Uncharted Territory

Today is New Years Eve. Tomorrow is the first day of a New Year and a new decade. Looking back on the past ten years I have seen God do a lot of wonderful things in my life. There is no way to say all the things that He has done for me so let me give you some of the highlights. I wrote two books that were published and one became a best seller overseas. Full Turn Ministries reached thousands of youth and young adults. I recorded four CD's with my band LMC. I got married to a beautiful girl that I met at a church in South Florida. Met a lot of wonderful people. Totally renovated our facility and went to a whole new level in ministry. Well, I could go on and on with this. The point is, if God could do all of this for me, then imagine what He can do for us as we march into a new decade? We are in uncharted water. The future is ahead of us. So, set your heart for the best. Your greatest days are still ahead of you. Happy New Year!

Mind Riot

Inspiration, motivation, passion, desire, focus, determination, discipline, compassion, forgiveness, faith, purpose, covenant, patience, partnership, integrity, sacrifice, effort, and giving. These are all words that we should add to our life in this New Year. If you want to be successful these words are the qualities that you need to possess. To know your weakness is to find your strength. Look at these words again and find what you might be lacking. Set your heart to have all these things at work in your life and you will make 2010 your best year ever. I believe in you. Start a revolution in your life today. Overthrow the old system that has been at work in your mind and become a new creation in Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches us that our carnal mind is the enemy of God. We have a war going on in our minds. A riot going on between our two ears. Resolve the situation today. Take a step. Have faith in God. Set your mind to do good.

Prayer: Father I know you know my heart and that you see my thoughts. Help me to be what you have purposed for me to become. Change my way of thinking. Help me to take on your devine nature. I submit my will to you.

Equal Sacrifice

Last night I had a meeting with my leaders and we talked about the New Year. We also talked about equal giving verses equal sacrifice. If you read Mark 12:41-44 you will find that God is not looking for us to be equal in our giving. It is impossible for us all to be able to give the same amount of our time, effort, energy, and finances to God. Let's face it, some of us have more of the before mentioned to spare then others. Plus, it is all relative. For example, you may have more time, and I may have more money. So, God does not demand equal giving, but He does require equal sacrifice. This simply means that we are all giving Him our very best. The best we can offer Him when it comes to our time, effort, energy, and finances. I want to pose a question. A question I asked the church on Sunday. Are we giving God our best, or are we giving Him our leftovers? Think about it. Consider what you have done and what you are really capable of doing so that you can offer Him your very best.

On a side note I asked the leaders to tell me what they believe some of the keys to our personal and corporate success will be in this New Year. This is what they had to offer: Understanding the vision, Setting realistic and tangible goals, Staying determined, Being tenacious, Having faith, Being patient, Walking in covenant with God, Walking in unity, and having a passion and desire to carry all of these things out.

Remember, you can do all thing through Christ. Let's give Him our best!

Resolution

Okay, so Christmas time is over and I had a great time with friends and family. Have you ever noticed that whatever you do for the holidays some kind of food is always involved? If you are not careful all you do is eat. On that note I have decided to fast during the month of January. Not because I ate too much in December, but because I believe if we want to go to a new level we have to get out of our comfort zone. The only reason I tell you this is because maybe there are some of you that would like to join in this with me. I told you last week that if you want to do something new then you need to break old patterns. In the first month of a new decade and a new year I have decided to break my old patterns, to give up something that I enjoy for the month of January to start the year off right. Even if you do not want to be a part of this, think about what you have been doing that possibly you need to change so that God can take you somewhere new. God bless!

Purpose

You are not a mistake. The fact you are alive and breathing on this earth is not the result of a random chance or accident. It does not matter where you were birthed, or what your ethnicity, you were created on purpose. Why am I so certain? It is because everything God does He performs with an ultimate objective in mind. He knows the end from the beginning. Each week it is my desire to use this blog to help you in your personal journey. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Let's take this journey together.

"The Love We Take is Equal to the Love We Make"

The Bible tells us that we reap what we sow. This simply means that whatever we give is what we are going to receive. At the end of the Beatles Abbey Road album they sing, "And in the end the love we take is equal to the love we make". We only get out of life what we put into our living. Jesus said, "Give and it will be given, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over". You get what you give. We should make giving to others a lifestyle. Giving pays off in the end.

Jesus is the Reason

Jesus is not only the reason for the season, but he is also the reason that we have life and the right to be called children of God. People will tell you there are many reasons and many ways to live a productive life. I say there is only one real reason to live, and that is to live for Christ. In Him we not only have a productive life, but a reason to live. We have purpose and destiny in Him. If you want to know more about yourself, find out more about Him. When you understand who Jesus is, you will begin to understand who you are, and what you are capable of accomplishing. Jesus is the reason.

Change is Necessary

We all have room for change in our lives. The question is what are we willing to do to bring about change? We must develop a plan for change and ask ourselves what we must do to see the change that we want to see. If there is one thing that you could do to bring about the change that you desire would you be willing to do that one thing? We are the product today of the choices that we made yesterday. Stop and think about it for a moment. If we want our lives to change then we must break the old patterns in our lives and do something new. If you want to see something that you have never seen before you must be willing to do something that you have never done before. Are you ready for change?