for the dedicated servants who serve tirelessly week after week to make sure the ministries complete their acts of service to the local body as well as to the community in which they live. Allow God to encourage you today and understand that there are people who truly appreciate your service and I am speaking for them today; we are glad that you are willing to give of yourself to a cause that is greater than all of us. Be blessed as you continue to serve today and the rest of the days of your life.