Are We Really That Stupid?

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So, I read C. Peter Wagner’s report (see my Blog entitled “Watch Out For That Iceberg”) and it states that the purpose of the ordination service in June was to bring Todd Bentley into “apostolic alignment”. Does anyone know what “apostolic alignment” is? Am I the only one clueless as to what that term means – and thus what he (Peter Wagner) was hoping they would accomplish on June 23, 2008?

Obviously it does not mean accountability as those he was being aligned with were not aware of his ongoing marriage problems and thought everything had been dealt with. They were also surprised what Todd announced his wife wanted a separation (now supposedly simply waiting the required 9 months to be officially divorced) and that he was handing over the leadership of Lakeland to his interns. So, accountability and apostolic alignment are not connected.

Obviously it does not mean being responsible either. Because Todd was certainly not being responsible in his marriage. Knowing you were and still are having marriage problem (for a number of years) and then going away on a ministry trip for 3 months is not being responsible no matter how many times your wife came, smiled, and stood next to you on the stage.

My concern is that apostolic alignment means that Todd came under the “covering” (there’s another vague Christian word that doesn’t work) of these three leaders – Che Ahn, John Arnott and Bill Johnson. This is good if it means accountability and responsibility but considering they were all surprised by Todd’s situation and announcement – obviously “covering” is lacking either in definition or in some practical aspect of implementation.

One hopes it simply was not a way for three ministries to connect to and benefit from ‘another anointing’ that could help their local “movements” regain some steam and bring them into the mainstream media once again.

Here’s another issue – they “ordained” him a five-fold evangelist” for this move of God. Not sure that is biblical. I thought local churches ordained – not self-appointed apostolic councils.

Again, not sure I understand the term “evangelist” because from what I have seen and heard on the internet he is not winning the lost nor training others to win the lost. Tasks of a five-fold evangelist. The Lakeland “revival” is another “bless the Christians” event with believers flying in from all over the world to receive another “God-jolt” like they go to Starbucks to receive a “Caffine-I’m really with it” jolt (does anyone really like their coffee?)

Have you heard Todd’s presentation of the Gospel. It is very “me-centered” and deals with blessings, prosperity, healing, deliverance, and numerous other things that God will do for you. The Bible gospel is apparently missing or just mentioned in passing. Things like sin, repentance, godly sorrow, Lordship, justification, sanctification, seeking God, fasting, prayer. I have literally not heard Todd mention the need to be rescued from the prospects of Hell where all sinners are going without Jesus and the need for a Saviour and a personal relationship with the Lord. Angels, visions, Emma, wind, big names from the past who are dead (yet seem to continue to communicate with us), third heaven visits, revelations, dreams, picking up other people’s anointings – but a little ‘light’ or absent when it comes to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, I question the need to ordain him an evangelist for this “move of God” as he is not fulfilling the tasks of a five-fold evangelist.

One more – I though ministers of the Gopel were to represent the Lord and His heart for the lost and for the saints? I mean, we train young prophets and prophetic types that an accurate message is important but so is the way it is delivered – as it must express the character and nature of the Lord. Pastors are to express the care and compasion of the Great Shepherd. So drop-kicking a sick man, choaking a sick believer, punching someone so hard you knock a tooth out (just because Smith Wigglesworth did it does not make it right – for him or for Todd Bentley), yelling, screaming, telling God that you (Todd) are not done yet and commanding God to move on your behalf, pushing people over (the old pentecostal touch) – need I go on?

Doesn’t sound like, taste like, look like, feel like God to me. How about, let’s see now, flesh! Or maybe theatrics! Or “playing to the camera” or stupidity – ah, that’s the one. And how stupid can believers be and still breathe – they put up with all this “done in the name of the Lord” crap and called it “revival”.

Maybe I am out of step with the Church world but none of this appears to me to be god-like or Christ-honouring. Thus, I have not been to Lakeland and would not cross the street to receive whatever it is that people think Todd and his crew are serving up!

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A Change in Focus

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These are exciting times to be alive in the Kingdom and working with the Lord as He moves mightily in nation after nation in the world today. As I either speak to or exchange emails with leaders and believers from many nations around the world I sense that God is truly doing great and mighty things in preparation for a worldwide move of His Spirit. This move will substantially touch every nation of the world. We are in the preparation stages before the release and we need to be listening carefully to the voice of God through the apostles and prophets. True apostles and prophets will be speaking of a time of cleansing and change; holiness and righteousness; integrity and veracity. Read more

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Everything in Order

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The Bible sets things in order for us. In respect to apostles in the Church it states:

1 Corinthians 12:28 : And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Read more

The Shame Continues

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Well for months I have been preaching and writing about the need for caution regarding a so-called “revival” going on in Lakeland, Florida. Many big names have declared it to be both “God” and a revival. My small voice of warning seemed lost in the wilderness of unknown, little ministry, western prairies.

My warning was simple: character before charisma (gifts) and objective (God’s Word) before subjective (experiences, visions, angels, dreams, winds, dead saints speaking, third heaven visits…) and, of course, correct theology and application of Bible verses and principles. Just your typical Ralph Howe and his “negative bend” on things.

Well, the Canadian heading it all up has passed the baton on to his juniors. His wife has been granted a separation. Even those involved in his leadership team and the host pastor handled this badly. They have known for 10 days this was going to happen – rumor got out about it – people asked about the situation – they lied – sorry, didn’t speak the whole truth (want to be politically correct).

And so much for accountability. Only 6 weeks ago most of the big names in the apostolic and prophetic realm – most self-appointed and with shaky theology and really wacko teachings and writings – went to Lakeland and ordained Todd Bentley a “five-fold evangelist” to lend credibility to the “revival” and his ministry. It is not a revival by any classic Christian or Church definition and it is obvious that they were clueless about what was going on in his personal life and with some of the basic character issues. So much for discernment and accountability.

Will we ever learn? Character is important. Accountability is of paramount importance. Submission and humility are key to real revival. Hype, smoke and mirrors, theatrics, playing to the cameras of “God-TV” worldwide will never do the work of God on the Earth. Don’t need it – we have God’s Word as our only standard and the baptism in the Holy Spirit giving us power and supernatural gifts. We certainly do not need mega-superstars who people flock to … we have what we need. Jesus as Lord and Saviour and both the Word and the Spirit of God.

Maybe if believers were busy out reaching the lost as God commands we do then we would have less time to head to these “hotspots” and would actually experience real revival.

Watch Out For That Iceberg

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It seems, as Christians, that we never learn our lesson. Maybe there is more than one leson to learn. I have been thinking and praying a lot about the Lakeland “revival” and the news about Todd Bentley.

I “feel” like we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg at this point. The tip of Todd Bentley’s issues – personal and theological; the tip of the problem with the Apostolic Council that “ordained” him; the tip of accountability issues with councils and advisory groups that all ministry apparently have; the tip of the damage done by the content (or lack thereof) of teachings and the source of those teachings; the tip of what has and will be happening in the places where this supposed ‘transferable anointing’ has gone and been released.

I am reading and researching some material from a very reputable ministry out of South Africa on the “Kundalini Spirit” and Freemasonary (two separate but connected studies) and the parallels are frightening between this spiritual experience and a lot of what was being experienced in Lakeland. I am not saying Lakeland was demonic nor am I saying that God was not in it – but I am saying we need to stick to the Bible and teach what is in the Bible – not our opinions, our interpretation, our new revelation backed by a proof-text). Then we could avoid a lot of what is soon to be seen that currently lies below the surface of the water still. I am concerned that some of what was taught as a result of experiences, visions, dreams, angels, and communicating with the dead along with third Heaven visits – sounds a lot like experiences and teachings from pagan religions and the “Kundalini Spirit”.

If you are following the Lakeland events … some links:

http://www.charismamag.com/cms/news/archives/081208a.php
This one is to the announcement that Todd and his wife are separating

http://www.fireinmybones.com
This will lead you to a number of articles by J. Lee Grady – editor of Charisma Magazine – who has been critically following the Lakeland “revival” from the beginning

http://www.charismamag.com/cms/news/archives/081308.php
This one deals with the response of followers and apostolic overseers to the news of Todd’s departure.

http://www.firepowerint.com
This is a posting of the first report from C. Peter Wagner on the evening when Todd was placed in “apostolic Alignment” and the beginning of a review of a number of issues that 10 men are looking into. This report is probably out there on a main web site but I received this link through a friend who knows Jeff Beacham – one of the 10 – and who leads Firepower Ministries International. You will find Peter Wagner’s report under the link “Lakeland Apostolic Report”

Meanwhile – watch out for the icebergs!

A Chapter in the Life Of

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I was in Chapters Bookstore the other day … I am addicted and need a bi-weekly fix. You know, look and touch, breath deep and smell the printer’s ink, drool and covet. I can’t help it – it is all my father’s fault. When he was alive he owned a printing company and so I am addicted as a result of his influence and my disfunctional upbringing. But, when I leave the store and get into my car – before driving away I sincerely repent in the front seat of the car. Got to keep things right with the “big man upstairs”, right? And then, of course, I get my Blackberry out and picked a time several weeks down the road when I can come back again and touch, feel and smell, look and drool. Not my fault, I was born this way!

While in the ever-shrinking “religious” section … right next to the ever-increasing “New Age and Occult” section … I met a woman who was deeply engrossed in looking through the various books on the shelves … Close quarters as there are now only 6 shelves of books in the section – Political Science has been slowly creeping in and taking over one end. So, it was not difficult to know what she was picking out to look at. I’m a people watcher and so I do watch and I did notice. It was all over the map – the fluff of Joyce Myers, the self-help, feel-good, non-gospel gospel of Joel Osteen, the Dummy books on other religions, prayer, the Christian faith and the Bible for Dummies. Then into some “Gospel of Judas”, “The Da Vinci Code”, Mary Magdalene and the cult following she still gathers today, MAry the Queen of Heaven heresy … Boy, this lady was picking up and looking at books from A to Z and back again.

Being the extreme introvert that I am, I started a conversation with her. I mentioned how the section was shrinking and that I was finding less and less to draw me here – now doing most of my book buying on line. (Secretly knowing I only came down here to smell and touch – not buy). She agreed about the smaller selection and expressed how frustrated she was as she was trying to find a ‘Bible study book’ to help her study the Bible at home. I responded with a few suggestions – Max Lacado, and others like him. That is when the explosion happened.

Here is where we went in 20 minutes – not in order as my memory is not that good and confusion reigned…
1> Just moved back here from… never told me from where or why she moved away in the first place
2> Lutheran to the core
3> Attending a Lutheran Church that does not preach the Bible
4> Her friend who use to teach a Bible study was told to sit down and shut up and so packed up and left – voila, no Bible study to attend so needing one for herself at home
5> Interested in other religions – thought that they all contain some truth and all lead to the same place
6> Not sure where that place is or what it is really called but it is for everyone
7> She thinks she has a good grip on the truths of the Bible and believes she now needs to be studying theology and maybe attending a seminary or a university where theology is taught
8> She is thinking of studying theology at home but can’t find a good book – I suggested R.T. Kendall’s “Understanding Theology” Volumes 1, 2 and 3.
9> She does not like most books in print by major authors because after you have read their first book almost all the others they publish are a disappointment and contain either repeated material or simply lack substance (Ah! Something we can agree on)
10> She is attending a Lutheran Church that belongs to the Synod that does not ordain women
11> She knows there are basically two Synods – one believing in being born again and one that is liberal and does not believe this … and did not elaborate any further
12> She knew the word “evangelical” and applied it to the branch that she was not attending in the Lutheran systems
13> She was aware of other denominations and believed they were all good – Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist … but had some harsh statements and observations about Pentecostals and speaking in tongues
14> I could go on but you get the picture…

All through this I was trying to talk to her about her relationship or non-relationship with Jesus. I was trying to steer the conversation gently towards salvation and the need to have an encounter with the living God and have your sins forgiven. I am decent at doing that as I do it daily … no go, Joses!

It was imposible to direct this conversation. And the longer we spoke the more aggitated she became and the less control I had on the direction the conversation was heading. She was moving facial muscles, twiches becoming stronger, pushing glasses up on her nose, fiddling with her hair, moving her body back and forth, speaking faster and saying less … unless you were there you would not believe what I saw and experienced.

It quickly became evident that she just might have some company – say, a religious spirit or a spirit of tradition and it was becoming upset. I don’t say that lightly and I’m not one to go looking for demons behind every bush or under theatre chairs.

I eventually simply had to walk away as I had a coffee appointment on the opposite end of the city and, in my estimation, this encounter was not going to go anywhere except around and around and around and around and around…

I ended the conversation and walked away. I always think through my encounters later in the day to see what I could have done differently or what I would do next time I found myself in this type of situation … I am hungry to learn from these encounters.

Still working on the list…

I Repent

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I repent. For a number of weeks now I have been totally quiet about The Lakeland, Florida “revival”. I don’t believe it is or was a revival so I usually put that word that others use to describe it in quotation marks.

I repent because I should have kept expressing my concerns. For almost three weeks I have had a page from the August, 2008 Charisma sitting on my blogging pile – and have, intentionally, ignored it. The article is titled: “Revival Leader Gains ‘Apostolic’ Oversight”.

What was it I wanted to say about the article? I wanted to ask who appointed those involved as apostles. Bill Johnson from Redding, California – woosh! Read his books and his theology is very questionable in a number of major areas as is that of his assistant (Kris Vallotton) who runs their ministry school. Peter Wagner – the self-appointed expert and apostolic overseer of the “new Movement” of apostles and prophets … Who is not an apostle and should not be on an apostolic council of any sort. His writings on apostles (many books) leaves much to be desired re. biblical foundations. Wes and Stacey Campbell – whose own Church they founded removed them as pastors; Rick Joyner whose MorningStar Ministries has published DVDs and CDs of Todd Bentley’s heretical teachings about his visions and visitations and whose resident prophets also leave much to be desired as they teach about communicating with the dead. Che Ahn (good man and good books as far as I can see); John Arnott – a fine man heading up a number of ministries that prop up a now dead move of God which was also never a revival ….

But then who am I – just a small ministry on the flat prairies where little ever happens and who ministers in small churches and is never invited to be part of anything that appears to be the most recent “God-thing”. Which is good because I run from them and never towards them. And, when I speak prophetically few even know I have spoken (the web page has all my prophetic insights for the last 10 months and it is amazing how many are coming true…)

You see, I felt like a voice in the wilderness crying out “be careful”. In my circles I was one of very few speaking negatively or in a warning manner about what we were seeing and hearing. A number of places that were thinking of inviting me to minister have backed out because I was being negative about a man of God and a movement of God (both self-proclaimed, I may add). One potential overseas trip to Asia was probably not going to happen because I spoke out about my concerns regarding Lakeland.

And, when you speak out the labels are quick to be applied -because we were suppose to simply “swallow and follow” and not discern what is of God and what is not. As Lee Grady states:“The message was clear: ‘This is God. Don’t question.'”

Well, now it has all blown up and become a blight on the Charismatic Church. Todd Bentley has handed over the reigns to others and is leaving Lakeland. He and his wife are separating. Things are not right on the homefront and have not been since long before the “revival” broke out 100+ days ago. Do me a favour – don’t hand over the reigns – just shut it down permanently before it does more damage to leaders, believers, and local churches.

When will we ever learn – character before charisma (giftings). Hype is hype, yelling is yelling (and Jesus never yelled except at the hypocrites in the Temple and religious leaders). Theatrics are theatrics. Blind obedience and failure to question everything going on and being taught leads to mindless believers who swallow and follow … and we are to love the Lord with all our hearts and all our MINDS. Why do we hang our brains on a peg and just blindly follow? Incorrect teaching should be confronted. Non-biblical experiences have no place in the Kingdom. The Word should be the standard for everything and not subjective experiences of angels and winds and William Branham’s anointing and experiences – as he claimed, before his death in 1965, to be the reincarnation of Elijah.

So, I repent of having stopped being a “voice in the wilderness” during the past month. I guess I was just tired of swimming upstream when many others, in my opinion, were attracting crowds by simply floating downstream. But then even dead fish float downstream.

I have learned that I have a calling as an apostle and that includes proclaiming truth and prophetically declaring what I sense to be the Holy Spirit’s voice to the Church today. And, to do so even when it is not the popular stand nor being received by the Church in general or my own circles in particular. A voice is a voice even if no one is listening (reading).

So, lesson learned – and I’m back!

Touching Base or Touching Hearts

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I thought that I was finished for the day. Day’s work was done! I had spent a great deal of yesterday talking to non-believers inbetween appointments with members of the Church I help to lead. So, today I was simply going to touch base with several businesses that I go into several times a month. You know, drop in and if they were not busy offer to buy the office staff a coffee and then have a 20 minutes – at the most half hour – chat and move on. One business especially as the owner has just had two weeks in Chicago and Winnipeg on holidays and I wanted to show that I remembered and cared -He got back this morning for his first post-holiday day in the office.

Went just as planned. Better than planned. Much better than yesterday. More on that in another blog. I even had the opportunity after one conversation – before leaving the store – to buy some basics to go towards making my supper (I have been a bachelor for a week as my wife is in the north visiting with family).

I rush home to walk the dog – and as I’m leaving the front yard a white van pulls up AND STOPS. Nope, not the police. It is a neighbour from a few houses down the lane (around the corner on the next street but we connect from the back end of our homs on a connecting laneway). Normally a few words of “Hi, how are you?” or “Nice day!” or “That was some game last night” with me hoping I reference the right game (I watched the Chicago Cubs play baseball – research for a December trip to Chicago).

Today – not the case. He needed to talk. He has no idea what I do for a living … He and his wife had recently gone to Casino Regina for breakfast (news to me that they were open that early) and she had stayed afterwards to gamble a bit … He went home to clean up and work around the house. Got a call within the hour that his wife had fallen – within 24 hous she was dead. Brain anorism … no warning that it was coming. Fine one morning having a breakfast out and dead before the sun rose the next morning.

Needless to say it was a long chat … and the dog was really great – he just sat in the middle of the road next to me patiently waiting for me to get on with important business – his walk and bathroom break.

It really brought focus back to my day – no, two days. I had tried to share the gospel numerous times with a number of people over the last 48 hours and was feeling slightly down about things. I had made some good contacts and kept in touch with several others I have been working with – building relationships for a fair length of time. But, none of them had “heart” if you know what I mean. Yes, started some new relationships. Yes, kept older one moving along in the right direction. But it all lacked heart, substance, feeling, gut, meaningful discussion, depth … it was just conversation.

Then standing in the middle of the street in the 5 p.m. traffic I actually had an opportunity to really enter a man’s life in a time of need and loss. He talked and I listened. I talked and he listened. His wife was only in her mid-50’s and so this was totally unexpected. Death usually is. No, they had not prepared themselves for this eventuality. No, they did not have an active faith or involvement in a local church. No, they did not have an understanding of life after death. Yes, they knew the right religious phrases and the basic concepts of religion – but did not know the life-giving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

No, I did not share the gospel with him earlier tonight. It was not the time for that. It was time to talk about memories, pain (still very fresh), should the house be sold, why didn’t we move out to the farm like we always wanted to (regret over lost opportunities) …

But, we see each other daily – and I think a good home-cooked meal (or my burnt offerings from the BBQ) – would be in order shortly. Then my wife and I can listen and in the quiet of our home – not in 5 p.m. traffic – share the gospel in a gentle way with a man whose wife most likely will not be in Heaven…

Now, yesterday’s encounter is another story…

Oh! Get Over It and Get On With It

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Every person who is born again and so knows Jesus Christ personally has been called into the ministry of soul winning. Jesus said that He came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and that His Church has the same mandate – “go into all the world and preach the gospel… making disciples…”

Yet many believers do not seem to be aware that this is what they are called and anointed with power to do. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, which Spirit-filled believers have received along with the gift of tongues and one or two of the other supernatural gifts, is to empower us to witness, according to Jesus. (Acts 1:8)

There are two things we can do here on earth that we will not be able to do in Heaven. Just two things. One – sin! The second – evangelize and win souls. Guess which one the Lord would want you to be doing while still here on planet Earth?

We are called to be passionate about what the Lord is passionate about. We are to get to know His heart and then share His heart. And, His heart is for the lost. He came to die for the lost and in so doing make a way for them to be forgiven and to be adopted into the family of God. Our task – as part of the Church of which He is the Head – is to continue to spread His message until every individual alive on the face of the Earth has heard the Gospel and had opportunity to accept or reject it.

Why is it most Christians do not become involved in witnessing and sharing their faith?

Maybe they don’t share His heart for the lost – and thus, we could suggest, they really don’t know His heart. Maybe they are too focused on “self” and just don’t have any time left over for ‘others’. Maybe the things of this Earth are most important and have higher priority than the things of Heaven and eternal issues. (“He with the most toys when he dies – wins!”). Maybe they don’t care if people are going to hell as long as they are safe and supposedly on their way to Heaven when they die. Maybe they don’t attend a church that mentions soul winning from the pulpit. A word of advice – SWITCH CHURCHES! Maybe the Church they attend has never trained them in how to share the Gospel with friends and neighbours. A second word of advice – SWITCH CHURCHES! Maybe the Church they attend does not believe in a literal Hell or a literal devil and that everyone goes to Heaven when they die. A word of advice – this is called universalism and is a heresy – a teaching 100% contrary to what the Bible teaches – you should DEFINITELY SWITCH CHURCHES AND DO IT IMMEDIATELY – go find one that believes and teaches the Bible.

I don’t know what prevents people from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost – family, friends, neighbours, work associates and total strangers. Maybe they don’t know it is their job to do so … the primary business that they are suppose to be in as Christians.

Seems unlikely – even Jesus knew what His business was as early as the age of 12 … Jesus at the age of 12 said, “I must be about My Father’s business”. Twenty-one years later he could say to the Father “I have completed the work you gave me to do.”

Read the New Testament – it is written by God for us to know and base our daily life upon. Very quickly you will see that we have but one main task when part of His Church on Earth. That is to “seek and to save the lost” for this is the Father’s business. Jesus is in the same family business and we have inherited the family business from Him when born again and adopted into the family – so we must be out sharing the good news of His death and resurrection with all those who do not know Him.

I weary of all the excuses and rationizations as to why we shouldn’t, couldn’t wouldn’t, ought not to … and simply, in great, deep-seated frustration want to scream “Get on with it for goodness sake“. People are going to hell every minute of every day and we have a way to stop that … what are we waiting for?

The unsaved have such neater and clearer ways to say things, don’t they? Before I was saved I would simply have said: “Oh, S_ _ _ or get of the pot” … but we can’t say those things on a blog written by a Christian. Shame – it would have felt good!

Dreams in Little Boxes

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The great theologian Erma Bombeck once said: “There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, ‘Yes, I’ve got dreams, of course I’ve got dreams.’ Then they put the box away and bring it out once in a while to look in it, and yep, they’re still there.”

A great man – Henry David Thoreau – many years before Erma stated: “Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake.”

God has called and chosen each one of us. Peter, the apostle, states that we are “the chosen ones”. God has placed within each believer a dream that needs to become reality. God has given to every believer a song to be sung – and only we know the tune and the words. If we don’t sing it the song will never be heard on the face of the planet we call Earth. And, I personally believe that it is a sad day – a very sad day – when a believer is put into the ground and his or her song has either never been heard or has been cut short and so the whole melody has never become known.

Now, we don’t need someone to tell us what our dream or our song is. As believers we know what our dream is all about – at least the big picture. We may be missing some of the details and some of the pieces of the puzzle may still be off to one side and not yet put into place. But, in general, we know what the picture is to look like. The rest will come as we begin to walk out our dream by faith.

How do we discover the dream? Well, asking yourself a question is one way. The question: If you could do anything for God – anything, with no limitations placed on you by geography, finances, age, ability, education, talent, gifting … what would you do?

Let’s word the question another way: What are your hot buttons? Child abuse, street kids, drug addicts, training young men to walk with God, seeing people come to faith in Christ…?

How about: What gifts and talents do you have and where do you feel they could be best put to good use?

Ask yourself: What need do I see that interests me enough that I would give my all to try and meet that need?

Frederick Buechner once said … “The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

All these questions will lead you to an expression – limited though it may be – of your dream. The answer to these questions is the beginning of your song being sung.

Every believer has a built-in GPS… GPS stands for – Global Positioning System. Most cars now come with these built into the dashboard. Older cars can be equipped with a portable model of the same thing. It helps to know where you are and where you are going.

God created us with a GPS system built into our spirit.

G – Gifts – He has given to us certain supernatural gifts as well as natural talents and abilities. He gave these to us – not to be ignored – but to use for His glory. He does not gift us with talents and ability and then tell us to ignore them and do something that is totally not of interest to us and that does not match our giftings and inclinations.

P – Passions – we have certain things that float our boat and that turn our crank. I mean, we just love doing this stuff and wonder, at times, why someone is paying us to do something we would do for free … When left on our own we simply automatically and “naturally” gravitate to this stuff …

S – Strengths – that are either natural or learned also help us to determine where we are right now and where we are desiring to go … Strengths help us to know what direction to head and where our final destination might be and what it is going to look like.

So, have a look at your GPS and determine what your dream should look like. Then, don’t put it in a little box just to bring it out at a quiet point in your life 10 years from now. NOW if the time to begin to implement the dream – to begin to put the pieces in place and let the world see what the picture is going to look like and what the song is going to sound like.

No matter what age you are when you start – simply start. Step out! Let God have ownership of your dream – afterall, it was His idea in the first place. Give Him control and hang on and enjoy the ride.

Erma Bombeck once again … “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.'”

May we be able to say that as well.