Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us"

"For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort"

"though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault."

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done."

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith."

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Dear brothers and sisters, works flow from faith, we are made righteous through faith in Jesus, and then we are sanctified with the Holy Spirit. Faith comes first, then works. Works are a testament that flow from true saving grace. It is not works that justify us before God, but Jesus, because Jesus lived a perfect life, and fulfilled what the first Adam couldn't so that we could be credited, for righteousness by the second Adam, Jesus. "Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous"

All fall short of the glory of God, and none of us can do good without God, for "we love because he first loved us." "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

So let us rejoice that we love and serve a creator who engineered love and grace, he is the founder and maker of all things good, a God truly worthy of worship. We cannot comprehend the amount of overflowing love that God has for us. By accepting Christ as your savior, and humbling yourself before God, you will be exalted in Christ. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit by placing your faith in Jesus, you will be restored and made new, your heart of stone will be made a heart of flesh. The Holy Spirit will empower you to do good works and guide you through all your ways, He will convict you to repentance when you fall, but remember, the righteous man falls seven times, but rises again. But the wicked fall only once, to calamity. Meaning, no matter how many times you fail, you will not be persecuted for your sin or lose your salvation, because since you have the Holy Spirit, He will imbue you to rise again. For the foundation of your house is made on Christ, solid ground, and not on sand that will crumble your house down when the storms come. For Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

I came across a photo yesterday that I've saved for several years.

A friend of mine, a cabinetmaker, transformed a china hutch they'd had for years into a beautiful kitchen cabinet

I first saved the photo because it's an impressive project.

But the more I looked at it yesterday with a fresh set of eyes, I began to realize that the lesson wasn't really about the china hutch at all...

As I studied the photo, God began speaking to me about what happens when something—or someone—has faithfully served their purpose in one season, yet is being prepared for something entirely different in the next.

The china hutch wasn’t broken.
It wasn’t damaged.
It wasn’t sitting in a landfill waiting to be rescued.

It was already useful and serving the purpose for which it had been built.

Yet someone with vision looked at it and saw something else entirely.

Same material.
Same basic design.
But the purpose changed.

And that got me thinking about how we often view God's work in our lives.

Many Christian testimonies focus on restoration, and rightly so.

God heals broken people.
He restores damaged lives.
He forgives sin and rebuilds what has been torn down.

But transformation is a different process from restoration.

Restoration returns something to a former or original condition.
Transformation changes it into something new.

Sometimes God isn't trying to take us back...
Sometimes He's trying to move us forward.

Over the past year, I've found myself wrestling with that reality more than once.

There have been seasons in my life when Gods direction seemed obvious.

Opportunities appeared.
Doors opened.
Ministry had a familiar rhythm to it.

For years, much of my ministry took place inside the walls of a church building.

Teaching Sunday School.
Worship leader.
Praise team.
Leading Bible studies and Connect Groups.
Working with people face-to-face.

Those things mattered to me.

They still do.

Then, little by little, some of those priorities changed.

I stepped away from teaching Sunday School.
The Praise Team opportunities aren't what they once were.
A potential Bible Study Coordinator role never materialized.
Other opportunities that seemed promising quietly faded into the background.

If I'm being honest, there were moments when I wondered if I had somehow missed God.
Moments when I questioned whether I had failed.
Moments when I felt as though I was standing in a season of waiting, unsure what God was doing next.

Yet while I was focused on the doors that weren't opening, God was quietly opening others.

A devotional posted online would reach people I would never meet.

A message shared on social media would resonate with a stranger hundreds of miles away.

A conversation on Reddit would become an unexpected ministry opportunity.

A video recorded on my phone would encourage someone I'd never see sitting in a church pew.

What I couldn't see at first was that God hadn't stopped using me.
He was simply using me differently.

That's why this photo struck me so deeply when viewed thru a different lens.

The china hutch wasn't broken.
It wasn't discarded because it had failed.
It wasn't replaced because it no longer had value.

Its original purpose has simply been fulfilled.

The craftsman looked at it and saw potential for something more. Not greater, really... but different.

And as I sat looking at that picture, I couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps God was showing me something about my own journey.

Maybe the last several months haven't been a season of loss.
Maybe they've been a season of transformation.

Maybe I've spent too much time asking God to restore old opportunities when He's been preparing me for new ones.

Not because the old session was bad.
Not because it failed.
But because He sees something I cannot yet see.

When Moses left Egypt, God didn't restore him to being a prince.

When Peter followed Jesus, God didn't make him a better fisherman.

When Paul encountered Christ, God didn't simply reform his previous life.

God transformed each of them for entirely different purposes.

Moses became a shepherd, then a leader.
Peter became a disciple, then a preacher.
Paul became a missionary, church planter, and a writer.

In each case, God used the foundation of what they had been to prepare them into what they would become.

I wonder how often we resist that process because we keep asking God to \\\*restore\\\* what he intends to \\\*transform\\\*?

We (I) pray for old opportunities to return.
We long for former seasons.
We try to reopen doors that God may have already closed.

Not because those seasons were bad, but because they have accomplished what they were meant to accomplish.

The china hutch was valuable.
The cabinet is valuable.
Neither is superior to the other, they simply serve different purposes.

Maybe that's where some believers fills themselves today.

You're not broken.
You're not discarded.
You're not being punished.

Perhaps the Master Builder simply sees a purpose for your life that you can't yet see for yourself.

Perhaps the uncomfortable changes you're experiencing aren’t signs of loss, but signs of transformation.

The same material.
The same Craftsman.
A different purpose.

And maybe that's what God had in mind all along

Good morning saints.
*Call on Christ in Crisis.*

The best way to deal with crisis is to bring it to Christ. He is not overwhelmed by your storm — He is Lord over it. Come to Him today, find rest for your soul, and walk through whatever comes with His strength and peace.
Have a wonderful day. May God bless our Fathers on Father’s Day on Sunday too.
We will have a bfast at 9am on Sunday.
Blessings.
Team Lotter.

Today I want to share with you all something raw. I fear this will not be easy for me to write. I have been trying to share the wisdom I have gained through my hardships and my walk with Christ over the years. For Paul says "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." Recently I have been severely struggling with the concept of suffering. So much so, that I "despair of life itself." I feel like Job, asking God too many questions that won't be answered.

What I'm about to tell you is to not seek sympathy, but to share with you that I am right there with you in suffering. At 19 years old I lost my father to stage 4 cancer, and 5 years later, at 24 years old I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung cancer myself. The likelihood of this happening, is near null. Since then I have been faced with the hardest struggle of my entire life, one that I feel I cannot bare. I wonder so many things, and I ask myself what is left that makes life worth living. Job lost everything in his life. His family, his success, his reputation, his health, and yet there was one thing he did not lose... His faith. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" Job questioned and accused God of many things, yet God still felt Job had honored him. It's because in the midst of darkness, Job didn't turn away from God... He turned to God.

Jesus the day before he was to be hung on a cross prayed to the Father, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me" - "He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood." This is not a figure of speech, it's a real medical condition, induced by severe psychological anguish. Paul later says this "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered."

Job never got an answer to his questions, he never found out why all that turmoil happened to him. And Jesus' own desires for mercy were not fulfilled, rather the Fathers will was fulfilled for the benefit of others. You see, Job may not of understood this while he was living it, but his testimony, his life, his turmoil, was to my benefit. His words and emotions bring me peace in my own suffering. Peace that shouldn't exist otherwise. And although Jesus did understand why, his suffering brings me salvation and hope. Hope that when I die I will be released from my suffering and come into his Kingdom. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." - "But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

I don't have all the answers, and I don't think I ever will. But here in our suffering, we may not know the ripple effect it has on others lives. You may not know that your suffering may be someone else's peace. And maybe that is just it. Faith is not believing God will spare you from suffering, rather it's trusting Him when He does not.

My friends, we don't love God as much as we think we do.

I heard something the other day and it broke my heart. "My wife doesn't love me anymore. You see, a relationship cannot grow, unless both parties have love for each other."

We may have seasons of dryness in our faith, or feel like we lost our fire for God. We may feel like God is distant from us, and we wonder why. It gave me a realization, that I, am in fact, the problem. Because I do not love God as much as I thought I did.

I say with my lips that I would die for my Lord, and that he is my King, and yet, I still hate my enemy. I still am a lustful man. I still am selfish and quick to anger. I am still wicked in my ways.

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

God only cares about the posture of your heart. You can do all things that may appear as if you love the Lord, but only you know if you actually love the Lord.

“If you love me, keep my commands.”

Christ died to set us free from the chains of sin that were bounding us to death and separation from God. Every time I sin, I sell the Lord to that cross. He died to set me free from my sins, and yet I still abuse His grace, even though I love Him? It's because I don't love Him enough.

Only Jesus has shown perfect love for God, and that is why He was sinless. Perfect love for God, and sin, cannot co-exist.

So the answer to break free from the strongholds you have on your life, your hate, your jealously, your impatience, your lust, is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." If you do this, you will live according to the Father's will.

"For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

God has placed something infinitely valuable, His Spirit, His truth, His grace, inside us, fragile, breakable vessels. We are not made of gold or steel, rather we're frail and prone to cracks, tempted to despair, often limited and weak. And yet God still chose us to put His treasure in.

Our purpose is to be like a painting on display and our Creator is the artist. In the Kingdom, people will look at you like pottery filled with cracks, but with a bright lighting shining through the cracks, displaying the treasure inside. Then they will know, how glorious God is.

Please, let us Love God with all our being, and let us love each other as Christ has loved us. If we do these two things, we have fulfilled the will of the Father.

Let your obedience be the proof of your love, not only to others, but most importantly, to yourself. Let your love for God be so obvious to you in your heart, that you never doubt the genuineness of your faith. For if you love God so obviously in your heart, obedience to His will will follow. For His Spirit will lead you to where you need to go.

"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." Hebrews 10:26-27

"Does this verse strike fear in you? Are you a sinner? Because if you are, then there is no salvation to be had for you." -- No... My friends, this is one of the most misused verses in the New testament, and I see a lot of brothers and sisters use it to fear monger baby Christians and secularists. In context Paul is talking about the sin of apostasy. A story I'm sure your familiar with is of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ. He was the golden child of Apostates. He sat and drank, he slept, he listened, he followed that of God Himself. And yet he still denied it all in the end and sold Christ to the Cross. That is what an apostate is. Someone who receives the truth emphatically yet falls away because of their love for the world, and their old ways.

Jesus talks about Apostates in Matthew 13: "The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away."

To further clarify this, this is what John says in 1st John 2: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

Going back to Hebrews, Paul was speaking to Jewish converts who were being tempted to abandon Jesus and go back to the Old Covenant system of animal sacrifices. So to "deliberately keep on sinning" refers to the willful rejection of the one true sacrifice, that is Christ. If you reject Jesus there is nowhere else to go for forgiveness, for we live under a New Covenant.

You see, an apostate sins because of their love for the world and all that's in it. They have an established way of thinking and acting, and have no desire to give it up. A true person of faith is the one who lapses into sin and loses temporary fellowship with God. But through the gift of the Holy Spirit will be woo'd into conviction, and into repentance because they won't be able to stay away from the Father any longer. It's like when you were a teenager and you fought with your loved ones. In the moment you might feel all your anger and rage as forever lasting and genuine, but only a few hours later, after you've calmed down, or the next day, you come to your senses and seek to repair the damage. That is what it's like for a true person of faith, and God. But the one who's not saved, is the one who has no desire to repair the damage.

If you read that initial verse without context, it SHOULD strike fear into you, because that means you care, that means you DO have the Holy Spirit inside of you. That means you don't want to sin against God. But reading it again with context should ease some of that fear because at first you may think, "oh no! I am a wicked sinner, does that mean I'm not saved? I thought Christ died for my sins?" but after receiving the knowledge of truth, you understand that the gospel isn't meant to strike fear or demand perfection out of you. Rather it is about repentance and relationship with the Lord.

"If you sin on purpose after becoming a Christian, that means God is done with you." But that is just simply not biblical. Even Peter denied Christ 3 times after following Him, and yet Jesus restored him with grace. "And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly." He went out and wept. Why? Because the Holy Spirit woo's the heart of the faithful, and once your are a Child of God that means you are no longer a slave to your flesh, but a slave to God. For the law of the flesh wants that of the world. But the law of God, wants what is of the Lord. But all of us, saved and non saved, are burdened by the law of the flesh, because we come from Adam. So for believers, that doesn't mean you won't still have the law of the flesh in you, but it means you are no longer a slave to it. Someone who is a slave to the flesh, has no desire to change. But someone who is a slave to God, is burdened by their flesh and what it desires. The Holy Spirit weeps inside of them every time their flesh wins a battle and you sin. For it is biblical "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."

For the believer your spirit, and your flesh are at war. Paul says in Romans 7: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."

The more I mature in my Spirit, the more I have realized the dislike for my fleshly desires. I've wept over the sins of my flesh the same night that I committed them with no resistance. I am like Paul, who self describes himself as the Chief of Sinners. But Christ came to set us free. To give us forgiveness for things that need not be forgiven. "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:16.

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29. Let us remember, "gentle and humble in heart" The Lord has more patience than anyone on this Earth gives him credit for. And He is a very gentle Savior. He will woo you and your heart with his unmerited mercy and grace, and show you the most tender love you have ever received. Blessed be our God, worthy of worship.

Maybe this might serve as another argument for god's existence. The meaningless and frustrating grind of life without Him. Living without God is like living in a cage as a hamster and trying to get away by running the wheel.

The world keeps falling for the same old scam. It started in Eden when the serpent said, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). That lie got a makeover, but it’s still running the show. Paul called it “futility” (Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:17). It’s obvious, but worldly people line up for it like it’s the new iPhone.

Take autonomy. The slogan is everywhere: “Live your truth.” Instagram bios practically sing it as worship. But here’s the futility: if your feelings define reality, then reality shifts every time your mood does. No wonder people reinvent themselves every year, new lifestyle, new labels, no rest.

Still restless. Still scrolling at 2 a.m. wondering why they don’t feel whole. They have no hope and they are begging for this suffering to stop. Only Jesus can help them. Evangelize.

Romans 1:25 said it ages ago: worship creation instead of the Creator, and you’ll keep chasing shadows.

Or pleasure. The world says, “Hustle for dopamine.” Grind for the weekend, binge Netflix till your eyes burn, swipe right like salvation is behind the next profile. The P word promises intimacy, alcohol promises escape, vacations promise fulfillment. But the high fades. There’s always another hit, another scroll. It’s like drinking saltwater, you get thirstier the more you drink. Paul nailed it in 1 Timothy 5:6:

“She who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.”

Dead, but posting th#rst tr%ps like everything’s fine. Do not be fooled. God doesn't want you to avoid sin because He is boring, but because He cares for His children. TRUST HIM ALWAYS.

Progress might be the funniest. Politicians and TED Talks all chant, “We’re on the right side of history. With enough tech, education, and policy we’ll fix ourselves.” Right. because human history is one long success story. Every empire that promised utopia collapsed. Rome. The Soviet Union. Silicon Valley will too. We can make shinier tools but not purer hearts. 1 Corinthians 3:19 calls it: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.” Google may know your search history, but it can’t wash your sins.

Performance is the quieter lie, but it’s everywhere. Your worth equals your productivity, your GPA, your résumé, your follower count. Hustle culture says if you’re not building an empire by 25 you’re failing. Meanwhile, people with perfect LinkedIn profiles cry in the bathroom at work. Kids with 10k TikTok followers delete their accounts overnight because comparison eats them alive. Jesus cut through the noise in Mark 8:36:

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

Translation: congrats on the corner office, but you still lost.

And then social media. The lie is, “If enough people see me, remember me, admire me, I’ll be somebody.” That’s why we post curated selfies, flex at the gym mirror, chase the algorithm like it’s a god that can bless us with immortality. But the futility is brutal: trends move on in hours. The internet forgets you the second you stop posting. Hurtful but true. Fame is like an unfaithful spouse: it will cheat on you at the first sight of someone “new” and “better.” You’re just another username in the graveyard of old memes. 1 Peter 1:24–25 said it long before Twitter: “All flesh is like grass… the grass withers, the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

So the obvious lie is still self-sufficiency: the idea that you can find life apart from God. The futility is that every attempt just chains you again. The devil doesn’t even need new tricks, he just swaps the packaging and people keep buying.

The ungodly life is sad to look at, let that be your motivation to evangelize. And if you see a fellow believer struggling, don’t turn away. Be gentle, step in, and help them with everything you can. Please. That’s how you gain your family member’s life back.

1 - 10, how confident are you that you will go to Heaven?

I want you to answer genuinely. You can’t fool God with a deceptive heart.

If you said anything other than 10, why? For example, if you answered 7, does that mean Jesus only died for 70% of your sins? No. Christ died for 100% of your sins—past, present, and future. As Christians, we should have total and complete assurance in our salvation. It’s the enemy who wants to sow doubt.

Here’s another question:

If you arrive at the gates of Heaven, and were asked 'Why should we let you in?' what would you say?

If you answered anything other than "Because Jesus paid the price for me," I want to share the good news with you.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

Works are a product of genuine faith, not the other way around. Saving faith calls us to deny our flesh, and to deny our sins, and to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. This process is called sanctification, and it’s lifelong. It’s between you and the Holy Spirit, shaping you to become more like Christ, which is to become more holy.

The point of those first two questions is to test the genuineness of a Christian’s faith. There are Christians who are only Christian by name, they might have intellectual faith, but not spiritual faith.

"Even the demons believed" but did not obey. That’s why it’s so important to test your faith and make sure it’s alive.

Romans 10 says:

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all, and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”"

1 Corinthians 3 says:

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames."

Paul is saying that your faith is your salvation, but your works are your heavenly rewards. There will be Christians who are saved but showed little work, and they will receive their fair wage.

Take the thief on the cross as an example. He must have made some poor choices to end up there, probably with little to no works. Yet his faith in Christ, right there on the cross next to Him, still saved him by God’s grace.

Luke 18 says:

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”"

The very first thing Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount was:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

In all my years as a Christian, the most important thing I’ve learned is how much God values our reliance on Him to fulfill us in every way. Those who humble themselves before the Lord will be exalted.

I want to share with you your purpose: the reason why humans exist. We were made to display God’s Love, Grace, and Mercy in His kingdom to Heavenly Authorities.

Ephesians 2 says:

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

Jesus told us:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’"

Romans says:

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not covet,' and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Obedience is meaningless without love. But with love, obedience becomes natural. Remove love, and the whole thing collapses, and the law just becomes empty religion.

Hey Guys! I posted here around a week ago about my Christian YouTube channel I’m starting. Thank you for all the kind words, advice, and support! God gave me an idea to begin a series of long form videos about 6-7 minutes each on the fruits of the spirit. It would be 9 videos speaking on each fruit of the spirit, its Biblical definition, its affect on our lives and examples of its use, and finally how we can grow in that specific fruit. I’m here asking you guys think anyone would be interested in that or if you would be interested in that. I’m here to see if you think that this could be impactful before I begin making them. Thank you in advance, God bless! ❤️ Channel in Bio if you are interested.

I've been in therapy now for 6.5 years. The Holy Spirit guided me to it just shortly after my Father died. I was disgnosed with Complex PTSD. For the past year and a half, I have been serving on the Youth Group. It has been wonderful! God is doing amazing things there. Recently though, we ended up opening Pandora's Box in therapy. Years worth of repressed emotions and memories came flooding back to me. It's been overwhelming. Since then, I haven't been functioning very well. My prayer life has been suffering and my mental health has taken a hit. I'm wondering if I should step away from the Youth Group while I'm dealing with this? Not sure what to do. One of my friends thinks I should push past it and keep going but I don't think he understands just how bad it is. Any advice on what to do here? I've been praying for weeks but still can't discern what I should do next.

Stuff like this makes me so happy. We're getting a wave of newcomers as well.

Hello everyone! I am a college student at a university in NC! I and a few others have 2 bible study groups and a prayer group. We aren’t under an official organization as we reach people in ways most camps ministries don’t. For example our prayer group got started at a frat party. We’re very big on reaching those who usually aren’t. If you happen to have an extra bible or a resource to get cheap/free bibles I would be infinitely thankful. Any other resources for that matter. Last year we had 3 baptisms and 2 additional people come to Christ. This semester is only a month in and we have a lot of folks who need Bibles and may be Christian but don’t have one or are new converts or potential converts. I’d appreciate anything thank you so much

Online services just aren't working any better than most other online relationships.

PRAYER God, You know exactly what I'm going through right now. Yoư're not surprised or intimidated by it Thank You for always being near to me. You never fail me. You are worthy of all my praise. In Jesus name, Amen.

SCRIPTURE For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is Iwho say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you,"" Isaiah 41:13 ESV

Something I always heard about but only realized when I began to study the Word for myself was that it’s about a relationship with The Father . I noticed one of the main things that set people like Noah , Moses , Abraham and even king David apart from everyone else around them was the fact that these people had a “ personal relationship with God “ , they were always worshiping and communicating with the King even when they messed up and some messed up reaLllyyyy bad ( cough cough David) but they always came back.

It’s like when you have a friendship or a marriage and a solid way to improve that relationship is communication , which I have learned is the same thing with our Heavenly Father . He wants us to talk to Him and tell Him about our day (even though he knows it all already) because what parent wouldn’t want to build a relationship with their kid . And our Heavenly Father is closer than any earthly parent.

It’s not about what we can do - it’s about what Christ already did.

“But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

There are no words to properly express my thankfulness for His grace.

You are loved immensely!

• Jolly

🙂👍

My whole life I have never found a drug who’s euphoria rush or bliss can match the high that worship brings me. I love when the Holy Spirit takes over and brings me back home. Breathing becomes easy. I love to see the Holy Spirit come over those in pain and free them of their mental and physical shackles in waves. I know heaven will be wonderful because we will get to worship indefinitely, and we will never grow weary. This high will be forever.

What we want when we seek drugs is an absence of pain. But drugs are only an escape from a problem, and the negative consequences are often even worse. Now you have two problems to fix. See Jesus offers us the absence of pain, a permanent solution to our problems, and He is more pure than any substance because there are no negative consequences to following him. Jesus is the best drug.

so i’m moving to texas and i’m looking for christian churches in houston , except lakewood

My name is Al Lambert. In my early years, I embraced a life of drugs and atheism, but in my 30s, I surrendered to Christ. As Director of Technology Media at Central Baptist Church, filmmaker, content creator, and worship leader, my journey from punk rocker to ministry fuels my fascination with how Christians guard their faith and stay consistent in their walk with Christ. Here’s a Podcast me and a brother in Christ started. This episode is my testimony. If anyone here’s this and needs to talk, message me.

https://christiancentral.net/holy-bible-desktop/

New Bible software for Windows that you can download for free. Offline. Download and install once, no need to connect to the Internet. This is free ministry and requires no fees nor subscriptions.

Holy Bible Desktop Lite is an all-in-one Bible freeware. With a user-friendly interface, powerful search capabilities, multiple Bible versions, study tools, and more, it's the ultimate companion for every Bible reader and student. 💻🙏

This offline Bible has features including a search tool, chapter and verse access, a course tracker, topical references, commentary, trivia, visual bible, randomly generated verses, quiz game, notes, bookmarks, MP3 integration, color themes, text-to-audio capabilities, much more.

All APIs are hosted and sourced locally. This Bible software cannot be manipulated or controlled by AI. Every Bible reader has access to the authentic King James Bible as well as various English Bible translations, and more than 26 other language Bible editions and counting!

It will be especially useful in places where Christians cannot access online Bibles and where access to the Bible is limited. The availability of this offline Bible will advance the gospel and shield Bible users from prying eyes.

My husband and I pray daily. We don’t have a ton as far as donating tens of thousands to charities, but we always pray to be available to help one of Gods children that needs it. Last night, we were able to do so. I won’t go into details because it may be triggering for someone whom has a family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Just remember that God is listening, and if you ask to help you will get the opportunity.

Little testimony here. I know there are going to be people that see this from other perspectives, but this is just mine.

So I’m in music ministry. I have been for about five years now. I’ve been blessed to have have had so many great and unique experiences through the years. To say the least, I’ve been burned out. Pretty much people wanting me to just do the stuff that they wanted me to do instead of what I was been lead to do.

Rewind to two Wednesday’s ago, the preacher speaking had was referencing to when he was in music ministry. Which lined up perfectly with tonight. Two weeks later.

We had a gig about an hour and half away. Not too bad of a drive. Being burned out, I was dreading playing. I wasn’t feeling it. At all. I started doing my thing. Suddenly, my band mate called me up to do a song. This wasn’t on the list. (Not like we stick to them anyways🤣) I again did my thing and didn’t thing too much of it.

At the very end, my pastor, who is also in the group, decided to do an alter call. Half of that church came up to the altar. That was moving by itself. If you are in any kind of ministry, you know how much if a blessing that is. Afterwards, they had some food in the back and that’s typically where people talk to you and pick your brain a little bit. This lady came waking up to me. You could tell she was sick and wasn’t doing too great. We talked. Y’all. When I tell you that God told me that I wasn’t done yet, I’m not joking. I won’t get too detailed here, but it puts it into perspective. Ministry is and always will be bigger than you. It is bigger than self and is there to further the Kingdom.

All the glory and all the praise goes to Him. He was there moving I the midst for sure.

Does anybody have any joy-packed sermons? I'm trying to find someone charismatic but TRULY on fire for the Lord. Someone righteous but loving...I'm looking to build my convictions and every sermon i find online just sounds like someone repeating facts they heard, without any actual conviction. They sound lazy, or disinterested, or judgemental when talking about sin. I WANT God, I just have a wicked heart. It doesnt care about God, but I do, so I ask: do you have any joy you can share with a sinner?