Walking in Truth

If you hold a hand grenade, it has the power to cause a lot of damage. But it’s not until you release the lever that it gets really dangerous. In a similar way, Pastor Johnny teaches today on how the Holy Spirit is currently restraining the full force of evil that can and will descend on the earth once Christians are removed. It’s not too far from reality to imagine people being happy that the absence of Christians allows them to move forward with all kinds of agendas that go against God’s best.

When you think of something affecting the entire world, the movie, “Armageddon,” comes to mind, where people in urban America as well as nomadic Nepal are equally affected by what’s going on. In today’s teaching, Pastor Johnny introduces what’s known as the “rapture,” where Jesus will come for all those who claim Him as their Savior. This event leaves people completely powerless and unable to do anything except for their decision made beforehand. Have you made a decision about Jesus?

If you see a bright, shiny car that just came on the lot, you’re drawn to the perks of what this immediate toy could bring you. It drives fast, has that “new car” smell, and is clearly the coolest car around. The payments come later and that’s not what you want to think about when you see the car right in front of you. In today’s teaching, Pastor Johnny wants you to know what you’re buying into when you fix your focus on the things of this world and what it offers. There’s a down-side of these things later on.

How great is your faith? When you think about people you care about, how much are you praying and pleading for them to know Jesus? You may not realize how powerful and effective your prayers are for family members and friends. Your faithful prayers to God could have an influence on the events in these people’s lives. Pastor Johnny encourages you today to never underestimate the impact you can have as you display your own faith in God and His power. This type of intervention could be lasting!

Imagine you were telling people this outlandish story about your past and they just thought you were crazy because it seemed so unrealistic. They might mock you or question if you were stretching the truth because the events you were talking about were so out of the ordinary and beyond the grasp of reality. Now think about if you were to tell people about what God has promised will happen going forward? Today, Pastor Johnny explains that people might think you’re crazy for what you believe.

C.S. Lewis had an amazing way of writing Scripture into his books. In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” Lewis describes the snow melting and the trees budding as signs of Aslan’s coming return. Of course, you realize that this children’s book is not only speaking of a talking lion, but it’s relating these characters to the greatest story of all, in Jesus. Pastor Johnny provides several examples today of how the signs of Christ’s coming return are evident. Are you seeing the signs and are you ready?

Why is it that people are so drawn to end-of-the-world-themed movies and books? Most of them include a succession of natural disasters and somewhat unrealistic scenarios that compile into a large climax of disaster. Within each of us, there’s an innate sense of wanting to see good overcome all the hardship. Pastor Johnny gives many reminders today that the reality you’re living in isn’t far from these fictional stories of grand proportions. What God promises will come to pass!

Being a part of any childbirth can be an eye-opening experience. You see a person go through a series of painful contractions that only get closer together as time goes on. Things seem to get worse and worse, to the point of complete and utter agony. Thankfully with childbirth, there’s a great reward after the intense labor that you endure. There’s a reason why the down-fall of the world is related to childbirth. Today, Pastor Johnny points to the end times being like labor contractions.

Cancer is a horrible disease that at first, goes unnoticed. But as time goes on, its effects multiply in a person’s body and it becomes very difficult to fight off. In most cases, something must be done to kill the disease or the disease is likely to kill its host. Today, Pastor Johnny wants you to know that when you’re living a life of sin, you’re allowing this sickness to take over your life and the effects will spread a numbness into your heart. But your obedience to God is the first step in being healed for good!

A weed starts out very small. It’s not really in the way and even if you see it, it’s not that noticeable. So you leave it there, choosing to not deal with it. Then a week or two later, it’s all- of-a-sudden grown twice as big as it was before. You might avoid it for a bit more, but by the time you decide to actually pull it out, there’s a thick root that’s extremely difficult to pull out. Today, Pastor Johnny relates this idea of having a root of bitterness toward someone and refusing to forgive. Holding a grudge is damaging!