Walking In Truth

What if you had a job where you worked overtime, but didn’t get any benefit or reward from it? You spent all this time and effort working hard, but you earned no extra money. That would feel rather defeating, wouldn’t it? Well today, Pastor Johnny mentions that no amount of effort will get you into heaven. It’s simply a generous gift God offers if you’ll only believe. So instead of getting stuck in religious rituals and rules, rest in knowing that believing is enough…not hours of work or effort put forth.

It’s obvious to everyone when someone’s been physically injured in war. You see a limb that’s been removed or a scar that marks what he went through. But what about the emotional trauma that people experience in war? That goes mostly unseen until you dig deeper into how that person’s affected the rest of his life because of what he endured. Today, Pastor Johnny talks about the sin that you carry being noticeable at times and unnoticed at other times. But God wants to heal it all!

Your past shouldn’t define you. If you suffered from abuse as a child, that’s a traumatizing experience, but it shouldn’t hold a grip on you for the rest of your life. Perhaps you’ve felt the urge of just one more drink, and then the next drink is the last one…again…and again. But that also doesn’t need to clamp down on your identity. Today, Pastor Johnny expresses how there should be a desire to be helped and to be healed. If you know Jesus, you know the One who can do that very thing!

When you see someone who’s unable to walk, your heart goes out to them, and you feel for what they’re missing out on in life. They can’t experience things like going on a beautiful hike or enjoying the simple things - like a relaxing walk through a neighborhood. They would love some of those things if they had the ability. It’s no different for you today when it comes to spiritual things. Pastor Johnny makes it clear that God doesn’t want you to be spiritually blind or paralyzed. He wants you to be made well!

An anchor sinks deep into the ocean floor, holding a ship in place, so it isn’t tossed by the waves or swayed to a different spot than was intended. It’s meant to hold fast and be what keeps something in place. In today’s teaching, Pastor Johnny relates God’s Word to being an anchor for your soul. The Bible can sink deep into your heart and keep you from doing things you might regret, as well as convict you of things that need to change. This type of anchor is a life-preserver!

So many times, you hear about something, but it’s hard to believe it unless you see it. You might hear about something on YouTube, but if you see the video of it, you’re more likely to believe that it’s actually real or that it truly happened. What Pastor Johnny’s getting at today is that with faith, it’s necessary to believe in God without seeing all that He says, right away. A man in today’s passage had to believe that Jesus was a man of His word, without seeing the immediate effects in front of him.

You might notice an attractive woman and you think she has it all. What you don’t realize, is that she’s an empty shell with a pretty exterior. She has no hope, and she might be on the verge of harming herself in some way because she feels like there’s no escape from the situation she’s in. In the passage today, Pastor Johnny speaks about a woman who had tried many things but came up empty. But once she talks to Jesus, she leaves that emptiness behind. If you want to be filled, listen today to hear how!

If you knew that a certain kind of liquid was poison, you’d stay far away from it and you definitely wouldn’t go so far as to drink it, as you know it would kill you. But what about the things you’re watching, listening to, or reading? What’s your mind drinking in - and is it healthy or is it toxic? Today, Pastor Johnny brings things to light in a way that might make you squirm a little bit, feeling uncomfortable about what he’s saying, and how it hits you personally. But sometimes, this is good for you!

Imagine being so thirsty that you feel like you’ll faint if you don’t have some refreshing water in the near future. You find a glass, and try to drink anything…even one drop of water, but there’s none to be found, and you feel like you’ll just die if you can’t get to a water source. It’s interesting to picture this because as Pastor Johnny mentions today, the thirst to drink water is a small need compared to the thirst you should want for Jesus in your heart. This kind of water will satisfy you forever!

There are very few things that would be worse than being stuck in a cave, with no way of getting out. But just before you’re ready to give up and have given in to despair, miraculously you find a passageway that directs you out into the sunlight again. Did you know that this is the exact picture of life as you know it without God? You’re stuck in a dark, depressing cave, with no way of escape. But as Pastor Johnny states today, Jesus makes a way for you to have hope and to come out of the darkness.

When you hear an orchestra, there are certain things that are noticeable, like when the sound gets much louder. Other times, it’s so quiet, you can barely hear anyone playing. Then there are times when a soloist is playing their part and the rest of the orchestra is much quieter so that the featured musician can be heard. Well today, Pastor Johnny wants you to realize that in order for Jesus to be big in your life, you have to be smaller, and be a supporting role to what He’s doing. He should be in the spotlight!

When the wedding festivities begin, there are certain responsibilities that some people have, as they support the wedded couple. The maid of honor tends to the bride and cares for her every need. But the best man has a different job and like Pastor Johnny’s mentioning today, the best man helps the groom look his best. He draws the focus to the couple and their union. You have a role in a bigger wedding that’s in the future! When it comes to God, it’s all about pointing people to Him!

What does love really mean? People have all kinds of definitions about love and how you should love and who you should love. But in today’s message, Pastor Johnny points you to the most well-known verse in all of the Bible. This verse is the apex of what it means to love someone. You put aside all that you ever wanted, for the sake of caring about others above yourself. Do you experience this kind of love with God and with those around you? If so, it’s such a gift and it’s something you can pass on!

It’s interesting to be reminded that if a snake bites you, you’re left with a sting and it could be deadly. So when it comes to spiritual things, sin is like a snake….it leaves a sting and it could eventually kill you if you don’t find the cure. “So what’s the cure?” you might say. Pastor Johnny makes it very clear today that Jesus is the only One who can take that sin from you and make you new…clean of infection or deadly disease within your heart and mind. He’s the One who can end the snake’s biting ways.

An actor might play a role because that’s his job, but it may not be anything like the person he is in reality. The way you know if someone’s like their character is if those traits play out in real life. Well, it’s the same for you as well! Are you playing a role? Or are you living out the true person that God wants you to be in a real and genuine way? Pastor Johnny teaches today how so many times, people may know and do all the “right things” when it comes to spirituality, but they’re still empty inside.

You have a newborn and all he needs for his nutritional needs is that rich milk to keep him healthy. But as your baby grows, he needs some solid food and that will help him grow developmentally and physically. As Pastor Johnny talks today, he gets to the point that on a spiritual level, there’s obvious evidence if you’re growing and becoming more of the person that Jesus wants you to be. Are you taking in the healthy and rich nutrients of God’s Word so that you’ll be spiritually mature?

Gardening is something that takes a fair amount of patience. Sometimes, you plant some seeds in the ground and nothing comes up. Other times, you plant some seeds, and the plant produces far more than you expected. Today, Pastor Johnny speaks about a different kind of seed planting. These are the seeds of talking to people about Jesus and showing others how Jesus might treat them. These things are little seeds that can be planted in the heart of someone. Who knows what might happen!

You might not have had any idea that the process of childbirth had a deeper meaning. When you were born into this world, there were many, many details involved that played a part in you being born alive and healthy. Everything fit together in harmony in a way that’s truly miraculous! Well today, Pastor Johnny is talking about a spiritual kind of birth that you don’t get assigned, based on your family tree. This is an individual decision that you make on your own! Have you made this decision that brings you into life?

There’s something beautiful about watching a fountain that’s so full - that it’s overflowing with water. It’s soothing to watch and to hear the sound of that water that’s bubbling up and out over the edge of what’s containing it. This is what God desires for you…to have an overflow of things that are from Him, not from you. Today, Pastor Johnny asks you to fill your body and your mind with things that are honoring to God and you’ll be amazed at the wonderful things that flow out from you as a result of it!

Have you ever seen those friendship necklaces where one friend has half of the heart and the other friend has the other half of the necklace heart? Although this is a nice idea of friendship, it’s a bit different when it comes to God and your heart. You see, Pastor Johnny tells you today that God wants your whole heart….not just half or part of it. This might be a challenging thing for you to think about, but when you give your whole heart to God, you’ll find that all of yourself is all the better!