What kinds of things are you speaking?

I cannot get past the importance of the words that come out of our mouth. I've dealt with this topic before but it's so vital to our walk in the Spirit; therefore, I want to address it again. Words are rarely, if ever, neutral. By that I mean every word spoken from our mouth contains either life or death (see Prov. 18:21). In Proverbs 10:11 it says, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.” But in Proverbs 11:9, we’re told that the mouth of “the godless man destroys his neighbor.” Proverbs 11:11 goes on to say, “By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn apart.”

Do you know that our God is a good, good Father?

I believe that there is a growing revelation in the Church concerning God’s goodness. It is so desperately needed, too. Part of my church heritage instilled into my thinking the idea that God was a bit edgy and moody. Trusting in Him, therefore, was iffy because I didn’t quite know what side of God I was going to encounter. But this dilemma really began in Genesis when the serpent said, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’” (Gen. 3:1)?

Most likely we will all forget a sermon, but it’s rare that we would ever forget an encounter with the manifest presence of God.

As I pastor and also travel across the nation speaking to churches week after week, I’m realizing that people need more than great information; they need a transformation. That kind of change won’t occur from merely hearing a great message, people must respond with a receptive heart to the work of God in their life. Intellectual stimulation alone will not produce a radically devoted follower of Jesus Christ

What spills from your life when you’re shaken?

Cindy and I just returned home with a team of six others. We ministered in Fort Worth, Texas, at Crossroads Tabernacle where Corey and Beth Ann Jones lead a house of prayer. I haven’t been in many churches where the environment is so conducive for kingdom activity. That’s for another blog. Leaving DFW, we landed in Atlanta and discovered there had been a nationwide computer glitch in Delta’s system, so all flights were suspended. After waiting on the tarmac for nearly ninety minutes, we finally were able to enter the airport and it was mass chaos. We were placed on standby with the hopes of leaving later that night. But by 1:30am, Monday morning, we were told that we couldn’t leave until 1:00pm the next day. Because the hotels were all booked, we all spent the night on the floor with some flimsy blankets.

Most of you have read the passage where a woman interrupted Jesus as he taught. She raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed” (Luke 11:27). I’ve had many interruptions during my messages, but nothing like what this woman did. From what I can observe in the text, Jesus responded rather quickly. He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28). To be “blessed” literally means to be in the right position or alignment with God to receive His favor. Blessing and favor comes to those, Jesus said, when they “hear the word.” Think about this for a moment, what would be the opposite of that statement? If blessing comes by hearing, obviously there are some serious consequences for not hearing. 

Do you expect God to do the extraordinary?

The wife of a missionary, who was in my doctoral group, personifies Jesus and has witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit on many occasions. They minister to poor and impoverished people in a remote part of the world. He told how she encountered a woman who was born without eyes and therefore was abandoned by her parents. His wife embraced this woman, holding her in her arms, until two beautiful, brown eyes miraculously formed. In that moment, this abandoned woman saw for the very first time. That’s extraordinary to say the least. Several years ago, I was in a camp meeting with my friend Dan Bohi and during the invitation a woman came forward in a wheelchair.

Several years ago, I was driving to the airport through pelting rain and sleet. As I took off through the gray overcast skies, it wasn’t long before we broke through the cloud layers. We emerged into what looked to be a totally different day and I was taken back by the beauty of the bright sunshine. That same day possessed two different realities. What reality do you usually live in? Listen to these words from the apostle Paul: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2).

Do you have the courage to remain steadfast?

Recently, I heard a challenging message by Christine Caine. In her hands she held an old roll of film and she explained how it had to be developed in a dark room before the images could be seen. The development process takes time and patience. The film must remain in the dark for a specific period of time before it can be brought into the light. If it is exposed to the light too soon, the images are ruined. Caine explained how often we enter a season of waiting and it seems dark and lonely. Yet, if we’re steadfast through that period of time it can enhance the image of Christ in our lives. The message was a call to perseverance.

Have you ever complained?

Not long ago, I was studying a passage of scripture that challenged me in regards to the kinds of things that come out of my mouth. Have you ever considered the words that you speak? Jesus indicated that our words are so significant that they could actually condemn us (Matt. 12:37). Paul wrote saying that we are never to speak a fruitless word to another person (Eph. 4:29), and elsewhere he stated that every word that we speak should be filled with grace and seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6). Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). Think about that statement: every word that Jesus spoke contained life.

Do you really want revival?

All across our nation I hear the same plea over and over again, “We want revival.” Churches sing about it, pray about it, and preach about it. I was in a church once that said they wanted revival regardless of the cost. While I’m in agreement with the desires of so many people about revival, I’m not sure that we really understand what a true revival would do. To start with, revival by its very definition implies that we are dead. So our immediate desire for revival should extend well beyond filling empty seats in our churches with new prospects; rather, it should be to resuscitate our dead, dry, and barren wastelands. If we’re going to request revival, we must first repent for abdicating our position of authority with Christ for the works of the flesh. To be honest, we wouldn’t need revival if we truly remained in the Spirit. The prophet Jeremiah stated that God’s people had forsaken Him and hewed cisterns that didn’t hold water (Jer. 2:13). That statement identifies the peril of churches across America today, and explains why we actually need revival.