When You Feel Overwhelmed

Have you ever been in a place where the weight of your life's challenges seemed to be way too much to handle? It's probably safe to say that all humankind has experienced such feelings. In the midst of the heaviness, it can be seemingly difficult to cast your cares upon GOD in worship. But the one thing your opposition is counting on is you doubting what YOU can incite through worship.

Make no mistake about it, the very best thing to do WHENEVER you feel overwhelmed is to ascend in worship. Don't bother worrying about all that may be weighing on you in trying moments. Worrying solves nothing. Also, avoid rash decision-making born out of your flustered emotions. Emotional reactions change nothing. When overwhelmed, these sort of carnal-minded approaches only make YOU worse off... 

BUT when you choose to elevate your mind (i.e. your thinking) above the circumstances and begin to bless (i.e. speak well of) the LORD your GOD, something more advantageous happens... YOU change! Your perspective, your response, your attitude ALL change because NOW you're looking at those very same circumstances from a totally different angle than before. Worship literally shifts your line of sight from what has you feeling overwhelmed to the One whom those troubling circumstances must bow and become subject. 

Know that the upper hand has NO CHOICE but to be yours as an atmosphere-shifting worshipper of Yahweh. You being able to get past how you feel at any given moment and earnestly call for an uprising of GOD's glory WITHOUT musicians, a worship team or pastor is precisely what keeps you together away from whatever physical sanctuary wherein you worship corporately. PLEASE understand that your sanity depends on YOU--as a worshipper--being able to command atmospheres for yourself. Therefore, begin to decrease your dependence on those whom you have looked to as glory carriers. Start stirring up the gift of GOD within you, so the worshipping warrior you were redeemed to become rises up and releases the governing influence of Heaven in the earth. 

The Currency of the Kingdom

One thing that has become clear to me (as a worshipper) is that atmospheres saturated with the glory of Yahweh's presence are inspiring. When Heaven is encountered, its culture sparks an awakening. Something quickens within. You come alive! Experiencing the power of the Set Apart (Holy) Spirit at work manifesting the agenda of Heaven on Earth broadens your perspective and expands your capacity to function beyond the self-imposed limitations that minimize--and in some cases, eliminate--personal growth.

It then becomes important to not just go to church simply because it's the right thing to do. More importantly, one cannot expect to grow in a church setting that fails to expose believers to supernatural manifestations of Kingdom culture.  Without such exposure, believers will never become ignited within to exercise their faith in bold, new ways. But by encountering the activity of Heaven on Earth, we ultimately experience faith in action and learn how to flow with the current of the Set Apart (Holy) Spirit.

Faith indeed moves! Things happen when faith is exercised because it's action-oriented by nature. When you begin to view faith as the currency (i.e. movement) of the Kingdom, it totally transforms your perspective on its importance. Just like electrical currents, the current seen in bodies of water and even the currency (i.e. money) used in the exchange of goods and services, the energy of faith creates movement. Faith is so vital to the Kingdom's dominance over the earth and its resources that every Heaven-inspired transaction requires it!

Show Me How To Get It For Myself

"You can't be my friend and NOT show me how to get it for myself." --Floyd Mayweather

As I recently watched video of a recorded conversation between boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and award-winning recording artist Snoop Dog, my attention was arrested upon hearing the above statement.  Mr. Mayweather was sharing that it was simply not enough to enjoy experiencing someone else's home, yacht or jet.  It was, in fact, more important to him that he learn how to get his own to enjoy.  But here's the kicker: look at how important it was that he gain access to this information...  In his mind, it is the granting of access that legitimizes the friendship!  There was no way Floyd Mayweather was going to regard ANYONE as friend who would rather showcase their prosperity than show him how to prosper as they have so done.  NOW THAT'S POWERFUL!  

Too often, we find ourselves merely admiring what others have attained AND feeling privileged for the opportunity to witness their prosperity.  But what good is experiencing someone else's prosperity and afterwards remaining clueless as to how they were able to come into such abundance?  Of course, everyone isn't interested in that kind of information because we all know people who would rather enjoy the privileges of others without the responsibility of securing and maintaining it themselves.  However, for those who desire to know, each encounter with another's abundance is seen as a life-changing learning opportunity. 

Power Belongs To The Responsible

I was reminded last week of something my good friend and brother Prophet William L. Johnson II shared in a teaching a couple of years ago: "Power belongs to the responsible."  That statement really stood out amongst all he shared in that particular evening of revival, and it arrests my attention even now as I ponder over who power belongs to.  If you have ever taken a Physics course, then you're most likely familiar with the idea that power is the ability to do work.  Not just something that lies dormant, it is a force that enables the empowered entity to fulfill some degree of purpose. Therefore, power is only as valuable as the work it actually accomplishes. It makes no sense to possess power if it results in nothing purposeful. And let's be frank here: irresponsible people lack a sense of purpose.

In the hands of irresponsible people, power becomes abused (or "ABnormally USED").  As my favorite teacher, Dr. Myles Munroe, has said, "Where purpose is NOT known, abuse is inevitable."  Irresponsible people do not seek to understand purpose because it requires too much of them.  And without an understanding of purpose, people are totally clueless as to how they should respond to anything.  Furthermore, if responsibility indeed be the ability to respond, then why should supernatural power be entrusted to those who fail to appropriately exercise the limited ability they've already been given to favorably respond to life's demands?  It makes zero sense whatsoever...

The Blessing in the Pressing

The brokenness we experience in our pressing situations is purposed to release an oil that is strategically anointed for ministry.  Yes, the pressing was crushing.  But with the crushing pain--and even embarrassment, in some cases--comes a powerful release.  And the value of what is released far outweighs the value we attributed to that which was crushed.  The oil we carry is only released via excruciating circumstances.  There indeed lies a blessing in the pressing because it's THIS oil that is specially formulated--if you will--for the work of ministry.

Flowing from our own pain, it's infused with the very power of GOD that brought us to the other side of through.  For some, the pressing may be diseased affliction.  For others, it may be a failed marriage.  One person's pressing could be a serious financial crisis, while another's situation involves a period of incarceration.  The possibilities are endless because everyone experiences their own unique combination of crushing blows from which the power of GOD delivers us.  The same power that brought us deliverance is now the active ingredient in the oil produced by our lives' crushing experiences that is meant to bring deliverance to others.

Removing The Influence

One of the greatest misconceptions we can have about salvation is that it automatically takes away everything that allured us into sin prior to confessing Messiah as Lord and receiving the gift of eternal life. What we soon find out is that what tempted us before is still pretty hot and tempting. Those feelings somehow managed to stay... The only difference is what we could once freely engage in doing now stirs up feelings of guilt.  You see, what the preacher forgot to mention, when we decided to receive Messiah's invitation to discipleship, is that it's not the goal of salvation to cause the lust of the flesh and eyes as well as the pride of life (as found in 1 John 2:16) to just disappear instantly or even over time.

Wouldn't it be super easy to live holy if all the evil within us just went away like that? Why, of course, it would! In fact, we would absolutely love it because pleasing Yahweh would be a piece of cake. But there's really no power or glory in deliverance merely removing the presence of sin. Once it's gone, there is then no more need for the power and glory. It is essentially given a pink slip because it's services would no longer be needed.

The more accurate understanding is that sin will ALWAYS be present. Therefore, the power and glory lies in removing THE INFLUENCE of its presence in our lives so we can see and take the way of escape Yahweh promises us in moments of temptation (1 Corinthians 2:13). Salvation will never remove the temptation, but it opens the door for us to receive the power of the Set Apart Spirit to dismantle the attack of the adversary against our freedom as believers. Deliverance is indeed successful when it becomes part of our culture as Kingdom citizens to discern the presence of temptation, resist its influence and make our escape from its presence.

Staying Power

In order to run this race of a life with patience, we must have the stamina to endure what--at times--can be a very grueling experience.  Yes, life can be hard; but we have unlimited access to the grace to persevere.  I'm reminded here of the term "staying power," which is the ability or strength to last or endure.  It's the quality or ability that allows someone or something to continue being effective and successful.  Today, we're living in a time when effectiveness and success are less and less evident in people's lives simply because they lack the endurance to finish what's been started.

When we consider how our Heavenly Father works, we see that everything Abba starts gets finished because it was already finished at the start.  In other words, whenever He starts something, Him starting it is proof that it's already complete.  Therefore, may I suggest that our ineffectiveness and unsuccessful efforts directly correlate to the fact that what we set out to do was pretty much unfinished from the beginning.  Our minds must be renewed here to understand that when something reaches its completed state in the unseen realm, it is THEN--and ONLY then-- that the process of fulfillment can begin in the physical realm.  Essentially, the execution of a half-baked idea is purposed to reveal that the idea was always half-baked.  It furthermore causes us to see that we cannot fully commit to physically manifesting what our lack of commitment in the spiritual realm has already failed to manifest.

Our problem is that we lack vision.  And work plans can only be devised for that which has been envisioned.  Without a clear picture of the finished product, there can be no documented procedures on how to start at Point A and arrive at a finished product that bears the image and likeness of the vision.  Furthermore, the absence of vision will surely set us up for failure.  It's impossible to have the staying power necessary to overcome the various hurdles encountered while bringing a vision to pass when you're not clear on what the end result looks like.  And here's the more sobering thought: you simply cannot commit to that which you're unclear about.  No one in their right mind will commit to a vision that's foggy, but how many times have we all been guilty of attempting to do something about which we're unclear?  In fact, when the situations and circumstances surrounding the process of materializing that foggy vision become too hard to handle, quitting is usually what happens next, doesn't it?  So in order to stay committed unto the completion of a thing, we must possess a clear understanding of what is indeed being finished.

Take Responsibility

Responsibility is simply the ability to respond, as I've shared before on FHW.  Often times, we hear the phrase "take responsibility" and think of it as owning up to some manner of duty.  However, I wish to challenge your perception and understanding of taking responsibility.  If responsibility is indeed the ability to respond, then we must look a little deeper.  Ability, according to Merriam-Webster, is "the quality or state of being able; especially: physical, mental or legal power to perform."  It's further defined as "competence in doing" and a "natural aptitude or acquired proficiency."  To me, the key word in this definition is "power".  Should we get nothing more from this, it should be that ability translates to power.

When Jesus the Christ was preparing to ascend from the Earth back to Heaven, He instructed the apostles whom He had chosen to not leave Jerusalem before they were baptized with the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:1-5).  This baptism was of great importance because (1) it was promised by the Father, according to Acts 1:4, and (2) it would be followed by the receiving of power, as noted in Acts 1:8.  Therefore, if ability is power to perform, we can safely conclude that baptism with the Holy Ghost is necessary for the believer to be an empowered believer.  Without power, there lies within us a lack of competence, aptitude and/or proficiency, if we refer back to the definition of ability.

The Power of Love (Part 1 of 2)

Not too long ago, a friend of mine on Facebook posted a touching status update about a story shared by one of the pastors at his church.  This pastor's son committed suicide because he got tired of wearing masks for church people.  How sad!  The pastor talked about the importance of having courage and having the heart of GOD towards others by building them in love instead of killing them with judgement.

It's so sad that our churches are filled with religious people who have cold hearts towards others.  I heard something not long after reading the aforementioned Facebook post that REALLY impacted me.  Ironically, it was at a forum discussing the topic of "INTIMACY."  There was a woman of GOD in attendance who stated, "It's been said that hurt people hurt people.  And that's true.  But I know I've been healed, and I like to think that I've been healed to heal people."  THAT REALLY BLESSED ME!

Much of this coldheartedness prevalent in today's church is a direct indication of a lack of healing.  And it's not always because there's no ministry of healing taking place within an assembly. Some folks just don't want to be healed!  And some of these people are ministry leaders or just people of influence in the congregation.  They're so caught up in masking their own pain and suffering that they have no discernment regarding the suffering of others, neither do they carry the anointing to bring healing into the lives of those who are sick, hurting and broken.

My Joy Is Not Available | 01.03.13

While in prayer on last night, I heard myself say, "Our joy is not available to be taken when we're in Your presence, GOD."  Clearly, the Holy Spirit inspired these words because I had never before thought or spoken them.  My mind was actually on Psalms 16:11, the latter portion of which I quoted just before uttering those words.  This year, my heart is fiercely determined to spend more time in GOD's presence than ever before.  It's my desire to experience GOD more and for His presence to literally be manifested in EVERY area of my life.  Therefore, STAYING in GOD's presence has become my number one priority.

To Like Or To Love | 12.29.12

A couple of days ago, I ended up in a conversation about the trials of trying to like difficult people.  We've all encountered those individuals who, for one reason or another, make it really hard for us to dwell peaceably with them.  Whether they be in our families, workplaces or the various organizations in which we're involved, there's always THAT SOMEONE whom we find ourselves going to GOD in prayer about because they repeatedly rub us the wrong way.  Well in that conversation, I shared what my own experiences have taught me; and it's my prayer that these life lessons are helpful to others, like myself, who are endeavoring to be those walking epistles read of men, both glorifying the Father above and pointing lost men to His amazing grace.

In Pursuit of Happiness - Part Seven | 08.10.12

Considering all that's been said til now, let me ask you this...  Do you REALLY want to be blessed? Do you REALLY want to live free of the bondage of sin?  Do you, for the first time in your life, REALLY want to be happy?  Then let me tell you something...  You can't name it and claim it, neither can you blab it and grab it.  You can't turn around three times or just praise your way into it.  You can't even give your way into it because this right here is the result of something much greater: you need to BE TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind.

It takes cutting off your ties to the world system and immersing yourself in the culture of Heaven to experience a life-altering metamorphosis of being.  It requires fasting and spending time in prayer to hear the voice of GOD and clearly discern the spiritual activity happening all around you.  You need to eat the Word of GOD daily and make it a top priority to understand and apply what you're reading, if you plan on walking in the wisdom it declares.  And you need to be filled with the Holy Ghost to walk in the power and demonstration of Heaven's influence over the Earth realm.

Never Cease To Worship | 07.08.12

While contemplating the power of worship a while back, I was inspired to post the following status update on the FHW Facebook page:

"As we worship and usher GOD's presence into our lives, it's the very weight of His glory that tips the scales of life situations in our favor.  So NEVER cease to worship..."

For those who may not know, there is an empowerment that comes with worshiping GOD.  It follows the release of cares and concerns regarding situations over which we, many times, have zero control.  When we choose to worship GOD, as opposed to worshiping problems via our worry, a holy activation begins to take place.  There's a rising up of GOD's power within us that lifts our countenance, changes how we perceive our situations and even manifests solutions.  Worship is indeed powerful because it's our way of letting GOD know that He is more worth our time, energy and resources than the many other things that daily tug on us.

By making GOD's presence in our lives a top priority, we position ourselves to daily witness GOD shifting His weight on our behalf.  GOD's glory does not show up where it's not welcomed.  Therefore, we must make a habit of ensuring the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS welcome in our lives and not just when we want something.  We must never let ourselves become overconfident.  In order to consistently see GOD's glory tip the scales of life situations in our favor, we must REQUIRE the presence of GOD.  Let's strive to increase the extremity of our sincerity, thereby causing us to do away with the foolishness of religion.  Let's focus on our faith and refuse to allow situations and circumstances to rob us of the joy of our salvation.  Be found in worship.  Be found exalting GOD above all else.  And we'll see His power manifest as His presence saturates our lives.

Only By Prayer and Fasting (Part 1 of 2) | 02.01.12

It seems something strange is happening with my blogging.  As of late, I am being inspired by my own Facebook status updates.  It's kind of weird, since I tend to get inspiration from other people's status updates and tweets; so bear with me as I adjust to the new thing GOD is doing.  Earlier this week, I posted the following status:

"Elton Taylor believes that there are some things we desire from GOD which require prayer AND fasting.  Sorry, but we just can't praise our way out of EVERYTHING. C'mon, that's just silly..."

One of my goods friends left a comment that got me to thinking: "...you will be amazed at your heightened spiritual connection to really hear from GOD and how revealing scriptures are during that time frame."  I began to consider how fasting and praying COMBINED create a heightened sense of awareness in our spirit man.

The Proof Is In The Power | 01.07.12

During the Christmas holiday, I had the wonderful privilege of traveling with my parents to New Orleans to spend time with my extended family.  While there, I was blessed to visit the church that I call home because it's where I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior during my teenage years.  The Life Center Cathedral in New Orleans is a very special place to me, and I was so glad to see everyone there.  Bishop J. Douglas Wiley delivered a message on Christmas morning entitled "A Difficult Path To a Merry Christmas" from 2 Corinthians 8:9, a major point of which was:

"Jesus proved that GOD owns everything by multiplying food, ceasing storms and raising the dead."

The Pressing of Testing | 01.02.12

The Word for last year was that 2011 would be the year of testing, and every bit of that Word manifested just as the Spirit stated.  There were moments of success as well as failure, but GOD remained consistent despite our own inconsistencies.  And for that, I'm truly grateful.  GOD saw to it that we made it through the rigors of 2011 because He has greater in store for us in 2012.  HALLELUJAH!

During worship this past Sunday morning, the Holy Spirit plainly spoke to me regarding the New Year:  "The year of testing was indeed pressing, but the pressing is releasing fresh oil in the New Year."  There is a greater outpouring of GOD's anointing being released for 2012 because of the pressing in 2011.  And by "greater" I mean a "more potent" outpouring than had before.  It's not that GOD's power has become more potent.  The year of testing has better enabled us to carry a more potent anointing than before.  Therefore, the year of testing that seemed so unbearable has actually been worth it because we have left 2011 more powerful than we were at its onset.

Truly the effectual, fervant prayers of the righteous availeth much because one doesn't just skate through the year of testing.  However, there's something to be said about going through the rigors of "the process."  Designed to refine HOW we worship, the year of testing has better prepared us to wield the power that "the process" yields.  GOD is all about empowering His people to succeed at whatever tasks He places in front of us, no matter how impossible the work may seem.  And empowered people operate with the boldness, confidence and assurance that literally commands the desired results to manifest.  So as we enter 2012, may all we do be done in the power of the anointing released in the pressing of 2011.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Keep Plowing | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

During my private prayer time early Sunday morning, I received the following Word while in GOD's presence:

"Keep your hand to the plow--that is, remain faithful to and focused upon the ministry work to which you've been called.  No matter what you've done, how you've failed or even how inadequate you may feel, do the works of Him who has sent you.  For it is the work of ministry that breaks up the fallow ground of your heart because it requires sensitivity to both GOD and people."

There is so much about each of us that could very well discourage us from doing any ministry work.  However, GOD's concern is that we remain focused on what's important: continuing to follow His instructions in good faith that He will do what He promised.  Like the lepers who were healed as they went, many of us will experience manifested healing as we go on doing what GOD has called us to do.  We all have problems, faults and issues; so what else is new?  Furthermore, we all suffer from heart conditions that impair our ability to be sensitive to GOD and people; but GOD has given us ministry to help ourselves as well as others.

Consider how the soil of our hearts has become hardened and compacted by the weight of this world.  When it comes to doing the work of ministry, we need to experience the power of GOD AS WE MINISTER just as desperately as the people we minister to.  The proof that we simply can't get the job done in our own strength and know-how lies in the fact that we often times don't even feel like ministering when called upon.  However, submitting ourselves to the call of ministry releases GOD's anointing to get the job done.  And since getting the job done requires sensitivity to GOD and people, the power released for each ministry opportunity manifests a little more healing in the hearts of those who minister.

Four Imaginary Imprisonments (Part Five) | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

We're halfway through the four imaginary imprisonments.  Hopefully, the posts on apathy and mediocrity have been very thought provoking and challenging.  As we move into the second two imaginary imprisonments, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit continues to enlighten us all on how we have been affected by the presence of these imaginary imprisonments in our lives.  

Imaginary Imprisonment #3 | IGNORANCE

Ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge.  Since we're all ignorant of some things, ignorance in and of itself is not a sin.  But we must understand that what we don't know could very well kill us.  So it's important that we become knowledgable people because ignorance can be VERY frightening.  We know that GOD has not given us the spirit of fear (according to 2 Timothy 1:7), but it sure is easy for fear to arise when we lack knowledge.  This is why we must tap into what GOD has given us to combat fear: the spirits of power, love and sound (or clear) thinking, which all work cooperatively with knowledge.  Let's consider our own lives: when we're in the know, we feel capable of operating in a position of power, love and mental soundness, right?  Then let's aim to consistently be informed and more aware, which is what the Bible terms "walking circumspectly".

Work It Out | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

The working out of one's salvation is the process of aligning the soul (mind, will and emotions) with the rulership of Heaven.  It involves a choice to come under the influence of GOD; and in choosing to trust GOD as opposed to ourselves, we must also willingly die to our human (or fleshly) desires.  As we allow the Holy Spirit (who dwells in our spirit man) access to our thoughts, hearts and feelings, that's when we REALLY understand His role as the Governor.  The Holy Spirit is the governing influence of Heaven here in the Earth. When the Holy Spirit takes His place in our lives as the Governor, there will be contention between that which makes us human and that which makes us spiritual.  However, a life steeped in worship desires Heaven's power more than Earth's pleasures.  As a Christian, if worship is not a lifestyle, then that lack of consistent fellowship with GOD in the realm of the spirit fosters an atmosphere of intense inner struggle.

Ultimately, it's the desire of our reborn spirit man for better government that prompts our humanity (ie flesh) to relinquish its control of our minds, will and emotions to the Holy Spirit that we--as new creatures in Christ--can gain control of them.  Since that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit, then our new spiritual identity overrules the former and we are no longer obligated to yield ourselves to the governing influence of the flesh.  (Sidenote: Hence no Christian should use the excuse, "Well I'm just human," because YOU'RE NOT.)  If the desire for better government was strong enough to warrant us becoming citizens of GOD's country, then why despise His governing influence?

Shifting From 'Feeling' to 'Being' | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

You never know what people are going through when they enter the sanctuary.  The people who fill the pews week after week represent both extremes of the human emotional spectrum as well as all points in between.  And for the most part, we've been sold a religion that emphasizes going to church so we can feel better about what's going on in our lives.  Even the praise and worship offered to GOD is so emotional because, for a number of people, church is their routine release.  It's their time to just let go and let it all out.  Furthermore, if there's no moment of emotional release, sadly some people feel like they didn't "have church."

Having served as a praise and worship leader, I've learned in my own journey that my desire to assemble in corporate worship shouldn't be to "feel better" but to "be better."  There must come a point in everyone's experience of GOD and His love that it's no longer enough to just feel better about what's happening in their lives.  Coming to church each week to feel better about life's circumstances in no way serves us well.  There is a necessary shift from "feeling" to "being" that must take place in order for us to become the mature Kingdom citizens GOD desires in the Earth.  We must understand that our feelings (or emotions) are part of our soulish realm, which is subject to change.  Depending on what's going on around us, our thoughts, intentions and emotions can send us in any number of directions.  After all, they're designed to respond to spiritual influences (both good and bad).  However, there just came a time when I got tired of the instability of "feeling" and began to crave the stability of "being."