Pastor Rusty's Blog

The third attitude for answered prayer is to LET GOD ANSWER IN HIS OWN POWER. Don’t try to “help Him out” in your own power. Its amazing how often we do this in practical terms.

For some reason, God often waits until a situation looks hopeless before He acts. Have you noticed this? Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead and buried to perform a miracle. The same can be said of Giarus’ daughter. Why does God often wait until the last mintute? To STRETCH OUR FAITH and to DEMONSTRATE HIS POWER.

Our problem is impatience! Get get impatient when God delays His answer or doen’t respond as quickly as we desire. Unfortunately, there are often very negative consequences of trying to help God out… remember Ishmael!

Let God answer in His own POWER, in His own WAY, and in His own TIME.

The DIRT Fast ends tomorrow and we’ll wrap up this answered prayer series tomorrow as well. Next week Pastor Rusty’s guest blogger will be Pastor Mark Benson, Campus Pastor at the Rock West Campus.

MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

Until tomorrow…

Dave Melendez

“God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us…” –Ephesians 3:20

As we come down the final stretch of our DIRT Fast, consider this: What if God answered EVERY prayer YOUR WAY – exactly as you requested? If God had done so in my life I can truly say I would have been short-changed! There have been SO MANY times that God answered in a way FAR BETTER than what I had asked! Have you learned that God has A LOT BETTER IDEA about how to meet needs in your life?

God promised to give us the desires of our heart. I’ve learned this promise is true, but I’ve also learned that He knows my heart BETTER THAN I DO. He knows me better than I know myself! When I think I know what’s best for me, HE ALWAYS KNOWS BETTER!

When praying about your desires, consider this four-step process:

1. Commit your desires to Christ. (Get neutral)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own   understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5,6

2. Ask God to reveal His will by giving you His desire.
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

3. Compare your desires with the Bible.
“The wisdom that comes from heaven is pure, peace-loving, etc…” James 3:17

4. Wait for God to give you a personal promise.
Be patient. Let God lead you to a promise in the Bible related to your request.

The second attitude for answered prayer is LET GOD ANSWER IN HIS OWN WAY.

HIS WAYS are not always OUR WAYS, but HIS WAY is the BEST WAY!

“God always give His best to those who leave the choice to Him!” – A.W. Tozier

Until tomorrow, God bless you!

Pastor Dave

Luke 1:5-17 records the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth praying for God to give them a child. In response to their prayer, the angelic messenger Gabriel appeared to them in verse 11. Although He assured them “your prayer has been heard”, there was no immediate evidence of God’s fulfillment of their request. It’s important to remember that though God hears our prayer immediately, the response or answer is often delayed.

After Gabriel assured them of God’s attentiveness, Zechariah expresses words of frustration, impatience and doubt. As a result, Gabriel told Zechariah that he will not be able to speak until the child was born. In verse 20 the angel declared, “…(the promise) will come true AT THE PROPER TIME.”

The first attitude for answered prayer is: LET GOD ANSWER IN HIS OWN TIME.

Delays are not denials! One mark of spiritual maturity is the ability to distinguish between “no” and “not yet”. Our response in “God’s waiting room” has much to do with the development of our faith as the answer itself! As we pray during this DIRT Fast, let’s be reminded that God wants to change us (our attitude) at least as much as our circumstances.

Instead of simply praying “Lord, change my situation”, it’s just as important to add “Lord, change me”!

God wants to deepen our faith and teach us to TRUST HIM and wait for Him to answer IN HIS OWN TIME.

Until tomorrow, God bless you!

Pastor Dave

Hello everyone! This is Pastor Dave Melendez, executive pastor at The Rock. Pastor Rusty asked me to assist him with his blog during his trip to India due to internet connectivity challenges.

In the course of our DIRT fast remember, we are not fasting to diet, to impress God, or impress people. We are not trying to earn God’s favor or score spiritual “brownie points” with Him. We are humbling ourselves, pouring out our hearts and expressing our passion and desire to know him more. There is also an element of intercession in this season of prayer – asking for God’s will to be done in our lives, our church, our nation, and the world.

As we are pray during this fast, we encourage you to consider the proper attitude in prayer. Unanswered prayer is most often due to an attitude problem. The scriptures make it clear that attitudes such as unforgiveness, selfishness, presumption or pride can hinder our prayers.

For the next few days we are going to examine Luke 1:5-17 – the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth as they prayed for God to give them a child. There are four important principles in this passage regarding prayer we will examine together.

For today, focus on this verse: Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, FAITHFUL in prayer.”

God bless you… until tomorrow!

DIRT FAST BLOG – Day 16:  From INDIA

I pray you are having a wonderful day today.  I am actually writing you from Mumbai, India.  It’s 2 am on Tuesday the 19th, and a small team of us are here to minister in three different locations throughout central and south India.  We have a 5 hour layover here in Mumbai before we fly out for Madurai to be with Pastor Billy Graham Paulose with BCM Ministries.  What an incredible opportunity to be here with our Missionaries and to reach out to the precious People of India.

I wanted to blog today to also encourage you as you continue to press in during these days of Prayer and Fasting.  I truly believe we are making a difference for the future by what we are doing today!

Over the next few days, I will be updating you on my trip, (well, as I have internet service).  I am praying to be able to post some pictures and video.  Thank you for your prayers!

I Love and Bless you!

Pastor Rusty

DIRT FAST BLOG – Day 14: HE IS HOLY

As I sit in this hotel room in Daytona Beach, I’m thinking and praying for you on this 14^th day of our DIRT Fast.  I’m also praying for the brokenness and devastation of lives in Haiti.  Please, let their faces continually cause you to pray for them and do what you can to give in the face of this crisis.  We will be taking special offerings this Sunday in all services.

I just spoke last night at Men’s Conference for a dear friend and I’m getting ready to fly home this afternoon.  But after the service last night, we began to talk about a something that is so vital in our walk with our LORD, HOLINESS.  I pray that this provokes your heart in HIM today.

1 Pet 1:13-16

13  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;   14  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;   15   but as HEHe who called you is HOLY, you also be HOLY in all your conduct,   16  because it is written, “Be HOLY, for I AM HOLY.”   (NKJ)

‘Without HOLINESS, NO ONE can SEE The LORD’ but because of HIS HOLINESS that HE places in us through JESUS, we can see HIM and be like HIM.  HE IS OUR HOLINESS.

So often we think of HOLINESS within a LEGAL context of do’s and don’ts.  We have a checklist of things we can’t do anymore.  WE so focus on ‘TRYING’ to be ‘HOLY’, and find ourselves living in GUILT and CONDEMNATION for not being able to live up to HIS standards.  The thing I want you to see is this; JESUS fulfilled THE LAW so that WE could live ‘IN HIM’.  The LAW exposes our SIN, but HIS GRACE exposes HIM!

You say, “Rusty, what does that mean?”  It means that as we SUBMIT and SURRENDER to what HE has done FOR US, then out of our DEPENDENCY on what HE has done, we can now LIVE FOR HIM.  Complete SURRENDER is TRUE CONSECRATION.  When I SEE HIM in the ‘BEAUTY OF HOLINESS’, then it is HIS HOLINESS that comes to make me BEAUTIFUL IN HIM.  HE is my RIGHTEOUSNESS, my PEACE, my JOY, and my HOLINESS.  Because HE LIVES, I can LIVE also.

You can LIVE HOLY.  You can walk in PURITY.  SURRENDER to HIM today and allow HIS SPIRIT to strengthen those areas of your life that the enemy is trying to destroy you with.  GOD IS MAGNETIZED and MAGNIFIED to those who would SURRENDER to HIS HOLINESS and who allow HIS HOLINESS to permeate every area of their being.  I Challenge you to do that today!

I Love and Bless you.

Living for HIS HONOR,

Pastor Rusty

DIRT FAST – Day 12: I’M HUNGRY

http://therockfwc.org/read-through-the-bible.html  READ THROUGH BIBLE

I hope you are having a wonderful morning here on this 12^th day of our DIRT Fast.  I also pray that these simple BLOGS speak encouragement to you.

JESUS said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed is he who hungers and thirsts for RIGHTEOUSNESS, for he shall be filled”.  The words HUNGER and THIRST have to do with APPETITE and CRAVING!  Your HUNGER and THIRST dictate your PURSUIT.  GOD said in Jeremiah 29:13 that, “when you SEEK ME you will FIND ME, when you SEARCH FOR ME with ALL YOUR HEART.”  We SEEK AFTER, what we’re HUNGRY and THIRSTY FOR.  What are you CRAVING?  Some of you just pictured a BIG MACK! No, I’m talking about SPIRITUALLY.

Please know this TODAY; we can have as MUCH OF GOD as we DESIRE.  I challenge you…Hunger and Thirst for HIM!

Psalm 63:1-8

1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.   2 I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.    3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!    4 I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.    5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.    6 I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.    7 Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.    8 I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.  (NLT)

I Love and Bless you Today!

Living for HIS Honor,

Pastor Rusty

DIRT FAST BLOG – Day 11: MOVED WITH COMPASSION

Matt 9:35-38

35  Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.   36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.   37  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.   38 “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”   (NKJ)

Today as we begin to ‘LIVE OUT’ this 11^th day of our DIRT FAST, I wanted to encourage us all to PRAY FOR HAITI.  The DEVASTATION and PAIN that this poor Country is experiencing right now should stir our hearts to ACTION.

The LIFE of JESUS is not a PASSIVE LIFE.  You see HE was MOVED with COMPASSION.  What HE observed in the life of HIS Creation moved HIM to ACTION.  HE saw our BROKENNESS, our PAIN, and complete DEPRIVATION; and through HIS WILLINGNESS, came and HEALED US.  The ONE who was SO HOLY, nothing UNHOLY could ever touch HIM; wrapped HIMSELF in human flesh and CAME TO US so that the UNHOLY could touch and be changed by THE HOLY!  GOD activated HIS LOVE toward us through HIS SON JESUS!

To those who are ‘in CHRIST’, we must take responsibility for REFLECTING HIS HEART of COMPASSION to the World.  We must realize that we have been “brought to GOD’S KINGDOM for such a time as this”.  If we are not careful, our lives will become passive and unresponsive to NEEDS around us because of our LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY to HIS HEART.  We are ACCOUNTABILE to LIVE WHO we PREACH!

Let’s ask The LORD how HE would have us express HIS HEART.  Through PRAYER we can make a SPIRITUAL IMPACT, and through giving of a FINANCIAL SEED, we can make a PHYSICAL IMPACT.  I encourage PRAY and ASK the LORD as to what HE would have you do.  We have been connected with missions in Haiti for many years now and believe that we should especially remember them during this devastating time.

This Sunday we will be taking a second offering, above our regular tithes and offerings, for Haiti.  If you desire, you can also go to our Website @ www.therockfamily.tv , click on ONLINE GIVING, then click on MISSIONS/BENEVOLENCE, and then click on HAITI DISASTER RELIEF.  We will be sending this SEED of Love to Mission of Hope Haiti http://www.missionofhopehaiti.org/ .  This is a Ministry we know of very well and believe they will distribute the finances to the RIGHT PLACES OF NEED.

If you are from another Church, I encourage you to consult your Pastoral Leadership Team as to a Ministry they may be connected with.  If they are unaware of any, please give them the Website of Mission of Hope.  You can also go on their website and sow directly into them.

Isaiah 58:6-7 (NLT)

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.   7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

I Love and Bless you!

Pastor Rusty

DIRT FAST – Day 10: THE STARTING LINE

Matthew 6:5-13 (NASB)

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.   6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.   7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.   8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.   9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.   10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.   11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.   12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.   13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]‘

If you are walking with us in this DIRT Fast; we are on day #10.  My prayer for you is that you don’t allow the FAST to distract you from PRAYER. You see this FAST is not about going WITHOUT something, it is about going WITH SOMEONE!  And when you are WITH SOMEONE, you want to make sure that COMMUNICATION is taking place.

When we FAST, we are setting aside things that SUSTAIN us and ENTERTAIN us.  We are making sure that our lives are not living ‘by BREAD ALONE, but by GOD’S WORD’.  We’re GIVING extended TIME for The HOLY SPIRIT to re-focus JESUS in our lives.  We are not attempting to IMPRESS GOD or to EARN HIS APPROVAL; we are just positioning ourselves to HEAR HIM more clearly so as to FOLLOW HIM more passionately.   This FAST is nothing more than a VEHICLE of Discipline to get us to CLOSET of PRAYER.  That’s way it’s so IMPORTANT that WE don’t allow this FAST to distract us form the real purpose…SPENDING TIME WIH JESUS.

So as you continue with this DIRT Fast, I encourage you to MAKE time to SPEND time in prayer.  You may say Rusty, I really don’t know HOW to pray?  Prayer is COMMUNION.  Sometimes we don’t know HOW to do something because we don’t know WHERE to start.  That’s why JESUS gave us a FORM prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.  HE brought us to the STARTING LINE so we could know where to begin in PRAYER.  If you are STRUGGLING today, go pray the FORM until prayer is FORMED in you.

I love and bless you!

Pastor Rusty