On Fire Again in 2010

I'm excited about the upcoming year that's just around the corner. I look for great things to happen in the kingdom of God and our church. U.A.C. is going to dedicate the first 21 days of the new year to the Lord through Prayer and Fasting. I invite all who will to join us as we draw close to God as a church family. The word says that some things come not but through prayer and fasting. So lets do more than just cover up the T.V. for a little while lets give up as much as we can for the next 21 days to honor God and to surrender to Him all we have and all we are. Maybe you would like to do a Daniel fast or maybe even fast all but one meal a day. Whatever you chose to fast make sure you pray about it first. I would like to see the good old fashioned miracles return to the church this year and I believe that they will happen when the church begin to get serious with God in our prayers and our fasting. Let's get on fire for God again in 2010. God Bless!!!!!!!!!

Follow Jesus

John 21:18-19 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. (19) This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

In this scripture Jesus tells Peter that he would have to go somewhere he wouldn’t want to go if he was to continue following Him, and then says “follow me”. I find this verse interesting because Jesus had just questioned Peter’s love for Him the few verses before these. After Peter answered His questions correctly Jesus commissioned him to feed His sheep, and then turns right around and begins to tell Peter what kind of death he (Peter) would die. You see it’s easy to be happy when God calls you to do something great like feeding His sheep, but it’s not to pleasant to hear of the trials God is going to allow you to face in order to fulfill His calling. But just like Jesus said to Peter after warning him of the hard times to come Jesus still wants us to follow Him even when all we see ahead is a dark valley. Follow Jesus through all the ridicule, sorrow, pain, tears, and whatever else my come your way. If you do God will take the bad things done against you and turn them around to work for you. Romans 8:28 all things do works together for our good. God Bless!!!!!

Do You Love Me? – Jesus –

In John 21:15 Jesus begins to ask Peter a series of simple questions. I want to look at the very first question Jesus asked Peter. He asked Peter, “Do you love Me more than these”. He went on to ask Peter do you love Me two more times after that. But lets look at the first question. Do you love Me more than these? I wonder how many of us truly love God more than everyone else. If your best friend called and wanted you to go to the movies Sunday morning instead of church would it be easy for you to say no or would you battle with the idea of skipping church to please your friend? Or how about a family member who needs help with something they could have gotten done on Saturday? We like to justify our slothfulness with many different excuses but in the end that’s all they are, excuses. If we truly love Jesus more than anything else in the world we would be more faithful to Him than anyone or anything else. Do you Love Jesus?

Legacy or Tragedy?

My wife's grandmother just past away this morning and to be honest it really got me thinking. What if today was my day to meet Jesus? I know it's not odd for me to think about that question seeing that I'm a pastor and all. But I wonder what people would say about me if I was to leave this world today. We spend so much time trying to make withdraws from life, family, and friends that we sometimes forget to make any deposits. My advice today would be to stop long enough to think about the impact you've had on others and ask yourself how you can make an even greater impact from this point on. There is a quote my wife sends to me every once and a while, we don't remember who it came from but it says "Some people are made to read history, some were made to write history, and others were made to make history". I would like to be the one who makes history because of a courageous faith. Leave a legacy not a tragedy. God Bless!!!

Just Keep Digging

When I read the story of Isaac as he re-dug the wells of his father Abraham in the book of Genisis chapter 26 I’m reminded of the many battles we face today. It seems like every time we find a place where we feel Gods blessings someone comes along and throws dirt in the well we are drinking from. But Isaac teaches us a very simple lesson about persistence. When the Philistines filled in his wells he knew they wanted him to leave and move far away. But instead he found another spot close by and began digging again. When he found water the next time they came and fought with him for it to. But we see that he walked a little ways further and started digging again. The point is, even though people keep trying to steal the water that is rightfully yours, keep digging for sooner or later the Lord will make room for you and give you rest. People may not like it when you start drinking from the wells of salvation and out of jealousy they might kick dirt back into your wells but don’t let them discourage you from digging deeper in your relationship with God. So grab your spiritual shovels and start digging again in prayer, study, and worship. Rest will come in God’s appointed time. God Bless!!!

Family Time

Can you imagine life without family? During the Holiday season we meet with family and friends to exchange gifts and spend time reminiscing. We catch up on so many things we missed out on throughout the year. I enjoy this time of year but often it can become overwhelming. So before you get all worked up about shopping and finding the perfect gift for everyone slow down and remember the real reason for the season. Jesus was born of a virgin to deliver us from sin and to adopt us into the family of God the Father. Now all that are born again believers are brothers and sister in Christ, so reach out to your (immediate and extended) family this year and show them you love them with more than just gifts wrapped in pretty paper. Spend as much time with them as you can and share the hope of salvation with as many as you can.

Spreading The Cure

Have you ever stopped Long enough to pay attention to all the lost people that you encounter on a daily basis? These people are infected with a very contagious disease called sin. We should being doing everything we can to deliver the cure to them but often times we’re too afraid of coming in contact with them and we refuse to get close enough to them to share the cure with them. The good thing is that if we have the blood applied to our lives then we are now immune to the disease they are battling. So get out and tell somebody, anybody, and everybody about Jesus for He is the cure for all their needs. God bless!!!

Prospering Wherever We Go

The Lord spoke to Joshua after Moses died and told him to be strong and very courageous to observe and to keep the commandments He gave to Moses. I’ve often heard the comment made that “Christianity is for the weak” people say that those needing a crutch to get through life need religion. If we were to take a trip through history today we would find that the Christian church has always had to be strong and courageous more so than any other religion out there. My point is that your walk with Christ will have hard times, it won’t always be easy but its then we should be strong and courageous and walk the path God will lead us down no matter what it looks like, and I promise you will come out victorious and with a great reward. In Joshua 1:7 the Lord spoke to Joshua and said that if he would be strong and very courageous to keep His law he would prosper wherever he went. Let’s obey God and watch the blessings flow. Have a good day and God Bless!!!

Where My Help Comes From

Have you ever found yourself in a bad situation? One where you had no clue how you would make it through. Sometimes we face conflict in life and we can lose our way because of all the chaos. The Psalmist says “My help cometh from the Lord” (Psalms 121:2). The key to your breakthrough is to know where your help comes from. If you have a plumbing problem at your house you know to contact a plumber because his knowledge and tools of the trade will enable him to solve your problems. The same is true in many areas like roofing, electrical, flooring, etc… Knowing who to call will help you to get your problems solved. So if you find yourself in a bad situation just call on Jesus for he is your very present help. God Bless!!!

Same Container, Different Product

While at the gym this morning I ran into a man by the first name Mark. He was a NFL football player for 12 years. We had a very interesting conversation and he really encouraged me with his wisdom. He asked me “if you saw me with a Coke bottle in my hand you would assume that I was drinking Coke right” I said right. Then He said what if I had poured out all the coke and then put Pepsi back into it. Would you be able to tell the difference? I said no. Then he asked why do we always look at the container and assume we know what’s inside? The day I accepted Christ into my life I became a new creature. I may still appear to be the same person on the outside but now I’m different on the inside. My point; quit judging others because they don’t look like your opinion of a Christian for God looks on the heart and so should we. Look at others through the eyes of God and God will look on you through the eyes of Love.

I’m The One, This Is The Place, and Now Is The Time

Genesis 18:13-15 tells us a portion of the story of Abraham and Sarah. These verses say that God sent angels to talk with Abraham about the promise of a soon coming son. As the Lord spoke to Abraham, Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed at the promise of God because she felt like she surely couldn’t be the one to birth a son for her husband. Her circumstances caused her to doubt her ability to give birth to a miracle. What she didn’t realize was that she was the one God had chosen, she was in the place God had appointed, and now was the time God had chosen to perform His promise. When you feel like you are too washed up to make a difference just remember that you are the one, this is the place, and now is the time. God can cause the most barren womb to bring forth life. He can cause an old dried up stump to bud again at just the scent of water (Job 14:7). Pray for God to do the impossible and then believe it’s going to happen, if you believe you shall receive (Mark 11:24). Don’t laugh at what God wants to do through your life, for all things are possible with God! Have a great day and God Bless!!!

Smell of Rain

I know that some of us have been in some hard places lately. It seems as if we will never make it through all our afflictions. But I would like to remind you of what Job said in chapter 14. He said that there is still hope even though a tree is cut down and all that remains is a dried up rotten stump. Because when that stump begins to smell water it will begin to bud again. This means that no matter how bad your life may get, just keep praying for rain and when God sends down His spiritual rain those things that seem to be lost and without hope will begin to bud again and will be restored, with enough time and water. By the way if you are waiting on the smell of water in your life maybe you should align your heart with God’s word and open your mouth. For the bible says, “out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38)”. Pray for rain to fall but keep speaking His word and the waters will begin to flow forth from within. Then you will be the first to smell the water as it passes under your on nose. God Bless and have a wonderful day!!!!!

Revival Fire

After this morning’s message I was wondering as to how the church could begin to witness more for God. And the answer hit me, we need revival fire! If we had revival fire we could begin to spread the message of Jesus Christ throughout the world with fervor. Before we can experience revival fire we must first humble ourselves before God and repent of any and all sin remaining in our lives. When people see our actions line up with our words they will begin to listen more clearly. Pray that God will send revival and listen to any instruction that He may give. God sometimes sends us instructions that will lead us to His blessing. Follow God with all your heart, putting Him first and Revival will come!

Watchman's Call

I would like to take a moment to remind you all of the Harvest Festival 9am-2pm tomorrow October 31st. I hope to see you all there!

While we are talking about the harvest I would like to remind you of the spiritual harvest. One day we all will stand before the Lord and answer for the things we've done and we will also have to answer for the things we haven't done. Ezekiel 33:1-7 tells us of a watchman's responsibilities. It says; if a watchman sees danger coming and doesn't warn the people then the blood of the people will be on the watchman's hands and he/she will be held responsible for their death. So I encourage you today to sound the alarm to let everyone you know, know that Jesus is coming back soon. Don't let them die in sin without a warning. Or you will have to answer as to why you said or did nothing! Doing nothing about a crime you could help prevent makes you an accomplice. Can't you hear God calling you today; "tell them about my love". God Bless!!!

No Fear

In the Halloween season we find scary goblins and ghosts around every corner it seems. People are out to scare someone at any cost just about. This sense of fear seems to thrill many people for some reason. But if we look at the Word of God we will find that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). If God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear then who has? Have you ever wondered as to why people dress up like demons and devil’s on Halloween? People dress like the devil because the devil is the cause of their fear. Why be afraid of the devil? 1 John 4:4 says greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. The only one we should fear is God Himself and that is only because we know that He has the power to destroy our souls in Hell. If we fear God we will have no reason to fear anything else, even death itself. So the next time you begin to watch a horror movie just remember that God has not given you the spirit of fear and if you seek after the spirit of fear you’re not seeking God. If You’re not seeking God then who are you seeking? God Bless!!!

God's Still In Control

In today's times it's easy to become fearful due to the chaos that continues to surround us. I would like to remind you that God is still in control. No matter what we may face God still holds us in the palm of His hand. Circumstances can seem overwhelming at times but with God all things are possible. Never give up on God and I promise God will never give up on you. Just remember it was when the children of God was faced with the Red Sea in front, a long distance on one side and a mountain on the other side of them that God parted the water for the children to pass. If He did it back then He can and will do it again. Have a blessed day!!!

Rain On Us!

As I watch the rain fall today I'm reminded of how awesome God is! Even though many people dread the rain we still need it to survive. Without the rain our fields will wither away leaving no crops to place on the table, and our lakes, ponds and streams will dry up as well. My point is that if we don't have rain for long enough we will die. We need to pray for God to rain on our spirits today and when the rain comes we need to let it wash us clean and water the seed (word of God) in our lives so that we might grow deep and tall in our walk with the Lord! God Bless!

Hope For Our Children!

I am concerned about our children. We watch as our younger generations grow more and more immoral. They seem to have no spiritual conscience what so ever now days. I woke up this morning after a bad dream and the Lord gave me the interpretation immediately. I saw in my dream a generation that was dead and had its hands and feet decapitated. I saw a body of a little girl about to be prepared for her funeral I realized that this child began to breath and she came back to life. When I saw the child alive with no hands and feet I began to panic. Then all the sudden the child jumped up and walked through a door and I followed her to see how she was walking when she had no feet then I saw that her hands and feet had grown back and then she began to play as if nothing was ever wrong. You see we have pronounced this generation dead because of how wicked they seem to be but we don’t realize the sin in our own generation. We have left this generation without the ability to labor in the harvest because our generation has compromised the word of God to suit ourselves. Look at Luke 8:41-55 it tells the story of Jairus’ 12 year old daughter being sick and Jesus went to heal her but on His way a woman with a 12 year issue of blood touched Him and was healed and by that time the little girl was dead but Jesus said don’t be afraid she is just asleep. He then went on to heal the little girl. My point is this, God wants to heal our young generation but our generation needs to be healed first. If we will be the spiritual leaders God has called us to be we would see our children raised from their spiritual slumber. There's still hope, pray for revival!!!

Worship Meant For God

I’ve heard people say “man I really enjoyed worship today” many times. This morning I heard a preacher say “worship is not when we leave the church feeling good but its when we leave the church with God feeling good”. Wow what a statement! To think of all the times we may have said “oh well the worship really wasn’t all that great today”. The problem in the first place is that we come to worship to get something out of it ourselves when we ought to be directing our worship to God. The next time you’re in church and you feel like the worship isn’t inspiring enough you need to realize that worship is NOT intended to motivate you, it’s intended to motivate our gracious Heavenly Father! Don’t wait on the music to be just right or the rest of the church to set the atmosphere, you be the one who presses through to make the worship service pleasing to God! Have a Blessed Day!!!

A Patient of Patience

Some times it can get hard waiting on God to work in our lives. It is easy to get discouraged when you've prayed and prayed and still there’s no answer. James 1:2 says “count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations knowing that the testing of our faith works patience” and many times we do exactly the opposite. God never promised to answer us within the first five minutes of prayer or even to answer within the first week, month, or year but He did say to “ask and ye shall receive” (John 16:24). When you undergo temptations above what you “think” you can handle, just remember that God knows you can. For he will never put more on us then we can bare (1Corinthians 10:13). Just hold on and soon your trails will be over. Be patient and you shall renew your strength and then you will mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). God Bless!!!!!!

Sacrifice of Praise

Sometimes we don’t feel like getting up out of bed on Sunday morning, much less dressed up and heading to church. I know sometimes we just have bad days or even bad weeks which can make it hard to give God praise. We can sometimes get caught up in our sad stories and forget that all will work together for our good (Romans 8:28). But today I encourage you, no matter what your problems may be to lift up your hands and give God the greatest praise you have ever given him. Don’t let the pressure of daily life keep you from opening up your mouth and raising up your arms in total praise to Him today. If the devil has been on your back all week the best way to get him off is to shake him off with praise to God. (Hebrews 13:15 KJV) By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. God Bless!

No Excuse

As I went through my hectic day today I began to think of some of the many excuses I've heard over the past several years as to why people couldn't live up to the standards God has place on their lives. Being quite honest with you some of the excuses are somewhat humorous and others are just plain pathetic. People allow all types of things to keep them from God's house and from keeping His commandments. But those same people are the ones who will get up at 4am and go shopping all day long the day after Thanksgiving just to same some money on Christmas gifts. They are the ones who stay up late to watch their favorite TV program. But yet they have every excuse under the sun as to why they just can't make it to church or read their Bibles or even pray for more then a quick blessing at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The reason they make excuses is because they don't truly love God the way they should and sometimes even claim to do. If they loved God more then the Late Night show they would cut off the TV and go to bed so they could get up ready to encounter God and His church. If they loved God more then anything else in life He would be put first. Isn't it funny how we can make time for the things we actually like to do but can't ever seem to find the time to do the things God wants us to do. Now since we've talked about "they" all this time let me ask you a question. Is God first in your life? Is it getting harder and harder to live a holy life? Maybe you show lead your heart instead of letting It lead you and begin to draw close to God again. Fall passionately in love with God and then it won't be so hard to do the things you know you ought to do! See you at church.... right!

Desiring God's Desire

As I continue to think about my recent hunting adventure I can’t help but to think about the word desire. The word desire means to want something very strongly. There are a lot of things in life that I want but do not need. For instance the new Toyota pickup I’ve been drooling over for the past couple years. I desire to have something that is beyond my current budget. But if I would take the advice of so many of today’s charlatan preachers I would feel as though God wants me to have all my desires and I might as well go out and buy that truck and just trust Him to send the money for me to pay for it. No....no…no….! God DOES want to give us the desires of our heart but His word never suggest that we should so call “step out in faith” if we do not have the resources to pay for something. I believe God will send the resources first in most cases so listen closely to make sure it’s the Holy Spirit telling you to step out in faith rather than you own spirit. Our desires should be that which God desires for us. Though we will desire a new truck or car or many other material things we should put them last and Gods desire first. I believe God will begin to give us our material desire when we start to focus more on His spiritual desire. God Bless!!!!!!

Led By The Spirit

This morning I went hunting for just a few hours hoping to bag one of the bucks that I saw during bow season. I didn’t really feel like I would see anything with the weather like it was but I still had hope. After a while I gave up on the thought of seeing anything so I headed out of the woods. I was slowly walking back down the trail to get to my truck when I felt the spirit say stop and wait. Man I got excited because I just knew that I was going to see a big buck step out in front of me any minute. I waited and waited and waited some more and I finally realized that it wasn’t the Holy Spirit that had said stop. I wanted to bring home a big buck so badly that I begin to hear the spirit say what I wanted Him to say. I can’t get that off my mind. I know God speaks to us through the spirit and I’m certain I’ve heard Him speak to me before. But this morning my desires began to impose on what I perceived to be the spirit and led me to stand dead in my tracks with false hope. Now I know some of us would begin to justify this and say well maybe God wanted you to stop for some other reason and He may have spared your life some how by having you stop on your way out of the woods. I’d like to think so too, but I truly believe that if the Holy Spirit said stop and wait because there is a deer coming, then I would have come home with meat for the freezer. Now what we need to consider is that in order to be led by the Spirit we must have a desire for things that are spiritual. The truth is I was leaving the woods in the first place so I could get to the office and get busy about my Fathers business. It was then my desire to shoot a deer began to lead me away from that which was most important. Don’t let yourself get confused by your own desires and end up standing still for no reason. It’s one thing to "be still and know that He is God" (Psalms 46:10) and another thing to stop running the Christian race and stand still in your labors and efforts for the kingdom of God just so you can please yourself. The only way to truly be led by the spirit is to spend much time in prayer and studying Gods word. So let’s open our bible more and spend more time on our knees that we might be called the sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:14 KJV For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.) God Bless you all!!!

Contend For The Faith

Hello My friends and followers, I'm still trying to get used to this blogging everyday so thanks for your Patience in this matter.

Last night I watched my son play in a football game against a team called the Demons. Now this team was no pushover team there wasn't many players on their team and none of their players were all that big, but a lot of their guys had speed. Their defense was running us down like crazy and stopping our offense from scoring, but our defense was stronger and we kept busting through their offense and stopping them in the back Field. The game was the closes I've seen since my son has been playing. We scored at the end of the third quarter and held them all the way until the last 45 seconds of the game and then they scored to tie the game. Long story short they ended up playing three rounds of overtime and finally won the game 20 - 14, YAY! But I noticed that all the boys were getting tired from playing so hard and some had almost given up just before they won. I was reminded of our Christian journey and how sometimes our fight of faith can get tiring and even frustrating but we should never give up. Jude 1:3 says that we should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. That word contend means to strive against or to literally struggle in opposition. So we find that Jude tells us that we should earnestly fight for the faith. When hard times come and the demons you are fighting against seem to be wearing you down and spiritual fatigue sets in just keep reminding yourself and the devil of Philippians 4:13. It's ok to give up TO God but it's never ok to give up ON God. God Bless!!!

Risist The Devil

Just about everybody who has been in church for longer then a month has probably heard James 4:7 quoted. It says to submit ourselves unto God, and to resist the devil, and he will flee from us. Well it's been my experience that submitting to God and resisting the devil is a lot harder then it sounds at times. It's so easy to get caught up in the routine of daily life and not even notice the sin that creeps in. I believe that's why we need to keep ourselves covered in the word and prayer. Look at it like this, when you get used to something being a certain way and then all the sudden something is different you can't help but notice that something is out of place. It's kinda like when you always leave your TV shut off when you leave the house and then you come home and you find the TV on. It makes you feel eerie inside because you know you always leave it a certain way and now something just isn't right. Well that's how it needs to be with sin in our lives. If we will constantly submerge ourselves into the word of God and prayer we will begin to know when something is out of place in our lives. If we will submit to God it will be easier to resist the devil.

Just a thought: Sin done in ignorance is still sin.

Looking On The Inside

Over the past several weeks maybe even months I have been battling with people. People who have hurt me and offended me and then I've also been dealing with people who have been hurt by people. I continue to encounter those who are just tired of dealing with the church folks who call themselves Christians. To be completely honest I've been tired of dealing with some church people too. It's true there are people, a lot of people in church that are there for the wrong reason. They come for self gain and gratification and make themselves above everyone else. They do all their works to be seen by men but condemn everyone else for doing the same thing (Matthew 23:5). These people are wrong and they could very well distract us from our right relationship with God if we let them. But remember that Jesus said in Luke 5:31 "They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick." The church isn't heaven it's a hospital where the sick come to be healed. When we take our eyes off God and place them on man we will surely be disappointed and let down. Some of us need to stop looking out the widow of our heart and begin looking in. Also if everyone else always seems to be in the wrong then it's probably you that's Got the Problem. If all you can see is the flaw's and the weaknesses of everyone else then you yourself should humbly bow right now and ask God to help you to be as merciful to others as God has been toward you. Forgive and it shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37). Let's get back on the right track, quit fighting each other and start fighting the devil who is the underlying problem in the first place. God Bless!!!

Washed Up

Tomorrow we'll be having a baptism service which is very special for me since we aren't able to have them that often. As I think about the very thought of water baptism I'm reminded that we are to be washed up. Many people feel washed up at times, not clean but in other words finished, done for, as in having no more hope. But those are just oppressing thoughts sent by satan to suck the life away from God's children. Today we can be washed by the Word of God and receive Joy, Peace, Power, and Hope for our tomorrows. So just like with water baptism we should submerse ourselves into the Word to ward away all the evil spirits that would plague our souls. Plunge into His word today and begin storing up the artillery for this spiritual war we are fighting. I hope you all have a blessed day!

Advancing The Kingdom

This week has been a real eye opener for me. I truly feel like God has given me my mojo back "got to hate when you lose your mojo". Anyway I feel inside of me that we are on the verge of great things happening in our church. I believe God would have us to prepare ourselves for battle over the next couple of days and be prayed up because whatever He's got planned is going to revolutionize our church this Sunday. God is looking for a church that will get out on the front line and advance His kingdom. So put on the helmet of salvation, the breast plate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the gospel shoes and grab you sword and shield and lets march into a dark and dieing world to win the battle for as many lost souls as possible.

Fix Me Oh Lord

Praise the Lord! As a pastor I am constantly faced with conflict. That conflict can seem to consume one's self if one's self isn't careful, and instead of being a part of the solution we can actually become part of the problem. So today I joyfully hand over all the bitterness and sorrow and rage that all the conflict has left me with. Thanks be to God for His saving grace and His power to set free, for today I am free in Christ and I feel as though I can now truly forgive because I've been forgiven. (Micha 6:8) What doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?