Weekly messages from New Life Church in Novato, CA.
Prayer stands as a fundamental aspect of Christian life, meant to be our first response rather than a last resort. While many believers face common barriers like feeling inadequate or getting distracted, developing a strong prayer life is similar to physical training - requiring consistency, practice, and gradual progress. The key is starting small, building regular habits, and remembering that prayer is a privilege rather than a burden. By making prayer our initial response to life's challenges and decisions, we can develop a deeper connection with God and experience the power of consistent communication with Him.
Life's challenges serve as catalysts for spiritual growth and faith development. Just as trees need resistance to grow strong roots, our faith requires testing to develop depth and maturity. Through trials, we can develop a conquering, joyful endurance by viewing difficulties as opportunities rather than obstacles. By maintaining gratitude, expecting challenges as part of life, and trusting in God's good intentions, we can transform our perspective on adversity into a pathway for personal and spiritual development.
Family revival starts through encounter with Jesus, is sustained through prayer, and looks like reconciliation! Listen to part 3 of the "Home" Sermon Series!
The empty tomb of Easter represents Christ's victory over death and sin's power in our lives. This pivotal moment demonstrates that sin no longer has the final word, fear cannot control us, and shame is defeated. Through His resurrection, Jesus proves His kingship and authority over death itself, offering us freedom, forgiveness, and abundant life. This transformative event invites us to move beyond mere belief to crowning Jesus as king in every area of our lives.
The resurrection of Jesus represents a powerful message of transformation and hope. Through the empty tomb, we witness victory over death and the promise of new life. This transformative power changes us from who we were to who we can become - from blind to seeing, lost to found, and broken to whole.
Palm Sunday marked Jesus' official presentation as the Messiah in Jerusalem, where He deliberately chose to enter on a donkey, fulfilling ancient prophecies. Unlike earthly rulers, Jesus demonstrated kingship through humility and service rather than force or grandeur.
Discover the life-changing difference between empty religion and authentic worship through a powerful encounter at Simon the Pharisee's house. Learn how Jesus responds to different hearts and what true worship really means. This message explores religious criticism, genuine faith, transformative forgiveness, and the path to authentic relationship with God.Â
Discover the transformative power of God's healing presence in your home and relationships. Learn practical ways to experience divine restoration in your family life, overcome challenging dynamics, and create an environment where healing can flourish. Understand how responding with compassion, bearing others' burdens, and serving can lead to profound transformation.
When we choose to follow Jesus, it creates a ripple effect that transforms not just our lives but impacts our entire family and community. Through Peter's story, we see how welcoming Jesus into our home opens doors for supernatural ministry and healing. God cares about every detail of our lives, from major decisions to minor concerns, and uses our testimonies to draw others to Him. This decision to follow Jesus equips us to serve others and creates ongoing opportunities for God's presence to flow through our lives.
Finding Jesus: A powerful exploration of spiritual transformation through the story of Zacchaeus. Discover how genuine spiritual hunger leads to life-changing divine encounters and learn five key principles about God's work in unexpected hearts.Â
Have you ever felt a deep longing for something more in your life? That's exactly what Zacchaeus experienced. Despite his wealth and position, there was an emptiness that money couldn't fill. Something inside him knew that Jesus held the answer. That hunger led him to do something that might have seemed foolish to others - climbing a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. But that hunger was actually God's invitation. Sometimes we think we're the ones doing all the seeking, but God is already at work in our hearts, drawing us to Himself. Your desire to know God better isn't random; it's His divine invitation to a deeper relationship.
Discover the transformative power of God's culture of invitation and welcome. Learn how Jesus demonstrated radical hospitality throughout his ministry and how we can embrace this same welcoming spirit today. Explore practical ways to extend God's invitation to others and create a more welcoming atmosphere in your daily life.
Discover the transformative power of God's faithfulness across generations through an inspiring story of miraculous healing from the 1800s. Learn practical biblical principles for achieving true financial peace and freedom.
Finding freedom from financial bondage through biblical wisdom and practical steps. Learn how to master your finances instead of letting them master you. Discover key principles for financial freedom including budgeting, saving, and maintaining a healthy relationship with money. Explore the connection between faith and finances, understanding contentment, and practical money management strategies. Get insights on breaking free from financial stress, anxiety about money, and the constant drive for more.
Living with the Holy Spirit transforms ordinary lives into extraordinary testimonies of God's presence. Discover how the Holy Spirit enables supernatural guidance, provides tangible experiences of God's presence, and empowers believers to demonstrate His reality to others. Learn practical ways to recognize and respond to the Holy Spirit's presence, handle difficult times with faith, and maintain worship during challenges.
Discover the essential guide to hearing God's voice in your daily life. Learn about the various ways God communicates, including dreams, visions, circumstances, and Scripture. Understand the key principles of divine communication and how to overcome common obstacles that prevent us from hearing clearly.
Finding true contentment in life goes beyond material wealth and possessions. Discover why money doesn't bring lasting happiness and how to break free from financial stress and anxiety. Learn practical biblical principles for developing genuine contentment, regardless of your bank account balance.
Understanding God's perspective on wealth and its role in our lives. Discover how money influences identity, relationships, and faith through biblical wisdom and practical insights. Learn why Jesus frequently addressed finances and what it means for believers today. Explore three essential truths about wealth: identity beyond possessions, contentment in Christ, and valuing others regardless of economic status. Practical guidance for examining your relationship with money and finding true freedom beyond material wealth.
In Psalm 63, David reveals the path to finding true soul satisfaction through God's presence. Even while fleeing in the wilderness, David discovered deep contentment by prioritizing his relationship with God above worldly comforts. True satisfaction comes from developing spiritual hunger, experiencing God's love, and maintaining close fellowship with Him. By cutting out temporary substitutes and dedicating time to prayer and worship, we can cultivate a deeper thirst for God that leads to lasting fulfillment.
Forgiveness stands as one of the most transformative forces in God's kingdom, acting as both a spiritual weapon and a path to freedom. It opens heavenly doors, breaks generational cycles, and releases divine healing power. Through daily practice of forgiveness, we can move from being victims to victors and experience supernatural breakthrough. By making forgiveness a consistent habit rather than a one-time event, we align ourselves with God's grace and invite the Holy Spirit's presence into our lives.
Emotional pain and heartbreak can feel overwhelming, but healing is possible through God's power and presence. Jesus was specifically anointed to bind up the brokenhearted, offering to turn mourning into joy and despair into praise. Through biblical examples like Naomi, Hannah, and Peter, we see God's faithfulness in restoring broken hearts. The path to healing involves seeing God rightly as the Good Shepherd, earnestly seeking Him in prayer, and submitting to His Word.
Finding hope and overcoming anxiety through Biblical wisdom and practical spiritual solutions. Discover how to transform worry into peace using time-tested principles that work in today's challenging world. Learn the powerful connection between Biblical hope and anxiety relief, and understand practical steps for dealing with stress and worry. This message explores the meaning of true hope as a spiritual anchor, anxiety management techniques from Scripture, and daily practices for maintaining peace. Perfect for anyone struggling with worry, stress, anxiety, depression, or seeking spiritual growth and emotional healing. Includes insights from Hebrews, Philippians, Matthew, and Psalms about finding peace, managing stress, and building resilience through faith. Learn how to reset your soul, develop spiritual strength, and experience true transformation in your mental and emotional well-being.
Biblical hope offers a powerful antidote to anxiety, serving as an anchor for our souls in turbulent times. By seeking God's kingdom first and casting our cares upon Him, we can experience genuine inner peace. Through practical steps like staying connected to God's Word, dealing with worries early, and maintaining spiritual relationships, we can cultivate lasting hope. This journey from anxiety to peace requires active participation in tending to our spiritual well-being and trusting in God's faithfulness.
Soul Reset: A practical guide to understanding and decluttering your spiritual life. Discover how emotional and spiritual baggage creates barriers in your relationship with God and others. Learn the three key principles demonstrated by Jesus for effective soul decluttering: love, grace, and humility. Understand why regular spiritual cleansing is essential for maintaining peace and authentic relationships. This message explores common sources of soul clutter including unforgiveness, rejection, guilt, fear, anxiety, and materialism. Find practical steps to identify and remove spiritual barriers, receive divine forgiveness, and practice humility in serving others. Perfect for anyone feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or seeking spiritual renewal.
Discover the biblical path to finding true inner peace and soul rest in a world full of stress and anxiety. Learn how to transform your inner life from feeling empty and depleted to experiencing the flourishing peace God intends. Explore practical steps for cultivating soul rest, including guarding your heart, healing from past wounds, and surrendering to God's loving care.
Learn about being yoked with Christ, guarding your heart, and finding true spiritual health. This teaching explores the profound lessons from Jonah's story and provides insights into God's methods of soul transformation. Perfect for those seeking spiritual growth, inner healing, emotional wellness, and a deeper relationship with God. Topics include spiritual formation, Christian living, biblical teaching, emotional health, spiritual warfare, inner healing, discipleship, and personal transformation. Gain practical tools for examining your spiritual life and creating lasting pathways to God.
In our noisy world, hearing God's voice requires intentional effort and spiritual discernment. God communicates through various channels including Scripture, other people, dreams, and circumstances, often speaking in a gentle whisper rather than dramatic ways. Learning to distinguish His voice from other influences requires creating quiet time, practicing active listening, and developing spiritual intimacy. By removing distractions and maintaining consistent communion with God, we can better recognize and respond to His guidance.
Learn the seven essential principles for engaging with prophetic ministry: submission to God, biblical authority, church leadership, Holy Spirit guidance, godly counsel, confirming circumstances, and the foundation of love. Discover how to navigate spiritual gifts while staying grounded in truth.
Discover the power of relentless faith and unwavering strength through the inspiring story of Caleb. Learn how to overcome obstacles, maintain spiritual vigor, and embrace God's promises with bold confidence. This powerful message explores the contrast between fear-based and faith-based perspectives, revealing how our view of challenges shapes our destiny. Understand how to develop unstoppable faith, maintain spiritual strength, and face life's challenges with divine confidence.
Discover the powerful keys to experiencing supernatural increase in your spiritual life and purpose. Learn how to position yourself for divine expansion through deeper encounters with God's presence, kingdom growth, and greater impact. Understand the biblical principles of increase from Joshua's journey and Isaiah's prophecies. Explore practical steps for enlarging your spiritual capacity, strengthening your foundations, and preparing for God's supernatural work.
In Thus Saith Part 2, discover the transformative power of prophetic ministry in modern Christianity. Learn how the Holy Spirit empowers believers to hear God's voice and share His messages effectively. This comprehensive guide explores the four categories of prophetic ministry: Scriptural foundation, Prophet's office, Gift of Prophecy, and Spirit of Prophecy. Understand how God speaks through various channels including dreams, visions, and spiritual impressions. Master the ABCs of prophecy: Always Build up, Cheer up, and Draw near. Perfect for both beginners and experienced believers seeking to deepen their spiritual walk.
In this week's message, Pastor John shares Part 1 of the "Thus Saith" Sermon series sharing about pursuing the prophetic. Scripture depicts how the Lord speaks to and through His people, and as believers we are invited to partner with His redemptive work by activating spiritual giftings in our lives.
Discover the power and purpose of prophecy in modern Christian life. Learn how God communicates with believers today through various channels. This teaching breaks down the barriers between believers and prophetic gifts, showing how all Christians can participate in hearing and sharing God's messages. Perfect for those seeking to deepen their spiritual walk, understand divine communication, or grow in prophetic ministry.
Discover how God orchestrates divine moments in our lives in the 'Moments' series. These moments, whether small or significant, are designed to bring about change and revelation. Learn from the story of Simeon in Luke 2:25-35, who experienced a divine encounter by being in the right place at the right time. Understand the importance of divine timing, hope, faith, and staying in position to receive God's promises. Reflect on how you can be more sensitive to God's leading and respond to His direction.
In this insightful message, we explore the lives of Simeon and Anna, two elders who experienced profound divine moments when they encountered the infant Jesus in the temple. These moments, orchestrated by God, teach us the importance of being in the right place at the right time and being prepared for God's plans.
In this Christmas message, Pastor Rachel explores the concept of heavenly interruptions—divine moments when God steps into our lives unexpectedly. Using the story of the shepherds in Luke 2:8-14, she highlights how God often uses the unexpected and the unlikely to accomplish extraordinary things. The shepherds, ordinary workers, were the first to hear the good news of Jesus' birth. The gospel is for everyone - no one is too far from God's reach. This reflection encourages us to embrace these divine interruptions, act with urgency when God speaks, and share the joy and peace of knowing Jesus with others.
In this insightful message from the Moments series, we see that God often chooses the unlikely, like shepherds, to fulfill extraordinary purposes. The shepherds' immediate response to God's call teaches us the importance of seizing divine moments with urgency. Faith is about acting in the now, not waiting for a more convenient time. The shepherds shared the news widely, highlighting the power of a simple testimony. Embrace your role in God's story, act on your faith, and share your experiences.
Divine moments don't always make sense right away. We can lean into them in faith and surrender or mistake them for something they are not and pull away from what God wants to do. Look at Mary and Elizabeth and see their responses to God-orchestrated moments.
In part three of the "Moments" Sermon Series, Pastor Caleb shares from Matthew 1-2 about Mary and Joseph's obedience to God. Obedience is difficult, but we have no idea what God can through one moment of obedience!
God creates and foreordains moments for each of us. Moments of connection, encounter, and revelation. Moments and seasons in His Presence that shape us for eternity. Looking at Joseph's life we see that one moment of obedience would have an impact beyond anything he could imagine.
In this week's message, Pastor Caleb shares part one of the "Moments" Sermon Series. He shares how God remembers the prayers that we have forgotten, and just one moment of encounter in His presence changes everything.
In part 3 of the "In The Middle of It" sermon series, Pastor Caleb shares about grace. God's grace in our lives has the power to rewrite our story, and remove all condemnation through Jesus' finished work on the cross.
In this week's message, Izzy shares part 4 of the "In the Middle of It" sermon series diving into the topic of our spiritual hunger. Jesus wants to reveal His heart to His people, and has made them His sons and daughters.
Jesus is faithful to meet us in the middle of life's greatest storms! Through the storm God reveals Himself to His people in a new way, and is ultimately the one who has all authority to calm the winds and waves.
Watch out - Jesus is unlocking the doors of anxiety and discouragement. Christ in our midst is making us peaceful, joyful, and fruitful.
In this week's message, Caio shares a new sermon series called "In the middle of it." God is in the middle of His people; therefore, His people are in the middle of it with God.
The disciples of Jesus argue over who would be the greatest among them so He uses the opportunity to teach them by placing a child in the middle of them.
In this week's message, Guest speaker Pastor Vladimir Ashaev shares from Isaiah 60:1-5 about the glory of the Lord. As believers we can take confidence knowing that although there is darkness in the world, God's light and glory shines even brighter!
When we see Jesus, we see that the middle is exactly where He likes to be. He not only meets us in the middle of our storms, challenges, and relationships, but he'll place us in the middle of things. What will you do? How will you respond when you're in the middle of it? Let Jesus be your guide!
AM. In this week's message, Pastor Caleb shares part 4 of the "Be" sermon series speaking about focus. In the book of Nehemiah, we see that the wall was built through Nehemiah's greater focus on what the Lord was doing and giving his yes to partnering with God's purpose!
We can't all do the same thing but we can all do something. Let God inspire you to make a difference in the lives of those around you through loving deeply and radically.