"Restocking the Shelves of Ministry" by Garris Elkins

Recently, Leslie Keegel spoke in our church. Leslie is the President of the 1,500 Foursquare Churches in Sri Lanka, a nation just off the coast of India. He carries an apostolic anointing along with a strong gift of revelation and miraculous healing. Throughout the three days Leslie was with us he shared in various venues - in our public services, to a gathering of regional pastors and leaders and to our Anthem School of Ministry. In each setting something of the supernatural heart of God was deposited in our lives.

Leslie prophesied about the destiny of our church - Living Waters Church in Medford, Oregon. Like any true prophetic word there was both a promise and a responsibility. Leslie said Living Waters would become a well-spring of miraculous healing to this region and to the nation. That was our promise.

Leslie also said that God was asking us to be intentional as we pursue the supernatural and to be willing to take risks in faith. We were told to deal with any reluctance and reticence that would hold us back in a place of comfort. That was our responsibility.

When any leader ministers I watch and learn from them. I watch for the pauses that tell me he or she is listening for something fresh from God. I watch to see if someone is drawing from a dated bag of proven ministry formulas and principles that lack fresh revelation. I watch to see from where the things being ministered are coming from. As I watched Leslie I saw a man extending his hand into eternity, through the veil that separates what is seen and unseen, and waiting for God to place words in his hand to bring back into this realm. Leslie reached out in faith and brought back something supernatural from God. This is how miracles happen.

After I dropped Leslie off at the airport, I was alone to process what God had spoken through this anointed servant of God. I went to sleep that night pondering the future. During the night I had a dream. In the dream I saw an old basement storage room lined with wooden shelves. The shelves were partially filled with old canned goods. There was a layer of dust on the shelves and the cans. The storeroom looked somewhat neglected. The air was stale and not moving.

When I awoke the next morning I sought the Lord for a meaning of the dream. I began to hear the Lord say that many of us who lead the church need to restock the storehouse of our ministry. Many of us have been ministering with cans that have expired labels. Instead of reaching into eternity for something fresh we are reaching into a dusty and dated storeroom. These shelves are only restocked by a day-by-day fresh encounter with God. These new and fresh words from God are retrieved because we have reached into His presence in faith.

I am praying this prayer for my life and ministry - “Father, today I give you permission to lock the door of my ministry storehouse. I choose instead to reach into your presence and wait until you drop something into my hand. When I sense the weight of your word in my hand I will bring that miraculous word back into this realm expecting to see things happen that are beyond all that I would dare to ask or think. Amen.”