This week, the staff of River of Life is bringing our homes to yours! In this weekend's message of "Church on the Move," we hear from Pastor Adam Haugen.
Many people love rollercoasters— they pay a lot of money and wait in line a long time just for a minute of thrill! Here is the key difference: We love rollercoasters, when we choose it. We love the excitement BUT only when we feel like we are ultimately in control. What do you do when you find yourself on a rollercoaster in life? On a rollercoaster, for about a minute, these fears add to the thrill of the ride But in life, for a prolonged season, these fears can suck the thrill right out of life. These fears can be crippling. We begin to question the promises that God has for our situations that we face!
There was a man in the Bible that was in a similar situation to the one we find ourselves in today. In 2 Chronicles, we learn about King Hezekiah. Hezekiah took over ruling Judah from his father Ahaz who was a wicked king. He made all the right choices. He served God, turned the nation back to the Lord, cleansed the Temple, got the people to celebrate Passover again, and inspired people to give in abundance to the Lord. God wants us, even in this season, to prosper. Everything was going good for King Hezekiah until he started a new chapter. As we break down this chapter, we learn that King Hezekiah was in a rollercoaster season, similar to how many of us may feel right now! For Hezekiah, the enemy is staring him in the face and fear is beginning to seep in as he has lost control and his identity, and is threatened with death. In his rollercoaster season, Hezekiah took 4 steps to overcome his fear. When we are facing anxious and uncertain times, we can follow the steps that Hezekiah took to overcome our fear. We can choose worship. Worship gives us perspective on our predicament, and peace in our pain. We can choose honesty. In your times of prayer, tell God where you’re at! Be honest with what’s going on in your heart with Him. He can handle our anger, our fear, our frustration, or our confusion. We can choose trust. You ask Jesus for what you need! Finally, we can choose truth. Throughout the Bible, God talks about our words being seeds that produce. Our words will always produce something, and that is why it is important, especially in this season, to ground our thoughts and our words on God’s truth.
Here is your challenge for this week: One verse, one minute, one night at a time. Some of you are wondering what this year is going to hold.
In this rollercoaster of life, how can I continue to grow despite the change of circumstances around me? God has given you the plan today. God has a promise for you and he wants you to succeed. Don’t miss your opportunity. One verse, one minute, one night at a time.
Verses to Meditate On:
For Fear:
- 2 Timothy 1:7
- Hebrews 13:6
- 1 John 4:18
- John 14:27 - 28
For Addiction:
- 1 John 1:9
- John 8:36
- Romans 5:20
- Romans 13:14
For Healing:
- Jeremiah 32:17
- Isaiah 53:5
- Psalm 107:20
- Psalm 30:2
For Forgiveness:
- Ephesians 4:31 - 32
- Colossians 3:13
- Romans 12:19
For Wisdom / Guidance:
- James 1:5
- Psalm 32:8
- Isaiah 30:21
- John 16:13
For Finances:
- Hebrews 4:16
- Psalm 23:1
- Luke 12:29 - 31
For Depression:
- Psalm 34:18
- John 10:10
- Psalm 145:14
- Isaiah 61:3
For Strength:
- Isaiah 40:29
- Psalm 73:26
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 - 10
The Promise
May 10, 2020 • Pastor Adam Haugen
A Place Called This
May 24, 2020 • Pastor Denny Curran
Mark 4:35-41 (NIV) "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” This weekend, we took our Church on the Move to the lake! In this sermon, we are going to talk about how to go from HERE to THERE, but to do that there is a place called “THIS,” between here and there. During this season, we have experienced a lot of loss. Graduations, weddings, funerals, family gatherings, etc. have been cancelled and we have had to give up a lot of things. You feel that God’s “asleep," or absent - that’s the place you call “THIS.” In this teaching, we learn that the greatest takeaway is that to get from the here to there, you have to keep g(rowing). Crisis doesn’t make us, it reveals who we really are! It’s tough to know in a storm or tough season, but the only way to get out of your “this” is to keep moving and growing! We want to challenge you to take this obstacle as an opportunity for growth. Stay tuned with us over the upcoming weeks as we continue to be a church on the move!
Seasons of Change
May 17, 2020 • Pastor Jesse Roe
“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” -Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT In the current state of our constantly changing world, it is far too easy to fall into a mindset of fear, feeling alone, having little to no hope. One of the challenges we often face, is what we choose to focus on now, and in every moment moving forward. In this week's message, Pastor Jesse walks us through the book of Isaiah and shares of the faithfulness of God we see in seasons of change. In days when we are unsure of what’s to come, we need to look back to remember what God has already done! The prophet Isaiah is writing to the people of Israel, reminding them what God already did through the amazing deliverance from slavery under the Egyptians. We are reminded to not get stuck where we are right now. We need to open our eyes to see what God is doing, its different, its new!
Real Hope
May 3, 2020 • Pastor Denny Curran
"http://...those who forget God have no hope. They are like rushes without any mire to grow in; or grass without water to keep it alive. Suddenly it begins to wither, even before it is cut." - Job 8:11-13 (TLB) The further away we get from God the less hope we have — the reverse is true as well. The closer you get to God the more hope you have in your life. There is one hope that the Bible talks about that we can turn to. This is called CERTAIN HOPE. This hope brings confidence in the storms of life. We have this hope as an anchor for our souls. We can build our lives on this hope! You can’t have faith without hope. If you don’t have hope you don’t have anything to believe God for. If you don’t have anything to hope for then you don’t have anything to believe for. How do we develop hope in our lives? Real hope is based on a relationship with God through Jesus! We can have hope when we know the Lord. Real hope is based in God's Word! It's not based on our feelings and emotions, but on what God has SPOKEN. Finally, Real hope is born in prayer. As christians, we are called to always pray and never lose hope. In times of fear and doubt, we can pray or we can panic. We can worship or we can worry. Today, we need God, the Bible, and prayer more than any other time in our history. What are you putting your hope in? What are you turning to?