How Bad Do You Want it?

Lately, I've found myself really wrestling with a few issues on a personal level.  I mean, the call of God is so incredible for all of us, but requires so much of us.  When you really consider it in the grand scheme of things, it really ISN'T that much.  But on the other hand on a practical level, it's everything!  Take for instance the call of God to follow after Him where Jesus says unless you're willing to "hate" father, mother, sister, brother, cat, dog, and everything else in between and follow Him, you can't be His disciple.  Now of course He didn't mean hate in the sense of the absence of love, honor, and respect.  To require so would contradict His very character.  But in the sense of loving Him exceedingly more than all of these is the real premise.  Think about it.  For the former explanation to be the truth would mean that even Jesus hated the creation because He loved the Father.  Yeah, that makes sense.  I don't think so.  But I digress...

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this.  In the natural it costs EVERYTHING to follow Jesus, Man.  I'm talkin' EV-ER-Y-THING.  You ever hear of the phrase, "Give until it hurts?"  How about "Love God until it hurts?"  In the long run, Man, none of the stuff we call important will even come close to rating with God, ya know?  Not money, prestige, fame, glory, friends, husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, children, anything, will be able to rival the importance of God, even though each and everyone of those things and people are VITALLY important.  But in comparison to God, they don't even come close.

You and I have been called by the creator of all to live for Him and Him alone.  And as a result, there is such an incredible reward for walking in obedience to Him.  And the neat thing about it is, in reality, everything you give up to follow Him could possible be returned to you because the focus of your heart would be correct.  However, even if they WEREN'T returned to you, you'd still follow Him at their expense.  Question is, "How bad do you want it?"  Better said, "How bad do you want HIM?"  Are you willing to give up every aspiration you've ever held onto in order to gain being in relationship with Him as your prize?  Are you willing to let go of every passion of your heart whether it be vocationally or relationally to follow after His heart, and in so doing find YOUR heart?  What are you willing to pay?

You were created to be like Him on the earth.  How bad do you want it?

G

Just a Quick Passing Thought...

You know, in thinking about life and living, there is much to be said about making plans and sticking to them.  There is great excitement awaiting each and every one of us IF we are willing to pay the price to see it.  Pressing forward is the thing we MUST do in order to truly enjoy the greatness of the day.  

In light of that, think about driving in a car.  You ever wondered why the windshield is so much larger than the rear view mirror?  It's because the focus is SUPPOSED to be on where you are GOING instead of where you have LEFT.  If you spend your life looking in the rear view mirror at what you've left behind, you will not only miss where you're going, you'll crash and burn as well!  In addition to that, you'll probably injure someone along the way as well.  Again, think about driving in your car.  If you're driving north, but looking south, God help whoever is in front of you!  They'll be jumping for cover and hopefully make it.  Secondly, they'll take away your license to drive for sure!  But how does that apply to life?  Easy.  If you are looking at your past while trying to attain your future, you'll hurt people along the way because you won't even notice them as you're "progressing," thereby potentially damaging their faith and hopes, and possibly even their lives by the decisions and turns you make.  The reason is because YOU won't even know where YOU'RE going!  Secondly, there are people that are following you as well and therefore will be misdirected by YOUR misdirection.  And lastly, you will not be trusted to lead ever again, thereby losing your "license" to speak into the lives of others.  Your words become untrustworthy and are therefore discarded.  The worst of all of this is that you will render yourself ineffective and disqualified to stand in any position of influence or authority, which is one of the things we are to occupy during our time here on this planet.

So hey, Man, open your eyes.  The windshield is bigger than your rear view mirror for a reason.  It holds a clear view of your purpose and a clear picture of the steps you're taking.  It opens your eyes to the lives of those you were created to effect for the kingdom of God and the lives of those you were ordained to influence for the good.  It holds a clear picture of the deposits you are destined to leave here on the earth to remain after you are gone.  Where are you looking today?  What are you watching?  See the bigger picture today and "watch" what happens.

See you at the crosswalk!

Peace. 

G

Can't Do Without...?

We were in Grove, OK last night ministering in worship.  Everything was set up.  The platform, the instruments, the tracks, everything.  Everything was plugged into its correct place.  Yet when we fired up everything, the tracks didn't play, the sound module wasn't communicating with the keyboard, nothing was working!  How frustrating.  What to do?  Well, we just went ahead since we were out of time and the meeting had to begin.  Paul grabbed his guitar and I sat at the keyboard and off we went.  We didn't have all the components that we wanted in order to bring comfort to OUR hearts in the presentation.

But that didn't stop God.

As we worshipped, the atmosphere was energized with the presence of the Lord.  People worshipped freely without distraction and shouts of praise and rejoicing filled the room.  All we had was a simple keyboard, simple guitar, and two simple voices, but the room was filled to capacity with the praises of the Most High.  We'd been in this situation before many times, and worse, and the outcome has been the same.  God showed up when we worshipped.

What this tells me is that you don't need to have all the "earthly" components around you or at your disposal to entertain the Spirit of God.  All He needs are people who want Him around and are willing to host Him at any cost.  We don't need the flashy stuff, just a heart that is in love with Him because His heart is definitely in love with us.  

Think about the woman who gave 2 mites compared to the hundreds given by the masses.  They all gave, but HERS is the gift that caught GOD'S attention.  It wasn't much.  It wasn't flashy.  It was simply all she had.  What about you?  Could you be content with simply giving God all you have regardless how it looks to you?  Would you be willing to worship God with simplicity instead of with the latest and greatest thing that catches the eye of people?  Do NOT get me wrong here.  I don't mean to say that excellence and relevance is not needed.  OH NO!  Quite the contrary.  Instead, I'm saying that if your "equipment" isn't state of the art no matter how much you prepare (and please, for the love of God, prepare!), will your heart of worship be less than excellent toward the Lord?  If it ends up being less than excellent toward Him, you're depending too much on your external excellence!  Again, we MUST be excellent in our presentation at all times.  We SHOULD have the state-of-the-art equipment in our worship services and churches.  But we should NOT become dependent upon them at ANY time in order to have an anointed worship experience.

Look, Man.  All I'm trying to say is, "be free to worship regardless."  You know?  Have all the stuff.  Yes indeed, have all the stuff.  But know that the ONLY One who gets your heart is the King of Glory.

He's all that really matters in the end.

Shalom,

G

Living "LARGER"

Here's a question for you. Are you REALLY living up to the potential you were created to contain and maintain? Are you living a life of just getting by or just ok? Are you just faking it til you make it? What are you really doing with your life?

Look. Jesus said that He came to give life and that life more abundantly. Is you life abundant FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD? The abundant life He came to give was not just for us to sit back and wallow in, but to be a blessing to the nations. But before I lose you on that one, hear this. Notice that He DID give US life more abundantly, which means we're supposed to be enjoying it, too, as well as sharing it with the world.

God doesn't want you to be some overly modest, religious, staunch, dry prude trying to "win the lost." He wants you to be a joyful, peaceful, steadfast, confident, faithful, exciting person whose life is fulfilled because of His presence. That will cause people to stand up and take notice. When you start living like that, regardless of circumstances and issues, they'll want what you've got.

My point is this: you are called of God to live life large! You're not meant to be beneath the circumstances, but above them, because you're not living according to what you see, but how you believe.

What do you believe about God today? whatever you believe about Him, that's exactly what you'll experience.

According to your faith, be it unto you.

G

God Is On The Move!

We just had an incredible time of worship and praise last night at our home church here in Jacksonville. A special speaker, Sid Roth, was there. This guy is VERY strong on winning souls for the Kingdom of God, and moves stomgly in the healing ministry. Millions have been healed in his meetings as well as through his television program "It's Supernatural." We had a great time.

But what I wanted to convey in this note is to simply tell you that God is one the move. He is still active in the world today regardless of what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears. Last night, I watched as God supernaturally healed people of all kinds of things, and I'm not just talking about headaches, either. I'm talking cancers, tumors, deafness, blindness, and on and on. Not one hand was laid on anyone. The healings happened through the declaration of the word and durning the worship.

People seem to have a hard time sometimes thinking that God doesn't do this kind of thing. Well, tell that to the guy who's ear just popped open during worship last night. So far lately, in each place we've gone to, this kind of stuff happens. Now, we don't go around telling people that they're gonna get healed if they come to our meetings. Our goal is to encounter the presence of God, and as a result, these things seem to take place. Don't ask me why.

But my point to you is this: don't let life rob you of God's presence in your life. Believe God whether you get a healing or not. Just believe God loves you and values you and be open to ALL that He wants to release into your life.

Let Him blow your mind.

(more to come)

G

Contributing to the World...

I've been thinking a lot about life during the short duration of this year.  There is a question that comes up in my mind many times, which is, "What am I going to contribute to this generation?"  Am I just here to occupy space and to take up air, or am I here for something bigger than myself?  I submit to you that you ARE indeed here for something bigger and greater than yourself and it's supposed to go on and on after you've left this planet.  

Consider people like:

Martin Luther King, Jr. - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now generations of people of all races can enjoy one another, if they choose to, without racial prejudice.  

George Washington Carver - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now generations of people can enjoy and reap the benefits of his inventions, which far exceeds the peanut (check your history).

Dr. Charles Drew - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now, countless lives have been saved and healed through his discoveries regarding blood plasma.

Alexander Graham Bell - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now, the world has a way of communication more intricate than anyone ever dreamed.

Benjamin Franklin - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now, the world has the ability to harness and utilize the power of electricity.

Wilbur and Orville Wright - They had a dream and did something about it.  Now, the whole world has enjoyed air travel, which was considered anathema by many, stating, "If God meant for man to fly, He would have given them wings."  How many frequent flyer points do YOU have?

And what about people like:

Dr. David Yongi Cho - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now, he's the pastor of the largest church in all the world in Seoul, Korea, well surpassing over 1 million members.  He is also one of the strongest components in the world prayer movement.

Dr. Billy Graham - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now, countless millions have their names recorded in the book of life and are being taught the Word of God.

Dr. Lester Sumrall - He had a dream and did something about it.  Now, through the continuation of his work through his brother Steve, Feed the Nations Feeding Programs reach billions of people all around the world with food they would not have otherwise received.

Paul and Jan Crouch - They had a dream and did something about it.  Now, the gospel of Jesus can be heard around the world through satellite.

Joni Ericson Tada - She had a dream and did something about it.  Now, people around the world are blessed by her art, which she paints with a paint brush in her mouth!  Millions are encouraged to face another day because of her courage.

Mark and Hulda Buntain - They had a dream and did something about it.  Now, millions of people in Calcutta India have come to know the Lord Jesus through their faithfulness and tenacity.  Even after Mark's passing, Hulda continues the work to this day.

All were told:

It can't be done.

You're crazy.

That's not possible.

Don't waste your time.

It's hopeless.

With their lives, all responded with:

It COULDN'T be done until I came along.

Nope.  I'm more sane than anyone.

It WASN'T possible, but it is now.

I'm not wasting time, I'm taking advantage of an opportunity.

I've been gifted to bring hope into a hopeless situation.

We could go on and on about people who invented things, wrote songs and books, took earth shaking ventures, made world changing statements and decisions, preached life altering messages, and started movements that transformed the masses.  But what about YOU?  YOU have something that the world needs.  YOU have a gifting that we're all waiting for.  YOU have something on the inside of you that is awaiting YOUR recognition.  Don't be intimated into stagnation by the world, circumstances, situations, or even the opinions of people.  YOU'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES.  And in this day and age, we need what you have.  So come one.  What will people be reading about you in generations to come?  How will YOU be remembered?  What will be YOUR epitaph?  What will be YOUR legacy?  Will YOUR name be added to the list of achievers for the GOOD or for the BAD?  

God has created you with purpose and destiny.  Jesus had a dream, and it was YOU being transformed into His image, which is the image you were made to reflect.  He did something about it when He died and rose again to save you and give you abundant life.  Now, all the world can have fellowship with the Father once again and become what we were created to become.  He's done all that needs to be done.  He just waits for you to step into it.

Now it's up to you and no one else.

G