Unlock Your Destiny

God thinks in GENERATIONS. Whatever starts with you is to be finished in generations to come, & without sonship there are no generations.

Many times in the Bible, the blessing or favor of God is attached to having children. This is because God is always thinking about LEGACY.

Do you remember when God told Abraham that He would bless him? Abraham’s reaction was, “How are you going to bless me if I can’t have sons?” He understood that you need SONS & NOT SERVANTS for you to be really blessed...& God agreed with him.

Sons need fathers & fathers need sons.

Sons BURY their vision in the soil of submission to a father. Then, after FAITHFULNESS...comes FRUITFULNESS (multiplication stage) & true subduing the earth.

Luke 16:12 reminds us that if you have not been faithful to what belongs to someone else, nobody can give you what belongs to you.

FEELINGS of FRUSTRATION can set in, when we do not follow the principles of the Kingdom.

The first Adam was born grown. He did not have anyone to submit to so that he could develop his character. No wonder, at the first test, he could not submit to God because he had not been trained & developed.

The second Adam (Jesus) grew up in the home of a father. Jesus submitted to his parents at the age of 12 when he made a decision to follow them back home from the temple & submit & serve them for 18 years & secondly to John the Baptist when he submitted to his vision & assignment & then produced sons that carried His dream to save the world by reintroducing the “Kingdom” back to mankind!

Sonship is the master key to unlock your destiny!

I speak not from theory...but by practice. I’ve discovered that Sonship is liberating & affirming. Because I am a spiritual son I have the privilege of being a spiritual father. This is indeed a blessing & the true key to dominion on the earth!

Understanding this kingdom principle will posture you for long lasting posterity...if you allow it to be engrained in your living.

I’ve learned that the Father/Son relationship is RELATIONAL not POSITIONAL.

You may start off with positional fathers (people who you follow because of their position in your life) but God will lead you into spiritually organic relationships, of likeminded fathers, where your sonship will be tested in the process of time.

If you pass the test, you gain LEGACY & MULTIPLICATION. If you do not pass the test, you will continue to take retakes. Quite honestly, I’ve seen people remain in the same grade, repeatedly, until they learned how to bury their seed (themselves) in the soil of submission.

Again, SONSHIP is the master key to unlock your destiny!

Santa's Workshop

As a child, I remember buying cheap Christmas gifts for my family at Santa’s Workshop, when I was in elementary school. (1970’s)

I wrapped every gift & had a warm feeling in my heart to see my family open them up on Christmas morning.

I still have that warm feeling of giving gifts to my family & friends...especially at Christmas.

Over the years, Beverly & I have had seasons where we had much to give as well as seasons where we had little to give. But we always gave something...even if it was a handwritten note or a homemade card that expressed our love to those dear to us. I guess that’s where the phrase, “It’s the thought that counts” matters most.

This Christmas, whether you have a lot or a little, give yourself completely to your family & friends. A smile, a warm hug, a conversation, laughter, something homemade or store bought...your presence is what matters most.

When we are intentional with our giving, we reflect our Heavenly Father, Who was intentional in giving us His only begotten Son. Salvation is FREE to us but rest assured it cost Jesus His life. He gave His best.

The warm feeling of gift giving may feel different, from year to year, but it helps to remember The One Who gave first.

Christmas, to me, is more than presents under a tree, name brands or trends, it’s about JESUS coming to restore what was lost...to redeem mankind & ultimately reconcile us through His death, burial & resurrection.

I love this time of year. The memories, traditions, food, travel, family, togetherness...it still gives me that warm feeling. I pray you are surrounded by family & friends this week & that your heart is filled with peace.

Merry Christmas! Be someone’s gift!

#Room

Raise The Standard

14 Things Your Pastor Wants You To Know

1. Your Pastor needs help not criticism. Roll up your sleeves & get to work! Feeding, Leading & Healing is work.

2. Pray for your Pastors. When someone comes to you complaining about him/her take them by the hand & say, "Let's pray for them. You begin!"

3. If your life is better because of the Word(s) he/she has spoken into or over your life, be mindful to pray for your Pastor.

4. You are NOT serving your Pastor. You’re serving the Lord WITH your Pastor.

5. Getting to Church on time expresses gratefulness. So Impress yourself, Encourage your Pastor & Honor The Lord. BE ON TIME!

6. When your Pastor talks to God about his/her assignment to you are they boasting of your faithfulness? Or are they begging to be reassigned?

7. The easiest thing to study is the text you heard your Pastor preach. Study that for starters.

8. Never let your Pastor do ministry alone. “I will take of the Spirit that is upon you,” God told Moses, “and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone” (Numbers 11:17).

9. Every Pastor needs to be surrounded with LIKEMINDED leaders who are passionate about the vision of the house and willing to carry the heavy load of ministry alongside their Pastor.

10. When a leader called by God has a BURDEN that becomes too great, God provides help . . . if the leader will ask for it. Not only will the Lord provide HELPERS to SHARE the load, He will ANOINT them with His power, just as He did the seventy elders of Israel. In addition, LIKEMINDED leaders are able to DISCERN the burden of their leader because they are knit "heart and soul" and can "catch" in their spirit when and where to respond.

11. God equipped Jonathan with an armorbearer who was "heart and soul." I love the language this armorbearer used in 1 Samuel 14:7... “His armor bearer said, “Go ahead. Do what you think best. I’m with you all the way.” Now that's the language of a likeminded leader! Are you speaking the language of a likeminded leader?

12. The burden is too great to be carried alone. Every Pastor must be surrounded with strong leaders who (1) UNDERSTAND their heart (2) SUPPORT their dream (3) CARRY their vision as their own.

13. Likeminded leaders ANTICIPATE, PARTICIPATE & SYNCOPATE the "heart and soul" of their leader, even when the language is NON VERBAL.

14. You WIN when you LIFT up your Pastor's Arms!

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Promote What's Promoting You

My father taught me this...

1. Your job may not be your calling; but it is your income. Be grateful for it. Someone took a chance & hired you. Pray for them! Mean them well. Do what you were hired to do. Take nothing for granted. Some people can’t find a job.

2. You ministry opportunity is a result of your calling. It may or may not come with an income. Be grateful for it. Someone, usually a pastor, took a chance on you & gave you an opportunity to use & express your gifts. Pray for them. Mean them well. Do what they have asked & afforded you the opportunity to do. Take nothing for granted. Some people wish they had the opportunity you have.

I always say this: PROMOTE what's PROMOTING you. If you attend a church, you should be constantly inviting people to attend it with you. YOU are the biggest PR person for your church & ministry. When your church is posting/promoting...you should be the first person sharing it & passing the word along. Seems like a no brainer...but, unfortunately, seems like things have to be spelled out.

Some things are TAUGHT...some things are CAUGHT. You either GET IT or you Don't/Won't. If you get it...you'll catapult your NEXT into your NOW! In fact, it will accelerate in your direction.

My dad taught me to PROMOTE what's PROMOTING me. Whatever is FEEDING me...I should be FEEDING back into it. It's really not rocket science...it's just good old fashioned RECIPROCITY.

Whatever you're wanting God to do for you...start DOING it for God. Cast your BREAD on the water & watch it come back to you.

BLOOM where you're already PLANTED.
WATER your own YARD.

Five Things For Friday

1. Help as many people as you can. But remember this: Lifeguards can drown too.

2. You cannot help everyone but you can help someone.

3. We should make it easy for people to support the cause God put in our heart.

4. Many today focus on the position & ignore the revelation. In my day we sought the revelation & THAT got us the position!

5. If you're lying in bed discouraged, depressed & hopeless let me offer this: things will change. But not without you. So get up! Get yourself together! Go to church. Hear from God. He has instructions for you.

BONUS: When a student's heart isn't right towards their teacher...instructions sound like insults & correction is mistaken for criticism. God told Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:7)

Increase Is In The Decrease

John the Baptist was so powerful & dreaded by kings & yet he spoke only of Whom he was called to represent.

John would model the PRINCIPLE of decrease. He would become hidden so that Christ would become seen.

This PRINCIPLE must remain in the life of leaders. Our FLESH, WILL & PRIDE must decrease so that Christ in us can be seen. This is called consecrated living.

Consecrated living takes ownership for it’s ACTIONS & refuses to blame others for uncrucified PATTERNS of the flesh.

Friend, the danger of BLAMING others for our failures is that we never make adjustments. So, we’re destined to fail repeatedly.

We can't keep hurting ourselves & BLAMING others. We're grown & know better. We can't do wrong & expect right to come of it.

Coach Wooten said, “You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.”

At times, we can all give in to the fickle feelings of the flesh. Even John The Baptist did. However, while modeling a life of decrease, he followed the instructions Jesus gave him...and today we celebrate John’s leadership.

Friend, increase is in the decrease...if you can discipline yourself to seize it.

Are you a SON or a HIRELING?

Thankful For Good Men

There's a lot of negative attention given to men who won't "man up", take care of their families, do right, hold a job, crucify arrogance & pride, serve the Lord, etc., But today, I give a SHOUT OUT to the guys who are...

• SUBMITTED to spiritual authority
• Being DISCIPLED while discipling others
• LOVING their wives/families
• PROVIDING for their families
• LEADING their families
• Are walking FREE from addictions & vices

My thoughts on some GOOD MEN...

---> Nehemiah didn't survey the wall alone. A few GOOD MEN went with him "in the night." (Nehemiah 2:12)

---> Good men die for their families. Good men sacrifice, not regarding themselves, regarding others before themselves.

---> M.L. King, Jr. said, "When evil men plot, good men must plan." Good men plan.

---> "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalm 37:23)

IF YOU ARE A LADY, who is looking for a GOOD MAN, look for these attributes...

• A good man is a SAVED man
• A good man is a GOD-FEARING man
• A good man loves GOD'S WORD
• A good man is a man of PRAYER
• A good man wins SOULS
• A good man WORSHIPS God
• A good man goes to CHURCH
• A good man PROVIDES for himself & his family
• A good man will LEAD his family
• A good man SERVES The Lord
• A good man is a WISE man
• A good man is HUMBLE
• A good man WAITS on God

Shout out to all the GOOD MEN who are here shaming the devil with GOOD CLEAN LIVING & LEADING!

Stay strong!

Hold each other up in prayer!

Keep going!

Raise the bar!

"I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it...."

Your Gift Makes Room For You