Blessed Life Fellowship

Noah was a great man of God who stood firm in faith in the midst of culture totally sold out to evil.  He didn't buy into the world's faulty philosophies, but maintained his faith in God even when everyone else probably thought he was crazy.  And that's why it was Noah who found favor in God's eyes.  Like Noah, we too need to reject the world's philosophies that are in contrast with God's Word.  This teaching addresses four cultural lies we need to recognize and reject.  

The Bible's standards on moral excellence are far removed from the world in which we now live, where the standard is "if it feels good, do it."  But with every sin there's a hook in bait that brings consequences later.  God's ways, however, are designed to bless you and keep you from the harm of sinful ways.  Learn in this teaching what God's standards for sexual purity are, how to live that way, and why it matters more than you might think.  

There is one enormous roadblock to answered prayer that must not be overlooked by those of us who are looking to get radical results in prayer.  If you miss this, it will severely hamstring your faith and diminish your results in prayer.  

Did you know the Bible teaches that there are things that can hinder our prayer lives and prevent our prayers being answered?  We deal with seven of them in this teaching.  

This teaching details Jesus' instructions on prayer after His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.  It provides prayer points taken from "the Lord's Prayer," but also delivers insights on prayer that gets results taken from Jesus' same instructions just after the Lord's Prayer.  Prepare to be challenged in your praying and your walk with Christ in general.  

Did you know there are different kinds of prayer in the Bible?  The Scriptures tell us that there is a kind of praying that "avails much."  Likewise, there are examples of people praying prayers of petition to God.  Learn in this teaching how you can pray more effectively, especially in trying situations where the answers to your prayers seem delayed.  

First John 4:17 says, "As He [Jesus] is, so are we in the world."  What does that mean?  Well, the popular saying that God's people are to be "the hands and feet of Jesus" is a common way to explain it.  Teresa Kemp's dramatic testimony of deliverance from drug addiction, prostitution, and long term imprisonment, and then the story of how God is using her mightily to win tens of thousands of people to Jesus in the prison system and abroad is a perfect backdrop for the truth of First John 4:17.  We are not who we used to be, but through the power of God, we become like Jesus in the world, carrying on His mission of loving the unlovely, providing for the poor, preaching the gospel, and making disciples.  This is not only a wonderful story of redemption, but it's an amazing testimony to God's transformative power.  

This teaching by elder Brent Denney is a wonderful reminder of the faithfulness of God, and learning to trust Him especially when life seems uncertain.  

While some simply hope for change, but don't really do anything to bring it about, other people get to work reshaping their lives by having a plan, and then working that plan.  This teaching provides simple yet tried-and-true principles for living a more fruitful and productive life this year.  

In this follow up to our first session of fasting, this part 2 provides more compelling reasons to fast, plus some important tips on how to fast.  This teaching will both equip and motivate you to begin a lifestyle of fasting.