The Power of Prayer

   I love being able everyday to encourage you.  Today I want to again remind you about the power of prayer.  Prayer is something that we need to be involved with everyday.  It is the thing that opens the heavens and brings about God's Blessing.  James D. Craig says that prayer is the conveyor belt that brings the ammunition to the battle of life.  It has been reported that A. J. Seymour who was the man behind Azuza Street which of course brought the modern day Pentecostal movement to the world, prayed five hours a day for seven years to see it happen.  Prayer is the way through to victory.  Never stop praying for your need.  Do not let go of God until you see the heavens open up on your behalf.  Household salvation will not happen by wishing and hoping like the song says. It will happen when you get a hold of the horns of the altar of God and cry out day and night for your love ones.  They will be saved.  Acts 16:21 and Proverbs 22:6 are your promises.  Remember the promises of God and Yes and Amen.  When God makes a promise He keeps it.  I am encouraging you to stay in prayer until you get what you need from God.  God is not slack in doing what we want.  It however takes time to get things into order.  I also want to remind you that sometimes God says no.  The one thing about God He knows the end from the beginning.  He also knows what is best for you and there are times He asks us to trust Him.  Yet pray until your answer comes.   

I will never complain.

Last night I must confess I was in a funky mood.  By that I was not as happy as I had been for a while.  Now life is not all sunshine and lollipops as has been express in the song.  Life can be dull, boring and a little sparse.  Yesterday, I felt like that.  So when I went to Breakforth, I was feeling that.  Then I heard the testimony and teaching of a man name Jon who had no arms or legs.  He was going all over the world teaching people about the love of God and how God could use any of us.  I was humbled for what I had been thinking and talking to God about.  I read once about a man who was complaining to God about having no shoes until he met a man who had no feet.  That is how I felt.  I have nothing to complain about at anytime.  There is always someone who would love to live the life I live.  I am blessed beyond measure and I am grateful.  Many times I say I am grateful and truly mean it but today as I write this blog, I can say, I am grateful.  I am grateful for my wife and family.  I am grateful for the opportunities that I have been given.  I am grateful that God saved me and gave my His forgiveness.  I have been adopted into a great big family called the family of God and I am grateful.  I have more blesings than I could ever dream of.  In my lifetime I have been given two homes, two new cars, three other cars, multitudes of gifts and blessings.  I am grateful.  So today I say to you and all who read this.  I am grateful and I trust you will be as well.

Break Through

I have just finished my prayer time and just wrote my blog for Am 930 the light.  Everyday I write these blogs at very early times.  Most times it is about five in the morning.  Today it is about 6:45.  Last night I had the privilege of hosting a concert during break forth of musical pioneers.  Matthew Ward, Nancy Honeytree and Chuck Girard.  It was a great time.  As my wife put it, it was a time of musical heaven.  I am at Break Forth this weekend and looking forward to what God has in store for me.  I know I need a break through and to hear from God.  As I sit here writing this I have felt the Lord speak to my heart about a break through.  The presenters were talking about the Jesus movement and how it was a breakthrough for a generation.  I know because I came to Christ during that time but I believe our best days are ahead.  I believe that we will see even a greater move of God very soon.  When I pray, I always ask the Lord for a revival today.  Today because every day we live without it, the devil, wins over someone`s life.  Someone goes to hell and a lost eternity.  So I pray that this break through will come today.  That God will set people free today.  That victory will come today.  Thatyou will have your own break through and see all you habits, fears, sins, phobia`s and ills broken and you will see Christ become your victory and freedom.

Reality Checks

On days like today sometimes we need reality checks and then with that comes a claim of God 's help and provision.  My first reality check is that everyday I need God's help and protection.  There are times I am overwhelmed by the tasks and opportunties that have been given to me.  For example, I am pastoring a church in a city with its unique challenges and secondly I have been given an opportunity to speak to a city and the world on radio.  Both great opportunities and challenges.  I marvel at the grace of God but also most days I am trusting that He knows what He is doing because there are times, I don't know if I do.  I ask myself, am I leading this church right?  Am I in over my head?  Will I say the right thing on the radio to touch the right person at the right moment?  Then it comes back to one statement God made to me at the beginning of this year.  Do you trust me!  My answer is a resounding yes.  Yes, Lord, I trust you.  I may not always trust me but I will always trust you.  You have never failed me and have never forsaken me.  I need you every hour and trust you will be with me.  I feel like I am preaching and encouraging myself and  the reality is I am.  This private musing I trust can help you because as I write it, I am being encouraged.  Today no matter what situation you find yourself remember your reality is that God can and will come to help.  You are not in over your head.  God knows what you can handle.  He knows what I can handle and so I trust Him and I hope you will as well.   

God's Word

I never can put enough emphasis on God's word and its impact on a life.  I have had the privilege of reading the word of God from Genesis to Revelation 72 times.  I am now going through for the 73rd time.  Each time I read through I fine new nuggets of truth.  Last night in our Bible study we were studying the life of Jonah.  Chapter three of Jonah is such a rich place to mine for nuggets of truth.  We learned that Jonah heard the word of the Lord a second time and then went to Ninevah.  This spoke of God giving a second chance..  In many cases such as my own, He is the God of the 10000th chance.  We also learned last night that Jonah only gave half the message but the people still repented and were saved.  This shows that even our rebellion and prejudice can be overcome by God to reach the intended target audience.  God is so good and that is not just a catch phrase.  God is good and His loved can overcome even the largest obstacles which is our own preconcieved ideas on how He works.  All this comes from God's word.  It is His love letter about who He is and how He works.  Today fall in love with God's word and mine it for nuggets of truth which in turn you can apply to your life to make you the person God has designed you to be.

Special Days.

Today is a very special day for a special lady.  It is my Mom's Birthday.  She is turning 49 again and again.  Mom I am grateful that you brought me into this world.  I would not have known Jesus Christ or have the life I now have without your contribution.  Mom I wish to thank you as well for being faithful to bring me to church even when I often found it boring.  You laid the foundation for my faith whether you know it or not.  So thank you.  Birthdays are milestones.  They are a markers of where we have been and beginnings for where we are going.  When I had my birthday last November.  I resolved to be more in love with Jesus and serve Him with more of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  I believe that half way measures are very unfruitful lifestyles.  In Rev 3, the Lord tells us that if we are Lukewarm He will vomit us out of His mouth.  A graphic picture but effective.  When we go into relationship with a person I believe they expect us to not be half a friend but a whole friend.  God wants us to be entirely His.  Yet the opposite is often the case.  My exhortation to myself and you today is get rid as the writer of Hebrew says, every weight and sin that so easily entangles us and give our hearts to the Lord 100%.  This will keep us as the days get more and more evil and they will.  Be hot for Jesus and be like John Wesley said, "A firebrand for the Lord."

God's Mark.

God has marked all people for a purpose.  Mine has always been to share that which I have received.  In 1974, I came to know Christ and since then it has been my wish to share with all what Jesus has done for me.  I believe that each person has a special work to do for God.  I also believe that it is time that each one of us discover what it is and get busy.  It is evident that Jesus Christ is coming soon and each day we live we are one day closer to the coming of the Lord.  The time for apathy and easy living is over.  The world and economic leaders know that things as we know it are changing so why has no the saints of God got the message?  We have the truth that sets people free.  When things all around us indicate that change is coming it should spur us on to get active and share the good news of Jesus Christ with those in our world.  I personally have never felt so motivated to share the gospel as I have in the last year.  There is an urgency in my heart that I must share the good news.  I trust you feel the same way.  So rise up, take the challenge of this blog and go and touch your world for Christ.  You have the power, the message and the mandate.  Go and be a mark person for God.