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!

Presence of God, Part 2

During the service in Radcliff, KY last night the Spirit confirmed to me the need of the modern day church to focus our attention on Christ. Do I attend church out of the function of duty or do I attend church out of a burning desire to offer praise, adoration, and worship to the Lord God Almighty? I truly believe that God is calling His people back to a deep recognition of His presence and to the spirit of true reverence and adoration. The "spirit of the culture" seeks to displace God and to replace Him with the attitude of the world. The spirit of the world seeks its own way, its own will, and it seeks to make decisions based on fleshly desires rather than the direction of the Holy Spirit. Will we dare to resist the attitude of the fallen world? Will we dare to seek God in the midst of all that is trying to pull us away from God and His direction? Will we resist the trend to be molded by the humanistic approach to life rather than the need to allow the Spirit to mold us in the image and likeness of the Creator of all things? The future success of the church in this world depends on our desire to make the correct choices concerning our relationship with Christ. I am making the choice to make correct decisions concerning my walk with God; I know that I am not perfect but I do know that I desire to please God and serve Him to the best of my ability. Will you join me in that choice today? It is never to late to resist the attitudes of this world; this is day to choose the path that may be less traveled. Christ will lead our lives as we seek to follow Him with true passion, desire, and surrender. ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Presence of God

The Kingdom Celebration in Cleveland, TN was a wonderful meeting that was permeated by the unction and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Each of us who attended the meeting were brought under the teaching presence of the Spirit. It is such a blessing to understand that God is interested in our spiritual development. We can celebrate the fact that God has forgiven us and adopted us into His family. We can celebrate the fact the God has provided for our healing in His atoning death on the cross. We can celebrate the fact the Christ overcame satan so that we can walk in the strength of that victory. We can celebrate the fact that Christ has made it possible for us to bring our hurts, injuries, challenges and stress of this present life. I believe those facts and I share those facts with local churches all across this nation. But God reminded me of a far more powerful principle (at least in my opinion) over the past few days. What if I just desired HIS PRESENCE? What if I came to public worship opportunities just desiring to be in His presence? What if I just "looked" for Him rather than looking for things (blessings)? Have we become more interested in His provision than we are concerned about being in His presence? Now, I fully believe that God desires to meet our need (Biblical principle and promise) but I also believe that God desires to fellowship with us and out of this fellowship He desires to build relationship. What if the modern day church just hungered and thirsted for His presence? What if the modern day church re-discovered the joy of just being in His presence? What if the modern day church re-discovered the joy of just worshiping Him and recognizing the sacredness of His presence? The Spirit used Pastor John A. Stone (Keith St. Ministries) to remind me of the "sacredness" of the presence of God. We must allow the Spirit to teach our hearts to reverence the presence of God among us. We must rebuke the "casual" approach that this culture desires to place in our thought process when it comes to the presence of God. I can testify that my life was challenged over the course of the past few days and my view of the presence of God has been altered for the remainder of my days. I refuse to return to the thoughts of yesterday; God has birthed a fresh desire and passion for the presence of God. Will you ask Him to do the same in you today? Take a fresh look at the presence of God and recognize the sacredness that is connected with His presence.