“ But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” John 2:24-25 Have you ever been disillusioned? I have. It’s an awkward ordeal when it occurs. Often, it can lead to discouragement if not put in proper perspective. Have you ever been there? Job? Parenting? Ministry? Marriage? Relationships? I recently read something from Oswald Chambers that brought clarity and genuine encouragement to this experience. He framed disillusionment positively and argued, “Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions” (Utmost, July 30). In essence, Chambers proposes that disillusionment dispels the ‘ideas’ of people or circumstances and allows you to see things or people as they are. It removes the mirage and lets you know the substance. At the point of seeing the ‘substance,’ you are dis-illusioned. At that point, your trust in the sufficiency of God replaces your trust in any person or thing. Incredible. That’s why Chambers would say,  “Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone” (Utmost, July 30). How Does This Apply To Us Today? Disillusionment is positive because it removes the facade of a person or circumstances and lets us see things for what they are. At that point of clarity, trust is shifted from a person(s) or thing(s) to God. Thus, hope is restored in the One who will never disappoint, and healthy interrelations with others have the soil from which to grow. Disillusionment. A good thing. Even necessary. God help us. www.staffandstones.org

Have you ever heard something so ridiculous? Anyone who has ever been crushed under the weight of a snarky comment or snide remark knows the utter falsehood in that statement. Sticks and stones may very well break your bones—but words? Words can crush your heart. They hold enormous power. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (ESV). James 3:5 reminds us, “The tongue is also a small part of the body, but it can speak big things” (NLV). So what are you speaking over those around you? Are you speaking words of life? Are you proclaiming the largeness of God’s promises, or the smallness of your fears? Allow me to illustrate with a story. One of my sons struggled through school. His teachers labeled him with a disability. His brothers would pick on him—John and I would tell them he just thinks differently. His brothers would respond with, “but he doesn’t think!” We realized we weren’t nurturing his identity in Christ because we were too busy accepting the labels the world placed on him. We made a conscious choice to start speaking Scripture over him: You have the mind of the Christ. You are the head, not the tail. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. As our son started to believe and declare the Lord’s promises over his life, he started to improve in school. He moved into AP classes and landed a place on the honor roll. His progress followed him into his career when he became one of the youngest managers for Apple, whose slogan at the time was fitting: “Think Differently.” We chose to speak life rather than death and the results were evident. Our words have the potential to create atmospheres where people can thrive. Let’s not use our words to position people for normal, because normal has not served the church well. Rather, let’s position each other for signs, wonders and miracles by speaking God-given identity and destiny into the lives of others. Let’s remind those entrusted to us that they are sons and daughters of the Most High God. Let’s close our mouths to words that diminish and tear down and open them to release words of life! Our words can either cause others to shrink back and live small lives, or frame a world large enough for them to be heroes in. Which will you choose?

Our lives should completely focused on the person of Jesus Christ. He is the central character in everything that’s happened and all that will be. He is the reason we do all that we do. As leaders, we want to hold the door for the next generation to rush in and experience who Jesus is. The time is now for us to process, to live out, to move out, to do something, to take action. What is your destination? Thomas Merton said, ““Your life is a shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.” Whatever you are living for is shaping your heart. Whatever we pursue makes us in its own image. We must determine to know and reflect the face of Jesus. Two Essential Things We Find on the Face of Jesus Christ 1 – Matchless beauty and magnificence  – it’s what we were all made for. His face is what we were made for. The beauty and magnificence that is on His face is what our souls were made for. Our souls weren’t made for temporal things. We were made to adore, appreciate and drink in the wonder of the beauty of the face of Jesus. “God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we as well as He can in divine communion enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities.  He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.” – A.W. Tozer May our churches be one again filled with the magnificence of God. If you want a beautiful, generous, good, true, pure, whole, healed, happy, awake heart? It’s in the face of Jesus and in making the face of Jesus the end of you. The psalmist in Psalm 115 says, “Not to us, but to your name be the glory.” What’s your highest prize and highest goal in life? 2 – The Confidence and the Courage to Be the Leaders We Need to Be When you see Jesus’ face you quickly learn it’s not about you. You see He is the head of the Church and it’s all for Him and all about Him. You get confident when you see that He is the Head.  Colossians 1:15-21  reflects this message. God inspires little leaders to be courageous and bold as we seek to win the world for His fame. Where’s the courage? What do we have to be afraid of if we’ve seen the face of God? Our Church has an unstoppable head. We can die under a load of stress or look up to the face of Jesus. Leadership is not about getting ahead, it’s about the fact that the church already has one! That should give us confidence to do crazy things for Christ We should never embarrass Him by saying, “I don’t think we can do that…” because He can do it. It’s not something you learn by reading a book, it’s something you learn by seeing His face. Extreme Makeover Home Edition is predicated on the words: MOVE THAT BUS! When the bus moves you don’t see the house first…When the bus moves you see their faces. You see the face of people who have been living in horrible conditions. Now they have a home. They are in shock and in awe. You see the tears and wonder on their faces. Then, you see the house. What you see first is the house on their face. We live in a world that can’t quite see Jesus, the beauty of the Gospel and the Church… they are looking at us, and we have to have been with Jesus, because our faces reflect Him. Our faces must reflect His glory. Then the world can say, “we found God on your face.” That’s leadership. It’s knowing Jesus and reflecting face on ours to the world. How Do You Get There? Go into the closet. Close the door. Humble yourself. Open your heart and wait. God is waiting for us there. Jesus had 1,059 days of ministry on earth… and when He got on His mark, set, and go… He went into the wilderness for 40 days. I want to do what I see Him doing and say what I hear Him saying.

I love the early mornings, surrounded by quietness and peace. A time when I can spend some special uninterrupted moments with the Lord. During this time I can always expect Him to speak to me through His Word and through His Spirit, and oh how I cherish it. Have you ever struggled with not feeling worthy? Maybe you have lived in a shame based identity for years, never feeling like you measure up. Perhaps you have had something downright awful enacted upon you by someone else that has left you physically or emotionally crippled. Or maybe there was such tragedy in your families’ life that everyone knew about it, and you just wanted to hide. If you can relate, then this will minister to you… I love the story of Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, King Saul’s grandson. This redemptive story begins with the tragic death of King Saul and Jonathan. Mephibosheth was 5 years old when this gut wrenching news traveled back home... the king and his son were dead. Due to Jonathan’s household not knowing of the covenant that David and Jonathan had made (1 Samuel 20:15… that David would not cut off his kindness from Jonathan’s house, even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth) they feared that the new upcoming king, King David, would now come and smite the house of Saul, since Saul made himself an enemy of David, though David never retaliated… he knew the LORD had placed Saul in his position, and He would be the one who would remove him. In that moment of fear and frenzy, Mephibosheth’s nurse grabbed him to flee and accidentally dropped him, leaving him lame in his feet. In one moment’s time Mephibosheth’s life was altered. He went from living in a palace to living in a place called Lo Debar in the wilderness. (Lo Debar meaning “pastureless” having no wealth, abundance or prosperity.) Oh what tragedy suddenly came upon this young man at such an early age. Circumstances that were out of his control, in which he did not create, but was a victim of. But One Day, ALL of This Would Change! Mephibosheth Got In The Presence of The King and His Life Forever Changed! Time had passed and David became king. One day the covenant he had made with his dear friend Jonathan came flooding back to his mind. So David asked,  “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show my kindness for Jonathan’s sake? ” Now David wanted to make good on his promise, he wanted to show the kindness of God to a descendant of Saul. So Ziba (a servant in Saul’s house) told King David that there was still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet. In 2 Samuel 9:5 we are going to see Mephibosheth’s life forever change. “ Then King David sent and brought him out  of the house of Michir, from Lo Debar.”  The King summoned him to come.  Darlin’, do you remember the day that our King summoned you to come to Him? The appointed time that the Gospel was presented to you and at the moment of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, He brought you out… out of darkness, a life of sin, and brought you into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Light. He took you, covered you with a robe of righteousness, crowned you with His loving kindness and tender mercies, and you became a new creation… There is something so very special about being in the presence of the King. The One who can enact change in your life in one moment’s time. Now lets together behold a Divine Turnaround that happened in Mephibosheth’s life… Verse 6, “Now Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” Verse 7, So David said to him, “Do not fear,  for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake,and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually. ” Verse 8, “Then he bowed himself, and said “What is your servant that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” Mephibosheth saw himself as a person of no value, worth or importance. Here he is King Saul’s grandson, living in Lo Debar… in the wilderness, seemingly forgotten. He had no riches, no fame, and he was lame. This man had been brought low.  He was living below what the covenant had afforded to him.  Beautiful One, as a Believer in Christ, you have a covenant with God. You are His daughter. All of His Promises are yes and amen to those who believe. He daily loads you with His love, His benefits… Are you living below what the Covenant has afforded to you? Verses 9-11 tells of King David’s continued display of kindness to Jonathan’s son. He calls for Ziba and his sons and servants to work the land for Mephibosheth since he was not able to. He asks him to bring in the harvest so that Mephibosheth can eat. But then he says  Mephibosheth shall eat at my table always like one of the king’s sons . Hallelujah! Mephibosheth is put on the royal pension for the rest of his life! Honey, I don’t know about you but this blonde Texas gal cannot stop tearing up. Maybe you have felt you are living ‘Low De Bar’ not even in a place that is ‘Above the Bar’… Maybe you have been limping around trying to make sense of your life. You may even feel you are worthless, you don’t measure up. You are hidden and forgotten.  Beautiful One, all you need is one moment in the Presence of the King and EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE. Well, guess what? If you are a born again Believer, you are a Daughter of the King and you have access to His Presence continually! And because of this He has a royal pension for you to enjoy the rest of your life… His Goodness… His Abundance… His Mercy… His Forgiveness… Divine Healing… His Provision… His Peace… His Power, Ability and Might! He has REDEEMED you from destruction. He RESTORES you, and He RETURNS you to your Father’s table in peace!  There  is  a Place of Redemption and Restoration in the Presence of the King. Hold your head high and fix your crown! You now sit at His table for eternity! Glory!

Today I wanted to share with you a foundational truth that every person needs to hear and be settled in. In a world that glorifies “self”… “selfies”… portraying allusions through photoshops, editing apps anyone can portray anything. You truly do not know what you are actually seeing. Is it reality? Is it the truth? The world glorifies so many things… especially the “perfect”… the perfect age, the perfect figure, the perfect hair, the perfect spouse, the perfect family, the perfect career, the perfect house… and all of these “perfects” are displayed on social media platforms for the world to see and like. If we are not careful, we can fall into the downward spiral of comparison, which is not healthy and can lead to the fast track of disillusionment, discouragement, despair and discontentment. And then we begin seeing our lives with a critical eye, focusing only on the perceived negatives which often leads to complaining and dissatisfaction. And Honey, you don't want to travel down this dark path, it only leads to a scary land called Destruction! So, let's avoid this dark destination if we can. So, today I want to glorify God’s Truth over all lies of the enemy that can try to come and steal your peace and self worth. The foundational Truth every Kingdom Lady needs to hear is  “YOU ARE FEARFULLY & WONDERFULLY MADE!” Promise to Stand On, Pray and Declare: Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” When you were in your mother’s womb, He covered you. He knew you. He designed you. Every cell of your body. Every organ. Perfectly placed and functioning. He gave you all your “uniquely you” features… your hair, your eye shape and color, your smile your height, your personality, your laugh, your DNA, your fingerprint. EVERYTHING about you is unique. You are a One-Of-A-Kind Divine Design from the Creator Himself. You are His Masterpiece, a priceless work of art. So, why would you ever diminish His perfect creation? Why would you ever compare yourself to someone else? Why would you ever feel insecure or jealous of another Kingdom Person? You are truly something beautiful to behold! You don’t hide a Masterpiece, you put it on display for others to enjoy. Life comes and it goes. We will never get back yesterday. But today we can enjoy who we are, at the age that we are, and who He has created us to be. We can be free to be all that He has designed us to be. He fashioned our days ahead of us. We have a destiny STILL to fulfill. We Are Not Too Old, and It’s Not Too Late! There will NEVER be another you! Leave your unique imprint on this world. Maybe you do not have many in your life who verbally celebrate who you are… Maybe you have not received a compliment in a long time… Maybe you are believing that you are past your prime, it's time to give up and give in. HONEY YOU MUST STOP BELIEVING THE LIE!  You are fearfully & wonderfully made. True perfection! And I think you are AMAZING! So, no matter if you are in your fabulous 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s or beyond you are beautiful because He created you! So go put on some mascara, maybe even a red lip and enjoy being the godly woman He designed you to be! A Masterpiece displaying His glory! You are greatly loved and adored. Pray the above "Truth" and meditate on it, and allow His Words of Promise to renew your mind. The best is yet to come for you Beautiful One! Don't ever believe the lie of the enemy, only believe the Truth of God's Word! You are His Beautiful Masterpiece!

I have slow feet. One of my favorite sports to play is basketball. I’m a decent player; over time my game has improved. I’m a better shooter, ball handler, and passer now than when I was younger. But I’ve still got slow feet. If I play you and you have any quickness at all, I will give you the three-point shot and do my best to close out on you if you take it. Otherwise, you’re just going to go right around me to the hoop every time. I compensate for my weaknesses on a basketball court. If I’m lucky and you haven’t played me much, I hope you won’t know about this weakness. I hope that you don’t have quickness and a three-point shot. Boxers who have been hurt do the same thing. They might drop their gloves to compensate for a bruised rib or over-rely on their dominant hand if their non-dominant shoulder is hurt. We all have weaknesses and insecurities. Where are your weaknesses? How are you compensating for them? How are you closing yourself off relationally or spiritually from having those insecurities addressed? Most of us try to hide and compensate for our weaknesses. We are afraid of what others will think of us, or we are embarrassed we haven’t been able to get ongoing sin under control. This is one of the great lies of the enemy: that masking our inadequacies is the best way to deal with them, that sharing them will make things worse, and that we can fix them on our own. Those who are closest to us will probably not be that surprised by our struggles. In fact, they can be an important mirror to us. When was the last time you asked someone close to you what your weaknesses are? When was the last time you shared with someone near to you your struggles? We need to take the risk to ask godly people around us to be mirrors and to be partners in godliness. It helps my team if they know that if I need to play up closer to a good three-point shooter, that I will likely need help if he gets past me. I don’t do anyone any good by pretending I’m something I’m not. As a leader, I am weak at diving into the details. I tend to skim, processing the big picture. My eyes glaze over when I read a contract. I throw away the annual reports my investment companies send. As a leader, I am responsible not to shirk learning those details where I need to, but even in doing so, it doesn’t do me any good to pretend to know what I don’t know. I’m going to get a lot further when I am honest with my team about this weakness (which they probably already know!) and lean on others who are stronger in this area. Pretending that my weakness is a strength diminishes the contribution of others who actually have that strength and erodes trust when my weakness is, inevitably, revealed. I recently had a man I was counseling share that he had finally opened up to his men’s group about a struggle he had been dealing with in his marriage. His response was that “I found out that this was something a lot of guys had dealt with, some at even more significant degrees than I was dealing with it.” This after decades of trying to put up a public façade. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard those same words. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy. Don’t believe that the best way to deal with your sin, your weaknesses, is to cover them up.

Discouragement creeps up on the best of us. It's lurking in the corners of a promotion. It's hiding in the shadows of being passed over. It's slinking through the bends of an unknown future. It's ever-present, but it is not all-powerful. It's all around us, but it is what defines us. What is this thing we call discouragement? A basic definition for this word is to lose heart . A practical way to think about it is by watching America's team, the Cowboys. Season after season, we watch "them Cowboys," and, bless their hearts, they let us down again and again. Well, perhaps discouragement isn't like watching the Cowboys, but at least we can say it is similar. What's a biblical way to process this emotion we all face at some point in time? A good example is the Old Testament prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, he prevailed over the prophets of Baal as God miraculously acted on his behalf. To everyone's incredible bewilderment, fire came down from heaven and consumed his water-logged altar. Previously, he had prayed, "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again" (1 Kings 18:37). A simple prayer that the people might know God. And God responds. Following God's supernatural act, the people "...fell on their faces; and they said, 'The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God'” (1 Kings 18:39b). A direct and immediate answer to prayer! Glory! But the story doesn't end there. Immediately after this demonstration of power, Elijah flees to the wilderness in fear for his life after he hears that Ahab's wife, Jezebel, threatened his life by saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time” (1 Kings 19:2b). One day he, with a strong heart, faces the prophets of Baal; the next day, he loses heart and runs for his life. What happened? Elijah was suffering from what many of us suffer from today— misunderstood usefulness . Notice Elijah's exchange with God. He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10). Elijah is focusing on the " incredible things " " he " has " done " for the Lord. God response? Show him incredible things (1) by rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks, (2) an earthquake, (3) a fire, and finally (4) a gentle blowing. From the gentle whisper is where God speaks to Elijah. It wasn't the magnificent manifestations but the everyday simplicity of a still, small voice. Elijah needed to understand that his usefulness to God was not bound up in what he did for God but in his nearness to God. To this point, Oswald Chambers says, "The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not public usefulness to others." 1 The application? Don't confuse busyness in good things for linear growth in grace. Don't replace knowing God with doing things for God. May we say with the apostle Paul: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service..." (1 Timothy 1:12)

This morning I woke up early in Ohio to much cooler weather, and as I looked out of our hotel room window, I was met with the turning of the leaves and a beautiful cloud laden sky… it truly was remarkable to behold. So with great excitement in the air, and ministry before us, I grabbed my Bible and coffee in tow, wrapped up in my comforter and just couldn’t wait to spend some much needed time with you… There is nothing more beautiful than receiving a personalized gift from someone you love... someone who has put great thought, time and effort into picking the perfect gift just for you… someone who knows you are surely going to  love  and  enjoy it . But what if that someone you deeply cared about sent you a gift and you never opened it, never receiving the potential  joy  and  beauty  the gift holds… never seeing the thoughtful care that had been put into selecting the perfect gift just for you? Until You Receive The Gift, You Cannot Enjoy The Benefits of The Gift. Did You Know God Sends The Best For You? In John 14:16 Jesus promises His disciples  another Helper  that will abide with them forever. In John 16:7 AMPC, Jesus says it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for His disciples that He go away, because if He does not go away, the Comforter (Counselor,  Helper , Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to them [ into close fellowship with them ]; but if He goes away, He will send Him to them [ to be in close fellowship with them ].” Jesus deemed the gift of the Holy Spirit, the  Helper ,  very important in the life of the Believer and desires for us to utilize His Gift that He gave… The other day I was trying to figure out something on my own… I struggled… I toiled… and then suddenly I was sweetly reminded the Holy Spirit is my Helper. I immediately asked Him to help direct me through the problem at hand, and to my amazement the answer became clear and I was able to solve the problem right then with His help. It was easy and effortless. He Has A Job To Do, If You Will Let Him.  The  Helper  is called to your side to help. No matter what you need help with, He is there to navigate you through it with great peace, divine wisdom and direction. He is your  Helper , Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener and Standby. So, as we face each day with all of its decisions, responsibilities and even surprises it brings our way, let’s not forget HE IS THERE, in close fellowship with us and He has a job to do for you,  if you will let Him... Relinquish Control And Let Him Help.  If you will receive the Heavenly Gift that was imparted to you in the New Birth experience, when you came to Christ, and remind yourself that upon the moment of salvation the  Helper  came to reside on the inside of you, bringing His Power, Presence and Help… then you will never feel overwhelmed by circumstances, you will never be at a loss for direction or wisdom… because He Specializes In Helping You! We don’t have to labor through this life being overwhelmed by anything, we have been given the Heavenly Gift… the  Helper … to lead us and help us to live a victorious life in Christ. And you don’t have to wait for the ‘help’ to show up… He is not ‘hired help’, He is always there, and will always help you to complete the task at hand, coming alongside you to empower and embolden you… giving you perfect help. We can receive NOW from Him. He is never late, but always right on time, and He always knows what we need for He is Omniscient. Always Remember God Has Sent The BEST For You! I love you and pray this week that your eyes would be opened to see the Holy Spirit as the Heavenly Gift that He is... He is by your side to guide you and  help you  in everyday life.

There was a man, many years ago, who was intimately acquainted with Jesus. He and his two sisters were greatly loved by the Lord and fellowshipped with Him often. This man became sick and his sisters sent to Jesus a message letting him know. Jesus upon hearing this news declared the sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. After two days had passed, Jesus and His disciples went to where the sick man was, but the man had already died and had been buried in his tomb for four days. Being met by both sisters and seeing the doubt and hurt they were experiencing due to the loss of their beloved brother, Jesus showed deep feeling and wept for He was moved by great compassion because He greatly loved them. Then Jesus went to His friend’s tomb and spoke these four powerful words… “Take Away The Stone.”  Can you imagine God Himself, the glorious Second Person of the Trinity, speaking to this seemingly impossible situation that mankind has deemed FINAL , from a place of ALL Authority and Power, “Take Away The Stone”… Remove any hindrance… Make way for My Power and Glory to be displayed… It must have been a surreal moment in time, for the Creator was about to speak to His creation and a miracle was about to come forth… There must have been such anticipation in the air, and a sense of wonder and excitement… Because Jesus was now on the scene. But Martha, who was overwhelmed with sorrow and despair, could not see what Jesus showed up to do… defy the laws of man… and perform a miracle. She was so greatly saddened that all she could focus on was the fact that her brother was dead and Jesus was seemingly late. She was focusing on the facts, the reality, not on the One Who is the Life Giver… But Did She Fully Understand Who Was In Her Midst? Jesus turns to Martha, in perfect love and in truth, and says to her, “Did I not say to you that  if you would believe  you would see the glory of God?” Precious One, can you grasp the weight of this statement? Jesus was not denying the fact that his friend was dead, he was defying the verdict. Oh how simple this is…  if we will believe Jesus’ Words  we will see the glory of God in any situation that looks dead… lifeless… hopeless. Jesus then prays to the Father and He cried with a loud voice for all to hear, “Lazarus, Come Forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave cloths, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. And Jesus said to them, “Loose Him, and Let Him Go!” I am so moved by this story. In the midst of death, Jesus brought His Resurrection Life. As a daughter of the Most High, You Are No Longer In The Grave! You Have Been Resurrected to a NEW LIFE in Christ! He has called Your Name… Calling you out of spiritual death into a New Life in Him! And He Has Freed You From Anything That Tries to Keep You Bound! And there is no greater joy than walking in His Resurrection Life. There is no greater power than His Resurrection Power. As you read John 11:1-45, my prayer is that you will  believe  that He is Who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. No matter what you may be facing, no matter if it looks lifeless, He can resurrect  anything  for He is the Resurrection Life… WE MUST BELIEVE! I pray this week that you draw closer to Him through intimate times of fellowship in prayer and through the Word, asking Him to help you with any unbelief. Jesus is never late, He is always on perfect time… for He is the Creator of time. No matter if your situation has been deemed by man as “Final” there is One who defies man’s limitations and labels. He is the Miracle Worker, and He knows your name. bradtuttleministries.org

Have You Learned to Speak To The Storm? In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus had just finished ministering to the multitudes…and He was about to display to His disciples His authoritative reign over the earth and any power of the enemy. So when evening had come, Jesus and His disciples got into a boat to cross over to the other side. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling with water. But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and  rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace, Be Still!” And the wind ceased and there was A Great Calm.  But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who Can This Be, That Even The Wind And Sea Obey Him!” Do You Know the One Who Calms the Storm? As a child of the Most High God, you have the privilege of knowing Him intimately as your Savior and Lord… the One who calms every storm in your life… the Miracle Worker… the Way-Maker… the One that all creation in Heaven and on earth is subject to. Why are you so fearful and of little faith? Are you in a storm right now? Does it feel like it is of hurricane proportion as you are being knocked around physically, mentally and emotionally by its wind and waves? Do you feel you are going under, perishing in broad daylight and wondering if Jesus even cares? …He Does, for He is The Silencer of Your Storms I say to you Precious Prayer Warrior, “Rise Up In Your Authority In Christ and Speak To That Storm!” Jesus showed us the path to victory over  every  storm… We are to  speak to  it, not about it, but to it! We are to  say to  it, “Hush Storm in Jesus Mighty Name!” And it will obey us! Hush Storm! Peace Be Still! My prayer this week is that you walk boldly in your authority in Christ. Turn off your cell-phone, walk away from that computer and IPad, stop talking about the storm, and get into The Presence of the One Who Calms EVERY Storm. Turn on worship music, and start to build yourself up in your most holy faith by praying, praying in the Spirit, and Declaring His Word To The Storm, and watch as His perfect peace which passes all understanding comes in like a flood and calms those winds and waves that are battering your heart, emotions and mind. I say, “Hush Storm in Jesus Mighty Name! I Rebuke You and You Must Obey Me! I Pray Perfect Peace To Come In Like A Flood And Still And Quiet The Minds, Emotions, and Hearts of These Precious Kingdom  Children! May Their Lives Now Be Calmed!”  I Pray You Have A Blessed, Storm Free Week! www.bradtuttleministries.org.

I have slow feet. One of my favorite sports to play is basketball. I’m a decent player; over time my game has improved. I’m a better shooter, ball handler, and passer now than when I was younger. But I’ve still got slow feet. If I play you and you have any quickness at all, I will give you the three-point shot and do my best to close out on you if you take it. Otherwise, you’re just going to go right around me to the hoop every time. I compensate for my weaknesses on a basketball court. If I’m lucky and you haven’t played me much, I hope you won’t know about this weakness. I hope that you don’t have quickness and a three-point shot. Boxers who have been hurt do the same thing. They might drop their gloves to compensate for a bruised rib or over-rely on their dominant hand if their non-dominant shoulder is hurt. We all have weaknesses and insecurities. Where are your weaknesses? How are you compensating for them? How are you closing yourself off relationally or spiritually from having those insecurities addressed? Most of us try to hide and compensate for our weaknesses. We are afraid of what others will think of us, or we are embarrassed we haven’t been able to get ongoing sin under control. This is one of the great lies of the enemy: that masking our inadequacies is the best way to deal with them, that sharing them will make things worse, and that we can fix them on our own. Those who are closest to us will probably not be that surprised by our struggles. In fact, they can be an important mirror to us. When was the last time you asked someone close to you what your weaknesses are? When was the last time you shared with someone near to you your struggles? We need to take the risk to ask godly people around us to be mirrors and to be partners in godliness. It helps my team if they know that if I need to play up closer to a good three-point shooter, that I will likely need help if he gets past me. I don’t do anyone any good by pretending I’m something I’m not. As a leader, I am weak at diving into the details. I tend to skim, processing the big picture. My eyes glaze over when I read a contract. I throw away the annual reports my investment companies send. As a leader, I am responsible not to shirk learning those details where I need to, but even in doing so, it doesn’t do me any good to pretend to know what I don’t know. I’m going to get a lot further when I am honest with my team about this weakness (which they probably already know!) and lean on others who are stronger in this area. Pretending that my weakness is a strength diminishes the contribution of others who actually have that strength and erodes trust when my weakness is, inevitably, revealed. I recently had a man I was counseling share that he had finally opened up to his men’s group about a struggle he had been dealing with in his marriage. His response was that “I found out that this was something a lot of guys had dealt with, some at even more significant degrees than I was dealing with it.” This after decades of trying to put up a public façade. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard those same words. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy. Don’t believe that the best way to deal with your sin, your weaknesses, is to cover them up.

Discouragement creeps up on the best of us. It’s lurking in the corners of a promotion. It’s hiding in the shadows of being passed over. It’s slinking through the bends of an unknown future. It’s ever-present, but it is not all-powerful. It’s all around us, but it is what defines us. What is this thing we call discouragement? A basic definition for this word is  to lose heart . A practical way to think about it is by watching America’s team, the Cowboys. Season after season, we watch “them Cowboys,” and, bless their hearts, they let us down again and again. Well, perhaps discouragement isn’t like watching the Cowboys, but at least we can say it is similar. What’s a biblical way to process this emotion we all face at some point in time? A good example is the Old Testament prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, he prevailed over the prophets of Baal as God miraculously acted on his behalf. To everyone’s incredible bewilderment, fire came down from heaven and consumed his water-logged altar. Previously, he had prayed,  “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again” (1 Kings 18:37).  A simple prayer that the people might  know  God. And, God responds. Following God’s supernatural act, the people  “…fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God’” (1 Kings 18:39b). A direct and immediate answer to prayer! Glory! But the story doesn’t end there. Immediately after this demonstration of power, Elijah flees to the wilderness in fear for his life after he hears that Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, threatened his life by saying,  “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time” (1 Kings 19:2b). One day he, with a strong heart, faces the prophets of Baal; the next day, he loses heart and runs for his life. What happened? Elijah was suffering from what many of us suffer from today— misunderstood usefulness . Notice how Elijah’s exchange with God, he said,  “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10). Elijah is focusing on the “ incredible things ” “ he ” has “ done ” for the Lord. God response?  Show him incredible things (1) by rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks, (2) an earthquake, (3) a fire, and finally (4) a gentle blowing. From the gentle whisper is where God speaks to Elijah. It wasn’t the magnificent manifestations but the everyday simplicity of a still small voice. Elijah needed to understand that his usefulness to God was not bound up in what he did for God but in his nearness to God. To this point, Oswald Chambers says,  “The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not public usefulness to others.” 1 The application? Don’t confuse busyness in good things for linear growth in grace. Don’t replace knowing God with doing things for God. May we say with the apostle Paul: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service…” (1 Timothy 1:12) Amen! www.staffandstones.com.