Advertise on podcast: GATEWAY CHURCH: Shelbyville

Unto God be the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/p... Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving Every season of life brings something different. But how do we remain faithful when life doesn't look the way it used to? In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon reminds us that there is a time and a season for everything under heaven. Life is constantly changing. Our relationships, responsibilities, opportunities, and circumstances shift—but the faithfulness of God never does. The challenge isn't simply learning how to get through the season we're in. It's learning how to recognize what it requires, respond with wisdom, and trust God with what we cannot control. In this message, we explore: - Why every season has a purpose, but not every season has the same purpose - How wisdom means recognizing the season we're in and knowing what faithfulness looks like right now - Why a difficult season should never become the definition of our entire lives - The importance of releasing what belongs to a previous season - How to trust God's timing when we cannot understand His process - Why we should learn to enjoy the gifts God has placed in the season we're living today You don't have to pretend every season is easy. You don't have to understand everything God is doing. And you don't have to spend your life longing for yesterday or waiting for tomorrow. Be faithful where you are. Trust Him with what you cannot see. Receive the good He has placed in front of you. The seasons of your life will change, but the God of your life never will.

Unto God be the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/p... Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving What if the biggest obstacle to your faith isn’t what God is asking you to do, but your unwillingness to let Him take control? We want God involved in our lives. We want His direction, His wisdom, and His blessing. But are we willing to give Him the pen? Hebrews 12:2 calls us to look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He isn't simply an editor who comes in to clean up the story we've already written. He is the One who leads, directs, sustains, and brings His work in us to completion. Through the stories of Joseph, Paul, Abraham, and ultimately Jesus, this message challenges us to surrender our need for control, remain faithful in seasons we don't understand, and trust the God who sees the beginning and the end. In this message, we explore: • What it really means to let Jesus be the Author of our lives   • Why following God's direction won't always be comfortable or make sense   • How Joseph remained faithful even when his circumstances seemed to contradict God's promises   • Why a difficult chapter doesn't mean God has forsaken your story   • The difference between guilt that leads us to repentance and shame that keeps us bound to our past   • How Jesus became the way for us to experience forgiveness, freedom, and direct access to God   • Why we can rest in the truth that Jesus is not only the Author of our faith, but the One who will finish what He started   You don't have to have every detail figured out before you trust Him. You don't have to earn what Jesus has already made possible. And you don't have to carry the weight of completing in your own strength what only He can finish. If you're tired of striving, trying to control every outcome, or wondering how God could possibly work through the season you're in, remember this: Don't mistake a difficult chapter for a forsaken story. Look to Jesus. Surrender. Obey. Trust. The work He has started in you isn't finished.

Unto Him be the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/p... Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving What if the greatest victory isn’t defeating the person who hurt you—but refusing to become like them? You don’t get to choose how people treat you. You don’t get to control their betrayal, their bitterness, or the wounds they leave behind. But you do get to choose who you become because of it. In 1 Samuel 24, David finds himself with the perfect opportunity to take revenge on Saul—the very man who has hunted him, betrayed him, and made his life miserable. Yet, in a moment when everyone around him sees an opportunity, David sees a line he refuses to cross. In this message, we discover what it looks like to bring our pain to God instead of taking it out on others, to hold onto our convictions when revenge feels justified, and to trust God with the justice that belongs to Him. We explore: • Why someone else’s behavior never gives us permission to compromise our character   • How to bring our wounds to God instead of allowing bitterness to shape us   • Why an open door isn’t always a door God wants us to walk through   • The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation—and why healthy boundaries still matter   • How unhealed pain can become a pattern we pass on to others   • What it means to speak truth without cruelty and choose mercy over revenge   • How Jesus shows us the ultimate example of responding to evil with grace   You may not be responsible for what someone did to you, but you are responsible for what you allow it to make you. You can forgive and still keep wise boundaries. You can acknowledge the hurt without letting it become your identity. And through the Spirit of God, you can break the cycle instead of passing the pain along. The greatest victory isn’t always defeating the person who hurt you. Sometimes it’s refusing to become like them. Don’t let their behavior determine your character. Don’t confuse opportunity with permission. And whatever you do, don’t become what hurt you.

Unto Him be the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/p... Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving What if the way you live is grieving the very Spirit you’re asking God to move through? We often talk about the power of the Holy Spirit, His gifts, His presence, and His anointing. But Ephesians 4 reminds us of something deeply personal: the Holy Spirit doesn’t just work through us. He lives within us and He can be grieved. In this message, we explore what it means to honor the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives, not just in moments of worship, but in the way we speak, respond, forgive, and treat the people around us. We discover: • Why the Holy Spirit is a Person to know, not simply a power to experience   • How our relationship with the Holy Spirit is connected to the way we treat others   • Why dishonesty, lingering anger, bitterness, and destructive words grieve Him   • How the words we speak can either tear people down or impart grace   • Why conviction is not condemnation, and how the Spirit’s correction reveals His commitment to transform us   • What it means to live aware of His presence throughout the day   • How the Holy Spirit is turning hardened hearts into tenderhearted, forgiving people   • And why we must never become so focused on experiencing His power that we neglect to honor His presence The same Spirit who corrects you is the Spirit who has sealed you. He isn’t trying to leave you where you are—He is committed to making you more like Jesus. Holiness isn’t about convincing God to love you. It’s learning to live in a way that honors the God who already does. So the question isn’t just, “Am I experiencing the Holy Spirit?” It’s also, “Am I honoring the Holy Spirit who lives within me?” Don’t just seek His power. Honor His presence.

Unto Him be the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/p... Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving What if you’re doing better than everyone around you—but still falling short of the standard? Comparison doesn’t always make us feel insecure. Sometimes, it makes us comfortable. When everyone around us is compromising, lukewarmness starts to feel normal. When nobody is pursuing God wholeheartedly, surrender begins to look extreme. But what if we’ve been measuring our lives with the wrong ruler? In this message, we look at what Scripture teaches about comparison, spiritual maturity, and the standard God has called us to pursue. Through 2 Corinthians 10:12 and other passages, we discover: Why comparing ourselves to others can lead to both insecurity and complacencyHow spiritual compromise becomes normal when we measure ourselves by the people around usWhy Jesus—not culture, popularity, or other Christians—is the standard for our livesHow a lowered standard can produce a lukewarm faithWhy comparison distracts us from our own calling to follow JesusThe danger of reshaping Christianity into something comfortable instead of embracing the cost of discipleshipHow fixing our eyes on Jesus transforms us into His imageAnd why the goal isn’t simply to try harder, but to keep becoming more like HimYou can be above average and still below the standard. The goal of Christianity isn’t to become better than the person beside you. It’s to become more like Jesus. He is the measure we grow toward and the banner we rally around when life gets difficult. So stop looking sideways to see how you measure up. Don’t look around. Look up. Normal isn’t the standard. Popular isn’t the standard. Culture isn’t the standard. Jesus is the standard. And until we look like Him, there is still more of Him to become.

Unto Him be all the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/p... Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving What if the thing you’re waiting for isn’t waiting on God—but waiting on your next step? Joshua stood at the edge of a new season. Behind him was everything Israel had known: slavery, wilderness, loss, and years of preparation. Ahead of him was the promise. And God’s message was simple: It’s time to move. In this message, Bishop Mitch Corder walks through Joshua 1 and shows us what it looks like to step into the next season God has prepared for us. We learn how to: • Follow God’s direction instead of living in the past • Let go of relationships and regrets that aren’t meant for our future • Understand that the promise is what God does *for* us, while the process is what God does *in* us • Speak, meditate on, and live out the Word of God • Put our confidence in God’s presence when fear and discouragement show up • See our “Jordan River” as an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power • Ask God for strategy instead of simply asking Him to remove the obstacle • Take the step of faith that positions us to see God work Just because your plan isn’t working doesn’t mean His plan isn’t working. Your history is not your identity. Your process is preparing you for your promise. And what God has placed ahead of you is greater than what He brought you through. Sometimes the water doesn’t move until you step in. So don’t stay at the edge of your next season. Step forward. Trust His presence. Follow His Word. “I am stepping into my next season.”

Unto Him be all the glory. Thank you for joining us! Want to learn more about us? Check out our website here: gtwychurch.com We would love to get to know you! Connect with us here: https://gtwychurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/598658 Interesting in giving? Follow this link: https://www.gtwychurch.com/giving What do you do when you don’t know what to pray? There are moments when the situation is too complicated, the burden is too heavy, and our own words simply aren’t enough. But God didn’t leave us standing at the throne speechless. He gave us His Spirit. In this message, we explore what Scripture teaches about praying in the Spirit—why it matters, how it works, and what happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us beyond what our own understanding can express. We look at: • How Jesus opened the way to the throne through His blood • Why prayer was always meant to be Spirit-empowered • The different kinds of tongues described in Scripture • What Romans 8 teaches about the Spirit interceding for us • How praying in the Spirit builds and strengthens us • Why the Spirit helps us pray according to the will of God • What it means to receive the gift by faith • The hindrances that keep us from yielding to the Spirit • And how praying in the Spirit can become part of our everyday life When your language runs out, the Spirit doesn’t. The Son is interceding above you. The Spirit is interceding within you. And you have been invited to come boldly. Prayer isn’t limited to what you understand. There is a language for the throne.

What do you actually believe about God when you pray? Not what you know how to say. Not what you would answer in a Bible study. What do you believe about Him in the moment you bow your head? Hebrews 11:6 gives us a picture of prayer built on faith: we come to God because we believe He is who He says He is—and we keep coming because we believe He rewards those who diligently seek Him. In this message, we discover: • Prayer is an invitation to come boldly into God’s presence • Our access to God was purchased by the blood of Jesus • What we believe about God’s character shapes the way we pray • Faith gives us the confidence to keep coming when we can’t see the answer • God is approachable, merciful, faithful, a healer, and still able to set people free • Diligent prayer isn’t about earning an answer—it’s the natural response of faith • And sometimes the greatest thing that keeps us praying isn’t knowing what God will do, but knowing who He is The door is open. The blood has been applied. The High Priest is interceding. And the invitation is still the same: Come boldly. Faith brings you to God, faith reminds you who He is when you get there, and faith keeps you there until the answer comes.

What if worship had nothing to do with how we feel? It’s easy to praise God when the prayer is answered, the breakthrough comes, and everything is going our way. But what happens when the prison door doesn’t open? When the diagnosis doesn’t change? When the breakthrough takes longer than we expected? That’s where worship becomes a sacrifice. In this message, we look at what worship truly means—not simply singing a song on Sunday, but living with a heart surrendered to God. We explore: • Why passion fades when it isn’t maintained • Why worship must be rooted in who God is, not what He does • How Paul and Silas worshiped in the middle of a prison • The danger of allowing tradition or feelings to determine our worship • What it means to surrender control and offer our lives back to God • How our worship can shift the atmosphere around us • And how to reignite a fire for Jesus when our passion has grown cold Biblical worship doesn’t say, “God, I worship You because You gave me everything I wanted.” It says, “God, I worship You because You are still God.” Not because everything is good. Because He is good. The question isn’t simply, “Can I worship God when life is going well?” The question is: Is He still worthy when it isn’t? Jesus gave everything for us. He is worthy of everything from us. Let your life become a continual song of praise.

What if the Lord’s Prayer was never meant to be just something we say? What if Jesus was teaching us how to live? In this message, we unpack the Lord’s Prayer and discover that Jesus didn't simply give His disciples words to repeat—He gave them a pattern for living in continual relationship with God. From “Our Father” to “deliver us from evil,” every line teaches us something about who God is, who we are, and how we're meant to live. Using passages from Luke 11, Matthew 6, Romans 8, Hebrews 4, Ephesians 6, and more, we explore: • Why prayer begins with relationship, not technique • What it means to hallow God's name—and to carry His name well • How prayer reorders our desires around God's kingdom • Why surrendering to God's will is at the heart of prayer • What “daily bread” teaches us about dependence on God • Why confession and forgiveness keep our hearts clean • How prayer prepares us for temptation and spiritual battle • Why prayerlessness is more serious than simply missing a devotional • How Jesus Himself modeled a life of continual communion with the Father This message isn't just about learning how to say a prayer. It's about learning how to live. Prayer moves us: from self-sufficiency to dependence, from self-centeredness to God's kingdom, from anxiety to trust, from hiddenness to confession, from bitterness to forgiveness, and from vulnerability to the strength of God. Jesus didn't just teach prayer. Jesus lived prayer. And if the Son of God would not live disconnected from the Father, neither can we. So the prayer of the disciples becomes our prayer too: “Lord, teach us to pray.” The Lord's Prayer gives us the pattern. The life of Jesus gives us the priority.

Some of your deepest failures have a place attached to them. A room. A conversation. A smell. A person. A moment you wish you could go back and change. For Peter, it was a fire. In this message, we follow Peter through one of the darkest moments of his life. The disciple who promised he would never deny Jesus finds himself warming his hands beside a fire—only to deny his Savior three times. But Peter's story doesn't end there. After the resurrection, Jesus meets him beside another fire. Using John 18, Luke 22, Mark 16, and John 21, we explore: • Why loud devotion isn't always deep devotion • How proximity to Jesus doesn't always mean faithfulness to Jesus • The danger of finding comfort in the wrong places • Why Jesus isn't caught off guard by our failures • How God sees restoration even when we can only see regret • Why Jesus called Peter by name when Peter had counted himself out • The powerful connection between Peter's first fire and his second • How Jesus restored Peter after three denials with three questions • Why restoration doesn't just remove shame—it reclaims purpose This message isn't just about Peter's failure. It's about what Jesus does with ours. The first fire was a place of compromise. A place of denial. A place of failure. But the second fire was different. Jesus met Peter in the place his memories would have taken him back to—and gave him a new ending. Your failure didn't catch Jesus off guard. He knew Peter would fall. And He already knew Peter would return. God doesn't just see the failure. He sees the restoration. The repentance. And the purpose still ahead. “Jesus knew he would fail—but He also knew he would return.”

Everybody wants the fire. But fire falls on the altar. In this message, we explore what Scripture teaches about the fire of God—from the altar, to sacrifice, to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We discover that while we can't manufacture God's presence, we are responsible for stewarding what He has given us. Using passages from Luke 12, Leviticus, 1 Kings, Romans, and more, we explore: • Why Jesus endured suffering so His Church could be filled with the Holy Spirit • The biblical connection between the altar, sacrifice, and fire • What your deepest affection, attention, and sacrifice reveal about the altar of your heart • Why yesterday's encounter can't sustain today's faith • How prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience, and forgiveness help tend the flame • The difference between maintained fire and manifest fire • Why we need both private devotion and powerful encounters with God • Why Elijah repaired the altar before the fire fell • How to recognize the difference between holy fire and “strange fire” • Why discernment doesn't extinguish the fire—it protects it • What happens when a genuine encounter with God changes us This message isn't just about having an emotional experience. It's about becoming a living sacrifice. We don't want manufactured fire. We don't want empty religion. We don't want excitement without holiness. We want HOLY FIRE. Maybe the problem isn't that heaven has run out of fire. Maybe earth has run out of altars. Repair the altar. Present the sacrifice. Tend the flame. And ask God to send the fire. “Our God is a consuming fire.” — Hebrews 12:29

You can build an impressive life on the outside while everything inside is falling apart. Rehoboam inherited a kingdom, a throne, wealth, influence, and everything his father and grandfather had spent generations building. But in one conversation, his pride fractured a nation—and Scripture gives us the deeper reason why. He had prepared cities. He had strengthened defenses. But he had never prepared his heart to seek the Lord. In this message, we explore the story of Rehoboam and discover: • Why you need people in your life who are willing to tell you the truth • The difference between seeking counsel and seeking confirmation • How insecurity can turn disagreement into disrespect • Why one foolish decision can create consequences that last for generations • How our choices can become patterns the next generation inherits • Why spiritual drift happens when we stop intentionally steering our hearts • The danger of building your career, relationships, reputation, body, or ministry while neglecting your soul • Why preparation happens before the pressure arrives • How Jesus succeeds where Rehoboam failed This message isn't just about a bad king. It's about the temptation to build everything around us while neglecting what's happening within us. You can have a strong body and a weak soul. A growing business and a shrinking marriage. An impressive house and no peace inside it. Financial success and spiritual poverty. Never confuse the strength of what you're building with the health of the person building it. The good news is that your story doesn't have to repeat the past. Jesus doesn't just tell us to try harder. He gives us a new heart. “Your worst decision does not have to become your family's permanent direction.” “Build something within you strong enough to carry what God puts around you.”

Nobody plans to walk away from God. Most people don’t blow up their faith. They drift. In this message, we look at the story of Demas—a man who started strong, served alongside Paul, and was even called a “fellow laborer.” But over time, something changed. His heart slowly shifted until Paul could say that Demas had forsaken him because he had “loved this present world.” Using passages from 2 Timothy, Philemon, Hebrews, Mark, and Acts, we explore: • Why spiritual drift usually happens slowly, not suddenly • How your feet eventually follow your affections • Why you can be less passionate about God before you ever leave Him • How good things like career, money, comfort, success, and entertainment can become distractions when they take first place • Why cynicism can change the way we see God and His people • How spiritual apathy can make coldness feel normal • Why following Jesus means becoming a servant, not a consumer • How to recognize when your heart is beginning to drift • Why your drift doesn't have to become your destiny This message isn't just about Demas. It's about us. You don't wake up one day as Demas. It's a thousand little moments. A little less prayer. A little less hunger. A little more compromise. A little more of the world. Until eventually, you realize your heart has moved before your feet ever did. But here's the good news: you can come back. Mark walked away too—but he came back. His bad chapter didn't become his final chapter. So ask yourself: What do I love? What gets my time? What gets my energy? What gets my attention? What has following Jesus cost me lately? Because you become what you love. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

Nobody wakes up one morning planning to destroy their relationships. It usually starts with a wound. Then the wound becomes bitterness. Bitterness becomes justification. Justification becomes manipulation. And eventually, the heart becomes rebellious. In this message, we look at the story of Absalom and discover how an offense that isn't surrendered to God can slowly consume our hearts and damage the people around us. Using the story of Absalom, David, and passages like Hebrews 12 and Matthew 18, we explore: • How an unhealed wound can become a root of bitterness • Why being hurt doesn't give us permission to become bitter • How self-justification can make us feel righteous while leading us away from God • How manipulation can disguise itself as compassion and concern • Why offended people tend to attract other offended people • How unchecked offense can eventually become rebellion • Why our strengths can become weaknesses when our hearts become toxic • How to heal our hurts, confront conflict biblically, and protect our relationships This message isn't just about Absalom. It's about what can happen in any of us when we allow an offense to take root. You can be right about what happened and still be wrong in how you respond. So heal your hurts. Stay humble. Go directly to people. And refuse to build relationships around criticism. Don't be the person who steals hearts. Be the person who heals hearts. “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” — Hebrews 12:15