Winded | Pastor Steven Furtick | Elevation Church

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Matthew, chapter 14, verse 22: "Immediately  Jesus made the disciples get into the boat   and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he  dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them,   he went up on a mountainside by himself to  pray. Later that night, he was there alone,   and the boat was already a considerable  distance from land, buffeted by the waves   because the wind was against it. Shortly  before dawn…" In the last watch of the night. The King James talks about the "last watch  of the night." "…Jesus went out to them,   walking on the lake. When the  disciples saw him walking on the lake,   they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,'  they said, and cried out in fear. But   Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take  courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.'" This is irrational. I don't care if it is you,  Jesus. It's weird that you're walking on water,   so I'm still freaked out, even if you are  the Son of God. Watch this. This is the part   of the story that usually gets preached about,  and it's the part I'm going to preach about too,   because it's good. "'Lord, if it's you,' Peter  replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'   'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the  boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid  and, beginning to sink, cried out,   'Lord, save me!' immediately Jesus  reached out his hand and caught him.   'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you  doubt?' And when they climbed into the boat, the   wind died down." I'm going to give this message a  one-word title. I'm calling this message Winded. Help us, Holy Spirit.   Penetrate through the surface. Get deep inside  where you can do your work. In Jesus' name, amen. I know you're tired. You can be seated.  Take a seat. Take a rest. Are y'all tired?   I mean generally in life. Are you tired? How many  of y'all work out so you can have extra energy? How many of y'all work out consistently? How  many of y'all work out semi-consistently?   How many of y'all are going to start in  January with the workout plan and enjoy   the rest of the year? I have a confession  to make. All right? Here's my confession:   I work out a lot. I don't believe in cardio.  I like lifting weights…heavy weights too. I was in there squatting big weights the other  day, proud of myself. Nobody was in there to see   it but me, but I promise you I was squatting  a lot of weight the other day. Good form too,   going down really deep. I can bench press pretty  good. I can move some pretty good weights. I'm   not saying I could enter a competition or  anything like that. I'm 42. And I do have   a lot of injuries going on, and I think I'm  going to be on Celebrex for the next 17 years. The point I'm trying to make  is I like lifting heavy stuff,   but when I went out to play pickleball  with Elijah the other night,   because he's got me on pickleball  now… Do y'all play pickleball?   He figured out really quickly how to beat me:  make me run. No amount of biceps, triceps,   trapezoids, quadriceps… None of it  matters when it comes to lung capacity. The fact of the matter is when  I got out there on the court,   even though I work out four days a week,  five days a week, six days a week… Sometimes   I work out every day. I mean, just every  day I'll get in there and do something.   So why am I out of breath? Why am I huffing and  puffing around this court like I weigh 820 pounds,   like I'm on one of those intervention shows you  see where the person can't get out of the bed? Why am I huffing and puffing  like it's my last breath? Yeah, no cardio. Right. Thanks. It's an   illustration, lady. (It's supposed to be  the volunteers tonight. I have hecklers.)   I'm out there for five minutes,   and all the strength training in the world  isn't doing anything for me. I'm winded.   Once he figured that out…Bam! Bam! Bam!  If he can make me move enough, I'm out. Now, I'm probably exaggerating the point, but it's  kind of hilarious that I invest so much time into   what I call exercise, and I have a 17-year-old  wearing me out on a pickleball court. This isn't   even a full tennis court. This isn't like the  US Open or something like that. It's pickleball.   How many of y'all don't even  know what pickleball is? I'm out there playing pickleball, just huffing and  puffing and blowing stuff down. Anyway, that's not   the kind of winded I want to talk about, but  I want you to get the feel about it today,   because some of you came in like that. The  Devil figured you out. He figured out if he   can get you running, Bam! Boom! Although  you're really, really good at Sundays,   sometimes your lack of cardio, Christian cardio,  tells on you. Do you know what never crossed my   mind all of the times I've preached on Peter  getting up and walking to Jesus on the water? Let me tell you something right now. I  have given Peter a thorough investigation,   this incident in his life. I don't know why  I never thought of this, but I never really   stopped to think about how tired the disciples  were at the moment that Jesus finally showed up.   First of all, they rowed all  night, not with any kind of motor. Secondly (this is not quite as obvious,  but I think it's worth pointing out),   they just finished feeding 20,000 people. "I  thought it was 5,000." Five thousand men and women   and children. Twenty thousand is conservative. If  Larry Brey was counting that, he'd call it 50,000.   He has no integrity with numbers. Every other  area I trust him, but with a number? Nuh-uh. Cut it in half, divide it by three. That's  the number when he tells you a number.   I would never let him do my  budget. Ever. Love you, Skinner. When they finished this miracle… Think about  how much energy this would take. First of all,   there's the fact that they weren't really planning  to feed 20,000 people. Imagine the mental stress   of having to feed 5,000 men and women and children   when you really didn't know where  it was coming from to begin with. Even though what God did… I don't want to stay  here too long because it's not the real message,   but I want to bring you into the miracle  honestly. Even though it was amazing what   Jesus did by feeding this hungry  crowd, it was still exhausting.   It was exciting. "We just saw the  most incredible thing that Jesus did. I mean, he just kept breaking off pieces.  Every time we thought we would run out,   we would come back to him, and he would  give us more, and we would take it to them   and come back to him. It was amazing." But  it had to be exhausting. One Easter, we had   about eight or nine worship services just  at the campus where I was preaching live.   The day after Easter, I couldn't get out of  bed. The next day I couldn't get out of bed. Back then, before I had any good sense to  play a video so I can be around past age 45,   I'd preach all of them live, one after  another. About Tuesday or Wednesday,   when I still couldn't get my energy up, I started  to feel like I wasn't honoring God, because he had   done such an amazing thing. I think we had 2,000  people give their lives to Christ that Easter. I was excited/exhausted. I  was so happy what God did.   I was so thankful that he let us see it. I was  so amazed I got to be a part of something of   that magnitude. I mean, that was absolutely  incredible, and I was absolutely exhausted.   I thought it was a sin, but I was just winded.  I thought I wasn't grateful. I thought,   "I should be running around, giving God a  Shabbat praise. I should be running around,   clapping my hands all ye people. I should  be giving God praise for what he did,   and all I want to do is just lie here, because I  gave everything I had to give, and I'm winded." "It was wonderful, but I'm winded." Because guess  what? I had to preach the next Sunday and the next   Sunday. Back then it was Saturday and Sunday.  Any of y'all remember Saturday night church?   See? Y'all do that with excitement.   I'm having PTSD from running from the ball  field over to the church on Saturday night. "I'm trying to be a good dad, but I need to be a  good pastor. The people need a word from the Lord,   but the kids need a dad on the sideline. I  just told you everything I know about God   last Saturday night, and now you  want me to say something else."   I get winded. It's the worst thing in the world to have a job  you have to do when you, yourself, are winded,   especially when you don't want to show anybody how  bad your cardiovascular conditioning really is.   Winded.   I said, "Lord, that's a weird thing to call a  message…Winded. Why would I call it Winded?" He said it's because in the text  it says the wind was against   the disciples, but even before the wind  started blowing against their boat,   they were already exhausted. That is a  picture… The people who are in here tonight   are people who understand what it's like to try  to worship God when you're winded and work for God   when you, yourself… I mean, it's not like you get to just  sit around all week waiting for Sunday.   I came out here one Sunday to  preach. I'm preaching hard too.   Boom. Boom. Boom. I'm going for it.  I feel no response from the people,   no love from the people. I go backstage. I'm  like, "God, what was the problem? Did I use   the wrong text? Did I exegete it wrong? Did I  dishonor you? Did I not put enough attention…?" The Lord said, "They're tired.   It's an 8:30 a.m. service. They're tired.   Some of them aren't sleeping well anyway because  they're worried about their job. Some of them   aren't sleeping well anyway because they're  sleeping in a separate bed from their spouse,   and they don't know how to get the marriage  working again. Some of them aren't sleeping   that well anyway because they're staying up  all night playing out things in their life,   reliving things from their past, worrying  about things in their future. They are tired." At that point, the Lord told me I would  need to stand up in my pulpit every week,   and no matter how winded I was from my own life,   I would have to learn how to depend on him, to  depend on his wind, to depend on his Spirit,   not to need from the people a response  in order for me to preach God's Word. When I'm winded, I am susceptible  to forms of discouragement   that I don't even pay any attention to when I'm  full of energy. When I'm winded, I am vulnerable   to temptations that don't even incite or arouse  my craving when I have my full strength. When   I'm winded, I start trying to give up on stuff  I fought the Devil to get in the first place. When I'm winded, I start thinking  crazy stuff. When I'm winded,   I don't even know if I can sit here with  my family, even though I know I love them,   but I don't know how to be present,  because I'm in three places at   once. I'm winded. Watch this. It's not that  everything that's happening in my life is bad.   What they just saw Jesus do was amazing.  They're not complaining, but they are human.   I want you to write something down.   The Holy Spirit does not consult human schedules.   I know you don't want to hear that  again, but I'm going to say it again. The Holy Spirit does not consult human  schedules. Jesus did not turn to the   disciples after the feeding of the 5,000 and  say, "Y'all feel like making a little trip?"   It wasn't any RSVP. Look at how  the Bible says it in verse 22. I'm   going to show you this. Y'all have  Jesus in your head way too soft.   I'll show you. Verse 22: "Immediately  Jesus made the disciples…" No church vote.   No sabbatical. Jesus said, "Get in the boat.  I'll see you on the other side." And that's it. So, famously, he sends them into a storm,   and they have to deal with the struggle of  going through something they did not foresee.   What's interesting about this room is that…  I don't know if you've just been serving in   this church for two weeks or… Somebody was  over here. We were celebrating 10 years.   What an amazing thing. What do you do  again? Production. That's really cool.   Who was it back here who was doing the data  entry? Yeah, Cindy. Cindy, has it ever been windy?   What I mean by that… Let me clarify. Let me do this for the whole room. I don't  want to pick on Cindy, but we'll use Cindy   for an example because it works really well  phonetically…windy, Cindy. How many of y'all   are greeters in the church? Isn't it fun to  greet people when it's fun to greet people?   Isn't it fun to greet people  when you got a good eight hours? Isn't it fun to greet people when God just  answered your prayer? Isn't it fun to say,   "Welcome to Elevation" when you're happy to  be there too? Yet the measure of discipleship   is not the enthusiasm you bring to a task when  the waters are still and the lake is calm and   the stomachs are full. Watch this. Everybody  in the crowd is leaving with a full stomach. The disciples are exhausted. Having to take  the bread individually to 5,000 family units…   Do you know how much cardio that involves? And  then pick up all of the basketfuls of broken   pieces that were left over? Do you know how big  and heavy the baskets were? This is a picture   of why some people leave church on Sunday  with big smiles. "Oh, that was wonderful." The ones who leave early before the invitation  even happens so they don't have to fight   traffic with four cars in the parking lot while  somebody is being snatched. That's wonderful,   but sometimes you have to leave saying,  "I'm exhausted. I'm excited. I'm tired.   I'm fired up. I don't know how I feel, but  I want to do what you want me to do, Jesus." Don't trust a Christian who never breathes  heavy. Don't trust a Christian who never   cries tears. Don't trust a Christian who never  comes in looking like they've been through hell,   smelling like smoke but saying,  "There was a fourth man in the fire."   This is what it really feels like to do ministry.  It's like, "Oh, that was amazing. I'm exhausted.   I feel used by God. I feel  used. I feel taken for granted." "Pastor, you got that camera put in my house  again?" Yeah. I have a camera that's way better   than one in your kitchen. The Lord showed me  what you've been dealing with in your spirit.   So, I'm going to give you something  he gave me from my private stash.   I don't let just anybody have this. When they take you for granted in what you  do, do you know what that means? You're good.   It means you have gotten so good at what  you do that you are on par with oxygen.   People don't even think to thank  the air. They just breathe it.   When you get really good, nobody  says, "You showed up on time?"   They just assume that if you signed up to do it… When you said you would do it, you  meant, "Come hell, come high water,   come storm, come wind… If I said I would, I will."   That's one of my biggest goals in preaching. I  want to be good enough to be taken for granted.   I want to get to the point where… I told somebody the other day, "The proof that  you are really preaching is they stopped thinking   about preaching and started thinking about  Jesus in the middle of your preaching. The   Holy Spirit was speaking to them so much you  just became a ghost in a black hoodie. Nobody   even cared who you were at the end of the night.  It was the Holy Spirit speaking to their soul."   Yet the challenge of this, if we're honest,   a lot of the times as we are moving and  maneuvering through the demands of our lives… It is very difficult for us, between breaths,   to see the big picture of all God is  doing, but I'm going to help us with that.   If you came in winded, spiritually… This could be  from the long marathon. Many of you aren't winded   because of your role in the church. I understand  that. For many of you, that's your happy place.   That's the one time in the week where you feel  like, "Man, this matters, and I love this."   I know what you're thinking, because you're like,   "Yeah. I'm happy to be here.  I'm really glad to be here." No sooner do they get in the boat than they  feel the wind is against them. For all of you   Christians who try to prove you are in the will  of God by the absence of contrary wind… In other   words, we think everything God gives us to do,  the proof he called us to do it is that it's easy.   It said from the moment they set out the wind  was against them. The crazy thing is if they   would have turned around and went back,  the wind would have been blowing for them. "But I can't go back,   because I had a word from God. He said  he expected to see me on the other side."   "We've been out here an hour, and  this wind keeps… We've been out here   two hours." It's already late. The whole  reason the disciples wanted to send the   crowds away in Matthew 14 when the hunger  arose was because it was already late. So imagine. It was already late  when they started feeding people.   Do the math on how long it takes to get  food distributed to 5,000 family units,   and now they have to go three more  miles. And they do…against the wind.   Well, here comes Jesus. The  Bible said he came about dawn. Or, more specifically (verse 25), "Shortly  before dawn Jesus went out to them…" I'm   going to ask a question, and it's not  rhetorical: Why did he wait so long?   You're like, "He didn't  know they were in trouble."   It's Jesus. And he was on a mountain,  so he could see them on the sea.   Why did he wait? "Well, he was up there  on the mountain praying for them."   Maybe he was, but at this point, I could use  Jesus as a thirteenth rower, because y'all   know Judas wasn't rowing anything in the boat.  Judas was back there pulling the other way. He shows up at the last possible  moment before the darkness goes away so   they can have trouble recognizing him because  the sky is not illuminated, so they would have to   trust him by faith based on not what they saw with  their eyes but what they heard with their ears.   Peter goes, "I want to do that." Peter just  has to be different. It's not enough just to   fall in line and row. Peter does well. He  starts walking in the direction of Jesus. I don't know what kind of encouragement is going  on. Jesus tells him to come. I don't know if he   reinforced that over and over again. The text  doesn't say. It could be that this is all Jesus   said and Peter had to go off of that for the  entire journey. I do know Jesus wasn't exactly   close to the boat, because if he had been close  enough to the boat, they would have recognized   him as Jesus and they wouldn't have said,  "If it's you…" So, I know it's some distance,   and Jesus is coming up from some distance, and  Peter is moving toward him for a long time. We don't really know how many steps  he took, but he famously fell. That's   what the Lord wants to speak to us  about tonight: right there, in verse 29,   where Peter got down out of the boat, walked  on water, and came toward Jesus. "But when he   saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to  sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately   Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You  of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" Now, that's a complicated question. "Why did you  doubt?" It's not easy to explain the reasons that   we begin to doubt what God has called us to do.  It's not as easy… You know, people will give you   simplified solutions for spiritual struggles:  "Just trust the Lord," and stuff like that. What about the trauma that makes  it hard for me to trust anybody,   especially a God I can't even see? And  when you tell me to trust the Lord,   how do I know it's him I'm trusting and not just  my idea that I had when I stepped out in faith?   That is a very complicated question. "Why did you  doubt?" Did somebody else's voice get in his head? It's a complicated thing to describe  your insecurities to somebody.   A lot of people look at you, how handsome you  are, how beautiful you are, how strong you are,   how gifted you are, how talented you are,  how effervescent your personality is…   They look at you, and they're like, "She's  so effervescent. If I had her effervescence…" "Oh man. Cindy is so strong. Cindy  is so steady and so consistent."   But it gets windy for Cindy too.   "Why did you doubt?"   Why were you having a conversation with yourself  this week? "Does it really even matter what I do,   and does anybody really care that I do  it, and am I even really good at it?"   You can get quiet. The Holy Ghost told me this  message, so I'm not confused about it. I know. Meanwhile, the Devil tells me the same stuff, so  I know what that feels like. I know exactly what   that feels like. I can't tell you exactly why  I get in that place. I can't tell you exactly   all of the psychological and neurological  factors. I don't know all of the things   that accumulate in one's life to bring  you to a point where you begin to doubt. When you're doing so well, you know, really  staying on top of it, really doing well with   the diet, really doing well staying clean, really  doing well… "I'm going to confess the Word. I'm   going to think positively. I'm going to have a  Bible reading streak. I'm going to do it. I'm   going to do it." It's really hard to understand  what goes wrong in those moments when you sink. So, rather than answer that question, "Why did  you doubt?" (which is never explicitly answered   in the text, probably because it's far too  complicated to be included in this simple story),   I want to answer a simpler  question. Instead of asking   why he doubted, I want to ask  the question…When did he doubt? The answer is in verse 30.  "But when he saw the wind…"   There is nothing in this text that  indicates the wind got stronger at   this moment and knocked Peter off his balance.   From all appearances, the wind was blowing  at the same velocity as it had been blowing   the whole time he stepped toward Jesus, and  he has walked a long way against the wind. It doesn't say when the wind picked up Peter  fell. It doesn't say when the wind gained and   started to gust and thrust with momentum Peter  fell because the wind got so bad. It doesn't   say when the circumstances got worse Peter's  faith weakened. Actually, a lot of times,   when the circumstances get worse, that's when  our faith actually locks in and gets stronger. Now I know I need God and I can't  play around. Now I'm getting to the   place of realizing that if I don't have  Jesus, I'm going to sink out here. No,   no, no. It wasn't when the wind got stronger  that Peter fell. It said when he saw the wind,   the same wind that had been blowing against  him the whole time. It was still blowing,   but for so many steps he wasn't paying it  any attention because he was locked on Jesus. For so many steps, he wasn't paying  attention to how the water was moving.   He wasn't paying attention to how it was  rocking this way or that way or the waves.   He wasn't paying any attention to that.  The wind didn't pick up. His focus changed.   His eyes shifted. He started looking  past the one he was walking toward. When he did, he saw the wind. When did Peter  fall? Winded. When did you start focusing   on all of the things that are going wrong so much  that you forgot God brought you from a mighty   long way? When did you forget that his blood  prevailed at Calvary, that one drop was enough?   When did you become one of these "Hand  in my pocket" Christians? You used to be   wild. You used to be a worshiper. You  used to be like David. You used to be   undignified. You used to cry when  we sang about the goodness of God. When did…?   Maybe he got tired out there. It's hard  walking on the water. It's hard keeping   your focus. "I've been rowing all night.  I've been feeding people I didn't plan to   have come over. I've been smiling at  people who came in grumpy. I've been   trying to be nice. I've been trying to be  kind. I'm winded." When did your feelings…? I'm not picking on Peter. Man, it's hard enough  for me some weeks to get a haircut and pick out   a shirt and get up and grab a microphone and  preach, so God knows I love him for trying.   "But when he saw the wind…" It wasn't  like it just started at that moment. That would make sense. But you've  been doing this the whole time.   We'll walk you through it sometime. We'll walk  you through those moments where you quit caring.   We'll walk you through those moments where  you started believing… I was writing in   my journal one day, and the Lord gave me  something very powerful and painful to hear. He said, "You stopped believing your faith  can change situations. Now you use it as a   coping mechanism. You don't put your faith  on stuff like you used to." When did…?   Why did he doubt? I don't know. I'm  not Peter. Only he can answer that.   I don't know why Peter doubted,  but I know when he did.   When he started looking at what was against him. Am I talking about Peter  or am I talking about you?   Wouldn't it be foolish for you to get  fixated on all of those who didn't love you   and not receive from those who do? When did  you get hard-hearted? You used to be open.   You used to pray for other people. You  used to do that. And you know what? When you prayed, you expected something  to happen from it. You checked up on it.   You were texting them 10 minutes  later. "Did it happen yet?   Okay. I'm going to pray more. Did it happen? Okay.  I'm going to pray in tongues. Did it happen yet?"   When did you stop being that little girl?  You used to sing to Jesus. You used to sit   in your room and sing to Jesus. The Devil  stole your song because you went in a storm. When did…? It's just a question. When did you take  your eyes off of what Jesus was moving you toward   and start only thinking about  what was coming against you?   Hey, reality check. When did Jesus  know there was going to be a storm?   When he told them to go. He knew exactly what  these fools were about to face. He's not shocked. Hey, everybody in here who's struggling with, "I  don't know if God can use me because I've been   struggling with some stuff in my life…" Well,  let's get that figured out. Let's not have you   wallowing around in sin, just wrecking your life  and all that. But when did God set you apart?   Before you were born. One Bible verse I would like you to learn is  in the New Testament book of Romans. It says,   "While we were yet sinners, Christ died  for us." So, if he called me (Jeremiah 1:6)   and set me apart from my mother's womb, and  then he saved me while I was still a sinner,   why would he stop using me now just  because I struggle with something? Do   you know what else I never really  realized? I love the Bible. I think   I'll probably preach this Bible story once a year  and see if God will show me something new in it.   I never thought about how far Peter came  before he fell. How did I miss this? It's in the text, y'all. Verse 31: "Immediately  Jesus reached out his hand and caught him."   We have already established that  Jesus was at a far enough distance   where they could not see him  except through his silhouette.   You mean to tell me Peter got all that way?  The Bible didn't say when he cried out Jesus   ran over and picked him up. "I'm coming,  Peter." No, the Bible said, "Immediately…"   Peter was within arm's reach of  Jesus. And you want to fall now? You are this close to your breakthrough. You are  this close to being the person God… You are this   close to your freedom. You are this close  to your kids turning around and coming back   to God. You are this close to your miracle.  "I didn't come this far to fall down now."   It taught me a lesson. It taught  me the times when I'm tempted to   look away are going to be the times when  I'm closest to where God is bringing me. The Spirit says, "You're close. Keep coming.  You're close. Keep coming." You're closer than   you think you are. You're closer than you've  been before. You're closer than my Hammond   B3 organ. You're closer than you've ever  been. You can't go down now. You can't tap   out now. You can't die now. You can't turn  around now. There's nothing to go back to. "I'm close, baby! That's why this wind is  blowing so hard. The Enemy knows I'm close."   You're close! I don't know who this is for, but  you're close. You're so close. You are so close.   See, the Bible says they worshiped him when he got   in the boat and the wind died  down. That's one way to do it. "O God, I'll worship you when this battle  is over. O God, I'll worship you when I'm   done with this situation. O God, I'll worship you  when you restore the relationship." But why not   worship him while you're still in it?  When did you praise him? In the middle   of the storm. When did you praise  him? In the middle of the night. When did Paul and Silas  start to sing? At midnight.   When did you start shrinking down your God  to the size of your problems? When did you   stop telling your problems how big your God  is? Just telling God all the time, "Oh, my   problems are so big. Oh, my bills are so bad. Oh,  my cholesterol. O God." You can list that all day   or you can shift your attention back on  Jesus. I feel a shift happening in this   room tonight. It's a subtle shift, but  it's a saving shift. It's a small shift,   but it's like a rudder. It's going to  turn the ship back in the right direction. So, Jesus gets in the boat. How many want him  in your boat tonight? Come on. "I want him in   my boat." He's not going to come if you golf  clap. You have to really want him in your boat.   If this word is for you, receive this next part.   When did the disciples know why  Jesus sent them into a storm?   When they got to the other side.   Let me be your pastor for a moment. It  won't make sense until the other side. Verse 34: "When they had crossed over,   they landed at Gennesaret. And when  the men of that place recognized Jesus,   they sent word to all the surrounding  country. People brought all their sick to him   and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge  of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed." When did they know why it was important to  get through the storm? You reckon it took   about three healings? It says the whole city  started coming to Jesus when they got there.   Did it take 5? Did it take 10? Do I hear  12, 15? Do I have a 15? Do I have a 20? I mean, certain disciples probably saw it really  quickly. "Oh! That's why we had to get here."   Some of us are a little slower. How many  ways is God going to have to show you   that everything he takes you through  he takes you through for a purpose?   Let everything that has breath… If I'm  still alive, if I'm still breathing,   if I'm still standing, there's a reason he didn't  let me go down. He's not through with you yet! If he said, "Go to the other  side," he'll meet you there!   You have to get through it. I don't know who  this is for or what you've been contemplating,   but you have to get through it. You have  to press through the doubt. You have to   get through the unbelief. You have to get  through the crowd. You have to process the   trauma. You have to move through the  emotions. You have to get through it! It will make sense on the other side.  You don't know what's on the other side   of your storm. Only he does. You don't know  what's on the other side of your obedience.   Only he does. You don't know who you told  "Welcome to Elevation Church" when they   walked in Sunday. Only he does. You don't  know who you gave a smile to. Only he does. Only he knows what's on the other  side. Only he knows what he's taking   you to. You don't know. You don't have  to know. You just have to get through it.   When did you stop believing that God can get  you through this? You may not even know why.   You may not even know why I came all the way back  here. This is Jody, y'all. This is his wife Emily.   If you can see her on the camera, she looks  a lot like Holly…because they're sisters. Not only is Jody a David  Crowder impersonator by day; he   is also the instrument God used after my mom   taking me to church every single week  as a little boy… Some plant. Some water.   So, when did I meet this bald beauty?  My junior year of high school. When did I give my life to Christ? After  he sat down with me for three hours   at Alex's Restaurant in Moncks Corner, South  Carolina. When am I going to take my hand off   his head? When I'm dang well ready. This is  my volunteer night. I only get one a year. After answering three thousand of my questions…  I asked this man everything I could think of,   because I wasn't sure the God my mom  had raised me to believe in was real,   but that didn't stop her from taking  me to church. So, here comes Jody.   My man was on a traveling revival  team, Life Action Ministries. He was a singer on the Life  Action Ministries revival team,   traveling with the revival called America,  You're Too Young to Die. Truth under God. Then   he pulled me out of church the next night. The  preacher hadn't even started his sermon yet.   He grabbed me. He said, "Let's go." He sat  in a room with me until 2:00 in the morning. I told him I wasn't ready to give my life to God.   I said I didn't want to miss out  on my high school experience,   all of the girls I would have  been… Whatever. But he sat with me.   He said, "All right. I'm going to pray. I'm  going to just pray that you change your mind."   I came back to him the next night. I said,  "What did you do to me? I think it worked." Let me ask this question: When  did Elevation Church begin? In   2006 when we had our first service? In   1980 when Faith Furtick welcomed a beautiful  baby boy into the world and took him to church?   My grandfather dedicated me and baptized me to the  Lord in the Methodist church. That's one answer.   When did this church, this ministry begin?   When a boy from Warner Robins, Georgia, sat down  in a restaurant in Moncks Corner, South Carolina,   and answered me when I said, "Where did the  dinosaurs come from?" Who asks this stuff? I did. Then I think about my mom up there,  and I think about Jody right here.   (And I think about LJ playing softly  so I can start closing this sermon.)   I think about me being in the middle of  y'all, even just how this feels right now.   I think about when you walked in the  doors of our church for the first time,   and I think about when God grabbed ahold  of you and you said, "You know what?   I want to be a part of something bigger than me."   When did…? I know you feel sometimes like… At least I  do. Maybe you're just more mature than me.  I know you sometimes feel like, "I can't  keep doing all this. It's too much.   I can't keep fighting this. I  don't feel like trying today.   I don't feel like being me today. I don't  feel like sowing into somebody else today."   I want you to take comfort in this:   Jesus not only saw the storm before he sent  them into it; he saw what was on the other side.   Receive that. I want you to just breathe as deeply as you can.   I promise I won't turn it into yoga,  but just breathe as deeply as you can.   God said he wanted you to catch your  breath before you leave here tonight.   Sometimes it just knocks  the wind right out of you.   You can get one text. It'll  knock the wind right out of you. The moment he fell, Jesus was  right there, and he still is.   There are miracles on the other side of this.  You know that. Right? They got to take Jesus to   Gennesaret so he could heal an entire city.  You are carrying the presence of Christ. It's exciting, and it's exhausting, but  I promise you one thing: it's worth it. thank you for watching the Elevation Church  YouTube channel don't stop here join the   efam our online extended family and join us  live every Sunday subscribe to this channel   so you don't miss a single video or live  stream and share this with a friend you   can also support the ministry by clicking the  give Now button to help us continue to reach   people around the world for Jesus Christ  thank you again for watching God bless you
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Channel: Elevation Church
Views: 364,582
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Length: 57min 9sec (3429 seconds)
Published: Sun Oct 09 2022
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