Live from Altars: Corey Russell

Hey folks, John Tyson here. As you know, earlier this year, we gathered here in New York City

for our annual Alters Conference. And what we've heard over the last few days, the stories of

what God's done has been incredible. We had leaders preach, word shaping, hunger inducing,

scripture infused sermons. And we want to be able to make these sermons as widely available

to as many people as possible so that they'll be a blessing to you and your church. Alongside that,

we recorded some deeper conversations with the people who taught and some other key voices

around the themes of prayer and revival going deeper into their stories. And these conversations

are going to be available through the Awakened Network and you can find out more at AwakenNetwork.com.

And we're excited to announce tickets for Alters 2027 are available now. We're back here in New York.

Last year, they sold out quickly. So if you want to be with us, get your tickets today.

I hope these talks and gathering together will be a blessing to you and your church. See you with

Alters. Hey, you're listening to the Awakened Network podcast. And this is Zach Mirkriebs,

one of the friends of John and Sam. In this episode, we are live at Alters Conference in New York City.

You're going to hear some noise, some laughter. That's because we're just kind of backstage

with our family. And that's our heart for AwakenNetwork is just to continue to create spaces

for family pursuing awakening, multiplying vessels and Alters. Today, you're going to hear from

someone who has spoken at conference and we're just going to kind of double click on their topic.

So I hope you enjoy and we hope to see you soon. Hey, all Zach Mirkriebs here at Alters,

live at Alters. We're in backstage. There's bagels out there to crime babies, stuff like that.

I'm here with Keith in Shwan who is on staff at Church of City, but is helping out in Awakened Network

stuff. There's no one out there that I know that is stewarding and contextualizing the things

around revival, awakening, and prayer culture for the emerging generations. There's no one like Keith

and so he's going to make veryistine because of who he is and that might lose my voice.

We also have V. D. Drumroll. I don't know what that is. Cory Russell. What's up guys, what's up?

Cory, introduce yourself. Tell us about ministry, family, and we'll jump in. Yeah.

Good to be with you guys. Got radically saved 1997 in a college parking lot in Northwest

Arkansas. Strong out drug addict. That happens. That happens. All kinds of things happen.

Y'all ate ready for that. We'll talk about that on another podcast. But radically saved and saw

move of God and got wrecked for revival in 1997 and caught a vision for prayer for it.

Year later, I kept saying this cute worship leader kept singing. We were kind of in the wake

after Brownsville and they would, wow, you know, one of the big songs was Come Running to the

Mercy Seat. Now my wife, this cute girl kept singing that song and I'm like, hey, I want you

to be my wife. Wow. And we've been married 27 years. Mausletov. Come on. Come on. I said,

let's get married. We got married in this. Got marked for revival and prayer had our first

daughter in 1999. And then the Lord, I'm an elementary teacher by degree and I got a degree. Never

used it two days later. After graduating, we moved into full-time ministry in December of 2000

to be in to pray to pray and fast for a historic revival and for Jesus to come back.

Come on. And so that's what we launched out in in December of 2000 and here we are at the time

of recording, you know, 26 years later or and three daughters, you know, had another daughter in

2004, another one in 2010, walked through a lot of tragedy with the loss of a son in 2013.

And I have been on a wild ride, went Kansas City, Dallas and we're now in Denver,

Colorado at House Denver. I'm a teaching pastor and an elder and then just equipping people across

the earth online and travel in prayer. I just want to I want to awaken this generation to prayer.

Come on. Yes. And so yeah, happy to be here with you guys. That's the short story.

I'm honored. It's so good. Because you tell us a little bit about that vision to awaken prayer

in the generations. Where did that come from? Where did that start in your spirit? And also going back,

how old were you when you were marked by God for prayer? Yeah, I got saved at 20. So I'm turning

the time and recording of this. I'll turn 49 tomorrow. So let's go. I'm looking forward to

getting older and getting discounts at Denny's places like that. So yeah, I mean, from I,

it was kind of weird. I went from a strung out drug addict to immediately saved and I began

to hang out with these three older women right when I got saved. I love this story. Tell this

tell this one. And these, I mean, I hung out the first, you know, two years of my salvation with

two 50 year olds and one 80 year old woman. Okay. Now I make sense that we got core wrestling.

Yes. Yeah. That kind of makes sense. Yep. So I, this is was the thing that got me when they

prayed, I could feel God. Yes. Something shifted. They talked to God like they knew him. And I'm like,

I want that. And I want to, when I pray, I want atmospheres to shift. And so I spent the majority

of my first two years hanging out with them. They taught me about early morning prayer, late night

prayer, and praying through how to carry a burden. You know, we were just fully in and I would say,

I just got marked with intercession for revival from day one. I wasn't looking for it, but I

connected the dots that what I was experiencing in that move of God was the result of the years and

decades of intercession that preceded it. Yes. I knew I was reaping the fruit of someone else's

labor. Yes. So I'm like, Lord, that's what I want to do with my life. Come on, man. How did you

find these women? They found me. They were in the church. Oh, they were in this little church.

Lord, raise up more. Yes. What were their names? Suzy. Um, uh, Lila. Yes. And, uh, and then you got

Cheryl. Crazy. Crazy. Lord, we need more. Cheryl. I mean, you, you think about, you know,

heaven is in the two sisters. Yeah. And it's usually women like that that are fully given. I

really have a desire to also see men, uh, because there's an intercessor in heaven. It's not a woman.

And, uh, I think there's a mark for men in intercession. I'm packed that real quick. Like,

I get what you're saying, but I think that's, that's really, really important. Yeah. Well,

and something too that I've noticed, like, yeah, a lot of when we say, like the intercessor of a

church, you're thinking the Cheryl and Lila and, but yeah. And so what would it look like to

reawaken imagination of men to carry the mantle of intercession? Absolutely. Yeah. I think we

treat it. At first off, I don't, I mean, women, women, women are beautiful. Women are amazing.

They're gifted. They're gifted. Um, they're designed to carry. They're designed to give birth.

But a lot of them have forgiven difficult men. They have loved. They've lived in secret. They

have a depth around a holiness and a connection to God about it that lends themselves to it.

But a lot of times in the men, it's a wrong paradigm of intercession. We see prayer as the means to

the world. Yes. Wow. And so men have historically said, ladies, you do the pray and we'll do the

working. Right. And we've divided something that was never separated in heaven. Hebrews 7 says,

and that was the verse I'm referencing that Jesus is able to save since he always lives to make

intercession. So salvation and intercession go hand in hand. Yeah. And I just think there's a

couple of things is that men, all true work, everything is born out of that. And prayer

lessness is resting on men based on the way we treat our wives. Verse Peter 3 tells us, uh, yeah,

says so your prayers won't be hindered. Man. And so I think men have treated it as a lesser thing.

Yes. We're not very humble. We're pretty prideful, arrogant, self-sufficient. Yeah. And I think

women just for the most part do it. But I have a heart for men to pray everywhere,

lifting up holy hands. Yes. And for a men's movement to be the priest of the home and

the labor for a breakthrough in family. Yes. Society. Yes. It's that E.M. balance quote where he says

that like prayer does not fit us for the battle, but prayer is the battle. Right. And I think as I'm

working with a lot of young people around the country, that's that's the vision that draws them

higher as they they see the young men seeing that like this is the most important spiritual battle

that you could ever give you bike to. And it's like that it's the high call and rise to this moment

that is people want like these young guys want something worth dying for. And if well,

that's what we're made for war. Exactly. Exactly. This is the war. This is war. Yeah. Yes.

That's it's like a perfect alley up to the talk at altars. Uh-huh. I'm unpacked that like

equip us a little bit out of yeah. Where I'm planning to go tonight at the conference is

last year I was here and I preached Luke 22 40 39 through 46 in Garden of Guest Semini. Yeah.

And I walk through personally and I find in my life just as my messages they're not like

just revelations out there. I feel like I'm a story. Yeah. And so whatever he first does in me

usually releases clarity on the back end for others. But I first got to walk through it. So I

I would say 2023 2024 into the beginning of 20 probably 23 and 24 mostly was years of sorrow

disappointment. Uh-huh. Laws walk through, you know, spiritual father very just the shaking

that began to take place a lot of pain and I began to find I've plowed through some harder

seasons in my life. But I didn't have the same strength of my youth to plow through them. Wow.

Right. So I'm in my upper 40s 45 46 47 and I don't have the same strength to plow through it. I'm

like, man, I'm not bouncing back quicker than I did in the past like I'm feeling this I was in

sorrow. And Luke 2245 it says Jesus found them sleeping from sorrow. Whoa. In Luke 224. They weren't

sleeping because it was late or because it was they were tired. But because the weight of the

external world was weighing upon their internal world and all they could do was go to sleep.

Gosh. And going to sleep for about two years for me met coasting. Wow. Interesting.

Coasting in last seasons, the residuals of last seasons break through and writing that and no

one knowing the difference, but I do. Yeah. I'm not reaching like I used to. I'm playing it safe.

I'm guarding. I'm, uh, you know, um, yeah. I'm, I'm, I'm just, I moved into a retirement mode in

my head. I think that a tragedy is that a lot of, um, a lot of leaders would just call this,

oh, well, this is just experience. This is just wisdom. Yes. Yes. Yes. Put on something. Yes.

Put on compromise. Yes. And I felt the temptation to that. I was like, you know what?

I could ride the waves of the last nine books I've written seven prayer albums, thriving online

community. Do some of that and no one would know the difference. No, but I would. And God would

head. I had to, I fought for about two years to stay awake to kept fighting against that. And I

felt like, you know, about a year and a half ago, you know, two years ago, he showed up to me. And

and I, I grew up an athlete. So Lord gets rough with me. And he slapped me, but had, you know,

kind of like Mickey did the rock games. You need to get up. You need to stop this. And you need

to get into the next season. I want you to dream again. Believe again and push in again. So I began

to come out of that big, you know, so he began to talk to me about several things in my life about

getting into the old gym. For me, it's early morning prayer. Wow. It's, it's, it's tongues for hours.

It's days of fasting. It's beginning to build the old stuff again. And so it's first works for me.

And so getting back to some of those things, but I would say in the last four to five months,

I'd say the fall of 2025, something shifted. And we moved out of just sorrow as being the,

the, the season award. Right. I felt like I was hearing it. We're in the time of wartime

praying. We're moving out of defensive. And we're moving into an offensive posture of going to fight.

It's faith. Yes. It's belief. It's taking ground and beginning to wield the weapons. God has

given us. And I think beginning to, to take advantage of what God's given us instead of being

victims to what's happened to us. I've been saying it this way. I mean, they're a victim to what's

happened to me. I'm a victor for what he's done for me. Whoa. And, uh, and I, I think he's

shifting the church out of victimhood into more of a victory mentality. That's right.

About our faith. And so that's what I'm feeling. I'll, I'll try to go into that. I see the story of

Gideon as again, an impoverished hour. Yes. And then you find there's a lot of hiding, a lot of

protecting and a lot of strategies that are done in scarcity and survival. And, and just being

able to hold on to what you got versus taking ground. And so the story of Gideon and how the Lord

addresses him in that place. I think it's a picture for what he's doing for leaders in this hour.

Yeah. You know, you got all your excuses. Lord, where are you at? And Lord, I'm the weakest. And

Lord doesn't even address that. He speaks to core. And I think there's a coming up. I think,

I think we're in a season of Revelation 12, the accuser of the brethren being cast down. Yeah.

They overcame him by the blood. Yeah. I think the wielding of the weapons. I'm, I'm thinking,

the biggest story. Now what started this for me is I was in prayer meetings. And I kept

feeling the Lord says, lift your hands. Lift your hands. Lift your hands. Lift your hands.

And so Exodus 17 and the story of Amalek. And, and I feel like, I feel like there's this

invitation to the top of the hill. Yes. To the top of the hill to take our seat in Christ. And

beginning to begin to, beginning to take ground and war. Wow. So I think many people listening to

this may feel like they resonate with like we've been in a season of weeping sorrow. Yeah.

Deconstruction decline. And then you're, you're saying, and I, we sense it. I think we all sense

a water level rising that we want to pay attention to. But many people have just become so good at

running church and ministries in seasons of sorrow and decline. And so as, as I believe you're,

you're right. I mean, I'm even just curious. And in my own life, like, how do you move from a

scarcity decline mentality and how you lead into from the victory and abundance? You know what I

mean? Because I think I agree. I think a lot of people would agree. But then they're kind of like,

well, how does that? What does that even look like? To make that shift in what out of a leader?

Asking the Lord for tonight isn't an anointing of deliverance. Wow. I'm truly asking the Lord

that he's going to once you first, you've got to break the accusation. You got to break the witch

craft. You got to break the war, the mentality. It's around the mind. And I think there's a

a deliverance shift. And then I think you speaking identity, I'm looking at Zachariah 3 and the devil

at his right hand, the Lord rebuke you, Satan. And I think there's a lot of that. I'm at the end

of the day. I have it really clear. But there are two loaves and five fish unless he goes on it.

Geez. Exactly. And so I'm, I'm feeling the need to get away for the next three hours and pray

and ask him to help because unless he breathes on this, but I do feel like this is the word.

Yeah. Well, we'll spend some time praying. We've ended each of these episodes praying

for our guests in their ministry that they carry. So we'll commission you into those three hours.

But man, something that I've been passionate about since my time in Osbury is

creating intrustable resilient vessels to wait on the Lord.

Like, yes, it wasn't my prayers that were tested during Osbury. It wasn't my preaching.

That was tested there. Like, you don't have to be good at preaching if the oil's there.

So, you know, I mean, absolutely kind of, but it was my interior life. And you you mentioned that

and you've been getting after this for a long time. You've been, you've also weathered some stuff.

Yeah. Yeah. How do you show into endurance, resilience? You've talked about these,

these these three points are on preparation. Maybe those, you know, we both have

beloved children in heaven go anywhere in this. But how have the Lord, how has the Lord

strengthened you and kept you resilient? Yeah. Yeah. I think it's beauty. I think it's beauty.

Discovering the beauty of God in every season. And finding God,

plowing through all the confusion and all the other stuff too, you can see them. I think

fresh intimacy, fresh joy of just discovering God, making God the reward. Yes.

Even more than the tragedy of loss and the victory of breakthrough.

And making God the reward of every season. Yes. It is probably the way to sustain you.

It's the Psalm 27.4. You cut David open. You know, there's one thing you can take everything

else. There's one thing I just, I've got to see him. I got to live close to him and I got to

talk to him. We got to have an open connection. I need to look at you and I want to close to you.

And I think procs him and count. But this is the thing. That's not just a one time. I did that.

I did that. I'd surrender all. There's probably been 20. Yeah. 20 times. And so the recent one,

having out of sorrow was a fresh surrendering all. Yeah. And that's that's 25 years into

ministry and everything else. Yeah. Yeah. And I can't my point. And then too is not living.

You know, I think the the Philippians three formula of I'm not going to live in the pain of

yesterday or even the victory of yesterday. I forget the things that are behind me.

And so I think discovering the beauty of God and just moving on and freshly signing up and

say, Lord, my litmus test. I want fresh tears in the Bible, fresh heart connection,

fresh love, fight for family, fight for marriage, fight for children's hearts,

constantly fighting for the things that matter. Yeah. And so I think it I think it's that kind of thing.

Beauty. Jewish. Yeah. I just want to say I think as you beheld the beauty of God,

Corey, you're living a beautiful life. And I think that there are a lot of young leaders like

myself that are just grateful for the way that you've tended to the flame of your heart across

tragedy, across assignment, across different parts of the country. And I just I just honor you.

And I'm just really grateful. And I just the thing that sustained you is creating a realm of

possibility for young leaders across the earth. Yeah. And I'm a recipient of that beautiful

life. So yeah, I just honor you. Thank you. Yeah.

And I would love as we land the plane, if you can pray,

almost like a gift of impartation or a pray for the people that are listening that need to see

the beauty again. Yes. And then Keithan, will you lead all the listeners into praying for Corey

and what he cares? The honor. Would you be willing to do that, Corey?

Beauty.

The verse that changed it all was John 1724, Father, I desire that those whom you've given me would be

with me where I am and that they would behold my glory. God, I pray for every person that will

listen to this podcast for the revelation of your beauty, for the revelation of your glory.

For the revelation of your person. And I pray, God, we don't worship seasons. We don't get lost

in the ups and the downs of the journey. You are our North Star. Your face is our vision.

Your the discovery of you is the highest satisfaction. It's the highest joy.

Yes.

In the deepest burden. That's what keeps me up at night. Not how little my bank account or how

little my following or how little my impact is, but how little of you I'm seeing.

God, I pray that you would wreck all of us with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge

of your son. God, I pray for eyes to open. And I pray where there's sin or religion or judgment

that is clouded our perception. God, I pray that you would cleanse our eyes to see you afresh.

I pray that the spirit of revelation would rest upon us in the name of Jesus.

Release that. I pray, God. Come on. Yeah, Lord, we just thank you. We honor you. We honor what

you're doing in and through Corey's life and his ministry. And God, we ask for an increase.

God, I thank you for the mantle of spiritual fatherhood that he carries in our nation and across

the earth. And Lord, we just receive. We receive the gift of of what you've done in his life

imparted to us. Though God, I just I ask for an increase of capacity for Corey. God, as you

continue to share your burden for the next generation with him. And I just pray you'd continue

to give him and sustain within him the vision that Isaiah 61 that Corey in his spirit would never

stop declaring over the next generation that they will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore

the places long devastated. They will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for

generations. They will be called priests of Yahweh, ministers of our God. So God, I just pray for

like the mantle to declare what you say over the future of the church into Corey's mouth.

God, would you give him downloads of your vision of what you want to bring about through the next

wave of leaders, Lord, and just draw people to himself, draw people to Corey. God, just to learn

from you. But as he just points people to the cross like Jesus, I just pray the mantle of Corey

Russell's leadership is an elevation of the Son of Man. You tell us, Jesus, the Son of Man,

be lifted up. You'll draw all people to himself. So God, I just pray a light, a yoke, an easy burden

as the elevation of the Son of Man is the mantle of this man's life and leadership. God,

thank you for him. We honor him in Jesus name. We pray. Amen. Amen.

Hey guys, thanks for listening. I hope it was encouraging and equipping. If it is encouraging,

jump on AwakenNetwork.com. If you want to be in this community, we have a membership

for you. We have these awakened leadership one days where we'll talk about topics like this one,

leave a review, share all that podcast stuff. But God bless you guys. Inglation69 says,

do not grow weary in doing good. For in due time, you'll reap what you sow if you don't lose heart.