This has been a week of trying to catch up with business and phone calls and correspondence that falls to the side when we are preaching non stop for weeks at a time. When we are in a series of revival meetings I have to restrict how much time I spend on the phone and on the internet. I feel like if a pastor has had enough confidence to invite me to stand in his pulpit and minister to his congregation, he is also expecting me to seek the face of God for a word for that particular group of people. So, because of that, a lot of business gets put to the side.
I was able to spend some time having lunch with Pastor Johnny Hamby, Pastor of Beauregard Revival Center in Opelika Alabama this week. We were discussing different things we both are seeing take place in this world of ours. We are truly living in the last days! I know, we’ve all heard that so much we are sick of hearing it! But it doesn’t change the fact that Jesus IS coming soon!
While we were fellowshipping (that a charismatic term that means we were feeding our face) I remembered a couple of weeks ago I happened to turn on the TV when we got back to our room after a revival service, and Conan O’Brian was being interviewed by Jay Leno on what his thoughts were on taking over the Tonight Show. He had been told over and over that he had big shoes to fill. He basically said he would like for once not to have big shows to fill…
Two things dropped in my spirit;
1. All of us have big shoes to fill! Or better, all of us are traveling down a trail someone else has already blazed! Jesus told his disciples in John 4:38 that they were entering in to other men’s labors; others had preached and lived and declared and suffered and sacrificed so that the generation alive then would be prepared to hear the words of Jesus and be changed.
Don’t curse the fact that you are living in the shadow of someone elses success; and don’t complain if you are living in the shadow of someone elses failures! God had enough confindence in us the we would do the right thing and follow Him with all our hearts., or He never would have called us to begin with! Don’t allow the spirit of disqualification to paralyze you with fear or unbelief so that you are not able to finish the assignment you have on the earth! God has not called you to be like any body else on this earth; He has called you to be you! So be the BEST you you can be. You cannot be that by simply thinking good thoughts or saying good things about yourself; it comes from a place of total surrender to Jesus Christ and His will for your life!
2. Everybody has some kind of mess someone has left them to clean up! This is preaching to me, because as an evangelist, I get to live in the shadows of what other evangelists have done, both good and bad; and every day of my life I get criticised or compaired to some jack-leg preacher that has abused or misused people, or someone who has been exposed for being in the ministry only for the money. Yet God is calling me to be faithful to what HE has called me to do.
I am coming out of the closet! I am an itinerant minister and I am not ashamed of it! There are many many churches I will never get to preach in because my gift would not be accepted there. I do not want to go where I am tolerated, I want to go where the Grace of God in me can be celebrated! And when I do that, it pleases HIM, brings honor to the Kingdom of God and adds treasure to my pile in Heaven. I want to have a pile of treasure when I get to Heaven, don’t you?
In prayer this week, the Presence of God began to break me with His massive love…and all I could say is God, please let me finish strong…let me finish STRONG!
Let’s determine to finish strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS MIGHT! Everyone is walking in someone elses footsteps; and everyone is having to live down someone elses mistakes!
The grace of God is a gift to be treasured and respected; not a line of credit to be abused and misused!
Let the fire fall!!!!!
We will be ministering this weekend through next Tuesday in Midland City Alabama (outside Dothan) at Sanctuary of Praise with Pastor Ricky Martin. This will be our first time there, and we are looking for God to show up and show out! If you are in the south Alabama area we would love to have you join us!
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