Harbor Rock Tabernacle

Compromise is the indication that a person’s conviction is unstable & their integrity is negotiable--something that can never describe a disciple of Jesus Christ. This fourth study from our series, "Vertical", shows the critical need to fight compromise in our character to honor the Lord and to influence others for the Gospel.

God has given His children direct access into His presence and to His throne of grace, through prayer. And yet, prayer is one of the most underutilized privileges for many believers. The reason may be that we are just not desperate for the Lord. In this study from 2 Chronicles 7, Pastor Rhoads sets out four areas in which we need to be hungry for the Lord.

Worship has become a much-debated subject within Christianity because there has been a focus on methodology and music style. But true worship is simply being in awe and respect of the Lord, and expressing our love for Him. In our second study in the "Vertical" series, we look at Psalm 40, and five important questions to evaluate how we are worshipping the Lord.

Throughout the Old Testament, people built altars to the Lord, to sacrifice to Him and worship Him. By the time Elijah came around, those altars were broken down. In this first study from our new series, "Vertical", Pastor Rhoads challenges us to build new altars of living sacrifice, while repairing those areas in which our commitment is broken and neglected, so our spiritual "fire" never goes out...

Follower or disciple? Which one are you? In John 6, Jesus provided clear distinctions for the crowds that were around Him, and called us to live as His disciples. In this study, Pastor Rhoads explains the characteristics of simply being a follower, and calls us to a full commitment of our hearts to Christ.

Every choice we make is an extension of what is in our heart. In this study from Genesis 13, we examine the differences between Abram's decision to follow the Lord and Lot's decision to live for himself. Those choices had a lasting impact, and challenge us to evaluate what our decisions say about the spiritual state of our heart.

In one of the most confident and reassuring Psalms we have--Psalm 23--David talks about one of the great promises we have as believers. But how we experience this promise is contingent on our relationship with the Lord, Who is ready to pursue us until we trust Him and provide for us when we walk with Him.

There is a spiritual principle that seems counter-intuitive, but is vitally important for believers to live: That the supply of the Lord comes when we pour out. God's blessing and anointing will not flow out unless we are willing to trust Him with what we have. Using a study of Elisha and a widow with a significant problem, we learn that there is no telling what the Lord can do when we pour oursel...

These are challenging times to be a Christian. It's a temptation to become discouraged and unmotivated as we live for the Lord, but through Christ, we are given steadfast hope and strength. In this verse in 1 Corinthians 15, the Spirit gives us three powerful commands and one awesome reminder that motivates us to be faithful and persevere, because our labor for the Lord is never in vain.

This final study in the series "Taste And See" provides an overview of Psalm 34. David explains the importance of our praise, prayer and purity, and then assures us of God's amazing promises to protect and provide for those who trust in Him.

Fear of the Lord drives everything in our lives. If we don't fear Him, we will become spiritually indifferent and cold. But when there is an abundance of the right fear, our heart and mind will be perfectly aligned. This study from Psalm 34:9 and Daniel 1 focuses on the three ways to fear the Lord, and how Daniel made an intentional choice that influenced many other people.

The Lord tells us that "there is no want for those who fear Him", which means that we will have no need, lack of deficiency. But do we really believe that with our lives? There are two issues that threaten to hinder our faith, and four changes we need to make to build our confidence in God's perfect promise.

Psalm 34:8 says "how blessed is the one who takes refuge in the Lord". But is the Lord the One we really trust and run to for protection and security, or do we take refuge other people and things? In this study, our focus is on the buildings in our personal "harbor"--what we go to most for comfort and strength and fulfillment.

The focus of this first study from our Family Camp 2016 series "Taste And See", from Psalm 34:8-9, is that there is a courage and boldness to faith that is willing to trust the Lord even when there is no guarantee of the result. This concept is experienced through some "taste tests", as well as the account of a courageous widow in 1 Samuel 17.

If someone was to describe your convictions and spiritual influence in two phrases, what would they be? Are you impacting people by your faith and faithfulness? Caleb was one of only two men to make it from Egypt to the Promised Land. He never did a miracle or talked to God directly, and he wasn't used in a dramatic way, but the Lord called attention to him because he had a "different spirit" and...

The lives of two men who had never met intersected in a dramatic way one night when one was dying and the other was working to keep him alive. This moment not only ended with a literal miracle, but it reinforced the power of God's grace and goodness to both men and their families.

In one day in Luke 8, Jesus had four encounters with people who were hurting and had no answers for their significant problems. Each was helpless and hopeless, but Jesus showed His love and mercy to each one. These accounts prove to us that anyone can have confident hope and complete security in any circumstance…but that hope and security is only found in the Lord!

A mindset of entitlement is ingrained in our culture. But thousands of years ago, Israel was the first example of a nation that believed they should get whatever they wanted. In this study from Exodus 17, we see spiritual principles about how the attitude of entitlement damages our faith, our perspective and our relationship with the Lord...and how to offset it.

Spiritual conflict is a part of every person's life, no matter what they believe about God. For a Christian, the daily challenge is staying faithful to the Lord while not feeling defeated by moments of failure. Romans 7 and 8 teach us about the power of God's grace, freedom from condemnation and reacting to spiritual warfare.

Amaziah was a king who was purposely unwilling to commit his heart and life to the Lord. Even after the Lord sends him clear warnings about his spiritual compromise, Amaziah puts greater value on what he wants than on obeying God. In this study from 2 Chronicles 25, we are challenged to evaluate what is important personally and spiritually.

Memories hold alot of power in our minds. What we choose to remember and how we view those memories can greatly impact our lives--positively and negatively. In the desert, the Lord told Israel to "remember Egypt", but their view of what happened there focused more on their selfishness than God's faithful deliverance. In this study we see how focus on the Lord's mercy and provision changes our pers...

When Jesus began his ministry, suddenly John the Baptist's crowds thinned out. When we are replaced or overlooked, it's hard not to feel insecure or even resentful. But John's attitude and approach was always to deflect away from himself and to defer to Jesus. In this final study of our series, we see how essential it is for "Christ to increase and us to decrease". (Please note: Sound quality is l...

A conviction is a firm, fixed belief from which we cannot be dissuaded. So the convictions we hold determine how we think, and act. In this second study on John the Baptist, we see how the depth of his spiritual conviction made him passionate and outspoken for the Lord, and how we have the same calling as Christians.

Often we hold onto our worries, cares and stress instead of giving them to the Lord, Who is willing and able to bear them and help us. In this short study from Prayer Meeting, Pastor Rhoads explains this important spiritual principle from 1 Peter 5:7

Throughout the Old Testament, Israel had gatekeepers who monitored, secured and safeguarded them against attack. God's standard for this important physical role was to be holy, faithful and set apart. Our study from 1 Chronicles 9 and Nehemiah 10 shows how much more important it is that we take on the gatekeeper's responsibilities and standards spiritually, to guard every aspect of our lives.