Most of us really “get” the reality that God sends us every day into our ordinary routine to be the “light of the world”. But how do you “jump over the edge” to become a world-changer by just being yourself in God?
Most of us really “get” the reality that God sends us every day into our ordinary routine to be the “light of the world”. But how do you “jump over the edge” to become a world-changer by just being yourself in God?
The following link will take you to an amazing source of help… “Help for passing on what you have…”
All around us young men and women are waking up to their story in God. It is unrehearsed… it is unpredictable… it is beautiful in it’s vast range of wild colors and shapes and twisting plot lines. And it all pretty much comes down to… “God I can’t do this anymore”! Help me, please!!”
It has been said that “All religion is the human pursuit of God. But, the beauty of the gospel of Jesus is that God has been pursuing us for a relationship from the very beginning.”
God’s relentless pursuit of you will come in ways that are as beautifully unique as you are.
My son, Jeremy (featured in the video above) and I were talking recently and one of us said, “We talk all the time about how Jesus is the only way to have a deep friendship with the Father. But, maybe we need see the rest of the picture that the only way the Father could truly have a deep friendship with us was through Jesus.” Just look at the price He paid so that we could be united forever in His kingdom!
Whether you are making a mess of your life through empty wins or devastating losses… whatever you are running so hard to find… why don’t you just slow down and let Him catch you and wake you up to your story in Him?
Does it surprise you that that Jesus left His mission to save the world in the hands of a small group of people?
I believe that He knew what He was doing. The Holy Spirit arrived in power about a month and a half after Jesus left the earth to return to His Father. Trusting that the Holy Spirit would inspire, empower and keep them connected they picked up on Jesus’ vision of their culture… that the world around them was full of people who were like “sheep without a shepherd.”
Somehow they believed Jesus when He told them they were the light of the world.They were designed to lead others to really “get” that Jesus was the Shepherd their culture needed.
What about us?
You and I were designed by God to lead.
I’m not talking about leading churches or businesses or organizations. I’m talking about embracing the fact that you are a God-designed leader in our culture. People all around you need you to lead. The question is where are you leading them?
My prayer for us is that we will own our destiny as leaders and show those around us what it is like to know Jesus Christ and live in true freedom. The freedom that religion can’t offer. May we have the courage to flesh out a faith journey that trusts Jesus presence and His ways in every unpredictable situation.
He is ready to help us and I believe our best days are yet to come.
Just like us many times, just when he was feeling awesome about himself, Peter found himself up against an impossible wall where all he could do is cry, “Help God!!”
It was not a normal night for him. In fact, it was probably the most terrifying, life-altering night of his life!
Here is his story;
“…the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come ahead.” Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart,
what got into you?” The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, “This is it! You are God’s Son for sure!” (Matt 14:22-31)
Incredible experience for Peter! How long did this encounter last, anyway? We view it now in imaginary slow motion. What an emotional ride it must have been! He went from believing in a ghost hovering over the water to trusting it was really Jesus.
Next, for some bizarre reason he yelled out; “If it’s really you, call to me to come out on the water.”
What!? Had he lost his mind?
Well… no, he was just being Peter. And there he was… walking on the water while all of his speechless friends in the boat were looking on. Pretty Crazy! Rising to leadership… taking a risk… jumping off the cliff… But, then came failure and he sank.
How could he have fallen so fast? He stopped looking at Jesus.
That’s the problem. He lost his focus.
We know now that he took his focus away from Jesus to the threats of the storm around him. Just like us many times, just when he was feeling awesome about himself, Peter found himself up against an impossible wall where all he could do is cry, “Help God!!”
Jesus shines in this story as a blazing light of hope for us. He knows we are going to fail in many ways, but He still loves it when we jump over the edge risking everything for Him! Don’t get discouraged and give up when you get in over your head in wild abandonment to His worldwide mission. If you will stay humble and let out your desperate cry… “Help!” He won’t let you down.
Throw off all of your discouragement and fear. Launch out of the boat and grab your real mission with Jesus. Rip a page from Peter’s story and jump over the edge!
Jesus’ first priority for us is to love Him by actually seeing people through His eyes. As we allow Him to get our attention, we will be overwhelmed by what is “really” going on around us…
Did anyone notice when you crawled out of bed this morning? I have a friend who likes to say, “The kingdom of darkness gets nervous when any Jesus follower wakes up“. We are the light of the world according to Jesus. He noticed and He longs to show you his heart in the middle of your “normal” life.
In Matt 9:35-38, we read that Jesus was walking in the middle of the same streets and the same crowds as everyone else. But, he saw things differently. While everyone else just saw the usual things, Jesus saw the crowds in a unique way and felt deeply for them. He saw that they were lost, directionless, wandering around like sheep with no shepherd!
With a heart burning with urgency and deep compassion for the people, He turned and told his followers to open their eyes to what He was seeing. Then He told them to pray for laborers. He is calling us to the same mission.
His first priority for us is to love Him by actually seeing people through His eyes. As we allow Him to get our attention, we will be overwhelmed by what is “really” going on around us. We will begin to sense that He is actually saying something and He wants us to listen. The massive heartbeat of the Father is to be up close with every person we will see today.
It reminds me of the prophet Isaiah and his encounter with God in Isaiah 6. As he was going through his daily routine of serving as a priest in God’s temple, the Holy Spirit grabbed his attention and Isaiah had an intense vision of the glory of the Lord. Isaiah desperately cried out for mercy and God sent an angel to purify his lips so that he would be clean. Then something revolutionary happened at the core of Isaiah’s being.
In Isaiah 6:8 it says;
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”.
How long had God been saying this? Was Isaiah hearing the passionate heartbeat of God in a way that he had never heard it before?
What about you? As you get up out of bed and live out that same old daily grind, God is trying to get your attention. Whatever you do, don’t turn away from Him because you feel unworthy and afraid. Isaiah felt the same way. But he stayed in God’s presence. He experienced the Fathers heart for people as he heard what the Spirit was saying.
What do you hear the voice of the Lord saying?
When you experience His deep love for people you will be swept up in His mission. He is still asking “Who will go“?
Let’s rise up and ask the Lord for laborers and with burning hearts cry out, “Here we are, Father! Send us!”
There are hearts, young and old, that are longing for something more, longing for something different. I want to be a part of building God’s Kingdom to reach and welcome these people into God’s reality for this world…
The following is a letter from my son John asking for partnership and support as he joins “The Experience” this summer. He is responding to God’s call on his life to see a kingdom laborer movement rise up in Canada. Hope you are challenged and encouraged as you read…
“Over the last two years of my life, God has been opening my eyes to a calling that I believe He is putting on my heart for this world. There are hearts, young and old, that are longing for something more, longing for something different. I want to be a part of building God’s Kingdom to reach and welcome these people into God’s reality for this world. Our mission as followers of Christ is to build God’s Kingdom with Christ. We are Kingdom Builders. That is our call. This is my call.
This coming summer, there is an opportunity for me to start on a one year journey with a ministry organization called “Kingdom Building Ministries”. I will travel to Denver, Colorado and join in with 15 to 20 young adults across the United States, to take part in an intense discipleship program, called “The Experience”. I will be working with a trainer, one-on-one, who will be discipling, encouraging, and praying with me.
Stage two involves going to Haiti and the Dominican Republic to take part in multi-cultural ministry and I will be continuing to grow with my discipleship trainer as well as the group of young adults. Following this, we join in on a teen camp called “Deep Camp” where we become councilors and work with teens – starting our own discipleship relationships.
We then enter the “Wandering” stage. During this time we will be traveling through the United States encountering different ministry opportunities that are meant to stretch us and open our eyes to the world that is in front of us and to see it through God’s eyes.
We then return to Denver where we take time and just reflect on everything we have just experienced and let ourselves dream with God. What is it that He’s calling us into? How are we to change this world? How are we to be Kingdom Builders? This is a dreaming stage.
Lastly, we prepare to head home. The discipleship trainer and I set goals and plans for the next year at home. My trainer will be checking on me weekly and working through everything I experienced during the summer. We will be regularly praying together and seeing what God is doing through everything that happened during “The Experience.”
I feel, more than I have anything else, that THIS is where God wants me this summer. I believe that this is the next step in my journey.
God has been opening my eyes and my heart to a new world, but to take this next step into my call, I believe “The Experience” needs to happen. This is what I am asking you to pray about.
“The Experience” does require a cost. For me to take part in the entire program it will cost me $5,000. This total needs to be in by May 21st and I am far from that $5,000 goal. I will need at least $800 of that by May 6th to book my plane ticket to Haiti and Dominican Republic. I’m asking for pledges- either a set amount or even a certain amount of financial support over a period of four months, May through August. I am asking that you search God’s heart on this and if He is putting it on your heart to support me on this, please follow that call. This is going to be a time of discovery and direction that I feel like I have been searching for a long time.
More importantly, I need prayer.
I have been on a journey for the last two years of asking and pleading for God to show me His heart for this world and where He has me in His plan. I believe I have found where He wants me, but I need to continue seeking His heart and discovering what it means for me to be a Kingdom Builder.
I cannot wait to share with you what God has done in my heart this summer when I return in August. I believe God can do miracles and I believe God will provide. Thank you for entering this journey with me and discovering what it means for all of us to be Kingdom Builders and show this world the love and hope God has called us to share.
If God is putting it on your heart to give financially or to be praying with me for this, please connect with me at john.lamos@hotmail.com or by cell at 1-506-608-8927. Tax deductible receipts will be provided for all financial gifts.”
John Lamos
403 Hampton Road
Quispamsis, New Brunswick
E2E 4V5
john.lamos@hotmail.com
1-506-608-8927
It is time to bring your heart… your alabaster jar and break it open before Jesus pouring it’s contents out on Him as a gift of loving surrender to moving with His heart…
Getting ready for the day today I felt this stirring in my heart and felt that I needed to share it – but more importantly I need to find agreement with God on it in my own heart.
“The Lord is graciously coming to His people allowing us to perceive the rhythm of His heartbeat.
It is coming through many avenues.
It confirms His word and it is His word.
It is revelation and mystery together.
He desires to bring our hearts and lives into sync with the cadence of His heart.
Doing so is necessary as we enter the near future.
So invest yourself in reading His word in the place of intimacy.
It is time to bring your heart… your alabaster jar and break it open before Jesus pouring it’s contents out on Him as a gift of loving surrender to moving with His heart.”
– Posted using my iPhone
I am thrilled to say that I am joining the EHOP Mission Base as a worship leader and Intercessory Missionary. This means that I will be serving on a full-time basis as we minister to the Lord in “Day and Night” worship & prayer….
It was a little less than a year ago that I laid down my responsibilities as part of the pastoral team of our local church so that I could make myself more available to help with the development of Eastgate House Of Prayer here in the Saint John region. I am very grateful for the friendship and encouragement of Kings Valley Wesleyan Church in this process. I and my family love being part of this wonderful community of Jesus followers.
God has been so faithful in leading me along in this new chapter of my journey in following Him! Leading worship at EHOP (Eastgate House of Prayer) and working with it’s Director Kirk Smith and the rest of the leadership team has been such a huge blessing to me! In the process of serving with EHOP, the Lord has opened a new door of ministry for me.
I am thrilled to say that I am joining the EHOP Mission Base as a worship leader and Intercessory Missionary. This means that I will be serving on a full-time basis as we minister to the Lord in “Day and Night” worship & prayer. Inspired by His word and His passionate heart, we will be asking Him for a great harvest of people into His kingdom, for unity in His Church and for the preparing of His Bride for Jesus’ return.
We are part of a growing number of Houses of Prayer rising up in many cities around the world. For more details on the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, visit www.ihop.org.
EHOP invites participation by any individual or church that worships Jesus according to the Scripture, regardless of denomination, for the sake of bringing unity to the Body of Christ and for revival in the Saint John region, across Canada and throughout the nations.
I am especially excited about my assignment in leading worship and mentoring other musicians and singers serving with EHOP.
In my assignment as an “Intercessory Missionary” I will be committing myself to 30-40 hours per week in helping to lead Intercessory worship meetings, training other intercessors and serving in the administrative infrastructure. I will be continuing in the development of an active and rigorous prayer life including regular times of fasting and prayer as well as ministry through my local church to the local community.
As an Intercessory Missionary with EHOP I am responsible to build a team of supporters both in prayer and raising my personal financial support. I am trusting in the Lord that He is leading many to invest in my calling to mentor intercessory musicians and worship leaders who will minister to the Lord night and day for the sake of a great move of God in our time on the earth. An avenue for providing financial support has been created in order for me to pursue this calling. I would love to make myself available on a full time basis as soon as possible. I am asking the Lord to lead individuals and local churches to invest in the kingdom of God through supporting this mission.
I am in need of monthly supporters and/or one time financial gifts in order to be free enough financially to give myself fully to this ongoing ministry to the Lord in worship, prayer and service to the harvest. An income tax receipt will be issued for all financial gifts to EHOP.
If you feel prompted to connect with me about this, please reach out to me. My contact details:
dan@wastedtreasure.com
(506) 639-8961
403 Hampton Road, Quispamsis, NB, Canada, E2E4V5
Cheques please make payable to Eastgate House of Prayer.
Where are the ones who will take all that they cling to for security – mindsets, theologies, systems of belief, successes, failures… everything – and break it open to be poured out on loving Jesus?
There are a few people that I read about in the Bible that I would love to know. One of them is the woman written about in John 4.
She locked in to the right approach to Jesus. She grabbed what was probably her most valuable possession and journeyed to where Jesus was in order to offer something valuable to Him. Nobody around her thought it was a good gift or that it was even the right thing to do – other than Jesus.
He loved her gift and He declared that what she did was beautiful! Wow!
This is what God is looking for from this generation. Where are the ones who will take all that they cling to for security – mindsets, theologies, systems of belief, successes, failures… everything – and break it open to be poured out on loving Jesus? He is the one we want. His approval is all we need. Everything else is just details.
Will you trust Him with it all?
Are you willing to give it all away to truly see his glory in all the earth?
– Posted using my iPhone
Songs For a Revolution of Hope, Vol. 1 Intro by Brian McLaren
