Knowing God's Will

Jeremiah 1:4-8

"The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." 6 "O Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will protect you," declares the Lord."

Start With The Word

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path."

Seek And Pursue Peace

Psalm 34:12-14

"Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

Follow The Leading Of His Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

"However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived" what God has prepared for those who love him—10 but God has revealed to us by his Spirit."

Philippians 2:13

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."

Listen To Wise Counsel

Proverbs 15:22

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."

Break Up With Norm

You discover your purpose but you develop your potential.

1 Corinthians 12:17-18

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Break Up With Norm

Romans 12:1-2

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think."

Find Your Sweet Spot

Romans 12:6-8

"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."

Serve Others With Your Gifts

1 Peter 4:10

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

Purpose

Seize The Promise

God Was Thinking About You Before He Created The World

Ephesians 1:4-5

"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ."

Your Purpose And Potential Pre-Date Your Birthday

Psalm 139:13-16

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

Romans 8:28

" And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

God Has Made You A Promise

Psalm 37:4-5

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this."

Psalm 37:4-5

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.

The man who follows God gets to his destination

Matthew 6:33

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Purpose

There Is More In You

Purpose = why you exist or why you were created.

Potential = dormant ability, untapped power and strength, hidden talents, dreams and future success.

Through faith you can unlock your purpose and potential.

You don't create your purpose you discover it.

"The two most important days in your life are the

day you are born and the day you find out why."

Mark Twain

You don't create your purpose you discover it.

Colossians 1:15-16

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."

You don't create your purpose you discover it.

You were created by God and for God.

Through faith you can unlock your purpose and potential.

1 Samuel 17:32

"Don't worry about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!"

EASTER

1 Corinthians 15:22

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."

Mark 14:32-36

"They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.34 "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

2 Corinthians 5:21

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be sin for us, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

He laid down his life so that you would be set free.

Hebrews 9:22

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

There's no shadow You won't light up Mountain You won't climb up Coming after me There's no wall You won't kick down Lie You won't tear down Coming after me

Reckless Love, Cory Asbury

John 11:25

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying."

A Priceless Inheritance

1 Peter 1:3-6

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while."

"Some day you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don't you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God."

"My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world."

1 Peter 1:3-6

"Now we live with great expectation,4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay…. 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while."

1 Timothy 3:15

"God's family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

John 1:12-13

"But to all who believed him and accepted him (Jesus), he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God."

Galatians 3:26-27

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

Galatians 4:6-7

"Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

Revelation 21:3-5

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"

1 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Change History

"Break the cycle from your past and pass on a generational blessing."

Luke 4:18-19

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:7

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Joshua 1:7

"In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Joshua 24:15

"But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."

Pass On A Generational Blessing

Break the cycle of your past and pass on a generational blessing.

Deuteronomy 6:1-2

"These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life."

Exodus 20:4-6

"You shall not make for yourself an idol (image) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate (reject) me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

Genesis 18:17-19

Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

Genesis 12:1-4

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.."

Galatians 3:9

"So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith."

Break the cycle of your past and pass on a generational blessing.

It's Your Time!

The Power Of Vision

Proverbs 29:18

"Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]."

John 1:42

"Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, "Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas" (which means "Peter").

"My people in the Valley have been oppressed for many years and I want to set them free. They know about me but they don't know me and I want them to know who I am. Will you go…?"

Ephesians 3:20-21

" Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen"

Our Vision

We want to reach as many people as we can in the Rio Grande Valley

and help them become committed followers of Christ.

Matthew 9:35-37

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

"the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

Habakkuk 2:2-3

"Write down the revelation (vision) and make it plain on tablets so that whoever reads it, may run with it. 3 For the revelation (vision) awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Luke 15:3-7

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Problem, The Plan and The Promise

Identify The Problem

Haggai 1:5-6

"Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in your pockets filled with holes."

Follow The Plan

Matthew 25:21

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Have Faith In The Promise

Malachi 3:10-11

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the Lord Almighty."