Getting To The Root

Matthew 7:17-18
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every fruit starts in the root.

If You walk into an orchard and see that the apples are all bad, you don’t blame the apples, You look at the tree.
The fruit simply reveals what is really going on beneath the surface.
Yet in our spiritual lives, we often spend years trying to deal with the fruit of our behavior, without ever examining the root system that is causing the behavior.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

Acceptance by God is settled through Christ. It is not fragile. It does not rise and fall with opinions or circumstances. It is rooted in a relationship through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
That truth alone can steady your heart that perhaps has grown tired from trying to always measure up to others expectations.

Many believers quietly struggle with this.
We say we trust God, yet we still measure ourselves by the reactions of others. Their praise, their silence, their agreement, their disapproval.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

Your Response Matters

James 1:19 — “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

Each Sunday morning some of us gather for prayer before the days Worship service begins.
In those moments we often ask the Lord for something simple but very powerful: that He would help us see with Spiritual eyesight, hear with Spiritual ears tuned toward Truth, and respond wisely to whatever the day brings.
That prayer lines us up with the instruction in James which is to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

Learning To Fly

Learning to fly is not about trying to escape life, it is about rising above the challenges of life.
Long before a bird ever leaves the nest, it learns to trust the strength it was given and the air that will carry it once it Learns to fly.
In much the same way, our walk with God is a daily lesson in trust. Not once. Not occasionally. But moment by moment.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

Song: “LEARNING TO FLY” written and composed by: Eddie B. Woodard

God’s Plan For You – Deliverance

Our key verse in this week has been:
1 Peter 5:8 — “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

This reveals the enemy’s intentions, but the very next verse reveals the believer’s response and God’s direction.

1 Peter 5:9 — “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

What we see is God never points out a threat without also giving us a strategy.
His plan for us is never defeat, it’s deliverance.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

The Enemy’s Plan For You – Pt. 4: Destruction

Scripture warns us that the enemy never stops at simple doubt or discouragement. His path, if left unchecked, always moves toward destruction. Jesus made this plain in
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

That is not just some poetic type saying, it is a spiritual reality.
The enemy’s goal is not merely to make life difficult; it is to tear down what God is building.
The destruction I am speaking of has nothing to do with your Salvation, which is secure in Christ, but refers to the constant attempt to destroy your purpose, your reputation, and your ability to serve the Lord.

Intro Music By: Eddie B. Woodard

The Enemy’s Plan For You – PT. 3: Depression

In this series we’ve looked at how the enemy often works in stages, first doubt, which if left unchecked will lead to discouragement.
If those seeds are left unattended, they can grow heavier, sometimes settling into what the Bible refers to as Spiritual heaviness or becoming “Dismayed”, or to become depressed.

Our verse for this series remains:
1 Peter 5:8 — “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
But in the context of this subject, God encourages Joshua to guard against becoming depressed or dismayed;

Joshua 1:9
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

The Enemy’s Plan For You – Part 2: Discouragement
1 Peter 5:8 — “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Discouragement is often the second step in the enemy’s plan against us.
As we said yesterday, first comes doubt, that quiet whisper that questions what God has said.
Then comes discouragement, a heavy feeling that makes you question whether it’s even worth it to keep going.

Intro Music By: Eddie B. Woodard

The Enemy’s Plan For You — Part 1: Doubt
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

It is important for us to know that The enemy rarely begins with open attack.
He begins with a question. A whisper. A seed of uncertainty.
His first step is not destruction — it is doubt.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

HOW YOU SEE IT
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Every day arrives with a mixture of moments. Some are very encouraging.
Others are inconvenient, frustrating, or even heavy.
Most of the time, Before noon, most of us will have already been given multiple opportunities to choose what we focus on.
That choice quietly shapes the tone and direction of the whole day.

Intro Music By: Mike Outland

Song: “HOW YOU SEE IT” written and composed by: Eddie B. Woodard