Words for the road

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.

In Ghana, both Jaida and I along with Pastor Craig McGee and Missionary Manny Azan. We preached in over 45 services combined. We helped to strengthen many pastors and believers through preaching, teaching plus we saw many healed in Jesus' name.

Jaida held a women's conference for various churches to build up the wives of ministers church leaders, and church members. I held three leadership sessions in three different churches as well as taught on marriage to a district of Pastors and their wives.

This year we have planned outreach events for when we return partnering with some local churches. God is still opening doors and our influence is growing. We are applying to get our ministry registered with the Ghanaian government. I have been endorsed by the Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Ghana, Dr. Paul Frimpong Manso, as well as by the SW Regional Superintendent Pastor David Nobel Brister. We are just making ourselves available and filling needs to assist local churches. We also made a great connection with Evangelist Scott Camp who has been working in Ghana for 20 years. I am excited about the future.

We have found that there are villages without clean drinking water and in need of wells. We will do our best to assist in this endeavor as well as try to find some assistance from other well-equipped organizations. We will also be helping with some building projects for some local churches that are growing and have needs for expansion.

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.

We have been making annual trips to the Mexican state of Jalisco. We work closely with La Ola Girls' Home, an orphanage in the town of Chapala. Along with disciplining, the home's residents, we work in evangelizing the local villages. A new home is being built on newly purchased property, This year we will be partnering with them to help build new facilities.

This June our trip will be a mixture of leading a week of VBS, feeding the hungry, and outreach. This is a wonderful opportunity to show these kids the loving kindness and compassion of Christ!

In South Africa, we were able to connect with and minister to several different non-denominational churches. We worked closely with Pastor Eric Hoffmeyer. ! was able to preach in local churches, minister in public schools, and work with teens involved in sports in the Cape Flatts. We helped to purchase new soccer equipment for this endeavor.

We are partnering with a local pastor in Mueang Chiang Rai to construct a ministry training center and base for future missions work. We are looking to train laborers who will plant churches in Thailand and 4 neighboring countries, many of which are closed to outsiders. Less than 1% of the citizens of these countries have even heard the name of Jesus!

We are partnering with Dustin Barthalow of Barthow's Journey to minister to Pastors in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. An Assemblies of God Bible School is growing in Bangladesh and has several projects for us to partner with them. This fall we will be planning to teach at the school as well as plan events for evangelism and outreach.

In Nepal, we will be preaching in some local churches with whom we have made connections, and local pastors will also be taking us to speak in and strengthen new church plants. Our visit will also give us time to learn more about the area and plan for how we can serve the people in future ministry opportunities!

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.

It’s a new year and another opportunity to move forward in faith for God. As many of you may know, for 29 years, I was at the same church. I spent time as a staff pastor and then as the Lead Pastor. It was a great run working for God alongside some great men and women of God. We laughed, cried, shouted unto the Lord, danced for Jesus, helped people, and tried our best to disciple people. It was fun and God blessed our efforts. Following the Spirit of God is how I live my life and for me that is fun! But when the grace of God lifts, the fun is gone as well.

One of the ways I knew my run at the church was over was that the fun had run out and it was no longer exciting to go to work. In fact, it became work. Up until the last 18 months of my tenure at Trinity, I never considered it work to pastor those wonderful people. It had been a joy to do what I was doing for the Lord. However, when God began to transition me into another phase of ministry, I think it had to become more of a labor than a love, in order for me to let go of what I knew and was comfortable doing. That transition took time for me to recognize. It may have looked quick for some, but it was a long drown out process for myself. God had to do a work in me, and He did it in a manner that would deal with my heart in a mighty way. I would go on mission trips and come back so energized and excited. At first, I did not realize how my heart was being moved by the trips I was taking and by the people I was spending time with. I have always heard that your associations, environment, and thoughts have a lot to do with determining your direction in life. The more time I spent going on trips and talking with missionaries, the more my heart was fueled into a flame of passion. This passion for missions had begun with my great grandmother Sally Moore’s prayers when I was a boy. Then my heart and the desire of God to shift my focus in ministry put me on this path of pursuing another way to fulfill the call on my life. So in October of 2019 this new journey began.

In 2020, COVID19 became the driving force of churches, gatherings of people, and borders closing. It was then a great part-time opportunity opened for me at LifePoint Church in Clarksville to help build a better mission program. By the end of 2020, the doors appeared to be opening and we began preparing for 2021. But then four trips we had planned canceled, bringing disappointment. It was then that God opened a door for me to join Jaida’s mission trip to Ghana with the help of Missionary Denise Crabtree who had been there for many years. It was a great opportunity, and the doors began to open for us.

2021 turned out to be a great year for MCM. We ministered in Ghana, South Africa, Nepal, and Jamacia. We also participated in ministry in the city of San Francisco reaching the homeless and feeding the hungry. Overall, it was a great year with some God sized results. We had many salvations, many healings along with some miracles. We were able to teach and speak into Pastors’ lives as well as doing some compassion work. Now, 2022 is shaping up into what should be another great year of ministry. We are kicking things off in Ghana in the month of February.

We will begin in Takoradi to start the journey with four days of ministry to the Regional Assemblies of God ministers. Then we will be preaching and teaching in many churches around the region as well as encouraging/teaching pastors in the area. Jaida will be conducting women’s conferences and then we will conclude with a crusade in Accra along with the opportunity to minister in a local bible school. It will be a fun filled month as we follow God and see what doors He will open for us in the nation of Ghana and beyond.

We have a partnership with two prominent ministries in downtown Beirut. The Life Center and Mutual Faith Ministries both serve the Spiritual Needs of the largest city in Lebanon. We are scheduling events to continue to serve the people of the nation through training ministers, compassion ministries, and evangelism.

Although we weren't able to travel into Lebanon in March of 2021, we hope to visit in March of 2022

In October of 2019 Jaida and I stepped down as the Pastor’s of Trinity Assembly in Algood, Tennessee. We had been on staff for 10 years and the rest or our tenure was as the Lead Pastors. We saw a lot of God things take place over the years. Many people were birthed into the Kingdom of God, people were filled with the Spirit, people were healed, and people were being transformed because of the gospel we preached. When we preach the word of God, the bible says that the Lord will confirm His Word with signs following. Those signs of the word being preached, are the new birth, rededication, hope, healing, and life transformation.

Over the years of being in the ministry and preaching the gospel, our path took us to many nations. We had the privilege of preaching to those who had never heard the gospel as well as to those where others had already done a work and established churches. It was always a honor to be trusted and it energized both Jaida and myself when ever we had the opportunity to go and preach the gospel. My boys would also enjoy the company of those who went to the field preaching and sharing their stories at Trinity. People like Terry Law, who had worked in many nations, mesmerized my sons with his stories of intreg where ever he preached. Others like Chirstopher Alam with his amazing story of his conversion and crusades, Don Cartledge, Terry Waisner, Don Exley, and Rinhard Bonnke. Each of these men would thrill our hearts as we listened to them tell their stories and create desire inside of us. A fan of desire would be stirred up inside of us and get us desiring to go and do our part.

As I have shared before, my great grandmother Sally Moore, spoke to me about this calling on many occasions as we visited her and my moms parents at 720 South Theobald Street in Greenville, MS. She would often tell me that I would preach the gospel and that God will give the nations as my inheritance. In 2017 we made a trip into Chang Rai, Thailand to meet with a local minister named Pastor Weerapong. His vision to reach the Ahka people in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Laos, and Burma was so contagious that Trinity was willing to get involved financially. It started a fire in my heart. We then went to Kenya with Steve Jones and ministered to over 800 pastors and church leaders. Again the fires were stoked. We made another trip in to Thailand and the desire began to become overwhelming. It was then that we decided to make the move into a new season of ministry and thus the birth of Mike Campbell Ministries began.

We found our journey to be slowed greatly by the COVID19 outbreak. With no travel being permitted outside the US we simply rested and geared up for the future that would happen when COVID was lifted. In June of 2021 we made our first trip into the nations. Jaida and I were guests of Missionary Denise Crabtree who introduced us to Pastor Charles and Matilda Adjai in Takoradi Ghana and Pastor Eric Affrin in Accra Ghana. We participated in 16 services in 14 days. God was good and people responded to the gospel. We believe that great contacts have been made and we were invited back in February 2022 to continue partnering, training, and preaching in the nation of Ghana. We believe we are stepping further into the destiny that God has for us. Romans 8:28 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 (NKJV). Notice that destiny in God is fulfilled when we realize that we love God and are called according to His purpose. The two main requirements that bring about all things working together for good.

We are excited about the future. We could not do it without the call of God and the partnership of people. It is our desire that you will partner with us in prayer for our ministry and with your finances so we can go and reach the nations whom God has given us as our inheritance.

We are living in a different day for sure. Who would have ever thought about social distancing and wearing masks? Yet that seems to be the new day we live in. Yet in all this change, this new normal that has been created, we can be sure that one thing will remain constant: that God has declared that “He is the Lord and He does not change.” God is a constant in this life of uncertainty, but whether we like it or not, life changes all the time.

When life changes and our normal is moved, we face uncertainty, fear, and our emotions get involved. It is during this uncertainty that we act out irrationally and, in some cases, we get into the flesh rather than acting in faith. Now we know that acting in faith is the goal but, let’s face it, sometimes our emotions will overcome us and take control of language or actions that we would not have normally done. These are the things in our heart that lie dormant until our life is squeezed by the pressures of life. I honestly believe that it is in these moments where God uses these changes to get us to confront the ugliness that remains in our hearts.

I heard Terry Law, a friend and minister, say years ago that when things occur, we have a choice to curse the darkness or light a candle. I know that some of you are asking what does that mean? Well, simply put, it means we can use our efforts, time, and words to go with the status quo or we can decide to make a difference for God by doing good. The choice is always ours to make. I think it’s time we begin to light a candle.

The idea of lighting a candle comes from Matthew 5:14-16 where Jesus says we are the light of the world, a city set on a hill. Yet He concludes that discourse in which it says in Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” That is when we begin to make a difference.

We light a candle when we decide to be a difference-maker in our present situation rather than just sitting idly by speaking negativity about what’s going on. To do nothing is to curse the darkness. Our good works make a difference in this life which allows others to see a path unto our heavenly Father. Jesus went around doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil because God was with Him. Well, God is with us also so we need to be prepared to make a difference by using our gifts, talents, and resources to influence hope in this world, a world that seems to have lost hope.

This social distancing brought on by COVID19 is a prime example. We have a chance to influence people for good. We could find ways to bless people by doing good things for them with no expectation of something in return. Just be moved by love. Your example is Jesus. Jesus was moved by love and compassion. These traits go hand in hand. It says many times in the Bible that Jesus, seeing the multitude, was moved with compassion and healed the sick, fed the hungry, and just did what was necessary so that the gospel could be preached by faith producing good works.

You and I were created for good works and God ordained that we walk in these good works to make a difference. So let me ask you a question. Will you curse the darkness and do nothing or will you light a candle so you can bring hope to a dark world?

At last, we can begin moving forward! Covid has held us up at every turn since last March. Some say I picked a bad time to change my ministry. I think not. I will concede that I have been frustrated and perhaps even unhappy at times. It is the nature of the beast or my impatience. I am not fully sure which but nonetheless now an open door has come for us in Ghana and we are ready to go. It is exciting because for us it is a new phase of ministry and life.

The idea of missions has always been in my heart. My great-grandmother Sally Moore would ask me to pray with her about the nations and she would always say "Lord, I cannot go because I am too old, but he can go. Send him to the nations." I did not even know what she was talking about at that time. I did not grow up in the faith so "going to the nations" was a new concept that I had never thought about. Of course, I was a young boy and all I had on mind was going next store to Jimmy Williamson's house and playing ball or playing in his dad's old panel truck. Who wanted to go to the nations when you could have fun next door being a kid playing ball, shooting slingshots, and picking on Jimmy's sister Gwen? Psalm 2:8 was just some words on a page of Sally Moore's old bible.

As the years passed, Jaida and I headed for bible school and then accepted a position as a staff pastor in Algood, TN. Then in October of 1993, I took my first missions trip to Vladimir, Russia. It was a great trip and it ignited something in me. When I preached and people responded to the message, my heart began to burn. It was as though I could hear the voice of my great-grandmother saying "send him, Lord" and it was as clear as the day she said it. I got the meaning of that scripture and the desire to go began to grow.

I stayed in Algood for 29 years taking many mission trips to various nations. Jaida and I both took every opportunity we could to "go into all the world and preach the gospel," building, training, and planting seeds for a future harvest in missions. The apostle Paul had a similar experience in his ministry in the 16th chapter of the book of Acts. Paul was trying to go to Asia to minister the gospel but was not allowed in the places he wanted to go at that time by the Spirit of God. Instead, he was summoned by a man in a vision to come to Macedonia to preach. Paul told his fellow ministers and traveling companions about this vision and they believed it was the Lord calling them to preach there. I feel the same way as Paul. We have been trying to go to Asia to preach the gospel but have not been able to get into Bangladesh, Nepal, or Thailand. So we have an open door in Ghana and believe it is the Lord's will to go and preach.

Jaida and I are excited about the opportunity to spread the Good News in the nation of Ghana. Sarah Walker will be traveling with us as we work with Denise Crabtree, a missionary in Ghana, who has been there many years and has made connections with pastors there.

The words of my great-grandmother Sally Moore are still ringing in my ears. The fire is burning in our hearts as we go, preach, teach, and heal the sick. It will be exciting and it will be a dream come true. Please pray for us for safety, for an open door of ministry, and that we will speak the Word of God as boldly as we ought to, stretching forth our hands to heal in the name of the Holy Child Jesus.

What a great day we live in today. It’s a day filled with excitement, apprehension, anticipation, but also uncertainty and fear. It’s the day of the pandemic and it seems to be changing everything we know about living life the way we used to live it. In a couple years we may very well be saying, “Do you remember how we used to live before COVID-19?” That is the same phrase that we used after the 911 attacks on the United States. Back then, everything seemed to change to a world where every headline was tainted with the War on Terror. Now we hear that we are fighting a new war on COVID-19 with social distancing, hand washing, sanitizing, and the wearing of surgical masks by people in public. We go to stores and stand in line because the number of people entering the buildings are being limited. We are living in a world where businesses are being asked to close because we limit the number of people who can congregate together is being exceeded. A day when toilet paper is in short supply and churches are closed to gathering in traditional settings and learning to communicate the message through other avenues so that the message is being communicated and hope can be spread. And now Easter is approaching and churches will not be able to assemble in the “normal” manner and more creative ways of celebrating this historical event are being contemplated.

What is interesting in all of this change-based living is that the gospel is still the same and does not change nor will it ever change despite the circumstances. This Easter, we will not be filling pews in most churches but rather we will be listening and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus in other ways. That’s right, the story of the gospel which we believe is that Jesus lived for us a sinless life, died in our place because of our sin-filled lives, plundered Satan, death, hell, and the grave while resurrecting from the dead on the third day. And He did this only to ascend into heaven where He poured His blood on the Mercy Seat to obtain an eternal redemption for all humanity and sat down at the right hand of the Father. The good news of the gospel is based on His sinless life and His resurrection from the dead. Others had come back from the dead to life by none had the power to give humanity eternal life but the resurrection of Jesus. So, the gospel has not changed and the life-giving power of God is found in the preaching of the Word of God so that people can hear, believe, and call on the name of the Lord for salvation.

For all of you who are disappointed and dismayed over celebrating the resurrection without being in a church building, think of it this way: when 911 happened, more people came to the church for hope and the church was not ready. Within a month, numbers began to drop off. Right now, amid COVID19 more people are watching online services and searching for hope than ever before. This is a great opportunity for the church to shine like never before. It took persecution for the church to leave Jerusalem to go to all the world to preach the gospel according to scripture. Now we have COVID19 to get us out of our churches and to become active in our believing and proclaiming. So, let’s not get down on this year’s celebration of Easter and let’s get out of our comfort zone and celebrate the goodness of God while telling everyone we see that Jesus has risen and He is alive for evermore! It is the gospel; it is the good news, and people need good news today more than ever before.

Hello and thanks for stopping by to read my blog. It is hard to believe that it is March 2021 already. Time seems to be flying by and it is just about one year since the start of the Covid-19 virus pandemic. This pandemic has been at the forefront of most people’s minds since it began and is now having very large consequences on our economy as well as on people’s physical and mental health. But in the midst of this chaos, confusion, and conflict, God has shown Himself faithful. Now the doors are opening once again and it is time to move forward with our new mandate from the Lord.

After a year of waiting due to Covid19, Mike Campbell Ministries is now ready to launch into what we believe is the call of God for us. Acts 26:17-18 which simply says we are to go and “open the eyes of those who are lost in order to turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.”

We are excited to announce that in May, I, along with Craig McGee, will be going to Bangladesh to work with Missionary Dustin Barthalow to minister to pastors while also looking at opportunities for future projects in Bangladesh. Once I get back, I will be able to share with you how you can help reach the lost in the nation of Bangladesh. Out of the population of Bangladesh, less than 0.5% are Christian. I am not sure we will be able to get to Chiang Rai, Thailand on this trip, but we are working on projects there as well. In Thailand, less than 2% of the population are Christian.

Then in June, Jaida will be leading a team to La Ola Children’s Home in Mexico to do some work with the children as well as conducting village outreaches. Then Jaida and I will be off to Ghana. Jaida will be with Missionary Denise Crabtree speaking at Women’s Conferences and in local churches, and I will be doing separate work preaching in churches and outreaches and coaching pastors.

There are still plenty of people who are under the grips of Satan and need to hear the glorious news of redemption so they can have their eyes opened while receiving forgiveness of sins. The gospel has the power to transform lives from darkness to light so that people can receive an inheritance of salvation from the Father God.

These are exciting times and we need to be ready in season to answer every person we come in contact with, with the hope of Jesus that is in us. You and I can partner together to make a difference in people’s lives. Not everyone can go but all can send. I am asking you to partner with us financially and in prayer so we can do our part to go into all the world and make disciples for the Lord Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus, 2020 is in the books. What a crazy year we have just experienced. It will be known as “The Year of COVID-19.” You and I have simply never seen a year quite like this in our lifetime. You may not remember this but in the past, people have had other pandemics like polio, smallpox, and tuberculosis. The difference between those pandemics and this one is the media and all the consequences that go along with around-the-clock coverage. There was as much false media information as there was the truth. People report what they hear and much of it was reported without the truth of science to back it up. Oh well, maybe going forward we will get some real journalism.

Then on top of it all, we have had a presidential election that is one for the history books. The left against the right, the media verses Trump, conspiracy vs reality, or whatever else you want to add, it has been a spectacle. And no matter what the outcome we have a divided nation about the direction and morality of our country. Yes sir, the year 2020 has brought many surprises and left a nasty mark and a bad taste in our lives. So where are we after all of this and what do we need to do going forward?

This seems to be a taxing question for most people. I have heard many people say, “I hope Jesus comes soon.” I have heard and witnessed many in the church realm exhibit fear and confusion. I can say this, for a guy who felt the time to leave the pastorate and go into mission work, it has been a time of surprises. Let me help you just a little and prepare you for what is coming down the road.

We have just come out of the advent of Christmas. Advent is a season of the liturgical year observed in most Christian denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming according to Wikipedia.org. Notice it is the four Sundays leading up to Christmas where we are expecting and preparing for both celebration of the baby Christ and the return of Christ. I heard Pastor Mike Burnett say these words and it got me to thinking about whether I was expecting and preparing or if I was worrying and fretting about what was going on in the earth. So with that thought, I went to the word in Matthew 24.

I believe from the word of God that we have been in the time of “the beginning of sorrows or the time of birth pains” and now we are entering a new phase whereby the birth pains are speeding up. We are living in a time of change that will lead us to the beginning of Matthew 24: 9-14. Now, remember that this was a passage where Jesus was speaking to Jews about what was to come for them prior to the Second Coming of Jesus. But we can learn some things and see what is about to happen to the church as a whole.

This will be a time of separation between friends, family, and neighbors. Verse 10 says “many will be offended and betray one another and hate one another.” We are seeing this right here in the US with ideology over politics and morality. People are taking sides on wrong being right while expecting others to go along with them or you pay a price. We have entered a day of division. We know of people who will not speak to their friends or family over who they voted for in the election. The lines are being drawn and we need to make sure we keep our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12 2 says “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” Jesus has not moved nor has He fallen off the throne. He is still Lord of Lords and King of Kings no matter who is in the White House.

We need to make sure that we have our faith focused on Jesus so that as persecution arises we do not grow cold toward the things of God. We must preach this gospel unto all the world and then Jesus said the end would come. I want to encourage you to stay focused in faith in Jesus and not moved in fear by what you hear and what you see. The book has been written and the end is clear. We are victorious and overcomers in this life if we stay faithful to the One who has redeemed us by His blood.

There is nothing like a good conflict to get the juices flowing and for sides to be taken. Such is the case when we talk about Mission and Missions. Wait a minute, let’s also throw in another word that starts with M and that word is missional. In the context of the North American church, the words missional, mission, and missions are synonymous in meaning. That means that because of the widening definition of missions that it is believed that everyone is a missionary. Well, I am not sure that is the best use of how we should view missions. The letter “s” on the word missions makes it totally different in meaning than mission and, when that happens, it leads to confusion as to what the Great Commission is all about.

In March of 2018, the George Barna Research Group found that 51% of Christians in North America did not recognize or know of the Great Commission. It further revealed that of the remaining 49% who knew of the Great Commission, when shown five scriptures of which one is the actual passage in Matt 28:19, only 37% could identify it.

That, my friends, is a little bit disappointing. We are to be about the Father’s business, but not enough of us know what that really is. It simply could mean that if we asked some questions to church leaders and mission-minded people we know, we would get conflicting answers (The Great Confusion about Missions by Matthew Ellison and Denny Spitters.)

Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. This requires us to think about every place on the planet and every people group that exists not just where we live. That is the “mission of the church.” Every church in the world is to be participating in this great endeavor and that will require more than just our good works in Jesus’ name or making disciples in our churches. It requires us to go outside of our four walls to reach every people group on the planet and to make them disciples of Jesus. That is the ultimate mission of the church, but it does not make us all missionaries but rather we should all be mission-minded.

Missionaries are those who are called by God to go to the nations for the purpose of making disciples. There is a definite call on their lives to make this their purpose in life. The term “missions” refers to the work of the church in reaching across cultural, religious, ethnic, and geographic barriers to advance the work of making disciples in all nations. Being “missional” is a term that distinguishes the ministry of the church that happens beyond the four walls as opposed to caring for its own.

Many churches in North America are inward churches focused on the people within the four walls. In my opinion that violates the Great Commission. The term missional could also describe a specific, progressive style of church that is outreach-minded. Every church needs to be missional in its attitude of carrying out the mission of the church which is to go into all the world to preach and to make disciples.

This can only be done by supporting missionaries who cross the barriers of reaching every tribe, every tongue, every nation. We as a local church and believers can only make a difference in these areas when we have a connection with missionaries who can open up opportunities with which the church can partner so that new areas can be opened, people can be evangelized, and churches can be planted for the purpose of disciplining these new converts for Jesus.

We all have our role to play in this Great Commission and we are not excused from taking part. Jesus has commanded this to happen and empowered us to do it so let’s become more missional minded as we work at the mission of making disciples for Jesus. It is our purpose and our duty while in this body called the body of Christ.

What a day we currently live in. Unprecedented in nature with the pandemic and all the other things that we are facing. This is definitely a time for each and every believer to be fortified with the word of God and to live out what they believe from the word of God. I hear Christians say consistently that it’s hard to live the Christian life with all the negative influences, the peer pressure, and economic pressures that we face. Yet the scripture is clear that “the way of the transgressor is hard” in Proverbs 13:15. What makes us different that we can live our faith out in a world of transgression?

I believe we will find some of the answers in Romans 12 where the word of God tells us “to be transformed by the word of God.” (Romans 12:2) That word transformed in the Greek means “to become, to change, to change into.” It also has the connotation of being remodeled. God wants to remodel our minds so that our behavior can resemble what we believe from the word of God. We do not realize how we are influenced by the world in our thoughts and actions. We have more of the world in us than we want to admit. It gets into our lives through our eyes and our ears. These two gates, our eyes and our ears, are the avenues that lead to our heart of which affects our mind, will, and emotions which is the soul. We are hearing and seeing things that consistently challenge what we believe, and these things we hear and see can if we allow it oppress our thought life.

We learn this from the story of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Lot was living in the twin cities of the planes called Sodom and Gomorra. It was there that Lot, a righteous man (II Peter 2:7) had his soul vexed or literally oppressed by the activities of the culture. 2 Peter 2:7–8 (NKJV) says “and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds).”

Notice that Lot just by observing with his eyes and ears had his righteous soul oppressed. Oppressed means the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles and/or adverse conditions. Being oppressed by what he had allowed himself to be surrounded by affected his ability to respond to God and to others in the proper manner. If we go back to Genesis 19, we see that when the men of these cities wanted to have sex with the two guests of Lot, (these were angels by the way), Lot offers his virgin daughters to the men since it would be wrong for these men of the cities to have sex with another man. Can you see how the vexation or oppression caused him to want to appease this situation rather than confront it with truth?

That is how I believe we are oppressed today with all that we are seeing and hearing through the TV, movies, social media, media outlets, radio, and the printed pages we read. The Bible says that “faith comes by hearing the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) It brings faith in God and His promises so that we can believe and receive. The same is true of oppression. We read and hear things that are anti-God, and these things affect us because we will begin to accept those beliefs, and it changes how we would normally act if we were not oppressed. We are affected by what we see and hear even if we do not believe it. This in turn begins to change how we act and speak. We are then conformed by the culture rather than transformed by the Word of God.

So what do we need to do from here?

We need to consider what we are letting in our eyes and our ears. Since these two issues affect our heart and our mind, we need to do a better job of guarding our hearts and minds. Let us examine what we are taking in through TV, media, books, podcasts, etc. and start filtering these things by the word of God. Maybe we should ask ourselves if these things will glorify God or not. We have a harvest to reach and a light to shine before this culture. If we are being oppressed by what we are seeing and hearing, we may not be having the effect we once thought we were having. Since we only have one life and it is short in comparison to eternity, let’s filter our eyes and ears through the word of God so we can be transformed. Let’s rely on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to change us so we will be who God has called us to be and so that we can bring the light to a lost and dying world.

An Unusual Day

2020 is going to be known as the year of the pandemic. This COVID19 pandemic is certainly reshaping the way the world does business, how people interact, and how government will intervene in our lives. It is probably the craziest day that I have lived in 63 years of my existence.

I have lived through several wars that our country has endured, many natural disasters, war protests, civil rights protests, the falling of the Berlin wall, the death of the Soviet Union, the rise of terrorist groups, the bombing of the trade center and Pentagon, the assignation of a US President, the attempted assignation of a US President, and many other events. But never have I been through anything like this COVID19 and the events that are unfolding before us.

The bible tells us that in the last days there will be dangerous times, perilous times, and difficult times. I believe everyone would agree that these days are dangerous, perilous, and especially difficult. What is interesting is that the original language of the word “perilous” literally says “times of stress.” Wow! Is that not powerful and true?! We are living in one of the most stressful times of our lives. Think about it, people are stressing out over this pandemic and the possibility of getting COVID19, the stoppage of the economy and the slow recovery, the George Floyd death, the racial tension, the riots in cities, Antifa anarchy, and natural disasters that have and are occurring.

There is enough issues going on in life during what we call a normal life, and then to add these restless times, with people reacting to the increased pressure of life with higher alcohol sales, domestic abuse, depression, and suicide. Help us, Jesus! Since this pandemic began, there has not been much good news for humanity. Now on top of all this that we have mentioned, we have to wear face masks. Who would have thought that we would be in a day like this filled with more questions than answers?

No matter what day we live in there is one constant that continues to be present. That constant is our relationship with the Lord Jesus. We need to not be anxious about these times. Jesus has promised us His peace in John 14:27. This peace is not the absence of conflict but rather a true inner peace that only comes from our relationship with Him whereby we learn to trust Him and rely upon Him so that this peace can permeate our beings. This is how we live a stress- free life during a very trying time in life.

We need to understand that no matter what kind of stress we live in, the lost need the gospel and we are the preachers. We preach by the life we live, the good deeds we do, and the words we use when we speak. It is the commandment of Jesus to go unto the whole world and we do not need to get caught up in the turmoil of the day while missing the opportunity that is before us.

While our world is dealing with fears and uncertainties that no one anticipated, it’s in times like these that the world needs the Church. They need the hope we have in Jesus and the peace we have in the Holy Spirit along with the firm foundation we have in the Word of God. Let’s live what we believe!

What a great topic to speak about! We are living in a day that is absolutely crazy, and it has been that way for a while. Who would have ever thought that we would be having quarantines and social distancing in order to curve a pandemic in the US? Everywhere you turn you are hearing things that may or may not be true. For instance, what about the toilet paper crisis? I was told by someone (a person that will remain nameless), that we were having a toilet paper shortage because all the toilet paper is made in China. I asked him how he knew, and he responded that he got it on the internet after Trump spoke. Well, that certainly made sense and, whether I believed it or not, we all know that if it is on the internet, it is true. Hey, I even repeated that to someone during a conversation and then on the inside I thought to myself “Why am I repeating something I do not know to be true.” I was reminded that we need to be careful what we believe and who we listen to.

The Bible says that there are many voices in the world and none without signification or significance in I Corinthians 14:10. What this verse is telling us is that we are hearing a lot of different voices in our lifetime. But what we should ascertain from this scripture is that we must learn to pay attention to certain voices while resisting other voices. We have assigned significance to certain voices based on our belief system, how we relate, our relationships, position and place in life, etc. These along with other indicators will determine who we deem as significant enough to us to take in what they are saying. The problem is that we sometimes assign significance when based on what someone has told us or what we heard from them on a one-time basis. This is becoming more common since we have internet, 24 hour news, media in various forms, and podcasts. In these times we need to be secure in what we believe and give focus to the voices we know and trust!

Let’s examine what the implication is when we begin to listen to voices that can change our direction in life. In I Thessalonians 5:12, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord… we see that we are to know, respect, remember, honor, and understand those who labor among us and that are over us.” The term “over us” is referring to those who have authority over us and are in close contact with us. It is not a distant voice that you occasionally listen to or only an acquaintance. If you give significance to a voice that is not of God, you could be led away from the purpose that your life is destined for. This is why you need to know the difference between the voice of God and the voice of distraction.

When I left my position as lead pastor this past October, I was told I was stupid and crazy to leave my job for no real plan. My ministry friends said I should have stayed long enough to retire. But where is the God factor in that call? Whose voice must we listen to in life choices such as these? In these uncertain times, it is important to know the voice that will lead us into peace, faith, and destiny. When we know that voice, we can walk through life with confidence no matter what arises. So keep listening.

To continue in our study of Joseph and pursuing dreams, let’s look at three insights that will help us to protect our dreams for long-term success.

First of all, when we dream a dream, we should be careful to ponder the dream internally and not to tell everyone that comes along about the dream. Had the brothers known that Joseph’s dream would eventually bring about their deliverance, they would have not treated Joseph with such contempt. But we see immaturity on both sides of the equation: Joseph who told a dream he did not understand and the brothers who jumped to conclusions about Joseph. There are things that God deposits in our hearts that we need to sit on and ponder. When the angel of the Lord came to Mary and told her about her becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit, that the child Mary would conceive would be the deliverer of the world, the Bible simply says she pondered those things in her heart. She simply thought on those things within seeking God for direction and clarity.

The second thing we e should consider is that when you dream a dream it takes time for God to move you into position for that dream to come to fruition. Joseph got into position by being sold into slavery, being falsely accused of rape, and then by interpreting the dreams of the chief baker and the chief butler of the Pharaoh. Then he finally gets to interpret the dream of the Pharaoh himself which brings him to the position that God needs him to be to save His people from starvation. It is a great finish to a hard life for Joseph. However, don’t miss the good part which is that God always goes before you to open the right doors, bring the right people, or whatever else is necessary for Him to do to bring to pass your dream. You say God was in all of that? Well, Joseph played a big part in that he kept himself in God’s favor. When you see that God’s favor is upon someone’s life, you realize that God is with them and going before them. Even with all of these events, it is still several more years until the actual dream itself came to pass.

The final thought is when you have a God sized dream, never give up on your dream. When I was a boy, my great grandmother Sally Moore would pray without ceasing while we were around my grandparent’s house. She was old and frail in body but not in spirit. She stopped me one time and asked me to pray with her. I told her I did not know how to pray and she said you just kneel down and listen to me. She prayed that she was too old to go but that God could send me to the nations. She prayed “Let him go preach behind the iron curtain and the bamboo curtain.” In 1993, Russia was experiencing Perestroika and the military had tanks surrounding the airport and the senate building in Russia. I preached in Russia and outside of Lenin’s tomb in Red Square and trained people for ministry in Vladimir, Russia. At night, when I returned to my hotel room, I remembered what my great grandmother prayed over me. I was fulfilling a dream that had been planted in my heart in the 1960’s. She taught me one scripture and that was Psalm 2:8 (NKJV) Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. For years this has worked on me as a pastor while taking mission trips and leading mission trips. Now after 28 years of pastoral ministry, the Lord is saying, “It is time to reach out to the nations and receive the ends of the earth as a possession for me as well as to help others join the journey.” I am fulfilling my dream!

What is your dream? It’s never to late to fulfill the dream that has been placed in your heart by God.

There was a young man named Joseph who was a God sized dreamer. In his story, the young man Joseph, had a vivid dream about his future. It was a good dream in the end because we have the word of God to tell us how it works out for the deliverance of a people. While the dream was intended for good, the dreamer’s lack of maturity compelled him to share his dream which brought negative consequences. What a turn of events! This story shows us several things about dreams that we should take note of.

Direction and clarity are two keys to success when you are pursuing your dream in life. Most of us realize that we have a dream, and we sometimes tell the wrong people who shoot down our dream out of jealousy or envy. They cannot see you doing anything like what you are dreaming about since they have framed you and fixed you into a human block of time and space. Wayne Dyer American Psychiatrist said, “The essential lesson I've learned in life is to just be yourself. Treasure the magnificent being that you are and recognize first and foremost you're not here as a human being only. You're a spiritual being having a human experience.” That is exactly what happened to Joseph. He dreamed a spiritual dream while living in his human body. It is God’s way of getting His will into the earth. He gives us God-size dreams that require us to live for Him to succeed.

Many people think there is only one direction that can be taken to achieve your dream. Joseph proves this to be incorrect. Who would have dreamed that going into slavery and prison would find you in the will of God? Granted there may have been a different route had Joseph not blurted his dream out to his brothers and father. When you and I travel in life we find ourselves traveling from destination to destination. A map simply allows us to pick a road to travel on but, in most cases, we can go several different routes and still arrive at our destination. The route changes but the destination remains the same. Dreams are the same way. Your final destination is all that matters. Your choices in life determine the route of getting there. Either way God will lead you if you trust Him and seek Him.

Clarity of vision is another key element when traveling along life’s path. You want to see clearly where it is you are going. Vision is simply having a clear sight of the way things could be and should be. These things are the driving factors of how we choose our routes. We see things others do not see and are driven by the thought of how it will be when the destination is achieved.

So be spiritual while living in this earth suit that God has given you. Dream big and expect your God of more than enough to come through for you. It is God’s specialty and His delight to give you the desires of your heart. Let your God given desires direct your life and clarify where you are going for God’s glory.