Covenant Alignment With Stephen Crews, Part 3: Trust, Authority, And A Transformed Heart

What if real spiritual authority isn’t achieved, but received through surrender? We dig into covenant alignment by tracing the promise to Abraham through its fulfillment in Jesus, then translate theology into practice with a clear, usable framework for daily life. From worship as obedience to the heart change promised in Ezekiel 36, we unpack how the Spirit transforms desire so discipline becomes a pathway, not a prison.

Stephen Crews returns to map six anchors for living under Jesus’ authority: trusting God through shared history, submission by design that honors Christ and appointed leaders, servant leadership that measures greatness by the towel, alignment with Scripture that guards zeal from error, accountable community that heals and refines, and the believer’s authority that flows only when we live under authority. Along the way, we revisit the centurion’s insight into chain of command, why good works are covenant signals rather than image management, and how “sent, not went” protects you from burnout and spiritual backlash.

You’ll hear practical prayer points to restore salt and light, soften hard places, and receive courage to take a step when the staircase is hidden. We press into ask, seek, knock as a lifestyle that enlarges your vision of Jesus—because the Jesus you know is the Jesus you get. If you’re hungry to reconcile faith and obedience, power and humility, mission and covering, this conversation offers clarity and a way forward.

Enjoying the show? Follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find these conversations. Got questions or stories to share? Reach out at life are on the fire at gmail.com—let’s keep the dialogue going.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome Back & Core Premise
• 2:36 Abraham, Jesus, And The Promise
• 5:56 Worship, Obedience, And Transformation
• 9:06 Seek, Ask, Knock: Pursuing Depth
• 12:16 Good Works As Covenant Witness
• 13:56 Submitting To Jesus’ Authority
• 16:56 Trust Formed Through Shared History
• 20:46 Submission By God’s Design
• 25:06 Honor, Leaders, And Accountability
• 29:16 Servant Leadership Over Power

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 1:15

Howdy folks, I want to welcome you back to another episode of Life on the Fire. And today we have again in our studio Stephen Cruz, who is teaching on covenant alignment. And it's really been a kind of a high point for us at Life on the Fire to include Stephen in our podcast episodes because there's something significant that he has been given by the Lord to share. And so, Stephen, we want to welcome you back and just give you free reign to go for it. And thanks for coming on in.

SPEAKER_00: 1:52

Thank you, David. Welcome everybody to part three of Covenant Alignment. We are just going to do a brief recap in case you missed the other two. In John chapter 5, verse 19, Jesus said, The Son can do nothing of himself. He can only do what he sees his Father doing. And so we always see in Scripture that Jesus was always in harmony with God's will and purpose. And covenant alignment is exemplified in the life of Jesus. And so why is it important to walk in alignment with God's covenant? Well, if we're following Jesus' footprint as disciples, as apprentices, we need to be doing what he was doing, right? We need to follow in his footsteps. And so last two episodes, we we talked about Abraham and Galatians chapter 3, verse 16 says, Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, and two offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring who is Christ. And so Jesus fulfills the Old Testament covenants by being the ultimate seed of Abraham through whom all nations are blessed. And you know, there's there's neither nor neither Jew or Greek, there's neither slave nor free, male or female. We are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you're Abraham's offspring and heirs according to the promise. And so we were connecting the Abrahamic covenant and the new covenant. The scripture we were talking about was on Genesis 22, where the offering of Isaac by Abraham, Abraham's beloved son, is identical to God the Father offering his only son, Jesus. In John 3.16, we find, you know, for God so loved the world, he gave his only one and unique son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. And so it's a a prophetic parallel that we see in Scripture with Abraham and Isaac and with Father God and Jesus. And it's been said that worship is the culture of the kingdom, and the culture is obedience. And Abraham and Jesus were both being obedient to the will of the Father, and they were trusting in the Lord's plan above their own. And so aligning with the Father's heart is a supernatural transformation that positions us to walk in greater authority and anointing. Ezekiel says in chapter 36, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, says the Lord. I will take the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them. God is declaring that our alignment with his covenant isn't achieved through our striving, but through surrender to his transformative power working from the inside out by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. True covenant alignment flows from a transformed heart, not merely disciplined behaviors. Additionally, covenant alignment is similar to searching as for buried treasure. And as us, as believers, as Christians, as we prioritize our relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with our marriage covenant with Jesus, we begin to understand and know what he is like and who we are in him. And so if we aren't looking for the kingdom of heaven, we will never find the abundance that God wants for us. The Jesus that that you know is the Jesus that you get. So if we have a limited view or a limited relationship with him, well, that's the Jesus that you're gonna get. So if you only know him as, you know, certain aspects, just like with any relationship, you know, if you don't know a friend that well, well, that's the only side of that person that you see and that you know. Well, there's depth to that person, there's history, there's ins and outs to that person, to that relationship. So Jesus tells us in scripture to ask, seek, and knock. We need to start asking the right questions. We need to start seeking his kingdom first, and we need to begin knocking on the correct doors. And so covenant alignment is a is disciplined choices that demonstrate your spiritual DNA and invite others into the same freedom that you've discovered in Yeshua. Matthew 5, verse 16. In the Beatitudes on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Covenant alignment is about a surrendered life encompassed by lifestyle of discipline. And discipline isn't a restriction, but a pathway, a pathway that reflects the Father's nature through intentional kingdom-aligned actions. And when we walk in the discipline of letting your light shine, you're not drawing attention to yourself, but creating a path for others to encounter the glory of God through your stewardship of his wisdom. And in the scripture, it's talking about that they may see your good works. The Hebrew understanding of good works here refers to the acts that flow from covenant alignment. Discipline choices that demonstrate your spiritual DNA and invite others into the same freedom that you've discovered in Jesus. And so on that note, I would like to move move on and to talk about submitting to Yeshua's spiritual authority. And when we come underneath Yeshua's spiritual authority, there's a grace to do that, there's an empowerment of his grace. And so we're going to touch on six different areas regarding how to, what that looks like to submit to Jesus' spiritual authority. And I found it interesting again that you know the number six is the number of man. And so we do have a role to play that yes, he will give us a new heart and a heart of flesh and put his spirit within us, but what we do with that is up to us, and we have a role to play. So the first step, if you want to, if we want to call it that, and submitting to Yeshua's authority is trusting God. God does not merely approve our steps, he establishes them. He sets them in order. When our desire is to walk in his way, his path, his way of life, his manner of life. And this is a relational, this is not mechanical. And in the Hebrew thought, walking describes covenant obedience and relational faithfulness. God wants to find out if he can trust us. In the Hebraic worldview, this is not God lacking information, but God bringing something into reality, turning potential faithfulness into experienced faithfulness. And simultaneously, we need to trust him and his leadership. In Genesis 22, verse 12, God said, For now I know that I can trust you and do what I'm telling you to do. And so Abraham's obedience transformed his heart's heart posture into an embodied demonstration that God is telling him, Now I know that I can trust you. And so trust is formed through shared history. God wants to know that he can trust us before sending us out as faithful witnesses. In order to build trust with my spouse, I need to build history with her. I mean, we there's a betrothal process, right? We, you know, dated and then we got engaged and then we got married and then we moved in together, you know. That's covenant life, right? Building is synonymous, synonymous with growing. And to build is to establish permanence through repeated acts of faithfulness. And so the equation would be building equals growing and covenant reliability. And Apostle Peter in the second book of Peter, verse, uh chapter 13, verse 18, it says, Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and forever. And Peter's in this verse revealing a profound kingdom principle. Our effective effectiveness in ministry is directly proportional to our personal growth in Christ's grace and knowledge. So we need to we need to grow in the in the knowledge and the grace of Jesus Christ. And so the the second aspect here of submission to God, we it is by God's design. And we, for the sake of relationship here, for relationship to work according to God's design, we need to be submitted to one another. Likewise, we need to be submitted to Christ's authority. And so some questions here. You know, have we renounced the kingdom of darkness and declared our loyalty to Yahweh? Do we believe the Bible is an inerrant word of God? Do we believe Jesus is the Son of God? Do we desire to follow God according to his standards? Belief or unbelief in Jesus is of no consequence to who he is or what standards he sets. Agreement with him won't be necessary to be judged by his standards. Likewise, when we submit to God, we also submit to appointed spiritual leaders within the ecclesia, within the body of Christ. Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and love hold them in highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one another. Jesus is talking about the importance of recognizing and valuing labor and leadership of those who serve in spiritual roles. And so when we submit to others, we're we're submitting to Christ because He's appointed those leaders over the house of God, over the ecclesia. And the writer of Hebrews in chapter 13 says, verse 17, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who must give and give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you. And so submitting to God looks like submitting to others that are been appointed in place in spiritual authority. There is a couple examples in the Bible about uh of dishonor and disrespecting. You know, there's a warning about disrespecting God's appointed leadership. And number 16, the rebellion of Korah against Moses and Aaron serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of challenging God-appointed authority. And the New Testament echoes this same warning in Jude 1, verses 8 through 11, where false teachers are condemned for their rejection of authority and slander against spiritual leaders. So the Bible does teach us to obey every ordinance of men for the Lord's sake. And anyone who rejects the authority that God has placed over them, whether it's civil or spiritual, must be ready to face the consequences of their disobedience. When we resist civil authority, we are really resisting the Lord. Matthew chapter 20, verses 26 through 28 says, Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and who would be first among you must be your slave. Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Do we believe the Bible and what's in there, what it says? Galatians 5, verse 6 says, Kingdom, faith works through love. The Bible is the ultimate authority in heaven and earth. When we come into agreement with the word of God, blessings begin to flow and the favor of God rests upon us. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And according to the Word of God, obedience is better than sacrifice. To be able to obey the authority that is placed over us, we must trust in said leader. Trusting Jesus' leadership is the ultimate act of faith. You know, I might not fully understand what Jesus might be instructing me to do, but trust is leadership and that his plan is purposeful. If the Lord has something for me to do, trust is the greatest heart posture that I can have. Walking by faith is not about taking us, walking by faith is about taking a step when we can't see the whole staircase. We must walk worthy of him, walking in a manner worthy of him without getting trapped by works. So walking worthily, walking worthily means living daily in a way that reflects the character of the one you walk with. We don't walk worthy by earning, we walk worthy by abiding, trusting, and responding. Faith is a steadfast trust and relational loyalty. Works is the visible fruit of that trust. Galatians 2 16 says, We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, a rule keep rule keeping as a means of righteousness is not the answer. Rather, we obey the word of God as an expression of covenantal loyalty. So the fifth aspect here is being accountable to God and a community of believers. We submit to Christ's spiritual authority when we submit to submit to him and we're accountable to him. Romans 14, 12 says each of us will give an account of God, give an account of himself to God. We need to be self-aware and self-examined and repentant, walking, bearing, keeping, you know, bearing fruit and keeping with repentance. Being accountable in a communion of believers looks like expressing a lifestyle of James 5.16 where it says, Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. In God's kingdom, we are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. To give reverence, reverence or honor is to place value on that object of honor. The younger are subject to the elder, the wife is subject to the husband, the child is subject to the mother and father, and everyone is subject to Christ. So honor is to be given to those in authority over us as well as those under us as well. We need to give honor to those that are perceived as being the weaker vessel in need of our protection and provision. We can best honor those in authority over us by obeying them in submission and humility and honor those under us with protection and provision. So the last, the sixth aspect here is the believer's authority. The grace account on authority is found in Matthew 8. Verses five through 13. The centurion understood how authority worked. And Jesus marveled at his faith because of his understanding. The centurion soldier knew Jesus had true authority over his creation, and he could command whatsoever he will through his spoken word, despite his proximity or his immediate presence. With a functional understanding regarding the military chain of command, the centurion understood that hierarchical authority demanded obedience. Ultimate authority could flow through a yielded life to said authority. And the centurion understood how orders from the one in authority were to be unquestionably obeyed. Consequently, the centurion knew that whatsoever Jesus commanded, it would be done because of Jesus' authority in the Spirit. This authority is the ability to speak, act, and live according to the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And listening to the Holy Spirit is endlessly valuable to find out what is tormenting his people and free them from captivity. In the kingdom of God, true authority can only come from being under authority. In Matthew chapter 28, the Great Commission, Jesus said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. This indicates that Jesus has the ultimate authority. This is the scripture that we all know as the Great Commission. It proves that Jesus has the ultimate authority and he delegates authority to believers to carry out his mission on earth. And so for us to operate in a position of authority, believers must know the word of God in order not to be deceived by the schemes of our adversary. We must have our oil and know the truth in our hearts for us to be able to pull it out, the soar of the spirit, and use it at any given moment. If we are not spiritually minded, we can be taken captive to do the devil's bidding. The person will think they are helping the Lord, but really going against him. And so the six aspects here, when we submit to Christ's authority, the first one. The second, we need to submit to God. The third is servanthood, servant leadership. The fourth is aligning with scripture. The fifth aspect is being accountable to God and to a community of believers. And then the believer's authority. And so today's episode is really about being an ambassador for Christ. You know, an ambassador is a diplomat sent by a country as its official representative. An ambassador is one who communicates what their government is saying. Coming under Yeshua's authority is essential for covenant alignment. We must never forget the mission that we are on. We are the sent ones, called to be the salt and light of the world and spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For a believer to walk in the greater works available by the power of the Holy Spirit, one must be in right standing with God, covered by the blood of Jesus, sent under authority, and invoke the name of Jesus to perform deliverance. Hence the believer must be sent, not went. If the believer is not positionally correct and empowered by the Holy Spirit, there is real danger for backlash and retaliation from the demonic realm, thus invoking warfare because we are not in alignment. We've gone out on our own in his name, and he hasn't actually sent us. We went. We went and did our own thing asking the Lord to bless it and back it. And so, folks, as we wrap this episode up, if we don't catch all things here said today, we coming in alignment is about seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What does that look like? What is God telling you to do in this season? So some prayer points here for us today was asking asking the Lord, asking the Holy Spirit to restore any errors where we have lost our saltiness or our light has gone dim. Asking the the Holy Spirit to empower us to stand firmly in Covenant Atlanta. Another prayer prayer point would be to ask the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts, to soften any hard places, any places that we have resisted or are we walking in unforgiveness or being self-reliant. It's only when we come to him and acknowledge and allow him to expose our hearts, right? The word of God is a sword, is a it pierces through spirit and flesh, joint and marrow. It's only when we allow him in and allow him to to examine us under the under his light, that his covenant promise promises can flow unhindered through us and to us and equip us with the power.

SPEAKER_01: 27:39

Thank you, brother. Would you would you be so kind as just kind of uh have have a word of prayer with us regarding those points right here that you just mentioned?

SPEAKER_00: 27:51

Sure. Father God, we just come to you in the name of Jesus and we lift up everyone listening underneath the sound of my voice, that life around the fire, Lord. We ask that you would move in our midst, Father God, that we would see your glory, Lord. We ask, Abba, that you would show us where we have not prioritized our relationship with you, Lord God. Or we want to live a God-first life. And so help us today, Lord, to prioritize and organize what is important to you, Lord. We ask that you would empower us, Holy Spirit, by your by your power, Lord, to help us walk in covenant alignment, that our hearts would be tender to hear your voice. And that it's it's easy to be with you, Jesus. That you would reveal, and Lord God, that there would be a courage and a boldness rising up in people to turn away and to lay down things that you are exposing in their lives to walk with you hand in hand, Allah, that you are with us in this journey, Lord God. You don't ask us to do something on our own, but you go with us. And so I just pray for everyone listening that if the Lord is showing you to do something, that you would have the courage, like Abraham, to just go, to take a step without seeing the whole staircase, and you'll find out the reason why later on. The Lord is leading you in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_01: 30:00

Amen. Excellent. Folks, we love you. And if you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at life are on the fire at gmail.com or you just type in Life Around the Fire and look us up on the web. We would love to hear from you. In the meantime, God bless you. Adios, amigos.