Tag: #riseabove

From Pain there is Always Growth Part 2

January into February as we tried to grapple with the tragedy that happened around my wife’s family was extremely tough. And as I looked back at the horrendous year of 2018 I just kept remembering what God promised me.  That it was going to be a tough year, but that I would grow closer to him then I ever have. I believed Him at the time no doubt. But what I did not realize till the end was how tough the year was.  But beyond a shadow of a doubt I drew in closer to our Lord then I ever have been.  Now even better than that was I saw my family draw in closer to the Lord as well. So everything he told me and showed me came true. Our God is a God that fulfills the promises he bestow’s upon us.

So as I am reflecting on 2018, the Lord shows me this vision of green fields. I mean beautiful green meadows. The sun beaming bright on its beautiful greenery. As I am in this field I am at peace with joy and warmth all around me. And he presses on me that green fields means its time to plant. Now as we plant we need to be aware that open fields means we are out in the open for attacks. Now I am not speaking of the wars around the worlds or our environment here in the US. I am speaking of the spiritual attack

Now let me give you the run down of 2019 since the scene is set.  And thank of the drum role at this point. Because, well that is honestly how I feel.

In 2018 my wife and I launched a young adults class targeting 18-28 years. This is what God placed on our hearts so we launched it. With everything that happened in 2018 it was hard so 2019 we refocused and hit it hard. It was tough at times there would only be one or two people show up. I would leave heart broke decimated at the simple fact that I was taking time away from my family to step out. But the fruit was not there. I questioned everything my calling, my relationship, and doubt set in. This is how the enemy starts to crack our armor. He takes the promise and word of God and twists it. And once the seed is planted in our minds, which is weak in nature and takes it and runs.

You see once I started listening to God and to the ones God placed around me, things started to change. We went from 1 or 2 to busting out of the seems in our classroom. Yes as our class grew the spiritual attacks grew.  I would be sitting at my desk and all of a sudden smell meth. That is strait from the pit of hell because there was no one at my job smoking meth. I would be driving home and smell cigarettes in my truck or Alcohol. I have not touched anything of the sort since Aug of 2015. Once the enemy realized that the Lord almighty delivered me from my addictions of the sort he changed tactics. He started attacking me with my past. Things I did while I was using drugs. Those images would pop into my mind. And for a moment I allowed porn back into my house. I allowed the Jezebel spirit in and I removed it just as quick.

As similar attacks grew stronger so did we, and I now see why. You see my wife’s practice started to grow, our class started to grow, and I started preaching on Sunday’s at a teen rehab center. All they while we started battling and fighting some battles that became new to both my wife and I.  During this time I allowed the enemy to still my Joy, and became extremely grouchy around my wife my kids. It was almost unbearable for them to be around me. I felt like a complete hypocrite when I realized what I was doing. Yes I was still preaching and still going to church, but I was a completely different person at home then I was anywhere else.

I feel into the trap that most Christians find themselves in and that is we put on the mask while at church. Our family sees the real us but oh no not the people at church.  But that is what the devil wants and when I realized that I stopped it. And once I leaned into Christ to help me through this he opened the door to allow me to be in ministry full time.

Once I stepped through that door and stepped into the lush green field fully exposed I feel the devil has completely allowed his minions free rain on the attack of my family and I.  The finances have been under attack our minds have been under attack, my wife is facing something she never has before and I am battling new things everyday.

But here is the Glory and Beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready? Because I sit here in tears as I wright this. These attacks and battles with anger and depression like we have never faced before. THEY MEAN NOTHING why because MY GOD is stronger and mightier then the minions of the devil. I look at these new battles and I see us being attacked by flesh and spirit both and I truly take great pride in it. I am in tears right now because I do not deserve what I have.

I do not deserve to be able to speak life into the young adults he has blessed us with. I do not deserve to be able to preach to the young men at the addiction home on Sundays. I do not deserve to be able to speak life into the men at the addiction home I work at. I do not deserve to have the beautiful wife and amazing beautiful daughters that I have. Because of the life I lived and had I do not deserve it. I deserve an eternity in hell.  BUT GOD sent his Son who died on a cross so I didn’t have to. And that Son defeated death and paid more my sins so I don’t have to spend eternity in hell.

I don’t deserve the things I have but an amazing loving Father blessed me with an amazing wife, and 3 beautiful daughters. He allowed me to have the strongest mother than anyone could have. (I am biased) He blessed me with an amazing house and people to breathe life into me. He placed me in the greatest church that could breathe life into me when I failed. One that He used to breathe life into my marriage and breathe life into my kids.

You see what I deserve is to be dead in a ditch in Dallas because of a drug overdose. But my God rescued me from that life and planted my feet on a solid foundation of Jesus Christ. And yes the devil can attack that all he wants but the blood of Christ sealed that firm and not even the devil himself can damage that  Why because my God tells me that none shall be plucked from his hand.

All you have to do is believe take that step. And when you step get ready.

2020 the vision he gave me was Death…..And the word he laid upon me was LEAD..

I am Back

So 2018 was hard and flowed into 2019. So the past 2 years have been rough on my family and I. Won’t get into it this time but it is coming. I know that the Lord God has bestowed this sight to me for a reason. As I start the journey of trying to stay in Gods will and lead, this will be an outlet for me. I might not get one posted every week, but I will try and post a couple times a month.

This video is about my conversion into truly believing in Christ. I am here to help reach out if you need it. Praise Him in the Storms and Praise him when its forced and Praise Him when you Glorify Him.

Thy Kingdom come?

My question is this .. Is the Kingdom of God a future reality to be hoped for or a present reality to experience now? And is how we live and breathe a product of that belief? So as we dig into this I hope to grow your faith. To allow your eyes to see possibilities, and have even more have faith to believe.

Yes we have blessings here and now, and some blessings are waiting for us in Heaven. We do have some Kingdom powers available to us now, but some powers promised to us will have to wait till Heaven. And sadly the curse of old which some we can overcome but ultimately will be defeated when we are in Heaven. Yes, satan was defeated, sin was defeated, and death was defeated. All of this was defeated by the Atonement of Christ Jesus our savior the His resurrection. Romans 8:32 “He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? You see he promises us that when we are in his will he will grant us anything.

Now if we can get a handle on the presence and future of the Kingdom of God, it will add or increase our faith. Strengthen our relationship with Christ, maybe even perform signs. But it definitely give us the power to suffer at the cross of grief and pain. Col. 1:11 Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. And trust me after the year my wife and I have had I am able to attest to the power God granted me during the most trying times of my life.

Let us look at Luke 17:20-21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, ‘See here! ’ or ‘There! ’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst”.

You see when we look at verse 21 what is Jesus claiming? He is trying to clear up the massive misunderstanding of the return of the Messiah. You in that time the Israelites believe that the Messiah would come in and overthrow Rome. That the people of God would finally be vindicated and the physical kingdom set up.

So here Christ is saying the Kingdom is among them. He Christ the ruler of our Kingdom was in their midst. But yet the prophecy of the old testament mostly spoke of him coming in this triumphant grandeur entrance to rule them and all the World. That we would place all their enemies under his foot. So this creates what Jesus calls the mystery of the Gospel or mystery of the Kingdom.

1st Cor. 4:1 the apostle Paul says “a person should think of us in this way as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God.

Col. 1:26 “The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

Ephesians 3:3 Paul says “the mystery was made known to me by revelation.

So the mystery was the fact that he was there, and he would leave and then come back which is the 2nd coming. He explains this in a parable in Luke 19:11 in the parable of the 10 minas. Here Jesus Christ explains how he had to come but leave to gain the authority to be King. But everyone hated him and he would return to see how his servants had done.

Jesus was here left and now he is coming back. So right now where we sit reading this, is the Kingdom of God with us. If Christ told the Pharisees that the Kingdom was in their midst because he was standing with them. Then if he is in us wouldn’t that make the Kingdom in our midst as well? Well let’s look at what Jesus Christ had to say about this mystery then we can decide.

Starting in Matthew 13 Jesus begins to give several parables describing the Kingdom. So for time sake I will just give the scripture then what in means to me.

Matthew 13 1-9 the parable of the sower. Now there are 4 things that happens when sowing seeds. 1. Satan can snatch it 2. Heat from trouble will burn it up 3. It will get tangled and lost in the cares of the world. 4. Good soil produces good fruit. what is sad about this is we only win a 1/4 of the time. Those are not the odds of a betting man but by the glory of God aI am no longer a betting man.

Matthew 13 24-30 The parable of the wheat. This one is kinda scary because this one is focused on the Church. Weeds grow with the Wheat and you can tell sometimes which is which. So a wake up to the church watch how you are following. Just because the read a bible and go to church does not mean they are Christian. People get lost in religion just as much as people get lost in the world.. IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP!!

Matthew 13 The parable of the mustard seed. Again he is speaking of the church. WOW what a mustard seed can do. 1 teacher and 12 students 2000 years ago had faith and believed so much they died for it. And look where the Body of Christ is now. It amazes me what a little faith of a mustard seed can truly do.

You see as he taught about the Kingdom they were in the midst of the Kingdom. Our God Reigns Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion “YOUR GOD REIGNS”. And he does reign on earth as it is in Heaven. He sits at the right hand of the Father. John Piper said it best “The kingdom is present yet future. It is fulfilled but not consummated.”

We are in his presence we are in his Kingdom… I think we should start acting like it.

God Bless Grace of the King