When you go to the doctor for a check-up, they are going to check your blood pressure, pulse and cholesterol. They’re going to check all of the things that have to do with your heart because it is the center of your existence. If it’s not healthy, it’s impossible for any other part of your body to work properly. The same is true for your spiritual heart, which is why Proverbs 4:23 says to “guard your heart above all else.” Why? Because your heart determines the course of your life. What you think, what you feel are the decisions that you make are all determined by your heart, and whether you wind up in a healthy place or an unhealthy one is determined by how healthy your heart is.

The society in which we live values titles, money, fame and notoriety. This is shown in the fact that, when meeting someone new, the first question we usually ask is, “What do you do?” Based on the answer to that question and our own experiences, we begin to assign a value to that person and the role they play in society. However, Jesus came to welcome us into a new society - one in which He looks at who we are instead of what we do. As we begin to understand that God calls us His children simply because of His love for us, it can quiet the worthlessness that we may feel at times and give us a new answer to the question of where we derive our value.

In Psalm 34:19, we read that “the righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” Sometimes, we suffer because of our own mistakes, flaws, failures and sins. If that’s the case, we should repent and ask God to help you change. Sometimes, though, stuff happens that we didn’t cause and can’t always fix. What do we do when things aren’t great? How can we be okay when everything is not okay? This week, Pastor John gives us four biblical, practical and honest reminders to help us respond to life’s troubles.

This week’s message - It’s Not Your Fault - is part of a series that began many years ago to address issues that are considered taboo and that the church has been silent about for too long. The taboo issue that we’re discussing this time is sexual abuse. Countless men and women have suffered sexual abuse in silence because the issue isn’t commonly addressed from the pulpit, but by looking at the accounts of Joseph (Genesis 39) and Tamar (2 Samuel 13), we will learn more about this issue, understand potential warning signs and find hope in the fact that innocent victims can be healed and set free. Whatever has happened to you, no matter how long it’s been or how many times it happened, it’s not your fault.

When it comes to fulfilling our purpose as doing the work of God, we are good at making excuses, but the reasons that we give hold us back from experiencing everything that He has in store for us. This week, Jay Webb (West Metro FCA) uses the life of Jeremiah to show us five excuses that we often say in response to our purpose and calling - and how God’s promises are bigger than each of them.

Purpose is so powerful that Jesus was murdered over it. Purpose is so powerful that the 12 apostles gave their lives to it and ultimately gave their lives for it. You and I have been gifted and called by God for a purpose, and we have been prepared for fulfilling our purpose. Not a function, office, position or title – a purpose. We’ve been invited to yoke ourselves to Jesus, so He can show us how to live our lives with purpose. The devil doesn’t care how religious, strict or outwardly holy you are as long as you don’t discover the power in your relationship with Jesus, as long as you don’t discover your purpose. The closer you get to purpose, the more spiritual warfare you will face because the enemy isn’t worried about function, but he is terrified of believers who find their purpose! Because with purpose comes power, authority, vision and provision!

A lot of people are looking for their function or position, but God wants us to take a step back and first find our purpose. Multiple passages of scripture say that every one of us is gifted in some way, and those gifts are given to us by God for the benefit of the body of Christ and fulfillment of the Great Commission. This leads to some logical questions. If we have a gift, how do we get ready to use it? How can we ensure that we’re prepared to do what God has called us for and gifted us to do? In this week’s message, we will discover that the answers to these questions run counter to what we think about purpose and success in the American church.

In 1 Peter 4:10-11, we learn that every one of us has a gift that God has given us, and He wants us to use it well. The problem is that we only tend to focus on the “what” and rarely step back to see the “why.” We have turned finding and fulfilling God’s calling into a seemingly endless lifelong pursuit of tests, inventories and profiles. We analyze, quantify, categorize, separate and study the gifts, but the problem is that, after learning all there is to know about them, most people never actually get around to using them! This week, we will dive deeper into understanding the purposes of God, so we can start to identify the functions that align with them and put our gifts to good use.

According to verses like 1 Peter 2:9 and 1 Corinthians 1:9, we are all called by God. He has called us into fellowship with Jesus, but He has also called us to do something. After all, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are created to do good works, which God already has planned for us. Unfortunately, the concept of calling in the American church, like so much else, has gotten a little skewed. When you talk about calling, people often get frustrated because we have a misunderstanding of calling. This week’s message, which is called “The Wrong Question,” kicks off a new series designed to help us understand the source of our frustration and point us to a better, more biblical understanding of calling.

As we conclude the (Re)Born Identity series, there is one final declaration that defines our new identity in Christ: I Am Ready. That’s it. I am ready. Not I will be ready. Or I’m working on getting ready. I Am. Currently. Present tense. Ready. Ready for what? For living the life that Jesus saved me for. For living out my reborn identity. According to 2 Peter 1:3, Jesus has given us everything that we need for living a godly life. Everything! And Paul said in Colossians 2:10 that we are complete in Him. We are not lacking anything. All that adds up to that declaration - I Am Ready! So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get up and do what God’s called you to do!