Every person in a marriage relationship wants it to succeed. We know that 100% of people who get married enter marriage because they say they love one another, yet statistically, over half all marriages fail. Love by itself is not enough. Remember when two people get married, they love each other, but they are also imperfect people, prone to make mistakes. When we enter into relationships, each of us are capable of doing hurtful, destructive, offensive things that wound our partner. Hurting people, hurt people, so it’s important for us to learn how to bear with one another, to be gracious to one another, forgive one another, take responsibility for the mistakes we make, and to make amends. Failing marriages and divorce is not the intent in people’s hearts, and the loss of these important relationships cause broken and shattered lives.

 If we want to build strong relationships, our character needs developing. Along with our character, we also must develop our skills. People who have  character without skills create relationships that are safe but very frustrating. Having skills without character is a relationship that might be full of energy, fun or playfulness, but there’s no safety because the relationship might be manipulative, unsafe or un-trusting. But when we have character and skills we create a safe and rewarding relationships.

 The Bible says in Genesis 2 that a man is to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife – one  of the greatest keys to a strong relationship is leaving parents. Leaving mom and dad is step one. Before, mom and dad were the most important human relationships in a young person’s life. When we enter into a marriage relationship, it now becomes the most important human relationship in life. If you want to build a strong relationship on this planet you have to make the person you are entering into the relationship with the priority of your life. If they’re not the priority, the way you spend time, your decisions, what captures your attention, and the way you lead your life competes with them and will cause them to feel “legitimate jealousy.” That’s right – they will feel jealous of the things that replace them as the priority in your life. A wise person understands that the most important relationship of life becomes their spouse; their partner. Making them the priority eliminates so many other problems that could arise!

I encourage you to develop your own character, your relationship skills and to make your spouse the priority. When you do, you begin to lay the foundation for a strong relationship.

We want to honor all moms this weekend. Bring your cars by and get them washed for free, during Saturday night and all Sunday morning services. We are also giving away flowers and special prizes.

In Scripture, there is a story of a man by the name of Peter. He was an epic failure at one point in his life. He had promised Jesus that he would never deny God, never deny Christ. But in fact, he did. I want you to overcome disappointment and failure like Peter did. Peter didn’t quit. He didn’t give up. I learned a long time ago that if I’m going to be victorious in life, I’ve got to look at each failure and take responsibility. What can I learn from my failures? What can setbacks teach me? Don’t get stuck in disappointment. Take those lessons learned and put them into practice. Ask yourself – What can I do differently the next time I face this challenge?

Instead of focusing on his failure and how he disappointed the Lord, Peter got reenergized. He learned to live with a new commitment. History records note that Peter died for his faith. He went from an epic failure to an incredible success, all because he was willing to learn from his failures. You too can become a great success in life. Do not let failures deceive you. Use them as stepping stones to take responsibility and learn new approaches.

Are you facing an overwhelming problem? Many failures and problems can seem hopeless at the time. One of the things I like to do when I’m facing overwhelming problems is to de-clutter my life and get focused. Don’t be overwhelmed by the size of your problem. Don’t let it frustrate you. Instead, get the clutter out of your life and break your problem down into bite-sized pieces. Make a plan and discipline yourself to work the plan until it become a reality.

Have you ever tried your best and came up short? Studied hard for a test and still got a C? Been working harder at your relationship with little, significant progress? If so, keep breaking down the Scriptures. Consider another aspect of Peter’s life: the Bible says he was out all night on one occasion and had caught nothing. He was a professional fisherman, making his living from it, yet he spent all night working and caught nothing. In the morning, Jesus said to him, “Let down your nets.” Peter got the most amazing catch of fish ever. If you’ve tried your best and have still come up short, be encouraged. Let Christ into your situation! You’ll find the encouragement to try again and find the support to step out in faith.

Giving it your best effort is critical in overcoming failure in your life. Become victorious! Don’t get overwhelmed by the giants that you face. To believe God is to have courage.

Have you ever had a setback or failure in your life? If you’re like me, you’ve had more than one! In life, everyone experiences disappointment, but it’s important to guard against allowing disappointments to get into our hearts. It’s one thing to have a disappointment occur, and it’s another thing to let discouragement creep in and contaminate our vision. Sometimes our actions (or lack of actions) are controlled by past failures or disappointments. Have the perspective that failures and disappointments are only temporary. The best way to get out of failure and the best way to overcome disappointment is by having a victory. Start small – go for something that you can create a “win” at – and learn to have victories in your life. Those victories are keys to driving out disappointment from your life. I want to encourage you, also, to not let fear stop you.

God gives us incredible promises in His Word. It says He has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind. Think about that for a minute. Love has the ability to cast out fear. Power is the ability to do something about the situation that you’re facing, and a sound mind is the ability to think clearly in your situation. God doesn’t want us ruled by fear. He wants us ruled by love, power and a sound mind.

Don’t let fear stop you from trying again. Rise up and try again and see how it empowers you to create right things in your life. Don’t settle for, or accept, the spirit of disappointment, and do not allow fear to control you. Create a plan of victory, put it into action, and you’ll overcome disappointments, failures and setbacks. Trying again, with the intent of creating victories in your life, will grow you.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” So, if faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen, then what are you hoping for? If you have what you hope for, it is no longer faith. If I have $100 in my pocket and I need $100, I don’t hope for $100 anymore. If I need a door of opportunity open for me, then I have to hope for what the Bible says. We lose heart if we don’t hope and believe to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Even if you don’t feel hopeless now, circumstances can begin to seem hopeless. For example, Abraham, in the Old Testament, had “hope against hope” during a difficult time of waiting for his promised son to be born.

When your heart is filled with hope, you realize that the present evidence that’s coming out of your life is the preparation for something better. It is the work that you put in believing God. If you don’t have hope, you won’t have works that back it up either. So when you have hope that you can get that degree, if you have hope that you can climb out of debt, hope that your marriage can be restored, you hope that you can reconcile with your children, then your work is to have faith. The greater your hope, the harder you work on the evidence of your situation. I would encourage you to believe God. Have a heart filled with hope, and work on what you’re hoping for.

I love encouraging people to lift up their heads, and get their faith turned on. I want to challenge you to believe for a better life. Don’t just be a victim in this life. I would rather live my life pursuing the God-dreams in my heart and believing for the promises of God. Believe there is a future and a plan that He has for you. I would rather live a life of hope and stay inspired by something than settle for a life of being a victim and allowing my circumstances to determine my destiny. You have the ability to believe for a great future, regardless of your circumstances. Find faith, put your hope in God and make your preparation.

On one occasion, Jesus asked the person who was crippled if he wanted to be made whole. At first the crippled man began to talk about all the problems and challenges in his life that left them in that condition. The problem was…that wasn’t the question. Jesus didn’t ask how he got in this condition, but would he like to get out. I don’t know what the restraints on your life are. I don’t know what the challenges are that you might be facing. But I really believe that God is asking this question to you: “Do you want to be made whole?”

You may know what the Bible says in Hebrews: that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. I love that verse. What is the substance of your faith? What is the substance of your faith, need or crisis? Are you believing for a better job because you need more money? Are you believing to feel better because of the pain in your body? What is the substance? What’s motivating your faith? I would encourage you to allow the wisdom of God, the thoughts of God and the promises of God to enlarge and inspire your faith. The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and that faith comes to us by hearing the Word of God, including the promises of God. God has incredible promises for your life. I encourage you to let those promises be the substance of your faith.

Believe for great things – it’s the better way to live, not only for yourself but for others, whatever your situation.

We have all kinds of relationships – friends, family, acquaintances, and others we fellowship with, but there are certain kinds of relationships that inspire, motivate and challenge us. Who are these people? People that are achieving in life. People that are winning in life often challenge us to be better. The Bible tells us that we should choose our relationships carefully, because the wrong relationships can lead us astray. Not every relationship that is comfortable to you is good for you. I encourage you to get around relationships that inspire you and motivate you to do better, be better, and try harder. When you do, watch and see how a new motivation is released within you!

Often, those who achieve, win and motivate have learned to have big faith because of life’s adversities and challenges. They’ve learned to look through eyes of faith, and now view setbacks as something repositioning them into something better. When we face disappointing challenges, setbacks and situations, we, too, need to look at the circumstances through the eyes of faith. The Bible encourages us not to look to things that are seen, for they are temporary. Instead, we are to look to things which are not seen, for they are eternal.

You see, each disappointment is an opportunity to grow and learn to be a better communicator, a better father or mother, or whatever the situation might be. We all have difficult circumstances, but don’t view adversity and hardship as only negative: view them as growth opportunities. Learn to see them as temporary, as growth agents, and use them to inspire you to be better. Rather than overwhelming and discouraging you, they’ll be something that you will rise up to and solve. Then your life is repositioned into something better. If you think that way, you will live a more inspired life.

Personally, I’m motivated by reading material that inspires me and feeds my soul. In Romans, we’re taught that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. God’s Word is given to us to inspire, to encourage and motivate us. The Bible might be an ancient Scripture, but it’s still extremely relevant for our lives today. I encourage you, if you want to live a motivated life, find materials that inspire you, get you excited and will help you learn how to solve problems and overcome challenges. Proverbs 24 says that if we faint in the day of adversity, it’s because our strength is small, but a wise man stores up knowledge. Realize that your breakthrough might be just on the other side of a fresh new thought that’s inspiring you to bring forth a better, renewed effort!

For me to learn from motivational materials, I have the discipline (or habit) of reading each morning. If you, too, build good habits, they will help you stay excited and motivated. A great life comes out of building the right habits into your life, so making them a priority is wise. Whether it’s exercising, reading or prayer, give these beneficial habits a percentage of your time each day. The private disciplines of our life become the public victories that we can share.

Take some time and think about what you really want to do with your life and get a vision that inspires you. Have the courage to find the things that inspire you and live your best life now.