Elevate Pod

 In a world full of cursing and blaming God for all the mess the world is in, it is time for believers to shout loudly and bless the Lord by declaring Who He is and all the wonderful things He has done. We must not forget any of His benefits and tell anyone willing to Hear how great and how good God is!  

When we feel the most like running away from God's embrace because of feelings of guilt, failure, and discouragement, is the very time we need to run to God and hide ourselves in Him. In our times of lowest lows, we need to have a strong tower out of the reach of the enemy. Our Heavenly Father is our Strong Tower and Hiding Place!    

All believers have at one time or another cried out in a moment of a faith crisis, "Jesus, I believe, but help my unbelief!" Jesus has a deep compassion for our struggle, but He also wants to impart the strength we need to grow our faith for Little to Great.  

Before Jesus' own resurrection, He demonstrated the power of God in His statement to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, when He said, "I am the resurrection and the life". The resurrection of Jesus was not an event in history to be studied, but a life to be lived. Jesus is the Resurrection!  

 Jesus said that the defining mark of His disciples to distinguish them from all others would be tied to the way they would love one another. This is a remarkable statement. Of all the ways that followers of Jesus can be identified in the world, the way we love the other members of the Body of Christ defines our Christianity.   

It is so easy to forget the simplicity of God's Word when it comes to the complexity of ministry of healing. Faith is always based on what God has said, not on our experiences or lack of them regarding healing.   

Is it really possible to think like Jesus and to be able to know the mind of God? Or, is this a truth that is only available once we enter eternity? Tune in to find out more.  

Jesus described His Holy Spirit in many different ways. One of the most important descriptions is that of an Advocate. Tune in to fine out more.

Pockets of revival are breaking out all over the nation. I share some insights about what God is doing through the Asbury Revival and the Jesus Revolution movie. I believe that a major part of the coming outpouring of God's spirit will be a renewed understanding of the fear of the Lord. We look at the lives of Abraham  and Moses to see what the fear of the Lord looks like and how it leads to true friendship and intimacy with God.

As believers, can we really trust our hearts? Do we constantly have to battle with believing that we are hearing God's voice and not being deceived? Having a new heart and a new spirit gives us the confidence that God hears us and we hear Him!  

The accounts of Jeusus' ministry in the New Testament say that Jesus went around to all the cities and villages preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. This was Jesus' gospel, which included demonstrations of works of power and miracles. Any presentation of the Gospel must include the Full Gospel, which includes demonstrations of power.  

Was Jesus really serious when He told His disciples that they would do greater works than He did? And if he was speaking literally, how did Jesus intend for this to happen? Tune in to start digging for the answers.  

 What did Jesus really mean when he told His disciples that his Father's house has many rooms? Is this referring to heaven and a mansion that is there waiting for us after death? Or, was Jesus referring to something completely different? Tune in to find out!      

What does real biblical faith look like? We look at Hebrews 11 to see many examples of faith being exercised and see that faith equals trust and obedience. We then turn to Jesus in the garden to look at what true submission to God looks like. It's God's will above our own that is the key to understanding the mysteries we face in life.  

When the Body of Christ recaptures the proper honor and reverence for God's presence and respect for His Word, the result will be a revival of righteousness that will open wide the gates of God's Kingdom to the multitudes of people poised for salvation. The Church seems always to be waiting for God to send revival. Perhaps, God is waiting for His Church to go and bring revival to a world waiting to see the righteousness of God on display through His people.  

 If we are to have any lasting change in the way we approach life, especially how we view God, we are going to need a powerful reformation in our respect for His Word. God has declared He has exalted His Word equal to His Name. That's a very powerful statement, and one that is worthy of total respect for all who want to take God seriously!  

Any authentic and lasting revival that is to come through the church must be preceded by a renaissance of reverence for God and His ways. Too many times the church cries out for God to pour out the blessings of revival on a church that has become too familiar with God's presence through a lack of reverence.

Anyone who plays a musical instrument knows that without proper tuning, no matter how good of a musician is, the music will sound awful. There are times when God must tune His people and His church so we are in harmony with His will and purposes. With the world in a state of chaos it is time for the people of God to sing the chorus of heaven - in tune!  

The only way to rid your life of shadows is to have the sun directly overhead. The prophet Malachi declared: "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. (Mal 4:2 NLT). The SON of righteousness has truly risen! So, if you are still groping in the shadows of gloom it is because you have not positioned the Son directly overhead as Lord over your life.  

What happens when we become passive about what God has called us to do? We look to the life of David as an example of what happens when you embrace a passive spirit. As believers we are called to transform our culture, and we each must have a biblical worldview to effectively do that. Now is not the time for passivity, now is the time for action.   

 "You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." (2Co 9:11 ESV) Generosity is the proof that believers have the revelation of God's grace. If we truly believe God has poured His abundant grace into us, generosity should be regularly pouring out of us.

Can you imagine living life without ever being conscious of an unmet need? The Apostle Paul declared that God is able to make all grace abound to us that in all things, at all times, we have all sufficiency for every good work. This means that we will always have enough for our needs and enough left over to sow into good works. Living on overflow is living in true liberty!  

 If there was ever a time to feel less than enthusiastic about the state of our world, it would be now. However, ``enthusiastic" literally means "God within". This puts a whole new twist on how and when we can be enthusiastic. If God is in us, how can we not be enthused about good defeating evil, right prevailing over wrong, and truth standing in the midst of lies. Greater is He that is within us, than he that is in the world!

How can forgiveness be a powerful catalyst for revival? It is not the forgiveness that we receive from God as much as it is the forgiveness that we release to others that unlocks the door to the harvest. Great persecution coupled with great forgiveness produces great revival.   

Guest Speaker: Neil Hubacker.  Daniel was a young man who was thrust into the center of a godless culture and was able to maintain his purity in the midst of deep corruption. Tune in to find out more about what qualities made Daniel 10 times better than all his contemporaries.  

   Whatever motivates us to act reveals the core of our being. When Jesus saw the multitudes as sheep without a shepherd, He was motivated to transform their misery into miracles of healing. If the compassion of Jesus lies at the core of our being, we can expect to be transformed by its power and release the same power into the broken, lost world around us.

If God was to reveal His face to the world, what would it look like? As believers we have heard it said that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. We have even said that we need to be the mouthpiece of God to our world. But what would it look like if believers are also called to be the face of God to a lost and perishing world?  

 Most believers are familiar with the encouragement from Heb. 12:2 to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.To the Greek culture of the first century this was a vivid picture of an athlete running a race with his eyes on the goal. There is, however, another way to read this verse that is much more intimate. The word picture could be expressed as the locked-on look of a bride and groom as they look intently at each other as they express their covenant vows.

Special message from  guest speaker Ryan Bastress

The scriptures have much to say about treasure. Jesus taught that our hearts will always be located wherever our treasures are. God has treasures, too, and He keeps it in a very special place. If you follow God's treasure map it leads right to us!

If the Body of Christ is ever to rise to the level of power and authority that Jesus invested in it, we are going to need to rise above the stranglehold that the cares of this world have on our faith. Our seeking first the Kingdom is cut short by worry and anxiety that keeps us trapped in the confines of what we can control. The true and lasting cure for anxiety is not in more self-help teaching, but in a full revelation of our identity in Christ.  

 It is so easy to forget how important our words are and how powerful language is. The ability to speak is high on the list of the most important qualities that make us most like God. Jesus nailed down this truth in one of His most sobering statements: "By your words you are condemned, and by your words you are justified". This statement must cause us to pause and take account of what is coming out of our mouths - we are responsible for every word we speak!  

In this podcast Pastor Mike unpacks some insight on how to take advantage of the influence we have.

Do the things we say really matter? Our life and death really in the power of our tongues? What's the big deal with words, anyway? Of all the human capabilities that God has formed within us, the ability to speak and use language is the most powerful force in the universe! So, what do you say?  

When God shows us His miraculous power and opens to us the revelation of His nature, there is an expectation from that point on that seeing is believing. As believers, we must discipline ourselves to align our thoughts and actions with whatever it is that the Lord is doing and is calling us to do. We must remove every barrier that clouds our faith vision to see the promises of God fulfilled.

Most believers are familiar with the spiritual truth that we live by faith and not by sight. However, the right kind of sight is critical to walking by faith. What we see is important, but what we perceive about what we don't see is vital to maintain the assurance of things hoped for. Do we have eyes to see?  

All of us have areas of our lives that we need to come to a decision before we can move forward. For some it is a total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. For others, it is a decision to stand firm in your faith no matter what is happening around you. Whatever the circumstance, it is time to settle it!  

 Hebrews 11:6 states that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Instantly, our mind can race to a thousand things we could and should do to please God to stay in right relationship with Him. However, the one thing that God is looking for and the one thing we need most to please God is TRUST. Without trust, there is no faith. If you have "trust issues", it's time to take back your trust and stand firm in your faith!  

 If there was ever a time for the Body of Christ to stand in bold confidence, this is the time! All around the globe the assaults of darkness are feverishly working to back the Church of Jesus into a corner and silence our testimony and declaration that Jesus is the only hope for our lost world. In the words of the Prophet Daniel, "...The people who know their God must stand firm and take action..."  

Sadly, many believers are more aware of Satan prowling around like a roaring lion than they are of the majestic roar of the true Lion of Judah. When a lion roars, it is asserting its dominance over the land that it treads upon. For too long, the lying roar of Satan had drowned out the roar of truth. The Lion of Judah is on the prowl, and He needs to roar through His Church. It's time to roar!

By guest speaker Laurie Anan We all journey through "the night season." If we are completely honest with ourselves and with God, the night season will challenge us to the very core of our being, but is also an opportunity to be strengthened with grace to endure in the middle of mystery.   

Jesus equipped His Church with everything necessary for successfully completing the mission He commissioned before He left the planet. The storms of adversity that swept in after his departure are what Jesus said would happen, and would continue to happen to His Church as they advance the Kingdom. Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves, and walked on the water of the stormy sea not to amaze us, but to activate us to do the same. The only thing necessary to do what Jesus did is our choice to trust the power of His peace.  

It is no secret that our world is addicted to media and glued to screens. With one swite, tap or click, we can be virtually anywhere in the world with billions of bits of information streaming into our brains. In an age where anything is possible, is it possible that the digital world is redefining what it means to be a disciple of Christ? Authentic discipleship is the answer to this digital disease.  

Jesus fully intends to display the glory of the Father and His Kingdom through the Church. This means that the Church is going to need to be able to hold up the full weight of truth that Jesus is placing in its care. The current assault on truth is a stress test to see if the Church will crack and splinter or hold strong and true. How do you think we are doing?  

Guest Speaker. Bishop Rick Callahan Jesus said that the way into the Kingdom of God is a narrow way. Before we bust through the door, we need to be sure that we understand the cost of the calling and the sacrifice we will be making to walk uncompromisingly with Jesus. The narrow way may be hard, but it is the only way to LIFE!  

 What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? Is it really possible to have the same thoughts that God has? If Jesus could see and hear everything His Father was doing, is access to this kind of life actually possible? 

I spoke about God's power to completely transform our lives through his grace. I looked at the examples of Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Paul. God not only blessed them with what they didn't deserve, but also changed their names and gave them a new identity.

We live in a world of chaos and confusion, and if there is ever a time for believers and the Church of Jesus Christ to hear and discern God's voice, this is it! God speaks to us in so many ways, but the most powerful way is with His whisper, which can only be heard in silence.

The Apostle Paul summed up what it looks like to live with the Resurrection power of God when he said he learned the secret of being content. Contentment is the power to live independently of circumstances. High or low, positive or negative, abounding or abasing, no matter what, Paul declared, "I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me." That's the can-do power of God!  

As the hands of Jesus were lifted up and nailed to His cross, we find the place where all of the pain from our sin and rebellion was paid for. As we lift our hands in thanksgiving for this amazing act of love, we find the place where His piercing becomes our praise!  

God Looks by Ryan by Rayna Bastress