The Leader’s Cut with Preston Morrison

Hosted by Preston Morrison

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190

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Sep 2026

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About the show

Welcome to The Leader’s Cut, hosted by Preston Morrison (Senior Pastor of Pillar Church in Scottsdale, Arizona). Here, we believe you are at your best when you allow God to cut away what’s getting in His way, so He can move through you in powerful, new ways. ”The Leader” refers to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who guides every believer. ”The Cut” is about allowing the Holy Spirit to precisely remove the ”flesh” – those things in our lives that hinder His movement. Just as the Old Testament marked God’s people with physical circumcision, the New Testament calls for a circumcision of the heart. Join us weekly for new episodes, where we pray the Spirit of God speaks directly to you about that week’s topic. From past experiences to practical tips to cheat codes in life, lean into the ‘cuts’ each week for Biblical principles and practical takeaways that you can apply to become the person God created you to be. Watch the video episode each week on Youtube, just search ’The Leader’s Cut.’ Follow Preston on Instagram @prestonmorrison Learn more about Pillar Church at ThePillar.com

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60 recent

October 1, 20261 hr 23 min

Why You Can't Carry The Call Alone

Isolation isn't an assignment God gives. It's a choice we make, and it's costing you more than you think. You were never meant to carry the call of God by yourself. So why are you still trying? If you're carrying something heavy right now — a calling, a family, a business, a season you can't see the end of — and you've convinced yourself it's just supposed to be you and the Lord, this episode is for you Preston walks through what going it alone really reveals about us, what it quietly costs, and how to start leaning on the people God has already put around you. He speaks from experience, including the 40 days he shut everyone out and the two years it took to recover. In this episode… How to tell if you're isolating. What carrying it alone will cost you and the people around you. Who God has placed in your life for the storm you're in right now. What letting others in will cost you, and why it's worth the price. How the right people will grow you, strengthen you, and make you wiser. The one thing Preston has learned God always responds to when you need SERIOUS help. If you've been white-knuckling the call by yourself, this one's for you. You weren't designed to carry this alone. So stop trying.

September 24, 20261 hr 17 min

The Cost Of Clean Hands & A Pure Heart (with Cody & Kari Jobe Carnes)

What would you give up to keep God close? Preston has walked with Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe Carnes for more than 25 years, going back to the early youth ministry days. In this conversation, the three of them sit down to talk about Psalm 24, what it means to have clean hands and a pure heart, and what it has costs to protect that. Cody and Kari describe purity of heart as something closer to a garden, tended every day, one small weed at a time, because once you've felt God in the room, you never want to feel Him leave it. They're also honest that it costs you. The higher He takes you, the more it's going to cost. In this episode: Pure In Heart: the plaque on Kari's childhood wall, and the CD her dad felt from the kitchen God's Going To Ask You For Something: the decision Cody made the summer before his senior year When God Leaves The Room: what Cody calls one of the scariest things he's ever felt You're Not The Gardener: who actually tends the garden of your heart Walking The Other Direction: how Kari got comfortable with the price of saying no to the crowd The 10-to-1 Ratio: Cody's caution to Gen Z about where they get their revelation The Staring Day: what God is doing when He says nothing at all Purity of heart is not a rulebook, and it isn't something you settle once. It's a daily yes to keeping Him close, even when that means being hidden, misunderstood, or walking the other way while everyone else heads toward the lights. Cody and Kari have been paying that price for decades, and they'd tell you the same thing Preston does: blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. So keep climbing the hill.

September 17, 20261 hr 13 min

Why Don’t We Celebrate More? (with Tim Ross)

You've got more to celebrate than you think. So why does it feel like nothing counts? In this episode, Preston sits down with Tim Ross to talk about something they've both struggled with for years: celebrating. Not the birthday-party kind. The kind Scripture calls rejoicing — choosing joy again over what God has already done, no matter what He does next. Tim looks back on the moments in his life he should have celebrated and didn't, and how he's learned to be intentional about it now. Preston gets called out in real time about the celebration he's been holding back with his own son — and names the lie underneath it: "you're not enough." In this episode… Present before you can rejoice — why a body that's gone offline can't celebrate Rejoice = "re-joy" — choosing joy again over what He already did Excessive celebration — why the enemy hates to see you spike the ball Psalm 23:5 — the table He prepared, and what He wants to talk about Memorial stones — 85 saved voicemails and a Toy Story ringtone The fence line before the cliff of craving — contentment as the prerequisite If you've convinced yourself you'll celebrate when the next thing pops off — this one's for you. He's already done enough. Throw the party.

September 10, 20261 hr 6 min

Why The Set-Apart Life Is Always Worth It (with Luke LeFevre)

Is it strict… or is it romantic? Most people hear the word "consecration" and think legalism—a list of rules for pastors and the overly serious. Maybe it’s something else entirely: an invitation. Because the God who is searching the whole earth for a fully devoted heart isn't sitting back on His throne deciding whether to move. He's on the edge of His seat, saying, give me one. In this conversation, Preston sits down with Luke LeFevre, a pastor & revivalist, to talk about the price of the set-apart life, why the Western church stopped teaching it, and what God does when someone finally pays it. In this episode: You Can't Be Hungry For What You've Never Tasted — why some people aren't hungry for God (and why that's not their fault) Strict Or Romantic? — the reframe that changes everything Move The Fence In — why we should never play close to the line, and where the gray area actually leads You Don't Have To Feel Convicted To Be Convicted — how to know the voice you're hearing is God and not you He'll Just Use You Less — the line that puts the cost of consecration in one sentence Consecration was never about earning something from God. It's about making room for Him—and refusing to compromise the intimacy that comes when He draws close. It's costly, it isn't getting cheaper, and Luke and Preston both say the same thing about it: no matter what it costs, it is always worth it.

September 3, 202655 min

When God Calls You Into The Unknown

Have you ever had God ask something of you without telling you how it's going to end? No roadmap, no snapshot of the finish line — just "go." Walking with God can feel like being handed a boarding pass with no destination printed on it, and if you aren't careful, the not knowing will convince you something is wrong. In this episode, Preston Morrison shares what God is teaching him in a real season of unknowns and unpacks five reasons why the God who knows the end from the beginning loves to withhold the details. If you want to stop being frustrated by the silence and start seeing it as an invitation, you have to understand what God is actually doing in the land of "I don't know." In this conversation, we're unpacking: Flying Blind: What Preston's pilot's license taught him about walking by faith — and why "visual flight rules" faith is entry-level living. The Credit Trap: Why you can't take credit and bring glory at the same time. What the Wait Reveals: What you talk about, pray about, and gripe about in a season of unknown points straight at what you actually trust the most. Outcome Idolatry: Why God refuses to show you the ending — Partial obedience is still an ultimatum. The Stops You Sprint Past: There's something on the path more important than the eventual outcome. If God has asked something of you and gone quiet on the details, this conversation is your reminder: His silence isn't rejection — it's an invitation to draw near.

August 27, 20261 hr 1 min

The Holy Spirit Is More Sensitive Than You Think (with Dr. R.T. Kendall)

What if the easiest thing in the world to do is grieve the Holy Spirit — and the hardest thing in the world is to keep from it? Most of us treat the Spirit's presence like a given. Dr. R.T. Kendall has spent 70 years learning the opposite: that the third person of the Godhead is a very, very sensitive person — and He won't bend the rules for anyone. Not even a man who's been walking with Him for eight decades. At 91 years old, Dr. Kendall is one of the most respected theologians alive — 25 years at Westminster Chapel in London, author of multiple books, including Total Forgiveness. He's also been canceled, publicly rebuked, and thrown under the bus by both sides of the church for one message he refuses to let go of — the power of word & Spirit. In this conversation, Preston sits down with him to talk about the vision that started it all, the burden he's carried for over 30 years, and the teaching that changed Preston's marriage in real time. In this episode: * The Silent Divorce — why the church split into "word churches" and "spirit churches," and what happens when the two remarry * Ishmael and Isaac — the message that cost Dr. Kendall his reputation with Baptists, Reformed, and charismatics all at once * October 31, 1955 — the vision on old US-41 that was "more real than you are right now" * Adjusting to the Dove — a couple's discovery that reframes everything about the Spirit's presence * Closing the Gap — Dr. Kendall's one-sentence definition of spirituality (and why mid-sentence repentance is the goal) Do you know what grieves Him? Dr. Kendall says finding that out will change everything.

August 20, 20261 hr 5 min

Why God Won't Trust You With More (with Korey Miller)

Why won't God trust you with more? What if the answer has nothing to do with your effort — and everything to do with your direction? Most of us are chasing an upgrade: a better house, a better title, a better version of our lives. But for Korey Miller, blessing has never come from chasing it. It's come from a lifetime of making his life about others — and watching how God responds. In this episode, Preston sits down with good friend Korey Miller to unpack a supernaturally selfless story, from keeping every employee on payroll when COVID shut down his industry because God said "wait for me," to becoming a father to a village when life didn't hand him the family he pictured. What emerges is a roadmap — the connection between how you care for others and how much God is willing to trust you with. In this episode: * The Roadmap to Blessing: Why supernatural care for others is the path to God's favor. * "Wait for Me": The decision that made no business sense — and became the biggest season in Korey's company history. * Bitterness as Fuel: Why winning out of bitterness means staying bitter to win, and what Korey burned instead. * Direct vs. Harsh: The mentors who never sugarcoated it, and why real growth requires people who tell you the truth. * Raised by a Village: How the boy a village poured into became a man who raises one — and what that means for everyone. God wants to trust you with more. But if it's all about you, you're always going to be stuck with less. This conversation is about what happens when you finally make it about them.

August 13, 20261 hr 6 min

Your First ‘Yes’ Isn’t Enough (with Tim Ross)

You said yes to Jesus. But which one? Because the first yes was the easy one — and God isn't done asking. In this episode of The Leader's Cut, Preston Morrison and Tim Ross sit down for an honest, unfiltered conversation on what continuous obedience really looks like. We often hear people say, "Thank you for your yes," as if walking with God is defined by a single, one-time decision. But a single "yes" doesn't build something that lasts. From navigating difficult transitions to wrestling with God's timing, Tim and Preston break down the difference between counterfeit, conditional, and true confirmation "yeses". If you feel like God is asking you for a hard, excruciating decision right now, this episode will help you see His request not as an inconvenience—but as a divine compliment. In this episode, we’ll discuss: The Myth of the Single Yes: True discipleship is a string of escalating, daily yeses rather than a blanket decision. The 3 Types of Yeses: Counterfeit yeses (which are actually no’s), conditional yeses ("yes, as long as..."), and confirmation yeses. The Jonah Effect: Why saying "no" to God brings divine opposition, and why his opposition can actually lead us back to the right path. Obedience Escalates: The shift from cutting ties (leaving home), to covenant, to oneself—and how obedience escalates over time. You already know what He's asking for. This conversation is about what happens when you finally answer.

August 6, 20261 hr 5 min

When The Season Changes, The Rules Change

God moves excruciatingly slowly… until He moves supernaturally suddenly. If you've been plowing — head down, hidden, faithful, wondering if anything will ever change — this episode is a right-now word for you. Preston unpacks what he learned transitioning from 12 years of plowing to the season of the double portion, and why so many of us miss what's next. Because here's what nobody tells you about new seasons: the rules that worked in the last one won't work in the next one. What God let slide when you were 17 can cost you everything at 40. The people who carried you through the cave may not be built for the palace. And the God who took a century to send rain can flood the sky from a cloud the size of a man's hand. In this episode, we discuss: Seasons Change : Why God’s sovereignty dictates your timing and how to find beauty in both the hard and harvest seasons. When The Season Changes, The Rules Change : How God shifts the people around you and transitions you from relying on sacrifice to walking in total obedience. You Must Change : Experiencing more of God’s Spirit requires less tolerance for the flesh and a higher standard of maturity — which is why Preston has fired himself as pastor of Pillar Church five or six times. If you've been plowing with no end in sight, this one is for you.

July 30, 20261 hr 20 min

What God’s Voice ACTUALLY Sounds Like (with David Holland)

What does God’s voice actually sound like? And how do you know if it’s Him or just your own thoughts? Most believers spend years waiting for a dramatic, audible sign from heaven. But for author/teacher David Holland, learning to hear God came down to something far more intimate: recognizing the distinct tone, timber, and fragrance of the Holy Spirit operating through his own inner voice. In this episode, Preston sits down with David to break down how to distinguish personal thoughts from divine prompting. After losing everything at age 50, following a supernatural warning he almost ignored, David learned firsthand what it takes to quiet a noisy mind, abandon transactional "laundry list" prayers, and compose the soul in God’s presence. In this episode: The Warning Sign: What happened when David heard God's voice before losing everything. The Ghostwriter's Lens: Lessons from years spent writing behind the scenes for leaders around the world. Is That God or Me? Practical tests to tell the difference between your thoughts and the Holy Spirit. Rethinking Prayer: Why shifting away from "request lists" changes everything about experiencing God. Quieting the Soul: How to cultivate stillness and hear God in a loud, distracted culture. Whether you're facing a major life decision, feeling stuck in your prayer life, or simply wanting to cultivate a deeper daily awareness of God, this conversation provides practical, time-tested tools for clarity in your walk with God.

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