Elevation with Steven Furtick - I’m Not Trapped, I’m In Training! (The Basin)

Episode Date: May 10, 2023

What feels like disappointment right now might actually be development. Today, you can take a step toward what you’re wishing for. You’re not trapped; you’re in training. If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://www.elevationchurch.org/giving/ Scripture References: 1 John 5, verses 14-15 1 Samuel 27, verse 1See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, I'm coming to you now from The Basin. This is a special bonus teaching that I recorded just for you. To break it down a little more, to take it a little deeper. I hope you enjoy this overflow message. Let me know. Let me know. Let's go.

I promised you that I would do a bonus teaching from the basin. Here I am. Here's my Bible, digitally. I got a big, I got a big paper Bible too, so don't worry. Put this in the chat right now. I'm not trapped. I'm in training. Put it in the comments.

Take a moment. Write it down. I'm not trapped. I'm in training. That was one line that I said in my sermon. sermon Sunday. One line, and I promise you that it is, it is taking me a lifetime, a lifetime to learn that perspective. This is not something that I naturally am inclined to think, and I'll tell you why. I think I am hardwired for pessimism. I am not blaming anyone. I am not blaming my mom. I am not blaming

my mom, my dad, their parents, or my babysitter when I was seven. I'm not blaming my fifth grade teacher. I'm not blaming Putin. I'm not blaming the president. I'm not blaming the senator. I'm not blaming anybody but me that over time, I have developed a tendency to tell myself that I'm trapped. I do it in big ways. I do it in small ways. I give you a small example. Then I give you a big example. Then I give you scripture. And then we'll unpack it together in this bonus teaching from the basin. The sermon was called delayed praise. Go watch it right now on Elevation Church YouTube if you haven't yet. And then come back to this because this comes from that. This comes from that. This comes from that. Put that in the comments too. This comes from that.

And if you saw the sermon already, you'll know that kind of has a double meaning. All right. Small example. Oh, man, when I have a task that I need to do but kind of don't want to do, I will invent obstacles to getting that done. I will invent obstacles to getting that done. I will invent a reason that, and I want to use a very current. example of this, I can't study for my sermon right now because I only have 15 minutes. Well, I have 15 minutes. Yeah, but I only have 15 minutes. So what I did, I invented a time

obstacle or a time limit where I told myself, unless I have a full hour and a half, I can't study from my sermon. When the truth is, I know my entire sermon library, shout out Logos Bible software, my entire sermon research library is on my phone. I don't even have to be by my library. So the idea that I need all this time and a library is a lie because I have my library. And there have been many times where I've told myself, I can't work on my sermon right now. I don't have enough time. I invent limited time as a trap. When the truth is, let's get to the truth. And if you want to kind of write down some keywords here, we've got trap, truth, training.

Okay? The trap that I tell myself is I don't have enough time. The truth is I have my entire library and the compressed time 15 minutes might actually make me go in harder and deeper. And it might actually hit me in a different way if I do it in the environment that I'm in. let's say I'm at Abby softball or Graham's wrestling or I'm with Elijah and I have an idea that I want to look into real quick. Doing it in that format, that time constraint might actually release a different wave of thought than it would if I sat down and locked myself in the room for three hours. Now there's time to sit down and do the extended study and I do that as well. But see,

I just invented a reason to feel resistance. I told myself I was trapped. And the truth is, I could do it a little bit now, a little bit later. Another way that I do it, I tell myself the story that somebody else doesn't want to do something. When the truth of it is, I just really don't want to reach out to them because I fear rejection. So basically, I use this thing called prejection.

Have you ever heard of this? where I say to myself, they wouldn't want to do that. They're not the kind of person who would actually, and I will invent their response before I even make the request. And when I push through that many times, I'd say over half the time, when I ask them for help or when I ask them for collaboration, it surprises me how glad they are to do it.

Maybe not exactly when or what I want, but they can do something and sometimes it's even better. There have been many times where I've put something on a list and then moved it to another list and moved it to another list and moved it to another list. Oh, I'm going to get around to this. I'm going to do that. I'm going to do the other. And I keep bouncing it from list to list. And I am a list maker.

Y'all would be shocked to see how many lists. Maybe you wouldn't be shocked. Maybe you're the same way. How many lists I make. And I love list. And they're amazing when I am moving through the list and bringing the list into my real life. But see, if all I do is invent things on a list that I'm going to get around to, when a certain person gets back to me or when I have more information, I'm really lying to myself. I'm trapped in the concept of what I want to do rather than doing something concrete to move forward.

I wrote down a little phrase for myself yesterday. Really cool phrase. It said, first I put it as a question. am I working toward what I'm wishing for? Isn't that powerful? Put that in the comments. Am I working toward what I'm wishing for? Because I think we all get an idea of like,

oh, man, I would love to have more family dinners. Oh, I would love to take more time to actually develop myself spiritually. Oh, I would actually love to read through the Bible one day when, you know, it's a wish list. But I found out that we don't get results from our wish list. We get results from our workflow. Wish list. It's good to dream.

Now unto him is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that works mightily in us. I mean, there are desires God puts in your heart. Psalm 374 says that he will give you the desires of your heart. We read a scripture this week. Oh, it's so powerful. When we read it, we could almost barely believe it because it came at the end of a sermon where we had been talking the whole sermon about that's why I trust him from our new song, Trust in God that just released. And how when we're making list in our mind of things that God has done for us, starting with what he did for us on Calvary when he gave his son, how he redeemed us and delivered us from sin.

how he delivered us from our fear, how he took away our shame. I mean, that is the greatest thing that he's done for giving us, made us a new creation, given us his Holy Spirit. That's why I trust him with these bills. That's why I trust him with this situation with my family member. That's why I trust him with this business deal. That's why I trust him in this real estate transaction. That's why I trust him to apologize and leave justice in his hands for the part that that I think the other person did wrong because of all of the things that he did for me that money can't buy and that the world can't take away. That's why I trust him. And I did a whole segment of the sermon about that's why and how we're all going through a this in our life, a struggle, a delay, a

back. For many, it's depression, for many, it's anxiety, but for many, it is not that easily labeled or diagnosed. It's just a situation that I can't figure out. We all have a this, that we're having to trust God in this. Well, look what the scripture said in 1st John 5. He said, this, verse 14, you're not going to believe how beautiful the scripture is. This is the confidence we have in approaching God. That, if we ask anything, according to his will, he hears us. Now, we can't just make up our wish and, okay, God, I want four supermodel wives. I want to have, I want to have big biceps and a tight core and no workout regimen and eat 5,000 calories a day. You know, come on.

Like, we got to get within the will of God and the purpose of God. And then ask him and have confidence in this. That, if we ask anything according to as well, he hears us. I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered. If you watch the sermon, you already saw how that's why I trust him. Because I have confidence that he hears me. Like Jesus, standing at the grave of Lassie. who was dead inside. And Jesus prayed and he said, Father, I thank you that you hear me. I know you

always hear me. I just said that for the benefit of those listening so that they can see the relationship that we have and give the glory to you when you do what you're about to do. So when I ask God, I have to come into the confidence that he hears me, but it gets better. verse 15. And if we know, if we know that, somebody put in the comments, I know that. I know that he hears me. God's not death. His arm isn't short. His hand isn't slack that he can't save. He can deliver me from my fears. Psalm 37, Psalm 34, verse 3. And if we know that, he hears us. There's the word that again. Whatever we ask in accordance with his will, we know that we have, what? we asked of him.

So, am I working toward what I'm wishing for? And am I asking God with the confidence that he hears me? Do I know that? Or have I allowed the enemy to make me believe? Watch this. I'm going to go real deep real quick. So you've got to get ready. To suddenly believe that my prayer.

that my prayers are powerless to suddenly believe that the way it is is the way it's always going to be to suddenly believe that it doesn't matter what I do. Things are how they are. It is what it is. Well, it is what it is. But that's not the end of it. That's not the end of it. So acceptance comes first. This situation is what it is. Sick in my body. hurting, betrayed, feeling weak. That's fine. I ask God to show me direction for the next best thing that he's called me to do. And then I believe by faith that whatever he tells me to do will be a step toward what I'm asking him for.

And I take it. Take the step. Take the step. in confidence. And as you move forward in this season, this struggle, as you move through this stronghold, as you take this step of obedience to God, whatever that may be for you,

whatever that may be for you, you have, and this is what my brother-in-law was texting me about yesterday from the message, you have so many that's to look back on that were formerly a this, in your life. Oh, I'm never going to get through this. And you did. I don't know what to do about this, but God gave you away through it. Oh, if this happens, I can't handle it. I won't be able to make it.

And this happened. I'm cleaning up the statement a little bit. They say, this happens. They say something else, but I'm saying, this happens. And then God steps in and delivers you and he keeps you. And you say, oh, he got me through that. Now, as you go through this, whatever it currently is today, you say, this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Why? Because I know that he is with me. I want you to put like at least one I know that in the chat right now, in the comments right now. Do it. I know that God loves me. I know that God is good.

I know that he's in control. I know that I'm forgiven. I know that I'm his child. I know that all things work together for my good. I know that he knows the plans he has for me. And now I'm not only asking for what I'm believing him for, and I use the word wish, because it gets a little bit more specific. Am I working toward what I'm wishing for?

According to his will. And I believe God wants to get us to the place. Watch this. This is strong. But I believe it. Where what we wish and what he wills become one and the same as we move forward. Now, that's a process. I know it is.

I know it is. And when I said earlier, this comes from that. And I'm talking about how my teaching today comes from a sermon. Your life is like that. You know, when David was running from Saul, I talked about seven years he ran from Saul. I talked about how he had to have this space between when God showed him what he was going to be a king. And he showed him that when he was a little kid, only 17 years old. But there was a space where he was running.

from Saul and he had to go hide in the caves with 600 vagabond men. I mean, oh, distressed and broke and discouraged and worn out and in debt. That's who David had around him. A lot of them were his family members. And he spent a lot of time in what we would call disappointment. But here's one thing I didn't really get to say on my message. At the time, it felt like disappointment, but now I see it was development. Again, at the time it felt like disappointment, but now I see it as development. When David 1st Samuel 27 was hiding in the territory of the Philistines, he made this statement, one of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is escaped to the land of the Philistines.

Oh, that must have been so disappointing for David. He wanted to help Saul. He wanted to fight for his people. He wanted to settle in. He wanted to use his gift. He's in his 20s and developing. And yet he's so disappointed, but the disappointment is development.

He has to go hide amongst the enemy. But God was doing something in his. him while he was hiding amongst his enemy. Write this down. Put it in the comments. God is using my enemy to do something in me. God is using my enemy to do something in me. By enemy here, I don't mean Philistines. I don't even mean other people necessarily, although it can be. But even they're not the enemy. We wrestle not against flesh and flesh. blood. God is using circumstances that are uncomfortable for you. God is using situations that feel unstable for you to stabilize you so that you can say, greater is he that is in me than my enemy.

Say it out loud. Greater is he that is in me than my enemy. Greater is he that is in me than my insecurity. greater is he that is in me than any incompetency. God is developing me. God is disciplining me. Not in a punishment-oriented way. No. But for purpose, for progress, for progress, that's what it's been about. He spent 16 months amongst the Philistines, 16 months amongst his enemies.

But what was David learning while he was there? He was learning how Philistines fight because these were the enemies he would defeat. I feel gone on that. God is using this season to get you ready. Like they used to say in the Baptist Church, God is preparing me for what he has prepared for me. That's it. I'm not trapped. I'm in training.

God gives you resistance training to teach you the revelation of who he is. so you will seek him. I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered. But what David doesn't say anything about is the space between. That is training. That's you right now. You're feeling trapped. I know you are.

You're feeling like this isn't the life I wanted. This isn't where I wanted to be at this stage. I wanted to be farther along. I wanted to have more money. I wanted to have more whatever education. I wanted to have more data on. this. I wanted to have more people. That's okay. And maybe you could have if you had done it a little differently. We all make mistakes. The point of this message is right now that the grace of God can

fill that space. The grace of God can fill that space between where you thought you'd be and who you want to be and where you are and who you are. Let the grace of God in. Let him train you in his grace. Be strong in the grace. Paul told Timothy. Somebody looked that scripture up and put it in the comments for us because I don't know exactly where it is. But God is saying today be strong in the grace. I want to hear from you right now on these comments. I want to hear from you right now, not only what is a that in your life that you know God is going to bring you through, not because you can see it with your senses, but because you've tasted and seen that the Lord is good. I want to know what in your life right now is the next best thing that God is calling you to do. And I want it to be so

specific, okay? I want to know what's on your list that you need to move into your real life. What's on your list of that's that you've already seen God do? I use that as a, what do you call it, an acronym, an acrostic? I don't remember the technical term. Things he already taught me, things he already told you, things he already brought you through, T-H-A-T. What's the that you need to hold to as you go through this? Is it a verse? Is it an affirmation? Is it a faith confession?

And then what's the next thing that he's called you to do to move into the role that he's revealed to you about who you are, who you're to be, how you're to respond, not just react? Because if you live your life in reaction mode in the season of your life, you are going to prolong the season of pain. You are going to prolong the season of paralysis. No, you've got to just move toward what you believe God's will is. And for David, that looked very messy for 16 months.

And for seven years, it looked like that he was moving away from what God gave him. And we all feel that way like, oh, I feel like it's two steps forward, four steps back. But I used a powerful illustration at the end of my sermon Sunday. And you can go and watch it right now if you didn't see it. How even the song, Trust in God that we wrote, even that song was made so much better by a delay, a slight delay in the writing room. And you can see that illustrated in real time. That sometimes God pushes back the that you're waiting for, the next that,

So you will learn to trust him in this because you're in training. The final thought I want you to write down now. And I'm going to look and see if y'all put this stuff in the comments. You put it in the comments. I'm going to do another one of these because it'll let me know that you're listening and it's working and it's worth it. I'm going to make these videos either way. I make a teaching video each day. But I'll put more of them on here if I know it's helping you because that's what I want to do.

But I want you to put this is training. This is training. And I want you to see an offense in your life as this is training. I want you to see a delay in your life as, oh, God is pushing back. That's the resistance training. Ooh, it's resistance training. You know what I mean by that? When you use weights or bands or something, it's resistance training.

God trains us through allowing us to experience resistance. And we go, oh, well, it wasn't easy. It must not be God. Are you crazy? Jesus went to a cross and endured it, despising its shame for the joy set before him. I want you to stop telling yourself, I'm trapped. Many of you are trapped in the story that you're telling yourself. You are telling yourself what David was telling himself. He thought to himself, go look it up. First Samuel 27. But David thought to himself, one of these days, I will be destroyed by the hand. of Saul. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel and I will slip out of his hand. He felt trapped. He felt like he was in

Saul's hand. No, David. You're in God's hand. And Saul's hand is not greater than God's hand. God is training you. Even the resistance of Saul was a tool in the hand of God to train David. Even the time spent in enemy territory, where does God have you right now that you don't want to be? I hate this job. I hate this school. I hate this relationship. I hate this feeling. That's okay to hate it.

You don't have to like it. But receive it as training. And do the next best thing. Be who God called you to be there. You think I haven't had jobs I didn't like? You think I didn't serve under leaders that I found difficult to follow? Well, I've been a leader that's difficult to follow. God was training me in that season so I could see what that was like.

And see, I believe God knows that. Whatever you don't know, I don't know how he's going to do that. He does. Well, I don't know where I'm going to be six months from now. He does. So can you trust him with this? Because you know that he knows. I don't know, but I know.

that he knows. I think that's enough for now. You let me know in the comments what you got out of this. I'll be reading these comments. I'll remind you one more time, you're not trapped, you're in training. You're getting stronger. That's what the resistance is for,

and through the resistance, God's going to give you a revelation. Of his hand, his power, His strength, his will. And if you ask it, according to his will, he hears it. He hears you. He hears your heart. Not only does he hear you, but 1, John 5.15 says, And we know that we have it.

I have peace, joy, love. I have it. I have it. Say it a lot. I have it. What God wants me to have, I have it. I have it. It's mine.

Glory to God, it comes from Him. I humble myself to know that if I ask it from the Father and if it's in his will, I have it. And if I don't have it yet, I know that when the time is right, he lift me up. And until God lifts you, trust him. In Jesus' name. I'll see you soon. Love you guys. Hey, I hope you enjoyed the podcast.

And if you did, make sure to share it and subscribe so we can get you all of these new messages as soon as they're available. I also want to take a moment and thank all of you who are a part of elevation. Whether you support us financially or serve with us or just share these messages, it's because of you that we're able to reach people all around the world. And if you want more information on how to be a part of elevation, click the link in the description. Thanks again for listening. Make sure to leave a review, share the message, and subscribe.

God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.