Walking In Truth

Have you ever been mocked for something you believe in? Or hated for being different? Today, Pastor Johnny gets into what our values should be – being a child of God. Jesus told us that – as disciples of His – you will be ridiculed. But if you find your joy in Christ, there is nothing this world could do to cause you to dismiss Him. People will study you and your life, but if you remain faithful to God, He will remain faithful to you. Let them look, and don’t establish your morals on the things of this world.

A lot of people wouldn’t dare enter a contract if it wasn’t under their terms, which is smart, because there are a lot of people who are untrustworthy. But today, Pastor Johnny talks about how we can enter a covenant with God easily because we know He has our best interest in mind. If you come to Jesus when you’ve burned all your bridges and have nowhere else to go, He’s going to wrap you in His arms and bless you. He’ll never lead you into harm’s way. He died so that you wouldn’t have to.

Have you ever felt the frustration of grasping how fickle our emotions can be? They can be unpredictable and alarming. Today, Pastor Johnny touches on what it means to have your joy in the Lord. Happiness is nice but it’s also natural and therefore, unstable. Joy, however, is found in Christ and is therefore, super-natural. Discover what it means to find your joy in God. He never changes and is forever stable. He’s given you His Word with everything you need to know of His nature and love for you.

Do you feel unworthy of being used by God? You may be ordinary, unqualified or not very smart. You may even feel your faith isn’t perfect enough for God to accomplish His calling in your life. But as you’ll discover today with Pastor Johnny, Jesus chose, called and equipped some incredibly ordinary men to carry out His ministry on earth. These men serve as an example that instead of choosing based on your credentials, God chooses the humble, willing and faithful. And He is faithful to equip and strengthen those He calls.

Jesus chose you before time and called you to Himself – to know Him, to follow Him and share Him with a broken world. Jesus doesn’t simply choose you for no reason, but instead, his choosing of you is incredibly purposeful. Pastor Johnny explains today how you are called to be His ambassadors to a hurting and broken world. God intends you to be a missionary sharing the good news of the gospel so unbelievers will want to follow Jesus too. This can begin right where you’re at with those closest to you!

Do you remember the joyous feeling of being chosen for a team on the playground or the shame of being rejected? When you are selected, you feel wanted and capable and that brought contentment and safety. How much more does it build you up to know that God chooses you? You’ll discover today with Pastor Johnny that He chose, before the foundations of the earth were laid, to love you, forgive you and use you for His kingdom purposes! He calls you to follow Him, to know Him and trust Him.

Jesus never broke God’s law, in fact He fulfilled each one to completion. But He did break man’s empty traditions, again and again. He came to do a new work in and among God’s people. He clearly explains that HE is our Sabbath rest. Sabbath isn’t found in a specific day but in a specific person – Jesus. Pastor Johnny will challenge you today to be diligent to enter into the rest Jesus offers. Don’t continue in unbelief or wander in busyness, but come in humility to Jesus, who will give you rest for your soul.

If you’re fighting someone in hand-to-hand combat, you’ll use a different weapon than if the enemy was far away. The most useful tool for a nearby opponent is something that will be effective and cut in close quarters. So as Pastor Johnny talks about the armor of God today, he mentions a few offensive weapons that are more powerful than you might think. Prayer and the Word of God are a force to be reckoned with. Are you sharpening these two weapons so you’re prepared to fight?

How strange it would be to see football players tackling one another without any of their gear that protects them from serious injury. There’s a reason why these players wear a helmet and shoulder pads, shielding their body from bruises and more severe wounds. Your body is limited in its ability to withstand physical assault, which is why you protect it. Your spiritual life needs that safeguard too and Pastor Johnny reminds you today to be fully clothed with the armor of God to defend you.

Steel armor is meant to protect. When you picture a knight, he is covered from head to toe to protect his body against whatever comes against him. If he wasn’t wearing this armor, it would be foolish to go out against the coming army. In today’s teaching, Pastor Johnny explains how essential it is to be covered with God’s armor that protects you against a strong spiritual adversary, the devil. This enemy’ll try to convince you he’s your friend and knows what’s best, but wearing your armor deflects these lies.

God intended the Sabbath to be a blessing to man. He created and rested in order to enjoy fellowship with His creation. However, after thousands of regulations and loopholes, the Sabbath had become an incredible burden for God’s people. Today, Pastor Johnny will remind you that it’s too easy to turn what God intends to be a blessing into a burden in your life. His will and His way are for your growth, your faith and your joy. Simply rest in who Jesus is, what He’s done for you and what He equips you for.

The Pharisees found fault in others based on their man-made traditions, not according to what God had actually required. They made their regulations and oral tradition a higher priority than God’s Word. They warped and twisted the Sabbath into something it was never meant to be. Today, Pastor Johnny will explain the blessing God intended the Sabbath to be and how the religious leaders had ruined it in their religion. God blessed the Sabbath and set it apart and gave it to mankind so you could enjoy Him and rest in Him.

When you’re faced with a decision, who guides the outcome of that decision? Is it you? Your parents? Maybe your spouse? Perhaps it’s a counselor. Of course, there’s a benefit to asking other people for advice about big decisions in life, but how often do you ask God what He thinks? Today, Pastor Johnny looks to the example of Moses and how he leaned into His relationship with God to help guide him each step of the way. Would you rather go where God leads you than go anywhere else?

Say you’re in a relationship with someone and the more you get to know them, the more you understand what makes them tick. There’s an intimate knowledge that comes with a relationship you’re invested in. So how well do you know or interact with God on a regular basis? Pastor Johnny teaches today on the value and importance of connecting with God in a way that expresses your desire to know Him better. No matter your age, you can always strengthen your relationship with God!

If you’re surrounded by a pile of dirty laundry, you don’t necessarily want to stay in that space where the strong stench of dirt or body odor resides. Instead, you would rather be around a pile of clean laundry that smells fragrant with a fresh and new scent, free from the previous stain or odor. In today’s message, Pastor Johnny refers to God’s presence in a similar way. God is willing to display His glory, but He won’t allow His glory to shine when sin is the ruling stain in your heart and in your life.

The Pharisees and the old system of religion were rigid and stubborn. They were too rigid to accept Jesus as the fulfillment of all prophecy and scripture. Jesus couldn’t be contained in their old, flawed, man-made system. Pastor Johnny will help you see today that Jesus came to make all men new. He didn’t come to patch you up here and there in your way of life. He wants you to let go of all the old, sinful things, and turn completely to Him. Keep your heart soft and pliable so you can accept Jesus’ life- changing message.

There are many people who deeply love money. Money guides decisions, hopes and priorities. However, the love of money is a sin. Pastor Johnny will challenge you today to examine how attached you are to your riches. Are you willing, like Levi- turned Matthew, to walk away from your wealth, lifestyle, and comfort to follow Jesus if He asked? Levi left everything that hindered him from a relationship with the true and living God. He saw the life that Jesus offered and made the choice to give it up to follow Him.

What does it take to live outside of fear? You have to remind yourself of truth rather than giving in to lies. Many people in history could’ve given in to fear. If they had, they wouldn’t have accomplished nearly as much or made the difference they are known for. In today’s teaching, Pastor Johnny asks you to allow faith to be contagious in your life. Don’t let the fear that’s crippling so many to spread faster than any disease could. Instead, activate your faith to multiply and spread to others.

If you’re relying on the media to hold you up or to help you feel secure right now, it won’t. So much of what you’re hearing is either inaccurate or hyped up to cause people to run in panic. Today, Pastor Johnny speaks of a different reaction you can have instead. If you know and believe in God and His love for you, then any uncertainty can be cast aside because of the faith that fills you. God does not make empty promises. He’s faithful to care for you and He cares about what you’re going through.

There are certain things that you should be afraid of…the power of electricity, the devastation that fire can bring, or the incredible force that water is when it’s on a destructive path. But there are plenty of things you don’t need to be afraid of. Some of the things you’re experiencing now aren’t things that should cause you to panic that leads to hopelessness. Pastor Johnny encourages you today to fear God. This kind of fear isn’t something you should be running away from, but rather, running to.