Sometimes, when you feel so guilty about something you’ve done, you may not feel like you have the language to approach God. You want forgiveness but don’t know what to say. In those times, I’d encourage you to pray the words of David. We know that God answered David’s prayer! His failure wasn’t the end of his story. God used David and his descendants to bring about the promised Messiah, Jesus. God redeemed David, and scripture remembers him as “the man after God’s own heart.” His heart was cleansed and a right spirit was renewed within him (Psalm 51:10).

Regardless of what comes our way, God is greater. Nothing can push God into a corner or surprise Him. He is the sovereign and supreme King of kings and Lord of lords and, “according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3b-5). The life of every believer is now and for all eternity in the safe hands of God. Our blood-bought future includes a new heaven and earth for all who trust the Gospel, where all believers truly will live happily ever after with their God. Do not lose heart – our future in Christ is beyond all comparison.

With God, there is always hope! He really does see the upper story of our lives and He can be trusted! God wants us to look to Him, just as He wanted the people of Israel to look to Him and to seek Him with all their heart. No matter how hopeless things may seem, our Heavenly Father, has a plan and purpose for our lives that goes far beyond what we can possibly think or imagine!

There is the adage that “change is the only constant” and most of us would agree that the past few years have been exceptionally turbulent. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that many organizations and companies have had to shift the way they do business in order to survive the change. At Coastal Church, there are Four Main Things that we focus on, that remain consistent through seasons of change.

Don’t strive for perfection in family devotions, strive for consistency. As you train up your children each day, remember the goal: We want our kids to know that God is at the center of the family. Kids won’t necessarily remember whether family devotions were perfect, but they will remember that they were important.

While it is true that you can’t earn salvation, some believe God’s gift costs them nothing. Others mistakenly believe that practicing religious rituals or doing good deeds is what God requires. Both extremes miss the way to receive God’s free gift. A heart that believes He is alive will know that is how we can go on living this life on earth and be with Him in heaven. And how good is this full circle moment? Romans 10:13-14 reminds us that when we call on the name of Jesus, we get to tell others!

In our time of need and suffering the best move is to draw near to God. In Christ, we can be sure that God is with us and close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). We shouldn’t doubt God’s goodness, justice and love when we witness or experience suffering. Instead, it should underscore God’s mercy and love for a broken humanity. God sent His only begotten Son to enter and be involved in our mess, sorrow and pain.

When we recognize that our human goodness is limited, we can receive and walk in God’s goodness. His goodness in us will have a far-reaching impact in our lives and the lives of others.

We have a good Heavenly Father, who holds us in the palm of His hand, and He accepts, loves, and affirms us. John 10:29 says that we are in the Father’s hand and no one is able to snatch us out from His hand. in Him we are secure, and that is good news!

Jesus said that even though there is trouble in this world, we must take heart because he has overcome the world. He has defeated all the powers of darkness, and He gives us a hope not only for now but for all of eternity. As followers of Jesus, we also have His powerful Spirit in us, a hope that our nation desperately needs. God’s plans are always good, and He wants to use us, His church, to bring the same kind of hope that Jeremiah brought to his people, to the people of our nation as well. 

As Coastal Church embraces these timeless principles and applies them to the life and ministry, we can fulfill our God-given purpose to effectively impact our city and the world for the glory of God. Let us, therefore, heed the words of Paul to Titus and strive to build and strengthen our churches in accordance with the biblical principles outlined in this remarkable epistle – always under the guise of the Holy Spirit’s power!

The greatest gift we can give kids is our faith in Jesus, a biblical worldview, a stable home where God’s love is central, and our engaged selves. As my sister put it, raising a child is like raising a soldier for God – not necessarily for a physical battle, but for a spiritual one.

God has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us. Yet, many people do not fully understand the power and purpose of the Holy Spirit being with us. Unless we yield to the power and ability of the Holy Spirit, the Christian life can be frustrating and challenging.

A while ago our family went to Costa Rica for an extended mission outreach. We were a young family traveling with a one-year-old who was just learning to walk and talk. Traveling as a family was a logistical challenge, but we also found that our son was one of the …

Sometimes the best place to start when exploring the wonderful world of apologetics is with some of our own questions. What are some of the big questions you or your children have? What about some of the loved ones in our lives or our neighbours or coworkers? What questions do they have? Why not ask them? You might be surprised how much you love exploring the answers.

A couple of years ago I was reading the book called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and I was caught by this phrase: “Your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits“.    Our identity is of course in Christ, as His children, but how we live out that …