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What Keeps God from Breaking His Promises?

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Workaholics: The Modern Lazy Man

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Love Without Hypocrisy

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Why is the Bible so Boring?

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Incomparable Mercy

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Where is your Heart Planted?

Are you soaking in the Word of God or are you filling your heart with worldly and sinful entertainment? The man who delights in the Law of the Lord is blessed!
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The God Who Provides

God provides for you. He is a good and gracious Father, He is the Good Shepherd who gives us all we need. 
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The Power of Hope in the Face of Death

Death is not the end. We have hope in the resurrection! We grieve when we lose those we love but take heart, we will meet again in the presence of our Savior!
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Waiting feels like weakness, but it takes more courage than action. Trusting God means letting go of control—will you dare to wait?

Wait:
Trusting God When Action Feels Easier 

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Pastor Phil Bray
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"God keeps you. He holds you. He strengthens you. Isaiah 41:10 is such a refreshing promise: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God." ​

He Keeps Me:
The God Who Keeps You From Falling

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Pastor Phil Bray
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I Am With You
Finding Comfort in the Presence of Christ
We are never truly alone, Jesus gives us a glorious promise in Matthew 28. He is with us.
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Pastor Phil Bray
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Confession or Concealment?
​The Follow of Concealment and the Mercy of Repentance
There is freedom in confessing your sin and abandoning it. Christ offers forgiveness to all who seek it.
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Pastor Phil Bray
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The Battle For Your Mind
​Whatcha Thinking About?
We fill our minds with content all day long. Are we making sure to fill our minds with that which glorifies God?
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Pastor Phil Bray
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Stay alert! Stay vigilant! The enemy is prowling around like a lion seeking whom he may devour. You must keep a ready sword as you journey to the promise land. 

The Danger of Security:
Staying Vigilant Against Subtle Temptations 

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Why do we fail to accomplish our resolutions almost every year? Pastor Phil Bray offers both the answer to this question and a path forward for success in 2025. 

From Resolution to Results: How a Clear Plan Beats Pure Will Power in Achieving Lasting Change

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Scrolling... Endlessly

 How many hours do we spend scrolling, allowing our eyes to drift lazily across a sea of mindless drivel and triviality? We have become so accustomed to slipping our phone out of our pocket the moment we experience the least bit of unfocused concentration. At the first glimmer of boredom our phones slip into our hands without us even realizing we have pulled it out.  

​How do we break this habit that so often brings great distraction to our life?
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More Than What's Under the Tree
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As parents, it’s wonderful to see your kids get excited about presents, and about Christmas in general, but as Christians, we must also recognize our responsibility to help guide and focus their energy and attention to something more than what’s under the tree.
 
I’d like to offer a very simple framework to help our kids – and ourselves – think about what really makes Christmas special.
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Rediscovering Reverence by Phil Bray

Christmas is so much more than a time to receive or even give gifts. Our culture has made Christmas a time of indulgence for worldly treasures. But it is more than that, it is a time to reflect on the greatest gift of all; Christ's death on our behalf, the gift of righteousness and eternal life. 
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Gladness in God by Phil Bray
​The instrument by which God gladdens the heart of his people is His presence. His presence in our lives is what gladdens our hearts! Our abundant gladness is the act of God, the work of God in our lives. The means by which he fills us up to overflowing with gladness is by drawing near to us. God is who makes us glad.
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An Unseen War by Phil Bray
What really happens in the unseen world? How must we prepare to face the unseen workers of destruction? Peter commands us to be alert because "Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." So, what must we do to be alert?
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Prioritizing Relationships by Phil Bray
Priorities matter. What we prioritize as most important is what we spend our time doing. Many times those priorities are unconsciously held. We are often not even aware of what we value most in life, what we believe will bring about the most gladness to our hearts and lives.
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God's Steadying Hand by Phil Bray
Do you ever grow weary in the slog that is the Christian life? God is able to hold us fast, to keep us steady, stable, and firm. We must rely on Him for our strength!
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Politics and Peace by Phil Bray
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How should we engage with politics as believers? How do we do this in a way that honors God and shows we love our neighbors? 
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Washing by Phil Bray
​Everyday we are steeped in the dirt of the world, we must return to God's Word daily to wash the filth of the world off of us so that we look more like Christ. 
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GIVING - Communion with God
by Phil Bray
What does it look like to live in the presence of God, practically speaking? Is giving related to loving God and is it required in order to know God? 
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HOPE by Phil Bray
Where is hope in the midst of pain and suffering?  Jesus' words help us look beyond suffering into glorious light and the promise of paradise with Him.
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PARENTING SERIES | PART 1  |  PART 2
by Andy Brown
This two-part series gives insight into Biblical parenting and offers encouraging guidance to any parent looking to be a better parent.
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Praying is communion with God. Do you struggle to pray or how to pray? Is how you pray related to how God answers prayer? READ ARTICLE to discover why and how praying can impact your relationship with God.
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Pursuing God is an activity that should characterize our entire life. Jesus prayed to the Father, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). He defines eternal life as knowing God. Eternal life is living in relationship with God. READ ARTICLE
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God loves me! Does that seem like a foreign concept to you? Maybe that is hard to believe. It is easier to doubt that God loves you than to be confidently assured that you are deeply and joyfully loved by God isn’t it? Why is that? Why do we doubt God’s love? Why are we in such desperate need of assurance?  
READ ARTICLE
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WHAT IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE?
Spiritual warfare is not a mere metaphor or symbolic concept; it is a very real battle that affects every aspect of
our lives and the lives of those around us. READ ARTICLE
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HOW DO I FOLLOW JESUS?
Following Jesus can be hard. Not hard in the sense of complex or complicated, but following Jesus can be hard in the sense of not knowing exactly how to do it. READ ARTICLE
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PARENTING YOUNG CHILDREN
There is no shortage of parenting tips and resources, and one can get lost in the rules and the advice.  It’s better to focus on fundamentals and do a few things well than many things poorly. With this idea in mind, READ ARTICLE​
HOPEFORMACON.COM is a ministry of Macon First Baptist Church
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (660) 385-3714
302 North Rutherford Street
​Macon MO 63552
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(c) 2024 Macon First Baptist Church

  • Home
  • About
    • What We Believe
    • SUNDAY GROUPS
    • LIFEGROUPS >
      • Children >
        • BOLT 2025/26 >
          • Register kids for BOLT
      • Students
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      • Church Connect App
    • HOMEGROUPS
    • COMMUNITY CARE
    • PASTORS & STAFF
    • GIVE
    • HOW CAN WE HELP?
  • TEACHING
    • YouTube Channel
    • Articles
    • Podcasts
  • Bookstore
  • 2025 Reading Plan!