Deuteronomy 4: God so near!

TVCC Students,
Camp is coming so soon! We are so excited to get to spend a week with you all- growing in our relationships with Jesus and with each other. This past week Sonny taught on Deuteronomy 4. Here is a recap...

Deuteronomy 4
~God was making Israel into a great nation by being near to them and giving them victory. What would set Israel apart was having a God that was near to them whereas other nations just had foreign gods that were made by the hands of man and could offer no real victory or hope. The Lord wants us to experience the same nearness as Israel did. Believers in Jesus are offered intimacy with the Lord of the Universe! Jesus came so that we can live forever and embrace the fullness of life now (which we experience in His presence) and eternally. He came so that we could be near to the Lord. Our sins had separated us from intimacy with the Father and Jesus brought us back! Life in Jesus is abundant and full.
Q: Do you realize the nearness that the Lord offers to you through Christ? What hinders you on a daily basis from fully embracing the nearness that He is offering you? Are those hindrances really worth it in the long run?

~Just as the Lord gave Israel commands in Deuteronomy that were for their good, so He continues to give us commands for our good. We may not see exactly why He tells us to do certain things, but we must trust that as the perfect Father, He wants our good and His glory. Satan comes to offer counterfeit joy that only leads to emptiness in the end. Jesus often commands us to do certain things because He wants to show us in the future that His ways are better.
Q: What is one instance in your life where you have seen satan offering you counterfeit joy? Were you lured in or did you reject his offer? How did this turn out in the end? What are some things that the Lord is calling you to now that might seem uncomfortable or difficult that you are having to trust are for your good and His glory?

~Just as in Deuteronomy the Lord would show other nations His greatness by them seeing how near He was to Israel, He wants the world to look at us and see how near He is to believers in Jesus. Our God desires to be intimately involved in every detail of our lives. God wants to hear from us as a good Father does. He came so that we would have a relationship with Him, not just so that we could be saved from hell.
Q: Are you involving the Lord in both the small and the big things going on in your life? Are you "practicing the presence" of Jesus everyday by trying to have continual communion with Him throughout the day? If not, what changes do you think you should make in order to have a more intimate relationship with Him?

~Acts 1:8- Jesus has called us His own just as the Lord had called Israel His own in the Old Testament. Though we are weak and unable to do anything good on our own, He has chosen us to empower us with the gospel so that we can magnify His name. We have been called to be God's witnesses today just as Israel was called to be His witnesses in the Old Testament. Our lives are supposed to declare His glory to the world by seeing that we value Him and His Way above everything, even if it requires our own lives. Even when we have times of failure, the world should be able to see us and see how great the Lord is by how we repent and cling to His grace in Christ Jesus and how we continue to trust Him through both good and bad times.
Q: Do you feel that you have been representing the Lord well lately, even if it's through having a repentant heart? In what ways do you think you could represent the Lord better to the world (by His grace and Spirit)?

Dear Students,
We love you all so much! It is a continual blessing to be able to worship with you every week and see your devotion to the Lord Jesus. We pray that you are starting off the summer well and using this time wisely. We are praying for you this week that you would meditate on His Word and continue to draw nearer to Him everyday.

With Hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Deuteronomy 3: Trusting the Lord & Overcoming Enemies Together

TVCC Students,
We hope you all are doing well as the end of the school year is approaching. Last night Sonny taught through Deuteronomy 3 and it was such a great message to get us ready for summer. Here is a recap:

Deuteronomy 3:
~3:1-2: The first thing that is mentioned in this section is how Og, King of Bashan, came out to meet the Israelites in battle after they had just defeated Sihon king of Heshbon. It's important that we notice two things here.

a)  Og, king of Bashan, was a giant. This was no little enemy to the Israelites. According to verse 11, Og's bed was around 13 feet long, from which we can assume that Og himself was at least 10 feet tall. In the battles that Israel waged to gain their promised land, victory was only possible with the help of the Lord. Again we see that Israel needed the Lord's help or victory would not be possible. In the same way, the enemies that we now fight spiritually are ones that must be submitted fully to the Lord. We cannot rely on ourselves. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a great example of this. When we are tempted beyond what we think we can bear, He provides a way out. The Lord was the Victor for Israel and the Lord is the Victor for us. Life is learning to trust Him and obey!

Q: What struggles have you faced lately that seemed just too big for you to overcome on your own? Remember that when we are weak, He is strong. We encourage you to memorize  2 Corinthians 12:9 this week and commit all of your struggles and temptations to Him for He is your Victory!

b) Og and his men "went out" to meet Israel. We can see with Israel that there are times where the Lord calls them to be on the offensive and take land that He is calling them to take, and sometimes they are on the defensive end where they are struggling against an enemy that has chosen to come against them. The same is true for us in our walk with the Lord. There are times when the Lord reveals things that we need to overtake or destroy in an offensive sort of manner and then there are times where we are just walking with Him and a temptation or trial almost literally attacks us and we must be ready to fight against this sort of darkness. Walking with Jesus is not just a casual walk in the park. As long as we are alive on this earth, we are in a spiritual battle against Satan and all the forces of spiritual darkness.

Just as the Lord told Israel not to fear but to trust in Him, the Lord calls us in 1 Peter 5 to humbly submit to the Lord and be on the alert as our adversary is seeking someone to devour. We are called to be ready for "defense" so to speak. We cannot just put our faith on cruise control and hope everything turns out ok. We will be spiritually destroyed if we do this! It is also apparent in 1 Peter that this life will contain suffering and after we have gone through this life of suffering, we will be exalted by the Lord as our faithful trust and obedience in Him yields eternal rewards.

Q: What does it look like for you to be "on the alert" in your daily life? What are some ways that we can resist satan in order that he would flee after he has placed temptations before us? Do you feel like you have been "on the alert" lately or has your walk with the Lord been more passive?

~3:8: Israel had come a long way from the way they had acted in fear in Deuteronomy 1:28 and 2:36. What had changed? The enemies had not gotten smaller... Israel had not grown in size. The change was in their faith!!! This new generation had a faith that led them to follow, trust, and obey the Lord. Genuine faith leads to lives of obedience and thus lives where the Lord leads us in victory! We must remember though- that He fights for us! He has overcome the world (John 16:33)! Our victory is always in Him!

Q: What are some practical ways that we can strengthen our faith?

~3:18-22: We see in this last section that all of Israel participated in the battle. Even after some of them had gained their promised land they continued to fight alongside one another. Victory in the Lord is not an individual thing now just as it was not an individual thing for Israel. We are now called the "body of Christ" and we must fight against darkness together! We need one another! In both Hebrews 10 and Ephesians 5 we see that we are called to fight alongside each other and encourage each other in the faith just as Israel continued to fight alongside one another.

Q: In what ways are you fighting alongside your fellow believers? Are there any changes that you feel the Lord calling you to in order to play a more proactive role in the body of Christ overcoming darkness?

Dear students,
We are so thankful for each of you and pray that you will continue to encourage one another in the faith. Remember that you cannot do this alone. We fight against darkness as a body through the power of the Spirit. We are praying for you this week. We encourage you to also read through John 17 and see the Lord's desire for you- that you would be one as He and the Father are one!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Deuteronomy 2: Remember the Lord's Victories & Faithfulness

TVCC Students,
We love getting to worship with you all every week and are really looking forward to worshipping with you all at Camp Mitchell!! This week Sonny taught on Deuteronomy 2 and how getting to the best things that the Lord has for us almost always requires the most effort but is always worth it!! Here is a recap:

Deuteronomy 2:
~2:1-3: The Lord had the Israelites circle Mount Sinai many times before entering the land to remind them of HIs power when He had given Moses the 10 Commandments. He also wanted to remind them of His ability to overcome their enemies for them. It was not just them fighting these giants. The Lord would be their victory. The same is true for us in the New Testament. The Lord often bring us to places where He wants us to recall His previous victories and power, through His Son Jesus, in order to strengthen us for future battles.

Q: What are some victories (events) that you have experienced (either firsthand or through someone else) that have showcased the power of the Lord? We encourage you to recall and meditate on these former victories when you are facing trials and temptations. How does meditating on these past victories affect your daily life?

~2:4-23: The Lord walks the Israelites through the land that He promised to give to Esau (and God had been fully faithful to that promise). This land had also been occupied by giants before the Lord led Esau to victory and through God's power, Esau was able to overcome the giants and enjoy the great land the Lord had given him. God was walking them through a showcase of His faithfulness to others in order to remind them of His faithfulness to His Word.

Q: Who are the people in your life that you can look to to see God's faithfulness? God puts others in our lives who have lived faithfully to the Lord Jesus and been blessed by Him (He has allowed them to enjoy the sweetness of His presence and the peace and joy that comes through nearness to Him) in order to remind us of the sweet blessings we can enjoy by fighting for obedience to Him.

~2:23-37: God commands His people to begin to occupy their land. There was more than just a mental ascent involved in taking and enjoying the land. God was calling them to action. They were called to go in and fight- trusting that the Lord would work through and with them to bring deliverance. In the same way, God calls us to fight for righteousness. This is not always easy but just as with Israel, it is ALWAYS worth it. As we continue to fight for righteousness in our own lives, we will continue to experience more of the sweet presence of the Lord which is our spiritual "promised land."

Q: What are some ways that God has called you to "fight for righteousness" in your own life? Are there any verses that could be used as "armor" for the battles that you will be fighting? Read through Ephesians 6 which talks about the armor of God. What changes do you think the Lord might be calling you to make in order to fight for righteousness more effectively? Remember that His is our victory and we are fighting as we trust in the power of His Spirit which is within us (John 14- the Spirit is our Helper).

Dear Students,
We think of you all often and pray that the Lord will continue to grant you both small and large victories as you fight, by the power of His Spirit, against the world and the darkness within it. We pray that you will see His faithfulness on a continual basis and that you will continue to enjoy the sweetness of His presence. We love you all and are continually encouraged by your faith.

With Hope,
~Sonny & Casi

Deuteronomy 1:26-42: Bitterness of Sin... Freedom in the Lord!

TVCC Students,
It was so great to see so many of you out last night having fellowship before service and engaging with the Lord during worship and teaching. We are continually humbled to be a part of your journeys with the Lord. Last night we finished up Deuteronomy 1 as Moses took the newest generation on a quick trip down "memory lane" one more time to remind them of the consequences their parents had experienced because of disobedience. Here is a recap:

Deuteronomy 1: 26-42: When we look at the nation of Israel as a whole, we see a picture of how the Lord deals with us on an individual basis throughout our lifetimes. Just as Israel as a nation would have seasons of rebellion due to unbelief, discipline from the Lord in order to bring them back to the Lord, and restoration after the Lord had led them to repentance, so we too have seasons individually of rebellion, discipline, and restoration as the Lord uses this life to refine us and mold us as His children through faith in Christ. For Israel, the promised land represented nearness to God and being established in His presence through walking in faithful obedience. For us, we are offered a spiritual promised land. When we choose to walk in faithful obedience to the Lord, we experience a nearness to Him, a security, peace, and joy that nothing else can compare to.

~1:26-32: As we saw last week, Israel had been enslaved to the Egyptians and were basically an entire nation with nothing. When the Lord called them to leave Egypt they did not have weapons to fight against their enemies. They were completely without defense against the enemies that they were supposed to overtake when possessing the promised land. The Lord was to be the Victory. He was going to defeat their enemies by His power so that He would get the glory, not them (Exodus 14:14). The same is true for us on a spiritual level. We were all slaves to sin, without hope of releasing ourselves (Romans 6). We were dead in our sins without hope of life again (Colossians 2 & Ephesians 2). We had no hope and needed the Lord to completely rescue us from the slavery and death that we were in. Our freedom and life is completely His doing through the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf so that in all things, He gets the glory (1 Peter 4:11)! Christ is our Victory!!

Q: Do you realize how desperate you were apart from Christ? You were dead in your sins and He made you alive. He accomplished your salvation for His glory and your good. What does it look like for you to live thankfully for this completely undeserved, amazing gift of life and freedom that He has given you through His death and resurrection?

~1:33-35: As Moses explains the life of the past generation that had died in the wilderness, we see something so similar to our own lives. Despite all that the Lord had done for that generation by taking them from Egypt through the Red Sea, leading them by a cloud by day and fire by night... despite all of this, Israel still thought that the Lord was against them! They kept saying to Moses that they thought the Lord had taken them from Egypt just to have them destroyed! We are so similar in a spiritual way. The Lord frees us from our bondage to sin and offers us His presence though at times it might require that we make some changes to the way we are living in order to enjoy His presence unhindered. We grumble and complain, thinking that He his commands are just out to destroy us and that He doesn't want us to enjoy life. How narrow-minded we can be. His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). They are for our good and for His glory! His ways are higher than ours and though we might not always understand why He is calling us to certain things that may be uncomfortable and hard, we must learn to trust Him and obey.

Q: What is an area of life where you have felt like the Lord was trying to "ruin" your life by calling you to do something hard or uncomfortable? Are you still in that situation now or has He allowed you to see, looking back, that this really was for your good and His glory? We encourage you to meditate on Isaiah 55 (especially 8-9) and remember that His ways are higher than ours!

~1:36-40: Moses calls the new generation to see that the old generation had not been able to enter the promised land because of their disobedience. The Lord had allowed the nation of Israel as a whole to see that sin lead to bitterness and death (wandering aimlessly in the desert without seeing the promised land). Jeremiah 2:17 shows us that it is bitter for us to forsake the Lord. Just as God let Israel feel the bitter sting of sin, so He will often let His children (those who are in Christ) feel the bitterness sting of sin in order to bring them to repentance and trust in Him. The Lord disciplines His children just as a great father disciplines his children (Hebrews 12).

Q: In what areas of your life have you felt that the Lord was letting you feel the bitter sting of sin in order to bring you to repentance and to a more trusting and intimate relationship with Him once you saw that His ways were better?

~1:41-46: In wrapping up his lesson to the new generation, Moses reminds the new generation that Israel had tried unsuccessfully to defeat their enemies apart from the help of the Lord. Once Israel had disobeyed and been called to wander in the desert, they tried to have delayed obedience apart from the Lord's help. This was a disaster. They were defeated and completely discouraged. The same is true for us spiritually. We must remember continually that just as the Lord redeemed us through His power, He sanctifies us through His power. We do not have enough willpower to walk with Him and obey Him apart from His Spirit. We are saved by grace through faith and we are sanctified by grace through faith! We cannot just muster up enough energy to obey His commands on our own. To overcome this world and our sin, it is completely necessary that we continue to behold Him. We must continually see that pursuing Him is better and that His Spirit leads us in victory. This happens as we meditate on His Word and on who He is. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we are changed as we behold Him. He is worth pursuing.

Q: What does it look like for you to genuinely trust in the Lord on a daily basis to help you overcome the spiritual enemies that you encounter? What does your life look like when you try to muster up obedience and good works on your own, apart from the Spirit of Christ?

Dear Students,
It is an honor and joy to walk through Deuteronomy with you all and see the great things that the Lord wanted for Israel and the great things that He has in store for us spiritually as we seek to follow and trust Him. It is so important that we learn from Israel that it is empty and bitter for us to walk in sin. Jesus is better! Only Jesus satisfies!! Just as Israel's weapon against their enemies was trusting in the Lord physically to defeat other armies, our weapon against the spiritual battles that we fight is to trust in the Lord. Ephesians 6 tells us what the armor of God is. The Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) is one of our greatest defenses. We pray that this week you will have sweet and intimate times with the Lord and that He will continue to refine you, showing you that His way is better. We pray that you will enjoy intimacy with Him and that you will continue to overcome the dark areas in your life as you walk in His Spirit and are conformed to His image through meditation on His Word. We love you all!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Deuteronomy 1:19-33: Victory in the Lord

TVCC Students,
It has been so wonderful to be refreshed in the truths of Deuteronomy with you guys. We are encouraged to see you all on Wednesdays and Sunday evenings as we all seek to know our King more and learn what it means to live in His presence on a daily basis. This week we spent time looking further into Deuteronomy 1 and all of the truths that we can take from looking at the lives of the Israelites as the new generation stood ready to enter the Promised Land. Here is a recap...

~Deuteronomy means "second giving of the law" and where one generation of Israelites had failed to enjoy the Lord's promised land because of disobedience, the new generation stood ready to trust and obey.

Q: When you look at your life as a whole, would you say that you are more like the 1st generation of Israelites that lived in fear and disobedience or are you more like the 2nd generation that had fears but learned from the failures of others and was ready to trust the Lord and do whatever it takes to enjoy His presence (the wonderful promised land)?

~1:19-20: Israel was leaving the land of Horeb which was a dry, parched land to head into Kadesh-barnea which was the wonderful promised land that resembled the lush and beautiful garden of Eden. The Lord was calling them through Moses to leave the desert and pursue a new land that was so wonderful it couldn't even be compared with the parched desert from which they were leaving. The rebellion of the past generation had led to the people spending their lives wandering in a miserable land. This is a great picture of how sin and rebellion affects our lives. When we live in rebellion against the Lord, our lives are dry, empty, exhausting and unfruitful. The Lord has so much more for us if we will trust and obey Him.

Q: Has your life looked more like a dry, parched land lately because of your disobedience/ lack of faith or have you been living with the Lord in His presence ( more like a spiritual "garden of Eden" )? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to make so that you can leave the desert and enjoy the promised land?

~1:20-21: God had freed the Israelites from the bondage of slavery of the Egyptians. He has freed us from the bondage of sin and death. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. We were once slaves to sin and death. The Lord gave them victory over their masters. The Lord gives us victory over our masters through the death and resurrection of Jesus!

~Colossians 2:13 explains this very clearly by showing us how we were once dead and He made us alive!

~Colossians 2:6 calls us to walk with Him in the same manner by which we have been saved- by grace through faith!

~John 17 is a great passage that shows Jesus' heart for us as we seek to be in His presence. God wants us to be one with Him not just for us but also so that the world will see God in us. The Lord also wants to be with us as He was with Adam in the garden... not for His good... but for our good! It is best for us to be with Him, to be near to Him. This brings Him glory and lets us enjoy the peace of His sweet presence.

~Another thing that we must note in this passage is that while the Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land, they had to go and take it. He was calling them to action. Actions reveal faith. In the same way, we have as much of the Lord as we want but it does require action on our part. We must pursue Him.

Q: When you look at the actions in your life on a daily basis, would you say that you are actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus? What does it look like to pursue His presence?

~1:22-29: The new land that the Lord was calling Israel too was not an uninhabited land. The Anakim (giants) were still dwelling there and part of Israel's call to obedience was to overtake them by trusting in the Lord and obeying Him in battle. God often calls us to wage war against things that are "giant" to us but He calls us to trust in Him to lead us into victory over those things. Life with Jesus is not always comfortable or easy but only in Him will we find true and everlasting peace. Exodus 14:14 is a great reminder for us. The Lord fights for us!

Q: What "giants" are there in your life that the Lord is calling you to overcome BY HIS POWER and SPIRIT? Remember that we overcome everything by the power of Christ within us, not by trying to do things ourselves. What does it look like to overcome "giants" by HIS POWER?

~The Israelites had been living in tents and God wanted to give them a permanent, wonderful home. We are so similar. We had been wandering around spiritually in insecurity and instability and the Lord wants to give us eternal peace and stability in His presence. Let us not complain when things are difficult because our eternity is secure in Him!!

Q: Do you find yourself being someone who continually complains about your life or are you taking each struggle and using it as a way to be refined by the Lord for His glory and your good? What is the most recent struggle that you have gone through that could have been used to grow you? How did you react to that challenge?

~Take a look at Mark 5 and let it sink in as to how powerful Jesus is. Just as the Lord was more than able to overcome the enemies of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy, He is more than able to overcome every struggle and battle that we face. Jesus is powerful!!

Q: Which section of Mark 5 is most encouraging to you? Why?

~1:30-33: Before sending Israel out to overcome their enemies, Moses has them call to mind past victories that the Lord had led them in. When facing battles of our own, it is always so important that we call to mind past victories that the Lord has led us in and even dwell on past victories that we have seen Him lead other in. The Lord has overcome for so many people and He continues to lead His people in victories, both small and great! He carries us for His glory and our good! Let us trust in Him.

Q: What is the most powerful victory that you have seen someone go through by the Lord's power?

Dear students,
We love you all so much. We love getting to spend time with you and see how the Lord is moving in your lives. We pray that you will spend time meditating on His word today and enjoying fellowship with one another as we seek to be in His presence and represent His name well to the world around us. Meditate on His victories and continue to pursue a relationship with Him by grace through faith. Again, we love you!!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Deuteronomy 1: Before Entering the Promised Land...

TVCC Students,
We continue to be encouraged to see you all every Wednesday night. It's always refreshing to worship with you guys! Last night we made the switch to Deuteronomy from Hebrews. We will most likely be jumping back into Hebrews once we get a good overview of Deuteronomy and God's heart towards His people then and now. Here is a recap from last night...

~Before jumping straight into Deuteronomy, it's a good idea to find out how the Lord had been dealing with Israel in the past. When we look at Genesis 12, we see that the Lord chose Abram out of all of the people in the world to make a great nation out of him. God promised to give Abram land, a great name, and innumerable descendants. Just as with our salvation, God's choosing of Abram was not based on his good works, nor could Abram sustain the promise. The Lord made this promise and the Lord would keep it! While we often fail to keep our word, the Lord never does! He is faithful!

Q: Have you spent time lately looking through the Word at the promises of God? We encourage you to look through the Psalms this week and throughout the Word to meditate on His promises.

Deuteronomy 1:1-8
~1:1-3: As we saw last week, the journey that should have taken Israel only 11 days ended up taking them 40 years because of their disobedience! Though God never abandoned His people and continued to provide for them throughout their wilderness journey, their disobedience and lack of faith prevented them from being used by the Lord to take the promised land. Instead of enjoying His presence in the land flowing with milk and honey, they wandered aimlessly for years in "survival mode" with the Lord still providing for and sustaining them. We are often in a similar situation as the Israelites. We are offered as much of the Lord as we want. We can enjoy the fullness of His presence here on earth- a spiritual land flowing with milk and honey- or we can just "survive" with the Lord if we choose not to trust and follow His leadership.

Q: What does it look like on a daily basis for you to be resting in the "promised land" of the Lord, enjoying His presence? Do you find yourself walking in obedience to the Lord, ready to be used by Him, or would you say that He could easily see you as one who could be "passed over"  as He waits for trust and obedience to come from your children or grandchildren?

~1:3: The book of Deuteronomy is an account of Moses' words to the Israelite nation before they would head into battle with foreign nations to claim the land God had promised to give them. This overtaking of occupied lands would not be easy. Instead of Moses discussing war strategies, He is calling the people to renew their faith in the Lord and walk in obedience to Him. Moses knew Exodus 14:14 really well, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." Battles are not won by the most advanced armies. Battles are won because the Lord allows them to be won! Moses knew this and was calling the people to seek the Lord's favor as the battles approached (Psalm 20:7).

Q: Are you someone who trusts in the Lord to fight on your behalf or are you constantly trying to defend yourself? Remember that we are called to obey and trust Him and let Him be the one that defends and provides for us.

~1:3: While Moses was calling the Israelites to renew their trust in the Lord, he also reminded them often of the past generation that had chosen disobedience over trust. Though that generation was still God's chosen people, He spent their lives disciplining them as a nation just as He often does with us as individuals for a season. When we look at Hebrews 12:4, we see that the Lord disciplines His children for their good. When we find ourselves under the Lord's disciple, let us spend time meditating on that disciple and find out how the Lord is trying to change us. Learn from discipline. Don't get angry or exhausted... repent and change. He wants an intimate relationship with His children.

Q: Can you recall the last time you felt the Lord's discipline? How did you respond to it? Did you find yourself rebelling against Him or ready to repent and change so that you could enjoy a more full and intimate relationship with Him?

~1:3: One thing that we must not look over is the fact that though Israel had walked for a time in disobedience, the Lord was still speaking to them through Moses. The callings of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Once we are the Lord's through faith in Christ, nothing can change that!

~1:4-8: Moses ends this section with some strong action words! He calls the Israelites to "go," "turn," and "set their journey." He was calling them to stop wandering and to take what the Lord had promised to give them! We can look at our calling as believers in Christ and see a similar charge in Romans 12. Let us be transformed by the Lord and walk in a manner that pleases Him! Let us not settle for being mediocre. Let us not just wander aimlessly through life! Let us throw off anything that hinders us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus and enjoy the fullness of His presence. He died so we could walk in intimacy with Him!

Q: What is hindering you from walking in an intimate relationship with the Lord? By His Spirit, we encourage you to throw that off this week and walk in freedom with Christ!

Dear students,
We love you all so much. We are so honored to get to walk with you in this journey to know, love, and glorify Jesus. We pray that this week you will meditate on Jesus. Spend time enjoying Him through His Word and spend time thinking on His promises that will never fail. We are praying for you!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Hebrews 3:7-18: Warning against an unbelieving heart...

TVCC Students,
We love getting to spend time with you all worshipping Jesus every Wednesday night. Seeing you all devoted to fellowship, the Word, worship and prayer blesses us so much. This week we finished up Hebrews 3 and were reminded by the writer of Hebrews to be on guard against a hard and unbelieving heart. Here is a recap...

Hebrews 3:7-18:

~3:7: The writer is appealing to the readers to remember what the Holy Spirit has warned in the past (in Psalm 95 and so many other places). It is important that the Hebrews reading this (and all of us today) realize that the writer was not giving them new commands against hard hearts. The Spirit has been warning His people about this since the beginning of time. The writer was talking in this section to people that were around the things of God but still had a rebellious heart and didn't believe in Jesus as their only source of salvation.

Q: Are you someone who has genuine faith in the Lord Jesus as your only hope for salvation or are you someone who is just around the things of God but are still trying to gain a right standing with the Lord by your own works?

~3:8-10: God's warning to us shows us so much about His character. The Lord could just destroy us in an instant because of our unbelieving, hard hearts but instead He appeals to us to come to Him for change. He has always wanted a relationship with His people and continues to pursue us despite our rebellion. We also see in Ezekiel 33:11 that the Lord does not take pleasure in the destruction of mankind but His heart is for us to have repent, having soft hearts and a humbly, needy spirit asking for His healing through the blood of Christ. Our God is slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness (Nehemiah 9:31, Exodus 34:6, Number 14:18, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 86:15, Joel 2:13)! Let us not continue in our rebellion but respond TODAY to His calling! Let us repent and return to our creator appealing to Him on the basis of what Christ has done on our behalf. Let us also remember that what the Lord cares about is our hearts. He is not concerned with how moral we appear on the outside but He is wholly concerned with whether or not our hearts are fully surrendered to Him.

Q: Do you realize the patience the Lord has displayed towards you? We have all been rebellious since birth and He graciously puts up with us and even extends His salvation to us through Jesus. Through Jesus, He pursues a relationship with us... despite us. How should this truth affect your daily life and your interactions with others?

~3:11: It is so important that we continually be people who learn from the mistakes and victories of others. Here, the writer of Hebrews is appealing to the Hebrews to remember the Israelites in Deuteronomy and how their rebellion led to lives lived in the wilderness. If we jump over to Deuteronomy 1:1-3, we see something astounding.... the Israelites took 40 YEARS to make a journey that should have only taken 11 DAYS! Oh my! What can we learn from this? Because of their unbelief and rebellion, one whole generation of Israelites were Their disobedience cost them so much. They could have been resting in the promised land but instead they spent their lives wandering in the desert. Our disobedience is costly too. We can either come to the Lord in humble surrender and give our lives fully to Him, enjoying the rest of His presence, or we can continue in our rebellion and wander aimlessly in the desert of this life without any eternal hope. Let us come to Him today and be used for His glory!

Q: Are you resting in the peace of the Lord's presence through faith in Christ or are you aimlessly wandering in the desert of life trying to fulfill and sustain yourself through things of the world that will never fully satisfy you?

~3:12: Here the writer does not call the Hebrews "holy brethren" as He did in 3:1. Now He is talking to the Jewish people who were around the Lord's truth but still hadn't trusted in Him. There are 2 kinds of people in the world- those who have placed their whole trust in Jesus and those who have not. Those who haven't are destined for eternal destruction and those who have trusted in Jesus have an eternal inheritance reserved for them with Christ.

~3:13-15: The people in the church are called to encourage and exhort one another daily to be on guard against an evil and unbelieving heart. This word for "exhort" and "encourage" is the same word used for the "Holy Spirit" as our Helper and the same word used for "Eve," given to Adam as his helper. What a strong word used to describe how the church should be acting towards one another. We should continually be helping those around us to see the glory of Jesus and to live lives of faithful obedience through the power of the Spirit. We are not called to be just "seat warmers" in the church. We are called to play an active role in the lives of those around us. Our lives matter. How we live matters. We were not meant to do life alone or to try and overcome sin on our own; we need each other! Sin is deceitful and we need to continually be coming to the aid of each other so that we are not overcome by the world and satan's schemes.

Q: Are you playing your part in the body of Christ or are you just being a "seat warmer?" How are you encouraging those around you on a daily basis? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to so that you can be someone who is encouraging the body of Christ day after day?

~3:16-18: We are not different from the people of Israel. We continually disobey the Lord and struggle to have faith in Him. We need to be warned through the lives of the Israelites to be on guard against an unbelieving and hard heart. This is something we need the Lord to do in us. Just as the man in Mark 9:24 states "I believe... help my unbelief..." so we too need to come to Jesus with honesty declaring "we believe... help our unbelief!" Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. We need Him to sustain our faith. Let us come to Him in humility daily asking for fresh faith. We need Him everyday!

Q: Are you in the habit of daily coming to Him asking for Him to give you faith and strength for the trials of the day? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to in order to live a life that is more dependent on Him?

Dear students,
We love you all very much and are so thankful for the opportunity to worship the Lord alongside of you all. We pray that this week you will seek His Spirit to have a soft and believing heart. We pray that you will surround yourself with the things of God and that you will find encouragement from the body of Christ that surrounds you. Meditate on His Word this week and continually ask the Lord to be changing you.

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi