Have you ever gone into an intense trial and reached out for support and fellowship only to find that those who were closest to you have fallen asleep when you needed them most? The Bible says cursed is he who leans on the arm of flesh, mankind will always fail us. There are times of maturity when God calls each son and each daughter in His kingdom to go into their own personal Gethsemane and nobody else can understand or help you. There is a place where flesh won’t do and only the strength of God can take you through. There is a point when God calls us to something beyond what any friend could give us. When we come out of this trial we won’t be looking for strength from others but we will return with strength for them. Nobody but God can take you through, and nobody but God can give you the strength and the power that you need.

There is a plague of modern man which is a growing apathy that is taking over humanity. It's a growing indifference in the heart of man one to another. A growing coldness to those who are suffering around us. The bible says in the end times a gross darkness will cover the earth and part of what will fuel that darkness is an indifference to the suffering around us. In the last days there is going to be a compassionate church who will behold the man and remember a Savior who suffered for all of humanity and entered into every pain and injustice that we would ever go through. AS we behold Jesus we will be given a supernatural compassion to choose not to be indifferent but rather to reach out to the suffering to make a difference in someone's life.

Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul was dealing with unrighteousness, tolerance of sin and a lax attitude toward holiness, but now he turns his attention toward dealing with excessive self-righteousness. Legalism is subtle and can seem like holiness, but it is just as sinful as sexual immorality and other sins. Self-righteousness is born out of self-love and loathing of others — seeing other Christians as average, subpar and not pleasing to God. The legalistic believer is concerned more with performance and appearances — creating lists and rules of holiness that aren't found in the Bible. When we become self-righteous we depend more on our own performance and potential rather than Christ's finished work on the Cross. Trust in Jesus' cleansing blood. It is Christ, and Christ alone, that sets us free from our sin.

God doesn’t ask us to do anything in our won strength, He asks us to let Him help us. We don’t have to work for a blessing that is given to us by grace. There comes a time when in the midst of our struggle a Godly fear comes upon us and we realize that God was moving in our lives and we weren't giving Him the proper credit. We weren't trusting, relying on and resting in Him. God made promises to us and it is our privilege to ask Him to be God to us. God will take us by the hand and walk us through every promise He makes to us. God will fulfill His promises and give us His presence and lead us into the place that He is calling us to be.

At the Cross the power of sin was broken and destroyed. Because of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ the power of lying, jealousy, pornography, homosexuality and any other sin you can name was rendered powerless. If you are a slave to sin you don’t have to be anymore. In your own strength you cannot deliver yourself but when you give your struggle to Jesus and trust in Him the powers of darkness will be broken over your life. Today freedom is yours for the asking. Come and behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Loyalty by definition means to be faithful to one's sovereign. To be faithful to one's oath concerning the commitments we make or obligations we have. To be faithful to any leader or cause. To be faithful to a friend. The question we need to ask ourselves is: am I a loyal person? Can my words be trusted and can I be depended on even if my commitments are not comfortable for me to keep. What about in your place of employment or at home with family? Loyal people inspire faith and loyalty in other people. Loyal people are able to accept where God has placed them in the body and are loyal to those whom God has placed over them. God is challenging us to a higher plane, something deeper and more passionate than any of us can muster up in our natural strength. When you choose the path of loyalty there is a power stronger than yourself that is available to you. We have the power of Christ in us to be lived out through us.

Do your daily circumstances overwhelm you? Do you always see the negative in any situation? Are there people in your life who are always a spiritual drain because of their negative outlook on life? How do you not be anxious in these situations? Scripture encourages us not to be anxious about anything. We are to rejoice in the midst of our struggles. We take our needs to God with thanksgiving. When we do this God's peace for all of our trials is promised to us.

What is causing you to fear? At some point we have to make a conscience decision to trust God and not be afraid of what others or circumstances can do to us. Fear comes into our lives when we look at our calling and see the enormity of it and dismay comes when we see the lack of resources we have within us to succeed. The Bible tells us not to fear or be dismayed because although we are ordinary people we have living inside of us an extraordinary God. Faith looks away from self and the enemy and grabs a hold of God and His promises. The devil says you cannot, but God says you can! The devil says you can only go this far but God says, “If you put your trust in me there is no limit to what I can do in your life.” The righteous are as bold as a lion!

To be a true worshipper you must have a revelation of worship from God. God is seeking those who will truly worship Him. He is longing for us. This worship is not birthed out of what we can gain or answered prayer. It is about what we can give to God. This worship is about honest pursuit of purity in our lives. True worshippers also have resilience to be faithful to the calling on their lives. Jesus often spoke of finishing the work of His Father. A worshipper will not give up when things are difficult because they know God has never forsaken them.