Canoe Creek Christian Church: Recent Episodes
Canoe Creek Christian Church
This message involves some very sensitive information. While the details have been heavily redacted it still may be hard for some to envision the events that take place in this biblical text. It is our desire to be true to God's word, and understand that this event is recorded for us to see what culture can be like when the presences of God is absent.
The event spoken of in this message takes place in Judges 19-21.
This was a special Sunday for ALL IN when many at Canoe Creek made decisions to go all in and make personal sacrifices to serve the ministry vision over the coming years.
When we see our lives as a gift and not a gain, we stop putting created things ahead of the creator who gives and prioritize our life with Him.
As we begin a new year and consider making goals, resolutions, or changes, learning how to live and how not to live from the real and gritty truth of Ecclesiastes helps us live every day with the end in mind.
We currently live between two advents. And life is not always they way we want or expected. But, faith in the Song of God empowers us to hope, joy, peace, love, and faithful action.
We currently live between two advents. And life is not always they way we want or expected. But, faith in the Song of God empowers us to hope, joy, peace, love, and faithful action.
We currently live between two advents. And life is not always they way we want or expected. But, faith in the Song of God empowers us to hope, joy, peace, love, and faithful action.
We currently live between two advents. And life is not always they way we want or expected. But, faith in the Song of God empowers us to hope, joy, peace, love, and faithful action.
We currently live between two advents. And life is not always they way we want or expected. But, faith in the Song of God empowers us to hope, joy, peace, love, and faithful action.
Every year we want to take some time to recognizes how we are called to people who learn to live generously.
Every year we want to take some time to recognizes how we are called to people who learn to live generously.
Knowing who you are and what you are can increase your vision and value of other people.
When we answer the call to be saved by Jesus, do we understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus?
God has made His presence with us so that we can go and share Jesus with everyone, everywhere, in every way.
Group communities have a meaningful place but cannot serve as the spandex of Christian education.
If God is not the supreme authority of our life, something or many things will fill the vacuum.
We follow the commands of God to be pleasing to God because we honor our relationship with God.
The Church is the temple of God with the purpose of bringing the presence of God into the world.
God is perfectly and precisely preparing a place for you in the Kingdom of God, ruled by Jesus the King.
Accepting the identity God has for us, Child of God, we can begin to love as He loves us.
Your significance, your value, your hope, is not found in what you do...it is found in who you are with and who desires to be with you!
A life with God is built on the reality that "relationship" is at the core of all creation.
When we desire what God can give more than His presence, we will miss out on living with God.
We can be connected to God and the plan He has for our lives when we choose to exchange our doubt for faith.
Generosity happens when we are so burdened for someone else that we will experience loss so they can experience gain.
American culture is shaping us more than our Christian value when we demand our right rather than love God and people.
Worship is the common Christian activity that we are able to enter into freely and joyfully.
Learning to prepare our hearts before God so that the songs we sing, prayers we pray, and our meditations on his words, will all be pleasing to Him. It is our desire to have increased wisdom and vision to know how to prepare our hearts before Him daily and worship Him well.
Sometimes life can feel like a race. Maybe we try sprinting when we should be pacing ourselves. Maybe there are small seasons where we need to sprint for a moment or two. Maybe there are times when we think we are out of gas and just can't go on any longer. In those moments we need to remember, while we may not have chosen all the details about the race we are running, we can choose whether or not we run it with faith and finish well.
When our faith is rooted in anything other than the most essential moment in history, it will fail to live up to our full potential.
All of us find ourselves at some time disappointed with who we are or what we have done, especially in regard to our struggle with faith. We can be assured, no matter how we fail in part at being faithful, God never fails.
The writer of Hebrews offers this odd section that seems to be a long pause from the main subject. But in the end, if we know the right things, we hear the right words and the result is freedom.
Take a few minutes and give some time to spiritual reflection as you listen to this daily encouragment. #forstcloud #canoecreek
The opening words of the letter make it clear, that the word God gives us through His Son is superior to the word God's people received through the angels previously. How has God spoken to us now and what makes it so different?
Jesus is our High Priest and established priorities for us that can lead us to spiritual growth.
We are excited to recognize the accomplishments of our seniors and the message that our students minister will share to challenge us all to be rooted in Christ.
We continue to explore the superior sacrifice of Jesus and what that means to those who believe and are living out their faith.
Remember, when a verity of things, systems, and people out there are trying to tell you they have the supreme way, let's remember who really does. #jesusissuperior
Jesus made a superior sacrifice. This can only be made with the shedding of blood. While it may be offensive, when you see it carefully, you will see the great care for you.
Before someone elses name comes to mind while watching this, let it be applied in our hearts first. #gosharejesuswithyourworld #jesusissuperior
When we make the mistake of making important things superior things, our confidence is in a weak foundation.
2020 has been a year for some big changes. As you face some problems, and may some crisis, don't waste the opportunity. There is excellent growth that can take place when we are challenged with change.
Biblical faith is trusting that God is superior in everything, so every decision we make is significant.
Christ is the only reconciler that can restore all of humanity to a perfect relationship.
The response that Jesus had to someone's sin is a powerful reminder of how we should respond to others and what our personal reactions should be in regard to His grace in our lives.
When our traditions replace God's commands it only separates us even more from God as we may be seeking to try and control Him for our own gain.
Everyone has doubt, but do we doubt God? If we allow our doubts to go unresolved or don't manage them well our doubt could put our faith out. How do we deal with our doubts about faith?
I believe everyone who has really desired to have a more abundant life has wrestled with knowing God, trusting Him, and trying to grow to new levels in their spiritual life. I am also confident that all those who have experienced this have struggled and succeeded but found that the greatest success doesn't belong to them.
Following Jesus is a process by which we can be transformed and renewed to His purpose.
Facing temptation is the reality of being a Christian. We should expect that obedience to God will lead us into struggle.
There are events in the life of Jesus and statements that He made that can lead us to a next step in our faith.
To catch up from last Sunday:Freedom isn't doing whatever you want, it is wanting what the heart needs (Galatians 5:1).We fight to surrender control to the Spirit (Ephesians 6:12).God's grace allows us to belong before we become (Colossians 1:12-14).
When we set our resolve to live a life guided by the Spirit, we will experience a fuller life.
Christmas is a story about victory. And, more importantly, victory even in the face of impossible odds.
The power of God in you is greater than the circumstances that surround you. Never take your enemy for granted.
What we see most often can discourage us from our faith in God. But John received a revelation in which he described the Christmas events for us, and we see the rarely seen; and in it God is fighting for us.
What if we learned that the real satisfaction we are seeking in life is not to be blessed, but to be hungry for the things that satisfy God?
We are very narrow minded at times and this limits us. For example, the word purity makes most people think about sexual misconduct. Or, I suppose I jeweler may think of gold and stones. The point of purity made by Jesus in this verse is much deeper and far more impactful:Matthew 5:8 (NIV):Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Our culture makes it hard to be meek and merciful. Everything about our world tells us we are entitled to something and we are not willing to give things up or offer compassion in place of condemnation.
God is reconciling the world through us and we have an opportunity to make peace in four ways.
The statement, "God is not concerned about your happiness, He is concerned about your holiness", may sound great in a platitude, but it is biblically inaccurate. The two are not opposed, and God does want us to experience happiness in life. However, the pathway to happiness may seem upside down when compared to what the world tells us. The question is, do we have faith that God does want us to be happy so we can trust that what He says will lead to happiness?
As we end this series we are presented with a hard challenge, we either have faith in who Jesus is or who we want Him to be. The two are radically different. In the end, we have to make a choice, do we have the faith to believe that the vision Jesus has for our life is bigger than our own?
We are talking about an essential component in life that helps us grow spiritually but also expands the vision of life to make it even more worthwhile.
If our purpose is true, our passion will be guided well. But to live out a vision for life that is the best it can be, our values have to be right.
Purpose makes vision possible, and it will help us establish and focus passion. Passion in life can be leveraged for good and bad. The right purpose helps us leverage our passion in a way that leads to a life that satisfies most. The more our passion supports a purpose that is united with our source of life, the more we live.
We have shifted to a segment of three messages that zone in on channeling our passion to accomplish a vision worth of our life. Last week we saw that God has a vision and passion for everyone and we were challenged to evaluate if that is how we are living. IN today's message, we see how God's love can change the human heart. His love and passion were and are demonstrated in the fact that He doesn't leave us with a step-by-step manual to do things for ourselves that only He has the power to do. His love provided for us what is impossible for us to provide for ourselves.
In this series we are talking about having vision for our lives. At the same time, we are talking about following God's vision for His Church. Do the two align? Passion is a key element to vision. Sometimes we have passion for the wrong things that lead us to the wrong vision and the wrong outcomes.
Jesus clarified the greatest command to follow, and it is tied to the fact that God sets people apart for great purposes, but not because of their performance, it is a result of God's proclamation. In essence, there is no special edit club. Everyone can experience significant purpose as a result of a relationship with God.
Having a clear vision for our lives is important. Vision requires us to evaluate our purpose, passions, and make a plan. As we evaluate our purpose today we are asking the question, what or who are we building for, and will it last.
Having a vision for your life and how the creator of the world interests with that vision is a powerful reality that gives hope and clarity.
As we study several letters written to church leaders, we are reminded of a simple fact. Every Christian is a leader, called to influence people to see and acknowledge Jesus.
We are obsessed with protecting ourselves, but we can get distracted. Overseers must see clearly.
Paul makes a vital point in his opening statements that the right doctrine will lead to the right decisions.
When it comes to leadership, sometimes we think this:"Some things are better left to the professionals."
Everyone is a leader regardless of title or capacity. Everyone wants to be the best they can be at what they do in order to best lead the people or person they are influencing. They want to be at the top apex, of their game. These characteristics help us become an apex leader.
Apex leadership is being at the top of your game. Everyone is a leader and desires to be the best at whatever it is they are doing regardless of the title or capacity. The more we can be faithfully consistent in the daily details of our faith and work, the more we will aspire toward being an apex leader.
The apex is the highest point. All of us have a desire to reach our highest point. No matter our capacity or level, every person is a leader in some regard. And we all have a passion, whether outwardly expressed or inwardly held, to be at the top of our game at whatever purpose we believe we fill in this life. There are characteristics that will grow us to our greatest capacity.
Everyone has regrets. Regrets are a normal and inevitable part of life. Some choose to live with the weight of them and be buried under their darkness. But others choose to be renewed with a heart of repentance.
Easter recognizes the time that the world changed forever. God didn't send us a set of rules to follow or a philosophy to change our lives. He sent His Son, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Easter is a historical even that changed everything. And to this day, it is still changing lives.
The Church has a purpose to reach as many people by all means possible. The church serves, creates community, and keeps the bond of unity.
Christian community is a space where lives overlap in the presence of God so that we share burdens and celebrate victories as one leading us to personal growth.
The purpose of the church is to reach as many people possible, by all means possible, with the gospel of Jesus. The body of Jesus, His Church, empowered with his Spirit can accomplish so much when they serve as one.
When we look around we see that some things have lost their purpose. Or, they have become obsolete due to lack of innovation. When this happens in a local church, it can have very negative effects on the community.
Prayer is essential to so many people. But prayer can be misunderstood, leaving some people frustrated and even hurt. James points out how prayer can bring peace. We plan to better understand how as we explore this last sermon in this series.
The more we remember that God is and has been compassionate and merciful, especially with us, the more patience we will have with people and circumstances.
The flesh feeds on our insecurities driving us to try and belong or become to believe we are something. The gospel crucifies that need by teaching us that we do belong so that we can become as we learn to live in step with the Spirit.
God is what? Is he good, or is he bad? Is he kind, or is he cruel? At the heart of all the questions, the biggest remains... Is God loving?
God is faithful. Sometimes we don't feel like we are salvageable. Sometimes we don't feel like we are saved. But, we are reminded that God's faithfulness is greater than our faults.
Our culture has worked overtime to reshape the character of God to completely exclude Justice. We want God to be an all loving God with no capacity for judgement so we can feel good about how we live.
We have all struggled to be completely devoted to God. One key is understanding His holiness. It is human nature to ascribe worth and rank to people, places, and things. In doing so, we are influenced by the world, and God's enemy no doubt, to put God on that same scale. Now, He may rank at the top of the scale for some of us but that isn't the problem. The mistake is that He is even considered to be on the scale to begin with. Understanding His holiness will lead us to a greater devotion.
The character of God as revealed in the scriptures and the life of Jesus doesn't always look the same as what people think about Him. The scriptures say He is good, but lots of people look around the world and ask, "how can a God be good when there is so much evil?". God is...good.
The story of Ananias and Sapphira can cause some uncertainty about the grace of God and uncertainty about our own integrity. But having and pursuing integrity does not mean we are perfect. It means we are undivided in our beliefs and actions.
Some people lack the vision to see what can be. Luke recorded a vital account from the history of the Church. In this record, Peter lacks the vision to see what can be. So God gives him a vision that leads to the expansion of the Church.
Why is it that the majority of our prayers are to change our circumstances yet, many of the prayers in the New Testament were about changing their will to accept their circumstances with boldness and courage.
The Jewish leaders that represented the temple and the establishment, were in part responsible for the death of Jesus. And yet, this is where Peter and John are headed. These were the people shouting, "crucify him", just before the death of Jesus. This is where the community is. This is where the people they can reach are interacting in the community.
Discipleship is a missional process designed by God, implemented by Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We are exploring what's next. What is next for you as a follower of Jesus? What is next for us as His Church?
There is godly wisdom and false wisdom. The difference between the two is recognizing your place in the universe. We were created to serve God, not the other way around. When we get that mixed up, we end up following false wisdom that leads us to disorder and rivalry rather than godly wisdom that can lead us to order and peaceful relationships.
A real faith is going to lead us to be connected to God and His Church in such a way that we grow. And growing people are people who change. We are transformed in a relationship with Jesus and how we serve His will in our community.
Life isn't a game so we need to live it intentionally. Anger is an enemy of the heart that must be dealt with on the inside, rather than just hurting other people trying to be paid back for what they have done to us. The only satisfaction will come from transformation of the Spirit on the inside of us..
More and more people are seeking to be esteemed by being a victim of their circumstances. But true victory is demonstrating the character of Christ regardless of our circumstances, rather than being a victim of them. Life is a sermon series about having better lives, families, and community.
How are you at dealing with people who disagree with you? How well are you at dealing at people who are offensive? How well do you manage this on social media? Are you being disciplined and practicing how to respond to people with the same mercy and grace that God responds with?
David made prideful decisions that cost him a great deal, but thankfully, he wasn't known for having a prideful spirit.
Being a partner of a local church helps you get connected, grown in faith, and go with others to serve the community. As we partner in generosity, we can have a great impact all around us.
Partnering with the local church enables us to engage God's global mission.The local church is a part of a great purpose - an eternal purpose.
Sometimes we hear things and misunderstand them. We need to be rooted in God's church as a member. When most of us hear that, we immediately think that means being a member of Canoe Creek. It doesn't.
A good thing to keep in mind as we discuss these verses today is: we don't have to be identical twins to be brothers and sisters in Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus allows us to experience heaven here and now.In order to fully experience God's presence now, we must be deeply rooted int he things of God.
What is below the surface matters. The more we grow roots in the truth about our redemption, the more our present reality will be shaped by the power of God.
Many people are surprised to learn that the resurrection makes it possible to have life right now, not just after death. Jesus promised to give us a full life.
Loving people like Jesus is a result of our hearts being moved by what it cost to find us. When this happens, we become passionate about God's mission.
Blockbuster Stores: The last rental ever at a Blockbusters took place in Hawaii at 11pm. And the title of the movie, "This is the End", a 2013 comedy about the apocalypse.Toys R Us: The latest mega chain to go down. Toys R Us was the mega capital of toys in its heyday. When thinking of toys or buying them, the first thing that came to mind was Geoffrey the giraffe.People still watch movies and maybe even more than ever. People still buy toys by the dozens. So what happened?These organizations lost sight of their mission and lacked the vision to accomplish that mission in the community.
When we love people like Jesus did it has the power of capturing their attention and turning their heart toward God. God's mercy/compassion is able to transform us into compassionate/merciful people.
We want to love other people like Jesus. In order to do that, we need to go in peace. Do we know how to do that?
Signs are a big deal. They can help people or frustrate people. We want our sign to say, "Grace".
Jesus had a love that was accessible because He made His heart available to the Father. Accessibility begins with availability. How are we extending our heard to God so we can better intend our lives to others in love?
Many people who do not want to be Christian or attend a church believe they know or have a perception of what the Church is against. It is our passion to help them learn about what the Church is FOR.
One of the most difficult things about connecting and remaining connected to Christian community is feeling welcomed. Our enemy uses our past and current failures to try and convince us we are not worthy, driving us away from the one community that can help us develop new patterns for living a life we dream of.
There is a community that can exceed any expectation you might have. It is a community that God is crazy for and it is a community that has the power of changing your life.
Everyone wants to be satisfied. Quite often, people think money will do it. But the reality is that nothing satisfies more than godly stewardship. The scriptures demonstrate that truth and tell us how to become a better steward. It impacts way more than just money, and is far more satisfying than something that can be burned up or lost.
Dave Ramsey's Financial Plan Baby Steps (in order):1. Emergency Fund: $10002. Debt Snowball: lowest to highest, one at a time3. Full emergency fun: 3-6 months of expenses4. Retirement: 15% of income into mutual funds5. College Savings6. Pay off Home Mortgage early7. Give, invest, FUN
When we listen to God's wisdom it can have an impact on our wallet. God has called us to live a people "called out" from the world. This means in how we make financial plans. Are we making plans? If we are, are we trusting His word to guide those plans?
Everyone wants peace, but most people have a list of fears as we live out our lives in this broken world. Jesus came so that we could have peace no matter the circumstance.
Families are not going to be perfect, but they can find peace. When we apply the simple truth of God to our lives and families, we can experience transformation.
Relationships can stress us out. God tells us to love Him and others, but in a broken world that can be stressful. Jesus came to restore us to God and help us to live in meaningful relationships.
As we address this issue, we need to keep in mind that depression can range from common to severe.
Compounding interest is essential to future savings just as compounding leadership is essential to the future of Canoe Creek.
When we're short on time, we're high on stress.We all have the same amount of time: 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week.How do we use the time we have?
Many people are stressed out because they don't know how to handle their money. However, a message giving a list of practical steps to being better with money is addressing the symptoms, and not the issue.
Stress is a natural part of life. You are not going to get rid of stress. But, you can deal with stress in such a way that you demonstrate you have the peace of Christ. Unresolved stress, or stress that is not dealt with properly, leads to anxiety. Anxiety can lead to physical breakdowns. It can lead to relational breakdowns. It can lead to spiritual breakdowns.
Discipling others is an activity every disciple will be involved in. However, the church has become more like a col-de-sec than a highway. Col-de-secs are safe and comfortable. Discipleship can be "dangerous".Disciples accept the "danger" of discipling someone else: rejection, disagreement, etc...
Sometimes church leaders make the mistake of talking about giving only in the context of the church. A giving or generous spirit is so much bigger than just "tithing" or giving to the work of the church.Generosity doesn't come from commands, it comes from a heart changed by Christ.
We live in an environment that. tis starved for true religious experience. Our society is becoming more secular. Everything is about facts, figures, calculations or some form of quantifiable data. Everything is reduced and explained so it can be reproduced like a lab experiment. Much of that is an attempt from our society to try and replace God or play God.
Community isn't a Christian thing. Community is a human thing. People all over the world gather together and each group that gathers has a common purpose.
We begin a new series this week. In a culture where the church may be too focused on getting people to act good, we need to be reminded that we are called to represent God as disciples. It is important that we don't get so excited to celebrate the reward of a relationship with Jesus that we overlook the responsibility.
When people doubt if Jesus is God, they are doubting more than just one thing. they are doubting the entire foundation of an entire thing.
God built a nation of people on the foundation of the 10 Commands, or rules. All of these rules are an extension of what God values and what we should value as well if we desire to trust and obey God.
We can celebrate hope because God has not left us abandoned in this broken world. He sent His Son Jesus who is alive and promised to return for us.
Everyone was created to live forever somewhere. God is the God of the living, so with Him life is a present and future reality.
This series challenges us to live on mission with Jesus. Our vision is to help people connect to God, grow in Christ, and go share Him with our world. We are being led by His word to share Him with our world. Jesus had no problem with vision, he saw lost people. Zacchaeus was one of those people.
This series challenges us to live on mission with Jesus. Our vision is to help people connect to God, grow in Christ, and go share Him with our world. We are being led by His word to share Him with our world.
This series challenges us to live on mission with Jesus. Our vision is to help people connect to God, grow in Christ, and go share Him with our world. We are being led by His word to share Him with our world. We are learning how Jesus reached people. We are accomplishing His mission using His methods. Spending time with people and being intentional about our relationships with people who are far from God.
This series challenges us to live on mission with Jesus. Our vision is to help people connect to God, grow in Christ, and go share Him with our world. We are being led by His word to share Him with our world.
This series challenges us to live on mission with Jesus. Our vision is to help people connect to God, grow in Christ, and go share Him with our world. We are being led by His word to share Him with our world. We will accomplish Jesus' mission using His methods. Jesus shows people Grace. Go and do something gracious for someone very different than you this week.
This series challenges us to live on mission with Jesus. Our vision is to help people connect to God, grow in Christ, and go share Him with our world. We are being led by His word to share Him with our world. Jesus is accessible to everyone. The Church should be as well.
The first ingredient of Jesus that we focused on was integrity. Integrity is a foundation for ministry Integrity doesn't mean you’re perfect, it means you’re authentic. Real people know they fail and look to Jesus for guidance, salvation, and humbly accept Him as their Lord and Savior. We will seek to accomplish this the same way Jesus did. We will be relationally attentive and engaged with those who are far from God. This is our first step. Maybe you are lost for where to start. Maybe you need some small steps to get you moving in the right direction. Here are some helpful steps and encouragement.
Our Church is a series designed to help us be reminded and informed about the essential purpose of God’s Church here on this earth. We have a great opportunity to be a part of a community that is making a difference in the lives of so many.
Our Church is a series designed to help us be reminded and informed about the essential purpose of God’s Church here on this earth. We have a great opportunity to be a part of a community that is making a difference in the lives of so many.
God has the power to change people when they choose to acknowledge who He is. His Church, our church, is plan A in the world to help people see who God is and the love He has for them.
God has the power to change people when they choose to acknowledge who He is. His Church, our church, is plan A in the world to help people see who God is and the love He has for them.
God has the power to change people when they choose to acknowledge who He is. His Church, our church, is plan A in the world to help people see who God is and the love He has for them.
Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate. Regardless of our circumstance we can celebrate. In fact, for many who circumstances cause them more heartache during this time of the year, the truth of Christmas is the only thing you may look froward to celebrating.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.
We believe God is good and all we have is because of His grace. We want to be good stewards with our things and generously make His vision know in the community and around the world.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.
God gives us some of the WORST stories about some of the BEST people because He wants us to learn that He can MOVE even in MESSED up people. In order for this to happen God knows we have to face our DARKER SELVES. We have to be willing to see an accept who we are or what we have done. We may feel guilty for what we have done but God doesn't want us to become STUCK in SHAME. GUILT requires us to look at what we have done, but SHAME leads us to believe that mistake is what we have become. We may have past failures that DESCRIBE some season of our life but God has given us hope so that past failures don't DEFINE us.