Does He Know You?

Generally, when we're considering someone's salvific status (whether or not they're saved), we will ask the question, "do you know the Lord?". This question is geared towards finding out whether or not that person "knows the Lord" in the pardon of their sins and as their personal Lord and Savior. Of course, you cannot go to Heaven and receive the gift of Eternal Life if you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. But the question I'd like to raise today is, Does the Lord Know You? Yes, there are many a person who has made a personal confession of Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and would adamantly say, "oh yes, I know the Lord". But one of the things that we fail to realize is that, if the Lord doesn't know you, you're not going to make it in. So, we really need to make sure that in light of our confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, that we can confidently say that yes, the Lord Knows Us.

I'm sure that some of you can relate to a relational situation where you feel like you've known somebody for a significant period of time and then, all of a sudden, they switch up on you. You used to be close and now you're not. They used to be nice and now they're mean. They used to be kind and considerate and now they're insensitive and selfish. And as a result you may make the statement, "I don't know them anymore". This can happen with parents and children as their children move from childhood to adolescence. This can also happen with married couples as the marriage extends over time and spouses change. But believe it or not, it can also happen with the Lord. Of course the Lord changeth not (Malachi 3), so we don't have to  worry about Him changing up on us. But as fickle as human beings are, we are definitely apt to change up on the Lord.

Jesus says in the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." I've always wondered, how can someone prophesy, cast out devils and do all of these wonderful works "in His Name", and Jesus not know them. Saints, it's a hard concept to fully grasp, but we must understand that one's work for the Lord and their ministerial productivity, does not constitute nor define the Relationship. This is the problem with a lot of us as preachers. We think that God is pleased because we preach so hard, or we teach so well, or we prophesy His word. Wrong. Yes, God wants us to be faithful over the gifts and callings for which He has ordained us to fulfill. But none of that defines our relationship with the Lord. Our Relationship with Christ is defined by our Character and the Substance of our Spirit. There are several ministers of the Lord that are truly gifted and anointed, but they're nasty, mean and arrogant. That is not of God! And when you serve the Lord in that type of "anti-christ" spirit, the Lord's going to say, "I don't know you!".

There are many of us that are faithful to our calling, but are we faithful to the relationship? Are we as diligent about growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ as we are about preaching a sermon or pastoring a church? Are we committed to insuring that the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrably seen in the character of our lives? The Apostle Rick Joyner said that the Lord said to him (and I paraphrase), "in heaven the rank of a deacon who loves is higher than the rank of an apostle who doesn't". It's not about the titles, it's not about the ministerial rank, it's about the Love. Let us make sure that we're majoring on loving others as Christ has loved us. Otherwise, you may be eternally challenged with the question of, Does He Know You?

Reaching for the Heavens

There's a concept that I'm beginning to believe, for which I don't have a full understanding yet, but still I embrace. In order for us as the people of God to be successful in advancing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven, we must learn how to Reach for the Heavens. Many of us, I'm sure, have heard the saying "the Heavens are open", or the phrase "operating under an Open Heaven". I would like to declare that indeed, the Heavens are open; but what good is it for the Heavens to be Open if we as the people of God do not know how to access those Open Heavens? If I tell you that the door of my house is open, it will do you no good if you never come to my house. Yes, there is a time where God will allow blessings to "rain down" from the Heavens (Malachi 3). But I believe that we are in a time where if you can access the Heavenly Realm, you can get what you need to manifest the Movement of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The scripture says that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 2). This means that we must make a faith adjustment and truly envision ourselves in Christ in the Heavenly Realm. This I believe is a shift; because many people in the church have been taught that Christ is at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for the saints (Romans 8). This of course is true. However, what we're not equally taught is that as children of God and believers in Christ, that we too are seated at the right hand of the Father, in Christ Jesus. Why is this significant? Because if we don't have a faith perspective that allows us to understand that "right now" in Christ we are in Heaven, we won't exercise the necessary faith to take advantage of the heavenly resources for which our spiritual location gives us access to. If I have the food I need in my refrigerator at home, why would I have to leave my home and go to the grocery store or a restaurant? Everything we need is in Heaven; but we have to exercise the necessary faith to access what already belongs to us in Christ Jesus. We can better facilitate this access if we understand our spiritual location in the Lord.

Then we have to make a shift in Affection. The scripture tells us to "set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3). One of the challenges for many of us as believers is that our affection is still too earth-bound. Yes we want to go to heaven when we die, but while we're living on this earth, we really try not to think much about it. Wrong. The reason we do this is because we feel like in order to get to Heaven we have to "die". And nobody's trying to think about dying, right? Once again, our course of thinking is skewed, which reaps us negative results. Believe it or not, Heaven is the place to be. Why? Because Jesus is there. So what we need to do is allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds (Romans 12) and set our affection on Heavenly things, not the things of the earth. Many of us are still consumed with the model of our car, the size of our house, the worth of our bank account and financial portfolio, the state of our family, the status of our ministry, the development of our career. Even though these things may have value, they don't necessarily carry Eternal Worth. That's why we want to make an Affection Shift. And besides, the secret of it is, God never designed man to find his satisfaction in the earthly realm. So if you're trying to find happiness and contentment through something derived and rooted in the earth, you're going to always be disappointed.

Lastly saints, we need to have an ambition to go to Heaven, before we physically die. Once again, I know this is not conventional doctrine or teaching, but it's biblical. The scripture says in 2Corinthians 12 that Paul visited the third heaven. If Paul can go, why can't we? You don't have to be a "super-apostle" to have a Divine Visitation to Heaven before you leave this earthly tabernacle. All you have to do is make the request. And what does the scripture say? Ye have not because ye ask not (James 4). We are commissioned to petition the Father, "thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6). God uses us to make this prayer an earthly reality as we learn and commit to Reaching for the Heavens.

No Neutrality in the Spirit

One of the things that we have to recognize as we move forward towards the Manifestation of the Kingdom of God, is that there is No Neutrality in the Spirit. Either you're Moving Forward or you're Moving Backwards, but there is no Neutral, no standing still. This is something that all of us as believers need to be aware of, because right about now it's all about gaining ground and losing ground. There are too many Christians that think they're "ok" because nothing catastrophic is going on in their lives or because they're not engaging in any "major" sins. Oh contraire saints. Once again, there is No Neutrality in the Spirit. You can't just stand still. Either you're making progress or you're digressing.

When we think of being Neutral, like putting a car in neutral, we think of something standing still, or something or someone not taking sides; they're "neutral" on the issue. But once again, such is not the case. If you go to an automatic car wash, before you go in the area where the washing takes place, they ask you to put your car in neutral. Not park, but neutral. Why? Because when your car is in neutral, it has the ability to be swayed in the direction for which the car wash machine moves it. This is how it is in the spirit realm. When you're not "parked in the Lord", Abiding in Him, your mind and heart have the ability to be Satanically swayed. It doesn't matter what the issue is. Remember, Satan is subtle (Genesis 3). So, all he's looking for is an available mind to "sway" in his satanic direction. That's why we can't afford to be neutral. We can't afford to be laxed. We can't afford to be slothful.We have to be sober and vigilant and make sure that we're being diligent to enter into the Rest of the Lord (Hebrews 4). Otherwise we're going to look up and we will find ourselves having spiritually digressed out of the Divine Will of God.

Therefore, my recommendation is this: let's make a decision one way or the other in terms of which direction we're going to go in for the Lord. If you're going all in for the Lord, do it with intensity, with passion, with fervor, with deliberation. Don't be "half-way" selling out to the Lord. That's contradictory in and of itself. If you're going to make the decision to be sold-out for the Lord then do it! And if you're not don't. What I mean by this, and I know it's going to sound unconventional, but if you're not going to sell out for the Lord, go the other way. I'm not saying to renounce your salvation. I'm saying quit playing games. Quit being lukewarm. If you want to be out there, in the world, doing your thing, do it!

There's biblical support for this position. This is what happened to the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). He had made up his mind that he didn't want to live in his father's house anymore. He got his stuff and moved out. It was a rough experience for him. But what looked like digression actually resulted in progress. He "came to himself" and returned home as the son he should've been before he left. But let's look at the son who stayed home; the one most would consider "the good boy". He didn't leave home (we assume). According to his report, he did everything his daddy had asked him to do. By all appearances, he was a good son. But when his brother came home and the father threw a celebration party, the son who stayed home didn't have the spirit to rejoice with his father. This story's not just about how the son who stayed home felt about his prodigal brother, it's about his disconnect with the father. Saints, when God brings some of us into our full inheritance, there are some people who've been at "home in the church" for a long time, that are going to be haters just like this brother who stayed home. But why was he a hater? Because what he thought was progress by staying home, actually resulted in his own spiritual digression. Whenever you can't rejoice with The Father, you've gone backwards. That's why I'm saying saints. Let us all check ourselves, wherever we are in our walk with Christ, and make sure we're not going backwards in the name of "being good". For there's No Neutrality in the Spirit.

Enduring Spiritual Turbulence

If you've ridden on a plane on several occasions, then you're familiar with the dynamic of Turbulence. You can be flying through the air and everything is smooth, then all of a sudden, you run into Turbulence. This Turbulence is usually marked by bumpiness and rough riding in the air. It's quite uncomfortable and disconcerting as well. However, if we truly be honest, Flight Turbulence is really just a part of flying. As much as we don't care for it and don't prefer it, realistically, it's just part of flying.

Such is the case with our walk with Christ. It would be great if every day was rosy and walking in the Spirit was simply a walk in the park. But if you've walked with the Lord for any length of time, you know that such is not the case. This Christian journey automatically carries with it Spiritual Turbulence. I would suspect that there are more than a few of us who have reached some "rough patches" in regards to our journey with the Lord. As a matter of fact, it's beginning to be a little bit more "bumpy and rough" than usual. This is where we have to make some decisions. And make no mistake about it, how you choose to endure your experience of Spiritual Turbulence can affect the course of your Destiny. So we have to make sure that we muster up the faith to Endure Spiritual Turbulence.

Let's go back to the airplane analogy. When you're riding on a plane and you're challenged to go through Turbulence, the last thing on your mind is getting off the plane. There may be a lot of things that go through your mind, but jumping out at 30,000 something feet is not one of them. Such is the case with our journey with the Lord. When we hit those rough patches and we're challenged to go through our share of Spiritual Turbulence, getting off the journey is not an option. Some of us may have thought about quitting or "drawing back" a little bit. You need to rebuke that thought in the Name of Jesus! The Lord has brought you too far to turn around now. We've got to do just like when we're on the airplane, we've got to ride it out. No matter how uncomfortable or uneasy the ride is.

Then saints we've got to learn to be Patient. If you're going to truly Endure Spiritual Turbulence, you've got to develop Patience. This means we have to develop the ability to Wait on God. When you're going through Turbulence on an airplane, all you're doing is waiting for the turbulence to end. Such is the case with the Lord. But it's a little deeper than that. You have to know exactly what you're waiting for. When you look at Joseph, when you look at David, even when you look at Jesus, each of them were challenged to Wait on God. Each of them received specific promises that the Lord had sealed in their heart to Glorify His Name. But they had to wait. And while they waited each of them were challenged to Endure Spiritual Turbulence. Joseph was sold into Egyptian slavery and then set up for a crime he did not commit and spent two years in a dungeon (Genesis 37, Genesis 39). David, after being anointed the next king of Israel, spent years running for his life from King Saul, hiding out in caves (1Samuel 21-24). And of course Jesus died on the Cross! But if you know their stories, God made them all come out Victorious.

What is it that God has promised you? What has the Lord established as the anchor of your soul in regards to waiting on Him? Fix your faith on Him and His promises and when the hard times come and the road gets bumpy and rough, you'll have the strength to Endure the Spiritual Turbulence.

Desperate Faith for Desperate Times

Many of you may be familiar with the phrase, "desperate times call for desperate measures". I want to announce today that we are entering some Desperate Times. Don't be deceived with the distractions of the political hoopla leading up to the November Presidential election. Whoever the next President of the United States is won't change the course and destiny of this nation. The last President who ran a campaign on "change" didn't necessarily bring about the substantive level of change for which he promoted before he got elected. So we can't afford, eight years later, to put our hope in that again. We must squarely put our hope in God. But in order to get the type of results we're looking for from God, we're going to have to learn how to exercise "Desperate Faith" because we're entering into some Desperate Times.


If you're truly seeking the Lord and are focused on His Divine Will for your life, I suspect that God is challenging you to do some things that you've never done before. Whatever those things are, they are particular and distinct to your personal relationship with God. But I wouldn't be surprised if, while God is leading you to do some different things, that you're thinking to yourself "does it really take all of this?" The answer to that question is Yes. For this season, it takes all of that and more. What we must understand is that some of the things that The Father is leading us to do now are not for "now". They're for the Season for which we are about to enter. If the Judgment of God is released on this nation over the next several months, as I'm inclined to believe that it very well may be, we're going to be living in some very, very Desperate Times. So it is imperative at this juncture that the people of God get positioned to operate in a faith that is commensurate with the hard times for which we are about to endure. When this season hits, this lukewarm, mediocre faith that so many church-going Christians (and preachers) are exhibiting simply will not be sufficient. Desperate Times require  Desperate Faith.


Desperate Faith is a faith that understands that the only way you can survive is at the Hand of God. Many people, including Christians, pride themselves on being self-sufficient. They raised themselves by their own "bootstraps". In the days to come, people won't even have boots, let alone straps to pull themselves up. You will need the Sufficiency of the Grace of God simply to survive. And if your faith is not acclimated to total dependence on God, you simply won't know what to do.


This is where the witness of the church comes in. God is preparing us even the now, so that when people are running scared, not knowing which way to turn, where to go or what to do, there will be a people of God who are walking in faith not by sight, and will be able to point to God as the Answer for the problems that face our nation. This is why God is stretching us right now. So don't be dismayed and don't be discouraged. Keep your focus on God and allow the Spirit to continue to stretch you and mold you, to make  you and break you. In the days to come, you'll be glad that you did. Because when the desperate times hit, you will serve as a light and a witness to the effectiveness and sufficiency of a Desperate Faith in God.

The Internal Enemy

As we press into God's Divine Will for our lives and wait for the Manifestation of the Kingdom of God, we must remain cognizant that the enemy is still going to come after us. The scripture says that the Devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1Peter 5). So we must remain on guard. We must remain sober and vigilant. However, we must also realize that one of our biggest enemies, as one preacher said, is our "inner me". One of the greatest obstacles and opposing forces to the fulfillment of God's Divine Will being executed in our lives is right on the inside of us; and it's called The Flesh. You can describe it as the carnal mind, the sinful nature, the old man; but whatever you call it, we must not fail to recognize that we have something within us, that is not of us, that is designed to prevent us from doing what God would have us to do (Romans 7). This is the Internal Enemy.

According to Galatians chapter 5, the flesh or the sinful nature, is comprised of two key components: the affections and lusts. The scripture reads, "and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts". Therefore, we must attack the Internal Enemy on these two fronts. Remember, the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17). So in order to embrace a Kingdom Move of God, we must crucify the flesh appropriately.

The Affections of the flesh are really tricky because they oftentimes are not "overtly" sinful. This is what messes up a lot of Christians in regards to appropriately dealing with this component of the flesh. We're so focused on our "sins" that we oftentimes miss what's really serving to obstruct the Divine Will of God for our lives. The Bible makes it clear that we are to "set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3). Therefore, if you have affections invested in something or someone in the natural realm, over and above your affection for God and Christ, you are outside of the Divine Will of God. Once again, this can be tricky, because the areas that we're often inclined to invest our affections even above God are not always overtly sinful. Some of us have put our affections for our family above our affection for Christ. Some of us have put our affections for our job and career above our affections for Christ. Some of us have put our affections for our ministry and what we do for Christ above our affection for Christ Himself. And the list goes on. None of these areas are inherently sinful. But when they take precedence over your devotion and commitment and affection for Christ, they then become flesh-driven. This is why Circumcision of the Heart is so significant (Romans 2). We must address the Affections of the Flesh.

Lastly, we are admonished to crucify the lusts of the flesh. Most of the time the lusts of the flesh are fairly self-explanatory. But once again, be not deceived. We live in a society now where it's easier and a lot more convenient to "think" about our lusts as opposed to actually carrying them out. This is why Jesus said in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, "whosever looketh on a woman (or man) to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart". Many of us think that because we're not "doing" the sin or actually carrying it out behaviorally that we're okay. Wrong. We must make sure that we're monitoring our thoughts and imagination, because it's a reflection of the state of our heart. We must do the self-inventory necessary to see if there's something in our heart or in our spirit that is desiring either that for which God has forbidden or what He has not ordained for our lives (2Corinthians 7).

Once again saints, let us be Diligent. The Time is Short and the hour is nigh. The King Is Coming....The King IS Coming. And when He comes at the hour for which we do not expect Him, it will be imperative that we have sufficiently dealt with The Internal Enemy.

Purposed Prayer

The church has a confession to make, for which I believe many Christians are guilty. The church doesn't like to pray. I'm not talking about all churches or "all Christians" of course. But a great many professing believers are not inclined to prayer. The reason I believe this is because in my several decades of being in ministry, it's rare that I see a great turnout when it comes to Prayer Meeting. The attendance at Bible Study isn't spectacular; but the attendance at Prayer Meeting is always lower than that of Bible Study. People will come out to preaching revivals and teaching conferences. But ask folks to come out to a week long of Prayer Meeting, and you won't get a strong response. This is a problem, that has to be rectified in the mainstream church. It's time that the church get back to Purposed Prayer.

Days are coming to this nation and to this world where the only way you're going to be able to survive, literally, is to know how to Pray. In the days of God's Judgment it will be imperative that you know how to communicate with God and access His Throne. If people, particularly Christians, are not acclimated to developing a Prayer Life, then they are going to be lost when the hard times come. Some of the obstacles, some of the challenges, some of the hardships that await this nation will only be conquered by the Power of Prayer.

The Prayer needed for these times will require more than just one's individual prayer. Yes, it will be important to be able to pray to God for yourself. But with what we as a country are about to be challenged to endure, we as the people of God must learn how to come together in Corporate Prayer. This is why Prayer Meetings and Prayer Fellowships are still so significant to the Body of Christ. This coming together of Corporate Prayer will then allow us to focus on what I'd like to call Purposed Prayer.

There are Divine Assignments that God is giving to His church and to His people, to carry out Heavenly Initiatives in the earth realm. This concept is called Heaven and Earth Agreement (2Chronicles 20, Ezekiel 22). When God releases these Heavenly Assignments to be carried out in the earth, He often has them accomplished through the Ministry of Prayer. Those whom He has chosen to "pray these initiatives through" are generally called Intercessors. An excellent example of this was in the Book of Acts when Peter was in jail ready to be executed (Acts 12). The scripture says that the believers were praying for Peter's rescue and release. They were having a Prayer Meeting, but it was for Purposed Prayer. They weren't just singing hymns and reciting prayers that you've heard over and over again. They were specific in their requests towards God. And of course, the Lord answered their Prayers.

It's time saints, individually and collectively, that we take our petitions to the Father and place them at His Thone (Philippians 4). Time is running out. The space for Repentance is closing (Revelation 3). Now more than ever before, the Body of Christ needs to get on our knees and return to Purposed Prayer.

Presumptuous Prophecy

It needs to be understood that as we embark upon the Kingdom Movement that God is getting ready to release in the earth, that we are now operating in what I would like to describe as a Prophetic Season. If you're going to be a worker in and for the Kingdom of God in this next Move, you must have some degree of understanding of the Prophetic Ministry of God. Without this understanding, you will not be spiritually attuned to what the Spirit is doing in and through this Season.

The challenge sometimes with plugging into the Prophetic is that it's hard to discern sometimes when you're dealing with a genuine prophet of God, and when you're also receiving an accurate prophetic word. This requires, first of all, faith in God, and a certain level of spiritual discernment that the Holy Spirit is faithful to reveal; He will bear witness with our spirit (Romans 8). Let us first clarify what the prophetic spirit entails.

Most of us (if you've been in the church all of your life) have probably been exposed primarily to a pastor and the preaching of the Word. Let me first clarify that there is a distinct difference between preaching and prophesying. When a word is being preached, the preacher is Divinely allowed to proclaim the word of God through the filter of their own personality. That's why you have a lot of different "preaching styles" and a lot of different interpretations of various scriptures and biblical texts. Such is not the case with the prophet of God. When a prophet declares a prophetic word, they are not allowed to filter that word through their own personality or give their "personal spin" on what God is saying. No. The prophet is declaring "thus saith the Lord". What the prophet says, if it is in fact a prophetic word and a prophetic declaration, is speaking directly from the mouth of God. This is the difference between preaching and prophesying.

Unfortunately, there are times when a prophetic word goes forth and it is wrong. Yes. As the Body of Christ we need to wrap our minds around the fact that there are prophets, who are genuinely anointed and called of God to the prophetic ministry that don't accurately say what God is saying. How do we know this? The scripture says in Deuteronomy 18 (New King James Version), "when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously". Notice, the word doesn't say that the reason it doesn't come to pass is because it was a false prophet. It says because the prophet spoke presumptuously. What this means is that a prophet of God can speak in the "name" of the Lord, but actually be speaking out of their own soul or their own spirit, not the Spirit of the Lord. I believe this can happen more often than not. Particularly with individuals who may be operating in a prophetic gifting or anointing but haven't been established in the Office of the Prophet (Ephesians 4). For this reason, as the people of God, it doesn't mean we need to start criticizing people or calling them false prophets. It means we need to ask God for discernment, and at the end of the day, make sure that our faith and trust is in God, not a man or woman or even a gift or anointing. If we trust God to give us discernment and revelation in regards to the prophetic messages that He has ordained for our lives, we can avoid being deterred by Presumptuous Prophecy.

You Only Live Once

I'm sure that many of us have heard the saying, "you only live once". This statement is designed to reinforce the sentiment that since you only have one life to live and you "only go around once", that you ought to take advantage of it and live life to the fullest and do the things that will make you happy and allow you to enjoy life. This is where the concept of having a "bucket list" and fulfilling certain life-long dreams comes from. The only fallacy in this perspective is that it is not true. The truth of the matter is that you don't just Live Once. There is an After-Life to the life that we live on this earth. The reason why it's important to conceptualize this reality is because the "Second Life" that we live after this first one is going to last a "whole lot longer" than the one we're living now. Therefore, it would behoove us to develop a proper perspective thereof.

This misunderstanding of "you only live once" is affecting detrimentally the witness of many Christians. A lot of us as believers have bought in to this temporal and finite thinking. We too, go about life with the mind-set that "this is it". We too approach our lives with the misunderstanding that makes us feel we have to make the most out of our situation from a material and circumstantial standpoint. If we embraced the teaching and mind-set that Jesus used regarding life, we would think totally different. As believers in Christ, we do not need to be living for what we can get out of "this life", we need to be living for what we can get out of the life to come. Let me say it again. We don't need to be living for what we can get out of this life, we need to be living for what we can get out of the Life to Come.

When we die, all human beings (saved and unsaved) have an Eternal Destiny. God is an Eternal Spirit (John 4), and since He made man in His Image and after His Likeness, we too are eternal spirits (Genesis 1). With this in mind, there is an "eternal life" or for some, an eternal existence, that awaits every human being that's ever existed on this planet. What the Christian needs to understand is that there is an Eternal Destiny that God has already ordained for us as His children. But the challenge is, your ability to "inherit" and receive that Destiny is contingent upon how you handle the temporal probationary period God has given us while we're here on earth.

Peter asked Jesus one day what the disciples would receive for the sacrifices they had made to follow Him. Jesus responded, "Assuredly I say to you...you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19, NKJV). Jesus was describing to them the role they would play in the After-Life. When Jesus was being tried by Pilate, His response to him was, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of Power" (Matthew 26). Jesus was describing His Eternal Destiny as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Saints, don't get caught up in the here and now. Yes, we have to live "in" today, but that doesn't mean we have to live "for" today. Let the Holy Spirit prepare you for the crown that Jesus has already set aside for you (Revelation 3). Make the choices today that will allow you to reign with Him in His Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20). For the truth of the matter is, you will live more than once.

The Expectation of Miracles

A few years ago, the Gospel group the Clark Sisters, put out a song entitled "I'm Looking for A Miracle". I want to ask, are you looking for a Miracle today? Better yet, not only are you looking but are you expecting a Miracle? I don't know of too many people, saved or unsaved, that could not use a Miracle in their lives. Whether it be physical, relational, financial or vocational; everybody could stand to see God's Supernatural Intervention in their lives. However, Miracles for many of us, and I'm talking about Christians, is more of the exception but not the rule. We say things like "it was a miracle that the Lord woke me up this morning". That's not true. Just like it's not a miracle that you're breathing or thinking (unless God intervened supernaturally for you to do those things), it's not a miracle that you woke up this morning. Why do I say that? Because God did not have to stretch the Natural Order of things in order to get you up. I didn't say God wasn't responsible, I said that God didn't perform a Miracle.

I'm stressing this point because if we continue to mis-define what Miracles are, we won't know what to expect, let alone how to access and receive Miracles when God does perform them. A Miracle is a Supernatural Act of God that overrides the Natural Order that He has created. There is a Natural Realm and there is a Supernatural Realm. Most human beings operate strictly and solely in the Natural Realm. However, God has granted the privilege to His children (Christians) to operate in both. This is why if you're a believer in Christ, then you're not restricted to just functioning in the Natural Realm. You have access through faith in Jesus to operate in the Supernatural Realm as well. This is where Divine Miracles come from.

One of the reasons why the mainstream church does not witness more Miracles with a consistent degree of regularity is because of our conditioning and our lack of faith. In the church I grew up in, we were not taught to expect the Manifestation of the Miraculous when we would come to church. Not that we weren't taught that God is a Miracle-Working God, but we weren't taught to expect Miracles, let alone how to access them on our behalf. It's interesting that many churches will preach that scripture, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13). When you look at the Ministry of Jesus, all He did was Miracles. That was the norm and the expectation of those who followed Him. So why aren't we witnessing more demonstration of the Miraculous in His church, if His Ministry hasn't changed?

Saints, we have to make an adjustment in our faith. I want to challenge you to just start expecting a Miracle. I'm not asking you to make some Radical Spiritual Shift; I'm just encouraging you to expect a Miracle. You know where you need God to intervene Supernaturally. It may be in your family, it may be in your finances, it may be in your health; but expect it. Then I want you to ask God specifically for a Miracle in your area of need. Don't tell Him what to do, and don't tell Him how to do it. Just ask God for a Miracle in your area of need, after you've established a level of expectation. I guarantee you, if you'll raise your level of faith expectation, God will show you demonstrably that He still works Miracles on behalf of His children.

Spiritual Depression

A lot of times people have the impression that being a Christian automatically makes you a happy person. The image of the Christian is that because they have God in their life and Jesus as their Savior, that no matter what is going on in their life, they're still supposed to be "happy". In Christian vernacular, a lot of times we translate this for "joy". However, this is all a misconception. There are going to be times when, as Christians and children of God, we are going to have hard times. We are going to be depressed. We are going to feel sad. We are going to be disappointed; and we are going to be stressed. As a matter of fact, as we mature in the Christian faith and in our walk with Christ, there will be seasons where we will have to endure "Spiritual Depression". Of course this is not a topic that is frequently addressed in the mainstream church, but it is biblical.

The bible says in the 4th chapter of James, "be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness". That sounds like a recipe for Depression to me; and it is. But not emotional or psychological depression, it's Spiritual Depression. The Word is telling us to be deliberate and intentional in regards to mourning, weeping and being afflicted. It actually says to turn our laughter and joy into tears and sorrow. Depression. There will be times saints where we will not feel good and we will not be joyful. Even in regards to submission to God's Divine Will for our lives. That's ok. You don't have to "fake" being happy or feeling good just because you're a Christian or just because you're Saved. As a matter of fact, according to the Word of God, some of us might be feeling too good for our own spiritual good. Spiritual Depression is a mandate for the development and maturity of the believer in Christ.

Then let's take a look at Jesus. As He was preparing to Bear His Cross, He said to His disciples, "my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death". Exceeding sorrowful. That's Spiritual Depression. Hebrews chapter 12 goes on to say, "ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin". As Jesus was challenged to internalize the turmoil and terror of the suffering that He was about to endure in paying the price for the sins of the world, He was so stressed that He was sweating blood (Luke 22). That's Spiritual Depression. Even Jesus, as the Son of God, was required to experience this Spiritual Depression.

Saints, the reality of it is, is that you are not going to be able to accomplish all that God has assigned and called you to do if you do not learn how to experience, internalize and endure Spiritual Depression. There are too many of us, particularly as Christian leaders, that are trying to by-pass this process of Spiritual Development. There are no short-cuts to God's Discipleship Program. Either you submit to the process or you're disqualified as a son (Hebrews 12). No, it's not easy. Yes, it's hard. But He's Worth it. And remember what the word says, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30). We can get to the Brightness of the Morning if we learn to endure Spiritual Depression.

Running the Race

If you are familiar with track and field events, then you're familiar when, at the beginning of a race, the announcer says to the runners, "on your marks, get set, GO". Saints, that's where we are right now. We're at the beginning of the Race. I'm sure many of us have been on the Journey for quite some time. But understand, the Journey that many of us have been on has been primarily for Preparation. In most sports, there's a Training Period, where the players simulate, if you will, the real games (pre-season games, scrimmages, etc.). But there comes a time where the practices and the exhibition games cease; it's time to get down to business. And that's where we are in the Spirit realm. It's time to get set for Running the Race.

The scripture says in Hebrews 12, "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us". If you're going to be ready for Running the Race, there are some things you're going to have to lay aside. Whatever things are "weighing you down", you're going to have to let it go. For some of us it's relationships. For some of us it's the stress of our jobs. For some of us it's the frustration with our families. For others it may even be disappointment and maybe even disgust in our churches. Whatever it is saints, you've got to let it go. You can't afford to let it continue to weigh you down and stress you out. You won't be fit for Running the Race.

Then we've got to lay aside the Sin. Many of us have certain sins that seem to "easily beset us". What is a challenge for one person may not be as challenging to another. But whatever your "sin challenge" may be, now is the time to let it go. We're moving into a Season where Holiness and Righteousness are imperative and a prerequisite for participation in this Kingdom Movement. Yes, God's Grace is always sufficient, and we will always have an Advocate with the Father when we sin (1John 2). But remember what Peter says in the first chapter of his first epistle, "wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance". There was a time when God, if I can say it like this, would let us "get away" with certain sins; primarily because of our ignorance (Acts 17). But not anymore! Jesus died not just to forgive us for our sins but to purge us from our sins as well (Titus 2). If we're going to be fit for Running the Race, we've got to lay aside our sin.

Lastly, if we're going to endure in Running the Race, we have to have Patience. This is not a sprint, it is a Spiritual Marathon. There are a lot of things that God is working out behind the scenes on our behalf that we have no clue about. That's why we've got to learn to Run the Race with Patience. Abraham inherited the Promises of God through Faith and Patience (Hebrews 6). Some of us, even in regards to the things of God, are in too much of a rush. And if you're not careful, you're going to rush yourself right out of your Blessing. Be Patient. Wait on God. He's got everything under control. At His Appointed Time the Divine Plan will be manifested. But in the meantime, we've got to make sure that we're staying focused and prepared for Running the Race.

Spiritual Activation

In reading the scriptures, you find that there were several people during Jesus's Day that were "waiting for the Kingdom of God". Joseph of Arimathaea, the "secret disciple" of Christ (John 19), is described as one who "also waited for the Kingdom of God" (Mark 15). In Luke chapter 2, the scripture describes Simeon at Jesus's birth as one who was "waiting for the consolation of Israel". And then in Luke chapter 3, the scripture says that the people "were in expectation...whether he were the Christ". These scriptures show that during the time of Jesus, there was an expectation for the manifestation of the Kingdom of God.

Why is this significant? Because we are now in a Day of Expectation. We are now in a "waiting" period. There ought to be in all of our hearts and spirits a deep anticipation for what God is getting ready to release in the earth. He's getting ready to release A Kingdom Move of God. Many of the saints have been waiting for a Move of God. The Spirit has had many of us in preparation, in training, in pruning, in purging, in development; all in anticipation of the Manifestation of the Kingdom of God. I'm sure some of you are saying, "how much longer"? I'm sure there are others of you that are wondering, "I don't know if I can take much more". Be encouraged saints! The time of the Father draweth nigh. But here's what we want to understand: we're simply waiting now for Spiritual Activation.

I am believing that if you've been submissive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit for your life, then you've been in spiritual training and development for the last roughly 3 to 5 years ( in terms of intense spiritual deliberation). You've been challenged to endure a lot of shifts, a lot of changes, a lot of sacrifices, and a lot of waiting. But I want to assure you, it's not in vain. Remember the disciples (of Jesus) went through the same type of training with the Master.

But if you remember, after Jesus was resurrected, He gave them one last Face to Face training session on the Kingdom of God (Acts 1). They then asked the question (and I paraphrase), how much longer do we have to wait for the Manifestation of the Kingdom? Jesus did not answer their question directly, but He answered their question: once you've been Spiritually Activated. That's all we're waiting for now saints. If you've been faithful to the Lord and you've carried out what He's assigned you to do during this Season, then rest assured, you will experience Kingdom Manifestation in your life. Our testimony should be that of Job, "all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come" (Job 14). In Acts chapter 2, the Disciples were finally Spiritually Activated. Just like Moses was at the Burning Bush, just like David was as he fought Goliath, just like Jesus was when He was baptized by John the Baptist and empowered in the wilderness after enduring Satanic attack. Hang on in there saints just a little while longer. And just like the Disciples, once they experienced and received Spiritual Activation, God will use us to change the world.

A New Season

It is time for us to recognize that, as we move forward, we have Shifted into a New Season. One of the biggest challenges, I believe, for many Christians is to identify and discern when God has made a Shift in the Season. I want to declare unto you today that this Seasonal Shift has come to pass. Many of you may be feeling like over the last few weeks, some things have changed in your life rather abruptly. This is not a coincidence. For all intents and purposes, things appeared to be going along rather smoothly. Then all of a sudden, "Bam", things changed. All of this doesn't mean that you were "doing something wrong". If you were (or are) the Holy Spirit is faithful to convict you of sin (John 16). But more than likely, the changes you've experienced are simply a sign of the fact that we are in A New Season.

When God shifts the Season, it becomes incumbent upon us to make the necessary adjustments to keep up with God. The God we serve is a God of Movement. He's not a stationary God. He's not a stagnant God. He's a Dynamic God, He's a Missionary God, and He's always on the Move. Therefore, as His children, we have to make sure that we're Moving right along with Him. This is why it's dangerous to get "settled" as a Christian. Regardless of the context; ministerially, relationally, vocationally, maritally, financially. As subjects of the King of kings and Lord of lords, God is apt to pronounce a Shift in any area of our lives at any moment for which He sees sovereignly fit. Therefore, it would behoove us to stay on our "spiritual toes" if you will.

The challenge in properly addressing A New Season is to assess accordingly what the New Season requires. When God Shifts into A New Season, there are some "new" and "different" things that He's requiring of us in order to stay in alignment with His Divine Will and Purpose for our lives. If we fail or refuse to make the necessary "shifts" in regard to the New Season that God is embarking upon, we can get left behind. But it just makes sense; no one (all things considers) wears shorts in the winter when it's 20 degrees. No one wears a fur coat and gloves in the summer when it's 80 degrees. Why? Because the attire is not conducive to the season. Such is the case in the Spirit Realm.

A prophet of God shared a revelation with me once that the Lord had given them. They shared that the Lord gave them a vision of walking down the street. The street was straight, and the prophet was right behind Him. Then all of a sudden the Lord turned the corner, and the prophet could no longer see the Lord. The lesson that the Lord was teaching was (and I paraphrase), make sure that you stay close enough behind me so that when I Shift and turn the corner, you can always keep Me in view. Now is not the time saints to lose sight of what the Lord is doing in our lives and in the earth. Make sure that you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the necessary adjustments that you need to make entering this New Season.

Paying the Price

As we press into this Kingdom Move of God, one thing we must be cognizant of is that there is a Price to Pay in order to receive the Kingdom of God. Salvation is free. But it cost the Father His only begotten Son and it cost Jesus His Life. So salvation may be free for us as believers, but it was very costly to God. However, with the Kingdom, there is a price that we have to pay; and the question is, are you ready and willing to Pay the Price.

Jesus says in the fourth chapter of the Book of Revelation, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire". There is a cost to discipleship. There is a cost to reigning with Christ (Romans 8). There is a cost to receiving and advancing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. One of the reasons why we don't witness more of a manifestation of the Kingdom of God in the earth realm is because we don't have more believers willing to pay the price to bring the Kingdom down from the Heavenly Realm. There's a price to pay in order to access that dimension. This is why Jesus says to us "count the cost" (Luke 14). There is a price to pay for the manifestation of the Kingdom of God.

One of the costs that has to be paid is the Cost of Sacrifice. If you're going to follow Jesus and be an instrument and vessel of His Kingdom Advancement in the earth, you're going to have to sacrifice. You're going to have to Sacrifice your Self. You're going to have to sacrifice your pleasures, your wants, your desires, your preferences. That's why Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "not my will, but Thy Will be done" (Luke 22). You're going to have to pay the price of crucifixion of the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5). You may have to sacrifice your reputation, sacrifice your status-quo. You may have to sacrifice your career. You may have to sacrifice certain relationships, particularly with family and friends. But if you're going to be a witness of God for the manifestation of the Kingdom of God, you're going to have to make a major sacrifice to do so.

Lastly, you're going to have to pay the Cost of Suffering. This is where many believers, including preachers and ministers, draw the line. We don't mind believing in the Lord Jesus, and we don't mind serving Him. But it's another thing when we're called to Suffer for Him. However saints, there's no getting around the challenge of having to pay this price. Many of us avoid this cost because Suffering automatically entails Pain. I mean, who in their right mind wants to willfully endure pain and that which they know is going to hurt? That's why the scripture says, "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2). The natural mind won't be inclined to suffer for Christ, but the supernatural mind will. The scripture also says, "for even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps" (1Peter 2). The days of convenient Christianity are over. God is putting together His army that's going to be supernaturally empowered to usher in a Kingdom Revolution that's going to impact the world for generations to come. The question is, are we willing to Pay the Price to be the witnesses and workers thereof.

Trust in the Lord

Many of us are familiar with the very popular scripture found in Proverbs 3, "trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding". If you're going to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we learn how to Trust in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord is easier said than done. We can trust in the Lord for very basic things like life, health and strength. We trust the Lord for our Eternal Salvation. But when it comes to having to endure certain challenges and trials, it's harder to trust in the Lord. It's harder to trust God when we're not certain of the outcome and we would prefer to do it "our own way". Yet we're in a Season now saints where if the Divine Will of God is going to be executed in our lives, we must learn to Trust in the Lord.

When it comes to trust at any level, there has to be two things; confidence and comprehension. When it comes to comprehension, there has to be some level of understanding in regards to that for which we choose to trust. Many of us don't understand how a car works, but we comprehend just enough to know it's designed to transport us from one location to another. Many of us don't know how an airplane works, but we understand just enough to know that it's designed to stay in the air for extended periods of time and get us to where we're trying to go. One of the reasons why a lot of Christians don't put more trust in God is because we lack an understanding of God. When you have a better understanding of His ways and how He works, it allows you to exercise a better sense of comprehension in regards to who God is. No, you'll never have a "full" comprehension or understanding of God. But will you ever have a full understanding of a car or an airplane? Probably not. And I doubt that for many of us we're going to stop driving or flying anytime soon. Such is the case with God. As you increase your understanding of who God is and how He works (through the reading of His Word), you'll be able to trust Him even the more.

Then, in order to trust, one must have confidence. You're not going to trust someone or something that you don't have confidence in. You sit in a chair because you're confident that it's going to hold you up. When we fail to trust in God, we're saying that we're not confident that God can do what we need or expect for Him to do. One of the challenges with trusting in God is that many times we have more confidence in ourselves than we do God. This is idolatry. Without us saying it verbally, we're actually saying that we feel we're more competent than God; at least in certain situations. This is not the Will of God. God wants us to trust Him when we don't understand how He's going to work it out. That's called Faith. And without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11). The days are coming saints where the only way you're going to be able to survive is to Trust in God. Let's build our confidence and comprehension in the Lord now so that when that day comes, we will know how to Trust in the Lord.

Rise and Shine

Many of you are familiar with the morning greeting of Rise and Shine. Basically it's a call to get up out of the bed and get started with your day. However, this phrase also has spiritual meaning for us during this season. The 60th chapter of the book of Isaiah says, "Arise, Shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee". Saints, whether we're fully conscious of it or not, as the elect and chosen of God, we are about to Rise and Shine!

There's a Shift that God is making in the earth even as we speak. We may not be able to discern or detect it fully in the natural, but in the Spirit realm, God is making some major changes. One of the main things that He's setting up right now is the Division that He's going to make between Light and Darkness. The days of straddling the fence are over. The times of resting in spiritual luke-warmness have ceased. There's going to be a major distinction of whose side you're on. Either you're on the Lord's Side or you are not.

Jesus makes it clear that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5). But He also adds that you can't hide a light under a bushel, and that salt that has lost its savor is good for nothing. The times of us walking as "dimly lit" Christians are over. Its time for the citizens of the Kingdom to Rise and Shine. The scripture also exhorts us to walk as children of light (Ephesians 5). This Light that God is exhorting us to walk in is the Glory of God. There is a Glory that God is ready to bestow upon His people that will radiate the Glory of the Father and make His Kingdom a reality on earth as it is in Heaven. Are you ready? Are you prepared? Are you ready to receive this Glory? Are you ready to walk in the Light of the Lord?

We must also understand that once we Rise and Shine, we will become primary targets of the kingdom of darkness. Remember, as soldiers in the army of the Lord, we are in a War. A War that is designed to advance the Kingdom of God and to take the territory of the Devil (Ephesians 6). We cannot shirk from this. We must understand that God is with us and He is prepared to fight our battles (2Chronicles 20). So as the Lord commanded Joshua, Be Strong and of Good Courage (Joshua 1). In order to secure the Victory, all we have to do is Rise and Shine.

Now is the Time

The God we serve is a God of Timing. Even though He is Eternal and operates within that Realm, He is the Creator of Time (Genesis 1). Therefore, when it comes to His activity in the earth, He operates within Time. That's why it is important that we heed the word of the Lord when it says to "number our days" (Psalm 90). This is an instruction towards Time Management. The scripture also tells us to redeem the time (Ephesians 5). All of these biblical exhortations are directed towards us in order that we may understand the significance of our responsibility to operate within the time for which God has graciously granted to us.

I want to say today saints that Now is the Time. We don't have tomorrow, we don't have next week, we don't have next month, and we definitely don't have next year; Now is the Time. Which means, whatever the Lord is telling you to do, Now is the Time to do it. Wherever the Lord is telling you to go, Now is the Time to go. Whatever the Lord is telling you to say, Now is the Time to say it. We live in a "culture of procrastination". We always tend to want to "put things off". "I'll take care of it later" or "I'll do it another time". No saints. For what God is getting ready to do, and it's going to be sooner than you think, there needs to be a Sense of Urgency as it relates to the things of God. We can no longer afford to be slothful. We can no longer just "go with the flow". Now is the Time.

When Jesus first started His Ministry, He told His mother in regards to his role at the wedding "mine hour is not yet come" (John 2). When the Pharisees and Saducees would try to trap Him, the scripture says, "no man laid hands on Him, because his hour was not yet come" (John 7). But when it was time for Jesus to Bear His Cross and fulfill the Divine Mission for which The Father had sent Him to the earth, Jesus said, "the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified" (John 12). What was He saying? Now is the Time! It hasn't been Time previously saints. There have been some things that The Father has been preparing and getting in Order. Whether we've realized it or not God has been Working. That's what He does. But just as He finished His Work in Creation and on Calvary, His Work of Preparation is about to expire.

When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, preparing for His Crucifixion, the scripture says that He wept over the city (Luke 19). Why did He do this? Because they knew not the time of their Visitation (Luke 19). Are you ready saints? Are you ready for your Divine Visitation? Are you ready for the Miracle Blessings that The Father has ordained and prepared for you? Or will they too be hidden from your eyes? (Luke 19). Don't make Jesus cry as He begins to implement and initiate His Kingdom Move in the earth. Understand that Now is the Time.

The Objective of Evangelism

One of the things that you don't hear a lot about in the mainstream church of America is the topic of Evangelism. Sure, there are some churches that are focused on evangelism and winning souls to Christ. It's not like its a topic that has no relevance at all to the contemporary church. But in terms of it being something that you hear a lot about, that preachers and ministers are truly on fire about; that is not the impression I get when it comes to the subject of Evangelism.

If I may be honest, even as a preacher and a Minister of the Gospel, Evangelism and winning souls to Christ has not been a top priority of my ministry. Yes, I love preaching the Word, and I definitely have a desire to see people come to Christ who do not know Him in the pardon of their sins. But am I hitting the streets on a consistent and proactive basis, trying to find people that I can witness to and insure that they don't spend an eternity in hell? No I am not. And unfortunately, this is the case with most of the very devout, committed and anointed believers in Christ that I have the privilege to fellowship with. I'm not saying this is right nor am I justifying this course of behavior; I'm just being real.

So we must ask the question, why is there a border-line indifference and definitely lack of concerted effort when it comes to winning the lost to Christ, even amongst the clergy? I believe that part of the reason has to do with the fact that many of us as believers, including preachers, are not fully aware of the Objective of Evangelism. If we be honest, many of us are uncomfortable with sharing our faith and attempting to start a discussion that will expose and identify where a person's faith in God lies. It's not that we're ashamed to talk about Jesus, it's just that we're not sure "what approach to take" in regards to approaching the subject of salvation and possibly conversion to Christ.

Once again, part of the challenge in this endeavor is knowing the Objective of Evangelism. What we tend to miss oftentimes with Christianity is that Salvation in Christ is about entrance into the Kingdom of God. Salvation is not just about going to Heaven when you die, it's about living for the Kingdom of God while you're still alive on earth. Therefore, when you talk about Evangelism, you're actually talking about Kingdom Expansion. You're talking about persuading people to come into the Kingdom Life in Christ that you have been blessed, by God's Grace, to be a part of. What this does is give us a perspective regarding Evangelism that goes beyond a "religious discussion" or faith comparison. It's about a choice of Political Domain.

Nobody has to convince people to come to America. We have a national issue with Immigration and Refugees because people are trying to get to America from other parts of the world the best way they can. People aren't trying to get to America because they want to be "American". As a matter of fact, you have more and more people coming to this nation that don't embrace the ideals (atleast culturally and morally) that this country promotes and advocates. People want to come to America because of what America has to offer. This is the Objective of Evangelism. A lot of people (including many Christians unfortunately) don't actually know the benefits and the advantages of being in the Kingdom of God in this life and the life to come. They're not interested in "being a Christian". And there's something in many of us that isn't pressed in trying to convince them to be one. But there's something about letting a person know about the Blessing of the Kingdom of God. The Glory that Jesus the King will bestow upon your life. The healing, the miracles, the joy, the peace, the Glory; all of this comes with The Kingdom. It doesn't come with church membership, it doesn't with just the ordinance of baptism. It doesn't even come with just being saved. It comes with entering the Kingdom of God. And the only way to enter The Kingdom is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (John 3). This is The Objective of Evangelism.

Who's Waiting on Who?

If you've been a Christian or in the church for any length of time, then you've either heard a message or a sermon regarding the topic of "Wait on the Lord". Waiting on the Lord is a significant part of our relationship with God. The bible says in the 37th Psalm, "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land". The 40th chapter of Isaiah says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength". So the scriptures show the significance and importance of Waiting on the Lord.

But the question that I would like to raise today is, Who's Waiting on Who? We often give the impression that we as believers are sitting patiently, waiting for the Lord to move or act on our behalf. We even have songs like, "He may not come when you want Him, but He's always right on time". Even though the song is correct, it gives the impression that our desire is for the Lord to show up sooner than He regularly does. However, I'm not quite sure that we as children of God are actually the ones doing the waiting. I'm inclined to believe that The Father is actually waiting on us. I believe that God is ready, and to be honest with you has actually "been" ready, to release His Kingdom Agenda on the earth on behalf of His chosen people. The only problem is that for many of us, we're not ready. Many of us still are not prepared to receive and to do all that God is calling us to for this next Season. God could move on without us, but that's not God. God is EXTREMELY Patient and very Long-Suffering. So He will wait. But He won't wait forever. There is a Set Time where God will execute and implement His Kingdom Agenda for this Season.

The scripture says in 2Peter the third chapter, "The Lord is...long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". The scripture also says in the third chapter of 1Peter, "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah". So we may want to re-shape our perspective and really take a look at Who's Waiting on Who? Are we waiting on God or is God waiting on us? Let us make sure that we are doing all that we can to be ready when the King of Kings comes during this hour to establish His Kingdom on behalf of The Father. I can assure you, there won't be any time to "get ready" when that Great and Momentous Day comes.

Choose ye this Day

One of the greatest gifts that God has given humanity is Freedom of Choice. A lot of commentators refer to this gift as "free will". However, I would not totally concur with that assessment because your will is not actually free. You're free to choose your master, but someone is going to rule your will (Romans 6). We've just been given the Divine prerogative to choose. Therefore, I use the terminology, Freedom of Choice.

In the Garden of Eden, when God created Adam and Eve in a state of Innocence and placed them in Paradise, He gave them a Choice. They could choose to remain Obedient to Him and remain in Paradise forever; or they could choose to disobey God and eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and surely die (Genesis 2). They had a Choice.

In Deuteronomy chapter 30, Moses lays out to the children of Israel the Blessings and the Curses that will befall them if they either choose to obey God or choose to disobey God. The man of God urges them to choose life over death. Moses urges them to heed the word of the Law and to cleave to the Lord their God and to love Him with all of their heart, mind and soul. They had a choice.

Saints, no matter what's going on in your life today, you too have a Choice. You can choose to either serve God or not serve God. My prayer is that everyone reading this message has already made the choice to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It's the best choice you will ever make in your life. However, for those of us who are already believers and know Jesus Christ in the pardon of our sins, we have a choice to make as well.

When Joshua made the exhortation to the children of Israel to choose ye this day whom ye will serve (Joshua 24), he was making this declaration to the covenant people of God. We've got to make a choice saints. Are we going to remain with this lukewarm Christianity, or are we going to get on fire for the Kingdom of God? Are we going to maintain the status quo, or are we going to deny ourselves and bear our cross for the cause of Christ? Are we going to remain self-indulgent, or are we going to learn how to die daily that the life of Christ may be manifest in us? We have a choice today saints. Choose Ye this Day.

Keep the Fire Burning

In the Old Testament, under the Mosaic economy and the Levitical priesthood, the priests were responsible for the burnt offering presented before the Lord. They were required to light the fire upon the altar, and the mandate was that the fire could never go out. The fire upon the altar had to keep burning from morning through evening (Leviticus 6). This is instructional for us today, because we are in a season where it is incumbent upon us to Keep the Fire Burning.

Many of us, I'm concerned, are running out of steam. You've been faithful to the Lord, you've tried to stay focused, and it seems like things are getting harder, not better. Circumstances and situations still don't seem to be "bending" in your favor. It's obvious that the Lord hasn't forsaken you, but your real question is, "where is the Blessing?" Where is the Reward for all of this "hanging in there"? Unfortunately, I cannot definitively answer either one of those questions. But what I can encourage you to do is to Keep the Fire Burning.

 No matter how frustrated or exasperated you are or may appear to be, I need to assure you that the Blessing of the Father is on the way. Remember, the word says that He is not slack concerning His Promise (2Peter 3), and that one day to Him is as a thousand years (Psalm 90). So we must remain patient and know that God knows what He's doing. At the Appointed Time of the Father, everything that we have been hoping for, and more, will come to pass.

May we take a lesson from the parable of the ten bridesmaids. Remember that five were wise, and five were foolish (Matthew 25). Why were the five foolish? Because they did not make the necessary preparations to Keep the Fire Burning. Saints, we must understand, when the Move of God hits the earth to bring about a Kingdom Revolution, we won't have "time" to get ready at that point. Either you're prepared or you're not. So now is not the time to get slack. Now is not the time to draw back on your devotion and your time with the Lord. Now is not the time to diminish your commitment and your faithfulness to Christ. Keep the Fire Burning! Press through the pain, press through the hurt, press through the discomfort, press through the disappointment. Don't let what's going on around you affect the fire you have for the Lord inside of you. I know it's rough saints, but hang in there. By all means, whatever you do, Keep the Fire Burning.

The Deception of the Natural

At some point, every believer is going to have to make a conscious decision of what Realm they choose to live in; the Natural Realm or the Supernatural Realm. This is not a discussion that we have frankly enough in the mainstream church, but it's needed today for the Season for which we are about to enter. God is getting ready to release a Kingdom Move, and the Kingdom of God is Supernatural. Therefore, if you don't embrace the Supernatural Realm, you can't operate and function in the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. This is serious, and as a result there is an all-out Satanic assault to assure that God's people "do not" embrace the Supernatural Power that God has ordained and made available to His children in the Kingdom of God. For this reason, many believers are falling to The Deception of the Natural.

Once again, if you are a believer in Christ Jesus, you must make a conscious decision of what Realm you choose to live in. It's much easier and convenient to operate in the natural realm because it's basically "second nature" to do so. But herein lies the problem; functioning in the Natural grows out of our nature. What nature is that? It's the fallen nature that we as human beings have inherited from The Fall of Adam (Romans 5-8). The things that we do that grow out of our human, fallen nature, appear to be instinctive and visceral (Ephesians 2). The only problem with this is, many times those actions do not represent the Divine Will of God. Yes, it's natural to want to have sex before marriage. Yes, it's natural to want to compete and feel better than others in order to feel good about ourselves. Yes, it's natural to want to get revenge and hold a grudge when somebody does us wrong. But none of these things, even though they are all natural, do not represent the Divine Will of God for our lives. This is why following our natural instincts and natural desires can be deceptive. Even though they feel right, they are not right with God.

The blessing is that if you are a born-again believer in Christ, you've been given a "new nature" (2Peter 1). Through receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are now a "new man" (Ephesians 4). The challenge is that the new man in Christ has to be nurtured and developed. We have to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4). The bible says first is the natural, then the spiritual (1Corinthians 15). Spiritual can also be interpreted "supernatural". We've lived long enough in the natural realm. It's natural to be sick. It's natural to be depressed. It's natural to have conflict and be at odds with our neighbors. Aren't you ready for a Supernatural Existence? It's Supernatural to live in complete health and healing. It's Supernatural to live in divine prosperity where you're no longer the borrower but the lender (Deuteronomy 28). It's Supernatural to love your enemies. This is the Realm that God wants us to live in. So don't fall for The Deception of the Natural.

Do You Know Who You Are?

There is an Identity Crisis in the Body of Christ that is greatly affecting the witness of the church. Whether we are conscious of it or not, a lot of us really don't know who we are. We know what to call ourselves: children of God, Christians, believers in Christ. We know the titles, but have we embraced the Identity. Do we really know Who We Are? If we really did, I believe we would understand that our Identity and the knowledge thereof, would inevitably cause us to change the world.

As born-again believers in Christ, we really have to understand the implications of having the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us (Romans 8). As Christians, we are a New Creation (2Corinthians 5). Many of us are aware of this spiritual truth, but we may not understand what it fully means. To put it in a context that might be a little more relatable; it means we are aliens. Jesus made it clear that we are "not of this world" (John 17). Anything that is not of this world is looked at as an alien substance. Something that is foreign to the elements of this world. Many Christians do not view themselves this way, and this is part of the problem. The only reason so many churches try to "fit in" with society and mainstream culture is because we don't know Who We Are.

When you look at the character of Superman, the comic book hero, it's clear that he was an alien. He came from a different planet. Yes, he looked like an earthling, and talked like an earthling, but he was not an earthling; he was a being from outer-space. Saints, it's time we start to view ourselves in the same context. We are not of this world. So quit trying to be accepted and measured by worldly standards. The world's way is not the measuring stick for the believer in Christ. What we have to embrace as believers in Christ is that we have the life of God residing in our souls. THE LIFE OF GOD. Any child carries the dna of their parents within their blood and cells. As the children of God we have the very life of God as part of our genetic makeup. Do you know what that means? It means you can now walk on water. It means you can change water into wine. It means you can tell the sun to stand still for 24 hours. It means you can take two fish and five loaves of bread and feed thousands. It means you can raise the dead!

At some point, regarding the Superman story, Clark Kent had to realize that he was not from earth, that he was not like everybody else, and that he had supernatural powers that were ordained to be used in the service of humanity. At some point, we too, like Clark Kent, are going to have to wake up and realize as well: we're not like everybody else, we're not from this earth (we're from Heaven, Philippians 3), and that we have been endowed with supernatural powers that are ordained for the service of humanity in the building of the Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in Heaven. However, we will only embrace this reality once we begin to realize Who We Really Are.