Sunday AM Recap
February 22, 2026
Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/ePuklZqtTSA?si=-Ri2cSZa89pGUjU_
Apostle Susan Powers opened the service with this devotional and prayer from ChristFollowerLife:
I want to show you a moment from the Bible that almost feels like a real conversation. God’s people were trying to do the right thing. They were fasting. Skipping meals. Saying prayers. But inside, they felt dry.
So they said to God something like, “Lord…we did all this. Why does it feel like You don’t even see us?” (see Isaiah 58:3)
God answered them - plain and clear.
He said their worship was loud, but their love was small. They were still hurting each other. Still ignoring the needy. Still living hard. (Isaiah 58:3-4)
Then God described the kind of “fast” He loves: Feed the hungry. Help the poor. Cover the one who has nothing. Don’t turn away from your own family. (Isaiah 58:6-7)
And right after that…God made a promise.
Not a fake promise. Not a “your life will be easy” promise.
A steady promise for dry seasons.
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Isaiah 58:11 NIV
This verse does not deny the dry season. It promises God’s presence in it.
He will guide you.
He will give you what you truly need.
He will strengthen you from the inside out.
Even now, He can keep your life steady and fruitful - like a garden still being fruitful.
PRAYER
Father,
You know the season I am in.
You see the parts of my life that feel sun-scorched - the quiet rooms, the aching joints, the empty chairs, the questions I do not always say out loud.
Thank You that You promise to guide me always. Not just when I am strong. But now - in this season.
When my body feels weaker, strengthen my frame. When my heart feels tired, satisfy my soul. When I feel unsure of my purpose, gently lead me step by step.
Help me trust that I am not drying up - I am being sustained.
Make my life like a well-watered garden, even if no one else sees the roots growing deeper.
And if You choose, let your life in me become a quiet spring for someone else - through a prayer, a word, a steady faith that has been tested by years.
Thank You for staying with me through every season.
I rest in Your faithful care.
In Jesus’s name,
Amen
Stacea Kuehn led worship.
During worship the following was shared through Rachael Gilmore:
Beloved I don’t know if you can feel it, I don’t know if you can sense, but this is a moment where He has inclined His ear, where He looks upon His beloved and He says, “this one, she is mine.” He’s looking at you in this moment and He’s saying “Will you lay it all down? Will you take up the battle cry? Will you lift My banner, and will you stand by My side?” This moment, Beloved, this moment, He’s opened heaven, and I see Him, I see Him seated high and lifted up, above all various, all that we know and don’t understand, I see Him, and the train of His robe is filling the Temple, and a fragrance is rising, and it’s His Bride fighting the battle, though she’s surrounded on all sides, the fragrance is rising in the Temple, the cries of His people are being heard, and He’s saying “look up, look up and see the One, see the Deliverer, who is even now moving into position with the scrolls in His hands, and His glory’s spreading across the globe.” Even now, look up, Beloved, look up. Because He CAN be seen in the this moment, all the darkness you thought was obscuring our vision, all the things that you think were keeping Him from doing what He’s crying out to do, it’s a shadow, it’s only a shadow, look up, Beloved, look up, Beloved and see Him who sits upon the throne, whose train fills the Temple, look up Beloved, in this moment, and see the One who’s holding the scrolls, who’s standing next to those golden lampstands where the fire of our prayers do not go out, He’s standing there waiting, even now, and He’s saying “Cry out! Cry out!” Beloved, lift the battle cry! Lift the battle cry! Let the banner of His love be what breaks through the darkness in this dark night of the soul! There is so much to be done! There is so much to be done! Cry out, Beloved, and your cries will keep this fire burning! Your cries will be like incense day and night and night and day, and it prepares the way for the Bridegroom to release the scrolls, for the One who was meant to come and take vengeance on all that has torn Him from His Bride, from His Beloved! Woe to the enemy! Cry out Beloved, this is the moment when the Kingdom of Heaven begins to kiss the Kingdom of Earth, and things begin to BREAK OFF in the Spirit realm, when the Lord of Heaven’s Army hears His Beloved and MOVES things into position! You are not powerless, you are not without recourse, you have the King of Heaven’s armies by your side, and He has gone before you, and He has come up beside you, and He has girded up your legs, and He will continue to move within you, but cry out to Him! When the darkest night of the soul comes, don’t say “all I see is darkness,” look up Beloved! See His train filling the Temple, see the scrolls in His hands, see that the Glory of the Lord still stretches across the sky! Look up Beloved, and see the fire and the passion in His eyes! It is the time, it is the time for His Bride to rise up in the face of all the evil, in the face of the one who dares to stand and spit on the Name of God, the one who has already lost the war, you know, you know who has the victory, so quit acting like those who have no hope, quit acting like those who cannot see the Light! “I am the light and I dwell within those who know Me, who know My voice, you know My voice sheep, so I’m saying right now cry out for the injustice, cry out for all who can’t, cry out and I will change the atmosphere, I will bring light, and I will move the heavens for these!”
Cuz I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it happen time and time again, I’ve seen it time and time again, You make a way where there seems to be no way…Do you believe? Do you believe if you speak to that valley it will rise? Do you believe? Sometimes the answer’s “Yes God, of course I believe,” and other times I have to say “Lord, I believe, forgive my unbelief, help me in my unbelief!” We are not without power, we are children of the Most High God, and “our cheers and our cries availeth much” He says. You are the tribe of Judah.
Take heart Beloved.
The following was shared through Apostle Susan Powers:
“Remember who you are.” I hear the Lord say, “Remember who you are.”
Pastor Jeff Spangler shared the following Word in the transition from worship to the Word:
“...*fill the bowls. Align with purpose. Lift your eyes higher, above the crowd and see that I AM in control. This is your identity. This is how you finish strong.” Jesus says, “I will accomplish My work.” And the invitation has been given. And He looks for those who will say “here I am, Lord. I am yours.”
*the beginning of this Word was lost due to a technical blip in the recording.
Early Childhood Worship
Link: https://youtu.be/0jNJjeK5s2w?si=mWZmNCigNF0Oyih7
Week 4 Prayer
Bible Story: Jehoshaphat
Memory Verse: Philippians 4:6
Message: Pastor Jeff Spangler
“Level Up”
The word given at the beginning of the Gregorian year: DREAMS. We are moving from the word about pressure to promise. That doesn’t mean the Pressure Word is over, it’s a continuation.
God is saying over and over: REMEMBER.
A couple of things brought out from the message on DREAMS…
the chickens: God has loaded you with dreams and in time He will release those dreams
Someone told Pastor after the Dream Word that they don’t Dream…Pastor encouraged us that ALL of us dream, in some kind of way. God is communicating! God can turn influences into something powerful!
the Word came from Apostle’s statement “I’m living the dream.” God used that to mean something. “I am going to use the thing that has your attention and draw the attention to ME.”
also said: We need to distinguish between barriers or boundaries?
Two main things Pastor drew from the DREAMS message:
Building expectations
Barriers or Boundaries?
When we dream, we limit ourselves. We block ourselves. Those are barriers. Not good.
Boundaries are good - where God says this far and no farther. Protects us - keeps us in, keeps things out.
BOUNDARIES ARE GOOD. This is counterintuitive to our culture.
As Passover comes, we are going to be dealing with dreams and visions. So if you’re not getting those, maybe you have some barriers that you need to get rid of in order to set good boundaries.
Messages lately:
The parable of the builders and firm foundations. Is what you believe built on a firm foundation of Jesus Christ?
The parable of the virgins and the extra oil. What is the extra oil? Am I in a place where I am prepared if it doesn’t go the way I think it should go? And the oil may be different person to person - don’t ask for someone else’s oil! What is the extra oil? As you sit here today…do you have a strong belief that something will happen?
This is the time to look individually, because when the troop moves out, that is not the time to figure out how to shoot your gun. Others are depending on you!
It’s time to level up with our expectations. What is your expectation?
Today’s Title: Level Up.
In all learning, you have to level up. And the closer Jesus gets, the more the demons will manifest. So why are we surprised when things are hard?
Pastor preached about the Road to Emmaus…and then we all had a hard week. And then Rachael sung it. A reminder from last week - “didn’t our hearts burn within us?”
Don’t be like the men on the road that didn’t recognize Him until after…take the risk in the MOMENT, not after…don’t recognize Him after, saying “didn’t our hearts burn within us?”...knowing that, even in your tears, your brokenness, “what you do to the least of these, you did to Me.”
What are your expectations for what is to come? It’s important to make sense in a senseless world.
We ended last week with the idea of discernment - the ability to detect what is right and wrong. Come and know and recognize the difference. If you want to know or understand counterfeit, you study what is REAL, not what is fake. THAT’S how you build discernment.
Don’t just skip or glean over what we have heard over and over…we need understanding again!
Last week’s message: Does this make sense?
We can sense that He has more for us than what our head engages in, and it’s important to declare and decree “Lord, this is where I’m at.” That will cause our hearts to burn!
So this has been review…these are our bags, they have been packed. They have handles on them, and it’s time to do something with them. For application for YOUR journey to Emmaus, whatever it is. You are a sent one!
Are you going with right expectations?
God shows up and says “Now is the time, NOW is the place.” He will show you where to join HIM in what HE is doing. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. It’s about having the truth and expectation in your to be ready.
It’s time to level up.
This is the month of Adar - the month to find your TRUE identity
Review of the idea of the Hebrew word for foolish: lacking foresight, not stupidity.
Attributes of Adar:
Our true identity
Finishing strong (example of honoring Tony in his retirement)
Alignment and timing
Keep these three things from Adar in mind as we head into John 14
John 14:1-7
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
DO NOT LET YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED. Jesus says to you today “I see you - don’t let your heart be troubled!”
The tyranny of the urgent seeks to distract you! Do not let your hearts be troubled!
You know the way - don’t let your hearts be troubled, He sees you, He knows what you are calling trouble, don’t let your HEART be troubled. Your mind is troubled, but He is with you and is for you. And you know the way!
Thomas says what we all think: “uh, we don’t know where you’re going!” Because he’d built expectation on sand. (As we all have.)
So how do we know the way?
It’s time to level up - you’re going to have to say goodbye to some things, to some comfort
Too often we let the situation dictate to us, and we lose ground. But a good teacher can help us excel and get us to where we need to go.
The Lord is saying to you “it’s time to level up.” There will be some things that happen that we can’t believe. And we are going to have to leave behind some comfort and step into things we don't understand.
Are you letting fear or faith drive the bus?
Thomas was saying “it doesn’t make sense.” Jesus didn’t rebuke him, He met Thomas there, and said “ok let me explain.”
Verse 6:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Do you choose the way before you go? In our culture we usually put the truth first. We demand understanding first. You have to know the truth before you can find your way. Look at a GPS - you have to know the end, the understanding to get the path. That’s our Western thinking.
But John 14:6 says “way, truth, and life.” Way comes first!
Choose the way first! And then we receive revelation of the truth!
We care about the why. It’s important to us. It goes back to the snake - become like God knowing good and evil. The need to know.
The Hebraic mindset is different.
We need to understand THE WAY - and make good choices without knowing the Way. Wherever you are on your road, step out in faith, and Jesus will meet you there!
Hebraic word for way: derech. Pathway, road, or journey.
Greek word: hodos. Used both for roads and for the road of life.
It’s time to level up.
The way. We have to choose and walk the path.
The truth. Jesus met the men on the Emmaus ALREADY ON THE ROAD. They got on the road, and then they got the truth Annanias - get your butt where your face has already been! Choose your path, and on your path, I’ll give you what you need! In FAITH!
The life.
Hebrew word for truth: emet. Accurate, faithful, reliable. To make firm. The rule and command of what is accurate, reliable, and faithful
We think a lot of things are the truth because someone tells us - we get it through our sense but not in our heart senses
Jesus is the answer, and He has the solution. Don’t let your heart be troubled, so get on your path, on your journey, and He will meet you there! ALWAYS.
You can’t steal second with a foot on first. You can’t focus on the cacher or anyone else - just where you are going
Step out on your journey and the truth will meet you in a blessed discovery to make firm in your heart.
Truth - JESUS is in command of all things.
If you have seen HIM, you HAVE seen the Father.
The Bible teaches us how to see Jesus and know the truth of how to live. And it’s not about you, it’s about THEM. You’ll find the truth when you start your journey.
Finally, life:
Hebrew word for life: chiam - the life - plural, lifestyle, not death, what it means to be alive
***At this point in the recording, the livecast cut out and we lost part of the message. The rest is based on notes.
Hebraic mindset:
“The why doesn’t matter (at least not much). What matters is what God says, even if it doesn’t ‘make sense.’ In the Hebrew world, divine command is the basis for ‘the way.’ Knowing why comes later, if at all. In the Hebrew world, I must choose before I can know. Revelation is not subject to my validation. As Heschel says, the most fundamental question a man can ask is ‘What does God demand of me?’ In the Hebrew world, I choose first, I know second, and because of this order, the path is revealed.”
“Walking Before Talking,” Hebrew Word Study, Skip Moran
You want the understanding of the gardens before you get to the gardens.
You must choose BEFORE YOU know . You gotta choose THIS DAY.
You can smile today - don’t let your heart be troubled! Jesus has released a path for you today!
To Sum Up:
Do not let your heart be troubled.
I am the way, the truth, and the life…and we have been living the truth, the way, and the life.
You DO know the way!
