How much time are you spending on God’s Word? There’s nothing magical about the book itself… it’s just paper with ink, but the words it contains reveal the very heart of God. He speaks to us in it, and when you dedicate time to study it, it will change you. In today’s message, Pastor Mike will challenge us to be purposeful about seeking God through His Word. Don’t slack on reading it. It’s worth every minute. When you hide its words in your heart, it will transform your life from the inside out.

In our pride, we often try to take the reins back from God and handle the challenges of this life on our own. That’s where Peter found himself on the night Jesus was arrested. He had devoted his life to following this man, and he’d come to believe He was the Messiah, but now He’d been betrayed and arrested. How could this be the plan? As Pastor Mike will remind us in today’s message, when we find ourselves in moments of trial like Peter, we need to lean in and trust that God will fulfill His promises.

While Christ offers salvation freely, accepting His invitation to be His follower comes at a cost. And it’s a pretty steep price tag: He asks you to give all of yourself. The rewards are beyond anything that we can imagine, but it requires letting go of the temporary things we hold dear in this life. As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, Scripture calls this dying to yourself. You put your own desires and comforts to death, allowing Christ to replace them with His purpose.

As Pastor Mike listed off those resources, were there any that you can say you possess in abundance? Many of us are severely lacking in patience, peace, joy, generosity, or courage. God is not lacking in any of those traits. He’s a generous provider who won’t leave you wanting when you trust in Him. When you stop trying to attain those things on your own, admit your dependence on God, and lean into Him, He will supply everything you need to live a spiritually abundant life.

God hates pride. It stands in the way of His will being accomplished in your life. If you think you’re bringing anything to the table that God doesn’t already have access to a thousand different ways, you’ll likely learn the hard way that God can accomplish His will without your help. That may sound harsh, but remember, that’s not what God wants. As Pastor Mike will explain in today’s message, God wants to use you as you submit your gifts and abilities to Him in humility.

Have you ever had a leader who “lorded” over you? Sometimes it’s just something in the tone of their voice. Or it may be in their general demeanor and attitude towards you. It doesn’t feel good and when you sense that their leadership is tailored towards serving their own purposes and benefit, you’ll quickly lose motivation to follow them. That’s bad leadership. As Pastor Mike will point out in today’s message, good, Christ-like leadership comes alongside love, seeking to grow and sharpen those you lead.

You don’t have to be an expert in the strategies of war to know that taking out the leaders of an army can deal a very effective blow, even when no one else is harmed. As we fight through the spiritual battle that wages around us, we see the same thing happening on that level. As Pastor Mike will warn in today’s message, when you boldly follow Christ and He works in you to accomplish great things in this world, it’s only a matter of time before the enemy takes notice and aims his arrows at you.

All too often, when we face trials, one of our first responses is to question God and accuse Him of being cruel. But, as Pastor Mike will remind us in today’s message, we shouldn’t blame Him or doubt His goodness when we experience the results of our own sinfulness or even that of others. Man chose to serve self and disobey God. That’s on us, not Him. The good news is, that He’s a God of redemption, and when you humbly trust in Him, He can take your suffering and work it for good.

God doesn’t cause suffering in His Children’s lives – but He does allow it. If you’re in the middle of a serious trial, that may not be much comfort to hear, but remember that God knows your pain, and He wants to bring good from it. As Pastor Mike will remind us in today’s message, we can rejoice in the middle of suffering when we place our trust fully in God. The trial will never be more than we can bear, and as we lean into God, He’ll strengthen us and redeem even the worst circumstances.

Have you paid the price of discipleship? Or have you held back from following Jesus’ calling? You may think you can just take advantage of the perks of membership in God’s Kingdom without a sacrifice of your own, but that’s simply not possible. As Pastor Mike will point out in today’s message, when you experience the life-changing grace of Jesus, and you choose to accept His love for you, you can’t go on in your old way, serving yourself above all else. Your heart will long to serve the One who saves you.