Before Israel could take one piece of ground in the Promised Land, there was something that had to be removed from their life. Before they could go to war on their foes they had to go to war on their flesh. God had great things in store but it could only be appropriated as they turned from self and denied their own desires.

God had a great future planned for King Jeroboam, but it was contingent on his obedience to the word of the Lord. Instead of listening to God and obeying the direction He'd laid out for the king, Jeroboam followed his own feelings instead. As Pastor Mark explains in today's study, he was more concerned about the possibility of losing his kingdom than he was about keeping God's commands. He trusted his own instincts about what should be done, and it ended in leading his people into idol worship. Leaning on our own understanding and trusting our hearts rather than the word of God can lead us to some very dark places.

God had a great future planned for King Jeroboam, but it was contingent on his obedience to the word of the Lord. Instead of listening to God and obeying the direction He'd laid out for the king, Jeroboam followed his own feelings instead. As Pastor Mark explains in today's study, he was more concerned about the possibility of losing his kingdom than he was about keeping God's commands. He trusted his own instincts about what should be done, and it ended in leading his people into idol worship. Leaning on our own understanding and trusting our hearts rather than the word of God can lead us to some very dark places.

King Solomon started strong in his relationship to God. But as time went on, he made a decision to disregard God's word concerning certain areas of his life. As he went further into darkness, he became almost cynical and began to view life as meaningless and all it's pleasures as a complete waste of time. In today's study, Pastor Mark exhorts us not to make the same mistakes that Solomon did. Instead we should remember what God saved us from and how He changed our lives and our perspective on everything. We too can drift away from our commitment to Christ if we allow old influences to return.

King Solomon started strong in his relationship to God. But as time went on, he made a decision to disregard God's word concerning certain areas of his life. As he went further into darkness, he became almost cynical and began to view life as meaningless and all it's pleasures as a complete waste of time. In today's study, Pastor Mark exhorts us not to make the same mistakes that Solomon did. Instead we should remember what God saved us from and how He changed our lives and our perspective on everything. We too can drift away from our commitment to Christ if we allow old influences to return.

Pastor Mark's Wednesday evening teachings will give us an overview of God's Word from Genesis to Revelation. Tonight, Pastor Mark continues in the book of Judges.

Living the Christian life is not always easy. Sometimes we think we'd be stronger as followers of Christ if we had more of the miraculous take place in our lives. In today's study, Pastor Mark reminds us that King Solomon had two face to face encounters with God, in which God spoke to him personally. And even though Solomon displayed great godly wisdom at the outset, he eventually allowed other influences into his life which all but destroyed his faith. We may not have the resources Solomon had to indulge our every fantasy, but even the poorest Christian can allow ungodly influences to derail them. False gods cross all economic barriers.

Living the Christian life is not always easy. Sometimes we think we'd be stronger as followers of Christ if we had more of the miraculous take place in our lives. In today's study, Pastor Mark reminds us that King Solomon had two face to face encounters with God, in which God spoke to him personally. And even though Solomon displayed great godly wisdom at the outset, he eventually allowed other influences into his life which all but destroyed his faith. We may not have the resources Solomon had to indulge our every fantasy, but even the poorest Christian can allow ungodly influences to derail them. False gods cross all economic barriers.

Pastor Mark's Wednesday evening teachings will give us an overview of God's Word from Genesis to Revelation. Tonight, Pastor Mark continues in the book of Judges.

In King Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple, he asked that God would daily supply His people with whatever they would need as His servants. As they would surely face spiritual challenges beyond their natural abilities, he called on God to meet those needs. As they would face times of drought and war, he called on God to meet those needs. And even as they lived their day-to-day lives, he was asking God to supply what they might lack there as well. In todays study, Pastor Mark asks the question “Do you find that you need daily maintenance in the Lord?” Isn't it good to know that God renews His mercies toward us every morning?