Covenant Life Church

Unfortunately, many believers today view prayer as a last resort instead of recognizing that it is a tremendous privilege to bring our requests before the throne of the Almighty God. Too often, we get ourselves into trouble because we do not pray, so before we plan, brainstorm or call for the wisdom of our counselors, we have to learn to pray first.

Have you ever done what seemed right or made an easy decision only to have it be the wrong choice in the end? When we don’t pray first, we can find ourselves on the wrong path, making peace with things that God wanted us to destroy. This week, we will turn to the Bible to learn what happens when we don’t pray first and explore how we should be praying.

Based on Jesus’s descriptions of faith in Mark 11 and Mark 16, which focus on moving mountains and miraculous signs, how would you rate your faith? Would your ranking change based on certain circumstances?

This week, we’re learning how to overcome our doubt and increase our faith when it may be limited. Once our doubts have been dismantled, we can then ask God for more faith, enabling us to accomplish everything that He has planned for us — and our church — in 2022.

Every Christmas, we pause for a cute family photo and eat a delicious meal, but after the presents have been opened, we return to life as normal. Stores that close one day each year reopen, and we get back to our normal responsibilities.

This week, we’re talking about how we can hold onto the joyful anticipation and hope of the holiday season throughout the year, and it all revolves around slowing down, relying on God and taking the time to truly abide in Christ.

Did you know the first reference to Christmas in the Bible is not in Matthew or Luke? It’s not even in Isaiah or any of the other prophetic books. It’s in Genesis. No mention of wisemen or shepherds. No angelic visitation, no mangers and no one hating on the poor innkeeper yet.

Even so, right there in the first book of the Bible, there it is: a reference to Christmas. This week, we’re talking about the Genesis of Christmas — not just because it’s the book where it’s first referenced but because it’s where it all began.

When you read the account of Christmas in the Bible, you will see many people — including the shepherds, Mary, Joseph and Zechariah — who had unforgettable experiences with angels, but there were some major players in the unfolding events who got no direct, divine notice of their role. Not everyone got an angel.

While God certainly still speaks to us through angels, He often speaks in ways that are far more subtle today, but He still invites us to participate in His story. This week, we are looking at “The Ones Who Didn’t Get an Angel” and learning some important spiritual truths from three people who played critical roles in the Christmas account but didn’t have an angelic proclamation.

This week, we’re going to explore the fact that everything in our lives can change in a moment. As a matter of fact, the things that we remember most — the surprise proposal or the surprise break-up, the call with the job offer or the call with the diagnosis — are moments that changed everything. It’s been said over and over, but you should never underestimate the power of a moment.

In Luke 2:8-20, the shepherds had a couple of pivotal moments, and they are denoted by the word “suddenly.” That may be why moments are so powerful — because they come on so suddenly. It’s not like the stereotypical tidal wave or alien invasion in a blockbuster movie, where you stand there and watch it coming for you. Instead, it’s a pivot point, a watershed moment in which everything in your life changes direction or purpose.

This week, Pastor John shares an update on The Jericho Project, the local and global outreach of Covenant Life to join the fight against human sex trafficking. We’ll look back at the start of the Project and discuss our three-pronged approach to “rescue the Rahabs” and restore the lives of those who have been negatively impact by this terrible issue.

We will discuss our work with House of Cherith in Atlanta and provide additional details about our next steps in moving forward with the antique mall property adjacent to our main sanctuary. As we look ahead to the future of The Jericho Project, we are excited about everything that God has planned, and we can’t wait to see lives changes and souls saved as a result of our faithfulness.

To learn more about The Jericho Project and keep up with future updates, please visit www.thejerichoprojectwestga.org.

This week, we’re taking a break from our “Humility” series to seek encouragement from the Word of God. The world is full of uncertainty, and many people — both in our local church and the Church at large — are going through serious and difficult situations.

In Psalm 46:1 (KJ21), the Bible says that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We must remember that trouble doesn’t mean we’re sinful; it just means we’re human. Whenever we face those situations, though, we must also know and believe that God is our refuge and strength. He is always nearby, and He is ready and able to help us!

As we begin to wrap up our series called “Humility: The Key to Childlike Faith” over the next few weeks, Pastor John will focus on the things that will kill pride and help us walk in the character of Jesus. A few verses after Jesus starts talking to the disciples about the Kingdom at the start of Matthew 18, He tells the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.

This week, we will use this parable to explore how pride impacts generosity. We cannot allow an attitude of hypocrisy to take root in our lives, believing that we deserve to keep what God gave us. Instead, we have to be motivated by humility and integrity. We must recognize that everything we have comes from the King and choose to be generous with all He has given us.

In this week’s message, Pastor John steps out of his comfort zone, moving aside the pulpit and being honest about what God is doing in his life. By learning about his experiences and focusing on the words of Christ in Matthew 18, we will explore the idea together that everyone has their own way of doing things, and we often put limits on God because of pride. We want to follow Him — but only if we can be successful while doing it. We want to serve others — but only in the areas where we feel well-equipped.

We worry about what other people will think if we do things differently, but God wants to use the messy, uncomfortable parts of our lives, too. To truly serve Him with humility, we must get rid of anything that holds us back and destroy (not just think outside of) the box that serves as our comfort zone.