‘LAG’: Look At God

by Pastor E.A. Deckard
Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward Times

Forward Thinkers, we all have heard the bible says, “So as a man thinks so is he” but the reality is most of our thoughts are created by what we see. What we see is major in our walk of faith, I hear church folks right now saying, “That preacher must not know his bible because the bible says we walk by faith not by sight”. Let me assure you, Pastor E A Deckard know the bible as a matter of fact I know it very well.

Forward Thinkers, remember faith comes by hearing the word of God but also remember that faith without works is dead, therefore; as I hear God’s Word my faith increases but when I see God’s work my faith is activated.

Forward Thinkers, just having faith is not enough; our faith must be activated in order for us to use it. When you receive a credit card in the mail, it is yours and it has the potential for you to use as purchasing power but, before you can use it you must activate the card. Forward Thinkers the problem is a lot of people sit in church with “un-activated” faith and no power.

Psalm 66:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

5 Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!

6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot—

come, let us rejoice in him.

Forward Thinkers, during a difficult season in his life, David says come and see what God has done. Forward Thinkers, it’s time we paused and looked at God and all He has done in our lives. No matter where you are in your walk of faith, you can’t deny that God has done something great in your life.

King David, the psalm writer and the musician, tell us 3 things about God that we need to look at:

Look at God the miracle worker

Look at God reverse their situation

Look at God empower them to walk through what could have drowned them

Forward Thinkers, then David says come let us rejoice in Him. Forward Thinkers, every Sunday morning we should overcome every hurdle and come to the place you go to grow to reach your full potential and rejoice in Him.

Forward Thinkers, pause for a few seconds and just focus on rejoicing in Him?

Forward Thinkers, every month the intercessory prayer warriors at Green House International Church contact me requesting a prayer focus and this month I said to them when you pray this month don’t pray asking God for anything but let’s focus on praising God for all he has already done during this season of “FOG” favor of God.

Forward Thinkers, this has been a year of “FOG” favor of God, now let’s rejoice and spend time looking at God. The “FOG” has produced the “LAG” Look at God.

Forward Thinkers, I can hear someone now say, “Pastor you may be in your FOG season but I’m not going through this season”. Listen I’m not trying to minimize your problems, but I am trying to encourage you this season to “Look at God” more than you look at your problems.

Forward Thinkers, let me be transparent with you, it was last Saturday when I told the intercessor prayer team, don’t ask God for anything but rejoice in all things. When I woke up Sunday morning I was not feeling anywhere close to 100% but I went to church and preached under the anointing of the Holy Ghost like Steph Curry in NBA playoffs.

Forward Thinkers, by the time church was over I knew my vertigo was flaring up and I would be down for a few days. Vertigo is a type of dizziness in which a patient inappropriately experiences the perception of motion (usually a spinning motion) due to dysfunction of the vestibular system. It is often associated with nausea and vomiting as well as a balance disorder, causing difficulties with standing or walking. Forward Thinkers, that was my reality all day Monday and usually in 24 hours I can shake it off but this time I would experience the worst attack ever.

Forward Thinkers, on Tuesday my wife says there is no way you are going to be able to speak at the graduation ceremony I was scheduled to speak at that night. Being a commencement speaker was on my bucket list as a speaker so, I began to declare God I thank you for this awesome opportunity. I could not and did not back down from my declaration of not asking God for anything so I put all my energy on praising God for the season of “FOG” I am in. I was so sick, I had to call for someone to drive me to the graduation. Forward Thinkers, I was dizzy and my vision was shaky but I declared get me take me to the graduation and let’s watch God go to work. Forward Thinkers, I stood and spoke without any negative effects and remained standing shaking 470 students’ hands one by one.

Forward Thinkers, once the assignment was over, the next day I had to be rushed to ER. I posted on Facebook while in the ER vertigo can’t steal my smile while I’m looking at God. By Saturday I stood and encouraged hundredths of men and young men at the Black Male Summit. Looking at God instead of looking at my situation made all the difference and I don’t have any different line to God than you do.

Acts 3:1-5

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Forward Thinkers in this text we see three men:

Let’s look at these three men the first being a man lame from birth.

The man has never walked on his own

The man had been depending on others to carry him

The man was at the mercy of others supporting him

The man put his hope in the wrong place

Forward Thinkers the other two men Peter and John said look at us but what they were really saying was “Look at God”.

Forward Thinkers, both Peter and John knew the power of God because God had brought them a mighty long way. Forward Thinkers, don’t let people make you feel lame because they’re going to church and you are outside the church because not to long ago those very same people had their own lame story.

Forward Thinkers, the song “amazing grace” does say because I once was lost and I once was blind, therefore; we all have been through some type of situation before the power of God lifted us up. Peter could say look at God because he knew all about his Simon days and his cursing days and his denying Jesus days but Jesus never denied him.

Forward Thinkers, that’s the best news of the day God never denied you either. Forward Thinkers, God so loved the world he gave us his son Jesus while we were still sinners.

Forward Thinkers if you not ashamed tell somebody “Look at God” I’m still standing in spite of all I’ve been through. God’s greatest work was not in creating the heavens or the earth or the sun, moon, and stars, or even the beautiful ocean but you see Forward Thinkers God’s greatest work was when he created you.

Pastor E. A. Deckard is the Senior Pastor/Founder of the Green House International Church now located, in both Houston, Texas, and the Woodlands, Texas. To contact Pastor Deckard for speaking engagements contact him atpr.ghic@gmail.com or the church website http://www.ghic.net