Covenant Life Church

This week, we’re continuing our Boldness Series. Acts 4:13 says the members of the Sanhedrin saw the boldness of Peter and John — and that’s true. Boldness is visible, but if we’re not careful, we will think boldness always looks the same way. We might start to believe that boldness is simply a set of behaviors and that repeating those behaviors will always be the boldness God wants from us.

In reality, boldness is not behavior; it’s belief. Instead of coming from a commitment to a set of behaviors, it comes from a commitment to a set of attitudes and beliefs. Sometimes, boldness manifests itself in ways you would expect, but other times, it looks very different. This week, we’re looking at some diverse pictures of boldness and trying to figure out what those pictures have in common.

The Bible says the Old Testament passages were given to us as examples. In many cases, the things that played out in the physical world represent things that play out for us in the spirit world. This means that we can look to how they fought battles in the Old Testament to help us know how to fight our battles now.

If you’ve ever felt outmatched in a fight, you’re not alone. Rarely did the children of Israel have a tactical or numerical advantage, but the Bible shows us over and over that things are not always as they appear. This week, we’re talking about Gideon’s once again to see what we can discover about bold warfare.

Last week, we began a series on boldness. Some people have a negative view or understanding of boldness. They confuse it with rudeness or arrogance. In reality, though, it should be defined as the power to live according to your purpose and priorities. For followers of Christ, the power comes from the Holy Spirit, and the purpose and priorities are established by God and His Word.

This week, we’re continuing to talk about Gideon from the book of Judges. The first bold thing Gideon did was to lift up his head. He was hiding in a wine press trying to thresh some grain, so his family could eat. His first step towards getting out of that pit was just to lift up his head. It’s no different for us; if things are going to change in your life, you must have the boldness to lift up your head.

Pastor Dharius Daniels from Atlanta said at a recent conference that we sometimes have to choose closure without clarity. These are moments in which the matter has been settled even though we don’t understand everything, and it’s a liberating truth. When you have questions weighing you down and situations you can’t explain, it can either keep you stagnant or just walking in circles. Instead, we want to learn how we can continue to move forward.

If you have been walking through a season of doubt, confusion or questioning, it’s time to lift up your head. The season of head-hanging and stagnation is over. Stop looking at where you’ve been and look up to see where you’re going. Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for us to give us an abundant life, but you will never find God’s abundance looking down or looking back. You have to lift up your head and let the King of Glory into your everyday life.

There are three words that the enemy would tell you are words of doubt but are actually words of faith. You might believe these three words show weakness and foolishness, but instead, they show strength and godly wisdom. They sound like heresy to religious people, but they sound like refreshing honesty to people who are searching for answers.

This week, we’re talking about those three words — I don’t know — and how we can constantly pursue Jesus without ever fully understanding Him. Why? Because the things of eternity can’t be contained in the things of earth. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, but being honest and humble enough to say those words can help us grow closer to Him.

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to capture the entire message. We wanted to share what we were able to record in hopes that it will strengthen your faith, and we invite you to access the full sermon notes by visiting this link: https://www.bible.com/events/49509216. Please click “Save” on the event to ensure that you can revisit it later. Thank you for your understanding!

Have you ever been in a situation where you knew you needed to take a stand? You may want to influence your friends at school or share your faith with someone at work. Many people want to stand up for their beliefs, but they wonder if they have what it takes or struggle with the fear of rejection.

This week, Pastor Jay Mann shares a lesson in courage from someone who made history: Esther. She thought she was a nobody, but she did something brave and made a difference on behalf of her people. Together, we’ll learn the steps needed to find success and seize the moment — just like Esther.

Arguably the number one thing most people ask Pastor John is “How do I find God’s will for my life?” Religion has made the will of God some great mystery — like it’s something to search for our whole lives. We expect to get a job, hold an office, start a ministry or receive a title. We are looking for the answer in a destination, but what if it’s simpler than that?

The core verse for this series is Romans 12:2, which contains two different sentences. The first says that we’re transformed by the renovation of our thoughts; the second says that we will learn to know the will of God once our mind is renovated. This week, we’re continuing (and possibly concluding) our Transformation Series with a message about God’s will.

This week, Pastor Robby reminds us that yesterday is not today. The things that defined us yesterday don’t have to define us today, and the things that were bad yesterday can be used for good today. In Lamentations 3:22-23, we read that God’s mercies begin afresh each morning. One second is all it takes for the clock to flip from 11:59:59 p.m. to 12:00:00 a.m. and for our lives to change forever.

This encouraging word uses two different healings from the New Testament — the blind man in John 9 and the lame man in John 5 — to point us back to the source of these changes: Jesus. Encountering “That Man” is what causes the clock to flip, and it’s not just a one-time occurrence. He will meet us over and over, showing up when we need Him most and revealing different aspects of His character.

We are still in a series called Transformation. We are not to be conformed to the way the world does things; we must be transformed by the process of metamorphosis. In order for us to be transformed, we have to renew or renovate our minds, and every good renovation starts with demo day! You have to remove the old stuff that limits your growth, takes up space, or isn’t a good reflection of the owner.

This week’s message is called Poison Paradigms. A paradigm is a mental construct. It’s how we make sense of the world, taking new information and integrating it into something you already believe and understand. Everybody has paradigms, and they are useful — unless they are built on lies. To become like Jesus, we have to let Him pull down the poisonous paradigms and strongholds of our minds.

For the past four weeks, we’ve been a series called Transformation, in which we’ve been looking at the ways God wants to change us from the caterpillars He found us as into the butterflies He wants us to be. It is not just a slight adjustment — it’s a radical transformation, a metamorphosis powered by the Holy Spirit. Maybe, the biggest takeaway so far is that the process starts on the inside and works its way to the outside.

Nothing is more crucial to deep, lasting change than our thoughts and attitudes, and Romans 12:2 says they need to be renewed. The word renewed means renovated, and a key part of any renovation is demo day. That’s where you rip out the old and remove the stuff that just doesn’t fit the new design. That’s the name of the message and our focus this week: finding out what needs to be demolished from our thoughts and attitudes.