Pastor Jason Anderson

Jesus posed the question: "Who do you say that I am?" It's a question the whole world is asking, and your answer has the ability to alter the course of your life. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-17 NKJV

To get to the next level, you have to learn to make even the hard times bless your future. "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

Let God's word bring you greater certainty about what you own; you are the rightful heir, promised by the Creator of this universe, His Son, and His Holy Spirit so that when you pray, you will pray with boldness and confidence. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Romans 8:14-16 NKJV)

Declaration creates direction. Take your goals and declare them. Take your big prayers and declare them. Take your supernatural advancement and declare it. "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. (Psalms 2:7-8 NKJV)

One day in church can advance your life three years—health, finances, relationships, breakthrough. "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10 NIV)

As believers, we have an advantage. What is the promise? "You will be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath." Let's stop living lives of untapped potential and unrealized abilities, believers living average or below-average lives. Take advantage of your advantage--ask God's Spirit to be on you in everything you do. "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these." (John 14:12 NIV)

We are praying and believing for things that are too small. God wants us to dream bigger. He desires to do more than we ask, think, dream, or imagine. "Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20 NET)

What we let in our hearts will produce in our future. Thoughts, words, and emotions are all seeds; we don’t want all of them to have access. "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15 NKJV)

God’s hand is upon you. When you are in difficulty, His hand of blessing is heavier than usual. He manifests his glory cloud in your grief and pain. God uses the valley to make you more fruitful, to increase you, and to take you to new levels. It's in the ashes we find ourselves crowned with beauty. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. (Psalms 3:2-3 KJV)

The world conditions us to get... to get more, to get what we want. The flesh tells us what it needs, our emotions tell us what they need, but it's all a lie. Generosity is the first step in the Kingdom of God's promises. He did not withhold from us. Are we withholding from Him? “… Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8 NKJV)

To become a giant, we must first defeat the giant. A giant in your life might be a poverty mindset, depression, low self-esteem, sexual immorality, intoxication... these things will keep you out of God's will and His best for your life. "Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled." (1 Samuel 17:51 NKJV)

Temptation wins when we stop trusting Him. Do you trust that God knows more than you do about your future--your dreams and your desires? "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)

Did you know the Bible has 783,000 words? In comparison, the Harry Potter series has over a million. The Bible takes about 100 hours to read, and the average person spends 3.25 hours per day looking at their phone, so you could read the entire Bible in about 30 days. The Bible is for you, but it can't help you if you don't know what it says. Today, let's take a quick overview in about 25 minutes. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105 KJV)

Identity and purpose are married. How can you know what you're doing, or even what you're capable of doing, until you know who you are? The world says you must "find yourself," but there's a better way. "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood." (Galatians 1:15-16 NKJV)

There are things in our very nature that give us certain tendencies. Yet the enemy wants to convince us that we're an inadequate, broken, damaged mess, barely getting by, weak, afraid, and ill-equipped. We wonder how we're supposed to win, looking at others thinking, "If only I had what they have. "What a deception! You don't need someone else's gifts, abilities, or advantages. No one will ever be a better you than YOU are. "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." (Psalms 139:13-14 NKJV)