God Has More in Store for You

I once heard a story that I would like to share with you today. This is the story of a man who saved money for years to be able to buy a boat ticket to America. Once he had saved enough, he bought his ticket and boarded the ship. Since he did not have any money left for food, he brought some cheese and crackers for his journey. Every evening at mealtime, he would look into the elegant dining room and see the other passengers enjoying their food; then he would return to his cabin and eat his cheese and crackers. The day the ship docked in the New York harbor, a steward came to him and said, "Sir, have we offended you in any way? I noticed you did not eat any of your meals in our dining room." The man answered, "Oh, no! You see, I did not have enough money for meals so I ate in my room." The steward replied, "But sir, your meals were included in the ticket!"

I am not sure if this story is true or not, but this is how many Christians live. Jesus bought and paid for abundant life (John 10:10) at Calvary. But often we are satisfied with our reservation to heaven. He has abundance of peace, joy, health, prosperity, promotion, and increase available for you now! He has your healing. God will save your family. You can expect the best for your children. Stop limiting God. He will use you in the ministry. He wants to increase the strength of your church and your ministry. He wants to give you more power and provision so you can impact your community, culture and the world.

God has more in store for you! Many people miss the opportunities God brings into their lives because they are comfortable where they are now. They have not been stretched to expect bigger and better things in life so they can help others. They refuse to adjust their small thinking and to stretch themselves to receive the great things God has for them. When a new opportunity comes along, they make every excuse possible to pass on that moment of favor. They think, “I’m not good enough. God cannot bless me like that. This is only a short-lived dream.”

Unfortunately, life is directly connected to what you believe and what you expect from God. If you want God to do great things for you, you must have great expectation in your heart. It is called faith. Do not frustrate yourself trying to figure out how it will work. Just stay open and believe in the promises of God.

Aama was a little old widow living in a village surrounded by the magnificent Himalayas.  She was a new believer.  One day, a village preacher came and talked to her about having faith in God.  He told her that through faith she can move mountains.  This caught Aama’s attention.  She had spent all her life walking down the mountain to collect water for her family.  This took her five hours every day! 

After the preacher left, Aama put her faith to work.  She closed her windows and locked her door.  Aama began to pray – she asked God to remove the mountain so that she did not have to walk down the steep Himalayan Mountain every day to fetch water. 

After praying for a while, Aama opened her eyes and cautiously cracked the window open to see if the mountains were still in her way.  To her amazement, she could still see the mountains standing bold and gigantic as ever.  Aama shook her head and said, “I knew it would not work, I knew it would not work!”

Do not be like Aama. 

Hebrews11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” For faith to work, you must absolutely believe that God will do this miracle for you.  Our total dependency on God is a prerequisite for our faith to work.

Many people think they have to live the rest of their lives with their current income, with sickness, and binding circumstances. They believe God only wants them to attend church faithfully, throw in a few dollars in the offering, and make it to heaven. This is not a bad start, but He has more in store than you can ever think or imagine. God wants to bless you so you can be a blessing to others. Do not limit God.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Today you may be facing some tough challenges. Maybe it is a sickness or a financial trouble. Maybe you used to be a strong Christian but now your heart has grown cold toward Jesus. You want to have a fresh new start.

Friend, I have good news for you. God wants to do a new thing in your life. But you have to do your part and start expecting more from God! Your job is not your source. God is! He can give you one idea that will change your life forever. He may give you a business, an invention, a song, a book, or even a movie to write. Do not limit God. He has more in store for you. He is not limited by your education, your social background, or your connections. God can do anything. Today let your hope rise. Let your faith grow. Allow your heart to beat with excitement again. Jesus said, “If you believe, you will see the glory of God.” He loves you deeply. He cannot wait to bless you so that through you He can bless the world. We are praying for you. Remember, God has more in store for you!

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Mobilizing Missions in Germany to Reach Asia

I met Walter almost twenty years ago when I was ministering in Europe. Walter is the founder of HELP for all Nations and the President of the Free Christian Youth Community (FCJG) in Lüdenscheid, Germany. He had a powerful encounter with God while he was still a drug addict, and God radically changed Walter's life. His heart is burning for Jesus, revival, and missions. Walter has always gone after the young generation and he wants to see them released into their calling.

Walter is a visionary. The last time I sat down with him in the early nineties, Mongolia was just opening up to the Gospel work. I was one of the first missionaries to get in the country. When I started to share my experience with Walter, he was visibly excited. Before long, he sent thousands of young Germans to plant hundreds of churches in Mongolia.

Today, Walter is hooked on India. They have already begun a great work in northeastern India where we have been investing our resources for the last twenty-seven years. My goal in meeting with him is to mobilize more workers and resources for India. Walter has thousands of young people who are eager to do something extraordinary in the mission field. I hope to inspire them with my story and what God is doing in Asia. This will be a very strategic ministry trip. The number of unreached people in India is staggering, but I believe with the German connection, we can do more for India than we have ever done before.

Germany has one of the strongest economies in Europe. The majority of the country proclaims to be Christians, but Christianity is declining in Europe. Many of the beautiful church buildings have been converted into Moslem mosques. However, there is an uprising among German youth who want nothing but God’s best for their country and a part to play in world missions.

One of the things we are called to do at Build International is to give you a global connection. God’s heart has always been for the world. When you partner with this ministry, you are connected to God’s vision for the world. You are making a global impact! Thank you for lending us your support and taking ownership of God’s promise, “Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.” (Psalm 2:8, NLT) Thank you for going with me to Germany through your prayers and support.

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7 Keys for Empowering Our Young People

This week I witnessed my nephew and niece, David and Isabella Anderson, graduate from their high school. Isabella graduated with honors and ranked in the top fifteen percent, while David was among the first in his engineering class! I am extremely proud of them. Isabella will study international business while David wants to become an international architect. Their parents have worked hard to instill a world vision in both of these young people. They have caught the vision to attempt great things in life.

I believe our young people are brilliant, hardworking, and have creative genius. They will do more for their generation than we can ever dream. They will create, invent, achieve, and discover things we have not even considered. But they need you! Today, I want to give you seven keys to empower your young people.

1. Give them a lofty ambition. Too many of us are settling for much less than what we were created to be. Life has robbed us of our childhood dreams. Do not make the mistake of robbing them of theirs. We may have missed it, but we cannot allow our young people to think small. Encourage them to believe they can invent, discover, lead, and own. The bigger the challenge, the higher they will perform.

Brian Littrell was the lead singer of the successful band Backstreet Boys. He was born with a heart defect. In 1998, he went through multiple surgeries to close a hole in his heart. All the odds were against him. But he had a lofty ambition. Brian said, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”

2. Create an environment and opportunity for them. We are the product of our environment. Even God looked at our sinful world and sent Jesus to give us a vision of passion, purpose, and pride. I have seen thousands of young lives transformed by the environment created by our ministry.

I met Sanjay when he was in his early twenties. He became a Christian while attending one of our conferences in New Delhi, India. Prior to his salvation, Sanjay was living in fear and running from the authorities because he was a drug addict and a drug dealer. He went through a course in our Mission Training Center where his life was transformed. Today, Sanjay is ministering to tens of thousands.

3. Teach them more about responsibilities than rights. I have found people respond more to bragging than to nagging. If you want young people to mature, you have to say, “This is what needs to be done. This is what I expect. This is the amount of time in which to finish it.” Then you must “inspect what you expect.” Encourage them along the way, “What a great job you’re doing. I believe in you!” If you give them something to live up to, they will! Young people are crying out for someone to believe in them and to expect them to do a phenomenal job.

4. Teach them to be overcomers. Nobody became a success without some mistakes. Our mistakes may be some of the steps on the ladder of their success, but they will make their own. One of the greatest enemies of success is the fear of failure. Teach your young people to take bold steps. Teach them to think, “What if this does work out!” When they make a mistake, share your own, and tell them they can move past it, too!

5. Introduce them to your support system. As much as we want the young generation to be independent, it is much easier to build on an existing foundation. They do not have to do what God called you to do. But you have a network of friends, resources, and a support system your young people can build on. Why cause them to reinvent the wheel?

6. Expose them to the world. With the increasing threat/blessing of globalization, challenge your young people to make the world their playground. When we think of our future in the same town, state, or country we grew up, we are thinking too small. The global community will leave them a pauper unless we prepare our young people to have a global perspective.

7. Teach them to make God their partner. We can have all the success in the world, but unless our mission is connected to our Creator, our success will be mortal. When we do what we do for an eternal purpose, then we are living for a divine purpose. With God on our side, we can achieve anything!

Friend, God has given you some exceptional young people. Respect and recognize their individuality. Your job is not to make them who you are but to create an environment for them to discover who God has created them to be. Our job is to facilitate, guide, and encourage. You have had a shot at your life – now allow them to live theirs. Speak positive, affirmative words over their lives. You can never over-emphasize their values and vision. They have what it takes. They will only climb to the heights you allow them. Give them permission to excel in life. Become their mentor, consultant, role model, and friend. Do not just be satisfied with helping your own family; help, assist, and empower other young people you know. With your blessing, and God on their side, your young people will go on to achieve exceptional things. Friend, somebody believed in you long before you were a success; now it is your turn to believe in them!

Congratulations David and Isabella Anderson! I believe in you.

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