This Means War

David says, in Psalm 27:3, "Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident." Are you going through tough times? Is the storm all around you? Has "war" broken out against you? David had firsthand experience in this—armies were seeking to destroy him, his city, his family and his nation. That’s serious business! Even with all of this going on around him, David knew that God was going to protect them. He went on to say in Psalm 27:13, "I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." He had total confidence that he would see God's goodness in this life, as well as beyond, and that God would indeed save them. He knew he didn’t need to be frightened, get antsy about what he needed to do in his own strength, or freeze in panic. Do you have that confidence today? Do you know Christ as your Savior? If you do, then you, too, need to have this confidence. God cares about you. He loves you. He will protect you. He will meet your needs, and you will see God's goodness in this life and beyond! The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

Keep the Faith, Even in Prison

In Matthew 11:2, John the Baptist is in prison, and he sends his disciples to go and ask Jesus whether he is the one that they've been waiting for. Now, just eight chapters ago, John the Baptist baptized Jesus and heard the voice of God from heaven saying, "This is my son..." So, John knew, firsthand, that Jesus was the one. And they were cousins!  But while in prison, he began to doubt his own faith in Christ. Prison can do that to us. When we get in a bad place in life, in a real storm or tragedy, the devil will come and try to get us to doubt what we believe. He wants us to doubt Jesus. He wants us to question God, God's love, God's intentions and even God's existence. But prison is a place we need to lean even stronger on our faith. Think of Joseph who, as a slave and then in prison, deepened his faith God. These are examples of those who have gone through trouble before us. Have you walked away from the Lord because of tragedy? God is calling you back today. I don’t expect trouble—I don't like it—but when it comes, and I persevere, God will bring a great victory.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

What's in a Title?

Titles in our culture keep disappearing. A generation ago we referred to elders by their titles, like Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., priest, bishop, elder, pastor. More and more, titles are disappearing. Okay, so what? I mean, do titles matter? Well, Jesus was given the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So it must matter. And check this out. The leper in Matthew 8 didn't say, "Jesus, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Instead, he called Jesus "Kurios," which means Lord. And he was healed. In each case, as you follow along in Matthew, every person who addressed Jesus with a title of honor, such as Lord, received something. And those who used a common way of talking to Jesus were either sent away or were rebuked. Jesus didn’t give himself a title, but God did. And Jesus didn't force anyone to use his title, but those who did received more. So what am I saying? It would be weird if my six-year-old called me by my first name, instead of "Dad.”  In life, I deserve that honor.  If someone is deserving of honor in your life, you should address them with a title. They might not demand the title, but maybe you should use it anyway.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

Position Your Heart

Where you position something will determine how well it will function. If you put a lawn mower in the swimming pool, it will malfunction. It will be hard to operate, too, and there isn’t anything to mow in there. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:21 that “Where your treasure is, there also is your heart.” So our hearts follow our treasure. That’s interesting, because, in the world, we are taught to follow our heart. “What’s your heart telling you?” “Oh, just go with your heart…” But here, Jesus says it differently. He doesn’t say to follow your heart; he says to position your heart. Maybe a lot of the messes in life come from our hearts being in the wrong place? Our hearts weren’t designed to operate in this messed-up world. And maybe the wrong desires, or the problems we have, would disappear, if our hearts were positioned where they’re designed to work best, which is with God. When you bring a gift to the Lord at church, a gift from your treasure, then you begin to position your heart in the Lord’s house. Get your lawn mower out of the pool, be generous to the Lord’s house, and watch the grass in your life begin to flourish.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee

Add Value

Jesus lived the most epic life of any man in all history. Since his resurrection, what he did on this earth continues to grow. Was it because he was a famous pop singer? Or a famous athlete? Was it because he was a Roman emperor? Nope. When Jesus took the scene, he was just a dude from Nazareth. He wasn’t a leader in the temple or the community. Of course, he was also the son of God. But you have the same spirit in you. You can live an epic life, too. So what did he do every day? Well, every day he got up, and he went and sowed into people’s lives; he fed people and healed people. Every day he gave to people, taught people, corrected people, encourage people… he was always adding value to others. Every day he put more into people than he got in return. This is something any one of us can do, and we could all start right now. Add value to others. Believe in others. Give to others, tell them they can win, speak the word of God into their lives. Try to give more than you get into each and every relationship you have. It’s the secret to living an epic life.

Pastor Jason Anderson
Living Word Bible Church
Scottsdale | Mesa | Ahwatukee