Pray for McKenna

McKenna is a 10-year old girl that was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2012.  She is from my hometown of Russellville, KY, and goes to the church I grew up at.  Please agree with me in prayer for God to completely heal and restore her.  I've seen many miracles with my own eyes, including people being healed of various cancers.  I'm believing in the Name of Jesus that God will do it again for McKenna.  AMEN!!! 

Please pray and believe with me.  Thank you so much.

In Jesus Christ's Love,

Adam

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Song of the Week #119

A Prophet Without Honor

Do you know who is sitting next to you? That’s a child of God with a unique manifestation of His character. That’s a vessel containing the power of the Holy Spirit if they choose to walk in it. That person sitting next to you could be the key to your breakthrough.

Have you neglected to notice who they are in Christ because you see them every day? Do you fail to acknowledge their anointing because you’ve seen them at their worst, or seen them grow up, or seen them fall a few times? Just because you know them as your friend, your mother, your son, or your colleague doesn’t negate the fact that they could be a live power line.

These people we know intimately are no different than the people we sometimes put on pedestals. We tend to clamor for these “big” people to speak to us or pray for us, but we look right past the people we see every day. These “big” people are really not that much different than you and I—they contain the same God that lives on the inside of every single person that is born again. And I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but these faith giants probably deal with the some of the same shortcomings, stumbling blocks, and perception problems that you and your friends and families face. After all, these giants of the faith are somebody’s friend, somebody’s mother, somebody’s son.

It is much easier for us to honor the people we view from afar because we probably don’t know their every weakness or know who they were before they became the person we see now. We can honor them (or their ministry) much easier because we usually only see the good stuff and hear about their best moments. But I submit to you that the very people that you do life with can hold the miracle in your life that you are looking for if you will choose to start honoring them for who they are in the Lord. And that means you honor them fully…let me explain what I mean:

Let’s say I get to see one of my uncles a few times a year at family gatherings. I’ve known him my entire life. He has watched football with me, taken me to amusement parks, and bought me gifts at Christmas. I know him pretty well and have been around long enough (and heard enough stories from the family) to know his interests, how he used to be, and what he is like now. Now let’s say this uncle is a preacher. He travels around and preaches the Gospel. He is a great family man and loves his wife. I have the opportunity to approach this man in a several different ways. I can honor him as 1) the guy who grew up with my mother and tormented her; 2) my uncle that I’ve always known; 3) a man who probably doesn’t care all that much for money; 4) a provider for his family who is faithful to his wife, 5) a man of God who has led countless people to the Lord; etc, etc, etc. The way in which I choose to honor him is equivalent to how much I can get from him.

Notice that in Matthew 10:41, Jesus says, “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.” Thus, by merely honoring a person according to their place in the Kingdom you can get everything that they have. In the case of my uncle, I can choose to honor as little or as much as I like, but whatever level I honor him that is how much I can receive. If I only look at him as ‘the guy who buys me presents at Christmas’ or ‘the funny uncle who makes fart jokes’ then I am missing something. If I don’t stop at the familiarity of knowing him and instead choose to honor him as a man of God who has spent his life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ then I can receive so much more from him. The amount of respect and honor I give him is directly tied to how much I can receive from him.

It’s so much harder for us to see people that we know intimately as people who could be special…as people who could have a very unique place in the Kingdom. What if I said my uncle was Billy Graham? Would that change how you think I should view him? Guess what—Billy Graham IS somebody’s uncle. Somebody has the opportunity to only see him as their parent’s brother…only as a guy they see mostly at holidays. They get to choose if they will honor him as somebody they’ve always know intimately and heard crazy stories about his past, or honor him as being an evangelist to the nations.

You have the opportunity to look at the people around you differently than you have always done. These people aren’t only your friends and family; they are children of the Most High God. Choose to honor them fully and watch more life flow into your relationships.

Restoration

We've talked about restoration a lot around here lately…for God to restore you, your broken relationships, your heart, your life, etc. And I’ve seen it happening all around me! Praise the Lord!!

Whenever I hear the word “restore”, my mind usually thinks something along the lines of “set back to default” or “the way it was”. Basically, it’s almost like I picture a giant Reset button that can be pushed and you get to start over. But as I think more about restoration, I’m not sure that thought is completely accurate.

In Revelation 2, the church in Ephesus is praised for its good works, its perseverance, and its intolerance of wickedness. But immediately after this, they are warned in Verses 4 and 5, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…”

The Lord calls them to “do the things you did at first”, and to remember their “first love”. Depending on your interpretation of the whole account that warning is probably referring to the love they had for each other and/or the love they had for Christ. Let’s assume the passage means Christ (and if it means Christ, then it also automatically means love for each other because that is the natural progression of love for Christ anyways). Thus, the Lord is reminding and warning them that although their works have been wonderful they need some kind of change in their lives where Christ is the center of their attention again.

Herein lies where I think I’ve been slightly off in my thinking of restoration. God tells them to “do the things you did at first”. I used to view this primarily as a call to put things back to the way they were when I first came to know Jesus, and to do the things I did when I first accepted Him as my Savior. I’m sure you’ve heard others reminisce about how amazing it was the first time they felt the love of Christ, got baptized, and got set free of their past ways. They may even talk about how “on fire” they were for God back then. So my thinking has usually gone to how I could recapture the way I felt and acted in the summer of 1997 when I first accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.

But I don’t think restoration only means hitting reset. I think by restoring Christ to the center of your attention the most critical thing you do is to restore Him to His rightful place—the place of your first love. You again sit Him at the highest and most important place in your life. To merely hit reset is to erase all of the things that have happened since your conversion. Although there’s surely some crap in there that you wish never happened, there is also a history with God. There is stuff in there that God doesn’t want to be erased because it brings glory to His Name now that you are back on the right track!

This whole idea is rocking me right now! It’s changing my entire perception of restoration. I pray God continues to reveal His perfect concept of restoration to me, and that He shows the same thing to you. Lord, please open my mind and my heart to the depths of your love, redemption, mercy, and restoration...and the fullness thereof. Reveal these things to me and I pray that they manifest themselves in my life more and more. In Jesus Christ of Nazareth’s Holy, Loving, and Awesome Name, Amen.

God's Will and You

The call of God is general and it is specific. God’s will on earth is to grow His Church—that every person on earth come to know Him as He is; i.e. to know Him as their creator, their master, their lover, their God. He wants everyone to experience Him and have relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. He wants His will on earth done as it is in Heaven. He does not want to see people sick, depressed, lonely, hurt, suffering from disease, broken, broke, unloved, defenseless, ridiculed, enslaved, abused, hated, ignored, burned, left for dead, disregarded, or lied to.

You are part of the bride of Christ. To be a bride means only to love Him, and to let him love you. Fully.

When you are asking to find your specific purpose, your specific role, it only makes sense to me that you seek to love Him first, that you seek to find His heart more. When that love relationship gets all kinds of messy then things will be birthed in your spirit. Then, those things won’t just be cool things that give you something to get excited about for a while; they will be things that already are drenched in the purposes and heart of God. THOSE are the things that turn out to do mighty Kingdom things.

Don’t necessarily look for things that everybody else is doing, things that are big, and looking at the way to do them the biggest and best. People don’t necessarily have to notice you…especially at first. If the goal is to be noticed, especially at first, then your heart probably isn’t in the right place. Don’t be the guy in the worship band that misses the worship b/c of the band. Don’t be the prayer warrior that only goes to major events but neglects the prayer closet. You’ve gotta lay the ground work in your heart correctly if you want to be part of something that is God-big, and sustainable.

Your specific purpose will tie to the big overall purpose: to grow His Church on earth. If you keep that in the forefront of your mind and heart, then the Lord will sooner or later show you your more specific role in the Body. The Body is His Bride. Let us love Him.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Arise Worship Internship

So I made a quick mention in my last post that I have been incredibly busy over the last few weeks. Well now I am finally ready to announce to the world the one primary thing that has been the focus of most of my hours over the past month: The Arise Worship Internship!

The Arise Worship Internship is going to be an amazing 9 week program that produces earth-shaking, culture-shaping worship warriors. The entire purpose of this internship is to raise up and hone people who have a burning desire to use their musical abilities to affect things for the Kingdom. We are going to pour into, and release, an army of revolutionaries that are sold out to the cause of Christ and are also musically excellent. This internship gives everybody 18 years of age and up the chance to come be a part of what’s going on here, get sharpened up, learn, and grow and THEN go back out and take everything they’ve acquired and infect their corner of the world. It’s going to be incredible!

So tell all your friends, tell your family, tell everybody about the Arise Worship Internship!! I have absolutely no doubt that the Lord is going to do some truly remarkable, new things through this program and the people who come to be a part of it. Bring it on, Lord, we’re ready!! In Jesus’ Mighty Loving and Awesome Name, Amen and Amen!!!!!

Who You Are!!!

We have a 24-hour prayer service going on at my church right now. As I was there this morning, I prayed one thing that seemed to carry more weight in my heart than anything else. I prayed that God would prick the hearts of this generation and this nation so that they could feel again. I prayed that He would get rid of the apathy and that people would care about the desires, concerns, and passions of His heart—b/c He puts a new and clean heart in you when you accept His love.

I think that for people to accept God’s love and ask for Jesus Christ to cleanse them of their sins as they turn and repent from their old ways, they have to understand what God says about them, and to them. They have to understand who they are. So despite what you may have heard people tell you, the following things that are pulled straight from the Bible are the truth about who you are. These verses are phrased so that you can say them out loud and claim them over yourself. I challenge you to read each one of them out loud, one-by-one, and see what happens to your heart. This is what the Almighty God, Your Creator and Lover of Your Soul, says about you:

I am redeemed and forgiven by the grace of Christ.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).

I am saved by faith in Christ, not by my works.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God.
For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love (Ephesians 1:4).

I am a child of God.
But to all who have received him--those who believe in his name--he has given the right to become God's children … (John 1:12).

I have been chosen of God, and I am holy and beloved.
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience … (Colossians 3:12).

I have been accepted by Christ.
Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God's glory (Romans 15:7).

In Christ Jesus, I have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption … (1 Corinthians 1:30).

My old self was crucified with Christ, and I am no longer a slave to sin.
We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin (Romans 6:6).

My new self is righteous and holy.
… Put on the new man who has been created in God's image--in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth (Ephesians 4:24).

My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in me.
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

I am God’s workmanship created to produce good works.
For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them (Ephesians 2:10).

The peace of God guards my heart and mind.
And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

God supplies all my needs.
And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

This is who you are. God says so. There are a few links at the bottom of the page that have more to say on your identity in Christ (I copied most of the verses in this post from the first link). Check em out.

Most importantly, if you haven’t already, I urge you to ask Christ Jesus to come into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior. He is God's only Son who came into the earth to die to forgive us all of our sins. Through Christ we are reconnected and right with God. Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior is as simple as believing in Him, and confessing your sins with your mouth. If you would like help with what to pray, you can follow this link, or ask me (adamkees@hotmail.com). There’s no better time than now. Tomorrow is promised to no one. I pray that you do it.

In Jesus Christ of Nazareth's Love,

adam


http://bible.org/article/who-does-god-say-i-am
http://branchofvine.blogspot.com/2007/06/what-god-says-about-me.html
http://www.nemontel.net/~word1/what_god_says_about_me.htm
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/JennyTheJewel.aspx

Discipline Cannot Change Your Heart

I know there are those of you out there that are like me—you exercise self-control, you’re good at planning things out, you do well at sticking to plans, etc. All of these are good qualities, yes? Well I’ve got news for you: those disciplines that you employ in your life are not enough; they are not the whole equation.

Discipline cannot change your heart.

Think about it. Can averting your eyes during sex scenes in movies make your heart cease to lust? Can holding your tongue when being verbally attacked make you love your accusers more? Can faking a smile when everything is falling apart make you more joyful? Probably not. Though your actions are well-meaning and can, indeed, produce some fruit by their own merit, they need to be paired with something else. That “something” is a pure and broken heart before God.

Being near to the Lord is what changes your heart. When you draw closer to the love of Christ, worldly temptation is not as strong, you have more patience and love, and joy flows out of you. You don’t have to try as hard with your mind or your flesh to make yourself do certain things. In short, a changed heart naturally produces discipline.

• Side note: As important as discipline is in the life of the Christian (and it IS important), it is not what life is made of. If discipline is the center of your faith then you are missing out on the good part—the part that experiences love, joy, peace, and life more abundant! In fact, if discipline and a works mentality are what your faith is based around, then you are probably well on your way to becoming hardened, joyless, religious, and burnt out.

Maybe this is something all of you guys have known for a while, but it was an “Aha!” kind of thing for me. Doing things a certain way can only go so far in actually changing me. I’ve had it backwards for a long time. Discipline doesn’t change my heart; my changed heart produces discipline. I’ve gotta get my heart right.