Harbor Rock Tabernacle

After David's major sin, he was deeply broken, but counted on the zeal of the Lord to forgive and cleanse him, But that wasn't license to sin more, it was a reminder to be honest, humble and aggressive against further sin. Psalm 51 is an important call for us to have to approach with even the "little", everyday offenses that we may not take as seriously. The Lord wants to teach us wisdom, and we w...

What we say can either escalate or de-escalate a conversation and relationship, depending on our word choice, tone, attitude and body language. Are we refreshing--trying to promote truth, wisdom and calm, or depressing--wounding people and breaking their spirit? Instead of causing strife, we need to guard our mouths, and have a heart and mouth that advances righteousness.  Video of this service is...

After 40 years of living in the wilderness with his in-laws, Moses went back to Egypt and brought Israel out. Though his father in-law almost certainly has plenty of objections, he sensed the Lord's leading and yielded to it. When Moses came back with the people, he then spoke truth in love, challenging Moses to be wise in his actions. His faith, wisdom and boldness are an example of the powerful...

Psalm 118 is the center chapter in the Bible, and is full of praise, thanks and victory as it points toward Jesus and the Gospel. Within it are 6 powerful truths that call believers to remember all that He has done in our lives--salvation, strength, righteousness, mighty things and even discipline. Our response can only be "joyful shouting", not only to show our unashamed gratitude, but also to le...

We tend to remember people and events with an emotional bias--either idealizing how things were, or overemphasizing negative experiences. We usually do that latter out of fear or incomplete faith, and that can make us discontented. So while Isaiah told Judah they would go into captivity, he also assured them the Lord would eventually bring them back and restore them. Remembering the Lord's goodnes...

There are important parallels between the covenant in our relationship with the Lord as believers, and the marriage covenant. In both cases, lack of commitment and infidelity will severely damage the health of the relationship. So it is vital that we are unwavering in the exclusivity of our love and devotion in both, while holding a holy jealousy that nothing will steal our heart away.  Video of t...

Every believer has a calling from the Lord, whether our daily commitment, short-term or full time. So it's vital that we are able to discern the Lord's hand and leading, and be willing to pivot to serve Him. That may be uncomfortable, but like Elisha, our response needs to be immediate and joyfully sacrificial, because the Lord will use us in a powerful way when it is.  Video of this service is al...

A warning given by the Lord to an evil city 3200 years ago has implications for us today, in how it gives us a full picture of the Lord. It's uncomfortable but important to remember that the Lord is the Holy One Who has to judge sin, because any "user friendly" view of Him avoids that Truth. But the Lord is also good, kind and gracious, offering salvation to all, knowing those who are His and serv...

When you have a crisis or trial, do you get despondent and give up, or deepen your dependence on the Lord. An unbelieving widow in 1 Kings 17 endured three painful tragedies, but when the prophet Elijah called her to seemingly unreasonable faith, according to God's miraculous promise, she boldly believed in the Lord's provision, and experienced a profound expression of His goodness and care. This...

Often we people help us, we infer negative ulterior motives that aren't true. This can lead us to unnecessarily alienate relationships. When we realize our mistake, it's far better to apologize and seek forgiveness, unlike a man named Hanun, who dug in his heels against King David and escalated the situation. When offended, we need to recognize how often we've been the offender, and offer forgiven...

Spiritual and psychological attack is a fact of life for every believer. In the life of King Hezekiah, we see a strong response: Doing what is right in the Lord's sight, tearing down "idols" and clinging to the Lord in faith. The Lord responds to that with His presence and power. But it will also invite internal and external opposition, seeking to undermine God's Word, character and promises. But...

Hebrews 12 reminds us to look at the example of faith filled believers who went before us, keeping our full attention on Jesus, and guarding against falling back.  David failed to protect his heart twice--and when he proudly took an unnecessary census, there were significant consequences.  But Ornan's humility, and David's example of true repentance and understanding that sacrifice is not transact...

After Jesus ascended to heaven, it finally may have hit the disciple how awful Judas' betrayal--to Jesus and them. When our trust is broken by someone, it can make us question our judgment and hinder trust going forward.  But the disciples et an example of staying focused on Jesus, seeking HIs wisdom and power, and staying faithful to their calling, so their hearts would be ready for the fresh wor...

It is shocking that no one was there when Jesus walked out of the tomb, alive...having defeated sin and death forever. This happened even though the disciples and crowd and Pharisees all knew the convincing truth that He was the Son of God and Saviour. Their doubts are an insight into people's hesitation to trust Christ--whether it's because they don't think they need Him or have had trust broken...

When someone is sentenced to death, an innocent person will cry out for justice, and a guilty person will seek mercy. Jesus was innocent, but He chose to satisfy His justice by offering us mercy. He wasn't killed--the Bible says He laid down His life without complaint, being quiet on ten different occasions when He could have stopped everything, because He was sacrificing Himself so we can be free...

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, there was alot of noise in the city. But one moment of quiet was when Mary anointed Jesus' feet with oil--which bred alot of criticism from those who didn't understand the moment. Jesus said to "leave her alone" to show the value of her actions, and then went and cleansed the temple, to refocus everyone that what honors Him is the only thing that is imp...

Often when our mind faces warfare, the enemy pushes doubt, fear and frustration instead of faith, confidence and hope. This breeds disillusionment, which is a wrong perception based on what we thought should happen. When we realize that the Lord's plans for us are far beyond expectation, we learn that waiting has value and helps us better more fruit.  Video of this service is also available:  http...

It's an awesome truth that a believer has the equipping power of the Holy Spirit to be strong at all times--even in trial and difficulty. After they had settled in the Promised Land, Israel chose to not fully live in the Lord's strength, by continually failing to drive our their enemies.  Not only did this lead to extensive spiritual compromise, but they missed out on the potential blessing the Lo...

A scene of a boy isolated from others at a grade school prompts us to weigh the importance of community in our walk, because we all crave it and need it. But it's more than just fitting in. Each of us has a calling to be fully integrated and teachable--humbly learning from the wisdom and experiences of others, while also "sharpening" others in their faith, and spurring them to also make more disci...

As believers, we trust with confidence in the awesome work of Jesus Christ to save, redeem and cleanse us from sin. But the enemy constantly attacks our thinking to try to undermine our faith. Peter knew that testing, so he calls us to be awake and sober, guarding our mind by focusing completely on Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us the discernment and critical thinking to have minds prepared for th...

The Bible teaches about freedom & victory--as believers, there's no latitude to be despondent and defeated, because the Lord has provided everything we need to live abundantly. The Israelites didn't believe that when they heard the bad report of the 10 spies, and defaulted to negativity, which happens when we take our eyes off the Lord's promises and provision. We have to learn to fight this b...

On His way to Jerusalem and the cross, Jesus met two men in Jericho who both experienced deep insecurity, because of physical, relational, emotional and spiritual inadequacies.  Marginalized by the people around them, it would have been easy to give up, but they both sought spiritual restoration and purpose from the Saviour.  Their example calls us to resist doubt, withdrawal, self-centeredness an...

As we are inundated by the "hollow and vain philosophies" of the world, we must be careful not fall into the temptation to accept as "normal" what is contrary to God's Word, because studies show that the vast majority of believers don't even have a Biblical worldview.  While Christianity is growing in hostile countries in Africa and Asia, western countries are falling for 4 lies designed to hijack...

The Bible defines a sharp contrast between a redeemed and transformed mind, and one still stuck in sin and self.  Before salvation, we walked in "futility of mind", but after, we are given a new mind.  Now, we are called to choose to have our mind "renewed" daily, eradicating anything of our old life, and investing into righteousness.  Video of this service is also available:  https://www.youtube....

Proverbs 23 says our character, actions & faith are determined by our thoughts--which can be damaging or strong. So the enemy pushes the narrative that when we go through difficulty, the Lord must be uncaring or insufficient, and we should retreat from Him. Israel faced that temptation when the Lord led them on the long, more challenging way to the Promised Land, but He was protecting them and...