Prayer is one of my passions.  I know the power of prayer and it is by far the most important thing I do in a day.  It is my life line.  Having said all that let me share some thoughts with you about prayer that I hope will inspire you to become more passionate about your prayer time.

Just the other day, when out of the blue the thought came to me that Tiger Woods would return to the golf course soon.  At that time, I thought okay, I’ll say a little prayer for Mr. Woods, his family, his golf game, etc.  I didn’t think it strange at all that someone would come to my mind out of blue, I knew it was a prayer assignment, and quickly obeyed.  What I didn’t expect was the revelation of the Holy Spirit of the power of passions and prayer.

You have passions; and those passions are great areas for prayer assignments in your life.  You must recognize that God created EVERYTHING.  John tells us that in first chapter of his gospel and Paul magnificently reminds us of this fact in the 3rd chapter of Colossians.  God created everything, visible and invisible for himself and by himself.  He should be glorified in all things. He wants to be glorified in all things.  Believers who are committed to prayer can truly have a remarkable impact in the world—the entire world.   The diversity of our passions is a strategic move on the part of our all- knowing God to expand the kingdom.

Blessings to you,

MC

As our family prepares for our yearly spring break trip, I thought about our awesome  trip from last year and how God showed his miraculous power.  Today, I ‘ll share the story in hopes that it will remind you that God can do anything.

Last year, my family and I took our traditional spring break trip and it was great.  In addition to all the fun, food, and laughter, God demonstrated his incredible power and faithfulness in answering prayer. You see, just before we left for the airport, I decided to investigate the weather forecast at our destination.  To my dismay, the forecast was projected to be cold, rainy, and extremely windy.  The forecast was so bad that they were even warning travelers of possible flight delays.  With all that information, I breathed a very simple prayer (yes, for no rain), got in the car, and headed to the airport.

When we arrived it was cloudy but as we headed to the resort it got clearer and clearer.  In fact, each day of our vacation got better and better.  The forecasters begin to report that the warmth and sunshine was  unseasonable.  Everyday, we were extremely grateful and every day praised God for his provision.  We had a great week and enjoyed all the blessings of God.  It didn’t rain and our God ordained vacation went well; but, there was  something more.  As we got in the airport shuttle to head home it started to rain.  Honestly, I didn’t really notice, but my husband brought it to my attention.

Now, you might be thinking what’s so significant about that? God is in control.  He provides and he is faithful.  Whenever  our lives are  set to do his will and glorify him he makes abundant provision for us.  God’s will for our lives last week, was that we rest, recuperate, and connect as a family and nothing would be allowed to keep us from that— not even the rain.

Today, I pray that you will notice the provision of God in your life even in the small  things. Take a moment and acknowledge answered prayer.  Praise him for prayer answered above your request.  Becoming more aware of his presence and faithfulness in your life will only seek to give you greater confidence in his love for you.  Remember he can stop the rain!

Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.  Ephesians 3: 20-21

Blessings to you!

MC

It is the will of God that those who believe in him, rid themselves of anything that keeps them from a  life of liberty.  Anything that  hinders  complete demonstration of his power and glory.   Jesus came that we might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  Yet, there are times when we are not experiencing or demonstrating the abundant life that has been given.  The issue is not God’s desire for you.  It’s not in his power.  It’s not even in his provision.  But it lies at the heart of what we believe.  Belief shapes your action-What we believe truly effects our choices.  Ironically, sometimes we may not believe that there is spiritual dimension to what we are experience.  The fact is there is a spiritual dimension to everything and we must attack the things that hinder us not only in the natural realm but in the spiritual realm as well.

Naturally, a yoke is an instrument of bondage that brings animals under control to do work.  It is an instrument of servitude. Spiritually, a yoke has the same meaning; yet they are revealed through attitudes, ideas, beliefs, or behaviors.  Yokes limit the full realization of God power and presence in your life.  They weigh you down.  They are burdensome. Yokes can cause you to become frustrated.  In fact a yoke that is too grievous might cause you to give up.   But giving up is not the answer. God has positioned and given you the anointing to destroy every yoke in your life.  You must simply release it. How do you get free of attitudes, ideas, beliefs and behaviors that hinder you?

1.  Recognize that there is an issue that is keeping you stuck. Identify it honestly.  Don’t beat around the bush here or even blame others.  If it is procrastination.  It is fear of success or failure recognize.  If you are stuck because of a faulty belief system.  Recognize it.

2.  Acknowledge that this issue has caused you to miss the mark and must be conquered both spiritually and naturally.  This is tantamount to confession. Confession opens the door for strengthening and cleansing from God.

3.  Repent of the issue.  Repentance is an inward change of mind that produces an outward change in action.  Here is a key step.  To repent is not simply to be sorry but to come to a realization that your thoughts, ideas, and motivations surrounding an issue were not in line with God’s.  Then a deliberate choice is made to align your thinking, speaking, and actions with his.

4.  Pray. Communicate with God.  He knows your weaknesses and is ready to give you his strength.

5. Praise.  Continually give praises unto God.  This keeps you mind focused on his awesome ability, his faithfulness, and his power.

Today, rejoice in knowing that God desires greater liberty and effectivenss for your life.  Be willing to let go of idea, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that don’t contribute to your experience of abundant living and watch God plan unfold in your life.

Blessings to you,

MC

Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:  it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Today, on your journey, I invite you to walk with me and consider the fact that God’s word is powerful and set to bring results. In this, “The Year of Accomplishment,” keep in mind that God’s word is the seed that ensures your accomplishment.  Let His word be the basis and motivation for your pursuits and you will surely prosper spiritually and naturally.

Blessings to you,

Pastor Cade 

Most people spend a lot of time measuring themselves against others.  They measure how they look, how they live, or even how much money they earn. Those kinds of comparisons influence our vision and can actually cause us to set goals that move us away from God instead of closer to Him.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are not to desire or measure success by the world’s standard.  There is another standard that we must live by. The standard is love, and the guidelines for it are given throughout the Bible.  Jesus told us to love God first and then love our neighbors as ourselves. In 1st John we are told God is love and all that love Him have love for the brethren.  Seems pretty basic and most Christians know and accept this as fact (at least intellectually). Measuring love is not based on whether you can say, “I love you,” nor by intellectual agreement; but, by the consistent demonstration of the qualities in your life.  It goes far beyond mental assent. Love purifies your soul and is far more powerful than a feeling or emotion.  Love is the gold standard and a priority for the Christian life. As an integrated part of your Christian character it causes you to love your brother, your neighbor, and your enemies.  You consistently exhibit patience, forbearance, kindness.  You are humble, not easily provoked, and do not immediately think evil when someone offends. You do not envy what others have nor delight when others fail.  Not only that, but unselfishness motivates your every thought and action.   Beloved of God, know that the Lord wants you to increase in love. Good works and nice deeds without love according to the divine standard are empty.  Before you go comparing yourself to some external standard of success and begin planning the steps to obtain what you think they have; submit to the standard of God that should permeate your life. Instead of trying be increased with goods as a measure of success, commit to increasing in love. A life that is full of love (both given and received) is a full and satisfying life indeed.  Invite the Holy Spirit to help you gain wisdom and understanding. As you grow in love, God’s presence will increase in you. My prayer today is that you increase in the understanding and demonstration of God’s love.

Be Blessed,

MC

Thoughts from the message:  Love:  Measurable, Tried, and True   

  I must admit, although I love running, my extra long distance days used to present a challenge.  Those run days seem to take forever to reach the end.  Now I suppose the primary reason for this is that I am required to slow my pace in order to accomplish the distance.  You might be thinking, “That seems logical, what’s the problem?” The problem is I can run faster and I really want to run faster. So it stands to reason that yesterday about half way through an extra long run I had the desire to speed up.  Just as I was about to step it up, I heard my run coach (the Holy Spirit) say, “This is a study in discipline and restraint.”  I smiled and maintained my slower pace. As I continued for several miles, I reflected on the words, “discipline and restraint.”

  The fact is we all have strengths, those things that we can do well and usually quickly.  Although most of the time we operate in our strengths and are often taught to push harder and longer, the truth is it may not always be what is needed at the time.  As I continued to run, I thought about the fact that it doesn’t really take much discipline to run faster but it takes great discipline to deliberately slow down.  We must remember the lesson of always being yielded to God.  When we have strength and power we are apt to take matters in our own hands but God wants us to remain submitted and yielded to him regardless of the power us posses. Beloved of God, recognize that one mark of spiritual maturity is being able to deliberately slow down.  We must learn not to sacrifice effectiveness for efficiency.  God can and will use you mightily if you will learn the lesson of discipline and restraint.  After all, that is how Jesus walked the earth.  He possessed all power; yet He yielded it to be guided by the Father.  As I completed my run, feeling strong and energized, I had to praise God for the reminder. So, in turn, let me encourage you to develop discipline and restraint alongside speed and power in order to be an effective servant of the Lord. 

Let the Word of Lord bring you strength today and always.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Be Blessed,
MC

Wow!! It’s been a quick summer.  I must say that I made no deliberate decision to stay away from blogging during the entire summer but sometimes life happens.  Our summer was consumed with a myriad of events: the high school graduation of our oldest daughter, seeing my dearest friend after four years, the loss of our sister in a car accident, tremendous transitions in our community, and (praise the Lord) taking our newly graduated daughter to begin university life a mere 5,600 miles away from home. (And that is only a fraction of it all)
Just a few days ago, someone said to me, “Wow, you have really been through “it” this summer.”  To which I responded, “Been through what?” I am often reminded that my perspective is not typically the norm.  He started to recount the last twelve weeks of my life from his perspective. It was interesting and sounded a little dismal.   As I listened, I thought, “Well, when you say it like that it does sound like I should be tired, stressed out, and sad.”  But all I could actually say was, “Yes, it’s been quite a busy summer but faith makes you resilient.”  I am glad to be able to say that I know and believe the power of Romans 8:28.  Through all the events my focus has been on God’s faithfulness and love.  He has never left me lonely, lost, or without comfort.  The way I see it, we have not just endured a hectic summer we have prevailed. Although many of the things I normally have on my agenda changed, God has been up to something. Over the last twelve weeks, my personal schedule hasn’t been quite what I would have expected or planned, but God has been up to something. Sometimes the timing of the significant events of life seemed as if they would overtake us but as each one unfolded I saw that God was up to something. In the midst of everything He was always right there leading, guiding, comforting, directing, and providing abundantly for us.  He caused me to remember and appreciate, on a greater level, His presence with me. God reminded me that when my focus is Him, though schedules and plans change He will never leave.   Through the events of this summer He also reminded me that my relationship with Him is more important than anything I can ever do for Him.  There are many facets to the “ministry” He has given and fufulling each one is important.  As I successfully fulfill the demands of each facet in obedience to His word, I am worshipping Him.  When my schedule and His plans for me are in sync I can relax and rest in Him.  So as we enter September, I happily return to blogging as time and space again allow.  I invite you to walk with me weekly as we grow in the most important relationship of our lives, our relationship with the Father.  Today, I leave you with a question, what has God been up to in your life?  I’d love to hear from you.

Be Blessed Today and Always,

MC 

We tend to be creatures of habit.  Most days hold a fairly typical pattern:  wake up, eat, work, run errands, sleep; and then repeat it all the next day.  A normal routine produces stability, comfort, and certainty.    Although stability, comfort, and certainty can be good, it is still necessary to guard against spiritual complacency.  Complacency is an enemy to spiritual growth and abundant living because it dampens your desire to seek God with your whole heart. 

   Today, I simply want to remind you not to let the normalcy of daily living cause you to become complacent in your spiritual walk.  Be diligent to seek God as passionately in normal times as when you are facing adversity. When everything seems to be routine, don’t settle for a lukewarm relationship with God.  It’s easy to seek God when things are going haywire; but, there is also tremendous benefit to seeking him when all is calm.  Seeking him during the calm times increases your love, honor, and respect toward him.  I encourage you to maximize the blessing of stability, order, and routine by deliberately concentrating on deepening your relationship with the Father.  Focus on some amazing spiritual disciplines that will cause the roots of your relationship to grow stronger. Take more time to pray.  Explore the discipline of fasting.  Read a few extra Psalms.  Praise God fervently.  Celebrate his goodness.  Relish moments of solitude. Don’t let day to day living cause you to settle.  God has more in store for you.  Pursue him! 

Consider the words of Paul and be blessed,  ” Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those  things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

 Blessings to you,

MC

A life “S-O-U-L-E-D OUT” is one of great value to God.  It is one in which his power can flow freely.  It has the potential to deeply impact others. Its fruit is eternal. A “souled out” life brings the will of God from heaven to earth.  Are you “S-O-U-L-E-D OUT?”

Seems like a simple question, or at least we want it to be, but there are some subtle actions in our lives that may actually reveal a different picture.  Many times we think we are when we are not.  Here is where the grace of God kicks in.  It is God’s desire that we be souled out.  He wants to help us get there by causing us to answer some tough questions.   Take a moment to answer the following questions.  They may help kick start your process of discovering how souled out you really are.

Do you blame God for not being able to do things?  Sounds a little strange I know, but keep reading.  We often want to do things other than what God would have us do.  In those circumstances, we say things like, “I can’t do this or that because God says not too.”  On the surface it sounds nice and spiritual but it may reveal that your will has not become one with God’s.  Looking a little deeper at the “I can’t because God…” statement  may reveal what you would do in the absence of restraint or boundaries. It’s sort of like the child who says, I can’t play with matches because my mommy said not to. They have not learned the power behind the prohibition.  The child lacks the understanding of the power and impact of their actions. If that boundary wasn’t there they would probably play with the matches.  Don’t misunderstand here, I thank God for restraint and boundaries when we just don’t know what to do, yet spiritual maturity is demonstrated when have learned the power of obedience and choose righteousness for righteousness sake.

Do you repeat your prayers after having received an answer? Most think this is persistence in prayer; but really, it is a stubborn insistence on your own way.  Once God has revealed the answer to you, trust him, and move in the strength of that truth.  Seeking a different answer only reveals that you are moved by your soul and not the Spirit of God.

Do you entertain things/people/thoughts/ that you shouldn’t?   Many times we hold on to things that are not profitable or beneficial for us when we should let them go.  There is no room for compromise in the life of the one who is “souled out”.  Stand firm and in agreement with the thoughts, decisions, and ways of God. God has set a standard for your life, embrace it and prosper spiritually and naturally.  
Today,  make a decision to infuse your spiritual walk by being completely S-O-U-L-E-D OUT. The effects of your surrender will cause every area of your life to improve.  Later this week, I’ll share a few secrets of the S-O-U-L-E-D OUT to help further support your decision. Until then, I’d love to hear from you.

Blessings today and always,

MC

This post is an excerpt from the message “S-O-U-L-E-D OUT!” If you would like to hear more on living a powerful Christian life go to www.mikaelacade.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

 Everytime I think of the wise men traveling to Bethlehem to present their gifts to Jesus I am amazed.   Their journey wasn’t easy, yet they were committed.  After all, there were no planes, trains, or automobiles to get them to the intended destination quickly.  In fact, their  GPS didn’t have  fancy three dimensional pictures but it’s accuracy can’t be denied.  They traveled a great distance;  going through hostile territories, yet they were determined to present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the holy child.  Today,  I am reminded that we should do the same– present our gifts to the Lord.  We should be committed to  the task when times are good or bad, in plenty and in want, when the sun shines and when it rains.    We should daily give him our best– gold, frankincense and myrrh– through the integrity, beauty, and excellence of our lives and in the execution of our vocations and occupations. 

As you share time with family and friends, giving gifts, sharing  love and joy, laughing about past memories and creating new ones, take some time to consider your gift to God.  He doesn’ t want an IPOD, jewelry, or a Wii.  He simply wants you to present your body a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to him and while you’re at it, don’t think, act, or be motivated by the same things that motivate or inspire those who do not share like faith.  Let your mind be renewed so that your daily experience proves the power and authority of the only true and living God.  

Blessings today and always,

MC