A few years ago ... I met a cowboy friend of mine, at a meeting in West Texas where I was preaching ...
We hit it off from the start! This guy is now like a brother to me, and we have a great friendship! At the time, we had only just met. He invited me and my family to join them at their new Cowboy Church out in Liberty Hill Texas.
"Hey! We live not far from there!", I told him, and I assured him we'd be there for the Christmas Special they were having! The night of the meeting, my wife and I arrived, with our youngest son John. The music was fantastic!
Corey Ross is an excellent singer! And one thing Corey always does, at the end of a service, is an altar call.
This time, though, the one affected was my youngest son John! John raised his hand and said the sinners prayer, and accepted Jesus as his Lord that night! It was fantastic! He got a brand new "Cowboy Bible", courtesy of the
Williamson County Cowboy Church, and he left there tell his Mom & I both, "I am a 'new' John!" And over the next few weeks, we could "see" in his life changes that he had definitely had a personal encounter with Jesus!
In this Christmas season, we are celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus. During this time there is a special anointing ... a "presence" of God's Spirit that is like no other time of the year! Additionally, this is a time that we begin to look forward to the coming "New Year", and all of it's challenges! What is it going to be for you this new year?
Your actions, and your decisions, about this coming new year, will affect the outcome of this year, and will be evident for months to come. With that in mind, I like to take the phrase that
Jerry Savelle uses a lot:
"If it's going to be ... it's up to me!"
One of his daughters,
Terri Savelle Foy, posted on her Facebook recently:
"
Quit talking about the problem. Quit waiting for somebody to encourage you. Quit waiting for somebody to give you a plan. Quit waiting for one day. YOU pick yourself up! YOU clean up your mess! YOU put one foot in front of the other and get moving!"
Great words from both! I like what Terri says in her statement above:
YOU pick yourself up!
YOU clean up your mess!
YOU put one foot in front of the other and get moving! It elaborates on one important thing! If "it", whatever that "it" in your life may be, is going to happen, it is all up to "YOU" to make it happen!! It is not going to even come close to becoming a reality unless "YOU" make it happen ... unless "YOU" get it started!
God put it to me this way just the other day, "When a woman gives birth to a child, that child didn't just come about overnight! She had to carry that child, and keep it close to her as it developed and grew deep inside of her, until one day when it was time to bring the child forth, she begin to give birth to the dream!"
He went on to tell me that many of the dreams and the hopes that I have had are NOT going to take place in my life unless "I" put them into motion. He said that "I" have to get them started, and "I" have to pray over them, and develop them, and keep the "life" in the dream, until one day ... after the dream has developed to the point of delivery, I actually bring the dream into this physical realm where people can touch and feel and see the dream!
So, this year I want you to make a decision in your life ... a life-changing decision. This is a choice that will change your life ... but
only if you make it a firm and quality decision, a decision about which there is no turning back!
You have to decide and say to your inner spirit man, "This new year, I am going to be a
Brand New Me"! You have to decide that
this is the year of your victory!
THIS is the year of your change, and of
your dream coming true!! Make the decision! Make it happen!
So, in closing, I want to use the words of my youngest in saying ...
"This year ... I am going to be a
brand new me!" ... in Jesus name!
Make me proud!
-pastor rich-
07-December-2011
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