The Refuge

God's goal for you is holiness above happiness. Just like a parent knows the best thing for their children, God knows exactly what we need. When we feed our spiritual appetites and starve our fleshly cravings we can walk in spiritual life. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us to examine our appetites and cravings and seek The Lord above all else.

As we enter the new year, we often evaluate the current state of our lives, looking at where we are not and gazing at where we want to be. In these times of reflection, it's often easy to get stuck on the downfalls of the past. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us to leave the past behind and press on toward what God has in store for our future. In order to fulfill what God has for us in 2023, we must be willing to keep moving.

During the holiday season we celebrate that God became man to dwell among us but do we walk in the reality of what that really means? In this message, Pastor Jay reminds us that He came to give us abundant life and walk with us in the day to day trials we face.

We anchor our lives, our finances, and our faith to God and to His Word through action and confession, which are signs of true belief. In this message, Pastor Jay gives us five practical steps to dwell in God's presence daily. 

God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with us, but are we creating a space for him to dwell in our own lives? In this message, Pastor Jay gives us 4 practical steps to make our lives a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit so we can walk in the fullness of all that God has for us.

We need new tactics for new territories. We often try to approach new seasons with old methods but as God calls us into new seasons, we must learn new tactics and disciplines in order to take full advantage of what He has for us. Be encouraged by this message from guest speaker, Henry Seeley.

Revelation requires a response. As we heard from guest speaker, Jey Mbiro as a part of Compassion Sunday, we heard the story of how one persons response to sponsor a child has made a lasting impact reaching far beyond just helping a child in Kenya. Be encouraged by Jey's story.

God often works through divine interruptions, but we are often too busy to recognize them. We must learn to see the needs of those right in front of us and begin to take action. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us to do for the one what we wish we could do for many. And in turn, we will find our capacity for compassion to increase.

We believe that orphan care is central to the heart of God and that everyone can do something. Be inspired by this panel of speakers who share a part of their journey with foster care and adoption.

We can't worship and worry at the same time. Worship may not change the circumstance, but it will shift your perspective. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us to pursue the Lord in worship and watch Him work in and through us.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus didn't come to just mend and repair, but to make us whole. In this message, Pastor Derrick encourages us to be intentional as we seek the Lord and express our gratitude for what the Lord has already done as he completes the work in our lives.

We believe the Lord is calling His church to hold the line and set the standard in the days in which we are living. He calls for us to be like Daniel who wouldn't bow, Elijah who stood against Jezebel, and Aaron and Moses who interceded on behalf of the Israelites. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us not to be tossed by the cultural norm but to stand on God's word and hold the line.

When all you see is the circumstance, faith sees the possibility and the breakthrough. In this message, guest speaker Maria Durso encourages us to look through the lens of faith and watch God move.

Selfishness takes our focus off of our God-given purpose and shifts it to self-serving ambitions. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us to deal with the pride that is selfishness and choose to die daily to our own selfish ambitions and seek His kingdom.

Weariness without worship will lead to weakness. When we let weariness become our only narrative, our outlook darkens and our perspective becomes distorted. In the third week of Break The Tape, Pastor Jay encourages us to deal with the weariness we can be so burdened by and gives practical steps to overcome.

When your entire life feels like it's shaking and you feel completely gripped by fear and anxiety, there is hope. In week two of our series, Break The Tape, Pastor Nathan Smith encourages us to know our value and set our focus. God is our ROCK and we have a firm foundation in Him and that changes everything!

When all you want to do is give up and give in, God is calling us finish the race. In this message, Pastor Jay encourages us to shift our focus and finish the race that's been set before us.

In this message, Pastors Abe Ortega and Cole Stewart remind us of the greatness of God's love and how his perfect love drives out all fear.

It's easy to get so caught up in the work, that we forget why we started working in the first place. In this message, Pastor Prabu reminds us of the importance of hitting pause and re-focusing on the true treasure, and that's Jesus.

We dress for work. We dress for the gym. We dress for special occasions. We dress for everyday life. But are we dressed for battle. In this message, Pastor Jay unpacks Ephesians chapter 6 and encourages us to stay ready for the spiritual battle that we are in every single day.

In Ephesians 5, we're told to imitate God in everything we do. Our lives should be a reflection of the nature of God we see portrayed in scripture. In this message, Pastor Jay continues in our study of Ephesians and encourages us to chase after the standard the Lord sets.

If a weed grows up in the middle of a rose bush, you don't cut the whole thing down. You pull the weeds so the rose bush can stay healthy and grow. The same thing is true in our lives. Just because we have issues, doesn't disqualify us from God's call. In this message, Pastor Jay Stewart unpacks chapter 4 of Ephesians and encourages us to deal with the weeds in our lives so we can grow into spiritual maturity.

Did you know that God has an assignment for you? In this message, Pastor Derrick Hawkins unpacks Ephesians chapter 3 and shows us that we all have an assignment and that God has given us the grace and strength to complete it.

Context is everything. And in our Christian walk it can be even more important. In this message, Pastor Clay Stewart unpacks Ephesians chapter two and the importance of knowing where you came from, who you belong to, and what your role is now.

When all we know is upward mobility and forward growth, sometimes God will ask you to take a step backwards. In this message, Pastor Scott Volk shares a kingdom perspective that will transform how you view your problems and that Godly wisdom doesn't follow the worlds patterns.

In case you didn't know it, you're rich! In this message, Pastor Teri Furr outlines the first chapter of Ephesians and how Paul is encouraging believers to walk in the fullness of our calling.

The kingdom of God is both now and not yet. In this message, Pastor Nathan gives an overview of the book of Ephesians as we kick off our summer series.

If you knew that everything you ever needed was within reach, you would do everything possible to get access. In this message, Pastor Johnny Jernigan shares three practical steps to walk in all that God has for you.

When your priorities and focus are on the wrong things, life can be very difficult. But when you choose to get honest with yourself and set your focus on the right thing, you experience a freedom that's found in sure footing. In this message, Pastor Teri Furr calls us to examine our focus so we can set our foundation on the one thing that matters most.

Deconstructing faith should always lead us into a deeper relationship with Jesus and with His Bride, not into a place of disconnecting from the Body of Christ or from a biblical worldview. In this message, Pastor Jay talks about building your life on truths that lead you to a deeper relationship with Jesus and His church.

When morality is relative and ideals are dismantled, it's important to understand where these things came from and why they were important in the first place. In this message, Pastor Jay Stewart lays the foundation for approaching biblical beliefs as the standard that we should live by.

It's so easy to get caught up in the routine of day to day life and let our love grow dim. In this message, Pastors Cole Stewart and Abe Ortega encourage us to do everything from a place of love for the Lord.

In the face of so many agendas pushing their own way, God is calling for His people to stand up and say "Here am I." In this message, Pastor Jay Stewart discusses the importance of being kingdom minded in every area of life.

Each setback has the potential to be your greatest setup. In this message, Pastor Clay shares about how life's challenges are often missed opportunities for your greatest moments of success.

When we face challenges in life, it can be frustrating and leave us feeling like God has walked away. But, when we shift our perspective we can often find that the pushback we are facing is proof of forward progress. In this message, guest speaker Lisa Whittle, shares two main points to encourages us in the difficult times.

Any action that you take begins as a thought in your mind. In this message, Pastor Jay discusses the battle over your mind and the importance of keeping guard over your thoughts. You'll learn 5 key strategies to win the battle that happens in your head and how to walk in victory over the enemy.

Have you ever wondered what God counts as greatness? In this message, Pastor Nathan addresses God's view of greatness as found in Matthew chapter 18. You'll learn the steps you can take to become great in God's eyes and it might be a bit different than you think.

In the midst of darkness, hardship, sickness, loss, and sin, there is only one answer. In this message, Pastor Jay Stewart talks about the supremacy of Jesus and that He is Supreme over everything!

Have you ever walked through a difficult season of life asking God why? Pastor Derrick Hawkins shares 4 ways we have to learn to see the goodness of God in hard seasons.

Mike Weaver - band frontman of "Big Daddy Weave" shares his story of grief. Hear about his journey with the emotion that just knocks you off your feet and comes over you like a wave. However, that wave didn't hold him down because he was clinging to hope. Mike describes his encounter with hope that helped him process grief. What is your story? Tell us here - testify.TheRefuge.net

In "Choosing Joy In Tragedy" you will learn how to stand on God's word and choose joy in the midst of tragedy.

In "Persevering Through Challenges" you'll learn how to keep firm on your yes and follow in obedience to the Lord.

In "Making a Broken Marriage Whole" we learn the importance of keeping God the center of your marriage. Pastor Jay Stewart with Bishop Tony & Denise Hall

In "Winning The Battle For Your Family" Craig and Angela remind us that when we face trials with our lives, we must learn to partner with God as we navigate the hard seasons.

How are we to live out our call to holiness, ministering in the power of the gifts of the spirit while also serving in the humility of the fruit of the spirit? We are to destroy the works of the flesh through yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit. In the conclusion of this series, Pastor Teri calls us to consider not only the fruit of our lives, but also the sound of our call.

It can be easy to make excuses but God has called us to exhibit active compassion to the world around us. In the parable of the good Samaritan, we see three people who are fully capable of caring for the wounded man but who make excuses based upon certain life barriers. In this message, we are looking at three barriers that often keep us from living the active compassion that God has called us too.

While we may have many ways of expressing our love, God has made clear how He expects us to express our love to Him. Jesus takes the 10 Commandments and introduces life style principles that take them to a higher level. He does not reduces them or discard them. We pray this message encourages you to examine your life in the mirror of God's Word and take action.

God designed us to live in such a way that as we demonstrate our love to each other we use our unique gifts and expressions in a way that creates a beautiful display for the world to see bringing glory to God. If we offer our gifts without God's love and grace then our purpose will be lost and we will simply by clanging symbols.