Category Archives: Growth

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Prayer is the place where God makes gold!

Prayer is the place where God makes gold!

Have you ever wondered where personal transformation comes from in the lives of believers? It’s obvious it comes from God so it should be just as obvious that it comes from spending time with God. When we spend time in the place of prayer God forms us on the inside. He makes us the men and women that he’s called and created us to be.

Great things happen in his presence and you don’t have to wait until Sunday to get there. Sure many of us know that, but do we really know that? I believe that what we believe effects everything that we do. Real and lasting change in our lives will only come when something eternal touches something temporary. And this happens in the place of prayer. When we open up God’s word and ask him to speak to us and when we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us. It’s in this time that God brings about your true identity, he speaks to you about who you really are and he satisfies you with good things.

My favorite place to be on earth is…in heaven! Seriously! As believers we are seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and there is nothing that I enjoy more than sitting at Jesus feet in heavenly places. When I set aside time in my day to do nothing but pray (although my mind would tell me this is pointless) I am filled with joy, peace, strength, faith and a greater awareness of who I am, who God is and why I am here on the earth. It is greater than anything this world offers. If you’re a parent you know that you take great delight in your children (I know I do)! I also know that my children love playing with their daddy. It’s natural, it’s God’s design and it blesses both the parent and the child. The same is true in our relationship with God and when we resist or neglect our time together we lack peace, joy and fulfillment.

Make time for prayer today! Get alone with your heavenly Father. Pour your heart out to Him and then allow Him to pout His heart out to you. You’ll be so glad that you did!

Be encouraged!

~John

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God Loves You!

I’ve been walking with God for 15 years now! It’s crazy that it’s been that long… He loved me before I ever had a thought of him and he’s loved me since! In my pride, in my struggle, regardless of any sin my God has taken delight in me! WOW! What a powerful truth I’ve come to learn: God loves me at my best and he loves me at my worst!

Thank you God for your incredible love towards me! Right now I pray for all those reading this that they will grow in their understanding of your great love for them. Yes God, may they come to know that you love them in their sin, in their struggle, in their addiction and in their unbelief. Open their hearts and powerfully minister your great love! May they come to the fullness of the knowledge of Christ. Thank you God!

Oh open your hearts today! Forget the distractions of the world! Give God your worry, your opinions and your concern. He loves you more than you know! God loves you at your best and he loves you at your worst…God loves you! Be encouraged by this truth! May it lead you to great peace, joy and freedom!

God loves you!!! This is the message we need to focus on! His love that draws people to repentance (to change their minds). We need to pray and ask God for a greater revelation of his love for us, our children, the church and America.

“Thank you Jesus for your constant love, thank you for your love that never fails! Fill hearts across this nation and around the world with your great love, amen!”

Blessings my friends,

John

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All 4 All

“He poured out his life unto death.” Isaiah 53:12

Over 2,000 years ago God gave us his ALL on a cross at Calvary. Jesus poured out his life for us and after healing the sick and loving the least, the last and the lost he suffered and died on a cross for you and for me. He then rose from the grave and since then he has been at the right hand of God praying for us!

If this doesn’t portray a loving God I’m not sure what does! He is a good father, the best of friends, patient, kind, gentle, loving, understanding, helpful and completely selfless! Basically he is worthy of our devotion, he is worthy of our lives!

So, today will you respond to his great grace and unconditional love by giving your all to him? We love him because he first loved us and we have been called to be co-laborers with him in the earth (1 Corinthians 3:9). We’re called to partner with him by giving our all as he gave his all.

Let’s give our all to him today in worship, prayer, devotion, faith, love and service. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14 Let’s partner with God and give our all today!

Let’s go light it up!

-John

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Two Things

I have two words for you today:

1. Trust God

Many times the cares of the world cloud our minds and we forget that God is a good father and that he knows how to take good care of his children. Stop worrying and stressing about your bills and all of the “what ifs” of tomorrow. God loves you and he will take care of you! Set your eyes back on God and speak his word over your situation.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.” Philippians 4:19

2. Get to work serving others

It’s easy to get comfortable within the confines of our own homes, to turn on the TV, open our laptops or be on our phones. Distractions are many and entertainment is well…entertaining! But God has called us to abundant life and abundant life is more than watching other people live. We are called to get involved and serve the people all around us. The world is hurting, there is so much brokenness in the earth today. The lie we often buy is, “What can I do?”

Well, Jesus calls you the light of the world! You are the hands and feet of Jesus in the earth today! God has given you talents, gifts and resources that you can use to share God’s love with the world around you. So may this challenge you today to GET UP and GET OUT! The lost, the broken, the hurting, the lonely and the confused are waiting…

“Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

“Each one of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

That’s it!

Trust God for your miracle and be someone else’s miracle while you’re at it!

Blessings,

John

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Responding to Criticism, Defeat, Discouragement and Disappointment

How do you respond to criticism, defeat, discouragement and disappointment? We are bound to face all of these at some point in our lives and for many of us we will face them often. So how do YOU respond in these difficulties?

I have to admit that immediately when any one of these things come into my life I am often affected by them…for a moment! In the past I would let criticism, defeat, discouragement and disappointment take me out for hours, days and even weeks at times but that is not the case anymore. I’ve learned to identify them and quickly rise above the negative state they attempt to leave me in. Did you know that we can take authority over our negative emotions and stay in a place of peace?

God’s taught me several keys that help me identify negative feelings and quickly rise above them bringing me back to a place of peace and joy. Here’s what I’ve come to learn:

  • The quicker I get my eyes off of my situation and back onto God’s goodness and his love for me the quicker I feel like myself and have peace and joy
  • The moment I recognize the negative feelings I’m feeling from criticism, defeat, discouragement and disappointment I take them captive and start thanking God for my growth and ability to do so
  • Stop thinking inwardly and start thinking outwardly (instead of poor me I move to a positive place with the thought of how can I encourage others from this negative experience)
  • Pray: I acknowledge my feelings and then bring them to God in prayer and in exchange he gives me peace
  • I rejoice in faith because I know if I’m feeling any one of these things its from the enemy, who is obviously trying to stop me and keep me from moving forward (this encourages me because I know I’m on the right track and about to experience breakthrough in my life (that can potentially lead to breakthrough in many other lives as well)

I hope these few things bring you both encouragement and power to respond well to criticism, defeat, discouragement and disappointment.

Blessings,

John