When the Church stopped taking responsibility for producing answers, then governments and other institutions started saying, “Look at us.” This relinquishing of responsibility for receiving miracle supply has caused the Body of Christ to slip into a corner of the world’s influence, when the Creator has said that we are to be center stage.

“The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence” (Eph. 1:23 Message).

God has given us all that pertains to life, and we have the answers. We have a source that cannot be controlled by other humans, economics, armies, or any powers!

“Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say…” Luke 9:44

This bible quote encourages us to find a place of tranquility where we can take in God’s Word and take out God’s strength!  In the hectic day to day race that most people find themselves in, it is good to remember that we must take in God’s Word so that we may take out the kind of life He desires for us. This morning I am praying that each one of you would find time to enjoy God’s presence.

Remember we can find His presence in the simple things of life. One fall after a number of weeks of outreach in the radiation red zone just North of Chernobyl, I stepped out of the hotel into this grey Soviet era landscape. In between two 20 story buildings in the far distance was a little tree not more than 6 feet tall. On its branches were bright red leaves. I remember blurting out, “Look everyone! Isn’t that beautiful!?” The crowd around me was strangely confused looking for anything of beauty, but there in the distance was that bright autumn tree.

I encourage you today in the midst of your busy life to make a moment that refreshes your heart and your spirit. Maybe it is gazing at a special picture, taking a walk on the beach, or even throwing a few snowballs. Regardless, remember—take in His life and take out His presence!  Special moments come when we stop and glance at the beautiful landscapes of life!

Today’s miracle reality is that you are seated at the right hand of God, far above all principalities and powers. Literally, the mystery that as you go about your day you are physically present in this earthly realm, while at the same time you are seated in heavenly places in Christ at the right hand of God.

How can this be? We are living in two places at once reigning in life and reigning in heaven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

There is a fish in South America that has two sets of lenses, one for looking above the water’s surface and one for looking below it. This fish is physically present in one place with one set of eyes, but has vision in two separate spheres. We are like this fish in that we may view life through our spiritual lenses and through our natural lenses.

It is an amazing reality that we are seated in heavenly places—right now—above our circumstances! Yet, we are physically present in this natural world looking into the heart of our circumstances!

Where’s the power? It is in us, it is around us, it is upon us, and we are seated at the right hand of this power! Hey, if God be for us, who can be against us?

Today keep your focus clear in both worlds! It helps and it is possible!

“But God, who is rich in mercy…Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ… And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” Ephesians 2:4-6

I want to encourage you in your awareness of your ability. Scripture reveals that we are known and called from the foundations of time. We are not an accident and our uniqueness should always be considered a gift. Each of us has a special role that has nothing to do with the role of others. God alone gave us life and calling so He alone is equipping us.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.” Ephesians 1:4

I want you to know that the Lord has always had His hand on you to help you in your calling. We live in a new era where each of us is a priest. The priesthood of believers. We who call on Jesus’ name are equally welcome into the throne room of our father.

 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.”  Galatians 1:15

Our calling is to reveal the life giver. Jesus did for us what no man could do. He became the source of all things for this life and the next, and the world is waiting to hear it and see truth demonstrated.

When the ship was going down and all hope was lost, an angel appeared to Paul and said to be of good cheer, he must appear before Caesar. We all have a Caesar to appear before. We all stand in place of Jesus on this earth to speak of the unseen God to a searching world. You are called to your Caesars. Go to them!

It’s another Monday morning, and you’re back at your job after a wonderful weekend. Physically you’re behind your desk, but your mind is still clinging to the freedom and pleasures of the past two days. You like your job, or maybe you don’t like it, but most miss the days off. So you hang in there because by the time you go home Monday night, Saturday and Sunday will be just a memory!

Now, work and labor are a good thing. It’s how we survive and prosper. But how we carry out that work is equally important. What do our co-workers see when they observe us at work? Are we enthusiastic? Impassioned? Committed? Or do we simply go through the motions, doing what we have to do to collect a paycheck?

“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people.”  Ephesians 6:7 NLT

As Christians, we are to work in such a way that separates us from the rest of the world. Our attitude must be entirely different by being positive and infectious. They must see a difference in us because we work from a supernatural perspective knowing that the natural will be taken care of. Remember, our focus is set on things above!

As your work week begins today, don’t forget that the eyes of your co-workers are on you. Do you show them Jesus on the job or someone else? Will they want what you have, or will they just see more of what they see in the world? Let’s show them the best way!

People who encounter Jesus have not changed much in 2,000 years. Unless they are trained to understand the truth, they begin to just stand and wait for a gift from heaven instead of using the gift of righteousness that has already been given to them (see Rom. 5:17).

They stand in churches and wait for a sermon to inspire them. They stand in schools and wait for an education to anoint them. They stand in seminars and wait for the free gift of a prophetic word to call them out. But there is a real danger in waiting. It is the main cause for the failure of the Church structure today. Inactive people find themselves in a very destructive mode.

If you ask a beekeeper when the most dangerous time is to deal with a hive, he will say that it’s when the bees have stopped producing honey and the hive is full. Thousands and thousands of bees swirling around with no work to do causes great agitation. They begin to look at the beekeeper and each other as enemies.

That’s when they begin to sting.

Churches that have lost the larger purpose of outreach begin an inward-spiraling cycle of backbiting, scorn, and criticism. This is destructive to the church and the very people they are called to work with.

The angels are still crying out to people, “Why do you stand here waiting? There is no gifting better than the one you have: to be blessed with the indwelling presence of Jesus Himself. There is no training better than what you have: to be led by the Holy Spirit within. There is no prophecy better than what you have: to declare over your life what Jesus has already done for you, and who you are in Him!”

There is no need to wait for what God has already given. However, there is a need to believe in yourself, and that you are gifted by God Himself to carry out His purpose for your life.

I was fortunate to enjoy an afternoon in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. When Michelangelo painted the chapel, he did not do it freestyle, just splashing on the walls and ceiling with whatever colors he felt at the moment. No, first he constructed a model of the room and made detailed drawings of each corner and each figure, so his work would not appear distorted when viewed.

Jesus is our model. As we go out representing Him, we must look more closely at Him. Why do people have a distorted image of Jesus? It is because we are the only image they see! That image can bring life, love, joy, peace, and healing power to every person on the earth. But if we do not represent Him accurately, people will not see who He is.

Let us understand Jesus not as just another nice spiritual man, but as the living God. And let us not see His Kingdom as something to be looked forward to, but as something to be experienced now!

We must take one more step to untangle ourselves from the system of thought that denies power to us today and makes us spectators, rather than players, in the arena of life. What will get us out of the bleachers so we stop acting as observers, critics, and reporters and start making life happen now?

William Booth is not a name most people recognize.  He was a prominent Methodist evangelist living in mid-19^th century London, England.  One cold night as he returned home from a service, he noticed the poor and homeless sleeping under the London Bridge and was overcome with compassion for them.  He decided at that moment that he had to do something to help them, and The Salvation Army was born.

In 1865 He and his wife Catherine opened The Christian Revival Society in London, and “Food for the Million” soup kitchens, which fed large bowls of soup and bread to the poor.  They established lodging houses to shelter the homeless from the bitter winters.

Christmas was always the most demanding time of the year and everyone needed extra help and encouragement.  Because of this, General Booth would send a telegram each Christmas Eve to his weary soldiers all over the world, to encourage them in their work.

In what would be his last Christmas, he composed a paragraph of heartfelt words to inspire his troops, but then realized the cost of sending it would be too much. He edited the paragraph into three sentences, then one sentence, then three words—and realized even that would be too many.

Finally, he decided to send only one word…one word that would continue to inspire his army to win souls, feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.

That word was simply, “Others.”

This Christmas season remember that Christ came to dwell in your heart and in the hearts of people. Allow Him to dwell in you and live through you—and let this Christmas be an “others-minded” Christmas!

Today we continue with the last 4 steps to begin initiating your creative process:

The fourth step, wait for it! What do we wait for? Clarity!  The moment when the light suddenly comes on, the darkness disappears, and your mind clearly pictures the idea you’ve been searching for. It often occurs when you least expect it…like while you’re sitting in a beautiful garden listening to the birds.

Fifth, test it! Give your idea a try! Confirm it. Your brilliant solution must now be verified. Are you open to evaluation and criticism? Can you sincerely assess possible shortcomings and faults?  Honest assessment is a vital part of the creative process!

Remember, creativity requires courage! Sir Ken Robinson, author and international advisor on education in the Arts says, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.”

Sixth, get up again! As an inventor, Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the incandescent light bulb! Edison’s teachers had said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” When asked about his repeated lightbulb failures, he simply said that he had discovered 1,000 ways not to build a lightbulb!  Edison’s 1,000 attempts were not failure but discovery!  Learn to celebrate your failures and embrace discovery!

Seventh, remember, you are in it to win it!  Now that you’ve refined your idea, it’s time to plan it, grow it, and build it. This is where the real work begins. Like a long distance runner, you are now launching a journey that will require training, resources, and energy. Keep looking forward! Some of the greatest creativity ever displayed by humanity is a result of thousands of hours of laborious experimentation.

My brother-in-law Pat is one of those amazing individuals who exemplifies the “courage to care.” Several years ago he was fighting a fire in downtown Detroit, a city that is infamous for the fires set in its scores of abandoned buildings.

What did Pat do? He jumped through a tiny basement window just in time to stop a man from setting a policewoman on fire! Somehow Pat wrestled her free of the assailant who had just doused her with gasoline and had a lighter in his hand!  His act of courage saved the woman, the house, and possibly his entire company.

I asked Pat, “How did you do this?” His response was simple: “You do the things you must to protect people. I am not sure I even thought about it…I just acted!”

I want to challenge you today to act on your instinct to help! Don’t be a bystander in life when you can be a participator! You can find the courage to care and you can change your nation, your family and your life!

Don’t ask what life can do for you, but ask, “What can I do to better the lives of others?” Remember Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends!

Scripture: John 15:13 (NIV)