Pass it on....

Bro. Samuel Cuellar, Jr. was showing me his new Bible last night. He opened up to the very front where he showed me the pages which serve to record marriages, deaths, and births, and said, "Pastor; it is meant to go with you." I smiled real big and informed him that I would be borrowing that thought and using it in a blog... so join me as I paint you a word picture...

What are you doing to pass on the truth of God's Word?

If you're a parent, do you know that the Christian education is your responsibility?

I love and appreciate children. I believe in Sunday school, and have seen churches successfully grow through vibrant evangelism and discipleship of children and teens. However, Sunday school should not take the place of teaching in the home. If it does, then you as a parent are shirking your responsibility.

I had the privilege of serving young people for 17 years in Maine. During that time, though, I would notice parents bringing their teens to youth camp hoping that we could do in one week what they were unwilling to do in the other 51 weeks of the year. Unfortunately, some think that because their children are in Sunday school, that they don't have to or need to teach Godly principles. Let me go on record vehemently disagreeing with that line of thinking!

As a parent, it is MY responsibility to see that my children are trained up in the way they should go. It is MY responsibility to nurture them in the admonition of the Lord. While I am thankful for those who labor at our church in the children and youth ministries, I cannot and I will not let them be the ones solely responsible for my child's spiritual education.

Maybe we've allowed society to convince us that we're too busy. If that's the case, then maybe we should disconnect the cable from the TV, games, and computers, and turn our homes back in to Spiritual haven's of Godly instruction and prayer.

Bro. Cuellar - you are so right my brother - the word of God is meant to go with us throughout our lives. We must treasure it above all else. We must learn it, love it, live it, and lead others to it! We must diligently teach our children the truth.

We speak of church growth often, and usually it begins with discussion about numbers. "How many are you running?" is the common question at conferences and camps when preachers see each other. But numbers alone do not tell the story. We should be concerned with whether or not our children, teens, and even adults are growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Our concern should be that our children, teens, and adults are increasing in knowledge of the Way, the Truth, and the Life - Jesus Christ!

BUT, the church only meets a few times each week. Therefore, if it is to be, it is up to me! Each parent reading this blog today needs to say those ten "little" words - if it is to be, it is up to me. Be thankful for your pastor who labors in the word. Be grateful to your child's Sunday school and youth staff who labors week after week teaching the word. BUT, don't expect them to do your job for you.

I am oneness from the top of my head to the soul of my feet. Scripture undeniably proves the oneness of God. We pentecostals love to quote Deuteronomy 6:4, BUT, keep reading saint of God and you'll discover that it is the duty of the home to instruct their children in the ways of God. Read on and you'll notice that when your children ask you (the parent), that you are to tell them of God's delivering and saving power.

Strong men build strong families. Strong families build strong churches. Let's make our homes Spiritual education institutions where our children will know "what meaneth these stones." Let's do everything in our power to pass it on to the next generation. God forbid that Judges 2:10 become a reality for our children. I do not want my son or daughter to come of age and not know God or His works. I must do everything in my power to see that this doesn't happen!

The enemy would love to destroy your relationships. He entered the garden of Eden only after Adam and Eve were married. So, protect your marriage and protect your home. Don't fall in the trap of thinking that you shouldn't indoctrinate your children. Our public schools don't care if they indoctrinate our kids with sex education. They would just as soon give your child drugs to keep them calm instead of doing their job, and then wonder why we have drug problem in America. Indoctrinate your kids with the Word of God and don't be ashamed to do so!

Who will join this revolution with me and "pass it on" to their children?

The Will of God

Have you ever felt hopeless? Have you ever felt lost? You turn on the news and it's just more negative headlines. Have you ever wondered if you're in the will of God? Read and meditate on the following poem and be encouraged in the Lord today...


The will of God will never take you,
where the grace of God cannot keep you,
where the arms of God cannot support you,
where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
where the power of God cannot endow you.


The will of God will never take you,
where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
where the army of God cannot protect you,
where the hands of God cannot mold you.


The will of God will never take you,
where the love of God cannot enfold you,
where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.


The will of God will never take you,
where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
where the Word of God cannot feed you,
where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
~Anonymous


God works all things out for our good. His purpose is fulfilled in our obedient lives, even if we don't see or understand at this exact moment what is happening or even why it is happening.


Faith says "I believe in God."


Trust says, "I submit to His will."


We need both faith and trust in our walk with God. And there is no such thing as 99.9% trust. You must trust God with all your heart.

Don't Quit

Just felt like someone needed to be reminded to never give up today...


"When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit!
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
Many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow!
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst,
That you must not quit!"
(Author Unknown)


Scripture encourages us that even though weeping may endure for the night, joy comes in the morning.


There's hope on your horizon friend! Don't give up; don't quit! Your answer is about to knock on your door and you need to be there to answer it!

Spiritual Warfare Praying

We are in a war! But it's not one that will be fought physically, or even mentally. In fact, technology will not play a part in this war. This war will be waged through prayer. It is time for the people of God to stand up and stand out. Prayer is not an option; it's an imperative. Prayer is not our last resort; prayer is our first resolve!


We are equipped for this battle by God's design:


2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV)

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;



Ephesians 6:10-18 (ESV) 
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

We are equipped with weapons to wage war, but how do we use them in prayer? Let's examine our weapons...

1) The Belt of Truth

The belt soldiers wore restrained their clothing making it easier for them to fight, as well as held the scabbard for their sword.

Pray - "God let me be restrained by truth. Let me walk in truth. Let me speak the truth in love. I love your truth and it has set me free!"

Find Scriptures that speak about truth and make them a part of this portion of your prayer. For example, David prayed, "Behold, you delight in truth..."

2) Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate protected the soldiers most vital organs.

Pray - "God protect my hunger for you. Protect my heart, and let me feel the heartbeat of God as I pray. I desire your righteousness to cover me."

Find Scriptures that speak about God's righteousness and include them in this portion of your prayer. Seek the Lord and His righteousness.

3) Shoes: The Gospel of Peace

The warriors shoes protected him from walking directly on the ground.

Pray - "God let me walk in peace every where I go: my home, community, job, school, etc. I desire to walk in peace and lead others to Your peace Lord."

Find Scriptures that speak about God's peace, praying them as you put this piece of armor on. Jesus taught that peace-makers were blessed; be one!

4) Shield of Faith

The shield protected the soldier from arrows launched by his enemy.

Pray - "Lord, increase my faith in You and protect me from the arrows of doubt the enemy would launch at me. I desire your anointing Lord."

Find Scriptures about faith, and pray them as you take up your "shield." I refer to Hebrews 11 as the "hall of faith" chapter and read it to boost my faith.

5) Helmet of Salvation

The helmet protected the warriors head during battle.

Pray - "Lord, protect my mind and renew it in Your word. Let me have the mind of Christ in all I do, and let my thoughts be pleasing to You."

Find Scriptures about mind to pray, such as "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord..." (In Scripture, the heart and mind are interchangeable)

6) Sword of the Spirit

The sword was the main weapon that the warrior used in battle.

Pray - "Lord, I wield Your word against the word and plans of the enemy. I cut the enemy down and destroy his plans against me."

Find Scriptures about God's word and include them in your prayer. The Word of God is alive and operative and it works against all enemies of Christ!

7) Praying ALWAYS!

Although Paul does not specify a "spear" of prayer, I like to refer to Ephesians 6:18 as the spear of prayer.

A spear must have a point. Prayer must have a point. Praying "pointless" prayers is useless.

The shaft of the spear must be proportionate in length to the weight of the spearhead in order for optimum performance. Prayer must also be balanced between it's length and weight (quantity and quality) in order for it to be effective.

It is interesting to note that when an invasion or attack is planned, it is often called a "spearhead." A spearhead is "the driving force in a given action, endeavor, or movement." (American Heritage College Dictionary)

Let us launch an offensive against our enemy through the spearhead of prayer!

I'll see you on the battlefield, warrior....

Activate Your Access

Whenever you receive a new debit or credit card from your bank of credit institution, there is a sticker warning that until you call the 800 number and activate your account, the card is no good and unable to be used. You may have $100,000 in your bank account, but if you haven't activated the card, you cannot access you accounts via the ATM or use it to purchase anything at any store.

Imagine carrying an unlimited card you couldn't use. Why carry it? What good would it do you?

Oh sure, you could brag that you could charge unlimited amounts of money, but without activating it, you'd just be blowing smoke.

But isn't that how some Christians live!?

We can access the throne room of grace boldly through faith-filled prayer, yet instead of doing so, we just carry the card around. What good is the "card" going to do us if we haven't activated our access to it?

Let me break it down a little closer to home - what good is your Bible if it's never read, studied, and applied?

"But I'm a Christian," you say. SO WHAT! Multiplied thousands of people call themselves Christians today who haven't activated their access.

Paul explained that such people have a form of godliness but are denying the power thereof.

The five wise virgins had oil in their lamps. The five foolish only had lamps. Don't be satisfied with just a lamp. Don't be satisfied to just carry around the card without activating your access.

Choose to pray daily. Choose to read, study, and apply the Scriptures daily. Live it. Love it. Apply it. Appreciate it. Stop just coming to church and become the church. Activate your access to the anointing today and reflect the glory of God for all to see.

Heaven awaits your decision. Hell hopes you won't. The unsaved hope you will. So, what will it be?

A slow and steady leak

After hitting the snooze three or four times, I finally got out of bed around 7:30am. Besides my alarm clock, our yellow lab, Shilow, licked my hand indicating that it was time for him to be fed and let outside to do his business. However, upon walking into the kitchen, I found water on the floor and a slow yet steady drip from the ceiling above. My mind began to race and immediately I was "awake."

I checked everything I knew to check and could not find the source of the leak. Finally I counted off the steps from an exterior wall to where the leak was and then ran upstairs to count off the steps. Our master bathroom was the culprit and specifically a leaking toilet. After shutting the water off and getting the excess water mopped up, I began to work on stopping the leak downstairs.

Meanwhile, the dog has been fed, been outside and is now laying on the living room floor, and the family is still snuggled up in their beds sleeping. All of them are oblivious that there has been a problem.

And that's when it hit me.

Problems usually don't start off overwhelming and unmanageable. Instead they begin like my problem began today - a slow and steady leak. Left unchecked, this leak could have done more damage. However, the leak is now stopped, the ceiling is drying, the toilet is fixed, and now the minor cleanup begins. However, left unchecked, this could have turned into a much worse situation. I've even had time to pray, make an important phone call, cook and eat my breakfast, and log on to Twitter and Facebook, and type this blog.

The Bible teaches that the little foxes have the potential to spoil the vine. I believe the principle being taught is that a small problem can turn into a huge problem if you don't deal with it.

So, what needs to be dealt with in your life today?

What room of your heart are you walking through noticing a leak?

Deal with it now before the ceiling caves in due to the amount of water.

Stop the slow and steady leak now while it is manageable.

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

I'm sipping my coffee now, and finishing this blog. The family is still asleep and the dog has wandered back into Braxton's room. Had I chosen to ignore the leak this morning, who knows how bad it would have been? I could have put a band-aid on the problem and left for the office, and let my wife and kids deal with the problem when they get up. But now, after only taking about 20 minutes out of my schedule, the leak is taken care of.

Be encouraged saint of God. The Lord will give you the ability and wisdom to stop the leak, but you must act now. Home Depot's slogan is "You can do it, we can help." I say, "You can do it, God can help." So, what are you waiting for? Better to take 20 minutes of your time now to fix a small thing than to take 20 years of your life to explain why you didn't deal with it.

Oh, and I didn't mention the cost. That's right; it didn't cost me anything. I didn't have to call a plumber or an electrician, or a carpenter. No money out of my pocket; just my time. However, if I had ignored the leak, then more problems would undoubtedly have brought more cost to me, and not just my time.

So, in closing today - musicians please come - I've said all that to say this: what do you need to deal with today before it get's out of hand? Don't delay! Don't wait another minute. Fix the leak now before it becomes a catastrophe.