Successful Ministry

One thing that has been standing out to me lately is ministering out of the abundance within us.

In Romans 15:29 (amp) I know that when I do come to you, I shall come in the abundant blessing of the Gospel of Christ.

Paul had a confidence that when he came to them that he wasn't just come just him as a person, but that he would come in the ABUNDANT BLESSING. Abundant means: Present in great quantity; more than adequate; over sufficient 2. well supplied; abounding 3. richly supplied. So Paul knew that when he came that there would be a great quantity of blessings coming with him. That it would be more than adequate to meet the needs of who he would come in contact with.

How do you enter into your everyday life? With abundance of blessings or just barely enough to get you by in what you have going in your day?

We had my hero Mrs. Dodie Osteen at our church recently. She was in a room full of people she did not get to talk to every person. Yet every person I talked to said that they felt as though she had personally ministered to them. Wow! Think about that!!!

That so challenged me. She had such an abundance on her life that when she came into a room everyone felt the abundance of love, grace, mercy etc. then without her even speaking to them personally they felt ministered to. That I believe is some of what Paul was talking about in this verse. Being so full of the goodness of God that just coming into a room he would have enough that the room would be filled with what he had.

Ministry and life is won through having this kind of abundance I believe. I think that our spiritual self is a lot like our natural bank account. There needs to be deposits in it to keep the bank account functioning. I believe the problem with the church in general today is that we have people stepping into pulpits that are spiritually just struggling to keep themselves afloat...never mind having a fullness to pass on to others. No deposits have been made.

Frank Demazio said it best. "You should have enough joy, happiness, faith to fill a room no matter what wherever you go".

I think of Benny Perez. When he steps on the platform and ministers the room is filled with faith and an excitement. That which is in him spreads throughout the room. He comes into a service as Paul did with an abundance of blessings. That is why people leave healed, encouraged, and set free.

What a challenge to live a life that you have so much deposits of the word inside of you that you can give deposits of joy etc. into anyone and you don't miss it because you are carrying so much of it. Just like in our natural account you can't write a check if there is no money backing it the check will only come back as a hot check. Same with spiritual things. If you don't have the deposits inside of you through time in the word prayer etc. then when you lay hands to minister you are ministering out of your soul and not the spirit.

All means all....

In the English language one of the smallest words yet the most powerful is all. Where does all begin and where does it end? It means so much yet it is one word that we usually look over when we are reading our Bible.

Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. -1Peter 5:7

All.....

All means all. You were never made to worry about life and what is happening in our world today. With our government economy and society the way it is today you can watch the news for just a short time and begin to worry about where the world is headed. There is a statistic that says around 50-60% of people laying in hospitals everywhere are there because of worry.

For some reason we get in our head that through us worrying and thinking about something constantly that we will somehow use our will to change something. You can spend days trying to make something happen through your thoughts and actions that God can change in one instant.

Sometimes our mind will go endlessly around a problem trying to find a solution. When you begin to feel stress and frustration you have taken the situation out of God's hands and you are now trying to fix it on your own. If God knows all then He knows your beginning and your end. Then that means He knows your middle too! You are no surprise to God. He knows all there is to know about you. He knows the number of hairs on your head. Then He also knows the problems you are facing and can conquer them!

We say that we give God control of all our life, but in actuality we only give him the areas we feel as though are going good. The areas in our life like children, marriage, finances, etc. we spend countless hours stressing about.

I wonder sometimes how many hours we waste on worrying about things. Each hour is one that we can never get back one that is a gift from God that we can do anything we want with. Why waste it stressing over your problems. Who is bigger God or your problems? If God is bigger meditate on His word about your situation instead of replaying the problem through your head.

Inside of you is the greatest power that ever existed. The same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells inside of you and you are worried about an electric bill being paid? Think about it....

Jesus didn't give us power to just shout a Hallelujah in church and go about our day. You have power inside of you to make the impossible possible, or there is the other alternative you can just keep trying to fix it on your own....

All means all....Do you give Jesus your all? It is easier said then done. However it is the one thing we do that will bring forth the most fruit.

Let your WE rise up!

I was reading my Bible in John 3 1-21 this morning. This is the story about Jesus and Nicodemus talking about being born of the spirit. For those of you that don't know Nicodemus is trying to understand spiritual things with his natural mind which is impossible to do this. He is trying to comprehend how one can truly be borne again.

verse 11 is what spoke to me:

I assure you most solemnly I tell you, we speak only of what we know (we know absolutely what we are talking about); we have actually seen what we are testifying to (we were eyewitnesses of it). And still you do not receive our testimony (you reject and refuse our evidence-that of myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit).

Think about Jesus goes from talking about what He thought up until this point, and the rest of the text Jesus only talks about Himself as singular. This one verse He speaks of Himself plural....

The Holy Spirit began to speak to me....Nicodemus was going through his life singular all a lone trying to figure things out by himself. All he had is what he could see touch, feel, and what the facts were that were given to him from his education. A lot of people go through life living a singular you life. They think they are going through things and that God put them down here to figure it out on there own.

The Holy Spirit spoke in my heart when you become a believer you are no longer a you---you become a WE. There becomes a WE that is inside of you that is bigger than any obstacle, trail, death, job loss, death or any thing that can come your way. That no matter what the outside situation says the inside WE in you changes you from a singular being that was once left to figure things out on your own to something that is so powerful. So powerful that the WE inside of you can conquer anything any YOU can send our way any day of the week.

You see as Jesus spoke to Nicodemus here He said "we know absolutely what we are talking about we have actually seen what we are testifying to''. All this time Jesus was telling Nicodemus His point of view, until the WE inside of Him had to speak up and let Nicodemus know that the WE knew that God was so real.

You see you may have problems today. Things may be so hard and you might be at the end of your rope wondering how you can make it another day. Jesus wants you to know something. That the voice that spoke the world into existence is inside of you. The power that opened blind eyes is inside of you. The healer of the broken hearted is within you. The one who parted the Red Sea and brought manna is right in you this moment. The WE inside of you needs to rise up!!!!

You are no longer just a you (singular) everywhere you go---you have been made a WE(plural). Never again do you have to fight life a lone! Greater is HE that is inside of YOU then he that is in the world!!!!

Today......

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Today is the day you take charge of your life and decide it will be great! Today is the day that you stop waiting for other people to make you happy and lean on them to decide what your day will hold....

Today is the day you say "this is MY LIFE and I am going to make it a great day".

Today is the day you notice people around you that are hurting and reach out to them for once instead of ignoring them because you are "busy". Today is the day you help someone in need. Today is the day you quit just thinking about your needs and you instead fill a need. Today is the day you give a hug just because. Only to find that is all that that person really wanted.

Today is the day you smile no matter what the devil throws your way. Knowing that though things may not be what you want them to be right now you know that the promises of God are eternal. That the calling of God on your life is without repentance. That He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Today is the day you stop holding grudges and instead you let forgiveness rule in your heart. Today is the day you stop trying to measure up to others expectations and realize that God has already approved of you as you already are.

Today is the day you have been waiting for all your life. A day that is filled with laughter and tears of joy. A day that you spend living in the moment and not living for what is to come. Today is the day you are present everywhere you go. Not just present in body and absent in mind.

Today you will find that the dishes will always be there.....laundry will pile up by the days end....the pressing things that you once thought were pressing now just don't seem as important as the people that eat off of those plates...the people that fill those clothes...Instead of giving all your attention to things you will give attention to people instead.

Today is the day that when you lay down you won't feel like it is another day wasted. Today will be the day that you lay down knowing that you impacted a life only to realize the one you impacted the most was your own.......

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.....What are you going to do with it?

What work are you doing?

I read this the other day and it resounded in my spirit. Jesus was about to be crucified he is praying to God in John 17:4 I have finished the work that you have given me to do.

Something inside me just resounded....the work that God the Father gave Jesus to do...that is what He finished....

How much of our life do we spend working on things that everyone else wants us to do?

How much time do we spend doing things that in all reality we don't like at all trying to make other people happy?

How much time to do we waste on things that in all actuality don't matter at all?

Think about the above questions. I think all of us can say that at some point that we have had one if not all of them apply to our life. Funny how quickly that happens that we get caught up in what others want us to do and somehow get lost in the most important thing of all....what God our Father wants us to do.

My daughter is in pre-k. At the beginning of the year her teacher asked me to be the room mom. I declined the position and told her that I had a lot going thanks but no thanks. She said ok. Only to ask me again the next week with me saying no again. Finally on the last week she asked and I finally agreed to do the job.

Women are so catty especially when it comes to their kids. The majority of moms have been wonderful. Well more than a majority just one mom has been difficult. She has not been so pleasant....

Things have really been a struggle with this mom and I. Balancing doing it "all " and getting it "all" done has been so much at times. Finding the balance with another ball in the air has been rather stressful. I was before the Lord praying about the situation....The Lord spoke this in my heart "When things feel difficult you are doing things that I haven't graced you to do."

Then I remembered the text I quoted in the beginning of this blog.....What work has God placed me here for. When you feel stressed, frustrated, angry even you are trying to do things that God has not graced you to do. Jesus said my yoke is easy my burden is light. That means you aren't going to battle those kind of feelings like you will when you are outside of grace.

I am here to be the best wife I can be, my kids mom, minister to hurting people, encourage this generation to be all they can be....That is the work that the Father has given me to do. How easy it is to get caught up in all of the other things that come our way and forget what it is that we are here to do.

What are your things that are pulling away from your time that aren't what you are here for? Are you doing the work man has made for you or the work God has given to you?

What makes a house a home

Well we have been ripping up carpet, tearing out toilets, painting the walls and doing all kinds of things around the house. It is looking so much better yet so much worse. Right now as I type this I am sitting on the carpet in my living room as some of our youth helped us move all the furniture out this evening because this carpet too is going bye bye in the morning.

It is funny though how a house doesn't feel like "home" without all the little mementos. You know your kids first pictures in frames that you bought when you were pregnant with them. The little stuff people pick up that reminded them of you. All the little things that make your house a home. The pillows on the couch the mirrors on the wall. Funny how welcoming all the little details are in your home....So what makes a house a home?

What makes your house a home? I can think of things that make each person's house their "home". For nana it is the sweet little old stove by the back door. The times spent out shooting guns with the boys, or the apple pies that are made at her counter. It is dominoes played at the table with Aunt Gay, Nana and Misty till wee hours of the night.

At Mimi's house it is time spent outside in her beautiful yard just enjoying all the beautiful surroundings. It is cookouts with yummy grilled food in the summer. Grass between my toes as we play baseball with the kids in the yard.

At my Grandpa's it is breakfast meals eaten at the bar with memories of him reading the newspaper sports section. While grandma does her crossword puzzle. Each memory special and unique in it's own way. Each makes you go back to that moment in time when you think about it.So sitting here on the floor looking around I begin to think about all those little mementos....all those things that seem like they are what make my house feel like home. When you think about it....those little mementos aren't what makes our house a home it is the people in our house. It is the tickle fights that happen on the living room floor. The fact that our dinning room table is always full with people we love. The backyard filled with the noise of laughter as the kids swing. All the decor is nice. I enjoy them....but the best memories I have of home is the people that are in my home. How thankful I am for my amazing family!

Chapter two

Sometimes life gets hard. It is so easy to let your circumstances determine your joy or lack there of. The good news is that in Hebrews 13:8 God is the same yesterday today and forever. God is so faithful in our life. He is always there reaching out to us. He never gives up on us no matter what may come He is forever there with open arms. That is something that will forever change your life when you come to the full realization. God is ready to turn your circumstances into joy.

I preached a message out of Habakuk the other night at Unleashed....Listen to it......Today is time for your Chapter two.

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