
Hosted by New Hope Church Hilo Hawaii · EN

Every person has scars, physical, emotional, or spiritual. The question is not whether we have them, but who is telling us what they mean. Through the story of the twelve spies, we discover that the stories we believe shape our identity, our faith, and our future. While fear rewrites our story through doubt and insecurity, God’s Word speaks a better story. A story of faith, identity, and redemption. Ultimately, Jesus’ scars remind us that God doesn’t always erase our wounds; He redeems them for His glory.

Life has its moments. Some are good, some are bad, and some are ugly. We’ve all experienced these moments. Some of us may find ourselves in one of those moments right now. Maybe life is good. Maybe life isn’t the greatest right now. And maybe for some, life is just ugly. But whether we find ourselves in the good, the bad, or even the ugly, we can take heart because Jesus meets us where we are.

Today we're going to learn that God's mercy gives us time—not to stay the same, but to repent, make things right, and help others find Jesus too.

Repentance is more than feeling sorry for sin—it’s changing how we think by trusting Christ above our feelings. True repentance leads us to Jesus, bringing lasting peace, while repentance from dead works leaves us exhausted, anxious, and unchanged.

King Josiah shows us that we don't have to repeat the mistakes of those who came before us, or even our own mistakes. A transformed life chooses God's way, breaks destructive patterns, and becomes a new example for others to follow, including ourselves.


There is a God-given purpose for each and every one of us. But in the pursuit of living out that purpose, we will certainly run into moments and seasons of struggle and hardship. And it’s those moments, when we don’t understand the situation, things aren’t going the way we had hoped for, or we’re met with opposition, God empowers us to endure and never give up!

This Chapter in the Gospel of John is incredible. We only see bits and pieces of Jesus’ prayers throughout scripture, but in John 17 we are left with a gift. We have this window into the intimate and beautiful prayer of our Lord Jesus to the Father in heaven. My prayer for you tonight, is that you may know the heart of Christ as He demonstrates the perfect relationship of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may His face shine and be gracious to you.

We all want a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. So when we don’t see things change according to what we see fit, we take control only to find out that God’s outcome is a whole lot better than ours.

The Kingdom of God has a culture. And it’s not the same culture that is in the world. But it’s this kingdom culture that should direct and influence our lives. Because it’s a culture that not only we need, but what the world is in desperate need of. And if we want to discover what the culture of the Kingdom of God is all about, we must pursue the characteristics of the King.