​Do you believe in angels? The Bible talks about about angels. All through the Bible we read about angels. Good angels that were sent by our Heavenly Father to bring messages and assistance to His servants on the earth. Angels appeared in many different forms, some even in the form of men. I believe I have had at least one such encounter. You may find my story humorous, but I can assure you it was not funny to me at the time.

I was invited as an Evangelist to come to Uganda, West Africa and conduct a Pastors & Leadership training conference as well as conduct an outdoor crusade for the purpose of salvation and healing. Approximately 3000 Pastors and Church Leaders traveled for miles to attend. Many walked and others rode on the backs of big trucks, even hanging on to the sides of the trucks to be a part of the training and to participate in the crusade.

Each night the people slept outside on the ground, praying throughout the night inviting the Holy Spirit to come and manifest Himself in our meetings. The spirit of the people was pure hunger and thirst for the knowledge and wisdom of God. I have never witnessed this kind of spiritual hunger, passionate prayer and intense worship anywhere in the United States.

We conducted the open-air crusade in the city park, directly located in front of a Muslim Mosque. The Muslims chimed loud bells from the Mosque to disturb our crusade. The city placed armed guards around the park to protect us. Everyone was nervous as we conducted the first service. As we prayed and worshipped, the people began to fill the park. We had no chairs for them to sit in. We estimated that there was between 8 and 10 thousand people in attendance, all standing and watching us worship. I preached the Gospel of Jesus (a salvation message). I gave an invitation for people to accept Christ as their only Savior, and no one responded. It was very difficult to preach that evening, you could feel the resistance and the reluctance of the people. It was a very discouraging moment for our team.

We were told that one out of every four people were infected with diseases. So I invited my team of ministers to step out on the platform with me and to raise their hands over the crowd and ask God to heal the people. As we lifted our hands and began to pray, healing miracles began to happen all over the park. When people began to see the healings, people then began to come forward and ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. The ushers began to bring people onto the platform to testify and share with the crowd what God had done for them. The first lady to testify was in her early thirties and had been blind, deaf and mute since birth. When the prayer for healing was prayed (which by the way she could not hear the prayer), instantly her eyes and ears were opened and she could not only see and hear, but she could also speak. It was fascinating to watch the crowd respond to her as she talked. The people in the city knew her all her life and they all had been taking care of her. She spoke to the crowd in four different languages. I asked our interpreter why she spoke in four different languages, he said because their were four different languages spoken in the city. It was an incredible evening to say the very least.

After the crusade had ended that evening, two of the ministers that were with me, told me that the Lord had told them to stay in the park and pray all night. Myself and the rest of the team went to our rooms. I could not rest knowing two of our guys were in the park and we had no idea what kind of danger they may have been in. I invited the other ministers that were with me to my room and we began to pray that God would do something to break the darkness off of that city. While we were praying we heard a knock on the door. As I opened the door, three men that looked to be African walked into the room with us and began praying with us, very loud and in languages we did not know and then they left the room. We had no idea who they were and we could not communicate with them. We went to the door and looked out and there was no one to be seen.

Could these men have been angels? Maybe, we were not sure? Around the same time people began to come out of their homes and make their way to the city park in the darkness and our two ministers where there and prayed for them and many were saved and healed. And the next morning the whole area was different, people were happy and the dark, depressing spirit was gone and we saw thousands of people saved during the crusade.

After the crusade was over, we had one day of rest and relaxation, so we went on a Safari in a National Park. We wanted to see the animals. We all piled into an Isuzu Trooper along with our tour guide who was driving and giving us some history of the area and the animals. It was an amazing tour. We saw elephants, Zebras, Monkeys of all kinds, and many other animals. I said to the guide, I want to see the Lions. He said, the Lions are asleep, (it was mid day). Then, he said, I think I know where a den of Lions is and off we went. As we approached a large open field, you could see huge termite mounds, and what looked like a large hill of honeysuckle vines. As we approached the hill of honeysuckles there was a beautiful female Lion sitting on top of a termite mound with its paws crossed as if she was posing for a picture. All at once and without warning, our tour guide drove the vehicle directly into the Lions den and big lions, little lions, female lions and male lions began to pile out of the den. They were all afraid and angry and we were all frightened at the sounds of their loud roars. We took tons of pictures and then eased on down the dirt trail moving away from the Lions Den.

We were all filled with energy from the adrenaline rush. We were all excited and loud and all at once the vehicle began to ride rough and make strange noises. Our tour guide stopped the vehicle to check and low and behold we had a flat tire, not very far from where we had just angered a bunch of sleeping lions.

We all got out of the vehicle and discovered that we had a spare tire, but we had no lug wrench and no jack. I fell on my knees and wrapped my arms around the flat tire and begin praying for God to send us a jack. The guys were all laughing at me. I was praying with my eyes open, keeping a lookout for lions. One of the guys began to walk away and go for help. As he walked I prayed for God to protect him from the wild animals.

Then way off in the distance you could see an automobile coming toward us. As the automobile approached us, it was a very white guy with reddish blond hair and he said, hello my name is Jack. He was in a Toyota pickup and his jack and lug wrench fit our vehicle. He helped us change the tire and drove away and no one at the National Park had ever seen him before and had no idea who he was or where he came from. I believe he was an answer to prayer and I believe he was an angel sent from God to help us. So, I tell people now that my angels name is “Jack” (lol).
​
You may not believe in angels, but I believe the angels are all around us. The Bible says, that angels encamp round about those that fear the Lord. I believe angels have been assigned to our lives to assist us as we serve God and pursue His will and purpose for our lives!
I pray for you as you read my story that the angels of God will make themselves known to you and assist you in all that God has for you to do for Him. Remember, no matter how challenging your life becomes or how difficult your situation may be, never stop believing that something good is going to happen to you!

These are tough times in many ways for many people, but for those who believe in Jesus Christ, they are also really good times because of some of the great opportunities God has brought our way.

As we enter the Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, many people will struggle trying to give gifts to their friends and families this year.  They will be searching for something they can afford.  Many will be charging up those credit cards and hoping things get better next year.  All because we want our friends and families to know how much we love them, we want them to have the best Christmas ever.  We want Christmas to be “Good Times.” 

 In spite of the difficulties of our times, we can celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by giving our friends and families the most expensive, extravagant Christmas gifts they may ever recieve from us.  Yes, there are some gifts we can give each other that will most likely cost us more than all the money we will ever have.  This Christmas can really be “Good Times!”  We all love recieving gifts!  Give the gifts that bring “Good Times!”

 We can give the “gift of understanding.”  Sometimes we just need to be more understanding with each other.  What does it mean to be understanding?  It means to “make what is important to the other person as important to you as the other person is to you.”
 Giving the gift of understanding sends the message to our loved-one that they are more valuable to us than all the money in the world.

 We could give someone the gift of “promises kept.”  What about all the promises we have made God, the promises we have made to others.  Keeping our promises inspires hope, trust and security in those we love and care so much for.  Promises kept, is a priceless gift!

We need to give those that are the most precious to us the gift of “respect.”  The Bible teaches us to give honor to those whom honor is due.  The Bible actually tells us to honor or respect other people.  As a matter of fact the Bible says that we are to delight in honoring each other.  We can give the gift of respect by respecting each other’s property, privacy and time.  Respecting others helps them know just how important they are to us.

 We can give the gift of “encouragement.”  Perhaps the easiest way to grow a healthy relationship is to offer encouragement.  We can encourage each other by smiling, never underestimate the power of an authentic smile.  The Bible talks about a man named Job.  He said that when people around him were discouraged, “I smiled at them, my look of approval was precious to them.” 
 We can encourage each other with our good words.  Someone said, “Man doesn’t live by bread alone.  He also needs buttering up.”  Words are power!  It’s amazing what the right words can do to encourage those we care about.  Tell all your friends, “Something Good is gonna happen to YOU!”

 We can encourage each other by pointing out all the positives in each other.  A reporter once asked Andrew Carnegie the great entrepreneur of the previous generation why he hired 43 millionaires to work for him.  Carnegie pointed out that those men were not millionaires when he hired them.

 The reporter then asked, “How did you develop these men to become so valuable to you that you paid them so much money?”
 Carnegie relied that people are developed the same way gold is mined.  When gold is mined, serval tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold; but you don’t go into the mine looking for dirt, but, you go in looking for gold!   Start looking for gold in your children, your companion, your friends, your church family, etc… 

Finally, the most expensive, extravagant gift you will ever give is the gift of forgiveness.  Anyone who lives in a family of any kind knows that people will disappoint you and hurt you.  We must develop the wisdom to overlook a lot of little things and forgive each other. 
​
The greatest gift Christ gave, the gift that cost Him the most, was forgiveness!  Are you rich enough to give the most expensive gifts!  Can you be Christian enough to give gifts that are more valuable than money!  This year give gifts that are priceless!  And let the “Good Times” roll!

​Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  — Hebrews 11:1I believe there is only one way to the true treasures of God, the way of faith.

There is only one way to heaven and that way is through Christ Jesus the only begotten son of our Heavenly Father.  The only way to make Christ Jesus our Savior is the way of faith.  There isn’t any other way!
Anything we receive from God, we receive by the way of faith.  There is no other way!  We do not receive by crying, groaning, shouting, dancing, or even by praying, praising or worshipping God.  Unless all we do is done by the way of faith, we have no hope of ever receiving anything from God. 

​What we do, must be done by faith in God!  All our praying, praising, worshipping, dancing, shouting, groaning, crying, serving, must be done by faith!  We must believe!  All that we ever see, hear or receive from God we recieve because we believe!  Faith in God is the way!
My prayer for you and I daily is, Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name and through the power of Your Holy Spirit, we seek the gift of supernatural faith that we may see the greater things from you.  Amen. 
​
And always believe “something good is going to happen to YOU!”

All through the ministry of Jesus, you see Him calling His disciples together, they were regrouping.  After Jesus shared a parable with the multitudes He would regroup His disciples for the purpose of revealing greater insight.  After a miracle He would regroup His disciples and reveal His purpose for the miracle.  Before the crucifixion He regrouped His disciples to prepare them for what they were going to face.  After the resurrection Jesus regrouped His disciples to make them eyewitnesses of His resurrection and give them future instruction and direction concerning His ministry.

After the ascension of Christ, the Holy Spirit regrouped with a group of approximately 120 believers for the purpose of giving them power to be the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the earth!

In the Book of Revelation, we can see Jesus giving the Apostle John a great revelation of Himself, and the first thing He tells John to do is send out letters to all His Churches.  Jesus was regrouping His Church.  He wanted to reveal to them some of their problems, not just problems at that time, but more importantly problems that the church would face in the last days.  Even more important, Jesus regroups to encourage His Church to overcome!

I believe it is very important for believers to continue to regroup.  Matter of fact, I believe the Holy Spirit is on a mission right now in the earth, calling on all believers to regroup!  It’s time to get back together!  It’s time to look beyond all our excuses!  It’s time to go back to Church!  It’s time to get off the pew and get involved in the ministries of His Church!  God is all about regrouping His Church!

The Holy Spirit is calling YOU to regroup because He wants to fill His Church again with His overcoming power!
​
Don’t allow anything or anyone to hold you back!  Return to the Lord and return to His Church!  It’s time to Regroup!