Michael Lusk's Blog

Únase al movimiento - ¡Venga a recibir un toque de Dios!

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Espere un milagro. Dios contesta la oración. Jesucristo es el mismo ayer, hoy, y por los siglos.

Lo que Dios ha hecho por otros, quiere hacer por usted.

Join me in San Francisco, California January 28-30. Expect a miracle. God answers prayer. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

What God has done for others, He wants to do for you.

A Lesson from the Egyptians

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

“The divine seed you sow in so many lives can never die because it is filled with God’s life.” T.L. Osborn

There is a story I once heard that illustrates the power of a timeless seed. Archaeologists were excavating an ancient Egyptian burial site. As was the custom of the Egyptians, there were clay pots within the tomb that contained various food items, thought to provide nourishment to the deceased in the afterlife.

Within one of the pots were wheat seeds. In the absence of any form of hydration, these wheat seeds had been preserved unaltered for around 3,000 years. The archaeologists had never before encountered intact wheat seeds of such an age, and were curious to see if they could sprout after so many centuries in dormancy.

They carefully took a sample for experiment. In a controlled setting, they planted those few seeds in moist soil. To their amazement, the seeds sprouted, matured, and produced heads of wheat just like any modern seed would have done. The power of the seed to produce new life, albeit dormant, was fully intact.

Some look at the word of God and question how a book written so long ago could possibly help them in their modern-day situation. Jesus said the word is a seed (Mark 4:14). Regardless of its age, whenever that unchanging seed lands on the soil of a human heart, moistened by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, it will unleash the life of God within them.

The seed we sow in the hearts of people can never die, because it is filled with the very life of God. Peter spoke on this topic when he stated that you have been “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the LORD endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the Gospel was preached to you.” (I Peter 1:23-25) God’s word can never die; it lives and abides forever! And it contains within itself the ability to produce the life of God wherever it finds a fertile heart.

Redneck's Famous last words: "Hey, guys, watch this!"

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Acclaimed international evangelist Reinhard Bonnke compares those who scoff at the simplicity of the Gospel message to those who mock the threat posed by a downed high-tension power line. Seeing it lie there, it would appear harmless at first glance – nothing about it indicates any great potential. But, Bonnke says, dare to take hold of it! Then it will be clear how powerful it is in reality. No one who has been touched by it would ever deny its potency. The same can be said of the Gospel.

Some would treat the Gospel as just one message among many, one way among many, or one spiritual perspective among many. But in reality, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is unmatched in all of history and human thought. No other message can truthfully say what the Gospel can.

Furthermore, no other message bears the irrefutable proof of divine confirmation. Miracles follow the preaching of this Gospel because it is no mere human philosophy or simply a nice teaching among countless others. It is the power of God. When it is preached, that power is unleashed among people.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

I Corinthians 1:18

The Gospel stands alone.

2012-01-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Some would treat the Gospel as just one message among many, one way among many, or one spiritual perspective among many. But in reality, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is unmatched in all of history and human thought. No other message can truthfully say what the Gospel can.

Furthermore, no other message bears the irrefutable proof of divine confirmation. Miracles follow the preaching of this Gospel because it is no mere human philosophy or simply a nice teaching among countless others. It is the power of God. When it is preached, that power is unleashed among people.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

I Corinthians 1:18

What do Christians believe?

2012-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Gospel inspires those who hear it, because it says what no dead religion can say.

If you are guilty – you can be forgiven.

If you are lost – you can be found.

If you are sick – you can be healed.

If you are bound – you can be set free.

If you are impoverished – you can be prospered.

If you are tormented – you can receive peace.

If you call – God will answer.

If you have faith in God – He has a miracle for you.

When people trapped in dead religion hear words like these, it paints a picture in their mind that they have never seen before.

The Gospel according to you

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) simply tell the story of what real people heard Jesus say and what they saw Him do. They testify of what individuals experienced personally through an encounter with Jesus Christ of Nazareth. People may try to argue with you over dogma and doctrine. They may have doubts about the authorship of a book written thousands of years before their time. But it is much more difficult for them to deny the life-changing experience of a flesh-and-blood human being standing in front of them. Tell the story of what Jesus did in you. That’s your testimony. That’s the Gospel about Jesus that you are writing.

The blind man of John 9 stood to give testimony before the skeptics. Those Pharisees interrogated him incessantly. They pressed him about doctrine, methods, family history, and religious law. But his simple answer resounds above all their speculation and skepticism: “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

Never again be afraid to speak! We can speak and communicate; that makes us like God. He has given His gospel to us, and He has given us the ability to speak it out.

Words are the paint. Hearts are the canvas.

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Human beings have the unique ability of intelligent speech. Through words, we are able to paint a picture in the mind of another person. We have all experienced this.

For example, a friend who has recently returned from a vacation in the Caribbean begins to describe to you the sights and sounds, the atmosphere, the foods, the landmarks, and the people of the islands. Although you have never been there, you begin to imagine in your mind; a picture of something you have never seen begins to form in your mind, painted by the words of your friend. The next year, you decide to go on the same tour your friend was on, and you start to recognize the very things that you saw in your mind. Words painted the picture of something that your eyes had never seen.

The words of the Gospel that you and I share with people paint for them the picture of a life that transcends their experience. Some people have never seen God the way you have, but your words of life, hope, and love can paint a new, fresh picture that will mark them indelibly. What picture of God are your words painting for those around you? If a person had no clear image of God, and only had your description on which to base their impression of Him, what image of Him would you leave them with? Let your words paint a beautiful picture of what life can be in Him.

My personal MISSION JOURNAL - Day 4 (TANZANIA)

2012-01-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

June 20, 2011

Mpanda, Tanzania

Yesterday was Father’s Day, and I enjoyed opening my special recordable book with messages from Lucy and Ayden [Noah].  It made me miss home!

In the morning, I preached on “The Mind of Faith, the Word of Faith, the Work of Faith.”

At one point after I handed the service over, a Muslim girl (20 something) came to the altar, knelt down, and wanted to accept Christ as Lord.  Herb led her in the sinner’s prayer.  Pr. Laban changed her name, which was Muslim, to the NT name, Lydia.

I preached the Gospel to around 5,000 on the closing night of the crusade.  Most were Christians, but about 50 came to the altar, plus kids (perhaps 100 more).

My personal MISSION JOURNAL - Day 3 (TANZANIA)

2012-01-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

June 17, 2011

I just returned from preaching at the crusade where approx. 2,000 people gathered and listened to the Gospel message.  I ministered on the lame man carried to Jesus.  When I had them “on the line”, I handed it over to Herb Stewart, who led them to receive Christ.  Perhaps more than 1,000 prayed the sinner’s prayer.

All in all, only eternity will truly tell how many were saved, healed, and set free during these days and through this ministry.

My personal MISSION JOURNAL - Day 2 (TANZANIA)

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

June 11, 2011

Today we traveled about two hours by car – with a brief crossing by barge of the Malagase River – from Kigoma to Karago.  I preached on “Inspiration – Jesus never changes.”  Many were blessed; 8 people prayed to accept Christ or rededicate.  Kids like to stare at us and sometimes shout, “Wazungu!” (White people!)  Ate lunch in a mud hut.  Tomorrow we preach in Karago again; I’ll share the Sunday AM message.

June 14, 2011

I miss home and family terribly.  I think it’s more acute than normal because this trip has been exceptionally demanding as far as traveling conditions.

Yesterday, today, and again tomorrow we minister among the Congolese refugees at Nyarugusu Camp.  Around 500 have been gathering for the crusade and leadership meetings.  It’s provided me a great opportunity to brush up on my French.  Today, a professional chef exiled from Congo prepared our food – c’etait tres riche!  Banana bread with cinammon – some of the best I’ve ever had.  So far I’ve seen no big game animals at all.  I really hope to before I go.

My personal MISSION JOURNAL

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

I thought it would interest some of you to read some of my journal entries - straight from the mission field. The following posts are taken from my TANZANIA journal. Enjoy...

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Mpanda, Tanzania

Today we flew from Dar es Salaam to Sumbawanga (with a pit stop in Mbeya) on a Cessna 208B “Grand Caravan” operated by the Missionary Aviation Fellowship.  In Sumbawanga I met Pr. Laban for the first time and also our driver, Bukuku.  Tomorrow we travel again all day with destination of Kigoma; Saturday, June 11, we preach our first meetings in Karago.  Five days of travel before we get to preach!

Historic Note: Kigoma is the site of the famous encounter between Stanley and Livingstone in which Stanley purportedly exclaimed, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.”

AWESOME MIRACLE story - we saw it ourselves!

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” C.S. Lewis

One day in 2007, a little boy was walking down the street with his mother in the city of Resistencia, Argentina. His name was Ismael. As a newborn, Ismael had been struck by an illness that left him legally blind in both eyes. He wore coke-bottle glasses that only improved his vision marginally, and he was being taught to read in Braille. A life of near-blindness was what most people expected for him.

But that same day, as they walked down the street, something unusual happened. Perhaps it was an advertisement playing on a radio in a storefront, or perhaps it was a poster that his mother read aloud. Whatever it was, however it happened, a message of hope reached Ismael’s young ears. “The blind see. The deaf hear. Paralytics walk. Jesus never changes.”

It was the advertising for one of our evangelistic campaigns, being held in his city. Those words contained the seed of faith, and it found fertile soil in the heart of that little boy. With boldness and confidence, he said, “Mommy, you have to take me, because I know Jesus is going to heal me.”

Impelled by his faith, Ismael’s mother brought him to our open-air meeting held at the provincial sport complex. They moved among the hundreds of other people gathered that evening under the stars. When gospel was preached, telling of the unchanging love of the Savior, Ismael listened intently. As the meeting was nearing its conclusion, I did what I am accostumed to doing: I led the people in a prayer to accept eternal life through Jesus Christ. Then, I began to minister on healing and prepare the people to receive a miracle.

As I led the people in a prayer of faith and rebuked the spirits and infirmities that had attached themselves to the sick, Ismael closed his eyes and extended his faith toward God. When the prayer concluded, I indicated for the people to begin to examine themselves to ascertain what was happening in their bodies, to see if the miracle had already manifested. Upon my instruction, Ismael opened his eyes.

To his bewilderment, he discovered that his vision was even more blurred and out of focus than before. He continued to look around until he finally realized that if he removed his thick glasses, he could see perfectly! Even recently (several years after this occurred), I have received updates from Ismael, and he is still doing just fine.

To what can this miracle be attributed? It’s very simple: We pronounced words of life. Ismael heard. A miracle resulted.

Michael Lusk: missionary, evangelist, CRIMINAL

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thank God, I have never had to go to jail yet for my faith or preaching the Gospel, but some have...

“… I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.” Paul the Apostle, II Timothy 2:9

Men may chain the messenger of God, but they can never chain His message. The interesting thing about persecution is that, instead of squelching the faith it seeks to destroy, it only serves to fan it further into flame.

When I was just twelve years old, God took me to China supernaturally on my first missionary journey. One of the things that I witnessed while I was there was the indescribable passion that the Chinese Christians had for the Word of God. At that time, Bibles were illegal in China and most Christians did not have a complete Bible of their own. One way they sought to overcome that obstacle was to swap portions of Scripture whenever they met together at their secret worship services. One Christian, for example, would trade his portion from Matthew for the other’s portion from Psalms. Because of the scarcity of Bibles, it was not uncommon for Christians to memorize entire chapters of the Bible.

My mother and I, along with other members of our group, had as a stated goal to smuggle contraband Chinese-language Bibles from Hong Kong (then under British rule) into mainland China. Wrapped in common brown packing paper, our illegal payload was placed carefully among the clothing in our suitcases. I remember strongly the feeling I had as a twelve-year-old boy as I carted my Bibles under the nose of an unwitting Communist guard (complete with machine gun) in the train station. Who knows for sure what would have happened if I had been caught? Thankfully, I never found out!

While in China, I had the privilege of meeting Samuel Lamb, a renowned Chinese pastor with an underground church in the southern city of Guanzhou. Pastor Lamb had been imprisoned in a Communist prison for the “crime” of copying the Bible by hand, for which he received a 10-year sentence. Undaunted, he secretly acquired writing materials and continued creating and circulating Bible manuscripts. At some point, the prison officials discovered what he had been doing, and they sentenced him to an additional sentence of 19 years. That precious man spent 29 years behind bars simply because he wanted his people to know the truth of the Bible.

Why were the Chinese believers willing to take such risks and pay such a terrible price? They understood that the gospel message is not only worth living for, but also worth dying for. They knew that God’s words are life and power. Just like the Apostle Paul, they knew that the gospel “is the power of God.” (Romans 1:16)

INSPIRATION : What revelation will inspire us to greatness?

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Inspiration is an inward force that finds outward expression.  Inspiration propels us past obstacles, over discouragement, and beyond limitations.  Inspiration motivates noble activity.  Inspiration exists within us when we view the earthly through the lens of the eternal – when we understand that life is more than meets the eye.

Inspiration comes by revelation.  We are inspired when we comprehend divine truth.  We are inspired by who Jesus Christ was.  We are inspired by His life, His ministry, and His miracles.  And because He never changes, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we are inspired by who He is in us today. 

Michael Lusk is STRONG coffee... I like strong coffee.

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

So, how well are you doing in evangelism personally?

How well is your church or ministry doing? What is your gauge for progress?

Is it your budget projection, your average attendance, or is it souls saved and lives changed?

Are you about the Father’s business, or just busy?

Whose vision are you pursuing?

How do your priorities line up with God’s?

How does your daily agenda look compared to His agenda for you?

These are strong questions for all of us to ask ourselves. Ask anyway.

E=mc2: Evangelism equals me and Christ... how's it go?

2012-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Evangelistic (at least in theory)

I like to say, “An ounce of experience is worth a pound of theory.” Most Christians, churches, ministries, and Christian programs are evangelistic, at least in theory or in principle. But are we in fact and in practice? If you look at some Christian websites, logos, and mission statements, they indicate passion for reaching the lost. But how much of this “theory” actually translates into changed lives? Is it just a front – because that’s what we are “supposed to say”? Are we in Christ’s ministry, or is it all just a show?

The funny thing about theory is, it doesn’t help anybody. We can hold on to our time-honored evangelistic principles and theorize about getting the Gospel to people until our heads spin, but only an actual, life-altering encounter with God through the Gospel will change peoples’ lives.

How do you become a Christian? ¿Cómo se convierte uno en cristiano?

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

(ESPAÑOL abajo)

We want you to know today that you can find forgiveness, healing, restoration, and blessing for your life by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Take a look at God's Word, the Bible, and see for yourself!

1. ALL HAVE SINNED AND NEED TO BE SAVED.
"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23

2. CHRIST PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN, AND OFFERS US NEW LIFE.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

3. BY BELIEVING IN JESUS AND MAKING HIM OUR LORD, WE ARE SAVED.
"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

RECEIVE JESUS TODAY!

Pray this simple prayer out loud.

"Lord Jesus, I recognize that I am a sinner and need to be saved. I believe that you are God, that you became a man, paid for my sins on the cross, and that God raised you from the dead on the third day. I confess you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for washing me of my sin and coming to live in me forever. Amen!"

If you prayed that prayer, please write to us and let us know about it. Leave a comment!

ESPAÑOL:

Queremos que sepas hoy que puedes encontrar el perdón, la sanidad, la restauración, y la bendición para tu vida a través de recibir a Jesucristo como tu Señor y Salvador. ¡Mira lo que la Biblia dice!

1. TODOS HAN PECADO Y NECESITAN SER SALVOS.
"...todos pecaron, y están destituidos de la gloria de Dios..." Romanos 3.23

2. CRISTO PAGÓ EL PRECIO DE NUESTRO PECADO, Y NOS OFRECE NUEVA VIDA.
"Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, mas la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús Señor nuestro." Romanos 6.23

3. CREYENDO EN JESÚS Y HACIÉNDOLE EL SEÑOR DE NUESTRAS VIDAS, SOMOS SALVOS.
"...si confesares con tu boca que Jesús es el Señor, y creyeres en tu corazón que Dios le levantó de los muertos, serás salvo." Romanos 10.9

¡RECIBE A JESÚS HOY!
Dí esta oración sencilla en voz alta.

"Señor Jesús, reconozco que soy pecador y que necesito ser salvo. Creo que tú eres Dios, que fuiste hecho un hombre, que pagaste el precio de mis pecados en la cruz, y que Dios te levantó de los muertos al tercer día. Te confieso como mi Señor y Salvador. Gracias por lavarme de todo pecado y por venir a vivir en mí para siempre. ¡Amen!"

Si oraste esa oración, por favor, déjanos tu comentario aquí. Nos daría gusto enviarte más información que te ayudará en tu nueva relación con Dios.

Fuel? CHECK. De-iced? CHECK. Pilot's license? CHECK...

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Checklist Priority #1: the Great Commission

The fulfillment of the Great Commission is the church’s greatest task, and your greatest task personally. We will be commended in Heaven by the Lord in regard to how well we did at

- sharing the Gospel with the lost

- and making disciples (of ourselves and others).

Without evangelism, Christian life on Earth has no purpose. Once we received Jesus as Lord and were redeemed and saved, we were ready for Heaven. So why did God leave us here on the Earth? Was it to be perfected? I think the perfecting process would be much quicker in Heaven. Did He leave us here to worship? Yes, but the worship will be a lot better in Heaven, too. Did He leave us on Earth to grow in knowledge? When we reach Heaven, knowledge will no longer be an issue.

So why did God leave us Christians here on Earth? There are so many people that have never heard of His love, and we are the ones He has chosen to communicate it to them. Without evangelism, no Christian can truly fulfill their God-given purpose on the Earth. At the end of the day, we are here to reach the lost.

I firmly believe that the lack of “Great Commission mindset” is the greatest factor that contributes to immaturity, burnout, and backsliding among Christians. When you and I truly realize that Jesus is depending on us to reach people for Him, and that we will give an account before God, sin and carnality will suddenly lose to a great degree their ability to attract and distract us. The vibrant life we experience as we form the connection point between people and God causes unholy living to pale in comparison. This solemn responsibility will pull a lot of slack out of our life, keep us walking straight, and energize us on a continual basis. This is why active, decided evangelistic fervor is vital to the spiritual wellbeing of all believers.

Knocked off his high horse

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Even if Jesus Himself were to appear to a lost individual, He would not infringe upon the trust He committed to us in order to preach the Gospel Himself. Would you like me to prove it?

Look at the account of Saul’s (Paul’s) conversion (Acts 9). The Lord Jesus literally knocked Saul off of his horse onto the ground with a blinding light. It’s safe to say that He had Saul’s full attention. When Saul realized Who was speaking with him, he asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

Now think about this. If anyone knows the Gospel message, it’s Jesus Christ. If anyone wants the lost to accept salvation, it’s Jesus Christ. And He had Saul’s attention. Yet Jesus did not preach the Gospel to Saul on that dusty road. What did He do? He said, “Arise, and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Then, Jesus appeared in a vision to a disciple named Ananias – a disciple like you or me – and sent him on assignment to Saul. It was Ananias who visited, ministered to, and baptized Saul.

Also, notice the account of Cornelius’ conversion (Act 10). He was a Roman pagan, but with all his heart, he was sincerely searching for God. God always responds to people like that. He responded to Cornelius by sending him a messenger angel while he was fasting and praying in his house.

But did the angel, sent straight from Heaven on special assignment, preach the Gospel to Cornelius? No. He simply said, “Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon [Peter]…. He will tell you what you must do.” Cornelius obeyed. While his charges were still en route to Joppa, God revealed a vision to Peter, assuring him that the men who were coming to escort him were sent by Him. Peter (not the angel) preached the Gospel, and an entire household was saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and baptized in water!

Jesus will not preach. The angels will not preach it. This Gospel of salvation for all people has been committed to our trust.

It might get ugly, but it's still YOUR baby!

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

It won't always be easy, but preaching the Gospel is your baby!

The Gospel – entrusted to us

The Apostle Paul knew a thing or two about the Gospel. He was the one who said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”. (Romans 1:16) Paul understood something that I wish all Christians would understand: if we don’t preach the Gospel, no one else will.

In his letter to Timothy, Paul declared, “The glorious Gospel of the blessed God…was committed to my trust.” (I Timothy 1:11) What a revelation! The Gospel has been committed to us. It has been entrusted to our care. If we don’t preach it, who will?

What has ONE heart and several MILLION feet?

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Answer: the Body of Christ

In the first century, Jesus only had one mouth to preach His message. He only had two hands to lay on the sick. He only had two feet to carry Him to the people He longed to help. He only had one strong back to serve with. He only had two arms to lift the fallen and embrace the hurting. Today, He has millions.

We are now the hands of Jesus in our world. We are His feet. We are His mouth. He works through us, through our bodies.

What does it mean to say, “I am the body of Christ”? It means that you are the physical manifestation of Christ in the earth. You make God visible. You make Him touchable. You make Him reachable. You make Him audible.

Video Blog - Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Smooooke on the mountain... and fire in the skyee...duh duh DAah... Etc.

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it's really "Smoke on the Water", but you get the idea...

God is Spirit. Why do I mention that? It may seem quite obvious, but the fact that God is Spirit is critical, as it touches the very center of what I am trying to communicate to you.

Spirits scare people. Isn’t it interesting to note that whenever an angel appears to someone, often the first thing he says is “Do not be afraid”? When God appeared to the children of Israel in the wilderness, they all witnessed the thunder, the lightning, and the sound of a trumpet blast. If that were not enough to scare them, the mountain was literally burning and smoking from the intensity of God’s presence! Smoking rocks are pretty intense. At seeing this manifestation of God in spiritual form, “they trembled and stood afar off.” Then, they told Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:18-19) Unredeemed people (and maybe even some Christians) would still react the same way today if God showed up like that.

God understands this. He knows the limitations of human nature. He comprehends that lost people could not bear up under the pressure and intensity if He revealed Himself in spirit-form. That is precisely why He decided, through Christ’s sacrifice, not only to redeem us back to Himself, but also to deposit His Spirit within our physical body. This would allow Him to approach people, touch people, speak to people, and serve people through a human body, filled with His Spirit! In our bodies, God is able to operate in the earth. This is the message of redemption; in essence, God has said, “Let’s make a deal; you give Me your flesh, and I’ll give you My Spirit.”

Are you POSSESSED? I am.

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

His Spirit in our flesh

“…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:26-27

Our redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ makes God’s dream possible – the dream of living inside of people like you and me. Because we have been redeemed, His Spirit can now dwell within us. This is what Paul referred to in the above text as “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations” and “the hope of glory”. This infilling, indwelling presence of Christ in our being is what makes our continuation of His ministry possible. It’s the same Spirit – just a different body.

If Jesus were in your shoes...

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

If Jesus were in your shoes... actually, He is.

Christ served as our new example of God, and our new example of life, ministry, and eternal purpose. Dying on the Cross for our sins happened quickly; demonstrating the God-life and setting a new example took 33 years. Why? It takes a long time to change our minds. His ministry to people set the standard for our ministry to people. Jesus left this intention absolutely clear when He said:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” John 14:12

When He spoke these words, Jesus was very near to the end of His personal ministry on Earth. Within a short time, He would die on the Cross, be buried, resurrect, and ascend into Heaven. He knew that preparation had to made to transfer His ministry to His followers so that they could continue the ministry just as He would if He were still here physically. Christ’s intent was not for His ministry to reach a point of expiration, but rather one of expansion.

Everything He had been doing up to this point was meant to show us an awe-inspiring demonstration of our unlimited possibilities in Him as those who continue the very same ministry to people that He exemplified.

Jesus came to show us God – and ourselves

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

That's my friend, Missionary Extraordinaire to Thailand Charlie Milbrodt, lifting some Thai kids to new heights! Isn't that just like God? Kind of makes me think about today's blog -

No more crawling

Because of Jesus’ ministry, the image of God has been restored for all people to behold; because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the pathway to God has been reopened for anyone who wills to return to Him. Dignity has been restored – now people can stand tall with newfound confidence to walk with God. Crawling is over for those of us who have walked out of dead religion and into a vital union with God through Jesus Christ. Now, we live in God, and He lives in us. This is the hope of the Gospel that we announce. This is the God that people have searched for all their lives – this God who looks like Jesus.

He came to show us God – and ourselves

Jesus came not only to renew human beings’ image of God, but also to renew another image that had become equally distorted – that of ourselves. He came to show us God and to show us ourselves. He came not only to reveal a fresh example of what God is like, but also a fresh example of what we were meant to be. Potential squandered by sin would be reborn. Possibilities lost to our experience would be realized through His life in us, and our life hidden in Him.

PREACH, GANDHI ! Preach it!

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Mahatma Gandhi, the great leader and liberator of modern India proclaimed, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ,” and “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.”

What a staggering indictment! Gandhi and many people like him (including me) have no problem with Jesus Christ; in fact, they are drawn to Him. What they have a problem with is hypocritical, lifeless, outward trappings of the dead religion that has built itself around the life and teachings of this Man who was unique in all of history. People don’t want dead religion; they want living reality and life-giving relationship with God.

The good news that the whole world needs to hear is that God looks just like Jesus. His identification with God the Father was total. He came as our Example, to remind people everywhere what God is like.

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. John 8:19

He who has seen Me has seen the Father… John 14:9

Jesus’ works and words are a picture-perfect image of God. Throughout the Gospels, He showed us God’s will for all people over and over again. He showed us what God was like.

-When the sick came to Jesus, He healed them.

-When the broken came to Jesus, He restored them.

-When the bound came to Jesus, He liberated them.

-When the sinful came to Jesus, He forgave them.

The Gospel accounts of His interaction with hurting, needy people are like “snapshots” of God. Jesus did all these things because they are the very things the Father wants for people everywhere. The good that Jesus did to people then is God’s proof of His unchanging will to do good to all who come to Christ in faith today.

Forgetting what God looked like

2011-12-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

In the beginning, Adam and Eve lived in a sinless perfection. They lived and related with God in intimate friendship, and enjoyed His very best. When they disobeyed God and sin entered the human race, it separated them and future generations from God. The prophet Isaiah expressed it in these terms: But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you…” (Is. 59:2a) Sin hid God’s face from people; soon, they began to forget what He even looked like.

Dead religion marred God’s image.

Dead Christian religion is no better. Mahatma Gandhi, the great leader and liberator of modern India proclaimed, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ,” and “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today.”

Jesus showed us God’s will for all. He showed us what God was like.

God looks just like Jesus. That's the best news in the world.

Why did Jesus come? BTW, Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Why did Jesus come?

That may seem like a simple question. Even the newest convert to Christianity knows that Jesus came to save humanity. That much is true. Christ served as our Redeemer.

But have you ever stopped to consider the fact that Jesus did not have to grow into manhood and spend over thirty years on Earth in order to shed His blood as the payment for the sins of the world? The events that surrounded Christ’s betrayal, trial, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were accomplished in a matter of days – not years.

Yet Jesus began His earthly ministry at age 30, and most Biblical scholars agree that it continued for a period of 3 years. So why did He walk among us for so long? If the pathway to redemption was opened in a matter of days, what was His purpose in teaching, preaching, and ministering among people for around 3 years?

The answer is simple: Jesus didn’t just come to redeem us. He came with another purpose. Christ came to serve as our Example for life and ministry to people.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

God via you

2011-11-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

My purpose and heart’s desire in composing this material is to inspire and provoke a great unleashing of gospel harvesters into the ripened fields of our world. We are living in the last days, and there is still much work to be done.

You are part of the solution. You are a link in this great chain of torch-bearers, connecting past generations of believers to future ones, lighting up the darkness with the light of Christ. You are destined to be a physical contact point for God, so that when people touch you, it’s like they have touched God; when they hear you, it’s like they have heard His voice; when they see you, it’s like they have caught a glimpse of Him.

In our international evangelism conferences, I often tell the attendees, “I look out and see great leaders. You hold the key to the nation in your hands.” Maybe you don’t see yourself as a great leader yet, but God has placed potential in you. That potential is the “key” to reaching your world with the message of the Gospel.

LIFE DECLARATION

2011-11-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Pray this prayer over your life and feel a surge of victory! Nothing is impossible - Michael Lusk

Lord Jesus, You are my example for life and ministry. Until the day You were taken up, You showed me the way to share Your love and life with others. Then You redeemed me through Your blood on the Cross. Because I am redeemed, Your Spirit now lives in me empowering me to continue Your ministry to people and to preach Your gospel.

You sat down and sent me in Your place! Now, the Gospel of salvation has been committed to me. You depend on me to share Your message with the world. Your trust in me gives purpose to my life! I am Your chosen representative, sent by You to give Your life to the lost. Because You live, I live also! AMEN!

Like babies? Improve your LOVE LIFE

2011-11-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Noah looks as shocked as some of you when you read the title of this blog. Fooled ya!

Love is the fuel that keeps the flame of the Great Commission alive. Nothing but love can keep us reaching the unreachables, touching the untouchables, teaching the unteachables, and healing the incurables. Only pure, God-sized love makes it possible for us to love the unlovable. Fallen humanity has an infinite capacity for evil; only God’s love can redeem them. That love is transmitted from the heart of God to the heart of sinful man through us. We are the channel of His love. That love transforms human beings, regenerating them into a new species with infinite capacity for good. The Gospel is the message of God’s redeeming love.

We love people because God loves people. We value people because God values people. People matter to us because people matter to God.

Things EVERYBODY needs to know - Let's TELL 'EM

2011-11-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

The World deserves to know that…

They are loved by God and are the product of His love.

God formed them with His own hands.

They are made in God’s image; they look like God.

Everything good in them is a reflection of God.

God created them for a good, full life.

God created them to be loved.

God created them to be prospered and blessed. III John 2

His desire is that they be fulfilled and successful.

The sin that separated them from Him has been paid for.

God’s mercy and grace were poured out toward them on the cross.

Jesus assumed all their guilt and penalty for sin.

God’s righteous judgment of sin was laid fully on Christ.

His blood was the only perfect, sinless sacrifice.

He bore their sicknesses and carried their pain.

He was bound so that they could be free.

He was impoverished so they could be made rich.

He died so that they could have life.

Jesus rose from the dead.

He has life to give to those that are dead in sin.

The power of evil has been defeated.

Salvation is a gift of God’s grace.

They receive it by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, not by good works.

Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.

God does not condemn them.

If they come to Christ, they will be made new.

If they confess their sin, God will forgive them.

God wants to be their Father.

He will adopt them into His royal family.

They don’t have to be alone anymore.

They can have peace with God through Jesus Christ.

God sent Christ to show them what He is like.

They can look to Christ’s life and ministry to see what God is like.

PEOPLE matter

2011-10-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Giving away my Thai gospel booklets after a crusade

One man said, “If it were not for their tombstones, we would never know that some people had ever lived.”

I once heard the story of a missionary who dedicated his life to take the Gospel to the inhabitants of a tropical island in middle of the Pacific Ocean. On his tombstone, the islanders engraved his legacy. If memory serves, it said, “When he arrived, there were no Christians; when he left, there were no pagans.”

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, the greatest and only legacy we truly leave is the impression that we indelibly mark on the hearts of the people whose lives have been touched by ours. Besides God, only people really matter. All else is nothing more than ashes and dust. The great apostle Peter affirmed this truth when he penned these words:

"...the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness..." II Peter 3

Every Person - A New Frontier

2011-10-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

In our modern world, there are few regions or ethnic groups that have received absolutely no gospel message, when considering these regions and groups in their collective entirety. Without any doubt, however, per capita evangelization varies greatly from one area to another. In the United States, for example, one would be very hard-pressed to find even one person who has not at least heard the name of Jesus; in some of the more remote regions of the earth, the percentages of those who have heard of Christ drop down into the single digits.

But regardless of the quantity of Christians among any given demographic group or in any given region, one truth holds true. In God's eyes, every person is a new frontier. Every un-reached human being on planet earth is a mission field, a virgin territory.

Never feel that your part is insignificant, no matter how small it may seem in your estimation. Great things start small. Every person matters. Dare to be one of God's fearless trailblazers, cutting new paths into the hearts and lives of those who have never heard how much they are loved by God.

It makes no difference if the person you reach is a Hindu, a Muslim, an animist, or simply a person with Christian religion. It matters not whether they be a co-worker on the job, or an Amazonian aborigine. God is not just interested in reaching those that, in our mind, are distant and exotic. He sees all of us the same, and a lost person surrounded by Christians is no less lost than if he were surrounded by non-Christians. Be a pioneering missionary wherever God sends you, near or far. Every human being is a mission field, a new frontier, a virgin territory.

How strongly Muslim leaders believe in Jesus -

2011-10-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Me with Kevin and Leslie McNulty, my friends and collegues in evangelism

“It is amazing how the nations of the world show their faith in the name of Jesus. They make all sorts of unnatural laws to protect their people from even hearing the words of the Christian message. They believe that one hour with a real Christian would remove 1,000 years of their religion and convert their country to Christianity. Would it not be wonderful if the Christians believed it also?” Dr. Kevin McNulty

Experts estimate that the global population at the time of Christ was around 300 million people. At the time of the writing, global population exceeds 6 billion. Over 3 billion of these individuals have never heard the gospel even once! It is a global crisis when we consider that, nearly 2,000 years after Christ issued His Great Commission mandate, we have 10 times as many un-evangelized people as when it all started. But it is also a global opportunity when we consider that there were only a select few disciples that Jesus left behind before He ascended to Heaven; today, there are hundreds of millions of born-again believers to take His gospel to the farthest corners of Planet Earth.

Follow the doors HE opens

2011-10-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when my wife and I were living in Argentina, I was in prayer and received a divine “go” order from the Lord for the city of Resistencia, the capital city of the Chaco province located in the far north of Argentina near the border with Paraguay. In response to this prophetic word, I proceeded forward, conversing and talking about outreach opportunities with the local pastors in that city. I traveled by bus over 1,000 kilometers in obedience to that word. When I met personally with the pastors there, some were interested, others seemed like they could not care less, but there was apparently no one among the group who had heard what God had spoken so clearly to me.

In the natural, I would have abandoned the effort and moved on to greener pastures. However, I knew that God had spoken to me. Because of that rock-solid assurance, I was willing to do the crusade no matter who did or didn’t get behind it. In response to relentless faith, God supernaturally opened doors of favor with a select group of pastors. He also touched the hearts of a pastor and his wife in the United States to underwrite the crusade budget. Not only was the Resistencia crusade realized, it was also a tremendous success. Great healing miracles confirmed the Gospel. Hundreds of people prayed to accept Christ as Lord. And even more, that single, divine open door caused a domino effect, and doors for evangelistic events later opened to us throughout the region because of our relentless determination to obey God’s mandate to us.

Dare to be His ambassador!

2011-10-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:20

In light of the Apostle Paul’s statement above, the study of embassorial protocol is fascinating and especially relevant to our position as legal representatives of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.

According to standard definition, an ambassador is a minister of the highest rank, with plenipotentiary authority to represent his or her head of state. The term “plenipotentiary” comes from a Latin root meaning “full powers”. As a noun, plenipotentiary refers in particular to a diplomat who has been vested with full powers and who is fully authorized to represent his or her government as an exclusive right.

Let’s look closer at the implications of the above definitions:

A minister of the highest rank – The ambassador speaks for the king and as the king. By nature of their assignment, ambassadors exercise an extremely high degree of functional humility. They do not come to share their own opinion or push their own agenda; they simply communicate the statements and execute the directives of their head of state. This is also true of us as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. His Gospel is our official policy. His Great Commission is our only agenda.

Plenipotentiary authority – An affront to an ambassador is tantamount to an affront to the sending nation and its head of state. Operating as His ambassadors, we embody our head of state, Jesus. This is why He declared, “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." (Luke 10:16)

FREE Download - Holy Spirit version 1.1.1

2011-09-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

You need to be full of theHoly Spirit. It is completelyavailable to you as a follower of Jesus Christ. Just like Peter said, the promise is for you! (Acts 2:39) Even more, take a look at what Jesus said about the gift ofthe Holy Spirit:

If you then, being evil,know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenlyFather give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Luke 11:13

These words give us great confidenceto not only ask God to fill us up with the Holy Spirit, but to know that Hewill do it!

Here are a few keys I wouldlike to share with you based on my experience that will help you to receivethis infilling of the Holy Spirit with the gift of speaking in other tongues.

1. Laying on of handsis one of the ways that the fullness of the Holy Spirit was imparted in theearly church era (Acts 8:14-18, 19:5-6), and continues to be today. If you are able, ask a Spirit-filledminister to lay hands on you and lead you in a prayer to receive the fullnessof the Holy Spirit.

2. Once you ask God to fill you with His Spirit, you do thetalking. Don’t speak in your native language anymore; simply let thesupernatural, unknown words the Holy Spirit gives come out of your mouth. He will not take over your will; youmust choose to let those words out.

This is the way we haveinstructed people all over, and it works. On one occasion, we were ministering to children who wanted to pray intongues, and gave them these same simple instructions. About ten kids were filled with theHoly Spirit and prayed in tongues that day. We have seen that scenario repeated all over the world.

3. Don’t quit expecting it until you get it. A lot ofpeople give up too soon. If you donot receive the manifestation of praying in tongues instantly, keep seeking Godwith all your heart, fully assured that He has heard you and that it is Hiswill for you to be full of the Holy Spirit.

Once, I had a young manapproach me in Argentina. Hewanted to pray in tongues. I ledhim in a prayer and gave him these simple instructions, but he did notimmediately pray in tongues (I believe he was embarrassed). I told him not to give up, but to keepseeking God and believing it was for him. The next day, he came back smiling; when he was sleeping the nightbefore, he was suddenly awakened in the middle of the night and started prayingin tongues right in the bed!

4. Once you start, don’t ever stop! Manypeople who begin to speak in other tongues fail to practice this gift in theirdaily life on a consistent basis (see I Corinthians 14); when this happens, theresult is almost always that the individual loses their ability to pray intongues by a conscious decision. Don’t let this happen to you.

I pray in the Spirit everyday of my life – while I spend time in prayer and study of the Word, while Iwork, while I shower, while I exercise – any time is the right time to pray inthe Spirit. Paul the Apostleboasted, “I speak with tongues more than you all!” (I Corinthians 14:18) He also instructed Timothy saying, “Iremind you to stir up [or fan into flame as you would a fire] the gift of Godwhich is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (II Timothy 1:6) I firmly believe this is in referenceto the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit - HAVE YOU MET HIM?

2011-09-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Holy Spirit is amazing. He is not some heavenly mist or a white dove. He is certainly not an “it”. He is a distinct and eternal person. Jesus talked about Him as a person with unique functions.

Jesus foretold the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the believer.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive… John 7:38, 39a

Jesus is talking about an active, moving, life-giving spiritual force that emanates from our interior with the force of rivers (plural). This Holy Spirit is not for the tame church-goer. He is a radical agent of revolution!

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive…” John 14:16, 17a

The Holy Spirit is “another Helper”; in this passage, the Greek word “another” means “another one of the same kind” i.e., the same kind of Helper that Jesus was.

Jesus also states here that the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive”. The people of the world cannot receive or know this Holy Spirit of truth until they are regenerated by accepting the atonement of Jesus Christ. As believers, we enjoy the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit because we have been redeemed to God through the blood of the Lord Jesus; because of our redemption, we have been restored and recreated as a fit dwelling place for the Spirit.

According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that [Jesus] said to you”. (John 14:26) He will also “guide you into all truth” and “tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)

What a Helper! We Christians need to live fully saturated by this Spirit!

POWER - the Promise and the Purpose

2011-08-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

Promise of the Power

…Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you…” Acts 2:38, 39a

Purpose of the Power – TO WITNESS

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness…. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Acts 4:31, 33a

Got Revival? THIRST

2011-08-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

God revives the humble. This truth is powerful! When we walk humbly before God, we actually dwell with Him in a high and holy place for the purpose of being revived in spirit by Him. Revival springs forth and is sustained from this posture of humility. Revival comes as we walk with God in intimacy – an intimacy that can only be made possible through humility and contrition.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

What does it mean to walk humbly with God? In large degree, it is the willingness to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in both major and minor issues without regard for the cost – to hold nothing back. Walking humbly is not walking perfectly; none of us could walk with God if perfection was a prerequisite. Humility is not perfection, but the ability to acknowledge and repent of our faults. As one proverb states it, humility is not to think less of ourselves, but to think of ourselves less.

MOTIVE: What's yours?

2011-07-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Misguided motives are perhaps the primary reason that so many Christians claim to desire genuine, sustained revival and yet never experience it. Doing what God wants done is not enough; we must do it for the same reason He wants it done.

So many today, while claiming to seek God, are in reality only seeking the next “ecstatic” experience – a goose-bump, a “word”, or a shiver down their spine. They seek visions, but only to validate their own spirituality. They seek dreams, but only to the end of self-aggrandizement. Instead of being God-chasers, many have settled to be ecstasy-chasers.

When it comes to revival, there can only be one motivation for our desiring it: to know God, which will invariably lead to our making Him known to others, since it is impossible to know God truly yet lack the compulsion to point others toward Him for salvation.

Humility – Key Element of Revival

2011-07-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ ” Isaiah 57:15

Humble yourself if you desire revival. God revives the humble.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Walk with God through humility.

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

Don’t wait for God to send revival to you; send yourself to the place of revival.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

The initiative must come from our side.

He's on FIYAAAHHH !!!

2011-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Revival: It’s your choice.

People often think that revival involves loud noise, big crowds, and a sovereign move of God that explodes out of nothing. But revival always begins in the most quiet and solitary place of prayer. Some seek corporate revival, but true revival starts at the personal level, and can only be maintained at the personal level.

No matter what level of revival the people around you are living in, determine within yourself that you will walk with God in intimacy as far as it concerns you. It’s easy to get excited about God when surrounded by a group of enthused Christians; it takes real fortitude and resolve to seek Him in the silence.

No one else can determine your spiritual temperature – not even God. Only you can decide to be hot, cold, or somewhere in between (which is, by the way, the worst place to be). If you want to be on fire for God, you can be; no one else can stop it. If you want to be cold, you can be as cold as you want to be; no one else can stop that either. Today, you are at the exact spiritual temperature that you have chosen; if you don’t like your current setting, simply change your choices.

Word Painting 101

2011-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Words are like a brush in the hand of an artist. With every word, we are painting a picture for others to behold. Some choose to paint pictures of gloom, fear, anger, and depression. Their words, coming from a darkened heart, can only serve to depress, demean, and discourage those who listen to them.

Choose today to let your words paint a picture of love, life, and liberty for the whole world to see. Let your words be clear so that everyone who hears you sees a beautiful canvas depicting a glimpse of God’s grace. In this way, your life and the words that come out of your heart will serve to lift and dignify those who have the privilege of hearing them.

That is what the Gospel does – it paints with words the picture of redemption in the minds of people. That is why the Gospel must be heard; otherwise, it is not the Gospel at all. The good news, or Gospel, is only news when people hear it. If they can just hear it, the creative power of God is released, and saving faith is produced in their heart.

Determining Your Destiny - STEP 4

2011-07-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ask God to reveal your purpose to you.

It may seem like I am stating the obvious, but it bears mentioning. God says that when we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). He has given His Holy Spirit to every believer to serve as our guide and inner witness. Through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, sometimes we just know certain things.

Prophetic words spoken by men or women of God into our life are one of the supernatural ways that God can reveal purpose and destiny to us. However, these types of prophetic declarations should never contradict the Word of God, and they should serve as a confirmation of what the Holy Spirit has already revealed to us personally.

Determining Your Destiny - STEP 3

2011-06-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Look to your dreams.

What do you continually dream of doing?

If you could choose any employment or vocation you desire, and know that you would be successful and have enough money, what would you choose?

Would you stay in your current situation, or would you do something altogether different?

Many people make the mistake of choosing the “sensible” path in life, and completely miss out on their purpose. At the end of the journey, they look back on their life with regret and realize that, in spite of even a measure of success attained while on the “wrong path”, they lack the fulfillment they would have enjoyed if only they had gone after their dream. Don’t let that happen to you.

Determining Your Destiny - STEP 2

2011-06-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Focus on your natural strengths and talents.

My daughter, Lucy, started dancing when she was old enough to walk. At 4 years old, she would dress herself in her best “ballerina” garb and put on her own dance presentations. She would literally leave our friends astounded by the moves she made up on her own. Having never been formally instructed, she would move like a professional ballerina.

You may not be a talented dancer like Lucy was, but I know that you have God-given talents that are tied into your destiny and purpose. It could be music, art, poetry, writing, construction, invention, medicine, cooking, or any other number of things. The things you excel in are clues that point toward your purpose.

Perhaps you are an effective administrator and also have great skill in the area of woodworking. What could that indicate? Maybe you are supposed to own a furniture company. Have you always loved animals and excelled in science? Perhaps God destined you to be a veterinarian or a research biologist. Your natural, God-given strengths and talents point toward your purpose.

Determining Your Destiny - STEP 1

2011-06-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Some may wonder, “How do I discover my purpose for living?” Fortunately, it may not be as difficult as you would imagine. Consider the following and you will see your life-purpose become clearer before your very eyes.

Consider your likes and dislikes.

God is a good God and a loving Father. It is illogical to think that He would destine someone to slave away their entire life, employed in a task that they loathe. If you want to find out what your divine purpose is, start by looking toward things that you enjoy doing.

When I was a boy, I always loved to hear people speak in foreign languages. At about 9 years of age, I saw a television program about a woman from Switzerland, so I headed to the local library and looked for a “Swiss-English” dictionary. I soon realized that there is no such language! Undaunted, I grabbed the next best thing I could find. a Dutch-English dictionary, and started trying to teach myself. I was tremendously unsuccessful, but I never quit loving languages. In my adulthood, I have become a missionary-evangelist and travel the world, and have gained a decent command of the French language, and am fluent in Spanish. A humorous childhood anecdote pointed to my destiny.

If, for example, you are a person who loves to play the piano and have a burning passion to teach others what you’ve learned, there is a good chance your purpose is to be a piano professor. If you abhor working with computers, you are probably not supposed to be a programmer.

The principle is simple: passion points to purpose.

You are God's masterpiece.

2011-06-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Science tells us that our cells contain a chemical code called DNA. Every human being on planet earth, living or dead, has a DNA code engrained into every cell of their body. No two codes are exactly alike. Medical science is so sure of our biological uniqueness, that any one of us could be tried, condemned, and imprisoned based almost exclusively on our DNA code’s presence at the scene of a crime. Modern technology simply confirms what the Bible has told us all along. Centuries ago, King David said it this way:

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works…” Psalm 139:14

Just as each one of us is biologically unique from all other people, in the same way, no two people were created with the same purpose for living. Your purpose is the reason for which God made you, the idea that He had in mind when He formed you. You are unique and one-of-a-kind, and so is your purpose.

Artists spend great amounts of time and invest painstaking effort while creating their masterpieces. Today, works of art produced by a great master of the past can be worth millions of dollars. Furthermore, besides their economic value, these works are prized because they cannot be replaced. If one were to be destroyed, it could never be produced again.

You are no different. Just like a work of art, your uniqueness gives you great value. You are irreplaceable, a one-of-a-kind work of the Master. There will never be another you, and you were created by God with a unique purpose that only you can fulfill. No one else, past, present, or future, has the divine purpose that you have. No one else has the same gifts and talents you have. Your personality and make-up is unlike that of any other human being. That makes you valuable and extremely important in God’s eyes.

Going on to Maturity

2011-06-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age…” Hebrews 5:12-14a

There is a difference between a baby Christian and a mature Christian. New believers have need of spiritual milk, but with training and practice, they are to advance to solid food – to move on into maturity. The reason we have Christians who never mature is because there are those who only get one good solid meal a week on Sunday, but never feed on God’s Word during the week. Worse still, there are many churches where the Word preached from the pulpit is so watered down, it provides little or no nutrition; anemic Christians are the result. Our pews are filled with people who have been “churched” for years, even decades, but who still could not give a reasonable, articulate response of what they actually believe.

The solution is two-fold. First, pastors need to take time to prepare solid messages with real nutrition. The Church of our time desperately needs to witness a renewed commitment from our five-fold ministers to preach the uncompromised Word of God. Second, Christians must be disciplined to get into the Word on their own consistently. No gimmick or shortcut will suffice.

Ears and Hands: Hearing and Doing the Word

2011-05-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Apostle James said, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) The Bible was never intended simply for our mental stimulation or as part of an intellectual exercise (though it will certainly stimulate your intellect). God breathed His very essence into His Word so that by it, our being would be filled with His life. God gave us His Word so that we could come to know Him intimately and serve Him passionately. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-25,

“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”

He then continues on, and shares about the foolish man. This one hears His word, but does nothing about it; it is unaccompanied by obedience. Unlike the solid foundation we enjoy when we both hear and do according to Jesus’ Word, the foolish and negligent hearer never endures to the end. Sooner or later, the inevitable storms of life take them out.

Avoid shipwreck and destruction in your life; decide to be both a hearer and a doer of the Word.

Climbing the Ladder of Success

2011-05-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

The world system has its concept of success. The problem that I’ve seen with world-system success is that the individual may be a success in one area, but an utter failure in another. How successful is a person who is loaded with money, yet hated by his own family?

The Word of God has a higher standard for measuring success. In the above verse, the Bible talks about how to walk in good success and prosperity – by hearing God’s truth and putting it into practice. Good success and prosperity means that we can be a success not only in our career or vocation, but also in our marriage, our parenting, our friendships, our ethics, our legacy – in short, successful in every area of life.

Living out God’s Word is the key to true success.

Confirmed!

2011-05-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

Confirmation of the Bible Today

Because the Bible is no mere book, and is in truth the living Word of God, it enjoys a validation that no other book can claim – divine confirmation. Jesus Himself, resurrected from the dead by the power of God, confirms the Word. In the early Christian era, documented in the Book of Acts, the first followers of Christ “went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.” (Mark 16:20) The early believers spoke the truth of the gospel “boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” (Acts 14:3)

Miracles prove that the words of the Bible are more than just human ideas. Jesus Christ Himself works alongside His followers as they proclaim His Word, empowering them with the same force that raised His lifeless body from the dead.

Jesus performed miracles in His own earthly ministry. Since He is alive today, He continues to perform miracles because He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) In our international evangelism crusades, my wife Christina and I have worked with the Lord Jesus countless times, and we have witnessed innumerable miracles performed by Him as we boldly preach the Gospel of power. We have seen blind eyes and deaf ears open, the lame walk, the sick made well, the weak strengthened, and the oppressed go free. And more than all that, we have seen thousands of sinners walk out of spiritual death and into eternal life, transformed forever by the redeeming power of God’s love.

Without a doubt, the Bible is no mere book.

"No Mere Book" Episode 2 - Michael Lusk

2011-04-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Bible is composed of 66 books written by 40 different authors over a span of approximately 1,500 years. The people God inspired to write came from varied backgrounds, spoke several different languages, and carried out a wide array of professions, including law, medicine, song-writing, politics, animal husbandry, farming, fishing, armed services, and ruling royalty.

They wrote in different locations on two continents, from the edge of the Nile to the Tigris, from palaces to prisons. They composed 66 interconnected books that confirm one another in every instance, with no contradiction or misinformation. The cohesion and consistency of the many existing manuscripts of both Old and New Testament is incredible.

These human authors were inspired to compose varied works of history, law, poetry, philosophy, genealogy, allegory, prophecy, song, and public oration. Yet there is such a startling level of coherency and commonality in content, theme, doctrine, and direction that, working together harmony, points us toward a Person, an Individual – its Divine Author.

How is it possible that such a wide array of books as these could ever coincide with one another if they were simple written randomly?

If, according to the skeptics, people of faith are those who blindly live out their misguided beliefs in the face of overwhelming contradictory evidence, then the skeptics themselves must be, in my estimation, the greatest people of faith the world has ever known.

"No Mere Book" - Michael Lusk

2011-04-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

No other book in the world has had the impact on human history and on human beings themselves that the Bible has. It has stood the test of time for over 3,000 years. Those who have attempted to prove it false have themselves been proven false time and time again. Those who have tried to destroy it have come and gone, but this holy book remains. And above and beyond the overwhelming literary, historic, archaeological, and scientific evidence that supports the divinely-inspired authorship of the Bible, its greatest validation comes from the multiplied generations of holy men and women whose live were redeemed by faith in the gospel message contained in its pages.

Famed French military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte declared: "The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."

German philosopher, Immanuel Kant noted: "The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity."

Acclaimed German novelist and poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stated: "Let mental culture go on advancing, let the natural sciences progress in ever greater extent and depth, and the human mind widen itself as much as it desires, beyond the elevation and moral culture of Christianity, as it shines forth in the gospels, it will not go."

Got an OX? The power of PROCESS

2011-04-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Prosperity is not about the destination, but rather the journey. Isaac, the Old Testament patriarch, is a perfect example of the process involved in prosperity. Genesis 26:13 says of him, “The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.” That shows us the law of process in action.

Process isn’t pretty. At times, it can seem downright painful. But it is all part of God’s big plan for our lives. The proverb says it like this:

“Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.” Proverbs 14:4

What does it mean? God is telling us that, in certain cases, the things that are causing temporary inconvenience or difficulty in our lives could be the very things that are moving us forward on our journey. Mediocrity can be very tidy; advancement can get pretty messy. Choose advancement as you follow God’s path for your life.

Embrace the process. Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going. And learn to savor the fruit of your labors.

“Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.” Ecclesiastes 2:24

Staying on the CUTTING Edge

2011-04-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

“Unless you do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will not grow. We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Excellence in your God-given field of endeavor attracts prosperity like a magnet. Exceed the minimum requirements. Surpass expectations. Go above and beyond. Raise your own bar. Don’t ask “How much MUST I do?”, but rather “How much CAN I do?”

Sometimes it’s just one thing – just one small advantage – that sets you above the competition. Benjamin Franklin said it well: “Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day.”

Work with excellence; half-hearted efforts produce mediocre results.

SERVANTS practice the HIGHEST-PAID occupation.

2011-04-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Find a need. If you really look, it won’t be that difficult. People who succeed are those who find a legitimate solution to a legitimate need. The bigger the problem you solve, the greater your compensation will be.

Henry Ford had a dream to meet a legitimate need. At the time he started dreaming his dream, automobiles were similar to what a private jet would be in our time; only the wealthiest individuals could afford to own and operate one. Production time was slow and labor-intensive, and production costs were so astronomical that a car was by nature a luxury item.

Ford worked tirelessly to develop an automobile that was priced so that any family with even a modest income could afford one. He developed a concept called line-assembly, a process that revolutionized the auto industry, reduced costs to levels an average family could afford, and made Henry Ford one of the wealthiest men of history in the process.

Even today, despite all the phenomenal inventions that have been produced, there are still unmet needs and unfound solutions to meet those needs. And many of those needs won’t be resolved with a new gadget. Perhaps the need is for better customer service, friendlier employees, a new winning strategy, or honest business practices that will give the customer peace of mind.

Maybe you are a plumber. You might think, “There’s nothing new in the plumbing industry!” But perhaps you will get ahead of your competitors in the industry by simply being a plumber who works with excellence, shows up on time, does more than required, and leaves the worksite looking better that when you came. That attention to the finer details will be the deciding factor in your success, whatever your vocation may be.

When you meet someone else’s need, you are being a servant. And Jesus said, “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26) Meeting the needs of others and being a true servant opens you up for some handsome rewards – on every level. As Zig Ziglar rightly said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

INTEGRITY: Honesty truly is the best policy.

2011-04-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

On the road to true prosperity, there are no shortcuts, fast-tracks, or by-passes. Every part of the journey God is taking you on is necessary for your full development. Of course, we don’t like to hear that. Our human nature wants it all, and wants it all now. But God is not just interested in us having something good; He’s interested in us being something good.

Some people try to get ahead by taking shortcuts, especially when it comes to ethics and morality. But those types of short-sighted maneuvers never land you on the straight and narrow path God has laid; without fail, they will always leave you in the ditch, sooner or later. They are wrong turns that divert you from God’s final destination for your life.

Once when I was considering a job in sales, I called my grandfather, Jack Curns, who had been a very successful salesman in the auto industry for several decades. I wanted to get some good advice from an old hand.

In a nutshell, he said, “Mike, the best advice I can give you is to always be honest with your customers. Some salesmen I worked with would try to hide things from their customers to get the sale, but I never did. The tricks benefited them for the immediate, but their customers lost trust and would never come back. I was honest with my customers, and I earned their business again and again.”

I didn’t end up taking that sales job, but I never forgot the advice my grandfather gave me that day. Be honest with your congregation, customers, clients, contractors – whomever you deal with. They’ll be loyal to you if they learn they can trust you. At the end of the day, doing things right – God’s way – is always your best option.

TITHING: it's not a SWEAR WORD.

2011-04-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

Entire books have been written on the subject of tithing. It has been a matter of much debate, and I do not intend to give a deep explanation on the subject. However, I would like to shed some light on the subject.

The word “tithe” simply means “a tenth part”. The principle of the tithe was in existence well before the era of the Mosaic law. In the Garden of Eden, God instructed Adam and Eve to eat freely of all trees, but withheld from them the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a tree they had access to, but which was forbidden for them to partake from.

Abraham voluntarily gave a tithe of his spoils in war to Melchizedek, who was a priest of God (Genesis 14:18-20). Later, Jacob also committed a tithe of his possessions to God (Genesis 28:20-22). The Mosaic law simply codified what was a pre-existing practice.

Some oppose tithing because they can only see it within the Old Testament context, and feel that under grace Christians are not obligated to tithe. My response to that would be, “Then tithe from faith and not from obligation.” When we get into dispute over whether we must tithe or not, it is because we are asking the wrong question. It is not, “Do I have to tithe?” but rather, “Can I expect God to bless my response of obedience and faith in His promises?” The answer to the latter question is a resounding Yes!

Our response to grace is not ask how little we can do but how much we can do. Furthermore, God’s promises regarding tithing hold true, and there are some truly fantastic promises attached to tithing.

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field.”… Malachi 3:10, 11

God promises that when we tithe, He will personally open up the windows of heaven over our life and pour out so much blessing for us that we will not be able to contain it all.

Tithing also protects the “field” of your life, whether that is a literal harvest field, or some figurative field such as a job, career, dream, vision, etc. God promises to rebuke the devourer off of your life, so that you can invest your labor and seed in confidence. He also promises that He will cause your “vine” not to fail to bear its produce for you. That’s the favor of God, and it’s His promise to the tither!

Can anybody hear Me?

2011-04-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

HEAR and OBEY: We can only prosper to the level of our obedience to God. When we hear God speak to us by His Word and by His Holy Spirit, our due response is obedience. Through our obedience, we continue to walk with God and enjoy prosperity; through disobedience, we exclude ourselves from His best. The choice is obvious. Hear and obey.

I found a tremendous prosperity pattern in the Bible. I call it H.O.P. It is a simple acronym to help you remember a spiritual law that governs prosperity. Here's what it stands for:

Hear God's Word.

Obey.

Prosper.

You can see it all over the Bible, but here are a couple examples:

- Genesis 22: Abraham hears God, requiring him to offer his son, Isaac. Abraham obeys, and God's miracle provision is the result.

- I Kings 17: Elijah hears God's order to go to the Brook Cherith, and subsequently to Zarephath. Elijah obeyed, and God's miracle provision was unleashed in both instances.

What are you looking for?

2011-04-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:32,33

I love these verses. They reveal that the heart of the matter is our heart. It’s all about what we are seeking. People who do not know God seek and follow after things. People who know God as Father are to seek and follow after Him. Jesus isn’t instructing us to follow God and live in poverty; He is showing us clearly that following God will cause prosperity to follow us.

God’s prosperity isn’t designed to make us focus on money – it’s designed to make us forget about money. I like to use this analogy: money is like air – when you have enough, you don’t think about it. When it’s cut off, it dominates your attention!

So we can ask ourselves: What am I following after? Am I seeking after things? Or are things following me? Where is my focus? Colossians 3:2 tells us where to keep our focus: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” This truth is echoed in II Corinthians 4:18: “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Keys to Success

2011-03-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

Find a need: People who succeed are those who find a legitimate solution to a legitimate need. The bigger the problem you solve, the greater your compensation will be.

Exceed expectations: Go above and beyond. Don’t ask “What MUST I do?”, but rather “What can I do?” Sometimes it’s just one thing that sets you above the competition.

Walk in integrity: No short cuts, fast-tracks, or by-passes. Be honest with your customers, clients, and contractors – they’ll come back again and again if they can trust you.

One Seed, A Double Harvest

2011-03-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

The last days are upon us. Now is the time, more than ever, for the Body of Christ to understand and operate in God’s kingdom laws of finance. We have a supernatural job to accomplish – the winning of souls in fulfillment of the Great Commission – and we must employ every supernatural resource at our disposal to finish that job.

One Seed, A Double Harvest

God is certainly committed to causing our seed-money sown into His work to produce a financial return in our own lives. That goes without saying. We should expect it to happen – that is His promise for us.

But beyond mere temporal finances, God is interested in a harvest of another kind. It’s an eternal harvest that God Himself sowed for, and our faith-filled financial seed helps to make it a reality. It’s a harvest of souls. Just imagine: our responsible stewardship of money can help make God’s dream come true.

When you and I sow seed into the work of the Gospel, it produces a double harvest: a financial one and a spiritual one. One, though necessary, is temporary; the other represents lives changed for eternity. The question we must ask ourselves is “Which harvest am I more excited about?” It all comes back to what motivates us, to what moves us.

Paul was talking about this kind of harvest of souls when he wrote to the believers in Philippi:

“No church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only… you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.” Philippians 4:15-17

What is the fruit that abounds to the giver’s account? Just like Paul, any honest, good-hearted five-fold minister today can say the same thing: we don’t seek after people’s money; but we do eagerly seek the fruit of their giving – changed lives. We aren’t interested in money; we are interested in what money can do. It funds the preaching of the Good News around the world!

Why does God want you RICH?

2011-03-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Does God want us rich? I truly believe that God desires that every Christian (and every person, for that matter) walk in super-abundant life. Jesus said that He came to give us abundant life without limits. Financial blessing is just one important facet of that life. In these pages, I have done my best to prove to you, the reader, that God desires to meet your every need, including your material need. He is the God who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants, and He wills for your life to be a picture of His grace and favor. The definition of rich can mean different things to different people, but it could be defined as “lacking nothing while having excess”. Assuming that definition as a reference point, I would state unequivocally that God wants us to be rich.

So then, the next logical question is: WHY does God want us rich? Good things are abused when their purpose is not known. In order not to abuse our financial resources, we must understand their purpose.

God wants you to have all that you need and more, so that you have excess with which to bless others. God always associates our prosperity with global harvest (redeeming people back to Himself i.e., world evangelism). If you look, you can see it all over the Bible! One such example can be found in Deuteronomy:

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18

He gives us power and opportunity to get wealth so that He can establish His covenant – the Gospel of salvation! It requires large amounts of money to take the gospel to the world. To be painfully honest, I believe that the work of the Great Commission would be much nearer to completion if the Church could have understood more fully both the operation and the purpose of divine prosperity. It has been rightly said that the gospel is free, but preaching it is not.

I am a firm believer in the fact that God has put everything on the line for the Gospel. He has already provided the most precious thing – His Son – to redeem humankind. Would He now flinch at providing mere money to finance the preaching of that good news?

Resistence is futile, earthlings! KEYS TO INEVITABLE PROSPERITY

2011-03-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Prosperity is the natural result of righteous living. When you live with God and do things His way, you can’t help prospering. It becomes an unstoppable force. For those walking in honor to God, prosperity is unavoidable.

WORK: The Scriptures are very clear that in order to walk in prosperity, we need to work. The book of Proverbs states that “the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (v. 10:4) What does it means to be diligent? Is it about working our fingers to the bone, toiling, and struggling to get ahead? Not at all. Actually, the Hebrew word translated as “diligent” in the verse above is “charuwts”. When used as an adjective, it means “sharp” or “sharply-pointed”; as a noun, it means “a strict decision”. Working diligently means we work within the assignment God gave us; diligence is a strict decision to do what God has destined us for, and not to be sidetracked by things that do not advance us in that assignment.

A Healthy Balance

2011-03-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

God doesn’t want us forced to preach the Gospel with no money, but He certainly doesn’t want us forced to have money with no Gospel. The Bible shows us a healthy balance for living.

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love patience, gentleness.” I Timothy 6:9-11

The reason that those who desire to be rich get into problems is that they fail to realize that prosperity is about so much more than just money. Conversely, poverty is not just about the lack of money; in fact, some people are so poor, the only thing they have is money!

The Bible-model for prosperity is wholeness – completeness that permeates every facet of our lives. Prosperity is:

- living to give.

- abounding with more than enough so that you can share freely.

- walking in peace, joy, love, and the fruit of the Spirit.

- enjoying healthy family and interpersonal relationships.

- not being harassed by guilt, anger, anxiety, or unbridled ambition.

- and yes, having enough money for your needs.

On the lighter side...

2011-03-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi. This is Michael Lusk. I’m not normal.

In fact, I am not even trying to be. My wife, as you can see, is pretty out there, too. As you might guess, our kids are following in suite.

I suppose we just decided that our standard for life is not based on what everyone considers to be “normal”. Sure, maybe our extreme, missionary lifestyle isn’t palatable for some, but we decided a long time ago that we are going to live “sold out” to the One who died to save us – to live like we really believe that what we say about Him is true. That’s what has lead us into our greatest adventures and joys as a family.

Like when…

We lived in a cute little guest house with giant spiders.

We ventured out of our safe home in Michigan with our suitcases and a six-month-old baby.

Or the time we had about twenty grand in small bills on our person walking the streets of South America.

How bout the time we had to fight off the street dogs just to get groceries.

I could go on…

There are challenges when you decide to follow Him, no question. But nothing compared to what’s it’s like blazing your own trail and calling your own shots. Frank Sinatra said, “I did it my way.” Well, look where that got him – dead. (OK, so everyone dies – my point still stands.) Sorry, Frankie, but your life mantra is psychotic. No, sir. I put my hand to the plow. I’m never looking back.

When the Pendulum swings...

2011-03-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

False teaching on prosperity and wealth has permeated the Body of Christ for centuries. This is not surprising, since our enemy, the devil, has a vested interest in keeping the Body of Christ broke, busted, and disgusted.

First of all, if the church has no financial power, who will fund the Great Commission? World missions is the priority of the Christian community, not the secular. If we lack the power to produce funds, the Great Commission cannot be fulfilled. And the devil will stop at nothing to take as many people to Hell with him as he possibly can. False doctrine regarding money is one of the ways he attempts to reach that goal.

Secondly, if the Body of Christ erroneously espouses a poverty policy, it would do nothing to bring glory to God or to convince the world that serving God or not serving Him makes any difference at all. In their mind, they would be justified in their claim that faith is a crutch for the weak. But God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him,” (Heb. 11:6) and assures that there will be a marked difference “between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.” (Malachi 3:18)

The right place for us to walk as Christians is dead center on the straight and narrow path that leads to life – the highway of the Word. We err when we drift into extremes. A ditch is a ditch, whichever side of the narrow way it may be on.

Regarding material wealth, there is on the one hand the extreme of totally disavowing money as something of use, and instead considering it an object of danger that threatens to derail our faith and drag us down into pride. On the other hand, there are those who have fallen into the opposite (and equally dangerous) extreme of obsession with material gain. They recognize it as part of our inheritance in Christ, but overemphasize one facet of redemption to such a degree that they no longer pay due attention to the work of the Great Commission.

"How do you kill a tree?" Spiritual Secrets from an Okie farmboy

2011-03-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

My friend and mentor, Dr. T.L. Osborn, has often used an example that I think will help you understand what happens from the time you take your stand of faith for healing and the time the miracle manifests.

When he was growing up in an Oklahoma farm family, it would occasionally be necessary to remove a tree. The method they used was very simple. In order to kill the tree, they would take an axe and cut a deep notch near the tree’s base, or root. There was no need to use exceptional force to tear the tree from the ground or to chop it down completely. They would just cut that notch.

To the casual observer, the tree was no different after the notch was cut than it was before. The leaves were still green. The branches were still supple and pliable. The trunk was still strong and showed no evidence of an imminent collapse. An uninformed person might say, “That tree is just as strong as ever. It’s not going anywhere.”

But the Osborns knew a secret: they had cut off the life-source of that tree. The supply of water that gave life to every cell of that plant had been cut off by the notch they opened with their axe. Even though there was no immediate manifestation, they knew that over time, just as sure as anything, those leaves would begin to wither and turn brown. The branches would start to dry out and become brittle. And eventually, the tree would fall down dead.

Your prayer and faith confession are like a spiritual axe you used to cut off the “life-source” of your disease. Every sickness has a “life,” or malignant force that operates against our life and vitality. When you took your stand of faith against that sickness or pain, the authority of Jesus was unleashed in your situation and you issued a death-blow to the disease. The symptoms you had been experiencing may not have changed immediately, just like the green leaves of the tree. But we know a secret: just as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, those symptoms will wither and fade away. The sickness “life” has been cut off by the power of God, and it will die. Your life is intact, and you will recovery to complete health.

Redeemed from Poverty

2011-03-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Lack, poverty, and famine were nonexistent in the beginning; they came only after the fall of man and as a result of sin. God gets no glory from sin, and He gets no glory by us being subjected to its curses.

Deuteronomy 28 gives us a very complete list of the various products of sin – curses that come as a result of disobedience to God’s laws. This list is also referred to as “the curse of the law”. You can find this list from vv. 15 – 68; it’s not very uplifting reading, until you understand what Jesus did to redeem us from all of it! Everything from fever to itching to heartbreak to draught is mentioned.

One aspect of the curse that is thoroughly covered in this section is the financial curse. These curses paint a picture of a lifestyle that is completely opposite to the one we see in the Garden of Eden – the blessed life.

The old, cursed lifestyle of sin is the lifestyle in which everything a person touches rots. Despite the best efforts, things fall apart. Instead of making friends, he seems only to make enemies. He might work hard, but someone else gets all the benefit. His bread fills someone else’s stomach, and he is left with nothing but dry crumbs and scraps. All his plans fail. It’s a curse.

Thank God, in Christ, we don’t have to live like that any more! The good news is that:

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…” Galatians 3:13

He did this so that the “blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.” (v. 14) What is the blessing of Abraham? When God blessed Abraham, He said, “I will bless and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2,3) It was a blessing of prosperity, multiplication, and increase. It was an abundant blessing so great that it would reach the entire human race!

When Jesus died on the cross in our place, He forfeited all of the blessing for His righteous life, and assumed all of the curse for our sinful life. By faith in Him, we inherit all the blessing of His righteousness, and forfeit all of the curse our past sins deserved.

Included in Jesus’ redemptive act on Calvary was our liberation from financial poverty and distress. Jesus voluntarily forfeited His own financial prosperity, and was stripped of His earthly wealth in order that we could enjoy it as part of our inheritance. He became poor so that we could become rich!

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” II Cor. 8:9

Make a quality decision to live in and enjoy the financial blessing that Jesus paid so much for you to have.

THAILAND: Dead religion vs. the Resurrected Christ

2011-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

Generations of searchers are represented in Thailand's ornate Buddhist monuments. It is a nation that has sought to know the meaning of life and the path that leads to peace and truth. Unfortunately, so very few there have found Him.

We are working to change that.

Centuries of dead religion melt away like wax before the fire of His love and the power of His gospel.

Will you help us keep reaching out to Thailand and other peoples of the world who don't yet know Christ? Click here to become a WorldReach partner of LWO.

On the global quest,

Evangelist Michael Lusk

I'm back to the BLOG and better than ever (and humbler, too)

2011-02-22T14:37:00.000-08:00

I thought you'd enjoy this entry from my mission blog on THAILAND. Actually, I thought you'd enjoy ANYTHING, since I've left my readers high and dry for way too long. Enjoy a taste of the mission field.

MISSION JOURNAL : February 6, 2011

Yesterday morning we visited a village to minister the gospel. A local shaman and village head man named Paso wanted us to pray for him. He had formerly scared off all the Christians that used to live in his village; they started getting sick and attributed it to his witchcraft. But recently he decided that he wanted to accept Christ. We led a prayer for him and his family as they stood at the front of the church. He said to the gathered crowd, “Today, I am happy.”

Let's go to Thailand together. What do you think??

2011-01-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

What are YOU looking at?

2011-01-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

We have our eyes fixed on THAILAND!

I have been steadily making arrangements for two crusades and evangelism training in the Chiang Mai region of Thailand. Preparations for printing of two of my books in Thai language are also moving along nicely.

I will be there before January is over. Keep us in your prayers!

BROKE, BUSTED, and DEEE SCUSTED!

2011-01-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

The beauty of the law of sowing and reaping is that it gives everybody the same chance to move forward and live the good life that God has in mind for every human being. No one got left out of God’s plan for increase! You may be thinking, “I’m so poor, I don’t even have anything to sow!” But to experience God’s best, you will have to abandon that type of thinking. If you think you do not have enough to give, let me share some good news with you: God gives seed to the sower! (see II Corinthians 9:10)

There are really three elements of our lives we can sow to God: time, talent, and treasure. Only the last one (treasure) involves money. You can give God your very best no matter what your financial situation. Have you ever thought that your time and your talents, gifts, and abilities could actually be seed for your harvest?

God has given you skills that are unique and valuable; employ them in service to others. Carve out time to help someone else, serve more in your local church or other ministry, bless your pastor, or whatever the Lord shows you to do. Use those special talents and abilities that God has given to you to benefit those around you without expecting anything in return from them – that is sowing, and God will honor it with harvest in your life!

Principle #3: We always reap in PROPORTION to the amount we sow.

2011-01-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

In fact, we can only reap in proportion to the amount we sow. This is good news! It means that if we need more of something, we can sow more out, and expect to receive an even greater harvest. The law of sowing and reaping puts the power into our hands – we determine the size of our own harvest. No one else can determine it for you. No other person can put a limit on your success or your ability to obtain your dreams. You can determine your level of living, and you do it through your seed.

Do you need more respect from others? Show more respect for others. Do you want to be happier in life? Find ways to make other people happier. Do you need a greater harvest of financial provision? Sow your best seed into good soil, and watch how God will cause the increase to come back to you. What you make happen for others, God makes happen for you.

Jesus expressed this truth in the following way:

“Give, and it will be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

With the same measure we use, it will be measure back to us. What does that mean? Simply put, it means that if we sow a teaspoonful of seed, we will get a teaspoon-sized harvest. If we sow a dump-truck-sized seed, we will reap a dump-truck-sized return. We determine the size of our harvest by the size of our seed.

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” II Corinthians 9:6

Hello, Blogger Friends. Yes, I am still alive...

2011-01-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

Some of view might have been wondering if I didn´t make it out of the Impenetrable. Well, I almost didn´t, but that is a story for a different day. Actually, I took video of my 56-hour trip back home, and we hope to make a comic video documentary out of it. Any idea for titles? I was thinking, HOW TO GET BACK FROM THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

Anyway, just letting you know I am still alive and kickin, and should have the blogs flowing out with more regularity soon. Now our sights are set on Thailand. Pray for open doors!

Your friend in world evangelism,
Michael Lusk

Good, ol'-fashioned hard WORK!

2010-11-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

Bible prosperity is about more than just throwing money at a preacher.

Good, old-fashioned hard work is also part of God’s plan to prosper you.

Once, a minister went to visit an old farmer who was one of the members of his congregation. When he approached the farm, he couldn’t help but notice the straight, tidy furrows in the field, the bright white picket fence, the freshly-painted barn, and the lush, green lawn. The farmer, not surprisingly, was busy working outside when his pastor arrived. The minister said cheerfully, “My, what a beautiful farm God has blessed you with!” The old farmer replied, “Yep, preacher. But you should’ve seen it when God had this place all to Himself!”

“He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 10:4

PRINCIPLE #2: Comparing Apples to Apples

2010-11-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

Principle #2: Every seed produces a harvest after its kind.

“And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:12

In Galatians 6:7, the Holy Spirit says it this way: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

It may sound obvious, but it bears repeating: every seed reproduces after its kind. Tomato seeds produce tomatoes; pine seeds produce pine trees; human seeds (ovum and sperm) produce humans; good seeds produce good harvests; evil seeds produce evil harvests.

Seeds of love and goodness produce the fruit of love and goodness. Sowing the seed of mercy will cause you to receive a harvest of mercy when you need it most. When you place (or sow) trust into others, you will gain trust in return. Generous financial seeds will create an abundant harvest in return.

Your life today is the result of the seeds you have sown and the harvest those seeds have produced. It is also (by default) the product of the seeds that have been sown into you by others. But the good news is that you have the power to choose the seeds you sow, and also the power to uproot the evil harvest produced by negative seeds that have been sown into your heart and life. But this can only be done with the grace and help of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Principles of Sowing and Reaping: #1

2010-11-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Principle #1: The law of sowing and reaping works, whether or not you are aware of it. The law of sowing and reaping is very clearly taught in the Bible, and is foundational to everything in existence, but very few people – even born-again Christians – ever harness its power to produce good. Some people actually live in total disregard of this law, and suffer the consequence in their finances, their relationships, and their health. Conversely, many people develop good habits that promote a harvest on good seeds planted, but who are never aware of the secret of their success. This is because – whether or not you are aware of it – the law of sowing and reaping works.

It’s just like the laws of physics. Hundreds and hundreds of years went by before scientists like Isaac Newton ever defined them. But the fact that people were ignorant of these laws in no way diminished their effect them or on our universe.

The Power of Seed

2010-11-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

If you have ever had a vegetable garden, you know that it doesn’t require a huge plot or huge amounts of seed to produce a huge harvest. It is incredible to see how many tomatoes grow from a single plant. With a little seed and some hard work, a garden can produce enormously. If you have ever had one, you know just what I am talking about. When harvest time arrives, the vegetables come so fast and so abundantly that it will leave you eating, canning, and giving it all away just about as fast as you can!

When you see how much just a single tree or plant can produce, it is amazing that lack even exists at all, but it does. Despite that fact, the truth is that, from His abundant nature, God set a principle, or law, into motion right from the beginning. It is called the law of seedtime and harvest.

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest… shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

You will reap whatever you sow.

PEARS, anyone??

2010-11-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, my wife and I decided to enjoy a quiet picnic at a local park. The park was exceptionally empty that day, which made for a more intimate setting. After we finished our lunch, as we were getting ready to leave, we noticed that there was a pear tree nearby, and it just happened to be the season for pears. We stood in amazement at the literally hundreds of pears that weighed down heavily upon the branches of that tree.

The fact that the tree was most likely never pruned or cultivated only added to our amazement. If the tree could produce branch-snapping quantities of fruit of its own accord, how much could it produce with a little loving care? And just think – season after season, year after year, that tree yields its fruit. An individual could fill their belly with that produce countless times. That tree, with its potential to produce thousands of pears for enjoyment and thousands of seeds to reproduce the same harvest, was set into motion by the power of a single seed. That is a picture of God’s abundance at work.

God isn’t enough – He’s too much.

2010-11-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Vast expanses of ocean with teaming masses of life; sandy seashores that go on and on; wilderness areas unexplored by man; grazing herds on the Earth’s great plains regions; the incalculable extent of our ever-growing universe. Just take a good look around you at God’s creation, and it won’t take you long to realize God is all about excess and abundance.

In fact, Psalm 65:11 says that God’s “paths drip with abundance.” That could also be accurately translated, “His paths drip abundance.” God operates in so much abundance, it drips off wherever He goes. When you talk about dripping abundance, that means it cannot be contained – it’s too much. That’s what I call abundant abundance! He created everything, He continues to create, and He is not short on anything. He is an unlimited God with unlimited power, and He has an unlimited desire to bless people and do good to them. That’s good news!

Right from the outset of His creation of our world, God consistently showed us the demonstration of excess and abundance. He really is a “more-than-enough” God! Excess and abundance is the environment in which God lives. It is the outflow of His nature.

Consider the Bible’s descriptions in the book of Revelation. A city of pure gold, with foundations made of sapphire, emerald, topaz, and amethyst, to name a few. Gates made out of giant pearls. An emerald-colored throne surrounded by a rainbow and twenty-four smaller thrones. My friend, if that isn’t excessive and abundant, I don’t know what is!

If you want to be comfortable living with God, you will have to get comfortable with excessive abundance. And God isn’t satisfied to simply enjoy abundance by Himself – He wants you to live with Him and to enjoy it right along with Him.

“Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27b

Three Reasons to Give

2010-10-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

1. Gratitude to God: When we are grateful for all that God had done, it produces in us a desire to express our thanks. Grateful people are generous people.

2. Compassion for people: We are surrounded by people with real needs all the time. People’s greatest need, first and foremost, is to hear of Jesus’ love for them. The Gospel is free, but it takes money to preach it. When you give from your heart to demonstrate God’s love to others, there is a reward.

3. Your personal need for harvest: Giving a seed in the face of financial obstacles is counterintuitive as far as human nature is concerned. It just doesn’t make any sense. Yet over and over again, God shows us in His Word that the way to receive and increase is to sow. When we give, despite our own need, it is an act of faith. And God always responds to faith.

So the motivation that causes us to give generously puts God first, then others, and ourselves last.

His Ministry, Now Your Ministry

2010-10-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

In Luke 4, Jesus describes to us in vivid detail both the mission and the motivation of His ministry. The following prayer is based on that declaration He made concerning His own ministry. Later, Jesus states in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Now, since He has sent you just as the Father sent Him, make this same declaration out loud about your ministry to hurting, lost, suffering people:

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel [good news of Christ’s salvation] to the poor; He has sent me –

to heal the brokenhearted.

to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.

to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

This was the ministry of my Lord, and it is now my ministry. He has sent me. I go in His name and with His power. Amen!

That is now your ministry, because it was, and always will be, His ministry.

SYNERGY with Dr. Larry Huggins

2010-10-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Your hosts, Michael and Christina Lusk, invite you to join them for Synergy with special guest, Dr. Larry Huggins.

Dr. Huggins is a Christian Ambassador in his 36th year of full-time ministry. His duties as a Christian Ambassador have taken him to thousands of cities, in scores of nations, and to all fifty states of the USA. Rev. Huggins has founded numerous churches and bible schools in the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Nigeria, England and India.

We look forward to seeing you!

WHEN: Friday, November 19th at 7:00pm

WHERE: Faith City Church

2084 W Thompson Rd

Fenton, MI 48430

NOTE FOR PASTORS and ORDAINED MINISTERS:

There will be a DINNER RECEPTION following the main service. Come join us for a time of fellowship.

Please RSVP by commenting on this post.

Lusk World Outreach : Ministry overview

2010-10-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

You have much to learn, Grasshopper!

2010-10-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

There's a story that I love to meditate on because it contains so many powerful lessons. It's found in Numbers 13, and it's a vivid illustration of the power of our own self-image. In the beginning of this narrative, God commands Moses, the leader of Israel, saying, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel...." (v.2) God had already promised to give them a good and abundant land, "flowing with milk and honey." I truly believe He was just testing them, to see whether they would believe His promise, or choose to look at the giant inhabitants of the land instead of the giant potential of their inheritance.

Sadly, ten of the twelve spies opted for the second choice. They brought back an evil, negative, and faithless report. They said, "Sure, the land is beautiful, and its produce is incredible. But we'll never be able to get rid of those giants!" To quote them directly, they said in verse 33, "There we saw the giants...; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Ironically, in the end, they never even got to face the giants at all; their poor self-image had eliminated them before the contest ever began. It wasn't the giants that kept them out of the land God had promised to give them; it was their own grasshopper mentality.

There were two spies, however, who had a different perspective. Caleb and Joshua shared a positive outlook. In fact, Caleb was vocal about it when he said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." These two eventually faced the giants and won, not because of their great ability, but in spite of their inability, and because of their great faith in an able God.

The Healing Power of HOPE

2010-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for and deserted by everybody.”

– Mother Teresa of Calcutta (pictured with an armless baby she rescued)

Many diseases are just the outward manifestation of inward turmoil, guilt and self-hatred.

Share the hope of the Gospel. Your words of hope, spoken in Jesus’ stead, bring healing to broken lives.

Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. Continue the ministry to hurting people that Jesus began.

Every follower of Jesus has a healing ministry; that's because we continue HIS ministry.

Our greatest joy in life is produced when we continue the ministry Jesus began through our service to others.

When people hear and embrace the truth of the Gospel, healing is a natural result.

Your friend in global evangelism,
Evangelist Michael Lusk

A Picture of Persistence

2010-10-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes our faith needs to be carried by patience for a time while the manifestation of our miracle comes. When I think about patience and persistence in faith, I am reminded of the heart-warming, true-life story of a young woman named Marcela – a lady who didn’t let the flames of faith die within her heart.

Marcela was born with normal hearing, but at the age of three she became ill and was left completely deaf in one ear, and functionally deaf in the other. She was unable to learn to speak normally, and communicated through sign language. She attended a local school for the deaf, and was perhaps resigned to the fact that she would never hear like other people. For over two decades, she lived with this reality.

One day, however, she heard about a gospel crusade being conducted in her city (I was coordinating and ministering with my friends and mentors, Evangelists Kevin and Leslie McNulty). Marcela’s heart was filled with hope as she realized that Jesus wanted to do a miracle in her life. So bold was her faith that she invited her deaf friends from the school to attend the crusade with her, not content to be the only one blessed. Her hearing cousin translated the preaching into sign language for the group, and faith began to grow within them. On one night of the crusade, one of Marcela’s deaf friends was healed by a miracle. On a subsequent night, another received healing. But after the final night of the crusade, the crowd was dismissed, the equipment was packed up, and Marcela was still deaf.

Many people may have said, “Well, I guess God just doesn’t want me to be healed,” or “He must have forgotten about me.” But Marcela knew too much of the truth to do that. She stayed connected to her Healer by faith and God continued to orchestrate what is one of the most precious miracle stories I have ever experienced.

Unbeknownst to me, I was invited to preach that following night at a local church which just happened to be where Marcela had been attending. She was there that night among the crowd with the same cousin who translated for her at our crusade. Without any knowledge on my part as to her identity or life-story, I began to minister on healing to the people. As the sick came forward for prayer, I led them in a confession of faith just like the one contained in this book. Then hands were laid on the people. Marcela fell to the floor, overwhelmed by God’s power and presence. Tears rolled over her cheeks as she lay on the ground. I continued to lay hands on the people when I saw that there was a commotion among the people. The pastor called me and explained to me that Marcela was deaf, but now she was hearing just fine! Joy radiated from her face as she realized her miracle had finally manifested. Her church family rejoiced with her as they verified the sincerity of her testimony.

Let Marcela’s story be an inspiration to you. Our enemy, the devil, loves to call our faith into question and tries to get us to doubt the truth of God’s promises and power. Don’t allow it. I encourage you to bolster your faith daily by confessing God’s promises of healing over yourself. Trust that Jesus did enough. Trust that you have received by faith what He availed to you. Trust that the manifestation is on its way.

Awesome Update from Central America (Better late than never)

2010-09-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

HONDURAS MISSIONS JOURNAL from September 14, 2010

Yesterday around 40 leaders from at least 4 different mountain communities converged for the evangelism conference in Piladeros. Total attendance between all four conferences has been around 170 people representing a whole slew of mountain towns and villages.

The people asked for healing ministry at the end of the conference (as they always seem to do, after hearing so many miracle stories interspersed in the conference material). Elvin, my disciple in evangelism, was present and I felt led by the Spirit to let him be the chief man to lead the people into their miracle. Though he has not operated like that almost at all previously, I was so proud of him and humbled to see how he imitated to a tee the methods that he has seen me use in the meetings we’ve worked in together. It was uncanny. And, just as could be expected, it brought the very same miracle results! Thank God, the Gospel is the message that He's committed to confirm.

4-year-old Oscar's Cute Miracle Story: HONDURAS

2010-09-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

FROM MY HONDURAS ON-FIELD MISSION JOURNAL:

I was extremely blessed to hear the follow-up on a miracle of healing that happened last time I was here, on the closing night of evangelism in a near-by town called Berlin Plancitos. Yesterday, Maria (young mother pictured here) came to the conference in La Elencia. She is the mother of a boy who turns 5 today, Oscar. Maria shared with me how, back in February, she and Oscar were at the crusade in Berlin Plancitos. Oscar had a testicle that had not descended since birth, and caused him internal pain. The doctors told Maria that they would need to operate on him when he reached age 5, but warned her that it was a very dangerous surgery (at least here with Honduran facilities) and that it was possible that he not survive the operation. But they also said that inaction would be considerably risky, as well.

At the crusade, when I prayed for those in need of a healing miracle, Oscar believed. Despite his young age, he showed a great level of comprehension of the operation of God. As I am accustomed to do, after I led the people in a prayer of thanksgiving for the healing Jesus freely gives us as believers, I instructed the people to check themselves – to see what God had done. So right there and then, Oscar reached down and checked himself out! He exclaimed to his mom, "¡Ya me bajó el huevito!" ("My Spanish colloquial term for a testicle already came down!") Maria tried to get him to testify, but he said no way - he thought I’d make him display himself in front of the whole crowd! Here’s Maria in her own words:

"I put faith in God, and so did he. The day Brother Michael came to [our town] Berlin, [my son] put his little hand on his testicle and said to me, 'Mommy, my testicle already came down.' 'Show me,' I told him. 'No,' he told me, 'because it would bother me if they look at me there.'.... 'Yep, Mommy, they're not going to operate on me. God healed me.'"

She told us he was so happy, he jumped up and down with laughter. Well, God really does care about all our problems - whatever or wherever they might be.

The Infamous Impenetrable and Marcela's Miracle

2010-09-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

One time, I was conducting an evangelism campaign in an infamous region of Argentina known as “El Impenetrable” (the impenetrable place). One of the most inhospitable, arid wildernesses you can imagine, this area is home to one of South America’s native ethnic groups, the Wichi. They are a distinct people, estimated at around just 40,000 strong, with their own language, history, and culture.

On the final night of my meetings there in a town called El Sauzalito, a little Wichi woman named Marcela was present. For years, she had suffered terrible pain from three tumors in her uterus. Debilitating blood loss made her weaken to the point that she was unable to walk, lift heavy objects or keep her house; she would literally faint. According to her doctor, each of the three tumors was the size of an orange. His diagnosis was that, unless her uterus was removed surgically, the tumors would kill her. Marcela was a believer and refused to accept the loss of her uterus.

Among the many others in the crusade crowd gathered under the stars that night, Marcela heard the word about Jesus and His healing power and believed. As I led the people in a prayer of faith and laid hands on those suffering in their bodies, Marcela came forward and received her healing that night by faith.

But she felt no immediate change. The blood loss and pain continued, but she kept her faith grounded in God’s promise for healing. She believed even in the face of her body’s continued symptoms, expecting her full recovery.

Before the end of that month, her miracle manifested. Over the course of two days, all three of those orange-sized tumors literally fell out of her body whole. Her bleeding and pain stopped. Her strength returned. She was able to resume her normal activities again. When her doctor saw her, he conducted analysis and confirmed that her tumors were gone!

At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about Marcela’s condition. I probably never would have heard a word about her miracle story if the Lord had not opened the door for me to return to El Impenetrable several months later. The last time I saw her, several months after her miracle manifested, Marcela was doing just fine. She even brought her deaf daughter Noemi to our second crusade in faith, and her hearing was restored.

It just goes to show you: you will never know the full impact of your ministry to people on this Earth. Only Heaven knows the whole story of the lives you touch as you continue the ministry of Jesus among hurting people.

2010-08-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

Dear reader,

In just a few days, I'll be heading out on a mission of Good News to Honduras, the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

We only need another $900 approximately to meet the budget for this nation-impacting endeavor! My last journey there saw two new churches birthed, hundreds born again, and healing miracles that confirmed Jesus presence with the people. Would you help me take the good news to Honduras this September? We love you and appreciate all you do for the Gospel's sake! Simply click here if you'd like to give a gift for Honduras.

Evangelist Michael Lusk

Child-like Faith

2010-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Simple, child-like faith goes a long way. Just taking God at His word is the key for any area of life - including health.

Below, I have written for you a simple prayer of faith. As you read it aloud, believe that God’s healing power is already at work in your situation. Through this prayer, lift your heart to the Lord in gratitude for what He has already done for you. Embrace faith’s reality. Trust that His healing will manifest in your body as you extend your faith and expectancy toward Him. Pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I am happy because You have adopted me into Your family. When I accepted Your Son Jesus as my Lord, You accepted me as Your child. My old way of living is over, with all of its habits of self-destruction. Today I am free to live the good life with You.

Lord Jesus, I thank you now for everything You did to redeem me. My whole being – spirit, soul, and body – belongs to You. I will never neglect to accept what You paid so much for me to have. You purchased me with Your blood and brought me back to God, my loving Creator. My body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit – a place where God Himself abides. I understand now that Your will for me is that I always enjoy perfect health in my body.

Dear Lord Jesus, I believe that when You came into my life, You brought all Your healing power with You. You are not only my Savior, but also my Healer. In You I have redemption. You have transferred me out of the dominion of Satan, and into Your kingdom. You are Lord over my body, and the enemy has no right to touch me. Sickness has no right to afflict me.

Right now, in Your name and stead, I rebuke all sickness that has tried to attach itself to me and any satanic force behind it. In Your authority, I order it to leave my body now. I thank you that the same power that raised You from the dead is at work in my body at this very moment. Sickness and pain die, and I recover.

Thank you, Lord! Healing is mine today, and from this moment, it is beginning to manifest in my body. By Your stripes, I am healed. Amen!

Now begin to put your faith into action and expect your body to recover. We'd love to hear your testimony here at Lusk World Outreach. Drop us a line.

See Yourself through the Eye of Faith

2010-08-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Maybe you didn't realize it, but you are like a basset hound with a rocket strapped on your back - you have more potential than what meets the eye! Well, OK; it's a long shot, but I just liked this pic and wanted to tie it into this lesson on healing and seeing yourself through the eye of faith.

We have to see beyond the physical, temporary realm – beyond the pain, the illness, or the symptoms that scream into our mind and tell us we are sick – and accept as fact what Jesus purchased for us on the Cross. Either God’s Word is truth, and we are healed, or the symptoms are truth, and we are not healed. Choose to accept the Word of God as truth and the final authority in your heart no matter what your body may be telling you. Our redemption and healing are facts and realities now.

Instead of begging and pleading with God to heal us, we do better when we turn to God in trust and gratitude, thanking Him in faith for the healing He has already provided even before we can see the manifestation of it in our bodies.

Two Prayers God will NEVER answer

2010-08-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

There are two prayers that God cannot answer. We will never get a response from Heaven:

1) If we pray for God to do what He has told us to do.

2) If we pray for God to do what He has already done.

As believers, we do not need to pray to be healed. According to God’s Word, Jesus already provided for it, and that healing is imputed to us when we accept His salvation; it’s already done! Let’s look at God’s Word on the subject:

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

I Peter 2:24 says it like this: [Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.

God says what He means and means what He says. When He tells us that Jesus took our sickness and pain upon Himself and we are healed by His stripes, that’s exactly what He means.

Our healing is made a reality in our life the moment we accept Jesus’ sacrifice – the moment we receive Him as Lord. Embrace it as yours by faith, and watch it manifest in your body!