Taking The Land - CFM Sermon Podcast

What if the thing you keep asking God to remove is the very thing He intends you to conquer?
Preaching from 2 Samuel 23:20 at the 2026 Sydney Conference, Pastor Dan Stephen looks at Benaiah, one of David's mighty men, who didn't run when he found a lion in a pit. He went after it.
This message is a challenge to reject spiritual passivity, confront the battles standing between you and your calling, and recover an aggressive confidence in what God can do.
There will always be adversaries when God opens a door. The question is whether we retreat from the lion or chase it.
In this sermon:
Why difficulty is often connected to destiny
The difference between self-confidence and God-confidence
How passivity quietly buries calling
Why discipleship keeps your spiritual edge
What happens when believers attempt something bigger than themselves
How a few courageous decisions can completely change your future
Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:20
Message: Chase the Lion
Speaker: Pastor Dan Stephen
Event: 2026 Sydney Bible Conference
If this message challenged you, share it with someone who needs to stop retreating and start moving forward.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Chasing Lions: The Call to Action
02:21 We Are a Lion-Chasing Fellowship
04:44 Destiny Comes Through Difficulty
07:08 Benaiah Chases the Lion
09:36 Stop Being Hunted. Become the Hunter.
11:51 The Aggressive Spirit of Great Men
15:17 No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets
18:31 The Spirit of Aggression in Destiny
20:21 God Wants a Backbone, Not a Wishbone
22:53 Don’t Be a Passive Generation
25:32 Every City Is Difficult
28:09 How to Develop an Aggressive Spirit
30:06 Discipleship Keeps Your Edge
32:21 The Delight of Destiny: God Backs Aggressive Men
34:47 Keep Knocking Until the Door Opens
37:07 Aggressive Faith During COVID
39:20 A Few Decisions Can Change Your Destiny
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CONNECT
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Subscribe to Taking the Land Podcast for more Bible preaching from The Potter’s House Christian Fellowship.

Crowds, influence, and religious knowledge can create a convincing image—but Jesus looks for something deeper: a genuinely changed heart.
In this Wayman Wednesday message from John 9:35–41, we examine the difference between appearing religious and truly knowing Jesus Christ. The Pharisees possessed recognition, structure, and knowledge, yet their pride kept them from recognizing the work of God directly in front of them.
This sermon challenges us to look beyond numbers, reputation, and outward success and confront the question Jesus asked the man whose sight had been restored: “Do you believe on the Son of God?”
You’ll discover:
• Why popularity is not proof of spiritual truth
• How expectations can prevent us from recognizing God
• Why religious knowledge cannot replace a personal encounter with Christ
• The true evidence of a changed heart and life
• What it means to possess eternal life through the Son of God
Key Scriptures: John 9:35–41, Romans 12:1–2, Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Matthew 16:13–18, John 3:1–3, 1 John 5:10–13, and Matthew 7:21–23.
What matters most isn’t the image we present—it’s whether our lives have truly been changed by Jesus Christ.
Subscribe for a new Wayman Wednesday message each week.
#WaymanWednesday #ChristianSermon #Faith #JesusChrist #BornAgain

00:00 Image vs. Truth
03:59 John 9: The Blind Man Healed
07:07 The Pressure to Conform
10:20 Spiritual Discernment
13:05 Who Is the Son of God?
17:48 Personal Faith Over Religious Image
22:24 A Changed Heart and Life
26:09 The Final Measure: Reality

## SUPPORT WORLD EVANGELISMGet the **Taking the Land Premium Subscription**:• No ads • Early releases • Full-length Testimony Tuesdays **Supercast - $3/month** https://taking-the-land.supercast.com/**Spotify - $3.99/month** https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/taking-the-land/subscribe**Apple Podcasts - $4.99/month** https://apple.co/4owjo5Z**All proceeds go to world evangelism.**## CONNECT📍 **Find a CFM Church near you:** https://cfmmap.org⭐ **Enjoying Taking the Land? Leave a five-star review:**Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3vy1s5bPodchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/taking-the-land-cfm-sermon-pod-43369vSubscribe to **Taking the Land Podcast** for more Bible preaching from The Potter’s House Christian Fellowship.

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Someone in your life may look completely uninterested in God. They may have rejected every invitation, ignored every conversation, and shown no outward sign of change.
But you don't know what God may already be stirring inside them.
In Luke 19, Zacchaeus was known as a corrupt tax collector, a traitor, and a sinner. Everyone in Jericho thought they knew exactly what kind of man he was. What they couldn't see was that something had already begun happening in his heart.
He climbed a tree hoping to see Jesus.
He had no idea Jesus was looking for him.
In this message, “A Tale of a Tree,” Pastor Garret King of Tucson, Arizona examines the conversion of Zacchaeus and the incredible grace of Jesus toward people others have written off.
We cannot save anyone. But God can use our friendship, testimony, prayers, invitations, and faithfulness to help someone see Jesus more clearly.
Don't give up on them yet.
📖 Scripture: Luke 19:1-10
If this message encouraged you, share it with someone who is praying for a loved one, friend, coworker, or family member who seems far from God.
Support World Evangelism
Premium Subscription
No ads • Early releases • Full-length Testimony Tuesdays
Supercast - $3/month
https://taking-the-land.supercast.com/
Spotify - $3.99/month
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/taking-the-land/subscribe
Apple Podcasts - $4.99/month
https://apple.co/4owjo5Z
All proceeds go to world evangelism.
Chapters
00:00 - David Wilkerson, Nicky Cruz, and seeing beyond appearances
03:17 - Don’t judge people only by what you see
07:13 - Who Zacchaeus really was and why people hated him
12:32 - Something was already stirring inside Zacchaeus
14:54 - Helping other people see Jesus
16:12 - Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name
19:15 - Grace meets us before we get our lives together
27:08 - Jesus came to seek and save the lost
28:26 - Repentance, restitution, and real change
35:21 - The tree Jesus died on
Connect
Locate a CFM Church near you:
https://cfmmap.org
Enjoying Taking the Land? Help others discover the podcast by leaving a five-star review:
Apple Podcasts:https://apple.co/3vy1s5b
Podchaser:https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/taking-the-land-cfm-sermon-pod-43369v
Subscribe to Taking the Land Podcast for more Bible preaching from The Potter's House Christian Fellowship.

Can you do all the right Christian things and still stop depending on Christ?https://takingthelandpodcast.comAt this Alpha Omega Night in Tucson, three young preachers tackle that question from three different directions.⭐ SUPPORT WORLD EVANGELISM — PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTIONNo ads • Early releases • Full-length Testimony TuesdaysSupercast — $3/monthhttps://taking-the-land.supercast.com/Spotify — $3.99/monthhttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/taking-the-land/subscribeApple Podcasts — $4.99/monthhttps://apple.co/4owjo5ZZach challenges surface-level Christianity and reminds us that spiritual growth comes from what God is doing beneath the surface.Gill exposes the modern idols that quietly compete for the throne of our hearts and shares a powerful testimony of the mercy of God.Jake asks whether disappointment, hardship, and growing up have caused us to become spiritually independent when God created us to remain dependent on Him.Three messages. One common thread:We were never meant to live apart from God.SCRIPTURES INCLUDE:Philippians 2:12-13Jeremiah 2-4Matthew 19:13-151 Samuel 17John 15:4-52 Chronicles 7:14-16If one of these messages spoke directly to you, share this with someone who needs it and tell us in the comments which message hit you the hardest.Chapters00:00 Alpha Omega Night: Three Young Preachers01:21 Zach King: Dig Deeper03:15 What’s Beneath the Christian Surface?04:09 Why You Can’t Save Yourself06:11 What Only God Can Change08:25 The Danger of Going Through the Motions10:31 Following Jesus Is More Than Clicking “Follow”12:20 God Brings the Growth14:23 Four Ways to Grow Deeper Roots15:40 Christianity Is Not Tesla Autopilot17:05 When Your Heart Belongs to Another20:30 How a Heart Drifts From God22:29 Modern Idols We Don’t Call Idols23:19 Spiritual Adultery and the Heart of God25:08 God Doesn’t Want Roommates27:27 Mercy for the Faithless28:44 From Drugs and Self-Rule to Jesus30:24 Identify the Idol and Cut It Off32:59 Repentance and Restoration34:54 Jake: Remaining Childlike37:07 Children Are Dependent39:40 Father to the Fatherless40:58 How We Outgrow Dependence43:08 Survival Mode Can Make You Independent44:22 When Disappointment Changes Your Trust45:26 You Were Never Meant to Grow Away From God47:01 Remain Dependent49:50 Trust Like a Child, Fight Like a Man52:20 Are You Still Trusting God?52:53 The Common Thread54:39 Sin Broke the Relationship56:18 Call on Jesus58:13 Prayer and Altar CallNotesALL PROCEEDS GO TO WORLD EVANGELISMLocate a CFM Church near you: https://cfmmap.orgWe need five-star reviews! Tell the world what you think about this podcast at:• Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3vy1s5b• Podchaser: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/taking-the-land-cfm-sermon-pod-43369v

https://takingthelandpodcast.com

How can one generation experience the power of God, only for the next generation to grow up not knowing Him?

⭐ SUPPORT WORLD EVANGELISM — PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTIONNo ads • Early releases • Full-length Testimony TuesdaysSupercast — $3/monthhttps://taking-the-land.supercast.com/Spotify — $3.99/monthhttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/taking-the-land/subscribeApple Podcasts — $4.99/monthhttps://apple.co/4owjo5Z

Pastor Paul Stephens preaches from Deuteronomy 6 and Judges 2 about one of the most sobering responsibilities given to parents, grandparents, pastors, mentors, and the entire church: passing a living faith to the next generation.

Israel had seen miracles, deliverance, supernatural provision, and victory. Yet Judges records the tragedy that followed: “another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord, nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

How did that happen?

This message examines the dangers of partial obedience, silence in the home, cultural influence, fading spiritual leadership, and assuming our children will inherit a relationship with God simply because they grew up around church.

Pastor Stephens also challenges young people directly: your parents' relationship with Jesus cannot become your substitute for knowing Him yourself.

In this message:
• Why spiritual legacies can disappear in a single generation
• The responsibility of parents and grandparents
• Why children need to hear your testimony
• How compromise can multiply in the next generation
• The danger of allowing the world to shape your children's appetites
• Why church kids need their own encounter with Jesus
• How every member of a congregation influences the young people watching them

Key Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Judges 2:7-12
Deuteronomy 4:9-10
Joshua 4:5-7
Psalm 127:3
Matthew 5:14-16
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Psalm 119:9-10

If we want another generation to know God, we cannot be silent about what God has done.

Chapters
00:00 — The future is already in today’s children
03:05 — Teaching God’s Word diligently
04:55 — The tragedy of a generation that did not know the Lord
12:16 — When faith is not passed down
15:08 — Partial obedience leaves danger behind
16:08 — Losing leadership between generations
17:34 — Cultural assimilation and influence
19:24 — The church’s responsibility to protect youth
22:19 — Children are a sacred trust from God
40:23 — Altar call and dedication for families

Notes
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO WORLD EVANGELISM

Locate a CFM Church near you: https://cfmmap.org

We need five-star reviews! Tell the world what you think about this podcast at:
• Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/3vy1s5b
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