Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

God did not promise that you would have an easy path through life. Scripture is actually full of examples of people who follow God with their whole hearts, still being faced with trials, because that’s just the reality of how the world works. But Pastor Jeff isn’t just giving you bad news today; he wants to remind you that God will always give you a way to endure the temptations that you face in t...

Temptation is all about repeating patterns of sin, and Satan is very good at exploiting your patterns of behavior. That’s why Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that if something is causing you to sin, you should cut it out of your life. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that your own human strength is limited, and that if you are regularly putting yourself in situations where you are easily tempte...

There are people out there who just want to find a hidden meaning in something. A common version of this phenomenon is people who believe in the importance of numbers and how certain patterns of numbers carry spiritual or supernatural meaning. But Pastor Jeff wants you to realize that God isn’t cryptic like that. If He is going to tell you something, it won’t be in patterns that only certain peopl...

When you think about the way the devil is portrayed in human culture, there’s almost always a deal involved. There are many fictional stories of people signing their souls over to the devil in exchange for power, favor, or even good health. And while those stories may be fictional, Pastor Jeff reminds you that the temptation is real, all the same. The occult wants you to think that you can gain ac...

One of the ways people try to conflate Christianity with Islam is by claiming that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that Muslims are reading a different sacred text! The Quran is not the Bible, and vice versa. So, even though both groups claim to be worshipping the same God, only one can be the true and inspired Word of God. You can’t serve Jehovah and...

If people are good at being one thing, it’s being stubborn! How many times have you received correction from someone, and how many times has your first reaction to that correction been to get defensive, or to dismiss the criticism completely? Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that a cult member may not be able to escape the deception on their own. You need to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit...

When we talk about cults, it can be easy to think of their members either as people who are extremely gullible or even as evil individuals seeking to deceive curious souls. But Pastor Jeff wants us to remember one important thing about people involved in cults: they are all beloved children of God! We shouldn’t seek the destruction of those caught in cults; instead, we should be interceding for th...

Understanding that you are not under the condemnation of sin doesn’t give you a blank check to keep living however you want. Because if you fall back into a life of sin and disregard your need for forgiveness, the influence of sin can creep back into your life. Make no mistake, without God’s influence in your life, sin will destroy you. Pastor Jeff warns you today not to let complacency push you b...

How do you know if you’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit? Pastor Jeff teaches you today that you will recognize the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life when you begin to be convicted regarding the sin in the world around you. Unfortunately, the world is a dark place, and the corrupting influence of sin is everywhere you look. But when you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you’ll begin to see the pr...

You probably know someone who posts on social media. If they see something they like, they want to share it with everyone they know. But something to keep in mind is that discernment isn’t built into these social media algorithms. In fact, Pastor Jeff warns you today that false teachings and occult thinking can sneak up on you if you’re not careful. In order to defend yourself against the enemy’s...

In life, a surplus isn’t always a good thing. In the business world, having something left over may mean that there was potential growth left on the table, or potential leads not followed up on. Pastor Jeff reminds you that the overflow that God gives you functions in a similar way! When you’re given more blessings than you can handle, you’re meant to share those with those around you. If you are...

Do you ever feel like this life is a slog with no end in sight? Do you ever start to wonder if this will ever be worth it? Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that not only is the Lord a good shepherd who nourishes and sustains you, but He is leading you toward something better! When the road gets tough ahead, Pastor Jeff wants you to keep your eye on the prize. Jesus has set a table for you, a gr...

We humans suffer from a fallen nature. We were given free will by a perfect God, and every single one of us has chosen the path of sin at some point in our lives. Someone can't live a whole life without giving in to sin at some point. So, Pastor Jeff reminds us that the miracle of the Gospel is that God saw our need and gave us a way to be redeemed. By placing our sins on the shoulders of Jesus as...

Precious metals are refined in fire. It’s in the intense heat of the furnace that the impurities in the metal rise to the top, resulting in a purer material. And just like the most precious of gold, you and I need to endure periods of intense heat, so that the impurities in our own lives can be burned away. Pastor Jeff reminds us that we are never alone when we go through these times of refinement...

The laws of nature state that things cannot go from disordered to ordered without an outside influence. Buildings don’t form on their own without builders, trees don’t grow without energy from the sun, and children don’t grow without food from their caregivers. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that relationships aren’t strengthened without forgiveness. You won’t be able to completely avoid conflict i...

A common phrase that people use to describe someone lashing out is anger is to say, “Well, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back”. The truth of the matter is that every human has a limit to how much they can endure before buckling under the pressure. But what Pastor Jeff teaches you today is that you should have a strong will and not allow yourself to easily give in to anger, because bein...

No matter how you live your life, no matter how much money or influence you have, there are only two destinations for your soul after death: one in the presence of God forever, or one where you are separated from His love forever. Pastor Jeff reminds you today that there’s no third option, and that many people will be deceived and fall short of spending eternity in Heaven. You reach Heaven by acce...

One of the important things you learn growing up is to learn how to separate your wants from your needs. Your wants may include things like a new car, the latest smartphone, or a big house in a fancy neighborhood. But how many of those things are really things you need? Pastor Jeff reminds you today that the Lord is a good shepherd and a generous provider. While His provision may not always cover...

Peter could have simply given up and abandoned Jesus after denying him three times! He must have felt so much guilt after acting like he never knew the man who called him out of his fishing boat. But Pastor Jeff reminds you that not only did Jesus restore Peter, He also gave him the chance to do what He didn’t do before! When you give your mistakes and your bad decisions to the Lord, He will give...

If you were a boxer and you had trained day in and day out to get ready for a big championship fight, would you give up the first time you got knocked down? Of course not! You would find that inner strength to get back up and continue the fight. And Pastor Jeff teaches you today that when you fail and disappoint God, your first reaction shouldn’t be to give up. Instead, ask the Lord for the streng...

In regions with dry climates, wildfires and bushfires are very real dangers. All it takes is one spark, one improperly extinguished campfire, or one lightning strike to ignite a firestorm that can consume thousands of acres, do millions of dollars in property damage, and uproot thousands of lives. Pastor Jeff wants you to realize that if you tag along in someone’s jealousy and gossip, you may be s...

Even among the body of Christ, there can be instances of conflict or bitterness that are too great to be resolved via human intervention. But something even greater than human intervention is divine intervention! Pastor Jeff encourages you today that if you have a brother or sister who has offended you and refuses to reconcile, you can bring that burden to the Lord! Just like you’ve learned to cas...

You’re never going to find a perfect church! For better or for worse, every church is made up of human beings. And even though every person is made in the image of God, the curse of sin has marred the Lord’s original design for the human race. Pastor Jeff encourages you today to continue going to church despite the obstacles that may be in your way. As he says, the Church isn’t just meant for spir...

When we get offended, we want it to be everyone’s problem. Saul’s dilemma when David comes into the picture is one that all of us deal with at one point or another. When someone seems to be doing better than us in life, our first instinct is to be jealous of their success, and make other people defend us! Pastor Jeff reminds us today to be humble and not let ourselves fall into sin when we become...

If you want to run a marathon, you can’t just decide to run a marathon if you haven’t been training in some way. You need to start small and work your way up to the big race. And just like a runner gaining strength and endurance, Pastor Jeff teaches you that living a holy life requires you to start small and work your way up until you’re serving God with your whole being. By starting small now, it...