Freedom Series - Valley Christian Center

July 21, 2024: Freedom to Hope

July 21, 2024 • Nicole Cade

As Christians we realize that there is no hope without God, but she pointed out that even sometimes as believers we feel hopeless in uncertainty. If our hope is something we try to conjure up in ourselves, or we focus on our uncertain situations, we will lose hope. And because of our expectations or wrong focus, we get disappointed. Pastor Nicole said that our hope is a trust in God's very nature - that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will. We can look forward with anticipation to what God will do with assurance that whatever happens will be good regardless of the form it takes. Then we won't lose hope or get disappointed. We have an unshakeable hope through God...but we should also be a channel of hope for those who don't know God because all of the world's "hopes" can be fulfilled in Jesus.

July 7, 2024: The Gift of Freedom to Love

July 7, 2024 • Nicole Cade

Pastor Nicole spoke on The Gift of Freedom - Freedom to Love. She encouraged us for the month of July to Pause, Remember, and be Thankful for the gifts of freedom we receive from Christ. The gift of Love was the focus for yesterday's sermon. Using John 15:1-17 as her main reference, Pastor Nicole showed how our ability to love comes with our salvation, through the love of God and Jesus for us. We receive that gift in that moment, but it can still be difficult for us to love. She pointed out how our walk in this life is to learn to love. Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." Love is the foundation of everything. The Love that the Father has for us that He sent His Son, the love that Jesus demonstrated on our behalf by laying down His life on the cross, this is the same love that we receive through Jesus. This is the same love that we remain in as we obey His voice because we are partnering with Him. This is the same love that fulfills our joy. This is the love we are called to love Him with as well as the same love we are called to love our neighbors and ourselves with. It is our Superpower! She went on to give us questions to ask when we are having a hard time loving, to help pinpoint the area we are struggling with.

July 14, 2024: Freedom in Faith

July 14, 2024 • Nicole Cade

In continuing her Freedom series, Pastor Nicole asked two questions: -Am I seeing in my life what I say I believe to be true about God? -Does what I say I believe to be true about God actually line up with Scripture? Pastor Nicole said that there can be incongruency between what we say we believe about God and what we actually see in our lives. She said that these "gaps" are not necessarily the problem because the awareness of those gaps drive us forward into experiencing the truth of who God is. Our view of who God is can be skewed and it is only by believing who God says He is, and believing God will do what He says He will do that the gap is closed. This is using our faith. We have an incredible gift of faith! When God shows us a gap it is an invitation to step out of our reality into His reality. It's not about getting the outcomes we hoped for but continuing to believe regardless! It's not about us falling short, it's an invitation to experience more of God. It is an invitation to believe Him in the midst of impossible situations. Ephesians 3:17 (TPT) Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you. Walking in the freedom of faith transforms us!