Believing Matters

I heard a song on mainstream radio that has a line about "praying to a God that I don't believe in." It's a strange statement. Why pray if you don't believe? We should send that dude a letter and tell him about Jesus. You know, many who don't believe in God have nowhere to turn when they need a miracle. When you need a prayer answered, what you believe in matters. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." There are many important keys to effective prayer, and believing is one of them. When Peter tried to walk on water and fell in, Jesus blamed it on his lack of faith. Many times, as Jesus healed, He would tell them that it was their faith that had healed them. Faith is what you believe. Do you think that Jesus knew something about praying? Yeah, me too! Well, in this scripture the key is to believe. If Jesus taught us how to pray more effectively, it means He wants your prayers to be successful. What are you praying for? Now, start believing that you have received it.

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

God's Will

Watch the news for more than five minutes and you’ll be thinking, “Man, this place is getting pretty messed up!” But did you know that “things getting messed up” isn't new? It was tough when you grew up, and WE worry about the next generation. But the next generation isn't the first to have it hard, and they won't be the last. Judges 10:6 says, "The Israelites again did evil in the LORD's sight." Yep, they did it again, which means they did some evil before, too, and then they hit the bottom, because we know that everything gets worse without God. So then later, the people returned to God, and things got better. When the people returned to God, the blessings returned, as well. So, we can see that God is a god who makes things better. Do we want things to get better? Of course we do. So the key is to get more of God into our land and more of the people’s hearts into God. It may seem like a lot to ask, but it isn’t, and we can make a difference. We, for sure, don’t want to be the “again the people did evil” generation. We want to be known as the ones who turned to the Lord. So, share the love of Christ with someone today.

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

Why, Why, Why?

Do you ever just wonder, “Why?” Someone asks you do something, and you ask, “Why?” “Get out of the street.” “But, why?” [Errrrrrrrrrrrr thud] Car coming! Okay, so let’s make our “whys” productive. In Mark 1:38, Jesus says, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Jesus wants us to know WHY we do what we do. The “why” helps us to identify the purpose. For instance, why do you go to school? Ah, to learn. Knowing the purpose of why you do something will help you make better decisions. It will keep you on course for the goal. If the purpose of school is to learn, then what your friends think won’t affect you as much. Some people don’t want to change schools because they won’t know anyone at a new school. Or, you might say, “If I do too well in school, my friends may not like me.” You see how easy it is to lose sight of the purpose? If the purpose is to learn, then you should learn as much as you can, while you’re there. And your friends should want you to succeed. Who really wants to spend 40 hours per week doing something to only be mediocre? When you do that, you set yourself up to lead a mediocre life. If you want extraordinary, you have to make everything you do extraordinary. So, at school, try hard, learn a lot and get good grades. It is, after all, why you go. Of course, you can still have friends; that will come naturally. But in everything you do, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” And then, don’t lose sight of the purpose. Am I out of time? I am. Then why am I still talking?

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

More Bad News?

Watch the news for more than five minutes and you’ll be thinking, “Man, this place is getting pretty messed up!” But did you know that “things getting messed up” isn't new? It was tough when you grew up, and WE worry about the next generation. But the next generation isn't the first to have it hard, and they won't be the last. Judges 10:6 says, "The Israelites again did evil in the LORD's sight." Yep, they did it again, which means they did some evil before, too, and then they hit the bottom, because we know that everything gets worse without God. So then later, the people returned to God, and things got better. When the people returned to God, the blessings returned, as well. So, we can see that God is a god who makes things better. Do we want things to get better? Of course we do. So the key is to get more of God into our land and more of the people’s hearts into God. It may seem like a lot to ask, but it isn’t, and we can make a difference. We, for sure, don’t want to be the “again the people did evil” generation. We want to be known as the ones who turned to the Lord. So, share the love of Christ with someone today.

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

Know God

In Exodus 5:2, Moses and Aaron are telling Pharaoh that God wants him to let the Israelites go, but Pharaoh says, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord." You see, the world will not listen to God, until they know Him. Sometimes we get upset with people in the world, because they don't do things the way we think they should. Then we even get all bloggin’ and hatin’ about it. And don’t be surprised that the world publishes books, magazines and web pages, and opens companies and/or makes decisions that we think are wrong. The fight isn’t with what they are doing; the battle is in the hearts of the people. Changing the world doesn't happen by us telling them that they are all messed up sinners; instead, it starts by introducing people to God. Let God change them. Let forgiveness and compassion reign in your heart, love others, and genuinely want them to have a relationship with the Father. Jesus said that if you know Him, then you also know the Father. Introduce others to Jesus, His message, His love, His death and His resurrection. Tell them about the hope that Christ brought you. People are dying out there. Make a difference and help change the world by introducing someone to Jesus, today!