Just Do It...

John 2:5

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."

As a child I remember hearing stories of Lacy Drew. He was a minister who travelled to speak at many local churches in our area. More than that, he was a man who truly knew the power of God.

Of all the stories that were told me of this general of the faith, one sticks out more than all the rest. It was a story concerning one of the messages that he ministered from this passage of scripture. It was a story that his life and his ministry were built upon.

"Do whatever He tells you."

Lacy Drew was known for his powerful sermons. He was known for his strong leadership But more than all of that, he was known for his unwavering obedience to the spirit of God.

"Do whatever He tells you."

So many people today base their decisions on many different things... career choices, opinions of others, financial abilities. However, what we must do is learn to hear and obey the voice of Jesus.

Let's try it today....

"Do whatever He tells you."

Tell me your stories. When was a time that you obeyed God? What were the results?

Grace and Truth

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of GRACE and TRUTH.

John 1:17

For the law was given to Moses; GRACE and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.

In the Old Covenant, God gave us His law, issued His commands to see if we would obey. What was revealed was that commands outside of relationship results in rebellion. Thus He sent Jesus... full of GRACE and TRUTH. Jesus possessed the TRUTH, the commands, the law BUT He also possessed GRACE. Before He presented the TRUTH, He always demonstrated GRACE.

We must take the example of Jesus and make it our own. Christians have a tendency to want to control others to make them do the right thing. We want to be able to tell others how to live. We want to give truth but most of the time it is outside of the bounds of relationship. Without first having a relationship and allowing others to experience the GRACE of God in our lives, presenting TRUTH will only push others away. We must first be a person filled with grace because it is that grace that will open the door for others to hear the truth of the gospel.

So, let's stop being mean-spirited believers and become grace filled Christ followers! Are you in?? Tell me your experiences in this!

In the Storm

Job 38:1

"Then the Lord answered job out of the storm."

Most of the time when we face the storms of life we would like for God to stretch out His hand and calm them. We want to be relieved of the pain that this life brings. As Christians, we want healing, debt cancellation, deliverance... and we want it now! We have been conditioned to seek for medicine to ease the symptoms, alcohol to help us escape our reality. We use whatever we can get our hands on to alleviate the discomfort we experience. But God used the difficulties of Jobs life, the pain he experienced... the storm to speak to him.

If we would honestly pinpoint the times in which we drew the closest to the Lord, most of them would be in times of pain, frustration and difficulty. Maybe we should stop spending all of our time asking God to remove the storms from our lives and learn how to respond to our storm in a manner that would bring Him the most glory.

I recently heard a statement by a popular minister that said, "You will not be greatly used of God until you have been greatly wounded." And I think that may be true. If we look through the scripture, it wasn't the norm for the Father to alleviate the troubles of his followers. In most instances, God asked that we respond IN those circumstances with a God-like attitude.

So what storm are you facing right now? What is it that is causing you the most pain? Stop asking for God to remove the storm and begin to ask Him to speak to you in the midst of it.

Let's talk about it... What is God speaking to you in your most current storm?

Eddie James Ministry

A Leader or People Pleaser?

Luke 23:23 (NIV)

"But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. "

True leaders base their decisions on the principles that guide their organization and their personal morals. That is what Pilate should have done. He had previously informed the people that he found no reason to sentence Jesus to the death penalty. Yet, the more they shouted the more he caved. In the end, the voice of truth was overpowered by the shout of the crowd.

As a leader, there will be many opportunities to cave under the pressure of the opinions and demands of those whom you are supposed to be leading. However, when you cave to every desire of the crowd, you cease to be a leader and they in turn begin to lead you. It is in these times, when the shout of the crowd is loud and the demands are strong that true leadership must emerge.

Will you be willing to make the tough calls, the right calls or will the innate desire to please those around you win out? Will you be a principle-based leader or will you be just another people pleaser?

What do you have to say?

An Empty Canvas

Psalm 139:15 (Message)

"You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something."

The psalmist is acknowledging here God's intensive knowledge of our live. He knows us inside and out. He knows all of our limitations. He knows all of our insecurities. He knows all of our failures. On the other hand, He knows all of our gifts, all of our strengths and all of our successes.

How? He knows exactly how we were made! We were formed with His purpose in mind! Everything about our makeup was intentional.

But the most touching thing about this psalm is the final line. "I was sculpted from nothing into something." There are many times when we feel the "nothingness." Our lives seem to tank, we feel as though we can't get it right but we can take solace in the fact that He is taking us from nothingness and making us into something!

As a child we used to sing a chorus that said it all:

Something beautiful, something good

All my desires He understood

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

But He made something beautiful of my life.

I want to remind us today that God is in the midst of making something of your life. You may not see it from where you stand but hang on to hope that He who began a good work in you WILL complete it!

My prayer today comes from a worship chorus that Pastor Clint Brown wrote. Maybe you can find yourself praying this as well...

My life is Your canvas, so paint

I tried it on my own and it turned out all wrong

So with Your hands of mercy and gentle hands of grace

You select each color, fill in every space

I don't want to risk it to fate

My life is Your canvas, so paint

Push Past The Noise

Job 36:15

"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; HE SPEAKS TO THEM IN THEIR AFFLICTION."

In this passage of scripture, Job's friends are in the midst of giving him reasons why he is experiencing the difficulties in his life. They believe that there has to be some rational explanation for his suffering. However, in the middle of their tirades, Elihu says something that speaks to me. He says something that hold much truth in this season of my life when he says... "He speaks to them in their affliction."

So, I've made up my mind! Instead of allowing the adversity of life, the opinions of others, and whatever difficulty I may find myself in to discourage and defeat me, I'm going to use this time to press in to God as hard as I can. Maybe you are there too. Join me in this! I believe that if we listen closely, beyond the chaos and confusion, beyond the backstabbing and the accusations, God Himself is trying to speak to us.

Maybe, just maybe, this is all just a distraction. The enemy knows that if we hear what God is trying to speak to us in this time, our lives will be radically and eternally transformed. All we have to do is push past the noise to hear His voice.

What is God trying to speak to you in the midst of your suffering?