Many think that after the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the guilty humans saw their depravity and committed their lives to the pursuit of holiness and restoration. The reality is that they have devolved further away from God in their behaviors and pursuits.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, God confronted them. He did not say, "How dare you sin against me!" or "I cannot believe you?!". God asked a question - He asked, "Where are you?". He was asking not where they were geographically, but where they were in relationship to Him.

As Jesus prepared to go to the cross and return to the Father, He promised the Holy Spirit and taught us what His ministry to us would look like through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promised us that "In this life you will have tribulations." You may be in such a time, just coming out of one or about to enter one. King Jehoshaphat stood before God in such a time and said, "Lord, I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you." This made all the difference and serves as a reminder and model for us.

As we consider Nehemiah's prayer, we see four elements of prayer that should be part of our lives: prayers of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

God desired to accomplish something remarkable through Nehemiah, but first, He had to do something in Nehemiah. That thing was to burden him with love and concern for a people he didn't know and for a city he had never been to.

What would you do if you woke up this morning and all you possessed was what you had decided to thank God for yesterday? What would you have?

Thanksgiving is not just a holiday—it is a posture we must adopt as recipients of God's unique and lavish gifts.

1 Corinthians 3:11-19 - Everyone will stand before God and give an account for their lives. Christians are no different, though the judgment will be different. Take care of how you spend your life and where you invest.

1 Samuel 8 - Israel demands a king like the nations around them.

1 Samuel 1 - The birth of Samuel the prophet. Hannah learns to value the Giver over the gift.