There are ten days left in this year. As I'm sitting here working on final projects for my online classes (thank you God for extensions), I can't help but think about all the hell my family has been through this year. I'm not cursing...I truly believe that is what it was and that is where it came from. But I'm not frettful or worried about it. 

 

            See...My God hands out Holy SuperSoakers...Yes, indeed, I'm going at hell with a souped up water pistol but my Heavenly Father has the tap running constantly. This year is gonna end good because regardless of what has happened or what may still happen, He is on the throne and I am on His mind!!!

My Chains Are Gone

       Sorry that it has been so long since I was able to write....life has been one roller coaster after another.  BUT, God is faithful.  I would like to ask you all to please pray for the Melton & Hall families.  Friends of mine from school, Missy & Tonya, lost their mother to cancer on Friday evening.  

       I found out while standing in front of Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World....I was at Night of Joy with 91.3 HOPE fm...and it was a TOTAL moment from God.  You see, I had not been able to use my smartphone for three hours.  At the precise moment that Chris Tomlin broke into the chorus "My chains are gone, I've been set free," my smartphone kicked on with the notification that Ms Joan had passed away.  When was the message sent?  Three hours earlier!

       God had some reason for me not being able to find out when it happened until that precise moment of reassurance that her chains TRULY were GONE and she was TOTALLY SET FREE!!!!

AMEN!

REMEMBER:  LISTEN LIVE AT WWW.WHIF.ORG

How Bad Do Ya Want It?

          Many of you know that I have been unemployed for over three weeks now.  I must be honest and tell you that it has been the 3 most stressful weeks of our ministry....and our lives.  For reasons that I would rather not get into in this arena of communications, I won't go into detail.  I'll just say that when God is telling you to get out of a bad situation for almost a year and you don't listen to Him, He's gonna get tired of telling you and finally will move you Himself!  

         I catch a lot of flack and some humor from people because of how much I like the sayings of Madea.    In "Madea's Class Reunion", Madea is speaking to someone about the problems in their life that they are struggling to shake.  While the problems are completely different, the philosophy and meaning of what 'she' is saying goes right along with what we are going through.  When you get tired and had enough, you're gonna come up out of it...one way or the other.

           Dear God....thank you for helping me to come out of it!  I realize now, that after three weeks, you've lead me into the deep end of the pool not to drown me but to help me cleanse and to heal.  Thank you for your provision...even when it's not here yet.  Thank you for your perfect timing.  

Amen.

Used By God

I must start out by saying that this post is not my original work... it was sent to me by a dear friend who knew that God himself wanted me to see this.  I hope it blesses you the way it has me. 

Love and peace,

Adam.

“So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.” 2 Chronicles 10:15

 

Sometimes the Lord uses negative situations to get His positive results. What looks like a serious mistake on the surface turns out to be an opportunity for the Spirit to succeed. The Lord can use unruly people and a crisis of faith to carry out His game plan. One person’s blunder in judgment becomes an open door for Jesus to walk through showing Himself up close and personal. God can use  a turn of events to bring about His desired outcome.

 

We are wise not to fight against God but to wait on the validation of His will and way. If we rush to correct a person or circumstance we may be delaying the inevitable. The Holy Spirit directs the hearts of men and women for His directive. So it’s from our humble heart that we hear from the Spirit the steps we need to take. We listen intently gaining insight into the heart of the matter. We wait until we have peace from God.

 

“Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39

 

Are you disappointed in a leader who lacks leadership qualities? Are your ideas and recommendations dismissed before they even have time to be considered? If so, stay true to what you know is true, trusting the Lord will use you and others to accomplish His purpose. Indeed, roadblocks are an opportunity to slow down and watch Christ work. Man’s “no” is an opening for God’s “yes”. He is faithful to fulfill what He has promised.

 

Moreover, the Lord uses the unremarkable to accomplish the remarkable. Do not despise your small contribution as insignificant; you may be the “tipping point” in advancing the Kingdom’s agenda. Your influence over influencers is a behind the scenes strategy to glorify God. Be bold in speaking up for what’s right, even if your flesh feels it will fall on deaf ears. The Holy Spirit is at work and He is using you to fulfill the word of the Lord.

 

“The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” Jeremiah 1:12

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, use me to be a facilitator of the fulfillment of Your word.

 

Related Readings: 2 Chronicles 11:4; Ezekiel 12:28; Acts 13:27; Romans 15:18

My Current Circumstances

          My current circumstances do not necessarily reflect how God feels about me.  So many times, when going through rough patches in the road, I've felt like God has been focused somewhere else and not on me.

          In the Gospel of Matthew (10:29-31), Jesus said Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs on your head are numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (nkjv)


          No, it's not that He isn't paying attention- sometimes He allows these moments to happen so that we can better grow.  You know, if it wasn't for the valley, you would never know what it would be like to be on top of the hill.  If the mountain was smooth, you couldn't climb it!

          No, your circumstances most definitely do not reveal how God feels about you.  What reveals how God feels about you is the power of the cross!  He sent Jesus to take your place and mine.  With Jesus' blood as the ink, He wrote "Paid In Full!"  THAT is how God feels about YOU!

   

100 Years...

Lately, time has been on my mind…what I’m doing with it and how much of it I have left…

I’m 33 for a moment.  Still the man, but you see I’m a “they”…a kid on the way, a family on my mind. 

Two things:  the line you just read is from a song called “100 Years.”  Second: we are NOT expecting another child.

I love this song because it helps keep a proper perspective on what it is I’m doing with my life.  How often do we sit at the ages of 15, 33, 40, etc and think about how much time we have left yet?  Time left to go boating…spend more time with our families…how many of us sit at 70+ and think “What have I done to further God’s kingdom?”    

There’s an old saying that goes like this:  “Soon this life shall pass but only what is done for Christ will last!”  That which we do for self will be burned away with the chaff at the end of time.

 I’m 45 for a moment…the sea is high and I’m heading into a crisis chasing the years of my life. 

Take a moment and picture this:  You are standing before the scales of time and that which you did for self is placed on the left.  That which you did for God was placed on the right.  What direction do you hope the scales tip once they are released?  How would we feel if it immediately tipped to the left and slammed down on the table?  I know how I would feel. 

Here’s the good news!  There’s still time!  No matter what your age is, there is always time to do something for the Lord…even if it is just praying for another person.  In my personal opinion, that is one of the greatest things you do for the Kingdom of God…pray for your fellow believers.  Perhaps you are able to send notes and cards of encouragement to those who are on the prayer list…there are lots of ways you can serve the Lord no matter your age!

Another blink of an eye- 67 is gone.  

With the amount of time you have left at this point of your life, what are you going to do for Christ?

The sun is getting high; we’re moving on…

I’m 99 for a moment…

There’s never a wish better than this when you only got 100 years to live. 

I’m 32…I know what I am going to do with the next 68 years?  What are you going to do for Christ with your time?

          The following is a HUGE wake-up call and is taken from the book IT by Craig Groeschel.  You can find the following passage on page 132. 

          Tony Campolo tells a story about a preacher correcting his inward-looking church.  "The problem," the preacher's voice boomed, "is that people are dying all over the world and you don't even give a damn!" When he punched the final word, the crowd gasped.  Women looked at each other, stunned.  Kids sat at attention, afraid to budge.  The elders eyes one another, sending silent but understood messages:  We have to meet.  Soon.

          The minister continued, much more slowly and with obvious pain, "The saddest part is..."  He paused and started again.  "The saddest part is that most of you are more upset that I used the word damn in church than you are that people are dying and going to hell."

I pray to God this isn't you!

Craig's book, IT,  can be purchased online or at bookstores.

ISBN # 978-0-310-28682-0

This says it all!

 

          As many of you know, I had the awesome privilege of attending Catalyst One Day in Alpharetta, GA last weekend with my good friend Dan Davis who is the pastor at Mt Olive Baptist in Hastings, FL.  Some of you know some of the things that I have been going through lately.  These trials have really taken a toll on me physically, mentally and unfortunately, spiritually.  As much as I have tried to not let them, they have little by little making me a bitter and self-centered Christian.  I would put on my smile and act as if everything was wonderful....almost as if I went around singing "God is so Good, God is so good...." while on the inside it was anything but.  I was beginning to turn inward.....

          The conference in Georgia truly changed my life and I'll be making an announcement about that later on in a future posting but suffice it to say, one of the things that impacted me the most was after the conference was over when Dan showed me this video.  I don't think he realized when he showed it to me that it was something that I was actually struggling with.  I pray that if you are going through some of these self-centered emotions because of the trials you're going through, that you realize that the attack isn't on you...it's on the one you represent! 

          PLEASE don't ever let your worship be wrong....

For those who can't defend themselves....

Where Are You, Men Of Faith?!

Kingdom building...but for what king?

My professor and I were talking this week about kingdom building.  Something he said really rattled my cage and I think it's a good thing....


I've known many spiritual leaders who talked about how we need to reach people for the kingdom of God, but I always got the feeling that the were really trying to build their own kingdom in the name of God.


Dear God, may that never be me!


Amen.

The Broken Pearl

This has spoken soooo much to me today!  I am the broken pearl....and you are too!

God....Likes...YOU!

I have enrolled at Mid-America Christian University and the following is my first submission for a class I'm taking.

SHINE!

       I'm not sure who the original author of the following is but a friend of mine sent this to me and I'm passing it on to you. Perhaps it will help you as it has helped me today!

       "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

       Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. 

       As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others!!"

Thank you to whoever the original author is!  This meant a lot to me!

Remember...Remember...Remember.....

     If we do not remember specifically how and why we got into a situation or lifestyle that makes a new beginning essential to repositioning our lives, then we are likely to find ourselves right back where we started before year’s end. If we take inventory of where we are and “remember from what we have fallen,” then we are ready to repent and begin again. It is not always easy to do the emotional heavy lifting required to intelligently determine what should be kept and what should be thrown away. Not everything that we thought or did, that got us into a painful situation from which we need to be delivered, is necessarily wrong. Frederick Buechner, in his book, A Room Called Remember, speaks of how we may not only choose the wrong road but can also choose the right road for the wrong reason. It is good to love, but Buechner speaks of how we can love too much for the good of either the lover or the beloved.

     If we can bear to sift through the actions and motives that got us to where we are, it is likely that with God’s help we can correct our course and get to where we want to be. I cannot tell you what to forget and what to remember, what to hold on to and what to turn loose. The specific details about our acts and motives are so highly individualized that you cannot depend on someone else to tell you what to do. There are things in our lives that no one else can remember. Others can support, love, and encourage, but we have to do our own heavy lifting.

     Have you ever heard someone say that they came so near death that their whole life flashed before them? Has that video ever played in your life? People who have had “near death experiences,” who have clinically died and been brought back to the land of the living, often speak of being in the presence of overwhelming love and acceptance in the form of a being of light. They say that their whole life is reviewed in the presence of that incredibly loving being and they not only saw and understood themselves but felt unconditionally loved. Most of those who have had the experience testify that it was so wonderful that they did not want to come back.

     Perhaps if we could bring ourselves to really remember our past in the presence of God in this life we would not only create the essential conditions for a new beginning but also get a foretaste of what it will be like when we “lay it all out” in the presence of God in the world that is to come.

Remember. Remember. Remember.

Written by  Thomas Lane Butts and posted on the website "www.ministrymatters.com" on December 20, 2011.

Thank you, Mr. Perry

Thank you, Mr. Perry, for this!

PRAY BOLD PRAYERS!!!!!!!

Steven Furtick: Don't Put Jesus First This Year--Seriously

I in NO WAY am laying claim to this article....it was written by Steven Furtick and I originally read it on Churchleaders.com   I still havn't really caught the hang of posting directly to my blog from other sites so here you go.......

***************

Steven Furtick: Don't Put Jesus First This Year--Seriously: Steven Furtick: "Yes, you read that correctly. Before you label me a heretic, let me explain."

I imagine that many of you are going through a similar process as me right now of setting and resetting your priorities. Personally, I love this time of year. I’m a very goal-oriented individual, and I’ve found that reprioritizing and recalibrating your life is an indispensable activity if you really want to actualize your potential.

And here’s what it usually looks like. We start by putting Jesus at the top. Then family. Then maybe career. And so on. So our priorities look something like this:

1. Jesus/God
2. Family
3. Career

Looks good. However, I’ve found that this isn’t very effective when you get down to the grind of everyday life.For example, what does it even mean to put Jesus before my family? Do I ignore my family to spend more time with Jesus? Or with your career, do you stop working to put Jesus first?

I don’t think this is the way it was ever supposed to work.  Colossians 1:15-20 repeatedly tells us that Jesus is first beforeand over everything. But it also says that all things were created through and for Him. That in Him all things hold together. That the goal of the cross was to reconcile all thingsto Himself.The essential problem with this approach is that it segregates the different priorities of life. You end up removing Jesus from where you spend the majority of your time and putting Him on an island by Himself. The biggest island maybe, but an island nonetheless.

So Jesus is first. He is first in order. He is first in importance.But He is so because He is the center of everything.

That’s what He should be in your life. And consequently, the thing that is at the center of your life is the thing that is ultimately first in your life.

This year, instead of worrying about putting Jesus first in your life, what if you concentrated on making Him the center of every area of your life? Not just the top priority in front of every other priority, but the top priority in every priority?

Not Jesus, then my family. But Jesus in my family.
Not Jesus, then my career. But Jesus in my career.

We’d probably be a lot more successful in actually keeping Jesus at the top spot on our list. And we’d be much more likely to do an exponentially greater job at accomplishing our other goals and maintaining our priorities. 

Steven Furtick is the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church, an incredible move of God in Charlotte, NC with more than 6,000 in attendance each week among three locations. He is the author of the book, Sun Stand Still. He lives in Charlotte with his wife Holly and their two sons, Elijah and Graham.

www.stevenfurtick.com