As believers, we are all called to grow in our faith. But, have you ever wondered 'how' to do that? How do you know 'what' to work on? What's next? What's the next step in faith? What step are you on in your faith? It would be great if we had some sort of guide to our faith... Fortunately we do! We have a way to not only measure our existing faith, but to know what to work on. A sot of measuring stick, you might say... In Matthew 5, Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with one of the richest, deepest and most beloved parts of all the Bible: the Beatitudes.

Psalm 23:6. Final message in the Psalm 23 series.

Did you know one of God's names in the Bible is "Jehova-Jireh?" It means "God is Provider" and in Psalm 23 we see that the Lord, our Shepherd, provides for all our needs. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Such a simple, straight-forward statement, but one with so much truth and comfort, you could rest in it for a lifetime.

What will the stock market do this week? What will the doctor say? Will I get the job? Will I be able to keep my job? How will I pay the bills? Will I pass the test? Will I make the team? We live in a world of uncertainty and it can be cause for alarm for many people, in many situations. But there is one thing we can be certain of - Jesus is Lord and through Him we have eternal life. We may be uncertain of the things of this world, but as believers God wants us to be 100% sure of the things of Christ.

Do your past sins haunt you? Do you ever wonder, "What will God REALLY say when I get to heaven and have to give an account?" "How will I ever explain THAT?" "How can he forgive me for THAT?" If so, you are not alone. Lots of people fear they will be condemned forever for their sins, especially if one seems worse than all the others. But God doesn't want believers living like that. John tells us, "These things I have written to you who believe... that you may KNOW you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13) Living under the fear of condemnation is not something believers are supposed to do.

Psalm 51

Death has been called "the great equalizer" because it affects everyone. Physically that may be true but spiritually it is not. Because of Jesus rising from the grave, we live. As we approach Easter Sunday, we think about the cross and everything it means. It means sacrifice. It means death. True. But it also means freedom! It means love! It means life! We have life because Jesus died on the cross and then, three days later, He rose again! And through His resurrection, sin's power over us is broken and we "Break Free From Death."

Romans 6:5-11; Easter Sunday.

Matthew 27:45-54

Matthew 5:43-48

Philippians 4:6-7.

Do you ever doubt God? Maybe He has called you to do something and you think, "But I've made too many mistakes." Or maybe the thing He asks seems impossible because its more than you think you can do. Or, maybe you think you don't have the skills needed to do what God asks - its more than you've done before and you don't feel up to the task. We all doubt God at times but would it comfort you to know that one of the most righteous men in all the Bible had the same doubts? He felt inadequate and unworthy, he doubted God and he doubted his ability to serve. He doubted it all!