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Matt 9:35-38 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NKJV

This is a great passage of scripture. What I want you to do is to ask yourself about your salvation. Did you know that everything about you is being chipped away by God to make us look like Jesus? That is how God works. He conforms us to the image of Jesus and we are to look like Him, talk like Him, walk like Him, love like Him, and see like Him.

In our scripture above we see what Jesus does best. He preaches, teaches, and heals. It is what the Father told Him to do. He also displayed compassion for people and that brought on His healing nature. Then He say to His disciples that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. I believe they are few because they do not see like Him, think like Him, nor act like Him.

Rom 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. NKJV

His goal is for you and me to be conformed into the image of Jesus and that means that if we do not look like Him, act like Him, or speak like Him, we allow a chipping away of the old man so we can put on the new.

God has a motive for your salvation, and it is a process that transforms you into the image of His Son! So if God has a motive in our salvation, and we know what it is, then you and I need to examine ourselves and ask ourselves some hard questions. The question is how do we look at the multitudes and reach the lost?

Matt 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes... NKJV

Notice that Jesus saw the multitudes, and it caused Jesus to be moved with compassion because people were scattered, having no shepherd. Even though he was their Shepherd, they had not recognized that yet. Jesus not only saw the multitudes, He also saw individuals.

The kingdom of God has multitudes but it is made up of individuals. God said the multitudes come from every nation, every tribe, kindred, tongue! He always broke down the crowd and saw individuals.

Remember Zacchaeus in Luke 19? Jesus was walking with a crowd, and Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus stopped the crowd and called Zacchaeus out, and went to his house for lunch. What about the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:25? Again, Jesus stopped the crowd and ministered to the one. Jesus did it again with Blind Bartimaeus. Jesus always saw the one in the multitudes. What do you see when you see a crowd?

How do you see people as a crowd? Do you see individuals? Are you only seeing the crowd? God will always see the individuals.

1. Notice that Jesus saw the sheep without having a shepherd.

You pass people every day and how do you see them? You and I see people, and we do not always see the value in them. Jesus saw them and valued them; He saw them, really saw them. Jesus saw sheep and not goats!

Matt 25:32-33 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. NIV

Jesus saw people as God’s possessions and not as lost sinners lost. He was the redeemer, and He came to redeem them back to God! He saw them as scattered sheep, faint and weary from the load they were carrying. You pass people all the time. They are carrying a load because of what happens in life. Jesus saw wounded sheep and he healed them. All the outward wounds were healed by Jesus, because you can see those types of wounds. There are invisible wounds too that we cannot see with the naked eye. Did you know that sheep have thick wool? This wool is so thick that you cannot always see their wounds because of the wool! That is how people are also. You cannot always see their wounds or the wounds that have injured their inward man. When people have car accidents, doctors cannot always see internal injuries because they are not visible to the eye. Jesus saw sheep, sheep that were wounded, and He related to them. Why did he relate to them?

Acts 8:32-33 "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." NIV

Jesus identified with this passage of scripture because he was a lamb led to the slaughter. He was a sheep! He identified with people because he was one of them. He was wounded for my transgression.

The word transgression means to rebel willfully from the will of God, a set standard or line that you cross. It comes from a Hebrew word that means to be laid open for an outward act of crossing over the line. He was wounded every time I stepped over the line.

The word iniquity means to twist or a tendency, a likelihood of what’s in me that makes me do what I do! The human nature wants what it wants, and we have to strive to put those things away as we walk in discipleship.

The word wound means an outward observable gash, cut, or break in the skin! It is deserved for what I did when I crossed over the line. The word Iniquity is like a bruise. It is under the skin and not always seen. Bruised for our tendency within us! Jesus always heals with wholeness, which includes the hurts you see and the ones you do not see.

2. He saw the harvest.

Jesus saw a multitude, plenteous, great, big, ripe harvest! He did not have a harvest problem. The seed is good, and the seed is producing a great harvest. He wanted His disciples to see the harvest.

John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Jesus had a labor problem. Jesus came to give a mindset that the harvest is ready! All that is needed are laborers. He is ready now and wants people to go now and harvest now. Action and activity of harvest is on those who will go and not wait!

3. Feel what Jesus feels.

He was moved with compassion. He felt compassion and mercy in his gut, compassion and mercy when he saw the people scattered. It means to sympathize and feel pain. Being moved, He observed pain, and was so impacted that He could not pass by without being moved to step into their pain and relieve it. When we begin to see people as Jesus sees them, compassion and mercy will hit us in the gut too!

4. Do as He says.

Now that you see the harvest, PRAY! Pray for laborers to be sent now! You cannot stop at the prayer meeting, which is what most church people do! You need to go on and be the answer to the prayer.

Matt 10: 5-6 says we answer our own prayer. The 12 went! They accepted the call and changed the world. The commission is not come and see, it is go, ye!

It has been a great journey with a worldwide pandemic and political chaos in the US and another war in the world. But one thing remains true and that is that the word of God is still just as prevalent today as it was yesterday. The word works when you work the word.

Today we look at how God invites us to be with Him, the explanation of why He wants us to be with Him, how He appoints us after we have been with Him, and then He empowers us to engage the world.

Let's start this journey with Moses on the back side of the dessert after marrying Jethro’s daughter. He is tending sheep getting which is a necessary step to be ready to be used by God. Remember his way was that of Pharaoh the King of Egypt and not the God of Glory. Pharaoh was a user of men and a taskmaster. That is why, in Exodus 2:11-13, Moses killed the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew man. Killing was the way Pharaoh dealt with his problems and so Moses acted like the one who influenced him the most. The main voice in your life will always influence your life and direction more than you think they will as will your culture.

In Exodus 32:2-4 Arron the Priest had all the Israelites break off their golden earrings to give to him so he could make a god to go before them since Moses had not returned from the mountain with God. Arron fashioned the shape of a cow and built an altar to worship God with. This shows us the power of our culture and the voices speaking into your life to shape the image of your God rather than allowing the word of God to shape our image of God.

Moses knew he was a deliverer and thought that the Hebrews would see him in that light, but it seemed to backfire. God moved Moses to the back side of the dessert so he could learn to be a shepherd. He was a man in training to learn to do things the way God does business and deals with humanity. It was not yet time for God to reveal Himself to Moses and invite Moses to be the deliverer whom God had always purposed Moses to be. Everyone who ever did anything great in this harvest has received an invitation from God to join Him. That is where we pick up the story of the Unquenchable Fire.

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” NKJV

I. The Invitation

God is always giving every human an invitation to be with Him before He can use them. God has always desired man to be with Him. Intimacy with God is what God has desired for us. The call is not enough for what you need in your life from God. You need relationship,

Moses is on the back side of the dessert and sees a sight that draws his attention. He sees a bush burning with flames but not being consumed. You need to understand that God is not a consumer of resources and people. He is a renewer of life and joy, in His presence. His presence is what we need to desire. God uses the bush as an invitation for Moses to be with Him.

David said he would rather be a gate keeper in the house of God than thousand of days elsewhere. Why? Cause those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. There is something special about being with God in His presence.

Mark 3:13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. NKJV

Notice that Jesus has called us to Himself. He extended an invitation to those whom He wanted to be with Him. This is the invitation that exist for all believers. Jesus is calling us to be with Him. This invitation must be accepted on our part so that He can use us. It is possible for you to have Jesus in you and never be with Him.

Matt 26:11 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. NKJV

In this invite to be with Him He explains what this purpose is about.

II. The Explanation

Exodus 3:4-10 we find the reason for God desiring Moses to be with Him. Your ministry comes as an overflow of your intimacy with God. It was God’s idea to deliver His people and not Moses.

Exodus 3:7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…NKJV

There is so much to unfold here in these verses. Verse 7 says that God has seen the oppression of HIs people and he has heard their cry. Because of their dissatisfaction in life the Israelites begin to cry to God. They were to be in Egypt 400 years and now it is 430 years.

This is the problem with all of us who follow God. We often find ourselves in a place that once was a blessing and now is a curse. God used Egypt through Joseph to spare and bless Israel, but now Egypt has become a curse because of the taskmasters. We often find ourselves in a place to long. Our season has come to a close only we don’t realize it, so because we become comfortable and complacent, since we are not with Him daily. This leads us to grumble and complain.

Remember the Prophet Elijah? He went to the Brook Cherith during a drought and ravens feed him there. However, the brook dried up and the ravens quit feeding him. But because he was connected to God, he was told to go the Zarephath so a widow could care for him. Elijah obeyed and he was blessed. He could have complained but instead he stayed connected to God and God led, delivered, and blessed him as well as the widow and her family.

All of us run out of grace in a place but because we become complacent or comfortable with where we are we do not pursue God. Instead of being led by God, now we must be stirred by God and delivered by God. We begin to complain about life. It is called disobedience.

The other point to remember is God has come down to deliver the Children of Israel. Moses is not the one who will deliver them but rather he is the delivery method by which the children of Israel are brought out.

Because Moses is being with God, now God can begin to use him for what is needed to bring about God’s plan for Israel.

III. The AppointmentExodus 3:11-14

In verses 12-14 God begins to tell Moses, that He is going to use Moses as His representative. Moses, like us, does not necessarily like his assignment. He begins to argue with God and tells God about his short comings and why he cannot go to Pharaoh. However, after a short conversation Moses agrees to go knowing that God is with him. The key to victory in life is God in us, God with us, and God for us.

I John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. NKJV

This can only be understood by being with God. This as well as other times that Moses meets with God you can begin to see the relationship growing and the empowerment becoming more effective. Moses becomes bolder as time moves on and even has his continence and the weight of his words changed by his continual visitations with God. The presence of God begins to permeate Moses life. This shows us how God desires us to be when we come to Him on a constant basis.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. NKJV

When Moses gives excuses, God gives solutions. In verse 11-12 Moses says why me, and God says He will be with Moses, in verse 13-14 Moses says who shall I say sent me and God says I am that I am. I am is sending you. It is as though we look at the task and think we cannot do it when we are not the ones doing what God calls us to do. We are the messengers and He is the performer.

Mark 3:14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons…NKJV

After being with God you can be empowered to be the messenger that God desires you to be. Moses kept going to God and God kept moving him forward to do greater works. He is so used to going into be with God that when he invites the people of Israel to come meet with God that they say “you meet with God and we will do what he says.” Moses is transformed by meeting with God personally. His countenance is so changed that they put a veil over his face.

Luke 4:18-19 says that Jesus the Messiah was anointed and sense we are in Him we are now anointed to carry on the work.

IV. The Engagement

Exodus 3:10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. NKJV

The engagement requires commitment by two parties. God and man. God has chosen to carry out His purpose in the earth through mankind. God is with you and empowers you while you supply the faithfulness to preach, teach, and be a witness.

One man Moses, after being with God on a constant basis, goes to Pharaoh and the God who is with Him begins to show up, so that miracles begin to happen so that a whole nation is delivered!

When disciples spend time with Jesus and are sent to preach in Luke 9 and 10, they report back to Jesus with excitement, how people received the Kingdom of God, were healed, and demons cast out.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” NKJV

On the day of Pentecost after being in prayer, Peter preaches and 3000 get saved. It comes from an unquenchable fire that comes from being with Him.

Peter and John heal a man who cannot walk by giving the man the only thing that eternally matters, on the way to prayer. It comes from an unquenchable fire that comes from being with Him.

Phillip goes from a city-wide crusade that is changing the city with salvations, healings, and deliverance from demons taking place, to go meet with one man, who is Ethiopian Eunuch with Candice the queen, so that an entire nation can be changed. It comes from an unquenchable fire that comes from being with Him.

Paul goes forth to change people from darkness to light. Has a prophetic dream which sends him to Asia. Because of this the church is established and grows, healings take place and devils get cast out in his ministry. It comes from an unquenchable fire that comes from being with Him.

This anointing that comes from being with the Father, empowers men to lead their families through the valley of the shadow of death, it empowers a single mom who is abandoned by her husband to rise above her circumstances and see her kids grow to do great things, it empowers the single person to not get caught in the throws of a sexual world so that they can honor God and increase.

Is 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. NKJV

The issue is what will you do with your encounter with God. Are you meeting daily so you can be empowered to liberate your family, your business, your friends, your community, your state, your country, and the world? This anointing and life comes from an unquenchable fire that can only be obtained from being with Him.

Jeremiah 7: 24 “but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.” (KJV)

No change will take place in people's lives without first changing our thinking. When you change your thinking you change your life. Benjamin Disraleli said, “Nurture great thoughts for you will never go higher than your thoughts.”Let me prove it to you in Scripture. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”(NKJV). Notice that you will only rise to how you think about yourself.

Any area of your life can be changed. The key is changing your mind and your way of thinking. You decide what you will think, and then your thinking will determine what will happen in your life. John Maxwell said “Your life today is a result of your thinking yesterday. Your life tomorrow will be determined by what you think today.” This is a strong statement but a significantly true statement. Those who embrace good thinking as a lifestyle understand the relationship between their level of thinking plus their level of progress. They also realize that to change their lives, they must change their thinking. Your thinking must line up with God’s Word.

Romans 8: 6-8 “If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” (NLT)

Notice that at one time you were body ruled in your mind or sin ruled. Your body had your thoughts racing on things on and about your carnal nature. You once had no thoughts about God or his Spiritual nature. Thinking change requires that our thoughts change! When you positively change your thoughts you will see positive results.

Most of your decisions in life are not made on a conscious level but on a subconscious level. They are preprogrammed thoughts that formed in our subconscious through years of training. These are the thoughts that have to be dealt with by the word of God.

Eph 4:23-24 “and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (NKJV)

Notice that the word of God is telling us that we need to renew the inner part of our mind. That is the subconscious level of our mind. That is the part of the mind that controls the decision-making process in your life and the attitudes of your life.

All of the thoughts that are in your subconscious are reflex thoughts. Those thoughts are the ones that automatically trigger certain words, behaviors, and patterns in your life. They are thoughts you are not thinking for the first time. The spirit of the mind is the overall attitude you have toward life made up of all the separate little programs you have learned in your life. If you do not renew the spirit of your mind, the present mechanics of your mind will continue to operate just as they were programmed years ago. It must be changed to be the image of Christ.

Go to Eph 4:17-19 “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (NKJV)

Notice that the bible says we are not to walk as the heathen or unsaved people do in the futility of their minds. That word futility means confusion! Our mind is not to be confused by all the thinking of the world. It is supposed to be directed by the Word of God. But notice also that we once had our minds alienated from the life of God. The word alienated means to be a non-participant. When our mind was un-renewed it was a non-participant of the life of God. It was excluded from being able to be a part of the kingdom of God. This scripture also lets us know that we are still not able to receive all God has for us because there are yet unrenewed areas of our mind that keep us from God’s best in life!

Let me show you what the scriptures say is the product of a darkened mind and you tell me if we are missing out on God’s best.

1 Cor 2:9-10 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets.” (NLT)

Notice that we are not able to see, hear, or think what God has prepared for us. Now we know this is true because the Children of Israel were not able to discern who Jesus was while he was in the midst of them speaking, acting, and influencing them in the things of God. Notice that the un-renewed areas of your mind are areas in your life where you cannot participate in the Kingdom of God. This keeps us from the full benefit of what God has given to us since the foundation of the world.

1 Cor 2:11-12 “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (NKJV)

Notice that your un-renewed mind can only know the things of the carnal realm and not the things of God. They require the Spirit of God to reveal to us as we learn from the word of God. The world has more hold on us than we want to think. Your mind is not as renewed as we would like to think. Let me prove it to you today.

II Peter 2: 7-8 “and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)” (from New International Version)

I want you to notice something. Lot was not able to live in the full revelation of God for his life because his mind was un-renewed. He was also according to King James vexed in his mind. The word vexed means to be oppressed. We are often oppressed in our minds because of the things going on around us daily. They are warring against the mind of God and we are not resisting them. We are conforming and not transforming at this point.

Notice that the actions that Lot saw and heard were tormenting his mind. Obviously, then we need to guard our minds and eyes so we can hear and see what the Lord wants us to see and hear. That goes with I Cor. 2:7 it is up to us to keep from being tormented. We wonder why we are tormented in our minds yet we do nothing to stop the onslaught of what we are hearing and seeing. Every time we watch or hear things that are not Godly we are vexing our mind and depriving it of the life of God.

Here are five steps to renew the spirit of your mind.

1. Take responsibility for your thoughts.

Take responsibility for your thoughts or you will remain out of control and unable to change. Quit blaming everyone else for your failure to think proper thoughts. Quit blaming your past, your friends, and your parents, and think godly.

Is. 65:17 says we will not remember the past.

2. Rethink what you believe and what you think is true.

The Bible says to renew your mind in Romans 12:1-2. Quit thinking that what you hear from someone you think highly of is always true. If you change your hearing and your thinking you will change your beliefs.

3. Reject your old ways.

This requires us to take our thoughts captive. If you are responsible for your thinking then you will be ready to take your thoughts captive. (II Cor. 10:5) Remember: Your thoughts are blueprints for action.

4. Review your new thoughts.

In other words, meditate on your good thoughts. Keep practicing them in your mind. Psalm 19:14

5. Speak your new thoughts.

Hearing comes by faith so let your mouth say what your heart believes. II Cor. 4:13

Jeremiah 7: 24 “but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.” (KJV)

I want to talk about Thinking to Change. No change will take place in peoples lives without first changing our thinking. Notice in Jeremiah that the people went backwards because of the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. The words stubborn inclinations, deals with thoughts, so Jeremiah is saying they followed there stubborn thoughts.

The word heart is also referring to the mind and not the literal heart that pumps blood throughout the body. Notice that stubborn thoughts kept the children of God from going forward. In your life you also will not be able to go forward without you changing your thinking which requires you renewing your mind so that you have new thoughts. You must agree with the thoughts of God and be willing to change or no change will not happen in your life. You will miss the move of God simply because your thoughts were improper and did not line up with God.

Here are three elements of change:

1. Life requires that we change.

2. Life requires that we help others through change.

3. Life requires that we face the obstacles to change.

Two key thoughts:

a. Seldom does change happen without some level of resistance.

b. Notice that change always happens within us before it happens around us.

A church or a Christian cannot stay where they are and be what God wants them to be! People and churches that do not change die! But remember that change has discomfort and you can only grow to the level of your pain threshold. In order for you to be willing to succumb to change you will have to change your thought process.

Here is what you have to remember about change from God. Anytime God initiates change it will always take us to the place of blessing that God has prepared for us!

You have a choice when God initiates change in your lives. You can listen and obey which brings the desired change and outcome, or you can do it your way and continue to die. If you choose to do it your way it is called going backwards. Or you could say you will wonder in the dessert. You have to refuse to go to the place of change that God desires! When you refuse to change that is sin! If you choose your way you will never grow or get to the place of abundant provision.

Go to Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (NIV)

Notice that word plans. According to Strong’s, the word plans, means thoughts and the word heart means mind. So we could say, many are the thoughts in a man’s mind but the purpose of the Lord prevails.

Change requires that our thoughts change!

Go to Ehp. 4:17-23 “With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness--righteous, holy, and true. (NLT)

Notice that at one time we had our minds darkened, or literally far away from the life of God. This happens when we refuse to have our thinking changed. It is why we have to have our thinking changed. If you want to change in your life you will have to realize that God’s way of doing things is better than yours and that you are not reaching your maximum potential until you line up with and agree with the word of God.

Notice that when you are taught right the word, you are to put off the old man ways in your mind or thought process. You are to be renewed in the spirit of your mind! In other words, you are to have the word working in your mind.

Now the hardest part of change comes because we refuse to change our thinking! If our thinking does not change we will keep doing the same things and wonder why we get the same results. That actually produces insanity.

Romans 12:1-2 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (NLT)

Notice that God wants us to have a renewed mind. In order, to have a new mind we will have to think a different way. The way we have been thinking was the way everyone else in the world is thinking, which is not the way God wants us to think. It is called stinking thinking. Stinking thinking is contrary to the Word of God. That is why we need a mind renewal taking place. We could say we need a thought-ectomy with our old thoughts and old way of thinking. This can only happen with the word of God.

Go to Is. 55: 7-11 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (NIV)

Notice that God desires for the wicked man to forsake his evil ways. The word forsakemeans to leave behind, to leave, loose, abandon, and to depart from. That is God’s desire for humanity. To do this one must change his or her thinking habits so that they leave behind their old thoughts. It is impossible to forsake your ways without abandoning your old thoughts. Another way of saying this is that one cannot serve God and go forward. In the Kingdom of God one is required to change your thinking in order to move forward in the God kind of Life.

Notice also, this verse says that God’s thoughts are not our thought’s and our ways are not God’s ways. Isn’t that an amazing statement. God does not think like we think nor do we act like God. We are carnal in nature since the fall and that means we have to stop thinking with our carnal mind and begin to think with our mind like God thinks and with His ways.

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. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

These scriptures in Romans describe how we govern our lives with our mind. We are flesh ruled and set our minds on the things of the flesh. This is why sinners sin. It is not rocket science it is pure carnal minded thinking. But notice when we put our mind on the things of the Spirit or the word of God we begin to see life differently and we begin to act differently. We begin to have the God kind of life and peace showing up in our lives. Jesus demonstrated this kind of living in His life. He was reviled and yet He did not revile back at people. Paul demonstrated it while he was in the Philippian jail. How else do you rejoice in the Lord when you are imprisoned? You set your mind on things above. The carnal or flesh ruled mind is set on things below, on death and becomes an enemy of God. That is why people in the flesh cannot please God. Yet the person whose thoughts are on things above will experience God and His blessings on your life.

So, the question we need to ask at this time is how do you ever become a good thinker?

1. Expose yourself to good input or the Word of God.

The only way to have good output is to have good input, and the only way to have good input is to dwell on the word of God.

Listen to this poem “Keeper of the Keys” by Guy Gilchrist:

“You are the Keeper of the Keys.

You are the Guard at the Gate.

Waiting in line to get through that door

Is Love. And also Hate.

In line to enter is Gentle Peace.

And also Violent war.

You must choose who may, and who

May not come through the door.

Intolerance tries to sneak on through

On wings of Fear, or Pride.

It hides behind Dreams of Belonging,

And tries to sneak inside.

Oh! Be alert! You’re the Guard who decides

Who goes and who may Stay.

You are the Keeper of the Keys to Your Mind.

Who will you let in today?”

This summarizes best about our mind. It is up to us to decide whether we will allow God’s word to work within us or if we will conform to the old man ways.

Josh. 1: 8 says “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV)

2. Expose yourself to good thinkers

If you want to have good thoughts, you must expose yourself to people who think good thoughts. You must spend time with good people.

Prov 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (NIV)

1 Cor 15:33 “Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." (NKJV)

Good thinking is a good habit! You must learn how to think right and you do that by habit! It becomes a new nature to you.

3. Choose to think good thoughts

To become a good thinker, you must become intentional about the thinking process.

Remember: Thinking is a discipline.

Go to Phil. 4: 8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” (NIV)

Notice we are to think a certain way when we are in Christ.

4. Act on your good thoughts

James 1:19-25 My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. (NLT)

Eddie Rickenbacker a World War I ace said “I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through – then follow through.”

5. Repeat the process!

Go to I Cor. 10;6-10

Go to Exodus 16: 1-3 Notice that murmuring is having thinking that is not renewed nor is it in faith. It is old thinking that must be renewed.

Go to Numbers 14: 36-37 Notice that when you lie because of your unrenewed mind you will miss the blessings of the Lord. God calls it an evil report because it goes against what God called theirs.

Go to II Cor. 10: 3-6 Notice that things that exult itself against the knowledge of God are evil!

Go to Eph. 5:17 “Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the Lord's will is.” NIV

Notice that a wise person understands what the will of the Lord is in all situations. Keep reading in that passage.

Eph 5:18-20 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” NIV

Now go to I Thes. 5:17 “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” NLT

Today I want to take us forward as to what we need to do to grow a life giving church. God wants His Church to model and give away the life of God to everyone we encounter both saved and especially the unsaved.

Acts 2:41-45 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. NKJV

Notice that in this verse is contained five elements of a New Testament Church that are life giving.

1. Teaching – The Word of God.

2. Fellowship – Close mutual involvement.

3. Common meals – physical nourishment for the body.

4. Prayer – Spiritual refreshing and fellowship with God.

5. Sharing – Prosperity that leads to generosity.

These are the elements of a life giving church in the New Testament. When we reproduce these elements in today’s church it causes the life of God to flow out of us into those around us and brings an increase in the body of Christ. It brings discipleship.

When Churches use these practices it causes the life of God to flow out of us into those around us and brings an increase in the body of Christ. It is what Jesus did and it is what Jesus has commissioned us to do.

Here are three things that show us a life giving church?

1. Man forfeited the Life of God.

Romans 5:12 (NKJV) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— NKJV

Every man sinned because of Adams fall. We all died through sin. Remember that I said that God spoke to what He made things from, that that thing would sustain them, and then they would return to them.

He formed our body out of the dust of the ground and so we are sustained by dirt and return to dirt when our body dies.

God spoke to Himself, the Son, and the HS to make the real man, sustained by the God and then returns to the God. But when Man pulled out from God through sin, the life of God which was in Adam left Adam and it also leaves us. We are condemned to death because we can no longer be sustained by God.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. NKJV

We all sin. Sinners sin, and have no life of God in them.

2. We have the Life of God in us.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV

The word life is the Greek word Zaw and it means to be alive or to live life. It is interesting that God says He has come so that people can live life or be alive. It is referring to your spiritual life and condition. Even though you are alive in your physical body you are dead spiritually until you become born again.

In the kingdom of God there are four things that happen to a believer. 1. You believe God, 2. You belong to God, 3. You become like God, and 4. you build on God. When you believe you then come in contact with the life of God and you belong to the family of God. When you belong you can become like God but only if you have the same kind of life in you as God has within Himself. Then you build your life in God, on God, and with God.

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,

The word life, listed twice in this verse, speaks to the Zoe (in the Greek) or life as God has it.

God wants us to have life like He has it. He wanted His life in so He place His life in Jesus and we are in Jesus! We now have the same life that Jesus has within Himself working in us.

There is a life that supersedes the life we live in the natural. It is filled with blessings and was always intended for humanity since the creation of man in the garden.

1 John 1:2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— NKJV

Here we see the Life of God was manifested which means to make to see or become visible. Jesus visible demonstrated the Life of God, the will of God, and the power of God. Jesus demonstrated the God kind of life to us and for us.

Jesus demonstrated the life of God by speaking the word to temptation which enabled Him to overcome!

Ephesians 4:18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart…NKJV

Now we are participants of the Life of God because we are now believers in Jesus and the Life of God.

John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. NLKJV

It does not mean we live a life of no trials and troubles but a life of faith. A life of believing and trusting God for everything and in everything. Jesus never lacked in any area of His life, even when He was being tempted. We are no longer alienated from the Life of God but now we are participants in that great life.

3. We give the Life of God to others.

We have received this Life of God as a free gift from God. There was no charge to us. Jesus paid all the debt and charges that needed to be paid. Now you and I need to share this gift with others.

Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. NKJV

Notice Jesus said as you preach or proclaim which is another way of saying as you share your faith in Jesus with others. Give Him away to everyone because He was freely given to you.

Matt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." NIV.

This is the gift that keeps on giving! Life and life more abundantly. The gospel is one starving man telling another starving man where the bread is.

You give the slop over blessing of God in your life

This is a model of true discipleship in the church.

This scripture tells us that it is God’s plan for us to make disciples of the people we come in contact with. We are to give away the life of God. Without that life you cannot be a participant in the Kingdom of God. So freely give it away today!

Luke 11:1 is an interesting scripture. In this scripture the Disciples of Jesus have heard him praying and they ask Him to "teach us to pray." This is interesting since they had heard and seen the results of Jesus prayer life. They notice that Jesus obtained results that they were not able to obtain. Hince, the question about teaching us to pray.

The first thing we need to know is that God wants us to have confidence when we pray to Him about what ever it is we need. 1 John 5:14–15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (NKJV). Notice that the Holy Spirit told John we should confidence when we pray according to the will of God. Now a question looms in the back of my mind. I believe it is a vital question that must be asked and answered and my give us some insight into whether or not people get their prayers answered. “Are we a people who have given up our confidence or are we a people who have never entered into confidence?” I believe most people do not get their prayers answered because they never enter into confidence. Remember Mark 11:24 “therefore I say unto you, what things so ever you desire when you pray believe you receive them and you shall have them.”

This scripture is saying the same thing that I John 5:14-15 is saying. Believing that you received and knowing that we have the petitions we desired are the same realms. Notice that there are three conditions of Mark 11:23 that must be met in order to obtain the promise.

1. Desire.

2. Pray.

3. Believe that you receive.

What we have not been taught is that God’s word always contains conditions. If we meet the conditions we will obtain the promise. Meeting the conditions of God’s word is guarantees us the promise and that is our confidence. The realm of confidence is the same realm as believing that you received. Most people have desire and most people pray. But these two items alone do not guarantee success. You are not in faith because you have desire or because you pray. You are in faith when you step into the realm of believing that you have received or knowing we have the petitions we desired.

Our failure has not been that we do not know the will of God or that we have not prayed the will of God. It is because we do not step into the realm of believing that we receive or we know we have the petitions we desired of him.

Proof – Go to Romans 10:9 says “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Once you meet the conditions of this verse in prayer you receive the promise, which is salvation. Every one of us in this room believes this prayer works when we lead someone to Jesus. In fact this is the only prayer of a sinner that God is obligated to hear. I will prove it to you. Look at Psalm 34: 15 which states, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry.” The word cry is the word prayer. Now consider John 9:31 which says, “Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” Notice that God does not hear the sinner’s prayers. The only exception to this is the prayer of salvation. God always hears and delivers those who call on Him for Salvation. But also notice that he also hears the prayer of a worshipper of God and one who does his will!! This should give us a great confidence that God hears us and moves on our behalf!

Three areas of prayer that we can have confidence in.

1. We must know the will of God.

We who ask are to know the will of God. How can you ask in confidence if you do not know what the will of God is for your life or the life of someone else? Go to John 8:31-32 “to the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, if you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” NIV.

Notice that the word says that the truth you know will set you free and not the truth someone else knows. Again, if you meet the conditions of the word you will obtain the promise. This is why not everyone will receive the promise – not everyone will do the will of God or hold to Jesus teachings.

Go to Matthew 16:13-16 “Whom do men say that I am? Notice how the disciples answer some say which is actually Here say or gossip says you are John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. They really did not know exactly who Jesus was and is. Jesus then asks them whom do you say that I am? or in other words what do you believe? He wanted to know what they believed, because that is all that mattered. It is the same for us today, in that we cannot operate on and have confidence in here say or truths that are not knowledge to us. When you are dealing with God and faith you must have knowledge of the word. Here say knowledge might produce a crop for a short time but not will not endure over time. Let me prove this to you.

Go to Mark 4: 16-17 “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. Notice that there is no root for the truth to grow on. That means it is not knowledge to the individual

Go to Isa 43:26 “put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” Notice the word says you are to put God in remembrance when you come to pray. It is imperative that you know what Gods word says so that you can plead in confidence.

Now John 15:7 says“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Notice this scripture is a promise predicated on your knowledge of the word. You cannot ask what you will if you do not know that this is available to you as God's will. Abiding in God is having knowledge of him and his word.

James 5:16 “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much…” Lets examine this scripture a little closer. The word effectual – comes from a Greek word that means valid – well grounded on evidence. The word availeth means to turn the situation around to your advantage. We could say this scripture like this “the effective valid well grounded on evidence prayer turns the situation around to your advantage…” . To have a prayer well grounded on evidence you must get into the word for yourself. You must have knowledge of the word. So the first thing we need to know is the will of God.

2. He Heareth Us

People have a tendency to cast away there confidence, which there prayer is based on, because they do not see any manifestation or any change in symptoms – but notice closely what I John 5: 14 promises: “And this is the confidence we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he heareth us.” This scripture assumes everyone has confidence that God hears them when they pray and they just do not have this confidence. This scripture gives me the right to believe that every time I pray God always hears me. Question is Do we really believe that God hears us when we play?

I say no – people are always looking for someone to pray for them – someone whom they believe gets there prayers answered – when the truth is God is no respecter of persons and will hear anyone who prays according to his will so learn his will. There are people out there who know God’s will but have not come to the realization that God hears them when they pray! Because you have not gotten an answer to prayer does not mean God has not heard! Really I John 5:14 does not say you have to know he hears you for him to hear you. If you pray his will he hears!

Daniel 10:12 says "Don't be frightened, Daniel, for your request has been heard in heaven and was answered the very first day you began to fast before the Lord and pray for understanding; that very day I was sent here to meet you (TLB).

One reason we don’t believe God hears us is because we don’t believe that he is! Hebrews 11:6 says “Without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe he is…” God is a real person and we must believe he is God when we come to him. Look at Acts 4: 23-29. Verse 24 sounds like they believe God is! Verse 29 they believe God hears! Look at Acts 7: 59-60. Stephen believes God is and he is hearing him when he prayed.

Lets look at John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” Notice that Jesus prayed with confidence. He knew that God heard him when he prayed. I John 5:14 – Gives me the right to be like Jesus in that God hears me whenever I pray. It gives me the right to say Father I thank you that you hear me always.

The first thing we can have confidence in is that we must know the will of God. The second area we can have confidence is that he hears us.

3. We know we have the petitions

Most people are still not sure God hears us when we pray. Just because God hears you when you pray does not mean you get an answer. Here is the kicker: I John 5:15 “ And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If we are going to receive from God I must come to the realization that God hears me when I pray and he rewards us with the desire!

If I prayed his will, and I know he heard me then God immediately responds the moment I pray! Even though circumstances, symptoms, or anything else changes God moves immediately – that is why you have to have confidence. I Peter 3:9 “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise…” Look at Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

You must believe that God is a rewarder and that he delights in rewarding the diligent seeker. This is someone who knows God hears them and does what he says. Pray with confidence because you know the will of God and enjoy a vibrant prayer life.

A lot is said about destiny. You hear preachers, motivational speakers, teachers, and various other people speaking about destiny. People write books about it and declare to us the importance of following our destiny. I have concluded that it has to be important or people would not be spending so much time talking about this subject. So let me join in and give you some thoughts about what destiny speaks to and how we need to pursue it for our lives.

To be realistic, I joined the game of following destiny late in life. When I was a kid, quite frankly, I acted like a kid. I did not think about my destiny or future much. I thought about going outside and playing my next baseball game with my friends or my next game of kick-the-can at night. It was a childhood of fun until I got into trouble, then my dad would make my days a time of work. He especially liked it when he could make us paint the fence. I think one summer I painted that fence three times, and, on occasion, my brother Pat would have to join me. It was not fun watching our friends play while we painted in the hot sun. I guess my conclusion from this is that I was a slow learner. There is one bright spot though: while I was painting, I realized I did not want to be a painter for the rest of my life. Nothing against painters. I know several that have made a good living, and I have hired some of them through the years. So, from a destiny standpoint, painting was out for me. I wonder if the process of elimination was at work here. Well, let’s move on. It’s never too late to fulfill your destiny.

Destiny is, according to Merriam-Webster, something to which a person or thing is destined: Fortune. Another part of the definition is a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency. Destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end. Whatever definition you choose, destiny is something that we all need to consider as we move forward in life. I remember one time sitting next to a guy dying in the hospital. It was just the two of us sitting there and I asked him if he had any regrets. He said yes. I asked him what it was that he regretted. He said that he had spent his life in a job he hated and knew he was destined for something else but, because of fear, he never pursued it. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Here was a man who had done well with the company he worked for, who had provided a good living for his family, and yet he regretted not following what he believed was his course for life.

When I was a kid, I would often dream of being in the priesthood. I grew up Catholic, so it was all I knew about ministry but I never really talked about pursuing that as my destiny. I was disillusioned about life and the priesthood when I was a teenager so I quit going to church and because I did not pursue this course for my life the dream diminished. It was not until I became a born-again believer in Jesus that my dream revived. I remembered the times that I would see my great-grandmother, Sally Moore, sitting and praying with her open Bible lying on an old shawl over her lap. She would invite me to pray with her. I would tell her I did not know how to pray but she would tell me to listen to her and she would pray. She prayed that God would use me in the ministry and that God would send me to the nations. That prayer and my dream would ultimately propel me to where I am today, fulfilling destiny for my life. I had wanted to be a banker, a dream influenced by a man named Eddie Gus who I would see at the golf course where I worked as a teenager. He inspired me to follow that dream, and I became a banker. But the ultimate course for my life was ministry and that is where I am today living the dream for Jesus. It’s never too late to fulfill your destiny.

You might ask what got this started today. Well, recently, I had the privilege of speaking to approximately 1000 high school students in Bibiani, Ghana about pursuing destiny. It stirred me as I spoke. I remember being a kid and listening to people tell us about their dream and course of action. Before I began speaking, I wondered if they would listen and engage or if they would be thinking about the football game (soccer) that was about to take place. Indeed when I spoke, they did listen and engage, and, with the grace of God, they too will be propelled to follow God’s plan for their lives according to Jeremiah 29:11. I pray they will soar like eagles with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If you think you have gone too far in your career, or you are too old to make a change, remember: it’s never too late to fulfill your destiny.

In 2022 we partnered with Christopher Alam and his team to train pastors in the morning and perform crusades in the evening in Bukoba Tanzania. We will continue to work with these existing pastors and churches to train new pastors in Biblical teaching, evangelism skills, church planting, and outreach coordination.

For our trip in July, we will work in Dar es Salam, we will again do Pastor's schools in the morning and crusades in the local churches in the evenings.