Reflections after Prayer

This has been a wonderful week in Coweta, OK. We have been privileged to walk in the presence of God's love and mercy and He has reminded us of His desire to minister to the needs that we have in our lives. This week has also afforded me to take some time for introspection. Many of us are more familiar with inspecting the lives of others more than we are taking a serious look at our own life. God is reminding me on a consistent basis that I need to listen to the Voice of the Lord concerning my daily walk with God. This week of reflection has reminded me of the need to lay aside any hindrance that will keep me from becoming the person that God has planned for me to become. As I way praying this morning the Lord encouraged me to ask Him to search those "hidden" areas of my soul so that I could be free to reach my spiritual potential. God is aware of desires, potential actions, faults, etc that I may not even recognize. I must be aware that the Spirit will do His work if I allow Him the accessibility to my life. Are we ready to allow God the accessibility that He desires so that He can complete what He has begun in us? God is teaching me this fresh principle this week; only God truly "knows" me"; He knows my potential and He knows my points of struggle and challenge. I must become more comfortable with the presence of God searching and examining my life for those areas of weakness so that I can become mature and complete in Him. I challenge all of us to allow God to examine our walk with Him as we reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ. This is a time of great introspection; this introspection will afford us the strength to follow God with our complete heart as we move into the remaining days of our journey on this earth.

Weekend Review

This week finds me in Coweta, OK with Pastor Larry & Susan Duncan. The services yesterday were wonderful as we gathered in the house of God to lift our hearts in adoration and praise to our Savior. Yesterday was Palm Sunday; this week begins a time of sincere reflection for the people of God. We are able to remember the price that our King and Saviour paid for our redemption and salvation. I trust and pray that each one of us will spend time this week in prayer and meditation concerning our personal relationship with God. The time in which we are living is demanding that we have a strong, maturing relationship with God. God is prepared to strengthen those followers who are determined to pursue Him at the cost of their comfort and ease. I desire that my heart will be firmly set on a pursuit of a deeper trust and faith in God. People responded to the call of God in each of the altar services on Sunday. As I was praying this morning, the Lord placed this thought in my heart. We must change our mindset when we prepare our hearts for the invitation from the Pastor or visiting Minister. We are not being asked to respond to the "plea of the Preacher" but we are being asked to respond to the "call of the Heavenly Father." We must decide to respond to the call from the Father; the Father has much to offer us if we are willing to listen to His voice. I want to leave this passage with you today; "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:9-11 (NKJV).

Let us Experience God

Philippians 2:13, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (NLT). I believe that far too many Christians limit God to "something" that they experienced in a previous encounter with Him. They only have Him active in their memories rather than being an active agent of daily change in their lives. But I feel the need to declare to you today that God is at work in you at this present moment. We are to EXPERIENCE GOD and not just talk about an "experience" with God. God is more than just some moment or a group of moments in our yesterdays. God is alive and powerful at this very moment and according to the words of Paul, "God is working in you." Isn't that an exciting revelation to understand? I can believe and receive the ongoing presence of the Lord God Almighty at work in my walk with Him. The revelation of truth gives me the courage and strength to continue this journey; I can realize that God is performing His work in my heart and that His work in me is what is providing the power and direction to do what is right. The revelation of truth releases me from the pressure of feeling that I am alone and that it is up to me to fulfill the plan of God in my life. My responsibility becomes one of obedience and surrender to "His working" in my life. He will provide the power and unction that I need if I willingly offer my life to Him in sacrificial surrender. Take some time day and offer yourself to God and let Him know that you accept His work in your life. He will finish what He started if we provide Him a surrendered heart and life. We may be surprised by what He would do in us if we would submit to His plan and purpose for our lives.

Reminder & Testimonies

It is a privilege to see the presence and power of God work in the lives of people who allow their faith to lead them into the appropriate response to the call of the Spirit. I am able to witness that on a nightly basis as the Spirit confirms the preaching of the Word of God. I believe that God is at work in this world and I refuse to let the devil make me doubt what I sense in my heart and what I recognize with my own eyes. I witnessed the manifestations of the Spirit last night in the services at the Johnston Community Church in Selma, NC. The Spirit of God released people from the bondage and strongholds of the enemy; the Spirit of God encouraged those that have been walking through the valley of challenges and trials; and the Spirit of God reminded His people that He is aware of their struggles and that He has seen their tears of heartbreak and heartache. Oh, what a wonderful God we serve today! During prayer this morning the Lord reminded me of something that He placed in my heart over four years ago when we began this portion of our journey. Over four years ago God reminded me that He was not finished with the church in America. He encouraged me to pray and intercede for the church in America; He encouraged me not to give up on the church in America. Over the past few years I have seen signs from God that the prayers of people are being heard across the land. I know that we are living in the "perilous" (dangerous) times that the Bible describes but I also know that we are living in the times in which we are seeing the revelation of the presence of God in our midst. Last night I heard testimonies that encouraged me to keep interceding; one Pastor spoke about four youth accepting Christ in their Sunday School class, another Pastor spoke of people receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and people receiving their healing, another Pastor spoke of the powerful altar services that they have recently encountered in their Sunday services. I have shared these testimonies so that I can issue these challenges one more time; "GOD IS AT WORK IN THIS LAND. WILL WE JOIN HIM OR WILL WE IGNORE HIM? WILL WE OBEY HIM OR WILL WE REJECT HIM? WILL WE FOLLOW HIM OR WILL WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW OUR OWN PATH WHICH WILL LEAD TO DESTRUCTION? I AM CHOOSING TO LISTEN FOR THE VOICE OF GOD AND FOLLOW HIM IN OBEDIENCE. WILL YOU JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY?"

Weekend Services

This week finds me in Selma, NC at the Johnston Community Church. Pastor Kenny and Melissa Lee extended to me a warm welcome into the fellowship of the local body. I also have been blessed and encouraged by the fellowship that the local church has extended to me. It is always a blessing to encounter people who are interested in the work of the Kingdom of God. The services yesterday were filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit; we could sense the unction of the Spirit from the very first song of praise that was offered to our Heavenly Father. I say it often, but I will make this declaration one more time; it is truly a honor and privilege to offer my praise and worship to God. God has blessed my life and He continues to rain those blessings upon my life. He is worthy to be praised and honored for His great presence. Other churches in this area will be joining us tonight through Wednesday night for joint revival services. I anticipate the spirit of revival to intensify as other believers gather with us to seek after the presence of God! People responded to the call of the Spirit in each of the services. I sincerely believe that needs were met as people came forward for prayer. We heard testimonies to confirm what I sensed in my heart; God is at work in the lives of His people. I realize that we are living in some very challenging times but I also realize that we serve "a great big wonderful God" who is still in charge of this world. Not one thing happens that catches God unaware or surprises Him. We can trust in the fact that God is "all knowing" and that He is aware of what is taking place in our individual lives. I tell God each morning during prayer that I just want to trust Him more. He has plans for my future and I want to be obedient to His plans; I want to willingly offer myself to His will and way. Take a moment today and offer your life to God as a living sacrifice. You and I might be surprised what God would do in us and through us if we would fully surrender our lives to Him. Let each of us take that step of faith and obedience today.

Scripture Passages

Today I felt impressed to share some passages of scripture as an encouragement to you. The Word of God is where we find our strength to continue to travel the road of life. We can realize and understand that God has provided us the Word on which to build our relationship with Him. Be blessed as you allow the Word to bring strength to your heart today. Psalm 61:1-5, "O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies can not reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name" (NLT). Psalm 62:1-2, "I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I shall never be shaken" (NLT). Philippians 4:19-20, "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen" (NLT). May the Word of God encourage you today and may you find the needed strength to continue your walk of fellowship with Christ.

Restoration Fellowship

I was blessed to be able to participate in a wonderful meeting at Restoration Fellowship in Murfreesboro, TN. Thank you Pastor Thornton for the invitation to minister the Word of God and the opportunity to pray with those who responded to the call from the Spirit. The presence of the Lord was evident in each of the services and we could sense the Lord reminding us of His presence. I felt led to remind each of you today that God is present with you regardless of the circumstances that you are facing. We can place our confidence in the promises of God that are revealed in the Word of God. We must take the time to become acquainted and in some cases reacquainted with the Word of God. The Word of God is the basis of our hope in the midst of these challenging times in which we are living. I have been intrigued about the name of the church in Murfreesboro. The true purpose and mission of Christ was to restore the broken fellowship between God and man. Sin had created a great divide between God and man and the cross became the bridge that closed that gap. According to the Word of God the Spirit is still at work in this world restoring fellowship between God and man. I am able to witness that work in the lives of people all across the Midwest and Southeast. I asked myself this question this morning; "Am I actively involved with God in the process of restoration?" Is my heart so connected with the heart of God that I refuse to miss His spiritual activity in the lives of fallen humanity? Each one of us were separated from true fellowship with God prior to our conversion or new birth; but Christ has provided the means to close that gap and bring us into sweet communion and relationship with our Heavenly Father. We must commit our hearts to the process of preparing the way for restoration. We must demonstrate the genuine love of God so that people can identify the "Hope" that lives in us and that needs to flow from us to the hurting, bruised, shattered and disillusioned of our communities. I am convinced that God is placing a renewed desire to see people brought into a right relationship with God. I want to become actively involved in the process of restoration. Are you ready to make yourself available to the Spirit so that He can use you to reach someone with the message of the life changing Gospel?