Are you hungry for more of God's glory? We're finding out what that means and how it can change your life. Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.

Are you hungry for more of God's glory? We're finding out what that means and how it can change your life. Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.

The God of the universe is not at your disposal. The God of the universe is not a rabbit's foot. The God of the universe is a holy, consuming fire. Our life stops when we come to God. Our life is altered when we come to God. When we are exposed to his presence, he changes us from the inside out. That's the God that I'm talking about.

The God of the universe is not at your disposal. The God of the universe is not a rabbit's foot. The God of the universe is a holy, consuming fire. Our life stops when we come to God. Our life is altered when we come to God. When we are exposed to his presence, he changes us from the inside out. That's the God that I'm talking about.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm Wayne Shepherd, and today we're diving into the final message of our series in Exodus with a message titled I Want More. Mark has been talking about what spiritual hunger looks like and how it can drive us to ask God for more of his will in our lives. Unlocking strength in opportunities we may never have imagined. To catch up on any part of this powerful study, just go to our website at boldsystems.org. But right now, let's join Mark Jobe for today's message.

Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago and president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm Wayne Shepherd, and today we're diving into the final message of our series in Exodus with a message titled I Want More. Mark has been talking about what spiritual hunger looks like and how it can drive us to ask God for more of his will in our lives. Unlocking strength in opportunities we may never have imagined. To catch up on any part of this powerful study, just go to our website at boldsystems.org. But right now, let's join Mark Jobe for today's message.

I believe that when we have a holy hunger, it starts to manifest itself in that we chase after God. We want to be in his presence. When we lack a holy hunger, we can show up to church, but we tolerate it. We check off our box of duties to do. All right, I'll go to church. I hope pastor Mark short, because, you know, last time he went, over time, he was long. All right, I'll go. All right. Okay. Are we going to eat afterwards? Okay, then I'll go today. If not, I'm going to just watch it from home. Because when we lack a hunger, when we lack a drive. When we lack a holy appetite, then we're not attracted to the things that are around us. An appetite is a spiritual. Appetite is cultivated when we're hungry. When we're hungry for God. And we haven't stuffed ourselves on spiritual junk food. And I believe that God is raising up a generation of people that are hungry for his presence. I believe that God is raising up a generation of people that long for God, that are hungry for God, that can't get enough of his Word, that can't get enough of praise and worship, that carry the presence of God into their job, into their driving into the streets, people that carry the manifest presence of God in a new, powerful and supernatural way. Number three spiritual hunger. And lastly, it drives us to pursue God with a holy boldness that asks for more. God says to Moses, Moses, I'll go with you. And then Moses says, thank you, God. I'm glad you'll go with us. And then he prays this daring, audacious prayer. He says to God, God, I'm glad you're coming with us. Show me your glory. Show me your glory. You know what Moses is saying? I'm glad you're coming with us, God. But I want more of you. I want as much as you that I can handle. God, I want to drink deeper of you. I want to know you in a more powerful way. I want to understand you more. God. I want a greater saturation of your presence. Show me your glory. What does glory mean? Well, glory is hard to define. It can be difficult to grasp, elusive to understand. What is God's glory? The New Testament uses the word doxa for glory. Glory is the total manifestation of the attributes of God. It's the revelation of God Himself. Glory is the perfect harmony of God's attributes or character into one infinitely beautiful and personal being. It's like, I really want to know the you. Not superficially, not the hello, what's your name? But I want to know your heart. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to experience you and know you and see you. I want an unfiltered view of who you really are. What does that mean? The glory of God. Well, the attributes of God. And I could spend a whole long time trying to talk to you about the attributes of God, but can I tell you this in the few minutes that we have remaining, can I tell you this? I believe that we have downsized. God. I believe that the God of the universe has been insulted by what we have made him. We have made pocket sized gods that we can manage, that we can manipulate. We put them in our pocket as though it were a rabbit's foot, that when we need it, we rub it a little bit and say, help me out. I'm stuck. Help me out. My kid's got a traffic ticket. Help me out. There's a hospital thing. Help me out, Lord. And it's a God that's manageable. We want a God that we can pull out when we need it, but we don't want a God that changes our lifestyle. We want a God that we can use when we need favors, but we don't want a God that sanctifies us, that changes us, that radically alters us. We want a God that's at our disposal. We want a God that we can call upon. We want a shiny thing that we can rub and say, it's a little genius bottle. Help me out when I'm in trouble. But I'm going to tell you something about the God of the universe, the God of the universe is not at your disposal. The God of the universe is not a rabbit's foot. The God of the universe is a holy, consuming fire. He cannot be manipulated. He cannot be altered. He cannot be used for our advantage. It's a God that causes us to bow down. It's a God that's bigger than us. It's a God that doesn't beckon to our every call. It's a God that's a consuming fire. And so when we approach this God, we don't approach a God that we can use, manipulate, or simply add to our life. Our life stops when we come to God. Our life is altered when we come to God, when we are exposed to his presence, he changes us from the inside out. That's the God that I'm talking about. A lot of people that I talk to want to add God to their life. You don't add God to your life. God sabotages your life. He invades your life. He stops your life, and your life becomes consumed in his. You don't add God to your life. You say, well, I added my gym, my financial advisor, my therapist, and the lady that does my eyelashes. Come on ladies. You go every month. You don't add God to your list. He's not one of your accessories. He's not in the category of. Let me sprinkle a little spirituality on my life. He's much bigger than that. He's much more all consuming than that. He's much more powerful than that.

I believe that when we have a holy hunger, it starts to manifest itself in that we chase after God. We want to be in his presence. When we lack a holy hunger, we can show up to church, but we tolerate it. We check off our box of duties to do. All right, I'll go to church. I hope pastor Mark short, because, you know, last time he went, over time, he was long. All right, I'll go. All right. Okay. Are we going to eat afterwards? Okay, then I'll go today. If not, I'm going to just watch it from home. Because when we lack a hunger, when we lack a drive. When we lack a holy appetite, then we're not attracted to the things that are around us. An appetite is a spiritual. Appetite is cultivated when we're hungry. When we're hungry for God. And we haven't stuffed ourselves on spiritual junk food. And I believe that God is raising up a generation of people that are hungry for his presence. I believe that God is raising up a generation of people that long for God, that are hungry for God, that can't get enough of his Word, that can't get enough of praise and worship, that carry the presence of God into their job, into their driving into the streets, people that carry the manifest presence of God in a new, powerful and supernatural way. Number three spiritual hunger. And lastly, it drives us to pursue God with a holy boldness that asks for more. God says to Moses, Moses, I'll go with you. And then Moses says, thank you, God. I'm glad you'll go with us. And then he prays this daring, audacious prayer. He says to God, God, I'm glad you're coming with us. Show me your glory. Show me your glory. You know what Moses is saying? I'm glad you're coming with us, God. But I want more of you. I want as much as you that I can handle. God, I want to drink deeper of you. I want to know you in a more powerful way. I want to understand you more. God. I want a greater saturation of your presence. Show me your glory. What does glory mean? Well, glory is hard to define. It can be difficult to grasp, elusive to understand. What is God's glory? The New Testament uses the word doxa for glory. Glory is the total manifestation of the attributes of God. It's the revelation of God Himself. Glory is the perfect harmony of God's attributes or character into one infinitely beautiful and personal being. It's like, I really want to know the you. Not superficially, not the hello, what's your name? But I want to know your heart. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to experience you and know you and see you. I want an unfiltered view of who you really are. What does that mean? The glory of God. Well, the attributes of God. And I could spend a whole long time trying to talk to you about the attributes of God, but can I tell you this in the few minutes that we have remaining, can I tell you this? I believe that we have downsized. God. I believe that the God of the universe has been insulted by what we have made him. We have made pocket sized gods that we can manage, that we can manipulate. We put them in our pocket as though it were a rabbit's foot, that when we need it, we rub it a little bit and say, help me out. I'm stuck. Help me out. My kid's got a traffic ticket. Help me out. There's a hospital thing. Help me out, Lord. And it's a God that's manageable. We want a God that we can pull out when we need it, but we don't want a God that changes our lifestyle. We want a God that we can use when we need favors, but we don't want a God that sanctifies us, that changes us, that radically alters us. We want a God that's at our disposal. We want a God that we can call upon. We want a shiny thing that we can rub and say, it's a little genius bottle. Help me out when I'm in trouble. But I'm going to tell you something about the God of the universe, the God of the universe is not at your disposal. The God of the universe is not a rabbit's foot. The God of the universe is a holy, consuming fire. He cannot be manipulated. He cannot be altered. He cannot be used for our advantage. It's a God that causes us to bow down. It's a God that's bigger than us. It's a God that doesn't beckon to our every call. It's a God that's a consuming fire. And so when we approach this God, we don't approach a God that we can use, manipulate, or simply add to our life. Our life stops when we come to God. Our life is altered when we come to God, when we are exposed to his presence, he changes us from the inside out. That's the God that I'm talking about. A lot of people that I talk to want to add God to their life. You don't add God to your life. God sabotages your life. He invades your life. He stops your life, and your life becomes consumed in his. You don't add God to your life. You say, well, I added my gym, my financial advisor, my therapist, and the lady that does my eyelashes. Come on ladies. You go every month. You don't add God to your list. He's not one of your accessories. He's not in the category of. Let me sprinkle a little spirituality on my life. He's much bigger than that. He's much more all consuming than that. He's much more powerful than that.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, and today's message is titled I Want More. Will continue this lesson about spiritual hunger in just a bit. But you know, here at Bold Steps, we offer several tools and resources to encourage your faith and help stir up your own hunger for God's glory. Mark, I'm thinking of your bold step or weekly that goes out every Monday.

You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, and today's message is titled I Want More. Will continue this lesson about spiritual hunger in just a bit. But you know, here at Bold Steps, we offer several tools and resources to encourage your faith and help stir up your own hunger for God's glory. Mark, I'm thinking of your bold step or weekly that goes out every Monday.

Yeah, if you've been listening, you've heard us talk about this quite a few times, but this is a free resource that we send to you via email just to get your week started out in the right way. Typically it involves a devotional thought, but also updates about the ministry, like this week's Bold Step, where we talk about a recent trip that I took organized by Moody doing the journeys of Paul.

Yeah, if you've been listening, you've heard us talk about this quite a few times, but this is a free resource that we send to you via email just to get your week started out in the right way. Typically it involves a devotional thought, but also updates about the ministry, like this week's Bold Step, where we talk about a recent trip that I took organized by Moody doing the journeys of Paul.

I followed you online and look wonderful.

I followed you online and look wonderful.

Oh, it was amazing. I was there co-teaching with Doctor Joe Stoll, who does a great job. We were in Turkey and Greece and Italy. Michael Dolnick was part of it as well. And I tell you what, we and I came away just with a renewed sense of appreciation For the boldness and resilience of the Apostle Paul to. He was just a machine that didn't stop, driven by the gospel, but also with the tenderness in his heart.

Oh, it was amazing. I was there co-teaching with Doctor Joe Stoll, who does a great job. We were in Turkey and Greece and Italy. Michael Dolnick was part of it as well. And I tell you what, we and I came away just with a renewed sense of appreciation For the boldness and resilience of the Apostle Paul to. He was just a machine that didn't stop, driven by the gospel, but also with the tenderness in his heart.

Incredible, wonderful lessons and you can read about it in The Bold Stepper weekly. I hope you're signed up to receive it every Monday morning, but you can also follow the helpful audio link on our website right now, and listen to it at Bold Steps. Org so sign up or listen at Bold Steps. Org or through our brand new Bold Steps app. All right, let's get back into Mark's message. Now. The final part of his lesson called I Want More.

Incredible, wonderful lessons and you can read about it in The Bold Stepper weekly. I hope you're signed up to receive it every Monday morning, but you can also follow the helpful audio link on our website right now, and listen to it at Bold Steps. Org so sign up or listen at Bold Steps. Org or through our brand new Bold Steps app. All right, let's get back into Mark's message. Now. The final part of his lesson called I Want More.

Let me tell you a little bit about this. God, just in case you have downsized God, I want to tell you about who this God is. I want to give you a couple of his attributes. I want you to understand how powerful he is. The Bible says that God is eternal. That means that this God has no beginning and has no end. There is not a creator to the creator. He's always existed from eternity past. He's always existed. He was here before time, before matter, before space. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the ending. There is nothing before God. God is it. And he will exist until eternity past. The Bible says that God is infinite. That means that there is no limit to his power outside of his own character. The only thing that God cannot do is that which he is determined in his character not to do. God cannot sin, not because it's out of his peripheral to do so, but because he has limited himself in his holiness to not sin. But there is no limit to the power of God. He is limitless in power. He is a limitless, infinite, eternal being. The Bible also tells us that God is self-existent. He is always existed. He does not have a beginning and he does not need anybody else to exist. He is A self-contained God did not create man and man and women because he couldn't live without them. God created them because he chose to create you out of the goodness of his own will. He's not incomplete without you. He existed before we out of the goodness of his pleasure. He created us. And we are his creation, made in the image of God. God is self-sufficient. That means he can exist by himself without anything added to his creation. God is omnipresent, which means he's present everywhere all the time. God is omnipotent, which means that God can do all things that are consistent with his character. He's all powerful. God is omniscient, which means that God never learns. Because God is always known, he is perfect in knowledge. There is no course for God to take. There is no aha moment for God because God is always known. He's perfect in knowledge. He knows all things intricately, deeply, powerfully, from the high to the lowest. God's knowledge is perfect, and God is omniscient in all that he knows. He knows your heart. He knows what you're thinking right now. He knows the crevices of your being. He knows what you thought when you went to bed at night. He knows the desires, the good and the evil that you had. You are transparent to God. There is no veil before the God of the universe. He sees you fully as you are. And not only that, but our God is transcendent. That means that he he is outside of space and time, therefore eternal, unable to be changed by forces within the universe. He is transcendent. He's above time and space and his existence. The Bible tells us that he's immanent, which means that the the idea that he that the creation is forever dependent on God and he's always involved in his creation. The Bible tells us that he's sovereign, which means that he is free. He has created everything. Therefore all things are under his authority and power. Sickness, disease, cancer, heart issues, the economy, wars, governments they are all subject to the almighty power of God. He is sovereign above all things. There is no limit to his authority. He stands at the top of the food chain. He can determine what he can determine when he chooses to determine how things could work. God is faithful. Impartial. Incomprehensible. Righteous. Immutable. What does immutable mean? Immutable means that God cannot change in his nature, his character, and dependability. God is not going to wake up tomorrow and be a different God. He's immutable. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He loves yesterday. He loves today. He loves forever. God is faithful. yesterday, today and forever. He is immutable. You cannot improve upon perfection. He will never change. He is the God that never changes. He is perfect in all that he does. He is dependable and faithful and God is love. You put that much power, that much authority, that much ability, and you combine it with a god. At first John says, God is love. That means that this omnipotent, omniscient, almighty, powerful God in his goodness has reached out to you and me, in our brokenness, in our sin, in our doubts, in our Obstinance. And he said, I love you. He loved us while we were yet sinners. Not after we fixed our life and cleaned up. He loved us in our brokenness. He loved you when no one else loved you. He loved you when people rejected you. He loved you when your mother and father maybe gave up on you. He loved you when you were discarded in a divorce because someone said, I don't love you anymore. I've changed my. No. God still loved you there. God's love is unstoppable. God's love is something that we cannot control. God is love. And then lastly, but not least, God is holy. God is set apart from his creation. There's nothing like unto God. There is no second to God. There is no one that's kind of like God. There's no one that's sort of rivals God. God is holy means separate unto himself in a category by himself, without rival. The Bible says in revelation, when it talks about the throne of God, it says, angels fly around the throne of God day and night with two wings. They cover their face with two wings. They cover their feet, and with the other wings they fly around and they call out to one another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. All the earth is full of his glory. Moses said, show me your glory, Lord. God said, if you were to see all my glory, you would die. I'm too much for you to handle. But he said to Moses, I'll show you as much as you can handle. There are some of you that God is trying to stir up a new holy hunger for him. There's some of you that need to say, God, I want more of you. You've been satisfied by the nibblings of the world, and you felt your spiritual hunger diminish. You used to get excited about coming into the presence of God and open up your Bible and say, speak to me. But it's been a while since you've picked it up with expectation and desire. You should say, Lord, I want to know what you have to say. I can't wait to worship. You know that's diminished a little bit. You filled it with other things. You don't have a driving hunger in your life. Some of you need to say, God, revive that hunger. I want more of you, Jesus. Stir it up inside of me. Make me a hunger and thirst after you. There's other in this auditorium. You don't even know God yet. You've never bowed your knee. You've never surrendered your life. You think that going to church makes you a Christian, but going to church doesn't make you a Christian? Just like going to gym doesn't make you in shape. You put on your church clothes, you said, in the place you sing along with the songs as much as you can, and you think, well, I'm kind of a Christian. No, you're not a Christian. The only way that you're a Christian is when you bow your knee to God and surrender your life in faith and say, my life is not my own. I give my life to you. I surrender to you because you are what I need in life. The Bible calls that being born again and you've been. You may be raised in your church all your life. We heard some testimonies and baptism and never be born again. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian. Surrendering your life to God, realizing that Jesus the Christ is the only mediator between you and a holy, omnipotent, awesome, powerful God that you and I cannot stand before. And if you have never surrendered your life to God, you are not ready to meet God because you would be consumed by his holiness if it weren't for the sacrifice of Jesus that washes you and protects you from the wrath of God, because he takes our sin upon himself and cleanses us. And the Bible calls it justification and makes us just before God. If you've never done that, then you're not a Christian. You may go to a Christian church. You may check a Christian on your Facebook. Uh, whatever you may tell the chaplain when you go to the hospital, what are you denomination? You may say Christian, but I'm going to tell you, you are not a Christian unless the Holy Spirit has come inside of you, wash you, cleanse you, and made you new. So maybe you're listening to this message and you're thinking, you know, pastor, I'm not sure that I'm a Christian. You've been around Christian churches. You may have a Bible in your house. You may believe or have a crucifix on your wall. But if you have never taken the step to trust Jesus the Christ as your only Savior and Lord, and you've never repented and believed and invited him to be Lord of your life, then the Bible says that you're not born again. And this is the most important step of your life. And you can be around religious things, but never have made a faith decision to follow Jesus. So if that's where you're at, I would like to challenge you today to make that decision. I'd like to pray with you. It's not about a prayer. The prayer does not save you. But if you're here and you know that God has been after you, you know that there's a decision that you need to make. Then it's as simple as believing, repenting, and inviting him to be Lord and Savior of your life. And I would like to lead you in a prayer if you know that's the decision that you need to make and just follow after me in this prayer. Dear God, I pray for this person that you have been after for a long time. They feel it in their soul that you have been calling them. They know that there's an emptiness, a vacuum that has existed for a long time. They've tried to fill it with many things, but they realize there's still an emptiness. I pray in Jesus name that today, as they come before you in faith that they would declare with their lips that Jesus, you alone are Lord. That Jesus, I need you. I cannot save myself. You died on the cross to pay a price that I cannot pay. And so, father, I pray today that you would give them the power and the boldness to say, Lord, I submit my life to you. I ask that you would be Lord and Savior of my life. I surrender to you. I invite your Holy Spirit to come inside of me and to change me from the inside out. I turn away from the way that I've been living. I repent, and today I make the decision to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ. Give me the power to follow through. I pray this father over this person. I pray that they would sense it whether they're in their car right now in the kitchen, uh, at work, regardless of where they're at. I pray in Jesus name that this would be a solid moment, a moment to remember in their life. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Hey, if you have made that decision, if you have prayed that prayer, then I'm going to encourage you to do two things. Number one, I would encourage you to go to our website or on our app. There's a little link that says my next step. Click on that. We give you some information. But also if you're not a part of a church, find a good Bible believing Christian church that teaches the Word of God and join it and let them know I've made a decision to follow Christ. Help me in my next steps with God.

Let me tell you a little bit about this. God, just in case you have downsized God, I want to tell you about who this God is. I want to give you a couple of his attributes. I want you to understand how powerful he is. The Bible says that God is eternal. That means that this God has no beginning and has no end. There is not a creator to the creator. He's always existed from eternity past. He's always existed. He was here before time, before matter, before space. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the ending. There is nothing before God. God is it. And he will exist until eternity past. The Bible says that God is infinite. That means that there is no limit to his power outside of his own character. The only thing that God cannot do is that which he is determined in his character not to do. God cannot sin, not because it's out of his peripheral to do so, but because he has limited himself in his holiness to not sin. But there is no limit to the power of God. He is limitless in power. He is a limitless, infinite, eternal being. The Bible also tells us that God is self-existent. He is always existed. He does not have a beginning and he does not need anybody else to exist. He is A self-contained God did not create man and man and women because he couldn't live without them. God created them because he chose to create you out of the goodness of his own will. He's not incomplete without you. He existed before we out of the goodness of his pleasure. He created us. And we are his creation, made in the image of God. God is self-sufficient. That means he can exist by himself without anything added to his creation. God is omnipresent, which means he's present everywhere all the time. God is omnipotent, which means that God can do all things that are consistent with his character. He's all powerful. God is omniscient, which means that God never learns. Because God is always known, he is perfect in knowledge. There is no course for God to take. There is no aha moment for God because God is always known. He's perfect in knowledge. He knows all things intricately, deeply, powerfully, from the high to the lowest. God's knowledge is perfect, and God is omniscient in all that he knows. He knows your heart. He knows what you're thinking right now. He knows the crevices of your being. He knows what you thought when you went to bed at night. He knows the desires, the good and the evil that you had. You are transparent to God. There is no veil before the God of the universe. He sees you fully as you are. And not only that, but our God is transcendent. That means that he he is outside of space and time, therefore eternal, unable to be changed by forces within the universe. He is transcendent. He's above time and space and his existence. The Bible tells us that he's immanent, which means that the the idea that he that the creation is forever dependent on God and he's always involved in his creation. The Bible tells us that he's sovereign, which means that he is free. He has created everything. Therefore all things are under his authority and power. Sickness, disease, cancer, heart issues, the economy, wars, governments they are all subject to the almighty power of God. He is sovereign above all things. There is no limit to his authority. He stands at the top of the food chain. He can determine what he can determine when he chooses to determine how things could work. God is faithful. Impartial. Incomprehensible. Righteous. Immutable. What does immutable mean? Immutable means that God cannot change in his nature, his character, and dependability. God is not going to wake up tomorrow and be a different God. He's immutable. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He loves yesterday. He loves today. He loves forever. God is faithful. yesterday, today and forever. He is immutable. You cannot improve upon perfection. He will never change. He is the God that never changes. He is perfect in all that he does. He is dependable and faithful and God is love. You put that much power, that much authority, that much ability, and you combine it with a god. At first John says, God is love. That means that this omnipotent, omniscient, almighty, powerful God in his goodness has reached out to you and me, in our brokenness, in our sin, in our doubts, in our Obstinance. And he said, I love you. He loved us while we were yet sinners. Not after we fixed our life and cleaned up. He loved us in our brokenness. He loved you when no one else loved you. He loved you when people rejected you. He loved you when your mother and father maybe gave up on you. He loved you when you were discarded in a divorce because someone said, I don't love you anymore. I've changed my. No. God still loved you there. God's love is unstoppable. God's love is something that we cannot control. God is love. And then lastly, but not least, God is holy. God is set apart from his creation. There's nothing like unto God. There is no second to God. There is no one that's kind of like God. There's no one that's sort of rivals God. God is holy means separate unto himself in a category by himself, without rival. The Bible says in revelation, when it talks about the throne of God, it says, angels fly around the throne of God day and night with two wings. They cover their face with two wings. They cover their feet, and with the other wings they fly around and they call out to one another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. All the earth is full of his glory. Moses said, show me your glory, Lord. God said, if you were to see all my glory, you would die. I'm too much for you to handle. But he said to Moses, I'll show you as much as you can handle. There are some of you that God is trying to stir up a new holy hunger for him. There's some of you that need to say, God, I want more of you. You've been satisfied by the nibblings of the world, and you felt your spiritual hunger diminish. You used to get excited about coming into the presence of God and open up your Bible and say, speak to me. But it's been a while since you've picked it up with expectation and desire. You should say, Lord, I want to know what you have to say. I can't wait to worship. You know that's diminished a little bit. You filled it with other things. You don't have a driving hunger in your life. Some of you need to say, God, revive that hunger. I want more of you, Jesus. Stir it up inside of me. Make me a hunger and thirst after you. There's other in this auditorium. You don't even know God yet. You've never bowed your knee. You've never surrendered your life. You think that going to church makes you a Christian, but going to church doesn't make you a Christian? Just like going to gym doesn't make you in shape. You put on your church clothes, you said, in the place you sing along with the songs as much as you can, and you think, well, I'm kind of a Christian. No, you're not a Christian. The only way that you're a Christian is when you bow your knee to God and surrender your life in faith and say, my life is not my own. I give my life to you. I surrender to you because you are what I need in life. The Bible calls that being born again and you've been. You may be raised in your church all your life. We heard some testimonies and baptism and never be born again. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian. Surrendering your life to God, realizing that Jesus the Christ is the only mediator between you and a holy, omnipotent, awesome, powerful God that you and I cannot stand before. And if you have never surrendered your life to God, you are not ready to meet God because you would be consumed by his holiness if it weren't for the sacrifice of Jesus that washes you and protects you from the wrath of God, because he takes our sin upon himself and cleanses us. And the Bible calls it justification and makes us just before God. If you've never done that, then you're not a Christian. You may go to a Christian church. You may check a Christian on your Facebook. Uh, whatever you may tell the chaplain when you go to the hospital, what are you denomination? You may say Christian, but I'm going to tell you, you are not a Christian unless the Holy Spirit has come inside of you, wash you, cleanse you, and made you new. So maybe you're listening to this message and you're thinking, you know, pastor, I'm not sure that I'm a Christian. You've been around Christian churches. You may have a Bible in your house. You may believe or have a crucifix on your wall. But if you have never taken the step to trust Jesus the Christ as your only Savior and Lord, and you've never repented and believed and invited him to be Lord of your life, then the Bible says that you're not born again. And this is the most important step of your life. And you can be around religious things, but never have made a faith decision to follow Jesus. So if that's where you're at, I would like to challenge you today to make that decision. I'd like to pray with you. It's not about a prayer. The prayer does not save you. But if you're here and you know that God has been after you, you know that there's a decision that you need to make. Then it's as simple as believing, repenting, and inviting him to be Lord and Savior of your life. And I would like to lead you in a prayer if you know that's the decision that you need to make and just follow after me in this prayer. Dear God, I pray for this person that you have been after for a long time. They feel it in their soul that you have been calling them. They know that there's an emptiness, a vacuum that has existed for a long time. They've tried to fill it with many things, but they realize there's still an emptiness. I pray in Jesus name that today, as they come before you in faith that they would declare with their lips that Jesus, you alone are Lord. That Jesus, I need you. I cannot save myself. You died on the cross to pay a price that I cannot pay. And so, father, I pray today that you would give them the power and the boldness to say, Lord, I submit my life to you. I ask that you would be Lord and Savior of my life. I surrender to you. I invite your Holy Spirit to come inside of me and to change me from the inside out. I turn away from the way that I've been living. I repent, and today I make the decision to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ. Give me the power to follow through. I pray this father over this person. I pray that they would sense it whether they're in their car right now in the kitchen, uh, at work, regardless of where they're at. I pray in Jesus name that this would be a solid moment, a moment to remember in their life. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Hey, if you have made that decision, if you have prayed that prayer, then I'm going to encourage you to do two things. Number one, I would encourage you to go to our website or on our app. There's a little link that says my next step. Click on that. We give you some information. But also if you're not a part of a church, find a good Bible believing Christian church that teaches the Word of God and join it and let them know I've made a decision to follow Christ. Help me in my next steps with God.

All right. Thank you, Mark. And again, that video explaining what it means to become a follower of Jesus is found at Bold Steps. Org hit the connect tab and click on my next step in faith. Well, have you ever asked the question, what on earth am I here for? Mark will help us understand the answer next time, so make plans to join us then in the meantime, we also invite you to visit our website and take advantage of the special faith building resources we have available, like our Bold Step gift, this month's offer is a valuable addition to your Bible study toolkit. While the Bible contains profound truths for our lives, it also presents mysteries that can be difficult to understand. You've likely had questions and sought reliable answers. Well, now you can access expert guidance with Doctor Michael Rudnick's book titled 50 Most Important Bible Questions. Doctor Rudnick, host of Open Line Radio, has spent many years answering Scripture related questions from a wide range of inquirers, from skeptics to seminary students. In his book, he addresses common listener questions, exploring topics such as what is the best Bible translation? Can one lose their salvation? And how can we explain the Trinity? If you've pondered these deep theological questions or want to be prepared to answer others, this book is an essential resource to receive your copy of Doctor Radionics 50 Most Important Bible Questions. Simply make a donation of any amount at bold Steps. Org or call us at 800. D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. And of course you can also send your gift. Through the mail. Our address is bold. Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 606 ten. And one final reminder to check out our Bold Steps app. There you'll find original, unedited sermons from Mark, along with relevant new teaching videos and different ways to connect with the Bold Steps ministry. So open up your App Store and download the Bold Steps app today. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Join us again tomorrow as Mark begins a special new series called What on Earth Am I Here for? Don't miss the start right here on the Tuesday edition of Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

All right. Thank you, Mark. And again, that video explaining what it means to become a follower of Jesus is found at Bold Steps. Org hit the connect tab and click on my next step in faith. Well, have you ever asked the question, what on earth am I here for? Mark will help us understand the answer next time, so make plans to join us then in the meantime, we also invite you to visit our website and take advantage of the special faith building resources we have available, like our Bold Step gift, this month's offer is a valuable addition to your Bible study toolkit. While the Bible contains profound truths for our lives, it also presents mysteries that can be difficult to understand. You've likely had questions and sought reliable answers. Well, now you can access expert guidance with Doctor Michael Rudnick's book titled 50 Most Important Bible Questions. Doctor Rudnick, host of Open Line Radio, has spent many years answering Scripture related questions from a wide range of inquirers, from skeptics to seminary students. In his book, he addresses common listener questions, exploring topics such as what is the best Bible translation? Can one lose their salvation? And how can we explain the Trinity? If you've pondered these deep theological questions or want to be prepared to answer others, this book is an essential resource to receive your copy of Doctor Radionics 50 Most Important Bible Questions. Simply make a donation of any amount at bold Steps. Org or call us at 800. D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. And of course you can also send your gift. Through the mail. Our address is bold. Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 606 ten. And one final reminder to check out our Bold Steps app. There you'll find original, unedited sermons from Mark, along with relevant new teaching videos and different ways to connect with the Bold Steps ministry. So open up your App Store and download the Bold Steps app today. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Join us again tomorrow as Mark begins a special new series called What on Earth Am I Here for? Don't miss the start right here on the Tuesday edition of Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.