The People Closest to You

September 27th, 2011 | No Comments

Many of us fail to realize that the people who are closest to us help to determine the level of our success. As a result we do not guard ourselves and open our hearts to those who rob us of our joy and even our purpose.

As I read Deuteronomy 1:6-18, I asked myself how can I apply the principles of leadership found here to the person living their everyday lives? This is the answer that came into my spirit. The people closest to us must help us in four areas.

1. They must help us with our VISION: They must help us to see beyond the moment to the fulfillment of our life’s purpose. They must be encouragers: people who help us move forward and do everything in their power to help us succeed. More…

On What Is Your Mind Set?

August 9th, 2011 | No Comments

As I live my life daily, as an individual believer as well as in the context of my call and role as a pastor, I am fully aware of the challenges that we face daily with temptation. The enemy of our soul never ceases in his attempts to derail our Christian walk. The thing that troubles me however is how easily and often we cooperate with him in thought, word, and deed because of where our minds are set. As I was meditating on this, I was led in my spirit to Romans 8:5:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

In the Amplified Bible it reads:
For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and [a]pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and [b]seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. More…

What Do We Need From God?

December 27th, 2010 | No Comments

Every time I’ve read John 16:23-28, I tend to focus on verses 23 and 24 which speaks of praying to the Father in the Name of Jesus and we will receive what we ask for. This then leads to the question “What should we ask for?” Almost always, we tend to think of the things we need.

A few years ago, while meditating on this very passage, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to verse 25. In doing so He revealed to me that God wants to speak PLAINLY to us. Not in figurative language, but in plain language that we will readily understand. The Bible reveals that God spoke with Moses face to face and I believe that He wants to do the same with us today through the Holy Spirit. More…

A Place of Completion

November 25th, 2010 | No Comments

This past Sunday, I found an old journal that I had only written on two pages. In it I found something the Lord had said to me in October 1988 while at Rhema. “I have done everything I am going to do for your ministry, all you need to do is obey me.” I had totally forgotten about this.

This past Sunday’s service was truly amazing. After an hour of truly anointed worship, the worship anointing lifted off of me. As I stood silently on the platform while the congregation worshipped, listening to see what the lord would direct next in the service, I heard these words, “I always operate from a place of completion.” this connected to the word from October 1988. More…

No Trespassing | Private Property

February 7th, 2009 | No Comments

Last November, my church, in partnership with Feed the Children, did its annual food distribution to the needy in the community. It was for me a reminder of the genuine needs that exist around us that we sometimes take for granted or miss because we are busy going about our daily lives.

While reflecting on this and other things that have transpired around me, I came to the conclusion that there is a very critical need that exists in all our lives. It’s a need that many, if not most of us, overlook. It’s the need for accountability.

Every one of us needs to be accountable for the way we live our lives. We need others who are permitted to speak into our lives as well as to challenge us when we are not living as we should. Too many of us are living our Christian life in isolation, living in a world that is walled and does not permit, even for a moment, anyone to intrude. In essence we have a sign hanging that says “Private Property: No Trespassing” or something to that effect. More…

Easy or Hard, Stay in Faith

January 15th, 2009 | No Comments

I will always remember the morning the Lord woke me up and spoke with me about the power of positive expectation. In that conversation He showed me the difference between faith and trust. He said, “Faith is based on the knowledge of My word, and trust is based on the knowledge of My character.”

As I pastor, I have met many people over the years who know what God has promised and they have no problem believing that He has said what they have read in the word. However too many of those people are not seeing the fulfillment of what they say they believe because they lack knowledge of His character. They lack both the patience to wait and the confident assurance that even though time has passed, God will do what He said. They are easily turned from what they say they believe because being patient, or waiting on God is not always easy. More…

One Flesh | Marriage

January 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

Last year I read through the Bible using the New King James Version. This year I will do the same using the translation by James Moffat. As I read, his rendering of Genesis 2:24 stood out to me. It reads, “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, till they become one flesh.” This got me to thinking.

Marriage is a subject that I am convinced I am assigned to teach on, not only in my church, but also as I travel and minister the word. As a result I am very familiar with this verse, but this particular rendering really caught my attention. Two things stood out to me in the passage. Firstly, “THIS IS WHY” and secondly, “TILL THEY BECOME.”

In verse 23 Adam said, “This, this at last, is bone of my bones, and flesh of my own flesh: this shall be called Wo-man, for from man she was taken.” (Moffat) Adam recognized the Eve was created from a part of him, his flesh and his bone, thus they were one flesh. More…

Flashpoint

January 2nd, 2009 | No Comments

Have you found your flashpoint? What’s burning on the inside of you? Do you have a desire that is so powerful that you are ready to explode into action to see it come to pass.

I believe that there is something in all of us that God is trying to ignite. A passion that if allowed to burn, will make a significant difference, not only in our own lives but in the lives that we have been called and ordained to touch. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy with these words in 2 Timothy 2:22(NKJV), “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” More…