‘Test Anxiety’ can affect anyone. The worry and self-doubt we feel can be crushing.  Whether that be a School test, a Medical Test, or a Driver’s License Exam.  Here we are in the midst of March Madness and there is the overwhelming pressure for players to ‘Win or Go Home.'  But James 1:2 tells us when we encounter various trials & the testing of our faith, that it can be celebrated.

Our Natural Inclination is to want things done our way… James, the brother of Jesus, claimed that not getting what we want would be the cause of every argument & fight.  That same issue spills over into our relationship with God. This is why Jesus said:  “If people want to follow ME, they must give up the things THEY want…” Luke 9:23 NCV.  Peter repeats that same idea in 1 Peter 2:21 ISV, "The Messiah also suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps."  In our message, we explore what it means to "follow the steps of Jesus".

Ecclesiastes tells us that “It’s better to FINISH something than to START it.”  Jesus told us that ‘Not everyone can be my disciple. Carry your cross & follow Me - Don’t begin what you can’t finish!’ Paul told us, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”  In this weeks message we look at how the blessing of God causes us to finish strong.

Most of us would easily admit that sometimes we just don't know how to pray.  In today's message, we explore this.

God wants to do MORE with our life than we could ever imagine!  In our prayers, we TELL God that we want to know His will for our life… but DO WE?  What if the “BLESSED” Life that God has in mind for us, takes us where we’ve never been before?

It’s in God’s Nature to Bless our Lives.  In fact, God Promised His Blessing to Abram ‘I will bless you and all people will be blessed through you’ in Genesis chapter 12.   Jesus explains how to live life blessed by God in His Sermon on the Mount.  The Apostle Paul tells believers ‘God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ' in Ephesians 1:3.  But life doesn’t always feel “Blessed" and the blessings we do have can feel as temporary as words written in the sand.

It is SO FRUSTRATING when it feels like there’s nothing you can do to make a difference!  What do you do, when it feels like there’s nothing you can do? The simple answer is this: “You pray”  But that seems like such a soft, weak answer, doesn’t it?  That’s probably why Prayer is often our LAST RESORT instead of our FIRST RESPONSE!

Just this week it was reported that there have been over 350 cars stolen in Central Ohio THIS YEAR… 20/day!   So apparently you can either ‘Lie, Cheat & Steal’ to get what you want… Or you can TRUST GOD’s OPINION that Character, Integrity, a Work Ethic & Self-Discipline will pay off.  One Satisfies God… the Other Satisfies Yourself.

You can wish, you can hope, and you can pray.  But eventually, you are going to have to obey.  Especially when God says, "The Time is Now!"  Do you ever notice that sometimes people have a tendency to be what we often call ‘Blow-Hards’?  In Texas, they’re referred to as: ‘All Hat & No Cattle ... Trash Talkers who got beat on every play.'  God has an opinion about people who are like that regarding their faith.  James 2:14 CEB “What good is it if people SAY they have faith, but DO NOTHING to show it?”  James 2:17 The Msg- ‘Does merely TALKING about faith indicate that a person really has it?’

You can wish, you can hope, and you can pray.  But eventually, you are going to have to obey.  Especially when God says, "The Time is Now!"  Nobody wants to be a coward, but the struggle for courage isn’t just a sub-plot in Dorothy’s ‘Wizard of Oz'.  As each new chapter of our life is written, new challenges force us to face our fears.  And whether it’s our fear of the unknown, or fear of the known... we all need courage.