These signs shall follow…

I have been going out and praying for the sick, casting out devils and preaching the kingdom of God. This is something new that I just started doing, because this is what Jesus instructed us to do. I have seen some great results so far! I encourage you all to keep hungering after God, because I do believe He wants to use you in these last days. I believe we are coming near to the end of things, so what an honor it is that God called us worthy to be alive in this day and age. He has a call and a purpose for you, I encourage you, rise up, seek God whole heartedly so that you will be positioned to be used mightily for the kingdom of God! Here is a short video I made of just my first couple days of stepping out to be a witness in the streets of Milwaukee WI.

I recently started a new ministry for this, would love for you to go like and follow my story http://www.facebook.com/wakemycitymovement

The End Is Near

‘Wake My City Movement’ –

Be aware that there is good and there is evil, and you are either for one or for the other. The devil will disguise himself as an angel of light, he will disguise himself as a good cause, but really it is working against Jesus and the salvation He wants for us.

Please Subscribe so we can connect and stay in touch. This is just something I had on my heart with all that is going on in the world. I hope it speaks to you! Share with your friends and family
love Jon

We are at a day in age where idols and so called super stars are leading a generation. But where are they leading them, they lead them to love evil more than good, they lead them to love self more than God, they lead them to wage wars against what God stands for, they disguise themselves as fighting for freedom, for fighting for love, but how does hate and segregation lead to love
They lead them down a broad road that leads to destruction, but listen, the message is evil disguised as good. Be discerning of the times, be discerning by what spirit you speak from. Dig deeper than the shallow message that hollywood and media put out there. There is good and there is evil, there is truth and there is an ultimate line, an ultimate choosing. Eternity is at hand and this life, this day you choose.

I would love to encourage your Christian walk and faith and take this journey with you! Be blessed!

http://www.facebook.com/wakemycitymovement
instagram/twitter – @wakemycity
personal instagram – @jonnysoaware

The Struggle is Real

Wake My City Movement

Hey y’all, just wanted to let you know about a ministry I just started called “Wake My City Movement”! God is leading me through it all, would love for you to follow along in the journey. Go like the facebook page to stay up to date – http://www.facebook.com/wakemycitymovement

The Hopeless Christian

A lot of times in life we have our peaks and we have our valleys. We have our times when nothing could seem to go better and we have our times when we struggle with doubt, questions, and a feeling of inadequacy. We find ourselves wondering is there hope in this seemingly hopeless situation. Is there a light at the end of this dark tunnel that I am going through right now? Isn’t being a Christian supposed to be easy, supposed to make everything better?

Here are a couple things to remember when you are going through a hard time.

1. Jesus had told us you will have trials and tribulations in this world, but he said take heart because he has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

– Yes we have things that happen in life to us, that don’t make sense. Some times things just happen, sometimes you make bad decisions for your life, some times you remove yourself from light, sometimes there may be an attack on your life because the devil wants to steal your joy, kill your ambition for spreading God’s kingdom and salvation, and destroy your opportunity at a life full of peace. But when we learn that with God we too are more than conquerors. God gives us the tools we need – His Spirit, His Word and Faith and the local church a community of believers to help encourage you – to be an overcomer. It is up to us to decide to put ourselves in better situations, even if it takes you out of your preconceived comfort zone.

2. God gives us direction in how to leave a life of anxiety and worry behind us and its so deep yet so simple. #TRUST

-It’s so easy to try and create our own path in life. To take matters into our own hands, as if we have it all together.

– Proverbs 3:5,6 ” Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.”

He tells us to seek his will, to seek him first, to trust in Him and in that trust comes our path in life to take. It can be a very hard thing to do, because with that comes patience on our part. In this day and age, we want everything to happen right now. I feel ya on that one, it can be hard, but just TRUST that God has a plan and when we put him first, you have him working things out for you better than you could have even imagined. That trust leads you step by step, he doesn’t show you the end right away, because obedience and trust in him are key to pleasing him by faith. With out faith it is impossible to please God.

-Phil 4:4-8 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

He tells us to lose the worry and pray to him about it and begin thanking him for your answer to your prayer and thank him for everything good in your life now and that he has already done and is going to do, that is where you find peace, is in his presence, is in your TRUST in him. He gives us simple instruction to clear your mind of negativity and focus on him and his attributes, and to TRUST him.

I’m sure that we have all been there. We lose sight, we get bored, we let ourselves think maybe we screwed up to big this time and God won’t and can’t use me anymore, we’ve given God 6 months of our life and we think everything is supposed to be awesome now but they haven’t changed enough so we quit. These are just a few things, among many others, that can hinder us from living a life filled with hope and with peace. I have been to the valley and I have been living life to the happiest, I can tell you one thing. You don’t have to have everything in your life be perfect, you don’t have to be a millionaire to find peace and happiness. That one true peace and hopefulness, that life of complete faith and TRUST in God is where that guaranteed truest of forms of peace and happiness come from. When we learn to put God first, and for real, not just I go to church, but put God first for real, when you wake up to conversations with him, you pop in a worship album and sing to him, you study his word and think on it, there my friend is where true peace, joy and hope for a better life come from.

I challenge myself and all of us to learn to trust God and that his plan and his time for your life are better than life without God and they are better than your own plan for your life. Let’s seek him first in all that we do and He will use us to change the people and the world around us! God bless, love yall, been a while – Jon

Don’t be a Zombie

I could have went two different ways with my title because I am talking about a two step process, but “Dont be a Zombie” just seemed right haha. My other title was “Noise Complaint”, so take both of those into consideration. I want to talk to you today about voices. So many voices in this world, in your personal life, in your head that we hear playing over and over again and again all throughout our day everyday. Whether we are voluntarily choosing to listen to someone or something or involuntarily. We have radio, tv, friends, family, commercials and so much more that is constantly feeding us with who we are supposed to be, what we are supposed to do, why we need to do this or that, etc. When there is only one true voice that should be piercing through all of the noise that is going on. That is God’s voice, the one we should be keen on listening to. He has a still small voice that beams through all the noise and it comes from the inside of us. It could come in the form as a strong desire or passion to do something. It could be a scripture from the bible that sticks out to you and stays with you through whatever you are going through. It could be an encouragement from somebody that keeps you strong at your lowest point. These are just a few of the ways that God talks to us. He is trying everything possible to reach you and to connect to you and to walk with you in life. So many distractions in life that are telling us who to be and what to do. For example, instagram is telling us we need to have these super awesome fun cool lives that we need to share in order to show other people that we are super awesome fun cool people. But what does that get you, we are looking to show off to people, when we should be searching and seeking to glorify God. I am not saying that instagram is bad, I love it and share sweet awesome super cool photos myself, but when that is what is speaking to us most and becomes a priority to want to please people, then that is a voice that we need to quiet down in our lives. Same goes with facebook, twitter, tv, magazines and anything else we are feeding ourselves that takes away from us hearing the voice of God and hearing his leading personally in our lives.

Things that can be easily innocent, can also be things that slowly chip away at the person God is leading us to be.

Psalm 37:4-5 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act”

We need to make a decision to seek God’s voice and leading in our lives and not only to hear it, but to follow it. When we choose to follow God and his voice, you are going to be following in the will of God for your life and then you are going to be able to witness God do mighty miracles through your life. Miracles like, seeing other people’s lives changed because you listened to God and obeyed and because you bought someone’s meal they are eager to listen to what you have to say about God, or because you took a step to serve in the church nursery, lives are being saved because a single mom got to come to church and hear God’s word in a way she never heard it before and in touched her in a way that she dedicates her life and her family to serving God for the rest of her life, and so many more scenarios that could play out.

What I am saying is, when you listen to God, he always has a plan and a purpose for you doing what he wants you to do and if you do it, the miraculous can happen. God can use you, no matter who you are or where you are, you are a disciple of Jesus and are called to be a light to the world. Don’t let life pass you by without ever realizing that God has a voice and he is talking to you, don’t let all of the distractions in life keep you in a zombie like state never realizing that God has a huge plan for you to change the lives around you that he has put there. Steven Furtick said it like this “Most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. Their facing a danger that is far greater. Wasting them.” It is time that you and I and we as a church, stand up and listen to God, listen to what step he would have you take next. If you notice that life is passing you by, day in and day out, then change something, make a decision to take a step of faith and follow God and his word.

Joshua 1:8 “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

Yes you can watch tv, listen to decent music, read books, get on your social networks, but make sure that God has his place in your life and in your ear and heart. Listen to sermon podcasts, read your bible, talk with God in prayer time and let his voice take precedent in your life. Make a decision to listen, shut the world out for a bit and listen. God says “Be still and know that I am God.” Make sure his voice is the one leading you to action, and not the voice of your friends telling you who you should be. God made you the way you are for a purpose and only he can tell you how to be, who to be and so on. And know that his voice inside of you, the Holy Spirit’s voice, will always line up with the word of God. God is not telling you to do something that includes sinning in it, he is usually telling you to do something that is going to change your life for the better of it, or to do something that is going to change someone else’s life for the better. He has a plan.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

So let your heart plan your way in the way of the Lord and let him guide your steps.

Don’t be a zombie living life by basic instinct and wondering about aimlessly, but be moved to action by listening to God’s voice.

My challenge to you today is to make a decision to cut out all the extra noise and make room to listen to God’s voice, and not only listen but be moved to action, follow his leading, be someone who he uses to change lives. That can look like anything, no small thing you do is unseen, God appreciates it all and even a small step like giving someone a glass of water is a step toward following God’s voice. I challenge to listen to God and follow what he says. He is speaking to you right now about something he wants you to do, so DON’T Be A ZOMBIE and get off your hinder and do it 😉 haha, but for reals though. Listen and follow.

life so aware

Hey guys, I want to talk to you today about living a life that is consciously aware of God’s presence in our lives. It is kinda what I named my blog after. It is really easy in life to live every day chasing dreams, watching tv, spending time with friends and family, etc. But something that we need to realize is that God’s presence is with us, God is with us every second of every day. He will never leave us or forsake us. We need to make a conscious effort to be aware that he is there. Talk with him, ask him for guidance, praise him, thank him, these are all things that we can do on a consistent basis even when we are busy running errands and facing the trials of the day at hand. We can choose to walk life with God, and to include him in our everyday decisions and learn to dwell in his presence. When we are aware of God’s presence with us constantly, it will give us the strength to overcome temptations, it will give us the faith to make hard decisions, it will give us the trust that God will get us through it, it will give us the peace that God is working for the good of those who love him, it will give us the belief that miracles are not to far fetched. God is with you! How amazing and awesome is that!?!? When we learn to be aware that God is with us we can be encouraged in life in all areas. When we learn to be aware that God is with us, eternal things become more important than the little let downs that life can bring. If God is for us, who can be against us? Learn to live a life so aware.

John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”

God is with us and in us! His presence is all around us! Learn to be aware of the little things and the details that God works in your life and be thankful. Also be aware of the big miracles in your life and answered prayer. Be aware that God is with you when you face trouble, God is with you in every present moment, spend time with him and let him in on every occasion.

My challenge to you today is to make the effort to be consciously aware that God is with you always. Trust in him, cling to him, have faith in him, be thankful to him, love him, be obedient to him, be aware of him!

Knowing vs Doing

I just want to say a quick encouragement to the body of Christ, that is to believers. I think that one of the hardest things to do for believers is to let go of pride and be truly willing to fully submit yourself to God. So, so many things in this life can take away from a life that is truly all about God. And some of these things can even be good things when they are put into perspective and prioritized. Things like family, having fun with friends, leisurely things, music and so on. We need to learn to put God and his word first in our life. I know we have heard this a million times before, but I think that this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things, that we put into practice what we hear in God’s word. When God is telling us to do something, we need to strive to have that be a part of our lives. A lot of us, including me, are like, um yeah I know that, that is a good word, praise the Lord, but we leave it at that. That is knowledge, yes, and that is good, but we need to take that knowledge and meditate on it and find ways to incorporate that into our lives. We need to not only be a knower, yeah, I said it a knower, but be a doer, be a person that is intent of putting God’s word to practice in your life, even if that means to swallow your pride and be like yeah, I am with you Jon, I am one of the people who knows what God’s word says, but I don’t really truly put it into practice in my life.

Biblical knowledge is not equivalent to spiritual maturity

James 1:22 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

My challenge to you today is, Be a doer. Don’t just know what to do, but really truly do something with it, If God says forgive, then forgive. If God says, be slow to anger, then do it. If God says to pray for those who persecute you then do it. If God says seek first his kingdom, then do it. Instead of knowing all these things that the Bible talks about and thinking you are something pretty special, well how about you give practicing it a try. I challenge you to take God’s word for the Holy Awesome word that it is and be a doer!

Thankfulness

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

A lot of times we often forget to be thankful. Sure, I know that most of us are thankful, especially if you live in America. Yes, we are thankful, but do we ever really stop, to take the time daily to really thank God for all that he has done for us, giving us eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, giving us the hope of heaven, giving us the promises of peace through tough times, giving us grace when we know that we don’t deserve it, giving us this beautiful creation to admire and be a part of, and giving us the air we breathe and life itself.

No matter what circumstance in life you are going through in this life, remember that God has given us the choice and opportunity to choose life with him. Jesus tells us that there will be troubles and trials in this life. Life is not going to be easy, you are going to have your ups and downs, but it is important that we find the time to give thanks to God for all the good that is in are life, all the love he has poured into our lives. If it wasn’t for God’s love, we would all be on the fast track to hell. So I am so thankful for God to send his son Jesus to die on a cross for my sins, so that I would have a chance at LIFE and eternal LIFE.

My challenge to you today is to STOP and take some time each day to separate yourself from all the business of this world and to pull yourself aside to spend some time thanking God for all that he has done and for all the good things in your life. Remember that in any circumstance He will never leave you nor forsake you. God is always there for you. Make living a lifestyle of thankfulness and thanksgiving a part of your life. Only good will come from that positiveness, and that is a small part of the wisdom of God that he instructs for us to do. So be thankful and make it a lifestyle.

I would like to take this time to say some thanks for some of the things I am thankful for.

I am thankful first of all for God and his loving kindness and mercy in my life. I am thankful beyond words for this. God thank you for everything you are and everything that you have been in my life. and Help me to know you more and to be more like you!

I am thankful for my family and that all of them are such an encouragement to me in the Lord and am thankful for how loving they all are. I am thankful to live in a free country where I can have a job, an apt, food, water, things that make life comfortable. I am thankful for my little doggie, who I love so much. These are just a brief 2 minute summary of some of the things I am thankful for, the list could go on for hours. So you see, it is easy to give thanks and God wants us to remember that we should live are lives in thanksgiving, not just one day of the year. But truly make it a lifestyle of being thankful.

Crazy vs. Civilized

You like the title hey? Can you guess which one you are? Can you tell me which one you want to be? Well, let me talk to you a little bit about the two and which one I want to be and this may come as a surprise! You guessed it, CRAZY.

God’s 1st and 2nd commandments are Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and his 2nd command is to love your neighbor as yourself.

I want to have a crazy love for God rather than a civilized love. A civilized love is kind of what we have in this day in age in the church. A lot of comfort, inner community, and a love for God that only shows up mostly on Sundays. Crazy love is the kind of love that the early church had. Crazy love is radically passionate about spiritual transformation, about reaching the non-believer and about having great community and relationships/friendships in the local church. Once again like i said in my STALLED blog. You have to OWN your own spiritual life.  Take a look at the early church’s methods (Acts 2:42) They Devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, sharing meals and prayer. Devotion is a deep word and I don’t believe God chooses his words lightly.

First let’s take a look at civilized love. Sometimes as new believers we find ourselves taking crazy spiritual risks, trusting God in financial decisions, in life decisions. And God can work with that. But sometimes we get to a point where we feel comfortable and everything is going good so we just want to put our life on coast. We lean away from the risks, the Crazy Love for Jesus and being spiritually transformed like we had been. We are comfortable so we become more civilized. We are real casual about our Christianity and our Love for God and his work. We show up on Sundays, give our usual tithe, not even listening for God’s voice on if he wants us to give a sacrificial amount, we may even have devotions every morning. We have all been there, I definitely have and I think in the church it is time we make a decision that we want!, want!, want! that Crazy passionate love and desire for God and his work. I know I do. So we saw that civilized love is real casual and kind of a Sunday kind of love.

Now let’s look at the Crazy kind of love. The kind the early church showed us. They Devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, and prayer. They would go out and teach and be tortured for it. They would be stoned, and and not the kind of stoned we think of today, the old school kind of stoned haha. They would be sawed in half and boiled in oil. That is a crazy kind of love for God and his work. Now a days if we get a negative facebook comment or a little gossip, it can ruin our whole week. I mean come on, look at the GAP between the Crazy kind of love they had in the Bible and how these words really meant something to them, everything actually and how us the church today have made it real civil like and proper.

John 13:34-35 says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This Crazy kind of passionate for the things of God kind of love is what is going to transform you (Romans 12:1,2) and through you transform the world around you. This Crazy passionate love for God is how the world will know you are Christ’s disciples. That crazy kind of love is the kind of love that will move you to do anything God is putting on your heart even if it is a spiritual risk taking, even if all sensibility says that doesn’t make much sense. This crazy kind of love can only come if you decide for yourself, that is what I want. I want that passionate kind of love for God in my life. I want to be radically devoted to Jesus in my life. I want to fully and passionately be a part of this fellowship and community that we have at our local church. I want to reach the non-believers by daily showing them grace and love. And maybe you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and that is the Risk you want to take today. Even if your head is telling you not now and is giving you an excuse, your heart is telling you yes, this sounds like the Crazy passionate love that I want and need in my life.Then go ahead and say this “God, i want you and need you in my life. Jesus I accept your free gift of salvation and thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. God I want to be passionate for your call on my life. I want what you want for me here on earth. In Jesus name Amen”

This Crazy kind of love only comes when you decide, I truly want to be passionate for you God and nothing else really matters except for your will in my life.