Author: Pastor Bailey

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1, NLT) Home-field advantage can…

“As he taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.’” (Mark 12:38) Jesus wants his disciples to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). That is, he wants to free us from naivety concerning those…

“All of these people gained a good reputation because of their faith, but none of them received all that God had promised. Because God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not achieve perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:39-40, NLT) It is not easy to live by faith. We live in a…

“The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say, ‘The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!’” (Lamentations 3:22-24, CEV) Emotional exhaustion isn’t new. It’s also not something…

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.” (Mark 12:10,11) Normally, when we listen to a story or watch a movie, we think about the characters and make judgments about them. We think about whether they deserve praise or blame, reward…

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) In his classic book, “War on the Saints”, Jessie Penn-Lewis writes, “The chief condition … for the working of…

“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:2, NIV) What should you do when you’re emotionally exhausted? When the Prophet Elijah faced emotional exhaustion, God led him to do three things that helped him recover — and they’re things that can help you recover, too, when you’re at the end of your rope.…

“Because you are praying for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is helping me, I know this trouble will bring my freedom.” (Philippians 1:19, NCV) When we experience setbacks, our most common response is our worst response: We want to withdraw, to build a wall around ourselves, to push people away. But that’s the…

“Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Mark 11:9,10) How do you go with waiting? After what feels like forever, the person you have…