Just thought I’d make an observation. I think I’m preaching more unfiltered messages these days. I think I used to filter content based on what people wanted to hear. I think that is a common mistake that is the byproduct of immaturity. And it’s not that I’ve arrived as a communicator. Not even close! But I’m less filtered these days. I honestly care less about what people think, but I care more because I care less. Or maybe I should say it this way: I care less about what people think because I care more about what God thinks.

As preachers, we what ought to have one filter, one litmus test, one goal: was God pleased with the message I preached? That is what it comes down to. Did I say what God wanted me to say? Messages that go through a people-pleasing filter end up polluting the soul like secondhand smoke. It’s unfiltered messages that have a rawness and realness about them, when combined with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that ultimately impact lives in eternal ways!