Elevation with Steven Furtick - It's The Motion That Matters

Episode Date: July 28, 2024

When you’re in transition and lacking information, fear can creep in. In those times, you need to remember that faith isn’t a feeling, it’s a behavior. And sometimes, in order to move forward, you need to learn to step out in doubt. To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: www.elevationchurch.org/giving/ If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References:2 Corinthians 5, verse 7Exodus 14, verses 10-16Matthew 14, verses 22-31See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. Come on, clap those hands if you're thankful. Let's do something real quick. Let's fill the place with praise, with our testimony. We overcome by the blood of the lamb in the word of our testimony. Turn around and tell about three people, something that God has done for you. just something that you're thankful for today. It can be as simple as he woke me up.

It can be as deep as he gave me peace. Put it in the chat. Just about two or three things to be thankful for. Two or three things to be thankful for. Two or three things. Shouldn't be hard. Breath in my lungs. I've got two or three things to be thankful for.

Clothed in my right mind. I've got two or three things to be thankful for. Goodness and mercy. I got two or three things. He forgave my past and he's already in my future. I got two or three things. Hallelujah. That's good.

If there's anything that you want to accomplish during this multitasking testimony service and you are single and they are too, just reach out and say I'm thankful that they seated us next to one another today. I'm just grateful that I get to be in proximity to your anointing. How many are grateful to be in the House of the Lord? Let me see how many of you grew up with the King James Bible. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the House of the Lord. And you know it's a beautiful thing when you want to be here. And I don't know if that's the case for you or not today. But somebody wanted to be here and couldn't be here.

So I think all of us that can be here ought to thank God that he kept up to us that he kept us another day. Praise the Lord. Hey, Doe, it's so good to have you. Y'all thank God for Doe. I'm glad you're here. Congratulations on your marriage. Hey, listen, this is kind of funny.

I just thought of this. The last time I saw Doe, me and her and Josh went over in a writing room one afternoon. We wrote that song, New Thing Coming. The next time I heard her name, she was getting married. So when she said, I've got a new thing coming, that big. High five your neighbors say, I mean that thing.

Good to have you. God bless you. I got a new thing coming. I mean that thing. Maybe that could be my New Year's sermon. I mean that day. Oh, I see so many beautiful Love Week t-shirts. I see a Metallica t-shirt.

I see a Panthers t-shirt. I see a Whitney t-shirt. Do you even know three Whitney songs? Okay, she's shaking her head vociferously. I believe you then. I personally am so grateful to get to pastor church where our generosity is legendary in our city. And I know that a lot of people will say different things about me and whether my jeans are too tight or too baggy or things like that, and that's fine. But one thing they can never question about this church is your heart for the hurting to help people.

And that's awesome. And I know a lot of people like to argue about who believes the right thing and this and that, but when we get out there and show the love of Jesus, it kind of silences all of that and just puts it in action. So tell your neighbor, you're going to look great in green. That's the color of the shirt. It's more green, babe, than yellow. I'm looking at it. Kind of green.

It's like completely green. It's not even a little yellow. Didn't Holly look pretty up here in her custom blue lovely shirt? Huh? Host shirt. Well, you can host me anytime. Y'all did that disgusted laugh thing. You're like, get to the scripture. This is gross. I bring greetings to all of our locations, our eFAM around the world. Let's welcome our eFAM. Joining us online, let us know where you're joining from. Now I get to serve you the Word of God. I'm excited and you will be too. I'm only going to read one verse before I see you this week. So your feet will thank me. I didn't say I'm only

going to preach one verse. I'm going to read one, sit you down, and then we'll talk about two times in the Bible that it was illustrated. Because I think to see an illustration of faith is what we really all want, not just to have somebody tell us, hey, you should trust God, or, hey, it's going to be all right. And you're like, how do you know that? You've never been through what I've been through. But the Bible gave us all these case studies that we can always find somebody in the Bible that went through something worse than we're going through. And God did something amazing for them. And we hitch our faith to this.

So that's what we want to do today, is hitch our faith to two heroes in the Bible. And I'll tell you about that in a moment, but first, let me give you a verse. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7, I'm using the English standard version for a little bit more literal translation this week, just for accuracy's sake. where Paul says parenthetically in talking about life and death and the tent of our mortal body and the immortality of the eternity that is in our hearts, he says parenthetically just eight words that are very, very salient. Listen to this. For we walk by faith, not by sight. It's only eight words. I'll say it again. For we walk by faith. faith, not by sight. Now touch your neighbor and give them my title. Say, neighbor. It's the motion that matters. Yeah, it's the motion that matters. All right, well, while I got you warmed up, turn to your other neighbor. Say other neighbor. It's the motion that matters. Do like this when you tell them

with your hand gesture. Say it's the motion. That matters. Amen. You may be seated. It's the motion that matters. It's the motion that matters. We had a special event at the church, Austin, where pastors were able to come and bring their teams, and there was a breakout session just for church planters, people who were in the first six to eight months of their church. And we opened up the microphone for question and answer, which is always risky. But it was a good group. And I was feeling anointed, and I was feeling afloat. I said, ask me any. Well, one guy asked a great question. He said, at this stage, he said, I'm four months in, and I don't remember where he was from, but I remember he said, at four months in, what do you think is the most important skill that you need at this stage? And again, this was several years into

our church. I don't remember how many, but it was, he thought I was like a professional or something like that. He said, at this stage, what do you think is the most important skill that you need? And I said, four months in, most important skill. And I love these opportunities just to see what the Holy Spirit will bring up to help somebody. So I try to see who's in front of me and discern what God wants me to say. And my first thought was to go technical. You need good children's ministry and good procedures for accountability. And you need to pray.

And I thought of all the spiritual practical. But then it came to me just like this. And it came out of me like this. I said, I think the most important skill for this stage is learning. to step out in faith because there are going to be so many things that you are going to have to do. Then I started giving him examples when we cleared out our bank account in order to give. One time we gave the offering away instead of taking the offering. I told people to go be a blessing in their community. So I told them about that. I told them about the egg drop when

we dropped all these Easter eggs out of a helicopter two months into the church and gave away X-boxes and trusted God that nobody would end up on the news fighting over the Xbox. And they didn't. So I said, you got to step out in faith. And I just kept listening like I was going through a highlight rail of all the times I stepped out in faith. Well, I can't say God stopped me, but something stopped me on the inside. And I looked at that guy and something on the inside of me said, if you want to keep impressing him, keep going. Because you have stepped out in faith and more than you, your wife, your team, this church has stepped out in faith over and over again. But if you really want to help this guy and not just impress him, I want you to stop right now

listing how you stepped out in faith and tell him what the real most important skill is. Tell him how to step out in doubt. Because you keep telling him what you did and then what God did because you did what you did, But he needs to know some of what you felt while you did what you did so that God could do what only he could do. So I shifted my answer in the middle. I said, and all of that is wonderful. He didn't even know that I didn't plan this pivot, but I didn't.

I just stopped right in the middle. I said, but even more importantly than those times where you're going to feel an amazing sense of courage and confidence that thus saith the Lord. and we're taking this mountain and we're taking this city and we're going to serve 100,000 hours to our community in Love Week. I want to tell you about some times where I had to have Love Week, but I felt hateful. And I felt hateful because I had some people saying things about me that weren't true. And I had to stand up and preach love when I felt hate.

So maybe the most important skill isn't just stepping out in faith, but to learn to step out, in doubt. Now, I almost called the sermon that, step out in doubt, how to step out in doubt, but I know how religious you are. And you would say unto me, but James 1, 5 through 7 says, let him who asks, ask in faith, nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a double-minded man unstable in all of his ways like a wave tossed to and fro. Let not that man think he should receive anything. Why only talking King James when you're arguing with preachers, by the way?

Let not that man think he should receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man. I love that scripture. I believe that scripture. And yet, I think that a lot of times when we see an example of great faith, it is just as important for us to realize that wherever there was the demonstration of great faith, it was on the other side of strong doubt. Anybody who stepped out in faith, which by the way is not a term in the Bible,

I mean, it's a concept in the Bible. It just said, we walk by faith. I just read it to you. But it doesn't necessarily negate the flip side of faith for you to walk in it. And that is what I hope to show you a little bit today, just a skill I want to give you for your life. Because I know that you're trying to figure out what is the most important skill for raising a two-year-old? What is the most important skill at this stage of my life?

And some of you would even say, and you don't even know because I'm 62 and you're not. But I would suggest that whether 62 or 16, a four-month-old church or a 40-year-old church, that the most important skill you will build in your life is the ability to step out not only when the feeling of faith makes it convenient but when the conviction of faith makes it necessary

even though the convenience is nowhere to be seen. Now, I am a skeptic, so my kids will tell you when they tell me anything, I always say, what's your source? Because they will just tell me the craziest stuff at the dinner table. table. They will tell me the craziest stuff about politics. They will tell me the craziest thing about my own staff that they heard. They will tell me the craziest thing about what's

going on in the larger world of, I don't know, they talk about everything from eyeliner to steroids at my dinner table. Did you know steroids are good for you? And I'm like, where did you see that? Graham the other day, he said the most outrageous thing. He said, Dad, and he said it like a fact, just a flat fact. He said, boom, and he just dropped it. And I said, that is the dumbest thing that I've ever heard. That's not true. He said, yes, it is. I said, no, it's not.

And it wasn't really like a disrespectful thing we were kind of playing. And he looks back at me and he says, yes, it is true. I said it can't be true. He said, yes, it is. I saw a thing. Oh, you saw a thing. Oh, well, now it's definitely true. Because you saw a thing.

Tell your neighbor, you saw a thing. Yeah, so it must be true. Because you saw a thing. You saw a thing. So, son, I know you saw a thing, but before I'm going to believe a thing, you got to source the thing that you saw if you want me to believe it. And I'm going to give you three points at the very beginning of this message. And this is not the message. This is just the points that will build the message that will get to the point of the message.

Write them down, they all start with the letter B. If you are wavering today and if you are wondering today, if you can make it to the other side, there are three things happening at all times. Number one, you behold. Number two, you believe. Number three, you behave. We behold. Everybody say we behold?

Come on, put these in the chat. I need participation. We behold? We believe. We behave. We behave. I thought you'd like this LJ because it's B3, like that Oregon. We behold, we see a thing.

Graham said, I saw a thing. We have never lived in a time where you see more stuff. I wouldn't have wore my same gray hoodie if I'd have known we were going to preach to each other like this. It's all right. I'm happy to match you. I see a thing, and I believe a thing, and I behave a way. I see a thing, which I don't even know if right now anything I see.

I used to say I have to see it to believe it. Now I have to see it and verify. I don't even know if the trees that were in my backyard this morning are AI right now. I don't know. They look pretty real. Put my hand through the tree to see if it's real. Is this a simulation? I don't know.

I don't know if they really said that. I get these clips. People want to show me stuff all the time. at what this political candidate said. And I Google one time and find out they didn't say any of that. They made the voice sound just like the lips moved. It's a weird. I'll just be honest with y'all. It's a weird time to do this, to talk to y'all because they can show you stuff that I said that I didn't say or slice what I do say till it's not what I said. And so people would want to come up to me. Oh, did you hear what they said? Did you see what they did? Did you hear it? Did you see it? And I've learned to tell my kids that. I don't want to see it unless you can source it.

Now, this is the kind of preaching that I notice nobody shouts about. Because we want God to set us free of everything but our gossip, everything but our slander. We want God to give us peace, but we don't want him to meddle with any of the processes that are making us anxious. And I am trying to say that sometimes you see a thing. I saw a thing. I'm not doubting that you saw a thing, but for you to just see a thing and believe a thing is immature. For you to just see a thing and believe it is to put too much confidence in your senses. Because your senses are not your senses. when it comes to this fight of faith. The Spirit is. There is coming a time in your life where

you are going to have to get to the root in this season of your life, for the challenges that you face, for the responsibilities that you carry. I've got to calm down because I get excited because I see how it all works now, because I realize that some of the things that are a problem in my behavior are a problem in my belief. But before I believe the thing, I had to see a thing. If I behold a thing and believe a thing, I will behave away. Some of us hate the way we behave, but we will not change what we behold. Little B3, little B3, little B3, little B3, okay? So I what? I behold. I saw a thing. I believed the thing. Didn't even check it out to see if it's real. And then I behave away. And so now I have seen so many things making me think that that person is my enemy because they're of a different political persuasion. And I have beheld enough of that information and data in my phone that now I behave in a way that is completely contrary to the character of Christ who is bigger than either political party.

But I can't believe that because I don't behold that. Y'all know this preaching is much better than this response. There's an imbalance in the room today. All right. Do you really believe this, that we walk by faith, not by sight? Because that means faith is not primarily a feeling. That means that faith, biblical faith. I'm not talking about manifesting your dream job, dream car, dream house, dream beach.

I'm going to manifest my island. Well, I don't want to have to staff an island, so I'm not manifesting that, okay? I can barely keep my bed made in my house. But biblical faith, whose object is Jesus and the finished work that he did on the cross and his resurrection from the day. That kind of faith? Faith in Jesus and what he's done, we walk by faith, the kind that Paul's talking about in 2 Corinthians chapter 5.

I'm about to show you Moses and Peter, two leaders who both needed to step out, in doubt, with no feeling of faith. Can you do that? Can I do that? Do I still do it or did I just do it when the church was young and I was 20? 26 with nothing to lose. These are the things that have been challenging me. Faith is not a feeling. It's a behavior. This is the best news I've ever given you. Because what it means, watch this, is you can be at an emotional low and a faith high. So what it means is all the people who say, well, you shouldn't doubt or think that or ever deal with that or struggle with that if you really knew Jesus. It means that from now on you get to take them to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7 and say, my faith is not about

what I feel. It is about the way I behave. And I do not mean that if you don't behave correctly, you don't have faith. What I mean is, it's the motion that matters. Let me show you what I'm talking about. In Exodus chapter 14, there is a Bible story that I have come to really, really love. It is called the parting of the Red Sea. Of course, that's only what you call it if you fast forward to the part where it parted. We love the parted. Just a side note, don't you love the part where it parts? The part where God did it. I told a songwriting room the other day, I said, y'all, I don't know if we could put oceans splitting or mountains moving in any more songs. I think we found every way to say that we can, but you know it's powerful for

a reason because everybody has one of those. All right, well, this is the part in Exodus chapter 14 that I think is kind of funny. And I'm going to use Exodus 14 and Matthew 14 to remind you today that it's the motion that matters. You did the exact right thing by getting in your car spending your expensive gas money to get to this church on this day at this location because it's the motion that matters. And listen to me, I don't care if y'all fought all the way here and you cussed them out in biblical coin A Greek. You did the right thing to drag your cuss and tongue in this room so you can have these ears sanctified by the word of God so you can cut your cousin in half by the time you get back next week. Because it's the motion that matters. Don't judge where I am if you don't know where I started from.

You don't have a frame of reference for how hard this is for me. It's the motion that matters. They've come a long way. Moses and the children of Israel. They've been through so much, unimaginable, a 430-year cry to God that seemed unanswered. But not now is not no. And at the appointed time, God sent a deliverer named Moses, who himself was pretty old. And he taught the most important skill for this stage of life in old age.

Because Moses said, I can't speak good and I can't do it, and I killed an Egyptian, and how will I go to Pharaoh who's an Egyptian, and say, let the people go and if they don't believe me, and I'm not a motivational speaker. And Moses, the non-motivational speaker, ends up with the most important message of all time. Because he stepped out, in doubt. Prove me otherwise. Quote every scripture you wanted me. One of the greatest leaders God used told God he couldn't do it. Did it. Well, he did all he could do.

He put some plagues on the people. And he even got the Egyptians to give plunder to the Israelites. So they would not leave empty-handed. Now, with the wealth of an entire nation on their back, the children of Israel, two million strong are marching boldly, the Bible says, out of Egypt. Now here comes the part that I think is kind of full. funny. And I think this happens in our life, verse 10. When Pharaoh drew near, Pharaoh's the enemy that they just left, that they thought they were free from. But they weren't quite yet.

But they thought they were. And they're in motion, right? And then all of a sudden, Pharaoh, the Bible gives exact numbers, says 600 chariots and his best fighting men is now chasing them down because not only have they lost their labor, but they've given up their wealth. And so, Pharaoh drew near and the people of Israel lifted up their eyes. Is the scripture on the screen? Shout the next word. And they saw something. They saw a thing.

They saw a thing that they thought they had just left. Touch your neighbor say, I saw a thing. I was doing pretty good with my eating plan, but I saw it. I was trying to make it practical. I was doing pretty good. I wasn't texting any girls because I was going to get this season of my life straight. But I said, okay, y'all don't like that? David was on the roof one day and he, so now look at me all hypocritical and holy sanctimonious.

Like you never saw a thing and beheld something and believed something and behaved away. But in order to really understand why you're behaving that way, don't you understand why you're believing that way? understand why you're believing that way? And to understand why you're believing that way, don't you have to really think back to what you beheld that made you believe that? So I completely understand what comes next. For us to judge the Israelites, because, split alert, they get scared. They see Pharaoh and they feel fear. Well, how could they do that? God turns seas into highways. They didn't know that song. By it. I'm having to take uncertain steps. God would fix me just right before he made me preach to you. But the truth is,

sometimes I will preach to you a lesson that I have limped to. And you can do the same. Now, in this particular instance, it's like you judging an Olympic athlete thinking to yourself, well, I could probably do that. No, you probably could it. Pharaoh, Jr., you ever watched the sport, You're like, I think I probably could, no, I probably couldn't do that. Not like that. I could do a version of that, but not exactly that. They lifted up their eyes. Now, I want you to really get in this text with me today because I told you we put too much confidence in our senses.

And I know we have to use our senses to keep ourselves from getting our fingers burned on stoves and walking across crowded highways and things like that. But we cannot make decisions with our senses when it comes to this next step of faith in this season of our life. and the way we see ourselves and the way we see the people that God has given us to impact, your senses will get you killed. Here's why. They looked up and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly.

Is this a sin? No, it's a feeling. The sin is the decision after the feeling. Yeah. And God forgives that sin too. But if you really want to be free from it, you've got to ask the question. What did I lift my eyes up and see that is dragging me back into a past that I said I would leave behind? What is making me so afraid that I keep running back to stuff that I know I'm done with?

What do I keep seeing that makes me fight off people that love me? What do I keep remembering? Is the devil controlling your whole future with an old movie? An old movie. I'm talking 1988, blockbuster B-kind rewind, karate kid stuff. The devil keeps showing you stuff you got kicked in 1988, and he doesn't even have to resist you anymore. All he has to do is get you to rewind. I came to find out what are you beholding.

Because if you keep beholding what they want to feed you, yes, I'm talking about everything that's on our news right now. Yes, I'm talking about everybody that's vying for your attention. Your attention is too expensive to keep giving it to things that do not have your best interest at heart. I know what I'm saying. God said this to me. God said this to me. Your attention is too expensive. It's costing you your freedom.

That pornography isn't really free. If you could see how expensive it was as it affects your intimacy, you would run from it. I'd welcome it. But we don't see that part. The enemy always hides the expense, illuminates the benefits, the feeling of relief. Now the Israelites, of course, are in a physical moment. I told you this was funny, and there's probably nothing funny about what I'm saying right now. Here's the funny part.

Watch how Moses wants to deal with this in faith and how God tells Moses to deal with it by faith, because this will speak directly to that thing that you are overthinking in your mind right now. Just for complete honesty, so I'm not up here total by myself naked, how many of you are dealing with uncertainty right now in an area of your life where you are trying to figure out whether the doubt that you have is something that you should pay attention to as caution or step forward because God is calling you to have faith. This will help you. I can't tell you exactly right or wrong in this, but I can give you a picture, and here's the picture.

They cried out to the Lord, verse number 10. They cried out to the Lord. That sounds good. That's what you're supposed to do, right? Very emotional, and they should be. Now, I'm not minimizing their situation here, but watch how quickly. they forget what God just did in delivering them. And watch how quickly fear can cancel out and make you forget how bad it really was where you were in an attempt to go back.

They said to Moses, it's because, or excuse me, is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you've taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt. Is this not what we said to you in Egypt? Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians. For it would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. What do you? Fear will make you think that. Depression will make you think that. Pressure will make you think that. And all three of those things are present. So I get it. And now Moses, the great motivational speaker, he's going to give the question and answer at the seminar. What do we do now? Moses stands up.

He says he's not a very good speaker, but he's given it his best right now. And Moses said to the people, fear not. Try that again. Fear not. Yeah, that's more confessing. Fear not. Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord. But he will work for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never. See again. And if y'all don't shout over verse 14, I'm going to get me a new church. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Oh, hold, hold, hold. He's silent. Don't shout because he's wrong. Sounds good, but he's wrong. Wish it were always that way, because sometimes it is, but in this case, it's wrong. Because there is a body of water called the Red Sea in front of you. You can't cross it. There are chariots from Egypt behind you. You can't outrun them. So Moses's advice right here, one translation says, you need only be still. We've all heard before, be still and know that he is God. And sometimes this will be the instruction. But for this moment, for this Moses, for this nation, for this situation, being still will get you killed. So watch God. I love God.

Then the Lord said to Moses, why do you cry to me? Well, that's not very nice, Jehovah Jira. You're supposed to be my provider. I'm crying to you because you're Jehovah Nisi, my banner. I'm crying to you because you're Jehovah Shalom, my peace. I'm crying to you because I can't do this. and I'm emotional and I'm afraid and Moses is old and the people are angry and the pace is very slow. Look, look, look, if you travel with five kids a lot and extra two hours to get across town,

if you travel with two million, this isn't going to happen very fast. And the Lord said to Moses, I know you got a lot on you and I know it seems impossible, but why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. You are not going to fix this with emotions. So Moses, Mosetta. I want to preach to all genders and people and all that. Whatever it is that you're looking at right now, I want you to know something about emotions. They can be helpful guides to get us to a certain place. But sometimes sitting with the emotion endlessly just creates more of what you are asking God to take you out of. And the only way to deal with it is to go through it. It's to go through it. And that's what God told Moses. He said, you can cry about this all day. We can pray about it. You can study a verse about it. You can quote about it. You can do all of that. But the

The only way for us to deal with this is for you to tell the people to go forward. And then there's one more instruction that he gives Moses that I thought was significant and really kind of silly in the face of the challenge at hand. He said, verse 16, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. Oh, well, that will totally work. we read the Bible with these cotton-candy eyes, I'll never even know. We got this fake filter we put on all the stories like, yeah, that's the way it works. Put the staff and let him go.

I saw the thing. I saw a thing. I saw a movie about it. Moses just put up his staff. It's the difference to read the thing and do the thing. Guarantee you all of my scholarly confidence, low as it may be, that Moses's hand was shaking. because he's old and because he's scared. The fact that his hand was shaken did not stop the sea from splitting. And what I'm saying is

you can do it with a shaky hand. You can do it with knocking knees. You can do it with a lump in your throat. Oh yeah, Taylor. I can do it with a broken heart. A beautiful situation. I can make sense. progress in a cloudy condition.

Yeah, just like that. Give God praise. Just like that. Because some of you today, you just lifted your hands freely. But some of y'all, your hands felt heavy. And I keep meeting people and they say, well, when I really feel like it, then I'll praise God. Because sometimes I don't want to fake it and come to church and sing, God, you've been

so good to me, because I don't really feel like he's been good to me. But I realized something in the spirit that praise is a pushback. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Praise is a pushback. Praise is how I tell the Red Sea, you stand here, you stand there. Praise is how I tell my doubt. You stand here. You stand there.

And even if I stretch my hand shaky, it's the motion that matters. You think you need a better staff? The best staff can't split us. See? Stop thinking you need an external upgrade. All you need is an internal commitment to God that I will step out not just when I feel something, not just when something good happens to me, not just when I have a good idea, I'll step out with a bad idea and buff it till it shines. Telling you the most important skill is right here. Because I don't see anywhere in the text.

Maybe you do. You can go study it and write me an email about it. If their feelings changed, feelings change. They're still mad at Moses. Moses is certainly mad at them. Because everything I do for my kids that they don't thank me for, I get mad at. And this is a pretty big thing he did for them to get them out. And I think sometimes we stay stuck in resentment.

And then we let what's called the root of bitterness keep us anchored to situations. that we can move through. And everything you feel God knows about and everything you feel God cares about and everything you feel God is comfortable in the presence of. But you have to let it move through you by moving through it. If you always surrender to it, you never gain strength or freedom. Whatever it is. But, God, what do you mean?

Look at the verse. One whole word God gave me here that I think is going to be so powerful for somebody. I don't want to forget to say it. He said, if you be still, you get killed. But that wasn't the word. That's the word. Why you tell me about this problem? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

And I thought to myself, wait a minute, they're on foot. The chariots have wheels. They have children. All of the people chasing them are fighting. You ever feel like there's nothing you can do to catch up now? Like you are so far behind in your life that even if I run as fast as I can, all this I have to drag behind me. And the Lord said, go forward.

Watch this. Not fast, just forward. Isn't that good? Not fast. He said, it doesn't have to be fast. I know you're loaded down by a lot of things. And I know you're on foot. And I know you didn't get that kind of training.

And I know that you've lost some years. And I know that you've wasted away some opportunities. And I know you killed a few brain cells. And I know you closed a few doors and some people that won't call you back. And I know there's going to be some things you're going to have to navigate through. And you feel like what's in front of you is too big and what's behind you is too fast. But you don't have to go fast. You just have to go forward.

Why? Because after the water parts for you, it's going to close back over your enemies. And you're on foot. And Pharaoh has wheels. So it would seem like there's no way you can outrun him. But there's one thing your enemy didn't count on when he was chasing you with his chariots. Wheels don't work in water. If Pharaoh was going to chase you, he should have brought a boat.

because what he didn't count on is that when you do help me preach before I have a cardiac arrest in front of 2,000 people. God said, I'm not looking for you to be fast enough. I'm not looking for you to make up

for time that you lost. I'll make up the time you lost. I'll redeem the years that the caker worm has eaten. I'll deal with your past. I'll deal with your credit. I'll deal with your boss. I'll deal with the market.

I'll deal with them. Seven people say wheels don't work in water. Wheels don't work in water. When you get out, what thing the devil can do to drag you back. Don't work in water. You hear what I'm saying? I don't have to be fast.

I just got to move forward because your stuck wheel can't catch my slow feet. You will journey with me now. Over 1,200 miles to another sea in Scripture. Over 200 miles in 1,200 years. So we're covering a great distance.

I understand that. And if I may, fast forward for a moment to one of your favorite Bible stories, because you want to be like this guy so much. Old Peter. Old fish and empty net, foul mouth, gospel preaching Peter. Oh, ear hacking Peter. Oh, Pentecost Sunday, Peter. Oh, Simon Peter. Oh, crazy Peter.

Oh, Peter took his boat, let Jesus preach in it and then took his boat and did whatever Jesus told him all around the Sea of Galilee. Matthew chapter 14 says that Jesus performed a great miracle fed 5,000 men, women and children. I told you last week, don't let the math distract you. It doesn't matter how many there are. It matters how much he is. It doesn't matter how many they are. It matters how much he is.

Greater is He? That is in... I got to teach you all the Bible so you'll know this stuff. So you can step out in doubt and change it to faith. The step is what makes it faith, not the feeling. The step is what makes it faith. The behavior. You've got to switch this thing.

You keep beholding, believing, and then behaving. But if we could switch it, if you could switch it. If you could believe and behave according to what you believe, you would behold things that you don't even know are possible. Then you'll see a thing. Then you'll see a thing. You'll see a thing. And you'll speak a thing.

God says I'm not forsaken. You'll see a thing, you'll feel a thing, and you'll speak a thing. God says no weapon formed against me will prosper. You'll see a thing, and you'll speak a thing. It is for His glory, not my self-righteousness that I have been saved. It is the gift of God, not of work so that no one can boast. You'll see a thing, and you will speak a thing. And the devil will show you things all the time in your mind.

Oh, yeah, he doesn't even have to do it physically. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of this world right in his own mind during the four. They fast, but Jesus saw another thing. I want to teach you how to see another thing. Matthew Chapter 14, the Bible says that the disciples got in the boat. Why? Because Jesus told them to go to the other side. Tell your neighbor, I want you to see what's on your other side.

So you cannot die in this storm. Tell them you can cry. You can complain. You can rest, but you can't quit because it's the motion that matters. Clap your hands if you know it's the motion that matters. Now, Matthew 14. Matthew 14. After feeding 5,000, immediately Jesus, verse 22, made the disciples get into the boat

and go before him to the other side. While he dismissed the crowd, notice what he didn't give them an agenda. Notice what he didn't give them information. Notice what he didn't give them a timetable. I thought about my dog, Bo here. I thought about how, I don't know if y'all know, we have a Boston Terrier. It was kind of a big deal in the church because for years I told the family that they were not responsible enough to have a dog. And I was right, but I bought him one anyway.

Holly and Abby, of course, have done wonderfully with Bo. Graham has fulfilled every prophecy I had of his irresponsibility about the dog because he saw a thing. All right. Now, love your body. Bo is an anxiety dog. Not that he helps us with our anxiety. He has so much anxiety, and incrementally it's getting worse. I'll show you a picture of Bo real quick if you put on the screen. And that picture was sent to us while we were away on a trip for elevation nights preaching and ministering. Someone, one of our wonderful people that are on the team was sent us a picture to show us Bo. And we all said to each other, we can't tell from that picture

whether he's freaking out, losing his mind or having the time of his life, because they both make the same face. That's how he looks when he's horrified. That's how he looks when he's happy. And so you can't really tell what's going on from that picture. Now, you can take it down, but there are two things that Bo will be scared of, and both of these fears are acquired. I don't think he had them when we first got him. We got him very little. And please don't send me any emails for how to remedy any of this. He's already under the supervision of a wonderful veterinarian and Holly's working on all of that. But any time that he sees, everybody says, sees these two things, a suitcase or any time he hears a storm.

So he's afraid of two things. A suitcase and a storm. Because the first one, a suitcase, he's seen those before. Sometimes when he sees one of those, we're back 24 hours later. He didn't even have time to miss us. But we've been gone from him two weeks before. I think he likes us. Because when the suitcase comes out, he starts following us everywhere.

How many of y'all your dog does the same thing? Not because you're leaving, but because I don't know how long it's going to be, because you don't have a way to communicate this to me. I'll see you on the other side. Here's your suitcase. And the disciples are like, yeah, but like, we're going to be there a while. You're coming to night. How much time you need alone? I know you're tired. None of that. Just, this is not good. I call it transition with no time stamp. I can't fast forward to know how this ends or how we get back. And Jesus certainly didn't tell them what happened Next, because not only did they have a suitcase, but they had a storm.

That's the second thing both is afraid of. As you know, he doesn't have to see anything or even really hear anything. This worrisome dog, this prayerless dog who does not trust God at all, if I tell you, he can smell a storm three weeks before it happens. He'll know, it's Thursday 2 p.m. I need to have a panic attack, and he will prep for the panic attack. I'll tell you, is it true? Is it true? The dog is losing his mind.

And we're working on that. But I bring it to you as an illustration to say that we all deal with suitcases and storms. And we're really not much different than the dog, because I don't know how long I'm going to have to be in this transitional place. I'll know how long they're going to like me. I don't know how long till they decide to leave me like the last person. did too. I've seen this before, and I'm not okay with it, not because of the transition, but because imagine now you are not only a disciple in transition suitcase, but as you are

transitioning, verse 23, after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountainside by himself to pray, and when evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. Now I've got a suitcase and a storm. I would never pull out a suitcase during a storm in front of bow. I think it might be his last puppy moment, memory. And it's happening at the same time in your life. And it's a transition and it's trouble. And I'm stepping out in doubt and I've got things very. validating that this may not be the best time. And so, so what do I do?

Well, watch this. As they are rowing, visibility is low, timetable uncertain, their life in the balance, their future very, very questionable. The Bible says, now you believe the Bible, right? Come on, you believe the Bible. I want you to see something in the Bible today. The Bible says the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, verse 25, he came to them walking on the sea.

but when the disciples saw a thing walking on the sea they were terrified but it's Jesus but they don't know that they just see a thing they don't know the thing they're looking at and the thing that they're afraid of is the thing that they were praying for touch somebody say help us on the way He came out to them walking on the sea. And they were terrified and said, it's a ghost. And they cried out like the Israelites in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, take heart. It is I.

Do not be afraid. And now I need to ask a question because I am not surprised that Jesus can walk on water. He can do whatever he want with what he's spoken to existence. Colossian says all things were created by him. for him, through him, and not anything that was made was made, but that it was made in him, by him and for him. I am not surprised that he can transcend what he spoke. I am not surprised that he can suspend the laws of buoyancy. I am not surprised that he is on water. Look at verse 25. I'm surprised, why are you walking? If they're in trouble, shouldn't you run? Shouldn't you hurry up

to get there? Why are you walking? Why are you walking, God? Why do you tell me not know when my brother Lazarus is sick? Why are you walking? Come on. Why are you walking, Jesus? And the question is, why don't you? Because that's what matters in this moment. He said, it is I. Do not be afraid.

Next verse. That's the guy you want to be like, right? Next verse, please. On my screen. Next verse. The next one. The next, next one. No, that one, that one, the one before that.

28, 28. There we go. And Peter answered him. Lord, if is you. If? Watch him get delivered on a if. Oh, you got to step out on what is. Faith is the substance of things hope for.

But I can't see it right now. So I got to step out on doubt. But he who doubts is like a wave of the sea tossed and driven. You're quoting the verse wrong. That's about your confidence in God, not your confidence in you. Peter doesn't question what Jesus can do. He just questions, is it you? That's the thing nobody tells us.

If it's you. How many of you are walking on an if right now? Just an if, just the if, if it's you. Command me to come to you on the water. Next verse. Jesus talks to Peter like he's bow. Come. Huh? That's like how you talk to a dog. Sometimes you need to simplify what you do next in your life.

Sometimes you are so complicated that you can't be saved because you overcomplicated. Sometimes it is as simple as one four-letter word. Come. Come. Come. If it is you tell me to come. Jesus said, well, let me give you 17 proofs to this to me. No, no, no, no, no. Come. I'll show you. I'll show you. you who I am while you walk toward me. I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me. You meet me tomorrow morning with your Bible. I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me. You say you're sorry for what you did and own that thing and move forward in it and set up an appointment to work through the root issues so it doesn't happen again. And I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me. For we walk by faith, not by sight. He told you.

Peter, come. And so Peter, verse 29, got out the boat and walked on the water. Wouldn't you run? Maybe that's all he could do in that moment, was just walk. I don't know how it makes it any safer to walk on water than to run on it. Or maybe there's a lesson that they that wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will. walk and not be weary. They will walk. That's what it is. It's walking by faith.

It's stepping out on doubt and finding out he's good. You have got to do this thing, doubting, so that God can give you faith when your foot hits the next step. That is how I see you. I do not see you as a horrible person who doesn't really trust God because you're struggling right now to even think he hears your prayers. I don't see you that way. I see it kind of like Peter like, if, if, and Jesus does not rebuke you for your feelings because it's the motion that matters. Stop punishing yourself for having the wrong emotions.

Keep showing up and see what God does. Yeah. Keep showing up. Keep showing up. And keep saying, God, what can I learn from that? This is the discipline of discipleship. It's the motion that matters. It's not how fast you can get to him. Peter steps out of the boat and it's not about how fast he gets to Jesus because he's walking and he's walking. And you will notice that the Bible says in verse 30, when he saw the wind, he was afraid.

He what? He saw a thing. And when he saw a thing, he lost sight of someone that was greater than the thing that he saw. I'm almost there. It's the motion that matters. The wind was blowing the whole time. That's not what knocked you down. It was when your eyes shifted to the thing and not the one who is greater than all things.

That's what happened. And when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to be. to sink, he cried out. Please let me minister to you today. Lord, save me. And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him. Saying to him, you of little faith, why'd you doubt? You'd be like, see, well, he doubted. Yeah, but he didn't drown, did he? You won't drown stepping out. You drown if you have a pity party and plan your funeral in the place of your last disappointment. That's how you drown. But if you move forward, God's got something for you.

God's got someone for you. God's got a fresh word for you. God's got manna everywhere in your wilderness. God's got fruit in Canaan waiting the right time to come up out of the ground. Why did you doubt? See, it's not how fast Peter could get to Jesus. Give me verse 31. Immediately, Jesus reached.

It's not how fast you could. can get to Jesus is how fast he can get to you. Because it's the motion that matters. So let's wage war and push back on anxiety today. It's not how quick the panic attack comes on you. It's how quickly God can come in the middle of the attack and deliver you from the fowler snare. It's the motion that matters.

It has never hinged on your gift. It has never hinged on your gift. on your goodness. It is never hinged on your right stepping. It's on his right reaching. This is not the steps. Has God got you in a season right now that He is teaching you to reach for Him? Because God, I have my doubts. If I could tell you one skill that you need to learn in your life, it's to reach for Him when you sink like a rock. Reach. Reach. for him. Don't run from him. You keep getting taught that you can't come to God unless you perfectly have faith. Tell Peter, he got back in the boat and set an Olympic world record

for water walking. I don't care if it was two seconds. He beat John, he beat James, he beat Bartholomew. All they got was a boat ride. Peter got a world record. You can have bronze, you can have silver. Give me my gold medal, because I stepped out and I slipped, but he reached. I stood as a big head up. I got a miracle because I got motion. It's the motion that matters. Just about the time Peter sees a thing, the wind, he sees another thing, the hand of Jesus. I want you to see another thing.

I want you to see another thing. I want you to see another thing. And maybe, just maybe, if you could walk by faith, if you can believe you will behold. If you can believe, I'm trying to say, you don't have to see it to believe it. You have to believe it to see it. One prophet said, I hear the sound of the abundance of rain. And the man said, there's nothing there.

Six times, he said, go back. Why? Because it's the motion that matters. And the seventh time the servants say, I can see a cloud heavy with rain. And it looks like it's tiny, but it's headed our way. I can see a cloud heavy with rain. Yeah, I see the wind, but I see something else. It looks like revival.

Yeah, I see the bills, but I see something else. I can see a cloud. with rain. What's it look like? And it looks like freedom is headed our way. I can see a cloud. For joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give now or visit elevationchurch.org slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. click the share button, take a screenshot, and share it on your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.