New Hope Church Hilo Hawaii

Many times in the world, we contemplate making choices based on what we believe to be right or wrong. The problem with making decisions between what is right and wrong is that you’re able to justify your decision. The Kingdom of God is about what is wise and unwise. Making decisions based on what is wise and unwise leaves little room for bad choices.

Our potential started off in us in seed form. We need to recognize that it's there and tap into it for the wisdom, energy and creativity to bring God's purpose to life. We will not just wake up tomorrow, the day after or on some other day and find that we have reached it. We need to nourish it and we need to grow it in order to reach the fullest potential God placed within us.

We live in a 24/7 culture of endless productivity, workaholism, distraction, burnout, and anxiety–a way of life to which we’ve sadly grown accustomed. This tired system of “life” ultimately destroys our souls, our bodies, our relationships, our society, and the rest of God’s creation. The whole world grows exhausted because humanity has forgotten to enter into God’s rest. The biblical practice of Sabbath-keeping is God’s plan for the restoration and healing of all creation. The Sabbath is both a spiritual discipline and a form of social justice. See how God may actually do more when we do less.

The bible says we are the salt of the earth and if I lose my flavor, how will I become salty again. We're going to learn how important it is not to lose our flavor, or our potential. Otherwise, we miss out on making an impact for the glory of God.

When we try to live our life for ourselves, we end up dealing with the consequences of our own ways. When we try it God's way, we receive the promises that come with it. When Jesus' disciples caught no fish, He instructs them to cast their nets on the other side. The result was a net full of fish.

In order for us to believe in our God given potential, we must first see the possibilities. With our own strength, it's impossible to overcome life's challenges. But with God, all things are possible...especially in reaching our fullest potential.

God has given us an opportunity to be right with Him. Sin has separated us from Him and the death and resurrection of Jesus provides a way back into right standing with God. But we aren't redeemed just so that we could be made right with God and get to heaven, we're redeemed for a reason.

Our potential always starts off in seed form. Just like a fruit tree that needs to grow and mature to produce fruit, so does our potential. We must grow where we're planted in order to reach our full potential in God.

We will all take risks at some point in life. The issue is not if you take risks, the issue is “Are the risks you’re taking moving you in the direction towards your fullest potential?”

Wisdom teaches us the lesson before we pay the price. Consequences teaches us the lesson, after we pay the price. We're going to learn how to live by wisdom rather than consequences.

We all have some kind of family. And even if you ever feel alone, God offers Himself to be your family. When we understand the value of family, we begin to understand how significant each person is in the family and how each individual adds to the overall dynamics of family. When we’re able to embrace our differences in family, in whatever setting that may be, home, work, church, sports, and other types of gatherings, then we’re able to maximize our potential and influence in the world that surrounds us.

When there is momentum, everything seems like it’s in your favor. God has given us favor and wants us to value His favor and His momentum. God will empower and strengthen those whose hearts are His...this is momentum.

When we enter into a new year, we all want to move past all of the old unnecessary baggage that came with the year before. The only way to do that is to move forward. But if you go at it alone, you'll find yourself at a standstill, God created us to move forward together with Him and others.

God put eternity into the heart of man. He did that so that we would seek after Him. Everything we do, should be done with eternity in mind.

Boundaries don't limit us. They free us to live life with more creativity, power and authority.

The effectiveness of a leader is not dependant on their position, the effectiveness of a leader is dependant on their lifestyle. We're going to learn from the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis how to lead well.

We will all encounter opposition in life. The question is, are we prepared when we do? One of the most famous encounters of opposition in the bible is the battle between David and Goliath. David was able to overcome opposition when it came to Goliath because he was prepared long before the battle.