Think of a ship at sea with all of its crew. Who’s the most important member of that crew? Is it the captain? The navigator? The cook? The engineer? The crewmen? They’re all important, right? But what if everyone just decided to do things their own way, rather than follow orders? Things would not go well at all. In his message today, Pastor Bill shares with you that submission isn’t about levels of importance, but about keeping things in order. When you submit to others, you’re submitting to God.

What does it look like to fully surrender to God? It starts with continually asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we do, we gain strength and a sense of purpose that we could never achieve on our own. Staying filled with the Spirit keeps us focused and guards our lives from being taken over by the wrong things that keep us from God. In today’s message, Pastor Bill shares how true strength comes when we stop trying to run our lives and completely surrender to God’s will.

Have you ever felt like time is just flying by? Like the days and weeks blur together, as you rush around trying to “get things done?” What if all that busyness isn’t just part of life, but a tactic from the enemy to keep you distracted and disconnected from God? When you’re constantly busy, it’s easy to miss opportunities to serve God. Today, Pastor Bill explains how the enemy doesn’t just use sin to distract you; sometimes, he fills up your life with things “to do” that don’t matter, to keep you from fulfilling God’s purpose. 

The first thing EMTs do in an emergency is check vitals. In today’s message, Pastor Bill asks you to think about the vital signs of your spiritual life. Is your heart beating? Are you able to walk and serve in ways that God asks? Are you getting enough oxygen? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? How is your brain activity? Is it full of God’s Word, or Instagram Reels? As you check your spiritual vitals, check for bleeding. Are there any seeds of doubt that you’re succumbing to? Are you alive?

On the roads of America, there’s one king… traffic lights. Think about it. Stop signs tell drivers to pause, but give drivers discretion on when to go. Yield signs say, “Go ahead, but let others go first.” On the other hand, traffic lights get the final say on when drivers go or stop. In today’s message, Pastor Bill teaches that in the same way, God is your traffic light. Do you obey His Word and commands, or do you fly through the red lights and stop when there’s a green arrow? Do you listen?

Once a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis and emerges from its chrysalis, can it ever return to living as a caterpillar? Well… the answer is as you might expect… no. Once it transforms, it is a new creation. In today’s message, Pastor Bill teaches that, in the same way, once you have been transformed by the Holy Spirit, you are a new creation. You cannot go back to your old ways. That doesn’t mean you won’t mess up here and there, but your way of life will no longer pursue the world, but pursue Jesus instead.

What does it mean to have a sacrificial love? Well, aside from copying God by giving up your only son to die for the sins of someone else, you could imitate His sacrificial love in other ways. In today’s message, Pastor Bill teaches that you can choose to give up your time or comfort for the sake of others. You could love sacrificially by being generous or by putting the desires of others ahead of your own. Perhaps there are some areas in your life where you can transform selfishness into selflessness.

Have you ever been around one of those people who encourages and inspires others, constantly smiling and lifting others in prayer? Their positivity is rather infectious. In today’s message, Pastor Bill prompts you to consider how big of an impact you could have on your friends, family, and community if you became a true encourager. Imagine how much you could demonstrate God’s love by choosing to love others, pray for them, and offer a helping hand. How powerful would that be?

Have you ever stopped to consider how a cannon works? This simple, almost primitive device can wreak havoc on buildings, ships, and anything else that stands in its way. First, the barrel is packed tightly with a defined amount of gunpowder. Then, the projectile is loaded. Finally, a fuse is lit, traveling through a small hole to ignite the gunpowder, leading to an explosion. Today, Pastor Bill teaches that when you pack your anger down, it’s only a matter of time before the fuse is lit, and cannonballs fly.

It’s not hard to look at the shiny new object out there and think, “I need that.” It happens all the time… our phone starts dying a little quicker, so we need the next iPhone. It would be nice to start the car remotely during the summer heat, so we need to get the higher package on that car. Friend, today, Pastor Bill teaches that the only thing you actually need is the Lord. It’s easy to look at a situation and define all the problems, but how often do you look to the solution… how often do you look to Jesus Christ?