Foundational Podcast

How can we live in this time of crisis, not only with COVID-19 sweeping across the world, but with the dire economic predictions, with a heart of peace and security in Christ? How can we have such peace within us that it flows from us and influences the situations and people around us? Is this even possible? "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way? Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the F

Death was never supposed to be part of the human experience. Death entered the human experience because Adam and Eve made a choice, and they partook of what God told them not to. The human body cannot withstand sinful behavior. When an individual begins to participate in sin, the human body begins to break down. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 'As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;"' Romans 3:10 Sin has a strong grip on every person's heart, and every time we participate in sin, death has a stronger and stronger grip on our heart until it kills us. That's why Jesus said we must be born again. God has given us a wonderful thing called grace; and because He loves us so much and is merciful toward us, by His grace He gives us something we don't deserve and we cannot earn. A whole new life! We have a choice: To live in sin and death or to live by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Dear friend, you can live a whole new

How can we have perfect peace despite the crisis and drama we are walking through right now all around the world. Now only has the world come to a complete halt because of COVID-19, but there are earthquakes happening all around the world. We are facing a global economic crisis. Conflict is threatening to erupt. These are the days that Jesus talked about when he said that in the last days there would be wars and rumors of wars. He said that in the days leading up to His 2nd return that crisis would increase in regularly and intensity, just as when a woman is in labor and her birth pangs increase in regularity and intensity. But as children of God we should have no fear! "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.'" Isaiah 26: 1-3

God’s message through Jeremiah to the Children of Israel who were refugees in Babylon is very relevant today. “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters — that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jeremiah 29:5-7 NKJV). We have all watched the growing disunity, rioting, racial tension, and violence across the United States of America; and we ask ourselves how the church should respond in times of violence in our cities. How the Church Should Respond In Times Of Violence Violence does not have to define your city. Multiple times in the Holy Scripture God demonstrated the level of authority He has given His sons and daughters in praying for peace and safety for the city where they

The quote rang out in my mind: "Your past and present circumstances do not have to determine your future or your identity." This quote would become my motto. A new identity in Christ. It not only became a foundation for much of what I teach and preach today, it became the premise for a series of books I've written called The Freedom Series. God provided a way for all of mankind to undergo a transformation of such proportion that everything we've ever done would not only be forgiven, it would be completely eradicated through a legal term: Justification. Justification simply means just as if you've never sinned. And justification gives us a new identity in Christ! Governor Pilate did not want this case before him. He had sent it to Herod Antipater, the Tetrarch of Galilee. Here it was before him again. Standing in front of him was the man Jesus of Nazareth. Behind Him was the unruly Jewish mob demanding the crucifixion of the one called “King of the Jews” while calling for the release of a rebel. Pilate was an

The Lord Jesus Christ has made it possible for a sinner to become a saint; to be controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is made possible is when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, Scripture says that He has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. When Jesus was buried, our life of sin was buried with Him to live no more. When He walked out of the grave, He also made it possible for us to walk out in newness of life! What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was

Isaiah 53:5 says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." The stripes on Jesus' back didn't just bring us salvation and physical healing, it brought emotional healing as well. Jesus was taken by the Roman soldiers from the trial before Governor Pilate and the Jewish crowd into the Praetorium, where He would be scourged and then delivered to execution. When He arrived at the Praetorium, the guards gathered the entire Roman cohort to enjoy some fun with this unusual prisoner. A Roman cohort consisted of either 480 soldiers or 800 soldiers depending on their assignment. The soldiers gathered around ready to mock and ridicule this “prophet” of the Jewish people. First, they stripped Jesus of His clothes to prepare Him for the flogging. One of the soldiers grabbed the royal garment Herod Antipater had given Jesus, put it back on Him and began mocking and calling Him “King of the Jews.” Another so

Click here to download this podcast Today is your opportunity to experience the transformation power of the Holy Spirit! What do you think blind Bartamaeus felt when he was able to see for the first time in his life? Or how about the woman whose son had died, and during the funeral procession Jesus raised her son from the dead? In Jeremiah 13:23, we read God's questioning to Israel, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil." The answer is obviously no. But God can perform an even greater transformation a person changing the color of their skin or an animal changing the color of their fur. One Powerful Secret That Will Transform Your Life "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 Jesus suffered torturous flogging because He knew the pain we would endure Abandonment by our parents Betrayal from friends Failed marriages and infidelity

Click here to download this podcast All of history, past and present, turned on that Sunday morning. The destiny of the human race changed in that obscure hillside grave. The soldiers were occupied that morning with the concern of being negligent on duty. The High Priests were occupied in covering up the dangers of yet another religious zealot. Pontius Pilate was frustrated with still more difficulties in governing these incomprehensible Jews. The disciples were hiding out of fear there would be more reprisals from the Romans or the Sanhedrin. While the world was occupied with the stuff of life, the realm of the spirit was in great conflict. Notice had been delivered three days earlier. The eternal judgment written against mankind had been nailed to a cross on a rocky crag outside the city walls of Jerusalem. What the Luciferian band thought would be a victory had in fact become a coupe de grace for the powers of hell. Early that Sunday morning, the Holy Spirit had invaded the realm of the dead. Jesus Christ

A dozen people were busy clearing dishes, scraping plates, washing and drying, stacking chairs and folding tables. Over two hundred people had gathered that night to celebrate Pesach and discover the revelation of Jesus the Redeemer in the Pesach Seder, the Passover meal. The full meal had been served, the four cups were drank, matzo broken, the Afikoman hidden and discovered. The crowd was dispersed, now it was time to clean up. The grape stains and bread crumbs on the table cloths revealed the events of the evening. Was it the same that night, almost two thousand years ago? Thirteen men had gathered for the dinner and twelve completed it. Was it during the cleanup that Jesus began saying, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe it God. Believe also in me” (John 14:1). “I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am you maybe also” (John 14:2-3). Jesus revealed His heart and passion that night, as the meal beg

Do you feel that your relationship with God is stale? Do you feel distant from Him? Maybe you've sinned and are not sure the way back to Him; or maybe you're a new Christian and you don't know the next step in this Christian walk. Deepening your relationship with God is vitally important for every believer because it reminds us that this world is not our home. It is the tie between this physical world we live in and the spiritual world that we cannot see. 3 Simple Ways to Deepen Your Relationship With God You see, the spiritual realm is more real than even this physical realm we can see, taste, touch, hear and smell. These modern times, however, have robbed us of that understanding. Western culture diminishes the spiritual realm to something novels and fantasy films are made of, and yet it is not fiction, it is not a fantasy, but it is very real and it is important that we always have eternity before our eyes. Having a growing, thriving relationship with God helps to keep eternity before our eyes. 1. Studyin

One of the more amazing things you discover in Scripture is how God relates to mankind on a very personal level. How we can have a personal relationship with God. He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). He had a dinner meal with Abraham (Genesis 18:1-8). He met with Moses and spoke with him face to face as a man who meets with his friend (Exodus 33:11). King David would meet with God in his stronghold, the Cave of Adullam, and received personal instructions how to go to battle with his enemies (1 Samuel 23:1-5; 2 Samuel 5:17-25). Heavenly Father greatly desires a personal relationship with his sons and daughters who are created in His own image, however, sin and self-willed living separates His children from Him. The prophet Isaiah declared, “Certainly, the hand of the Lord is not so short that it cannot save, nor His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not h

I know we said, “’Till death do us part.’ But, I just don’t love him anymore.” Those are painful words, spoken in a marriage counseling session. How can that be? How is it possible for a man and a woman, deeply in love and passionately committed to one another at one time, to stop loving? How is it possible for a child raised in a Christian home to stop loving their parents? The Apostle Paul wrote in “the love chapter” the amazing words, "Love never fails."  Yet, we know love does fail. Did the Scripture lie or did someone make a mistake? Jesus gives us clarity in Matthew 24:12. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (KJV). This is a difficult verse, at best. Let’s try to un-package it. “Iniquity” (anomia) is disrespect for the law or someone who chooses to live above the law. It is living without law; wickedness. “Wax cold” (psugeesetai from psuchoo) means breath cool; blowing cool air; or the loss of temperature. A culture or an individual who chooses to live lawless will expe

Show Notes for this week's Foundational Podcast 2 Kinds of Boundaries We See in Scripture: Demonic boundaries that keep us prisoner addictions anxiety, fear, worry depression, despair Godly boundaries that give you a new identity 3 Ways the Word Of God Gives Us Boundaries They establish identity They establish possession They establish protection God uses boundaries in our spiritual life, because there are things that are dangerous for us spiritually. " He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent." Ecclesiastes 10:8 God has said that there are those things for the Christian that are unclean and those things that are clean. He established a boundary by which we are to live our lives. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?' Then the priests answered and said, 'No.' An

Many Christians today are no longer impressed with the concert-like atmosphere in their churches. They are looking for more than the polished and professional services. But here is one reason why we still need smoke and lights in the modern church. There is an interesting pattern found in the Old and the New Testaments. When a society entered into spiritual decline and a moral free fall, God sent a man or a woman mighty in the Holy Spirit. They might be a prophet, a judge or an apostolic team. They were sent by God to lead those people out of the darkness back to God and back to holy living. The Old Testament is a continuum of prophets, priests and judges mighty in the Holy Spirit. Moses, Gideon, Deborah, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha and many more lead Israel and Judah out of spiritual decline and moral free fall back to God. Jesus was about to enter His public ministry. John the Baptist began preaching, “There is one who comes after me. I am not worthy to even tie or untie his sandals. He will baptize you with t

I can’t imagine how frightening it must have been watching as Ananias and Sapphira fell to the floor dead. What was going on? Where was the fear of the Lord in the church? The church in Jerusalem was experiencing a mighty our pouring of the Holy Spirit. Miracles and signs and wonders were happening. Thousands were coming into the Kingdom of God. The church was impacting the city. A significant part of the work taking place was the care for the elderly, the orphan and the poor. Church members were even selling real estate and bringing the entire equity to the church for distribution to the needy. In short, the church was being what the church was supposed to be. This couple wanted in on the recognition. Ananias and Sapphira sold a portion of their property and brought an offering to the Apostles. Ananias said they were giving the whole equity as an offering to help the poor and the needy. In fact, it was only a portion of the equity. When questioned by the Apostle Peter, Ananias said it was the whole. The man

Did you know that a healthy mind means a healthy heart? This isn't just physically, but spiritually as well. I have no memory of my thirteenth birthday. I remember a few things my family told me about that day, but, I have no personal memories of the celebration. In fact, I don’t know what gifts were given to me or if there was a party and if so, who came to celebrate. I received a hard blow to the head during a football game doing a quarterback sneak. I remember the game. It was in Mead, Washington. I remember calling the play in the huddle; calling the signals under center and receiving the hike then plunging forward. That’s where the memory ends. That evening and the next three days are gone for me. I had two more experiences with head trauma in football games. During my junior year of high school, a hard tackle gave me another blow to the head that left me dizzy and with a fuzzy memory for about two hours. My senior year, during football practice, I laid a hard tackle on our fullback. For some reason, co

Is it just me, or does it seem the majority of people have a hearing problem? More to the point, does the Church have a hearing problem? All of us have heard stories of husbands or wives who have selective hearing. You know, the man who is listening without hearing, until his wife says she is going to buy that $100.00 outfit she saw at Macy’s the other day. It is the child who hears the parent telling them it is time to clean up their mess and get ready for bed. They don’t hear until the parent, with a red face, yells their first, middle, and last name; then they pick up and get dressed for bed. Maybe it is not selective hearing but distorted hearing. The sounds do not come through clearly. Certain tones, letters or syllables are not heard clearly, distorting the communication. It results in misunderstanding and sometimes wrong steps are taken all because the instructions were not clear and what came through was completely different from what the speaker was saying. Many times a person cannot hear because th

Has your life been turned upside down by an event or circumstance? We all go through painful, uncertain, and even stressful seasons of life. The difference for the Christian is that we have hope. Our response to these seasons is so important. As God's children, we can life a drama-free life; a life of peace even in the midst of life's most difficult circumstances. This is God's promise to us. Many people allow life's circumstances, pain, and uncertainty to create drama. Others feed into that drama so that they live in a continual cycle of stress, fear, worry and anxiety - in other words: drama. But God never intended of us to live in this continual cycle of drama. In fact, throughout the Bible we are commanded to not fear, not be anxious, and to walk in God's peace! To life a drama-free life! You may be thinking to yourself right now, "Pastor, you don't understand my situation!" You're right, I don't. But I know God. I know that He sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter. I also know that Jesus loves us wit

Are you born again, or are you just religious? The question is significant. Indeed, it was the seminal point of the conversation between Jesus Christ and a man named Nicodemus. They were discussing Jesus’ teaching ministry and Jesus turned the conversation to the issue of being born again. Nicodemus was confused. “How can these things be,” he asked Jesus. “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things,” Jesus asked. Nicodemus, one of the leading men of Israel, did not comprehend the difference between a person being born again and one who is religious? That is not uncommon in the church today. Many who would consider they are devoutly Christian do not know the distinction between being religious and being born again. It is not a casual difference. Jesus thought it of paramount importance for a leader of Israel to understand the distinction. Jesus said this one point makes the difference between having eternal life and perishing eternally. “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is be born agai