Awaken Church

Life often leads us through unexpected valleys where we feel spiritually dead and emotionally drained. The story of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones reveals that God sometimes leads us into valleys not as punishment, but for purpose. When God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live, He was challenging whether we still trust His power to resurrect what seems hopeless. As Ezekiel spoke God's Word to the bones, they came together, but true life only came when God breathed His Spirit into them. This teaches us that we cannot manufacture spiritual life through our own efforts...

Life inevitably brings valley seasons - challenging moments that reveal where we truly place our trust. The story of David and Goliath shows us that valleys aren't punishments but arenas where private faith gets tested publicly. While everyone else saw an impossible giant, David saw a God-sized opportunity because his trust was anchored in God's faithfulness, not human strength. David's courage wasn't formed in the spotlight but through faithful obedience in ordinary shepherd moments. The real lesson points us to Jesus, the better David, who stepped into the ultimate valley to defeat sin and death on our behalf.

Life brings both mountaintop moments where God feels close and valley seasons where His presence seems distant. The story of Elijah on Mount Carmel shows us that God reveals His power in dramatic ways, but lasting faith isn't built on emotional highs. Even after calling down fire from heaven, Elijah found himself discouraged and running for his life. God met him in both places - through fire on the mountain and gentle whispers in the cave. Real faith develops through daily obedience in ordinary moments, not by chasing spiritual experiences. God wants to be our primary source of strength...

God sometimes shakes up our lives not to destroy us, but to clear away temporary things that won't support His eternal plans. Like a signet ring representing authority and identity, God chooses and seals those who belong to Him, regardless of their past failures. Through Jesus, the true temple, we find lasting hope beyond our own efforts to build worth and success. God restores us not just for our benefit, but to send us out on mission in our everyday places - workplaces, neighborhoods, and relationships. The disruption we experience often prepares the ground for something greater that God...

Spiritual drift happens gradually, one compromise at a time. The prophet Haggai reveals how the Israelites were rebuilding God's temple while their hearts drifted away from Him. We can fall into the same trap today - being spiritually active while avoiding spiritual honesty. God sometimes allows frustration in our lives as loving discipline to get our attention. Walking in integrity means having our private life match our public life. The beautiful truth is that God's grace doesn't wait for perfection - He blesses surrendered hearts right in the middle of our mess.

The Israelites in Haggai faced discouragement while rebuilding God's temple because their work seemed unimpressive compared to Solomon's magnificent temple. This same comparison trap affects our spiritual lives today when we measure our behind-the-scenes struggles against others' highlight reels. God honors faithfulness over flashiness and calls us to show up even when progress feels slow or ordinary. The key is remembering that obedience comes before inspiration, spiritual growth happens slowly, and God's presence empowers our efforts. As believers, we are now God's temple, meaning we don't worship to a holy place but from one.

Many of us start each year hoping for change but find ourselves stuck in the same patterns. The issue isn't a lack of discipline—it's misplaced priorities. Through the Book of Haggai, we see how God's people rebuilt their homes while leaving His temple unfinished for 16 years. God calls us to consider our ways and examine what truly gets our first—our first thoughts, time, and attention. When we put God first, He fills the empty places in our lives and gives us His presence to rebuild what matters most.

Life rarely follows our carefully crafted plans, and when unexpected challenges arise, anxiety often fills the void where our sense of control once was. Jesus addresses this struggle in Matthew 6:31-34, teaching us not to worry about tomorrow but to seek first God's kingdom. Instead of trying to control every outcome, we can release the steering wheel and trust God's guidance like a GPS system that recalculates when we encounter detours. Peace comes not from having clarity about the future, but from God's presence in our daily lives. When we pray about everything, rely on God's grace, discipline our...

The Christmas story reveals God's surprising choice to announce Jesus' birth to shepherds - society's outcasts who were poor, insignificant, and considered unclean. This decision shows that God isn't impressed by status, limited by reputation, or waiting for our worthiness. When the angels appeared with terrifying glory, the shepherds faced a choice: wait for peace to come to them or journey to find it. They chose to act with haste, leaving their comfort zones and taking risks to find Jesus. After encountering the newborn Savior, they returned to their ordinary lives transformed, becoming the first missionaries who shared the...

The Christmas story began long before Bethlehem, with God's people waiting centuries for a promised Savior during dark times of silence. When God finally acted, His plan seemed absurd - sending a helpless baby instead of a mighty warrior. But Jesus had to come as both fully God and fully man to serve as our perfect substitute and representative. Isaiah's prophecy reveals four powerful names for Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. These names aren't just poetic titles but personal promises for those facing confusion, exhaustion, loneliness, or fear. Christmas represents the moment when...

You're sitting in the middle of somebody else's legacy right now. 75 years ago, one couple's generous gift created a ripple effect that's still changing lives today. What seeds are you holding that God wants you to plant? Your generosity today becomes someone else's testimony tomorrow.

Churches that focus only on themselves risk becoming beautiful but empty monuments. Using the Crystal Cathedral as an example, this message explores how God calls His people to pour themselves out for others rather than just maintaining religious activities. Isaiah 58 reveals that true spiritual maturity isn't measured by church attendance or Bible reading alone, but by how we serve the hungry, homeless, and hurting. Churches should function as lifeboats rescuing the drowning, not cruise ships entertaining passengers. When we live beyond ourselves through sustained generosity of time, talents, and treasure, God promises to provide abundantly and make us like...

What if the very inconveniences you avoid are exactly where God wants to use you? In a world that worships speed and efficiency, following Jesus might just put you in the slow lane - and that's exactly where kingdom character is formed. Your presence might be someone else's provision.{{video | title: 'Click here to watch a video of this episode.

Living beyond ourselves means stepping out of our comfort zones with bold, expectant faith. The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 reveals how God multiplies our limited resources when we surrender them to Him. The disciples calculated the impossibility, but a young boy simply offered his five loaves and two fish. This teaches us that miracles happen when scarcity meets surrender. Instead of focusing on what we lack, we should trust God with what we have. God doesn't just meet our needs—He exceeds them, as shown by the 12 baskets of leftovers. One small yes can change everything when we pl...

Do you pray like God still moves? Many believers have experienced disappointment in prayer, leading them to pray safe, small prayers instead of bold, expectant ones. The early church in Acts 4 faced real persecution but didn't pray for escape - they prayed for courage and empowerment. Bold prayer begins with acknowledging God's greatness, asks for divine empowerment rather than removal of problems, and expects God to respond with His power. When we pray expectantly, we prepare for God's promises rather than waiting for proof. The same Spirit that filled the early church lives within every believer today, calling us...

When life gets hard, most of us just want the pain to go away. But what if the very thing you’re begging God to remove is the thing He’s using to shape you?

In this message, we share how weakness, struggle, and unanswered prayers can actually become the places where real strength is born. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right but life still hurts, this one’s for you.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7–10

Many people wonder if prayer matters when God already has a perfect plan. The story of Moses interceding for Israel in Exodus 32 reveals that prayer isn't about changing God's mind, but about participating in His purposes. God's plans are perfect and His purpose never changes, but He chooses to accomplish His will through our prayers. Prayer moves us from trying to control our circumstances to aligning our hearts with God's will. When we pray, we're not rewriting God's plan - we're stepping into it and finding our place in His perfect purposes.

Prayer often feels difficult not because of lack of access to God, but because of interference that blocks our connection. Three main barriers create this interference: distractions that crowd out space for God, doubts that whisper lies about His care, and shame that keeps us hiding instead of approaching His throne of grace. Jesus has already opened the door to God's presence through His sacrifice, giving us 24/7 access to the Father. The solution involves intentionally making space by removing distractions, silencing doubts by asking God where He is working, and running to grace instead of hiding in shame. When...

Ever feel like you're not praying right? What if God actually prefers your honest, messy prayers over perfect, polished ones? The Holy Spirit translates even your sighs and stutters directly to the Father's heart. Stop performing and start connecting.

God's love often becomes ordinary to us despite its extraordinary nature. We need to rediscover the wonder of His 'hesed' - steadfast, unfailing love that doesn't depend on our performance but on His unchanging character. Jacob's story illustrates this undeserved love, while Jesus demonstrates it perfectly through His sacrifice. Unlike human love that asks 'what's in it for me?', God's love asks 'how can I serve you?' Our response should be twofold: personally experiencing God's unconditional love and intentionally reflecting that same steadfast love to others in our daily interactions.

God's character perfectly balances mercy and justice, a tension humans often struggle to maintain. While we tend to want mercy for ourselves and justice for others, God demonstrates both simultaneously. His mercy spares us through Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice, where He took our punishment upon Himself. Meanwhile, God's justice confronts sin because ignoring wrongdoing would make Him complicit. At the cross, these attributes converge perfectly - justice was satisfied as sin was punished, while mercy was extended as sinners were pardoned. This understanding invites us to receive God's mercy, trust His justice, and extend both to others.

God describes Himself as 'slow to anger' in Exodus 34, revealing that His patience is not weakness but strength under control. Unlike humans who often lash out or give up on others, God's patience has purpose - giving us time to repent and turn to Him. While His patience is long, it isn't unlimited, making how we use this time critically important. As recipients of divine patience, we're called to extend the same to others through practical habits like pausing before reacting, remembering God's patience toward us, praying for those who irritate us, and choosing gratitude over frustration.

Have you been carrying a 'pocket-sized Jesus' - convenient when you want Him, shelved when you don't? Isaiah's encounter with God's overwhelming holiness shattered his comfortable faith and transformed his life. What if the emptiness you feel is actually God's invitation to look up and see who's really on the throne? Discover how encountering God's true glory changes everything.

Encountering the Glory of God explores how we often appreciate God's creation more than the Creator Himself. Many have reduced God to fit personal preferences, but this sermon emphasizes that you can't live right if you don't see God right. In Exodus 34:6-8, God reveals Himself as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, forgiving, yet just. The proper response to this revelation is to fear God with reverence, marvel at His greatness, and bow before Him in surrender. When we approach God based on who He truly is rather than our misconceptions, it transforms our entire lives.<...

Sometimes the greatest threat to our spiritual victory is not the enemy around us, but the drift within us.

The most intense battles we face occur in our minds, where spiritual warfare manifests as fear, shame, and negative thoughts. Our minds are both vulnerable to enemy attacks and open to God's transformative truth. What we consistently think shapes our neural pathways, beliefs, behaviors, and ultimately our identity. To combat spiritual strongholds—deeply rooted false beliefs—we must employ divine weapons: truth from Scripture, intentional prayer, authentic community, and the Holy Spirit's power. By taking every thought captive and replacing lies with God's truth, we can experience the freedom Christ died to give us.

When we feel surrounded by overwhelming challenges, we can learn from King Jehoshaphat's example in 2 Chronicles 20. Instead of fighting in our own strength, we must recognize that the battle belongs to God. Our role is to surrender our struggles, stand firm in faith through spiritual disciplines, and respond with worship rather than worry. By identifying our real battles, admitting our powerlessness, and keeping our eyes fixed on God, we position ourselves for victory. The battle may be real, but we don't have to fight it alone—God has already won it for us.

Satan’s strategy is to tempt you in and take you out, but you don’t have to stay on defense. When you train with Jesus, you learn to fight back and live from the victory He already won.

The Bible says, ‘“In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27).  It also says, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15) and “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

We live in a fallen world. This means among other things, that people will sometimes not meet the emotional needs we have. When that happens, we experience certain painful emotional and are more susceptible to reacting in destructive ways. 

The deepest longing of the human soul is for intimacy. For two people to experience a healthy intimacy with each other, they have to be willing to meet each other's emotional needs. This episode covers Dr. Thurman's 11 emotional needs of every human being. 

This isn't a physical war, but an internal battle that we are all facing. Let's learn how to stand firm in faith and put on the armor of God to overcome this unseen enemy.

Life's unexpected turns and painful betrayals can leave us wounded, but Joseph's story in Genesis reveals that God works through our pain for greater purposes. When we hold onto hurt, it becomes like bitter vinegar that spills over and affects those around us. True healing begins when we identify our injuries, find their source, and seek wisdom through support systems. Joseph teaches us that healing doesn't happen by reliving or rehearsing pain, but by releasing it to God. By trusting God with our bigger story, we can see how He redeems even our most painful experiences for good, transforming...

Life rarely follows our plans, as Joseph's story in Genesis demonstrates. From being his father's favorite to enduring betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment, Joseph's journey was filled with unexpected turns. Yet in Genesis 41, we witness a pivotal moment when God uses Pharaoh's troubling dreams to elevate Joseph from prisoner to palace official. This turning point teaches us that God often disturbs the comfortable, chooses the rejected, provides through practical planning, and elevates the obedient in His perfect timing. Joseph's story ultimately points to Jesus, the perfect deliverer who was rejected so we might be rescued—reminding us that our greatest ho...

Even in our darkest moments, God's presence never leaves us, as demonstrated through Joseph's story in Genesis. Despite being betrayed, enslaved, and imprisoned, Joseph experienced God's steadfast love and favor. God's presence doesn't change our surroundings; it changes us from within. When we feel forgotten or stuck in life's prison moments, we must remember that delay isn't denial—it's development. The waiting room isn't wasted time but preparation time, where God shapes us for His purposes.

Joseph's journey through slavery and temptation teaches us that God's presence isn't measured by our comfort, but by His promise. Joseph prepared for temptation before it arrived, demonstrating that spiritual strength requires daily discipline. When faced with temptation from Potiphar's wife, Joseph recognized that Satan targets our purpose, not just our weaknesses. His response—recognize, refuse, replace, and run—provides a blueprint for our own battles. Though Joseph's obedience initially led to prison rather than reward, his story reminds us that faithfulness often hurts before it helps, but staying true to God is always worth the cost.

Disappointment can sometimes feel like the end of the road, but it's often the beginning of God working out His purpose in your life.

God-given dreams don’t disappear—they develop.

Join us for the first message in our new series, Plot Twist, as we're reminded the they delays and detours we encounter in life are often God's direction.

You weren’t called to coast—you were called to carry. This Father’s Day, we challenged men to step up, not back, and to live with the strength, sacrifice, and love of Jesus. If you’re ready to be built different, this message is for you.

When God calls us to something significant, fear is inevitable because faith requires stepping into the unknown. 

Moses' story at the burning bush demonstrates how God equips us despite our excuses and inadequacies. God doesn't seek the most confident person but the one who will depend on Him completely. He provides what we think we lack, expects us to keep moving even when the fire fades, and uses our obedience to build a future we can't yet see. 

The challenge is to go anyway - even with shaky knees and uncertainty - because our obedience to...