Valley Creek Church Weekend Messages Valley Creek Church

Jesus spent His life arranging and rearranging His life to memorize and meditate on the Word of God. Meditating isn't just thinking; it's thinking with the Holy Spirit. It's having a vision for our thought life! In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us that our thoughts lead our life. Whatever we fill our mind with is what our lives will be full of. Remember, we are not a victim of our mindset; we are a product of it! God has given us the freedom to choose what we set our minds on. Are you fixing your thoughts on His Word, or on the world? When was the last time you stopped to think about what you're thinking about? May our hearts and minds hunger and thirst for God's Word!

The deepest question in the heart of every human – the deepest question in each of us – is, "Am I loved?" At Easter, we get to look to Jesus for the answer to that question. In this special Easter experience, Pastor John Stickl reminds us that, when we were lost in sin and shame, Jesus came to show us our worth and invite us to live a life of love. When we know we're loved, it changes everything.

God comes whenever we cry out to Him. In this experience, Pastor John Stickl walked us through specific ways we can pray for our cities to encounter God's presence at Easter! Jeremiah 29:7 says, "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you... Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Prayer is both intimacy and authority. When we spend time praying for God's people, it connects our hearts to what God is doing and reminds us that we're on mission with Him.

Jesus wants us to both rest in and remain in Him. In this special Selah Experience, Pastor Jason Hillier reminds us that the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) is produced in us through the work of the Holy Spirit when we remain in Jesus. Jesus is doing a deep work among us. What's He doing in you, and what's your training plan to live differently?

In Jesus, we find freedom, peace, mercy, joy, and rest. In this special Selah experience, Pastor Jason Hillier walks us through a time of rest as we worship together, reflect on God's peace, and have Scripture read over us. In the Book of Psalms, "selah" was written as a break, pause, or rest. Selah allows us to slow down, take a breath, and reflect on the true rest we have in Jesus. Selah doesn't require anything of us except to be present and receive from the Father.

God's Word is His voice preparing us for the things He's created us to do. God is speaking to those who are listening, and we will hear from Him if our hearts truly desire what He has to say. In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us to engage God's Word from a Jesus-focused perspective, as a disciple, with God, and with a plan. The point of reading the Bible isn't reading the Bible. The point is meeting with God. How different would our experience with God's Word be if we engaged first with a heart that intends to listen and obey. "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." Jesus, may we have a heart to engage Your Word, and ears to hear Your voice.