Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

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. 

Some promises come with an expiration date. A coupon is usually only good for a few months, a check is typically void after 90 days, and a job offer needs to be signed and returned in order for you to start your new role. Now, there are many Jews today who haven’t yet accepted the gift of Jesus, even though He meets all of the Bible’s prophecies surrounding the Messiah. However, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the Israelites still have time to recognize Jesus as Lord. But their time is running short!

People love to hear stories of time travelers! Whether their vehicle of choice is a phone booth, or a car with a built-in flux capacitor, their brave pilots go back and forth across the timeline, fighting monsters and preventing history from erasing itself. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that God is even more powerful than a time traveler! He knows the entire story of humanity, and He knew it before He even created the world. He knew to choose you to be part of His Kingdom, before you were even born!

It’s easy to think of salvation only in spiritual terms. After all, who needs a body if your soul will live forever in God’s presence? However, Pastor Jeff reminds us today that our bodies won’t just be left to decompose in the ground when we go to meet the Lord. When Jesus returns for His bride, He will also bring resurrection for the dead! Our old bodies will be raised up out of the ground, and remade into new and perfect creations! We will become truly perfect in God’s sight.

When you see that a loaf of bread has gone moldy in your pantry, do you assume that only the moldy slice is affected, or do you toss the whole loaf? Well, seeing visible mold on the loaf means that the entire loaf is likely contaminated. Pastor Jeff reminds us today that the depravity we see in this world today is the outward symptom of a world that has fully given itself over to sin. This darkness should bother our consciences, because the Holy Spirit is concerned about the state of the world.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a fan of free samples at the grocery store. Sometimes, the product being offered at the sample station is one that I already planned on buying! When that happens, I know that the sample I’m tasting now will only get me excited for the full portion I will enjoy later! Pastor Jeff reminds us today that even though we are filled with the Holy Spirit’s power, we have only experienced a fraction of what we will see when we receive our full portion of God’s presence!

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.

Whenever I get up in the morning, my mind races to check my phone. Whether I’m checking my unread messages or looking at the weather so I know how to dress for the day, that little rectangle holds so much information that will be important to my day. But when I choose to start my day in prayer rather than flooding my mind with noise, I notice a difference in my spiritual life! Pastor Jeff reminds us today that we have a choice to make every day: will we make God more important than our flesh?

Have you ever been on a boat that got so far from shore that you could no longer see dry land? It can be scary to be in the middle of a vast ocean, with no shelter in sight besides the boat keeping you above the surface. Well, in today’s message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that just as the ark protected Noah and his family from the condemnation of sin, God protects you from the waters of condemnation by sealing you within His grace. You don’t have to be afraid of judgment, because it will never reach you!

The world loves to label evil things as good, hoping that you won’t be paying attention! All kinds of greed and corruption are perfectly legal under the law of the land, but are condemned by God! Pastor Jeff teaches you today that the Law we find in the Old Testament plays an important role, because it lays out God’s standards for life. Something that may be legal in the law of the land may be sinful in God’s eyes, and it’s important to remember to follow God’s commandments over man’s laws.

Living up to the perfect standard of the law is like being asked to recreate the Mona Lisa perfectly. Sure, you can try to be super diligent and recreate every brushstroke as closely as you can, but your recreation will not live up to Da Vinci’s standard. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that you cannot perfectly follow the Law, and that the marriage that bound you to the Law was never going to save you. Instead, it is the grace of God that saves you, by releasing you from your captivity, and giving you new life in Christ.

There’s a difference between knowing something and believing it. When you just know something, the fact may live in your mind, but it doesn’t affect the way you act or the way you interact with the world. If you believe something, it begins to influence your actions and your other beliefs. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that you can’t just know that your sins are forgiven. You must believe that they are forgiven, and allow that truth to permeate into every corner of your heart and mind.

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.

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!

How many times have you asked God to make you courageous, or kind, or forgiving? Maybe you pray that prayer, expecting God to just snap His fingers and change your personality, but that’s not how He operates! In today’s message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that the fruit of the Spirit is something that grows out of you as the result of life transformation. It’s not the result of instant transformation, but it’s the manifestation of a long and slow process that the Holy Spirit is working within you, day by day! 

At the end of Rocky, the title character is in a boxing match against his rival, Apollo Creed. Even though he gets knocked down, Rocky gets back up and continues the fight, and he finishes the fight with his head held high. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that the difficult trials you face now are helping you build the endurance to face stronger challenges later on. If you’re still standing, still breathing, and still praising God, the outcome of your trial doesn’t matter! You are victorious in Christ!

I remember seeing a viral video of a grocery store whose entire computer system went down. Instead of sending all of the customers home without their groceries, the manager informed the customers in the store that their groceries would be given free of charge. They couldn’t have paid for their groceries, even if they wanted to! Now, your salvation isn’t given to you by some cosmic glitch, but Pastor Jeff teaches you today that it is given to you as a free gift, and you cannot earn it by any other means.

There’s always going to be someone trying to buy their way into Heaven. They think that if they just give enough money and say enough prayers, Jesus will accept them into His heavenly family.  But Pastor Jeff is here today to remind you that none of those religious rites can earn Jesus’ gift of forgiveness! The Bible teaches that salvation only comes by grace through faith. Salvation is a gift, and the only thing you have to do to receive it is to allow Jesus into your heart and enter into a relationship with Him! 

In Old Testament times, the only way to receive atonement for your sins was to sacrifice an animal. The shedding of its blood was sufficient to atone for your sin, but only until the next time you sinned. God knew that this was an imperfect system, so He sent His only Son, Jesus, to be a perfect sacrifice! Pastor Jeff reminds you today that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Old Testament traditions, and His atonement isn’t temporary. It brings you forgiveness for the sins of your past, present, and future.

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 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.

Sometimes it feels good to receive a little bit of recognition! After all, you’ve been working hard, and it’s about time something went your way. But in today’s message, Pastor Jeff warns you against people who compliment you with ulterior motives in mind. A good spiritual leader is someone who will challenge you just as much as they build you up. Showering someone with praise without challenging them to reach higher can be an unhealthy practice if it encourages them to become stagnant in their faith.

Every action you take in this life makes a deposit in your Heavenly savings account. You can build up an account full of sinful actions, but eventually, you will have to answer for the balance when you face God on the day of final judgement. But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that if you build a savings account full of good and Godly deeds, the Lord will look on you with favor! The Bible reminds you that the things you sow in this life will one day be reaped. Are you planting good seeds today?

Have you ever watched Pinocchio? In that movie, Jiminy Cricket is tasked with becoming the titular puppet’s conscience, reminding him of right and wrong. But, spoiler alert, Pinocchio eventually chooses to ignore Jiminy Cricket, and he eventually faces consequences for his sins. Well, Pastor Jeff isn’t trying to make you picture your conscience as a cricket in a top hat! But he does teach you today that when you ignore your conscience, its voice will become more and more muted in your mind.

It’s much easier to do evil than it is to do good! After all, our selfish impulses are usually our first ones, especially if we didn’t grow up with self-control or discipline. That’s why Pastor Jeff reminds us today that the good works we do cannot earn our salvation, but they can be indicators of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit inside of our souls! We’re reminded that when we follow after God, we’re prompted by the Holy Spirit to set aside the desires of our flesh, and to instead do good works for His Glory.

Walking in righteousness is like painting something with spray paint. No matter how hard you try to stay within the lines, you will probably get some paint on other surfaces that you weren’t trying to paint. But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that when you drift outside of those lines, you’re supposed to course correct and get back on the right path! When you’re following God, you shouldn’t mistake His mercy for an endorsement of your sinful behavior. Instead, His grace is meant to drive you to repentance.

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! 

What is something that you worship in this life besides God? Some of us worship our favorite musical artists, our favorite sports teams, or even our favorite hobbies. Honestly, anything that can be worshipped has the potential to get between us and God. Pastor Jeff reminds us today that we will end up worshipping something. We can worship God, our Heavenly Father and the Creator of the universe, or we can worship the things of this world that will inevitably turn to dust. 

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” God has left His fingerprints all throughout this world He created, and the wondrous things we see in this world point towards His divine purpose. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that God has revealed Himself to humanity through creation, but that alone cannot bring you into a relationship with Him. Creation can point you in the right direction, but you must choose to answer His call.