Christian Assembly of God

06/09/2026

The Poison of Bitterness
Devotional

Bitterness is like a dandelion w**d in your heart. It starts small - maybe just a tiny seed of hurt or disappointment. But if left unchecked, it develops deep roots that spread throughout your entire life. What began as anger toward one person soon affects your marriage, your friendships, your family relationships, and even your connection with God. The dangerous thing about bitterness is that it never stays contained. It seeps into conversations, colors your perspective, and influences decisions you don't even realize you're making. You might think you're only angry at that one person who hurt you, but bitterness has a way of poisoning everything it touches. The good news is that Jesus came not just to save us from our sins, but to heal our broken hearts. He offers us a different way - a path toward freedom from the poison of bitterness. But this healing requires us to acknowledge the w**d exists and be willing to let God pull it out by the roots, even when the process is painful.

Bible Verse
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

Reflection Question
How has bitterness toward one person or situation begun to affect other relationships in your life?

Quote
Bitterness never stays contained. Bitterness never stays retained.

Prayer
Father, I confess the bitterness I've allowed to take root in my heart. Please pull it out completely and replace it with Your love and grace.

06/08/2026

Hidden wounds don't heal - they grow deeper. Are you carrying bitterness, unforgiveness, or shame in secret? These silent struggles don't just rob your joy, they steal your freedom and can destroy your relationship with God. It's time to bring those wounds into the light.

06/08/2026

Breaking Free from Hidden Wounds
Devotional

We all carry wounds from broken relationships, betrayals, and disappointments. Perhaps it's a friendship that ended badly, a family member who hurt you deeply, or someone who broke your trust. The natural response is to hide these wounds, thinking that keeping them private will protect us from further pain. But here's the truth: hidden wounds don't heal - they grow deeper. When we bury our pain, it doesn't disappear. Instead, it festers like an untreated infection, affecting every area of our lives. That bitterness you're carrying from years ago? It's still influencing how you relate to your spouse, your children, your friends, and even God. The enemy wants you to believe that isolation is safety, but God calls us into the light where true healing begins. Today, consider what wounds you've been hiding. What pain have you convinced yourself is better left buried? God sees it all anyway, and He longs to bring healing to those broken places in your heart.

Bible Verse
“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” - Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)

Reflection Question
What hidden wound in your life has been affecting your relationships more than you'd like to admit?

Quote
Hidden wounds don't heal. Hidden wounds grow deeper.

Prayer
Lord, help me to stop hiding my wounds from You and from others. Give me the courage to bring my pain into Your light where healing can begin.

06/07/2026

Series: Built to Last: God's Design for Love and Relationship
Preacher: Rev. Adam Gosser
Location: Christian Assembly Of God, 175 Port Watson Street, Cortland, New York, 13045

06/05/2026

Unity Through Love's Strength
Devotional

Unity doesn't mean everyone agrees with you about everything. If that were the case, no relationship would ever achieve true unity! Instead, unity means maintaining our commitment to Christ and to each other, even when we see things differently. It's choosing to stay connected through compassion, forgiveness, and patience rather than allowing disagreements to drive us apart. The question isn't whether conflict will come to your relationships - it will. The real question is whether love will be strong enough to hold you together when it does. Love that's rooted in Christ has supernatural staying power. It doesn't give up when things get difficult or walk away when people disappoint us. A church, family, or friendship built on genuine love can survive conflict and even grow stronger through it. But relationships without love will be destroyed by the very conflicts that could have made them stronger. When we're committed to loving each other through disagreements, we discover that our differences don't have to divide us - they can actually help us grow and understand each other more deeply. This kind of unity requires intentional effort and God's help, but it creates relationships that reflect His heart and demonstrate His power to a watching world.

Bible Verse
"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'" - Matthew 18:15-16 (NIV)

Reflection Question
What relationships in your life need the strength of Christ-centered love to hold them together through current or potential conflicts?

Quote
A church built on love can survive conflict. A church without love will be destroyed by it.

Prayer
Father, strengthen my relationships with Your love so they can withstand any conflict that comes. Help me to pursue unity through commitment to You and to others, even when we disagree.

06/04/2026

06/04/2026

Truth and Grace: The Perfect Balance
Devotional

When conflict arises, we often face a false choice: either speak the hard truth and risk hurting someone, or show grace and avoid saying what needs to be said. But biblical love refuses to choose between truth and grace. Instead, it holds both in perfect tension, speaking truth with kindness and extending grace without compromising what's right. Truth without grace can wound deeply, leaving people feeling attacked and defensive. Grace without truth can mislead, allowing harmful patterns to continue unchecked. But when we combine both - speaking honestly about issues while maintaining love and respect for the person - we create space for real healing and growth. Before entering difficult conversations, we must examine our hearts and ask: Am I trying to win this argument, or am I trying to restore this relationship? Am I seeking to prove someone wrong, or am I hoping to win back a brother or sister? Love pursues restoration, not punishment. It asks not "How can I make them pay?" but "How can this relationship be healed?" When we approach conflict with both truth and grace, we mirror the heart of Jesus, who came full of both grace and truth, always seeking to restore what was broken.

Bible Verse
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)

Reflection Question
In your current relationships, are you leaning too heavily toward truth without grace, or grace without truth, and how can you find better balance?

Quote
Biblical love refuses to choose between truth and grace. Truth without grace can wound, and grace without truth can mislead.

Prayer
Jesus, help me to speak truth with grace and extend grace without compromising truth. Give me wisdom to know how to love others well through difficult conversations.

06/03/2026

The Direct Path to Healing
Devotional

When someone hurts us, our natural instincts often lead us in the wrong direction. We want to tell our friends about it, post something cryptic on social media, or gather people to our side. We might even consider leaving the situation entirely. But Jesus gives us a radically different first step: go directly to the person who hurt you. This approach feels counterintuitive because it's vulnerable and requires courage. It's much easier to talk about someone than to talk to them. But Jesus knew that direct, honest conversation is the only path to genuine healing and restoration. When we avoid these conversations, our wounds don't heal - they become infected, leaving deeper and uglier scars. Going directly to someone doesn't mean confronting them in anger or demanding an apology. It means approaching them with a heart that seeks understanding and restoration. It means being willing to listen to their perspective and share your own with grace and truth. This biblical approach protects relationships from the poison of gossip and gives both parties the opportunity to work toward genuine reconciliation. The direct path isn't always the easiest path, but it's the one that leads to true healing and stronger relationships.

Bible Verse
"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over." - Matthew 18:15 (NIV)

Reflection Question
Is there a conversation you've been avoiding that God might be calling you to have directly with someone who has hurt you?

Quote
The first step that Jesus gives us, is not gossip. The first step is not gathering some allies. The first step is not leaving the church. The first step is GO directly to the person that you feel hurt by.

Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to have the difficult conversations You're calling me to have. Help me approach others with a heart that seeks restoration, not revenge.

06/02/2026

Conflict: The Growing Pains of Love
Devotional

Many people believe that healthy relationships are conflict-free zones where everyone always gets along perfectly. This couldn't be further from the truth. Conflict isn't a red flag signaling a broken relationship - it's actually a normal part of any growing, authentic relationship. Think about the closest relationships in your life. Whether it's your marriage, family, or friendships, you've likely experienced disagreements, misunderstandings, or hurt feelings. This doesn't mean your relationships are failing; it means they're real and growing. Even the strongest marriages, deepest friendships, and healthiest churches experience conflict. The key difference isn't the absence of conflict but how we handle it when it comes. Do we run away, attack, or find a biblical way to work through our differences? When we understand that conflict is normal, we can stop being surprised by it and start preparing for it. We can learn to see disagreements as opportunities for deeper understanding and stronger bonds rather than threats to our relationships. God doesn't call us to perfect relationships without any bumps in the road. He calls us to love through the bumps, growing stronger and more unified on the other side.

Bible Verse
"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." - Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)

Reflection Question
How might your perspective on conflict change if you viewed it as a normal part of growing relationships rather than a sign of failure?

Quote
Conflict isn't a sign of a broken relationship. It's a normal part of a growing relationship.

Prayer
Father, help me to see conflict not as something to fear but as an opportunity to grow closer to others through Your love and grace. Teach me to handle disagreements with wisdom and patience.

06/01/2026

When conflict hits, you have a choice: build walls or build bridges? Love doesn't seek revenge—it pursues healing. Just like God chose redemption over rejection when we rebelled against Him. What will you choose in your next conflict?