Today my Daddy went to Heaven!

November 7, 2009

Yesterday I flew to Florida for a planned 10 day trip for a total of approximately 23 events with Foursquare Churches, Divisions and Pastors. It is a trip that I have been planning for quite some time. What I didn't plan on was the call that I received from my Sister at 8:25 am. When I saw her name on the caller ID, I answered excitedly because she was supposed to call me when she got my father home from the hospital. He has been in the hospital for 5 weeks, following an open heart surgery. The recovery from the surgery itself went relatively well, but he had several complications including pneumonia, an infection and extreme dizziness. The doctors were permitting him to go home this weekend on a "day pass" to see how he did and possibly to release him on Tuesday for good.

When I answered the phone, my sister really didn't need to say anything because I knew immediately what she was going to tell me. She was extremely upset and couldn't gain her composure. When she finally was able to speak, her words shot through every fiber of my existence..."daddy has died". I am so thankful for my sister and she is one of the greatest people I know. She has been with my Daddy every day and night for the past five weeks of his life and has been an amazing gift to him during this last season of his life on the earth. She has nurtured him, cared for him and served him as few people would for another. She literally put her life on hold in order to care for my Father.

So, I enter the season of my life without my earthly father. I guess I always knew that this day would come, but somehow the impact of it has affected me completely different than I would have anticipated. I have experienced a deep sense of loss, even loneliness and an acute awareness that my life has been completely altered and will never again be the same. Just knowing that my daddy isn't where he has always been causes a strange sense of void for me. I have yet to make the trip home (we leave in the morning), but I'm almost regretting going into his workshop...to see his inactive tools, unfinished projects and the essence of who my father was. He was extremely talented with his hands and could make projects come to life. He loved his workshop and spent all of his extra time there. I can't begin to tell you the stories, the jokes, the serious discussions and even the nonsense that went on in that workshop. My daddy loved life in his own way and lived it on his own terms! I believe that during the last many years of his life, my Father thoroughly enjoyed his life and who he was. He basically did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it!

Growing up, my Daddy was a pretty tough guy! He grew up tough and joined the military at an early age. He carried a lot of hurt and issues into his marriage and into his family. But time has a way of mellowing us all and my Dad was no exception. His heart became extremely tender and my children only knew him to be a big teddy bear, complete with his "old man's beard"...he eventually took on a look of an "old mountain man" and he would have had it no other way. I remember as a teenager of being embarrassed by my Father at different times, but I have come to realize that he didn't fit the typical mold. Now, instead of being embarrassed, I am deeply appreciative of the fact that he had enough self-esteem and confidence to just absolutely be himself.

Looking at my life, I realize that my Dad has shaped me in a lot of ways. There are ways that I think now and my outlook on life that was strategically shaped by my Daddy and I'm not even sure that He was doing it intentionally as much as it was intuitively. I can still remember sitting by my Daddy in his red, Ford truck and him allowing me to shift the gears on the column. At times, he would also let me steer the truck and I bet I logged at least 100,000 miles up and down the old dirt road beside his shop prior to getting my driver's license. I have said many times that even though I didn't grow up "in" the country, I definitely grew up country. The values and mindsets that were invested into me gave me an appreciation for the simpler things of life and how to appreciate people from every walk of life.

I think what strikes me the most about the events of today is that my Father has abandoned his earthly body and entered into the awesome and amazing Presence of the Lord. Over the years, i have witnessed to my Father and talked with him about his salvation. He has always assured me of his personal relationship with the Lord, but there has never really been any evident fruit. A couple of weeks ago, prior to his surgery, my brother-in-law witnessed to my Father and prayed the prayer of salvation with him. In his conversation with my Father, he asked him if he was praying because they wanted him to....my Dad's response was that he prayed because he needed to. It was very obvious that God was doing something unique in my Dad's heart because every time we prayed with him, he would begin to cry. We never saw that in my Daddy before.

As humans, we see death as this prolonged event that includes arrangements, visitations, caskets, funerals and cemeteries. Death is actually none of those things. Those are simply our responses to this "transitional event". I distinctly remember the Lord speaking to me that death is nothing more than the crossing over a threshold...and literally takes that long. For the Believer, one moment you are on this side of life and the very next, explode into life eternal and into the Presence of God!

Even as I write this, I still live in a body that is aging day by day and experiences the issues of life in an imperfect body that exists in an imperfect world. Not my Daddy...he is no longer an old man, he no longer has a heart that is defective, he no longer carries the aches and pains in his body or has the torment of past failures, mistakes or regrets. He knows in fullness and completeness. He has an awareness of everything that I have been preaching and studying and preparing my life for in the past 31 years. He has been reunited with his family members that have gone on before, and today is his first day of who he really is and will be for all of eternity!

Although the next few days will be filled with grief and mourning because of my Daddy's natural departure, I also have a deep, abiding peace and a joy of what God has done in his life. I heard an unmistakable word from the Lord today that none of the events of the past few weeks caught God off guard. In fact, I am convinced that the last few weeks of my Father's life on the earth were strategically orchestrated by God. He was surrounded by friends and family and the love that each of them have for my Daddy was very apparent. It was during this time that my Daddy gave his heart to the Lord and in my opinion, Heaven just got sweeter...there's an old mountain man up there and I'm sure that he's telling "preacher jokes"!!!

I Don't Want to Get Old!

In the last six months of my life I have seen a lot of transition! For the past fifteen years, I have pastored a church that I poured everything that I had into...my time, energy, money, resources, thoughts and love. Six months ago I started a new season of my life; still in the ministry, but now pastoring pastors...loving them and walking with them through challenges and opportunities. It's been a huge transition! I have also walked through (and have come out successfully) some significant health challenges and have learned how to pace myself and lay down the stresses of life. Actually, it's been a relief learning that I don't have to solve everybody's problems and everybody's issues aren't my concern...wish I had learned that years ago! In addition to the transition that my family and I have walked through, I also recently celebrated my 49th birthday. It was during this time that I heard the Lord clearly speak to me that I was at the "halftime" and beginning the second half of my life. That's cool, because I have learned that in life, we go from survival to success to significance. It's during the second half of your life that you focus on significance!

Sitting back and taking a lot of things into consideration...I have come into this realization: I don't want to get old! Now, please notice what I said and didn't say. I didn't say that I don't want to get older...I have no choice in that matter, I will get older. Nothing that I do or say can stop me from getting older, it's a fact of life! I honestly don't mind getting older...I just don't want to get old! I don't want to become old in my perspective, my habits, my choices or my outlook on life itself. In fact, I've been around people who are physically older, but have a youthful and fresh approach to life and I've been around people who are younger and have an old approach to life. I know one man who is a lot younger than I am and he walks around with his shoulders down, when you walk in his office; it looks like an old man's office...I don't want to be like that!!!!

Psalms 103:5 says "I will enrich your life and renew your youth like the eagle's". The concept of renewing your youth literally means that there is something that God will cause you to retain. I love that! As you get older, the temptation is to lose a sense of youthfulness. Not immaturity, but an outlook that is optimistic, expectant and ready for change. I don't want to get set in my ways. I don't want everything to be the same. I want the fresh and new things of life and of God. But why an eagle? An eagle can fly up to 10,000 feet and can move along at speeds of 30-35 miles per hour. As you get older, the temptation is to "come down to earth" and to "slow down". When you come down, you lose a perspective of 10,000 feet. You see everything close up and it all becomes about you. God help us to enlarge our vision and to broaden our horizons. The older I get, the larger I want to see life. It's really not all about me.

I recently heard somebody say, "Oh, I wish I were 25 again"...not me! When I was 25, I was dumb and broke! I'm glad to have matured, settled down, focused and ready to move into the second half of my life. Obviously, I don't know what's around the corner in terms of the challenges, blessings and opportunities that life may hold for me, but I make a determination right now that I will fly at 10,000 feet; I'm going to slow down, enjoy the blessed life, be everything that God has called me to be and keep a youthful, optimistic view of who I am and who I am becoming. I have too much to live for! There are so many things that I haven't done yet, places that I haven't seen yet, people that I haven't met, sermons that I haven't preached, books that I haven't written...life is to be lived young - even when you're getting older!

The Ties that Bind...

The last couple of days have been somewhat of a roller coaster for me. Two days ago, my father who will soon be 79 years old, had a heart attack. Since then, he has gone through a battery of tests and procedures to discover that not only will he have to endure open heart surgery for a triple by-pass surgery, but he will also have to have a pacemaker installed to keep his heart in rhythm and beating as it should. For many of you reading this blog, you have walked through similar situations and can completely relate. A lot of you may be like I was prior to this incident, I have not walked through an issue like this with somebody on my side of the family; so this is a first for many of the emotions I have experienced.

My father and I have not always seen eye to eye, and have not always gotten along through the years (especially when I was younger and living at home). As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the fatherly efforts that he put into raising his children. He may not have approached life the same way that I do, but in his own way, he loved his family and did all that he could to provide a secure future for us. Looking back, I can see the sacrifices that he made so that we could "have a life". It may not have been the life that I personally would have chosen as a teenager, but we don't get to choose the circumstances that we grow up in. Notwithstanding, I can say with certainty that my father loved and gave in his own way.

It's been amazing to me to experience the rush of emotions when you get news about one of your parents, or somebody that you deeply love. All of a sudden, the trivial issues that you may have ever struggled with are inconsequential. Why is that? I believe that all of us make mistakes, hurt other people and do things that we regret, but the bottom line is that we are family! The most important things in life are not "things" at all, but those that we love. I am so thankful that I can look at my life and that I learned to mend fences along the way with my father. Throughout the last couple of days, I have had the chance to do an inventory on how I treated and responded to my father and I'm glad that I have loved and respected him and honored him for who he is and what he has done for his family.

Tomorrow, I will pack up my family and head to North Carolina to be with him during his surgery. I am fully expecting him to come through this with "flying colors" and to watch him live out a full life. He can be a little testy at times, a little hardheaded and definitely set in his ways, but he's my dad and I love him. I can look at my own life and see the impact that he has made on me. The strong work ethic that I carry is because of my dad...the sense of fairness in dealing with people, regardless of their ethnicity comes from my dad and the "I'm gonna make this work, no matter what" attitude is most definitely a trait that I gleaned from him. He is a man that has endured hardships, a rough upbringing and has learned how to overcome odds throughout the years. When it's all said and done and I'm as old as he is now, I want to look back over my life and be able to say that it wasn't my money, my stuff, my goals or even my ministry that was most important to me. I want to live by a standard that puts my wife, my kids, my family and my friends first. When, as an old man; I "go the way of the earth" as all men do, I want to have lived my life in such a way that my family will experience the same emotions that I have by getting this news of a man that I love deeply...I call him Dad.

The Law of Kingdom Life!

Make no mistake about it...everything in your life is governed, directed and dictated by laws! In fact, everything that you see in the natural is established by law. There are laws that govern the spirit, soul and body. Out of those laws, we find principles that become the handles that bring that law into motion or in other words, activate the blessing or the consequences of that particular law. There not a single thing that you do in life that isn't impacted by law.

The definition of the word law is interesting: "a system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of it's members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties." The Hebrew word for law is "nomos" and it means "that which has been established...a command".

The Bible is the "law" of God. The Kingdom of God is built upon and based on that law. In fact, the word very clearly points out in Romans 8:2, that the "law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death! In standing on that word, I discovered that the word for life is "zoe", and it refers to the absolute fullness of life, a life that is active and vigorous, devoted to God and blessed! That blows my mind...the fullness of life that is available to me, the active, vigorous and healthy life that is mine, the blessed life...it's more than a result, it's a law of God! God has commanded zoe towards me. Based on that law, I have a righteous right to live healthy, vigorous and blessed.

Now, my part is to realize that the benefit of that law comes into reality when I begin to walk in the understanding and the authority of that law. As long as the blessed life remains only an option for me and just another possibility among many, and I don't get a revelation of it, I'll never walk in the authority that enforces that law when the enemy attempts to break it. In fact, if I don't get an understanding of it, I'll never walk in authority relative to it. As long as the enemy can keep me in the dark, and I am tossed "to and fro" about who I am in Christ and what belongs to me, he'll always have me in a place of vulnerability and my life will basically be up for grabs.

Several years ago, I left a Saturday night service at our church and was driving to a restaurant to meet some of our church family. I was in a hurry as usual (don't really know why) and a police officer stopped me for speeding. He happened to stop me on the same road that the church was on. As we began to talk, I played my "preacher card" thinking that just might get me out of a mess. When the officer realized that I was the pastor of the church just down the street, I thought I was "home free"...it was then that he informed me that if I traveled that road as much as I did then I should have known the speed limit!! He graciously gave me a warning (so did my wife) and I went on my way. What was he saying? I should have been knowledgable of the law that dictated the speed on that road. Obviously, I knew the law; but I ignored it.

For a lot of people, that's the case. We know what the word says, but we ignore it. Either that, or we are ignorant of the law. Either way, you're in trouble! The old saying used to be: "what you don't know won't hurt you..." I realized that statement couldn't be more off target. In one sense it's true, it won't hurt you, it can kill you. When you don't know the law or the Word of God regarding your life, you'll begin to live by tradition, half-truths and assumptions. Either that, or your theology will become relative to your reason. There is so much of the Word of God that just doesn't make sense to your natural self. That's because it's not a kingdom of flesh and blood. They are spiritual laws and must be exercised by faith, not natural reasoning.

As a citizen of the Kingdom of God, it is your responsibility to know the laws that govern who you are and who you are becoming. Many people mistakenly think that the will of God is automatic in your life...nothing could be further from the truth. God's will is certainly His intention for you, but His will, His word, His law; must be enforced and you must become the enforcer. Let me tell you how critical it is that you get in an understanding of this. I don't have a right to healing and health in my body just because God loves me. Now, He does love me and every law of the Kingdom is based on His love, but it's more structured than that. My right to health and healing isn't up for grabs or decided upon by God on a day to day basis. It's a law: "...by His stripes I am healed", Isaiah 53:5. So, based on that law, everything contrary to health and healing is illegal! Now, if I don't know that law, or if I'm not convinced of it or even walk in a revelation of it; I won't stand on it in faith. When that happens, I just start wishing and hoping that I'll get healed...instead of walking in it with authority.

The enemy is a liar and the "father of lies". In fact, it's the only weapon left in his arsenal. He has been stripped of power and authority, but he is the master liar. He has messed with our theology over the years and many people have come away with this consortium of mixed up beliefs, that they're really not sure in any given situation what God's purpose, desire or intent is. His word is infallible, undeniable and steadfast. His word is final authority. Stop living by what you see, think, hear or feel and take a stand on the law. It's your only hope!!

Whenever the law of God is enforced, the result is "zoe life". The manifestation of obedience to the law is the blessed life...a life that is marked by vitality and vigor. On the flip side of that, breaking the law of God, whether out of ignorance or disobedience produces death. Get the law (word) in your spirit....settle the issue in your mind, align your talk with the word and refuse to live beneath the rights and the blessing of that law in every arena of your life...spirit, soul and body. The next time you are faced with an issue, before you even ask God what His will is, find out what His Word (law) says about your situation. Remember, His Word IS His will! Once you discover what His word says, don't be swayed by anything else. His word is your ammunition, you are the sheriff - take your stand in faith, favor and anointing!!

Flying with the Divine Tailwind...

Okay, I know that's an odd title for a blog, but it grabbed your attention!! In my new role as a district supervisor with The Foursquare Church, I'm traveling a lot more than I ever have before, as would be expected. A lot of my travels are regionally directed within the Southeast, but from time to time, I find myself on trips that take me westward. There are a lot of analogies and illustrations that I could draw from traveling on airplanes...such as sitting on a delayed regional jet for an hour and a half, next to a man twice my size (and I'm a big boy), in front of an individual that had not had a "shower experience" for quite some, and directly in front of a lady holding a small child that continually pulled on and kicked my seat! Those are lessons in patience, however; that's not the focus of my blog today.

Whenever I am traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast, it always takes longer than coming home, west to east. When I first began flying that route, that little fact confused me until I learned about headwinds and tailwinds. Obviously, due to the airstream that flows from west to east, when you are traveling west, you are "against" the airstream and when you are flying east, you are flying "with" the airstream. No surprise that going against the airstream takes longer. In fact, it not only takes longer, but it costs more fuel. Let's reason that out for a moment...it takes longer to get there, it costs more in fuel and is more taxing on the airplane, and that's going the exact same distance in terms of mileage!

How many times have I done that in my life and ministry? Instead of working "with" the Holy Spirit and being led by Him in what I am called to do, it is so easy just to go with an idea or something that I've seen somewhere else. In Genesis 26, we find that the Philistines filled in the wells of Abraham and Isaac out of jealousy and spite towards Isaac's success and prosperity. Isaac simply moved on and dug another well. Each well that he dug was taken over by the Philistines, and they eventually ran Isaac out of town. The problem with that, is when Isaac left, the wells dried up! So, the blessing is not in the well itself, or even in the digging of the well; but in your obedience. Just because you see somebody else digging a well, doesn't mean that you're supposed to dig one! Psalms 127:1 says that unless the Lord builds the house, those that labor, do it in vain. If it's not a "God idea" for you, then it's just an "good idea" and has no guarantee of His blessing upon it. In fact, if God didn't mandate it, He has no obligation to bless it. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to pay for a house out of my pocket that I built in the name of God. Whenever He guides, He provides!

In Romans 8:26, we are told that "the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, when we don't know how to pray or even what to pray for" and that He does it "with groanings that cannot be uttered". That's a "divine tailwind! That's when you get there quicker, it's not as laborious and it doesn't cost as much money! All my christian life, I have heard people say: "well you know brother, all things work together for good..." I have discovered that you cannot disconnect verse 28 from verse 26. I have found that all things do not work together for good unless you are flying by the divine tailwind! When you allow the Holy Spirit to intercede on your behalf and to lead and guide and direct your affairs and then you live in obedience to Him, then things began to turn around for His purposes and for your benefit. For years, I have lived by Proverbs 3:5-6; "trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

The word "acknowledge" is the hebrew word "yada" (yaw-dah), and it is a jewish idiom for a intimate relationship between a man and a woman. In other words, the direction and guidance of the Lord in my life flows out of my personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. I can't afford to just move forward on my own merits, my own ideas or even learned behaviors. I press in daily for a creative anointing on my life and for a fresh idea and approach to everything in my life. God is not boring, He doesn't have to go to Egypt for a good idea and neither do you. Everything that you need to be a success in life is already on the inside of you...it's called the "anointing to live"!!! So, stop flying against the headwind...save yourself time, frustration, money and wear and tear, and go with God's leading...the divine tailwind!!

In The Midnight Hour...

Ever been there? In the deepest, darkest recesses of the night...and the sun is brightly shining outside? Obviously, I'm speaking of the midnight hour that arises by virtue of circumstances in our lives...those times when nothing seems to go right or even worse than that, when that crushing sense of despair will not relent and no matter what you do, it won't go away on it's own, when that news of a particular situation hits you without any warning. Sometimes it's the stuff of life and sometimes it's a very strategic, aligned attack of the enemy against you.

I love the passage in Matthew 11:28, when the Master issues a call to those who have been "under the gun". He says; "come to Me, you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest". The greek word for labor is "Kipiao" and it simply means to be weary from the toils of life. That is the "stuff" of life that we all go through...interesting to me however is the second word...Jesus doesn't stop at "labor", He goes on to address those who are "heavy laden". That's a completely different story! Now, He's talking about those that have come under very strategic attack. The greek word for laden is "phortizo" and it means to have a load or a burden placed upon you by somebody else. In other words, it's not of your making or your doing. Oftentimes, it can be the cruel words or insensitve actions of others or even the oversights of others that make your life difficult.

I believe that there are several principles that will bring deliverance and victory to your life. First of all, you have to realize that you ARE in a battle!! This is not the normal, everyday stuff of life...this is war! The enemy is after something precious in your life. He's after your purpose, your destiny, your anointing. He desires to disconnect you from your source of life, power and victory. He is attempting to get you out of courage and get you dis-couraged. When you are either weary from labor or under a strategic attack, you MUST position yourself to fight! You must surround yourself with others who are willing to fight and to fight well. It's critical that you begin to recognize and pull down the strongholds of the lies that have come against you and all that concerns you. When you are under attack, the "normal stuff" of Christianity won't cut it. You're going to have to have more than 3 hymns and a sermon...you're going to have to have more than a "feel-good" devotional. It's time to get serious about who you are in God, who the Word is in you and the stand that you are going to take! You will have to decide what are you going to put up with and what are you not going to put up with...and, the decision is completely yours. God will surround you with people who will fight for you and with you, but make no mistake about it...this is YOUR battle and the victory doesn't depend on others...it depends on YOU!

During a season of darkness, having the right weapon or scripture is essential to breakthrough. What does God say about your particular situation? Over the years, I have become more than convinced of my Father as my healer, I have actually become convicted. I have a deep, abiding, unshakeable conviction that I am the healed of God, no matter what the circumstances of my physical body say. His word is true and will not be denied. I am not moved by the questions of others and neither will I make healing promises relative to those who have not been healed. I can't answer their questions or understand why certain people have or have not been healed. I do know that His Word is true and I must find my place of authority based solely upon that. With every fiber in my being, I am convicted that healing and health IS the will of God and that Jesus purchased my physical healing on Calvary. So, settle the issue in your mind. This thing is temporary!! This too shall pass, no matter how dark it looks right now. No matter how painful it is right now or seems to sufficate you. God has already eternally addressed the very issue that you are struggling with right now and His victory is yours! Stand on it in faith. Mine out the specific word that is relative to what you are going through and let that become your position of faith and allow that to dictate your speech and to become your point of reference.

Jesus said very simply, "Come to Me". What an invitation!! What a beckoning and welcoming call! Notice He didn't say "get it all together, get it all figured out and then you and I can talk"? He welcomes those that are bruised, wounded and battle-weary! Come, just like you are...I want to embrace you, I want to surround you, I want to welcome you into my love, my peace and my resolve for your life. I can hear the Lord saying..."don't you know that I transcend what you are going through right now"? "Don't you know that I care deeply for you and am passionate about you walking in complete health and wholeness"? Don't you know that I can and I will heal you...spirit, soul and body"? His response to your weariness from the toils of life or the attacks against you from either the enemy or others in your life is that of rest. The Greek word for rest is "Anapauo" and it literally means to pause or permit one to cease from movement or labour in order to recover and collect your strength. To give you rest, to refresh you, to bring you into...and get this, patient expectation! To expect what? To expect the outcome of restoration in your life!

You were not designed to live a life of constantly being harrassed by the enemy. You ARE your Father's child and He desperately loves you. Hear Him welcome you into His arms of love and forgiveness...even in this midnight hour, know that He has a plan and purpose and a way of breakthrough for you and your best days are yet ahead of you! For the latter shall be greater than the former, and He has a peace and a prosperity for you that exceeds what you are going through right now in your life!

Guard Your Gates!

Please receive this word as an encouragement in the place to which God has called you and in this season where you are currently carrying out your God given assignment! Several years ago, God began to teach me about the gates of our lives. Gates are those places of entry points whether it be in our families, our ministries and churches or our personal lives. The gates of our lives must be constantly guarded because I believe that they are places of intense battle. It's at the gates that the enemy aligns himself against you and your destiny. It's there that you find a constant barrage of the lies of the enemy as he attempts to gain entrance into that which is worth guarding.

Proverbs 4:23, tells us to "guard our hearts, for out of it flows the wellspring of life". As the Lord began to teach me about the gates, I specifically became aware of four gates that are actually gates of deception! They are: what you see, what you think, what you hear and what you feel. Those are four specific areas where the enemy specializes in "ripping" us off and disconnecting us from the truth and from the anointing. Everything you see, is not as it appears; what you hear and what you feel are not always the way that it really is and the arena of your thoughts can become a major battlefield where we must be careful not to allow to get out of control. Often, there is a distinct difference between truth and reality! Just because it is "reality" doesn't mean that it's the truth or even based on the truth. In fact, sometimes the reality of our existence can be anything but the truth. The reality may be that I'm sick in my body, but the truth is that I am the healed of God and that He has made full provision for my healing. At that point, I have a choice to make...I can either embrace and live by my reality or I can embrace and stand on the truth of God's declaration over me, no matter what the physical signs are that I may be seeing or feeling. My goal is to come to the place that my reality is also the truth!

I stand on this conviction and it is my confession over you as well..."my life, my ministry, my family... is not up for grabs"!! What God is doing in me and through me is too precious and valuable to not secure it. Everything that I don't secure is up for grabs and becomes vulnerable to the tactics of the enemy. So, how do I secure the gates? I secure it by the Word, and I secure it on a daily basis. My confession of faith must be consistent, biblical and based on an active and vital relationship with Christ. The degree of authority that you have in securing the gates of your life is always based on the degree of relationship that you have with Christ. I stand in agreement with you today that you are what the Word of God says you are, you have what the Word says you have and you can do what the Word says you can do. Your life and your ministry is valuable! Heaven is being changed because of your ministry. Nations are being affected because of your anointing. Communities are being shaped because of your obedience. God delights over you and His declaration over you is yes! and amen. You were born for such a time as this and He needs you to stand in faith, stand in righteousness and stand in authority. I encourage you to write a biblical confession over the primary areas of your life and ministry and make a daily habit of speaking and releasing the Word over your life and securing the gates of who you are!

Seeing through the eyes of faith!

"Do not look at the turmoil that surrounds you through the perspective of worldly eyes. There are two governing systems at work and thus two sources of informaton and two views.

Do you not kow that my covenant over you is one of peace? My covenant has never been and never will be based or predicated on the values or condition of the "other kingdom". Be very careful not to make my covenant relative to your personal experience or the experiences of others...though a thousand may fall at your right hand and ten thousand at your left, surely I will uphold you with my strong arm of righteousness.

The scepter that I hold in my hand is continually stretched out over my people. It is one of dominion and authority that breaks the dominance of the enemy - you WILL NOT be dominated! It is one of peace that overules the turmoil of the enemy's camp. It is one of prosperity that breaks the hand of poverty.

My Word is true and will not be shaken...do not put your trust in other kingdoms or their leaders. Everything that can be shaken, will be shaken, but my Word will stand the test of time as will those who stand on my Word.

Lift up your eyes, lift up your heads, press in to that which I have called you - this is the day of My kingdom - the lines are being drawn and the greatest season of the Body of Christ is now! Enter in, hear and know! Rise up in authority, faith and confidence - do not be moved by what you see or hear. Know me and be known of me, for I am the Lord your God who changes not!"

Is that my Ball?

I just couldn't let this get by...I had to blog it. As I was playing golf today with a friend of mine...we tee'd off a little par three and my drive apparently veered off to the right. From our perspective, it seemed to have gone into the woods. Okay, I've been there before and had every confidence that I could recover on my second shot. My partner had a fairly good shot, but his drifted to the right as well...just not as far as mine. When we got down to the green area...we immediately spotted his ball, and went to the woods to look for mine. We looked and looked and looked some more for my ball, but to no avail.

I dropped a second ball, took the penalty stroke and started to chip up onto the green. When my friend went to his ball...surprise, surprise! It wasn't his ball, it was mine! He found his ball in the sandtrap. Now, what does all of that have to do with anything? It dawned on me (and in fact, I commented on it) that we wasted alot of time wandering around in the woods, almost took a penalty stroke all because of an assumption. What was clearly before us, was overlooked and we assumed the worst because of how it "appeared" that my shot landed.

How many times in life do we do that? I have learned that not everything is as "it appears"...what I "assume" to be a bad shot, isn't always as bad as it seems. And how many times have I overlooked the obvious and "assumed" that it was something different than it really was? And...how many times have I wandered around in the "woods" because of those assumptions. How many times have I "wasted time" because of those assumptions, and what do I learn and apply to my life from these little life lessons learned on the golf course?

I must make a decision to not immediately assume that what looked "bad" is necessarily bad. We only see the external and even then through a "glass darkly"...I must also choose not to overlook the obvious based on my preconceived thoughts or notions. I have learned that making assumptions and jumping to conclusions can lead to either a lot of wasted time in the wilderness or a penalty...I have time for neither!

Am I Alone?

September 19, 2009

Traveling is tough...as I write this, I'm sitting at the Charlotte, NC airport, I just finished a meal by myself and I have a bit of a layover. Being alone in strange places really isn't my thing...I'm about connecting, hanging and chillin with family and friends. Yet, in some odd way; I have a sensing in my heart that this part of my new job is something that is ordained of the Lord. I have to believe that because I am the redeemed of the Lord, every aspect of who I am and what I do is also redeemed...my life isn't up for grabs, so all of a sudden, there is a new possibility that even times like this are not only ordained of the Lord, but are in fact; ordered of the Lord!

But how do I fit that in with who I am and with my personality...I have to consciously redeem the moments of my day and time. In other words, I can just travel, or I can travel redemptively...knowing that God has ordained and ordered supernatural appointments and moments in which He wants me to see His hand at work in my life. Can I learn to look for and appreciate the gifts that God brings into my life? Can I move through an airport and hear the word of the Lord over my life? Can I sit on an airplane and receive ministry or give ministry, whatever the case may be?

The connecting points between places of ministry are like a link in a chain...I just left Miami and I'm headed to High Point, NC...do I just go through whatever it might take to get from point A to point B, or do I walk in a place of authority and readiness, knowing that all of my steps, my time and even the disruptions of life are ordered of the Lord? Can I accept the fact that a canceled plane, forcing me to be in "travel mode" for eight hours is not as interruptive as I would naturally think? Could it just be possible that in the larger scheme of God's plans and purposes for my life, that He has orchestrated everything that concerns me and if I would be more open to the little moments, He could move me as He would like to do? Absolutely...and by the way, that would have to apply to every arena and event of my life...God really does have a plan and nothing catches Him off guard. I give Him room to take even the "disruptions" of my life or the "alone times" of my life and to breath His fresh breath of love and grace over them and to transform them into times of uniques blessing and usefulness for His glory over me!!!

He's Still Working on Me!

This morning, as I write this I am sitting in Chattanooga, Tennessee; getting ready to go over to Lookout Mountain for a day of R&R with the family! As a child, I remember going there with my folks and being absolutely overwhelmed by everything that I saw. Several years later, as an adult, returning there was somewhat humorous. While I still enjoy the attractions, the effect on me wasn't the same as it was when I was a small child. Everything seemed smaller, not as exciting or intriguing and definitely not as appealing. I guess you could attribute that to age, experience, maturity or all of the above. I would like to think that it's the same with life and our personal maturity. Those things that come at us when we are younger in the Lord or in the ministry, don't seem to have the same effect when we mature in certain areas...thank God! I also think that it's good for us to remember that lesson when dealing with junior associates or staff/team members. What seems to you to be a "mole hill", can be a mountain to them and they may need a little bit more understanding, patience or encouragement. Obviously, none of us have arrived at the place of maturity and growth to which God is taking us, but it's like the old saying..."I may not be where I'm going, but thank God that I'm not where I've been."

I remember an old southern gospel song that says, "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be." All of us are "works in progress", and in fact, I recently visited the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina (if you haven't been there, you owe it to yourself and your ministry to take that trip) and went to the gravesite of Ruth Graham Bell. When I read the inscription "End of Construction, Thanks for your Patience.", I found it odd until I read the meaning behind it. While traveling with Dr. Graham one day, they came through a construction zone. At the end of the construction, that sign was there and Ruth commented that she wanted that on her tombstone, and that's exactly what they put on there. That speaks volumes to me and I hope to you. All of us are under construction and the job isn't quite finished. So, I'll make a deal with you...you pray for me and I'll pray for you, don't judge me and I won't judge you, have patience with me and I'll have patience with you, quickly forgive me and I'll quickly forgive you, give me some room to grow and I'll give you room to grow! In fact, let's make that a standard for all of our lives no matter who it is in regard to. Oh, one more thing that I would like to mention in this devotion...I live by the thought that from the last time I saw somebody, God has done something in their life to change them for the better. I always make room to accept them for who they have become, not for who they were.

ALIVE AND WELL!

In the last several weeks, I have been through a series of battles regarding my health. The result is that I have pushed in to become healthy and to learn how to live stress free. Two books have helped me immensely..."Leading on Empty" by Wayne Cordeiro and "The Anxiety Cure" by Archibald Hart. As I write this, I have been able to lose 16 pounds and I just took my blood pressure...it was 120/83. God has done some amazing things in my life during the past couple of months!

One of the struggles that resulted from the high blood pressure was a series of anxiety panic attacks. With the overwhelming emotion that you are having a heart attack, and then with my doctor telling me that he thought I had an aortic anuerysm (but the MRI came back good), I found myself believing that I was at the very edge and heaven was closer than ever. I am no longer having the physcial symptoms of the panic attacks, but still battle from time to time with some of the anxiety issues. It's apparent to me that I need to take several days off back to back to just give my body some rest.

When you feel like you are that close to death, it's easy to become consumed with all of the issues that accompany those battles. As I am coming out of this and hearing from the Lord on these issues, I want to share this word that the Lord gave to me. I thought it important to give you some background on what this word is about. It is deeply personal, but I believe that it will minister to you...enjoy!

Son, your life is my greatest gift to you on the earth..as you have walked through the challenges of life itself - you have contemplated what death is and what lies beyond death. Even as you read what Solomon said, that is wise, but TODAY - I call you to begin contemplating on life and living. You were not created to die, but to live! I have not called you to the dead, but to the living. My prosperity of life is upon you, I am the giver of long life and the day will come that you will leave your earthly tabernacle, but know this, as sure as the day you were born and had not one ounce of control or say so, so will that day be - it will not be a day of agony or alarm for you. So, leave that to me! Your job is to live and live abundantly...when I call you home, it will not be fearful or unexpected and you will be ready in every part of who you are. Your entire being will long to be with me, the reason the prospect of death now is so frightening is because it is not your time, day or season. So, don't let that consume you, in fact; contemplate life with me, but never be consumed with the aspect of death itself, for it is nothing more than a minute glitch in time. What the world and earthly creatures experience as death is not what it is about at all, for it is literally one second of your entire existence and then you explode into life and joy as you never have known. So, don't be distracted or consumed or get in fear. Your life...the very moments and minutes of your life are in my hand and in my heart. Pursue life, live life, enjoy life, honor life, be alive, be well - be pleasing to me and honor my word - for the best is yet to come!!

The Harvest Anointing!

A Word from the Lord:

"For the days that I have set before you are days of harvest...days of reaping that which has been sown.  Know, this, says the Lord, that every harvest is the direct result of seed!  No harvest is accidental or happenstance...I am the Lord of the harvest and I speak words of life and command blessing over the seeds that are sown in faith and in faithfulness.  The enemy wages battle against every harvest.  There has never been a harvest without battle.  There has never been a victory without war.  Sharpen your swords, lift up your voice, prepare for the season of harvest in your life.  This is not a moment, a day or a time of harvest, but a season. Do not be found lacking, do not be found slacking, disengaged or distracted.  The enemy would try to divert your attention and cause you to miss even a part of your harves, and you do have a harvest! The harvest is not just for a few, and my call on your life is not just to particpate in somebody's else's harvest.  I have placed a sickle in your hands, I have set before you the results of the seeds of your life.

Your harvest is the result of the words of your mouth, your faith, your action and the seed that you have sown in love.  The harvest is not small, but substantial.  The harvest is significant!  I have also called those who will labor among you.  I have raised up those who will encourage you, strengthen you and stand with you when the day of harvest grows long.  Be in courage...the harvest is not for the faint of heart...train, prepare and ready yourself for the task at hand.  Know that I delight over you and take great pleasure in the success of your harvest."

I Declare War!

We are at war!

I declare war on the enemy...on the spirit of and mentality of poverty, on the mentality of the small and ineffective church, on the lies and strategies against pastors, churches and ministers.

A Word from the Lord:

"These are the days of war! The enemy is pushing in on every side to discourage and dismantle the army of God.  His tactics are shrewd, but they never change - his position is one of the lie.  His force is built on falsehood and deception.  Many have fallen, many will fall, many will become ineffective in this day.  Many will look to methodology and will comfort themelves with the very tools that the enemy has lied to them about.

I call you to war - I call you to gird yourselves up, to strengthen your hands to stabilize your heart, to encourage your spirit, to take up the shield of faith and the sword of My Spirit.  Push in to Me as the Captain of the Host. I am rallying My people.  This is not a time kto get distracted by the affairs of this world, this is not a time to get distracted by the affairs of the church.  I am doing a work in this hour that is for this hour!  I am doing a work that is for this generation.  All over the earth, I am doing a fresh thing. My mercies are new every morning and I have not forgotten nor have I abandoned my people.  My word over you is yes and amen, my anointing over you is  "now" anointing.  Do not look to yesterday's standards or methods, do not lean upon or depend on yesterday's anointing.  It was for yesterday, stir yourselves up, know Me for who I am.  I am fully revealed in My word!  My word has been designed as a "today word", it is a living word.  It is able to sustain, strengthen, challenge, correct and guide.  Speak my word with life vitality and with authority, stand on it in faith regardless of your trials or circumstances. 

There are those throughout history that have proven My word.  They never bowed to the pressure of what is, but always lived by the possibility of what can be by My word.  The tactics of the enemy are revealed in My word, the strategies of his defeat are revealed in My word, the life of your success is revealed in My word.  My word is greater than your darkest moments, bigger than your biggest challenges, it exceeds your tribulations, it goes beyond your wildest dreams, it is your source of life and your key to happiness.  It is your peace, your health, your wholeness, your satisfaction.  All that you ever need Me to be is revealed in My word.

I have anointed you for this season.  I have equipped you for this battle.  I have raised you up and breathed into you the fresh life of authority and discernment.  Hear Me, listen to Me, I will shape your days, I will direct your paths and I will establish your appointments.  I will go before you and I will come behind you.  I will surround you on every side with My grace and My love.  Your life is secure in Me - I am your hope, I am your calling, I am the Lord your God!!!"

By Grace Through Faith!

"By Grace through Faith"

This morning, I am deeply struck with the passage of scripture in Eph. 2:1-10.  Like you, I can easily remember the time that I was dead in my trespasses and responsible for my own sin.  I am thankful today for the grace of God, by which I have been made alive!  The interesting point to me in this passage is that many times, we tend to miss the fact that we are not only redeemed, but that we have been "raised up" and that we "sit together" in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  I think all of us can grasp that theologically, but bringing into our daily reality is the point of this devotion.  I find this passage to actually be a declaration of the Father over our lives!  I have been redeemed, I am raised up in Christ above all authorities and I am seated with Him in heavenly places!  How does that work it's way into my daily life?

I have to walk in that in three specific ways:

1.)  I must renew my perspective!  (Col. 3:1-3)

I now have the ability to think like God thinks and to see myself the way that He sees me.  I must start defining my reality and live my life based on the truth of the Word and not my daily experiences.  

2.)  Release my past! (Gal. 2:20)

I must get out of the graveyard of my past.  There is nothing there for me...I must make a decision to live my life NOW, by virtue of the authority and the anointing that is a result of my relationship with Christ.    I will not be dictated by my past, by the lies of the past, the reality of the past or the hurts and pains of the past.

3.)  Redeem my purpose! (Eph. 1:3-12)

I have not arrived at this place in my life by mistake...I did not just stumble into this place of life and ministry...I am here by divine calling!  I am on this earth because God has a unique purpose for me.  He has a redemptive plan for my life and I will fulfill His calling on my life while I am on this earth!

I stand with you today in all that God has purposed for your life and ministry.  I agree with God's declaration over you that you are not only redeemed, but have been raised up with Christ and sit with Him in authority.  No power, principality or darkness will stand successfully against you.  You have been endued with the transcendent anointing..."GREATER is He that is in you, than he that is in the world"!! You are a world overcomer and destined for greatness in your life.

The Balance of Life

The balance of my life is relative to responsibility and possibility.  I don't want to live in a way that is irresponsible, thus losing the opportunity of God possibilities.  I don't want to be found in a place where, due to the lack of controlling my environment - I end up "managing" my life as opposed to "living" my life.  The days that I am living are too important to throw away!!