Barnabas was known for his encouragement. What did he do that made him gain that reputation? What can we lern from his life that would enable us to encourage one another in that same way? Becoming an encourager is not a gift for those of us who follow Jesus, but we discover that it is a responsibility for us to learn how to stands beside each other on this journey of faith and speak truth, love, and grace into each other's life to encourage one another to become what God has created us to be.

Saul was the great persecutor of those who followed Jesus, but he meets the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus on his way to persecute more followers of Jesus and the course of his life is changed. But it is not just the resurrected Jesus who helps bring Saul to that change. God uses Ananias to help bring Saul to that place of change. This demonstrates that God uses everyday people like us to build His kingdom and do His will and we see what we must be willing to do to be used by God in this way.

Every day is a battle we must prepare for, and the only way we truly prepare ourselves is through prayer. Have you prepared for tomorrow with prayer? Have you busied your self with prayer or are you too busy to pray? Are you persistent in prayer or ask once and walk away? Are you alert and paying attention to the potential pitfalls in front of you? Are you seeking Kingdom opportunities through your suffering and hardship? Are you wrestling in prayer for the people in your life who need it most? Devote yourself to prayer so that you can find all that God has for your life.

At Christmas, we celebrate that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. As we end our look at the makeoever proess Paul explains in Colossians 3, we see that the miracle of Christmas is intended to continue in us as the Word of God is to dwell not in our world, but in us. And when He does, that changes everything in our lives.

War rages in our hearts everyday. Fear, anger, depression, stress, anxiety and so many more emotions win those war more often than not. So how do find peace in the midst of all of those things? Peace is the component in your spiritual life that keeps those enemies in your heart and mind at bay. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts"

In this new life with Jesus, ther are many virtues and qualities that we must live out if we are to look like Jesus. But Paul tells us here that it is love that holds all those together. Love is the engine that motivates us to live like Jesus in all these other ways. Hear what Scripture tells us about who and how we should love and in doing so be reminded of the great love that Jesus has for you.

We're all failures. We're all flawed. We have all made mistakes. And we have these wounds in our lives both from the self-inflicted pain of our own failures and because of the things that have been done to us. And as much as we try and heal them on our own, the only way to find the healing we need is through forgiveness. In our new life with Christ, we are called to both make room for each others faults and failures and to forgive each other jsut as Jesus forgave us. Discover what it means to forgive as Jesus so you can both recieve the forgiveness you need and give the forgiveness you should give.

We all think we need more patience for all the waiting we do in our everyday lives, but what we find here is that the patience God wants to give us and asks of us is about far more than waiting. When we hear of the injustice or injury we patiently endure, ther are important questions that we ask ourselves. Is this worth it? What do I do if they refuse to listen to me? How long do I have to endure these struggles? As difficult as the patience we are called to may seem, it always proves to be worth whatever we endure when our struggles and hardships are put into God's hands.

In our makeover into the image of Jesus, we recognize that while Jesus was full of power, he was fully in control fo that power while he was here on earth. He only used his power to heal and restore and renew and never to harm or destroy. We must recognize that we have power in each other's lives in the same way and we must learn to control it. Paul calls this virtue to gentleness. What does it mean to be gentle and who are we called to gentle to?

Humility is the next item in the wardrobe Jesus gives us in chaning us into His image in a new life. What is humility, why is it so important, and how do I add that characteristic to my life? While humility is en vogue in today's day and age, what we actually find is a false humility that masks pride and is still seeking the same empty wordly achievements and success. In humility, we are selfless, sacriicial, concerned with others, valuing others, and reliant upon God instead of ourselves. Listen to the Scriptures that encourage this quality in us.