Do you remember a time when someone taught you something new and they finally had to let you go on your own? For many people that can be a very difficult and scary time, some even give up and never learn to move forward on their own. You don’t need someone to hold your hand when you walk, but there was a time when you did. In today’s message, Pastor Mark challenges you to walk on your own when it comes to following Jesus. In the same way, no one needs to hold your hand so you can walk across the room, you shouldn’t need someone to hold your hand to walk in the ways of the Lord. Make sure you are following Christ even when no one is around.

How did you respond the last time someone came to you and they were angry about something you did? If you’re like most people you probably responded with an equal or greater amount of anger, or maybe you used sarcasm instead of anger, that more than likely didn’t provide the best outcome. In today’s message, Pastor Mark challenges you to give a gentle answer when someone questions you aggressively. You have to be sure you aren’t lying, or just saying something the other person wants to hear. You must genuinely believe what you are saying or it will not work and may make things worse.

Have you ever been invited to participate in a project, and you knew you weren’t needed? In most of those cases, you probably declined to be a part. But what if the project had a massive positive impact on your community? Would that make you more likely to agree to help, or would it not matter? In today’s message, Pastor Mark suggests that God has invited you to be a part of His overall plan. Obviously, He doesn’t need you to complete His plan, but He is inviting you to be a part of something greater, to make a huge positive impact on the world around you… what will your answer be to His call?

Have you ever been asked to do something that scared you? Did the person that asked you to do it stick around and help? Odds are you were asked to do the scary thing so the other person could walk away. Too many times people in authority ask others to do things they themselves aren’t willing to do. In today’s message, Pastor Mark assures you that if God calls you to do something that scares you, He will be there to protect you. It may not be immediately obvious that He is protecting you, that is why you have to trust Him. God will not leave you alone to take on a challenge, but He will let you learn a lesson from it. 

Have you ever known someone who always complained about being miserable and that no one would spend time with them? Are you miserable because you feel left out or alone? You may not even know what is causing you to be miserable. Maybe you need to take some time and look at what you’re doing that may be causing your misery. Many Christians feel like God has abandoned them and stopped blessing their life. In today’s message, Pastor Mark challenges you to evaluate your relationship with God. Are you standing by waiting for Him to come to you, or are you seeking God out? You cannot expect to have a relationship with God without spending time with Him. 

When you witness two people or groups having a disagreement, do you stand up for one of the sides? There are many times people don’t stand up in the name of not wanting to get involved, or because they don’t want either side to be mad at them. How about when it’s a topic you care about, do you stand up then? Too many times Christians stand on the sidelines of a moral argument and don’t stand up for Biblical truth. It’s usually because they don’t want to ruffle any feathers. Well in today’s message, Pastor Mark warns if you don’t stand up for the battle of the Lord you may not upset anyone but you will be cursed. 

Have you ever started cleaning something and realized it was much dirtier than it looked? Most of the time you probably make sure things are clean on the outside that because that is the part that is easily seen. Then when you take the time to dig into the unseen areas, you realize there was much more dirt below the surface. In today’s message, Pastor Mark explains how the Bible is like God’s sword that cleans you from the inside. On the surface you may appear to be clean, however as you continue to read the Bible and begin to let God’s sword dig deep into the unseen areas of your life, you realize how much you needed it. 

Do you know someone who inherited money, but had to work for it a little at a time? Many people’s parents will make sure they have what they need without having to actually do anything. This teaches people to expect others to give them things and do things for them, they never learn to survive on their own. In today’s message, Pastor Mark explains how God doesn’t give you everything you need all at once. He will give you a little at a time as you grow into it. God will also allow you to experience difficult things spiritually so that you learn how to handle them. God wants you to learn how to survive the battle for your spirit. 

Have you ever known someone who made a bad decision, and then complained when the outcome wasn’t positive? Maybe you’ve been that person, maybe you’ve done something that you knew wouldn’t work out well and then complained about it. You’ve probably heard, “You’ve made your bed, now lay in it” from those around you. If you’ve ever complained about the results of your own decisions, you aren’t alone, Christians in Biblical times complained about the consequences of their actions too. Today Pastor Mark reminds you that God will send someone to help you, you just need to listen to Him!

Was there ever a time when you were trying to do something but initially thought you couldn’t? Maybe there was a time someone did the hard thing for you, and now you are facing the same thing again and don’t know how to handle it. Even if you fail the first time it is better to keep trying and learning. In today’s message, Pastor Mark explains how God will help you win the battles in your life. Sometimes He will let you battle it out before He gives you the victory so you will learn how to fight the spiritual battles that come your way. At first, you may not win but you have to keep battling it out and God will give you the victory!