In part two of our current series we are addressing the question, “What does a perfect relationship with God even suppose to look like?”

There are a lot of people who will tell you they know that God loves them. They might even tell you they love God. But the deeper question they might not be asking themselves is, “Do you love the relationship you have with God?” 

Do you want more? Do you think God wants more? What does a perfect relationship with God even suppose to look like? Take a listen and find out!

What does a perfect relationship with God even suppose to look like?

There are a lot of people who will tell you they know that God loves them. They might even tell you they love God. But the deeper question they might not be asking themselves is, “Do you love the relationship you have with God?” 

Do you want more? Do you think God wants more? What does a perfect relationship with God even suppose to look like? Take a listen and find out!

How do you follow-through and finish well when persecution rises as a villain in your world?

When Jesus walked upon the earth, He knew He was walking in a lost world where people could be really mean; where mistreatment and persecution of individuals and people groups were a normal part of life; where persecution would rise as a villain creating occasions when we would just want to quit or fight back.

Persecution is still happening all around us, both locally and globally. It can come in forms of religious persecution, racism, political persecution, etc. It rises as a villain when the mistreatment of individuals or people groups escalates to devalue, dehumanize, and take away an individual’s or group’s right to exist.

How can we follow-through and finish well when persecution rises as a villain in our world today? Take a listen and find out!

How do you follow-through and finish well when you’re dealing with major conflict? 

We live in a very conflict-filled world. Conflicts are happening all around, in our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our work places, in all branches of government and on the global stage. This past week alone, the news reported more mass shootings in Santa Clara, CA and in Miami-Dade, FL. In the international arena, a commercial plane was hi-jacked and forced to land in Belarus. 

Major conflicts are not only happening externally around us, but also internally within. People are struggling with conflicts on the inside as well. It was sad to hear a report this week that 22 military service members commit suicide every day!!

Conflicts, both externally and internally, are some of the biggest obstacles that can totally derail our ability to follow-through with the hopes and dreams God has placed in our hearts to pursue.

How do you follow-through and finish well when you’re dealing with major conflict? Take a listen and find out!

How do you follow-through and finish well when it’s difficult to see the final outcome? 

The Bible records moments in history when God’s presence and power were felt upon the earth. Floods, earthquakes, wind, fire from heaven, miraculous events when God made Himself known to His people by displaying His sovereignty and power over all things in the Heavens and on the Earth. These were moments when God showed up in a BIG way!

When it’s difficult to see how things are suppose to turn out for our lives and the world we live in, it can be hard to follow-through and finish well. Jesus knew this. That’s one of the reasons why Jesus gave His disciples the Beatitudes—blessed promises for His disciples to live life with hope.

Living with hope is what enables us to not give up, keep going, follow-through and finish well even when it’s difficult to see the final outcome. Just like God showed up in a BIG way on the day of Pentecost when He filled His disciples to overflowing with His Holy Spirit, so God is able to show up BIG in our lives today even when it’s difficult to see the final outcome!

How does God bring this reality in our lives today? Take a listen and find out!

#ColumbiaLifeChurchOR #Beatitudes #Blessed #Blessing #Favor #FollowThrough #PureInHeart #Vision #Pentecost

How is following-through and finishing well even possible when life seems way too complicated?

We woke up this morning to a very complicated situation. Fighting and unrest has been playing out all week in Israel along the Gaza Strip and West Bank. The violence and loss of life erupting right now includes people groups entangled in a complex conflict not birthed in recent months or even years, but passed on from generation to generation for centuries. 

Life doesn’t get much more complicated than this. When it comes to our relationships with others, especially with those who are not like us, navigating through differences of opinions and agendas can spark hurt, betrayal, spite, anger, bitterness, even war. 

Not caring and/or not being skilled in our relationships with others can derail so many potentially good things and “God things” in our lives. When our relationships with others start turning toxic, it’s almost impossible to follow-through and finish well. 

The good news is that Jesus knew this. How is following-through and finishing well even possible when life seems way too complicated? Take a listen and find out!

How do you “follow-through,” when you find yourself in the middle of soul-draining circumstances? What does the perfect finishing move look like when you find yourself in the middle of a soul-crushing situation?

I’m not sure how life may be going for you right now. But if you’re in the middle of a soul-draining, soul-crushing, circumstance, there is still a promise of blessing for you. God still has a promise of blessing for you!

How can you “follow-Him-through” and out of a soul-draining or soul-crushing situation? Take a listen and find out!

How does God start and finish something really good in a person’s life? How does God begin and bring to conclusion something really good in a person’s life, especially when you have never been more lost than ever?

We are in a new series entitled, “Follow Through.” It’s what brings an action to a conclusion in our lives. In athletics, it is the finishing movement that happens after a ball has been struck or thrown. For us, we are believing in this next season that God wants to begin and bring to conclusion something really good in those who would dare to follow Him!

Problem is life sometimes goes sideways, really sideways. In this past year, people have suffered an extraordinary amount of loss in their lives. Loss of a job, loss of income, loss of health, lost relationships, lost dreams and opportunities, and especially the loss of loved ones. 

How do we recover emotionally from a situation beyond our control, our expertise, our pay grade? How do we get past the fact that somethings are beyond our power, our ability and our words to fix them? When we’re mourning, it’s as if life has stopped, everything has stopped including the good things God may want to bring about in our lives. The more difficult the pain, the more lostness we tend to experience. 

How is God STILL able to bring about good things when you have never been more lost than ever? Take a listen and find out!

How does God start and finish something really good in a person’s life? And what role does the Holy Spirit play in all this? 

We are in new series entitled, “Follow Through.” It’s what brings an action to a conclusion in our lives. In athletics, it is the finishing movement that happens after a ball has been struck or thrown. 

If you’re listening to this message, I believe you’re not here by accident, but that God has a word for you. You’re entering into season in which God wants to begin and bring to conclusion something wonderful in your life and its something God doesn’t want you to miss!

That’s why He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide and empower us along the way. There is a destination, a divine outcome, God wants to bring about in your life, but you’ll need the Holy Spirit to “follow-through” with what God gives you to do. 

God wants to start and finish something really good in your life! How can the Holy Spirit help you from missing what God wants to do in your life? Take a listen and find out!

How does God bring the dead back to life? Aren’t dead things suppose to stay dead forever? Not if God has anything to say about it!

The words, “He is risen,” means we have hope. It means death doesn’t have the final word. What does this mean for our lives today? Take a listen and find out!