Our culture encourages us to pursue our dreams and follow our heart. But when Isaiah encountered God, he was given the opportunity to set aside his own agenda in order to respond to God’s invitation for his life. On Sunday, Lauren explored what it means to surrender our own agenda for our lives and follow God into His calling for our lives.
Read MoreWhen God calls us to something, we can be overwhelmed by our inadequacies. That’s what Moses felt when God spoke to him at the burning bush and instructed him to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. But God answered Moses’ fears with the simple promise: “I will be with you.” No matter what God has called you to do, you can rest in the assurance that as long as God is with you, we have all we truly need.
Read MoreOur lives are often formed by the false labels and identities we’ve embraced. The story of Jacob is about a man who lived his life with the label of “deceiver”. But an unexpected encounter with God led to a new name and a true understanding of his identity. Katrina continues our God Encounters series.
Read MoreWhen we find ourselves in an impossible situation, we long for God to intervene — but God’s intervention often comes in unexpected ways. This is what Joshua discovered on the eve of the Battle of Jericho when he had a surprise encounter with God — and heard His unlikely battle plan for the conquest of the city. Similarly, God is wanting to help us conquer the “Jerichos” in our lives, but the path to victory may not be the one we expected.
Read MoreWe all have an innate desire to be seen and known by other people and by God Himself. But when we encounter adversity in life, it can be easy to think that God doesn’t see or care about us. But when Hagar — an Egyptian slave from Abraham’s household — was at her lowest point in life, she encountered God and from that day forward called Him “the God who sees me.” Her revelation of God reassures us that no matter what circumstances we’re in, we can rest in the promise that “God sees us.”
Read MoreThroughout the Bible, we find fascinating stories of people encountering God — with each encounter revealing something about the nature of God and ourselves. The first complete story of a God encounter is a sad one — the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of man. But despite the tragic consequences of the fall, in this story, we find a God who still pursues us despite our sins and covers our shame.
Read MoreThroughout the Bible, we find fascinating stories of people encountering God — with each encounter revealing something about the nature of God and ourselves. The first complete story of a God encounter is a sad one — the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of man. But despite the tragic consequences of the fall, in this story, we find a God who still pursues us despite our sins and covers our shame. The writers of scripture repeatedly warned us of the dangers of “the world” — part of the unholy trinity of “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” But what do they mean by “the world”? And how do we keep ourselves from being polluted by it? Join us as Todd looks at why “the world” is so destructive to our souls.
Read MoreEveryone knows the irreplaceable importance of fathers, either because of the comfort, steadiness, and love we received from an attentive dad — or because of the pain caused by his absence or brokenness. But why do fathers have such an irreplaceable role? And what do we do with the pain caused by dads who have let us down? On Sunday Todd reflected on the irreplaceable role of a father.
Read MoreWhy do we take communion? For many Christians, communion is one of those things we do but we’re not always sure why we do it. As a result, we miss the power and beauty of this sacrament. Today, Todd looks at both why and how we take communion.
Read MoreThe Bible views a person as more than just a physical being, it describes us as a triune being — comprised of a spirit, soul, and body. In our culture, we often attend to the needs of our bodies and souls, but we often neglect our spirit. So how do we cause our spirit man to flourish? Peter Humphrey looks at what dulls our spirits and what makes them come alive.
Read MoreWe all know what it’s like to be physically thirsty, but do we recognise that we have spiritual thirst as well? God created our hearts to be filled with His presence, but we often settle for poor substitutes. So, how can we satisfy our spiritual thirst? Todd looks at Jesus’ invitation to “all who are thirsty.”
Read MoreThe gift of the Spirit means that God has come to dwell in our hearts permanently. But if God dwells in us, why isn’t it more of a tangible reality in our lives? Lauren shares with us some practical tools for learning to connect with the Holy Spirit in day-to-day life.
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