Pastor’s Messages (Page 3)

Maturity Is Not About Knowing More   Why is it that some Christians who know God’s word are so critical, meanspirited, and judgmental? They’ve obviously studied God’s word for many years, but they have what I call a Pharisaical mindset. They are grumpy, arrogant, and act as though they don’t ever struggle with sin. They are unapproachable and cause nonbelievers to hate Christianity, the church, and Christians in general. Jesus had some choice words for these haters that might surprise you.…

In what areas of your life do you feel defeated and anxious? Is there anything that you can do to be freed from these condemning thoughts and feelings so that anxiety can be replaced with peace and joy? Sometimes we feel so discouraged and defeated in our Christian lives. We all struggle with temptation and sin and then the guilt and shame that follow can cause us to cave and think defeated thoughts. Then our emotions can become our guide…

Don’t Let Your Past Define Your Future When John Travolta has a new part in a movie, he said he starts with the walk. All his characters have a different walk and that helps him find his new personality for the movie. When Jacob was a young man, he was a fraud, a scam artist, and a con. When he finally humbled himself and confessed his sin one night, God gave him a new identity, blessed him, and gave him…

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. We can live victorious lives if we know how to prepare for the battles. We don’t have to give in to Satan’s attempts to control us through temptations. We are called to guard our hearts, and we do that by God’s truth renewing us and cleansing us from negative thoughts and emotions. Fear and guilt truly is the devil’s playground. Are there any negative…

God Uses All Situations To Bring Blessings Our most powerful testimonies come from our times of struggles. Because God meets us in our brokenness and brings comfort and healing. The prosperity gospel churches try to show their spirituality by having lots of stuff and financial success. True spirituality produces people who are mentally, relationally, emotionally, and spiritually whole during times of adversity. That means our joy and peace doesn’t depend on our circumstances. Philippians 1:12-14 Now I want you to…

A Different Weapon For A Different Kind Of Warrior                                                          2 Timothy 2:25-26                                                                                   25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. We all face opposition because of our faith in Jesus. It’s important to understand that the source of this opposition isn’t a coworker,…

Enjoying Prayer Many people feel uncomfortable praying, so they rarely do it, let alone enjoy it. Prayer has the potential to be something you look forward to every day. It’s where intimacy with the Lord can be experienced time and again. Do you struggle sometimes with how you should approach Him? Don’t overthink it. Be real with what you are thinking and feeling. Share what’s on your mind or what you’re anxious about. Sometimes I intentionally let scripture guide me…

We worry and are concerned about how to make our lives more comfortable, while God is focused on our character. We think that comfort will bring peace of mind, but we see example after example of those with more than they could ever want, living lives of depression and shame. There is only one thing that can bring eternal hope which leads to joy and that’s finding your identity and purpose through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 15:13    May the…

Galatians 5:1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. In a world full of secrets, habits, and fears, it’s difficult to truly feel free. The pressures we struggle with lead us to live lonely broken lives that hide who we really are. Is there any sin that you are a slave too? God has a plan for you to be free in…

Don’t Bully Your Bullies Hebrew 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.When we are harassed moment, of course we want to fight back. It takes faith to overcome the flesh. Only through our faith can we battle darkness with light. Our Savior suffered greatly at the hands of evil men. Instead of summoning the angels to come…

Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one”. We all have a good reason to feel guilt and shame. Not one of us is righteous. We are all selfish and we hurt the people around us, especially those closest to us.God is holy, and sin and God cannot go together. When we try to hide our feelings of guilt from God, anxiety and shame become our closest friends. Are we destined to the discouragement…

Life Transformation Starts With Our Thoughts Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. We tend to make a few resets in our lives when we want to make a new start. We experience justification at salvation, but we continue to be transformed in our sanctification. The Journey we are on, while working out our…

Road rage is out of control. Someone beeps at a car, and they end up in the hospital. Uncontrolled anger has a painful price tag. We’ve all seen too many examples of stupidity unleashed in anger. Proverbs 29:22 An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. The Bible is very clear on the cost of anger. The one who gives in to anger creates a multitude of sins. Anger usually gets a response. It grows…