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.

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#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.