We're all human. We're ALL imperfect. We all make mistakes. And that's why God sent His Son. Through the shed blood of Jesus, we can be cleansed and forgiven. We can be set FREE. And that process begins with a heart of repentance. But what IS repentance? Is it simply saying 'I'm Sorry'...or is it MORE? Well as Pastor Terry will explain to us, repentance means that you come to a place of humility. That you realize your sinful state. And when you confess that sin...you make the decision to turn AWAY from it...and submit to God.

Repentance is VITAL in the life of a Christian. It's KEY in the process of salvation. First, we must understand what TRUE repentance is. It's not just saying that you're sorry. It's not just a feeling of guilt. True repentance brings a response...it brings change. When you come to a place of realizing your sin...you make the decision to turn AWAY from it and walk in God's ways. You submit to Him and HIS voice. A person that has truly repented...will allow the Creator to work His grace in and through them.

Where do you go in times of trouble. Where do you find comfort and strength. Where do you take refuge? Well as believers, we have a Heavenly Father who is there for us during our times of trial and tribulation. He has not left us alone. Sometimes He uses these trials to teach us how much we truly NEED Him. But understand that it's not just during the HARD times that we need our Father. We need Him ALL the time...whether we see our need or not. We're to seek Him in ALL things. We're to trust in Him and lean on His understanding.

Do you know any Saul's in your life? Self-centered, self-seeking, self-promoting people who are only motivated by what THEY can get out of life? Perhaps YOU are a Saul? What motivates YOU? Why do you do the things you do? Are you focused on pleasing yourSELF? Are you bent on having things done YOUR WAY? You see as believers, this isn't how we're supposed to behave. These aren't the qualities and characteristics that we're to possess! We're to be selfLESS people. People who love OTHERS...and put their needs ahead of our own.

In today's message, we'll be learning about the Saul's of life. About those who are self-centered and self-seeking. Those who follow after their own desires. Those who aren't concerned for ANYONE...other than themselves. Pastor Terry will teach us how we're to DEAL with these kinds of people. You see, while we're not to allow people to run over us...we're also called to act in LOVE. In situations where we are dealing with a SAUL...we must seek the Father as to how we're to handle them. We're to prayerfully consider how JESUS would deal with such a person.

As Christians, we're to be a people who LOVE. And not with this WORLDLY sense of LOVE...but a REAL and TRUE BIBLICAL love. When we deal with the Saul's of life...we're to do so...in love. We're to deal with them...Scripturally. Understand that in ALL situations, we're to handle things according to God's ways and NOT our own. The Word is clear. We're not to lean to our own understanding. We're to trust in God and allow HIM to direct our path. We need Him to SHOW US how to deal with difficult people.

Salvation isn't a one-time thing. It's a process. We don't just say one prayer and then walk away...continuing in our sinful life as usual. Understand that as soon as we confess and repent...as soon as we accept Jesus as our Savior...we begin to change. God begins His work of grace in our lives. Slowly, day by day, we'll be given the power to walk in His ways. We'll be given the desire to DO what is right. We'll be EMPOWERED and STRENGTHEN...so that we can be useful in HIS ministry. You see, this process of change won't stop...until the day we draw our last breath.

Life is full of challenges. But as believers, we have a power that we can draw on. We have a GOD that is FOR us. Remember that David defeated Goliath. And in doing so, he captured the hearts of the people of Israel. But that doesn't mean things were always rosy for David. We'll quickly learn that even after doing RIGHT...he'll encounter trials. You see, there WILL be people who will come against us. Things won't always go our way. And it's during these times, that we learn what it TRULY MEANS...to trust in the Lord.b

In today's message, we'll see that King Saul's affections towards David...quickly turned into jealousy and hatred. Have YOU ever encountered a situation like that, believer? Most of us have. But we can't allow the Sauls in our lives to deter us from following the path God has laid out before us. We need to trust in HIM and allow His power to work in and through us. We need not fear man...because man can only harm our physical bodies. We need to lean on God and allow HIM to fight our battles.

In our time of study today, we'll learn of the struggle between King Saul and David. Pastor Terry will share with us that Saul could be considered a TYPE of the enemy. A TYPE of Satan. You see, he was jealous of David. His affections went from a fondness...to a hatred. And eventually, Saul sought to KILL David. And that's JUST like Satan. It's His goal to steal, kill, and destroy. And when you're doing the work of God...it's almost as if you have a target on your back. He will TRY to tear you down, discourage, and defeat you.