EPIC WEEKEND: with Tim Bennett

Each sermon this weekend will be different, so check back often for Pastor Candace’s notes!

6:15pm

If the devil can’t make you sick, he’ll make you busy!

Exodus 17:8-16

TURNING VALLEYS INTO VICTORIES

It’s amazing how one cup of bitter water can make us forget that God moved an entire sea!
Amalek was all about instant gratification. Literally means valley-dweller.
Valley dwellers want you to stay in the valley with them. When we begin to grumble like the Israelites, it invites the spirit of valley dwellers to come upon us! God has called you to turn your valleys into victories!

How do we do that?

1. Gain a new perspective. When the enemy comes low, you fix yours eyes on high. Stop allowing distractions. Lift God above your enemy (the posture of prayer!). Prayer isn’t intended to change God, prayer is intended to change YOU. Stop fixing your eyes on the problem, and fix your eyes on the answer: JESUS. Too many times we’re hanging around with losers.

2. Gain partners. You’re not called to live alone. Valley-dwellers are loners. They identify with the pain instead of identifying with the cure. Classic tactic of the enemy: ISOLATION. We get addicted to being alone. Admitting you need help, FEELS weak, but it’s the moment of strength. When we come together as the family. There would be a lot of prayers that wouldn’t need prayed, if we would just PRAISE THE LORD. Gods presence will always go before you, if His praise is always in your mouth. not everyone is a Moses or Aaron, we also need Joshua’s in the valleys. The battle is not yours, but the preparation is yours.
   3. Gain promise. We turn valleys into victories by praising the Lord. There’s nothing you could do that would chase down the goodness and mercy—God’s goodness & mercy is supposed to chase YOU down.

9:15am

Lamentations 3:19-27

DARE TO HOPE

Hope is confident patience in the enduring love of God.
If people have to come to us to get to God, that’s just religion!

If God gave you everything you are praying for right now, you wouldn’t know what to do with it.

Maybe God isn’t answering your prayers right now because you aren’t praying for something big enough!

1. Dare to Hope.

2. Declare Hope. Moments where we’re gonna have to encourage OURSELVES. We will either speak hope or we’ll strangle it. Speak the goodness of God.

3. Depend on Hope. The Lord is good to those who depend on HIM. Not depend on yourself. RENEW your strength. You gotta learn to crawl before you can walk, then run, then fly.
   

11:15am

Ephesians 2:1-10

POETRY IN MOTION

Grace is more than just being saved.
1. Saved from death / forgiveness from the past. Death is a promotion to the Christian. “I’ve never had to teach my kids to misbehave.” It comes natural to us. If you haven’t run into the enemy, maybe it’s because you’re going the same direction he is. This is a spiritual battle.

2. Seated with distinction / freedom in the present. We become so familiar with the cross, we don’t want to get out of the tomb. We get so familiar with our pain and our sickness we forget to walk away from it. It’s time to get out of the tomb! We die on the cross, but we come alive when we step out of the tomb! You’re not labeled by what you went through.

3. Set into destiny / fire to reach the promise. Just because you can’t tell who won yet, doesn’t mean the victory hasn’t already been won! God has destined you for greatness! Nothing you can do to earn it or deserve it!

6:00pm

Gifts that help you think like God. Discernment. Gifts of knowledge. (Gifts of revelation)

Gifts that help your speak like God. Prophecy. Gifts of tongues & interpretation of tongues.

Gifts that help us act like God. Healing. Faith.

Without the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no good.

5 ministry gifts to equip you. Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Pastor. Teacher.

An apostle works with all 5 gifts, taking new ground.
A prophet is very specific.
An evangelist. Can be abrasive.
The pastor. Married to the church.
The teacher. Bringing up disciples.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Why does it have to be speaking in tongues? The hardest part of the body to tame. Wherever the tongue goes, the body follows.

SOULS TO SAVE: We Are His House

Christianity is full of what seem like contradictions.

I was born into sin, through no fault of my own, but I am also a sinner, and therefore guilty.
I am a sinner, daughter of sinners, but I am also a child of God, heir to a spiritual kingdom I cannot yet see.
I am imperfect, but a perfect God chooses to work through me for His purposes.
I am a new creation, the old has gone, even though sometimes the old threatens to take over again.

And yet, they are true.

YOU are incredibly important to God.
YOU are desperately loved by God.
YOU are put on this planet for a reason.

Ephesians 2:1-22

1. I used to be an outsider.

   1. The Gospel story is nothing without this part.

   2. As an outsider, I have:

      • No purpose

      • Deception

      • Selfishness

      • Sin

      • No promises from God

2. Now I am united.

   1. Unity is not the same thing as uniformity.

   2. Stop acting like an outsider! You’re IN now...you don’t have the be the same as everyone else, but you have to be united.

      • Secrecy.  

      • Stubbornness.

      • Selfishness.

3. WE ARE HIS HOUSE.

   1. Ephesians 5:19-21

   2. We’ve got souls to save!!!

REWIND WEEKEND: The Best Gift

Ministry is uncomfortable

• The Cost of Following Jesus: Luke 9:57-62

It’s emotionally AND physically draining.

• Luke 5:15-16

It’s difficult! 

• Matthew 17:17

It’s expensive.

Luke 21:1-4

Jesus watches us.

How much matters

John 1:36, ““Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS: He Is Qualified (For Our Best)

Matthew 1:8-25

8 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, 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.

20 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. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “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.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

GOD IS WITH US.

JESUS: HE IS WELL QUALIFIED.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS: Our Best Faith

Isaiah 40:3

Malachi 4:4-6

Luke 1:11-25

How to Have Our Best Faith:

1. Back to the Basics.

• If God SAYS IT, it happens.  

  • Nothing you do or don’t do can stop it.  

  • Nothing you do or don’t do can hinder it.  

Nothing you do or don’t do can get in the way.

2. Remember Who is in Charge.

3. An Attitude of Expectancy.

4. Cut Out Negative Voices.

5. Thank God for the Little Things.

• The name John means “God is gracious” or “God has given”

6. Allow Partnership in your Calling.

John the Baptist was:

1. Willing to be different.

2. Willing to proclaim unpopular truth.

3. Willing to take attention, and point it to Jesus.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS: Our Best Service

Jesus is King

• John 1: “In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”

• When he became a baby he gave up being a King to become a slave.  He became a Slave King

The Slave King

• “The burnt offering emphasizes complete, whole consecration to God, which includes utter destruction of sin and uncleanness – the animal sacrifice is completely consumed.”

• “The sin offering emphasizes punishment or retribution for sin borne by the animal instead of the worshiper.”

Simeon Served in Success

• Who was Simeon?

  • Righteous

  • Devout

  • Simeon served him by Seeking him 

  • Simeon served him by Seeing him 

  • Simeon served him by Sharing him

Anna Served through Shame

• Anna means “favor” and “grace”

• She could not leave!

• Anna served him by Seeking him 

• Anna served him by Seeing him 

• Anna served him by Sharing him

WRITTEN IN THE STARS: Our Best Worship

Luke 2:1-20

THE BEST GIFT OFFERING isn’t about some big need, or goal to hit, it’s about stirring up a generous spirit within the church, and passionate worship.

I taught the kids about worship a lot:

1. Worship isn’t about the music--it’s about your focus.

2. Worship isn’t about you--it’s about Him.

When worship is TRUE & GENUINE, (in spirit AND in truth) it has some amazing byproducts:

• Contagious

• Attractive

• Inspiring

But the flip side is also true..when you have disingenuous and religious worship, it’s also:

• repulsive

• repelling

• depressing

Gen 49:10, “The scepter will not depart from Judah,

•     nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,

• until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,

•     the one whom all nations will honor.”

Daniel 2:44 says, ““During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.”

FAITH AND FEAR are constantly at war. Worship is a discipline.

Worship is about seeing the bigger picture. The magnitude who God is.

When we understand that the plan of salvation has always been written in the stars...that’s when we can bring him our best worship.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS: The Best Gifts

“If you believe that something is written in the stars, you believe that it will be made to happen by a force that controls the future.”

Matthew 2:1-12

We DO know about the Wise Men:

• They were probably rulers of some sort,

• They were devout followers of God, even if they weren’t Jews.

  • Zoroastrianism

• They were called wise men because of how they studied the stars.

  • Gen 1:14-17

• HERE’S THE ONE THAT STRUCK ME THE MOST: They came to bless the Messiah. Not to be blessed by Him.

The BEST Gifts

• GOLD

  • Born a King on Bethlehem plain,

  •     Gold I bring to crown Him again,

  •          King for ever,

  •          Ceasing never

  •     Over us all to reign.

  •                         O Star, &c.

• FRANKINCENSE

  • Frankincense to offer have I,

  •     Incense owns a Deity nigh:

  •             Prayer and praising

  •             All men raising,

  •     Worship Him God on High.

  •                         O Star, &c.

• MYRRH

  • Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume

  •     Breathes a life of gathering gloom;—

  •                Sorrowing, sighing,

  •                Bleeding, dying,

  •     Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

  •                         O Star, &c.

The Wise Men’s gifts were:

• Useful & Generous.

• Precious & Valuable.

• Respectful & Worshipful.

VICTORIOUS: Finishing the Race

Pastor Candace has been saying all these weeks that God’s victories are WHOLE and complete, I’ve been fighting the good fight, why don’t I have all those things NOW?!

If you’re in that place--first, let me say to you a few things:

1. Your story is still being written. (patience)

2. Let the past be the past. (forgiveness)

3. Stop wondering IF God has a plan for you, and start preparing for it. (trust)

   1. For me, Bold & Brave is such PROOF of this.

      1. Denyse Yates: “It has challenged me to not quit when things get hard. To go deeper with God and do things I was normally not comfortable doing. It has challenged me to deal with stuff I haven’t wanted to and say yes to. And you have challenged me to go deeper into the word.”

      2. Rebecca Strevig: “Bold and Brave has taught me to dive so much deeper into God's Word, ask questions and not quit when it gets difficult. Going deeper into the word has changed my relationship with Jesus in a huge way.”

         1. “Also, the relationships! I love the ladies in Bold and Brave and it's amazing to know I have strong women in my life I can lean on and go to for prayer.”

      3. Susann Simon: “I’ve learned so much about how to study the Bible and not be intimidated by it. I’ve gained confidence and am learning to look beyond my own understanding to find answers, and not get frustrated when I don’t understand. ❤️”

      4. Chaulin Corona: “[I am] understanding a lot more every day about the word of God as a child I went to church but as a child we didn’t pay too much attention in learning, and understanding his word. I learn so much that he can do so many things in your life! I am learning to understand to not fear things and not stress things that everything will be alright God is always with me!

Look for the PATIENCE, TRUST, OR FORGIVENESS in this:

2 Timothy 4:1-22

Paul is NEXT LEVEL VICTORIOUS: 

1. He declares himself VICTORIOUS! 

2. He has an eternal perspective. Not only does he see things through the lense of the Word, but also through the lense of ETERNITY.

3. He not only understands that HIS story is still being written, but that other people’s stories are being written = next level victorious.

4. He lets the past in the past, even when he’s still dealing with the consequences of THEIR actions = next level VICTORIOUS.

5. He’s not only NOT doubting that God HAS a plan...he understands that His plan is GOOD.

6. All of this---it’s not JUST in a sermon.  It’s not JUST in teaching. This language and attitude is mixed in among everyday things like a coat, and the winter, and “bring my books along too please!” The place Paul has gotten to, near the end of his life...sitting in a prison cell, suffering because of the Gospel...VICTORIOUS just comes out of his mouth! 

It’s PATIENCE, because He is still writing the story.  It’s FORGIVENESS, because we can let the past be the past, when we know who’s in charge of the future.  And it’s TRUST because God has a plan, and IT IS GOOD.

God will let you live in whichever state you can settle for. 

1. A space outside the will of God. (culture)

   1. Lowest level of living

   2. Decisions guided and governed by my own will and wishes.

   3. I’m going to consult God when I need Him to bring MY will to pass.

   4. At this level, God is a deliverer, not a leader.

2. The permissive will of God (spiritual knowledge, church)

   1. The average level of living.

   2. A space & place where things are better than they used to be, but aren’t as good as they could be.

   3. He permits, but doesn’t prefer.

   4. It is salvation, but not transformation.

   5. We quote scripture at this level...but may not live it. 

3. The preferred will of God. (spiritual experience, Jesus)

   1. Kingdom living is what life looks like when JESUS leads it. 

   2. Church is not the end, it’s the MEANS to this level.

   3. At this level, we LIVE scripture.

   4. THIS is VICTORIOUS-living. Because it’s TOTAL reliance on God, ABSOLUTE trust with no reservations, and COMPLETE surrender to HIS will.

VICTORIOUS: The Wrestling

Hosea 12:3-4

Genesis 28-32

Jacob = ”Grabber/deceiver”

The enemy might be crafty but he is not creative. He wants us to believe not only that we’ve done something wrong, but that we ARE SOMETHING WRONG.

Incorrect victory breeds fear.

Correct victory [God-given victory] gives life.

Jacob’s enemy was himself.

Candace’s Word for the 11:15:

Genesis 32:24-28

24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, (because we often FEEL alone, and never are)

and a man came (because God’s help often comes looking a lot like people)

and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break (because there may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning).

25 When the man saw that he would not win the match (because Jacob wouldn’t give up like so many others),

he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. (sometimes we NEED changed physically to REMAIN changed spiritually)

26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” (because things often look very different in the light that a wrestling match with God can bring!)

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (don’t stop wrestling with God UNTIL you get your healing)

27 “What is your name?” the man asked. (God often asks questions He already knows the answers to--for OUR benefit, not our own)

He replied, “Jacob.” (because sometimes we have to label our pain, before we can heal from it. Faith is not the absence of reality, or the denial of it, it’s the belief in something greater.)

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him (because only God has the power to change names AND identities from the inside out).

“From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” (and God gives WHOLE victories. HE RESTORES OUR SOULS, not just our bodies, not just our minds….OUR SOULS)

VICTORIOUS: Stacking Victories

1 Samuel 18:14, “David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.”

Know the Why:

2 Samuel 8:1-14

• He won constantly! When David lead Israel as King he lead them into a season of unimagined victory and property that would be continued by his son Solomon.

• Why do you want to win?

• Winning feels good, losing stinks. But that’s not why David wanted to win.

Know the Why: To Honor God

Psalm 29:1-2, “Honor the LORD, you heavenly beings; honor the LORD for his glory and strength. Honor the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.”

God wins when we attribute our victories to Him. “Famous enough” means that I am famous enough, God should get more of the praise.

How to Win:

1 Samuel 17:31-37

How to Win: Baby Steps

1 Samuel 17:36-37

Don’t rush into battle until you’re ready. Stacking victories. David knew what he was capable of when he saw Goliath, because he had tested it.

You came to church! That is a win. Baptized? There is a win! Worshipped God? Heard the Word? All wins! Stand on those, start with what’s right in front of you. For so many of you, that’s PRAYER. If your life doesn’t depend on it right now, IT WILL.

Better to set identity-based goals, than outcome-based goals. Changing who you ARE, not just what you DO.

David knew God was with Him, because he had done it before.

How to Win: Big Steps

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

Join the conversation! What’s your main takeaway from this message? Post a quote on social media using the hashtags #Victorious #FVChurch

VICTORIOUS: Let Me Get This Straight

Judges 10-12

• Judges 10:10, FINALLY!

  • How far lost do you have to be that it takes that much destruction for you to cry out to the Lord for help?!

  • But although confession here is a start--finally God is talking back!! that‘s what confession does, because it’s honest--it’s not enough.

    • Acknowledging your faults is ONLY the first step.  It’s not enough to invite the rescue of God.

  • It wasn’t until verse 16, where it says, “Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery

    • When we worship God with honest hearts, He’s moved to compassion for our situations.

• ENTER JEPHTHAH.

  • Tob-Living

    • What you think disqualifies you--might just be the very thing God uses.

  • WHY do you want victory??

    • We have to examine our own motives. Our hearts are endlessly wicked, the Bible says--we can make excuses for all kinds of behavior...but if we have selfish motives, at some point, it’s possible to want something TOO bad..

• Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

  • But HOW did Jephthah get his victory?

    • Because victory on the battlefield doesn’t necessarily mean victory at home. 

God’s victories are WHOLE. When he restored Job, he restored EVERYTHING Job lost, including family.  When he restored Moses as a leader, he restored EVERYTHING. When we restored Joseph, he restored EVERYTHING..and not just everyTHING, but everyONE, in every case.  And God’s math isn’t addition, multiplication. When you look out for the purposes of God, He looks out for you.

We have to examine our own motives, and rely only on the Lord for strength.

This series isn’t about being victorious in politics, or triumphing over our enemies.  It’s about seeing breakthrough in your life--but before we set out to see breakthrough, we must be aware of our own motives, and be VERY clear on WHO wins the victory for us. 

Jephthah’s story is a cautionary tale. It could have been vindication for Jephthah.  It could have been restoration for an individual. But he didn’t examine his own motives..and he didn’t rely solely on the Lord. God still worked it out for the good of HIS PEOPLE...this story is a victory story FOR THEM.  For the repentant. For those who confess and turn from their ways. But it could have been so much more.  

1. I think I have been praying with selfish motives, and I need to examine them.

2. I’ve been relying on my own strength--not His.

KINGDOM COME: Forgiveness & Justice in the Kingdom

Matthew 6:7-15

Common misconceptions about forgiveness among Christians:

1. You don’t have to do anything to receive God’s forgiveness. Not true, it must be accepted.

2. Forgiveness must be earned. Not true, it can only be given.

3. Trust should be given, not earned. Not true, trust & forgiveness are two different things.

4. Forgiveness is a feeling. Not true, forgiveness is a choice.

5. Forgiveness is the belief that they won’t mess up again. Again, not true. Forgiveness is the belief that they probably will mess up again, but choosing love anyway.

Romans 12:17-21

We can easily forgive, because: 

1. God’s much better at vengeance.

2. We’ve been forgiven of so much.

3. It’s much more effective at conviction (and therefore, life change)

4. That’s how you conquer evil.

KINGDOM COME: Complications of the Kingdom

REVIEW: Ways that we are a part of the kingdom: 

• God is King 

• We are his subjects 

• This is his castle

The Complications of living in the Kingdom.  Being a Christian doesn’t make things easy.

Romans 8:1-39
Freedom From Condemnation

• We all have a choice: be dominated by guilt or liberated by grace. Because of Christ’s presence in our lives, we become saturated with God’s grace, which makes us more gracious people. Gracious people are better at home, at work, and in the community. It’s the best way to build your foundation.

Freedom from Inadequacy 

• I know I am not enough but the good news is, I was not made to be enough!

• The only standard we should be trying to live up to is that of Christ our savior and we will always fall short.

• I am not less. I am a Child of God.

Freedom from Victim Mentality

• We have conquered Death and the grave! We are above, not below. We are victorious!

KINGDOM COME: Kingdom Subjects

John 12:16 NLT

The word “Gospel” = a single event, happening within a much larger context, that changes the future, and as a result, everything is changed.

Matthew 5:1-12 MSG

OUR PERSPECTIVE

• What we believe, influences what we think, and what we think influences how we see ourselves, and how we see ourselves influences how we behave.

Matthew 5:13-20 MSG

OUR BEHAVIOR

Matthew 5:21-48 MSG

OUR ATTITUDE

• a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.

KINGDOM COME: The Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9-13 New Living Translation (NLT)
9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Romans 14:17 (NLT)
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1. God is our King.

2. Subjects of the Kingdom.

3. The Castle.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - Heart & Soul

You can’t be right with God, and be wrong about Jesus.

WHY is Jesus the only way? How do I share my faith?

4200 different religions in the world. Two MAIN differences.

1. Legalism= you HAVE to follow all the rules. There’s a god out there, and the god may or may not choose to love you based on whether or not you followed all the rules.

2. Fatalism= your fate has already been determined for you, and it has nothing to do with you.

The biggest difference with Christianity is FREE WILL. Genesis 2:3-9 / Deut 30:15-19

John 14:6 - the verse that makes Jesus seem very bigoted & intolerant to our culture. If you were to remove every other religion’s leader, what would still exist? Every other religion. If you were to remove Jesus from Christianity, what would we have left? Nothing.

4 reminders on Christianity being exclusive. 1. Jesus made the statement, we’re just repeating it. 2. Christianity is not the only religion that claims exclusivity. Most religions do. (Don’t make Jesus just one of the guys. Don’t lower your perception of Him. HE IS GOD.) 3. Truth by its very nature is exclusive. 4. Jesus is inclusive to everyone. Why is there a way at all?! Because Jesus came for us. Jesus isn’t an app on your phone, he’s the whole iOS!!

God speaks through creation. Romans 1:20

God speaks through conscience. Romans 2:15

God speaks through comfort. John 16:5-15

God speaks through scripture.

God speaks through conversation. Romans 10:8-15

What about the kids in Africa?? What about the people who don’t know yet? Yeah—what about them?? I didn’t know you cared so much! Have you gone to tell them? Do you give and equip the people who are going to tell them?

John 3:16

Acts 17:26-27

Romans 10:14-15

Check the statistics—the Gospel works!
It works because it demands a response.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - 11:15

Genesis 35:16-21

“Ben” means son, “Oni” means sorrow.

Those that are experiencing the most sorrow, are also living out the most strength. The past sorrow, produces the future strength.

Don’t forget to focus on the negatives. Going down produces just as much strength as going up. There are some things you can only learn through the sorrow.

“Ben” means son, “jamin” means MY RIGHT HAND. You can call it “my sorrow” if you want, or you can call it MY BLESSING. Call it blessed.

“I just call it what it is”….how’s that working for you? That doesn’t take any faith, does it? I’m really grateful that God didn’t just call it what it is.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - 9:15am

Genesis 25:24-34

1. The bowl tempts us to trade faith for feeling. 

• Our culture has whipped up a recipe for you to figure out your identity. The world will tell you:

  • Ask yourself, “How do I feel? I feel therefore I am.”

  • Ask yourself, “What do you like? Who are you attracted to?”

  • Ask yourself, “What are you good at?”

  • Ask yourself, ”Where did you come from?”

  • Ask yourself, “What have other people said about you?”

2. The bowl tempts us to trade calling for comfort.  

• There’s nothing comfortable about fulfilling the calling of God in your life. Destiny never comes at a discount.

• Comfort has become the drug of choice, for Americans today.

• There’s no growth in the comfort zone, but there’s no comfort in the growth zone.

3.  The bowl tempts us to trade our future for our present.  

• Also said like: what you want now for what you want most.

• The devil’s not playing checkers with you, he’s playing chess.

• You can have a birthright of peace in your life, or you can have the bowl of anxiety.

Don’t be an Esau. Don’t squander your birthright. Don’t drink from the wrong bowl.

EPIC Weekend - Eran Holt - 6:15pm

Hebrews 12:1-3

Judges 2:7-12

Look back.

• Embrace the crazy. Get some faith and some encouragement from the crazy faith of the past.

Look in.

• Stop asking: “is it wrong?”

• Start asking: “will this help me run my race better?”

Look down.

• Race envy. We get too busy looking at everyone else’s race, that we can’t focus on our own.

• If you’re not running your race, who will?

• Anointing: the ability to go beyond.

Look up.

• Fix your eyes on Jesus.