What is a root? It is growth that occurs beneath the soil.  What are the leaves? They are growth that occurs above the soil. In other words, roots are the hidden life, whereas leaves are the visible life. What I'm seeing in the lives of many is that, while there is much apparent life, there is very little secret life. In other words, there is the lack of a hidden life.

You stress outward works and visible displays. Yes, outward expressions are important; but apart from that visible expression, how much of your life remains hidden? If all your spiritual life is exposed, you do not have any roots. If all your experiences are seen, then all your growth is upward; there is no downward growth. If this is the case, you are a person who has only leaves without roots, and you are on shallow ground. #2016 #ADeeperLife

No More Angry Birds!!!

Leviticus 14 deals with the cleansing of a leper. Leprosy is a type of sin and only Jesus,our High Priest, can heal our leprosy. The priest would take two birds. One bird was to be killed the other remained alive. The priest would dip the live bird in the blood of the dead bird and sprinkle the blood seven times (COMPLETE DELIVERANCE) on the person being purified of leprosy.  Once the priest declared the leper cleansed (JUSTIFICATION), he released the live bird in the open field to fly away. Those of us who have been completely cleansed by the blood of Christ, have been declared righteous by God. Like the little bird, we have been released to an open field.

Your life is a gift. Smile. No more feeling sorry for yourself. No more waking up on the wrong side of the bed. No more being uncooperative and difficult to work with. NO MORE ANGRY BIRDS! It could have been you on that cross. No, It should have been you on that cross.

There's an apostolic mission you need to accept. You are the little bird and you have been sent into the "open field" to reap a harvest of souls. You have been commissioned into the "open field" of ministry and evangelism to share with others how another little bird named Jesus died in our place. Tell everyone you can and see to it that no one missed the great grace of God. 

Your Skill Set Hasn't Changed... Yet, Your Output Has Diminished

Here's why...
Something has already happened to separate you from the pack. You knew you were different, but you didn't know why. You discovered that your uniqueness was a blessing and not a curse. So you developed a plan and a path to reach your goals. You forged ahead and worked it with all you had. Made some traction. Had some success. And then you noticed a slow down, a breakdown, a hindrance to your progress. What happened? PAIN!

You see, while you were forging ahead you suffered injuries along the way. You shook it off and kept going. Pushing through to get the job done. Experts say, heavy manual work or repetitive motion can produce carpal tunnel. A numbness in the distribution of the median nerve due to this compression at the wrist. One finds himself in the position where their skill set has not been hindered in their ability to do more but has been hindered in their execution of the task. It's not that you can't do the job but it's the pain, it's the fact that you have been through so much that now your output is a fraction of what it used to be... (book excerpt from You Can Stand Flat on Your Back...coming soon!) ‪

The A-Team (There is no plan B)

The timing of God is important to the life of any believer. God has a time to bring you out. You truly can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.  However, you must remember to be not wise in your own conceits for Jesus said without me you can do nothing. When He says this, He means nothing of significance, nothing of eternal weight or value. For only what you do for Christ will last. So what ever you do, do it with purpose in mind. Work as unto the Lord.  David, the shepherd boy, dutifully watched over his father's sheep without complaint.  Joseph, served Potiphar as if he were serving the Lord.  Little did they know, they were marked for unprecedented  greatness. You, too, are in training for reigning.  Luke 16:12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? One day you will have your own house, church, ministry, business or clientele. God has a time to bring you out and to bring you forward. You are expecting! I know it doesn't make sense right now, but God is about to start filling in the gaps.  The missing pieces of your life are about to come together.  The Lord is going to match your tragedy to your triumphs, connect your mess to your message, and complete your test with your testimony. I remember watching the A-Team in the mid 80's, their leader Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith played by George Peppard always had a saying at the end of each episode - I love it when a plan comes together.  Your life is starting to come together! After you've done all you can, just stand still and see THE SALVATION OF THE LORD! Whatever you do... dont give up. Keep pushing, there's breakthrough at the end of your PRAISE. There is no plan B.

Chasing Purpose

God created you with something special in mind. You may have not discovered it yet, but you just know it deep down inside. This special thing is bigger than you. It's bigger than your faults, failures and flaws. It draws you out of yourself and into a larger arena of ideas where the possibilities of what you can achieve become real.

Like a child chasing the butterfly, you have been captivated by the unpredictable flight of your purpose. Each time you draw near, it escapes to reveal a new pattern of movement you had not anticipated. Keep pursuing because you will soon realized the real joy is in the journey. ‪