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Have you heard of people referred to as ‘high maintenance’ or ‘low maintenance’? This is a readily apparent metaphor and you prefer the company of low maintenance people who are not demanding but there is another category to consider that is better still. They could be called negative maintenance people because they are spontaneously life giving rather than demanding at any level. Can you think of anyone that meets this description? Such people are attractive in a way that surpasses the attractiveness of appearance and charm.

I can’t exactly recall the reason I was feeling down on this particular night.  Maybe it was because I hadn’t ministered to anyone in a while.  At least not in the way I had become used too.  In fact, the more I think about it the more I’m sure it was for that reason.  But it doesn’t really matter because it’s not the point of this blog (although the topic of “boxes I’ve tried to shove ministry into over the course of my life” could fill a number of articles I’m sure).

I do remember that I was in the bathroom getting ready to take a shower when I happened to look up and see a vision.  I saw a bar hovering above my head.  It wasn’t too long, maybe a couple of feet.  It was cylindrical and looked pretty sturdy like it was made from steel. 

Have you ever heard someone refer to their ‘lot in life’? Such a declaration is one of resignation and defeat rather than triumph. You may face circumstances in life that you would like to change but are unable to. Do you see these as a limitation or a curse? I promised my followers that in this world they would have tribulation, but that they should still be of good cheer, for I had overcome the world. Some of my most prominent followers were imprisoned and afflicted and tormented, yet they still lived with a sense of destiny. You can do the same. I will not permit your circumstances to interfere with the plans I have for you. 

While attending the Voice of the Apostles Conference in Orlando last week, I was blessed to have breakfast with Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church, a mega-church in Redding, California where amazing miracles and healings take place weekly. My goal was to get acquainted and become friends, and I discovered Bill had been influenced by our Communion With God book way back in the mid 1980’s.

Do you think of the Christian life only in terms of blessing and abundance? These are true, but I also told you to lay down your life and pick up your cross and follow me. Do you make it a goal of your life to avoid any association with the cross? If you don’t have one of your own I will make one for you. It may not be obvious at casual observation that this is beneficial for you but I assure you that this too is a manifestation of my goodness to you. Therefore do not resist my work in your life and do not complain about carrying your cross. If you receive it from me and carry it with grace and dignity it is an eloquent testimony that you are on the path of life seeking my Kingdom above. 

Do you think of tension only in a negative sense? Kites fly, but not in the same sense as birds and airplanes. Paradoxically kites can only fly when they are tethered to the ground. There is tension in the kite string and if the string is released the kite will fall and blow away. You can fly like a kite with the wind of the spirit providing lift and holding you aloft. Yet you are human rather than a disembodied spirit and you need the attachment to the present material reality of your life to keep you grounded in this world. These two concepts are in tension but like the kite string this tension is necessary for you to fly. 

Today my daughter, Charity Kayembe, will share the next segment in her blog series with us.

Be blessed!

Have you criticized others or received criticism yourself for a weak attachment to a local church? Yet church involvement is not a guarantee of a strong spiritual life. There should be a strong correlation between these things but haven’t you observed examples of one without the other in both ways? Those who make such a criticism should examine themselves as to whether they correctly discern my body which includes all believers. A body isn’t just a collection of parts. The parts must be connected and interact for there to be life. I want you to discern my whole body as a single living entity. 

Do you love to tell people about your church? You may think that your church does things correctly where others do not, but those in other churches or unaffiliated with any church are not easily impressed. I want you to practice your faith in good conscience in the light revealed to you, but yours is not the only way I will accept. Do not judge another man’s servant, for he answers to his own master and I am pleased to accept a wide variety of forms and practices. The Great Commission I have given you is not to advance your own church but to preach the good news of the Kingdom to every creature. 

There’s no question that, as a society, we are becoming increasingly desensitized to all things sex.  There are studies that suggest only 3% of people wait until marriage to have sex.  Others have suggested that only 20 percent of Christians wait until marriage to have sex.  This study suggests that 61% of Christians say they would have sex before marriage.