1 Samuel 16 records David's journey from shepherd to king. What we may view as punishment, God uses to prepare us. Pastor Melvin highlights four poignant takeaways for us.

Pastor Melvin begins in Mathew 26:6 and shows us how we may not understand someone else's worship until we are aware of their warfare. Don't think of critics around you; focus on the cross. You will never regret anything that you give to the Lord.

Bad religion does a lot of damage. It likes to invent rules, false consequences, and hierarchy. It seeks to control you, and where you won't be controlled, it breaks God's commands to shame and ostracize you. Jesus has been there too. Pastor Melvin walks us through John 11:45-54 where the Pharisees seek to kill him and Lazarus for undermining their control. But Jesus' message is different. He defines you as unconditionally loved and accepted no matter your past. Where bad religion speaks death, he speaks life. Come fellowship with him!

Do you ever wonder why God lets bad things happen and innocent people die? Join Pastor Melvin in John 11:13-44 as he walks us through why Jesus wept, and how gratitude for our empathetic, all-powerful savior can provide us comfort.

Pastor Melvin takes us to John 11:17, expounds on Mary and Martha's responses to Lazarus' death, and shows us how we need to rest in Jesus and let him fight our battles.

Just like David facing yet another giant, we often find ourselves facing the same struggles "yet again", and like David, we find that we are weary of fighting the same fight over and over. Join Pastor Melvin as he takes us through 2 Samuel 21:15-17 to teach us how to get from fighting our battles "yet again" to "never again".

In 2 Kings 14: 21-22, we see how we serve a big God when Azariah, King of Judah, who was 16 years old, was the one who rebuilt Elath. We all have moments when we feel insignificant and unprepared for what we face, but our big God can use us.

In 1 Samuel 14:24, Saul gets so wrapped up in his agenda of pursuing his enemies (the Philistines) that he prevents his people from enjoying what they've earned. But the bible tells us that this is the day the Lord has made, and no matter what we're going through, we can always rejoice and be glad in the salvation he's given us. Don't let Satan take away the joy of what God has done for you. Join Pastor Melvin as he teaches us how to turn our deprivation into discipline and celebrate what God has done for us!

The Word of the Lord is perpetual, personal, predestination revealing, and powerful. Turn with Pastor Melvin to Jeremiah 1:1 where he shows that with the knowledge of who the Word of the Lord says we are in Christ, we have the power to live more like him.

In 2 Chronicles 20:1, we see Jehoshaphat facing surprise attacks from enemies coming from several different directions. In this situation, set yourself to seek the Lord, and worship your way out of fear in order to live your life in the sweet spot.