I Have Been

I have been to the place where time meets eternity. The essence of your being is swept away in flood, the flood that can only be described as Gods unfailing love. This place has no sickness or disease; the only tears that flow are tears of gratefulness and joy for His presence.

I have been to a place of pureness and innocence where the only care is the worship you offer Him. A worship that is proven through your obedience.

I have been to a place where money has no value, but value is represented through the character of the one living inside of you.

I have been to a place where my Father cannot fail me, so it is impossible not to give Him all of me. I give Him all of me because I know He needs me just as much as I need Him. We are a team, a duo, Father and son in this place. The place that never ends…

I see people who are literally dying to get to this place of peace and serenity, but only if they knew that it could have been experienced in their life time.

I have been to a place where the chaos in my mind is swept away by the stillness of His presence, and then I learn that He is most powerful not when you’re trying to hear but rather when you’re quiet and He is listening.

I have been to a place where it is ok to show affection, it is ok to cry out, it is ok to be vulnerable without the fear of being taken advantage of.

This place is priceless, this place is more valuable than anything you can imagine, and in fact this place in unimaginable. A place where you’ll have to experience for yourself.

This place is called Heaven, this place lies within, and this place is indeed right here on earth. A place where no plane can take you, that is only reachable through the adaptation of your faith and the journey of the mind.

He sees you struggling, He sees you crying, and He’s in this place waiting for you. All you have to do is get there. He will lead you and guide you there and when reached you too will understand the place in my heart where this comes from.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Are You Thirsty?

Psalm 42:1(NCV) “As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God.”

These days you might hear people use the word “thirsty” as a slang term which means: Desperate; wanting or needing someone or something. In Hebrew the word is `arag, which means: To long for. Ask yourself this question…What are you “thirsty” for? What are those things that keep your focus, those things that you are running after, the things that you spend so much time praying for, confessing for, etc. When you spend time with God do you spend more time asking Him for things, then asking Him what’s on His heart, what are His desires for you? Do you spend more time asking Him to help change your situation and circumstances then seeking growth, mind renewal, maturity, etc.? God is looking for us to be “thirsty” for Him. He wants us to long after Him, for us to want and need Him. Just as a deer would thirst for water from the stream after running through the forest, in that same manner we must be thirsty for God.

So I want to encourage each of you reading this today to begin to put Psalm 42:1 into your hearts. It’s time to turn your focus off of yourself and towards the Father, because He loves each of you so much and there is so much He wants to pour into you if you have your mind open to receive it.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

My Own Little World

Matthew West lyrics My Own Little World

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I’ve never gone hungry and always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world
Population me

I try to stay awake through the Sunday morning church
I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give ’til it hurts
and I turn off the news when I don’t like what I see
it’s easy to do when it’s
population me

What if there’s a bigger picture
what if I’m missing out
What if there’s a greater purpose
I could be living right now
outside my own little world

Stopped at the red light, looked out my window
Outside the car, saw a sign, said “Help this homeless widow”
Just above this sign was the face of a human
I thought to myself, “God, what have I been doing?”
So I rolled down my window and I looked her in the eye
Oh how many times have I just passed her by
I gave her some money then I drove on through
in my own little world there’s
Population two

What if there’s a bigger picture
what if I’m missing out
What if there’s a greater purpose
I could be living right now
outside my own little world

Start breaking my heart for what breaks Yours
give me open hands and open doors
put Your light in my eyes and let me see
that my own little world is not about me

I think this is a picture of much of the church today. We live in our own little world. Look around you, are all the people that you’re around believers, are the only people you talked to saved? Have you begun to live in your own little world of “Christians Only”.

Mark 16:15 says, “Jesus said to his followers, "Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.”

Matthew 28:19-20 says, “So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age."

It’s time to begin to break out of the bubble that you have been living in. We were created for others, there are so many lost, hurting, and broken people out there that we have been called to. It’s time to be like Jesus. Remember the people He ate with, He walked with, and He discipled, they were considered sinners, but He showed them that the Kingdom was available to them also. We can’t become like the Pharisees and Sadducees, and shun, judge, or walk away from those that might be considered “unsightly”; it’s time to show the love of God to our fellow man.

Mark 12:31 “The second command is this: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' There are no commands more important than these."

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Increase Me

Many times as we seek God and go into prayer we are asking God to increase us. “Lord, increase me in finances.” “Lord, increase me with a new home.” “Lord Increase my home by bringing me a spouse.” “Lord increase me…….(fill in your own blank)” And that is well and all because the Lord does desire to increase us in material things, but even before we can get these material things we should ask ourselves these questions…Can I handle these things? If God today gave me the “increase” I was asking for, would I handle it with wisdom, or would it begin to handle me?

Today the Holy Spirit is prompting me to have us begin to ask for increase in some of the things we really can’t live without. We might think we can’t live without a house, or a job, etc. but the things we really can’t live without are wisdom, love, compassion, patience, discernment, etc. It is those things that we need to have increase in so that we can handle the “material” things that we desire. We need wisdom to handle money, a business, a job. We need love to deal with all of the people we come in contact with. We need compassion to deal with situations and circumstances of those we are to help or pray for. We need patience to deal with to deal with our families, our workplaces, our own situations. And finally we need discernment in everyday life to guide us.

So today I challenge each of you to ask yourselves those questions and go before God with an open heart looking for inward increase. This will not only help you live your life, but it will bring the maturity that needs to be constantly happening within us on this Christian walk.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

I've Learned

John 6:45 (NKJV) It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

I think that one of the most powerful words in the Bible is the word “learned”. As I become closer and closer to my Father everyday through relationship, I see that it is all a learning experience. Walking as a true follower of Christ can sometimes be a very daunting one. As I always say, yes walking on the path that God has placed you on can sometimes be one that get’s challenging at times and requires effort on our part; but at the end of the day when you look and see all of the other options that you have, there is none other as rewarding as being a true Christian. Religion teaches us that we have to be perfect, never missing a beat. Religion teaches us that if we do something contrary to the belief system then the consequence is Hell. Religion teaches us that if you do mess up every now and then than you have to start all over from the beginning. Relationship teaches us that when we first come to Christ that we are all babes in Christ. Relationship teaches us that yes we will stumble from time to time but all we have to do is get back up and dust ourselves off. Relationship teaches us that this is a learned experience and that it will always be a learning experience until the day we die. God doesn’t expect you to try and be perfect for Him not missing a beat. God already see’s you as perfect because He created you and whatever He creates, in His thought process, is perfect from the time of inception. Don’t try and be the people pleaser and put up a superficial front like you’re Mr. or Mrs. Super Christian. Live the life that God has given you, submit all things to Him and just be one who learns from the experiences that He has placed in your life.

Daryle Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org