Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, how are we feeling? Just while you're standing,
Speaker 1: I want to say, what an honor it is to
Speaker 1: be here today, What a privilege? You know? That little
Speaker 1: phrase Jehovah jirah, the first time it was used was
Speaker 1: used by Abraham, and the Bible said that when God
Speaker 1: provided the ram and the thicket and spared his son Isaac,
Speaker 1: that Abraham called that place. Everybody, say that place, that
Speaker 1: place Jehovah jirah. The Lord is my provider. God has
Speaker 1: a god of places. He's a god of people, and
Speaker 1: he's a God of seasons. Places are important. Your place
Speaker 1: is important. And I can honestly say, of Elevation Church,
Speaker 1: this is my place. It's the place that God has
Speaker 1: provided over and over and over again for me. Can
Speaker 1: I get a witness from anybody in the house that
Speaker 1: would say, this is my Jehovah jirah place. This is
Speaker 1: the place that God has spoken to me, met with me,
Speaker 1: provided for me, led me, guided me. And I'm so
Speaker 1: grateful for our pastors today. I'm so grateful for Pastor
Speaker 1: Stephen and Pastor Holly Ferdick. I'm grateful for their yes,
Speaker 1: I'm grateful for their love for God. I'm grateful for
Speaker 1: their love for each other. I so appreciate them. I
Speaker 1: appreciate what they've what they've said yes to so that
Speaker 1: we could all enter into and they're worthy of honor.
Speaker 1: And I just felt led today to pray for them
Speaker 1: before we get into our word. As they're taking a
Speaker 1: few days to rest and recharge for the rest of
Speaker 1: the year, I think it is right to pray for
Speaker 1: our pastors. Can I get an amen? Everybody? So, at
Speaker 1: every location Epham around the world, right here in Valentine,
Speaker 1: why don't we lift our hands together. Father, in the
Speaker 1: name of Jesus, we thank you for our pastors. We
Speaker 1: thank you for our covering. We thank you for this
Speaker 1: amazing man and woman of God that you have raised
Speaker 1: up for such a time as this. We thank you
Speaker 1: for Pastors Stephen and Hawley. We pray that even now
Speaker 1: you would meet with them, that even now you would
Speaker 1: refresh them, that even now, Lord, you would begin to
Speaker 1: speak to them about the future. I thank you that
Speaker 1: the greatest songs they've ever written, the greatest books they've
Speaker 1: ever written, the greatest sermons they've ever preached, are still
Speaker 1: in front of them. I thank you that their future
Speaker 1: is brighter than even their past, at all you've done
Speaker 1: in their life and through their life and for their life, Lord,
Speaker 1: over these last years, Lord, I thank you that the
Speaker 1: best is still yet to come. I thank you Lord
Speaker 1: for vision. I thank you for divine protection. I thank
Speaker 1: you that even now you begin to bless Elijah and
Speaker 1: Graham and Abby, that you begin to speak to them
Speaker 1: in their youth and lead and guide them in their
Speaker 1: youth and into their future. We pray Lord, that you
Speaker 1: would bless them, and as you bless them, that the
Speaker 1: oil would start at the top and it would flow
Speaker 1: all the way down to us. Lord, we thank you
Speaker 1: for the peace of God that's ruling and reigning right now,
Speaker 1: the provision of God, the favor of God, the hand
Speaker 1: of God that is upon them for the seasons ahead.
Speaker 1: We thank you for all they've done for us. And Lord,
Speaker 1: you said if we would refresh others, we would be refreshed.
Speaker 1: We pray for all the refreshing they've done for us. Now, Lord,
Speaker 1: would you refresh them, Lord, would you pour back into
Speaker 1: them good measure, press down, shaken together and running over.
Speaker 1: We thank you for it in the mighty name of
Speaker 1: the Lord's Jesus Christ. And if you agree with that prayer,
Speaker 1: could we give God the best praise we've given him
Speaker 1: all day, every location. Oh, come, I clap your hands,
Speaker 1: all ye people, and sound under God with a voice
Speaker 1: of triumph. Amen. Amen, High five your neighbor. While you're
Speaker 1: being seated. Tell him you look good, you sound good.
Speaker 1: I'm glad I'm sitting next to you. Praise the Lord,
Speaker 1: Praise the Lord. Hey, as Pastor Larry said, I am
Speaker 1: from Vegas, and so who's ever been in Vegas? Can
Speaker 1: I see your hand? Okay? Oh, okay, okay. I don't
Speaker 1: know if I was ready for that many hands to
Speaker 1: go up. But if if you're ever in Vegas witnessing
Speaker 1: Street evangelism, I don't know. I don't know why you
Speaker 1: go to Vegas, but if you're ever there, come say
Speaker 1: hi to us over at Citylight Church. Our commitment to
Speaker 1: you is, if you had a rough weekend, We're not
Speaker 1: going to judge you. You just get to the House
Speaker 1: of God. We will lay hands on you, we will
Speaker 1: cast the devil out of you, We'll anoint your head
Speaker 1: with oil. We'll send you home like nothing happened, Just like, man,
Speaker 1: it was great. But if you had a good weekend
Speaker 1: in Vegas, remember your boy and bring an offering amen
Speaker 1: to the House of God. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord,
Speaker 1: Praise the Lord. But we are a four year old church.
Speaker 1: We're just a little toddler church, just a baby church
Speaker 1: that has been so impacted by this ministry and so
Speaker 1: blessed by this ministry, both with prayers, advice, wisdom. So
Speaker 1: many phone calls with chunks. I pray for chunks, the
Speaker 1: amount of times that I've had to call that man
Speaker 1: and ask for help and wisdom and also financial support
Speaker 1: of you as you have sown into our city and
Speaker 1: know what God is doing here in Vegas. So thank you,
Speaker 1: thank you. Genesis chapter twelve, I'm gonna read just three
Speaker 1: verses to you, and I'm going to share a few thoughts.
Speaker 1: Genesis chapter twelve. We're going to start in verse one.
Speaker 1: The Bible said that the Lord said to Abram, leave
Speaker 1: your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and
Speaker 1: go to the land that I will show you. I
Speaker 1: will make you into a great nation. I will bless you,
Speaker 1: I will make you famous, and you will be a
Speaker 1: blessing to others. I will bless those that bless you,
Speaker 1: and I will curse those that treat you with contempt.
Speaker 1: All of the families of the earth will be blessed
Speaker 1: through you. Everybody say through you, because that's the point
Speaker 1: of the blessing of God, that it wouldn't just stop
Speaker 1: with us. Does want to do something for you, He
Speaker 1: wants to do something in you, but then it must
Speaker 1: go through you into the world. And believe God has
Speaker 1: a plan for you to be a blessing to the
Speaker 1: world and to your world, and to your family and
Speaker 1: to those all around you. So with that in mind,
Speaker 1: I want to talk from this subject one life, one life?
Speaker 1: What could God do with one life completely surrender to him?
Speaker 1: What could he do with one life? A faith? Let's
Speaker 1: believe that God's going to speak to us now. Father,
Speaker 1: I thank you for your word. I thank you for
Speaker 1: the moments we share. I pray for a tailor made
Speaker 1: word for your people, for every person in the room,
Speaker 1: every person in every auditorium, every person online. I pray
Speaker 1: that you would go beyond me, preach past me, and
Speaker 1: give people what they need. Today. Our hearts are open,
Speaker 1: we're listening, we're leaning in. We believe You're going to
Speaker 1: speak to us now. In the mighty name of Jesus.
Speaker 1: Everybody said Amen, Amen and Amen, thank you guys. Can
Speaker 1: we appreciate the worship team one more time? Clap your
Speaker 1: hands for them. This just past June tenth, I celebrated
Speaker 1: my twenty fourth year of being a Christian. Jesus saved
Speaker 1: my life June tenth, nineteen ninety eight. And this September
Speaker 1: I'll celebrate twenty years of full time ministry. And here's
Speaker 1: what I want to tell you. After twenty four years
Speaker 1: of walking with the Lord, twenty years of ministry to
Speaker 1: the body of Christ, I love Jesus. Anybody else? Am
Speaker 1: I in the right room? Okay? I love the Lord,
Speaker 1: I really do. I love Church. I love Church. I
Speaker 1: love coming in here. I mean I just cried through worship,
Speaker 1: just cry just watching Tiffany sing and John Sing and
Speaker 1: the team say. I just love I love Church. I
Speaker 1: love God, I love the Kingdom. I love what God
Speaker 1: is doing in the earth, and I love the Lord.
Speaker 1: I love the Lord for a lot of reasons. But
Speaker 1: one of the reasons that I love God so much
Speaker 1: is that he uses us. That's amazing to me that
Speaker 1: he doesn't just save us, but the Bible said that
Speaker 1: he saves us and he calls us with a holy calling.
Speaker 1: It is so unfair to be a Christian because we
Speaker 1: not only receive Christ, not only receive forgiveness, not only
Speaker 1: receive new life, but we receive purpose. That God does
Speaker 1: something with our life. That God makes something of our life.
Speaker 1: That God brings honor and dignity to our name and
Speaker 1: to our family tree, and to our future. He even
Speaker 1: redeems all that we've gone through and makes something beautiful
Speaker 1: of it. This is the God that we serve, that
Speaker 1: in our immaturity and in our imperfections, and in our shoes,
Speaker 1: in our sometimes bad attitudes, he calls us and he
Speaker 1: anoints us, and he uses us for his glory. This
Speaker 1: is amazing to me that we don't just watch God move,
Speaker 1: but we get to be a part of his move.
Speaker 1: The Bible said in First Crinthian Chapter one, Remember, dear
Speaker 1: brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in
Speaker 1: the world's eyes, or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead,
Speaker 1: God chose those things we are, those things the world
Speaker 1: considers foolish in order to shame those that think they
Speaker 1: are wise, And He chose things that are powerless to
Speaker 1: shame those that are powerful. This is our story that
Speaker 1: God can take just one person. That God can use
Speaker 1: one life for his glory and literally change nations, change communities,
Speaker 1: change the last name of your family. That God can
Speaker 1: do something that what God did with Abraham, Abraham is
Speaker 1: the father of our faith, that he is the model
Speaker 1: of our faith. That the same way that God used Abraham,
Speaker 1: God can use us the same way that God changed
Speaker 1: Abraham's family. He can change us the same way that
Speaker 1: He brought a great, beautiful plan and purpose to his life.
Speaker 1: He can do the same thing with us. This is
Speaker 1: who God is. And you're sitting there going but I'm
Speaker 1: not good enough, and I don't think I pray enough,
Speaker 1: and I definitely don't feel like I know enough. I
Speaker 1: just want you to know you're exactly who God wants
Speaker 1: to use. God doesn't use perfect people because they don't exist.
Speaker 1: We still think they do, but they don't. We're still
Speaker 1: convinced that we're messed up, but they're not. But that's
Speaker 1: just not the truth. Some people are just better at
Speaker 1: covering up their issues than other people. So it's not
Speaker 1: perfect people that God uses because God doesn't happen. He
Speaker 1: so he uses me, and he uses you, and he
Speaker 1: uses us to do something amazing in the earth. God
Speaker 1: let us not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
Speaker 1: And if God has called you, no one can cancel you. Ah, yes, yes,
Speaker 1: And if God has called you, don't wait another moment
Speaker 1: to step into that call. All God needs is a yes,
Speaker 1: use what you got and let God use you. And
Speaker 1: you're going yeah, but I but I can't. But I
Speaker 1: can't preach like pastor Steven join the club. None of
Speaker 1: us can. I ain't even trying. I gave up on that.
Speaker 1: But but I can't sing like then, none of us can.
Speaker 1: That's okay, But if we all just do what God's
Speaker 1: called us to do. See, this becomes powerful when we're
Speaker 1: in partnership, when we all do what God's called us
Speaker 1: to do. This is what happened to Moses right in
Speaker 1: Exodus chapter four. God says Moses, I'm going to use
Speaker 1: your life, and Moses says he can't use my life.
Speaker 1: I can't talk, and God says, I don't need your mouth.
Speaker 1: He said, what's in your hand, because I'll take I'll
Speaker 1: take whatever your gift is, I'll take whatever your talent is,
Speaker 1: I'll take whatever your ability is, I'll take I'll take
Speaker 1: whoever you are, and I'll use it for my glory.
Speaker 1: I'll take something natural and I'll put my spirit on
Speaker 1: it and I'll make it supernatural. And your gift can
Speaker 1: only take you so far. But if you would ever
Speaker 1: let God use your life. Oh, Jaban, I'm just to
Speaker 1: stay at home. Mom. No you're not. You're raising up
Speaker 1: world changers and history makers. Jaban, I'm just a barista.
Speaker 1: No no, you're keeping us alive. Dog like. We don't
Speaker 1: live without you. We need you. I'm just a real
Speaker 1: estate agent. I'm just a that. No. No, no, all
Speaker 1: together are our corporate Yes, changes the world. I want
Speaker 1: to be used by God. I want God to do
Speaker 1: something great with my life. And in order for my
Speaker 1: one life to make a difference. Umber one, I need
Speaker 1: one word. I need one word. First one, said the
Speaker 1: Lord said to abram Our, God speaks. Please don't skip
Speaker 1: past this again and again and again. In scripture, God
Speaker 1: meets with his people. And if you read the Bible,
Speaker 1: you're gonna find this out. God never shows up without
Speaker 1: a word. If you're in the presence of God, you
Speaker 1: will be in the presence of the voice of God.
Speaker 1: That's why the presence of God is so important. That's
Speaker 1: why so important that we get in church, because when
Speaker 1: we get in his presence, he always speaks. He never
Speaker 1: shows up and doesn't talk. God speaks. God loves to talk.
Speaker 1: God knows how powerful words are, and that is why
Speaker 1: he speaks, because he knows something we don't know that
Speaker 1: with just one word from God, our whole life can change.
Speaker 1: God still speaks to his people today. God will give
Speaker 1: you a word. He'll give you a word about your marriage.
Speaker 1: He'll give you a word about your future. He'll give
Speaker 1: you a word about your ministry. God will speak to you.
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about being flaky or kookie and telling people, Yeah,
Speaker 1: God told me what to wear today. Now I didn't.
Speaker 1: God didn't tell me to wear black. I'm just trying
Speaker 1: to be a little more slimming. Amen. Pastor Stephen eats protein.
Speaker 1: I eat carbs. Praise the Lord. We balance each other out.
Speaker 1: It's the it's the unity and harmony of the faith.
Speaker 1: Praise God. Ah, that's funny. It's it's that. It's that
Speaker 1: God will speak to you. God will lead you. God
Speaker 1: will God will God. God will talk to you about
Speaker 1: your kids. Better listen up, teenagers. God will start talking
Speaker 1: to your parents about you. He'll start He'll start telling
Speaker 1: on you. God will, God will leave, God will guide
Speaker 1: if if you feel like you're hitting a wall right now,
Speaker 1: if you feel like you're hitting a glass ceiling right now,
Speaker 1: you need a word from God. And notice who spoke.
Speaker 1: The Bible said, the Lord spoke. This word the Lord
Speaker 1: is the Hebrew word Yahweh or also translated Jehovah. Yahweh
Speaker 1: is God's most holy and appropriate names. His most holy
Speaker 1: and appropriate name, Yahweh means the uncreated one, preexistent one.
Speaker 1: I've just always been God above all small g gods,
Speaker 1: Lord above all small l lords. God says Abram. This
Speaker 1: is the first time they meet. I want you to
Speaker 1: know my name. God has a name. See, God is
Speaker 1: not a name. God is a title. I'm a human,
Speaker 1: but my name is shaven. God is God. But he
Speaker 1: has a name, and it's Yahweh. And when he introduces
Speaker 1: himself to Abraham, he says, I need you to know
Speaker 1: my name. I need you to know who I am.
Speaker 1: I am Yahweh God. The reason that this is important
Speaker 1: is because Abraham was a polytheis just a little fancy
Speaker 1: word for he had many gods. And God is letting
Speaker 1: Abraham know I'm the God above all those little g
Speaker 1: gods that you've been serving. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. So
Speaker 1: if Abraham needed water, he'd go pray to the rain god.
Speaker 1: If he need a fire and go pray to the
Speaker 1: fire God. If Sarah couldn't get pregnant, he'd go pray
Speaker 1: to the baby God. If he need food, to go
Speaker 1: pray to food God if he needed if he need
Speaker 1: a victory in battle, he go pray to the God
Speaker 1: of war. He had a god for everything. And now
Speaker 1: the Lord shows up and says, yo, you don't need
Speaker 1: them anymore. Yes, yes, yes, you got me. Now you
Speaker 1: need water, you come talk to me. You're in a drought.
Speaker 1: You come talk to me. Why can't get pregnant? You
Speaker 1: come talk to me. Need food? You come talk to me.
Speaker 1: Going into battle, you come talk to me. You don't
Speaker 1: need all these other little g gods anymore that are
Speaker 1: doing nothing for you. Yahweh is here. You don't need
Speaker 1: to settle. Stop settling for little g gods that are
Speaker 1: making you feel safe but are actually keeping you small.
Speaker 1: Yahweh is here. Yahweh wants to speak to you. Yahwegh
Speaker 1: has a word for you. And what you need is Yahweh.
Speaker 1: This is why when God would introduce himself to Moses
Speaker 1: in Exodustry, he would use the same verbic. You would say,
Speaker 1: I am that I am. I am Yahweh. You need healing.
Speaker 1: I am you need provision. I am you need wisdom.
Speaker 1: I am you need a breakthrough. I am you need help.
Speaker 1: I am you need encouragement. I am you need the
Speaker 1: healing of a broken heart. Whatever you need. I am.
Speaker 1: So stop running to little ge gods that can do
Speaker 1: nothing for you. You God, I am. And I want
Speaker 1: to tell somebody here today, I am is here, right here,
Speaker 1: right now. Because he is, I am healed, and because
Speaker 1: he is, I do have everything I need. I think
Speaker 1: it's time for our first praise to break somebody. Thank
Speaker 1: God that his name is Yahweh God. Some of y'all
Speaker 1: rolling your eyes because you're going, hey, But I'm an American.
Speaker 1: I know there's only one God. I got it. I
Speaker 1: got it. But we all settle for little g gods.
Speaker 1: We settle for the God of approval and and the
Speaker 1: God of the fear of man, and and and and
Speaker 1: the God of culture, and the God of popularity, and
Speaker 1: we we and the God of fear and the and
Speaker 1: we we all the god of greed. We all settle
Speaker 1: for little g gods that again they they they make
Speaker 1: us feel safe, because we feel like any god that
Speaker 1: you can control your flesh likes. That's why the Bible
Speaker 1: says that we have to pull down strongholds. See, a
Speaker 1: stronghold is a fortress. That's one of the meanings of
Speaker 1: the words. So when we hide behind our stronghold, we
Speaker 1: feel safe, but it's actually keeping us small. But another
Speaker 1: word for stronghold is also casket burial grounds, So we
Speaker 1: think we're safe hi in our stronghold, but it's actually
Speaker 1: killing us spiritually worshiping things that cannot get us what
Speaker 1: we really We know what we want, but we're going
Speaker 1: to all the wrong places for it. Doesn't that sound
Speaker 1: like Mary when she went looking for the living Savior
Speaker 1: in the wrong place and the Angel said, why are
Speaker 1: you looking for the living among the dead? Why are
Speaker 1: you here? You're looking for the right thing, but you're
Speaker 1: looking for it in the wrong place. And someone fifteen
Speaker 1: says that we will be like what we worship. Someone
Speaker 1: fifteen says, be careful, because if you're not careful, you
Speaker 1: will end up worshiping god gods that have eyes but
Speaker 1: cannot see in ears that cannot hear, in hearts that
Speaker 1: cannot understand, and hands that cannot move, and feet that
Speaker 1: cannot walk, and those who worship them will be like them.
Speaker 1: So if I worship dead things, I'm going to be
Speaker 1: dead spiritually. But I don't worship a dead God. I
Speaker 1: don't worship little g gods. I worship Yah Wigh God.
Speaker 1: He is alive forevermore. And because he's alive, we live.
Speaker 1: Because he we can rise and Sarah, when you worship
Speaker 1: the Living God, your dead womb will come back to life.
Speaker 1: An elevation church, when you worship the Living God, to
Speaker 1: dreams can come back to life. And whatever you need,
Speaker 1: He is, He is, I am, He is your way God.
Speaker 1: He's got a word for you today. Somebody say, man
Speaker 1: to this preacher. I just want to remind you. Our
Speaker 1: God is not an idea. He is real. He's not
Speaker 1: a concept. He is alive. He is not a historical rumor.
Speaker 1: He is moving and active in our world. And he
Speaker 1: is not distant. He is right here, right now. Our
Speaker 1: God can be known, his voice can be heard, in
Speaker 1: his presence, can be felt. You need a word from God. Secondly,
Speaker 1: you need one risk. They're gonna have to take a
Speaker 1: risk because here's what the Lord told him. Leave. I
Speaker 1: wish it was like, Abraham, you're my son, I'm your father.
Speaker 1: I'm so proud of you. Let's just hang out. It
Speaker 1: wasn't That'd have been great, he says Abram, I'm the Lord. Okay,
Speaker 1: we got that settled. Yes, sir, leave, Leave your native country,
Speaker 1: leave your relatives, leave your father's family, leave familiar, leave
Speaker 1: what you know for what you don't know that I know.
Speaker 1: But we don't like risk. We like comfort. Now at
Speaker 1: every campus, right now, y'all are seated where you always
Speaker 1: sit because you like comfort. You know where to go,
Speaker 1: you like your angle, you like where you We all
Speaker 1: like comfort. We all like repetition. We hate change. And
Speaker 1: yet what God is calling us into is risk. God
Speaker 1: is asking us to let go of control to follow
Speaker 1: his call. Friend, you can have control or you can
Speaker 1: have faith, but you can't have both. As the most
Speaker 1: pitiful clap I've ever heard at elevation in church, and
Speaker 1: I've been watching for a long time, I was because
Speaker 1: we want control. And here's why some of you, I'll
Speaker 1: just say, are spiritually miserable because you are trying to
Speaker 1: balance control and faith, and you can't because even the
Speaker 1: control you think you feel isn't really control anyway, it's
Speaker 1: just a false sense of control. And so you might
Speaker 1: as well lean into faith. You might as well lean
Speaker 1: into what God has for you. You You might as well
Speaker 1: trust the plane of God for your life. You've got
Speaker 1: to have to take a risk. Somebody say, take a risk.
Speaker 1: Everything you want in your life, every good thing you
Speaker 1: want in your life, every great thing you want in
Speaker 1: your life, every god thing you want in your life,
Speaker 1: is outside of your comfort zone, not inside outside. The
Speaker 1: call of God requires leaving, leaving what you know for
Speaker 1: what God knows, leaving your plan for God's plan, leaving
Speaker 1: your will for God's will. And and it's it's so
Speaker 1: much better. See before you've done it, it sounds so scary,
Speaker 1: but once you've said yes to God, you realize, Oh,
Speaker 1: that's where the joy is, that's where the peace is,
Speaker 1: that's where the contentment is, that's where the life is.
Speaker 1: It's in the following of God, not trying to get
Speaker 1: God to follow well my plan, not inviting God into
Speaker 1: my plan, but finding out God's plan. I've again been
Speaker 1: in this now for twenty years, and I've seen so
Speaker 1: many people experience some level of connection with Jesus, they
Speaker 1: follow God on some level, maybe even go into ministry,
Speaker 1: and then they go back to their old life. I
Speaker 1: don't judge that. I get it. I'm not better than
Speaker 1: them or not better than them. I'll tell you, I
Speaker 1: think they go back because they just couldn't leave familiar
Speaker 1: They couldn't leave their country, they couldn't leave what they knew.
Speaker 1: This new life sounds really great on Sunday, but feels
Speaker 1: really awkward on Wednesday. This new life feels so hope
Speaker 1: filled when you're hearing past for Stephen preach, but by
Speaker 1: Thursday you're wondering what the heck am I doing with
Speaker 1: my life? Because I'm leaving what I've known for so
Speaker 1: long for something new, and it the hope of it
Speaker 1: feels so good, but the walking it out feels so scary.
Speaker 1: Can I get a witness from one honest saint in
Speaker 1: the house. I didn't like my old life, but I
Speaker 1: knew my old life. I didn't trust my old friends,
Speaker 1: but at least I had friends. I'm not proud of
Speaker 1: what I used to do on the weekend, but at
Speaker 1: least I have something to do on the weekend. I
Speaker 1: don't like how I would respond to anger, But at
Speaker 1: least I knew what to do in those moments. I
Speaker 1: knew I knew how to act with my emotions. I
Speaker 1: knew what to I knew how to act with my lusts,
Speaker 1: and I knew how to act with my depression. I
Speaker 1: knew how to act with what I had experienced all
Speaker 1: of my life. And now I'm in this new life
Speaker 1: and it's so awkward and it's so uncomfortable. And now
Speaker 1: I'm having to go to church, and I'm going to
Speaker 1: church alone. And I used to have a crew, but
Speaker 1: I haven't found a new crew yet. So here I am,
Speaker 1: and I'm walking into church, and I'm walking in and
Speaker 1: there's sweet little people with scientists. Are you so ready?
Speaker 1: And We're like, I'm trying my best. I'm giving it
Speaker 1: a shot, and I don't like where I was. I'm
Speaker 1: so grateful for what God is doing, but this new
Speaker 1: thing is so unfamiliar to me. So we can end
Speaker 1: up sounding like the children of Israel who go to
Speaker 1: Moses and say, Moses, we miss the leaks and the
Speaker 1: onions of Egypt. Now here's the kicker. They gave it
Speaker 1: to us at no cost, no cost, about four hundred
Speaker 1: years of slavery and abuse and humiliation and pain no cost. See,
Speaker 1: because if you're not careful, you will sugarcoat your past
Speaker 1: and you'll remember the good and ignore the bad. And
Speaker 1: that's what the devil. The devil will remind you of
Speaker 1: the good of your past while ignoring the pain of
Speaker 1: your past, and you'll start see, you'll start missing the
Speaker 1: spice of your old life, the garlic and onions of
Speaker 1: your old life, because now you're in a new life.
Speaker 1: And this new life is its manna and quail. I
Speaker 1: don't know, I don't know the last time you were
Speaker 1: going out on a date night and you're like, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm really craving like some quail and crackers, just like hmm.
Speaker 1: Now this is for another time and another sermon. But
Speaker 1: every time God would move Israel, he'd give him a
Speaker 1: new diet. So they went from leaks and onions and
Speaker 1: to manna and quail. But there is a promise land. Oh.
Speaker 1: I want to talk to anybody in a wilderness right now.
Speaker 1: I want to talk to anyone who's left their old
Speaker 1: life but hasn't entered fully into their new life. I
Speaker 1: want to talk to anybody that has left Egypt but
Speaker 1: hasn't quite made it to the promise. There is milk
Speaker 1: and honey for you. There are vineyards you're not gonna
Speaker 1: have to till, and houses you're not gonna have to
Speaker 1: build in cities that you're not gonna have to construct.
Speaker 1: There is bitter days for you. But you've got to
Speaker 1: make it through the wilderness. You've got to make it
Speaker 1: through the dark. You've got to make it through the manner.
Speaker 1: You've got to make it through the quail. You've got
Speaker 1: to make it through. I can still remember Egypt. I've
Speaker 1: never seen my promise land. And it's kind of easy
Speaker 1: for us preachers to get up here and preach the
Speaker 1: stuff because we're experiencing fruit now and some of you
Speaker 1: are still in seed form, so you're still in the dark.
Speaker 1: You're still wondering what is this whole thing? But if
Speaker 1: you just won't quit, I get some help in this
Speaker 1: church right now. If you just won't give up in
Speaker 1: the ground, if you just won't quit in the wilderness,
Speaker 1: if you just won't quit in the storm, there is
Speaker 1: a land for you. There is fruit for you. There
Speaker 1: is good for you. There is breakthrough for you. But
Speaker 1: you're gonna have to trust God. You're gonna have to
Speaker 1: leave familiar. You're gonna have to leave one place stander
Speaker 1: into another place. Who God has a place for you,
Speaker 1: a people for you. But you have to be willing
Speaker 1: to leave where you are for what God has for you.
Speaker 1: I cannot break the curse and stay in the familiar.
Speaker 1: I cannot change the future without first ruthlessly leaving my past.
Speaker 1: I cannot step into the new thing till I leave
Speaker 1: the old thing. So I must leave what is comfortable
Speaker 1: for the Kingdom call on my life. And it won't
Speaker 1: just happen once. It will happen many times throughout your
Speaker 1: life where God will ask you to take a step
Speaker 1: of faith and you're going to have to believe Him
Speaker 1: and trust him. And it's scary and it's new. I
Speaker 1: don't know if you've ever seen this offensive question in
Speaker 1: the scriptures when Jesus would walk up to people and go,
Speaker 1: so do you want to be healed? Has anybody ever
Speaker 1: read that? And you're in the flesh and you read
Speaker 1: that and go, I'm start tomorrow again. I can't write
Speaker 1: now because it's like what But see, if you allow
Speaker 1: one way of doing life to carry you for so long,
Speaker 1: it can be challenging to now walk by faith, and
Speaker 1: I have to get to the point of going. I
Speaker 1: do want to be healed. I do want to grow.
Speaker 1: I do want to leave this for what you have
Speaker 1: for me. I do want to trust you into the unknown.
Speaker 1: It's gonna be scary, it's gonna be new, But God,
Speaker 1: if you're in it, I want it. I'm challenging someone
Speaker 1: to take the risk, to leave familiar, to leave the
Speaker 1: comfort zone and enter into what God has for you. Friend,
Speaker 1: it was more comfortable for Abram to stay where he was.
Speaker 1: It was more comfortable for David to stay with the sheep.
Speaker 1: It would have been more comfortable for Gideon to stay
Speaker 1: in the press. It would have been more comfortable for
Speaker 1: Elisha to tread his fields. It would have been more
Speaker 1: comfortable for Peter to stay in the boat. It would
Speaker 1: have been more comfortable for the Apostles to stay in Jerusalem.
Speaker 1: But nothing great will happen in the comfort zone. And
Speaker 1: if God is leading you right now, God is guiding
Speaker 1: you right now, God is pushing you out of the
Speaker 1: nest and into what He has for you. Say yes
Speaker 1: to it. Because it's scary for a moment, it's scary
Speaker 1: for a season, but the fruit of it is so
Speaker 1: amazing that I'm on the other side now at thirty
Speaker 1: eight years old, and I've seen the fruit of some
Speaker 1: of my obedience, and I go, thank God. I said
Speaker 1: yes when it was scary. Thank God. I left familiar
Speaker 1: when I didn't know where I was going, but I
Speaker 1: was trusting God. And now I'm walking, beginning to walk
Speaker 1: in a legacy that was so terrifying. Then. See, I
Speaker 1: call this a risk, but it's really not a risk
Speaker 1: because God is so amazing. It feels like a risk
Speaker 1: to us, but it's not to God. God is not
Speaker 1: like he wants you to leave. We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1: You nervous, abram me too. He knows. He knows what
Speaker 1: he has for you, dad, he knows what he has
Speaker 1: for your family, knows what he has for your children,
Speaker 1: he knows what he has for your future. So if
Speaker 1: it feels scary, do not be afraid. Better days are
Speaker 1: in front of you. Lastly, one move, one move, one move.
Speaker 1: So so first he says leave, and because we're hard headed,
Speaker 1: we don't get it. Here's the next thing he says,
Speaker 1: and go, Wonderful, that's me. I need the second one too.
Speaker 1: Because I'm He says, leave your family, leave your native country,
Speaker 1: leaf familiar, and go. WA's where he tells him to
Speaker 1: go to a land I will show you, and I
Speaker 1: will make you a great nation. Abraham, go where I'll
Speaker 1: show you. It's gonna be really hard to convince the
Speaker 1: wife Lord Abraha. If I show you everything, faith will
Speaker 1: not be required. See Abraham, and you're going, there will
Speaker 1: be a making. Go and I will make you. But
Speaker 1: if you go and you already know where you're going,
Speaker 1: there is no making. The transformation is not in the destination.
Speaker 1: Oh man, When I get there without the process of
Speaker 1: the going, I will get to where I want to
Speaker 1: go and still not be happy. Where there is clarity,
Speaker 1: faith is not required. And I love those moments. I
Speaker 1: love clear moments, but they're rare. Can I get a
Speaker 1: win Who's saying amen to me over here? Yeah? It's rare.
Speaker 1: I love clarity, it just doesn't happen a lot. Most
Speaker 1: of my life is in the going, and then God
Speaker 1: does the showing. And while I'm going, God is doing
Speaker 1: the making, and I have to trust him in that.
Speaker 1: Step by step, day by day, God is doing a
Speaker 1: work in me while I go, not totally sure where
Speaker 1: I'm going, but believing that if He's leading me is
Speaker 1: for my good. So I'm gonna keep walking, not sure
Speaker 1: where I'm going, but I'm gonna keep walking, not exactly
Speaker 1: sure what God has planned, but I trust this plan,
Speaker 1: and I know that even more important than where He's
Speaker 1: taking me, what is important is that I'm following him,
Speaker 1: that I'm trusting him, because it is in that process
Speaker 1: that God is changing me. So in the following, in
Speaker 1: the going, in the moving he is making, and I'll
Speaker 1: have the team come up, and I just I want
Speaker 1: to talk to people because I know there's so much
Speaker 1: uncertainty right now in our lives, and there's so many changes,
Speaker 1: and there's so much unknown right now. I just want
Speaker 1: to tell every person who's listening to me that in
Speaker 1: the midst of financial uncertainty, follow, in the midst of
Speaker 1: wars and rumors of wars, follow, in the midst of
Speaker 1: what's going to happen next, follow, in the midst of pandemics. Follow.
Speaker 1: It feels like over the last two years, it's just
Speaker 1: been thing after thing after thing. There has been so
Speaker 1: very few things that have been consistent in our life
Speaker 1: over the last few years, but there can be a
Speaker 1: consistent There can be a constant, and that is following Jesus,
Speaker 1: that is trusting God, that is walking with God. And God.
Speaker 1: I just want to declare, he will sustain us through
Speaker 1: this season. He sustained you in nineteen, he sustained you
Speaker 1: in twenty, he sustained you through twenty twenty one. He's
Speaker 1: going to sustain us in twenty two. He's going to
Speaker 1: sustain us through twenty three, twenty four, and on and on.
Speaker 1: Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And
Speaker 1: when everything is changing, I thank God for his sameness,
Speaker 1: when everything is moving, I thank God that he's unsakable.
Speaker 1: I thank God that in the midst of so much
Speaker 1: fear and worry and God, what is next. I thank
Speaker 1: God that he is holding my hand, that he is
Speaker 1: walking with me, talkting with me, and he's not just
Speaker 1: moving me. He's changing me, and in my going he's
Speaker 1: making and he's making me a great nation. And he's
Speaker 1: making your name a great name. And he's taking shame
Speaker 1: off of your name, an addiction off of your name,
Speaker 1: strong holds off of your name, curses off of your name.
Speaker 1: Your children will not know the struggles you're struggled with
Speaker 1: the struggles. Your father struggled with the struggles. Your parents
Speaker 1: had to know. They will not know where because in
Speaker 1: your going there is a making somebody say, man, so
Speaker 1: I'm going. And then here's what you gotta know. You
Speaker 1: never follow God horizontally. You always follow Jesus vertically. So
Speaker 1: maybe four said I'm going from strength to strength. John
Speaker 1: one said, I'm going from grace to grace, Romans one
Speaker 1: said I'm going from faith to faith. And the Apostle
Speaker 1: Paul said in tewod Crinians chapter three, and I need
Speaker 1: you to know this right now because there is so
Speaker 1: much uncertainty, there's so much fear in our nation, there's
Speaker 1: so much worry. Here's what you need to know. Even
Speaker 1: if you're going through a struggle like we saw in
Speaker 1: that video, you are going from glory to glory by
Speaker 1: the spirit of God. I'm following him up. I'm following
Speaker 1: him into his will. I'm following him into what he
Speaker 1: has for me. And it's a little scary, and it's
Speaker 1: a little new, and it's but he's making me. I'm
Speaker 1: not who I was. I'm not who I'm not who
Speaker 1: I was, I'm not who I thought I was, I'm not.
Speaker 1: I'm not who I was told I was. He's changed me,
Speaker 1: but he but he changed me in the following I
Speaker 1: can say this, over twenty four years of so much
Speaker 1: life change, so much changing in my world over twenty
Speaker 1: four years, and even over just the last two years,
Speaker 1: there's basically being one consistent, and it's him. I just followed.
Speaker 1: And when the cloud moved, I moved. And when the
Speaker 1: cloud stopped, I stopped. And when when he said go,
Speaker 1: I went. I'm not saying I was perfect. I'm not
Speaker 1: saying I never made I made a lot of mistakes.
Speaker 1: But if you will go, he will make you. And
Speaker 1: there's a lot right now. There's a lot of decisions
Speaker 1: being made right now in our world. There's a lot
Speaker 1: of should I do this, Should I do that? Should
Speaker 1: I sign this? Should I sign that? Should I sell this?
Speaker 1: Should I keep that? Should I? Would you follow him
Speaker 1: and trust him to do the making? Would you trust
Speaker 1: him to lead you besides still waters? You know that
Speaker 1: scripture doesn't say he leads me besides still waters. When
Speaker 1: everything's good, he said, I will create for you a space.
Speaker 1: It don't matter what's going on. I'll create a space
Speaker 1: of stillness for you, of peace for you, a place
Speaker 1: for you. Stop saying when I get there, Abram, when
Speaker 1: I get there, it'll all no, no no, no. Right now,
Speaker 1: in the going I'm making and he's doing something in
Speaker 1: me right now. It might hurt a little bit, it
Speaker 1: might be a little uncomfortable, it might be, But I
Speaker 1: would so rather be a God made man than a
Speaker 1: self made man. I would so rather be built by
Speaker 1: God than built by men. I would so rather be
Speaker 1: built by the unchanging hand of God than the ever
Speaker 1: changing hands of culture. And then he says, and then
Speaker 1: he says, and it won't stop with you, It's going
Speaker 1: to go through you. So the blessing of God is
Speaker 1: not just for more stuff and bigger things and brighter,
Speaker 1: shinier toys, not against any of that, just not where
Speaker 1: it should end. Ever, he said, I'm gonna do it
Speaker 1: through you, Abram. You don't even know it yet. But
Speaker 1: thousands of years from now, there's gonna be a preacher
Speaker 1: standing on a stage. Abrahm, what have said? What's the stage?
Speaker 1: You don't need to know right now. But he's and
Speaker 1: he's gonna be talking about you, and your faith is
Speaker 1: gonna build their faith. And now and now your faith
Speaker 1: is gonna build your children's faith and your children's children's faith,
Speaker 1: because what God wants to do for you, he wants
Speaker 1: to do through you. One move, one move? What's your move?
Speaker 1: What's your move? Is it? Is it serving in church?
Speaker 1: Is it? Is it finally jumping into love week coming
Speaker 1: up in July? Is that your move? Is it baptism?
Speaker 1: Is my hair gonna get wet? Yeah? Yeah, it's gonna
Speaker 1: get wet. Yeah. Can it wears a shower cap? Sure?
Speaker 1: But yeah, you're but you're going under. Where are people
Speaker 1: gonna think we're gonna be so happy for you, We're
Speaker 1: gonna cheer you on. We're not? Is it? Uh? Is
Speaker 1: it marriage counseling? Maybe it's marriage counseling, sir. If your
Speaker 1: wife is asking for marriage counseling, you need to go
Speaker 1: because she's been thinking about it, Fred at least two
Speaker 1: years before she ever said anything to you. Uhh, that's
Speaker 1: the word of the Lord for somebody right there? Is it?
Speaker 1: Is it? Is it getting alone with God for a
Speaker 1: few days? Parents, because you can't seem to get a
Speaker 1: breakthrough with your teenage. Is it time to just go
Speaker 1: hide away and maybe fast for a couple of days
Speaker 1: and say God, I need a word from a girl.
Speaker 1: I need a word from a boy. He'll give you
Speaker 1: one for many. Your move is to give your life
Speaker 1: to Christ. There's people in this room, at every location
Speaker 1: online that have just never have never said yes. And
Speaker 1: I want to give you that opportunity. The same prayer
Speaker 1: I prayed June ten, nineteen ninety eight, the same prayer
Speaker 1: Pastor Stephen, Pastor howly prayed at some point in their life,
Speaker 1: that prayer of surrender, that prayer of Jesus. I need you.
Speaker 1: If you've never prayed that prayer, I want to give
Speaker 1: you that opportunity. Maybe you feel far from God. You
Speaker 1: know what, Javin, I was really walking with the Lord.
Speaker 1: I love the Lord. I was serving God. And then man,
Speaker 1: I just I got distracted. I got is it time
Speaker 1: to come home? Time to come home. He's not gonna
Speaker 1: meet you at the door, arms folded, where have you been?
Speaker 1: He's gonna meet you out in the street, arms open,
Speaker 1: whites and come on in. I missed you. I love
Speaker 1: you crazy about you. I just wonder, in this sacred
Speaker 1: space of prayer, would you just bow your head and
Speaker 1: close your eyes for a moment. Every location, if you're
Speaker 1: not driving, Epham. Just close your eyes for a moment
Speaker 1: as well. Javed, I need Jesus. I need forgiveness. I
Speaker 1: need I need new life. I need hope. I need
Speaker 1: to know that heaven is my home. I need to
Speaker 1: know that God is my father. Jesus is Lord. I
Speaker 1: need to know his presence is with me. I need Jesus.
Speaker 1: Pray with me. The Bible says, if you would confess
Speaker 1: with your mouth Jesus is Lord, if you would believe
Speaker 1: in your heart, God would save you. I've made too
Speaker 1: many mistakes. Nope, not for the grace of God. I'm
Speaker 1: a pretty good person. God doesn't want pretty good. Our
Speaker 1: perfect Holy God requires perfection, and that's only through the
Speaker 1: blood of Jesus. This is for you. I've never given
Speaker 1: my life to Christ or I need to come back
Speaker 1: to Christ. Pray with me now, and I'm gonna ask
Speaker 1: every person, every location online, out loud, pray with me altogether.
Speaker 1: Say Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you died
Speaker 1: for me and rose again. I give you my life
Speaker 1: and I commit to following you, trusting you. I declare
Speaker 1: Jesus is Lord of my life. Now still no one looking,
Speaker 1: no one moved, but if that's you right now at
Speaker 1: every location, I'm gonna count to three, and when I
Speaker 1: hit three, i'm gonna ask you to raise your hand.
Speaker 1: If that was you online, there's probably prompters as well,
Speaker 1: and I'll let those online give you those prompters. But
Speaker 1: if you're in the room, if you're in a room,
Speaker 1: i'm gonna I'm just gonna hit three to give you
Speaker 1: a moment of courage and a moment of faith. Javed,
Speaker 1: that's me, I'm giving my life to Jesus. Or I'm
Speaker 1: rededicating my life to Jesus. If that's you, just as
Speaker 1: an act of faith, I'm gonna ask you to raise
Speaker 1: your hand to begin this walk with Jesus. One, two,
Speaker 1: and three. Can you shoot your hand up high all
Speaker 1: over here here and here here here, all over here,
Speaker 1: all over in here. Just keep waving at me. I
Speaker 1: want to see anybody else, anybody, anybody right here, beautiful.
Speaker 1: I know at every location it's happening. Hallelujah, hallelujah, Come on,
Speaker 1: one life. God is doing something in us and Jesus.
Speaker 1: Let's say, Oh God, I need you him a lift
Speaker 1: your volice sake. Well, if you enjoyed today's podcast, there
Speaker 1: are a couple of things I'd love for you to do.
Speaker 1: Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. You
Speaker 1: can also help us reach others by investing today at
Speaker 1: elevationchurch dot org, slash GiB and thanks again for joining
Speaker 1: us on the Elevation Podcast