Monday, November 18, 2013

What is your Jericho?

"When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city." Joshua 6:20 (N.I.V.)    

The children of Israel had spent 40 years wandering the desert after their release from Egyptian slavery.

God had shown them the Promised Land but one thing stood in between them and their new home land.

It was the city of Jericho.

Jericho was a mighty fortress that was surrounded by large walls, making it impenetrable to outside armies. 

Joshua was leading the Israelite people and knew that the destiny of his people lay just on the other side of Jericho.

How could a group of wanderers bring down these towering walls and take the city?

Only God could do it for them.

Joshua relied on God's help and obeyed His instructions.

The people walked around the city in silence each day for six days.
Then, on the seventh day, the seventh time around the city, the priests sounded the trumpets and the people shouted with a mighty roar!

The walls of Jericho fell!

The Israelites entered Jericho and took the city.

They were now free to enter the promised land; a place of great blessings where milk and honey flowed; a place of freedom where they would no longer be enslaved by another government; a place a legacy to establish their Nation for future generations.

I ask you today, What is your Jericho?

What is standing between you and God's Promised Destiny for your life?

What is keeping you from living a life of blessing where milk and honey flow?
What is blocking your path from breaking the bonds of slavery to addiction or anger or depression?
What is towering high above you threatening to stop you from establishing a life that radically changes not only your future but that of your future generations?

Are those walls built with stones that have labels like "low self esteem?"
Do the walls say "You aren't good enough?"
Are the walls filled with accusations such as "You should be ashamed for being Gay, Bi-Sexual, or Transgendered?"
Do the walls have stones that you have tried to break before but couldn't, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, sex or porn addiction?
Are those sky high walls comprised of stones of fear, or depression?
Maybe the walls are filled with hurt from past relationships or even current ones.

Are the walls in your life so tall and seem so over powering that they block out the sun?

No matter what Jericho represents to you, no matter the heights of those walls that seem to stand in your way, our Abba Father God is BIGGER!

The same God who brought the Israelites out of captivity and delivered them into the Promised Land will bring you into YOUR Promised Land!

He will destroy the bonds of slavery that hold you captive.

He will show you a life of Peace, Joy, and Blessings where no matter what you face, you will always know that He is Greater!

He will radically change your future and that of your future generations so that your whole family lineage reflects His Goodness and Power.

Know today, my friends, that God is YOUR Victor, YOUR Savior, YOUR Mighty Warrior!

Exodus 14:14 says "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (N.I.V)

Identify those things which are holding you back and pray to God.
Ask God to take them from you; to fight the battle for you!
Then, be still.

Give the battle to God and rely on Him to bring down those walls for you.

God can do for you what you cannot do for yourself!

Give Him the battle every hour of every day and trust Him to deliver you into your Promised Land!

God will show you what a Mighty Savior that He is!

I am praying for you and believing with you that YOU WILL SEE the walls of Jericho CRUMBLE Down in YOUR life!

If you would like me to stand with you against those Jericho walls in your life, please message me your prayer requests.  I will never judge, only pray and show you the same unconditional love that our Father God shows me each and every day.

As Always, Remember:

God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until Next Time,

Saved By Grace

Thursday, September 26, 2013

To Russia, With Love

This is an open letter of encouragement written to our many readers in Russia, especially whose who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender. (English Translation Below)

Чтобы все мои братья и сестры в России,

Бог любит вас!
Он заботится о всех Ваших пожеланий.

Во времена испытаний и гонений, Он стоит с вами.

Ваши слезы были увидеть и почувствовать, отца нашего Бога, и Он идет в сердцах людей во всем мире возрастет до вашей обороне.

Вы не одиноки!

Тот же самый Бог, который создал вселенную и создал вас!
Он будет защищать вас.
Он исцелит тебя.

Поверьте в Иисуса Христа, чтобы защитить вас.
Его милость и благодать будет держать вас во времена боли и тоски.

У вас есть мои молитвы и поддержку.
Что еще более важно, у вас есть поддержка Всемогущего Бога!

С уважением,
SavedByGrace

English Translation:
To all of my brothers and sisters in Russia,

God loves you!
He cares about your every need.

During times of trial and persecution, He is standing with you.

Your tears have been seen and felt by our Father God and He is moving in the hearts of people around the world to rise to your defense.

You Are Not Alone!

The same God who created the universe also created you!
He will protect you.
He will heal you.

Trust in Jesus Christ to defend you.
His mercy and grace will keep you during times of hurt and anguish.

You have my prayers and support.
More importantly, you have the support of God Almighty!

Sincerely,
SavedByGrace

"Healer" by Kari Jobe. Sharing this for the Russian LGBT people

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Trapped

Do you remember some of the old action movies when the good guy would get captured and thrown into a little room with large cement walls that slowly closed toward him?

I would sit on the edge of my seat, anxiously waiting to see what masterful plan the hero would come up with to get out of this messy situation.

As sweat poured down the good guy's face he would look up, down, and side to side to plan his route of escape; to avoid being smushed like a can of sardines!

Thankfully, at the last second, he would spring into action with a brilliant stroke of genius and free himself just before the walls squeezed shut!

As a child and teenager, I can remember watching countless movies like this and wondering what it would feel like to be trapped in that little room with walls closing in towards me.

Once I got older, it became much easier to imagine that feeling.

By my mid twenties, feeling like the walls were closing in became a common occurrence. 

I had begun to construct a little room of my own in my mind.

There were walls of secrets built up all around me.

One wall was my sexuality.
I was gay but hardly anyone else knew it.
The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint my parents and harm my family's reputation.

Another wall was sex and porn addiction.
Because I didn't feel like being in a healthy committed relationship with another guy was even an option, I began to find one night stands to fill my needs of intimacy.
I thought being gay meant having sex.

The third wall was self loathing.
To say I had low self esteem is an under statement.
I felt like lower then low, scummier then scum, fuglier then fugly!
I looked at myself and saw a fat guy who was only good enough for cheap tricks and one night stands, but never a loving partner.

Finally, the fourth wall was a fear of rejection.
Who would want me if they knew the truth?
I was even more messed up on the inside then I was on the outside.
My sense of humor kept some friends around but I thought that if I let the persona as the "funny guy" slip they would abandon me too.

When you are in a place that you don't love yourself, it is difficult to let others love you, and next to impossible to accept the fact that God loves you.

I was surrounded on all sides with these walls that towered above me farther then I could see and they were rooted so deep in my psyche I couldn't imagine digging under them.

Not only did they loom enormously huge in my eyes, they also began closing in.

What was making them move closer and closer around me?

Fear.

Fear was fueling the movement of these walls as they inched ever so near me.

I was surrounded.
For years, I was surrounded!

Living daily in this bondage was exhausting.

Finally, when I felt completely smothered, gasping for air with no place to go, I asked for help.

I was ready for things to change.
Either I was gonna die here in the prison of my mind or God would have to rescue me like a prince in shining armor riding in on a white stallion.

All I knew was enough was enough.
I couldn't take it any more.

So, I surrendered.

Thankfully, though, I surrendered to God.
With the tiniest grain of mustard seed faith, a very faint and time worn glimmer of hope, I prayed.
It was a long shot, but it was still a shot.

In the midst of my cloudy consciousness and battered state of mind, I asked God for help.
I surrendered my life back to Him.

Here's an interesting fact about God:
No matter how tall the walls are around you, no matter how deep the pit you find yourself, His arms can still reach you!

This began my journey to freedom.

First, the walls stopped moving towards me.
The fear started to lose it's power.

The darkness of my secrets began to fade as light started penetrating my fortress.

A secret loses it's power when you shine light on it.

Cracks began appearing in the wall of porn and sex addiction as God guided me to find counseling and support groups to deal with those issues all the way down to the root of them.

God continued to add a support team in my life and soon I noticed stones starting to crumble in the wall that represented my sexuality.
I started accepting the truth in my life that I could not change my sexuality so God must have created me this way for a reason.
I came out to people close to me, including my parents and immediate family.

As the walls kept moving farther away, showing signs of weakness in their structural integrity, I began having more thoughts of clarity.

Somehow the walls didn't reach as far in the sky as they once did.

I could even peek over them from time to time and catch a glimpse of what true freedom looked like.

God kept working on my heart as my mental image began to rise.
That wall of self loathing was losing its facade as well.
I began to see that I have worth as a human being, as a good person, as a Child of God.

Through all of this, the wall of rejection was the last to lose it's power.

The lie I had been taught in church, from pulpits and other Christians, was that God rejected me for being gay.

I had a very deep seeded belief that I was not worthy for God's love and therefore I was rejected by Him and every other decent person.

With a mighty move of His hand, in a divine Kung Foo Chop of Grace and Mercy, God destroyed that wall by instantaneously revealing His great love to me.

In a clarion moment one day the light bulb went off over my head and I realized a simple but bedrock truth.

God Loves Me!

God loves me enough to rescue me from my prison.

God loves me enough to keep me safe even when I was lost in a world of death and destruction, in addiction and std's, in self abuse and darkness.

God loves me enough to create me even though He knew before I was born the many ways I would mess up.

He knew the sins I would commit.
He knew the roads I would take while running away from Him.
He knew the ways I would be hurt emotionally and then turn around and hurt others emotionally.

My friends, when God sees us, He doesn't see us covered in the mess we have made or the slips and falls we have taken.

God sees us covered in one thing: The Blood Of Jesus!

God is not a judge waiting to convict us to death for the sins of our past or present or future.

He is a loving Father, waiting to promote us to a life of freedom!
He longs for us to surrender to Him and let Him be the Prince in Shining Armor who rides in on His white stallion, sweeping us up into His arms, and riding away with us into the sunset.

God Loves Us!
God Loves Me!

God Loves You!

No matter how tall your walls are, God Loves You!
No matter how deeply rooted they run in your life, God Loves You!

You don't have to be trapped any longer!

You don't have to let the villain hold you in that fortress as the walls inch closer and closer until finally they crush the life out of you.

It doesn't matter what the walls are.
Are they lust, greed, depression, hurt, self loathing, addiction, fear?

No matter what your walls are labeled, declare today that you are a prisoner no more!

Take that last glimmer of hope that exists deep down in your heart and cling to it.

Say this prayer right now, wherever you are:

Father God,
I love you and I need you.
I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I need you to rescue me today.
Please reach down into my situation and pull me out.
I surrender to you, Father, to be my Hero.
I will go where you say I should go and do what you say I should do.
I choose to take the help you offer me.
I trust you, Heavenly Father, as my Papa God, as Jesus Christ your Son and my Savior.
I love you,
Amen

Now trust Him, my friends, to bring you out just as He brought me out.

God's promises are for everyone.

What He has done for me, He will do for you!

He has a plan for you.

You have a destiny for Him!

One day you will be able to share with others your testimony about when you were trapped and How God came to your rescue.

Message me for any prayer requests and I will stand with you.
Stay surrendered to God and He will bring a support team into your life.

I look forward to hearing your testimonies!

As always remember:
God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until next time,

SavedByGrace

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Resurrection!

On Friday, Jesus was crucified.

He died.

He was buried.

BUT...

ON SUNDAY HE ROSE AGAIN!

Let this Resurrection day be your day of  Victory!

Do you face depression?
That debt has been paid.

Do you face rejection?
That debt has been paid.

Do you face loneliness?
That debt has been paid.

Do you face disease?
That debt has been paid.

Do you face persecution?
That debt has been paid.

Do you face poverty?
That debt has been paid.

Do you face addiction?
That debt has been paid.

All of the hurts, pains, condemnation, disappointments, sins, and misfortunes of your life do not define you!

Today, only ONE thing defines you!

Today the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, who defeated the enemy, and Rose Again...This is what defines you!

In that one moment in time Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to give you the victory.

He bought the victory for all of mankind... past, present, and future.

In one Glorious instance his eyes opened and His burial garments fell to the ground.
The stone rolled away and the tomb door opened up.
Out stepped our Risen Savior as YOUR victor!

He won your victory at that moment!

He paid your debts Once and For All!

Accept it today!

Accept Him today!

He longs to share in this day of Victory with you and to give you the everlasting and abundant life that he lived, died, and Resurrected to give you!

You are not just a number or a name to Him.

He knows you personally and LONGS to live with you, inside of you, through you.

If you do not know Him or want to know Him again, then say this prayer:

Lord Jesus,
I believe that You ARE the Son of God.
I believe that you were crucified, died, defeated the enemy, and Rose Again!
I believe that You paid the debt for all of my sins!
I accept you as my Savior Today!

I Love You,
Amen!

After you have prayed this prayer then begin praying more prayers, and more prayers, and even more.

Get to know your Father, God.
He longs to spend time with you.
Talk with Him like He is your closest friend.

Believe me, He WILL become your closest friend.

Whether you just accepted Jesus as your savior, or you have known Him for a long time, Praise God because no matter what your circumstances appear to be,  today IS your day of Victory!

The next time the enemy tries to remind you of your shortcomings  your promises, the stresses of life, shout the Name of Jesus at him and stand firmly in the finished work that was paid for you on Calvary!

God Loves You So Much!
He sent His only Son to pay the sacrifice of all of your debts.

There is no greater love then to lay down your life for another.
That, my friends, is just a taste of how much our Daddy God loves YOU!

Today is your day of Victory!

Today Is The Resurrection Day!

As Always Remember:

God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until next time,

SavedByGrace

Monday, March 11, 2013

Jesus at the Gay Bar?

Tonight I experienced something that most people would consider out of the ordinary.

I went to a local gay bar to watch a Gospel Drag Show!


Yes, you read that correctly, a gospel drag show.

All of the performances were set to gospel music with a couple of contemporary Christian songs thrown in.
You may be asking yourself some questions.

Were the performers making fun of Christians?
Was there anyone in the audience to actually watch the show?
Were they hostile toward Christianity?

Well, here is what I found:

The drag queens who performed treated their songs much less like a drag show and more like worship.

They worshiped God with their talent and their heart the best and purest way they knew how.

I saw one performer dance with joy and exuberance as she worshiped God during her song.
I saw another performer testify about how the show was not about her, but was all about  Jesus, followed by a round of "Amens!" from the audience.

Speaking of the audience, how was the crowd?
By the end of the show the place was standing room only!

I watched people raise their hands in worship and clap along with the music as if they were sitting in an old time Pentecostal tent revival!

What amazed me the most about this experience tonight was seeing people from many backgrounds and faith traditions, many of whom were sipping on a drink from the bar, finding genuine excitement in old southern gospel songs.

They were worshiping God without the pretensions of church or the mask that so many typical church going Christians wear.

They were being themselves.
Many people were laughing.
Many were drinking.
At times some people were even tearing up, moved by the presence of God that was very real and very beautiful.

The drag queens and singers who performed were being themselves.
The audience members were being themselves.

There was no holier then thou attitudes about how worship should look a certain way or fit a certain mold.

There were real people, acting like real people, worshiping a real God, who loves them with a real love.

Do you know who loves real meetings like this?

The Real Jesus!

And, you can bet the farm that Jesus was at the gay bar tonight.

He was walking through the crowd, touching lives and healing wounds.
He was taking joy from the authentic worship from people who felt no need to pretend for acceptance.
He was laughing with those who laughed and crying with those who cried.

Jesus was loving the expression of worship from the drag queens as well because He saw it for what it was; pure worship from a true place of genuine love for our Savior.

Sure, there were people there who didn't worship freely and some who kept up walls of defense that didn't appear to be torn down.  
Of course, who really knows, besides God, who's walls fell and who's didn't?

I even heard a few laughs from the back during worship.

But, whether some people allowed God to minister to them or not, they were there.
They stayed for the show.

And, Jesus met them there, right where they were, in a drag show in Birmingham, Alabama.

He planted seeds and began tearing down walls of hurt and rejection.

Isn't that the beautiful way that Jesus works so many times?
Even 2000 years later He is still hanging out with the outcasts who are having some drinks and being too loud and raucous.

It should come as no surprise that Jesus was hanging out at the gay bar tonight.

He always hangs out with the folks that the Religious Establishment typically judges instead of loves.

God has built His church on people like this.
He is very fond of us outcasts!


What does all this mean?

The lesson here is very simple but very important.

God does not want us to act like a different person in front of Him.
He doesn't want us to hide behind a facade.
After all, we can never actually hide from Him anyway!

Our Papa God loves us and wants to be part of our lives even when we don't think we are Holy.

Guess what.
We will never be Holy enough to be in God's presence on our own.

That's where Jesus steps in.

Because we can never attain perfect righteousness on our own, Jesus paid the ultimate price as the spotless sacrifice for us so that we could get rid of our masks and pretensions and approach the thrown of God with Confidence!

We are saved through the work that Christ did on Calvary!
Our Salvation was bought and paid for that first Easter.
Our Righteousness was given to us that day.
Our Healing was given to us that day.
Our Hope, our Joy, our Freedom to prosper mentally, physically, and spiritually was all given to us freely, as a gift, the moment that Jesus died and resurrected 2000 years ago!

I urge you today to take off your mask and be real with God.

Accept His promises for you and worship Him with the gifts you have!

Just like the drag queens I saw tonight, give God your talent.
Give God your praise.
Give God your worship in the purest way you know how from the most genuine part of yourself!

This is how you find peace.
Worship Him without that facade of perfection and know that He loves you right where you are!

Accept that you are saved by His Grace, not your works!

Once you decide to be honest and real in His presence, you can truly Surrender to Him and Trust Him to do the work in your life that He desires to do.
This real surrender builds a real relationship that leads to your real peace!

God has a destiny for you!
God has a purpose for you!
God has promises for you!

Take off your mask and let Him work on your heart so that He can give you His Joy that is your strength.

As always, remember:

God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until Next Time,

SavedByGrace

Friday, February 15, 2013

Your Victory

Through Christ our punishment has already been paid!

The price for all of our sins, our faults, our short comings, our disappointments, and our poor decisions has been paid!

Jesus stepped in as our intermediary and took our place.

We are found innocent today in the eyes of God, my friends, because Jesus took our place and took our punishment.

He took the death penalty so that we can have LIFE!

Just like in court, we will not be tried twice for the same crime.

So, today, when the enemy starts reminding you of all of your failures and mistakes, take a stand!

Take a stand as the FREE Man, the FREE Woman, or the FREE Transgendered Person that you are through CHRIST and His Finished Work!

The price has been paid!

The pardon has been given you!

Through Jesus We Are Free!

This, my friends, is Your Victory!

As Always, remember:

God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until Next Time,

SavedByGrace

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Blessing for 2013

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your prayers and support of this blog and ministry.
Words cannot express how much your e-mails, comments, Facebook messages, tweets, prayer requests, and praise reports mean to me.

This past year has seen tremendous growth for Radical Hope Ministries and has laid the foundation for what God has planned for us in 2013.

Please read this blessing below.
This is my heart felt prayer for each of you in this coming year:

May you find peace each day knowing that God Loves You deeply and without ANY conditions.
May you learn to better understand how to accept His love for yourself and the power that He has placed within you.
May you exhibit His great undying love for you by showing it to everyone else that He brings in your path.

May you live each moment in the Promises that God has given you for Good Health and Healing, Freedom From Depression and Addiction, and Prosperity Over Lack and Poverty.
May you give of your Time, Energy, Prayers, and Finances Freely and Joyously to what God calls you to do and may that gift return to you Multiplied and Blessed.

I pray that everyone who reads this blog in the coming year will be touched by it and truly understand that through Jesus Christ you really can do ALL things!

May you remember with every breath you take and at each passing minute of every day that you are not alone.  
May you know deep down in your spirit that Your Daddy God, Your Savior Jesus, and Your Comforter the Holy Spirit are With You and will Never Leave You.
May you feel their presence in a greater and more tangible way then ever before.

In the name of the Lord God Almighty and through the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ I declare it so,

Amen


Have a wonderful and safe 2013!
I look forward to hearing from you!

As Always, Remember:

God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!

Until next time,

SavedByGrace