I got sucked into reality TV recently about a popular entertainment industry mogul.

He talked about how he hadn't slept for days because of the projects he was so heavily involved with. On this particular mission he set out to deliver new and different work and he went at it full force. He surrounded himself with top talent, fine tuned the good stuff, got rid of the bad, learned new techniques, stretched his skill set, and practiced to near perfection. He put in as many if not more hours than his support team. He was clearly exhausted, but still driven to create the best.

I'll have to admit that by the end of the episode I was sold on this man's passion.

A person of mogul status doesn't get to where he is without passion. Yes we all strive to be and do our best, but when passion shows up it takes on a different look.

It's peculiar and relentless. It elevates things to a new level and is strong enough to push you past the point where others normally stop. Rest is vital for the body and balance is key, but there are times when passion overrides sleep and even satisfies the appetite.

When all signs indicated that the guy in the reality show should slow down or stop, the power of passion held him accountable to keep going.

Think about Christ.

He was tired, beaten and bloody, but nothing could stop His passion (thank God!). No boundaries, no persecutions, no haters.

Not even death.

If you're passionate about anything at all, you've made some sacrifices in your life and you've realized some successes. But how much passion do we truly have for God and His word?

Even 99 percent isn't enough.

Lord, I pray by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I develop a passion for You that's so intense it holds me accountable like nothing else will. Make me crazily ambitious for Your word, and set me on fire to love, serve, honor and put you first every day. Amen.

Publisher of Vertical Fix online magazine, Lisa Birch has a passion for music with integrity. Along with her husband Chris, Lisa is the co-founder of Vertical Fix internet radio. A 15-year writer and editor, Lisa has contributed writings for corporate, creative, editorial and several ministerial environments. For more information about Lisa, log onto www.verticalfix.com. *Lisa Birch is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

© Lisa Birch all rights reserved

Accountability; what a 14 letter word!
But what does it mean?

"Accountability is the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable"

So why do I think OUCH when I think of accountability?

Because for true accountability to take place, there has to be a serious level of transparency, and for many that is a hard place to be. YET, there is so much power in it.

I remember before I got married and I had finally decided to obey God's mandates as it related to abstinence until marriage; one of the first things I did was find accountability partners.

People that I could trust and confide in that would not just pray for or with me but people that would help keep me in check. You know, people that would call after my date with tall, dark and handsome, just to make sure I was home...in my bed...by myself.

There were MANY of days I wanted to dodge my accountability partners or to tell them to leave me alone because I was a grown woman and could make my own decisions, but God sent them into my life to help me get off that fence of sexual immorality.

I needed that support system even if I didn't always want it! We all need support systems because it's not always easy to keep our commitments to living a life pleasing unto God.

Just make sure you are walking with someone that will help you in your commitments (whatever they are) and not people that will encourage you to go against God's word.

Proverbs 13:30 says "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."

Find yourself an accountability partner, but make sure you use wisdom; don't have a fool holding you accountable! And once you find that person, be open, transparent and totally honest and watch how God will use them to make you a better person!

Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto www.armedanddangerous.biz. *Tanya James is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

© Tanya James all rights reserved

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:" --Hebrews 10:24

Believers are called to think about how to help other believers live right. This not only applies to attending church, but also to being involved in a small group. Believers gather so that they can help one another and be accountable to one another.

I lift weights from time to time, and I've found that it is best to do it when I have a partner. A good partner will not let me skip certain things or slack off, but will force me to go ahead and take an extra set. When I get stuck, a good partner helps me finish what I am doing. In short, a good partner holds me accountable.

James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." The word "faults" mean "side slips, transgressions, or sins." Notice that it does not say to confess your faults to your pastor. Your pastor is not the only one you are accountable to. There should be other believers in your life that you are accountable to.

If you're married then your accountability partner should be your spouse. If you are not married, there should be someone of the same gender who can come to you and ask, "How are you doing on this issue?" It should be someone that you will tell the truth to. You don't need to tell everyone your business, but you do need to be accountable to someone who can help you and provoke you to love and good works.

Unbelievers cannot be your hanging buddies. If they are, it will not be long before you are living in sin as they are. You also cannot keep company with those struggling with a sinful area, whether they are an unbeliever or a believer. You might say, "I can't cut that person off. He's family. She's an old college buddy." But you cannot minister to that person while you are slipping into the very same sin in which he or she is entrapped.

I used to have friends who gossiped about other people. I would be talking with them, and it was not long before they started talking about someone, and I would join in. I soon realized I could not spend my time sinning like that. I had to cut them off for their own good and mine.

You can't say that you can never be around unbelievers, because if that were the case, you would have to leave the planet. Unbelievers are not living right, but you cannot reach them with that attitude. You must operate in love. But keep in mind that you must maintain boundaries. God sets these boundaries because He wants His best for your life, and does not want you to go through things that you do not have to go through.

So, be accountable and watch the company you keep!

Pastor Andre Butler is senior pastor of Faith Christian Center, located in the Metro Atlanta, Georgia area. Pastor Andre is also the founder and president of Andre Butler Ministries and Six20 The Gathering Campus Ministry. He is a devoted husband and father of three girls. For more information about Pastor Andre Butler, log onto www.andrebutler.tv or www.myspace.com/pastorandrebutler *Pastor Andre Butler is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

© Pastor Andre Butler all rights reserved

There are literally hundreds of Bible verses dealing with "the tongue" ...about what we should or shouldn't say or speak...and the power of words over our lives.

One of the bluntest statements on this topic is found in Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue...

God's Word encourages us to give expression to our noblest and highest thoughts. Thoughts give rise to spoken words. When we "speak life" we are thinking and expressing out of our faith in God's Word, in obedience to His will, and in appreciation of His blessing over our lives.

Proverbs 21:23: Whosoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

To empower our tongue to speak blessing over our lives and the lives of others, one of the best things we can do is learn to speak God's Word spontaneously in response to life situations. Speaking God's Word is also how we encourage and motivate ourselves. It's how we activate our faith.

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

At some point in our past, perhaps words were spoken to us, at us, or over us that didn't match up with what God intends for our lives. Rather than replaying "old tapes" in your head -- of the "negative talk" that's been said to you or about you -- it's important to start making new tapes. Fill your mind -- and your mouth! -- with positive statements that you can speak and affirm over your life...that match up with what God has decreed for you.

Psalm 40:3: And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God...

Remind yourself of God's desire to bless you. Speak words of truth to yourself about His plans for you! Just as you speak and write affirmations to yourself, admonish yourself, too. To admonish is to advise - and sometimes, insist! Think of admonition as "preaching to yourself." When you admonish yourself, you are preaching what you know you need to hear! Speak to yourself what you know to be the truth of God's Word, and His commandments given to bless your life.

Here are some possible suggestions:

"God wants me to have good health - physically, emotionally, and spiritually."

"God wants me to have good relationships - with family and friends who will love and value me."

"God wants me to have peace in my heart - calm assurance that He will always protect me and provide for me in personal and eternal ways."

Speaking words like these, and repeating Bible verses that inspire you throughout the day, will strengthen your faith, draw you closer to God in intimate and abiding relationship, and empower you to lead a life of victory through Christ.

So watch your mouth, and empower your tongue -- with the Word of God!

A life coach, author, and highly sought after motivational speaker, Pastor Paula White is the host of her own television program -- Paula Today, which reaches an audience of 2.3 billion people worldwide, spearheading a number of global humanitarian efforts. Her mission in life is to Transform Lives, Heal Hearts and Win Souls. For more information about Paula, log onto www.paulawhite.org. *Pastor Paula White is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

© Pastor Paula White all rights reserved

No matter what the world may say, life is NOT short. It is a long journey of experience as we strive to navigate through life's cycles. Even the best of us hit the curbs, the bumps, the pits, and struggle in the valleys. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us from them all."

God in His divine foreknowledge, purpose, and plan has made provisions for us to get through the hard places in life. This is a message on the Valley of Dry Bones that will set you free.

In Ezekiel 37, there were a lot of problems going on in the Valley of Dry Bones. The children of Israel were a mess. They were scattered, disconnected, disjointed and dead. God asked Ezekiel if the dry bones could live, and Ezekiel told God, "You know."

Then God commanded Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones, "hear the word of the Lord." With the power of God in his tongue, Ezekiel spoke the word to the dry bones, "...and you shall live!" and they came back to life.

The power of the tongue can heal and deliver. Your problems will respond when you start speaking the right things to them. God will turn it around in your favor. He will resolve your problems when you receive the Word of the Lord, and start speaking it over your life...."Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning." "...for this too shall pass."

"God is going to make a way for me, for with God nothing is impossible." "I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength." "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging for bread." Yes, the power of the tongue will send a message to hell, "devil, I'm coming back and the gates of hell cannot prevail against me!"

What do you say to the scattered bones of your dreams, and the dried up promises in your valley? "What say ye?" You use the power of your tongue to speak to your situation, "Live!" You have to resolve to make life happen. The issues of cancer, violent relationships, failures, employment challenges, financial problems, and every adversity the devil tries to put on you in your negative cycles are subject to the power of the tongue. It must go!

Use your tongue to bring others out of the valley. Remember to sow the seed of encouragement into other people's lives, even if you too are going through the valley.

Life is not short, the journey is long and problems may keep coming. Yet, the power of the tongue must say, "Hear ye the Word of the Lord, these dry bones shall live!"

The founder and pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, located in Apopka, Fl, Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr. is the author of "It's Never Too Late," through Charisma House Publications. His ministry can be seen worldwide in over 100 million homes daily through both radio and television broadcasts. For more information on Dr. Tims Jr., log onto www.ztims.com. *Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr. is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

© Dr. Zachary Tims, Jr. all rights reserved