When Satan had his best shot at Jesus, he attacked his identity. Whose voice are YOU allowing to define who you are? Jesus responded to temptation with Scripture, not self-justification. There's a difference between being 'full of the Spirit' and 'filled with the power of the Holy Spirit' - and it comes through faithfully enduring life's wilderness moments. Ready to find your true identity and strength? f

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a suggestion but a divine imperative that transforms our lives completely. The Greek word used in Ephesians 5:17-20 indicates an ongoing process of being kept filled, not a one-time event. This filling works in three ways: providing pressure that guides us like wind filling a sail, permeating our being like tea in water to change us from within, and controlling our actions and decisions as we yield to God's direction rather than our own impulses. The transformation of Peter offers a compelling case study of Spirit-filled living. Before Pentecost, Peter was impulsive, fearful, and inconsistent—sinking while walking on water, being rebuked by Jesus after his great confession, cutting off Malchus' ear, and denying Jesus three times. After being filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, the same man preached boldly leading to 3,000 conversions, performed miraculous healings, and stood fearlessly before authorities. To experience this same transformation, we must let God's Word dwell in us richly, remain connected to Christian community, and practice daily surrender to the Spirit's control. The world still waits to see what God can do through people fully consecrated to Him.

We were created for community and relationships. It is at the core of who we are as Humans, and something that separates us from the rest of creation. If we are to be all that God created us to be, we are going to have to come Face-to-Face with God and Others to achieve the purpose for which we were created. It’s scary to think about being vulnerable with God and others, but that vulnerability leads to growth. Join us this Sunday as we learn how to come face to face with God and others and become new creations.