Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I do what I do?” It's a good question and today Pastor Mike teaches that your motives really matter. When you pursue things that only please you, and neglect what the Lord wants, you become frustrated, because you never seem to be satisfied. As a child of God, your satisfaction, your peace, and true freedom come from hearing His voice and doing all that you do to please Him. It takes belief, in His promises, without which you cannot please Him.

Scripture teaches us that Jesus is the Living Word of God. Today, Pastor Mike recounts the story of David, bringing the ark back to Jerusalem, and how God was displeased in the manner it was done. Do you know that God has a prescription for how you are to worship Him? Jesus said you are to worship in Spirit and in Truth. His Spirit, in you, bears witness to the Truth of who He is, and His character, which you will find in the written Truth of His Word. Do you daily feed on the Living Word?

Do you remember when Jesus, at His arrest, said that He could have a legion of angels come to His rescue? Today, Pastor Mike shows us, from the Word, that those same angels are here for you too! Angels are messengers of God. Psalm ninety-one says that He gives His angels charge over you, to keep you, and protect you. What a loving Father we have, who commands His angels, who are innumerable, to help you in your daily life. Have you ever asked God to send His angels to help you?

Many times, we as Christians can take on the attitude of the world, in that we believe that this is our life to do with as we please. Today Pastor Mike tells us that God is sovereign. As a Christian, do you understand that you've been bought with the great price of Jesus's blood and that your life is no longer your own? That might sound like bad news to you, but quite the contrary. God, bought and paid for you because He loves you and will always do far better for you than you could for yourself.

Do you ever feel like you've been chained, and locked in a prison, with no hope of ever getting out? Today Pastor Mike shares with us, how Israel sometimes took a long time to believe the promises of God, and to do what He said to do, to fulfill the promise. If you're born again from above, adopted into the family of God, you should know that what held you bound, no longer has a hold on you. Look up! The chains are loosened and the prison door is wide open! You can walk free, in Jesus!

You’ve probably heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Basically, this means that you can’t always tell the value of something just by looking at it. And you can see how this reality is clearly illustrated in the birth of Jesus. Today, Pastor Mike invites you to explore how the paradoxes found in the Christmas story should make a difference in your life. You’ll be reminded that from the outside, Jesus was just a poor baby, born in a barn. But this child would change the world forever!

We all want to lead happy and fulfilled lives. But the truth is that chasing happiness on your own terms will never get you what you want. In today’s message, Pastor Mike encourages you to let God take the reigns of your life. He knows what is best for you. And He knows where you’ll find real fulfillment and purpose. God has good things in store for you, you just need to give up control and follow His lead. You can trust that His promises are good and that He’ll be faithful to fulfill them in your life.

Today, Pastor Mike continues to walk us through David’s rise to become king of Israel. As you’ll see, two prominent leaders took matters into their own hands and took the life of the current king, thinking David would be pleased by this. How wrong they were! Pastor Mike reminds you that your choices have consequences. You can’t get away from the biblical reality of sowing and reaping. When you do things that aren’t in line with God’s will then you’ll eventually have to deal with the fallout of those decisions.

You might have heard the saying “Man makes plans and God laughs”. While that might seem a little harsh, the truth is that when God isn’t behind what you’re trying to do, it’s not going to work out the way that you think it will. This is exactly what you see in today’s study. Pastor Mike explains that Ishbosheth knew his time as king was coming to an end. You see, he had put his trust in other people instead of letting God establish his kingship. So, when people failed him, Ishbosheth was left standing on shaky ground.

Throughout your walk with the Lord, there are moments when you’re faced with a choice. You have to decide if you’re going to go your own way or if are you’re going to follow God’s plan? That’s exactly what Pastor Mike encourages you to do in today’s message. He says you should “do it”. Reach out to the Lord and let Him lead you into the abundant life that He died to give you. And, while life will still be full of ups and downs, His presence will saturate your daily experience as you walk in step with Him.