True North

You have on-demand access to the Creator of the universe! That’s a privilege that shouldn’t be discounted. Pastor Gary implores you to get excited in today’s message because you can pray to God and know that He hears your prayer. When you were adopted into God’s family, the connection between God and man that had been destroyed by sin was reformed. That’s why more people should be excited by being part of the Body of Christ, it helps restore you to the purpose you were created for!

Have you ever watched someone build a tower out of playing cards? It takes a lot of delicate balancing and placement in order to create a free-standing structure. Remove one card and everything will collapse. In today’s message, Pastor Gary teaches that each member of the Body of Christ is vitally important to the mission of the Gospel. There are other believers who are relying on you to be faithful to God’s commandments, looking to you to be an example of how to put Jesus first!

Have you tried getting exercise after not exercising for a while? You will probably feel sore, as your body isn’t used to the level of activity you’re now trying to put it through. But with consistent effort, you can get stronger. Today, Pastor Gary explains that if you treat praising God like an exercise, and do it consistently over a long period of time, it’ll become like second nature to you. You will learn to praise God, even when problems come your way, because you know He’s got you in His hands.

It’s been shown throughout Scripture that people who understand even a small fraction of God’s glory can’t help but praise Him. Moses was so close to the presence of God that his face glowed, as he descended Mount Sinai. Today, Pastor Gary wants to know when your praise is going to glow! Are you going to obey the words of Scripture praise God and acknowledge the supremacy of His glory? You can be stubborn all you want, but that won’t change the fact that He’s deserving of all your praise.

How often do you praise God? Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke that if the people don’t praise Him, the rocks of the ground will cry out in their place. Pastor Gary teaches you today that the need to praise God is built into the very fabric of human existence. When you don’t give the Lord the praise that He is due, you begin to become separated from Him and begin to follow the ways of the enemy. The best way to align your life with that of Jesus is to spend time in prayer and worship of the King.

One of the ways that God uses obstacles in your life is to remind you of your need to rely on Him. When God left Jacob with a limp, it served to remind Jacob of the weakness of his flesh, and it taught him to rely fully on God. Pastor Gary reminds you today that while your flesh is weak and incapable of following God’s commandments on its own, God lends you His strength to go the rest of the way. You’re not meant to go through life alone, and God is your perfect and most reliable companion through life.

God never promises you an easy path through life. Sometimes the obstacles you face in life are meant to get your attention. When you step away from God’s path and end up following your old patterns, the Lord may allow the enemy’s stumbling blocks, to remind you of where your heart needs to be. Today, Pastor Gary teaches that Jacob was a man who had begun to serve his own interests over the Lord’s. God wrestled with him and helped Jacob recognize his need for a merciful God. This pointed him back to the Father.

Have you ever felt awkward having to pray in front of a group of people or at a dinner table? Sometimes it can be hard to pray to God in front of people you don’t know, or people who don’t believe in God. In today’s message, Pastor Gary will empower you to pray like no one is watching. Don’t change the power and impact of your prayer depending on who’s in the room. You should pray with passion and fervency no matter what. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel. There is power in the mighty name of Jesus!

How do you receive blessings from God? Are you suddenly blessed after you’ve hit a certain amount of hours prayed or by giving a specific amount of money? It might sound ridiculous if you understand God and the bible, but many other religions believe that you can earn your way into heaven. Today, Pastor Gary will remind you that God gives you His blessing by simply following His word. When you listen to God’s word and apply it to your life, you will begin to see the true blessing of God poured into your life.

Think about how you feel loved. Some people feel loved by getting gifts. Other people feel loved by spending quality time with someone. We all have unique ways of feeling loved, but how does God receive our love? Today, Pastor Gary will remind you that loving God is no different than loving another person. You can spend time with Him, give Him gifts, and express your joy in serving Him. Don’t think God is some distant being that can’t be loved. He deserves the same love that He gives you.