God is preparing the Israelites for their entry into the Promised Land. He is giving them guideline after guideline. He tells them to love each other, which led us to the Gospel of Luke. Do we really love each other? What do our hearts look like? There is so much hope, in that no matter what, we have a fresh start with Jesus. We can change our hearts!

How do we have peace? There are negative thoughts, anxiety, stress. But God tells us how mighty He is in Leviticus and that He can do things that surpass our understanding. In Philippians Paul, directed by God, tells us not to be anxious. He tells us to be glad, gentle with ALL people, to pray about it all and focus our thoughts on God. We can have deep peace and joy because our hope isn't in this world- it is in Jesus. Listen as I talk about what we all strive for, peace.

Even though I was born Jewish and did not know Jesus, somehow I found Him.  He called me and since I am a follower of Jesus I am set apart. I am a citizen of heaven, not this earth. This idea of being holy and set apart- is the heart of Leviticus, the book we start today. How do today live like we are God's own? Jesus it is the center of living like we are set apart, but we need to see how Israel was taught to live so we can understand all Jesus did and live the way God wants us to.

We finish going through Exodus, and talk about how God knows our names! We talk about how we all feel alone and not understood sometimes. We try to fill our voids with earthly things, but we have God with us! We can connect to Him deeply, and that is the only things that can fill voids in our life.

The Israelites have just built a golden calf to worship- and we get a look at God's amazing character. Compassionate, merciful, very patient, full of great loyalty and faithfulness. How blessed are we to have Him? And in return we need heart that are so deeply rooted in Him, that  we are like the Levites- who are on the LORD's side. Join me, as we explore how deep God's love is for us.

When was the last time you ran out of patience? I know for me, it happens too much. There is a better way. The Israelites were struggling with patience and confusion when Moses was up in a mountain with God for 40 days! What was going on? During this waiting they built a golden calf and worshiped it. What do we do while we wait? Life is filled with waiting! And the biggest waiting of all, waiting for Jesus to come back. He is patient with us, and we can grow in patience. But How? We can be filled with the Holy Spirit and watch us become more gracious and patient. Thank you God!

Many of us live burned out and overwhelmed. We have negative thought after negative thought. When we live with boundaries, we can hold onto what God wants us to and let go of things on this earth. We need to love God so much, that He is our boundary and our heart, strength and mind are focused on Him.

We all complain at times.  Culture tells us it's okay, we all need to vent. Yes, we need to get out our feelings- but who are we getting our feeling out to? And are we thinking of all of the amazing things God has done for us, or are we focused on the negative? We can be like David, and get our feelings out to God. When we turn to Him, we can connect to the deep joy all of us have in Jesus.

The Israelites are finally free! Pharaoh has let them go, but there is still fear. Their enemy is chasing them, but Moses tells them something we all need to take in- keep still! God will fight for you. God never left the Israelites, just like He doesn't leave us. We don't need to be filled with worry or shame. We need to stay calm, and put our trust in God.

Many things happen to us through out our lives. What is our brain remembering? The Israelites are told to remember passover and all God did for them. And we remember what God has done for us on holidays and special days, but deep in our hearts we need to hold onto His saving of us. His saving of us means we have new life- how much hope is there in that?