Matt. 4:23-24

Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness.  News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to Him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—He healed them all.

There are no limits in the Kingdom. I have been able to see in the last 8 months and acceleration of this reality across the nation.  Tumors falling off of people, cut off parts such as breast reforming, crippled walking, blind eyes gaining sight, pacemakers disappearing, bolts and screws moving and shifting or disappearing in people, scoliosis in back straightening, asthma being healed, people coming off breathing machine, colds and strep throat healed…these are a few examples.  Literally hundreds and hundreds of people, most of the time what seemed to be pandemonium in church services or conferences of 1200 or less staying for hours just for the possibility of experiencing the Kingdom of Heaven manifested in their need.   The Good news of the Kingdom that Jesus pronounced is that He healed them all.  In fact, in John 10:38-41 Jesus said if you don’t believe in me because things that I say, believe because of the things that you have seen me do.  He also said in Matt. 13:58 that He couldn’t do many miracles because of their unbelief.  I am starting to see that we are only limited to what we believe to be possible to us and through us.  The greek word for believe is pisteuō which means trust in, adhere to and rely on.  Your belief determines how you see, your ability to receive from the Lord, to what degree you are able to receive, and weather you pursue or just take what you get.  Its impossible to please God without faith, this means He really wants us to trust in, adhere to and rely on Him!  In other words He is not gonna lets us down..He really cares about us…His love for us is furious and He is sitting on the edge of His seat waiting to demonstrate this incredibly intense love…if we would only believe (trust in, adhere to, rely on) HIM!  This belief in the love of the Lord and His Kingdom causes us to stand consistent; not wavering on bit on His promises until the manifestation of its reality in our situation.  John G. Lake wrote of people coming to his healing rooms with cancer and first 10-15 days seen nothing change, but after 30 days would be totally healed.

Recently I got the revelation that by this definition, most believers, Christians, don’t believe! I was asked to come pray for a lady that was paralyzed from the waste down.  There was an accident during back surgery and was told she would not walk again.  She was not a Christian, and her husband had been hurt by a priest when he was young so the family never really made the Lord or church a part of their life.  My friend and I went to her house and during our discussion she made it clear that there was no doubt in her mind that God was gonna healer her. What? Really? This woman, that really never goes to church, never been in a revival meeting, no prayer room, never been to a big con fence with great speakers, never had been in a prayer line where someone laid hands on her for prophecy, healing, impartation; yet there was not a question in her mind, caused she believed!  We spent 2 days with her; first day all pain left, was able to move and have feeling in her legs and feet all the way to her toes.  Her feet had been black and blue, but when we took her socks off they where pink, so pink her husband said there looks like there is to much blood in them so we prayed for the right amount of blood in them while her husband was weeping watching what was taking place.  The next day we lead her to the Lord, she had feeling everywhere and got up and walked with light assistance.  The power of God was so strong in room, her son came down stairs.  He had broken both wrists in a snowboarding accident and we asked could we pray for him; he said yes.  Pain went away in both wrists, was able to move one completely!  God transformed this family that never experienced what most of you reading this has simply because she expected the good news of His Kingdom in her situation to work in her situation…she believed!  Most of us know scripturally that the Lord loves us, but a limited to never experience with a right now, real manifestation of His love for us because our belief.  Its easier to believe for others than for ourselves simply because we doubt that it will work for us.

I believe we are at the beginning of a Jesus Movement on steroids!  I believe in this season we are going to see unprecedented headings, signs and wonders and many are going to come to the Lord.  His love is undefeated.  His love looks like something, not just something done in the past but now in your situation; in your life!  No sickness, disease, no cancer, no cripple, no matter how incurable, no matter how impossible…none can defeat the Love of God.  The Good news of the Kingdom is He heals them all…it not something new.  On the contrary, but I believe people will come to where they see of and hear of the manifestation of the reality of His love; reality of the Kingdom of Heaven in people.  I also believe there is an army of people that believe that is rising up that will settle for nothing less to be the ones God uses to demonstrate this reality..I am one and my prayer is you be will be as well!

Every so often in the course of history there are individuals born who defy common reason and statistical explanation. These are the great ones, who break the tether of their generation’s expectations and rise to the high call that seems to echo from somewhere beyond the grave.

The prophets of old peered into the future and spoke of these violent ones who would force their way into the Kingdom, take hold of Heaven and pull it down to earth. These reigning saints refuse to have their exploits be a mere reflection of the past, but instead break the gravitational barriers of naysayers and doubters, and journey far beyond the boundaries of reason into places where no one has ever gone before. Ultimately they capture the prize of the upward call of God that lies in Christ Jesus. These are God’s history makers, the Lord’s chosen people, His mighty men, His holy nation.

Many of us can feel the vacuum of this vortex drawing our hearts into this divine destiny. We find our inner man longing, stirring, and burning for the great adventure. Live or die, we must press through the walls of mediocrity and find the Promised Land of our souls. We live with a passion to be numbered among those who have gained fame in the halls of Heaven and are feared among the prison guards of hell. If we are going to walk as God’s ruling royalty, we have to:

Pray unceasingly

Give sacrificially

Dream unreasonably

Serve wholeheartedly

Love unashamedly

Walk innocently

Believe undoubtingly

Live powerfully

These are the qualities of the Bride of Christ in all of her glory. She is called to be the most creative force on the face of the earth. Therefore, we must not allow ourselves to become known for our boxes, that is, famous for what we don’t do because of our “righteous”constrictions. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin had certain moral values that restrained their behavior, but they were famous for what they did, not for what they didn’t do! It would be tragic if the most creative people on the face of the earth allowed themselves to be reduced to rent-a-cops guarding a box (The Ark of the Covenant) that God vacated 2,000 years ago.

The truth is that if we don’t take our rightful place in the earth, we will relegate sinners, void of the mind of Christ, barred from the wisdom of the ages, and wandering in utter darkness, to being the most brilliant minds of our time! If the brightest light in this world belonged to those locked in darkness, how great would the darkness be in our world? Something is fundamentally wrong with this picture, but this is our brain on religion. Religion is like kryptonite to Superman. Religion can conform the most righteous, reigning saints into mindless zombies, puppets repeating someone else’s convictions they don’t even understand themselves.

Attack Of The Clones

I am convinced that religion is the father of genetic cloning. Religion invented cloning long before the world ever thought of it. Religion has a way of sucking the most powerful people on the planet into a spiritual look-a-like contest, calling it discipleship. True discipleship is meant to empower people to be transformed into the image of their Creator, but religion redefines the terms, conforming people into replicas of their leaders. Religion takes God’s mighty men and makes them artifacts in a museum.

Religious people, like the Pharisees of old, have the hardest time reaching out to folks who think “outside of the box” and don’t behave inside their hopeless shackles. Part of the struggle comes from what they have done to the Savior of the world. They have sterilized the gospel. Jesus took water and turned it to wine, but 2,000 years later, today’s Pharisees have diluted it to grape juice. Religion has reduced the supernatural power of God to a history lesson about serving the dead body of a helpless Christ who, still nailed to the Cross, is incapable of rocking their sacred boat. They emphasize the drowning of baptism, arguing over how people should get wet and what should be said over them during their dipping. Religious people have lost touch with the fact that the bold print of baptism is not on the descent but on the ascension. The death of Christ paid for our sins, but it was His resurrection that gave life to our mortal bodies. Religion embraces death sadistically and moves the risen Christ out of the garden and back to the tomb. Religious people pray things like “God, kill me,” not realizing that even the One who came to give His life as a ransom for us all prayed, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup (of death) from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus did not want to die; He wanted to do His Father’s will. If religion had its way, it would rewrite Mary’s proclamation to read, “He is in the tomb just where we laid Him!” We have lost sight of the fact that the Cross was for the old man not the new man, and that the true Christian life is not about dying for Christ, but living in the life He purchased for us to establish His Kingdom on earth! The Church must shake off the shackles of religion and embrace our supernatural destiny.

Our Commission

The world is crying out in distress, and we must not miss this kairos moment, the opportunity of the ages. In the late sixties, the Beatles took America by storm. In a few short years, four boys from Liverpool altered the course of our nation’s history. Soon after, the world was swept into the wake of their anointing—all while they were singing “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” But it wasn’t long before the Fab Four started to experience a crisis in their own souls. They began to cry out in desperation, singing:

Help, I need somebody

Help, not just anybody

Help, you know I need someone, help

When I was younger, so much younger than today,

I never needed anybody’s help in any way.

But now those days are gone, I’m not so self-assured

Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors

Help me if you can, I’m feeling down

And I do appreciate you being ‘round

Help me get my feet back on the ground.

Won’t you please, please help me

Help me, help me, ooh.

But their cry for help fell on deaf ears in the sanctuary of hope, and soon they were calling Hare Krishna their “sweet lord.” The Church can’t afford to fall asleep in the harvest today as we have done so many times in the past. We are not supposed to reflect our culture; we are commissioned to transform it.

We are called to disciple all the nations of the world. Discipling nations means submerging them in God–not religion–and “teaching them all I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Teaching nations how to think is the transformational catalyst to changing cultures. But as long as Christians aren’t valued in society, they will have no influence in the world. (You only have as much influence in people’s lives as they have value for you. Anytime you try to have more influence than someone has value for you, you will manipulate them.) It is imperative that we become kings who understand the ways royal people influence authority. Otherwise, we will reduce ourselves to social begging, hoping that the BIG, powerful people feel compassion for us and help our cause. This poisonous poverty mindset reduces the Christian message to a cry for help instead of a call for leadership. We don’t need nations to change for our sake. We have a living, abiding, unshakable Kingdom that dwells within us and prospers under all circumstances. We need the nations to change for the sake of those still lost in darkness. They need the culture around them to create a safe environment for them until they get the Kingdom within them.

This cultural begging has relegated the Kingdom of God to a subculture. God never intended Christianity to be a subculture. Subcultures are those cultures that are subservient to a more powerful culture. The world’s commentary on the first century Church reflects the true influence we are meant to have in society. They proclaimed, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6 NKJV). We are called to turn the world around and set it back on its feet again. We are to be counter-culture until the mindset of the nations begins to take on the attitude of the Kingdom. Christians are not subservient to the world because God has assigned us the highest level of authority that exists on this planet. When Christians lose their desire and courage to confront the evils of our day honorably, we begin to be influenced by the lying principalities that are also commissioned to disciple the nations, but with an antichrist agenda. These demonic forces work to dethrone the Prince of Peace, who is the rightful prince of the principles that make societies prosper, and instead enthrone the prince of darkness. Consequently, the enabling principles of a culture become demonically inspired instead of Kingdom in-Spirited. This dark prince works to establish evil thinking that leads to destructive behaviors. But when Jesus rules, He enables the principles of the King to transform the culture through the mind of Christ. In other words, people in a nation governed by the Kingdom begin to think like God!

However, it is important that we learn how to carry His power and authority. If we believers become combative instead of honorably confronting, we will reduce our influence to the small pond of the church and render ourselves powerless in the ocean of humanity. We are to carry God’s authority into the lives of people and nations through invitation, not through intrusion or invasion. Although we are called to be combative to the powers of darkness, we are to be honorably confronting to people, demonstrating the benefits and rewards of a superior Kingdom.

Then six years ago on Sept. 13, I received a call right before 2:55 am from a student leader in our youth ministry that something was wrong with her brother, who was a sophomore in our youth ministry, and I needed to rush over.  When I got to the house I walked into his room and found him lying there after committing suicide.  How could this happen on my watch?  I remember I just saw him earlier that day leaving school smiling at me when i told him how proud i was of the growth I seen in him.  At that moment I didn’t care about filling a room, my heart was destroyed by the question, “Why didn’t he call me?”.  I had the honor of preaching his funeral and over 100 people came to the alter to give their life to Jesus, including the boy’s father.  The only thing that went through my mind was that I would not lose another kid.  If there was thousands or five I decided that I was going to invest in people, that those I invested in would invest in others, and my group would be known as a place where people really care about individual people.  Not just words…..but every service was tailored towards this end.  I went a little far, looking at suspect kids myspace’s at the time and reporting them to parents, scaring pursuing boys try to vulture our girls but I wasn’t going to lose another one.

I was told by a famous preacher once that relationships don’t grow the church.  He was right, they don’t. The business of the church grows and is ran by the gifts of administration and governments.  What separates church from a business is the relationships…the investment in people; the honoring of one another.  People don’t care how much you know. The world is not interested in what the Bible says and could destroy most believers in a debate with their knowledge of the Word but most believers don’t read the Word.  They aren’t rushing to the truth because true authentic care and honor for one another is rare in the church; they figure they world is better.  People just want to know that YOU really care for them.  Young people will come to know Jesus by the Jesus they see in us as pastors.  Beyond the crowd that grows our influence to gain a network to get the invite to the next youth conference as a speaker, or the pressure to keep your job or to compete with Pastor Pookie down the street at Hip Hop Church, even though thats all good it is not about that.  The central focus is people..real young people that are hurting, and all they want to is does this cool looking guy on the stage shouting about some man named Jesus really give 2 cents about me.  If I call this guys would he be there?

A couple of weeks ago I ran into the mother of a girl that I used to youth pastor. Frantically she grabbed me insisting that I call her daughter.  When I called her she was talking of ending her life because she thought it would make life easier.  Her family was homeless, mom told by a doctor that in 2 weeks the mom will be total disabled.  She had enough, no one cared, wasn’t getting easier, and didn’t see a light. I promised her it would get better and I called her basketball coach, and her school recourse person.  Her coach had her over and talked, we surrounded her with support, and this homeless family in less than one week was had a home and was together.  She told me she didn’t believe me when i said it was going to get better and was going to end her life….but…..she gave me a chance.  I told her she gave the Lord a chance, that the Lord had never left her and all she had to do is reach out for help!  Thank God, I didn’t lose another one, it it took so little from each of us.  To her, it was enormous….life saving!

I’ll never forget Isaac Keller, he has revolutionized my life and ministry forever.  It is because of the affect of his life on me that I have great joy with many all over the US and the world that look to me as a mentor/father to them.  The only thing that we can leave on this earth that will be of any worth is your investment in the life of another.  I still burn with a passion to tell every human of the radical love Jesus Christ has for them, but also to leave a legacy in others by equipping them, empowering them, and releasing them to do greater than I will ever do.

The boy changed my life forever!

2 Kings 6:16-17

“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Perception is reality.  Here we find two men that are in the same situation, facing the same circumstance yet they see two entirely different things; It’s a matter of perceptive.  The way you perceive someone or something determines everything!  It determines the extent in which you can receive from someone and determines weather you fail or succeed; weather you win or lose.  One morning, Elisha’s servant got up early walked outside to see chariots, troop, and horses all around him.  From his perspective, it was over!  He saw death, doom and destruction which caused fear and a sense of hopelessness.  On the other hand, Elisha’s response when facing insurmountable circumstances without hesitation was opportunity and victory!  There was never a question.  When you get up and look at what you face everyday in you world, what do you see?  When facing let downs, set backs, lack, debt, sickness, loss of a job, unfulfilled dreams, or failed/failing marriage what do you see? Failure and loss or success and victory?  Like the servant do you see death and hopelessness or like Elisha do you see opportunity?  Your vision is your future!

We must make a decision to change our perception if we are disgusted with our current reality.  No, changing the way we look the challenges and obstacles we face will not make the better nor will they go away, but it does change how we go through them and where we end up on the other side, if we make it through them.  You will either become paralyzed and stuck in your “stuff” and when that situation fades it something else.  Then the course you started at on is detoured drastically causing you to go down a path you never intend to go.  The devil wants to get you off course.  Sin, as described in Romans 14:23 is not following your conviction, doing anything you believe (trust in, adhere to, rely on) is not right.  This is regardless of stuff you face, people your around, city/country you live in, boss/company you work for or person your married to.  On the other hand, if you change you perception, not only will you make it through the “stuff” you’re facing but you will be stronger, wiser, and on the same course to laid out for yourself.  Two foundational elements to changing you perception are Honor and Wisdom.

Honoring God and Honor His word is a key  element  to change our perception.  The greek word for honor is te-ma which means to value or esteem, to carry weight.  The same word used in John 4:44 which say a prophet has no honor (esteem or weight) in his own home town is used in Acts 5:2 where it says they kept back part of the price of the land sold. The word of God must carry more weight in our life then what we see.  His promises for us must become more vivd that the challenges we face.  What you see and what He says is always in contradiction.  His word that are filled with His promises for us as individuals allow us to see past the challenges of life that we face.  Jesus gives us a spiritual telescope in John 16:33 when He say have peace in ME!  There is going to be problems, trails and what seems like all hell breaking lose in this world, but i have overcome it.  Look to Me(Jesus), have peace.  Do you feed on your doom and gloom tube (TV) more than you feed on His word?  What ever you eat on you are going to add weight to.  Are you fat on the world or fat on His word?  God’s word must have supreme value in order for your perspective to change.  Elisha valued God promise for Him and caused Him to see past the physical world army he was surrounded by to see Heaven’s army around them all!  Do you honor God’s more, doe it carry more weight than anything else in your life?

Wisdom is also a vital element to changing our perception.   Wisdom means God’s perspective.  We need God’s perspective (wisdom) in every area of our life in order to be the people God has called us to be and walk in His will here on earth.  Doubt comes to divide or separate us from our route, getting us off track.  Doubt causes our inner man to be distracted away from the promises that God has for us; distracting us from faith.  Heb . 11:1 speaks of faith being the internal evidence of something that is not seen in the external.  Wisdom amplifies faith, but doubt divides us away from faith and creates fear.  Doubt begins with a thought that is contrary the word of God and continues with a decision.  Accumulated thoughts lead to ongoing decisions and cause us to speak out of the fear and our word over takes our thoughts every time.  The servant saw a massive army, doubt creeped in, and  fear caused him to  ask Elisha what to do(which really mean lets get the heck out of here).  Elisha responded with wisdom (God’s perspective) because honor caused Him to see, faith took over and he spoke out that there was more on his team then the enemy.  His victory was framed and focused by perception.  How do you get wisdom (God’s perspective)?  James 1:5 say, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” Your success and/or failure is framed and focused by you’re perception.

My prayer for you today is that honor and wisdom  would cause you to overcome the circumstances that are attempting to paralyze and destroy  you today.  That they would cause you to see Him in with you, enabling you to forgive yourself and receive His peace and forgiveness today.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Matt. 16:13-15

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”t “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

At some point in our life, we find ourselves in a moment such as this.  Whereas if the Lord was right in front of us in a conversation with Him asking us, “Who Am I?”.  In this verse, Jesus asked those closet to Him who did people say He was and all kinds of responses came.  Then when asked who do you say that I am, I find it interesting that the only response that came was from one person, Peter.  If you don’t know who Jesus is, then what those around you says will determine what you believe.  We have reduced belief in Jesus to an acknowledgement of a supreme being, but belief has to mean more than a knowing doesn’t it?  The devil believes and shutters; that is lucifer has seen God, he knows of him, but belief has to be much more than that.  Mark 16:16 uses the word believe which is pisteuo which means trust in, adhere here to, and rely on.  What ever we believe changes everything about us, becoming the very fiber of who we are.  Most believers don’t pisteuo the Lord!  It seems as if we have reduced Christianity to church attendance, based on being good people, stay away from bad people that are going to hell so we don’t go to hell.

Today, almost 70% of people that call themselves followers of Jesus do not pray or read the bible on a regular basis.  Most people that come to church do not bring their bible or take notes!  We have worship leaders that don’t know how to worship Jesus without being on a stage leading and playing their instrument.  If kids of parents how are Christian do not see parents reading their bibles at home, they wont read it.  If their parents don’t bring the bible to church or take notes, then the kids will not.  They understand what is important to the family by what they spend time doing.  When I ask most young people why they believe the bible is true or how they are saved they say because their mom and dad are saved, because they told them they are, or because it is all they have ever known.  Sad to say that most of their parents cant answer that question for themselves either.  It shouldn’t surprise us then why less than 4% of this generation are born again.  It’s not stunning that 87% of young people that are raised in church when they go to college never come back to church.  If we don’t know why we believe the bible is true, or how we are saved then what separates Christianity from any other religion?  If we cant answer that question then we can never trust in, adhere to, or rely on Christianity, the bible, or Jesus.  The first pastor I worked for would tell us that a person with an encounter is never at the mercy of a person with an argument, and total agree.  It is not our job to convert anybody, the Holy Spirit does that.  We are all to sow seed, some get to water, and some get to harvest, but if we can’t articulate why we believe and what we believe then when opportunity to drink, do drugs, gossip, cheat, lie, look at porn, have sex or any other sin comes then we will jump in head first.  Not that we wont make mistakes, but when if the Christian life in not a convection to us, if we don’t know why we believe what we confess to believe then mistakes quickly can turn into an away of life to us.  Who is He?  Why is He so important?  What makes Him and things said about Him true?  What distinguishes Christianity from any other religion?

We are not saved by faith.  Muslims have faith, mormons have faith, jehovah witness have faith, every religion has faith.  What separates us is that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  So when asked what makes the new testament true you must go further then just saying I believe it or I have faith defensively when the truth is you have no idea.  In collage, it is the ploy of unbelieving collage professors is to give a systematic way of believing there is no God.  The New Testament is a manuscript and historians determine the authenticity of all ancient literature by time between the original copy and the earliest copy and how many manuscripts they find like the original.  The Illiad written by Homer is the second most authentic book ever written.  They found 643 copies within 400 yrs.  The New Testament is the most authentic ancient literature with 25, 633 copies found within 50 yrs! These are secular historians that have found this information!  So what does this prove?  There is no archeological evidence for the qur’an, there is no archeological evidence for mormonism or jehovah witness.  That means what the New testament says about Jesus, His death and resurrection, all of writings should be read with, and when compared not only can no other writing compare, but neither can any other religion.  The shows the truth of New Testament and gives me confidence in trying apply what it says to my life, and proves it to be truth.  It causes me to want to spend reading it as much as i can, to study it, to listen to teaching about it, to tell others about Jesus, produces passion to go to church and meet with other believers, and so much more.

Who is He to you?  It doesn’t matter what the people are say around you to Him, but he want you to know Him.  Know why you believe what you believe, not just cause it was past to u from family, momma or daddy.  Belief provokes us to explore the depths, the lengths and the heights of what we trust in adhere to and rely on.  Drives us to be the most like what we have decided to give our lives to.  The question is what you are giving your life to worth what your giving it?

The Lord wants you to know..This is Who I Am!

1 Sam. 3:1-4

Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.  One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle, near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?”

Here we find the key to a successful, fruitful, and fulfilling Christian life.  We also find the key to functioning in the supernatural and we see why people that serve in church and pastor in church can be far from God.  A few weeks back I was asked to teach on the supernatural and spiritual gifts for a webcast to believers through Skype, so I started by letting them ask me questions they had.  I was amazed at the things they asked, to say the least.  We have reduced operating in the supernatural to a form, rituals, or a pattern and in a large part we have done the same with Christianity.  Striving, copying, mimicking, and regurgitating others we look at  as “successful” has become the norm and inside we have become a spiritual wasteland, begging, and unfulfilled people.  What I told them in return was very simple.  We look for deep revelation when the simplest things are the most profound and if we would just do the simple things, everyday, we would experience real long term change.

The key to operating in the supernatural and the key to the Christian experience that God intended for us, is intimacy.  In first Samuel, I find it interesting in a time when communication from the Kingdom Of Heaven was forgotten and we find the first person that hears it was sleeping next to the very presence of God.  Samuel loved Jesus, this love provoked him to be close to, chase after, pursue, and reason for his service and later was said of him that not one word the Lord spoke hit the ground.  Why?  Because Samuels love for the Lord caused him to want to be around God, and was his motivation for everything he did.  Intimacy can take a person over and dictate their direction or course in life.  Love causes you to be close or intimate with the object desired.

Intimacy gives birth or creates sensitivity. My wife Michelle and I have become closer over the last 10 years of marriage.  We know each much more and are sensitive the each others needs.  The intimacy we share has made us sensitive to each others needs.  I am learning when Michelle is nervous, scared, heavy in thought, sad, overwhelmed and the sort, by the little jesters she makes.  Our intimacy has made me more sensitive to her to respond to Michelle with her telling me now after 10 years of being together than when we were first married.  That produces an even closer bonds between each other which creates more sensitivity and so on!  Can you imagine if the only time I talked to or spent time with my wife was when I wanted to have sex?  I can tell you that it would not bring us closer together.  Yet many of us function in our relationship with God that way.  We spend time with Him for an agenda.  To get something, for Him to move through us, or for position when the Lord just wants us, our love for Him, our desire to just be Him.

No one taught me how to operate in the supernatural.  I was in a church where the atmosphere was created for the supernatural to be normal and happened all the time.  But I grew in the gifts by spending time with Him.  I learned to prophecy through my prayer life.  I pray the ripple prayer everyday; where I start with me, my family, friends and ripple out.  As I would pray, I would see pictures of people or names and would pray for them.  So now when I walk up to a person I don’t have to work something up, I just pray for them and give them what I see or hear.  Out of my personal devotional time in the word, in prayer, and putting on worship music, meditating, and just focusing on Jesus…learning to listen to Him.

It is not a complex formula my friend.  No bells or whistles. You are a full loaded weapon, filled with the potential to make the kingdom of darkness bow down to the Kingdom of Light.  This incredible potential is not based on your talent, your experience, it’s not your network of friends, nor based on your works.  It is solely connect to your personal relationship with Him.  You’re spending time with the Lord, intimacy with Him makes you sensitive to what He is speaking and doing and gives you access to all that is in Him.  The peace that passes all understanding, the Heb. 4 rest is available only through you relationship with Him.

Mark 9:23

“What do you mean, “If I can?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Jesus just had an incredible moment at the beginning of chapter 9 with the 3 disciples that He was closest to.  It was a powerful time where He was vulnerable to them in a way none had seen yet, and an time of investment.  As they came back down from the mountain, they were surrounded by a large crowd of religious people arguing in Mark 9:14.  The argument was over a man bringing his demon possessed son to have the disciples cast it out.  Jesus first response was “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”  Can you imagine what Jesus heard to motivate such a reaction?   Comments like, “he is not really possessed, he is just sick, you can’t pray like that because it’s not written in our holy scriptures, the holy scriptures say we can’t pray today, must be full of sin, it is the Lords will your boy is like this or we tried but sorry we will be praying for you.”  I can see the man stepping to the side of Jesus, hopeless and eye’s full of tears when they brought his boy to Jesus and the evil spirit threw him to the ground foaming at the mouth.  Then the father said to Jesus have mercy on us and help us.  Do something if you can!  I see Jesus turning to Him and looking the father directly eye to eye. Firm, confident, and full of compassion as He said to him, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN IF I CAN?  ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF A PERSON BELIEVES.”

The words What Do You Mean If I Can pierced my heart this morning.  Later in verse 29(NKJV) Jesus said  that the reason for His success was because of prayer and fasting.  He gave them the authority to cast out devils in Mark 3:14-15, so what did He mean because fasting doesn’t make you more worthy to do so.  I believe what was meant is that this authority was effective only if exercised by faith in Jesus that is cultivated only by complete devotion to Him.  This word in the Greek is pisteuo which means trust in adhere to and rely on.  Jesus was saying, it is not belief in your title, your position, your strategies, your strengths and talents, not your power or strength, not how many years you have been saved, not the power of networks you have, but it is only through your complete trust, adhering to, and reliance on Me that makes nothing impossible for you!  I shout these words in prayer..what do you mean If I can, nothing is impossible for me!  It keeps me forward thinking.  These words destroy the thought of small planning, safe living, sheltered, narrow living, being around those just like me, doing the same things I have always done.  Makes me want to take risks.  Talk to people I don’t know that don’t look like me looking for an opportunity to give the hope of Jesus.  Praying for anyone who needs a miracle; from the common cold, to cancer, diabetes, broken bones, people in wheel chairs, and yes even the dead.  This word pressed me past the fear of what if they don’t accept me, what if they don’t receive, I don’t know enough. Past failure in my past, past thinking what if they don’t get healed, get better, or raise from the dead.  Pushes me to act in faith…. what if they do!

But what happens is we become satisfied with just ok; with comfort.  I’m not gonna stretch to much, average is ok for me.  We even try to justify it by scripture (wrongly) and encourage others not to do so the same; like the religious group that was arguing around Jesus when He said how long do I have to be around people like you.  I don’t want to just live to go to heaven.  I want to fulfill the destiny that God predestined for me, fashioned me for here on earth.  We were created to be extraordinary beings, but I don’t want to be ok with being…I want to do the extraordinary.  And I know you do as well, but the Lord does even more.  You can be saved and go to Heaven, but what is transforming my life the more it is reveled to me is His belief and trust in me!  With our co-workers, people we go to school with, our neighbors, and our families looking at us, believers, broken, hopeless but seeking standing beside us saying in desperation,  “Please say your different from these religious people arguing!  Please have mercy on us and help us!  Do something if you can!  Lets look directly at them, completely reliant on the Lord, with the keys to the Kingdom, and all that is in Heaven available to us…. and lets say, “What do you mean, If I can?”