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Not for the 99 ministries, Cherry Hill, NJ (2026)

09/08/2026

We have spent the past two days wrestling with the heavy realities of Matthew 16:24. We looked at how attitude drives our lives and how to develop a God pleasing attitude.

We looked at what it means to have attitude pleasing to God by denying ourselves, to strip away our self reliance and surrender our own agendas. We looked at what it means to pick up our cross, to embrace the daily sacrifice, the suffering, and the death to sin that marks a true disciple.

Today, we arrive at the final, defining command of that verse: "Follow me."

It sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Two words. An invitation whispered to fishermen by the Sea of Galilee, yet echoing down through the centuries to every single one of us. But what does it actually mean to follow Jesus in the noise and rush of our daily lives?

When you truly follow Jesus, you cannot be satisfied with anything less than Jesus.
The world offers us a thousand different distractions, comforts, and pursuits to fill the empty spaces of our hearts. It tells us that contentment is found in success, in approval, in ease, or in accumulation.

But the disciple who hears the call to "follow me" discovers a profound truth: there is no greater joy in life than walking closely with Christ every single day. His presence eclipses the shallow pleasures of this world. When your eyes are fixed on Him, the glittering promises of the culture lose their grip on your soul because you have found the pearl of great price.And when you follow Him, nothing can stop you from achieving all you can for Jesus.

Obstacles will come. Failures will happen. Fear and doubt will try to anchor you in place. But a life surrendered to the Master is an unstoppable force for His kingdom, because the agenda is no longer your own.

His will and His way become vividly evident in every aspect of your life in how you treat your family, how you handle your work, how you respond to your enemies, and how you spend your quiet moments.

Everything else takes a back seat to Jesus. Ambition takes a back seat. Comfort takes a back seat. Reputation takes a back seat. He becomes the driver of your story.

So, as we close this verse, ask yourself: Where are your footsteps taking you today? Are you walking behind Him, matching His pace, willing to go wherever He leads? Leave behind the distractions, drop the heavy baggage of your own self will, and take the next step in His footsteps. There is no better place to be.

Following Jesus means you move from the driver's seat of your life to the back seat so Jesus can drive?

09/07/2026

There comes a defining moment in the life of every follower of Jesus where the path splits. On one side lies the broad, well traveled road of least resistance the path of comfort, approval, and silence, where we blend in and keep the peace. On the other side lies a narrow road, marked not by ease, but by integrity, truth, and an unwavering commitment to the kingdom of God.

When Jesus looked at the crowds and said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me," He was not speaking in abstract metaphors.

To a first century audience, a cross meant one thing, ex*****on, rejection, and the end of social standing. To take up a cross meant stepping out of step with the culture, the crowd, and often, the expectations of those closest to us.

Choosing to do what is right in a world that has redefined truth is never convenient. It means standing for honesty when dishonesty is profitable. It means offering grace and moral clarity when the culture demands outrage or compliance. And very often, the heaviest crosses we carry are not forged by strangers, but by the disappointment of friends and the misunderstanding of family.

When your loyalty to Christ outranks your loyalty to social comfort, relationships strain. The world will call you rigid; loved ones may call you foolish for walking away from compromise.

Jesus does not ask us to carry the cross out of mere grim duty, but because it is the only path that leads to resurrection life. Every time you choose integrity over applause, forgiveness over bitterness, and obedience over approval, you are dying to the opinions of a passing world and coming alive to the eternal love of God.

Do not let the fear of what others might say rob you of the joy of walking closely with Him. The world’s applause is notoriously fickle, but the whisper of the Savior, well done, good and faithful servant will echo into eternity. Today, whatever hardship or misunderstanding stands before you on the path of righteousness, pick up your cross with courage, and fix your eyes on Jesus.

09/04/2026

We live in a culture that operates entirely on the Attitude Era 2.0. Back in the late nineties, professional wrestling blew up because the rulebook was thrown out. Anything and everything was permitted on television as long as it kept the audience entertained, and the ratings soared.

Fast forward to today, and that same mindset has taken over the world outside our doors, if it feels good, if it makes you happy, and if you enjoy it, do it.

Let me be the first to drop any mask of hypocrisy. I love Jesus with every ounce of my being, and I would gladly lay down my life in service to Him. But I fall short. I stumble, and I have given in to the temptation of sin. And if you are sitting there reading this right now thinking, Not me, I’ve got it all together, Scripture has a very direct word for you, you are a liar.

So why was that era in wrestling so massively popular, and why is this 2.0 version of it so prevalent today?

It is popular because sin is pleasurable. We do not do wrong things because they taste like dust, we do them because, in the moment, they feel good. The writer of Hebrews forthrightly acknowledges "the pleasures of sin for a season." Temptation wouldn’t even be a temptation if there wasn’t a genuine pull, a momentary thrill, an aspect of real pleasure attached to the act.

So how do we fight back? How do we overcome a world that tells us to indulge every impulse?
Luke 9:23 gives us a clear, four part roadmap.

Then Jesus said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Today, we are locking our focus entirely on part one: Deny yourself.

Denying yourself means putting aside your own selfish desires, your ego, and your personal plans. In the Attitude Era, the mantra was all about self fulfillment, boosting your own ego, looking out for number one, and demanding your own way.

Following Jesus requires the exact opposite posture. It means looking at your natural, fleshly impulses and saying, "No."

You cannot follow Jesus and chase after the world's version of freedom at the same time, because the world's freedom is actually spiritual slavery.

When Peter tried to tell Jesus that He didn't need to suffer, Jesus looked at him and said, "Get behind me, Satan." Why? Because Peter was setting his mind on the things of man rather than the things of God.

Denying yourself isn't about self loathing, it is about self surrender. It is waking up every morning and recognizing that the throne of your heart only has room for one King, and it isn't you. When the temptation of this modern culture whispers that you deserve to indulge, remember the cost, take a deep breath of God’s grace, and choose the harder, holier path of surrender.

I encourage you today to take the time and see what is one area of your selfish desire or ego that you need to surrender to Jesus today, drop it at his feet and pick up your cross.

09/03/2026

One of the biggest issues I face is when I try to give directions to someone who just stares at you with a blank look because they don't speak the language? Or worse, I tried to talk to someone whose eyes are completely glued to the screen of their phone, nodding along on autopilot while you know they haven’t heard a single word you said?

It is deeply frustrating. You stand there with information they need, maybe instructions that would save them time, prevent a mistake, or lead them to the desired outcome, and yet the message completely bounces off.

In moments of frustration like that, a convicting thought has a way of creeping in. How often do we do that exact same thing to God?

The truth is, we miss what God is trying to communicate to us for two very common reasons.

First, there is a language barrier. But the catch is, it’s not because God is speaking in riddles or refusing to make Himself clear. It’s often because we are too lazy to learn His language.

We expect God to jump through hoops, lower His standards, and translate everything down to our casual, hurried terms, rather than taking the time to immerse ourselves in His Word, in prayer, and in His presence. We want the benefits of a relationship without putting in the work of listening.

Learning a language takes discipline, daily practice, and humility. If we don’t take the time to learn how God speaks through Scripture, quiet conviction, and spiritual community we will always feel like foreigners in our own spiritual lives, wondering why we can't understand what He's trying to accomplish around us.

Second, we are simply distracted. We let things that don’t actually matter consume our attention, crowding out the voice of the One who matters most. We live buried in our own modern day "phones" our worries, our entertainment, our petty distractions pretending to give God a passing glance while our minds are miles away.

What has your attention has your priority.
That applies in the workplace, where we get sidetracked and lose sight of doing our work with excellence. And it applies doubly in our walk with God. When minor distractions command our focus, we fail to understand the assignment He has given us for our daily lives.

Let’s check our focus today. Let’s put down the distractions, pick up the language of His Word, and remember that if we want to hear the Master speak, we actually have to take the time to listen.

09/02/2026

In our journey of faith, life often hands us heavy packages. We face unexpected tragedies, sudden financial strains, broken relationships, and shattered dreams. In the raw, aching moments of human suffering and confusion, an ancient and dangerous temptation arises within the human heart. It is the temptation to point a finger at heaven and declare, "Look what God has brought to my doorstep."

Today, we need to take a serious pause and reflect on a vital truth of Scripture. We must be very careful what we lay at the door of the Lord.

Point 1. Blaming God for the Work of the Enemy or Our Own Choices
When things fall apart, our pain often looks for a target. It is easy and tragically common to attribute the consequences of a fallen world, the malice of the enemy, or even our own poor decisions directly to the sovereignty of God.

Proverbs 19:3 tells us with blunt honesty: "A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord."

We make a series of short sighted choices, reap a bitter harvest, and then stand back and ask, "God, why did You do this to me?" Or worse, we live in a broken, sin scarred world where sickness, accidents, and cruelty exist, and we pin the blame on the One who came to redeem it.

God does not flicker. His character is pure light. When we drag bitterness, cynicism, and false accusations to His doorstep, we are misrepresenting His holy and loving nature.

Point 2. The Danger of Mischaracterizing God’s Character
When we carelessly lay our bitterness, our unjustified anger, and our false assumptions at the door of the Lord, we build a wall between ourselves and His comfort. If we believe God is the author of our unnecessary hurts, we will struggle to trust Him for our healing.

Look at the story of Job. Job suffered unimaginable losses in a single day. In his grief, he wept, he mourned, and he wrestled deeply with God. Yet Scripture notes that in all this, "Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing" (Job 1:22).

While Job had many questions, he refused to let his pain turn into a slanderous accusation against God's fundamental goodness.
When we bring our burdens to God, there is a massive difference between bringing an honest, broken heart pouring out our tears and laying a bag of malicious blame at His feet, accusing Him of being the author of evil.

Point 3. Laying the Right Things at His Door

What, then, should we lay at the door of the Lord?

We should not lay our blame and false accusations there; instead, we must lay our sorrow, our honest questions, and our brokenness.

Psalm 55:22 encourages us: "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you."

1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast "all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Bring your grief, but trust His grace. Bring your confusion, but hold fast to His unchanging character. Do not blame Him for the storm, but look to Him as the anchor within it.

Guard your hearts and tongues. When the trials of life press in upon us, let us refuse to let pain distort our view of our Heavenly Father. Remember that He is the giver of good gifts. He is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all.

Let us leave our complaints, our self inflicted wounds, and our bitter questions at the cross of repentance, and let us leave our worship, our trust, and our surrendered hearts at the door of the Lord. For He is good, and His mercy endures forever.

09/01/2026

We all carry the exact same receipt from yesterday. We missed the mark, we fell short, and we sinned. The ground is completely level, because none of us are without sin, and all of us fall short of the glory of God.

The good news meets us right in that shared brokenness. As Lamentations 3:23 reminds us, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

When you believe in and follow Jesus, yesterday’s failures lose their grip on your identity. Jesus has a brand new batch of mercies waiting for you the moment your eyes open today.

The hard truth, the bad news is what happens when stubbornness gets in the way. If you are not a believer and follower of Jesus, those mercies are still available, but pride and self reliance keep you from receiving them. Refusing the gift means you are left trying to pay a spiritual debt in the end that you could never possibly afford on your own.

The truly great news is that your story doesn't have to end in that debt. Jesus is standing by, ready to pour out His mercy, His love, and His forgiveness. Imagine Him holding out His card, waiting to swipe it and pay your entire debt in full. All you have to do is step out of your own way, surrender your pride, and accept the payment He already made.

08/31/2026

Recently, I heard an analogy that cuts right to the heart of how we often misunderstand God’s work in our lives. Imagine someone kneeling in earnest prayer, asking God for a cake. They are hungry, they are craving comfort, and they want a finished product right now. But instead of handing them a warm, frosted cake, God hands them flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and a mixing bowl.

The person looks down at the counter, completely baffled and perhaps a bit frustrated. They cry out, "God, why didn't you just give me the cake like I asked for?"

How often do we do the exact same thing?
We get mad when God doesn't do things the way we think He should. We want the instant fix, the immediate miracle, the sudden removal of our pain. When a trial hits, we pray for the mountain to disappear overnight. But instead of the mountain vanishing, God hands us a pair of hiking boots, a walking stick, and tells us to start climbing. He gives us the ingredients rather than the finished meal.

Why does He do this? Because God is not just in the business of feeding us for a day; He is in the business of transforming who we are.

If God simply hands us the finished cake every time we ask, we never learn how to bake. We remain spiritually dependent, fragile, and unequipped for what lies ahead. But when He gives us the ingredients, patience, perseverance, discipline, wisdom, and faith, he is inviting us into the kitchen with Him.

He is teaching us how to trust the process, how to measure our faith, and how to mix endurance into our daily walk.

More than that, God looks around the corner of our future. He sees the storms that are still gathering on the horizon. He knows the heavier burdens, the deeper heartaches, and the greater battles that are coming down the road. If He rescues us from every minor discomfort with an instant miracle, we will crumble when a major trial arrives.

So, instead of making the problem vanish instantly, He gives us the tools to overcome it and to conquer the future issues we don't even know are coming yet. He is building spiritual muscle in us. He is crafting resilience.

If you are standing in your kitchen today looking at a counter full of raw ingredients if your life feels messy, unformed, and demanding a lot of hard work stop complaining about the lack of a finished cake. Recognize that the Master Baker trusts you. He hasn't ignored your prayer; He has answered it in the way that serves your ultimate growth.

Trust the preparation. He isn't withholding from you; He is equipping you.

08/28/2026

Throughout Scripture, we see that the adversary, the devil, has waged a relentless war against humanity. But have you ever stopped to ask why? Why is mankind the primary target of his hatred, his deception, and his fury?

The answer doesn't just lie in our flaws, it lies in our design. One of the deepest reasons the devil hates us so much is that we get to worship and serve God out of choice.

In the heavenly realms, the angels and spiritual beings were created to dwell in the immediate presence of God. While they experience magnificent glory, they do not possess the unique capacity for free will and redemption that humanity was given.

Satan, once Lucifer, an anointed cherub knew the majesty of God intimately. Yet, consumed by pride, he tried to exalt himself above the Almighty, rebelling against his Creator. He chose a path of defiance, and in doing so, he lost his standing forever.

When God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed His own life into us, He did something radical, He gave us free will.

Unlike the stones that cry out in praise, (Luke 19:40) or the hosts of heaven bound by their heavenly nature, human beings have the terrifying and magnificent power to say no to God.

Because we can say no, it means that every time we say yes, it carries genuine weight.

When you wake up tired and burdened, yet choose to bow your head in prayer that is a choice.

When the world offers you a shortcut, yet you choose to walk in integrity that is a choice.

When trials surround you, yet you lift your voice in praise through the storm that is a profound, beautiful choice.

For the devil, this is the ultimate insult. He looked at his own squandered freedom, chose pride, and lost. Meanwhile, we frail, imperfect mortals are given the opportunity to look at the same God, experience trials and temptations, and willingly look back up to heaven and say, "Not my will, but Yours be done. I choose You."

Satan hates our worship because authentic worship cannot be manufactured by force; it must be born from freedom. He wants to reduce us to slaves of sin because if he can strip away our agency, he robs our worship of its meaning.

But every time you choose to serve God, every time you offer Him praise simply because He is worthy, you declare your freedom from the enemy's grasp. Your choice is a testimony against the darkness. So never take our freedom for granted, lets use it today, and every day, to willingly give God the honor He is due.

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." — Joshua 24:15

08/27/2026

Have you ever noticed a curious double standard in the world around us? It is a thought provoking observation that has crossed my mind after watching a sermon.

If you tell someone you are raising your children to know and follow Jesus Christ, you are likely to meet intense skepticism, pushback, or outright hostility. Yet, if you tell those same people that you are raising your kids to believe that a magical, bearded man in a red suit flies around the globe in a sleigh once a year, or that a giant rabbit hides painted eggs in the grass, they smile and nod as if it is all completely harmless.

Why the stark contrast? Why do fairy tales get a pass while the Creator of the universe gets a battle?

The first reason is quite simple. They know that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are fake, and therefore, they have no real authority over a person’s life.

Fictional characters demand nothing of us. They do not call us to repentance, they do not challenge our pride, they do not ask us to lay down our selfish ambitions, forgive our enemies, or surrender our will. You can leave out milk and cookies for Santa, wake up on Christmas morning, and go right back to living entirely for yourself without a single ounce of moral consequence.

But deep down, the human heart knows the truth. Romans 1:20 tells us that God’s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

People do not resist the idea of God because there is a lack of evidence. They resist because all the evidence points to Jesus, and believing in Him changes everything. A real God demands a real response. Accepting a holy God means acknowledging that we are not the masters of our own destinies, that our choices matter, and that our lives must bend to His standard.

Rejecting God isn't a failure of the intellect, often, it is a defense mechanism for the will. It is much easier to deny the light than it is to change the way you live in the dark.

That brings us to the second, deeper truth. There are no neutral grounds in the spiritual realm. When people fight fiercely against the truth of God while tolerating harmless myths, they are caught in a spiritual dynamic much larger than they realize. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel.

Think about it logically. The Devil the enemy of souls is not going to waste his time fighting against a myth. He does not care if children believe in a fairy tale that has no eternal weight and cannot threaten his kingdom. But the moment you introduce the name of Jesus the name above all names, the One who conquered the grave, broke the chains of sin, and redeems human lives you step onto the battlefield.

Where Jesus is proclaimed, chains are broken, forgiveness is offered, and souls are rescued from darkness. That is why the pushback is so fierce. The world's reaction isn't just about cultural disagreement, it is a spiritual reflex against the only power that can truly set a captive free.

So, do not be discouraged when the world rolls its eyes at the name of Jesus while celebrating empty traditions. The very resistance you encounter is proof of His reality.

Teach your children the truth. Point them to the Savior who is real, whose love is active, and whose grace is eternal. Let the world have its temporary fables we will anchor our lives in Jesus.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." — 1 Corinthians 1:18

08/26/2026

Growing up, I became a massive fan of professional wrestling. A few years ago, I was blessed immensely and was able to cross a major item off my bucket list by attending WrestleMania live.

At WrestleMania, a wrestling icon returned and headlined night one, competing in a match featuring his signature finishing move, the Rock Bottom.

One of the most iconic elements of any match is the finishing move the signature maneuver so intense and devastating that it usually ends the match right then and there.

But as I think about my own spiritual journey, I am so thankful that we have another wrestling term to hold onto, the false finish.

We’ve all been there. Life hits us with its own version of a finisher. For me, there were seasons when I was hit with the "Rock Bottom" and found myself flat on my back at absolute rock bottom of my life. In those moments, the enemy thought he had me pinned. The pressure was heavy, and the referee's hand started coming down for the count.

One. The weight of worthlessness pressing down.

Two. The struggle against old habits and temptations closing in.

Just when it looked like the match was over and defeat was certain, something supernatural happened. My shoulder shot up off the canvas. I kicked out.

When life hits you with its finisher, you always have two choices, let the three count happen, or kick out and look to the corner.

As I kicked out and scrambled, I looked over at the corner of the ring. And there He was, standing on the apron, reaching out his nail pierced hand.

When I dove across that canvas and made the hot tag to Jesus, everything changed. He stepped into the ring of my life and completely cleared house.

All the feelings of worthlessness that had been drop kicking me were gone. The heavy chains and clotheslines of addiction and self pleasure were broken and removed.

If you feel like you are in a grueling wrestling match today if you just took a heavy blow and got hit with the enemy's finishing move don't stay down.

KICK OUT!!

Reach out to Jesus, tag Him into your life and your current situation, and trust in the promise. In the end, you won't be left lying on the mat, you will be standing in the center of the ring with your hand raised high in victory.

Not for the 99 ministries

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