Here’s the lie. The enemy will tell you that access to heaven is closed because of the distance you created between God and you. The enemy will try to reflect his nature upon God. What is his nature? Grudges, lies, and animosity. The goal is always to take us away from grace and bring us back to works. It’s always the plan.

I have good news. God is not like us. He’s not even like the best of us. He doesn’t close up heaven based on our decision to disconnect from Him. He doesn’t hold grudges and keep score. In fact, He tells us to “Come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need.” There’s no need to be quiet about coming back to His presence.

I decided to stop the lie and just entered His presence, thanking Him for His patience with this piece of clay. Here’s what happened…time in His presence was just as sweet as before. What a God who welcomes us back even when we become distant. Next time you feel unworthy to be in His presence, stop, and realize that’s the point. We are unworthy but Jesus doesn’t care. He simply says, “Welcome home.”

The longer you commit to living the right way, doing it God’s way, the more these times and seasons will come into your life.  I must encourage you times of refreshing from the Spirit of the Lord will come again.  I want to give you three things to do, if you feel lifeless, that will help you.

#1 Take some time for yourself

Many times, we are afraid to ask those around us for personal time because it feels selfish.  Be selfish when it comes to taking the time you need.  Talk to those you love and say, “I need a few hours to just get away from it all.”

Every important turning point in someone’s life in the Bible that produced a turnaround began with allowing himself or herself to have extended periods before God.

David, lying before the Lord after his sin.  Jeremiah even went to a retreat to ponder his life.  Elijah, of course, took the time to just tell God, “I want to die.”  God could handle the fact that Elijah was having a pity party, God just wanted to be in on the process of Elijah pouring out his heart.

You have to break the cycle of ordinary scenery and find yourself an altar, a getaway spot, to receive fresh revelation.

#2 Take yourself to the places where God has been there for you

When I become lifeless and weary, I take a drive down the places where it all began.  An old liquor store/market by the first church building.  It is there that I remind myself of past battles and trials.  Where it took everything inside me just to stay in the calling.  It’s taking this trip to my first church building that God shows me a young man who wanted to quit and how God brought him out of that place to a miracle place now just down the road called the Dream Center.

Looking at how far God has brought you will remind you of just how much you have experienced in your journey.  Reminding yourself of the journey will show you all the adventure that is your life.

#3  Hang around new Christians

When life has taken all the passion out of you, hang around new Christians.  Force yourself to be around people who still tingle when everything is new to them.  At all cost, avoid negative people and dream killers. Avoid people who take delight in discussing calamity and scandal.  Refuse to have long conversations with them and avoid people who are on spiritual life support.  Find people who are red-hot for God.  It doesn’t matter if they have perfect theology, or even if they have only been saved for a month, find that person.

I know a major league baseball player who goes to minor league games and watches players who are struggling to make the big leagues.  He watches them dive, slide, tear their knees up, and do whatever they can to succeed.  They are hungry, they are fresh, and they are alive.  A major league player buying a ticket to watch players who are fresh and alive in their pursuit, reminds him to stay hungry.

WHEN TIRED SAINTS HANG AROUND TIRED SAINTS IT PRODUCES TIRED SAINTS.  Find someone who is fresh and get near him or her. The seasoned Christian can often learn so much from someone who is fresh and new in his or her zeal for God.

When I get exhausted in the race, I simply go down to the rehab home and just talk to the people in the program.  They remind me to get over my entitled self and find joy in the beauty of the journey.

You are going to feel again!  It’s praise when everything is going right and your life is in your hands.  It’s a sacrifice of praise when you don’t feel like it but you do it anyways.

I stopped for a second after to realize the power of that moment.  Yes, of course, my kids had a blast.  However, at the same time, I realized that the pressures of life can age us into robotic people who forget that childlike thrill that lies deep within.  Life can be so serious and filled with emotions that are so raw and painful that it strips away that “Childlike Spirit” that is so necessary to being a Christian.   

When the disciples tried to turn the children away from Jesus I believe Jesus rebuked them because he saw something so pure that he wanted the disciples to see.  

NEVER LET THE PRESSURES OF LIFE TAKE AWAY THE CHILDLIKE WONDER THAT STABILIZES THE WEARY SPIRIT. 

Being childlike is very responsible behavior for an adult.  It’s very healthy and very wise to let yourself have random moments when you lose yourself in childlike wonder. Also, I believe that letting yourself be as a child unleashes creativity that only comes from an imagination that sees everything through childlike possibility.  Many times on summer vacations, I see parents laying on a recliner all day while their kids are in a pool.   I totally understand that parents deserve a break!  However, you just might surprise yourself by how much fun you can have splashing around the pool with your kids and losing yourself in uncommon, unplanned behavior. 

My trip to Target reminded me, as a parent and in life, to keep it light and easy.  We all know that hard moments and pain will definitely track us down.  We must create light-hearted moments to fight a decaying spirit that comes from letting life live us, rather than choosing what life is going to be.  Next time you go to Target or anywhere that seems mundane, find a way to see it through the creativity and imagination of a child. 

There are two words that I hate more than any other.  WAITING LIST!  The Dream Center has a waiting list of people, needing to get in, who need our one-year program.  We also have over 200 people waiting for beds to open up on our Family Floor.  Turning away people who need help is the hardest part of my job.

My birthday is this Sunday. The only thing I want for my 38th birthday is bunk beds for the men, women and children in our one-year recovery home, those who live on our Family Floor and for the many hundreds of others who live here. A place they can lay their heads as we expand two hospital floors for rehab. We are talking about 200 people currently with the goal to double this to 400 in one program alone.  Over 600 people live here on a daily basis.

My greatest present would be for as many people as possible to donate $38 for a bunk bed. Every gift represents a life that will have a chance to break cycles of addiction in a year-long program.

This is my birthday wish and if you can help, it will make such an incredible impact. Our men and women are so special, grateful, and are becoming miracles because of people like you.  Thanks for giving me the best birthday.  I’m 38 this Sunday.  A gift of $38, $380 or anything you can do would go a long way. You can help us by looking below for ways to support.

http://www.dreamcenter.org/get-involved/give-financially/bucks-for-bunks/

I often wonder how a few yards can separate communities that should share so much in common. Both communities could rally together concerning fighting poverty or better schools but instead the fight is over something small and meaningless. Kids are raised in camps taught to despise and divide. Usually, it’s over some small beef that took place years ago which simply lingered. Gang division destroys generations.

But there’s something worse. Church gangsters. People fighting over methods and strategy. Blogging about what they don’t like in a minister or ministry based on certain doctrine. It’s the same attitude of Bloods and Crips, raising up a group of people to divide and usually it’s over method, style, or someone else’s success. We should be rallying about Jesus dying on the cross for mankind and cleansing us from our sins. Repentance and confession that lead to salvation.

My heart breaks as I see this play out. The conflicts of street life have entered the church. Pastor, that comparison is too extreme? No, it’s not. People die over this, leave the church, live bitter or angry all in the name of being right or more spiritual than the other group.

A kid was coming to our church. For the first time in his life he was on fire. He found a home in the church. His mother pulled him out of church because we had guitars in worship and wore jeans. The boy never went to church again and we lost him to the world. Street gang thuggery at its finest.

It’s time that we rally around eternal life and what we agree on. Even if we disagree on some things, how in the world is picking on someone who disagrees with you on theology going to change anyone?

It’s time we agree on the important things and leave the gangs of religious camps. The worst thing about arguing over non-essential differences is all the time that could have been used making a difference. I know many people find comfort in their little camp of “Believing their right” but it’s damaging, it hurts people, and has got to stop. Gang mentality amongst ministries might be worse than street gangs because we know the Bible and should know better.

It’s time that the church refuses to “Conform to the world” of gang culture and be famous for our incredible unity on essentials not random things that have no eternal value. Let’s turn in our rags of spiritual camps and come together and change the world.

I am not so spiritual to tell you that it wasn’t tempting…it was! We turned down the $1 million to plant the church in downtown Los Angeles in the middle of a gang-infested community next to a liquor store/market. At first, it felt like the greatest mistake of our life. No money, no resources, just a dream of what the community can be. It was a troubling start, proving everyone right that you couldn’t build a great church in this community. However, I learned that when you don’t compromise your calling, you open the door for blessings that your “best case scenario” could never describe.

MANY TIMES, SAYING NO TO GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES CAN OPEN UP PLATINUM OPPORTUNITIES.

What we say “NO” to is what can define the opportunities to which we can one day say “YES.”. Just because something screams out, “Take the fast result,” doesn’t mean it’s the right one. Years have gone by and we have been blessed far beyond anything that we could have received taking the fast way, the quick bolt of provision, and have seen God do a sustaining miracle. A building worth $52 million and hundreds of millions poured into the community over the years. Hold onto your dream and don’t let any shortcuts get in the way of that on which God has His hand. In the end, what God’s hand is on will prosper.

Turning down $1 million doesn’t make a lot of sense in the natural but in the supernatural, it makes a lot of sense. A God-given dream is too important to squander for an easier way out. If it’s a harder way and it’s God’s plan for your life then take that narrow road that leads to life, not just for eternity, but in the pursuit of our calling.

I’m on my eighteenth year of ministry as the Pastor of the Los Angeles Dream Center. I’ve realized something. The longer you stay planted in your calling the more you see miracles that only faithfulness can bring. In other words, I have stayed around long enough to find these coupons. I’ve clipped off the coupons in the form of financial miracles that come from a donor giving because of our reputation for longevity. I’ve seen it in the payoff of changed lives that persevered because we persevered for them.

There are some blessings that simply come by being planted. I think God has different coupons (blessings) for us in different stages of our lives that we cannot manufacture, strategize, comprehend, or even work for. They are not based on how well we do church, how creative we are, or how good we are at our occupation. They are just the gift of miracles that God gives us along the way of not giving up.

THEY ARE COUPONS OF LONGEVITY!

I can only imagine what it must be like to be like my father or others in the ministry who have devoted themselves for fifty or more years to the work of God. How they spend years of their lives just collecting free gifts from God along the way. I’ve really started to see this in my own life the last couple of years. We work, we plan, but more than all of that WE STAND and God gives us blessings. Maybe in the form of people we help who change, or a bunch of other things that only come by being immovable and planted where God wants us to be. Stay faithful and you will be a professional coupon clipper walking every day in blessings that you can’t control or plan but that God rewards along the way.

Week three came and all of a sudden the weight started coming off. A trainer told me that my body was getting trimmer even though I gained a pound. He said something profound, “Trust the process the results will come.” He went on to say that my body was learning to adapt to a new way of living, give it time. Five weeks later ten pounds have come off and muscle is actually starting to burn off the fat.

What a principle! We believe that we must always measure results. I wonder how many great dreams, ministries, ideas, have not come to fruition because someone gave up when the process didn’t appear to be working quickly enough. Because someone’s future became bound to charts and graphs. Be careful when reading books or listening to speakers who talk about measuring results. Sure we want results; we are going to get results! However, there are adjustment periods, new muscles adapting to different changes and eras in our lives. Many coaches built great championship teams and dynasties after two or three horrible seasons. They were building a process to sustain longevity.

When building a dream and answering a call from God, commit yourself to the plan He’s given you. Even in failure and struggle you are gaining muscles that will one day turn into results. Don’t let the sudden urge to get results take away the fire God put inside you to win the real battle. The battle for the test of time.

So I’m on a mission — to obliterate shame!

Let me give you a simple formula: SHAME = GIVING UP. Shame seeks to first crush, then throw away the broken pieces. I believe that shame produces nothing, creates nothing, and leads to nothing. However, when someone loses hope and some crazy second chance person comes into their life, things start to change. The best thing we can do when someone fails is to run to him or her and infuse so much hope, to a ridiculous level, to the point that he or she can see a sunlit future again.

Many could criticize and say, “Where is the accountability?” My question back is, “Where is the accountability that we have before God to pick these people back up?”

Look, accountability will come, but the first step in helping people on the road to a comeback is a mass infusion of love, that brings hope. Hope produces momentum for people to want to change because they finally have the wind to their backs. Natural accountability will ride on the back of unconditional love. The Bible says, “Where there is no revelation people cast off restraint.” This means if there is no hope for the future, there is no hope for self-control. Why even try?

We must throw bombs of hope on people right when they fail to remind them that life is not over.

At the Dream Center, over 40% of my staff are graduates from our recovery home. At our church, we have ex- pimps, prostitutes, murderers, and gang members — and that’s just the PASTORAL STAFF. I feel my job is to throw buckets of grace on people every day, because it’s the only way people can make it! After all, how in the world is telling a 20 year heroin addict “you should be ashamed of yourself” going to create any change? Those reactions simply send people back to the cold, dark, alleys for another hit.

God hasn’t called us to “repeat the obvious,” that people have sinned (…pretty sure they know it), but to show them a bright future which they never dreamed possible. I would rather stand before God and hear him say, “You were too forgiving” than to miss all the Angel-unawares, in the form of hurting people, upon whom I simply gave up.

I am proud to be a part of a ministry that destroys shame and raises up a generation of wounded warriors who become city janitors…walking through the streets of our cities, picking up broken pieces, and telling people that they can dream again!

Matthew Barnett

I will never forget going home and weeping over a Sunday morning where we went backwards in our church growth. I lost the victory, couldn’t preach to the people who were there because all I could think about is the people who were not there. I developed stomach ulcers and took every down week in church attendance personally. Until one day, God spoke to me.

CHURCH GROWTH MUST SOMETIMES GO BACKWARDS BEFORE IT CAN GO FORWARDS.

Many pastors feel that they are in the worst season of their lives when the church is not growing. In my case, and in the case of so many others, it was exactly what was needed in order to discover a cause that was greater than my dream. God wanted those people to be scattered to churches that best fit their liking so that he could raise up a generation who wanted to go in the same direction. God also wanted to deal with the issue of anxiety of the leader. He wanted to make me understand that He was always good even in this hard time.

When I first started pastoring, I let the church empty itself starting with a couple dozen and then a few more and then a few more still. Then, I took a long walk around my city and let God birthed the idea of the Dream Center. The twenty-four hour church helping people at all hours of the day. It was a dream that had to be born out of reverse church growth. The reality was going back was really a slingshot preparing to be launched forward.

GOD OFTEN EMPTIES SOMETHING BEFORE HE REBUILDS IT.

The most liberating thing I ever did was rip up my goal sheet of where I wanted to be in five years and learning to love and trust God, seek the purity of motivation in ministry, and get back to making a commitment to God to do the next thing He wanted me to do.

I started to love the people in the building and not view them as a number to get me to my goal. We started to rally with those who remained. We had to put a new dream of the church being open twenty-four hours a day meeting people’s needs. Finally, my anxiety was gone, my expectations in the natural were gone and I began to open my eyes to the church God wanted me to build and not what I wanted. Suddenly, I realized that there was a major work to do and no longer would I judge God’s goodness on week-by-week progress.

Maybe you are reading this and something in your life seems to be going in the opposite direction. I have learned that things could be entering into their best growth period while things are going backwards. The way down is often the way up! Don’t you let yourself be discouraged when you are in the valley. Because the lessons you learn in the valley are the ones that are going to contribute to you celebrating on the mountaintop!