Monthly Archives: November 2008

Haven of Hope – Weekly Devotional (Week of 11/30/2008)

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Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruise” 

 

God is in the restoration business!  This Scripture is amazing because it is the words of Jesus Himself describing what the purpose was for the anointing resting on Him.  Every one of us can find ourselves in the areas of focus that Jesus mentions.  However, for today let’s look at one aspect of His declaration.

 

“to preach…recovering of sight to the blind”

 

Have you ever met a person who was completely blind and didn’t know it?  Yeah, I haven’t either.  Most people who are completely blind know it.  However, I can remember thinking that I could see just fine and then, once I put on a pair of glasses for the first time, it was then that I realized just how bad my eyesight was. 

 

Spiritually speaking, there are some of us who know that we are completely blinded to spiritual things and we need Jesus to restore our sight so that we can find Him.

 

There may be others of us here today who may not realize just how bad our eyesight is.  We think to ourselves “I have a church background”, “I’ve accepted Christ as my Savior in the past”, “I know about Jesus”, etc.  However, I would challenge you to give Jesus an opportunity to restore your sight and bring you to even greater levels of understanding.

 

As you journey closer to God, you will keep finding more and more amazing things.  Then, just when you think it can’t get any better, He outdoes Himself again and you find yourself in yet another amazing journey of revelation, breakthrough, and deliverance.  Let Jesus restore your sight so you can see Him truly as He is!

 

 

Legere Family Pictures

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On Monday, the Legere household made their way to the local portrait studio to have their holiday pictures taken.  It was a flurry of “what shirt should I wear?”, “Connor, please don’t spill anything on your sweater!”, “Hunter, we can get your bottle in a minute”, “Is the iron still on?”, ”We need to leave here in 5 minutes!”, etc.  It was enough to make your head spin.  In the end we were able to pull everything together. 

Right as we were getting ready to leave the house, Connor decided it was time to play with fiberglass so we had to rush him to the sink to wash his hands before it got “itchy”.  It was very worth it and I wouldn’t have traded it even if I knew it advance how crazy it would be.  Hunter and Connor did great (although I think the fact that Connor was going to be getting a lolipop if he was a good boy didn’t hurt any either!) and Heidi was beautiful as always.  Enjoy the pictures and have a Happy Thanksgiving!  I probably will not be blogging until early next week.  God bless!!

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Part 3: Raising Up Protectors (JesusCulture.org) by Nicole Franklin

Posted on by mattlegere

Check out this article from JesusCulture by Nicole Franklin.  What an amazing concept!  We come to God poor and ask Him to fill us up.  Then, we go to others wealthy having love and strength from the Father to pour on them.  I feel like running around my cubicle at work!!!

My husband Jon and I have three amazing boys.  Their ages are 10, 7 and 4.  We have decided that as we raise them, we want to make sure they understand their role in this life.  And that role is protector.  

You see, God created man as the stronger one, but not so he could dominate, prey upon, or “take” from his environment.  Neither did God create man to be passive, or to simply sit and watch life go by.  God gave man strength so he could cover, protect, and give to those around him.

Bill Johnson teaches us that we go to God poor, needing to be filled up.  Then we go to people wealthy, having love and strength from the Father to pour out on all.  In our society today, many men have believed the lie that they need to look around them to receive identity and strength from things like women, sports, careers, and possessions.  As a result, they become takers, sometimes even predators, looking to “get” what they need from their environment.  Sometimes they swing to the other side of the pendulum and take a passive stance in life, watching others get taken advantage of, but failing to take a stand.  What we are teaching our boys is they need to receive their identity and strength from Father God.  When they spend time in the Father’s presence, they walk away full of love and strength.  Then, they turn around and pour out protection and security to those around them who are vulnerable and in need.

This cycle creates a culture of men who honor and protect the women in their lives, and a culture of men who understand what it means to father their children.

For men, knowing they are a beloved son is crucial to this understanding.  When you are born, your parents fall in love with you instantly.  You did nothing to earn it, you did nothing to deserve it.  As a brand new baby you only know how to receive love.  That is how we need to approach the Father.  That is the foundation we all need in order to build the things of the Kingdom on, a foundation of undeserved, unearned, unconditional love from the Father.  Identity as a beloved son is what our young men need to become protectors.  

Young men, I challenge you to let the Kingdom of Heaven invade your life and receive the revelation of going to God poor, in order to pour out the wealth of the Kingdom on this world.  Bringing strength to those around you will change an entire generation!

Is this something that we can determine in our hearts to do today?

Sunday Reflections @ Haven of Hope (Week of 11/23/2008)

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Today, I had the amazing opportunity to minister at Haven of Hope!  I never take that lightly.  When we come to church on Sunday, we call it “Encounter” vs. “service”.  We do this because everytime we come to church we expect an encounter with God and want to walk in there every week with that that expectation.

§          Had a great worship service.  Enjoyed songs like “Again I say rejoice”, “Only One for Me”, “Healer”, “Desert Song”, and “All for love”

§          The bridge to “Healer” rocks!  “Nothing is impossible with you…you hold my world in Your hands!

§          The bridge to “Desert Song” ALSO rocks!  “All of my life..in every season..you are still God…I have a reason to sing…I have a reason to worship!!”

§          Had a visitor there who really felt the presence of God

§          I preached about how thanksgiving 1) deepens your intimacy with God, 2) opens up a pathway for you to experience the supernatural power of God, and 3) disarms hell!

§          I need to read that last one again: Your thanksgiving disarms hell!!  Whoohoo!!

§          Thanksgiving is not about goosebumps and it’s not about only being thankful when we feel like it.  It’s an act of our will through obedience to God’s will. 

§          This action puts us in agreement with God and His will for us. That agreement is what attracts the strength and reality of Heaven into our lives and circumstances.

§          Thus heaven’s reality becomes earth’s reality. Thanksgiving agrees with heaven by acknowledging the truth that our lives are a gift from God, and that He is sovereign over all.

§          Thanksgiving is an activity that draws our focus to Heaven so that we can agree with what is true, no matter what we feel or perceive with our physical senses and emotions.

§          Thankful means “full of thanks”.  If we are full of thanks, then we are not empty.  If we are not empty, then the enemy can’t make us feel as through we have nothing.  “Nothing” shall be impossible to them that believe.  This is more than activities or requests – the state of having nothing is impossible.

§          Can we thank God for the “partial”?  We all know that if the totality of His promises were completed in our life or our church, we’d go crazy!  How about when it is partially answered?  Can we pass this common test and be proven worthy by thanking God in everything – even partial victories?

§          Rejoice and be thankful for those that are in various stages of thanksgiving.

§          We owe it to our generation and the generations to come where being thankful is a lifestyle, where it’s our 1st response, where we model a life of thankfulness before God, where we remember the goodness of God (Psalms 145:4)

§          It’s the will of God that we be thankful – what more reason do we need

 

 

Haven of Hope – Weekly Devotional (Week of 11/23/2008)

Posted on by mattlegere

We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).  This is a profound teaching that means many things.  For example, it shows us that we, as God’s created people, like to be thanked and praised because that is how we are made.  God made us in His image.  He wants to be thanked and praised, and He made us to want praise and gratitude if only to send us a hint that He wants the same thing, too.  I might want you to thank me for something nice I did for you, and in the same way, God wants me to thank Him for the things that He has done for me. 

 

We need to be made conscious of how thankful we ought to be and to remind us to tell God how thankful we are.  I guarantee that thanksgiving has the potential to change our lives in a wonderful and permanent way. 

 

~~  R.T. Kendall

Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world?  It is not he who prays most or fasts most, it is not he who lives most, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.  ~~  William Law (1686-1761)

Part 1: Price of Hesitancy

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I walked into a Stop N’ Shop supermarket a few years ago.  I was not in a “shopping” mood (most guys are only in the mood to shop when it is for them) that particular night and I was in desperate need for some coffee!  This supermarket had a Dunkin Donuts at it and I quickly made my way there to get a Medium Coconut (Light N’ Sweet) coffee.  When I got to the counter, the Lord put it on my heart to talk to her about Him and invite her to church.  I hesitated. 

Me: “Lord, she doesn’t look like she wants you.”

God reminded me of that Scripture that says “Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart”

Still, I had too much fear to respond to what God wanted me to do and, after I paid for my coffee, I walked away feeling very guilty and I was kicking myself for not listening to God.

Over the next few years, God performed a major overhaul of my mind and my heart (and the process continues).  Two or three years after the event at Dunkin Donuts, I was teaching a Bible study to a friend of mine and his girlfriend and we got on the topic of following the voice of God.  I shared with them some of the very same stories that I will soon be sharing with you.  It was then that I found out that my friend’s girlfriend was that same girl from Dunkin Donuts!! 

My heart was filled with thankfulness at God allowing me to have another chance to share with her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Many times, we do not get 2nd chances, so we need to allow God to transform our hearts and minds so that we can respond to Him.  It will be most effective when we trust His timing.

Hesitancy is not a fruit of the Spirit so let’s reject this as being a normal part of our walk with God.

Have you ever hesitated when God was speaking to your heart?

The Price of Hesitancy (New Series)

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While it is certainly not healthy to dwell on past mistakes and beat ourselves up about it, there have been times in my life when I have felt that God wanted to me to do something and I hesitated…in some cases my hesitancy turned into procastination.  This eventually led to me being disobedient to what the Lord prompted me to do. 

As I am transparent about the opportunities that I have missed, it is my hope that you will use this as fuel to not count “hesitancy” as one of the fruits of the Spirit.  It’s not there.

Also speaking from experience, the times that I have pushed past my fears have been absolutely amazing and God has worked things out in awesome ways!

“Life is coffee” – Anonymous Story

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coffee_cup_background

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general…Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal – some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering… ”You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems! “

He continued…”Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups… Then you began eyeing each other’s cups….”

”Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Enjoy your coffee!”

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything – they just make the best of everything they have… So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly.

And remember – the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Part 2: That He Understands And Knows Me (JesusCulture.org)

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I am loving the articles that are posted to the Jesus Culture website!  Check out this latest article in the series that I am posting titled “That He Understands And Knows Me” by Wes Sumner:

Jeremiah 9:23-24:
23 This is what the LORD says: ”Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, 
 
I was recently preparing a sermon on the topic of intimacy for one of my classes. For some reason, when I first read the phrase that I have highlighted for you, it completely popped out at me. What that passage is saying to me is that we can take pride in the fact that we know Him! God began to show me more and more about the art of knowing Him. As I started to do a little more researching on what it means to know Him, I went and checked out what the definition of the word “know” actually means.
As a verb, the American Heritage Dictionary lists several different definitions that I would like to draw to our attention.
    Know –
1.    To discern the character or nature of
2.    To be able to distinguish; recognize as distinct
3.    To perceive as familiar
4.    To be acquainted with
5.    To have experience of
6.    To have fixed in the mind
When I read these definitions, I was completely wrecked. I had always thought the word “know” to be just a simple word, yet the impact that the word can actually have is beyond Earthly measure.
I then began to read about the lives of people who knew Him.
After the fall, in Genesis 3:8-9, the Lord is walking around the garden in the cool of the day and when he can’t find Adam and Eve, he says, “Where are you?” What a strange question from God. I don’t think God asked that because he didn’t know where they physically were. That would be silly. I think that God was asking where their spirits were! God created Adam and Eve to live in total union with Him. When sin entered the picture, that union was severed. God’s original purpose was to live with man knowing Him and Him knowing man.
We then read about people such as Enoch. It says that Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:24). I find it fascinating that God was walking in the garden when he was looking for Adam and Eve and that Enoch also walked with God. God wants to devote time to getting to know us, in return, we get a chance to know Him.
We also hear about Moses, which the Lord spoke to face to face, as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). We also know that the Lord calls David the man after His own heart (1st Samuel 13:14). We then read about John who was the disciple that Jesus loved, and was so intimate with the Lord, he was laying his head on Jesus’ chest (John 13:23).
We then read about the Ephesians. The move of the Lord that took place in Ephesus was quite possibly one of the greatest transformations of cities throughout history. Paul doesn’t write a single correction to the Ephesians. They are walking the walk and talking the talk. They are seeing their city be transformed! Paul needs not to worry about the Ephesians and his prayers are not out of correction but out of blessing. What does Paul pray for them? In Ephesians 1:17 it says, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” What is the purpose? To know Him better.
Paul also writes “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…”(Philipians 3:8). He goes on to say, “I want to know Christ…” (Philipians 3:10). In another book, Paul is writing about our identity and states, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true” (John 5:20).  God has given us understanding so we may know Him. Wow.
After reading all these things, I began to realize something. I began to realize my purpose, God’s will for my life, why I am on the planet, my calling, my present and future destinies. I was created to know Him, to discern His nature, to recognize Him, to be familiar with Him, to be acquainted with Him, to experience Him and to have Him fixed in my mind.
That left me with a really important question I needed to ask myself.
What do I do, what do I give Him?
I’ve only come up with one good answer.
Me.

Cell phone vs. Bible

Posted on by mattlegere

This email has been passed around from time to time and I thought it was though-provoking enough to post it here for today’s post:

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?


What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?


What if we flipped through it several time a day?


What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?


What if we used it to receive messages from the text?


What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?


What if we gave it to kids as gifts?


What if we used it when we traveled?


What if we used it in case of emergency?


AND….unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the  bill.

 

Where is your Bible? 

Return on Investment

Posted on by mattlegere

Well…today is my 27th birthday and I am definitely having a day of thought and reflection! 

In my experience in the business world, a concept that I have heard a lot of is “return on investment”.  Many leaders will not make any decision in regards to product strategy, staffing, marketing, etc. without getting an understanding of what their return on their investment will be.  For example, they think through the thought: “if I hire an additional person, will these additional resource make it worth it to me in regards to my investment in paying this individual and in taking time to train them?”  What they are trying to avoid is the situation where the time/money that they invest in a person or decision is less than any potential upside that they would receive.

Even as I ponder my last 27 years today, I am struck with the thought of “How does Jesus determine His Return on Investment in me?”.  He has invested SO much in me and for me.  How does He measure that? 

Making it even harder is the fact that His view on my status in life is different that how others view my status in life.  His view on whether I am successful or not is going to be different than how others view my success.

I do not have a college degree.  (There…I said it!).  :)   I always wanted to get one.  However, in mid-semester a few years ago, I prayed to God about how stressed out that I was feeling.  He asked me a question:

Jesus: “Did I ask you to go to school?”

Me: “No, but you know that school is important so that I can get a good job?”

Jesus: “Have I needed your college degree so far?”

Me: “Nope.  Don’t think so”.

Long story short, I quit school in mid-semester and that gave me ton more time to 1) spend with my family and 2) teach others about Christ.  The spiritual reward was amazing.  The school bill for unfinished classes was hard to swallow in a natural sense.  Others have either directly told me or hinted at what a completely stupid idea that was to quit school.  It doesn’t matter to me though because I followed what Jesus wanted me to do. 

I can close my eyes and picture the faces of people that I had an opportunity to minister to.  I can see the looks on their faces while they feel the presence of God for the first time.  I can remember that moment when a particular spiritual truth was made clear to them as if a lightbulb was turned on.  I can remember the tears of joy that I had as I watched many of them be baptized in Jesus name and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

According to the world’s scale, the return on investment for my decision to quit school was non-existent.  According to the Lord’s scale, people’s lives were changed because I obeyed Him. 

I will never be unsuccessful as long as I follow Him.  I won’t every make a mess of my life if I do not get ahead of Him, but rather let Him lead.  I will never be a failure if I put my trust in Him.

When I gave my life to Him, as Bill Johnson says, “I gave Him a blank page and signed my name at the bottom of the paper and told Him that He could fill in the blanks”. 

What type of return on investment will you fight for today?  Will you put all your effort into getting a return on investment for temporary things that will someday be like a vapor and be taken away?  Or will you put all your efforts behind a spiritual return on investment that will be eternal?

I want to know that I am successful in His eyes.  That’s all that matters to me.

Servant of a wicked cool God,

Matt Legere

Potential, Vision, and Commitment

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You can check out this post and others at Steve Farrar’s blog.  I will be doing some book reviews of some stuff that he has written that is AMAZING!!!

In the late 1800’s, a distinguished member of the British Parliament traveled to Scotland to give a speech. On the way, his carriage became hopelessly mired in the thick mud of a rural road. A young Scottish farm boy suddenly appeared on the scene with a team of large draft horses. He quickly had the carriage out of its dilemma and ready to resume the journey.

The gentleman insisted on paying the young man, but the lad refused. He was simply being a good neighbor. The English lawmaker was immediately taken with the young man and his attitude. “Are you sure I can’t pay you for your time and effort?” the gentleman asked. 

“Thank you, sir, but it was the least that I could do. It was a privilege to help such an important person as yourself.” The boy replied.  “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the man. “I’d like to be a doctor, but I doubt that will happen since my family does not have the money for such an education.”

“Then I will help you become a doctor,” said the politician.

Nearly fifty years later, another famous English statesman lay dangerously close to death due to pneumonia. Winston Churchill had become ill while attending a wartime conference, and England desperately needed his leadership as Hitler threatened to destroy their nation. Churchill miraculously recovered because his physician gave him an injection of a new wonder drug called penicillin. Penicillin had recently been discovered by the brilliant medical doctor, Alexander Fleming.

Alexander Fleming was the young boy who had pulled the stalled carriage from the mud. And the man who promised to return the favor by sending him to medical school was Winston Churchill’s father, Sir Randolph Churchill.

Randolph Churchill saw what no one else had seen in the face of that young Scottish farm boy. He saw potential. And his commitment to helping that young man reach his potential saved the life of his own son nearly half a century later. And by saving the life of Winston Churchill, indeed, he may have saved all of England.

Haven of Hope Devotional – Week of November 16th, 2008

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Exodus 3:9-10 “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

 

God always hears a cry for deliverance!  Here, early on in the Scriptures we read in Exodus that the Israelites were in bondage for about 400 years.  The very fact that they were in bondage was because of their sin against God.  However…(isn’t great when there’s a however!), God saw their oppression and heard their cry and he sent Moses to be their deliverer.

 

When it came to delivering his children, God pulled out all the stops.  He changed weather patterns, modified the behavior of animals, sent plagues, sent fire from heaven, etc. – He went all out!  His kids needed Him and He was VERY serious about getting their out of their bondage.  Through God’s help, Moses was able to free the slaves and God’s people eventually found their way to a Promised Land.

 

As happens many times, history has repeated itself.  Man has time and time again found new and interesting ways to sin against God.  As new cries for deliverance reached the throne, God decided that He was going to BECOME our deliverer!  He stepped down and became a man to undo the works of the devil and set us free.  Your cries for deliverance are important to God and they speak to the reason that He came to earth: To set at liberty those that were bound and restore that which was lost: The Kingdom of God and our citizenship in it!

~~  Matthew Legere

Part 1: God created you to shine (Jesusculture.org)

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Check out this article by Erica Greve at JesusCulture.org….I thought that this was great!

Throughout history there have been stories about men and women who grabbed hold of the fact that it is possible for one person to change the world.  We read about their lives in history books, tell children about their incredible feats, and immortalize them in movies. There is something so intriguing about these people that we continue to talk about them for centuries. And even though the lives and accomplishments of these great men and women may look very different, they all had one thing in common; they changed the world.

 

What makes a world changer? Were they born with something the rest of us don’t have? I don’t think so. I believe that what separates out history makers is that they grabbed hold of the truth that they were created to shine. I believe that these men and women dared to believe the impossible: that their life had the potential to impact the world and affect generations to come.

 

God created each and every one of us to shine. He really did. But until we really start to believe that God has created us with purpose and a destiny it is hard for us to truly believe that we were created to shine. The Bible states, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11).

 

In the book of Daniel, we see that Daniel and his three friends were chosen to serve in the courts of the King. Daniel was chosen to serve in the courts of a very evil and pagan king, king Nebuchadnezzar. But despite the difficult situation that Daniel found himself in, Daniel and his three friends stood for God and prevailed. Many scholars believe that as a result of Daniel’s stand for God that he was able to influence Cyrus’ decision to allow the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their way of life. I believe that Daniel was a man who knew that he was created to influence kings, affect governments, and change the world.

 

I believe that because Daniel had a vision to serve God and affect the lives of others that his life was marked by a grace to accomplish the impossible. Daniel was a man who knew that he had been created to shine.

 

Daniel set himself apart for God.

 

Daniel was a world changer and a history maker who we continue to revere. And there are a few things that mark Daniel’s life. First of all, he set himself apart for God. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King’s delicacies, nor with the wine that he drank” (Daniel 1:8). Why was this so important? Daniel was taking a stand and refusing to eat food that was sacrificed to idols. In this way Daniel was setting himself apart from the wickedness and worldliness of the day and consecrating himself to the Lord. Daniel made it clear to both God and men that he had set himself apart for the Lord.

 

Daniel’s life was marked by sacrifice Second.

 

Daniel’s life was marked by sacrifice. Daniel was known as a man of fasting and prayer. Daniel was known as a man who would not bow his knee to the gods of his day. Daniel was known as a man who was faithful to God no matter what the cost – he was completely surrendered to the Lord. Daniel gave his whole heart and his entire life to the Lord.

 

Daniel’s extreme obedience released favor and promotion Third, Daniel’s lifestyle of devotion and sacrifice released favor and promotion to him. I believe that it was Daniel’s obedience that led to his promotion. You see in chapter 3 that the King was given dreams that greatly troubled him and caused him to seek out a person who could interpret them. The King then began to search out a man to interpret his dreams. I love this picture of God creating an opportunity for his faithful servant to shine as the King goes out and search for a man with the answer. You see, Daniel had prepared himself for his promotion by setting himself apart and through sacrifice. And God knew that he could trust Daniel with the promotion. When we are obedient, God knows He can trust us and then He creates situations to promote us.

 

In the book of Ephesians it states, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). This means God has already created opportunities for us to do good works so that we can shine!! If we are going to be world changers, we have to truly believe that promotion comes from the Lord. Bill Johnson says that salvation is free but revival will cost you everything. The truth is that there is a price we have to pay when we want to move into our destinies. And when we become willing to pay that cost, our sacrifice becomes the very thing that leads to our own personal breakthrough and can even lead to the breakthrough for an entire group of people, like we see in the book of Daniel. In short, Daniel’s sacrifice led to the breakthrough of a nation.

 

When we give God our whole hearts and our entire lives to God, we set ourselves apart and we position ourselves for greater intimacy with the Lord. God wants our whole heart. He wants all of us, our entire lives, surrendered before Him. He is looking for men and women who say, “God I have separated myself out for you, God I want to be used by You.” God is looking for men and women who He can trust so that He can promote them and partner with them to change the world. But the Lord first requires surrender and sacrifice.

 

Revivalists change the world for God’s glory.

 

We are all called to be revivalists. And as revivalists we have to understand that promotion comes from the Lord. In the book of Psalms it says, “For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the judge: He puts down one and exalts another.” Revivalists know that when they are faithful and when they live for God that in the right season He will raise them up. Revivalists know that God is on their side and the he is looking to and fro the Earth searching out faithful hearts who He can strongly support.

 

God wants you to shine. He has a destiny for you and He is so excited about your heart and your life and the things that you will do together. If you don’t know what your destiny is, ask Him to show you. Ask Him to show you the things He has for you to do together. Ask Him and trust Him that He is working all things together for your good.