The Source of my Faith

Why do I believe the promises of God? Why do I walk by faith and not allow the circumstances of life to determine my spiritual outlook? Why do I pray and seek for a deeper relationship with God? Why do I preach and encourage others to put their trust in Christ and in His power to be their Savior and Provider? These questions and many more can cross our minds as we look at the challenges of life. I write this not from a negative point of view but from the view of a positive confidence in God. As Paul wrote, "...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV). Another passage came to my attention during my time of Bible reading this morning. This passage is found in I Peter 1:25, "But the word (spoken word) endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you" (NKJV). The Word of God is the reason that I pray, preach, serve, and live my life with passion and surrender. I base my hope on the enduring strength and power of the Word of God. I may fail and falter, others may fail and falter; but the Word of God remains constant throughout all of time. Trust in the Word and allow the power of the Word to encourage you today.

Scripture Passage

Isaiah 29:13-14, "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandments of men. Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden." (NKJV) Where is my heart as I enter 2010? God is looking for more than just my words; the actions of my life must match my speech. I desire for the Lord to teach me how to fear Him and how to walk with a heart of obedience. The move of God that we desire will not be found through the abilities of man neither in the knowledge of man but it will be found in the presence of the Lord God Almighty.

Weekend Review

God is truly worthy of all the Praise and Glory that we can give to Him. I have a strong desire to strengthen my offering of worship to God this year. I am not just referring to singing a little louder or more passionate this year but I am referring to "lifestyle worship." I want every part of my life as well as the ministry part of my life to offer worship to the great and mighty King of Kings. As I have said before, the Lord is truly worthy of all the worship that I can present to Him. I trust that each of you enjoyed a safe New Years celebration. We were able to make a trip to Alabama to spend some time with my parents. Several of my siblings as well as members of their families gathered for a post-Christmas celebration. We try every year to take some time to assemble in Alabama and celebrate Christmas with each other. We were blessed to be raised in a Christian home; my parents have served in the ministry approximately 60 years. We are blessed with a rich and deep spiritual foundation. Even now my parents are involved in ministry efforts in Nursing Homes. local Hospitals and visitation to Military Veterans ( my dad serves as Chaplain of a local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans) as well as the local church which they attend. Their efforts remind me that people have needs and we need to be willing to offer ourselves to assist them. Let us make 2010 a year in which we offer ourselves as servants to each other. Sunday afternoon found us ministering in an Outreach Ministry in Radcliff, KY. The presence of the Lord was awesome as we gathered to lift up the name of Jesus. We are involved with a group of people who have a strong desire to reach the community of Radcliff and Fort Knox with the message of Hope and Grace. Many of our military families are facing great challenges in their lives; some servicemen and servicewomen have already faced six, seven, and in some cases eight different deployments to the battle field. Surely these challenges call for us to go to prayer for these brave men and women who are engaged in the battle against terrorism. Let us lift up these military personnel and their families to the Lord and when given the opportunity let us express to them our sincere appreciation for their willingness to serve on our behalf.

Prayer & Fasting

I want to remind you of the need of prayer and fasting. I am joining with such leaders as Randall Howard, General Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy, William Wilson of Cry Out America, and Bob Rodgers of Evangel World Prayer Center in Louisville, KY in asking each of you to participate in 21 days of Prayer and Fasting as we begin 2010. As we view the spiritual terrain of our nation we can easily identify the need for a spiritual awakening which will lead to revival in America. Fasting and Prayer such should be a part of the spiritual discipline of the life of a Christian believer but these first 21 days of January allow us to join together in a concentrated effort throughout the Body of Christ. We are able to call on God through prayer as well offer to Him the sacrifice of self denial. We are able to deny the flesh and set aside those times in order to draw closer to God. God will direct the hearts of each of us as we approach Him with sincere hearts seeking to connect with God in a fresh and vibrant way as we enter 2010. I sincerely believe that God will provide marvelous opportunities for each of us as we seek to walk in the pursuit of the Kingdom of God. After all Jesus told us through His Word to make seeking the Kingdom of God the top priority of our lives (Matthew 6:33). He even uses the word "first" in His declaration in Matthew. Let us recommit ourselves to this "first" principle as we enter the "first" 21 days of 2010. God will bless and reward your efforts.

Happy New Year

It is still very hard to imagine that we are preparing to say good-bye to 2009. Where have those 365 days gone? Many of us have been busy working for the King in His Kingdom and we have been privileged to witness many wonderful and awesome blessings from God. Personally, we have been able to reflect on the past year and see the hand of God on our lives in many ways. God has been our Provider as well as our Protector. God has been our Health as well as our Healer. God has been our Guide as well as our Savior. God has been our Hope as well as our Righteousness. Time and space will not afford me to declare all that God has been to us; but rest assured this is one thankful and grateful blogger today because I have been able to sense the presence of God on a daily basis. I look forward to 2010 and to the further revelation of the presence and power of God. I am determined to serve Him to the very best of my ability. None of us know what the future year holds but we do know who holds the year in His hands. We are able to trust God as we can relate to His faithfulness in the previous days of our journey. Our prayer for 2010 is for God's Grace and Mercy to be revealed in your lives in greater revelation and understanding. We are also asking that the release of God's love would flow through your lives to all of those people that you will encounter this coming year. We are asking for the fire of soul winning to grip our hearts with a deeper passion for the lost and hurting of our world. We are asking that each of us will live a life that is fully surrendered and committed to the cause and purpose of Jesus Christ. We ask these things in the MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS! Amen!

Post-Christmas Thoughts

The posts on the blog have been sporadic these past few days. First of all the illness that I faced caused me to stay away from much time on the computer. I felt that I needed to rest and allow the Spirit of God to re-energize my body as well as my soul. The year of 2009 has been full of great blessings from God as well as some challenging days of trial and struggle. But in the midst of the daily affairs of life God has revealed His faithfulness and His awesome presence. I can look back over 2009 and declare a deep felt PRAISE GOD! God is a God of covenant and promises and I am learning to walk in the strength of those promises. I sense that 2010 will be a year of opportunities for all of us; we will face those moments in which we must choose to make the proper response to God. Will I allow the enemy to hinder my walk with God or will I allow the Spirit to strengthen my walk with God? By faith and through faith I am going to choose the latter; I desire to allow the Spirit to strengthen my journey with God. Begin to set your plans in motion for 2010 as we move toward the end of 2009. As we seek to draw near to God He will respond by drawing near to each of us.

Christmas Blessings!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM LOUISVILLE, KY! We wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas celebration. This is the season that we reflect on the birth of Christ the Savior of the world. As Christians we are able to celebrate the life of Christ on a daily basis but today we pause and make a special effort to remember and reflect on the birth of our King. May each of you rejoice in the fact that God through Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to have communion and relationship with Him. We rejoice in the Goodness, Grace, and Mercy of the Lord! Blessings on you and your family as we celebrate the birth of Christ.