Stretch 2,3,4. Stretch again 2,3,4!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am reading a book on my iPad entitled The Complete Smith Wigglesworth. I am absolutely loving this book. I find myself highlighting so many truths found in Wigglesworth's teachings.

Rather than share a lengthy thought this week, allow me to share a quote from the book. If meditated upon, it could be the launching pad for some powerful ministry in the days to come.

"The Holy Ghost wants to get you ready for stretching yourself out to God and believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Isn't that a powerful quote? Wigglesworth was telling us that supernatural ministry is a direct result of a spirit that is enlarged and stretched by the Holy Ghost. This enhanced spirit is merely a byproduct of praying in the Holy Ghost. (Jude 20)

If you want to flow in the supernatural, pull away from the crowd and begin to daily stretch and enlarge your spirit by praying in other tongues. Soon, you'll be like Peter in Acts 3 and be able to walk into any ministry situation and say, "Such as I have give I thee" and see the natural give way to the supernatural!

2012 - The Year of NO Excuses!

This weekend's services were powerful as we taught "Why Sit We Here 'Til We Die". It was one of those types of weekends where the Holy Spirit spoke not only to the individual children but also the direction of our children's ministry. Using 2 Kings 6 as the foundation for the teaching, we saw that these lepers knew that if they continued to sit where they were and continued doing what they were doing, they would continue to receive the same results that they were presently experiencing. They recognized the importance of getting up from where they were and beginning to do something!

The final object lesson of the message dealt with eliminating all of our excuses. Excuses cause us to keep on doing what we are doing.

Some boys and girls might try to say:
1. “But, God, I was only a child.” God will answer back, “But what about my using a little boy named David to kill Goliath? He offered no excuse for his age!”
2. “But, God, I didn't know what to say or do.” God will answer back, “But I spoke to a little boy named Samuel and told him what to tell the prophet Eli. I spoke to him. I could have spoken to you.”
3. “But, God, I was too busy.” God will answer back, “But I used a young slave girl who was very, very busy with all of her duties to speak to Namaan. Her actions caused Namaan to go to a man of God named Elijah and receive his healing from leprosy.”
4. “But, God, I don’t have much to give.” God will answer back, “I used a lunch from one little boy to feed over 5,000 people. One boy’s lunch was what I needed to help many, many people.”

From this, we can see that our children are NOT too young. They CAN hear God’s voice. They ARE sensitive to God-given ministry opportunities. They DO have what is needed to flow with the Holy Ghost. There is absolutely NO excuse why our children and our children’s ministry can’t be SUPERNATURAL!

In wrapping up the service, I heard in my spirit the phrase, “2012, the year of NO excuses”. This will be my mantra this year. NO EXCUSES! Throughout the year, service after service, I will declare this, teach this, and expect this. In our services I will give the children opportunity to testify about what happened after they eliminated their excuses and began flow with the Holy Ghost.

Will you join me? If TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost (and it is), then let’s facilitate His working through our children. Then, to quote T.D. Jakes, “Get ready, get ready, get ready!”

Your Report Card is Ready!

Believe it or not, when I would bring home my report card during my elementary years in school, almost invariably the teacher would write a comment in reference to my conduct. Without exception, the comments would refer to my excessive talking during class. I seemingly just couldn't help it. I could always find something funny in any situation and I would comment to my peers about what I had noticed. Consequently, each report card would notify my parents that "Billy talks too much."

As we begin this new year, I want to give a brief notice on your "report card". You are not talking enough! It is not a misprint. You are NOT talking enough. Let me become more emphatic. You are NOT TALKING ENOUGH!

The psalmist David had some insight about the importance of talking. He wrote, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psalms 91:2) In other words, David just didn't think about the greatness of God. He recognized the necessity of vocalizing what he knew to be true.

I hate the space confines found in writing this blog. There is so much that I would love to share about talking (after all, my elementary teachers thought that I was quite good at talking). Let me briefly share the importance of speaking ALOUD.
1. HEAVEN will hear your voice and begin to take action.
2. YOU will hear your voice and be encouraged.
3. HELL will hear your voice, take notice, and flee.

As we begin this new year, let's become talkers. Begin to boldly declare out loud the realities imparted by the Holy Ghost. In fact, to start with, beginning today, why don't you begin to daily (and many times throughout the day) declare aloud "TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost". Come on. It won't hurt you. In fact, it will help you. TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost. Now, a little louder. TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost. Now, a little bolder. TODAY IS THE DAY OF THE HOLY GHOST. In doing so, you will begin to become more and more sensitive to His presence, voice, and actions!

One more thought as we begin 2012. I have written on your "report card" that you have become an excessive talker. So, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk and then do some more talking. Get ready. As you put into practice what I have written on your "report card", you and your ministry will never ever be the same again!

Extravagant Faith in an Extravagant God

Like you, I'm seeking for direction and the will of God for this upcoming year. While I am thankful for what was accomplished in 2011, I sense a challenge by the Holy Ghost to believe God for bigger things and greater accomplishments. There is much to be done and this much to be done will require extravagant believing and boldness on my part.

As you spend time with God, remember this. God isn't frightened by your boldness and extravagant faith. In fact, we need to remember that God is limited by the opposite ... fear and small mindedness. Our timidity and peanut-sized dreaming will lock us into perimeters dictated by our enemy. I wish that I could shout this from the housetop ... God is pleased when we by faith believe and confess large things! Why? Because He is an extravagant God! I can call Him extravagant because one of His names is El Shaddai (the God who is more than enough).

I don't want the upcoming year to be 365 uneventful days. You can start preparing for the nursing home lifestyle if you’d like, but I choose to have God-sized dreams and extravagant faith for a supernatural, Holy Ghost empowered year. I declare today and will continue to boldly proclaim throughout 2012 that there are mountains that I will climb, a generation that I will impact. I declare that Billy Burns Ministries will declare “TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost” around the world and see it manifest.

Join me. Become a present day Joshua and Caleb as we look at 2012. Like Caleb I want to say, "Let us go up at once and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13:30, ESV). Without fear of what others think, I want to have such confidence in my God and be able to declare for 2012, "If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us.” (Numbers14:8). There are greater harvests to reap, huge dreams waiting to become realities. In doing so, those with this uncompromising, different spirit will reap the same promise given in Numbers 14:24 "But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it."

Come on ... let's be extravagant together and allow the dreams placed within our hearts by the Holy Ghost become a reality!!!

Merry Christmas from the Burns Family!

Let me introduce the Burns family ...

Our 4-year-old grandson, Joey, is standing in front of Jason's beautiful wife, Elisabeth

Our oldest son, Jason, is holding our 19-month-old grandson, Gavin

I don't know of anyone I'd rather stand beside than my beautiful wife Vickie

Standing to our right and 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.

The Blood, The Word, The Name

A couple of Sundays ago, we opened our home to our entire staff of children's ministry staff for a come and go open house Christmas party. It was so much fun. We had so many of our volunteer staff and their families with us that it was wall-to-wall people. And, to make things even more exciting, some of the families brought trays of finger foods and others brought plates of desserts. We had tables and counters covered with food. Great friends, unbelievable food ... it was heaven on earth.

Towards the end of the evening, one of our staff was playing songs from the iTunes on my computer. Within a few minutes, he began to play songs from one of my all-time favorite musicians, Andraé Crouch, and soon one of my all-time favorite songs, Andraé's The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power. Upon hearing the song, I commented to some of our staff how that song contains a message that seems to be lost in today's Christian music. The church has lost sight of the power found in the blood of Jesus. As a child growing up in church, we sang song after song that talked about Jesus' blood. We sang songs like There's Power in the Blood and Oh, the Blood of Jesus and Victory in Jesus and There is a Fountain Filled with Blood and I See a Crimson Stream of Blood. Now, I double dare you list more than two or three songs that are sung in today's services that mention Jesus' blood. Even better, I challenge you to try to remember when you've heard a message that challenges believers to remind Satan about the believer's victory brought through the blood that flowed at Calvary.

In planning next year's ministry, I've been stirred for some time to resurrect a series that I wrote possibly ten years ago entitled "The Blood, The Word, The Name: Weapons to Keep Satan in His Place". Hearing that song at the party served as a reminder and confirmation to cement this teaching in our boys and girls spirits. I mention these weapons occasionally, but haven't given a thorough teaching on these weapons in quite some time.

As we approach a new year, would you consider joining with me and let's teach our children about the power found in these weapons? I would venture that many if not all of your children have no revelation of the weapons that causes Satan and his imps to shake with indescribable fear. Let's equip this generation to be the generation that will keep Satan in his place which is under our feet!

The Importance of Being Filled with the Spirit

My lifestyle at times can get way too hectic and I have to be creative in finding opportunities to read. Thankfully, my iPad is with me 90% of my day and often gives me the ability to read a portion of a downloaded book whenever a brief time of solitude presents itself. I am often able to read a few pages while I am waiting on an appointment or away from the office and have a few minutes of "me" time when there are no phone calls or people to interact with.

I recently downloaded a book that I would encourage you to purchase. The Complete Smith Wigglesworth is a collection of his sermons and writings. This is the man who said that he would never get out of bed in the morning without having communion with God in the Spirit. Consequently, through this communion Wigglesworth lived a Book of Acts life and saw the Holy Spirit demonstrate His presence and power in amazing ways.

In reading this book, I came across a statement made by Wigglesworth that is so, so powerful. You may want to remind yourself of this statement by writing it on index cards and placing it around your home and workplace. Here's the quote:

"It is impossible to overestimate the importance of being filled with the Spirit."

Rather than expound on this statement, I'll ask that you spend time with the Holy Spirit. He is far more capable of causing this statement to explode in your spirit. His revelation will cause you to be forever changed.

Selah