Jacob's Well Church

In this message we will discuss a path to renewal when our emotional feelers are stuck. This is a message about prayer and where to turn when we are stuck.

A personal journey into the very real “inner life” experiences of fear and anxiety, and how prayer and God’s word can bring hope.

This world is warring against our well being. It creates an environment in which, the normal state of the average person is fear, anxiety, sadness, anger and isolation. If we are not proactive and intentional about our well being we will slip into patterns that will steal our life and put us in “just get by mode.” The good news is that Jesus has come to give us a full and abundant life even in the midst of this broken world. He has also provided a path to renewal through the Holy Spirit, prayer and Scripture. In this message we describe three symptoms that we have been neglecting our inner life. We show people that they have been created with a body, soul and spirit and call people who have been neglecting their inner life to walk the path of renewal under the Lordship of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and Prayer.

In this message we will celebrate that Jesus used His power and influence to bring redemption and the forgiveness of sins. He then empowers us to offer and declare forgiveness to those who put their faith in Him. We will celebrate this forgiveness and call people to fully embrace this forgiveness through a profession of our faith and the declaration of the forgiveness we have in Christ Jesus.

Earthly power, in and of itself, falls short of the reality of God's power. This power was fully realized in the power of Jesus as He fully surrendered to death on a cross. Jesus has a different definition of power, one that challenges our illusions about power; what it means, who it is for, and what its results are meant to be in the world.

Power is not evil, in fact God empowers us to serve the common good. Of course, power can be used for great evil and selfishness. We see that example in the High Priest Caiaphas and the religious leaders of Jesus' day. In this message we will call people to become aware of the power they have and ask them to consider how they use it. Do they use it to dominate and control? Do they keep it hidden because of insecurity and fear? Or do they use it with wisdom and gentleness to be a blessing to those they live with and lead. We are free to use our power for good when we realize we do not need to create and protect our own position and place because we have been given both in Christ.

This weekend we celebrate the deliverance that God brings in our lives and to all of us as the people of God.

This message will be a warning to all who would live small and seek to acquire things for themselves as an owner. Not only will power, wealth and status leave us unsatisfied, but we all must remember that at the end of our life we will give an account for all that we have done and said. We should seek to live a life as a steward who will give an account, and we should turn to God for mercy and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.

We can learn from Esther's life how to move from an owner of our life, to God being owner of our life. Through her story we can be inspired to lay down our lives for others and see hope in our journey with God.

In the face of hatred and the reckless evil in this world, what can the people of God do? Mordecai was a man who had a radical trust in God and the sovereignty of his plan for his people and for the whole world. He saw his life not as an end unto itself, but rather as a means to advancing God’s plan. Mordecai's willingness to be used by God is a powerful example of stewardship. Once he achieves power he is an incredible example of a servant to his people.