Lord, I Don’t Feel Righteous! (Part 2)
Most of us have been taught to be a good person, do the right thing, and follow the Golden Rule. We feel “right” by what we do. But what happens when life gets crazy, we’re sinning every day, and our emotions are a rollercoaster? We compare ourselves to others and feel like we don’t measure up. The enemy attacks […]
Lord, I Don’t Feel Righteous!
We tend to think righteousness comes from obedience or behavior. It can be a treadmill of effort to do more and be more that leaves us feeling discouraged. Add in sinful thoughts that go through our minds, and it becomes even harder to overcome stressful emotions and believe we’re truly righteous. In this message, I […]
Locating God’s Love!
We all have moments of feeling insecure about being loved. Our emotions and circumstances can even lead us to wonder about God’s love. We feel down, numb, or bad about ourselves and start to think maybe God’s trying to tell us something. In this message, I address the danger of looking to your feelings or experiences to determine the level of […]
It’s Just a Fact
Romans 8 contrasts believers and unbelievers. Some view the passage as a call to action. But it’s not about big decisions to make but about big spiritual truths God wants you to know: about who you are and what He’s done for you. So, don’t approach this passage looking for something to do. Instead, be ready to discover how different you are now. […]
The Perfect You – Part 13
A cornerstone is the critical piece of a foundation. It sets the direction and reference point for all other stones. If it’s off at the beginning, what follows is more and more out of whack. To fully live in God’s grace, you need to ask the right “cornerstone” questions, including: How forgiven am I? […]
The Perfect You – Part 12
We’ve all experienced problems in relationships. As believers, we still face conflict, hurt, and sometimes even abuse from others. But having a new heart changes how we talk, listen, and relate to others. Instead of trying to fix and change people, we can accept and love them. We can be OK when others don’t do […]
The Perfect You – Part 11
What is your concept of God? Maybe He’s only as good to you as you are to Him, waiting for you to perform better or confess more. Maybe that’s His view of the world too, and why we see disasters, pandemics, and bad things happen. He’s trying to send us a message. Or, what if God’s not disappointed and isn’t […]
The Perfect You – Part 10
In Part 10 of my series, The Perfect You, I share an idea you may have never heard in church before: do nothing. What we often hear instead is to focus our energies on being better, closer, and cleaner. We’re told there’s something wrong with us, and it requires frantic activity to try to do enough to be OK with God. […]
The Perfect You – Part 9
In Part 9 of my series, The Perfect You, I address several passages on forgiveness and confession of sin in the New Testament, including: Jesus’ teaching from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 The instruction to confess your sins to one another in James 5 Confession tied to forgiveness in 1 John 1 Some might […]
The Perfect You – Part 8
What does the average Christian think about their forgiveness? For many, it may be, “If I confess, He promises to forgive. Isn’t that great?!” But then what about the sins you forget to confess? God has not only forgiven your past sins but has already forgiven your next sin - and every sin after that. God’s forgiveness isn’t about our words […]
Ten Things You’ve Never Heard on Easter Sunday
The resurrection is the most essential ingredient in all of Christianity. Without it, there is something fundamentally wrong with us at the core of our being. In this message, “Ten Things You’ve Never Heard on Easter Sunday,” I share how the resurrection changes everything, including: What God sees when He looks at you Sinning is […]
The Perfect You – Part 7
The Old Testament is part of the inspired Word of God. It’s filled with incredible wisdom, including the law that led you to Christ. But as you come to salvation by faith, you enter into a new covenant. What is your relationship with the law going forward? What now leads and guides you daily? In […]
The Perfect You – Part 6
As believers, we understand salvation is by God’s grace, and there’s nothing we can do to earn it. We trust in Christ’s death and resurrection. But like the Garden of Eden, there’s a temptation to think that if I knew or did a little more, I could be more godly. We start to mix in […]
The Perfect You – Part 5
Our new identity in Christ is a popular topic in churches today. Believers have been made new, holy and acceptable – the righteousness of God! At the same time, it’s also popular to hear “self” taught as a bad word. We’re told to deny ourselves, die to self, and take up our cross. Maybe what’s true of us spiritually doesn’t yet […]
The Perfect You – Part 4
As Christians, we still deal with old thinking and behavior patterns. We struggle with temptation and worldly ways, often reacting according to the flesh. As we look for solutions, we can begin focusing on our performance and self-inspecting, hoping to find spiritual growth. We can start fostering a sin-consciousness more than a Christ-consciousness. In part […]
The Perfect You – Part 3
As believers in Christ, the Bible tells us we’re holy, blameless, saints without stain or blemish. But do we actually believe it? We know our behavior, thoughts, and attitudes, and the dirty human stuff that floats through our minds. We can feel more like a sinner than a saint. In part 3 of my series, […]
The Perfect You – Part 2
The enemy has made great accusations about you. He wants you to live in shame about past performance and believe you’re the sum total of what you’ve done. He’s not just tempting you to do bad but to believe you are bad. It’s an attack on your heart. The question is, how will you respond? […]
The Perfect You – Part 1
Religion often says you need to prove yourself to God. More time spent with Him, more meditation on His Word, more worship, more dependence, more hunger and thirst for Him. It can leave you feeling overwhelmed with a to-do list of “more.” But what if you could stop worrying about measuring up and trying harder? […]
The G.O.A.T.
Romans 5 depicts a classic confrontation: Adam vs. Jesus. Essentially, Paul says, “Look at all the destruction Adam caused, and look at the grand solution Jesus provided!” In this message, you’ll learn what it means that Jesus was victorious and how you can live free in response to His victory.
Because I’m Righteous!
Ever wondered what it really means to be the righteousness of God? In this out-of-the-box message, Andrew shares the practical benefits of understanding your righteousness.