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Faith, Trust, and the Impossible

Faith is one of the most written about subjects in the Bible. In fact, there are 667 direct references to Faith in the Bible. That's 193 in the OT and 474 in the NT. Jesus Himself referred to Faith 156 times and Paul talked about Faith 192 times, so as we can see, Faith is a very important subject for us as believers.

Wendell Smith wrote "Faith just doesn't believe in God, even demons do that. Faith does not just believe that the Bible is true, for even the devil recognizes that. FAITH CHANGES THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS. Faith generates a force, a power, and an influence, that makes changes in the natural realm through the power of the supernatural. Faith is a confident trust in the Power of the Almighty God through Jesus Christ. We don't just believe in Him, we PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM!"

I like what Pastor Smith said there, We don't just believe in Him, but we put our trust in Him! The truth is, and Jesus said it in Matthew 17:20, that if we put our Trust in Him and have the Faith to believe that He will move on our behalf, then "We can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will.....Nothing will be impossible for you! Con Dios lo imposible no existe. Nothing will be impossible to you!

What are you believing in today? Where do you place your trust? Where is your faith?

Communion Night

For the past two months, our Wed. night attendance has been relatively low. Sure, all churches have their "seasons" where the numbers fluctuate a bit, but the past two months have been a bit unusal for us. There has been a sense of uncertainty with some, and with others, somewhat of an indifferent or "not-caring" attitude had set in. However, it felt like something broke on Sunday, with the launching of our "Miracle Wall" and the 5 o'clock service dedicated to testimonies, prayer, and miracles. People seem to be excited again and there is a great sense of expectancy in the church. And I believe last night is a good indicator of the changes that are taking, because last night we had over 2,300 people in attendance. To God be the Glory!

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS

In Proverbs 6, we find a few interesting facts regarding ants and how it is that these little creatures are able to survive like they do. If we took the time to review this passage of Scripture, we would see that the ants are successful because they are in constant preparation. Constant preparation is something I believe we need to implement in our lives as well. About 13 years ago, I heard Pastor Scott Wilson, the pastor of The Oaks Fellowship in Texas, say "You will be tomorrow what you are planning for today!" Of course that wasn't an original quote that he trademarked or copyrighted, but it is obviously a true statement. And from the moment that I first heard Scott say it, it has become one of my favorite sayings. In fact, I not only believe it, but I try to practice it in my own life, and I also teach about the principle every chance I get. So with that said, allow me to share with you a few thoughts on preparing for success.

1) We Need to Pray (John 16:13)

2) We Need to Observe the Wind (Acts 27:13)
-cycles, trends, culture

3) We Need to be Constantly Evaluating (Proverbs 27:23)
-What are people saying?
-What is the environment around you like?
-How are people responding to you and your leadership?
-How are people reacting to your decisions?

4) We Need to Make Plans (Proverbs 32:8)
-If you aim at nothing you will hit nothing!
-Even if you don't stick to them 100%, atleast you will have direction.

5) We Need to Take Repsonsibility

6) We Need to EXPAND our Perspective and Viewpoint (Acts 1:8)
-We cannot limit God and what He wants to do.
-We Need to Dream Big, Dream Outloud, and Dream in Full Color.
-Get around other dreamers and out-of-the-box thinkers.

Congo Monkies

Yesterday, when we were taking a hike through the woods during our Pastor's Retreat, we came across about 15 Congo Monkies. Unfortunately I couldn't get a clearer shot, or a picture of the whole bunch, but atleast I was able to get these two while they were monkeying around. (Man, I crack myself up.)

Group Dynamics

Check out the dynamics in this picture. I took this photo on my Blackberry yesterday during a pastor's retreat. This is Hosanna's founding pastor, Dr. David Spencer, talking to 5 of our staff pastors. Wow, a person couldn't ask for a better leadership example than this! Look how the staff naturally gravitated around Pastor Spencer and hung on his every word.

Holy Worms Batman!

Yes, what you are seeing is real. The image on the left is of a worm next to my wife's hand, taken this way to show the size of the worm, and the image on the right, is of thousands of worms dying at the base of a tree.

When did you say Fear Factor wanted to film a few episodes in Nicaragua?