Out of the mouth of babes...

  Quite possibly in life you've heard someone talk about their "wake up" moment. A moment where something figuratively knocks you upside the head and causes you to realize what you are, or not doing. A couple of days ago, i had mine. it hit me so hard that i haven't been able to shake it. The moment has crossed my mind at least once the last couple of days. I'll tell the story in a moment, but first I'll give a little background about what has been going on.

  I have been back slidden since around November of last year. I've only been to church once or twice since then. I don't pray, i don't read my Bible, my children have heard me say and have seen me do things that I swore as a young man I would never let my children experience because I knew what it felt like as a child. To be quite frank about it, I'm ashamed of myself for this, but anyhow on to my " wake up" moment.

  Me and my family were sitting in the den watching a movie. During the entire movie, my kids ( being kids) continually bombarded me with questions. Finally after losing my patience I jokingly said, " Lord, take me now". My son, Alex, broke into tears and cried, " Daddy, don't say that!"

  It really messed me up on the inside. Why? Because i know he wasn't just saying that due to the thought of losing his dad. He knows that my soul would be in danger of spending an eternity in hell. I've known that  for a while, but now I SEE it, because of my child.

  It's time to change my life, I've got to. Not just for my own soul, but for theirs.

                                                                                     Thank you for your prayers,
                                                                                                                  Josh

"Everything is Good"

It's been a good while since I've written something here, and I find myself in a entirely different place in my life than when I wrote here in the past.

I'm lost, don't know I wound up here or how to get back, I only know that I can't stand the shape I'm in.

I have everything I've ever wanted, a wife and kids that adore me, a job that I love, a nice house, and relatively good health. Everything that nearly every blue collar man in America could ask for, but I'm still not happy.

I feel like a prisoner in my own skin. I'm not the husband or father that my family deserves and needs and I'm ashamed of that fact.

I've been putting up a front to everyone that cares for me, just telling them "everything is good" when they ask how I'm doing. Everything is not ok, I'm miserable.

I don't sleep well no matter what time I go to bed and I know it's because my soul is tired, I've been feeding it worthless junk for so long now that it is slowing dying because of the unhealthy things I've been feeding it.

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make anyone feel sorry for me. That is not my intentions. If this post reaches you, know that I love you and consider you one of my people. I don't let a lot of folks inside of my walls. If you read this please pray for me, I'm tired and I don't know to find the rest I need.

                                             Love you all,
                                                                Josh

Don't be afraid of the Deep!

1 Corinthians 2: 9-10
  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

As a child i can remember going to the creek close to where we lived. I can remember playing in the shallow water, watching the older kids and adults swinging from the rope swing into the deeper water. I can remember being scared to go and do it myself, but as I grew older I finally had the courage to try it for myself. What a feeling it was, jumping from that rope into the deep water! That was where the fun was at, how come I had been missing out all of those years? It is the same way with our walk with God. When we are young in our walk, we try to stay in the shallows, to afraid or unsure about venturing out into the deep, but as we mature that's where we need to be.

The Holy Ghost shows us the deep things of God while we pray and fast and through His Word. This is where we should stay in our spiritual walk. I know myself in times past have left too early from a deep move of the Holy Ghost while in prayer. Maybe if i would have just tarried a little longer i wouldn't have missed what the Lord was trying to impart into my spirit.

Luke 5:4-6
  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

Peter told the Lord, " Master we have been out here in the deep all night and nothing has happened." It might just be me, but i feel like the Lord was telling him that maybe if he had stayed out in the deep a little longer he would have gotten what the Lord wanted him to have!

I know the deep places are somewhere we're not used to, somewhere that makes us uncomfortable, but when we are out of our comfort zone that's where the growing takes place! Let's not be afraid to launch out into the deep!

First Bind the Strong Man

We all can recall the story of Samson, the strongest man in the Bible. How he was bound by new rope that had never been stretched, but he broke it off like it was thread. Samson could not be bound physically, but he was bound spiritually by his own lustful desires that eventually lead to his fall.

  The pursuit of our own worldly and lustful desires still plague men of God today. Some might think, or say, " It'll be ok, I'm not hurting anything, or anyone but myself." But how true is that? Not very, we do not realize that as the High Priest of our home we are the main defense that stands in the door, protecting our family from the evil one. 

  Mark 3:27 KJV 

  No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and  THEN SPOIL HIS HOUSE.

  What will you allow to bind you, while the enemy has his way in your home? What in this world is worth that? I've been there, I let my guard down, stopped praying, stopped reading, and eventually turned from God and started pursuing my own worldly desires. Thought only I was hurting me, but then I started seeing my family suffer. My wife would lay down at night crying and pleading for me to take my place as the spiritual leader in our home again. I watched as the enemy attacked my children with sickness, all the while I was left feeling helpless and could do nothing to help because i was bound. I was bound while the enemy had free reign in my house.

  Do not think it can't happen to you, 1 Corinthians 10:12 (KJV) says, " Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."  We must stay strong, always in prayer and fasting, studying the Word. It isn't just our lives, our families depend on us. I hope this helps someone today that may be struggling, you're never too far from God no matter what you've done. It's never too late to turn it around. I love you all, stay strong brothers and be blessed.

 

Speak Life

Ezekiel (KJV)

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

² And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
³ And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

 We've all been there, in our valley. It's a place no one likes to be, but it is necessary for growth in our relationship with our Lord. Oftentimes we don't see that the valley is here for this very reason. Our fallen nature tends to always try to look for the bad in a situation. Everything looks bleak, or "dead" to us. In this passage God shows Ezekiel a valley full of dry bones, no life exists there, or so it seems. When God asks him can these bones live, he basically replies, "I'm not sure."

 Why do we always accept our situations for what they look like, or seem to be? We should be like Ezekiel, and tell our Lord that even though it looks bad to me, you know God what it really looks like.

Ezekiel 37
⁴ Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
⁵ Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

All that we see in our situation is death, nothing lives, it's a dead end, we're not getting anywhere. God sees life! While we're down, and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, our Lord is wanting us to speak life into that situation!

 Ezekiel 37
⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
⁸ And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
⁹ Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

 When we speak life into our situation, as commanded by God, life happens! The situation in your life is not dead! Listen to and obey the voice of God, speak life.

 

Proverbs 18:21Amplified Bible (AMP)

²¹ 
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. 

 I love you all, be blessed, and speak life!

A Form Of Godliness

While out for a morning jog I was praying as I often do while jogging and the Lord laid something on my heart that I'd like to share with ya'll.

2 Timothy 3:2-9

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their's also was.

Let's look at verse 5 for a moment, " Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof..." Why would anyone want to live this way? That would be like someone handing us the keys to a brand new Corvette and all we ever did was sit in the seat of it! A child of God should not live this way!

 John 14:12

 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

 Jesus told the disciples that they would do the works that he does and even greater works than that! Why would we deny that? How were they able to do this? They were able to do this because they were filled with the Spirit of God, The Holy Ghost, just like Jesus was, while they were in the upper room.

Acts 1:8

 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Everything the Apostles were able to accomplish was by the power of The Holy Ghost. We are able to do the same, but we must receive this power in the same way as they did. How?

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

If we are to be a disciple of our Lord, we have to be baptized unto the same Baptism as the disciples were. The plan has not changed for God does not change!!

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

My prayer today is that we would not the deny the power of the Holy Ghost! God bless you all. 

Watch and Pray

The New year is here, a time that is commonly used to reflect upon the year that has passed. What we have done, what we should have done, what we could have done better. I know I have a laundry list of things I failed to accomplish.

We also commonly use this time reflect upon things that occurred in our nation and around the world. After looking back on the events that took place in the middle east (which is more tense than ever) and the unspeakable tragedies happening here in America every day, it is obvious to me, more than ever, that Jesus is coming soon!

What must we do? Jesus told the twelve in Mark 13:33, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." It's time to pray for revival in America. Americans are turning farther and farther from God. God is preparing this nation for a revival greater than any it has ever seen. Greater than Azuza Street or Topeka, Kansas! The Lord is getting ready to pour His spirit out on all flesh!

It's time that we pray that the prodigals come home. Those that the enemy is constantly lying to, telling them that there is no way that God could love them still, after all they have done. We need to show them that love! We must let them know that His love has no bounds. It is unconditional!
There is nothing we could ever do that would make Him love us more or less than he already does! Let's love them like He does!

• Don't you dare write off that brother or sister that has fallen! Love them!
• Don't you dare stop praying for that lost family member, the one that everyone says could never be saved! They CAN be saved!
• Don't you dare give up on that spouse that you think may never come back to God! Love them, you may be their only hope! 

As long as there is life, there is hope. Let's love them like he does!