Beyond Words...

That is God, He is truly beyond words, I mean seriously have you ever just sat down and tried to think about how awesome He is? It will blow your mind, you can't even think thoughts high enough, or holy enough, or majestic enough, or just enough, or righteous enough, or glorious enough to imagine how good God is!! That is why He said in the Bible, my thoughts are higher than yours, and my ways are higher than yours!! God is, simply put, beyond words!!

I saw this first hand last night, we were invited to preach @ the River of Life church in Ft. Smith by Pastor Phil Redding. It was a youth service and so the focus was on the young people, and if there is one thing I know about young people these days, it's that they are dealing with hurts, pains, and pressures that would make most adults go out of their minds! So we talked to them last night about the fact that they will have hurts to deal with in their lives. Things out of their control and mistakes they make, things in their control. We told them that they have to be humbled before God, so he can mold them into the vessel of honor he has intended for us to be. We told them sometimes it will seem like their lives are spinning out of control, but rest assured that God is in control!!! As we gave the altar call and the young people came to the altar and began to pray, it was amazing to see them seek the face of God!!

So, what does this have to do with God being beyond words? As I talked with the Assistant Pastor and he began to share some of the things some of the young people were going through, I knew that God had given us that message for those specific young people!! God is so amazing, he knows what each and everyone one of us need! He knew those young people needed to hear that the hurts were not their fault, that God is in control and he has a plan for their life!! And God knew that I needed to see that God knows what He is doing and that even when we feel unworthy he can use a willing vessel!

God Bless,
Nathan

Life Church

We are going to have a great weekend at our church, Life Church, and if you live anywhere near Bentonville, come be in service with us. Tonight @ 7 and Sunday @ 10 am. We will be dedicating our new building to God, that he would bless the location, fill it with His presence and anointing and that it would be used as a soul-saving station.

I love the idea of dedications, it shows that whether you are dedicating a building, a child, or your life to God, that you want it to have a purpose. So do that today "rededicate" your life to God today and when you do be specific about what you are committing your life to God for, what purpose you would like Him to carry out. Aim at nothing and you are guaranteed to hit it, aim at the stars and you are more than likely at least going to hit the clouds!

God Bless,
Nathan

The One Thing...

Heard a great message last Saturday night about the one thing, been thinking alot about that here lately. It seems to be something that God is wanting me to learn, because our church is going through John Bevere's heart ablaze and just today as I was looking through the books on my shelf I picked up God Chasers by Tommy Tenney. To be successful in anything we have got to realize the only thing that matters is that we go after God with all that is within us.

The scripture says, Psalm 42:1 - As the hart(deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. (emphasis added) You notice how it says my soul panteth after? It means, that deer was seeking for the water, so we should be seeking for the living water, the way, the truth, and the life....Jesus Christ!!! Another scripture says this, Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and the he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
(emphasis added) Notice again the key factor there that he rewards them that diligently seek him!!! You wanna know what that reward is???

The Bible tells us in James 4:8 - Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you...That is the reward, when you seek after God he rewards you by meeting you!! I pray that God places an insatiable hunger inside of you to truly know him and to be near him!!

God Bless,
Nathan

Where are all the Fathers?

This question has been rolling over in my head for the past few days and I know it is an issue that has been around for a long time and many people have written about and spoke about it, but I want to look at it from a different perspective.



Awhile back I was reading in 1 Samuel 7:1 - And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.

I love this passage of scripture, because to me it shows the importance of the ark of the Lord, which symbolizes the presence of God, to 2 different generations. You see the presence of God would have not meant a thing to Eleazar had his Father not taught him the importance of sanctification as it relates to the presence of God. Understand that in the Old Testament times that God would not allow the ark to be placed in a "common" or normal place, the ark had to be placed somewhere that was set apart for the purpose of housing the presence of God, somewhere that was sanctified. The same is true today, God will not pour out his shekinah glory in just anyone, he wants someone that is sanctified, someone that has set themselves apart for the purpose of serving God!

If we expect a revival in our country we must become sanctified, set apart!! It has to start with the Fathers, the spiritual head of the house, we must first sanctify ourselves and teach the next generation the importance of sanctification...it is the only way we will experience God's presence!!

Where are all the Fathers??

God Bless,
Nathan

Is the hokey-pokey really what it's all about?

As silly as this question may sound, there are people that approach their lives as though all it's all about is the hokey-poky. They approach their lives as if the things that are eternally insignificant are important and the things that are eternally significant are not important. We get caught up in religious traditions and routines and forget the first commandment that Jesus gave us which is this, Mark 12:30 - And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

There was no part of us that was left out in that commandment, we are to love God with all that is within us!! When we do that we will realize that loving God is what it's really all about and NOT the hokey-poky!

Are you loving God with your everything?

God Bless,
Nathan

All that really matters...

Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in little things, that you forgot to take a step back and look at the big picture? I think we all have, we get so busy with "things" that really don't matter that we forget the one thing that is most important and that is our relationship with Jesus Christ!

It reminds me of the story in the Bible where Jesus goes to visit Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Martha gets so caught up working for Christ that she forgets to stop and tell Him how much she loves him, there is no doubt in my mind that Martha loved Christ. The very reason Martha was working so tirelessly was because of her love for Christ. So, don't stop working for Christ, but remember as Mary did, Luke 10:42 - But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

The Bible also says this, 1 Corinthians 13:3 - And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Basically what the Word is getting at here is that being in love with God is THE most important part of our lives.

How is your love relationship with God?

God Bless,
Nathan

The story of David...

I have been reading the story of David alot here lately, and it is amazing how you can hear and read a story in the Bible many times in your life and then God begins to lead you into a specific book or story in the Bible. It's amazing how much God has been revealing to me in this story, studying your Bible is so much better when you are led by the Spirit!!

One of the things that stood out to me last night, when David had the opportunity to take Saul's life and he cut his robe, the scripture said that pretty much immediately David's heart smote him...he knew as soon as he cut that section of Saul's robe, that he did not want to go down that path!! When Saul left the cave David followed him out, bowed to the ground on his knees, buried his face in the ground and let Saul know that he would not take his life....WOW!!

Can you imagine what would happen in the church if we could get some young leaders that would respect God's anointed, even when God's anointed is out to kill them? I think revival would break out in the church, we would begin to see some pastors, associate pastors, youth pastors, children's pastors, etc. begin to lay down their pride and sacrifice their selfish ambitions and be crucified with Christ....that is after all what we need. 2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.

God Bless,
Nathan

Where is God moving?

Too many times we find ourselves planning for an event, fundraising, and implementing new programs and then when the time comes to see the results of our labor and we don't see the results that we had hoped for or we fail completely we wonder, what happened?

Here is what we need to focus on, our relationship with God, when we fall in love with God and get closer and closer to him then we will get closer to Him and in turn he will reveal to us what He is doing, it is then up to us to move into what God is doing!!

God Bless,
Nathan

The most read blog...

Blog patrol gives us the ability to track how many people are looking at the blog everyday, as well as some other cool features like, it tells us how people found the blog, their exact words they typed in the search, what time they were there, and alot of other stuff...it's really awesome!

I have noticed that the most read blog is one I wrote last year about how everyone is looking for something to fill the void in their life, but what they don't realize, is it's a God-size void and there is nothing else that can fill the void but Christ...so since it seems to get the most hits and I am sure there are many of you that have not read it, I am posting a link to it in this blog...I hope that you enjoy and if you are searching, I hope that you find Christ!!

http://withoutdilution.blogspot.com/2008/04/filling-void-inside.html


God Bless,
Nathan

Leaving a Legacy

Heard a great message last night about training up our children in the way they should go and it got me to thinking about the fact that for so long we have been taught and have been teaching the next generation our traditions and methods and have forgotten that the most important thing to teach them is the "message" not our "methods." The last generations methods of winning people for Christ and even having church will not work for this generation and neither will the methods that reach this generation the one after it!!

Leave a legacy of faith and not one of tradition, leave them a love for God and not religious routines!!

God Bless,
Nathan

What is most difficult...

About going against the grain, breaking the mold, swimming upstream, standing up for what is right when everyone else around you is bowing down to what is wrong?

YOU tell me, what is the hardest thing about "breaking the mold"?

Break The Mold 5

I have had the great privilege and honor of sitting in on, today and tomorrow, training for a great non-profit organization operating here in NWA...It has been mission confirming, God has been using this training to affirm inside of me the vision and burden that God has laid upon our hearts!! I have been coming to a complete understanding of the message that God gave us to give to the young people that were there at the student conference this year...if you were unable to be there and would like to experience this life-changing event, send me an e-mail and let me know, we are going to be putting a DVD out of this years conference and I know that you will enjoy it and through it your life will be changed through the Power of God's Holy Spirit!!

It is so true that you teenagers/students/young people, whatever you want to be called, are being put into a mold, and here is the BIG news, you don't want to be and know it, but don't know how to break it...that's why God has placed this burden on our hearts!!!

Know that you CAN be what God has intended for you to be, you can BREAK THE MOLD!!!

God Bless,
Nathan