Dependent on the Holy Spirit #4 - Brain-Bypassing Prayer

Years ago while speaking at a conference, I jokingly told an audience, "I'm smarter than I look." From the back of the auditorium, I heard a retort, "You'd have to be." (I trust that they too were joking.) Sadly, contrary to what I said in the conference, for more times than not I am not smarter than I look. There are so many areas in life that I honestly am clueless. And, before you start looking for an institution to house me, if you are honest, you will make the same declaration about yourself. We all are so limited in our understanding in so many areas of life.

It is so, so evident that the apostle Paul knew me some 2,000 years ago. Somehow, he must have been able to see that I am not smarter than I look. In Romans 8, he tells about one of my major limitations ... my cluelessness in the arena of prayer. When it comes to communicating to the Father about circumstances and needs, I often have a limited understanding of what is actually going on. There are times when I will just have an unction to pray for someone and not have any details about why I feel that urgency to pray and intercede. At other times, I can have someone to request me to pray about a person or situation and I might be given incorrect information and/or slanted and biased opinions about the request.

Thankfully, Paul provided the answer to this cluelessness. Once again, we discover that the Holy Spirit has been assigned to help us. When we don't know how to pray as we ought (which can be a major portion of the time), we are to pray in our heavenly language thus allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through us. Praying in and through the Spirit allows us to have a brain bypass. Praying in the Spirit bypasses our limited understanding and possible incorrect information by totally keeping our mind out of the process. In praying in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit connects with our spirit and allows us to pray mysteries (Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 14:14) and the perfect will of God concerning that person or situation.

One more time, I come back to the gut-level honesty and admit again that for more times than not I am not smarter than I look. You might want to make the same confession and then join me in declaring our dependency on the Holy Spirit. If we are going to be able to address our weakness and inadequacy (KJV "infirmity") in the area of prayer, we must become more and more dependent upon the Holy Spirit praying through us. Together, let's acknowledge that since He knows the whole scenario and all of the details about what is needed in our times of intercession we will become more dependent upon praying in the Spirit so that He can make effectual intercession through us. A healthy dose of brain-bypassing-prayer just might be what heaven ordered for us to fulfill the will, plan, and purpose of God!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Burns family!
Billy and Vickie
Our 3-year-old grandson Joey is being held by our oldest son Jason.
Our 7-month-old grandson Gavin is being held by Jason's beautiful wife Elisabeth.
Completing the Burns' household are our sons Michael and Aaron.

Vickie and I pray that this is a blessed, Christ-filled Christmas season
and that the upcoming year will be a testimony of the goodness of our God.

Dependent on the Holy Spirit #3 - Heaven's Eyes & Voice

At our recent 2010 national Ignite the Supernatural Conference I needed to rent a vehicle. I find that renting a vehicle is both good and bad. One of the great things about renting a vehicle is that it is a new vehicle with all of the new features and accessories. The bad thing about renting a vehicle is that it is a new vehicle with all of the new features and accessories and after a few days I will have to leave the vehicle behind and return back to my ancient Ford Explorer. Can you relate to this disheartening feeling?

During the conference, I found that one of the features that I really, really loved in the rental vehicle was the screen on the dashboard that enabled me to see what was behind me when I was backing up the vehicle. I loved it so much that it will be on the have-to-have list of features on my next vehicle. In my estimation, having the ability to eliminate one of the major blind spots in driving is must for me.

Long ago, I realized that life is filled with blind spots. Try as I may, I just can't see things from every angle. And, I have learned that what I can't see can hurt me or cause me to hurt others. On other occasions, blind spots can cause me to miss out on opportunities. Thankfully, there is One sent who enables me to see what normally would be unseen. According to John 16:13, the Holy Spirit is assigned to see and announce what we can't see with our physical eyes or sense with our intuition.

In this fourth installment of the Dependent on the Holy Spirit blog series, I'll unashamedly announce again that I am dependent on the Holy Spirit. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. I am helplessly dependent on the Holy Spirit. There have been numerous occasions when His promptings have diverted me from impending danger. At other times, His gentle push has caused me to venture into an area that was totally beyond my comfort level and say words to a total stranger that brought them freedom and encouragement.

Join me right now and acknowledge the fact that you will depend more and more on His guidance and insight. Acknowledge that He sees things that you can't see and then join me in quoting B.B. Hankins, the pastor of my home church in West Columbia, Texas, "I wouldn't cross the street without the Holy Spirit." Thank God for the Holy Spirit.

Dependent on the Holy Spirit #2 - The Greater the Assignment, the Greater the Need for His Power!

It's difficult to believe that this is blog entry number 182. That means that for well over three years, I've been sharing insights on flowing with the Holy Spirit and hopefully helping to challenge and equip children's ministry leaders to raise up a power-packed generation of children. From the last report that I read, this blog is being read in 50 nations. To God be all of the glory.

This week, allow me to share the second reason for my dependency on the Holy Spirit. I can summarize it in just a simple thought ... the greater the assignment, the greater the need for the power to complete the assignment. Quite simply, the assignment given to us far exceeds our ability to fulfill the assignment. Without the supernatural power promised in Acts 1:8, the mission will never be completed.

Thank God for giftings and talents and natural abilities. But, as great as these are, they come with limitations. Thankfully I learned a long time ago that these human abilities are profitable ... up to a limit. I learned that in some things, charisma and personality are great for certain situations. But, when it comes to dealing with principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places, I need something far greater than a winning smile and vivacious, bubbly charm. When I stand in front of a child or an auditorium of children who have been detached from the things of the Spirit and perhaps suffered supernatural onslaughts from the enemy during the past week, I need a power (Acts 1:8 “power” from the Greek word “dunamis” from which we derive our English word “dynamite”) to rise up within me that demolishes and annihilates the power of the wicked one.

Each week, I must remind myself of the magnitude of my assignment. This alone is enough to cause me to drop to my knees and cry out for the Spirit of God to rise up within me. In fact, like last week, you might want to take a minute to join me and begin to announce along with me that "I am dependent on you, Holy Spirit. I need you to give me the power needed to fulfill the plan of God for my life."

Remember ... the greater the assignment, the greater the need for the power to complete the assignment. Let's be helplessly dependent upon His power!

Dependent on the Holy Spirit #1 - Extreme Makeover of My Spirit

I admit it. I'm a hopeless, helpless mess. I am a full time project for the Holy Spirit! Thankfully, I'm smart enough to know that if God is going to have anything productive come from my life, He has to step in and make it happen. I constantly find myself calling upon Him for help. Consequently, it was easy for me to preach a message a couple of weeks ago on the subject "Helplessly Dependent on the Holy Spirit."

This week, I want to briefly share the first way in which the Holy Spirit CONSTANTLY helps me. I am totally dependent on Him to form and structure me so that I am capable of doing what God has ordained for me. According to Jude 20 and 1 Corinthians 14:4, as I pray in the language of the Spirit, there is a edifying going on in the inside of me. The word "edify" comes from the Greek word from which we get our English word "edifice". So, in other words, as I join together with the Holy Spirit and pray in other tongues, there is a building, strengthening, and fortification going on that is needed to form and solidify the structure for my heavenly assignment. The more that I pray in the Spirit, the stronger the human spirit. In all reality, praying in the Spirit gives my spirit an extreme makeover taking a weak, anemic spirit and transforming it into a spiritual superstructure!!!

You might want to take a minute to join me and stand up and begin to announce along with me (yes, this is a support group for the helpless) that "I am dependent on you, Holy Spirit. I need you to build me in my spirit so that I can fulfill the plan of God for my life."

Helplessly Dependent on the Holy Spirit

I love going to church. I really, really do. The whole church thing isn't just a job. I love being with God's people. I love being a part of a service where the Holy Spirit is both seen and heard through the anointed praise and worship and Spirit directed preaching. I love the spontaneity of the Spirit displaying His presence through the manifestation of His gifts. Nothing is more thrilling than seeing people's lives changed around the altars each week. Nope, going to church never gets old.

I love leaving church each week. My relationship with God isn't restricted to what happens at 7255 S. Military Trail, Lake Worth, Florida at Trinity Church International. When I walk out of the church and enter my car to drive home, the Holy Spirit doesn't find a pew on which to sleep and begin His wait for me to return back to church. No, He leaves the property with me and daily works with and in me, enabling me to do the works of my Father.

This past Wednesday night, I preached on the subject "Helplessly Dependent on the Holy Spirit." I shared that the same Holy Spirit who refused to stay inside of the upper room on the day of Pentecost wants to leave my church auditorium and travel with me so that He can fulfill His assignment of enabling me to change my Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. But, this can only become possible if I refuse to leave Him in my church auditorium and instead become helplessly dependent on Him.

This radical church auditorium dwelling Holy Spirit is also my personal Billy Burns indwelling Holy Spirit. For the next few blog entries, I'll briefly share about my dependence on Him in my daily walk with Christ.

I See a Mighty Rain Coming!

Do you ever get discouraged about what you see in your services? You know that God has promised to move on and through your children. You've even preached this to your children. And yet, what you see week after week is so disheartening.

I recently read 1 Kings 18 of the account of Elijah on Mount Carmel. Rather than focusing on the battle of Baal versus Jehovah, I looked at the promise found in verse one. Elijah hears the promise from God about a massive rain coming and soon afterward announces (verse 41) the promise to all those around (especially to King Ahab). What happened after his announcement? Elijah saw absolutely nothing with his physical eyes. To add further frustration, after boldly declaring what he had heard from God and could see with his spiritual eyes, Elijah sends his servant SIX times to confirm that a mighty rain was approaching. What were Elijah’s servant's findings? Each time, he announced that he saw absolutely nothing. But, there was a resolve within Elijah. He knew that he had heard from God. Elijah was convinced that what he saw with his spiritual eyes was more concrete and sure than what he could see with his physical eyes. He knew that a heavy rain was on its way. It was on the SEVENTH report that Elijah learned that there was a very small cloud approaching. The report wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. After all, it was only a small change, not nearly big enough to produce the promised massive rain. But, in verse 45, we learn of the terrific rainstorm.

Here is where you come in. Week after week, you have entered into a service looking forward to seeing God begin to move among the children and yet left discouraged because the same kids were doing the same thing and you saw same results. There is absolutely nothing to get excited about. Can you identify with what I am writing? Like Elijah, you are hearing the same report over and over again. No change is in sight!

Let me remind you of this reality. Change is on its way. Like Elijah, you have a sure promise from God. Continue to boldly and unwaveringly announce what God has promised. What you see with your physical eyes as you minister isn't the final report. Walk into your service convinced that what you have heard from God and see through the eyes of faith will change what you see through your physical eyes. Be encouraged because there is a mighty rain coming!

Oh ... and one more thought. Though any initial change might seem small and insignificant, the size of the outpouring isn't determined by the size of the change. Your cloud may seem small, but get ready, there is a massive flood contained in that small cloud!

A Child's DNA

I posted an interesting tweet on Twitter a few days ago that I believe bears repeating. See if you agree with this tweet ...

If praise and worship are truly in children's DNA (Matthew 21:16), then some kids need to get a CAT Scan to see where it is hiding.

Am I correct with this observation? And if I am (as though I could possibly be wrong), what is the answer for this problem?

If the children aren't entering into the praise and worship of your children's ministry, you might ask yourself the following questions ...
* Is the praise and worship just another part of the service or do I demonstrate its significance? It is easy for us to rush through praise and worship so that we can teach the lesson thus lessening the importance of one of (if not THE) most important elements of your ministry.
* Can the children see your children's ministry team passionately worshipping God? Often, our ministry team is either standing out of sight or perhaps elsewhere preparing for their portion of the service. Our boys and girls need to see your team worshipping God and then they will follow their example.
* How are the songs selected? It is too easy to race to pick out three songs just before the service begins. Thought needs to be given to insure that the songs are age appropriate (the words and concepts are understandable), not repetitious (the same songs week after week), and are taking you where you want to go. One more thought to answer this question ... remember that not all songs are equal.
* Do you know what to do on the journey? I readily recognize that the glory doesn't fall on the first note of the first song. If the children aren't entering into the praise and worship, do you just keep on plodding along or do you know what to do engage them? Do you have mini-teachings or illustrations to interject that will bring focus to the praise and worship? Are you boldly encouraging them to enjoy God's presence? The boldness in the demonstration of your passion and the confidence displayed in exhorting and encouraging participation will define what will happen in worshipping God.
* One final question ... Do you know what to do when you reach your desired destination? Once the children are passionately worshipping God and the "stuff" in their DNA is showing, do you just shut it down so that you can go onto the next item on your curriculum's schedule or do you allow the Holy Spirit to demonstrate that He is in the room?

I mentioned Twitter at the top of this blog entry. Follow me on Twitter and you'll find me unplugged and unpredictable. You'll see my "deep" thoughts on a regular basis! www.twitter.com/IamBillyBurns.

A Protest, A Revolution

As I write this, it is early Sunday morning, October 31st. Ahead of me today are the two Sunday morning services, a full afternoon of last minute preparation and set up for our huge Family FunFest, and then the FunFest begins at 4:30 with 2 1/2 hours of big carnival-type rides and activities and then at 7 PM we have our 1 hour salvation oriented service conducted by an awesome evangelist, Big Vinny (http://www.bigvinny.com/), ending with giving each child a bag of candy as they leave. Thinking of all that lies ahead makes me want to crawl back into bed.

It is October 31st and all of America's focus is on Halloween and trick or treating. Sadly, Halloween has overshadowed a far more significant event that happened on this day in 1517. On October 31st, the priest and scholar Martin Luther approached the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Revolution. In his 95 Theses, Luther stated and condemned the status of the church and cried out for a revolution.

Today's blog entry is my cry for fellow Igniters to look at the current status of America's children's ministry and, like Luther, announce that enough is enough. We can't continue as we are. We are losing a generation. Our current way of doing things isn't producing life-changing results. Because of a lack of a true move of the Holy Spirit, our boys and girls are bailing from the church after leaving high school. In this protest, we must cry out for a Holy Spirit revolution, one that will push peer pressure aside, one that will cause us to forsake religious tradition and doing things the way that we've always done them. This is a protest of dissatisfaction. It is a statement of holy anger that will cause us to be like Luther and leave the ranks of the satisfied and unashamedly identify yourself as a spokesman and activist for change.

Will you join me? Will you establish and publicize your "Theses" to your staff and co-workers? Will you put your reputation on the line and become known among fellow children's ministry leaders that you are leaving the status quo and become labeled as a radical Igniter?

If today is the day of the Holy Ghost (and it is!), then let's announce and facilitate His arrival at the forefront of our ministry!

God is God! (And You're Not!!!)

Here's a super quick thought for launching a supernatural children's ministry. Get a grip on the fact that God actually knows what He is doing. God is unwaveringly convinced that you are THE person who has been strategically placed in THE location to minister to THE boys and girls who will launch a mighty revival. In God's understanding, NONE of this is by accident.

Evidently, we aren't too convinced of this fact. Too many of us have a mindset that we are just a temporary fixture in our ministry. We are there until somebody better comes along. With our inadequacies and imperfections, surely we are a roadblock to this move of the Spirit.

Excuses aren't new to God. The Bible is filled with individuals who wanted their list of "facts" to supersede God's assignment. Consider Moses. Moses had his "Top 10 I Can't List". (Exodus 4). God and Moses had two gigantic differing sets of opinions about Moses' capabilities. Then, consider Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 1). Jeremiah knew who he was and became quite vocal in expressing his "facts" to God. In Jeremiah's eyes, he was a person with great limitations. But in reading the first few verses of this chapter, God had a different opinion altogether about Jeremiah.

Consider what I wrote in the first paragraph as being God speaking to you. God actually knows what He is doing. God is unwaveringly convinced that you are THE person who has been strategically placed in THE location to minister to THE boys and girls who will launch a mighty revival. In God's understanding, NONE of this is by accident. So, if this is true (and it is) then start talking and acting like it is true. You'll be amazed at the difference in you and your ministry!

Eliminating Satan's #1 Lie About You & Your Ministry

Help me, Jesus. As usual, there is so much that I want to share with you about the precious Holy Spirit. Space restraints keep me from sharing all that I have bubbling inside of me.

Since our Ignite the Supernatural Conference in Texas, I have received so, so many emails and letters telling of the fruit of the conference. I wish that I could share bits and pieces of all of the testimonies with you. Again, space restraints ... oh, how I hate these limitations. But, I know that if I write too much that I will be taking too much of your valuable time.

Allow me this week to share just a few sentences from one of the emails ... "I gleaned so much, but the biggest thing was a new revelation of the Holy Spirit. At some point, it hit me: the Holy Spirit is my partner! I didn't feel inadequate anymore."

When I read the words "I didn't feel inadequate anymore" I wanted to jump up out of my seat and run around my office. So many people have yet to recognize that the Holy Spirit is abiding within them and is fully equipping them to boldly stand up and demonstrate Heaven's power and authority. There is NO reason for feeling inadequate. This is almost too much for me to handle. I am seriously having trouble containing my excitement about this reality. Once we have a revelation of what both Heaven and Hell already knows to be a fact, we will launch into a whole new arena of ministry. Heaven knows that the Holy Spirit is abiding within us and is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to partner together with us to see the will of God manifest in our services and children. Hell is terrified of children's ministry leaders discovering that the Comforter (Amplified Translation - Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) is abiding within us. This revelation will cause fear and timidity to become a thing of the past.

Take a couple of minutes and read and reread the testimony given above. Allow their revelation to become your revelation. And then join me. I can't help it. I'm through writing. I've got to release some of this excitement by doing some running and shouting and rejoicing!!!

I Will Not Be Denied!

We all know that God longs to move mightily among our children. It is an indisputable fact that God wants to pour out His Spirit upon each and every child in our ministry. Because of scriptures like Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17, 39, this isn't even open for discussion! If this is true (and we know that it is), then why aren't we seeing this in our services? Why isn't there a widespread outpouring of God's Spirit in our services?

I answered this question at our Ignite the Supernatural Conference last week when I spoke in a general session on the subject "I Will Not Be Denied". In Mark 10 we read a very familiar story, the account of Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus. Before telling of Bartimaeus in that service, I shared an insight of what happened before the two connected. In verse 46, Mark records that the great Miracle Maker went to Jericho. Common sense would tell us that Jericho was just like any other city. It was FULL of needs. Like every other city, it had the lame, blind, possessed, etc. But notice this. After stating that Jesus went to Jericho, Mark immediate says "and as He went out of Jericho ..." From this passage, we can see that nothing happened in Jericho. No blind were healed. No lame began to run. Not a single deaf person received their hearing. It was a great big ZERO for Jericho.

To save time, let's fast forward and look at Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus' encounter with Jesus was far from being a big ZERO. What was the difference? Rather than spend paragraph upon paragraph stating the obvious, please take a couple of minutes to read of this miracle. Even though you know this story, look at it again with fresh eyes. Allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate Bartimaeus' desperation.

Let's bring this home. I am convinced that week in and week out in our services Jesus comes by to show that He is in the room. And yet He comes and then He leaves with no evidence of Him being present. Again, a great big ZERO! I trust that the person reading this blog entry wants to interrupt the travel plans of the Miracle Maker. There has to be someone (that's you) who will put their desperation on display. There has to be someone who can't be quieted by peers and religious tradition. This person who stops Jesus’ has a determination that they won't be denied.

Is that someone you? Come on and join me. Let's throw our dignity to the side and cry even louder for the Son of David to stop and do what only He can do. Let's put our desperation on display in our private times with God. Let's push aside tradition and passionately show our desperation in our services. This is the generation for a mighty outpouring of God's Spirit and WE WILL NOT BE DENIED!

Seeing Things God's Way!

Just a quick thought this week that will serve as a much needed reminder. Here's the thought ...

Look at the children in your ministry through God's eyes!

It is easy to gain the mentality that you and I are walking into just another service ministering to the same kids week after week. It's another week of the same ol', same ol'. Am I right? We both know that you and I are guilty of doing this, right?

We need to look at the children through God's eyes. We have sitting in front of us giant slayers (like David). We have the privilege of speaking into the lives of children who have been placed in key positions to change the lives of adults and leaders (like Naaman's handmaiden). Sitting in our midst are boys and girls who have received gifts that can impact the lives of thousands (like the boy who gave Jesus his lunch). I can assure you that no adult saw much in the lives of any of the children that I've mentioned. But, in God's eyes, these were children who were chosen to make an impact.

So, is it just another service? Nope. Through God's eyes, I see that it is another opportunity to launch children into their destinies!

Gross Out Saturday

I love being a Children's Pastor. I love the volunteer staff who faithfully work alongside us and the hundreds of children entrusted to our care.

Allow me to use this week's blog to show a short video clip about an annual event that is by far our kid's favorite Saturday of the year. It is called Gross Out Saturday. It is through events like this I am able to connect with my kids. Connectibility rarely happens from a pulpit. It is through Gross Out Saturdays and Phat Sats and Ten Buck Tuesdays that I gain their love and trust which enables me to speak into their lives and see God begin to move among them. Enjoy the video clip!

Making Room for the Supernatural

Here's a powerful thought for this week ... are you making room for the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit in your ministry each week? Too often, the Holy Spirit sits waiting for an opportunity to squeeze into your schedule and rarely given the opportunity to fulfill the will of the Father.

I can't and won't debate that God is sovereign and can do anything that He wants, when He wants. But, in reading the scriptures, I find this to be a fact. God manifests His presence, He shows that He is in the room, when we become a part of the equation by getting involved by making room for Him.

The account of the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings 4 shows the importance of building or making room for the supernatural. You know the story. I don't have to remind you that it was because of her care for Elisha through first feeding him and then later building a room upon her house for Elisha that prepared the place for the resurrection of her dead son.

I challenge you to read the story. Read how her actions opened the door for the supernatural. Then, look at your ministry through fresh eyes. Are you preparing for Him to show up? Have you made room in your service schedule? Have you made room in yourself? Have you made room in the heavenlies? Have you made room in your children?

There is much to share on this subject. Perhaps in future blogs I can break it down further. Or, better yet, come to our Ignite the Supernatural Conference being held in Las Colinas (Irving), Texas on September 30 - October 2 where I'll be teaching a workshop titled "Making Room for the Supernatural". It's not too late to register. Check it out at www.igniteconference.com.

I've Got a Secret

I admit it. I am a game show fanatic. Always have been, always will be. I could possibly live with the Game Show Network being my one and only channel on my Directv. (If I were more spiritual, I'd throw in GodTV, Daystar, and TBN.) I can’t imagine life without Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud (the original with Richard Dawson), Hollywood Squares, Press Your Luck, Name that Tune, ... I could go on and on.

Whether they know it or not, many children's ministry leaders must be game show fanatics. Each week they are doing their own version of the classic game show, I've Got a Secret. Do you remember this show? In this game, one or more contestants would enter. After introducing the contestant, the host would ask them to "whisper your secret to me, and we'll show it to the folks at home." The contestant would then whisper their secret to the host while the audience and viewers were shown the secret via text overlay on the screen. Then the host would give the panel a clue, for example, "The secret concerns something that happened to [Contestant's Name]." The host would then select a panelist to begin questioning. The panelists would then be allowed 15 seconds to ask questions of the contestant. After the questioning, the panelists would attempt to guess the contestant's secret. Following the revelation of a guest's secret, either by guessing or by the host's revelation once the game was over, the host typically either interviewed the contestant about their secret, or, if applicable, the contestant did some kind of demonstration of their secret.

Are you leading one of those I've Got a Secret children's ministries? In all probability, your children are full of questions. They have yet to hear you announce your true identity. When was the last time that your children heard you declare that you are a Holy Ghost person? Do they really know what your passion is and where you desire the ministry to be?

Let’s eliminate the I’ve Got a Secret mentality. Begin to continually, boldly declare who we are and what we are doing. Let’s make it known that we are a children’s ministry anointed, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit … both in our services and when we walk through the front doors to return to our individual worlds. As the “secret” is revealed, your children and ministry will never ever be the same again!

Activating Revival

I'm so excited. I see a genuine hunger for a revival in children's ministries. Children's ministries leaders around the world are desiring a move of God in their children. They are so dissatisfied with seeing their children sitting week after week untouched by the Holy Spirit. These leaders are desperately longing to see Holy Ghost interruptions in their services that will radically impact their boys and girls.

Let me share a simple truth that will change longing into seeing. Here's the truth ... the Holy Spirit is far more desirous of moving among your children than you are. Did you get that? If the Holy Spirit had His way, the Book of Acts would be retold through the lives of each and every child in your ministry TODAY!

So, if this is true (and it is!), then what is the hold up? What needs to happen to activiate this move of God?

The answer is found in Genesis 1. In this chapter, we find that the Holy Spirit had been hovering (sitting patiently, idly) over chaos (does this describe your ministry?). "The earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors." Genesis 1:2 (The Living Bible). For ions, nothing had happened. Chaos prevailed. But notice when things changed. Upon HEARING a voice DECLARING the will of God, the Holy Spirit IMMEDIATELY changed His modus operandi and begin to move supernaturally. Within a nano-second of HEARING the Word of God, things changed.

Here is my challenge to you. If you truly long for a move of God, changes must be made. Too often, we talk about a move of God being off in the future. SOMEDAY or ONE DAY never comes. Instead, begin to use your VOICE and BOLDLY DECLARE that "TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost. TODAY is the day for a mighty move of God's Spirit. TODAY is the day for salvation, for healing, for deliverance, for ... In THIS service, Holy Spirit, be Yourself. Move mightily, undeniably TODAY among our children." Upon HEARING you SPEAK forth the Word of God, the Holy Spirit who has been sitting patiently, idly waiting will spring into action.

SPEAK God's Word OUT LOUD so that HEARING is involved. Heaven will hear your voice and spring into action. You will hear your voice and faith will arise. Hell will hear your voice and begin to tremble. Continually DECLARE that "TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost!" and as you do the thing that you have longed for will manifest before your eyes.

Look What the Lord Has Done!

Being a children's pastor in a megachurch has its pros and cons. There are a lot of things that a church of 3,500 can do that a smaller church perhaps can't do. At the same time, there are things that can happen in a smaller church that a large church just can't facilitate.

There's one thing that I really, really miss from the days of my upbringing in a smaller church. On Sunday and Wednesday nights, our services included what we called a testimony service. During this portion of the service, individuals would stand up before the congregation and tell of God's goodness. One person might tell of a healing that had taken place last week while another person might tell of a supernatural provision. As a child, these stories helped cement my confidence in an all-loving, all-caring God.

While I recognize that due to time restraints posed by having multiple services and also having the impossibility of an individual's voice being heard in an auditorium that seats some 1,500, having a testimony service in a large church is next to impossible. And yet, I still long to hear those testimonies. I know the value of hearing what God is doing today among the people that I know and love.

Evidently David knew the value of a testimony service. Consider David's instructions:

"Let each generation tell its children what glorious things He does."
Psalm 145:4 (The Living Bible)

I've come to this resolve. While we may not be able to have a testimony service in the adult service, I can't afford to allow our children to miss out on this faith-building tool. I must allow my staff and the children an opportunity to tell of the glorious things that God is doing. Each week, I will start the testimony service by telling of what the Lord has done for me or my family in the last 7 days and then allow a few minutes for my staff and then the children to testify of God's goodness. After building their faith by hearing what God has done, it becomes easy to then trust God for as we go into our time of prayer for the current needs of that week.

David knew what he was talking about. Let's bring back the testimony service and build faith in our children by showcasing God's marvelous deeds. Let's allow the children to see that God is alive and well. Let's build an understanding in our children that what God has done for another person, He can and will do it for you.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

We knew that this day would eventually come. It was inevitable. Yesterday, Vickie and I walked away from Southeastern University with tears rolling down our cheeks and aching hearts as we left our youngest son, Aaron, to begin his freshman year of college. Even now, for fear of another gullywasher of tears, I push aside the memory of me giving Aaron a final hug and turning my back towards him as Vickie and I began that long walk back to our car. You would think that after going through this experience with our oldest son, Jason, and then our second son, Michael, this wouldn't be a major trauma. WRONG!

In my rollercoaster ride of emotions, I find a peace in knowing that while Aaron is out of our home and even our watchful eye, God is attentively caring for our son. We know that God has already placed people in strategic positions that will be at the right place at the right time ready to be there for our son. In Aaron's time of need, someone is already positioned to be there to provide what is needed.

How can I know this? In our conferences, I teach that one of the greatest reasons for being in this ministry is that the Law of Sowing and Reaping applies to what we do each and every week. Because we are faithful in ministering to and loving on other people's children, God is honor bound to minister to and love my children. For 31 years of children's ministry, Vickie and I have given our lives to being there for child after child. Now, as Aaron is at Southeastern University, we can expect God to have people ready be there for Aaron. That's enough reason to make me keep on keeping on in this ministry. How about you?

A Special Offer to Our Readership

As a way of saying thank you to the faithful readers of my weekly blog, I want to provide an exclusive offer giving a substantial discount to the upcoming Ignite the Supernatural Conference. This is a one time offer and is ONLY being shared through this blog.

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The Virtue of Stickability

A few weeks ago, Vickie and I celebrated our 31st anniversary in children's ministry. This week, Vickie and I are celebrating our 21st anniversary of being Trinity Church International's Children's Pastors. That's a long time, isn't it! I can probably count on two hands the number of individuals that I know who have been in this ministry this long and on one hand the number of individuals who have been in the same church this long. Does this place me in the same category as the Model T car and the T Rex dinosaur? Am I an ancient relic?

The purpose for this week's blog is to applaud the virtue of stickability. I don't know whether or not "stickability" is actually a word. In today's world, it is a rare treat to find stickability.
You'll have to agree with me that it is rare to find anyone who sticks with anything for a long period of time. Many have the mindset that the grass is always greener on the other side causing them to move and then move again and then move again.

I admit that I have come by this virtue honestly. The people who shaped my life demonstrated stickability. My parents have been married for well over 50 years. The pastor who greatly influenced my life, B.B. Hankins, pastored my South Texas church in West Columbia for over 50 years. The pastor with whom Vickie and I are honored to serve under, Tom Peters, has been the pastor of Trinity for 38 years.

What is the bedrock for my stickability? I always ask myself this question, "What was the last thing that God told me to do?" and then I'll continue doing what I last heard from God. This means that I'll keep doing what I'm doing whether I like it or don't like it, whether things are going great or if it seems like God moved and failed to give me a forwarding address. What did God tell me to do? Has He given me a new direction? If not, I'll just keep doing what I am doing.

Here's the update for what has happened in our 21 years at Trinity (at least from what I see because I only see a part of the total picture) ... many boys and girls who sat under our ministry are now in full time ministry, only God knows the number of children who have been saved, filled with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, healed, encouraged, and loved on. We have touched not only the children but also the lives of untold thousands of parents and grandparents as we've loved on their children. Need I go on?

Here's the ultimate reason for stickability as written by the apostle Paul ...

(1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV) "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Because of stickability (stedfast, unmovable) our labor has not been in vain. I think that I'll go on for another 31 years in children's ministry and another 21 years at Trinity. Here's to stickability!

The Power of Connecting

Vickie and I will soon celebrate our 21st anniversary as Trinity Church International Children's Pastors. Being a Children's Pastor for that length of time in the same church isn't something that you hear of too often. Add to that feat, being 53-years-old and being in a church long enough to be able to minister to the children of the children who first sat in our ministry back in 1989 isn't something that is common.

How have we stayed in one church for 21 years? We all know that this ministry provides ample opportunity to play ministry musical chairs where leaders hop from church to church every 18 months. Another legitimate question involves my age. In an atmosphere where many church leaders are looking for the youngest of the young to lead their children's ministry, how does a 53-year-old person stay at a church? While the obvious answer is that there is fruit in the ministry (children are being saved, filled with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, healed, etc.), I believe that there is another key reason for my longevity.

Early in ministry, I learned the value of connection. My kids won't keep coming to Trinity just because of my platform skills. My large volunteer staff won't stay with me just because of an occasional box of donuts before service. My success is due to the ability to touch and be touched, be accessible even after a long day of multiple services for a few minutes of "me", make sure that the words "I love you" are consistently being both heard from my mouth and seen through my actions.

Connect. The Book of Acts Church knew the value of connecting. The leadership of the Church saw that ministry wasn't just in the Temple and in front of people. "Every day in the Temple and in people's homes ..." (Acts 5:42 New Century Version). The “real” ministry was outside of the pulpit!

Look for ways to connect. Create opportunities. Find ways to give the two most valuable gifts that you can give, you and your time. Consider that throughout the year, your boys and girls connection might come through a shaving cream fight, a sleepless overnight party, a Sunday afternoon picnic, or an afternoon at a local pool. Connect with your staff as you involve them in these events and then have them over to your home afterwards for a box of fried chicken or a few pizzas. Make time to have “the guys” out for a Dutch treat meal one evening. Or, consider that a game of Pictionary might cement a relationship.

The picture attached to this week’s blog says it all. That time of connecting the content of a can of shaving cream to the body of a child helped cement Pastor Billy as a child’s loving, caring Children’s Pastor. Connect!!!

Some Really, Really Great News!

I've got some good news for you. (No, it's not that I saved 15% on my car insurance by switching to GEICO ... my apologies to those readers outside of the USA ... an American insurance company GEICO uses that good news pitch in their television commercials). The news is that God is even more passionate about moving in your children than you are. To Him, this is NOT an afterthought. It is on the forefront of His mind.

I know that you already know this. But, from time-to-time, we all need to be reminded of this. At times, we can go for weeks and not see any immediate change. We can easily forget that the 90 minutes that you and I have with the children is probably providing the only spiritual food that the children have had all week. We can forget that we aren't wrestling flesh and blood in our classrooms. There are literal spiritual principalities and powers that are assigned to keep children from being transformed through the ministry that you faithfully provide each week. We can lose sight of the fact that things are being accomplished in the unseen realm as the Word of God is boldly proclaimed.

Let’s continue to work together with God and see His passion unfold before our eyes. Let’s continue to encourage the children to fall in love with our Jesus. Let’s continue to follow the leadings and promptings of His precious Holy Spirit. As we do, His Kingdom will come and His will shall be done and you and I will see a Joel 2 generation arise!

The Missing Ingredient

In anticipation of our son Michael coming home for an evening last weekend, we raced home after church Sunday morning and made a big pan of enchiladas for a special dinner that evening. By the time that dinner finally arrived, my mouth was salivating. I was really, really ready to end my hunger pains. After all, I had fasted since lunch (except for the chips and guacamole throughout the afternoon). Upon taking that first bite, I immediately discovered that something was noticeably different about the taste. For whatever reason, it was missing that extra "oomph" that makes a meal into something that you'll talk about days later. To this day, I can't tell you what it was. But, this thing is for sure, something was definitely missing!!!

While I haven't discovered the missing ingredient for the enchiladas last weekend, I have discovered what I believe is the missing ingredient in many Spirit-filled Christian lives. This same ingredient is also missing in most children's ministry settings. What is it? I discovered it while reading through the Book of Acts again. It's found in a single word that is used 3 times in the Book of Acts. This missing ingredient is boldness. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John ..." (Acts 4:13) ... "with all boldness they may speak thy word ..." (Acts 4:29) ... "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:31).

Allow me to use a Texas phrase. I double dawg dare you to look at your personal life last week or for those in children's ministry think about last weekend's service(s). It just happened. To quote a friend of mine, it was what it was. You'll quickly agree that there had to have been something missing, right?

Consider this. We all know that "the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead" (Romans 8:11) is living and abiding within us, right? The Holy Spirit isn't weak or anemic. He isn't lacking in power. What would happen if we began to acknowledge this reality and allow the Holy Spirit to operate through us with boldness.

Let's be bold as we take on the day. Let's be bold as we minister to children. Don't allow things to "just" happen. Speak with confidence and authority. For those of us in children’s ministry, boldly announce to your children that everyone will raise their hands and begin to worship God. And then with authority lead and demonstrate the joy of worshipping God. Don't be passive. Announce with authority what is about to happen and then draw the children in. The same is true of engaging your children in praying in their heavenly prayer language. Many children's ministry leaders are passive about engaging the children into this realm of prayer. Consequently, few if any children pray in their prayer language. But, I've found that as I boldly announce to the children that for the next 30 seconds EVERY person will close their eyes, raise their hands up towards heaven, open both their hearts and mouth and begin to pray in their prayer language, a large majority of the children begin to connect with God through the prayer of the Spirit. Midway through the 30 seconds, I again boldly emphasize that everyone should be praying with me.

Before you take on this next week or the next weekend services, begin to talk to the Holy Spirit about boldness. Then, take on the week/weekend services with a spirit of boldness and authority. You'll notice a remarkable difference. Afterwards, write me and tell me about it … billy@billyburnsministries.com.

I'm Billy Burns and I endorse this blog entry!!!

The Secret of the Supernatural

This week's blog entry won't need much explanation. The thought is so simple. And yet, getting a grasp of the depth of this 14 word sentence could change not only your life but your children's ministry and children. Here's the thought ...

The Holy Spirit won't be real through you until He is real to you.

Benny Hinn's book Welcome, Holy Spirit quotes the late Kathryn Kuhlman as saying, "The Holy Spirit is more real to me than you are." Consequently, the Holy Spirit flowed mightily through Kathryn with tangible, undeniable signs and wonders.

Intimately know the Holy Spirit and you will see Him and hear His voice. Casually know about the Holy Spirit and you will hear about what He does ... elsewhere.

Results Not Typical

If you ever wrestle with a bout of insomnia, I have a sure fire way to end this malady. Turn on the television and find a cable network that is showing non-stop infomercials. You know what I'm talking about. Find a station that has a heaping-helping, hefty dose of promotions for Abs of Steel and Miracle Hair Revivors and the ever-popular FDA approved Flab Blaster Capsules. Soon, that thing that is causing the insomnia will cry out for mercy. To escape the absurdity of these infomercials, insomnia will glady give way and soon the zzzzzzzzzzz's will be flying through the night air.

Have you ever noticed that there is one common factor among all of these infomercials? While all of the hype and promotion of miraculous results are being promised, you will invariably see the words "Results Not Typical" flash across the screen for 3 or 4 seconds. According to this disclaimer, after paying four easy payments of $19.95 plus shipping and handling, you won't neccessarily look like the person that you see on the Abs of Steel infomercial whose dumpy, anemic body turned into a walking pile of muscle in six short weeks. Because of this disclaimer, you can count on the fact that after spending $39.95 plus shipping and handling on Miracle Hair Revivors that ladies some day WON'T be running their fingers through that beautiful new head of hair. I'll leave it to your imagination what you will look like after faithfully taking the Flab Buster Capsules. The small print says it all. Results are NOT typical.

Before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, you and I had to live in the "results not typical" world. In reading through the Old Testament and the four gospels, we won't find to many of us "common" folks doing great things for God. But the day of Pentecost turned everything. The small print announcing "results not typical" across the lives of the Billy Bobs and Mary Janes and Joe Schmos disappeared. Now because of the One who has been called to walk alongside us, the great Equipper, the heavenly Revealer, the energized Prayer who now abides within us, ANYTHING can happen. The life of the supernatural can be the way of life rather than the exception. The "these signs shall" found in Mark 16 can happen in the life of the person living on your street in your house wearing your clothes. In other words, YOU!

Come on now. Believe that this true. Begin to talk and act as though Jesus actually knew what He was talking about as He told about would happen as you allow the Sent One to abide in and operate through you! Go ahead. Make your own infomercial about a Holy Spirit filled life. In big bold print announce RESULTS ARE TYPICAL!!!!!

The Cry of the Holy Spirit

From time to time, we have all come across an individual who evidently is head-over-heels in love with hearing the sound of their own voice. This must be true because this person will talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. For long periods of time, we sit helplessly as this person with the energizer jaws and a super-human lung capacity holds us hostage. We've all experienced the horror of watching them take one quick inhale of oxygen knowing that this will enable them to endlessly go on and on.

With that in mind, consider this thought. Is this perhaps the sentiment of the Holy Spirit? Would it be safe to say that in the majority of our prayer time, the One who knows the mind of the Father and has been entrusted the responsibility of communicating that information to us has to sit helplessly quiet as we go on and on and on?

Enough said .... Selah!

A Taste Test

While Vickie and I LOVE living in South Florida, we don't claim to be Floridians. Even after living in Florida for some 20 years, we are 1,000% (no, I didn't accidently add one too many zeros) Texans. Florida is an awesome place to live. What you see on the postcards with the pristine beaches and palm trees are part of the Florida package. BUT (all caps on purpose!), this isn't Texas. There are things from back home that we so, so miss ... especially the taste of genuine Tex-Mex food and Texas BBQ brisket. I've been told that Jesus will have Texans cater the Marriage Supper of the Lamb serving the Mexican food and BBQ. I have yet to find a single Tex-Mex restaurant here in South Florida that knows how to prepare delicious enchiladas, tamales, burritos, and sopapillas. The restaurants here just don't have a clue as to how to make genuine Tex-Mex. I don't even want to begin to talk about South Florida's barbeque. The name on the restaurant promises genuine smoked, tender brisket and ribs that are bad to the bone, but just one bite will tell you that the taste just doesn’t live up to the name.

Why am I writing about food? Examining what is called Tex-Mex and BBQ with what actually tastes like genuine Tex-Mex and BBQ provides an excellent example for doing an examination of what we call the Church today. Look at the events that defined the heaven-birth, Spirit-filled Church in Acts 2. The Church birthed in the Upper Room didn't settle for just being spirited. Instead it was the Spirit Church.

There is much that I can write on comparing the name and the things that should define the name. The Book of Acts shows the real-deal, the undiluted, uncompromised Church. Today's Spirit Church is something that has the same name but an entirely different taste. Just as I long for the taste of genuine Tex-Mex and it be bad Texas smoked brisket and ribs, I long for a Church that is the real deal. I long for a gathering of believers that reflect that they are the Church birthed of the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and demonstrate the Spirit. And, what is said about the Church SHOULD be said about our children’s ministry!

Let's go back to the Book that defines who we should be. Let's go back to our roots to see what we should "taste" like. Let’s see if the name that differentiates our church is backed up by the “taste” experienced in our services. If two aren't one and the same, it is time to either change our name or change our taste!

Selah …

You Can Be SUPERnatural!

Often in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, people relegate the definition of the word "supernatural" to people coming out of a wheelchair or blind eyes opening or cancer disappearing from a ravaged body. While I can't argue that these miracles are supernatural, the word "supernatural" encompasses far more than the spectacular. In fact, if the definition is understood to mean the genuine, unrestricted working of the Holy Spirit you will find that there is ample room for supernatural ministry each time that you walk into a ministry setting!

Consider this fact ... 99% of the children walking into your weekend class or service or your mid-week Bible club won't need a deaf ear opened or herniated disk healed. You'll find few children needing ministry that would be the cover story for Charisma magazine or the lead story for the 700 Club on CBN. So, is there room for supernatural ministry in a children's class or service? You betcha'!

When a child walks into your classroom and you stop what you are doing and begin to give special attention to the child, that my friend is supernatural. When you look into the eyes of a child that possibly hasn't had any attention from an emotionally tired, physically exhausted parent and with genuiness and warmth tell the child how beautiful/handsome they are, that my friend is supernatural. When you get down on your knees to be able to hug a child or hold a little baby in your arms and kiss them on the forehead or you tell a child how blessed that you are that God has allowed you to be their teacher/leader/children's pastor, that my friend is supernatural. In fact, it is equal to any person leaping out of a wheelchair or being able to speak for the first time in their life.

How can I support this scripturally? I'm glad that you asked. "... because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost." (Romans 5:5) Where does this love come from? The Holy Ghost. How is demonstrated? By the Holy Ghost. One brief conversation, one hug, one kiss on the forehead, one compliment can literally break a stronghold that might have been passed down from generation to generation. I've seen hearts eternally impacted by the Holy Ghost in the course of a two minute conversation.

Let me remind that the MINOR part of your ministry is the portion done to the masses. The MAJOR part of your ministry is the portion done to the individual.

Do me a favor. Let's be supernatural. In doing so, take note of what happens during the next couple of weeks as you walk out this teaching and then send me a note telling me about what happened as Holy Ghost love touched a child/family. Contact me at billy@billyburnsministries.com.

The Holy Spirit - Our Heavenly Swiss Army Knife

One of my all-time favorite television shows is MacGyver. For seven seasons (1985 - 1992), I loved watching Angus MacGyver escape the traps set by his enemies and possible death by using his ever-present Swiss Army knife. No matter the situation, the Swiss Army knife had just what was needed to deliver MacGyver out of the grip of bad guys. Am I the only one that can remember this hero?

Recently when teaching the two-week lesson series on The Holy Spirit - My BFF (Best Friend Forever), the Holy Spirit gave me the illustration of comparing the Holy Spirit to a Swiss Army knife. What an awesome idea! Almost every boy has either seen or owned or dreamed of owning a Swiss Army knife. Beside having one or two knife blades, the Swiss Army knife has a wide range of tools including various screwdrivers (phillips/flathead), scissors, saw, file, hook, tweezers, bottle opener, can opener, and pliers. I was surprised to see that the knife even includes a toothpick. Whatever the situation, whatever the need, the Swiss Army knife has just the right tool to help.

Let's go back and use MacGyver for this illustration. Wouldn't it have been a tragedy for MacGyver to fall into a trap of an enemy of the United States government, and with MacGyver's full knowledge that he had the knife with him and its capability of coming to his rescue, MacGyver would choose to ignore using the knife? That would be a ridiculous idea, wouldn't it! Why struggle when the answer to your problem is there with you. All that is needed is for MacGyver to take advantage of the tool inside of the knife, right?

Sadly, we as Christians fail to call upon our heavenly Swiss Army knife. Do you remember that Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would abide with us forever? (John 14:16). Do you remember reading in John 14-16 about the Holy Spirit's assignment? We learn more about the Holy Spirit's assignment in 1 Corinthians 12-14. The Holy Spirit who has been assigned to be with us FOREVER and has EVERYTHING that we need for ANY and EVERY situation is just waiting on us to call upon Him for His assistance.

Let's remember that the Holy Spirit is with us 24/7/365 and is awaiting the opportunity to work alongside us. He is equipped and ready for there is no problem too big or too small for Him. Come on you spiritual MacGyvers. With the help of the Holy Spirit, let's spoil the plans of our spiritual enemy!!!

Why I Speak in Other Tongues

While this entry this week isn't lengthy, it is something that God is stirring within me. It is a reflection of the challenge that God has given, one needed to help usher in this promised move of God's Spirit. The thought is taken from Brother Kenneth E. Hagin's mini-book Why Tongues. This quote is from the bottom of page 9 and the top of page 10.

"I have found in my own life that the more that I pray and worship God in tongues, the more manifestation of other gifts of the Spirit I have. The less I talk in tongues, the less manifestations I have. Speaking in other tongues is the door into the rest of the spiritual gifts."

Does this stir your heart? I really don't need to amplify or expound upon what Brother Hagin has written. No wonder the apostle Paul wrote, "I thank my God that I speak in tongues more than you all." Selah.

Six Reasons EVERY Child Must Be Filled with the Holy Spirit - Part #3

Posting these three Six Reasons EVERY Child Must Be Filled with the Holy Spirit blog entries has stirred me. I wish that I could literally travel to each and every church represented by those reading these postings and share this passion with your leaders. But, fortunately, you can do this for me. After meditating on these thoughts and allowing them to expand in your spirit, take these three postings and share it with your staff. I pray that these thoughts will help ignite a supernatural move of God that will shake the very foundations of your ministry, church, and the surrounding areas!!!

Reason #5. The Greatness of God’s Plan Demands SUPERNATURAL Boldness.

Some things just don’t change. When God began to speak to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1 and unfold heaven’s assignment for Jeremiah, Jeremiah immediately began to act like today’s boys and girls. Jeremiah was just a child and used that excuse to try to escape God’s directive. God’s response to Jeremiah is still God’s response to today’s child! (Jer. 1:7-8) According to Jeremiah 1:7-8, a child’s confidence can be found in the fact that when they go where God tells them and say what God tells them to say, they can be bold and confident that they can accomplish what God assigns them to do! How is this possible? Jesus spoke in Acts 1:8 of a power that will arise on the inside of each boy and girl. Remember that there is no BIG Holy Ghost for adults and a LITTLE Holy Ghost for children. The same Holy Ghost who turned a weak, anemic Peter into a powerhouse that could preach to the thousands in Acts 2 is the same Holy Ghost who will give a child the boldness to do great things for God!

Reason #6. The Greatness of God’s Plan Demands SUPERNATURAL Freedom.
This must be the generation of no restraints. There are traditions of man that have restricted boys and girls. Religious spirits have held them back with such uninformed (I wanted to use a stronger word) thoughts of "They are just kids" or "What do they know?" or "What can they do with their limitations?" This must be the generation who will go where no man has gone in the realm of the Spirit, to soar into the heavenlies like an eagle. We must recognize that there are places in the Spirit where no child has gone, sites in the heavenlies that have yet to be seen by boys and girls, places of worship that few children have visited, depths of intercession that few have explored, arenas of faith that that few have fought and conquered. This can only be accomplished through learning the freedom that comes with being sensitive and obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Remember ... I am just an email away .... billy@billyburnsministries.com.

Six Reasons EVERY Child Must Be Filled with the Holy Spirit - Part #2

I trust that after reading last week's blog entry that you can see the importance of this teaching. Each one of these six points could easily become a complete lesson in your children's church or Sunday school class. Here are the next two points from the teaching Six Reasons EVERY Child Must Be Filled with the Holy Spirit.


Reason #3. The Greatness of Life’s Pressures Demands SUPERNATURAL Strength.
No one ever claimed that being a Christian kid would be easy. Children live in a real mission field and are constantly exposed to supernatural warfare. Most children daily are thrust into America’s greatest mission field – public schools. Add to that the media bombardment which is quickly attempting to erode their values and spiritual foundation. With this constant barrage, I recognize that no Christian kid purposefully yields to these temptations and messes up. Facing life's monumental pressures, a child’s strength or will power alone just aren't sufficient. Temptations can be all too powerful to resist. Remember that Peter didn’t purposefully deny Christ three times. Fortunately, Heaven has provided a supernatural strength on the inside that will decimate the enemy. This great strength and fortification comes from supernatural exercise. (Jude 20; 1 Cor. 14:4). A supernatural strength will arise with a child as they consistently pray in their heavenly prayer language.


Reason #4. The Greatness of God’s Plan Demands SUPERNATURAL Protection.
A boy or girl filled the Holy Spirit is Satan’s number one enemy. Satan knows that a Spirit-filled child has the capability to annihilate and obliterate his plans. Satan knows that the Spirit of God can rise up within a child to destroy present-day Goliaths. There are potential Davids sitting in our classes that are destined to destroy strongholds and set free intimidated, captive peers. In knowing this, Satan will set forth traps, often innocent-looking itsy-bitsy traps at first, knowing that one fall will lead to the next fall and then the next fall and the next fall until the end result is accomplished, defeat and destruction. But when allowed, the Spirit of God who sees and knows all things will shout warning messages protecting the child from the hands of the devourer. (John 16:13).

Six Reasons EVERY Child Must Be Filled with the Holy Spirit - Part #1

While I LOVE writing this blog each week, I constantly combat the demon of brevity. I always strive to have the blog entry not exceed 350 words so that you can read the entry in just a couple of minutes. So, with that in mind, I'll force myself to condense into just a few sentences what easily could fill a complete workshop (and flesh out into a six week teaching series) as I share with you Six Reasons EVERY Child Must Be Filled with the Holy Spirit. Beginning this week, I'll share two reasons a week.

Reason #1. The Greatness of God's Plan Demands SUPERNATURAL Insight.
No child is here by accident. God knew each child and called them by name before they were born. (Jer. 1:5; Isaiah 49:1). Each child was strategically placed here by God with a specific assignment. (Jeremiah 29:11). It is only through the Spirit of God that a child can see their assignment. As a child prays in the Holy Ghost, things that have been hidden become revealed.

Reason #2. The Greatness of God's Plan Demands SUPERNATURAL Guidance.
Being a kid isn’t easy. With the peer pressures, the gospel according to the television and movies and internet, the insecurities of family stability, life is one gigantic puzzle. In the grand scope of life, kids don’t have a clue!!! There is a voice from heaven Who longs to give direction for we learn in reading the Word that the Holy Spirit is a talker who will provide step-by-step guidance through the tilt, tilt, tilt times of life. The Holy Spirit is on divine assignment to supply supernatural guidance in any and every area of a child’s life. He’s just one cry away for help! As a child develops an intimacy with the Holy Spirit, He will begin to whisper heaven’s secrets and give guidance. (John 16:13).

Igniting THIS Generation!

I trust that you enjoy the weekly blog entries and that you are benefitting from my thoughts. In searching the web, I have found that I am one of (if not the) only person who weekly encourages those in children's ministry to intensify their relationship with the Person of the Holy Spirit and shares insights about how to lead children into an intimate walk with the Holy Spirit. I am encouraged as I learn from Google Analytics that in any given month that people from 20 to 30 countries are reading this blog. In all honesty, some of the countries have to be Googled (is that actually a word?) to find out exactly where they are located! In just a few weeks, I will be celebrating 4 years of journaling my passion and encouraging others to become radical in their pursuit for a move of God's Spirit in their children's ministry. With this being my 147th entry, the passion hasn't diminished, but rather intensified.

The reason for this blog entry isn't to focus upon and deify Billy Burns Ministries but rather to show my heart and passion. I am consumed with helping to usher in a move of God's Spirit in children's ministries around the globe. My heart cries out to launch children's ministry leaders into new realms of the Spirit because our children will never go where we've never been. I passionately want to unite those with the same longings.

Do you have the same passion? Will you contact me to let me know that you too are an Igniter? This is a part of my assignment ... connecting fellow Igniters. I am just an email away .... billy@billyburnsministries.com.

Also, as a fellow Igniter take a couple of minutes to check out the upcoming Ignite the Supernatural Conference being held in Los Colinas (the greater the Dallas/Ft. Worth area), Texas on Thursday, September 30, through Saturday, October 2, 2010. The speakers and workshop listings/descriptions for the 21 workshops and 5 general sessions are located at http://www.igniteconference.com/. You'll quickly see that there isn't another conference in the world like this conference! And, you'll also see that the cost is EXTREMELY affordable ... so affordable that you'll want to bring your entire children's ministry team with you.

Next week, I'll begin sharing thoughts that will eventually make its way into a new book that I am writing as I post the first of 6 Reasons Every Child Must Be Filled With the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit - My BFF

What a weekend. We had three great services as we ministered on the subject "The Holy Spirit - My BFF". We used John 14:16 showing where Jesus introduces His followers to a Person that would FOREVER be a Friend and Helper.

The kids really connected with this concept. Every boy and girl can relate to the idea of having a Best Friend Forever. Most every child can also identify with the hurt of having a friend who for whatever reason abandoned them. According to Jesus, this heavenly BFF is the real deal. The Holy Spirit would be with them FOREVER ... when things were good and even when they were bad.

Who is this Friend that Jesus introduces? Jesus wasn't introducing Someone that He met down at McDonald's the week before. The Friend wasn't a friend of a friend. Jesus was telling of and recommending to His followers Someone that He had known before time was time. Not only did Jesus know the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit had worked with Jesus and God in Creation. Jesus was confident about this Friend because it was this Friend that enabled Jesus to perform His earthly ministry. (Luke 4:18-19; Acts 10:38).

We concluded our time of ministry by my telling a story of how my BFF just this past week showed Himself to be a Friend and Helper. It was a simple story, one that every child could relate to. In this story, I told of my calling upon my Helper to locate something for which I had searched for two days. Within 30 seconds of asking the help of the BFF that is assigned to be with me 24/7/365 (He gets no time off or takes any vacations), I sensed a direction to look in a place that made no sense. But, my BFF knew what He was talking about. I listened and obeyed and found the lost item just where He had told me to look. Upon the conclusion of the story, I invited the children to ask the Holy Spirit to become their BFF.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit. He is more than just the third Person of the Trinity. The blessed Holy Spirit is a Person awaiting the opportunity to walk off of the pages of the Scriptures and become One who is our BFF!

Eliminating the Roadblocks in Our Children's Ministry Services

I so want each and every child in my ministry to experience and walk in the fullness of the Spirit. I want them to have an intimate relationship with Him. And, since our services are probably the only launching pad for a child's love for the Holy Spirit, I am constantly evaluating what I see in our services so that I can insure that we are doing everything possible to help nurture their walk in the Spirit.

Recently during one of these time of inspection, I saw a couple of areas that needed attention and tweeking in our services. I saw how making two simple modifications throughout our entire ministry could move the children and our ministry one giant step closer to the ministry that I could see in my spirit.

Here are the two areas that I examined:

1. The first insight involved the culture of the Pentecostal/Charismatic service. I had to ask myself the question about whether or not the children understood the whats and whys of our services. We are constantly gaining new children in our services. Do the children have a clue about what we are doing? The Pentecostal/Charismatic church service has its own patterns and ways of doing things, right? We are clapping our hands, raising our hands, praying aloud, speaking in a strange tongue, etc. These and other things define the Pentecostal/Charismatic culture. And, in our church, this isn't relegated to just the adult services. And then I asked myself, do our children know why we are doing the things that we do? For example, hopefully, the children see you and your staff raise your hands during worship or dance before the Lord in the time of worship and prayer. Your children should hear you praying in your heavenly prayer language. But, do they actually know and understand what is happening? Have you explained during the service what is happening and why you are doing what you are doing? This ignorance will remove the value of what is going on and the children won't naturally follow your example.

2. The second insight again involved in what the children are seeing. If the children are following our example, what example are they following? We talk a pretty good talk in our services about seeing God move amoung our children. But, do our actions match our words? For example, do the children see you and your staff demonstrating your passion? Is your entire team being seen during the time of praise and worship? And, if so, do the children see the longing and passion in the heart of your leadership? They hear us talk about loving God with all of our heart, soul, and might. But, do they SEE it demonstrated during our time of praise and worship from the entire team? They hear you talk about wanting to win the world for Jesus as you receive the offering. But, do they SEE you and your entire staff giving in the offering? We must be DELIBERATE and VISIBLE as we set the example of what we want to see from our children!

As we eliminate these two speed bumps, we will be one giant step closer to seeing God demonstrate His presence in our services ... I guarantee it!

When Father Abraham Just Isn't Enough - Part 2

In sharing last week about opening the door for the presence of God, space didn't allow me to present a balanced, complete thought. I honestly do my best to make this blog readable and not consume for than a couple of minutes of your time. So, allow me this week to present the rest of my thought and offer the Thou Shalt Nots that must be avoided as you desire to usher your children into God's presence.

1. Thou shalt not forget that you are ministering to children. In using the title When Father Abraham Just Isn't Enough for these two blog entries, I wasn't encouraging you to totally ignore kiddy, fun, action songs. I was merely encouraging you to remember that there is a time and place for everything. We need to remember that we are ministering to children and fun and movement is a BIG part in touching a child's life. We need the songs that have children hopping up and down, spinning around, shouting, etc. But, there is a balance. An improper imbalance in either direction will tilt the ministry scales out of kilter! Too much Father Abraham and too little going-after-God worship will perpetuate spiritual babyhood. Too much going-after-God worship with little if any Father Abraham style songs will lose the attention and attendance of your children.
2. Thou shalt not become predictable. Remember that the definition for the word "rut" is a grave with both ends knocked out. Get out of the rut. Don't be predictable. Don't sing the same song each and every week. And, on a side note, don't sing one song for 30 minutes in a service. Just because the Spirit of God moved while you were singing Amazing Grace as the second song on January 4, 1949 doesn't mean that you have to sing Amazing Grace as the second song each and every week in anticipation for Him to move again through that song! Want to lose your kids? Be predictable.
3. Thou shalt not be unprepared. Ready for this? There is a plethora of great music available. There are so many CDs and DVDs with awesome music available today designed for children's ministry. But, sadly, many children's ministry leaders are lazy. With little or no forethought, they walk into the service and just randomly pick a song or two. Music is music, right? It's just another check mark on your order of service, right? NO, NO, NO!!! Where do you want to go in your service? What do you want to see happen? Take the time and find the music that will navigate you to your destination.

When Father Abraham Just Isn't Enough

The wisest man of all time said that there is a time or season for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We've all done something that is perfectly acceptable at the wrong time and died a thousand deaths. There truly is a time and place for everything.

As children's ministry leaders, we need to have the insight and wisdom to do the right thing at the right time so that we can have the right results for our services. If we aren't accomplishing or seeing what we long for in our services, it could be that we are using the wrong service components or possibly we could be doing the right thing at the wrong time.

The desire of every children's ministry leader should be for our children to encounter God in a very real, personal way in each and every service. The launching pad for the movement of the Holy Spirit can be the time of praise and worship. (Note .... the real launching pad is done on your knees BEFORE you get on the church property). One of the greatest things to consider for opening the door for His presence is the songs that you will be using. While songs like Father Abraham and There Was a Wise Old King are classics of children's ministry, they can't be the foundation for launching our children into the realm of the Holy Spirit. I'm not discounting these songs. I'm just reminding you that there is a time and place for these songs.

Allow me to briefly share four ingredients for ushering your children into God's presence.
1. Preparation. Before you ever to your ministry, begin your ministry by ministering to Him in your private time at home. What is done at home will overflow into the service.
2. Explanation. Just don't sing the songs. Explain the songs. Often, the kids don't have a clue as to what phrases or words mean in the song. Just be careful that you don’t become too wordy. It’s not a sermon. It’s an explanation!
3. Demonstration. Just don't sing the words. Demonstrate your passion and hunger for His presence. David couldn't/wouldn't hide his passion. His comment to Michael explained it all. In essence he said, "I can't hide my passion. I'll become even more radical and shamelessly passionate in my display and love for my King." Not only should you demonstrate your passion, your staff must be visible in their love for God. The kids will follow their example.
4. Expectation. Matthew 9:29 reminds us that God moves to the level of our faith and expectation. Are you just filling 10 minutes of your service? Are you just putting a check mark beside another item on your service agenda? Or, are you passionately expecting Him to show up?

Next week, I'll share some THOU SHALT NOT's to avoid as you desire to usher your children into God's presence.

The Bait, The Tools, The Anointing - Part 2 (aka Trinity's Easter Extravaganza Candy Drop)

If you have ever attended one of our Ignite the Supernatural Conferences or attended another meeting when I've taught on the subject of the importance of the anointing, you've heard me tell about the time that I received a call from a lady asking me to officiate the memorial service for her nephew. In this phone call I learned that just a few days earlier her nephew had been beaten to death by his mother and her live-in boyfriend. The reason for the family to ask me to do this service was due to the fact that the 10-year-old boy had a few weeks earlier attended one of our weekend services. It was in this service, one of our Easter Extravaganza services, that the boy heard a Gospel message for the very first and only time in his life. Up to that service, he had never attended a church service or heard a message about Jesus.

The young boy came to our service because of a unique bait, a massive candy drop from a helicopter. Once at our service, our ministry team used creative tools to share the message An Empty Cross and an Empty Tomb for an Empty Heart. Upon receiving the phone call about the boy's death, I immediately cried out to God longing to have His assurance that the bait and the tools were accompanied with a strong anointing, one that would touch and change this young boy's heart as I led the children in the sinner's prayer at the end of the service.

I love the fact that we do the candy drop and drop 45,000 pieces of candy out of a helicopter in our three services. It is an extremely unusual way to draw a ton of children to church. I so enjoy the creative tools used to deliver the Easter message. It brings out the kid in me. But, the bait and the tools without the anointing is unproductive. It is still true ... it's not the bait or the tools, but rather it is the anointing that destroys and annihilates the yoke of bondage (Isaiah 10:27).

In the April 13, 2009 blog entry The Bait, The Tools, The Anointing I tell about our Easter Extravaganza weekend. This year, I've videotaped a brief overview of this exciting Easter celebration. Take a couple of minutes to watch a brief overview of a service. I hope that this stirs up some creativity in you for your next Easter celebration.

Let's Get Radical!

Isn't it a twisted mindset to expect to produce radical, sold-out children in our ministries when all they see is mealy-mouthed, namby-pamby, lackadaisical attitudes in our services? You know that I am telling the truth. Our kids are direct products of what they see and experience. Radical, Holy Ghost-filled, uncompromising kids come from boys and girls observing and participating in radical, Holy Ghost-filled, uncompromising children's ministry services.

Perhaps one of the greatest things that you and I can do today is to go through and assess and analyze our services. Are our boys and girls seeing intense, passionate prayer or are they witnessing check-it-off-the-list, I've-got-it-done prayer? Are we allowing the children to witness and participate in radical, passionate worship from our entire children's ministry team or are they possibly seeing perhaps the person on the platform half-heartedly singing while the rest of the team is busy looking at the lesson or getting their props together or standing in the back of the room visiting? What about your personal ministry time? Can the children see your faith and confidence as you pray for their personal needs? Or are they watching some exercise in religiosity? Would you even want to think about the platform ministry? Are the children seeing someone who is filled to overflowing with the message and is passionately communicating the gospel or are they seeing individuals who skimmed the lesson just before the service?

If we are going to impact this generation, there must be a change in our mindset and our way of ministry. Let's get radical. Let's become passionate. Let's make our love for Jesus and our desire to powerful demonstrate His presence in our lives and ministry so enormously large and visible that the size of your auditorium or classroom can't contain it all and it will have to spill out and overflow outside of the room ... through your kid's radical daily walk with Christ.

Our Assignment

Here's a great reminder .... as you and I walk into a ministry situation, here is our ministry assignment:

• Provide an atmosphere conducive for the Holy Spirit to minister as He sees fit. Believe it or not, He is anxiously waiting for the opportunity and freedom to demonstrate that He is in your classroom, ready to minister to your children.
• Be prepared enough (study and have everything ready before walking into the classroom) and yet sensitive enough to lay aside whatever is requested so that we might flow together with the Holy Spirit.
• Recognize that our words contain spirit and life. The words and demonstrations of love and affirmation to the individual children before and after the service are just as powerful and perhaps even more powerful than any words said on the platform during the service! A 30 second time of receiving your love might possibly be a child's only "love connection" for that entire week!
• Stand up and minister under the anointing. We aren't in the child-care business. In each and every service, we are providing an atmosphere for children grow in their love for God, shaping futures, coming against demonic powers that would try to prevent children from fulfilling their God-given assignments, stirring up spiritual hunger, ... Why would we want to attempt such a humongous feat with just our strength, giftings, and abilities?

Here's What I See ...

While sitting at our Ignite the Supernatural Conference booth a couple of weeks ago in St. Louis, a children's pastor asked me about what I can see happening in children's ministries across our nation. I replied by saying that I can see a major shift coming. Things are happening below the surface that will affect what we will eventually see in our services.

I keep coming back to the comments that I posted on the 9/28/09 blog entry "There's a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On" and the 10/26/09 blog entry "Holy Ghost Seismologists". There is a definite, defined work of the Holy Spirit that it happening "under the radar" of most in leadership positions in our ministries. This unseen to the natural eye move and shift is about to have a profound affect upon our business as usual mentality.

To illustrate what I see, allow me to use the story that blanketed our headlines for several days, the devastating earthquake in Chile which took place on February 27th. Last month's earthquake did more than kill hundreds and devastate a large swath of Chile. It also hurtled the entire city of Concepcion 10 feet to the west, according researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Santiago, the nation's capital, was found to have moved 11 inches to the west-southwest. Using precise GPS measurements taken before and after the magnitude-8.8 earthquake, associate researchers Benjamin Brooks and James Foster discovered the dramatic shift.

Because of fellow Holy Spirit Seismologists, people who passionately long for a move of God's Spirit in our children and children's ministries, the Holy Spirit is working below the surface, preparing for dramatic shift that will cause monumental movement. I see this move causing entire churches to be moved and shifted, elementary and middle schools across our nation dramatically moved by this work of the Holy Spirit causing revival to break out, the spiritual GPS coordinates of entire cities moved from its present position as the Holy Spirit shakes the very foundation of people groups across that area.

Holy Spirit Seismologists, let's continue to look into the realm of the unseen. Let's prepare ourselves by aligning ourselves to the Spirit's movements. While the movements in your service right now might seem to be almost insignificantly minute, it is through these weekly moves and realignments that is setting the stage for the dramatic, property moving, GPS documented event that will bring to the surface what we have been witnessing below the surface.

Get ready, get ready, get ready. I see a whole lot of shaking is about to be going on in your ministry!

Watch Your Shadow!

The other day, I was speaking to the pastor on our church staff who conducts the majority of the funerals for our church. I jokingly told him that I don't officiate too many funerals because the funeral homes have forbidden me to get anywhere near a casket. I continued by telling him that due to the supernatural power on the inside of me the funeral directors are fearful that the church lighting might cause my shadow to fall upon the deceased laying in the casket and cause the deceased to spring back to life.

While I was only joking with my friend, the Holy Spirit later reminded me of the conversation and challenged me in an area of my personal life and ministry. Doesn't Acts 5 tell of people waiting alongside the street just for Peter's shadow to fall upon them so that they might be healed? Peter wasn't preaching or teaching. He didn't walk down the street laying hands upon those standing alongside the road.

Here is what the Holy Spirit told me. We can be so full of the presence of the Holy Spirit that our body can't contain all of His presence. As Peter walked down the street there was the "ooze" or "splash" factor with the overflow that affected all those nearby.

Thank God for the lesson preparation that you and I do each week. Thank God for the extra preparation to make the lesson leap off of the page and become a rhema word from God to our kids. But, there is another factor that we might be overlooking. The filled-to-overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit of the Spirit-prepared teacher will bring about supernatural ministry to "ooze" or "splash" on all those around.

Let's not neglect the teaching preparation. Let's continue to find all of the tools and props that will captivate the listener's attention. Let's continue to feast upon the meat of God's Word so that we can serve our children a solid, balanced spiritual meal. But, now with this new knowledge, let's add the "ooze" or "splash" factor so that the children will be touched by the Holy Spirit from just walking into our rooms and being in our presence! Let's be FILLED to overflowing with His presence. I guarantee that adding the "ooze" or "splash" factor will cause your ministry to never ever be the same again.

Let Me Introduce You to the Holy Spirit

I am convinced that the reason that many children's ministry leaders and workers fail to flow with the Holy Spirit is due to the fact that they don't truly know Him. They have heard about Him, perhaps read about Him, mentioned His name in the Apostles' Creed, and even taught about Him. But, few really, really, really know Him.

How can this be? I believe that this lack of relationship is a result of the Holy Spirit being identified knowingly or unknowingly as a mystical, indescribable mass or force. Our children's ministry leaders are suffering from a horrible case of the "It Syndrome". Knowing that we can't identify with an "it", Jesus sought to destroy this mentality as He informed His disciples in John 14 - 16 that this invisible part of the Godhead is so desirous of being in a relationship with us that He has taken upon Himself the attributes of human personality. Jesus made it possible for us to understand this in the fact that He refers to the Holy Spirit with the pronouns "He", "Him", and "Himself" nineteen times in these chapters.

The Holy Spirit wants to be KNOWable (while "knowable" isn't a word, it is the ONLY word that is applicable). We see that the Holy Spirit wants to be PERSONALable. HE (a Person) wants to know us and for us to know Him. Now, we can walk with Him, talk with Him, listen to His voice, sense His joys and frustrations, etc. This KNOWable Holy Spirit is able and willing to become CONNECTable to us each and every day!

Are you infected with the "It Syndrome"? If so, allow me to introduce you to my friend, the Holy Spirit. Take a second and be courteous. Introduce yourself and then apologize for having not known Him as you should up to this point. Begin to include Him (the Person) in your daily walk. Talk to Him throughout your day. Make appointments in your schedule to allow quiet, intimate times for the two of you to dialogue. You'll be glad that you did!!!