Whether we are in positions of great authority or trying to live a life pleasing before God, discernment is an indispensable tool that we will always have to use. Maintaining adequate discernment, however, is not trivial. Anything in our hearts that has not been surrendered to God will cloud our judgement and make us incapable of exercising right discernment. But when we keep our hearts pure before the Lord, our skills of discernment are sharpened by constantly conforming our thoughts to his.

2 Samuel 15-17; Proverbs 4; 1 Kings 3; 1 Corinthians 14

The decisions we make have ramifications far beyond the present moment we find ourselves in, and none of us have the ability to predict those effects ahead of time. On issues of right and wrong, we may be tempted to trust our own judgements, even over and above the Lord’s, but doing so would leave us susceptible to profound errors that negatively impact us and those around us. Whether we are deciding to execute justice or extend mercy, we should always lean on the Lord’s wisdom because He sees the end from the beginning and true justice and mercy flow from Him.

1 Samuel 15; Esther 2; 2 Samuel 16; Isaiah 42

The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. For those who desire to live a righteous life, this truth presents a significant problem: many of the good things that we are called to do can become the very source of our pride. Acquiring knowledge, avoiding sin, being diligent in our work, maintaining spiritual disciplines—all of these, although right for us to do, cause us to become puffed up in our own abilities. So how do we maintain a humble posture before the Lord? It requires an intentional and consistent acknowledgement of the Lord’s loftiness and our lowliness, not just with our thoughts, but with our words and bodies. When we make this a practice over time, we not only become more humble, but we receive the grace to overcome besetting sins and find rest for our souls.

Matthew 11

Winter Retreat Saturday Evening | January 31, 2026

The tools that God uses to shape us into the man or woman He has called us to be are often the very things that make us the most uncomfortable. One of those tools is loneliness. While we were not created to be alone in perpetuity, God allows us to go through seasons of solitude so that we might experience aspects of his nature that we would not otherwise experience. When we embrace these moments of discomfort, things that were once the source of our deepest insecurities become part of the sure foundation that God establishes us on.

2 Timothy 4

A quick survey of our lives and the Scriptures reveals that God does not treat us all equally. As we walk with God, He allows us to go through circumstances that are in proportion to the measure of the faith that He wants to draw out of us. As sons and daughters, we should not expect this journey of faith to be easy, because the discipline of the Lord never is. But, we can be sure that it is worth it.

Luke 7; Matthew 15; Hebrews 12

Weakness is not something that we readily embrace. It is uncomfortable to be put in situations where our human strength and abilities come up short, but such moments are precisely when the power of God is made manifest through us. God allows us to be weak, vulnerable, and stretched beyond our limits, so that we would come to experience his strength in tangible measures. Although sometimes scary, God invites us to lean into our weaknesses so that our faith in His power would be tried and true.

Matthew 25; John 16; 2 Corinthians 12; Philippians 2; Isaiah 40

It is true that God gives rest to his loved ones, but in order to receive rest, we must have come to a place of weariness. We should not be surprised when the good things that God has asked us to do make us tired—this is a sign that we have given ourselves to his work, and in doing so, are becoming more like Him. When obedience brings us to the point of fainting, his promise is that He will renew our strength.

John 4-5; Jeremiah 15; Isaiah 1; Malachi 2; 2 Thessalonians 3; Galatians 6; Hebrews 12; Isaiah 40

If not dealt with properly, sustained disappointment can cause our hearts to grow cold and callous. When our hearts become hard, it is easy to drift away from the Lord and from his people, but these are precisely the people that we need to persevere in hope and faith. In this service, two of our members, Amber and Kenisha, share their own experiences with disappointment and how the Lord has been walking them through difficult seasons.

1 Corinthians 12; Leviticus 17; Matthew 7

After David was anointed king, years passed before God’s purpose for him was fulfilled. In the time in between his anointing and his ascension to the throne, David had many opportunities to seize the crown for himself, but he never took them. Instead, he chose to wait for the kingship to be handed to him by God, even though he knew it was rightfully his. In doing so, he ensured that his throne would endure forever. In the same way, when we accept the seasons of delay that come with waiting on God, He firmly establishes his plans for our lives in ways that we could not have done ourselves.

When God asks us to place our faith in Him, He is extending an invitation for us to partner with Him in the work that He is doing in the Earth. This invitation often requires that we don’t simply believe Him with our words, but with our actions. Without these invitations to partner with God in faith, we would simply be spectators of our own lives—watching God do amazing things in our midst, but never being changed ourselves. And while we are not perfect in partnering with God, He is faithful to help us learn from our missed opportunities, so that we would grow to be more like Him.