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Praying the Will of God

Jay Jones — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:32:18 +0000

Written by Myron Powell

1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Confidence

Boldness = “Come boldly before the throne!”

Confidence in Him, not in ourselves!

Speak the language of faith, not fear! Because God doesn’t respond to fear!

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith can never go past your question!

God’s Will

Our confidence comes from asking according to God’s Will…

His Will is His Word! The two flow and do not violate one another!

Learn to pray God’s Word and you will know His will!

Pray the sermons/messages you hear also…

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Mix the Word with faith…

Hebrews 4:2 (NKJV) For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

If you know His Word, you will know His will…

Mark 1:40-41 (ESV) And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”

Once you know the will of God (which is the Word of God), you will pray confident prayers!

Too many people are praying in darkness; thus the Word of God “enlightens” you…

Psalms 119:105 (NKJV) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalms 119:130 (NKJV) The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

God hears us

God listens to faith-led prayers, prayed in accordance to His will…

1 John 5:14 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Get to know the Word of God and you will be praying the will of God…

Salvation of the lost…

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV) And He said to them, ”Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Healing…

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

And we KNOW He hears us!

How do we know He hears us? By praying according to His will (which is His Word)!

1 John 5:15 (NKJV) And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

NOTICE what happens to prayer warriors who pray the Will of God… WE HAVE (receive) THE PETITIONS THAT WE HAVE ASKED OF HIM!

Ask in faith believing…

Know His Word and you will know His will…

Pray by faith; not by sight!

Pray in the spiritual realm, not the natural realm!

You know the will of God, so quit expecting BAD things to happen!

DON’T NULLIFY YOUR PRAYERS WITH DOUBT!

Matthew 21:21-22 (NKJV) So Jesus answered and said to them,“Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

James 1:6-7 (CEV) But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7 If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

Myron Powell is the pastor of The Church of Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. Read Myron’s blog, ‘Sound Words‘, and purchase his books from LuLu.com.

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Building a Ministry that Lasts

Jay Jones — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:14:37 +0000

Do you know of a former minister or even a former “Apostolic” Minister who now preachers a watered down version of truth? Chances are you do. When I considered all those who used to preach the gospel but have walked away from Apostolic ministry, I was amazed at the number. If this is your label, God isn’t finished with you. God is able to restore if we sincerely repent. Just because you failed or quit doesn’t mean that you will never again serve the Lord. You have a choice concerning your future. Stay where you are or get up and start serving God from where you are.

When you don’t know what to do, do what you know to do. While I believe you can be restored, the purpose of this article targets prevention.

To avoid washing out of Apostolic Ministry, here’s 10 things to do:

1. Get some rest. Take some time off regularly without feeling guilty about it. During this time, resist the powerful temptation to make phone calls and email or fix problems involving the church. Rest your mind, body & ministry. Contrary to some theories, reading does help restore your thought and cognitive processes. Pick up a biography, leadership book or even a fictional novel. New ideas and concepts invigorate and energize your mind.

2. Include your family in the excitement of ministry. Many preachers have felt the tug of war between family and work of God because they exist in two different worlds. When you discuss the church and work of God, use positive words. Your family can’t see the joy of ministry if all they hear is the negative of ministry. Frequently say “Isn’t it awesome that Daddy is a preacher?”, “Working for God is the coolest thing to do with your life”, “It’s fun working for Jesus” and “I love working in ministry, don’t you?”

3. Develop a prayer life. It is entirely possible to work as a preacher and not regularly pray…don’t get caught in this trap. Develop a prayer life. If you have a productive day of knocking tasks off your “to-do” list and forgot to pray…you have failed. On the same token, if you didn’t get much accomplished but you took time to pray you have recorded a success in the record book of eternity.

4. Protect your morality with a vengeance. Never meet with a person of the opposite sex without a witness present. (Assuming you are male) When you email someone, include your wife in the cc (carbon copy) list not in the bcc (blind carbon copy) list. You want the recipient to know that your spouse will be privy to any and all information. Spouses should treat this information with respect and extreme privacy. You could destroy your husband’s ministry with careless gossip. Never reveal a conversation without checking with your spouse. You do not want him blindsided if the confidential information gets out. There’s rarely a need for things to be repeated outside of the confidence of the pastor. We must learn to forgive and pretend it never happened. Church should be a safe place to fail without the fear of embarrassment. Ministry leadership is built on trust. Be a good steward of the trust of the people. If your marriage is in trouble, keep it in the bubble. Don’t share your frustration with anyone outside of an agreed confidential source. Take time off to work on your marriage. You do not need a special occasion to invest in your marriage. Unlike anyone else in the church, your relationship with your spouse could effect the eternity of many trusting people. Too many ex-apostolic saints blame the break-up of a pastor’s home for their walking away from God.

5. Never settle for dead church, “getting by” or “making due”.Summertime and the holidays are notorious for travel by the saints. Almost every week you will have someone out of town or getting ready to leave. It’s easy to become frustrated with the attitude of people who seem to live in a constant state vacation and excuses. Don’t allow a few unfaithful people to frustrate your ministry to the faithful. People will miss. People will have good times and bad times. People will have times of feeling overwhelmed and giving up. Be patient with people. If they continue to get back up eventually they will outgrow some of these bad habits. It seems that the longer some saints have lived for God the less “spiritual-bipolar” they are. When there’s absolutely every reason in the world to expect a low-attended or dead service push for a breakthrough. Never give into the temptation to “just get it over with”. Some of our greatest victories have occurred when we thought it would be a down service. It also is great promotion for those who miss, when they hear about something great happening at church. People in our congregation hate to miss for that reason. I do too. I train our service leaders to (a) Promote worship (b) Acknowledge that the service is tight or dead and (c) lead the people into a breakthrough. Eventually they will forget what normal (dead church) is like.

6. Dream big, get a plan and be strategic. Write out what you would like to see happen in your church in the next 10 years and promote it among the church. Every year around the first of January I cast vision for that year. I read off about 30 big things that we will do before the end of the year. I also cast vision for the future. Make sure your plan includes developing the people. Cast big vision for something that no one could do on their own. Every individual longs to accomplish big things with their lives. Help them to do this. Be realistic, think in terms of steps. For example, if you are wanting to license ministers, first establish a ministers class. Nourish and cultivate any potential in ministry. Teach your ministers leadership material. Kill programs that have outlived their usefulness by introducing something “bigger and better”. Never put something into leadership until you have given them a clear list of requirements and expectations (that you are willing to enforce).

7. Make things simple. If you cannot describe your process of becoming an engaged member of your church then how do you expect anyone else to remember. What are your “true” requirements for membership. Do your people know what they are? How often do you mention them? How often do you enforce them. Remember requirements that are not enforced are simply “suggestions”. Do your guests know where to go and what to do to go to the next level at your church? Establish a place where all their questions can be answered (ie. membership table or guest relations kiosk). Do you assume that everyone knows the following words and phrases: altar call, Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues, Acts 2:38, tithing, praying through, membership, worship, faith, baptism, etc…

8. Pastor, get a pastor! If you are sitting under a pastor this point is not for you. You already have an authority. If you do not trust him, LEAVE. If you do trust him do not go outside his ministry for counsel without his approval. If you are a pastor, find someone that will be honest with you and stay in contact with them regularly. Submit yourself to their authority and ministry. If they say “jump” don’t say “why”…say…”off what”? I would recommend finding several apostolic men that you trust. These preachers must not be “given to change”.

9. Be Apostolic. Too many ministers have heard the siren call of “cheesy & greasy church” and have been won over by the numbers, money and easy commitment. When Jesus said “take up your cross daily” he wasn’t talking about jewelry. Ministry is supposed to be difficult at times. If you never run head first into Satan it could be that you are headed in the same direction. There’s something sad and tragic about those who leave the apostolic truths that they have been raised with. It’s almost always a slow fade done in the name of evangelism. One day you wake up and realize there’s not much difference between you and the majority of the “church world”. God has called us to separation from, the world, but that separation is also UNTO HIM. You will never give up anything that God does not reward you with a closer walk with Him. The last day compromising “Apostate Church” would be a popular wide & easy road. Few will choose the right (more difficult) path…be one of the few.

10. Stay Positive. In ten years of evangelizing I met a lot of ministers who were poisoned masses of negativity. It seems to effect ministers in two primary ways: bitterness and discouragement. Opportunities for bitterness never cease and there’s no greater distraction for a minister than anger. Here’s some basic truths: You will be done wrong. You will be done wrong by other ministers and people in your church. You will be done wrong by people you help the most. You will be done wrong by your organization (whatever one that is). People will judge you, talk about you, slander you and even work to destabilize you. Remember, they did the same thing to Jesus and your ministry isn’t any better than His. Remember, God has been too good to you and brought you through too much for you allow bitterness to take root in your spirit. If certain friends consistently pull you down with negative or angry talk, change the talk or change the friends. The second “Goliath” of a preacher’s spirit is discouragement. One of my mentors Bro Johnny Godair told me several times, “Remember in regards to church momentum, it’s never as bad as it seems. It’s also never as good as it seems”. Today’s quitters are tomorrows regretters. Don’t let summertime get you down. Sometimes the adage “when it rains it pours” should read “when it rains it hurricanes”. There’s an ebb and flow of church growth. Don’t allow the growth reports of others intimidate you. The best kind of growth is steady growth. We should strive for souls and church growth and even make it our number one priority, however getting someone talked into the water and prayed through is the easy part. What you do afterward in discipleship is the real challenge of church growth.

Finally…the best way to longevity in ministry is to establish your ministry in scripture. Let God talk to you every day from His Word. It’s a lamp to your feet (shows you where you are standing) and a light to your path (shows you where to go from here).

Rob McKee – Pastor
The Pentecostals of Katy

This article evolved from a conversation with my best friend (fellow Pastor MyRick Johnson). A few weeks ago, we met for lunch and were discussing “longevity in ministry”.

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The Big Dog

Jay Jones — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:12:49 +0000

By Fred Kinzie

You’ve often heard it said, “Old men for counsel, young men for war.”

As an older minister, and throughout my pastoral years, it has been my pleasure and privilege to counsel and help many young men in the early years of their ministry. In our church, there has always been at least one and often as many as five young ministers, either aspiring to the ministry or in their beginning years. Then some of those pastoring or evangelizing, sensing my concern for them, have talked with me about some of the bumps and distasteful situations they have encountered.

Some young ministers have been deeply hurt, not physically, but spiritually. Sometimes an older minister unknowingly shunned them, treated them unfairly (at least, in their opinion), or took advantage of them to the extent that they were left disillusioned and disappointed. Or perhaps a successful minister their own age shunned them or made some snide remark that cut them to the quick. Satan has always been exceptionally busy trying to derail promising messengers, or at least to sidetrack them.

Regardless of the circumstances, young ministers definitely need help. Counseling with some of them, I often close by relating the story of the big dog, a story I read many years ago in a magazine. It so impressed me that I have never forgotten it. It goes something like this.

A discouraged, distressed young man seeking emotional help visited an older friend. The young man had been deeply hurt by the actions of a fellow employee who had taken advantage of him and then belittled him in front of his peers. The matter affected his efficiency at work. Every time the fellow employee came by the work area, he added fuel to the fire, so much so that resentment was about to explode within the young man.

The young man and his older friend were discussing the situation when the older man, hearing his dog growling, turned to see what was wrong. He then said to the young man, “I want you to see something that is about to happen.”

The two men were standing close to the porch, some forty feet from the open front gate. The older man’s dog, a poodle, had been stretched out on the porch sleeping, but now he was growling at a big, gangling, long-eared hound striding lazily toward them on the sidewalk.

The older man said, “Watch these dogs.”

“What about them?” answered the young man.

“See that old hound coming down the sidewalk?”

“Yeah, I see him,” the younger man answered as he gazed in the direction the older man indicated.

“Watch what happens as he nears my gate.”

When the hound was about fifty feet away, the poodle’s growling increased and he began barking excitedly. He then jumped off the porch and scurried out through the gate onto the sidewalk, all the time growling, hissing, and jumping stiff-legged back and forth toward the hound as though unafraid of him.

As the hound drew nearer, the poodle backed up the front walk toward the two men, still barking, his hair bristled, his lips curled up, and his teeth showing. When the big dog was almost in front of the house, the older man said, “Now, watch this!”

The poodle was now wedged between his master’s feet, cowed down and whining pitifully, scared that the big dog might be coming after him.

As the big, gangling, long-eared hound passed the gate, ears flopping in time with his gait, he turned his head sideways enough to glance at the poodle. Then he lumbered on, not even breaking his stride.

The poodle, assured of his safety, slipped out from between his master’s feet, scampered back to the sidewalk, and barked boldly once again. In a moment it was over. The hound was out of sight and the poodle was back, stretched out on the porch and panting profusely as though he had been in a big fight.

“Now, friend,” the older man advised, “when you are harassed at the plant, remember to be the big dog. Don’t break stride! Keep on as though nothing had happened or was said about you. When you’re no longer frustrated and annoyed by the harassment, it will cease.”

Relating this story to a frustrated, disturbed young minister seems to hit the mark. When a person rises above the things that “get under his skin,” he has won a victory! After all, God’s guidance and directions are the important items in a person’s ministry, so why should he allow a lesser voice to rule this life or to disturb his peace of mind?

David, when his brother, Eliab, taunted him for coming to the battlefield seemingly uninvited, could have been riled to the point of losing his composure. But, fortunately, he kept his cool by keeping his eye on the bigger picture, that of whipping the giant and gaining a much needed victory for Israel.

David was the big dog! And so can any person be when he is confronted with a barking poodle.

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Revelation and Relationship

Jay Jones — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:27:02 +0000

The Old Testament revelation of God seems to center around His mighty works. When we look closely at these works we find that the revelation goes much deeper than showing God as a God with power to create and perform. A misunderstanding of the purpose of the revelation of God will lead us to a misunderstanding of God Himself. Such misunderstanding will lead to grievous errors in interpreting the purpose and intent of scripture.

God’s self-revelation to His people is the focal point of God’s revelation in the Old Testament. We tend to look for the revelation of His purposes. Without seeing the revelation of His person and the revelation of His character we will not properly understand the revelation of His purposes. In actuality what God does is based upon who He is.

The Genesis account of the self-revelation of God is necessary when really determining a full revelation of God. He began with self-revelation so that Israel would know in going forward who He was, and that who He was is the determining factor in what He does. Therefore we see that revelation leads to relationship.

Since God’s desire in creating man was a desire of relationship we assuredly know that any revelation He gives us is for the purpose of furthering that relationship. If we do not see God’s self-revelation as the basic revelation and the basis for all revelation then we will understand nothing of God and His ways. To a great extent the creation of the world is merely a manifestation of the character of God.

When we look at the incredible intricacies involved in the creation process we see the character of God displayed. The very fact that God says “It was good” or “It was very good” denote that what He had created measured up to His standards of what was necessary for relationship to occur. In this God reveals a compassion, concern and care that are indicative of who He is.

When man would first view those things which God created he would be given insight into the character and nature of God. With the fall of man another revelation of God would be brought forth: Not only was God a Creator but he was also a righteous Judge and merciful Redeemer. This follows the pattern of the purpose of God’s self revelation.

His purpose in creation was relationship; in being merciful to the sinner God continues in His purpose. With the advent of extended mercy to the sinner comes the opportunity to be declared righteous. That righteousness would flow from the character and nature of a holy God. Once it is applied to the life of an individual, through grace, it is then intended that the relationship experience a new depth, namely one of becoming like Him.

To become like Him means that we begin to apply the communicable attributes of God into our lives. The incommunicable attributes remain His alone and He does not expect us to manifest those, nor can we. Holiness is a communicable attribute and indeed can be manifested into our life. In fact, He commanded us to be holy as He is holy. This can only be done through relationship.

Ultimately, holiness is intertwined in the knowledge of the revelation of God and the intimacy of relationship with Him. It is the natural spiritual progression of knowing Him. To be anything less than holy is to prove that true relationship does not exist. The reason for the lack of relationship could well be the lack of revelation of God and His purpose.

Written by Rev. Ron Wofford

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Who Killed Jane Doe?

Jay Jones — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:39:46 +0000

Name changed to protect the family of a dear friend.

My heart is so heavy right now. Ashamed. Disappointed. Reflective. Did I mention ashamed?

Jane Doe came into my life nearly 13 years ago. My younger brother brought her to a church revival service, and the youth group I pastored took her in with warm acceptance. A heavy-set girl, barely 20 years old, newly married. Very beautiful. A laughter that cracked the atmosphere and made joy rain down on those around her. Jane was so moved during one of our revival services that she began weeping as the Sprit moved upon her. Overwhelmed, she exited the sanctuary and went to the basement ladies restroom to make sense of what was happening. My wife followed her, and found Jane kneeling on the floor repenting. As she began to pray with her, Jane lifted her hands to worship God and He filled her with the Holy Ghost… right there on the floor of the ladies’ restroom. I baptized Jane, and for a couple of months her and her husband attended and grew, though he would never surrender to Christ. They disappeared, divorcing sometime during their absence, and it was years until I heard from Jane again. We had moved two hours away to start our church in Kentwood. Life marched forward.

The phonecall came about two months ago… I didn’t recognize the number, and let it go to voicemail since I was busy at the time. I didn’t recognize her voice… it wasn’t full and happy like I remembered her. She simply stated that she got my number from a friend and asked me or my wife to call her back… she needed help. In the midst of busyness, Jane’s message became cluttered with other phone calls, voicemail and requests, and I let it slip away.

The phone rang early this morning, and my mother shared the news that Jane Doe committed suicide sometime during the late hours of the night.

All of the consoling words I could think of… that I’ve spoke to others… the words that release a person from guilt and absolve them from responsibility… they just don’t fit here. She cried for help, and I silenced her. Busily attending to the scrapes and bumps of chronic complainers while the gaping, gushing wound of an old friend continues to drain behind me until her life just vanishes away. I’m so ashamed. I didn’t mean to neglect her, but I did. She reached out to me and I didn’t answer. I should have. Perhaps some people wouldn’t care, but I do… deeply.

I’m reflecting today. I’m going in to work late to get away alone and further analyze myself. I need to learn from this. I love people… I love souls… I genuinely do. My heart breaks open into intercession for the lives God brings into mine. Somehow I created a system of priorities that shut out someone I perhaps could have helped. I know I can’t take the responsibility for Jane’s life… but I feel complicit in her death. While I thought I was the right kind of person, I find that part of me still needs to change… to make room… room for people like Jane Doe.

Thanks for letting me bare my broken heart.

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Are You Too Comfortable For God?

Jay Jones — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:53:26 +0000

By Johnathan Pagan

God wants to bless us. Better job. Better cars. Higher salaries. Make us happy. Give us comforts in life we never had before. He is such a wonderful God. Right?

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe God’s definition of blessed and ours is not congruent?
Have you ever thought about how the supernatural move of God took place n the Word in the lives of Biblical characters whose life examples leave us with horrible occurrences?

If Abraham was a friend of God then why did God make him leave his family, friends, home, to go to a place he didn’t even know the name of and then, to top that off, God demands the sacrifice of his only son? If that happened today I would look at the guy and probably say – “YOU are out of the WILL OF GOD, BOY!! Go back home!”

If Moses was in the will of God then why would God remove him from a palace and put him in a desert herding sheep? Can the will of God be for anyone to take a lower position in life? Many leaders look at those who do so today and declare, “I think that God is going to elevate you in his will, you may need to wait for the next opportunity where your benefits aren’t taken away…”

All the heroes of Hebrews “Hall of Faith” were incredible! Look how these men walking the power of God during their lives! They had a God who was totally in control of their lives! They must have had 401K benefits, comfortable living, increased blessing, and bliss! Let’s take a look….

Abraham was in the perfect will of God, promised lands, nations, and blessings. The only ground he ever owned after he went through all he did was the small parcel of ground on which he and his wife were buried.

Noah was in the perfect will of God… but he ended up building a boat in the middle of the desert and was misunderstood by his generation and ended up with a church of 8 folks. Not one convert (he must have taken a pastorate out of the will of God, right?)

Jacob was in the perfect will of God… and ended up being tricked and deceived by an ungodly relative who stole years of his life.

Joseph was in the perfect will of God… having dreams from God, yet abandoned by his family, tossed in a pit, sold into slavery, accused of rape, imprisoned.

No one was ever in the will of God like Jesus Christ. He was led of the Spirit and full of the Spirit.

Yet, he was born in a stable, almost murdered by a king, the most misunderstood man of his day, couldn’t rub two nickels together, forsaken, beaten, abused, crucified and laid in a borrowed tomb.

He never married. He never built a new home, never saved money, never advanced, never built a real kingdom… he lived a life that was obviously NOT blessed!

If we looked at someone today with the same life characteristics as Jesus Christ we would say, “What a wasted life!!”

Yet the perfect will took him here… HOW COULD THIS BE THE WILL OF GOD? The will of God isn’t always what we think it should be.

Born in a stable – yes, but I doubt three rich kings could find him at the Comfort Inn.

Almost murdered by a king – yes, but what an opportunity for his father to have angelic visitation.

The most misunderstood man that ever lived – yes, but also the most quoted man that has ever lived.

Couldn’t rub two nickels together – yes, but he could get money from a fishes mouth.

Forsaken, beaten, abused, crucified, and laid in a borrowed tomb – yes, but he changed the course of all humanity!

God is more interested in our walking by faith than in our comfort! The life of faith will not always give you palaces and pleasantries, raises and royalties – THE SUPERANTURAL MOVE AND WORK OF GOD FINDS ITSELF IN THE PLACES OF DISCOMFORT.

Have you ever been changed by a comfortable message?
Have you ever been healed by a comfortable prayer?
Has anyone ever been transformed by a comfortable altar call?
Has there ever been a soul born again and discipled via comfortable means?
Has there ever been a financial miracle not preceded by uncomfortable and sacrificial giving?
Has comfortable worship ever launched you into his presence for long term transformation?

NO! NO! NO! – These people of the Hall of Faith are not just to be admired by us – they are our EXAMPLES which we should follow!!

Name one miracle that came as a result of comfort? Jesus never said, “Sit in you Lazy Boy and be thou healed!”… ANYWHERE YOU FIND THE TRULY SUPERNATURAL YOU FIND AN ABSENCE OF THE COMFORABLE! Muddy spit in the eyes, Paul and Silas shackled in prison, Naaman dips 7 times, and rooftops being ripped off are always the atmosphere of the miraculous!!

We want to know, are the pews padded? How long is the prayer meeting going to be? Is he going to preach long? Can we just fast from sun up to sun down? How much money can I give and not be uncomfortable?

Peter was in the boat. The storm is raging. He sees what seems to be Jesus.

He doesn’t get ‘spiritual stupidity’ and just jump into the water and try to walk on it. He asks, “If it is you, bid me come!” I am not talking about taking drastic measures just to see if something will happen… I am trying to get us to see that God has already made provision for the miraculous in our lives. We know it is him on the water! We need to get out of the boat where we know he is out of the boat!!

We need to rid ourselves of this “the will of God is comfortable, pleasing, smooth sailing” mentality!!
Jesus said that particular dimensions of his will won’t even come without the elementary discomforts of prayer and fasting!!

We are crying out for comfort! We like our salaries, our vehicles, our clothes, our styles, our ideas, our fashions – AND GOD SAYS WE ARE POOR, NAKED, AND LUKEWARM!!

He said we are to receive a “New Comfortor”…

A Comfortor granted by heaven that gives us the only comforts we should be thriving on! When we are comfortable in the flesh this NEW COMFORTOR is grieved!! We are praying for God to resurrect living flesh and He is resounding – NO!!- my resurrection power will only be found where the flesh has been killed!

Paul, if you are not shipwrecked you won’t get to Melita. If you are not in the storm you will not reach the barbarians on the island and shake off the vipers!

God did not save us and turn us into little sheltered, ideal, materially prosperous, happy, giddy, living in bliss little children of the Almighty! I think not. If we looked at the lives of the disciples and all of the battles they went through we would shake our fist at hell and declare this is an “attack of Satan!”… but, just maybe Jesus put you guys in that boat, told you to meet him on the other side, then he roused up a storm, tossed you on the see, so you could have the chance to know him as no one in the history of all humanity ever will – the water walker and wind-calmer!

Maybe when we think we are under an “attack of Satan” we are really under an “attack of God”. I need more of those. So Lord, move me from my comfortable place. Maybe I should understand that if I am not walking with some sort of limp, Jacob, I have probably not experienced the blessing that God really wants me to have.

I NEED AN ATTACK OF GOD!

Are you to comfortable for God?

Johnathan Pagan is a bilingual minister with the UPCI and has been involved in the Kingdom of God as pastor, evangelist and missionary. He has functioned for the last 8 years as the Administrator of a wonderful and growing Church in Southern Illinois. His writings can be seen at his blog, “Leaders Mettle“.

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There Comes a Time

Jay Jones — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:48:10 +0000

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (Solomon writes, ) I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Given the many details that a presidential inaugural committee must cope with, mistakes are inevitable. So it was that Franklin Delano Roosevelt received an invitation to his own January 20, 1937 presidential inauguration! Through the White House social bureau, he solemnly sent word that “the press of official business would keep him away”. Then, relenting, he sent a further note in his own handwriting: “I have rearranged my engagements and think I may be able to attend. I will know definitely by January 19. F.D.R.”

Appointments are clever devices that men and women use to arrange and remind themselves of an agreed-upon meeting.

Appointments are often made, and seldom kept. They are the curse and the blessing of the busy lifestyle.

Appointments are set, and kept. Set and broken. Rescheduled and juggled to the whim and fancy of the unmindful and inconvenienced.

However, appointments within the realm of the supernatural are the pre-ordained celebrations of God’s majesty and power.

Timetables, appointments and schedules appear regularly throughout scripture, and while the God of Creation is not bound by the constraints of earthly time, the ticking of every second holds an immense weight in the lives of mankind.

In Genesis 1, God placed the sun in the sky to give light to the world and to dictate the passing of time. Hours, days, months and seasons have governed our existence since the dawn of creation.

More than 560 times in the Bible, God mentions time, and nearly 800 times he references the passing of days. It’s clear that the measurement of time is God’s ordained system of appointing events in our lives. In fact, Heb 9:27 tells us, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (emphasis mine).

It stands to reason that, given God’s obvious inclination to punctuality, he would choose to use this system of appointments to mete out the blessings that are directed toward his people!

The prophet Elisha was blessed by a Shunamite woman, and in return for her faithful care of this man of God, she was promised a son… the thing that she so desired to have. Listen to this discourse…

2 Kings 4:14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi (his servant) answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
16a And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son.

God had an appointment with this woman. It was already jotted down in His DayTimer. Penciled in on the calender. It was declared to her. Spoken by the prophet, under the authority of God. Yet it seemed so outrageous… so out of reach… so UNBELIEVABLE, that this desperate woman couldn’t comprehend the authenticity of the promise.

16b And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

This woman simply didn’t want to be disappointed again in life. She’d already had too much of that. She was imploring the man of God, “Please… tell me it’s true! Tell me there’s really hope for me! Don’t just make a promise that I’ll cling to only to realize it was all a fantasy. Tell me it’s real!” Maybe you know what it’s like to hear the word of God spoken into your life, and you somehow can’t fathom that it could really happen to you. You’ve been hurt too many times before. “God, can this really happen for me? Please… tell me it’s really true!”

Be careful when you dare to deny the promise of God in your life! In Genesis 18, God rebuked Sarah for her unbelief in the imminent fulfillment of His promise!

Genesis 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, How can I bear a child, when I’m old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

When God proclaims promise, there is no room for doubting. When God testifies of His timing, there is no place for a shrine to skepticism! Because when God is ready, there comes a time!

2 Kings 4:17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

I want to declare to you right now, that your blessing has a due-date! God has declared it, and ordained it in you. It’s an appointment set by God himself!

When God gives a promise, He always attaches a due date! You may not know when it is, but there is a time appointed! There is a season of life that is waiting for its delivery! Every deliverance ever declared in Scripture had a due date… a time of fulfillment.

The rock that sailed through the air, after being flung be a young shepherd’s leather sling, was on a flight of destiny. There was an appointed time… a date with destiny… when that small stone would meet with the fleshy forehead of a boastful giant named Goliath. There came a time.

There was a scheduled liaison between the dust-covered ground and tons of falling rubble as the walls of Jericho fell into the timetable of God’s deliverance! There came a time!

The sun and the moon stood still for Joshua and the Children of Israel just to ensure that their victory would be consummated on the Timetable of God! There came a time!

The second hand ticked over to the ordained position in time as the calloused fingers of an aging woman brushed across the fabric of Jesus’ robe. It had been 12 long years, but there came a time!

The sun slipped quietly overhead, anxiously awaiting it’s opportunity to peek from behind the cloud and reveal itself for the first time in Blind Bartimaeus’ life. At the very instant Jesus spoke the last word of this phrase, “Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole!”… the culmination of God’s divine appointment with Bartimaeus’ faith… his eyes opened to reveal the manifest blessings of God!

Bartimaeus had his detractors, yes. And you will have yours once you lay hold of the hope of your deliverance… but he was not deterred. He pressed forward as the clock was ticking ever so near to his appointed time!

In April of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a letter from a Birmingham jail to a group of clergymen. In this letter imploring them to stop criticizing his fight for freedom, he penned the following words, “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.”

Church, there is a due date on the blessings that God has declared in your life!
There is a divine appointment for your healing!
There is a scheduled drop-off for your deliverance!

Do not let the enemy detract you from your personal revival! Man of God! Woman of God! There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and you are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair! There comes a time!

Joshua, there is a walled city waiting to come crashing down for you!
Sarah, there is a son waiting to be born!
David, there is a Goliath waiting to fall!
Paul, there is a city ready to be won to God!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 …there is… a time to every purpose under the heaven:

There comes a time.

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A Lifestyle of Obedience

Jay Jones — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:53:01 +0000

Saul had a problem. In 1 Samuel 15, he bypasses the guidelines of God for sacrifice, and because Samuel had not yet arrived in his distress, he offered the sacrifice himself. When Samuel arrives, Saul receives correction and warning from the prophet. Because Saul bypassed the statutes and guidelines of God in disobedience and took upon himself to sacrifice to God in Samuel’s stead, the prophet delivered the following chastisement, “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

Even though sacrifice was something God desired and even demanded, it was not to be done without obedience. Many enter into worship to God, not for the pleasure it brings to the Lord, but for the feeling it gives to them. With no inward intention of leaving God’s presence and continuing a life of obedience, they bring their sacrifice of praise and worship simply to placate to their sensibilities and pleasure. Does God honor worship and sacrifice offered in disobedience? Does God even need our worship to begin with? He is not interested in what we deem to be sacrificial unless it is steeped in a heartfelt intention of obedience. Week after week our churches are filled with those engaging in willful disobedience, yet bringing sacrifice to God as though it is what God desires.

Samuel’s next statement was profound… a prophetic warning to a man who had a proclivity to disobedience. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

This coming from Saul’s trusted voice must have rattled him deeply, as it caused him to remove all the witches and wizards from the land. He didn’t get the heart of the message, however. Rather than correcting his issue of disobedience, he chose to try and safeguard himself from more hurt.

2 Corinthians 10:6 says, “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

We should build a lifestyle that is vigilant against disobedience, no matter what form it presents itself in. Merely reacting to “issues” does no good in safeguarding us from future failure. Because Saul only reacted to, “issues”, and never cultivated a life of obedience to God, he found himself in another straight shortly after Samuel’s death in 1 Samuel 28.

The heat is on. The Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel, and Saul again takes matters into his own hands. God had left him… Samuel was dead… And in an act of desperation, the security measure he made of banishing those with familiar spirits from Israel was nullified and Samuel’s prophetic warning overtakes him. The very thing he intended to avoid becomes the catalyst of his death. As if a moth to a flame, Saul seeks out the witch of Endor, living out the prophet’s words and manifesting his rebellion in the sin of witchcraft.

Obedience is serious, and has eternal implications.

1 Peter 4:17
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

2 Thessalonians 1:8
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:”

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The Thrill Of The Climb

Jay Jones — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:16:31 +0000

Now, I don’t want to brag, but there is very little I’m afraid of. Seriously. In fact, I would more accurately describe myself as “nearly fearless with a healthy tint of caution”. From bungee jumping to rock-climbing, anything that speeds and anything tall (the taller the better), I seek the thrill of flirting with danger. But I’m at least sensible about it! Well… usually.

I remember a canoeing trip some years back when some friends and I grew amazed at both the depth of the water we had just paddled into, and the incredible height of the cliffs that surrounded us. It was as if we had just been swallowed up by enormous jaws of rock and dirt, with just a sliver of blue sky above and quiet water beneath. My canoe partner and I looked around us and noticed some evenly-spaced rocks and crevices along one of the faces of the walls that surrounded us, disappearing toward the top. Looking at each other, we knew in an instant… a challenge was on! We steered the boat over to the shore, and began climbing the steep wall. It was a strenuous climb, but we were on a mission. Half-way to the top, we paused to catch our breath and strength, and then continued to scale this obstacle.

It took quite some time to make it to the top, but the climb was well worth it. Surrounding us now were luscious trees and beauty. It almost looked as if the scene had leaped off the pages of a fairy-tale book… it was just incredible. We took in the sight for a minute or two, and then walked over to the edge of the cliff to peer over the edge. I remember the feeling in my knees distinctly. It was nearly dizzying to see how high we had climbed, and the canoe below us looked so small. For just a moment, I felt a flutter in my stomach, and then I composed myself, remembering why I had just climbed this cliff. I turned to my friend and said, “This is it… we have to jump!”

“Are you crazy?” He asked.

I stood up with a mischievous smile on my face and walked back from the edge about ten paces, turned around to face the nothingness before me.

“Jay, are you serious?”

“I’m dead serious.”

You see, I didn’t just climb that cliff to see what was at the top. I didn’t just climb to take in the beauty of the wilderness around me. I didn’t scale that wall to say, “Wow, look how high I climbed!” No. I scaled that wall because I knew beyond it laid another challenge… another obstacle… another adventure.

Often in our walk with God, we climb incredible heights in our adventurous journey only to be paralyzed with fear at the next obstacle or fight. Fresh from the victory of our last battle, we shrink at the challenge ahead, and allow fear to glaze us over… numbing us to the idea of another accomplishment.

In Mark chapter 6, we find Jesus and the disciples responding to a tremendous problem. More than five thousand men, women and children had followed them into the mountainside to hear Jesus teach, but had grown hungry. With no food, and the market too far away, Jesus blessed five loaves of bread and two fish, and gave them to his disciples to dispense to the multitude. Miraculously, as the disciples broke the food apart, it grew and multiplied, feeding every one of the people, and leaving twelve baskets of leftovers! This was an incredible miracle, and the disciples themselves were part of it!

Just a few hours later, however, we find the disciples pushed off from shore in a boat while Jesus stayed behind to pray alone. There in the water a storm arose, and the twelve men became afraid as they rowed for all their might to get back to shore. You may remember this part of the story, as it’s taught regularly as one of Christ’s great miracles… Jesus came walking on the water to them in the middle of their storm! Often, we focus on this nature-defying act of Jesus when we relay the story, but have you ever considered what it was that caused the disciples to fear and be, “amazed in themselves beyond measure”? Verse 52 states the reason plainly for us…

” 52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”

They had just come fresh off one of the greatest miracles of a lifetime, and were personally involved in the feeding of thousands of hungry people, yet they had forgotten all about that victory and became fearful in the middle of their next trial.

What would have happened if the disciples gave up rowing? What would the outcome be if they had just surrendered to the fear and despair of their moment and quit the fight? With the encouragement they received from Jesus, they went from “undermining fear” to “unfathomable revival”.

Verses 54-56 of Mark chapter 6 records the actual results like this:

54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

If the disciples had quit rowing… if they had quit believing… if they had given up, they would have stifled a great revival in the land of Gennesaret! What great revival; what great blessing is waiting for you to push beyond your latest victory and into a new realm of the miraculous?

Thank God they kept “climbing”!

I sucked the cool air around me deep into my lungs as my heart raced faster and faster. Adrenaline was rushing through me, and an invincible feeling began to build up in my chest. The hair along my neck and arms stood on end, and it seemed every fiber of my body was surging with anticipation as the muscles in my legs engaged.

With a jolt, I took five or six strides as the astonished face of my friend passed by my in my peripheral vision and the ground beneath me disappeared in a solitary flash.

As my right toes left the edge of the cliff, I let out a thunderous, “WHOOOoooooo!!!!!!” that surely echoed for a mile up the river. I have no idea about the height of that cliff, but I recall that midway in the fall, I ran out breath, sucked in more air and let out one more whoop as my arms and legs flailed in the open sky!

The crash into the deep, refreshing water of the Rifle River was itself a thrill, and the swim back to the surface had me gasping for air. Exploding to the surface, I couldn’t contain myself… I let out another yell just in time hear my friend plunge into the water next to me.

We did it.

And we were on to our next adventure.

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Late To The Party

Jay Jones — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:12:28 +0000

When will we, as churches, get fed up with continually chasing after the latest societal fads, trends and fashions. There is merit in a good presentation and reputation, but it ought to stir us to action when the church… the earthly vehicle Christ instituted to reach a lost humanity… is in a popularity contest with the world!

We want to be green, but green isn’t cool anymore… we showed up late to the party, and wasted our time and evangelism opportunities trying to get there.

We want to be politically active, but people don’t care about politicians anymore… too late to the party again?

We want to be ‘relevant’, but people aren’t looking for something that’s just like them… they’re looking for a change!

Consistently, we fail at trying to be what the world seems to be chasing after. Don’t we realize that all they’re doing is running from fad to fad, from trend to trend, just trying to fit in… just trying to find fulfillment… and NEVER finding it?! We have the ONE THING that can change all that, and for some reason, the church wants to be anything but the church. We are not environmentalists. We are not politicians. We are not rock stars. We are witnesses. With power. With a mission. With a Commission.

Dear God, just help us be the salt and light that this world needs, and not just another tardy member wearing an outdated dress to a party everyone is already leaving.

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