Have you ever thought: I wonder why I do that? I wonder why I think that way? I hate that about myself. I wish I could change that.

Sure, we all have things we would like to change about ourselves—things that can be traced back to some root in our lives.

In Matthew 19, Jesus identified three root causes for what makes people like they are:

"Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."1

Did you catch those three root causes? 1) some things we are born with; 2) some things other people make us; and 3) some things we choose to become for the sake of the kingdom.

Sadly, most people live inside the containment of how they were born. They live a life molded by other people’s expectations—inside the controls, fears and manipulations of the people in their world. Often this makes them a copy, even though God made them an original.

In other words:

1)    Some people are like they are because they were born that way…
2)    Others are the way they are because other people made them that way…(They define themselves by phrases such as, “That’s just the way we are,” or, “Our family has always done that,” or, “We’ve been that way as long as I can remember.”)
3)    But then there are those who choose to become for the sake of the kingdom…

Jesus said: “It’s the traditions of men that make the power of God of none effect.”2

It’s what we do habitually and routinely that are traditions. One day, the Holy Spirit said to me that God has traditions too, but it’s not God’s traditions that make God’s power ineffective and nonexistent in our lives. It is those repetitive routines that are not in keeping with God’s that produce an absence of God’s presence in our marriages and families.

Ask yourself this question: Do you have any traditions that you’ve inserted into your life where God’s traditions belong? Throughout the years in my life, there have been those traditions of sports, golf, even holidays and family that have squeezed out God’s traditions from its rightful priority and position. Therefore, I had to deal with them purposefully. The results were that I was freed in my soul and my relationship with God soared.

One of the problems of routines—something our souls love and enjoy because our souls love living on auto-pilot—is the power they possess.  Our routines have so much power in our lives—be it for good or bad—that   they can quiet the voice of our spiritual intuitiveness and discernment. So our routines need to be broken.

•    I’ve learned that God’s tradition of the Sabbath is to break the routine of the flow of the world on my life weekly.

•    The purpose of tithing is to break the routine of getting in order to release God’s power of giving.

•    God’s tradition of fasting is to break the routine of giving the flesh its way all the time and introduce the power of discipline.

These are just a few of God’s traditions/routines He’s given us that produce power in our lives.

Jesus said:

1)    Some people are like they are because they were born that way…
2)    Others are the way they are because other people made them that way…
3)    But then there are those who choose to become for the sake of the kingdom…

In the Bible, to be a eunuch meant you never had an opportunity or desire to be married, or despite having a desire or opportunity, you chose to give up the right because it was not compatible with your destiny. So they forfeited the attachment of marriage because it would have inhibited them from fulfilling their maximum potential in the kingdom.

Here Jesus is using this illustration to reveal the type of person we must all become. So the question is: Who are you willing to become for the sake of the kingdom of God? Not are you willing to stay like you are, just as you were born…which requires no effort!  Not are you willing to stay as others have made you. That’s too easy!

But what are you willing to become—even if it’s outside the mold of what the first two people groups have defined for your life? What are you willing to do? Who and what are you willing to become for the sake of the kingdom?

This month ask yourself these questions and commit to becoming an original instead of a copy. Commit to the life-shaping power of the kingdom!

Releasing the power of possibility!

by Scott Johnson

Recently, our campuses celebrated with Missy and me the tenth anniversary of BelieversWay Ministries. We rejoice in all that God has done in the past decade—more than 2,500 people have been saved, and hundreds have been filled with the spirit, healed, delivered, and placed on the path to greater wisdom!

Our experience continues to confirm the nature and character of God. One of His primary characteristics that I hold as most precious in my life today is consistency.

Consistency is whatever you do repeatedly. It’s that thing you do over and over and over again. Jesus was consistency itself: He is the same yesterday and today and forever.¹ He is “Mr. Consistent.”

Recently as I was reading Mark 4:28, “And the earth yields fruit of itself,” the Holy Spirit interrupted me and said it this way: “The earth yields fruit of itself and so do you.”

He said it again and added to it: “The earth yields fruit of itself and so do you…all by yourself, without anyone’s help.”

What was He saying to me? Whatever you’re consistent in is what you’re building into your future. We’ve discovered that with every circumstance we encounter—every problem—it’s the power of consistency that keeps us on track. We’ve learned that without consistency, we will never experience His power.

So the question that begs asking is:

What are we consistent at?

What are our most consistent, repetitive thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, choices, and activities?

Because whatever we’re consistent at today is what produces tomorrow’s results.

Missy and I have seen the power of consistency work in our lives throughout the past ten years. We’ve seen it produce all kinds of marvelous results. We’ve discovered there is a powerful momentum created through repetitiveness—being the same yesterday, today and forever!

Recently we taped our 250^th BelieversWay TV program. That requires consistency! As many of you know, the Lord spoke to us last year about going on television and releasing the power of possibility on our lives into the lives of others.

Here’s just one life-changing testimony we received from a man whose life was changed forever, or should I say, spared forever. His letter made it clear he was battling thoughts of suicide...until BelieversWay TV came into his life. He wrote of the show: “It came at a time most needed…I made it through the pain, and am still here to write this letter to you a few days later!”

In celebrating our tenth anniversary, and in keeping with the power of consistency, will you reach out and join us in expanding our TV outreach. Will you help us reach people like this man, and thousands of others who need to hear about the power of possibility, that there’s always hope, encouragement, and wisdom for the next season of life?

Will you join me?

September is the beginning of a new season.  Yes, I realize Labor Day marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall.  However, the Lord is speaking to us this month about entering a time He calls a season of “Going to the other side…”

God spoke through the prophet Hosea and said, “My people perish for a lack of knowledge….”¹ Many times God’s people lack knowledge in specific areas which causes them to experience failure in those areas of their lives.

So this is a defining moment for anyone, anywhere who will receive the wisdom in this letter…

In Mark 4, Jesus taught us the parable of the sower, after He taught us about getting on the other side of our problems, situations or circumstances.

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”²

When you look at the reaction of the disciples, it is another example of what we so often see in them—a “give-up mentality.” They seemed to have the attitude of “quit”, instead of “let’s push through!”

And that’s what we see here. They had the audacity to imply to Jesus that they were going to perish—just another way of saying, “We’re going to fail.”

“Lord, apparently we care more than you do about whether we’re going to fail or not.”  Failure was on their mind because their eyes were on their circumstances.  Just because Jesus had, and has, a seemingly “I-don’t-care-attitude” about our situation…doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us or that He will let us fail! 

Jesus knew He had authority, and the truth is, He figured after three years of relationship with these men, some of Him would’ve rubbed off on them, so they also would’ve recognized they had His authority, too.

When Jesus was in the boat asleep, you can tell where His focus was—it was in peace, because you can’t give away what you don’t have. So when He finally does respond—and He’s never too late, He’s always on time—He calmed the situation with words that were filled with dominion.

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”³

Yes, Jesus is unconcerned about our potential failure, because He won’t let us fail.  We also will find ourselves with a careless attitude when we put our focus on Him, instead of what’s happening around us.

I believe the heart of the issue was not Jesus’ apparent inactivity. The real dilemma was that the disciples forgot what Jesus said before He went to sleep: “Let us cross over to the other side…” (verse 35).

They forgot to put their faith in His promise. Many times we forget to put our faith in Jesus’ words. When the storm arose, the disciples allowed Jesus’ words to slip. What circumstance, situation or problem, what storm has risen in your life that has caused you to lose His promise of “Let us cross over to the other side…”⁴

At this time, keep your heart immersed in what God is saying about this season of your life. He said, “Let us cross over to the other side.…”⁵ Guess what? The next chapter (5) starts out, “…Then they came to the other side.”⁶ Jesus made good on the words He gave them, and He will do the same for you and me…

Releasing the power of possibility!

1 Hosea 4:6

2 Mark 4:35-38 NKJV

3 Mark 4:39-41 NKJV

4 Mark 4:35 NKJV

5 Mark 4:35 NKJV

6 Mark 5:1 NKJV

by Scott Johnson

…Your leaf shall not wither…¹

This is the promise God is putting you in remembrance of in this season.

Let me remind you because I know the voices of circumstance are speaking loudly!  But ha-ha, God says to His promised sons and daughters, “You’re like a tree whose leaf shall not wither, and since you’re planted in this House, you prosper, flourish, thrive, expand, grow luxuriantly, and you experience excess!” 

Remember, excess is too much life. You have “life leftovers,” meaning you have so much, you have life to give away to others.

God said in Jeremiah 17:8 that you would not even see when drought comes.  I believe this means that, yes, we may see the effects of famine and lack around us, in our economy, in our nation, but we will not see it in our businesses, lives and families.

Just a few days ago, I was sitting in a conference room with several businessmen who are partners of the BelieversWay community.  Out of my own mouth, I began to read the mail of one of these men.   God was so specific that it brought tears down this man’s face.  God did a deep work in the soul of that man that day, but that’s not all.  I went further into the spirit of prophecy.  The Lord declared immediate financial increase and wealth into his life.  In less than 12 hours, his phone—that had stopped ringing months ago—started ringing again…ringing in profits that  is!  He’s profiting today because he’s in this House!

Those that are planted in the House of God shall flourish…²

Again, your leaf shall not wither!  Failure is not an option!

¹ Psalm 1:3 NKJV

² Psalm 92:13 NKJV

Let me be even more specific—

-          All things are working for our good together…1

-          For some He’s turning your mess into a message…

-          For others, you’re going from a victim to victorious…

-          For all of us He’s reorganizing our circumstances, flipping them to our advantage…

-          There are those who are rising from the ashes of sickness, pain, and relational hostility with renewed vigor and vitality…

-     And those who have been shamed, God is giving you double honor...a double portion in your land...2

-     Still others who have been unaffected by circumstances, they too will rise even higher...

What we must do is be consistent with what we know to do in this season.  But what He’s doing is the unintended, unexplained and unexpected. So don’t try and calculate how God will do what only He can do. 

Be alert for the opportunities ahead and together we’ll experience the power of possibility!

Flip!

1 Romans 8:28

2 Isaiah 61:7

Dear Partner,

In the summer of 1998, Missy and I were at church when a woman stood up, went to my pastor, George Pearsons, and asked permission to prophesy. She called me out and said, “Thus saith the Lord, ‘I’m going to turn you inside out. I’m going to turn you upside down, and thrust you into your destiny’ (future).”

Do you know what? Over the next several years, He did just that. It was both scary and exciting. It was like “I flipped.” 

From that day, God started rearranging my inner world. He began changing my circumstances and situations. Everything—and I mean everything—flipped. 

“Flip” is our summer destination! 

You see, I believe God is flipping you out—He’s flipping your circumstances—and the summer of ’09 will be known for that. You’ll no longer be on bottom, but you’ll be the one who comes out on top. You’ll no longer be the tail, but the head.¹ 

He’s flipping the situations of all the partners of BelieversWay. He’s arranging them to benefit you. He daily loads us with benefits. Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!”

These benefits take you…

…from losing to winning

…from coming in last to being first

…from decrease to abundance

So are you ready to flip out? 

It’s like the Book of Acts Church, where in one day, God flipped it. And everything that has happened to the church in the last 1900 years has fallen short of what God did in that church—in one day. Since then, each move of God has been followed one after another to restore what was stolen and lost.

We still haven’t arrived to that standard—the bar was set so high—but not even that church fulfilled God’s purpose for His people. That privilege has been reserved for us, for those who have been chosen to run the last leg of the race. It’s our future. Like our forefathers, who ran forward and never looked back, what we think of as a normal Christian experience does not hold a candle to what God is about to reveal. 

Flip… 

In the past decade, since God started flipping me, there is nothing that has remained the same—and the best is yet to come. Everything that we know about church life will be flipped, God will touch it within the next few years, and the church will look much differently than it does today!

Start looking for all the things at your local campus that will be flipped this summer. Start looking for ways your own life can be flipped. Look forward to that hot summer day, when you take your kids down to the local community pool—and instead of going for your usual dignified dive—the one everyone expects you to do—

Go ahead—

You can do it…

Do a flip! 

I dare you, and remember this is what God is doing in you! 

Flip ’09! 

¹ Deuteronomy 28:13

God is giving me “wells I didn’t dig, vineyards I did not plant, houses I did not build.”2

I guarantee you, if you will declare these things out loud, then you will feel faith racing through your being, coursing through your veins, as you become even more confident.

Jesus is the High Priest of your confession.3 And a strong spirit of faith is coming upon you today!

God has released this wind to bring us out of our present circumstances and situations. Now, set your sail–like James taught us–in the power of the tongue, and you will gain and gain and gain, and momentum will build, and you will move forward, and life will once again be a thrill!

            Raise your sail of hope.

            Raise your sail of faith and expectation.

            Release the anchor of regret, as you head in a new direction!

            The old port of lack, you’ve left behind.

            The new will come into focus, in time.

            So, look ahead and keep your sail set, for on the floor of life’s

            ocean, you’ve left your anchor of regret.

            No longer will you need, such a device.

            Because what you will do from here, you’ll do through Christ!

There are great days ahead for the partners of BelieversWay!

Scott Johnson

P.S.  Write me, email me…tell me what God is doing in you!

1 Philippians 4:13

2 Deuteronomy 6:10-11

3 Hebrews 4:14

Dear Partner,

As we completed our annual leadership meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, last October, the Lord emphasized to me, the significance of the new season we as a nation, even as a church, were approaching.

 Now that we’re in it (He wasn’t kidding).  Change has come quickly, daily!

 I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the “fear factor” that comes with change.  Even though it’s a very real force that we must all deal with individually, but through corporate faith and agreement—we will overcome.

 When there is potential for change, I often think of Moses, who during his first presidential term, led God’s people to the brink of change, only to be vetoed by the very powerful popularity poles of his day.

 I’ve often sat down, like Moses, to contemplate and deal with the emotions and real feelings, knowing God said; “Go over!” but people said; “Not yet!”  Like God’s people then, the benefits of the change ahead far out weigh the momentary pain of present change.

 Today, our nation’s economy has contracted quickly, but the Church’s culture has been hemorrhaging & contracting slowly for years.  The statistics are staggering…

 Missy and I recently sat with a young woman who told us how her church in another city was dying and how painful it was for her and her husband to see it happen—and know that there was nothing they could do.

 Like Moses, God has led the Church to the brink of change, but they turned back for 40 years, and now those years in the desert have caught up with them.

 In the months ahead, what will emerge nationally is a new era, equivalent to the early Industrial Age of our great nation, but will in fact be driven by a revolution in technologies, communications, and even new energies.  This is the beginning of new possibilities.

 At our annual leadership meeting, the Lord told me to look up the word “phoenix”.  It’s defined as “rising from the ashes with renewed strength”.  (This was months before the current crises.)

 I received this word for my own life and ministry.  I also receive it for our nation, and now the Church globally.  This nation will rise with greater influence than ever before, with renewed strength and global stature.  This will be the result of the changes that will take place.  “…The old will pass away and things will become new….”1 So do not fear, move boldly into change and you’ll discover the new!

 Yes, we’re in twilight (something Missy and I have been discussing on believersway.tv), but what emerges out of transition, will distinguish between the old and new, and the difference will be obvious to everyone, except those who are stuck in the old.

 The old is what doesn’t work anymore—it’s the new that works, that’s productive, that’s fruitful, and that brings increase.

 A common phrase I’ve heard during this time is: “our old business models don’t work anymore…what worked then, doesn’t work now.”  So we must change, and be forward thinkers as a nation and as a Church.

 At BelieversWay, we must continue going forward. We are at the dawn of a new day.  This is a defining moment, with new possibilities.

 In January 2009, at our “Three Thursdays” in Midland, the Lord spoke through me and said: “For it will no longer be said, God is over here at (Brownsville, Pensacola, etc.) or God is over there (Toronto, etc.), but God is everywhere!  It will never be said again: ‘God is only over here, God is only over there, but God is everywhere!’”

 This tells me something about God’s plan—it’s multifaceted certainly—but this also speaks to me of a technological move of God.  God is here (Amarillo), God is there (Midland, Vail), and God is everywhere!

 Partners, great days are ahead…

 We are moving quickly now into the bull’s eye of God’s call for BelieversWay.  And we’re excited for you, because of the magnitude of His goodness that will be required in each of us to fulfill it—like Moses with God’s people, we stand at the dawn of a new day, where all things are possible!

 God is accelerating time…and with this new, comes new thinking, new ideas, new power, new anointings, and new wine.  So don’t be paralyzed by fear. Be released into the new—be released into the power of possibility!                  

¹ 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

But one of Jesus disciples, Judas Iscariot—the same one who betrayed him later—objected: “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

Sounds pretty righteous and levelheaded, doesn’t it?

But it was selfish. While Judas pretended to care for the poor, at heart, he was a thief, and as keeper of the moneybag, he would help himself to what was in it. So, when Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet, all Judas saw was money leaving his pocket. His outward façade of supposedly caring for others is the oldest cover-up in the book for selfishness.

You’ve heard Judases before:          

·        “How could anyone own such an expensive car?”

·        “She could have helped a lot of people with the money she spends on clothes!”

·        I sure could do a lot with the money that they spend on….”

But what did Jesus say?

“Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Selfishness will often be couched in false spirituality. Jesus saw through Judas and defended Mary’s actions. God wants us to have the best and He wants us to give our best.

Both Mary and Judas had their own relational approach to Jesus. Mary’s was extravagant and Judas’ was selfish. It’s interesting how two people, both in an up-close relationship with Jesus, could view Him so differently…and treat Him so differently.

Mary’s extravagant gift was worth a year’s wages. What generosity!

But is that how we evaluate what an extravagant gift is? What size gift would impress a God who owns everything?

The most extravagant gift you could ever give is yourself. All He wants is all you are and all you’ll ever be.

That’s really what Mary gave that day…and that’s what you gave Sunday, February 22, toward our television outreach. You gave of yourself to help reach the world with a message of hope and life.

Thank you, Partners for making a difference. Thank you for always giving so faithfully. Thank you for caring more about others and always being others-minded. Our focus is outward, searching for the lost and introducing them to our God of hope and love.

Experiencing the Power of Possibility!

Your partnership is making a difference—in your life and in the lives of all the people we touch each month...throughout our campus church services, youth services, children’s services, small group gatherings, the internet and television. Did you know that more than 1600 people have given their lives to God since 1999, through the ministry of BWC? Together, we’re making a difference in thousands of lives every week!

Thank you, partners! All of this abounds to your life! I believe for the path of partnership to bring increase into your life. It’s how God increases us—through connecting anointings, putting people together…through relationship with one another. God sees our partnership as a legal contract between you and Him, using the ministry He’s called you to—BelieversWay—as a point of contact. He wants to be in the middle of your life and business—and because you’ve gotten into the middle of what He’s doing in this earth…into the middle of the outreach of BelieversWay—He is!

I really want you to grasp the magnitude of what you are accomplishing for the kingdom of God. One woman called in for prayer who had been in an accident two years ago and was left paralyzed on one side. As Pastor Brady Hukins prayed with her, she stood up and began to praise the Lord and agree with what Pastor Brady was declaring—that she would be out of that wheelchair permanently in 2009.

Talk about great days ahead!

A young man from Philadelphia called saying he had never cared for Christian television until he saw our show. He said he plans to tape the program every day while at work so he can watch it in the evening.

A man from Oregon called and wanted to know if we had a BelieversWay church near him. The answer is “Not yet, but we will!”

A woman who began watching five months ago when her marriage fell apart has found the show to be a lifeline. Through the show she has learned to trust God and not give up on her marriage. She and her husband have turned to counseling, are allowing God to be a part of their everyday lives again, and are truly working on staying together.

We’re making a difference, partners! We’re building each generation to reach the next through the power of relationship. We’re reaching through the television screen into people’s hearts with the power of possibility. We’re telling them that there’s a better way, there’s hope, that their dreams really can come true.

And there’s so much more on the horizon…churches to plant, television markets to reach, people to touch, souls to be saved. We’ll accomplish it all, one opportunity at a time. This month, let’s focus on the television outreach. Sunday, February 22, we will receive a special offering just for television. I know you’ve been taught how to hear God, so pray and ask Him what you are to give. I know He’ll make it clear to you. We’ll receive your offering on February 22, and worship the Lord over our giving. God loves when we worship Him!

Thank you for sowing seed into the good ground of BelieversWay. Together, we can do all that God has called us to do. Together, we can reach every person God has called us to reach.