Bible Study & Encouragement

"Afraid of the Light"

August 26, 2024 • Heath Gray • Matthew 5:14–16, Psalm 27:1, 1 John 1:5–7

We live in a very loud world. Yet as Christians, we spend most of the time hiding in plain sight. We are fearful, afraid to hurt feelings, and distracted. The Bible is full of examples of, our relationship to and the gift that is, the light of Christ. We are to be the light, shine the light, walk in the light, and share the light. Why are we afraid of the Light?

"If Not Now, When?"

August 19, 2024 • Brandon Bowen • Romans 8:12–15, Psalm 119:57

Ever see something broken around your home and think, "I need to fix that," then do nothing about it? Yet we know that if we just stopped and fixed it, ultimately we'd be glad that we got it taken care of. In this devotional, Brandon talks about how we sometimes do the same thing when the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something. When we listen and respond to the prompting and conviction of the Holy Spirit when it happens, rather than procrastinating, we get the opportunity to experience healing, joy, and correction.

"Holy Rest"

August 12, 2024 • Kenny Koetter • Exodus 20:8–11, Matthew 5:17, Mark 3:27

God has a plan for your soul. Are you in tune with that plan? In this devotional, Kenny discusses the importance of the fourth commandment, "Remember the Sabbath Day." Humans are bent towards chasing our own earthly desires, but finding rest in God and His Word allows us to recenter ourselves around God's plans rather than our own. Will you intentionally seek rest in Him?

"Do Hard Things"

August 5, 2024 • Zach Kordic • 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12

Are you comfortable in your faith? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you into uncharted waters? In this week's devotional, Zach discusses why going out of our way to do hard things is critical to our walk as Christians. You are loved!

"A Life Changing Gift"

July 29, 2024 • Mario Davis • 2 Corinthians 9:11, Proverbs 18:16

Pastor Mario shares the details of an exceptionally difficult time in his life. During this time, someone stepped up to help him when he needed it the most, altering the course of his life forever. God uses our generosity to accomplish his work.

"Searching for Something"

July 23, 2024 • Matthew 6:33

Recently, while at a record show, Bruce watched people browse through hundreds and hundreds of records. As he observed this, he had this realization: We are all searching for something. It is hard-wired within us. Collecting things is a passion that many of us have. We will look and look until we find the perfect item to complete our collection. We must ask, "Will we be passionate about searching for the right things?" Jesus said, "Seek FIRST the kingdom of God."

"For Your Good"

July 15, 2024 • Dustin Kitchel • Psalm 23, Romans 8:28

Football season is right around the corner. As a coach, you have to be tough on your players to prepare them for game day. If practices are not difficult, they will fail when it matters most. Great coaches know how to get the best out of their players in the right way. Most coaches understand what it takes because they have played the game themselves. Therefore, they have empathy for their players. As Christians, we have the same truth in this life: Jesus came to this earth, lived as we live, felt all we feel, and suffered as we suffer. He has experienced life as we experience it. We can take immense comfort in having a Savior who knows the ins and outs of this life and what is best for us. He is always after our good, even when it is difficult.

"Specific"

July 8, 2024 • Daniel Kitchel • Matthew 7:13–14

Jesus said the way of following Him is narrow, and the gate is small, but it leads to life. What does this mean? Perhaps it simply means that he has called us to live in a specific way. To follow Jesus, we must set our hearts on being specific and intentional each day. If we don't, we will find ourselves on the wide path, going with the crowd and living a life that is going nowhere.

"High School Reunion"

July 1, 2024 • Heath Gray • 2 Timothy 3:1–5, 2 Timothy 3:13

"God will not bless the person we pretend to be. He blesses the person He intends for us to be." Using our imaginations as children is a gift. Pretending allows us to create worlds and be anything we want to be. Dreams are fulfilled, and we can escape from reality through role-playing—even for a few moments. The mind is a beautiful thing. As adults, this pretending takes on new life as we try to impress people at our high school reunions. We want everyone to think things about us that may not be entirely true - and we are mostly okay with that. Being who we really are on a daily basis requires us not to let pretending be our norm. God wants us to be real. If we choose to fake it, we close ourselves off from others and put ourselves in a dangerous spiritual position.

"Shelter in Place"

June 24, 2024 • Brandon Bowen • Psalm 91

Within us all is the need to feel safe and seek security. God gave this natural desire to us from the moment of our first breath. The choice to take refuge in Him or in the things of this world is up to us. But, as we all know, any solution to finding safety outside of his protection will never work. We need Him and only the shelter He can provide. He is near to us and promises to answer our call for help.

"Meant for Evil, Used for Good"

June 3, 2024 • Zach Kordic • Genesis 50:15–21

Genesis is an R-rated book. Its story contains various moments of incredible sin and injustice. Joseph's story captures this reality. He was betrayed and abandoned by his own family, yet God redeemed him and used everything for good. These are moments when we see God working in powerful ways. "Faith in its truest form trusts that God's purposes are greater than our understanding."

"Where Our Words Begin"

May 27, 2024 • Mario Davis • Psalm 51:10, Ephesians 4:29, James 3:3–12, Proverbs 4:23

Everything has a source. The Bible is clear: Our heart is the source of the words we speak. The tongue can only produce what is within us. Our words create life and can destroy it, so we must guard our hearts above all else.

"Heaven"

May 20, 2024 • Bruce Kreger • Revelation 5:6, Isaiah 11:6–11

As believers, we have the expectation of heaven. What a thought! A place where there is no more fighting, death, or pain. While we should anticipate heaven as our home, we should do our best to bring heaven to earth while we are here. We have the hope of heaven because of what Jesus did for us. As a lamb, He died. As a Lion, He rose.

"Brown Paper Bags"

May 13, 2024 • Daniel Kitchel • Ephesians 3:7–13

The church's power to change lives is immeasurable. We simply never know who might be in our midst. God has chosen the church to display his love to the world.

"So The World May Believe"

May 6, 2024 • Dustin Kitchel • John 17:20–21

One special way that God wants to display his love to the world is through the church. Particularly, he wants the church to show unity in a badly divided and fractured world. If you have been around our church for any amount of time, you will quickly experience the presence of unity. We take good care of one another and are fiercely committed to meeting the needs of all of us. This culture is deeply rooted in our church; we must protect it at all costs. If we stay unified, we offer the world a reason to believe in the hope that we have.

Cross Church Norman

Weekly Devotionals Led by Church Leaders