Hey, thought I'd drop a little bonus sermon on
you today. This was recorded at the end of 2019 for our Praise Party at Elevation going into the
year 2020. There was a lot we didn't know entering 2020, to say the least, but the word God gave
us was very prophetic and I've never shared it on this channel until now. I was saving it for
the right time and I thought it might help you with your momentum if you're watching this
later. I'm sure it'll apply any time of the year, but for those of you looking for some
inspiration and perspective... That's the thing, that's what the message is about. It's about
perspective. Your perspective on your progress, your pain, your past, and your potential.
Look at all those words that start with the letter p. I hope you enjoy this bonus
sermon. Let me know in the comments. We so easily confuse the presence of God with the
absence of problems and the goodness of God with the absence of problems. I'm preaching already
and I haven't read my verse (2 Kings, chapter 6, verse 8). For how many of you this is
your first New Year's Eve ever in church? How many of you, if I knew what
you were doing last New Year's Eve, I'd be really proud of how much progress
you've made? You're my favorite! In 2 Kings, chapter 6, there is
an illustration of what happens in these moments where we must make a decision
whether we are going to view our lives through faith or through fear, and I want to share it with
you from 2 Kings, chapter 6, beginning in verse 8. Please pray for me, because I take these moments
seriously, not so much just to give you a lesson where you can write a few things down or a few
tweetable, quotable lines but to really speak something over your life that will bring to
closure some of the conflict you've been going through so that you can transform it and convert
it into power for what is ahead of you. That's why we came tonight, and that's what we intend to do.
In 2 Kings, chapter 6, verse 8, the Bible says, "Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel.
After conferring with his officers, he said, 'I will set up my camp in such and such a place.'
The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: 'Beware of passing that place, because the
Arameans are going down there.' So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the
man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. This
enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, 'Tell me! Which of
us is on the side of the king of Israel?'" Do you know how mad you made the Devil
just by showing up tonight? I mean, he set so many traps for you this year. He tried to
make you bitter. He tried to make you envious of others. He tried to keep you in a depression.
I know you've been going through things. He couldn't get you to go crazy so he started
messing with your kids. He thought if he could get your kids to go crazy enough maybe you would
lose your hope in God. Even some people in your life left this year who you were counting
on, and after all of that, here you are. The Bible says it enraged the enemies
of Israel, because no matter what they did to try to bring down the king, God
had someone on the inside to warn them about it. Tell the person next to
you, "I have somebody on the inside," and it makes the Devil mad, and it makes
him a little bit confused, and honestly, it makes him nervous to see you praising
God like you've been praising God tonight. I mean this. Some of you, just
by lifting your hands tonight, caused all kinds of confusion in hell. Not
only have angels been watching you this year, but the demons have been watching you, too. The
ones who were assigned to wreak havoc in your mind thought that surely by now you'd be tired. They
thought that surely after all you've been through you would skip church and sleep in, but look at
you in the presence of God to confuse the Enemy! Now, we need to take 19 seconds and embarrass
the Enemy to let him know that what he did didn't work and that what he
did hurts but it didn't work. We still have 11 seconds on the clock! I'm reading my Scripture. This is a
dignified moment, you chaotic church members. Well, he was mad, because everywhere he wanted to
attack Israel, God's chosen people, there was a… I don't want to call him a
spy. He was a prophet (Elisha). He had an ability to see things,
and you think Siri is scary? Really, Alexa scares me how stuff
starts showing up on my phone. I think Alexa is talking to Siri
and Siri is talking to Google and Google is talking to Instagram, and
I'm terrified that they're listening to me. Watch this. This is interesting, because the
Spirit of God in Elisha would give him a location where the enemy was going to attack God's people.
When they called together all of the different high-ranking officials to see who the one was
who was spoiling their ambushes and causing their attempts to attack the people of God
not to work, the response came in verse 12. "'None of us, my lord the king,' said one
of his officers, 'but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the
very words you speak in your bedroom.'" Yikes! Everywhere that Israel would travel
God would send a word through Elisha to tell them where they needed, verse 10
says, to be on their guard in such places. Tonight I want to tell you that for
this year, 2020 (like 20/20 vision), you need to see some things with your
spirit that you cannot see with your senses. The reason this is so important is because
if you don't recognize where the Enemy is attacking you the most frequently and
ask God to give you insight into the places of your greatest vulnerability, you
will spend all of your energy this year fighting battles you could have avoided if you
would have learned the lessons of last year. Y'all don't like this part of my sermon? I know. It makes you mad when you realize a lot
of the battles you fought you could have avoided if you had listened to what was on the inside
instead of responding to what was on the outside. I want to spend this year with what
Paul called open eyes in my heart. It sounds grotesque when you describe it like
that, but he was saying there is a kind of sight that does not revolve around external stimuli,
and it is more based on internal processing. If I could break it down even more
for you, I would use the phrase, on his guard in such places, to describe
how I think God intends to protect you as you go into this next season, this next decade
of your life. That requires self-awareness. There's a theological term, progressive
revelation. It means while God never changes, our understanding of him unfolds over
time not necessarily chronologically, but as we experience different things in our lives
we come to see God in different ways. Even the Bible is constructed with a progressive revelation
in mind so that you see concepts introduced in the book of Genesis that are mirrored in the book
of Revelation. That's the first and the last. By the time you get to Revelation, you get a
full picture of what was hinted at in Genesis. You see types and shadows in the
Old Testament which ultimately point to Jesus Christ, but they're pointing to
something that you have not clearly seen yet. Life is this way. It is that many of us in
this season of our lives are going to see things that we only saw a shadow of
in a previous season of our lives. Progressive revelation means that
God wants to show you some things about himself and even about you that
will cause you to be able to avoid what I call unnecessary roughness. It's
a football term, but it also applies when we're going up against the Devil. Let
me help you with something really quickly. Some of the battles you fought last year
were in places you never should have been. I know it is supposed to be a praise party,
but before we party, can I preach for a moment? I have 24 minutes to tell you about this, that
there are certain places you need to stay away from this year because, if you go there and
then ask God to protect you in those places… I don't know whether to start with Facebook or whether to start with CNN or whether to
start with Fox News, but we have to be very careful about where we go…watch this…not
just with our bodies but with our minds, because it is very possible that God is
trying to warn you about certain places. Every time you go there you start feeling
judgmental, or every time you go there you start having comparison, or every time you go there you
start feeling like your life is missing something, and if I were you, I would put that Bible app
on the front screen of my iPhone this year. For those of you who aren't saved
yet, you might have an Android, but you can put the Bible app on there, too, and I would find that thing that
deletes some of the other apps. Can we all just make a covenantal agreement in the
presence of God on this, the last sermon of 2019? Let's all not post our workouts until we have been doing them consistently for
at least four weeks this year. Can we do that? Look at somebody and say, "I don't
have to post it to prove it," because if I do the work, you will notice the
results. I won't have to screenshot my sweat on the floor. Nobody wants to see your Spandex.
Thank you very much! Do a rep in the secret place! We'll know. We'll know. It's really interesting how certain places bring
me into vulnerability. I just want to ask the question. Have you lived long enough to know yet
where you're most vulnerable? There were certain places where the Enemy intended to attack, but
because the king had somebody on the inside… Wouldn't it be nice to have somebody on the
inside who could tell you where there is traffic and could show you on the GPS where there is
going to be traffic? Wouldn't it be nice to have somebody on the inside like Elisha was
on the inside? He was feeding information to the king saying, "Don't go there." Wouldn't
it be nice to have somebody on the inside? Wouldn't it be cool if you didn't have
to go into this year alone, but you could have somebody on the inside? Wouldn't it be
awesome if, when Jesus Christ went to heaven, he sent down his Spirit to live in
those who would believe in his name? Wouldn't it be awesome if you had somebody
on the inside (the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of righteousness, the Spirit of God)
telling you, "Don't go there, don't think that, don't complete that, cut off that conversation,
don't give them all of that information"? Here's the beautiful thing about
it. God will show you where to be on your guard if you
will give him the opportunity. God will even show you what days of the week
you are more susceptible to discouragement so you can plan around it. Y'all don't
believe in God? You don't think he's in you? You don't think God can show you about yourself what he knows from the inside out? You don't think
the one who created you knows how to counsel you? Yet, all of the time we go into
states of discouragement. Then, we try to pray our way out of them, but we got
discouraged because of a mental game we played. No clichés can rescue us. New year, new you! Hmmm… If we told the truth, it doesn't sound as
cute. Right? What really has to happen for you to change is that Romans 12 says you have to
be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That means you have to do things a different way for a long time until the pathways
that are in your mind called neural pathways that were causing you to do the things you don't
want to do anymore, whether that's an addiction to pornography or whether that's an addiction to
a substance or whether that's an addiction to food or whether that's an addiction to gossip or
whether that's an addiction to judging people who struggle with pornography, food, or substances,
because I can preach to everybody in the room… "I'll tell you, Pastor Steve. I don't
struggle with these sins you mentioned. It's actually great, because I'm starting
this New Year with a pretty clean slate. I'll tell you. I've been walking with the
Lord for a long time, and I don't really have any of these struggles except the one
with self-righteousness that I am expressing by saying that I don't need
anything new from God this year." To really have a new year, new you… It
doesn't really work like that. New year, new neural pathways… It doesn't preach as
good. Who is going to put that on Instagram? The fact of the matter is for God to
do something new in your life this year you will have to save your strength for the things
that matter, and that means you are going to have to listen to the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of
God will tell you, "Don't return that phone call. Don't return that text. Don't even go there." You'll start thinking something in your mind,
and the Spirit of the Lord will show you, "You can't afford to play with that." You can't
play around with the Devil and then ask God to deliver you from the Devil you were playing with.
There are some places you cannot afford to go this year. Your soul cannot afford it. Your joy
cannot afford it. Your peace cannot afford it. I've got somebody on the inside who
can show me where the attack is. Wouldn't it be cool if some of the battles you
fought last year you could avoid this year? You'll be singing, "This is how I fight my
battles," and you're just sitting there. They're expecting you to be swinging,
but you're not fighting your battles by swinging. You're fighting your
battles by staying away from the places. I know this is heavy for a
party, but I have to preach it because God will not strengthen you for
a battle he did not call you to fight. You've got to let go this year of
the need to prove things to people, because that is not a battle God has called you to
fight. You have to let go this year of trying to make up for things that are in the past that
God has already forgiven. That is not a battle God has called you to fight. It is over. It
is gone. The old is gone. The new has come. You have to ask the Spirit of God
what areas to avoid in this year. Elisha is giving the information for the
military attack, and I wonder if the Spirit of God is trying to give you information
for the spiritual attacks you're under. You keep going to old places. When he found
out about it, not only was he mad, but he was determined to get rid of this guy, because
Elisha was a problem. Elisha was a problem. Are you a problem for the Enemy? I'm going to tell you how you can know if you are. If nothing ever goes wrong in your
life and you never burn the toast… If everything is so nice and neat and orderly
and you never face any kind of resistance, it means the Devil isn't threatened by you at all. Here's how I know that from the text.
Again, we often perceive the presence of God is proven by the absence of problems.
Right? Wrong! It couldn't be more untrue, because when Elisha was giving the word of the
Lord to prevent the attack for the people of God, watch what the king did in verse 13. "Go,
find out where he is…" The moment you begin to fulfill the purpose God created you for
the Enemy will dispatch special forces. Raise your hand if you had some things
happen this year that made you question if God even loved you. Raise your hand. Be honest
enough to raise it. I suggest to you…keep it up…the reason you had some of your
problems was because you are such a problem for the darkness because of the light you carry. Somebody shout, "I'm a problem!" Let me tell you how you can prove that God is with
you. The way you can prove that God is with you is not by the fact that nothing bad ever happens
to you. My mom used to say, "The proof is in the pudding." Well, I found out when it comes to
the things of God the proof is in the problem. How do I know God is using me and
that he has great plans for me? How do I know God has put
a big calling on my life? How do I know God has something outstanding
for my future? I know the size of my calling by the size of my problem. Y'all shout if
you've been through something this year! When Elisha started telling the
king where to look for the attack, the king of Aram said, "You have to find him!
He's a problem!" The Enemy sent special forces for you this year because you were right on
the verge of breaking a generational curse and changing a bloodline. You're a problem
for the darkness! You're a problem! "'Go, find out where he is,' the king ordered,
'so I can send men and capture him.' The report came back: 'He is in Dothan.' Then he sent
horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city."
Now, verse 15 is really what I want to preach. Get ready. Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you
ready? I only have 12 minutes to preach this, and I'm going to need a little bit of help. Are you
ready for verse 15? No, you're not. You can't be. "When the servant of the man of God got
up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had
surrounded the city. 'Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?' the servant asked." Now,
this is something I need to illustrate. Get me six men on the stage really
quickly…six men who are not very big. He's too big. I need six men who are not very
big. Don't be insulted if he chooses you. I want you all to form a circle
around me and look intimidating. Not too close. Just like how the servant woke
up. Get around me. Six men who are not too big. We may need two more. Give me
eight men who are not too big. One… two… three… four… You all get around
me. Get all around me and look ferocious. Look at me like, "We're going to kill you! You're
that prophet who has been messing up…" Come on! This is a problem! Come on! Give me all
around eight men who are not too big. I want to show you something. This is going to
be so helpful for you to understand what you go through in the next 12 months and in the
next 10 years and for as long as God's hand will be on you. The servant woke up, and the
first thing he saw that morning when he got up was something that he didn't know how to handle. Hmmm… Hmmm… I think everybody here, personally
speaking, has something they're looking at that they don't know how to handle. It's usually not a
military thing; it's a mental thing. I have maybe a decision I don't know how to make. I have bills.
I have this. I have that. I have transition. He's looking around, and he's like,
"Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" Now, Elisha is the prophet who would tell
the king where the enemy was going to attack. Here's my question. If he knew where the king was
going to be attacked, why did he get attacked? If you have the ability to know when
other people are going to be attacked, how can you not see it when
you're going to be attacked? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to give other
people advice for their marriage or for raising their children? Oh, but mess around and have one
of your own and you will shut your stupid mouth when it happens to you! The
servant goes, "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" Watch what Elisha says. "'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered."
Oh, man! This sounds like great advice. "Don't be afraid." These are chariots and horses. No
offense, but this is not you. These are trained Syrian soldiers, and the prophet says, "Don't
be afraid." "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." James, get me 12 men who are really big. Get me
12 men who are as big as you. Come on! Right now I need 12 really big men. I need 12 really
fierce men. I need 12 men who are on CrossFit and creatine and protein and TRT and HGH
and steroids. Come on! I need 12 big men, and I need you to come here, because I'm
going to be Elisha. I'm going to be Elisha, and I'm going to stand in the middle,
and I need you all to come surround me. The Bible says that when Elisha… Come
on. Get really close. Get really close. I don't have any proximity issues, but
not that close. Back up a little bit. Come in as close as we can get and I can still
function. Come on! Get in close. Get in close. Elisha said, "Don't be afraid. Those who are
with us…" Come on! Surround me all the way. "Those who are with us are more
than those who are with them." "Those who are with us are more than those who
are with them." It not only means we have more in quantity, but they are greater in strength because
those who are with us are more than those who are with them. I'm going to show you something
really quickly. He said, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are
with them." Then, the next verse (verse 17) says, "And Elisha prayed, 'Open his eyes,
Lord, so that he may see.'" Watch out. I'll be right back. Stay right there. If I'm the servant, I'm thinking that
God is about to do something so awesome and he's going to make all of the enemies (the
first ones who came to attack)… I'm going to close my eyes, and he's going to pray, and when I
open my eyes, all of the enemies are going to be gone. Y'all leave really quickly. Just go
somewhere. Not the good ones, the bad ones. That's what I'm expecting. I open my eyes. Wow! It's a miracle! Come
back. Come back. Come back. Instead… Get back into position quickly. It's almost midnight. I
have to show you something. Elisha is praying. He's like, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may
see." He opens his eyes, and what does he see? The same enemy he saw before the prayer.
In fact, go to the next verse (verse 18). "As the enemy came down toward him…" Now, stop! How did Elisha pray and the
enemy still came toward him? How did Elisha, the powerful man of God… How did Elisha, the
prophet who struck the water… How did Elisha, the successor to Elijah… How did Elisha, who led
an entire nation into a time of revival, and who could purify the waters of the Jericho… How could
Elisha keep praying but the attack kept coming? Well, the proof of the presence of God is
not the absence of problems. The proof of the presence of God is not that the problems
disappear. The proof of the presence of God is that he kept me surrounded, and the Enemy came, but he couldn't kill me. The Enemy came.
Depression came. The panic attack came. I could barely catch my breath, but somehow the
Word of God sustained me through every season of my life. I almost lost my mind. I almost gave up.
I almost let go, but there were more for me than against me, and I declare it to the darkness
of your life. Greater is he that is in me! The proof is in the problem. If God sent you a really big problem, he's
about to demonstrate that he's a really big God. I have a really big God. I have a
really good God. I have a really faithful Savior, so I have a really great praise not because of the absence of problems
but because of the presence of God. Stand up. There are two minutes and 43
seconds until the next decade of your life. There are two minutes and 38 seconds
until the next decade of your life. Tomorrow morning, when you open your eyes, guess
what is still going to be there. Your problems. Guess what is within you. Y'all got my back? When I say this, get
ready to rejoice. Get ready to rejoice. The bigger the problem the greater the opportunity for the presence of God. Y'all don't
even need me to finish the sentence. You know what I'm saying. The Devil has
done everything he could to track you down. He put a target on your back. He aimed
right at your head, but look at your praise. Look at your purpose. Look at
your praise. Look at your God. I say… I'm going to put it up to a vote. What say
you, Elevation? Let's stop telling God how big our problem is and start telling our problem, "I have
an even bigger God. Greater is he! Greater is he!" If God be for you, who can be against you?
