In the last verse of Psalm 23 David list a few truths about God's character and how He reacts while we are in the midst of difficult, trying, situations. He tells us how God's Goodness, Mercy and Unfailing Love pursues us. The truth is even when we are the cause of our valleys, God doesn't give up on pursuing us. His Goodness, Mercy and Unfailing Love are not contingent on our behavior. The other truth David tells us is that God's presence is with us. If we are in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to guide and direct us in everything we do. 

In Psalm 23:5, David offers the promises of God back up to Him. He stands on the truth even during the most challenging times he faced. He teaches us that God is Good and Faithful, that He refreshes and heals us, and that He will overflow our lives with His Goodness, Mercy, Grace, Peace, and Love if we allow Him In. We, too, can offer these promises to the Lord when we are going through difficult times. We can stand on His Promises and ask Him to give us a deeper heart revelation of His Truth. In this, we can walk through the healing process with the Lord.

This week we look at Psalm 23:4, the famous, "valley of the shadow of death." The part we can all relate with at some point or another in our lives. David helps us understand that admitting we are in a valley is the first step to healing. We then meditate on the promises of God in order to walk through the valley we are in. God is with us and His rod and His staff will comfort us. We are not alone in the valley even though at times, it most certainly feels like we are.

In Psalm 23:3 David explains God's heart to restore humanity and lead us to right standing with Him. We see this play out when Jesus humbly lowers himself to this dark, broken world to atone for our sins. As Jesus hangs on the cross the very thing separating us from God,  torn in half.  We now have complete access to the presence of God! Not because of us, but because Jesus paid the price on our behalf. We are now in right standing with God.

Do you struggle feeling like you have to keep it all together during the Christmas Season? Is it challenging for you  to let people know you are not okay? Sometimes the holidays aren't easy and life seems to throw its best punches at us this time of year. We wrestle on what it looks like to be a Christian yet not always feel the Christmas Spirit. It's okay that you are not okay but God doesn't want you to stay stuck there. In Psalm 23 God gives us imagery of what it looks like to walk in the peace and rest He offers us. 

Do you struggle during the Holidays? Do you feel like you are walking back through all the valleys you've journeyed before? Know that it is okay to grieve during this season but have hope knowing where God is in the midst of your pain. Join us as Carie breaks down Psalm 23, to teach us where God is while we are in the "valley of the shadow of death."
This week we will discuss how God is our Shepherd, therefore we lack nothing.

Do you ever wonder what it was like for Peter to walk on water? So many of us look at what he did and wish we could walk on water like him. Although it was a miracle, there were struggles Peter faced along the way. We can learn so much from breaking down the story of him stepping out of the boat and walking on water.

We all struggle with anxious thoughts and anxiety at times, but there is a way to overcome anxiety. Anxiety's definition shows its base is fear.  The Bible tells us, "God is love" and "perfect love drives out all fear". Therefore we know God is the answer to overcoming anxiety. But where do we start? We start by reading the Word to see what God says about anxiety. He lays out several truths about overcoming anxiety that will help us walk in the freedom Jesus paid for us to have.

Michal, daughter of King Saul and wife of David. A daughter of a king and married to a king. One might think her life was full and rich yet her story shows us the realistic side of living in this fallen world. She was a pawn moved to and fro by her father and husband. She was mistreated, abandoned and betrayed. But, she had a choice to hold onto bitterness and resentment or forgive David for his shortcomings. Sadly, she died alone. We can learn from Michal's story. Many of us have been betrayed, abandoned and mistreated. How will the end of our story read? Will we forgive or hold onto bitterness and resentment and emotionally die alone?

Are you a Christ following leader? If so, this word is for you! God wants to see a generation of humble leaders. What does that look like? When we read and study Jesus' life he, sets the perfect example of how to be a leader with humility.