Lighthouse Church Durban

God's love is truly awesome! Because it's part of who he is, it's a perfect love. God's love makes him approachable - we can come to him confidently, assured of his great love for us. God's love makes him a redeemer - he gladly paid the price to redeem us - Jesus' blood. God's love gives us security - if he is for us, who can stand against us? God's love is poured i...

In Jeremiah, two types of people are contrasted. Those who trust in themselves and in other people are like shrubs in the desert. Those who trust in God are like well-watered trees. Here are some ways to live like a tree and not a shrub: - Recognise your True Hope - Avoid forsaking God - Live with enduring hope - Stay connected to the Source - Embrace Jesus as the Source of Living Water Let's...

Humble submission is the opposite attitude to pride, independence and arrogance. Pride can be hard to spot; it takes humility to recognise our pride! Sometimes our pride is the obstacle that keeps us from moving forward. We want to see the situation change, but God wants to see US change! Humility is something we develop with practice: -putting others first, instead of chasing our own gains -recog...

Jesus was born a baby; but before that, he was the Word, the agent of creation, life and light. The Word became human - and made his home among us. This shows us just how much we matter to God! Jesus left his heavenly glory behind for us, he laid down his life for us, dying for our sin, and he rose from the dead, defeating sin & death for us! How will you respond to this greatest love of all?...

When we are aware of the devil's schemes, we can defend ourselves against them. We are privileged have a record of how the devil tried to keep Jesus from his mission - and of how Jesus defeated those attacks: Scheme 1: "The end justifies the means." Defence: Always do what is right - just as Jesus did. Scheme 2: "Just do it - God will rescue you." Defence: Act prudently, no...

While some say, "follow your heart", the Bible cautions us that the heart can be deceitful, hard and sick! Our hearts need God's healing and transforming work - and we need to guard our hearts from becoming hardened, wounded or dirtied. Wewould be wise to: -Reflect on our heart's condition to see if there are areas that need God's restoring or transforming work. -Surrender ou...

The oldest scheme of the devil is found in Genesis. In a cunning, step-by-step scheme, the serpent tricked the first man and woman into throwing away their closerelationship with God - and the paradise they lived in. This scheme is very much at work to this day - so we would be wise to recognise the scheme and resist it! Let's read the Bible - and find out what God really said! Let's trust...

Circumstances and feelings can cause us to feel that God has abandoned us. But God promises to never leave us! Humans lie and change their minds - but God is not like that! Jesus didn't walk away from sinners - he won't walk away from you! God understands our weaknesses - and helps us through our trials. Hebrews 13:5, Numbers 23:19, Matthew 16:21-23, Matthew 26:34-35, Matthew 26:69-75, Joh...

A small hole can empty a bucket. Small foxes can ruin a vineyard. A little yeast affects a whole batch of dough. In the same way, our "small sins" can do far more damage that we may think - both to us and to those around us. We should therefore: -Recognise the "little foxes" in our life -Get rid of those foxes! -Put up fences (set boundaries) - or repair them Song of Songs 2:15...

We can gain valuable insights from Isaac as he dug wells: We need to identify our neglected "wells" - such as prayer, Bible reading, worship and fellowship. We need to renew these ways, seeking "living water" from Jesus. We need to persevere in these things as we face obstacles and even opposition. Reclaiming our spiritual wells changes our relationship with God and with others...

The gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. We should therefore: - know the gospel - trust the power of the gospel. We may be ashamed of many things, but we should NOT be ashamed of the gospel! We may be weak in many ways, but that does NOT reduce the power of the gospel! Romans 1:14-17, 1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Acts 2:22-24, 36-38, 1 Peter 3:15, Luke 13:3, Luke 12:...

Sometimes we go to people for what only God can do. This can frustrate us and the people we go to. The Bible tells us how - God gave Hannah the child that her husband couldn't give - Jesus gave a woman the forgiveness that a Pharisee couldn't give - Jesus healed a woman who no doctor had been able to heal These women pushed through significant barriers to get to God; when we realise where...

Sometimes our circumstances "get on top of us". In those times, it's good to know that great heroes of faith also had those moments! Know too that others around us are also fighting battles. In those times, ask God for relief, but be open to his "no". He may choose not to change your situation; he may change you instead! We can be more than conquerors in the fiercest battle...

God doesn't take us out of our trials - but He is with us through them. He wants us to learn perseverance in our trials producing character and faith. In our trials, we can find peace in knowing that God works out everything in conformity with his perfect will. Prayer is powerful. God hears our every prayer, sees our every tear and is always there to comfort and encourage us. May we be those w...

When we look in the mirror, we may not like what we see. The image of God has been tarnished, damaged. When we compare ourselves to Jesus, the true image of God, we may feel disheartened. But Jesus came to make a way for us to be transformed into his image! Just as an art restorer carefully and patiently works to return a painting to its former glory, God wants to work in us, transforming us into...

God is WORTHY to be praised and worshipped! God seeks -true worshippers - led by the Holy Spirit -authentic worship - an honest overflow of a life surrendered to him Praise glorifies God - and it strengthens us! We can express praise and worship in many ways and in any place - he is always worthy! John 4:23, Psalm 96:4, Psalm 69:30, Psalm 96:7-8, Psalm 84:4-7, Psalm 22:22, Psalm 57:9, Psalm 109:30...

God's ways are higher than our ways. He sees what we can't see. So the journey that he maps out for us may not make sense to us at times. It may also be hard - very hard. In those hard times, we need to: -trust God - no matter what - and submit to his will -remember that he is our faithful creator and is perfectly capable of sustaining us -take the opportunities that our trials bring, cont...

We were created to worship God. Our worship is often a response to God's gift ofsalvation and the victories he has won for us, but sometimes our worship itselfwill bring us into victory. Some battles are won as we worship; worship can bea form of spiritual warfare. When we have battles to fight, we need to ask "What has God been saying? What has he taught me?" These words will guide...

The goal of worship is to give God the reverence and honourthat is due to Him. The essence of worship is a life of devotion to God - for our life to be a living sacrifice. The more we see of the greatness and goodness of God, the more we will value and love him. This is well expressed through "extravagant" sacrifices (Abraham), offerings (Mary) and expressions of joy (David). Worship is not the mu...

Jesus' disciples represent their King in hostile places. Some people are offended simply because we bear his name. Others are offended because good challenges evil. The nature of the hostility varies depending on the nation and community, but we will face hostility. This means that we need to be wise if we are to be effective as ambassadors. We should: - live godly lives and do good in our com...

Life can be full of challenges; we can face them fearfully or courageously. God's children should remember that his ways are far higher than ours. We shouldn't try to understand them, just trust & obey him! We should base our obedience on God's commands that we already have (in the Bible), learning & obeying them. We should ask God to give us his power, love & self-control...

We are Christ's ambassadors. As "Christians", we bear his name and represent him wherever we go. This is a great responsibility! As good ambassadors, we want to: - Present Jesus' message of reconciliation clearly. - Live out his mission to seek and save the lost. - Tell people who he really is. - Demonstrate his ways for all to see. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Matthew 4:17, Luke 19:10...

Every child of God has a place - and a part to play. This is true regardless of our past or our present situations - in fact, God uses "where we've been" and "where we are right now" to equip and position us for ministry! Those places and parts can be very different, because we are on different journeys, face different challenges and have different gifts. Yet we share commo...

One principle of the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught and modelled is that "small" things can have a great impact: - Small seeds grow into trees - A small amount of yeast affects a big batch of dough So a seemingly "small" person can have a great impact - as can a small church. A seemingly insignificant conversation - or act - can also have a great impact. So don't ask, &qu...

Jesus taught that our attitudes and motives matter to God. And how we do things can reveal our heart - sincerity, humility, purity and devotion - or a lack of these. Making a show of our giving, prayer and fasting reveals a desire for the approval of people rather than God; God rewards us when we do these things secretly, for him alone. Matthew 6:1-18