Power To Advance

As I reflect on this day and on tomorrow, I’m reminded of the Words of Rev. Martin Luther King when he called the nation to respond to the “fierce urgency of now.”

Whatever you have been ordained and assigned to do , do it now.    I believe God has said: “Celebrate, but do not spectate.”   Certianly, history is in the making.   What’s more important, however,  is what history will we make from this moment on.

It will take God.  It will take prayer.  It will take hard work and sacrifice.  Now is the time to pray with a fierce urgency of now so that we avoid what the prophetic “Negro National Anthem” warned:

“God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who has by Thy might

Led us into the light,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee”

The Church truly is God’s answer to many of societal ills.  Let us never give up on her.  She is the Bride of Jesus Christ.  Let us recognize that whatever we want the Church to become, we must become, because after all we are the Church.

It is not our liturgy, it is not our tradition, it is not our history that will cause our success.  It is radical prayer that moves God, it is radical faith that believes the Big Dreams of God, and it is our radical message that Jesus is Lord.  He’s the whole story.   It’s Jesus period.

“Howbeit that was not first which was spiritual, but that which is natural …”  – I Corinthians 15:46

We can breakthrough, if we do our part.  Sometimes we have not seen breakthroughs to higher spiritual heights because we have not done the “natural” things we need to do.

The other day I was preparing to spend time with God, but my mind was cluttered. There were some things that had been lingering for weeks that I had not “gotten around to”, but they needed to get done.  As I went to pray, some of those things popped in my head, like a pop-up window on a computer screen.

I put my prayer time on pause, took care of the things that needed to be done, resumed,  and was able to experience great clutter-free time with God – where life is, and power, and answers.

When you are in prayer and stuff comes in your mind, don’t ignore it.  If it is evil, rebuke it.   But, if it is stuff that you know you need to do, talk to God about it and then obey Him.   It could be that you need to get those things done in order to please God.

God help us to learn that you care about everything that concerns us.   Help us not to ignore natural reality in the name of being spiritual.  While we don’t allow natural reality to determine our faith, and while we do not look at the things which are seen, there are some natural things that God requires of us.   Seek God and make it happen.  Then, live in the clutter-free presence of the living God!

If you really want to know the heart of God, read Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Jesus is praying for us. What an awesome thought.

He is so consumed with seeing us come to know God and living out our purpose, that, as the Bible says, “He ever liveth to make intercession for us.”

Would you join Jesus this year in living to pray for other people?

Here’s the challenge: Pray for the needs of others, before you pray for yourself.

Watch what God will do!!!

Since Hurricane Katrina, we have had people live with us on a regular basis. It has been a blessing to serve, and it has been a challenge.

The blessing is obvious: give and it shall be given unto you.

The challenge is that the additional bedroom was previously used as an office, and “my space” was gone.  Thus, some my work stuff is in my bedroom.  After a while, work and rest find themselves occupying the same room and clutter is the result. I have to spend time every week separating work stuff.  Times of rest or time to do other things get sacrificed. (One of my resolutions is to get work out of the bedroom.)

Do you have multiple things going on in some space of your life? Are there some things cluttered in your mind? Do you find you are trying to squeeze a lot in a little space of time?

Well, it’s time to separate work from rest. It’s time to remove the clutter. Take some time to prioritize and determine what goes where in your life.

Make the adjustments. If it’s time to pray, shut everything else out and off (including the cell phone) and pray. If it’s time to rest, dedicate a space for rest and do nothing else there.  If it’s time to serve, focus on others and not your own needs.   I encourage you to clear up.

You can clear the clutter.  You’ll hear God better.  You’ll work better.  You’ll rest better.

Clear up.

Had a great News Year’s Eve celebration at Hope Christian Church.

Bishop Jackson spoke about finding your voice in 2009.   There is something God has put in you and it’s time to get it out.

I spoke briefly about discovering the “old paths”, as mentioned in Jeremiah 6:16.    There are some things that have stood test of time.  These things will cause any person anywhere to advance.  So, while we exploit every new technology and new methodology, we maximize prayer, fasting, sacrifice, fellowship, etc.   These have been proven, so why not use them?

In this New Year, find your voice in God, while standing firm on the proven principles of God.  And, you’ll have a Happy New Year!