Gateway Church - MO

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,     and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,     out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground     and steadied me as I walked along. Psalm 40:1-2

Are you contagious? Have you ever met someone who lived a contagious life, the kind of person you just love to be around because they make everyone better? When we live the life, we become contagious because real life is meant to be shared. Real life is always a shared life.

When life gets tough and we experience storms, we assume something is wrong. We want God to clear out the storms so we can live the life we are called to live. But what if God has called us to live our lives DURING the storm. When our plans are shipwrecked, God still has a plan—his plan is always about people. He’s never surprised, he’s always in control, and he works all things into good. Sometim...

AN ABUNDANT LIFE IS THE RESULT OF WHAT GOD DOES THROUGH US, NOT WHAT WE DO ALONE.

Surrender doesn’t like something that leads to freedom.  It seems to be the opposite of freedom.  But Jesus shows us that the only way to experience a life worth living is to move from a “Have to” mindset to a “Get to” mindset.  And that can only happen when we are willing to surrender.  Believe or not, surrender sets us free.

Someday. Someday is that magical time when we will finally be able to do and be everything we’ve always wanted. Someday I’ll be a great musician. Someday I’ll take the ultimate vacation. Someday I will make a difference in the world. But what if someday was actually today? Because Jesus is alive, if I trust him and follow him, I can live life to the fullest right now.

We all like winners. We all want to be winners. We celebrate victory. If we want to have victory in our lives that honors God and leaves a legacy, we must pursue a God-given vision with faithful obedience, regardless of how long it takes. God always comes through when we pursue His vision with obedience.

When God created the world, he intended for us to rule alongside Him, taming this beautiful planet. However, man rejected God’s plan and went his own way, breaking the relationship with God and bringing death and destruction to His world. Through Jesus, God pressed CTRL-ALT-DELETE, giving us a new start and another opportunity to join Him in His mission for our world. Now, we just have to start li...

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24

When someone has hurt me, anger is the natural result. When that anger isn't dealt with, it grows into bitterness. And bitterness poisons every relationship I have. The only way to effectively deal with anger and defend against bitterness is to offer complete forgiveness. When I’ve been wronged, I can hold on to the hurt and let it poison all of my relationships, or I can forgive the other person...

When I’ve wronged someone else, I need to go and seek forgiveness. The problem with seeking forgiveness is that I have to be humble enough to admit I am wrong and value the relationship more than my pride. But if I’ll swallow my pride and seek forgiveness, it can open the door to restored relationships.

One of the biggest causes of relationship damage is words. Our words hurt them. Their words hurt us. The cycle seems to go on and on. But when we learn to control our words and use them to build up rather than tear down, we go a long way towards pressing ctrl-alt-delete on broken relationships.

If you ever feel like worry and anxiety taking over your life, you aren't alone. But how do we overcome the constant worry? Discover the power that prayer has to transform your life.

Do you ever look at what’s going on around you and wonder how to escape the negativity? Maybe it’s not your circumstances that need to change—it’s your mindset.

Sometimes no matter what we do, we make the wrong decision. It’s as though we have the wires crossed in our minds. The truth is, our lives are always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts. So how do we rewire our brains to think thoughts that lead us to changed lives?

Our thoughts are powerful. They change our perspective, impact our decisions, and influence our habits. But what do we do when we become trapped by our thoughts, unable to escape negative and unhealthy thinking? Let’s learn what it means to take our thoughts captive and win the war in our minds.

We can all pretend to be something when people are looking, and many of us do. But when we are when no one is watching reveals who we really are and what we really believe. Integrity is a hallmark of the life that is submitted to Jesus.

Sometimes if seems like God is silent, uninvolved and a million miles away. But when I remain faithful and pursue him, even in the silence, I will soon learn that regardless of what I feel or see, God is fully engaged in my life.

When life doesn’t seem to go as planned, or worse when circumstances bring pain, difficulty, and sorrow, we can play the blame game, feel sorry for ourselves, and call it fate. Or we can recognize that even in our pain, God is in control and is good and He is at work to reveal his glory and bring his blessing into our lives.

When life is good and we find ourselves blessed, we need to pause and give thanks. Then we need to use the blessings God has given to be a blessing to others.

THROUGH JESUS WE CAN BE BORN AGAIN AND LIVE RADICALLY TRANSFORMED LIVES.

Most of us like to share our good news. Whether it’s a promotion at work, being accepted to the school of our dreams or the birth of a new child, we love to tell others about it. But when it comes to the most beautiful news of all, the birth of Jesus, we tend to keep it quiet because we aren’t sure how to share it. But it isn’t complicated. Sharing the beautiful news of Jesus is simply showing and...

Everyone wants to be happy, especially at the holidays. But happiness is fleeting. Happiness is based on what happens to us. That’s why happiness fades. What we need is Joy. Joy isn’t based on what happens around us, but what is inside of us and Joy based on Jesus never fades. If you want joy, stop chasing happiness and pursue Jesus instead.

Everyone wants to be loved. But for most of us, love is conditional. However, Jesus loves us with an unconditional love. He doesn’t love us because of what we have done, but because of who he is.

Life is filled with turmoil. Things don’t go as planned. We face pain, loss and disappointment. When life is painful and uncertain it can disturb our peace. Jesus offers us a peace that the world doesn’t understand and can’t take away. He may or may not calm the storms around us, but he will always calm the storm inside us.