Weekend Review

We trust that each one of you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your family and friends. We were blessed to be able to spend time with our children and grandchildren. My wife prepared a wonderful meal and the fellowship was very rewarding. I listened to our grandchildren express their gratitude for the things that were important to them; it is always enjoyable to listen to the sincere words of a child. Being thankful for family topped the list of their expressions but they also talked about being thankful for food, toys, church, animals, and even one of them said that he was thankful for not having the swine flu as of of yet. It is amazing to follow the thought process of a child. I hope that you took some time and expressed thanks to God for all that He has revealed in your life. True thanksgiving must go deeper than just things or benefits; true thanksgiving is a sincere recognition of the presence of God on a daily basis in our lives. Each of us need to seriously reflect on the daily presence of God in our lives. He is truly aware of us and is mindful of the circumstances that we are facing. Sunday morning found us in Columbia, TN. I was invited to speak at a Youth Emphasis Sunday. I was blessed by the worship team and the drama team as they led the congregation into the presence of the Lord. It is always a great source of encouragement to see young people who are willing to make a public expression of their faith. Their passion and enthusiasm for Christ reminds me that God will always have someone who is willing to pick up the torch of the Gospel message and share it with the world. I desire to do my best in carrying the torch and letting this world know that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Several years ago we were able to serve the Columbia church as Pastor for a short period of time. It was truly a blessing to be able to reconnect with some old friends and to make some new friends. The altar service was wonderful as people chose to accept the awesome love of God in their lives. Truly the presence of the love of God was revealed in the service; all of us need to remember that God does love us and that He interested in our lives. I know that I make that statement very often in my writings but I am convinced that the enemy does all in his power to make us doubt that revelation from God. The enemy does not want you or me believing that God truly loves us but on the basis of John 3:16 I declare that word to be true. Let us walk in the strength of His love the remainder of our days and realize that He is working for us and not against us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is a day to celebrate the greatness of God! We also give God praise for our family and friends. God has used each of these individuals to reveal His love and kindness toward us. I am blessed with a wonderful wife and family. I want them to know that I love them and that I am glad that God has placed them in my life. I also appreciate each of the prayer partners who have interceded for this ministry call that we feel in our lives. Thank you for your support and encouragement. May God richly reward you and may the God of all Grace continue to guide your steps. Let us celebrate all of the great blessings that God has deposited in our lives over the past year. God is worthy of our praise.

Thanksgiving, Not Just A Holiday

Tomorrow is a day that our nation has set aside to remind us of the need to be thankful. I am all in favor of being thankful but I sincerely feel that "thanksgiving" should not just be a holiday to us but thanksgiving should be an attitude of our hearts as we reflect on the goodness and greatness of God. John Maxwell has referred to this as the "attitude of gratitude." Do I possess that type of attitude or does the challenges of life seek to try and remove that attitude and replace it with the attitude of grumbling and complaining? I do not want to see my life become captured and dominated by any type of attitude that fails to offer to God sincere thankfulness for all that He has provided in my life. I know that many people in this nation are being faced with some difficult circumstances but the failure to express thanksgiving to God will not bring a suitable solution to those challenges. Let us take this day and rededicate ourselves to a lifestyle of thanksgiving. As you gather with family and friends tomorrow began to remind them of the need to express sincere and genuine thanks to God for who He is and for His love that is expressed and released toward us. I can sense the spirit calling me to a deeper recognition and appreciation of the presence of God that is daily watching over me and guiding my path. He is so worthy of our praise and He is worthy of the honor that we can offer to Him. David expressed the right attitude and approach that we should take toward God. Take a moment and meditate and reflect on the Word of God that is being spoken into our hearts. Psalm 100:1-5: "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations" (NLT). Rejoice in the goodness of God! Happy Thanksgiving!

God's Care For Us

Matthew 6:8, "Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him! (NLT). This scripture describes one of the joys that I am able to identify as I speak in meetings across this nation. It is a blessing to understand the promise that is spoken to us through this declaration of Jesus Christ. God is truly interested in our lives and He is aware of what we need even before we ask Him. We serve an amazing God! In the service last night I was able to witness the presence of God minister to the needs of people as God truly identified the needs of those individuals. There are times in our lives in which we are incapable of expressing our needs to God; we just do not have the ability to truly identify the inner need that we possess. But it is at those moments that the greatness of God is revealed; God's power to have all knowledge of all things comes into our view. We are able to witness the revelation of His Grace in our lives as He assists us to understand the root of our need. Please remember this point; He not only identifies our need but He then proceeds to minister to this need that we might receive "healing" in our lives. We need to release our praise and thanks to God. We need for Him to know that we truly appreciate the care that He offers to our lives on a daily basis. I am seeking to discern the presence of God that is at work on a daily basis in my life. We must remember that God is not just at work on a Sunday or a Wednesday but God is at work every day and at all times ministering to the needs that we face. The challenges of life will seek to frustrate our faith and our hope in God but plant these words of Jesus deep in your heart; "Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him." Let us offer thanksgiving to the mighty God that we love and serve today.

Weekend Services

This week finds me in Bowling Green , KY with Pastor Rick and Kathy Daugherty and the Castle Heights Community Church. The services yesterday were wonderful as the presence of the Lord filled the house of God as we began to worship the Lord and glorify His name. I am still amazed at the response of God to those who chose to worship Him even in the midst of their difficulties. The Worship Leader, Bro. Wayne, has been facing a struggle with cancer (today is his last chemotherapy treatment) yet he was leading the church in offering praise to the Lord God Almighty. Through prayer and medical treatment the the doctor has declared him cancer free. I am giving you this information because we need to remember that our praise and worship to God does not need to be based on the events or circumstances that are taking place in our lives. God is worthy of our adoration REGARDLESS of what is happening to us or around us. All of us have faced and some of us may be facing difficult moments but in those moments we make the choice to lift our voice to God and declare that we love Him and declare that we are thankful for all that He is doing in our lives. Look past your difficult moments today and offer God praise and thanksgiving for who He is and for what He is doing in your life. God will respond to the praise that comes from your heart. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was powerful as people responded to the call of God and came forward for prayer. Thank God for being interested in the cares of life that we are facing. God has not forgotten and God has not forsaken. Make the decision to look to Him today and realize that He is your answer. Between the morning and evening services yesterday I was able to attend a portion of the afternoon meeting in Radcliff, KY. Yesterday was the first Sunday afternoon service that we conducted in the outreach effort in the area of Ft. Knox. The presence of the Lord was evident when I arrived at the service. People shared with me that the theme of the service had centered around keeping our focus on God. Each of us need to remember to keep our focus on God. Do not allow your life to become distracted. Distractions can cause us to drift away from our relationship with God and we can easily find ourselves on a path that is taking us away from God. Continue to pray for our efforts in the area of Ft. Knox. God desires to touch the lives of people in that community and the surrounding communities. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions concerning the outreach effort or if you would like to assist us in reaching the community with the message of the Gospel.

Amazing Grace

I am thankful for a safe trip home from Summerville, SC. We enjoyed a wonderful outpouring of the Spirit in each of the services. The presence of God was very evident in the lives of each of the individuals that attended the services. Several people testified of the miraculous intervention of the Grace of God in their lives. Isn't it wonderful to realize that God is interested in my individual life? As an individual I am important to God although I am part of a larger group called human beings. I just feel that people need to be reminded of their individual importance to God. Many times in the Bible we notice that Jesus took time with individual people to make sure that their needs were met. We must not become so caught up with ministering to the "masses" that we forget and overlook those individuals that God places in our path on a daily basis. Do we pay attention to the clerk in the convenience store? Do we pay attention to the server in the restaurant? Do we pay attention to the person who assists us in the bank? Do we pay attention to our spouse and our children? Can you sense what the Lord is desiring to say? Yes, Jesus died for the whole world; but that world was and is made up of individuals that have the right to know about the amazing Grace of our God. We are approaching the busy holiday season and we will all get caught up in the "rush of the moment." Let us take time to notice the individuals that we encounter and let us share the Grace of God with them. The Grace of God will not only be revealed in the words that we share but also in the actions that we take. Take a moment to go out of your way and be kind to someone today; it will make a difference in their perspective of life and of the perspective of the presence of God in their life.

Encouragement

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say" (NLT). I have the wonderful privilege of traveling in various parts of this nation in which I am given the awesome responsibility and opportunity to minister to people of different backgrounds and different needs. I encounter people of various ethnic backgrounds, educational backgrounds, economic backgrounds, as well as spiritual backgrounds. But there is one thing that I notice is common among all of the people; we are living in the time in which many of us are in need of encouragement. I am not referring to some type of "emotional lift"; no, I am referring to a deep desire to sense the presence of God in a supernatural manner that will strengthen my soul in the midst of adversity. These are truly times of adversity; but in the midst of the adversity we can sense the promise that the Spirit shares through the words of Paul in our scripture verse today. God is a a God of comfort and hope. The enemy wants us living in a state of hopelessness and despair. The enemy of our soul does not want us to believe that God promises to bring strength and comfort to us on our journey through life. Life is not always easy; we do face those moments in which our faith will either "fold up or hold up." We do face those moments in which we must choose to either trust God with the circumstances that we are facing or allow the enemy to overwhelm us with feelings of fear and defeat. God does not give to us the spirit of fear (timidity) according to the Word of God. Some of you are facing challenging circumstances today; allow the God of comfort and hope to strengthen you through His promises. It is such a blessing to look into the face of someone who has come forward for prayer and they realize that God is truly interested in helping them at their point of need. It is as though a light has been turned on in their heart and they are correct. The True Light from heaven has revealed Himself to them in the midst of their difficulty. I am blessed to see that reaction in each of the services in which I am able to participate. Oh, what a mighty God we serve! He truly desires to assist you today; He is not fighting against you, He is fighting for you. God desires for you to succeed and live a successful Christian life. Be encouraged today, God loves you and He is interested in your life and all that you are facing.

The Word of God

For several days God has been reminding me of the spirit of deceit and deception that is rampant in our world today. There is strong evidence of the mixture of truth and false religion. Many people (both believers and non-believers) are being duped into believing many things that are untrue concerning their relationship with God. We must be careful concerning our walk with God. We must be alert to the tactics of the enemy which seeks to lead us astray from the principles of truth. Truth is not a negative concept. Jesus said that the truth would bring freedom to our lives. Some people live under the mistaken view that truth brings bondage and restrictions which will hinder our life. Truth will bring the true freedom which liberates us and brings us into a relationship with God which enhances and releases our life rather than restricting our life. The idea of restriction is one that this culture seeks to deposit in our thought process; it plays to the fleshly side of our existence and independence. We seek to be independent in our thinking; this independence in and of itself does not create a problem until it leads us down the path of defining our own view and definition of truth. This generation must cry out for the declaration of truth to be spoken in our lives. We need spiritual leaders who are not intimidated when it comes to speaking the truth. I am not encouraging the imposition of legalism but I am praying for the release of a hunger for truth among the people of God. We need to be alive in Christ and realize that the Word of God was spoken and written for our benefit. The Word of God will bring direction and guidance if we will submit and surrender our lives to its principles. Oh God, reveal your truth to me today so that I will live in agreement with your principles.

Weekend Review

This week finds me in Summerville,SC with Pastor JR and Shirley Martin at Summerville Family Worship Center. The Martin's as well as the local church offered me a warm welcome of Christian fellowship and spiritual anticipation. This is my second opportunity to minister in this local body and I anticipate a mighty outpouring of the Spirit this week. The presence of the Lord was awesome in the two services on Sunday. Each of the meetings concluded with many people in the altar crying out for more of God. We were able to see people receive Christ as their personal Savior as well as being filled with the Spirit. We also witnessed people receiving strength as they face the daily struggles of life; many of us carry heavy burdens from those challenges but it is wonderful when we realize that God never intended for us to walk the road alone. These are very challenging times for many of us yet we sense the Spirit calling us to a deeper level of faith and trust. The Spirit is leading us to a deeper commitment of our heart to God as well as a stronger desire to take a stand for the truth of God's Word. This is a day of deceit and deception. We must know Christ as our Savior and we must allow Him to be Lord of our life. God is calling all of us out of the practice of religion into a strong developing relationship with the True and Living God. The spirit of the culture is seeking to influence our decision making process when it comes to our understanding of God. We must not back down from the teaching of the Bible; Jesus Christ is still the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Christ is the source of our hope and the source of our salvation. Many of us in America are feeling the pressure to just go through the motions of Christianity; we must refuse this tactic of the enemy. God is calling us to passion, desire, and the pursuit of His presence. Do we truly hunger and thirst for the presence of God or will we be content with just the normal activities of church? I hunger for more than the normal. I seek to see God reveal Himself among the people who have gathered to celebrate His greatness. Do we gather to celebrate His greatness or do we gather to celebrate our greatness? The answer to that question will either lead us to repentance or to a deeper revelation of the heart of God. I choose to celebrate the greatness of God. Want you join me in celebrating the greatness of God this day and walk in the strength of His love?

Thankfulness

I was awakened this morning with a sense of urgency concerning thankfulness. I know that some of you may think that I am just getting into the "mood of the holidays" but I respectfully disagree. I sense that God was calling my heart back to the attitude of genuine appreciation of all that He has provided in my life. But I am not talking about the "things" from God I am talking about the true gift of salvation and relationship with Him. How long has it been since we stopped and just thanked God for our redemption? How long has it been since we just thanked God for taking a personal interest in our life and what we confront on a daily basis? I was somewhat challenged when I reflected on my prayer times and realized that recently I had spent very little time in declaring genuine thankfulness for my journey with God. I do not want to shift the burden of my conviction to you but I do want to challenge your thought process when it comes to thankfulness. Many of us are facing great challenges in our lives such as illness, financial stress, employment concerns, martial relationships, family strife, and many other heart wrenching situations. I do not have the full answer for all of those needs other than dependence on Christ; but I do believe a genuine reflection on the presence of God in our lives will offer strength and courage to continue trusting Him. We have a total of 49 days (including today) left in this year. What if every believer in America would offer God just five (5) minutes a day of genuine praise and worship? What if we left off our list of requests for these five (5) minutes and just thanked God for His presence in our daily lives? Can you just imagine the difference in our personal life as well as the life of the church in America? I believe that many of you will accept the challenge and begin to walk in the strength of Thankfulness!

Don't forget the Love of God

2 Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (NKJV). The Lord began to stir my spirit last night as I began to reflect on the revival service. I speak much about our need to seek God and to love God with all our heart. I am firmly convinced that God is speaking that "word" to the church. We must have our hearts awakened and in some cases re-awakened to the need of a heartfelt, sincere relationship with Christ. This is not the time to "play church" and to go through the motions of religious activity. Many believers are captured in the land of the "spiritual comfortable" while all the time the Spirit is sending the wake up call to the church in America. Do not ignore the alarm bells that are going off in your spirit today; answer the call to draw near to the heart of God and watch Him do a wonderful work in your life. During this time of reflection God reminded me that there is another side of the story that needs to be declared. We must remember the love that God has for humanity. The love of God opens the door for all of us to pursue the presence of God. The love of God opens the door of fellowship in which man could enjoy the presence of on-going developing relationship with our Heavenly Father. We can not afford to forget the love that God is releasing toward our world today. Have we become so "super spiritual" that we have forgotten the foundation stones of our belief process? The love of God that is being released toward us offers us the opportunity to walk in fellowship and discipleship with our Savior and King. I felt that I needed to offer a gentle reminder to the readers of this blog; God loves you and God cares about your journey through life. When life comes at you with strong trials and battles just remember that the Lord God Almighty is sending His love toward you and that He is releasing His love in you. We can not earn this love, we do not deserve this love, and we can never truly explain this love; Love is the revelation of God's character for a fallen world. Walk in His love today! Veterans Day: As a nation we pause to remember those men and women who have offered their lives as a sacrifice for the freedom of this nation. We also pause to recognize those men and women who daily put their lives in harms way that we may continue to enjoy our freedom. I am honored to be the son of a WWII veteran. As a young man my father endured much difficulty so that we as a nation could enjoy our freedom. He served along side of many great soldiers who thought more of others than they did their own lives. My dad is involved in ministering to veterans of all ages as he serves as a Chaplain in a local Disabled American Veterans chapter in AL. My parents have taught me and continue to teach me the blessing of giving to others. I also recognize my nephew (adopted grandson), Derek, who is presently serving at Ft. Hood, TX. He has already served one tour of duty in Iraq. Derek we are proud of you and your service to this country. The present day military is made up of volunteers who have made the decision to stand strong in the face of a war with terrorism. These men and women also deserve our respect and our prayers. Will you take a moment today and speak a word of kindness and encouragement to these brave men and women who have served our country or they are in the position of serving our country at this challenging time? God bless America!

Guarding our Heart, Part 2

Ezekiel 36:26; "I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart" (NLT). Do I truly possess a heart that is seeking to be responsive to God? Does my heart truly desire to respond to God in obedience? Does my heart desire for God to lead and direct my steps and surrender to His Lordship? The spirit of this culture (at least in my opinion) seeks to bring hardness and toughness to my heart when it comes to the things of God. The enemy of my soul wants me to become disconnected from the heart of God which seeks to do a "good work" in my life. I must choose between these two forces; which one will win out in my life? Which force will rule and reign in my life? What voice will I follow in these days of spiritual decisions? I sincerely feel that God is calling for action on our part; I must open my heart to Him so that He can deposit the power of spiritual transformation. The Spirit is performing open heart surgery on my life and the lives of many of you across the world. He is removing the stony, rebellious heart and replacing it with one that is tender and respectful to the things of God. The price of this surgery was paid for at Calvary; Jesus died that we might have an opportunity for a new life. The new life bring us into a relationship with the Lord God Almighty who will provide the strength that we need to face the challenges of life. But for this "surgery" to be successful I must be willing to submit to the Chief Surgeon who knows exactly what I need to be removed and He knows what I need added to my life. The question we must answer is this one, "Am I willing to submit to His process of transformation for my life?" This surgery may be painful and we may have to make some adjustments to our lifestyle once the surgery is completed. But I challenge you to stay focused on the end result of this spiritual procedure. I desire a "new heart" that is submitted to God in all areas of my life. The meeting this week at Hackleburg has been a great blessing in which we are seeing a great response to the call of the Spirit in the lives of the youth of this church and community. The Spirit of repentance, confession, and renewed commitment to Christ has been very evident in the altar services. We have seen young men and women responding to the heart transplant procedure of the Spirit. We must continue to intercede for the children and youth of this generation. God has not given up on them and the believers in the "church" must not give up on them. Speak a word of encouragement to a child or teenager today. You will be blessed and they will be blessed by the interest that you shown in them.

Weekend Review

This week finds me in Hackleburg, AL with Pastor Clint and Liz Knowles. The services yesterday were strengthening, challenging, and life changing. God is moving among us but this moving of the Spirit is deeper and greater than some emotional high. God is calling us into a relationship that is requiring a bold decision of surrender, sacrifice, and commitment. Not everyone will make the decision to commit to Christ; I speak this word to believers as well as non-believers. Even many believers have grown comfortable with their spiritual status yet God is calling us to a higher level of discipleship. Being a true disciple of Christ signifies that we will be willing to follow Him down the path of life that He directs. Being a true disciple signifies and testifies that all areas of my life is open to the examination of the Spirit. Being a true disciple signifies that I will stand for the principles of truth even when the attitudes of the culture are leading me to live opposite of these principles. Being a true disciple signifies that I recognize that Christ is the True Shepherd of my soul and that He is the sole resource for the needs of my life. Even as I write these words I sense the Spirit challenging me to recognize the presence of God and understand that He is speaking truth and direction into my life. Am I truly taking the time to listen to what the Spirit is saying or do I choose to ignore His call and His instructions? I truly believe that time will not allow me to ignore the call of the Spirit any longer; I must allow my life to answer to the Lord with a resounding YES. YES Lord I am ready to pursue you with my heart and not just my words! Personal Note: The Hackleburg church holds a special place in my life. I began my journey of education in this community (first and second grade) when my parents served as Pastor of this congregation. I also was privileged to preach my first revival (Youth) in 1971 at this local church. I have remained friends with people from this congregation through the years and I am blessed to be able to participate in this meeting this week. It is a blessing to reconnect with some of my spiritual roots and foundation; I was able to pray with some of the children and grandchildren of people that I remember from my earlier days in this local body. It is very encouraging to visit a congregation and see the succeeding generations following in the footsteps of their forefathers. We must ask ourselves this question, "What type of spiritual heritage am I leaving behind?" May those who come behind us find us faithful.

Tragedy in Texas

Many of our hearts are burdened over the horrific act of one individual gunman yesterday in Fort Hood, Texas. Today I feel that we certainly need to pray for the wounded soldiers who are beginning their process of recovery as well as the wounded families who will be preparing to make funeral arrangements over the next few days. It is without question that God is near the brokenhearted of our nation at this moment. This tragic news as well as other events around our nation remind us once more of our great need for Divine intervention in our land. Paul wrote Timothy concerning the dangerous (perilous) times that we would encounter during the time preceding the return of Christ. It is without question that we are living in those dangerous times. I will allow the political and social pundits of our nation to express their views concerning the reasoning behind the attack; although I am unsure of their ability to identify any reasoning that would support the actions of any individual who chooses to take the life of any innocent victim. But we need not forget there is a "spiritual reason" behind this action. The battle between good and evil rages today because of the fallen, sinful nature of humanity. Many people offer solutions to the problem of sin and in some cases people even deny the existence of sin and its influences on human beings. But rest assured that according to the Word of God, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We do not have the ability to save ourselves or for that matter save anyone else. We are hopeless and helpless without Christ. When will we stop trying to make it on our own and when will we stop trying to live without the influence and direction of Christ in our lives? Our world is moving down a path that is taking us further away from God. Who among us will be bold enough to stand and declare the truth of God to a lost and hurting world? We are in trouble and we are looking in the wrong direction. Our answer lies in the recognition of the greatness of God and our dependence on Him. We must turn our hearts to God and allow Him to have full control of our lives. Will you join me in that prayer of recognition and surrender today? Personal Praise: Our nephew (adopted grandson), Derek is stationed at Fort Hood. Derek was in Houston for training when this attack took place. Derek's girlfriend, Maranda, was at work on the base but was unharmed. We are thankful for the protection and provision of God on their lives.

Last Night's Service

It is very seldom that I take a post and dedicate it to the previous evening's service. But last night was a very unique meeting; the presence of God would manifest Himself in a very special and heart-warming manner. The worship service was impacted with the presence of God; I truly felt the unction of the Spirit as I shared the Word that God had placed in my heart. We were able to witness several people who made the appropriate response to God and invited Him into their lives and the circumstances that they were facing. The anointing to minister to people during the altar service was powerful and liberating. I am still convinced that God desires to respond to the cry of our hearts and He desires to meet us at the point of our need. I will take this opportunity to encourage you to be open to the call of the Spirit; God has good gifts to deposit in our lives if only we will be willing to release our faith. A special lesson was taught at the end of the service. Several children and some youth continued to linger in the presence of the Spirit even as the service concluded. Some people began to make their way home but these children's prayers continued to be released toward heaven. They were crying out to God in their own sincere way and the adults in the room could sense the sincerity of these young believers. I truly believe that the spirit of intercession began to rest upon them as they unashamedly shared the feelings of their heart. I could hear them praying for their parents, their friends, their family and for each other. They did not just cry, they wept. They wept openly among the people who were now captured by the presence of the Spirit and by the manifestation of the Spirit. Several of the adults began to draw near the front of the church and a holy reverence began to overtake our hearts. God was teaching us that someone will sense His presence no matter the environment of this world. I also was reminded that I must guard my heart and not allow it to become hardened to the presence of God. It is so easy to drift into a state of "religious superiority" in which I think that I don't need anything from God. But God is reminding us that all of us have needs and that He desires to meet those needs if we will surrender our lives to Him. Words can not fully express the lesson that I was taught last night. I believe that the lives of the others in the room was also eternally impacted by the manifestation of the Spirit. I pray that we will allow God to do His complete work of transformation in our lives. We must move beyond being stirred; we must be changed. God desires to bring spiritual transformation to all of us. Will be willing to respond to the Spirit as He does His work among the people of God?

Guarding our Heart

Proverbs 4:23, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life" (NLT). The wisdom that God speaks through Solomon offers a great challenge to all of us. We must be careful in what we allow to dominate our thought process and we must guard against those things which desire to take us away from our relationship with God. We must remember that we do have an adversary that seeks to hinder our relationship with God. God desires to keep me headed in the right direction and the enemy seeks to get me off the path of a life that pleases God. The days in which we are living are demanding that we take a very careful approach to the way that we live our life. I can sense the spirit of deception that is being released in our world today. The spiritual culture of our day is one of compromise and true spiritual apathy. But I am convinced that someone will answer the call from God and respond to trust in Him with all of their heart. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked" (NLT). The heart which I believe is the center of our emotions is a battle ground in which the enemy seeks to control. The enemy wants our heart full of anger, envy, evil desire, jealousy, strife, and countless other "attitudes of the flesh" which seek to interfere in our walk with God. But our heart has the potential to be influenced by both good and evil desires. Sometimes we only recognize and remember the evil and sinful desires that try to take control of us but remember through the grace and strength of God we can be influenced and directed by the good desires that God has placed in us. I have come to realize this truth in my life over the years of my walk with God; God not only desires to take away sinful actions He desires to add to my life the traits and characteristics of a faithful walk with Christ. The above mentioned option is open to all of us; we must make the decision regarding what we allow to dominate our thought process. Will we allow God to control our thought process or will we choose to reject His plan for our lives? His plan includes a successful completion of our life which will ultimately find us in His presence for all of eternity. Let this be a day in which we either commit or re-commit to God's direction having first place in our life. Allow the Spirit to direct your decisions so that you can guard your heart at all times.

Weekend Review

This week finds me in White Bluff, TN (near Dickson) at the Crossroads church. Pastor Gary and Janice Riley and the congregation offered me a warm welcome into the fellowship of this local body. The presence of the Lord could be sensed and felt by one and all as we gathered yesterday to worship our Great and Mighty God. It is always such a blessing to gather with the family of God and offer our praise and worship to God. Remember no one can offer your praise and worship; it is up to each one of us to let God know our sincere appreciation for His goodness and kindness. I never want to fail to offer God adoration; He is worthy of my praise. I want to spend my life offering sincere, heartfelt praise to God. Yesterday's service was a reminder of the mission statement of Christ. Christ came looking for those individuals who needed a Savior. I am glad that I chose to accept His invitation to eternal life. My life was completely rearranged and transformed when I submitted my life to Christ. The Spirit spoke to people and to the needs that they are facing in the services on Sunday. Several "tarried" in the presence of God after the Sunday evening service. The ministering presence of the Spirit was present as people surrendered their needs to God. Is not God calling us back to the simplicity of the Gospel? We must recognize that God has a purpose for the "church." The church is to be a light that speaks to the darkness of this world. This world is in chaos; who will step forward and fill the void that we are facing? Satan is doing everything in his power to fill the void in the lives of people. Will the church choose to remain on the sideline observing the destruction that is taking place or will we engage this culture with the life-changing and life-altering presence of God? God's Grace and Love still speaks freedom to those who are imprisoned in sin and bondage. God's Grace and Love still speaks healing to the hurting and discouraged. God's Grace and Love still speaks strength to the weak and lonely. This is the hour for the people of God to "shine" with the presence of God at work among us. Will you choose to join the battle or will you remain on the sideline as an observer? Remember satan is not an observer; he is constantly at work spreading his lies and deceit. Today in Jesus' name we will rebuke and resist the strategies of hell and believe that God is our VICTORY!