Hey Friends,

February has been a blur. I have been on the road so much that I have not written many blogs. Sorry! I can tell you it has been an amazing month. I have been to two conferences and my cup is truly running over.

I write these blogs by faith because sometimes I wonder if anyone reads them. I was in Dallas last week and a pastor told me my blog kept him going in a horrible time in his ministry. I was blown out of the water. God is good! Let me ask you a strange question:

ARE YOU WALKING IN THE WILDERNESS?

As I talk and minister to people it seems many are just “wilderness living.” Read the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. They never seemed to walk in continual victory. You are an overcomer and you have the victory, so what is the problem? I can tell you, for many it is DOUBT and UNBELIEF.

Peter could walk on water as long as his focus was on Jesus but when he focused on the storm and the waves, he sank. The war that rages is in our minds. We are taught in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to: “Take every thought captive.” In the war of our thinking we need to cinch up our belt of TRUTH!

James tells us not to be “double-minded.” Double-minded is a person stuck between two thoughts or opinions. Elijah asked the nation of Israel “how long they would be stuck between two opinions?” In Hebrews 4 we are taught of our place of rest. God has a place of rest here for us. It is found in our minds.

The question is, who will you believe? God or the Devil, the Word or the world? The demonic twins of doubt and unbelief will steal all your power and joy. The choice is yours!

By faith stand in and on the Word and walk in the victory purchased for you on the cross! You are an overcomer so believe it and receive it!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

P.S.  Please pray for  me this week as I preach a revival for The River Community Church in Cookeville.  Over 60 salvations on Sunday already!  Praise God for Pastor Steve Tiebout and a church that is making it hard to go to hell from Middle Tennessee!

Hey Friends,

I had a very cool thought while I was praying the other day. I was asking the Lord to let my living room have the atmosphere of heaven. I wanted to smell, see, taste, and watch the worship in heaven. I meditated on that thought for a while and then the Lord seemed to whisper to me that atmosphere was the Leader’s job. This was a new concept and I am always listening for the voice of God.

As the Senior Pastor of Faith Promise it is my job to help the atmosphere of the church to be awesome. We can do this by our attitude. The leaders need an A+ attitude. Our attitude needs to be one of great expectancy. Our faith should ooze out of us. We should set the tone of believing God to move, to do miracles, to change lives, to show up, and a whole host of other things. Preach it, share it, tell it, believe it and the atmosphere will become charged with expectancy.

I have been asked many times, “What is the key to church growth?” Without hesitation I say it is excitement. If the church attenders are not excited they will never bring visitors. If they are excited you can’t make them stop bringing people who need Jesus. Set the atmosphere so high that every service has guests that need Jesus. It turns the worship events into a pediatric ward - happy families just waiting for new births.

Don’t be afraid to speak life, faith, belief, and all you believe God will do. If you have no faith that the Lord is going to do anything, well, are you a leader? I look for Ephesians 3:20 every time we meet.

Winning coaches push their players to reach higher and to believe. You are the coach and you need to push the players to new heights. People rise to the level to expectation. You set the level as the leader.

The atmosphere of heaven is a celestial celebration! As the leader, set the tone of heaven and believe God to show up and make it happen!

Party today!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Do you ever think about your thoughts? The Scriptures are slammed full of teaching about how you and I think! Most people blame their misery or depression on circumstances or on someone else. The truth be told, the problem is not the circumstances but your thinking about them. Circumstances don’t control your joy or victory, your thoughts do. You are your thoughts!

Let me ask the question again: DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS? It is becoming more important right now, is it not? Your thoughts affect your attitude, mood, your victory and everyone around you. Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things…”

We all think or meditate on different things. The problem is, most are not disciplined on what they think about! This is one of the key reasons most believers are not living in victory! They spend little time in the Word and even less time thinking about the Word. This is called meditation!

Mk. 4:24: “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given to you beside.” What do you listen to???

Ps. 1:2: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night…”

Josh. 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart from our mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…”

The Word is full of admonishments, commands and encouragements to think on the Word! God knows this is the key to your victory. Most of us have unguarded thought lives. This gives Lucifer the Liar open access to defeat us. We win or lose in our thoughts! Think about your thinking.

If you want to walk in victory and live a life that honors the Lord you must win the war in your head and heart. Romans 12:2 reminds us to “renew our minds.” This happens in the Word. Let’s all be Word walkers and warriors. You cannot help what thought enters your mind but you can control what thought stays there. “Think on these things…”

It is impossible to walk in victory if your mind is a mess. Renew it daily and you will rejoice in victory.

Just a thought! A good one!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

It is early Tuesday morning and I am in West Palm Beach. I am at the Global 20/20 missions conference with our Missions Pastor, Brad Ervin. It is truly amazing what the Lord is doing all around the world. He is Lord!!!

A verse keeps popping into my mind. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks within himself so is he.” This is a foundational and pivotal verse for me because of its power to set us free or to chain us down. Your thinking is the fertile ground for your faith to work. If your thinking is not fertile but is barren of good thoughts, then your faith will not take you very far.

So many refuse to believe good things will happen because so many bad things have happened in the past. If they think or hope for the future they might get hurt again. They think it is better not to expect anything good to happen and then if it does, they will be pleasantly surprised. Sounds like a great protection from getting hurt. The only problem is that as you think, so are you.

Positive people think positively and negative people think negatively. Which are you? BEWARE – Lucifer the liar loves to keep you negative. If he can keep you negative then he can keep you down. Jesus said he was a “liar!” Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

Today, forget the past and start to think right! Think good thoughts. Start today being positive. Our God has it all together. In Philippians we are told to fix our thinking on good things. In Hebrews we are taught how to fix the fight by fixing our focus on Jesus. I could do this all day. Are your thoughts positive or negative? What do you think and what do you expect? That is probably what you will get. “As you think so are you.” God said it, not me!

Stinking thinking will keep you down worse than almost anything else. Are you ready to have your mind renewed? (Romans 12:1-2)

Today, really focus on these things and see how much better your day will be!

Just a thought…

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

My heart is a little heavy as I write this blog. I watch people every day miss their potential. I see gifts and talents in them they refuse to see. So many sit on the sidelines because they don’t think they have what it takes to get in the game. It is a lie from Lucifer. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

This weekend I am completing a series called GAME OVER. It is a series on the five building blocks we use for core members at Faith Promise: Saved, Baptized, Giving, Growing (in a group), and Serving. This weekend the topic is serving. Pastor Josh did some digging for me. The result is that on any given week at Faith Promise less than 1 in 4 serve in any way in the Body of God, the Church. Wow, it was like a gut punch. I guess ignorance really is bliss.

Why do so many not serve? Why do so many settle for the sidelines? Where is the heart of a champion that should be predominant in the Church of the living God? We are all only as strong as what it takes to stop us. What would stop you from serving and growing into all God placed in you? Where is the desire to press on to all we can be? The Scripture sure calls us to it.

Where are you today in your journey with Jesus? Are you pressing on to maturity, to the high call? Are you in the game making a difference for Jesus? If not why not?

When you got saved you received a new heart, the heart of a champion. All you need right now is in you. God put it there. Don’t sit on the sideline when you can be a champion for His Kingdom. You are a winner and you must, by faith, press forward. What an exciting journey!

Just a thought.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Are you full of joy? I mean, right now are you full of the joy of the Lord? Christ followers should be marked by extreme joy. Jesus said in John 16:22 “…No one will take your joy from you.” Do you believe what the Lord said? I do! So, then how are so many Christ followers without real joy? Nobody took it, they gave it away! Since we all believe the Bible we all have to agree if we do not have joy, it is our own faults and we gave it away.

More than 50 times in the Word we are told to rejoice in difficult circumstances. We are not to be controlled by circumstances as the world is. As a matter of fact Nehemiah 8:10 records, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” If you are feeling weak right now, have you given away your joy? Who do we give it to? Satan, the world, circumstances, or do we just let negative people steal it? They really don’t steal it, we just give it away.

Jesus wants you to walk today with His joy. He has richly supplied all you need. Psalm 16: “In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy.” Are you walking in His presence? Are you surrendered and controlled by His Spirit? Release the burdens of this world. He said, “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”

Satan will always put a sourpuss in your life to ruin your day, if you allow it! You have the ultimate control over the joy in your life. Let it loose. Let the Word loose. Speak to the joy in your life and let it bubble up into a raging river.

The Apostle Paul said he had, “Learned the secret of being content in whatever circumstances he found himself in.” Can you say that? You can, if the joy of the Lord is your strength and not how good your circumstances are.

I love you and I pray in the name of Jesus that you are so full of joy it leaks on everyone that you come into contact with. Most people really want to be around someone who spills joy on them. Let it be you!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

P.S.  If you would like to see my interview on The Harvest show yesterday, click here.  Thank you, Lord, for the open door!

Hey Friends,

We all know that the Lord can open any door! As anyone who reads this blog knows, I wrote a book called, The Plan of Your Life. My plan was to let Faith Promise have the first shot at the first printing. Now I am trying to go wider and get the word out.

This is the plan as I have it now, or the doors the Lord has opened for me:

• Monday, January 30, at 2:00 pm EST, I will be interviewed on KAJN radio in Southwest Louisiana.
• Tuesday, January 31, at 9:00 am EST, I will be on the Harvest Show in South Bend, Indiana to be interviewed. (This show will be replayed at 9:00 pm EST that evening and at 2:00 am on February 1)
• Tuesday, March 13, I will be on the Daystar Christian Network in Dallas for an interview.
• Hallerin Hilton Hill radio show is lining up an interview.
• I am sending copies to about 100 pastors and Christian leaders with whom I have a relationship. I am praying that many will help get the word out and even help sell a case of 36 books.

I hope this is only the beginning. Please pray with me for the right doors to open. The Word says, God opens doors no man can open…”

I’ll bet everyone reading this blog needs the Lord to open a door! Let’s pray for each other. We also need to help each other. If you know a way I could get the word out on the book please let me know. You have already given some great promotional ideas and I am grateful. Let us know how we can help you. We are a team and as such, we need to be in each other’s corner.

I really believe that my book can help anyone who reads it. It will be used by the Lord to help believers achieve their full potential.

Thanks for your help and prayers.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

We live in a world where almost everyone is crying, “IT IS NOT FAIR!” In many situations life is not fair. Fair is not a biblical concept. People usually cry, “NOT FAIR,” when they think someone has gotten more than them and they want what you have. It seems to be hard-wired into our DNA.  Virtually every child uses this tactic to get what he or she wants. We have all done it and seen it.

When it comes to the favor and blessings of God, it is not fair. He gives it out as He sees fit and He is, after all, GOD. So, of course He can. Deuteronomy 28:2 says, “All the blessings shall come and overtake you.” God loves to bless His kids. And we love to be blessed, Amen?

What I seem to be seeing in so many is that we are embarrassed by the blessings. You look around and you seem to be the brunt of blessing others are not receiving, so you try to hide them, ashamed of them. Do you think this honors God? Probably not! We need to brag on God and His mighty Hand of favor and blessings. Psalm 118:23: “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” Don’t you marvel at all the Lord does in your life?

Psalm 35:27-28: “…And let them say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.’ And my tongue shall declare your righteousness and your praise all day long.”

We are supposed to brag on what He does in our lives, NOT and NEVER be ashamed!!! The blessings of God on our lives draw people to Him. Some, to be sure, will be jealous, critical or angry at your blessings. So what?!? Don’t allow others to ruin or squelch all the Lord is doing. Remember, He is the Blesser and He is to be bragged upon.

If you refuse to rejoice in all the Lord does in your life because you are embarrassed, think He might stop the flow??? Your real friends will rejoice with you as God blesses.

Many times I have been in meetings with other pastors and I refused to brag on what God was doing. Usually the theme of the meetings was doom and gloom. I hesitated to talk about all the Lord was doing and how the church was growing. I was holding back on God!!!

Tell your story to others and give God the glory! He will use it for you and in them.

Do you feel His favor falling on you?

Love ya and be blessed,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Let’s be honest, we all get discouraged. Life can throw some serious stuff at us and it is easy to let negativity and defeat take over. At those times in life we all need someone to step in and encourage us, but what do you do when no one is there to help you? How do you get yourself out of the funk and defeat? You have to do it alone!

That is exactly what King David did when he was in this kind of spot! The Scripture says: “He strengthened himself in the Lord.” This is one of his greatest attributes. This is how he was so successful in loving God and leading the nation of Israel in difficult times.

One day he and his men came home from work and it was gone! EVERYTHING WAS GONE. Their families, flocks, herds-everything they owned and loved. They all cried out in anguish and defeat. Then they turned on David and said, “Let’s stone him.” That is what I call a bad day! There was no one there to encourage David; remember his wives and kids were gone as well. Everyone was prepared to take their frustrations and anger out on him. He was the leader. Ever felt like David?

That is when it says, “David strengthened himself in the Lord.” If there is no one else to encourage you then you have to do it yourself, just like David did.

Step one: CHANGE THE CHANNEL. All he hears, feels, and sees is negative, doom and gloom, and no hope for victory. No one saw any hope to make this right or to turn things around. He had to stop listening to them. It is O.K., you can change the channel.

Step two: Remember past victories. Remember when God came through in your life and moved to help you. Trust He will do it again. Rehearse how God had moved in and how much He cares. Block out the negative people around you or they will eventually stone you.

Step three: Take charge. David stood up and said let’s go get our families back, we have won before and we will win again. He did, and they not only got their families back, but they got even more than they had before.

For some of you reading this blog you need to change the channel from defeat to victory. Start by encouraging yourself. Time for the channel of victory. Remember all God has done. Think of His great power. Bask in His Word and in His ability. Quit cursing yourself with negative self-talk and start strengthening yourself in the Lord.

Are you ready to rally to victory? All winners encourage themselves. You are a winner.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris