Peace

Serenity is Power

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” – 1 Corinthians 4:20 I want to look at the source of Jesus’ serenity — power. The Lord was able to be calm because He was connected to His Father, who created everything and everyone, and therefore knew how things were going to turn out! He was fully God but also fully human, so as much as He possessed the ability to change any situation, He practiced the disciplines that kept Him “plugged in” to the source of His strength. He spent a lot of time in prayer, He went to lonely places, and ultimately, He lived in the Father’s love, even while enduring the hatred of his neighbors. Although He was among people who should have known who He was and welcomed His good and miraculous deeds, the religious and Pharisetical spirits disliked Him. Even

October 2, 2022 1 Comment

A Meaningful Life is a Peaceful Life

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.” – Titus 3:14 I am passionate about you having a peaceful life. I’ve said in past sermons that Jesus was relaxed and that spending time in His presence frees us from a lot of the fear and angst we face. Today, I want to introduce another concept to you: that a peaceful life is a meaningful life. In order to have a relaxed and calm mind, especially in difficult times, we need to devote ourselves to pursuits that are noble, praiseworthy, and that require effort and discipline. I believe that meaning in life comes before happiness. As much as our American orthodoxy says that we should pursue happiness before all else, a transformed and tranquil existence demands the opposite. To experience the abundant life God promises,

September 29, 2022 1 Comment

Enjoying God’s Presence

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ” – Psalm 91:1,2 Did you know that you can live in the presence of God today? Heaven, while it is certainly a physical location, can also be defined as a place where the Lord dwells. Since He lives within you, it’s safe to say that many elements of that eternal place can be enjoyed here and now, especially with the undying love of Jesus. In His presence, there is complete fulfillment: total joy, total peace and total life. Psalm 91 is one of the most famous affirmations of God’s presence and protection (I encourage you to read the whole thing when you have a minute), and interestingly, it was not original to David

September 28, 2022 2 Comments

Be Tender-Hearted

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” – Philippians 2:1-3 Yesterday, I talked about faith and used the analogy that we are soft clay in God’s hands, ready for him to mold us into tender-hearted people. Faith allows us to be full of compassion! It makes it possible to be soft to God’s word and will, and guess what? This is a great place to be! Can we unashamedly state that tough-minded faith always comes from tender-hearted people? We will ask the Lord to shape us in whatever way He wills because we trust that the future He can shape is better than any future we can shape.

September 24, 2022 2 Comments

A Life of Peace

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” – Romans 14:19 As we continue our series on eternal living, the second element that eternal living gives you is a life of peace. Peace with God, and peace with your neighbor. So many of the compulsive behaviors we have in life are because we don’t have any peace. Yes, we’re not at war physically, and we’re not involved in hand-to-hand combat, but inside our minds we carry a lot of turmoil. This is why we run to drugs, alcohol, or that old relationship we shouldn’t go to. Sometimes we give up on life, or we fall into other traps that will entangle us and keep us from tranquility. We don’t have peace within. How can you have peace in God’s world if you’re not at peace with God? You have to be at

August 27, 2022 No Comments

A Greater Reflection

“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ ” – Mark 2:17 I believe the Lord commands us to be: merciful, friendly, kind, welcoming, and a healing presence. Each of these is the greater reflection of who Jesus is and the heart of God. Jesus Himself said God did not send him into this world for the healthy, but for the sick. The heart of God is one in which people in crisis would come to a place where believers are gathered to find care, comfort, and compassion. If you are going through hard times, feeling defeated in your job, or can’t face another bill or doctor’s appointment, come to this loving place. People who are clouded with doubts about God, or the meaning of life, could gather for

August 8, 2022 No Comments

A God-Shaped Vacuum

“…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” – Hebrews 10:22 Within every man and woman, there is a deep inner “well” that can only be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. In our world today, there is an obvious inner desperation that people have. Many are looking for ways to quench this inner thirst, to satiate this desire for God. But in today’s world, so many look to everything else but God and oftentimes fall into a sense of nihilism, which is an extreme skepticism about existence and religious or moral principles. Others chronically need a movement to be a part of, or have reached the pinnacle of success in their career, yet the ability to feel fulfilled still doesn’t come.

June 28, 2022 1 Comment

Obstacles on the Road to Solitude

“But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” – Psalm 131:2 We talked yesterday about spending time alone with Jesus in an effort to seek healing and restoration for our hearts and souls. Today, I want to briefly share with you a few obstacles you may face on the journey to breakthrough in this area. Once you have found a peaceful place and are sitting alone with no distractions, I warn you that it won’t be easy to go straight to communion with your Heavenly Father. Unfortunately, the devil is going to try and keep you from experiencing the blessing that comes in such moments. The first challenge you will potentially face is anxiety. As soon as you quiet your mind, you will be bombarded by thoughts of a million things you “should” or “could”

May 14, 2022 No Comments

Finding a Peaceful Place

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” – Luke 18:1-5 Yesterday, we talked about how pursuing Jesus in solitude is the only way to truly overcome loneliness. As strange as it sounds, by “leaning into the knife” and seeking the Lord in isolation, we can ultimately find the peace and contentment

May 13, 2022 1 Comment

Pursuing Jesus in Solitude

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 Yesterday we talked about how being yoked to Jesus can relieve us of the burdens we carry. We’ve also been discussing loneliness and how it’s a common problem in our world that can breed isolation, a hardened heart, and brokenness in relationships. So today, I want you to know this: While it’s beneficial to stay active, the solution to these problems is not to flood yourself with more people, more work, more events, or more commitments — it’s actually less. Just as Jesus set the example for us in finding solitude and silence, we should follow His lead and pursue these peaceful times for ourselves. Our society is constantly on the move. We have more information, more resources, more devices, and

May 12, 2022 1 Comment

Serenity is Power

A Meaningful Life is a Peaceful Life

Enjoying God’s Presence

Be Tender-Hearted

A Life of Peace

A Greater Reflection

A God-Shaped Vacuum

Obstacles on the Road to Solitude

Finding a Peaceful Place

Pursuing Jesus in Solitude

Receive your daily eDevotional

Don't miss new updates in your email!

WATCH

CONNECT

SHOP

ABOUT

DONATE