When Jesus came to earth He came to be many things. To be a Savior, friend, guide, brother, servant, and our Father.

What kind of relationship does God really want? Your relationship to God has many aspects. God is your Father. He is your Creator. He is your maker, he's your judge, he's your master, he's your Lord, he's your Redeemer, he's your Savior, and he's many, many other things. But most shocking of all is this — God wants you for a friend.

What would be different in your life if you were 100% confident that God’s presence was with you?

God's presence is always around us because He is the God who is always with us. And when we truly recognize that God is with us, we can start to believe more that God is truly for us in all things.

Our homes are our safe havens. It's the place where we feel the most like ourselves. Just like our physical homes, when we choose to follow Jesus invite Him into our hearts to create a home that will always remain. So if He is going to dwell in us then how do prepare a home where we can rest with Him, dwell with Him, remain with Him?

When we choose to follow Jesus, we choose a beautiful life-long journey that He invites us on. Along the way we find important and catalytic moments that shape our faith in Jesus. And today we focus on three of these major milestone moments.

Who is someone who is close to you but far from God? 

Another way we say it around Discovery is “Who is your 1?” Jesus told the story of the good shepherd who had 100 sheep. He brought them back from a day of grazing and there were 99. Jesus left the 99 and went after the one. If you are a disciple of Jesus you are part of the 99 which means God has put people in your life who are close to you but far from Him for you to help introduce to Jesus and to help disciple them.

God wants each of us to go on a life-long journey with Him and with others.

That word “with” is a powerful word. If we were to ask you “Who are you with?” What list would you begin to formulate? When we surround ourselves with great partnerships we get to take part in a relationship going in the same direction making a last impact in the arenas we live in.

We underestimate the power we’ve been given as individuals, as a collective group, as a a local community. It’s a convincing lie from Satan that we’re helpless and it keeps us complaining, blaming, and waiting. But the truth is from every angle, that the people have the power. The people have always had the power. We don’t need a king, because we already have one. The king down here needs us, we don’t need them. We just need to put on our prescription glasses and do what can see to do right now.

Samson was a broken hero, just as you and I are broken people. But Samson points to a better hero. His life as a fallen and imperfect judge points to the perfect Judge who was to come in Jesus.

Jesus finishes what Samson started. Jesus is the Leader we do NOT deserve. Both were announced and miraculous births but Jesus was never led by his impulses but by the Father's will.