Mt. Bethel Church - Mb North

God uses the most messy and unlikely characters to bring about His salvation story. He wants to use your life to change your identity in Him and radically transform your life.

We often miss the chance to commune with God simply because our center of gravity has shifted, and we focus on the wrong things. God's grace, however, can shift us away from evil and sin by moving our center of gravity from falling into faithfulness.

Most of us share a common fear - the fear of being exposed. God, however, frees us from shame, giving us fearless safety through Christ. Only through Him can our vulnerability be transformed into strength.

Through the Holy Spirit, we are given power and cleansed of our sins. God is calling each of us to step out in our faith and use the power of the Holy Spirit which is in each of us to transform lives for eternity. The promise of salvation is for all who believe.

Worry tells us we don’t have enough, but God tells us He is more than enough. The tighter we hold on to worry, the tighter the bonds of worry wrap around us. God asks us to break the bonds of worry and turn our worries over to him, trusting that He will provide for all our needs.

Anger prevents us from having a heart of prayer and keeps us focused on ourselves and our sense of having been wronged. Only when our hearts are cleansed of anger can the Word of life come in.

When Christians live with unforgiveness, it can give a false witness to the world and can create a stumbling block to others from coming to faith in Christ. This is why forgiveness, particularly within the family of God is so vital. Release yourself from the prison of unforgiveness, whether or not the other party even acknowledges their wrong doing.

In order to embrace the future, we have to let go of the past. In order to follow Christ, we have to stop following our own path. Are you willing?

Stop trying to hold on to things and find comfort and security in God.

Following Jesus means Jesus is the leader, not us; however, Jesus often asks us to step out of our comfort zones in order to follow Him. Are you willing to give up control and truly believe that Jesus always has our best interests at heart and that He has incredible plans for your life?

Sometimes things don't make sense until you grasp the missing piece. Easter gives us the piece that many of us miss - the power in the resurrection and the hope that is always within our reach. What do you need to let go of in order experience God's resurrection power?

What keeps us from walking in the victory God calls us to, and how does God define victory? In this sixth installment of our "A Matter of Life and Death" series, we are reminded that we live our lives according to that which we worship - things like money, prestige, or simply "stuff". When we see Jesus as He is -- King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- and worship Him above all else, we are able to walk in the victory of Jesus, the most powerful victory of all!

What is keeping you from the relationship you desire with Jesus? What are you allowing in your life that prevents you from seeing Him? Be a Zaccheus, and don't let anything get in your way!

By learning to be thankful for the gift of community, we also learn that everything we do or say affects those around us.

Are you presenting your requests to God, or are you just worrying about things? If we turn to God in prayer and gratitude, living a life centered in His peace and focusing on our blessings, our physical and mental health will improve. We will then truly be living in faith.

Resurrection hope begins when we accept the reality of our mortality and allow the brokenness of our hearts to be mended. We are able to live hopefully because we acknowledge the suffering and grief in the world.

God's desire for us is to live in His grace and to know that His mercy is always more than enough. His love is so abundant that we can trust Him with all of our transgressions, knowing that He loves us in all circumstances and that through His grace, we are saved.

He loves, He gave, We believe, We live - in John 3:16, we find the entire gospel in one verse. When we admit that we are sinners and powerless to save ourselves and receive Jesus Christ in our lives, we receive eternal life. When we live out of communion with God, we are lifeless. To live, to truly live, we must believe in the One who gave it all for our salvation.

We need to believe in order to see, but we choose the lens through which we look. We must determine what we truly believe--eternity hangs in the balance.

God gives us His love and grace when we do nothing to earn it. Through His love, He gives us Himself, and He gives us hope.