Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord. 12 Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer. Romans 12:11-12 (Voice)

Do not slack in your faith, do not stop working hard, do not forget to rejoice!

Instead: Let your spirit be on fire, hold onto faith, and devote yourself to prayer.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Romans 12:11-12 (MSG)

Ministry is easier than you think.

The world tells us to buy a URL, entice followers, and go viral on TikTok - But Jesus shows us how to be effective in our everyday lives.

Honestly, you are probably already "doing ministry" - it's a way of life!

God can use you just as you are with what you have to make an impact in someone's life.

That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. 2 Timothy 1:5-7

David was thirty years old when he became king, and ruled for forty years. In Hebron he ruled Judah for seven and a half years. In Jerusalem he ruled all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years. 2 Samuel 5:4-5

There is so much waiting in scripture! Joseph, Jesus, Paul, Moses, Noah, Hannah, Nehemiah, Esther, Sarah, Jeremiah, the list goes on and on.

Why does God call us and then make us wait?

Takeaways:

• Guard your heart
• Following God brings blessings
• Pass on your faith
• Live with God's Word visible in every way

Deuteronomy 11:13-21

From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you, he’ll take charge of sending the rain at the right time, both autumn and spring rains, so that you’ll be able to harvest your grain, your grapes, your olives. He’ll make sure there’s plenty of grass for your animals. You’ll have plenty to eat.

16-17 But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods and God erupts in anger and shuts down Heaven so there’s no rain and nothing grows in the fields, and in no time at all you’re starved out—not a trace of you left on the good land that God is giving you.

18-21 Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you’ll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth.

Want to live . . . "more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible"? (v. 17)

2 Corinthians 7:8-12

8-9 I know I distressed you greatly with my letter. Although I felt awful at the time, I don’t feel at all bad now that I see how it turned out. The letter upset you, but only for a while. Now I’m glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss.

10 Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.

11-13 And now, isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you’ve come out of this with purity of heart. And that is what I was hoping for in the first place when I wrote the letter. My primary concern was not for the one who did the wrong or even the one wronged, but for you—that you would realize and act upon the deep, deep ties between us before God. That’s what happened—and we felt just great.

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

The Desert, Dark Night of the Soul, the Wilderness or Spiritual Slump . . . no matter what you call it, we all go through times in our lives and faith where God seems to have left us or is silent.

What does this mean, how do we handle it and what is the truth?

What does following Jesus and bootcamp have to do with one another?

The parallels may shock you - or at the very least entertain you!

In this episode we dive into the weapons and strategies needed for battle and explore our FREDDOM.

Freedom in Christ
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

The power of opening our homes and serving a meal is beyond what we usually consider.

That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Acts 2:41-42

They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. Acts 2:46-47