The Prodigal Witness

09/07/2026

“I love you, Lord. You are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my high tower. I will call to the Lord. He is worthy of praise. And I will be saved from my enemies.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ICB‬‬

09/05/2026

09/04/2026

So many of us claim we want to be like Paul. Sacrificing everything, facing our struggles head on, and never compromising. We feel like we are strong in delivering the truth. We are blunt and dont hold back.
In reality, many more are like Peter. Always jumping out to do things for Jesus based on our own way of thinking and our feelings, only to have God shut us down. Eager to do what we think God has told us to do, but not doing the simple things God lined out in his word that there is no doubt we are to do. Helping people, being kind to people. Showing Gods love to a world ready to slaughter us.
Its hard to imagine how Jesus would expect us to show kindness to those who hate us, but where do those people get to experience the life changing that is Jesus? How do i convince someone that Jesus is good, i represent Jesus, but i can only be kind to you if you will will stop sinning? This is why we are here. To reach the lost. Not so we can be rich and comfortable. The hardest things for Christians to realize is that in order to live a life like Jesus, we must do the things Jesus did. We must have the same mind as Jesus. The first things we want to do are miracles, instead of feeding the poor or clothing them, or helping someone with a need. We want to flex our bible knowledge to people who have no understanding of the scriptures. Instead of showing them what the word says, we tell them verses and walk away. Until we as a church can come to obedience of the word, we wont be able to fully live up to our potential as Christians. And the saddest part is, the world already sees it, and the church doesnt.

09/02/2026

Where sin abounds, grace abounds greater.

I have seen this in my own life. Struggling in an area, but instead of beating me down, he convicts me because he loves me. He even at times overflows me with his blessings. Not rewarding me for my sin, but showing me his love in hopes I will think on him and his ways and return to him completely.

“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

09/01/2026

What does it mean that “nothing can separate us from the love of God?”Does it mean that we can live any way we choose and have salvation? Absolutely not. In fact, the love of God in this scripture refers to his love that “offers” the gift of salvation. Not having salvation itself.

It means that he loved each one of us before he created us, and he created us in his image. It means that he sacrificed his own son to save us from hell. That whoever would accept it, would have everlasting life. That is how much he loves us.

It means that even though some of us may suffer, be hungry, not have as much as another, not have good health or may even have a short life, are still greatly loved by God. No matter who you are. The love of God that saves our souls is great for each of us. For anyone, and that means anyone, who will turn from their sin and follow Jesus, he will be saved from death and hell. The life we are dealt has no reflection on the love God had for us. This is why our relationship with God is far more important than anything on this earth.

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

09/01/2026

What else do you need to know?

“For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

08/29/2026

In Romans 7, Paul tells us how hard it is to live right. To stay away from sin. He says he wants to do right but his body does the opposite. He says it’s because we try to follow the law but can’t.

What very few realize is that in chapter 8 is that he begins to talk about how when we accept Jesus, we are no longer under the law but under grace. When we truly believe and follow Jesus, we begin to receive the mind of Christ. When we have the mind of Christ, we begin to act like Jesus and begin to be able to control our sinful nature. Yes we may sin, but we do not want to sin. We are ashamed of our sin. We repent of our sin when we do sin. We learn to sin less and less.

Many think that Paul was justifying sinful behavior, but in fact he was showing the difference between living under the law and living under grace. If you are truly saved by grace then you believed. If you truly believed, then you believed what Jesus said about sin and its consequences and you repented of your sin from your heart. You receive the mind of Christ and you begin to no longer want to sin. You no longer intentionally and habitually live in sin. You no longer live in the flesh, but now you live in the spirit. This is the evidence of those who have truly accepted Christ.

Many like to argue that Christians still have a sinful nature, but Paul contradicts this by telling us that those who truly know Christ put off their sinful nature and live in the Spirit.