Westside Church Northwest Podcast

In this message, we explore who the Holy Spirit really is and how He helps us every day—not as an “it,” but as the personal Helper Jesus promised.

Jesus told His disciples He would send “another Helper” who would abide with them forever (John 14:16-17). That word “another” means one of the same kind. The Holy Spirit does the same kind of helping Jesus did in the flesh—guiding, comforting, strengthening, advocating, and leading—except He is not limited by geography. He can be with every believer, everywhere, at the same time.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, but who dwells with and in those who believe. He is our Comforter, Advocate, Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby (John 14, amplified).

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Romans 7 opens with a marriage analogy, but the passage has been used for years to pile condemnation on people who have been divorced and remarried. In this message, we walk carefully through the text so we can hear what God is actually saying.

Paul uses the Old Covenant law of marriage (Romans 7:1–3) as a picture of how we died to the sin nature and are now joined to Christ. But what did Jesus say in Matthew 5 and 19? What exceptions does Scripture give? What does 1 Corinthians 7 teach about an unbelieving spouse, remaining single, and remarriage? And how do we hold a high view of covenant marriage without adding rules that God Himself does not add?

You’ll also hear about the woman at the well, the difference between “what God has joined together let not man separate” and “man cannot separate,” and why grace, forgiveness, and moving forward are not the same as treating marriage casually.

If you’ve been wounded by harsh teaching on this subject, or if you simply want a clear, Scripture-based perspective that honors both the covenant and the goodness of God, this message is for you.

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You are not a sinner who occasionally tries to do better. If Jesus is your Lord, you are a saint who is called to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God.

In this message, we finish Romans 6 and dig into one of the most practical identity passages in the New Testament. Paul doesn’t leave us with vague encouragement—he gives clear instructions: consider yourself dead to sin, do not let sin reign in your body, and present your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

We look at the difference between being under law and under grace, why “shall we sin because we are under grace?” is the wrong question, and what it means that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, bought with a price. The teaching also covers the judgment seat of Christ—not a question of whether believers go to heaven, but of what fruit remains after the fire.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in old patterns or wondered whether real freedom is actually possible, this message is for you. God didn’t just forgive your past; He changed your identity so you can walk in it.

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What if the biggest limits on your life aren’t your circumstances—they’re how you see yourself?

In Romans 12:1–3, Paul isn’t telling us to think less of ourselves. He’s telling us to think accurately—according to the measure of faith God has given and according to who we actually are in Christ.

This teaching shows that our identity in Jesus has always been available. We didn’t invent it; we discover it, learn how to harness it, and walk in the power and purpose God already prepared for us.

You’ll hear how the fruit of the Spirit is already in every believer (Galatians 5), how we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), how the anointing teaches us (1 John 2:20), and how we put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge (Colossians 3:10). We also look at how Jesus Himself found His identity in Scripture and why the same process is essential for us.

Whether you’ve been walking with Jesus for decades or you’re just getting started, this message will help you stop settling for less than what Jesus died and rose to provide.

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Romans 13 shows why Christians cannot stay silent on government, policy, and culture. Politics matters because policy influences people—and we care about people. The position of authority is God-ordained, but the people who fill those positions are not automatically righteous. We are called to honor the office, resist ungodly mandates, and vote according to fruit rather than personality.

There are three ways societies are governed—tribalism, globalism, and nationalism—and this explains why a biblical form of nationalism (anchored in strong families, the church, and righteous civil leadership) is God’s best design for nations right now. Isaiah 33:22 highlights the separation of powers and clarifies why America is a constitutional republic, not a pure democracy.

The message then turns to the heart of identity: you are a saint, not a sinner. God has removed your sins as far as the east is from the west. Focusing on your righteousness in Christ weakens sin’s grip, while the blood of Jesus cleanses your conscience so you can serve the living God freely. When you know who you are, you can live confidently—at home, in the church, and at the ballot box.

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Pastor Cory walks through Romans 13 and Romans 6 to show why Christians can’t afford to sit out or vote based on personality and feelings. He addresses Christian nationalism, the difference between a constitutional republic and pure democracy, the three ways societies are ordered (tribalism, globalism, and nationalism), and why the family, the church, and civil government must stay in their God-given lanes.

If you’ve ever wondered how faith and citizenship fit together, or how to stop identifying as a “sinner” once you’ve been redeemed, this message is for you.

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In this message, Rick Renner goes after a question many believers still wrestle with: When life is crushing you, did God send it—or allow it from a distance?

We walk through James 1:1, 13, 17, and 5–8 and show from the Greek why James uses a double negative: stop saying God is the source of what destroys you. God cannot be tempted with evil and does not give evil. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights—habitually, abundantly, with no shadow of turning.

You’ll hear:
- The difference between God acting directly vs. people blaming Him remotely
- Why Old Testament thinking (“everything comes from God”) still shows up in the church
- The test for whether something is from God: is it good, advantageous, and moving you upward?
- How to ask God for wisdom
- Why a double-minded person is unstable and why faith has to be rooted, not tossed

He also talks honestly about self-sabotage, personal responsibility, drawing near when you don’t have answers, and lining your mind up with who God actually is.

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We’re in Romans 5, and this message is about capacity. Not just being saved from wrath, but living in the “much more” of Jesus: reconciled by His death, saved by His life, and called to reign in this life.

When Adam sinned, death spread. When Jesus finished the work, grace didn’t merely balance the scale — it blew it out of the water. Now the question isn’t whether God has more for you. It’s whether you’ll let Him size you up so He can pour more through you.

In this episode:
- Romans 5:10–17 — “much more” reconciliation and the gift of righteousness
- Seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 1–2)
- Your position determines your condition
- Ruling and reigning in this life, not just the next

If you’ve been living on one extension cord — barely enough for the lights — this word is a call to increase capacity so God can use you to power more than your own house.

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God is calling His people higher. Higher in holiness. Higher in endurance. Higher in the fullness of the Spirit.

In this message from our Romans series, we walk through Romans 5 and then follow the thread all the way to the end of the age.

We also look at one of the most important “much more” statements in the New Testament: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We have been justified by His blood, and we are not appointed to wrath.

That leads us to the catching away of the church, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the parable of the ten virgins. The oil in the lamps is the Holy Spirit. Wise believers stay full. They stay ready.

This church believes what the Book of Acts actually says: repentance, water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. That gift is not weird. It is not passed away. It is how the Holy Spirit prays mysteries through you that your mind cannot even comprehend.

Stay full. Stay ready. The Bridegroom is coming.

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You are not who you used to be.

In this message from the Identity series, we look at what actually happened on the inside when you were born again—and why seeing yourself the way God sees you changes how you live, how you handle fear and anxiety, and how you walk out your assignment.

Religion keeps people small. Relationship with Jesus raises you into sonship and daughtership. The Gospels give us a picture of Jesus’ ministry. The Epistles give us the X-ray of what God did in you: you became a new creation. Old things passed away. All things became new.

In this message, we cover:
- Putting on the new man (Colossians 3:10)
- Why your spirit already knows things the Holy Spirit is trying to get into your mind
- Philippians 1:6 — He who began a good work in you will complete it
- Feelings as warning lights, not your identity (fear, anxiety, and depression are not your portion)
- You are complete in Him — the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, and you are in Him (Colossians 2:9-10)
- Taking off the old man and putting on the new (Ephesians 4:20-24)
- Living from God instead of trying to live for God
- Short-term identities, long-term identities, and the only identity that actually matters: who you are in Christ

You are a King’s kid. Heaven’s resources are behind you. Speak to the mountain. Function like who He says you are.

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