Why do I do wrong, When I know what is right?!

There is no greater personal defeat than to know what is right but to do wrong! The guilt and shame that is attached to bad decisions are intensified, when you know within yourself, that you could have done better! So how do we become overwhelmingly inclined to do right, when our flesh wants to do wrong? I could be naming a number of things here; addiction, bad relationships, bad attitudes, responding in anger, and the list goes on... I'm sure you can think of something for yourself...

Stay with me to the end of this post and you will not regret it....make the right decision...

Purpose is established by God the creator and is revealed through the unction of the Holy Spirit. We are predestined by God to end up at a certain place and following the leading of the Holy Spirit will guide us to that destination.

Although this is revealed to us through the scripture, we still have to realize that destiny is decision-based. You will only be as successful as your daily decisions. Although success is guaranteed through Jesus Christ, this guarantee is only given through your decision to follow Christ.

Here's a good example...A car can have a warranty all day long and any type of product can have a guarantee, but that means nothing to the person who has not puchased that car or product. Let’s just call it being fully convinced… So let me ask you a question? Are you fully convinced? Yes, there is a guarantee to your success but are you "ALL IN"? Unless you make a daily decision to follow Christ, the guarantee does not apply.

So why is it so hard to make the right decisions? If we know that our success is determined by our decision-making ability, then we have to uncover the mystery behind the decisions that we make. Cause decisions aren't made by accident.

Have you ever wanted to say no to something in your gut but your "will" just kept saying yes? Maybe it's an addiction or a relationship...I know that we all have been there in some way or another. So why is it that do what we know is wrong for us?

In order to understand why we make the decisions that we make, we have to place our focus on the place within each one of us where we make all of our decisions. Why do we make certain decisions; even if we know those decisions are not prosperous?

Why do you always say yes to that certain type of man? Or woman? What inclines you toward certain responses?

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

If we look at the Hebrew translation of this scripture you will see that there is more to these words than what we have translated in English. I have formulated a literal translation based on Hebrew. I'm sure you will find it interesting...

"Guard (like a prison guard) your heart (your inclinations and the seat of your appetites) because this is the place that produces all that you experience in life. The status of this one place will determine your direction and success."

I have found this statement to be true; the difference in a successful person is in their ability to follow the unction of the Holy Spirit instead of the urges of their flesh.

Paul writes about this common struggle in the book of Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 (NLT). He talks of this personal battle that almost all of us face. You know...the wanting to do what’s right...but inevitably doing what is wrong, or what we don't want to do. Here's exactly what he says here:

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

So what is this nature within each one of us? And how do we overcome it? Well, this battle is within your mind...more specifically your heart, which is the 2nd compartment of your mind. It's a lot to get into in one blog, but your mind can be described as your conscious thoughts, while your heart is your subconscious thoughts. Or even more specifically, your heart is the filter that you process all other information and experiences. Some call it a "World View".

It's your heart that must be transformed in order to be able to rightly discern the will of God for your life. You can change your mind temporarily, but if your heart is not transformed the change is not sustainable. Jesus came to give you this heart transplant that you need in order to change the way that you think entirely. Not a momentary change but an eternal change. 

Your mind is a spiritual faculty but is also connected to the physical world at the same time. It's a part of your soul, that we as humans are distinct from all other creatures as having. It's what makes us "God-like" so to speak. This is because we were made in the image of God and at the same time given physical bodies made of earth.

Stay with me here...cause this could change your life...

The heart is the second compartment of your mind. This is the placement of your urges. This of how your physical heart instinctively pumps blood and sends messages throughout your body by way of the blood. It’s amazing that the human heart can produce life even if the brain is shut off. That means that you can be brain dead but your body is still living because your heart has a mind of its own so to speak. But the heart is instinctively driven by a certain code.

That takes me back to what Paul was saying…. My mind is telling me one thing but my heart is producing another thing. My wish is to do one thing but my decisions are following another pattern…your heart will produce what you do as second nature, so to speak. What you do without really intentionally thinking about it.

Let's understand this heart thing a little more: If your heart is your "World View" then it is like the operating system of a computer. Everything that is viewed through your computer comes through the context of what operating system you are using.

Your worldview tells you how you ought to live. Even if it isn’t Biblical or morally correct…it’s what you believe to be personal truth. Even if it is in conflict with absolute truth, you will still perceive it as truth because it’s the context that you are view life from.

This is because we all experience life through the boundaries of our minds. What you are experiencing by reading this blog right now is defined by your physical senses but it is interpreted by your World View.

To help you understand how each of our World View is formed I have decided to use a Deck of Cards! Each of the following are the things that shape our World View and must be challenged in order to fully transform our perception of the world and our purpose in Christ.

Everyone in life is dealt a hand of cards in life. If you have ever played poker, you know what a poker face is and how important it is in playing your cards to their greatest advantage? This is the same in any card game...where you make sure no one can look in your hand and you make everyone believe you have a great hand when you may not...just to have "confidence" play in your favor.

In life, so many times we believe that we are confined by what we have been dealt in life and this is our current worldview. Everything that we see and experience in life is filtered through this lens. So here is what those cards you've been dealt represent...

SPADES: A spade is a picture of a unique little shovel (I never knew that before). So this represents the geographic location of where you were born and what part of the world you are currently planted in. This refers to your city, your neighborhood. Whether you were born into money or born into poverty…whether you live in a free country or one that is ruled by a dictatorship will shape your worldview. This is your country, state, city…geographically where you are in the world.

CLUBS: This is easy to define. The clubs represent your social constellation. Basically, these are the people in your inner circle of relationships. It represents the people that you can’t help being placed with and those that you have chosen and allowed. Those relationships that you have chosen are in some part based on your past relationship experiences and needs.

HEARTS: This represents your culture. This includes your ethnicity, family traditions, religions, and upbringing. This represents your spiritual experiences and also your natural talents and passions. Just think of it as the things that you love to do and have impacted your personality.

DIAMONDS: Because of the great process that a diamond goes through to become what it is, this represents your past experiences both GOOD and BAD. It represents the way that life has processed you and whether or not those experiences have had a positive or negative impact on you.

So you have all of these cards and most people make the most of what they’ve been dealt…they play the game and are successful in their own right. Other people look at the hand they have been dealt and start comparing in their mind with what they think they know about the person next to them and choose to FOLD…throw in the towel…Unfortunately, the sad thing is that many of those people will get to the end of their life and realize that that there were people winning in life with a worse hand than they had but they didn’t stay long enough to discover that.

And that's where all the "Self-Help" teachers end their advice..."Do the best with what you have been given"

God goes a step further...

The world will lead you to believe that is where the road ends. And people are making millions teaching seminars and writing books on how to play your hand well and in the most positive light. That is all good but God’s plan is better.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NKJV)

9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” (THIS IS THE LABEL—THE CONTEXT THAT HAD TO DEAL WITH) 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me (make me successful) indeed, and enlarge my territory (entrust me with more), that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain (Don’t let me be defined by what was handed to me)! So God granted him what he requested."

This man named Jabez could have been listed among the ordinary, like scripture details, but he refused to be labeled by his story and experiences up to that point. He refused to be limited by his parent’s idea of what he would become. He said...."God, I want your hand!"

That is the mighty power of God's grace at work! He gives us what we need to overcome our present state to become what He had originally intended!

This is what Paul wanted us to understand. We have these urges that come from our old nature or World View but what God will do, is through Jesus Christ introduce you to a Kingdom Paradigm.

A Paradigm (a pattern) is a firm set of beliefs and theories that have been established within a certain discipline.

The Kingdom is not a religious concept but it’s a culture, a mindset, and a new way of life. The interesting thing is that your worldview isn’t completely taken away. The kingdom of God is superimposed over the old so that you still see it but with a different context. With a Kingdom Perspective, you still remember your past but you see your life circumstances from a different perspective. You no longer see problems but you see possibility. You see potential!

So you have a new mind that has now been attached to your worldview and it goes in and turns everything that was upside down, right side up.

So how do you allow this process to take place? It doesn’t take place overnight. Sure, there are some instant changes when you are born again…but remember…a baby has all the potential to do everything that you and I can do but has to be taught. It’s something that seeps in over time. That means that God now gives you a new family context and creative outlet as a part of the church (hearts), he plants you in specific geographic areas on purpose with an anointing and an assignment (spades)…. he directs you to a new set of relationships (clubs) and takes the pain from the processes that you have gone through and produces something great (diamonds)! He gives you a testimony!!!

It may take several years of discipline to overcome the urges that exist within your mortal body, but the more you give in to the unction of the Holy Spirit, the more you will become like Christ!

How to Respond to the Call of God

DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE AND RESPOND TO THE CALL OF GOD ON YOUR LIFE

Have you ever been in a crowded room and tried to answer a phone call? Maybe you tried to answer but couldn’t hear the person talking on the other end because of the noise in the room and you ended up misunderstanding what they wanted to tell you…or maybe you just hung up determined to call them back later…the problem is that they just keep calling.

Its easy to look at our phones now a days and hit the big red “end” button on our phones when someone calls…especially if where we were at was more than just a crowded room…maybe it was a party with music and games and the thought of leaving the people and entertainment in that room outweighs your desire to answer the call…. A lot of people respond this same way when they hear the call of God... What do you do?

Revelation 3:20 (Jesus Talking)

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

 “I will come in to him”---I thought I read it wrong but even in the Greek this phrase here means a type of possession. But here it more specifically means that God will be your food…your source of life. To those who invite him in...he will literally sustain you.

When you dine with HIM you are not just eating any kind of food…you are literally taking in his nature and his goodness. Then you become infused with his DNA. This is where you will desire what God desires above everything else.

Jesus even said that, “if you do not eat of my flesh, and drink of my blood you have no life in you.” He’s not talking about cannibalism …but what he is talking about is your dependence on him. That you would so long for him that it would outweigh even your desire for natural food and drink!

1. The first thing you need to understand about a calling is that it comes from God, who is your Father.

 Your calling is articulated by Jesus who himself had to heed and obey a calling that was on his life. A Father gives identity and he is the one who establishes your spiritual DNA. Your calling is a part of who you are inherently. It’s in you to accomplish it…. you have the abilities and the anointing from God! God places his mark upon you and you are called his own.

The calling that I am talking about goes beyond the calling to accept the free gift of salvation, I’m talking about the calling to take up your cross and follow him. Your cross is your calling and it never goes away.

He longs for us in the scripture to open the door…

A door represents an opportunity. The thing is that it’s not about him giving you an opportunity to do something great…it’s about you giving Him the opportunity to do something great in you! It’s not about what we can do; it’s about how much we are going to let him do!

The instruction on how to respond to the calling of God is clearly defined here in Revelations

        ---to HEAR, REPENT, and RESPOND.

In other words God is calling you to LISTEN, to POSITION YOURSELF, and to OBEY.

It sounds simple but requires loving God more than stuff.

2. There is a cost to the calling.

This is the next thing that this chapter in Revelation teaches us.

Your calling requires a letting go of good to attain great. It’s not that God doesn’t want you to be blessed, but we have gotten it twisted when it comes to really understanding God’s blessing…because being blessed means that God has chosen to use you as his vessel…and in that…He desires that you would be more obsessed about his presence and fulfilling his will than you would be about having the latest and the greatest… “thing.”

That’s why I believe the rich man who asked Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life” was so perplexed by Jesus’ response. Jesus told him he would have to sell everything he had...and then follow him. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to be blessed financially…but are you willing to give up everything for the sake of the calling to follow Christ? And maybe it’s not about money…maybe it’s a set of friends…maybe it’s a job…maybe it’s your comfort zone…maybe it’s the thought of losing everything that scares you so much. But you have to believe that everything that you give up for the sake of the calling is returned to you in a greater level of glory!

Listen, every calling has a cost but the reward of obedience is far greater than any thing you may give up along the way. What you desire to keep are temporary things anyways…but what God longs to give you in return is eternal! His presence is more valuable than anything in the world!

That was exactly the state of the church that God was speaking to in the book of Revelation. Lets go back a few scriptures before…

Revelation 3:15-19 (NIV)

“To the Church in Laodicea I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

What we can see here is that those who refuse the calling of God (the knocking at the door), they become lukewarm in their faith, their prayer life, and in their overall pursuit of God. And what Jesus is saying is that what you have earned in this life will never be enough to buy what you really need…. because you can’t buy eternal life…

Have you determined within yourself that what you have right now is too precious to give up for the sake of the call? Have you given up eternity for the temporary desires of your flesh? When will it be enough? When will you have enough stuff? Will you ever be satisfied?

What happened to the burning desire on the inside of you to see a move of God? Have you forgotten the promises of God, that he would bring a great outpouring of his spirit upon you? Do you not remember fasting and praying for a move of God and now that the move of God is at your front door you ignore the knocking.

3. The call of God brings Personal Conviction.---Repent

We have failed to realize that to refuse the calling of God is to sin. It’s not the sin of commission, or the "what you did" type of sin. Instead, it’s the sin of omission, where you failed to do that God asked you to do.

Vs 19 said “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”

As you ignore the calling of God, the voice of God becomes more and more saturated in the other voices that you are responding to. Where there is the sin of omission, the sin of commission is inevitable.

The more you disobey the voice of God and his calling you become more desensitized to the things of this world. It’s not long before your standards will be lowered and you will end up committing a sin of your flesh. Then you are left wondering why! Why did I do what I know is wrong? It’s because you have failed to listen when God is directing you.

To Repent is to Reposition. It means to change the way that you think so that you can be in the position at all times to be used by God.

I find it interesting that the bible speaks of another knock at the door of our lives...

Genesis 4:7 God says to Cain (the first murderer) “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

So we have both sin and Jesus knocking at the door of our lives and the choice is yours as to who will you respond to every day!

There are 2 callings going on simultaneously…Until you close the door to sin, you will not be able to fully articulate the calling of God.

So you’ve Listened….Repent…and Finally God calls you to Respond!

You have to being putting action behind the calling. You have to get with God and start building a strategy to fulfill that calling…

When it comes to the instruction from God...Most people say to themselves…Is this God’s calling or am I going crazy? If you’ve said that to your self...chances are, you’ve probably been hearing the call.

You know it’s the calling of God that you need to respond to because:

4.     The calling not only comes from God but comes from the cry of the people God is calling you to.

Moses… can you hear the cry of my people?

Face it; the calling of God requires action! The purpose of the calling is not just to hear but also to DO! And Just like being in a crowded room and trying to answer a phone call… To clearly hear the calling you have to get in alone in a quiet place of worship. You have to posture yourself to listen to the voice of God without distraction. This requires fasting, this requires prayer. You may even be called to the people around you making all the noise and creating distractions…but…you have to get alone with God to be able to hear his instructions!

5.     God calls you out from among the crowd…

He will call you away from among the mediocre…away from the lukewarm so that you can actually make an impact. God says, "Come out from among them my people!" You will never be able to impact those around you by being just like them…

Some of you have heard the call of God and you know that he has placed his mark upon you but you have ignored that calling and have been distracted by so many other things.

6. The calling doesn’t go away and You can’t lose the call of God.

I have learned that you can't lose the call of God but you can loose sight of it. A minister by the name of David Hernandez says this well in his sermons on the call of God.

Many feel like it’s too late to fulfill the calling of God upon your life because they feel like they missed their window. There is a window of timing upon the call of God over you life…but you have your entire life to fulfill it. Assignments are time sensitive but the calling of God is upon you your entire life, and God does not change his mind about you.

Romans 11:29 says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance…meaning that he’s not going to take it away from you once he gives it. He doesn’t change his mind about you!

God is calling you….

1. Will you listen (posture)

2. Will you Repent (position yourself & get rid of the sin)

3. Will you respond? (will you obey?)

You can run from the call of God but you can never outrun the call of God. The more you resist the more it will resonate within you! There is peace when you surrender to the purpose and plan that God has for you life! SURRENDER ALL TODAY!

-Pastor Ryan

Why You Never Seem To #Win

#Winning is a common phrase today! However, most people, if you were to ask them, would tell you that they just don't feel like they are actually #winning at life! It's true that we go through tough times and seasons of transition but when that season feels like a lifetime there is indeed something wrong with that picture! Here are some ideas that will help you jump-start your life and move out of the loser’s corner and into the winner’s circle!

1. You always give up and crumble right before the finish line.

If you are expecting the race to be easy...think again. Life is not always easy. In fact, it is mostly hard, but it is still VERY possible to live an extraordinary life! Knowing that the challenges are there to propel you forward is the first key to success. If you are always on the defensive then you will always be fighting to maintain, but if you move by "revelation" and "new vision" you will begin to see how insignificant the little problems in your life actually are...compared to the bigger picture. Imagine how your house looks from an airplane...yet imagine how your house looks when you’re on ground level. If you're always focused on what happened to you and all the little problems, then you will never move beyond the mental state that you were in when those things happened to you! It's time to get a new journal and get in the position of prayer to be able to see a NEW VISION for your life!

FACT: Most people give up right before their breakthrough! If you knew that your breakthrough was coming tomorrow...would you give up today? The tipping point will come if you just stay faithful you will #win!

2. The wall that you are facing is actually a staircase!

Many people look feel like they are always hitting brick walls...but I learned a long time ago that what may seem like a wall is actually a staircase. So we are in a cycle of hitting the wall...then retreating...hitting the wall...then retreating. We are in this endless cycle of never moving ahead because we expect ahead to be straightforward...when ahead may mean moving UP! It takes more energy to climb stairs than to walk on a straight path...but in order to move out of 1 level, you have to do a little extra work. You may have to take a leap of faith...or you may have elevated your thinking by renewing your mind (through the word of God). Either way repeating the cycle has not helped so do something different! God is trying to take you higher! What you thought was a simple foot race is actually an obstacle course! Those obstacles can either trip you up...or they can be your jumping-off point...your great launching pad!

Remember that in History, some of the greatest World Changers and #winners were those who rose up in the midst of great challenges! Would you know about Martin Luther King Jr. if there was not social injustice and racism to fight against? Let the climb bring out the best in you! Not the worst! 

3. You complain way too much!

Winners are not made of Whiners! The greatest key to your success is THANKSGIVING! The more you are grateful for the less defeated you will feel in your life and situation! Making a habit of giving thanks to God even in the midst of a hard situation is your pathway to freedom from that situation! Being thankful is the rope that rescues you out of the hole of despair! All it takes is one reminder to break you free from your self-defeating thinking patterns! Remember: You are better than you think you are! You have more in you than you even know! You were not built to break, but you were made to #win!

4. You are not in a competition with anyone but yourself!

If we continue to compare ourselves among others we will never actually #win! Me winning means something totally different than you because we both have different purposes and assignments from God. Keeping your eyes on the prize means keeping your eyes on yourself! How can I be a better me than I was yesterday? How can I be a little more positive? How can be a little bit bolder in my faith today? It's not about what you have accomplished in comparison to someone else...but it's what have you accomplished in light of what God has called you to do? Are you being obedient to HIS voice? Are you making HIS PLANS your priority? Focusing on You is the key to #winning.

5. You never try anything new!

Some traditions are good...and some traditions are just plain bad and no longer useful! Sometimes if we feel like we are in a rut in life we have to evaluate what we are doing that works and what we are doing that doesn't. This is hard because we like "same" even though the "same" that we like we actually hate! So step out on a limb and do something different to get a new and different result! You can't actually win if you never enter the race! There is always the chance of failure if you try but there is a 100% rate of failure if you never even give it a go! Imagine the Wright Brothers who dared to try something new...and set out to create a machine that would fly!!! Would we have the airplane technology today if they gave up the first time their plane didn't take off the ground as they thought? NO! but they made some adjustments and they tried again! Eventually, they got off the ground and the rest is history! It may look crazy but who really cares how crazy you look if it's effective?

I believe with all of my heart that everyone has a God-given purpose that must be discovered in order to be successful! Success in not measured by the amount of money that you make but the amount of purpose that you have fulfilled! #winning is en-grafted in your very DNA! You have been called a conqueror and an over-comer through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! In fact...he placed the gold medal around your neck and declared you a winner before you even started running! That in itself should be some good motivation!

The Struggle is Real

Finding Purpose in the Midst of Struggle

Everyone struggles. Some struggles are harder than others and sometimes we wonder why we have certain struggles. We know too, that everyone’s struggles are not the same...but we can all relate to the fact that the struggle is real…

The struggle was all too real for a man named JACOB in the bible. In fact, his name meant “heel grabber” because he was a twin that was born second, and he came out with his hand grasping his brother’s foot.

Genesis 25:20-28 (NKJV)

20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her:

 “Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”

 24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.[a] 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob.[b]

From birth, Jacob had this innate desire to "get ahead". And he would struggle with this internal desire for the rest of his life… to try and be “good enough” for what God had called him for.  

…Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

You see…Jacob was not the strongest one. He was not the man that you would have expected. He was what you would call “a mama’s boy”. And because of this, He carried this inferiority complexity with him. I'm sure he thought to himself..."I must do whatever I have to, to be good enough for a blessing." To the point where he tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright by trading him a bowl of beans when he was exhausted from hunting…

Over the years, tension and the sibling rivalry grew and yet Jacob was not satisfied with birthright alone…yes he got ahead for a moment...but he still was not content. He wasn't satisfied because he still didn't understand his PURPOSE!

Finally, Jacob's father was getting old and was going blind…the day would come soon that he would die and Jacob knew that even though he had the birthright…he was still not his Dad’s favorite…

Genesis 27:1-29

1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son." And he answered him, "Here I am." 2 Then he said, "Behold now I am old. I not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me....that my soul may bless you before I die. 5. Now Rebekah was listening...

So Rebekah came up with a plan…She remembered the prophecy that was spoken to her and she knew her son was chosen…she had to take measures into her own hands right?

So she made a meal. She took wool and put it on Jacob’s arms so that when Isaac would touch him he would be deceived. She had Jacob to put on Esau’s best clothes and she sent him in for the blessing.

Isn’t it amazing how when God gives us a prophetic word that we always end up trying to make things happen on our own? We formulate an idea of how God should work and even if we have to lie…we will do whatever we have to make it happen…so we think. The problem is that God does not need us to rush his hand. The prophetic word may not be how we perceive it to be...so we must be patient with the process.

When we try to rush the hand of God we will only end up frustrated!!

You see this only added to Jacob’s complex…Can you imagine the statement it made to him...that his mom, virtually wanted him to be someone else to be good enough...

“So I have to pretend to be like somebody else to be good enough…okay, I can do that. I just wear this certain outfit…and I’ll talk like this…and I’ll do whatever it takes to be the person that everyone else wants me to be…then I’ll be good enough…"

The Scripture goes on to show this whole ordeal. Jacob received the Father's blessing alright...but was it enough?

You see, they tried to orchestrate the prophetic word, but there is something on the inside of you that cannot be extracted by the blessing or affirmation of a man, it can only come out in the presence of God. It won’t come out through any effort of you trying to be good enough…it can only come out in the presence of your creator!

The word of God didn’t say you have to be anybody else to fulfill God’s plan for you…you have to be you!!! And God can’t bless you who you pretend to be…

There is a struggle beyond the striving to be good enough where you realize that the real struggle is not outward at all…but inward.

All while you keep trying different things to please a man... God is calling your name, pursuing you...asking you to come close and find out the real meaning of the word that was spoken over your life!

Will you stop the striving and hear the voice of God today?

He wants to bring clarity to your struggle…he wants to show you the purpose in your pain…in your rejection…in your hurts...

 We see that Jacob gets exactly what he was after…but was it enough? When Esau hears of what they had done…he is bitter because his blessing was given away to Jacob and he vows to kill Jacob…

 Mark 8:36 (NKJV)

36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Is it really worth it…what you’re doing to get that guy’s attention? Is it worth it…who you’re becoming to get that job…or make enough money? Are you selling your soul to the propaganda the word is feeding you? Or that religion is feeding you?

You see, we can even be in church and still struggling! We can be so obsessed about the house of God that we lose sight of the God of the house of God...And that's the place that Jacob ended up at. As he was running from his brother, Jacob has an encounter with God...

Genesis 28:11-19

11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night because the sun had set... 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE" This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel;[a] but the name of that city had been Luz previously.

Once again…Jacob struggled with understanding what God was really trying to do in him…because even though God had given him this great vision…it would still be years before he really knew what God was wanting from him.

 So he went and worked 14 years for his Uncle for the affection of Rachel and was tricked into having Leah as a wife too…He thought that running from his issues would solve them...but he ran from his own sibling feud right into another one...between the two women that would be his wives.

Here's the thing...you may run from that problem, but if you don't deal with the internal struggle that is really going on....you may have a new job, or move to a new city, or make new friends...but the same issues are gonna pop up. Same issues different people.

Jacob struggled to find his place in a foreign land and eventually angered his father-in-law until he had to run…again…back to his brother.

Isn’t it funny how God…no matter how much you run…will always bring you back around to the same place until you deal with the real issue at hand?

Then it happened…As his life seemingly came full circle back aground to the struggle with his brother that started in his mother’s womb…he waited there…the night before he was to meet is brother and God came to wrestle with him…

 Genesis 32:24-30

Then Jacob was left alone, and a Man (an angel which some scholars say was actually the pre-incarnate version of Jesus) wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”

Listen…Your purpose is not to get the affirmation of man…but to please God. Your external struggles are only an indicator of the internal struggle that is going on inside of you. You have been wrestling with your purpose and your search for your identity has led you to dead end after dead end…but in the presence of God…something about you is going to change…you’re going to walk out of here having been touched by God…and just like Jacob walked away with a limp…you are going to walk out of the presence of God and everyone is going to know that something has happened to you….

28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;[b] for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

The name Israel means the one who struggles with God…but even more than that it means that God rules. It means that he wrestled with the purpose of God and in the end…God got him right where he wanted him…and

…THERE GOD BLESSED HIM

Some of you have been in a fight…you've been struggling and you can’t seem to figure out why. You know that God has a purpose for you but somewhere along the way you have gotten caught up in trying to be somebody else…to please God.

God loves and wants the REAL you. The struggle is Real alright…because we are all in a struggle with trying to accept our REAL selves… and all it takes is pursuing God.

Not religion…because we can get caught up in church too and lose sight of the God that we are serving…

Even Jacob in Genesis 35 went back to Bethel and demolished foreign Gods and literally scratched off Bethel and called the place "El Bethel" meaning the God of the house of God…because no longer would he just be obsessed about the house of God…he was obsessed with the God of the House of God!!

Just because you struggle doesn’t mean that God can’t use you! In fact, God will use your struggle sometimes to get your attention!

Have you become so distracted that you can’t see the trees because of the forest? Have you tried to make God’s will happen on your own? Have you stopped to ask him where you should be? Have you stopped asking long enough to listen to his response?

Jesus said…if you lose your life you will find it!

Matthew 16:24-25

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Maybe you're like Jacob...and the struggles that you are facing are difficult. What if those external struggles are only an indicator of an issue of your soul? What if you said yes to the calling and pursued God? How would things be different?

I'm not saying that struggles won't come....but will you be in a better place in your soul to handle them and respond to them well?

Top Secret Weapons of the Enemy

The Top 5 Secret Weapons of the Enemy (And how to Disarm them)

The greatest battlefield that you will ever fight on is the battlefield of your mind. In fact, spiritual warfare is the council of the human mind, with any other spirit other than the Spirit of God. That means that the power that the enemy has is the power of suggestion, accusation, and lies. The enemy is sneaky in his approach because his power is limited, therefore he comes in ways that we would not expect. Here are the 5 secret weapons of the enemy that I have exposed in my own life and I pray will help you overcome the temptations of the enemy!

5. The enemy always targets you when you are physically tired.

I've learned that we are most vulnerable to attack when we are exhausted or when we are first coming out of sleep. Whenever you are tired, you are open to suggestions and temptations from the enemy because your defense mechanisms are not at their peak. The enemy will normally target you mostly at the beginning of your day or at the very end as you are getting ready to sleep.

Your Strategy:

Stay away from technology when you first wake up. Keep your phone away from your bed, when your alarm goes off (from across the room) make it a point to get up and begin your day with prayer, breakfast, and if possible a simple physical exercise. This way, you fortify your mind before the day begins. How you start your day is very important to the trajectory of the rest of your day.

If you allow your mind to wonder as you wake, you give the enemy room to start suggesting alternative pathways other than what you had intended that day. Instead of allowing your thoughts to wonder, you should direct your thoughts intentionally.

When you check Facebook or any other social media platform right when you wake up, you are at the mercy of whether of your select group of friends. If they are projecting negativity that day, then you are empowering that energy to work in your day, simply by reading it. Trust me, it's not a risk you should take...maybe there will be encouragement on there...but maybe there will be drama. Also, you don't wanna start your day checking the latest headlines or trending stories. When you do this, you are giving away your personal power to the status of our economy or negative situations going on in the world.

Your Strategy:

REST! Even God had to rest on the 7th day after creation! What makes us think that we are any different than God? Whenever you have reached a low place...where you have given out and you are seemingly exhausted..surround yourself with people who will keep you safe and accountable! Sleep, yes! But also, stay close to friends and family that you trust can help you make some good decisions and will pour into you until you are fully rested up! Listen to your body when it tells you to slow down for a moment!

4. The enemy uses offense and unforgiveness to keep you trapped in a place where he has free reign over your life.

Every single day there is an opportunity for you to be offended. You can't always help what happens to you but you are ALWAYS in control of how you respond. The bait that is an offense can quickly take hold of you, and will sabotage not only the rest of your day, but if you allow that offense to take root it can destroy your life. Unforgiveness puts a blockage in your life from receiving the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ.  As we all are sinners in need of forgiveness, God desires that we extend the same grace that he has given to us to those who have offended us.

Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Your Strategy:

When it comes to a daily offense, the best thing you can do is immediately forgive, pray, and bless them. Knowing that harboring an offense in your heart will keep you from God's best is motivation to shake off the little offenses that may come every day.

I have been offended on many levels in my life, and before I knew the importance of setting yourself free by forgiving others, I would harbor the offense inside. It would eat away at me and eventually it would explode out of me. It wasn't until I identified my areas of hurt, verbally confessed forgiveness, and blessed those that hurt me, did I truly experience the fullness of God’s best for me! Just a few weeks ago, my wife's car was stolen from her job. I knew that this was an opportunity to be offended, and I was. I stood in the parking lot of a restaurant with my wife and we grabbed hands and prayed for them. We forgave whoever had stolen the car and blessed them. I knew that a stolen car was not worth losing my peace over. What the enemy offers is never a measure of a comparison to what God has given us so freely! When the enemy entices me to be offended my answer is always NO DEAL!

3. The enemy uses what may seem harmless to "portal" you to a place of harm.

An appropriate definition for DECEPTION is "Truth with a little lie mixed in". The enemy is good at taking what seems harmless and lacing it with an evil underlying factor. We have to be very careful how we surf the web and click links after links after links. Especially from a man's perspective, it is easy to be distracted once you have been lured in by seemingly trusted links and images...even from friends that you know on Facebook. The internet is a powerful place for good but at the same time, the internet can be a slippery slope for so many people that are addicted to internet pornography, or online gambling, or simply being wrapped up in social media to the point that you are not living your own life effectively.

Music and movies are other portals that can cause you to let your guard down and allow evil into your thoughts and life. Just because a song or movie seems safe doesn't mean that it has the right message behind it. 

Your Strategy:

Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit! When you feel that check in your spirit, do not ignore it! Immediately change the channel or shut the phone down. It may not be that show, or song, or image that is harmful...but it might be a portal to a place where the enemy can trap your mind.

2. The enemy will use your own words against you.

Your words are a powerful creative source of ...remember that all of heaven is waiting to back up your words and declarations that are positive and in alignment with the will of God. At the same time, all of the evil forces of darkness is waiting to back up all of your negative and self-defeating words. The enemy may have the gun but you are the one that gives him the ammunition. Without ammunition, a gun is useless. Whatever you put out into the atmosphere is a creative force that causes a whirlwind to swing back around and hit you in the face!

Hosea 8:7 "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind."

Your Strategy:

Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of the negative and self-defeating patterns of language that you have used. Whenever you feel negative or you have just said something you should not have...immediately release a blessing and cancel the evil words that you have released! Making yourself do this...will keep you aware of how often you actually use horrible speech...The more you are aware...the more you will be more selective with your declarations.

Many people have unanswered prayers, not because they prayed wrong...but because their daily language practices have canceled out all of the declarations they have made in prayer! We must OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD!

1. The enemy loves when you make bad decisions and give him the credit.

What you glorify you draw to you. Don't blame your bad decisions on the enemy. Take ownership of your own decisions and hey...if you don't like where your decisions brought you then MAKE ANOTHER DECISION. Don't waste a second of time and energy on blaming other people or the enemy for consequences from decisions you have made! Don't be one of those people that said, "The Devil made me do it..." wow...

Your Strategy:

Take all of your energy and give God the praise. Instead of focusing on any negative situation, you may be facing...choose instead to think of at least one thing that you can be thankful for and repeating that over and over in your mind. One Moment of Praise and Thankfulness will draw good things toward you! Like a Magnet...what you praise you will see more of!

You Have What It Takes!!!

Everyone has potential but not everyone reaches it!

As we come upon the season where so many people are graduating I have a message for all people that are in transition and that feel the pressure to do something significant with their lives! You can and will accomplish great things as long as you are not "talked out of it"!

Most people spend their lives consumed with what others are saying about them. And many of us have chased after "things" to fill this void that only God can fill! What God puts into motion concerning you cannot be stopped by any outside source, it can only be stopped by your own will. When you say yes to God, nothing will be impossible. It's when there is wrestling with your soul; where you resist the will of God, that you become frustrated. It's not what people say about you that hinders your journey...it's what you are saying about yourself! Remember that you have what it takes to start that business, to launch that ministry, to have that family, or whatever else is in your heart to accomplish!

“Heaven had a conversation about you when you were being conceived...”

Potential is the seed of greatness that God put inside of you before you were even born! Heaven had a conversation about you when you were being conceived and God declared that your future would be GREAT! Sometimes we go through trauma in our lives...but remember that for every seed to fully produce, there has to be some pressure applied! Don't give up because of a season of trials...know that you have what it takes to OVERCOME and achieve great things! 

If we can change perspective on problems we will realize that problems are attached to prosperity! If you can find problems that you have been called and anointed to solve, then you have found your purpose. That means that your "haters" and "enemies" are in fact your proponents! What does that mean? That means that the fact that they are hating on you...is a validation on the very purpose they are speaking against. The fact that an enemy would give you attention points to the greatness in you that they are attacking!

Here's some power principles for you while you are pursuing the fulfillment of purpose!

1. Never run from problems...dare to be a solution maker! If you continue to run from problems you will never know the power that flows through a person that chooses to overcome!

2. There is never a temptation that God has not given a way of escape! That means that there is always a way for escape for you! You can overcome fear, you can overcome lust, you can overcome every distraction that the enemy places in your path to detour you from fulfilling your purpose! All you need is humility to submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit!

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

"13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

3. Every person can discover their purpose through the easy formula...

Follow your Pure Passions to >>Discover your gifts >>>Discover what you are Compassionate about to lead you to >>>Discovering a problem...>>>Pray for a strategy from God...>>>Solve the Problem...DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE.

You have greatness in you! It's realizing that, believing it, and taking the steps of faith to walk in it that will set you a part from everyone else! Congratulations on receiving a degree...but remember that education continues for a lifetime! Continue to read and allow others to teach you! A degree is nothing with out the boldness to pursue the truth that you have discovered! Be Bold and Be Courageous and you will succeed!

God Bless,

Ryan Cole

Dictionary.com's Word of the Year Speaks to the Struggle Humanity is Facing

Every year Dictionary.com chooses a word that they feel encapsulates the theme of that year, especially for those of us who speak the English language. From the official Dictionary.com website this statement was released in 2015; “In 2015, Dictionary.com saw a number of themes emerge in the words that gained enough traction to be added to the dictionary along with words that trended in user lookups. The most prominent theme across both of these areas was in the expanding and increasingly fluid nature of conversations about gender and sexuality. Additionally, the theme of racial identity led to some of the most notable headlines and new additions to Dictionary.com this year. Encapsulating the most robust fields of language evolution and user interest this year, Dictionary.com’s 2015 Word of the Year is identity.”

As I read this statement it became evident to me that, as a part of the Millennial Generation, the issue of identity that I have been noticing among my peers is far greater than I had ever imagined. The question, “Who am I?” is one that haunts every person from the moment that we become self-aware until the moment that we die. Who am I and why was I created? These questions reverberate within the thoughts of every human being as we search for meaning and purpose in a world seemingly swept away by an epidemic of fame. Fame, from a westernized context, is a shallow promise of validation and fulfillment that can only truly come from our creator. We have pursued these needs even to the deterioration of our bodies and souls yet still find no relief.

We can see that this issue is not limited to this current generation. The scriptures are the place where we as believers can discover our identity in Christ. The truth is that the more we discover who Christ is and what he has done for us, the more we will discover who we are and what we have been assigned to do here in the earth. This is why it is important for us to take note of the eight “I am” statements that Jesus made about himself in the book of John, seven of which were attached to specific metaphors. 

To a Jewish person, for Jesus to declare, “I am” was more than just a declaration of a present state of being; it was a declaration of deity. With the term “Lord” or “Jehovah” being too holy to even be uttered; for someone to use this same context to describe himself was making a bold statement. Jesus was literally pointing to the Old Testament as a mirror and reflection of himself. He was speaking to those confused about purpose and reason of being and he is still speaking to us today with this same message. For those suffering from an identity crisis, whether it be your gender, sexuality, race, physical appearance, or your purpose in general, your cure cannot be found in surgery, make-up, Facebook likes, or sexual gratification. The source of our identity is found secured in these statements that Jesus made about himself.

Out of all of the “I am” statements, the one that I believe centralizes them all is found in John 14:6 which says, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I believe that our identity stems from our source, and our first natural source is our natural father and mother. We discover who we are through understanding who our parents and grandparents were. In that same way, we discover our purpose for life by reconnecting to our Heavenly Father, and the only way to do that is through Jesus Christ. Leon Morris gives a good context for this scripture, denoting that, “In the upper room on the eve of the crucifixion, Jesus spoke of his imminent departure, finishing with “and where I am going you know the way” (14:4)” (Morris 1989) As Jesus speaks to Thomas the disciple, we are given clarity as to why these “I am” statements are important. In essence, we are now because Jesus is. When he said “I am”, he was including us within that purpose.

Leon Morris refers to the writings in John by saying, “He is not saying that Jesus shows the way, but that he is the way. This points us to the significance of his saving death. By dying for sinners he brings them to God.” (Morris 1989) This statement of “I am” revealed the deity of Christ as the Son of God and the only way of reconciliation to the Father. This is evident as the conversation continues with Jesus speaking to the disciples of not only his mission to go to the cross but his authority in fulfilling this assignment because of how interwoven He and the Father were. He said in verses 9-10 saying, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

To the disciples sitting there listening to these words, they were far more controversial than you and I reading them thousands of years later. These men had been steeped in a Jewish culture that says that the way is found in abiding by the law as defined by Torah, the truth is the law written in the Torah, and the only way to experience life is through the law. Steven P. Wickstrom clarifies this thought by breaking each one of these statements down from an Old Testament perspective. Highlighting on the first, he says, “Jesus’ first statement was I am the way. To the Old Testament Jew, the way was the Torah or the Old Testament. The only way to God was through the law. Psalms 119:1 says, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the LAW of the LORD.” Psalms 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.” They were also very familiar with Exodus 18:20 ”And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.” In the Jewish mindset, that way was the law and the prophets. In Jewish tradition, the way to find the path to God was to study the Torah.” (Wickstrom 2004-2015) This was a change in their paradigms to know that in Christ the law was being fulfilled! Not only was he making a declaration of deity, but Jesus was also eradicating the cycle of death that was attached to striving that each person was doing to fulfill the law.

What does this powerful statement mean for you and I who are living in a world inundated with gender confusion and stereotypes, racial injustices, and the hamster wheel pursuit of fame and admiration? It means everything! We don’t have to stay on the path of destruction. We don’t have to be confused about who we are. We are not abandoned and purposeless. We are children of the most high God, redeemed through the blood of Jesus and given freedom from sin through his sacrifice on the cross. As Jesus declared His identity our identity was secured. We are fearfully and wonderfully created in the image of God and are no longer bound to sin as long as we accept this free gift of salvation. Jesus declared his deity through these statements and he also made a big statement about the Old Testament. The same God that was revealed in the Torah is the same God that came to the earth in the flesh as a man named Jesus. The way that we have been searching for is only found in Him. As we pursue Christ and discover more about who he is, the more we will see the identity confusion disappear. This is the heart that I have for my generation and my assignment. To point them to a creator who is not confused about His love for us. We are secured because Jesus is the Christ, great, “I am”.  

The Future Church- "Top 10 Characteristics"

From my perspective as a 26-year-old pastor...Here's what I believe is going to be the pattern of the church in the years to come!

FYI- This is a continuation of another blog I wrote about Millennials and the church!

Click Here to read that blog first!

As a person who has a strong fascination with culture...i have placed my hand on the pulse of our current "western" culture and through prayer have come to terms with what the church will look like in the near future and how we can succeed in presenting the gospel to the next generation while maintaining the integrity of the scriptures! Here we go...TOP 10!

1. Technology will be embraced on a larger scale and the majority of Millennials will not attend a "Large Gathering" except for a 3-4 times per year at a maximum. By Large I mean more than 1200 people, and that will be the extreme high-end anomalies. Some of you may consider 1200 large but remember that before this point megachurches were being built to hold at least 3-4 thousand people. Even at the larger end of the 1200 people mark, this will only be effective if the feeling of intimacy and community are the center of your focus. In terms of the most commonly effective congregation...I see it being around a 300-400 mark as the norm, yet still be considered a "mega-church" because of technology. As the term "Mega Church" shifts, you will discover that your largest audience will be gathered through the use of technology, using platforms online. Millennials will still gather weekly in a "church" setting...it just may not be in as "large" of a setting. So shift your focus from numbers in the door...to the impact of discipleship!

2. On that note...Educational value in the church will become more important than entertainment value...so make sure that you actually have something to say. In saying this, we are still looking for the "excellence" value and the use of the creative arts! Even with great creativity, you better have some impact in your presentation in terms of educational, transformational, and empowering revelation.

3. Because of the focus on community that we will need to take, we will have to rely on partnerships for large local alliances and impact.

4. Millennials, unlike the former generations, have a great distrust of large institutions because we grew up watching the great scandals of corporations, banks, and churches. If we are going to be a part of a large ministry there better be integrity, transparency, authenticity, and an evident move of the supernatural power of God with the demonstration of the Kingdom.

5. You will see Millennials embrace smaller house-like settings in the sense that they will be discipled through one-on-one mentorship and relationships more than they will be showing up to a classroom in a building. Give a Millennial the information through technology and give them activation and relationship in person! We crave mentorship but we also crave acceptance. We want to know that you are with us even when we fall and that you will lift us up with grace!

6. Okay here is where the prophetic word takes over... There will be a large diving line in the church....between those that have bent the church around the world's culture and those that have maintained the "oil" but have also embraced new methods and technology. In other words, there will become a very distinct difference in the church world. Denominational lines will be blurred and at the same time there will be 2 distinctively different groups of "Christian Movements" arise. Because of this, where we stand on theology will challenged and be One group will focus on Discipleship and Kingdom Theology along with a movement of the Holy Spirit and signs and wonders while the other will be built on the strength and power of man and the embracing of a "melting pot" of spiritual beliefs w/ very blurred lines in doctrine. The latter will put emphasis on individual spiritual discovery in the sense that everyone will be able to embrace a personal truth without solid lines of theology. Both of these sides to Christianity will succeed but the latter will be based on deception. It is also possible that the use of the word "Christian" may be rephrased or redefined because of this. We must as believers recognize which movement represents the actual Church as we mirror the results and effectiveness of the New Testament Church.

7. The next revival and expansion of the Kingdom will occur in the marketplace and in communities. The focus of the Church will shift toward the empowerment of individuals as carriers of the Kingdom of Heaven. You will see more salvation take place outside of the church walls in homes, communities, work fields, etc... We will reach out more for people to be saved where they are...and then become connected to the church building to be disciples.

8. Church Services will become driven by Prayer and Kingdom Teaching. There will be more corporate prayer than ever before and this will birth revival in communities, homes, and businesses.

9. The Social System will be a great place of ministry. As the fabric of what a Biblical "Family Unit" is torn, we must be here with the example of solid family structure and function. The individual Purpose of a Man and Woman will need to be clearly taught and defined as well as displayed through the church. We must be prepared for any and everything to come against us in our pursuit of reflecting Christ and His Church (Husband and Wife). As the transgender and homosexual culture has emerged and is playing a dominant role in the construct of the next generation...we have to be fully equipped with the answers they are looking for. Not religious paraphrasing but answers...through the word of God and be able to approach these issues with great compassion and understanding. Remember, that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). In saying that we must also have an unwavering stance on what God defines as a marriage and what is the most healthy family construct and we must be able to display it. We won't have a firm ground to stand on if the divorce rate of Christians continues to rise. This next generation is looking for a Show and Tell...not just a Tell, so demonstrate the power that you talk about! This is another reason why ministries that place an emphasis on Mentoring (Fathering and Mothering) will likely succeed more than those that do not.

1 Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God consists of and is based not on talk but power."

10. Persecution will rise against those that stand on ideas such as purity (abstinence from sex before marriage), biblical marriage (between 1 man and 1 woman), the bible's view on cross-dressing and the transgender lifestyle, and other topics that are diametrically opposed to cultural norms. The interesting thing is that the persecution will be subtle because it will be in the forms of governmental intrusion (which there are ways to get around this but that's for another blog). We as a church must depend on unity, more than ever before if we are going to succeed in our missions here in the United States. As we leverage our corporate influence and power as the church, we will be able to shift culture and impact the next generation effectively!

I will continue to write more of what the Lord shows me along the way...I am excited about the church! WE have never had more potential than we do right now and we must seize the moment!

-Ryan Cole

June 11, 2015

From the heart of a Millennial- "The Church and Why I've stayed..."

With so many ideas going around about why "Millennials" are leaving the church I decided to write a blog on why I've decided to stay....

So many of these blogs and statistics that I am reading have been done from researchers and Pastors who are trying to figure "Millennials" out without sitting where they have sat...There's been some good views and some very wrong views about what our contribution to the global church will be. I'm here to sort through the madness to help bring some clarity.

As a Young Adult myself, I have been heavily involved in church for the last 11 years. I have watched people come and go and I have had to ask myself the questions...Why have I stayed while others have gone? What has been different about my experience that has caused me to rise in leadership while others have forsaken "Church" all together? In the process of studying the journey of both myself and my peers I have also received strategy from the Holy Spirit on the direction and future of the church, as Millennials take center stage in Church Leadership.

As I look at the trajectory of my own journey, I have discovered that what has set me apart from others that have left the church, is in the fact that I have aggressively pursued Mentors. This is something that many people are not as comfortable doing, especially when you face a lot of rejection, bad leadership, hurt, and disappointment. What has kept me, was my ability to filter through the inadequacies of people in order to partake of their treasure. That meant me having a lot of forgiveness toward people and putting my dependency on God instead of man. We have to be able to see past the flaws and failures of man and trust that God can still use them to speak to us regardless of their downfalls.

By the grace of God and through great patience on my part, I came across 2 specific leaders that were Pure in their motives, sacrificial, and did for me what everyone else is now calling..

"Reverse Mentoring"! This process changed my life and is the method I live by to empower others.

Here are some key points that define this process of "Reverse Mentoring":

1. This process requires that the leader be very secure in their own calling as to not allow a spirit of competition to hinder the process of empowerment. Millennials are seeking "room to grow" and "space to create".

2. Millennials want to be able to question your process without the fear of rejection. They don't want to just do what you say without also wanting to know WHY you do what you do. If you believe in the supernatural...they wanna know why and they want to see results. Because of this we all have to evaluate our methods and ask ourselves if what we are doing is "scriptural" or just "traditional". You should allow those that you mentor to ask questions and be able to give them answers, strategies, and demonstration of power. Don't be intimidated by the WHY'S...we are not questioning your authority...we just want to know how you do what you do! In the end...our questions can help you become a greater leader and to be a more effective leader. Listen, many parents will tell you that they have learned more through parenting their kids then they actually taught there kids...be open to learning yourself too!

3. Reverse mentoring requires great transparency! We want to know your story and your struggles. We want to know that you will not judge our future based on our past. We also want to know that you are not ashamed of us and that you will claim us as your own no matter what! We don't want sugar coated and remember that we don't relate to you just because you watch reality TV and use a Kardashian as a sermon illustration or joke...we will relate to you because of your STORY and your AUTHENTICITY!

4. Allow us to challenge your methods by giving us space to experiment with new strategies while keeping the same anointing! Trust that we can hear from God too and embrace the fact that we know how our generation is responding to new technology.

5. Don't just place us in a role that you need filled because of your need. Get to know us, our strengths and gifts, and help us discover the right place for us in the church!

6. Don't falter in your integrity and theology just because a large group of us say so. More than ever, young adults need to hear clear lines of theology and that includes making a stand for holiness and living a life free from sin! BUT REMEMBER! We will respect you and hear you...only if your life reflects the same boundaries that you are proclaiming!

Continuing on...

Statistics show that Millennials are the most educated generation that has ever been...with more degrees than ever before, but with less practical knowledge than ever because they have not been given a space to try it out for themselves...this includes the church. Everyone under the age of 25 in most churches have been placed in a "sub ministry" with ill equipped leaders, and by the time they have graduated college there is no reason for them to stay at your church because they have never really been included in the actual "church". This generation has extended adolescence well past the age of 25 because they have yet to "comprehend" what their place in the world is. They are still living at home because there is not an empowerment mechanism in most cities to launch these Young Adults out of complacency. The infallible truth is that the CHURCH is the only answer and we cannot fail!

Don't try and "relate" to us based on popular culture alone...stimulate our intellect because the truth is that we have a great hunger to learn!

The church is NOT a religious institution to help numb the pain of life and hardship that people face. It's not intended to be a "drug of choice" to help soothe individuals and their lack of effective decision making abilities....THE CHURCH is the Educational Institution of the Kingdom of Heaven!

Our role is to re-educate individuals with the mandate of God! We should be creating a culture that is not a mirror image of the "world system" but is distinctly different. Our goal should be in making disciples and with that comes the empowerment of purpose! The enemy has shaped the culture of this generation through the way that we have educated our young people. We have taught them word recognition but not word COMPREHENSION. Meaning that the majority of people in the workplace have been trained for a task instead of being empowered to THINK for themselves. This is because we have allowed Schools and Media to shape the belief systems of our young people. On top of that..the church has, for the most part, forsaken discipleship. Therefore...

..."we must conclude that a good SHOW and PRESENTATION is not the transformational elements that will equip this generation with challenging theological concepts that cause us to move in faith and too move in the supernatural power of God."

For too long the church has moved tried to move from Information >> to Presentation >> to Revelation >> strait to ACTIVATION. We want young adults to give...to serve...to invite others...and they will FOR A WHILE....but then they will become burnt out very quickly because there is not COMPREHENSION!

Comprehension can be defined as "an active understanding and thoughtful application of revelation..."

The only way to bring Comprehension is through personal relationships! In the end we are not going to come to your church because of good music or presentation....were going to come to your church because we are able to integrate our faith with our real life! That means that there has to be a place where effective relationships and accountability is set established within the church! Sure Large Gatherings are great AND ARE NEEDED! However, Acts 2 shows us that they not only had large gatherings but also went HOUSE to HOUSE teaching and breaking bread together!

Life Groups that help us build quality relationships and help us to apply revelation that is being taught is the only biblical method that will cause retention in your church! But the key to this is getting it OFF CAMPUS and into our everyday lives!

Statistics show that Millennials are are not interested in work and life balance they are interested in work and life INTEGRATION. The same is true about their faith. They don't just wanna show up on Sunday if they have not integrated their LIFE >> WORK >> and FAITH together as one! So...

How are you facilitating relationships? How are you empowering individuals to take the Gospel to their workplace and to shift culture? Also, does all of this fit within the current church pattern that we have in America? Well...the answer is yes and no....There are ministries that are moving in that direction but the majority of churches are clueless about what is going to take place here in the next 5-10 years when it comes to church!

Click Here for my Prophetic Prediction of the Church within the next 5-10 years!

So why have I stayed? Well, because I have a firm conviction about the importance of the local church! I know how much we are needed! I have stayed because I have been taught the message of the Kingdom! That teaching has grounded me when a lot of people and systems have failed. The Gospel of the Kingdom is a message of empowerment and I have been challenged to pursue the purpose that God has given me.

I believe that if we make discipleship (from a Kingdom perspective of empowerment) our focus along with meaningful relationships we will be successful in reaching the next generation with the Gospel!

-Ryan Cole

Click Here for the continuation of this conversation in my next BLOG...