When you think of home, what comes to mind? Do you picture the childhood home that you grew up in, or has home become more of what you associate with your adult life? Maybe the concept of home isn’t even a specific place, but the people you’re with. Today, Pastor Daniel gives you an idea of what home meant for the people of Israel, but he also gives you a sense of what home is meant to be - long-term, for eternity.
People go to all kinds of places to find happiness or to find fulfillment. But when you’re down and out, the last place many people think to look is Jesus. You don’t think He’ll give you the answer you want, or that you think you need. But today, Pastor Daniel expresses that you need to look to Jesus for hope in the struggle. You should want to turn to Him for the answers that you’re still waiting on. He’ll comfort you in the trials!
Whenever there are two people in any kind of relationship, there are going to be different opinions. And if your marriage is anything like mine, those opinions can get very strong! In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show you that there's a better kind of relationship than one where both people are always fighting for their own way. Instead, you can each choose to lay down your desires and instead seek the Lord's will.
As I look around my house I have a choice. I could choose to see the sofa with a tear in it, the cracked tiles in the kitchen, and the drafty door. Or I could choose to see the table where my family plays games, the cozy living room, and the comfy bed. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show us that God has given us everything in this life and we have a choice to make. We can choose to be discontented with our portion, or learn to be content.
You were designed for heaven. You were designed for eternal paradise in the presence of God! And in today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show you that heaven doesn't just begin after you die. You can experience a taste of heaven right here on earth, right now. All you have to do is be in Christ—accept His Lordship and walk in His will. Everything else, everything outside of Christ, is just a little foretaste of how it will be in hell.
Pastor Daniel doesn't pull his punches in today's message! There is a real place called Hell, and it's not somewhere you want to go! But, praise the Lord, you've been given a choice! The door to heaven is wide open to you, and the way to step through is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died in your place and rose again so that you could enter heaven and right relationship with God. Say “yes” to Jesus today and enter His promised land!
We don't always want to do the things that God calls us to do. But, just like Pastor Daniel, I want to say yes to the Lord even when I don't feel like it. If you wait for the feelings, you're going to be waiting for a long, long time and you're going to miss out on some of what the Lord is doing in the world around you! What is it that he's calling you to do today? Stick around for some encouragement to jump in and do what He's asking!
Are you waiting for God to show up in miraculous ways in your life? It's possible that waiting isn't the right move for this season. In today's message, Pastor Daniel reminds us that God blesses us when we take a step of obedience. If you're waiting for God to move, maybe he's waiting for you to move, too! What is it that He has instructed you to do? Take that step of obedience and faith today and watch how God meets you at that moment.
Do you know that you're not living in the fullness of everything God has called you to? Are you forgetting to walk out your call to be a light in the darkness? As you listen to today's message, do a little soul-searching and see if you are living in what Pastor Daniel calls, “holy dissatisfaction.” And then bring your holy dissatisfaction to the foot of the cross. Surrender your desire to do things your own way, and once again follow the path of Jesus.
There is no doubt that when you accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, you were given a new life, a new heart, and a new future. And yet, you still live here in a broken place. There are choices to make every day. Today Pastor Daniel asks a question that is crucial to your experience of following Christ here on earth; are you living in the promised land, or have you gone back to living in a version of the very thing Jesus rescued you from?
God's design is to make you fruitful right now. Can you imagine how much that would change your reactions to the hard circumstances you face? It doesn't matter what mountain is in front of you or what giant needs slaying. When you keep in mind that your ultimate purpose is to produce fruit, the perspective shifts, and anything becomes doable. In today's message, Pastor Daniel will show you what it means to live in surrender to God's purposes.
This message series through the book of Ruth has been focusing on how God is the Oasis in the dry, barren existence of this world. Through Ruth's journey, we watch as God meets her and takes care of her in extraordinary ways, but as Pastor Daniel points out today, God uses people. Are you ready and willing to submit to God through his process for your life—like Boaz was? Are you ready to be the one God uses as an oasis for someone else?
There's a process to basically every aspect of life. If you want to become a Doctor, the process involves years of studying and training. If you want to be a grandparent, first you go through the toddler years and then the teen years with your own children. God has a process for your training as well. He's looking to grow fruit in your life through the process! In today's message, Pastor Daniel asks, in what ways are you not submitting to God's process?
What are your reasons for being or feeling insecure? Maybe it's a past failure. Maybe it's a weakness. It might be how you look or what you do or don't own. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to remind you that there is something that trumps all of your insecurities. When you place your faith in Jesus, his redemption is final and secure. All of your insufficiencies and insecurities meet the sufficiency and security of Christ.
Today's message is a message of surrender and submission, and it's one that flies in the face of the culture around us. Our culture values independence and strength but God values submission. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to explore the value of submission and the benefits of surrendering to God. When you are in a place of submission, God has the freedom to meet your needs and transform your life!
Do you enjoy a good love story? In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to share with you the best love story ever! Romeo and Juliet have nothing on this love story! What story is that? The one that God has been writing for you through all of eternity. When Romeo and Juliet died, that was the end. But when Jesus laid down his life for you, he rose again and gave you everlasting life! You're part of the greatest love story that never ends!
Your testimony of who God is and how he has worked in your life is going to open doors for you. But not just any doors! God is going to use your story to open the doors he wants open to you. He's going to use it to open the doors that lead to His plan and his promises being fulfilled in your life! And those are the doors you want open, right?! Today Pastor Daniel is going to continue through the story of God's faithfulness to Ruth.
We live in a culture that isn't willing to acknowledge personal needs. We live in a place that values independence and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps! But when it comes to life with God, our need is His opportunity! When you are in a position of need, he has the space to work in your life. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to use the life of Ruth to show you that your moment of need is fertile ground for miracles.
Psalm 27:13-14 says, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” This is not the end of your story today. Whatever it is you're facing, God is not finished with you yet! If you're stuck in the despair of your circumstances, take Pastor Daniel's advice and write this verse out today! Remember to wait for the Lord!
Do you need a perspective change today? Does your life feel like it's hopeless? In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to share the story of Naomi to show you why today is not the end of your story! Naomi faced incredible hardship—famine, fleeing to another country, and the death of her husband and sons. She reached a point where she was hopeless, but God had other plans! Stick around to hear how God can change your perspective!
Think about the time in your life when you grew the most spiritually. Was it a time of peace and comfort? I suppose that's possible, although it's not really likely! For most of us, we grow the most when we're taking fire. We learn to lean on Jesus. We learn that we aren't enough but he always is. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show us that microwave Christianity simply doesn't exist. It's always a journey to upgrade your faith!
Do you want a perfect life? I sure do! But it feels like an impossible dream, doesn't it? In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show you that in Christ you can have a perfect life. The only thing is, it's not what you think. The perfect life is one in which what God wants is what happens. God steps into our selfish desires and changes them to line up with his own. His mighty work of transformation touches every part of you.
If you find yourself just a little too comfortable in the world, this is the message for you! Today, Pastor Daniel is going to show you that life following Christ is in direct conflict with the pressures to conform to the world. When you truly step into a life that is completely sold out for Christ, you're going to face resistance. The world is not going to understand the upside-down kingdom of God being played out in your life. But... do it anyway.
If you find yourself just a little too comfortable in the world, this is the message for you! Today, Pastor Daniel is going to show you that life following Christ is in direct conflict with the pressures to conform to the world. When you truly step into a life that is completely sold out for Christ, you're going to face resistance. The world is not going to understand the upside-down kingdom of God being played out in your life. But... do it anyway.
Before you knew Christ, you naturally entered into conflict with other people. But, as Pastor Daniel is going to show us in today's message, the work of Jesus on the cross happened to radically transform our lives here on earth—and for heaven. Instead of being a conflict maker, you are called to be a peacemaker. Pastor Daniel is going to get personal and ask you which one of those things you are. Do you make conflicts with others? Or Peace?
Blessed are the peacemakers. Making peace is an active, conscious choice that each of us can make in any situation. The Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, is so much more than just quiet. It's universal flourishing. It's justice and mercy and grace all wrapped up into one. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show you that to be a peacemaker, followers of Christ must proactively seek to fix what is broken in the world.
When you look at yourself, what is it you want to change? We've all got weak spots! We all have temptations that come calling over and over again. In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to show you how to find true and lasting change, and it isn't through a self-help book! The only place to find transforming power is in the work Jesus did on the cross. Because of what he did there, he can begin to transform you into his likeness.
Deep down, we all want to change the world. Maybe life has trampled those dreams out of you, but if you look closely, you'll see the embers are still smoldering inside. Do you see it there? That part of you that wants your life to have an impact on the world around you? Pastor Daniel is going to share the secret to an influential life in Christ today! It should come as no surprise that it begins in your heart. Come learn the secret with us!
Before you were in Christ, you knew right from wrong. But how often did you choose wrong? Try as you might, the flesh was the dominating force in your life. But now you have a new Spirit inside of you—the Spirit of God. His Spirit is there to guide you into righteousness. In today's message, Pastor Daniel asks the question, what do you do when you feel the check of the Spirit in your heart? Because of the Spirit—you can make a different choice!
Are you ready to unlearn the way of the world? You've been living like the rest of the world and now God is asking you to forget the former things and lean into the person he's made you to be—to lean into the life he has for you! In today's message, Pastor Daniel is going to remind you that the beatitudes are all about who you already are in Christ. It's just time to lean into that truth and allow God to transform you from the inside out!