Christianityworks Official Podcast

Our self-life – self-indulgence, self-preservation, self-gratification – our self-life, as it turns out is a tyrant that robs us of real life. The life that Jesus has for us. And I believe that this selfishness, this craving of the flesh is something that Jesus came to set us free from.   OVERCOMING SELFISHNESS Selfishness is a word that we are all too familiar with but I wonder how often we stop...

Anger, sexual immorality and low self-esteem are three of the most stubborn sins known to humanity. We know we should eliminate them from our lives, but the question is - HOW?   LIVING IN THE GOOD THINGS OF GOD Well, welcome to this third week in this series called "Eliminating Stubborn Sin – Once and For All" . Over the last few weeks on the programme we have seen that God truly does want us to o...

Most of us have heard sermon after sermon, message after message, telling us that we shouldn't sin. That instead, we should repent and live a godly, holy life. That's great – but the real question is HOW?   STIFF-NECKED GENERATION I was never much of an accountant but I do remember learning about double-entry book keeping systems. They were really important back in manual accounting systems becaus...

Stubborn sin – the sort that just keeps coming back again and again, no matter how hard we try –is a fact of life for so many. And we have a choice – we can just accept it and its devastating consequences, or we can believe God's Word that where there's a will, there's a way.   THE BIG CON Today we are kicking off a new series of programmes for the next four weeks. It's called "Overcoming Stubborn...

When the storms of life hit, as they do, right, what we do is that instinctively we grab a life vest, we look for a lifeline here on earth, a worldly solution if you will … instead of turning to the One who can calm the storm. So, you have to ask yourself then, who exactly is the Lord of our lives?   Just Like the Rest Over these last few weeks we have been looking at what it means to get our feet...

It's so easy to look at God and come to the conclusion, well I want that part of Him – but not that part. And definitely not that bit. It seems that all too often, we want Him on our terms rather than His. But God just doesn't work that way.   Take it Back Have you ever wanted something in life – I mean really, really, really wanted it and then when you finally get it, you just want to give it bac...

We tend to see the world from where we are. It's only natural. We want everyone and everything else to fit in with us. But God, well, He doesn't quite see it that way.   A Boy Called Sam Last week on the programme we spent some time talking about the fact that when the storms of life hit and they inevitably do, what we need is some solid ground beneath our feet. It's a scary place to be, out on th...

When the storms in life strike, as they inevitably do, it feels as though we're caught in a small boat out on a stormy ocean. At that point, what we really need is some solid ground beneath our feet. And fortunately, God knows that only too well.   Dealt a Cruel Blow You know you can always tell when we are starting a new series – I am excited. I love to get onto a new series in God's Word and tha...

We each have a God–given destiny. A plan that God has for our lives, which fits perfectly with who He made us to be. The problem is that many people aren't living out that destiny – because there are some obstacles in their way. So let's find out what they are, and how to get around them – so that you can live out your destiny.   Putting First Things First Most people these days live hectic lives,...

We all have some sense that there is some destiny to fulfil with our lives and yet so many people struggle to lay hold of that, to really start living the life that they know would be fulfilling their destiny. That's what I think it means to actually live our lives to the full. That's what I think it means to get the most out of life.   Living Life to the Full (1) So can I ask you something? Are y...

Have you ever looked at yourself in a photo and cringed, or seen yourself in a video and thought – Yich – do I really look that bad? Other people don't seem to have a problem with how you look, but somehow you always do. And it's not just you by the way … we all do it. Today, we're going to discover how you and I can be truly happy with who you are.   Being Happy with Who I Am As I look around at...

In this electronic age in which we live, identity theft is the big new crime. If someone can steal your identity – well, they can own everything you own. But what if you and I aren't really sure of our identity in the first place? What if you and I woke up one day and simply didn't know who we were? Then what would we have?   Lost Without a Passport I remember once a few years back being at the ai...

God's Word is packed full of power … power unlimited … to transform your life. But one of the biggest problems people have with the Bible is understanding it. Making sense of it. Knowing where it comes from, and where what they're reading today fits into the big picture. Well, I think it's time we did something about that.   About the Bible – Old and New We've all heard of those word association t...

They say that following Jesus isn't easy. Because following Jesus means swimming against the tide of popular opinion. Following Jesus means, all too often … in fact most of the time … going in the opposite direction. That's why we need power … power unlimited … to follow Jesus.   WARNING: The Countercultural Christ Over the last couple of weeks on the program, we've been talking about the unlimite...

God is so profoundly different to anyone or anything that this world has to offer. His ways are so different to our ways, and unless and until we have a personal encounter with the risen Christ, unless and until we encounter Jesus in our own, personal experience, our lives simply cannot be transformed.   Who Exactly is God? Who or what is God? When you go out and ask different people and what you...

Too many Christians, in fact, way too many Christians, are living lives that fall so far short of the life that Jesus promised. When Jesus promised power, they instead end up living a powerless life. I wonder if you know anyone like that. Resurrection Power I wonder if this scenario sounds at all familiar to you. At some stage, way back when, you decided to believe in Jesus. Perhaps you, like me,...

Sometimes, when life looks dangerous and dark – we need a place of refuge. Fortunately, as things turn out, God's Word talks an awful lot about the refuge He has for us.   God's Refuge I want you to imagine that you are out one night, walking along a dark and lonely street and all of a sudden you see some drunk and unruly men coming towards you. They are swearing and they look to be wielding knive...

Sometimes – we're just living life the best way we know how, honouring God and Whammo, something so unfair hits us – right out of the blue.  You've been there too, right?   His Way, Not Ours There are times in life when bad things happen to good people. And perhaps you are someone who believes in Jesus and you have been living your life just the best way that you know how; just day after day walki...

When we're travelling through a dark and scary patch in our lives, there's a strong temptation to do the wrong thing, to save our skin. But there is another way….   What We do in the Dark Well, it's great to be with you again this week. I'm not sure if you were able to join us last week but we began a new series called "Dark Night, Bright Light". Darkness, well, we all travel through darkness in o...

It doesn't matter who you are, we all travel through dark and fearful places in life – and at those times, it can be so hard to remember that God is in the Light business.   The Darkest Nights I am always so excited to be starting a new series of messages and that's what we are doing this week on the programme – and it is a series that I have called "Dark Night, Bright Light." Dark and darkness –...

So often we try to make changes in our lives, you know, the difficult things, those entrenched behaviours that keep ruining things for us – but try as we might, somehow we always seem to fail. But worship, well, that's something that changes us – from the inside out.   Worship Sets us Free Well, welcome to this programme; it's the last programme in our four part series called, "Worship as a Way of...

It's easy to worship God in the good times. Sure. But what about the bad times, when life is really tough? What does it mean to worship God in the middle of suffering? Because, quite frankly, when we're suffering, the very last thing we feel like doing is worshipping God.   Job in the Face of Adversity Well, this is the third message in a series that I've called, "Worship as a Way of Life" . Over...

Sometimes we keep our faith and our day-to-day lives in separate boxes. But it turns out that "worship" is something that brings them back together again. Worship does just happen once a week when we sing a few songs. Worship as things turn out, was always meant to be, a way of life.   Connecting Inside and Out Well, this is the second message in a series that I've called, "Living a Life of Worshi...

Worship means different things to different people. It's a religious thing. It's singing songs.  It's a concert with a light show. It's well, who knows what.  But the question we need to ask ourselves, is what exactly does worship mean to God?   We All Worship Something Well it's great to be with you again this week and we are starting a new series on the programme that I've called, "Worship as a...

It's easy to drift along, day after day – not ever realising that we're on a gentle, downward slope, until it's too late. But the beauty of God's grace is that it's never, ever too late to change things. It's never, ever too late to turn your life around.   Same Old Same Old The thing about life is that it, well, it seems to just crank along, day after day – get up, have a shower, have breakfast,...