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Waiting

No doubt if you have children, or had them, you have experienced the anticipation of Christmas. The building angst of every child waiting to open the gifts that are under the tree. They’re scouring the gifts, looking for the ones that have their name on them. Then, they begin to wonder what the contents of the wrapped box is. The size, shape, weight, ribbons, bows, all the decorative items are used as a clue to the contents. Each of those begin the long wait to finally move beyond wondering to knowing. They know the gift is theirs. They know that it is promised, because it’s already under the tree. It’s wrapped for them and their name is on it. The waiting can be excruciating. 

Have you ever felt that excruciating pain of waiting? Maybe you are feeling that excruciating pain even now. You know what’s been promised. You know the shape, weight, and design of what has been promised, and you know it’s yours. However, the wait is difficult, because of the anticipation of the fulfillment, or the unveiling, or unwrapping of your promise! 

Be assured, you’re not alone. Thankfully the Bible gives us hope that the promise God gives us will come to pass. 

In Genesis 18:1-15, Abraham and Sarah were promised a child. Sarah struggled to believe this promise. She believed that this promise was impossible because of the current conditions of her life. She had desire for a child, but couldn’t get past the circumstances of her own life. However, like her, you also will know that there is nothing too hard for God, and nothing is impossible for God (Matthew 19:26). In Genesis 21, you read where God kept that promise and Sarah did conceive a child. Likewise, God will keep His promise to you. Nevertheless, there are lessons that can be learned from Sarah, about what not to do in our waiting season. 

Maybe you are like Daniel and you have prayed for God to do something, yet you haven’t received an answer. Daniel was praying for a city. Though response didn’t come when Daniel thought it would come, it actually came twenty-one days after he prayed. When you read Daniel chapter 10, you will find that God actually heard the prayer the day Daniel prayed it, and answered the prayer. It just took longer for Daniel to know that. There was a time of waiting for Daniel. Therefore, we shouldn’t get frustrated when we pray that results don’t happen instantaneously. Be confident that God heard when you prayed and the answer is on its way (Daniel 9:1-19, Daniel 10:1-12). 

In the New Testament there was a woman who had an issue of blood. You can read about her in Mark 5:21-34.  This was a woman who had this issue for twelve years. Now, twelve years may not seem like a long time, unless you are the one dealing with the issue. Over those twelve years, she had tried to get help from doctors, but couldn’t find any help. One day, she heard that Jesus was coming through. Having heard He was a healer, she determined to get to Him. I would love to know the determination that was in this woman on that day. She ignored the rules of the day, in regards to her condition, and pressed through, and in, to get a touch of Jesus. One touch of the hem of His garment changed her life so much. Like her, you should know that one touch of Jesus can eradicate a lifetime of waiting. 

Whether your wait was twenty-one days, twelve years, or an, it’s only four days’ time does not stop God. The reality is, the only things which stop God is our lack of faith and our pride. John 11:1-44 rehearses a miracle that was four days in the waiting. You see, the time you have had to wait doesn’t increase, or decrease, the value of the miracle. The woman waited twelve years. Mary and Martha waited four days. Both were miraculous; the woman with the issue of blood received her life back just as Lazarus received his life back. You can be breathing and have your life robbed from you. What I love about Jesus is, He restores all. 

The story of Lazarus is a reminder to us that, even though our situation seems beyond the realm of possibility, regardless of how final it looks, Jesus can bring it back to life. It could be that, right now, Jesus is commanding the obstacles that others have placed in front of your miracle, to be moved. Remember, He told them to remove the stone, some obstacles need to be removed by those who placed them there. I believe that this is sign of faith by Martha and those around the tomb. If they didn’t believe that Jesus would raise him, they wouldn’t have obeyed the command to remove the stone. When we are in the waiting for our miracle, may we remain in faith and stay obedient to the words of the Lord in our lives. 

Lastly, in John 5:1-5, there was man laying by a pool located in the town of Bethesda. This man laid there for thirty-eight years. Can you imagine the despair, hopelessness, and discouragement this man must have experienced over those thirty-eight years? However, when Jesus came to Him, none of his experiences of the past thirty-eight years stopped Jesus. Secondly, it didn’t stop this man either. When Jesus told Him to get up and walk, the man didn’t rehearse what happened all those thirty-eight years. This man came and laid in faith, He was there to be healed. When healing came, even though it wasn’t by the pool, but by the Word of the Lord, he received it. So too, even though you’ve thought the gift would come one way, it may come another. Don’t reject your promise, because the package isn’t what you thought it was. 

Remember that a delay is not a denial. Waiting is difficult, but don’t lose hope! Remember that HE is in the waiting, and He has heard. He has already answered and the answer is on its way!

Jason McKinniesLeave a comment

A Year for Vision and Purpose

If there was ever a year that spoke about vision it’s the year we are in right now. For years people would use the words, “hindsight is twenty-twenty.” By saying that, people mean if they’d had a clearer picture of a situation, or understood all the ramifications of the issue, they would have done something different. The term 20/20 refers to the basic, normal vision of an individual. It gives us an idea of the clarity or the sharpness of their eyesight. This is tested by having an individual stand twenty feet from an eye chart. Then, if that individual can see all the rows on the eye chart clearly, they have 20/20 vision. What often happens is, we are either too close to a situation, or we find ourselves too far away and we aren’t seeing clearly. We then make a choice based on what we are seeing, even though it could be a distorted view. After we have made a poor decision or choice we state, “Well, hindsight being twenty-twenty, I would have done this differently.” 

Maybe hindsight is 20/20, but couldn’t we work on a way to have 20/20 in foresight? Instead of consistently having to deal with the repercussions of one bad decision after another. Maybe we could work on our vision of the future instead of focusing on what’s behind. 

What happens on a normal year in my house is, we have to go have our vision tested. There, in an environment where a mistake isn’t to going to harm me, an educated, trained, and skilled doctor is testing my vision. He runs a battery of tests, scans, dilates, and then reviews my vision. Once we have gone through the seemingly endless, better at one, or better at two drill, the doctor then gives me a prescription so I can see clearly on a day-to-day basis. One would think me foolish to sit in that seat with a trained, skilled, and educated doctor and lie to him, or memorize the chart so I can pass his tests. I would then leave the place which was offering me a way to see clearly, without any help. If I did that, I could be endangering myself and others. Without the ability to see clearly, I cannot read the signs that are notifying me of changes, dangers, and directions, all because I refused the help that was right in front of me. 

Early on, when I first went to the eye doctor, I didn’t want glasses. Something to do with pride if I remember correctly. Then I tried the contacts, so I wouldn’t have to wear glasses. However, there was a problem: I couldn’t get a contact in my eye to save my life. I’d twitch, flutter, jerk, or close my eyes every time my own finger would get close to my eye. Over the years, I finally got comfortable putting the corrective lenses in my own eye. I have found that, one of the hardest things to do in life is to put correction into my own life. I’ll twitch, flutter, jerk, or ignore the issue in myself, but have no problem identifying it in someone else. Jesus spoke about this very issue in his teaching on the plank and the splinter (Matthew 7:1-6). On this first day of the year, could you take some time and do an eye check? Forget about the splinter in everyone else’s eye and look at the beam in our own eye. Every day the person I need to deal with first and foremost is the person I view in the mirror. That guy is my biggest asset and he is also my biggest adversary. How I view myself can dictate everything. I often look more at him through hindsight and less with foresight. I see what I have done, could have done, should have done, instead of what I can, should or could be doing! May we take this day and look at what we can do. Take a step back and look clearly at yourself. Examine yourself. The scripture states, “But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world” 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 (New Living Translation). Examination is a review of the past in order to create a better tomorrow. What do I need to change now, to be what I want to be later? Then begin to make those corrective changes. When you do, you will see the signs along the way, warning you, directing you, and guiding you to the destiny God has for you. Believe it, then you will see it.

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We are Audacious

Today I want to continue our series on Purpose, the purpose of our church and the  principles of our church – these are the foundational core values of what makes this place what it is.

We will cover a variety of topics throughout this series

1. Church on Purpose Across the Aisle 

2. Church on Purpose Across the Street

3. Church on Purpose Around the World 

4. We live purpose 

5. We lead up 

6. We Aim for 5 Stars 

7. We are Audacious 

8. We Embrace Truth 

9. We Serve 

10. We keep it simple 

And in each of those you have to choose to do them on purpose. You will not accidently accomplish any of those. It has to be a conscious decision to live a life on purpose. 

You will hear us say, we are a church on purpose. A Church left to accidents will accomplish little. However, to purpose in your heart to be on purpose across the aisle, across the street, and around the world, by living purpose, leading people up, aiming for excellence, living and praying audaciously, embracing truth, and then just keep it simple, the main the main thing. If you do that on purpose, with a purpose, and for a purpose, then you along with the church, will accomplish much. 

Now today I want to talk about something that you will have to really do on purpose. You really have to Purpose in your heart do this and to do it correctly  – 

What we say… what We speak…

Now everybody is saying something, but what are you saying.  

Much is said about what we listen too, what we watch, where we go, and what we do…

I want to focus on what we say…

Let me start by asking you a few questions 

  1. We are Audacious…

Have you ever heard of 

  1. Shammua son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben
  2. Shaphat son of Hori, from the tribe of Simeon
  3. Igal son of Joseph, from the tribe of Issachar
  4. Palti son of Raphu, from the tribe of Benjamin
  5. Gaddiel son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulin
  6. Gaddi son of Susi, from the tribe of Manasseh
  7. Ammiel son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan
  8. Sethur son of Michael, from the tribe of Asher
  9. Nahbi son of Vophsi, from the tribe of Naphtali
  10. Geuel son of Maki, from the tribe of Gad

Very few people know these 10 men. Why? People don’t remember the names of the people who say we cannot! However we do remember the names of the people who say we can. 

  1. Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah
  2. Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim

In the story of the 12 spies, all of them believed what they were saying, they were all prophetic. They all received exactly what they said.

speak 

1. to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk: He was too ill to speak. 

2. to communicate vocally; mention: to speak to a person of various matters.

3. to converse: She spoke with him for an hour.

4. to deliver an address, discourse, etc.: to speak at a meeting.

5. to make a statement in written or printed words.

de·clare

1. to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms: to declare one’s position in a controversy.  

2. to announce officially; proclaim: to declare a state of emergency; to declare a winner.

3. to state emphatically: He declared that the allegation was a lie.

4. to manifest; reveal;

I think one of the most vital things, a quite possibly one of the greatest tools in the arsenal of the Christian is what we speak…and to whom we speak… 

We need to have a conversation with God. 

  • A Conversation with God

It is in our nature to speak, naturally, but even more so in the spiritual realm. 

Just look at the creator of all things and look at how God operates.

Look in Genesis, the creation story, and you will find an early indicator that God works through words…

In Genesis 1 – it is recorded that God said 10 times –

That leads me to tell you that God is a verbal God, he communicates.

It is through this that I can also tell you that because God speaks and creation responded, it means that all things that God created, and He created everything, has the capacity to hear.

We also must hear what God is saying so that we likewise will know what to say, and what to do. 

Jeremiah had these verbal encounters with God.     

Jeremiah 18:1-3

18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3

NKJV

Then in Jeremiah 29 in another conversation. God said I have heard and Here is my response… 

I Know the plans I have…

God is very much about speaking, and he placed into his most prized creation that same ability of communicating with our mouths.

He even tied it to your salvation!

God is very much into speaking to you and hearing you speak. 

Communication Brings Salvation!

Rom 10:10

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. KJV

James talked about that power that is in the member of our body that formulates  words, our tongue!

2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. 

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

When you look at a mighty ship – and you wonder what is steering the mighty vessel and down below you see this little rudder.  You wonder how something so small can steer something so large! The same is true in our lives. Our tongue controls something mightier than that ship, it controls your life.

Proverbs 18:21 – life and death are in the power of the tongue…

In your own strength you cannot tame the tongue – you need the Lord to help you control your tongue

Paul stated that our speech must always be seasoned with salt

Col 4:6

6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

NKJV

This means that you can come upon a very serious situation and when you speak you can bring grace and healing to the situation. When you speak about the graciousness of God you insert grace into an otherwise nasty situation.

We all need to come to grips with this fact…that if your words are bitter it’s because your heart is bitter. 

The taste of your words is the condition of your heart. 

The seasoning of our words is the representation of the taste of our hearts. 

Matt 12:34-37 NLT

. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Your words will either condemn you or justify you. 

8 In fact, it says, 

“The message is very close at hand; 

it is on your lips and in your heart.” 

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declarethat Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” 

16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

The word translated “saved” is sozo, which refers not only to being born again, but to the fullness of God’s blessing—to delivering, healing, saving, freeing.

So we speak words that justify

We don’t speak words that condemn us

We speak to be saved

We confess unto salvation

Why do we believe in the heart versus the mind? It is out of the abundance of the heart that a man speaks.

God is after your heart. The mind changes easily, but it is difficult to change the heart. 

So We speak, we declare and we believe that what we say matters. 

What we declare matters. 

Our speech, our prayers, our conversations matter and they dictate the path that we take.

We don’t speak curses, rather we speak blessings!

We don’t speak doubt, rather we speak faith!

We don’t speak death, rather we speak life!

We don’t speak sickness, we speak Healing!

We don’t speak debt, we speak abundance!

We speak, and we speak life and life more abundantly!

We speak faith… 

  • Speaking Faith Unleashes Your Faith

In Luke the disciples were talking with the Lord

Luke 17:5

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” 

6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

The disciples said, “Increase our faith.”

Jesus said, “Unleash your faith.”

The disciples said, “Expand our faith.”

Jesus said, “Express your faith. 

Jesus said the same thing regarding any obstacle before us. He didn’t say, “Pray that the mountain might be removed. He said, “Speak to the mountain itself,” (Mark 11:23).

Why were the disciples told to speak? Because while faith is implanted by the Word, it is unleashed through the lips.…

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.      Romans 10:8, 9

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.      Psalm 33:6, 9

How did God make the world? He spoke it into existence. So, too, Jesus altered the course of the world and eternity when He spoke…

“Waves, be still” (Mark 4:39).

“Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43).

“It is Finished” (John 19:30).

“Loose Him and Let Him Go” John 11:44

“Woman thou are loosed from thine infirmity” Luke 13:12

“Thy Son liveth” John 4:53

Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water – John 3

We are Made in the image of God, we also speak our individual worlds into existence and alter their course with our words.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Joshua 1:8

The Hebrew word translated “meditate” means “to mutter over and over again.”    

If you want to be prosperous and successful in that which the Lord has laid before you to do, mutter the Word day and night. The promises of God will be of no effect if they’re simply written in your journal or underlined in your Bible. They only take effect when they’re in your mouth.

With his back to the Red Sea and the armies of Egypt barreling down upon him, Moses cried to the Lord.

God responded – why are you talking to me, talk to them

“Why speakest thou to Me? Speak to the children that they are to go forward,” the Lord answered (Exodus 14:15). 

You might be a great student of Scripture. You might even be a prayer warrior. But if you wonder why the Sea isn’t parting, could it be that the Lord is whispering to you, “Why are you asking Me? Speak to the mountain that looms large before you”?

 Examples abound in the Word of men who understood the absolutely essential principle that the Word in them had to be spoken by them if they were to see results around them.…

It was when Joshua spoke to the sun that it stood still, giving him time to accomplish a great victory (Joshua 10:12).

It was when Elisha spoke to king Ahab on the basis of Deuteronomy 11:16–17 that there was no rain (1 Kings 17:1).

It was when Zerubbabel spoke to the cornerstone of the temple that the Lord began moving and the project came to completion (Zechariah 4:7).

You can decry the day or you can say, “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24)! That choice you make will alter the course of your day.

You can either say, “Everything is falling apart,” or you will say, “The Word of God declares that all things are working together for good,” (Romans 8:28). 

You can say  “We’re not going to make it,” or you will say, “The Word declares that our God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Because he blesses the givers!

Of God, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews says,

 “For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me,’ ” (see Hebrews 13:5, 6). 

God hath said that we may say—not that we may know, not that we may write, not even that we may pray—but that we may say.

•     Happy is the people whose God is the Lord (Psalm 144:15).

•     The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).

•     The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).

•     The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him (Lamentations 3:25).

I challenge you to write down four or five such promises from the Word on three-by-five cards, put them on your dashboard or on your mirror, and mutter them over and over again. Frame your world and your day with the Word as you speak it forth—and watch what happens.

Meditating on God’s word is the best way to get your faith up, to get your faith working for you. 

Romans 10:17 – Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 

So I ask you what will you speak, as for this house, we speak life, blessings, salvation, healing, deliverance, and abundance into our lives. 

What will you speak? What will you say? 

Jason McKinniesLeave a comment

Our flesh is a mess…

As Paul listed out the works of our flesh, he uses an interesting word, “strife.” The word “strife” comes from the Greek word eritheia. It is very similar to the word eris, which is translated “variance” in the King James Version.

The word eritheia describes a self-seeking ambition that is more concerned about itself and the fulfillment of its own wants, desires, and pleasures than it is in meeting the same needs in others people. When strife (eritheia) is working in someone’s life, it means that taking care of themselves and getting what they want is their principal or primary concern. They’re bent on getting what they want to the extreme that they’re willing to do anything, say anything, and sacrifice any standard, rule, or relationship to achieve their goals. It is a selfish, self-focused attitude that is engrossed with its own desires and ambitions. It is so self-consumed that it is blinded to the desires or ambitions of other people.When someone has this attitude, he is bound to hurt and to offend people.

It is our nature to be self-absorbed and seeking selfish desires! We must yield that nature to God! Then allow the Holy Spirit to create a clean, pure, and right spirit!

Now we can say the devil made us do this. He made us cause strife, the reality is it’s us, our flesh! You cannot “cast out” flesh. You must repent and then turn from this behavior!

For more articles, blogs and message notes you can visit the link in the bio!

http://www.jasonmckinnies.com