Isn’t prayer an amazing thing? Just stop and think for a moment. The God of eternity, the God who spoke and the world came into existence, the all-powerful, all-knowing, and always-present God, listens to me!

Main Points:

1. For a new Christian, prayer can be intimidating. We hear others pray, and they seem to do it so well. We think we don’t know the eloquent words necessary to talk to Almighty God. We wonder, “Am I doing it right?”

2. Prayer can be spoken out loud. It can be a whisper. Prayer can be given silently in our hearts. In all of these ways we can be assured that God knows and that He hears.

3. Prayer is not about the right words. Prayer is about sharing what is on your heart with God. “Help me” is a prayer. “I need you” is a prayer. “Give me peace” is a prayer. “Guide my steps” is a prayer.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Exodus 33:11 - “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”

Matthew 6:8 - “…your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

1 Peter 3:12 - "The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers…”

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Being humans, we like to be independent. We want to go our own way. We’ll drive lost, trying to figure out how to get to a destination, refusing to stop and ask for directions. Sadly, many journey through life, never arriving at the destination they hoped to see. Our eternity is too important. We can’t hope to arrive there someday. We can’t rely on our own instincts to get us to Heaven. I’ve heard people say, “I’m trying to be a good person. I think I’ll be alright in the end.”

Main Points:

1. Since Heaven is a city built by God, we must let Him inform us as to how we can get there. Thankfully, in His Word, He has made it clear. In the Bible, we are informed that there is only one road to Heaven, not many roads, and certainly not just any road of our choosing.

2. Where you want to go...there is only one way to get there. Salvation and forgiveness of our sins are only found in Jesus. It’s only through Jesus that we have access to the Father. It’s only through Jesus that we find the doorway to Heaven.

3. The Bible doesn’t leave us with vague, unclear directions. The path is marked out for us, and it's crystal clear. There is only one road to Heaven. It is found through faith in Jesus Christ, as we make Him our Savior and Lord.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Acts 4:12 - "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

1 John 5:13 - “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

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Occasionally, I’ll hear someone say, “I don’t need anyone. I don’t need people in my life.” Sometimes this is a wall people put up to protect themselves. But you absolutely need people in your life. After creating the very first man, God said in Genesis…“it’s not good for man to be alone.” You need to know this about God. He is concerned with your aloneness.

Main Points:

1. I believe God is calling the church to be a place of hope. A place of life. A place of love. A place of honesty and genuine friendships and relationships.

2. This is why there are 59 “one another” statements in the New Testament. You can’t read the New Testament and see any version of Christianity being lived out in isolation. This is why being a part of a local church is so important. You cannot be obedient to Christ as a Christian and not be a part of a local church. How would it be possible to carry out the “one another’s?”

3. How do we build Christ-centered relationships? You’ve got to be willing to take the first step. You don’t wait for somebody else to connect with you. You must take the initiative to connect with them. This often takes courage. Why? Because it’s fear that disconnects human beings. When we’re full of fear and anxiety, we don’t get close to each other. In fact, we back off from each other. We’re afraid of being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, used. All of these fears cause us to be disconnected in life. With the help of the Lord, we push past these fears. We take a step of faith and reach out to someone.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Colossians 3:12-14 – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

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Simple faith. Child-like faith. We must come to God with this same simplicity and sincerity. Just as a child can have complete faith in the protection and provision of their parents, so we must come to God with such faith. We must completely believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he alone can save us from our sins.

Main Points:

1. Let’s think for a minute about what characteristics little children possess when it comes to faith. They are innocent and sincere. They’re eager to learn. They are teachable, humble, trusting, open, simple, and spontaneous. They are unpretentious.

2. It’s my prayer that as adults, we could develop this assurance in God. As a child has assurance of the love of their parents, couldn’t we develop assurance of our Heavenly Father’s love? Couldn’t we find assurance of our salvation and forgiveness of sins? Could we also obtain assurance of God’s care, provision, and protection? Could we lay our head on our pillow at night with assurance in our hearts, knowing that if we passed in the night we have the promise of eternal life?

3. We spend our days stressed out, worried, anxious, afraid, frustrated, and even angry. Surely this is not God’s will for the lives of his children. Let’s come back to simple trust and childlike faith in a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 18:1-3 - “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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If you fully understand the gospel and what Jesus has done for us, you comprehend that He was not just executed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. You recognize that He willingly laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died for us. He took our place. With his death on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins, so we would not have to.

Main Points:

1. If God were not just, there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die. And if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die. But God is both just and loving. His love is willing to meet the demands of his justice.

2. There are no small sins. Here’s why: because God is not small. The seriousness of the insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. The creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect, admiration, and loyalty.

3. Since God is just, he does not sweep these sins under the rug of the universe. He feels a holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). To not punish us would be unjust. But here’s what is truly amazing…Jesus accepts God’s wrath on our behalf. Jesus doesn’t cancel God’s wrath; he absorbs it. He diverts it from us to himself.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 5:6-8 - “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 - “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Peter 2:24 - “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

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The Bible is a book of miracles from the beginning to the end. If you read through the Bible, you will be left with this amazing truth: God can do anything. There is no limit to his power. He is a miracle-working God. He specializes in doing what seems to be impossible to us.

Main Points:

1. Throughout scripture, we see miracles of provision, miracles of healing, miracles of protection, miracles of deliverance, miracles of opportunity, and miracles of guidance and direction.

2. So, let me ask you, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord? It’s likely that today you are facing a situation in your life in which you need a miracle; most of us are. It seems impossible and feels discouraging, but again, is anything too hard for the Lord?

3. For many Christians, our struggle is not faith in God’s ability to perform miracles, but faith in his willingness. The result is that we have no expectation. Let’s renew our faith in God’s miraculous power. No matter what you are facing today, remember, the impossible has never stopped God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Genesis 18:14 - "Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Luke 2:37 - “For with God, nothing will be impossible.”

Hebrews 13:8 - “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

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Memories are important, especially when it comes to remembering what God has done for us. If you are like me, you tend to have selective memory. When facing a hardship or a difficult season, I’m laser-focused on what I am going through at the moment. It can be hard to remember God’s past faithfulness.

Main Points:

1. As you look back over your life and your journey as a follower of Jesus, I’m confident you can see evidence of God’s faithfulness. There were times when God protected you, provided for you, healed you, and encouraged you. There were times when God gave you strength, wisdom, peace, guidance, and joy.

2. I want to invite you to take a walk down memory lane. Grab a piece of paper and a pen to write down the memories you have of God’s faithfulness.

3. Over the course of your life, people come and go. You met people years ago that now you have forgotten. But God is not someone who comes and goes. God is constant. He is faithful. He has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. He does not want to be forgotten. Because of His faithfulness, He is worthy of your praise and worship.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 77:11-12 - "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

Psalm 103:2-5 - “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 78:10-11 - “They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law. They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.”

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If you have known the Lord for a while, you understand that God’s time is usually not our time. We want God to move much faster than he does. Yet, we must see that God is not slow. God is deliberate. He moves and works within his sovereign time frame. God’s timing is always right.

Main Points:

1. God is never early, never late, but he’s always on time. Our timing isn't God's timing. For us, God's timing often feels like a long, desperate delay. God's perfect timing does two things: it causes our faith to grow as we wait and trust Him, and it makes certain that He, and He alone, gets the glory from our lives.

2. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the life of the believer. One of his purposes is to bring guidance and direction to our lives. He is faithful to lead us to God’s plan, but He can also be trusted to guide us to God’s timing.

3. Trust today that your steps are being established by the Lord. When it’s time to take the next step, God will make it clear. As you wait, believe that even though the waiting may not make sense, God’s will is being performed in your life. His will, His plan, and His timing are perfect.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 31:15 - "My times are in Your hands ..."

Ecclesiastes 3:11 the Bible says "He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Proverbs 16:9 - “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

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