The book of Exodus has always been my favorite book of the Bible. I don’t know just what it is about the book but there is so much depth in it.
On of my questions was, “Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?” As Covenant has been involved in a 40 day Samuel fast and a 40 day study of the book of Exodus, God revealed some more of himself to me on this subject.
Some time back as I was studying I found out that each plague was actually and attract on a god of the Egyptians. After each plague God once again hardened the heart of pharaoh. Ah, the connection.
     God wants to have all of us. And for God to have all of him he had to show pharaoh that God was the God of all gods. I believe that God is doing the same today but instead of frogs and flies its drugs and power. Instead of boils and hail it’s fame and fortune.
God wants to be our God and our God alone. He is a jealous God. He will do what is necessary for us to see that He is God alone. I have known some people to break one addiction only to have another addition take its place. We who are saved and call God our God have come to the conclusion that there is no other. He is supreme! When people started to leave Jesus during his ministry, he, Jesus, ask his disciples if they were leaving also. They replied that there was nothing to go back to. Once you see Jesus in his fullness there is no turning back.
     We can look all over this great wide world and try to see God move. Pharaoh could not see that God was moving to bless his people. Even when Pharaoh’s own people said that it must be the finger of God, he could not accept it. The same is true today. God is moving is some awesome ways and many are just not in tune and want to fight against Him.
     For example, the Bible tells us that there will be and anti Christ and it tell what will happen for him to come on the scene. Friend, we can not stop this from happening because it is the will of God. Just as pharaoh could not stop the darkness we can not stop what God is going to do but we can get ready for it. The Bible says that heaven and earth will pass away, if God said that then take it to the bank and get read for heaven and earth to pass away!
There are some things that are quoted that it does say in the Bible but God did not say it nor did Jesus. One good one is people say that God does not here the prayers of sinners. 
                   John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”
This was the Jews talking to the blind man whom Christ had healed. Not Jesus, Not God, and Not a disciple, but the Jews who did not like what Jesus was doing. I thank God that he does hear the prayers of sinners because he loves all of us! For God so loved the world! But you will have some that will fight you because there heart is still hard! Let us let God touch us one more time! Let us let God fill us one more time!
      We need and old fashion blood washing, water baptizing, anointing pouring, Holy Ghost hoe down to fall fresh on the church one more time so that the church will be ready for the harvest the is now ripe and ready for harvest! Turn our hearts O Lord, from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.

Have you ever been in service and it seemed that the service had no … well … POWER. I guess you could say maybe … ah … no anointing?
Well don’t go blaming it on the Preacher! Or any one else for that matter.
People can have a bad day at the race but boy they still had a good time. They can set through a baseball game that cost them $50.00 and their team lost in a 11th inning game but they were glad they saw it all. When it comes to church that is a whole different story. I guess it is true that you only get out of something what you put into it. There are those who come in late and those who leave early. I am reminded of the scripture in Revelation 13:4 that says,

“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
“And they worshipped the dragon…”. I would like to make a point about “Drag-on Worship”.
The word “DRAG” has several meanings that fit with the type of worship or should I say lack of worship that is happening today.

       First drag is “to pull away slowly”. One of the things that sin does is pulls you away from God. Sin for the most part does not snatch you. If you were taken by force away from something you liked you would put up a fight but if you slowly are drawn away it is as if you never lost it.

       Second is to “pull along the ground”. I don’t know about you but being pulled along the ground doesn’t set to well with me! I like to mount up with wings! I like to reach the high heights of life! So often we let people, events, things, etc. pull us down and keep us pulled along the ground. It was the snake in the garden that was made to pull himself along the ground and eat the dust not us. If we loose our worship to God over to the worship of the devil we will find ourselves with our head in the sand. Get up! Rise Up! And get ready to go up because true worship will lift you up!!

       Third is to “move or pass to slowly”. There is an old saying, “Good things come to those who wait not to those who hesitate”. We are to wait on the Lord and when He moves we move. Many hesitate and miss great opportunities in life because they “DRAG THEIR FEET”! We don’t have time to play around for I believe that the Lord is coming back soon. There is some awesome opportunities to witness and to minister today Just jump in and get involved!

       Forth is to “search for something on the bottom of a river with hooks”. Most of the time, when you here of this kind of dragging, you think of someone who has drowned and is dead. Why is it that people look for the dead things first, or the things that they don’t like get the most attention? This is what happens when people get their eyes off the Lord. Peter begin to sink to the bottom when he got his eyes off the Lord Jesus. We to will be DRUG to the bottom if we don’t stay focused on the Lord! Lets not search for the bad things but let us lift up the things that are good and the things that we like and help tp lift up others from the bottom!

      And last is “anything that holds back or slows down”. What is holding you back? What is slowing you down? We can use all the excuses in the world but the truth is that “We do what we want to do”. What is more important then knowing that one day you will stand and give an account of your life before God. Will He say “well done” or will he say “depart”? Every one of us was made to worship! What you worship depends on you. Are you caught up in some DRAG-on Worship? Has church lost it zeal? Has praying lost it power? Has the reading of the word of God become dull? I can say that if it has then you and caught up in DRAG-on Worship.

     Start right now and begin to Worship the Father in heaven and Praise Him for all that He has done! You still have the chance to turn your life around and get the POWER and the ANOINTING back and put the dragon under your feet!

One day they will worship the dragon but from today on I will worship the Heavenly Father, the Heavenly Son, and the Holy Ghost all three in ONE!!!!!

Every year at Christmas and Easter the world tries to find some way of making Christians look like fools for their beliefs. This year at Easter was no different. Though there was no tomb with the bones of Jesus or a new book about Harry that did not stop people from making fun of God. Galatians 6:7 says, 
                    “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: 
                               for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

I am reminded of the Prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18:21 when he ask, 
                                                       “How long halt ye between two opinions?”
Our opinion of God can change the way we look at the cross. There have been many passion plays and many crosses displayed throughout the world the past couple of weeks. There seems to be a change to the design of the cross. Look close as you see the cross and see if the cross of Christ is changing shape.
For many there could have been several designs of the cross but there use to be two basic designs; the big “T” design and the little “t” design. The little “t” design has become the most popular throughout the world. So out of all designs lets say that the little “t” is the one main cross. This is the design that is changing so quickly.
To what shape is it changing to? The shape of “$” money.
Before you get carried away let me explain. Jesus said in Luke 16:13, 
       "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, 
             and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  
                           Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Barna just released a study that shows:
47% of Christians believe that Satan is merely a symbol of evil.
INCONSISTENT – they also agree that people can be under the influence of spiritual forces like demons.
49% of Christians believe the Holy Spirit is a symbol and not a living entity.
INCONSISTENT – they also believe that the Bible is totally accurate which contradicts the above statement.
33% of self-defined Christians believe that the Bible, Koran, and Book of Mormons all teach the same thing. INCONSISTENT – each have totally different teachings.
How long will we continue to have two contradictory opinions? The word contradictory means – to deny the truth.
John 8:32 reminds us, 
                     “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Why do we no longer know the truth? Is it because we don’t pray? Don’t read the Bible? Don’t go to church? Don’t here good sound teaching? I believe that it is that and more. The Cross of Christ has become the Cross of Cash. We have stopped serving Christ and we now serve Cash. We work, play, ride, boat, fish, surf, eat, and drink all we want and more but when it comes to church, the Bible, God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost we don’t have time. 
                                       CHURCH, WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US!
John 4:35, 
    “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? 
          behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; 
               for they are white already to harvest.”
It is time we get down to business with God and let the world know just who He is in us and in the world. It is time for the fire to fall again just like God allowed it to come down for Elijah He can cause it to come down on us! If you are BORN AGAIN you can not deny the truth of who God is, what Jesus has done, and what the Holy Ghost is doing right now! The greatest stimulus package man has ever seen is getting ready to be opened up to the church and it is not coming from Capital Hill but it is coming from Calvary’s Hill! It’s time to inspire and encourage, prompt and motivate, spur and give incentive to the people around you because Easter Sunday has come and Jesus is Alive!!
The Cross of Christ must maintain its integeity to remain the powerful tool that it was ment to be, and that is to bring convection upon the world so that sin will be crucified. Cash will run out sooner or later but the Blood of Jesus will never loose its power!!

Barna Research Group released a study on spiritual gifts on February 9, 2009. The study showed that only 1% of Christians felt they had the gift to evangelize. On the NBC Nightly news last week the report was given that the USA is no longer considered a Christian Nation. Of course, our President let us know that during his campaign.
We can not let these reports stop us from trying to reach the lost and hurting people of the world. In January of 2009, Covenant started praying a new, a fresh, a revived and fervent prayer for the lost and hurting in the Lumberton area.
On February 1st we begin by sending out post cards to some 2000 households in the Lumberton area. We have seen some results from this effort, but not a harvest. So, in March we have started the “MARCH of Covenant”. The County estimates that there are 3.75 people per household in Robeson County. With the 2,000 post cards we have reached some 7,500 people in Lumberton so far. Our major push will come the 18th through the 22 when we hit the streets of Lumberton with door hangers. We have printed some 9,000 door hangers. At 3.75 per household that would be some 33,750 people invited to church. That means that by the end of March, just after 2 months we will have reached some 41,000 people.
This is just one church, just 1%. What would happen if 5 churches would get together with just 5,000 each? It would be almost 94,000 people reached. Just 5 Churches!!! I don’t know of 5 churches that could hold a combined total of almost 100,000 people.
Our MARCH started with MOTIVATION. Our MOTIVATION is Spiritual Vision. Spiritual Vision is Measureable, Treasureable, and Pleasureable! Next was ACTION. Putting our hands to the plow and not looking back. RESPONSE is what we are looking for. Not a reaction but a response. The difference is, a reaction is an “outburst” response and a response is a “considered” response. Then with a CELEBERATION service on March 22 with a free spaghetti lunch for all who come. This is leading all to HAPPINESS in the Lord. This M.A.R.C.H. is leading us to Easter Week. Easter is usually one of two times of the year that people come to church. With Vision and Faith we are expecting a Response of Love, Obedience, Sacrifice, Devotion, Trust, Desire, Passion, and Excitement for the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are believing the report of the Lord! We are looking for others that are willing to get out on the streets and share the Gospel! With 41,000 in two months we alone can reach all of Robeson County in 4 months, but with your help and increasing that 1% to 2% we can double our efforts and cut our time in half, to just 2 months. What would be extremely awesome would to be able to reach all of Robeson County with a personal invite every week! All we would need is 200 churches sending out 650 cards or door hangers each week. With 200 churches coming together for the some 130,000 people to be invited to church each week. The total population of Robeson County is 129,029 as of the 2006 population estimation. Little is much when it is in the hands of the Lord!!
Come on and let take back up the great commission of Christ! We are leading the way to get our friends and families back in church where they belong! Come on and help us MARCH on Lumberton March 18-22, 2009!

Stimulus seems to be the buzzword for the past few months. The government is trying to kick start the economy by putting more money into the hands of the people. The church has been trying to stimulate the people of God for some time now also. Encouragement is the best stimulus that I know.
Recently I met a man by the name of Bob Schmidt from Akron, Ohio that is on fire for God! He has been a true encourager to my family and I in so many ways. I told him that he was fanning the flames of fire in my spirit! His passion for the lost stirred up in me. Our church web sight came about from the "fanning of the flame". Our church gets together before each service to cut, address and put stamps on post cards to send out to the community. We have sent out a thousand plus post cards inviting people to our church and letting them know through our web site that God loves them.
We are planning to move out into the streets next month with our "March of Covenant". Beginning March 1st, our church will be hitting the streets of Lumberton with door hangers in hand and prayer in our hearts telling people about Jesus and our church!
We will be having a mass effort beginning Wednesday March 18th. From that Wednesday to the following Sunday we will be out on the street during the day and in revival services at 7:00 pm each night. We need as many people that will come and help us reach Lumberton and the surrounding area. God has a work for all of us to do and the right now work is to march the streets letting people know that Jesus still loves them and in these trying times that are ahead of us can be manageable if we will trust the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want to help advance the Kingdom of God and be an encourager of God’s people come to Covenant Worship Center and join us in this effort to reach out to the world! With your help we could see the greatest revival that has ever happened in this area take place in 2009. Let me know what you think by posting a response! God bless you!