God, I Need Your Guidance

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Being in Christ doesn't exempt you from any of  the normal challenges of life. We have to stop   telling people, "Jesus will make it all right,"  because what they assume when they hear that is   "My experiences, now that I'm a Christian, will  always align with my picture, my preference." I don't want to tell you this, but we try  to shape God like our own personality.   All of those things have to be subject  to Christ for us to be a true disciple.   Let's go a little farther. Are you ready? Once you  get an identity ingrained, and you think, "That's   who I am," it is very difficult to receive any  experience that is different than that identity. I learned that where I grew up shaped me in  amazing ways. Small town. It taught me how   to be good with people, because in a small town,  you have a certain accountability socially, what's   considered polite and what's considered rude.  When I grew up, if you didn't wave at people,   even if they were strangers, that was considered  rude…in Moncks Corner where I grew up. Where Holly grew up in Miami, Florida,  it's perfectly acceptable and maybe even   safer to not make eye contact.  See, marriage is this merger   of… We're walking down the street, and she's  saying, "Who is that you just waved at?" and   I say, "I don't know." She says, "Why did  you wave?" "Because that's what you do." How many are from the South?  That's what you do. You eat grits,   you never put sugar in them (I rebuke you, Satan),   and you wave. She thought that was so  silly. So now we split the difference.   I only wave about every one out of three times.   You can take the boy out of Moncks Corner, but  you can't take Moncks Corner out of the boy. I might see you one day in the mall  and I'll just wave at you. It's not   because I know you go to this church. I  was just trained to wave at everybody.   Just waving at everybody, and  then we've kind of come together.   So, why do I bring that up? Because it is a  perfect example of what's happening in Galatians. Paul is no longer in Turkey. This is central  Turkey we're talking about, if you want to get   a modern picture. He's no longer here in the flesh  with the people, but he's still the shepherd.   He still sees himself not as an influencer,   not as a modern guru, like how we  have people who give us advice,   but he sees himself as their pastor and their  shepherd even when he's writing them a letter. He really never stopped being a shepherd no  matter where his travels took him, no matter how   much of the known world he went to evangelize, no  matter how many Gentiles he preached to. He always   loved these churches. You could take Paul out of  Galatia, but you couldn't get Galatia out of Paul. Every parent who is called a so-called empty  nester understands what I'm saying. I'm not   one yet, but I imagine if they come back after  I send them away, I'll have to open the door.   I'm pacing myself for that.  This thing is a marathon.   I will still think you're doing  something dumb when you're 50. You could be worth a billion dollars,  and I'll still be like, "Are you sure   this is the job that has job security for you?  Don't you need something to fall back on?" You   can take the kid out of the house, but you  can never take the love out of the parent.   Your kid can disgust you, but you're  still going to be devoted to them. You're cussing them out, but you're  cussing them out in love. Have   you ever cussed somebody out in love?   Now we're back to Galatians  3. "Are you so foolish?"   "Are you crazy?" Paul is in that high voice.   "Are you crazy?" Holly's scary voice  is her quiet voice. We tremble,   because she's loud all the time. She's just  a naturally loud talker. When it's quiet,   it's really bad. "Are you so stupid as to really  go back to circumcision, the outward sign,   and think that's going to get you to the end?"  The foolishness of trusting in the flesh. So, just answer the question your neighbor  asked you a few minutes ago. Tell them, "Yes,   I'm that crazy." In my flesh, I'm still crazy.  How many still crazy saints are honest enough   to raise your hand and say, "Catch me at  the wrong moment, hit the right button,   trigger the right reflex, and I'm still crazy"? Me too. I'm still crazy. I know that, and  I'm glad I know that. God delivered me   from so much, but there's some stuff  that's still in me that he's dealing with.   Now it's all coming together  because they're in Christ,   but they're still crazy. Paul is not in Galatia  physically, but he's still the shepherd. He is doing something shepherds  do. He is directing the sheep,   and he's directing the sheep  realizing sheep are not dolphins.   Dolphins are smart, especially the bottlenose  dolphin. I was reading about the 10 smartest   animals in the world. The bottlenose dolphin was  #2. That dolphin is so smart it can recognize   itself in the mirror. Smarter than me.  Sometimes I don't even know who I am. Yet the Lord didn't talk about a dolphin. He  said, "You are my sheep, and my sheep know my   voice." Jesus said, "I'm the Good Shepherd."  Paul is realizing, "If I am a shepherd,   sometimes I have to direct the sheep where  to go assuming they don't know where to go."   "Are you so foolish?" "Yes." The moment you  answer "No" to that question, you're in danger. The moment it's like… "Are you so foolish?" "No,   man. I've actually pretty much got some  stuff figured out." I'm praying for you.   I don't mean not being confident. Yeah, you  know things. You know skills. I'm not talking   about being insecure. I'm not talking about  downplaying yourself. Those people are the most   annoying people in the world. "I'm not good at  anything like that, and I can't really do anything   like that." Just shut up. What God gave you he  gave you. What you're good at you're good at. You know, you're 7'2" and I'm like, "You're tall."  "Well, not really. You know, the Lord…" Yes,   you're tall. There's nothing worse than false  humility. It's awful. It's not really humility.   It's just drawing more attention to yourself  through an act of humility. You're just acting.   You sing a solo. "Oh, that was good. You  sang good today." "No, no, no. It wasn't me.   It was the Lord." See, you're wrong about that,   because it would have been much better  if it was the Lord. It was just good. I didn't say it was perfect. I just said it  was good. Let's bring it down a notch. Anyway,   it's the power of realizing… Everybody say, "In  Christ; still crazy." This side do "In Christ."   This side do "Still crazy." This side do "In  Christ" (Spirit). This side do "Still crazy"   (flesh). Faith; flesh…both inside of me. Doesn't  that explain a lot? Doesn't that make a lot of   sense? How some of y'all will road rage even  before you get off the church property today.   It's all right. You can keep your Elevation Church  sticker on the car. You don't have to take it off,   because I'm still crazy. Well, I think we have the right, as the children  of God, not in an entitled way but in an expectant   way, that if Jesus lives in us and we are in  him, I expect God to direct me. You say, "Well,   he's God. How can you tell him what to do?" No,  no. That's what he told me he wanted to do for me,   so I expect God to direct me. When I'm getting  ready to preach, I expect God to lead me to the   passage he wants me to preach. I don't come  to this Bible thinking I have it figured out,   and I don't come to the passage thinking I  know what it means. I expect God to direct me. I expect him to direct me in my relationships. I  expect that he's going to bring the right people   in my life in this season. I not only want him  to be the bouncer at the entrance but the exit.   I want him to decide and direct in  my life who gets in and who goes out,   and I expect God to direct me. I believe  every good and perfect gift comes from above,   so I expect God to bring  opportunities into my life. You say, "That sounds cocky." No, no, no.  I'm crazy, so I expect God to give me the   opportunity because I know it wasn't by my  own power. It wasn't by my own strength.   Nothing in my life makes much sense. We wrote  the lyric, "I think it over and it doesn't add   up." That's the math. When I think of what God  has done… How many have the same testimony? When I know how crazy I am, how crazy I can be,   how many ways I've wandered along the  path, how many left turns were a part   of God getting me to the right place… You  don't understand. I expect God to direct   me in my future because the only reason I'm  here right now is because of his faithfulness. So, when something comes in my way, I don't  stick my chest out. I bow my knee and say,   "God, thank you for another gift. Thank  you for another opportunity. Thank you   for another reason. Thank you for another  level. Thank you for another harvest. Thank   you for another breakthrough. Thank  you for another open door. Thank you   for another open road. Thank you,  thank you, thank you, thank you!" I expect! Some of y'all came to church  needing to hear from God today. Well,   expect it! He's a speaking God. He's  a talking God. He's a way-making   God. He'll show you something you  didn't even know to ask him for. "Now unto him who is able to do  immeasurably more than we ask or imagine…"   I expect a blessing today. I expect God  to be good to me. I expect my needs met.   I expect them abundantly supplied, good  measure, pressed down, shaken together,   running over! I expect it! I'm ready for it.  I'm stretching my hands to heaven. I expect it! Touch three people and say, "I expect  it." I haven't had y'all touching each   other lately because COVID, but we need  to touch somebody right now so it can be   contagious. Somebody next to you lost their  expectation because of their experience,   but I don't come to God off an experience. I  come to him because I know who he is. He said,   "I'm the Bread of Life." So if he's  the bread, I expect to be fed. He said,   "I'm resurrection." If he is resurrection,  I expect him to raise me. I expect it! I expect it, and I'm bracing for it, and I'm  believing for it, and I'm trusting for it,   and I'm grateful for it. I expect it! He said  he was the vine. That means if I'm in him,   he's in me, and I will bear  much fruit. I expect it!
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Channel: Steven Furtick
Views: 449,376
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: Steven Furtick, Elevation Church, Faith, Identity, hope, peace
Id: NZs8gXrtYNY
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 14min 3sec (843 seconds)
Published: Tue Jul 18 2023
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