I Love My Church! "Turn Your Story Into His Glory" 2

There is a story out of Miami about six Royal Palm trees that had been vandalized and cut down along Miami’s Flagler Street. Due to the expense involved in replacing the trees, Dade County wasn’t sure how soon, if ever, they would be replaced. Along came a generous donation of six new trees. Not only were the trees paid for, but they were even planted by the donor.

The former trees had been 15 feet tall and formed a beautiful foreground for a “Fly Delta” billboard. The new trees were 35 feet tall and now hid the billboard completely. The donor of the trees was Eastern Airlines.

You may not be aware just how much Hell will pay to black out or cover up the testimony that Christ has given you. Everybody who comes to Christ has a story. Some have been delivered from alcohol, drugs, or promiscuity. The blind man who was healed said, “I was once blind but now I can see.” You don’t need your GED, BA, MBA, PHD, in order to share what God has done for you. You may even have a “DUI”, or maybe like me you were raised by godly parents who raised you in church, but you came to the realization you needed Christ. All of us need His deliverance from the chains of sin, and He will do it for everybody.

In Acts 12, Peter was bound in a prison cell; chains were on his hands and feet, guards were on both sides of him, walls and gates had him confined and locked up. But God showed up with his powerful angel on assignment. The bright light of God was greater than those chains that would fall off. The Angle said, “Get Up.” What is holding you in sin today? God’s light is brighter than your chains of drugs, alcohol, pride, lust, or the pain of your past.  The angel then told Peter, Put your shoes and coat on, let’s go!” What are you waiting for?

God wasn’t through with Peter’s assignment. Why are you still living? Have you completed all of your assignment?  The only reason we’re all still here is that God’s not through with your story. You say, “But what I’m going through right now stinks.” My wife and I like planting flowers in our yard. We use black cow manure to make it grow and blossom. Friend, manure stinks, but that’s fertilization to make the flowers to blossom. It’s all about perception. It’s time to Break out of your discouragement, depression, doubts, and despondency. What would your coffee be like without a filter? Filter out your pain with the promises of God and realize that God has intentions to turn your pain into His purpose.

What are you waiting on? Let God’s light drop the chains of disappointment off of your life and allow them to bring deliverance to somebody else who needs to hear about Gods amazing love for all of us. Live your life based on, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” (Ish 54:17) And one of my favorites, “What the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it for good. (Gen 50:20)

I Love My Church "TURNING YOUR STORY INTO GOD’S GLORY"

Earlier this week, I felt the Lord ask me a question: “Danny, If you had to live your last 10 years over again, what would you have done differently?” After marinating on that question, I said, “Lord, I would have taken more risks to win people for the Kingdom of God.”  Friend, God never intended for your story to end up on a sour note. Have you ever heard somebody sing off pitch? My wife and I love to watch American Idol. There are some who think they can sing because mom told them they could. When the judges get that look of torture listening to them, you know they’re off pitch! God wants you to stay “on pitch” with your song, even in the midst of your pain.

All of us will be given an opportunity to Give God the Glory with our Story. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to do that, you may want to go back and reevaluate where you got off track! Satan always tempts us to whine, complain and get bitter with our chaos in life. You say, “But I’ve gone through a divorce, bankruptcy, lost my job, lost my health, lost my joy, and I’ve lost my way in life. It’s a choice to believe, “All things work together for good to them who love the Lord.”

God never allowed you to face your setback in order for you to lose your way for God’s plan in your life. God says, “It rains on the just and the unjust.”  What happens to you isn’t as important is how you respond to what happens to you. We choose how we respond to our test, our mess, and our dilemma. You can choose to see the good in your test and then share your glorious testimony. We can choose to believe that God will turn our mess into a miracle. We can choose to turn our dilemma into a great deliverance. The real question becomes, “What is God up to in our chaos?” Could He not be planning a great celebration? What is God seeing in my pain that will lead to the wonderful Peace of God? What is God seeing in my sorrow that will bring about a genuine smile?

When others realize that there is genuine depth to our smile because God has brought us through our sorrow, then our test becomes a great testimony for somebody else to believe. Can God really get some glory out of your story? Absolutely!

Three Hebrew men chose not to complain in their fiery trial. They chose not to question God and bow down to the King’s fiery furnace. They said, “Our God is able to deliver us; but even if He doesn’t, we will still not bow!” At the end of the day The Lord showed up as the 4^th man in the fire. The King then stated, “There is no other God like the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.” Does your family, friends, co-labors at work say that about your God? Or do they see and hear another sour note about your pain and sorrow?

God never intended for our pain to push people away from Christ. God never planned or anticipated for our mess to muddy the waters for an unbeliever. Paul states, “I would have you to know that the things that have happened to me have happened for the furtherance of the Gospel.”(Phil 1:12) Paul could have whined and complained about his years in a prison cell, but he chose to write and encourage the churches he had begun. During his season in prison, he wrote one-third of the New Testament. What are you doing with your story? Will you use it to give God glory? When, where, and how will you put it into action? What will you do with your story this year, the next five or ten years? Or will you look back and say, why didn’t I use it to WIN One More for Christ? Go ahead, tell somebody today what the Lord has done for you, and watch God get the glory out of your pain, sorrow and chaos. God can truly turn it for the furtherance of the gospel.

Schindler's List Video          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIp_8RNNX4kVideo

I Love My Church "Dropped or Deployed for Destiny?"

A young boy named Bill was dropped off by his mom who said; “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Three days later, he’s still waiting for his mom to return; she never showed up. Would Bill become a misfit, a misguided missile with a fiery, explosive future? Would he survive being deserted?  Would he grow up with anger, bitterness and resentment? Would he end up like 70% of young boys who grow up without a father, ending up in prison? We’ll pick up with Bill’s story in a moment.

Joseph was one of twelve brothers in the house of Jacob, the first born son with Jacob’s wife Rachael. He was next to last in age of all Jacob’s sons, the one that Jacob was most fond of. Joseph grew up believing that God had given him a dream that would lead him to his destiny. At the age of 17, his brothers got “nauseated” hearing about his dreams so they threw him into a pit. Had it not been for Reuben, they would have killed him. The brothers said, “Let’s take some blood from an animal, put it on his coat and dad will think a wild beast killed him.” Afterwards, they took their brother and sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites who took him down to Egypt, sold him and dropped him off as a slave.

Would Joseph get bitter and angry from the rejection of his brothers? Would he question God’s plan, the dream and destiny for his life? Would he develop a mentality that, “I must not be worth much because God dropped me off in a foreign land? Will anything ever become of my dream?”

For the next 13 years Joseph would take a roller coaster ride of first being falsely accused of sexual impropriety with Potiphar’s wife. He was locked up in a dark dungeon questioning, “Why me, Lord; what is this all about?” “Why would God allow me to face such a horrible chapter in my life?” Would he be labeled the rest of his days as a misfit, a mistaken, misguided missile?

Tomahawk missiles today can be guided by technology that can lead them a thousand miles away to their destination. If a man can brilliantly design a guided missile that incredibly, why would we question the God of this universe to guide His vessels that He’s designed for his own deployment? Later Joseph would be used to interpret the dream of King Pharaoh that a famine was on the way. Joseph was in the right place to be promoted to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, all because he refused to get angry with his brothers and his God.

He could have spent years wallowing in self-pity: “Woe is me; why me Lord; what did I ever do to deserve this?” Instead, he chose to believe that it was God who dropped him off for deployment. God was more interested in his deployment than his difficulty, his calling than his comfort, his cause than his convenience and his mission than his mess!  So which will you choose to dwell on? Your mess, your difficulty, your comfort or your convenience? Stay focused there and you will miss your dream and destiny. Focus on your deployment and you’ll possibly impact thousands like Joseph did.

Yes, Bill also chose to say like Joseph, “What the Devil meant for evil, God meant for good.” Today, Bill Wilson spends his life serving God, helping little boys and girls find Christ and their own destiny. Today, he reaches more than ten thousand kids per week as a pastor in New York City. So ask yourself, “Will I dwell on being dropped or believe it’s really just my deployment from Heaven?”

I Love MY Church “Connecting with God and People”

Thirty years ago, Vonnell and I set out from Lakeland, Florida to become the pastor of Oceanway Assembly of God. The Pen. Florida Superintendent of the Assemblies of God said to me, “Danny, I’m getting ready to close a church in Jacksonville; they’ve had new pastors nearly every year over the last several years and have come to a breaking point. Are you interested?”

What he did not know was when I was a sophomore at SEU, one early morning praying, I know God spoke to my heart and said to me, “One day you will go to Jacksonville, Florida to pastor a church.” Was this it? Was this what God was talking about seven years before? On April 7th, 1985, Vonnell and I had our very first Sunday service in Jacksonville, Florida as the new pastor at Oceanway A/G. Why do I love MY church? First, because God loves His church, and He is diligent, attentive and passionate in Redeeming and Connecting lives to Him in these last days.

God warns His own people to NEVER lose their first LOVE. He says to the church of Ephesus, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” (Rev. 2:4) How could this happen? Did something else get in the way? Did people get caught up with their own interests, business, jobs, sports, and entertainment? Jesus doesn’t want anything else COMPETING with His CHURCH!        “So Why Do We Love Our Church?”

It’s a Place Where People Can Connect With God and With People!

Connecting with God is essential! It’s the first commandment Jesus spoke (Mark 12:31). It’s where lives are redeemed, changed, transformed, disciples made, marriages healed, sick bodies set free, and addictions broken. Is there anything too hard for our God?  Blind Bartimaeus cried out and said, “Jesus, have mercy on me.” Then the Word says, “And Jesus stood still.” (Mark 10:49) Friend, He still stands still today when people cry out to the Savior. He can radically change people from their blindness. Many today are restless in their brokenness, weary with their challenges, stressed with their troubles, pressured at work, confused in a rapidly changing world. Does God still answer the cry of men’s hopelessness today?

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8) Yes, God is in the redemption business! I was flying home from Calcutta India. Some 33 hours had transpired as we were approaching home in Jacksonville, Fl. I couldn’t wait to get off that airplane. I was tired, weary to the bone. Within 15 minutes of landing, the pilot came on the speaker and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to inform you, Jacksonville International airport has lost power; there are no lights on the runway and we’ll have to fly on to Orlando where you’ll have to make other travelling arrangements.”

There was a loud moan throughout the passenger cabin, “OH NO!”  Weary, beat, fatigued, exhausted, and more. Now we’re talking another 3 hours to rent a car and drive to Jacksonville. But within 10 minutes, the pilot said, “I’m happy to inform you; POWER has been restored to Jacksonville International Airport. We’re turning around to our destination.” Friend, Oceanway is to be a CHURCH, a place where people can safely land in the arms of Christ. Let’s be a Bright Light to our city so they can come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I Love My Church By Connecting With People Through My Life Lessons

What really gives us commonality to connect is when we SHARE with others our own setbacks struggles, disappointments, and seasons of discouragement. There’s nobody exempt from problems and troubles in this life. The glue that forms relationships is WHEN WE SHARE ABOUT:

• Our Failures. Failure is NOT final nor is it fatal. Hell wants you to believe that when you’ve fallen, that you can never get up again. Tell me somebody that hasn’t fallen and I’ll tell you somebody that just lied! God’s Word shows us many of His heroes who also experienced their own set of mistakes and failures. To name a few: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Samson, Thomas, Peter and Paul. Yet each one of them got up to finish their purpose in life.
• Our Lack of Money. Almost all of us can share about these times in our lives. I’ve learned that living without money is like living without oxygen. Why did Jesus spend so much time talking about money more than anything else in the Bible? He knew the way you handle money would affect everything else in your life. Share what you’ve learned and you’ll surely connect with people.
• Our Pain and Sorrow. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers them from them all.” (Psalm 34:19) Everybody’s going to face pain. I’ve learned to look for the Good, the Glory and the Gain. God says, “And we know that all things work together for the good.” Have you looked for the good or been blinded by the negative? Anybody can dwell on the ugly, but God says, “Look for the Good! Joseph’s final assessment of his journey was, “What my brothers did, they meant for evil, but God meant it for GOOD!” (Gen. 50:20)
• Our Waiting. Patience is not one of my favorite fruits. Most of us, want to see the promises of God without a process. “Between the promise and the payoff there is a process.” (Steve Furtick) Are you trying to get to the promise without God’s process? Had Joseph tried to go around the test of being thrown in a pit, the betrayal of his brothers, the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, the false accusation that put him in prison for possibly 13 years, he may have missed God’s purpose. God says, “Don’t be weary in well doing, in due season you shall reap if you faint not.”(Gal 6:9) Share what you have learned and watch God use you to help others.
• Our Disappointments. God truly can turn our disappointments into divine appointments. Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt because God turned all his misery into a ministry of feeding starving people. Somebody’s in a “famine” now that you can help. God turned Joseph’s pain into becoming the problem solver for those who would have died in a famine. Have you figured it out yet? God will never waste any of your life lessons if you will share them with someone else who is going through something that you have already experienced yourself.
  
  
  This is the reason I love My Church, It’s not about promoting a man, a preacher, a worship leader, a teacher, or our local church name; but rather it’s about lifting up people to our awesome GOD and His SON Jesus Christ. We do this by SHARING with one another our own struggles in life. Paul stated, “I will glory in the cross.” (1 Cor 1:31)  He also stated, “I would have you to know the things that happened to me have happened for the furtherance of the Gospel.” (Phil 1:12) Start sharing today about your own life lessons and watch God use your Test to become a Great Testimony of His saving love, grace and faithfulness!                  

Getting There With God's Compass!

Navigating through life can be one of the most stressful, demanding segments of your life. I was in Bangkok Thailand, a population of over 14 million people, one of the largest cities in the world. In a taxi cab we got “Lost in the middle of the night” trying to locate our hotel. I might still be driving around in circles if I had not had a hotel card with an address on it to get to our destination. Three words come to mind: “Flustered and Frustrated and even Fearful.” Too long to tell the whole story. After four frustrating hours, we arrived safely at our hotel.

Many in life are on a journey where they are flustered, frustrated, and yes, some are fearful of never getting where they are supposed to get in this life and the next.

God says in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way to go, I will guide you with my eye.” (KJV) The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

We can make life much harder when we fail to go to the PERSON we need to go to in order to get where we need to go. You say, “Danny, if I knew the right step, took the right test assessment, was a bit smarter, wiser, more intelligent, experienced, or tried a few more things, then maybe I would know what’s next.” Just ONE suggestion; GO talk to the RIGHT PERSON.

When I have a problem with my Acura, I don’t call Chevrolet, Ford or the Chrysler dealer. They didn’t write the manual book on my particular automobile. Rather, I call the manufacturer who made my car. Who do you think made you? Where did life begin? Sorry, I don’t believe I came from an ape. God says, “We were created in HIS image.” He made Man from the dust of the earth. Friend, it’s simple, GO TO GOD!  He’s got the blueprint and the drawing for your life.

He tells us what to ask and how to ask.

Pray, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” Talk to Him, knowing He is waiting on you to ask Him the where, why, how, and when in life.

Pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Have you asked Him to take the steering wheel of your life? Make Him the pilot, not the co-pilot.

Pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He has what brings us love, joy, peace and fulfillment in life. No career, marriage, house, cars, riches or lands can do that for you.

Pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Buddha, Rev Moon, Hare Krishna can’t forgive you of your sins. It’s only through the blood of Jesus Christ that you can be forgiven.

Pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Everybody has weaknesses somewhere. God is not impressed with your strengths but gives grace to the humble.

Pray, "Thine is the Kingdom, the power the glory forever. Amen." When you call out to the right Person, “JESUS CHRIST”, you will find purpose that will lead you to God’s plan which will bring you Power to get where you need to go in your life. His compass works, Let Him direct you today.

Am I On The Right Path?

We’ve all gotten lost in our cars, on the wrong road, which moves our hearts with a horrible feeling of frustration. Today we have so many helps with our Google Maps, Siri and GPS in our cars. But who can help us with our challenging life-changing decisions. Maybe it’s deciding who I will marry, how to have a healthy balance in my bank statement, how to find God’s purpose, blueprint, and plan for my life. God is clear that “He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name."  ^{(Ps 23:3 NLT)} God is not only the person who places us on the right path, but He also gives us Guidelines to keep us on the right path. Does God really guide people? Ask yourself:

Am I on the RIGHT path? ^{(Galatians 5:22-25)}

• Love Will Prove You’re On The Right Path.   If you’re on the path of revenge, anger, and getting back at someone who did you wrong, then without a doubt you’re on the wrong path. God says to forgive and release those who have betrayed you and did you wrong. If you live long enough, someone will hurt you, But it could catapult you into your destiny like the Lord Jesus. Judas betrayed Christ, but it launched Him into His destiny. It may birth new beginnings in your life!  Say like Joseph, “What you did, you meant it for evil, but God meant this for good.” (Gen 50:20)
• JOY Will Prove You’re On The Right Path. Only Christ can give you everlasting, eternal joy. Joy is not in having stuff like cars, homes, lands, beautiful diamonds, riches in the bank, or getting married to your first love. You really can’t make somebody happy; that’s only temporary. True happiness comes from a “Relationship with the Lord Jesus.” Joy doesn’t come because somebody fills your joy tank. Only God can fill that vacuum in your achy breaky heart!
• PEACE Will Prove You’re On The Right Path.   You can be in the middle of a storm, but you can also have Peace right in the middle of your storm. The storm may be all around you, but God can give you peace regardless of the storm you are in. “Thou will keep us in Perfect Peace whose mind is on thee.”^{(Ish 26:3)}
• PATIENCE Will Prove You’re On The Right Path.  When you’re making quick decisions because you want your dream sooner than you’re willing to wait for, pushing God will only lead you to greater pain. Abraham had a son named Ishmael because he didn’t want to wait for his Promised son Isaac.
• GOODNESS Will Prove You’re On The Right Path. Have you looked back and said, “Now that was a good deal.” You waited on the right relationship that God desired, the right job and the right fit came your way. That is the evidence that God made it happen and you’re on the right track.
• KINDNESS Will Prove You’re on the Right Path.  It’s easy being kind to nice people but what about the one who is mean? Jesus would have us to be kind even to the vilest of sinners.
• FAITHFULNESS Will Prove You’re On The Right Path.  All of us can get weary of trouble, problems, pressures, and stress, but God calls us to be faithful to our spouse, our work, our ministry, our friends and our God. Stick to it. God is able to keep that which we have committed. (2 Tim 1:12)
• GENTLENESS  Will Prove You’re On The Right Path.  Are you being challenged with somebody that has unnerved you? Guess what; you and I are human, but God will give us the grace to season our words with gentleness, That is His will.
• SELF CONTROL Will Prove You’re On The Right Path.  There’s nobody in life who doesn’t struggle with something. When the Krispy Kreme red light is on, I truly struggle driving past that donut shop! Controlling your emotions or your appetite is a sign that you are keeping things in balance. No, it’s not a sin to eat a single luscious chocolate donut with vanilla crème, (that is as long as I don’t eat a dozen at the same time!)

“WINNING OVER DECEPTION" Change The Channel

Let’s talk more on changing your FOCUS. Better said, CHANGE THE CHANNEL you’re on. The battle is won in the mind. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5) When thoughts of pride, lust, lying, cheating, stealing, being greedy or getting revenge come, “CHANGE THE CHANNEL.” God tells us, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”(Phil 4:8) Resisting the thought will just drive the thought deeper into your mind. Here is God’ way to overcome.

Change To The:

Praise Channel Has God been good to you? Has He saved you, and brought you out of a horrible pit of sin? Has He given you His Holy Spirit to guide and lead you into all your decisions in life? Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. (Ps 150:6) Praise Him for all He’s done and it will change your thinking.

Promise Channel God has given each of us promises to be a winner and to be victorious. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” (Ish 54:17) God says, “Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap if your faint not.” (Gal 6:9) “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. (Hab 2:3) Don’t give up, it will come in God’s timing and season. God’s not slack on His promises.

Power Channel God says, “We’re not alone in the fight! “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”(Heb 13:5)  “But as many as receive Him to him gave he the power to become the sons of God. (John 1:12) Why would God bring us this far to leave us? Why would he teach us to swim to let us drown? Why would he build His home in us to move away? He didn’t lift us to let us down!  Trust in His power today.

Peace Channel You and I don’t have to live in frustration, aggravation, or manipulation from the enemy. God is Jehovah Shalom, the God of Peace. He says, “Thou will keep us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” (Ish 26:3) Walk in His peace and believe like the songs says, “It is well, It is well with my soul.” Get off the stations that are dragging you down. Change the channel!

Protective Channel God says, “He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all the ways.” (Ps 91:11) There have been times in my life that if He had not sent His protecting angles, I wouldn’t be here on the planet. Why not go ahead right now and thank God for keeping you alive to finish out your purpose and plan for your life.

Purpose Channel   Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:16) You are not here by chance, but God handpicked you with an assignment to do His will and plan. “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb I knew you.” (Jer 1:6) Change the channel and God will help you to catapult over the deception that Satan is using to derail you from Gods purpose. Get up now, God is for you! Listen, “If God be for you, who can be against you.” (Rom 8:31)

Perspective Channel. Your perspective can change your power to perform in using your faith. Refuse to think that you have to fall into deception.  The right perspective is, “God Is The Great Deliverer.” Claim that right now, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” 
(Eccl 7:8)