Hosted by Pastor Scott Lehr · EN
Psalm 23 answers a question every believer eventually asks: why trust the Lord when the valley is real? Through the ancient image of shepherd and sheep, three reasons emerge for why His people can rest secure, even when circumstances haven't changed.
David's raw prayer in Psalm 13 moves from feeling forgotten by God to genuine trust and joy. Honest lament and sustained prayer change how we see our circumstances, even when the circumstances themselves haven't changed.
1 Peter 5. True spiritual maturity is not becoming self-sufficient. It is learning to depend on God, both by receiving the care He offers through the local church and by giving Him the burdens we were never meant to carry alone.
1 Peter 4:12-19. Suffering is not a sign that God has abandoned us; it is often the place where His presence rests most clearly on us. Peter calls believers to decide in advance to entrust themselves fully to their faithful Creator before the fire ever comes.
1 Peter 2:13-25. True freedom is never found in answering to no one. It is found when Jesus becomes Lord of everything, and a life surrendered to His authority becomes a life of gospel freedom, gracious endurance, and lasting impact.
1 Peter 2:1-12. Spiritual maturity is not something a believer grows into alone. It means laying aside the sins that corrupt relationships, embracing a shared identity as the family of God built on Jesus the cornerstone, and carrying His good news into the world.
1 Peter 1:10-25. When life gets hard, pain narrows our vision and distorts the stories we tell ourselves. 1 Peter 1 calls us to remember the bigger story we are part of, reclaim our true identity as God's chosen people, and anchor ourselves to His enduring Word so we can stand firm through suffering and uncertainty.
1 Peter 1:1-9. When trials come, followers of Jesus can endure with genuine hope, not because suffering is easy, but because Jesus rose from the dead, making every trial meaningful and giving believers an unshakeable, living hope that nothing in this world can touch.
Luke 18:9-14. The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector exposes the danger of spiritual self-confidence, showing that genuine right standing with God comes only through humble dependence on Jesus rather than confidence in one's own goodness.
Luke 18:1-8. The Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18 frames persistent prayer not as a technique for getting what you want from God but as an act of faith and defiance against the brokenness of this world. When God delays, it is not denial, and the call to keep praying is ultimately a call to keep believing.