Roaring Like a Lion

(Roar (c) iam_photography flickr.com Creative Commons License)

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion.

Catchy tune, but some questionable lyrics. 

I has been my pleasure since Friday night to attend the Supernatural Lifestyle Conference with Kevin Dedmon. There is one more session in a couple of hours at the Fellowship of Christians here in Russellville, Arkansas.

I had never heard of Kevin Dedmon before, and I don't attend FOC regularly. But, they frequently host some extraordinary events, and this is another one of them. I haven't noticed a single thing Kevin Dedmon has said that doesn't line up with God's Word. If I had, I wouldn't have attended every session. 

This definitely is not one of those conferences where you sit back in comfortable anonymity, take notes, and get educated. This is experiential, hands on, in your face training in spiritual warfare.

One of Kevin Dedmon's frequently used phrases is "step over the chicken line".He's basically a walk your talk, put your money where your mouth is, take action kind of guy, and he expects everyone at the conference to take action too.

Kevin Dedmon has a vision of FOC becoming a healing center where people line up for healing because they have heard such good things. He envisions Russellville, Arkansas as being a financial powerhouse of creativity and prosperity that brings people from all over the country to learn what it is that we are doing to be so successful. Forget Disneyland, Kevin Dedmon wants us to transform Russellville, Arkansas into the happiest place on earth.

How does he propose all of this be accomplished?  One person at a time. One healing at a time. One miracle at a time. One salvation (maybe physical first, but followed up by the even more important spiritual one!) at a time.

Yesterday those who were brave enough met at the church for a "Treasure Hunt". Approximately 30 groups of 5 fanned out over the city looking for "treasures" following clues from the Holy Spirit. Most groups had direct encounters with at least 3 people that they prayed over. Some groups had even more encounters than that. Imagine, in a little over an hour, approximately 100 people in Russellville received prayer for physical healing, family issues, financial problems, and spiritual salvation. 

With a population of approximately 23,000 people, I calculate that it would take less than a year for every person in the City of Russellville to be prayed over, based on our small band of 150 people.

If you are interested in learning more about Treasure Hunting, I understand the Fellowship of Christians organizes treasure hunts every week. You can also buy Keven Dedmon's book "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt".

So, what does all of this have to do with "Roaring Like a Lion"? This song, the latest release from the News Boys, has, I believe, been sung at every meeting so far this weekend. It is a catchy tune, and would seem to be an almost perfect theme song for the weekend. 

Let love explode and bring the dead to life

A love so bold to see a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom

And this world I'll overcome

Let heaven roar and fire fall

Come shake the ground with the sound of revival

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside roaring like a lion

Then there's this other verse:

Let hope arise and make the darkness hide

My faith is dead, I need a resurrection somehow

Really? 

You know how sometimes you can get caught up in music and singing and not really realize WHAT you are singing? Well, that happened with me. The first time we sang this song. The second time around, I started to sing that verse and then actually said: "Praise God, I don't receive that. My faith is alive. I have already been resurrected in Jesus Christ!"

Some of you are probably thinking I've gone a little off the deep end. But, Mark 11:23 tells us that we can have whatever we say. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. Mathew 12:36 tells us that we will have to account for every idle word. And in John 5:19, Jesus said that he only spoke what he heard the Father say.

Scripture seems to tell us that our words are important. I find this happens over and over again. A great new song will come out on Christian radio, great, upbeat, catchy tune... but be careful of those lyrics. If you want a living faith, why would you sing about it being dead?

If you want financial freedom, why would you talk about being broke? If you want love, why would you talk about hate? 

James tells us:

"If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life..."

~James 3:2-6

So, be careful what you say (or sing). Words may seem unimportant, they may seem like small things. My God's not dead, He's surely alive, and so is my faith in Christ Jesus.