Prophetic Insight for 2011

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Yes, you read it correctly…2011.

There is something inherent with the human race…we do not care much for change, but we really do like a cover-up. Do you remember the various prophetic words that were spoken to you in 2011? What about 2010? Keep going back to the last thing you heard God say to you that you participated with and saw come to pass.

Oftentimes our hope in a new year is that the old year goes away, all of its problems, woes and even the stuff left undone or done incorrectly. God actually created time for us, not for Him. Consequently, since He is an eternal God and lives in eternity, thinks and speaks from eternity, what we did not finish or get done in 2011 and further back is not a closed book in His book. We think we are starting over again when we are just picking up from where we left off.

Daniel was more concerned about an unfulfilled prophetic word received seventy years before than seeking a new word. This is so significantly overlooked that we have, now, a Daniel Fast without a recognition of its core purpose.

It is scriptural to consult the word of God when His will is not known or clear. David is an example of one who consulted God concerning different battles because God’s will was not obvious or known. However, David did not consult the Lord concerning Bathsheba for the law was clear concerning his actions. He did not need a prophetic word for that. Nathan did not come to David because he was seeking a word. David thought the ordeal was covered up. Nathan was sent to David by God to give David opportunity to face his sin and come clean (Psalm 51). Whenever David did consult God he received an answer. He then followed the directions he received.

When our consultation with God results in answers but we do not respond with the directed actions what is the purpose of consulting? Have we been diligent to obey the word we have already received? If not, whatever He says about the following year is still going to require obedience to the word already given.

What do you think would happen if we did not wait until December to hear what God is saying for the next year. What if we listened daily to hear what His proceeding word is for today? And actually obeyed? In this process, we might get to see into the future, not just yearly, but generationally. What God may show you today, whether it is personal direction, regional, nationally or local church direction, will have an impact in generations to come.

This is true of ALL prophetic direction. If what satan does impacts for generations, it would stand to reason that this is true with God. After all, satan is not original in any of his thoughts. He needs something that already exists to pervert it. Look at the impact Madeline O’Hara had on our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Since that time there has been this fight for prayer in school and other public places. The need for the fight was not realized by the church at large until the church began to see the effect of the court’s decision concerning prayer in school. So an entire generation took the initial blow of this woman’s crusade. As a result another generation had to bear the burden of what one generation in the body of Christ did not do. Though we have been fighting about this ever since I do not think the way we have fought is the strategy of the Lord. The decision the church made (not Madeline O’Hara) continues to affect the church. I am still not convinced that we have realized the real fight. Nor are we sure how to fight. Stop and think for a moment. While we constantly fight the government for the right to pray, when do we start praying instead of depending on those few who do pray to carry the burden of the entire body of Christ…and the entire nation?

The simple solution to this overbearing problem is for each household “who is called by His name, to humble themselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will He hear from heaven, and will forgive our sin, and will heal our land. (2Ch 7:14)

It does not say to bombard Washington D.C. with our problem. It does not say that only those who feel called to be an intercessor should pray. It does not even say that the nation’s sins will be forgiven…it says OUR SINS (body of Christ) will be forgiven and then OUR LAND will be healed.

Psalms 51 says it like this:

Ps 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me… And sinners will be converted to Thee

Here He says to listen diligently to His voice and purposely set to do all of His commands

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: Deuteronomy 28:1

Are we seeking to be set on high above all nations of the earth WITHOUT diligently hearing the voice of the LORD, or observing and doing ALL His commandments…?

The prophetic word is God’s word and has been spoken. Why are we looking for more direction than that which we have already been given? The directions on what to do, how to behave, how to treat others, etc.

Could it be that we keep hoping for a silver bullet that will end all of the pain and cause some really good stuff to happen that will continue our comfort and not interfere with our convenience?

We enjoy prophecies that talk about our prosperity. How we will be blessed even more. More than what?

What should we do with these verses in the bible?

1Co 4:9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

vs 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.

vs 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;

vs 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;

vs 13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, [even] until now.

Most of the current prophetic words that I have read or heard seem to be the result of the choices we have made by not obeying the scriptures.

This is not doom and gloom. I believe more than most that we are a blessed people. We need to define “blessed.” Being blessed does not eradicate problems, pain or suffering. Being blessed is how we will get through them. Tell Paul he was not blessed when he was shipwrecked. Tell the martyrs in Hebrew 11 that as they were sawn in half that they were not blessed. Tell Jesus as He hung on the cross that He was not blessed. What made them all blessed is that they were all obeying the Father.

My prophetic word for 2012?

  • Obey His word that has already been set before you. Spend time and make the effort to learn what it is; how to apply it.
  • Stop trying to find an easy way around God’s commandments…His ways, His will, His very nature.
  • Get your houses in order – honor the covenant you made with God and your mate.
  • Give up your right to yourself and surrender completely to Him.
  • Stop allowing the enemy to trick you into a warfare God did not call you to. Instead fight for your children by living for the Lord.
  • Concerning your stuff – Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God…and His righteousness (in other words, the right way to live in the Kingdom) and all of these things will be ADDED.
  • Listen to the authority God has placed in your life. They will help you learn how to walk it out. By the way…we do not choose our own authority.

 

 

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Covenant of Significance – Siblings

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Probably, of all of the “covenant people” in my life the relationship I have with my oldest sister is one of great significance. Our relationship as sisters was one that neither of us had a say about. As my pastor always says, we do not get to choose our parents.

I come from a pretty large family. We lived in a house of seven children and three adults. I also come from a long line of a mixture of cultures that produced strong minds, unrelenting opinions and extreme over-achievers. In other words we were a group of bull-headed people who just don’t quit…children and adults alike. And, like the Apostle Paul was cited for saying, “among the sinners I was the chief.” Over the years there were many hurt feelings, misunderstandings and some serious issues that were never reconciled, even after some went to their grave.

I like to call it “dysfunctional love.” The truth of God’s covenant love was not known or understood by any of us at that time. The broken places in our parents caused broken places in the relationship between the siblings. Consequently my oldest sister and I went for years without a real “sister” relationship. We just belonged to the same family. Secretly we both yearned for that relationship but, honestly, was not sure what to do.

As life would have it, my sister and I found ourselves nursing our mother together during her last months with us. In one of those moments when my mother was resting and my dad was able to look after her, we went into my dad’s office and just kind of breathed a sigh of relief for the much needed physical and emotional rest. If you have ever been a care-giver you know exactly what I am talking about. God used that moment as my sister sat in my dad’s big office chair and we looked at each other across the desk. We realized that this was the closest we had been in years. Doing the same things at the same time in the same place with each other.

At that moment we made a very serious decision. We decided to bury all of the dead horses: the skeleton’s in the closets, the arguments not won, the misunderstandings as well as the likes and dislikes. We decided to be sisters in fellowship as well as relationship regardless of what had taken place in our lives. Sounds a little like something out of a “warm your heart” Christmas movie, right? Well, needless to say, this decision was challenged along the way. However, we did not pay any attention to the challenges; we held on to our decision. She still votes differently than I do, cooks better than me, and belongs to a different church and denomination than I do. My relationship with her is more important than our differing opinions. What she does is not as important to me as who she is. She is not only a sister by birth; she is my sister by decision.

The rest of our siblings did not do any of this. We have sat back over the years and sadly watched their painful lives just literally dwindle away. We talk often of how much it could be if… And then we move on because there is one thing both of us know without a shadow of a doubt: If it were not for the grace of God we would be in the same condition. This would not have ever happened for us without a decision on our part. A decision to covenant. A covenant that supersedes all hurts and misunderstandings. We are literally free from the opinions and thoughts of others…and sensitive to the opinions and thoughts of each other.

This is what Christ is after. To captivate us so we are free from the opinions and thoughts of others and sensitive to the opinions and thoughts of each other: His thoughts and our thoughts!

  • I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)
  • And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)
  • That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21)

 

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Covenant of Significance

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I have had a dog all of my life. There is one thing that I have noticed about all of my dogs, regardless of their pedigree. If I forget to feed them; or if I show them displeasure as they chew my favorite shoe; if I am in a bad mood and do not want to play with them or even if I am a little sharp and impatient with them for one reason or another…when I come home they always wag their tails and are glad to see me. I’ve often wished that I had these kind of friendships in people. For some reason dogs have a handle on how God operates in covenant much better than us humans.

Over the years there have been people in my life who verbally expressed the fact that we had a covenant relationship. I have watched many fade into the background of life, never to be heard from again. Then there are those who have never said anything, but their actions and attitude have proven that their heart toward me is one that would take a bulldozer to tear away. All in all, the people who have either expressed it verbally or their actions imply covenant and still remain an active part of my life are only as few as the fingers on my hands.

Do I rate covenant only by the amount of time spent together in fellowship? Absolutely not. More than half of the people on “my list” live busy lives and are geographically distant from me. An occasional phone call, text or email is many times the only contact with these people. Yet, when we do get a chance to talk or visit, it is as if time or distance never existed. You and I know when people have purposely distanced themselves from us or have cut us off. This group of people never tell you verbally that you are no longer part of their lives. They just go away. If you attempt to contact them they tell you that you are still friends. However, you know that something is wrong, even if they are not brave enough to tell you. So that tells me that covenant is a “heart issue.” It is not an “action issue.” We do covenant out of being covenant in our hearts.

In reality covenant is that bridge over troubled waters that keep people together when there is conflict. The only way for God’s people to understand covenant from God’s perspective requires knowing the heart of God.

God never made utilitarian covenants with man. These were not actions of convenience, for God IS love; consequently, his covenants came from a heart of love. He made covenants with us that were beneficial to us, even if we do not receive them, walk in them, or understand them. His covenants continue to reach for us regardless of how often we walk away from His love and promises…or how far we walk away…nor how long we are gone. God’s covenant with man meant that God would get something out of the covenant as well. He is always after our heart. When He does not get our hearts, He does not walk away from us. We always have access to His heart!

There are times when God is disappointed in the choices that we make. He simply does not like some of the things that we do. However our actions do not hinder His love for us. Our lack of trusting Him does not hinder His hand working on our behalf. Why? Because His word is His covenant…and He said He would never leave us nor forsake us.

When I look over the years spent with the people who are in covenant with me I realize that there were enough “legitimate” reasons to walk away from each other. A covenant from love demands that we stay and work things out. Our love for each other far surpasses the misunderstandings that will come.

I know some people that used to belong to the church where I was the pastor. We were friends before they ever came to the church. When they made the decision to become sheep in my pasture we made a covenant. We decided that if it did not work out at the church that we would not let it affect our friendship. Every covenant made by you, me and God will always have opportunity to be tested. After years at the church they believed it was time for them to leave. After they left, there was a conflict of some kind. I cannot even remember what it was. But I remember the day that the wife came to my house on purpose to “set things straight.” We realized that there was a misunderstanding in our actions…but not a misunderstanding in our hearts toward each other. We are still close friends today. The covenant caused our memories to be washed clean and to move on in the development of our relationship through right heart fellowship.

God does the same thing with us. He makes a bee-line to our house (heart) to “set things straight.” We have opportunity to change our thinking about what has moved us from fellowship with Him and to move on. He does not remember what it was. He only remembers His covenant with us.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:12)

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Are You Biting the Hand that Feeds You?

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And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. Mark 9:35

Anyone that has been in ministry for any length of time can tell you that leading people has its challenges. I have seen some ministries devastated by the very ones they were leading.

For a moment, though, can we look at some things from the perspective of those God has placed in our care? Some of you are leading churches or Para-church ministries with people helping you and supporting you, whether on a small or large scale.

I often think about the sheep God has allowed in my life. I have not been the pastor over a church for nine years…yet I still find myself being a spiritual parent to some of God’s leaders and ministers. Sometimes I just sit with them and let them talk; sometimes they laugh and more times than not they cry. I believe that in order to be a healthy minister, all three expressions are needed. Just the other day I spent time with a young minister and some of the stories I heard were horrendous.

Sometimes, while reading some of the posts from ministers on Facebook I find myself cringing from the unkind comments made about the lack of knowledge of the people in the church.

Do we realize how much blame is placed on the sheep today for the condition of the church? So many prophets and apostles are angry at the church and pretty much call the people stupid.

Without the fall of Adam we would not have these type of ministries…and we certainly would not have anything without the people.

I have been in church all of my life and have been in the ministry thirty-six years and have seen much in the church. The one thing that I see more than I see anything else is that sheep, as a whole, are doing what sheep are supposed to do. They are following. Most are doing what they see the leaders doing.

While we, as leaders, revel in our newfound revelations of the word of God do not forget when we were ignorant and did not know much ourselves. Much of the church world has taught what it knew and understood. As a result we have raised up sheep who are either living the way we taught them or, like many, are pretty confused from hearing so many voices speak so many different things.

The next time you receive an offering from these sheep think about what they are doing to help your ministry continue. We say that the tithe belongs to the Lord…but, please let us be real. Are you not using what belongs to the Lord to keep your ministry running?

I heard about a pastor who was upset with the sheep because they did not give him on his anniversary what he saw other pastors were receiving.

I know of a church that went through a tremendous loss of people. The pastor was depressed and constantly bemoaning all of those that had left. I told him that he was focused on the wrong people. The cream of the crop stayed, regardless of how few they were.

While you are always going to have rebellious people who refuse to do what is right, the majority of God’s people are not trying to be ignorant or stupid. Many are more faithful than the ministers themselves. I have seen more sheep show up for prayer than ministers. And, I have seen very few pastors show up for prayer meetings held at their own churches. I have seen more sheep behave as servants than I have ministers.

Do we realize, yet, that an armor bearer is not called to wash our hands? Neither are they called to carry our coat and our bible unless our hands are filled with some other items. The next time it is Clergy Appreciation Month (October) why not bless the sheep instead of letting them bless us? Many in our ministries work hard (and some harder) behind the scenes to support us in finances and prayer, even while juggling jobs, families and a continuously changing world.

Listen, I know that ministry is difficult and many ministers go unnoticed, mishandled, etc. I just want us to realize that the sheep God has given to us should not be mishandled in retaliation. Our position as a leader does not give us the right to overlook the luxury of leadership by servant-hood.

Everybody is someone’s sheep, including you and me!

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How Old Are You?

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Most people are aware of the fact that chronological age and emotional maturity do not always happen at the same time. I am often surprised by the maturity of one so young and the immaturity of one so old.

1 Corinthians 13 is often called the “Love Chapter.” We look at the actions of love and find ourselves failing in them before we begin them. We attempt to love others and make commitments that we will love, regardless, only to find ourselves incapable of holding to our commitment. It is absolutely impossible to love without becoming love. 1 John says that God IS Love. Out of who He is flows what He does. The words, He loves us, flows from love. He does not have to work at it because it is who He is. We spend much effort trying to love those who seemingly make it difficult to love them. I do not see anywhere in Scripture where God found it an effort to love you or me. He may not like what we do, but He is committed to being who He is in all of our lives…God IS love. It does not say, ‘Love does Kindness.’ It says, ‘Love IS kind.’

I would like to say that 1 Corinthians 13 clearly separates the children from the adults; the immature from the mature. It is more about maturity than showing forth the acts of love. Love is actually the characteristic of maturity in Christ…becoming sons of God by growing in the nature and character of Christ who is our pattern son.

The question of maturity lies in the answer to this question: Have I become love? 1 John 4:17 says that:

…as He is so are we in this world.

He was completely abandoned to His commitment toward you and me. He is love. Jesus gave up His right to Himself (Philippians 2:7) to become everything to you and me. For us to “walk as He walked” (1 John 2:6) we, too, must give up our right to ourselves and become everything to Him. This is how we abide and dwell in Him. This is how we allow Him to abide and dwell in us.

Oswald Chambers says this in one of his writings:

Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest. Disciples Indeed, 395 L

We may be quick to ascertain our maturity based upon our intellect. We may also think that our knowledge of the word of God is our maturity. Jesus told the scribe in Mark 12 that his intellectual understanding of the greatest commandment brought him close to the Kingdom. However, until he put action to his understanding, he was not in the kingdom. He was intelligent yet lacked maturity because he had not yet entered into becoming.

How do I become love? By purposefully moving my heart, my worship, my very being toward God. Mark 12 says to love God with my whole heart, my whole mind, my whole soul, my whole strength. I cannot do this until I abandon my right to myself, leaving nothing for myself and realize that I only have a right to Him and I give Him all rights to me. I become what I worship. Whatever (or whoever) I worship is the one or what to whom I have abandoned my rights.

Remember: Doing love moves us into works. Becoming love moves us into a mature relationship with the Father. Then our actions will bring life to others. As a leader in the body of Christ where do you fit on the chart?

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Reaping and Weeping

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Luke 16:12 “And if you have not been faithful in [the use of] that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

After a few months as a new pastor I found myself forgiving every pastor I had ever had, met or knew. I had a new respect and especially a true compassion for all ministers, whether good or bad, because my short experiences helped me to understand what motivates ministers to do some of the things they do, right or wrong.

I had a pastor in my life once, who made the following statement so many times that it has been indelibly encrypted upon my brain:

Whatever you sow in one man’s ministry you will reap it in your own

It did not take long for me to encounter heartaches and grief in my church. As I would go crying to Lord about the problem I would immediately remember having done the same thing to another minister in my life or a pastor over my life. I have discovered that God will direct certain people into your life and ministry to bring a correction in your life and ministry.

The late Judson Cornwall once said in his book, Leaders, Eat What You Serve, that what most pastors see in the congregation is what most people see in the pulpit. Here is a question we may want to ask ourselves:

  • Are we, ourselves, willing to do what we require of others?

I have listened to ministers cry and weep over what the people in their churches have done to them. They also speak of how other ministers have mistreated them. And then I see these weeping ministers do the very same thing to the people in their own life and ministry.

How many times have you had people just simply walk away from your church with no explanation? They seemed to have had no commitment to their membership. Or, they leave and tell you they are leaving for one reason only for you to find out later it was not the truth.

Have you become discouraged, depressed or overwhelmed with the ministry? Have you considered the solution that would be best for the people you are leading? Or are you simply looking out for yourself?

I know of a pastor who knew it was time for her to close the church she and her husband had raised up. She took several months to do so in spite of the tremendous crisis happening in her life at the time. She not only recommended several churches for her people to consider attending, but for several weeks she personally took people to these churches. She made every effort to make sure that her sheep had other options before just dropping them and walking off. Not only that, but once she was settled in her new church under another pastor, she would not allow the people who followed her to that church to call her pastor. She made every effort to help her people make the necessary transition. I had never seen a pastor do that. I have always had great respect for her and the way she handled her responsibility as a shepherd.

Jesus had just lost His first cousin in death…and was on His way to grieve. Instead of considering Himself first, He took the time to see to it the needs of at least 15,000 people who were following Him. He used the time as a teaching moment for his disciples as well as sending a young boy home with more food than the sack lunch his mother prepared for him that day.

As leaders we do not have the option to just walk away and start another phase of our life because that is the way we feel. This also applies, even if you believe God is telling you to lay it down. You have to remember that to be a leader means someone was following you. What we are doing when we act irresponsibly is train our sheep to respond the same way when they hit a rough spot.

This does not mean that there are not issues that arise that require us to make an adjustment in our course. The issue is how will we make that adjustment? When we make decisions based upon finances and emotions we are sowing to the flesh, thus we will reap in our flesh. When we make decisions based upon the direction of the Spirit of God we will reap to our spirits, even if it looks like we are naturally losing. I have seen people say that God told them to leave; to go to a different place, etc. While they may have heard from God they did not stay in His presence long enough to hear the correct time and way to handle their leaving. God never intends for us to change horses in midstream. It is safer for all concern to complete the journey before moving on. This can sometimes take anywhere from several weeks to several years to complete.

The pastor I mentioned earlier who took the time to take care of her sheep (and she had more than a handful in numbers, by the way) is progressing quite nicely in her life and ministry, even though for a few years it looked really bleak in almost every area of her life. As a matter of fact she almost lost everything trying to do the right thing.

Never sacrifice the growth of those following you for your own comfort and convenience. The people do not belong to you. They belong to God.

Charles Finney said in his book, Experiencing The Presence of God, that if we are not able to demonstrate the truth we are not fit to teach it. The people so desperately need to see a demonstration of God’s long-suffering so they can learn to endure in the same manner.

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Sometimes the “two masters” could be us versus the people. Mammon has to do more with what we value than literal money. We may love the people, but do we love ourselves more?

My own pastor has been asked by many over the years why, after 37 years, he did not close his church when his numbers dwindled down to a handful. His answer? God did not tell him to close up. I am so glad that he listened to the Lord because our church has a strength never experienced before. We are raising up people in our ministry who are literally reaching into the lives of hundreds of people weekly. You see, my pastor sees people, not buildings. He sees sons and daughters of the Lord, not members. He did not learn that overnight…but by staying the course he has learned it!

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Caring for the Fallen

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I was watching a particular television show the other day and found myself overcome with tears. The show was about Marines transporting their injured and dead from the battlefield back to America. I watched as the soldiers unloaded the caskets. With a smartness only seen in the military, the casket was honorably moved from the aircraft draped with the American flag. The soldiers flanked the casket, set it down and then gave that salute with the snap that makes your heart pound. You know in that moment you have been in the presence of greatness…Someone has fallen so others could stand.

I have seen this scene many times over the years through the news, documentaries and movies. On this particular day the thought came to me how the Marines have such codes such as Siempre Fi…and no bodies left behind on the battlefield.

Immediately my thoughts went to all of the spiritual giants who fell, killed by controversies, false accusations and actual weaknesses and sins in their lives. None of the mental, emotional and spiritual caskets that we placed them in were covered with the Christian flag that spoke the ethics…Siempre Fi and no bodies left behind on the battlefield.

I can remember during my days in the military watching myself and others make some of the dumbest mistakes while in training. We even broke rules that cost others grief. Yet, we were not considered individually…we were considered a unit; and thus we were judged, disciplined or rewarded. Our shipmates had their way of encouraging us to “toe the line.”

Siempre Fi means ALWAYS FAITHFUL. The implication here is always faithful to EACH OTHER.

I can name a lot of leaders who have made some mistakes that I wish they had not made. Yet, these same people, in the midst of their messes taught me perseverance, long-suffering and faithfulness to God in the midst of their troubles. I have met many who have been falsely accused but did not seek to defend themselves nor accuse in retaliation. I have known leaders who continued to give to, love and open doors for those who treated them like the soles of their shoes.

This does not mean that those of who have fallen, made mistakes or just outright, knowingly sinned do not need to be held accountable to God’s word. It also does not mean that God throws us away because we mess up.

Listen to what Paul tells Philemon concerning Onesimus:

If he damaged anything or owes you anything, chalk it up to my account. This is my personal signature–Paul–and I stand behind it. (I don’t need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?) Do me this big favor, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good. (Philemon 1:18-20)

 

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These are Not Times of Great Uncertainty

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(The following article was originally published September 16, 2009. I believe it is still relevant for today, two years later.)

Your perspective of the time we live in will determine your outcome. It is a time of great possibilities and opportunities. Will you take your cup half-full or drive the rest of your life on empty?

 

Great Uncertainty; Great Troubles; Uncertain Times

These have been the headlines I have seen, both in the news of the world and the news in the church. We seem to preface our articles with such terminology, probably because it touches where people are and insures a greater readership.

I do not believe that we are in a time of uncertainty. If that were so and we are the children of God, then God did not tell the truth and/or He is hiding something from us.

He says in Luke 6:38:

Seek FIRST the Kingdom AND His righteousness and all of the THINGS would be added.

That does not sound uncertain to me. The instructions are very clear and the outcome even clearer.

Deuteronomy 28 says:

If you listen AND obey you shall be blessed. If you do not listen AND obey you shall be cursed.

How clear is that? What part of listen, obey, blessed and/or cursed do we not understand?

Then there is Amos 3:7

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

Have the prophets not spoken? Now, I do not pay any attention to people who prophesy doom and gloom without a strategy to get out or to overcome the doom and gloom. Just telling how bad it is going to get does not do anything to me or for me. Nor does it do anything to encourage anyone else either.

God has given instructions in His word and through the mouths of His prophets. He has spoken through His prophets and continues to speak. Sometimes we can be dull of hearing and slow in action when it comes to receiving what God says through a human vessel. He is patient and continues to speak to us anyway.

Nonetheless, how much clearer can those words be: What He will do, He will first reveal to the prophets.

God also says in 2 Chronicles 20:20:

Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper

To prosper from anything means to benefit from it. When you believe His prophets, you get the benefit from believing the prophet.

Solomon said that there was nothing new under the sun.  Did you catch that? NOTHING NEW.  If there is nothing new under the sun then what we have encountered has happened before. If it has happened before there is a something that put the people or land into that condition and there is something that was done (or could have been done) to get them out. Consequently, it is never hopeless.

It is only uncertain to those who do not know God. It should not be uncertain to those who claim leadership in the body of Christ. How can the people follow God in faith if you are uncertain?

I came from the era of “Name it; Claim it; Fake it until you Make it.” While that is the extreme of what I would call pseudo-faith, there is something very discouraging when words such as uncertain and turmoil are continually used. It is difficult for an individual to grab hold of the positive outcome when the words we are using only confirm what they are already meditating on.

I think it is time to call this season we are in what it is.

  • It is truly a time of change
  • It is an opportunity to become innovative
  • It is a challenge to our creativeness
  • It is proof of God’s faithfulness, even when we do not always understand how He does what He does

He does say in the book of Malachi to “prove Him.” Of course this only refers to those who have tithed and planted seed.  I am disappointed when I plant vegetable seeds in my garden and they do not come up. Or if they do, the plants are devoured by insects or animals. God’s promise is that the seeds we plant in His Kingdom are guaranteed to be good seeds and contain a repellant that will not allow it to be devoured.

I have been impressed with people who are exploring new ways of earning income; more efficient methods of doing work and ministry.

I visited a discount grocery store the other day that is positioned basically in No Man’s Land.  It is about three miles between civilizations. The woman running the store had a couple of children she was homeschooling. There was used clothing, some gift items and quite a variety of canned and packaged goods. I even saw some dairy products.  The rural area it sits in may seem uninviting to those making their way to Wal-Mart. However, as I perused the area I realized it will be a great way station in case of a bad storm and people are not able to drive the 15-20 miles into town.  This young woman found a way to combine several tasks into one, helping others and providing something extra for her and her family.

There is a radio station in a nearby town where my pastor ministers each week. I noticed when I went up that way last week that a new Dollar General Store is just about ready to open. There is not a Dollar General Store within twenty miles of that area, nor is there any other type of full service grocery stores available for about 35 miles.  Why Dollar General Store chose this particular time to erect a store in this rural area is not clear to me. Nonetheless, the “times we are in” does not seem to be hindering growth of any kind in Central Louisiana.

A pastor friend of mine has opened up a used Christian Bookstore in his church. There are people everywhere taking enormous steps of faith to take advantage of the opportunities the “times we are in” are presenting.

In 1999 I did an extensive research on churches, businesses and corporations that seemed to prosper in spite of the Great Depression.  Some of those companies still exist today. One of them is Burlington Hosiery. When others were pitching themselves out of windows in desperation, some were taking advantage of the outstanding opportunities that kept many families working.

Isaac found himself in a “famine in the land” (Genesis 26:1); yet the scripture tells us in Genesis 26:12:

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

I remember listening to the stories my father would tell about the Great Depression.  Many of the people were very resilient, looking for ways to get the best out of everything they had, even if it did mean walking to school with cardboard in their shoes.  There are many styles today that came out of Great Depression opportunists, such as using discarded rubber tires to re-sole shoes.

Joshua said this in Joshua 17:17:

Thou art a great people, and hast great power

I choose to think like Joshua. We are a great people and we have great power. I like Caleb’s attitude at 80 years of age:  GIVE ME MY MOUNTAIN!

I like Simeon’s attitude the best:  I will live until I see the Messiah.

Simeon determined to make his life one of quality determined to live to see the fulfillment of a dream. That takes vision and courage.

We can do the impossible as long as we can see the invisible.

Lead the people into the impossibilities. Remember Toy Story’s famous line:  Infinity and Beyond.

If you drink a glass of water that is half-empty you will thirst sooner than expected. When you are drinking a glass of water which is half-full you expect your thirst to be quenched.

Just because something is difficult does not mean it is not do-able.

 

 

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Success In Ministry

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So many ministers, especially new ones, have the idea that the only proof of success in ministry is found in the number of people gathered to them, or their accomplishments or even the amount of degrees accumulated from school.

God’s idea of being a success is found in our obedience to what he tells us to do, regardless of whether anyone ever follows us or believes us. Jeremiah and Ezekiel had quite a task on their hands, following the commands of God without any guarantee or evidence of any followers. Rather than gather people to themselves, they seemed to guarantee isolation by their obedience to the directions from God.

If you have the question of whether or not you are a success or a failure, simply ask yourself the question:

Did I do all that God commanded me to do?

And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. (Genesis 7:5)

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