“Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” – Isaiah 7:9 There are so many “unless…” verses in the Bible. It seems that a walk of faith doesn’t just encompass God’s movement

“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” -Matthew 18:18 “You… shall… not… PASS!!!” – Gandolf, The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Rings A pastor came into town to speak at our church for our annual summer

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:34&35 Life can get stressful at times. The bills need paying, the job is insane or isn’t quite what

“Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” -Psalm 33:3 Did you know that God made us like instruments? He is always singing a song over our lives (Zephaniah 3:17). He made us as “instruments” of His glory, to dispense His “music” (His nature & life) into the world. We don’t

“For you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” -1 Corinthians 3:3 Have you ever been short or ill-tempered with somebody? I know I have, and

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16 What does the world need now? We could brainstorm all day about what we think the world needs- less war, more peace, less poverty and certainly less

“The LORD says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’” -Psalm 32:8 Did you know that when we develop habits or thought patterns, we actually begin to create a “rut” in our brains?* That’s why habits can become so hard to undo! It’s

“Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” -Matthew 6:18 Have you ever thought about what heaven will be like? I have heard many stories about people visiting heaven, and it is all very cool

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” -Romans 2:12 I love the movie Alice in Wonderland. Yes, the Tim Burton version is a little on the strange side, but the story is great and the design, costumes, graphics, and set are so

“My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.” -Proverbs 3:22 Wisdom is valuable. The Bible says it’s worth more that rubies (Proverbs 3:15). True wisdom is mostly caught versus taught. It may be thought

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” -Matthew 13:44 It was Monday night worship practice. Though no one had a heavy heart we knew what was coming –

“We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.” -2 Corinthians 6:3 Do you have a ministry? The answer is yes! Each of us are called to be ministers. We are first called to someone (Jesus), and then we are called

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.” -Hebrews 6:11 There are situations in life that can knock the wind out of us. Obstacles get in the way of our hopes and dreams and keep us from seeing the

“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” -Galatians 5:14 How can we best share the gospel with others? There is an art to doing it, for sure. I remember trying to share Jesus with a friend of mine when I was young, and she asked

“And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” -Ecclesiastics

“He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.” -Isaiah 49:2 What kind of gifts has God given you? Have people always told you you were “good” or “great” at something? If you’ve never

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” -Romans 12:2 I spent a lot of time in the early years of my life feeling “less than,” and ugly or fat, incompetent, or just plain unworthy of anything good or better than how my life was at the

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed

“Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.” -2 Corinthians 12:21 In a day where we tend

“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’” -Luke 19:17 I don’t think there’s a “safe” way to get to any sort of dream that matters. I mean, think about it. We try to go around things that are too hard

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” -Matthew 6:19 There is a great temptation in our lifetime to

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” -Colossians 3:17 Imagine with me for a moment that every Christian on earth had a revelation of the “in everything” principle. What if we asked ourselves, at every moment, “Is what I’m

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.” -Psalm 68:5 I hope you had a loving mom, or dad, or both. Or perhaps your grandparents or surrogate parents took good care of you. But if you didn’t, no worries – there’s hope. If your parents were absent or let

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” -Hebrews 12:1 & 2 True commitment is so rare in our culture. It’s difficult to find someone who will do what they say – and stick it out until the end. Commitment

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” -Matthew 16:18 Have you ever found yourself lacking confidence? Have you ever found yourself doubting the call of God on your life? I think all of us go through

“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” -Romans 11:6 There are often great dichotomies in our journeys in Christ. There are things that seem as though they are directly contradictory, when in

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” -Psalms 37:23 Once my dad took me out to dinner. This was during a time when he and I didn’t have a very good relationship – I had perceived him as cold, distant, and excessively authoritarian, and he probably

“You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did – Jesus crucified.” -1 Corinthians

“When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, ‘Tell him to come here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Cheer up,’ they said. ‘Come on, He’s calling you!’” -Mark 10:49 Imagine spending 100% of your time doing things you were gifted and anointed to do. How awesome this would be! Perhaps this is you already,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” -Acts 2:4 What does it mean to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit? It doesn’t have anything to do with drugs or alcohol. It means, in part, that we submit

“Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” -Psalm 144:1 “I am just so fed up!” said my friend. “I don’t understand why all this negative stuff keeps happening to me. I am so tired of things working out for others and not working out for