I thought Pastor Ashley did an amazing job teaching on Revelation and what it actually means. Concepts like the tribulation and the rapture make much more sense to me now than they did before. When I used to think about Revelation, I always had a fearful perspective of it, and I never really knew why. After hearing Pastor Ashley explain it, I realized there is actually so much to look forward to regarding the end times.

Throughout the message, a few things really struck me. One of them was the reminder that our life is like vapor. We come and we go, so the question becomes: how should we really be living?

It made me realize that we are here to serve God, and God calls us to repent and return to Him. There is no better time than now to stop being lukewarm and start being on fire for Him. I took it as a serious warning, especially when Pastor Ashley stated multiple times that we must live with urgency.

One way to evaluate whether we are living with urgency is to ask ourselves this question: If Jesus were to come back tomorrow, would we be raptured? That question sank deep within me. It made me want to get back on track with reading my Bible every morning and intentionally including God more in my daily life. I need to be secure in my foundation so that I am not left behind.

After this service, I felt inspired and encouraged to get more right with God. I also thought it was interesting when Pastor Ashley said, “The darker the world gets, the brighter the church will shine.” We can live urgently by spreading light among our neighbors and sharing the joy found in Christ.

After all, what is the purpose of the church if it is no different than the world?

It made me realize that it is time for me to set stronger boundaries in my life, understanding that my activities for Christ do not equal intimacy with Christ.

I also think this ties well into the previous service. I have learned that in order to be obedient to God, there is often a sacrifice involved. Personally, I can say my faith has been tested for quite a while now. One thing I had to sacrifice was being in control of the steering wheel of my life. In other words, I had to let go and allow God to work in my life on His timetable.

This has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but I know that this is where God is asking me to show obedience.

James 1:13 (NIV)
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”

Some notes from previous services:

• A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted.
• Anything you release to God — trust that His provision is always better.

In the middle of this season, I have learned that you can have growth or you can have comfort, but you usually cannot have both. I have had to ask God for high levels of grit to push through the pain so that I can change and grow.

Thankfully, this has become easier over time as I have seen God move mountains in my life since the chaos began. Even when I cannot see God’s hand, I know I can trust His heart. God truly uses everything for good.

Another thing that struck me came from Pastor Dave during a previous message. He said something along the lines of: when we withhold forgiveness from others, we are placing ourselves in a pit. God cannot move us out of that prison if we are holding onto an unforgiving heart.