Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

There are thousands of tasks where two people working together can get much more done than one person on their own. Whether it’s teaming up to lift a heavy object or collaborating on a research project to achieve results more quickly, it’s always good to have a helping hand. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that gathering with your fellow believers in Christ helps give you that helping hand as you grow in your faith. You grow stronger faster with a friend than you do on your own! 

The most important person at any public pool or beach is the lifeguard. While they will spend 99% of their time doing nothing but watching the waters, they are always vigilant to save someone if they start to sink below the surface of the water. Pastor Jeff wants you to recognize today that God is the ultimate lifeguard for your life! When things get difficult, and you start to look at the waves around you and start to sink, He will be right there to pull you out. He will never let you drown in the storm!

Have you built your life on the solid foundation of Christ, or is it built on the shifting sands of the world? Pastor Jeff reminds you today that you are inevitably going to face storms in this life. Maybe your career won’t pan out in the way you planned, or you’ll face a difficult illness, or relational strife. Whatever happens, it is better to be firmly rooted in God’s Word, so that you can stay strong in the middle of the toughest situations. Jesus wants you to be able to stand tall in the midst of your storm.

In Old Testament times, only the High Priest had direct access to God’s Presence! And even then, there were purification rituals required to ensure that the priest was clean enough to enter into the Holy of Holies. But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that there is great news for all of those covered by the blood of Jesus! Those restrictions that applied to the Jewish High Priest no longer apply to you! Because you are adopted into God’s family, you have unrestricted access to the presence of the Father. 

How often do your plans go sideways? Even when it comes to a single day, your plans can be upended by the unexpected circumstances of life. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Jesus was aware of the plan for His life, even from the beginning of creation! God knew that the Old Testament model of animal sacrifice would not be a lasting solution to restore the relationship between man and God. So the Lord sent His only Son, Jesus, to take the weight of all of our sin onto the cross.  

Have you ever tried juggling? Well, the more balls you throw into your juggling routine, the harder the routine gets! In fact, the world record for most balls juggled at one time is eleven! Now imagine trying to juggle all Ten Commandments, much less the entire Law of Moses! It’s impossible to keep that up for very long! But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that there is a different way to achieve righteousness. When you accept Jesus’ gift of salvation, you are saved not by your own works, but by grace through faith.

The Bible teaches us that when Jesus died, the great curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two. This curtain was a physical representation of the barrier that had gone up between man and God, thanks to the darkness of sin. But Pastor Jeff teaches us today that not only was Jesus able to pass through that barrier to commune with His Father, He was also able to destroy that barrier for all mankind. We have free access to the Father’s presence, thanks to Jesus!

Forgiving and forgetting are usually two different things. Forgiveness is something that you have to actively do, but forgetting can take weeks, months, or even years before that transgression is wiped from your memory. Well, in today’s message, Pastor Jeff reminds us that the Lord chooses to forget our sin! When we accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness, our slates are wiped clean! We no longer have to bear the guilt of what we have done. What a great burden to have lifted from our souls! 

When a bridge is being built, a team of engineers will usually perform a stress test to ensure the structure will be able to safely support the loads it is designed for. After that, the bridge is subjected to an increased load during the test, and the engineers can be assured that the bridge is safe to use. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that Jesus prepared His disciples in the stormy water, so that they could be ready to minister to a demon-possessed man. That storm was the disciples’ stress test!

A good home inspector can be your best friend. While things may look good to you at first glance, a home inspector is trained to spot problems that may seem small at the moment but can quickly escalate and become massive headaches down the line. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that the storms you face in this life are meant to highlight areas that you may need to work on. You may be facing trials now, but God will give you the wisdom you need to patch up those weak points in your heart.