Thursday, July 28, 2011

No More Crutches!

What a great joy it is to be in Peru and see our great friends, Pastor Gustavo and his lovely wife Jenny.  Everyone is excited about the family retreat.  We are going to have a water baptism this morning and the meetings will start tonight.  There is also another church that will be joining us for the meetings and they will all be coming by bus to the campgrounds.  As I woke up early this morning and began to pray and think about all the services we will have in Peru in the days to come, my mind went back to my wife, Abigail and I preparing to leave for Peru.  In order for us to leave we had to get everything in order.  We had to have all the bills paid and all the food purchased and plenty of notes left for our children's grandparents.  We made calendars for our boys, we left special instructions for them and then we hugged our sons and told them how much we loved them and then said goodbye, which is never easy.  You get in a car or you get on a plane with tears in your eyes.  These are the moment in life when your heart is torn because sometimes you may want to stay home.  Sometimes you may want to stay with your children.  Sometimes you can come up with a thousands reasons why you can’t do what God is asking you to do.  But when the Father calls you, He does not want to hear all the reasons why you can’t do it. He is looking for immediate obedience.

You know the Bible says in Matthew 9:37-38, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly [is] plenteous, but the labourers [are] few, Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”  You know my friends God is looking for labourers.  There is no doubt in my mind that He has not already called people.  He has already put in people’s heart what He is asking them to do.  But sometimes it is easy to forget what God has said or we look for the few to do the work of the many.  And other times we fill our lives with so many other things and plans, that we crowd out the voice of God and we no longer hear or feel the Father’s heart crying out to His people to go, to give and to send.  But this morning I want to talk to you about the biggest hindrance of them all.  It is called excuses!  Excuses are nothing more than crutches that we use to lean on.  We walk around on our crutches and use them for an excuse of why we cant do what the Father is asking.  So we say we are to young, we are to old, we just got married, we have children, we don’t have enough money, we don’t speak Spanish or French, somebody else can do it better and by the time we get done with all of our excuses we have built up two big crutches that we lean on to ease our conscious for not doing he Father’s will.  And every time God begins to call or inquire of us we simply hold our crutches in the air and wave them around.  But this morning I have prayed to the Lord of Harvest that He would rise in His power and glory and begin to stir the hearts of His people one more time.  I prayed that the Lord of Harvest would visit the dead and dormant areas of people’s lives one more time and cause them to stir up the gift that lies deep within them.  I prayed that God would shake and waken the laborers in this hour like never before!

My friends my heart is stirred to action this morning so I have to tell you that as long as you hold onto your crutches the easier it is for you to be deceived into wasting your talents to do other things. Or you will waste your time in nothingness.  And because idle hands find mischief you won’t see anything good in the place that God has called you to be in.  But I want to encourage you today to throw your crutches away!  Get rid of all your excuses and all the reason why you can’t do the Father’s will!  Stop blaming people, stop holding onto the past.  Stop running and get rid of your crutches!  It is time to rise up and go to the fields. It is time to use our talents for the Kingdom of God.  It is time for you to use you languages for the glory of God.  It’s time to use your gifts and your talents to help win souls.  God wants your time; He wants your finances.  He wants your song, your creativity, your leadership and your gifts of organization.  Whether you can build a house or mop the floor, God has a place for you in His Kingdom.  God wants you!  Not your crutches -- you.  Just you!  No More Crutches!

The Bible says in Acts 3:1-9, “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God:”

Wow, wasn’t that awesome!  That man does not need anybody to carry him no more!  He does not need crutches because after He was touched by the power of God, He got up!  He got up leaping and praising God!  What should have took him a process of time to accomplish was done within moments because He responded to God!  My Friends God is passing by your way right now!  He is reaching out His hand to you right now!  He is saying if you grab a hold of my hands (the church, the five fold ministry), there is a healing and restoring power that shall be released into the body and you shall receive strength.  Not strength to do your own thing or accomplish your own vision but strength to do the will of Father!  God Almighty is going to give you the power to do in these last days whatever it is you need to accomplish!  And let me tell you nothing shall stand in your way!  So in the name of Jesus of Nazareth throw away your crutches and rise up and walk!

God bless you
Rev. Melvin L. Sanchez

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