I was listening to Philippians today and I ran across Philippians 1:15-17 which reads:
"Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment."
Talk about politically incorrect. In Christian circles, it's just wrong to flat out call someone an agitator. You're supposed to believe the best, right? What gave Paul the right to say, "This person is an agitator, that one is a hater. This one has good intentions, but him over there? Nah."
There are a few keys in the above verses:
1) The latter (the ones preaching from good will) preach out of love. When another brother seems to be down, they find out why the person is down (i.e. "Paul is not there because he did something wrong. He's actually there because of Christ. Let's be more bold in our approach too!")
2) The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry. They saw Paul's downtime in prison as an opportunity to get "one up" on him and become the next well known preacher. They also knew what that could do to Paul (i.e. "Paul's gonna hear about us doing it big while he's in prison and he's gonna get frustrated that he's not free".)
I've been on both sides. I wish I couldn't relate to #2 as well as I do, but sometimes these attacks do come. When I'm about to do something that I think will be highly effective, sometimes those thoughts come. They generally start out like this: "Man, when I do this or when this comes out?? Whew! People are gonna trip!" Then it turns to: "So and so already doesn't like me too much. So and so's might be a little upset when this happens. Oh well. Let them hate." Then, if unchecked, it turns into that person coming up in your thoughts on the day of your "big event" or during your creative process. (Sorry, this is just real. And if you have ever tried creating something in a market that you share with others, you've more than likely felt the same way too.)
Here's a little curve ball though. Most people who are in the public eye (or seek to be) are very emotionally fragile. We feel like someone is always trying to outdo us, make themselves look better than us, etc. When we feel like that in a situation, how do we figure out if we're being paranoid or if the other people are trying to be a pain?
Honestly, most of the time it's us! This is what I do: I examine my heart and say, "Why is this getting on my nerves? If they're preaching the gospel, why am I mad? What's in me that has me so agitated?" After I test myself and come to the conclusion that I should be happy as long as the gospel is being preached, I move on to examine the other party according to the scriptures. In Philippians, you'll see this common thread of selfishness in those who don't have the right motives for ministry. What does this person or ministry look like on a practical level?
1) They strive to do something big and can't wait to put their name on it (either exclusively or their name is at the forefront).
2) They generally try to set themselves in positions of influence, tell you that they are there and make you feel like all hope is lost if you get on their bad side.
3) You can tell by the way they treat you and talk to you that their concern is not the interests of the Lord. They're just interested in doing something big.
4) Who comes out on top in the end? Is their name shining bright, is there a struggle to see the light of Christ due to self promotion, or does God get all of the glory? (Not glory in word only but also in deed. Remember, if we say "God gets all the glory" but we treat people like trash then God is NOT glorified.)
A quick way to identify these people is seeing how they react to real unity. As a rule of thumb, people who are only concerned with their own things will never make time to connect with you on a one-to-one basis. Why? Because they're too busy trying to be "great". You never see them unless you happen to be working with them on the same project (which is not real unity). If they are in a public setting, they carry around a "network swag" instead of being truly personable. These are huge red flags.
The bottom line is that we should be okay with Jesus and the kingdom being preached...even if we feel the vessel is somewhat tainted with wrong motives. But we should also check our motives daily AND we should have a good feel for those who labor among us. Hope this helps someone!
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
"MY CITY" by Litarodi featuring...me (NEW MUSIC VIDEO)
Hey Everybody! This just went up tonight! This song is called "My City" and was the official song for San Antonio's God Belongs In My City event. It was pretty fun working on both the song, the rallies, the video and everything else. It was definitely an honor to be featured on the song. For more info on God Belongs In My City, check out www.godbelongsinmycity.com. I'm also on a small team called reAction which basically headed up the event in San Antonio. Check us out at www.reactionnow.org. Finally, check out my bro Litarodi. This song will be featured on his next project. I've actually heard some other songs from his upcoming CD...very nice! If you'd like to visit his website, check out www.litarodi.com. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Good Advice on Loving Teens by Dr. Gary Chapman
Loving Teens in an Unloving World
Did you know that 60 years ago, teenagers did not exist? That is, as a separate cultural group. Before the industrial age, teens worked on their parents' farms until they got married. With industrialization, teens had a choice. They could be a weaver, a cobbler, or a machinist. But they still lived with their parents until they got married; usually in the late teens.
In the modern world teens have high school, college, and often graduate school before they get married. So they are with parents much longer. This is good news, because it gives us greater opportunity to influence their lives for good. Remember, the quality of your marriage is your greatest means of influence. They will remember your model long after they have forgotten your words.
Never Stop Loving
Do you ever get frustrated with your teenager? The teenager has a strong pull toward independence and is going through radical physical and emotional change. They are greatly influenced by their peers. In fact we often speak of teenage culture.
That culture focuses on music, dress, language, and behavior. This has often created a great divide between teens and parents. So, at a time when the teen most needs moral and spiritual guidance, parents are often rejected. Don't allow your differences to keep you from loving your teen. Love keeps the door open for your positive influence. Learn your teens love language and speak it daily. They never outgrow their need for love.
The Age of Reason
Adolescence is the age of reason. Teenagers are beginning to think logically. We say they are argumentative. Many parents have said through the years, "I think my teenager is going to be an attorney, he is so good at arguments." In reality the teen is developing his mental skills. If parents don't realize this they can create an adversarial relationship where the teen does not feel free to flex his intellectual muscles.
How do we create a positive atmosphere where we can have meaningful dialogue with our budding philosopher? In one word: love. When the teen feels loved he still may not agree with parents, but he will respect them; and be influenced by their opinions.
Recognize the Changed Culture
In my book, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers, I try to help parents understand contemporary teens. Their world is vastly different from the world in which we grew up. Think of these five areas:
Technology - They are bombarded with sights & sounds.
Knowledge and exposure to violence - it is daily and they are keenly aware of it.
The fragmented family - One teen said, "I'm the only student in my class living with my real mother and father."
Knowledge of and exposure to sexuality - overtly sexual messages bombard our teenagers daily.
Neutral moral and religious values - They are told that there are no moral absolutes.
Do you understand why I am so concerned that parents learn to love teens effectively?
Parents Take Heed
If I had one message to give to the parents of teenagers it would be this: Please remember that you still have the greatest influence on your son or daughter. We have heard so much about peer pressure, that many parents have given up on trying to influence their teen. All of the research indicates that parents have far more influence on the behavior of teens than do their peers.
Your own behavior is your greatest influence. If you are a person of honesty, loyalty, and commitment, you are greatly influencing your teen. If you give them a model of a loving marriage you are creating for them emotional security. Teens respect parents of integrity. They want you to be their hero.
Wondering what your teen's love language is? Check out the online assessment at
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/personal-profiles/parents-of-teenagers/
Adapted from The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers by Dr. Gary Chapman. To find out more about Dr. Chapman's resources, visit www.5lovelanguages.com.
Did you know that 60 years ago, teenagers did not exist? That is, as a separate cultural group. Before the industrial age, teens worked on their parents' farms until they got married. With industrialization, teens had a choice. They could be a weaver, a cobbler, or a machinist. But they still lived with their parents until they got married; usually in the late teens.
In the modern world teens have high school, college, and often graduate school before they get married. So they are with parents much longer. This is good news, because it gives us greater opportunity to influence their lives for good. Remember, the quality of your marriage is your greatest means of influence. They will remember your model long after they have forgotten your words.
Never Stop Loving
Do you ever get frustrated with your teenager? The teenager has a strong pull toward independence and is going through radical physical and emotional change. They are greatly influenced by their peers. In fact we often speak of teenage culture.
That culture focuses on music, dress, language, and behavior. This has often created a great divide between teens and parents. So, at a time when the teen most needs moral and spiritual guidance, parents are often rejected. Don't allow your differences to keep you from loving your teen. Love keeps the door open for your positive influence. Learn your teens love language and speak it daily. They never outgrow their need for love.
The Age of Reason
Adolescence is the age of reason. Teenagers are beginning to think logically. We say they are argumentative. Many parents have said through the years, "I think my teenager is going to be an attorney, he is so good at arguments." In reality the teen is developing his mental skills. If parents don't realize this they can create an adversarial relationship where the teen does not feel free to flex his intellectual muscles.
How do we create a positive atmosphere where we can have meaningful dialogue with our budding philosopher? In one word: love. When the teen feels loved he still may not agree with parents, but he will respect them; and be influenced by their opinions.
Recognize the Changed Culture
In my book, The Five Love Languages of Teenagers, I try to help parents understand contemporary teens. Their world is vastly different from the world in which we grew up. Think of these five areas:
Technology - They are bombarded with sights & sounds.
Knowledge and exposure to violence - it is daily and they are keenly aware of it.
The fragmented family - One teen said, "I'm the only student in my class living with my real mother and father."
Knowledge of and exposure to sexuality - overtly sexual messages bombard our teenagers daily.
Neutral moral and religious values - They are told that there are no moral absolutes.
Do you understand why I am so concerned that parents learn to love teens effectively?
Parents Take Heed
If I had one message to give to the parents of teenagers it would be this: Please remember that you still have the greatest influence on your son or daughter. We have heard so much about peer pressure, that many parents have given up on trying to influence their teen. All of the research indicates that parents have far more influence on the behavior of teens than do their peers.
Your own behavior is your greatest influence. If you are a person of honesty, loyalty, and commitment, you are greatly influencing your teen. If you give them a model of a loving marriage you are creating for them emotional security. Teens respect parents of integrity. They want you to be their hero.
Wondering what your teen's love language is? Check out the online assessment at
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/personal-profiles/parents-of-teenagers/
Adapted from The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers by Dr. Gary Chapman. To find out more about Dr. Chapman's resources, visit www.5lovelanguages.com.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Prophetic Dreams and Visions (pt 3)
So before I continue with the story, I think that you shoud know that when I started part 1 of this little series I had no idea that this whole wallet situation was going to happen. I was actually going to share another recent dream that had (and continues to have) a huge impact on my life. I chose to talk about this dream and the wallet situation because this was so fresh and so relevant to our little discussion here. I should also let you know that the Lord has been dealing with me about the importance of a solid prayer life. And, of course, when the Lord wants to begin to teach you something, the enemy is always there to fight against that. I have been having an extremely difficult time praying and studying. I know we all struggle because our flesh doesn't wanna pray or read...and we have that struggle everyday. But this is not that. I feel that there is some extra hindrance there. So when I tell you the rest of this story, please understand that God in His sovereignty is trying to teach me the importance of prayer. I'm no prayer warrior...although I'd like to be. With that being said, let's get back to the situation.
I was in the car having a breakdown. The Lord told me that someone had my wallet (and for those of you who thought that the someone was me, it wasn't lol!) When the Lord told me that someone had my wallet, I asked the Lord to "crush" whoever had it. Mind you, I was pretty frustrated when I prayed the prayer. To my knowledge, this wasn't a "righteous" indignation. It was a "someone-has-my-wallet-so-I-hope-they-get-what-they-deserve" indignation. After I said that I figured, "No use complaining. What's done is done. Let me start cancelling cards and hope that there are no crazy charges to my account." I drove back to the church, and posted on Facebook that I lost my wallet and that I was now cancelling cards. You all saw it. You all showed sympathy. I thank you for that! When I got back to the church, I called a pastor friend of mine to tell him that I had to cancel my appointment with him because I didnt have a driver's license. We got to talking about a little bit of what we would've talked about had we kept the meeting. While I was on the phone with him, Faith (our receptionist/children's ministry extraodinaire) comes and tells me that there is a police officer on the phone for me. Now I received a call from a police officer last week. He wanted to rent the gym and I am the one that handles those requests. And because I didn't even make a police report about my wallet possibly being stolen, I just assumed it was the officer calling about gym rental. I asked Faith (yes, that's her real name) to forward the call to my voicemail. Thank the Lord she didn't. She instead asked my wife to take the call. I was still on the phone with the pastor when my wife came down. She told me to talk to her after I got off of the phone and said to me, "it's about your wallet." I thought she was just gonna encourage me to get the ball rolling on card cancellations and such. I'm a procrastinator.
After I finished my call, I went to go talk to my wife. Little did I know that the call was from a police officer who found 3 of my cards: my personal debit card, my business debit card, and a capital one mastercard. Now out of everything in my wallet, these were the things I was most concerned about. The police officer told my wife that he would come by the church and give me my cards. Crazy! But what's even crazier is how it all happened...
When the police officer came and dropped off my cards, he told me the story. He said that he was dispatched after the police station received a call from a cafe right up the street from the our church. He said that the cafe reported that there was a person sitting outside of the cafe that looked pretty sick. The officer who was dispatched happened to be a Christian. When the officer arrived at the scene, he asked the young man for some ID. When the young man gave the police officer the information, the officer pulled up some information on the man. Turns out the young man had warrants for his arrest. The officer then searched the man and, in searching his wallet, he found my cards! You're probably thinking, "How did he know to contact your church?" I told you earlier that this man was a Christian man, right. Well this same man went to a men's conference that my dad and I attended 2 years ago. When he saw the last name he told me that his thoughts were, "I wonder if this is the same Flowers that pastors Faith Outreach..." He pulls up the church information in his computer, calls the church, and ends up talking to Faith...who tried to tell me the officer was calling...etc. The young man who had my cards tried telling the officer that he just found the cards. The officer said that the young man was stoned on methodone and had weed in his pocket...so with that and the warrants, he ended up going to jail. When the officer pulls up, he's listening to KDRY 1100. Funny thing, I just did an interview taping on KDRY the day before. He told me that he remembered the church because he visited once and loved it lol! God is awesome.
Think about this! Had I not had that dream (and the confirmation of the God's voice), I wouldn't have randomly (and in my opinion quite fleshly) asked God for justice. And God in His sovereignty heard my request and brought justice to me. I still have take care of things like getting a new driver's license, etc. But you know what? After a miracle like that I have to believe that if God really wanted me to have my whole wallet back he would've given it to me. So as this relates to dreams, God doesn't do things haphazardly. God also cares about the little stuff...and will give you a dream to change the course of your life (like He did in my other dream) or to give you a simple word of knowledge about something seemingly insignificant. I might share the other dream with you sometime...much crazier than this story. I know this was pretty long. Thank you for reading.
Jarrell
I was in the car having a breakdown. The Lord told me that someone had my wallet (and for those of you who thought that the someone was me, it wasn't lol!) When the Lord told me that someone had my wallet, I asked the Lord to "crush" whoever had it. Mind you, I was pretty frustrated when I prayed the prayer. To my knowledge, this wasn't a "righteous" indignation. It was a "someone-has-my-wallet-so-I-hope-they-get-what-they-deserve" indignation. After I said that I figured, "No use complaining. What's done is done. Let me start cancelling cards and hope that there are no crazy charges to my account." I drove back to the church, and posted on Facebook that I lost my wallet and that I was now cancelling cards. You all saw it. You all showed sympathy. I thank you for that! When I got back to the church, I called a pastor friend of mine to tell him that I had to cancel my appointment with him because I didnt have a driver's license. We got to talking about a little bit of what we would've talked about had we kept the meeting. While I was on the phone with him, Faith (our receptionist/children's ministry extraodinaire) comes and tells me that there is a police officer on the phone for me. Now I received a call from a police officer last week. He wanted to rent the gym and I am the one that handles those requests. And because I didn't even make a police report about my wallet possibly being stolen, I just assumed it was the officer calling about gym rental. I asked Faith (yes, that's her real name) to forward the call to my voicemail. Thank the Lord she didn't. She instead asked my wife to take the call. I was still on the phone with the pastor when my wife came down. She told me to talk to her after I got off of the phone and said to me, "it's about your wallet." I thought she was just gonna encourage me to get the ball rolling on card cancellations and such. I'm a procrastinator.
After I finished my call, I went to go talk to my wife. Little did I know that the call was from a police officer who found 3 of my cards: my personal debit card, my business debit card, and a capital one mastercard. Now out of everything in my wallet, these were the things I was most concerned about. The police officer told my wife that he would come by the church and give me my cards. Crazy! But what's even crazier is how it all happened...
When the police officer came and dropped off my cards, he told me the story. He said that he was dispatched after the police station received a call from a cafe right up the street from the our church. He said that the cafe reported that there was a person sitting outside of the cafe that looked pretty sick. The officer who was dispatched happened to be a Christian. When the officer arrived at the scene, he asked the young man for some ID. When the young man gave the police officer the information, the officer pulled up some information on the man. Turns out the young man had warrants for his arrest. The officer then searched the man and, in searching his wallet, he found my cards! You're probably thinking, "How did he know to contact your church?" I told you earlier that this man was a Christian man, right. Well this same man went to a men's conference that my dad and I attended 2 years ago. When he saw the last name he told me that his thoughts were, "I wonder if this is the same Flowers that pastors Faith Outreach..." He pulls up the church information in his computer, calls the church, and ends up talking to Faith...who tried to tell me the officer was calling...etc. The young man who had my cards tried telling the officer that he just found the cards. The officer said that the young man was stoned on methodone and had weed in his pocket...so with that and the warrants, he ended up going to jail. When the officer pulls up, he's listening to KDRY 1100. Funny thing, I just did an interview taping on KDRY the day before. He told me that he remembered the church because he visited once and loved it lol! God is awesome.
Think about this! Had I not had that dream (and the confirmation of the God's voice), I wouldn't have randomly (and in my opinion quite fleshly) asked God for justice. And God in His sovereignty heard my request and brought justice to me. I still have take care of things like getting a new driver's license, etc. But you know what? After a miracle like that I have to believe that if God really wanted me to have my whole wallet back he would've given it to me. So as this relates to dreams, God doesn't do things haphazardly. God also cares about the little stuff...and will give you a dream to change the course of your life (like He did in my other dream) or to give you a simple word of knowledge about something seemingly insignificant. I might share the other dream with you sometime...much crazier than this story. I know this was pretty long. Thank you for reading.
Jarrell
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Prophetic Dreams and Visions (pt 2)
So on Facebook I let everyone know that I lost my wallet, right? Well I didn't let you know how I lost it so here it goes...
I was actually doing a print job at FedEx Kinkos last Sunday afternoon. I had another shipment of CDs that had to go out so there I was...printing more CD covers & CD labels. (By the way, thanks to all those who have bought the CD so far. Also thank you for the great responses to it! I'm gonna get better at posting my events too...pray for me lol! And if you haven't bought the CD yet, go ahead and get off that $5 haha! www.freedommusicgroup.com :) The next day, I went to another Kinkos near my house to do more CD stuff. I think I left my wallet/planner at one of those Kinkos stores. Sad, I know. I was looking for it Monday evening and I couldn't find it. I thought, "This could be bad but I probably just misplaced it or something. I'll tear the house down tomorrow and find it." Great plan, right? I thought so too until the next morning.
Monday night I went to sleep thinking about what I could've done with my wallet/planner. It was pretty important because I pretty much carry my life in there. Sad, I know. My passport, my debit cards, my ID/Driver's license, my checkbook, my blockbuster card (very important), my Sam's card...everything. I went to sleep with this on my mind. Then I had a dream. I dreamed that I was at the first Kinkos I visited. I was asking the cashier who helped me Sunday if she knew where my wallet/planner was. (Her name is Kat, a very helpful lady by the way.) In my dream, Kat was telling me that she didn't know where my wallet was. That was it, the end of the dream. When I woke up I got the feeling that maybe my planner was taken. After the dream, I was pretty sure that I left it at Kinkos and if Kat didn't know where it was...then I had a problem. Even though I was pretty sure I wasn't 100% so I woke up and began to search (sort of frantically) for my planner. I went to the Kinkos near my house to find out if I had left my wallet there. Then I asked them to call the first Kinkos I went to so that they could check if someone may have turned it in. They called and could find it. I was unhappy with their answer so I went myself. I was like, "Maybe Kat is there and she'll remember me. If it's there, she'll know for sure." I think I left it on the check out counter so if anybody would know where it would be Kat would know right?? I went to the first Kinkos I visited and guess what...no Kat! I asked the people who were working there if the found my wallet. They looked in their lost and found and told me the same thing that they told me when I was at the other Kinkos...no wallet found. I asked them when Kat was coming in. They said she wasn't coming in until 2pm. (I don't know why I asked. She told me in the dream that she didn't know where it was.) So I went back to my truck and proceeded to melt down in the parking lot. I was asking God why He wouldn't tell me where my wallet was. I was so frustrated with Him. Then I remembered the dream. Then I got frustrated because I wasn't tryna decode a dream at the moment. I was trying not to believe that someone would take something that doesn't belong to them. Then that still small voice came and said, "Jarrell, someone has your wallet." Because I was sooo frustrated, I quickly said, "Lord if someone has my wallet, please crush them!" Be careful what you ask for.
(to be continued...)
I was actually doing a print job at FedEx Kinkos last Sunday afternoon. I had another shipment of CDs that had to go out so there I was...printing more CD covers & CD labels. (By the way, thanks to all those who have bought the CD so far. Also thank you for the great responses to it! I'm gonna get better at posting my events too...pray for me lol! And if you haven't bought the CD yet, go ahead and get off that $5 haha! www.freedommusicgroup.com :) The next day, I went to another Kinkos near my house to do more CD stuff. I think I left my wallet/planner at one of those Kinkos stores. Sad, I know. I was looking for it Monday evening and I couldn't find it. I thought, "This could be bad but I probably just misplaced it or something. I'll tear the house down tomorrow and find it." Great plan, right? I thought so too until the next morning.
Monday night I went to sleep thinking about what I could've done with my wallet/planner. It was pretty important because I pretty much carry my life in there. Sad, I know. My passport, my debit cards, my ID/Driver's license, my checkbook, my blockbuster card (very important), my Sam's card...everything. I went to sleep with this on my mind. Then I had a dream. I dreamed that I was at the first Kinkos I visited. I was asking the cashier who helped me Sunday if she knew where my wallet/planner was. (Her name is Kat, a very helpful lady by the way.) In my dream, Kat was telling me that she didn't know where my wallet was. That was it, the end of the dream. When I woke up I got the feeling that maybe my planner was taken. After the dream, I was pretty sure that I left it at Kinkos and if Kat didn't know where it was...then I had a problem. Even though I was pretty sure I wasn't 100% so I woke up and began to search (sort of frantically) for my planner. I went to the Kinkos near my house to find out if I had left my wallet there. Then I asked them to call the first Kinkos I went to so that they could check if someone may have turned it in. They called and could find it. I was unhappy with their answer so I went myself. I was like, "Maybe Kat is there and she'll remember me. If it's there, she'll know for sure." I think I left it on the check out counter so if anybody would know where it would be Kat would know right?? I went to the first Kinkos I visited and guess what...no Kat! I asked the people who were working there if the found my wallet. They looked in their lost and found and told me the same thing that they told me when I was at the other Kinkos...no wallet found. I asked them when Kat was coming in. They said she wasn't coming in until 2pm. (I don't know why I asked. She told me in the dream that she didn't know where it was.) So I went back to my truck and proceeded to melt down in the parking lot. I was asking God why He wouldn't tell me where my wallet was. I was so frustrated with Him. Then I remembered the dream. Then I got frustrated because I wasn't tryna decode a dream at the moment. I was trying not to believe that someone would take something that doesn't belong to them. Then that still small voice came and said, "Jarrell, someone has your wallet." Because I was sooo frustrated, I quickly said, "Lord if someone has my wallet, please crush them!" Be careful what you ask for.
(to be continued...)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Prophetic Dreams and Visions (pt 1)
Dreams and visions, dreams and visions, dreams and visions! Does God still use dreams and visions today?? Yes.
There are many instances of God using dreams and visions to speak to people both in the old and the new testament. I've always thought that this was pretty cool. Joseph (old testament) dreamed, Jacob (old testament) dreamed, Joseph (new testament) dreamed, Peter and many others had visions, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar both dreamed. And this is just scratching the surface! It's just awesome that God can use whatever way He chooses to speak to us. I personally love to dream (although sometimes I get lazy and don't want to search for the interpretation). God has began to use dreams powerfully in my life. In fact, when I'm searching for confirmation on a relatively big decision, I ask God to give me a dream and most of the time He does.
I will make this statement parenthetically but I've got to say it because it's pretty important. We as believers have to believe in the supernatural. We must also identify those who have the gift of interpreting dreams in the body. Just as God gave the grace to Daniel and Joseph to interpret dreams in the old testament, He gives that same grace to others in the body today. First believe that the grace for interpreting dreams exists, then search for it in the body. There are many treasures that God has laid in these earthen vessels. Ultimately the treasure is Christ, but there's so much more to Christ than we know.
Ok so please let me briefly validate dreams and visions with one of my favorite verses. We all know the passage in Joel 2:28-29 and the retweet in Acts 2:17-18. But there's another scripture about dreams that I want to show you. The following verse has helped me tremendously when it comes to this subject...
Job 33:14-18
14 For God does speak — now one way, now another —
though man may not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men
as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
17 to turn man from wrongdoing
and keep him from pride,
18 to preserve his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing by the sword.
NIV
Incredible. God speaks in many ways but man does not always see it. One way God speaks to us is through dreams and visions of the night. Now this may be hard for us to believe because sometimes our dream life is nothing short of carnal. It's because our dreams have sometimes left us with meditations of lustful thoughts, murderous thoughts, and all kinds of craziness, we tend to dismiss dreams as a valid tool for God. Think of your dream life as a tool. The tool is used by the user for a specific purpose. What if you had a tool and a person with muddy and slimy hands came and borrowed your tool? The tool would be dirty. That's what happens to our dream life when we allow the hands of the enemy to shape and mold our thought life. Our dreams become dirty. Fill yourself with the Word and you will experience authority in your dream life. God will be able to use that tool to "show you things to come".
I'll have to finish this at another time! I've got some crazy stuff to share with you about how God has recently used my personal dream life to lead me in the path of His righteousness for His name's sake. Stay tuned for part 2!
There are many instances of God using dreams and visions to speak to people both in the old and the new testament. I've always thought that this was pretty cool. Joseph (old testament) dreamed, Jacob (old testament) dreamed, Joseph (new testament) dreamed, Peter and many others had visions, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar both dreamed. And this is just scratching the surface! It's just awesome that God can use whatever way He chooses to speak to us. I personally love to dream (although sometimes I get lazy and don't want to search for the interpretation). God has began to use dreams powerfully in my life. In fact, when I'm searching for confirmation on a relatively big decision, I ask God to give me a dream and most of the time He does.
I will make this statement parenthetically but I've got to say it because it's pretty important. We as believers have to believe in the supernatural. We must also identify those who have the gift of interpreting dreams in the body. Just as God gave the grace to Daniel and Joseph to interpret dreams in the old testament, He gives that same grace to others in the body today. First believe that the grace for interpreting dreams exists, then search for it in the body. There are many treasures that God has laid in these earthen vessels. Ultimately the treasure is Christ, but there's so much more to Christ than we know.
Ok so please let me briefly validate dreams and visions with one of my favorite verses. We all know the passage in Joel 2:28-29 and the retweet in Acts 2:17-18. But there's another scripture about dreams that I want to show you. The following verse has helped me tremendously when it comes to this subject...
Job 33:14-18
14 For God does speak — now one way, now another —
though man may not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men
as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
17 to turn man from wrongdoing
and keep him from pride,
18 to preserve his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing by the sword.
NIV
Incredible. God speaks in many ways but man does not always see it. One way God speaks to us is through dreams and visions of the night. Now this may be hard for us to believe because sometimes our dream life is nothing short of carnal. It's because our dreams have sometimes left us with meditations of lustful thoughts, murderous thoughts, and all kinds of craziness, we tend to dismiss dreams as a valid tool for God. Think of your dream life as a tool. The tool is used by the user for a specific purpose. What if you had a tool and a person with muddy and slimy hands came and borrowed your tool? The tool would be dirty. That's what happens to our dream life when we allow the hands of the enemy to shape and mold our thought life. Our dreams become dirty. Fill yourself with the Word and you will experience authority in your dream life. God will be able to use that tool to "show you things to come".
I'll have to finish this at another time! I've got some crazy stuff to share with you about how God has recently used my personal dream life to lead me in the path of His righteousness for His name's sake. Stay tuned for part 2!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
How God Wired Me
I know it's been a little while since I've blogged. I've definitely had a lot on my plate recently. Let's see... I've got the fairly new arrival of my daughter Nyomi, conceptualizing and planning a new format of youth ministry in accordance with the Word and the new direction of our church (tough), establishing the new record label, releasing our first CD and everything that comes with that, and let's not forget the hardest part... striving to be a better husband for my wife and a better father for my daughter. I think the hardest part about this is not neglecting my spiritual life in order to do "things" for God. It's tough. All of the things I mentioned that I'm involved in require time, serious thought, counting the cost, and to be quite honest it's very draining. It's hard juggling all of these things. They all require my attention (some obviously more than others). However, when it comes to any of these daunting tasks, failure is not an option. I sometimes wonder why the Lord gave me these assignments when He KNEW EXACTLY HOW HE WIRED ME!!
Ok...a little transparency here. Here's a little bit about Jarrell. I would definitely be classified as a free spirit with leadership qualities. For those of you who know anything about leadership, that's not a compliment to myself haha! I should know because I very much dislike serving under "free spirits". I really don't even like talking about anything worth talking about with free spirits. It's just too complicated sometimes so I walk away feeling like Cole from Sixth Sense when he said, "...You're a nice guy, but you can't help me!" I'm attracted to structure, probably because I know that I lack it in a lot of areas. I like to dream big, but I'm horrible at calculating a plan on how to get where I need to go. I'm very direct, but very sensitive. If someone is very direct with me, I will probably resent it unless our relationship is good. In that case, I will only resent it for a little while, but afterwards we'll be closer friends! Haha that's so real!
So after all of this assessment of myself, I came to a conclusion. GOD WIRED ME TO NEED OTHER PEOPLE. I don't have the luxury of choosing whether or not I should have good friends. If I'm ever gonna get to where I feel the Lord is taking me, I'm gonna need great friends who are patient with me. Also it would be cool if they were not needy, always in need of something. Don't get me wrong, I can minister to needy people. But when it comes to someone pouring into me...a mutual iron sharpening iron friendship?? Nah, the needy need not apply lol! God wired me like that for a purpose!! I feel He's called me to assist the body of Christ in the growth of a few areas. Two of them are 1)biblical discipleship and 2)authentic community. Sometimes when God wants you to address something in the body, He will put you in situations where you realize that you NEED this issue to be addressed for the sake of your own spiritual growth. This is often how ministry is birthed from the overflow of your spiritual life. It goes so much deeper than theory because you're living it RIGHT NOW! Biblical discipleship requires authentic community. Authentic community needs great relationships built on godly love in order to survive. That's what I need right now.
I said all of that to say this: Give attention to the way that God wired you. He wired you the way He did for a specific purpose. The way He wired me has everything to do with why He put me here on this earth. God gives us huge hints sometimes. even if we are not necessarily searching for Him, He will create a divine dissatisfaction in us concerning our purpose and identity. If we follow the breadcrumbs and listen carefully, the hints will lead us to Him and His purpose for our lives.
Hope this is a blessing to you,
Jarrell
Ok...a little transparency here. Here's a little bit about Jarrell. I would definitely be classified as a free spirit with leadership qualities. For those of you who know anything about leadership, that's not a compliment to myself haha! I should know because I very much dislike serving under "free spirits". I really don't even like talking about anything worth talking about with free spirits. It's just too complicated sometimes so I walk away feeling like Cole from Sixth Sense when he said, "...You're a nice guy, but you can't help me!" I'm attracted to structure, probably because I know that I lack it in a lot of areas. I like to dream big, but I'm horrible at calculating a plan on how to get where I need to go. I'm very direct, but very sensitive. If someone is very direct with me, I will probably resent it unless our relationship is good. In that case, I will only resent it for a little while, but afterwards we'll be closer friends! Haha that's so real!
So after all of this assessment of myself, I came to a conclusion. GOD WIRED ME TO NEED OTHER PEOPLE. I don't have the luxury of choosing whether or not I should have good friends. If I'm ever gonna get to where I feel the Lord is taking me, I'm gonna need great friends who are patient with me. Also it would be cool if they were not needy, always in need of something. Don't get me wrong, I can minister to needy people. But when it comes to someone pouring into me...a mutual iron sharpening iron friendship?? Nah, the needy need not apply lol! God wired me like that for a purpose!! I feel He's called me to assist the body of Christ in the growth of a few areas. Two of them are 1)biblical discipleship and 2)authentic community. Sometimes when God wants you to address something in the body, He will put you in situations where you realize that you NEED this issue to be addressed for the sake of your own spiritual growth. This is often how ministry is birthed from the overflow of your spiritual life. It goes so much deeper than theory because you're living it RIGHT NOW! Biblical discipleship requires authentic community. Authentic community needs great relationships built on godly love in order to survive. That's what I need right now.
I said all of that to say this: Give attention to the way that God wired you. He wired you the way He did for a specific purpose. The way He wired me has everything to do with why He put me here on this earth. God gives us huge hints sometimes. even if we are not necessarily searching for Him, He will create a divine dissatisfaction in us concerning our purpose and identity. If we follow the breadcrumbs and listen carefully, the hints will lead us to Him and His purpose for our lives.
Hope this is a blessing to you,
Jarrell
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
A Little Bit About Me
Hello!
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Jarrell Flowers. I am married to an awesome woman named Jeneil! The bible says that a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. I have definitely found a "good thing" in Jeneil. She really is amazing. I have also recently been blessed with another gift in the person of Nyomi Raquel Flowers! Nyomi was born just a few days ago and...WOW! I have never loved a little baby so much! I feel a great responsibility to teach her how to bring glory to the Lord because "children are a heritage of the Lord". That's so hard to hear sometimes but it's so true. In the light of eternity, children are not our heritage. We are merely stewards of the Lord's heritage. He has graciously entrusted us with His heritage...the furtherance of HIS family Name! WOW.
What I Do:
My first ministry is to my family. If I weary myself trying to minister to others only to find out that in the end my wife and child have fallen short of God's calling for their lives, then I have miserably failed as a man of God. God is teaching me more and more how to be a better husband and father. But anyway...that's my first ministry.
I am also a youth minister at our church. I attend Faith Outreach Center Intl. My father pastors this church along with a great group of elders. (Yeah I'm a PK.) I work at our church part-time. However, we all know that youth ministry is never "part-time".
I am also a Christian music artist. I do Christian rap. I also produce music for other artists, write songs, etc. I do this "part-time" as well. At first glance you probably would think that I do music...especially rap. Your second glance would only confirm your first one hahaha! I don't look anything like a rapper. I don't dress like a rapper. I don't even call myself a rapper. Lol! I just have a gift to put words and music together that bring glory to God. That pretty much sums up my musical talents. I've started a record label called Freedom Music Group. I am the first and only artist on the label so far. It's been a long process but my CD is almost complete! I can't wait to see what God will do with this label.
Why I decided to start a blog spot:
I am going through serious progressions in my walk with the Lord. Since I've graduated from Texas Bible Institute, God has taken me on this spiritual journey that has been nothing short of revelatory. He's taught me concerning the Kingdom of God, the Torah, grace, sanctification, discipleship, the family unit, the structure and operation of the church, apologetics, and so much more. I've been enjoying this time with the Lord. Lately, however, He has been showing me how all of these things tie into each other! He has also challenged me to allow all of these things to become reality in my life by living a lifestyle of radical faith. He dropped a phrase in my heart a while back that has been going off in my spirit like a thousand bells since He spoke it to me. "Deeper than theory" were the words He spoke to me. In other words, He challenged me to allow Him to take me deeper than a head knowledge about spiritual things. He's calling me to walk in them....to walk in the supernatural without fear. He's slowly taking me through baby steps. So far, I've prayed for a few sick people and they have come back with reports of healing. God's also used my dream life in incredible ways...mostly to warn people. He's used me to prophesy (accurately). And of course, He has used me to lead others to Himself! I've been so excited about this process that I only thought it proper to share with others what God is showing me. My intent is to post whatever the Lord allows for however long He allows me to do so. Hopefully this blog will ignite passion and hunger for God, His truth, and His reality in the hearts and lives of all who read. (Oh...and I'd love to hear your feedback. I think we all grow that way!)
I could probably tell you more but that'll be all for now. I hope you join on my journey to bringing the pages of the bible into reality. Either God is real or He isn't. Either He is who He said He is or He is a fake and a liar. Either He can do all that He said He can do or my hope is in vain. If God is God then may He answer by fire.
Jarrell
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Jarrell Flowers. I am married to an awesome woman named Jeneil! The bible says that a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. I have definitely found a "good thing" in Jeneil. She really is amazing. I have also recently been blessed with another gift in the person of Nyomi Raquel Flowers! Nyomi was born just a few days ago and...WOW! I have never loved a little baby so much! I feel a great responsibility to teach her how to bring glory to the Lord because "children are a heritage of the Lord". That's so hard to hear sometimes but it's so true. In the light of eternity, children are not our heritage. We are merely stewards of the Lord's heritage. He has graciously entrusted us with His heritage...the furtherance of HIS family Name! WOW.
What I Do:
My first ministry is to my family. If I weary myself trying to minister to others only to find out that in the end my wife and child have fallen short of God's calling for their lives, then I have miserably failed as a man of God. God is teaching me more and more how to be a better husband and father. But anyway...that's my first ministry.
I am also a youth minister at our church. I attend Faith Outreach Center Intl. My father pastors this church along with a great group of elders. (Yeah I'm a PK.) I work at our church part-time. However, we all know that youth ministry is never "part-time".
I am also a Christian music artist. I do Christian rap. I also produce music for other artists, write songs, etc. I do this "part-time" as well. At first glance you probably would think that I do music...especially rap. Your second glance would only confirm your first one hahaha! I don't look anything like a rapper. I don't dress like a rapper. I don't even call myself a rapper. Lol! I just have a gift to put words and music together that bring glory to God. That pretty much sums up my musical talents. I've started a record label called Freedom Music Group. I am the first and only artist on the label so far. It's been a long process but my CD is almost complete! I can't wait to see what God will do with this label.
Why I decided to start a blog spot:
I am going through serious progressions in my walk with the Lord. Since I've graduated from Texas Bible Institute, God has taken me on this spiritual journey that has been nothing short of revelatory. He's taught me concerning the Kingdom of God, the Torah, grace, sanctification, discipleship, the family unit, the structure and operation of the church, apologetics, and so much more. I've been enjoying this time with the Lord. Lately, however, He has been showing me how all of these things tie into each other! He has also challenged me to allow all of these things to become reality in my life by living a lifestyle of radical faith. He dropped a phrase in my heart a while back that has been going off in my spirit like a thousand bells since He spoke it to me. "Deeper than theory" were the words He spoke to me. In other words, He challenged me to allow Him to take me deeper than a head knowledge about spiritual things. He's calling me to walk in them....to walk in the supernatural without fear. He's slowly taking me through baby steps. So far, I've prayed for a few sick people and they have come back with reports of healing. God's also used my dream life in incredible ways...mostly to warn people. He's used me to prophesy (accurately). And of course, He has used me to lead others to Himself! I've been so excited about this process that I only thought it proper to share with others what God is showing me. My intent is to post whatever the Lord allows for however long He allows me to do so. Hopefully this blog will ignite passion and hunger for God, His truth, and His reality in the hearts and lives of all who read. (Oh...and I'd love to hear your feedback. I think we all grow that way!)
I could probably tell you more but that'll be all for now. I hope you join on my journey to bringing the pages of the bible into reality. Either God is real or He isn't. Either He is who He said He is or He is a fake and a liar. Either He can do all that He said He can do or my hope is in vain. If God is God then may He answer by fire.
Jarrell
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