Availability to God

Many of us are more concerned about our abilities than we are our availability. We allow the enemy to hinder our walk with God because we only identify the lack of talent, gifts, abilities, etc. in our lives. We fail to remember that God needs our availability more than He needs our abilities. He can train, teach, and mold us if we are willing to submit to His process of development. I am at the crossroads of my life in which I desire to be available to the process and plan of God. Jesus reminds us that His sheep His hear voice and they follow Him when He calls. Are we truly willing to follow Him when He calls or has that scriptural principle merely become a "religious" theory that we know should be true in our lives? I certainly desire more than just religious knowledge of God; I desire to be available to Him so that He can complete what He has begun in me. I desire to enjoy the journey with God as well as the excitement that surrounds the destination. Take a moment today and recommit your availability to God and allow Him to use you to be a blessing to someone who needs to see the love of God revealed through your life.

God's Love

It seems that in recent days and recent services God keeps reminding me about the blessings of His love. In the service last night the overwhelming presence of God's love was released in the service. We remained in the altar for a significant amount of time praying with people and reinforcing to them that God was genuinely interested in their lives. So many people are searching for love and acceptance; but many of them are looking in all of the wrong places. It is time for the church to step forward and share the true love of God with people and let them realize that they are important to God. I witnessed this taking place in the service last night and and I am still rejoicing over that fact today. One thing that you can always be certain of is God's love for you. When you go through hard times, it doesn't mean that God has abandoned you. Rather, hard times allow God to reveal His infinite love and care for you. Assurance from other relationships is good at times, but God is the only one in whom you can trust completely without fear of disappointment. You can be assured that what He says is true and what He does is reliable. The world is full of uncertainty, so why search for assurance in it? Assurance in this life comes from experiencing God's love for you, which gives you security for today and for eternity! SPECIAL NOTICE: I want to use this means to wish our son, Kyle, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Kyle, we love you and we are proud to call you our son.

Scripture of the Day

The revival service last night was very challenging. The Lord taught us that we are living in the days of challenge, anxiety, stress, and demonic oppression. But in the midst of these days God is raising up in our hearts a greater desire to serve Him and follow Him into greater victories. If I am going to walk in the strength of this victory I must learn to lean on the promises of God. The Lord led me to one of those promises this morning and I would like to share it with you. Isaiah 43:1-3, "Listen to the Lord who created you...the One who formed you says, Do not be afraid. For I have ransomed you. I have called you by name: you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, Your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior." (NLT) All of us will face times in which we are required to trust God. There are times that we will face challenges and situations which are greater than our ability to handle them. It is at those times that we release our faith and realize that God will see us through those challenging moments. Today is the day to release your faith and allow Him to strengthen you in the day of battle.

Sunday Services

The first two services at the Crossroads church with the Riley's was a great blessing to all of us who gathered on the Lord's day to offer worship and praise to our great King. I am convinced that God is calling us into a deeper time of praise and adoration. God is asking us to lay aside our pre-conceived ideas and our fleshly pride. We must realize that there is a great struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh wants to stay in our comfort zone and the Spirit is calling us to pursue a deeper relationship with God. We must choose which course of action we will take. Do we want to remain relaxed, lethargic and unchanged or do we desire for the presence of God to manifest Himself in such a manner that we are transformed into the people that God desires us to become? I want to do my best and answer the call of the Spirit and not allow the flesh to dominate my process of responding to God. Will you join with me in making this declaration to God? O God, I am ready to respond to You, I am ready to step out of my "spiritual comfort zone", and I am ready to obey You to the best of my ability. Let us declare this from the very depth of our soul; God is ready to respond the cry of our hearts.

New Week

I am looking forward to being in Revival at the Crossroads Church in White Bluff, TN with Pastor Gary Riley. I sense that in these days of challenges the Lord is prepared to reveal His Glory to those who will seek His presence. Do you want to be in the number of those who will seek after the face of God? Many of us desire His blessings but do we sincerely desire His presence? The presence of God reveals His power to transform us into His into image and likeness. I desire to reflect His presence in my life. I am excited about this coming week; would you continue to pray for the anointing of the Spirit to rest upon the services? We can do nothing without HIM!

Rest in God!

During my devotional time this morning I received an encouraging thought from the Lord. His Word reminded me that I could find the rest and peace that I needed even though the world is in a state of crisis at this moment. Everyone of us are facing certain circumstances that will try to rob us of our peace and rest in God. We all face those moments of anxiety, concern, fear, or disappointment. We look for the hand of God to direct our steps. At a very important point in the journey of Moses God shared with Him (and us, I might say) these encouraging words in Exodus 33:14, "And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." The promise of the presence of God has such a calming effect as we face the challenges of daily living. Do not feel forsaken or lonely; Christ has promised to be with us. We can rejoice and declare that we can still find peace and rest in the strength of God.

Praising God!

After service last night the Lord challenged me with this thought. Have I forgotten the true joy of just praising God for all that He has done for me? Have I forgotten the joy that the Father receives when I offer Him thanksgiving and appreciation? Has praise become a lost treasure among those of us who have attended church for much of our lives? Do we wait on the "new converts" to express all of the joy, excitement, thankfulness for us or should not the "seasoned believers" be leading the way when it comes to praise and adoration of our God? Praise and worship is good for both the "new converts" as well as the "seasoned converts." I challenge you to take some time today and make a definite statement of praise to God. But please remember the praise needs to come from your heart and not just speak words that we have learned through the years of our connection with the church. The last two nights of the revival at Dacusville have been great. The Lord has spoken a direct word to many of us and we are choosing to walk in the stength of that declaration to us. I anticipate a mighty encounter with God tonight.