Tag: Church

Are You Ready For Revival?

As I continue to reflect on my time at the Asbury Revival, the fire for revival in my community as grown stronger. But what does that look like? As I have been praying, here are some things God has placed on my heart.

*Before revival can come to any community, there must be an increase in prayer. You might say a Revival of Prayer. We must make prayer a priority. Stay in prayer.

*We must sacrifice some things in our life. Instead of binge watching a tv series, take that time to pray. Sacrifice some worldly pursuits to truly hear from God. Stay in prayer.

*Make a new commitment to reaching a lost and hurting world. We must be willing to step out of our comfort zone. Lean into Jesus. Stay in prayer

*Ask God to reveal the sin in your life and then truly repent. Stop carrying your sin around like a backpack. Leave your sin at the Cross. Stay in prayer.

*Ask God to transform your life. Seek His purpose for your life. Walk it out. Stay in prayer.

*Stop being so busy with the things of this world. We are easily distracted from praying. Now is the time to pray and hunger after the things of God. Stay in prayer.

*Believe in the power of God. Expect Him to answer your prayers. Believe that God wants to bring revival to your community. Stay in prayer.

*Revival starts with us. It starts in our hearts. Be serious about praying and seeking God’s guidance. God wants to move in his churches and communities. Stay in prayer.

Are You Ready For Revival? ~OC

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Remnant

Today’s a new day! With people a remnant is like a leftover, waste material, material for which there is no plan, purpose, or intended use. With God it is exactly opposite. God’s remnant is a beautiful scrap. The remnant of God is that for which all things were planned and purposed. Without that piece of remnant, everything else would be useless. ~OC

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I Didn’t Lose My Miracle

Today’s a new day! Words have power. We can choose to speak words of encouragement or words of judgment. As Christians, our heart’s desire should be to build people up and speak words of hope and love into their lives. But it seems challenging for some Christians to share those encouraging words of hope when someone is suffering from a chronic illness and they don’t seem to be getting any better. Or maybe a person experienced a healing miracle only to have another health battle hit them.

That has been my experience, as I walk through my crazy beautiful health journey. As I shared above, our words are powerful. The tongue is a mighty weapon. It can be used to share love and hope or it can be used to hurt and destroy. I have experienced both over the years. Especially in the last few years.

In November of 2019, I experienced a beautiful healing in the name of Jesus. Not to toot my own horn, but I became the toast in many Christian circles. Everyone wanted to hear my story and have me pray for them. I was blessed with many speaking engagements. Heck, a documentary was even made about my story. Everyone wanted to hang out and spend time with me. Then came February 2021. I was diagnosed with Covid and my health took a turn for the worse. Today, my health is still a major issue. Things are also different in my social life.

Some who celebrated my healing back in 2019, are now the ones who send me messages questioning my faith because I am sick again. What sin caused me to lose my healing? You must have doubt about your healing. That is why God took it away. Todd, you are not praying correctly. Sadly, I am not making this up. Let me assure you, I do not fall for any of these false teachings.

I am not invited or included in many social or ministry gatherings these days. That’s okay. I am a big boy. I am thankful for the few who look past my health issues and just see me. Those that actually live out their faith.

Here are some things God has shared with me as I continue to walk in this crazy beautiful health journey. I will continue to walk in victory.

*Keep sharing the story He has given me.

*The miracle He performed in my life on November 3, 2019 was real.

*I did not lose my miracle.

*Be bold in sharing the true Gospel.

*God will continue to use me at the hospitals, doctors offices and infusion centers to bring hope and encouragement.

*God does not owe us anything. Everything we receive from him is a gift.

*Listen for the lessons God has for us during the trials of life.

*Suffering is part of our journey, but do not let it become our identity.

*Jesus suffered most of his life. Why do some Christians believe they should be exempt from suffering?

*I am not dealing with new health issues because of sin in my life.

*Some people will not receive their healing on this side of Heaven. That doesn’t mean you have done anything wrong. That doesn’t mean Jesus doesn’t hear your prayers. That doesn’t mean you don’t have enough faith. That doesn’t mean Jesus doesn’t love you. Stop listening to people who would tell you those lies.

*I will not experience another miracle on this side of heaven.

*Who suffered more than Jesus ?

As Christians we need to be speaking words of hope and love over everyone and truly stand with them regardless of what our eyes see or how long they need us. As God brings someone to mind who is dealing with long-term health issues, take a moment and pray not just for them but about your responses to this person. Is it loving, caring and nonjudgmental? Are you speaking life and hope over them? ~OC

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Shine God Shine

Hello. God put this on my heart. Hopefully it encourages someone today. ~OC

Shine God Shine:

Dear God, as we walk through this journey, let your light shine through us. Destroy all the darkness and negativity around us. Dear God, let the warmth of your light, the brightness of your love, the sweetness of your joy, the beauty of your hope shine through us.
Dear God, let your light be our guide through the storms. Let your light brighten our path. Continue to let your light shine through us. Shine God Shine!

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Stop Gossiping

Have you ever been outside watering your lawn and a neighbor comes rushing a across the street to share the latest neighborhood gossip? Or worse, you are in church and a group of folks call you over to share the latest church gossip. We have all been there. How do you react when someone wants to share the latest 411 on somebody. Here are some tips I hope help in the fight against gossip.

* Confront the person sharing the gossip. This can be difficult, but is necessary to stop hurtful gossip.

*Shut it down. Do not even let the person get the words out of their mouth. Once again, not easy but necessary.

*Totally surprise the gossiper and say something positive about the person they are sharing dirt on. You may have to pick them off the floor.

*Remind them that somebody is probably gossiping about them. Check out the look on their face with that one.

*Share true facts about the situation if you have been given permission to do so. Sadly, a gossiper really doesn’t want to hear the truth. Where’s the fun in that? I am kidding of course.

*Turn gossip into a time of prayer. Instead of getting caught up in the gossip, take time to pray for the person or situation.

This is just a small list. Take a moment and come up with additional ways to shut down gossip. ~OC

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Let’s Get United!

When you carry your Bible…the enemy gets concerned

When you open up your Bible… he gets nervous

When the enemy sees you reading your Bible… he gets angry

When he sees you living out the scriptures… he trembles

When he sees God’s people truly United… he flees

Let’s Get United! ~OC

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Wake Up Church

Today’s a new day. If you truly want to find out what a church believes, you do not even need to attend the church. Just check out the social media pages of some pastors and their spouses. As I have scrolled through my social media pages, I have been saddened to see so many pastors and their spouses more concerned about politics than the gospel. So concerned about their political views, they are willing to attack other believers who do not think like/act like/speak like they do. Evangelicals need a wake up call, need to become more compassionate and humble, focused on the gospel. Believers and churches need to stop getting caught up in out right lies and conspiracy theories. Faith community, you can fill every public office with a conservative right-wing candidate and this nation will still be a mess, because the only hope is Jesus. It’s about a heart change, not a Republican, Democrat or Independent change. Wake Up Church. Jesus is love, grace and forgiveness. ~OC

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At The Table

Today’s a new day! Let me say this loud and clear. God is not affiliated with any political party. If that statement surprises you, you might need to check your heart. Once again, God is not a Republican or a Democrat. He should never be used as a prop or weapon in political arguments. Sadly, God is often dragged into the political arena. His primary concern is not who’s in the White House or any political position. Obviously, Jesus cares for the needs of America, but he also cares for the needs of every country. Whether they love Him or not. It breaks God’s heart, when his people worship a political party or political figure. That seems to be a major issue among so many Christians today. If you call yourself a Christian, God should be the King of your life. Period!

Please hear me, I am not saying you cannot support your candidate, political party or country. That is your right. Please go vote. But your allegiance cannot be to a political candidate, flag or country. As a Christian, your allegiance should be to God. There will be moments in our lives where what seems to be in the best interest of America, or your political party will go against what God says is true. In those pivotal moments, you will have to choose who’s first in your life. Who reigns over your life?

This is not me pointing my finger at anyone or casting judgement. These are the types of questions we need to asking ourselves. These are the type of discussions we need to be having with each other. Even if we have disagreements. This is an invitation for all of us to sit down at the table. ~OC

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Stop and Think

Today’s a new day! Truth really matters. Especially for those who claim to be Christians. As Christians we should strive to be the most honest people on earth. But unfortunately some don’t. As I scroll through social media, I sadly see Christians posting one untruth after another. Are these Christians not doing research on the articles before posting them as truth? Are they more concerned about getting likes than they are about truth? Are they more concerned about their own agenda than the gospel? I will let you answer those questions.

In this age of social media overload, everyone needs to be careful about what we post on social media. But as Christians, we have to be extra careful about what we post on social media and the conversations we engage in. As Christians, we need to be living lives of high character. Sadly that is not what I am seeing from so many followers of Jesus. No, I am seeing some Christians intentionally posting fake stories that have an agenda. They seem to want to disrupt and undermine truth because it does not line up with their agenda. This is especially concerning when those in ministry are the ones posting fake stories. It makes me wonder what they are teaching from the pulpit. As Christians, truth must always be our priority. Anything else is a slap in the face to Jesus. We cannot use the excuse we didn’t know the story was fake. No, we just didn’t do any research. Our post and conversations should be filled with love and truth. Even when the truth doesn’t fit our agenda. The truth should always trump our agenda. Our character should be more important than getting a lot of clicks.

When you see a story that catches your attention, please do the following before posting on your social media pages:

  1. Actually do some research. Is it true?
  2. If you find it’s not true, don’t post it. That should be easy.
  3. Even if you do your research and find out the story is true, is it worth posting? Will posting the story bring glory to God?
  4. When unsure if you should post a article on social media, just post a cute video of puppies. Everyone loves puppies.

I believe being careful about what we post is important for everyone, but this post was geared towards my brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? Because what Christians post on social media and share in conversation, either build people up or tear them down. The souls of people are in the balance. Please read that sentence again. As Christians we should be more concerned about people and less concerned about pushing an agenda. As believers we should be standing on the truth of Jesus. Without that truth, we are standing on shaky ground.

So the next time you want to post something on social media, remember it’s okay to post nothing and keep your integrity intact. ~OC

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A Gift

As we walk through our faith journey, we are instructed to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Why? Because it’s the very essence of who we are in Him. Every breath we breathe comes from God. Think about that for a moment. All that we are is God’s. Every breath is a gift from our Lord. He has given life to our bodies. Not only that, but we have also been bought with a price. A heavy price paid on the Cross. At one point in our lives, we were filled with fear, confusion and ultimately death. In one moment God changed our eternity. Today, we are free from our past. Living in the freedom and victory of God. Each day is a beautiful opportunity to live out God’s purpose for our lives. If our identity is entirely in God, it will be reflected in the way we choose to live our lives. How we love. How we serve. How we forgive. How we respond to the needs around us. How will you use your breath of life…your gift. ~OC

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