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How to Live with Competing Desires
Desire is what we chase, whether big or small. While the world urges us to follow our flesh, the Kingdom calls us to live by the Spirit. As Christ followers, we surrender to Jesus, but old desires can linger. It takes intentional heart change to turn from these desires and embrace the freedom found in Christ.
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How to Live with Competing Desires
How to Live with Competing Desires
Desire is what we chase, whether big or small. While the world urges us to follow our flesh, the Kingdom calls us to live by the Spirit. As Christ followers, we surrender to Jesus, but old desires can linger. It takes intentional heart change to turn from these desires and embrace the freedom found in Christ.
Get In The Game with Michael Jr.
Get In The Game with Michael Jr.
The challenges from your past, which you once may have viewed as disadvantages, could actually be part of God's preparation for your future. Although you may not realize it, you’ve been practicing your talents and gifts since childhood. God will help you know when it’s “game time,” time to put that practice into play. Think of it like a navigation device in your car that recalculates your route when you veer off course; while missing your turns means the journey may become rougher and longer, if you’re listening, you can course correct and head toward your intended destination. Even during frustrating moments, God says, “Be Still” and know the Father's voice— He’s always present and loves you deeply.
How Does God Transform Me?
How Does God Transform Me?
A lot of us have an obsession with taking care of the outside of our bodies, but tend to not think twice about the inside. We focus solely on treating the outward symptoms so that other people don’t know our "flaws." In doing that we not only hide from those around us but also end up hiding ourselves from God. We focus so much on our worldly exterior that we miss our heart that is falling apart. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we have a new identity to recognize, and a call to SURRENDER our hearts to him. Surrender can’t just be a one-time thing. We sin daily and need to seek forgiveness from the sin, be authentic with others and God, and not try to hide the symptoms.
How Should the Church Interact with the World?
How Should the Church Interact with the World?
The order of God’s Kingdom is upside down from the order of the kingdom of this world. Even more so, the pattern to God’s kingdom is incompatible with the pattern of this world. It is our responsibility as a church to know the difference or we will mistakenly live into the wrong kingdom. The world’s kingdom leads to brokenness, emptiness and regret, but God’s Kingdom leads to healing, wholeness and blessing. Knowing that, how should the church interact with the world? Jesus teaches that we are to live in the world, but not like the world. God has designed an order between the church and the world. God asks us to be compassionate and broken towards the world and by doing that we make it easy for people to enter into a relationship with Jesus.
How Do I Worry Less?
How Do I Worry Less?
In a world filled with anxiety from financial instability, job stress, and personal struggles, it seems impossible to escape the constant worry that overtakes our minds and hearts. However, in the Kingdom of God, peace is meant to be the norm. While external stressors will always exist, our response to them can be transformed. As believers, we're called to seek God's Kingdom first, laying down our burdens and embracing His peace. To practice this peace, we can engage in prayer and journaling, focusing on God's promises and allowing the Prince of Peace to calm our anxious hearts.
What Does God Say About Family?
What Does God Say About Family?
Raising a family on Godly values can be challenging, but it’s crucial to keep God at the center. Regardless of your upbringing, God’s purpose and design for families remain constant. Reflect on God’s mission for families, find your allegiance, identity, and calling in Christ, and connect with a spiritual family for support. Joining a group can help you build a strong spiritual foundation for your family. Consider finding a group through 12stone.com/groups this week.
How to Forgive
How to Forgive
How forgiveness is handled in the Kingdom is different than how it’s handled outside the Kingdom. We know the Kingdom of God has a King, a culture, and a calendar, but it also has a code. The world’s code tells us to “get even.” But the Kingdom Code of Conduct instructs us to approach life differently. For followers of Jesus, the Kingdom Code that governs relationships is forgiveness. But sometimes forgiveness can be complicated. We need to forgive, and we need to be forgiven.
What is Spiritual Warfare?
What is Spiritual Warfare?
The Kingdom of God is a love story set in the backdrop of war. A biblical approach to understanding spiritual warfare is necessary as a Christian to know how to fight against the devil’s schemes. A lot of people struggle to believe in Jesus, but it’s more difficult to deny the power of evil in this world. That is spiritual warfare! For some reason the idea of evil and supernatural forces of darkness makes us feel uncomfortable! It is important for us to learn how to fight these supernatural forces with Kingdom power and Biblical principles! God has already won the war, but we need to equip ourselves to know how to fight our battles!
How does a Follower of Jesus Live Wisely in this Season?
How does a Follower of Jesus Live Wisely in this Season?
We are in a complex season as a country, marked by division and political segmentation. By focusing on the Kingdom of God, which Jesus emphasized throughout His ministry we can take steps to live wisely. Jesus proclaimed the nearness of God’s Kingdom, gave us authority to make disciples, and taught us to pray for its coming on earth as it is in heaven. Our responsibility is to commit to living out a Kingdom perspective in every aspect of our lives—relationships, careers, finances, and more—living to reflect Heaven’s reality here on earth.
How Great is God? | 12Stone Church
How Great is God? | 12Stone Church
As we’ve learned in past weeks of our hymn series, hymns are used to pass faith from one generation to the next. "How Great Thou Art" is a hymn that follows a roadmap to show us many different attributes of God and His faithfulness. We know that God is love. We know that He is Truth, but sometimes we can forget about His power, His presence, and His promises. Our lives are filled with different seasons and circumstances where we get to see different characteristics of God in fresh ways. This hymn reminds us of that!
