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Author: capital-admin

“The Glory of the Cross”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 Corinthians, 1 John, Exodus, Hebrews, Isaiah, John, Philippians.

As we continue to dive deeper into The Gospel of John, we see many stories of those who witness the glory of God and are forever transformed. As Christians, we know choosing to walk with Christ can change every aspect of our lives, great and small. We see the way God makes our problems his problems and no matter how many times we have turned away from him, he has never turned away from us. We see how he can help us as we struggle with a difficult coworker, a frustrated and frustrating toddler, or a difficult topic with our spouse. If you don’t know these truths deep in your heart, you may...

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“The God Who Keeps Coming”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 2 Corinthians, Exodus, Ezekiel, Genesis, John, Psalms, Revelation, Romans.

As we begin our new series unpacking the Gospel of John, we see the true character of Jesus and the God who sent him through those who were closest to him. In these eye-witness stories, we find Jesus coming not to people who deserved him, but people who needed him most. Just as God fulfilled his promise to be with them then, he meets us here and now with that same promise. May you put your trust in the God who came and who keeps coming. May you take him at his word and may his love for you shape the way you think, feel, and live this week.

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“God Wants You to Become the Best Version of Yourself”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Ephesians, Jeremiah, John, Romans.

What spiritual activities and disciplines are helping you love God more and love others more? This is a challenge we face, particularly in America. We are living in a culture where the trend is one of greater and greater isolation. Our dependency on technologies like our cellphones and computers wrap us in a virtual cocoon, making our hyper connected nation the loneliest nation on earth. In the beginning when God created Adam He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone”. He then created Eve to be his partner and companion. (Genesis 2:18 NIV) God created each one of us for...

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“Direct Your Thoughts”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 John, 1 Peter, Ephesians, Philippians, Psalms, Romans.

Are the bad parts of our world influencing you? Do ever feel like there’s a carousel of negative thoughts running through your mind, telling you you’re not good enough, you’re not smart enough, God doesn’t love you and there’s no hope because you’ll never change? Some of us have trouble focusing on the lovely. In fact, we have a habit of dwelling on the unlovely. Are you more prone to think about the good qualities in your spouse or the bad? What about everyone else around you? Do you wish there was a spiritual switch you could flip that would transform your mind from haughty to...

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“Obedience is Abundance”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 2 Chronicles, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Joshua, Luke, Psalms.

As we conclude our series on fear, God has one more message for us. Like many of God’s messages, this one can be a little hard to hear because sometimes God asks us to do very hard things. He asks us to let go of what we desperately want to hold onto by giving or forgiving. Instead of fighting back, God calls us to love back even when everything in you wants to see them get their comeuppance. The Bible teaches us there’s a better way to live. It’s not just better because you’ll feel good about yourself but because God’s way of life really is the better way of doing life. That truth is easy...

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“Walking on Water”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Isaiah, Matthew.

What would our faith look like if we knew without a doubt that God was not only with us, but firmly holding onto us? Where would our focus be? What if we trusted Christ’s promise to always be in the storm with us? Would it change the way we dive into those difficult conversations with our spouses? Would it change the way we parent our children in their most difficult hours? What about when we’ve been dishonest and need to come clean with the truth? What if we trusted Christ’s mercy and goodness to redeem the messes we’ve made? As we grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus, we will...

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“Scared To Screw Up”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Mark, Matthew, Psalms.

How do you react when you’re faced with a difficult decision? Do you run with your impulse reaction? Do you lose sleep for days or weeks wondering how you to handle that difficult decision at work, that hard conversation you need to have with a friend or family member, or if you should say anything at all? Sometimes something as simple as a yes or no decision turns out to be anything but simple. We make decisions every day that affect our lives and the lives of those around us. Where do you turn when you don’t know where to turn?  Do you make decisions on faith or fear? What...

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“Mission Impossible”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Isaiah, Luke, Proverbs.

As we continue our series, Nothing to Fear, we pray it would sink into our bones that wherever we are, whether we’re curious or convicted, God is with us. He is with us when we’re joyful. He is with us when it’s the most wonderful time of year and we still feel sad every day. He is with us when we want so badly, especially as Christmas approaches, for our children to know Jesus. Even if we know we don’t need to fear death, there are many reasons we need God with us if we’re to be free of fear in life. Mary had a plan for her life. She likely had plans and dreams for what marriage to...

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“What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Philippians.

How big is your faith this season? Is it growing? Is it getting bigger and stronger? Or is your faith shrinking and dwindling? Have we been guilty of lashing out and reaching for things outside God’s will to accomplish our will? What if there’s a better way? Instead of fussing, fuming, and fretting, what if we lived like we have a shepherd who promises to lead and guide us even through the valley of the shadow of death? Maybe this season we start not by telling God what we need Him to do, but by finally admitting we’re not so sure. Maybe we tell him, God, we don’t know what to do,...

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“Nothing’s Gonna Shake You”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 Samuel, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Psalms.

As Christians, we spend a lot of time talking, thinking, and praying about God’s will. How do we discern the will of God from our own desires, ambitions, and impulses? In 1 Samuel, we see David after he defeated Goliath now facing an enemy in King Saul. Saul has grown envious of the adoration David has earned among the people and even Saul’s own son and daughter. Saul can clearly see God is with David, protecting him through every failed attempt to defeat him and Saul’s continued efforts to persist against the will of God only grant him an even more desperate and fearful...

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“The Battle is the Lord’s”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 Samuel, Psalms.

What do your fears tell you about your faith and where you’ve placed it? Do you fear conflict? Failure? Are you afraid of disappointing people? Are you terrified of looking stupid? So much of our misery in life comes from the fact we have begun to put our trust in doing our best. Consider how your fear of failure drives you to work ridiculous hours while your friends and family are neglected. Consider how your fear of disappointing others prevents you from saying no to your boss, no to your boyfriend, no to your children. All those fears point to the gaps and holes our faith. If your...

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“Trading Expectations”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Genesis, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew.

Are your expectations twisting your perspective of the world around you? Expectations are strong, rigid beliefs that something will happen in a particular way by a particular day and are often marked by assumption or presumption. We expect people to be, act, or respond certain ways and when they don’t meet our expectations, we feel disappointed and let down. What about your expectations for God? Are you waiting for Him to finally answer that long unanswered prayer you’ve been praying again and again? Are you expecting that if He truly is your father and creator, He will answer it...

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“More Than Enough”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 2 Corinthians, Judges.

A lesson we learn about God in church is when our burdens pile up and we become overwhelmed, leaning on God through prayer is the first step toward relief. God is our father, our provider, our rock and foundation. What would you say if in response to your plea for help, God told you to go in the strength you have? You’d probably and understandably protest! Just like Gideon in the book of Judges, you might look at your problems and your weaknesses and find it impossible to imagine how you will ever solve them. We don’t believe we’ll ever be strong enough, smart enough, social enough, or...

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“Taste and See”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Exodus.

Do you believe you have all you need to succeed and thrive in this life? If your first thought was what you long for in your life and not a resounding yes, you may be one of the many people living in fear of scarcity. Do you worry you’ll never have enough time, talent, resources, or wisdom to accomplish all your dreams and responsibilities? In the book of Exodus, the Israelites lived with a fear of scarcity as they wandered through Egypt, and even when God blessed them with sweet flakes of grain and a promise of more to come, they clung to the grain, hoarding it in fear instead of...

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“A Double Portion of God’s Peace”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Genesis, Luke.

Did you know an olive tree can live to be thousands of years old? Olive trees are a symbol of peace not only in the bible, but throughout all our world. When Noah released a dove from the arc to discover if the waters had receded, the dove returned with an olive leaf in its beak. Olive leaves and branches have adorned the heads of Olympic athletes since the game’s origin. There are even olive trees that have been alive since Jesus sat among them the night of His betrayal. How can that possibly be? How does a tree live to be thousands of years old? Even if an olive tree is neglected,...

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“The Right Question”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Deuteronomy, Exodus, Hebrews, Jeremiah, Joshua.

Have you fallen under the power of fear’s spell? Fear convinces you to settle for a bad relationship. Fear persuades you to take a job you don’t love. Fear forces you to rush into a decision to escape the way you feel in the moment. Fear freezes you, making you believe you can never take a risk again, never trust again. What if we could learn to face our fears with faith? What if we could train our hearts and minds to recognize that with God at our side we really have nothing to fear? In this season of fear and frustration we may be coming to God with questions of why. Why didn’t you get...

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“Greatest Showman”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 Timothy, Ecclesiastes, Hebrews, Philippians.

What does it mean to be content? Is it a matter of settling for less than? Less than your dreams, less than your goals, less than that peak in the distance you always hoped you’d climb even if so many people along the way said you never would? Is being content what finally happens once you’ve reached that peak? Or the next one? Content isn’t a very appealing word in our world. We don’t dream of being adequate or acceptable, we dream of being great! We dream of being better! We want to be better than the person they said we are. Better than the person THEY are. The truth about...

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“Talking to Myself”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Psalms.

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” (Martin Lloyd-Jones). If you’re living with a broken heart or a crushed spirit, look inward and say the words of Psalm 42 to yourself “Put your hope in God!”. God gives us an ultimate hope that transcends circumstances, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that. Talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself. Copyright Disclaimer Due to copyright restrictions from the movies we use in this series, messages from the God and the...

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“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, Psalms.

What can we learn about loving each other by examining how God loves us? We know God’s love for us is unconditional. But love without condition doesn’t mean love without confrontation. Grace without truth isn’t love, but He shares that truth with compassion. What would happen if you shared that unconditional love, that truth with compassion, with your neighbor? What would happen if you considered every encounter with another human to be holy ground? It’s one thing to have compassion on a child, or the sick, or the needy. How do you show that consideration to people who drive you nuts?...

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“I Can Only Imagine”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in Genesis, Romans.

When you look around our modern world, it’s hard to see any resemblance to the world of the Bible and when it was written. But if we look closely, there are many ways in which our worlds are the same. In the Bible you can find many stories of broken and hurt people facing challenges not unlike the ones we face today. We are all broken in some area of life. We may experience brokenness differently, but because we live in a fallen, less than perfect world, and we were raised in less than perfect homes, we all experience some degree of brokenness. It is a reality of the human experience....

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“The Wonder of Bearing Burdens”

Written by capital-admin on . Posted in 1 Samuel, Galatians, Mark, Psalms.

No matter where you are in your life right now, odds are you are carrying a burden. Everybody’s got a burden. Some may be lighter than others, though it’s rarely healthy to compare them, but most of us can agree, the heaviest burden is one that is borne alone. Throughout the bible, God is described as the one who carries our burdens, and this is true. We should always turn to God first to help carry our load. But God doesn’t do this alone. He calls upon us to join His work in carrying the weight of the world. You may be wondering how you could possibly carry the burden of another when you...

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