THE STAGES OF FAITH!

I was reading an article by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church recently and felt it timely to share some foundational truths about the process of building the ministry within (the life of the minister) and the ministry without (the life of the church).

As a Pastor and Church Leader faith is the basis of all that we do hold dear. We preach by faith, teach by faith, make decisions by faith and are led by faith. It is the process or path of faith the unknowingly builds leadership character in all of us that lead.   

Rick Warren talked about the "Six Phases/Stages of Faith” which we must all encounter and understand to know where we are in ministry. As I lead other pastors quite often the overwhelming question is “where am I?”, or “Am I making the right choices for ministry and life?”. Psalms 37:23 teaches us that “the steps of a righteous person are order or ordained by the Lord”. The questions that asked are answered by “it is what God has ordained?”

STAGE 1: A dream
God speaks to us by vision and dreams. It is always the end result of what He is doing and the way that He keeps expectation in our lives at optimum.

STAGE 2: A decision
Once the vision is received leaders must make a decision. The greatest of revelations remain untapped unless connected to decisiveness and faith. Make the step!

STAGE 3: A delay
The season of waiting is always the hardest phase of any vision. There is the call, the wait and then the fulfillment. The faith of waiting is better accompanied with being of good courage.

STAGE 4: A difficulty
The difficulties are indications that achievement and effectiveness is really happening. Doubt is the tool of the adversary to discourage that fact. This is not an indication that your dreams are not coming true. It is an indication that the adversary knows it!

STAGE 5: A dead end!
When things get from bad to worse this is the final indication you are in the completion lap.  Emotionally when you feel like giving up is spiritually when you are ready to move to the next level. You are on the edge of finalizing your walk of faith.

STAGE 6: A deliverance
Without rhyme or reason the plans and vision that you have been believing God for simply align and fall into place. This is time for your miracle!

Stay the course of faith and God will bring to pass what He has designed for you, your ministry and your church!

GOT TO FINISH!

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight...." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Paul deals with "patience" when he deals with the Hebrew believers because he is ultimately urging them to possess a "steady confidence" in God. He understands that the plague of all humanity is the issue of consistency and persistence and until a rhythum of belief and faith is reached, the believer will always be doubting the progress they are making.

Steady describes the master workman who has to keep his composure while completing his most delicate and intricate work. We are completing the most vital phases of our lives and must continue to be vigilant against everything that comes against us.

The race that we are in, we are in to win! Patience, Paul describes is like a badge worn by the faithful that have proved steady wins the race. All of us are running in this "faith walk" but what gives us the confidence that we will win. The race has a clear beginning and end with Jesus Christ the author and finisher of it. He is at the start line while at the finish line knowing you will finish what He has started.

Here we are running in the stadium and the Hebrew write describes the "great cloud of witnesses" who have already run and completed the race. The reason we have to finish is because they are pushing us to greater confidence each step we make. Witnesses like Job and Joseph watching our progress to the finish line. They are not only in the stands but they are also at the finish line cheering us home.

Got To Finish!
Until then!

He Saved A Miracle For Himself

There are many tremendous themes that flow from the "Calvary and Golgotha experience", and all of the interconnected circumstances, ultimately bring truth and revelation, regarding the immense and incredible suffering of the Lord to the forefront of our thinking. It is impossible to think about "the hill called mount calvary" without thinking about the pivotal place that this symbolizes in each of our lives. Calvary becomes the turning point for the entire universe in it's totality because it is a place that anchors our existence, and the foundation of our faith in God because it provides a visual reference to what my faith can be hinged upon. It is so significant that no matter what else happens, I know that God changed my life at Calvary.

Jesus said "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). Destroy means to demolish by force, much like the destruction of a heavily guarded fortress that needs a full assault in order to take it. This is not how they took Jesus because he went quietly and subserviantly to fulfill all prophetic words, " He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, He opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus went quietly, yet in the power of His own might.

Jesus reserved the right to reserve his own miracle, remember he said "For as the father hath life in himself, so hath he given the son to have life in himself" (John 5:26). Naturally, if Jesus could raise Lazarus, raise the widow's son at Nain, raise Jairus' daughter, then surely He can raise himself!

Shalom Alecheim

NEXT DIMENSION BELIEVER!

NEXT DIMENSION BELIEVER!

“NOW UNTO HIM THAT IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDING, ABUNDANTLY…” (EPHESIANS 3:20)

The first thing that utterly challenges our comprehension whenever we read texts of this nature, is the apparent of implied impossibility with accepting the reality that God is able to do the exceeding. This thinking brings into play the body and mind struggle which the believer contends with on every level of existence. Trying to agree with the ridiculous things of God, and His ability to perform more than I can ask or think, immediately sets at variance the struggle of the limitations of the body and the power of the mind. The struggle is with what I know about my physical limitations, and the superb ability of the mind to surpass what I know of myself and still be able to believe God can do more. So the struggle is knowing what I know about me, and still believing that God through the power of my mind, can do more for me than I previously thought or imagined.

When the writer says "Above all that we ask or think" he brings into play the greater philosophy of the working of the mind. The mind becomes central to following God and agreeing with His word. "The human mind is the most complex and mysterious power that God has ever released into the body". Paul shares "So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with my flesh the law of sin" (Romans 7:25). Paul divides himself into two parts with two contrasting laws. He referst to "the mind" referring to the inward, inner man or renewed me, and "the flesh" referring to the outward man by which he deals with his carnality. The law of God written in the mind challenges the law of sin written into my members.

To rise above the limitation of my body, I must release the power and critical thinking and believing of the mind. Before I get to the next dimension I must release "Next Dimension" thinking which charts the path for Next Dimension behavior.

Believe yourself into the possibility of greater things and observe God releasing what is at the next dimension because you dared to believe there was more than you could see.

Until then!

SEE YOURSELF CONNECTING

The impotent man in John 5:7 appears to be waiting for his opportunity to be healed from his long illness. Apparently he was waiting for the wrong thing..not for the moving of the water but for the omnipotent to move in his direction. This man's condition is common to all of our experiences. Impotent describes his current situation not his future existence. He is "impotent" deprived of power without strength and disabled..Jesus is "omnipotent" unlimited in ability, power and authority. The two had to meet for there to be a real "move". At first glance it appeared he was waiting on the water but he was really waiting on God. This man finally learned when your options are limited you can be trapped into waiting on a pool when you ought to be digging a well.
"Sir I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool"..the Ethiopic version reads "I have no men, or servants to wait upon me to take me up in their arms and carry me into the pool". This is the thinking he must escape rom..the "attitude of acceptance"..believing that where he was, was always where he was going to be. He could see the pool, close enough to see the angel at a certain season but could not see himself connecting to the opportunity.

See yourself connecting to all the opportunities that God is providing for you. It is obvious that this is not going to be a conventional year..so look for the unconventional, the non-traditional and surprisingly you will find Jesus there!

Blessings
PJ

PERSONAL FOCUS

You are what you believe yourself to be. This statement is especially meaningful in the development of the image of God in you. I would encourage you to get in touch with the image of the God in your lives which houses the blueprint for your purpose. There is no discovery in the external world more valuable than the discovery within you. Once you discover who you are, and accept what God has manufactured you to be, the path becomes clear. The ministry tends to make you focus on all the on-going needs of others while at times neglecting your own needs. All public positions, viewed and assessed by the masses, tend to bring significant pressures and challenges. This requires you, as a minister, to prepare yourselves emotionally, physically, spiritually and psychologically for the demands of ministry. Remember, the ministry is not something you can do of yourself or by yourself. Your help still comes from the Lord. All the management and leadership tools to help you organize your responsibilities will be advantageous when considering the work of ministry. There are things in ministry preparation that are inspired and there are things that become the structural responsibility of good organization. There are resources to assist in organization however, there are unique gifts that are derived from your relationship with the Lord. Taking care of you is easier said than done. It becomes increasingly difficult to shift the focus from what you have been called to do and who you are called to be. It makes no sense to spend all of your time and energy preparing, feeding and serving others, while you go hungry. Time must be set aside to ensure that your needs are met and that the work of the ministry is being handled, as God would have it to be. Whenever you begin to think that things cannot be achieved without you, is the time you begin to believe that without you, God will not bring His purpose to pass.

ONE SOUND

In Joshua chapter 6 the first thing that Joshua and his new leadership team faces in the Promised Land is a problem. Jericho became the next issue to deal with even though still battle-worn from the Red Sea experience. Joshua was a listener! He had listened to God through the wilderness, through the sea and now directed his energies to listening to the plan that God had for the problem. You may have a problem but you also have a plan!

The plan was for Israel to come into unity and come into agreement with the plan to remove the walls that prevented them from possessing what God had promised. Six days they closed their mouths and followed the plan which was to walk once around the city of Jericho each day. On the seventh day after the seventh circuit the plan said for Israel as a whole to shout.

It was not the strength of Israel or the loudness of their instruments that caused the walls associated with Jericho to fall. It was, and is the simplest of concepts that describes God throughout history, ONE SOUND! Together with unity and agreement the challenge was removed. The sound of victory is ONE SOUND, the heart beat of God is ONE SOUND, the sound of deliverance is ONE SOUND!