Building a Powerful Team

Psalm 147:5
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”

If any church is going to be influential and make a powerful impact on their community, they are going to have to do it as a team. A great church has never been built on one personality. Great churches have all been built by a group of people who banded together to do the LORD’s work in reaching the lost for Him. This will never be done if you are solely relying on the pastor; rather, it takes everyone’s involvement to make this happen.

However, part of building a powerful team to reach a community is reliant upon those in leadership and their ability to rally people to follow. The greatest example to show us how to do this is God. The verse above says, “Great is our Lord, and of great power…” The reason these words are mentioned by the Psalmist is found in the preceding verses. The preceding verses show the mentality those in leadership positions must have if they want to build a powerful team so they can reach their community. Let me share with you four actions needed to building a powerful team.

First, you must build people. Verse 2 says, “The LORD doth build up Jerusalem…” You cannot use people to build your work, but you must use your work to build people. People rally behind individuals who are not in it for themselves. They want to see that you love what they love. Every work in history that God has used greatly had a leader who was totally given to building the church, not for himself, but for the people and the glory of God. Be careful that you don’t become a self-absorbed leader; instead, be a selfless leader who builds people.

Second, love the unwanted. Verse 2 continues by saying, “…he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.” The church ought to be a place where the “outcasts” can come and put their lives back together. You will build a following of people who will give their lives for you if you will put their lives back together after sin has destroyed them. King David built a great following with the “outcasts of Israel.” If you will seek the outcasts and help them to do something with their lives, you will find a loyal people who will help you build God’s work.

Third, help the hurting. Verse 3 says, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Nothing wins the hearts of individuals over like a person who helps people when they are hurting. Don’t get so busy that you are not there when people are going through rough times in their lives. The leader who is present when a heart is broken is the leader who will build a powerful team. It won’t always be convenient to be there when people are hurting, but you will be rewarded greatly because people tend never to forget your presence in their time of need.

Fourth, know people personally. Verse 4 says, “…he calleth them all by their names.” Don’t let people just be a face, but know them personally. The greatest leaders are ones who spend time getting to know their followers. When you are talking to people, give them your full attention. Don’t let anything sidetrack you from who you are talking to. Get to know the personal needs of each person so you will know how to help them. You will be rewarded immeasurably if you learn to take the time to learn about people as individuals.

Disappointed? What Now?

John 21:3
“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.”

Have you ever had something not turn out in your Christian life the way you thought it would? The disciples certainly faced disappointment when Jesus didn’t set up His kingdom as they thought He would. They were consumed with the fact that Jesus had come to set up His kingdom on Earth, but they were highly disappointed when He was crucified because it didn’t work into their design of what they thought should be done. What did they do when they were disappointed? The verse above shows us when it says, “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing…” At the first sign of disappointment, they went back to the old life.

You are going to face disappointment in your Christian life; there is no way to avoid it. There are going to be times when you have high hopes that God is going to do something, and He doesn’t do it according to your plans. It is what you do at this first sign of disappointment that can determine what God is going to continue doing through your life. The verse above teaches us several lessons as to what we should do at the first sign of disappointment.

First, recognize that God doesn’t have to work according to your plans. God is not obligated to do what you think He should do. He is God, and He knows what is best for you and your life. The sooner you accept that God has His plan for your life, and His plan is better, the sooner you will get over your disappointment. Don’t hold God hostage to your plans; His foreknowledge and providence is always right.

Second, don’t quit what is right. Sadly, the disciples went back to fishing at the first sign of disappointment. There was nothing wrong with fishing, but it was more than that, they were going back to their old life. My friend, the old life didn’t satisfy you in the past, why do you think it will satisfy now that you have been disappointed? When disappointment sets in, don’t let the lure of the old life pull you back.

Third, don’t discourage others with your disappointment. Disappointment is like a disease if you don’t learn to control your emotions and words. Peter pulled the rest of the disciples into his disappointing actions, when he should have kept it to himself and brought his disappointment to God. Instead of discouraging others with your disappointment, you should talk to God about it because He is the only one who can change your situation. If you discourage others, they may never recover from it, even if you do. When disappointment happens, keep it to yourself and let your release be the closet of prayer.

Fourth, keep doing right, Jesus will show up. Verse 4 says, “But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore…” It would have been better had Jesus caught the disciples doing right instead of going back to the old life. Christian, morning is going to come, and Jesus will stand at the shore of your life. The question is, how will He catch you? Will He catch you running back to the old life, or will He catch you continuing to do right? Your desire should be that He catches you doing right.

Disappointment is going to happen in life. Don’t let the disappointment drive you back to the old life, but keep your hope in the fact that morning will come, and Jesus will show up. When He shows up, let Him find you doing what is right.

It’s About the Sheep

John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

I’m afraid we often get the purpose of life and the ministry mixed up. It is very easy to get our priorities turned around; however, God made the priority quite simple. As long as our priorities are right, life will be filled with joy, and the ministry will produce and effective impact on those to whom we minister.

The verse above comes from the parable of the good shepherd. When you read the parable, you will find that the sheep are safe as long as they are with the shepherd. However, in this parable, there are three groups of people who have an interest in the sheep. One thing is very clear; it is all about the sheep. Let me show you the three groups so that you can determine which classification you fall under.

The first group is the wolves. Verse 12 says, “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.” You will notice that the wolf desires the sheep for one thing: to devour and scatter. The wolf doesn’t care for the sheep, the only thing the wolf cares for is itself. Sadly, there are those in the Christian life whose whole interest is themselves and what they can get out of others. No leader should be out for their personal interests or gain because it is not about you, it’s about the sheep. You need to get out of the ministry if your whole purpose is to see what you can gain. The only thing a wolf leader does is they hurt Christians, and they scatter the flock of God.

The second group is the hireling. The hireling cares for the sheep as long as there is no difficulty. Verse 12 says that the hireling “seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth.” This leader is one who quits when times get difficult. This leader may on the surface seem to care for people, but in reality, this leader is still self-centered. My friend, the ministry is not easy. There are going to be battles in the ministry, but you cannot allow battles to keep you from taking care of those whom God has placed under your care.

The third group is the shepherd. The shepherd is all about one thing: the sheep. When danger comes, he stands between his sheep and the danger. When the hireling flees, he does everything in his power to keep the sheep safe. The reason is that he cares for them. Verse 14 says that the shepherd knows the sheep, and they know him. He spends his life with them. The shepherd is truly what God wants as the mindset for the Christian.

Let me ask you, what kind of leader are you? You will only make an impact on others if your life is truly about helping them become what God wants them to be. I believe the one key element to making this happen is that you must spend time with them. The shepherd knows the sheep because he spends time with them. You cannot become so desirous of position that you stop caring for those you lead if you get it.

Christian, let me encourage you to lay aside the CEO mindset that only shows up when you are on stage. Take on the shepherd Christian mindset that is willing to be inconvenienced so that you can help others. This is where you will find true joy in the ministry.

Insulate, Don’t Isolate

insulate-dont-isolateby: Dr. Allen Domelle

Every parent desires to protect their child from that which is wrong. It starts when they are first born, and you hold that precious baby in your arms. If it is the first child, the parent is so very careful about what atmosphere they place the child in because they don’t want them to get sick. The new parent is careful about handing the child over to someone else to hold because they don’t want their child dropped. When they hear the baby cry, the parent is quick to run to the child to see if there is something wrong; this is the natural protective spirit of every caring parent.

However, the child will grow up. There comes a point when a parent has to let the child get some bumps and bruises so that they will learn how to make it in life. The older they get, the more the parent struggles with letting their child become an adult because they still see that child as their little baby. If the parent isn’t careful, they will end up isolating the child to the point that they will have a hard time adapting to the pressures of life. Notice, the pressures of life, not the entertainment of the world.

There comes a point when every parent must allow their child to make some decisions on their own. If a parent isn’t careful, they will isolate their child to the point that they won’t know how to make it through life without running to dad and mom to make decisions. Let me be blunt; you won’t always be around for them. There is going to come a day when your children will have to live on their own and make their own decisions. They are not going to become the servant the LORD wants them to be if they have not been taught how to make the right decisions.

When I grew up, my parents did a great job of insulating me from the world, but not isolating me from life. They allowed me to work a job when I was 13 years of age, but they kept a close eye on my spiritual life and attitude towards the LORD. They made sure that I didn’t become friends with the wrong people. My parents taught me how to make the right scriptural decisions because they knew one day I would be on my own and wouldn’t be able to run to them for every decision. They didn’t isolate me from the world, but they did insulate me from the influences of the world.

Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” I know this verse is talking about marriage, but this verse shows that one day a man will leave his father and mother. It’s a fact of life; your children will not always be able to run to you. They need to grow up and learn how to make it on their own.

God says in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Nurturing your child is not isolating them; rather, it is teaching them how to face every aspect of life so they can make it without you. This is the parent’s primary responsibility.

Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” This verse teaches the principle of insulation verses isolation. A child can’t help but be around ungodly people because we live in a sinful world, but a godly parent will insulate them from getting counsel from the ungodly teaching and entertainment. God said that the person who doesn’t stand in the “way of sinners” will be blessed, but He didn’t say that we won’t be among sinners. Face it; we live in a world of sinners and scorners. You can’t isolate your child from this crowd, but you can insulate them from sitting with them and walking in their ways. To insulate your child means they are going to live in the world, but you don’t allow them to be like the world. It means that you keep them pointed towards God as they live in this world. The wise parent will learn to insulate their child from these influences while training them how to handle living in a world of these influences. Let me give you five thoughts about insulating your child.

1. Realize your child belongs to God.

Psalm 127:3 says, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” The first thing you are going to have to overcome is the mentality that they’re your children, and you can do with them what you want. This is absolutely false! First, you didn’t give your child life, God did! You have to realize that a child is a gift to the parent by God. Second, children are on loan to the parents to raise for the LORD. Your responsibility as a parent is not to raise them to do what you want them to do, but to do what God wants them to do.

Stop trying to train your child to do what you want them to do, and raise them to do what God wants them to do. I believe one of the reasons parents isolate a child is so that the child becomes so dependent on them that they will never leave home. There is nothing wrong with a parent desiring that their child marries and lives close to them, but a parent must come to grips that this may not be what the LORD wants. You are going to have to let them do what the LORD wants because they belong to Him.

NOwens ADMy parents never tried to keep me at home. They always trained me to follow the LORD’s will for my life. My parents NEVER put pressure on me to stay close to home. My dad, who was my pastor, never insinuated from the pulpit or at home that he wanted me to stay close to him. Did he want me to stay close? I’m sure he did, but he emphasized that I follow the LORD’s will for my life because he knew that I belonged to God.

If you never accept that your children are God’s, you will isolate them which will result in children not knowing how to live in a real world. I know what I am saying is not popular, but you must train them to follow the LORD because they belong to Him.

2. Your responsibility is to train them to answer to God; not you.

Yes, when your children are young they should come to you to learn what to do because you are their parent, but there must come a time when you start teaching them to run to God. When Samuel ran to Eli several times after hearing the voice of God, he finally told Samuel to tell the LORD that he was listening.

Your goal should be that your child’s first response to everything they do is to look to the LORD through the Scriptures and prayer for their answers. Certainly, a wise child will still ask their parent’s advice even when they are adults, but don’t isolate them from other wise counselors who can help them. My greatest advice I can give you is to point your children to God for every decision they must make.

3. You will never know how to help them unless you let them fail.

The wise parent will use failure to teach their child how to live life. Proverbs 29:17 says, “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” Let me ask you, how are you going to correct your child if you never let them fail? Correction can only come after failure. Failure is what gives you the opportunity to teach them how not to do something wrong the next time. If you isolate your child and make every decision for them, they will never know how to make the right decisions on their own.

My parents often asked me what I wanted to do, but would then teach me if I made the wrong decision. They used the Scriptures to teach me principles that have helped me throughout my life. I have taken that same philosophy with my daughter. I look at any failure she has had and use it as a teaching moment to show her how to make a right decision the next time. By the way, I am not teaching that you should allow your child to sin; but I am teaching that you allow them to make decisions on their own and teach them why those decisions are right or wrong.

4. Trust your training; if you trained them right.

There comes a point when you have to trust your training. This is the hardest thing to do because every parent wonders if they really got through to their child. When I learned to fly airplanes, my instructor taught me how to fly, and when he felt I could do what he showed me to do, he allowed me to fly the plane on my own. This took total trust in his training that I knew what to do. Was there any doubt when he let me take off by myself the first time? I’m sure there was, but at some point he had to trust his training to let me fly the plane.

Likewise, every parent is going to have to trust their training if they trained them right. Proverbs 22:6 does say, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” If you train them according to the principles of God’s Word, you are going to have to trust them to do the right thing because you are not going to always be there.

5. Pray for them, and let the LORD work on their hearts.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” There comes a point when you are going to have to trust the LORD to work on their hearts. You should pray that they will do the right thing, and trust the LORD to convict them if they are about ready to do the wrong thing.

There is no doubt that every parent comes to a scary point when their child becomes an adult and has to make decisions on their own. Parent, can I gently encourage you that if you trained them right, they will do the right thing. You are not the first parent to face your child growing up, and many children have turned out right; including you. If you will learn the balance of insulating your children from the world and not isolating them from it, I believe you will be pleased with how your children handle the pressures the world puts on them. If you truly looked at many of the right decisions your child has already made, that should give you the confidence that they will do the right thing. If your child has a heart for God, I believe the LORD will protect them from those times that would ruin them because He cares MORE for your child than you do.

Follow the Leader, It’s Not a Game

John 5:19
“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Many children love to play the game, follow the leader, where one child is proclaimed the leader, and the rest follows everything they do. Many parents don’t realize that children often learn how to live life by following their parent’s footsteps. Much like the follow the leader game, whether nor not children realize it, they follow what their parents do; however, following the leader in parenting is not a game. Your children are copying your habits, whether good or bad.

I remember as a boy, I would often walk in my dad’s footsteps whenever it snowed. Since becoming a parent myself, I have watched my daughter copy my wife or me in many things that we do. Whether it is consciously or subconsciously that she does this, my wife and I carry a great responsibility to be sure that we give her the right example to follow.

Jesus enforced this truth in the verse above. He says, “…The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do…” Jesus said that He copied what He saw the Father do in Heaven. Whatever example the Father gave Him in Heaven is what He did when He came to Earth. Following the Leader wasn’t a game, it was an eternity. If the Father had given Jesus a bad example, nobody would have the opportunity to get saved. There are several thoughts that parents should remember concerning this truth.

Parents, your children are watching you. You may think that your children don’t see what you are doing, but they do. Many of your bad habits were acquired as a young child when you copied what you saw your parents do. They thought that you were not watching, but you were. Just like your parents didn’t know how closely you watched them, your children are watching and learning from you, and what you teach them they will perform in life when they leave home. You had better be careful what example you are giving them to follow.

Moreover, what your children are learning from you will affect others. You never know what your children will become once they leave home, but one thing you must realize is that they will influence people you don’t even know. You are literally influencing a future generation beyond your children. The gravity of this truth should cause you to stop and ponder what you need to change. This truth should cause you to ask yourself what you are doing that could influence future generations for wrong.

Furthermore, parenting your children is not a game, it is life. You may think it is humorous for your children to mimic your wrong actions in front of you, but they are only showing you what they will become. The only difference between you and your children is that your children will take what you do to another level. Would you want your children to take your bad habits and sins to another level?

My friend, your children are living, follow the leader. Every day you live you should ask the Holy Spirit to help you live in such a manner that your children will only learn good habits from your life. Parenting is not a game; it is life. Change whatever you need to change so they have good habits to copy.

Servant’s Attitude

Luke 17:10
“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

Attitude is the key factor which determines your quality of enjoying life. Many people have reached what some would deem a success, but their attitude kept them from truly enjoying their accomplishments. Other people who have never acquired position, but have done their job well and influenced others, seem to enjoy life to its fullest because they have a great attitude. The difference between the two is their attitude towards life and how they perceive themselves.

God wants His children to have a servant’s attitude. The Christian life will never be fully enjoyed until you decide to be a servant to all. In the verse above, God shows the attitude He wants His children to have. He taught the parable of the unprofitable servants, and in this parable are four attitudes these servants had that made them successful and allowed them to enjoy what they were doing. Let me share with you these four attitudes that you must have if you want to enjoy what you do for the LORD.

First, the servant’s attitude is one that never complains. You never one time see these servants complaining about what their master asked them to do; they just did it. You will never enjoy life if you complain about everything. The only reason you complain is because you think you can do it better. Complaining is an indicator that you don’t respect those in leadership. You will never complain if you see yourself as a servant. The Christian who complains is saying that they can run their life better than God. Don’t let this be your mentality.

Second, the servant’s attitude is one that serves others. These servants completely disregarded their own agenda to serve others. The greatest joy in life is achieved by first serving the LORD, and second by serving others. Your daily perspective to enjoy each day should be to discover what needs you can meet in another’s life. God will take care of your needs if you will make life about serving others.

Third, the servant’s attitude is one that desires no recognition. The servants in these verses never asked for their master to give them recognition; they only did their job because they understood that was their “duty to do.” The Christian life will truly be a miserable life if your whole purpose of doing what you do is to be applauded and recognized by man. The servant doesn’t need recognition because he is a servant, and the Christian shouldn’t need recognition because he is a servant. Take the need for recognition our of the equation for service and you will discover true enjoyment in meeting the needs of others.

Fourth, the servant’s attitude is one that feels unworthy. These servants said, “We are unprofitable servants.” They were honored just to be a servant of their master. Are you honored just to be a servant of the LORD? This is the key factor to enjoying the Christian life. If you feel you deserve recognition and position, you will be disappointed and disgruntled when others get what you desired. You should feel as a Christian that you are blessed just to be a servant of the LORD; anything above serving the LORD is a bonus.

Christian, do you have the servant’s attitude? Your happiness in the Christian life depends on it. Don’t allow selfishness to rob you of the servant’s attitude which is the greatest attitude that leads to enjoying life to its fullest.

Martha Attitude

Luke 10:42
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

The story of Mary and Martha is an intriguing story because we have two sisters whose personalities were certainly different. They were both good ladies, and both of their actions are needed in our churches. Mary chose to worship at the feet of Jesus, and this is very needed. On the other hand, Martha chose to work in the kitchen preparing a meal for the Master. There is nothing wrong with Martha’s choice to stay busy in the kitchen; somebody has to do the behind the scenes work in the church or else nothing will ever get done.

However, the one area where Martha was wrong was in her attitude. You can do everything right, but if your attitude is wrong while you are doing right, your focus will easily be shrouded with selfishness. Martha exhibited four attitudes that every Christian must avoid because they will cause you to miss the very presence of the Saviour and what He wants to do through your life.

The first attitude of Martha was a demanding attitude. Martha actually demanded Jesus to “bid her” to help in the kitchen. You must be careful that you don’t become demanding of the Saviour. No Christian has a right to demand anything from God. Martha was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she allowed her attitude to get out of control to where she became demanding. Don’t acquire the demanding attitude where you demand of the Saviour to answer your prayers or to do something you feel needs to be done. Keep a submissive attitude instead of a demanding attitude, and you will find that the LORD will be more inclined to give you your desires.

Second, Martha had a questioning attitude. Martha was questioning Mary’s motives. Don’t ever fall into the trap of questioning why someone is doing something. I’ve often had people ask me why I think someone is doing something, and my answer is always that I don’t know. Life is too short to question the motives of another’s actions. Why can’t you take their actions or words for what they are? Don’t allow your attitude to become judgmental.

Third, Martha had a temporal attitude. Even though Martha’s actions were not wrong, her attitude towards eternal actions was wrong. The concern for perception always results in the wrong purpose. Let me encourage you not to get so wrapped up in perception that you forget that your whole purpose of serving the LORD is to please Him. Don’t let other’s opinions of you become your goal, but live your life to please the LORD. If you live for the eternal, you won’t ever fall into the trap to live for the perception of the present.

Fourth, Martha had a needless attitude. Jesus said, “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part…” Martha was so concerned about working that she forgot to spend time worshipping. Christian, don’t get so busy working that you never spend time with the Saviour. You need that time every day sitting at the feet of Jesus through the Scriptures and prayer so that you can do His work properly.

Do you find yourself with a Martha attitude? The answer to avoiding this attitude is to spend time at Jesus’ feet. Spending time with Jesus always gives you the right attitude so you can keep the right focus for your day.

The Key Ingredient to a Great Christian Life

great-christian-lifeby: Dr. Allen Domelle

Luke 1:15
“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”

There is a key ingredient in every recipe that sets the taste in a prepared food. For instance, I love chocolate chip cookies. The key ingredient in the chocolate chip cookies is of course chocolate chips. You could make a perfect cookie, but without the chocolate chips, it would not be a chocolate chip cookie. Nobody would want a chocolate chip cookie if it didn’t have the key ingredient.

Likewise, there is a key ingredient in the Christian life that enables the Christian to be “great in the sight of the Lord.” Of course, there are many ingredients to the Christian life, and every ingredient is important, but there is one ingredient that enables the Christian to do things they could not do on their own. The key ingredient is the filling of the Holy Ghost. The verse above talks about John the Baptist, and it shows that he would be “great in the sight of the Lord,” but that greatness would only happen because he was “filled with the Holy Ghost.” The filling of the Holy Ghost enables four things in the Christian’s life.

First, the Holy Ghost empowers the Christian to do the impossible. John the Baptist was “great” because he was filled with the Holy Ghost. The only reason great works are not seen in a ministry or life is because they are not filled with the Holy Ghost. When someone is filled with the Holy Ghost, they will be able to do things that the average person cannot do. You will never see God do great works through your life until you are filled with the Holy Ghost.

PacificBaptist_LongBeachSecond, the Holy Ghost empowers conversion in the disobedient. In verses 16-17, John was going to “turn” many back to the LORD because he was filled with the Holy Ghost. The secret to seeing people get right is being filled with the Holy Ghost. The secret to seeing the hardest heart softened and turned to Christ is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Stop looking for methods to woo people to Christ and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Great conversions will become a part of your ministry if you are filled with the Holy Ghost.

Third, the Holy Ghost empowers growth. In verse 17, John was able to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” A key evidence of a person filled with the Holy Ghost is continued growth in one’s life, and the ability to help others to continue growing. The filling of the Holy Ghost is what keeps the Christian life from becoming stale. The filling of the Holy Ghost will keep you and those to whom you minister growing in the LORD.

Fourth, the Holy Ghost empowers your spirit. Verse 80 says about John that he “waxed strong in spirit.” When you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you will find the fortitude needed to stand for truth. This is why John was able to expose the sins of Herod without trepidation because he was filled with the Holy Ghost. The only way you will successfully take a stand for the LORD in this present evil world is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will strengthen your spirit which will give you the boldness to stand for that which is right.

Christian, are you filled with the Holy Ghost? The only thing that will make your Christianity great in the LORD’s eyes is the filling of the Holy Ghost. I urge you to yield daily to the Holy Ghost so that He can empower great works through your life.

The Secret to Successfully Following God

Psalm 119:57
“Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.”

The psalmist said, “I would keep thy words.” This is a great desire, but desire alone will not make you follow the LORD. At some point, you have to turn desire into action. I have known many people who desired to follow God, but they failed because they never did what it takes to follow Him. In verse 58-63, six things are found that are needed in your life if you are going to follow God successfully.

First, there must be a sincere desire. Verse 58 says, “I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.” Is it your whole hearts desire to follow God, or do you have some restraints on what you will do? You will never successfully follow the LORD unless it is a desire you have with your “whole heart.” You will not successfully serve the LORD half-heartedly. You must commit your whole heart to serving the LORD if you are going to follow Him successfully.

Second, there must be honest introspection. Verse 59 says, “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” You will never succeed in following God if you are not honest with yourself. Looking at what you do through the spectacles of honesty will reveal what changes you need to make in your life. Honest introspection is a key to successfully following God.

Third, there must be immediate obedience. Verse 60 says, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” Delayed obedience is always disobedience. Don’t wait once you see what you need to change. The best response to the Holy Spirit’s voice is immediate obedience.

Fourth, there must be a proper reaction to adversity. Verse 61 says, “The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.” When hard times come, and they will, don’t stop doing right. You must determine that you are going to do right no matter what comes your way. Adversity is part of the Christian life, and you must determine to continue following God when it comes.

Fifth, there must be grateful retrospection. Verse 62 says, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” The successful Christian is a grateful Christian. Every day you need to spend some time thanking God for what He has done for you. If you are not grateful, you will soon become resentful. Don’t allow discontent to set into your heart. Avoid this by taking time every day to thank the LORD for what He has done for you throughout your day.

Sixth, there must be fitting friendships. Verse 63 says, “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.” Be careful with whom you make friends. Be sure your friends have your same desire to follow God. Friends influence appetites. If you want the right appetite for the LORD, you must have the type of friends who feast on His Word and follow Him. Make your friendships ones that fit within the confines of God’s Word. You will never go wrong!

I hope your desire is to follow God. If it is your desire, you will only succeed by following these six secrets from God’s Word. Make these secrets a part of your daily life and you will successfully follow God your whole life.

Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:26
“And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.”

It was the sabbath day when Jesus entered into the synagogue to teach. While He was teaching, a man with an unclean spirit heard Him speak and cried out, “…Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth…” When the man with an unclean spirit came into the presence of Jesus, those spirits knew they had no power. After Jesus rebuked the spirit it “came out of him.”

I know that these unclean spirits were talking about people being possessed with devils, but does your spirit resemble those who are controlled by an unclean spirit? When you look at what this spirit did to him, you will realize that an unclean spirit damages those they possess. Of course, Christians cannot be possessed by any spirit other than the Holy Spirit; however, no Christian should ever have a spirit that resembles the unclean spirit. You have inside of you the Holy Spirit of God Who should control you and make your spirit more like Christ. Let me show you three things that unclean spirits will do to a person, and how your spirit as a Christian should never resemble these in the least.

First, unclean spirits are destructive. The verse above said that the unclean spirit “had torn” him as it was departing. My question to you is this, do you have a destructive spirit? Is your spirit one that tears people down more than it builds them up? Your spirit should be the type of spirit that when you leave someone, they are better for being in your presence. I have been around people whose spirit is negative and depressing. I have seen people who seem to tear others down more than they build them up for Christ. Don’t allow your spirit to resemble the destructiveness of an unclean spirit. Let the Holy Spirit control you so that you can build others and leave every place you go a better place.

Second, an unclean spirit is uncontrollable. In Mark 5:3, you learn that the man with an unclean spirit could not be controlled by any person, or even with chains. Let me ask you, is your spirit such that you can’t be controlled? There are some who simply don’t control what they say or do. Just because you think something doesn’t mean you should say it. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it. When the Holy Spirit of God controls you, you will find that He will help you to control yourself.

Third, an unclean spirit has difficulties with authority. In Matthew 15:22, a mother went to Jesus about her daughter who was “vexed with a devil.” When the devil left this young girl, she was able to get along with her mother. Do you have such a spirit that nobody can tell you what to do? I’ve heard people say, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do.” It doesn’t matter who you are, what stage of life you are in, or what you have accomplished; somebody has to be able to tell you what to do. A person with no authority is a person who is in direct disobedience to God because God ordained authority. Your spirit should be such that you don’t balk when authority tells you what to do, but it yields to those authorities God has placed in your life.

Christian, your spirit should resemble the spirit of Christ, and the only way that will happen is to yield yourself to His Holy Spirit. When your spirit resembles Christ, you will leave every place a better place.