St. Paul Welcomes You

A NEW SEASON - Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Today begins the playoffs for Major League Baseball. It is known as the postseason. For those of us who are baseball fans it is a special time, especially for those of us whose teams made it out of the regular season. Now I know some of you do not care about baseball so I will get to my point. The postseason is in actuality a new season because for the 8 teams who survived the grueling 162 game schedules, their record is thrown out and they start over. Whether they had the best record or the worst among the eight teams, it doesn’t matter because everyone starts 0-0.

I thought about that, and it dawned me that God deals with us the same way. There are moments when God says to us, this is your postseason. I know you have made mistakes and you have had your challenges, but now it is time to start afresh. Starting afresh is about God allowing you to cut ties with old and obsolete seasons and relationships. It is about stepping into a place where your old way of thinking and managing life is done. God says, “this is postseason, go for it”.

God is a God of the postseason. He allows us to move beyond, and move on. The mistakes and failures exist, but in the end God empowers us to move beyond. So get excited because today is the beginning of your postseason. So clean it up and get excited, because you are about to see God do amazing things. Why? It is the postseason, what a great time of your life. Enjoy it and Go Red Sox! (Thought I would get one in.)
Read Luke 17:11-19; I John 1:9-10

WHAT AN EMPOWERING THOUGHT - Thursday, October 2, 2008
Recently I was reading John 15:16 and it was such an empowering thought. Jesus declared that I was chosen by him to bear much fruit. As I read it over and over again, I found myself more and more strengthened. The fact that the God of all creation would risk his name to trust me by choosing me is more than I can handle.

It left me empowered feeling that no matter what I face, nothing could overtake me. Imagine that faith in Jesus Christ brings us into this awesome place of knowing that God chooses us. Jesus Christ, on behalf of the Father God, reaching out to us and calling us to walk in the truth of his word. As we walk in the truth of his word we are empowered to bear fruit. Bearing fruit is the evidence of his love and mercy shown toward us as we seek to live an obedient life. Our obedience to Jesus Christ and his word causes ‘fruit” to be manifested, which in turn validates the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I find such joy in this revelation and I pray that today you will grab hold to the fact that Jesus Christ has chosen us to serve him and to honor God, our father.

I encourage you to seek out the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ who is declaring that you are called to bear fruit. In the end, live an obedient life and enjoy the journey. Read John 15:11-16

MY PERSONAL THANK YOU TO GOD - Friday, October 3, 2008
God you have been so faithful to me. Despite my failings and failures, you continue to walk me into my destiny. This gift is so about you and I understand that. While I desire to benefit at the end of the day, I can only say thank you. You, God because of your son Jesus Christ, I live better than I deserve. I live as a man in need of you more everyday and though I at times do not pursue you, as I should, you are yet God to me. I so appreciate you. Father, your love for me overwhelms me and with tears in my eyes I say thank you.

Thank you for never giving up on me even in my worst days.
Thank you for the stuttering, it makes my ministry greater.
Thank you for my family who even through challenges makes me a better man.
Thank you for a church that chooses to trust me even with the failures that pervade my life.
Thank you for friends who do not express jealousy but celebrate with me.

Finally thank you for you; through your son Jesus Christ I have an amazing journey. I appreciate you God and I will never forget that you are my source. Thank you for loving me. Your feeble vessel, John Guns.
(Written September 27, 2008)

YOU WILL SURVIVE - Monday, October 6, 2008
We are in the initial stage of a recession. No ifs, ands, or buts! The “experts” are declaring that the next 2 to 4 years will be difficult, and for the average American this time is going to require incredible discipline and resolve. Those are the facts and we must face them. Yet we who believe in Jesus Christ and live for him each and every day will not only survive, but will flourish. You may ask how with such a dire prediction? I want to suggest that our willingness to obey the Word of God with consistency and faithfulness will determine our outcome. It is just that simple. We can and will endure the “famine” if we are faithful in doing what God tells us to do, and if we follow the instructions of our Lord.

I know this seems rather simplistic, but what has always worked for us is obedience. It is our willingness to trust God with our actions not just our words. The fact that God has so much for us as his people, means that if we do not succumb to the enemy called fear our faith will give us victory. So the key is obedience and a consistent application of the Word of God. God wants you to see his glory through how he sustains you in this season. Trust him then and enjoy how God secures you in uncertainty and unstable times. Have an awesome week. Read James 1:19-25

FAITH WORKS - Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Faith works if you work faith! This is so simple until it is scary. For many of us who claim and confess Jesus Christ we struggle because our faith is not as healthy as it should be. The question is why? I would suggest the following:

My encouragement to you is take a good hard look at the areas designated above and evaluate yourself honestly. It is so important that you have a healthy and extremely functionally faith. See your faith will serve you in tough times. Through your faith you will discern and understand the will of God while dealing with a season of uncertainty. Faith is the ally of every disciple of Jesus Christ; so grow it, nurture it, and protect it.
Have an awesome, faith filled day!
Read Matthew 15:21-28; Romans 10:17

TRUST GOD'S WORD - Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Read Psalms 119:9-16.
My encouragement today is that you grow in your appreciation of God’s Word. This means learning to value God and all that he says to you through the teachings of his son, Jesus Christ. I am a witness that His Word keeps and sustains those who come seeking wisdom, guidance, and correction. It is important that you grow to trust God and his word. Trusting his word will cause you to operate in radical obedience and man you will be amazed at how God provides and protects. Trust his Word! Have an awesome day and seize the moment!

Exercise: Identify the responses or activities that we should engage in when it comes to the Word of God.

GOD SAID IT, THAT SETTLES IT, I BELIEVE IT - Thursday, October 9, 2008
We have heard this cliché over the years through sermons and songs. We have shouted it and shouted about it. I thought about it recently in light of all of the promises that God has through his Word and my personal devotional time given to me. I thought of how God has continued to speak to me and to declare his will and his desire for me. In the end, I stood and I stand confidently that God will provide and fulfill his Word. Knowing that the promises of God to us will come to pass greatly encourages us as we face these difficult and uncertain times. Knowing that God is true and faithful empowers us to live as men and women of faith. Knowing that God will, through his son Jesus Christ, continue to cover us energizes us to walk assertively.

I want to encourage you to do the following so you can assuredly walk with God, experiencing his promises:

It is important that you understand that God is a God of manifestation. He fulfills what he says to us, so CONFIDENTLY walk in obedience. No fear, no doubt, and no compromise. Believe God because in the end if he said it, that settles it, and I believe it!
Read Isaiah 55:10-11

REST - Friday, October 10, 2008
One of my favorite passages is Psalms 131. In it the psalmist encourages us to trust in the Lord and he declares that when we do we will resemble a baby in the comfort of a loving mother’s arms. I have a simple thought for you today as you enter the weekend. Simply let go of the need to know and solve all things and learn to trust God as the ultimate source of all that matters to you. I believe God who loves us more than words wants us to live in a posture of rest. God is all we need and if we are willing to let go of our need to be in control, God will take control. In the end, we can Rest and find absolute comfort in God who has redeemed us through his son Jesus Christ.

So rest and refuse to live overwhelmed by what you cannot solve or resolve. REST! Have a heavenly weekend and go to church Sunday! Read Psalm 131

GUARD YOUR DESTINY - Monday, October 13, 2008
God speaks to you and tells you who you are in Him. God lets you in on the secret of your greatness and gives you permission to walk to be all you can be. Then he gives you one directive, “Guard your destiny”. What does this mean?

Simple, make decisions in light of what God has said to you about you. Live as a person of purpose and destiny; choose to trust God by making Him all and all. In the end, you stand guard over your uniqueness, doing what you must do to insure that God is pleased with you. Let’s look closely at the life of Samson and you will see a man who:

Allowed his personal passions to stand in the way of his fulfilling destiny
Gave away the secret of his anointing to someone who did not care about him
Negotiated his standard because he did not have the discipline to deny himself
Finally, he struggled to control and contain his temper

I encourage you to know who you are in God, do the opposite of what we saw in Samson, and like our Savior Jesus Christ reject Satan’s constant seductive appeals. You are great, live like it!
Read Luke 4:1-13

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH EXCELLENCE - Tuesday, October 14, 2008
It is so important, for those of us who believe God has called us to greatness, that we surround ourselves with excellence. Surrounding yourself with persons who are committed to the standard of God is paramount to your personal success. I find this to be vitally important for us as believers who feel a sense of divine call. God has called us to greatness and he desires us to fulfill his purpose. Surrounding yourself with excellence is about character and conduct. It is about your choices and the actions that come out of those choices.

So much is required of us and we need to live out his purpose with this sense of weight. We need to know that God loves us so deeply and that all things work together for good to those who live according to both his desire and design. I believe strongly that the man or the woman who embraces this deep sense of God’s desire will do what is needed. You are so precious to God and so important to what God is doing in the earth. So make the decisions about whom and what surrounds you based on what you know is God’s will for you.

Solomon is an awesome example of this. In 1 King 10, excellence is seen all around him. In the end, God prospers him above all persons of his day. Excellence is a magnet, so attract your next level. Have an awesome day!
Read I Kings 10

NO TURNING BACK - Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Remember the song, “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired”? What a powerful song. There are times I just sing it to encourage and remind myself that I am not called to live in stagnation or regression. Because we serve the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, we are called to grow and prosper. We are saved from the oppression of sin so we can walk in the fulfillment of divine authority and power. So guess what, we never have to tolerate regression. You are called to see growth in your life and your space. You are called to experience the more in every new season. You are called to be a better person, and every trial and test becomes a tutor for the greatness that is within you. God has so much for you so you cannot regress or turn back.

I write this today because I understand how easy it is to return to a place that is already mastered. Mastered meaning that we have already endured it and pretty much know the outcome if we return to it. In the end, we lose valuable time and we become a shell of our potential self. God in turn must release situations into our lives that awakens us or that destroys us.

In this season you cannot turn back. You cannot regress because you are bigger and better than that. You are an awesome child of God called to much and nothing can hinder you. It is up to you so refuse to regress, go forth in the power of our Savior Jesus Christ, and trust that all things are well. Today is a bless day, enjoy it!! Read 2 Kings 7:3-20

GOD CAN USE ME? - Thursday, October 16, 2008
What a question! Many of us ask this question to God more than once within the course of our lives. We wonder how such an incredible God, who has proved his love through Jesus Christ, would dare to use someone like us. We painfully remember our failures and use them as evidence as to why we shouldn’t be chosen. We know confidently what we're failures at and that God cannot see any good in us. Yet in the end, God continues to reach out to us and call us to himself. No matter how much we try to avoid this, God says through his word, our devotional time, and others that He wants to use us. He wants us to open ourselves to him and become conduits of his grace and mercy in the earth. He wants others to see how awesome his love is by encountering us.

Wow, what a God! He chooses the very thing that broke his heart and says can I use you? The reason for Calvary is the one He uses to redeem lost humanity to Himself. Sick offers healing! The Lost say I know how to get home! The broken are pointed to wholeness and says come with me! Wow!

Can I encourage you today to embrace fully the call of God upon your life? Can I challenge you to believe that the best is yet to come? Believe it!!
Read Judges 6

GOD THANK YOU - Friday, October 17, 2008
Dear God, I thank you for all that you do. I praise you for all that you are doing. I worship you for all that you have done. God you are merciful and kind and with that I enter the weekend excited about my life and what you have for me. No fear of tomorrow and no regrets about yesterday. I choose you and I with great joy go forth to live as a person of faith. Thank you God in your son Jesus Christ's name, Amen.

WHEN BEING STUBBORN IS A GOOD THING - Monday, October 20, 2008
Last Monday I shared great news about us going back on national and international television. Well I said something that really spoke to me. I said that I am a stubborn man when it comes to God’s will for my life. In that moment I felt a strange peace, a peace that confirmed that I had heard God clearly in that moment. See, I have had challenges in my life connected to the Will of God that at times have left me wondering if I was doing the right things or making the right moves. Yet despite the challenges, I have known inwardly that God was calling me to something. In those moments, being stubborn was a necessary trait needed to fight through the feeling of uncertainty and discouragement.

I want to encourage you to never be so discouraged by the challenges connected to the will of God that you choose to withdraw. Take it from me, there are times when being stubborn is a divine trait. Being stubborn means that you stick to the vision and the dream given by God. No matter how tough it is and no matter how lonely it can be, God will honor you if you choose to be faithful and steadfast. Faithfulness is so important and there is no way you can achieve God’s will without it. So don’t be afraid to be a little stubborn. It may get you through the season of preparation, purging, and perfecting. Love you and have an awesome week! Read I Corinthians 15:58

PRESS THROUGH - Tuesday, October 21, 2008
One of the great qualities of productive believers is their ability to press through no matter what the situation is. God through our relationship with Jesus Christ empowers us to face the mountains of life and not allow them to overwhelm us. The fact then that you continue to press through, says that God loves you. His love constraints us and we go through all things with an incredible sense of divine presence. We press through, and nothing and no one discourages us to quit. We keep pressing and God grants us the favor to see things through.

1. A healthy devotional life.
2. A circle of relationships that keep us focused on the bigger picture.
3. A passion to live for God through obedience.

Though you face many things, I want to encourage you to never give up but press through. Press through and watch God be there at the end and/or by the way he is there in the beginning and the middle. So Press Through!! Love you. Read II Corinthians 4:7-15

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY - Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and write your personal thoughts regarding the verses.

I encourage you, as well, to list your 3 most important relationships and a statement of why they are important to you. In this season of your life, relationships are vitally important. Take time to pray about who is in your life and who should be in your life. I believe that your friends are key to:

Please know that God wants the best for you and only through healthy relationships can certain things happen in your life. So do the exercises and pay attention to what you hear and see. Have an awesome day!!

ARE YOUR GROWING? - Thursday, October 23, 2008
Here is an important question, “are you growing?” I believe Jesus Christ died for us, and in his dying he created for us the opportunity to become a better person. Becoming a better person is about growing or improving in each area of your life. It is about submitting to the Holy Spirit, yielding to the voice of God, and willingly obeying the Word of God. I am excited for you because in this stage of your development you will discover how incredible God really is. This discovery will come as you avail yourself to growing, and as you willingly allow yourself to be shaped in the image of Jesus Christ. I know that God has so much more for us and that only through our relationship with Jesus Christ can we be all we are capable of being.

Growing then must become something that you are open to and willing to do. So here is advice I want to give you as it relates to personal development:

So go for it and grow from it! Have an awesome week! Read Luke 2:52; Philippians 3:10-16

PRAY FOR OUR NATION - Friday, October 24, 2008
We are in a critical period in America. The election, the economic crisis, and the moral crisis are draining us as a nation and causing a great deal of trepidation. Like never before we need to pray as a nation. This is a time for the Body of Christ to rise up and become the aggressor. We are must embrace this window of opportunity, willingly choosing to seek after God for the answers in this season. We cannot sit around and watch passively, hoping that it will get better.

The Word of God clearly declares that the prayers of God’s people particularly in crisis time will garnish the attention of God. Prayer then becomes an ally to the church and through it we exert our influence over the country. I want to challenge you then to spend time praying not as a Democrat or Republican but as a man or woman committed to Jesus Christ. This season we need as my mother would so profoundly state, “the mind of God”. Knowing the “Mind of God” means that we have an understanding of what God desires and we execute with deepen passion his plan.

So let us go to God and in this uncertain season, seek him out. For only God knows and only God can! Trust it!! Have an awesome weekend. 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

LET IT GO - Monday, October 27, 2008
While sitting on a plane, I was reading one of my favorite passages in this season of my life, Psalms 131. While reading it over and over again, attempting to understand it for where my life is RIGHT NOW, I sensed the Lord calling me to “Let It Go”. It was an awkward moment because I knew that God had grown tired of me carrying certain things and managing certain relationships in a manner that made them a burden. Letting it go is such a challenge, because it means to literally release others from their responsibility while maintaining relationship with them. It means to no longer allow the pain and rejection to manage your day and even if you were wronged, to no longer treat them as the villain. Letting go is about moving on in the power of grace and forgiveness, knowing that you are loved by God and affirmed by Jesus Christ.

Please know that letting go is a process that can only be navigated with a deep desire to please God and to live above the oppression of negative emotions. This process will take you through some ups and downs, but in the end you will arrive at a place of perfect peace and renewed hope. So I sit here knowing that Jesus Christ has already let go when it comes to me and that I must be like him and let it go.

So let it go and enjoy the next moment. God has so much more for you and it begins with letting it go. Have an awesome week!

FORGIVENESS IS YOUR FRIEND - Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Today embrace forgiveness as an ally. Forgiveness is the greatest evidence of a Christ centered life for it speaks most of his heart. Now I know that forgiveness is difficult because there are times when we are asked to forgive with the presence of the culprit still very present. Yet I am learning that forgiveness is more about me then them. For when you live in unforgiveness you simply create daily bondage for yourself. Unforgiveness causes you to waste many days sulking, and complaining about how unfair it is that you had to endure this. You keep alive pain that eventually affects every area of your life. You become unapproachable to those who love you and who have no desire to hurt you.

I share this because what God wants you to experience cannot be with unforgiveness as an active part of your existence. Conquering unforgiveness must be something that you commit to. You must decide that you are bigger than that disappointment which leads to torment and oppression. So today is a good day to release those who have hurt you and who may not even care. Today become like your Christ. For you are the victor and so today claim your victory. Read Colossians 3:12-16

CHOOSING FRIENDS WISELY - Part 2 - Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Here is probably the most important question, “What should I look for when choosing friends in this season and stage of my life?” I want to suggest that you do or look for the following:

Please know that God wants the best for you, and only through healthy relationships can certain things happen in your life. So do the exercises and pay attention to what you hear and see. Have an awesome day!! Read John 15:11-17

I NEED THE LORD - Part 2 - Thursday, October 30, 2008
Psalm 63 makes a bold declaration about dependence upon God. Read it now and take a moment and ponder your first thought upon reading it.

Each day we are faced with uncertainty and this uncertainty causes many of us to feel unsure of how to approach the next moment. Yet, as the Psalmist declares in verse7, God has ALWAYS been there helping us, strengthening us, and sustaining us. This so excites me as I think of how, because of God, each day turns into the night and I am still alive. But not just alive but sustained and encouraged. See when we love God and when we seek after God, he becomes even more responsible for our well being. Instead of us attempting to live life independently, we discover that God can be trusted with all that matters to us. So we seek after him with our all and in the end all things are well.

So take the advice of the Psalmist and seek God! He loves you so much! Reread Psalm 63

THROW YOUR HEAD BACK AND HOLLER - Friday, October 31, 2008
You know what, today is a great day to give God praise. For all that God has done for you, you need to throw your head back and holler. I mean give God crazy praise. The kind of praise that sends a message to everyone that God is so worthy until you refuse to be quiet. So throw your head back and holler.

Holler because God has saved you through Jesus Christ.
Holler because God provides for you everyday.
Holler because God keeps you and your family.
Holler because God forgives you for all sins.
Holler because God keeps your enemies from destroying you.
Holler because God lives.
Just Holler!! Cuz God is so good!!