Turning Pain Into Gain

Pain comes in many forms and fashions. Physical pain, mental pain, spiritual pain, and emotional pain. The truth is that each person on earth is either dealing with pain, dealt with pain, or will deal with pain in the future. The list could be a mile long of the sources of pain. It could be divorce, abuse, loneliness, abandonment, losing a loved one, etc. How we deal with pain will determine where we end up in life.

I love the story of Joseph. Many people focus on the beginning of his life story or the end. The beginning is Joseph receiving a dream that he would one day be great and others would bow down before him. The end of his story is Joseph being in a place of great authority and saving the day. We must focus on the middle of the story. Joseph went through much pain!

First, his brothers hated him. They hated him so much that they cast him into a pit and then sold him into slavery. After Joseph ends up in a foreign land as a seventeen year old slave, he is then lied upon and placed into prison. Joseph spends the next thirteen or so years in a cold dark dungeon that he didn’t deserve. All that Joseph did was where the coat of favor from his father and share is God given dreams. I don’t know about you but I believe this would cause some serious pain.

Joseph pursued God through his pain and God was with him every step of the way. Joseph eventually came through his pain and said, “What you meant evil against me, God turned for my good.” (Genesis 50:20).

Here are a few points about dealing with pain:

1.      Your pain will either propel you to a platform to minister to others or it will paralyze you.

a.      God allows our pain so that we can be healed then minister to those in pain.

b.      The devil will try to wound you where God wants to use you.

c.      I know people who have been paralyzed by their pain. The still live out of a bad experience that happen twenty years ago.

d.      You and I can choose to be a victim or victor.

2.      Don’t Quit in the Pit

a.      God allows pits in our lives so that we can minister from a “deeper level”.

b.      If you quit in the pit, you never reach the palace!

3.      Be thankful for the process of pain

a.      The butterfly struggles in the cocoon. His struggle to get out is what gives him strength to fly. If you bail him out he never flies.

b.      The struggle builds his muscles to fly across a yard in seconds that would’ve taken him days to crawl.

c.      Don’t always curse your crises! It may be allowed by God to strengthen you to fly!

Chosen for Impact - The Process for Power

1 Samuel 17:40, ⁴⁰And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

One of the most epic stories in the Bible is found in 1 Samuel 17 (David versus Goliath).  The outcome of this battle altered destiny, impacted Kingdoms, and birthed the beginning of a revolution (which would be manifested years later).

There is a key to this battle that we often overlook. It is the stone that David chose to sling at Goliath. The Bible records in 1 Samuel 17:40 that before David encountered the greatest giant in the world he went down to the brook to choose him a stone.

The stone in the story of David is so powerful. We can see the process that the stone journeyed through to receive momentum and force to bring down Goliath. This process is key to every believer’s life that desires to slay giants, build the Kingdom, and restore the Presence of God back to its rightful place.

Here is the Process:

1.   The Stone Is Found in the Brook. The brook represents the church. Notice that the King went to the brook to find his stone for impact. The brook is a place of preparation where the water (God’s Word) is smoothing out the rough edges. If the stone is rough or unbalanced it has the potential to miss its target (Goliath’s head).

2.   The Stone is Placed in the Shepherd’s Bag. Once you have been chosen by the King you will enter into a season of the “shepherd’s bag” which is a dark and isolated place. When you are in the bag, you will want to return to the brook! The isolation and darkness is part of the journey towards impact.

3.   The Stone Hears the Cry of the Enemy. If you thought the shepherd’s bag was tough, wait until you hear the enemy threaten your life while you’re in the dark place. The enemy’s threat is proof you are close to conquering him.

4.   The Stone is Shifted from the Shepherd’s Bag to the Sling. The sling is made up of a skinny piece of leather fastened to a stick. This is a season that seems to be utter chaos. You are barely hanging on and then your life starts spinning out of control.

5.   The Stone is Released for Impact. This is the moment that you focus in on your purpose. At this stage you realize that the chaos was intentional by the King. The spinning was actually giving you momentum and force to bring down your giant.

I encourage you to proceed through the process. Many people bail before they are released for impact. Remember that the process produces power! You may be spinning out of control but if you’re in the King’s hand you will make great impact.

The Value of the Treasure

In Matthew 13:44, Jesus tells a short parable of a man who stumbles across a treasure in a field. Once this man realized the value of what he has found, he goes home and sells everything he owns. I imagine him selling his books, goats, clothing, and his property. After selling everything this man goes and purchases this field and he now possesses a valuable treasure. There are some powerful points I want to bring out of this story.

First, this man is searching for something. Why is he out stumbling around in an abandoned field? Obviously, whoever owned this field did not tend to it because they didn’t even realize what they possessed.

My point: we will search this world out for fulfillment until we find the true treasure which is Jesus Christ.

Secondly, this man receives revelation of how valuable this treasure is. It is obvious because he goes and trades everything he owns to buy the field and ultimately the treasure.

My point: However you determine the value of the treasure (Jesus) will determine how much you will sale-out for Him!

Thirdly, this man surely had many critics. Imagine him coming home and having a huge yard sale. He is selling everything, even the pet dog! I would guess that his family, friends, and neighbors thought he had lost his mind. When he explained which field he was going to buy, they probably laughed in his face.

My point: When you sale-out to Jesus you will have critics. But you won’t mind the field as long as you get the Treasure!

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is the greatest honor and privilege on this earth. The treasure is worth selling out for and the taking on whatever field is worth it.  Let this world take your possession but don’t let them take your treasure!

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up

I believe with all of my heart that we are living in the perilous times that Paul wrote about to his spiritual son, Timothy. We are living in a day of continuous fear of terror attacks, sexual perversion, disrespect towards authority, and haters of them that attempt to live righteous lives. The end time prophesies are literally being played out right before our eyes. With all of the signs and events unfolding today, I believe that it is time for the real church to stand up!

I personally had the great privilege to be raised in a Christian home and attending church was a regular routine in my life. When I was a young teenager and surrendered my life to Christ’s calling, I determined that I did not want to live my life at a lower level than what Jesus offered me. I have seen many believers live and struggle in areas where Jesus had promised and offered them victory. Also, I have seen church after church and ministry after ministry operate in perpetual weakness and forfeit the power that was promised to them. We as believers must wake up, recognize the hour in which we are living, see the needs of lost humanity, and operate in the true power of God.

I believe it is time for believers to re-define normal Christian living. Most would agree that normal Christian living would be defined as a peaceful and loving lifestyle. I believe we would say that you need to be a good citizen, be a faithful employee, pay your taxes, read your Bible, and attend church. I agree that all of these items are a must. We have to walk on land before we can walk on water. But, I don’t believe that this is actual “normal” Christian living. We must compare our normal to the word of God’s normal. When I read the history of the early disciples, I observe that their normal was different than our normal. Jesus said that signs and wonders would follow them that believe. These signs included casting out devils, healing the sick, raising the dead, and demonstrating the power of Jesus in the streets. The early disciples went house to house and city to city turning the world upside down with the power of the gospel message.

Unfortunately, when I observe the most churches in America, I mostly see a powerless church preaching a powerless gospel. It is time for the real church to please stand up! It is time for believers to forsake the world, run after Jesus, and begin to operate in the true power that has been promised us. The power of the Holy Ghost is not only to feel Him in a church service but to allow Him to flow through us to impact a lost and hurting world. Most churches and believers put on their Christian face on Sundays. They pick up their dusty Bible that they haven’t read all week and take it to church. They put on their praise for a few minutes and glance at their watch several times during service. Many believers just merely attend church out of routine and to ease their guilty conscience. It is time for us to shift from attending church and become the church. True Christian living takes place between Sundays!

Let us get busy about our Father’s business. Let’s take the Great Commission personally (as it was intended) and turn this world upside down. Are you ready for the Real Church to Stand Up?

What Parents Need to Hear from the Youth Pastor

I sit here on a cold day in January with my heart burdened to save a generation from spiritual, emotional, and eternal destruction. As I sit here I am reminded that there are millions of teens in the borders of the United States and most of them are lost without Jesus Christ.  Some statistics declares that only 4% of these millions of teens are truly devoted to a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. If this statistic is true, we are in spiritual crises. After eight years of full time youth ministry and seeing the spiritual state of teens across our land, I believe there are some things that parents need to hear from the Youth Pastor.

First, I believe parents need to hear that it is ultimately there responsibility for their student’s spiritual state. The Bible declares in Proverbs 22:6 that we must train up children in the ways they should go and when they grow older that it won’t depart from them. In other words, parents must take to this scripture and focus on training their children in the ways of God and not neglect this responsibility. I have had many experiences over the years where parents will bring me their teen and ask me to perform a miracle in the student’s life. Many years of family dysfunction, no Christian values, and a lifestyle of sin has been deposited into this student for years and parents desire an overnight turn around. Now, I believe that when you receive Christ all things become new and salvation brings forth a radical change.

I feel that Christian parents must count the cost before even having a child and must realize that they will be the ultimate spiritual advisor in the child’s life. I believe we can see a great example from the life of Hannah in 1 Samuel. Hannah prays for a child and when she receives Samuel her son, she then positions him in the house of the Lord to be raised up for the Lord’s work. Positioning our children from spiritual growth is such a key to their spiritual success. Students will not draw close to God on Wednesday evenings in front of the television when they could be positioned in a Wednesday night youth Bible study. Parents must take action and make sure their student is in the place to receive from God. Parents today must realize the responsibility that they have to teach the ways of God to their kids.

Secondly, parents need to guard the hearts of their student. The Bible declares in Proverbs 4:23 that we must guard our hearts with all diligence. The spiritual heart is the most vital asset that we and our children have. We will buy security alarms for our homes. We even by security alarms for our student’s cars and we buy locks for their lockers at school. How often do we make sure that our children’s hearts are protected? If not careful, we will allow secular, worldly, and devilish entertainment to flood our kid’s hearts through movies, music, and the internet. Most of the time, parents are the ones flipping the bill for this to take place. Parents wake up! Check your child’s Facebook page, check their music, be careful of media saturation, and check what is influencing their lives. Parents are responsible to guard the heart of the child while under your authority. We cannot behave like Priest Eli (1 Samuel) who knew that his sons were involved in worldly stuff and turned his head pretending he didn’t know what was going on.

Lastly, parents need to exemplify spiritual behaviors before their child. I believe that one of the keys to revival in this last generation is parents becoming spiritual before their children. It is time that teens see their parents reading and studying their Bibles, praying at home, fasting, and being involved in ministry. Parents need to set up spiritual times at home with the family and connect with God.

Parents, hear this Youth Pastor. We can spare a generation, keep our Godly heritage, and impact this world if we will step up and take responsibility. It is not my intention to speak down or negative but to stir your hearts to take your family back to God. Let’s be like Joshua and declare in 2011 that as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I believe with God’s help and guidance, parents can radically change the course of their child’s mindset towards God.  I pray that God inspires you with these words and that your family will elevate to another level of spiritual living!