Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

Sometimes it seems like being a Christian is like a book sitting on a shelf. You may wait your entire life waiting for someone to take you off the shelf and read what you have to offer! But Pastor Jeff reminds you that it's vitally important to be ready for the time when people around you are ready to look towards Christ! When that moment comes for your family member, your coworker, or your neighbor, will you be ready to be the light of Christ for them? Or will your flame be hidden under a lamp?

No one said the fiery furnace is a fun experience! But just like raw ore is smelted to purify the valuable metals within, God allows us to be burned sometimes so that our souls can be purified. Pastor Jeff teaches us today that when we go through a fiery furnace, God causes the things that aren't of Him to be burned away. If we hold on to those things that should be burned away, we will be burned ourselves. But if we allow God to purify us, we will look more and more like Him with each passing day. 

Even though we face opposition every day, we shouldn't assume that every person we encounter has evil in their heart! Pastor Jeff reminds us today that many of the people around us are just resentful because they've been following the ways of this world. People can see that we are walking in the freedom of Christ, and sometimes that causes a negative reaction! We should always remember that the people we meet in the world are lost souls in need of God's love and treat them with compassion, not resentment.

I'd dare to say that none of us listening to this message today have been commanded to bow down in front of a false idol, under threat of being thrown into a fiery furnace! However, Pastor Jeff reminds us today that we are surrounded by a culture that wants us to conform to be accepted. We should not bow down to the world's pressure, but instead, let us stand strong in the name of Jesus! We know from God's Word that He will deliver us from any punishment the world tries to hit us with.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns us that we will hear about wars and rumors of wars in the last days, but we should not be afraid, because God is with us! Well, sure enough, it seems like every few months, a new conflict is starting somewhere in this world, and other parts of the world feel like a pressure cooker waiting to explode! But Pastor Jeff reminds us today that when we look at the Bible's prophetic words, we can find peace, because none of today's chaos comes as a surprise to God!

Whenever I'm on a long road trip, the hardest part of the journey is usually in the last couple of hours before I reach my destination. I've been going for so long, but my destination feels so far away! But then, something clicks, and I get a second wind as I begin to think of the rest that awaits me! Pastor Jeff reminds us today that when the hope of Heaven takes place in our hearts, we become equipped to endure this world! The Gospel gives us that second wind, as we look forward to our eternal reward!

What happens to a flower when you pluck it from its roots? It may stay in bloom for a short amount of time, but before long, it will dry up and die, unless you provide it with water and nutrients from a different source. In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that you are one of God's flowers, and the only source of life that can truly sustain you is the vine of His Word. When you become separated from the vine, you seek sustenance from other sources, but they can't give you lasting fullness.

The world around us is lost in darkness! The culture outside keeps telling us to assimilate, to join them in darkness. But in today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds us to be more like Daniel! He was not afraid to stand against King Nebuchadnezzar's influence, and he was able to introduce the king to the one true God because of his faithfulness! We'll learn that if we remain faithful to God, we may experience resistance from this world, but we'll also find opportunities to make a great impact for the Kingdom!

Some experts estimate that just under thirty percent of the world's population is Christian, but that still leaves us with another seventy percent that don't follow Jesus! That adds up to over five billion lost souls! Pastor Jeff wants us to recognize Daniel's courage to stand firm against King Nebuchadnezzar's influence. We should learn to follow his example in this modern world, not letting ourselves be swayed by the world and its temptations. Let's allow ourselves to be transformed by Christ!

The book of Daniel begins on a somber note, as we see thousands of Israelites sent into exile in Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah had dedicated his life to warning people about what would happen if they stopped following God's commandments, but the consequences came either way. Now, Pastor Jeff wants you to understand the background of Daniel's story, so that you can be even more amazed by how he trusted in the Lord and was given favor by God to become the king's trusted advisor!  

The first decision you make every day is one of the most important decisions you will make all day. The world around you is full of distractions, and they all scream for your attention when you first wake up for the day. But Pastor Jeff reminds you that if you want to honor God with everything you have, the best way to start your morning is to get right into the Word of God so you can meditate on its wisdom throughout the day! Take advantage of every chance you get to put God first in your life.

We're not meant to know how to fix every problem in this life, and that's OK, because it's fine to ask for help sometimes! There are people with different skills and different experiences who can help you solve the problems you're facing! Pastor Jeff teaches you today that no matter the problem you're confronted with, you can always ask the Lord for help. It's an act of humility to recognize that you don't have all the answers and ask your Heavenly Father to guide you as you plan your next steps.

Living in God's Holiness is something that we cannot do on our own. The majority of us cannot get through a single day without sinning in one way or another. But when that happens, God doesn't want us to wallow in self-pity and regress to our old nature. Pastor Jeff teaches us today that the process of sanctification happens one step at a time. Becoming more like Jesus isn't a short sprint; it is a marathon that will take us our entire lives to run. There is a great reward awaiting us at the end!

By today's standards, Moses would probably have been considered a difficult preacher to listen to. He did not mince words when it came to calling out the people of Israel for their sinful behavior. He desired to see his people live in God's favor, as they were pressing on to the land that God had promised to them. In today's message, Pastor Jeff wants you to recognize that a spiritually robust Bible teacher will not sugarcoat Scripture, because God's Word demands to be taken seriously.

We're all familiar with the law of gravity! If we throw something up in the air, it will eventually come back down. But what we don't see in the world of physics is a scenario where that object is somehow heavier when it comes back down! In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches us about the concept of sowing and reaping in our giving. When we give to the Lord, He multiplies our gifts and saves them up for us to receive in Heaven. Our giving is a wise investment in the Kingdom of God!

The gifts you give to the Kingdom of God don't always have to be straight cash. Maybe you can coordinate a donation of groceries to your local food bank, or you're able to take a day off from work to go visit young adults in juvenile detention, just like those people who came and shared the Gospel with Pastor Jeff many years ago. In today's message, Pastor Jeff wants you to know that doing the work of the Kingdom will never be free. But whatever you give up now will be returned to you in Heaven!

What if I told you today that God doesn't need your money? The Lord could compel even the richest person in the world to give all of their money to the poor if He were concerned about the number of dollars in someone's bank account. But Pastor Jeff reminds us today that God doesn't want us to give out of fear or some sense of obligation. He wants us to give as a form of worship! When we give back to the Lord, we are thanking Him for the gift of salvation, and building up His Kingdom here on Earth!

I'm sure there's a time where you've felt that if you had one more hour in your day, you could get a lot more done! But the truth is that each day only has a limited amount of time, and we don't get to experience every single thing this life has to offer. Pastor Jeff reminds us today that this same rule applies to how we spend our money. If we spend all of our disposable income on worldly things, we will belong to this world. But if we want to belong to Jesus, we should make the Kingdom a priority in our finances!

How does Ebenezer Scrooge react when he wakes up on Christmas morning in A Christmas Carol? Does he go right back to his old habits? No! He's a completely changed man, and the people who meet him can hardly believe it's the same Scrooge! Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that you're a bit of a Scrooge yourself. When you are reborn in Christ, you have a responsibility not to just go back to the way you lived before. You're called to live a new kind of life: one that is devoted to Christ!   

When will you take God's warnings seriously? All throughout Scripture, the Lord warns that He will not allow those with sinful hearts to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. That means that, if you were to face His judgment on your own merit, you would not be allowed access into His heavenly kingdom.  But Pastor Jeff wants you to remember today that there is a way for you to be adopted into God's family. Jesus' gift of grace covers over all of your sins and marks you as one of God's own beloved children. 

When the Titanic sank, hundreds of people escaped in lifeboats, waiting for aid to arrive from other ocean liners nearby. But imagine if someone had just witnessed the catastrophic end of the Titanic, but refused the help of the other ships that came to their rescue! That's what Pastor Jeff tells us today about those who reject Jesus' salvation. There is no excuse for us to refuse the help that is offered to us when there is no other way we can escape the dark and cold waters of this sinful world. 

In The Lord of the Rings, the first line we hear from Gandalf the Grey is, “A wizard is never late, nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.” Now, even though this line is meant to be humorous, it does teach us something about God's timing. See, Jesus could have arrived in time to heal Lazarus before he died. By human standards, He was too late. But Pastor Jeff reminds us today that God isn't subject to our timeline. He doesn't show up when we expect Him, He comes when we need Him. 

In culinary school, students learn that a sharp knife in the hands of a skilled user is much safer than a dull knife in the hands of a novice. After all, a sharp knife will cut through things with less resistance, and the skill of a chef will help make sure that the knife is only making the cuts it needs to. In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that God is immensely skilled at pruning the vines and the branches in our lives. He knows just how to cut and trim us so that we can grow back even stronger in our faith.

We take electricity for granted in today's world. Generally speaking, when we plug something into a power outlet, it has the power to do what we need it to do. But if there's a power outage, we will no longer have access to the power that lights our homes, powers our televisions, and charges our mobile devices. In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that you cannot produce good spiritual fruit if you're not plugged into the source of all life! You must attach yourself to the true vine of Christ. 

When an artist gets ready to paint their masterpiece, they start with just a blank canvas. Every single brushstroke of the master artisan comes together to create a beautiful work of art. In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that Jesus is the master artist behind all of Creation. Because all life came from Him, we must also turn to Him in order to receive the gift of eternal life. We do not control this source, so we must do what Jesus asks of us to gain access to His gift of life. 

Many ancient cultures would bury their dead with all of their prized worldly possessions, so that they could take those things with them into the next life. But the Bible tells us that no one can take anything with them out of this life. When Pastor Jeff tells you that you don't need any kind of riches or wealth to get into Heaven, he means it! Jesus cares about the status of your heart, not the size of your checkbook. God has the whole world in the palm of His hand, but what He really wants is a relationship with you.

Have you ever tried to get a tough stain out of a piece of clothing? Some of these stains can take several washes with different cleaning products to remove, and even then, there may be a tiny bit of the stain remaining, even after all that work. But Pastor Jeff is here today to remind you that Jesus removes the greatest stain of all time from your life! While sin left a permanent mark on your life that no work of man could possibly undo, Jesus died so that the stain of sin could be taken away from you!

You've probably spent your whole life being told that we're in the “last days”. Frankly, after a few years, this warning probably starts to make you sigh and roll your eyes. But in today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds us that we really are in the last days! These last days began when Jesus rose from the dead, and the era we have been in for the last two thousand years is a time of grace. The gates of Heaven are wide open for anyone to call on the name of Jesus and be saved from their sin.

Have you ever loved someone so much that you're willing to give up your life for them? Most of us won't have to put that kind of love to the test, but Jesus' love for humanity was put to the test on the cross. By allowing Himself to be punished for the sin of humanity, He bought freedom for all those who will follow Him. Jesus wants to be your Good Shepherd, and Pastor Jeff teaches you today that if you allow Him to come into your life, He will take you through the trials of life and lead you to still waters.

When we accept Jesus into our lives, we get transformed into new creations! In John chapter 3, Jesus told the rabbi Nicodemus that to enter into God's presence, he had to be born again. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that this isn't a physical process of rebirth, but a spiritual one. Instead of rehabilitating and reforming your old nature, Jesus puts that old nature to death and replaces it with one that has been made righteous by His blood! The old has passed away, and the new has come!

God's voice is constantly calling out to you like a radio signal. You will only hear it if you tune your heart to hear His frequency. When your heart is out of alignment with God's voice, you're likely to hear the enemy's voice of deception, and you might be led astray by his lies. But Pastor Jeff encourages you that when you focus your eyes on the Word of God, you will learn about God's true character and be able to discern His voice from the noise of the world. He wants you to be comforted by His words.

We're not meant to go through every door that is open to us in this life. Some doors may look attractive on the outside, but in reality, they lead us into sin and destruction. In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches us that the doors that God places before us will help us grow in His presence. The challenges that await us on the other side of that door will help us produce the fruit of the Spirit, and overcoming those challenges will make us less likely to fall for Satan's tricks, since we have gone through the door of salvation.

When you're at an intersection, and the traffic light turns green, do you just sit there and rejoice that it's your turn to go? Do you sit there and thank God for turning the light green? Well, of course not! That green light is your signal to go, so you go! In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that once you are in Christ, it's not enough to just stay where you are, even if you are celebrating your newfound freedom. You have been set free for a purpose: to spread the light of freedom to those who are still lost.

When you make a wrong turn, do you just keep heading in the wrong direction toward the wrong destination? Of course not! You find a safe place to turn around and continue on your journey in the right direction. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that no matter how far you've drifted from God's will for your life, all you need to do to get back on track is to repent of your sin and turn back towards the Lord's presence. Spend time in God's Word, and He will begin to work healing miracles in your soul.

Jesus had to endure the absolute worst of humanity. Not only did He come face-to-face with every form of sin, but He was also subjected to some of the worst torture that humans could come up with. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Jesus spilled blood seven times as He stood tall against sin. But in all of the pressure He faced, Jesus never resorted to sinful anger. The same strength that helped Jesus endure the violence of this world is available to you today, as you endure trials in your own life.

There are few things in this world more powerful and mysterious than light. The more we learn about light, the more questions we end up asking about it. In today's message, Pastor Jeff wants you to recognize that Jesus is the light of the world, and that has so many meanings that are applicable to us today. He shines through the darkness to help us navigate through life, but He also gives us a beacon to follow, so that even those who are far from Him can find their way into His loving presence.

If you've ever tended a garden, you know the most important thing to do to help your plants grow is to ensure they have a good environment. The right combination of soil, water, and sunlight can turn your backyard from a patch of grass into a bountiful garden! But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that your soul is also a kind of plant that needs to be cared for. If you want to produce the fruit of the Spirit, you need to be rooted in God's Word, the source of all goodness, truth, and love.

The most devoted music fans won't just see their favorite artist when they play a show in their city, they'll travel hundreds of miles to see them perform in different cities, or even different countries! Now, Pastor Jeff wants you to imagine what it's like to pursue Christ just like a superfan pursues their favorite artist. What is Jesus asking of you today? Are you willing to lay everything down to draw closer to Him? Whatever you give up to follow Him today will be returned to you a hundred times over in Heaven.

In 1859, Charles Blondin accomplished the impossible by crossing over Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He made this crossing many times, and he even crossed with someone riding on his back! Can you imagine trusting someone with your life like that? Well, Jesus asks you to trust Him with all of that and more, but He doesn't leave you to make those decisions alone. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Jesus gives you all the assurance you need in God's Word. You can trust Him with everything!

The reason that faith is able to protect you from all of Satan's attacks is that it doesn't come from you! The enemy knows how to exploit your willpower, your resolve, and your intellect. But Pastor Jeff is here today to remind you that when you have faith, you are given supernatural protection! The enemy can't harm you because he can't even touch you! As a child of God, you are given the shield of faith that will knock aside every single one of Satan's schemes. His attacks bounce off of that holy shield!

Throughout the Bible, God has called people to give their very lives to receive a greater reward in Heaven. If you study Church history for even a brief moment, you will read story after story of people who faithfully answered this call. Now, Pastor Jeff isn't trying to tell you that you will be forced to choose between the Gospel and your own life! But there will come a time when following Jesus will cost you something, and choosing to remain faithful to Him will grant you a greater reward in Heaven!

When you're stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway, the only way to get out of traffic is to take an exit or to stay the course and wait to get through the bottleneck. But when we're facing a trial in our walk with Christ, we don't always get to choose how we overcome it! In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches us that sometimes God rescues us from the difficult times we are facing. But there are also times when His deliverance manifests as a supernatural strength to endure and outlast our trials. 

Have you actually seen how water slides off a duck's back? Duck feathers are naturally waterproof, thanks to a special oil that the duck's body produces. It creates a shield that stops water from soaking through their outer feathers into the interior layers of down feathers. In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that when you have the shield of faith, God protects you from the enemy's attacks against your peace! Satan's missiles will bounce and slide off of you like water off a duck's back. 

One of the best descriptions of God's peace is found in Psalm 23. When we're at peace, we have everything we need thanks to our Good Shepherd. He leads us to still waters and green pastures, and He protects us from our enemies, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches us today that Satan is trying to destroy every element of that peace that we have in the Lord. He stands against every good thing the Lord has given us in this life.

The saying goes that you become like the people you surround yourself with. If your closest friends lead you into sinful actions, or they distract you from pursuing God, the best thing you can do to take care of your soul is to walk away from those friendships! Pastor Jeff reminds you today that a true, Godly friend will encourage you as you chase after the Lord's holiness. The pain of losing those ungodly friendships is only going to be temporary, but the reward for following Jesus is eternal life!

If you watch a professional demolish a wall with a sledgehammer, they make it look easy! Just a few swings of the hammer, and the whole wall is knocked down. But when you go to pick up the hammer for yourself, you realize it's much heavier than you thought, and knocking down that wall becomes harder than it looked. Well, in today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that the strongholds in our lives are built out of the heavy bricks of lies. You can't knock down those walls without God's divine strength! 

One of the ways that false teachers try to deceive you is to disguise their untrue doctrine with the words of the Bible. The Jehovah's Witnesses use a lot of the same vocabulary found in the Bible, but its meaning is twisted beyond recognition for human gain, while the Mormons try to elevate the Book of Mormon to the same level of honor as the Bible itself! Pastor Jeff reminds you to be aware of wolves in sheep's clothing, and to learn God's Word for yourself so you can defend yourself against false teachers. 

Moses could have spent his entire life without giving a single thought to the plight of his fellow Israelites. He lived the life of a prince and had access to all of the riches in Egypt. While you and I probably didn't grow up in royalty, we similarly have the opportunity to live for worldly things. But Pastor Jeff teaches us today that to live a truly fulfilling life, we need to reject the riches of this world! When we leave all that behind to obey the Lord, we establish a place for ourselves in His eternal Kingdom!

Everyone knows that a boomerang is supposed to come back to you when you throw it, but have you actually tried it for yourself? It turns out that it takes some practice to properly throw that boomerang without it crashing to the ground. Today, Pastor Jeff teaches you about the story of Moses and how his life began with a giant act of faith! His mother placed her newborn son in a basket on the Nile River, entrusting him to God, and was soon rewarded as Pharaoh's daughter enlisted her to care for her own son!

If you've ever been in a large community, you've probably noticed people naturally congregate in smaller groups and form their own little cliques within the larger group. We see this a lot in high schools, but it can happen anywhere, even in the Body of Christ! In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds us not to show favoritism in the body of Christ. All of us are designed to fulfill a specific purpose, and that means we are all important and valuable! No believer is worth more than their brother or sister.

We don't always get to know how our actions will affect future generations of believers. Even in the small tasks we do to serve the Lord every day, He is planting seeds around us that can grow to produce fantastic fruit! In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches us about Phoebe and how Paul sent her to the Roman church with the letter that became the book of Romans. Without Phoebe's faithful journey, one of the most important theological books of the New Testament might never have been written!