Exalting Christ

Each of us realize that problems fill our nation at this very moment. We see these problems in all the sectors of life; people are confused, hurting, discouraged and in some cases frustrated as they seek to deal with the issues that they are facing. People are looking for hope, guidance, and direction. But in many cases they are looking in the wrong places for the answers that they need. I believe these confusing and troubling times are a great opportunity for the people of God to step forward and begin to declare the greatness of God and the desire of God to meet us at the point of our need. A passage of scripture found in Psalm 107 was included in my daily Bible reading today. The Bible that I read from today lists this as the title of Psalm 107: "Thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of Deliverance" (Broadman & Holman Publishers, NKJV). Pay close attention to verses 27-32, "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that they waves are still. They they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders." (NKJV). Take a few moments and allow these words to challenge your heart as they challenged my heart earlier today. The church must lead the way in exalting Christ and offering Him true praise and adoration. "OH, THAT MEN WOULD GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD..."

Thankful for Friends and Family

The meeting in Hazel Green, AL was very rewarding and it was such a blessing to me. I was able to witness several people come forward for prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to the needs of their lives. We need to be able to create a "spirit of encouragement" for those among us who are bearing heavy burdens as they travel the road of life. We would be surprised if we fully knew the extent of the challenges that some people are facing. But it is refreshing to realize God does know and He does not back away from the opportunity to make a difference in our lives. Be sensitive to the Spirit as He brings opportunities to you to help some one today. We need to remember that it may be us tomorrow who is standing in need of prayer for a difficult challenge that we are facing. The past week afforded me the opportunity to interact with some family members who live in or near the Hazel Green church. My parents, sister, sister-in-law, "adopted brother" and "adopted son" were able to attend some of the services. I was able to re-connect with people who have played a major role in our spiritual development through the years of our ministerial journey. I was able to re-connect with people who have known me all of my life and we were able to seek the face of God together in the altar. I trust that you will forgive me for these moments of reminiscing but we need to remember those special people that God has placed in our lives. We will encounter a large number of people as we travel the road of life but God will place those people of significance that will assist in the shaping and molding of our character. I am truly grateful for all of those individuals who have been used of God to speak strength, encouragement, discipline, and truth into our lives on this journey. You may need to call or write someone today and let them know that they have been a blessing to you and that you are thankful that God placed them in your life. I sincerely appreciate the invitation that Pastor and Sis. St. Clair extended to me and I am glad that God allowed me the opportunity to worship with some special people that God placed in our lives. All of us know people that have made the trip of life a little more enjoyable because of their love and friendship!

Alignment with God

The past two services in Hazel Green have been anointed and powerful. People have been open to the presence of the Spirit and they have openly responded to the call of God. In each of the services visitors from other churches have felt the freedom and unction from the Spirit to come forward and allow the Lord to minister to the needs in their lives. Don't you think that it is time for all of us to lay aside all of the hindrances of the enemy and freely pursue our destiny in Christ? I for one am ready to lay aside all pretense and pursue the presence of God with renewed hope, courage, faith, and desire. The enemy of our soul is increasing his attacks against us so I believe it is our time to increase our pursuit of God. Is it possible that the modern day church has fallen prey to seeking for "stuff and things" that comes from God rather than just seeking the presence of God? I am desiring the presence of God in my life and in the ministry call that I sense and feel. During prayer the Lord placed this illustration in my heart. We are in need of divine alignment with the plans and purposes of God. The enemy seeks to hinder and stop that process of alignment. Our automobiles drive so much better when they are in alignment. Pot holes and breaks in the pavement are a hazard that can affect the alignment of our vehicles. The challenges and trials of life are like those potholes; they come at us suddenly and without warning. The enemy seeks to use those moments in our lives to his advantage; he seeks to throw our lives out of alignment with God. We take our vehicle to the repair shop for the necessary adjustments and we resume our journey. The Spirit is prepared to make the necessary adjustments when we hit those "spiritual potholes" in life. My responsibility is to place myself in the proper position to receive those spiritual adjustments. I could sense the Lord making some adjustments in my heart during prayer time this morning and for that I am very grateful. Do not resist those moments of divine adjustment. God is aware of what we need and He does have a plan for your life!

Weekend Review

This week finds me in Hazel Green, AL (north of Huntsville). The services on Sunday went very well considering the weather conditions (heavy rain). My wife and I had the privilege to serve this congregation as Pastor in the early days of our ministry. It is always a privilege to re-visit those places that made a spiritual impact in your life. The presence of the Lord could be felt by one and all as we gathered to lift up the name of the Lord and to encourage one another. I truly have a strong desire to encourage the people of God; as a matter of fact I sense an urgent need for this action to become even a greater reality. Each of us need to sense this need in the Body of Christ; many of your friends and family members are walking through some challenges at this very moment and they need the strength of God to be present in their lives. There was a great response to the altar invitation in each of the services and I believe that many needs were met. I want to share two things that God placed in my heart as I was praying before the Sunday evening service. We gather in church for several reasons but God reminded me of two of them during prayer. 1) We gather to lift up and exalt the name of Christ. We are all called to be worshippers. 2) We gather to hear the Word of God declared to us. The Word of God declares the revelation of the Love and Grace of God to fallen mankind. The New Testament reveals the blessings of the "will or testament" of God that Christ purchased through His death. When will we start paying attention to the provisions of the "will or testament?" When will we allow the Word of God to penetrate our heart and not just our mind? We must hear clearly what the Lord is saying and then respond in obedience to His invitation. Dear Father, help each one of us learn to walk in Your Provision. Our needs are met through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. AMEN!

NC Trip

I am thankful for the opportunity that God gave to me the past two weeks. I was able to minister in two churches in NC on this trip to the state. The presence of the Lord was very near in each of the services and I was encouraged through the response of many people as they listened to the Voice of the Lord. I am very thankful that God provided me a safe trip home and I am equally thankful that God continues to provide opportunities to minister the Word of God and to pray with those who come forward. As I drove yesterday I was reminded of the great privilege and honor to be able to preach the "good news" of the Gospel and to see people open their hearts to the concern that God has for each of them. But that thought also led me to think about another concern that I sense in my spirit. As I have traveled across this land in the past four years I have seen many people miss the visitation of God. I do not write this is the spirit of criticism but out of the desire to see people receive their personal visitation of God. I asked myself these questions yesterday, "Why do we sense the presence of God and not take the opportunity to respond to His call? Why do we find it so easy to reject, resist or ignore the call from God?" We must break free from the hindering obstacles and lies of the enemy to our soul. We have the Word of God to encourage us to trust God; we have the testimony of others to encourage us to trust God; and we even have our own personal life experiences that encourage us to trust God. We will quickly follow the advice of people when they encourage us to visit a doctor that has proven beneficial to their physical problem. We will quickly take the advice of our friends concerning a new restaurant in town or a new place to shop for cars, furniture, clothes, etc. But we resist the opportunity to listen to the voice of others as well as the Voice of the Spirit as He seeks to draw us closer to Him. Take a moment today and review your decisions concerning your response to God. We will be blessed as we seek to walk in obedience to the Work of the Spirit in our lives.

Choices

I feel that I need to share this thought with you today. As I was preparing to pray this morning I became involved in a phone conversation that began to distract me from my intended purpose. As a matter of fact, the conversation continued to distract me as I proceeded to pray and seek the Heart of God. During the prayer time I came to this realization; the enemy will use anything, large or small, to distract me from hearing the Voice of the Lord. It is when we allow the Lord to speak into our lives as well as to our lives that we receive the direction and strength to continue our walk with God. I soon came to the understanding that I had to choose which path I would follow; would I remain distracted which would lead to disconnection with the Father or would I rebuke the enemy and refocus my attention on the pursuit of God? I am glad to report that I chose the second option and resumed my communication with the Father. Many of you face the same decision that I faced today and I encourage you to make the right choice and listen to the Voice of God!

The Will of God

Many of us are familiar with the words, "I want to live in the will of God." The Apostle John gave some interesting insight to the will of God in I John 2:17b, "...but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (KJV). For many years I have possessed a burning desire to walk after the heart of God so that I would be in the spiritual position of living in the will of God. There are some days that I feel that I am closer to my goal and there are other days in which I feel that I am falling short of that goal. But I have come to realize this lesson in my personal life; I can reach the "will of God" by being willing to daily surrender my life to Him and to have the desire to daily seek Him and allow Him to be the Lord of my life. It sounds simple yet the influence of the enemy can create a chasm between what I want to do and what I need to need to do. Why do we neglect or ignore God when He calls us closer to Him? Why do we think that everyone else needs Him more that we do? Why do we sit in a Spirit filled service and not allow the Word of God and the Spirit of God to work in our life? I see this action or non-action repeated many times over in the services in which I participate across this nation. Yet we testify, "pray for me that I will do the will of God." I am not writing this to be critical but I do want to challenge our thought process. The will of God will be found when we begin to respond to the call of God and will continue as we commit to the lifestyle of listening to the Voice of God and respond to the call of the Spirit. The altar services in Ghio, NC were very powerful last night as people brought their needs to the Lord in prayer. Several testified to the Lord's touch and to the realization that God knew their situation and He was involved in what was taking place in their lives. OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE THE LORD!