Make your plans and go!!! …. or?

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“And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it. Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams. Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.

“Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side. I am requiring you to bear Israel’s sins for 390 days—one day for each year of their sin. After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days—one day for each year of Judah’s sin.

“Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction. I will tie you up with ropes so you won’t be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have been completed. ~ Ezekiel 4:1-8

I love how God instructs Ezekiel to build the little city on a clay brick, and then lay a big skillet in front of it showing how big the siege is that is coming.

But then God goes deeper and instructs him to go home and God will tie him up so he can’t move and to lay on one side for 390 days and then on the other side for 40 days while staring at the siege of Jerusalem that he put together out of the brick and the skillet. He was not able to turn side to side but only remain until the siege have been completed — 430 days!! That is just strange …. what if God asked this of me? you? the church?

The question is why and what does this have to do with me or my walk with the Lord?

Well God actually answers this question when He says “You are to bear the burden of……” so now what about me, you and the church? IF we truly want to win souls, family members, friends, co-workers, school-mates, neighbors etc….. and as a church if we truly want to win our city, cities and beyond it starts with PRAYER, INTERCESSION and TAKING ON THE BURDENS OF THESE PEOPLE and CITIES!!

We make mission statements, spend thousands of $$ on out reach programs, teach how to witness, make plans, we tells our friends and co-workers etc but if we GO without the POWER of the Living God and we have no burden of where they live in this life… it’s pretty much dead works.

An individual and a church, if they are serious about winning souls, city, cities and the world…. they MUST BE SERIOUS about PRAYER and INTERCESSON for souls, cities and the world! Ezekiel spend over a year bound up, eating little and some pretty gross stuff laying on his side staring at a little model of the city…. by the end of this experience HE WAS READY, EMPOWERED, and BURDENED to get out there and speak for God!!!

Listen up for this is a good word!!!!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!!!

ONLY speak when HE says speak… it’s so hard to do

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16 After seven days the Lord gave me a message. He said, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. 18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

20 “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

22 Then the Lord took hold of me and said, “Get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there.” 23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down on the ground.

24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go to your house and shut yourself in. 25 There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels. 27 But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels. ~ Ezekiel 3:16-27

This is pretty stinking clear — speak when God tells you to speak. God knows how we tend to speak when we shouldn’t, we speak for him, it’s so easy for man to say “thus sayeth the Lord” and give a message to people that have no power and no meaning.

God tells Ezekiel that if he tells him to speak to people and he doesn’t deliver the message their blood/death is on his hands, but if he does tell them and they don’t listen he is FREE of whatever happens to them. WOWZERS!!! That is huge huge huge. NEVER speak for God unless God tells you to… period!! This is different than quoting scriptures to someone, giving them the “word” … this is warnings from God about a life being led by someone. Think about how the Christians in this world speak to gays, Muslims, people who have or perform abortions, and the list can go on…. we cannot speak for God, we CAN give scripture, but we cannot say more than that UNLESS God himself directs you and GIVES you the words. (eat the scroll….)

This is so important and we are so prideful thinking we know look what God does to Ezekiel (who is a mighty man in the Lord) “Go to your house and shut yourself in. 25 There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels. 27 But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.

Get it? Got it? GOOD… Now go out and have an EPIC day today

Eat the Scroll…..

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The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand. No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.”

10 Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me. (May the glory of the Lord be praised in his place!)[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living beings as they brushed against each other and the rumbling of their wheels beneath them.

14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong. 15 Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days. ~ Ezekiel 3:1-15

Man I LOVE this!!! Look at verse 1 — God say eat, but the key is God fed it to him. This is so important to understand in our walk with the Lord and with our calling to GO out to the ends of the earth. Then jump down to verse 10 God tells Ezekiel to take him time and allow the words to sink down in his own heart first, then go… Why did God say this? God wanted to use Ezekiel but he knew that Ezekiel would have to have the same heart as he did, have the same eyes for the people as he did, have the same passion for the ones in exile has he did. This comes with understanding, the burden becomes our burden once we understand God’s heart in it. I can see God’s frustration with the people, he says “they won’t listen to you, just like they didn’t listen to me” — man I love that God said this!!! HE NEVER GIVES UP trying to rescue us!!!

Check out verse 14-15 – 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong. 15 Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days. ~ Ezekiel 3:1-15

Ezekiel says he was in turmoil and bitterness — He was stressed about doing this but he also said “the Lord’s hold on me was STRONG” – if God’s calls you, God will enable you. The secret of being all has called us to be is doing EVERYTHING with him, by his instructions, his way. Man if very prideful and only gets in the way of God’s plan, we usually start making it about “us”. I spend years as lead pastor of 2 different churches and it was so easy to make it about me…. I did this, I did that…. they love me, they follow me, they listen to me….it is sickening!!! Bottom line I AM NOTHING without Him!!!

God has called each one of us…God will enable each one of us, ONLY SPEAK what HE tells you to speak, and ONLY go when He tells you to GO!!

Now go out and have an EPIC day today!! Tomorrow I will finish up with chapter 3

He will always give us the words to speak….

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“Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.” The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.

“Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious! Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you.”

Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, 10 which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom. ~ Ezekiel 2 ~

Speaking to the people in this world is so important, but more important than that is speaking the “right” words. After being in ministry for so many years I have heard some crazy words from so many people and some good people who are just on the wrong track….

God will personally give me and you the right words to say to the right people!! Here in this short chapter God stands Ezekiel up, has his attention and speaks to him, He tell Ezekiel that he is sending him to speak to a people that are hard hearted and rebellious… He say its not up to Ezekiel to determine who to give this message to, who will listen and who will not listen, just give them the message.

For us most of the time a couple things takes place, first we go speak to people without God’s prompting and most importantly without God’s power, word, anointing and blessing. Secondly we judge who will listen and who will not and this is a set up for disaster!

I find this interesting that God tells Ezekiel “…..at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.” my thought is; How will they know? The only answer there I have is because Ezekiel is walking, speaking in the anointing of the living God. Ezekiel KNEW without any second thoughts that this was of God, go back and read Chapter 1 and the experience He had. There are have been times in my life where God has spoken to me to tell someone something, give them a message. I must admit each time there was NO doubt and even though I may have thought it was crazy or they would laugh at me, I KNEW that God had spoken it and it would be or could be LIFE CHANGING!!! And in those moments when I gave the message to someone it was incredible and so very life changing all I could do is stand in AWE!!!

Before we ever take a message to a people we must receive it for God himself…..I am not talking about the Gospel at all, we have that, the Gospel is GOD’S WORD and it’ hold great life changing power. I’m talking about speaking to someone one about the issues of life, issues of heading the wrong direction, etc… We Christians are so quick to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to lives, moral issues, political issues etc… speaking death into people, telling them they are wrong and heading to hell. We may believe that but we best wait upon the Lord and his wisdom and power before we speak out.

God FED Ezekiel personally, gave him the Words to say….”Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, 10 which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.”

Have you ever had this experience?

Now go out and have an EPIC day today….

Ezekiel 1 — And when I saw it……

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22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. 23 Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,[b] like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

25 Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. ~ Ezekiel 1

This book by far is my favorite book of the Bible, why? Because through this book my life changed drastically many years ago. The Lord led me to read this book one day and about a year later I finished it walking out the other side changed. It was a time in my life that I could have never walked through in my flesh. How I have longed to have another experience like that, I’ve tried so many times but I realize you just can’t make it happen. It was a season of intense growing and change in my life.

Well, last Thursday night at Awakening Prayer Service the Lord told me to go back and revisit this book again, so I read and felt a tingle of excitement in my heart. Over the last few months I have read and spoke about so many book in the Bible, usually taking a chapter a day and writing a quick little though on it….but here in this book I will just go through chapter by chapter but may stay in one chapter a few days… IDK…however the Spirit leads.

Here is Chapter one the Word says that “the heavens opened and I saw visions of God” make not mistake this was a vision in the spiritual, I am not sure if he knew what was happening when it first started, but I do know that if the Lord give a man or a woman a vision it will not be full of fear. God choses who, when and how a vision is given and it is always for His purposes and has nothing to do with “man”. Ezekiel sees some crazy stuff here, (read the chapter from the beginning) I mean what he was seeing is crazy fantasy stuff with wind, fire, lightening, living creatures, faces, eagles,  crazy stuff…..and when it all comes clear he sees a throne…. here is how he describes it….

 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

I think this would get anyone’s attention… but the most moving part of this entire chapter is the very end…..This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

When we truly encounter God we can do nothing but fall down before Him, and when we do we are finally still enough and in position to hear his voice. All the intense and crazy things Ezekiel saw and heard to lead to this ONE MOMENT and then he is positioned to hear God’s voice. When is the last time God really spoke to you? When was the last time you were in position to really hear His voice? Do we need an encounter like Ezekiel had to hear the voice of the Lord? I say no, we have the very Spirit of God living within us to speak to us daily… the answer is positioning yourself to hear him.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

If another believer is overcome by some sin….

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Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer[a] is overcome by some sin, you who are godly[b] should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. ~ Galatians 5:1-3

This is an important message for the church today, there are always going to be people who fall into sin and how brothers and sisters react can change eternity for that person. We are told to GENTLY and HUMBLY help that person back onto the right path. Ok PERFECT but here are a couple very important things about this little statement. ……

First, a new believer needs to understand and learn this as they grow in the faith, but it is foolish to jump into places that you might get trapped back into the same sin. The devil is excellent at what he does… DECEPTION… ENTRAPMENT….and bringing you back to your old ways. So it’s not always best to try and be a hero going in to rescue your brother or sister when if you are in danger of falling into sin.

Secondly it says “gently and humbly” oh man this is big. Gently means just that, not shaming them back, not threatening them back onto the right road, but to speak with love and compassion, with the very words of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. It takes a mature Christian to stand in those shoes and a very humble man or woman to stand in those shoes. Always remember YOU are NO BETTER than the worst sinner you will ever come across!! That alone should make you humble.

Thirdly, no matter who you are, what is your status, what is your income, what you drive, where you live, work, you are NO better. Carry the burdens of a brother or sister. What does that mean? It can mean many different things, could be to carry it in prayer, it could mean just sitting and listening, it could be giving Godly advice, it could mean walking through a difficult situation, it’s all done without judgment and accusations, we would love them and support them as Jesus would. YOU are the hands and feet of Jesus.

This pleases the Lord….

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

Living by the Spirit’s Power

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13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[c] 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

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16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 every part of our lives.

26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of onBut the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in e another.

~ Galatians 5;13-26

In some cases there is a great divide in churches when it comes to “freedom” – some believe that you have total freedom and liberty to do anything they please. Jesus paid the price and He himself said it was finished, He set us free from sin and His love is so great that anything goes. But right here it states, DO NOT use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.

Jesus paid the price for sure, and I am so very thankful and grateful for this. “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” — Jesus sent the Holy spirit to guide us, teach us and much more, here is say plainly that the Spirit gives us desires the opposite of the what the sinful nature desires. So, LIVE IN THE SPIRIT!!! Daily, hourly, minute by minute!!! “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” This is UP TO YOU!!! Action on your part…..

It is WORK living this life but it’s a LIFE worth working for! True FREEDOM….

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

I ask you again……

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Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced[a] so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. ~ ~     Galatians 3:1-5 ~~

The key phrase in these scriptures “HOW FOOLISH can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”  This is so true for most Christians, forgetting about the Spirit and taking over by trying to be perfect! When we do this we only set ourselves up for failure, for being a hypocrite, and for turning people away from Christ rather drawing them to him.

We have everything we need in the Holy Spirit, he lives within us to bring power, he leads, teaches, reveals the word, guides, comforts, guides us, and convicts us. When we leave him out of the picture we try to do all these things on our own and there is NO way to do this. When we blow it, when we fall the people around us laugh at us, call us liars, hypocrites and say “God does not exist”

We are called to be light, show Jesus, draw people to him and it’s done through our lives not our words. I must admit I have blown it so many times in my life, through my actions many have had a hard time finding their way back. It’s shameful and without excuse. But today my life is hidden in His, I abide in the Holy Spirit moment by moment  and the moment I don’t – I am setting myself up to fail and fall very hard. I praise Him for his GRACE and MERCY and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today.

What do you live for……?

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19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[e] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. ~ Galatians 2:19-21

So many Christian people live so hard to keep the law and look what the Word says about this…. “it condemned me. So I died to the law – I stopped trying to meet all it’s requirements so that I might live for God”

Rules and regulations will never ever save you!! But what does it mean, Jesus also said that He came to fulfill the law? To the Jews the law had come out of control, rules rules rules for everything, for just about every minute of every day. And if you could not fulfill them you were outside the camp. All these rituals and rules were made to bring man closer to God, the religious leaders were the only ones who could have any type of access to God and then they would lead the people…. it became a mess. Jesus came to abolish all that and gave us access to the Holy of Holies through his death and resurrection. The veil was ripped in two allowing EVERYONE to enter freely and boldly.

Yet many still lived by the old laws trying to reach God. This was in the “Christian” church and was a HUGE problem, chapter 2 is about Paul confronting Peter about this very issue and he makes the statement we read in this portion of Scripture.

So,….. you were crucified with Christ and raised to new life with Christ…. you have FULL access to the holy place, face to face with God. LIVE LIKE IT and watch and see what He can and will do!! IT’s an amazing life to live.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today

By Revelation….

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1 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. ~ Galatians 1:11-12

This is a great word with truth running through every word…. Paul writes this and he is testifying that he used to kill Christians, he was the best in his world. To him Christianity was everything AGAINST God and his belief was they should be silenced. In this testimony he telling his story of how he became a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. He say the word was not preached to him by any man and not of any human origin, he was not taught but it was REVELATION from Jesus Himself.

AWESOME yes? Many take this scripture and build a doctrine around it, saying they DO NOT need any man telling them what to believe, how to believe, what is true and what is not… ALL they need is the Holy Spirit to guide them and teach them. Read the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach. This is very true and yet it’s very dangerous. The enemy works very hard and he is very good at deception and twisting things. Can God do this? HECK YES HE CAN…. we just read how He did it with Paul.

But Paul himself says in Philippians 3 to follow his example. This is the reason God created the body or the Church, for teaching, preaching and equipping the believers. Be plugged into a church that preaches truth and is not full of just traditions, (I am NOT saying traditions are bad at all). Here is the KEY to this….KNOW YOUR WORD…. Check it out…. make sure what is being preached is lined up 100% to Scripture. If a new revelation is preached, go to the Word, go to the Lord and line it up, if it does not line up throw it out.

Over the years I have had good men and women come to me with some WACKED out stuff, crazy revelations of the Word and new meanings, new thoughts….. most just DO not line up with God’s HOLY WORD. But I say ALWAYS CHECK.

Are you plugged into a church? If you are not there is NO WAY you will grow in depth of what God is doing. The church has PURPOSE and meaning and is needed as we close in to the end of time.

Now go out and have an EPIC day today