The Apostle Paul was in a unique season in his life when he wrote the book of 2nd Corinthians. There are things working inside his spirit - he communicates out of a posture of what God is doing in him and what God is saying to him. He also knew that he was addressing a church that had a lot of issues....
So how can you tell the difference between conviction and condemnation? Conviction is specific; condemnation is vague. Conviction will make you want to run to God; condemnation will make you want to hide from God. So how do we overcome condemnation?...
Everyone has a smell. Your smell says something about you ...
“Wide Open Spaces” is a journey through 2 Corinthians. It’s Paul reaching out to the Corinthian church (which is a mess) to encourage them to live the life God has given them. He declares to them what God has done for them, the promises He has made for them, and the wide-open spaces that are available because of Jesus....
As a young boy, King David faced a day when he realized that it was his turn to take a stand and make a difference!...
As we enter into the Christmas Season each year we pause and recount the Christmas story, at its most basic it is a story about Jesus. The Story is at its center a story of JESUS and his great LOVE. This time of year brings a countless things that try to crowd into the center of the story - gifts, decorations, family, engagements and the list goes on. But, at the center of the Christmas story remains JESUS!...
The Blessed Life is a life of giving and receiving. It’s a life of breathing in and out. Both elements are necessary for health!...
The Blessed Life is the normal life for us as individuals and for the Church. God’s word sets the standard for us – His original intention was for us to live The Blessed Life....
God’s path to greatness is not found by ruling over others but by being the best servant. Serving is the path to greatness in the Kingdom of God....
God’s Kingdom, and His way of doing things are often completely opposite of how the world does things. If the world can be bold about their chosen way to live, then we can be bold too! We live in a sarcastic, cynical, skeptical, negative, opinionated world. Opinions are easy to share, and it's easy to tear people down - but everyone deserves to be treated with some level of honor. To honor means placing value or respect on something. To dishonor means to treat something as common....
Whenever we choose to live life God’s way, we will be thought of as weird. We need to be relevant to our culture, but we will still contrast how the world approaches things. The world will tell you to take, keep, hold on, step on & over people. But as Christians, we are called to be generous....
God’s ways are different than our ways. His thoughts are higher – our thoughts and tendencies won’t always take us towards our best life. As Christians, the way we choose to live will often come across weird to someone who doesn't get it, or understand why....
Asheville is a unique town - we win all sorts of attention and accolades. Which is why this series is titled, “Keep Asheville Weird.” For us as Christians, we know that God’s Kingdom and God’s way of doing things are often very different from the way the world does them....
One of our greatest God given abilities is our power to choose! We can choose life or death; prosperity or adversity; blessing or curse....
Your mind plays a powerful role in your life. You can have right thinking or wrong thinking; right understanding or wrong understanding. A big part of becoming more like Jesus and becoming the person you are called to be has to do with renewing your mind....
Peace is a prominent theme throughout the Bible. Make it a prominent theme in your life and you will triumph over worry!...
We live in a troubled world. There’s crime, terrorism, economic troubles as well as personal issues. But, Jesus can be the source of our peace. Through Jesus, we don’t have to let the trouble AROUND us get IN us! Your heart was made for peace....
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! It’s what you always do that will determine your success in life. Success is not found in a day, but is found in what you do daily! “Habits are the foundation of your destiny” -EW Kenyon...
Paul is addressing tension between two church members. His first appeal is toward relationship ...
There are few things more valuable than your attitude. Your attitude will make or break you in life. When your attitude changes, your life changes....
You have to be strong and courageous in order to move into your best life. You can choose your posture: weak and fearful ...
Paul encourages us not to put our confidence in the flesh or in our own works. If we want to walk in joy, we need to have confidence in what Jesus has done for us. It will take our life to a greater place....
Remember God’s faithfulness. Remember what is good in your life, what you have accomplished and who loves you. The value of rejoicing in your walk with God cannot be overstated....
Your world will grow as your thinking, understanding, faith and heart grow. Your world will grow as your connections grow ...
Hope is all about our outlook on the future and is conditioned by our experiences in the past. It can be easy to lose hope....
Our job as Christians is to introduce others to Jesus. If our church somehow forgets that our main job is to reach people who do not know the love of Christ, we have lost our way....
We have gifts, grace-given aptitudes, as well as ministries, serving capacities, and effects of those gifts and ministries. The gifts, ministries and effects are given to us to give away to others for the good for the Kingdom....
“I love my church” means I’ll be a contributor not just a consumer and I’ll be a participant not just passive about loving my church. ...
Prayer is one of life's highest callings. To grow in our understanding and practice of prayer should be one of life's primary pursuits. Our ability to fulfill God's purpose for our lives and to impact our world for the glory of God corresponds directly to the quality of our prayer life....
There are all kinds of dynamics in marriage. Some people are happily married and some are unhappily married. Some want to get married and some wish they never had. Some have been married but are no longer. This message is for everyone ...
We need to rise in strength to do the will of God in the earth. There are many forces opposing God’s kingdom from advancing in the earth. We need to take up a strong posture of loving God, lifting people and changing the world....
We need to have a “spare not” attitude. If you have a “what’s the least I can get by with” mentality, you will not grow or enlarge your world. Consider these points as you “spare not” and go for the best in order to have the best year yet....
All progress requires stretching. Change is the constant companion of progress. We can’t keep doing the same things we’ve been doing and expect a different result. We have to stretch in order to grow....
As we continue to read this passage in Isaiah, we are instructed to speak with a voice of faith. We need to make a sound of fruitfulness in our barrenness and a sound of victory in defeat. When we declare or proclaim with our voice, there is something released out of our spirit....
We all see things from our perspective. We just want to make sure our perspective lines up with God’s perspective. View your circumstance through a faith lens, rather than faith through a circumstance lens. We don’t react to circumstances, we act from faith....
God wants to put us on display for His glory. He wants us to live a life that burn bright to glorify Him!...
The desires in your heart are given to you by God. Take what God is stirring in you and step out to do the thing that God has put in your heart and called you to do. It’s so important to pay attention to what is happening in your heart, and then to act on it in cooperation with His will and His power....
Jesus existed in the form of God but he did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped. He laid it aside so he could serve a greater purpose. The Bible says that we should have this same attitude....
When we are resting in Jesus, we find ourselves in the unforced rhythms of grace. There is a flow that we can find or create on our own. There is rest in the place of trust. There is more rest in taking up Jesus’ yoke than lying around doing nothing....
If you watch the news, you know the world we live in is full of tension and conflict. There are battles taking place everywhere ...
Christians swim against the stream. The Christian life has a fight dimension to it. Knowing you’re going to face conflict, decide to fight the good fight of faith! Find a way to be an overcomer in the midst of conflicts....
Paul is in charge of his life. Even though he is in jail, jail is not in him. His circumstances are not determining his confidence....
We often pray for things to go well but Paul prayed that their heart goes well. When your heart is healthy, everything else will fall into place and into proper perspective....
Collaboration is essential for fulfilling the purpose of God for our lives. No one can fulfill their destiny alone....
God has something in store for your next season - something greater, better, higher, and richer. Focus on the goodness and mercy of God, not on the difficulties ...
Walking with Jesus should be like riding in a canoe. Get in and give up control and let the current carry you. Go with the flow. Sometimes, however, we have a tendency to want to pick up the canoe, put it on our shoulders and carry it - thinking that we are being good Christians. God gives us a vision or a dream and we start trying to make it happen ourselves....
Joseph was at a crossroad in his life. He was about to be launched into the reason God had brought him to the planet....
Easter is the ultimate restoration story. Evil struck its greatest blow sending Jesus to the cross, but love overcame what evil intended. No matter what you’ve been through God wants to write a restoration story in your life....
We need to rise in strength to do the will of God in the earth. There are many forces opposing God’s kingdom from advancing in the earth. We need to take up a strong posture of loving God, lifting people and changing the world....
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