Breakthrough 2015

If evil in the spiritual realm is hindering miracles from happening in your life, pray breakthrough prayers against evil to clear the way for more miracles to occur in your life. 

-Start by confessing your sins that come to mind, and then repent of each one specifically. 

-Ask in Jesus’ name and through the power of His blood for the Holy Spirit to help you and the people you’re praying for be victorious over every evil attack.

-Ask God to protect you and those you’re praying for from future attacks of the devil.

-Pray for any bondages that you or the people you’re praying for are under to be broken so you and they can experience the freedom God intends. 

-When you pray rebuke each bondage specifically from unhealthy addictions and personal struggles to negative words that others may have spoken over you and any involvement you may have had with ungodly spiritual forces. 

-Ask God to bless you and those you’re praying for in the name of Jesus.

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

When a new year begins a lot of churches go on the Daniel Diet for 21 days. I've tried this before, but not everybody like lentils. However, our denomination and others are calling for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting for a spiritual awakening in our nation. I do believe its time for us to believe God for a supernatural move of His Spirit in this critical hour of history.

For many folks like me 2014 was a rough year physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I was physically spent trying to stretch dollars to make repairs on a building and property that were too expensive to pay for. I lost some dear friends and members who were some of my biggest supporters when the Lord decided to take them home. I was attacked over untruths and opinions from people who were not faithful nor even attended my church. Lastly, I found that people I had confidence in were more interested in an image than in reality. To put it simply in November it all came crashing down on me and I like Job begin to wonder what purpose my life had served at all. It was a very difficult time for me.

They only way that I survived all this calamity and drama was through and by the power of prayer. No, I didn't stay on my knees 24 hours a day, but I did talk with the Lord off and on throughout the day, praising Him, questioning Him, and seeking His direction and face. I asked Him why I felt the way I felt, why He had moved me from a pastorate of 13 years to go through what I had gone through in 4 years and 10 months, and I asked Him why things were not what they were supposed to be. In fact, I asked Him all kinds of things, repented over and over, and I am still waiting on some answers. I said all this to make this point-in the greatest trial of my life-I had somebody I could talk with who would not judge me, be offended by me, antagonize me, nor ignore me-and His name was Jesus.

During the next 21 days I challenge you to do something-ask God for the impossible. Ask God for miracles, Ask God for a new anointing. Ask God to challenge your heart to new horizons in Him. Ask God to show you His glory. And ask  God to help you to know what is best for this coming year. Just take these next 21 days and ask God. It certainly can't hurt.

Will the devil attack you? Yes, he will. Will he try and stop the answers? Yes, he will. Will he try and afflict you? Yes, he will. Yet friend, no war is won without a battle and these next 21 days establish an assault on enemy territory like never before. It's up to us to decide if we will pray of not. It's really up to you. So please join with us and let's attack the gates of darkness together in Jesus Name!

Nearer Than You Think

Many of you have read the story about the old mule that the farmer decided had out lived its usefulness. It had worked his fields for years going in circles tending crops and he decided to retire the old mule out to pasture for the good service it had given him. However on the day the farmer was going to do this thing, the old mule fell into a deep abandoned well on the property that had gone dry. The old farmer said to himself, "Poor fellow, he deserved better than that." Yet the old mule started doing what it had always, which was to start walking in circles inside that old well. The more he walked the more the soft ground grew harder until finally he had made himself walk out of the well. The old farmer could not believe what he saw. How could the old mule ready for retirement have enough strength and stamina to do such a feat? Simply put, the old mule did what it always did-keep on walking regardless of the terrain until somebody said, "Whoa." Nobody told it to stop, so it kept doing what it knew to do until it reached the top.

Some points from this old story I think will encourage you today. Please read them very carefully and let them sink into your heart.

(1) There will be detractors along your way. They will say you are too old, too young, too experienced, too inexperienced, too qualified, or not qualified enough. Regardless of how hard you work they want to decide what your fate is. Don't let them-be your own person.

(2) There are plenty of abandoned wells in life. It's a hole somebody dug before you and you are left with the task of filling it in. Or it's a place you did not discover until you found yourself trapped in it. It happens to the best of us and to the worst. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, you fall in and feel trapped with no way of escape. It is in those times you wonder if you will thrive or even survive-but don't give up.

(3) There is a way back to the top, but you have to be willing to find it. Again, that's not always easy to do. Sometimes you feel you are just walking in circles and nothing seems to change. Can't you imagine what the old mule saw? Nothing but wet, clammy dirt all around. But it never stopped him from continuing on his journey. He kept on walking until the wet, clammy dirt became solid ground and he climbed out at the top.

Life may knock you to the bottom of the well. You may be in a place you didn't ask for or even a place you don't want to be, but keep on walking and don't stop. The top is nearer than you think.

A LITTLE laughter for the New Year

A fire started in some grasslands near a farm. The county fire department was called to put out the fire. The fire was more than the county fire department could handle. Someone suggested that a nearby volunteer bunch be called. Despite some doubt that the volunteer outfit would be of any assistance, the call was made.

The volunteers arrived in a dilapidated old fire truck. They rumbled straight toward the fire, drove right into the middle of the flames, and stopped. The volunteers jumped off the truck and frantically started spraying water in all directions. Soon they had snuffed out the center of the fire, breaking the blaze into two easily controlled parts.

Watching all this, the farmer was so impressed with the volunteer fire department's work and so grateful that his farm had been spared, that right there on the spot he presented the volunteers with a check for $1,000. A local news reporter asked the volunteer fire captain what the department planned to do with the funds.

"That ought to be obvious," he responded,  wiping ashes off his coat. "The first thing we're gonna do is get the brakes fixed on our fire truck!"

Do not let weakness win

Do you have a weakness? Almost everyone that I know has a weakness of some sort or another. Some of these weaknesses do not interfere with their normal life. For example, one person may have a weakness in that they are terribly afraid of heights and so that no matter what needs to be done that requires even two steps up on a step ladder is not done. But, does this really cause them a great deal of problems? Well, that may depend on what they do for a living, or what the situation is.  If this person is a house painter, then the inability to climb a ladder to paint high ceilings, or the outside of a house, would be a major drawback and unlikely that they would get many jobs. 

For many others, being afraid of heights is only an inconvenience that requires the friendly assistance of a spouse to climb the ladder, or a neighborhood friend who can drop over on short notice. In other situations, some people claim to have a weakness that prevents them from taking a risk to get ahead, or to find a new job, or to acquire a new skill. Is this a weakness or a fear of failure? 

Most of us prefer to know what we face because the unknown is unmapped territory. This is somewhat like avoiding traveling to different countries because you are unsure of the customs, or the type of housing available, or a reluctance to attempt a few words in a foreign language. Is this a fear to leave your comfort zone; a zone where you know everything that is required from the customs, language, to the spots to avoid to stay away from bad situations?

For some, a weakness may be a phobia that is realistic for them but unrealistic to others. For example, a fear of going outside is a real fear for some, and this condition is called agoraphobia. Now, psychotherapy, and hypnosis, or drugs in other cases can treat this condition. But, what about when the fear of failure dominates your life? How is it treated, or what can be done so that this belief does not cause unrealized dreams to be a dominant partner throughout life? 

The best-known cure for the fear of failure is action. The aspect of taking action helps to quiet nerves and can lead to even minor accomplishments. Take for example the fear of failure if you have been asked to speak in front of a number of people. This speaking request can be as simple as speaking at a wedding as the best man or bridesmaid, or speaking to a group of fellow employees about a new project. 

The first action in this case, is to prepare a written speech or comments. Once you are happy with what you have written, the next action is to practice your remarks out loud over and over again until you can recite your comments in your sleep. The next action is to deliver your comments in front of family members - this is a safe audience and gives you an opportunity to see if you make any mistakes. Action is the key. Take action as your own special mechanism to overcome fear. Do not let a weakness win - you can overcome and win. 

Self-worth

Self-worth issues are rooted in believing that we are not worthy or deserve to be loved. When we believe that we are unlovable, we will unconsciously reject any love that comes our way. We won't believe the love, because we believe in our hearts that we are not worthy. Self worth issues are all rooted in our failing to see who we really are in Christ.

If you walked into a gallery of world-class art, and pointed to a painting, saying, "That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen! Who painted that??" Now let's say the artist was standing right next to you. How do you think that would make Him feel? Do you realize we are the artwork of God, a special painting crafted together by the master painter? Do you think it brings Him honor when we look down on ourselves? We need to stop putting down what God has made.

Many times we have self-unforgiveness issues because we blame ourselves for something, or we've done something we deeply regret, and we simply cannot let it go. We need to realize that Jesus has forgiven us of all our failures, and we need to start seeing ourselves as forgiven. Otherwise, we're denying the work of Christ in our life! If God forgave you, and you're still beating yourself up, then you don't really believe what Jesus did for you. It's that simple!

Just as we must forgive others (see Matthew 18:21-35), we need to forgive ourselves just the same. Self-hate has been known to be the root behind diseases such as lupus and crohn's disease, as well as other auto-immune diseases. We need to stop holding ourselves accountable for that which Jesus has set us free from.

If we want to be in faith, we need to believe what Jesus did for us, and part of that believing is seeing ourselves as forgiven and clothed with the righteousness of God, which is upon all who believe in the finished work of Christ. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6), so if you want to please God, start taking the finished work of the cross seriously, and begin to see yourself as forgiven, washed clean, and clothed in the righteousness of God. For the righteousness (right standing with God) is upon all who believe. 

 Learn to see yourself as God sees you, and forgive yourself because you want to please God and be in the faith and be thankful for what Jesus did for you.

John Harper

John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents on May 29th, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was thirteen years old that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He never knew what it was to "sow his wild oats." He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul in earnest entreaty for men to be reconciled to God.

As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was apparent...he was consumed by the word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply "The Word of God!" After five or six years of toiling on street corners preaching the gospel and working in the mill during the day, Harper was taken in by Rev. E. A. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, England. This set Harper free to devote his whole time of energy to the work so dear to his heart. Soon, John Harper started his own church in September of 1896. (Now known as the Harper Memorial Church). This church which John Harper had started with just 25 members, had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later. During this time he had gotten married, but was shortly there after widowed. However brief the marriage, God did bless John Harper with a beautiful little girl named Nana.

Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life. When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of twenty-six, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps, God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next...

It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in.

On board the ship that night was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.

That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not.

Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how John Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Does Hollywood remember this man? No. Oh well, no matter. This servant of God did what he had to do. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.