When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus answered: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). The greatest commandments have to do with loving God and loving people, and the cross enables us to reconcile to God and others. God is a relational God!

When it comes to fulfilling your destiny, relationships are critical. The Bible says that without a vision the people perish (see Proverbs 29:18 KJV) but the opposite is also true; without the right people the vision perishes. In other words, your vision/destiny is connected to other people and will involve kingdom relationships. Without these people, you will not fulfill the destiny that God has for you.

We can see this playing out in the life of the apostle Paul. He had a key relationship- a kingdom connection- with Barnabas. When Paul was first converted the believers would not welcome him in because of his violent history of persecuting the church. “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles” (Acts 9:27). From that point on we see throughout the book of Acts that Paul’s destiny was intertwined with Barnabas’. They had various seasons of ministering together off and on; but it started with a relationship.

The same is true of Paul’s relationship to Timothy. Paul took Timothy under his wing as a spiritual son, mentoring him and imparting to him. This enabled Timothy to fulfill his life calling in the church. You see, in God’s kingdom genuine fruit is born out of relationships. It is in the context of fellowship with God and fellowship with others that spiritual fruit is born. You don’t enter into relationships to advance your agenda, but God uses them for His kingdom purposes, and in the process your destiny will come forth and be fulfilled.

Who are some of the kingdom relationships that God has put in your life? Are you cultivating genuine relationships that will produce fruit for God’s kingdom? Pursue the Lord and the kingdom connections He has put in your life, and watch what He does!

So…where is the power??? Why is it that we don’t see the same things happening in our churches today?

In my most recent sermon I sought to answer that question. I covered four barriers that are keeping Christians and churches from walking in a greater measure of the power of God. I hope the message will stir you to go after more of God’s power in your life and the life of your church!

Where’s the Power?

Simply stated, the mission of Mantle of Restoration Ministries is to see the restoration of the message of the kingdom of God, the ministry of Jesus, and the house of God. But what does all of that mean?

Click the play button below to listen to the message, and hear more about the name and mission of Mantle of Restoration Ministries!

The Mantle of Restoration:

When Jesus ministered, He cast out evil spirits on a regular basis. In fact, casting out demons was as common to Jesus as preaching. Mark 1:39 says, “And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.” If we want to minister like Jesus did, we will follow in His example of casting out demons. Jesus said that this would be one of the signs that follow believers. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17).

-Is deliverance ministry needed today?

-How can a Christian have a demon?

-How do demons gain access to people’s lives?

-Can evil spirits be the cause of sickness?

-Are curses real or just superstition?

-What is the occult?

-How do you recognize when demons are at work?

-How does deliverance ministry happen?

-What can I do to stay free after deliverance?

My hope is that this book will be a valuable resource for believers who want to experience greater freedom and who want to be equipped to set others free from the influence of evil spirits. Stay tuned for further updates about the progress of the book!

Below is a list of my favorite lines from the hymns I like the most:

From “Angels we have Heard on High”:

Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

From “Silent Night”:

Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace

From “O Come All Ye Faithful”:

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

From “Oh Holy Night”:

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease.

From “Away in a Manger”:

Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.

This one is more of a modern song, “Mary Did You Know?”:

This Child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.

And from my favorite Christmas hymn, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”:

Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth.

I pray God’s richest blessings over you this Christmas season and hope that you have great times with family and friends. Remember the miracle of Christ’s birth and make room for the King, this season and always!

The Kingdom Breakthrough Conference is about aligning ourselves with God to see His kingdom released in the earth. As the darkness is increasing, so is the light of God’s glory. We must contend for the fullness of His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven!

If  you live in the Austin area or can make the trip, plan on attending these meetings. We are praying and believing God for great things; for people to encounter the presence of God, be set free, healed and empowered to do the works of Christ.

Click the link below to go to my events page for more details:

Kingdom Breakthrough Conference

One of the important elements of an effective prayer life is perseverance; an attitude of not giving up. God calls us to persist in our requests to Him and be bold in coming before Him. Many people begin praying but eventually lose heart when they do not see the results that they want. Many believers have become disillusioned with prayer and have given up on it.

If we can understand some of the basic principles of prayer, it will help us to continue to persevere. The delay in our answers to prayer is not because God is reluctant to answer us or to intervene in our lives. There are many factors involved, but it is not a matter of the goodness of God or His willingness to answer our prayers!

Click the link below to go to my sermons page where you can listen to the message:

Perseverance in Prayer

Faith is an absolute essential element to praying effectively. Matthew 21:21-22 says: So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

In this message I stress the fact that faith grows in the context of a relationship with God. It is out of intimacy with Him that we learn to trust Him and have true faith in our prayer life.

Faith is not a formula; you can’t conjure it up by just saying the right words. It comes from knowing God- His Word, His will – and from seeing the unseen.

Click the link below to go to my sermons page where you can here the message:

Praying With Faith

Although it is good to set aside a day of Thanksgiving to celebrate with family and friends, truly every day should be a day to give thanks. Giving thanks is an important theme throughout the Bible, and one that can often be forgotten or neglected. Here are three reasons why it is important to continually give thanks to God:

1.) Giving thanks is a way to remember the goodness of God

One of the mistakes that the Israelites often made throughout the Old Testament was to forget all that God had done for them. They were so quick to forget His goodness and His great works for them. This resulted in grumbling against God, worshipping idols, and other ways of drifting from God. When we fail to give thanks, we too can forget His goodness to us and drift away. According to Romans 1:21, neglecting to give thanks to God for His clear blessings is a step that leads to further darkness and falling away from Him. Let’s remember God’s goodness and give Him thanks!

2.) Giving thanks brings us into God’s presence

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
-Psalm 100:4

Giving thanks to God is the prescribed way to enter into His presence. Each time we come into the presence of God we should do so with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts and on our lips. If you do not know what to pray when you come before God, you can always find something to give thanks for. When we approach God this way it has a tendency to take our focus off of ourselves and our problems and onto His glorious majesty. I have found that starting my prayer times with giving thanks to God is always a great way to enter into His presence.

3.) Giving thanks shows our appreciation to God

When we give thanks we are showing the Lord that we do not take His blessings for granted. How much of the goodness of God goes unnoticed and unthanked? The Bible says that God is “kind to the unthankful and evil” (Luke 6:35). God is constantly releasing His kindness to people and most of the time He does not receive thanks. Think of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed; only one came back to give thanks and glorify God (See Luke 17:11-19). This should not be so among God’s people, and I think it breaks His heart when we forget to give Him thanks.

So I encourage you- not only in this season of Thanksgiving- but always to be a person who gives thanks in all seasons and in all circumstances. Thank Him for the big things and the little things. Thank Him for the blessings that we so often take for granted. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!”