Kempville Chapel Revival

The Sunday services were AWESOME! The altar services were full of people who were desiring to be healed, delivered, encouraged and filled with the Spirit. Pastor Larry and Kelly Meadors are doing a wonderful job leading this congregation into a deeper pursuit of the presence of God. Pastor Leon Graves and several families from the Lakeside church in Westmoreland, TN were in service with us last night. Their singing and ministering in the altar service was a great blessing to all of us. I truly believe that God is bringing "like-minded" people together to seek after the presence of God. The move of God is greater than one local church; it is greater than one church organization; it the work of the Spirit in the Kingdom of God and this move of the Spirit is impacting our nation. I am determined to follow after the heart of God. I am determined to be obedient to the heavenly call to seek the face of God. I am walking by faith toward an encounter with God such as I have never seen before. Be blessed and encouraged today. Keep seeking the face of God.

Thought for Today

During prayer time this morning the Lord reminded me of the need to be hungry for the truth of God to be declared in every message that I share. There is a great battle taking place between good and evil; the devil does not want the truth declared to the people of our world. The enemy desires to deceive people with "half-truths" that cause them to become content with compromise. We must not be careless with the truth but we must declare the truth in love. God is looking for those people who are not ashamed to stand with Him in the power of truth. The Bible still declares that the "truth shall make you free." True spiritual freedom will not come without truth; our hope is based in the revelation of the truth of God. O God, give us a greater desire to hear truth and give our ministers a great desire to declare the truth. I am looking forward to the revival this week in Carthage, Tennessee (see schedule on blog site). I am convinced that God has awesome plans for Pastor Meadors and the local body. Please cover this meeting in your prayers.

Today's Prayer

Dear God, We are thankful for this day and all of the blessings that You provide. You are worthy of our praise and adoration. We seek to please You in all that we do and say; You alone are able to direct our steps and order our paths. O God, help us to continue seeking after You with a heart of passion and fervency. You are the Answer that we need and we realize that we can not walk the journey of life without You. Give us a heart for the lost and hurting in our world and help us exalt Your name in all that we do! AMEN

Following God

The term "following God" is one that is used by many in the circles of Christianity. I know that I have spoken those very words on numerous occasions. I feel that I was sincere when I declared them whether I was speaking to God in prayer or whether I was speaking to others in conversation. During my devotional time this morning I came across a translation of Matthew 16:24 which included these words; "...you must turn from your selfish ways..." At first glance it is easy to declare that I am not selfish but the Spirit soon helped me realize that I do have to confront my own selfishness. There are times that I do want things to happen my way. There are times that I do not want to be inconvenienced. I enjoy life coming together according to my plan. I think you are realizing the point that I am seeking to make to all of us. True relationship with Christ will require me to turn away from myself and turn to Him. I am seeking to become available to Him regardless of what that availability may require. Salvation is free but it does cost us to become a true disciple/follower of Jesus Christ. Are we willing to turn from our selfish ways and reach our potential in Christ? I am on that journey today!

Cade & Luke

I have the opportunity to spend time with my grandsons today. A large portion of Louisville is still without power after the remnant of Hurricane Ike passed through over the weekend. The schools have been closed this week due to the power outage. It is amazing that the wind from Ike was still creating havoc in Louisville, Kentucky hundreds of miles from the Texas coastline. I will enjoy the time with the boys and spend some time spoiling them. I am excited about all of the possibilities of pursuing a deeper relationship with God. During prayer last night, God reminded me about His desire to work in our lives if we would be willing to submit to His leadership. It is so easy to declare those words but God is looking for more than just words; He is looking for the decision of commitment. Will you be willing to commit to His leadership today? Will you be willing to surrender your will to His will? Great opportunities await those who will make those decisions today.

Your Life is Speaking

Ken & Carolyn Lyle who served as the Directors of the Golden Eagles Retreat this past weekend in Kentucky challenged us to think about our lives and becoming an example to those who are coming behind us. As I was preparing to write this morning this thought came into my mind, "My life is speaking even when I am silent." As a preacher I have used many words in my lifetime; I have spoken many sermons over the years of ministry involvement but I am at an unique time in my life. I have a strong desire to make a difference in our world and I desire to influence people to make the correct decision regarding their relationship with Christ. The Spirit is reminding me that this influence is more than just words that I speak but this influence is also the way that I conduct my daily life. I desire that God would work through me on a daily basis as I seek to point people to Christ. What type of example are you? What is your life saying even when you are silent? How would people describe you and your walk with Christ? Take a moment and ask God to help you evaluate the type of influence that you are making in this world.

Review of the Weekend

Ann and I had the privilege of participating in an awesome weekend of spiritual activity. It started Friday and Saturday at the Golden Eagles Retreat at Camp Nikao in Elizabethtown, KY. We were able to celebrate the presence of God with people from across the state of Kentucky. Many of these who attended the retreat are friends that we have known for years and we also had the opportunity to develop new friendships. Even more exciting than the fellowship with the believers was the fellowship with the Spirit. Friday evening developed into an "old-fashioned" altar call as many of the saints came forward for prayer. The Holy Spirit spoke and reminded us to "put in the sickle and reap the harvest." We must re-commit to being about the "Father's business" which is soul winning and outreach. Saturday was a time of challenge in which the Spirit encouraged us to remember to be an example to those who are following in our footsteps. Sunday found us in Columbia, TN with Pastor Donnie Kelly and the Highland Avenue Church of God. The services were anointed and the altar meetings were very powerful. Many people came forward for prayer as they were trusting God to meet the needs that they are facing. The Columbia Church of God of Prophecy dismissed their evening service and many of the people came to worship with us. It was a great blessing to see the two local churches sharing fellowship with each other and worshiping God together. We give God praise for all that was accomplished this weekend. The Spirit keeps urging me to surrender my life to Him and allow Him to direct my steps. I just desire to be available to the Spirit so that He can use me for His glory. Are you fully surrendering your life to Christ? Are you presenting yourself available to Him?