A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick Substance abuse is the final topic we are going to look at in our series "From the Cross." It is usually thought of as people's misuse of things like alcohol, drugs, and pornography. But I would argue that there are a multitude of "substances" that can be abused. For today's purposes, I am defining substance abuse as the misuse of any worldly pleasure in order to cope and be able...

by David Chadwick We are looking at the many strongholds that have come from the cross after our local church congregation confessed different hurts and sins during the Easter season. Control is today's topic. Control is the delusion that we are in charge of our lives. It leaves people with an illusion of power that they were never meant to have. Only God is in control! The irony of control is tha...

by David Chadwick "Fear" was written down multiple times by people at our Service of Darkness this past Easter. Because of how many times it was addressed, I wanted to cover it a second time in this series. Fear. This is the foreboding feeling that something bad may happen. Did you know that God frequently tells us not to fear in the Bible? "Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many spa...

by David Chadwick Shame is the negative feeling of worthlessness. It fuels thoughts like, "I am of no value. I am worthless. I am a bad person. I will never amount to anything." First, let's take note of the difference between guilt and shame. Guilt, yesterday's topic, believes, "I have done something wrong." Shame believes, "I AM wrong." If guilt wants to plague you because of your actions, shame...

by David Chadwick Guilt is a stronghold that many people bring to the foot of the cross. Guilt is the stomach churning feeling that you have done something wrong. Christian apologists deduce that this negative emotion is one of the main emotions that helps to prove the existence of God. In order for there to be guilt, there must be a moral law within a human being that he or she thinks has been br...

by David Chadwick Selfishness is engrained in the heart of every human being. We are all selfish in one way or another. Isn't selfishness at the heart of all sin? A bent toward self. A desire to want what we want when we want it. What happened in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and his authority, was rooted in selfishness. I tend to think selfishness and pride are synonymous. A n...

by David Chadwick Broken marriages are plaguing people both inside and outside of the church. Divorce statistics are staggering, even among those who call themselves Christians. There is no greater pain in the hearts of Christians than a marriage that falls apart. No one walks down the aisle on their wedding day and thinks to themselves, "One day, we will end up divorced." Most every couple truly...

by David Chadwick One of the greatest heartaches that I hear from congregants is concern for their wayward children. Many people have prodigal sons and daughters who either don't know Jesus or have run far from God. Parents fear for their children's eternal salvation. A wandering child who has rejected the faith leaves a believing parent in so much angst. If this is your story, what should you do?...

by David Chadwick No one knows the future except God. He controls all (Psalm 24:1). The earth is the Lord's and the fullness of it all! Genesis 1:1 reminds us that with one word, he created the world and began to write his story! And one day he will end his story (Revelation 22). One day, all of time will be fulfilled and God will make his new heaven and new earth, a home without sin or blemish. T...

by David Chadwick Personal offense. The inability to forgive someone who has hurt you. This hangup can keep people in shackles for a lifetime! The first step in breaking free from personal offense is to recognize that it is going to happen in life. We live in a broken world with broken people. Inevitably, we will step on each other's toes. Only when we truly come to grips with the reality that we...

by David Chadwick Family conflict is our next burden that was brought up and laid at the foot of the cross. Few live this life without it! It could be with a sibling, an absent or abusive dad, a controlling mom, a crazy cousin, or a demanding aunt or uncle. So, how do we handle this? First, realize that family conflict has been going on since the beginning of time. Right after the Fall in Genesis...

by David Chadwick Health issues are another thing that many people in our church brought up to lay at the foot of the cross last Easter. This is such a big and nagging problem. We have found ourselves living in a world that is full of sickness and brokenness. We all have only one body that is given to us on this side of eternity. We are one person with three parts: body, soul, and spirit. We must...

by David Chadwick Financial problems are another real angst in people's lives. I would say that financial problems are typically what I would call a fruit issue more than a root issue. Usually the problems arise because of something going on at a deeper heart level. It could be worry, bad stewardship, lack of personal responsibility and discipline, fear, laziness, or just a pure attack from the en...

by David Chadwick Unresolved anger is our seventh burden that was laid at the foot of the cross during our Service of Darkness at Moments of Hope Church. This is a big one. Hurts and pains over the years can pile up and greatly impact the human heart. When things happen in our past that aren't yet solved or resolved, they can haunt us. So what do we do? For me, I have learned that I must begin wit...

by David Chadwick Stress is one of the most common emotions mentioned in our society. Everyone seems so stressed out these days. Our modern society runs at a pace that often feels frantic, chaotic, and overly busy. The pressures of life pile and pile until people feel paralyzed by the weight of the world. They come at us from all directions: job, finances, family, and friends, etc. Let me share wi...

by David Chadwick Depression. Feeling of despondency and dejection. Hopelessness and despair. What causes depression? Many factors. Usually it comes from a severe disappointment in life. Things like a painful rejection from a spouse, getting fired from a job, the death of someone you love. Generally, the severity of the pain in depression is commensurate with the loss. In other words, the greater...

by David Chadwick Pride is today's sin that some of our congregation brought forward to lay at the foot of the cross last April during our Easter Service of Darkness. Pride is the belief that we are the master of our own destiny. It is the belief that we know better than God. The most important verse in the Bible about pride may be Proverbs 16:18 which says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a h...

by David Chadwick If the definition of anxiety is the belief that something bad MAY happen to you, then fear is the belief that something bad WILL happen to you. Today's topic is fear. It's another stronghold that plagues this broken world. The same studies about anxiety apply to fear as well. 90% of all fears will never actually happen to you. Fear is a worthless emotion. According to the Bible,...

by David Marilynn Chadwick Anxiety is today's stronghold. The definition of anxiety is "apprehension, tension, or uneasiness, often stemming from the anticipation of danger, whether real or perceived." It's like a wire attached to a battery that slowly but surely drains all of the energy out of a person. Did you know there are studies that have been done that show that 90% of all of our worries NE...

by David Chadwick One of the things I love to do at our church is to invite people to come to the altar and place their burdens, hurts, hangups, and sins at the foot of the cross. The wonderful cross. This series is going to be very special and deeply personal. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at the top 20 things that people wrote down on notecards at our Service of Darkness th...

by Marilynn Chadwick I'm always watching for signs of God at work. Looking for insights from his Word. Watching closely for his "fingerprints." I often ask God to open my eyes so I may see him more clearly. I am convinced that abiding in Christ's Presence holds the answer to life's problems. So why do I sometimes race around looking everywhere else for solutions? My commitment to abide in Christ h...

by Marilynn Chadwick Consider the miracle of speech. Our voice sets us apart from the animals. It allows us to communicate with each other. It connects us to God. A voice is a powerful tool. I believe our most important task is to train ourselves to hear God's voice. Jesus gives us a beautiful description of his role as the "good shepherd." He proves his love by "laying down his life for his sheep...

by Marilynn Chadwick Have you discovered that every voice in your head is not from God? The enemy of our soul often tries to sneak in his lies, sometimes disguised as our own voice. So how do we recognize when it's really God speaking to us? Jesus tells us, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me" (John 10:27). Your most important job is to train your heart to hear God's voice...

by Marilynn Chadwick "What do I do when God seems silent?" The question came from a good friend and a sincere follower of Jesus. We were on a weekend retreat where I had just delivered a message about learning to hear God's voice. Her question hit a chord. How do we handle those times when we have prayed and prayed? Perhaps we have even sensed God's promise to fulfill a hope or dream. But the answ...

by Marilynn Chadwick God is always speaking. The question is, "Will you listen?" It's a question I ask myself every day. Will I take the time to listen in our busy, noisy world? I have discovered that if you truly commit to listening to God, amazing things can happen. David and I have shared over four decades of marriage and ministry (I once vowed that I'd never become a Christian, and most defini...