The Longing of the Holy Spirit

“Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” Psalm 42:7

Let's be honest. The Spirit of God doesn't need a thing from us. But, He longs for fellowship from us. By fellowship, I'm not talking about a contrived, calculated, timed performance. The heart of the Spirit of God is longing for the depths of His heart to connect with the depths of your heart. Jesus referred to the work of the Holy Spirit in connecting with this area of your heart. Remember that in John 7 Jesus said that out of your belly, your innermost parts, would flow rivers of living water (the Holy Spirit).

Let's connect. Let's pull away from the masses so that we can have that time of intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Selah!

A Family Reunion

A few years ago, my family attended a large denominational conference. While walking through exhibit areas and auditoriums, I was constantly stopped by friends. It seemed as though I could only take a few steps without being stopped for a brief reunion with a friend. One of my sons later commented that he thought that I knew everyone in the conference.

While that is a pretty big exaggeration, I have made a point in my life to invest in relationships. For example, this week in our Ignite the Supernatural Regional Conference, Vickie and I had the privilege of having a family reunion. Almost 100% of these individuals were "family" members that I've never met before. You see, these "family" members are related to us because of Christ's blood. The connection was immediate. I loved sitting around the meal tables getting to meet and begin to know my family members. It was worth the trip to Minnesota to talk to them in the church foyer or after a workshop. While there is a great possibility that I will never see them again, the investment of my time and energies to connect with these individuals greatly impacted my life.

Do yourself a favor. Get to know your family. Invest your time in getting to know those in your area that have the same passion that you do for reaching children. Invest your time in going to conferences that have fellow children's ministry workers who like you are fulfilling their assignment to change this generation. You'll be a better person for the investment!

Monday Extra!

I recently came across a website that explains creation in such a beautiful, simple way. The artwork is outstanding, the teaching is biblically sound and extremely child-friendly. After viewing the sight, I know that you will want to pass this information on to the children in your ministries!

http://spiritsbreath.org/creationbook/creation00.htm

Please do your friends and fellow children's ministry workers/leaders a favor and tell them of this website address.

Let's Raise Up Prayer Giants!

Charlie Gibson and the rest of his national television news coharts are nightly telling of the downward spiral of our nation's economy. Each week in our church staff meetings, the evidence is seen in the ever increasing number of prayer request forms asking for God to provide jobs and income.

In answer to this mounting dilemma, this past weekend, the Spirit of God woke me up early Saturday morning and challenged me to lead our children in this assault against their families. Then, later in the day, He once again reminded me of His directive to have our children to stand in the gap for their parents.

So, in our three weekend services this past weekend, I reiterated what the children are already hearing on the news about the job situations. Then, I personalized the national news by asking if there were any children whose dads or moms have lost their jobs. Many hands went up in each service. I then briefly shared a prayer principle and led the children in prayer for their parents. We ended this portion of the service by telling them what we expect to happen ... parents getting the right job with the right hours with the right salary and benefits SOON!

I plan on making this a continual part of our services. These are teachable, trainable moments. These are times to DEMONSTRATE how prayer works and allow the children to SEE what God will do.

I challenge you to join in with me. Each week, I will add a 3 or 4 minute teaching about prayer. One week, I will teach that Jesus promised, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name I will give it." What a great time to show the importance and power of praying in Jesus' name. Another week, I will teach from Matthew 18 about the importance and power found in the prayer of agreement. Another week, I will teach that prayer has no age limits. After the teaching, we will pray and then ask for testimonies.

Here are some suggestions:
1. If you are in a small group setting, journal the requests.
2. Train your children to pray. Demonstrate as you pray for one need and then back off and let the children take over.
3. Pray boldly with confidence. Your boldness will be contagious.
4. Demonstrate expectation. Dare to believe that your prayers are causing change in families’ economic situation.
5. Finally, hold on until you get what you desire. Like Jacob of old when he wrestled with the messenger of the Lord, don't let go until you get what you so desperately need!

The Supernatural is Waiting on You!

Have you ever considered that it is impossible to walk on the water while still remaining inside of the boat?

Many have the talk for having children flow with the Holy Spirit, but few have the courage to take bold steps of faith to see it come about. Many have the Pentecostal/Charismatic lingo down with the clichés and spiritualese. But few have dared to do whatever it takes to see the lingo become more than mere words.

Let's be bold enough to do whatever it takes to see this be the generation that fulfills Joel's prophecy. Let's not just have a few songs in our services. Instead let's be intense in our passion to worship Him. Let's not just pray a obligatory prayer as we pray for the sick. Instead, let's be bold as we lay hands on the sick knowing that the prayer of faith shall save the sick. Let's expect them to be healed. Let's not just talk about the importance of praying in our heavenly prayer language. Instead, let's make praying in other tongues a part of our services. It's NOT weird to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It's NOT strange to have a prayer language. The boys and girls will never be convinced that it is okay to pray in their heavenly prayer language until they see you demonstrate this in each and every service. Let's not just talk about being led by the Holy Spirit. Instead, let's study and prepare for our ministry time and STILL be sensitive to His urgings and promptings. Let's demonstrate following that inward voice.

Come on. Step out of the boat with me. Dare to step onto the water knowing that He told you to come. All that it takes is a command (He's already provided the command) and then obedience. In other words, the next step is ours to make. The supernatural move of God is waiting on Y-O-U!

Keeping Things in Perspective

What a weekend. I stood in awe as I watched our children going after God in our three services. Many of the children had hands stretched towards heaven. Others intense desire for God was written across their faces as they worshipped Him. It hasn't always been that way. Each week, more and more children are learning to move into His presence.

Isn't it sad that the enemy often causes us to focus on those who aren't worshipping God? Isn’t it sad that Satan wants your attention constantly drawn to those who cause you to believe that demons can be children possessed?

Consider this ... The sun is 400 times larger than the moon; it is also 400 times farther away. So even though these two celestial bodies are vastly different in size, they appear to be almost exactly the same size from Earth. It is amazing that something so tiny can completely block out something so big (in the event of an eclipse), proving that even the smallest of things can live large.

The reason for this week's blog is to remind you to keep things in perspective. Let's not allow something so small (what we see right now) to become so big that it eclipses something so gigantic (God's plans for our children and children's ministry). What you can see with your physical eyes isn't the complete picture. Don't allow those who haven't begun to flow with God to obstruct your view of those who are God chasers. God is at work.

Remember that this is a journey, not an event. Your vision is not microwavable. Instead, it is crock-potable (is that a word?). Time is always a factor! Keep on keeping the greatness of what God is doing in view. Don't allow something so small (Jaw-Jacking Janet and I-Don't-Care Carl) block your view of something so big (Passionate Perry and Worshipping Wanda). Time will change the view of the eclipse!