Today's message is in two parts. First, Pastor Tim shares about steps we're taking as a church family to stay healthy during this season — including not meeting in person over the coming weeks. Second, he continues with encouraging words about the armor God has provided so we won't be knocked over by fear. 

It's hard to wait. We get bothered so easily when we feel we're not getting what we want when we want it. So God will hit pause to teach us patience. Jacob learned this lesson over a 20-year pause — but he persevered and kept going. He didn't stop half-way to his promise! 

Sometimes when it seems like God is absent from our lives, it's part of a pause of correction. God so longs for us to be free and whole, that He will hit the pause button to get our attention and call us back into alignment with His will. That's what Israel was experiencing in the days of Gideon. His story reminds us of what we can do when we're encountering God's correction. 

It's important for families to tell and retell their stories. It helps them to remember who they are and what sets them apart. And the Santa Maria Foursquare Church is a family with some great stories! Today we retell some of what God has done to form and shape us over 92 years. And helping us share those stories is Rhonda Nelson. As we prepare to say farewell to this dear friend — the longest continuous member of SM4 — she reminds us of who God has called us to be. 

The Apostle Paul wrote to followers of Jesus, telling them to be aware of the enemy's schemes. And since the beginning, his most often-used scheme is to lie. In fact, Jesus called the devil the "father of lies." Through the story of King Hezekiah, we'll identify five of the enemy's most common lies — that he often uses during difficult pauses — all designed to steal our confidence and faith. 

Pauses in our story are not barriers to God's deep work in our lives — they are actually the way He carries it out. Pastor Dennis Easter talks about three kinds of wordless expressions that appear in these pause times. They are sighs, unspoken prayers that are cries for God's presence. And He is listening!

Psalms 5:1-2 “Listen to my words, Lord; consider my sighing. Pay attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to you."

Pastor Gary Howse picks up the theme of God's pauses, by reminding us that they are purposeful. God's intent is that these pauses — when it seems like God isn't involved or even aware of our situation — will deepen our walk with Him. Gary looks at a time when Jesus paused, taking a nap on a boat when all hell was breaking loose. What His disciples learned in that scary moment would transform them forever. 

In Philippians 1:6 we're promised that God will finish what He starts in our lives. So why does God take SO LONG to move things across the finish line? What we discover is that God is not in a rush. He uses the "pause button" to do a deep work, not only in our lives but in the lives of others around us. 

We finish our three-part series on discipleship by looking at deployment — joining God on His mission to the world. As we take a look at how Jesus sent out His disciples, we come to better understand the who, the where, and the how of deployment. 

Why do I go through difficulties in life? Since I'm a follower of Jesus, shouldn't He just remove all pain from my story? Actually, God's Word shows us again and again that God uses the difficulties in our lives to bring about maturity so we can stand strong. This is how God develops our faith so we can become like Him.