The Revival That Never Stops

Most revivals we know have started well and produced extraordinary fruit but for one reason or another have stopped. This became a common theme for moves of God such as Azusa Street, The Welsh Revival and the Jesus People Movement where they would have a year or two of intense breakthrough but then it would end because of failure to take proper responsibility for what was given.

Even though this was once normal for revivals to stop, it was never meant to be the norm. When God starts something it’s not meant to end but instead go on to impact generations to come. The aim is to go from glory to glory and not from glory to nothing!! Another revelatory fact about revival is that it was never meant to be something that magically turns up out of nowhere, but it was always meant to be carried and stewarded by individuals that know their identity and what is available to them because of the price Jesus paid. Bill Johnson senior Pastor at Bethel Church, Redding, Ca says that “Jesus didn’t just pay a price to get us into heaven, but He paid a price to get heaven inside of us!!” When we begin to view it this way we realise that we walk under an open heaven where anything could happen at any time if we dare to believe.

If you are currently experiencing a move of God in your life and you are afraid that it might stop, or you are experiencing tremendous favour then please note that it is not meant to stop but only increase as we are born to bear fruit until the day we die. You are unstoppable!!

7 Reasons Why The Power Of God Is Not Active In Your Life

1. You believe it’s only for certain individuals – I use to believe that the power of God (miracles, signs and wonders) were only for certain people because that is how I was taught. I was taught that only leadership was allow to lay hands and visiting pastors or prophets. I thought I would have to fast 40 days and nights to even get close to what they are carrying. In light of this, it all changed when I found out that the Spirit of the Resurrected Christ lives in me. I realised I carried the same power so I too was able to see what they saw!!

2. You only wait for things to happen but don’t step out to see the power of God activated – If the Holy Spirit lives in you then the next step is to look for opportunities to see Him released. Waiting for things to happen only expresses lack of understanding in what you have and the commission to give it away.

3. You pray things like ‘IF it’s Your will!!’- The word ‘if’ should never be used at the start of a prayer as far as faith is concerned. It only serves to make you double minded and unsure as whether or not God wants to do what you have requested.

4. You might of been taught that miracles were only for Bible days – Some church circles believe that miracles passed away in ancient times so now we only get to practice a Christianity that is based on moral behaviour, being good to people and getting people saved. This might sound right but was never the example of Jesus or anyone in the New Testament. In fact He commanded His disciples to go and teach the world everything He commanded them. What did He command them to do? Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy and drive out demons!!

5. You have been sucked into a culture that celebrates theories and concepts more than experience – “Bible study without bible experience is pointless.” – Bill Johnson. The point is that when we focus on just reading or listening to words without experiencing them we step into an inferior Christianity. Christianity was never meant to be known by words only, but by power. Knowing God can not be achieved by just reading and entertaining concepts. To know Him is to experience Him!!

6. You are waiting to get to a certain level of spirituality – The power of God is not based on where you are spiritually and certainly not on how good you are. It’s always based on how good GOD is!! The Spirit of God lives in you now, not later and comes fully equipped with power so start moving!!

7. The fear of something not happening holds you back – Before I started to see miracles through my own hands I was afraid to step out because I thought I would feel embarrassed if I put someones hopes up and then nothing happened. After doing this for a little while I realised that if I don’t step out and take the risk nothing will happen!! I then had to get over myself and step out regardless of whether I saw an instant result or not. It’s about the risk more then the result.

5 Secrets To Extraordinary Faith

1. God Loves You And is For You – Gain the understanding that God loves us more than we can comprehend and wants to give us more than we can take. He actually likes us and cares about the things we care about, even the minor details in our lives. So upon this revelation we are able to walk an extraordinary but simple life.

2. Stop Listening To People That Speak Against what You Want – If there is one thing I know that can destroy faith it would be listening to negative words from people. Sometimes when I’m believing for something I have to shut down certain voices in my life so that my faith can remain level headed. If not, my faith will start to slack and before I know it I’ve become a “doubting Thomas”.

3. Feed Yourself On Good News – Just as negative words and reports can sabotage your faith, on the contrary encouraging words, and powerful testimonies can boost your faith into another realm. When you begin to focus on what is happening rather than what has not happened, you set yourself to have extraordinary faith.  

4. Get A Word – A word acts as an anchor or something that reassures us of the victory we already have. This is important because our confidence increases when we know we have a Greater Authority and Power behind us working everything out.

5. Pray – Some people just think that prayer is a good thing to do but don’t recognise the power of it, but let me be clear!! Everything you need and want is found in this place. This includes your emotional strength, healthy thoughts, financial breakthrough, healthy friendships, jobs and the list goes on. As I said before, anything you desire to see happen first starts with prayer!!

Focus on the Positive

Joyce Meyer says that the battlefield is in the mind and there is a full blown war going on within our thought patterns. While this could seem strange it’s important that we begin to pay attention to our thoughts and open ourselves up to adjusting them.

Our thoughts are considered to be our internal realities and everything that goes on outside are called external realities. This includes beauty, jobs, cars etc… Now, the funny thing is that everything we see outside is a reflection of what is happening in our inner world (I know this might seem a bit deep but just hang on in there, I’m going somewhere with this).

This means that if we desire to change our external realities we first have to change our thinking otherwise we remain stuck. Learning to focus on the positive and not everything that is going wrong, is the first step to having a healthy inner world. Focusing on the positive produces life in our bodies and influences our external realities while focusing on the negative completely kills your confidence and distracts you from your purpose. It serves as a distractor and can cause things like stress, sickness, discouragement, unbelief, jealousy and hatred for yourself and others. It is actually a trap!!

On the other hand when positive thinking is applied on a regular basis it can completely change your world and your contribution to the world around you. It keeps your emotions stable, fuels your passion, increases your faith, pleases God and elevates your standard of living.

So, I just want to remind you. If you desire to change your standard of living then you firstly must change the way you think!!

Secular Vs Sacred Work

I’m sure most people reading this blog have heard of the terms “secular” and “sacred”. In the Christian world secular stands for anything that belongs to the world and does not have its origin within the Christian faith. E.g unless you work within a church setting (pastor, worship leader, church secretary etc…) which is considered sacred, then every other job is considered to be a secular job. Now if this sounds about right to you then I have some news for you, its all the same!!

Let me explain. When we separate the two we have a conversation in our minds that says “the sacred is what I do for God and the secular is just what I have to do to make a living”. We don’t believe that God is really for it and we tend to esteem those in a sacred job as more holy than us, not realising that anything we do we are meant to do it as on to the Lord.

This means that any job I do that is good and does not require me to partake in evil is considered sacred and unto God. Now you might be asking, “why is this important?” Well it’s important because many are confused about whether they should keep going after their career and in some cases what they were born for – or just go into full time ministry and become a preacher. They think this way not necessarily because they feel a calling from God but it’s just what we have been taught as being the high water mark.

Everyone desires the best that God has so if preaching or some sort of other “sacred” occupation is marketed as the best then that’s what we will want to go after. If this is your bent then I’ll gently warn you that you will never get to your God given destiny by just doing what appears to be right or good. You have to go where your heart comes alive!

So whether you are a actor, business man, tax man, teacher, Pastor, IT specialist, charity worker, entrepreneur etc… it’s all sacred when you do it unto the Lord.

Comparison Kills

I remember a good friend of mine told me not to focus on what anyone else is doing but instead focus on what I’m called to do. It was short but very powerful, direct but very freeing. It spoke volumes to me because it came as revelation. I realised I had been looking at what everyone else has accomplished, the money they were making and the car they were driving. In the process it had been sabotaging what I was doing and causing me to lose focus on where I am going. This might come as a surprise to you but you can’t focus on what someone else is doing and at the same time focus 100% on what you are doing. It just won’t work!!

Bill Johnson says “Once you discover who you are called to be you won’t want to be anyone else!!” Now, this is not just a cool saying but life changing if you choose to grab ahold of it. When you discover the glory within and the plan God has for you everything else becomes inferior and the world will want what you have. Let’s just be honest for a second, comparing yourself has never got anyone anywhere but instead causes you to undermine every great thing we have in our possession and leaves us open for deception and lies.

Now, there is nothing wrong in looking at other people because God has placed people around us to inspire and help us but if you look at someone and find yourself comparing you should probably stop looking until you can look and be inspired. It kills your joy, creativity, happiness, contentment, peace, vision and goals.

The world is waiting for individuals to fully come out and shine, so I’m going to tell you like my friend told me, “stop focusing on what other people are doing but instead focus on what you are called to do!!”.

The Process Part 2

Many people opt out of the process because it gets too intense and sometimes can feel unbearable. It can feel like there is no end, but the process was never meant to be comfortable; instead uncomfortable so the real you can rise to the surface and growth can begin. If you are brave enough to take your eyes off the problem and focus on God it actually gets easier!! New vision, determination, power and a transformed heart are all by-products of a process that is handled correctly.

Now before you think to yourself, this is very similar to my last post I want to give you different keys that helped me in the past and also ones I’ve learnt recently.

1. Pray – The safest and most empowering place you could be in a process or trial is in a place of prayer. It’s a place you receive complete peace and courage to keep on going.

2. Focus on God Not the Process – The temptation sometimes is to keep our eyes fixed on the process instead of the One that has the power to take you through it. Discouragement, depression and loneliness all come from focusing on the process and not God!! Take a second to redirect your focus and keep your eyes there until you see change in your life.

3. Identify and Eliminate All Lies and Hold to Truth – Thoughts of not being good enough, or God will never forgive you, and you will always be in this place, are all lies that deserve to be challenged and replaced with truth. The truth is, you are good enough and His mercy is bigger that your disfunction!!

4. Stand with Positive People – When you are going through a process negative and opinionated people will have to take a back seat. This can be a good friend, family member or a work colleague. This is simply because the process makes you vulnerable so it’s important to surround yourself with people that speak life into you and those that take the time to understand.

5. Hold the Promise Tighter than Your Present Reality – Without a promise it’s hard to see where you are going. Get a promise or vision for where you are going and hold onto it like you would your life. It’s the thing that will keep you motivated!!

Keep moving forward and don’t let anything stop you! You are destined for greatness!!

5 Ways To Get Your Prayer Answered

1. Know That You Are Loved – When you how much you are loved and adored by God, it’s natural for you to think that He will give you anything you ask for. There is no limit to how much you can ask for because He is not a Genie where you only have one wish. He has unlimited resources and loves to give!!

2. Be Specific – If you are not specific when you pray you won’t recognise when the answer comes. Being specific causes you to narrow your focus and helps you to be serious about what your praying for. It increases your faith and let’s God know that you are actually serious about the thing you are praying for.

3. Throw Away All Lies – In order for us to be successful in prayer we need to let go of everything that hinders. Here are some of them:

– God Says Yes, no or maybe!! The first is true but the rest is not biblical and extremely detrimental to prayer. God has no problem in deciding whether or not He wants to do something and says ask ANYTHING in my Name and it shall be done.

– God Only Answers If I Deserve It –  I once heard a preacher say that the next time you pray think about whether you deserve it or not and that should determine whether you should do it. While this might seem pretty obvious to some, most people at the service were in agreement. If a person believes this, their prayer has officially come to an end!! It’s not about whether you deserve it or not, but rather everything comes according to God’s goodness, not ours.

4. Pray In Faith Not Fear – When you pray out of fear you strip yourself of the authority you carry and many times won’t receive an answer. This is not always the case because God is bigger than our fear but it’s good to note that fear does not bring heaven to earth – faith does!!

5. Pray Consistently Doesn’t Always Mean Long – Praying consistently does not mean pray long!! It simply means to keep knocking the door until there’s an answer. It doesn’t take long to ask for something if you believe He hears your every prayer. The most is 3 minutes and the rest should be spent in worship for what He is about to do. It’s all about faith not the length of your prayer.

9 Ways To Spice Up Your Christianity

1. Travel – Traveling is one of the ways you can begin to see God in a new way. Apart from it being extremely fun it is also life changing. It takes you out of your comfort zone and exposes you to the wonder of His creation.

2. Meet other Christians outside of your church and circle – Most Christians stick to people in their own church and don’t venture out. This is more of a church mentality not a Kingdom mentality. God has placed so many people out there and He will not just draw them to you. You will have to step out and find them.

3. Discover The Power Of God – This is an important one because without power Christianity becomes words and a series of Bible studies without Bible experience. The Bible is not just something to be memorised but something to be experienced. Anything you see in The Word Of God you can have, if you believe!!

4. Giving – The joy of being able to bless someone else is beyond description. Now let’s be clear, I’m not talking about giving to your church even though that is very important but rather making your giving a lifestyle. Sometimes it’s even great to listen to the needs of people around you and then bless them accordingly.

5. Thankfulness – Living a thankful life brings exponential joy and satisfaction. It’s sustains peace and causes you to have the right perspective in life. In fact living a life opposite to this only brings depression, failure and frustration. Bill Johnson says that when we focus on what God hasn’t done we set ourselves up to live a lifestyle of offence. If you want to spice up your life then be thankful!!

6. Go after your dreams and calling – Going after the thing you have been created to do brings great satisfaction and breeds adventure. If you haven’t found out then please take time to find out. It’s normally the thing you do with complete joy and would do if no one ever paid you. The other part of this are the dreams we have in our hearts that don’t necessarily have a spiritual significance. E.g you might have a dream to skydive or go skiing in Switzerland. These are just as important to God as your dream to see the world impacted.

7. Fellowship with no agenda – Take time to just relax and not be over spiritual all the time. Fellowship with like minded people and have fun going out and enjoying life with friends. Allow people to see you and who you really are.

8. Pursuing greatness for someone else – When you get to a point when you realise life is not all about you but the ability to serve other people you become a lot more satisfied in life. Pursuing greatness for someone else brings out a God given desire in you to serve but also positions you for your own breakthrough.

9. Go out and enjoy yourself – This one is scary for some Christians because going out is seen as clubbing or indulging in something that belongs to the world. However there are a lot more things to do apart from that. These include:
– Going to the movies
– Trying out different restaurants
– Going to an amusement park
– Going shopping if that’s your thing (this is not always related to an insecurity)
– Concerts
– Finding great chill-out spots in your city
– Doing adventurous things such as bungie jumping or skydiving (if that is what you like)
– Take a day trip to another city

These are a few options but are certainly not the only ones. Take a step of faith and discover the adventure God has for you today!!

When Christianity Gets Boring You Know Religion Has Crept in Somewhere!!

Have you ever sat in church bored and confused as to why they are still singing the same songs from 10 years back or the service has the same flow as it did 20 years? Have you ever imaged yourself doing something really radical or fun but then felt held back and in the end just forgot about it? All of these things are a fruit of religion and where man fails to adjust, religion will creep in!!

The problem is not that we are singing the same songs but the problem is that we fail to get current revelation about who God is and what He wants to do. He is the King of all pleasure and is the most fun Person you would ever desire to be around. I doubt there is ever a dull moment in heaven and our job is to bring heaven to earth!! Because of lack of revelation a lot of people I speak to say Christianity is boring but what they are really saying is that they find church boring. Church is the face of Christianity and when we fail to stay current in our walk with God people turn back to worldly pleasures that bring no life or just accept the churches representation of Christianity and remain unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Modern Christianity is also highly focused on what you can’t do rather than on the benefits of being connected to a God of unlimited resources.

So what’s the solution?

The world understands that in order for things to remain fresh and current you need to keep evolving. When I was younger, black and white TVs were popular and at one stage that was the norm. After the black and white TV they invented a colour TV which completely threw the black and white out of business. Now we have flat screen TVs with built in DVD players, smart TVs and the list goes on. The point is, the Kingdom of God is always advancing and moving forward and in order for us to stay in tune we need to remain open minded to what God wants to do. Dwelling on past breakthroughs and past inventions is an insult to creation. God created us to discover, take risk, conquer new ground!! Now don’t get me wrong, I know that the character and mission of God always remains the same but the way He wants to do it and His activity on earth always changes. He might want to use hymns one day and contemporary music another. We have to stay adaptable to what God wants to do.

My encouragement to you today is to take a risk at being yourself and ask God for revelation about what He wants to do and remember, He is fun I promise you!!