Faith is the first gift you receive from God the Father. It allows you to believe in Him. It is impossible to please God without faith. It is the measure you use to judge all things.

Each person of the Trinity has given gifts to Christians. Don't be afraid of them.

We are spiritual beings. God has given us tools to both live successfully in this world and to commune with Him in His world. He has given us gifts to educate and mature the body of Christ.

Isaiah gives some very strong warnings about forsaking God and following the lead of others. He shares the need for building on the Solid Rock and not on the thoughts of man.

It is amazing who and what God uses to bring about the fulfillment of His will. Guess what: He can even use you and me.

What sets super-star athletes, actors, or other successful people apart? They wanted something so much that they would do anything and make any sacrifice necessary to have it. There's a lot of Christians that are just bench-warmers, but only a few super-stars. Do you really want eternal life?

Being a part of the church family, we are under the care of the Pastor. Many people don't know what the role of the Pastor is, outside of preaching on Sundays. God has called Pastors to preach the Word, shepherd the flock, and walk alongside those under our care.

You were born into the family that God wanted you to be a part of. God has also placed you in a church family. We all need help to make sure we know how to get along and have a healthy family, whether it's our biological family or our church family!

Sometimes, life and our circumstances can leave us feeling overwhelmed, under qualified, and emotionally spent! Have you ever been there? Sometimes, we need to take a step back and stop focusing on the problems around us and focus on the One that gives us the air in our lungs. Then we'll realize that the same God that is faithful to give us our next breath is faithful to see us through!

Israel had many evil kings. One of the worst was Ahaz. Yet, even in his sinfulness, God encouraged him to ask for help. God has not changed; He is still asking, encouraging, even begging us to ask for help.

When God called Isaiah to ministry, Isaiah was more than ready to step up. Can you imagine his dismay when God told him he would prophecy and most would not head his words? In other words, he was called to a ministry of failure. We must understand that we are required to be faithful, not necessarily successful. We must remind ourselves that some people plant and some water, but it is God that gives the increase. We must remain faithful.

In the midst of Isaiah rebuking the nation of Israel for their sinfulness, he prophecies about the branch of Israel: the coming Messiah. With the coming of the Messiah we have the establishment of the church and the message of truth and grace.

I love the phrase: “But God”! Almost every time used in Scripture, it proceeds an awesome promise or statement. Yet as much as I like that phrase, there is another phrase that I don’t like as well. That phrase is “but if”, and it generally is an introduction to what will happen if we do or don’t do certain things. Isaiah issues a challenge. “come let us reason together” is another way of saying “let’s discuss it.”

Isaiah prophesied over 700 before Christ. He told Israel that God's hand was poised to strike. They totally ignored his warnings. God is still warning us today, and we can either ignore it or respond to his leading.

As we continue our study of Isaiah, it becomes very apparent that Judah is in a downward spiral. Sinfulness is permeating every aspect of society. The cost of sin? Separation from God.

God asks several questions in the first chapters of Isaiah: (1) Why Should you be beaten anymore? (2) Why do you persist in rebellion? (3) What more could have been done? All good questions. Let's look at the passage and see if we can find some answers.

Isn't it amazing how God has certain people at a certain time at a certain place? How can he do that? He is God, the great I am, not the I was, nor I will be, but the great I Am. He puts specific people in specific times for a specific purpose.

Living a blessed life is much more than material blessing, it is having the best of God's blessings and not settling for good or better, but receiving all that God has for us.