Hey, I'm gonna be honest with you guys right now. I'm going through a pretty rough time... As a matter of fact, it's been a pretty rough time for a long time. Maybe too long for my liking. But here's the thing. When Jesus responded to my cries and met me, set me free from all my demons and woke me up He didn't do it for me to just play and party. Yeah, He set me free because I definitely wasn't free but there was a much greater reason for what He did. He opened my eyes - my real eyes and I saw things that very few can comprehend let alone even listen to. He showed me a lot of things I'd missed before, a lot of hidden things, a lot of terrible things. He warned me of things to come and how to identify my enemy and his movements. He trained me how to fight, how to pray and how to watch and learn. He unlocked things in me that I never ever knew existed. When He broke me out of my prison which was hell on earth I expected to wake up in a type of paradise. I expected a perfect tropical island but instead I awoke in a blood stained ocean in the middle of a battle. A battle that we are losing badly.


After being set free, I expected life to be much simpler, much easier, much more idealistic but boy was I wrong. By setting me free and opening my eyes I now saw what was really going on around me. It was war and the casualties are all around us. It broke my heart and reduced me to tears for weeks and weeks at the state of this planet and the church of today. Our enemy ravages and plunders the freedom of our people. God's children too often pick up the weapons of the enemy and use them on each other in cold betrayal. Depression, Addiction, Lust, Fear, Anxiety, Greed, Witchcraft and Violence roam and pick off the strongest of us first. I understand by saying this that many of you will find it offensive and most likely walk away and that's perfectly fine - this isn't a battle for civilians. It's a battle for soldiers. For those of you who are in one of those prisons right my message is simple. I was like you, chained, beaten, abused and tormented by my enemy until Jesus broke through. I'm here to tell you to keep crying out to Him despite how long it takes because when He does arrive... trust me when I say everything changes. Everything.


I'm here to tell you that once He has trained you, you will become far stronger than you could possibly ever have imagined. Strong enough not just to fight for yourself but also strong enough to stand between the enemy and his prey and fight for others. That's what a soldier does - He fights for the freedom of others. You know the stories from the bible how impossible odds were overcome by the small holding God's hand. God wants to write some new stories...When Jesus broke me out of my prison He did it for one really big reason... to wake up the soldier in me. I used to only care what people thought of me. It formed my very existence. I was a human chameleon that made myself into whatever was most liked in a vain attempt to fill the void of emptiness in me. Jesus changed all that when He revealed Himself to me as the Great I AM and He said something very important to me... He said... YOU ARE MINE. So, now I only care about what one person thinks. Jesus. Now there's only one person I serve. Jesus. Now there's only one person I will bow before.... JESUS. I prayed this week to my Father in Heaven in the middle of this tough time and this is what He said to me...


"Mark, what I want to see from you right now is defiance. I want to see the soldier that I made in you stand despite what's happening around you and despite very few standing with you. I want to see you defy the odds, defy doubt, defy fear, defy corruption, defy greed, defy lust and defy your enemy the Devil. I want to see the soldier that I broke out of prison standing in the face of the hurricane sweeping the horizon unmoved, weapon in hand ready to act when I give my orders." So here I am. Here I stand. For my King. Here I stand in defiance to my enemy because I believe in God's Word that says if I resist Him, He will turn and run. I believe in God's Word that it says the weapons of our warfare are not physical but full of latent divine power for breaking down prisons - and I plan to use them to demolish as many prisons as Jesus lets me. I believe in freedom for our people that comes through no other means than the Name of Jesus. I believe in a Army of Light that will carry the beacon of Hope, Truth and Selfless Love to the hurting, the dying and the lost bringing them into the salvation and true life that comes from Jesus Christ.


I am not afraid to stand and if it means I stand alone, I will still stand. My King will be lifted up and His Name will be known as the Name that saves and transforms. There was no one else that was able to find me, heal me, awaken me and set me free. There is no other Name by which we will be saved. His Name is JESUS! Stand soldiers of the King. Stand because our King won the victory for us and wants us to walk in it to give Him the glory He deserves. 

Alive. Happy. Blessed. Loved. Secure. Transformed.

Seriously have the best day guys. Stay awesome :)

Jesus said "Love your enemies. Bless them instead of cursing them. Pray for those who abuse you that God will reach them and pray He helps them to know His love and truth that sets us free"

Not easy to apply but extremely powerful when we walk and do as Jesus taught us...

Father, I pray today for all my enemies and all those that have harmed me, betrayed me and in any way meant evil for me that you will bless them, provide for them, guide them, help them and reveal in them their true value in your eyes. I pray they would know your love Father and that they are worth so much more than their pain and their fear. Father be what they need you to be for my enemies today. Your Kingdom come, your will be done. In Jesus Name... 

Hey, take God's hand today and believe for the impossible. It'll be the best adventure you've ever had with the best company you could ever wish for. Have a truly epic day guys. God loves you always :)

So what makes a Christian? Is it what you do? Is it the things you do that get seen before others that identifies you? Is the money you give? Is the things you have? Is it your denomination and how big a crowd of people that believe the same as you that solidifies who you are? What is it that makes you a Christian? The simple truth is this - what identifies a Christian is to whom that person belongs. The word Christian originates from a Greek word that means "Christ-One" or "Christ-like". The Bible tells us that "the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" in Acts 11 simply because when people were around them they way they spoke, acted and conducted themselves reminded them of Jesus. It was plain to see who they belonged to because they were like Jesus - they were "Christ-like". When people observed these followers of Jesus they saw selfless love, they saw truth, they saw boldness, they saw compassion, they saw the heart of God and they didn't need any more proof to know who these people had been with and had been exposed to. Guys, we live in a pretty dark world right now - the state of things both inside and outside the church is bleak to say the least. The love of money reigns and rules this world, selfless love is becoming more rare by the day and the truth is becoming harder to find as it's mixed in with so many contaminants from this world.

But this is all the more reason to rise up and be the light this world needs. It's all the more reason to raise your voice and let people know to whom you belong. There is only one hope for this world and only one way to true peace - His Name is Jesus. We live in a war torn world where passenger airplanes are shot out of the sky and precious lives are extinguished at the press of a button. Lives that had immeasurable value in God's eyes. Lives that God had plans for. Can I encourage you today to pray and ask God to raise up the soldiers of His Kingdom? Pray that the Lord of the Harvest sends more light bearers out into this cold dark world to bring His love, His truth and His hope to where it's needed most.

Of ourselves we cant do anything. Anything we do or have is simply because of the mercy, grace and provision of our Father in Heaven. We are all just little children in His eyes. Little swords lying on the ground. But if we submit to His hand... If we give up our plans, our desires, our pursuit of fame and fortune and instead pursue His Kingdom and His heart then this dark world can be reached. There was a time when children fought giants in the Name of God... and won. It's time the children of God stood up again. It's time the giants of fear, depression, greed, lust and sickness fell to the earth. It's time their heads were raised before others to show the power that comes when we humbly bow before our King as little children... and are raised as soldiers and conquerors for His Kingdom. It's time the world saw what true freedom looks like. It looks like Jesus. It's time...  

My God turns rusty, forgotten junkyard beaters into pimped out, gleaming show cars all to parade His goodness and love. He's not only the master Creator and an unrivalled craftsman of exquisite things - He also specializes in the restoration business and there ain't no one that can't be transformed by His powerful love. God loves you :)

As a follower of Jesus I totally and completely believe in the abundant life that Jesus spoke of for those who choose His way of life over this worlds corrupt ways. I believe that as Christians we should be the most positive, most passionate, most outgoing, most hopeful, most loving and most alive people on this planet all because of Jesus. Does that mean because you choose to follow Jesus that you'll always be surrounded by loads of friends and people that love you? Does it mean that your bank account will be overflowing and your wallet bursting at the seams full of wads of cash? Does it mean that every single dream you have will automatically just come true? No. Jesus never promised those things. I've seen many people bend and twist the Bible to say that Jesus will make you rich, famous and overflowing with lavish prosperity but I just can't agree with that seeing as Jesus made himself a servant to us and asks us to imitate Him in order to build His Kingdom here on earth. I'm gonna be up front now because you guys don't need another fluffy 'perfect world' pick me up - what we all need is the truth.


The thing is life can be hard... sometimes really, really hard. Bad stuff happens. People die. Dreams are cruelly crushed and fade in the winds of time. Friends betray. People walk away. Hard earned money is stolen and lost. One day you can be a beauty queen in a pageant and the next day contract a vicious debilitating disease that robs you of almost all the life you had making even just day to day duties feel you're like fighting an entire army on your own. One day you can be absolutely full of joy celebrating a new life coming into the world with the person you love only to find out that the precious little life won't survive and that unborn child never sees the light of day. For you it might be a mother or a father that you called on your phone every single day just to let them know what was happening in your life only to see them fade away in the cruel hands of cancer never to be able to answer that call again. Or maybe you might see your children choose a path of drugs, crime, pain and suffering and have to visit them behind bars blaming yourself without reason. Yeah, I know this is pretty heavy but hang with me. Life can deal out some really bad blows sometimes and there are times when it seems like it's all just too much, that you just can't take it anymore.


What I wanna say is this...  Jesus knows and cares about your pain. If there's one person that understands it fully - its Him. He never, ever wanted this planet to be broken and full of pain like this and that's precisely why He came for us. And He hasn't stopped coming to those who call on Him. If that's you today and life has been really rough can I encourage you to read Romans 8 from the Bible? It speaks of us as followers of Jesus as being co-heirs with Him. Royalty. It speaks of the power of His love and that there is nothing in Heaven, Hell or Earth that can separate us from that love. Even if you don't fully understand every part of what you're reading I really encourage you to read it through to the end. The Bible is not just a book, it's words hold far more power than our human intellect can ever fully grasp or explain. It's a living book. It's words hold the power of life and activation. It has the ability to awaken and change things that cannot be changed by any other means. You don't need to understand how that part of it works though, just reading it will start to speak to your spirit - the real you inside - and help heal and guide the parts that need it most.


The Bible holds the same power that Jesus himself had when He walked this earth. The same power to heal, guide, comfort, enlighten and save us. And hey, if that's you today and life's been really tough like that I'd be happy to pray for you that God comforts, heals and guides you. I do my absolute best to be the most positive person I can be on this earth and to encourage as many people as I can about the love and truth of God. Am I positive because everything in my life goes right all the time? No. If I honestly shared with you the amount of tragedy, loss, pain, betrayal and suffering my eyes have seen and my heart has endured you'd probably want to check yourself into counselling after hearing it. I'm not positive because every goes right, I'm positive because nothing and I mean NOTHING can take away God's love for me. That's the reason I stay positive. God's love. His love is truly that powerful. I'm not kidding. It's the most powerful force in this entire universe. Nothing even compares. Jesus has the ability to make even the worst looking things and most hopeless situations into trophies and monuments of His love and grace. In the very end, its love that wins. It's love that endures forever and ever.


Jesus can make beauty out of the ashes of your life no matter how badly things have been scorched and charred. He specializes in redemption and needs only one ingredient in His formula for it work... your heart. Call out to Him and let His love lift you from where you are to where He sees you to be. I'm praying today that for every single one of you that reads this that God speaks to your heart, heals your pain and lifts you by His love. God loves you.

Ok, so I'm gonna shoot this out there pretty straight ok. Jesus was the most positive person that ever walked this planet. I'll prove that in a bit. As followers of Christ we are asked to imitate Him and His behavior so naturally that should make us as Christians the most positive group of individuals down here on earth. Sadly, the truth is I don't come across a whole lot of really positive Christians these days and I started observing and asking God why that was. God made it really simple and clear to me. There are many people that call themselves Christians - maybe because their parents are, maybe because they grew up in church, maybe because they went to a Christian school, maybe they consider themselves to live in a Christian country. The truth is this... parking a rusty old Volkswagen beetle in a Ferrari showroom certainly doesn't make it a Ferrari. In fact, it most likely will detract from the other Ferrari's there for sale. I'm pretty sure people coming to buy a Ferrari don't wanna check out the stinky vinyl seats from an old volksy do they. I know that's a pretty extreme example but it's not that far off the truth really. My point being why say you're a Christian if you're not going to be like Jesus?  Pretty pointless isn't it. Think about it for a bit...

So back to Jesus. Think on this for a bit. Jesus is sent to earth as a baby, He grows up in a loving family, works with His dad learning the trade of carpentry and in His teenage years starts to discover His destiny. Awesome hey? And do you know what the sum total of His destiny was? To die for us. Yep. To die. Not really a big celebration of positivity hey. But take a look at Jesus life from His teenage years onward to the age He died. Did you see Him moaning about no one understanding His plight? Nope. Did you see Him having a pity party and leaning on substances, relationships or anything else down here on earth to get by? Nope. Did you see Him regularly lose it and lash out at His followers or the crowds telling them He needed "Me time" then giving the excuse "I've got a lot on my plate...". Never. You know what He did do? He chose to help and serve others despite His pain, His suffering and the road of horrible death ahead of Him knowing full well all along how it was all going to play out.

Now, I'm going to quote some of Jesus most powerful phrases now and keep in mind what He had ahead of Him when He said these things. "All things are possible to them that believe". "I came to give life and life more abundant". "I am the way the truth and the life". "I will never leave you or abandon you". "Anything you ask of my Father in my Name will be done". "Say to this mountain, get up and land in the ocean and it will happen". "If two of you agree praying in my Name, it will be done of my Father in Heaven". "I am the resurrection and the life, anyone who believes in me will not die". Pretty off the scale positive hey. Yeah! Not to compare religions out there but there isn't another that spoke like Him or did what Jesus did. And think about this... while He's hanging there on the cross, dying for our sins as the promised messiah and payment for OUR crimes He's still doing what He does best - saving lives. The thief next time Him asks for forgiveness and is given a home in Heaven. Seriously, what a King. There's no other word for it apart from King. That's the sort of thing a King does. A real King. The King of all Kings. So, in light of Jesus being that and He being the one we are meant to follow and imitate then naturally we should be looking, sounding and behaving like Him. Being positive like Him despite what we face.

Yes, it's true none of us are Jesus but there's one final statement Jesus said I was saving till now for this very reason. Jesus said "You will do even greater things than me because I am going to my Father and sending the Holy Spirit to you". I'll finish off with this... Jesus never promised you riches down here, He never promised you popularity, He never promised you an easy life either. In fact, He told us not to chase those things because they are futile and deceptive. What He did promise was this... LIFE. I nearly lost mine and got a second chance because Jesus reached down in His mercy and gave me a hand up in my darkest hour. He opened my eyes and showed me the true meaning of life. It's not money, its not sex, its not possessions, its not fame, its not power... It's Him. I found the life I always wanted when the old me died and the real me came to life following Him. And here's the kicker... Now that I know what I know and that I've found Him, nothing, I mean NOTHING can ever come against or take that away. Honestly, how could anything in Heaven, Hell or Earth ever even assault the fact that the Creator of EVERYTHING loves me, saved me and guides me every single day into eternity. There aint nothing that can even touch that! Oh Yeah!!

So that's why I'm positive. That's why I'm a light. That's why I can speak boldly and without apology. That's why I'm loud. That's why I live life in reckless abandon. That's why I sing and write music. That's why I skate. That's why I love people. That's why I smile and that's the very reason you're reading this right now. That's why I am who I am. Not because of what I do or what I have... but because I have hope. My hope has a name and His Name is JESUS. So who's gonna give a YEAH GOD for the One who saves and gives true life? The very reason Jesus was so positive in spite of everything He faced was His faith in God and the fact that He KNEW at all times He was loved by His Father. Jesus wants us to live exactly like that, just like He did... Knowing we are ALWAYS loved by God. Stay awesome guys because our Jesus really is just that awesome!

Even on my worst days My God is so much better, bigger and stronger than anything I face. He is my strength when I'm weak, He is my path when I feel lost, He is my light in the darkness and swirling fog of life. When I pray and say "I need you God, I don't feel I've got what takes to get through today..." He replies with "I know my child. I AM..." He is the sufficiency to all my deficiencies. With Him, who and what could possibly stand against me? No one and nothing would even dare. God is with me so I will stand until I see His promises fulfilled.  

Hey again, God put this on my heart to share and I know when He does that it's always for a reason. Those reasons always involve people because that's what God cares about the most... people. God cares about this planet, the animals and all the things in it because He made it but most of all He cares for us - people. The very reason Jesus came to die to save us wasn't for the animals or the planet - it was for people. We all have a purpose on this planet. Some of us may invent great things, some may help heal people, some may build, some may teach and some are made to fight for the freedom of others. God's given me quite a few things to do on this planet but one of them I know for sure is to pray for people. I'll tell you why that is. I believe in God. When I say I believe in God I mean that I believe in Him more than my life itself. I believe in Him and His Kingdom more than anything that will happen down here on earth. I believe Jesus saves and that He changes lives and I'm living proof of that. Without His undeserved mercy I am nothing and can do nothing at all. So this is why I pray. I believe in things that aren't yet seen.


I believe in people to be more than what they are right now. Does that mean that every single person I pray for has awesome things happen and that they always change for the better... I honestly wish that was always the case. I've prayed for and tried to help many, many people only to see them choose to walk away from God's ways into pain, suffering and sometimes even death. On the other hand I've seen bones that should have been broken from massive blunt trauma heal and be able to be walked on in a matter of days and go on to full recovery with zero symptoms. I've seen quite a few incurable diseases cured by nothing more than a prayer of faith completely changing the persons life and how they live now without that disease. I've also seen many more things that honestly can't be accurately described in words or speech but just needed to be seen to be believed. Things that don't make sense at all unless you factor God into the equation. Needless to say, I've seen to much to not believe. I believe in God and I believe in prayer and I know for a fact that prayer changes things. Jesus said all things are possible to them that believe so the key thing here is the "believe" part.


No doubt, No reasoning, No excuses. Just faith. And do you know what faith really is? It's surrender. It's basically this... I can't do this Father. please help me. And then God steps in and does what only He can. I've seen Him do it over and over. So where God wants me to go with this is here... I know for a fact that there are several people out there reading this that feel like the guy in the picture. Foggy, disconnected, lost and asleep most of the time. I felt like that too for a long, long time too. You're probably like I was. Nice life, lots of stuff and probably lots of friends. But inside and especially when you're alone you feel extremely lost, cold and lifeless. You have no idea who you are or what you exist to do so you fill your life with as much stuff as possible to try to hide and distract your mind from that fact. But the truth is, you know its there... that emptiness in your soul. That void. It's because you're not living what God intended you to be. You might even be a church goer like I was for most of my life yet you still feel so, so empty inside. What I want to say is this. Jesus can find you and wake up the real you. The you that's far more than you could ever possibly imagine.


You might even be thinking... but I already believe in Jesus and go to church so then that's it isn't it? I can't be any more than I am right now so I just have to face facts that this is my existence. I can't change and people don't really change. I'm here to tell you that's a lie from the father of lies the devil. This is a call... A wake up call. If that's you, and God is speaking to your heart while you're reading this then you know exactly what you need to do. Respond to Him. Bow humbly before Him - on your knees is a great idea as it shows respect, submission and the fear of God - and ask Him to step in and change what needs to be changed. You may have done that before but this time I want you to really believe. Not because you can do anything to change it - in fact, admit to God that you're powerless to even help yourself - and confess that you need His help. I also know for me, God stepped in when someone was prepared to pray for me out of pure selfless love wanting nothing in return apart from freedom and life for you from Jesus. I'd be happy to pray for you if that's you. I may never meet you or see you in person but know this - prayer is far more powerful than you could ever imagine.


Prayer can cross continents and span the globe bringing God into a situation far quicker than any form of communication know to man. Please understand, I'm nothing special - I'm just a normal guy that loves and believes in God more than my own life - but here's the thing... God chooses to use normal people to do extraordinary things. You are more than you know. You are more than your pain, your suffering and your loss. You are far more than your accomplishments, your possessions and your relationships. There's only one way to find out who and what you really are... you must go to the source of life. His Name is Jesus and it's that Name that saves and sets free. God loves you and wants more for you than what your life is right now.