Believer, is it your desire to press on in your walk with the Father? Do you desire growth and maturity? OR...are you content with where you're at? You see, as Christians, we should NEVER settle down into a cozy spot in our walk with God. We NEED to press on. He wants to mold us into useful vessels, but that will never happen, unless we're pliable and WILLING. In today's message, Pastor Terry will encourage us to GROW UP. To leave behind our childish ways and to press on in a more mature relationship with the Father.

As children of God, we understand that He is loving and kind. Gentle and understanding. He's full of grace and mercy. He's our Abba...our Papa...our friend. But we must not forget that He is also mighty, powerful, just, and righteous. And as we'll learn today, we need to remember this when approaching Him. We should do so with honor and respect. Yes, we can come to Him with our needs, but we need to remember WHO it is we're approaching. He is the King of Kings, the Creator of ALL things. He is our Master.

Our Heavenly Father is mighty, just, righteous, omni-present and ALL powerful. He is our Creator. He is our Master. And as His children, it should be our desire to be submitted to Him and His Word. It should be our goal to walk according to the plan He has for us. Because of our love for HIM...we should WANT to obey His Word. You see, our obedience will never earn our salvation. But as those that are SAVED, we should DESIRE to live obedient lives. If that's NOT your heart...if you aren't INTERESTED in walking in obedience...then you need to find out why.

In the book of Isaiah we read: 'Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous hand.' In today's message, we'll discover that as believers, we're not to fear! You see, fear stems from unbelief. It comes from a lack of trust. Christian, do you understand just how POWERFUL your Heavenly Father is? Don't you believe that there's NOTHING He cannot handle? Pastor Terry will take the time today to ENCOURAGE us to NOT fear...and to step out in faith.

Have you ever heard someone say: 'I'm too far gone to be saved.' Well sadly, there are many people that feel that way. But what we must realize, is that that is a LIE from the pit of hell! You see, as long as there is a desire in your heart to repent and turn away from sin, there's hope! Salvation is offered to ANYONE who will believe. So don't believe the lies of the enemy! You're NEVER too far gone! If you want to be changed...if you want TRUTH...then God will not withhold it from you! It's His desire that NONE would perish!

When you're in, what appears to be, a bad situation...what do you do? Do you have a bad attitude? Do you grumble, mope, and complain? OR...do you seek the Father? Do you look for areas where you can serve...where you can proclaim the truth? Sadly, most of us would probably complain. But as we'll learn in today's message, no matter WHAT our circumstances look like, there's ALWAYS a way in which we can serve. So instead of getting depressed about where God has you...ask Him how you can be put to use.

In our lesson today, Pastor Terry will take the time to encourage those of you listening who are single...who feel as if you'll never find a godly spouse. He'll remind you to be patient and wait on God's timing. You have to understand that HE knows you BETTER than you know yourself. He knows when you're ready. HIS timing is perfect. You see, when you DON'T trust in His timing, when you take things into your own hands, you're entering into dangerous territory. You see, there's no room for compromise, in the life of a believer.

Now, here's Pastor Terry in the book Genesis chapter forty-one verse forty-five with part two of our message entitled Living the Good Life.

Could you imagine facing someone who has done you wrong...who has betrayed you and left you for dead? Well that's what happened to Joseph. Years after his brothers threw him in a pit, they cross paths again. Only THIS time, Joseph has the upper hand. But does he take revenge? Does he kill them? Does he throw them out of his presence? NO! As we'll see today, Joseph eventually welcomed his brothers back into his life. He made sure that they had food to eat in the famine. What a beautiful picture of restoration!

We often look at the story of Joseph through HIS eyes. We see how he suffered betrayal, rejection, and imprisonment. Then we see him being promoted to power...all by the mighty hand of God. But in today's message, we'll get to see a glimpse of what the BROTHERS of Joseph were experiencing. You see, for YEARS they have been living with the guilt of what they did to their brother...and of how they hid the lie for so long. Just imagine the heaviness they felt! But that's what sin does! It holds us down. So don't try to hide your sin. REPENT and be CLEANSED!

In today's message, Pastor Terry will give a strong exhortation. He will stress the importance of GROWING UP. Just think of this: What if we ALL stayed at the same maturity level that we were at when we were infants. Could you imagine what this world would be like? We couldn't function! Well the same is true in our walk with the Father. We need to GROW UP. We shouldn't be content with where we're at in our walk. We should ALWAYS desire to mature and grow. But what if that's NOT your desire? Well, it sounds like you might need a heart check.