Why Is It So Difficult To Encourage?

For the last five days I have been traveling in Eastern Europe with my spiritual mentor and co-laborer Lee Grady in a city just inside the western Romanian border in a city called Oradea meeting with Christian leaders, pastors, and missionaries encouraging them to continue the work of God. Spending time hearing the local struggles and difficulties they face and the walls of religion and denomination power struggles begs to ask a simple question: Why is it so difficult to encourage sisters and brothers in Christ who live in the same city yet we cannot reach out and hold a prayer meeting or conference together? Even as far as not visiting with local leaders from the same church to just affirm, encourage, and support their passion for the Lord. I believe its time to break the spirit of spiritual pride, elitism, and religious domination so that we can let the Holy Spirit teach us humility, love, and grace.

Where are the spiritual fathers?
Apostle Paul was trying to model the concept of being spiritual fathers to the church in Corinth when he wrote to them saying, "for though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me." Christian laborers young and old, European and American, women and men, feel discouraged at the lack of affirmation and encouragement that must be poured into their hearts. One common phrase that I hear very often among many many leaders is that I never had a spiritual father. What blocks this? Why is being a well known teacher, evangelist, author, or pastor so heavily pursued yet thousands of spiritual daughters and sons are left abandoned and orphaned spiritually. The bottom line is we need each other to not only further the gospel of Jesus Christ but to have deep, genuine, and heartfelt relationships in the Christian walk.

Being Relational is Vital
I have been greatly blessed to have met young men in Oradea who travel great distances to not only be taught God's Word but just have the opportunity to spend time talking and hearing and feeling encouragement. I believe it is vital to be relational in our relationships and have the humility and love to just be with people who need even a hug. Have we as Christian leaders become so full of pride that we can only focus on the ministry work and not on those who minister? I challenge you to invest into the lives of others relationaly.  Find someone and mentor them. Be proactive in pouring encouragement into each other. There is never " too much" encouragement. I heard at times that if we encourage someone too much they may get too prideful. That's a cold heart of religion. It is the heart of Jesus to be with people and love them!

Our conversations should not make us look hyper spiritual but simple and approachable. There is one example of one minister in Hungary, where i am currently ministering, that a local pastor shared with me how this minister went to heaven and met with the apostle Paul. Not only did he claim he met with him but that Apostle Paul laid hands on him and anointed him as a prophet to Hungary. The discernment should be evident to us that this minister is so clothed with praise and adoration that he is so spiritual that only apostle Paul can commission him into the prophetic ministry. There has been too much praise of men, yes Christian men, that the regular Christian has an extremely hard time relating. Friends, be full of faith, love, humility, patience, and let your life be surrounded by spiritual sons and daughters in whom you pour encouragement.

It is not difficult to encourage those who are weary and wounded. Just start! Let people have easy access to you, so they can not only hear and feel encouragement but also see it with their eyes. Christians, especially in America, have shifted to a selfish and me only mentality. We have become lazy and conceited in finding the needs of those around us and pouring encouragement out. Job is a perfect example of everything that went wrong in his life and yet he found the love to bless his friends that were accusing him of being sinful in his actions. The book of Job gives us a model in chapter 42 verse 10, "and the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."

Challenge
Encourage those around you! Become a spiritual father or mother to those that need the love and compassion and support of God the Father! Invest time being with people! It is more important to be relational than to prosper in ministry. Jesus wants our heart and he wants each of our lives to reflect His heart and His love. Encourage someone today!

Twitter: @PaulMuzichuk

Holy Spirit Teach Us To Love

According to the world population clock there are 7,127,160,367 people living in this world as of July 4, 2013. In that number is you and me, your neighbors, your peers, your friends, your family, the gas station attendant, your supermarket cashier, and billions more! They come from many countries, different languages, variety of cultural traditions, from white to mocha to black skin colors, all with a unique and complete originality about them. Each one of these people desire one thing in common, pure love. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are told that people will see the love of God when they observe how we, as Christians, love one another. What makes us stop loving one culture from the next? Why do we passionately love, care, and bless those with the same language or same church name or same denomination or even same Bible college name yet find things inside our heart that has no compassion for an impoverished family in a different region or a church leader in a different denomination or a young person who dresses and speaks in unrecognizable tones to you?

Unconditional Love 
I am so happy that Jesus did not love me because I belonged to a denomination or a seminary but loved me unconditionally with an everlasting love. The Bible teaches us that Christ loved you and me when were yet still sinners! Hallelujah! Jesus saved me, became my best friend for the pure love of God was in Him. It moved His heart with compassion to serve a world that failed to show mercy, kindness, and love. Jesus teaches us how to love ALL the world!

What has happened to us as followers of Jesus Christ that we have become so divided,  prejudice, and self-serving? We have denominations and affiliations that keep order and structure yet draw lines in the sand to determine are these outside folks or churches or organizations "clean" enough to shake hands with. We pretend to love the world and the world sees our disguise. Thousands of church leaders and pastors have fallen prey to hurtful discouragement and wounds because we see a microscopic vision of God's love. We want to love those that adore, love, and respect us. However, Jesus reminded us we receive our reward already here on earth if we only love those who do the same in return. As Christians we have become unresponsive to our selfish motives and we need the unconditional love and grace of the precious Holy Spirit to move us to love people who desperately are seeking it in this world of sin and hurt.

Break Pride via Servant-Humility
Masking your pride and conceit will only lead you to a dungeon of despair and personal torment. Have you ever met a Christian person or leader who wreaked from pride all over? You could smell it in the dialogue, in the careless attitude towards you,  and in the selfish wants not needs they had for themselves for you to do. How do we break this in our generation? We must learn to be humble and servant minded to ALL people. That means praying for ALL types of people, caring for them, befriending them, genuinely having a heart felt conversation and not just the regular "God loves you" Christian slogan. Get personal with people and let them SEE the love of God. It is time we stop our endless meetings and start conversations with real people that need real help from the real source which is Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit!

I challenge you to inventory your circle of relationships and ask yourself the following:
Do I love them mostly because they love me?
Do I initiate friendships or do I wait for the friend to come to me?
Can I love every nation, every people, every race?
Jesus, examine my motives inside my heart and teach me by your Holy Spirit to love ALL people!

Twitter: @PaulMuzichuk

Pornography for Women: 50 Shades of Grey

If we as Christians stay silent to social, ethical, moral, religious, and even political issues in our time then all boundaries of faith, purity, and righteousness will be washed away and forgotten for generations to come. We must not only preach salvation and faith but purity and consecration too. Our task at hand is to awaken slumbering believers to realize the dangers of spiritual apathy and the agony of sin it causes in ones life. One specific area I want to address is a series of books that have been circulating in Christian homes, specifically women's hands. It's a book series called 50 Shades of Grey.

According to the books publisher, Random House, they say, " it sold 70 million copies of the trilogy between the series' March 2012 debut in the US and December of that year. That figure includes print copies, audio books, and e-books sold in English, Spanish, and German." What's even more astonishing is that in a recent article by the Christian Science Monitor they state, "Random House recently revealed its sales figures for the series – a number high enough to boost the publisher’s operating earnings (before taxes and interest) by 75 percent." This is one of the fastest selling trilogy books ever published and keeps growing in sales exponentially. We must stop and ask the question, why is that? Why would women, liberal and conservative, Christian and unbelievers, from all different nations continue to flock to this series? Could the lure be that of a deep longing sexual fantasy that still lingers inside the hearts? 

Pastor and 30 year veteran of social work and christian counseling, Mark Peters, shares his viewpoint on this subject: "Porn for women starts more from an emotional point.  The guy in the movies is cute, seems like he would treat a women right, what a women is looking for in a man.  This is still fantasy and lust...  She may not be looking at his genitalia...but she most definitively is desiring him to take her away as Prince "Porn" Charming - the result would be sex.  Especially true of most of Hollywood movies - sex follows the attraction...  He has something her man does not: looks, body, talk, charm....interesting....it is still physical, all awhile starting in the emotions.  Remember Jesus said if we look after "woman[man]" to lust we have committed adultery." 
We are dealing with an epidemic of sexual perversion, elevated sexual fantasies, and a deterioration of righteous boundaries for purity. If we as the Church of Jesus Christ sweep issues under the rug we will come to find out the toxic effects of sexual sin and its practices. The first particular book deals with 50 different sexual positions the couple involve themselves to receive the highest pleasure and satisfaction. Thus, the title for the book '50 Shades of Grey'. 

More and more I hear discussions on the popularity of this book among Christian circles and even on a few occasions have seen this book inside the homes of Christian families. What continues to strike me with shock is how believers continue to approve, distribute, and even not see a problem with this type of writing. We must find ways to consecrate our minds and purify our hearts from the lures of the world. Jesus Christ did not die on the cross so we can continue to live willfully in sin, but He paid the price for our sin and gives us freedom from the stronghold of sin. Our hope is not in a sexual fantasy that degrades our mind, soul, and relationships but in the power of Jesus Christ and His love. 

Have you seen your friends, family, or peers reading this book? Have YOU personally read this book? 

Our assignment is not to condemn the world but to be free from it. We have no desire to bash those who rebel against the laws of purity but we do have a command to speak the gospel of truth. Our generation must have the willingness to fight against the Goliath of pornography in every form. Take heed friend that this is not reading material for the lover of Jesus Christ. This is a trap that entangles your heart and brings rebellion towards your spouse who will never fit the mold of the 'perfect sexual man' but will continue to divide until all is lost and destroyed.

Much Christian based warnings against porn has been geared towards men which is appropriate due to men's natural tendency towards sexual release. However, women have been entangled in this web of lies and deceit as well and both male and female need the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. I have learned in talking with many who have struggled with sexual sin that it takes accountability, perseverance  and most importantly a complete fruit of repentance change. We can all say a sinners prayer but will we allow the Holy Spirit to start changing and cleaning areas in our life that have been tormented by sin. Choose God's love and God's desire to make you whole emotionally. God still loves you!

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;" 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

Intimidated To Speak About Sin

We live in a unique and controversial period of time where much of the sin and its lustful pleasures that we hear on the news, radio, magazines, internet and the like has been foretold by the Holy Spirit inspired words of the Bible. We have prophets from the beginning of the Bible to the book of Revelations warning, reminding, teaching, exhorting us to stay faithful and be carriers of the truth of God. What has happened to the fervor of standing for the truth of God?  Have we become intimidated as disciples of Jesus Christ to speak of sin and its deadly effects? Are we trying just to change the terminology of the Gospel so people will not get offended? Is it possible we are too comfortable and used to our surrounding that we see no need to speak of God's truth and holiness?

Our approach, methods, and terminology may change but sinners will always remain sinners apart from the saving grace of our messiah Jesus Christ. If we dumb-down our message to make it more likable, more seeker-friendly, more nicer to the sinner than all we have done is let them find a comfortable seat on the road to hell. One example a major culture shift that has taken place is naming those who live in sin and rebellion to God as "unchurched" instead of sinners. It makes it sound more softer, more appealing, more relaxing to know that all I need is to find a church. But the truth is dear friend its not a church we need to find but Jesus Christ. Our society makes every effort to demote the "hurtful, mean-spirited, hateful" language of the Gospel. It's not our responsibility to make the world like us but to preach the Gospel in the whole counsel of God. It means we will be hated, we will be mocked and ridiculed, for Jesus has called the sinners not the righteous to repentance.

Ask yourself a personal question, do I conform to the world's standard of sin or do I speak on the Biblical definition of sin? Let me challenge you deeper, do you call sin in YOUR life a mistake, slip-up, error, or do you name it as sin and ask Jesus to forgive you? If we cannot be honest with our own heart, we cannot be honest with the world. Sin must be called sin not only in church or in the marketplace but in our mind, heart, and soul. God is after your heart and He sent Jesus Christ to cleanse you, forgive you, and renew you to live a righteous life. Don't let the temporary pleasures of the world dictate to you how you will live your life. Make the Word of God your standard, make your walk with God firm, and determine in your heart to speak truth not only to your friends and family but to your own heart.

We have many relationships we maintain. We have relationships in the family between parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, and relatives. We have relationships with friends, co-workers, bosses, teachers, church leaders, mentors, and such. We even have virtual relationships we maintain on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Emails, etc. But what is the most important and highly sought relationship?
The honest person relationship. Even when we don't like hearing it, it brings an understanding that they are telling the truth about our lives. God wants a people of honest lips and truthful hearts. We become those people when the TRUTH of God's Word is filling our own hearts. Do you know that all of us have good friends? Do you know that many of us have even best friends? But did you know why we focus many times on a best friend(one person)? Good friends say great things about us, best friends tell us the truth, but a BEST friend tells us the WHOLE truth about our lives. Yet, we still want to be them. Jesus Christ is our BEST friend and He speaks only truth in our lives. Let His voice be the voice you hear every day and it will give you hope, peace, and joy. Drown out the world and its callings and be a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.

Challenge:
Are you intimidated by your friends, co-workers, church peers, or even ministry partners to speak about sin?

What's more important to YOU, honesty or likability?

Invite the Holy Spirit to speak into your life today. When you discover sin, call it sin, name the sin, and ask Jesus to forgive the sin. For the Bible reminds us that when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free.

Be Blessed.

Avalanche of Childhood Wounds

If we look at this picture below, what thoughts and questions are racing in your mind? What are your emotions as you view the physical abuse? We all are human beings and sense pain in very similar ways and we all reflect the desire to help this child. If we see physical pain and cringe, why do we look the other way when we hear inner-soul wounds? 

Many childhood wounds stay with us into young adult years, marriage, middle-age, and even carry over into our senior years. Why? What makes us hold on to pain and reflect its brutal grip on us throughout our lifetime? Is it possible that emotional, sexual, and verbal abuse caused deeper wounds and scars than any physical violence ever could? 

Many of us encountered hurt and deep inner scarring  as a child growing up that is following us to this day. The stronghold of pain and its web of lies continues to undermine our faith and belief that Jesus Christ is powerful enough to set us free from ALL pain. We hear stories of sexual abuse, verbal anger lashed out at us, and even degrading ones life emotionally through the power of words, and hear how they overcame their struggles. Yet, we give our own lives, our own childhood areas of pain no chance for healing. The pain creates roots and starts to affect many layers of our lives from personal relationships to work conflict to depression symptoms. We cannot look the other way at the internal pain thousands of people including you and I have endured. We have hope in the news that Christ Jesus not only came to forgive our sins but to heal our brokenness and all of our pain. 

Internal Childhood Wounds That Need To Be Healed: 

1. Sexual abuses, inappropriately touched, forced to engage in acts, controlled by fear to continue the sexual acts. (Examples: Rape, peer intimidation, homosexual encounters, invite to porn, viewing sexual acts, forced to participate in sexual forms and positions, guilt and shame that carries itself with these things)

2. Verbal abuses, the use of derogatory words against your life, words and phrases like: stupid, dumb, weird, not normal, life without you is better, you are at fault, you have no meaning, you will never become what you want, you are a mistake, you failed, you are not strong enough, someone can do it better than you. 

3. Emotional abuses, the rejection and cold-shoulder effect of your life. For example, parents rejected you, your siblings thought of you as worthless, your friends bullied and made jokes of you, church members or leaders did not see raw talent so disregarded you, unacceptance of your peer group, constant desire for affirmation. 

If physical abuse is criminal and scorned in our society, why is the soul that moves us and gives us life worth less time and importance? The more I counsel and minister with people, the more I understand how deep internal pain and childhood wounds take its toll in the course of your life.

"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." -Romans 8:15. 

Father-God is willing and able to heal your pain, free your from fear, and give you boldness to live a life of supernatural freedom in the Holy Spirit. Are you willing to cry, "Abba, Father."? 

Jesus the Son of God does not want His bride walking in pain. He is gentle, kind, and loving and desires to touch EVERY area of our life so that it is a wellspring of life. Give God a chance to heal your childhood wounds. If man cannot understand the pain you went through, Jesus Christ can! 

If you would like prayer or additional counsel on a personal life experience feel free to contact me.
Email: Paul.Muzichuk@gmail.com
Facebook: Paul Muzichuk
Twitter: @PaulMuzichuk 

Desiring God ALONE

Psalm 62 has been my food for the soul for last few days. I see our society and the description of our condition in this psalm. Over and over and over David writes about waiting on God, trusting God, seeking God in the midst of a crooked and perverse people. I want to share my heart for I know you will see God in this too!

Psalm 62 (NKJV)
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
² He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.

³ How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
⁴ They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah

⁵ My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
⁷ In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

⁸ Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

⁹ Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
¹⁰ Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
¹² Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work.

Some personal thoughts I wrote down on each verse from what this psalm has been teaching me and it may teach you too.

1.       Close My Mouth! Not all my seeking God must be with a barrage of words but in cutting out distractions including my own words and just hearing the voice of Holy Spirit. Before I speak stay silent before the Lord.

2.       My Security is God! He is my rock because the foundation is unmovable, He is my salvation because I am saved by faith it is a gift, He is my defense for the military of legions of angels fight on my behalf. As a result I will not be moved! Wow.

3.       Protect the Abused! Verse 3 warns of constantly attacking people who are vulnerable and helpless just like a leaning wall that might break any minute. If I join in mocking, scorning, and abusing the poor, helpless, needy I will be punished by God. So this is a call to be the protector of the helpless!

4.       Persecution is Evident! This world will do everything it can to lie about God, lie about heaven, lie about purity, and with the same mouth they flatter and praise the humanitarian work of Christians yet in their hearts they curse the works of God. Trusting God alone is the only path. No prideful man, no sensual organization, no worldly entity will promote God but instead try to persecute the work of the righteous. (Example happening in our days: http://goo.gl/iGvdc )

5.       Peace in Crisis. While war and conflicts arise around the world, while terror is highlighted and death shown on television, while persecution and scorn is elevated, while fear and crisis arise I will be in full peace in my soul because God alone is my hope. Hallelujah!

6.       Holy Spirit Protection! My soul will not be influenced, swayed, or converted into the methods, strategies, and knowledge of the world because GOD ALONE protects my soul. I walk in faith and not fear knowing my soul is in perfect peace with God! Is your soul at peace with God?

7.       Honor Comes ONLY From God! It says He is my glory and in another translation it says He is my honor. True honor is knowing God personally. It is not degrees, career positions, business growth, or even church expansions, it is knowing the Lord Jesus Christ personally. If I want honor, I need to know Jesus.

8.       Be Real with God ALWAYS! We sin, we fail, we have struggles but that’s not the time to hide from God but pursue God. Our faith has to be strong enough to know that even when we sin knowingly, we can still communicate with God. Pour your soul out to Him. Not only at crusades, conferences, and special church events but in your kitchen table, your living room chair, your study room. God wants you always!

9.       All trust in men is worthless! Another version of verse 9 says, “Ordinary folks are merely a breath and important people a sham; if you lay them on a balance scale, they go up-both together are lighter than nothing.” Wow. All men “important” or “ordinary” when you put your trust in any man or women or leader or teacher put them on God’s scale he says its less than nothing. Think about that!

10.   Greed must be cutoff! God is not talking about how evil money is in verse 10 but how much greed is in the hearts of men that they are willing to literally rob people’s money, force their way into taking money away from you, and ultimately trusting in the increase of their wealth. This is our society! But the deeper question is, is this in MY heart??? We can point fingers but let’s examine our own motives and hearts. Is greed a part of my life?

11.   God is Influence! Strength is not determined by the muscles on our arms in the Bible but by the level of influence and impact one has over others. Bottom line in verse 11 is that GOD ALONE IS THE ULTIMATE INFLUENCE! TRUST GOD!

12.   God STILL Loves YOU! Mercy it says BELONGS to God. It is His! He rewards our deeds but in mercy. He doesn't “punish” me or you out of anger. It is always a form of discipline not punishment through the gateway of mercy. God loves you so much! The love of God is incredible! After describing all the heart of man in this psalm the conclusion is God still loves you, wants His mercy to be evident in your life, and desires you to know Him only! God is so good!

This should make you and I jump for joy that if we fully trust God, He will protect us, give us courage, inspire us, honor our lives, give us influence for the name of Christ, create a giving heart, and a life of passion and purpose to reach the world with the love of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! 

Song to Inspire your walk with God: 

Impact of Spiritual Fathers

I would like to introduce you to my three spiritual fathers who have been keeping me accountable, mentoring me, and encouraging me to reach the deepest levels of God. Having a spiritual father is one of the best things you can do for yourself apart from having parents. Best advice has been to find at least two spiritual fathers to keep praying for you, teaching you, and imparting their wisdom into your life. I was blessed to find three.

Apostle Paul was a prime example of finding spiritual sons and investing his time, energy, and resources to empower them for the kingdom of God. One of the closest relationships that he bonded was young Timothy and himself. In fact it was so close that the last New Testament letter written by Apostle Paul was not addressed to a church but to Timothy. His final letter was the second letter of Timothy. It was his wisdom and love being poured out to pass the torch of living faith into the next leader. This should be our example also.

Pastor Len Showalter, President of Len Ministries, Inc.| Jacksonville, FL 

Pastor Len and I met in June 2005 in Jacksonville, FL when I just moved down with my two brothers to serve in a local Slavic church called Living Stream Church. Pastor Len has been pouring encouragement, prayers, training, wisdom, and ministry advice from that time until present day. I am very thankful for his generous heart and loving spirit that has helped me pass through some difficult days personally. He has been a great source of inspiration in my years growing in the ministry. Despite his schedule and ministry obligations he always finds time to talk with me when I need it most. He is a true spiritual father. His heart is to win souls for Jesus Christ and to train and equip members in the body of Christ to effectively present the gospel to unbelievers. My wife, Maria, and I have completed 13 week training that completely equips us to share our faith. One nugget of wisdom I have learned from Pastor Len: be accessible to ALL people. Believers or unbelievers they need personal time with you. Spend it on people not yourself.

Pastor Mark Peters, Founder of Siloah House Ministries|Wilmington, OH 

Pastor Mark and I met in a pure God-sent way. During the July 4th weekend in 2010 he flew down to Jacksonville with my sister Anna and having never met anyone one of our family members prior to this, brought us a word the Lord had spoken to him about specific needs in our family. The Lord used him in healing areas in the family. It sparked a wonderful and fruitful relationship that has been growing to this day. As a spiritual father, he has been a great influence in uncovering my skills and talents that I had never noticed. He helps navigate me into areas of past pain, hurt, and wounds and with the ministry of the Holy Spirit restores those areas. At any moment and time he will be ready to pray for me upon request. At times, he just calls and prays over me to encourage me throughout the day. His heart is set on teaching God's Word on the Father's heart for His people. His message on how the Father heart of God is so evident and needed in our days is visible with the first sentence you speak with him. I thank God for sending this spiritual father into my life. One nugget of wisdom Pastor Mark has taught me: Be authentic and transparent. This world has too many wanna be's and imitators but God has created you and I original and unique. Be what God made you.

Rev. Lee J. Grady, Director of The Mordecai Project| Lake Mary, FL 

Lee and I met at a leadership conference in Orlando, FL in April of 2012. He was the keynote speaker and when he talked about discipleship he showed a picture of a Russian friend of mine from Philadelphia, PA on the PowerPoint.  As soon as I came up and we began to talk we had an immediate Holy Spirit connection of hearts. Since that time to present day he has been deeply pouring his heart, life, and wisdom into my life. We spent time together in Columbia on missions and bonded so deeply that he invited me to work with him at The Mordecai Project and Bold Venture Discipleship Conferences as the international field director. His passion for investing into young men is unprecedented. His spiritual father heart is burning to empower young spiritual sons with spiritual fathers and for the hearts of the younger and older generations to unite. Lee's humility and reverence for God continues to teach me how important it is to leave the hoopla of a name and draw from Jesus alone. One nugget of wisdom I have learned from Lee is: advocate for the poor, oppressed, and abused; character is worth more than anointing; invest in other people younger than yourself. (Lee ministers around the world with a message of confronting the global abuse of woman, empowering them, and transforming nations.)

Spiritual fathers are gifts from God. I thank God for these three men who daily influence my life for Jesus Christ.

If you do not have a spiritual father or mother in your life, simply pray and ask for one. That's what I did and the Lord brought more than I requested into my life. He will fill your life with men and women of God who can help shape you to be bold for Jesus Christ.

In the words of Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy: "You therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."