Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

Following after Jesus is hard! It's not just a one-time decision we make, but a series of thousands of tiny decisions we make every day. Pastor Jeff is here today with a message of encouragement. He wants to remind you that even when you slip back into sin, it's easy to get back on the right path. We as humans can't live up to God's standard of perfection, but what we are asked to do is just to strive to be more like Jesus every day. The change we are seeking in our lives will come slowly over time.

What would you think if the tomato plants in your garden produced grapes? Or if an apple tree at your local orchard started growing carrots? The fact is that a plant cannot produce fruit that doesn't match what it is designed to produce in its DNA. In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that the fruit that you bear in your life is indicative of the state of your soul. The Fruit of the Spirit is an outward sign of the new life that the Holy Spirit has created in the depths of your heart.

A lot of us have people we consider to be “friends”, but when we think about our relationship with those friends, we realize that our friendship is pretty shallow! Maybe we only connected over a mutual hobby, or we haven't taken the time to get to know them on a deeper level. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches us today that one of the things we have to do as Godly friends is to love them in the way that God loves us. That means that we don't just love our friends, but we have the courage to speak the truth to them. 

These days, there are all kinds of people online ready to sell you on a get-rich-quick scheme. And unfortunately, many of those grifters come from within the Church! Pastor Jeff warns you today about those Biblical teachers who claim that God will multiply your financial gifts. Your goal with giving should not be to increase your own wealth, but you should give out of a cheerful heart and a desire to see God's Kingdom established here on this Earth! After all, you can't take money to Heaven.

Have you ever heard a preacher on the radio or on TV, telling you that if you have faith, you will be blessed with riches and shiny new toys? Well, Pastor Jeff is here to remind you today that those teachers are bending God's Word to fit their own agendas! What the Bible actually promises is that if you have faith in God, you will be blessed by His Presence. The Word of God reminds you that material wealth can be a dangerous trap if you allow it to take priority over your loyalty to the Kingdom of God.

When you're driving on the freeway, you can't just exit the road whenever you want! More often than not, there are barriers and obstacles that stop you from driving off a highway back into regular traffic, so you are forced to take a designated off-ramp. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that life is a journey with only two possible destinations, and you have to choose which one you will travel to. One of them leads to eternal destruction, and the other one leads to eternal life. There is no third option. 

It is perfectly normal for those of us who follow Jesus to wish that all people would be saved. After all, how could a loving God allow someone to go to hell, to spend eternity in torment? Well, Pastor Jeff reminds us today that we need to put away our feelings when it comes to God's Word. We can't twist the Word to fit our own desires; we must allow the Word to shape our minds and our hearts. The teachings of universalism come from a well-meaning heart, but they have no Scriptural foundation.

It's important to be vigilant about the kind of people you allow into your life. What kind of fruit does their life produce? Are they really living for the Lord, or are they claiming to live for Him while doing the exact opposite? Pastor Jeff warns you today that one of the easiest ways to allow the enemy access to your life is to allow lukewarm Christians into your life. When you let your guard down, Satan gets the opportunity to work his way into your life and sow lies and false teachings in your heart.

If you ever feel useless, one of the best things you can do is recognize that God has placed you in your current situation for a reason. He doesn't make mistakes, and His plans for your life are going to look a lot different than the plans you may have for yourself. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the world will try to make you feel unimportant and insignificant. But if you quiet your mind and listen to the Holy Spirit's voice, you will become aware of the peace you feel in the center of God's will.

Sometimes it can feel good to turn your brain off. Just going through your everyday life can feel like drinking water from a firehose, as information sprays at you way faster than you can process it. But Pastor Jeff warns you that when it comes to spiritual experiences, you can never be too careful. There are false teachers out there who want you to believe that they have a special revelation from God, but if that revelation isn't based in Scripture, then they are spreading a corrupt message!

You know, sometimes I take a slightly different route on my way home from work, just so I can see a part of the city I'm not used to. Sometimes, I switch up the seasonings in my favorite meal, or try a little bit more cream in my coffee. Variety and novelty can be a good thing! But in today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds us that seeking new spiritual experiences can lead us down a dangerous road. The novelty of a mystical encounter with Jesus cannot take priority over the study of God's Word!

As a follower of Jesus, you are uniquely equipped to preach His truth into the darkness of this world! In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that there are many teachings and ideologies in today's culture that cause people to believe false things about themselves. They base their identities on something that isn't true! But when you draw your identity from God's Word and what Jesus says about you, it gives you the ability to be a light that brings hope to this world full of confusion and uncertainty!

These days, more people are concerned with the narrative of the oppressor and the oppressed than ever before. Everything that exists in this world has to fit into one of those two categories, and that can require a lot of ideological leaps and broad generalizations. In today's message, Pastor Jeff will warn you about the pitfalls of woke ideology and remind you that true justice can only come from the Lord. Do not let your concern for social justice overcome your hunger for the things of God.

If you've been listening to the past few messages from Pastor Jeff, you will remember that God has full and perfect knowledge of the future. Pastor Jeff teaches us today that this concept of foreknowledge actually fixes one of the main points of tension we can have with Calvinism. God predestines us to be saved, but that is only because He knows before we are even born that we will accept Jesus' gift of salvation! That's why predestination and free will don't necessarily contradict each other.

Ironically enough, patience is a virtue that you build up over time. Especially in today's society, it's too easy to get anything you want exactly when you want it. If you look hard enough, the next thing you want or need is available with free two-day shipping. But Pastor Jeff reminds you that the patience that the Lord gives you is built slowly over time. Learning to follow Jesus is a deliberate process that can't be rushed. But the good news is that every day you stick with it, that process becomes easier.

Did you know that you have something in your heart that Satan wants? It's not something that he wants for himself; it's something that he wants to rip out of you and destroy. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the moment that God's Word took root in your heart, you became the enemy's target. You may face demonic attacks in this life because the enemy's goal is for you to allow the blossoming Word of God to die in your heart. It's something that you need to protect with everything you have.

Sometimes, we think that God is treating people unfairly. Why are some people blessed more than others? Why is this righteous person facing a trial, while their neighbor is being rewarded for sinful behavior? Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God works in ways that may not seem immediately “fair” to us humans. However, God is always working in ways that will direct glory back towards His name. We don't always understand His actions, but we can understand His end goal. 

When you read in God's Word that He knows your actions before you know you will do them, does it make you feel a bit like a robot? Like, your decisions aren't really your own? Well, Pastor Jeff wants to calm that fear today. See, God's knowledge of your present, your past, and your future doesn't rob you of your free will! It just means that God knows exactly what you will do with the free will you have been given. The Father can read your life like a book, and He read the ending before you were even born.

If you went to a mechanic in your town and realized they didn't know how to do a simple repair to your car, would you still go back to that mechanic the next time you needed work done? Would you shop at a grocery store where they put fresh produce in the dairy section? Well, Pastor Jeff is here to tell you today that if God truly cannot see the future, then He isn't truly God! The pitfall of open theism is that it denies God's knowledge of the future, and it reduces Him to a powerful but clueless figure.

Our culture today is all about winners and losers. People skip to the end of debates to see whose argument prevailed. They cheer on their favorite sports team, and then act like it's the end of the world when they don't win the championship. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that the Lord doesn't ask you to seek victory over false teachers. Instead, God's Word tells you to challenge a false teacher, and if they won't repent and turn away from their false doctrine, to turn away yourself, and avoid their influence.

Would you rather listen to a teacher who makes you feel good about your life, or one who warns you about places where you might stumble or be deceived? Well, Pastor Jeff is here today to be a teacher who warns! We're going to begin a series on false teachings that can sway people away from the way of Jesus. What we're going to learn is that the New Testament is packed with warnings about how to recognize a false teacher and what to do when they begin to infiltrate our community of believers. 

When the Bible says that God sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies, that means that He has already gone before us to prepare the way for us. Sometimes it can feel like we are walking through this life alone, like no one is watching out for us. But Pastor Jeff reminds us that we have a God who cares about us and is looking out for us. If you're feeling alone as you walk through a difficult season, it may just well be because God is preparing the path ahead of you to give you rest!

What would you do if you got a phone call from an attorney, letting you know that a distant relative left you an inheritance of ten thousand dollars with no strings attached? Even that amount of money can be life-changing in the right circumstances. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that while money is a useful thing to have, it is not the thing that will bring you last happiness in this life. There are rich people who never seem to have enough, but the riches found in God's Word will satisfy your soul.

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.

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. 

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 that all behind to obey the Lord, we establish a place for ourselves in His eternal Kingdom!

One of the three essential elements to building a strong spiritual root system is reading God's Word! The Bible wasn't just written for people two thousand years ago; it is full of wisdom that is relevant to you and me today! Pastor Jeff teaches us that we can never learn too much from God's Word. Every day that we open our Bibles, we are opening new opportunities to hear from our Heavenly Father. The Lord has already given us all of the tools we need to succeed in this world, and it starts with His Word.

Trees can grow extremely deep and complex root systems! These roots help anchor trees to the ground, but are also useful to draw moisture from deep underground. These root systems can even stretch down hundreds of feet, depending on the environment! Well, Pastor Jeff wants to teach you in today's message that your faith in Jesus is a lot like a tree. With weak, shallow roots, your faith can be uprooted in a mild breeze. But with deeper roots, you will be able to withstand strong storms.

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!

In the documentary Free Solo, a rock climber named Alex Honnold (HAWN-old) performs the first-ever free solo climb of El Capitan, a three-thousand-foot-tall rock in Yosemite National Park. He has to have complete certainty of his abilities because he has no tools or helpers to assist him on his climb. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Abraham had to have an even greater level of faith in God! He had faith that even though he was climbing a mountain to sacrifice his son to the Lord, he would not be returning alone.

In C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters, the demon Screwtape gives instructions to his nephew, Wormwood, on how to make a Christian man lose his faith. Wormwood is told to use subtle methods to undermine the man's faith in God, so that it crumbles from the inside out. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Satan will employ those very tactics against you! He places trials and obstacles in your life to attack your faith in God, but you can resist him by choosing to trust in God, despite your struggles. 

The easiest way to get discouraged from the difficult path you are on is to look back. After all, if the road ahead is so hard, wouldn't it be easier to go back to where you were before? But Pastor Jeff encourages you today to stay on the straight-and-narrow path God has called you to! Abraham knew that God's promises ahead were greater than the challenges he would face on his journey. He was able to stay the course and become the father of a great nation, all because he didn't look back!

There are thousands of foreign missionaries serving around the world, doing work God has called them to do to bring the Good News to people who might not hear it otherwise. But let me tell you from experience, it takes a great amount of sacrifice to fully uproot your life and follow after God's calling. Pastor Jeff wants to teach you today that Abraham didn't just have to say “yes” to follow God. He had to depart from the only home he had ever known and leave his friends and relationships behind!

As a Christian, it is all too easy to look at the state of this world and be worried about the future of the faith. But Pastor Jeff encourages you to be hopeful today! There is a revival coming, where men and women, young and old, will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel into communities all around the world! While right now it seems like the soil of humanity is hardened to the Good News, there are people whose hearts are ready to receive the message of hope that Jesus provides.

In C.S. Lewis' book, The Screwtape Letters, the demon Screwtape says that the easiest road to hell is a gradual one, without signposts or warnings along the way. In today's message, Pastor Jeff warns you how easy it is to harden your heart against God. Most people who reject the Lord don't do it in some big emotional moment; it's usually the result of many small decisions over a long period of time. But you can make small everyday decisions to open your heart towards God as well!

The book of Hebrews shows us that there is a throughline connecting the stories of Abel, Enoch, and Noah. We've learned that the safest place for us to be is walking right alongside God, obeying Him and following in His footsteps everywhere we go. This world around us has been plunged into chaos, but Pastor Jeff wants us to remember that we have a loving Father who knows exactly what to do. If we are faithful to obey His instructions, He will grant us His blessings and peace.

Atoning for your sins is an area of your life where you don't want to take shortcuts. After all, in God's eyes, you are either guilty of sin or you're not. There are no half-measures. In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches you about Cain and Abel, and about how Abel's offering recognized God's requirement of blood to atone for sins. However, Cain wanted to take a shortcut by sacrificing the fruit of his fields, but in doing so, he rebelled against God. The Lord doesn't accept insincere offerings. 

The valley of the shadow of death may be the darkest valley that you ever cross in your life. It's a place where the fear of loss can cause as much damage to your soul as the loss itself. But God doesn't leave you to face that valley alone! In today's message, Pastor Jeff wants you to recognize that the Lord is your good shepherd, and He is always looking out for you! It's not hard to find His hand reaching out to guide you. Knowing that His hand is there in the first place is the hardest part of the battle.

We all need a GPS at some point in our lives. Maybe we're traveling to someplace new and need directions, or our usual route isn't available because of a road closure. Well, Pastor Jeff is here today to remind us that God wants to be our guide, helping us through life, and leading us into peaceful pastures. That doesn't mean that there won't be difficult times to go along with the calm moments, but we can be equally assured that there is no safer place than walking right by His side.

Did you have an irrational fear of quicksand growing up? Most of us have seen at least one movie where our brave heroes find themselves sinking into a dangerous trap. But the way you sink in quicksand is by standing still. If you walk quickly and don't freeze, you can avoid the worst danger. In today's message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that you must keep moving when you're in a dark valley. You can trust in the Lord to make a way for you. All that He asks is for you to keep walking, one step after another.

Allowing offenses and grudges to become implanted in your mind will only lead to more negative thoughts. It becomes a great big feedback loop, as your mind spirals further and further into depression and despair. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God offers you a different way to live! In order to break free from the spiral, you must focus your thoughts on God! His grace gives you the ability to let go of the things that used to offend you, so that you can live in the freedom that Christ offers you.

One of the most important jobs of a farmer is to prepare the soil for the seeding of plants. Soil must be tilled, fertilizer must be added, and seeds must be carefully placed in the ground in a way that they can grow and flourish. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you in today's message that the process of being born again starts with the seed of the Kingdom of God being planted in your heart. That seed doesn't take root at the same time for everyone, but the fruit it bears is always based on God's perfect timing!

Did you know that coffee can taste different when grown at different altitudes? As you go higher in elevation, the air becomes thinner, and the temperatures become cooler, creating a coffee cherry with more acidity and sugar content. Well, Pastor Jeff isn't trying to tell you that you're a coffee plant! But what he does teach you today is that when you're facing a season of pressure, it's not because God wants you to suffer! Instead, God wants to give you the opportunity to grow stronger in your faith!

Have you ever thought about how much work went into designing spacecraft and spacesuits? Outer space is in a vacuum, completely devoid of air, and mankind has developed ways to sustain human life in the most hostile of environments. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the Holy Spirit acts like a spacesuit to sustain you in the valleys that you face in this life. Without His protection, you wouldn't even be able to breathe! But with the Spirit's covering, you can thrive in the wilderness.

Have you ever met someone with a one-track mind? Once they've settled on a task, they will not stop until they see it to completion. Well, even though this trait can be a sign of stubbornness, it can also be a virtue to be admired! In today's message, Pastor Jeff teaches about the valley of Baca (BAH-cuh), and how it represents the sorrow that we will face in this life. But instead of being paralyzed by it, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus and treat sorrow as an obstacle that we have already overcome.

There is an ancient Japanese pottery technique called kintsugi, where a potter will take a chipped or shattered piece of ceramic and repair it using precious metals, instead of simple lacquer. The repaired piece doesn't hide its imperfections, instead they are highlighted in gold, silver, and platinum. In today's message, Pastor Jeff encourages you by reminding you that God has a plan for you, even when you're stuck in a dark valley. He can take that broken time in your past, and turn it into a symbol of hope! 

I'm sure you can think of a time when you've felt isolated from God because of your sinful behavior. Despite our best efforts, we as humans are prone to giving in to the desires of our flesh from time to time. But Pastor Jeff is here to remind us today that that separation isn't permanent. All that God asks of us is to repent of our sin and turn back to Him. Even if we are walking through a difficult valley, God will be faithful to turn that darkness into a wellspring of hope when we return to His loving arms! 

When was the last time you came across a street preacher or someone witnessing in public? Maybe you cringed inside as you walked past them, or tried to hide away from their gaze as you crossed their chosen street corner. But Pastor Jeff wants you to realize that those people understand the urgency of the Great Commission! No one knows the day that Jesus is going to return for His bride, but it is the responsibility of every believer to make sure that as many people as possible are saved before that happens.

The book of Ecclesiastes isn't just a book of lamentation and despair, but it has a narrative of its own! It leads the reader on a journey where Solomon has fallen away from his faith, but rediscovers it along the way. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that life isn't always a straight line going slightly up over time; there are setbacks and struggles that may require you to reset. But when you look back on how far you've come, you realize that God never left your side; He's always been there for you.