Pursuing God with Gene Appel

Friends, the same power that sets you free is the power that can keep you free.  If you let Him, the Holy Spirit will keep you walking in freedom. But you must respond to His voice of conviction with times of regular confession. We need to pray the kind of prayer the Psalmist did when he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts.  Point out anything you find in me that makes y...

When your life is out of control and your habits or addictions are unmanageable, there are 3 things you must do. First, admit you’re powerless and your life is unmanageable apart from Christ. Second,trust in Christ’s power to set you free. Third, surrender your will to Christ’s control. Only when you realize how powerless you are will you be ready to put everything into the hands of God!  When you...

Every one of us has some behaviors or habits in our lives that we can’t control. Many people remain in bondage to their addictions because they are unable to even acknowledge they’ve got a problem. But Jesus is the true Higher Power you need to set you free. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 Nothing is impossible for Him.  Pursuing God with Gene Appel is...

The one thing that motivates me more than anything else is to be able to stand before the one who died on a cross for me and see Him look in my eyes and hear Him say, “Well done. You were a good and faithful servant.”I don’t have to be a good and flashy servant. I just have to be a good and faithful servant. In honor of the faithfulness of God to us, let’s be people God can count on....in the home...

Are you still listening for the Holy Spirit to show you where He wants you to pursue growing your faithfulness factor? Maybe today, the Holy Spirit is nudging you to up your faithfulness level at work and at church. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is...

Become a role model of faithfulness. Dads, your kids need to see you being a role model of faithfulness to their Mom. Wives, your kids need to see you being a role model of faithfulness to their Dad. Don’t let the temptation to be unfaithful destroy your marriage, blow up your family, and wreak havoc in your kids' lives. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build c...

We have a God who loved us so much He gave His life for us...and then rose from the dead. When we read in His word that He is preparing a place for us in heaven and coming back for us, we believe Him because He is a God who’s demonstrated thousands of times that He is always faithful to us. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Gr...

Faithfulness means you see projects through to the bitter end. Faithfulness means you refuse to jump ship, even when the waves of adversity are splashing over the decks of your job, your marriage, or your ministry,  Faithfulness means you stay true to your relationship with Jesus Christ, no matter what it costs you. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community,...

Growing in goodness necessitates that you diligently use all that you do, all that you say, and all that you are, to bring glory to your Heavenly Father. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s prese...

The Apostle Paul says that the good works God wants us to accomplish were “prepared in advance for us to do.” God is not leaving anything to chance here. Not only does God define goodness and forgive us for falling short of His goodness, and not only does God give us the power to do good works, but He also prepares and provides the opportunity ahead of time. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designe...

We don’t have the power to do good on our own. We are not intrinsically good. Goodness does not just naturally flow out of us. The power to do good comes from God alone and it comes in the context of our own faults and brokenness. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that...

Apart from God, our natural tendency is to look to find someone who is worse than us and compare ourselves to them. On that basis, we begin thinking, “Hey, I am a pretty good person!” However, Jesus says in Mark 10:18, “No one is good, except God alone.” The Psalmist writes, “For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever.” Psalm 100:5 Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursu...

Goodness is consistently doing what you know is right. When you are led by the Holy Spirit to do what is good, you have a decision to make. Are your actions going to match up consistently with biblical values, or are you going to do your own thing? For most of us, the struggle is between goodness and selfishness—between our own self-interest and a genuine interest in others. Pursuing God with Gene...

Our acts of kindness help the seeds of the Gospel take root. It is God’s kindness towards us that leads to repentance. What amazing graciousness and kindness our Heavenly Father has extended to so many of us....who don’t even deserve it. And now that we’re followers of Jesus, doesn’t He continue to treat us so much better than we deserve? Let’s allow our kindness to flow out of us, treating others...

Jesus taught that kindness is expressed when we go above and beyond what is required of us. Kindness always costs us something. There’s always a price tag. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s pre...

Here’s how the Holy Spirit works in us - When we are intentional about following in the footsteps of Jesus, the Holy Spirit nudges us to demonstrate God-like kindness to people in our lives. He nudges us to respond spontaneously. The doors of opportunity to show kindness don’t stay open indefinitely. So like David, you’ve got to seize the moment. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help yo...

As we learned yesterday, out of the blue David has this burst of sensitivity and says, “Is there anyone still left in Jonathan’s family that I can show kindness to?” Ask the Lord to help you to be more sensitive to the needs around you…then look for ways to perform some meaningful acts of kindness to lift people up. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community,...

As we look deeply into the life of King David, we find a tough guy who was also remarkably kind. He showed mercy and grace to a crippled man who was a descendent of Saul, the man who wanted to kill him! Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone,...

I’ll tell you something we tend to forget...you and I will never have to be more patient with anybody else than God has already been with us. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Tim. 1:16, “That is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners.” Pray this prayer: “Help me to be patient with others like you have been patient...

A patient person has great understanding. When you take the time to understand a person, you begin to become more patient with them. The Holy Spirit changes your perspective and gives you a sense of compassion, patience, and tolerance. Instead of losing your cool you start thinking, “How can I help them?  How can I serve them?” ....because love is patient. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed...

Friends, if you’re a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, reminding you, nudging you, and convicting you of these two truths...people are more important than your time, and people are more important than your things. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s convic...

God allows trials to come into our lives where we’re tempted to be impatient. He puts us in situations that will stretch the levels of our patience. God wants to use all of your difficult situations to help you grow in patience. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that Go...

God is committed to producing supernatural patience in us. Galatians 5:22 says, “When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, PATIENCE . . .” We’ll explore this text this week. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction tha...

Our tendency is to look at our storms rather than through our storms. This was the mistake the disciples made in the storm. They focused on the storm; at the wind; at the waves; at the water pouring into the boat. Instead, they needed to look through it. God gives the kind of peace that helps you trust Him through the storms. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build c...

You can be reconciled without having a resolution for everything. This is why the Bible says in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  The Holy Spirit is urging you to do that 24/7, nudging you and inspiring you to do whatever you’re able to do to be reconciled. Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community,...