Life Word

God's Love Letters

2012-01-30T13:50:00.003-06:00

Hi KVM family! I just wanted to let you all know that I have finally finished writing my first poetry book. It has been a long time in the making but God is faithful and I pray it will touch the hearts of all that read it. If you would like to purchase a copy please follow the link below. God bless!!

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2889583

UPDATE & Life Word - Confident Trust

2011-12-29T10:15:00.002-06:00

Hello KVM family,

I know it’s been a while since we’ve written and I just wanted to let you all know that we are doing well, and will continue to write as God leads us. As many of you know Daryle started law school this past Fall and he is doing wonderful. He is in the midst of his finals right now. About a month or so ago he was chosen to receive a scholarship for books from the MABL foundation Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers) in MN. We attended a gala and he was called up onstage, it was awesome, and we are giving God all the glory for it!!

Currently I am working on a Poem book that God had given me quite some time ago, it’s been a work in progress. I’ve picked it up and put it down and picked it up and put it down again, but I’m feeling the pull to finally complete it, so I will let you all know when that is finished.

Now that I’ve gotten you all updated : ) I wanted to encourage you all. Daryle and I have been going through some various things lately with my health, with family, with his heavy school schedule, trying to purchase our first home, etc. it’s been a whirl wind and it has been extremely hard. I’ll be honest a few weeks ago I was at a place where I was so broken down I didn’t know which way was up, and then God gave me a message…

Hebrews 10:35-36: 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

We visited a church and the Pastor’s wife was giving the message and talked about endurance, she used the above scripture. The next day I got an email from my Spiritual mom in IL and she sent the same passage. I begin to meditate on the first part of that scripture. I begin to think about the ways I’ve confidently trusted in God. I confidently trusted in Him for my salvation, I confidently trusted in Him that my family would be saved, I confidently trusted in Him for a husband, I confidently trusted in Him to provide when we were both out of work, and in each of those things He has come through, plus so much more. I began to count my blessings and look at the things God has done for me, and I realized that I needed to put that trust back into Him because He can’t and won’t let me down.

Then on to the next line… “Patient endurance” whooooweeee. That doesn’t sound so great, so Lord you mean this isn’t going to end right now? You mean I still have to deal with this stuff? I didn’t like that too much, but then I kept reading and the last line says “Then you will receive all that he has promised.” Ok, so if I can just trust in Him and patiently endure and continue in His will, then I will receive all He has promised, I can do that! It was a turning point for me. The heaviness lifted, the peace came back in, and it was wonderful. I just had to shift my focus and perspective. Isn’t God such a loving Father, no matter where we are at, He always comes and gently reminds us of who He is.

I just wanted to encourage all of you out there going through things or waiting on things to happen. Continue to trust in your Father, continue to put your confidence in Him, continue to be patient, and you WILL receive ALL He has promised.

God Bless!

Tracy Houston

The Violent Take it By Force

2011-08-05T15:01:00.002-05:00

Matthew 11:12 (KJV)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

For years the church has used this scripture to inspire, to pump up the people, and used it as validation that possessing something by faith is something you have to do rather than just something you have to believe God for. I mean just imagine if you’re believing God for something and you hear a message being preached saying “take what you want from the devil by force”. I mean that sounds pretty good don’t you think, you get to beat up the devil and feel spiritually strong at the same time.

The more and more I mature in God I don’t think that this scripture is being used in the right context that it has been taught in. First of all it says the violent take it by force, I never understood how we as followers of Christ associate ourselves as being violent in any manner (Luke 3:14). Also, why do I have to take something by force when all things are given to me freely by God (Romans 8:32)? It just doesn’t add up to me.

Secondly, in the greek translation the meaning in context of the word “it” in that particular scripture is “them”. So the scripture can be read as; “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take them by force.”

When Jesus refers to the kingdom of heaven suffering violence He is not saying that we are a violent people that posses things by the force of faith. What Jesus is referencing to is that violence has come upon the preaching of the kingdom of heaven because of the conviction of sin it brings and in turn for a person looking for a better way, the freedom that is gained (the worlds system is designed to keep you in bondage, or in today’s terms in debt). The violence intent is to shut up the preaching of the kingdom.

If you study the history of many of the ministers preaching the kingdom, the first one to begin preaching the kingdom was John the Baptist. He is regarded as the one sent to prepare the way. Before John the Baptist the only reference to the kingdom of God and Jesus was through prophecy and prophetic events that took place. Through the preaching of the kingdom comes immense power and influence which threatens mighty worldly systems that are not of God’s design. In turn the result is that the stewards of those systems try to silence the message from being preached, because it also threatens the traditional of a way of thinking, culture and what people have believed to be true for so long. In North America it is hard to bring that home because persecution is something that we don’t regularly face here for the gospel of Christ. But in many other places on the globe followers of Christ are being persecuted regularly just as the Bible recorded thousands of years ago.

I can almost guarantee you that if the North American church really united as one. I’m not just talking about “Christians” attending weekly and Sunday services, but if everyone that professes to be a follower of Christ actually started to live what they confess than you would see an uproar in our system also. Right now the governing systems here don’t feel threatened by the church because the church has very little influence. Sure the church does a lot of good here in North America but I honestly believe the world views North American Christians as hypocrites and a shifty people. You may disagree but this is just my own personal thought. What I believe will happen is this. The church will begin to take its position and not just here in North America but on the earth in general. Once this happens we will begin to see positive change, worldly systems will topple and the kingdom of God will visibly reign on earth. As a result of this there will be a great addition of people into the kingdom of God. Will there be push back from the world, absolutely! But I believe it will have no effect on the progress of God’s plans.

So the main intent of why persecution comes towards followers of Christ is to plainly silence the message from being preached. Before Saul became Paul this was something he took pride in.

Acts 26:10 (NKJV)This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

Nothing will ever be able to silence the Truth from being spread because it’s not a message created by man but by God.

Acts 5:39 (KJV)And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
So now that we have just a little insight on the context of the scripture next time I will go deeper into how that scripture is represented in the Bible, scripturally.

I pray that this has been a blessing.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

A Purposeful Life

2011-06-15T15:36:00.002-05:00

God placed each and every one of us here for a purpose. Many of us may spend an entire lifetime just existing or “getting by”. Everyone has a purpose in life, something that burns in your heart, something you may only perceive to be a dream. When I look back on my life 5 to 6 years ago I thought my purpose was all about me. I wanted to be rich, I wanted to have this or that, it was all me, me, me. Now that I have come into the Kingdom of God what really burns in my heart is to help others.

Do I still desire to have some of the things I wanted in the past, yes; but now I have this passion to bless others. If you look at your life and your situation, can you say that you are operating in life for a purpose or are you just living? I want you to really think about it because I believe if we started to really seek God regarding purpose the world would be a much different place.

Some may say “well my purpose is to go to work and provide for my family”, in that regard I would say that is definitely something you should do but is that your purpose in life or just your function as a leader in your household? Now it may very well be that your purpose it to do that, I’m not saying that that can’t be someone’s purpose in life. All I’m saying is just do an evaluation. Is there a dream in your heart that just won’t go away? Do you have a feeling inside of you that you need to be doing something other than what you’re doing now? If that’s you I believe God is speaking to you about pursuing what He placed you on this earth for.

You may say “I have a dream of becoming xyz… but I can’t see how it can be accomplished in my current situation”. I say that’s all God, chances are that God is not going to tell you to do something that you can accomplish yourself. If He did then why would we need Him? When God speaks and gives you vision it’s usually something that blows your mind away. He might tell a farmer to go and preach the Word in a major city; He might tell a teacher to go be an astronaut. What has He shown you lately? God wants the world to witness His greatness through you. He wants people to actually see His mercy and grace and not just read about it. God can only accomplish this through you and me.

Exodus 9:16 (NKJV)
But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.

In the above scripture God is talking to Moses when He gave him the task of going to Pharaoh to deliver the messages. It’s no different today; God still wants and is still using His people in the same manner. The biggest hindrance in this process is our own selves. We can be quick to say I can’t, or that’s just a dream, etc… This is real; God wants to use you in such a mighty way. He wants to show you off to the world, He wants to put you on the stage and say “See there, that’s My son or My daughter”. We just have to take that first step of faith. Will it be a bit freighting, it may be. Will you have doubts here or there, you very may well. But through it all God is God and He will carry out what He has spoken in your life. It will happen if you just keep on walking.

So I say make a declaration that you will first pray and seek God as to what that purpose is in your life and then act upon it. I know that you can do it because God has already done it.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Redeemed!

2011-06-13T11:36:00.003-05:00

Many people both believer and non-believer thinks that the devil has the power to cause havoc in their lives. There are also many individuals in this world today that also fear the devil to the extent that they put themselves into bondage using the Word of God. You may be asking yourself what I mean? What I am referring to is this; many people live their lives with the thought that if they mess up or in some way commit a sin than the devil will have reign over their lives. This is called living under the bondage of the law. Many believers live in this state of mind every day. If you were to rightly divide the Word of God you will see that as a new covenant church we are not bound to the requirements of the Law of Moses.

At no means am I saying that the Law of Moses was not of God because it was indeed holy. What I am getting at is this. There is a new covenant that we live under that is founded on grace. We need not focus on what we need to do to be in right standing with God but more on what has already been done that made us righteous forever. The price has been paid for all of your past, present, and future sins on Calvary. It’s time to redirect all that energy we put into trying to be pure and use it on building quality personal relationships with God. Relationship is what God wants with all of us and not dictatorship. It’s so awesome to know that I can have a personal relationship with the One who created me. I can go and talk freely and hear God without having to go to a middle man like in the times of Moses.

Hebrews 8:13 (NIV)
By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Using God’s Word to keep His people in bondage under the law has been a very subtle deception that the devil has used for awhile to keep the children of God from progressing. Still with every thought and suggestion that may come from something other than the Holy Spirit, you still have the power to accept or reject it.

Acts 5:2-4 (NIV)
With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

The situation in the above scriptures is a perfect representation of your authority over unrighteousness. Did satan suggest that they try and deceive the Holy Spirit; no doubt. All the devil can do is give you a thought or a suggestion but it is ultimately up to us whether we will honor God or honor selfish ambition.

Colossians 2:13-15 (KJV)
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

The above scriptures can pretty much sum up everything that I am trying to convey.
1. You have been forgiven of ALL your sin.
2. The old covenant was fulfilled when Christ was crucified, so we are not to hold ourselves to that standard. Only one man was ever able to fully fulfill the law, and that was Jesus.
3. The devil has no hold in your life; he cannot do anything in your life unless you give him room in your heart. He can’t make you sick with disease, he can’t take your money, all he can do is give you an unrighteous suggestion or thought and in the end the decision to act still lies with you.

I pray that this has been a blessing to you.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Witness of Power

2011-06-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 4:20 (KJV)
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

It is important that as followers of Christ we have to ensure that we are totally led by the Holy Spirit and not just by what we read. The Bible is a tool that God gave us to instruct us, guide us, and show us how to be effective witnesses for Him. One may merely read the Bible just for information and revelation but the Word of God is meant to not only provide information but more importantly provide transformation in our lives. In order for someone to accurately perceive someone who claims to be a Christian they need proof. In other words they need more than just someone saying I’m a Christian, and Jesus loves you. The world needs to witness what being a follower of Christ is. As soon as the church gets on one accord with this, the world will no longer be able to deny the power of God.

Acts 4:13-21 (KJV)
13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

The above scriptures tell of the time when Peter and John are before the council. The council did not like the fact that they were preaching Christ and also understood that a miracle had been performed on a lame man. As you see they could not deny the power of God nor find a way to punish them because all the men glorified God. If this doesn’t show you how we ought to be I don’t know what does. When everyone comes on one accord and just gives God the glory the world will bow. It’s not about which preacher is right, about different intricacies of the Bible. It’s not about judging others if they slip and fall from time to time. If we all just give God the glory in all things the Holy Spirit will led us in all things. Many walk around puffed up because they may be more knowledgeable in God’s Word than another but I say are you displaying power with what you know? The ones around you do they just see you as someone who just talks or as one who performs?

Acts 2:22 (KJV)
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.

Jesus was approved (exhibited, pointed out...) by God not because of how much He knew but because of what He did. God performed many miracles through Jesus, and He wants to do the same through you.
Now a miracle is much more that just healing someone, the word in the Greek there is dynamis:
1) Strength power, ability
a) Inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
b) Power for performing miracles
c) Moral power and excellence of soul
d) The power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
e) Power and resources arising from numbers
f) Power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

Now, miracles do consist of supernatural healing but also excellence of soul. As followers of Christ we are to exhibit miracles on a daily basis. When Jesus was on the cross being crucified and he said Father forgive them for they know not what they do, this was a miracle. Young men when a woman comes to you and offers herself to you and you resist the temptation, this is a miracle. Young women when you find out that someone has been talking about you behind your back and you choose not to hold that person at fault, this is a miracle. It’s time to begin to expand our minds beyond the traditions that we have been accustomed too. It’s time to not only know Word but actually display its power.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Reconciliation

2011-06-04T14:54:00.002-05:00

Recently there has been a lot of talk about the world coming to an end and there are many people that are in a state of fear and panic. This has affected both the believer and the non-believer. This ought not to be the case when it comes to the children of God. Some may ask why not; shouldn’t we be concerned at the second coming of Christ? I say the only one that needs to be concerned with the second coming is the one who is not ready for it. Everyone loves to quote the scripture of how the Lord will come as a thief in the night. As believers we believe this to be true for us also, my friend this is not so. If you read the scripture in context you will be enlightened.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NKJV)
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

So in the concern with the end of the world, we ought not to be afraid because as the righteousness of God we are eternal beings (Matthew 25:45-46). There is no end, when we pass through this life on earth we will not die but will continue on. In verse 9 of the above scripture it says that we are not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. That is the purpose of why we live, to be witnesses of Christ to others so that they too may also decide to receive Jesus. In turn the Kingdom of God will expand.

Me personally I’m not watching the clouds everyday waiting for Jesus to come because that’s not what God has called me to do. But rather I am watching and being sober to the fact that there are many who are out there that need to hear the Truth. When the day of the Lord comes then I will be ready but until then my purpose is the ministry of reconciliation. To tell and show as many people I come in contact with about the goodness of the Lord and about the Truth. In doing this they too can make the decision as whether to choose life or not. My purpose is clear and in whatever function God has me carry it out in is fine. Reconciliation and not the great day of tribulation is what we are to be focused on.

2 Corinthians 5:19-21 (NKJV)
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Power of Repentance

2011-05-27T10:52:00.003-05:00

When I was growing up in the church I was never really taught about the power of repentance. During that time I thought that repentance was asking God for forgiveness of some sin that I had committed. Naturally I was repenting almost about every Sunday; of course this was when I was still attending church. No one ever told me that repenting was not about going to the altar and feeling guilty and apologizing to God for my shortcomings.

As believers in Christ we must know that forgiveness for sin is not something that you need to be forgiven of constantly, but rather it is something you walk in continually. You have already been forgiven of your sins through the price that was paid on the cross. Every sin, past, present, and future has already been forgiven so you can stop condemning yourself for your shortcomings and start thanking Jesus for what He has already accomplished.

So now we know that we have been freed from the bondage of sin we can now start to understand what real repentance is and where it leads.

Acts 2:38 (KJV)
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Here Peter is speaking to a group and telling them to Repent. The word repent here is metanoeo which simply means to changes one’s mind for better. To me being a follower of Christ is not merely about doing good deeds but more about the renewing of one’s mind and the fervency for God in one’s heart. So in a sense Peter is saying wash your mind with Jesus Christ and then you will receive the power and guidance that Holy Spirit provides.

So you may be asking if repentance is not asking for forgiveness of sins than does that mean I will still commit sin. The answer is yes. The question is not will you ever commit sin again but it should be how will I let Holy Spirit mature me so I can resist those sins that I usually fall prey to. When I was younger I used to commit all kinds of sin, from fornication to stealing. When I washed my mind with what Jesus did for me on the cross and received power and guidance from the Holy Spirit I soon began to see that the temptations I used to fall prey to no longer had power to influence my decision making. As each day, month, and year past I grew stronger and stronger. Does this mean that I am sinless, no not at all. What I mean by that statement is this; I may no longer commit fornication but I may walk in unforgiveness even if it is for a short moment. Sin is sin, no matter if it’s something as horrific as murder or something as subtle as envy, it all weighs the same.

Clearly no believer can live a successful life without the help from the Holy Spirit and the first step to this is repentance. Remember not the repentance where you go up to the altar and ask for forgiveness and weep because of the guilt you carry. I’m talking about the repentance where you decide that you will change your thinking and stance on the things and situations that have hindered you and you say once and for all that those things and situations will no longer control your thinking or actions.

The above scripture informs us that when we repent we shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that will help us with this life here on the earth. Now when you do go through that process Jesus says that you will be witnesses unto him all over. And your life will be a testimony unto all the world of the goodness of God.

Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

As believers we are witnesses unto Christ, not because we live perfect lives but because we were transformed by the blood of Jesus.

I hope that this has been a blessing to you.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Who Knew No Sin

2011-05-03T11:01:00.002-05:00

II Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We recently celebrated Easter and during this time we really hone in on the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, and once Easter comes to an end we usually go on to a different topic. I think that the sacrifice of Jesus is the most important reference in the Bible. I say this boldly because without it we would be lost in sin, not knowing which way to turn. I was thinking about the price that was paid and it continuously astounds me that God loves us so much.

Let’s think about, God took his only Son and poured His wrath upon Him so that we would be set free. On the cross Jesus not only took our sins but He became sin itself. He became the only thing that God hates. He went from being the purest person on the entire earth to being the exact opposite of that. Now that’s grace my friend, and without it we are nothing.

We have to watch as believers how we view our relationship with God. Many people view it in many different ways. Until recently I viewed my relationship with God as one that was pretty much based on trying to please Him through my actions. I just recently realized this and it was the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders when God told me that He is already pleased with me and there is nothing I can do to change His mind. God is not mad at anybody; remember His wrath was poured out on His only Son on the cross. If God was mad at you that would be like saying His first sacrifice (Jesus) was not good enough.

But this is a revelation that we have to not only get but receive. When we think about the devil and his tricks we always think about some sinful temptation. We never think that He might try and use the Holy Scriptures to confound us and keep us in bondage. Many of us are still living according to the ways of the Law of Moses and not even knowing it. The Law will tell us that we have to do something to please God. The Law tells us that God can sometimes be mad at us and put us through various trials such as sickness and disease to mature us as Christians. The Law tells us that we’re not good enough until we do something that is good enough for God.

If we rightly divide the Word of God we will understand that first and foremost the Law is Holy, and given by God. We will also know that there is a new covenant and that no man but Jesus could have fulfilled the Law of Moses and we are to live according to the new and not the old.

Romans 6:14 (NKJV)
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Acts 13:38-39 (NKJV)
“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; “and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

The above scriptures let me know that I am justified because I believe I am and that there is nothing I can do to earn extra brownie points with God because He has more points to give that I can imagine. God loves you for you and not what it is that you do or don’t do. Sounds a little too good to be true, but it is indeed so. Once we renew our minds to this truth freedom will reign in your life and you won’t feel like you are living in bondage by being a follower of Christ. I pray that this has blessed you in some form or fashion and if you know someone who is on your heart that might also be blessed by this, please feel free to share.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Will You Be The One?

2011-04-01T07:26:00.002-05:00

This morning the Lord begin to speak to me about willing to be “the one”. “The one” who is willing to obey when others might not. “The one” that’s willing to be a voice when others might not speak. “The one” that’s willing to go lay hands on the sick, when others have already written them off as dying. “The one” who is willing to do something “radical”, when others want to play it safe. When you are willing to be “the one” and allow God to use you as that, you could be a vessel used to help facilitate a change for a person, a community, a nation, or the world. Let’s look at some examples of people in the Bible that were willing to be “the one”.

Noah - Genesis 6:9 “…Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him.” Noah was willing to be “the one” person who walked as blameless and with God. He was “the one” that chose to obey God and because he did, he was “the one” God used to save the human race from physical death and start a new.

David - 1 Samuel 17:32 “Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Now David was the youngest and probably the smallest man out on that battle field, he wasn’t even a soldier, he had just come to bring food to his brothers who were fighting, and yet he was “the one” that was willing to stand against Goliath for defying the army of the Living God. He was willing to say “Is there not a cause?" (1 Samuel 17:29), and although Saul even denied him at first when he said he would fight, David did not give up, he persisted until Saul agreed, and then he went and slayed Goliath saving Israel from the hand of the Philistines. He was willing to be “the one” used by God to slay the giant and save the people from being enslaved.

Ester - Ester 4:16 "Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die." In the face of death, Ester was willing to be “the one” who would stand for her people, and because she was willing to be “the one” the Jews were spared and the one who tried to kill them was taken out instead.

Paul – Galatians 1:15-16 “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.” Paul was willing to be “the one” that stood up and was willing to take the Word to the gentiles so that they might also experience salvation. He didn’t consult anyone when God told him what to do, and even though he was looked at crazy by some of the Jews for taking the message to the gentiles that did not dissuade him from his purpose.

Jesus – John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” Jesus was willing to be “the one” who came from heaven to the earth, allowed himself to be brutalized and killed to save the world.

All of these are example of individuals who were willing to step out there and be “the one” no matter what was ahead of them. God is calling each and every believer out there to be “the one”. Each one of us might not be used to change something on a global scale, but we are each created to be used by God as conduits of change whether it is for one person or for billions. So be “the one” on your job, be “the one” at your children’s school, be “the one” at your local grocery store, be “the one” at the hospital, be “the one” in your community, be “the one” for your city. Wherever it may be, whatever it may be, hear God and obey and be “THE ONE”.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdomvizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

More Than A Conqueror

2011-03-29T13:12:00.002-05:00

Romans 8:35 (NKJV)Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

“ For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

When we are taught about the above scriptures it is usually referenced in a way that defines believers as always having favorable outcomes in life. Have you ever experienced a setback and said “I am more than a conqueror”, have you ever been in the running for an important business deal and said “I am more than a conqueror”, have you ever been challenged in any way shape or form and have used this scripture to claim victory over what has been challenging you?

Now all of that is fine, as God’s children we have supernatural favor in areas of our lives that produces good results. But when I look at those scriptures now I see something totally different from what I have been taught. What really stands out to me is not verse 37 but rather verse 35.

Verse 35 speaks on being separated from the love of Christ and what how you can potentially let adverse situations separate you from that love. If verse 37 only references good times and always having favorable results then it kind of contradicts verse 35. Why would always being successful threaten the separation of the love of Christ, usually that is when most believers tend to draw closer to God.

You may be asking what I’m getting at. What I am getting at is this; every now and then we may come across an experience in life that does not produce the results we think that it should. Have you ever been rejected for a job, while being a Christian? Have you ever been turned down for that mortgage to purchase your dream house, as a Christian? Have you ever lost a loved one that you prayed so earnestly for, or have you ever been a part of bad relationship break up while being a Christian? We all have experienced some kind of unfavorable results while being a follower of Christ, results that we cannot explain and often question God as to why it happened.

When you experience disappointment and heartache how do you react? Someone who is more than a conqueror is able to remain in a state of peace, in a state where they can say “You know what God, it didn’t work out the way I wanted but you know what’s best for my life and I trust you always”. Someone who is more than a conqueror will overcome the mix of emotions that can adversely affect your mental mindset of peace. Am I saying not to grieve in the case of loss or maybe even be a bit upset, no not at all. I’m just saying be sensitive and able to discern that which threatens that peace and sense of love that we get through Christ.

Let’s take Jesus as an example; Jesus was being beaten and killed on the cross but through it all he was more than a conqueror. Through it all he said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. How many of us can honestly say they would be able to do that right now today.

So from this day on whatever you experience in life whether good or bad always know that you are more than a conqueror, not because you will always get favorable results you desire but because you will always be at peace in whatever situation you face.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Love is the Key

2011-03-10T14:26:00.002-06:00

It has been about two or so years since Tracy and I started Kingdom Vizion Ministries, sending out Word of the Day messages. During this time God has built both of us up in wisdom and maturity. Many of the messages that we send out are messages that can be a little hard to read and ones that may even convict your spirit. The greatest lesson that I am learning is that the message is not meant to tear you down but to build you up.

My job is first and foremost not to tell you things you ought to do and not do them myself, as we progress in ministry and move closer and closer to one day establishing a brick and mortar church this is something that has to always be the case. When we write we write from a stand point of love and not disappointment. It can often be disheartening to see the potential but not yet see the fruit, but love is the standpoint we take. Today we want to let everyone who is reading this know that we love each and every one of you.

The last thing we want you to do is beat yourself up because you think that you are not perfect enough for God and that you are unworthy to be sent by Him. You are already perfect in Gods sight. Is everything we do always right on track, probably not. God cares more about your heart than your works, if your heart is pure than the rest will line up. Living by the Word of God is impossible out of your own strength and intelligence; it takes the working of the Holy Spirit to be able to carry out what He has established for you. So if you are out there beating yourself up because you try and try and try and always seem to come up empty handing, I say to you stop trying and just start walking.

There are many of you out there that are experiencing situations in your lives that are out of your control. I know I always talk about people putting themselves in their own mess but there are some out there that have been put in a mess that they did not create. You see what you want to do and it’s just not happening, you want a better life and it seems that it’s just not coming; you want to be healed of whatever it is afflicting your body and it seems to only be getting worse. For those of you that may be experiencing something like this, I say to you just keep praising God. For your breakthrough is coming, sometimes when a situation is at its worse that means the end of that thing is near.

Don’t lose faith, don’t grow weary, He is right there in the midst with you. Just like when the three Hebrew boys were thrown in the fiery furnace. God was right there in the midst of fire with them and they came out unbound and free because of their faith and confidence in God and what they knew was true. We often times think that God will rescue us from the fire and in some cases that is true. In other cases He will lead you through the fire because one thing that the fire does is purify you. You saw when the Hebrew boys were put into the fire their hands were bound and when they came out they were no longer bound. God did not leave them, He did not stop loving them, He led them through.

So I tell you just keep praising, keep believing, and keep strong in the faith. I was listening to a song today by casting crowns and every time I listen to this song I am moved so much because the song just radiates God’s love in the times we need it the most. You can check it out too, just click the link below.

Casting Crowns: Praise You In This Storm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw
Daryle Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

It’s Time!

2011-03-02T07:32:00.004-06:00

This morning as I got up to praise and worship I was looking for songs on the internet and I ran across this awesome song that was a great encouragement. It made me get up and dance around, and it started my morning off right. It doesn’t matter what happens the rest of this day let us let the words of this song permeate our hearts. I invite you all to rejoice with me this day. For any of you that might have had a rough start this week, or have been going through a lot lately. Put this song on get up, listen to the words and just let it all go!!It’s time to return to the joy of our salvation!

http://www.morningstarministries.org/Media/Player.aspx?fullpage=True&media_id=1000030958

Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”

Psalm 32:11 “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”

Mark 11:22 “So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.”

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Rise Up

2011-02-25T07:57:00.002-06:00

Today the Word I received from the Lord was “Rise up”. He showed me a picture of a wave. It started small and as He said “Rise up.” His hand pushed the little wave and it grew to a huge wave.

In this time of transition God is calling us to rise up and out of what we were, and into what He sees us as. Many of us have gifts and talents that we are holding captive within us. We might let them out here and there, but we are not letting them flow as God has intended them to flow. During this time His hand is upon us stretching us, pushing us up towards our full potential so we can be that large wave.

We weren’t created to be small people of God. We were created to have impact on our world, whether that be through serving behind the scenes or being in the public eye, each position is important, each position is just as impactful. It is time to walk in our God given autority and for the world to see the sons of God. So let’s get our minds renewed to the autority within us and the great purpose and vision God has for our lives. Let’s allow ourselves to be developed into the mighty men and women He has purposed for us to be. Let us allow ourselves to be pushed and stretched so that we can reach our full potential and walk in the authority God has given us. It’s time to rise up people of God, rise up!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Enjoy Where You Are

2011-02-21T10:45:00.001-06:00

I know right now many of you are going through a time of transition, a time of being shaken up, you are going through different situations and dealing with different circumstances in your life. There might be things in your life that you are believing God for. It could be a spouse, a baby, a job, a new home, etc. and sometimes in life the things which we don’t have, or the different situations we are dealing with can become our focus.

Yesterday I was watching Joyce Meyer and she said, “Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going,” and for me it was a life changing statement. I know there have been times in my life where I’m so focused on what I don’t have that I miss what I do. For example Daryle and I were both out of work for over a year and we got to spend every day together, and much of the time I was looking at the fact that we didn’t have a job or income coming in, instead of looking at the blessing of time which God gave us to be together, to get to know each other better. After it was over and we both started working I realized that I could have made more of that time, I could have appreciated it more, and that is exactly what Joyce Meyer is referring to. Sometimes we look so much at what we don’t have or focus on what we really want instead of enjoying what God has already given us.

Jesus said I come to give you life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Just because there are certain things we believe are missing from our lives we have to know that we have abundance right where we are. I challenge each of you today to begin to thank God for the little things, and appreciate what you do have right now. If you are believing for a spouse appreciate the time you have with just you and God now because believe me when another person is introduced into your life things change, you have to manage your time and life differently. If you are believing for a child appreciate the time that you have alone with your spouse, because when a baby come it’s going to be a whole new ball game and you won’t have the same alone time with your spouse as you did before. If you are believing for a job appreciate the time now that you have to just be, to just go out and enjoy God’s creation without interruption without having to be on a tight schedule. Enjoy God, enjoy yourself. Appreciate the now people of God! There is so much that God has blessed us with that we already have that we haven’t appreciated, and we can never get back our yesterdays. So from this day forward let us begin to enjoy where we are on the way to where we are going.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Immature Christians Trying To Overcome Mature Issues

2011-02-17T11:02:00.001-06:00

Today the Church is plagued by many issues that people in the world are dealing with. Issues such as depression, financial irresponsibility, divorce, etc… As I was riding home from work on the train the Lord starting speaking to me and He started telling me about how there are many immature Christians that are trying to overcome heavy mature spiritual issues all alone. The reason why the Church is not standing up and out like it is supposed to be is because of these issues and more importantly the results that we are getting as a result of spiritual immaturity.

Is it wrong for a person in Christ to deal and be tempted by things of the world? The answer is absolutely not. The conflict comes in with how we deal with what is being dealt at the time. What will that outcome be? Generations of religion and tradition has taught us that once we are in Christ than we ought to be perfect. The error comes in when the Church tries to live in a perfected manner according to what the world defines as perfection and not what God says is perfect. In the Bible the word perfect means full grown, adult, full of age, and mature, or in one word complete. So Jesus says in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect or in other words raise to a place of maturity that you were not at yesterday, or last year.

This is a key factor that we are missing, maturity. We love flowing in the gifts of God and the faith in God, but we don’t spend enough time using the wisdom of God to perfect the whole package. Now because we also have a fleshy nature by just being human, that means that we can be tempted by the lusts of the world from time to time, and it also means that we may become susceptible to things that try and test our faith in God. Today we live in a new day and in a new realm of understanding and relationship with God. Today you don’t have to be ashamed if you’re a born again Christian and struggle with temptations from time to time. We have to know how to overcome and resist.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, every time the devil tempted Him Jesus came back and the first thing that He said was “it is written”. This signifies that you can only overcome temptation with what God says about it. Too many of us like to go head to head with the devil only to find out that we’re not stronger than him just by yourself. We ought not to fight against temptation but rather resist it; the days of warfare are over. Why do we still consume the most of our time fighting the devil when the battle has already been won. In all actuality every minute you spend battling against the devil you spend less time with God.

Quick story: At my last job I used to go to work an hour early everyday so I could pray. I had a little office space all to myself uninterrupted and I would use it to pray. So one morning as I was praying I began telling the devil what he wasn’t going to do and how I was more powerful and etc… we’ve all been there before. When I ended I heard a quiet voice say to me “You let him steal My time with you”. As soon as I heard the voice I knew exactly what God was talking about. I let the devil come in and interrupt my praise to God and in a sense I gave it to the devil. The devil is also known as the tempter and the ways that he uses to tempt are very very subtle. That’s why we as Christians have to be strong in God’s word and in relationship to be able to discern various pitfalls when they present themselves.

Now as I was just referencing, it’s not a sin to be tempted, because in that very temptation lies deliverance. Many of us in the Church often fall prey to the temptation because one, we’re not strong in God’s word which keeps us immature and two because we feel ashamed to tell someone who may be able to aid us. Yes we cry out to God for help but in all actuality if you’re not strong in His word, leaving you immature and insensitive to His voice, you probably can’t even discern the voice of God from your own voice. So that leaves one other option, to seek help from someone who is a bit stronger than you are in the ways of God.

We have to overcome the fear of thinking that it’s taboo to go through certain issues and that you have to be perfect in the eyes of man. In the end you’re only deceiving yourself because if you keep trying to fight the temptation by yourself you will soon fall prey to that which wants to destroy you. We see it all the time in the church. Sister so-in-so is back in the world, brother so-in-so just cussed out whoever, etc…

Next month on the 17th will mark Tracy and I 2nd wedding anniversary. The past two years have been very rewarding and also challenging, in a good sense. So much maturity has come to both of us since we were married. Husbands if you are dealing with temptation you should not hold it in. One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had so far is being able to be honest with my wife when things are tempting me. I have no problem telling my wife about the various things that tempt me, this includes the opposite sex.

First and foremost I made a vow to her and my future children and most importantly to God that I would never defile our marriage. This does not mean that sometimes the lust of my flesh wants to do otherwise. I am comfortable telling my wife that I need her to pray for me and that I need to not expose myself to certain things. When I was able to tell her these things that brought on struggle she began to pray and now that thing that use to be such a struggle is not anymore.

Too many husbands go through this same issue but hold it inside to eat away like a cancer and in the end they fall prey to it. Husbands we are to love our wives as Christ loved the Church. With that being said, if I really love her that much I will tell her if something is threatening that love. Husbands, next to Jesus in Heaven your wife should be your biggest intercessor on your behalf and vice versa. Keeping each other strong and covered in prayer is key to a successful marriage.

Wives don’t think that your husband is fault free. If he respects you that much to be able to come to you in a peaceable manner and confide in you in that manner you ought not to cast judgment or even think that it’s your fault. Instead return with wisdom and understanding and rejoice that your marriage has reached a new level of maturity with one another and most importantly in God.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Don't Abort the Promise

2011-02-14T09:19:00.002-06:00

Today is Valentine’s day, a day of celebrating love. Today there are many people out there that are single, waiting on a husband or wife, and sometimes today can be a hard day for people. I remember before I met Daryle I would be so torn on Valentine’s Day. I’m a person that love’s love. I love to see couples together; celebrating each other and it brings me joy. I believe love between people is one of the greatest gifts God ever gave us. He intended for one man and one woman to be together and be as One sharing in each other, in fact when God created man and the man was alone He said it wasn’t good (Genesis 2:18), so He created woman.

On the other hand I didn’t have a husband, I didn’t have another person I could celebrate the day with, and I would watch all the other couples and be a little sad. Sometimes I would say to God (as some of you might have), when is it going to be my turn? Out of my own impatience I allowed myself to get into 2 relationships before I met Daryle. Needless to say neither man was “the one” and today I still thank God for His grace because I could have aborted the promise of my husband, but God kept me.

I’m saying all of this to the single people out there to show you that we all have a choice, we can choose to do it ourselves, or we can choose to wait on God and His direction. It is really strong on me today to encourage those of you out there that have been waiting on your spouse’s to continue to be patient; he/she might be closer than you actually think. You have no idea what God is doing behind the scenes to set everything up for your marriage.

When I look back at our lives before we met and compare our timelines and our walk I see that we couldn’t have gotten together before we did. For one, Daryle is 5 years younger than me. He lived in Chicago, Detroit, and New York; I lived in Seattle, Atlanta, and Minneapolis. I got saved in 2005; Daryle rededicated his life to Christ in 2006. I moved to Chicago in Aug 2007, he didn’t move to Chicago until March 2008. I started going to Living Word Christian Center (where we met) September 2007, He started going December 2008; God pointed me out to Daryle beginning of January 2009. Daryle approached me Jan 28, 2009. We married March 17, 2009.

As you can see from the timeline there were things that had to be put into place before we could meet, our age difference, where we lived, our salvation, and our mental mindsets. God was really doing it for us, but we couldn’t see it at that time. I want you to know out there God is doing the same for you. He is working it out. I don’t care if you’ve been praying for your spouse for 1 month or 20 years, IT IS coming together. I encourage you to keep your eyes focused on God and nothing else. Allow Him to do what He does and just continue to thank Him as you continue to walk with Him. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT abort the promise of that spouse. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT give in to your own desires. Sometimes you “think” you hear God about a person, but you are really hearing yourself. I know I “thought” I heard twice, but in my heart I knew different and God had given me clear signs along the way in these relationships before Daryle that I didn’t want to look at because I really wanted to be married.

Remember just because you meet a nice man or woman that goes to church, has a relationship with God and seems to have it together, that does not mean that they are your future spouse. Men you will know your wives, wives you will know your husbands. Wait on the Lord, and again I say wait.

God bless and much love!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Transition - A Word From The Lord

2011-02-08T07:40:00.002-06:00

This is the time for the opportunity for transition in your life. Within the body right now God is calling people to get real with who they are and where they are in life. He is now presenting us the collective opportunity to allow transition in our lives to get us to our God intended purpose and destiny. Right now each of us has the choice to move forward into this transition or stay where we have been. If you choose to move forward know that you will be faced with yourself. You will be shown what truly lies inside of you. You will be shown from different angles, and different aspects until you get the true picture. This journey will not be an easy one as confronting yourself never is, but it will be one with many rewards. If you choose to continue on this journey you will blossom into the man or woman God has created you to be, you will grow into a deeper relationship with God, and you will once and for all recognize who you are in Christ.

If you choose to not take this journey know that this decision will not take you anywhere. It will be a road of dryness, a road of routine, a road without vision. It will be a road like the children of Israel were on, wandering in a circle filled with regrets seeming like you’re going somewhere but really going nowhere. You will still be provided for just as they were, but you won’t enter into your promised land just as they didn’t.

I implore each of you in the Name of Jesus to choose the road of transition. Even as I’m writing this I’m being reminded of this scripture...

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deuteronomy 30:19

Here God says I give you two choices, it’s up to you to make a choice, but in His unfailing love for us He tells us which choice we should make, the choice that will be good and profitable for us. Today I say make the right choice, and make it by faith not your feelings.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizon.org

Be Prepared To Back Up What You Say

2011-02-07T14:09:00.002-06:00

Many people often times take the words that they say to God for granted. This is how you know that what you are saying is just a program language that you have learned from years and years of routine and tradition with the church. Moreover, God is more concerned with the state of your heart and the actions you take to carry out what you say to Him.

Have you ever been in church and you’re like “God I’ll do whatever you want me to do” or you’re like “God I’ll go wherever you want me to go” or more importantly have you ever said “God I give you my life to do with as you please”? Now these are some very big proclamations you are making to God, my question to you today it, are you actually living out what you promised or stated to God?

Exodus 19:8 (NKJV)
The all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
The above scripture reference’s when Moses went to the mountain in the wilderness to talk with God. God told Moses that if the people would keep His covenant and obey His voice than they are promised certain things. Now the Bible is full of promises from cover to cover, but those promises are indeed conditional. Meaning in order to activate those promises in your life there is a part that you have to play. When we go to church we hear the preacher preaching good news, telling us that we’re blessed and that we have been set free, we are heirs to the throne. All of this sounds amazing but are we indeed like the children of Israel? When they heard the good news their mouths were saying yes but what were their hearts and actions representing.

So you can expect when you tell God you’re going to do something for Him be prepared for Him to come and expect to cash in on what your mouth said.

Exodus 20:20 (NKJV)
And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”
The above scripture tells when the children of Israel are by the mountain and they see the awesomeness of God descending on the mountain. Shortly after Moses calms everyone down God begins to dictate the Law to Moses to give to the people. The scripture says that God had come to test them so that they may not sin. When I read the context of everything going on, God is giving the Law so that the people may not sin against each and every statute and command but rather so they may not sin against the promise they made to God, which was following him whole heartedly.

We know that in the New Testament Jesus says that the greatest two commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to also love your neighbor as you love yourself. These two commandments were not instituted just in the New Testament but they were around in the days of the children of Israel in the wilderness.

If you look at the context from what the Law of Moses was derived from, first God stated the He is a jealous God and the He will show mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments (Exodus 20:6) this is the first commandment that Jesus spoke of. Secondly if you look at the breakdown of the majority of The Law of Moses it has to do with the offenses of your fellow man and at the time what the consequences of the offense was. This is the second commandment Jesus spoke of, loving your neighbor as you love yourself. If you truly love you neighbor as yourself than you would be cognizant not to offend them because you wouldn’t want to offend yourself.

God is much bigger than what we make Him out to be, only if you keep the promises you keep to Him wholeheartedly will you begin to experience Him in ways you never though existed. It’s time to come out of ourselves and really truly step into Christ.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Not a Quick Fix

2011-01-27T14:09:00.001-06:00

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Sadly many people decide to give their lives to Christ for the wrong reasons. It has been taught that as soon as you give your life over to Christ that all of your problems will magically go away. Sorry to say that this is not the case. Giving your life to Christ means that you have decided to travel down a path to everlasting life, and not down the path of sure death. There is no other way to say it.

The scripture above references this journey, it tells that the way to this reward is difficult and narrow and few choose this path because it doesn’t make any logical sense. Many would rather choose the path that looks wide enough to comfort them and less fearful, but as we see this path leads to destruction. This scripture is not just speaking about people who don’t know Christ this is also references people that say they follow him also.

Can you remember the last time you accomplished something that was challenging and when you were finished how rewarding it felt. If you went to college, do you remember the hard work you had to put in, if you’ve been married for 20 plus years, the effort and time it took to get there? How great is a reward if there is no challenge to achieve it. I said before, we want to work hard at everything else but when it comes to the most profitable thing in our lives we just want a quick fix.

Why do you ask people to pray for you, is it because you would like to stop fornicating, or is it because you want to be debt free? Whatever the issue is we can pray for you in a thousand tongues but if you’re not willing to renew your mind to Gods principles and practices that prayer would be of no avail. People often think if they could just get touched by the Pastor than all their issues would resolve. The Pastor is just like you and I and goes through the same issues and temptations we endure. The difference between you and the Pastor (if they are a true person of God) is that they choose not to let what they see, feel, or touch dictate how they make decisions in the Lord.

They have decided to travel down the difficult and narrow path because their faith tells them that something is greater on the other side, even if they can’t see it right now. We need to stop wanting the quick fix of life and start desiring the profitable walk of faith down a path that seems impossible. In all actuality the path is impossible if you were doing by yourself, but since we have the Holy Spirit which leads us and guides us into all truth the path is achievable but only if you stand strong and have faith.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Faith + The Word = Power

2011-01-19T09:24:00.001-06:00

On Sunday my Pastor preached an amazing message entitled “What Do You Say?” He talked about how we as Christians know the Word and what it says, but are we agreeing with the Word? What are we saying concerning the Word? It really made me take a look at myself and think about what I’ve been saying, and I realized that I’ve been saying more of how I feel then what the Word says about what is going on in my life. I begin to pray about this and God begin to show me that it’s even more than just saying, repeating, or confessing what the Word says. There is not necessarily power in that because we can speak things and not really believe in them or truly understand them. Sometimes we say things because we were taught to say them, or out of routine. He said to me “Faith is the power that activates the Word in your life.” It is when your faith agrees with the Word of God, then things begin to move.

We must make up our minds to stop saying what we see or how we feel, and make up our minds to say what the Word says in faith. It is imperative that we believe in what we are saying. We must believe in our hearts that the Word is absolute truth. It is that faith combined with the Word, that will activate the Word of God in our lives and we will begin to see positive change in our situations and circumstances.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Blessing Which Comes From Obedience and Sacrifice

2011-01-13T16:37:00.001-06:00

So I guess the theme that God is having me focus on is responsibility for the time being. Right now I have begun the process of studying the blessing of God. So far I have repeatedly come across the blessing that comes from obedience and sacrifice. From Genesis to Revelations you see results of individuals being blessed because of the actions that they performed first.

When we think about the story of Abraham, Abraham was constantly being commanded to do things. God instructed Abraham to leave his father’s house and go to a land that he was a stranger in. God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his only son without question. Now the reason why Abraham was so blessed is because of his actions or for better part his obedience to God.

When you think about the story of Issac, he gave instructions to Esau before he was going to bless him. He told him to go and hunt game and make him a tasty meal. Or you can translate that into going and preparing and sacrifice to present it as a worthy of receiving a blessing in return.

I think when the majority of Christians today think blessing they equate it to a one-sided condition. They think that all I have to do is pray and ask God for anything I want and He will provide. Now I’m not saying that it has never happened but there are conditions. Why would God bless you if you’re not faithful, responsible, or consistent with what you already have? There are actions that we must do in order to receive specific things from God.

We’re coming into a time of conditional relationship with God. You probably are thinking, God loves me unconditionally and you are absolutely correct. When you move into relationship though or into the most holy place, that place is very conditional. Just think before Jesus paid the price we we’re not even allowed into that dimension or realm. We had to have someone intercede on our behalf just to gain access. Now that we are all made into Kings and Priests we have access, but many of us don’t even know what that means.

In a relationship there has to be two sides, a giver and a receiver. So when I ask you do you have a relationship with God and you say yes, and then I ask you can you define that for me and you say yeah I go to church; what you are really saying is that you have a traditional relationship with your local church and the thought of God in your life.

When someone asks do you have a relationship with God your answer should be on the lines of this. Yes I do, He is the apple of my eye, there is not a day that goes by when I am not thinking about Him and His ways, He is the love of my life. God is everything to me, I consult Him in all of my decisions and because He is so loving I can go to Him with everything on my heart the good and the bad. I sit and sometimes I just listen to what’s on His heart and we walk and talk together. We are One. Now this is how I begin to define my relationship with God and there is so much more.

This place is very rewarding but you don’t get to this place without work and effort. If you are one who thinks that you don’t have to put in work and effort to build a relationship with God because it’s all about grace, than I will boldly say that you are wrong. You work at everything else, you work to be successful on your job, you work to have a good marriage, you work to afford things you want to buy. But when it comes to the most important thing in your life, and that’s a true relationship with God, all you do is show up… on Weds. night and Sun. morning. It’s time for a change.

Revelations 22:14 (NKJV)
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Praise Will Lead You To Your Breakthrough

2011-01-12T10:27:00.002-06:00

2 Chronicles 20:20-26 NCV
Jehoshaphat’s army went out into the Desert of Tekoa early in the morning. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem. Have faith in the Lord your God, and you will stand strong. Have faith in his prophets, and you will succeed.” Jehoshaphat listened to the people’s advice. Then he chose men to be singers to the Lord, to praise him because he is holy and wonderful. As they marched in front of the army, they said, “Thank the Lord, because his love continues forever.”

As they began to sing and praise God, the Lord set ambushes for the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom who had come to attack Judah. And they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the Edomites, destroying them completely. After they had killed the Edomites, they killed each other.

When the men from Judah came to a place where they could see the desert, they looked at the enemy’s large army. But they only saw dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his army came to take their valuables, they found many supplies, much clothing, and other valuable things. There was more than they could carry away; there was so much it took three days to gather it all. On the fourth day Jehoshaphat and his army met in the Valley of Beracah and praised the Lord. That is why that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.

This is a powerful story of how faith in God and praise destroyed the enemy that Jehoshaphat’s army was facing. Many times in life there are situations we are facing, things that look so big that we don’t know how we are going to get through them or overcome them. Well I’m here today to tell you that if you put God in His rightful place and seek Him first, and if you are willing to praise Him, honor Him, and have faith in Him in the midst of what you are facing, then just like Jehoshaphat’s army God will go ahead of you and fight the battle for you. It’s time to begin to take our eyes off of the problems that face us, and lift them up to our Heavenly Father who is our victory. Jehovah Nissi --- the banner of Victory! If we do this we will always be victorious. God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

What Are You Proving?

2011-01-11T17:24:00.002-06:00

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I recently wrote a Word for the day using the above scripture. Today I’m going to reference the same scripture again because I believe God is calling us to a new level of maturity and responsibility. The above scripture tells us to be renewed so that we may prove what the perfect will of God is. So my question to you today is; what are you proving?

If you stop and take inventory of your life, what will you find? Will you find that you are living a life for others and a life dead to self, letting Christ rule and reign? Or will you find a life that is comfortable and steady with the major influence of your decisions coming from your own wisdom. When I began getting the words to write down, I was receiving images of a people that have a love for God and a desire to do His perfect will but are stagnant in their walk.

The stagnation has come from years of religion and tradition, and inadequate teaching. When someone looks at you from the outside how do they relate your life to Christ? Do they say yeah I know he or she is saved and goes to church or do they marvel at the power of God and his anointing upon your life? Now both characteristics are excellent ones but I sense that majority of people in church today can only relate to the first one. The Bible says that we are Kings and Priests, and that we are heirs to the Kingdom of God. If this is the case why aren’t people equating the walk that most of us walk with that? As just mentioned, people think Christian and they think salvation. There is so much more to living this life on earth in Christ. There are opportunities not being taken advantage of because people are not fully proving the perfect will of God.

Well you may ask how do I do that? The first step is to be born again, but we got that down pact. The next steps are to move into the realm of relationship with God. This realm is the most intimate of all and this is where you get direction, strategy, strength and so much more. If you are familiar with the Tabernacle of Moses and have actually studied it, you should have seen that the Tabernacle is a foretelling of Jesus and the walk with God.

There are three rooms; the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Most Holy Place. There is only one way into the Tabernacle. In the first room (outer court) you have an alter for sacrifice and the brazen laver filled with water. In terms of the Christian walk the alter represents the sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary. Sadly this is where many Christians begin and end. The very last room is the Most Holy Place; this is the dwelling place of God. This is a place where only the Priest may enter and if you weren’t a Priest than you would have died if entered. This is the place God desires for all of us to get to. When Jesus sacrificed His life it says that the veil ripped. The veil that the Bible is referring to is the veil that kept the Most Holy Place separate. There is no longer a wall of separation that prevents personal relationship with God because we were all made into Kings and Priest through the blood of Jesus.

The question is do you know who you are and what you have that is dwelling within you? We need to move past the elementary teachings of salvation and move into the place of true relationship with God. Once this occurs than we will see an emergence of a new type of saint. A saint that is not bound by the systems of this world, one who speaks power that is preceded by manifestations, and one who when people look upon they see the Father.

Hebrews 6:1 (NKJV)
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

If you are tired of everyday church I charge you to take action and control over your faith. You have the power to move as one with God and not just sit on the sidelines marveling at the ones who are.
Are you proving yourself as a King and a Priest or just as a sinner saved by grace?

I encourage you to fully study the Tabernacle of Moses.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

You Have To Change Your Mind In Order For God To Change Your Life

2011-01-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I’m pretty sure we all know the above scripture quite well. The majority of time when it is referred to, it is in the context of not being like the rest of the world; but rather letting Gods Word transform you into a new. Well that is correct, but when you really begin to walk in true relationship with God you’ll understand that it’s not all up to God to make you better.

We all know that God is almighty, powerful, and His word is sharper than any two edged sword. What people fail to realize it that even though God is all of those characteristics and so much more, He will only perform in your life in you allow Him to. I think the disconnect that many Christians deal with today is the responsibility factor. Many of us validate our own laziness through God’s word. Have you ever heard someone say it doesn’t matter if I get a degree and get a good job or not because My God shall supply all my needs. Or how about the person that eats whatever kind of food they desire knowing that it’s not good for them and using the scripture by His strips I am healed.

Too many Christians have the mindset where they think they have no responsibility to themselves and that it is ok just to cruise through life without putting forth any effort. Why is it that so many people in the world prosper but Gods people are always getting the short end of the stick? Why is it that the majority of the wealthiest people in the world don’t even mention Christ? Why is it that the majority of the church are slaves to money instead of being the master of it? Many of you have been in church for probably as many years as I have been on this earth. Every Sunday the same prayer is prayed, a prayer for freedom from the worlds system, a financial breakthrough, and just an overall better life. This has been on the agenda of a lot of saints for too many years to count and it still seems like there is no change.

Why? Let’s take a look into the mind of today’s average North American Christian. We pray for financial breakthrough on Sunday but on Monday-Friday we waste money going out to lunch every day at work and freely spending what we don’t have. God won’t give you financial breakthrough if you have no fiscal responsibility. We pray for debt release and God say’s why do you want debt release; is it so you can go by a more expensive car? We pray for healing but don’t want to take responsibility over our own eating and health practices. When it all boils down to it, we have been lazy and stuck in the traditions of our fathers. No one is fed up with the system because it has been sustaining them.

In order for God to really move in your life like you desire it takes a little effort on your part. A little effort in the way of how you think. God won’t renew your mind for you, He can give you the tools to practice but it is ultimately up to you to put those tools to use. The scripture says “… that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” YOU have to prove it not God, God already did his part and now it’s up to you to do yours.

When the Bible says that we are heirs, and that He has freely given us all things; to me that is huge because I am an heir to Gods entire Kingdom. This is something I do not take lightly and I know if I am an heir than I also have responsibility. You have a choice, you can continue just reading His word or you can become it.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Our True Focus

2011-01-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

As I was reading this passage I had to stop and really think about the depth of it. Over the years most of us have been preached to about the sacrifice of Christ and in some of our minds we have misplaced or maybe even not known truly what that means. Christ chose to die for a people who were already dead due to sin, if that in its own right doesn’t deserve full dedication on our parts I don’t know what does. Today’s Christian is caught up more in the physical instead of the spiritual.

What I mean by this is; we have gotten away from the very root of why we even call ourselves Christian. The focus has shifted away from Christ and toward self. Not saying that this is something that has been instituted intentionally out of ill will but rather is the result of the emotions of man dictating the act of worship.

Why do you worship God, why do you attend church every week, why do you pray and what do you pray for? If you answer and analyze each question I just asked and the majority of your answers point back to you, than I would say there’s a bit of fractured focus there. The reason being is because everything should ultimately point to Christ and Calvary in your life just as it does in the Bible. If you read your Bible and actually read to gain knowledge you’ll discover that everything points to the ultimate sacrifice, starting all the way from the book of Genesis.

Some of us have been taught to think that we follow Christ so we can have better lives, bigger homes, better jobs, more peace etc… True we do have access to all of these things but you don’t have to be a Christian to access those things. There are many people who worship Buddha and Muhammad who can also attest to gaining those things. One thing that we have access to that many other religions cannot even understand is salvation. Salvation is what we have to keep in the forefront of our minds. We worship God through our obedience with our lives, and we ultimately live for others. It’s not always about us and our situations.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2011-01-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

Today I want to focus on the topic of decisions and why people choose what they choose. The wonderful thing about God is that He gives us choices. He is not a God that will ever force someone to do anything. Instead He is a God after ones heart, God loves us so much that He gives us a choice to either love Him back or follow His commandments. And whatever a person’s chooses, either to reciprocate that love and obedience or not it doesn’t matter with God; He’ll still love them regardless.

Over the past day or so God has really been speaking to my spirit about why and how I make my decisions. If any of you know me personally, I am a fun loving guy and I always desire for people to be pleased. I’ll even take it a bit further, I desire for people to be pleased with me. I guess it just human nature. So in the past I would make decisions based on the thoughts of others and how they would perceive me, whether they would be pleased or not. When I first began seeking a relationship with God being obedient to His command was not an issue, because during that time I was pretty much all by myself. So I would promptly follow commands without a second glance, but now that I have progressed in life; married, active in ministry, and also now living in the same state as my family, I have kind of taken a sidebar.

God was revealing to me that my decisions have been based on the perceptions of the people that I am connected with and not necessarily based on His initial command. Now is God mad at me, of course not and He is still very much pleased with my heart and my intent. But now God is calling me and I’m pretty sure some of you that are reading this are being spoken to also. He is calling His children to raise up and make decisions based out of confidence in Him. If you say you love God than you should be confident that when He speaks it is His voice you’re hearing and not your own or something else.

Some of the decisions He will require you to make at certain times will be against the majority and people will look at you is as if you’re out of your mind. This is because the wisdom of man is foolishness to God. God is calling all of us to the next realm of relationship, where the perceptions of man are not a deciding factor in the decisions you make. He’s calling His children to make decisions based on the purpose that He has ordained for you and not the purpose you have ordained for yourself.

If you take a couple of examples in the Bible, you will see where this comes into play.

In the Book of Esther, it tells the story of Esther and how she literally came from nothing to royalty. I guess your typical rags to riches story if you compare it to today, but just on a higher level. Esther had it all, she was living as a Queen and she had it good. Her stepfather Mordecai came to her and told her of the plan to eradicate all of the Jews. He turned to her for help because he knew she had a voice with the king. Now this is a typical decision where God was calling Esther to raise up and beyond her formal frame of thinking.

To visit the king and make a petition you had to be invited, Esther had not been invited and the consequence for someone approaching the king uninvited was death. Esther could have made the decision to stay in her comfortable position in and play it safe. Instead she made what men may call an unwise decision and approached the king uninvited. Because she followed the commandment from God that came through her father she received favor and fulfilled her purpose by saving the Jews. God put her in that place for a reason, just as He has placed you or is placing your directly in the path of your purpose.

So, today I may or may not be talking to you. But if I am God is calling for us all to be bold in the confidence that we have in Him, and to began this New Year on a different level. It’s time for the Son’s of God to be manifested.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Next Level

2011-01-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Today as I was reading and in prayer this morning I was getting a Word from the Lord to deliver to His people. What I received goes as follows:

“I know the hearts of my children, I know what is expected, and I know what will be delivered. It is time for my children to arise. My true children in heart, it is time to make a bold proclamation to the world of my goodness and grace. I need you just like You need me; you are my vessels in which Heaven is brought to earth. Make that proclamation today, that you will allow Me to take you to the next level without any fear in your hearts and in your minds. I have been speaking to many of you regarding this for awhile and you choose not to take heed to My voice. I understand that it may sometimes be fearful, but I have not given you the spirit of fear, but of Power, Love, and of a Sound mind. I am pleased with you, I love you, and you love Me. It’s time for the next level, all you have to do is take heed to the calling and believe in me that I can do what I say I will do. If you do this you will be rewarded beyond your dreams. If you do not than you will stay where you are.”

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

2011-Let There Be Light!

2011-01-03T10:39:00.002-06:00

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 NCV

Light: Phos-to shine or make manifest
Shine: Lampō-radiate brilliancy; give light, shine

When I was praying about what to share with you all for this New Year God began speaking to me about the light within us. He gave me a vision of a light switch (the ones with the dimmer on it). You operate this light by turning the switch to either a low position in which it produces a very small amount of light, or you can turn it all the way up and it will produce a very bright light. In these times we live in, within the body, many Christians have turned their light to the lowest setting, almost too where their light is not even distinguishable. Sure they are good people, they are nice and they give, but they also do things the world is doing and they end up just blending in with the crowd. You couldn’t decipher them from another “good person” that is of the world. Believers have started to live in a gray area where values, and behaviors have been compromised in the name of freedom. Some people have gone from breaking out of the bonds of “religion” to this perceived total freedom in which they can do whatever they want, but as long as they tithe, read the word, give, pray, go to church, and profess Christ then they are ok. I’m here to tell you that God is saying it is this mindset that is dimming the light within us. There is a song by Jonathan McReynolds that talks about this…

No Gray
Chorus:
If it’s God we’re after
We’ve gotta pick one master
And before something happens
We better turn it all around

Because we can’t just have our cake and eat it to
Because it’s real easy to stay on the fence and still do you

It would be cool if we could love the Lord and still go do our thing
But it doesn’t work like that
It’s gotta be white or black

No gray
No shades of gray
No no no no no
It don’t work like that It’s gotta be white or black

If we live in that gray area then we are not radiating light as we should. In the above scripture Jesus talks about how you would not hide a light under a bowl, but when we live in that gray area that is exactly what we are doing. It is time to find the balance God desires us to have. We do not want to be bound by “religion”, but we cannot allow ourselves to go over to the other extreme and in essence bind others by our “freedom”. When we live in that manner, people of the world look at us as being just like them. In turn they don’t want what we have because they don’t see the value in it or in us for that matter. Luke 11:35 in the NKJV says…

“Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.”

We have to be careful as believers that we do not extinguish the light within us. Let us begin to evaluate our lives in 2011. Are there things we are doing or thinking that make us blend in with those of the world? Do we have habits or mindsets that could cause our brothers or sisters to stumble? Remember we are in the world (to reach the world), but not of the world. We are to be set apart, we are to be different. So people of God let your light shine this year and for years to come, turn up that dial so that all people can see the light and be drawn into the Kingdom of God.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

I Have Been

2010-11-19T14:00:00.001-06:00

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?

2010-11-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-16T20:52:00.002-06:00

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

2010-11-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-08T19:52:00.003-06:00

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

Thanking God for the Unseen

2010-10-11T23:04:00.002-05:00

“Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:4 NKJV

Last week I was driving to work and was waiting at a light to make a left turn when all of a sudden two police cars came speeding through the red light, missing a lady who was driving through the intersection by what looked like inches from my perspective. At that instant of watching all of this happen I started thanking God, thanking Him for saving the woman’s life, thanking Him for stopping an accident, and it got me thinking. We thank God for the times when we have a close call that we can actually see how God saved us from it. What about all the times we don’t see with our natural eyes what God has done? So many times in life we have complained and gotten angry at God when something bad happens in our lives, in the lives of those we love, in our communities, in our country, and in our world. We are angry about all of the atrocities committed, we say “Why God, why did you let that happen?” But have you ever stopped to think about what didn’t happen, the things God has been working on behind the scenes to do in your life. I bet there has been countless times where you could have died, that you didn’t even know God saved you from. Times when your boss was thinking of firing you but God changed their heart. Times when your spouse thought about leaving you, but God changed his/her heart. Times when your kids were out there messing around and God saved their lives. There are so many bad things that could have happened to us that God has prevented, but because we don’t see those things with our eyes often times we don’t think about how God is always working on our behalf. So next time something happens in your life that you consider a bad situation, don’t focus on the negative, instead thank God for all the unseen times that He has worked in your life.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Is God Mad at Me?

2010-09-06T14:38:00.002-05:00

The topic that surrounds the anger of God pertaining to people and the actions of the world is a highly debatable topic. Some people use scripture in the Old Testament to claim that God is not pleased with the actions of His children and some use scriptures of the New Testament to say it’s impossible for God to be mad because He only loves. This writing isn’t going to focus on the overall attitude of God to the world.

I believe that I am being prompted to write on this topic because there’s a specific group or maybe even a specific person that’s wondering if God is mad at them because their life seems to be in shambles right now with no recovery in sight. When people usually question if God is mad at them or not, it’s usually based on what’s going on in their lives at that given moment. A situation maybe the loss of a job and income, sickness in the body that seems to be getting worse, a bad marriage and it may seem like prayer isn’t working, or the need of companionship in one’s life with no possibilities of that spouse in sight.

Well when we look at certain situations that have come about in our lives that may seem negative, before we blame God being mad at us, we must firsts assess the situation itself.
1.Is this a situation that you created yourself?
2.Did you get a warning from God about the occurrence of this situation?
3.If you’re looking for a spouse, are you ready mentally, spiritually, and emotionally for someone to be added into your life? Do you take pride in your appearance to even attract someone’s interest in you?
4.Did you allow this negative situation in your life on your own terms by not standing on God’s Word?
5.Did you have a plan in place in case a situation like this occurred, and if so do you think this situation would be as bad as it is if you’ve would have planned ahead?
6.Can you learn something from this situation that will make your relationship that much stronger with God?

There is so much to cover before one can make an assumption that God is not pleased with them. Often times people tend to use the story of Job to validate their negative experiences, one might even call it suffering for righteousness. There is a meaning for suffering for righteousness but I think people sometimes take it out of context, and an end result would be someone living a miserable life and saying that they’re suffering for God.

When people tell the story of Job all they focus on is how God allowed the suffering and in the end Job was restored. Well let’s look at the beginning of the story of Job. In Job 3:25 (NKJV), Job says “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me and what I dreaded has happened to me." This passage tells me two things, 1. Job allowed fear to come into his mind which was a gateway to everything else that happened to him. 2. Fear is a powerful force that can knock you off of your rocker and potentially move you away from the life God has planned for you.

In 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) it says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind.” We have the power to create and influence our own thinking and situations according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. In any situation we have to power to love and to also know that we are loved by God. No matter what things may look like we are to have peace and a stable mind.

If you call yourself a true believer, and even if you don’t, why would God be mad at you if He already knew what the end was going to be? If you were in school and you failed a test, would you be mad if you knew you were going to still pass the course with an A? It’s the same way with God, He knows that in the end you’re going to be restored, so why waste His time being mad at you now. What He will do though is stick with you as you go through the situation that you may have actually caused yourself, and see you through it.

James 5:11 (NKJV)
You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord- that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Now it’s important that while going through negative situations to always see a positive in it, something that God has shown you that you can grow and learn from. In the case of Job, he already knew that God was faithful and loving, but he didn’t know what it meant to be in true relationship with God. Job had an issue with self-righteousness, Job thought that he was made righteous because he had much, and when he didn’t have much he thought he had lost his righteous standing with God. Just read the book of Job and you’ll learn much.

God loves you, He knows your end from your beginning even if you can’t see it He can. So if you’re experiencing something in your life that is challenging you, challenge yourself by assessing the situation and growing from it. Amen

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Go Forth!

2010-08-31T17:12:00.002-05:00

There are a lot of people that have been dealing with challenges in their lives. Many think that the challenges have been due to the economy or maybe even just another part of living life. These challenges have not been without purpose in your life, these challenges were actually a time of testing and trial.

Deuteronomy 8:2-4 (The Message)
Remember every road that GOD led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from GOD's mouth.

When we are tested and tried it doesn’t mean that we’re living outside of the will of God or that we’ve done something wrong to upset God. The testing and trial is actually a representation of quite the opposite. During the testing and trials in your life consider yourself blessed…

James 1:2-4 (The Message)
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

The testing and trials are to grow and mature you as His child and to refine you in his ways…

1 Peter 1:6-7 (The Message)
I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

1 Peter 4:12-13 (The Message)
Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

I’ve been getting over the past week or so that many have been tested and many have been proved. So now it is time for us to go forth and do what God has called us to. What has God put on your heart concerning your life? Has God been speaking to you about going back to school, if so apply to the one He leads you to and study what He desires you to study. Has God put a passion in your heart to advance in the company you work for, go ahead and inquiry or apply for that promotion. Has God been speaking to you about launching out and starting your own business, if so start to prepare yourself to be an entrepreneur.

There is so much that God has placed on the hearts of His people all over the world and the command now is to GO FORTH! Now there is a big difference between going forth and just being in agreement with God about the plans for your life. The person that goes forth isn’t moved by what they see, the person that goes forth is confident in God that He will do what He said he would do, the person that goes forth let’s nothing deter them from achieving the promise. The person that goes forth actually does something when the command is spoken.

If Noah never built the ark than it would have never been built by him. If Moses never lifted his staff and commanded the water to part than the Red Sea would have never been parted by him. If David never charged Goliath than maybe David wouldn’t have been a King and such an influential person in the Bible. If you never act on the promise that God has put in your heart than that’s exactly where it’s going to stay, in your heart.

The way may look impossible or even downright scary. There may be giants in the land or people that have more knowledge than you, more money than you, and more experience than you. Whatever the situation looks like ahead just remember that it is what God has promised you and God never fails on a promise. Stay the course and claim what it is that God has for you.

Amen.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Living By the Word in All Occasions, With All Men

2010-08-20T08:30:00.002-05:00

The dictionary definition of forgive is to cease to feel resentment against an offender, i.e., to pardon ones enemies.

Matthew 18:21-22 "Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Today I want to talk about forgiveness. There are things going on in our own lives with people in our families, in our personal relationships, within our communities, and in our nation that may be causing us offense and pain. It's not easy to feel these things or deal with these things when they happen, but as Believers there are some things we must do when these situations occur. First we must first pray to God about it. Second, we have to forgive. Third, we have to love them no matter what happens, even if we don't want to, even if it's hard to, even when they have different ideas or beliefs, even if they offend us, even when they cause us great hurt or pain. We do this not because we feel like it, but because we choose to live by the whole Word of God, not just parts; and in all occasions, not just when it's convenient to us. If we choose to not do these things then we are not acting any different than the world. If we walk in bitterness, resentment, hate, judgment, and unforgiveness, then we are not being the light of the world as God has called us to be (Matthew 5:14). Let us remember even hanging on the cross Christ forgave (Luke 23:34), those that had done unspeakable things to Him, and as Believers we must do the same with ALL men. Let us remember while we were yet sinners Christ forgave us (Romans 5:8), and He gave His son for ALL of us (John 3:16).

Mark 11:25 (NCV) When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.

Colossians 3:12-14 (Message Bible) So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Romans 12:14 (NIV) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Luke 6:35-38 (NLT) “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

Matthew 5:43-48 (Message Bible) "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Start to Build

2010-08-17T11:32:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 24:27 (NKJV)
Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house.

There are many people that are confessing the blessings of God upon their lives but there are few who will actually prepare themselves for the blessing. You may wonder what I am talking about; you may even feel that receiving blessings from God require us only to believe that we receive when we pray. True when we pray we must believe we receive because no one will receive anything from God if they are wavering in their faith. James 1:7-8 (NKJV)

There are thousands of blessings in the Bible that we are entitled to. Today I really just want to focus on the economic blessing or in other words, finances. Now there are a lot of people that have been praying and believing God to bless them financially. This has been a desire of your heart for many years, but for some reason you still seem to struggle in this area. Let’s take a deeper look into that, well we know that God has not forgotten about you, we know that He desires his children to live abundantly, so why have you not seen any manifestation of your desire?

The title of this writing is “Start to Build” this signifies that there is something on your end that must be accomplished before you can receive this desire of yours. God needs to first of all know that He can trust you with wealth. Just as surely as wealth can be a blessing it can also very well be a temptation.

1. What are your motives for desiring to have wealth is it so you can bless others or more mainly bless yourself? Is it wrong for a Christian to buy a $100,000 car, absolutely not, but what is your driving force to be wealthy?

2. Are you faithful with the little you have right now? Do you honor God with your finances (tithes & offerings) or are you one of those people that say when I get rich I’m going to give a million dollars. Well if you can’t give $10 now than the chances of you giving a million are slim to none.

Luke 16:10 (NKJV)
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

3.Are you financially responsible? Is your reason for wanting more because you don’t have enough now? Well before you make that statement have you analyzed where you’re spending the majority of your money? Do you eat out five times a week, do you go to the mall every weekend, and do you give yourself a weekly budget? Maybe the reason you never have enough is because you don’t track your spending and you do a lot of unnecessary spending. Try trimming the fat in your finances and see what you come up with. There are some people who really don’t have enough but I’ll cover that issue at another time.

4.Do you listen to God and follow His instructions when He speaks? This is a big one, because if you have a hard time obeying God with the little finances now how will it be when you have much? You never know, God may tell you to give half of your fortune away, now if your heart is mature you would obey even though it still may be a tough thing to do. If your heart is attached to the wealth then this is something you might ignore. Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

5.Are you in a season of spiritual development? During the times where God is growing us and maturing us in certain areas of our lives, it may seem we are lacking but in fact we are being stretched and our faith is being tested to see what our hearts produce an abundance of.

James 1:2-3 (NKJV)
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

God hasn’t forgotten about your prayers and desires, but if you’re looking for a financial break through one must be prepared to receive it and also manage it. If you read the story of Joseph you will see how God blessed him abundantly. Joseph was a commodities broker in his day, and because God trusted Him, He essentially gave Joseph control over all of the entire financial system in his land. Joseph was the head guy in charge over Wall Street. Everyone bought from Joseph which made him a very rich man. Joseph didn’t get to that position over night, he had to be built up before God entrusted him with so much, and because he was faithful and responsible he was blessed.

Would God trust you with $1,000,000 if you can’t efficiently manage $100?

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Where Does Your Peace Come From?

2010-08-09T10:13:00.003-05:00

I just started working for a new company over the past couple of weeks. This position allows me to talk to people all over the country to see how our company can benefit their lives and what their trying to pursue for their futures. Some of the questions that I normally ask to gauge their needs usually refer to the topic of what will increase their happiness. After talking to people all over America the same responses always seem to be evident throughout the conversation no matter their location.

The response that I usually hear is this; having more money and a better job will make me happy and being able to do the things that I want to do in life without any worries. To someone that is not a believer in Christ and not mature in the things of God, this seems like a pretty valid response. I mean with the economy the way it is and people losing jobs or already out of work, of course this will bring people the peace and reassurance they need in life, right? Wrong!

The responses from the people have shown me that all over the country people are crying out for peace and rest in their lives. There are so many people that are weary and ready to give up because they have no peace in their lives. All of their lives they have been taught that your peace comes from a nice cushy job with a 401k plan that you can tap into when you retire. Now that the systems of the world have failed once again people are literally hopeless looking for what they were taught since childhood that would give them peace, and rest, in life.

Job 3:24-26 (Message Bible)
"Instead of bread I get groans for my supper, then leave the table and vomit my anguish. The worst of my fears has come true, what I've dreaded most has happened. My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed. No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life."

We all know the story of Job; we know that he went through a lot, and that he lost a lot. In the above passage Job is pretty much saying that his peace was in all the things he had and now that they are all gone he feels that he has lost his good standing with God and the peace he once had is no more. Well that’s a good thing, because the peace that Job had before was an imitation and not the peace given by God. If it were the peace given by God then no situation in life would have been able to take it away from him. Job goes through a lot but in the end he finally gets it.

So how can we equate this in today’s society? Let’s do a quick self analysis, can you think of any situation in your life that could potentially steal your peace and send you down a path of fear, doubt, and worrying? It may be the loss of your job, the loss of your entire savings and retirement accounts, or even the loss of your spouse. Now all of these things are unfortunate and I’m not saying that if something like this were to take place in your life that you should be happy go lucky. I’m just saying how would you respond in an unfortunate situation? Would you blame God, yourself, the economy, the person next door, and not have faith in God to carry you through like the children of Israel? Or would you say to yourself, “You know what, this situation is unfortunate and I am hurt by it but I will not let it steal my peace that God has given, and with His help I will overcome.

Psalm 29:11 (The Message Bible)
God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace.

Because we are Gods children and He loves us dearly we are made strong, and His peace is freely given to us. A peace that the world can’t comprehend and a peace that we ourselves cannot understand. During the past year God put Tracy and I into the course of Peace 101. During this past year we were both unemployed and I was the only one receiving unemployment. Times were tough and just because we were unemployed doesn’t mean that the bills were on hold. There were times when I would be completely at ease and there were times when I would be a mess. Through it all my faith in God increased and the peace of God had no choice but to reign in my life. In the end I said you know what “Whether we have or don’t have, I will continue to rejoice because what I have on the inside of me is priceless”. We would tell people our situation and their faces would drop in astonishment because they couldn’t understand 1. How we were surviving and 2. Why we seemed so joyful all the time.

Mark 9:49-50 (The Message Bible)
"Everyone's going through a refining fire sooner or later, but you'll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace."

You may be going through something in your life that is trying to steal your peace. The only way your peace can flee from you is if your give it away yourself. There is no situation that can steal what God gave you without your permission. Although situations may seem unfortunate, don’t get caught up in the why’s and why not’s; instead look at the situation and ask yourself is God trying to get something to me through this situation? The quicker you can mature and realize that nothing trumps God, the quicker you’ll be in your own Land of Canaan.

Don’t die in the wilderness like the children of Israel; you are overcomers and more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

According to My Word

2010-08-02T09:09:00.002-05:00

Faith teaches us to believe in whom God is and what He has done and what is still yet to take place in your life. There’s a fine line in having faith in God’s Word and having faith in your own word. Many of us fail to make this connection because there were so many men and women in the Bible that used their faith in God to produce favorable results in their lives. So as Christians we walk through life having faith in whatever makes us smile at the moment, and sometimes we see manifestations and sometimes we do not. Why is that?

When was the last time you made a heavenly decree and stood on it using faith and maybe even some scriptures from the Bible as back up, and you haven’t seen anything happen yet? Well let’s take a look at it in more detail. First of all if the thing you are using your faith for is truly indeed from the Holy Spirit and you know it because you just got that feeling, and you haven’t seen the manifestation yet, keep praising and believing God. What about the thing that you may be using your faith for that is actually not from the Holy Spirit but from your own will?

As I mentioned in the last message I gave sometimes we ask God for things and believe God for things that will ultimately increase our own sense of security and comfort. Now, you’re probably asking “doesn’t God want us to be secure and comfortable? Sure He does, but not at the cost of your maturity in Christ. When we go through things as Christians some of us think that we might be out of Gods will because maybe we were taught that being a Christian was all roses and if we are going through challenges than it’s from the Devil and we need to reassess our lives in Christ. This is the farthest thing from the truth. The challenges in life are used to strengthen our legs for the walk in Christ. Everything goes through a struggle.

Picture a cocoon with a butter fly getting ready to emerge. You can see the butterfly struggling to get out and it’s not looking to good. So, you think “well what if I just helped it out of the cocoon so it didn’t have to struggle”. In fact if you did this the butterfly would die because the cocoon is designed to strengthen it. While inside the cocoon the butterfly is pressing to get out and every time it presses to get out it gets stronger and stronger. As a result of the effort a beautiful and complete butterfly emerges ready to fly. If you would have helped it, the butterfly would have been beautiful but not able to do what God designed it to do, and would have actually died.

1 Kings 17:1 (KJV)
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

We all know that Elijah was a man with faith and had a pure relationship with God. So sometimes when we speak things out of our mouths that we want to happen we might say “well Elijah said no rain but according to his word”, than we think that we can say whatever we want and it will happen. There are a few important parts about the scripture above, first is that Elijah was standing before God. Elijah was God’s representative only to deliver a message that was first given to him but not created by him.

When it comes to putting out decrees in the name of God we must make sure that it came from God first and not emotionally motivated by either a selfish desire in your life or a challenge or struggle that you are going through at the time. Sometimes the thing we’re desiring is for the good, but if it’s not given to you by God than it’s not time for it yet. We may think the thing we desire will help but in all actuality we may be helping the butterfly out of its cocoon. Am I saying that it is wrong to help others, ABSOLUTELY NOT! We all know that God is love and that love gives, I’m saying that in all of your actions let the Holy Spirit be the motivating factor and nothing else. God knows all and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways. We think in 3 dimensional standards, God thinks much higher than that. He already knows what will happen down the line.

The second important part of the scripture is where it says “according to my word”. This can sometimes be interpreted as “my own words”. We know that words are powerful, they are God given and they can either create or destroy. This can give many of us a God complex, where we think whatever I say goes. What I believe Elijah is really saying here is that there will be no rain until my God says it will be rain. We all know that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. According to my word= According to my God.

With all this being said, let’s make sure we are truly connected with the Holy Spirit while we walk through life. Don’t make petitions to God out of emotion or selfish desire but instead let God speak to your spirit about what you really need in life, which will in the end profit you more than anything you could think of.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Faith, Intimacy, & Overcoming by Our Testimony

2010-07-30T14:39:00.002-05:00

Hello KVM family we want to invite you to check out our latest message called Faith, Intimacy, & Overcoming by our testimony... www.kingdomvizion.org/sermons.html

We pray you enjoy it, and may it bless and encourage you!

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

What Do You Really Need??

2010-07-20T16:02:00.002-05:00

Philippians 4-19 (NKJV)
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Every Christian knows this scripture; I think it is one of the most popular in the church today. There are a lot of “needs” in the body of Christ and this scripture has been used as the “need buster”. Today I want to delve a little further into what we really need and how we are perceiving in our minds what we need and comparing that to what God thinks we need.

Let’s take a look at what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:10-13 (KJV):

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

What Paul is saying here is that whatever state he is in he has learned to be content. Even though he might have lacked some things he was never in a state of want or poverty as it is defined. Well you might ask, how someone can say that if they are poor and hungry? My life and your life is nothing without a true revelation of a relationship with God. It’s not based on the external but rather the internal. Paul can say such things because nothing else mattered in his external life that could sway his relationship with God; just as long as he was connected to the True Vine he was nourished. You can only understand this concept with God’s wisdom.

Paul said he knows how to live with little and he knows how to live in abundance, and that in everything and in everyplace he is instructed to be full and to be hungry. Yes, he said instructed. Why would God instruct someone to be hungry? One thing about Paul is that he was a traveler and he had to come in contact with many different people, personalities, and situations. Through all of this he learned how to associate with the humble and not be high-minded. So even though sometimes he was hungry he was content and not fearful that he was not blessed because of what he was experiencing. Proverbs 4:13 (NKJV): Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her for she is your life.

Ok now let’s bring it back to 2010 and your life, evaluate your life and your situation and think of all the things that you think you need. Are you lonely and want to be married, do you need a new car, do you need a job, do you need a miracle? Whatever it is you can think of, I want you to start looking at what you perceive as a need and evaluate it using Gods wisdom. Why is this situation the way it is, what can I learn from this, and can I learn to be content with my “need”? When it all comes down to it this need that you think is in your life may actually be ordained by God to make you stronger in your trust in Him.

The majority of believers here in America are taught that if you’re lacking something in your life then it’s not God. Well as we read from Paul this is not true, just because you are lacking something in the natural doesn’t mean that you are not blessed and that God is not with you. Abundance is based upon what you have on the inside first and not always so much as to how much money you have or what kind of car you drive. It may just be a challenge to get you to see that in whatever natural state you are in you should be content. Does this mean that we ought to get used to living a life in lack, absolutely not. Indeed God does want us to live in abundance and will grant us the desires of our hearts according to Psalm 37:4, but first He wants to make sure that our hearts are desiring the right thing and not just desiring everything that we think we need according to what we see with our natural eyes.

I pray this has been a blessing to you.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Stay Connected

2010-07-19T20:35:00.003-05:00

Hello KVM family we wanted to invite you all to listen to the latest message Daryle preached called "Stay Connected" we pray it is a blessing to you! You can check it out by clicking the following link... http://www.kingdomvizion.org/sermons.html

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Obedience

2010-07-15T12:45:00.002-05:00

When it comes to obedience it’s not always the easiest thing for us to do. For many of us giving up control of our lives and consenting and having faith in God is downright scary, because it’s so hard to perceive with our natural minds. For many years some of us have been making our own decisions about our lives and not to even say some of those decisions were bad, they may have even provided you prosperity in your life. To give up total control of your life can be a daunting task. When we obey God’s will for our lives that’s exactly what we are doing, we are laying our own wants and desires down and trusting in Him to lead our lives into our God-given destinies. This is easier said than done because God doesn’t think like you and I, and his instructions can be very strange, not making a bit of sense to us.

Sometimes God will give us a step to take, but we don’t understand it and it seems completely irrational, or it seems like its taking us the complete opposite direction of where we think we should be going. Sometimes the action takes us way past our comfort zones. Sometimes it looks like by taking the action we might lose something, or take us out of the way of our dreams we had for our lives. When it comes to these times when God is giving us an instruction it is imperative to our lives, and possibly the lives of others that we follow the instructions that He has given us. Let’s look at Jesus as our example…

Philippians 2:7-8 (NCV)
But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross.

Here Jesus showed us the greatest act of obedience. What God was asking Him to endure was not something that in his humanity he wanted to endure, as you can see…

Luke 22:42 (NLT) “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

But the key in that scripture is that He said “I want your will to be done, not mine.” Even though He didn’t want to endure the suffering that He was going to go through, He knew the importance of following the will of God and because He followed the will of God we all have salvation available to us today. So each time God gives you an instruction in life, whether it doesn’t make sense, or takes you out of your comfort zone, or causes discomfort, I want you to remember Jesus, and just make the choice as He did to take that step and trust God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV) With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

The most important thing in your life with Christ is instruction.

Proverbs 4:13 (NKJV)
Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go: Keep her, for she is your life.

In anything you do whether it be for God or for yourself you need instruction. If you have no instruction than you have no direction and no direction will lead you just wandering through this life on a road to nowhere.

The best instruction we can obtain is from God through His Word. His instruction will lead to a place in your life that you can’t even dream of. Though you may not understand the instruction from time to time, all you’ve got to do is obey it and all will be well. If you obey Gods instructions you are telling Him that you have faith in Him and we all know that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So have faith in God and obey his instructions and you can’t go wrong.

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Are You Wondering or Walking?

2010-07-05T19:31:00.001-05:00

According to dictionary.com the word “wonder” if used as a verb can mean “to think or speculate curiously”. Have you ever asked a question like this; I wonder what my purpose in life is?

What I’ve been getting lately is that there are too many believers wondering about what God wants them to do instead of just walking into that purpose. As a society most of us have been taught since childhood to have all of your ducks in a row before you launch out and try to accomplish something. We have been taught to always have a plan B in-case plan A falls through. Now I’m not knocking having a plan at all, I actually support the idea but when it comes to something as critical as following Gods plan for your life, the plan has already been laid out and all that we must do is walk in the ways of God and everything will align.

See, when we get too focused on trying to seek God about everything He has planned for our future we get distracted and can find ourselves in a very confusing or even depressing state of mind and a stagnant state because we have stopped walking and started wondering. My advice to someone that is in this predicament is to stop trying to figure out what’s in-store and just walk into it. Live life abundantly, trust God and know that you’re walking into something good, if you can’t figure out what to do next, make the best decision you have available using the wisdom of God and keep walking because your answer may be two steps ahead of you. We have to know as children of God that He is our plan A and He can’t fail therefore we need not a plan B just as long as we’re walking with an honest heart concerning the principals of the Kingdom of God.

Psalm 84:11 (NKJV)
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

So what does God want for your future, I don’t know, you probably don’t know and you know what, that is ok because if God told you, you probably wouldn’t believe it. Just focus on what He has planned for you today, right now, and let God guide you into whatever it is He has for you.

If you’re someone that has been doing nothing because you think God has something specific for you to do, guess what you are absolutely correct; but it won’t come unless you’re doing something. What good are you to the Kingdom of God if you’re not doing anything for it? So unless God has told you otherwise, let’s get active. Time is a precious gift that God gives us every day and we must be diligent on how we use it. There must be an equal balance, don’t be that person that wastes all of it doing nothing waiting on a miracle, and don’t be that person that wastes all of it doing too much trying to be that miracle to everyone and everything. In the times we live in now it is very critical that we begin to tap into Gods wisdom in everything we do, from the least to the greatest because it’s very easy to get distracted with all of the things going on around us.

It all boils down to just trusting and believing in God that He has our backs. In the book of Daniel, did Daniel stop worshiping God because the decree was signed? No, he trusted God so much that he put his life on the line for what He believed in and God honored his faith and shut the mouths of the Lions in the den. Our situations aren’t even life and death and yet we still wonder if God is God and if what He says is true. I’m guilty of this also. So today I repent of my wrong thinking and I ask God to forgive me of my sins and to also forgive my people of theirs. As the true church we must able to face and most importantly admit to ourselves where we have gone astray in our thinking and/or actions. We must operate as ONE body in Christ if we are to accomplish all that God has for us. It’s time to grow.

Daryle Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Don't Stress be Blessed

2010-06-30T09:35:00.006-05:00

Has God ever shown you a great vision of what’s in store for you in the future? Do you dare to dream the biggest dreams your mind can generate? Has God even promised you something that is so great that you know you can’t obtain it without Him? Many times God will show us a glimpse of what lies ahead on our journey with Him. He shows us these things to give a glimmer of hope, to tell you how great you are and how much greater you are to become. He shows us these things because He loves us and He sees His Kingdom come, and His will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

When God shows us grand visions and gives us outstanding dreams He’s saying that this is what I have for you and it’s already done. It has been finished since the day you were born and the only thing you have to do is walk in my ways and you shall obtain that which I have shown you, and you shall obtain it in a speedily manner according to your faith.

Ever since I could remember I’ve been a visionary, a seer into the future. In the beginning before I had a relationship with God I would envision abundance according to my terms and that meant that I had all the steps mapped out from A to Z. Now that I’m connected to the True Vine the dreams and visions are even greater but one thing still tends to get in the way. My willingness to just believe that it has already been finished and all I must do is walk into it. This is an area in which God is developing me in, but as a result of this thinking I bring on a lot of unnecessary stress and confusion in my mind. I’m finally at the point where I can truly believe that God will bring to pass what He has promised and I don’t have to have all the fine details mapped out because they’ve already been taken care of.

If this is you also than I ask you to join me in renewing your mind to this truth. You may ask, well how do I start? Psalm 128 (NKJV) says “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.” The scripture is saying all you need to do is fear God and walk in His ways and you are blessed. One of the meanings of the word “ways” in that passage is “moral character”. Walk in the moral character of Christ and you are blessed. Psalm 111:10 (NKJV) says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” Once we begin to really reverence God as master of our faith then His wisdom begins to invade our minds and the more we walk the more wisdom is obtained and before you know it, that dream or vision has become reality because the wisdom of God and your faith in Him has made you well able to do what’s necessary to bring it to pass in your life.

This word of the day is more for me but I hope that it has also blessed you in some capacity. Don’t worry about A to Z, just know that Z is waiting there for you to walk into and God has already taken care of everything in-between.

Remember if there is anything that you would like prayer concerning, feel free to email us your prayer request so that we may stand in agreement with you. Have a blessed day.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

You Are Your Ministry

2010-06-22T10:50:00.004-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks God has been sharing with me concerning ministry and how important it is. When most of us think of ministry we think of the church we attend, we think of the organizations within the church that help the homeless, that go into the community and preach the Gospel of Christ, etc. True all of these are components of ministry but there is a much more valuable component to the structure that I believe gets overlooked regularly, which can cause people to stumble in their walk with Christ if not cared for in the appropriate manner.

Let me give you an example; when I worked in downtown Chicago, I was a Marketing and Communications Coordinator for a non-profit. That was something that I did but it wasn’t who I was, who I am is Daryle F. Houston II, husband, son, brother, and most importantly a son of God. There was separateness between my job description and who I was. I believe that many people also view ministry this way. The end result of this thinking is duality; many people believe that preaching the Gospel of Christ is something that they do instead of taking the standpoint that that is who they are. If I view ministry work as a job description instead of a life-walk than it is easy for me to turn it off and on in a moment’s notice. On Sunday’s when I’m at church it’s on, on Monday morning it’s off, and on Wednesday night Bible study its back on. Have you ever witnessed a preacher when they are out of the pulpit, act as if they were a part of the world, this could be the reason why… The duality of the mind.

James 1:8 (KJV)
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The word double-minded there means divided in interest. This is a very pivotal point when you dedicate your life to Christ. When you make this decision you have decided to make the things of God your main interest. When you make the things of God your main interest and are serious about them, this means you can’t turn it off and on like a light switch because the light must always stay on to guide people through the darkness of life to Christ. Once you renew your mind to ministry just not being a “church” thing but rather a life thing you’ll be more cognizant of your actions outside of the church and more receptive to truly applying the things of God in your everyday life so negative actions can be avoided and not a stumbling block to a new believer or to someone who may look to you for spiritual guidance.

Acts 6:3-4 (NKJV)
We give no offence in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses…

Paul new the importance of being one with the ministry God gave him. To him it wasn’t something that he did but rather it was who he was. He says that in every situation he had to act according to the things of God rather good or bad because he knew that many people looked on his ministry as a holy example. If he would have acted out of his Christ-like character he could have potentially destroyed the character of Christ in the minds of those that followed him.

In today’s terms that could equate to someone who looks up to his Pastor only to find out that the Pastor is having multiple affairs on the side. Now if someone looks up to you as the disciples looked up to Jesus and they find out this secret of yours it could destroy the image of Christ in their minds and they might revert back to the same behavior that they were engaged in before they accepted Christ in their lives.

So I say to you, if you are involved in any type of ministerial roles, operate in those roles in the character of Christ 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Know that God gave you the assignment because that’s who you are and not just what you do.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

God Reigns!

2010-04-29T16:42:00.001-05:00

This week has really been a week of learning for me. The Lord has really been ministering to me about the different issues that we’ve been facing lately. Yesterday I spoke to you all about healing and physical issues that have arisen. Starting last night and today God began to deal with me concerning finances. For a while now it hasn’t been an easy go for us in this area. It has been ups and downs and God has always come through, but recently it has seemed like things had gotten really bad. So last night we began asking God, is there anything that we can learn from this experience, is there anything we can do, and God began speaking to us about giving. He asked the question, why do you give, why do you tithe, and it made us both really take a look inside of our hearts and ask why? Daryle begin to say I think we’ve been giving out of the wrong place; we’ve been giving out of religion and obligation because we are supposed to, and not out of our love for God. This was a very hard thing for us to say because we love God so much, but we realized we weren’t giving out of that place of love, we were giving out of tradition. So I went to bed last night thinking about that.

Then once again this morning God woke me up with a song on my heart “God You Reign” by Lincoln Brewster…

You paint the night
You count the stars and call them by name
The skies proclaim
God You reign
Your glory shines
You teach the sun when to bring a new day
Creation sings God you reign

God you reign
God you reign
Forever and ever
God You reign

You part the seas
You move the mountains with the words that You say
My song remains
God You reign
You hold my life
You know my heart and You call me by name
I live to say God You reign

Hallelujah, hallelu

And then He told me to read Luke 21:1-4. I turned there and it was the story of the widow’s mite, and He begun to speak to me confirming what Daryle was saying last night. He told me that this woman had given her last out of a love and reverence for God, and not out of an obligation like those who had a ton of money did. It was all a matter of the heart.

God taught me two lessons today. The first was that giving should come from a place of reverence and love, not out of obligation or tradition, and the second was that He reigns over everything, every situation, every circumstance; it is all in His hand.

If you’ve had the same mindset we had about giving and didn’t even realize it, God says it’s time to repent and shift our mindset, and don’t let ourselves come under any guilt or condemnation. And If you’ve been in this same place of financial hardship I just want to encourage that God will see you through. He is our provider! I want to leave you with these scriptures…

Psalm 146:10 (The Message) “GOD's in charge—always. Zion's God is God for good! Hallelujah!”

Exodus 15:18 (NIV) “The LORD will reign forever and ever."

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

It is Written

2010-04-28T11:56:00.002-05:00

Lately I’ve been dealing with some health issues, and I’ve had people praying, and I’ve prayed, but I had not yet seen a physical manifestation of the healing I was believing for. So I begin to ask God is there something I can learn from this process. Is there something that I need to do on my end that I might not be doing? His answer to me began as He woke me up this morning with the song healer by Hillsongs in my heart; it goes a little something like this…

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

My Healer, You're my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

After I listened to the song it really put me in remembrance of who God really is, and what He did for me on the cross concerning my healing. Then He had me read Luke 4:1-13 (the temptation of Jesus). In this passage the devil kept trying to tempt Jesus to make Him do something contrary to what He was purposed to do, but each time the devil said something, Jesus said back to Him… “It is written…” and then He would quote a scripture.

God used this example to begin speaking to me about exercising my faith. He showed me how I had begun to put my trust in the things of this world concerning my health, more then in Him. For everything I experience He said…“The truth is written Tracy.” He started speaking to me about fighting the good fight of faith, by renewing my mind to what was written, and not to what I was feeling. He said every time I get a thought contrary to His Word, all I have to do is go to the Word and find where…“It is written.” And that is how I was to combat those thoughts which have been flooding my mind.

So I just want to encourage any of you out there that might be going through something whether it be physical, mental, spiritual, financial, etc, don’t give up, and don’t give into the thoughts that might try to come into your mind, take those thoughts captive every time, and find where the truth concerning your situation is written, and hold onto the promise of God because He will bring you through. God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

I'm Tired of Being a Christian!

2010-04-27T11:50:00.002-05:00

I’m tired of trying to live the life that Jesus did, I’m tired of always putting my best foot forth only to mess up a couple of steps later, I’m tired of turning the other cheek when someone offends me, I’m tired of being persecuted by other so-called Christians when I make a mistake, I’m tired of presenting myself as a perfect person but behind closed doors I’m crying because I’m still dealing with past issues, I’m tired of being a Christian, I think I’m just going to return to the life I use to live, at least I was good at it and I had more fun.

This maybe the thought process of your mother, brother, friend, next door neighbor, you’re Pastor, or even yourself. People all over deal with these issues because of religion and religious traditions. Passed down teachings of religion has taught us that we have to try and live the Christian lifestyle out of our own power and intellect; this could be the furthest from the truth. People often get burned out trying to live a Christian lifestyle because it’s a lifestyle that God never intended on you to try and live on your own and it is impossible for someone to succeed if they try and do so. It’s through the power of Gods Holy Spirit that we are able to become witnesses of Christ. I also believe people get to this point because much of the emphasis on living a Christian lifestyle has been put on “what you do” instead of what has already been done on Calvary and who is it that is living inside of you. The only one who was able to successfully live a life with no sin was Jesus. It is because of Jesus Christ that we have access to the Father because He was a proven sacrifice without spot or blemish; He was offered up on our behalf and took on our sins so that we might be saved. When we were saved we were saved from ourselves, we were saved from guilt and condemnation, and most importantly we were saved from eternal death. Through Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension we can now enjoy a life in Him and through Him not according to the works we do but according to the work that was already done in which we believe in, and it’s because He now resides within us that we are able to live free.

Galatians 6:12-16 (Message Bible)
Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ's suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don't keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible!
For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!
In my walk with Christ I make mistakes, I mess up, I try not to present myself as holier than thou, but I also know where my help comes from, I know that my salvation is a gift that I don’t have to work for, I know that even though I mess up from time to time my Father still sees’ me as perfect in His sight because the blood has covered all of my transgressions. We are not to be moved by what the world says a Christian should be and we shouldn’t try to walk with Christ without the revelation that it’s not about what we do but rather what we believe. Now I’m not saying we are free to live life like we did before we knew Christ and go around doing anything we want; I am just saying first of all that it is Christ that gives us the power to be witnesses (with our lives) unto Him through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and secondly that when we fall down all we gotta do is get back up and dust ourselves off and keep it moving.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vision Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Be a Blessing

2010-04-22T12:22:00.001-05:00

As followers of Christ how can we make it through life without each other? Being a Christian is one of the most selfless lifestyles you can live, but it’s also the most rewarding at the same time. Although sometimes that is not portrayed throughout the church. The trend inside the church is “What can God do for me”? We often get caught up in ourselves, with the things going on in our lives, with our own dreams and desires, etc… The simple answer to the question “What can God do for me” is everything. God can turn your life up-side down or right-side up in the blink of an eye.

I think the attitude in His church should be “What can I do for you” instead? That’s what Jesus was all about and still is today. When Jesus was born His sole mission was based on what can I do for you, when He was being crucified He wasn’t doing it for Himself but rather for you and I. When He taught the people He wasn’t doing it so He could get more popular and famous, He was doing it so He could teach and encourage us. Even now Jesus is still doing the same thing; He is at the right hand of the Father interceding for you and me.

So, if the people of God are only focused on how God is going to bless them then I think we’ve missed a critical aspect of what it really means to be a follower of Christ, not knowing that your blessing is through your giving.

Romans 1:11-12 (NKJV)
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established- that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Paul is saying here in His letter to the people of God in Rome that he can’t wait to see them so that he may give them something that will be of good use to them concerning their faith. He is also saying so that he may be strengthened together with them in their faith.

That poses another question; if the people of God are so busy manifesting their own blessings, what happens to the believers that are struggling and are on the verge of giving up on God? I was listening to a song the other day by a Christian rap artist and the song was about how he was struggling in his faith and how he was feeling disconnected and all the things of his past were trying to lure him back to his old ways. In the above scripture Paul points out that through their encouragement together in the faith they would be strengthened together.

If you are in the body of Christ it’s important that we all work as one, that means of the same mind and accord concerning the things of God and that also means of the same values. Do you value being blessed more or being the blessing?

Thank you all,

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Believing is Freeing

2010-04-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Just imagine if I were to tell you that you were beautiful even though you feel ugly, just imagine if I were to tell you that you were rich even though you are poor, just imagine if I were to tell you that I loved you even though no one ever has, just imagine if I were to tell you that you were my son or my daughter even though you never met me, just imagine if I were to tell you that you were forgiven even if you think your sins are shameful. Just imagine…

Today as I was driving down the street God was speaking to me and He was telling me that it’s so simple, we are all of those characteristics God just described above. All we have to do is believe, for the one that has never known God you’re in the best position for Him to come into your life, because all He wants you to do is just believe. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand it all right now all you have to do is believe the promises of God in the Bible that God says about you. Once you just believe you are freed from all kind of guilt and condemnation. Guess what it’s that simple.

For the seasoned Christian God is saying don’t make Him too complicated, I know a lot of times we seek an inspired Word from God full of revelation that we can barely handle. God is saying that it’s ok to look at His promises face value. Once we get the promises of God into our hearts; like we’re righteous, we’re healed, we’re made whole, we’re rich and not poor, He loves us, we are overcomers, once we get that into our hearts God will start to unlock the mysteries that we love so much concerning Him and His Word.

All we gotta do is believe.

Daryle Houston II

Word and Power

2010-04-19T12:31:00.003-05:00

Over the past couple of months or so I’ve really been seeking God concerning “church”. People all over the country go to “church” every Sunday and maybe even a midweek service. While in “church” they are fed with the Word of God from the Pastor or the minister speaking, and sadly for many that’s where the buck stops. I’ve been seeking God on this because I know that there has to be more to it, I know that this can’t be it, I know this is not the reason why God called me to be a preacher of His Word; to go and speak a good Word and leave it at that. Deep down in my spirit I know that there is more to being a follower of Christ.

During my time in prayer the other day God spoke to me concerning my inquiry. He told me that the “Kingdom of God is not in word but in power”- I Corinthians 4:20

Its one thing to preach/receive the Word of God but it is meaningless if power is not associated with it. The time for traditional “church” is over, we’re going to either just be receivers of the Word of God or receivers and doers that demonstrate the power of God wherever we go all across the earth.

If you are someone that thinks that God has called them to become a preacher of the gospel; in Ephesians 5:1 it says “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” As a messenger of the Word of God we are to imitate God in such manners also. Whenever God spoke in the Bible it was always followed by manifested power. God said let there be light, and there was a manifestation of the Word spoken, there was light. God said that Sarah would have a child and sure enough she had a child in her old age. Now the manifested power can be both internal and external, so just don’t always expect to see just one. In Isaiah 55:11 Gods says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return unto Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

I Thessalonians 1:5
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

As we see in the above scriptures, in Isaiah God is saying whatever He speaks WILL prosper (word, then power). The reason why Gods Word never returns to him without prospering or in other terms the reason why His Word is never powerless because it is a faith filled, it is spoken in most certainty and confidence. As the Sons of God (Son meaning Gods offspring, not male or female) we have this same power within us. In order to manifest this power we need to be trained in the right manners of God so that we are responsible stewards of this power; once that occurs we have to make sure that everything Holy Spirit puts in our hearts to speak must be spoken under assurance that it will be fulfilled. Paul was saying in I Thessalonians 1:5 that they spoke the gospel in both word and power because they had much assurance (most certain confidence) in what they were speaking.

Speaking in word and power requires more from those that are bold enough to take that stand. It requires and increased level of faith and the ability to come out of one’s comfort zone. I just sense that some things changing in the Body of Christ and I know that more and more people are also feeling what I’m feeling. We are first hand witnesses of the Sons of God being manifested all over the earth.

Thanks and have a blessed day.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
http://www.kingdomvizion.org

My Testimony (4/13/10)

2010-04-13T13:30:00.002-05:00

Hello KVM family, as I was reading this morning I came across a scripture in the book of Revelations that really hit home for me. The scripture is:

Revelations 22:17 (NKJV)
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

This particular scripture is significant to me because about 4 or 5 years ago I was a completely different person than I am now, and I had an experience that is exactly described in the above scripture. I think it’s important to share my testimony with you all, to let you know how Christ has influenced my life.

I was raised in the Church of God in Christ denomination, and I can attribute some good things that I received as a result. I think that is where the foundation of Christ was laid in my life. While in the Church of God in Christ I never really connected into God, going to church for me was just a tradition, and being born again to me only meant that when I died I got to go to heaven. I looked for pleasure everywhere in the world, whether it had been through relationships, money, things, partying, etc… but they could never fill that void that Christ must fill in a person’s life.

After years of seeking the answer s to my life’s displeasure through worldly things, I had come to a burn out point in my life. I had come to a point where I thought I was at the end of my rope, I had business ventures that were failing, I felt like a failure, and my family was going through a turbulent time. I was at a point where I didn’t care about life anymore and I welcomed death upon me. I became reckless, I wanted to die. I used to own a motorcycle and I remember being so careless that I used to run from the police constantly and they would chase me at speeds of over 140 mph, I use to always think to myself that I was going to one day die as a result of my recklessness on my bike. One night as I was riding on the freeway at speeds well over 140mph, I hit a bump in the road and I lost control of my bike, my front tire was wobbling so much that I couldn’t make it stop. In an instant everything had slowed down as if I was in slow motion and I was thinking to myself that I’m getting ready to die. Miraculously in an instant the front tire stopped shaking and the bike was back under control. Immediately after everything calmed down I heard a voice that said to me “come” and I immediately knew who was speaking. Ever since then I have been on the path that God has laid out for me. It has been a path of growth and maturity in the Spirit, it has not been an easy path but it has been a rewarding one.

When I made the decision to follow that path; I did die, I died to myself and now I continue to die daily to self so that God will increase in my life and I will decrease. I never once thought that I would be the one to share Gods Word with others, I never thought that there could be peace in the midst of turmoil; I never thought that I was even worthy enough to do such a thing. But God knew otherwise, just like I was shown the way in the midst of my mess, God is showing everyone the way out, but in the end it is up to each of us to want to be delivered out of our bad lives and situations. God is showing you the way and even if it might seem contrary to your own plans, or the way He is showing you doesn’t look pretty or glamorous to you, in fact in looks down- right scary and challenging, be reassured that if you make the first step God will guide the rest, and what He has laid out for you will be better then any plan you could have ever laid out for yourself.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Why has Christian Living Become an Obligation?

2010-04-12T12:50:00.002-05:00

The other day I had an experience that God used to show me something. Friday (4-9-10) morning when I went out to the car, I got in and I tried to start it but when I tried to start it the battery was completely dead. I got out of the car and I noticed a lady parked behind me in her car, so I walked up to her window and asked if I could get a jump; she said ok. The lady was a very nice lady and I could tell that she had a loving heart, as I was jumping my battery she engaged me in conversation she was asking me questions and also sharing with me some of her thoughts on her mind and the whole experience was very pleasant. After I was finished she had revealed to me that she was a Jehovah’s Witness, and she started sharing with me her faith and I started to share with her my faith and beliefs, and even though we have different belief systems, in the end we were able to be a blessing to each other from that experience.

So, I get in the car and I drive to the nearest to a Wal-mart to get a new battery installed. I pull into the parking lot, shut the car off, walk into the store only to find out that their auto service center is no longer in operation. As I come back out and get into the car and try to start it, it will not start; the battery is dead once again. I try asking people for a jump but no one seems to have the time, so as I was walking back around to the side of the building where no one was parked I see a Church of Christ van that is turning around by my car. In my mind I know that this is an angel from heaven sent to this desolate spot in the parking lot to bail me out. I walk up to the van, arms waving, the driver gives me a strange and almost disgusted look as he rolls down his window and I ask if I could get a jump because my battery is dead. He hesitates for a while and finally mumbles yes under his breath. He gets out of the van and gives me a jump and that’s it. We had no friendly conversation, nothing. He didn’t even share his name yet alone his faith in the Christ that was plastered on the side of his van.

Later on in the day as I was telling my wife about the experience God shared with me that the lady who was the Jehovah’s Witness did the favor out of love and the guy in the church van did it out of obligation.

So why as Christians have we been practicing our faith in Christ out of obligation instead of out of love? We have been doing this because we still have the mindsets of servants instead of Sons. When I say the word Sons I’m not referring to male or female but rather the descendants of God. We have been taught that we are servants to God. Indeed we do serve God and each others, but we are to serve out of love. When we renew our minds to the fact that we are Sons of God then the service that we do comes from a different perspective.

Just take for example when you do something for a family member, most of us usually do it because we love that family member. Now let’s take for example when you go to work and complete a project, most of us complete the project because we are obligated too and because we’re doing it so we get our paycheck. As a follower of Christ we ought to live like we are Sons of God and not out of a mindset that we are obligated to live this way. Everything that God gives us; His blessings, grace, mercy etc… He gives it to us freely out of love and not obligation. Once a person lives out of Son-ship instead of servant-ship than a person’s entire attitude will be transformed.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

God Knows You, Do You Know Him?

2010-03-15T14:32:00.001-05:00

I believe right now in the body of Christ God is really calling us to intimacy with Him. He desires for us to connect right to His heart. He desires to share Himself with us. Many of us proclaim that we know God, we read the bible, we go to church, we pray, etc, but do we really know Him?

For example someone could tell you about me, about my character and personality, you could read a biography written about me, and gather information about who I am, but just because you have all of that information it doesn’t mean you know me personally. You just know of me, you just know about me. It is not until you meet with me, spend time with me and develop a personal relationship with me, that you could really say I know Tracy Houston.

When we go to church and read the Word it is excellent and a part of what we do as believers, and of course it benefits us, but it does not mean that we truly know God, it is just 2nd hand information that we are getting from others about who God is, and it is good, and necessary, but we will not totally know God on a personal level until we develop our own 1-on-1 relationship with Him.

We must talk to God, we must seek His heart, we must learn from Him, there are things that He desires to tell us and reveal to us, but He can’t if we aren’t spending time with Him.

A relationship is a two way street, just as in any relationship in the natural, you have to talk to the other person, you have to listen to them, you reveal who you are to them, and they reveal who they are to you. It is something that develops over time, and the more time you spend with a person, the better you get to know them. God desires that intimacy with us, He desires us do draw closer to Him. So begin to take that time and begin to really get to know God.

God Bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Be Still and Be Changed

2010-03-05T08:07:00.002-06:00

This morning I woke up and I went to meet with God in the secret place, and He begin to reveal to me some things that had happened in my life that I was still holding on to that even though I wasn’t consciously aware of it, it was still weighing me down. It wasn’t easy to look at, it was painful, but I was ready to be rid of these things once and for all. So I asked the Lord, to help me to release it, and let it be wiped away. So I just sat quietly and I couldn’t necessarily feel anything in the natural happening, but in my spirit I knew that God was doing something on the inside of me. After a few minutes it became very uncomfortable, my flesh started to fight the process. I literally wanted to get up and run out, I had to ask God to help me, to keep me still because more then anything I did not want to disrupt what God was doing on the inside of me. So I just sat, and my flesh kept crawling, but I knew that if I moved I would abort the process. It seemed like a long time and I asked God what was happening, and He gave me a picture so I could understand.

I don’t know how many of you have watched the spider man movies, but in one of the movies, there was some black goop that got on Spiderman that spread and took over him and became a suit, like the one he’s supposed to wear except this one was bad for him and made him act in a way that he was not designed to act. Well anyway once he came to the knowledge of what was happening to him and that this thing was taking over, and had affected his life, he begin to rip the suit off, and as he tried to rip the suit off it kept trying to cling to him, but eventually he broke completely free, and he was released from that which had been trying to consume him. So the picture God gave me was of him, pulling that suit off of me. Pulling that thing that was not a part of my new nature off of me and releasing me from it.

Now we might not be like Spiderman and those things which are still weighing on us, might not be something that is consuming our thoughts, or that we are even consciously aware of, or thought we put away a long time ago, but nevertheless if it’s something on the front burner or back burner, those things which are not a part of our nature as we are in Christ have to go. They are things that can hinder our growth and our maturity. They are things that can hold us back from doing that which God has created and purposed us to do.

So I want to encourage you all, when you are meeting God in your secret place and He reveals to you some of those things that are still lingering in your life, in your mind, or in your heart, make sure that you allow yourself to let God do His work in you. I know some of you have carried around the weight of things for so long, that you don’t know how life would be without them, but God is saying today that He does not want you to be bound by these things any longer, He desires to free you! He desires to do a new work in you! So allow Him to remove those things from you, the process might be very uncomfortable, but do not abort the process, allow God to work, be still and be changed.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

You in Christ

2010-03-04T13:23:00.003-06:00

We have talked in the past about Christ in us, and I believe that we have begun to understand how Christ lives in us, now it is time for us to begin to live in Christ, which is something a little different. Our Pastor made a statement a few weeks ago in service, he said…

“The key to doing away with religion is not Christ in you, it’s you in Christ.”

John 15:4-8 (NKJV)
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

When we get born again Christ comes into our hearts and lives within us. That is what Jesus does, but it is up to us to abide in Him, just as He is abiding in us. It is up to us to keep connected to the vine, to abide in the vine.

ABIDE: To dwell; to remain; not to depart; to continue to be present; to be held, kept, continually.

As you can see from the scripture apart from the vine we can do nothing, we will not bear any fruit. That means if we are not living in Christ that those things that God had purposed for us to do cannot come to pass, that all of those things connected to Him can not flow through us, or to us because we are disconnected. Literally if you pulled a branch off of a tree would it continue to bear fruit? No it couldn’t because it has been cut off from its life source. Just because we go to church, and act religious, and serve in the ministry, that does not mean that we are in Christ. Connecting to Him is not an outward show, it’s an inward connection.

So I just want to encourage each of you out there to do a self check. Yes Christ is living in you, but have you been living in Him, dwelling in Him, abiding in Him? Are you bearing fruit? If not it is time to reconnect to the vine.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

True Worship

2010-02-18T09:49:00.002-06:00

When people use the term worship in reference to church and God they usually equate it to singing songs and saying Hallelujah. True, that is a form of worshiping God but there’s a deeper level of worship that I think often gets overlooked. Worshiping something is simply the thing that’s in your life that takes up more space than God; something that you are symbolically bowing down too or giving of more attention and time too.

I use to own a motorcycle a couple of years back and I absolutely loved it. The majority of my time was spent either riding it, working on it, washing it, or thinking about riding it. During this time I had put God on the back-burner and gave His space in my life to the motorcycle. The bike was a representation of something that I worshiped and idolized. I was symbolically bowing down to it.

In the terms of God some people have been taught that worship is something that you do instead of it being who you are. As a result we go to church, sing songs, say Hallelujah and sit down and in our minds we have just worshiped God. In your mind if you think that your worship to God is something to be switched on and off then a renewing of the mind is getting ready to take place.

Isaiah 29:13 (NKJV)
Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

God is saying here that there are church folk that have been taught by generations of tradition and religion that worshiping God is all about singing songs and saying Hallelujah with your mouths. As a result of this incomplete revelation many people have made worship into tradition and at the end of the day their worship has become of no effect because it was done out of the ritual instead of love and when they get home they’re fostering conceit, jealousy, bitterness, rage, etc… in their hearts.

I think the greatest form of worship is becoming it. When I say becoming it I’m talking about not only singing praises but also honoring God in your heart by living your every waking, breathing moment with Him in you and you in Him. I’m talking about connecting your heart with His heart so you live in this state of being that can’t just be switched off like a faucet. Living your life in Him means operating out of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, praising God out of love and not tradition, and connecting with Gods own heart concerning everything in this life.

Let us all become the worship.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

A Church Without Walls

2010-02-15T09:55:00.003-06:00

Over the past couple of weeks, God has been sharing with me concerning “church” and being a “preacher”. See, by me being raised in the church I had a preconceived notion of how everything should or would be, concerning these two topics. God has just been re-emphasizing that His church is much bigger than the building we go to on Sunday morning to sing songs, give an offering, and hear a word from the pastor. He was showing me that being a preacher is much more than just getting in front of a crowd, traveling the world and telling people about the gospel of Christ.

God is showing me that it’s a lifestyle, it’s something that I live everyday whether I’m in the building where we meet on Sunday’s or behind a podium sharing what God has placed on my heart. I think a lot of people have lost the true definition of church by traditionalizing it and categorizing it in their own minds. A But God wants all of our minds renewed so He can impart the true meaning of church into us.

If you consider yourself a believer in Christ than there’s a task at-hand of proclaiming Christ in your life. It’s something that should automatically happen if indeed Christ is in you and you are in Christ. I’m not saying that everyone should drop what their doing and become a Pastor, no not at all. God wants to use you in the avenue that you are already in; whether you are a nurse, doctor, lawyer, cashier, mental health aide, practitioner, etc… If you are indeed a walking, living, breathing proclamation of Christ then people will be drawn and you will show them the way.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Secret Place

2010-02-05T14:16:00.002-06:00

Last night at church our Pastor gave an awesome message about the secret place, which really moved my heart, and I wanted to share with you what God spoke to me through this message.

Psalm 91:1…
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Dwell: Remain, sit, abide
Abide: To lodge, to stay permanently

Most of us know this scripture and can quote it, but is it a scripture that we put into action in our lives? So many times in life we get busy with our daily affairs, our families, etc, and we don’t always take time to meet God in the secret place. The place where it’s just you and him, where there is no distractions and no interruptions. Many times we have excuses as to why we do not do this, “I don’t have any place that’s quiet,” “I’m always running around after the kids,” etc. Of course there are things that can keep you away from this place with God, but we must take time out to meet God there. Whether you take a drive by yourself, whether you shut yourself in the bathroom, if that’s the only place you can be alone, whether you wake up a little bit earlier then everyone else, or stay up a little bit later, whatever the case may be it is crucial that we meet God and spend time with Him in the secret place. It is a realm in the Most Holy Place where it’s only you and God. It is a place where God can pour His heart into you, and you can bear your heart to Him. It is a place where peace dwells and where answers lie. It is a place where change happens. It is a place of intimacy; it’s a secret hide away for just you two.

Let’s liken it to a natural relationship so that we can really understand. If you are married and you don’t take time out to meet with your spouse, just the two of you, then you can grow apart, and your relationship can become distant. The same can happen with God, when you are not meeting with Him, you are distancing yourself from Him and without even knowing it, you may begin to feel dry or disconnected. If this is the case for you there is an easy solution, begin again. Go and meet God in that secret place. Take time to share with Him there, take time to listen to Him there. My Pastor said last night, to take a pen and a pad because He will speak to you there. I think that is a great idea because you never know what God will reveal to you in that secret place.

For those of you that have never went into that secret place, all I can say is it’s time to begin. Close yourself off from the world, maybe put on some worship music if you would like and just begin talking to God, invite Him in to commune with you, the more you do it the more comfortable it will become for you and you will begin to develop that intimacy with the Lord. It is an amazing experience.

God told me last night that the secret place is where it begins. We can listen to pastors and flood ourselves with outside information that we take in, but if we aren’t living from the inside out we won’t mature and grow in the way that He desires us to.

So take some time everyday and go to that secret place with God, it will bless you and it will bless the Father.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Best of You

2010-02-03T11:10:00.002-06:00

I had an opportunity last week to speak to my church and what God had me share was on the topic of giving. I think one of the most important principals in operating in the Kingdom of God and in His system is giving. The main reason why we are all here today is because of giving, God gave us eternal life through His son Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in should not perish but have everlasting life."

The key word in that scripture is gave, God gave us His best from the beginning and He continues to give us His best everyday we wake up. The question is; have we been giving God our best? Have we been giving God our best in the area of our time, efforts, lives, money, etc…? It’s important to be in the mindset that when we give to God it’s not really to benefit Him because He owns it all in the first place, but when we give and when we give out of the correct motives and pureness of our hearts it benefits us because when we give, God is giving something back to us.

Now if you are someone that thinks you give your best every time than I say keep on doing so. I was someone that needed a little help in this area, and God gave it to me. He showed me that in the culture we live in we are taught by society since we are born the exact opposite of that critical principal of giving in Gods Kingdom. We’re taught that it’s all about us. In our society we are taught more about working hard and receiving than we are taught on giving. Now there’s nothing wrong with being a diligent worker and receiving because those too are also principals in God’s system. The problem comes in when we are taught about it so thoroughly that it hinders our giving, especially when it comes to finances.

The topic of finances is very delicate in the church because people don’t like to talk about money and the church, maybe because conviction comes into their hearts about the subject. Money and the church go hand-in-hand, there are so many things that the mature church can do with financial wealth. But before we can reach that point as one body in Christ we have to learn about giving the financial resources before we receive them. If you were someone like me that was a pretty selfish person this can be a hard lesson taught by God but trust the reward is worth it all. Two of the reasons we are hindered in giving financially is because of fear, and trust.

Fear hinders our giving because most have the mindset that when they give they will never get blessed or they don’t give because it doesn’t agree with there checkbook. If this is an issue for you, than the problem is really your trust in God. I trust in God so much to the point that if I have just enough money to either pay my tithes and offerings or buy food for my house than I’ll pay my tithes and offerings instead. I know for a fact that God will not leave me hungry, I know for a fact that God will not leave me without a roof over my head, and I know for a fact that I am His child and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Remember when we give to our church homes we’re not just giving to be giving. But in-fact every time we do give, God puts that towards our account with Him and He knows and remembers everything you gave. Paul told the Philippians that when they gave to him it wasn’t because he wanted a gift from them but he wanted to see them reap of the blessings that God gives for such love and generosity. (Philippians 4:17 NKJV)

Some of you might say that I don’t have a big amount to give; that doesn’t matter. If your best is only a dime and you give it, God sees your heart and you are rewarded for it. The amount of money is not important; it’s all about your heart. Is your heart in the right place for giving?

Some say, but I’ve been giving and I don’t see any rewards or blessings. If this is you I would ask you to check your motives in your heart. Why do you give? Is it just so you can get that new car or house or be blessed with money to start your business? If God didn’t give you specific instructions to give toward something you desire than you’re better off putting that money toward what you desire for yourself. I know that when I give I will receive, so why would that even be my motive for giving, because that’s something that happens automatically.

No, when you give your motive should strictly be love. When God gave His son for you He knew that as a result he would receive billions of sons and daughters as a result of His one sacrifice, Jesus. But His motive for His giving was strictly out of love. “For God so loved the world that he gave…”

So as we progress throughout 2010 I challenge and God challenges you to give your best every time you give and give because you love not because you desire something.

I hope this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

We Preach Christ

2010-02-01T15:17:00.003-06:00

We have a video Life Word for you all today! Today we will be discussing the common thread that brings everyone in the body together...Preaching Christ. God bless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nnsFwfuao4

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Love of God pt. 2

2010-01-27T10:27:00.002-06:00

Today we have a video blog for you. Through the series "The Love of God" we will be looking at different aspects of love, and what God says love is. Today we will be discussing how love endures. To view click the link below. Be blessed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62ZT_l1tMmI

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Dare to Believe

2010-01-25T12:32:00.002-06:00

“Without wavering let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.” Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)

Today God is saying to you…

“Dare to believe Me. I have given you my word, I have shown you what I will do, and what is to come, do not let any situations and circumstances that might be or might come stop you from believing Me! I am the Lord Your God, and what I say I will do.”

It is time people of God to dare to believe God, putting aside all things, all people, all situations and circumstances, putting away yourself and your thoughts. Stop trying to rationalize things, stop trying to figure out how and when God will do things. Take each day at a time, each day choosing and purposing in your hearts to believe God, knowing and trusting that He works to perform His Word. It is time people of God to begin to just start taking God at His Word. Just believe, sit back and rest in God and watch Him work!

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Minstries
www.kingdomvizion.org

A Word From the Lord

2010-01-21T11:52:00.004-06:00

A word from the Lord...

There is no more time for delay my children, the time is now. I have called you for a work to do and many of you have ignored the call. You have made excuses or you have been afraid. But I am here to tell you excuses no more, fear not for I am with you. It is the time to step out and do that which I created you for. I have placed visions in your belly. It is time to let them arise, let them take root in you. Proceed in the direction I have shown you. No more delay, no more denial. It is time my children it is time.

Thus saith the Lord

Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Love of God Pt. 1

2010-01-20T12:39:00.002-06:00

Today we have a video blog for you. Through the series "The Love of God" we will be looking at different aspects of love, and what God says love is. Today we will be discussing how love gives. To view click the link below. Be blessed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrbUskckUUE

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Good Works

2010-01-19T11:59:00.002-06:00

James 2:26 (NKJV)
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

We know that according to Titus 2:14 that God is looking for people that are excited to do good works for Him and His kingdom. We also know that we can’t just live a successful life in Christ based on our faith alone, we need to mix our good works with our faith for it to be made perfect.

James 2:22 (NKJV)
Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

So the question that is on a lot people minds is; what exactly are good works? A lot of people equate the term good works to specific actions that they take, whether it may be volunteering your time to help others, being a faithful giver, helping the homeless etc... True all of these actions can be accounted to someone as a part of good works if they are done out of the right motives from the heart. Sadly this is where the good works stop for a lot of people. There is much more to good works than just taking actions to help out.

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NKJV)
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

There are two sides to completing good works; you have the action side where you are obeying Gods command and setting out to do works that involve your actions, whether that may be preaching, teaching, volunteering, etc… then there is the conduct side. The conduct side is the side of good works where you are living out your life everyday in Christ for everyone to see.

Let’s take Jesus for example, Jesus went around doing a lot of good works, he healed the sick, he taught in the synagogues, he disciple people personally, etc… But while he was doing all the good actions he also fulfilled the conduct side of good works. He lived a life of a Holy character for all to see. Imagine if Jesus went around doing all those good actions but at the end of the day His character didn’t line up with His actions. What if at the end of the day He went and got drunk at the local bar, or He cussed someone out that got on His nerves. If this were to happen I think all of His good actions He performed earlier in the day would have gone in vain because His example of Christ would have been flawed.

So let’s look at our own situations, and lives; first, do we even obey God when He asks us to do good actions such as giving of your time to help someone out, giving of your finances to bless someone, volunteering at your church or local help centers? Second, at the end of the day when it’s all said and done are we portraying the character of Christ in our personal lives? When people look at you are they seeing Christ in you or are they seeing someone that goes to church, loves God, but is living no better of a life than they are living in the world.

Remember that good works involves more than just doing good deeds, you are the good work.
I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

As Children

2010-01-18T11:47:00.004-06:00

The other day Tracy and I were driving down the street, and while waiting at a stop light we were watching a little girl with her father standing on the bus stop. There was water dripping down on to the sidewalk where they were standing and the little girl was just having a blast running back and forth under the dripping water. She didn’t have a care in the world, she wasn’t worrying about anything, she was happy and full of joy right there as her father was watching her. I was saying to myself that’s nice, and also thinking how marvelous it would be to live life like that, without a care in the world, in pure innocence without having to worry about the issues of life and some of the challenges it brings in our adult lives.

Than it dawned on me; I can live life like that and a matter of fact, I am living life like that. As believers in Christ we always have to remember that God views us as His children, we make it difficult on ourselves when we view our relationship with God any other way. As adults we want knowledge, because we were always taught that the more knowledge the better. That little girl on the bus stop probably knew nothing about sin, nothing about stress, nothing about worry; all she knew is that she was having fun playing in the water and she knew that her father was watching out for her.

I want more of relationship with God in that manner; I don’t want to know all there is to the world, I just want to be taught the things that God wants to teach me in the right time. I don’t want to jump ahead of myself and embark on the quest for knowledge that He’s not ready to bestow upon me yet. I want to be like that little girl with her father. I want to be happy right where I am not having to worry about tomorrow or the next day, just as long as I know that my Father is watching out for me, that is all that manners and in time I will be taught the things that He wants to teach me when I am ready.

John 13:33 (NKJV)
“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, “Where I am going you cannot come,’…

This scripture are the words of Jesus aka God, He is referring to us as His little children, that’s how I want to be. I don’t want to think of myself higher than I ought too. When you come to the revelation that we are just His children, no matter if you’re 10 or 100 and you know that God has got your back; that is all that should matter.

Psalms 34:11
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

And when the time is right He will teach you all you need to know, when you need to know. My quest in God isn’t for knowledge but rather the revelation of relationship with my Father. There was one whose quest was for knowledge and it only brought death. I think his name was Adam.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

You are Healed!

2010-01-15T18:45:00.001-06:00

Today we have a video word for you all. We pray it blesses you. To watch please click on the following link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dckdsCf6GlQ

God bless!

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Attitude Blocker

2010-01-13T11:44:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 2:7
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”

The above scripture is referring to the children of Israel when they were taken out of the land of Egypt into the wilderness so they could walk through it and posses the land of freedom and abundance. The Bible records these people walking in the wilderness for forty years. God didn’t want his children in the wilderness for forty years but rather only a matter of days.

The reason why they kept prolonging their time there is because of their attitudes toward the situation. They let disbelief in God come in with the questioning of His existence and motives; they let complaining and murmuring towards God come in; even though all of their needs were met on a daily basis.

Lets take a look at our own lives, are you in a place in your life where it feels desolate and dry, do you consider yourself to be in a wilderness experience; if so, how are you dealing with it; are you complaining and feeling sorry for yourself every chance you get or are you blaming other individuals for your experience?

Whatever the case may be, don’t let a negative attitude prolong the experience. In able for God to move us into the next level we have to be grateful for the current level. The current level you’re on may not be a desirable one but there is something to be gained from it, called maturity. Don’t start to waver in faith because you think God has left you, just as the above scripture states, they lacked nothing the entire time they were in the most desolate place. No matter what level you are on God will always provide for His children.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Order (video blog)

2010-01-12T17:37:00.003-06:00

Today we have another short video post! We pray you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JTmuUqCxYo

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Divine Discipline

2010-01-11T11:09:00.002-06:00

Today the Lord wanted me to share this word with you all…

Hebrews 12:5-11 (NLT)
…My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

I’m not sure who this word is for, but I just encourage you to receive it just like it is. It is never easy for any of us to be disciplined, but it is necessary for all of us so that we can continue to grow and mature and be an example to those around us.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Walk By Faith

2010-01-08T11:41:00.002-06:00

The other day I was driving and a song called “Walk by faith” by Jeremy Camp came on, I had never heard the song before, but the words touched my spirit…

Well, I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

And then 2 Corinthians 5:7 rung in my mind…

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Let the words of this song and this scripture fill your heart. I know many of us have been going through things, but let us all declare that from this point on we will walk by faith and not by sight! We will walk by our faith and belief in God and His Word, and we will not be moved by what we see in front of us. If we are sick we will walk by 1 Peter 2:24, not by how we feel. If we have gotten laid off we will walk by Philippians 4:19 and not by what we see in our bank account. If our children are acting out we will walk by Proverbs 22:6, and not be moved by their actions or words. If we are having problems in our marriage we will walk by Colossians 3:14. Whatever your situation may be God has already provided a word for you, all you have to do is search it out and make up in your mind and in your heart that you will walk by the Word, and not by how you feel, or what you see in the natural.

God is saying… Hold on my children; continue to walk down the path I’ve laid before you. Do not veer to the left nor to the right, for deliverance is ahead of you.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Sacrifice of Praise

2010-01-07T10:22:00.002-06:00

Today we have both a video message and a written message on the sacrifice of praise, we know some of you like reading the message, and some like watching the message, so if you would like to watch the message please click on the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Ve_GR96jM The written message will follow below...

Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV)
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

God has put it on my heart to share what He has given me concerning the sacrifice of praise. There comes a time or times in every believer’s life where they feel that they do not have any praise in their spirit to give to God. This happens because we tend to let our situations justify our praise.

It is very easy to praise God when everything is going your way. When you have money in the bank, when you are totally healthy, when you are happy with your relationships and in your jobs, when you kids are acting right, etc… When things are on the up and up we go to church and show out for God, running around the sanctuary, lifting our hands so high they can almost touch the ceiling. Let me ask you this, are you praising God or are you praising your good situation?

But what about the times when it seems like nothing is going right in your life, what about when your bank account is in the negative, what about when all you and your spouse do is argue, what about when the doctor tells you that you have cancer, what about when your kids are involved in gang activity? During these times is your praise still the same? During these times do you go to church? During these times do you believe that God has left your presence?

It’s exactly during these times when we have to offer up a sacrifice of praise. I believe it’s called a sacrifice because we don’t have a lot of it when we are down and out. Think about a sacrifice, you call something a sacrifice when you give up a thing out of love, respect, or belief in the cause you’re giving it up to. So when we offer up the sacrifice of praise we’re actually saying… God I love you and even if I don’t feel like I have a lot of praise in my spirit, I’m going to sacrifice the little that I have for your Names sake.

The above scripture says “giving thanks to His name”, meaning when you offer up that sacrifice you’re giving thanks to the name of Jesus with the fruit of your lips, or in another term, your words. In the name of Jesus is your healing, in the name of Jesus is your wealth, in the name of Jesus is your abundant life, in the name of Jesus is your flourishing marriage, and in the name of Jesus is your children being saved. Deliverance and salvation lies in that name, but if we let our seemingly bad situations dictate whether we offer that sacrifice of praise, then we’re not accessing all of the answers to those negative situations. If we fail to believe in the name of Jesus, what we actually do is prolong the negative situation and we get stuck in a rut.

There are some situations that occurred in 2009 that you did not have to bring into 2010 but because you might have gotten stuck in a rut of unbelief and self pity instead of offering up that sacrifice of praise you may have prolonged yourself. Well guess what, we are in 2010 and the mess that you were dealing with in 2009 ends right now in 2010. When you offer up praise in what seems to be your darkest hour that pleases God because you are showing Him that you are in it for the long haul and not just the blessings.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Don't Give Up!

2010-01-06T10:31:00.003-06:00

Luke 10:10 (NKJV)
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

These words that Jesus is speaking, he spoke more than 2000 years ago and they still reign true in our lives today. There’s one in the world that is seeking to take from you; seeking to take your family, your peace, your joy, your happiness, and your life. There is a fine line between the thief actually stealing something from you and you offering it up to him to be taken.

In the year of 2009 many of us experienced grief, heartbreak, disappointment, and loss on a level that we’ve never experienced before. The crash in the economy was a major force in this, but as we all know God uses all things for the good. What I got out of all of the despair in 2009 is this:

2009 was a year of great maturity and sacrifice for me. I chose to follow God whole heartedly and when you make such an important decision like that there are times where persecution comes in. I met my wife on January 28, 2009 and on March 17, 2009 we were married. Now we didn’t just get married because we were infatuated with each other, we got married because God had told us both that He had created me to be her husband and He created her to be my wife and He gave us His blessing. I wouldn’t have gotten married if God said otherwise nor do I recommend it. As a result of me obeying God, I got a lot of persecution from the people that are closest to me, do I blame them; no not at all and I still love all of them very much.

As a result of your decision to follow God you may have suffered some kind of persecution; but no matter what happens it is imperative that we don’t let that persecution stop what is inside of us and that is the power of Christ. That same power avails much in the darkest of hours in our lives; yes the path that God has placed you on will get rocky from time -to- time, but look at these as times of maturity. The rocky paths work your muscles; they make you strong so you are equip to handle whatever comes your way.

Many saw calamity and destruction in 2009 but in my eyes I saw maturity. When everyone was getting laid off from their jobs they saw the end of their comfortable life styles. I saw a people putting their trust in their jobs and in things instead of God. So I transformed my thinking and I knew that no matter the financial situation I would not let anything affect my praise to God, because He is right there with me always.

Even though Tracy and I are not currently employed at a regular “9 to 5” job and we don’t know how certain bills will get taken care of that does not affect how we view God. As a matter of fact our relationship with God has increased as a result because He is the only one that will take care of us and I am saying this from experience. God is moving on our behalf everyday and the only way to explain it is GOD.

Whatever your challenge may be, whether it may be persecution because you know that you’re hearing from God but your actions and decisions don’t line up with how people think you should be acting, or your facing financial difficulty right now, etc… This would be the worst time to lose your faith because this is your break through point. DON’T GIVE UP, YOU’RE ALMOST THERE.

Change and increase are on the horizon.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Christ in You Video

2010-01-05T09:59:00.002-06:00

Hello KVM family! For a while now God has been leading us to start doing video messages as well as written messages. So today we have our first edition of Life Word on video! To watch today's video message please click on the following link www.youtube.com/watch?v=C18LBOLPVLs we pray you enjoy it!

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

No Time for Self Pity

2009-12-30T10:47:00.002-06:00

Many of us have experienced life changing challenges in 2009. Challenges that we wish we didn’t have to face, challenges that made you want to run and hide, even challenges that may have put doubt in your heart about God. Some of us are at the breaking point where we can’t take anymore.

Last night I was thinking about some of the challenges Tracy and I have and are facing and I just wanted to breakdown but God told me that this is not the time for self-pity. God is saying to all of us that this is not the time to break down but rather the time of breakthrough. He is saying that He knows what you are going through and He is right there with you in the midst of it. He is saying some of the challenges you are facing were allowed by Him to strengthen you and mature you as His child. Once you get to that point of break down that is when breakthrough occurs.

If we hinder ourselves through self-pity we delay the breakthrough from happening. Each challenge that we face is used for good. It’s time to look at yourself in the mirror, look at that challenge head on and God will direct you as to what it means and why it’s there. 2010 is a year of order and restoration.

Nahum 1:7 (KJV)
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in Him.

Through the midst of your challenge your stronghold is and always will be God.

Remember: The breaking point is the break through point.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Consume Me

2009-12-29T13:20:00.003-06:00

Today as I was in worship a prayer sprang up out of my heart, it went like this…

Consume me O’ Lord
I surrender completely to you

I desire to do Your will
I desire to fully walk in Your ways

I give myself to you completely
Let your love take over

My heart is Yours
My mind is Yours

I give it all to you O’ Lord
I trust in you O’ God

Take me Lord
Produce through me

No holding back
Everything I am is Yours

Consume me Lord
Consume me

God is looking for people that will come before Him and surrender, who will say consume me Lord. He is looking for people He can use here on this earth who will say like Jesus did…

John 6:38 (NLT)
For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.

Luke 22:42 (NIV)
…Not my will, but yours, be done.

God knows better than we do, who He created us to be. He knows better than we do the things that we are supposed to do here on the earth. He knows better than us what lies ahead. So it is time people of God to begin to be fully used by God, but the only way that is going to happen is if we let God consume us totally. We must put aside ourselves, and say ok Lord, here I am, use me in any way You see fit. Lead me to anywhere I’m supposed to go, not my will Lord, but Yours be done in my life.

We should not look at relinquishing our lives and control to God as a bad thing. He already knows the things we both need and desire. I believe too many people think that if they give God total control He will send them off somewhere crazy where they don’t want to be, doing things they don’t want to be doing. Or they are too worried that it will delay the plans they already have. #1 God will always place you where you fit, where your puzzle piece belongs. Not saying that some of the things He has you do won’t be out of your comfort zone at first because they probably will be, but believe me once you are there, you will say, Yes! This is it! #2 as far as our own plans, can they be greater than God’s plans for us? Not at all. So I just want to encourage each of you out there today to take a look at yourselves and ask yourself, has it been you running the show in your life, or God, and then be bold enough to trust God, to seek Him, and to allow Him to consume you, so that you may do exactly what you were purposed to do.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Command

2009-12-28T11:55:00.002-06:00

Matthew 14:25-28 (NKJV)
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

I am in a place right now in God where I am being taught and trained in His ways. He is teaching me about patience, gratitude, peace, love, kindness, longsuffering, meekness, and temperance. This is my time for training to be sent out to follow His commands.

When we first started the ministry God showed us these wonderful visions of things to come, and we are very excited to posses those things which God has for us. But before we can posses, we first must be trained and then commanded. I am the type of person that doesn’t like inactivity; I always like to be doing something especially when it comes to something I am passionate about. When God revealed to Tracy and I these visions I was ready to go for it right away, but it wasn’t time yet.

God gave me a vision concerning what I was feeling on the inside; He showed me a dog on a leash that had a steak in front of him. The dog wasn’t trained so he was lunging at the steak, resisting his master and hurting his neck. Next God showed me a trained dog that was patiently sitting next to his master off of his leash waiting for the command to get the steak, when the master gave the command to get the steak the dog calmly stood up and walked to his reward.

In this vision the dog represents me, in the first representation the over excited out of control dog is me trying to lunge out and possess the vision God gave us concerning our future in ministry. The calm dog in the next vision represents how God wants me to be concerning the vision He gave us. He wants us to be trained up and patiently waiting on His command. (Now I’m not trying to say that God see’s you as a dog, this is just how he communicated one of His principles to me)

Luke 5:1-4 (NKJV)
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

The above scriptures both accurately detail this principle God gave me. The first scripture tells us how Peter walked on the water when he saw Jesus. Peter was able to walk on the water because he was commanded to, if he were never commanded to walk on the water he would have sunk. The second scripture explains to us how Simon launched out into the deep and gathered a net breaking boat load of fish. This would have never happened if he weren’t commanded to do so.

Many of us sometimes take it upon ourselves to launch out into the deep without a command from God and we end up at the bottom needing to be rescued. We all have purpose and reward in this world, and in order for us to accurately posses all that God has for us we first must be trained up and commanded to go out. Wait for the command child of God.

Remember waited time is not wasted time.

I hope this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Holy Spirit

2009-12-22T12:45:00.002-06:00

John 14:26 (NKJV)
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to you remembrance all things that I said to you.

As believers we all know that God sent the Holy Spirit down to earth to be our comforter, to lead us and guide us in the ways of truth. As Christians it is:
1. Our job to let that happen.
2. Not to become so religious that we think we can do anything we want and think the Holy Spirit will deliver us.
3. Respect the guidance that we get from the Holy Spirit if it doesn’t line up with what we want to do.

Sometimes as Christian believers we can often blame the Holy Spirit for some of the unintelligent decisions we make. We bring upon our own selves unnecessary suffering that we think we have to go through because we think we are doing God justice and we think by going through unnecessary sufferings that God will like us just a little bit more. God likes you just the same no matter what you’re going through. Even when you didn’t know God, He still liked you in all of your mess because He created you. You are His child.

First it’s up to us to let the Holy Spirit have His way in our lives; for some this is not an easy process because this means that you are giving up full control to something you initially cannot see with your natural eyes. This is why God instituted what is known as faith, faith to believe in something you can’t see. Faith to believe in His deity and faith to believe in His purpose for coming to this earth in the form of a man, Yeshua (Jesus). Once we come to the revelation where we know that we cannot live in this world successfully without the correct guidance from the Holy Spirit, we then have to come to the revelation of respect for the Holy Spirit if that has not already happened.

Secondly the Holy Spirit is not a genie in the bottle and in order to effectively flow in the Holy Spirit you have to use Gods wisdom. A lot of people put themselves in detrimental situations thinking that the Holy Spirit will rescue them. When the tempter came to Jesus after His forty day fast one of the things He said to Jesus was if You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. He wanted Jesus to throw Himself off a cliff and have angels come and rescue Him from death. Jesus answered and said “You shall not tempt the Lord your God”. The same reigns true today, don’t tempt God just because you’re righteous. If you are walking down the street at night in a bad neighborhood and you say I’m going to walk down this dark alley because I am a child of God and He is protecting me and will rescue me from anything. I would first say use a little wisdom, don’t deliberately put yourself in a bad situation where you would need to be rescued from your own stupidity. The Holy Spirit is here to teach us, to lead us and guide us into all truth; it’s not the other way around.

Third, you have to respect the guidance of the Holy Spirit even if you don’t understand it. Holy Spirit knows more than you do about yourself. If the Holy Spirit says turns left, turn left no questions asked. Questions beget curiosity, curiosity begets doubt, and doubt begets disobedience. Don’t be like Adam in the garden and get too curious about something that the Holy Spirit is leading you away from. Is it ok to ask the Holy Spirit for confirmation about certain things; I think so just out of experience. But as you mature as a Christian your level of trust will increase and questions and curiosity about certain things that you used to question will no longer boggle your mind.

Just flow in the Holy Spirit and give Him total and full control of your life.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Flow in Your Gift!

2009-12-21T14:06:00.001-06:00

Romans 12:4-8 (NLT)
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Each of us has been instilled with unique gifts and abilities that God has given us. Paul is saying here that whatever gift we have been given then we should put it to use. Sometimes we can get caught up in comparing ourselves to others…I could never do that, I could never speak like that, I don’t have resources like they do, etc.

But what we have to remember is that we are not anyone else. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to anyone else. We have our own gifts inside. There are people out there that we can touch because of what God has put on the inside of us. If we are trying to be someone else then we will miss those opportunities.

The scripture says that we all have a different work to do within the body. An arm can’t be a foot, and the shoulder can’t become the hand, etc. We each have to function in our appropriate places otherwise the body does not function together.

I want each of you to remember you are all unique and different. You each have your own special gifts and talents, so embrace those and be who God created you to be. It’s time for each of us to rise up and begin to flow in our own gifts.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

You ARE Beautiful!

2009-12-18T12:29:00.001-06:00

Many of us have grown up with the pressures of the world all around us. On television, in magazines, on billboards are endless images of what “beauty” is. Many of us have grown up not feeling good enough, not pretty enough. Some have been called fat, or ugly. Some have been told that they would never amount to anything, or they were good for nothing. Some have been abused, neglected, and rejected. As we grew up, images and words have shaped our worlds. As we became teens and adults many times those things have held us back from fully becoming who we were created to become. Some have not been able to see past those images and words, and see the true beauty of who they are.

As we have gone through these pressures, many of us have tried to make ourselves beautiful by the world’s standard; some through makeup, some through plastic surgery, and some have starved themselves. Other’s have tried to find their validation in other people, finding someone to make them feel like they are beautiful or worth something. The problem with these things is that they are just temporary fixes. Makeup will wash off, once you start with the plastic surgery, you will find more and more “flaws”. People can leave, and when they go, the sense of beauty and self-worth go with them. It’s time for us to begin to believe what God said about us, and begin to let Him renew our mind (Romans 12:2), and let Him frame our world (Hebrews 11:3), instead of allowing the media and people to frame our world.

Remember we were all made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), and He said that what He created is GOOD (Genesis 1:31)!

Psalm 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For [the LORD] does not [see] as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I am here to tell you today that each and every one of you is beautiful. You were created with a purpose, you were chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)! God does not make mistakes, He is a master creator! He is the ultimate artist! Everything He has created is beautiful, we just have to begin to see beauty by God’s standard, and not see beauty by man’s standard. Only an awesomely creative God could make so many different people and make them all unique and distinctive. How boring would it be if we all looked alike! I want each of you to begin to celebrate who you are, celebrate what God gave you. If you have not been able to see the beauty within yourself before, ask God to show you. Ask Him to reveal you to yourself through His eyes. Allow yourself to see the beauty that He created which is YOU!

I’m going to leave you with this song by Jonny Diaz called More Beautiful You…

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake
And she’s always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true
And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
There could never be, a more beautiful you.

God Bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Renew your mind

2009-12-17T14:19:00.003-06:00

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Yesterday I was thinking about the human mind and what it is capable of. The human mind is one of the most mysterious places in the universe; the human mind is capable of doing things that we cannot even conceive right now. As humans we only use a fraction of the percentage of our minds.

The bible says that we are to renew our mind to the things that concern God using His Word as a tool for doing so. When people read this scripture I think they overlook the seriousness that it entails, it is telling us to renovate our minds, to get out all of the things that have brought harm into our lives through wrong thinking and teaching, and be totally transformed in our beings. Renewing your mind is way more than just reading the Word of God and applying it but rather reading the Word of God and living it, becoming it. The Word is made flesh through you and me.

Just think about it for a minute; why are terrorists, terrorists’; because someone or something changed their minds to conform to what they know now. Why is a member of the KKK a member of the KKK; because they were taught to hate. Why don’t atheists believe; because they were never taught or because they were taught wrongly. Why are you the way you are (not saying that’s a bad thing) because when you were young you were taught the traditions of your family and you essentially became what you saw or were taught. Some people became what they saw or were taught and it wasn’t good, they became alcoholics, abusers, abused, etc… on the other hand some had a good upbringing and became loving members of their households as a result of good examples.

What I am getting at is that whatever you continually allow your mind to be consumed with that is what you will become. It’s very powerful. As Christians we have to be renewed and transformed by the Word of God like never before, let God’s Word totally engulf your being and your thoughts. It takes more than just reading but rather living it also.

I pray this has been a blessing on your life.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

What do you desire?

2009-12-16T10:28:00.003-06:00

Next Friday we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus. Many people use this time of the year for the own desires of their flesh. Since beginning to have the revelation of relationship with God and what that actually means I notice that some of the things that I once desired with my heart, I no longer do. Psalm 37:4 tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord that He will give us the desires of our heart.

What does this mean? The first part of the scripture says that we are to first delight ourselves in the Lord. This means more than just singing and praying and feeling happy that God is in control. The word delight there means to be soft or pliable. So in order to obtain our hearts desires first we must be at a point where we are ready and willing to be molded by the Lord no matter what that entails.

Now, before I came to this revelation my hearts desires consisted of a new Mercedes Benz cls 550, a big house, a lot of money; you can figure out where this is going. As a result of being in relationship with the Lord I still do desire these THINGS but there not my heart’s desire anymore. The desires of my heart now consist of do the will of God for my life, helping people all over the world through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, I want to do what God wants me to do.

I could have only come to point in my life by letting God mold me into the man that He called me to be. Now as for the material THINGS, God knows what we like and what we want and He is providing them for Tracy and I, but there’s an order you must go through if you consider yourself to be on Gods team. Matthew 6:33 tells us to first seek the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all these THINGS will be added unto you.

So as we enter the Christmas week let’s really think about the things that we desire that are in our hearts. The key words there are “in your heart”.

If you look at the life of King Solomon, God asked Him one day what He wanted. Solomon answered the Lord correctly and asked for wisdom that he may judge Gods people, and as a result the THINGS that people work for so hard for like wealth and riches were added unto Him effortlessly. 2 Chronicles 1:11

I pray this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Through Tough Times

2009-12-14T15:48:00.003-06:00

Hello KVM family! I just wanted to bring a word of encouragement this morning. In this last month or two I have been hearing many stories of struggle and loss. From financial, to marital, to family, to children. People have been laid off, lost homes, and lost loved ones, and just been going through some stuff.

I know through these tough times some people have distanced themselves from God, or become bitter, angry, depressed, or felt like they had lost their faith, but I’m here to tell you this morning that no matter what you’ve been going through God is with you and your faith is intact. Even if you haven’t felt His presence in the natural, even if it seems as things have only gotten worse. He has been by your side through this whole process, and I want us as we go through these things to begin to take a different perspective. Let us be like the three Hebrew boys in the book of Daniel. They did not follow the norms of the world, they would not bow down and worship an idol, no matter what the world said for them to do, and no matter how bad things had gotten.

We must have this same attitude, that no matter what happens in our lives we will not conform to the ways of the world, we will not listen to the people of the world’s advice on what to do when things go wrong, we will not have bad attitudes in tough times, we will not try to hustle and go out there making things happen on our own, we will not let go of God and begin trusting in man, instead let us do as they did. They did not complain, they were not angry at God, nor did they forsake Him when they were being persecuted, instead this is what they did when Nebuchadnezzar threatened them…

Daniel 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that [is] [the case], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver [us] from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Then the three of them were thrown in the fire, but instead of being burned up, this is what the king saw…

Vs 25
Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

Then the king called them out of the fire…

Vs. 27
And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

After that the King blessed God because he saw what He had done, and made a decree that no one could speak against God, and then the Hebrew boys were promoted. So we can see from this story an attitude of total trust in God. They knew that no matter what they were going through that God would be there with them, and He was. So through this matter not only were they delivered and came out free and not smelling like smoke, through watching what they went through the king and the people of the land came to God and blessed Him, and not only that, after their ordeal was over they got promoted!

Glory to God, it’s all about attitude and trust today people of God, just as God delivered these three Hebrew boys He will deliver each one of you! So continue to walk through, continue to keep a good attitude as you go through because whether you realize it or not you are ministering to the people that are watching you, and through your actions they could be drawn to God just as the king was. And know and believe that God has something Good for you; He has plans to prosper you just as He did with the 3 Hebrew boys. So be encouraged people of God, we will make it through and we will come out the other side even greater! God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Signs and Wonders

2009-12-11T12:49:00.002-06:00

Signs and Wonders are acts that God uses to display His power. I think that signs and wonders are more for the non-believer and the new person in Christ than they are for the mature believer. Just think about it when you first came to Christ, you probably needed a little convincing.

Some people are drawn in by a miraculous event, say you were sick and instantly you were healed. As a result of that move of the power of God, you believed. Some of us didn’t have to see anything to believe, we just believed the words that the person ministering to us were indeed true.

There are believers in the church today that base their relationship with God off of signs and wonders. They’re always looking for something supernatural to happen, and when they don’t see any of that, they say that the presence of God wasn’t there in the place. When they pray they beg God for a holy visitation and when they do experience something like the presence of a glory cloud or something supernatural then their extra happy because “God showed up”.

This kind of behavior and thought process is immaturity on the behalf of that person. God does use natural manifestations such as glory clouds, sweet smelling scents, and other supernatural events from time to time. I believe that theses manifestations are more for the non-believers in the crowd because God knows that most people need to see first before they believe.

My standpoint on the matter is this: whether or not I experience those supernatural manifestations I know who God is and that He is real, and most importantly I know who I am in Christ and that I have a relationship with my creator. When I pray and if I don’t see a natural manifestation come in the room like a glory cloud I’m not down and out because I didn’t think God showed up. God is always around, when I am praying, when I am sleeping, when I am in church, when I am in my home. I don’t need a supernatural event to prove that God is with me.

When we come to that revelation that God is the I Am that I Am we will begin to experience God on a whole new level whether we see manifestations of Him in the natural or not.

Just because you experience signs and wonders this alone doesn’t make your relationship with God increase. The children of Israel experienced signs and wonders every day, yet they still defied God and turned their back on Him. So don’t get stuck on the supernatural, get caught up in the relationship instead.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Rekindle the Flames

2009-12-10T13:23:00.003-06:00

Lately I’ve been listening to this song by David Crowder called “How He loves”. It is a powerful song that gets into your spirit about the love of God. A few of the lyrics go like this…

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

When you begin to allow God’s love to wash over you it is an amazing experience. It is freeing and cleansing. You begin to see God and yourself in a different perspective. You begin to truly understand what God has done for you and the sacrifice that Jesus made with His own life (John 3:16). You begin to open your heart to God. You begin to hear God more clearly. Your life changes when you allow God’s love to consume you, and when you release back your love to Him. It becomes a love affair between you and your Creator. If you’ve felt like you’ve become distant from God, or have gotten away from that place of passion like you had when you were first saved then it’s time to rekindle the flames. Just as in a natural relationship if you’ve been with someone for years sometimes things can get routine or the passion can begin to dwindle, or you can begin to take that person for granted and not do the things you used to do. The same happens with many people and their relationship with God, they get comfortable in routine, they lose the fire and the passion, and they don’t do the same things they used to do with and for God. So just as you have to make an effort in that natural relationship to get things back to the place they used to be, as do you in your relationship with God. You have to begin again to get to His heart. You have to begin again to spend time with Him just bearing your all to Him. You have to spend time listening to Him. You have to sing to Him and worship Him. Remember that no matter what, He loves you and He is right there just waiting on you; His desire is to be close to you. So I just want to encourage everyone out there today that might have lost the passion, or maybe it’s just died down some, to rekindle the flames today, allow God’s love to saturate your being, and be changed.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Why? Why? Why?

2009-12-09T12:12:00.004-06:00

I think this is one of the most common questions that people ask God; why, why, why? Why God did you let this terrible thing happen to me? Why God am I being challenged so hard? Why God did you let my family member die? God I thought you loved me, I thought that you were my protector and comforter. Why Lord why?

Throughout life many situations take place, some good and some bad; for believers especially we think that because we are on Gods side that we are totally removed from challenges in the world, not true. Situations may happen to believers that are indeed unjust, cruel, and just plain evil. When situations happen to us that we feel aren’t supposed to happen, instead of asking God or blaming God, how about we do a self analysis.

1. Is this situation a result of something I brought on myself?
2. Could this situation have been avoided if I would have asked God first?
3. Could this situation have been avoided if I obeyed Gods command in the beginning?
4. Is this situation indeed from God to teach me and mature me?
5. Or is this just something that happened as a result of living life?

As Christians we always tend to put the blame on God for letting certain things happen to us when in fact some times we are the ones to blame. Now, there are times when things happen and you had nothing to do with it; maybe in fact it was something unjust. Does being a Christian make you exempt from unjust situations; no not at all. Many people in the Bible were victims of unjust situations, Stephen was killed unjustly. Now, does this mean that we are to live in fear of challenges in the world; no not at all because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.

We’ve been reading the book The Shack lately and this was a quote from the book that kind of ties into why things just happen sometimes. No it’s not from the Bible, but it gives a perspective that makes you think…

God talking..."Nobody knows what horrors I have saved the world from 'cause people can't see what never happened. All evil flows from independence, and independence is your choice. If I were to simply revoke all the choices of independence, the world as you know it would cease to exist and love would have no meaning. This world is not a playground where I keep all my children free from evil. Evil is the chaos of this age that you brought to me, but it will not have the final say. Now it touches everyone I love, those who follow me and those who don't. If I take away the consequences of people's choices, I destroy the possibility of love. Love that is forced is no love at all."

God wants us to live glorious lives full of peace, joy, and righteousness. When something negative does happen to us, because of His love for us, there is always something that God uses in that situation to our benefit (Romans 8:28).

Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)
Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Whatever happens to you in the world never let it take away your peace, or your joy. God is and will always be on your side. Don’t live life inside of a box thinking that you’re going to be protected. Get out and live life to the fullest, it’s ok to go out and have fun. What non-believer wants to look at a boring, religious Christian as their example of Christ?

Know that God has your back.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Self-Righteousness

2009-12-07T11:47:00.003-06:00

As believers sometimes we may believe that what we have worked for all of our lives and what God has blessed us with is a sign of our righteousness with The Father. We have to be careful not to cross the line of self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is exactly what it says it is; a person is self-righteous when they start judging their good standing with God with the things they have accumulated on this earth.

In the book of Job, this was a mindset that Job had and it took repentance on his part to change his thoughts about God.

Job 19:9 (NKJV)
He has stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head.

When Job went through his trials and everything that he worked so hard for throughout his life was no longer there, he immediately attributed that to his not being righteous in the sight of God anymore. The things on this earth that you have gained don’t make you righteous. You might say, “but God has given me all of these blessings.” Absolutely true, God has indeed poured out blessings on your life, but that is not what makes you righteous. When a person gets in the mindset of self-righteousness after that mindset comes another mindset, the one in which you think God owes you something.

Job said that God had stripped him of his own glory. It’s was never our glory to begin with, it is and will always be Gods glory that is upon our lives. Job also says in 31:4 (NKJV) “Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?” Job is saying, isn’t God looking at all the good things I do on this earth; this is a form of pride that Job is displaying. Again you’re not righteous because of your good deeds, if that were the case no one would be able to hold onto Gods righteousness because we all have sinned.

You are righteous before God because when you decided to dedicate your life to His ways, you were created in it (Ephesians 4:24 NKJV). When God made you He accepted you because you were formed by Him and God don’t make junk. Throughout life God may not approve of some of the things you do, but that doesn’t change how He views you as His child.

So I’m saying if you have experienced some sort of loss or mishap in your life don’t think that God is not with you and that He has given up on you. As long as you seek Him, He will be found by you. Every experience we go through in life, good or bad; there is something to be learned. That’s what life in Christ is about; learning, maturing, and being obedient to God.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Who You are in Christ

2009-12-02T11:30:00.002-06:00

One out of many things we can learn from Jesus is that He knew who He was. In the body of Christ and in the world we are stuck in an identity crisis that is why we are not walking in the fullness of who God created us to be. Jesus knew who He was in all aspects that is why He could speak with boldness, that is why He could heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. That is why He could preach and proclaim things with wisdom and knowledge, all because He knew who He was. As believers before we can truly help others to the fullest capability in which we were created to do, we have to begin to know who we are and accept who we are in Christ…

You are righteous- Philippians 3:9
You are free from condemnation- Romans 8:1-2
You are free from sin- Romans 6:6-7
You are healed- 1 Peter 2:24
You are loved- 1 John 4:9-10
You are chosen- Ephesians 1:3-8
You are God’s workmanship- Ephesians 2:10
You have been redeemed and forgiven- Colossians 1:13-14
You are free- Galatians 2:4
You are created for good works- Ephesians 2:10
You are an heir of God- Romans 8:17

These are just a few of the things that each one of us becomes when we give our lives over to Christ. I want to encourage each of you as you read the word see yourself in it, meditate on it, and begin to discover who you now are in Christ so that you can begin to walk in the fullness of who God created you to be.

God bless!

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Free to Choose

2009-12-01T12:46:00.001-06:00

To me, what makes God so awesome is that He gives us the freedom of choice, to follow Him or follow our own vanities. I remember when I was younger and I thought if I had everything I wanted that I would be happy. I went out trying to find happiness in all sort of things; from money, to different women, drinking and partying, material things, status, friends, the list goes on. Every time I would try something new my flesh would be satisfied for awhile but then I would go back to feeling unhappy and depressed.

All along the answer to my eternal happiness was right there all the time just waiting for me to come to the acknowledgement of Him. In all my highs and lows God was always continually speaking to me; sometimes I listened and sometimes I didn’t. The times that I didn’t listen I usually brought some negative situation into my life that I usually ran straight back to God for. When I would ask Him for help He would supply but the help was usually in the form of peace from within.

When we get into bad situations that we bring on ourselves we usually ask God to rectify it for us. Say for example you’re deep in credit card debt and the collectors are calling left and right, we ask God for help and he supplies it, maybe in the form of a strategy to help pay down the debt, or he gives us peace that the situation is going to be ok. On the other hand we were looking for God to miraculously cancel the debt in one instant. God surely can do that but what does that teach you, all that does is enables the same behavior that got you in debt in the first place.

We are Gods children and He is our Father; and as our Father one of the things He does best is teaches us/matures us. I had reached a point in my life where I was tired of messing up, so I took a stand point that from that point on I would ask God before leaping out on my own and trying to gain happiness through vanities. Since I started to do that my life has totally changed, I’m happy when I’m down, I have joy in the times of trouble, and I have more understanding of God and my purpose. Do I still make mistakes, of course I do; but I like to think that I avoid more mistakes than making them.

For me it all boils down to this:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NKJV)
Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

It’s just that simple, and through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ we are now redeemed from the curse of death (spiritual death), ain’t life grand? Not too hard to live by, everything else will come into alignment.

Vanity: The futile emptiness of trying to be happy apart from God.

I pray this has been a blessing on your life.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

Promises

2009-11-30T12:43:00.002-06:00

2 Chronicles 15:2 (NKJV)…The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

The other day I was thinking about all of the negative situations that are taking place in the world right now; from the different types of diseases to the fighting that is going on in the different nations. As I begin to think of the root of some of these calamities it dawned on me of where most of this could stem from.

The first thing people want to do is blame the devil, people say that the devil is causing all of the chaos and evil things. I beg to differ; I believe that as a result of people forsaking God this is just a result of what happens. The Bible is full of promises from God, but we tend to only focus on the ones that are good to us. We only see the ones that talk about wealth, health, and prosperity. In the Bible there are what I call consequential promises.

Consequential promises produces by-products of not obeying the condition of the original promise stated. The Lord says that He will never forsake you, He will never forsake you if you walk in His ways and follow His ways; if we don’t obey Him and do not walk in His way and put Him to the back of our minds than a consequence of that action is produced as stated in the above scripture in 2 Chronicles 15:2.

Now, if you are obedient, walk in His ways than you produce the good fruit of the promise; He will never leave nor forsake you, you will be blessed, and you shall prosper. The more you pour of yourself into God the more He pours Himself into you. The more attention you give Him, the more attention He will give you. The Bible says if you seek Him than you will find Him.

Just take a look at all of the nations that have forsaken the one and true God. North Korea for example is not a Christian State and they are very poor, the people suffer under the works of evil; now let’s look at their neighbors to the South. South Korea has a strong Christian following although they are not the wealthiest nation around but they are blessed and much further along than North Korea. Take a look at the countries in the East that are mostly Muslim; there’re going through some of the worst times in their existence; they have forsaken the one and true God.

Even though these nations don’t seek God as a majority there are a small few who do recognize God, and Jesus as their Lord and savior; the Word is being preached and persecuted at the same time. I think it’s very important to pray for those in those persecuted nations that are preaching the Word of God.

Now, let’s look at our house. North America is one of the wealthiest nations in the entire world. I don’t think this is just by coincidence. This nation was founded on the principle, “One Nation Under God”. The founding fathers of the United States may have not known their true identity in Christ but they did know without God it wasn’t possible. Today many North Americans have swayed away from that very key principle and as a result many people in this country are lost and wandering searching for the meaning of their lives. The meaning of life is simple, its one word; God. We have been blessed as a nation and we will continue to be blessed because there are many in this country that believe in the power of prayer and who recognize God as the one and only God.

God is raising up many people to take His Kingdom message all over the globe, those countries that once persecuted Christians will begin to accept Us and moreover have their minds renewed to the word of God.

We have to start seeing the earth as God and His angels see it, even though there is much destruction going on, God and the angels of Heaven don’t see that, they know what’s going on but they are saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3 NKJV)

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

FYI… If you are indeed in the Chicago area, I will be speaking this Thursday 12/3/09 at CRC (Crossroads Restoration Church) in West Chicago at 7:00pm. The address is 245W. Roosevelt Rd. West Chicago, IL 60185, (630)562-3073.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email us at: lifeword@kingdomvizion.org