At the beginning of each year our church takes the first three weeks to pray, fast and seek the plan and purpose of God for the upcoming year.  There are some great resources that have united our church together in unity through this time of pressing in to God.

This year a great resource that I can recommend is a book that we gave to each member of our church as a Christmas gift.  It is the book “The Three Essentials” by Casey Treat, that outlines three focus points that will simplify and clarify your walk with God.  The three essentials are Faith, Vision and Renewal.

I have included some points from a message that I spoke on Sunday to our church.  We are taking this time to emphasize the importance of having vision for your life.  As a church we will take time to pray, seek God and write down the vision and goals for this next year.  I trust that this message will be as big a blessing to you as it is to me and to our church.

JUMP START YOUR VISION!

Have you clarified your vision? have you asked yourself the brutal question: what do I really believe my life will become?  As you look at the vision you have for your destiny, realize it isn’t what you want for your emotions, your relationships, your health, or your finances.  It’s what you actually believe in your heart that you will have.

Your vision could be good, or it could be bad.  Either way, it is the determining factor to how much success you will find throughout your walk on this Earth.  The world is filled with people who want their lives to be different, who want to live at a higher level, but there is one thing that continues to keep them from reaching their desires and that it is the vision they possess.

There is something awesome about being a Christian, we can change our vision!  If we do not like what our life experience is, we can get into the Word of God and renew our minds to the vision God has for us.

The following are some points for your consideration in discovering the potential of your personal vision.

Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

1.  God is telling us the vision we have inside us is the very essence of our lives; it determines the quality and the length of our time here on Earth.

2.  Every single person on earth has a vision for their life.

- This is the single most important truth you must come to realize as you work to build a God-given vision for your life.

- Whether or not you have purposed in your heart to frame a vision for your life, you have a vision, and it has nothing to do with what you want for your life.

3.  Your vision is what you see and believe for your future.

- When you close your eyes, it’s the picture inside your heart that you truly believe you are moving toward.

- This vision could be good or it could be bad.  It could be the exact opposite of what you desire for yourself, but nevertheless, whatever you secretly envision your life will become, so it will be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.”
- Matthew 6:22-23

- Obviously, Jesus isn’t  literally referring to your natural eyesight, because no matter how long you might look at the sun, the inside of your stomach is not going to become lit up.

He is referring to:
a.  Your point of view.
b.  How you see things.

4.  If you envision good things, and if you are focused on God’s principles and promises, then your life will be lit up with His blessings.

- But if your point of view is negative, and if you are focused on what is ungodly and worldly, then your life will be dark – and not full of God’s blessings.

a. Do you see the glass half full or half empty?
b. When you look into your future, do you see opportunity, or can you only see the limits that hinder you?
c.  Example:   Some people have a vision to be healthy and fit.  They expect it for their lives, they believe they can achieve it, and so they act accordingly and move toward a life that is healthy and physically fit.

Others have a vision to be unhealthy and unfit; they may hate it, they may want something completely different for their lives, but if it’s what they truly believe is in their future, they will inevitably move toward obesity and disease.

5.  What you see is what you get / you become what you behold.

Where you are today, the life you are experiencing at this moment, is a direct result of your vision of yesterday, and what you truly believe about your life today is exactly where you will be in the future.

6.  Your vision is either deliberate or an accident.  Regardless, it is still your vision.

If you are not actively working to create the vision you truly want for your life, you will simply by accident reproduce the life and the environment you were raised in or are used to living in.

7.  We were created in God’s likeness and His image, and we have the incredible ability to choose what we want for our lives.

“I have come that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”  - John 10:10 (Amp)

Let’s not settle for anything less than this kind of life!  Let’s establish our lives with amazing and exciting vision!

Proverbs 29:18  “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

This is an amazing thought, if you will stop and meditate upon this.

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

-         Ephesians 3:5-6

I am always amazed how I am so blessed when I get the opportunity to travel to other nations and minister.  I go with the intention to be a blessing and it always seems that I am blessed beyond measure.  This trip to Egypt was no exception, as my dad and I travelled for the first time to minister in this African/Middle East nation.   I really had no point of reference based on any experience before so we were very excited about this opportunity to meet with the believers of this predominately Muslim land.

In observing the news stories leading up to our trip we find that we were in Egypt at a key time in their newly transformed government.  Elections are coming up at the end of November and there are many rumblings of instability as inexperienced political figures are emerging to try to lead the country into the future.

The future of Egypt is an area that we as believers need to continue to lift up in prayer.  There is political and religious unrest with recent events that included the imprisonment of Christians and the slaying of Christian demonstrators just weeks prior to our trip.

We have been so blessed to serve a new work in Egypt called Xplore Nations, a ministry of Russ Adams, who is a dear friend of ours.  This new work in Egypt has over 600 students and there is a sense that it is on the verge of exponential growth.  With this structure is in place there is the potential to multiply by the thousands.

Xplore Nations Egypt Trip 2011 summary:

• 650 students
• 7 campuses
• 25 students prayed and received the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
• 13 people prayed to receive Jesus (church at Magaga)

What we observed was surprising yet not unusual.  We found that the students were so full of hunger for the Word of God and a desire to be living a life of purpose for the Kingdom of God.  Even though they are living with the threat of Islam around them there is an abiding peace and grace that is tangible.

It was a privilege to join with my father again on this time of ministry.  I enjoy travelling and having time to just be with dad.  We would share the ministry times in each school with 3 hours of teaching between us.  We travelled deep into the dark hours of the morning to our next location as we went up and down the Nile twice.  It was quite an adventure to say the least.

It was good for me to meet Arab Christians and see personally how God has a vast and varied family, His family is growing all over the world including this Arab nation.  We came to love the people, the new found friends and the fellowship that we can only find in Christ Jesus our Lord.  I want to thank you again for your prayers and support on this trip.  We really believe this was a beneficial trip to our contacts as we trust the Word of God to be a supply and strength.  As we gave out in the schools there was a supply of God’s strength and grace that we enjoyed as well.

Please continue to pray for Egypt and the Middle East.  We know things could break loose there in the church as the believers take their place of authority.  We also know that war and unrest are real possibilities in the future and this could affect our whole world.  Let’s remember that we have brothers and sisters in Christ in this region and let us continue to lift them up in prayer as they stand up for Jesus.  Jesus will be glorified and all nations shall know!

In the city of Cairo and to the south in Upper Egypt, we taught once a week in each of the nine leadership training campuses of Explore Nations.  Six of those campuses are in Cairo and three are several hours to the south.  In Cairo, a city of 21 million people, with nightmarish traffic, it would be quite late when we arrived back at the hotel.  To the south and up the Nile in Upper Egypt, after classes, we would travel, sometimes to 2:00 a.m.  On three occations, our car made contact with other vehicles.  Nothing major, praise the Lord!

The upper Nile was an experience in itself.  In three cities were students craving to hear the word and wanting answers.  Many sought prayer for healing and personal needs.  We paid an unexpected visit to a church where the pastor was being honored for completing four years of ministerial studies.  We had already taught for three hours that evening and arrived at the churh after 10:00 p.m.  The place was rocking.  Hundreds of people including scads of children were having church.  Scott preached a short message and we prayed for the pastor.  After the service ended, we could hardly get away.  So many wanted prayer.

Please pray for Egypt and the believers there.  Twenty five were killed in recent confrontations with the military.  Several Christians are in prison on trumped up charges.  We met a brother of one of them who asked us to pray for him.  Pray for the bible schools also.  They need more people to take leadership in opening new campuses.  It is a nation in desperate need of  God.

Along with the unforgettable memories of this first trip to the Mid East was the great blessing of being with my son Scott in ministry and in rich fellowship.

Finally, thanks for your prayers for this trip and for your great heart for missions.

It is also such a privilege to spend time with the Bible School directors and pastors and ministers who are doing a terrific job of reaching the lost and training the leaders to effectively serve the Lord.

If we choose to live like the world does, going from one distraction to another and never take time to be in God’s presence, then the Christian will soon lose the consciousness or awareness of God’s presence and will begin living like mere man in the world.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and to lean not onto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path”.  To be acknowledge God in all your ways is to be aware of His presence, His Word, His ability, His Power and His loving grace.

I heard one minister say one time, “you become what you behold.”  I heard another minister say that “that which you are conscious of will manifest in your life.”  It is very interesting to me that your thoughts will always lead you in your lifestyle.  Change your thoughts – change you life.  Rom. 12:1,2 and Eph. 4:23.

How ever difficult it may be to change the things that you are most conscious of such as, a thought, an addiction, a doctor’s report, and insufficient funds on your bank statement, a fear or anxiety.  Whatever the thing that demands your attention, your consciousness, there is no match for a man who puts his trust in the blood of Jesus.

In Hebrews we see that the blood of Jesus cleanses our consciousness from dead works to serve the living God.  Our thoughts and our consciousness are so vital that I believe that the devil will do whatever he can to distract the Christian.  Even if the distraction is not necessarily a bad thing.  Whatever he can use so that the believer will take his consciousness off of God and onto something else.

Whenever we are more aware of the natural realm, the world and all the things of this world we become “unconscious” to the things of God.  Just as if we are asleep and unaware of God.  God does not want the Devil, Sin and the effects of sin to reign in people’s life, but there is very little He can do in the lives of Christian if they will not simply acknowledge him and be more conscious of what His Word says as opposed to what others things are declaring.

You could say that being God conscious is really being in faith.  So the next time you may be tempted with the distraction of anything that would contradict the Word of God and His will for your life, remember that it is simply a distraction aim at getting you to focus on the wrong thing.  Just like a lion in a circus with the lion trainer and a whip.  The lion is the believer filled with the Lion of Judah, the trainer is like the devil.  You can see that the train will use a chair with four legs and will jab at the lion’s face from time to time.  There is something very strategic in the trainer’s choice to use a chair.   The chair and the four legs moving toward the lion’s face will confuse the lion because he cannot focus on all four chair legs coming at him all at once.  The lion could easily munch and maul the trainer, because of size and superior strength, but because of his distraction the trainer is safe to mess around with him in the cage.

For us believer’s walking in God’s grace we need to realize that “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world” and “if God before us than who can be against us”.  This realization brings us to the reality of every crisis, situation or circumstance we may be facing.  God and us are a majority against the enemy!   Hallelujah!!  So now when distractions come, choose to keep your focus on the Christ.  Choose to focus on the fact that you ARE who God says you ARE and you can DO what God says you can DO and you can HAVE what God says you can HAVE.  Amen!

When you can stay God conscious you can stay in faith, and your faith will move the mountain that is trying to distract you!!

God Bless!!

Scott

Paul spoke of the Judaizers of his day who promoted “another” gospel.  They had actually taken the life giving message and perverted it, making it powerless.  How greatly our churches, our nation and our world need to hear the simple message of the gospel.  A gospel pure and unadulterated with no trappings, not watered down but rather the true gospel accompanied with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul made a statement; I am not ashamed of the gospel.  This was the gospel that our Lord commanded to be preached to the nations of the earth.  Those who would believe this gospel would experience the power of a transformed life.  It is the power of God unto salvation to all who put their trust in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When the gospel goes forth, there is power in it to bring about strong conviction.  The words of Stephen rang unforgettably in the ears of Saul until on the Damascus road, he cried out, “Lord, what will you have me to do?”;  The Jews, cut to the heart, after hearing Peter on the day of Pentecost, cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  When Paul reasoned with the wicked Felix concerning righteousness, self-control and judgment ot come, Felix trembled.

The gospel has power to bring the hardened, the ignorant or the skeptic to a place of repentance from sin and launch him on a new path that will bring honor to the Lord.  After Paul’s conversion he began to preach to the Jews and Gentiles the necessity to repent and turn to God and live lives in keeping with their repentance.  The power of the gospel can change a guilty sinner into an obedient follower.

There is power in the gospel to break sins power in a person’s life.  The commission Paul received form the Lord Jesus Christ was to open the eyes of the people so they would turn form darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.  He also says: “Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace.”

The message of the angel to the young virgin was that her child would save the people form their sins.  Let us, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, rise up in these perilous times and proclaim the wonderful good news that Jesus can save, deliver and set free any and all who will come to him,  believe the good news and declare Christ as Lord of their life.

Pray for these Upcoming Events

Guatemala – Bible School Ministry – September 5-8

Costa Rica – Bible School Ministry – September 10-15

Egypt – Bible School Ministry – October  24- November 10

Lafayette, LA – Metro Life Church – November 16

Alexandria, LA – Christian Worship Center – November 20

In speaking of the last days, Paul said that there would be perilous times.  II Tim. 3:1-5.  All kinds of ungodly activity would permeate the atmosphere of society throughout the earth.  Within the church, there would be an element of religious activity but it would only be a façade, empty and devoid of life.  The missing element would be the divine, supernatural power of the gospel.  People would make a show of godliness while rejecting the power which brings about a changed life.

Paul spoke of the Judaizers of his day who promoted “another” gospel.  They had actually taken the life giving message and perverted it, making it powerless.  How greatly our churches, our nation and our world need to hear the simple message of the gospel.  A gospel pure and unadulterated with no trappings, not watered down but rather the true gospel accompanied with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul made the statement; “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”  This was the gospel that our Lord commanded to be preached to the nations of the earth.  Those who would believe this gospel would experience the power of a transformed life.  It is the power of God unto salvation to all who put their trust in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When the gospel goes forth, there is power in it to bring about strong conviction.  The words of Stephen rang unforgettably in the ears of Saul until on the Damascus road, he cried out, “Lord, what will you have me to do?”  The Jews, cut to the heart, after hearing Peter ona the day of Pentecost,  cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  When Paul reasoned with the wicked Felix concerning righteousness, self-control and judgment to come, Felix trembled.

The gospel has power to bring the hardened, the ignorant or the skeptic to a place of repentance from sin and launch him on a new path that will bring honor to the Lord.  After Paul’s conversion he began to preach to the Jews and Gentiles the necessity to repent and turn to God and live lives in keeping with their repentance.  The power of the gospel can change a guilty sinner into an obedient follower.

There is power in the gospel to break sins power in a person’s life.  The commission Paul received from the Lord Jesus Christ was to open the eyes of the people so they would turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.  He also says:  “Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace.”

The message of the angel to the young virgin was that her child would save the people from their sins.  Let us, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, rise up in these perilous times and proclaim the wonderful good news that Jesus can save, deliver and set free any and all who will come to him, believe the good news and declare Christ as Lord of their life.

We would like to thank everyone for all of your continued support and prayers over the years. God bless you and keep checking our website as we will be bringing you photos, videos and journal writings from the mountains of Nepal.

Our team is assembled and we are busy making preparations for our upcoming trip to Nepal.  It seems like yesterday that I embarked on my first trip to the beautiful country of Nepal.

This will be my 7th trip and 3rd medical trip.  Joining us this year will be my sister Patsy and her daughters Lili and Annalisa, my son Bryce, my nieces Haylie, Krystal and Heaven.  Dr. Juan and Nurse Kelle, youth of our church Aria, Cassie, Autumn and an assistant to me in our church, Dolf.

There are a number of other team members who have gone before and we are anticipating a powerful time of ministry, to God be the glory!  Please join us on this trip with your prayers.  Many of the areas we will go to are unreached and have never heard of Jesus.

What a privilege to share Jesus with these precious people.