I never set out to live by faith. It really started when I went to Howard Payne University. I leaned on God heavily in my studies and to pay off my tuition. I did not come from a rich family and most of the time I was in school nobody ever sent me money. I worked. Yet all my working wages could not pay off that tuition. Back at Howard Payne if your bill was not paid in full before final exams you were not allowed to take them.

One evening I was in a prayer group and made mention of this dilemma. We prayed for God's provision. That set my life on a course I never planned. The life of faith. God met that financial need. I don't remember how but I do remember how I knew God heard my desperate prayer and met the need.

That same scenario repeated itself while I was in school. I once even had a family I attended church with sell a horse and use the money to pay off the remainder of my summer tuition. That same family gave me an old car when I could not afford one of my own. I look back on those times with fond memories. They were building blocks of faith.

I did not anticipate my life would take on the same pattern into my adult years. All I ever wanted to do was to walk with God, follow Him, and fulfill my ministry. I have tried. Over and over again in following God I have been forced to trust Him. It is not that I wanted to live a life of faith. Living by faith started as a necessity and has remained a necessity. I have often longed for a safe, secure, and normal life.

God's path for me has always led me off the beaten trail at some point or another. There have been times when I walked off the beaten path on my own initiative. Yet, I have seen God come through time and time again. The life of faith soon became a normal part of the Edwards family. We have been forced to rely on Him. We have also sought to testify about His faithfulness. It is engrained in our DNA though we have longed to have it differently at times.

Well, this pattern does not appear to be changing anytime soon. Once again God is leading me to a step of faith. The Kermit Shake The City Revival. We will begin on June 6 of next year. We do not have a place to meet. There are no funds for a revival. No sound equipment. There are not even many people to make preparations for an upcoming revival. Yet, I have a clear mandate from God to go to Kermit and hold a revival meeting. It is another step of faith. I guess I ought to be used to those steps by now.

Another step trusting God to come through. Only He can bring revival. Only He can provide a meeting space. Only He can meet the other needs. So, here we go again. There is no turning back. Another step of faith and another opportunity to testify about God's faithfulness.

Could It Be?

Could it be that we are as close to God as we want to be? After all God said He would be found if we searched for Him with all our hearts. [Jer 29:13] Could it be we do not have revival because we are content to live without it? [II Chron 7:14] Could it be that we do not share the gospel because we do not truly care that people are perishing headed for hell? [Rom 5:8-9]

Could it be that we do not pray because we are too lazy? [Matt 6:5-7] Could it be that we do not live in holiness because we tolerate compromise in our behavior? [I Pet 1:15-16] Could it be that we are not faithful in our church attendance because we do not find church attendance vitally important but optional. [Heb 10:23-25]

There are a lot of could it be questions. It is easy to cast blame on others or our circumstances for our weak walks with the Lord. Accountability lies at our door. Could it be that the Lord is calling us to wake up from our spiritual slumber? Could it be that God is summoning us off the bench on the sidelines to actually get in the game of life and labor for Him? Could it be that we get entangled with the affairs of this world that hinders our running the race for Him? [Heb 12:1-2] Could it be that we too easily forget that we will give account of our lives in eternity. [I Cor 3:10-15]

These are sobering questions for serious minded followers of Jesus. Time is running short. May we redeem the time while we still can. May we not grow weary in doing good and may we not lose heart. [Gal 6:9]

Thank You

Jesus, Brenda and I have never been rich. We have had to trust You for provision over and over again over the past 23 years. We have found You faithful time and time again. We have never gone without and so compared to many people in this world we are rich beyond measure because we have a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, transportation, and luxuries beyond our deserving. In our darkest hours You have showed us Your power. When we had little or nothing in the bank You met our needs over and over again. THANK YOU. 

We are rich in relationships. I want to thank You today for those people You have brought into our lives. Thank You for family. They loved, molded, and shaped us. Thank You for Spiritual family as well. Thank You for those You used to disciple Brenda and I over the years. Thank You for those families You put before us to model what healthy family relationships looked like. Thank You for those friends that have stuck with us over the decades through thick and thin. Thank You for allowing us to grow up in healthy churches like Denman Avenue Baptist Church and First Baptist Church respectively. 

Thank You for the people You have allowed Brenda and I to lead to a saving relationship in You over the years. My mind drifts back through the years back to Burke, to CentrePointe, to FBC Paradise, to FBC Seminole, and now Faith Community. I think of the many people who once lived in darkness and were shackled in sin and Jesus came and rescued them. GLORY TO GOD. I think of people like Willie, Ed, Kelly, and Chris to name just a few. There were teenagers and their families who came to know You and serve You. THANK YOU LORD. 

I thank you for those many people we served that entrusted their hearts to me to be more than their preacher but to be their pastor. I thank You for those who have loved us and tangibly expressed that love in many thoughtful and tangible ways. I want to thank You for every person who has shared their resources with over the years. Whether they sent checks in the mail, paid for car repair bills, gave us vehicles, paid our house payment in tough times, or filled our freezer with meat; I thank You for each of them. I thank You for every person who has partnered with me to get my books into print. I thank You for every person that has and continues to pray for us and our ministry. I also thank You for those You have used to make the trips to Kermit possible. Thank You for those who have given money and gift cards to make that weekly 800 mile round trip to teach Your word possible. I could not do it without them. THANK YOU.

Today I also want to thank You for true friends. In fact, they are more than friends. They are trusted brothers and sisters in Christ. These are the ones who have rejoiced with us in times of triumph and wept with us in times of sorrows. These are the ones who have listened lovingly when our souls were bruised and battered. These are the ones who provided a safe place to share our burdens. They know who they are. THANK YOU. 

Thank You for those flocks I got to serve and all those deep relationships that were forged. These are relationships we treasure and hold dear to our hearts even today. Lord, You see the faces flashing across my mind. You know the gratitude in my heart for those flocks who opened their hearts and homes to the Edwards family. I thank You for each and every one of them. THANK YOU. 

I also want to thank You for all those young men and women You called into full time service for You under our ministry. So many of them have gone on to do a great things for You. I praise Your name for using them and give You all the glory. Thank You for allowing me to play an ever so small part in their lives. THANK YOU. 

I want to Thank You for my inner circle. I have leaned on them for counsel, wisdom, prayer, and support time and again. I thank You for their unconditional love for me even though I know I am not an easy person to love. Thank You for a true band of brothers in my life. THANK YOU.

How could I give You thanks and not thank You for the woman sleeping in the room next to me. You have allowed me to share my life with Brenda for the past 23 years. The road we have walked together has not been an easy one. We have faced trials. We have watched ministries die before our eyes. We have known great sacrifice and learned to trust You together. No matter how hard things have gotten she does not complain. She has loved me through every season of life. How can I ever thank You enough for her. And I thank You for my boys. They are becoming men right before our eyes. It is good to have all of them under one roof for these few days. I thank You for this time together. Thank You for bountiful feast we will share together and with friends later today. THANK YOU.

Jesus, I thank You for saving me. I am most thankful that today I can say I am a child of God. In humble gratitude I once again lay my life at your feet on Your altar. It is all I know to do. THANK YOU. In Jesus name, amen.

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Run To The Battle

Steve Camp once wrote, "Some people want to live within the sound of chapel of bells but I want to run a mission about a yard from the gates of hell and with everyone you meet tell the gospel and tell it well, while you hesitate and another soul just fell. Let's run to the battle."

Far too many do just the opposite. They run from the battle. They live in fear and hide in the background. They are content to let others do their fighting for them. This is exactly what the men of Israel did in I Samuel 13. The Philistines marched into Israel's territory and the men of Israel fled from the battle in fear. They did not love their God, family, community, or country enough to take a stand to fight. They did not trust God would help them.

This is a pretty good picture of the church today. Men are fleeing from the battle when Satan marches right under our noses and continues the attack. Our families are under assault. Temptations abound and Satan has many snares set for young and impressionable minds. Seasoned saints are no less vulnerable. Sin looks enticing and before we know what happened another man of God and another respected man in the church falls and brings shame to the name of Christ.

O we have got to run to the battle. What battle you may ask. There are two things fewer and fewer men are doing these days. In effect they are running from the battle. Men do not pray. Men do not boldly witness for Jesus Christ. This is not true of every man. There are a few who are fully engaged in the spiritual battle for their families and communities. Many are content to sit on the sidelines guzzling the Devil's brew and flittering their lives away chasing things that will not matter in eternity.

You do not run to the battle without knowing up front there will be some wounding in the fight. There will be some scars. Some of the wounds run deep. Running to the battle is not the path of least resistance. It is not the safe and secure path. It is not even the path of the majority but IT IS THE RIGHT PATH.

While all of Israel huddled and hid in fear there were two men who had a different spirit. Jonathan, King Saul's son, and Jonathan's armor bearer. These two alone decided to slip out on their own believing God was not limited to deliver with many soldiers are only a few. They slipped stealthily through the mountains into the enemy territory. Courageously they fought and killed only a few men but God worked for them sending the Philistines into confusion. The enemy retreated and when the men of Israel saw this they boldly came out of hiding and pursued the enemy. You can read about all this in I Samuel 14.

Two men courageously running toward the battle inspired a whole nation to fight. Men, does the way your live your life inspire your children, grandchildren, your wife, your friends, and those you worship with to fight or to flee from the battle. Are you content to sit in your easy chair mindlessly watching hours of television when you can engage in the battle through fervent intercessions. Will you spend your days in the telling and retelling of crude jokes while remaining tight lipped about the good news of Jesus Christ. Will you waste your days in a deer blind, on a bass boat, or on a golf course and yet never run to the battle of sharing Jesus Christ and taking a bold stand for Him with those you hunt, fish, and play golf with?

 TO THE PIT OF HELL with cowardly, complacent, compromising, comfortable and compassionless living. TO THE PTI OF HELL WITH SAFETY AND SECURITY, It is time to run to the battle.

Turn Back America

God chose Israel to be His covenant people. He guided them. He protected them. He worked miracles for them. He blessed them in numerous ways but Israel still chose to turn away from Him and to pursue idolatry. God called them back to Himself through prophets and Israel would not listen. Eventually God resorted to judgment. He raised other nations to attack Israel but His very own people often did not turn back to Him. Eventually Babylon conquered the nation of Israel. All of God's warnings were not heeded. The prophetic messages were not taken to heart. It resulted in devastation. 

Many would proclaim me a doomsday prophet. I have never preached or written to win the favors or applause of men. I preach and write what God puts in my heart and more than ever that message is for America and the church to turn back to God. 

In all my years of ministry I have never been more grieved or more burdened for our nation. God has blessed the United States. He has provided for us as a nation with boundless resources. He has defended us throughout history. He has guided us through dark perilous times. What did our nation do in return? Our nation tried to remove Him from every form of public life. No prayer in school. Remove the 10 Commandments from court houses. Push the separation of church and state to ridiculous extremes. No more nativity scenes at government buildings. Replace Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays. The assault on the Bible never ends. 

Sadly, it did not stop there. Our nation went further. We began legalizing things God called sin. Abortion. Homosexuality. Some places have even legalized drugs. Where will it end? We even celebrated those who championed these causes while vilifying those who stood for Biblical values and defended Bible truth. 

The slippery slope of sin has left this nation in an awful mess. Mass shootings. Abuse. Rampant immorality. Family breakdowns. Divorce. The pursuit of pleasure over duty. Apathy among the masses. Greed in corporate America. Self centered living. A colossal mound of debt for individuals and the government that cannot possibly be sustained. 

How did the church respond to all this? Many adopted new methods of easy preaching, entertainment driven performances, and tickle the ear ministry to attract the crowds. Other churches entrenched themselves in their traditions and power struggles becoming irrelevant to the pagan world. Prayer meetings went extinct decades ago. The saints quit sharing their faith in fear they might offend somebody. Preachers quit taking public stands in fear of being labeled or offending the rich influential givers of their churches.

I have never been more grieved for our nation. How arrogant we are to think we can continue our current course and not face the consequence of offending a holy God. How defiant to think we can reinvent the standards of right and wrong to suit our pagan culture. Who do we think we are. Have we not read history? What happened to other nations who turned their back on God and defied Him? What happened to Israel? What happened to Rome? Do we really think we can continue the same course but get a different outcome. 

This is a warning for our nation. The day will come when God will no longer send warnings. The day will come when God will no longer be patient. God will judge the United States of American severely. To whom much is given much will be required. I cannot sit back in silence while we march blindly to our own doom. 

Label me whatever you want. I only know I love my God and I love my nation too much to sit back in silence and do nothing. It is time to return to the Lord. The prophet Joel called for people to return to the Lord with all their hearts with weeping and fasting and to rend their hearts and not their garments. [Joel 2:12] 

It is that time again. It is time for individuals, families, leaders, churches, communities and the nation to fall on our knees and turn back to God in repentance. If we do not our future is sealed. We will be judged and our future will be bleak. Many of you may not be concerned. This concerns me greatly. 

So I shout out through this post, my blog, and preaching,"TURN BACK TO GOD AMERICA before it is too late." Leonard Ravenhill wrote a book titled, "AMERICA IS TOO YOUNG TO DIE." He wrote that book decades ago. We are much worse off as a nation now than we were back then.

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Following Even When Faith Leads to Risk

As evening approaches this Wednesday I am thinking about when I will gather with other believers at Faith Community Church to teach from I Samuel. I have been greatly challenged by this book week after week as we have studied it. Tonight I am challenged by how often I want to play it safe when God wants me to risk. My tendency is to fade back to comfort and security when God pushes me toward courageous and audacious faith moments. 

I do not want to play it safe for the rest of my life. As I get older and my body gets more feeble, I want to keep getting stronger in my faith. I ask God for a willingness to follow Jesus even when it is risky and the outcome not certain. 

I've made living by faith my life for the past 25 years. Only the Lord knows my heart and mind when I want to shrink back to a comfortable life. There is no indication I am to stop the faith lifenow. Brenda and I were hit with a true test of faith today. I had peace and offered this prayer, ",Lord, You have never failed us. Not even one time. I know someway and somehow You will come through for us again."

Risk might mean witnessing to a stranger. It might involve giving away money or possessions. It might mean getting in my truck with only $2.25 in my pocket and heading out to preach anyway. It might mean remaining faithful at my post when I feel like giving up. It might mean loving someone others do not take the time to love. 

I am not advocating stepping out and doing something foolish asking God to bless it. I am referring to those moments when God commands you to come or to go and you step out in obedience and trust not knowing how things will turn out. It means standing on Bible promises when everything you see and feel tells you they are not true. 

Being willing to risk my might mean worshiping in a way others do not understand or following through on something God instructs even when those closest to you do not get it. Being willing to risk is not throwing caution to the wind. It is trusting God more than you fear the worst case scenario. 

I am greatly challenged by God's word. I play it safe too often. I like the comfort of my recliner more than out on the limb in faith. I face security when I have excess funds in the bank more than in God's promise to be my provider when the funds run dry. I like when the crowds are large as I teach and preach and struggle to keep believing when the crowds dwindle. God is still in the midst when two or three gather. 

Tonight, as I have done many times in my life I choose the path of faith. I choose the path that might lead to risk. I choose the path of obeying God no matter what it means, where it leads, or what it costs. That is what I choose in this moment. I will have to make that choice tomorrow and for all of my tomorrows if I want to remain available to my King Jesus. If I am not willing to do that and to keep doing that for all of my days I am not really a follower of Jesus.

Little Warriors And The Glory Of God

It is a memory I will long treasure. After months of practices and an undefeated season we stood with our six grade football team on the fifty yard line circled up on the middle of the field. We had a prayer meeting. Young boy after young boy prayed asking for God to be glorified in the championship game. 

I will never forget those young boys. For three grueling months we practiced HARD. We hit. We ran. We pushed blocking sleds. We practiced plays. We did football drills We worked on hand to hand combat drills. And we won every game except one and we tied that game in double over time. 

Those are only part of my memories. My favorite memories are the ones that took place before the game or after practices. After practices we circled together and I taught them a Bible truth and we prayed. We dedicated our season to God and played for His glory from the first practice to the last game. 

In the championship game we played the team we tied earlier in the season. Two great teams playing as it should be. Twice our young men had goal line stands to keep the other team from scoring. They played like warriors. We talked about Eleazar, one of David's mighty men who fought so hard against the Philistines his hand froze to the sword. 

Our boys played so hard they left their hearts on the field. At half time the score was 0-0. In the end the other team mounted one drive where they scored. We lost the game 8-0. Our boys wept but I couldn't have been prouder of them. They played like little warriors and all through the game I heard them shouting on the field, "Glory to God." I would not trade that for all the championship trophies in the world.

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Morning Prayer

Jesus, many of Your people wake up weary and heavy laden this morning. I ask You to give them Your rest. I ask You to lift their burdens today as You strengthen people to trust You. Many are up against the wall with seemingly no way out. I pray You give them Your peace so they do not take matters into their own hands and do not make the situations worse I ask You to help them see You at work as You make a way where there seems to be no way. I ask You to bring them through the floods and through the fires to the other side. I lift up those who are brokenhearted today. I ask You to comfort their sorrowing hearts and bind their wounded souls to healing once again. You save their every tear in Your bottle of remembrance. You are able to restore joy and hope to them. 

There are those who wake today in chronic pain. I ask You to touch them. I beg You to bring relief and help those suffering have good days. Please manifest Your presence to them. I lift up those battling disease. I ask You to be their refuge and their Healer however You choose to do it and whenever You choose to do it. 

You know every person waking up today with no hope. Some are in dark places emotionally. Some truly contemplate ending it all. O, dear God, I beg You to intervene. I plead with You to give these desperate people some measure of hope to cling to this day and this very hour. May some promise from Your word attach to their minds and bring them through the dense fog of depression. 

I lift up those who awake this morning staring at financial disaster. You are their provider. I ask You to meet needs all over in miraculous ways as You have done for Brenda and I time and time again. When You come through for them I ask You to stir these to testify. 

I lift up those who awake today feeling very alone in this world like nobody cares. O, Jesus, You see them today. They are not alone. You care. I ask You to show Your love and care in a tangible way. I ask You to remind such lonely people of Your work on the cross to forever demonstrate Your love. 

I lift up those who are dry spiritually. I ask You to refresh them in Your presence today. I ask You for quiet times to be true encounters with You. I ask You to speak fresh words to them today. 

I thank You today that Your mercies are new as the sun begins to dawn and great is Your faithfulness. Your compassions do not fail. May we not forget all Your benefits to us. May we keep our feet on the firm foundation of Your word no matter what we face today. In Jesus name, amen.

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Do We See And Do We Care

Had a great night in Kermit last night. .Attendance was down due to several people being sick or giving care to those who were sick. We had one new face and three people from Seminole showed up.

I loved teaching again. God continues to stir me with His word.

Now headed back to Wise County to see my family and Faith Community Church family.

Thought for the day. Do we really see people? I mean see them at the soul level or do we only see what is only on the surface. Jesus saw people. [Matt 9:36]. He saw beneath the surface. He saw they were weary and worn out oppressed by an out of control Roman government and a legalistic religious system. He saw the people and felt compassion for them. That means He loved them and had mercy on them. He loved them right where they were.

He loves too much to sit back and do nothing. He loves enough to care. Does His church love enough to care.

How many people will walk across our path today? How many will we take the time to truly see looking deeper than the outward appearance and behavior. How many will we see and be moved to compassion for them.

I talked to a store clerk in Kermit last night named Shanaya. I asked her about churches and how I could pray for her. I saw how hard she works. She was busy as the store was swamped. She works every Tuesday night. I plan to keep going there on Tuesday nights to love her, minister to her, and show her the love of Jesus.

Now time to do the same back home. Faith Community Lord willing I will see you tonight at 6:30.

He Did It Again

God did it again. Once again He moved in an obvious way I cannot deny. He once again gave me a tangible expression of His love and blessing to do His work in Kermit, TX.

I am preparing to head to Kermit in the morning where once again I will teach scripture to a small band of people. Tonight, after coaching Turner's football practice, a dad walked up to me and stuck out his hand with money in it. I have talked to him very briefly about the work I am doing Kermit. I resisted the money and told him no. He asked, "Why not. You are out doing this work and I feel like I am supposed to do this. If you need more just let me know." With humility I received his gift as I received hundreds and hundreds of others over the years. My pride hates it. Brenda and I love to be on the giving end but truth be told we could never had made it ministry without God using multiple people to stand with us as I go out and peach. 

Every person and every dollar given play a vital role in what God calls and allows me to do. Whether it be a gift card for gas, money for food, or even at different times money to purchase vehicles or vehicles actually given to us, we could not do what we do alone. Over and over again I watch do it again. He hears our prayers, stirs somebody's heart to give to us and we receive miracle provision. It is not something we take for granted. 

I am blown away. God continues to confirm this is His will and leadership for me to minister in Kermit. God has used different people I would never have expected to make these ministry trips possible. God has been doing this for my family for two and a half decades. Because of God's faithfulness and stirring people to give to our ministry God has sent me all over the U.S. and to Cuba, Canada, and Honduras to do His work. I am not making this stuff up. 

I know the man who gave to us tonight but I do not know him well. Only God could have put that into his heart to give on the eve of my making another ministry trip. Praise God's glorious name. 

This is the reason why I am willing to follow God prompts me to go where He is leading. Every time I step out in faith God shows up and does something amazing that cannot be explained except God did it. I still remember my first trip to Kermit. I had very little money. $2.25 to be exact. I made the trip anyway. God worked. He provided for every leg of that journey and has continued to do so. Since then God has met our every need for fuel, food, lodging, and a meeting place for our Bible studies. All praise to God and glory to Him alone. Praise Him for moving others to join in His kingdom work in west Texas.

Do We Love God Most?

Do I love God most? I know I love God. I also love Brenda, Taylor, Tanner, Tucker, and Turner? Do I love God more than them? Do I love God more than my most trusted friends who have fought the fight of faith right along side me?

I love serving God, ministering, and I love preaching. Do I love God more than preaching? Do I love Him more than food? Do I love God more than my earthly comfort? Do I love Him more than America and the pursuit of the American dream? Do I love Him most?

[Matt 22:36-38] challenges me. It is not good enough that I love the Lord. He desires more than that. He desires me to love Him most. "'Teacher which commandment in the law is greatest?' He said to him, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment.'" 

Do I really believe that. Loving God most is the most important commandment. More important than Jesus' admonition to "Follow Me." More important than the great commission to go into all the world making disciples. More important than anything else we do. 

Yet, for most of us, we fall very short. We love God but make little time to be alone with Him. We love enough to do for Him but not enough to sit with Him. We promote people to powerful positions in church who do not love God most. Churches call pastors, youth pastors, and worship pastors to lead their congregations who do not love God most. People take all manner of leadership positions in their churches who do not love God most. 

Parents love their children often more than they love God. Sadly, there are some people who love their pets more than they love God. Others love money the most in their lives. This coming season many children of the world will have more love in their heart for Santa Claus than they do for their God. 

I am challenged today. That little questions bites into my soul. DO I REALLY LOVE GOD THE MOST OF EVERYONE OR ANYTHING IN MY LIFE? I am not so quick to answer. As go down the list of people and things in my life there is no comparison. He deserves to be loved the most. But do I? Do I truly love Him not for what He can give me, do for me, or work through me. Do I love Him most just for who He is? 

It is simple. We are all called to love God most. That means He is to get our deepest affection, our greatest passion, our greatest meditations, and our most sincerest devotion. God help us all to love You most.

Duty Verses Delight

s many of you prepare for attending a worship service today, I want to ask whether you will attend with a sense of duty or a sense of delight? Many will show up today at a worship service out of duty. They will sit in their same spot. They will give some money when the offering is collected. They will stand when they are supposed to stand. They will sing if they like the song. They will open their Bibles and at least appear to be listening. Sadly all of this can be done and not please God because the heart is not fully engaged and there is no delight in any of it.

Where is the delight? Where is the gladness? Where is the rejoicing when the saints come marching into the house of God? [Ps 100:1-5] really challenged me a few days ago. Phrase after phrase caused me to stop, pray, repent, and readjust my life and priorities.

1. SHOUT JOYFULLY - I have served many churches as pastor and preached in dozens of others over the years. Do you know how rare it is to hear a shout in worship. O, I know in more charismatic circles this is common place. Most of my ministry has been in Baptist churches.So many dead, dry, bound up people not free to shout joyfully in the sanctuary because, "Wd do not that kind of thing here."  There is no shouting in most Baptist churches. Except in business meetings when people get angry and lose their composure. That phrase joyful shouting means to be glad, to delight, to exult, to rejoice. After attending thousands of worship services I can testify I have seen little rejoicing and even less shouting.  That has been true in my life as well.

2. SERVE THE LORD JOYFULLY - Today many people will take their place of service in their church. Some will teach. Some will collect and count offerings. Others will work the sound and video equipment. Some will play an instrument. A few will stand before the congregation to help lead in singing. Others will care for infants and toddlers in a nursery. How many will do these acts of service joyfully? Or to put it another way, how many will serve or minister to the Lord with gladness. Is there any delight in the service or is it all duty. God wants glad service. Joyful service. Delightful service. Not dutiful, resentful, fatigued, and begrudging service.

3. JOYFUL PRAISE - In far too many churches there is a war going on among the older folks and the younger folks when it comes to the style of music preference. The older folks grew up on hymns and those hymns served them well in moments of trials and tragedies over the years. They have sentimental attachment to songs like "Amazing Grace," "It Is Well With My Soul," and "The Old Rugged Cross." Many of these senior saints cut their teeth on songs from the old "Heavenly Highway Hymnbook." Younger folks like new styles of music. They too have sentimental attachment to songs that have ministered to them in different seasons of life. Both sides dig in their heels and begrudgingly tolerate the others' musical preference. Blended serves often turn into resentful services. There is no joyful praise. We forget we are not the audience of worship. GOD IS. HE IS THE ONLY AUDIENCE FOR WORSHIP. We sing to Him. We exalt Him. We magnify Him. We celebrate Him. We boast to Him. He is supposed to be the focal point of worship. Let me ask you this early morning, what style of worship does God prefer? The drums of worshipers in Africa. The symphonic sound of an orchestra and choir The piano and the organ alone? The guitar? A fiddle and a banjo? A full blown praise band? God likes all types of music and styles. He inspired it. God is more interested in the heart. He is interested if we are singing songs from the heart or from the head, do we sing with joy or duty, and do we sing with joyful gladness in our hearts.

God deserves more than duty. He deserves to be the object of delightful, gladsome, and rejoicing worship and service. He demands more from you than just showing up at a worship service. He requires more than going through the motions today. He deserves more than mindless mouthing of words in singing today. He desires more than dutiful service today. HE WANTS OUR DELIGHT. OUR REJOICING. OUR PASSIONATE EXPRESSION OF PRAISE. HE LONGS FOR WORSHIP AND SERVICE FROM THE HEART BECAUSE WE DELIGHT IN HIM.

Combating Apathy

Does anybody truly care about the sate of America anymore? People are apathetic. Apathy is defined as "the absence of passion, emotion, or excitement; the lack of concern or interest." This defines so many people

There is something really really wrong when a young person would rather play football, baseball, or basketball on a video game than going out and playing the real thing. When people have more interest in virtual  reality, more passion for pretending, and get more excited about fantasy football there is something wrong.  I sat at a high school football game last night and saw no passion on the sidelines from the players. One father commented to me when he walked by the tunnel where the players gathered before the game he did not hear a word. He told me his young son tried to pump others up a few weeks back and upperclass men told him to shut up. Apathy has stolen the passion out of people.

A town we used to live in recently voted to go wet and start selling and serving alcohol. They were once a proud town of less than half a dozen towns to remain dry in Texas. While I lived this issue came up and I wrote a letter to the editor against it. The town voted to remain dry. When I was told the vote numbers it sickened me that out of a town of 6,000 well over 4,000 of the residents chose not to vote at all. Satan persisted and now has won. Apathy. Indifference. Lack of interest and concern.

The same thing happens in the church. Have you ever sat on the platform, sang in the choir or praise team and looked at the faces of all the people seated in the congregation. They are apathetic. In far too many churches, including the one I serve, people are indifferent and suffer from absence of passion or excitement.

Apathy is slowly choking the life and vitality out of our society. Does anyone care anymore? Preachers talk about evangelism but do people really ever share their faith. I did this week and it breaks my heart that the one I talked to thinks they are right with God when every fruit of their life screams a different story. Do we care that family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, teammates will actually perish into eternal destruction?

Does anyone want more than dead, formal, religious routines masquerading as worship services anymore? Are there people who long for a fresh visitation of God and they don't care how long the worship service goes or how long the preacher preaches? Are there still people out there who desire to hear the whole counsel of God and are sick and tired of being entrained? Are there still people out there who long for the Holy Spirit to have freedom to move even if the service goes longer than an hour. Are there people so hungry for God in worship they don't care if they sing souther gospel, old hymns, a negro spiritual, or a modern day song as long as it's all sung to God. Are there people who still desire to hear a word from God and adjust their lives accordingly.

I once heard a preacher preach his heart out. God stirred me and I ran to the altar as fast as I could to pray. When I got finished I expected to be surrounded by others. Nobody else was there. The preacher called on someone to pray to close the service. I followed him to his office where I found him in tears. I told him how powerful the sermon had been and that God spoke to me. Weeping he asked me why the people did not respond? In a word apathy.

Over time preachers get used to empty altars and apathetic people. Preachers lower their expectations and justify apathy in their preaching by consoling themselves that they preached the truth and it is up to the people what they do with the truth. That is only partially true. If the preacher has become apathetic too and preaching icicles from the pulpit instead of sermons on fire by the Spirit of God then part of the blame lies at the feet of pastors.

Everywhere I look I see apathy. I see it among athletes going through the motions. I actually heard about a runner today at a sate cross country meet who ran so hard she passed out and had to crawl the last yards of the race. PRAISE GOD FOR A YOUNG PERSON OF PASSION. I wish I could see that on Sunday mornings. I wish I could hear and see people praising God like they cared and meant it. I wish I could preach to people eager to open God's word desiring to hear from the Lord. I wish I could see people really start caring again.

Does anybody care? I don't want to end my days as an apathetic preacher. I don't know how much time America has left or how much time I have left to live. I only know I refuse to be apathetic. Are there any others? May we pray, serve, and follow God with passion no matter what. May they cut us open at the end of our days and we bleed passion for the glory and cause of God in every realm of life.

It Doesn't Make Sense

Be careful how you judge the ways, leadings and promptings of God by whether they make sense or not. God often calls people to do things that do not make one bit of sense in the natural realm. What sense did it make for Noah to build an ark when he had never seen rain? What sense did it make to stay at the task for over a century with no sight of rain in that time? It only made sense when the day of the flood came. Noah obeyed God by faith and saved his family.

What sense did it make for Moses to actually think he could be used of God to deliver Israel from four centuries of slavery. How could he deliver them from the most powerful nation in the land. It did not make any sense whatsoever. God still called Moses to do just that. Moses reluctantly obeyed after making several excuses. When God delivered Israel at the Red Sea once and for all from Egypt and Pharaoh it made perfect sense.

What sense did it make for David to face Goliath with only a sling? None, but he saw God deliver the colossal giant into his hand. What sense did it make for Elijah to trust God to be fed by ravens? It happened. Did it make sense for Elijah to face off against 850 false prophets calling down fire from Heaven? Not one bit. God called him to stand and trust. Elijah believed, obeyed, and then God did the miracle.

Did it make any sense for the disciples to throw down their nets and follow Jesus when He called them to do so? No. The path of following Jesus led many of them to death in the end. The gosel got spread and New Testament got written. It makes sense now.

Did it make any sense for Ananias to go to talk to Saul after receiving the vision to do so? It made no sense at all since Saul leveraged all at his disposal to persecute Christians. Ananias obeyed and in time saw the transformation God made in Saul. God used the man now called Paul to shake the world turning it upside down as he fearlessly preached the gospel. Churches were started. Scores were won to Christ. Most of the New Testament was written. Ananias could not see any of this on the front end. He received a vision and a message to deliver to Saul that did not make sense. Ananias obeyed by faith.

It did not make sense for Hudson Taylor to go to China as a missionary. It made less sense to stay after his wife died and so did two of his children. He stayed and God used him mightily. It did not make sense for George Muller to start an orphanage. It ddi not make sense to build four orphan houses that could house 2,000 orphans at a time, and do all this without ever telling anyone what they needed to operate except God. Mueller laid out the requests before God and God answered time and time again. People thought he was a fool. It did not make sense. In the end God glorified His own name through Mueller's steps of faith and obedience.

Tuesday afternoon I drove through pouring rain to west Texas and asked myself, "Matt, what are you doing?" I left home that morning headed for Kermit to teach a handful of people a Bible Study. Two friends called while I drove asking me what I was doing. When I told them neither could understand it. I could not explain it other than God has called me to once again do something that does not make sense to those watching from the outside. I drove 400 miles one way to teach the Bible to a dozen people. Most of you would say such an act is foolish, or senseless. Those who know me best are probably not surprised because they have seen me do other senseless things over the years at what I perceived to be the prompting of God.

While driving past cotton fields and further west past desert like shrubs and pastures the thought crossed my mind, "This does not make sense." Driving over 800 miles round trip does not make sense financially. Things are as tight in the Edwards household as they have ever been. Yet God invited me to join Him in what He is doing in Kermit. Two people asked me to come out there after reading about my dreams,  so I did and a Bible study formed. It does not make sense to divide my time, leave my family, or give myself and the word of God to complete strangers.

I would have to agree. It does not make one lick of sense. I would only add one word to that last sentence. It does not make one lick of sense YET! All I am called to do is to seek God, obey His leadership in my life, and trust Him for the impossible.

God moved on a lady's heart who used to be in our youth group over two decades ago. She sent me a gas gift card telling me it was to do the special work God is calling me to do. This past Tuesday night a lady literally shoved money into my front pocket of my jeans. She gave $40 and I used it to buy gas to get back home. I received a text as I got into my truck to leave the bank where we held our Bible study. A couple texted me to let me know they had put some money inside the cover of my Bible. I looked and they gave $100 even though I stated up front my going to Kermit was not for financial compensation but in strict obedience to God.

The God stuff happens on the other side of His promptings that make no sense in the natural realm. Human nature tells us it is ridiculous and foolish to follow through on God assignments that do not make sense. Therefore, we never see God do what only He can do. Our faith is never strengthened. God is not glorified.

A whole book could be written on Brenda and I seeing God do the impossible time and time again when we obeyed God even when it did not make sense. We have been ridiculed by family, friends, and the religious crowd. We have failed. We have suffered. We have sacrificed. WE HAVE ALSO WATCHED GOD MOVE IN AMAZING WAYS AND DO WHAT OTHERS SAID WAS IMPOSSIBLE. WE LIVE FOR THOSE MOMENTS. WE DEDICATE OUR LIVES TO THOSE MOMENTS WHEN GOD CALLS US TO THINGS THAT DO NOT MAKE SENSE AND HE HONORS THOSE STEPS OF OBEDIENCE BY FAITH.

Will you take the next step God calls you to take even if it does not make sense? Will you spend the rest of your days rationalizing disobedience? Will you spend your whole life watching what God does in and through others willing to obey and risk but never experiencing it for yourself.

My coming back to Paradise did not make sense to start a church. My driving to Kermit to minister there weekly does not make sense. It only does not make sense in our eyes. It makes perfect sense to an infinitely wise, ever trustworthy, and omnipotent God.

Go ahead. Take that next step God calls you to when it does not make sense. Even when raw terror grips your heart step out anyway. Trust God with all your might and do what He leads you to do. Leave the results up to Him. He has never failed and He want start now.

Pray Pastors For Your Flock

There is so much more to serving as a pastor than preaching and teaching. There is also shepherding. Part of that includes praying for the people. Samuel told the people of Israel it would be sin against the Lord if he ceased to pray for them and to instruct them in the good and the right way. [I Sam 21:23] There are so many things to pray for in the daily life of a pastor or any believer. Yet not to pray for the people God has entrusted you to serve is sinful and shameful. I am thankful for that reminder from the Lord today. May the Lord strengthen pastors to pray for their flock and instruct them in the pure truth of God's word.

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Stopped In My Tracks

I had the thought of spending some time in the Psalms this morning in my devotion giving God praise. I opened to a random Psalm prepared for a prayer journey of praise. God stopped me in my tracks.

The first phrase brought conviction. Instead of praise I began to repent. The next phrase I read brought additional conviction. More repentance followed. So continued this same course for two verses phrase after phrase. God's truth penetrated and pierced. This continued throughout my time until I got to this one phrase in [Psalm 100:3],  "Acknowledge that the Lord is God."

I could not get past that. I sought God for who He really is and not for just who I conceive Him to be. Humbly I prayed and meditated on the greatness of God. His power. His wisdom. His sovereignty. He being the source of joy and gladness. He being a refuge.

My mind bent as well as my heart as I thought on Him as Creator, Redeemer, Counselor, Helper, Peace, Sustainer, Mountain Mover, Miracle Worker, Deliverer, and Savior. He loves Paradise and Kermit. He is at work in Texas, Arkansas, Oregon, New York, Maine, Florida, Georgia and all the other sates. He is passionate for people in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, China, Korea, Columbia, and every other nation on the face of the earth. He is never tired. He never needs a nap. He never is fatigued. By His spoken word alone His will is accomplished.

The heavens are His throne and the earth is His footstool. [Is 66:1] God hung millions of stars in the galaxy effortlessly like a person hanging an ornament on a Christmas tree. [Ps 8:3] Planet earth hangs in space and yet has a firm foundation. Australia is at the bottom of the earth and is surrounded by water.  Yet, the water is held in place and not spilled out like water in an upside down bucket. The hem or edge of His garment filled the temple in Isaiah's vision. [Is 6:1]

This is the God who relates to us. He knows us by name. The very hairs on our head are numbered. [Matt 10:30] His thoughts toward us are more numerous than the grains of sands. [Ps 139:17-18]

I had my devotion agenda this morning but God had something totally else in mind. He stopped me in my tracks to remind me He is bigger than I can conceive, greater than I can imagine, stronger than I can fathom, and wiser than I can comprehend. How could I not worship.

Honestly, God awed me this morning. He stopped me in my tracks reminding me who He is in comparison to who I am. John the Baptist had it right when he said, "He must increase and I must decrease." [John 3:30] I pray God will stop me  in my tracks more often. I pray He will do that for all of us in a morning devotion, in a worship service, in a group Bible study, on a walk in a park, on a beach, through the woods, or in a vehicle driving somewhere.

We live so fast paced we seldom really take the time to prayerfully meditate on scripture. When we do God speaks. Those encounters can be very profound. We all need more God encounters. Not religious devotions where we mindlessly go through the motions. We need ravenous souls for more of God and more revelation of Him through His word. We need to linger longer in His presence halting the daily agenda for sweet refreshing of our souls.

Just a few months ago I was in the darkest most depressed state of my life. As of late God has never seemed more real, His word more alive, and our encounters more dynamic. Pray through the scriptures and look for those divine moments when God stops you in your tracks.

Dreams 10 And 11

Dream 10 - 10-29-14

I'm in Kermit teaching a Bible study. The house we have gathered in is packed crowded with people. There is a line outside the house of people wanting to get in but there is no room. 

I lead the people to the Bealls building. The doors are locked with chains. When we get there the chains fall off and we go inside to worship. 

Dream 11 - 10-30-14

There are a small group of people praying inside the Bealls building. The skies are ominous and stormy. A beam of light comes down from Heaven into the building. 

In the skies there are two massive armies lining up facing one another. One is an angelic army. The other is a demonic army. Though they do not fight I get the sense a great battle is about to take place. These two armies are about to go to war.

Lord, Stamp Eternity On Our Hearts

Paul urges us to set our minds on things above and not on the things of earth. [COL 3:1-2] We need God to stamp eternity on our hearts. Day in and day out we need to live for the eternal and not waste our days flittering about with the temporal. We need to live in light of eternity. What a challenge. Do we truly live like we still stand before a Righteous and a Holy God. The lost will stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment. Believers will stand before Him to give account for the lives we lived and the fruit we bore.

That reality should never be far from our minds. We should live daily reminded that eternity matters. Holiness matters. Sinful choices matter. Giving matters. Serving matters. Truth matters. Evangelism matters. Prayer matters. Scripture meditation and memorization matters.

We are so easily amused with lesser things when God offers the best. We are satisfied with lesser blessings. We are satisfied far too easily with the temporal when God offers the eternal.

What things do we truly care about? Do we care about the morale condition of our nation? Do we care about the impending judgment from God that is inevitable? Do we really care about the lost plight of the masses? Do we care about the pagans in Muslim nations who war to stamp out Christianity? Do we really have any interest in following Jesus wherever He leads? Do we care about the condition of our own souls? Are we concerned about the condition of our churches and or communities? GOD PLEASE MOVE US TO CARE. LORD PLEASE STIR OUR AFFECTIONS AND PASSIONS FOR THE THINGS OF ETERNITY.

O GOD STAMP ETERNITY ON OUR HEARTS. HELP US SET OUR MINDS, OUR HEARTS, AND OUR AFFECTIONS ON YOU AND THE THINGS ABOVE. PLEASE HELP US BE CONCERNED WITH THE THINGS THAT MATTER IN ETERNITY. PLEASE HELP US TO HAVE ETERNITY STAMPED ON OUR MINDS AND HEARTS.

We Gathered In A Racquetball Court

There were ten of us all together. There were eight Kermites. Five women and three men. Dale and I rounded out the number of men to five. We only had an hour to use the space. We began with prayer. That is always a great place to start. We did have a formal dry prayer meeting. We really interceded for Kermit. There were a few tears. There is a great spiritual hunger among thees folks. They hunger for God in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I then broke open the word of God focusing on Matt 4:18-21, Matt 9:9, and Matt 16:24. When Jesus called people to follow Him in those passages He did not spell out all the details. He just said, "Follow Me." It is not important at this point that we have a plan for Kermit. All we have to do is to keep following. All we have to do is to keep seeking, trusting, waiting, and obeying Him. Jesus will reveal the next steps in His timing. Our role is to seek, wait, trust and obey.

Theere was hunger in that room for God's word. Even though my words echoed off the walls the Holy Spirit moved in our midst. I did not teach more than fifteen minutes because of our time constraints but I saw hunger for God. People sat on the edge of their seat. They listened intently lapping up truth like a deer panting for water. They did not come for the words of a man. They came for a word from the Lord.

Before we knew it the evening was over. Our time to together to pray and feast on God's word ended way too prematurely. We enjoyed the meeting even though we met in a racquetball court  People commented on how fast the time flew by. We discussed if we will meet next week and where such a meeting might take place. I reminded them that God already knows where we need to meet and all we have to do is ask Him and trust Him to reveal it.

Dale and I capped off our evening with a prayer meeting back at Mike and Julie Carter's house. O how we prayed. We pleaded for Kermit. We pleaded for eternity to be stamped on our hearts. We committed to follow God's leadership. We prayed in tears. What a glorious way to end our day.

We now leave the results up to God and I trust I will make this trip again next week. May God be glorified and His kingdom expanded in Kermit and beyond.

Kermit Prayer Meeting

In four hours I will gather with a small group of people in Kermit to open the word and to pray together. Our only agenda tonight is to seek the Lord. and His heart for Kermit.  One of my prayers continues to be." Lord what are You doing in Kermit and what do You want to do in Kermit. Lord, please show me what You are doing and give us the courage to join You."

We meet at the Rec Center in Kermit at 7:15

The Value Of Quiet Time With God

Abram woke up one day and his time with the Lord took on a different note. I am sure Abram communed with the Lord most days. I am also confident Abram heard the Lord speak to Him numerous times before. 

This day was different. What God had on His mind to reveal to Abram would change everything. Abram's life and family. The future of a chosen nation. The course of history. All of it began in a time with the Lord. 

Do you treasure your times with the Lord? Do you guard over them jealousy? Are you in the habit of keeping an appointment with God? Do you walk slowly through His word expecting God to speak to you? 

What did God have on His mind in [Gen 12:1-3]? Leave and go. There were no more details. Leave your country and your family. Go to the land I will show you. How would we have responded? I suspect the majority of us would have asked the Lord for more details and contented ourselves to wait until those details were clarified. 

We want a plan. A road map. We want God to act as our GPS. He does. He just does not always show us every detai on the front end and the end outcome. He calls us to walk with Him daily to receive further instructions. We would rather have a formula or program to map out the route. God would rather commune with us daily giving us guidance along the way. 

May we choose the path of communion with God daily. May we hunger to spend more time alone in His presence. May our hearts and minds be attuned like Abram so we are able to hear from the Lord clearly. May He give us the faith and courage to obey and follow through on what He calls us to do.

God Has Sent Prophets

The Lord sent all His servants the prophets to you time and time again, but you have not obeyed or even paid attention He announced "Turn, each of you, from your evil way of life and from your evil deeds. Live in the land the Lord gave you and your ancestors forever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands." [Jer 25:4-6]

Over the years God sent prophets to Israel. He sent Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Amos and the list could go on. Over and over these prophets warned Israel to turn from their evil ways and idolatry back to God or they would suffer. Many times they did not listen and God did send judgment in the form of the Phillistines, Babylon, and eventually Rome.

America is no different. God has sentHis messengers here. In the 1700's it was George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards. Later D.L. Moody took up the charge. Charles Finney preached many revivals and called people to repentance and faith in Christ. There was Billy Sunday, Mordecai Ham, and Billy Graham. Leonard Ravenhill preached a message of repentance. God even raised singers like Keith Green, Steve Camp, Rich Mullins, Chris Tomlin, and Matt Redman to sing songs calling people back to God.

By and large America has not listened. America has not paid attention to God's call to return to Him. They did not listen after Peral Harbor or even after 9/11. There were revivals in those days but mainly revivals in patriotism. There were not revivals of turning from evil ways and humbling submitting to God's authority. People contented themselves to buy American flags and to wear American tee-shirts. We sang patriotic songs but we did not humble ourselves in God's presence. We did not repent of sin as a nation. We did not pray and seek His face.

Some who reject God even had the audacity to blame Him for those tragedies when they supported kicking God, the Bible, and prayer out of our court rooms and schools.

The tsunami of judgment against sin rises and gathers momentum. We may not see it coming right now but that does not the alter the fact that God will judge America. His word declares there is a day of reckoning. He will not be mocked. We will reap what we have sown as a nation. [Gal 6:7-9]

Some say it has already begun. Look around you. Watch the evening news. Ebola. ISIS. AL QUADA. Droughts, Floods, Earthquakes.

How long will God be ignored after He has sent His messengers over and over again. How long will God remain patient with a nation so blessed and yet so arrogant, so wicked, and so deaf to His message calling for repentance and the salvation of souls. How long will God remain silent when His truth is no longer the only thing proclaimed in pulpits. How long will God delay His anger when the prayer meetings of churches are on the endangered species list.

One day God will declare enough. With one swift stroke of His hand this nation will be staggered. On that day people will be terrified. Churches will once again be filled. People will desperately look for answers. While souls will be saved in that time it might be too late to save the "Home of the brave and the land of the free," the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

On that terrible day our President will not be able to save us or negotiate a deal. Our military will be powerless to stop the hand of God. Our experts will have no answers. On that day the voices of the prophets will be resounding in the ears of this nation as we are reminded of God's warning and call to repentance.

It is not too late. O America, turn back to God. Preachers, quit preaching for popularity and proclaim God's warning. Christian cry out to God on behalf of your family, church, and community.  Do these things before it is too late. God's judgment builds held back only by the dam of his hands. One day He will release His righteous indignation against this nation He blessed so mightily like a flood. Once the dam is opened the devastation will ensue. I do not want to live to see that horrible day. I would rather bow in worship and repentance now voluntarily. One day He will force every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord. Pay attention America. WAKE UP BEORE IT IS TOO LATE AMERICA.

Two More Dreams

I have added two more dreams I had this seek to the post "All The Kermit Dreams."

The Hammer Of God's Word

I sat at my desk early this morning like most for prayer and scripture reading. I am currently reading through the book of Jeremiah. God shattered my heart with His truth. Verse after verse brought wave after wave of new revelation and fresh conviction. 

Eventually God moved me to tears of repentance especially over these verses. 

Jeremiah 23:21-24 (CEB)
21 I didn't send the prophets, yet they ran anyway. I didn't speak to them, yet they prophesied anyway.
22 If they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people; they would have turned them from their evil ways and deeds.
23 The LORD declares, Am I a God who is only nearby and not far off?
24 Can people hide themselves in secret places so I might not see them? Don't I fill heaven and earth? 

In brokenness I saw how many times I've stood in the pulpit to preach and yet had not set in the council of the Lord to hear a fresh word from Him. I contented myself on preaching through books of the Bible and just studying the text. I did not wrestle with God to illuminate the scripture for me. My heart grieved for the number of times I stood up to preach only half truth because I've not received a fuller revelation of truth by sitting in God's council. 

I did my word studies. I did exegetical and hermeneutical work to faithfully expound the text. I did not always sit before the Lord as long as it took for Him to open the text and for Him to inspire my heart with a message. I did not always let the truth burn in my soul and move me first. 

I have preached and taught truth for decades. Thousands of times I have preached or taught. I patted myself on the back for faithfully expounding the word of God but that was not enough. There have been other times when truth burned in my heart like molten lava ready to erupt from a volcano. Those have been the times when I sat in God's council and His word ministered to my heart first. He revealed the truth. He birthed a message from Him for his people and not a sermon in those times. I am shamed that I would ever stand in the pulpit without having sufficiently sat in God's council to hear from Him clearly. 

I do not ever want to preach or teach any message again God has not first preached or taught to me as I sit in His council. I want to proclaim God's word with fresh anointing every time. I want to declare the whole counsel of God's word even when it is a hard word calling people to repentance. 

I am shamed that my too often casual approach to preaching could have furthered people down the path of rebellion and waywardness from the Lord. If I would have sat in God's council longer He would have revealed more truth to me and I would have preached with greater anointing. God would convicted people of their sinful ways and their sinful deeds. Shame on me for my sin. 

Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? [Jer 23:29] That is exactly what God did with the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah to my heart this morning. He burned my heart and shattered it like a rock being pounded by a hammer. 

I saw a mental picture of myself standing to peach with the foulness and vileness of raw sewage hanging off me visible only to God. Maybe the people did not see it or even detect it in the preaching. I guarantee the ones who truly walk with God did. God saw it and sees it. it moved me to a brokenness I have not experienced in a long time. My prayers today were prayers of repentance. 

How often have I stood before God and stood before the people having not sat in God's council until He spoke His words to me. Far too often I've not had a fresh word from the Lord to announce to His people. God's word obliterated my heart this morning. 

I thank God for the blessing of a shattered heart and for the blessing of His word that burns away the dross and hammers to shatter rock hard hearts like mine. 

O the horror of not sitting under God's words. We need that in our private times. Yet so many are so busy they never make time to sit in God's council to hear from Him. Many who do make time for scripture reading are in such a hurry. They are in such a hurry to get on with the rest of their day they do not linger with the Lord. They do not let the truth of God's word sink in, to burn away the dross of our lives or shatter our heart into repentance. We convince ourselves we do not have the time. We convince ourselves our shorty pithy devotion readings are enough. 

We live as if we can hide the secret chambers of our hearts and lives from Him. We act as if God is far away. He is near. He sees everything. He saw every single time I rushed through the process of message preparation and entered the pulpit with a sermon but not a message from the Lord. God saw the truth of each time I went in the pulpit with organized thoughts but I did not really have anything fresh from Him to say. 

God sees the truth of your lives. He knows whether the songs from our lips in praise match the reality of our hearts in true worship. He knows whether the outward appearance of righteous living matches the inner character and passion of our lives. 

PRAISE GOD FOR THE FIRE AND HAMMER OF HIS WORD. Praise God for leading me by the hand through the book of Jeremiah. Praise God for His conviction, His burning away, and for His shattering my heart like a rock. 

Don't we all need that? Don't we all need more than stale sermons. Don't we all need to hear fresh words from God that move us closer to His heart? Don't we all need time alone in the council of the Lord and His word to be renewed and transformed day by day. 

If you are stale in your devotions and only dutifully going through the motions I beg you to slow down and sit in God's council meditating on His truth. If you never do that repent and begin immediately. Let His word accomplish every purpose in your life He intends. 

Preachers. to the pit of hell with more sermonizing. Get alone with God and as you study the text and sit in His council until He opens the passage and gives illumination. Let Him reveal deeper truth in your heart and mind than you could ever discover on your own. Let God reveal truth He first preaches to you before you ever declare it to others. Even if that truth shatters your heart like a hammer pounding a rock.

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All The Kermit Dreams and Scriptures: (Updated More Dreams 11-04-14)

God startled and interrupted my life on September 22, 2014. On that morning after a season of prayer I had a dream. The dream was vivid and proved to be the first of twelve dreams all with a common theme. KERMIT, TX.

I had another one this morning. Again it was very vivid and the message seems very clear.

So I did something today I rarely ever do. I went back through my journal and began reading all the dreams again and reading different scriptures the Lord has used in my life over the past month. It is hard to believe all of what I am about to write here has happened in the span of the last 30 days.

9-22-14 Dream 1

I see an elderly man in a brown hooded cloak sitting in the corner of my dining room. I know he is a prophet though he does not say a word. He gets up and goes to my office while I follow. In my office the prophet motions for me to kneel down. He lays hands on me and it feels like electricity running through my body. The prophet disappears. I get up to sit at my desk and there is a map of the state of Texas. Two towns are highlighted with bolder and larger print than all the other towns. SPRINGTOWN. KERMIT.

This immediately got my attention because a lady named Joan Adams, who lives in Seminole, TX, asked me to join her in praying for Kermit well over a year ago. I did for as season and the burden lifted. I had not thought of Kermit again until that dream. I called Joan and told her about the dream. I posted it on Facebook and my blog. IT BLEW UP with over 500 hits on my blog.

Next, I was contacted by a lady from Kermit. She read the blog, tracked down my phone number, and took the initiative to call me. On the same day a man from Faith Community Church was out walking at the school track in Bridgeport, TX. He ran into another gentleman. The man from our church told this stranger about my dream. Turns out the stranger was born and raised in Kermit. This was not coincidence.

9-24-14 Dream 2

I am preaching using a megaphone. The words become fire out of the end of the megaphone. Dozens of people are at the altar weeping in repentance. Suddenly I see a green city limit sign that reads, "Kermit." Then I hear the words, "Go to Kermit and come to Kermit." 


For a year previous to either of these dreams [Is 6:8] and [Acts 16:9] had come up in my life over and over again. It seemed that God wanted to send me somewhere but I felt I was the man from Macedonia praying God would send the small church I pastor help. After these two initial dreams I began asking if the Lord and something totally different in mind. Maybe I am one people have been praying God would send to help them in some capacity.

9-28-14 Dream 3

I see an old abandoned building on a busy street with plate glass windows and doors. It is dark and musty inside. I see a pillar of fire coming from the ceiling to the floor behind a pulpit. There is a small group of people praying off to the side and they seem unaware I'm even there. I stand behind the pulpit in the midst of the fire. The scene changes. Suddenly there are people at the altar on their faces broken. There are people seated in chairs filling up the building. I step down and begin praying over them. My shirt is soaked with perspiration and I am exhausted. God's fire is spreading among the people. Then I hear this message, "Go to Kermit. Deliver My people from the bondage of religion and tradition. Do not delay." 

After this dream I am reminded of and drawn to two passages of scripture. [Matt 9:36-38] But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His Harvest.

The other passage of scripture is found in [Ex 3:1-14] Several key phrases jumped out in this passage.  " I have surely seen the oppression of My people." "Come now... I will send you." "I will be with you."

Two days later I had my fourth dream related to Kermit.

9-30-14 Dream 4

There is a trail of fire burning down the highway ending in Kermit, TX. I follow and end up at a park sitting at a picnic table praying Suddenly the wind picks up and the tree branches begin to sway and swirl around me. I run for refuge in the building on the busy street with the plate glass windows and the people praying inside I saw in my other dream. 

There is still a pillar of fire up front and I go near it where it is coming down behind a pulpit. I get on my face to pray. The building is empty when I begin praying. When I get back up the building is filled with people seated in chairs. 

After this fourth dream I actually made a trip to Kermit with a friend of mine. I actually saw the picnic table I had seen in my dreams with the trees nearby. We sat down there and prayed about what all of this means. We drove down town and I got out and walked down main street looking at vacant buildings. It was not until we were driving later that I saw a building near a store called Alco. I asked my friend to turn around. We got out and looked inside this vacant retail space with plate glass windows in front and a glass doors. I told my friend that was the building. It was the building I had seen in my dreams. In my dreams there was the addition of a stage up front and a pulpit. I have since learned this building used to be the Bealls department store.

On this trip we met with the first lady who contacted me. Her husband was detained at work and we did not get to meet him. We shared our hearts and I told her at the time my burden seemed more for holding a lengthy revival in town while hers included the start of a new church.

I returned home feeling like I still had more questions than answers. It was at this time I received an email from a different lady in Kermit. She read one of my blogs about Kermit given to her by a friend. She emailed me about the spiritual condition there and asked me to come. We have been in communication since then about what all of this might mean.

10-9-14 Dream 5

I am standing on a large rock preaching. Water starts gushing out of the rock. Wherever the water flows things come to life. The grass turns green and the flowers bloom. Then I hear this message, "Go to Kermit and spread life."

Between dream five and six I read through Isaiah for my devotions. Several scriptures grabbed me. [Is 30:21] [Is 42:6-9] [Is 43:18-19] [Is 45:2] [Is 46:4] [Is 48:6] [Is 62:6-7] Several of the scriptures grab me and the message seems clear that God is up to something new.

10-16-14 Dream 6

I walk out in the garage and see head lights shining on my driveway as someone pulls up. A white van pulls up with the letters on the side, "Kermit Yellow Jackets." Several men and women get out of the van. They come sit at my dining table and say, "Come to Kermit." Several are weeping and their tears splash on my table. 

Next, I see the trail of fire again going down the highway ending at the city of Kermit. Overhead I see clouds brewing only over the building I have seen in my dreams. The rest of the sky is clear. Then I see a message written out saying, "Come to Kermit without delay." 

10-21-14 Dream 7

I'm in a living room teaching a Bible study. The room is dark and I am teaching by candlelight. Out of the Bible beams of light shoot toward the people in attendance. When the beams hit them some begin to weep while others experience unbridled joy. 

The scene changes. I'm outside the building I have seen repeatedly in my dreams. There are chains and locks on the glass doors of the building. Suddenly the chains fall off the doors and I step inside the building. There is a small group of praying. I ask God what they are praying for. The Lord says, "They are praying for you to come. Go to Kermit without delay."

10-22-14 Dream 8

I see myself driving down the road in a four door golden Honda Accord. I end up at a zoo with the word "Kermit" written over the archway. When I go inside I am surprised to discover people locked up in cages in shackles and not animals. Their eyes are sad and they look defeated. 

I reach in my pocket and finger a key, a golden key. I take the key and hurriedly begin opening the cage doors and unshackling the people. I hurry them out of their cages. As I get to the last group a large lion appears and begins chasing us. He paws at us just as we shut and lock the door behind us. 

The whole group of us end up at a gate leading to a large house. When we get inside the house it is completely dark. I open my Bible and suddenly the room is brilliantly illuminated and the countenance of the people changes. The light is coming from the Bible. We are all moved to prayer. Our prayers become like plows turning over the hard dirt. As we pray we also weep and our tears soften the soil."

10-24-14 Dream 9

We are in a hayfield with a lot of people loading square bales on trailers. The skies turn ominously dark with a storm coming. We hurry to load the rest of the hay and head for the barn. We get the hay in the barn as the storm hits. 

A rattle snake comes out between some bales of hay and strikes at me. I have a Bible in my hand that turns into a sword. I use the sword to cut off the head the snake. Even though the storm is raging around us outside we are safe and content in the barn. 

People are sitting all over the barn on bales of hay. I open the Bible to teach the people. Bright light comes out of the pages of the open Bible twirling toward the rafters in a tornado like motion. The light engulfs the whole barn. 

The scene changes. We are in the old Bealls building singing in worship. The people are celebrating God in song. Some sing. Some shout praises. Some raise their hands. Some clap. The people are filled with joy. Then someone walks up on the stage and lays an open Bible on the pulpit.  There is no preacher just the open Bible. 

Instantly the people get quiet. People sit in reverence and silence. Nobody preaches a sermon but God's presence is in the room. God moves and touches the people though no sermon is ever preached.

Dream 10 - 10-29-14

I'm in Kermit teaching a Bible study. The house we have gathered in is packed crowded with people. There is a line outside the house of people wanting to get in but there is no room. 

I lead the people to the Bealls building. The doors are locked with chains. When we get there the chains fall off and we go inside to worship. 

Dream 11 - 10-30-14

There are a small group of people praying inside the Bealls building. The skies are ominous and stormy. A beam of light comes down from Heaven into the building. 

In the skies there are two massive armies lining up facing one another. One is an angelic army. The other is a demonic army. Though they do not fight I get the sense a great battle is about to take place. These two armies are about to go to war.

Dream 12 - 11-04-14

There are a group of people praying in a home. They weep as they pray. It is pitch dark outside the home. Their tears turn into a flood going out the door and sweeping through the streets like a tsunami. The flood sweeps everyone and everything to the Bealls building. It is pitch dark all over town except inside that building where light shines brightly. As people go inside they are engulfed in the glory of God. Their dirty, torn, and tattered clothes are exchanged for robes of righteousness. All these people worship with unbridled joy. 

Then I see a message that reads, "Kermit Revival." 

When I have told some people about these dreams they tell me they are demonic. Everything I have dreamed and what I have been reading in scripture seem to all line up like pieces to a puzzle. I do not know what it all means. I know God has Kermit on His heart and has chosen to put that on my heart as well. I know I am supposed to go to Kermit at some point to do something. It seems like teaching in a home is the initial ministry avenue.

If you happen to read this and live in Kermit I long to hear from  you. Are you part of a group praying for God to send help? Could it be that God has seen your sorrow and heard your prayers and somehow connected me six hours away? I do not know one person in Kermit. I have met one person. I talked to a pastor there on the phone about the possibility of a revival in the future and received an email from another pastor there. I have been in regular communication with a fourth lady through email for the past month. If you live in Kermit and have another piece of this puzzle you can contact me at the email address at the end of this blog. I cannot wait to see how God puts the whole puzzle together.