"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"Matthew 7:9-11

Another great preacher whose writings I love to read is John R. Rice. He wrote, "I once imagined I was in Heaven, walking along with the Angel Gabriel. I said, "Gabe, what is that big building over there?" "You'll be disappointed," he answered. "I don't think you want to see it." But I insisted, and he proceeded to show me floor after floor of beautiful gifts, all wrapped and ready to be sent. "Gabriel, what are all of these?" He said, I thought rather sadly, "We wrapped all these things, but people never called for them." There are gifts and an abundance of blessings to be received from heaven -- but we need to claim them as our own! We receive not because we've asked not. Brothers & Sisters, when we ask the Lord in humility and expectation for His goodness, He will answer! Then we'll be better equipped to do the great things He has in store for us. CLAIM YOUR GIFTS!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."Romans 8:28

You know how sometimes we get a phone call from someone who didn’t intend to dial us? And what do we usually say? Sorry, you have the wrong number. Well, here’s a bit of food for thought. What if it’s not the wrong number they just dialed? What if they actually dialed the right number, only they didn’t know it?? Some of you may think it's a little radical but I answered a phone call like that ... and over an hour later, I was still talking about the Lord. This young man got an earful and boy was he ever touched. God is everywhere and He is in everything. Nothing happens that He didn’t know from the beginning of time. We need to be ready to jump on an opportunity to share His goodness even though in the natural it might seem a little strange -- forget natural! We need to operate in the supernatural!! Brothers & Sisters, we need to learn to expect the supernatural with the Lord. He doesn’t always work in the way we think He should. Let’s open our minds and our hearts to what He is doing -- especially when it is out of the ordinary! HELLO? ANYONE HOME?

"And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."2 Kings 6:15-17

As we press in closer to the Lord and His calling on our lives, the enemy becomes more and more fierce, throwing all kinds of darts of fear and doubt our way. But as beloved children of God, we can trust the Lord to defend us! God has an invisible army all around, ready to protect us in our times of need. When the battle intensifies, when the enemy seems to be attacking from every side, when it seems all too great for our eyes, know that the Lord has placed His protection all around you! We may not see it -- but we must walk by faith! Brothers & Sisters, be encouraged -- "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them". We are not alone! BE CONFIDENT, HE IS OUR DEFENSE!

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."1 Corinthians 2:9

When we were in the womb we had eyes, but there was little to focus on. Our eyes had rods and cones to distinguish shapes and colors, yet there were no shades or colors to see. We were in total darkness. But we had eyes that were meant to see light. Our eyes were the evidence that beyond the womb was a whole other world, still yet to be seen. As we dwell in this world, our hearts cannot be satisfied by the things they see here. Deep inside, we know there is more... and we long for it. This life is Heaven's womb. No matter what this world gives us, it can never satisfy what the eyes of our hearts long to see. It is here that we are being formed, and prepared to enter the realm of the Heavenly. Don't be discouraged that this this life can't give us all we want. It is a reminder of our inheritance yet to come. Brothers & Sisters, let's give our desires to the Lord once again. He wants to prepare us to rule with Him! GOD HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL IN STORE FOR YOU!

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!"1 Kings 8:27

Perhaps you’ve seen pictures or heard the Western Wall in Jerusalem, what many believe to be the last standing Wall of the Second Temple. But people come from all over the world to pray there and put their prayer notes into the cracks between its stones. Believe it or not, I’ve actually come across a few websites which advertise their desire to receive your faxed prayer requests -- and for a low, low fee of 29.99, will take and put them into the cracks of the wall for you! This is a very nice gesture and all ---- but who needs it? God is ALIVE! He hears us whenever and wherever we call! When Solomon set out to build the first temple, the Lord told Him that He cannot be contained in a manmade structure. He is infinite and all-encompassing! He’s not in a wall or any other man-made object! And amazingly, infinite as He is, He promises to draw near to us as we draw near to Him! God wants to have a deep and intimate relationship with us. He wants us to experience the life-changing power of His healing and deliverance in our lives. In the words of Keith Green, “Going to church doesn’t make us a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes us a hamburger”! Brothers & Sisters, let’s not get distracted by the man-made ways people try to connect with God – let’s cry out for intimacy with Him right here and right now. And let’s also not forget to pray for revelation for all who seek Him – that they would see the truth of the Messiah, Jesus. GET THE REAL THING!

"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a corrupt tree bears evil fruit. A good tree cannot bear evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."Matthew 7:16-20

Most people reading this passage tend to focus in on the fruit that is produced. Okay...But a closer look will reveal that the Lord is really focusing on the tree. The fruit merely demonstrates the quality of the tree. We have all encountered this: there are trees whose fruit is healthy and delicious, and there are trees whose fruit is scarcely edible, or even useless. The fruit doesn't make the tree -- the tree makes the fruit. A tree that produces good fruit is firmly rooted in soil which provides adequate water and nourishment. Likewise, those of us whose lives are rooted in and dedicated to Jesus produce good fruit. Others who try to produce good works for "religious" reasons, or to prove or approve of themselves, may produce fruit, but it will be much inferior. When our focus is on Jesus, and our lives are centered in Him, the fruit we produce will not be from self-effort, and its quality will be excellent...because it is simply the produce of a good tree. Brothers & Sisters, so, stop trying to produce good works in your own strength. Just tap into the Source of your life, Jesus, allowing the sap of His Spirit to flow through you – and then watch what GREAT FRUIT He is continually able to produce! THEREFORE BY THEIR FRUITS YOU WILL KNOW THEM!

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass."Psalms 37:3-5

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. What I've often noticed, however, is that we focus on receiving the desires of our heart. But if we look closely at this passage we have to realize that delighting ourselves in the Lord comes first, centering in Him, delighting in Him as the source and the fulfillment of our desires, and then, also, receiving from Him after your life is centered on Him. Trust in the Lord...Delight in the Lord...Commit your way to the Lord...the center of the passage is Him. Remember what Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, THEN all of these things shall be added unto you!" Brothers & Sisters, the Lord is the source, the heart, and also ought to be greatest object of our desire. There are lots of good things in this world but we have to be careful about what we want and why. When the Lord is our greatest, our first love, we are delighted in Him, every desire of our hearts will be perfectly fulfilled. That's the promise of this wonderful word. CENTER YOUR LIFE ON HIM!