Psalm 46 - Fighting Fear With Faith

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Psalm 46 - Fighting Fear With Faith

June 18, 2023 • James Allison • Psalm 46

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We are created to know, enjoy, and glorify God. Colossians 1:16 reminds us that "All things are made by Him and for Him."

The moment sin entered the world, the shalom (peace and wholeness) the Creator made was shattered. Every day, somehow, someway, the brokenness of your world will press in on you. We live in a cultural moment defined by division and fear. But the war all around us in simply symptomatic of the greater war inside us, dividing our loyalty, attention, and focus.

God doesn’t expect us to cover up these worries with a fake smile, pretending that everything is fine. He invites us to run to Him with our worries in hand. Psalm 46 tells us that we do not have to be afraid. The Lord of Host is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.

While fear usually has us looking at our past, at ourselves, or at our circumstances, faith redirects our focus to our future, to God, and to His promises. This is how we fight fear, by seeking refuge in God's presence, trusting in His power, choosing surrender, and relying on His sovereignty.

Praise the Lord // Psalm 150

August 6, 2023 • Psalm 150

Psalm 23 // The LORD Is My Shepherd

July 23, 2023 • James Allison • Psalm 23

Sheep are one of the only animals that can’t really take care of themselves. All of the dirt, grime, and dust naturally gets absorbed into their wool, and they need someone to clean them. Left to themselves, sheep would wander off into the wilderness and die. They need a someone to guide them. A sheep can't really protect itself, and it can't really provide for itself. Sheep need a shepherd. Isaiah 53:6a says, we all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way. This is the human condition. We, like sheep, wander off on our own path leaning on our own understanding - trusting in something other than the Good Shepherd to save, sustain, and satisfy. Psalm 23 is King David's deeply personal testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness throughout his life. As a Shepherd King, David knew what it meant to say of his creator “The LORD is my Shepherd”

Psalm 32 // The Forgiveness of God

July 16, 2023 • James Moseley • Psalm 32

When it comes to understanding who God is, we often make the mistake of viewing God based on how we view ourselves. We all have faults and areas where we have come up short, and if we are not careful, we end up with a view of God that looks a lot like us. When this happens, it affects the way we relate with Him. This is seen in a big way when it comes to God’s forgiveness. The way you and I forgive is very different from God’s Forgiveness. Some of us may struggle in our relationship with God because we have defined God’s forgiveness based on who we are instead of who He is! Today we carry around the weight of our guilt and shame as believers, and this is not the life Jesus speaks of when He invites us into a relationship with him. In Psalm 32, we see that David has had his joy restored for his year of carrying around the guilt and shame from his sins. David experienced the forgiveness of God! He starts by showing us what comes with God’s Forgiveness. From here, he opens our eyes to what conviction looks like in the life of a Jesus Follower, followed by how we can experience this forgiveness in our own life that only comes through Him! HE FORGIVENESS OF GOD Psalms 32: 1-5 ESV 1. WHAT IS FORGIVENESS? A. God's forgiveness REMOVES the guilt of our sin “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven… ( v1) B. God’s forgiveness COVERS the shame of our sin “… whose sin is covered!” (v.1b) C. God’s forgiveness WIPES CLEAN the record of my sin “ How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity…” (v. 2a)