When I was just a child, Dad owned a large construction business in our hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.  It was the largest construction company in North Alabama with projects around the Southeast.  I loved to go with Dad to the construction sites.

After an early breakfast, Mom would get me dressed in my little overalls.  I felt so big, sitting with my father in his truck as we rode to one of the job sites.  Knowing I would be into everything on the site, Dad would assign me a job to do with one of his workers. Looking back, I’m sure the poor individual thought, Great!  Now I’m a babysitter.  But hey, sometimes ignorance can be bliss.  I actually thought I was being assigned an important job to do.

I remember one such occasion when I was given a shovel to help a young man clean out the footers on a foundation that was ready to be poured.  Taking my little shovel (which was actually a toy), I began working with my fellow-laborer.  I felt so big, like I was one of the guys.  I can still remember how that foundation looked as I stood there, shovel in hand, feeling so big.  To a passerby the sight would have probably been comical, but to me it was absolutely magnificent.

I “worked” for most of the day on that project, every once in a while, running into Dad’s  office.  It was a trailer he set up on job sites, giving him and his superintendents an on site office.  I can still remember opening the door to the office and seeing Dad sitting at his draftsman’s desk, working on a set of blueprints. I loved that desk, the tall metal back chair with its strong steel center legs and beautiful wood seat, and the drafting tools that were always on or by it.  When Dad wasn’t looking, I would climb up on it and pretend as if I were working on a set of blueprints.  Then I would begin spinning the chair around and around, which was usually Dad’s cue to look my way. His strong voice would call my name and I would leap from my perch before he could finish his command.

He loved what he did and he was good at it.  I think he loved drawing up the plans and then making them a reality.  He seemed happiest when he was sitting at that desk, creating a dream.  Like an artist at work, he would put on paper the image he saw inside.  Actually, I believe that’s why Dad loved the construction business so much—it allowed him the opportunity to make dreams come true.

Sometimes, I would just stand and watch as Dad would draw out all the details of a structure.  A quiet contentment and confidence seemed to cover his face.  As a young boy looking up at my dad, it seemed I could feel that same contentment and confidence literally envelope me.  I was so proud of my father as I looked up at him.  Other men in the office would ask him questions or give him reports.

Sometimes, there would be so much activity going on, with men coming in and out of the office while Dad and a group would be standing over a set of plans, discussing things of which I had no idea, yet I would stand there totally engrossed in all that was taking place.

After a while, I would get bored so Dad would call Mom and she would come get me, or he would have one of the guys take me home in one of the trucks.  I liked that better than Mom coming to get me.  After all, men don’t have their mothers drive them home.

Once home, I would rattle on and on to Mom or my best friend, our gardener, about all I did that day and how hard I worked.  Ben would stop whatever he was doing to listen to me.  My little boy’s imagination and exaggeration never fazed him.  I could go on and on about all that happened (some of which actually did) and Ben would listen and enter into a conversation with me.  He was my best friend. He always had time for me and always seemed interested in all I had to say.

Ben was never in a hurry or too busy for a little boy. He knew I loved him and loved being with him. Every day he worked on our property making it beautiful. I would follow him around while he mowed the lawn, trimmed trees, or planted flowers. I think I got my love of flowers and shrubbery from him. He would tell me about each of the plants and flowers. I wish I could remember just some of what he tried to teach me.

One of my favorite things was to have breakfast with Ben.  We both loved pancakes bathed in lots of butter and good maple syrup.  Those pancakes looked like an island in the middle of the ocean.  They were surrounded on all sides by syrup.  I would watch Ben and eat my pancakes just like he did.  He loved a good cup of coffee with his pancakes, so I would want a cup also.  Mom would fix me a coffee mug filled with milk and a few drops of coffee.  It wouldn’t even change the color of the milk.  Sometimes at my insistence, she would put a little more coffee in, but never enough to even taste.  Nevertheless, I thought I was just like Ben with my coffee and pancakes.

As soon as Ben was through with breakfast, I would jump up and be finished also.  “Where are you going?” Mother would ask.  “With Ben,” I would respond.  “You leave Ben alone, Steve.  He’s got work to do,” she would say, bursting my bubble.  “It’s alright, Ma’am.  He won’t bother me at all.  As a matter of fact, I can use his help today.”  Now, I never was an actual help to Ben.  Quite the contrary. I slowed his productivity down tremendously, unless you count affecting a little life as productive. Ben was my friend; we were buddies.

So what’s the point in all you are saying, you ask.  Just this:  two men were very important in the life of a little boy—one my father, the other our gardener.  These two men were like a faithful compass guiding my ship in the early days of its journey.  I loved them both dearly and desired with all my heart to be with them and to be like them.  I felt loved by both of these men.  I believed I was important to them.  They sure were to me.  Though different in many ways, there was a common denominator in their lives—me and my love and admiration for both of them.  Their lives, their words, their actions, everything about them affected and impacted my young heart.

How they reacted to me and my little boyish ways, their patience with me or lack thereof, their interest in me and what I had to say, how they treated people, how they treated their work, how they treated themselves—so many things were being watched very intently by two little eyes.  Like a sponge, I absorbed them into my life.  It’s amazing, after all these years, I can still see images of them so clearly, like pieces of art hung carefully in the rooms of my life.

I can see Dad, sitting at his draftsman’s desk, working on a set of plans.  I can see Ben, sitting across the breakfast table from me, smiling and winking at me as we ate Mom’s wonderful pancakes. I can still feel the warmth, acceptance, love, peace, and security they brought into my life.  One was my father; one was my best friend.  One was white; one was black.  They were my two shining stars, set in my young life to guide me safely on the start of my journey.  It was a traumatic moment in my life when our family left Huntsville and moved to Montgomery. I did not want to leave our home. I did not want to leave Ben. I wanted him to move with us.

A man has tremendous power and affect on other lives—either for good or for bad. His affect is much more powerful than he realizes. The world admires men who make fortunes. I admired those men for touching my life. Every man has those who are watching him. Every man’s life reaches far beyond the confines of his own time and accomplishments. The wealth and success a man achieves in his life are eventually owned and enjoyed by others who know nothing of him. But a man who touches the life of a younger person for good—his treasures and labors never die.

Your life is leaving footprints that others will follow—where will your footprints lead them?

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

We had transformed the ugly duckling into a dollhouse.  It had gone through an amazing transformation at the cost of a lot of hard work on our part.  But the finished product was well worth it.  We were working from early morning to late in the evening, endeavoring to complete the remodel and put it on the market before the 1st of the month.

When we were close to finishing the remodeling of this particular property, I stood out front in the street, looking at our almost finished product.  It looked great.  A sense of accomplishment rushed over me and for a moment, I was not conscious of my exhausted body.  I just knew this one would rent quickly.  But much to my surprise, it did not.

“Lord,” I prayed, “I bought this house, believing You were leading me to do so.  You know we need renters, good renters, in this house quickly.  Did I miss you?  If I did, I did so trusting I was following You.  Send us the tenants You have chosen for us.”

A little thought tried to creep into my mind: Maybe you missed God and you are on your own with this one.  As if swatting a fly from my face, I quickly wiped that thought out of my mind.  I was not about to let a seed of doubt be planted in my thoughts.  Been there, done that before, and ain’t going back.  It costs way too much.

As I drove home, the warm night air was filled with the fragrance of the blossoms on the trees in the neighborhood.  A sense of peace settled in my heart.  “Thank You, Father,” I said.  “I trust You, and I know all is well.”

Denice’s voice greeted me as I walked in the back door of our home that night.  “Baby, we need to put a sign at the entrance of the cul-de-sac with an arrow pointing down the street.  I don’t think people are seeing the sign we have in front of the house.”  “Absolutely,” I responded.  “That’s a great idea.”

The next day, Denice put a sign at the entrance of the cul-de-sac, informing passersby that a home was for rent down the street.  Immediately, we began receiving calls—one after another.  In no time at all, our little doll house was rented. When the person called Denice to tell her he definitely wanted to rent the house, he said, “One of my sons and I just prayed and know I am to rent this house from you.”

God is so faithful.  It was a wonderful home for that tenant.  One that was lovely, comfortable and filled with peace.

If Denice had not put that sign at the entrance for people to see, our house might still be sitting empty.  We had to let people know about it.  We had been praying, but as soon as we did what we needed to do, God did the rest.  He was waiting on us to do our part.

Sometimes, when you are praying and need God to act in your behalf, the miracle you need is waiting for you to do something.  As soon as you do, God’s answer to your prayers and faith suddenly appears.  It’s been there, ready and waiting, all along.  All it needs is for you to open the door with a simple action.

What answers to your prayers and faith are waiting just on the other side of a door?  A simple door.  A door only you can open.  When you open that door, answers begin to step through into your life and circumstance.

Isn’t it time you opened the door?

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

When some new aspect of the financial crisis, such as sequestration or the impending budget battle, demands the spotlight, our attention is again directed toward the fact that millions of Americans are still out of work or underemployed. Prices are going up on everything. We’re paying more taxes.  People are still losing their homes and some have lost all their retirement savings. Amazingly, the public sits quietly in their seats, accepting the plot now written by those who have determined to rewrite the American drama.

Not pleased in the least with the script of history written in blood and sacrifice by our forefathers, they despise completely the values and beliefs which anchored those decisions and directions.  Determined to erase God and any reference to Him and the values of life belief in Him creates, they ingeniously play out the America they are creating 24/7 right before our eyes in big screen, surround sound, high def quality.  We, in return, pay them monthly to continue doing so.  I guess you could call it “entertainment with a purpose”.

The average American spends at least four to six hours a day, watching television.  Try to get that same American to be in a four hour church service.  Why, even the thought of such a thing is utterly ridiculous.  You see?  It’s working.  They are changing the values and norms of our society in a much greater way than the Church.

Actually, television is the new religion of the average American.   Even good old, church-going America is being slowly seduced and changed.  Its beliefs (not head beliefs but those actually lived out in their daily lives), its value system, its priorities and its purpose—all these are being remolded and shaped into that of those who have purposed to change America. Change it from the country our founding fathers envisioned into one that a select group of powerful people throughout this nation and the world desire.  They have a purpose, and plan, and the machinery in place to carry out their plan.  With literally billions of dollars at their disposal, money is not an issue.  Their absolute hatred of all that is godly is undeniable.  They’re controlled by the spirit of antichrist.

Those of us who still hold to biblical values must awaken to what is really taking place here.  A war is being waged.  Not one of guns, bullets and bombs but rather one of words, beliefs and values.  Those who have vowed to destroy the foundations of our nation have declared war on all that is godly and biblical.

Do not be fooled by their peaceful, reasonable demeanor and their portrayed superior intelligence and logic.  Behind their well-orchestrated words and declared deep concern for equality for all, is a disdain for the principles upon which this nation was founded.

The Church of Jesus Christ must open its eyes and see the struggle we are in.  It is literally for the heart and soul of this nation.  This is not the time for insignificant messages from powerless pulpits preached by weak-willed pastors who have neither courage nor spiritual sensitivity.  It’s time for Christians to walk out of churches that entertain believers and pacify the enemy.

The kingdom of God is first, confrontational.  It always confronts the forces of darkness and evil first.  If that is not taking place, then the kingdom of God is not present.  The kingdoms of men compromise, but the kingdom of God confronts.

Light and darkness, good and evil cannot coexist.  They are always opposed and at war with one another; only one can prevail.  Only one can remain in a life, a community, or a nation.  It is the Church’s responsibility to ensure that light prevails.  The church is God’s instrument on earth for warfare not for peaceful negotiation.  We have made Christianity about us having a better life when it’s supposed to be about Christ and the expansion of His kingdom.

On a program I watched regarding religion, one of the people interviewed was a highly educated man and a practicing atheist.   I say practicing because he has yet to be convinced to believe in any religion.  He made a statement that was a slap in the face of the average believer, especially in America.  Listen to his words:  “If Christians truly believed what the Bible teaches and the things Jesus supposedly taught, they would change this world.  But it hardly changes their lives.  If they truly believed it, they would passionately live it and declare it.  The fact that they do not is the greatest proof to me that Christianity and its beliefs are false.  Their complacency is the evidence that the Bible is not true.”

Wow!  What an indictment against modern Christianity.  If he had lived in the days of the early Church,  he would have been convinced by the lives of the believers of that time.  Their wholehearted commitment to the teachings of the Lord Jesus in their daily lives would have been the proof he longs to see.  Basically, what he said is that we have chosen to place our light under cover, hidden away so the world will not suspect us of being guilty of Christianity.

We must be awakened out of our sleep.  We must be challenged to actually live Christianity.  If our beliefs cannot change our lives and arouse us to change our society and this world, then something is wrong.

True Christianity is a powerful force for change.  It changes lives and makes those lives into world-changers.   Where true Christians are, change is taking place.  Instead of them being conformed to the world, its ways and beliefs, true Christians have settled their beliefs, and that has changed their ways.   They then become a force for change to everything and everyone around them.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been given the most precious gift possible—life—not just physical life, measured by time here on earth but eternal life—that which God breathed into Adam.  The Bible says it is light—the only true light—and it is the life man seeks and must have.  If we have it, we have already passed from death to life.

Do not let your life be consumed with that which is only temporary.  You are an eternal being; you have eternal life in you.  The eternal God lives inside you.  Realize who you are, what you have, and make yourself available to God to be a tool, an instrument for change.  Let your light shine for all to see.

Do not be intimidated or deceived by the ways of this world or those who despise all you have received.  Greater is He Who is in you than he that is in the world.  Stand up for what you believe and let that Greater One be seen by all around you.  It may not be popular but it will always be powerful.

You are the light of the world.  Let your light shine so others may see it.  Those with their antichrist agenda treat people like mushrooms; they keep them in the dark and feed them manure.  You are not a mushroom.  You are in the light.  Live in the light and be a light.

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

There is a scene from the movie Saving Private Ryan where the young man who was rescued is kneeling by the grave of one who died to rescue him. Now an old man with children and grandchildren, he looks at his wife and asks, “Was I a good man?” “What do you mean?” she asks. “Was I a good man?” he repeats. “Why do you ask that?” she says. “I want to know I was worthy of this,” he responds, pointing to the grave.

Dear friend, we in America owe so much to others who paid for our freedoms. If I know anything about freedom it is that it is anything but free. It always costs someone dearly. And that is because freedom is one of the most precious of all gifts, if not the most. The Scriptures say “It was for freedom that He set us free”. In other words, the reason Christ set us free was that we might live free. We should cherish and hold dearly the freedoms we have here, though many are vanishing daily. They are more valuable than the wealth of this country. Without them the wealth of this country will be useless, except to the few who hold power. We, like the man in the scene, need to visit the graves of our nation’s fallen and ask ourselves: “Am I living worthy of this? Does their sacrifice matter to me, as it should? What must I do to ensure the values and principles their lives were sacrificed for shall never be taken from us or our offspring?”

America has changed drastically in my life time. When I was a boy in the ‘50’s, it was right and normal to be patriotic. People were proud of America, proud of our flag, and proud to be called American. That is not the case now, at least not like it was then.  Many demean patriotism and consider any who are patriotic to be fringe fanatics—almost something akin to a terrorist. As a matter of fact, in some circles, the media being the biggest one, terrorists are spoken of in much kinder terms than those who are patriotic. We burn our flag, boo our patriots, and deny our American heritage.

Our President serves as Commander-In-Chief of our military. We elected a previous one who had fled the country in order not to serve during the Viet Nam war. He, in cowardly fashion, spent those years partying with other young people in a foreign country while others his age, who wanted to live as much as he, were dying with their friends in another foreign country. He slept in a warm bed, enjoying life while they slept on a military cot or in a rice patty. There is no honor, nor character in that. Our celebrating and admiring him dishonored those who had died. A country that does so has lost its moral compass and is adrift in a morass of relativism. Its future can be only one of two directions: a return to its foundational principles and values that guided it into greatness or a never-ending plunge into internal demise and eventual destruction of all freedoms.

Politicians have apologized for our American exceptionalism. But it seems things such as this do not matter to the masses of America. We decided long ago to sell our birthright for a bowl of porridge. We look longingly to certain European nations, desiring to embrace their valueless cultures and their all-consuming governments. We are encouraged to cast off the archaic restraints of antiquated systems such as Biblical Christianity. We can have church; by all means have church, as long as it in no way resembles the church of the Bible or the church of our founding fathers in its internal values and beliefs. Gladly give lip service, but reject any concept of life lived wholly for Christ and His cause.

The gospel preached must be about me and for me. It must agree with what I deem most important—if not, reject it and its Jesus! Then build a new one in our own image, one that serves our own purpose; one that says what we want to hear; one that requires only what we are willing and desire to do and give. One that exists to only serve me.

“Whoa, Vickers, this is much too negative and gloomy. Tell me something good.  Tell me about the good things.” Alright, I will.

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

The good thing is, if the people of God will be the people of God and act like the people of God, calling on God for forgiveness and restoration, then God will hear and answer.

America is in desperate need of revival—a making alive again of those good things of God that once mightily influenced our land. But God is waiting on His people to pray—to not give Him rest until he answers from heaven—until righteousness again bends down from heaven and kisses the earth—especially this land.

If this happens, I believe the greatest days of America’s destiny will be now and in its future. I believe we will become the greatest force on earth for the expansion of the Kingdom of God that has ever existed. I believe a multitude of envisioned, empowered, and impassioned people will arise from off of the padded pews and chairs of the American church and go to the nations of the world, declaring the only thing that can change people and nations—the glorious, powerful gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe the heavens will open and financial resources will be opened up to God’s servants and His church, to enable them to do all that is within their hearts to do. I believe there will be no limit to what they can do for God and His kingdom. All this and much more is not only possible but certain—“If my people will…”

We are God’s people—what if it started with us? That’s a beginning, and a beginning is always a good place to start.

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

To those in the Legion, it is anything but a movie.  Those who join commit five years of their lives to the Legion.  They come from all over the world.  Most have something they want to leave behind and the Legion offers an escape from their past.  It is a haven for those running from something and those looking for adventure.

The training is some of the most rigorous in the world.  Those who join the Legion are some of the most individualistic, independent members of society.  Most have little respect for authority other than their own.  But the Legion is not concerned about those or any other issues that they bring with them.  They know the power of their training regimen and its ability to produce a determined end result.  Those who make it through will become a part of the tightest fighting unit in the world.  There is no force in the world that better defines a fighting unit than the French Foreign Legion.

By the end of their training, they have been not only trained as elite soldiers, but more importantly they have literally become one single fighting force.  Their real strength is not in the individual soldier, but the unit formed by the individual soldiers.  Legionnaires do not view themselves as individual soldiers but as Legionnaires, a word that can only be defined by the unit not by the individual.

They know that one in ten of them will not survive their five-year enlistment.  They know they will see combat, usually of the worst kind.  They know they will be sent where the French Army would never be sent.  They do it courageously, and of course, sacrificially.  Their allegiance, unlike that of any other fighting force, is not to a country, a religion, or a constitution.  Their allegiance is completely to the Legion .

When a young man joins the Legion, he is given a new name and a new identity.  It is his Legion name and identity.  He has no other.  At the end of his five-year enlistment, he can return to his previous identity, or he can retain his Legion name and identity.  If he chooses the latter, he will be issued a French passport under his new identity, with all French records reflecting only his Legion identity.  He can then go to France or wherever he chooses and begin a new life.

The Church is one body, not just a gathering of individual believers.  We have been strong on the individual believer but weak on the body.  Many of the problems we continually deal with in our churches are symptomatic of this very thing.  We have labored at honing the individual believer into all he/she can be but not the body.  The real strength and ability of the body of Christ is in who we are together not who we are individually.  A church of one hundred committed together as one with a common vision can do more for the Kingdom of God than a church of one thousand believers committed only to their own individual growth, desires and vision.  The strength of a church is not in its numbers but in its unity.

When a people work together as one, they enter into multiplication, otherwise, they can do no better than addition.  Addition is good, but multiplication is better.  That’s the principle behind HCI—together we can do more for His glory.

And remember this:  the principle of multiplication affects not only the body that works together but those individuals in the body working together, activating the principle.  It really is win-win.

Together—wow, that’s a powerful potential!

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

I guard my time each morning and do not allow other things to easily interfere.  But I have found that there is something about also having a place—a place where we meet with God.  I understand and know Jesus is that place.  But just as it is good to have a physical location for a church to meet and worship God, so it has proven the same for me.  Because I travel as much as I do, I think that intensifies the enjoyment when I can be here.

There is something about this place—it is a meeting place for the Lord and me.  It really is.  I’ve dedicated it as such. There is a “feel” about it.  And it is good.

Physical places can hold powerful significance in our lives—places where God did something unique or special.  I remember where I was when I met Jesus Christ.  I can take you there and point out the spot where I knelt in prayer.  I remember where I was when I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  I can take you there.  I remember where I was when I answered the call of God upon my life.  And yes, I can take you there.

I could go on and on, pointing out specific places where specific experiences with God took place in my life at specific times.  God is a God of absolute purpose and infinitely meticulous details.  Unlike us, He does not miss a thing.

Before I had a study in our home, there were several places I would go to pray, depending on the time of day.  One place was, literally, our walk-in closet.  It was a good place to go if everyone was still up and a lot of activity was going on in our home.

At times, God would tug at my spirit.  When I knelt to pray I could sense the presence of God, almost as if He had been waiting for me to come pray.  I might have said prayers throughout the day, but there was something different about being able to go to an area that had been predesignated for me to meet with God.

I do believe there is something about a place.  Perhaps it is on the part of us rather than God.  I don’t know, but God made and knows us.  An interesting study is what God says about certain places and His covenant with the land.  I do know this:  It has certainly made a wonderful difference for me, having not only a time set aside but also a place.
Just some food for thought…

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has survived and thrived through more than twenty centuries of adversity, opposition and all that the enemy could conceive to throw at it.  The devil and his cohorts have worked tirelessly since the Fall in the Garden to stop the work of God.  The closest he came was during the Dark Ages—not because he was powerful enough, but because the Church lost sight of its mission, its means, and its Master.  The basic principles of Church life, which were given to the Church by God, were replaced with the carnal systems of man.

The source of all the Church does must be the Spirit of the Living God or there will be no life at all, only dead works of man.  The glorious principles of the life of God in the midst of His people such as:  Faith, Prayer, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Ministry gifts, Giving, Worship, the Word—these are the sources of life and power for the Church.

God, who called you, has also equipped you to do what He has called you to do.  But like all the things of God it only works by faith.  We must believe that we are equipped and that we are able ministers.  Jesus Christ is our sufficiency and has made us sufficient in His work.

I am not saying reject natural wisdom—NOT AT ALL.  I am saying realize where the life and power of the Church reside.  The Apostle Paul admonished us to be careful how we build upon the foundation Jesus Christ laid.  We are building a spiritual house and therefore, we must build with spiritual materials.

Utilize the spiritual materials you have been given by the Lord Jesus Christ.  You are a good builder!

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Those are the words of our Master, the One Who called us and gifted us.  That means when we do the ministry He called us to, it is easy and light.  Now, I’m not saying there will no challenges or difficulties.  There will be those—too many to number—believe me.  What I am saying is the ministry—the functioning in our call—will be easy and full of joy.  When we step into the grace given us, ministry is almost a natural flow.  We love it.  It gives life to those we minister to and also to us.

As a young pastor, I thought I had to be good at everything.  I had to be a good preacher, a good teacher, a good leader, a good administrator, a good counselor, a good organizer, a good announcement maker, a good listener, a good husband, a good father…and on and on.  You get the picture.  I foolishly thought I had to be and do it all, and I had to be good at all of it.

Well, needless to say, I was not good at it all.  Actually, I was only good at a few things, but because I was trying to be good at everything, I began to fail at even the few things I was good at.  Ministry was definitely not a joy, nor was it easy.  It was difficult and joyless.  The harder I worked at it, the less happy and productive I became.

One night in frustration, I went to the church building, knelt at the altar, threw the keys to the building on the floor and said, “Lord, I cannot do this.  I am no good at any of this.  You should not have called me.  I am failing at everything.”  I felt like an utter failure and thought God had the same opinion of me.  “Lord,” I continued, “I was more fruitful for you before I was in ministry, when I was working and just telling people about you.  It was easy and it was a joy, but this is hard and I cannot do it.”

He responded, “Your problem is you are trying to do too many things.” Most of what you are doing I did not call or gift you to do.  Focus on what I called you to do and the joy will return.  My blessing is already on that, so do that with all your heart…”  “Yes, Sir,” I responded.

So, I got up from that prayer determined to focus on only what He had graced me to do.
Pride, ego, fear of man, ignorance of God’s will, or seeking man’s approval are the things that lead us into the trap I was in.  We are not called to do all things.  We are called to only do a few.  We can either know that and focus only on what God has graced us for, or we will never know the real joy and fruitfulness of ministry.

Howard Carter, who was used to restore the understanding of the gifts of the Spirit to the Church in the 20th century, is a great example.  He was an extraordinary teacher of God’s Word.  He actually functions as a prophet and teacher in the body of Christ.  He could stand before thousands and open up the truths of God’s Word so that all who listened came to understanding, whether educated or not, young or old.  He was graced to teach.

But ask him to give an altar call for salvations—he could not do it.  He could teach thousands, but could not get one saved in the entire group.  Why?  That was not his grace.  He moved beautifully and wonderfully in the prophetic but he couldn’t operate at all as an evangelist.  Once, when asked to pray for a sick person, he said, “Let me get my wife.  God has gifted her to pray for the sick.”

That’s not true of ministers today.  We preach, teach, lead, organize, pray for the lost and sick, etc.  We do it all or it is not going to be done in our church.

That attitude is so wrong.  It grieves the Holy Spirit and steals from God the glory and fruit He deserves.  An attitude like that makes us thieves in the house of God.  We steal from God and from His people.  “To one is given…”  We must realize and function in that and teach our people to discover and minister by faith in the grace of Christ on their lives.  One can preach; one can teach; one can evangelize, one can prophesy; one can minster to the sick and hurting; one can sing; one can intercede; one can lead, etc, etc.  That is the New Testament Church.

Get out of the “one man show” of the American Church.  It is wrong, and it creates a weak, personality-driven people.  It exalts an individual while limiting the rest of the Body.  It trains Christians to be spectators of a Christian performance by select ministers.  It teaches them they have no responsibility to do the work of God other than serve in their church.  It underscores the lie of the enemy to them that they are not capable of being used by God.  It creates consumer Christians rather than disciples of Jesus Christ.

The real joy, fruit, peace, and ease of ministry are found in discovering and functioning in the grace of Christ in your life and helping others to do the same.  Don’t waste your life, laboring under a false system of man.  Determine to do this thing called “church” God’s way.  And His way is the way of grace.

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

We were in a drought in Alabama for some time and we really needed rain, but I’ll have to admit, if I had plans, I didn’t want it to rain that day.  Though I knew we needed it, and I wanted it, I didn’t want it to interrupt my plans.

If I’ve made plans to work outside and the weather forecast calls for “rain tomorrow with an 80% chance of thunderstorms, some possibly severe,” I don’t want to hear that because I have plans.  Let it rain all it wants when I’m planning on working inside—but not when I have plans to work outside.

Maybe we fall into this same trap when we want—need—God to work in our lives and our circumstances.  We want Him to do what needs to be done—what only He can do—but we have plans.  So we really want His work to be convenient to us and to our plans.

Churches pray for God to move in their services and in their congregations—but they have plans.  Pastors want the Holy Spirit to have His way—but they have plans.

It seems God and nature are on their own schedule and do not realize the importance of checking with us before scheduling events.  Perhaps He never received the memo regarding the calendar meeting so we can coordinate (and control) events.  Maybe He still considers Himself God—all by Himself.  Can you imagine that?

If we truly want God to work in our lives, our circumstances, our families, or our church, we must surrender control and remember who really is God.  Someone once said, “True revival is God being restored to His rightful place in our lives and in our churches.”  Very well said.

We really need the rain of God on our lives.  But it’s not enough to need it.  We have to want it and ask God for it.  And that means our plans may have to change.

How bad do we really want the rain?

Steve Vickers
President
Harvest Churches International

Jesus gave the disciples a purpose. He told them what they were going to do.  If you understand God’s purpose, the “how” will become clear.  But if you’re having a hard time understanding what it is you’re to do, it’s because you missed God’s purpose.  If you commit to the “what” and the “why”, the how will become clear.

“But soon a fierce storm arose.  High waves began to break into the boat until it was nearly full of water.  Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  Frantically, they woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we’re going to drown?”

Have you ever been there?  Have you thought to yourself Where’s God?  Does God even know what’s going on in my life?  (Now remember, the disciples are feeling this way and Jesus is in the boat with them.)  The Disciples were asking him – Don’t you even care that we’re going to drown? And He’s in the back of the boat, sleeping.

“When he woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water, ‘Quiet down!’ (Or Shut up!)  Suddenly the wind stopped and there was a great calm.  And He asked them, ‘Why are you so afraid?  Do you still not have faith in me?’  And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, ‘Who is this man that even the wind and waves obey him?’”

We can walk with God a long time and not still fully know him.  Suddenly, a circumstance comes along where we’re turned upside down and we’re wondering, Where are you, God?  Have you forgotten me?  We can begin to fear and question and forget the goodness of God.  We can forget the promises He’s spoken.  If someone else was going through that situation, we could preach the promises of God to that person, but isn’t it something that when the storm hits the boat of our lives, we tend to forget Who it is we sing about and proclaim, “You’re awesome.  No one’s greater.”

Have you ever felt that you were going to drown with God in your boat?  We’re human and we have feelings and a mind that thinks other than just the thoughts of God at times.  We don’t always feel faith, love and victory.  And the storms of life can rock our world.

No matter how hard the storms of life hit us, we need to remember that Jesus is still in the boat.

Storms of life come to everyone.  They come because we’re living in this world and there’s a devil roaming about, seeking whom he may devour.  He comes to steal, kill and destroy. And he wants you to believe that God has left you and you’re all alone.

Jesus told us to be careful what we say because we’ll be justified or condemned by our words.  There are three words to remember when the storms of life hit you.  The first word is recognize.  Recognize God.  Jesus was in the boat with the disciples in the storm.  He wasn’t hidden from them, but for some reason, at that moment, they failed to recognize His presence.

The Bible tells us:  “In all your ways, acknowledge Him…”  Recognize that God is still in control of your life.  He hasn’t left you.  He said, “I’ll never leave you nor forsake (desert or turn my back on) you.”  If you will humble yourself and recognize God, He’ll show Himself mighty on your behalf.  Recognize you belong to God and He’s still there.  Instead of telling God how big your problems are tell your problems how big your God is.

You need to recognize the devil also.  He’s a deceiver and an opportunist. He deceives in the midst of trouble.  Don’t be ignorant of his ways.  You have to resist his lies and bind him in the name of Jesus.

Recognize that something greater is happening than the storm you’re going through.  God doesn’t cause everything but God uses everything.  God will cause all things to work together for our good.

The second word we need to know is remember.  We need to forget wrongs of the past, people who have hurt us, and regrets we’ve had.  Put them under the blood of Jesus. Remember the goodness of God and His faithfulness.  Remember His promises to you.  The Word of God never loses its power.  Act on those words and not on what you’re feeling in the storm.  If God’s been faithful once, He’ll be faithful again.  When we believe what He said, He’ll act on our faith.

There’s a dream and a destiny that God put in each of us when He created us and the devil does everything he can to come against that plan.  We have to remember what God has promised, what he has planned for us and we have to grab a hold of it.  Remember the prayers you’ve prayed.  They are still working.  They have power.

The third word is revive.  Revive your faith. Get into the Word.  Rehearse what God’s done for you in the past.  Revive your prayer life.  Don’t quit when the pressure is on.  Start praying (not complaining) to God, rehearsing what He’s said in His Word and how He’s been faithful to you.  Revive your worship.  Praise will get you through a lot of “stuff”.  Praise will shut the devil’s mouth.

Revive your love for God and His people.  When we’re in a storm, most of the time, people are involved and our tendency is to withdraw and build a guard against them.  The trouble is, it doesn’t just keep them out, it shuts out others not involved, and it can even shut out God.  You can’t have a tender heart toward God and a closed heart toward man.  We have to love people that have hurt us and those who will hurt us.  If we don’t want God to close His heart toward us, we can’t close our hearts toward others.

Don’t burn the bridge of mercy and refuse to love others that have hurt you, because you’ll be destroying a bridge you’ll need to cross over some day.  Make a commitment to love God and others, even if they’ve hurt you.

When I took my pilot training, they continually trained on how to fly in emergency situations, so that if trouble came, we’d know how to respond.  When trouble comes, and it will, these three words will help to keep your heart focused and help you navigate the storms of life:  recognize, remember and revive.

Steve VickersPresident
Harvest Churches International