Waiting is one of the hardest things we have to do. Is there road construction that you drive around each day that seems like is taking a lifetime to finish? The frustration we feel even on that is small compared to when we feel like we are waiting on something important in our lives. While we wait, it's so hard to keep our focus and faith in God. It's simple to do that, but it's not easy is it? When we wait, we can either grow in our faith or we can try to control our situation to make it happen faster. Pastor Austin really talks about faith being an attitude that trusting God is the only option-- there is not a "plan B".

It could be argued that the story of the Bible is God's pursuit of the hearts of men. Our hearts are the seat of our intelligence, emotions, will, and character. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence for from it flow the issues of life. To guard means to give or deny access. In this message we consider how habitual heart surrender leads us to live a life of worship.

It could be argued that the story of the Bible is God's pursuit of the hearts of men. Our hearts are the seat of our intelligence, emotions, will, and character. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence for from it flow the issues of life. To guard means to give or deny access. In this message we consider how to habitually surrender our hearts to God.

It could be argued that the story of the Bible is God's pursuit of the hearts of men. Our hearts are the seat of our intelligence, emotions, will, and character. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence for from it flow the issues of life. To guard means to give or deny access. So often we as believers neglect to give God access to our hearts through habitual surrender.

God doesn't have an office with a trashcan that He throws all His good ideas in and gives up. He never paced the floor of Heaven wondering if He could save us. He always had a plan and everything He did was intentional. All the work He has ever done was for everyone, including you. If it wasn't over when Jesus was crucified, it's not over in your situation either. God is faithful and there is resurrection power available in your life just as the Savior of the World was resurrected. The same power that rose Jesus from the dead is available to you and that means it's not over. God hasn't given up and He never did.

There's nothing like a good interruption to a terrible habit. That's what Jesus is, He was the best interruption to the worst habit Mankind ever had, and that's not trusting God. When we do not trust, we sin and commit idolatry. Jesus came to pay for all our sins because it was apparent that we were not going to ever do it on our own without Him.

Jesus truly is the best ruler this world will ever know because not once has He used His rule for selfish gain, but to truly save the world.

Ole Abe... that guy just couldn't understand that God would make him fruitful. All Abraham needed to do is trust. You see a theme in all these videos yet? Trust. This part of the story is simply a replay of Genesis 3. Yet God remained faithful through every story in the Bible and God remains faithful in every chapter of your life, too. Keep following along in The Story That Leads to Jesus. Pastor Jacob will fill up the white board in no time.

Do you remember the old hymn "Trust & Obey"? It sounds so easy, but it's only simple. We see so often how merciful and faithful the Lord is even when we do not trust or obey. Humankind works really hard at not trusting and obeying God, but as we see in the Word that God has continued to stay faithful even when we are not. When it's hard to obey, it's an issue of trust.

If humans were left alone to decide good from evil, we would end up with evil every time... and yes, that is a big problem. There is nothing good apart from God. At this part of the story, we learn about the choice God makes on how to save the world. Even if humans caused problems, God knew that ridding the world of humans would not solve the problem. Keep watching, keep reading, and keep exploring why the word "covenant" is first mentioned as God's response to unreliable humans.

A lot of us grew up with an approach to the Bible as simply a manual or rule book, but it is so much more than that. It is a story that leads us to Jesus! Pastor Jacob brings out the white board in this series, so he's serious about this! 😏 Going back to the beginning of Creation, Pastor Jacob takes us through the story that leads to Jesus, the story that includes you!