Sorry there have not been any posts lately. My entire writing focus has been on my book that is soon to be released (hopefully by our 220Conference June 22-24). Starting today I will begin posting excerpts from my book that will give you a taste of what is coming. Extreme passion to be a disciple of Christ is going to consume you as you read these little rough drafts of what God is birthing in my spirit. Below is the opening paragraph from my chapter entitled “Committed to His will”. Enjoy!….

The Cross, the Cross, the Cross! We need the Cross every day of our lives. It is the anchor of our souls. It keeps us from drifting into the lazy waters of compromise or the rapids of youthful lust. This same marvelous Cross is also the compass for our Christian lives and the symbol of our quest. It is the central point of all humanity and the magnet that draws everyone to its gruesome reality. Once we have embraced a life of brokenness and surrender at the Cross, we can now move forward without the evil shadow of selfish ambition constantly plaguing our attempts at obedience to Christ. We can break free from fulfilling our own agendas and desires while daring to put it all under the banner of our “destiny”. So many times good hearted people spend years chasing after things they think are the will of God, and when it ends in mess or disaster, they get bitter and never attempt to follow God’s will again. It is like a young man who sees a young woman he greatly desires but she is not someone whose in time or step with him spiritually. He marries her because he thinks it is the will of God and then, when it ends in disaster, blames God and never cares to hear of God’s plan for his life again. This may seem to be an extreme example but in so many ways this happens every day (much to the delight of the enemy).

Dearly beloved, it is with great joy and rejoicing that I write to you on the 2nd anniv. of my dear Amy’s homegoing. Where would I be without the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ my Lord and the prayers, support, and unending love of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ? I could not have made it, for sure!!! You know in a time like this it is so good to take a moment and reflect on what God has done. He is such a good God! He is Faithful and True. His Word remains the same forever. This I know, the same Jesus that died for my sins is coming back for a pure Bride without spot or blemish and all my trials and tribulations will be only preparation for the unspeakable joys prepared for me and all who love Him dearly.

I received an email early this morning from my good friend Doctor Chauncey Crandall of West Palm Beach, Fla. In this email, he reminded me of his son Chad (who passed away of cancer in 04) and my wife Amy. He encouraged me to keep the fight, which I most certainly will! As I was reflecting on their lives the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “They are sitting in glory watching and praying for your faith.” WOW! All that matters now to them is my faith. They don’t sorrow or feel the pain that we feel here on earth but are totally conscious of every act we commit that is motivated by faith in Jesus Christ. For those of you who have lost loved ones that are now in heaven please take comfort in this Biblical fact. Your faith is all that matters now! Don’t miss your opportunity to please Jesus (cause He can only be pleased by faith Heb. 11:6) or to give them a reason to shout and dance on the golden streets.

Ok, enough preach… you wanna know how I am doing, right? Well, the Lord is doing amazing things in my heart and life. There was definitely a winter of death that was passed through (notice passed through like that valley of the shadow of death David was talking about!) but now the Lord has brought a spring time to my life once again. Fresh vision, fresh mission, fresh life, and some other really good stuff (that isn’t your business!) is flowing like a river right now.
Coming into Deluge 7 (Feb 14-16) there is more direction and revelation than ever before in my spirit. I had no idea that Deluge would forever become connected to the passing of dear Amy but it was like the Lord was giving me a way to honor her life with a festival that honors Him. The pain of her death is mostly gone and now the honor of her memory remains WITH the ability to praise Jesus through it all and glorify His matchless name. What a mighty God we serve! I want to finish by exhorting each of you with the thought that you can and will make it through whatever situation you are in. I am confident that my God is well able to do exceeding, abundant, above all you could ask or think for His glory in your life. Keep holdin’ on! Spring time will come. The winter will end and the fresh buds of life will begin to blossom. That is my testimony and I won’t ever let it go!

Heb. 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of WITNESSES to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with ENDURANCE the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on JESUS, the champion who initiates and perfects our FAITH. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is SEATED in the place of HONOR beside God’s throne. (and Amy, Chad, and everyone else gone to be with the Lord are there with Him)

Last night was truly a tremendous night as leaders and friends from all over America came together for a surprise birthday party and time of honor for my 91 year old grandfather Roy Stockstill. He is the founder of Bethany World Prayer Center, faithful minister of the Gospel for over 60 years, and loving husband for 63 years. WOW! What a legacy he has created for our family!

In a day where scandal and reproach on our Lord Jesus name are not only common, but sadly expected, it is a great privilege and joy to watch the life of an average man born in Picayune, MS (as the 7th of 10 children) become a legend of faith. He lived a life of honesty, humility, and holiness before God and birthed many thousands and tens of thousands into the Gospel of Jesus Christ both locally and worldwide. HIs life and legacy will be remembered by so many incredible memories and sayings when he is gone and in all of this there is not one mark against him as a man of God, husband, or pastor. This doesn’t mean he was perfect, or that to be a great man of faith you have to be perfect, but it does mean that you can make it all the way from salvation to eternity without blowing it or compromising the name of Jesus. This does mean that you can love one woman your whole life and never dabble in the desires of the flesh or fall prey to the lure of greed and pride.

As I write this blog to primarily young people, I want to say to you and any believer reading that a life like Brother Roy’s is proof that we can be like Christ and live our whole life in integrity. It proves that we do not have to be like the world but can be changed into a new creation that is circumcised at heart from the sin nature that constantly seeks our destruction. It proves that a man can be filled with God’s Spirit for every day of His existence in Christ and sing, shout, dance, preach, weep, laugh, and love with all the grace that Christ has given us. It proves that if you will stay in love with Jesus for your whole walk with Him that countless lives WILL be affected and Jesus will receive great glory from your life. Finally, it proves that you can receive great honor in your memory and be received into your heavenly reward with many crowns to cast at Jesus’ feet.

I pray today that you will be stirred in your heart to press on till you reach the mark of the high calling set before you. It is a high calling! Don’t worry about fame or money, but instead, be filled with God’s Spirit every day afresh and watch how He will raise you up and honor you before the watching world.
Psa. 31:19 How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You. You lavish it upon those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

My heart is overflowing with passion for the Gospel this morning as I woke up heavy in heart over the 500,000 possibly dead in Haiti. What a tragedy! If these numbers are true then we have witnessed something that could double the catastrophe in Asia when the tsunami hit and be yet another wake up call to the fragility of human lives. When the world sees these type of things they feel a great sadness and desire to help with physical relief, but the church of the Living God should be compelled to do even more than ever to reach souls and moved with compassion for those who are left in Haiti with lost loved ones and incredible need. We don’t move with a fleshly pity, for who can even fathom the magnitude of devastation in a case like this? We must move with the urgency of Christ, the Lord of the Harvest, as He places within our heart a fresh urgency to herald His Good News and carry His Cross to a dying world.

My dad did a statistic on the tsunami death toll that was very moving to me. If the 250,000 dead were laid next to each other shoulder to shoulder the body bags would stretch 40 miles! This means that if half a million died in Haiti it would be 80 miles of dead bodies. My God, the souls that were not ready for eternity! My God, the people who grew up in the most satanic, voodoo infested nation of the western hemisphere and may have never heard the Gospel! Dear Jesus! Please incite within us a fresh fervor for the lost. May we not wait until tragedy strikes to reflect on what we should have done and then days later move on with our lives. May we live every day and every encounter with the revelation that eternity is coming and the default setting for the human soul is hell!

This morning as I write this blog there is a distinct sound in my spirit of the Master knocking on the door of human hearts. I hear Him calling for anyone and everyone to open the door of their heart through repentance and embrace His marvelous grace by faith. I hear the weeping of the Risen Savior as He longs to take humanity under His wing as a mother with her chicks. I hear the prayers of the saints as those with the heart of Christ march onward toward eternity with purpose and clarity. Dear Jesus, let there be an explosion of passion for Your name and Your Cross within the hearts of complacent believers all over this nation. Let the slumbering Bride be awakened to the moment of destiny before her. The final harvest is here! AWAKE you who sleep in paths of convenience and delusions of religion. Attending church will never save the billions, yes billions, who need the opportunity to hear that name we have become over familiar with, JESUS.

Rev. 3:20 Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. \\\Do you hear the knocking today? He is knocking on every door until their last breath and then the knocking stops! The knocking stopped for those precious souls in Haiti and they will never be able to open the door again.