dennis j adams

The dream of many is to be successful and accurate in decisions making processes to hold on to the success gained. This drive for success is part of the human nature. The competitive edge, the social drive to be accepted and the need to be respected is all part of this life that has a focus on being “top” or “first” in a career. This seems to be the “accepted” procedure and character of the natural life style at least in the most of the world. The amazing contradiction to this is just how Jesus lived and what he stated as success and who would be the greatest among men. In His definition of success the last shall be first and the first shall be last. (Mark 9:35) The greatest among men is the servant or the least of all. (Matthew 23:11) This truly is opposite of what human nature and the built in character of such, procures through life and conversation. Seeking to be like Christ in this life one will always notice that He was a servant and concerned about the welfare of others. The Savior of the world, the Only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ washed the feet of His disciples. (John 13:1-16) This Servant of humanity, yet its Creator showed what true success is and what it takes to be successful. The position in life that is to searched out and to be embraced is that of a servant. Whose heart is set on the care of those in the world, the nation, the country, state, the city, the neighborhood, the home and the heart. Becoming a seeker of position is an infection in the Church or a disease that has become an epidemic. So many people vying for position. Who can impress who and what can one do to be the greatest in the Church. The answer is simple, be the least, the servant of all, continuously seeking those whom can be served and helped. The competitive life here on this earth cannot last in the Kingdom of God…

In His Kingdom one should always consider the other better than himself! (Philippians 2:3) Having the same attitude (mind) which is in Christ, (Philippians 2:5-8) willing to step down to be able to step up into the success of the Kingdom of God. The Christian today as before would be much better in approaching the Throne in humility rather than in a pride filled agenda to be the greatest. (Mark 9:33-37) The plausible approach to having peace and success with confidence is to be redeemed from pride and a self centered heart. This conscious decision will redirect the steps of a person to walk in the ways of the Lord. (Psalm 143:10) This walk will lead you into the spiritual prosperity and lasting success that each heart actually seeks in life. The empowerment of the Lord then leads you to bring others into the place of spiritual success as well.

His ways are much higher than ours and His thoughts are as well…. (Isaiah 55:9) He became the Servant that we could become blessed children of the King! To be the greatest, become the least!

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

Life can run its course and leave you standing right where you are! The significance of life does matter, so much so, that God gave His Son Jesus to bring us a life that is abundant. (John 10:10) The certainty of life is based on the creator of life. Its moments are married to events that can change a person for eternity. Just how important is life to those who take the actions of everyday and make it difficult for themselves? Obviously not that important. The Word offers us peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace that only is appropriated through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The relationships that we make daily may start off as an acquaintance but also can grow into a friendship that is life long.  This same type of connection can start with an act of mercy from the Lord and will hopefully grow into an eternal friendship. His love is surpassed by no other love and His mercy will rewrite the paths of any one’s steps. The guidance of His Word is a lamb and light on the path of anyone who will accept His truth. The acceptance of His love and forgiveness is paramount in containing the paths that He has chosen for  you.

There are days when the only aspect and view that you may in life is based solely on the promises of God. In those days, where prayer is on every breathe that you take and hope is pounding through the beat of your heart, that His Grace is embraced with a wholesome grip. Taking hold of God and allowing Him to lead you in the goodness of His wisdom and knowledge is not able to be compared to anything else; Not to the great moment of birth or the winning a Pulitzer prize. He has reached out to you with His love and refreshed your path with promise and hope. The future that He has placed for you already exists and He is willing to lead you there. Showing you the way in darkness and keeping you sake by His marvelous light. Now is the time to show forth your praises to the one who has made you His own. He has lifted you up above the storms of life and gives you the refreshing of a young eagles fight.

Managing your own life can not bring the certainty that God has for you in the present nor the future. Taking hold of life fervently and aggressively with an attitude of steadfast love will bring you into the relationship with life you need when God is the center of your determination. Gripping life is a step that most wish to take but often miss the simplicity of the connection with God through repentance and Grace. God’s Holiness and His Justice wrap around you like the arms of Father to His new born son or daughter. Pleased that you have arrived in His Kingdom and ready to protect you against the harms of life. (Psalm 121) Make contact or communicate your heart with God and grip life with all your strength and His Grace will lead you into the fulness of His love.

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

Each day many decisions are made! Made by millions of people around the world. Some affect individuals and others affect families. Some decisions made can even affect whole countries! Choices are important in an individuals life and can help gain success and also add to failure or destruction. The distinct choice to embrace prayer on a daily basis is the most important choice that can ever be made. Prayer will bring results that will change your life and those you have influence with. Prayer can change a doctors report from bad to good! Prayer can protect you when you travel and when you sleep! Prayer is an excellent choice in any ones life. Jesus chose to pray before He went on the Calvary. He prayed for the Father’s will not His to be done. Actually, that is the base for prayer in most cases! God’s will to be done in your life and not your own. Having the “tool” of prayer in your heart can give you an advantage over life as it races by! Holding on to prayer in the the most desperate of times and also in the time of great joy will always bring results from the heart of God.

When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, those He brought with Him were asleep instead of praying. This was a frustrating moment for Jesus when He found them sleeping three times (Mark 14:32-42) Asleep not watching in prayer. The disciples made a decision to sleep while Jesus travailed in prayer before the Father. This is such a “snapshot” of the Church in the hour that we live. The Church and its commission is asleep and the world is twirling toward spiritual aversion and confusion. Every person of the Kingdom of God should be watching, seeking and calling out to the Father for peace on Earth. This is the most prominent hour for the Church to be existing in! This is a time for great harvest and laborers to go out into the fields for they are white with harvest. (John 4:35) We should not pray with repetitive words but with words that will bring change in this day! There is so much to say to God when you pray and so many souls to cry out for in families, churches, neighborhoods, governments, schools, and business. Pray for the coming of the Lord! Pray for the healing of nations and unity in spirit throughout the Body of Christ! The list that one may have for prayer can never be to long but it can be to short!

The testimony of your prayer life can be this: But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. (Psalm 66:19 ESV) God’s ear is not to heavy that it cannot hear! (Isaiah 59:1) He delight in the payers of His children and commends those that come before Him in humility and praise. Throughout the testimonies of the Word of God, the noticeable lives that were led by God, were those that prayed. Make the choice today to find God in your prayer and communicate to Him the desires of your heart. Pray for the Church and the lost souls of living generations that continue to exist without accepting God as Savior! Just pray!

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

What is prayer? It is certainly not what most people would think! It not just talking to God, it is a communion with God. The purity of prayer was given to us through Jesus Christ and His giving of Himself for our sins. He taught us how to pray by example and in word. He gave the product of prayer in a model or pattern that is used daily by millions. (Matthew 6:9-13) The concept of prayer is not just to request but to praise and worship also. Having communion with God is the greatest of pleasures in our relationship with Him. There are men that take statistics of the length people pray! The length does not make the prayer it is the sincerity of heart that makes the prayer a worship before God. The faith that one has when praying and the hope of the heart combined withe the trust that God is listening brings the degree of comfort. (1 John 5:14-15) There truly is a “giving” oneself when you pray. The giving of your heart to God in communion. The placing of your heart to pray unselfishly and compassionately for the need of others. Prayer does not have a set posture nor a set time to it but it does have a focus. That focus being to receive and answer from God or a response from Him during the time of communion or soon thereafter. Does prayer have to be in word spoken or can it be in thought and meditation? The words spoken from the heart in an outward silent time with God is as magnificent as spoken prayer. Those times when you are sitting or walking and spending a quiet time with Lord are precious and most appropriate for those certain parts of your prayer life. Giving all to God in prayer is most important in the communion with Him! How awesome it is for the human heart to be in communication with its Creator. To express the very secrets of the soul to God and having Him respond to that secret place! His Holy Spirit even will give us groanings when we do not know what to say! (Romans 8:26)

The success that you read about in the Word is always based on prayer and faith in God. Jesus communed with the Father daily! Actually Jesus went from prayer meeting to prayer meeting too the Cross for our sin and depravity. He prayed while on the Cross (Luke 23:34) and He is forever interceding for us now in heaven. (Hebrews 7:25) The heart of the believer should always be in the attitude of prayer, constantly seeking Him! Being incessant in prayer and praying for all the saints in the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:16; Ephesians 6:18) Having the right attitude and character to enter into the Throne of Grace to obtain mercy and grace to help in your time of need (Hebrews  4:16)

The monumental ability given to us in every day living is the greatest advantage that we have, and that is prayer! To be given the opportunity and the privilege to give ourselves in prayer is the deepest gift that we posses. Never a moment when you cannot pray! Never a moment when God will not hear! Never moment when it is inappropriate to pray! Having this communion with God is truly a giving of ourselves to His heart! Prayer makes the difference in your life.

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

Confidence is a word that implies courage and stability in the life of a person.  Having the ability through any circumstance not have uncertainty, diffidence, or embarrassment. The certainty of reliance on ones self during crucial times is not what is portrayed in the heart of a Christian. That person relies on God and God alone for the providence and protection.  Paul said the he was fully persuaded that God is able to keep what he had given unto Him…(2 Timothy 1:12) Being certain of something means that your truly trust and it does not matter what it looks like because you have a promise from God that all is going to be well. You know that the Word is known and is true so that it can be trusted above all else. The Lord gave to His children a spirit of power, love and a sound mind not a spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7) Knowing that a thing is true and you are settled about it! So if the water rises you will rise above it! If the storm rages you will find the eye of it and be at peace. Having that assurance above all knowing that Jesus is that of your soul…(Hebrews 6:19) Reliance on God is not weakness nor is it laziness or cunning, it is wisdom in action. Being realistic about life will teach you that God has created life and has justified life through His Son Jesus Christ. Knowledge without wisdom can bring negative results and unfavorable reactions from overwhelming circumstances. Have the understanding of your relationship with God and obtaining knowledge along with wisdom will give you the upper hand as you go through life. Embracing the fullness of life with the benefits of God’s blessings and promises. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ… (Philippians 1:6 KJV)

Have you ever noticed a child in the arms of a secure parent? That child rests in the assurance that there is safety in that embrace and comfort in relationship. That is just how we are to respond to God in life. Resting in His embrace and being comfortable in our relationship with Him. Job had that assurance and certainty in his relationship with God even through the moments of deep despair and anguish. He knew that he would see the Lord in the latter day…(Job 19:25-26) What he may have been feeling naturally was not going to rob from him spiritually, what he knew was true. The widow with the issue of blood for all those years was certain that if she could just touch Jesus she would be healed. Her faith built on confidence and belief established her healing. (Matthew 9:19-21) Considering these testimonies and knowing that the shelter of His love is appropriated by Jesus Christ one can lean on the truth of the Word. The crafty underhanded ingenuity to deceive you of your promise is left in the hand of the enemy of the soul. When you do not apply the Word to your life and circumstances you leave the mind open for deception. the Word of God renews your mind and gives you the inner strength to overcome each circumstance and also to be victorious in life. Be confident in every situation and do not fear for He is surrounding you with His love…

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:2-4)

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

Since the fall in the Garden of Eden mankind has been involved in a battle between Good and Evil Good does prevail throughout history but not every battle is a victory though it may seem. God has a definite plan for mankind. This journey or course that mankind is on was laid out before time. God foreknew the steps of man and continues to show His justice and mercy when it is not warranted. In the respect that is why good always prevails. Gos is always justified in the end. When Jesus went to the Cross He gave the final victory over death and sin….(1 Corinthians 15:54-58) That is why fainting is not an option when it comes to the work of the Lord. He will bring victory in each battle if He is trusted and embraces with hope from the heart. What moves God in a life a person is when faith is activated by laboring in the Kingdom for the purpose of His plan for man. The warfare between light and darkness, Good and Evil, positive and negative, heaven and hell has been won already. The illusion that the enemy promotes is that he has victory over the believer. Job was attacked because the Lord permitted it to happen for a purpose. That purpose was promoted when Job stated: Then Job answered the LORD and said: “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You….(Job 42:1-7 NKJV)

The bountiful fulfillment of the Lord and His Grace toward each individual is quite contrary to the mess that the carnal nature appropriates through selfishness and arrogance. Man’s pride has caused him to lose battles that wold have been won if he would have humbled himself before the might Hand of God. The turning point in every battle in life is when a person can worship the Lord! Showing the faith in Him when the odds are not balanced toward victory. Moses had his hands held up and when they were raised Israel prevailed. (Exodus 17:11-12) Representing the power of praise and the focus on the Lord even when the battle is raging. The bearers of his, Moses’, arms were Aaron and Hur, for his arms became heavy during the battle. The implementation of unity in purpose if presented here shows that there a certain times when the armor bearer is needed.

The Gifts of the Spirit of God actually were given to each one according to the Lord that through the gifting applied victory can be accomplished. The enemy may come in like a flood but the Spirit of God raises up a standard. (Isaiah 59:19) The might and power that it takes to overcome evil is of the Lord and He deserves the praise and honor for victories won. (Zachariah 4:6) Even though it seems that the battle is raging on the inside of a persons heart the battle still belongs to the Lord God Almighty. (2 Chronicles 20:17) The praise begins when trust is activated and the “standing still” causes one to magnify and consider the wondrous works of the Lord. It may seem that evil will prevail now and even in the end but that is a masquerade, mirage, a lie from evil itself. He may go around like a roaring lion looking to devour  God’s people and purpose…(1 Peter 5:7-9) but casting your care upon the Lord will give you that steadfast faith to be able to resist the enemy and prevail in battle. The victory is won by God and shared with His children!

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

Friendship is very important in any relationship. There is a song that people sing that has the words in it “I am a friend of God. He calls me friend.” This is an awesome song and the meaning of friendship is so pertinent in this song. God and man being friends after all that man has done to rebel against God. The enemy of the soul continues relentlessly to try and break the relationship between the God of Creation and mankind. He works on the mind of men and consistently goes after to break down beliefs and courage. In ourselves we really cannot win against such an evil source of fear and debauchery. He enslaves men to their weaknesses and temptation is offered as light to discomforts.  The power to break the enemy from being victorious in your life is to realize that God is really a friend. A friend does not allow another friend to go through situations without helping them become victorious. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Friend. (Romans 8:37) Being a conqueror is something mighty and not always easy to obtain when such a strong enemy is in your face daily. God’s friends have overcome the enemy by the blood of Jesus and the testimony of their lips. (Revelation 12:11)

Job had friends and they are pretty popular and also could use words well to explain the problems of Job. That is how most friends respond when ask to give an opinion. The old adage ‘You ask my opinion…” fits well here. But when a person begins to speak for God there must be a foundation to the words spoken not just a “matter of fact” opinion. Job was looking for God to deliver him and if he did not Job knew that he would see the Lord in the latter day. (Job 19:24-26) He knew God is a friend and would not leave him alone for eternity. God did set Him free and brought the double portion of blessings on him in the end. How wonderful is that? How confirming to the heart to know that God took what the enemy meant for evil made it good forevermore.

The Lord confirms His friendship with us daily. His door is open at all times and we can enter in to worship and praise. His ear is not to heavy hear nor His arm to short to save. (Isaiah 59:1) He is that friend that never leaves you or forsakes you. Through the “thick” and the “thin” He is there to prosper and heal. A fiend that gives His best that you will have the best. To many people have “preached” a God of anger and wrath instead of the true character that He shows and that is a God of love and mercy. (1 John 4:8) He never forgets us not is unjust toward us in the labors that we do for Him.  (Hebrews 6:10) When Jesus was about to leave the earth and continue His ministry of prayer and salvation (Hebrews 7:25) at the right hand of God He called His disciples friends. (John 15:14-15) The constant affirmation and concern for the welfare of His children is awesome to say the least. He confirms His love for us because He is rich in mercy….(Ephesians 2:4) We confirm are friendship with Him by doing what He has commanded us to do. The balance really is unfair when you look at it! God shows all the mercy and we get the benefit of His friendship and presence. We are accountable to obedience and trust! God is truly a friend of those who love Him!

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

One of the great writers of the past, C. H. Spurgeon penned this: ‘The greatest sermon ever preached it the one with the least amount of words.’ This statement has so much truth to it. Living out the Word of God in action is difficult and often a warfare between the spirit and the flesh. (Matthew 26:41) Paul wrote that we are living epistles. (2 Corinthians 3:3) That are to be lived out in the world for everyone to see. These words that come into our hearts which are the Word(s) of God are to be activated daily in lifestyle and under girded in prayer. The saint today as ever before is an advertisement for God’s glory and mercy. No matter what joys or sorrows may appear at the doorway of your day He is there to protect, encourage, shelter and uphold! The failings of each day may happen (Proverbs 24:16) and the press of everyday life my seem weighty for the moment (Romans 8:18) but when compared to His glory in you: No comparison! His Word stands in us and also surrounds us that no evil will befall us or come near our dwellings. (Psalm 91:10) He has commanded angels to guard our way (Psalm 91:11) There have been and will continue to be great sermons preached throughout the world, especially with technology that is offered today to spread the Gospel of Christ. With more graduates today than in history coming out of colleges and universities with degrees and earned doctorates, the word is being spread. There is nothing, that can compare to just living out the Gospel of Christ daily in a world where you have influence.

Think about Joseph who was thrown into a pit because he lived out the love for God before his family. (Genesis 37:24) He never stopped, no matter what happened to him. (Genesis 39:2) He went from the pit to the prison to pageantry because he lived out loud his relationship with God. From all the demonstration and drama in his life he was able to influence Pharaoh to bring his family to him. All his family and the people of Israel were kept from a famine. (Genesis 47:27) One man lived out what he believed and was not ashamed of to share the truth with others. Being an epistle unto others is actually living out a letter that people will read. That letter states your heart and your commitment to Christ Jesus. Having that burden of hope and the faith to carry you forward into the place of virtue where the Lord can express His love is inspiring to others. The signature is Christ suffering at Calvary for mankind.

Preaching is a gift and how will they be believe without someone preaching? (Romans 10:14) How can one establish faith unless the word be heard? (Romans 10:17) The sounds of a holy life can be heard above the highest volume of a stadium sound system when that life of Christ is lived out loud in a world that tries to silence His love. Speak it, believe it, live it, all is necessary to bring to the heart of this hurting world a message that will change their lives for eternity.

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

Faith is a dynamic word that expels all doubt and fear. The containment for faith is not within the mind of man but in the promise of God. He alone births faith in the heart s of men and places the bridge of “I can” between the impossible and the possible. The confession of the heart is the cement that hold the bridge together. If the words from your mouth are negative and doubtful then the bridge gets weaker and weaker. Building up faith (Jude 1:2) in the heart and also in others is far better than speaking “I cannot” language that will lead to failure. The Word declares that all thing are possible to those who believe… (Mark 9:23) What seems to be distant can become near to a heart that looks at the possibilities and believes in God…. (Matthew 19:26) The confession of “I believe Lord…” can lead to success and blessings, too fulness and truth! Faith is not a word that one should remove from their vocabulary or life but it is a word which will bring the miraculous to where you are. When Jesus came to the place of decision to feed the five thousand He could have sent them away to the nearest village but He did not! (Luke 9:10-15) He knew that nothing was impossible with for the Lord and what could not be done by men could be accomplished by God! He fed them from a boys small lunch, yes, all five thousand men were fed and there was left overs. Faith in God always produces leftovers.

Living a life that is full of faith will also bring a supernatural flow of God’s power into your life. Faith coupled with prayer is the “key” to moving forward into the promise of God. There are rough spots and moments when all you can do is pray but there are also times of active faith being lived out loud in your life. When everyone else may say “Impossible” you can say “It is possible” for faith in God brings the results to the faithful. God puts a promise in your heart so you can rest assured that He will bring it to pass in your life through faithful living. (Philippians 1:6) According to your faith let it be unto you… (Matthew 9:28-30) If your measure of faith (Romans 12:3) is small and not nurtured then the results will be small but if your exercise your faith God will increase the measure. Going around confessing defeat will birth a negative attitude and you will reap a harvest of defeat.

Speak the Word of God out loud and take hold of the promises that belong to you through His word. Putting on faith each day as a garment and praying in faith will produce a positive attitude and a harvest of victory. Looking at your circumstances and not looking to God will cause you to want to return to a past illusion a situational comfort or victory. (Exodus 14:10) What would have happened if Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jacob, Ruth, David, Esther, Nehemiah, or those mentioned in Hebrews 11 would have just looked at their circumstances instead of trusting God? The answer is obvious they would not have witnessed the miraculous provisions, healing and deliverance that only those who believe can experience. The life that God has presented to those who believe is a “faith” life. God dwells in the middle of faith and produces from the soul of prayer.

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.

The wonders of God’s love toward mankind cannot be understood but only accepted as an unmerited favor. The term would be “Grace” which has always kept us from the punishment that is really deserved. To rebel against a Holy God, the Father Almighty and then to be forgiven by the One that has been offended is literally overwhelming to perceive in the natural. God’s love see looks past the place where He finds you to the place His love will take you. We love Him because He first loved us… (1 John 4:19) This love overshadows the mistakes and shame we have caused ourselves and brings into the light possibilities of repentance. Coming into the presence of His love takes courage but also recognition of the willingness of God to justify us through His Son Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1-3; 1 John 4:10)

Love is often cheapened by the way the acceptance happens. At the moment of forgiveness there is this great relief  from the affects of sin and depravity. The burden if sin is lifted and the cloth of righteousness is placed upon the shoulders (spiritually speaking) of the forgiven. Some how though, there is often a falling away from truth and a remanufacturing of the rules that God has placed to guide the life of the saint. The place that God once was in the heart is now a place that does not rule. Grace becomes something to use as a tool to live life to the fullest in the sense of a carnality verses spirituality! Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth about how they were acting as carnal people and not yet ready to know the truth fully of what God is saying. They were not prepared spiritually to understand what the Holy Spirit was speaking. The growth in God’s love is a “Grace” walk and it is based on the commitment of God and the commitment to of those saved to walk according to the Spirit! (Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:25) Taking God’s Grace and love to a lower level than they were given is depreciating the affect of the relationship that was meant to be. The attitude of God is He loves us with a pure love and it has cost Him deeply. His Only Begotten Son, the Suffering Servant, gave Himself that we could walk with God throughout this earthly life. The salvation given was by Grace and the certainly the acceptance is through faith. (Ephesians 2:8) The fact are true we could not do this on our own it was a gift! The “Grace” walk begins there and continues each day acknowledging His love and accepting His guidance through life. Salvation was not meant to be an experience that becomes a historical event but a very unique and present experience that is shared through life with love.

The love that we show is the love that is His love! His everlasting love that endures forever (Psalm 100:5) and draws mankind to repentance. The world would know more about Him if the Church would show more of His love instead of a love that is draped with self imposed boundaries. His love is worthy of praise and His love will change the heart of the sinner and the hurting. Only His love can do this!

Dennis

Remember prayer moves the Hand of God.