We all worry about the things we care about. Worrying can have negative effects on our health, spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially. We can become paralyzed to living a life God made for us by worrying. Today, we'll be walking through why worrying is not healthy for us and how to respond to worry when it comes.

We all live different lives and have different stories of where life has taken us. Some of our stories are painful and some of them are spectacular. It's devastating when we go through something traumatic because it has the potential to scar us for the rest of our lives. God shows us how we can be victorious over being a victim. Victim means I allow the situation to keep me imprisoned and down for the rest of my life, hindering me from reaching my full potential. Victorious means I rise above the situations in my life that caused deep hurt or pain. 

We could be afraid of disappointing Him and get so down on ourselves. We could also be disappointed by God and how we may feel that He didn’t answer our prayers. Let’s look at the dangers of this sneaky and quiet emotion and how the Lord is still for us even when we don’t feel like He is.

Feel like you’re drowning? Feel like the flames of oppression are consuming you? Don’t feel alone because we all have been in those situations. Isaiah 43:2 addresses this common occurrence among men: 

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” 

So what’s the single truth we must hold onto when we are going through the water and fire? What’s the point that we need to remember? Let’s open our hearts to Holy Spirit to answer this question. 

There is a saying that goes like this: “If you keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, that’s called insanity.” Jesus challenged the religious people to do something with what they knew. And if they did, they would be blessed.

I can’t tell how many times I’ve had my foot in my mouth because of something I said. Controlling my tongue has always been a struggle. What can I do? Well, instead of seeing a podiatrist and dentist to remove the foot from my mouth, James 3 gives us the answer. Join me tonight as we seek true Godly wisdom and hopefully, prevent us from further “foot in mouth” disease!!!

God has given us the opportunity to come under His grace through the forgiveness of sin, rather than the results and wrath of sin. Sin leads to death, and causes us to live with shame, guilt, and condemnation. Jesus died for us, setting us free from shame, guilt, and condemnation. Jesus came that we might have life and life eternal. 

As we follow the Lord, we sometimes forget that He sees us as his beloved children. Let the Lord give you a new perspective today on how He sees you.

Throughout the scriptures, God continuously spoke and things happened. God created everything with His Word. The words God speaks are powerful and empowering, giving us hope beyond what we think and see. Jesus speaks to everyday situations to help us through every moment…we're going to learn how important it is to heed the words of the Lord. 

We all desire a happy, and abundant life. However, to live this life to the fullest the Bible teaches that our walk with God is more about death than it is about life. Please sit with me as we allow Holy Spirit to teach us doctrinal truth about death to life. 

Focusing on the Next Generation with 3 key things:

- Parents

- Pillars

- Partners

Our Foursquare Connection Series will be Live-Only and will NOT be uploaded once the service ends.

Life. It’s filled with seasons of ups and downs, celebrations and struggles, journeys onto the mountaintop and into the valley. When life is good, it’s good. But when life isn’t good, it’s hard. Family, health, relationships, finances, loss of a loved one, work, school, stress, and so many more factors can be overwhelming. Fears, addictions, doubts, and worries can become overbearing. Yet, even when life seems overwhelming and overbearing, we can discover that there is a way for us to overcome.

God has given us His Word and in His word are treasures of wisdom. Yet we find ourselves fighting against what God knows best. We try to do it our own way when God’s way has proven to be best.

The disciples of Jesus recorded numerous occasions of where Jesus was moved with compassion before He did miracles. The compassion of Jesus allows us to be free from the things that weigh us down. Especially sin. 

Tonight we will continue our verse by verse study of the book of James. James had a unique insight and shares such practical principles that I have cherished for most of my life. Please bring your bibles and take a walk with me through the 1st century church of Jerusalem, with Holy Spirit being our guide.

God created us in His image. We are the only part of creation that has the capacity to rise above life's greatest obstacles and difficulties. It all comes down to waiting on the Lord more than anything else.

Throughout the Bible, we see the lives of people who were filled with potential and fulfilled their purpose. But we also see the lives of people who didn’t reach their potential and missed out on their life purpose. And the reality is that we see this taking place right now, with ourselves and others around us. How do we be people filled with potential and purpose and have it be fulfilled?

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If we don’t like the way our life is going, maybe it’s time we change something. Let’s start with the most important thing first….our relationship with the Lord. 

Do it yourself, or “How to” books are amongst the best sellers because of the practical teaching. In our relationship with Christ, we sometimes make it much too complicated. We absorb volumes of theology but fail to put it into practice. James is a great “How to” book in the bible. He teaches practical Christianity and addresses the challenges common to all. Join me on a verse by verse study through the book of James. Tonight, James chapter 1!

Walking with you in practical application,

Pastor Jonathan

God is the God of the past, present and future. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Because He is the God of generations.