Youth all over NYC. Wearing God belongs in my city tshirts made a statement. They didn’t even give people months and months of notice yet everyone who wanted to make a statement, everyone who knew God could work with anything but silence, got involved with this and their voices were heard.

My friend Jeremy Del Rio did a great job sharing what happened, my job is to let my readers know about it because it was just awesome and when I saw the video I was moved to tears. So here it is folks a play by play on what happened in NYC that made this Latina proud.

I was talking with a dear friend of mine the other day and we got to talking about our lives without sharing too much of our private conversations we basically came down to this theory. In almost every other arena in life, people are ok with leaders saying I’m done, I’m out, I want to do something else with my life. But when it comes to ministry, it isn’t that easy.  We talked about how maybe that is what happened to many people we saw growing up and then they vanished from the faith-based scene. Maybe they said enough. Made me ponder….

Then on our way back from a business seminar this weekend in Orlando, my husband shares with me that the next 10-15 years of his life has to count for something. I feel the same.

I found this post on why pastors may want to quit, how musicians dream of quitting, how this guy started a teaching series on the entire foundation of people who are leading when they want to quit. But I found this guy who reminds me to ask a good question, not why should I quit but why am I doing this?

For some reason, many people think a leader doesn’t hurt, doesn’t feel the sting of betrayal or the passive-aggressive person’s silent whip. Most of my life I’ve been a rebounder. Yes it gets tiring but still I rise. Proverbs 24:16 reminds me that the “Godly may trip seven times but they will get up again…” So to help my soul sort out things I’d like to share what makes me want to quit and why I still do what I do…

What Makes Me What To Quit

1. People who use me but don’t care to know me (yet think they do!)

2. People who say they are with you but when push comes to shove -they shove the knife in real good

3. People who don’t dare tell you the things that I did to hurt them unintentionally but freely share with others

4. People who think running a church/ministry is only about time and talent

5. People who think I don’t want to enjoy my life but want me to spend 24/7 only on their needs/wants when they don’t even spend 1 hour with God to cry out for HIM to help them or to address their own continual dysfunctions

6. People who smile in my face but don’t realize I know what they really feel about me cause I heard it through the grapevine LOL

and there’s more but hey none of us have all day to read that list…

Why I Continue To Do What I Do?

1. There are people who do care (even if that is a minority) and are changed by the programs, sermons, events that God inspires me to do for THEM

2. I know God purposed in me to be an encourager, equipper and educator of people and by some of the testimonies I have heard throughout the years, I’ve made a difference blessed be the name of the Lord

3. I love building things from nothing to something or from something to something greater

4. I know I would not be content doing anything else–worshipping God by utilizing the gifts He has given me brings life to me.

5. I honor God with my life when I work with the Trinity to bring another soul to the Kingdom or re-connect with their Abba

Earlier today I was sharing with a little sister in the faith how important thick skin is in the ministry business. Another fact I’ve learned throughout my years in ministry in various environments is simply choose your friends slowly and carefully and do the same for your leaders. Proverbs 25:19 states “putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.”

I think what keeps me from altogether walking away from everything is my support team. Bill George in the book True North shares the following:

“Leaders do not succeed on their own. The loneliness of leadership has been well documented, but the remedies have not. Everyone has insecurities; some are just more open about them than others. Even the most outwardly assured executives need support and appreciation. Authentic leaders build support teams that will counsel them in times of uncertainty, be there in times of difficulty, and celebrate with them in times of success. Strong support teams provide affirmation, advice, perspective, calls for course corrections when needed, and, above all, love. After their hardest days, leaders find comfort in being with people on whom they can rely so they can be open and vulnerable. During the low points, they cherish the friends who appreciate them for WHO they are, not WHAT they are.”

So that’s it my friends, when I want to quit because I feel nobody cares (ala the movie Bronx Tale), I don’t because aside from my GOD who always has my back, I have a great support team who is around me holding me up singing the song to me that I have forgotten to sing and bottomline I’ve seen the hand of the Lord at work in the things I’ve done and it blesses my heart when someone “gets it” with the Lord.

Tip: Encourage a leader you know in your circles. They need to know that want they are doing, the time they are sacrificing doing the things that you don’t even know is being done so things look so great you think it “just happened” –was appreciated. They already know it was “worth it” for the Father. But its nice once in a blue moon, hell freezes over world, that someone, somewhere noticed. Will you be a noticer? It’s important because somewhere someone in leadership wants to quit.

I came across this prayer guide as I was looking for resources for our prayer team. I think everyone could utilize this.

Got problems in your church, then pray, have a great pastor? Then pray more…

Do you desire to fire your pastor? Perhaps you should fire them up instead! Do you want to leave your church? Perhaps you should be the one to build it up! 

The best way to build your church and fire up your pastor is to be involved and pray for them constantly and continually! If you really what to put your faith where it is needed the most, commit yourself to support your Church and Pastoral Staff, and realize that God loves us all, and we are still in His Hands. Pastors and church leaders face many opportunities and challenges each day. They balance the stresses of ministry while they are researching and writing the sermons, managing the affairs of the church, going to countless meetings and counseling others significant problems. They wear many hats as the pastor, priest, counselor, preacher, teacher, manager, organizer, visionary, administrator and janitor all rolled into one with little to no free time. As well as dealing with the stresses of modern life with their family all under personal attack and usually doing life with a lower salary and an ungrateful congregation who expects them to be perfect. They need your help, they need your prayers! When we commit ourselves to pray for our pastors and church leaders, we will have no need to bicker, gossip, slander, withdraw, place blame, or seek to usurp our will as God’s (Rom. 8:28, 8:33-34, 37-39). For our confidence in the fact Christ is our Sovereign Shepherd and He is in complete control of our church and staff, we are in His Hands and all will work out. Our pastors and leaders are here to serve, but they need our prayers and support to make this work! When we pray and come together tighter, we will have no need to fear or stress or remain in our hurts. We can come together triumphantly as a caring, loving community powerfully for His glory impacting our community (Isa. 6:1-12; Gal. 5:22-23; 1 Pet. 3:12)!  Praying for your church is like filling a balloon with helium, the more it is filled, the more it will soar and not sore! For us to grow not just numerically, but in what is much more important, spiritually and in community to one another, requires our discipline and passion to pursue Christ more and ourselves less. We have to grow in Christ in a cherished, intimate growing relationship with Him as LORD over all and LORD over us. We are called to become purpose driven with His purpose at our helm of leadership and lives so that our trust and intimacy is rooted in Him and not in our personal ideas or distractions (1 Chron. 16:11; John 3:30;Eph. 6:16; Col. 2:6-8).  

Use this prayer guide to pray daily for your church. Take one point each day of every month, and as you grow more in your discipline of prayer, double up by taking two or more.  First, praise God and thank Him for His blessings and goodness in all He has bestowed, even if you do not feel or see them. Remember your walk with Christ is all about Him working in and through us so your faith and love flourishes!  

Day 1.    Pray that we realize that our inheritance and hope as a church family is in God’s incomparable and incredible great power which is available to us (Gal. 1:12; Eph. 1:18-19; Phil. 3:10).  Day 2.    Pray that our Church, Leadership and Pastoral Staff becomes more surrendered and poured out to Christ, so they can have spiritual breakthroughs by seeking the fear of God and the mind of Christ and the Spirit’s leading (1 Cor. 2:16; Gal. 2:20-21).  

Day 3.    Pray that your Church and Pastor have and continue to take hold a growing, consistent walk with Christ with a devotional life and prayer that is steadfast. Pray that they realize and allow Christ to work and use them as they grow closer in their faith, spiritual formation, maturity and love (Psalm 16:8-11; 73:28; Rom. 8:31; 2 Pet. 1:5-7).   Day 4.    Pray that all of the leadership exhibit good Christian character and integrity with all of their relationships and dealings in life (Micah 6:8).  

Day 5.    Pray that your Church leaders and Pastors families will be cared for and respected and receive good consideration, so they can to grow too, as they are usually misunderstood, under-appreciated, and ignored or overworked. Pray that all the staff be committed to their families with authentic love and care, that they will be strong and learn in the midst of trials, their homes a refuge and haven of rest and not be condescending or withdrawing from their own families (Psalm 91:9-15; Phil. 4:19; 1 Peter 2:23).   Day 6.    Pray for discernment in exposing any plans of the enemy against our Church or attacking our pastors and staff. Ask Christ to protect us as we wage spiritual warfare against the enemy on behalf of our Church (Eph. 6:11-12, 16; Col. 2:6-8; 1 Pet. 3:12). 

Day 7.     Pray for an increase of vitality, renewal and vision that is from God for the pastors and leaders personally and collectively so that the church can be galvanized then take a hold of, and then be revitalized as a caring committed community for His Kingdom and purpose (Isa. 61:3; Rom. 12). Day 8.    Pray for the willingness and ability to authentically confess and repent of any wrong doing, false dependencies, misplaced ideas and loss of spiritual passion (Luke 13:1-3; Acts 2:38-39; Rev. 2:5-6).  

Day 9.    Pray that you and your church commits to follow the biblical mandate to support and encourage the leadership of the church (Eph. 4:11-13; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Pet. 5:1-2).  Day 10.  Pray against gossip, negative criticism, false expectations, unhealthy burdens, strife and weariness that will seek to invade our church family (Psalm 91:5-6, 11; Luke 10:19; Eph. 4: 17, 32-5:1).  

Day 11.  Pray that your church be a community of grace and forgiveness. That your church has an atmosphere of encouragement by being grateful for Christ’s work in them that enables the congregation to be inspired to give genuine hospitality to all who comes though your doors (Rom. 15:4-6; 2 Thess. 2:16-17).  Day 12.  Pray that your church commits to a healthy understanding, wisdom and accounting and handling of its stewardship and Finances to better receive God’s blessings (Prov. 3:9-10; 1 Cor. 9:15-18).  

Day 13.  Pray that your Church and Pastor will have the strength and endurance that they need to serve with excellence by the power of the Spirit and the support of the congregation (Philippians 4:13). Day 14.  Pray for healing, forgiveness and reconciliation for any misplaced expectations, criticism, ungrateful attitudes, flawed thinking, grief, hurts, and abuse (Isa. 61:3; Mark 11:22-24, 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 4:32-5:1; Phil. 4:19). 

Day 15.  Pray that your church would receive God’s direction and vision. That the congregation gets nourished from the substance of His Word and the needs of the congregation are met (Psalm 119:9-12; Matt. 18:20).  Day 16.  Pray that our church becomes real authentic disciples of Christ who are learning, growing and making Fruit and in turn making more disciples (Prov. 19:23; Mal. 3:11; Matt. 28:18-20; John. 15:16; Gal. 5:22-23) 

Day 17.  Pray that the spirit and practice of Humility is utilized and practiced in and outside of your church, and that false humility does not take root (1 Pet. 5:5-7).  Day 18.  Pray that pride does not set in with our Leadership and Pastoral Staff (Psalm 10:4; Prov. 8:13).  

Day 19.  Pray that our church commits to place our focus on the Supremacy of Christ and be dependant upon Him (Gal. 6:14; Col. 1: 15-17)!  Day 20.  Pray that our Church and Pastor give real biblical help and Counseling from God’s wisdom and Word to those in need (Isaiah 61:3).  

Day 21.  Pray that our church family will give Christ real authentic adoration, praise, impassioned worship and glory in private and collectively as a Church. That worship is never to be a show, entertainment or talent focused, rather God is the audience to our praise (Gal. 6:14).  Day 22.  Pray that our Church and Pastor take accountability seriously and each be protected and have people they are accountable too. Also, that each would cultivate and pursue healthy relationships (Gal. 6: 1-10; Eph. 5:21).  

Day 23.  Pray that the Word of God will never be compromised, cheapened or dumped down; rather be delivered in confidence with power, conviction, clarity, boldness, with love and in truth (Acts 6:4; Col. 1:28; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:15).  Day 24.  Pray for discernment to seek God’s leading and direction for the leaders and pastoral staff, that they seek His ways and not trends, traditions, personal agendas or anything that is not from the Spirit and Word. Pray that they can discern and prioritize what is important and precious and what is not (Isa. 6; 2 Cor. 11:14; 2 Tim. 3:5; 1 John. 4:1; Rev. 4). 

Day 25.  Pray that God protects our Church, Leadership and Pastoral Staff from sin and misdirection and they have the wiliness and boldness to flee and confront sin (Prov. 19:23; 1 Pet. 1:16). Day 26.  Pray we all draw near to Christ and seek holiness and His presence with more prayer (Acts 1:14; 1 Thess. 5:17; Jas. 4:7-8). 

Day 27.  Pray that we as a church family remain faithful and good stewards, so the financial needs are met (Psalm. 91:15-16; Phil. 4:19). Day 28.  Pray that negative thinking, stress, being overwhelmed, the ways of the world, the tyranny of the urgent, being overcommitted, over busyness, fatigue, compromise, pressures, overworked, under-appreciated, misunderstandings, and stress to not get in our Spiritual Home and take over (John 14:1; Acts 6:2-4; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 4:17).  

Day 29.  Pray that Unity infuses your church so that your congregation is binding to Christ in love so the work of the Kingdom is promoted (2 Chron. 30:12; Psalm 133:1; Rom. 15:5). Day 30.  Pray that congregation is willing and able to come and support the church and staff with grateful hands and words. That you all realize that the pastors and leadership are necessary and called and accountable to God (Matt. 9:37; Acts 14; 1 Tim. 3:1-7, 10-15; 5:22-23).  

Day 31.  Pray that our church community commits to pray for our church, pastors, staff, missionaries, those in need, community and issues powerfully every day (Acts 1:14;16:16;1 Thess. 5:17).  It is God’s call for all of us to Pray for our Church and Pastor! Print this out and pass it to those in your congregation and watch your church grow closer to Christ!

© 1989, 2005 Dr. R.J. Krejcir Into Thy Word Ministries

Once upon a time, I believe God called me out to start a church. I never wanted to do anything like that and I never thought I would be a pastor. However, my husband and I went forth and after much prayer, guidance, advise, etc. we launched a church in South Florida. Long story short, it ended after 3 years.

The thing is it didn’t have to end. Everything pretty much was going well and to this day I miss our church. It was such a great “sanchocho” or mixture of philsophies of ministry I still don’t see anything like it and I’m a pastor again in another church plant (although it doesn’t really see itself as one) we just made three years this past Sunday (but that’s another story). We end our church plant adventure due to two things…money and leadership. Was it the right or wrong thing to do, I think it was. First let’s talk about the money part, it was a struggle to do anything we wanted to do because we just didn’t have the money. And friends, before you go and say I and my team was so “not connected to God” don’t say a word until you’ve been there. Outreach, supplies, rent, all require money. Next reason…leadership. My second son almost died on me May 2007 Mother’s Day. With all the drama of being in the hospital about two weeks with him after five resusitations, we realized we really didn’t have a great core team of people to help lead the church while we were away.  I was emotionally, physically and spiritually spent. We made the decision soon after that.

Was this difficult. Uh, yeah! Did I feel like a failure? Yes very much so for the first time in my life. (I’m an overachiever so says personality tests so this took me months to get over!) But mostly I felt that I didn’t hear God right. Think about it…I didn’t want to do anything like this ever, then I believe God is telling me to do it, I do it and then it fails. How would you feel?

Since then I am just fine. I learned not to fear failure and trust me that is liberating. You are able to go forward and risk more when you failed at least once and in my eyes NOW it really wasn’t failure (so to speak) I’ve learned how much I really love doing what I am doing. Pastoring is about empowering people to go forth and believe God for EVERYTHING in their lives. You may still think I am a failure but honestly I don’t care what you think.  Me and God are what count and I must truly say what a ride that adventure was.

I say all that to get to this point. I admire church planters. I want to help them any way I can. It takes alot to go forth and believe God for something to come from nothing. So when I read about this church at this blog and read about this woman leaving the corporate world to plant a church I prayed for her.

I am part of a three-year old church now and I truly love the people there.  I love my STN peeps. So yes I am still on a church planting team and still have the same issues that I faced when I had my own church but its much better when you have a “team” with you and people in the church who want to build something with you.

I give a high-five to all the church planters out there especially women because there are so few networks that acknowledge our role in church planting teams. But thankfully more and more are popping up.

MLK Jr. said those immortal words. He had a vision toward which he directed his life. But in reality, he was speaking of more than a vision. He had a cause. A cause is something that never dies. A vision can change, and frequently does, but a cause continues until it is fulfilled. MLK’s  cause did not stop when he died. It will continue until it is accomplished. The drive to see equality and harmony between people of all races and backgrounds, to see every person regardless of where they came from, experience all the promises of God, that is a cause bigger than King. His vision and others like it even ones we read about in the Word of God should have shown us one thing, people live for vision but die for a cause.

This makes me think of Bishop H. Curtis Douglas who is the pastor of Dabar Worship Center and he has this scripture as his foundational text for the church.  In 1 Samuel 17, the army of Israel looked on as the Philistines gathered themselves for war against them. The Israelites trembled in fear as Goliath taunted and challenged them. For 40 long days, this giant came out against them and dared them to stand toe to toe. Being weary and overwhelmed, the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.  In verse 29 David asks the  question, “Is there not a cause?” (NKJV) And he then proceeded to conquer what everyone else feared…the giant in the land.

What fear is keeping you back from God’s destiny for your life? What is the cause in your life? It is directly connected to your destiny, to what God created you to do and to be. Connect your vision and your attitudes to a cause and your passion will follow. My cause is to educate, equip and empower women and to help them achieve their dreams and connect to their cause!  I do that though my ministry of the Center for Emerging Female Leadership (www.cefl.org and www.ceflonline.com) but with any cause there is also a need for cash. Cold cash!

For some reason our Christian mindset is locked into a poverty mentality and many Christians dare not even think of success in terms of financial gain. Now I am totally not a prosperity gospel person and I am totally against pastors or Bishops or “grand po-bas” who drive three different luxury cars and everyone in their church is driving 10 year old used cars and living in rentals. But avoiding wealth is not the same thing as conforming to the world. Quite the contrary. A poverty mentality is more conformed to the world system of belief than gaining wealth with a right heart.

The poverty mentality of the world says that you must work hard all your whole life, live in poverty, struggle to get by, work for money, pay bills, buy liabilities, and retire with just enough social security to survive. That is the world you are not to conform to. God wants you to have “more than enough” He is a God of abundance.

I am standing up because I have a cause! I am taking a stand and working towards my dreams but not waiting around for money to drop on my lap. I am taking action. And this is the key point of this post (sorry!)…take another look at micro-franchise home-based businesses.  I did. My husband and I are independent business owners of an ACN micro-franchise (www.hiramrios.acnrep.com) our cause? To fulfill God’s destiny in our lives to be givers, to empower others and to live a life where our time is spent on the passion in our hearts.

Do you have a cause? Stop waiting for everything to be in place, get up, get started and ask God to put you on the right path.

Note: Get educated. Stop believing the negativity of this world to keep you in the same situation you are in. Don’t take advise from people who never have accomplished anything in life much less are in financial distress. If you are a hard worker, if you have a cause and you need the cash, consider micro-franchise ownership otherwise known as direct selling. It offers millions of people the opportunity to make money on their own time, mainly as a supplement to income. According to the Direct Selling Association (www.dsa.org), about 15.1 million people in the United States are doing it right now.

A mindset can keep you in a prison forever. It can keep you from achieving God’s best for your life and it can keep you from destiny. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about mindsets when they go about their daily lives.I have met and come in contact everyday with Christians who have lives that are just so drastically pathetic whether it be work life, marriage life, relationships, business, education, etc. We are supposed to have different lives, lives in abundance, lives of joy, etc. Yet we think so small-minded and when we run across people who have dreams…who actually believe that God wants something different for us, we think they are fools. Worse yet, we think they are unspiritual.I for one have had enough. I am all about risk and yes I am not afraid to fail. I’ve already failed at one big endeavor once. That was enough to get me to a place where I know it won’t kill me. One thing I’d like you to consider is thinking about your life as an employee.  Due to various circumstances, I don’t have a 9 to 5 job, I rather am a consultant to faith-based organizations and for the most part I love what I do. However, I wish I had money to invest in my organization the Center for Emerging Female Leadership. We are about to launch our magazine SOAR, we envision so many programs to help women in society and church become better leaders but all of it takes money. As a fundraiser, I know how hard it is to develop people’s thinking especially in the Latino community on giving. Thus, I recently joined an organization called ACN and became a micro-franchise owner in the communications industry. I am so thrilled about it and I want to develop a team of like-minded Christians who believe in the “more than enough” God that we so boldly proclaim from our pulpits and amen from our seats.I came across this article and I think it helps to reshuffle a mindset for the type of business I’m in.  All I am saying people is if you want a change in your life, you have to rethink your present mindsets and then do something about it. I did.If you are interested in joining my team of people who believe in the more than enough God and have dreams of your own I want to help you get there as I too get there. This is the extreme dream team–changing mindsets, changing lives.Email me if you want to know more.  

I am always saddened when I see churches being taken advantage of. I know the church you will read about below and if there is any way you can get involved please do.

FRIENDS OF MAR DE GALILEA“Encouraging social justice in the Hispanic community of faith”

(212) 475-8120www.amigosdemardegalilea.org NEWS 

For Immediate Release          Contact: Herson Cabreras       646-296-1646  NY State Supreme Court Judge Issues First Decision Favoring Historic Latino

The defense of Sea of Galilee is primarily based on the fact that the loan has been paid with extraordinary interest in the amount of $757.763 with interest up to $832.443. Second, CEP has never executed the loan legally.  As a lender, CEP had the responsibility to insure that all the documents to this transaction conformed to legal requirements set forth by the State of

The facts in this case highlight the dangers of doing business with companies such as CEP. They promote themselves as ministries, “sheep in wolves clothing”, to exploit the financial situation of small churches and take over their valuable properties. According to independent investigations conducted by Friends of Mar de Galilea, the church’s situation is not unique. Sea of Galilee is part of a group of congregations in Florida, Puerto Rico (such as the ministry of Teen Challenge in Puerto Rico) , Chicago, and California that have fallen victims to CEP’s schemes.  CEP’s business practices are similar in design and pattern to those of predatory lenders, many of them under investigation by state and federal agencies. The group is concerned that CEP operates outside of regulatory agencies that oversee such transactions because they claim to be a religious ministry, and as such, are not held accountable by any controlling government agency.  

Members of Friends of Mar de Galilea assert that CEP “induced” Mar de Galilea congregants to purchase bonds that they issued, claiming that it would “strengthen” the church’s position to obtain the loan. The congregants of Mar de Galilea church, mostly of humble folks of modest income means, purchased $190,000 in such bonds. To this day, no individual church member has received income from dividends.  

According to Mr. Herson Cabreras, member of Friends of Mar de Galilea, “CEP’s conduct is reprehensible and borders in obcene because they claim to be a “ministry” when in reality, they are not much different than a typical predatory sub-prime lender.” In the case of Sea of Galilee, CEP kept assessing exorbitant interest and service fees to keep them in debt perpetually so they could seize their property, located in one of the most coveted and hot real estate markets in Manhattan.” The Reverend Dr. Marcos Rivera, Senior Pastor of Primitive Christian Church and President of COMPAS (an association of ministers and churches in the Lower East Side of Manhattan) said “Definitely two things are clear: Sea of Galilee paid its’ debt even though the loan terms were irrational and possibly illegal; Secondly, they tried through many means to resolve this situation in good faith as good Christians. However, CEP decided to resort to the courts instead of proceeding in a Christian-like manner.”  

Although the loan in question was initiated prior to Rev. Anibal Espaillat’s tenure, it was through his leadership that the church concluded it must defend itself from CEP. They jointly understood that they ran the risk of losing the church building and ministry. 

“The congregation of Sea of Galilee is grateful to God and all the church friends that recognize the church’s historic and prophetic significance. Our lawyer’s efforts, combined with prayers and the well wishes of hundreds of pastors and leaders, will continue to be a beacon of faith and hope as we proceed with this case. CEP attempted to break the church financially and spiritually by taking us to court. However by this favorable decision, God has spoken, and  he is The Just Judge”, said Reverend Espaillat.  Pastor Espaillat said, “We ask the churches to keep us in your prayers as we return to court. We also ask you to pray for other churches and ministries that find themselves in similar situations, and for the Spanish Eastern District of the Assemblies of God so they would remember that God has called us to open churches, NOT to close them” concluded Espaillat.  

For those ministers and brethren that would like more information, Mar de Galilea has a website called “Friends of Mar de Galilea”. You can go to www.amigosdemardegalilea.org for more information. Here you can learn more about the history of the church and what it’s efforts are.

J. Lee Grady is the Editor of Charisma Magazine and he wrote this post I’ll like to share with you.

“I hate to be a party pooper, but the Bible warns us to “be of sound
judgment and sober spirit” (1 Pet. 4:7). There is plenty of freedom
and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don’t have to quench it by introducing
people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing
control. Those who worship Jesus do it “in spirit and in truth” (John
4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we
shake or how many times we fall on the floor.”

Visit Charisma here.  Read the rest of the article here.

Psalms 85:6 says: Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

In reality, we all need a real revival. Christians who are going with the flow of serving God and unbelievers who need to pointed to salvation. As I mentioned in my last post, I believe in God’s move of the Spirit, I just don’t believe in man’s move calling it God’s Spirit. There is more of that going on than true revival and I’m so sick of it.

Revival comes from the word “revive” which means literally “to live again” or “to come back to life.” The lack of the presence of God in church meetings and the numerous problems in the church are seen to be evidence of the need for revival. But I often wonder – if we have never experienced revival, then how do we know what it is? And if we don’t know what it is, then how can we be so sure that we want revival?

Apply this illustration to yourself. Revival means to come back to life. But this implies something more – to say that you need to come back to life is to say that you are dead. This is a startling revelation. Revival can only come when you admit that you are dead and far away from God. Are you in need of revival today? If you see yourself as being alive and yet sense that something is still lacking in your spiritual life, then it is the natural life, or the flesh, that still has to die.

“Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. It can only be removed in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We may as well try to instruct leprosy out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are set free. Let us remember that when we talk of rending the veil we are speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is poetical, almost pleasant, but in actuality there is nothing pleasant about it. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet this is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free” (A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God).

How much of your own life is merely religious activity and how much of it is truly born of God? Do you allow the Holy Spirit to conduct your life? Or do you have your own agenda? You may be excelling spiritually compared to others, but without revival this is still a status quo experience. Even if you are above average compared to others, you are still very religious. Listen I think this happens more than we care to admit. When I see myself getting into this frenzy I have to stop and remember why I do what I do. It’s not about the activity or the “call” it’s about the one who called me!

This revelation challenges everything that appears to be a move of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Although many appear to have a measure of the Presence of God in their lives, most Christians rely on the strength of their own flesh and much of their activity is devoid of the Presence of the Holy Spirit. I am preparing for a retreat with the theme “Keeping In Step with the Spirit” and my heart is so grieved by what I’ve been seeing. We need more of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we most certainly do. But instead we crave the hyper-emotionalism, we chase after “anointed” speakers who we think can take us closer to the throne of God. It’s just sad how much of the Word most believers DON’T KNOW.

The contrast between a religious experience and real revival is seen in Luke 7:36-50. In this passage Jesus is invited to have dinner with Simon the Pharisee. A woman, who perhaps had been a prostitute, comes and stands behind Jesus holding an alabaster jar of perfume. She then sits at His feet weeping and begins to wet his feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair and kissing them. She pours perfume on his feet, weeping all the time.

Simon the Pharisee is content to have Jesus, a great prophet, at his table and hear his teaching. Perhaps he may be able to pick his brains for some interesting sermon material, or gain some insight into the scriptures. He is disturbed by this woman, a repulsive sinner, who is carrying on at Jesus’ feet. To his dismay, Jesus doesn’t seem to care and goes on teaching:

“Simon, two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him 500 denarii, and the other owed him 50. Neither one of them had the money to pay him back so he canceled the debts of both. Now which one of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your home. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman has not stopped kissing my feet since the time I came in. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

The woman in this passage has no name. She is of no position in society; she has no reputation. Simon was a man of great reputation – a teacher among the Jews, God’s chosen people. Yet the woman was more highly esteemed in Jesus’ eyes.

Jesus turned to the woman and said, “Do you see this woman?” Jesus was able to praise the person of low esteem because she saw her desperate position in life. She humbled herself, lowering herself at Jesus’ feet and shedding many tears. Her love for Jesus consisted of a great awareness of her need and a deep thankfulness for Jesus as her Savior.

Simon the Pharisee, on the other hand, was self-righteous. He had already arrived at a high position in life and did not perceive a great spiritual need in himself. He saw himself as already having great favor with God. Simon looked to Jesus solely for intellectual stimulation. Simon was absorbed by Jesus’ teaching and neglected his great need for spiritual salvation. Jesus turned to Simon and rebuked him, “You did not wash My feet … You did not give Me a kiss… You did not put oil on My head.”

Now I ask you – be honest with yourself – which one of these people do you more closely resemble – Simon or the woman? When was the last time you truly wept before the Lord? When was the last time you truly thanked Jesus for redeeming your life from the pit? Are you like the sinful woman who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears? – Or are you like Simon who looked to Jesus to feed his intellect? Although his head was swollen with theology, his heart was shrunken and lukewarm

The woman in this story brought an alabaster box of ointment. Back in those days perfume was very expensive – a person would have to spend a life’s savings to buy enough perfume to anoint another person. The woman came with one purpose only – to worship Jesus. She poured her life out at his feet, then as she cleansed Him with her tears and hair, the fragrance of God came back upon her.

If you desire the fragrance of God in your life then you must spend time loving Jesus and pouring your life out to Him. God is not impressed with your natural talents or your intellect. We are the ones that need to see all that. The glossy veneer of religion is more repulsive to Jesus than the sin of a harlot. Imagine that! You may have three degrees and a colossal I.Q. but if you are not intimate with Him then you are dead and you need revival. So again I say don’t we ALL need REAL revival?

So, What Is Real Revival?It is a realization of a great need for forgiveness, deep conviction of sin, followed by repentance and a fresh experience of joyful obedience. This experience begins with personal holiness and results in the transformation of society. A.W. Tozer has said, “Revival changes the moral climate of a community.”

Psalms 85:6 says: Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

The greatest characteristic of revival is the great joy found in the people of God for the work he has done in their lives. A revived people speak only of loving Jesus. They have a set of doctrines but these are merely primary teachings. They have moved on to a passionate love relationship with their Savior. Their lives are a testimony of his holiness.

Of course, it is important to receive biblically balanced teaching. But if you are like most Christians in America today, you have already soaked in enough teaching to save China. The great need for the Church today is not more teaching, but realization of need and conviction.

We have become like the church at Laodicea. Jesus beckons to us, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.” Although we appear to be rich in God on the surface, in our hearts we have become miserable, wretched, poor, blind and naked. Many churches in America today are among the richest and most prosperous that have ever appeared on the face of the earth. And yet Jesus is pounding on the door! While many are excelling among their peers, few are changing the moral climate of our nation. Most spiritual experience remains within the four walls of a church building, but little emerges on the outside. We still are inwardly focused, survival oriented and unfortunately sometimes that takes precedence over revival in our hearts.

We are in the end times for sure. The Word tells us that there will be all manner of errors and deception bring people into  bondage to evil spirits instead of true faith in God through the Messiah Jesus. Sadly we are  seeing more and more error and deception taking over the professing church of Jesus Christ. 

People all I am saying is DISCERN. Pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit to show you in some form or manner if something is truly of God. Remember that our Word also tells us Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…”  John 4:1

“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” John 5:21-22

Ok I got all this off my chest. I’m good now. J

I’ve posted on this blog, updated my status on Facebook, and twittered many times how I am a Pentecostal. Thru and thru I am not ashamed that I believe in the HOLY SPIRIT, that I believe all his gifts are manifested today and not something we should look at only as a historical frame of reference. Yet sometimes I feel like other Pentecostal, evangelical, Charismatic  family members think I am unholy. Maybe even God forbid “not Spirit filled”. Why? Because I don’t believe in the abuse of power. The abuse of unknowledgeable people and feeding them a rah-rah theology where everything is roses when you serve the Lord. And better yet, I’m seen this way because I don’t think every one falling out on the floor, someone breathing on me or blowing wind in my face is so “powerful”. Truth is I think many Christians are just down right gullible. Yeap, I said it. Impressed with visibly powerful speakers and even the not so great speakers just because they have “revival talk”.

I am hard to impress. I am a big advocate for discernment. Let me see your fruit. Let me see how you treat people on an every day basis. Let me see how you try to handle your life and how you make decisions. That usually tells me a lot. But let’s say I don’t know the person, I am still not one to go all weak knee’d because someone is giving me a prophesy.

I mean if a so called “revivalist” says you should know who she/he is and that you are in for “a treat” because you are there to hear them, that’s scary. Right there I would tune out. Unfortunately, people are so hungry in our day for “true revival” and a move of God that they eat anything.

We’ve already read (if you are a reader) of the false revivalists and revivals out there. Come to find out all these lies. Yes, there are big movements attracting thousands of seekers of the supernatural but no change in the towns, cities and countries where these campaigns are held. We should not be surprised since the Word of God tells us that false prophets and ministries will arise and even the elect (those who say they are disciples of Jesus), that’s you and me if you are not sure, will be deceived.

Yes there’s a lot of talk about revival because many see our time as the final harvest of the age. I think that is right. However, there is emphasis on power, dominion, miracles, signs, healings, spiritual gifts, prophecy, etc, and the Body of Christ rising up in power and the sons of God manifesting themselves to the world. Yet, disturbingly, in relation to this kind of teaching, there is often a haughty, arrogant-like spirit that accompanies it, which honors God with the lips and not the heart. This is evidenced by the lack of real fruit in many Christians’ lives, and the preoccupation with money, and physical and financial success. There is also a severe lack of the fear of God, while these preachers rant and rave about ‘God saying this’, and ‘the Holy Spirit saying that,’ and ‘the Lord commands this. They are not feeding the sheep of God, they are often trampling on them, lording it over the flock, using manipulation and control to force feed the people with contaminated milk! And of course, they are living an entirely differerent lifestyle (like the stories I’ve posted of fallen mega church pastors). This is not the meek and humble way of Christ, who guides His Sheep with loving care, being an Example to the flock in righteousness and truth and life.

Yet I believe that there is an element of truth in the teachings and ‘prophecies’ that speak of a revival and a harvest before Christ returns, but I don’t believe it will necessarily be the kind of revival that most Christians are expecting. I don’t think it will be all the BIG revival campaigns or the “special revivalists” coming in to share the “glory” with a church and as soon as he/she leaves the “glory” departs with them. Duh. No. I believe in my heart that when we expect things to always be like that we are like the Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ time who expected their Messiah to come like the Grand King they expected not a lowly boy born in a barn. Why does everything have to be big and flashy with God? Do I believe he wants the best for us. Yes. Do I believe he is going to give you EVERYTHING you desire. No. Why? Because God’s ultimate desire for us is for us to desire him above all things. When our focus is on the “things” then our first priority is getting those things even if we are using God (or so we think we are – uh he is smarter than that) to get them. This is where I believe a lot of the newer churches have it right. A focus on intimacy with Christ, discipleship, learning and education, understanding the Kingdom not a salivating congregation waiting for  “thus saith the Lord you shall be great and thus saith the Lord you will expand your territory”. And no I don’t believe you should be travelling after every so called man/woman of God to see what they will “prophe lie cy” to those who attend. God should be speaking TO YOU through His Word. If you only hear from God when you run after a person who tells you “come to my conference and you will receive a prophetic word” you already missed it.

Bottomline, I believe true revival based on the patterns in history on true revival are divinely disordered. They are not so planned and easily advertised. Revival  happens to a church it is not planned by the church. We just use the word “revival” instead of using “special campaign” or something of that sort. If we could plan a true revival, then we could also plan signs and wonders would we not? This is something that has been stirring in me for a while because of the lack of discernment I see, even in pastors who give out their pulpit to any Prophetress X or Evangelist y or Revivalist A.  This is why I respect my old pastor Marc Rivera so much and others like A. R. Bernard and T.D. Jakes. They are VERY CAREEFUL who they give up their pulpit. We should all be that careful.