There are two toxic viewpoints on sin in the church.

One causes us to beat each other up. The other gives permission, which ultimately leads to destruction.

Both of these can be corrected by one simple shift in how we think about sin.

Sin must always remain the enemy. Not the person sinning, but the sin itself.

If both the person sinning and the one helping them out see sin as the enemy, then they are on the same team against the same enemy and will defeat it together.

But if we identify the person by the sin, we will fight a losing battle. Likewise, if we give sin permission to stay, we will die in our sin.

We are no longer victims of sin. Jesus Christ broke sin's power over our lives. We are free!

So, let's help each other stay free by remembering that sin is an enemy that has already been defeated. In Christ, we have everything we need to eliminate sin.

The blood moon from a week ago is still on my mind.

It happened on the 3rd day of the 3rd month, peaking at 3:33am.

It was the 3rd blood moon in a row on the same Jewish holiday.

When it peaked, the moon was 33 degrees off the horizon.

Clearly, this is a sign from God. Only He could arrange these details to perfectly align at 33.

So, what is He saying through the number 33? A couple of things come to mind.

First, Jesus was 33 when He was raised from the dead. The body of Christ is awaiting our resurrection and glorified bodies. Is it almost time?

Second, if the 7-year tribulation starts this year, the end will be in 2033.

Is God issuing a final warning to make sure we are ready for the return of Christ?

Is He giving us one last opportunity to repent and stir up our expectation of His soon return so we are not left behind in the rapture?

Even if it's not this year, you have a responsibility to stay ready. So, let this be your reminder to not fool around.

Look up! Keep your eyes on Jesus. Your redemption is VERY soon.

A few days ago, a tornado began forming in my backyard. Debris was flying, and water was being sucked out of the pool.

The confirmed EF2 tornado touched down less than a mile from my house before making an almost direct line to my parents’ 5 miles away.

It veered off just enough to miss my parents by less than half a mile and then dissipated.

The next day, when I saw the confirmed path, I knew who was behind the storm. It became very obvious that the enemy had a specific plan in mind.

My parents started the church that I now lead. We’ve experienced every test and trial as the enemy has tried to destroy the church. But each one just makes us stronger.

The enemy tried his best to take us out with that storm, but he couldn’t pull it off because we know something.

Jesus has given us authority over ALL the power of the enemy.

So, the next time one shows up, do what Jesus did. Recognize the source as the enemy, then command the storm.

Your authority in Christ trumps the power of the enemy’s storms.

Timid prayers are ineffective prayers. They get confused with humility, but only expose that we don't know who we are to God.

We don't have to wonder how God wants us to approach Him in prayer, because it's made clear in the scriptures: come boldly.

When we pray, we must be confident that God wants to hear us.

We must know, without a doubt, that it is our blood-bought right to ask God for anything we need—fully expecting that He will give it to us.

From this point forward, every time you pray, pray like God wants to hear you. Because He does.

There are three things that keep you from divine healing.

The first one is all the reasons why you can't be healed.

The doctor said it was incurable. Your loved one prayed for healing and didn't get it. On and on... excuses why you can't be healed.

Once you overcome all of that, you'll be faced with the next challenge. There will be an action you have to take.

This action will require faith because it will be something that seems irresponsible, or something you don't want to do, or something that would cause embarrassment if it didn't work out.

But once you take that action, healing comes. It's not that the action earned healing. It just revealed faith. You believed, so you did it.

Even then, that's not the end. There's another challenge that comes almost immediately to try to convince you to go back to sickness.

It'll come from a trusted source, or maybe even your own thoughts. It sounds like this:

"It probably won't last. Was it even real, or was it just coincidence?"

How you respond to these lies will determine if you remain healed or not. Will you stick with Jesus who already healed you? Or are you going to side with the opposition?

Something is missing in the body of Christ.

Even when it gets brought up, we tend to dismiss it as unimportant, which is interesting because it is used in a trio of words to describe the Kingdom of God.

Maybe the real problem is that we don't understand what this word means, even though we use it so often.

Joy.

Our idea of joy is excitement and celebratory noise. It's easy to drum up, especially in a crowd. But that's not what the Bible is talking about.

Joy is not connected to circumstances. So, if it only shows up when you are in the right environment, that's not joy.

Joy comes from the Holy Spirit. It is produced in your innermost being, completely disconnected from your surroundings.

Joy is a calm delight that comes as you trust God's promises and enjoy His goodness. It's a confident assurance that God is at work on your behalf.

True joy is not troubled by difficulty; it is multiplied. The greater the challenge, the greater the joy.