TAKING GROUND: 3x10

Sandi Hofer, Leuso McKenzie, Steve Parrish Jr.

Giving Him All You Got

By Sandi Hofer

Matthew 24:42 (BSB)

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.”

Luke 12:35-36 (BSB)

“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.”

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (BSB)

“So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.”

Revelation 16:16 (BSB)

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

God Orders Our Steps

By Leuso McKenzie

Exodus 13:21 (AMP)

“The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night.”

Claim your stake:

Exodus 23:29-30 (NIV)

“I will not drive them out from before you in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”

Joshua 1:3-4 (AMP)

“I have given you every place on which the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness [on the south] and the Lebanon [on the north], as far as the great river, the river Euphrates [on the east], all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great [Mediterranean] Sea toward the setting of the sun shall be your territory.”

Press forward

Exodus 14:15 (NKJV)

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”

Philippians 3:13-14 (AMP)

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 4:25-27 (NIV)

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

Waiting On The Lord

By Steve Parrish Jr.

Psalm 27:13-14 NLT (AMP)

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here and in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

GET TO work

Proverbs 20:4 (NLT)

“Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food in the harvest.”

Romans 12:12 (ESV)

“Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”

Engage in a daily pursuit of god

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

It’s about the promiser, not the promise

Philippians 3:8-9 (NLT)

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.”

Psalm 61:1-2 (NIV)

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

2 Kings 19:14-16 (NIV)

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the

Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel,

enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made

heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words

Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

Title: Sennacherib and Hezekiah

Can you identify your “King Sennachrib”?

● Self-doubt

● Physical/mental illness

● Family circumstances

● Financial

● Future dreams

● Relationships

4 Spiritual Principles about facing intimidating circumstances while trusting God.

1. Ignore the Enemy’s Voice

2 Kings 19:36 (MSG) The people were silent. No one spoke a word; for the king had ordered, “Don’t anyone say a word - not one word!”

Do not listen/engage/respond to the voice of your enemy! Not always an “enemy”.

John 10:27 (NIV) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV) 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ

2 Timothy 1:7 (CSB) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

2. Repent and Seek God

2 Kings 19 (MSG) 1-3 When Hezekiah heard it all, he too ripped his robes apart and dressed himself in rough burlap. Thenhe went into The Temple of God. Hezekiah sent a message to the Prophet Isaiah: “‘Maybe God, your God, has been listening to the blasphemous speech of the Rabshakeh who was sent by the king of Assyria, his master, to humiliate the living God; maybe God, your God, won’t let him get by with such talk; and you, maybe you will lift up prayers for what’s left of these people.’”

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2 Chronicles 30:9 (CSB) “...For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”

God Answers Hezekiah:

2 Kings 19 (MSG) 6-7 Isaiah answered them, “Tell your master, ‘God’s word: Don’t be at all concerned about what you’ve heard from the king of Assyria’s bootlicking errand boys—these outrageous blasphemies. Here’s what I’m going to do: Afflict him with self-doubt. He’s going to hear a rumor and, frightened for his life, retreat to his own country. Once there, I’ll see to it that he gets killed.’”

The enemy comes back and tries again:

2 Kings 19 (MSG) 8-13 The Rabshakeh left and found that the king of Assyria had pulled up stakes from Lachish and was now fighting against Libnah. Then Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah king of Cush was on his way to fight against him. So he sent another envoy with orders to deliver this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: “Don’t let that god that you think so much of keep stringing you along with the line, ‘Jerusalem will never fall to the king of Assyria.’ That’s a barefaced lie. You know the track record of the kings of Assyria—country after country laid waste, devastated. And what makes you think you’ll be an exception?

3.Take Your Problem To God

2 Kings 19 (MSG) 14-15 Hezekiah took the letter from the envoy and read it. He went to The Temple of God and spread it out before God. And Hezekiah prayed—oh, how he prayed! “God, God of Israel, seated in majesty on the cherubim-throne. You are the one and only God, sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, Maker of heaven, maker of earth.16 Open your ears, God, and listen, open your eyes and look. Look at this letter Sennacherib has sent, a brazen insult to the living God! The facts are true, O God: The kings of Assyria have laid waste countries and kingdoms. Huge bonfires they made of their gods, their no-gods hand-made from wood and stone. 19 But now O God, our God, save us from raw Assyrian power; Make all the kingdoms on earth know that you are God, the one and only God.”

1 Peter 5:7 (CSB) casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Psalm 46:1 (CSB) God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIRV) God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by his power that is working in us.

God Answers Again:

2 Kings 19 (MSG) 32v To sum up, this is what God says regarding the king of Assyria: He won’t enter this city, nor shoot so much as a single arrow there; Won’t brandish a shield, won’t even begin to set siege; He’ll go home by the same road he came; he won’t enter this city. God’s word! 34 I’ll shield this city, I’ll save this city, for my sake and for David’s sake.

4.Trust and Obey God’s Word

2 Kings 19 (MSG) 35 And it so happened that that very night an angel of God came and massacred 185,000 Assyrians. When the people of Jerusalem got up next morning, there it was—a whole camp of corpses! Sennacherib king of Assyria got out of there fast, headed straight home for Nineveh, and stayed put. One day when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer murdered him and then escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon became the next king.

Psalm 20:7 (NIRV) Some trust in chariots. Some trust in horses. But we trust in the Lord our God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIRV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways obey him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.

Exodus 14:14 (NIV) The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD: 2 - Taking Jericho

Steve Parrish

Taking ground in life is seasonal/cyclical

Illus: grandchildren learning to ride bikes

• Vision

• Effort

• Pushback

• Battle

• Possession

• NEXT

This is every believer’s journey. Your path to victory will be unique.

During this sub-series, we will lean into Biblical principles for navigating battles. BUT when you follow Jesus, THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!

Joshua 6:1 (ESV) Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

CONTEXT:

• God had promised the Israelites Canaan

• Israel has left Egypt, following Moses, pillar of fire, cloud and and Angel of the Lord.

• The come to their first (and key) city and it is locked down

• Jericho represents things that are yours, but are shut up.

• Jericho is often “first things” designed to discourage your from taking the first of many Jerichos in life.

Philippians 3:12 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Research Your Land

• Joshua 2:1 (ESV) And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

• The Kingdom of Heaven (ground you are to take and enjoy while following Jesus) is uncovered with effort

• Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Research has natural value and uncovers what is

Don’t let research become some pragmatic that it discounts GOD!

Determining “How many loaves and fishes are there?” allows us to discover the size of miracle needed

Lift Up Your Eyes 

We have a tendency to look down

• To the natural

• To what is

• To natural solutions

Joshua 5:13 (ESV) “When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?””

• Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV) I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

• 2 Kings 6:16–17 (ESV) He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Regard Your Land As Holy

Joshua 5:14-15 (ESV) “And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my Lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

• Never allow what God has give/is giving you to EVER become common

• QODESH - sacred, set apart, belonging to god.

The profound reality - Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Play Spirit-Filled Music To Prepare For Spiritual Victories

Music has physical, emotional and spiritual qualities

Bring spiritual music into spiritual battles

Joshua 6:4-5 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.””

1 Samuel 16:23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Carry His Presence Into Battle

Don’t just pray and then venture into battle,

Engage and experience God’s Presence and carry His Presence into the fight!

Joshua 6:11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.”

God’s Presence Is The Difference-Maker!

Exodus 33:15-16 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Seek The LORD FIRST

Joshua 6:12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.”

There is something to be said about the discipline of getting God on you FIRST so He can get on everything you face.

Mark 1:35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Psalm 5:3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

It is not easy, but FIRST is a principle!!!

Joshua 6:12 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

Taking ground in life is seasonal/cyclical

• Vision

• Effort

• Pushback

• Battle

• Possession

• NEXT

This is every believer’s journey. Your path to victory will be unique.

During this sub-series, we will lean into Biblical principles for navigating battles. BUT when you follow Jesus, THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD!

Exodus 14:13–14 (ESV) And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

CONTEXT:

• God had promised the Israelites Canaan

• Canaan experienced draught that was impacting Jacob

• Joseph rose to power with a plan to beat the draught

• Jacob/Joseph were reunited and everyone moved to Egypt to survive.

• This was a wonderful but temporary step in the journey.

• 140 years passed, and generations were born.

• The Egyptians became oppressors and the Israelites became slaves.

Egypt represents an inbetween place you have turned into a destination.

• Place in a relationship, career, ministry

• Instead of making it through the famine, you put down roots and decided to live.

• It’s a “sufficient” that will keep you from “best.”

• It’s someone else's land, but it’s not yours.

• It is less than.

Principles For Victory

Hear & Declare The Word Of The Lord - Exodus 14:1 (ESV) Then the Lord said to Moses,

Every battle is different, hear from God

You want to bless God’s plans, not ask Him to bless yours.

• Bible

• Rhema Word

• Prophecy

• Godly Counsel

You will hear the voice of FEAR. 

But once you have the voice of God…

• 1 Corinthians 2:16 (ESV) “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

• 2 Corinthians 10:5–6 (ESV) We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,  being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Then Moses Declared - Exodus 14:13-14 (ESV) And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

It’s critical to declare what God has said to you!

• It confirms your alignment 

• It informs others

• It informs your circumstances

• It informs the enemy

• It invites God’s resources

Take Authority In The Spirit - Exodus 14:15-16 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

• Exodus 14:21 - Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Authoritative declarations and actions are powerful. They are the demonstration of the authority given to you.

Luke 10:17-19 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Take Action In The Flesh - Exodus 14:22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Exodus 14:29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Action Gives God Something To Work With!

Celebrate What He Has Done - Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

This is more than a verse.

This was a song written for people to hear and sing corporately

This etched a story that glorifies god, current and future.

TAKING GROUND: With The Lord (Ps. Josiah Olson)

Josiah Olson

TAKING GROUND: Opposition In The Spirit

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭Ephesians 6:10–12 (ESV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle (intense struggle) against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Following Jesus is a Journey, leading you to Taking Ground, one step at a time in your 

• Discipleship

• Relationships

• Family

• Ministry

• Career

• Community

• Talents/Giftings

• Finances

There is a spiritual realm

God is Spirit - God created the spiritual realm

There is the Holy Spirit

There is the reality of angels

There is the reality of fallen angels - Satan/Satana

There is the reality of demons (likely not angels)

There is the reality of false gods

OPPOSITION IN THE SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit

• John 1:43 (ESV) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

• Galatians 5:25 (ESV) If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

• Acts 16:6–10 (ESV) And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.  So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Misalignment with the Holy Spirit brings brings contention

• Acts 7:51 (ESV) “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

• Ephesians 4:30 (ESV) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

OPPOSITION IN THE SPIRIT: Surrendered Territory

Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) and do not give the devil a foothold.

This can happen Personal, Family, Region

• Unforgiveness

• Hidden/Addictive Sin

• Generation Sin

• Occultic Practice

This establishes a rightful ground to be used for opposition in your life.

Daniel 10:13 (ESV) The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

While slavery was a horrific sin of American in it’s early years, the sin of Abortion is far worse.

Old Testament, Children were murdered

• Molech - children passed through the fire

• Baal - sacrifices 

Why? Favor, protection, blessing, prosperity and agricultural success. Fertility of land and livestock. Protection from enemies and disasters. Divine favor and acceptance.

Mark 5:7–10 (ESV) And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”  For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”  And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”  And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

OPPOSITION IN THE SPIRIT: Deception

Revelation 12:9 (ESV) And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Ephesians 2:1–2 (ESV) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, 

following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Saul/Paul

• John 16:2 (ESV) They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

• Acts 7:59–8:1 (ESV) And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.  And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

• Acts 8:3 (ESV) But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

• Acts 9:1–6 (ESV) But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

Believing things that are not true is a spiritual issue

There are great limiters for believers - Revelation is needed

OPPOSITION IN THE SPIRIT: Satan/Satana

• Genesis 3:14–15 (ESV) The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

• He Opposed Jesus: Luke 4:13 (ESV) And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

• 2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV) so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

• 1 Peter 5:8–9 (ESV) Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

• James 4:7–8 (ESV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

• John 8:44 (ESV) You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

• 1 Thessalonians 2:18 (ESV) because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

OPPOSITION IN THE SPIRIT: Things Bound In The Spiritual Realm

Matthew 17:19–21 (KJV 1900) Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

OPPOSITION IN THE SPIRIT: Occultic Practice

Numbers 22:15–17 (ESV) Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these.  And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me,  for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’ ”

“That cant touch me…”. It can, but you can discern and oppose it.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: 250 Years of the USA

Steve Parrish

‭‭Join us as we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America, with a word and history lesson from Pastor Steve!

TAKING GROUND: Opposition In The Soul

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭
Philippians 3:12–14 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Jesus is a Journey, leading you to Taking Ground, one step at a time in your 

• Discipleship

• Relationships

• Ministry

• Career

• Community

• Talents/Giftings

• Finances

• Etc.

This concept is:

• Mirrored in Adam’s charge to take dominion over Earth

• Mirrored in the Promise/Command to Abraham

• Mirrored in the Moses’ Exodus from Egypt

• Mirrored in Joshua’s push into Canaan

• Mirrored in the building of the Temple and the OT Kingdom

• Declared in New Testament in Kingdom of Heaven Teaching:  

• John 1:43 (ESV) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

• Matthew 13:44 (ESV) “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

• Philippians 3:12–14 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

SOUL (Mind, Will & Emotions) Opposition to Taking Ground

• Not an enemy without, but an enemy within

• Often difficult to see

• Deceptive in nature

• Often a deeply rooted enemy in your experience, your relief system, your character, your auto-responses, your identity, the voices in your head,.

Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit leading us on this journey…

• John 16:13 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

• Mirrored by the Pillar and the Angel that went with Moses

• Mirrored by the Angel of the Army that met Joshua

OPPOSITION IN THE SOUL: Grumbling

Complaining that echoes the unthankfulness of the soul

Exodus 16:1–3 (ESV) They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.  And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,  and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

• lun (534a); a prim. root; to murmur:—growl(1), grumble(4), grumbled(7), grumbling(2), making(1).

1 Corinthians 10:9–13 (ESV) We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,  nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.  Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

There is one to complain to - THE LORD!

Complaining to others poisons you, them, your atmosphere and your future

• Psalm 102:title–11 (ESV) A PRAYER OF ONE AFFLICTED, WHEN HE IS FAINT AND POURS OUT HIS COMPLAINT BEFORE THE LORD.  Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!  Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!  For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.  My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread.  Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.  I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places;  I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.  All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.  For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink,  because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down.  My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.

• Psalm 120:1 (ESV) In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.

• Deuteronomy 26:7–8 (ESV) Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.  And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.

OPPOSITION IN THE SOUL: Fear/Anxiety/Unbelief

Fear/Anxiety/Unbelief - allowing the physical to eclipse the promise of God

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 ESV When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.

We overcome by fixing our eyes on Jesus! Hebrews 12:1–2 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Isaiah 43:1–7 (ESV)  But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

TAKING GROUND: Opposition In The Flesh

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭SLIDE SERIES: Taking GROUND

TITLE: Opposition In The Flesh

SCRIPTURE:

• Deuteronomy 1:8 (ESV) See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.

• Deuteronomy 7:1-2 (ESV) When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

PRAYER

SLIDE OPPOSITION IN THE FLESH: YOU

Deuteronomy 5:33 (ESV) You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

• Knowledge - Isaiah 5:13 (ESV) "Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men are famished, and their multitude is parched with thirst."

• Wisdom - Proverbs 14:1 (ESV) The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

• Obedience - Isaiah 1:19–20 (ESV) "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The Solution: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV) if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

God’s faithfulness is bigger than you failures.

SLIDE PHYSICAL ENEMIES: The Curse

Genesis 3:17–19 (ESV) And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The very nature of this world will oppose you as you attempt to take possession of all that is rightfully yours.

Expect it to be hard.

It’s not God.

It’s not the Devil.

It’s gravity.

Do not be surprised.

SLIDE PHYSICAL ENEMIES: People

Numbers 20:14–21 (ESV) Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from a well. We will go along the King’s Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.” But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.

One of the enemy's best distractions is for us to engage with the fleshly opponent before us.

If you do anything for God, you will have enemies. Beware the enemies that are the closest.

Exodus 14:14 (ESV) The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

SLIDE PHYSICAL ENEMIES: Distractions

Nehemiah 6:1–3 (ESV) Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

Keep your eyes on your land, not those that would oppose you.

Let God deal with them

Deuteronomy 5:32–33 (ESV) You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

SLIDE PHYSICAL ENEMIES: YOUR HEALTH

Luke 5:17–19 (ESV) On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

Afflictions will come against your body!

Take care of it.

Bring it to Jesus

Steward it!

Isaiah 54:17 (ESV) no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

TAKING GROUND: A Man's/Father's Role

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭TITLE: A Father’s Role

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 12:1–5 (ESV) Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.

Platforming of Joseph

• Vision

• Trial = Preparation/Positioning

• Moment of Platforming

• Taking Ground - The PLAN to save a nation from famine

As a Church:

• God has platformed us - opportunity to own ground

• Taking Ground

  • Secure it $

  • Make it ours - hard work and $ (99th St Edition)

• Last Sunday of this month

  • 3 weeks in and amazing results

  • Bigger work will be the next three years

  • Discover T-shirts in the connex

SLIDE A Man/Father KNOWS* God

Genesis 12:1 (ESV) Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

Galatians 4:8–9 (ESV) Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God...

• More than factual - experiential

• Revelation

• Waliking it out, making mistakes, growing

Abram was a man who knew God

• A consistent growing relationship that impacted him

• It also impacted his family.

As a man, this needs to be you.

• Consistent in your posture toward God

• Consistent in your spiritual disciplines

• Consistent in your engagement in church life

• Consistent in serving

• Consistent in your pursuit of the resources to do all of that.

This is important for you, but more important for your family

• Imperfect but they know there is always a reset

• They know you are anchored to the ONE

• They know you have access to supernatural help

• The know you have a divine favor

SLIDE A Man/Father Is Responsible To See His Ground

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

It’s the responsibility of Adam/Abram/Men to see and hear what ground is to be taken and to lead the journey well. Without God, you're not taking ground. You’re camping.

QUESTION - A wife/children can get a vision of their own but it’s the husband's responsibility to confirm it (complimentary) and take responsibility for it.

Great leaders see what could/should be - on earth as it already is in heaven!

Illus: struggling to see the future of the church - now seeing

SLIDE A Man/Father Leads His Family To Take Ground. He needs to determine how to get there.

• Right person, right seat

• Trial and error

• Hearing from God every time

Exodus 13:21–22 (ESV) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Joshua 6:2–3 (ESV) And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. You will start off thinking you are taking your ground as your family comes with you, but you will discover you are taking them to their ground so they can take it.

Philippians 3:12 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

THE MIRACULOUS OF HEAVEN: Rub Some Spit On It

Jenn Davenport

John 9:1-11 TPT: Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused this guy’s blindness, his own, or the sin of his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God’s miracle. While I am with you, it is daytime and we must do the works of God who sent me while the light shines. For there is coming a dark night when no one will be able to work. As long as I am with you my life is the light that pierces the world’s darkness.” Then Jesus spat on the ground and made some clay with his saliva. Then he anointed the blind man’s eyes with the clay. And he said to the blind man, “Now go and wash the clay from your eyes in the ritual pool of Siloam.” So he went and washed his face and as he came back, he could see for the first time in his life! This caused quite a stir among the people of the neighborhood, for they noticed the blind beggar was now seeing! They began to say to one another, “Isn’t this the blind man who once sat and begged?” Some said, “No, it can’t be him!” Others said, “But it looks just like him—it has to be him!” All the while the man kept insisting, “I’m the man who was blind!” Finally, they asked him, “What has happened to you?” He replied, “I met the man named Jesus! He rubbed clay on my eyes and said, ‘Go to the pool named Siloam and wash.’ So I went and while I was washing the clay from my eyes I began to see for the very first time ever!”

1) JESUS SEES AND CARES FOR HIS CREATION

John 9:1 TPT: Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth.

Jeremiah 1:5 TPT: “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew you intimately. I had divine plans for you before I gave you life, and I set you apart and chose you to be mine. You are my prophetic gift to the nations.”

Psalm 23:5 TPT: You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows.

Matthew 10:29-31 TPT: You can buy two sparrows for only a copper coin, yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren’t you worth much more to God than many sparrows? So don’t worry. For your Father cares deeply about even the smallest detail of your life.

2) GROSS/HARD = PROGRESS

John 9:3 TPT: Jesus answered, “Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God’s miracle.

James 1:2-4 TPT: My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.

2 Timothy 3:12 TPT: For all who choose to live godly as worshipers of Jesus, the Anointed One, will also experience persecution.

Psalm 118:13 TPT: They pushed me right up to the edge, and I was ready to fall, but you helped me to triumph, and together we overcame them all.

John 9:16 TPT: Then an argument broke out among the Pharisees over the healing of the blind man on the Sabbath. Some said, “This man who performed this healing is clearly not from God! He doesn’t even observe the Sabbath!” Others said, “If Jesus is just an ordinary sinner, how could he perform a miracle like that?”

3) OUR OBEDIENCE COMPLETES THE MIRACLE

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 ESV: “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.

John 3:21-22 TPT: But those who love the truth will come into the Light, for the Light will reveal that it was God who produced their fruitful works.” Then Jesus and his disciples left for a length of time into the Judean countryside where they baptized the people.

Psalm 119:4-8 TPT: God has prescribed the right way to live: obeying his laws with all our hearts. How I long for my life to bring you glory as I follow each and every one of your holy precepts! Then I’ll never be ashamed, for I take strength from all your commandments. I will give my thanks to you from a heart of love and truth. And every time I learn more of your righteous judgments, I will be faithful to all that your Word reveals— so don’t ever give up on me!

~ Have a Blessed Week! ~

TAKING GROUND: 1 - All Part Of The Plan

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭SLIDE SERIES: Taking GROUND 

TITLE: It’s All Part Of The Plan

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Consider: ADAM

Everything is topography/geography

Creation, universe, earth

Genesis 1:2 (NIV) Now the earth WAS (became) formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

God does not create formless, empty or darkness

• Satan thrown to earth - destruction ensued

• Revelation 12:7–13 (NIV) Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.  The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.  Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.  Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”  When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

• Luke 10:17–20 (ESV) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”  And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

His Spirit hovers over situations incongruent with His will

• rachaph (934b); a prim. root; to grow soft, relax:—tremble

God was about to take ground back

Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Eden was a small part of ground that God had taken and established for Adam to expand.

And God has been using man to take ground one step at a time.

Consider: ABRAM/ABRAHAM

Genesis 12:1–3 (ESV) Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Consider: JACOB/ISRAEL

Genesis 46:1–4 (ESV) So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”

Consider: MOSES

Numbers 27:12 (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel.

Consider: PSALMS

Psalm 139:13–17 (ESV) For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Consider: JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 29:11–14 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Consider: JESUS

John 1:43 (ESV) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

Mark 1:16–18 (ESV) Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Luke 18:22 (ESV) When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Psalm 139:13–17 (ESV) Philippians 3:12 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

JOSEPH: Final Prep For The Platform

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭Genesis 41:14 (ESV) Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

2026 WORD - You are transitioning into a Josephetic platforming during this next season. The previous seasons have included calling, obedience, a shoulder to the plow with a reliance on effort and savvy to fulfill that call. This required extra effort and produced small gains. You have navigated a series of deserts both internal and external, some self imposed. You have navigated in seclusion while in plain sight, but it’s in this time you have been prepared for the season ahead. You could have easily walked away from the specific future I have for you, one of impact, abundance and generosity, but instead, you leaned in and embraced the grind. In fact, you became a people who found joy in the grind, creating an aromatic outpouring, like the crushing of grapes, a superior blend of fragrant wine chosen for presentation to a specific audience, who are also being chosen on purpose, for a purpose… in this region. This platforming is not just within the church. This platforming will ripple through the church into various spheres of influence. You have been hidden but I am beginning the strategic process of platforming you. Where you once produced by means of addition, you will begin to produce by means of multiplication. The season behind you has been the crucible of preparation for the next season. In your platforming, as Joseph, you are to lean heavily into glorifying my Name as the source of your platforming and story. My platform for you becomes your platform for me to initiate similar stories and platforms in them, for them and through them. Believe me for the above and beyond all that you could ask or imagine. You will be the instrument of salvation, redemption and transformation of many.

It was 13 years from the time Joseph had his dream and was sold into slavery by his brothers to the moment he was released from prison. He was 17 at the start, and 30 in this chapter.

He could:

• Have could become an adulterer

• He could have remained a prisoner for life

• He could have become bitter

• He could have become revengeful

• He could have become a victim

• He could have given up on a God-given dream

Genesis 41:14 (ESV) Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

FINAL PREP: SHAVE The hard parts of your story and their impact on you.

• Long beard

• Deprived

• Limitations

• Hardship

Circumstances that could have cut away have instead shaped you into the better version of yourself. The story instead must be told because it cannot be seen in you.

You can’t enter the king’s presence without being shaved.

You can’t step onto your platform without being shaved.

Your story should be something you have to tell because they can’t see it in you.

You can’t be a victim

You can’t villainize people, situations… or God

• Isaiah 54:17 (ESV) no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

• Genesis 50:20 (ESV) As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

• Luke 23:34 (ESV) And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

The story you tell becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Get it right!

Tell the story of God’s promise, His perfecting and His faithfulness

FINAL PREP: PUT ON CLEAN CLOTHES,What You Wear - Identity (great identity, high calling) 

• Clothes, unkept & dirty

• Prison clothes

Circumstances that could have defined who you are instead helped bring about God’s best in you. You refuse to remain in prison, live in prison clothes or banish others to prison because HE HAS FULFILLED HIS PROMISE IN YOU AND THROUGH YOU.

You can’t enter the king’s presence with your dirty clothes

You can’t step onto your platform with the clothes dirtied with your past.

Genesis 42:8–9 (ESV) And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.  And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. 

People should not recognize you, nor what you’ve been through.

Genesis 45:4–5 (ESV) So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

Psalm 23:5 (ESV) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

THE MIRACULOUS OF HEAVEN: The Axe Head Floats

Jordan Wisdom

2 Kings 6:1-7 (ESV) Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he said, Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

1) Work - towards what God’s calling you to

God’s Purpose and his promises in this present world Verses 1-3

Message Version: “You can see that this place where we’re living under your leadership is getting cramped—we have no elbow room. Give us permission to go down to the Jordan where each of us will get a log. We’ll build a roomier place.”

The prophets first Demonstrated Initiative – in this example it’s initiated tied to “ministry growth / expansion”; but what do we know about Ministry?! As followers of Christ it happens all around us.

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

• Ministry in….

  • In our relationships

  • In our workplace

  • In our schools

  • Serving our students / serving our clients

• Our lives are to reflect Christ and Christ’s ministry

• As a parent, moments of challenge are moments of ministry – investing God’s

• God’s word says, “I know the plans I have for you…” “I will give you the desires of your heart”.

• Those PLANS those DESIRES are not our selfish wish lists, they are ordained by God and revealed to us by His spirit – our free will accepts them, embraces them

• Work is ministry - as a follower of Christ

  • Signing your employees checks

  • Approving your teams time cards

  • Managing your department budget

  • Developing a strategic plan to balance sustainability and growth

• For our plans, for our job, for our family - they take work – they take initiative - and since they are from God, only God can truly do what he has called to be done.

• There is going to have to be a miracle because things are not always going to go as planned.

2) Speak Out - the Need for the Miracle

Verse 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.”

• I cannot imagine this was quiet – the need for a miracle had to be declared

• Can you hear it?! - “Oh, no, no, no, no, no!”

• The “son (figuratively) of the prophet” had to make his need for a miracle known to the prophet – a leader in his community

• When we need a miracle, speak it out.

• To God - His heart is for relationship with us. That we can come to Him with our every need, failure, and fault.

Psalms 142:1-2 (ESV) With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for

mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.

• To fellow believers - Humans are made for relationship and community.

  • Paul recognizes this in the book of Galatians.

  • He writes, encouraging believers to “call each other up” from sin AND to “Help each other out” - be there, share in the need, the vulnerability, and then when the miracle happens the rejoicing and celebration of what God has done.

Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of

Christ.

3) Testimony After The Miracle

1 and 2 Kings, is about, yes, you guessed it, THE KINGS - and it is about the people of Israel going down-hill due to their decisions. But Kings is also a narrative about THE PROPHETS and their calling God’s people back to Him.

• There are miracles of God leading into this story,

• … and then the Miracles continue to happen after the story. In this chapter alone.

• Listen to this list!

  • The army under siege, so God provides a miraculous victory through an abundance of horses and chariots of fire that caused blindness in the enemy - remember that ax head that floated?

• Famine that caused inflation (I’m telling you, this is what happens when you ask the econ major to speak, I get going on inflation) that turned into canabalism out of desperation - but remember, the ax head floated

• That same famine then turned into a bounty on Elisha's head, But God brought a radical end to the famine - and remember, that ax head floated.

It seems insignificant - the ax head - in the context of miracles that preceded and followed. But it’s a marker in time. A testimony of what God did. And what God has done, he will continue to do.

• Our take away from this miracle is the confidence to know that if we can identify one of our ax head moments, we can approach our next situation knowing - and looking forward to - and claiming in advance - the Miracle that only God and do!

• I look at my life, I see the miracles God has done - in relationship, in provision○ In this room, my friends, same thing. Just last week the lobby team praying for another miracle for a friend taking the next step into where God is calling his family - But I see so clearly all the miracles God has already done in their world, the impact of those answered prayers on so many others, and it only builds my faith to know that God is going to show up big again.

Best miracle of all – God calling us into radical life changing relationship with him

Ephesians 2: 1-7 (NLT) Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

The ax head wasn’t just a miracle for a book and a flanelgraph story – it was a miracle in a line/chronology of miracles – testament to God’s sovereign grace and provision.

The ultimate miracle in our story as a Christian is that of Salvation – For He (GOD) Raised US from the dead along with Christ! That is the miracle that puts other miracles in my life into motion.

THE MIRACULOUS OF HEAVEN: Mother's Day 3x10

Valerie Wiese, Bethany Schermerhorn, Alana McClintock

Alana McClintock: Rahab

• Scripture: 

  • John 15:4-7 (CSB) - “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.”

Bethany Schermerhorn: Mary

• Scripture:

  • Luke 1:31-33 (TPT) - “You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will enthrone him as King on the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign as King of Israel forever, and his reign will have no limit.”

  • Luke 1:38 (TPT) - “Then Mary responded, saying, ‘Yes! I will be a mother for the Lord! As his servant, I accept whatever he has for me. May everything you have told me come to pass.’ And the angel left her.”

  • Luke 2:6 (TPT) - “When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor, and there she gave birth to her firstborn son.”

Valerie Wiese: Don’t Be Afraid

• Scripture:

  • 1 Kings 17:15-16 (NLT) - “So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”

  • 1 Kings 17:22-23 (NLT) - “The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”

JOSEPH: Infusing Life With Your Words

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭Scripture: 

• Genesis 1:26 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

• Proverbs 18:21 (ESV) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Joseph delivered LIFE/DEATH with his words: Genesis 40:1–23 (ESV) Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt.  And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,  and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.  The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.  And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation.  When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.  So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?”  They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”  So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me,  and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes.  Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”  Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.  Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.  For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”  When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head,  and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.”  And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days.  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”  On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.  He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.  But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.  Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Infusing Life With Your Words

Sing Out Loud

• The Command To Sing: Psalm 105:1-2  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

• The Power Of Song In Battle: Psalm 149:6–8 (ESV) Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,  to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,

• The Effects Of Singing Over Circumstance: Acts 16:25-26 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

We strive to sing declarative songs that often repeat the main point so that we declare to our situations the powerful truth to God.

• 2 Kings 13:18–19 (ESV) And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped.  Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

Read/Declare Scripture Out Loud

• John  1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

• Revelation 1:3 (ESV) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Pray Out Loud

• Luke 11:1-2 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “...

• You need to vocally declare/commit

• You need to inform yourself

• You need to inform others

• You need to inform your situation

• You need to inform the enemy

Bless Others Out Loud

• Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

• James 3:3-12 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

• Proverbs 18:21 (ESV) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

JOSEPH: The Power of OUT LOUD

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭
Scripture: 

• Joel 2:28-29 - And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

• 1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

• 1 Corinthians 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,

Genesis 40:1–23 (ESV) Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt.  And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,  and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.  The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.  And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation.  When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.  So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?”  They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”  So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me,  and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes.  Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”  Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.  Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.  For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”  When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head,  and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.”  And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days.  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”  On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.  He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.  But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.  Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Joseph had the impact because he spoke things from God OUT LOUD!

INTENTIONALLY SHIFTING INTO THE “OUT LOUD” YOU

Launch The “OUT LOUD” You

• Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…

• Matthew 17:19-20 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Sing Out Loud

• Psalm 105:1-2  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

• Acts 16:25-26 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

Read/Declare Scripture Out Loud

• John  1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Pray Out Loud

• Luke 11:1-2 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “...

Bless Others Out Loud

• Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

• James 3:3-12 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

JOSEPH: Unlocking Your Supernatural Gifts

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭
The Platforming of Joseph

Scripture: 

• Natural Gifts: 1 Peter 4:10-11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

• Supernatural Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Title: 9 Unlocking Your Supernatural Gifts

Genesis 40:1–23 (ESV) Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody. And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.” When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.” On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

• Joel 2:28-29 - And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

• 1 Corinthians 14:1 - Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

• 1 Corinthians 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,.

5 WAYS TO UNLOCK YOUR PROPHETIC GIFT

LAUNCH THE “OUT LOUD” YOU

• Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…

• Matthew 17:19-20 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Sing Out Loud

• Psalm 105:1-2  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

• Acts 16:25-26 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

Read/Declare Scripture Out Loud

• John  1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

SLIDE Pray Out Loud

• Luke 11:1-2 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “...

Bless Others Out Loud

• Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

• James 3:3-12 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

JOSEPH: When Passing THROUGH Prison

Steve Parrish

‭‭‭‭‭‭Genesis 39:20 (ESV) And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.

• 13 years from being sold into slavery until he steps out onto the platform of leading a notation

• 2 years of prison

• You will experience seasons of the unexpected, where you are wronged, where things feel unfair, where you cry out to God, “WHY?”

• These seasons are “outside the will of God,” outside the will of God, and yet God redeems these seasons and prepares us during them for our platform.

Run To GOD, Not From GOD

• Bitterness:

• Blame the devil, not God or people

• Unforgiveness for others drives people from God

• Unforgiveness toward God drives people from God

• 2 Samuel 22:2–4 (ESV) He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Be Confident God Is With You & Working For You

• Philippians 1:6 (ESV) And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

• Isaiah 43:1–3 (ESV) But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 

Get A Word From GOD

• Ezekiel 11:14 (ESV) And the word of the LORD came to me:

• Ezekiel 12:21 (ESV) And the word of the LORD came to me:

• Ezekiel 12:26 (ESV) And the word of the LORD came to me:

• Ezekiel 16:1 (ESV) Again the word of the LORD came to me:

Work To Escape, But Do Not Bail

• James 1:2–4 (ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Serve Others, Accumulate People

• 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

• 1 Samuel 22:1–2 (ESV) David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.  And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

Bloom In Prison

• 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Lean Into Supernatural Giftings

• Because there is a burn, it’s like fasting

• Great opportunity to connect with the Spirit

• 1 Corinthians 13:13–14:1 (ESV) So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Don’t Complicate Your Situation With Sin

• Big picture focus

• No culdesacs

• Israelites in desert - tents

• 1 Corinthians 10:1–6 (ESV) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,  and all ate the same spiritual food,  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.  Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.  Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

• Only Joshua/Caleb experienced the promised land

The IF Advantage

Steve Parrish

RESURRECTION SUNDAY 2026

Scripture: Romans 8:11 ESV IF the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Title: The IF Advantage

• If he dwells in you You have an advantage 

• Not over others, over the non-IF version of you

• Jesus don’t raise himself, the Spirit raised him

• If that same spirit dwells in you… LIFE

Biblical Resurrections Before Jesus’

• The Widow of Zarephath's Son: 1 Kings 17:17-24

• The Shunammite Woman's Son: 2 Kings 4:32-37

• The Man Placed In Elisha's Grave: 2 Kings 13:20-21

• Lazarus: John 11:1-44

• After Jesus' Death: In Matthew 27:52-53

The Truth About Death

• Death Was/Is Not The Will Of God - Genesis 2:17 (ESV) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

• Death Is The Work Of Satan - John 10:10 (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

• We Invited Death’s Into Our Lives VIA Sin - Romans 5:12 (ESV) Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

• Jesus Came To Destroy Death - 1 John 3:8 (ESV) The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

• Death Will Be Destroyed in The Future 1 Corinthians 15:26 (ESV) The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

The IF Factor…

Romans 8:11 ESV IF the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The SPIRIT Will Give You FREEDOM

• 2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV) - the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The SPIRIT Will Give You POWER

• Romans 8:26 (ESV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

• Ephesians 3:16 (ESV) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

The SPIRIT Will Give You Fullness

• Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”