Happy Monday!

The mo[u]rning after the Super Bowl.

Yes, it is the morning after and I am mourning… with thousands of New England Patriot fans all over America today.

The bad thing about a game like that is the humiliation you feel when you think back to the moments when you cheered your head off, when you thought you might have a chance at winning… you gave your all as a fan, your excitement went absolutely out of control, and you RAVED… only to be muffled to SILENCE during the final minutes of a game that raised your hopes, and then dashed you to pieces in front of all your friends.

I’m thankful that football isn’t a god in my life… but it still messes up my head for a few days when my team (of almost 30 years) keeps doing this to me!

Oh well, “Shake it off Chuck!” Yesterday’s DFC Vision Twenty12 Presentation, the worship, the passion, the unprecedented excitement… the entire service from beginning to end… was far more triumphant, far more meaningful, far more over the top than a Super Bowl victory could have been.

-My self talk this mo[u]rning.

At last nights party, I actually won the Chili Contest!

The names were undisclosed, the competition was fierce, and my own son even voted for another chili. The win was a real win!

It was fun winning that contest with my Uncle Tuff’s Tri-Umphant Chili recipe.

If it was my own recipe, I would have wanted someone else to win.

But my Uncle was so special to me, and he passed away at 41 years old (just a few years ago), just when we were getting so much closer (after being divided for a very many years).

It was a tragedy that still hurts often… and making that chili reminded me of the night he had my whole family over to his house to try his surprise recipe. He was so proud that night, not too long before his sudden and unexpected death. He would have loved that super bowl party.

He was a San Diego Chargers fan… but he would have cheered with me and been sad with me about the loss. Making his chili, made me think about him a hundred times yesterday and last night… if he was still alive, he would be one of my best friends today, a person I talk to every day… about his life and mine. He was a pillar in my fortress of support.

No real message today, just these few journal entries.

Destiny Family Center’s Vision Twenty12 is officially airborne! Thank you everyone for sharing our enthusiasm and making radical commitments to do this with us! More to come in the days, months, and years ahead!

I just prayed for all of my family and friends, as with every morning, that God will bless you with health and life and whatever miracle you need today.

With much love,

Chuck

Happy Wednesday!

Everything Hinges On Faith

I remember a time when I never got sick. Others got sick all around me, but not me. I felt like I was indestructible, and in a way, I was indestructible. I trusted God with everything in my life: my provision, health, mental soundness, my peace, happiness, and potential. I saw my past through His eyes, lived in the present moment, anticipating the future He was creating for me (and creating me for). Whenever I read the Bible, I paid special attention to the promises of God. I believed that those promises were for me, just as much as they were for the people they were spoken through. I used to tell people, “I never get sick, because sickness cannot live on my body!”

Call it coincidence, but I know better. To believe is better than not to believe.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Therefore, hope is a (mental/spiritual) picture of things (our God intended future) not yet seen (with our physical eyes).

Without hope, faith has nothing to pursue.

Faith creates the substance of our hopes. Faith is God’s way of transferring miracles from the heavenly world to the physical world.

Call it mystical, but it’s true. Call me fanatical, or disillusioned, but I believe in miracles.

Faith Requires Corresponding Actions

I believe my faith worked so well back then, because I lived according to my beliefs. My actions usually matched my confession. I ate healthy, exercised daily, and stayed balanced… on purpose.

Over the past decade, I’ve drifted out of balance. I’ve grossly underestimated the deadliness of chaos. Still, I felt that I could simply pray harder that my shield of faith would hold up in such conditions.

Faith can move the biggest mountains, faith can heal the sickest people, faith is the substance of things hoped for. With faith anything is possible.

But faith without works (or corresponding actions) is dead (or worthless).

Therefore, all the faith in the universe is no substitute for a lack of corresponding action.

If we pray for health, we have to live and act like healthy people!

For example: It’s ludicrous to pray for an accident free life, while we exceed the speed limits, run red lights, and text while driving. It’s also ludicrous to pray for a cancer free life, while we smoke cigarettes each day. Do you get the picture?

Faith Can Be Choked & Killed

A few days ago, a friend asked me on Facebook how I was doing, because I had been very sick for the previous 7 days. Here was my reply to him…

It’s been like I’ve been asleep for 7 days. [I'm physically broken down.] The emotional battle has been just as numbing.

I think this was more than a bad flu, it was a pre-crash warning from God: to get control of my personal space, organize the chaos, delegate more effectively, say “no” to some things, and REBALANCE.

I mastered balance when I was in business, but so far, I haven’t been able to do that in ministry. I wake up every day like a mouse on a wheel, burning energy without the progress I’m capable of achieving.

Sure, I’ve made a difference, but nothing like the difference I can make if I can find take charge of my schedule… and unapologetically do what GOD is calling me to do with my life and ministry.

It’s not easy, because there are so many voices. Some of them loud, demanding, and intimidating!

Hopefully, this last week has brought me to a new reality about the shortness of life… and how fast it is moving forward… and how easy it is to miss the mark when we fail to take charge with our God-given authority.

Faith Is Restart-able

So many people start out in faith (at some point in their lives) and (through the relentlessness of time and tribulation) they end up pinned under the control of people and circumstances.

But, life doesn’t have to end this way.

Faith is restart-able!

It begins with a prayer,

“Dear God, I don’t know how I ended up here… broken down, bullied around with the trials of life. I’ve become bitter with people, even confused about You and why You would “let” these things happen to me. I’m sorry for becoming like this. Today, I want to restart my faith! I want to believe again, just like I did when I first believed. This is the first day of the rest of my life. Because I refuse to live as a victim of my circumstances any longer. The mountain’s before me are large and daunting. But there is nothing in this universe powerful enough to keep me out of Your will for my life. Nothing except my own inability to believe and keep on believing. Right now, I decide to believe AGAIN! Dear Heavenly Father, I commit again to serve you for the rest of my life… no matter what! When trouble comes my way, I will not fall over and play dead like I have been doing lately, but I will stand on your promises… I will calm the storms, move the mountains, walk on water, and fulfill my destiny! In Jesus name I pray, amen!”

Here is a great video for this message: NeedToBreathe, These Hard Times

Your thoughts?

I just finished praying for you, as I prayed for myself, my family, and my church.

With much love,

Chuck Balsamo

Hey Everyone!

Last night in prayer meeting, I read from 2 Samuel 15 & 16. King Saul had disqualified himself as God’s first appointed King of Israel… so God commanded His prophet (Samuel) to fill a ram’s horn with oil… and go pour that oil (representing the Holy Spirit) on Kings Saul’s replacement (David, son of Jesse). Here are a few key verses from this story…

Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the Lord was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel. (1 Samuel 15:35 NLT)

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” (1 Samule 16:1 NLT)

When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7 NLT)

So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:13 NLT)

After I read those verses, God spoke to me. Really, He did!

Here is what God said to me, “Many who were great yesterday will not be great tomorrow. I am the Lord who promotes specific people at specific times for my eternal purposes. Just as I was sorry for ever appointing Saul as King, I am sorry for appointing many leaders who have gone astray in this hour. My horn is filled with oil and I am looking for David! I am not looking for people with outward beauty or extra-special talent, but I am selecting people with right thoughts and intentions. People with HEART!”

Then He honestly said to me, “Chuck, I have chosen you because of your HEART. In their own pride, others have disqualified you because of reasons that didn’t matter to me. You have been through the fire and you’ve come out with your HEART intact. You still care about people. You still love me in the rarest way, compared with many people from your generation. You still have faith. You still have humility. You still have love, and compassion. Therefore, I am pouring my oil on you… and the difference will be noticed by everyone! The Spirit of God will come upon you more than before. This is my promise to you this night!”

Dear friends, this promise to me is also an open promise to others who have been through the fires of life, but still have God’s HEART. Stop complaining about all the years that have passed you by. Guard your HEART. Don’t misinterpret the times of testing, Don’t become bitter with the people who have misunderstood you and misrepresented you. If you guard your HEART, and God pours His oil over you, there is nothing and no person who will ever be able to keep you from becoming what God has promised to MAKE YOU.

This is cause for celebration! Think about it, add your comments, and invite your friends to join the discussion.

Here is a great video for today’s message: Misty Edwards, Take My Heart

Today’s image comes from wallpaperstock.net

Ministry Update

It’s been a while since I’ve written a message here. Amazingly, the stats are still up. Are you guys re-reading the last post again and again? It is a good one, I’ve read it more than 20 times to keep refilling myself with the revelation.

Please notice that I’ve reposted four pages (find them on the links bar, above):

• Your 2012 Life Plan
• Pray For Israel
• 2009 Prophecy
• Give

What’s happening at Destiny Family Center these days?

• I haven’t seen a sudden breakthrough like this in a very long time, maybe never.
• Between Sunday and Wednesday’s services, and last nights prayer meeting… people are suddenly awakening to God, with unprecedented vigor.
• Everyone can feel it in the atmosphere. Everyone is talking about.
• There is huge anticipation over the next service: Sunday morning 10am, I hope you can make it.

Here is what I posted to the social network, after prayer meeting last night…

8:45pm I feel like this ministry just traded its Pinto for a Lamborghini! The g-force of this current acceleration has my head pinned to seat!

What’s happening with Make Me A Legend these days?

• We’re doing the second print in the next 30 days.
• Thousands of books have gone out.
• Every review has been, “This book has changed my life forever!”
• People are talking about it everywhere.
• MMAL seems to be in all 50 states, and in several countries.
• God is opening doors for me to minister in America and around the world.
• Legendary things are happening, every time I speak about the book.
• Hopefully, MMAL will go from a few thousand readers to 100,000 readers in the next six months!

Keep talking about Make Me A Legend as often as you can. People are getting the book every time you shout it out. Really!

Now your blessed with a great message, and up to date with us!

I prayed for you this morning, would love to hear about how you’re doing.

With Much Love,

Chuck Balsamo

Ps: Just in case you haven’t yet, Order A Signed Copy of Make Me A Legend today.

Happy Wednesday!

My Facebook status from this morning: That early morning prayer and devotion time with Ricky Wade was very special to me. His unrelenting spiritual passion is a rare thing in today’s world. Thankful.

Yesterday morning, Ricky posted a status on his Facebook: Is your prayer life ON FIRE?

When I read his message, I asked myself the question: Is my prayer life ON FIRE?

Yes, it has been in the past; most of the time it is… but the question was written in present tense. IS it NOW?

I had to admit, that life had been weighing me down, trials had been stressing me out. My prayer fire was dimming.

So, I turned up the Jesus Culture album that was playing in the background… and I began to pray again. This time, I didn’t go through the motions of my normal routine. I asked God to set my prayer life ON FIRE… and He did!

The song I played:

Then early this morning, Ricky and I met to talk about God and pray. It turned into a very powerful moment, and then it hit me!

If you want to keep your edge, surround yourself with young blood!

If your passion has dimmed (even slightly) by the decades and storms you’ve endured, attach yourself to someone who is younger and less weather-beaten than yourself!

When you’re a leader, it’s easy to feel like you have to be the most powerful person in the room. It’s easy to deceive yourself into thinking that you are always at the pinnacle, that you are the model, the trailblazer.

But, that is not always the case. Any leader can be great for a few years, but to be great for DECADES, great leaders choose to synergize with hungrier, up and coming legends!

Which are you today?

Are you exhausted? Then, connect with someone who is not! Someone who can benefit from your character, experience, and endurance!

Are you young and ON FIRE? Then, connect with someone who has been on fire longer than you have. Someone who can benefit from the freshness of your fire!

I would write so much more about this topic, if I had more time today. Your thoughts?

I prayed for you this morning.

With much love,

Chuck