Each of us carries our history and our hurts on our shoulders, but if we want to be true-to-Christ lovers, we must overcome our past. You can’t always help what happens to you, but you can help what happens in you. Tearing down walls, taking risks, and being vulnerable are how we can become lovers that will transform a generation. It is time to live your life in such a way that you no longer harden your heart, but prepare it to receive what God is about to do. 

The Gospel of John shares a story in chapter 11 about the death and revival of a friend of Jesus. Not only was this man who died a friend of Jesus, but he was the brother of a woman who gave everything she had and poured out her collected tears upon Jesus. This story is analogous to the period of time we have been in and the hearts of our group. We like Mary, have poured out our tears on Jesus and long for him to heal the death and hopelessness in this generation. In turn, like Mary, we must choose to recognize the love that Jesus has for this generation and that He weeps for them like we do. Listen to this sermon and discover the living hope that is growing in your heart for each tear you shed for the lost.

Many of us have been laboring for Christ and to love the lost; wanting to see that this generation would encounter the Father’s lover. This effort is the kind that needs hearts who can persevere and push through many trials; which is why James chapter one is the scripture of this season. God is doing something in us that will enable us to not only trust in His everlasting goodness, but find peace, victory, and authority in the midst of trials.

Part of what He is doing is helping us to see the goodness and joy in every trial. This is because if we could just hear Heaven and see what is really going on in the spirit, our perspective would be so different and we would not struggle the way we do. It is time to take joy in all things and get hungry again for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Every time we come together for church, it should be a celebration of God’s goodness. Joy, peace, and gentleness should be the defining factors of our life. This can seem like a daunting thing to achieve, because there are far too many woes and struggles that pellet us and the people we love day in and day out.  So, what can we do? How do we live life in a community of believers that reflects the joy Jesus carried when He bore the cross for us?  Psalm 46:10 reveals the key to answering these questions, by reminding us to “be still and know that [He is] God.”

Believing the right things about God is important, but it cannot be equated with loving God. In Matthew 22, we hear Jesus give  answer the question of what is the most important thing you can and can’t do according to the law. Jesus did not reply back with love God by ensuring that all your doctrine is perfect and by getting others to believe what you believe. Jesus states that the most important commandment is to love God. The second, which fulfills the first, is to love people. If you are a radical laid down lover of people, you will be loving God by default. This concept is the heart of the sermon and hopefully by listening to it, you will be encouraged to love people and love God more than you ever have.

As a youth pastor with 20 years of experience, Nathan Sandford has seen the ups and downs and the struggles that youth carry, even in our current group. However, in spite of all the pain and difficulties, the youth and young adults in our church have grit and resilience; always choosing to rise back up and push through until they see God. If you are struggling, wanting more of God, and feeling like life is barren, this podcast will help speak encouragement and hope back into your heart.

Disclaimer: There is a segment of the podcast where the speaker shares a story about his wife’s struggles, pain, and bleeding that happened while breastfeeding. This story is included because of the context in which it is used is for creating an analogy with what God is doing with this group.

This sermon is the continuation of a series that focuses on what it takes to have kingdom relationships (romantic and friendship). Listen to how having grit can allow you to overcome issues of forgiveness as well as help you push through your personal barriers to change. These qualities are what can help us create a culture of love that will usher in the lost and will bring us into what God is currently doing.

For more information about Nathan Sandford and our church, New Song Church and Ministries, visit www.newsongchurchandministries.org or [email protected]

The greatest need for the hour in the body of Christ right now is going deep in God. In this throwback sermon from February 2017, Jeremiah Johnson speaks on what we can do as sons and daughters to enter into the place where we are fascinated with who God is. Jesus did not dies for use to enjoy music for an hour every Sunday. He dies so that we can access intimacy and relationship with Him like the world has never seen before. Listen to this sermon and get inspired to be hungry for God and for wanting to go deeper into Him by giving up the good things for the God things.

King David is described in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart.” He was able to chase after the heart of God while having the heart of the Father at the same time. He was able to do this in spite of turmoil, persecution, and personal failure because he had grit. This sermon explores what means, what it looks like, and how it is the thing that will allow us to enter into the deeper things of God.

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This podcast is the closing sermon from the ON THE FATHER’S LOVE CONFERENCE. Listen to Nathan Sandford discuss paradigm shifts that must be made in the body of Christ in order for a movement of the Father’s love to happen. As individuals, if we allow ourselves to shift into the new paradigms God has, we can truly unite as the bride of Christ; allowing us to love the fatherless like the church has never seen.