BIG IDEA: It's better to be lonely and following God than popular and following the world. Scripture Reading: James 5:16-18 (ESV) "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven

BIG IDEA: It's better to be lonely and following God than popular and following the world. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 18:36-37 (ESV) "And at the time of the offering of the oblation (worship), Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lor

BIG IDEA: It's better to be lonely and following God than popular and following the world. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 18:18-19 (ESV) "And he answered, 'I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.'" Standing for God in a wor

BIG IDEA: It's better to be lonely and following God than popular and following the world. Scripture Reading**: Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." God….the all-powerful Creator of the universe…..gives us the option to choose.  Will it be the narrow gate or the wide g

God desires for us to live as MISSIONARIES of His MISSION, not just CONSUMERS of His blessings. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 18:17-19 (NIV)   "When he saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is that you, you troubler of Israel?' 'I have not made trouble for Israel,' Elijah replied. 'But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the 450 prophets of B

Most tragedies happen because we live in a broken world, not due to personal guilt or sin. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-18 (NIV)   "Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, 'What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?'" This poignant moment captures the widow’s pain and confusion struck by her son's death. Her immediate

Embrace the call to serve even when resources seem insufficient. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:13-14 (NIV)   "Elijah said to her, 'Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on th

God often uses unlikely sources to provide for our needs. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:8-12 (NIV)   "Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.' So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, 'Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?' As she was going to get it, he

God uses seasons of drought in our lives to teach us dependence on Him. Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:1-4 (NIV)   "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.' Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 'Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed t

The remedy to a DISTRACTED LIFE is to take the NEXT RIGHT STEP with God. Scripture Reading:  Psalm 119:104-106 (NIV)   "I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws." In Psalm 119, the psalmist expresses the richness and depth of God's Word as a guiding force in life. Understanding God's precepts drives a disdain for

BIG IDEA: One of the enemy's top distractions is to convince us to build a DIY-god for ourselves. Scripture: Jude 1:3-4   “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” Jude calls believers to actively contend for the faith amidst false teachings and cultural pressure. The faith delivered to us is precious and worth defending

BIG IDEA: One of the enemy's top distractions is to convince us to build a DIY-god for ourselves. Scripture: Psalm 16:11   “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This verse from Psalm 16 is a beautiful reminder that true satisfaction and joy are found in God’s presence. The worldly pursuit of happiness often leaves us longing, but fullness of joy exists only in communion with our Creato

BIG IDEA: One of the enemy's top distractions is to convince us to build a DIY-god for ourselves. Scripture: Joshua 6:26   “Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, ‘Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.’” Joshua’s curse on Jericho serves as a stark reminder of God's power and the importance of obedience. Jericho was meant to remain a testament to God’s miraculous deliverance and faithfulness, yet its rebuilding symbolized a

BIG IDEA: One of the enemy's top distractions is to convince us to build a DIY-god for ourselves. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-16   “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Paul’s admonition to avoid being unequally yoked applies to all forms of binding partnerships, whether in relationships, friendships, or business ventures. These bonds can influence our faith journey

BIG IDEA: One of the enemy's top distractions is to convince us to build a DIY-god for ourselves. Scripture: Matthew 22:37-38   “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Jesus’ call to love God wholly challenges us to examine where our allegiances lie. This love requires more than just emotional or intellectual growth; it demands our entire being….our head (mind), our heart (will),

BIG IDEA: One of the enemy's top distractions is to convince us to build a DIY-god for ourselves. Scripture: 1 Kings 16:25-26   “Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols.” Omri’s reign is a historical cautionary tale about how idolatry can easily seep into p

BIG IDEA:  “Moving On” from God is hell (in this life and the next). Moving on with God touches heaven. Scripture:** 1 John 1:5-9 (ESV) "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cle

BIG IDEA:  “Moving On” from God is hell (in this life and the next). Moving on with God touches heaven. Scripture: 1 Kings 16:25-28 (ESV) "Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins which he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the might that he showed,

BIG IDEA:  “Moving On” from God is hell (in this life and the next). Moving on with God touches heaven. Scripture: 1 Kings 16:1-4 (ESV) "And the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I

BIG IDEA: “Moving On” from God is hell (in this life and the next). Moving on with God touches heaven. Scripture:  2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (ESV) "At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave the