Posts with the tag “churches-in-frisco”

Read: Hebrews 12:3 (Read it slowly. Read it again.)Hebrews 12:3“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”Hebrews ends this section with a warning and a promise.Weariness is real.Losing heart is possible.Faith can feel heavy when opposition lasts longer than expected.That’s why the writer gives us one final instruction. Consider Him.To c...  Read More

Read: Hebrews 12:1–2 (Read it once through, then go back and read verse 1 slowly.)Hebrews 12:1“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”The word therefore matters. Hebrews 12 is built on everything that came before it.Because of the faith of those who went before.Because of their endurance....  Read More

Read: Hebrews 11:39–40 (Read it slowly. Sit with both verses.)Hebrews 11:39“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”These verses quietly reset our expectations.Every person named in Hebrews 11 lived faithfully, trusted deeply, and obeyed courageously. And yet, Scripture tells us that many of them never saw the fulfillment of what God promised in ...  Read More

Read: Hebrews 11:23–31 (Read the whole passage, then go back and focus on verses 24–27.)Hebrews 11:24“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”Faith does not eliminate fear. Faith decides what to do in the presence of fear.Moses had every reason to stay where he was. Power. Security. Influence. Comfort. Yet Hebrews tells us that by faith he refuse...  Read More

Read: Hebrews 11:8–16 (Read it once all the way through. Then go back and sit with verses 8–10.)Hebrews 11:8“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance. And he went, even though he did not know where he was going.”One of the clearest marks of biblical faith is movement without full information. Abraham did not receive a map. He received a ...  Read More

Hebrews 11:1–7 (read it slowly. If you can, read it twice.)Hebrews 11:1“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”Before Hebrews gives us heroes, it gives us a definition. That matters. If we miss this, the rest of the chapter becomes a highlight reel instead of a formation tool.Faith is not optimism.Faith is not positive thinking.Faith is not pretending t...  Read More

1 Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV)And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”  Jabez is one of those people Scripture could have skipped right past. He is tucked inside a genealogy, surrounded by names most of us have never preached or underlined...  Read More

1 Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV)And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”  Jabez is one of those people Scripture could have skipped right past. He is tucked inside a genealogy, surrounded by names most of us have never preached or underlined...  Read More

Psalm 145:16 (NKJV)“You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”Provision in Scripture is never framed as accidental or automatic. It is intentional and relational. When David says God “opens His hand,” he is not describing a system but a Person. Creation is not sustained by mechanisms alone, but by the continual generosity of God. The open hand of God is the source of life, n...  Read More

Exodus 15:6 (NKJV)“Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.”God’s hand is consistently associated with deliverance. Israel did not escape Egypt by strategy or rebellion, but by divine intervention. God’s hand broke chains no human effort could touch.Deliverance still works this way. Sin patterns, addictions, generational wounds, and spiritual oppr...  Read More

1 Kings 18:44 (NKJV)“Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, ‘There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!’”Elijah’s prayer on Mount Carmel teaches us persistence. Six times he prayed and saw nothing. No evidence. No sign. Just silence. Many would have stopped. Many do stop. But faith is not measured by speed. It is measured by endurance.The breakthrough came on ...  Read More

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”Human knowledge has exploded at an unprecedented pace. For centuries, knowledge doubled slowly. Today, information multiplies in months, sometimes weeks. We can access answers instantly, communicate globally, and innovate rapidly. Yet wisdom has not kept pace. Anxiety, confusion, and brokenness still domina...  Read More

Ezekiel 43:12 (NKJV)12 This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. 13 “These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (the cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth)...Throughout Scripture, God is intentional with measurement. The ark, the tabernacle, and the temple were all built according to divine instruction. In t...  Read More

Matthew 17:20–21 (NKJV)“So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’”Human hands are capable of remarkable things. Civilizations have risen on the ...  Read More

Psalm 73:26“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”By the end of the first week, the fast has revealed something important. God has sustained you. Not food. Not comfort. Not routine. God. Fasting reminds us that while our bodies may feel weak, our spirits are being strengthened. God has always been the source. We have just been too busy to notic...  Read More

Psalm 46:10“Be still, and know that I am God.”One of the unexpected gifts of fasting is clarity. When noise is removed, God’s voice becomes easier to recognize. Stillness is not inactivity. It is intentional attentiveness. Many of us struggle to hear God not because He is silent, but because we are distracted.Fasting slows us down enough to listen. It quiets competing voices and sharpens spiritual...  Read More

James 4:6“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”Fasting has a way of stripping us down to what is real. Without comfort, routine, or distraction, pride becomes easier to see. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is recognizing your need for God. Scripture is clear that humility attracts grace. Not effort. Not intensity. Humility.Grace is not earned through fasting, but fas...  Read More

Isaiah 40:31“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength…”By now, the fast is no longer theoretical. Hunger is real. Discomfort is present. And this is where many people assume they are failing, when in reality, they are finally learning dependence. Scripture never promises renewed strength to those who push harder, but to those who wait on the Lord. Waiting is not weakness. Waiting ...  Read More

Daniel 10:2–3“I ate no pleasant food… for three full weeks.”Daniel’s fast was not just about food, it was about pleasure. He intentionally stepped away from things that brought comfort and enjoyment in order to seek God with greater clarity. This kind of fasting reveals how easily we substitute pleasure for presence. Many of the things we turn to are not sinful, but they have become sources of esc...  Read More

Daniel 1:8“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…”Fasting begins long before hunger shows up. It begins with a decision. Daniel did not wait until temptation was in front of him to decide who he would be. He purposed in his heart beforehand. This was not a spur-of-the-moment sacrifice. It was a settled conviction. When we enter a fast without resolve, we rely on willpow...  Read More

Joel 2:12–13“Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”God does not call us to fasting for discipline’s sake alone. He calls us to fasting as an invitation to return. Over and over in Scripture, fasting is connected to the heart, not the stomach. It is a way of saying, “God, I want You more than what I normally depend on.” When Joel calls God’s people to retu...  Read More

Acts 1:4–5, 8; Acts 2:1–4“Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised… John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses…”Before Jesus ascended, He gave the disciples a command that likely felt confusing. They were told not to go. Not ye...  Read More

Luke 1:67“Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy.”Zechariah’s story is important because it reminds us that hearing God’s promise does not automatically mean we are ready to walk in it. Zechariah was righteous, faithful, and serving in the temple when God spoke to him. And yet, when the promise came, doubt followed. His response was not rebellion, but he...  Read More

Psalm 23:6“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”David ends the psalm with absolute confidence. Not in his performance. Not in his decisions. Not in a perfect record or a flawless past. His confidence is in the Shepherd who goes before him and the Shepherd who follows behind him. God leads you into tomorrow...  Read More

Psalm 23:4“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”David does not pretend the valley is easy. He acknowledges the darkness, the danger, and the uncertainty. Yet he speaks with surprising confidence. He says, I will not be afraid. Not because the valley changed, but because he realized he was not...  Read More

Psalm 23:1-3“The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”David opens the psalm with a picture of God that is both tender and strong. The Lord is not a distant observer or a passive presence. He is a shepherd who leads. A shepherd who goes fi...  Read More

Matthew 1:22-23“All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet. ‘Look. The virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us.’”Joseph heard the angel’s words, but he still had to wake up the next morning and live them out. He still had to face conversations, uncertainties, and a future that did not look a...  Read More

Matthew 1:20-21“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”Joseph was ready to walk away until heaven stepped in. The angel did n...  Read More

Matthew 1:19Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.Joseph loved Mary, but the news of her pregnancy turned his world upside down. He wanted to do the right thing, yet everything he knew about life and faith suddenly felt uncertain. This is what doubt often feels like. It shows up when life does n...  Read More

Psalm 126:3“The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.”When you look back over this entire series and this entire week, there has been a clear thread running through everything God has been speaking. He blesses us so He can move through us. That is the heart of a restored life. That is the heart of a revived church. And it is the heart behind Heart for the House. Generosity is never just ...  Read More

Romans 12:1“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”Serving God is not glamorous. It is not always emotional. It is not always inspiring. Sometimes it looks like waking up early, staying late, carrying equipment, loading trailers, teaching kids, or doing things that no ...  Read More

Zechariah 4:10“Do not despise the day of small things…”God intentionally reduced Gideon’s army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred. Why? Because He wanted His people to learn that victory does not come from numbers, strategy, or strength. It comes from His presence. We live in a culture obsessed with bigger, faster, and more. God values faithfulness over fame. He values surrender over size. ...  Read More

Judges 6:25“Now on the same night the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s bull and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it…’”Before Gideon ever fought the Midianites, God gave him an assignment in his own house. Before he confronted the enemy outside, God asked him to confront the compromise inside. Gideon had grown up in a culture whe...  Read More

1 Peter 4:10“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”God never asks you for what you do not have. He always starts with what is already in your hands. When Moses stood before the burning bush, God did not ask him for eloquence, status, or skill. He asked him one question: “What is that in your hand?” It was a shepherd...  Read More

1 Samuel 15:22“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…’”We often quote “to obey is better than sacrifice,” but we rarely think about what happens when obedience requires sacrifice. This is not obedience that is convenient or easy. This is obedience that costs something. Gideon un...  Read More

Luke 19:41-42“When He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace…’”One of the most powerful moments in the life of Jesus happens on the road into Jerusalem. He stops, looks at the city, and breaks down in tears. Not because the buildings were impressive or the crowds were cheering, but because He saw the ...  Read More

John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.At the center of the gospel is a gift. The heartbeat of heaven is generosity. When John writes that God so loved the world that He gave, he shows us that love and giving are inseparable. Real love always expresses itself through action. It’s not silent or self-...  Read More

2 Corinthians 8:9You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.Every act of generosity finds its truest motivation in the cross. When Paul reminded the Corinthians why they give, he pointed straight to Jesus. Christ’s generosity was not about wealth but willingness. He left heaven’s glory fo...  Read More

2 Corinthians 9:7Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.God is not impressed by the size of our gift but moved by the state of our heart. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he made it clear that giving is not meant to be mechanical or manipulative. It’s personal. It flows from relationship, not regulation. The phrase “as he pu...  Read More

Deuteronomy 28:8The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake; and He will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.The bag mentality says, “I never have enough.” The barn mentality says, “God is more than enough.” In Scripture, barns represent abundance, but not the kind of abundance that comes from striving. They represent the blessing of...  Read More