The Tide is Turning: Part 2

In Wilmington, NC our downtown area is located along the Cape Fear River which is a significant river. The city has put in a nice walking path along the river where people stroll along looking at shops and the many boats that dock. On more than one occasion, I have noticed that the river appears to have come to a stop. It normally is steadily flowing along but at times it looks like the water has stopped flowing. The reason for this is that the tide of the ocean is coming in and the when the ocean tides pushes up the river it looks like the river comes to a stop.

Many times in our life we find ourselves in a season that it appears we are unable to connect with God. Sometimes the difficult situations in our life intensify and we continue to call out to God but we hear, feel and experience nothing. It is as if the water has stopped moving. Has God abandoned us? Is God not concerned about my needs? Will He ever deliver us? Unfortunately many people give up at this moment. They doubt that God is working in their life and they loose their grip on faith.The most heartbreaking thing is that God was actually turning the tide around in their life. They couldn't feel it or see it but God was definitely moving, but because they couldn't see it they gave up.

Galatians 6:9
Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
NLT

Are you growing tired? Don’t give up. You may not be able to see what God is doing and it may even feel like God has forgotten you but He hasn’t. Stay strong, keep praying, and remain faithful! Getin2life with a passion and you will see that God is turning the tide around in your life.

The Tide is Turning

This week I went to the beach and noticed the tide had turned and was coming back in. This morning I felt like God was speaking to me about tides and I wanted share some of these thoughts.

Part 1: When the tide goes out it takes with it debris or trash.

If you feel like the tide is out in your life, meaning you are walking through a challenging situation then gaining an understanding that God is at work in this situation may bring you hope.

John 15:3
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

God will use the situations in our life to prune or wash away the trash in our lives. His purpose isn’t to hurt you but change you from the inside out, which will result in a better you or as in the verse above says, he prunes so you will produce more fruit.

Embrace the season and allow God to let the tide roll out in your life because He is at work in your life.

Don't Act Like a Spoiled Child.

What is your reaction in a situation that doesn’t go the way you want it to go? Life is filled with ups and downs, great moments and not so great moments. Even spiritually we can find ourselves in a dry place or even questioning if God will ever deliver us from a difficult problem. How we react in these moments reflects our faith. Can you still trust God when He appears to not rescue us at the moment that we want? As you probably well know God’s timing is not always our timing. I read this scripture and it shed some perspective on disappointments. I thought this might help some people.

1 Kings 21:1-4
King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel, and near the palace was a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, "Since your vineyard is so convenient to the palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it."
3 But Naboth replied, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors." 4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth's answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!

King Ahab had everything at his disposal but acted like a spoiled child when he didn’t get what he wanted. Verse 4 says he, King Ahab went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat. Man, this King focused only on what he didn’t have and forgot all that he did have.

If you are struggling through a situation that you thought God should have answered by now, don’t be like King Ahab and act like a spoiled child. King Ahab refused to eat. Sometimes we do the same thing when we get down… We quit reading our Word or skip church, stop giving our tithes and so on. Basically we are starving ourselves spiritually.

Determine to make today a great day regardless of the situations. Trust God! Get back into your Word, go to Church and worship with a grateful heart for all that God has done in your life. Focus on the good things in your life. Smile and get-back-in2life. King Ahab sulked. What will you do?

God bless your journey.

A New Level Of Faith

I met a young man recently who was raising support for himself in order to go into full time ministry. I left the conversation greatly encouraged from the level of faith he was walking in. He knew God had called him, now he was stepping out into unchartered waters.

In Matthew 8: 26, Jesus asked the disciples a great question that needs to be asked to all of us at different times. He asked, "Why are you afraid?" Then Jesus answered the question on why they were afraid by stating to the disciples, "You have so little faith."

I think there is a stirring from God for us to live at a new level of faith. God is asking us to step out or step up. It is time for many to move beyond casual Christianity and give yourself over completely to His will. Those of you that know me, know that I'm not talking about spooky and kooky living but I am talking about people laying down bad habits, evil attitudes, grudges and anything that compromises your full out devotion to God. It's time to really getin2life! The God life. If you are reading this then possibly God intended for you to stop right now and ask Him to completely fill you with His love and then challenge yourself to fully live for him. So what are you afraid of? Are afraid to give God everything. Don't be afraid, live by faith. Let me know if you are being called at a new level of faith.

Slow Down!

This week, our family took a few days off for a family vacation. I was forced into limited access to all of my gadgets. Getting online was hit and miss without my normal wireless router, my cell phone only worked if I was standing in the back bedroom of the house where we were staying and the TV remote was not working well. Truthfully, I did not go on the trip with a need for the gadgets but I realized after about 2 days how much quieter my life became. Life slowed down. My wife and children and family were the center of each day.

In Matthew 8:23, it tells the story about Jesus when he had fallen asleep in a boat when a large storm had hit. The disciples were basically freaking out and thought they were about to die. They woke up Jesus and and He spoke to the wind and the sea and the Bible says, "there was a great calm." Basically, the disciples turned over their situation to God and He brought a great calm.

It took a few days of being unhooked from my normal routine for me feel the calm. I am thankful to have had the days away. Sometimes in our hectic paced lives we need to experience this great calm. Take one day, Sunday and let life slow down. Give everything over to the Lord and rest. Rest is good! Getin2life by refreshing it with a much needed day off.

Keep On Praying

On Monday’s I enjoy making my request known to God. This helps me to have an excitement about the weekdays ahead. My faith is active with an expectation that something, somehow will be answered, hopefully this week.

Matthew 7:7-8 "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

Sometimes when I read this it seems too easy. Does God really mean that all I have to do is ask? That’s the way I understand it. I know somebody would like to teach us that we need to make this harder but I like to keep it simple. I dare you. Sit down and make a list of the things you would like to ask God for. Keep it real; don’t ask for a new yacht but start asking.

I’m on vacation this week at Sunset Beach, but I’m still praying. Fortunately prayer doesn’t have to be too hard. I can do it while vacationing. God is good.

Honoring the Grahams

Ruth Bell Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, died Thursday at her home at Little Piney Cove in Montreat, North Carolina. She was 87.

The Grahams are special people. Rev. Graham and his wife will be remembered as legends and could easily be included in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 is a whole chapter dedicated to showing examples of men and women of great faith.

I personally hold a great appreciation for their ministry. I include them both as partners in their ministry. He may have been upfront as the spokesman but she brought great strength to the ministry with him. My appreciation for them began 29 years ago in the Asheville Civic Center. I was 11 years old when I went to hear Rev. Graham speak and then at the end of his message I walked from one end of the auditorium to the front of the stage where I said, “Yes” to becoming a Christian. That day God grabbed my heart. Thank you Lord for using the Grahams to reach me with the good news of salvation.

It is good to honor the people who God has used to touch your life.
Ruth Bell Graham, a life well lived. She knew how to getin2life.

Never Give Up!

Good morning bloggers. I went to our web site to see who was fasting today because I wanted to be sure and pray for them. Biblical fasting always inflicts a death blow to the devil but he never goes down without a fight. In Matthew 4 the Bible says that Jesus was fasting for 40 days and nights and during that time the enemy came to tempt Jesus. Jesus resisted the devil and verse 11 says, “The devil went away.”

Have you noticed every time you take a serious step forward with God that the devil tries to come against you? He tried three different temptations on Jesus before he “went away.” One of the things that gets many Christians off track is they give up; the problems begin to add up, the worries become greater, and they give up. No, they don’t walk away from God but they give up on going further with God. They get complacent. Christianity becomes less important and church becomes a Sunday event or a show that they attend.

It is time for us to rise up with a spiritual backbone! Resist the temptation to become shallow. I’m calling you out of the sin of shallow into a life worth giving your all for. Getin2life today. Live for God with all of your heart. Leave me a comment that says you are part of the strong and courageous. I know there are many!

By the way fasters… keep on pressing forward the enemy can’t stand it when God’s people act like Jesus. He will go away. He’s defeated.

A Love That Fades

I remember my first car that I purchased. It was the fall of 1988. I bought a brand new Nissan Pathfinder. I remember spending weeks and weeks walking around the dealership waiting to find just the right car. Finally, I found it, filled out the paperwork and drove it home. I was very proud of my new car. I washed it regularly, showed everyone and always looked for new gadgets to add to it like my ski rack. After about a year had passed an interesting phenomenon occurs. It is a condition of the human heart. It begins to loose it's original joy for the thing that once you couldn't quit thinking about. This condition of the human heart effects us all. Without regular, purposeful efforts, we all will begin to loose the joy in the thing we once loved. It's one thing to begin to loose the shine of a car but what about your marriage or a close friend. More friends are lost due to neglect than anything.

I was reading in Revelation 2 today. Verse 4, written to the church at Ephesus ,"I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen from your first love! NLT

This church was suffering from the same problem that we are still suffer from, "a love that fades." I don't want to fall into the same problem they did. How are you concerning your original love for God? Are you progressing in passion or have you fallen prey to this common heart condition? One of the best ways to stir up your passion for God is to 1) pray for revival and 2) reach out to someone who is not currently walking with God.

Let's getin2 life! I mean give God your all.

See you soon.

Great Expectations

How do you face Monday? Do you dread the week ahead or do you live with a great expectation of enjoying a great week?

1 Peter 1: 3 “All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.” (New Living Translation)
What are you expecting from your week? More troubles, more pain, and more pressures or are you expecting five days that God can use to bring blessings into your life.

Here are few things I’m expecting this week.
1. Rest
2. Productivity
3. Five more days of the privilege to pray for revival in Wilmington and our great nation

I am pondering this thought. What could God do through me if I will be completely yielded to your His will and “promptings” this week? I expect that this is going to be a great week! God bless your week.

Keep on Praying

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-17 "Always be joyful. Never stop praying."
Do you find joy in praying? I talk with people all of the time who continue to put their prayer life on the shelf. Like a good book they want to read but never find the time to read it. Today, pray. Stop from reading this and pray.

Dear Lord, in the name of Jesus I pray for a renewed passion to pray to fall on our church and others. Currently, our church is linked up with thousands around America to pray for our great nation. Go to this link and learn more about this movement. www.thecall.com If you want to join with our church as we collectively fast and pray for 40 days, go to our web site www.lifecommunitywilmington.com and click on the picture about prayer to sign up for your day to fast and pray. I'm convinced that our prayers are raising the water levels of revival and one day they will pour out on our cities and nation.

More Talk than Action

Yesterday, I was so sure that I was going to go out and be light to someone in a dark world. I don't think I did so well. No amazing stories to tell. I will not be down over this, today is a new day, a new day to getin2life. God help me to be about your business today.

Recently, I made a new friend who is a volunteer staff at IHOP, not pancakes, but International House of Prayer. Since my conversation with he and his wife, I have been stirred to pray with more passion. Interestingly, we really never talked directly about prayer but I believe he and his wife are specially used by God in prayer and just by being with them they rubbed off on me. I received a portion of their unique calling. Their ministry is focused on prayer- a lot of prayer, in fact 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, non stop. Visit their prayer ministry live at www.theprayerroom.tv I hope to have them come back to our church and impart their giftings to us. We all could use a dose of passion for prayer. Our nation, our city, our churches, our families, our children need much prayer. Lord stir us to pray. God I pray for revival in our land!!

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Currently our church is collectively praying and fasting for 40 days with a focus on repenting and prayer for revival. This morning I am reading from 2 Peter 3: 9, " He (God) does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." Lord, my prayer for us as a church that we would burn for a love for the lost and be driven to our knees to pray and break off the blinders that blind a lost world. Here I am God send me!!! Can you imagine what it would be like if you could have one good, meaningful conversation with someone today? Pray for God to place people in your path. Tommorrow, I hope to have a new report of someone God used me to touch with the good news of Jesus Christ. Get ready, God is moving.

Small Changes

Small changes can lead to significant results. Simple things can have dramatic results. Most people know that there are areas in our life that need to change but we refuse to do it. As a result, we can look back at our life over the last several years and not see any real progress in life. God is calling us to change. We are saved by God's grace and we are transformed by participating with God in a change process. Hebrews 6: 1 -3 tells us we need to quit going over basic teachings and go on with more mature things. In other words, it's time for us to move forward in our lives. The best place to start with changing something that needs to be changed is to start somewhere with something. Do something a little different today and then continue small changes everyday. Before you know it you will be able to look back and see real progress.