Living on Both Sides of "And" by Garris Elkins

Whenever the word “and” is used in the scriptures I pay attention. When God uses this word He is trying to connect things for our benefit.

When Jesus walked on this earth He was modeling for the church what she would become after His death, resurrection and ascension. When Jesus walked on earth in His first body, before the Cross, He was modeling for us what we would look like when He was carried by His second Body, the Church, after the Cross.

A danger can exist in our lives when we read the word “and” in God's Word and then choose to live on either side of that word and feel OK with it.

It is interesting to see where the word “and” is used in the New Testament. In Matthew 4 the ministry of Jesus is being described and the word “and” appears.

“23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. AND he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed―he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went―people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.” (italics and capitalization are mine).

Jesus taught and announced the Good News and the Kingdom of God, AND, He healed every kind of disease and illness. The full expression of the ministry of Jesus was not an either-or situation. He was not either an Evangelical or Pentecostal expression of the Church – He was both.

In another text where the word “and” is used, John the Baptist is waiting in prison about to be served up as a macabre dinner gesture. This is the same man who was there at the Baptism of Jesus when the heavens opened up and the dove of God's presence descended and the very voice of God spoke to those present. It doesn't get more vivid than what took place that day. But John was now having some doubts about Jesus. Prisons, both in the natural and the spirit realm, can mess up our perception of reality.

John sends His disciples to ask Jesus the question, “Are you who you say you are or should we wait for someone else?” In Matthew 11 Jesus sends a response back to John's prison cell that allows John to die in peace knowing that Jesus was truly the Messiah.

“4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen―5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 AND tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’” (Again, the italics and capitalization are mine)

What does this mean? A balanced ministry will live on both sides of “and.” Some people are more comfortable simply preaching the salvation message. Jesus wasn't. Others feel like they should only press into signs and wonders. Jesus didn't. He did both and so should we. The expansion of God's Kingdom, through signs and wonders, has to walk hand in hand with populating heaven with new believers. If we assign either side of “and” to a less than visible position in our lives and ministries then we will not be walking in the fullness of His assignment for us as the Church.

Life and ministry is a constantly swinging pendulum that moves from one imbalance to another. Our pendulum moves over God's perfect will with each pass. The shorter the cycle of that pendulum swing the more mature the Church becomes. If the pendulum gets hung up on either side of “and” the Church can look like a one legged man trying to win the race by hopping down the race track instead of the well -trained and balanced athlete sprinting towards that for which we have been empowered to become.

"Hope is a Person" by Garris Elkins

My daughter Anna is a student at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California. Our home is in Medford, Oregon just a few hours away by car. Recently, my daughter's new computer had a problem. Anna was home on a break from school when the computer problem took place, so she sent the computer in to the manufacturer who did a quick turn around for repairs. A problem emerged when Anna had to return to school without the computer. The delivery was left in the hands of mom and dad.

Several days later the computer arrived at our home in Medford so we sent it Next Day Delivery through the mail service. I got the tracking number and followed its overnight delivery and arrival at the post office nearest to our daughter's apartment. For 18 hours I tried to reach Anna via her cell phone to let her know her computer was waiting at her post office. Our daughter lives in a rural setting with limited cell phone coverage. Anna usually picks up her phone messages when she goes into town and has cell service. Anna was waiting, not knowing the needed computer was sitting at the local post office. Eventually Anna got the message and picked up her computer. Life returned to normal.

This is what hope is like. Many believers live their lives without the power of hope because they have failed to realize what is available and waiting for them. God has sent a message to us about hope. Hebrews 6 tells us that our hope is anchored in eternity, immovable by the events here on earth. This hope is not altered by our challenging circumstances. This hope is anchored in a Person – Jesus Christ

“Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone there for us.”

Hebrews 6: 18-20

Because we have Someone in our future directing our lives in the present moment, we do not have to live a life of desperation and hopeless. Our hope is not that life and circumstances will change. Hope is an unchanging Person. Jesus is not held prisoner to our present reality. He always brings hope when He arrives. Our hope comes to us directly from the hand of a good and loving God in the Person of Jesus Christ. When Jesus arrived on planet earth He revealed God to us. When we see and hear Jesus we are seeing and hearing a perfect representation of the heart of the Father.

Jesus arrives in our moment without any regret or fear because regret and fear are not part of God's nature. His arrival always carries with it the purity of something that cannot be altered by the brokenness of this realm. This is why our hope is unaffected by what takes place on earth. Our hope is in a Person living in timeless eternity Who alters our current reality with the arrival of His hope.

We live in an experience of time that unfolds along a linear and chronological time-line. Seconds become minutes and minutes become hours that become days and months and years. Time unfolds so that the human experience can be birthed and lived out in the framework of time. Seasons require time to develop as does a human body.

When God influences our lives with hope the reality of Heaven invades our earthly reality. As we live on this linear line of unfolding time we are captured in the moment. A mentor of mine once said, "Our present moment is only a memory of our most recent past." In other words, no matter how hard we try, we will never arrive at a place called “the future” because when we get there it is still just the moment we are living. This is why intimacy with God is not a future event. Intimacy with God is to be experienced now. Our moment, our only reality in the earthly realm, is a capsule of time that migrates with us through life. When we arrive at tomorrow it is only a present moment, not a future event.

When God reveals Himself to His people, this revelation is not from the future, but from eternity. Eternity is a realm without time – it has no past, present or future. The arrival of hope in our lives comes from a realm not limited by time and space.

From God's perspective He views our linear time-line as happening all at once and at the same time, fully complete. He sees the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea and Columbus sailing in 1492, all happening at once. He sees Abraham sacrificing Isaac and the Apollo astronauts landing on the moon, all happening at once. He makes His decisions about our lives from this eternal perspective. He sees the beginning and the end of all things. He sees us as we are in union with the Father and the Son. From the perspective of hope we are, and are becoming who we already are.

How we view God will influence how we relate to the existence of hope in our daily lives. If, in our future there exists an angry and unapproachable God, then our present moment will draw from that fearful image. If, in our future there exists a loving and good God, then we will begin to view our life and circumstances through that lens of love and acceptance.

The gift of prophecy is a ministry of hope. When we hear a word from God, and then bring that word of hope into this realm, that word of hope will alter how people view God and their relationship with Him. As we prophesy we speak words of hope and the responsibilities that align a life with hope so that people can make adjustments in how they live in order to better reflect a life of hope.

A repeated theme in Paul's ministry was his strengthening and encouraging the churches wherever he traveled. He strengthened the Church because at times she felt weak. He encouraged the Church because at times she felt discouraged. Paul brought words of encouragement that linked weakened and discouraged saints to the hope that is anchored in eternity out of the reach of chronological time and its accompanying pain and sorrow. This hope changed the world because words of hope step onto the unfolding line of natural time and divert people and events into the flow of God's will for their lives.

"Living in a Judgement-Free Zone" by Garris Elkins

In a recent meeting with pastors a prophetic word was given in the form of an image. The image was of a person who was trying to stand in the midst of opposition. As the hand of accusation pressed on the chest of this person, their heart was so tender and open to God that the accusing hand passed through without finding anything solid upon which to push. An offense of the heart gives the enemy something to push against. Because this person's heart was so tender and open to God, they were not pushed over. A tender heart allowed them to stand. A hardened and judgmental heart would have caused them to fall. Our effectiveness in God's Kingdom is determined by the condition of our hearts.

We have all heard the statement, "Who are you to judge?" This statement is usually made against someone who stands for holiness in the public arena. Sometimes those asking this question have a valid point. At times the Church has been good at pointing fingers at others while our own house is in need of repair. But, there is a righteous judgment we must know how to make. Sin is still sin and we need to deal with it honestly or we will not move into the higher levels of anointing God has planned.

We are coming into a season of an outpouring of God's presence that will not abide with unrighteous judgment. What God is about to do will be a revival that will be released through hearts of mercy.

The Presence of Mercy Over Judgment

There are two kinds of judgment. The first judgment is a judgment of quality—a discerning. We are free to look at the fruit of a person's life and discern whether their actions are holy or not. If there is a trail of sin following a life, then something is wrong. This evidence is given to us to help us pray and help when needed and to even be cautious, but never to demean and destroy another person.

The other kind of judgment is one that we don't get to make. We can't assume that we fully know the heart and motives of someone and we never get to judge the eternal destiny of another human being. These kinds of judgment belong to God alone. We judge fruit—God judges hearts.

Jesus spoke in a strong and clear voice in Matthew 7 regarding unrighteous judgment:

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, "Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye," when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.—Matthew 7:1-5

The word "judge" used in Matthew 7:1 means "to pass judgment." This kind of judgment declares that a failed life and ministry is over because of what has taken place. In the eyes of the one doing the judging, the failed person is now viewed as stuck in their sin and nailed in a place of judgment. The accuser then begins to view the one who has been judged by their failures alone and not in the light of God's transforming power.

The greater danger is not for the one who sinned and was judged—the greater danger lies with the one making the judgment because they are now walking in spiritual blindness because of the log in their eye. The one whom they judged can actually experience transformation in their place of brokenness and move on, but the judger can only see them as nailed in a place of judgment. The one making the judgment cannot move forward because they have linked themselves to unrighteous judgment. Our ability to see any situation clearly stops at the place of unrighteous judgment. We can actually become what we judge because that is all we see.

When we pass judgment on another person, by assuming we know their heart, according to Jesus, we will be judged by that same standard of judgment. This doesn't mean God lowers His standard of judgment to our level—it means my judgment will become like a vicious dog I turn loose upon the guilty party. When my judgment and accusation mauls the victim, it will turn and come back and bite me. We get to choose the standard of judgment that will be used against us based on the kingdom we choose to partner with.

When Jesus said the one making the judgment had a log in their eye, the word used for a log can be translated to describe a piece of lumber the size of a ceiling joist. It is a large piece of wood. What is unique in this illustration is the speck in the eye of the one being judged, and the log in the accusers eye, are of the same substance—both are wood. This verse is telling us that the one being accused and the accuser both have the same sin, but the one making the accusation is in greater danger than the one who actually sinned openly.

God made all His judgments against sin when Jesus hung on the Cross. The Cross was an act of mercy. This is why the Scripture says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). Mercy triumphs over judgment because the judgment of God was not the end but the means to express mercy. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was a visible representation of God's mercy when Jesus rose from the grave and in resurrection power triumphed over the judgment that was meant for us. The evidence the Holy Spirit is at work in the people of God is the presence of mercy, not judgment.

The Cross and the Tomb of Christ are both empty for a reason. Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. We are seated in Him as a visible representation of what God's mercy can do. Mercy changes our position. We can forget that the ones we judge unrighteously are now seated with us in Christ at the right hand of the Father.

There are some practical reasons why we should choose to live in a judgment-free-zone.

None of Us Have All the Facts

When the story broke awhile back that professional baseball player Mark McGwire might have used steroids, I got upset at him. I didn't say anything; it was something that took place in my heart. Here is a man who was always the best hitter on his team, even as a kid. He didn't need any enhancement to be great. He was destined for greatness from his birth. God gave him a gift that had always enabled him to hit a baseball out of the ballpark. Mark McGwire is like many of us who see our personal dreams in the distance and we want to hurry things up. For McGwire, his destiny accelerant was steroids. In the ministry, our destiny accelerant can be self-promotion.

I watched a recent television interview with Bob Costas and Mark McGwire. Costas was asking McGwire about his now admitted steroid use. Mark was no longer denying his use of steroids. As I watched the interview I saw a genuinely broken man trying to hold back true sobs of regret. He was broken over what he had done to his family, the sport of baseball, his fans and his legacy. As I watched the interview I was reminded of my own judgment against him when the news first broke. In my heart I harbored the word, "Cheater." I had passed judgment on him and nailed him in the place of my judgment. My heart broke when I realized this because I knew, in my own way, that I had added to his pain. During the emotional interview I was now hearing a man's heart and wanted the mercy of God to be extended to him. I asked God to forgive me and I let Mark McGwire go. I had stepped into a judgment-free zone.

During the sad events of the late 1980s when the Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker scandals were taking place, a wise man told me, "Believe the best and never be surprised by the worst." Over the years there have been times when some of us have chosen just the opposite and believed the worst and were then surprised, and eventually ashamed, when the best showed up.

None of Us are Impartial

We all have personal agendas. Part of growing in Christ is bringing these agendas to the Cross and putting them to death so that the will of God will rise and have preeminence. Our personal agendas can become the only lens through which we view life and other people. If we are not careful we can begin to think we actually see the bigger picture with clarity.

In the Greek culture when the courts had to hear a controversial case, the judge, jury and witnesses would convene court at night in the dark. They would hear the evidence in the blackness of night—in order to not to be influenced by anything but the evidence. One of the symbols in our court system is a statue of Lady Justice who has her origins in Greek culture. Lady Justice stands with a blindfold upon her eyes as she holds a set of scales. She weighs evidence in the purity that only blind justice can provide.

I wonder how it would work in the Church if we couldn't see each other's tattoos, designer clothes, bank ledgers, cars, recreational toys, nose rings or the homeless person's rags. What if we could only hear the evidence of the heart? The evidence is not fully presented until we have heard the heart of another person. Sin and failure is never all the evidence of a life. A single point of failure is not the total definition of a person. God always has something more planned and His plan is filled with goodness.

None of Us is Without Fault

Only the faultless One can find fault. In John 5:22, Jesus said this of Himself,In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, He has given the Son absolute authority to judge.

The reason Jesus has absolute authority to judge is because only He was completely pure and only He paid the full price for our sin. He went to the Cross having lived in a body like ours, subject to all our temptations and brokenness, and yet He remained pure to the end. The Word says that Jesus was the second Adam accomplishing what the first Adam failed to do (see 1 Corinthians 15:45-47).

We are not called to defend each others' words and actions. Each of us is responsible before God for what we say and do. What we are responsible for as the Body of Christ is to provide cover for each other. To cover another Believer is not a place where we white-wash sin. To cover means that I stand between the fallen person and their accuser to provide a place of protection. Jesus is doing this right now as the accuser of the Church is hurling accusations about us.

In this judgment-free zone, the fallen ones are free to hear the transforming words of God they missed the first time around. A judgment-free zone is where both the accused and the accusers can find wholeness. A judgment-free zone is where the power of God is manifested.

"God Doesn't Tease" by Garris Elkins

When I first moved into the Rogue Valley ten years ago people told me that in the month of February we would have a "false spring." It was explained to me that we usually got a few days of really warm weather and then we would go back to the normal cold and wet of winter. This information proved to be true most of the time. The problem was this false spring was just a tease. Some of us got our motorcycles out and took a ride. Others began to dream of shorts and sandals.

I can't help but think many Christians believe God is like a false spring - He gives us just enough to tease us and then life goes back to what it was before. This mindset produces a fear of loss in God's people that hinders our faith. When God does something new in our lives He builds upon that newness and doesn't pull the blessing back.

As spring comes in the natural realm ask God where in your spiritual life you might be living with the anticipation of loss. God wants to take that way of thinking out of our minds and replace it with the hope that John 10:10 reveals - He came that we might have life and life more abundantly.

Wishing you an early and continual spring in His presence.

"Entering the Realm of Miracles" by Garris Elkins

It has been over a week since the devastating earthquake took place in Haiti. I have wept as the scenes of sorrow flashed across the screen of my television. The suffering is unimaginable. Our church in Medford, Oregon has begun to receive offerings for relief work. We will gather needed supplies to send. We have a team in the works to go to this crushed nation and help them rebuild. We want to be involved.

Yesterday, it was reported that an five year-old child had been recovered from the rubble after being buried alive for 8 days. There was no food and no water, yet this child was still alive. Another report came in about a seventy year-old woman who was discovered in the ruins of a church.

As these reports were coming in a reporter from CNN made the following observation, “We have entered into the realm of miracles.” The reporter's words were affirming the reality that according to normal bodily functions, coming out alive after 8 days is beyond what is normal or natural. These kinds of survival stories have the word, “miracle”, attached to them and bring these kinds of recoveries into the realm of the supernatural.

I thought of Luke's words in Acts 19:11 describing the ministry of Paul. Luke wrote, “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles.” (NLT) I went after that verse in other translations and here is what I found regarding the word “unusual” as it describes the miraculous:

“Extraordinary” - New International Version

“Quite out of the ordinary” - The Message

“Not common” - Young's Literal Translation

Miracles are all of the above definitions and more. As I processed Haiti, the CNN comment, and the miraculous rescues, I went to church last night resolved to have our church pray differently for Haiti.

As I said earlier, we are sending money and aid to help in the relief effort. We will send some of our people to be boots on the ground. All of this is desperately needed. But, if I was still alive and trapped under tons of rubble, and out of the reach of what is being sent as relief, I would want my life to enter into the realm of the miraculous. I would want to be seen on CNN coming out of the rubble alive. I would want the church around the world praying for the realm of the miraculous to be experienced in my situation.

Last night, as the church assembled, I asked the people to pray wonderfully wild and crazy kinds of prayers – prayers that send angels to feed people. Prayers that find people alive three weeks later when all hope has vanished. Prayers, that when answered, will leave the world astonished at the power of God and affirm the statement made by the reporter, “We have entered the realm of miracles.”

It can become all too easy for the Church to respond like the world when God does a miracle. Our astonishment at the miracles of God can reveal that we might have stopped believing for God to do something infinitely beyond all that we would ever dare to ask or think. When more miracles take place in Haiti, and I believe they will, I want to rise up here in the security of my comfortable home in America and say, “That is my God at work!”

"The Only Thing That Is Inevitable Is My Will" by Garris Elkins

Recently, I read Breaking Christian News on Elijahlist and something caught my attention. The article was about a recent vote in the New York State Senate that confirmed marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The lead to the article was this:

"Advocates for same-sex marriage have attempted to portray their cause as inevitable. However, it has become clear that Americans continue to understand marriage the way it has always been understood...”

The word “inevitable” jumped out from the page. As I read this word I heard the Lord speak to me and say, “No work of hell can stand against My Kingdom under the definition of 'inevitable.' The only thing that is inevitable is My will.” When I heard those words faith began to rise within me.

The dictionary defines “inevitable” as, “unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary: an inevitable conclusion, that which is unavoidable. “ I don't like those definitions when it comes to the works of hell– not just for their meaning, but for what they can do to our faith. When we say that something is “inevitable” we remove the miraculous intervention of God from the scenario. When we slip into this mind-set we are no longer making choices to stand in the way of “inevitability” and say, “No!”

In 1990, when I first visited the old Soviet Union, it seemed “inevitable” that the USSR, then a world super-power, would live on forever in its current form. The reality from history is that the Soviet empire fell within months.

When Jan and l lived in Berlin we saw remnants of the Berlin Wall that stood as a separation between friends and family, East and West. The stone facade of that wall seemed immovable until one day in 1989 when that inevitable wall was torn down. Nothing is inevitable when God is at work.

This is a time for the Church to press through any walls of disbelief and resignation that comes when we begin to view anything as inevitable. Many followers of Jesus are weary – this has been a challenging time. In this weariness some have stopped praying for the sick in the face of what appears to be an impossible situation. The Lord shared with me recently that we are entering a season of first-fruits in miraculous healing. These first-fruits will come after the patients have been signed off to an inevitable end. This is not the time to give up and yield to inevitability.

The writer Hebrews in chapter 11, said, “It (faith) is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.” When we begin to believe again that something is going to happen our attitudes and actions change. This kind of faith in the unseen realm is translated into prayers of faith that tell a spirit of inevitability to move out of the way because Heaven has come to earth.

Chapter 12 of Hebrews starts off with a “therefore” in verse one. “Therefore” means to consider what was just written. Chapter 11 described faith and those who lived by faith. Chapter 11 is glorious, and yet, this was the old covenant that was only a shadow of what we now live in because of Christ's resurrection. Verse one continues to say, “Therefore, ...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.” A mind set on the inevitability of sin and disease is a mind weighted down. A weighted life will eventually slow down and begin to live without the motion of faith and eventually come to a stop. We are called to strip off these weighted ways of thinking.

Hebrews 12:2 says that we hold this steady course of faith, “...by keeping our eyes on Jesus.” our eyes are on Jesus, and not the apparent inevitable course of brokenness, sin and disease, miracles are possible because we are once again moving with the Spirit of God.

Cancer wants the church to resign herself to the“inevitable” conclusion of its action in a human body as always resulting in death. But some are seeing Jesus in the midst of all the pain and sorrow of this disease and they are beginning to pray in faith and people are being healed.

The current financial meltdown can cause a follower of Christ to resign themselves to believe the days of financial blessing, for the sake of God's Kingdom, are behind us. But some people are coming into new levels of supernatural provision in this current recession because they are seeing Jesus directing their financial steps for His glory.

People with clinically diagnosed mental disorders have entire families believing that their loved one is headed towards a life of inevitable mental illness and despair. But , as I write this I see the faces of a family I know whose loved one is coming into wholeness because they have begun to believe that with God nothing is ever “inevitable.”

The lie of “inevitability” results in the sense of resignation to the existing status quo and this hinders the Church from believing for more. When faith is pulled out of the equation, and fear settles in, this fear gives birth to resignation. Resignation does not take new territory. Resignation is stationary. takes us to a place of unbelief where acts of faith are no longer seen.

When resignation settles in we begin to believe that the disease cannot be avoided, so death is certain. We begin to believe the financial loss will continue to spiral down until we have nothing left so we begin making plans for a life of lack instead of abundance. Resignation causes a parent to believe that a mentally challenged child will never experience a renewed mind so they make plans to live in sorrow.

As I began to understand the implications of the word, “inevitability,” I began to get more stirred. I realized the implications of this word has slipped into the vocabulary of some in the Church. To whatever degree, some have been side-tracked from walking in their God-given authority of establishing His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. God is about to send unusual miracles to those who stand in faith and dismantle what has been called inevitable and impossible.

I looked deeper into the etymology of the the word “inevitable” - it comes from a the word - “evitable.” Evitable is defined as, “possible to avoid, avoidable – from a Latin word “to shun.”

How do we avoid being sucked into the vortex of “inevitability” thinking? This shunning of hell's sentence of death will cost us something. Our need to look socially and politically correct will go out the window when we take this kind of stance. We may lose a friend or even offend a part of the Church because we are believing for new territory. The Bible is filled with people who faced impossible and inevitable odds. These people overcame the spirit of their age by standing on the promises of God.

Abram dragged his entire family and all their belongings towards a land not yet seen. It appeared inevitable that Abram would be defined as a dreamer and a vagabond, but God changed Abram's name to Abraham and gave him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abram kept walking towards the promise and the promise became a reality.

Joseph offended his brothers and was sold into slavery. It seemed inevitable that Joseph would live forever as a slave, but God had other plans and promoted him to save a nation. Joseph kept making choices of integrity and those choices kept him aligned with the promise.

Young David seemed out-gunned and insignificant as he faced Goliath. It seemed inevitable that a shepherd boy would be destroyed in the presence of a well-trained and equipped giant, but God's anointed one cut off the giant's head. David ran towards the giant instead of running away and ran into the promise of kingship.

Elijah was in an impossible situation. It seemed inevitable that Elijah would fail because he was out-numbered by the prophets of Baal and the existing political structure wanted him dead. God had another plan. Everything changed when Elijah asked God to prove Himself and the fire of God fell.

Saul watched approvingly as he held the robes of those stoning Stephen to death. It seemed inevitable that Saul would continue to kill Christians, but God had other plans on the Road to Damascus. God turned Saul the murderer into Paul the Apostle. Paul took a step of faith in the blinding Light of God's presence and became one of the most significant people in Church history.

Peter denied the Lord and went back to his old life of fishing. It seemed inevitable that Peter would forever make a fool of himself and live in exile from the promises of God, but God met him and turned him into a man of rock-like faith. On morning while fishing Peter saw the Lord and swam ashore and ate breakfast with the One Who would restore his life.

The most important example is the Lord Himself. He was crucified like a common criminal and put into a tomb and it was inevitable to those who crucified Him that He would remain in the ground forever, but God had another plan. After three days He rose and left both the Cross and the Tomb empty and took His place at the right hand of the Father.

Nothing is ever inevitable when God is involved. When God asks you to stand before impossible circumstances that have been labeled as “inevitable” stand there in faith and begin to pray, prophesy, declare and decree what He is saying to you. Let your words change the atmosphere of your circumstances. Words of faith dissolve what seems to be inevitable.

If you are facing a circumstance that has been defined as “inevitable” fix your eyes on the One who has forever destroyed the works of the “inevitable” kingdom of darkness and trust Him.

God spoke to my heart and said, “Look at Me, and pray as you look. Let the things your realm declares as inevitable and destined for death become inevitability destined for life as they come under My authority. Pray believing and you will begin to see what I have planned. Belief comes from looking at Me. As you look you will see My will rise up before you amidst your pain and sorrow. There is a victory coming – it is inevitable.”

"Trusting in Broken Nets" by Garris Elkins

This morning I was reading through the Book of Habakkuk. Like all of the prophets there is a context and an audience for what is written, and yet, as I was reading, some independent verses seemed to stand out and speak to me. I began to import some of these verses into my morning prayers. As I prayed God began to ask me some questions.

"Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them. These are the gods who have made us rich!" Habakkuk 1:15-16

As I write this blog entry I have a beautiful painting that hangs above my office desk. It is a watercolor painting of the disciples hauling in a net full of fish. The net was breaking and the disciples are looking up to heaven from within their boat that was being tossed about on the raging waves of a storm. Their physical posture was focused upward in a petition for God to help them. I feel like some of my nets are breaking. I feel like I am in the painting.

As I read Habakkuk the first God-question came - "Has your model of ministry become an idol to you?'' Many times I think I really have things figured out. The fruit of success is coming in and then it is all too easy to begin thinking you really know what your are talking about. When the model of ministry - our current net - begins to rip, where do we look? For another model of ministry or for Him? I am wanting to become one of the disciples in the boat in the painting who looks up, not around.

"How foolish to trust in something made by your own hands!" Habakkuk 2:18

I have been doing pastoral ministry, now, for almost 30 years. It is easy to slip into thinking that whatever good things happen are somehow the result of the labor of my hands. While God wants us to be faithful, He is constantly reminding me that the eternal things are only built by His hands. He builds the church and I have been called to keep the environment within His construction project whole and honest. Health becomes a by-product of this pastored environment.

The question I heard attached to this verse was, "What are you trusting in, Garris?" The next verse, 2:19, contains a question: "Can an idol speak for God?" Am I trusting in what speaks for my life and ministry, or am I trusting in those things that don't require my promotion because what God has done will bear its own witness? It is too easy to slip into self-promotion when we don't see much of what we have done being promoted by others. Idols get carved in our insecure seasons.

"In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by. Show us your power to save us." Habakkuk 3:2

Many of us who lead and serve in the Church, if we could be honest for a moment, would say, "This is a time of deep need - God come and show us again your power - save us again!" This is where I have been parked lately. As a pastor I feel my own needs and pain, but I also carry, and sometimes in a wrong way, the struggles of those I have been called to shepherd.

Then the questions for this verse came - "Do you want it your way or My way? Is your need deep enough now that there is nothing left of your abilities to come to the rescue? Do you still believe I have something to do in you that is beyond all you could ask or hope for?"