Many have been brainwashed and desensitized to the proliferation of sexuality in our world today.  Even those who lived 2 generations ago were shocked to see the lax nature of the culture’s response the degradation of family morals and increase of the pursuit of sexual pleasures in their day; imagine what they would say today in looking at our entertainment and sex-saturated commercialism .  The church needs to wake up: what God meant for good has been perverted.

Have you ever tried to really knuckle down on eating healthy and exercising? Many of us have and have undoubtedly discovered its as a temporary solution to an ongoing struggle. The primary reason we fail to find success is that many of us have not put Godliness at the forefront of our endeavors. A proper diet and regular exercise are an important factor in the life of the believer, but only insofar as they are driving by honoring and glorifying God.

There is a movement in our culture to capitalize upon the temptations of the flesh, whether that be with food, sex, or sloth. How is it that the church can emphasize the surrender of our hearts to God, but not the surrender of our bodies? Let us look at what the Apostle Paul writes as he address how the church in Rome is understand their new calling as believers: those who are now “alive” in Christ!

In a world filled with people who have different outlooks, different opinion, and different philosophies, it is little wonder why we don’t experience more division that we do?!  The Family of God is not left without aid in this need for unity, because God has sent His Spirit to indwell the hearts of his children, to draw us into a family larger than our own preferences.

Everyone has had a moment where they’ve felt alone, even as believers sometimes our feelings can deceive us. The truth is that with the Lord we are never alone, and one of the primary ministries of the Holy Spirit is his work of being our helper.

Happy Father’s Day!  Do you remember calling out to your dad for help?  Seemed dad always had the answer, and he could fix anything!  We have the same privilege to call upon our Heavenly Father with whatever trials or difficulties we face in this life.  This gift has been afforded to us by the indwelling of God’s Spirit.

Have you ever experienced the difficulty of having to live together with someone else other than me, myself, and I?! No matter the difficulty we can all give testimony to, there is little argument to the fact that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit must be at times the most difficult cohabitation in history. Praise the Lord that He never leaves or forsakes us!

From some of us its harder than other to listen to direction, and sometimes even harder to obey. This can be a real stumbling block in the life of the believer, as we are continually faced with the decision to either follow God’s leading or go our own way. Much like the children’s game “Simon Says” we must learn to attune our hearts to hearing what the Spirit says, and then the discipline to follow in obedience.

Some of the most difficult moments in a Christian’s life are met with a incorrect dependency of self-reliance. Our abilities, plans, schemes, and resources are often the initial source of our strength. We must recalculate our priorities so that in all things we turn to God first with all our heart.

Have you ever heard the voice of God, not an audible voice, but that quiet soft still voice that leads you towards serving God and in so becoming more like Jesus Christ?

This morning we will give definition to that voice in the person of the Holy Spirit and we will give identification to those moments called “Holy Nudges” as we continue in our series in Proverbs studying messages from Pastor Dave.