Today people from all over the country and really around the world are gathering to begin an historic General Council.  Every two years ministers come and gather together for inspiration, fellowship and  connection and to take steps of  that will prayerfully move our movement to be  more effective for the Kingdom of God.  The Assembly of God was begun by men and womanwhose hearts cry was to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There is no doubt that the Lord has blessed this movement that now numbers more than 57 million people and growing.  Yet here in the United States we are not experiencing the growth or the impact as is much of the rest of the world.  We are in need of God to breathe on us and to give us a fresh wind of His Spirit.  That is why we are praying that the Lord would put His hand on the right leadership with the right qualification.

Thursday afternoon we will elect a new General Superintendent along with others in leadership positions. There are several wonderful people across our country that have been greatly used by God and would be great candidates. However, this one of those moments that we need a divine moment like occured in I Samuel 16:7.  Israel is looking for a new King and in this   great passage  God speaks and tells the Prophet Samuel to go and anoint a new king.  When the Prophet see one of Jesse's sons named Eliab, he thought for sure this must be the man, after all he looked like a king, tall strong good looking, but instantly the Lord Speaks to Samuel and says, "Do not consider his apperance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at things man looks at. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."  One of the great ladies of Cornerstone often says that things come down to heart issues. She is right. What may look like the perfectly candidate to man may not be, and what may seem to be the person that no one would choose might be the one with the right heart towards God.  God knows!  That is our confidence in these days and in our lives. God knows our hearts and the hearts of leaders and potential leaders.

The principle is true not only with those candidates who will be voted on Thursday and Friday but also for each of us.  God can use us if our heart is right before Him.  Even if we have all the gifts and talents and outward abilities, if we do not have the right heart towards the Lord we will only look good on the outside, but God looks on the heart, what is inside.  We want to allow God to have our hearts and to lead us.  As a church let's guard our hearts and see that it is pleasing to God and that our attitude and our hearts are right before Him.

 Proverbs 4:23  Above all else gaurd your hearts for it is the wellspring of life.

 Thanks for praying with us and we will let you know what happens Thursday.  You are a wonderful group of people that God wants to bless in greater ways than ever before.