My Mind IS Racing

I've been up since just before 5:00 AM this morning, went to bed early last night and am in the readjustment process. Kenya is seven hours ahead of Florida, London was five...so now I'm ready to go to bed by 10:00 if not earlier, and up and roaring before God gets up...5:00 only comes once in our house and that is in the afternoon...pray this process of adjustment goes quickly. My wife seems to be adjusting quite well...guess all that Florida sunshine at the pool yesterday helped her! As I lay in bed, pace the floors, play online, or simply sit still, my mind is racing, I am convinced that God is speaking to His people, and perhaps to me. Two thoughts are flooding my mind this morning: 1) Connections, who we are connected to, why we're connected to them, and what the connection will produce. I've been reading messages from pastors who are struggling right now, pastors whose congregations are struggling, people that are manifesting the flesh and reducing the ministry to a getting through the week type thing, because the pastors are simply worn out. People are the business of the ministry, but I fear that we have relegated ministry to being less than what God intended. Ministry is about making connections that create relationships that develop disciples. It may involve visitation and being there when people need us, but the Biblical job description of a minister is one of an equiper, a teacher, a shepherd, one that directs the sheep into the green pastures of the Holy Spirit. The second thing that is in my spirit this morning is the concept of Perception. How one perceives a thing determines how they reposnd to it, how an issue is perceived or how a person is perceived by others determines how they respond. In the case of Ezekiel, God leads him out to a valley of dry bones and asks him what he thinks...he sees bones. Israel says of themselves that they are cut off, dry, and without hope...God sees an army, the potential of a resurrected people filled with life and hope. The Kingdom of God must be perceived from God's view point rather than our own. For me, that's not always easy, I want to be spiritual, to see through God's eyes, but sometimes can only see the things immediately in front of me...you have to look through the stuff. While we were in Kenya I ministered four days in a church in Eldoret. The Lord used me, but the enemy fought me. We had great services and the pastor felt it was just what was needed, but at night I didn't sleep, was afraid to fall asleep, kept hearing a voice telling me I wouldn't wake up. So for three days it would be 2-3 AM before I went to sleep. On Sunday I heard a voice telling me that I would die by 9:00! When 9:00 AM passed I said I'm still here and the voice said, "9:00 will come again, when it was 9:00 in America I said, "I'm still here!" And the voice said, "9:00 will come again!" When it was past 9:00 PM I knew the devil is a liar and the word of the Lord is true...It's all about perception...hearing the voice of the Lord and walking in the revelation of truth that you know and seeing through the eyes of God! Get connected and perceive what the Lord is sharing with you this week!