As a worship leader who loves the breakthrough aspect of God’s nature, I love to lead people beyond their comfort zone into new places. Whenever I travel, I usually take the first few minutes to assess where the room is at, find their “borders”, and then see what I can do to push them over the line! I know what it’s like to be led across my limitations and experience new things in God, so I want to help people get there as well! The Hebrew language has some compelling things to say to us about praise that will launch us into new encounters with God.

Have you ever felt the joy that comes when God is moving in your life, only to be met by wave after wave of opposition? It feels like the old adage - two steps forward and three steps back. It’s tempting to “throw in the towel” in those moments, especially when they’ve lasted for quite some time. As simple as it sounds, the answer every time is: DON’T QUIT. DON’T GIVE UP. Keep moving forward. You have more in you than what you think. Take hold of relentless faith in an unshakeable God.

If you’re like me, you probably have a handful of books partially read sitting on your night stand collecting dust. Or maybe you’ve had some house projects halfway done that are nagging you to get them done before another year passes. Whatever it is, we all know the feeling of things needing to be finished. I believe there are some God given dreams that got put on the shelf in times past that God is asking us to pick up again in 2020. This is a year of fulfilled dreams.

Did you know passivity was the original sin of Adam? The account in Genesis said that as Eve took of the forbidden fruit she gave it to her husband who was standing NEARBY! That means he saw the whole thing go down and did nothing. Wow. Zeal, on the other hand, pushes forward into God and accomplishes things in the kingdom. It’s time to shake off the shackles of passivity and dance our way into zeal for the Lord and for our lives!

In our day, there’s all kinds of fuss about gluten, GMO’s, and all things bread related. Bread has been one of the most commonly consumed foods in the world for a long time. We obviously need food to live and bread has become a word that represents our sustenance. We get our nourishment from what we eat. You may be familiar with the old saying: “You are what you eat.” Well, in scripture, bread takes on a metaphor for what people feed on in their souls. 

Ever feel like the person sitting next to you at church has been baptized in lemon juice and vinegar? Lol. Maybe they have a legitimate reason for being down... Or have you been around super serious Christians? You know, the kind that treat everything spiritual as an intense act of warfare and to crack a smile would be irreverent and inappropriate? It’s time we loosen up, stop trying so hard, and get a glimpse of our God who sits in heaven and laughs!

Hope in the Bible is defined as an eager expectation that good is coming your way. However, many suffer from “hope deferred”...basically, your hope has been dashed. You may have stopped hoping in the promise of God, or the dream in your heart, or that things will work out in your favor. The answer isn’t in giving up and living a “que sera, sera” (whatever will be will be) lifestyle. It’s time to get your hopes up that God is about to breakthrough in your life!

God is a Healer! It’s His very nature (Ex. 15:26). If you are in need of healing or want to step into healing ministry, you’ve got to know that healing is what God wants to do! Regardless of bad experiences, seemingly unanswered prayers or just wrong theology, Jesus is still the same yesterday, today and forever. I want to stir your faith through scripture and testimonies to believe God for the miraculous!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you were able to talk to your past version of yourself? Or even just thought, “If I knew then what I know now…”? I’ve been leading worship for around 17 years now and I am happy with how I’ve turned out so far (I know there’s more!). But just for the sake of clarity and assurance in my earlier days, I’d want to say a few things. I think these things will help anyone in ministry...wherever they are in the journey.

God is the giver of good gifts! That can be easy to forget when the gift that comes is unusual or far different than we’re used to. It’s usually forgotten when people respond wildly, or manifest, as the power of the Holy Spirit shows up. The atmosphere becomes electric, power is being released, and people’s lives are being changed. But what also happens is - misunderstanding, fear, and even accusations. What we need to remember is: God gives good gifts and He moves in manifestations.

Names are powerful. Culture has shifted over time and Westerners don’t seem to have as much depth and value for the potential in a name...besides the hipsters and Hollywood stars who seem to always name their kids the weirdest names in history (lol jk). Biblical Israel had a rich value for names...and ultimately it was reflective of God, who hides prophetic potential, identity, and function in a name. Good news is it’s not just for Bible times. Your name carries prophetic potential for your life!

Depression, anxiety, stress and fear have taken far too many victims. Crusty religion has brought dullness to the “good news of great joy” proclaimed at the coming of Christ. Joy, on the other hand, is one of the most freeing things in the world! It’s a characteristic of God Himself, it’s ⅓ of the kingdom and it’s meant for the people God to live in! You need it, I need it...the world needs it!

God speaks! And He uses many different ways to do it. The challenge is - are we open to hearing God in new ways? If we have seeking hearts, we’ll be able to receive His messages in more ways than one, and even more ways than we’re used to or comfortable with. Life is always in His voice and we live by the words that come out of His mouth...they just don’t always look like words.

Have you ever felt like your past was chasing you down? It can feel like in the background of your mind there’s this voice reminding you of what you’ve done, who you once were or the things you’re ashamed of. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus makes all things new and God can take the sting out of your past memories! Although you may remember them, the power they had to shame you gets removed.

The power of God is not an option if we want to make an impact in our world. We need the anointing and we need revival. My only challenge is - do we know what we are asking for when we ask for revival and a “double portion”? In other words, many people want the “double portion” anointing, but are they willing to do what Elisha did to get it?

For those of you who serve at a church, do you ever feel that what you’re doing is insignificant compared to the worship leaders who are front and center? Or have you wondered how much of an impact you’re actually making running ProPresenter...or running whatever position you’re in? The truth is, no matter where you’re at - you can lead worship and you can make a huge impact for Jesus.

Several years ago, I went to a worship conference at Christ For the Nations Institute (CFNI) in Dallas, Texas. The keynote speaker opened up the conference with a message entitled “Lord of the Dance.” He spoke how the world had, in some ways, distorted the original design for dancing and prophesied that the Lord was bringing the dance back to the church. As a response to the word, he had the worship team lead us in an extended time of praise - specifically in the area of dancing!

One thing I know about hungry people - they always find a way to eat. Their hunger drives them to seek and satisfy their longing. God is stirring a fresh hunger in His people again. If the early bird gets the worm, then the hungry people always get more of God. Here’s part 2 on hunger.

Hunger is essential. Not only for practical day to day living, but especially in our relationship with Christ. It’s the hungry ones that seem to excel in the things of God. Passion and hunger are pre-built inside of every person - it just needs to be unearthed and/or redirected towards the One who truly satisfies.

“Falling out under the power”, “getting slain in the Spirit”, “going out” and the like have been phrases used to describe when people get overwhelmed by the power of God and end up on the floor. Some people have a hard time with it and others can’t get enough of it! I believe it’s one of the ways God works powerful things in our lives and the fruit is there to prove it. After all, “...our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases” (Ps. 115:3).