The Root Of Change
By Assistant Pastor Dr. Jaden Fitzpatrick | December 28, 2025
Father, give us unction to function. Remove every distraction. Work in us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
On December 28, 2025—the last Sunday of the year—Assistant Pastor Dr. Jaden Fitzpatrick preaches a blunt, youth-led message titled “The Root Of Change” from Genesis 3:8–13. With humor and hard truth, he declares: “A new year doesn’t mean anything if you bring your old mindset with you.” Everyone wants change—better jobs, relationships, habits—but real change has one root: self-accountability. No more excuses. No more blame game. Own your sin, repent, and let God transform you.
1. The Excuses That We Employ (v. 10)
Adam: “I was afraid… and I hid myself.” We hide behind emotions—fear, hurt, circumstances—to avoid fault. Kids (and adults) twist stories to lighten the sentence. We justify sin with past experiences or environment. “Excuses are like feet—almost everyone has them, and they all stink.” Excuses delay repentance and harden hearts. Dr. Jaden: “Change isn’t what people hate—it’s when they’re not in control of it.”
2. The Blame That We Bestow (v. 12)
Adam: “The woman whom thou gavest… she gave me…” He blamed Eve—and indirectly God. We shift responsibility: “If you hadn’t… I wouldn’t have…” Blame preserves pride but destroys accountability. Marriages crumble over mutual blame. Churches split when leaders won’t own failure. “If 85 people leave your church and you’re the leader—it’s your fault.” Stop playing the blame game. Own it.
3. The Truth That We Twist (v. 13)
Eve: “The serpent beguiled me…” Partial truths are whole lies. We minimize choices, claim misunderstanding, avoid conviction. “A half-truth is a whole lie.” Twisting truth silences conscience—but not consequences. Dr. Jaden learned: sarcastic jokes hurt—even if “just kidding.” “I don’t have the right to tell someone how they should feel over something I said.” Own your words. Own your actions.
4. The Repentance That We Embrace
God asked: “Where art thou?”—an invitation to confession. Real change starts when we answer honestly, accept full responsibility (“It’s my fault—no explanation”), and start fresh intentionally. “Don’t change habits—own your sin and change your heart.” New Year’s resolutions fail without repentance. Salvation comes when you alone admit you’re lost. Condemnation comes when you blame everyone else for unbelief. “If you cover sin, God will uncover it. But if you uncover sin, God will cover it.”
The root of change is self-accountability.
No excuses. No blame. No twisted truth.
Just you, honest before God—
saying, “It’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”
Dr. Jaden closes with fire: “Not my mama, not my daddy—but it’s me, O Lord.” This last Sunday of 2025, own your part. Repent. Let God uproot blame and plant real change.