NEED AN EDGE FOR 2012? TRY YOUR FAITH!

I am so excited that we have reached the end of 2011! Like me I'm sure that you've had a year of highs and lows, successes and failures, triumphs and defeats. I appreciate you for being a reader of Bernard's Word. It is a great blessing to have you visit my website and read about the things that concerns me and that I am passionate about.

I give God praise for 2011 and some of the incredible experiences that I had this year. Some of my highlights for 2011 are:

1. In March I visited the beautiful country of Nigeria for eight days preaching and teaching in the southern region of that country.

2. In June me and group of members from the New Mine Creek Church began learning about wealth building and successful strategies about money and finance from one of the greatest financial mentors in the country William V. Thompson, president of Dynamic Financial Training.
     
3. In July I celebrating twenty years of marriage with my beautiful wife Vantoria.

4. In August my son Bernard Quincy entered his senior year in high school.

5. In August I preached at the National Primitive Baptist Convention on the eve of the election that secured  the presidency of Elder Bernard Yates.

6. In September I attended the African American Literary Awards in Harlem New York.

7. In December me and my family had an incredible Christmas vacation in Orlando Florida.

8. In October I connected with a group of writers in the John3:16 Marketing Network for a monthly prayer conference call.  

I hope that 2011 has been an incredible year for you as well. Because they type of year that you had in 2011 should be a springboard for living with a edge in 2012.

A couple of weeks I was surfing through my television and I came across the Sports show First Take. First Take is a sports show that highlights two commentator who debate their opinions about what's happening in the world of athletics. One of the debaters is the straightforward Skip Bayless (I love it when he gives it to Lebron! I can't help it!) . On this particular show the other debater was the fast talking, take no prisoners Stephen A. Smith.  Their topic of conversation was the Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. The comment that struck me was when Skip said that Tim's faith gives him an edge and that was a great part of why he was having a successful year.

I have to admit at this point that I don't watch the NFL. And I knew nothing about Tim Tebow, but Skip's comment caused me to do some reading about this quarterback who was the source of conversation on First Take. And what I learned about Tim had left me amazed once again at how God uses people who are available to Him and makes them a declaration to the world about who He is..

When Tim Tebow walks out on that field to perform as a quarterback he walks believing that God is with him. He believes that as he executes his plays and leads his teammates that the presence of God is surrounding him. And Tim believes that God speaks to him and gives him peace under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform and conform.

Skip said that Tim's faith gives him an edge. In other words Tim has an advantage because of the God that he believes in and what he believes about himself because God is operating in his life. Stephen A. Smith said that Tim's faith was a force, wow! no greater words have ever been spoken about faith. Because that what faith is, it's a force!  

When you live by faith it gives you an edge. I'm not saying that faith makes you better than others but it puts you ahead. Your faith gives you an advantage. If you have faith and operate by faith principles that's put you in the company of champions. Throughout 2011 the Holy Spirit has been saying to me that He's raising up a generation of Davids. David is the spiritual prototype of a people who have a edge because they believe God and they are willing to go into the valley and kill the giants that has created fear among the people of God. When all of Israel cowered before Goliath faith gave David an edge.

2012 is going to be a year of conquering giants because your faith is giving you an edge. Your faith will make you stand out and take hold of the opportunities that others will run from. You are going to do impossible things because you have an edge. You have a confidence that God has spoken to you and that God is with you. The Holy Spirit has set dreams and visions in your heart that you will accomplish because you have an edge.

I see you in 2012 WINNING, GAINING, POSSESSING! Declare to the giants that you have faith, you have an edge!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

On Wednesday's I am sharing with you a message that I preached either at the New Mine Creek Church located at 1525 Malmaison Road Blairs Va, http://www.facebook.com/newminecreek  or another place where I had the privilege of preaching God's Word. I pray that today's Word will give you focus and faith to believe God for the impossible in your life.

Romans 10;17, "FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD." What you believe is what you speak. What you speak is what you experience.

JEREMIAH 33:3 "SHOW ME THE WAY"

Jeremiah was in prison for delivering an unpopular message to Zedekiah, the king of Judah. But God was in prison with Jeremiah. And God spoke to Jeremiah in that prison cell.

Sometimes God will come into our lives to deliver you from a bad situation and sometimes God will come to deliver you in a bad situation. Many times in life God will not take you out of a situation but rather He will give you His Word in the midst of that situation. I believe that's what God did for Jeremiah.

See what God did for Jeremiah:

1. God gave Jeremiah an invitation: "CALL ME." God is inviting Jeremiah to pray. Jeremiah is in an intense place. Jeremiah is in prison because of his ministry. And God invites Jeremiah to pray. The word call means to make a specific request for a specific response.

I love this principle of prayer: Pray specifically and expect what you pray for. When your situation is critical you need to pray for God's intervention in a specific way and watch God move on your behalf. 

2. God gave Jeremiah an assurance: "I WILL ANSWER YOU." God said to Jeremiah, when you call me Jeremiah I will reply to your petition. God's answer follows our initiative to call Him first. Rest assured that when you pray God will get back to you. If He doesn't get back to you right away wait for His call. Expect God to call you back.

3. God gave Jeremiah the method of His return call: "I WILL SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS WHICH YOU DON'T KNOW." God said to Jeremiah that when I answer you my answer is going to be what I show you. God said to Jeremiah that I'm going to give you a vision. I'm going to show you something that you've never seen before.

When God gives you a vision He shows you things that you've never experienced before. He shows you things that are beyond your current circumstances.

God shows you things that will exceed your current state of living. He shows you things that you have never done.

If you are at a crossroad in your life and you don't which way to go then ask God to show you the way. God loves showing the way that you should walk in and He loves leading us the way He knows is best for us.  You see another word for way is life. God shows you a vision so that you will know what kind of life He wants you to live.

God gives you the vision for your life and then God says this is the way to go and accomplish what I've shown you.   

When God shows you what you've never done before He wants you to do what you've never done before.

Make a decision in this brand new month to Ask God to show you the way, wait for His answer and see what He is showing you. And then DO IT! 

Bernard's Word

I hope that you have enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Today I am launching a new blog with different focus. I will still write about the issues that matter to me and to you but I will be also be more focused on writing commentary that I believe will encourage and empower you.
The mission of this blog is for me to share with you stories and principles that will engage you in seeking a more fulfilling life. I believe that words have a powerful influence in all of our lives. They can make us and they can break us. Words have had the ability to change people's lives and correct devastating consequences.
Recently I was talking with a church leader at a leadership conference that I was teaching in and he asked me what turned my interest toward writing. I shared with him that an English professor in a college course that I was enrolled in told me that I had a gift and I should pursue writing. From my childhood I dreamed about writing but that dream did not become active until that professor spoke to me. It was his words that set me on the path that I am currently on almost twenty five years later. That's the role I want to have in your life. I want to be that person who speaks to you through my blogs and release the dreams that are within you. I believe that God created every person with a purpose and when we find that purpose and start to daily do what our purpose is than our life becomes a exciting adventure.
It is my intention to blog at least three days each week.
Mondays will be MEN MONDAY. I will write on what interest men and what men need to succeed. Wednesdays will be WOMEN WEDNESDAYS. I will write on the issues that are important to Women, I'm glad that I have a wife that can help me because I'm going to need her help! Fridays will be FICTION FRIDAYS, FINANCE FRIDAY, FAITH FRIDAY and FUN FRIDAY. I hope that you will be blessed and that you will visit many times. And please share this blog with your family and friends.

Jason's Faith

There were a lot of lessons learned from the 2011 championship series of the NBA. I watched with great interest as Jason Terry was interviewed after the Dallas Maverick secured their first championship. From the words and actions of Jason I saw a modern example of faith I wanted to share with today.
What is faith? Faith is believing in what you can't see and having an expectation that what you believe is going to happen. As I listened to Jason Terry Sunday night I heard faith in words. This is what he said:
1. "My faith was in God and that gave me confidence." Faith is directed toward a person or an object. To Christians our faith in always directed to and centered in God. And because we believe in God and we believe God that gives us confidence that we can do all things with Him.
2. "God was my strength." When you are facing impossible moments and it seems like you should give up you find the resolve to rise beyond your weakness and do what you need to do to win. Jason and the Mavericks were counted out in every series that they played in. The experts all said that they wouldn't even make it to the finals. When they made it to the finals against the Miami Heat the commentators said that Miami would take the championship in six games. But Jason found the strength to explode in the sixth game and his performance made the difference and Dallas won. Like David facing Goliath Jason found strength in God and the world celebrates him.
3. "I give glory to God." After you've had a faith victory. After you've done the impossible in the moment of your celebration you take your victory and give it back to God. That what giving God the glory means. When we give glory to God you are saying that God is the cause of my winning and I celebrate His presence in my life.
Without a doubt those were great words that Jason spoke Sunday night but even greater than what Jason said is what Jason did. Faith is not just talking about God or acknowledging God but faith is acting on what you believe. In October 2010 Jason had the Larry O' Brien trophy, the championship trophy for the NBA, tattooed on his arm. And although I don't endorse tattoos I saw a great display of Jason's faith in his unusual action. Before the Basketball season even started Jason believed that the Dallas Mavericks would not only go the NBA Finals but they would win. And he acted on what he believed. What have you done lately to demonstrate your faith? Faith is not for the future,faith looks to the future. Faith is for today. Hebrews 11:1 says, "NOW FAITH.." You need faith right now, without it you will not have a victory tomorrow. It is demonstrated by your words and your actions. I encourage you to have the Jason kind of faith. Which is really the God kind of faith. It was Bishop Victor Curry of Miami Florida who said, "Faith honors God and God honors faith."

Journey to Nigeria; a leap of faith

In twelve hours I will be boarding a plane on my way to Ifo Town, Ogun State Nigeria. My connection flight is in Atlanta and from there I will fly to Lagos Nigeria for six days of preaching and teaching. I've experienced a mixture of emotions as each day moved me closer to today. I've gone from fear to peace. From doubt to faith. From aggravation to certainty.
The preparation for this trip has been a journey of faith. During the last eight months I have seen God move in my life in tremendous way.
It all started one July day when I received an email from a Pastor in Nigeria name Gabriel Ogunjobi. Pastor Ogunjobi had discovered my website and felt compelled from the Holy Spirit to invite me to come to Nigeria and minister in that region. I can still see myself as I read that communication for the first time. My initial response was skepticism and suspicion. Seven months prior I was targeted by a fraudulent group who invited me to come to their conference in England. Thankfully that attempt was exposed. So when the invitation came form Pastor Ogunjobi suspiciously I thought that I was being targeted again.
However as I continued reading the communications from Pastor Ogunjobi I sensed a pull in my spirit, a nudge from the Holy Spirit to pay more attention to what Pastor Ogunjobi was saying to me. After a few days of peace I start to seek counsel from others friends. Most of the counsel that I received was negative and fearful. There appears to be a great deal of fear in America concerning overseas travel. But as me and my wife Vantoria continued to pray I was assured that God was extending me a Macedonian call to Nigeria.
After two months of deliberation and praying I accepted Pastor Ogunjobi's invitation. I told him that I would come to Nigeria in March of 2011.
Accepting Pastor Ogunjobi's invitation was a great leap of faith. Believing God for the funds to go was an even greater leap of faith. For the 26 years that I had preached throughout the United States I had never paid my own way to go to a church and minister. I would have to do that this time. And the Holy Spirit led me not to ask anyone for money but just tell others of my plans to travel to Nigeria. The first person, besides the church that I pastor; New Mine Creek Church in Blairs Virginia, that I shared with was a deacon from my home church, New Sardis Primitive Baptist Church in Cleveland Ohio. The deacon was Edward Watson. He had called me to order some copies of the anthology HOME AGAIN that my short story JAKE AND ERIC appeared in. When I shared with Deacon Watson that I was going to Nigeria he became so excited that he went to our pastor, Elder Larry Tatum and asked if the church could raise support for me which they did in a big way. I am so grateful to be a member of this church that has blessed and supported me without fail for the twenty years that I have been a member of that church. Again and again I shared my intentions to travel to Nigeria in March and again and again the Holy Spirit impressed people to give toward this venture. Through this effort God has revealed Himself to me in a new way as Jehovah Jireh. I first came to know Him as God my Provider when I was struggling in my first pastorate in West Virginia but these last months I have seen Him manifest as the giver of VISION and the PROVIDER.
Not only has God provided funds for me but He also moved on the hearts of two leaders of New Mine Creek to journey with me. They are Deacon Henry Law and his wife Deaconess Vickie Law. Henry is the first deacon ordained in my pastorate and it was with great joy that I recommended Vickie to serve as a deaconess in the church.
So the three of us are on our way this evening. I plan to write some more blogs from Nigeria this week. Pray for us as you read these words.
PEACE, PURPOSE, PROSPERITY
Pastor Bernard Boulton.