7:14 Experiment Part – 3

February 22nd, 2012

Today starts the 7:14 Experiment. Scores of you have responded. I expect more will respond today. As we pray, It is going to be a powerful testimony to the Lord. It is going to be fun building our faith, humbling our lives, praying, seek the Lords face. Repenting of our sin and getting relief from our sins. I believe God will honor our faith, honor our prayers and I believe this can cause revival in our countries.

May I suggest that you keep a journal over the 40-days. Write down your prayers, write down the things God impresses you with. Write down the victories you experience. Write down the answers to your prayers. In general, just keep a log of your life the next 40 days. I think it will be an amazing log that you will never want to part with.

May I also suggest, set your alarm on your phone to go off at 7:14 in the morning and 7:14 in the evening as a reminder that you made a commitment to the 7:14 Experiment. 

God bless you for participating in the 7:14 Experiment.

Ross

7:14 Experiment – Part 2

February 21st, 2012

I am so excited about the 7:14 Experiment. The response has been incredible. The first response to yesterday’s blog was within minutes of my post and it came from the Dominican Republic. Since then, the responses have continued to pour in. It is not too late to jump on the 7:14 Experiment. Lent does not start until Wednesday. Read yesterday’s blog for complete details. It is simple, fast and I think it will change your life, your home and maybe your nation.

We need revival and it starts with US.

God promised, If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 

Most of us stop right there. It is a great passage. We all know it. but do you know the next verse?

God says, Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered…

Not only does God offer the blessings of verse 14 but He tells us, He will have His eyes and ears open and attentive to our prayers. In other words, God is saying you have my undivided attention!

I can hardly wait to see what happens when we all hit our knees and seek God over the next 40-day 7:14 Experiment.

Ross 

The 7:14 Experiment

February 20th, 2012

I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE 7:14 EXPERIMENT.  With Mark’s blessings, I have copied Mark Batterson’s article in it’s entirety for you to read. I would like you to read this and JOIN ME by following his instructions in his article below. Together we can do something great to celebrate Easter.  Please read his article below, then complete the Text as instructed. Once you have sent the text, take a minute to send me an email by pressing reply and let me know you completed the text as requested. Then, would you do one more thing for me?  Please forward this email to a minimum of 10-of your friends and ask them to read it and follow the instructions.  This will be fun to see what God does as we seek Him through our prayers and to co-operate in a world-wide event together for 40-days.  I have readers in 55 countries and all 50 states of the U.S. I am praying that you will all respond. Here is Mark’s article…

Mark Batterson
The 7:14 ExperimentPosted: 19 Feb 2012 05:33 AM PST

We have a core value at National Community Church: everything is an experiment.  My favorite kind? Experiments that are based on the Bible.  I think of as them holy experiments. So here’s the scoop.  We’re going to circle II Chronicles 7:14 during Lent. I guess you could call it an experilent. What would happen if we circled this promise in prayer for forty days?  I intend to find out.

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven.  I will forgive their sin and heal their land.

What if all of us hit on knees everyday at 7:14 AM?  Honestly, the time isn’t the issue.  I just think 7:14 is a nice trigger.  It can be 7:13 or 7:15.  It can be 6:37 or 8:22. AM or PM.  So it’s not about the time per se.  It’s about establishing a humble habit of kneeling before the Lord on a daily basis.  You can hit your knees when you get out of bed or when you get into bed. And it’s not about bowing the knee. It’s about bowing the heart.  There is nothingmagical about kneeling, but there is something biblical about it.  I’ve found that my heart posture often mirrors my physical posture.

Are you in? Would you be willing to kneel everyday for forty days? For two or ten or thirty or sixty minutes?  If you want to be part of the 7:14 experiment, text the word LENT to775.237.4364. We’ll send out a short text message at 7:14 AM everyday during Lent.  Just a daily reminder, a daily inspiration.  We’ll kick off on Ash Wednesday, February 22.  We’ll end on Easter Sunday.  Spread the word…

Let’s not seek blessings or miracles or opportunities. Let’s seek God.  And if we seek God, blessings and miracles and opportunities will seek us! If we get on our knees then God will extend His right hand on our behalf.

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be added to as well.”   Matthew 6:33

Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO

February 17th, 2012
Recently, I was nominated and named as a finalist for Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO Award. 
Honestly, when I first received an email about it I thought one of my friends was pulling a joke on me. I did not take it seriously. However, it was true. I could hardly believe it. There were a number of outstanding CEO’s that were nominated along with me. I was in “tall cotton” last night. And while I did not win the distinction of being named Oklahoma’s Most Admire CEO last night I did win the grand prize. Please keep reading….
I am blessed to work with Rod Whitson who nominated me as Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO. Rod and I have worked together off and on since 1984 and he pretty much knows all of my weakness and still looked passed them to nominate me.  Thank You Rod.
And my co-worker Fran Smith,  wrote a letter of recommendation. Fran and I have worked together for 20 years. She is a total blessing to everyone she knows. And two other employees Robin Benell and Lauren Wheeler wrote recommendations as well. Thank you so much. Your encouragement and positive affirmations are a wonderful blessing to me.
The entire team at Bank2 makes me look good. It is their tireless efforts that have helped us succeed. I am truly blessed to work with this great team. A ton of them attended the Award Banquet last night. I was proud to be with them.
Several bank Directors attended and gave me there support. Our owners bought tables so my family could attend. Can you believe that. Thank you Governor Anoatubby.
One of my close friends Ray Sanders, also wrote a letter of recommendation. Some of my closest  friends attend last night.  They have blessed my life for decades. They love to give me hard time by teasing me endlessly. They are true friends. I love them.
My children and their spouses attended the event. I was so proud to introduce them. I am thankful for what each one of them has accomplished in there own lives. I admire them, one and all, and I love watching them grow and succeed. I love being known as their dad.
Raynell, is my number 1 fan.  She believes in me even when things are difficult or even when she disagrees with my approach. She has always believed in me, and  supports my decisions. She has worked hand in hand to help me accomplish my dreams.  It does not get much better than that.
My 87 year old mom has always bragged on me like I was a star. I definitely have her fooled…I wish she could have attended last night.
None of the recognition and celebration would have been possible without God.  None of the items listed above as blessing would have happened except for His blessing. He is the “giver of every good and perfect gift.” I praise Him for being a finalist for this award and I know it carries a significant responsiblity.  ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.” My prayer is that I will live my life in a way that is deserving of this recognition and even more, in a manner that brings Him glory and honor.
While I may not be Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO, I believe I won the grand prize because, as you can see, I am truly BLESSED.
Ross
Post Srcipt: A big congratulations to those that won Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO. You three truly deserve the honor.

The Fifth Beatle

February 16th, 2012

I really like what Seth Godin wrote today.  I have copied it below. 

The Fifth Beatle

It’s an insult. If someone (who isn’t John, Paul, George or Ringo) calls you a fifth Beatle, they’re not being nice.

For fifty years, people have been proclaiming that they’re intimates, part of the story, a key component of the success of the Beatles… Just as there are people who would like you to believe that they were instrumental in this startup, that project or the other initiative. Success has many parents, failure few.

Here’s the deal: you don’t get to be part of the success narrative unless you were fully exposed if there was going to be a failure narrative instead.

Innovators need your support, without a doubt. But if you want to be a Beatle, start your own group.

Wisdom and Understanding

February 15th, 2012

Wisdom without understanding is about like salt without pepper. Shoes without shoe strings. A car without gasoline. A diamond without a mounting. Wisdom and Understanding go together. One without the other is not nearly as valuable or as useful. The bible is clear that Wisdom and Understanding go hand in hand. Three times in the first few chapters of Proverbs we are told to write both Wisdom and Understanding on our hearts; to bind them around our necks; to seek them both. 

I hear tons of prayers asking for wisdom. I pray for wisdom all of the time. When is the last time you prayed asking for both Wisdom and Understanding?

Ross

Bored Being A Christian

February 13th, 2012

I think many Christians are bored. I believe many men in particularly get Bored being a Christian. If these statements are true then the questions that should be asked are, Why do you get bored with your faith? What can you do to stop being bored?

I happen to think the answers to these issues are rather simple. First, most of the time I don’t think the CHURCH is the problem. In my mind, the problem is that we lack a quality relationship with God. I think that is the fundamental cause of us getting bored and the solution is to get our relationship with God rock solid. How do you do that? I think there are three elements to having a rock solid relationship with God and thus not being bored.

1.) Reading His word daily. You can not have a strong relationship with Him unless you take time to read his word. I am very busy. Most of the time my work days are 12 hours long. My calendar controls my schedule. So, I schedule time to read the Bible on my calendar. The same time each and every day.

2.) I talk to God everyday. I spend time talking to HIM. I want a relationship, so I talk to Him. This too is planned on my calendar. It is hard for me to pray in silence because my brain is full and it races non-stop. I can not just bow my head and pray silently. I learned years ago to write my prayers out word for word. It is a lot of writing. But by writing my prayers out I can concentrate on the task of praying and of having a conversation with my Lord. I have filled tons of thick journals but they are a blessing because not only has this method of praying built a strong prayer life, it has given me a record to re-read. I can see that God answers my prayers. He is alive and He is active in my life. Talk about something stirring you up and getting you excited about your faith!

3.) Do something for the Lord. Yes, if you don’t want to be Bored Being A Christian, do something. Be active doing something to build the kingdom, serve the Lord. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life or in the kingdom. To me there is not much more thrilling than to know you have helped someone. “Faith with out works is dead.”

I could add a 4th or 5th item to the list but I truly believe if you are Bored Being A Christian you can get excited about your faith by doing these three simple steps. Yes, it takes effort and time but nothing in life worth having takes less.

If you are Bored Being A Christian it is time to stop being bored and get busy doing these three things. I promise, if you do, you will never be bored again.

Ross

God Never Ceases to Amaze Me – Part 2

February 10th, 2012

I have to tell you, it feels like I am in the “zone”. Yesterday I shared with you how God so quickly answered a prayer for us at the bank. Well, here is the rest of the story. Not only did God fix the immediate problem in less than an hour He fixed 3-other issues that will ensure the problem can not re-occur anytime soon. That is His nature…God loves to give us more than we ask of Him.

But, that is not all. Yesterday, one of our kids sent me a text telling me that Rick Santorum was speaking next door. I grabbed one of the guys and we walked over to hear him. The place was jammed packed, thousands of people. We got there just as he started speaking. Unfortunately (I thought) we were at the back of the convention center. I found it hard to see. The “tall people” in front of me blocked my view. Every time I moved to see, the “tall people” moved blocking my view again. I got frustrated so, I walked over to the left side of the room.  I had a great view. I looked to my right and standing right next to me was a friend of mine from Ada, OK. I had no idea he was going to be there. Well, Here is the rest of the story...The night before and again that morning I told my wife that I needed to get in touch with my friend from Ada. I might even have to drive down to Ada to see him in person. I had an important matter to discuss with him. I had been praying about meeting him. In a room full of thousands of people I looked to my right and my friend from Ada, OK. was standing right next to me, shoulder to shoulder. GOD NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME!

ROSS

God Never Ceases To Amaze Me

February 9th, 2012

I write a lot about prayer. I believe in it and practice it daily. However, having said that, God Never Ceases to amaze me.

Yesterday, one of my co-workers and I met over a serious problem we had at the bank. We discussed it and then we bowed our heads and asked God to help us fix it. We prayed that He would fix it that day. We had til Friday to resolve the problem but we asked Him to fix it that day.

Less than an hour later my business associate interrupted me. I was in a meeting but he had to tell me the huge problem was fixed. God never ceases to amaze me. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Ross

Think About It

February 8th, 2012

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself these questions, How do I praise the Lord? How does my life praise the Lord? If you read the last 5 Psalms you will see that praising God is a natural outflow of a believer.  I would suggest that you read Psalm 150 today. In this Psalm, David put together an exhaustive list of items concerning praising God. The Psalm is but 6-verses in length yet every word deals with praising God.

As I read the Psalm it occured to me that I don’t praise God enough. I started asking myself these questions; How do I praise the Lord? How does my life praise the Lord? In other words, I personalized it. THINK ABOUT IT. Then answer the questions.

Ross

 

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