Even Though

So many stories sound like this, “I was a person of God, I heard the messages and sang the songs, and then life happened; the night grew dark, and when I couldn’t see what God was doing, I swore never to darken the door of the Church again.”—As we kick-off our new series, EVEN THOUGH, Louie Giglio has a goal for all of us: That we would become a people who move from hearing about God to a people who are in a relationship with the Almighty that emblazons us with a Heaven-born confidence that anchors our lives in the mighty gale, and radiates hope in the darkest nights.—That’s Defiant Faith.

Even when war breaks out against me, I will remain confident. In the second part of our EVEN THOUGH series, Louie Giglio encourages us to build a defiant faith that can stand despite the very visible arrows of our enemies.—In 2 Kings 6, Elisha’s eyes were open to see what his servant could not; Elisha had a defiant faith that allowed him to see the unseen protection around them when they were surrounded by their enemies. That same protection is ours today; it’s up to us to ask for our eyes to be open and see God at work all around us!

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”Psalm 23:5—Jesus has prepared a place for you and Him to be in a relationship. A place where you can come to Him and receive the truth of who He says you are. The trouble is that a third party is too often at our table. The enemy is constantly prowling around, waiting for an opening, an invitation from us to pull up a seat and steal, kill, and destroy us.—Here’s the good news. Even though the enemy longs to sit at your table, our Good Shepherd has laid down His life to be the only one with a right to sit with us. We are so prized and valued by Jesus that He paid everything to be with us, and we have to ensure we don’t extend that same honor to the Enemy.

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Micah 7:8 — God has a message for you today. By faith, even a tiny bit of faith in Jesus, you are going to rise. No matter how hard or far you have fallen, you are going to rise.

Pentecost. One of the most significant days in the history of the Church, yet most of us don’t stop to contemplate what took place on that day and what it means for us today.—The power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what was given to us on Pentecost. The power to carry out the calling on our lives to spread the name and fame of Jesus. If we aren’t aware of it, we can spend our whole lives striving to accomplish this goal through our own power, but instead, we are called to say, “Even though I could do it in my strength, I will wait for power from on high.”