Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” ‭‭ Our thoughts matter to God because they influence everything that we do and they affect how available we allow ourselves to be for God to shape us into what we were all originally created to be: people that look more and more like Jesus. There’s an intentionality required when it comes to our thoughts and where we allow our mind to “sit”. Sometimes it’s really hard to be mindful of how we think. But I hope this passage above encourages all of you as it continues to encourage me, that in every situation we can present our requests to God, and he hears us, big or small…even things like changing our thoughts and overriding lies we’ve begun to believe with the truths of his word. The God of peace is with you.

I need to be completely vulnerable with you guys today, because sin thrives in secrecy, and I refuse to let the enemy win in the dark. Lately, I’ve been caught in an exhausting cycle. Publicly, I praise God and teach others to follow Him. But behind closed doors and in my own thoughts, I've been falling into temptation and running away from His Word. It left me feeling like a weak man, a total hypocrite, and wondering: Have I completely lost my salvation? If you’ve ever felt this heavy burden, here is the life-saving truth God broke me over: The Romans 7 War: Even the Apostle Paul cried out in frustration about doing the very things he hated. You are in a spiritual battle, not a courtroom. Grief Proves Life: A true hypocrite fakes it for applause and feels completely fine about their hidden sin. If your secret failures break your heart, it's proof that the Holy Spirit is deeply alive inside you. Grace is a Gift: Jesus didn't die for a future, perfect version of you. He saw this exact season of your life and chose to stay on the cross anyway. Salvation is a free gift, not a paycheck for good behavior. I’m posting this to break the power of secrecy. We don't hide until we are "clean enough" to return to God; we run straight to Him because we are broken and need His medicine. We fight from victory, not for it. If you're fighting a hidden battle today, you aren't a lost cause and you are not alone. Let’s bring it into the light together. Even in my struggle… LET’S KEEP BUILDING AND GROWING TOGETHER! God Bless.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “I don’t need the church to be Christian” This statement is true. But what is the outcome of a Christian life separated from the very thing (the church) that God created to help build and grow that very life? The outcome is stagnancy. A faith that does not grow will eventually die. The church is not the building, it’s the people. Just like any unit, it has moving parts that are necessary for it function efficiently to complete its purpose. We are the church and we all have a part in it, we all have a role. Having faith in Jesus is not about us or what we can get. We aren’t the main character of this story God has written that we call life. It’s about Jesus, his power that transforms us, and our willingness to be participants (not just spectators) in what God wants to do not only with his people, but especially for the people those that don’t know him. Thus, if Christ loves the Church, who are we to reject our God-given part in it? We can’t do this faith walk alone and God never desired us to do as such. Hurts and heartaches will come, but don’t let someone’s misrepresentation of God draw you away from the thing that God intended to equip you!

Share a testimony that you have experienced within the last week. It can be anything, we want to celebrate with you!