Mercy Culture

What if the way you fight your spiritual battles matters more than whether you win them? In this message, we go to the hill at Rephidim, where Moses' raised hands, Joshua's sword, and the steady support of Aaron and Hur show us what it looks like to stand in the fight together, and to stand for God's glory rather than our own victory.

We start with the surprising science of willpower and the anterior midcingulate cortex, the part of the brain that grows when we do the hard things we'd rather avoid. From there we see why the battles we fight tomorrow are shaped by the flesh we deny today. Drawing on Matthew 16, Galatians 5, and Romans 8, we explore what it means to consecrate ourselves so God can do amazing things among us.

Then we get practical. What does it look like to storm the hill? Get under spiritual authority, surround yourself with people of integrity, embrace your role in the fight, and refuse to lower the staff. Moses' moment at Meribah is a sobering reminder of what happens when ambition takes over. We unpack the difference between ambition-based warfare ("It's my job to make it happen!") and joy-based warfare ("It's my job to stay in His presence"), and discover why the joy of the Lord really is our strength.

Whether you're weary, striving, or wondering if the fight is worth it, this episode invites you to trade the emotional rollercoaster for trust, and to die on hills your children will one day conquer.

Pastor Will Ford unpacked the power of the anointing as a spiritual fragrance that carries the presence of Jesus — attracting heaven and repelling darkness wherever We go. The call of the message was simple: stop being Martha, distracted by doing, and become Mary, anchored in gazing — because one glimpse of your eyes toward Him ravishes His heart, and He's inviting Us from a glimpse to a gaze.

In this compelling message, Pastor Chris Cheema challenges the church to wake up and engage in spiritual warfare, drawing from 1 Kings 18 and Ephesians 6. He unpacks the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel, revealing that the same demonic spirits Elijah confronted then, including the Jezebel spirit of control, seduction, and intimidation, are the same familiar spirits the church in America faces today. Pastor Chris challenges believers to stop spectating and to get into the fight, because the time for watching from the sidelines is over.

Pastor Chris warns that what many label as political issues are actually spiritual ones, including abortion, sexual perversion, censorship, and the silencing of truth, and that the church's reluctance to engage is itself a symptom of the Jezebel spirit at work. He calls believers to stop letting intimidation, fear of man, and talking points silence the truth of God's word, reminding the church that separation of church and state was never designed to keep the church out of public life, but to keep the government out of the church.

This message equips believers with five practical strategies for spiritual warfare: stand on truth, fear God over man, seek spiritual authority over influence, obey God, and confront wickedness. Pastor Chris closes with a powerful declaration over Waco, calling the church to take its place as warriors who provide the altar for the fire of God to fall and who make it known that Jesus is the highest authority over every street, neighborhood, and office in their city.

The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.

At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Sean and Natalie Gleason or another leader in our community.

To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com

In this message, we go deeper into spiritual dreams—learning to recognize the difference between warning dreams and demonic encounters, and how God can use dreams to reveal, warn, protect, and guide us. Discover how humility, prayer, Scripture, and wisdom help us discern what God may be communicating and respond faithfully to His voice.

Todd White sits down with Heather Schott on Holy Disruption to tell the story most people have never heard in full — drug addiction from age 12, a homicide-suicide threat to his own family, getting shot at from ten feet away, and the exact moment "sin consciousness" was replaced by "son consciousness." Twenty-one years later, he's still burning — sharing the gospel on every ski lift, every gondola, every grocery line.

This is a raw, unfiltered conversation about why Christians are afraid to witness, what it actually costs to be free from shame, and why your testimony isn't optional — it's the glory God is owed.

In this compelling message, Pastor Sean Gleason explores what it truly means to wage war against the demonic spirit of mammon, drawing from Matthew 19 and Matthew 6. He unpacks the truth that mammon is not just money, it is a spiritual master that competes directly for your love for God, and that you reveal what you truly love by what you obey. Pastor Sean challenges believers to stop rationalizing disobedience in the area of finances and to recognize that the same spirit that kept the rich young ruler from following Jesus is the same spirit keeping many believers from fully surrendering to the Lord today.

Pastor Sean warns that mammon operates on both ends of the spectrum, through the prosperity gospel that makes money the point of the Christian life, and through the poverty gospel that finds spiritual pride in lack. He calls the church to reject both ditches and to walk in radical, joyful obedience through generosity, because generosity is not just a spiritual discipline, it is a warfare strategy that expands the kingdom of God and cuts off the enemy's supply line.

This message challenges believers to tithe first as an act of declaring God as their first priority, to stop letting their bank statement determine whether they obey God, and to understand that mammon will never satisfy because only the Prince of Peace can meet the deepest needs of the human heart.

The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God.

At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Sean and Natalie Gleason or another leader in our community.

To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com

YouVersion Notes:https://www.bible.com/events/49667817

In The War Against Israel, Pastor Chris Cheema exposes the spiritual battle behind the historic and ongoing hatred of the Jewish people. Through Revelation 12 and the biblical story of Israel, he confronts antisemitism, deception, and attempts to erase Israel’s covenant identity while calling the Church to understand God’s Word, stand against hatred, pray for Israel, and proclaim salvation through Jesus. Ultimately, the message points to the return of Jesus as King and the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Homework: https://pdfs-of-qr-codes.s3.amazonaws.com/h38WqY.pdf

YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/events/49663489

 

Pastor Clay teaches that strongholds aren’t meant to be managed, but demolished. Through the renewing of our minds, daily encounters with God, and replacing lies with the truth of His Word, we can stop agreeing with what Jesus has already defeated and walk in the freedom He has given us.

Landon made a vow to God that he would never pastor. It almost cost him Mercy Culture.

In this episode of Spiritual Leadership, Pastor Landon Schott exposes inner vows — the self-made promises that decide what you'll do before God ever speaks. He opens with the vow that nearly kept him out of his calling ("I will never pastor"), the drive through Fort Worth where God answered, "You said that, I didn't," and the 40-day fast that finally broke it.

This episode includes a guided prayer of repentance, five practical steps to break inner vows, and listener Q&A on vows, forgiveness, leading a spouse, and the difference between learning from mistakes and telling God never.

Pastor Will Ford teaches that joy is a spiritual weapon that keeps us standing after deliverance and helps us hold the territory God has given us. Through Scripture and powerful examples, he shows that joy is a choice—not a feeling—and that praise is not just the celebration after victory, but the strategy that leads us through the battle. Pastor Will challenges believers to guard their joy, practice gratitude, and discover lasting joy by choosing what pleases the Lord.