Visit Crossfire This Sunday

This week I’ve been talking about hearing the voice of God. Do you have difficulty hearing the voice of God? Can you distinguish His voice from your thoughts? In the coming weeks I will be teaching how to hear God’s voice. One of the key elements of hearing it is being available to hear. If you want to get in on this series of messages, come to Crossfire in Centennial, Colorado. We will teach you how to hear and be confident in what you hear; how to be scripturally sound in what you hear.

Our church is small, but vibrant; charismatic, but stable; prophetic, but balanced. If you want to experience something different from the norm, check us out this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. near South University Blvd and Arapahoe Road.

Purpose to Hear Him, Even If It Is Not What You Want to Hear

Several years ago, my wife and I were trying to decide if we should move from a small town into the big city of Denver. It was gut wrenching decision for me. I liked the small town, rural lifestyle. I didn’t want to move. However, I knew that God the Father would have a plan and would speak to me about this decision. I decided in my heart to make myself available to hear His voice. I decided to be available to hear, even if I didn’t get the answer I wanted.

Well. . . sure enough, He said we needed to move to Denver! Just what I didn’t want to hear! But it was a clear voice and I knew it was Him. Each of you must be available to hear His voice. You must purpose in your heart to hear even what you don’t want to hear. That is being truly available to hear the heart of God.

Pictured: Pastor Harvey with his young family living the rural lifestyle before hearing God's voice to move to Denver, Colorado.

Being Available to Hear God's Voice

We must be available to hear God’s voice. Our availability is not about physical location but about our attitude. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 6:19 that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in us. God is not far away in distance but He may seem far away in perspective, in our view of Him.

Our view of Him must be as one who is close to us, as our daddy, our "Abba Father." He is One who loves us and has already given His closest possession, His son, for us. There is nothing that can separate us from His love. Therefore, our attitude must be one of being available to our ‘dad’, One who loves us and wants to talk to us. When our view lines up with this, we become available to hear His voice and to act upon His voice. Availability is not merely about our time with Him, but our mind with Him.

Move Toward God In Order to Hear Him

Moses is an example of one who was available to God. Ex. 19:19 reads, "Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mt. Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said. . . ." You see, Moses was available to talk to and hear from God. Moses went up and God came down. Moses didn’t hold back. He made himself available and moved toward God so He could hear from God.

You and I must move toward God if we are to hear from Him. We not only make time available but our attitude available. The Bible says in 2 Cor. 10:5 that we should take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. As you make your time available to him, also make your mind available to Him.

There Is No Barrier Toward Fulfilling Your Purpose

This week I’m talking about hearing the voice of God. Acts 2:17-18 says, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy."

We are in the last days. Men and women, young and old should be doing what the scripture says. There is no barrier to fulfilling this scripture in your life, except your availability, your willingness and your humility toward God the Father. The scripture is clear that under the New Covenant we can hear from God individually, whether we are business people, government people, or church leaders. But God needs us to be available, willing, and humble to hear his Him. This week I’ll elaborate on being available, willing, and humble.

Are You Available, Willing, and Humble in Order to Hear God's Voice?

This week I’m talking about hearing the voice of God. We live in the era of grace, that supernatural favor with God. Whether you’re a businessman or businesswoman, a government official, or a pastor, prophet or other church leader, you can hear the voice of God. In fact, it is imperative that you hear the voice of God.

God’s voice comes to us in many ways: first by the scriptures, then by the still, small voice on the inside of us, sometimes by an audible voice, at other times by a vision or a dream, yet other times by a word of knowledge or a prophecy, and even by supernatural experiences through which God speaks to us. God has many ways to speak to us, but we must be available, willing, and humble to consistently hear His voice.

Are you available, willing, and humble in your heart? Are you really positioned to hear His voice? Next week I will tell you how to be positioned.

You Cannot Afford to Avoid the Voice of God

All believers have access directly to the Father God through Jesus Christ. All believers can and should hear the voice of God in their lives; however, many do not.

Many believers are like the Israelites in the desert who wanted Moses to hear from God on their behalf. They say "Pastor, go talk to God and tell us what He says." They say "Prophet, go listen to God and give me a prophecy." They want someone else to hear for them. They want someone else to bear the responsibility of their relationship with the Father.

In these last days, we cannot afford to avoid the voice of God. We must enter into a relationship whereby we can consistently hear His voice, understand what we hear, and act upon what we hear. Tune in over the coming weeks as I explain how you can hear the Good Shepherd’s voice and rest in His presence.

The Curtain Was Torn in Two and Now We Have Access to the Voice of God

We live in an era of grace and divine favor when every believer can hear the voice of God the Father. In John 2 Jesus said that the "sheep would know the shepherd" and that they "would listen to His voice." Jesus was saying that both God and believers would recognize each other's voices.

So it is today. God the Father hears you and recognizes your voice. You can hear Him and recognize His voice. The Bible clearly states that when Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the temple was torn in two, thereby giving us access to the Holy of Holies, or the mercy seat of God. The curtain that had masked God’s presence, except to a select few, was now open to all who believed in the One who died on the cross. There was now divine favor to enter into the Holy of Holies to personally hear God’s voice and experience His presence.

Do you hear his voice and experience His presence?

Every Believer Can Hear God's Voice

Before the time of Jesus, only certain hand-picked men and women heard God’s voice. The masses of God’s people were afraid of God and of His voice. Jesus changed all that. Jesus said He only did what His father told him to do. He was in constant contact with the Father. After Jesus’ resurrection The Father poured out the Holy Spirit on to all who believed in Jesus.

In Acts 2, Peter explained to the crowd that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of prophecy and the dawn of a new era. It began a time when men and women, young and old would hear from God in visions, dreams, and prophecy. It was an era of divine favor on all those who called upon Jesus as Lord and Savior. Every believer could now hear God’s voice. They would no longer have to solely rely upon one man or woman to speak the Father’s Voice. Praise God for His divine favor!

In the Time Before Jesus People Were Afraid of God's Voice

This week I’m talking about hearing the voice of God. Every believer must know and hear the voice of God to effectively walk out their calling in the body of Christ. In the times before Jesus, God the Father selected certain leaders to whom He would communicate His heart and will. For example, He called Moses from the desert to lead the Jewish people out of slavery. He spoke personally to Moses.

The Jewish people were afraid of God. In Ex. 20:18 the Word says, "When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’" The people wanted someone else to hear from God and pass the word on to them. They were intimidated by the Voice of God.

Tomorrow, I’ll reveal how this changed after Jesus arrived.

Visit Crossfire, A Church Based In Grace and Humility

This week I’m talking about last days leadership and the issue of entitlement. A leader must function from a strong sense of humility and yet operate in power and authority. A Godly leader will never walk in the fullness of his or her calling unless they can be both humble and powerful. Jesus did. Paul did. So can you.

If you’ve enjoyed the last three weeks of challenge and encouragement on the subject of entitlement, you’ll enjoy our church, Crossfire. We are a church based in grace and humility, but walking in the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. We embrace a cutting edge of the prophetic while healing hearts and changing minds into the image of Christ. Come visit us this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.!

Pictured: Crossfire members Mark and Karol W., a couple who ministers in grace and humility.

Paul Did Not Deserve Apostleship, Yet He Was An Apostle

A leader must function from a strong sense of humility yet operate in power and authority. Paul did it. He was very strong in the authority of his letters to the early churches, yet he was humble in that he knew he had been a culprit in persecuting the Church. He knew how bad he was in his own flesh, yet how powerful he was by God’s spirit. He said he did not deserve to be called an apostle, but he boldly said he was one and it was God’s grace that made it happen.

The last days leader must embrace humility and power, love and confrontation. We are what God has made us, not what we have made ourselves. We must operate in our anointing, our authority and our calling-- doing so out of the incredible knowledge it was Jesus that made it possible.

Pictured: Paul preaches on the grace of giving.

Paul Operated in Authority and Humility

This week I’m talking about last days leadership and the issue of entitlement. Paul is a great example of a leader who overcame the entitlement attitude of a Pharisee and became a servant leader. He said in 1 Cor. 15:9, "For I am the least of the apostles and do not deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect."

Paul knew the only reason he stood as a leader in the church was by God’s grace. Paul intimately knew that the gift of grace made him completely acceptable in God’s kingdom. It made him completely acceptable as a leader. It was grace that changed his heart by displacing pride and instilling humility. What a powerful testimony to the changing power of Jesus! Paul operated in the authority of a leader but with the humility of one changed by Jesus.

Pride and Humility Are Mutually Exclusive

This week I’m talking about last days leadership and the issue of entitlement. The attitude of entitlement is based in pride. The spiritual counterbalance to pride is humility. The extent that pride consumes the leader’s heart is the extent to which their heart is void of humility. They are mutually exclusive. They can’t occupy the same heart space.

Jesus made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:6) The more the leader humbles himself as a servant, the less room there is for pride and the feeling of entitlement. The more the leader embraces the undeserved love and acceptance of the Father, the less room there is for pride. The leader then walks in blessing, not entitlement.

Pride is Dangerous for the Leader

This week I’m talking about last days leadership and the issue of entitlement. Many leaders in the church have an entitlement attitude. They feel entitled to honor, respect, a nice building, the best sound system, and to be addressed by their title of pastor/prophet, etc. The root of this entitlement attitude is pride. Pride in what they’ve accomplished, their position in the church, their social status, which suburb they live in, their skin color, their heritage, their economic status, etc.

Pride is dangerous territory for the leader. It demands attention and attracts the demonic forces. Proverbs 16:18 says, "pride goes before destruction." A prideful leader invites destruction into his or her life. The destruction comes from both the demonic and the flesh nature and impacts everyone they lead. If you want to hear how to deal with pride tune in tomorrow to the Crossfire Minute.

Four Ways to Prevent Entitlement Attitude in Your Children

This week I’m talking about last days leadership. Many people in our society live with a core belief that they are entitled. Our children grow up feeling entitled to the best of our world and demanding things from parents and other people to satisfy their entitlement.

Here are four ways to prevent this attitude developing in your children as they grow:

1. Give them unconditional love, but conditional rewards.
2. Teach them to associate with both the rich and the poor.
   
3. Make them do dirty jobs; yes, those unsavory tasks that humble them, and
   
4. Stop rescuing them from their bad choices. The more you rescue them the more they feel entitled to be rescued from their choices. A pattern of sowing to the flesh nature paves the way for them to harvest from that nature. As you allow that harvest, they will soon learn what they are really entitled to.

Let the Jesus Attitude Defeat the Entitlement Attitude

This week I’m talking about last days leadership. We live in a time dominated by an entitlement attitude. One of the fruits of this attitude is people who exalt self and promote self. They function from the core belief that they deserve certain things in life and other people must give it to them. This attitude is completely counter to Jesus who made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name (Phil. 2:6).

The greatest effect leaders can have in this day is to do what Jesus did, humbled himself and let God exalt Him. We can take on Jesus’ attitude and it will defeat the entitlement attitude. Leaders can impart this attitude to those around them.

Leaders Need to Find People To Come Alongside who Defy the Entitlement Culture

This week I’m talking about last days leadership. Today’s church and business leaders are facing a culture of entitlement in America. Over 2/3 of the federal budget is composed of mandatory entitlement spending. That’s $2 trillion out of a $3 trillion budget. For example: most immigrants, both legal and illegal, quickly learn of their "entitlements" within our law and culture. What many immigrants initially feel fortunate and overjoyed to receive, turns into what they aggressively demand and feel they deserve. It is because we, the citizens, have created an entitlement culture.

This culture affects our businesses, government, and churches. For the last days leader it presents a great challenge to find other people who defy the culture-- people who will come alongside to maintain productivity, who will walk in humility, and walk in grace and civility. It is a challenge, but with God all things are possible.

Confront Entitlement With the Power of Grace

This week I’m talking about last days leadership. Leaders in the church live in a culture of entitlement. We will be faced more and more with people who come to faith in Jesus but carry an entitlement attitude into their new life with Him. Leaders will be challenged with teaching, imparting, and demonstrating the lifestyle of a servant that is 180 degrees opposite of the entitlement culture.

It is even now a major challenge in the church as leaders seek to get people in the doors, knowing that many feel entitled to a certain kind of experience and certain amenities. Leaders must seek God for effective ways to communicate the servant attitude of Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve. We must resist the temptation to feed the entitlement attitude with affirmation. We must confront it with the power of grace.

Entitlement Attitude Versus Jesus Attitude

This week I’m talking about last days leadership. We live in a time when most people believe they are entitled to a certain lifestyle in America. This is known as the entitlement culture. The culture became evident with the baby boomers and has substantially increased in subsequent generations.

It is revealed today by such things as teenage students refusing to do certain jobs even while they demand newer cars. It shows up in the workplace with younger people who don’t like to get up in the morning and demand flexible work schedules. It shows up in the church with people who demand the best entertainment preaching and newest technology or they may not return. This entitlement attitude is opposed to the Jesus attitude where He "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross"! (Phil. 2:6).