So… the preacher asks “How many of you want a double portion?” and you run up and join the line of eager people, ready to receive more…

I don’t think we understand exactly what we’re asking when we ask for a double portion. I wonder if Elisha was really ready for what came to him when he asked!

Let’s get rid of the notion that the double portion is like having seconds on the mashed potatoes or going back to the buffet line one more time to get your money’s worth.

Jesus was a pretty straight and narrow kind of guy. You’re either for me or against me. Children of Abraham or children of the devil… either the tree is good or it’s bad. There were no gray areas!

That’s the gospel. If you don’t have a grace on your life to preach it, the Word of God can sound harsh or cruel because it leaves people on one side or the other. There is no middle ground!

Ephesians 5:8 talks about the fact that as a believer, you were once darkness… but now you are light. It goes on to encourage all of us to walk as children of light.

Ever feel like you just got dumped down a well? You’re sitting at the bottom looking up and wondering how this is ever going to look good?

Believe it or not, Joseph’s dumping was actually the turning of his life! I’m sure he never thought that being thrown into a well would be to his advantage, but it was the beginning of his deliverance and exaltation.

It sparked the realization of all his dreams and visions!

Now there’s an interesting question! And I’ve found from my experience with the religious system that most people want a powerless god who leaves them alone!

That is – until a crisis hits.

Then they’d like to have a mini-revival for a few days for God to come down and fix things.

Yep, sad to say, but let’s face it… a lot of Christians are afraid that God will come and interfere with their fun.

And therein lies the difference between Jews, Muslims and Christians!

I hate to oversimplify… but it’s true. One thing can affect the entire direction of your life.

Resisting the Holy Spirit is the root of ALL your problems.

We have an active God who’s ready to move and intervene on your behalf. He wants to see his people succeed and do well in life.

Remember the story? Luke 22 – Jesus confers to the disciples a Kingdom, and then he speaks directly to Peter, “Satan has desired to sift you… but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”

Peter was oblivious to the sifting that was about to happen in his life. In fact, he was adamant that he would never deny the Lord! But as the story unfolds, the infamous rooster crows and Peter realizes how deceived he had been.

Ready to see some change in your life? Well, I’ve got a word for some of you that, if you grab hold of this, it will change the direction of your life forever…

You may think you’ve got great faith. You believe God’s word, you pray, you do all the right things… but are you really seeing the blessings God intended you to experience? Let’s look a little closer at your faith…

The testimonies are still coming in from the Arise conference. Such great stories of true life-change - I never cease to be amazed at what God can do in a weekend!

Here’s a testimony I found on Facebook that I liked (posted by Trisha): “I got a huge perspective change and a lot of revelations on how to change things I'd been stuck in for a long time.”

Yep, the Bible says we’ll either have trouble or we’ll have treasure. Most people could use more money, but money isn’t always the answer. I think the treasure depends more on the person holding the money - and their heart – than it does on the money itself.

Money is a master, and if it falls into the wrong hands, you’re going to have trouble. Not that God is opposed to you having more money – it’s just that he knows that if your heart’s not right, nothing’s going to get better with a little more dough in your hands.

It’s a great question to ponder! Here’s a quick checklist of what a spiritual person looks like… and what they do for us!

1. A spiritual person pushes us to move onward with God. They’re NOT the ones that are going to tell you to “take it easy.” A true spiritual person will encourage you to RUN - and run hard for God. No retreat, no backing down… and no options but to move forward.