God has amazing things in store for you! Scripture says that the plans and thoughts He has for you are beyond anything you can think, ask or imagine! But maybe you find yourself in a place where you are asking, “God, where are you? I do not see you in my current situation.I am believing for a miracle but I am not seeing any movement. I am discouraged and becoming hopeless.” As the epileptic boy’s father said to Jesus in Mark 9, “I believe. Help my unbelief.” We must do our part. If we engage, as we worship, the atmosphere will shift. We have a certain amount of faith but we can increase our faith.

When we declare scripture or those things we believe God is saying directly to us, it not the understanding that is powerful, but it is the fact that it is spoken. Some things need to be declared. My wife and I have been declaring certain things over our son since he was still in the womb. You want to find the word of the Lord for your child and you want to speak those things over your child. The same is true for your family.

Have you ever wondered, “How do I have a prosperous and long life?” Ephesians 6:2 gives us a key. Honor your mother and father and things will go well. Why honor? We honor because of the position. Parents may not necessarily deserve honor, but we are commanded to honor unconditionally, just because they hold the position of parent in our life. The position is designated for honor, so we have no excuse.

Life goes better, when you put God in first place. Scripture says it this way, "When you are planted in the house of the Lord, you will flourish." The local church is the hope of the world. If we are to be that hope, we must be strong and united...we must be PLANTED in the house and there are a few things we must do if we are to be planted and positioned to bloom and flourish. Do you want to be part of building a successful and effective church? Take a look at these with me.

Jesus died and was resurrected so that we could have a resurrection in our own life as well. I believe this. I believe that is God‘s plan for our life. Jesus gave up His life so we could have a more abundant life in our emotions, in our finances, in our marriage, in our purpose, in our calling. So what is the pathway to this kind of life?

In this series I have been talking through our Journey. I started with Making a Difference in the first week of this series. Discover Your Purpose was the following week and then Find Freedom was our topic for Palm Sunday. Today is my favorite topic, the passion of my heart, Know God. These four topics make up the pillars of our church. Usually, we state them in this order, “Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Your Purpose and Make a Difference”, but I wanted us to get an idea of our destination (Make a Difference) before we drilled down on how to Make a Difference. It all starts with knowing God.

Life change happens when we know God. When we know God, His spirit comes into our lives and leads us into freedom, changing those things that hold us back from discovering and fulfilling our purpose. As we discover our purpose, we begin to live our best life, the life that is available to us so that we can bless others and make a difference.

People tend to settle for less than what God has for them. Ps 16:11 talks about the path of life God has in mind for us. David meditates on God’s guidance and direction, “Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.” God has freedom and deliverance and a radiant life path in mind for us. Being unstuck from the mire that keeps you off that path is the most fun you'll ever have. I want to help you move forward, taking the steps you need to take to get unstuck.

Are you thinking about what's next for you or have you been comfortable, but thinking there's got to be more. There is!! We're all on a journey and have a next step. No matter who we are or what we believe, we are created in God’s image. Because of this, we have eternity set in our hearts. We have a God spot and all of us are somewhere on the journey of finding the peace and joy that comes from have that spot filled.

At Motor City Church we have a fourfold vision. We want to help people Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Their Purpose, and Make a Difference.

As we look forward in the life of the Church, we need perspective that can carry us into the next stage of our journey. A cathedral mindset is needed, one of creating and working toward long-term goals for future generations to enjoy.

What's your real purpose as a Christian? One of the top selling books in the world is The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. People desire to know why they're here on earth. There is a simple answer to the question. Our purpose is to Be Salty. Matthew 5:13 is where we can find this answer. “You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” Saltiness brings out flavor and enhances taste. In another place, Scripture says to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Social media and technology have changed our relationships. I love technology and enjoy scrolling through social media and posting. But, being consumed with social media and technology detracts from what God has for us. John 13:34 tells us people will know we are His disciples by our love for each other. But in this day and time, how we show love can be affected by technology.

In exploring the principles of building relationships, there are Secrets of Building the House. Building our house on a strong foundation is necessary, and in this day, we have to be more fervent than we've ever been.

One of the secrets to winning in relationships is covenant. Covenant in relationships is based on mutual commitment. God is the author of covenant and that is why commitment is essential to having a healthy relationship. If you look to what He says about covenant and choose to live in that principle, you will succeed. He is the one who designed relationships, so let the one who designed relationships, define your relationships. Don't try to do it on your own, leaving God out of the process. God is waiting for you to come back to His ways of doing things.

Did you realize there are principles you can apply to win in relationships; that there are things you can do to make love that lasts, in all your relationships? I Cor 13:7-8 defines love for us. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and lasts forever. This definition is impossible for us on our own, but God can give us the capacity to love, to love like He does. We must allow God to do a work in our life, a work of His love.

One thing we need to understand is that as we try to find God, he is trying to find us. If you can't find God, start to worship and He will find you. Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please God without faith; we must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” We serve a God who is alive and well and here today. Again, if you can’t find God, start to worship Him, seek Him and He will find you.

I’ve been talking about God Encounters the past few weeks. One moment in God’s presence can change everything in your life. I believe He desires to have more encounters with us! My desire is that your faith rests in the fact that your opinion and your attitude cannot change because you've met God yourself and you've had experience with Him. Because you've had that encounter with Him, your life has been changed.

There is a cycle of blessing that comes into our lives when we practice thankfulness. Your attitude will determine your altitude. I have discovered that this one word alone will work wonders. It will open doors. It will establish relationships. It will make people realize you recognize their effort, and it will make you memorable. Learn the power of the word “Thanks”.

God wants us to have personal encounters with Him. He uses these experiences to change our lives and there are things we can do to invite God encounters into our lives. We have a role to play. There are things we do not want to take into 2022. Right now, at the beginning of the year, take opportunity to focus on God and seek that connection with Him that will transform your life.

Who are you? Really, who are you? Where do you get your identify from? One of three mirrors when looking for your identity.
The first mirror we see ourselves through is the "Mirror of Failure"
Have you defined yourself by what you've done? Don't buy into the lie that you are what you've done. You are not a failure. It doesn't matter how many times you've been married. It doesn't matter what your report card said. It doesn/t matter what your bank account shows. You can change your future. This past week we heard, "God does not see you by what you did, God sees you by what you become" Dr Dave Martin. Start seeing yourself through the lense of Christ.

An important part of looking OUT for ourselves is relationships. What can we do to show love to the people we encounter? The only things that will last in this world are the Word of God and people. Since we know that, our interactions with people should be of extreme importance to us.