Ps Shane Baxter

Devotional

Day 1: Lingering in the Tent: When Presence Becomes Priority

Moses refused to move unless God’s presence went with him. Joshua lingered after meetings, hungry for more. True discipleship begins not with activity but with staying put—choosing to marinate in God’s nearness over chasing outcomes. Like a child unwilling to leave a parent’s lap, our deepest growth happens when we prioritize proximity over productivity. What if your spiritual breakthroughs hinge not on doing but on dwelling? [09:25]

"Then Moses said to him, 'If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'" (Exodus 33:15, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you rushed ahead without prioritizing God’s presence? What practical step could help you linger longer with Him this week?

Day 2: Abiding in the Vine: When Words Shape Desires

The preacher once prayed for car tires—until Scripture rewired his cravings. Jesus promises that abiding in His Word transforms our asking. Like sap reshaping a branch’s fruit, God’s truth recalibrates our hungers. Discipleship isn’t about suppressing desires but letting Scripture redirect them. What prayers feel stuck because they’re not rooted in His words abiding in you? [12:51]

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7, NIV)

Reflection: Which of your current prayers reveal Scripture’s influence? Which feel disconnected from God’s Word?

Day 3: Thy Kingdom Come: Aligning Earth with Heaven

The Lord’s Prayer isn’t poetry—it’s a rebellion against democracy. “Your kingdom come” demands surrendering personal agendas to divine governance. Like a trapeze artist releasing one bar to grab the next, kingdom agreement means unclenching our plans to seize God’s. What areas of life still operate under “my will be done” rather than His? [25:35]

"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'" (Matthew 6:9-10, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you struggle to exchange earthly logic for kingdom priorities? What would alignment look like today?

Day 4: Angels Ascending: Recognizing Heaven-Sent Helpers

Jacob saw a stairway—not for escape but connection. God sends “angels” through mentors, pastors, and friends who help us climb higher. Like rock climbers relying on belayers, discipleship requires trusting those God positions above and below us. Who has God placed in your life as a divine “rope holder” for your ascent? [29:56]

"He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." (Genesis 28:12, NIV)

Reflection: Are you resisting any God-sent relationships that could help you ascend? How might humility unlock new spiritual elevation?

Day 5: From Democracy to Kingdom: Surrendering Self to Sovereignty

Church enjoys votes—the Kingdom demands vows. Authority flows not from consensus but from alignment under Christ’s lordship. Like a surfer catching waves, discipleship thrives when we stop paddling alone and ride the momentum of submitted obedience. What areas of independence keep you from surfing God’s authority? [40:19]

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." (Ephesians 4:11-12, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you still negotiate with God’s chain of authority? What step of trust could position you for greater kingdom momentum?

Sermon Summary

Paul names the target. He presses to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of him, the full measure of Christlikeness. That call to maturity sets the frame. Moses then models the first way. He refuses to move without the presence. If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up. Joshua lingers. Friendship with God is cultivated, not assumed. Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. The Spirit’s nudge is learned in the secret place, not on the platform. Night walks, quiet rooms, unhurried prayer tune a heart to say, He is here, and He wants to do good.

John 15 supplies the second way. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask what you desire. As the word abides, desires change. Prayers move from wide tires to the mind of Christ. Faith becomes action, and fruit shows up where people can see it. Walking in the word and having the word walk in a person is discipleship in motion.

Jesus’ hard sayings anchor the third way. Many love the fish sandwiches, but balk at eat my flesh and drink my blood. The heart of the matter is kingdom agreement. James names the inner war. A double minded person wavers because the mind, emotions, and spirit are out of alignment. Frustration exposes the gap. Self management tries to fix it. Jesus teaches a prayer that ends the war. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. Once it is thy, not my, a person steps into authority because authority flows along authority lines.

The centurion gets it. I am under authority, therefore I have authority. Jacob’s staircase pictures the pathway. Heaven stands over it all. Angels ascend and descend. In the house of God, the Lord sends help. Revelation’s letters to the angels, read alongside Ephesians 4, land this on the ground. Christ gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers as gifts to people, angels in nature, sent to call, trim, equip, and lift the church up the stairs toward the fullness of Christ. A democratic reflex resists this. A kingdom heart receives it. Church life may ask for a slice. The kingdom asks for all. Dying to self, coming under God’s order, and recognizing the sent ones God has placed nearby is the road into maturity and real authority. Eyes stay on Jesus, while gratitude and submission make room for the grace that flows through those he has sent.

Key Takeaways

1. Practice his presence with hunger Lingering like Joshua forms a listening life. The sense of God’s nearness is trained in the secret place, not in the spotlight. Friendship with God grows in unhurried conversation until a person can say, He is here, and he wants to move. Keep hungering, keep lingering, keep pressing in. [09:25]
2. Let the word reshape desire When the word abides, the prayer list changes, and so does the person. Desire gets discipled, and requests begin to rhyme with the Spirit’s will. Fruit follows faith in action, and transformation becomes visible to those who knew the old story. [12:51]
3. Trade inner conflict for agreement Double mindedness feels like a constant back and forth. Kingdom agreement brings mind, emotions, and spirit into one yes to God. Frustration fades where alignment lands, and favor often begins where self management ends. Pray Your kingdom come until it becomes a posture. [19:56]
4. Authority flows under authority Thy, not my, is the doorway to real weight in the Spirit. The centurion’s secret was simple obedience to a higher line of command. Come under the King’s order and speak with the King’s confidence. Kingdoms rise and fall on these lines. [27:28]
5. Receive the angels God has sent Jacob’s staircase still stands over the house of God, and help keeps coming and going. Christ gives leaders as gifts to lift the church toward maturity, sometimes pruning, always equipping. Recognize and receive them as sent ones, and the climb gets traction. [32:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:59] - Prayer for clear hearing
[06:45] - Philippians 3:12 and the "that"
[07:58] - Point 1: Practicing His Presence
[10:55] - Learning His voice in secret
[12:21] - Point 2: Walking in the Word
[15:26] - Point 3: Kingdom agreement
[20:24] - Double mindedness and wavering
[25:35] - Your kingdom come alignment
[27:28] - Under authority, great faith
[28:30] - Jacob’s staircase and angels
[32:50] - Receiving leaders as sent ones
[34:29] - Fivefold gifts toward fullness
[40:19] - Authority comes under authority
[41:35] - Salvation and agreement prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Philippians 3:12 (ESV)
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."

Observation Questions

In Philippians 3:12, Paul says he presses on to "take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of [him]." According to the sermon, what is the "that" Paul is pursuing? [09:25]
Moses refused to move without God’s presence (Exodus 33:15), and Joshua lingered in God’s presence longer than others. What practical examples were given in the sermon about learning to recognize God’s voice? [10:55]
John 15:7 connects abiding in Christ’s words to answered prayer. How does the sermon describe the shift in a believer’s desires as they spend time in Scripture? [12:51]
James 1:8 warns against double-mindedness. What examples of inner conflict or frustration were linked to this idea in the sermon? [19:56]

Interpretation Questions

Why did Moses insist on God’s presence leading Israel, even when God promised to send an angel instead (Exodus 33:15)? What does this reveal about the relationship between God’s presence and human direction?
The sermon contrasts praying for "wide tires" with prayers aligned with God’s will. How does abiding in Christ’s words reshape our priorities, and why might this lead to greater fruitfulness? [12:51]
The centurion in Matthew 8:9 understood authority as something received through submission. How does this challenge modern views of leadership or personal autonomy? [27:28]
Jacob’s staircase (Genesis 28:12) was tied to church leadership in the sermon. How might recognizing leaders as "angels" or "sent ones" change how we respond to their guidance? [32:50]

Application Questions

"Lingering in God’s presence" was compared to Joshua’s habit of staying in the tent of meeting. What practical step could you take this week to create space for unhurried time with God? [09:25]
When has your prayer list shifted from personal wants (like "wide tires") to desires aligned with God’s heart? What area of your life still needs this kind of transformation through Scripture? [12:51]
Double-mindedness often shows up as inner tension between "I should" and "I don’t want to." Where do you feel this conflict most acutely, and how could praying "Your kingdom come" bring alignment? [19:56]
The centurion’s authority came from being under authority. Is there a leader, mentor, or spiritual "sent one" in your life you struggle to trust? What step could you take to honor their role this week? [27:28]
Jacob’s staircase symbolizes God’s help through others. How could intentionally valuing your pastors, small group leaders, or mentors as "gifts" change your attitude toward their input? [32:50]
The sermon warned that "church asks for a slice; the kingdom asks for all." What part of your life feels hardest to surrender to God’s authority, and what would it look like to release it? [40:19]

Sermon Clips

36s

“But if this is my last message to you, can I encourage you? Die to yourself. Step into the kingdom of god. Church is awesome. The fish sandwiches are amazing. You know what I'm saying? It's like, the spitting in the eye that that The smoke machines, the music, the fellowship, the friendship. It's all great. Church will ask for a slice of you. The kingdom will want want all of you. All of you. But you can trust God. You can trust God.”

28s

“But then I get to go to church and have fish sandwiches because I love that Jesus. But but how many of you know that's okay when you're a baby? But then we no more my but thy. Once we pray thy kingdom come, we we we must acknowledge that we're now part of a kingdom. We're part of our father's kingdom on a vertical line with a king over us all. His name is Jesus. And he's overall. Yeah.”

21s

“If you wanna be a disciple of Christ, love the presence of god, love the word of god but you gotta come into kingdom agreement. We gotta come into kingdom agreement. If if we can get this, if we can work this out, gotta come into a kingdom agreement because when you come into kingdom agreement, you're all also gonna come into kingdom authority.”

25s

“So, you might be wondering then, why are you going to go to point number three? Can't we just stay at point one and two and we all say hallelujah, sing hallelujah, and go home because then we're gonna love you and remember you but now you're gonna go somewhere where we don't wanna go, where we may not wanna go but how many of you know I've come as family? I I haven't come to how many of you know Jesus didn't mind saying the odd thing that upset the people along the way?”

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Ps Shane Baxter | Kingdom