Church hurt is real because every church is made up of people who still struggle with sin. We can hold onto hurt or cause hurt when we lose sight of God’s goodness, ignore our own sinful desires, or fail to reflect His character in the way we treat one another.
Church hurt is real. It can cause us to lose trust in the Church, and our sin can cause others to do the same. Hurt grows when we lose sight of God, ignore our sinful desires, and fail to embody His character in relationships. As we see and trust God’s goodness revealed in Jesus, we can embody His goodness for the sake of others.
What do you do when the battle in front of you is bigger than the strength inside of you?
Jehoshaphat shows us a battle rhythm: seek God, pray, fast, bow, worship, praise, then advance in obedience. The battle belongs to the LORD.
Praise does not make God King; it declares that He is King. Worship surrenders our posture before Him.
When the diagnosis, report, relationship, or opposition feels bigger than you, remember the victory that Jesus has already won. Look up, bow down, lift up, sing out, and move forward. Assign your praise and worship to lead your advance.
What battle feels bigger than you right now? What would it look like to say, “My eyes are on You”?
Which biblical posture is hardest for you — singing, shouting, lifting hands, kneeling, or bowing? Why?
Where do you need to stop trying to control the battle and trust that it belongs to the LORD?
What posture of praise or worship will you intentionally practice this week?
What is one next step you need to take today?
Who do you need to tell about what you’ve learned?
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
Psalm 22:3
Psalm 66:1-4
Exodus 17:8-16
2 Samuel 6:14-22
Matthew 4:8-10
Matthew 6:9-10
Psalm 150
Romans 8:37
1 Corinthians 15:57
What if the greatest threat to your faith is not that the enemy is stronger, but that he can convince you to fight alone?
Discipleship runs on the rails of the Gospel and relationships. Through the gospel, we discover how Jesus Christ has loved us and relate with us. Through relationships, the Holy Spirit teaches us to extend that same love to one another. This is the law of Christ: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). The New Testament shows us how we are to practice "one anothering" to fulfill the law of Christ.
Jesus Christ’s love for me motivates me to use whatever influence, power, and resources He has entrusted to me to BLESS others.
To have Jesus is to have life’s greatest good. That frees me to give generously.
I practice the rhythm of repentance because I know the mercy and love of the Father.
Prayer is humble submission to God’s will and dependence upon His mercy and grace because my faith is rooted in Who God is.
God transforms me as I read His word, believe it, and live by it daily.
Those who have faith in the resurrection of Jesus are revolutionaries who change the world.
I will risk what I have when I have confidence in what I’ve received.
I am empowered to stand fully equipped and ready as I hide God’s Word in my heart.
I memorize Scripture to seek God’s face and live as a fully alive disciple of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit empowers the body of Christ with spiritual gifts for the good of others and to advance the Kingdom of God.
The outcome of belonging to Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit producing the character of Christ in me.
The Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin and empowers me to respond to temptations and trying situations by doing the loving thing instead of the selfish thing.
The Holy Spirit leads me to know God’s will to become like Jesus as I seek Him in prayer and submit to His Word.
The Holy Spirit guides me into all truth, established in the Word of God, to live in right relationship with God and others.
God’s saving gift is the Holy Spirit alive in me, empowering me to live for Christ.
Jesus Christ’s resurrection proves that forgiveness is real, hope is alive, and the future is secure for all who come to Him, follow Him, and worship Him.
I will worship by seeking to know and living to glorify Jesus.
In my moments of greatest pressure, I can trust God’s goodness and surrender to His will, knowing His plan is greater than what I can see.
God is sovereign and faithful, and I am secure in Christ’s victory, even if following Jesus looks like defeat.
Stand up courageously for Jesus!
When my security and identity are in Christ, I am free to give Him everything I have, and submit everything I am to Him who is Lord of all.
I cannot do good unless I follow Jesus by doing what honors God, what is wise, and what is loving towards others.
Discipline is a long obedience that leads to spiritual maturity and healthy relationship.
Understanding how much God has forgiven me through Jesus Christ gives me the grace and strength to forgive quickly and continually.
Having a right relationship with God means pursuing right relationships with one another.
Having a right relationship with God means pursuing right relationships with one another.
In God’s family, we relate with others in the same way God through Christ relates with us.
We couldn’t see what God saw, but He’s been writing a story of transformation all along. And He’s not done yet.
The Gospel of Jesus leads me to see God through Christ, understand who I am in Christ, and live empowered by God’s Spirit in me.
