Introduction of my book "Radical People Win"

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Introduction of my book "Radical People Win"

This is the introduction for my book coming out this year. Radical People Win.

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Latest Activity: Jun 30, 2010

Radical People Win

Radical People Win
Faith Based Radical Success
By Pastor Michael Samuels
Draft




Introduction
My Christian Experience…

I was raised in a Christian and church going family. I remember going to church so much, it seemed then like having a job. I was in church every Sunday, revivals. Summer Bible School, after church for dinner and then evening church after that. Then I was shuffled between two churches. My father belonged to one church and my mother belonged to another church. I was tired of church. I remember saying often to myself that when I get older, like around 12 or 13 that I would not go to church again. As soon as I was old enough, I stopped going to church. I wanted nothing to do with church. For the most part church was boring. I thank God, however, that I gave my life to Him at 11 years old. This act of believing and confessing God as my savior at that age became crucial to my future life.

“I would not marry her if I were you” That is the voice that I heard on my first date with my ex-wife. While in college, I met a beautiful young girl. On our first date,, as we sat outside of the cafeteria and student center that night, talking and getting to know each other, I heard a voice say,” I would not marry her if I were you”. I heard the voice twice. It seemed so real and definitely audible. I looked around to see if anyone was talking to me but no one was there. I didn’t realize that it was the voice of God speaking to protect her and me from making a decision that would hurt each of us in our future.

The interesting thing was, I wasn’t thinking about marriage, especially on a first date. As most young men, I wanted to date and perhaps develop a sexual relationship with her. We dated for six years before we were married. Even during the marriage ceremony, as she was walking down the aisle, I told the young minister at the time, something is wrong, I shouldn’t be doing this. I guess he thought it was nerves, but it was God still trying to get my attention. As I look back on the whole experience up to that point, I realize that we were not ready emotionally, financially and in many ways to be married.

We eventually after a short season of being married divorced. This particular time of my life was painful, emotional and very eventful. I remember crying out to the Lord that I hate you God during the early part of this matter. Soon after this episode with God I figured that I would begin to party and seek women to party with. That did not last long. I remember going to a bar one night soon after our immediate separation, I heard a voice again, “Get out of this bar”. This was only the second time in my life that I heard that voice. I drank my drink and got out of the bar. The following week, I was headed to another bar. I didn’t make it. As I was about a block from the bar, I felt a sweet spirit, coming from a church, Christ Chapel New Testament Church. They were having revival. I said to myself that feels like my grandmother’s house. My grandmother has loved God as long as I can remember and as you enter her house the presence of God rest there. It had been perhaps, 14 or 15 years that I had ever been in a church. At that point, I was 28 years old when God used my circumstances to bring me back to Himself. I went into the church and sat on the back row to investigate what was going on. I found myself going to the revival the remainder of that week. This began my relationship with God and the church.

I became hungry for God. I began to read and study to find out who this God was. I read everything I could find. One of the first books that I began reading and studying with great appetite was a book on intercessory prayer by Kenneth Hagin Sr. I still have that book. Its worn and torn now but brings back memories of were God brought me from. For about 4 years, I spent anywhere from 4 to 8 hours a day in prayer and study. This definitely brought me closer to God and to an understanding of spiritual things. To date, I have read thousands of books and still have a hunger for God. God can change you. He took me from a young boy who wanted nothing to do with the church to a Pastor and leader who wants all that God wants for the church, the world and His children.

It has been 26 years since that moment of reconnection with God and the church. I write this book, not out of self but by the inspiration and prompting of God. I also write this book because I love the church, its pastors, leaders and members. My greatest desire for the body of Christ is that we rise up in unity, become the radical, powerful, prosperous and influential institution that God has ordained it to be. If the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ were to really walk in unified Kingdom authority in the earth, there would be much less crime, wickedness and poverty in the earth. It is time for the church, the true body of Christ to rise and walk in love, rightful authority,, prosperity, and total victory in the earth.


From Genesis to Revelation God is trying to give mankind a glimpse of who He created and ordained us to be. I believe that it has always been God’s desire and plan that mankind would walk in such power, love, wisdom and authority in the earth that He would look down upon us with an awesome smile and say to Himself that they are an image of me. If we honestly look at our lives, individually and collectively we must admit that we have come far short of God’s original intention.

I have pondered, studied and reviewed the ideas, information and points in this book for several years. I have even carried the outline for this book around with me for a couple of years. One thing that has always come to mind is that mankind is arrogant. Even the best of us carries around a silent arrogance that sometimes has interfered with the perfect plan of God for our lives. According to Webster’s, arrogance is, “a feeling of superiority manifested in presumptuous claims” Why is this important to look at? We must as mankind, begin to be brutally honest with ourselves if we are going to walk in Kingdom authority in the earth.

There are many who feel that they have no need for God, and there are others who say they serve and want God but within their hearts they know its nothing more than words but for us who really want to serve the true and living God and walk in godly dominion
In the earth, God has made a way for us to do that. It will require honest self-introspection and appraisal. It will also require real sacrifice, the sacrifice that only you and God know about, not a false sacrifice that is done in front of men to appear holy but a real sacrifice that could cost everything. We have all heard the phrase, “ Anything worth having is worth fighting for” Your life, your wife or husband, your marriage, your children, your community, your family and relatives, your future, finances and faith, your destiny is worth fighting for. It’s worth the sacrifice.

God is doing a new thing in the earth and He is looking for soldiers, who will stand up, fight, sacrifice and be worthy of being in His army. God is also changing the guard. He is beginning to remove men and women from positions of leadership and influence who are hindering His plan for the church, for business, for communities, for the world by substituting their own selfish plans and desires and not feeding and truly taking care of His flock, His desires, and His creation. In the next few years there will be such an influx of new, young and God lead men and women, boys and girls who will be led by the Spirit of God and will flow in such power and wisdom that the world will be amazed. God is preparing and raising them up now even as I type these pages.

This new army will not look like anything we have known or seen, they will come from the houses of prostitution, liquor joints and bars, from prison, from being pimps, liars and from the worst of the worst. Many will not have degrees but will be full of the Holy Spirit and His wisdom, love and power. They will go in and conquer and retrieve God’s children, blessings and resources by the power and leading of God. This new church will be radical and viewed as not being from God. However, the mighty hand of God will form this church. Initially, this church will be rejected by many but will soon overcome the deception that it is not from God by it’s love, works, power and service toward God and others.

As I look back on my on life, I can remember the moments that God has intervened and tried to get my attention but I can also remember moments where Satan has interfered
with my life and God’s plan. I didn’t grow up playing organized sports as a child so; I grew up lanky, uncoordinated and just plain clueless about what real sports were about.
I remember trying out for the little league team, I QUIT. I tried out for a boxing team, I QUIT! I went out for the 8th grade football team but stunk, I QUIT! I went out for the 10th grade football team and was getting somewhat more coordinated, I QUIT! I went out for the 10th grade basketball team, only because I was one of the tallest guys in the school, I played or sat the bench a few games and what happened? I QUIT!

Why do I share this about my life? Because, there are many people are quitting in life. They feel that they are not equipped for success and have given up on a vision, idea or desire that once burned in their heart. I share it because I know that God is able to turn it around.

When I entered my junior year of high school, one of the things we did at lunchtime was to go in the gym and play basketball. In my case, I was just out there sweating. I laugh to myself as I share this but one day the coach of the varsity basketball team walked in. He saw us playing. I guess he said to himself, I need to recruit him. He’s tall! I was 6feet 5inches in high school in 1973. He didn’t know the rest of the story, not yet anyway. Oh! I could also jump high. I could stand flat and dunk a basketball, even going back to the 8th grade, so that made me look more attractive in his eyes. I had no other skills but he didn’t know that yet.

During the first week of basketball practice, he put me on first string. By the end of the week I was on 3rd string. Normally, I would have quit but God had purpose. I realized now that God would not let me quit. As a matter of fact, it never entered my mind to quit although that had been my previous history. I continued to practice with the team being on 3rd string. October, November, December,January and then came February 8th, the game I got to play in, nearly 3 1/2 months went by and I never got to play in one game. There were two other team members who played the center position ahead of me. But God has a plan. The game I got to play in was my coming out game. Remember I said earlier that I could always jump? Well, in this particular game, both centers were in foul trouble. The coach had to play me.

This time was different though. The 8 weeks or so that I didn’t play and continued to practice and didn’t quit the team, behind the scenes God was working to develop me physically and mentally for the opportunity to play. During practice I was developing the understanding of the game, the body and mind for the game; I was also growing in confidence. I remember saying to myself, game after game, I can do better than that when one of the players made a mistake. It was a form of meditation. God was using those situations to build me up on the inside for my opportunity.

When opportunity came, I was ready. I entered into the game excited, pumped up and ready to battle. I went after every rebound with authority as if I owned the court. I shot with confidence and all of a sudden my basketball career started that night.
I was shocked that the local newspaper wanted to interview me after the game; students were running up to me saying great game. It was awesome! It was process. It was God’s process, and not my own, because in myself I would have quit before the season started. This led to me winning the award for most improved player on the team, becoming a starter on the team my senior year, a college scholarship, to becoming one of the top 5 players in the college conference I played for during my sophomore year.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for them that love him.” God has a plan for all of His creation that is greater than we have imagined. His desire has not changed. He still wants us to walk in dominion in the earth, as Kings and Queens under His leadership and authority that rule and reign with Him on the earth and in heaven.

Satan has hindered, perverted and blinded mankind. He has caused people to die with a dream in their heart unfulfilled. We must begin to rise up in authority now as led by God so that our generations will have a chance to live life fully and abundantly in every area.
It is our responsibility to do the things that we know are right. God is calling the real church to rise to its feet clothed in the Kingdom garments of worship, praise, thanksgiving, boldness, love, wisdom and dominion. He no longer wants us to sit back and allow things to happen to us. He wants us to rise up and make things happen.

This book has been written to share ideas, thoughts and principles that can help individuals, marriages, families, communities, churches and beyond to grow, to become wiser and to learn how to walk in godly humble but effective authority in the earth.
When God called me to pastor, He spoke to me and said, “Teach spiritual truths and practical applications.” I have attempted to do this in this book. I prayerfully hope that everyone who reads this book is blessed and begins to rise to the next level of their lives and walk in victory that will have a powerful and positive impact for generations.

I also write this book to encourage those who have been told that they will never become anything or that you will amount to nothing, and to those who want more out of life and have struggles to in achieving their dreams. I have news for you. You are more and can do more than others have said or think. You can do more than you presently believe. I have over 30 years of being in the church and have experienced the words, the looks of pity, the doubt and unbelief about who I am or what I could achieve from family, from friends, from and others. I am college educated, have served on boards and committees; have held management and leadership positions for nearly 30 years. One thing I have found out is that people will always try to mold you into their picture of what you should be, can become or do, and if the direction that God leads you or that you decide to go is beyond their understanding or control they often will look at you as stupid, unwise or just a failure, but I’m here to tell everyone who reads, hears about, shares or studies this book, regardless of your status, success or failure in life and regardless of others and their opinion of you, that you have not achieved your greatest accomplishments yet. It is time to renew your mind, forgive others, learn from your past and begin to see yourself as the champion that God has created you to be.

The truth of the matter is, that many people fail to dream big dreams that are bigger than their capacity to achieve them, a dream so big that only God can help you to achieve it. That is where God wants you to be. He wants you to dream and act upon dreams that seem impossible.

He wants you to be knowledgeable, understanding, wise, courageous and radical. It is time to receive your own personal, (rhema/ revelation word) from God and begin to walk out on the water.

It is time to be radical. God is looking for people to show himself mighty toward. He is looking and ready to pour out His wisdom, power and blessings upon you. Give Him something to work with. It is time for the Body of Christ to rise up in authority.
We must, I believe, understand that the battle is spiritual and it belongs to God. However, we have a tremendous part to play in this warfare as members in God’s Kingdom. The following are some points to consider as you read this book and go forward in life.

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Comment by Pastor Michael Samuels on July 23, 2009 at 3:05pm
It has been 23 years since that moment of reconnection with God and the church. I write this book, not out of self but by the inspiration and prompting of God. I also write this book because I love the church, its pastors, leaders and members. My greatest desire for the body of Christ is that we rise up in unity, become the radical, powerful, prosperous and influential institution that God has ordained it to be. If the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ were to really walk in unified Kingdom authority in the earth, there would be much less crime, wickedness and poverty in the earth. It is time for the church, the true body of Christ to rise and walk in love, rightful authority,, prosperity, and total victory in the earth.
Comment by Vernah RueLae on July 19, 2009 at 9:05am
Bless you Man of God!!!!!!!
This day God has used you to open a door in my life. I’m not going to walk through; I’m going to run through! It is my story that you wrote about. I am certain it is true for so many others, who want God but have been hampered by the perception of others and by their on acceptance of what others say or think. I am in great expectation of your book. Thank you for the invite and for the encouragement.

This one is for you Pastor Samuels;


A soldier in God’s army
Watchmen on the wall
Walking in Kingdom Authority
Committed to the call.
No more living in my past.
No more thinking I should not try.
But I believe I can walk on water,
And I'm pretty sure I can fly.
Use to let folk tell me
I wasn’t good for this or that.
Until I found out one day
That Jesus had my back.
I thank God, for in Him
I’m a great achiever
Now nothing will ever hold me back
In Him I am a believer


May God keep you strong and in the fight....God bless you.

Sister Vernah
 

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