Heart of Worship

“Hear my cry Oh Lord, give ear unto my earnest prayer.” What a heartfelt sincere prayer. Sometimes we can pray from the mountain top; praying with powerful mountain moving faith, calling down power from on high into a situation. Yet how do you pray when you’re in the valley, not sure if you will survive another day? Deep down you know you should have the faith to believe you will make it, but truth is you don’t. You know God loves you, but you sure don’t feel Him right now. You know your sin debt has been paid, yet yielding to temptation seems a much better idea than fighting another losing battle. What is the use? You are saved but not certain when the last time you’ve seen considerable growth in your personal life. Church is cool and all, but once it’s over you seem to stare the same old problems in the face. The biggest problem stares back at you every time you encounter a mirror. Oh Lord what are you to do in a predicament like this?

I’ve got a 1 word answer for you: WORSHIP! One of the key ingredients of worship was told to us by the master himself. When Jesus encountered the woman at the well, they had a very memorable discourse. This encounter was so life changing that this woman with a shady past turned into a great evangelist telling everyone to “Come See A Man”. Yet hidden in this story is a glimpse into how Christ himself viewed worship. In John 4:23-24(niv) Jesus says “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

You see worship is not just about being spiritual, it is also about being truthful. In moments of extreme pressure and affliction don’t try too get so deep that you are no longer honest. Sometimes our troubles never get any better because we’ve trained ourselves to pretend they do not exist. This is not God’s idea of worship. God is looking for a people that despite the problem, they are
determined to find a way to give Him praise and adoration still. I may have to cry, I may have to scream, I may have to sit in silence just staring up towards the sky, but no matter what it takes God you will get the glory out of this. Now that’s worship. You don’t have to figure out the reasons why this thing has happened for you to worship. The pressure doesn’t have to let up for you to worship. You don’t have to see a clear solution for you to worship. You don’t have to feel goosebumps or have a smoke filled room for you to worship. You can simply be truthful about what you are facing and call out to God like the psalmist did in Psalm 86:6-7 “Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” No one was in a worse traumatic life altering situation than our brother Job, yet scripture records his initial response to his calamity this way: Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. (Job 1:20-22)

You are worshiping because you are letting both heaven and earth know that when you are overwhelmed you can look to a God that is never stressed out. When you are broken you can call to a God that remains whole. When you are sick you yet know you serve a God that still is a divine healer. When you are unrighteous, you know a God that forever embodies righteousness from His head down to His toe. It is worship because in the trial you reach an honest realization that says God without you I am nothing. God I trust you. You can deliver me in 10 seconds, 10 minutes, or 10 years but one thing I know only You alone Father can do it. Daddy, only you can bring me out.

The first time Satan realizes that even your most confounding of problems still drive you back to seeking God; he will know you are a lost cause. He knows he will never have power over you again because in good times or in bad times you still have a heart that will worship. A Christian with the Heart of a Worshipper is a dangerous threat to the kingdom of darkness. I encourage you to ask God to allow a heart of worship to be birthed in you today. Then, as you develop, you will be able to boldly declare like the Apostle Paul “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:14a).

What are you waiting on, start worshiping now. Right where you are start giving God the glory. He alone is worthy. He alone is faithful, and if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side tell me where would we be. Oh Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. We will WORSHIP.

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What kind of sinner are you?

There’s and old saying that Christians are all just “Sinners saved by Grace”. This statement is a bit of a misnomer because you can’t be saved by grace and a sinner at the same time. Truthfully, you are either one or the other. But we don’t have to over spiritualize the concept because we understand what “sinners saved by grace” is trying to refer to. It means we all, no matter how saved we are, still deal with a sin nature. True, Christ defeated sin, death, hell, and the grave; but we still must navigate life with a sin consciousness. One that desires to rise again just like our Lord and Savior has done. So with that concept in mind; when your sin nature receives CPR and rises with full force; what kind of sinner are you?
For the purpose of this lesson I will break the sinner down into 6 separate and distinct categories. Using the power of alliteration each category will start with the same letter so they are easy to grasp and remember. Let us begin.

#1 The Momentary Sinner 

This is the sinner who gets caught up in the moment. It wasn’t premeditated. It wasn’t preplanned. It’s momentary lapses in judgement. In this case often it’s when emotions get high. We must really pay attention to our emotions. When emotions run hot our capacity to sin runs high as well. For instance you may start the day well intentioned, but rush hour traffic brings an irritation and an agitation that you had not anticipated. Next thing you know your anger is high, judgement is low, and sin is ready to take advantage. That’s why the scripture warns us in “Rom 7” that sin is advantageous and also warns us in “Eph 4” to be angry, but sin not. Sin likes to attach itself to the heels of anger. So whenever you are angry be careful because in that moment you may be more prone to sin than you realize. This is not just true of anger. It’s true of many emotions. Many a sin was birthed in loneliness, confusion, anger, grief, disagreement, passion and so forth. Allow me to liken it to a car overheating. If pressure levels and fluid levels are not correct and if temperatures are too high, the car will overheat. It will make noise, it will smoke, it will refuse to run until everything cools back down. The fix is actually an easy one. Keep the car with proper fluids. Keep it cooled. Manage it ahead of time and you’ll be fine. Same thing with us. When our emotions run at a balanced level on a constant basis we can avoid becoming the momentary sinner more often than not. If you find yourself at the mercy of momentary sin often, course correction is easy. It may be as simple as getting more rest on a day-to-day basis. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control; so trust God, lean on Christ, allow the Holy Spirit to be the gauge for all your levels, and the momentary sin will lose its momentum in your life.

#2 The Myopic Sinner

Anyone who is myopic is nearsighted or shortsighted. The myopic sinner lacks discernment. They can’t seem to see down the road. This is the sinner that falls for the same trap over and over before they realize it. This is the dear sister who keeps dating the same type of guy only to realize at the end of the relationship that this guy is the same as all the others. This type of sinner may have something they carry with them from their childhood that predisposes them to certain choices and paths. The problem is they can’t see it for themselves. They are too nearsighted. They often settle for right now pleasure at the expense of tomorrow’s destiny. Scripture reminds us in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 that “We walk by faith and not by sight” Esau was myopic, he was so focused on his present hunger that he could not imagine the possibilities of the blessing his birthright carried. So he sold his birthright for what amounted to a bowl of stew (Gen 25:29-34).  When you are the myopic sinner you trip at the unnecessary. Satan doesn’t have to do much planning for you. Your lack of vision does it for him. Remember where there is no vision the people perish (Prov 29:18).  One version says they actually cast of restraints. Meaning they won’t restrain themselves today because they fail to see the benefit that tomorrow holds. Jesus spent much of his ministry healing blinded eyes, so there is hope for the myopic sinner. Tell Jesus that yes He’s touched you. Yes you’re saved, but you still see men as trees and you need another touch so that you can see with the eyes of faith and make better choices today (Mark 8:22-25).  You can go from being myopic to declaring my optics are focused on you Jesus the author and finisher of my faith (Heb 12:1). 

#3 The Marginal Sinner

This is the person that justifies personal based on how big of a sin it is to them. They classify sin and if they deem a wrongdoing as marginal; they will indulge because after all it’s not that big of a deal. This is the person that believes in little white lies. They believe the lie that I’m not hurting anyone so it’s not an issue.  They fail to grasp the concept alluded to in Song of Solomon about the “little foxes that destroy the vine”. Airplanes have crashed over something marginal. Super Bowls have been won by a marginal inch here and an inch there. Huge buildings have lasted 100’s of years because the builders paid attention to the marginal details. In Genesis Lot viewed the strife between his camp and Abrahams camp as marginal. He viewed his greed in taking what he deemed the best land from Abraham as marginal. Yet we are well aware that the place he settled in eventually became Sodom and Gomorrah; and he barely escaped losing his wife in the process. Satan loves when we define our participation in sin as marginal. He loves when we are ignorant of his devices. The sin you marginalize today will have you compromising something tomorrow. The more you compromise the more you’ll get outside of the margins God prescribed for your life. You’ll find yourself living on the edge, walking a thin line only because you saw your particular sin as marginal. Come back from the margins and get back to the center of God’s will where spiritual safety is.

#4 The Masterful Sinner 

This sinner just simply doesn’t care. He is masterful at sin, or so he thinks. He thinks he’s getting away with things but instead of being masterful he’s being mastered by sin. Sin is a hard task master. Once it has you fully in its grips you are its slave. This is precisely why it should never be marginalized. The masterful sinner is the Christian that makes you wonder if they ever truly accepted Christ to begin with. The apostle Paul refers to them as people who have “their conscious seared with a hot iron” (1st Tim 4:2). They are reprobate. They brag about partaking in evil. They show no remorse. They are false teachers. They are greedy for gain. They are comfortable with Mammon being their God. They are home wreckers. They are church splitters. They have a form of Godliness, but they deny the power. They are deceitful. They are laden with pride. Etc. From such turn away. These are the kind we are warned not to fellowship with. These are the kind that will pull you down before you can ever bring them up. Paul said these types should be “turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” that maybe their spirit could make it in, in the end (1st Cor 5:5).  In other words let God and Satan deal with this kind. I know these are harsh words, but let’s face it this type of person won’t be reading this blog. This kind of teaching doesn’t appeal to them. This is written for you, it’s a warning of how bad it could get. This is your GPS saying make the first U-turn possible. Make up in your mind you only have one Master and it’s the Lord God almighty. Scripture boldly declares “Sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under the law, you are under Grace” (Rom 6:14). The only way you can become the masterful sinner is when you choose to and if you choose to ignore all the warning signs along the way. Let’s not let this one ever be named amongst us.

#5 The Militaristic Sinner

This is the Christian who actually realizes they are in a war and everyday is a potential battle. They recognize that they are not wrestling against flesh and blood but there is a hierarchy of demons that they may face at any given moment (Eph 6:12). They believe in Christ’s finished work at Calvary yet they are eager to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3).  This sinner doesn’t sin easily or flippantly. They battle temptation. They confess the word. They attend church. They confess to accountability partners. They repent quickly. They truly put up a battle. Even in this honorable way they sometimes lose the battle, but they are guaranteed not to lose the war. They’ve read the back of the Bible and they know they win. Sometimes this sinner faces addiction. They are truthful. They call it what it is. They say I’m addicted to something but I’m fighting back. They are not too spiritual for 12 step programs. They are not too deep to seek clinical and professional counseling. They become what I call battle tested. Every church needs some militaristic sinners because their test eventually becomes their testimonies and their messes turn into messages. Their past failures guard them against self-righteousness and they tend to offer more grace than others. Jesus once noted that “those who have been forgiven much, love much” (Luke 7:47).  The powerful thing about being in the military is you are never expected to war alone and you are backed by a Govt. or a Kingdom. You are trained before you are sent out. You are prepared and equipped. Likewise, the militaristic sinner knows eventually they will outlast, overcome, and overthrow the sin. The militaristic sinner remains hopeful because they are backed by a Kingdom that is run by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Consequently, they will not only fight for themselves, they will fight for others. They will fight for families, neighborhoods, communities, cities, and nations. There is no quit in them. Once they’ve put their hand to the plow they won’t look back. They know a righteous person may fall 7 times but they’ll get up 8. Their lack of perfection and propensity to fail never weakens their fight.

#6 The Marvelous Sinner

Now I know this one sounds awkward, but I wanted to stay within the framework of our previous alliterations. I am actually using a play on words from 1st Peter 2:9b where it states “…hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” This is the person with the highest level of spiritual maturity. This person shifts from fighting sin so much into more resting in the fact that they are already in the marvelous light. The more you realize that you were called, past tense, out of darkness the less of a hold darkness can have on you.  Sin was birthed out of Darkness, but Light dispels darkness every time. You are in the marvelous light and the marvelous light is in you. You serve the marvelous One, and you are marvelously saved.  The marvelous sinner is the one that sees himself as marvelously saved, not just in the process of time but right now present tense.  Fighting sin like the militaristic sinner is honorable, however there is a more mature approach.  The marvelous sinner understands this passage of scripture “Where sin abounds Grace much more abounds” (Rom 5:20) One version pens it this way “Where sin increased, Grace increased all the more” No matter  how big the sin, God’s Grace has marvelously conquered it.  More time is then spent on viewing life through the prism of this Amazing Grace. It’s even hard for this person to refer to themselves as a sinner.  They don’t identify with sinful Adam, they identify with the last Adam.  They aren’t arrogant, they know they will still encounter sin; it’s just that from the outset they already see themselves on the other side of the sin victorious through Christ. When they look in the mirror instead of seeing mistake prone, flaw prone, failure prone, and sin prone; they see themselves as the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Every achievement, every blessing, every triumph, and every prayer answered only humbles them. They look back over their life and can sum it up in one sweeping statement “This is the Lord’s doing and it’s Marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)

8 Keys to Becoming a More Effective Preacher

Briefly the other morning I began to contemplate what makes a preacher effective. Considering that I preach often, questions like these are great for me to ponder. I was shocked at the rapid fire responses that flooded my brain. I took a moment to organize my thoughts and quickly realized I had blog material on my hand. Being a fan of alliteration I wondered could I deduce these reasonings down to ideas with the same letter. Sure enough, I could. So, I did and here they are.

1. Understand your Assignment

Every preacher must understand their assignment. This first requires a close relationship with the assigner. We must always remember we are the messenger, but God is the owner of the message. He also has predetermined how it should be delivered, to whom it will be delivered to, and why. Before you preach, know what the Master desires and determine yourself to not get in the way (which is easier said then done). Ask yourself this question what is the end goal God is after with this particular message. Knowing that is half the battle. Once you know what God is speaking to His people; then and only then should you add yourself to the equation.  Because if you’re not careful speak your opinions, and ultimately elevate your agenda above God’s purpose.

2. Understand your Audience

Every preacher must understand their audience. To whom am I delivering this message. How might they best receive this message. Are they quiet listeners, who might be offended by shouting? Or, are they listeners who take great joy in being shouted at? Whatever you do; discern your audience. Do a group of teens really want to hear pages of notes on Greek and Hebrew words. Or can I take the truth of those words and hide it in a story that’s relatable to teens. You don’t need detailed research for this. Just a few observations are all you need. Remember the two most important people are your Assigner (God) and your Audience. You barely factor into the equation. God knows your audience He will show you just what you need to know about them if you will take the time to ask Him first.

3. Understand your Atmosphere

Every preacher must understand their atmosphere. Now here I don’t just mean your physical surroundings. You do need an awareness of that, but I want to focus on spiritual atmosphere. What is the spiritual climate you are in. Is it conducive for ministry. Does it need to be shifted. In Biblical times sometimes the prophet would not prophesy without the minstrel. The musician was called to help the atmosphere get right. You have to not only discern the audience, but you have to be able to discern an atmosphere. Here are a few things that change atmospheres. Prayer, Praise, Worship, Music, and Decrees. Let me briefly touch on the last one, decrees. On Sunday morning I decree “This is my Bible, I am what it says I am…Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert…” my audience repeats after me. It shifts the atmosphere from spectating to participating which aids my audience in their learning.

4. Understand your Argument

Every preacher must understand their argument. What is it that you are talking about. Yes you heard from God but are you delivering it in a way that makes sense. Is it succinct. Look at the angles. Play the advocate. Question what you are saying. Research it. Expose the holes in what you are saying, and rework them until the holes aren’t there. Sure someone will still disagree with you, but you want it to be because they simply refuse to believe and not because you were woefully inaccurate. It’s very difficult to be persuasive in what you are not convinced of yourself. You can’t wait until you’re in the pulpit, behind the podium. As a rule of thumb, don’t study to preach; study to live, and then preach what you live.

5. Understand your Anointing

Every preacher must understand their anointing. Another way I can say this is stay in your lane. The anointing of God is the approval of God but also the equipping of God. The mechanic doesn’t barge his way into the operating room because he’s not equipped for that. Likewise the surgeon doesn’t bust into the auto shop because he’s equipped to perform surgeries. Sure you can wear more than one hat, but only wear hats that fit. Don’t try to be a singing preacher if you aren’t anointed to sing. Don’t try to close out a message “hooping” to an organ if you aren’t anointed for that. When we do those things what we are saying to God is “what You equipped me with is not enough”. It’s ok to admire what someone else does, but don’t copy what you aren’t anointed for. It does everyone a disservice, and you will suffer immensely because of it. Many God raised up to have a voice, but they became a mere echo trying to be like somebody else.

6. Understand your need to Adapt

Every preacher must understand their need to adapt. What I mean here is outside influences. Don’t forget we have an enemy and distraction is one of his main weapons while ministry is going forth. Don’t be so rigid. Learn how to adapt. Mics will malfunction. Babies will scream. People will walk at odd times. Cell phones will ring. Don’t lose your focus, adapt. Even laugh about the situation. Never let the devil see you sweat. Never lose your ultimate focus. You know your assignment, your audience, and your argument; you are an unstoppable force in this moment in time. Stay the course, adapt, and finish strong.

7. Understand your need to Adjust

Every preacher must understand their need to adjust. I know this sounds like what we just covered. However with adapt I meant outside influences, but with adjust I mean inside influences. I’ve spoken about our assigner, God The Father. Yet, let me speak of The Holy Spirit inside of us. Don’t become so focused that you neglect the inward Witness inside of you. Don’t be so confined to your notes that you must say them verbatim and leave no room for the Spirit inside of you to speak. Adjust to what you feel inside.  Some of this worlds greatest messages were birthed in the moment where the preacher dared to adjust to what was pounding in their heart and overrode their head to declare what Thus says The Lord. Please don’t misunderstand this to mean being unprepared or under prepared. It’s time out for all of this winging it in the pulpit. Yet there is a power inside of all of us that should have free course to take over knowing that ultimately we will adjust and yield ourselves to this power from within.

8. Understand your Appearance matters

Every preacher must understand that people see you long before they hear you. How you look, how you dress, and how you present yourself all matters. Indeed the Bible says “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” but you aren’t talking to God you are talking to humans. As the scripture forewarns; humans judge the outside. There’s a statistic floating around that human beings make judgments about each other in the first 3 seconds of meeting. Often before you ever take the stage you are judged. If you look unkempt someone can assume your message is unkempt as well.  The same goes if you look disheveled.  Sure you can win them over with content, but its better to show up looking the part. If need be, ask ahead about dress code. Few things are more awkward than being either overdressed or under dressed. Appropriate dressing includes both appropriate sizes and modesty; especially for female ministers . Use the power of a mirror to your advantage. Use advice from television, magazines, and others around you to avoid fashion faux pas. You never want to be a visible distraction to you hearers. Lastly remember that you are speaking for God, so your attire and overall appearance should reflect that.

Because He Lives: a personal story of triumph in tragedy

Pastor Andre Mitchell

(This blog was written for a publication produced by Evangelist Rena Wagner. She is a great woman of God. You can connect with her awesome ministry through Facebook)

It was the fall of 2008. I was in the midst of the worse year of my young life. The year started off great with the arrival of my first child. Yet as time went on the year became filled with challenge after challenge and trying time after trying time. By the time I reached November I was asking myself and God, “How much more can one man take”?

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was resting before I had to travel 68 miles one way to a job that I did not like. I was laying in the bed passing time when I got a phone call. It was a call that rocked my world. The voice on the other end said, “Uncle Mario is dead, he was murdered sometime last night. Your grandmother just identified the body”. Wow not at all what I anticipated hearing. My head started to spin. Mario was my mother’s brother. I wondered what she must have felt. I wondered about my grandparents. I was saddened, angry, and confused all at the same time. To top it all off, I still had to go to work.

Fast forward several days later. The funeral arrangements were set. My pregnant wife, myself, and my new child had traveled over 3 hours to be a part of the wake. We arrived into town with only a couple of hours before we would have to be at the wake for my uncle. I set the bags down, sat down, and my wife’s cell phone rings. She answers the phone and within minutes her countenance changes drastically. On the other end was my mother-in-law relaying that her doctors appointment did not go as expected and she had been diagnosed with cancer. Wow again!!!!! Here I am still in the throws of grief over an uncle whose life was taken from him, but before I can properly deal with that loss here I am being dealt another tragic blow.

You see, already that month I had had a loved one sentenced to prison time. I was being unfairly treated on my job, but stuck with very little recourse available. My church was in a building project that I was the lead person on and everything that could go wrong was going wrong and we still had no new building. My personal ministry was in a prolonged season of dryness. No speaking engagements had come in for months and nothing was on the horizon either. I was the author of a book that was no longer selling, but rather collecting dust on my shelves. If all that wasn’t enough, now death and cancer.

What is interesting is life has a way of bringing us to our knees. In these moments and seasons we may want to get upset with God, but the greatest comfort is found when we cry out to God. Crying out to Him is exactly what I did. I asked why. What had I done wrong. I would pray. I would cry. I would praise the best I knew how. Yet somehow in this process I could feel the healing of God taking place in my heart. I could feel a new resolve being built inside of me that made me believe it wouldn’t be like this always. Somehow I knew that even though weeping may endure for a night; Joy was coming in the morning.

It was God’s Word, Godly songs, and Godly thoughts that navigated me through these trying times. One phrase that kept coming to me over and over again was, “Because He lives I can face tomorrow”. I was going to have to be strong for those around me. I started believing that I could do it. I wasn’t believing in my human strength. I was starting to be convinced of His strength in me. That phrase reminded me that not only does He live, but He lives in me. He is active in me. He lives even in the middle of dark days and nights. If anybody could get me out of this one; He could and He would. Because of His triumph over 2,000 years, I knew I could win in the midst of my momentary affliction. I started feeling like together, God and I could do this. Actually, I had an entire posse. I had the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, plus Goodness and Mercy following me. Come on devil, because He lives in me I’m ready to fight this thing out. I’m ready to stand.

I started to think of all Christ’s suffering on the cross. All he endured. All he went through. My issues didn’t seem so daunting. Besides, the scriptures said the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwelt in me. To this day the phrase “Because He lives” is a source of great strength to me. In this coming Easter season remember that no matter what you are facing early one Sunday morning Jesus Christ got up out of the ground with all power in His hand. Because He lives, you can and you will make it out of any situation. Keep your head up because the last time I checked, He was still living.

www.andremitchell.com

I AM BLACK

I was working on the church newsletter and wanted to add a poem for black history month. I couldn’t find one that had the Christian undertones that I wanted. You see, while I am an African-American pastor, I pastor other races as well. After searching and being frustrated that I couldn’t find what I wanted; I decided, why not just write one. Here is what I came up with. It’s called “I Am Black”

“I am Black”

I am black, I am free

I am all God made me to be.

My heart has been heavy from

Years of hatred and strife

But I’m proud to be black

Because my God gave me this life.

 

I am black, and I am smart

I believe my color

Is some of God’s greatest art.

Whomever looks down on me

Is too blind to see

That I’m just being

All God created me to be.

 

I am black, but not overly proud

Because there is one point

I must make very loud.

My greatest pride is not my skin.

It’s in the shed blood of Christ,

In Whom All colors can WIN.

By Andre Mitchell

Pastor Andre Mitchell

IT’S OK

So here I am listening to some new music and just reflecting. Take a peek into the rousings of my heart, they just might bless your soul:

What can I become in this next season of my life? So many things are on the horizon of my thoughts. So many opportunities. So many chances to utterly fail. Do I sit back and do nothing or do I grab life by the horns and go with the flow? I am uncertain about so much, but certainly certain about so many things as well. Disappointments, I have seen my share. Yet it is important that I do not allow them to shape me. It’s ok to cry, if the tears deepen my resolve. It’s ok to get angry if my anger stirs up the survivor in me. It’s ok to be honest, if my honesty makes me examine myself first and foremost. It’s ok to fight lust, if the battles help me teach others how to yield their passions to God. It’s ok to be transparent if what people see leaves them longing for God. It’s ok to want to break free from poverty, if my prosperity doesnt lead me to materalism. It’s ok to despise loneliness, as long as my need for companionship doesnt jeopardize my morals. It’s ok to challenge old methods, as long as my new method doesn’t compromise the gospel message. As long as my heart is pure, It’s ok. It’s ok. It’s ok. It’s ok.

U don’t have to have it all together to be used by God. He just might get glory out of these broken vessels of ours. One thing is certain; quitting should never be an option. Live for God, live holy, or die trying. This is just how I see it, because with God it’s always OK. He loves us just like, we are. It’s ok to stumble your way into your purpose. It’s ok because God doesn’t need your perfection as much as He craves your faith. If you can believe He is always able and will always make yourself available; then even in times of uncertainty, you can boldly say “ITS OK”

Man after God’s own Heart

Pastor Andre Mitchell

We are in the final week of the blog challenge. This has been an extremely enjoyable experience.  Sierra Nichole gave us our final topic to blog about.  “A Glimpse into the Person in the Bible you identify with the most and Why” So here I go.  Enjoy.

As you may have gathered by the title, I have chosen King David.  David’s life speaks to me.  I love this passage of scripture: But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, `I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22 NLT)

What an awesome testimony to have.  Interestingly, David did not say this about himself.  These were God’s words about David.  This was how God viewed him, and this is how I want God to view me.

There is much I can talk about with David.  I can pick out his loyalty to his sheep.  I can wax eloquent on how he stayed faithful to the cause even though he had a king’s anointing stuck in a shepherd’s position.  We can discuss his willingness to face giant problems when others were tucking their tails and ready to run.

We can talk about his fights, his poetry, his worship, his relationships, his love, his kindness, his anger, and his mistakes.  He is one of those Biblical characters that you can glean from, from now til eternity.  However this is just a blog, and we don’t have all day lol.

I can identify with David in many ways, but I want to go back to the aforementioned statement that God made of him “a man after God’s own heart”. This really speaks to me.  I see a duality in it that makes me want to lift it out above anything else where David is concerned.

The word “after” in the statement, to me, has a double meaning. I can buy a model car and easily tell that it is modeled after an original.  The Cadillac in the box is modeled after the Cadillac on the showroom floor.  The really well thought out model car has every detail so that it is a mirror image of the real car that it models.

David’s heart was molded so well after God’s heart that it modeled God’s heart. David allowed life’s circumstances to mold him toward God and not away from Him.  At the end of the day he had a heart that was modeled after God’s own heart.

Consequently, the word “after” has another meaning.  If I say the police are after me, we realize I am speaking of pursuit.  I believe David had a heart modeled after God’s heart because he stayed in pursuit of God.  In Psalm 42:1, the psalmist, compared the pursuit of God to a thirsty deer panting “after” a water-brook.  David was not perfect, but no matter what; he kept coming after God.  He came in worship, in praise, with sacrifices, through questionings, and even in repentance.  Nothing stopped him from his pursuit.

I identify with David because I want a heart like God’s.  I want a heart that forgives.  A heart that looks past other’s faults and sees their needs.  A heart that hates evil, and on and on.  Yet, the only way I can achieve this is to have my heart molded long enough so that it models God’s.  And the only way I can have a heart modeled after God’s is to keep a heart that pursues God.  In essence, I will only be a man after God’s own heart as long as I remain a man that is always after God’s heart.

Psalm 63:8 My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.

#Blogchallenge Interview with @iSierraNichole

The Blog Challenge continues in Personal Interview Week! Each person involved interviews another participant.  I’ve chosen to interview Sierra Nichole.  She was the creator of the October blog challenge; read below to hear the heart of a young woman passionate about God.

 

1. How have you used social networking to further the Kingdom of God?

     I am a Social Network addict!  I love connecting with Christians around the world and getting to chat about everything from my Faith to Worship, to good movies and music.  I have personally made some awesome connections and have been using Twitter and my blog to build up, encourage the Body of Christ.  I post blogs that are meant to help Believers grow in their Faith.  I try to use Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr mostly) to encourage Christians, to promote growth in their walk and encourage the heck out of people!

2. What in your life reminds you most of God’s love? ( is it family, friends, church fellowship, or any other thing) Explain how & why.

     Gods Love to me is so visible in so much!  I see it the most in my little sister Katy.  She is 5 years old and the best thing in my life.  She is a blessing from Jesus to my life.  Katy literally reminds me every day of Gods love-whether it be in her hilarious sense of humor, how often she hugs me or the way she says, “I love you Mo” (Mo, is what my little brother and sister call me).  Last night I got home from Worship Practice and hanging out with a friend til around 2:30 am so I didn’t get to bed til around 3am.  Katy heard me come home and came and crawled into bed with me and curled her little body up as close to me as she could and said, “Mo, I love you all the way up to God”-she says this to me all the time and every time I am reminded of how much God uses this little girl to affirm me in His love.

                                                       (Katy)

3. What is God speaking to you in this season?

     This season of my life God is really challenging me Spiritually.  My Pastor has asked me to lead Worship for a Youth Harp and Bowl Event we will be hosting monthly and God is stretching me so much in leading Worship and getting to know HIS Heart!  This season for me is a lot of stretching, growing and maturing in my Faith and Love for who Jesus is.  I know I am called to travel the globe leading Worship and know this season is a season of training for me and its hard but I am loving it. I am in 3 Worship Bands right now and couldnt feel more blessed!  I feel revival in my Spirit, I know its coming soon and know God has a plan for me in it and that excites my Spirit like I cant even explain!  God is doing something new and something big and it makes me so insanely excited and fall even more in love with Him in this season of my life!

(This concludes our interview, please follow @iSierraNichole on twitter and subscribe to her blog sierranichole.com)

Why Jesus is NOT the only way to God

So this is week two of the already famous Twitter #blogchallenge started by @iSierraNichole. In her own words this is the assignment for the week, “Week #2- Why Jesus? Why not Allah or Mohammad?  Why not Buddah?  What makes you so sure Jesus IS THE WAY?”

I want to use this post to prove to you why I believe Jesus is NOT the only way to God.  Now I know somebody is thinking that I’m getting ready to commit doctrinal suicide, or that I’ve started down the pathway called heresy.  Yet before you dismiss this as blasphemous nonsense or as another new-age seeker sensitive preacher lowering the proverbial standard; please lend me your ear.  Or, at least your eyes lol.

I want to go on the record and say that I believe all roads do indeed lead to God.  I know I am scaring you, and I may have lost a few readers already.  However, to those that are still reading, this is going to really bless you.

Let me first deal with the elephant in the room.  You are probably wondering what am I going to do with St John 14:6.  Well, I’m going to use this very scripture to prove my point that all roads lead to God, not just the classical Christian road.

Here is where I’ll start making some sense.  The problem with the statement that all roads lead to God is that it does not define what facet of God you will find at the end of the road.  Yes all roads lead to God, but all roads except one lead you to God as judge.  Why do I espouse Jesus Christ?  Simply put, He offers me one road, the only road, that exposes me to the facet of God that is known as THE FATHER.  Let’s examine the scripture I referenced earlier. Here it is from the KJV of the Bible with emphasis added by me. {St. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto THE FATHER, but by me.}

You see all roads will get you to God.  God will judge your works.  Have you ever heard of something in theology called the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:11-15).  I don’t know about you, but I’m not so keen on finding God as judge because He is a just God; and I’m going to get just what I deserve.

Jesus offers me something entirely different.  Something exclusively special.  He offers me a road or a Way through Him where I can come to God as a son and He as my Father.  The father child relationship is so special.  In our judicial system judges don’t preside over their own child’s case because they won’t be able to judge without bias.  Even earthly fathers are inclined to show mercy.  Through Jesus and only through Him, I find not just a God but my Father who has already gone through great lengths to make atonement for my sins and receive me as a son.  I don’t get what I deserve.  I find adoption into a perfect family, and a place prepared for me in Heaven.

I’m not here to knock other religions and roads to God.  All I know is there is only one way that is guaranteed to not end up in my destruction.  The other roads are broad, but they lead to God as judge and then destruction. Jesus offers a road that is narrow, but it takes me to the THE FATHER and then everlasting life.  I may not be the brightest guy in the world or the sharpest tool in the shed; but I know a no-brainer when I see one.

When Jesus said no man comes to THE FATHER but through Him, I believed Him and I’m not gonna take a chance getting on another road because I don’t want to see my judge.  I want to see my Daddy.  No other religion offers me that.  I don’t know of anyone else that says I get an Abba Father out of the deal.  If this were contract negotiations I’d say Jesus is the best agent out there because of what He secures for you in the deal.

Lastly, think about it this way.  I can get in my car several ways.  I can get in the trunk.  I can get under the hood.  I can get in through the window, and I can get in through the sunroof. Yet it is absolute foolishness to do all that when I can just use the door.  Jesus said He was the door; any other road or way, for me, is just uncivilized.

www.andremitchell.com

 

My Testimony

Pastor Andre Mitchell

So I was on twitter like I am almost everyday, I’m sort of addicted lol, and one of my followers tweeted about a blog challenge.  This sparked my interest because I find it hard not to talk about God, but I wasn’t sure I had time to participate. I am a new Senior pastor of a growing ministry, I work a full-time 9-5 outside of the ministry, I’m a husband of almost 12 yrs, and I’m a father of a 3 and a 2-year-old.  So I stay busy to say the least.

Yet this blog challenge interested me and after some thought I decided I wanted to do it.  The first part of our challenge was to blog about how we came to know Christ.  We are supposed to tell our testimony.  This is where the proverbial light bulb went off in my head.  You see, I knew my time was limited, and I knew my testimony was intricate; but I also remembered that my testimony was videotaped several years ago when I was in revival services in Colorado.  Therefore, without checking the blog challenge rules, I decided to include videos to tell my story.  (Shh, don’t tell anyone.  It will be our little secret.)

Below is my testimony in two parts.  I’m certain it will bless your life, and I’m certain it will give you a glimpse into why I do what I do for God no matter how busy I may be. You will see why to me it has been worth it all, and why I will use every medium possible to talk about my God.  Enjoy.