Today Pastor Ed reminds us that not one of us knows the depth of sin in our own hearts. A little introspection brings about self revelation and when you apply God's grace to it...it causes transformation. When God calls you, He's committed Himself to make and mold you. We're essentially clay in the Potters hands. Since we've been hand crafted by God, He knows us, and when He calls, He expects our unique gifts to be used for the good of others, to make a positive impact for the Kingdom.

Do you hear God's calling? Do you heed it? Answering God's call is always difficult, but it's also the best thing you could ever do. It's difficult because suddenly we have to trust in Someone other than ourselves. It's comforting to know that when God asks you to follow Him, He's not asking about your abilities or inabilities, He's interested in your availability. There's so many unknown's because He wants us to walk by faith, not sight. Remember, if God's called you to it...He'll bring you through it.

Christians were not meant to sit on the sidelines. We were meant to run the race that God has set before us and get into the game. In today’s message, Pastor Ed admonishes those that are passive in their faith to join in on accomplishing the Great Commission. Believers that are not actively serving the Lord are at most risk of backsliding. It is therefore the job of every Believer to encourage those that have begun to slip in their faith so as to help restore the backslider’s relationship with Jesus.

Backsliding, or slowly drifting away from God, is a possibility for every single Christian. In today’s message from the book of James, Pastor Ed warns us to be on the alert against backsliding. In order to prevent growing cold in our faith, we must surround ourselves with other Believers that will hold us accountable should be begin to slip. We must also be intentional in our relationship with the Lord. Christians must take time to spend with Jesus so that we can fan the flames of our passionate love for Christ.

There are many times in Scripture when the Lord’s servants cried out to Him in desperation. Just like a mother is moved by the cries of her children, the Lord is moved when we cry out to Him. It is the zealous prayers, the prayers that come from the deepest places of our soul, which God answers. In today’s message from James chapter 5, Pastor Ed encourages us to pray without ceasing. He also teaches us to pray not just surface level prayers, but to pray reverently and wholeheartedly.

The Lord’s Word is not just any book. The Bible is mighty in battle and sharper than any double-edged sword. In today’s powerful message from the book of James, Pastor Ed teaches us to pray using the Word of God. The Lord loves to hear us stand in faith on the many promises He has given us in His Word. As we quote Scripture in our prayers and ask God to keep His promises, the Lord hears us and answers because He cannot lie. Fervent prayers are a most powerful weapon in the spiritual realm.

The Apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” that ailed him greatly. Three separate times Paul asked the Lord to take the thorn away. However, God chose to not answer Paul’s prayer to keep the Apostle humble. In today’s message from James, Pastor Ed encourages us to ask for healing in prayer. In fact, we should persist in prayer for healing just as Paul did until we get a definite no. We learn from Paul’s story that though the Lord can and does heal all the time, sometimes in God’s wisdom and grace, Jesus does say no.

The Bible makes it clear that prayer is an integral part of our faith. Through prayer we can make our petitions known to God. In today’s message from the book of James, Pastor Ed cautions us to always remain in the Word so that our faith and prayer lives do not become skewed. In other words, we cannot use prayer to manipulate a holy God. The Lord always has the final say because He knows all things and knows what is best for us. Prayer then is a way for our will to line up with the Father’s.

When Jesus was ministering on earth, He trained His disciples to go out and pray for people to be healed and delivered. In today’s message, Pastor Ed reminds us that we too are given the same ministry. However, we cannot witness healings or deliverance without prayer. The Bible says that Christians are to pray without ceasing. As we pray, we become more and more aquatinted with the ways of the Spirit. As we walk in step with the Spirit of God, the Lord will use us just as He used His disciples to set people free.

The Lord Jesus never did anything without praying first. In today’s message from the book of James, Pastor Ed teaches us about the importance of prayer. Prayer is not just for emergent situations. Prayer is a way to develop true intimacy with the Lord. We will also learn how to pray for the sick. Pastor Ed teaches us today that when we have a loved one that is gravely ill, we have special recourse. The Bible teaches us that we can summon the elders of the church to the ill person’s bedside to receive prayer.