Navigating Through the Storm

This last month has been challenging for my family and I. For those of you that don't know, last February my wife and I were asked to help plant a church in Chandler, AZ. Both of us being in agreement that it was the Lord, we sold our house, our car and set out by faith and moved to Arizona.

On November 27th we were faced with a huge hang up. The railroad, my employer, recalled me back to the mid-west and it wasn't optional. So with no other options at the time I left my wife and 3 kids behind and headed back to Kansas praying it wouldn't be for long.

After 2 1/2 weeks it looked hopeful that I would be able to get back to Arizona, so I headed back home. After I got there things took another turn, but this time it was worse. I found out that the railroad wouldn't transfer me because the shortage of engineers in the mid-west actually increased from the previous number and the time frame would be undetermined. It wasn't long and I found myself on a flight back to Kansas, meanwhile doing my best to take captive every thought that suggested I wasn't in the will of God.  

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "See, its not working out for you in Arizona so it must not be God's will." But these folks don't understand that God does NOT lead you by circumstance. Romans 8:14 NLT says, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Children of God can expect to be led by His Spirit and not outward circumstance. If we look to circumstances to determine whether or not something is God's will, then our lives would reflect a wave of the sea. Always being tossed around to and fro this way and that way, because circumstances are always changing. We must turn our focus to the Holy Spirit who is constant and stable.

Are you asking yourself, what does he mean? Let me put it like this, pretend your on a boat out in the middle of the sea. This represents your life. The waves (circumstances) all around you take you up and down, side to side over and over again and again. And after awhile you begin to feel weary because your eyes have been on the boat and the waves. However if you would get your eyes off of them and fix them on the horizon (the Lord) which is constant and never changing, you will begin to relax and like the horizon you will begin to reflect its stability through the wavering circumstances of life.

What does keeping your eye on the horizon look like in real life circumstances? Well when I received the news that I was being forced back to the mid-west, immediately my wife and I began praying for guidance. Then I called my Pastor and we prayed some more over the phone. The next night the entire lead team from our church gathered around my wife and I and we prayed some more. Then the next night was our encounter service and our church prayed with us some more. Then the next morning I was awaken by the presence of the Lord and He prompted me by the Spirit to be still and listen to His voice. He assured me that everything would be fine and I needed to trust Him that He has a plan and He reassured me that He will order my steps through this transition. Our eyes were fixed on the horizon!

It was because of this inward voice that I knew the Lord was working out a transition in my life. Though I wasn't sure how it would flesh out, at least I had direction and assurance confirmed by an inward witness. And I've cleaved to His words through this entire season. The Lord led me by His Spirit which dwells on the inside of me. And that's how He will lead you too. As believers we are to be sensitive to His voice and not be circumstance led. God's voice is real, and the more time you spend in His Word and in His presence, the louder, more often and more real it becomes to you. And this my friend is how you have peace when everything around you is falling apart.

Ready For The Next Season?

Ever feel run downed? Spiritually exhausted? Like you need to recharge you're spirit? There are many times I feel this same way. It seems like when we walk through these seasons in life that Abba Father is no where around. Sometimes I find myself questioning what I did to get here, where did I miss it? Have you ever wondered the same thing?

These moments are what I like to call wilderness experiences. Remember when Jesus was led out to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted? The Spirit led Him there, but you don't hear anything about Him telling Jesus what He should do or give Him any clear direction WHILE He was being tempted. Nope, the enemy waited till He had already heard from the Father, then when Jesus was weak physically, Satan started to temp the Lord. You see that's how the devil is, he doesn't know what's going to happen until you do, but then when he finds out, he tries to get you to doubt. The enemy is crafty and he knows that faith is our key to unlocking God's ability in our lives. If he can keep us doubting, then he can keep us in lock down mode. The only thing that carried the Lord through those moments was faith in God's spoken Word. We MUST hold tight to our confession just as Jesus did, and if we endure, then we will walk out of the wilderness with the power of the Holy Spirit just as He did.

You know it's amazing how consistently predictable the devil can be, yet quite often we forget the solution is the Word of God. Our wilderness experiences are not designed for us to be tempted by Satan. Though that's what happens there, it's not God's plan. God's plan there is to get you away from the clutter that's been robbing your time with Him so you can hear His voice clearly. Really these wilderness experiences are acts of mercy, because God knows the stresses and concerns that trouble your heart. So He wants to get you away from all the distractions, sometimes even your family, so He can communicate to you. God is not a contender, He will not compete for you attention.

So If you're serious about serving the Lord you can expect to find yourself in a few of these wilderness experiences. If Jesus needed them, then how much more do we, who are living in this day and age? And since God honors those who honors Him, and your heart IS to do that which pleases the Father, He's going to communicate with you, even if He has to lead you out into the wilderness...

Othersminded

Millions of people today are gathering together in homes, in churches, in shelters, etc all to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus. If you're like me you cherrish these moments. It's a time where family and friends come together to catch up, and to spend time enjoying eachothers presence while sharing a meal together.

Well this Christmas I find myself among the category of a different group. I'm one of the millions spending Christmas alone. I'm not sad about this it's just opened my eyes to see that there are many people who are isolated while millions of others are enjoying the fellowship of their loved ones.

I want to encourage you during these seasons to be othersminded. You don't have to stop your traditions of spending this time with your family and friends. But how hard would it be to invite someone who's alone, someone with no one to spend Christmas with, over to enjoy this time with you? Just think of the impact that could have on a life that is so precious to the Lord that He came to earth to redeem.

This year let's truly be the hands and feet of Christ and really show others, even our family and friends what the true meaning of Christmas is about.

Merry Christmas everybody, and God bless you!

Pray...

I believe there has never been a day in the past that prayer has been needed more than today. As we get closer to Jesus' return, the enemy will come against the Church with stronger attempts to keep people in bondage. Jesus likened this time as to birth pains.

As Jesus traveled and visited all the towns teaching and preaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, restoring the sight to the blind, and curing all types of illnesses, God began to show Him down through the ages the Great Harvest. (Matt 9:36). Jesus saw a need for more workers so He turned to the disciples and said "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray..."

I am convinced that there are millions of people right now with willing hearts ready to serve God with their gifts and talents, but they are laying dormant because the Church abroad is lacking in the area of praying to the Lord of the Harvest. You see when we pray according to the Word of God, what actually happens is that it releases the Holy Spirit to search for these young willing sprits, and to usher them into to a place where they can be used mightily of God.

Back in the 1980's a pastor down in Texas by the name of David Wilkerson became burdened to pray for a church plant to reach the lost in Time Square. Time square is the most visited destination in the world with over 39 million visitors annually. So its no wonder why God would lay this on David's heart. So David made a vow to the Lord that whoever steps into the call and plants this church in Time Square, he would partner with them and help fund and support them. Then,after a year of praying to the Lord to specifically send someone to that area, God laid it on David's heart to be the one to plant it. And now, because of one man's decision to trust in God's word millions of lives have been eternally impacted at Time Square Church.

So today, I want to challenge each of you to pray and seek God. Ask Him to send more laborers into the field of harvest, and believe that He will. Who knows you may even become the next David Wilkerson...

Fearless

Every day that we are able to wake up on this side of heaven is an oppurtunity for us to be used of God and to advance His kingdom. Ephesians 1:12 even states that this is our appointed destiny. God has done everything He's going to do to qualify us for His service and His calling. Jesus has restored us back to right standing with God and the Holy Spirit has equiped us with the power needed to overcome. Now it's up to us to respond to the call.

One thing we as sons and daughters of God must realize is that we have a part to play in God's plan as well. In II Corinthians 6:1, Paul refers to himself as God's fellow worker. Since God is no respecter of persons, anyone in Christ is God's fellow worker. Like anything involving a partner you must trust him in order for your plans to prosper. I can't think of a better or more trustworthy partner to have than Almighty God. He is faithful, and if we will trust Him, His plans He has for us will prosper no matter what appears to be standing in our way.

Now the enemy knows that if he can keep us from responding or trusting God's promises, then he can keep us dormant. We, the Church must receive a revelation of this truth if we plan to fulfill God's divine destiny. The way the devil attempts to keep us dormant is by imparting fear. Now fear is the enemy of faith, but develops the same way as faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, but hearing the false vanities or lies of the enemy will bring fear. This is where the battle is fought and either won or lost.

In order to become fearless we must listen to the council of God and respond. The two most common ways He does this is through His Anointed Word and by His Holy Spirit. It is important to understand that under every circumstance the two will agree with one another. If we never spend time listening to what God is speaking to us, then we won't know the truth and faith won't enter in to set us free from fear. So, in order to become fearless you must seek God's face, read the Word and then respond to it.

Fear's source is the devil and it's a tactic he uses to get us to doubt the promises of God. But God is not having it! He said He would never leave us or forsake us. He said in Joshua 1:5 "As I was with Moses I will be with you." These are only a couple of the hundreds of faith building promises that God has sent for us to cling to. And if we will trust Him, faith will enter in and drive out the fear that has held us captive.

So today if you are feeling bogged down spiritually, I encourage you to get away and be alone with God for a while. Let God's glorious light in and drive out any fear or anxiety you may have lurking inside of you. This is God's will for you, that your joy may be full.

God bless you!

Trusting God

You hear it all the time said in the Christian circles, "Trust God." But at times this can be easier said then done. If you have been on any kind of an assignment from God you know that it's going to require faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. One tall tale sign that you are not in faith is that you are impatient. Faith is always coupled with patience. If God has ever called you to step out on faith and to trust Him for the impossible, then you know how hard it is to be patient, especially when there is a timeline involved. One thing we as sons and daughters of God need to remind ourselves is that God is in control of our lives, and that He is faithful to complete the mighty work that He started in us. He's the Author AND the Finisher of our faith.

As many of you know already, my family and I have been asked to leave everything in Kansas and to move to Arizona to help plant a church. In order for this to take place we need nothing short of a miracle. We are trusting in God that some how some way we are going to get there before September 25th. To be real honest, I don't know how in the natural. The good thing is I don't have to know how. I just need to keep believing God till it happens. One thing I like about living as a child of the kingdom is that God will always provide an opportunity for us to apply our faith. Because of this, He gave us the Holy Spirit and the Anointed Word of God to help us along.

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament is when Jesus told His disciples lets go to the other side of the lake, then He went to sleep in the back of the boat. This reminds me of where I'm at right now. The Lord said, "Eric, I'm calling you to be a part of New Heights Church. Let's go to the other side." (My wife and I have established that this is God's will for us.) The next part of the story says they (Jesus & His disciples) started across to the other side with other smaller boats following them. Then a great storm arose and waves crashed into the boat filling it with water. The disciples woke Jesus up shouting, "Don't you care that we are going to die?" Through this journey I'm on, there have been times where I have felt that the Lord was sleeping and no where to be seen. There are times that as I'm battling the storm and the waves continue to break down on top of me I've felt like screaming out to God, "Don't you care!" but I realize that He does care and that He gave His life so that the authority of the enemy, who's the source of the storm, would be stripped of his power over me, and that now because of the Blood that was shed for me, I have authority to stand up boldly and shout, "Peace! Be still!"

God's plan for them was to go over to the other side of the lake to the region of Gadarenes to deliver a demon possessed man, also, that the word that the Messiah had come would spread to that region. The enemy resisted this, and that was the reason for the fierce storm. To cause fear to come into the hearts of those going to do the will of God. Notice in that story that nothing is said about the other little boats making it to the other side? When we are on a mission from God, we are going to come against resistance from the enemy (storms). These storms are designed to weary us and to cause fear in our hearts so that, like the little boats, we would turn back and say, "This is crazy! What was I thinking?" However, the kingdom of God suffers from violent attacks of the enemy, but the violent take it by force! If we do not quit, but keep our faith in God, then we are the violent and we are gaining back that real estate which was lost in the garden and there isn't anything the enemy can do but panic when we realize Jesus is still in the boat with us, and that He has never left us.

I don't know what it is you're going through or what mission from God that you are on, but if you find yourself in the midst of the storm and the waves are breaking into the boat, remember that Jesus is still in there with you. Stand up in the name of Jesus and shout peace be still! James says resist the enemy and he must flee! Put your faith in God, and He will see you through whatever is standing in your way from obtaining His will for your life. God's grace is sufficient for whatever it is. There's power in the blood of Jesus, wonder working power!

God bless!

Love Is Our Destiny

God made the mountains and has tamed the oceans. One glimpse of Him is enough to burn our eyes for He is so full of glory we cannot bare the weight of it! Many of us have set our affection on Him and we worship Him with all of heaven because He alone is worthy of all praise. He made everything and created it just like He had pictured it inside His mind. All that we see was once a vision dwelling on the inside of the creator Himself. Then He spoke words filled with a creative force we call faith, and those words became exactly what He imagined.

In this very same way God created man, male and female. Everyone of us was once an image inside the creator of the universe. That picture He had of us contained a destiny that we were purposed for. Everyone on this earth has been hand selected by God and given a call in life, even before we were formed in our mother's womb. God knew us before we were even born because we were His idea. He has sent each of us here with a purpose and has equipped us with gifts especially for that purpose, but in order to obtain this destiny, God has purposely left out the key ingredient. Christ.

God created us to be purpose driven, and since we were His idea, He knew that we would not stop for nothing until we reach fulfilment of our destiny. So in reality we are all striving for Christ. God's plan here was to give us the choice. Jesus Christ is the key however that opens the door to God's grace, and there is no other.

Now, failure to realize that we are ALL (saved and unsaved) God's idea can be devastating to the body of Christ. This is why Jesus, the Master, gave us the great commandment to love one another. Even though some don't recognize Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they were still an image inside God and inside of them lays dormant the destiny that was formed by God. That destiny, if cultivated by Christ's love, will glorify the one we set our affection on and bring the light of Jesus Christ to many...

Love is the answer and love is enough...

God bless!

Cultivating Love

It is said that when the apostle John had arrived to an extreme old age and could with difficulty be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples, and was too weak to give any lengthy exhortations, he would say no more at their meetings than this:



"Little children, love one another."



The disciples and fathers wearied of this constant repetition of the same words said, "Master, why do you always say this?" John replied, "It is the Lord's command, and if only this is done, it is enough."



To love one another isn't the easiest thing to do, but with grace from the Lord nothing is too tough. If we are having troubles in our love walk, chances are we are not spending enough time in God's presence. The cure of course is to get before His Word and let it transform the way you think. Though your spirit is reborn, your soul (mind) must be renewed daily in order to obtain the joyful life of abundance God wills for us. The beatitudes seem like steep tasks to the unrenewed mind, but if you will renew your mind daily, they will become words of love and you will begin to crave them in your heart and for your life.



I challenge you today to start renewing your mind with the Word of God. One chapter a day in the New Testament Monday-Friday and you will have read the entire New Testament in one year. Each day you will be building a life of joy, peace and fulfilment, and you will begin to walk out the great commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ.



God bless!

Fully Devoted Living Every Day In Jesus' Name

Is your devotion time with the Lord becoming more of a formality than worship? Devotion to the Lord is essential to growing out of spiritual adolescence and into maturity. Like anything however, if you lose focus of the purpose it can become something you have to do rather than something you want to do. Daily devotion to God is giving God place in your life. It's showing Him honor; it's showing Him that He carries weight in your life. God says that He will honor those who honor Him, but those who lightly esteem Him, He will despise (1 Sam 2:30).

In this day we live in, we are surrounded by so many distractions. For the child of God it is easy to get off track and lose sight of the purpose of life. If you are asking yourself what is the purpose of life for a Christian, let me remind you. Our purpose here on this earth is to reach hurting, broken, unsaved people with the healing/saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The purpose of daily devotion to the Father each day is so that we stay rooted and grounded in His love so that we can stay useful and produce fruit for the Kingdom. If we are not rooted in God's love then we are at risk from falling into the snares of the enemy. All the lavish blessings in this world were given to man as a reward for His diligence and dedication to the Lord. The enemy uses these sometimes to distract us from our purpose and tries to get us to chase after these things rather than after the one who gave them to us. God exhorts us by saying, "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you."

One thing you may need to do in order to prevent from losing focus in your daily devotion to God is restructure your time with Him. You may need to personalize it. What I mean is you might want to take a few scriptures from the Bible, for example, Ephesians 1:5-8, sit down and write your paraphrase as if God were personally speaking to you. This will help you to grasp the love of God for you personally. This I believe keeps my heart breaking for the things that break His. I find myself growing deeper in love with Jesus. And it sets the tone and motivates me to press in and walk my life out living every day in Jesus' name! Couple this along with heartfelt meaningful prayer, and watch your life blossom into a life of abundance!

God bless!

Why The Fire Of Trials?

There comes a time in every person's life where they will not understand why things happened the way they did. This is a situation that calls for us to exercise our faith in God and to trust it and rely on the Lord. Every issue of the heart will and must be put to the fire for testing. Those who trust in and rely upon the Lord Jesus with a pure heart and with pure motives will withstand the flames and will not perish. However, for those that trust in and rely upon their own understanding, even those who claim to be children of God but have impure motives will be consumed and burned up by the same flames that others withstand. Choosing life is choosing to trust in the Lord even when you don't understand why things happen. Those who choose to walk away from the Lord during tribulation judge God's character and question His integrity. So they disqualify themselves to receive Eternal life. One way to stay strong during these trials is to surround yourself with other people of faith. Many folks are out in the world alone and are out there perishing due to lack of faith. I encourage you to find a good Bible teaching church and quicken your spirit with good faith building teaching and preaching. God's Word is the nourishment for our spirit and if we go without it we invite death itself to come into our life. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Don't delay but make it a priority in your life right now. God bless!