Sunday, January 13, 2008

With ALL That Is IN ME

For the last 4 or 5 days the Lord has really dealt with me about the state of our church and what I needed to do as the Pastor of Revival Center to get it back on track. So the blog you're about to read is NOT some fluffy feel-good be a better you inspirational piece; it's a call back to HUNGER for Revival! It's a call to become DESPERATE again to see God in our church and experience true Apostolic Revival in these last days!

Please understand as you read this, that I am in no way trying to judge the church, just call us back to the things that really matter and for the sake of my kids and your kids and the generations to come...let's leave them a strong Apostolic Pentecostal Church!

Here's some of my notes from the sermon titled, "With ALL That Is IN ME."

(Psalms 103:1/ KJV) says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

I’m HUNGRIER for REVIVAL right now than I’ve been in a long time, but with that HUNGER comes some changes that I’ve got to make in order to be fed. One of the issues that is killing the 21st Century Church is complacency!

Dictionary.com defines complacency as a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc; friendly civility; or inclination to please.

You want to know what has unleashed such an onslaught of complacency in the Church? CARNALITY!

Dictionary.com defines carnality as pertaining to or characterized by the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites; not spiritual; merely human; temporal; worldly.

(Exodus 34:4-17/ NLT) records God giving Moses the commandments saying, “Early in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the LORD had told him, carrying the two stone tablets in his hands.

5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and called out his own name, "the LORD," as Moses stood there in his presence. 6 He passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the LORD, I am the LORD, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness. 7 I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so I do not leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations."

8 Moses immediately fell to the ground and worshiped. 9 And he said, "If it is true that I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, then please go with us. Yes, this is an unruly and stubborn people, but please pardon our iniquity and our sins. Accept us as your own special possession."

10 The LORD replied, "All right. This is the covenant I am going to make with you. I will perform wonders that have never been done before anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the LORD — the awesome power I will display through you. 11 Your responsibility is to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then I will surely drive out all those who stand in your way — the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

12 "Be very careful never to make treaties with the people in the land where you are going. If you do, you soon will be following their evil ways. 13 Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash the sacred pillars they worship, and cut down their carved images. 14 You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.

15 "Do not make treaties of any kind with the people living in the land. They are spiritual prostitutes, committing adultery against me by sacrificing to their gods. If you make peace with them, they will invite you to go with them to worship their gods, and you are likely to do it. 16 And you will accept their daughters, who worship other gods, as wives for your sons. Then they will cause your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. 17 You must make no gods for yourselves at all
.”

(Deuteronomy 6:4-7/ NLT) says, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.”

(Deuteronomy 10:12-14, 20/ NLT) says, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires you to fear him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart and soul, 13 and to obey the LORD's commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good…20 You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him.”

I've got to love God, worship God, obey God and live for God “With ALL That Is Within Me!”

(Proverbs 4:20-27/ NLT) says, “Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. 21 Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, 22 for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning.

23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.

24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech.

25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. 27 Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil
.”

In other words, guard your HEART because it affects your actions! Learn the Word, Love the Word and Live the Word and you’ll be safe. Don’t get distracted by the world and all it has to offer because when you get sidetracked you become CARNAL, and when you become carnal you become COMPLACENT and that’s exactly where satan wants you!

(Romans 8:4-8/ NKJV) says it like this, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Our text found in (Psalms 103:1/ KJV) says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

So, IF what is in me is CARNAL, NOT SPIRITUAL, or WORLDLY, NOT only can I NOT BLESS HIM; I CAN’T please Him!

Once you’ve become complacent, you won’t Worship like you use to Worship; you won’t Pray like you use to Pray; you won’t Give like you use to Give; you won’t be as Faithful as you use to be; you won’t read the Word like you use to…

The only solution is found in (Psalms 51:10/ KJV) where it says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

I don't know about you, but I've made up my mind that I refuse to leave my children a watered-down, compromised, dead, lifeless, unidentifiable church that hasn't seen anyone receive the Holy Ghost or been Baptized in the Name of Jesus in years!

I'm HUNGRY! I'm DESPERATE and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to have REVIVAL at Revival Center!