2 weeks into knowing!!

We have had two awesome weeks into the "knowing" series. Over the past two weeks we have learned that one of the most crucial things a person must know is who they are!! It sounds elementary enough but oddly it's one of the biggest challenges in individuals lives.
YOu are not what society says about you, what your past failures say about you, or what your education says about you. you are who God says you are!! God wants His people to know that a failure is not a person, it's a time in history and that's it. Don't let the past determine who you are today. It may take a time of wrestling with yourself and with God like Jacob did in Genesis 32 or just may take you going throughout the Bible discovering all the things God says about you. All in all if a person does not know who they are they will never really discover what they can truly do and will probably lose many of life's battles.

We also talked about knowing your enemy. We talked about the devil but we also talked about an enemy that messes with us probably more.....OUR OWN FLESH. Yeah, the devil's tactics are to condemn us for wrong doing, accuse us before God and tempt us to do wrong things to take us out of God's will,but our flesh gets us in trouble everyday. The only way that we will conquer both is submit wholly unto God. Making mistakes in life is inevitable, being tempted is inevitable, falling down is inevitable but rising up, receiving forgiveness, and walking in victory on a daily basis is our right BUT it is our choice. Choose God, look to the cross, Go in His presence daily, find someone to be accountable to and you will win!!!

Anyway, It's only getting better at Next Level, so I hope to see you all their!!!! Every Thursday, for now at 7:30 for worship and 7:00 for prayer.

Until ALL have heard,

Pastor Oliver

To KNOW!!

Someone once said that knowledge is power. I believe that this statement is true but I want to take it to the next level. Knowledge is power but the correct use of that knowledge is called wisdom.

It is not enough just to know something. You must be; as the Bible says a doer of the Word. My mission with the Help of the Holy Spirit over the next 9 weeks is to empower the members at Next Level Ministries with the knowledge they need to live life at the Next Level! We will come to:

Know Yourself - See Yourself how God sees you. "who am I?"
Know your enemy - Our battle is not with flesh and blood
Know your God- Learning to pray effectively
Know your actions - Living a life of integrity
Know God's Word- Relying on God's Word for direction
Know that you are not alone- Walking with confidence on a daily basis
Know His strength- Never giving up, no matter what!! He has empowered you
Know your friends - Choosing your friends wisely
Know the call - Getting the Message out. The Great Commission

Invite your friends and family because you will leave empowered, challenged and ready to live a life of victory and significance!!!! I'll see you Thursday night @ 7:30

Until ALL have heard,

Pastor Oliver

What to do when you mess up!!!

Joshua 7 and Joshua 8 are a huge lesson in how to react to mistakes. God had told the Israelites to not take for themselves any of the devoted things in the city of Jericho but Achen took some and hid it. Because of one man's sin, the whole nation suffered a humiliating defeat at the city of Ai. Joshua was devastated and the people began to mourn and lament.
The sin that caused the defeat was later exposed and taken care of and God immediately told Joshua to get up and attack the city of Ai once again resulting in a tremendous victory.
So What principles do we extract out of this story??
1) Messing is part of life. God knew that we were going to mess up and that is the reason Jesus came and died on the cross for us. I John 1:9 says "that if we confess our sins ( our "mess-ups") He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If you messed up or have done things in your life that you regret go to God!! The enemy will tell you that their is no way that God will forgive you but God's love for us will always accept us and forgive us if we go to Him with broken and contrite hearts. Exposing your sin, confessing your sin, repenting from your sin and asking forgiveness for your sin is the formula to receive forgiveness and free up your soul. You will have a good chance to exhale!!
2) The second thing we learn is that God will allow us to go through painful times to refocus us back to Him. In His love he will allow our mistakes because He gave us free will to do so. But with every mistake will come a life lesson and an opportunity to come closer to Him. Joshua and all the people once again renewed their vows to God and reminded themselves of all of His promises God confirmed His presence with them by giving them a great victory. Just like Israel, you will have a breakthrough in your life as you open your heart up to God.
3) Painful times only last a little while. We will go through painful times in life. But every pain has a purpose. Even though we will not understand the purpose of why we had to go through what we went through, just hold on to Him and know that things will not be dark forever. He will heal you, restore you, and affirm you once again. Your best is in His best interest!!
I am excited to see what God has in store for Next Level Ministries . Continue praying for us and partnering with us as we go ahead with this Mission. We love you all and we will see you on Thursday night @ 7:30pm

Until ALL have heard,

Oliver