We will be in a series called Good Habits. During this series, we aim to have valuable and necessary spiritual discipline to become a part of our lives. We look to no other example than that of Jesus, and how he had made certain habits an important part of his life. Today, we will learn 3 things about prayer: priority, practice, and power.

Following last week’s sermon on lukewarmness, today, we explore the importance of retaining the fervor of our faith. Ultimately and decisively, God is our only hope for persevering in the faith, yet Christian perseverance is not passive. God commands us, in reliance upon him, to participate in the process of our perseverance in the faith. We initiate the talk on the importance good habits that lead us to spiritual maturity and retaining our fervor.

Have we become so busy in our pursuit for wealth, security, and comfort? Are we complacent with the bare minimum of Christianity? Have we become indifferent towards our spiritual state while focusing solely on our physical stature? If this describes us, we may be a lukewarm Christian. And if this is the case, Jesus says He wants to spit us out. We will be looking at the Laodicea Church's condition of "lukewarmness" and see how similar it is to so many of us in the church. We will also see what the main issue was that led to their lukewarmness. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will convict us to repent and become zealous for Jesus Christ and His will.

God raises up a young prophet by the name of Jeremiah to call the people of Juda to repent from their rebellion and wicked ways and to turn back to God. As the Potter molds the clay according to his purpose and pleasure, God wants to mold His people in accordance to His purpose and pleasure. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and now our lives are not our own. We are to allow God to be the Potter who molds and shapes us to be the people He wants us to be for His purpose and pleasure. Are we living for God or like the people of Judah are we living for ourselves and therefore, in need of repentance?

God loves employing unorthodox ways to accomplish His will. He chooses the unlikeliest candidates to represent Him as they always, without fail, succeed when they obey the Lord’s commands. What does it mean to be confident and not arrogant? And humble not weak?? We will go through the life of Gideon and learn to turn our insecurity into victory!

James being a man of prayer opens up his letter calling all believers to pray and he also closes the letter for all believers to again, pray. But, at the end of James, there’s a special call for believers to Pray for One Another. We are called to be a community of believers that pray for those who are sick. And we are to be a community of believers that mutually confess to one another and pray for one another because of the affects sin can have in our lives. This message is to remind us the importance of being part of a community that shares and prays for one another.

In a world full of confusion and compromise, it is important that the Word of God remains central in the lives of all believers. Awaiting his execution in a Roman prison, Apostle Paul writes a final letter to his disciple, Timothy. He lets him know that in the “last days” people will be lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God. And so, Paul exhorts Timothy to be different, to be set apart for Christ. The way that Timothy becomes different and remains faithful to Christ is to continue in the Word of God. In the same way, I believe God is also exhorting us to be different and remain faithful to Him in these last days of confusion and compromise.

In many seasons of life, we go through a stretch where we stray away from God. It can be for different reasons, but we long for a revival in such times; we seek God to restore us, revitalize and reinstall us with His intimate love. We explore through Isaiah chapter 1 in our desire to be revived--to go back to loving God intimately.

On this Father’s Day, we turn our attention to the topic of forgiveness. Jesus teaches the importance of being reconciled, not harboring any ill-will towards anybody prior to our worship of Him. Whether it is family, friends, or coworkers, etc. we commit to walk in God’s grace and forgive. We pray that God grants us such courage to heed His Word.

Where we turn for comfort and strength in times of great trouble reveals the condition of our hearts.  There are different ways that we soothe ourselves while we're in a state of confusion and defeat (food, pornography, alcohol, games, etc...)  We may be powerless, and even hopeless, but today, we desperately long to fix are gaze on God.