Always On Time - Pastor Rhonda Davis

Always On Time"
I. Introduction: Defining "On Time"
Human vs. Divine Timeline: We all view time differently (e.g., being hours early like Pastor Rhonda's father, pulling in at the last exact minute, or having a "when I get there, I get there" attitude).
The Mismatched Watch: Pastor Rhonda shares a story of her father getting anxious about being late, only to realize his watch was still set to a different time zone. We often get aggravated or anxious with God simply because we are looking at our own clock instead of His.
Core Truth: God does not operate on our timeline or synchronize His eternal watch with ours. His delays are deliberate, purposeful, and designed to bring Him glory.
II. Point 1: The Danger of Rushing God
The only thing worse than waiting on God is wishing you had waited on Him.
Scriptural Warnings of Impatience:
King Saul: Took matters into his own hands and offered an unauthorized sacrifice because his men were scattering and the prophet Samuel was delayed. As a result, the kingdom was torn from him.
Abraham and Sarah: Attempted to force God's promise of a child by involving Hagar, resulting in the birth of Ishmael and generational warfare.
The Counter-Culture of God's Delays: Even when humanity makes mistakes or tries to rush the process, God is powerful enough to rewrite the story (e.g., the massive revivals occurring today among the descendants of Ishmael in places like Iran).
III. Point 2: The Nature of the Waiting Room
What is "Waiting"?: In Isaiah 43, the Hebrew word for waiting (qavah) means to be tightly woven together like cords.
The Principle: True waiting means binding your heart to the Lord, not to the outcome or the specific thing you are asking for.
The Reality of Turbulence: Life brings unexpected turbulence, much like a bumpy flight 30,000 feet in the air. When God chooses not to immediately stop the turbulence, He provides the necessary grace to walk through it.
God's Arrangement: In Ecclesiastes, "beautiful in its time" translates from a root meaning arranged, precise, orderly, and fitting. God is intricately preparing the circumstances to display His glory perfectly.
IV. Point 3: He Reaches Down and Lifts Us Up
An Eyewitness to Deliverance: Our survival through past trials isn't luck, coincidence, or superstition—it is a direct testimony of God doing what only He can do.
The Ultimate "Reach": God bridges the massive gap between His absolute holiness and our deep hopelessness. Calvary was the ultimate extension of God reaching down to humanity.
Deep Waters: Deep waters represent situations heavier and stronger than we are—depression, grief, financial crisis, or broken relationships. Even David, the mighty warrior who killed Goliath, had to admit when an enemy was too strong for him.
The Parent Metaphor: Just as a parent jumps fully clothed into a pool to rescue a drowning child without a second thought, God moves urgently into our deep waters to rescue us and place us in a "spacious place" of freedom.
V. Point 4: Walking Through the Fire
The Purpose of the Furnace: Fiery trials are not strange occurrences; they are vehicles to burn off the "fake" attributes (like pride or addiction) and solidify genuine, veteran faith.
Identity in the Fire: When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, the Babylonian king tried to change their identities by renaming them. However, Christ walked into the fire with them, burning away only their bindings.
The Hebrew Meanings of the Three Hebrews:
Hananiah (Shadrach): "Yahweh has been gracious."
Mishael (Meshach): "Who is like our God?"
Azariah (Abednego): "Yahweh has helped."
The Fire's Expiration Date: Every trial has a limit. The world cannot alter your identity as a son or daughter of God, and you will come out of the fire not even smelling like smoke.
VI. Conclusion: God Rescues Because He Delights in You
Relentless Delight: God doesn't love or rescue us out of obligation or because we performed perfectly this week. He is overwhelmed with delight for His children because of Jesus Christ.
The Final Declaration: God is worth waiting for. From Joseph to Esther, to the arrival of Jesus in the fullness of time, He has proven that He is an all-time God who cannot fail.
Scripture Index
Here are the key verses read, cited, or closely paraphrased throughout the service:
Psalm 18:1-3 > "I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised..."
Psalm 126:1-5 > "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like those that dreamed. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing... They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."
1 Samuel 13 (Referenced) – The account of King Saul prematurely offering the sacrifice and Samuel declaring the kingdom torn away.
Genesis 16 (Referenced) – Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and the birth of Ishmael.
Isaiah 40:31 (Referenced) – Waiting (qavah) on the Lord to renew strength and mount up with wings like eagles.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 > "He has made everything beautiful in its time."
Romans 8:38-39 (Paraphrased) – The conviction that no principalities, powers, height, or depth can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 43:1-3 > "...Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
 
1 Peter 4:12 > "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."
 
1 Peter 1:6-7 (Paraphrased) – Gold perishes, but a refined faith brings praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Daniel 3 (Referenced) – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace with the fourth man who looked like the Son of God.
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Benediction) > "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

What's On Your Mind - Pastor Todd Haggard

Mind Stayed on Him
In this mid-week teaching at Church of the Harvest, Associate Pastor Todd Haggard addresses the pervasive spiritual challenge of the modern digital era: the saturation of our attention and the degradation of our spiritual hearing. Using the dramatic narrative of the Prophet Elijah from 1 Kings 19, Pastor Todd illustrates that a chaotic environment or an emotional crisis will actively skew a believer's perspective, making a deliberate pursuit of quiet reflection the ultimate prerequisite for processing the voice of God.
Key Highlights
The Hostage of Attention: Satan utilizes modern technology, targeted algorithmic marketing (such as tracking data across platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Facebook), and sensory notifications to take the human mind hostage. Pastor Todd notes that we have become like frogs in boiling water—so accustomed to constant mental simulation that we fail to notice our attention is being systematically stolen.
The Immediacy Trap: Modern search engines process roughly 100,000 requests per second, conditioning society to expect instant results. This entitlement to immediate answers creates deep friction when brought into a walk of faith, as believers begin to mistake a sovereign God’s requirement for patient waiting as a lack of response or absolute rejection.
The Danger of Emotional Amplification: When an individual enters a season of physical, circumstantial, or relational trauma, their internal spiritual hearing is instantly compromised. Instead of processing raw truth, the mind filters messages exclusively through the lens of active pain, causing the emotions to artificially amplify fear and distortion.
The Logic of Elijah’s Flight: After executing the spectacular supernatural defeat of 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Elijah fled in absolute terror from the threats of Queen Jezebel. He traveled to Mount Horeb (Sinai)—the exact opposite end of the kingdom. While Elijah was actively running from an earthly crisis, his instinct subconsciously guided him toward the historically established mountain of God.
The Sovereign Whisper: God did not position His presence inside the mountain-shattering wind, the structural trauma of the earthquake, or the blazing heat of the fire. Instead, He chose to communicate through a fragile, low-whisper cadence ("a gentle whisper"). God uses the subtle volume of a whisper to demand that a believer quiet their environment and pull close to hear Him.
The Spectrum of Spiritual Hearing: Noise vs. The Whisper
[ HIGH VOLUME: THE STREET LEVEL ] ────► Notifications, News Alerts, Anxiety, Chaos
│
▼ (The Transition: Active Isolation & Cave Mentalities)
│
[ LOW VOLUME: THE THRONE LEVEL ] ────► The Gentle Whisper, Patient Trust, Wisdom
Source of Sound
Structural Character
The Impact on the Believer's Mind
The Earthly Torrent
Digital alerts, targeted tracking, social media loops, and cultural paranoia (e.g., alien conspiracies, global panics).
Creates a thick layer of static that clogs the cognitive ability to filter eternal truth from temporary noise.
The Voice of Crisis
Intense screaming, emotional reactions, active wounds, and feelings of utter isolation ("I am the only one left").
Distorts logic and forces the individual to interpret God's behavior through their current hurt rather than His historical character.
The Gentle Whisper
Sovereignly timed, slow-paced, intimate, requiring stillness and the total abandonment of performance.
Calibrates internal perspective, imparts true structural understanding, and restores clear direction for the calling.
Core Message: Trusting the Heart When Blind to the Hand
The core directive of the teaching centers on breaking free from the cultural demands for quick, easy formulas. When your current circumstances are completely obscured by structural shifting, you must lean on the historical consistency of God's character.
"All the information in the world is useless if you don't know how to apply it and use it... Quick answers usually aren't great answers. When we can't see His hand, we trust His heart."
Scriptural Foundations
Isaiah 26:3: The promise of absolute, perfect emotional preservation for the mind that remains unswervingly fixed on God.
1 Kings 19:11-18: The structural recording of Elijah’s retreat into the cave at Horeb, the subsequent atmospheric disruptions, and the realization of God’s presence within the low whisper.
Proverbs 4:7: The paramount structural command of scriptural living: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

Stuck Between A Rock and A Hard Place - Pastor Tim Salley

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
In this energetic and transparent message, guest speaker Pastor Tim Salley addresses the heavy burdens, lingering hurts, and paralyzing environments that keep believers trapped. Drawing from extreme survival stories and the direct commands of Jesus, he challenges the congregation to stop managing their symptoms and execute the hard, necessary decisions required to walk in absolute spiritual victory.
Key Highlights
The Reality of the Local Revival: Reflecting on a recent camping trip that spontaneously transformed into an outdoor church service where eight people were baptized in a cold mountain lake, Pastor Tim emphasizes that despite cultural narratives of a "great falling away," a genuine hunger for the raw gospel is spreading.
The Origin of the Phrase: The expression "stuck between a rock and a hard place" dates back to early 20th-century American miners. They faced a collapsing roof (the rock) on one side and sudden unemployment and starvation (the hard place) on the other.
Physical vs. Spiritual Amputation: Pastor Tim references historic survival accounts—such as hiker Aron Ralston, who spent 127 hours pinned by an 800-pound boulder—where individuals willingly severed a limb to preserve their lives. He observes the tragic irony that while people will desperately cut a physical limb to live, Christians routinely struggle to cut off toxic mindsets, sinful habits, or old hurts to save their spiritual lives.
Owning Your Part of the Mess: True freedom requires complete, brutal honesty with oneself. Sharing a vulnerable confession about his wild youth—including reckless driving, jumping railroad tracks, and talking back to his father—Pastor Tim points out that breakthrough only occurred when he stopped projecting blame onto his upbringing and owned his behavior.
Abundant Life is Inside Out: The true abundant life promised by Christ is not measured by material wealth, but by the structural alignment of the human heart: righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost.
The Anatomy of Breakthrough: Severing What Binds You
[ The Bound Believer ] ───► Focuses on outward symptoms (Managing the hurt)
│
▼
[ The Shift in Perspective ] ───► Ownership of personal choices (No more blame)
│
▼
[ The Knife of Jesus ] ───► Severe, immediate cutting away of the snare
│
▼
[ Absolute Transformation ] ───► Abundant walking in Righteousness, Joy, & Peace
Trapped Lifestyle (The Hard Place)
The Tool of Release
Abundant Outcome (The Rock)
Wallowing in the Past: Staying static in old trauma, rehearsing grievances, and expecting rescue without movement.
Forgetting and Pressing: Actively severing access to mental triggers and old habits.
Hinds' Feet: Spiritual stability to step securely onto high places without sliding backward.
Blaming Outer Sources: Pointing exclusively to parental failures, bad environments, or past enemies.
Personal Ownership: Taking responsibility for personal choices, current language, and inner character.
Restoration: Divine reconciliation of broken hearts, fractured homes, and stalled marriages.
Managing the Symptoms: Seeking human programs or temporary coping mechanisms to dull behavioral sins.
Holy Spirit Relationship: Submitting the inner man entirely to the active residence of God's Spirit.
Fiery Bones: An unquenchable, internal fire that naturally burns away worldly addictions.
Core Message: Your Turn to Cut Free
Pastor Tim presents a direct diagnostic question to the modern church: How long will you remain paralyzed in a toxic condition before choosing to cut yourself loose? God has already positioned Himself as the unmovable Rock of Ages; the execution of the next move relies entirely on a willful choice to step out of the snare.
"He doesn't set you free while you refuse to walk away from it... Today is the day that I get set free from this. Today is the day that I am going to walk free from this. Forgetting the past and pressing on toward the mark of the prize of the high calling."
Scriptural Foundation
Matthew 5:29-30: Christ’s intense, hyperbolic command that if a right eye or right hand causes a stumble, it must be cast off entirely to save the whole person.
Exodus 15:6 & Psalm 118:16: Biblical context displaying the "right hand" as the absolute representation of ultimate power and exalted strength.
Romans 14:17: Definition of the true abundant life: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Habakkuk 3:19 & Philippians 3:13-14: The prophetic promise of receiving hinds' feet to confidently tread upon the high places by forgetting what lies behind.
Prophetic Words and Action Steps
During the altar call, a distinct prophetic word was delivered regarding breakthroughs over specific mountains and personal adjustments:
Own Your Vocabulary: Shift your inner narrative immediately. Cease grumbling, crying, and whispering behind the bushes; raise your hands high and speak life over the spaces where you previously felt robbed.
Expect Turning Points: Trust that the adjustments occurring behind the scenes will cause demonic warfare to slide off the mountain. What the enemy manufactured for absolute destruction, God is twisting for your ultimate good.
Commit to Wednesday Table Fellowship: Pastor Rhonda Davis emphasized that deeper theological instruction and spiritual stabilization take place around the tables on Wednesday nights. The church will begin a comprehensive, transformative study through the Book of Psalms in the second week of June. Use this as your step out from behind the rock.
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

When The World Shakes, Look Up - Pastor Rhonda Davis

When the World Shakes, Look Up
In this grounding and timely message, Pastor Rhonda Giles Davis addresses the heavy culture of anxiety, economic strain, and digital noise that characterizes modern life. Drawing from the calling of the Prophet Isaiah, she reminds the congregation that when earthly systems begin to crack, our response shouldn't be to panic, but to lift our gaze to the King who remains completely unshaken.
Key Highlights
The Low-Grade Anxiety of Our Day: Pastor Rhonda challenges the church to be vigilant about what they consume online. She warns against the "cannibalistic" culture of social media and AI-generated distractions designed to induce panic and tight chests, urging believers to limit exposure to things without godly intent.
The "King Uzziah" Crisis: Isaiah's vision didn't happen during a time of peace; it happened "in the year that King Uzziah died." Uzziah had provided stability and prosperity for fifty-two years. His death threw the nation into panic. Pastor Rhonda notes that everyone faces a "King Uzziah moment"—the sudden loss of a job, a diagnosis, or a closed door that causes earthly foundations to shake.
The Trap of Hedonic Adaptation: Humans naturally get used to amazing things over time, causing them to become routine. Pastor Rhonda warns against allowing our relationship with Jesus to fall into this routine, urging the church to return to the pure awe and amazement of their first love.
The Breaking is Holy Ground: True encounters with God's holiness don't produce a shame that destroys us; instead, they produce a holy brokenness that opens us up. Real transformation requires moving past a polished religious exterior and being completely honest about our mess before the throne.
Sustained from the Inside Out: God doesn't just create the universe; He actively sustains it. Pastor Rhonda points out that if God can naturally replace the seven octillion atoms in the human body without our effort, we can completely trust Him to sustain our families, our health, and our finances.
Shifting Perspectives: Street Level vs. Throne Level
Perspective
The Street-Level View (Looking Down)
The Throne-Level View (Looking Up)
Focus
Constantly staring at problems, scrolling through chaos, and rehearsing limitations.
Beholding the Master, high and exalted, seated firmly on the throne.
The Mind
Fear tightens its grip; low-grade anxiety settles into a permanent residence.
Faith builds up; earthly troubles begin to grow strangely dim.
The Cry
"Woe is me! I am ruined and completely unqualified."
"Here am I, Lord! Your grace has atoned for my past—send me."
Outcome
Emotional exhaustion and a fixed mindset of defeat.
Spiritual recalibration and a fresh, active "yes" to your calling.
Core Message: Your Perspective Dictates Your Peace
The central premise of the sermon rests on a foundational truth: where you look determines what you see, and what you see determines how you live. If you can see God completely sovereign above your storm, you can easily survive the waves beneath it.
"God isn't looking for people who have figured out how to make the world stop shaking, because you're not gonna do it. He's looking for people who will see Him clear enough and say, 'The shaking in my world does not determine my yes.'"
Scriptural Foundation
Colossians 1:16-17: All things were created through Him and for Him; He is before all things, and in Him, all things consist.
Isaiah 6:1-8: Isaiah’s majestic vision of the Lord seated on the throne, surrounded by the seraphim crying, "Holy, holy, holy."
Psalm 139: A reminder that we are fearfully and wonderfully knit together by God.
Luke 12:27: Jesus' teaching to consider the lilies of the field and abandon toxic worry.
Action Steps for the Week
Silence Your Mouth, Guard Your Clicks: Step back from online arguments, negative commentary, and profit-driven clickbait that feeds your anxiety.
X-Out the Dragons: Like master mariner Sir John Franklin, look at the maps of your past trauma and write "Here Be God" right over the spaces where the enemy tried to plant demons and dragons.
Attend Consecration Service: Use the upcoming Wednesday night service to lay down your performance, stop pretending you are okay, and let the fire of God's grace touch your wounds.
Would you like me to help you create a specific scriptural reading plan focused on the sovereignty and peace of God to ground you when daily life starts to feel overwhelming?
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

My Redemption Stories

"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

At The King's Table - Pastor Rhonda Davis

At the King’s Table
In this moving and deeply personal message, Pastor Rhonda explores the "portrayal of grace" through the biblical story of Mephibosheth. She delivers a powerful reminder that no matter how many times we have been "dropped" by life, there is a seat reserved for us at the King’s table—a place where sinners become saints and the broken find healing.
Key Highlights
The Tragedy of being "Dropped": Mephibosheth was born to royalty but became disabled at age five when his nurse dropped him while fleeing a takeover. Pastor Rhonda notes that many of us feel "dropped" by circumstances, failures, or the decisions of others.
The Reality of Lo Debar: Mephibosheth ended up in Lo Debar, which means "no pasture" or "place of nothing." This represents a mental state where hope dries up and we believe our best days are behind us.
Grace Seeks You First: David didn't wait for Mephibosheth to find him; he went looking for someone to show "Hesed" (loyal, unfailing love) to. Similarly, God doesn't wait for us to get it together; He comes looking for us in our broken places.
Hidden Limitations: When Mephibosheth sat at the King's table, the tablecloth covered his crippled feet. Pastor Rhonda explains that at God’s table, His grace covers our past, our limitations, and our shame.
Treated Like Family: Mephibosheth didn't eat like a servant or a charity case; he ate "like one of the king's sons." Grace provides full dignity, honor, and rights to the household of God.
The Journey from Lo Debar to the Palace
Stage
The Lo Debar Experience
The King's Table Experience
Identity
"A dead dog" (Shame-based)
A Son/Daughter (Dignity-based)
Location
Barrenness, no pasture
Restoration, abundance
Support
Lame in both feet (Stuck)
Carried by the King's chariot
Future
Hope has dried up
Continual access to the King
Living Testimonies of Grace
Pastor Rhonda shared four powerful stories of modern-day "Mephibosheths" who found their seat at the table:
Jenny Cross: Survived a childhood of abandonment, homelessness, and witnessing the drug trade to become a miracle of love for her own children.
Zachary Wages: Spent years in foster care due to abuse but was adopted by a teacher who saw a son where others saw a case file.
Priscilla Phillips: Overcame childhood trauma and a hard battle with addiction to celebrate three years of sobriety and a new life in Christ.
Jay Dennison: Facing total organ failure and the "devils" of despair, he received a miraculous physical healing and a divine reminder that God wasn't done with his journey.
Core Message: A Table for the "Whosoever"
The message concludes with a challenge to the church to have a "Yes face"—to be a place that welcomes the outcast, the addict, and the broken without judgment.
"When you sit at the king’s table, your past is under the table... because grace has the final word."
Scriptures Mentioned
2 Samuel 9: The core story of David restoring Mephibosheth.
Romans 5:8: "But God put his love on the line for us... while we were of no use whatever to him."
Psalm 139: God’s ability to find us even if we "make our bed in hell."
Proverbs 21:1: "The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord."
2 Corinthians 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Ephesians 2:19: "You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but... members of his household."
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

My Redemption Story - Paul Steel

"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

My Redemption Story - Pastor Mike Lyon

Whose Move Is It?
In this practical and challenging message, guest speaker Michael Laiya addresses a common frustration among believers: the tension between knowing what the Bible says and experiencing those truths in daily life. He emphasizes that while knowledge is the starting point, transformation only occurs when we move from head knowledge to active, obedient faith.
Key Highlights
The Information-Transformation Gap: Many believers are "religiously obnoxious"—they know the scriptures by heart but their lives remain unchanged. The problem isn't a lack of information; it's a lack of revelation followed by application.
Old Bread vs. Fresh Bread: Michael stresses that revelation must be fresh. Holding onto an old encounter with God is like eating stale bread—it once nourished you, but it won't sustain you today.
Faith is a Verb: Faith is not a feeling or a passive belief; it is your specific response to what God has spoken to you. The water only turned "hard" for Peter when he actually stepped out of the boat.
The "Whose Move Is It?" Principle: We often wait on God to move in our lives, forgetting that He may be waiting on our response. If He has already spoken a direction (even if it’s "quit eating junk food" or "call your former boss"), the next move is yours.
The Healing Power of Obedience: Sharing his own testimony of a potential cancer diagnosis, Michael explains how he stopped relying on past experiences and "washed himself" in the Word until the healing promise dropped from his head into his heart.
The Path to Transformation
Stage
Process
Your Role
Information
Reading/Hearing the Word
Study and memorize scripture.
Revelation
The Word comes alive
Hunger, thirst, and fast to hear His voice.
Transformation
The change in your life
Respond in faith/obedience (The "Move").
Core Message: Your Response is the Key
Michael poses a central question: Are you waiting for God, or is God waiting for you? He suggests that many people are stuck because they are waiting for a "zap" from God, while God is waiting for them to take the step of obedience He already asked for.
"God is not waiting for something to change in your life... He’s waiting for you to respond to what He’s already told you. It’s really simple. If He’s spoken something to you, He’s waiting for you to say, 'Yes, Lord.'"
Scriptures Mentioned
Romans 12:1-2: The command to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Psalm 1:1-3: The promise of prosperity for those who delight in and meditate on the law of the Lord.
Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."
Mark 5:25-34: The woman with the issue of blood, who acted on her faith by touching the hem of Jesus' garment.
Mark 3:1-5: The man with the withered hand, who had to "stretch it out" before he could be healed.
Matthew 14:28-29: Peter walking on water only after responding to Jesus' command to "come."
Practical Reflection
The message concludes with a call to identify where you are "stuck." Whether it is a need for salvation, a specific mountain you need moved, or simply a need to reignite a cold heart, the solution is the same: identify what God has already said and take your move.
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.

My Redemption Story - Danny Wages

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The You, That God Knew - Michael Cook

Podcast Summary: The You That God Knew
In this impactful message, guest speaker Michael Cook explores the profound difference between how we see ourselves and how God perceives us. Drawing from the lives of David and Gideon, Michael delivers a "right-on-time" word for anyone who has ever felt overlooked, disqualified, or paralyzed by fear.
Key Highlights
God Doesn't Speak to Your Condition; He Speaks to Your Calling: Using the example of Gideon hiding in a winepress, Michael explains that while we focus on our current struggle, God addresses our future potential.
The Power of Obscurity: David wasn't developed in a palace; he was developed in a field tending "dumb sheep." Michael reminds us that God does His best work in hidden places where no one is clapping or watching.
Dangerous to the Devil: A recurring theme throughout the message is that when you step into the identity God has for you, you become a direct threat to the enemy's kingdom.
Identity vs. Resume: God doesn't call us based on our past failures, our degrees, or our social status. He calls us based on the "you" He knew before the trauma and the rejection.
A Personal Journey of Redemption: Michael shares his vulnerable story of traveling to Danville, Virginia, five years ago to pursue his now-wife, Lisa. He recounts the intense fear and "puking" anxiety he felt, believing he was too "black sheep" and "reprobate" for God’s plan, only for Holy Spirit to override his insecurity with peace.
Key Scriptures
1. The Calling of Gideon
Judges 6:12-16
"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.' ... Gideon replied, 'But how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest... and I am the least in my family.' The Lord answered, 'I will be with you...'"
2. The Anointing of David
1 Samuel 16:6-12
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height... The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"
Additional References:
1 Samuel 17: David defeating Goliath using his own tools (the sling and stones) rather than Saul's armor.
Psalm 139 (Referenced): Being fearfully and wonderfully made/known by God.
Zechariah 4:6 (Theme): "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit."
Comparing the Two "Unlikely" Heroes
Feature
David (The Overlooked)
Gideon (The Afraid)
Location
In a field tending sheep.
In a winepress hiding wheat.
Status
The youngest/afterthought of the family.
The least of the weakest clan.
God's Greeting
"This is the one" (based on heart).
"The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
The Battle
Fought with a sling, not Saul’s armor.
Fought with 300 men, not 32,000.
Core Message: Stripping Away the False Identity
Michael emphasizes that God often strips away the things we try to hide behind—like Saul’s armor or reliance on numbers—so that the "real you" can emerge.
"God will remove anything that tries to replace who He knew you to be. Victory doesn't come from imitation; it comes from revelation."
Action Steps for the Week
Stop Rehearsing Failures: Cease listing your limitations like a CPA and start believing what God says about your strength.
Dream Big: Reject "small thinking" and embrace the "greater things" God is calling you to do.
Acknowledge Your Value: When the enemy reminds you of who you were, let Holy Spirit remind you of whose you are.
Closing Prayer
The service concluded with a call to the altar to let the Holy Spirit wash over the congregation and "re-identify" them. Michael prayed that every person would sense their worthiness, not because of what they’ve done, but because of who God is.
"Thanks for listening! For more information, visit churchoftheharvest.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and YouTube @cothcleveland.