How do you interact with God? Do you seek His approval and blessing by doing certain good deeds or avoiding certain bad behaviors? That’s religion. Or is it in a relationship? Where you acknowledge that He’s a loving and gracious Father who already did everything necessary to save you and provide for you. As Pastor Mike will point out in today’s message, Saul, Israel’s first king, fell back on religion, trading God’s agenda for his own when things weren’t going the way he thought they should.

Once you’re saved, you’ll become a target for temptation more than ever before. The remnants of your old nature will remain throughout the rest of this life, and they’ll constantly fight against the new nature that Christ gives you. Sadly, while no temptation is too great to handle, there will inevitably be times where you’ll find yourself giving in. As Pastor Mike will challenge us in today’s message, when you lose those small battles, don’t be afraid – repent and move forward, knowing that Christ’s work was enough.

Our God listens to broken and contrite hearts. Pride is one of the major barriers that stand between us and Him. It’ll lead you to think you can earn your way to Him through your own power and merit, and to assume that when you fail, God would never accept you. As Pastor Mike continues our study of 1st Samuel in today’s message, he’ll stress just how important it is to have repentant hearts. When you approach God, acknowledging how much you need Him to save you, He’ll eagerly welcome you in and redeem you.

One of the most important qualities necessary for any good leader, especially within the Church, is humility. Christ demonstrated this to perfection. He was God in human form and yet He traveled around homeless, healing the sick and teaching the truth. Despite that, you’ll find pastors today who would throw a fit if no one remembered to leave a glass of water in the pulpit for them. As Pastor Mike will warn in today’s message, if you want to be a godly leader, you must stay humble and direct all glory to God.

While it can be perfectly reasonable to express worry or concern over certain situations, we sometimes let our worrying go too far. From anxiety, fear, or outright panic, we can easily let our worrying get the best of us if we're not careful. In today's message, Pastor Mike will remind you that The Lord is in perfect control of each and every situation. In his study, he'll encourage you to take heart in knowing that The Lord will always go before you and guide you through times of trouble.

Have you ever been so certain about a specific calling from God in your life that you can't help but wonder why things aren't moving along? This is perhaps one of the most common hurdles in the life of the believer. Take care not to get ahead of The Lord! As Pastor Mike will teach you in his message today, God's calling in your life is only but a fraction of the process. In his study, you'll learn how God often takes as much time as needed to prepare you as well as several other factors relative to that call.

We have a dangerous tendency to judge people by their external appearance. Whether it’s a potential friend, employee or employer, or date, most of us have found out the hard way that good looks don’t mean a person possesses the characteristics that are desirable in the role we’ve given them. As Pastor Mike will warn in today’s message, this happens in ministry just as much as in any other area. As followers of Christ, we need to shift our focus to the inner qualities, and away from the external.

We need time with God and with each other. Our instinct in the flesh may be to run to all kinds of places when we face trials or struggles. You may busy yourself with work, or surround yourself with friends or family. Or maybe you crawl under the covers and hide. Whatever your tendency is, as Pastor Mike will point out in today’s message, when you come to Christ, you’ll realize that He alone is capable of bringing calm and peace in the midst of any storm that this life brings your way.

If you were asked whether you are great, or your life is great, most of us would probably hesitate to describe it that way. Especially when Monday rolls around and it’s time to slip back into whatever your mundane routine is. For some, that routine goes beyond mundane to downright depressing. But, as Pastor Mike will challenge us in today’s message, your greatness isn’t dependent on you or your routine. The greatest thing you can do is allow Christ and His love to radiate into the darkness around you.

What is greatness? Is it attaining celebrity, political power, material wealth, athletic prowess, or great relationships? For most of us, our definitions will vary widely. But, ultimately, as believers, greatness should be characterized by our devotion to God. As Pastor Mike will encourage us in today’s message, God has a plan for each one of us, and it’s a good plan that will profit us greatly. Not necessarily in the way this world looks for profit, but it’ll bring joy and spiritual gains that this world fails to provide.