What's Next

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of change for me. Things have been happening so fast that I sometimes can't even keep up with then in my own head. You see there is so much that God is doing in my life, I'm not even sure where to begin. I have written of some of the changes but still there seems to be more. About the time I think God has stopped for the moment something or someone else comes across my path and I am reminded once again to "stir up the gift of God that is in you by the laying on my hands." Timothy 1:6. Paul was reminding Timothy that the gift of the Holy Spirit that was within him was there as an anointing to press on and not be afraid to follow through with what God had given him to do. We all to often forget that we are not doing this on our own. We can't, we are not even capable of doing what God has in store for us. We can only move in the anointing and power provided by the Holy Spirit.

This truth has become increasingly obvious to me over the past few days and weeks. I have been asked to do some things both in the church and in my own life that six months ago I had written off as long lost dreams and visions of a crazy old fool. I believed that because of the circumstances of my life God could no longer use me to minister to the needs and hurts of others. I am now being shown that God can not only use me but he wants to use the very hurts and pains that he has brought me out of to help others. I know that sounds like a "no brainer!" but when you are in the middle of the trouble you can't see how it could ever help anyone.

But now is the time to "Stir it up!" Wake up! We need to step out there. People are in pain all around us and there is no better time to minister to an individual than when they are in the middle of the circumstance. Let God use the things he has brought you through to minister to someone else because no one can understand or give direction like the one that has been there before. We need to begin to mentor younger Christians. We don't need to hoard over them with rules but show them that Jesus loves them and even more importantly we do as well. We have to remind those that have been in the faith to stand up and be counted once again for the cause of Christ. We are on the verge of a great move of God here in our church and I truly believe that. We are already seeing the signs, but it is only the beginning. God has been pouring out the fire of his Spirit on us and is changing lives in a radical way all around us.

The fire comes and it burns out all the underbrush and the garbage. It cleans up the landscape. It may seem that the area has all been burnt up and left in ashes. Then the rain comes and new life springs up. Fresh flowers begin to grow, the grass is green again and the trees come back even stronger than before. You see they have been through the fire and the fire has cleaned all the moss and other parasites away. They are now free to grow and to flourish. So here we stand waiting to be consumed by the fire of the Spirit and set free to flourish and multiply in the land once again.

May God bless
Paul