One of the Fruits of the Spirit is patience. Patience is something we all want and admire but the reality is that patience only exists in a world of disruptions, disappointment and delays. We cannot show patience unless the situation calls for it–and the situations that call for it are not the ones we would choose for ourselves.

There are only two ways to live your life: in the flesh, or in the Spirit. The desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you from what?  Doing what? What you want to do. That is why a sinning Christian is miserable. You are working against your deepest desires when you sin. Against your true identity.  

What would it have been like to be around 2000 years ago when Jesus lived and you got to listen to Him. Nobody had ever taught like this, lived like this and loved the way He did. So you wanted to become His follower and you left everything.

It was a celebratory atmosphere with the crowds that gathered the first day of the week when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people had waited a long time for the promised Messiah. But as Jesus rode into town, this King did not look as they would have expected.  

We are getting the opportunity to visit with Eugene Sologubenco and we're so excited. We've been partnering together for many years. You are a good friend and I have had the opportunity to be in Moldova. Our church has given to help with the refugee efforts in the Ukraine.

Thank you and it's great to be in a safe area here in the United States with you, John, and with Crestview. First, I want to say thanks to everybody at Crestview who has been generous and prayed and sent us emails and messages supporting us.

John the Baptist asked Jesus a very important question: Are You the One? It’s the same question people ask today: How do we know You are who You say You are?  Jesus said He is: Savior, Redeemer, Rock, Shelter, the Bread of Life, the Gate, Salvation, and Lord. He said He was the only way to God. 

We would expect Jonah to appreciate a plant that gave him shade on a hot day–God’s point with Jonah is not that Jonah shouldn’t have cared about these sort of things. It’s that Jonah should have cared less about them and more about the right things.

God is by nature, a sending, calling God. His call continues even when we run. After Jonah spent some quality time in the gastrointestinal tract of the great fish, God didn’t say, “Jonah you’ve had a rough time, take a couple of weeks off.”  Instead, God says, “Go. Do what I told you to do.”

Did Jonah really get swallowed by a great fish or is this a fable? You can’t outrun God. Jonah and Spiritual Transformation. “Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
Jonah 2:8-9 (NLT).