One individual that often gets neglected the most in today's modern church isn't a church attender, a particular staff member, or even a volunteer - rather it is none other than the Holy Spirit. There can be various reasons as to why that is but perhaps one of the primary reasons is simply a lack of knowledge. We don't truly know WHO He is, WHAT His purpose is, or WHY we have Him in our lives. But it is so important for us to realize that the closer we are with the Holy Spirit and allowing HIS power to flow through us, the more we will grow more like Christ and develop a healthy fear of the Lord.

As believers, we all know it is extremely vital to keep our eyes, thoughts, and hearts centered on Jesus. Today, we will take a closer look at how exactly we can live that out and truly "focus" every aspect on Christ.

Often times we go through life weighed down by heavy "baggage" - not literal bags but things we carry from our past, sins we try to hide, hurt and emotional trauma, and more. The list could go on and on. The sad reality is the longer we carry these bags, the more tired and exhausted we become. Jesus said on numerous times He came to give us LIFE, FREEDOM, and RELIEF. But the choice is up to us if we are going to continue to carry all these things around or surrender them to the ONLY One strong enough to carry everything we have held on to for so long.

Today we begin a mini-series centered around all the "baggage" we carry in our lives - many times unnoticed by those closest to us. The first step in overcoming ANYTHING is being honest and admitting we need help. Today we will see the startling facts that NO ONE is exempt from being hit with the struggles of mental health, relational hurt, emotional hurt, and the only hope we have to escape these things is Christ.

We live in a time where we are constantly being bombarded with distractions and rival "gods" to the one true God. These distractions can come from the places we least expect it - ourselves, money, materialism, entertainment, pleasure, politics, ideology, technology, control, image, or influence. One thing is for sure however - we MUST stand firm in our covenant to God to forsake all idols but Him, see Him as our supreme treasure, and make the CHOICE to serve Him.

Whether you consider yourself "younger" or "older," obedience to Christ does not care about our age. God desires that we pursue Him in faithfulness throughout our entire life. Just like a marathon, we must pace ourselves to finish strong. We must remember that we won't reach perfection in this life and we will make mistakes. God's mercies are new EVERY morning and He WILL finish the work He started in our lives. But we must still make the conscious decision to obey Him & do what He has asked us to do. It is by maintaining an attitude of thankfulness we will never take Him for granted and want to serve Him with our entire being.

Have you ever had a disagreement or falling out with someone because you misunderstood each other? One of the most overlooked aspects to relationships is communication. We tend to avoid saying how we feel or what we are truly thinking for the sake of peace but it actually ends up being worse and causing bitterness, resentment, and division. As we'll see in today's passage, we must all take personal responsibility to create environments that welcome transparency and honesty with our communication - first and foremost with God.

Happy Father's Day! We are so thankful for all the fathers & fatherly figures in our lives and most of all our Heavenly Father! The Bible has MUCH to say on how fathers should live out their life in front of their wife, children, and ultimately before God. And whether you are a father or still have a father/fatherly figure in your life, we ALL have a responsibility & role to play: for fathers - to be present, be godly, be intentional; for families - honor your father, encourage him, and pray for him; and to everyone - look to God the Father as the model of love and leadership.

Do you realize the person that has the most influence on you is YOU? Have you ever thought about the person you talk to and hear from the most - is you? Whatever we tell ourself has a massive impact on what we think, feel, and do. That's why the Bible tells us to guard our hearts and minds and to saturate them with GOD'S words. The Psalm are studying this morning encourages us to do just that - speak to our souls and in the darkest of times, remind ourselves that we have ALL we could ever need in Christ and that HE is our true delight and satisfaction

Do you realize the person that has the most influence on you is YOU? Have you ever thought about the person you talk to and hear from the most - is you? Whatever we tell ourself has a massive impact on what we think, feel, and do. That's why the Bible tells us to guard our hearts and minds and to saturate them with GOD'S words. The Psalm are studying this morning encourages us to do just that - speak to our souls and in the darkest of times, remind ourselves that we have ALL we could ever need in Christ and that HE is our true delight and satisfaction

Many times in our walks with Jesus and spiritual journeys, God will ask us to make difficult decisions and it can be scary. But it is in those moments we must remember to ask Him for the courage and boldness to step into His calling by faith. He is faithful to equip us with what He has called us to and He will also give us the desire to fulfill it! It is because of these truths that anxiety and worry lose their power and we can rest easy knowing our God is in absolute full control.

What an exciting day it is to celebrate all of our graduates and their amazing accomplishments! It is so important for us to remember that while many aspects of our life could appear to be "routine" or "mundane" (i.e. work, school, etc.), that is never the true reality. The fact is we are ALL alive right now for a specific purpose and reason - for "such a time as this." And it is up to us if we are going to fully embrace the mission that Jesus has given us: to seek and to save the lost and remember He is ALWAYS working even when we can't "see" it.

Happy Mother's Day! As we celebrate the mothers and motherly figures in our lives, let us truly be thankful for just how much they have done for us. What a beautiful reality that so many of the attributes that these amazing women have are also perfectly reflected in the love and attributes of our God.

God's timing is not our timing. Even when it comes to certain promises God has made to us in the Bible, Scripture tells us that 1,000 years is like a day to Him. Because of this truth, it is so important for us to never give up hope and never stop worshiping WHILE we wait. We can rest assured that in God's perfect time & providence, He will accomplish what He said He will do.

So often when we face struggles or battles, we feel like we are alone. Many times we think we are the only one who has ever faced what we are up against. That is exactly where Satan wants us. But it's at that exact moment we must remind him as well as ourselves that our God is not only with us but FOR us. He will NEVER leave us and He will go before us to defeat our enemies. It may not be exactly in the way we think or want but we can rest assured we will emerge victorious because He is incapable of defeat.

Happy Easter! Today we celebrate the most miraculous event of history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ! No matter what we go through in our lives, we can know without a doubt that because Jesus lives, we too can have victory over sin, death, and Hell.

As we prepare our hearts for Easter, today we have the privilege to celebrate Jesus riding into Jerusalem as the long-awaited Messiah! The majority of the Gospels focus on this final week of Jesus' life and rightly so - it is because of these events and ultimately His sacrifice on the cross that provide the way for us to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. While He may have rode on a lowly donkey in preparation to die, this foreshadows that beautiful day when He shall return on a glorious white horse as our triumphant, conquering King.

The life of Jesus is absolutely extraordinary. From healing people, speaking boldly about the Word of God, to literally raising people from the dead, the fact that Jesus Christ is God is undeniable. But the question we all must answer is: "Do I truly believe this in my heart?" Many people can say they "believe" in Jesus, but to them it's no different than "believing" in George Washington. Either Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or He was telling the truth. And if He was telling the truth, then He is the Lord of all to whom we must surrender our entire lives to.

Have you ever read the stories in the Old Testament and desperately wished you could have physically seen the miracles that God did? Well the amazing reality is the God of the Old Testament is STILL the same God today and continues to do miracles for us, among us, and through us. They may not necessarily "look" the same but we can rest assured He still does great and wondrous things. Never give up hope or faith. God ultimately does miracles for His glory but we also profit from them because they are ALWAYS for our good.

For many of us - if not most - the realization of being "duped" or deceived is one that nobody looks forward to. No one in this world enjoys that sinking feeling in their stomach when they think they are buying something authentic but it turns out to be fake. Think of how God must feel when we "pretend" to live like Jesus on Sunday but the rest of the week, we never think or speak about Him. The Bible has another name for that: hypocrite. Such behavior hurts God and should make us want to live differently. We must be honest with ourselves and repent and ask Jesus to be real with Him and others. And the glorious part about it is that He will forgive us and help us change our deceptive ways.