New Life Church - Fort Smith

We have all felt the pressure to fit in with what is most popular or what other people are doing. It can be easy to take our eyes off the things that matter most and direct our attention to what others say matters. Through Shadrach, Meshach, and Abdenego, we see how to live as followers of Christ when we face this pressure.

Sometimes when the pressure is on, we need to be wise to avoid getting burned. Saul was new to being king. When pressure was applied, his true character surfaced and mistakes happened. 1 Samuel 13 teaches us how to handle these situations in a way that honors God.

Have you ever felt dry spiritually? Like your cup was empty? Just kinda stuck spiritually. It’s not that I think I’ve lost my salvation, it’s just that sometimes you lose the joy of your salvation. The spiritual passion isn’t thereRoutine replaces relationshipDuty replaces delightPerformance replaces passionWhat do you do when you’ve lost your edge! You may not be chopping the cedars of Lebanon but maybe you have lost your spiritual edge, your spiritual power is gone, how do you get it back??

On this Father's Day, we look at what it means to leave a legacy. David was aware of the legacy he wanted to leave with Solomon and made clear the things that were most important to him: the things of God. When you invest your life, you are exchanging the days you do have to impact the days you don’t have. The greatest use of your life is to invest in something that outlasts it.

Hannah faced a life of pain. She faced that pain by taking it to the Lord, and in doing so, God gave her peace in the midst of the pain and ultimately gave her a son.

Sometimes, God will let you have the thing you think you want, so you can find out how much you need Him. Just because you get the things you want does not mean you’re getting the things that are best. Sometimes, you get the things you want, and God shows you that those things aren’t the solution you think they are. This happened to the people of Israel. They wanted a king when God was supposed to be their King.

Sometimes, decisions in life are clearly lined in Scripture. Other times, we experience things in life where the answers are not so easy. Should I accept this job? Is this who I am supposed to marry? What's for lunch after church?!! Thankfully, the Bible does give principles that can help us navigate these situations.

If I only had ____________, I’d be happy….

What is that you need in order to find contentment? Is it possible to even be content in life? Paul says yes, it is — and he’s learned how. Check out this week’s message as we walk through the Secret of Contentment in Philippians 4.

Previously in Philippians 2, we discussed values Paul wanted the church in Philippi to know, giving us Jesus as the greatest example of them. Paul, in Philippians 2, continues to teach these values through 2 other examples, Timothy and Epaphroditus.

When Paul is writing this letter to the Philippians from prison. At this point, he had been intensely following Jesus for between 20 and 30 years of his life. He was a FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF CHRIST. Paul is someone who has been on a long walk with Jesus. He’s learned some things on his long walk and you can see them in this letter.