This World

I love this country, it is the greatest and best country on the face of the world.  But, and there always is one.  I don't have a longing for this place anymore.  I am ready for the rapture of the church!  This world has no longing or desire for me anymore. I am tired of the injustice and pain that this place causes me and other Christians.  My desire is for Jesus not this place.  My desire is to please the Father not this place.  Sometimes I get this desire to just leave this place, a longing to see Jesus and be with the Father forever!  The Spirit and the Bride say come!  Come Lord Jesus!  I John 2:15-17  Lord Jesus let me not be concerned with this world, but with the things that move you.  

A Hidden Life

Colossians 3:3 in the NLT Bible says, "for you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God."  I have this weird imagination and I was thinking how great it would be if that were truly the case.  Imagine not being found.  Temptations couldn't fined you.  Sickness couldn't get to you.  The enemy wouldn't know where you went or even if you existed.  In a real sense that is just foolishness, however in a spiritual sense it may not be so far fetched.  In Ephesians 1:23 the word says that the church is His body, and it is made full and complete by Christ.  So if we are in the body of Christ and if we are hid in Him, them in a spiritual way we are in hiding.  The things of this world shouldn't hinder us.  We should have diplomatic immunity from so much of the things that defeat this world.  We should be living above the world, not affected by it.  Fears should be gone, peace in it's place.  Trampling under our feet the things the enemy has thrown before us to trip us and defeat us.  Over comers walking in victory and believing the promises of God.  My God is able!!  I sincerely believe that God truly wants us to live that way.  Total victory, and nothing else.  I'm not there by a long shot, and you aren't either, but we can strive to be the best in Christ.      

God Can!!

Smith Wigglesworth was born in Yorkshire England in the mid 1800's and was a great man of faith.  He was a evangelist and revivalist that walked in faith and saw thousands come to know Jesus through his ministry.  One of his greatest sayings might have been, "I am not moved by what I feel or see, I am moved by what the Word of God says!"  If God says it in His word them we need to accept and act on that promise.   Let's not be so politically correct to change God's word to fit our failures.  If God said it, believe it, receive it!  It is really that simple.  Today a similar saying that I have heard and that at times I try to pray and confess for my own personal needs is this, "I can have what the Word says I can have, I can be what the Word says I can be, and I can do what the Word says I can do!"  I wish to God that through his grace and mercy that we all could live that way.  Men and women of faith doing great deeds for the cause of Christ.  What the Spirit could do with simple child like faith would be astounding.  Read Hebrews chapter 11 and begin to realize that God can do the impossible for a faithful people.  Mark 10:27 says "that with God all things are possible."  Lord Jesus help my unbelief.

God's Will

What is God's will for America?  Elections are close, let's all pray for direction.  I have been praying for God to move in this country for over a year now.  This is not the time to pick sides, rather it is time to be on God's side!  Join me and pray that God will forgive our collective sins and heal our land.  Especially pray for a renewed morale clarity in the halls of our government.  Greed and sexual immorality has gripped this nation.  Pray against these spirits of darkness.  II Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us who to pray against and why.  There is spiritual wickedness in high heavenly places and in high governmental places, let us pray that God will judge and shake those who disregard His will and way.  God is still in control and is caring for his children.  Thy will be done!

10 Minute Prayers

I recently heard a fitness guy say that doing a 30-45 minute workout might be a little much for most people. He suggested that people could try doing a good 10 minute workout 3 or 4 times a day. That got me to thinking that maybe that would help many Christian people to pray more. Instead of trying to pray 30 minutes or more at one sitting, maybe we should try to pray 10 minute prayers 3 or 4 times a day. I think at times we get discouraged if we aren't able to spend a long period of time in prayer, but God is more concerned with the intent of our heart than the time we pray. God would rather we pray from our heart for a short period of time, than pray while looking at the clock. Try it! I have and it has helped me tremendously.

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people...that pretty much sums it all up. The problem with the world and politics and just about everything that ails this planet, is that "my people" have not been salt and light to a dark and evil world. That scripture says that God's people need to humble and pray and turn from their wicked way, so that God will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. We need to heed that advice more than ever today. Do you feel a need to change, or is all well? Many times if all is ok with us we don't feel the need to humble ourselves and get down to business with God. Folks now is the time. We don't have much time left on this planet. Look at the newspapers and read Bible prophecy, and it will tell you our time is almost up. God says "if my people" will get serious about what is going on. "If my people" will see the need for repentance. "If my people" will humble themselves and pray, not a lay me down to sleep prayer, but a fervent and effectual prayer. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness and calling out to a holy God for help in our time of need! We have lost the altar in our churches, and if we have lost it there, we have lost it in our homes. We must learn to pray again. We don't need a teaching or a conference on prayer, we just need to pray. Prayer is something that grows on you. Prayer is something that becomes a part of your life. We must and we need to pray more now than at anytime before or after this day. I am guilty Lord, please forgive me for my laziness about praying. I am needful of your touch to forgive me and inspire me to pray! Pray, pray, and pray even more. Prayer will become the key that unlockes the door to the throne room of God!! Lord teach me to pray, and inspire me to pray your heart.

1 Corinthians 13 Part 2

Love is patient, love is kind. I really dread writing this because I am one of a multitude of Christian's who struggles with patience. I want things to happen overnight, quick Lord do it now! Biblical patience means that we can rest assured that what we commit to God, He will keep. If our love is patient, it is sometimes passive, but always ready to move into action to respond. Patient love suffers long, doesn't judge quickly, bears all things, believes all things. Love understands and waits. Many times we don't wait, we move too quickly and not at the leading of the Spirit. Moving too quick can sometimes cause us to miss God's perfect timing. If patience is love passive, kindness is love in action. Have you ever noticed how much of Christ's life was in doing kind things for others. We have an obligation to be kind to people. We will never make an impact on people's lives unless we reach out to them in kindness. Sadly it is Christian people who can be the most unkind to total strangers. We must understand that a kind word can go a long way in making an impact on someone's life. The world is sick and hurtful, we need to spread love in action to a lost and hurting world. Sermons are not what most need to hear, first they need kindness. The Bible says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all manner of sickness and disease. Kindness, love in action. Jesus was a man of action, shouldn't we be as well. Lord I pray for patience and kindness to deal with life's trials. Teach us to be kind to others. Amen

Pray for one another

James 5:16 says, "Confess your trespasses (sins) to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much". This may be old school, but I remember a time in our churches that praying for one another was a vital part of the church experience. Many times an altar service would begin and people would kneel before God with a specific need and others would quickly come to pray with them. Sometimes tears and loud crying would be offered up on their behalf. There seems to be a special bond that develops between believers when they join together and pray. We never told specifics, however the need was expressed and usually met. Wish to God that we could go back to some of the old times to get that new refreshing that is needed in many of our churches today. An altar is a sacred thing, and we have mostly done away with it in our modern churches. I commit to begin anew that sacred tradition! God may you bless and keep us as we do your will.

1 Corinthians 13 Part 1

I am old enough to remember the carnage that was the Vietnam War era. One of the most vivid and striking visions of that war was seeing a Buddhist monk set himself on fire to protest the American military presence in his home country. As a high school student at the time, loving life and looking forward to the future, I couldn't begin to understand why he would make such a sacrifice. Here was a monk willing to kill himself for an earthly cause. No doubt he assumed he was doing God's will. In the 13th chapter of Corinthians, Paul writes about love. In the first part of the chapter Paul contrast what love is and is not. Even if a person could speak the language of angels or understand great mysteries and not have love it would amount to nothing! Even if a person could have faith to move mountains or have knowledge of all deep revelations, without love it would amount to nothing. Giving all to the poor. Giving your body to be burned, it still does not profit a man! Many in today's Christian world think faith is the greatest gift there is. Paul closes the chapter by saying "now abideth faith, hope, and love these three, but the greatest of these is love!! Paul also said "love is the fulfilling of the law." If we have love, we will fulfill all that God wants from us. Jesus said "love God and love your neighbor as yourself.' Love is a fruit of the Spirit, we are not given love or baptized with love, we cultivate love. Fruit sometimes takes a long time to mature. Christ's one secret of the Christian life is LOVE!! O God help me to cultivate love so that your divine nature may be manifest in my life.

Where is this great end time revival?

I know most preachers and pastors say that there is coming a great revival just before the Rapture of the church. However I can't seem to find that in scripture. I see, according to the Laodicean church spoken of in the book of Revelation, the last days church is very lukewarm. In verse 18 of chapter 3 the Lord tells John to write "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire." Refiners fire is always spoken of in scripture as a time of testing or of going through trials and tribulations. I Peter chapter 1 verse 7 states "that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire." Malachi 3:2 says "but who may abide the day of his (Jesus) coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap." Beloved we are entering a time of approaching judgment and and testing. Europe is going broke, we are spending far more than we could ever repay. Laws are being contemplated right now that would make Biblical preaching against sin illegal. A minister in England was arrested for simple saying that homosexuality was a sin. A minister in Canada was likewise arrested for preaching "hate speech." Where is the great revival? I fear that more will fall away from the faith soon. Most Christians are fed a steady diet of feel good prosperity teaching where everything is going to be fine. My fear is that if trials do come they will turn their backs on God in a heartbeat. God will have a church that has been tested and cleansed of all sin. I don't like saying this, but I know it could come. We need good solid Biblical preaching, based on the Word, not a culturally relevant limp wristed watered down version of the Gospel. We are in a war and we must win. Second place is not an option! We as a church must learn warfare prayer now!! Ephesians 6:12 says "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Even now angels and demons are doing battle in the heavenly realm. We must enter the fray and pray without ceasing for the nation and the world. We must learn not only to pray for something, but also to pray against something. Evil must be stopped and prayer in the Spirit is the key. Pray as if your life depended on it, and it does. Your life and your family and loved ones. We must take the Bible in one hand and fall to our knees and petition heaven on behalf of our churches and family. I feel like a broken record, but Jesus is coming soon. Are you ready for the trials that may come? Most importantly are you ready to see our blessed Lord split the eastern skies?

It's almost over!

Yesterday I was asked a question that started me to thinking The question was "what needs to happen before the Rapture of the church?" My first and quick response was nothing! I really firmly believe that nothing in prophecy need to happen before the Lord returns to take His church out of this wicked world. Do I think it may be today? Yeah it could, logic would say we may have a little time left, but the things that are happening in the world tells me it is very close. The persecution of Christians and the loss of personal freedoms, and the renewed call for a one world government and currency are just a few of the events or signs that proclaim the shortness of time. The hatred of Israel and those who support them, the rise of Islamic extremist and our government that has imposed a health care system that will impose penalties on any that disagree with their mandates are just a few events that scare me and cause me to look up for my redemption. Things are happening fast and furious. The Bible tells us that in the end time, there will be an increased frequency of earthquakes and natural disasters. Read the paper! Take the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other. Compare and see how close we are. More on specifics later. But for now, if you are troubled them just get on your knees and pray and as Jesus to come into your heart! It's that simple. God bless each of you.

What next?

WE have finally made it back to Missouri! I am still in awe of what God has done for us, it seems just yesterday that we began the long and arduous journey that has led us to Blue Springs. I know that God has something for us here, just not sure what. Time is short and the Gospel needs to be sent out. I have thought about a Bible study or maybe even starting a house church. A new church plant is something I have wanted to do all my life. I just know that the time is now. Time is so short that we have to live as if there is no tomorrow. What we need or feel we have to do, we need to do NOW!! I pray for strength and wisdom to know the next step. Pray for me, I need it.

The Move

Well it is finally coming to fruition!! Donna and I are moving back to Missouri. This has been a long process, that started at the beginning of last year. We began fasting and praying for this on January 1st of 2009. We felt that it was God's plan for us to move back to be close to our family and also to begin a new chapter in our ministry. As everyone knows the housing market has not been the best for selling a house. We placed our house on the market in early summer, nothing happened. I really thought that our house would sell quickly. Our faith was strong, but we struggled with the desire to be in Missouri while our jobs got worse and worse. We still believed God had spoken to us about the move, but no offer and no serious lookers. Finally Donna got the brilliant idea to check out craigslist for someone wanting to swap houses. No way that will work! Well God had a better idea. We found someone not only in Missouri, but in Blue Springs. We began to check out the house and found that it was listed at the same exact price as ours. On Christmas day we contacted the owner in Blue Springs, and the rest is history as they say. We plan to be in Missouri on the 1st of March!! God has certainly performed a great miracle for us. We tell everybody we see and know about the goodness of God! I have learned so much patience through this whole ordeal. Trusting in God, yet having to keep the faith and walk in hope. I know that God has something wonderful for us in Missouri and I can't wait till we get there and the miracles begin to happen. To God be the glory. Glory to God, yes glory to God. See you in Missouri!