Don't Let The Enemy Distract You | Pastor Steven Furtick

this is what always happens when God is trying to do something in your life the enemy will always present another enemy that is not the real enemy to keep you distracted from fighting the one that you're called to defeat in David's case it was his brother his big brother his name kind of sounds like Goliath but it's not Eliab he was tall for a minute Samuel thought he was supposed to be the king cause Saul was tall and he saw in Samuel saw in Eliab what he had seen in Saul which is height not heart and God said don't look at his height look at his heart stop judging your situation externally it's what's inside that counts it's what's inside the counts and Eliab starts judging David's motives he's like look at this in verse 28 he goes why have you come down here and with whom did you leave those few sheep now all of these things David had taken care of he's a very responsible young man but but really what's happening here is I believe the enemy is trying to trigger David to get him to fight the wrong person because watch if he stands here and argues with his brother he will never even see his enemy this might be the whole sermon for somebody now just look straight ahead if you're married sometimes you're fighting against what you're supposed to be fighting for and you have to call a timeout sometimes you have to you have to sometimes be like wait a minute you're not my enemy wait a minute you're you're you're not who I'm supposed to be fighting and if David gets caught up fighting Eliab he never sees Goliath if he gets distracted some of us are defeated simply because we're distracted now you know how the story ends but think about how it could have ended David for the next two hours defends himself to Eliab I was the other day checking on some Instagram post seeing if they were touching people's lives you know I would like to say that I always do it with a pure heart but sometimes I'll scroll to look for people who say mean things to me and that's a dysfunction and I'm not saved all the way yet I am saved I was saved I'm being saved this is the part that's in progress cause sometimes I just like to imagine the response I could send you know what the spirit of the Lord told me the other day first of all it's 1 out of 300 people who say something negative that's number one number two if you would invest a fraction of the energy into blessing people that you put into defending yourself you would be Mother Teresa you would be Saint Paul you could change the world if you would stop trying to defend yourself and I'm coming right for you because some of us trip over an offense and so we never defeat the real opponent because we stand and argue with Eliab and we never even get to Goliath isn't that so powerful it could have had a whole different ending it could have been a whole lot different and I bet Aunt Jackie wouldn't have taught me that Bible story in Sunday school if David had stood there and argued with Eliab now here's the thing that's practical about this some of you are fighting Eliab today and because you're fighting Eliab Goliath continues to go unchallenged in your life you know you're fighting Eliab if you're still blaming people David did this move that I want to learn how to do when I realize I'm fighting the wrong enemy when I realize I'm fighting something outside when I really need to be dealing with something inside when I realize I'm trying to control how other people are versus trying to have self-control the fruit of the Spirit for myself this a word today this is a word today it said that David did something very strategic and this is like the turning point of the story it said in verse 30 that when Eliab was going back and forth and David David hit him real quick with an insult just to let him know I'm not a punk and then after he said what he had to say watch what he did David turned and asked somebody else and watch this when he turns away from Eliab it positions him to face Goliath so whoever it's for you'll never even get to Goliath you will never even get to the insecurity that is causing the issue if you keep blaming the people who are bringing it out for you to look at Eliab wasn't the giant Eliab wasn't the enemy Eliab was his brother that he was supposed to fight for so now we've watched David two different alternate endings if he argues with Eliab then he misses Goliath if he doesn't obey his father in a simple thing then he misses Goliath it could Graham was so prophetic he said it could have ended a whole lot different I was so mad at my mom for forgiving my dad I didn't think he deserved it what would that funeral have been like if she had listened to me rather than listening to God if we weren't even on speaking terms when he died it could have ended and I only bring it up because every story in this room is still being written and sometimes you think you know how it ends but what if it's not over yet what if it's not over yet I'ma preach it through that little facade that you have right now what if it's not over yet what if what if you've wasted a lot of time but what if God really is able to redeem the years that the locusts have eaten what if it's not over yet I'm just posing a question what if it's not over yet what if your best days are not behind you what if the devil is a liar what if everything that you have been through to serve a greater purpose what if a generational curse was being broken through your battle what if God brought you to the Valley of Elah cuz he's the God of a turnaround the God of a second chance the God of a new beginning and a God of a new ending Mary and Martha said I know how this story ends but one thing they didn't know is that Jesus doesn't provide resurrection he is resurrection so if he's on the scene watch this when David showed up he said I come against you in the name of the Lord now one more thing I gotta show you y'all calm down it's a Bible study not a football game not a basketball game there's nothing to be excited about in here it's not like the blood of Jesus is enough for you it's not like depression is defeated it's not like the devil has to back up when you call on the name of your God it's not like worship can push back darkness it's not like praise can break chains y'all sit-down because now he has to go through Saul the one that should have been celebrating him the one that should have been supporting him David kills Goliath stop being so boring when you read the Bible the Bible's boring you're boring read it better this thing could have had so many endings it could have ended when David had a bad attitude toward the ordinary it could have ended when David was fighting against who he was supposed to be fighting for he could have got offended it could have ended with ordinary it could have ended with offence and it could have ended with only do you know only the spirit of lack and limitation do you know only what Saul said to David David was like showing Saul his resume he's like I'm pretty good at beating stuff that's bigger than me I beat a lion one time I beat a bear put me in coach Saul said you're only a boy I wonder what you're only in your own mind remember Saul wasn't the enemy Saul was supposed to be a friend you ever have something inside of you turn on you you're only I had it this week I was thinking that I'm just a preacher because I was thinking how really influencing culture is done through rappers and fashion and others and and I was thinking about changing a generation and I felt discouraged about it like I'm only a preacher but there's this one verse that always comes up when I think that way and God told Jeremiah one time he said do not say I am only when I was thinking about that I know this isn't exactly what the text means but I was thinking how God's name is I am so when you say I am only and you're supposed to take God's name you mess up the name that he gave you by diminishing it in your own sight I am only do not say I am only do not say I am only I'm only a boy but David said no no no I've never faced this giant before get ready to shout but I brought the same God to this valley that I brought to the last Valley cause the only reason I'm preaching it is because you're standing in front of something right now you've never seen this before but David said here's the common pattern I've noticed okay I dropped the lion I dropped the bear it only stands to reason that if the lion didn't stand a chance if the bear didn't stand a chance because they opposed my father's business if this giant opposes the purpose of God I predict an upset victory over everything in your life that is bigger than you that opposes the purpose of God within you come on he's the God of a turnaround so I know somebody shout I know how this story ends cuz I know who wrote it I know who wrote it he is the author and the perfecter of my faith she looked at me last weekend on our date night and and this movie was gonna have a nice ending but then she remembered that the writer of this particular movie is noted for everybody dying in the end and she looked at me now I want you to get this when I say it okay she said it can't be over I just remembered who wrote it come on you know it's a word for you you know there's some things cuz cuz we tell ourselves these stories but if God wrote it it's not over til we win it's not over until the light overcomes the darkness come on Nairobi come on Gaston come on Ballantyne it's not over hey thank you for watching make sure you subscribe to this channel so you don't miss a single video or livestream and share this video with a friend and don't forget you can join me live every Sunday thanks again for watching

Channel: Official Steven Furtick

Views: 1,444,439

Rating: 4.9429693 out of 5

Keywords: pastor steven furtick, steven furtick, furtick steven, stephen furtick, elevation church, steven furtick dont let the enemy distract you, dont let the enemy distract you, steven furtick sermons 2019, steven furtick 2019 sermons youtube, pastor steven furtick sermons, steven furtick distraction, distraction, steven furtick 2019 sermons, steven furtick motivation

Id: tNCu1teqbxs

Length: 13min 14sec (794 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 27 2019