Last weekend we kicked off our new series at Elevate “OnePrayer,” where over 800,000 churches stand together. Our series began centering around “Unstoppable Courage” within the life of a follower of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5.7 challenges us to “live by faith and not by sight” But often in life it’s easy to become crippled by our fears to the point that it effects our daily life. Beyond this, often our fear can keep us from pursuing God’s plan for us. Having the courage to come face to face with your fears doesn’t just happen; it takes being intentional confronting them.

The truth is, fear really isn’t the problem. The issue at a very foundational level is tied up in our personal view of God. For some of us God is only as big as our biggest problem. For others, they can’t see God beyond the fear.

Daniel shows us a very important lesson that shows us how our view of God can make the difference in our greatest fear. The story of Daniel is climaxed when King Darius is forced to throw Daniel into the lion’s den for praying to God. Early the next morning the King was worried about Daniel and calls down into the lion’s den. Check out their dialogue:

When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

Notice the foundational difference between how each refers to God. To the king, he only knew about God. He’s somebody else’s God, Daniel’s God. But to Daniel, He’s a very personal, very real, “my God.” And because of that mindset, Daniel was able to do what was right in God’s sight and ultimately spending an entire evening cuddled next to a fierce lion. So, whatever you’re faced with, anchor into God and take up the courage to plow straight through your fear.

The path of your greatest POTENTIAL is often straight through your greatest FEAR.

Our mission team to Honduras has arrived there safely and is already hard at work – you can see pictures here and check out one of the travelers blogs here

Totally rearranged some rooms in our house this weekend – so far loving the change

Crazy exciting things going on with our relocation – had a meeting with the owners of the proposed property and they are excited about us moving in there and want to move as fast as possible – keep praying Elevate!

Life Apps courses are going very well – I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about all 3 that are being offered this summer: I Was Broke And Now I’m Not, Esther: It’s hard being a woman, and Wild at Heart for the fellas

Our first Sunday with the kids meeting in the Cass St building went well – Aaron Davis, Dave & Hollie Behnke did a great job planning it out, and a big thanks to all the volunteers who made that transition go smooth and finally to all the parents for being flexible in the process – GREAT JOB ELEVATE!

Please keep both the mission team to Honduras and the relocation process in prayer this week!

Unstoppable Courage
Video Speaker: Craig Groeschel
(listen online here)

2 Timothy 1.7 KJV
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Samuel 23.20 NIV
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He   also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

Ephesians 5.18 NLT
And without faith it is impossible to please God…

The path of your greatest POTENTIALS

Is often straight through your greatest FEAR

What is your greatest personal fear?

What is the foundational difference between a “your God” response      and a “my God” response?

How can you stop living by sight and start living by faith?

Next Steps:

• Need to be reminded that God wants to give you unstoppable courage? Memorize 2 Timothy 1.7 this week.
• Ready to go public with your faith in Christ? Sign up for our next Baptism coming soon. Visit the Welcome Center today.
• Want to read more about the courage of Benaiah? Stop by the Welcome Center and pick up a copy of “In a Pit with a Lion” by Mark Batterson.

For spiritual growth, read the verses and answer the questions above.

Joshua lead his family to serve the Lord
Joshua makes a profound statement found in Joshua 24.15:
“But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua had been born into slavery in Egypt, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground as part of the Exodus and succeeded Moses to lead Israel into the Promised Land.  And yet at the end of his life, the statement he wants to make in front of the entire nation as an example of godliness is that his family will serve the Lord.

Leading your family to serve God is one of the most important things we can do in life and its the second admirable attribute I want to point out from Joshua’s life.

I love how Joshua makes this statement of faith. He starts with “as for me” – Joshua knew that leading his family to a life devoted to God started with him. It was his example his children would follow, that would impact his wife and influence his extended family. Did they see him honor God’s word? Did he demonstrate seeking God’s direction in life? Did he make time to worship God personally and corporately? First it was “as for me”, but it continued “and my family, we will serve the Lord”.

Are you demonstrating a life that serves the Lord to your children? Your spouse? Your extended family? What actions are observable in your life that will help them value a life that serves God’s purposes? Do you need to make Joshua 24.15 your prayer of faith today?

Joshua was willing to confront sin in the camp
After the victory over Jericho, the people Joshua led known as Israel, went to take a smaller, not nearly as strong city, named Ai. But a guy named Achan had kept some of the spoils from Jericho for himself when God had clearly commanded that all the spoils from Jericho were to go directly to God ( a type of tithe from the Promised Land). Joshua confronted Achan’s sin and Israel went on to defeat that city as they possessed the land God had given them.

It is admirable and necessary to confront sin in our lives if we are going to possess the promises God has for us. One of the roles the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is to convict us of sin and empower us to overcome it.

Joshua dealt with sin ruthlessly because he knew the damage it can do to an individual and a community. While the cross of Christ represents victory of sin, that victory has to enforced by confronting and repenting of sin as the Holy Spirit brings it to our attention. 

Is there sin in your camp? Are you willing to confront it?

Our Summer Series – Chase the Lion – has been awesome and more importantly, just what we needed as a church right now – if you missed any of it catch it online at elevate-church.com

Elevate Kids is moving to the Cass Street building directly behind the RRCA – parents checking in kids should park in the lot between Cass Street & the RRCA – sorry for this inconvenience until we relocate to our own building

Speaking of Elevate’s relocation…  what started as an intuition months before any indication there was a need is becoming more and more evident – that Elevate has to make a move to a new location  and we’re in process of finding our new home

Elevate will be having a baptism soon – if you haven’t gone public with your faith and would like to sign up, contact us at info@elevate-church.com and say “I want to get baptized”

Elevate is fasting this week as we believe God to lead us in the relocation process and you can be a part – simply choose a meal to miss and use that time read Joshua 3, pray for the relocation and write down any thoughts – let me know if you’re taking part

As great as the Chase the Lion series was, I am looking forward to our next series ONE PRAYER – over 800,000 churches around the world will do the same series this summer and this year’s theme is UNSTOPPABLE – you’re gonna love it

One last thing: Join me this Thursday 5.30pm at River Bend Commons on the corner of Front St & Telegraph Rd for a time of prayer for Elevate’s relocation

Have a great week!

(listen online here)

Joshua 10.12 NLT
On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”

1 Corinthians 1.27 NLT
Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

Ephesians 5.18 NLT
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes FAITH

is just the willingness to look FOOLISH.

Can you think of other biblical characters who did foolish things for God?

Consider 1 Corinthians 1.27. Why do you think God operates this way?

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Do you think you are currently filled with the Spirit?

Next Steps:

• Join the Chase the Lion fasting challenge. Visit the Welcome Center to sign up and pick up your fasting guide for this week.
• Join Pastor Adam in the parking lot of 407 South Telegraph Road in Monroe for prayer this Thursday at 5.30pm.
• Coordinate your summer reading with our summer series. Pick up a copy of “In a Pit with a Lion” by Mark Batterson at the Welcome Center, today.

For spiritual growth, read the verses and answer the questions above.

So far in our series, we’ve explored that living out an audacious faith requires several skills:
1. Defying Odds- When we face impossible odds, we set the stage for God to work through amazing miracles.
2. Facing Fears- Christ desires to recondition our fear and replace it with faith in Him.
3. Overcoming Adversity- Every time we overcome adversity is an opportunity to grow in your faith and show God’s glory.
4. Embracing Uncertainties- Faith isn’t about reducing circumstantial uncertainty, it’s about embracing it.
5. Taking Risks- It’s often the small acts of courage that change the course of history.

Seizing Opportunities
When it comes to opportunity, it doesn’t knock on the door… it knocks down the door! Most of the time, when it comes to opportunities, we want them gift wrapped with a fancy bow on top. The truth of the matter is most opportunities often come disguised and big, ugly, audacious problems. Problems then, are opportunities in disguise.

When it comes to living out our faith, instead of being crippled by problems and unfavorable circumstances, look beyond the challenge to see the opportunity. Spiritual maturity is the ability to see and seize opportunities. So, how good are you at seeing opportunities? This week, when you’re confronted with a problem at work or in your personal life, take a moment to step back and unmask the problem to reveal a God-sized opportunity and remember…

Seizing opportunities God’s way requires: prayer, timing, & action

Seizing Opportunities
Speaker: Aaron Davis

(listen online here)

Colossians 4.5 NIV
…make the most of every opportunity.

Colossians 4.2 NIV
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

James 2.17 NIV
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Seizing opportunities God’s way requires:

PRAYER,   TIMING,   ACTION

What opportunities have you seized in your own life? Are there any opportunities you wish you had seized?

What is the difference between “survival mode” and “prayer mode”?

What potential problems are you currently facing that might be opportunities in disguise?

Next Steps:

• Begin each day this week by praying the words of Psalm 5.3. Make a list  of the things you are prayerfully expecting God to do.
• Need to be reminded of what it means to have the courage of a Lion Chaser? Each day this week read the Lion Chaser Manifesto bookmark.
• Coordinate your summer reading with our summer series. Pick up a copy of “In a Pit with a Lion” by Mark Batterson at the Welcome Center, today.

For spiritual growth, read the verses and answer the questions above.

Taking risks requires faith in God’s character and action towards God’s purpose

Faith in God’s Character
The Bible is full of examples that suggest that taking personal risks can be the right choice under the right circumstances. Within the framework of your life, God wants to do something in you and through you. He wants to build your faith.

Hebrews 11, known as the “Hall of Fame,” accounts individuals throughout the Scriptures that showed audacious faith. A living faith is not so much about a one-time decision as it is about a lifestyle of faith. And that lifestyle centers around God and His character. The more we immerse ourselves in God the more immersed we become in His purposes for us.

It’s about looking past the lion, the risk, the unknown and seeing God.

Action towards God’s Purpose
Psychological research shows us that when people look at their lives as a whole, there are two types of regrets: regrets of action and regrets of inaction. The biggest regrets at the end of our lives will be that of inaction- the lions we didn’t chase.

Life as a Christ-follower is about serving God’s purposes for our life. This takes playing offense with your life. Christ gives us the power to take action and chase your lions. It’s not about just barely hanging on and arriving safely at death with only a few scratches. It’s about taking that step of faith!

Reflection Questions:
1. What step of faith do you need to take?
2. What risk in your life do you need to step into?