PastorsMessages -

Facing the Man in the Mirror
W. L. Vincent 8/20/09

James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. NKJV

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change
By: Michael Jackson

        Who is the greatest enemy of the Christian? Is it the devil? Is it the secular world? I would answer no. Yes, they are enemies of God’s people, but never since the begging of time have either of these formidable foes defeated one true child of God. Not one time has the devil won a single victory against the people of God. Not one time has God allowed the world to destroy one of His children. Yes there have been times when God allowed Satan to cast a saint of God into a lions den or a fiery furnace, but the lions could not eat them and the fire could not burn them. Some have even given their lives for His name, but in reality they only laid down weakness and put on immortality.
        No, the world and the devil are not the greatest enemy to the child of God. The greatest enemy of the child of God is an enemy that can do what neither of these enemies can. That enemy can bring true defeat. That enemy is the man in the mirror.
        To often Christianity has blamed all of its problems on others. We don’t have victory in our lives because “the devil keeps on pickin on us.” We cannot have revival in our cities and our world because “people just don’t want Jesus.” Allow me to challenge that notion. Allow me to repeat myself and say that - never has the world and the devil defeated the people of God. If we are not having victory in our lives we need to do battle with the man in the mirror. If we want to see God’s glory manifested in our communities and our world, lets stop blaming it on sinners. The old-time revival scripture “If my people, who are called by my name …” has not reached its expiration date. God has a fresh outpouring of the spirit for this generation! Lets stop making excuses and start making a difference!
        Where do we start? Lets face it change is hard. As a Pastor and Evangelist I can truly say that it is easier to cast out a devil or speak healing into someone’s life than it is to minister true change into their lives. I have literally seen people get up out of wheelchairs who still had a problem getting along with people. I can cast a devil out of a person in an instant simply by speaking His Name, yet I have preached to people for years and some never change. I have learned that my ministerial authority does not extend over the free will of man. I, as a minister, cannot do for you what you do not desire for yourself. The Holy Spirit will not do in your life what you do not desire for yourself. You must get the revelation that you hold the key in your hands.
        When I council with people the first thing I tell them is simply: “if you cannot commit to attend church regularly I cannot help you.” I sincerely mean that. If a person dose not want to save their marriage or overcome addiction enough to come to church, how can I help them? I have learned that if a person is not committed to change on their own, my ability to minister to them is useless.
        I want to share a story with you that will illustrate this point. When I was about 16yrs old a lady came to our church one night who was dependent on a walker. As the spirit moved in that service I felt that God wanted to heal her. So, I went and spoke with the pastor and we all gathered around the lady and begin to pray for her. The lady stood gripping the walker and facing us. As we were praying my Grandmother, who was standing to the side, looked at the woman and said with boldness “put that walker down and walk.” The woman looked at her pitifully as if to say “I wish I could.” At this my Grandmother reached out and took the walker from her and said “walk in Jesus name.” Now I am not suggesting that this is the normal way of praying for the sick, but I will never forget what happened next.
        At first the lady was indignant. How dare anyone take a walker away from a cripple. You could visibly see it on her face, but in an instant her countenance changed from anger to almost determination. She looked at my grandmother and took a step. Now determination was replaced by joy. She walked and rejoiced all around the church. As a matter of fact she walked to church the next Wednesday night.
        The thing that I will never forget about that night is the transition in that woman’s face. She could have went home just like she had came. Yet, something in her mind said “Why not me, why not now?”
        I think that is the revelation we must all receive. We must look in the mirror and ask ourselves “why not me, why not now?” Stop talking yourself out of victory. Stop putting off your blessing. It’s not a special service or evangelist that you need. The biggest key to your miracle is starring back at you from behind the glass. Today is your day - now put down that walker and walk!

In Memory of Martha Faye Vincent (my Nanny) who went home to be with the Lord June 29, 2009.