Encouraging Music-"Praise You in the Storm" by Casting Crowns

Encouraging Scripture-Fuel Up!

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.  Psalm 119:5-6 (NIV)

When we thirsty and afraid of becoming dehydrated, espeically in the heat, we drink some water.  When we're hungry, we go to McDonalds-oops, I mean get something to eat.  When we're tired and need rest, we sleep.  When the gas gage in our car is pointing toward that big E, we go to the gas station and fill up.

So when we are spiritually dry and malnourished, why don't we stop, pull out our Bible, and fuel up?

It sounds so darned simple when I put it that way, but I've certainly been guilty of neglecting that important step myself.  I had to study hard for years to become a good accountant, so why would I think I can just roll out of bed in the morning and be a good Christian?  Not because I'm stupid (not really looking for feedback on that statement) but because I allow the speed and business of life to pull me away. 

God will give us the fuel to not only survive our lives but thrive in them, but we need to make up our minds to pull over out of the fast lane and fill up on His Word on a regular basis before we run dry.

Encouraging Music-"I Am" by Mark Schultz

Encouraging Words-Start With the Finish in Mind

Start With the Finish in Mind

Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?  Galatians 3:3 NIV

I’m sticking with a New Year’s theme one more week, but I’m going to take you forward to January 1, 2013.  Wow, that year just flashed by, didn’t it?  So what’s the rush?  None really, but bear with me for a moment.

Remember those resolutions you made last week of everything you were going to get done in 2012, how you were going to improve your health, how you were going to strengthen you walk with the Lord?  If not, may I suggest adding improving your memory to the list. 

So what will that look like this time next year?  If you’re trying to lose weight, what will your new body look like?  What are your goals?  If you said “I want to walk more closely with the Lord in 2012” what will that mean in 2013?  What does that walk look like in your mind?

The more important your commitment or project is, the more critical it is to start with the finish in mind.  When you get in your car, you usually have a destination in mind, don’t you?  You measure success by reaching your destination, and failure would be getting lost and not finding the location you set out for.

I am reminded of the book “The Principle of the Path” written by Andy Stanley.  In it, he defined the principle of the path as “direction not intention determines our destination.”  Essentially he says that we have to know where we want to wind up before we set out on a path in our lives.  We will take certain steps, but if we’re not pointing to a specific place how do we know where those steps will take us. 

Wait a minute though, if we’re thinking things through on our own, aren’t we taking it out of God’s hands and putting it in ours?  Psalm 16:11 says otherwise:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Then there is Psalm 119:105 (also a beautiful Amy Grant song):

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Jesus warned us about taking the wrong path in Matthew 7:13

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

In Jeremiah 6:16 we are taught to carefully consider our path before embarking on our journey (look before you leap):

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

When the Lord has brought us to a time of change in our lives, He doesn’t tell us to turn our minds off and just wander off in the name of “trusting in Him.”  Remember how we’ve been taught that God has a plan for our lives?  Proverbs 3:5-6, a very familiar passage to many of us, spells it out very well:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight

My takeaway from these and other texts:

1)      God has a plan for us that starts with step one, continues with step two, and eventually reaches a definable destination.

2)      Something may seem like our idea, but if it is truly in our hearts, it’s very likely that God put it there and will bless it.

3)      We need to trust and actively engage the Lord as we move through His plan by praying (ask where the good way is) and studying his word (a lamp unto my feet).

4)      If we lose focus on 1-3, our path will diverge from what God would show us, and we will wind up in a ditch or worse because our plan is NEVER better than His.

So you’ve got goals for 2012? Good.  Start with your finish in mind, seek the Lord’s blessing, submit to His will, and follow the path He lays out for you.  If your goal is to loose weight this year, he will not likely be leading you to McDonalds for double quarter pounders (sad but true).  If that’s the path you take, you may have the intention of losing weight, but I can say from personal experience that your destination will be different from your goal (probably the plus-size section).

Whatever the Lord is calling you to do right now, I encourage you to answer that call and Brenda and I will happily support you with prayer.  Please feel free to drop me a note and tell me what your goal is so we know what to pray for.

Encouraging Scripture-Actions > Words

 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Modern day corallaries to this verse would be "if you talk the talk, you need to walk the walk" or "actions speak louder than words."  Don't get me wrong, words are important, but they come back pretty empty if there are not actions to back them up.  If we try to encourage someone yet don't make time for them when they have a problem they need to share, that doesn't help.  If we express concern about someone being hungry or not receiving proper medical attention yet don't offer some type of assistance, either from our own resources or connecting them with someone else, that doesn't help.

Our God talked plenty in the Bible, but He sure did back it up.  He not only talked love, he showed it and through that taught us how to do the same.  Encouraging words are good, but encouragement through our actions is what changes lives.

Encouraging Music-Lord, You're Holy by

Join Us For Affirming Sunday Worship

Please join us on Sunday at 11:00 AM EST for inspiring worship music and the inspired Word of God coming live from New Covenant Church in Atlanta, GA under the leadership of Bishop Randy Morgan, the spiritual covering of our ministry.

I assure you it will be a blessing!

http://www.newcovenantatlanta.com/NCCAtv.html

You can also sample archives of previous services.

Encouraging Scripture-A Work In Process

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NIV)

I know I've struggled with bad habits, ones that don't exactly glorify the Lord, and sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in them.  This scripture reminds us that the Lord is constantly at work inside of us, helping to free us from the shackles of our own limitations.  If you fall short today, that doesn't mean tomorrow won't be better--not based on our strength but on His spirit.

We are all a work in process.  We'll wind up with different starting and finishing points, but the more we walk with the Lord and acknowledge His presence in our lives, the more His Spirit will work to make us more closely in His likeness.

Encouraging Music-"How Great Is Our God" by Christ Tomlin

Encouaging Words-Calling the New Into Being

He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.  Romans 4:17b (NIV)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a time of celebration and refreshment over the holidays and is ready to jump back into the tasks and opportunities of everyday living.

2012 is off to an exciting start for me and Brenda, that’s for sure.  We welcomed the New Year by sharing communion at the Resolution 2012 conference at God’s Remnant Ministries in Maryville, TN.  The conference was amazing, the music and dance were stirring, the words were powerful, and the fellowship was wonderful.  We had the chance to reconnect with some dear ministry friends, and make some new connections with some precious servants of the Lord.  A very special thanks to Pastor Pam Wright and the family at GRM for being such wonderful and loving hosts!

For me, Sunday was the highlight of the weekend.  I was moved to tears (bawling, actually) when the Holy Spirit grabbed ahold of me during a prophetic dance to the song “Lord, You’re Holy.”  I’m still not sure if it was a cleansing, an unbinding, or something else but whatever He did in me was amazing!  I had never had an experience like that before—God absolutely rocked my world and left me with a peace and sense of purpose like none I had ever felt before.

I was primed to receive the message brought by Bishop Randy Morgan, who based his sermon on Romans 4:17.  I was ready to own that principle and put it into practice.  What better way to start a new year than to take inventory of what has not yet manifested in your life and call it into existence by the power of the Holy Spirit! 

I can’t encourage you enough to mediate on this scripture and apply it to your life.  In case you are afraid I’m just being naïve or using wishful thinking, let me remind you, as Bishop Randy did on Sunday, that earlier in Romans 4 Paul reminded readers of Abraham, who God declared would be “the father of many nations” when his wife Sarah was waaaaay beyond child-bearing years.  God called into being something that was not as if it were and, as they say, the rest is history. 

Won’t you join me in speaking to what is not in your life and call it into being for 2012.  I am declaring that, by God’s power, Brenda will be pain free and regain full mobility and strength in her body!  I am declaring that Brenda’s family will come together in peace and harmony and those who don’t know the Lord will come to do so!  I am declaring that I will be a servant leader that reflects Jesus and can teach others how to do the same!   I am declaring that my best friend will enter into a relationship with the Lord that will change his life!  I am declaring that our ministry will grow and be a source of insight, strength, and encouragement to many people! 

The Lord has already blessed me and Brenda so richly that our list may be shorter than yours.  Since our God has no limits, make your list as long as you need to, then PRAY.  When you’re done, speak God’s promises back to Him about your situation and keep speaking them.  He is listening, and He will come through, even if sometimes He may be on a different schedule than we are.  Believe it, own it, and boldly move forward into the New Year!

I am also very excited to announce that Brenda and I are now co-leaders of Encouraging Word Ministries.  You can find our Internet home page at www.encouragingword.us. This is an extension of the Encouragement for Living (www.encouargementforliving.com) ministry that I’ve been doing and that will remain under this umbrella.   We are adding two new parts, Encouragement for Leading, and Healing for Damaged Emotions.

Encouragement for Leading will be a section where I will share what I have learned and put into practice regarding the concept of Servant Leadership.  You may have heard of the primary example of this practice-Jesus Christ.  We believe this applies to everyone because leadership is about influence, and we all have the opportunity to influence someone in our lives.  Like Encouragement for Living, this will also have a blog that can be found at www.encouragementforleading.blogspot.com or linked from our homepage.  I’ll also be starting a weekly “Leading Words” e-mail soon, which you can of course opt out of if you choose.

Brenda is leading the Healing for Damaged Emotions (www.healingfordamagedemotions.blogspot.com) part of our ministry.  This is an inner healing ministry that can be presented in a group workshop setting as well as a private, individual ministry.  We are available to travel to your church or conference, or have you come to our home for private ministry (with referral by a ministry leader).  Brenda is also available to give you a personal prophetic word, simply e-mail your request to info@encouragingword.us.

We are in the process of setting up a 501(c)3 organization, and are honored to have Jenny Hart, Robbie Ousley, and Doug Sewell serving on our Board of Directors.  We are also honored to serve under the spiritual covering of Bishop Randy Morgan.

If it sounds like we’ll be busy, well, the Lord has told us it’s time to get busy with His work, so we’re just following directions. 

Encouraging Scripture-Come Out of the Wilderness

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.--Isaiah 43:19

As you enter the New Year, do you feel like you're stuck in a rut?  Do you feel like you've been wandering around the wilderness with no clear path or destination?  Unfortunately, I'm sure you have a lot of company.  Fortnuately, there is a way out.

God is ready to do a new thing in your life.  He has a plan, and I guarantee you based on personal experience it is better than any plan you can come up with.  Unfortunately, He won't e-mail it to you.  To understand it, you'll have to get to know him, through studying (reading your Bible) and talking to Him (praying).  When you engage in that, He will start cutting down the brush and make you a path out of your personal wilderness into the light He wants to shine on your life.

The best day to get started would be today.  Why wait any longer to receive His blessings?

Encouraging Music-"The First and the Last" by Hillsong

Updates coming in tne New Year

We'll resume posting after New Year's.  We've made some exciting changes to our ministry and can't wait to announce them in early January.  We hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

Healing for Damaged Emotions part 9

The following exercise of renouncement should be done with a person you trust who is saved, Spirit-filled and full of faith. DO NOT DO THIS EXERCISE ALONE! Please understand this is not a quick fix, but a step to release the devil's hold and allow healing to come.  If you need help please email me.

Generational/ancestral sins and the resulting curses
1.  I confess the sin(s) of my ancestors, parents, and myself of __________________________.

2.  I choose to forgive and release them for the sin, the curses, and the resulting consequences in my life. (Be specific).

3.  I ask you to forgive me, Lord, for this sin, for yielding to it and the resulting curses. I receive your forgiveness.

4.  On the basis of your forgiveness, Lord, I choose to forgive myself for involvement in this sin.

5.  I renounce the sin and curses of __________________________. I break this power from my life and from the life of my decendants, through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.

6.  I receive God's freedom from this sin and from the resulting curses. I receive _________________.

Healing for Damaged Emotions part 8

OPEN DOORS

Please check if common to you or your family whether past or present.

Occult Involvement and/or Cults, Religions and Societies                                                                                     __Levitation           __Water witching      __Freemasonry            __Shintoism
__Accident proneness  __Mediumship           __Hare Krishna          __Animal spirits
__Mental telepathy       __White magoc         __Hinduism                 __Ouija board
__Wicca                      __Islam                     __Palm reading            __Witchcraft
__Jehovah's Witness    __Astrology              __Past life readings      __Drinking blood
__Job's Daughters        __Black magic          __Pendulum reading    __Drinking urine
__KKK                __Occult books         __Psychic readings      __Own masonic jewelry
__Knights of Columbus  __Psychic healing   __Own occult jewelry  __Masonic
__Reincarnation            __Own pagan fetiches __Moonies                  __Crystal ball
__Satanic worship         __Joined a coven       __Mormonism            __Seances
__Dungeons and Dragons __New Age           __Eight ball                 __Sorcery
__Made a blood oath     __Paganism             __Spells                     __Seen a sacrifice
__Rainbow girls             __ESP                     __Spirit guide             __Seen demons
__Fortune telling      __Used mantras       __Scientology            __ Handwriting analysis
__Superstition               __Visited pagan temples__Shamanism             __Hexing
__Tarot cards               __Horoscopes              __Tea leaves              __Bahai
__Shriners                    __Human sacrifice        __Trance                    __Buddhism
__Knights Templar           __Hypnosis              __TM                         __Christian Science
__The Way                      __I Ching                 __Vampire                  __Druids
__Unitarianism                 __Incantations           __Voodoo                 __Eastern Star

Healing for Damaged Emotions Part 7

OPEN DOORS

Please check if common to you or anyone in your family whether past or present.

Infirmities/Disease          Control                        Fears                    Sexual Sin
__Accidents                  __Appeasement            __Anxiety              __Adultery
__Anorexia/Bulimia       __Denial                       __Bewilderment     __Beastiality
__Arthritis                     __Domineering             __Burden               __Defilement
__Asthma                     __Enabling                    __Drread               __Exposure
__Bone/joint problems  __False Responsibility  __Harrassment      __Fantasy Lust
__Cancer                      __Jealousy                   __Heaviness           __Fornication
__Diabetes                    __Manipulation             __Intimidation          __Incest
__Fatigue                      __Passive Aggression  __Mental torment   __Pornography
__Female problems       __Passivity                   __Oversensitivity    __Prostitution
__Heart problems          __Possessiveness       __Paranoia             __Rape
__Lung problems           __Pride                         __Phobia                __Seduction
__Mental illness             __Witchcraft                __Superstition         __Sexual abuse
__MS                                                                  __Worry
__Migraines                                                        __Fears - any kind
__Physical abnormalcy
__Premature death
__Upper respiratory problems

Encouraging Words-Why We Should Give Thanks

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
Psalm 34:1, NIV

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV

I hope all of our American friends had a great Thanksgiving enjoying a bountiful feast, lots of football, and not suffering any casualties during the ensuing shopping frenzy (don’t laugh, it happened).

Brenda and I shared the holiday meal with her family, which is still going through a challenging time after the recent passing of her mother and nephew. As you can imagine, a family experiencing the first major holiday without their matriarch dealt with a wide range of emotions.

Holidays in general can produce some of the most extreme emotions we experience at both ends of the spectrum. When things are good, when we are enjoying abundance, it is the best time to acknowledge and celebrate those blessings. It is also a time when we often miss what we don’t have the most intensely, whether it is material things or loved ones.

It is especially sweet to enjoy the security and opportunities that material wealth can provide, and Brenda and I are more blessed in that area than either of have ever been, either separately or together. While she is well along in the grieving and healing process, it was painful to see other members of her family, already in much more challenging situations than ours, still struggling mightily with the pain of loss and survivors guilt.

I believe the Lord spoke to me when I was asked to offer the blessing before our Thanksgiving meal. I gave thanks for those who were standing in that house, ready to dive into a delicious meal, and also gave thanks for those who weren’t with us, for what they meant to us and will continue to mean in our lives.

You see, giving thanks is not just a good idea. It’s not just a way of humbling ourselves by acknowledging the true source of our blessings (although I believe that is very important).

We should give thanks, first and foremost, because the Bible tells us to. I quote two verses above showing that message very clearly, but there are plenty of others.

The part of that we so often lose track of is to give thanks at ALL times.

Really? Brenda is supposed to give thanks because her mother passed away? No, but she should, and did, give thanks for the life she led, for the impact she had on her family and church, and for the knowledge that she is in heaven feeling no pain and enjoying her glorified body and fellowship with Jesus!

Is Brenda supposed to give thanks for the gaping hole her mother’s passing left in her family? No, but she can give thanks for the opportunity to draw closer to her sisters and nieces, to help them lean more on each other instead of her mother.

Is Brenda supposed to give thanks that her nephew passed away just as it appeared his life was moving it its most positive direction yet? No, but she can be thankful that this led to his daughter and two grandchildren got reconnected with his mother and now have the potential of having a relationship that was previously non-existent.

Our God is a “glass half full” God. In fact, He is always poised to fill the other half back up when some spills out, even though it may not look quite like (or anything like) what was lost. Sometimes we have to look very, very hard, but I believe there will always be something positive our lives can gain from even the worst events or circumstances.

If we have trouble seeing that in the natural, we can always ask the Holy Spirit to point it out to us.

Then we can give thanks, not just because God told us to, but because we want to.

Encouraging Music-"Perfect Peace" by Laura Story

Encouraging Music-"Life Light Up" by Christy Nockels

Healing for Damaged Emotions Part 6

OPEN DOORS

Please check if common to you or your family whether past or present.

     Anger                        Violence                    Depression                 Grief
__ Abandonment         __Abuse                       __Dejection            __Anguish
__Feuding                   __Arguing                     __Discouragment    __Despair
__Frustration               __Bickering                  __Despair               __Heartbreak
__Hatred                     __Cruelty                     __Despondency      __Loss
__Hostility                   __Cursing                     __Gloominess         __Sorrow
__Murder                     __Death                        __Hopelessness     __Weeping
__Punishment              __Destrction                 __Insomnia                 Shame
__Rage                        __Feuding                     __Misery                __Abandonment
__Resentment             __Hate                          __Oversleeping      __Anger
__Retaliation                __Mocking                   __Sadness              __Bad boy/girl
__Revenge                   __Murder                     __Self-pity               __Condemnation
__Spoiled                     __Retaliation                 __Suicide attempt    __Defilement
__Temper tantrums     __Strife                         __Suicide fantasies  __Different
__Violence                   __Torture                      __Withdrawal          __Disgrace
Unworthiness                 Failure                         Trauma              __Embarrassment
__Inadequacy              __Boom/Bust Cycle       __Abuse - any kind __Guilt
__Inferiority                  __Defeat                        __Accident              __Hatred
__Insecurity                 __Loss                           __Loss                   __Inferiority
__Self-accusation        __Performance              __Imprisoned          __Self-accusation
__Self-condemnation   __Pressure to succeed  __Rape                  __Self-hate
__Self-hate                  __Striving                       __Torture               __Self-pity
__Self-punishment                                             __Violence