Despite the triumphs of David, King Saul became filled with the poison of jealousy and sought to have his revenge by killing David. Saul hires elite soldiers to kill David, but he escapes just before they are to execute him while sleeping. Filled with rage, Saul sent his entire army after David, and yet God provides David with the unbelievable opportunity to kill Saul and end the whole ordeal. David must now decide to give in to revenge or to honor God by respecting His choice for King. David ultimately chooses the latter as he overcomes the urge to take his revenge and, in doing so, gives God the glory.

There are two things that are true for everyone: we all need to have the right kinds of friends and we all need to be the right kind of friend to others. In this life, we will make many acquaintances, but we won’t make many true friends.

This entire story of David and Goliath is not about a little shepherd boy who beat a huge giant. It is a story about GOD! The point of the battle between David and Goliath is this: there is a God who rescues, a God who will fight our battles for us, and a God who is bigger than any giant we will ever face.

Would it surprise you to learn there has been more written about David than any other character in the entire Bible except Jesus? This typical, unassuming, not-so-special young man did not come from wealth, did not possess any unique characteristics, and did not enjoy the benefits of a learned profession. He was an average person with a below average job as a shepherd from a poor family. And yet, he would become a king because he truly sought God’s own heart.

It’s one thing to have a relationship with God. It’s another thing to have a relationship with God and be sure of it. Many Christians struggle with doubt, wondering if there’s anything they can do to lose their salvation. They question whether God’s faithfulness to them is conditional. So in this message, we are going to set the record straight and answer the question, “Can I lose my salvation?” We’ll take a look at what Jesus has to say about this matter where He identifies the people who really have a relationship with God, and where He verifies exactly how permanent that relationship is.

Many people today struggle with managing their money. They don’t save enough. They spend money they don’t have. They have their financial priorities flipped upside down. Many of them can’t even sleep for worrying about money. But God never intended for us to live our lives bogged down by financial pressure. Instead, He wants us to live in financial freedom. So in today’s message, we are going to take a look at four steps you can take to achieve financial freedom in your own life.

Have you ever asked the question, “Does God always answer our prayers?” Well, there’s a very simple answer to that question. The truth is, God always answers our prayers, but we must understand that that doesn’t mean He always answers our prayers the way we want Him to. Prayer is not about getting God to do your will; it is about getting God to do His will. The key to getting your prayers heard and your prayers answered is by praying according to the will of God because prayers prayed in the will of God will always accomplish the work of God.

As we close out this series, we are going to look at a character trait that is certainly not in abundance. Disrespect is found in greater quantities everywhere – in the home, in the government, in the media, in our schools, and on our highways. There is a story of a man in the Bible who one day would be king, who had every reason not just to disrespect the one who was king, but to destroy him and bring his kingdom to an end. But, the fact that he did not and the reasons that he did serve as a great reminder over 2500 years later why respect is so important and what it looks like. This story teaches us three tremendous lessons that we need to not only learn but desperately need to pass on to the next generation who desperately need to recover.

I have heard it said that the greatest ability is availability. I no longer believe that. I believe the greatest ability is reliability because if you are available without being reliable things would be better off if you were simply unavailable. Today, we are going to look at a man that was inducted into God’s hall of fame, because of his faithfulness. A savior ultimately came into this world because of his faithfulness. A nation that at one-time history had given up for dead is in miraculous existence today, because of his faithfulness. He has been called “the father of the faithful” and “the brightest star in the Hebrew heaven,” because of his faithfulness. His name is Abraham. There was an incident that took place in his life that is both at first glance difficult to believe and fathom it is in the Bible. Yet, it gave him an opportunity to define once and for all what true faithfulness really is.

There is a lion within every one of us called “self.” You will find that the biggest enemy you will have to your success, to going where you can and should go, and being who can and should be will always be you. If you want to win the battle of life the first battle you have to win is the one over yourself. In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul talked about living the Christian life which is a life lived for the glory of God and under the power of the gospel in terms of running a race and he tells us that if you are going to win this race and live what we call the cross-shaped life, it begins and ends with self-control.