shift your perspective

, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, wrote Charles Dickens. The history of the church shows God doing the most amazing things in the most unlikely times. Don't let the "negative world" perspective frame your thinking, it will chain you to a too-narrow scope of seeing the world and then limit the possibilities you can see. We are blessed to live in these interesting times. So many exciting events taking place worldwide. Yes, these times have uncertainty and disorder hovering over people worldwide, but for us who are believers, these times are revival, prayer, Kingdom of God expansion, and churches filled with faith, vision, and praise. These times for the church are filled with creative opportunity, maybe more than any time in the history of mankind. Lift your eyes and see God at work, not the devil at work. I'm choosing Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven." Times and seasons are in God's hands, we just need to trust that God knows what He is doing in our times, and we believe it is His plan at work. Daniel 2:21, according to the New Living Translation, the changing of times and seasons speaks of God controlling world events. The Contemporary English Version gives a similar perspective on it. "You, O God, control human events, you give rulers their power and take it away, and you are the source of wisdom and knowledge." Let us not lead with a blurred perspective that has an outlook of "these are horrible times." Let us say our God is at work, our God is sovereign, our God has a plan and purpose, our God is the creator of times and the seasons. The sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times, Jesus rebuked his generation for not discerning the times, and Paul admonishes us to know the times in Romans 13:11-14 (MSG) – "But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!" These are OUR TIMES TO BUILD GREAT CHURCHES! I want to invite you to our annual Ministers Fellowship International Global Leadership Conference, happening October 2-4, in Portland Oregon. I believe that you and your team will be inspired to see these are our times to build the greatest churches ever. You can register for this conference open to all pastors and leaders by clicking on this link. Register Today Frank Damazio 9200 NE Fremont Portland, OR 97220 USA

Furnished by Rick Livermore Webmaster220 San Juan Capistrano California –  https://rick-livermore-on-blogger.blogspot.com/