So how do you identify an idol?

Here are 4 idol identifiers:

1) What consumes your thoughts? Your daydreams are idol clues. If it’s something you think about more than God then it may be an idol.

2) What bad habits do you struggle with? Your addictions are idol clues. An idol is something you cannot control. It controls you.

3) What do you spend too much money on? Your spending habits are idol clues. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!

4) What produces your strongest emotions? Your intense emotions are idol clues. If you want to identify an idol, all you have to do is identify your emotional attachments.

Identifying an idol takes a tremendous amount of soul searching, and you have to be brutally honest. But you cannot tear it down until you name it.

If you’re serious, I highly recommend Tim Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods.

Gene

My Last Prayer for the NIGHT… written on my blog not in my journal…

Father,

I thank YOU for ALL that YOU ARE ABOUT to do in the MINISTRY that YOU have SPECIFICALLY CALLED me too. I LOOK FORWARD to HOW GREAT and HOW STRONG YOU WILL SHOW YOURSELF to me. I do confess that Greater Works shall we see than what even your son Jesus did while He walked this planet. If Moses saw the Red Sea part and Joshua saw the Sun Stand Still and Peter watched as the blind and the lame were healed (and ) the dead raised to life, then Father,  I confess that YOU are still able to do that (and even greater) for those of us that BELIEVE….

Father,

I will wake up every morning LOOKING (and EXPECTING) for YOU TO SHOW YOURSELF strong to me and my family in 2010. I eagerly await YOU IN ALL AREAS of my life…

DEFINE this year for my OLDEST son…

Reveal YOUR POWER to my YOUNGEST…

May YOUR STRENGTH INVADE my wife in all areas of HER LIFE… may  I serve her GREATER…

Keep me PURE and Passionate about YOUR voice and YOUR word, and MAY I BE QUICK TO OBEY ONLY YOU… and TRUST YOU IN EVERYTHING…

Father,

I bless YOUR HOLY NAME and EXALT YOU FAR ABOVE ALL POWERS AND DOMINIONS… YOU ALONE ARE HOLY…

Thanks!

your servant gene

7:03 AM /getting tired…. Holy Spirit please let me rest…

I can Remember the FIRST TIME…

I WAS IN NACOGDOCHES TEXAS AT a YOUTH CAMP and several of the men, and myself,  stayed up ALL NIGHT in PRAYER WITH THE LORD… let me encourage you to make it a DISCIPLINE in YOUR LIFE to LEARN to enjoy the QUIETNESS  of the NIGHT…

I started out THANKING HIM FOR ALL THE MIRACLES IN 2009. Even one that happened in the LAST 24 HOURS… His TIMING is PERFECT…

I began by making some CONFESSIONS.  Not of REPENTANCE , but of AGREEING with what HE has INSTRUCTED me to do, which He KNOWS OF and MAN DOES NOT KNOW OF…

You see Abraham was instructed to do and go when only HE AND GOD KNEW IT… so I began to think of what He HAS REVEALED to me and what HE has called me to do… and although the PROMISES  have not yet manifested or been PHYSICALLY SEEN, they have already been SPIRITUALLY Spoken… I CARRY THEM IN MY SPIRITUAL MAN… they make me toss and turn at NIGHT… they keep me GOING…so I wrote prayers of Confession agreeing in FAITH THAT HIS PROMISES are TRUE and I wait with GREAT EXPECTATION that they will happen… ACCORDING TO the RHEMA WORD…

Hebrews 11:8-12 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents…10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. 11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

I call these FAITH CONFESSIONS … life and death is in the power of the tongue… has GOD told YOU SOMETHING THIS PAST YEAR YOU ARE EXPECTING TO SEE THIS YEAR? Then confess it… write it in your prayer JOURNAL. God LOVES it when we BELIEVE. Without FAITH IT is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE GOD. God’s PROMISES keep GOD’S PEOPLE PURE… and GOD’S MAN PASSIONATE…

Earlier in the night the Lord… Challenged me to take NEW STEPS of FAITH… then I was directed to HIS WORD and He BEGAN to show me something VERY UNIQUE from a certain truth in the OLD TESTAMENT.

How the Old Testament DECLARED it… but  the NEW TESTAMENT CRYSTALIZE it… or Revealed it in a DEEPER way…

But as the NIGHT went on I was careful to make sure I stayed QUITE, so He COULD ALLOW me to INTERCEDE for others… I found myself in INTERCESSION for some RECENT STAFF that have left our MINISTRY but GOD is ABOUT TO GREATLY USE… and I’m asking God to let me truly stand as an INTERCESSOR for PASTORS across AMERICA…

I have learned not to PRAY MY LIST… but HEAVENS list… Thy will be done on Earth as it is in HEAVEN…

Try listening! And as you LISTEN, pray ACCORDING to HIS WILL…

With GREATER REVELATION comes GREATER REWARD… but there is NO REVELATION with MANY VOICES…

Be STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD…

I have a Friend who has a FRIEND…

My Friend is Ritchie Miller… His Friend is Matt Chandler…

Matt was diagnosed with a BRAIN TUMOR that is Malignant and He NEEDS a MIRACLE.  He Pastors one of the GREATEST CHURCHES in our Country…

Please pray and fast for him… “The Village Church”

PLEASE LIVE WITH OTHERS ON YOUR MIND… it sure helps with GOSSIP and DEPRESSION when we see what OTHERS ARE FACING…

I have tried to make it a HABIT… to ALWAYS be in MY PRAYER ROOM… when the CLOCK strikes “A NEW YEAR.”

Put GOD FIRST in EVERYTHING… in your day… in your money… in your time… in your YEAR…

I have been in my Prayer Room most of the NIGHT with the Lord… I wish so much I could tell you all of the DOORS that GOD is OPENING for:

1. The Gathering

2. The Lord’s Child

3. Walking in the Light  (Our Television Ministry)

My FAITH is RISING to EXPONENTIAL Heights… 2009 was a TREMENDOUS YEAR in EVERY AREA… GOD did MORE THAN I COULD have EVER IMAGINED… when I share with our MEN IN LEADERSHIP what GOD has done they are BLOWN AWAY…

SPIRITUALLY … 1000 People Came to KNOW CHRIST… OVER 200 PLUS BAPTISMS…

We sent TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS to UGANDA…(I Have a SPECIAL MEETING MONDAY about OUR ORPHANAGE  and the LAND)… Thru our TV MINISTRY one LADY has ALREADY COMMITTED to HELP with the WELL… WATER is LIFE  OVER THERE…

We are PLANNING ON TAKING MORE YOUTH TO CAMP THIS YEAR THAN WE HAVE EVER TAKEN BEFORE… GO CHUCK!

Another RECORD YEAR IN OUR GIVING TO MISSIONS…

The Lord’s Child Warehouse…. is DONE, Our Maintenance Barn… is COMPLETE. (this will allow us to Keep OUR CAMPUS CLEAN with EXCELLENCE in a WAY THAT HONORS GOD)…

OUR STAFF IS MORE UNIFIED than in the ENTIRE HISTORY OF the GATHERING… OUR PEOPLE are GROWING UNBELIEVABLY in their FAITH…

I’m BELIEVING we could be on NATIONAL TELEVISION in the NEXT 2 YEARS… 80 Million HOMES in America and hundreds of MILLIONS around the WORLD…

Our Church is GETTING READY to go on a 21 DAY FAST and JENTEZEN FRANKLIN is going to be doing VIDEO TEACHING for us on WEDNESDAY NIGHTS…

I’m MEETING SO MANY NEW PEOPLE… (a BIG thanks to everybody who parks off-site) the rain has killed us…

We are GETTING READY TO BUILD our CIRCLE OF FAITH… YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE the BAPTISMAL POOL DESIGN GOD GAVE ME…

I’m BELIEVING we could BAPTIZE over 500 PEOPLE this YEAR… YES THIS YEAR!… God PLEASE SET US ON FIRE FOR SOULS…

OUR NEW WEBSITES… they have been working on them for 6 months so they will be READY for a NATIONAL AUDIENCE … they should launch soon…

By the end of the month we should be in over 1 million homes with WALKING in the LIGHT…

I could fill this page up with hundreds of things that God is DOING… I remember being around Dr. Falwell and seeing the SUPERNATURAL ENERGY he had LATE IN LIFE… at 46 GOD has INFUSED ME with MORE FAITH and MORE VISION… With GOD ALL THINGS are POSSIBLE...

NO MAN STARTED this Church or this MINISTRY. GOD HAS DONE IT ALL… and to GOD, MAY HE RECEIVE ALL THE HONOR AND GLORY…

Don’t let the GATHERING OUT GROW YOU… YOU GROW WITH THE GATHERING…

A BIG THANKS…

to all of THOSE THAT HAVE BELIEVED IN THIS VISION… THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE who have SACRIFICED in the LAST 9 YEARS… Some are with us still… Some have moved on to Advance HIS KINGDOM in other areas… But to all that have had any part… yes any PART… you might not think it mattered… BUT IT DID… MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU THAT have GIVEN and SERVED and SACRIFICED and PRAYED for us…

I think Back to ALL OF THE GOOD PEOPLE that use to BE ON OUR STAFF and our NO LONGER WITH US… MAY GOD ESPECIALLY BLESS YOU… WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU…. (WE have NEVER HAD A Staff Person that was on our Staff that NEVER GAVE LESS THAN THERE ALL for JESUS) You GUYS know who you are… YOU WILL RECEIVE A GREAT REWARD…

every SOUL that has been SAVED, YOU ALL HAD A PART…

every MISSIONARY we have BLESSED , YOU ALL HAD A PART…

every CHURCH PLANT we have helped START, YOU ALL HAD A PART…

every ORPHAN that we have HELPED and WILL HELP,  YOU ALL HAD A PART…

every MARRIAGE that has been HEALED, YOU ALL HAD A PART…

every PRODIGAL son and daughter that has been RESTORED, YOU HAD A PART…

every PERSON, man, woman & child that has been SET FREE FROM ADDICTION, YOU HAD A PART…

every CHILD that we put a SMILE on their FACE with a NEW BIKE or a PAIR of TENNIS SHOES, YOU HAD A PART…

every LOAF of BREAD and MORSEL of FOOD we have GIVEN away, YOU HAD A PART…

I wish I COULD thank YOU ENOUGH… but one day HE will THANK YOU for all YOU HAVE DONE TO ADVANCE HIS KINGDOM…

What an HONOR it is to be in this MOVE OF GOD… here in the LAST DAYS…

Let me encourage you to stay true to JESUS…

REMEMBER, there are only 2 main things that really matter;

LOVE GOD

LOVE PEOPLE