Whom have I in Hollywood but You?

Psalm 73:25-28
25Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.


27For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.

The more I am in this mission field called Hollywood the more each day I yearn and burn for only one thing ~ the presence of my Lord Jesus Christ. The last months I have been ministering daily in Hollywood believing God for a revolution of love in this dark industry. It's sad, but the more people I get to know the more I realize how lonely and lost Hollywood is. People don't trust anyone, they are paranoid, they are given to selfishness, self promotion and are deeply insecure. Yet, beyond this Hollywood mask that makes everything look so perfect on the outside, these people are hurting so badly on the inside. They are rejected, hurt, full of pain, jealousy and anger. Not everyone of course. I have been deeply encouraged by seeing so many come to Christ every week since the Holy Spirit has led me to this mission. I'm not exaggerating when I say weekly I encounter person after person in this industry encountering the presence of the Lord. Most if not all of these encounters have been through simply hanging out with lost people and sharing God's prophetic words to them. People here are so HUNGRY for purpose, destiny and meaning. Each of them want to be something, yet they don't realize they already are something. People here are desperate and hungry for significance. Yet, you can't find significance externally, you can only find it intrinsically by knowing your identity as God's beloved.

I mean, just yesterday I was randomly walking down Melrose Ave on July 4th enjoying the sunny day. I looked across the street at this cafe and see a friend of mine who is a party promoter for major clubs in Los Angeles. I was introduced to him by a friend who converted to Christ months ago. At first I was going to pass by, but then the Holy Spirit spoke to me go join him and his friends for breakfast. So I obeyed Holy Spirit. When I sat down with them he was with his girlfriend and two others. We started talking and he told me some problems he had recently. As I listened I began to encourage him and told him what God was telling me to tell him. He was shocked because the words were confirming what was in his heart. Then his friend next to him who was a graphic designer started sharing. As I listened God spoke to me about him also, I told him God had given him a special gift of photographic memory and that he would work on a "hologram" project in the future that would be very significant. He also went into shock because he told me his company is currently working on a "hologram technology" for their next product. Turns out he was the son of a preacher, but had been running from God. Then I noticed my friends girlfriend had a fresh scar on her right shoulder. I asked her what happened? She told me, "she had just had surgery for a dislocated shoulder" but this has been a long term problem for 7 years where her shoulder keeps slipping out of joint. I told her Jesus can heal her now and asked if I could pray for her right then. She said "yes" so I laid hands and commanded her shoulder to be healed and all pain to leave in Jesus name. She said, "Thank you." But, I told her to check if the pain was still there and if she could move her shoulder normally. She said, "Are you serious?" I said, absolutely. All of a sudden she turns to her friend and starts talking in Korean amazed. She tells us, "I can't believe it the pain is totally gone and I can move my shoulder in ways I couldn't before! I can't believe this?" Her boyfriend was like are you serious? He then began to thank God. Then I continued to prophesy over her friend. God showed up at a breakfast cafe on Melrose that morning. It was beautiful. After the breakfast I invited them to one of our Sunday night Hollywood simple churches they all said they really want to come now. Crazy. You just never know when God will show up. We just have to be available for Him to shine through us to others at all times.

This is one story of many that I see happening on a day to day basis in Hollywood, or what I believe one day will become "Holy-wood" why not? Light always outshines the darkness and God is simply asking us to be His light in this dark world. You say, "What can one person do?" I'll tell you right now that one person can do a lot. God doesn't call us to change the whole world all at once. He calls us to change one life at a time. He calls us to be faithful to what we know is right to do. Our every moment, our very lives, our entire purpose is to serve and glorify God with every fiber of our being. Glory showed up on Melrose that morning for a moment. Imagine if everyone shined the light of God's glory everyday, every moment with every one. The world is waiting for the glory of God within us to be revealed so they can see God and come to know the meaning of life.

Which brings me to Psalm 73:25-26

"25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

The more I'm in darkness the more I need to cling to the light. The darkness will consume you if you are not in the light being re-lit everyday. I hate darkness, but I love the light. The more you are around darkness, touch darkness and feel darkness the more it offends you. I remember text messaging my boy Carl while I was walking down Melrose that morning before I met those four at the cafe saying, "Man Melrose is dark, I can feel evil on these streets." But, I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to dispel the darkness with the light of God in me. He did.

I need God. I burn for God I yearn for God I want God more than life itself. Hollywood can't give you satisfaction. Money can't give you satisfaction. Power, prestige and pleasure can't give satisfaction. Accomplishments, worldly success, sexual immorality and fine food does not bring you lasting satisfaction. Only one thing does. The presence of God. The more I see how empty the soul of this land is, the more I cry out to God in heaven. "Whom have I on this earth but You? What do I have in this world that can compare to you? My Lord my God you are my portion. If I have You I have everything. Daily I need to draw near to you. Each moment I must be with You. I grow tired in this land of darkness, there are too many lost souls, too many who need you my God, so I cry out to You Father in my weakness and humanity, be the strength of my heart and be my portion forever. For you are incomparable and all I desire in this life is You. Give me Your presence daily it is all I need. To those whom I meet let me give the presence You have given me to each of them, especially to those who need it most. Lord send revival and an outpouring of Your manifest presence and glory into Hollywood. Make it Holy. Make it Your habitation. I believer this dark land will soon become shining white as light. Whom have in Hollywood but You Lord? Fill me with Your love daily that I may be satisfied in Your presence. In Jesus name amen.

posted by Jaeson Ma @ 7/06/2008 12:21:00 AM