God Is Your Source

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church 

People and jobs are resources that God uses to bless us. If you don't understand that,  then you are putting people on the thrown...what happens when that's gone.

Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.

James 1:17 NCV

Keep your eyes on the source.

When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, "Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?" Peter answered, "Yes, Jesus pays the tax." Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, "What do you think? The kings of the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who pays the taxes—the king's children or others?" Peter answered, "Other people pay the taxes." Jesus said to Peter, "Then the children of the king don't have to pay taxes. But we don't want to upset these tax collectors. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me."

Matthew 17:24‭-‬27 NCV

When Ruth rose and went back to work, Boaz commanded his workers, "Let her gather even around the piles of cut grain. Don't tell her to go away. In fact, drop some full heads of grain for her from what you have in your hands, and let her gather them. Don't tell her to stop."

Ruth 2:15‭-‬16 NCV

God has many creative ways of blessing us.

When Ruth rose and went back to work, Boaz commanded his workers, "Let her gather even around the piles of cut grain. Don't tell her to go away. In fact, drop some full heads of grain for her from what you have in your hands, and let her gather them. Don't tell her to stop."

Ruth 2:15‭-‬16 NCV

The wife of a man from the groups of prophets said to Elisha, "Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know he honored the Lord . But now the man he owes money to is coming to take my two boys as his slaves!" Elisha answered, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The woman said, "I don't have anything there except a pot of oil." Then Elisha said, "Go and get empty jars from all your neighbors. Don't ask for just a few. Then go into your house and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and set the full ones aside." So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. As they brought the jars to her, she poured out the oil. When the jars were all full, she said to her son, "Bring me another jar." But he said, "There are no more jars." Then the oil stopped flowing.

2 Kings 4:1‭-‬6 NCV

So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20 NKJV

Don't discount the small things that you have. A lot of the time you have things that you feel like aren't mentioning but God can cause great things to happen from the smallest things. Many times, the things that God asks us to do are more about the obedience and not the task.

 It's Flow Time!

...when it came time to hire a lobbyist, Lakewood settled for no less than one of the best: Dave Walden, right-hand man for former mayor Bob Lanier. The straight-shooting Walden, who smokes Marlboros and swears freely, might have seemed like an odd choice at first for a bunch of Christians. After all, when asked if he goes to church, Walden answers bluntly, "I don't like the circus." But Walden likes working out deals, and so when Lakewood's attorneys suggested him as a lobbyist to negotiate a Compaq Center deal, the church went for it, says Joel Osteen. 

Pastor Joel purchased a television station earlier in life thinking that would be his career but when he ended up being the Pastor God used it as a source to renovate the former Compaq Center by selling it for far more than experts saif he could get for it. 

God has prepared blessings waiting for me.

And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. " So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

John 21:6‭-‬14 NKJV

Devon Franklin @ Lakewood Church

Breakthrough

break·through

/ˈbrākˌTHro͞o/

a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.

Jesus looked at them and said, "For people this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26 NCV

After drowning and being declared dead for almost an hour, a boy comes back to life when his mother begins to pray.

Release date: April 17, 2019 (USA)

Director: Roxann Dawson

Producer: DeVon Franklin

Screenplay: Grant Nieporte

Adapted from: The Impossible

Your life is not over.

Don't allow what you see to impact what you believe.

We live by what we believe, not by what we can see.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NCV

Don't speak negativity over yourself. If you can't be positive then be quiet.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

Do what you're supposed to do and let God do the rest.

I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it. But God is the One who made it grow.

1 Corinthians 3:6 NCV

Pray and Prepare : A breakthrough is the result of these things. 

Holy Spirit, breathe life back into...

-Jeanicia R. Elder

If he's in the desert then that's where I'm going.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.  The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.' "  The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours."  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' "  The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;  they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "  Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "  When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.  Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Luke 4:1‭-‬14 NIV

[Jesus healed the leper and told him not to tell anyone] However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Mark 1:45 NKJV

des·ert²

/ˈdezərt/

noun

noun: desert; plural noun: deserts

1. 1.

   a dry, barren area of land, especially one covered with sand, that is characteristically desolate, waterless, and without vegetation.

   synonyms:

   wasteland, waste, wilderness, wilds, dust bowl, barren land "the desert of the Sinai peninsula"

   • a situation or area considered dull and uninteresting.

     "a cultural desert"

     synonyms:

     uninteresting place/period, unproductive place/period, wasteland "a cultural desert"

Desert life: 

While the desert climate is ideal for active lifestyles, with 300 days of sunshine per year and a healthy mean temperature of 66 degrees, there are summer days where the temperature exceeds 115 degrees. It is important to note the dangers of this extreme heat we often experience. The desert winds also pose hazards to health and property.Dust clouds are common in wind storms and the dust is easily inhaled, so if you have respiratory problems stay inside on windy days. Due to the few rainy days we experience, the desert ground isn't absorbent. When it rains, the water runs off the ground and flash floods are common, and happen in just seconds.

So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Luke 5:16 NKJV 

Ewart Scott Grogan (1874–1967) was an English explorer, politician, and entrepreneur. In 1898 the dashing British adventurer Ewart Grogan was head-over-heels in love—but he needed the approval of his beloved's skeptical, aristocratic stepfather. To prove his worth, Grogan set out on an epic quest to become the first person to walk the length of Africa. He was the first person in recorded history to walk the length of Africa, following a path from Cape Town to Cairo.

-Jeanicia R. Elder

Daylight Savings Time

Pastor John Gray

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. (Some people can see but they have no vision. Many times we look at the outward appearance of a person but we can't see the work God is doing on the inside).  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.   As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.  When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,  And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

John 9:1‭-‬7 KJV

The practice of springing the clocks forward started in March of 1918 during World War I as a way to conserve coal. But, it became federal law in 1966 for 48 out of 50 states. Hawaii and Arizona are the only two states that do not observe daylight savings time.

Maximizing the window of opportunity we have been given to do what God calls us to do. 

Jesus made it a point to maximize time even though he is not bound by time.

You are here because God needs you to do something right now. 

Don't be so conscious of time that you miss your moment. Jesus was always deliberate in getting to where he needed to go but he was never in a rush...he always had time for people.

It's ok to get rest so you can have the strength to keep going.

What's my assignment?

Jesus never discounted the humanity of people.

First ministry is the house you live in.

How will people know there's another way if you stay too busy for people who aren't like you. 

Jesus was a man of Prayer Pouring and Preparing

Schedule time with God. 

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

Luke 6:12‭-‬13 KJV

Pray in season and out of season.

Be wise as to who you pour yourself into. There's a difference between an assignment and a leech...if you feel drained after pouring into someone, then you probably didn't have grace for that person.

But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we'll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:9‭-‬10 MSG

What to do with the time you have left:

Sow. Serve. Seek.

Sow: Invest in your family and local church

Serve: Everyone can add value to someone else's life.

Seek: The wisdom of the holy spirit

As I move in the direction of my assignment there will be people who receive residual blessings.

Coming Out Better

Pastor Joel @ Lakewood 

We all go through disappointments but when God restores no one will know it. He will restore us to our original condition.

Beauty For Ashes (book)

What a challenge took out of you, God is about to restore.

Instead of your shame you  shall  have double honor, And instead  of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

Isaiah 61:7 NKJV

The king's satraps, governors, mayors, and advisers gathered around the three men. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies. The hair on their heads wasn't singed, their clothes weren't burned, and they didn't smell of smoke.

Daniel 3:27 GW

Those boys came out with no sign that they'd been through a fire. They didn't even smell like smoke.

When you pass through the waters, I will  be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43:2 NKJV

What was meant for harm will be an advantage.

And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what  they  requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Exodus 12:36 NKJV

Israelites didn't leave looking like slaves.

You may have been a slave to some things and the same will be for me. 

Tyler Perry doesn't look like the poverty and dysfunction that he grew up in. 

You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.

Psalms 71:21 NKJV

Joseph

Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he rose to become vizier, the second most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh, where his presence and office caused Israel to leave Canaan and settle in Egypt.

Joseph was running the country and there was no sign of the pit or the prison he'd gone through.

I'm not coming out bedraggled!

Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who  had  been  demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

Mark 5:15 NKJV

Prodigal Son

In the story, a father has two sons, a younger and an older. The younger son asks the father for his inheritance, and the father grants his son's request. However, the younger son is prodigal (i.e., wasteful and extravagant) and squanders his fortune, eventually becoming destitute. The younger son is forced to return home empty-handed and intends to beg his father to accept him back as a servant. To the son's surprise, he is not scorned by his father but is welcomed back with celebration and fanfare. Envious, the older son refuses to participate in the festivities. The father reminds the older son that one day he will inherit everything, and that they should still celebrate the return of the younger son because he was lost and is now found.

"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

Luke 15:22 NKJV

He was made to look nothing like what he'd been through.