- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

If we’re going to be good stewards of what God has given us, we need to have a plan for the money entrusted to us. After giving God His 10 percent, give your future 10 percent as well by setting it aside in a savings account that you are committed not to touch. Make saving a core value for your family. Then begin to pay off the necessary bills such as your mortgage or rent, food, and utilities.

Most often the problem is how we prioritize our money. Planning and continually reviewing your spending habits bring accountability and partnership into your marriage. And these two elements bring unity and agreement, which in turn attracts the presence and blessings of God. Maybe you never thought of applying this basic principle to the wise use of finances in your marriage. Let me remind you of Jesus’ words about the power of agreement:

[Jesus said,] “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt. 18:19–20 NIV)

When people develop the disciplines of wisely saving, giving, investing, and spending, an amazing thing happens in their hearts. They know they are obeying God, so they feel closer to Him. They develop confidence in themselves, in their spouse, and in their future. Tithing is no longer a burden or an obligation, but a way to express gratitude to God and partner with Him in changing people’s lives. Stress levels that were once out of control because of debt and careless spending now subside, and the whole family can enjoy a sense of peace.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

I know what it feels like to be scripted. While I was growing up, my parents had a script for my life that protected me when I found myself lost in another script of the neighborhood gang. My father had a dream that his children would take over his landscape design business and experience greater success than even he had seen. Both my parents saw my future in the family business, but I struggled to believe it was the right path for me. Yet even when I was trying to go my own way, they never once wavered or gave up on the script they had for me. They continued to believe in me and gave me room to assimilate the character God had shown them inside me. They could see greatness within me, but I struggled to see it. They had to trust that God’s script would resonate louder than the script of my friends.

At seventeen, I didn’t understand that going to work on the weekends with my dad was doing more for me than just teaching me the family business. I couldn’t see the diligence, excellence, and responsibility being molded into me. All I knew was that every Saturday and every summer vacation I was going to be with my dad mowing lawns, digging ditches, and planting plants at some mansion in Santa Barbara. But now I can see how the ink from God’s pen was constructing the storyline of my life. Every experience growing up would soon find its place in my destiny as an adult. I encourage you to trust the hand of Him whom you have trusted with your heart.

One day on the driveway of our home, I shared with my dad the news that my employment application was being considered at the city building department. I proudly explained that I would be making twelve dollars an hour instead of the six I was making with him. I was confident he would share in my pride and joy as I pursued a successful career just as he had done. Why would it matter if I was working for someone else? Surely he would just be proud of my decision not to settle for minimum wage. Success was important to him, so I eagerly awaited his approval.

My father sighed as he looked at me and said in Spanish, “Sergio, you’re going to be making twelve dollars an hour working for another company when you could be making an unlimited amount working for yourself. This business is yours. Everything I do is for all of you. Don’t you see you’re already a millionaire?”

That statement infuriated me because I didn’t feel like a millionaire. And when I read my bank statement, I knew I wasn’t! But what my dad said next revolutionized my mentality about the acquisition of wealth. He said, “You’re the boss here. What boss leaves his position to become someone else’s worker? Think bigger, Sergio.”

I was stunned at his words. In my father’s script, I was the boss. In my script, I was the worker. His words changed everything for me that day. I refused the position with the city, took the pay cut, and never again questioned whether I was doing the right thing or making enough money. Over time my brothers and sisters came together in taking over my family’s business, fulfilling my father’s dream. Today, I’m proud to say that my father’s script of success for his children is being carried out.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

A relationship with Jesus will always lead to an “I can” on the inside of you, whereas religion will always focus on an “I can’t!” God is not interested in measuring our mistakes and successes; He just wants to know if we’ll believe in Him and stay connected to Him through a genuine personal relationship with His Son.

When religion replaces a genuine relationship with Christ, we venture down a road that denies us the very power that God longs for us to have. In a letter to Timothy, Paul warns,

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. . . . [For people] will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. (2 Tim. 3:1, 5 NLT)

The power to turn our hearts and change the trajectory of our lives cannot be obtained through religion, because religion lacks the inherent power to change the condition of our hearts:

• Relationship draws us into life transformation; religion drives us into self-improvement.
• Relationship allows us to tap into God’s liberating power over sin and death; religion causes us to profess a power we haven’t truly possessed.
• Relationship gives us God’s perspective for the hurting and unsaved; religion causes us to criticize and condemn those God wants to cleanse and heal.

Living religiously leads to frustration, as we see in Acts 19. The miraculous evidence of Paul’s relationship with Jesus Christ prompted others to look for the miraculous as well. However, without the authenticity of truly knowing Christ, certain men were unable to call on Christ to expel demons:

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” . . . (One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:13, 15 NIV)

They couldn’t live in the power of God’s grace because they hadn’t experienced it. They couldn’t bring healing to others because they didn’t know the Healer. They had heard of the one Paul preached about but had yet to know Him intimately. There is a difference between knowing Christ up close, as Paul did, and knowing Christ from a distance, as these men did. No matter what you’ve known about God in the past, you have been called to know God and His healing power up close and personal!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Here’s the difference between God’s perspective and our perspective of adversity. He is challenging you to no longer see adversity as something happening to you, but instead to take on the perspective of it happening for you. God will always use adversity to focus your thoughts and attention on Him so that you can see His hand and hear His voice more clearly.

As you continue to live out the Heart Revolution, there may be times when the enemy lines up a full array of attacks to knock you out of the battle. He may use deception, discouragement, accusation, or even a combination of all three. He’ll try to put roadblocks in your way to slow you down so that you’ll quit. He’ll accuse you of being inadequate and unqualified to serve God. Don’t fall for the enemy’s tactics. Be on guard to protect your heart and fight hard against his schemes. Paul was wise to the enemy’s devices. Can you see him pacing like a general commanding his troops when he dictated these words?

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:11–13)

In times of adversity, we aren’t alone. We have God’s power and guidance, and we have the wisdom and experience of others who are in the fight and have endured the same kind of attacks. When God told me to start a Heart Revolution, I had no idea the magnitude and impact it would make in the lives of so many people. I just knew what He had told me to do. But out of this revolution have come some of the most powerful testimonies of faith, victory, and triumph I’ve ever known. And it all started with a decision to turn their hearts.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

One of the most important heart qualities that positions us to be greatly used of God is that of willingness. A willing heart says to God, “I will go where You send me and I will do what You ask of me.” When He knows that He can rely on us to say yes to Him, His favor flows to us and allows us to be used for His glory. God can use us to turn the hearts of others when the condition of our hearts is willing, like the response of Jonathan’s armorbearer when he was asked to engage in war against thousands with only himself and Jonathan. It seemed like a suicide mission but he responded with a willing heart to do whatever was asked of him:

So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. . . . Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.” (1 Sam. 14:7)

His armorbearer didn’t give excuses when he was asked to step out. He didn’t complain or give arguments. He was willing to go wherever he was needed. Today God is looking for the same willing heart in us. He is looking to see if we will be willing to do all that is in His heart for us, instead of giving Him our excuses or arguments when He asks us to step out for Him.

Jesus told the parable of a man who held a great supper and invited many. But in response to his invitation, all he got back was excuses. Some used the excuse of family and marriage. Some used the excuse of being too busy taking care of their land or home. And others used the excuse of their jobs (Luke 14:16–24). Today, we may be tempted to give God similar excuses. But a willing heart steps out for Him, even when it’s inconvenient.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

The course of a person’s life will always be determined by the condition of their heart. What’s the condition of your heart today? Who do you resemble in the story of the prodigal son? Are you like the younger brother, feeling far from God and desperate for change? Or are you like the older brother, who self-righteously insisted on proving that he was more acceptable because he had made better choices than his brother, thereby imposing guilt rather than expressing grace? Or are you the father, waiting for a son or daughter to leave a life of self-indulgence or spiritual darkness? Either way, listen today to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who was sent to lead us into all truth, and respond to the liberating power of God’s grace. Remember, great things are on the other side of your obedience.

No situation is outside of God’s touch. As you step out, expect great changes in your family and in your life. If you take the limits off God, He can accelerate the hope and healing you long to see. I challenge you now to pick up the phone, write the email, send the text, or make the visit!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

When a person is addicted to sex, pornography, and other sexual habits they question whether they can ever really be free. When you turn from sexual sin and give your heart to God and accept His forgiveness, you find the freedom you desperately desire. With courage and the power of the Holy Spirit to give you hope and strength, you can overcome any sexual addiction, habit, or temptation.

To help you succeed, you will need two key components in place. The first is a covenant with God to pursue sexual purity with your eyes, ears, mind, and heart. The second is having an accountability partner to help you overcome. Ideally, this should be your spouse if you’re married and a trustworthy person if you are single.

Sexual sin and lust begin in the mind, but God’s truth and grace revolutionize not only our thoughts, but our attitudes, and our behaviors as well. When this happens, we realize the liberating truth that we don’t have to hide anymore. We are truly free.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

•  Lust demands physical gratification. Love never forces sex. It cares enough to wait.

The closer lustful people get to experiencing ecstasy, the more they demand satisfaction. Hormones rage, and power rules over respect and honor. But love never forces anything on the other person. Mutual consent and kindness provide an environment where both husband and wife feel secure and safe in the marriage bed. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his famous description of love,

Love cares more for others than for self . . . Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first.” (1 Cor. 13:4–5 Message)

Aggressive or forceful behaviors open the door to fear and insecurity in a marriage, and the power of intimacy becomes hindered. When the intimacy that overflows into the rest of your marriage is hindered, other areas begin to suffer as well. But love waits. It will wait for healing when trust has been shattered. It will wait until the wedding day for intimacy. And it will wait for the heart to connect first.

•  Lust uses people and leaves them in worse condition than we found them. Love builds and affirms them.

After the act, lust leaves the person feeling used and discarded. But real love does the complete opposite. Both people feel valued and adored, and the relationship brings out the best in both of them. Relationships rooted in lust often leave a person feeling uncertain and insecure about themselves. Love, on the other hand, builds the other person up from the inside out. They feel desired and needed by their spouse, not just for their physical features, but also for their inward beauty of kindness, humor, creativity, integrity, and strength. The result is a confidence in themselves, their spouse, and in their marriage.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

God will always send to you anointed and appointed people who are called to unlock your blessing and breakthrough—someone to help you become the person you’re called to be. I challenge you to be open to those God has placed in your life. The Bible speaks of the protection, strength, and force of entering into the power of partnership.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real    trouble. . . .    A    person    standing    alone    can    be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Eccles. 4:9–10, 12 NLT)

Christian psychiatrist Paul Tournier likened the most important choices in life to a trapeze. We hold on to one trapeze bar as we swing in the air. To grab the next bar, we have to let go of the one we’re holding. We can think about it for hours, we can plan the release in our minds, but we simply can’t grab the new bar until we let go of the one we’re holding. This image illustrates what it means to face the test of our pain. Though we may be holding on to the trapeze bar of old hurts, old fears, and old habits, we see the freedom and purpose that God wants to give us in our future. We have to take bold action: we have to let go of the old and grab the new! That’s what God is asking you to do right now. Will you do it?

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

When someone you love is lost, all you’re concerned about is finding them. The heart of the Father is moved in the exact same way toward those who are lost. In fact, the Bible says Jesus came here on a search and rescue mission:

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10 NLT)

Everything Jesus did was with the purpose of rescuing the lost, because He was aware that eternal destinies were at stake. All that He did during His time on earth was shaped and motivated by His reality of heaven. When you become convinced, as Jesus was, that lost people will miss out on the opportunity of heaven, you’re far more willing to pay any cost to reach them with the message of God’s forgiveness. You will gladly pay the physical, financial, or relational cost of reaching the lost when the prospect of ensuring their eternity with Him is in the balance. When heaven is at stake, the lines that separate communities become obscure, and you don’t mind going where those who are lost live, whether it be the suburbs or the ’hood, to bring them the hope of eternity.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Step out in risk, and you step into the realm of the miraculous. There came a day when we as a church had to step out and purchase a facility. A realtor suggested a local movie theater as a possibility. It wasn’t even for sale, but my wife and I felt God prompting us to take the risk. The theater was located in the middle of a shopping plaza, and the idea of putting a non-retail business in such a prime location was met with hesitation and even hostility. I never dreamed our risk would attract so many people to our church, but it did. Those with financial interest came. Those with media interest came. Those with political interest came. They all came from the north, south, east, and west to see what was happening in a city that was once labeled forgotten and forsaken.

God’s promise of a permanent home gave us the courage to plow ahead on the nine-month journey with the city and pursue the purchase of the movie theater for our church. I still remember driving into the parking lot of the City Hall with Georgina and my kids, knowing that this meeting would determine our church’s future. Seeing the parking lot packed to capacity with cars bearing our Cornerstone Church bumper sticker increased my faith for our future like nothing else could! That night we needed the favor of God. The council’s vote would determine if our church would finally have a place to call home. Our families needed a yes. Those three little letters had never meant more to us. I stood in front of the city council members that night and poured out my heart on behalf of every family of Cornerstone Church, including mine. I gave them every reason possible why it would be the best decision for the city to vote in our favor. And when it was time to vote, it was unanimous—every single member of the council voted yes! It felt as though God had stopped all of heaven for us to declare His yes over our future. Never before in the history of our church had a reward so far outweighed the risk. That yes opened the door for over five thousand people to worship there today!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Without God’s perspective, we miss out on some of His greatest lessons found in this tension between joy and tribulation. Think of a car battery. It fulfills its purpose through its power that comes from both a positive and a negative current running through it. When a car battery runs out of power, we give it a jump-start by hooking up both positive and negative cables. The tension of joy and tribulation in our lives works the same way. We need both positive and negative currents to energize our purpose and call. Painful situations “ground” us in ways that joyful situations cannot. But the good news is, when we turn our hearts to Jesus Christ, who has ultimately triumphed over tribulations, we can experience what He promises in His Word:

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] (John 16:33 AMP)

God’s goal for our lives isn’t to simply make us happy. His desire is to make us holy—more like Him. When I talk to people who are hurting, I remind them that Jesus knew shame, ridicule, and rejection. He endured incredible pain, and through it, the writer to the Hebrews tells us a mystery: the perfect Son of God “learned obedience from what he suffered” (5:8 NIV). He learned to depend on the Father more than ever. If we’ll pay attention, we’ll see God is using every situation to give us the opportunity to depend on Him more than we ever have before!

Marriage is a great mystery, and one we continue to explore throughout our married lives. Becoming one begins at the altar, but making it a reality in our everyday life is a lifelong process.

Along the journey, the pressures of married life begin to do one of two things: drive you closer to one another or drive you apart. If you will allow the pressure to bring you closer together, the result is a partnership that can withstand even the most challenging situations.

Georgina and I understand what it means to live under pressure all too well. Not only do we understand the same pressures that every marriage goes through, but we also understand the pressure of living a very public life. We’ve learned over years of pastoring together that it takes a mega-marriage to grow a mega-church. As the church and the influence God has given us has grown, more and more people have begun to look to our marriage as a model.

Like all couples, we’ve gone through seasons when one of us was discouraged and needed the approval and affirmation of the other to lift us up. Without both of us being committed to the miracle in our marriage, we could have drifted apart during times of stress. But instead, our marriage and love for one another has grown stronger as a result of our commitment to maintain our partnership.

Years ago, though I knew God was calling me to start a church, I was torn between God’s calling and my doubts. I wrestled with this decision for a long time, and I was on the verge of saying no to God. I’ll never forget the night Georgina and I stayed up for hours talking about the pros and cons of moving from Santa Barbara to San Diego. I shared with her all my doubts and fears of taking our family from the comfort of everything we’d ever known to start a church in a city where no one knew us. In a moment of vulnerability, I asked her, “Who would come to my church? Who would want to come hear me preach?”

She looked into my eyes and said with more conviction than I’d ever heard in her voice before, “I would go to your church. I would go to hear you preach!”

At a point when I didn’t believe in myself, Georgina believed in me. She saw God’s calling on my life, and I borrowed her yes when all I had was a no.

Sometimes when all you have is a no, you have to do what I did and borrow your spouse’s yes. When you feel like you can’t be the parent you need to be, or you can’t keep going another day at your job, or you can’t imagine being free from debt, you need to tap into the faith of your spouse and borrow their faith. Suppose your spouse doesn’t have a yes on the inside of them either. What do you do then? You borrow God’s yes until you can be the yes for them! Don’t ever let a no stop your marriage from fulfilling its God-given potential. Be a partner to your spouse today and watch your marriage grow in miraculous ways.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Bitterness, division, unresolved conflict, isolation, anger, and complacency are just some of the issues families in our society are dealing with. The aim of the Heart Revolution is to bring healing and restoration to families by getting to the root of these issues. When our hearts become revolutionized by God, we stop trying to hide or numb what’s truly in them. Then we can approach issues in our families with an openness and willingness to see genuine restoration occur. God not only wants strained and broken relationships at home to experience His healing; He longs for it. The very last words of God in the Old Testament describe His heart for family restoration:

And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. (Mal. 4:5–6)

As we turn our hearts toward our families, the course of our relationships begins to change. One trait above all else is crucial to keeping our hearts turned toward Him and each other: listening to one another.

We live in an auditory society. Culturally, we are constantly being exposed to the continuous hum of modern life. As a result, there is a propensity to become so plugged in to devices that many of us have lost the art of listening to one another. Our relationships, however, become transformed when we create a culture of listening. Your ear is the gateway to your heart. When you learn to hear a person’s heart behind their words, you discover that communication becomes clearer, richer, and more meaningful. Listening brings a connection to one another on a heart level.

It’s imperative we learn to listen with our hearts and not just with our heads. When we listen with our heads, we gather only enough facts and information for the moment, but we become deaf to the unspoken messages, the ones that are most important. Listening with your heart is both an art and a science. As you pay attention to the unspoken messages found in facial expressions and tone of voice, you begin to relate to and connect with the people you love the most.

Most communication problems between husband and wife or parent and child are rooted in listening solely from the head. Head listening will only give you partial information, often leading to misunderstandings and assumptions. Assumptions breed resistance and resentment, because the other person often feels you are more concerned with your own agenda than their heart, which causes them to withdraw from you. Gaining God’s perspective on what they are saying changes everything. He brings truth to areas of miscommunication and tempers assumptions with His humility.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Josiah was eight years old when God challenged him to take his place as king (2 Kings 22:1). He had watched his father refuse to take his place, sabotage his destiny, and then be murdered by his own officials. Josiah pursued the promise of his destiny and followed God’s direction, choosing not to repeat the pain of his family history. When he was faced with the sins of his ancestors, instead of making excuses, he took responsibility, repented, and raised a new standard of righteousness in his generation. As a result, the Bible records these profound words about this young man:

Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since. (2 Kings 23:25 NLT)

Josiah took a stand for righteousness, purity, and obedience in his generation, and God declared him a revolutionary unlike any before or after him. He took his place, even though he didn’t see it modeled in the life of his father. His relationship with God revolutionized not only his life, but also the lives of all those after him. I believe this generation is the Josiah generation, called to take its place, raise a new standard of righteousness, and make a mark in history that is defined by revolutionary hearts for Jesus Christ.

When you know you’ve been called for greater purposes and you take a step into your destiny, nothing will stop you, not even death. At the moment of His betrayal, the Bible says Jesus didn’t step back; He stepped forward to take His place in the revolution:

Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. (John 18:4 NLT)

Nothing that was waiting for Him on the other side of that step was enough to stop Him from taking His place. In the same way, there must be a determination and tenacity in you to step forward into your destiny. You just need to take that first step into finding your place as a revolutionary.

Step out today at home, at work, at your local church, at your school campus, and at your local community center. Take a revolutionary first step toward turning the hearts of others, and you’ll discover your place in the revolution.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

A heart to rescue others knows no limitations. There is no boundary that love and compassion won’t cross to see the wounds of another healed. When the ache and cry of the hurting reaches into your heart, there is no perception, opinion, or cost that is too great to bring them to healing. The Good Samaritan could have walked away, but he risked being ridiculed, mocked, and punished because he couldn’t ignore what he saw and what he felt. If he had hesitated and considered how others would perceive his actions before he stepped in, he most likely would have passed right by and kept walking. The reality is, a missed opportunity can mean a missed eternity. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but what are we doing to help take as many people with us? People who are hurting need more than just a passing glance. They need to know there are people who have been rescued who will risk it all to now rescue them. When we risk it all, the reward is precious hearts and lives turned back to God:

My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God. (James 5:19– 20 Message)

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

There is no circumstance or situation we could ever face that Jesus himself did not face and overcome while he was on earth. He was tempted, ridiculed, betrayed, and misunderstood so that he could transfer to us the liberating power to overcome when we are tempted, ridiculed, betrayed, and misunderstood. Jesus transferred to you and me the power to go from conquered to conqueror and overcome to overcomer when he said,

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

This is the core reason why a single mother can find the hope and power to rise above hurt and betrayal, or why a drug addict can find the strength to stand against and overcome the temptation of another fix, or why a workaholic can find the courage to discover they have more value than their paycheck. They have found God’s grace and thereby the power and authority in Jesus Christ to get up! They have found His supremacy triumphs over their humanity. Today it is my prayer that, as you walk in the fullness of His forgiveness for you, you would also discover the greatness of His power that now lives in you!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

In one of his parables, Jesus told a story of a banquet which gives us a glimpse of the Father’s heart for rescuing the lost. A man threw an elaborate banquet and sent his servant to invite people to come. The master in the story is a type, a shadow, of God, and the banquet is the celebration for people who enter his kingdom. When the guests gave excuses for their absence, the master told the servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind” (Luke 14:21). The servant immediately reported that he had already done that, but there was still room for more. The master then commanded him, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).

Notice the attitude of the master. He wasn’t content to settle for excuses. He was insistent the servant do whatever it took to fill his house. He instructed the servant to “compel” people to come. The word “compel” means to use force, in this case, to literally drag people back to the banquet.

Today, Jesus is saying to you the same thing. Compel your friends, family, and loved ones to come to his house so that it may be filled. Compel them by using whatever means necessary and bring them to the feet of Jesus.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

This generation, our generation, is desperate to make a commitment to help the next generation live out their call. There is a hunger in them to right the wrongs, to stand for those who have fallen, to rebuild what has been broken down, and to display an unquestionable commitment to capture the heart of the next generation. We have a responsibility to re-inspire them to follow Christ by modeling an example marked by truth and faithfulness. They will learn to love God with all their hearts, value the things God values, and make choices each day to follow him in their relationships and desires from watching you and me set the example. That’s why this Heart Revolution is so powerful. You can’t give away something that you don’t first possess. Before it can overflow from you, it must first overtake you.

Most of what we are dealing with today in our families is the result of what the previous generation could not conquer. Poor decisions of past generations can be felt for years, but in the same way, right decisions and right commitments can turn history around for all future generations. In the Bible, Hezekiah took his place as king in a generation that had turned away from God. He saw the devastating effects the past decisions of their ancestors had on their families, and he chose to stand up and lead the revolution:

In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah, having first repaired the doors of The Temple of God, threw them open to the public. He assembled the priests . . . and said, . . . “Our ancestors went wrong and lived badly before God—they discarded him, turned away . . . and walked off . . . This is why our ancestors were killed, and this is why our wives and sons and daughters were taken prisoner and made slaves. I have decided to make a covenant with the God of Israel and turn history around.” (2 Chron. 29:3, 6, 9–10 Message)

God is challenging you to make the same commitment today. The next generation doesn’t have to live as slaves because of the mistakes of their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. You can take a stand today to change everything. You can choose to rewrite history for the next generation by what you do today.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

During World War II, German bombs destroyed the beautiful and ancient stained glass in an English cathedral. As they swept up the tiny pieces of glass and looked at the hole in the wall, the people of the church were heartbroken. But someone had an idea. They asked skilled craftsmen to use the piles of shattered glass as the raw ingredients for a new window. Today, the window is spectacular representation of what happens when we choose to use the leftovers of a devastating loss to create something new and beautiful.

God does exactly the same thing in our lives. He takes the shattered remains of our lives and creates something new, something beautiful, and something that causes people to marvel when they see it. No one is beyond God’s creative powers of restoration. The Bible says that when God made the universe, He created all that exists out of nothing. If He can do that, He can use broken and discarded pieces of our lives to make something fantastically beautiful.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Many times the world doesn’t understand the power and purposes of the Holy Spirit, and as a result many churches today pull back from embracing a relationship with Him. Many Christians shy away from saying that they are Spirit-filled because they fear being misunderstood or maybe because they simply feel like they don’t have enough understanding of how the Holy Spirit works in their life.

Many years ago a man came up to me and said, “Pastor Sergio, I love Jesus and I want to follow Him, but I’m still not convinced about the Holy Spirit. I’m not sure He really exists.” I gave him a challenge that he later told me changed everything about his relationship with the Holy Spirit. I looked him in the eye and said, “Don’t try to convince yourself that he exists. Try convincing yourself that he doesn’t exist.” He looked at me as if I had just told him the craziest thing he’d ever heard. Prove that there was no Holy Spirit? He went home that day and began to read every Scripture he could find to prove that the Holy Spirit was not real. In his search to disprove the Holy Spirit’s existence, he found countless evidence that the Holy Spirit was in fact real. And in looking for hours, days, and even weeks, he had not only convinced himself the Holy Spirit was real, but he couldn’t live without Him! Scripture after Scripture about the nature, divinity, and power of the Holy Spirit had set his heart on fire for God. He came to me weeks later and said, “I give up! He’s real. And more than that, I found a Friend I never knew I needed.”

I challenge you to ask God to reveal who the Holy Spirit is in your life. I know if you will expand your faith to know the Holy Spirit, you, like this man, will discover a friend you never knew you needed. I pray you would tap into the power that lives inside you today. Tap into power of the Holy Spirit who has the ability to take your life to another dimension! Or as my friend Ed Young says, “It’s time to go to an HNL—a wHole ’Nother Level!”

Come on, somebody! Let’s go!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

God’s definition of His best for your life is an ongoing state of success and well-being that overflows into every area of our life. Consider the well-known words of the prophet Jeremiah:

“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.” (Jer. 29:11 NIV)

The word “prosper” in Hebrew is the word shalom, which typically means peace. However, the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament also lists the following definitions: “completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfill- ment . . . unimpaired relationships with others and with God.” This is the richness of life that Jesus risked his life for! It’s the fullness that the writer of the Third Epistle of John prays for:

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

The text clearly conveys to us that his prayer was for God’s best to overflow into all things. What is included in “all things”? Everything. Jesus made clear that part of His purpose was not just to restore that which was stolen from us but also to bring a life overflowing with good things to us. Consider His words:

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abun- dance (to the full, till it overflows). (John 10:10 AMP)

It has always been in the heart of God to see us blessed. Like a parent who wants to see their children succeed, so does our Father want us to live a rich, fruitful life. Your success brings joy to the Father! He risked his life for us so that we would overflow in every area. Believe with me today that success is in your future, because our God overflows with good things that He desires to give to His children. He has called you to thrive, not just survive!

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora. Purchase your book today from Amazon.com

Many people believe that anger, regardless of how it is expressed, is wrong. This isn’t entirely accurate. Anger is a normal, God-given emotion, but when it grows into a lifestyle of uncontrollable wrath, it’s wrong. It’s important that we learn to differentiate between godly anger, or righteous anger, and sinful anger, or unrighteous anger. Unrighteous anger is merciless, whereas righteous anger is just. Unrighteous anger is dysfunctional and dangerous, but righteous anger is healthy and beneficial. Paul tells us,

Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. (Eph. 4:26–27 Message)

Harboring anger in your heart and mind opens the door of your heart to the enemy and allows him to have a “place” or a “foothold.” When anger, bitterness, and resentment control your heart, Satan wins. The Heart Revolution changes that by revolutionizing how you react when you’re pushed to your limit. Instead of allowing anger to control us, we as revolutionaries choose to control it and pause before we respond.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora.

I’ve counseled hundreds of couples who have stopped partnering with one another because they’ve decided to pursue their own happiness and fulfillment instead of remembering marriage is a place of honor, servanthood, and respect. Building a marriage of partnership requires both of you to take a stand against one of the greatest hindrances—selfishness. Selfishness is like sand in the gears of a marriage. When one person insists on pursuing their own happiness above the needs of their spouse, the inner components of your relationship grind, and friction creates hot anger and resentment until eventually the movement and vitality of the marriage comes to a halt. You can stop selfishness from taking root in your marriage by identifying, acknowledging, and repenting from any area of self-fulfillment.

When you take the revolutionary step to confront the innermost desires of your heart, you find the strength from God to change and begin to see rewards in your marriage you never could have imagined. Finding the miracle in your marriage rekindles the fire of romance, restores respect, reestablishes God in the center of your marriage, and reproduces more miracles in your relationships.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora.

The number one crime in America is identify theft, and the number one crime in churches is spiritual identity theft. Too many people have been robbed of their identity in Christ and are now operating out of an identity that was never meant for them. Instead of being identified as a winner, they now associate themselves with the terms “loser” or “a disappointment.” The reality is, they have become a victim of identity theft and they are now living out someone else’s script for their lives.

Any film that has ever won a prestigious Academy Award has done so due largely in part to the scriptwriter. The scriptwriter sees the fullness of the characters before they ever take shape on the big screen. So it is with your heavenly Father and the script He has prepared for you in His Word—a script marked by victory and triumph. God Himself is the scriptwriter of your life!

As you begin to align yourself with His script and grow into the character He predestined for your life, you will discover that in His script you have all you need to win in life. Many times it can become easy to focus on the negative scripts people have written about your life. But when you do, you miss out on the power of living out a script marked with the greatness, purpose, and destiny contained in the one God has predestined for you.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora.

On a few occasions when I’ve been discouraged, I’ve looked at Georgina and wondered if it’s worth it to pour out our lives day after day, week after week. But as I keep pressing in and pushing through, I realize these moments don’t last. When I step back and remember all God has done, I can’t quit. I can’t walk away because of a momentary setback. He reminds me that I am predestined to finish strong, and that knowledge puts purpose back into my heart. It’s the same reminder Paul wrote about:

Since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted. (1 Cor. 15:58 TLB)

Many times, we get discouraged and think about quitting when we find ourselves in the battle between “doing” versus “being.” It’s the moment when you’re doing and doing at home, at work, and at church but you’re losing your excitement and purpose. You have motion but no traction. You feel like your wheels are spinning but you’re not making progress. For many of us, this is the moment when you question the value and worth of continuing on. “Doing” isn’t the basis of any relationship, but especially not one with God. His invitation to you wasn’t so that you would be a slave to tasks. His invitation was for you to become His own child:

Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (Gal. 4:7 NLT)

When you go through life “doing” instead of “becoming,” oftentimes you end up feeling inadequate, exhausted, and disappointed. You’ll wrestle at God’s prompting to do something because you’ll only see the work, not the rewards. The reality is, “doing” doesn’t guarantee you’ll “become.” Become what? Become confident and empowered in your relationship with him. But choosing the pathway of “being” allows you to discover the joy, exhilaration, and the reward of fulfilling His work on earth. And when you’re tempted to walk away, you’ll stand in your relationship as a son or daughter and realize that nothing you ever do could separate you from Him.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora.

Recently I did a study on the life of Joseph. As I read the story of Joseph’s life, I became intrigued with his ability and willingness to forgive so quickly and easily. Despite the anguish and betrayal he had endured at the hands of his brothers, he was quick to open his arms to them and forgive every wrong that they had ever done to him. He didn’t seek revenge or justice (Gen. 45:1–5).

He was in a position to punish them, but instead he chose to forgive and make amends. Why was Joseph so willing to forgive his brothers? How and when did he learn to be so forgiving? An obscure part of Scripture about Joseph’s father, Jacob, reveals a powerful influence in Joseph’s life.

Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. (Gen. 33:1–3 NIV)

Joseph watched his father bow before Esau to plead for forgiveness. He watched as his father offered gifts upon gifts in order to appease the heart of his brother. He watched every one of his father’s wives, servants, and children bow before Esau in acknowledgment of the debt between the two men. And he watched these two men embrace and kiss one another in tears as brothers reconciled.

Joseph never forgot what he saw. Years later when he saw the same look of humility and repentance in the eyes of his own brothers, he followed the example of his father and wept as he embraced and kissed them.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora.

God wants you to start winning again—winning at home, winning with your children, winning at school, winning at work, winning wherever you go. There’s a winner inside you!

I’ve heard it said, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope.” We all need assurance that even though life may look bleak at the moment, there is still the possibility that things will turn around for us. Sometimes all we need is just one touch of the living water to sprout again, like this word picture from the book of Job:

When a tree is chopped down, there is always the hope that it will sprout again. Its roots and stump may rot, but at the touch of water, fresh twigs shoot up. (14:7–9 CEV)

When you feel “chopped down” or you feel like your roots have become “rotted,” sometimes all you need is one touch to renew your vigor. Just one touch of God’s Word and your mentality begins to shift. Just one touch of His love and your heart begins to turn. Just one touch of His favor and your life begins to change. When you’re at the end of your rope, you need one thing: a fresh sense of hope.

Hope isn’t based on the expectation that everything will make sense or turn out exactly the way you want. Hope is much stronger than that. It is the conviction that God is with you, that He has a hidden purpose in everything you’re experiencing. In your mind, the word hope may be only a wish or a dream. But in God’s language, hope is the anchor that binds you to the everlasting truth that He is dependable, faithful, and trustworthy.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution book by Sergio De La Mora.

Facing the test to become requires tremendous courage because it means dealing with the baggage in your life. Every one of us comes to a point in our lives where, in order to move forward, we must let go of our past.

One of the most tragic stories in the Bible is the story of King Saul. By all outward appearances, he was everything a leader should be—handsome, tall, strong, and wealthy—but when it came time for him to become king, Saul found himself at a familiar location—hiding behind the baggage of insecurity, fear, and doubt.

So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the LORD. . . . But when they looked for [Saul], he had disappeared! So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” (1 Sam. 10:20–22 NLT)

What I love about God is that He did not disqualify Saul from becoming king because he was hiding among his baggage. As with Saul, becoming who God has called you to be is going to require you to come out from behind your baggage. Baggage—whether it is spiritual, emotional, relational, or even physical—will always seem more comfortable, more familiar, and somehow safer than stretching to become who you are called to be. But God will call you from where you are to where you’re going because He sees the greatness of your future! Believe God as He declares to you that you can overcome the pain of your past to become the man or woman He has already predestined you to be! You can outlive the person you may have been, because God has promised—in fact, it’s His solemn vow—to transform you from the inside by helping you rise up from life’s most difficult and painful problems and disappointments.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. (Ezek. 36:26–27 NLT)

- Excerpt from The Heart Revolution by Sergio De La Mora.

Pruning is never easy, but it’s necessary. When I owned a landscaping business, I often pruned trees for my clients during the winter months. Many times, they came up to me after I’d finished, and even sometimes while I was in the middle of pruning their trees, and complained that I was cutting their trees back too much. I explained, “I’m not pruning them so they’ll look good today. I’m thinking about what will happen in the spring and summer. I’m cutting them so that they’ll look their best during the optimum growing season.” I would explain that I was also pruning the cross branches in their trees so they would grow stronger and have a better shape. I was pruning with purpose and vision.

In the same way, God never prunes us haphazardly. He uses His perfect skill to cut away those parts of your life that are ineffective or unfruitful. For a while, you might look kind of sparse, but when you go through another growing season, you’ll be stronger and bear more fruit than ever before. If you’re growing, you can count on the fact that God will take you through times of pruning. It’s part of His grand design for you.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revoution by Sergio De La Mora.

I’ll never forget the day my father taught me a great lesson about risk. I was fifteen years old and I was on a landscaping job with my dad when he told me to trim the branches on the tallest tree I’d ever seen in my life. I remember standing at the base of that forty-foot Stone Pine tree, looking up at branches that seemed tall enough to graze the clouds, thinking, “My father is trying to kill me. He has other sons. He doesn’t care if something happens to me.”My dad grabbed the tallest ladder we had, steadied it against the tree, and held it in place as I took my first step. As I climbed higher and higher, I kept sneaking looks down to see if he would change his mind and call me back down. He didn’t. He waited at the bottom of the tree, never once letting go of the ladder until I finished my task and made it safely back down. When the soles of my feet hit the dirt, my dad looked at me and said, “You must always risk in order to go farther than you thought you could and achieve what you thought was impossible.”

God is saying the same thing to you. He’s holding your ladder so that you can reach for things that have been out of your reach and pursue the unattainable. He issues a challenge to us:

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. (Jer. 33:3)

- Excerpt from The Heart Revoution by Sergio De La Mora.

Connecting with God is no different than connecting with anyone else. Prayer is your direct line to God. And spending time in prayer isn’t only about talking to God. It’s also about listening. As you pray, take time to be quiet and listen. There’s a temptation to fall into the dull practice of making prayer just a list of the things you need from Him. In one of His teachings to the disciples, Jesus gave them the template on how to pray:

In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
(Matt. 6:9–13)

When you pray, begin by remembering that He is not a distant, uninterested God. He is your Father in heaven. Then tell God how amazing, magnificent and holy His name is. Next, start asking for His will and His kingdom to be established in your life. Then ask for His provision, forgiveness, and protection. Finally, declare His dominion and power, which places His seal of authority on your words.

Your prayers are powerful! Don’t make it a once-in-a-while event. God has a lot to say to us every day. We just need to listen.

You were never meant to live a second-best life. You were meant to live out God’s best. Success doesn’t have to be a scary word, because God’s version of success doesn’t come with the world’s expectations and pressures. God’s success is built on the premise that you’re already a winner, so why not live it out? He has already given you the tools and resources to live with a first-place mentality. Why not just believe you can have a first-place marriage, a first-place family, a first-place career, and first-place kids?

Even if you’ve felt the sting of disappointment or failure in the past, God’s love will carry you toward victory:

But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown His love for us. Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:37–39 ESV)

Through my journey as a Christian and a pastor, I have felt the pain of disappointment and the sting of defeat, but out of these moments has come one of the most powerful prayers I have ever prayed: “Lord, keep me blessed, keep me broken, and keep me obedient.” Jesus fed the multitudes with a few loaves and fish by this same principle (Mark 6:39–44). He blessed it and broke it, and it fed thousands. In the same way God wants to keep us blessed so that we will live with a sense of significance for His kingdom, broken so that we are in constant need of Him, and obedient so that we never deviate from His plan for our life. I’m telling you again that you can win and keep winning if you will keep this principle in motion.

- Excerpt from The Heart Revoution by Sergio De La Mora.