Walking In Truth

First, you prepare the bait to catch a fish. Then you wait patiently for the fish to take the bait. Then there’s that exciting moment when the fish tugs on the line and you reel it in! After the catching process is all done, you have to clean the fish before you can really enjoy it. Well today, Pastor Johnny explains how there’s a similar process when you make a decision to follow Jesus. You don’t have to be all put together before you come to Jesus. But there’s sure to be a cleansing process!

There’s a special feeling when it comes to weddings. They’re memorable and a sweet moment in time for a couple and their relationship. There’s much excitement in entering into a new phase of life with the person you love. There’s also some nervousness about what that will look like. Now think of being married to Jesus! Today, Pastor Johnny helps you see how that will come true someday in the future. Being with Jesus will be so amazing and He’s caring for you and preparing a place for you!

You’re headed to a bonfire and you’re so excited because it’s an opportunity for the town you live in to have community and rally around the high school and its students. There’s warmth, laughter, maybe even music is being played to further set the mood. But take this bonfire and set it in the middle of a forest, and you have a different story! It’s no longer fun and inviting. It’s dangerous, it’s destructive, and it’s harmful to you and others. Today, Pastor Johnny relates this to the topic of alcohol.

The whole point of a tug-of-war game is to see which side, or which team, is stronger, and can win…pulling the other team to their side. Well in today’s message, Pastor Johnny speaks of a different type of tug-of-war…on your heart. When you willingly enter into a relationship with someone, and they’re not on the same page with you about God, you’re torn as to whether you stay true to God or follow the person you love instead. It can become a very damaging place to be, so it’s best to avoid it!

You may not get the attention that you crave, but it’s ok. You may not be the superstar that’s on the stage, visible for all to see, but that’s ok! You may not even be known for what you do here on earth, but that’s ok. Why is this so? Pastor Johnny reminds you today that what you’ve done isn’t missed by God. If you have a heart for Him and do things that draw people closer to God, there are rewards you can’t even imagine. But it may not be here on earth! So don’t get caught up in the fame of the game.

Today, Pastor Johnny talks about earthly elements. You have hard, rocky cliffs that seem immovable, but then you also have soft, grainy sand that can squish between your toes. On top of one, you can build a solid house. With the other, it would be foolish to build anything on it because it would surely sink. So today, what kind of foundation do you want to be on? A solid rock that’s sure to withstand the forces of nature, or are you choosing to plant yourself in the sand, that shifts at every turn?

In baseball, you have a starting pitcher that helps get the ball rolling and hopefully, gets your team off to a great start. But there’s an important role that another pitcher owns…and that’s finishing the game. When the points are close and the way you pitch is clutch to winning the game, you have your best pitcher at the end. Well today, Pastor Johnny makes a point about Jesus being the starter and the finisher. He’s there from beginning to end and everywhere in-between. And He wins!

When you’re afraid and timid, you end up not doing anything, and then later, you wish you had. You might regret not climbing that mountain or taking that risk of being truthful with a friend, or opening up to a stranger about your life. But today, Pastor Johnny empowers you to be bold and courageous in the things that really matter. Don’t let fear be what holds you back from doing some amazing things….especially when it comes to the things of God! Go out and be fearless rather than fearful!

So many times, you think you have to get all your ducks in a row before you can do anything of importance. You have to get all the information figured out in your head before you can act on anything of value. Well, Pastor Johnny has a news flash for you today. God wants you to come to Him as you are and when you over-think things, it doesn’t do you any good. Rather than having tons of information swirling around in your brain, just take what you’ve heard and apply it to your heart, where it matters most!

There are those humble people who always direct the attention away from themselves and onto another. They don’t care for all the acclaim or accolades. They just want to give credit where credit is due and they’re convinced it shouldn’t belong to them. This is the best way to live for God…pointing the attention back to God. Today, Pastor Johnny gives a great example of someone who did this during Jesus’ time. He could’ve claimed things for himself, but he directed people to Jesus instead.

When you go to the ocean, the waves are steady and unrelenting. They never stop! It can seem a bit overwhelming at times…especially if you’re afraid of water! But today, Pastor Johnny states that God’s grace is consistent and regular, washing over you like the waves that come continually and never stop. God’s grace is amazingly real and unending. So why on earth would you ever think to refuse this grace that He’s giving to you so generously? Embrace it and sink into it!

You’re at the store and there’s a scale, showing the weight of the bag of vegetables you have. But in fairness, you want to balance out the vegetables with a bit of fruit, that’s sweet and good to the taste. So you put the bag of fruit on the second scale and between the bag of fruit and the bag of vegetables, they end up balancing out! What if in the Bible, grace was like the fruit and truth was equivalent to the vegetables? Today, Pastor Johnny makes a good point about Jesus being the balance for it all.

Something that looks ordinary on the outside might have a treasure chest within. On the surface, it’s ugly and rocky, sharp to touch. But when you crack open this jagged rock, you find purple jewels of amethyst within. This is how it is with Jesus too! Today, Pastor Johnny brings reality into play as he shares how common Jesus was to the onlooker. And yet, who He really is goes beyond the exterior. He’s God and He’s an incredible jewel to know and to be in a relationship with. He’s the gem!

Have you ever reheated bread in the microwave, hoping to recreate how the warm and yummy bread was originally? But then you realize that the more you heat it up quickly, the harder the bread gets. This is how it is for people hearing and rejecting the message of Jesus. Pastor Johnny gives a direct message today that if you continue to hear about Jesus, but don’t want to receive it, your heart gets harder and harder each time. Instead, have a soft heart, like soft bread that’s tasty and delicious.

Sometimes, it can be fun to dress up and go to an event, disguised as something else. Maybe you become a character from a story you connect with, or you attend some kind of masquerade ball. While this idea has its own appeal, Pastor Johnny talks today about a masquerade you don’t want to get caught up in. It’s the kind that can steal your soul and deceive you into thinking it’s attractive in all the wrong ways. While it may look good at first, you’ll realize later how bitter it is.

In a court of law, it’s expected to have a witness, who testifies about what they saw or where they were when something happened. The jury listens and has to decide what the verdict is, but much of the decision is affected by what they hear from the witness. Today, Pastor Johnny talks about a different witness who came and spoke of what would come. The people who listened were like the jury, trying to decide if what he was saying was believable. What about you? Are you undecided about Jesus?

Imagine being stranded in a desert, without food or water. You feel like you’ll faint at any moment without having any refreshing water or food for nourishment. Today, Pastor Johnny is saying that this is how it is when you’re not well-fed spiritually. Spending time with God in prayer and reading the Bible are just a few of the spiritual nutrients that feed your soul. Spending time with others who share your faith is another. Are you spiritually hungry and feel like you’re in a dry land with no water?

Have you ever studied how the moon goes around the earth? It’s sort of fascinating to realize that it’s the sun’s light that’s reflected on the moon. What would your life look like if something was being reflected off of you? Would the light or the darkness be evident? In today’s teaching, Pastor Johnny talks about your life being something that reflects the love and practices of Jesus. These things might include loving your neighbor down the street or responding more kindly to that co-worker.

What defines a full day is a 24-hour period that includes daylight and night. It’s obvious that one part of the earth experiences the darkness of night, while people on the other side of the world are enjoying the warm sunlight during the day. Isn’t it nice to be able to see what you’re doing during the day? At night, many things are more difficult, like driving or simply trying to find something in your backyard. Today, Pastor Johnny exposes the benefits of living in the light...and he’s not talking about sunlight.

These days, science is a force to be reckoned with. Things are stated as fact and you’re expected to just tow the line in believing that everything you learn in school or at the museum is absolutely true and has been proven. But what if there’s something more that goes beyond the limits of science? Today, Pastor Johnny confidently teaches that the Bible is the accurate source of truth. The things that are written there are what you can believe as fact! The Bible has everything you need to know!