God’s Gift! When I came to Northwood, God gave me a bold vision and a very big dream.  I have seen some parts of the vision accomplished and a little bit of the dream grow into reality.  I have thought and prayed a lot in recent days about why God would put something in my head and heart and then not allow it to become reality.  And have realized that it is not God that has gotten in the way, it is man – sometimes myself and sometimes others!

My Concern! I don’t have any doubt about what God showed me over ten years ago about His plans and future for a church called Northwood.  But I do have some concerns about some of the people, who tell you to your face that they believe, support and are willing to do “whatever it takes” and then end up going behind your back with a totally self-serving message.  Come on people (church people everywhere) don’t you realize that we are all in this thing for God’s glory!  It is so much bigger than our personal preference and agenda!

With God All Things Are Possible! God is great at giving big visions and dreams to His leaders, and a lot of church people are great at killing those big visions and dreams.  It seems that today, there are a lot more people shouting the reasons why it can’t be done, than there are people shouting that with God all things are possible.

Reality! Let’s face reality:  Most people are selfish and the number one reason that most people who don’t support the “Big Dream” of God, will not support the “Big Dream” of God is because they are afraid that the dream will require them to step out of their comfort zone.  It is hard, almost impossible to start a fire with wet wood!

On The Lookout! I am at a place in my life and spiritual journey, where I am looking for some men, women, boys and girls, who will encourage me to dream the “Big Dreams” of God.  I am looking for some people who will say:  ”We can and we will!”

My name is Michael Joe Harvell and God has given me a dream.  A dream for His Church to really matter and make a difference – today and for all eternity.

My prayer is that God will put me with other big dreamers or bring big dreamers to me, so that together we can give God the glory that He deserves!

I just had to get that out – now I feel much better!  Thanks for reading!

You Think You've Got Troubles?

We All Got Troubles! Everyone has a battles and struggles in life.  If you don’t, then you are most likely not living.  Don’t let the battles and struggles get you down, instead let them build you up and grow you into what God desires for you.

A Word From The Word! “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.” I Corinthians 6:19-20

Spiritual Growth! I have for the biggest part of my life been very serious about taking care of my spiritual body by making sure that I have daily taken time to feed on the Word and by taking time to have nourishing conversation by listening to and talking with my God.  Spiritual discipline is a priority and I know that there are great benefits.  Spiritual discipline comes easier for me because of the benefits that I know and trust that they will give.

Physical Fight! Physical discipline has never been easy for me.  It is a huge battle to make myself eat the right things.  And keeping myself committed to any exercise program is really a challenge.  I know that there is value, but I value the comfort of the food and relaxation over the discipline and work, and so I tend to let my self slip in the physical department.

God’s Dealing! A few months ago, God really began to deal with me in the area of physical discipline.  He helped me to see that I was overweight and out of shape.  I know most of you think I carry it well and so did I, but God really got a hold of me.  I have always been blessed with very good health, but God helped me to see that I was taking advantage of this very precious gift, so I set out on a journey to do something about it.

Holiday Diet! Right before Christmas hit, I changed my eating habits and amped up my exercise.  And over the holidays, I actually lost 15 pounds.  I have at least 40 more pounds to go.  I am sharing this with you, because we all have our battles and struggles.  I don’t know what your battle is, but I know that you have one.  I also know that God is talking to you about it.  The question is:  ARE YOU LISTENING?

Victory! Whatever your battle or struggle – know this:  GOD WANTS YOU TO BE VICTORIOUS!  When you are victorious, it brings God glory and everyone blessing.  So take some time to listen for God’s voice and then make sure that you are obeying by doing your part!  You are His temple and you matter.  Here is an amazing truth:  God wants us to get it right.  God wants us to live in blessing.  God is not against you!  God is for you and don’t you forget it!  Enjoy your victory!

Amazing Relationship!

Amazing! It is amazing to me that God would love me!  I have to admit that there have been many times in my life when I have taken His love for granted.  A couple of weeks ago, I was sharing with a friend about the love of God and I took a few minutes to walk with them down what we church folks like to call the “Romans Road”.  And so I thought I would walk down that road today, so that we can all get a good reminder of God’s awesome love for us!

Everyone Is A Sinner! Romans 3:23  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all sinners!  Everyone of us, no matter how good we think we are – have done things that we should not do and failed to do things that we should.  These things are sin that get in the way of our having a relationship with our Holy and Perfect Creator God!

We Deserve Punishment! Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is everlasting life in Christ Jesus my Lord.” Because of our sin, we deserve death.  We deserve to be separated from God and His blessing forever and for always.  But God offers us a gift – everlasting life and the blessing of living in relationship with Him and His blessings.  God offers us the gift.  He does not force us to take it.  It is up to us!

God’s Great Love! Romans 5:8  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Out of His great love for us – God gave us the most precious gift that could ever be given.  God did not wait for us to become perfect, but while we were still sinners – He sacrificed His Son for us.  Jesus came to do for us, what we could not do for ourselves!

Believe And Confess! Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is how we receive the gift of Jesus and enter into relationship with God.  We believe in our heart that God did this for us and that Jesus paid the price that we could not pay.  If we believe it in our hearts, then we will confess it with our mouths and the actions and reactions of our lives!

Amazing Love! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What an amazing love and what an amazing gift.  May we all live in the power of right relationship with our Creator and Sustainer God!  And if I can help you in any way to grow in this relationship, then please feel free to call on me!

God Turns Bad Into Good!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  2 Corinthians 5:17

Discouraged And Depressed? Do you ever get discouraged or depressed?  I think that all of us, if we are honest, have those times when life just gets to big for us to handle.  Those times when we are not sure if we are going to be able to make the next step or not.  None of us really like these times, but most all of us have been in and through them and have come out on the other side okay, in fact, sometimes even better than when we entered in.

What’s Your Instinct? In my life, when I am discourage or depressed, I find that my instinct is to go running as fast as I can to the Lord.  When I go running to Him, He always reminds me that I am a “NEW CREATION” in Him.  He reminds me that the old has passed away and is dead and should be buried and left buried and the new has come to life and should be enjoyed and shared.

Take A Moment! Whenever you get discouraged or depressed – take a few moments to let God remind you that in Him – YOU ARE A NEW CREATION!  God is always working on and through us.  He has not given up on us and neither should we!

Temptation?

Do you ever have a problem with temptation? You know the same temptation; and the same giving in; and the same sin; and the same guilt over and over and over!  You finally get to the place where you start to think:  ”If I can’t beat it, then I am just going to give up and give in.”  Which is exactly what you do, but you still never feel quiet right.  Some where in your heart you know that there is something that is just not right, but you convince yourself that you can live with it.

Why Do We Give In? Today I want to share with you what I believe is the main reason that we give into temptation.  And hopefully provide away of escape!  Now hang with me – okay?

Think about this: When temptation comes a knocking what are you doing?  I have discovered that temptation often comes for me when I am idle.  As long as I am busy doing what God has called and created me for, then temptation is usually not a big deal for me.  But the very moment that I slow down, then I had better watch out, because temptation is going to come a knocking and if I’ve got nothing else to do, then I will probably open the door.

What is the secret to winning over temptation? Staying busy in our thinking, working and serving to fulfill the calling of the Lord.  Have you ever noticed how the people in church that are always stirring up trouble seem are the very people who don’t do anything?  I mean they show up, but that is about it.  If we were all busy doing what God has called us to do, then we would not have time to get distracted by the often petty little things that we blow up into something bigger than it should be.

The Bottom Line: If you are a Christian, then stay busy doing what a Christian is supposed to do – Make disciples And Give God Glory!  If we stay busy with the tasks that God has given us, then we won’t have the time to get in on the stuff that the devil sends to mess us up!  What is it that God has for you to do?  Get busy and enjoy the victory!

Hang In There!

I love God with all of my heart! I love people, because I know and understand that we are His creation.  I love helping people to get to know God in a real and relevant way.  There are just way to many people sitting in our churches that are playing games.  When you love God and love people, then you want to help people for their blessing and God’s glory.  It is a hard pill to swallow, that people who you love and are trying to help just won’t or can’t get it!  If you are not careful, this can discourage, frustrate and get you off of the right path that you need to make sure that you stay on.  Our job as servants of Christ is not to keep people happy.  Our job as servants of Christ is to bring a smile to the face of our God.

The Truth Is:  Some People Can’t Be Pleased! Listen to what Jesus had to say on the subject: “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:33-35

That is some strong words! Jesus is saying:  John the Baptist came and was a strict observer of the rules and regulations and was falsely accused of having a demon.  I came and lived life with you to show you the power of a life lived in the Spirit and you accused me of being a glutton, drunkard and friend of sinners.  Ultimately – it does not matter what man’s opinion is.  The big deal is God’s fact!  Live right and your living will be proven right by the fruit that it produces!

You Are Not Alone! I know that many of you out there are struggling against negative, critical, pessimistic, destructive and unresponsive people, but Stay Faithful To God’s Calling No Matter What!  Because you are bringing glory to God and blessing to others, even if people around you fail to realize or recognize it!  God sees and God will reward!

Stop - Survey - Go!

What do you do when you see a stop sign? What are you supposed to do when you see a stop sign?  Why is it so hard for us to do what we are supposed to do?  Some times the Holy Spirit will put up a stop sign in our lives.  When we see this spiritual stop sign – it means STOP!  Don’t go anywhere and don’t do anything!  Stop and survey the situation.  This is easier said than done!  After you stop and make sure that everything is as it should be, then you can go!

We Need To Stop And Check Things Out! The right Church gives us an opportunity to stop!  When we go to church, if we are going to get out of church what we could and should, then we need to use our experience at church as an opportunity to stop.  Stopping is vitally important to our safety and our continued journey!  Stop or you will be stopped – one way or another.  You and I can make the choice to stop in safety, survey our situation and move forward with confidence that we are doing the right thing, or we can keep moving and be stopped by the tragedies, frustrations and challenges of life, which can often produce a lot of harm and dysfunction!

All of us need to take some time to stop! When you stop, ask God to help you to survey your life and the way that you are living it.  Does anything need to change?  Is their room for improvement?  The purpose of stopping is to make sure that our life is headed in the right direction.  When you know that it is, rev up the gas and enjoy the ride!

Stop - Survey - Go!

A Good Message! Yesterday a good friend sent me a message that they were praying for me.  I really needed that message because when you are serving the Lord and trying to live for God’s glory, then you are always going to have some people in your life that just don’t get it.  People who often, with the best of intentions, end up doing more harm than good with their mixed up actions and destructive tongues!  You get the picture!

Powerful Challenge! My friend concluded their message to me by sharing this challenge from the Scripture: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In the flesh this would be impossible, but in the Spirit it is already a done deal!  God gave me a little greater clarity this morning in my devotional reading, when I flipped to Matthew 7!

Matthew 7:1-5 says: “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Be Careful! If we are not careful, then we can let others living in the flesh drag us to that low place of living.  Jesus came to set us free.  Jesus came so that we would live above and beyond the flesh in the Spirit.  Realize this:  No matter how much growing you do and no matter how far you make think you are ahead of others, you are always in danger of being pulled back or down.  Stop and survey your situation!  Make sure that your life is intersecting with God’s plan and yield to Him!  Trust me you will be glad that you did!  I am!  And “man oh man” do I still have a lot of work to do on me!  Thanks for listening and I hope this helps!

I love to get out and ride my motorcycle! One of the things that I have learned that is very important to having a good ride is this:  You have to learn to look for and pay attention to signs!  Road signs help us to answer some very important questions!

The first question that signs help us to answer is “Where Am I?” It is really easy to get lost, especially when you have direction coming from so many different directions!  If you want to get to “there”, then you have got to figure out where “here” is.

The second question that signs help us to answer is “How Do I Get There?” Signs mark the way by helping us to know where we are so that we can get to where we are going.  You can’t get there from here, until you figure out where here is and then when you find out where here is, you have to follow the signs that help to lead you to there.

The third question that signs help us to answer is “What Do I Do Now?” Signs help you to get prepared for whatever is coming next.  But a sign will do you no good, unless you pay attention to it!

God gives us signs that direct us to live free in the Spirit with Him!  Where are you?  Be honest about it – where are you?  Are you where you need to be?  How do you get to where God wants you to go?  God’s Word will guide you, if you will pay attention to it!  What do you need to do now?  What is the step or steps that you need to take?

Pay attention to the signs that God is sending your way – you will be glad that you did!