I’ve never been closer yet felt further from God.

Shocking? 

Maybe.

What I’ve discovered is that the closer I come to the fullness of God in Christ, the more I become aware of the sin nature I am being redeemed from.  Each step closer to His glory reveals another facet of me that must either die or be changed. 

This is the walk of sanctification, am I right?

There were moments, many years ago, that I thought, “Wow.  I’m really doing great.  I’ve never been in a better position in my life.”  Only to later come to the next level that God wanted to dig out of my heart.

Here I sit years later and hopefully wiser and I realize that humility paves the way forward.

Grace is held by the humble.  Opposition crowns the prideful.

In leaning into my weakness, I stumble upon the strength of God almighty. 

I once avoided my weaknesses, now I hand them directly to God and ask for His help. 

No more fear or shame covers me.  Now I boldly approach the throne of grace because I’ve learned the great and deep riches found there.  Only accessed by those willing to surrender to it’s need. 

I’ve been around and involved in church leaderships that were unwilling to admit their need.  What this facilitates is a God complex.  They slowly and surely usurp the need for Jesus because they are the answer for everyone.  I always wondered about this.  Grieved over it.  Walked away from it.

Any leader who is unwilling to admit to being wrong or admit when they have a problem, isn’t a real leader…they’ve grown into a desire to be the head. 

Leaders should lead others to Christ.  Christ is the head. 

If we each want to live in the fullness of God that is in Christ Jesus, then we must always remember our position and stand in reverence and awe of His. 

Christ is the head of the church.  Not just one denomination, but all believers. 

Anyone teaching otherwise is a liar.  Teaching high-sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking.

Read your Bible.  Know the Truth for yourself.  Walk with Jesus.  Be complete in Him.

This is the way.

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.  For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.  So, you also are complete through your union with Christ, Who is the head over every ruler and authority.  When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure.  Christ performed a spiritual circumcision- the cutting away of your sinful nature.  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized.  And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, Who raised Christ from the dead.  You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away.  Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.  In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities.  He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.  So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.  For these rules are only a shadow of the reality yet to come.  And Christ Himself is that reality.  Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things.  Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body.  For He holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.  You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world.  So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle!  Don’t taste!  Don’t touch!”?  Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.  These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline.  But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.  Colossians 2:8-23

It’s a unique day and age in which we live.  We are living in the pendulum swing.

The thing which was once considered the revolution…the sexual revolution…has shown its cost. 

Our very souls. 

Corrupt and empty, it’s been found to be.  Leading to further depravation it is a demonic spirit that can never be satisfied.  Now it’s aggressively targeting children like never before.  Attempting to pervert and damage them beyond recognition before they are even able to have full thought.

Never in my life did I think that the real counter-revolution would be godliness and having a family. 

I never would’ve believed it but it’s true.  That’s what is happening. 

Having seen the pendulum swing so far from what is normal and into a land not many are interested in living in…we see the pendulum’s return…swinging back toward family values and God.  The youth of today are being drawn to the wholesome, having spent their formative years in the fires of a leftist agenda and inundation, and they hated it.  The adults who were sold a form of freedom that led them to deny the natural leaning toward marriage and raising a family.  Sacrificing all our original design at the altar of selfishness and “success” women are left bitter and empty.  While men are left wondering how to be men and forgetting how to lead. 

The lie has been proven a lie.  The youth deny it and the adults are waking up to it. 

A turning back has begun.  A turning back toward what it good, holy, pure, true…we the people crave the truth.

Our very DNA carries the fingerprint of God.  It’s no wonder we feel empty without Him.  It’s time to fully surrender to the call of Truth.

We were made to worship God.  We were made to marry and raise families.  Men were made to provide and conquer.  Women were made to establish a healthy home and raise the next generation.  Men were designed to take sons and teach them how to be men.  Men were designed to love their daughters and show them how a man should treat them.  Women were designed to care and nurture then release their children to grow.

We are the counter-revolution.

I challenge you to look into the face of the Father and ask Him to remind you for what and for Whom you were created.  Let Him speak truth to you.  Bold.  Undeniable.  Unchanging.  Truth.

This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around.  Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.  Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.  Jeremiah 6:16a

As we continue to speak on exposing, sometimes I wonder if any of you feel guilty about your own past or the sins in your life.

I know that I must remind myself constantly that I am born again.  My sins are forgiven.  The sins of my past, present and future are all covered by Jesus’ blood.  In advance, He has covered them.  The moment I received Him, I was redeemed.  You were too.  Covered forever. 

I know it’s almost too much to comprehend, but it’s true.

We are covered.

There’s nothing else we need to do.  It.  Is.  Finished.

Let’s read together…

Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body.  He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.  So, He is first in everything.  For God in all His fulness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.  This includes you who were once far away from God.  You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body.  As a result, He has brought you into his own presence, and You are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.  But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.  Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the God News.  Colossians 1:18-23a

We are covered once and for all time and now we only need to remember.  We must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly on it. 

If we do, we might drift away from being assured.  When we lose assurance then we lose boldness.  When we forget, it doesn’t only affect us but also affects those we might have positively influenced if we did remember.

Today I challenge you to remember.  Remember the moment you were saved and how complete it was.  At the point of salvation, we carry an acute awareness of the fullness of Grace.  Sometimes we begin to forget.

Take some time to remember.  Remember your salvation story.  Share it with someone and let the words of your own testimony encourage you. 

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.  Revelation 12:11

I’ve often thought about the defiance found in the lost.  Especially in these times.  People seem to promote and celebrate all types of defiance, even bringing large swathes of believers into this open defiance to God…shackled to a perversion of the Word…

Judge not, lest you be judged…has been used as a ramrod to shove an evil and godless agenda.

Love your neighbor as yourself…has been perverted by the evil to shove darkness down the throats of the righteous.

This must stop.

The church should be steeped in discernment.  We should see through the lies and into the eyes of Truth. 

As with any act of defiance, this has been developing and establishing over many years.  We see it particularly right now being exposed in the hip hop celebrity world.  As decades of a certain hip hop moguls ills are being played out in the public eye.  Manipulation and deceit.  Blackmail and coercion.  It’s bad.  But it’s not surprising and a lot of people have known about it for a long time and have been scared to expose it.

Back in 2020 God told me that He was moving into a season of exposing, and that I was not to be afraid of how bad it is.

Never in my imagination did I dream it would still be happening, but what’s been hidden under years of lies and deceit, takes time to draw out.  The root system is large.  Larger than I ever knew.  But I know so little, it’s not surprising.

The same root that holds the hip hop shame, is connected to the root system that’s exposing one pastors sexual sins after another.  As it’s pulled out from the earth it’s pulling up more shocking perpetrators. 

But this is so good.

How can we change without knowing we have a problem?  How can we move forward, if we are still shackled to the lies of the past?

The wicked were allowed to live their lies for so long that they became arrogant and brazen in them.  This is what is leading to their exposure and destruction.

Human defiance only enhances Your glory, for You use it as a weapon.  Psalm 76:10

This verse will always be true.  In our haughtiness we are led to destruction. 

The whole American system…from churches, to Hollywood, to music, and politics…it’s all having it’s day of exposure and this means…things can still be changed. 

As long as God is exposing it, it gives me hope that His grace can still be found.  We simply must take hold of it and receive. 

Let’s take time to intercede for America today.  Ask God to forgive our many sins and heal our land.  Dedicate the land you live on, to the Lord.  Then ask Him to anoint the whole of America with His presence and grace.  It’s time.  The harvest is ripe for the picking.  People are desperate for God. 

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.  Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.  Then your faith will grow strong on the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:6-7

Do you ever feel like things are never complete?

Meaning, there’s always something missing or another piece to place in the puzzle of life.  As if you can’t quite reach the fullness.  The precipice. 

I do.

I feel my spirit constantly reaching toward God.  It’s a longing I don’t want to cease. 

But there’s another longing I feel.  A constant yearning to walk in wisdom and knowledge and understanding.  I’ve written about it before, in a variety of ways.  I long for wisdom.  To see through what’s apparent and into what is real.  To see past the earth and into heaven.  To truly know.  Completely.

Do you also have this longing?

I came across this portion of Scripture, and it reignited this never dormant passion…

So, we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.  We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.  May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father.  He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people who live in the light.  For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, Who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.  Colossians 1:9-14

We desire wisdom, knowledge, and understanding because it allows us to honor and please God.  It will bear all kinds of good fruit.  And in that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding we know God better. 

Come on!

Who wouldn’t want that, right?!

Today I encourage you to press into God’s heart and pursue this wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as a way of knowing Him better.  It’s possible to attain a deeper measure of these things. 

Ask Him for His glorious power to encompass you that you could have endurance and patience.  Ask Him to refill you with joy!  Thank God for His blessings and come to Him out of your love for Him and expect good things.  It’s ok to come to Him expectant.  Why wouldn’t we expect good gifts from a good Father.  It’s not wrong. 

We love Him.  We serve Him.  We seek Him.  When we do, we undoubtedly walk in His favor and blessings. 

This is the fruit of a life well spent.  Spent on Him.

I love reading Scripture.  It’s so fulfilling, exciting, encouraging, convicting, and enlightening.  It’s alive and that’s why it can always speak something new to us. 

We know that God created the heavens and the earth.  We’ve all read about it in Genesis 1.  It’s fascinating to consider God creating with His words.  So much power is held in our tongues.  Life and death.  Blessings and curses.  Our words carry so much power, as we are made in the image of God.  We don’t think about it often enough, but it is very true.  Our words matter.

I was reading Scripture this morning and came across these verses…

Christ the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through Him and for Him.  He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.  Colossians 1:15-17

This concept is far too great for me to understand, that for certain.  But it is fascinating, nonetheless. 

Can you imagine?

Christ was before all things, is supreme overall, and all creation came through Him.  He made everything seen and unseen.  Then it gets crazier that everything was created through Him and FOR Him…and then one last power punch…He holds all creation together.

It is amazing.  Humbling.  Uncomprehensible.   

If you’ve ever wondered why the enemy focuses so much on making people believe that Jesus hasn’t come yet or isn’t real…this is why.

He knows exactly Who Jesus is and he knows exactly how powerful He is, and he hates it. 

We must never forget the God of our salvation.  Jesus Christ.  The One Who died and rose again, creating a way for us to be saved.  The second Adam.  He is simply everything.

I encourage you to take time today to really focus on Jesus.  Close your eyes and wait until you can see Him.  Thank Him for all He’s done and is doing.  Give Him all the glory. 

Remember that He holds everything together. 

When you feel overwhelmed at home, work, the state of the world…look to the One Who holds the world in His hands.  Lean into His loving arms.  Press into His heart and steady yourself with its calming beat.

Years ago, I began a special practice.  Every Sunday when worship would start at church, I would stay seated with my eyes closed.  I would focus my heart and mind until I could see Jesus.  Then and only then, would I stand up and begin to praise and worship.  Focused worship.  True and authentic.  Our worship is for Him.  He certainly deserves it all!

The enemy is trying to make everything so unclear.  Questioning and twisting everything that is real and promoting all the lies.  He is the father of lies, remember?

While the body of Christ is gasping for breath and simmering in a state of misunderstanding, I believe the cure is to be steeped in the Word of God.  To consistently remain in Him. 

It’s really not that complicated.

God is clear.  The enemy is the one who muddies the waters with deception, doubt, greed, misunderstanding.

We must remember.  Return to God’s Word and remember the Truth.

I know I have said some of this before, but I will continue to do so because it’s painful to see so many people walking in a spirit of deception.  For example, how is it that so many in the church are confused on which candidate to vote for when one is clearly for the mass murdering of our next generation and the other isn’t.  This makes no sense, and it convinces me that many in the church simply don’t read the Bible or have a genuine relationship with Jesus.  There is no other explanation.

We are clear on all issues when we weigh them against the Word of God.  Even the most difficult issues, like war.  The Word of God instructs us and teaches us from the past how God moves in the situations, it’s just that we don’t always like what it says, or it makes us uncomfortable.  I’m sorry but our comfort level doesn’t determine the validity of God’s Word.  It should make us uncomfortable sometimes. 

We grow from being challenged and having to press in and listen to God and to learn new things. 

So many times, in the Old Testament, when they went to war God made it clear what needed to happen.  Why would today be different?  Is there evil in the world, or not? 

Everything that the world tries to make unclear, is made crystal clear when held next to God’s Word.

Let’s remember that today. 

I encourage you to go to God honestly and ask Him for wisdom and ask Him to lead you to the Scripture that you need to read, in order to live at peace and with understanding.

You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth.  You split the sea by Your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters.  You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him.  You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and You dried up rivers that never run dry.  Both day and night belong to You; You made the starlight and the sun.  You set the boundaries of the earth, and You made both summer and winter.  See how these enemies insult You, Lord.  A foolish nation has dishonored Your name.  Don’t let these wild beasts destroy Your turtledoves.  Don’t forget Your suffering people forever.  Remember Your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!  Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again.  Instead, let the poor and needy praise Your name.  Arise, O God, and defend Your cause.  Remember how these fools insult You all day long.  Don’t overlook what Your enemies have said or their growing uproar.  Psalm 74

Last weekend Chris and I accompanied my parents to the Razorback game.  This special game is held in the stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play.  It was quite an experience.  I’d never been in a covered football arena.  I’d also never been in one that is so big.  Our seats were amazing and just 12 rows up.  It was special and a privilege.

While we were wandering around the halls of the arena, I noticed a special bar and concession area for certain people and many boxes where fans would have all the VIP treatment.  I thought, “Wow.  I would love to have a box seat sometime.”

God spoke to me, “I want to give you full access.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t at the stadium…I was in the heavenly places.  I was seeing the correlation between earthly access and heavenly access.  In that moment I saw that God wants to give me full access not only in heaven, but also on earth.

Why would He want to do this?

The answer is simple.  Why not? 

I have the Spirit of God within me, so anywhere I go, His presence is released.  For me to have full access, is for Him to have full access.  Can you see it now?

He desires to establish and promote each of us according to our level of character and maturity, at just the right time…so we can expand the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth.

Oh, that the believers would stop shying away from influence.  Oh, that we would each steep ourselves in His Presence and allow Him to mature us to a place where we can bring the influence of Heaven into any place on earth and not lose ourselves.  We must be tethered to Him in such a way that earthly promotion won’t destroy us.

If He is magnified within us, then when we are magnified it’s Him that others will see.

We must be so acutely aware and grateful that He bought us with Jesus’ blood, that we cannot be bought by the world. 

Then we will have what is necessary to walk in authority, even in a room of people who carry earthly importance. 

Realizing that, I walked around the stadium with my head held high and my feet firmly planted on the fact that God will bless me in every season, and I have no reason to feel “less than” anyone.

And from that position I had a wonderful trip last weekend.  Feeling blessed both coming and going.  Praise the Lord!

I encourage you to invite God to show you the access He desires to give you.  Ask Him to lavish you with His presence and begin to see that for which you have been created.

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock- the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.  Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.  You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.  Deuteronomy 28:3-6

I stood in my kitchen.  It was quiet and I was thinking about some of the creative things my kids have begun to do.  I began to feel delighted as I remembered the things that they simply decided to try one day.  One learns new painting techniques and tries them out daily.  Two of my kids have been really working at playing piano lately.  They teach themselves songs that they learn with the help of YouTube.  Another is growing and learning how to do many adult things, but with excellence.  An excellence that I didn’t even consider walking in when I was young.  

I thought about how wonderful it is that they are making these decisions to learn and grow.

Then I heard the Lord telling me that this is the fruit of creating space and peace within our home.  Time and peace…are a recipe for unlocking the creative inside each one of us.

Wow.

I have been doing this for many years and hadn’t realized that this was what we were walking in now.  You know, it’s sometimes hard to notice things that happen gradually.  So, I love it when God opens my eyes to it and gives me a chance to truly say, “Thank you”.

Our homes matter.  The atmosphere of our homes matter.

I was once stuck in the busy lifestyle and have had many friends that thought life was best for their kids if they were constantly busy with activities.  But what I’ve grown to realize is that is not true at all. 

Raising kids in a fast paced, always moving way breeds yet another generation of people who don’t think things through.  I desperately want my kids to think and reason and to truly know things. 

Going through the motions in life feels like death to me.  I want to live a life that matters.    Doing things that matter.  Avoiding empty pursuits.  Avoiding busyness for busyness’ sake. 

I want my kids to be deep thinkers and have deep walks with God.  If that’s my goal, then I must continue to cultivate this peaceful space for them.

I encourage you to consider what’s most important.  What are the values and activities that matter most to you? 

The risk is this…while you are disconnecting from the empty things and connecting to real things, there is an empty space.  Don’t fear the empty space because that’s where the thinking is beginning.  That takes time.  Time and space. 

Embrace it.

Do you see someone skilled in their work?  They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.  Proverbs 22:29

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.  Colossians 3:23

The blessing of God multiplies.

Today I encourage you to position your heart to receive that blessing.  While it is God’s desire to bless us, we often make it difficult for Him to do so…whether it’s our disobedience or our unwillingness to receive His goodness…we often strong arm the blessing away.

Today, stand ready to receive. 

Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.  Abraham was only one man when I called him.  But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.  Isaiah 51:2

What part of your life is God desiring to multiply with His blessing?

What part of your heart can you feel Him tugging?

I feel that in this hour God desires to multiply our understanding.  Our wisdom and knowledge and understanding.

We know so much these days.  Information has become warfare.  Knowledge without wisdom and understanding can be dangerous.

I feel strongly that God desires to give us the proper combination…knowledge, wisdom and understanding.  Once He’s multiplied our understanding then we can truly begin to make an impact upon the world.

We should all crave understanding.  It’s paramount.  A precious gift.

I’ve noticed that you can often pick out those who have spent a lot of time with Jesus.  They seem to carry an understanding that is deeper than most.  It’s the multiplication of God on their life.  It reminds me of this verse…

Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools, they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.  Acts 4:13

I really want to be like Peter and John in this regard, don’t you?

The real way to walk in the blessing, anointing, and multiplication of God is to sit with Him.  Be in His presence regularly.  Dedicate your life to pursuing Him…in the good times and the hard times.  Pursue Him earnestly even when all things seem to be going well.

He is our God.  The only One truly worthy of pursuing.

We don’t pursue Him simply for the reward, but the reward is the fruit.  Pursue Him out of love…and let the other things come.

Stand at the ready…to receive. 

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him.  Philippians 3:8-9a