We all have times in our life when waves come crashing down over us. When the storms of life can seem so overwhelming. Because we live in a broken, fallen world, there is no escaping trials but we can learn how to rest in God while going through trials. We can learn to rest like Jesus as he was sleeping in the stern of the boat while the disciples where panicking in Matthew 8:23-27. 

In Matthew 14:30, Peter experiences walking on water because he was willing to get out of the boat. You can imagine how scary it must have been, as he put his foot out on the water. God calls many of us to step out in faith like Peter but so many of us let fear, doubt and unbelief dictate our actions leaving us stuck in the boat. We will never walk on water if we don't get out of the boat. 

Do you struggle with anxious thoughts? Do you feel frustrated because anxiety seems to have a hold on you? Anxiety is real and when we are in the middle of it, it can often seem hopeless. 
Take heart  knowing there is freedom from anxiety in Christ. The Apostle Paul understood what it meant to have feelings of anxiety yet he also understood how to walk in the freedom Jesus paid for him to have. He lines out the details of how we can have God's peace in our minds and our hearts in Philippians 4:6. 

Did you know when you say "yes" to Jesus; when you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are instantaneously in right standing with God. So often we think in order to be in right standing with the Father we have to be perfect or at least not commit the "big" sins. The truth is there is nothing we can do to earn our right standing with God. The Bible tells us it is a free gift given in faith for all that believe (Romans 3:22).

So many of us have questioned if we have purpose. We spend our lives trying different avenues in order to "discover" what it is. When doing this we find ourselves at the end of a road with no results. We need to understand that our purpose is not our calling. Our purpose comes from Matthew 22:34 where Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love God and love people. Our calling is simply how we walk that out!

The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to wrestle in not doing the things he wanted to do and doing the things he didn't want to do. He knew he couldn't save himself but he knew the One that did. He knew if it was up to him, he would stand condemned, but he also knew that Jesus paid for us not to. The truth is, if we are in Christ, we no longer stand condemned. We may have knowledge of this but need to learn what it means to walk it out. How do we do this? By deciding if we want to get well, accepting God's forgiveness, and asking the Holy Spirit for conviction.

We will all fail at times in our life. Rather it's failing to meet a goal we set, failing to show up on time to something, or failing by not being there for a loved one. When we fail, so many of us struggle thinking that our failures define us as a failure. The truth is we are not defined by what we do but who we are. In order to walk in confidence that we are not failures but more than conquerers, we need to learn how to separate who we are from what we do. We do this by forgiving those that influenced our thinking, writing out the difference between our who and our do, and renewing our mind. 

We all have a call on our life but sometimes we wonder if we are qualified to do what it is God is calling us to do. One thing we need to keep in mind is that it is not our job to qualify ourselves. God goes ahead of us and paves the way; he works out all the details and has everything lined up for us. Our job is to trust him, surrender, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.

Do you ever feel like God is mad at you or doesn't love you? So many people think that God's love is contingent on their circumstances, their feelings and their beliefs. The truth is that God's love is unconditional therefore it is not based on what is going on around us, how we feel or how we behave. The Bible tells us that "God is Love" (1 John 4:8), therefore He can't not love us. It is Who He is, not a feeling He has. When we begin to realize this, it changes our mindset about God's Love for us.

Do you ever wonder what it means that you are a new creation in Christ? What does it look like to have a completely new identity in Christ once you surrender you life to Jesus? Join in for this nine week series based off Carie's book, "Identity Christ-Us". Carie will explain what it looks like to have a new identity in Christ and how to walk that out in your daily life. 
In order to get the most out of this series purchase the workbook to go along with the teachings. 

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