How Much Do You Want it?

"I gave an altar call right away and a bunch of people came forward. The service went on and at the announcements I was thinking about how to tell the people if they missed the first altar call to come and talk to the prayer teams when God told me to give them another altar call. I thought"But I only have five minutes left!“ And He responded "So, give them an altar call.” I gave the quickest altar call I ever did. It reminded me of a radio broadcast invitation for salvation. Eighteen people responded! Ten showed up but I think some were repeats and realized they had already done what we were doing. Still, ten people needed that altar call. God would spare a city for those ten. He would certainly leave the ninety nine and go after the one. At home the Lord spoke to me about a double portion. We can have it if we want it. We have to want it. We have to ask for it. And we have to stick in there to receive it. Once you get it you have to walk in it, or, use it."

Whatever we want in life, after we have settled the issue of if it is God's will, we can have. The question we all have to answer is; "How much do you want it?" The answer to this question will determine if you get what you want. 

As a pastor my life's work is to help people on their journey with God. From birth to death I work with people in all stages of life. Primarily I want to see people start their new life by being born again. Every time we have a church service there will be an altar call. I pray and seek after God for people to respond when we give the invitation. 

On morning I woke up before my alarm and had the thought to go back to sleep. As I closed my eyes I heard God whisper in my spirit, "How bad do you want it?" I knew exactly what He was talking about when I heard the question. How bad did I want to see my prayers answered for people to respond tot he call for salvation? How bad did I want to see them grow? How bad did I want our church to grow? I responded by getting up and going to prayer and preparation for the day. 

It is the same for anything we want in life. How bad do you want to grow? How bad do you want a great marriage? How bad do you want your kids to grow up right? How bad do you want to prosper in business? The answer will determine what your next move should be. 

Once you know how bad you want it then prove it with your life. Prove it to yourself, to God and to those around you. Spend the time you need to working at what is important. Work at it without getting distracted. The longer you stick with it the more progress you will make until you eventually achieve your goal. 

It sounds easy but, like with all things that truly matter, will take a lifetime. I don't know that this side of heaven we will ever say we have arrived when it comes to building a marriage or family or with our spiritual growth. We can always be growing and attaining greater heights. If you really want it, whatever it is, you will be in it for the long haul. And chances are if you stay after it you will not only get it but it will be wonderful. 

Day 207 - Passion

"I preached a passionate word to the end that my voice was starting to go on me."

Is there something you are passionate about? Something that moves you? Something that wakes you up out of bed? 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said "If a man has not discovered something that he will die for he isn't fit to live."

Now before you get down on yourself if you haven't discovered that something yet remember that there is someone Who is passionate about you. When you get a hold of how passionate He is then your passion becomes like a fire within. 

God is passionate about you. That is why Jesus went to the cross. His passion led Him to die for you. 

When I understood the passion of God it changed my life. It has fueled every decision I have made. And now my life's work is telling others the good news that God loves them and is passionate about them. 

God wants to be involved in our lives on the macro and micro levels. He delights in us and dances over us with joy. That is kind of a weird thought, God dancing. It shows His passionate love for us. As a Father with their children so is God with us. 

How does knowing God's passion for you fuel your passion for Him? How can we express that passion?

Day 136 - Passionate Prayer

"A passion to pray came over me at the end of my prayer and I could feel that I was getting somewhere in the spirit." 

There is prayer and there is passionate prayer. I can talk with God and then I can have a deep passionate communion and fervent faith filled prayer time. I pray every day but much to my dismay I don't have this passionate prayer every day. 

That is partly due to my struggle with the flesh or lack of taking real time to get into prayer and is partly due to the necessity of this type of prayer. The book of Ephesians describes different types of prayer. In fact we are to pray always with all kinds of prayer. We should employ a passionate prayer with our heart every time we pray. It will be fight to get there but we can make. When we do the results are awesome. 

Nothing gets done on the earth without prayer. Everything is started in prayer, sustained by prayer and is finished in prayer. If we are going to get the job done in life we have to first get the job done in prayer. 

What are some hindrances to a real passionate prayer? How can we overcome these hindrances? 

Day 105 - Fanatics

"Our friends got a new dog and named him Rocky even though we offered all our suggestions (Shadow, floppy and pepper)."

We have some great friends in our church who are there almost every time the doors are open. They volunteer in various ministries and always have a smile and a good word to say. Good people!

Last year they got a dog and named him Rocky. I like the name. It is a good name for a dog. At the time I didn't realize it but they weren't naming the dog after a famous boxing movie. They named the dog Rocky because they love our church...The Rock Church. 

There is something that sparks a flame when people are passionate. I am often moved when I see people on their knees at the altar weeping before God and pouring out their hearts. I get joy when I see people passionately playing their instruments and praising God. I feel like giving when I hear stories of others who abundantly bless others or who sacrifice for the cause of Christ. 

We need more fanatics. We need people who will wear the t-shirt, paint their faces and scream at total strangers because they are sold out for Jesus. We can do it for all kinds of sports teams but not for God?!

 This past weekend for the first time we had people on the streets waving the signs that point to our church like they do for businesses and model homes. That is how it should be. We should have lines before church. And not just Easter. We need lines for the least recognized day of the year service. Why? Because God is worthy of it! If we are truly sold out we will be at every service we can, serve in various capacities, smile and speak good things about what the Lord is doing in church. Oh...and we would have a lot more dogs named Rocky too!

What excites you about church? What are some ways we can promote involvement?