How do we respond to a discouraging situation? What do we feel when things do not work out? Many would just walk away. Giving up is not characteristic of Christians. As a follower of Jesus we expect the best. Giving up does not fit. We have all been faced with challenging situations where where we want to quit. Bro. Hilton gives us examples from the Apostle Paul's life that teach us a simple lesson: Don't Quit. We will be tested. Everything in us will cry out to quit. What was it that Paul knew that kept him in his faith? First was his awareness that God was with him. Most would say that God is with us, but do we claim Him when times are tough? Do we remind ourselves during these times, that almighty God is with us. His word promises that He will never leave or forsake us. His word is either all true, or none of it is true. He is with us. Many will give up right before they win the victory. As a Christian, if we give up, we are really saying that we don't trust God. In Corinthians 11, Paul recounts many of the trials in his life. Through all of this, Paul was aware that Jesus was with him. Secondly, Paul experienced the strength of God in his life. Historians tell us that Paul was not a big or powerful man, but he knew the strength of God in his life. He was aware of the strength that God released in him. No matter what we face, we have that same strength in us. The word of God says it, we must claim it. The bible tells us that He will call us to face anything that He will not give us the strength to endure. When we put our trust in the word of God, we will begin to feel that strength. If we neglect the word of God, we will continue to struggle. We have to know God. The Word is God, so to know God, we must know the Word. The third thing Paul knew was the assurance of God's will. Nothing is more comforting than knowing that we are in God's will. Paul knew exactly where he was in life and what God was up to in his life. Finally Paul had an overflowing joy that filled his soul. This helped him to make it through the tough times. By the time he got to the point in his life where he is writing our texts, Paul had a thousand reasons to quit and give up. However because of these four things, Paul was able to go on and see the wonders that God had waiting for him. Paul's life teaches us a powerful lesson: Don't Quit.

How do we respond to a discouraging situation? What do we feel when things do not work out? Many would just walk away. Giving up is not characteristic of Christians. As a follower of Jesus we expect the best. Giving up does not fit. We have all been faced with challenging situations where where we want to quit. Bro. Hilton gives us examples from the Apostle Paul's life that teach us a simple lesson: Don't Quit. We will be tested. Everything in us will cry out to quit. What was it that Paul knew that kept him in his faith? First was his awareness that God was with him. Most would say that God is with us, but do we claim Him when times are tough? Do we remind ourselves during these times, that almighty God is with us. His word promises that He will never leave or forsake us. His word is either all true, or none of it is true. He is with us. Many will give up right before they win the victory. As a Christian, if we give up, we are really saying that we don't trust God. In Corinthians 11, Paul recounts many of the trials in his life. Through all of this, Paul was aware that Jesus was with him. Secondly, Paul experienced the strength of God in his life. Historians tell us that Paul was not a big or powerful man, but he knew the strength of God in his life. He was aware of the strength that God released in him. No matter what we face, we have that same strength in us. The word of God says it, we must claim it. The bible tells us that He will call us to face anything that He will not give us the strength to endure. When we put our trust in the word of God, we will begin to feel that strength. If we neglect the word of God, we will continue to struggle. We have to know God. The Word is God, so to know God, we must know the Word. The third thing Paul knew was the assurance of God's will. Nothing is more comforting than knowing that we are in God's will. Paul knew exactly where he was in life and what God was up to in his life. Finally Paul had an overflowing joy that filled his soul. This helped him to make it through the tough times. By the time he got to the point in his life where he is writing our texts, Paul had a thousand reasons to quit and give up. However because of these four things, Paul was able to go on and see the wonders that God had waiting for him. Paul's life teaches us a powerful lesson: Don't Quit.

The prophecy of Haggai is brief, but it could not have come at a more crucial time for the people of Isreal. They had come out of Babylonian captivity for some time, but they were not the people that they needed to be. They struggled with many problems. Their biggest problem is that they had lost their direction. The had lost the propose that God had for them. Then as now, it is easy to become distracted. We have a hard time keeping our focus. If the enemy can keep us distracted, he can sideline us and render us ineffective. Distraction can often be a more powerful weapon than deception. Israel were not bad people, they were just confused. Somehow through all the distractions and issues that have our attention, we need to seek the word from God that presented itself to Israel to direct us back to what is important. Israel had begun working on the rebuilding of the temple, but they became distracted and began to work on rebuilding their own homes and projects. God sends a man to redirect them and they completed it. The temple is finished, but it seems to the people that it is not as grand and good as the former temple. There was no excitement or enthusiasm about going to the temple because they were lost in what it used to be. God sends a man to get them focused back on the present. Often despondency and depression is a direct result of comparing the present to the past and finding the present lacking. Being lost in yesterday or former glory makes us useless to God today. The past may have been a great time, but the past is just that: past. Whatever the glory might have been is not as important to God as what we are doing with our present opportunity. Bro. Hughes comes with a message tot his church: Our future is more important to Him than our past. The potential that exists today is more important to the kingdom of God than whatever may have been accomplished in the past. The devil will lie and tell us that because we are not what we once were, that we are no good. God will not judge us on what WAS, He will judge us on what IS. Israel had come to a standstill in their spiritual life. They had given up on worship and praise. God sent a word that they needed to get over that. The good old days may have been great, but what is going on today is more important than whatever has come before. God reminded Israsel that He is a God of covenant. God is still the same God regardless if we are the same people we were before. Do we want to live our life of limitations, or do we want to give ourselves to God and let Him work with what we have! What God wants from us is simply this: Our best.

The prophecy of Haggai is brief, but it could not have come at a more crucial time for the people of Isreal. They had come out of Babylonian captivity for some time, but they were not the people that they needed to be. They struggled with many problems. Their biggest problem is that they had lost their direction. The had lost the propose that God had for them. Then as now, it is easy to become distracted. We have a hard time keeping our focus. If the enemy can keep us distracted, he can sideline us and render us ineffective. Distraction can often be a more powerful weapon than deception. Israel were not bad people, they were just confused. Somehow through all the distractions and issues that have our attention, we need to seek the word from God that presented itself to Israel to direct us back to what is important. Israel had begun working on the rebuilding of the temple, but they became distracted and began to work on rebuilding their own homes and projects. God sends a man to redirect them and they completed it. The temple is finished, but it seems to the people that it is not as grand and good as the former temple. There was no excitement or enthusiasm about going to the temple because they were lost in what it used to be. God sends a man to get them focused back on the present. Often despondency and depression is a direct result of comparing the present to the past and finding the present lacking. Being lost in yesterday or former glory makes us useless to God today. The past may have been a great time, but the past is just that: past. Whatever the glory might have been is not as important to God as what we are doing with our present opportunity. Bro. Hughes comes with a message tot his church: Our future is more important to Him than our past. The potential that exists today is more important to the kingdom of God than whatever may have been accomplished in the past. The devil will lie and tell us that because we are not what we once were, that we are no good. God will not judge us on what WAS, He will judge us on what IS. Israel had come to a standstill in their spiritual life. They had given up on worship and praise. God sent a word that they needed to get over that. The good old days may have been great, but what is going on today is more important than whatever has come before. God reminded Israsel that He is a God of covenant. God is still the same God regardless if we are the same people we were before. Do we want to live our life of limitations, or do we want to give ourselves to God and let Him work with what we have! What God wants from us is simply this: Our best.

In our text, the disciples are in a ship in the midst of a great storm. When they set out, there was no storm and they were not anticipating it. Even though the disciples has seen him heal the lame, open blind eyes, and perform other miracles, they still had trouble keeping faith in the storm. Storms will come into all of our lives; none are exempt. The bible tells us of Job. A righteous man, but he felt the affects of a storm that took all he had. Even so, Job fell down and worshiped God. In the end, Job was restored and made whole. There are things that come into each of our lives that take away the sunshine: Financial troubles, heath issues, marital strife. It is human to question: Why Me? The bible tells us that the rain will fall on the just and the unjust. Storms come in all shapes and sizes and from all directions; both spiritual and natural. We can prepare for storms, but no one is every totally prepared. We don't get to choose when the storm will come. We must learn that in the midst of all the storm, He is still our rock and our salvation. When the sun shins, He reigns. When it pours, He still reigns.

In our text, the disciples are in a ship in the midst of a great storm. When they set out, there was no storm and they were not anticipating it. Even though the disciples has seen him heal the lame, open blind eyes, and perform other miracles, they still had trouble keeping faith in the storm. Storms will come into all of our lives; none are exempt. The bible tells us of Job. A righteous man, but he felt the affects of a storm that took all he had. Even so, Job fell down and worshiped God. In the end, Job was restored and made whole. There are things that come into each of our lives that take away the sunshine: Financial troubles, heath issues, marital strife. It is human to question: Why Me? The bible tells us that the rain will fall on the just and the unjust. Storms come in all shapes and sizes and from all directions; both spiritual and natural. We can prepare for storms, but no one is every totally prepared. We don't get to choose when the storm will come. We must learn that in the midst of all the storm, He is still our rock and our salvation. When the sun shins, He reigns. When it pours, He still reigns.

The word life speaks to a number of different possibles. What we are involved in is an ongoing process. Life is taking us somewhere. Most would agree that we live in a bizarre time. We can describe our world as chaotic, crazy, confusing, tumultuous. Part of the chaos we see in life is because we live in a world where change happens by the second. In the midst of this change many people are casting things off. Change happens so quickly that we won't fully understand if it is good or bad for some time. Because of this we have to be careful of what we cast away as part of this change. When we look at the bigger picture, we all are interested in living successful lives. No one enjoys struggling with the failures and setbacks in life. Yet there are many people who feel a sense of failure because life has not gone as we thought it would. How can we live a successful life? What is the formula for a successful life? How do we keep life from being falling down into the gutter and becoming frustrating? How can we keep life in focus and on a path to a divine destiny? In our text, Paul talked about the life that he was living. He lays out four foundational components of a successful life. The first component is truth. We cannot build our life on a life and expect that life to withstand the storms that will come. There must be a foundational truth that anchors us. Paul says that foundational truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus is not an answer for life, He is THE answer for life. Too many people are trying to get though life with Jesus as an option in life instead of being the center of life. A blessed life begins with truth. The second component that Paul mentions is faith. We must believe something. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. With faith, nothing shall be impossible. The third component is in verse 20: Love. Love becomes a constraining force in life. Love is what compels us to do what we do, not because we have to, but because we want to. Love is the greatest motivational force in the world. There must be love in our spiritual life. It governs our thoughts, our actions and our desires. Too many people love the blessings, but are not in love with the giver of those blessings. Finally the forth component of a blessed life is rules. Some people seem to feel that they can have truth, faith and love, but no rules. The lie of the teaching of this age is that we have too many rules and that God's grace eliminates the need for rules. The truth is that if we are to have a relationship with God, there will be rules to facilitate that. We cannot be made perfect by adhering to rules. We cannot live a perfect enough life to merit salvation. We cannot have a relationship without rules. A rule is a principle that governs our behavior. Rules are needed for order. They help create a safe environment.

The word life speaks to a number of different possibles. What we are involved in is an ongoing process. Life is taking us somewhere. Most would agree that we live in a bizarre time. We can describe our world as chaotic, crazy, confusing, tumultuous. Part of the chaos we see in life is because we live in a world where change happens by the second. In the midst of this change many people are casting things off. Change happens so quickly that we won't fully understand if it is good or bad for some time. Because of this we have to be careful of what we cast away as part of this change. When we look at the bigger picture, we all are interested in living successful lives. No one enjoys struggling with the failures and setbacks in life. Yet there are many people who feel a sense of failure because life has not gone as we thought it would. How can we live a successful life? What is the formula for a successful life? How do we keep life from being falling down into the gutter and becoming frustrating? How can we keep life in focus and on a path to a divine destiny? In our text, Paul talked about the life that he was living. He lays out four foundational components of a successful life. The first component is truth. We cannot build our life on a life and expect that life to withstand the storms that will come. There must be a foundational truth that anchors us. Paul says that foundational truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus is not an answer for life, He is THE answer for life. Too many people are trying to get though life with Jesus as an option in life instead of being the center of life. A blessed life begins with truth. The second component that Paul mentions is faith. We must believe something. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. With faith, nothing shall be impossible. The third component is in verse 20: Love. Love becomes a constraining force in life. Love is what compels us to do what we do, not because we have to, but because we want to. Love is the greatest motivational force in the world. There must be love in our spiritual life. It governs our thoughts, our actions and our desires. Too many people love the blessings, but are not in love with the giver of those blessings. Finally the forth component of a blessed life is rules. Some people seem to feel that they can have truth, faith and love, but no rules. The lie of the teaching of this age is that we have too many rules and that God's grace eliminates the need for rules. The truth is that if we are to have a relationship with God, there will be rules to facilitate that. We cannot be made perfect by adhering to rules. We cannot live a perfect enough life to merit salvation. We cannot have a relationship without rules. A rule is a principle that governs our behavior. Rules are needed for order. They help create a safe environment.

When looking at the skyline of New York City it is easy to wonder how those buildings can be built so tall and still be stable. The answer is that they dig deep into the earth until they reach the bedrock and from there begin to build the foundation.

Our text is simple. The message is not hidden in type or shadows. It is evident at the first reading. However, before we read too quickly, Bro. Hughes takes a closer look. Jesus likens a life to building a house. God allows us the freedom to play a part in the building of our life. We have choices to make. God had enough confidence in humanity that He allows us to exercise choices in the development of our life. With those choices come responsibilities. The outcomes presented in our text are stark: Success or Failure. It portrays the difference between what can be shaken and what will stand. We get to choice and we get to play a part in whether we succeed or fail. If we build our life on a strong foundation, it will withstand the shaking that will come. The difference between these two outcomes is simple. The foundation matters. When looking a beautiful architecture, the foundation is seldom noticed. The beautiful trim and fixtures will not last if the foundation is weak. It may not be viable, but it will affect everything that is done afterwords. Many, if not most of the issues that the world struggles against, are caused by a weak foundation. The swirling winds and changing tides do not affect those who build on a strong foundation. The foundation is a predictor of life.

The story of these two buildings tells us that life is created. Both builders started with raw materials and built a home. All of us begin life with a clean slate and have the ability to create life that will either be good or bad. We have the creative capacity to choose how life will be for us. This story also tells us that no one else is to blame for failure. Equally important as the creative aspect is he selective part of life. We must be selective about what we build and where we choose to build it. The choices we make determine the result we attain. We cannot just build anywhere. We must learn to build with a longer view in mind. We have to look far enough into the future to see what our choices right now will cause down the road. The reason so many fail in life is that they live for the moment, and do not see what that will produce down the road. Finally, life is decisive. We make decisions every day that will affect not only right now, but our future too. Both builders had equal opportunity. They both had the ability to hear. What they heard affected what they did. They both heard the same words. There were not two different messages. How differently they responded. How we respond to the word of God will determine the course of our life. Our hearing will determine our doing. Both heard the same words, but only one was obedient. An obedient life will produce blessings that outweigh whatever we must deny ourselves for in the moment. We are not born naturally obedient. There are different outcomes to the story because they responded differently to what they heard. It is not what we know, but what we do with what we know that determines the success or failure in life.

When looking at the skyline of New York City it is easy to wonder how those buildings can be built so tall and still be stable. The answer is that they dig deep into the earth until they reach the bedrock and from there begin to build the foundation.

Our text is simple. The message is not hidden in type or shadows. It is evident at the first reading. However, before we read too quickly, Bro. Hughes takes a closer look. Jesus likens a life to building a house. God allows us the freedom to play a part in the building of our life. We have choices to make. God had enough confidence in humanity that He allows us to exercise choices in the development of our life. With those choices come responsibilities. The outcomes presented in our text are stark: Success or Failure. It portrays the difference between what can be shaken and what will stand. We get to choice and we get to play a part in whether we succeed or fail. If we build our life on a strong foundation, it will withstand the shaking that will come. The difference between these two outcomes is simple. The foundation matters. When looking a beautiful architecture, the foundation is seldom noticed. The beautiful trim and fixtures will not last if the foundation is weak. It may not be viable, but it will affect everything that is done afterwords. Many, if not most of the issues that the world struggles against, are caused by a weak foundation. The swirling winds and changing tides do not affect those who build on a strong foundation. The foundation is a predictor of life.

The story of these two buildings tells us that life is created. Both builders started with raw materials and built a home. All of us begin life with a clean slate and have the ability to create life that will either be good or bad. We have the creative capacity to choose how life will be for us. This story also tells us that no one else is to blame for failure. Equally important as the creative aspect is he selective part of life. We must be selective about what we build and where we choose to build it. The choices we make determine the result we attain. We cannot just build anywhere. We must learn to build with a longer view in mind. We have to look far enough into the future to see what our choices right now will cause down the road. The reason so many fail in life is that they live for the moment, and do not see what that will produce down the road. Finally, life is decisive. We make decisions every day that will affect not only right now, but our future too. Both builders had equal opportunity. They both had the ability to hear. What they heard affected what they did. They both heard the same words. There were not two different messages. How differently they responded. How we respond to the word of God will determine the course of our life. Our hearing will determine our doing. Both heard the same words, but only one was obedient. An obedient life will produce blessings that outweigh whatever we must deny ourselves for in the moment. We are not born naturally obedient. There are different outcomes to the story because they responded differently to what they heard. It is not what we know, but what we do with what we know that determines the success or failure in life.