Facts VS Truth

The darker the night becomes, the more I long to see the Glory of His face shinning on me.

I remember when I got here God told me He was going to do a DEEP work in me. I had and still have no idea just how DEEP this rabbit hole goes.

I have been praying and believing God for breakthrough in my finances for quite some time now. I know I am where I am supposed to be. God has called me here to this place. God has given us words that He is going to bless us and our business.

My accounts are overdrawn. I am behind on my rent for each of my 3 business locations. I am in debt up to my eyeballs. I don’t know how I am going to pay rent for where I am living. I don’t know how I am going to pay payroll. I don’t know if I will even have a business or an income soon.

I was faced with a choice today. I find myself in a powerful time of worship. God’s presence is here. Here I stand in the presence of the King of all that Exists, the King of the universe. We were singing about how great and good God is. I don’t want to just give God “lip service.” I want my worship to be true and from my heart. I am faced with a question. Will you worship?
Could I declare, “He is good” “He is great”? Would I believe and declare what I know to be true or what I feel and what I see? I am torn. I am broken. I am battling facts VS truth. Truth is higher and greater than the facts.

The facts are things don’t look good. The facts are I am in an financially hopeless and impossible situation. The truth is He is always good. The truth is He is always faithful.

I know He is good. It doesn’t look like it. It doesn’t feel like it, but I KNOW it is true, so I will declare what I KNOW is true. He is good. He is great. He is faithful. His love NEVER fails! Greater things are yet to come.

I know I will look back on this season years or perhaps months from now and I will speak of His goodness and faithfulness. Why wait? I am choosing to declare it today. I am choosing to declare it now.

He is GOOD! He is for me! He is faithful. He is always GOOD! I will declare it! I will believe it!
In the beginning of this journey I made a declaration that “I know my God is faithful and He will deliver me, but even if He doesn’t, yet will I praise Him.” God is putting my words to the test. Job said, Even if He slay me, yet will I trust Him, yet I will hope in Him.

I am beginning to understand what it looks like to bring a “sacrifice of praise.”

David said, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord that which costs me nothing.” I want to be like the woman with the alabaster box. I choose to pour my life out for Him, on Him. I will sacrifice that which costs me everything!!

Will you allow Him in? Will you give Him access to those hidden places? Some places you know exist, others you don’t, nonetheless, will you let Him in?

The darker the night becomes, the more I long to see the Glory of Your face shinning on me. I long to see Your face. God, let the light of Your face shine on me! In order to have peace that passes my understanding, I must give up my right to understand. I trust you completely. Nothing is impossible. All things are possible with You God! You can do whatever You want to do God. Have your way in me.

Worshippers First

What does "a life of worship" look like?

We are called to worship. We are created to worship. We are designed to live a life of worship for the display of His glory and splendor. In the world, a painting or work of art brings glory to the artist. A song brings glory to the writer. A building brings glory to the architect. The created thing brings glory to its Creator. Creation itself testifies of the glory of God. We are the only created beings that can have intimacy with the Creator. We can know Him. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, and the sky can all bring glory to their Creator, but they cannot know Him. They cannot have intimacy with Him. They simply exist to bring glory to Him. They have no choice. We have a choice. That is what worship is. Worship is a choice. Worship is not a feeling. Worship may involve and evoke a vast array of feelings, but it is not a feeling. It is a choice. Every moment of every day we have a choice. In each moment, in every action, in every circumstance, we can choose to worship and bring glory to Him or we can choose to not. The devil seeks to rob God of His glory and receive worship unto himself.

I love to play the piano, but I've never seen myself as a musician. Music is a gateway. Music is an instrument. Music is a conductor. Worship isn't just something I do. Worship is a part of who I am. It's all I've ever known. I exist to bring glory to Him. The glory belongs to Him. Why would I want to try to take what is His? The glory belongs to Him.

God can make anyone into a worshipper! I've seen musicians and non-musicians become worshippers. I've seen singers and non-singers become worshippers. The tragedy is I've also seen worshippers become simply musicians or worshippers become just singers. Many have limited worship to music, as if somehow, worship equals music, or worse, music equals worship. We've been taught that in order to worship we must have music. Worse yet, some have come to believe that if there is a band on stage in church playing music that worship is happening. While that may or may not be true, it does not mean that God is the one receiving worship.

Worship means to "ascribe worth to." To who or what do we ascribe "worth?" Worth can be measured in time, energy, money, resources, devotion, focus. Whatever you focus on gets bigger, or gets magnified. What are you focusing on? I often find myself focusing on my circumstances and my problems. God showed me that, in essence, I am worshipping my circumstances rather than worshipping the God of my circumstances. He is bigger than any circumstance in my life! I just need to focus on and magnify Him, and not my problems, otherwise my problems can become bigger than my God or can even become my god.

Do you worship worship? So often we get caught up in the music, or we get caught up in the song. What we need to do is get caught up in the One that the music is for, and get caught up in the One that the song is about! The music should not distract us from Him. It should point us to Him. When the artist, the music, the song, or the musician, starts to become the focus, we are missing the point. Mankind is so eager to idolize the seen that we miss the unseen. So often, we've made man the focus. We've made music the focus. We've made an idol out of the very thing that was created to bring glory to Him. The devil knows we won't worship him if he says, "hey, come worship me." He is much more subtle that that. So often the devil will use the very things of God to distract us from God. That's why the devil tries to twist and distort God's very own words. The devil is an imposter and an imitator, not a creator.

We are such an entertainment society. We say; "Entertain me. Amuse me. Impress me. Wow me. Delight me." We have taken the divine and made it common. Some have taken worship and reduced it to mere entertainment. We come expecting to be entertained, to receive, rather than come expecting to give. Worship must be given. How is it that we've confused times of worship with a concert? They are complete opposites. How is this possible? Perhaps it is because we have worked so hard to make worship look like a concert, that people don't know the difference.

I heard someone say once, "When we begin to worship the donkey that Jesus rode in on, instead of Jesus Himself, there is a problem!" This is a profound statement. Just as when Jesus was born, there was "no room" for Him in the inn; So too, there seems to be "no room" for Him in many churches today. We must make room for Him in our hearts and our lives, and our churches. He is enthroned on the praises of His people. As we worship, we build a throne. We create an atmosphere, a place for Him to dwell.

Some will say worship is not about us, it's about Him. This is true to an extent. While I believe we should not be the focus of worship, worship is about us and Him. Worship is about us connecting with Him and bringing glory to Him. He should be the goal. He should be the focus. When worship becomes solely about us, we have missed it altogether.

Worship is so much more than music, however, music is very powerful. Why is music so powerful? What's in a song? What is it about music and melodies that connects with something so deep inside of every person? Music is an expression of what is inside… Worship begins in our heart. Out of the abundance (or overflow) of the heart, the mouth speaks. I say, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth sings! Worship is an expression of the love and adoration from our hearts. With our mouths and our lives we are to glorify God. We must use our words and our actions to bring Him glory. (God help me!) I've heard it said that you can't do on Sunday morning what you don't do the rest of the week! This is so true.

A Worship Team should be a team of worshippers, not a band.

Worship practice should be the practice of worship, not just band practice.

If the team of worshippers happen to play instruments and sing, this is good, however, we must not lose focus.

Worship can be prayer, adoration, and exaltation, put to song, or put to music. Take away the instruments, and begin to worship God. Could we do it? Or would we be lost and uncomfortable? What a challenge!

We are to be worshippers first, musicians second; worshippers first, singers second; worshippers first, everything else second.

A flute without breath is simply a vessel, a piece of metal. Have a skilled flutist breathe into it and it will produce a beautiful sound. So too, we are His instruments. We must allow Him to breathe His life into us to produce what He desires. It is the response of God's Spirit in us to that Spirit in Him, whereby we cry out "Abba, Father," deep calling unto deep.

Consider this: Music is all about timing. God created time. In heaven there is no time…No beginning, no end. There is eternity. How do you have music without time? What does it sound like? Can you imagine? No beginning. No end. John was caught up into heaven and experienced this sound. He was unable to use words to describe it. The angels, the living creatures, the elders around His throne never stop singing, worshipping, and praising God. They never stop crying out Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. "But for how long?" we ask. There is no time. No beginning, no end.

We are told to bring to God a "sacrifice of praise." Some say this means praising and worshipping God when we don't want to or don't feel like it. What sacrifices does God ask of us? This is what He asks of us; a broken spirit, a contrite heart, and to offer your body as a living sacrifice. He wants our bodies, our contrite hearts, and our broken spirits. No longer are we to lay animals on the altar to be slain. We are to lay ourselves on the altar to be consumed by His presence in worship to Him.

God let my actions line up with my words. I surrender my body, soul, & spirit to you in worship. Let my life be an expression of worship to You. Let my life song bring Glory to You!

Unsatisfied

Are you satisfied? Are you content? Or do you want more of Him? Contentment can be a good thing, or it can kill you. Mediocrity is not death, but it's very close. Ask the frog who is in the "warm" water. It's not hot; it's just a 'little warm.'

The only time the Bible speaks of contentment is in relation is money. When it comes to His presence, I have as Tommy Tenny says, a "Divine Discontentment."

I will not be satisfied until I see His face. I cannot settle for anything less than His absolute best. I don't know what that is, or what it looks like, but I know I want it! I know I must pursue it! I must stop at nothing to get it! I want His best! I want all that He has for me, not just some or part. I want Him.

How often do we as Christians settle in life? We settle for less than His best. We've been taught to just simply learn to accept and "live with" whatever we are given. What a lie! We say, "Well, it must be God's will…." Or as the old saying goes, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Well I say, "If life gives you lemons, send 'em back and ask for something else!" We serve a Great Big God! He either is or is not "able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or even imagine!" Either we believe this, or we do not! If you believe it, then start asking! Start imagining what God can do! He will do even greater!

We can either let our surroundings and circumstances affect us, or we can affect our circumstances and surroundings! We can either be victims or victors! Jesus was NEVER a victim of His surroundings. Even the wind and waves obeyed Him!

Just to set the record straight, God does not "send people to hell." People choose hell by rejecting the free gift of salvation. In fact hell was not even created for people. It was created for the devil and his demonic hosts. God desires that none should perish!

It is not God's will for you to be sick or in pain and suffering, anymore than it would be God's will for you to go to hell. It is not! Otherwise, Jesus died in vain. The cross did not ONLY purchase our salvation. It also purchased our healing and freedom! It is His will for us to be saved, healed and delivered! God's will was expressed in and thru Jesus Christ. Jesus was the representation of God in the flesh. Jesus only did what the Father did. Jesus said to the leper, "I am willing. Be clean." He is willing. Every time the people came to Jesus to be healed, He healed them! He healed them all. He never turned anyone away then, and He will never turn anyone away now.

Hunger is very powerful. How long could you survive without food? How long before you get hungry? A day? A week? An hour? If enough time passes, you will eventually get hungry. You will start to search for something to satisfy that hunger. People are willing to do anything including murder to satisfy their "appetite." How long can I survive without Him? How hungry am I for Him? Am I satisfied? How long before I get hungry for more of Him? A day? A week? An hour? What am I willing to do to satisfy this appetite? What am I willing to sacrifice?

Hunger moves and motivates us to do crazy things. How hungry are you? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for THEY WILL BE FILLED!

Love is also a very powerful thing. What crazy things were you willing to do when you were young and in love? What are we willing to do for the One who loved us to death? Deut 4:29 says, "if you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him IF you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." From beginning to end the Bible tell us we are to Love God more than anything! Love God with all your being, with every part of you, with everything!

What does it look like to be completely sold out for Jesus? Set yourself on fire and let the world come watch you burn! How do you contain a blazing fire? You don't! It takes an army to contain it! If the flame has fuel it will burn and it will spread. How do you contain a church that is on fire for God? You can't! Do not put out the Spirit's fire. How easy is it to start a forest fire? Once the blaze begins to burn and spread, how DIFFICULT is it to put out that fire? Let's start some fires! Let's burn for Him!

God I know You love me just the way I am. I know You love me too much to leave me this way! I know I can't earn or deserve Your love. Nothing I can do will make You love me more than You already do. Nothing I can do will make You love me less. You demonstrated Your love for me by dying on the cross for me before I even knew You. While I was a sinner, and an enemy of God, You died for me. How great is Your love for me now that I am Your child! I want to please You. I want to know You more.

Teach me when to rest and "be still and know that You are God", and when to pursue You. Teach me to follow hard after You. I cry out as David did; "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"

Rekindle the fire of love for You! God let me never be satisfied! I want more of You!

The Holy Spirit

So many misunderstandings, misrepresentations... Nothing to fear...

The Holy Spirit is the third PERSON of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is not a force or a thing. He is not an it. He is a person.

Do you know Him? Do you have a relationship with Him? You can!

The person of the Holy Spirit always points us to Jesus to bring glory to Jesus. Jesus always points us to the Father to bring glory to the Father.

With. In. Upon.

With you:
God is with you from conception until death. He says, "Before I formed you, I knew you." "I knit you together in your mother's womb" "I am with you always, to the very end..."

Jn. 14:16-17 Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

In you: (Salvation)
When you become a believer, the Holy Spirit comes to live in you.

Upon you: (Baptism)
This is the best part! This is also the part most people miss out on! Don't miss this!

Jesus said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." The phrase comes on you is the same Greek word used when the angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." How crazy is that?! The same phrase used to describe the conception of Jesus in Mary is the same phase used to describe the power we receive when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. You could say that the Holy Spirit also births something in us. That something is Jesus! That phrase come upon means

1) to come, to arrive
a) of time, come on, be at hand
2) to come upon, overtake one
a) of sleep
b) of disease
c) of calamities
d) of the Holy Spirit, descending and operating in one

To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is what will set you apart!

Baptism simply means to be immersed in.

When we are baptized with water, we are to be immersed in water. Water baptism doesn't save you. It is an outward expression of an inward commitment. It is an act of obedience symbolizing repentance.

To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be immersed in the Holy Spirit. Now being filled with the Spirit is a daily, even moment by moment occurrence, however, there must be an initial filling. Just like being baptized in water doesn't happen automatically, neither does being baptized in the Holy Spirit. You have to want it. You have to ask for it. You have to purpose in your heart to be baptized! Just like salvation, it doesn't happen automatically. You have to choose Christ. You have to say yes to Him. Salvation happens once, but daily we are being saved. Every day I must give my heart to Him. So too with the Holy Spirit, every day I must be filled anew!

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience after salvation. It can be at the same time as salvation, but not usually. It can be at the same time as water baptism, sometimes, but not always.

Acts 19:1-7 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.

Water baptism = Repentance! / Baptism in the Holy Spirit = Power!

The Holy Spirit is promised if you repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). Remember, repent means to "change the way you think!" The Holy Spirit can be received without water baptism. (Acts 10:44-47) The Holy Spirit can be received by simply hearing, but often by laying on of hands.

Mat 3:11 "…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Fire?? What? Why fire? I'm not sure why fire. But here's what I think: #1 On the day of Pentecost there were what seemed to be "tongues of fire" that came to rest on each person before they began to speak in new languages. #2 Water washes. Fire burns! The instrument used to baptize for repentance is water, symbolizing the washing away of sin, filth, old man, etc.. The instrument used to baptize in the Holy Spirit for power is fire. Fire burns! Burn away anything that is not of God! Burn away the dross! Refine us! 'Set yourself on fire for God and let the world come watch you burn!' (John Wesley)

Facts about the Holy Spirit from the Bible: The Holy Spirit = Counselor, Comforter, He Speaks to Us to Teach All Things, To Remind us of what Jesus said, Strengthen & Encourage (Acts 9:31), He gives us Power to do the will of the Father. He wants to fellowship with us. He gives us Gifts. (Heb 2:4) The Holy Spirit is a mark, a seal upon us. (Eph 1:13) He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit can speak through us, (Acts 1:16) so can the devil. (Mat 16:23) The Holy Spirit is a person. The Bible says He can be lied to, resisted, quenched, grieved, and pleased.
Jesus did amazing things in His three years of ministry. None of the things He did was simply because He was God, or the Son of God. He was 100% man, just like you or I (only without sin). The reason Jesus was able to do ALL of the things He did is because of and through the power of the Holy Spirit! Yes, He was God, but He was not operating as God. He humbled himself and became a man. He set aside His Glory as God to become a man. Other than being born without sin, He was in every way, just like you or I. There was nothing special about His appearance. He was a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, in perfect fellowship with the Father. So often we think, oh yeah, sure, Jesus did that because...well...He's Jesus...or He's God...No! Don't limit yourself by thinking that way! You and I have the same access to the Father that Jesus had because of the cross! We have the same access to power that Jesus had through the power of the Holy Spirit! This is why Jesus said, "You will do the same things I have done, and even greater!"

Today, it's all about the Holy Spirit!

I think there should be 3 time periods, not just two. I think we should have B.C., A.D., & A.C.! Let me explain:

B.C. - Before Christ came God would often speak to people audibly or He would send angels or messengers to speak to His people.

A.D. (Anni Domini - Meaning, "in the Year of our Lord") - When Jesus walked the earth, He was a representation of God in the flesh. God spoke through Jesus and used Him to demonstrate the Father's heart. Jesus said, "Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."

A.C. (After Christ) Now/Today - God connects with us, reveals Himself to us, and speaks to us through the Holy Spirit!

What is the purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit?

To feel good? To get spiritual goose bumps? To be weird and act drunk and crazy? NO! The purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit is for power; Power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, power to accomplish all signs and wonders and good works God has prepared in advance for us to do! Without this power, we as Christians and the Church will remain powerless and Heaven will only be something we get when we die. With this power, Heaven will invade our lives and this earth! His Kingdom will be manifested in us and through us!

The person of the Holy Spirit always points us to Jesus to bring glory to Jesus. Jesus always points us to the Father to bring glory to the Father.

The Holy Spirit is a gift freely given. This gift cannot be earned or deserved. It can only be freely received. However, it's hard to be filled up with something when you are already full of something else! Sometimes we must first empty ourselves of self before we can be filled with Him! Be it pride, lust, jealousy, envy, strife, hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, self, rage, anger, the list goes on…

Are you hungry for Him or are you full of something else?

God, cause me to hunger for more of You. Holy Spirit I want to be full of You. God, let love be my highest goal. Let me earnestly seek and desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. Change my heart. Change my mind. Change the way I think. Renew my mind. Transform me. I want to be filled with power from on high to be a witness for You, and to do whatever you ask of me.

Pursue Him

So often we spend our whole life chasing after something or someone, only to find ourselves tired, exhausted, and disappointed. It seems to be like a dog chasing the ever elusive tail... So close but yet just out of reach. The faster you run, the faster it goes! What are you chasing? Are you chasing success? Money? Friendship? Relationship? Fame? Peace? Happiness? Security?

I remember one thing I wanted more than anything was to find the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I thought I knew what I wanted. I spent 7 years pursuing what I thought I wanted. I had my mind set. I even let God know what I wanted. I asked and begged Him for it. Still nothing. Then, I gave up pursuing the thing and starting pursuing Him. Shortly after, God brought to me what I didn't even know I wanted! He brought me what His word promises, more than I could ask or even imagine. He brought it to me without me even asking. God let me know He knows what I want and need even more than I do! He knows me better than I know myself. He is a Good God!

When you stop pursuing that thing and start pursuing Him, He will give you or bring to you that which you always wanted and needed and may not even know it! Did you know He knows you better than you know yourself? Did you know He wants what is best for you? Did you know that He will allow you to choose His best or what you think is best? That's the beauty of freewill.

My God will supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory... And He is very rich in Glory! God promises to give you the desires of your heart. Did you know that? This is His promise to us. But this promise comes with a pre-requisite. Do you want to know what it is? OK. Here it goes. Are you ready? This is it... You must "delight yourself in Him!" That's it! If you want God to give you the desires of your heart, simply delight yourself in Him. Don't believe me? That's what the Bible says. See for yourself: Psalms 37:4.

Why is this? I'm glad you asked! You see, when we are delighting ourselves in Him, the desires of our heart begin to change to match the desires of His heart! Oh how He loves to grant those desires!

The first commandment is this: Love God more than anything! Boy... You could pretty much do away with the other nine and: #1 Spend a lifetime living this one out; #2 Fulfill the other nine if you do! If we truly love Him more than anything, everything else will fall into place. All that we need and want is found in Him. He is our all in all. Our peace, our joy, the supply of all of our needs is found in Him.

Stop pursuing things! Start pursuing Him! Even good things, it doesn't matter... Finding your soul mate is a good thing. Raising a family is a good thing. Building a church or a business is a good thing. Fulfilling your dreams and desires is a good thing. Getting a job, a house, a car, whatever, good things. Stop pursuing things! Start pursuing Him! Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you! Believe it!

God, let everything else fade in the light of You! I want You to be first, before anything and everything else. I want to have 'no other gods before You!' Let my love for everything else seem like hatred compared to my love for You. I trust You. I know that You have my best interests in mind. I know that You created me, and You know me better than I know myself. You know my heart's true desires, and You want to fulfill them. I was created to know You and to love You.

When HE Comes

How much time and energy do we spend trying to get people to show up for church, when what we should be doing is trying to get God to show up for church!?!? When people hear that God is there, the people will come! Don't get me wrong, it's great to invite people to church, but we want them to meet Someone when they get there! We want them to have an encounter with the Living God!

Bono, of all people says, "Religion is what you are left with when the Spirit leaves the building." The way I see it, if God is not there, it's just a bunch of people getting together. Again, nothing wrong with that but... As the song says, "There must be more than this..." (Consuming Fire)

In fact, anything that can be done inside or outside of church that is not completely dependant on the power of God or His Holy Spirit leaves me wanting and unsatisfied. I want to be set apart from the average, the ordinary. We don't serve an average, ordinary, natural God. He is an Extra-ordinary, Super-natural, Awesome God!

When the King shows up, His entire Kingdom (Heaven) accompanies Him. What does that truly look like? Can you imagine... The King and His Kingdom here on earth? What does it look like when Heaven comes down?

In His Kingdom there is no sickness or disease. In His Kingdom there is no poverty or lack. In His Kingdom everything bows before Him. God let Your Kingdom come. Let Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven!

Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. What does this mean? What does it mean to "seek His Kingdom?" Before anything else (first), we are to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness.

John the Baptist and Jesus both preached saying "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Repent simply means to "think in a new way" or "change the way you think." At hand, means - it is very near. In Mat 10:7 Jesus told us we are to preach the same. Then in the next verse (verse 8) He said, "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." Maybe this is what it looks like! Jesus said, "If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has COME UPON you." (Mat 12:28) You see, when His Kingdom is at hand (or near) THIS is what should be happening! It shouldn't be something we have to strive for or work at. It should be as natural as breathing. We shouldn't have to chase miracles, they should follow us!

The Bible says these signs will follow them that believe... "In my Name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues..." Do you believe?

God what is following me? Is it signs and wonders or is it something else? I must decrease that You may increase in me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You! Let my thoughts and my mind dwell continually on You, that Your Spirit may dwell continually in and upon me. I want to see the miraculous! I want to experience You and Your Kingdom while I still live. I know Heaven isn't just something I get to experience when I die. It is for me here, now, today! Let Your Kingdom come! Let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!

The Power of Faith

Some say faith has enormous power. A better way would be to say faith has the ability to connect us to/with enormous power. Faith is like water in a pool. Put your hand in the water on one end of the pool and nothing will happen, but throw some power (a plugged in hair dryer for example) in on the other end of the pool and you WILL feel the effect! Faith in and of itself is powerless. It is the object of your faith that matters. It is the object of your faith that contains the power. Who or what is your source of power?


I can have faith in the microwave, and believe that it has the power to heal my body or take me to heaven when I die, but this simply is not true. No matter how much faith I have, or how strong my faith is... It does not matter. It will not heal me. It will not save me. The microwave is powerless to do these things. It will, however, cook a good bag of popcorn. So too, those who put their hope, their trust, their faith in anything but Jesus Christ (the one from the Bible) will be sadly disappointed. There are those who have put their faith in homes or possessions or money or friends or false gods that look a lot like Jesus, but all of which are powerless to save them from sin and death. Like the microwave, the enemy does have some power. He may be able to cook a good bag of popcorn, but he cannot ultimately save us.


So where does our hope lie? It lies in Him alone. "I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." He alone has the power to truly save, heal, and deliver. Through faith, He has the power to move mountains. He has the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, set the captives free.


God I believe... Help my unbelief. God fill me with you. Give me the faith of a mustard seed and allow me to connect and plug in to an Awesome, Holy, Powerful God, You.

Rumbling...

There is a rumbling….

Look at what Jesus did. Look at the disturbance that He caused and the aftermath that reverberated throughout the known world at that time. Now that was the work of the Holy Spirit through just one man and then 12. Now the question I ask is this: What kind of disturbance do you think would be caused by thousands or millions of people who lived and walked with the power and authority that Jesus did? I think we are about to find out…

People are tired of hearing about God and what He is able to do. They want to see and experience God for themselves. Don't just tell me about God and how great He is…Show me! Let me feel His grace. Let me experience His power. Let me know firsthand how deep and wide the Father's love is for me. Let me taste and see that the Lord is good.

Entire nations will be turned to serve a new King. The word is getting out! The church is breaking free from its walls. The sons and daughters of God that all creation has been longing for are being revealed. It's ABOUT TIME! The Kingdom of Heaven IS invading the kingdom of earth! As the Kingdom of Heaven invades earth, it brings with it the King and all His Kingdom represents and has to offer; salvation from destruction, complete healing, complete deliverance, the storehouse of Heaven.

Have you seen? Have you heard? Have you witnessed? Have you experienced the power of God being displayed all across the globe? Most importantly; Have you participated in bringing His Kingdom to this earth?

The lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. We have gone from, "we will see it" to "we are seeing it;" from "someday" to "today!"

For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power! (1 Corinth 4:20)

Jesus said "…anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works…" (Jn 14:12)

Holy Spirit, I invite you to come and not only be with me, but live in me, work thru me. Baptize me. Immerse me in You. May I be filled to overflowing. Let Your presence be evident to all who are near me. Let Your gifts be manifested in me. Let Your power flow thru me. Here am I Lord, use me!