Elevation with Steven Furtick - Needers & Feeders

Episode Date: November 11, 2019

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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. This is the truth now that we are so glad you're here today. If it is your first time, come on. Let's show all of our first time visitors how much we appreciate them. God is so good. I believe he brought you here at a strategic moment. Our church is, I guess you could say we have a tradition. I know they call us the non-traditional church.

We've got people with purple hair, pink hair, and that's the same lady I'm talking about. Purple and pink hair on the sides and the top. You look amazing. And when they call us non-traditional, what they mean by that is that you can come in, no matter if you have any religious background or that we're not going to just like confine God to the way that he moved, you know, 50 years ago and we're always going to be seeking what God is doing now, then certainly we are non-traditional. But that being said, there are a few things that are always appropriate.

And so as we welcome all of our family across all of our locations today, I wanted to let you know that just like families have traditions, maybe around holidays and, you know, and different special occasions. We have a tradition here at Elevation Church, which is to end each year with appreciation and anticipation at the same time. And we've been doing this since 2014, and the reason I said, I'm so glad if you're here for the first time, because this is the absolute best time that you could have picked. I don't know who drug you here or who drugged you and brought you here. We've got some aggressive evangelists at Elevation Church, some unusual tactics.

But I was going to say that you are about to see, I believe it, you are about to see faith in action over the next five weeks in a way that it's going to inspire you and bless you. And the way we do it is each year we select a word. I started this in 2014. Of course, the church is on our 14th year, but in 2014, the Lord led me to begin. I remember sending chunks to text. I want to end the year with a season of faith and expansion. And I want to challenge the people to bring their best offering to God at the end of the year to commemorate what he's done and to prepare for what he's going to do.

And the thing that's so unusual about it is this is not a sad or stingy or weird time for us. It's really a privilege. It's really a privilege. And through the years we've chosen different words. I remember one year the word was, I think the first year the word was surround, and then we chose the word beyond, and then we chose the word fulfilled. I remember one year we did Waymaker. Last year we came around the word game changer, and we just spent some time teaching around

this word. This year, the word that God has given me is based on a song that we're going to be. that we sang a few minutes ago, and the word is available. Available. And we're going to talk about that word together as a movement, as a global church body that God is. I never see you as a crowd. I never do. I see you as a living, breathing, advancing church of Jesus Christ.

And so to take these moments over the next few weeks and just ask God to increase, how many want God to increase your faith? Some of you raised your hand a little slower because you know what he does to increase your faith. He increases your need for faith. So we're going to talk about that. On your way to your seat before I get into the message today, just ask the person next to you, not in like a creepy swiping kind of way, but ask them, are you available? You may be seated.

As I already said, welcome to all of our locations. epham around the world. Come on Valentine. Let's welcome all of our locations and our extended family joining us now. It's a beautiful scripture I want to show you today as we begin this journey of faith over the next five weeks. Of course, our teaching will culminate in an offering on December the 7th and 8th. That weekend, thousands of people will bring their best offering. And really, the church is not built on special offerings, but people who consistently give to God. like kids aren't raised by uncles that show up on Christmas. It's the daily, it's the discipline. And so I thank God for each and every one of you. But I want to show you a scripture today as we

begin this journey about being available to God. And if I could give you a thesis for this series, it goes back to a cliche I heard as a young man. And some cliches are corny, but they're still true. And one man told me when I started walking with the Lord, he said, It is not about your ability, it's about your availability. I didn't know if he was right when he said it, but I promise you, I am not one of these pastors who had a promising career in the NBA but decided to serve God. I was five foot eight and a half when God called me. If you hear my early preaching tapes, not only did I have the same little list that I have

right now that comes through and pops through the microphone. They have to get me a special thing on my mic because my is so strong, you know. And my southern accent was so deep that I think people outside of like four states had to have a translator and I was speaking English. But just what he said to me, I want to show you today for your own life as well that it is never about our ability how much God uses us to an extent. You know, like you definitely don't need to move to Nashville and be a country singer if your wife doesn't even like the way you sing. So there is a talent factor that determines what we do with our life. But at the same time, I want to show you in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, and I selected this as the richest New Testament scripture on generosity. I think if you want to look ultimately to the cross where God gave his son, it is the ultimate demonstration of generosity, certainly.

But if you want to find a teaching on generosity and not just for our offering that we're receiving, but just for the way you live your life, I believe that 2 Corinthians 9 gives us a template. So go ahead and turn there or click there or just look at the screen. Who cares? Either way, I want you to get this word in you. And ask the person next to you one more time, say, are you available? Are you available? Is that how you ask people on a date, too?

Ask them with a clear voice. Say, are you available? And so a lot of times, while we're trying to get more of God in our life, it's like, God is trying to get more of us. Are you available? 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6, it's been an awkward letter that Paul has written to the Corinthian Church because they are so carnal that when they come for communion, some of them are getting drunk and turning up at the communion table.

And that's a really difficult pastoral situation. That's why we pass out the grape juice in the little cups. Just to make sure. And it's not only that, but there's a strained relationship as fathers and children often go through between Paul and the church that he started. And he's having to, in the midst of all of this tension and conflict, prepare them to give an offering. And the offering is specifically for the believers in Jerusalem, the believers in Jerusalem who are spiritually rich and physically poor. Now, the reason I said it like that is because you can have it the other way around. You can be very, very rich financially and be spiritually poor.

Some are like, well, I'd like to try it. You know what I'm saying? That sounds good. But he has a challenging task in order to get this church at Corinth, these Gentile believers, to give to the Jewish church, the church in Jerusalem. And the reason he thinks it's appropriate is because the faith began within the Jewish tradition. And then the Christian church that is in Jerusalem, they're undergoing a severe trial. Not only persecution, but famine.

Now, Paul spent about five years of his life preparing this offering. So it's a big deal to him. It's a big deal to him. And this one you can't get people to understand. Some things that you just walk into are a big deal to somebody sitting next to you. Like make some noise if this church is a big deal to you. If this is meaningful to you, like if you're not just watching the lights and the show and hoping they play reckless love, but this is like really your church where God meets with you

and his presence is important and you love to gather together and you are excited about the work of God. If you can't help us shout, then go ahead and shout. And if you scare your neighbor, they can get earplugs next week. If this is a big deal to you, shout. Shown Lake Norman, shout all the way from Kenya if this church is a blessing to you. It's a big deal. So for Paul, this offering is so important that he's sending some delegates to make sure that

the Corinthian Church doesn't screw this up like they've been screwing everything else up. But he's smart, right? He knows that in order to get people sometimes to live up to their potential, they need a little competition. And in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, he moves into this comparison about the Macedonian church who have already contributed to the offering, even though they had less money than the Corinthians. And then he does this move where he says, and I know if they did it, you're going to do it. And as he gets into this, he gives a practical illustration, and that's what I want to share

with you now. The title of this message for installment one of available is called NEDERS. and feeders, needers and feeders. And we're going to locate ourselves in this text in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 today, verse 6. We begin. Remember, he says, whoever so sparingly will also reap sparingly. And see, you don't even have to believe in Moses, Abraham, and Jesus to say amen to that. This is a principle.

He says, you know, like we would say, you get out of it, what you put into. it. And that's why I'm always interested when someone says, like, well, I went to the church, but I didn't get anything out of it. I would always ask the question, what did you put into it? Because the last time I went to the bank and asked them for more money than I put in the bank account, it didn't work. And, you know, the last time I went to church and I went with a bad attitude and didn't lift my hands, because nobody's going to manipulate me into worshiping. I just worship when I go in nature with God. I like deer. It didn't work. So he says, whoever so is generously, we'll reap. Generously, each man should give, each man should give, each man should give.

I'm stuck on that part because I think some people make excuses, but each man should give. Watch this. What he has decided in his heart to give. Not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. And see, I get that, right, right, because God has no needs. The definition of God suggests that he is self-sufficient. And by extension, we are not. And yet, have you ever had somebody do something for you that was nice? But the way that they did it made you wish that they didn't do it? Holly told me that one time early in our marriage.

Two things happened early in our marriage. I got fat. I gained 50 pounds without exercise. I did all that by diet alone. I gained 50 pounds off of fried rice, Fetuccini Alfredo. And I had a realization. You know, what I did, I was walking by the mirror with my shirt off, and I had a revelation moment. I jumped up and everything was still shaking like 30 seconds later.

And I realized if I don't get some disciplines, I can get fat being married to this woman. You know, you can get fat coming to a church like elevation. You can get fat because these singers are so good and these musicians are so good and the people, oh, did you see the craters when you walked in? How happy they looked and they've been here since six o'clock. Did you see how happy they were to see you? Were they happy? Just checking.

I went through a different door. But see, when I was growing up in church, right? The church I grew up in was small, and then the church that I learned to do ministry in was small. It would only have 100 people in it. And what that meant was that if you miss church, when Pastor Mickey used to go up and he'd be turning to his scripture, he'd turn to the scripture. While he was turning, he had this little notepad, a little memo book, and he'd be writing something down in the pad. And I thought for the longest time that he was writing scriptures that God was giving him, that God was speaking to him when he took the pulpit. And one day asked him, he's like, no, that's my seating chart.

Because on the way home, if you miss church at Santys Circle Baptist Mission, you would get a call from Pastor Mickey White's bag phone. Zach Morris would call you on the way home from church talking about, I missed you today, big boy. You weren't there on the third row, second seat in like you always are. Now I'm going to see you back next week. I don't care if you were throwing up. Wear a surgical mask and come to church. He had no time for it. We need you here.

But in a church like this, you can begin to feel like. you are not needed and you are not known. And in one sense, you are right. God doesn't need you. God doesn't need me. If I drop this mic, God will put a gift to preach in somebody else and they'll pick it up and preach it better. That sets me free, by the way. Because then I can understand that God loves a cheerful giver. And one day Holly cooked for me, you know, I'm 50 pounds heavier than when she married me. And I was over there washing the dishes. And I was so proud I was washing the dishes. And I started whistling, you know, to get her attention so she could see I was washing the dishes. And after about three little statements that I made about,

I don't mind washing the dishes. Something I enjoy doing to serve my wife as Christ loved the church. You know, I mean a big deal of it. She said, I would rather you not do it if I have to hear this much about it. You know, they did something for you, but they did something for you, but they They made it look so hard while they were doing it. You know, God, I thought about calling this message, God doesn't want it. If we come to God with an attitude like, wow, God is so lucky to have us, if we think that bringing our presence into the presence of God is a favor to him, we probably read the book backwards. See, it is not my presence that is honored.

It is God's presence that is invaluable. I know we live in a time where we worship celebrities. We don't worship the Creator. We worship the gifts that he gave people that he created. And that's messed up because, see, God was God before a celebrity shouted him out. God was God. God doesn't need a celebrity to make him cool for him to be God. God sits on a throne.

God fills heaven and earth. God is the ancient of days. God is the lamb slain before the foundation of the earth. God is the great I am. God is the breath of life. God is El Shaddai. God is Elohim. He doesn't need anything. And if he needs it, he'll speak it because his word is power. Somebody shout if you know you'll serve a God who is able to supply your knees. So Paul says, I want to give you the privilege to give to something bigger than you. And remember this, if you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly.

If you sow generously, you reap generously. And verse eight is something that I want you to internalize and really let it become a reflection in your heart. Do you believe what verse eight says and God is able? All right. Take that much. Now add this. make all grace abound to you.

Please forgive me for truncating this. I could spend all five weeks on that part of that verse and still not do it justice. Because everything about that verse is a challenge for me to believe. And God is able to make all grace abound to you. A lot of times I believe that God's grace is available to others. But do you believe that God is able to make all grace abound to you? And he goes further. He says, God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things, at all times,

having all that you need. You will abound in every good work. As it is written, he has scattered abroad, his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. Now, he who supplies seed to the sower, and it's about to get good, because Paul is about to let us in on a principle that explains why some of us are struggling with discouragement. And even though we pray about it, we don't seem to receive what we need from the Lord. So let's slow down and read this. Now, he who supplies what?

Seed. Talk to me. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. What that verse means is not that God will just give you a harvest because you asked for it. What the verse says is that God supplies seed to the sower. And the question is not, is God able? The question is, are you a sower? Or have you allowed yourself to be lulled into a complacent, consumeristic Christian? that bears more resemblance to a kid making their Christmas list than a Christian who is serving Jesus Christ.

Y'all like this message? I'm honestly shocked. I'm honestly shocked because a lot of people do get stuck at the level of what I need. You know, we get stuck one lady last night I was preaching and she said we get stuck in me mode. And it's just you know God bless me, help me, encourage me. And so why you you're praying about those needs, they're not selfish, it's fine for you to bring those things before God, but the way he will respond to your need is to give you a seed. And that's confusing to us, because we want God to give us a harvest. But God does not respond to our needs with a harvest. He responds to our need with a seed. So I have found it to be true. I wonder about you that when I found myself in need, the best thing for me to do is to get out of me mode and to get

into sew mode. S-O-W, sew mode. I know this is not an agricultural society, but if it were, we could see that seeding or sewing is a form of investment, and it is a process. How many times have I been discouraged and weary in my own soul only to find that when I took five minutes to be a blessing to someone else, when I sowed what God gave me, it became what I needed. This is difficult because when you are in a season of need in your own life, the last thing you want to do is to sew into something else. Am I right about it? When you are out of energy, the last thing that you want to think about is anything other than you. But the only way for you to receive what you need is to give what you have.

Can I prove it from Jesus? Give and it will be given to you. That's not a financial scripture. That's a scripture about anything. If you give what you have, God will give to you what was already inside of you waiting to be sown in something that is bigger than you. And God helped me for all the times that I got stuck in me mode. Bless me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. What about Dorei Faso Latido?

No, just me, me, me, me, me, me, none of the other ones. Dore me, Faso. Do play the skill. Do play the skill. Can you play a skill real quick? Adore me Dore me Faso Okay, do it again Doer

Me Faso latido Again Dore Me Fano Again Adore

Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me So

God said I'm switching you from Me So Me So Me So because you have been so, so good to me.

So, me, so. Me, so you saved me so. You filled me so. You blessed me so. You gave me life so. Come on, I'm coming out of memo. So he says, this is good, isn't it? This is rich.

This is challenging. This is difficult. Because God responds to your need with a bigger need. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew chapter 14, he's like, let's go away and get some rest. And they're like, oh, good. I need some me time. Where is it again? I messed it up.

I need some, no, that's so. Me, I need some me time. All right. So they're going to get some me time. time with Jesus. John the Baptist has just been beheaded. It's a rough time. Harry's going crazy, cutting heads off. And now the disciples need some rest. Jesus like, let's go and rest. When they get there, how many of you all know this Bible story? They're like, oh, good, man, we need it. We really need it. This is going to be really helpful, Jesus. Wow, what wisdom you have.

Because you know what we need. You hear our needs, Lord. So they get there. And they get there. They need rest, right? And guess what they run into when they get there? Needy people. So now we got the disciples who need rest and the people who need healing and Jesus, who has no need, as the go-between. But watch what he's about to do. He's about to meet the disciples' need with the needs of the people. And he does it by feeding their faith.

Now here's the shift. If you can receive it, this will be life-changing because he is about to take them. from needers to feeders. He's about to take them from me to sow, me to sow. And the disciples turn to Jesus after he heals like number 953. There's 5,000 men, women and children. It says that Jesus was healing. Everybody who needed healing, nothing was too small, nothing was too big, nothing was intimidating,

was inconsequential. And after he gets done teaching and healing and meeting every need, the disciples, look at verse 15, as evening approached, said to him, this is a remote place, and it's already getting late. And so you need to send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. See how spiritual that sounds on the surface? Jesus, we are concerned about these precious sheep for which you came. The truth of it is Peter was hungry. They didn't get to eat either. It wasn't like the disciples were in a place of plenty. And so sometimes when you are in a state of great need, you miss opportunities because you are too hungry and weak to see the potential to fulfill the need. Y'all don't look at me like I'm crazy. I'm preaching good.

Because we get in situations where Jesus is like, you know, what would be cool if we fed them? And the disciples are like, you know what would have been cool? If you would have told us ahead of time so we could have hired a catering company. Jesus is like, no, I'm DoorDash, Uber Eats, and a catering company all rolled into one. I am the Christ, the son of the living. I am the bread of life. What are you talking about you don't have any bread? I am bread.

I am presence. I am provision. I am your shepherd. I am enough. So anyway, they didn't know that yet. Jesus needed to show them who he was. So he replied in verse 16, they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. Now, you will never know what you really have until God shows you a need that is bigger than you. And you will never know that God is able until he puts you in a

situation where you are not. So he has orchestrated this opportunity. And I don't know what in your life is like that today. If I could guess, I would say that for some of us, it is a physical need. And for others, it occupies a different category of real estate in our life. It often takes the shape of a relational need, or a lot of times in my life it's just not knowing what I need to do. And wave at me if you've got a situation right in front of you right now where the need seems to be more than the supply.

Right? I'm praying for the people who didn't raise their hands, because they have no place for God to show up. Raise your hand again if you've got a situation where the need seems to be greater than the supply. Here's what's about to happen. You are about to see yourself going from needer to feeder. We have always taught the text in Matthew chapter 14,

that Jesus fed the multitudes. That's not exactly accurate. If you read the text, Jesus told the disciples, they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. What happens next is one of the greatest revelations that you can ever receive, because when they mention their limited supply, we have here only five loaves and two fish. That was their answer. That was what was available to them, but God is able. But we do not have enough, but God is able. And see, this is when you get the opportunity to believe 2 Corinthians chapter 9 that God is able when you are in a situation where you are not able. So this thing came alive for me. I always thought that Jesus fed the $5,000. But he didn't. Watch what he did. He enabled the disciples to feed the $5,000.

So God said, I am putting you in a season where I'm going to give you what you need, but it is not just for you. It is not just for you to consume. It is not just for you to have a good feeling. It is not just for you to get a goose bump. It is for you to be a feeder because I put you in the earth for my glory. And I gave you gifts for a purpose. And I gave you an assignment for the sake of my great name. And your supply is in your assignment.

you bring me what little bit you have and put it in my capable hands. I know no need for my hand created the earth, and my word sustains the world, and I am God over the galaxies, and I am God of time and space, and I am God before you got here, and I will be God when you're gone, and I cannot be impeached, and I never will step down, because I see your need, and I am your supply." And he said in verse 18, "'Bring them here." to me. It's not are you able. It's are you available? Are you? Because he gives seed to the sower. Are you a sower? I don't just mean money.

Please stop thinking about this as a money thing. I know that that's how people use it, but that's not what the Bible means. Paul is using this opportunity to help them to see that in God's Dictionary, sacrifice looks a lot different than in our dictionary. I was thanking a person who's been in the church with us, and I would say their name because they're actually in this worship experience, but they don't like a lot of trumpet blowing stuff. I'm washing the dishes. They're not like that.

They don't care. They don't want to be known. They just want to sell. But I wrote them a letter the other day, and I had to start it over because I wrote down something, thank you for all the sacrifices that you've made to make this church possible. Because here's the deal. People can come to this church and never give anything and we still feed them. That's our job. That's my job. It's our job. If you pull up to the table, go back for seconds, burp and walk off, we're still going to feed you next week. If you watch the sermon

and then click off or click over to something else. We'll still feed you every week. Every week we'll be here. Feed. That's not the question. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life as a needer and not see what God could do through you if you brought him what you have to feed others? Because it will never be enough when you bring it to him.

It'll start as a seed. And that's the contrast. Seed and sacrifice. So when I was writing the note, I said, thank you for your sacrifices. And then I remembered one time I told them that, and they said back to me, it's not a sacrifice. After all God has done for us, it's not a sacrifice. That really stuck with me, how they didn't see it as a sacrifice. Paul tells the church, he goes, I want you to have the opportunity to give to something bigger

than you. To sow. He doesn't ever use the word sacrifice. He says, I want you to sew. See, sacrifice means you give something and it goes away. So means you give something and it gets bigger. They said it's not a sacrifice. It's a seed. When God gave his son as a sacrifice, Jesus was a seed. God sold Jesus as the firstborn among many brethren so that we could become the children of God. It's not a sacrifice. God doesn't even want it when we think it's some sacrifice. He is God.

And so the gift to him is not a sacrifice. It's a privilege. You'll look at me for a minute. You remember how I told you that this is the best New Testament scripture for teaching generosity? Let me give you the picture of it. from the Old Testament. When God called Abraham, you've heard of Abraham before, right? He's called the Father of Faith. When God called him, he said, I'm going to give you a son. And it took maybe

as many as 25 years, the timeline is unclear, but it took a period of decades for that promise to become a reality to where Abraham had a son named Isaac, and he was the child of the promise. And God said, I'm going to bless the earth through Isaac. And Abraham was not a son. too old to have kids, and they didn't have pharmaceuticals to help with stuff like that in that day. I'm going to leave that alone. You can talk to your parents. But what happened in Abraham's case was God did something supernaturally at the appointed time. And then the part that I've always struggled with because I have three kids. Abby is eight, grandma is 12, Elijah is 14. And by this point, Isaac was a teenager. And God told him one day, I want you to take

Isaac and sacrifice him to me. And when Abraham got up the mountain and he was ready to sacrifice Isaac, God got his attention at the last moment and showed him that there was a ram in the bush, and God didn't want him to lay a hand on his son. And so in that moment, it must have been confusing to Abraham that he thought God was calling him to sacrifice what God gave him. But really what we see in the pattern of God is that God never really calls us to sacrifice anything and that anything that we give to him is not sacrificed, it is sown. God had already made a provision for Abraham to obey him.

And when he did it, when he listened to the voice of the Lord, when he made himself available to God. The Bible says in Genesis 22, verse 15, that the angel, of the Lord spoke to Abraham a second time out of heaven. The angel said, go to verse 16, please. By myself, I have sworn, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son. See, Abraham was willing to let something go that God gave him to begin with. There's no such thing as a sacrifice, because everything I have came from God. If I loan you my car and you give it back, you didn't give me anything.

You returned to me what was already mine. Who gave you that gift? Who gave you that breath? Who gave you that opportunity? Who gave you this moment? Who gave you those children? Who gave you that promise? Who gave you that strength?

It's not a sacrifice. But God said, because I've seen your heart, because you didn't think it was yours, because you offered it back to me. Here's what I'm going to do. Blessing, I will bless you. And multiplying, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. What is he saying? God will multiply whatever you are willing to sacrifice. God is a giver. God is a good God. God is a generous God. God. God is abundant God. God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things, at all times, you will

have all that you need to do everything he's called you to do. This is a moment for you to decide. Will you be like the disciples who were so focused on their own need that they didn't realize that God had called them to feed the people that were right in front of them? And I think sometimes we have to commission ourselves as Christians to be able to say, God, not only do I need you to do something for me, I want you to do something through me. Through me. When's the last time we stopped and asked God to do something through us?

I know we ask him to do stuff for us all the time. What about that thing we were praying about this morning? Since the last time we stopped Holly and said, God, what do you want to do through us? Maybe it's not about us. Maybe it's not about us getting what we need to eat. Maybe God brought you to church today to encourage somebody else. And if this preaching is not popular, that makes it even more important. Because the more we stay focused in cultural ideas and norms of consumer-based Christianity,

the world starves. The world starves for truth, the world starves for hope, the world starves for light, and we have the bread. And so I'm asking you a question, are you available? Do you believe that God is able? Do you believe that He is your source? Are you a channel? Are you a vessel?

Are you an instrument? Are you willing? Are you available? Stand up at every location. I want you to take a post. of prayer, no one leaving. I want you to take a posture of prayer. Team you can come. He said that God is able. That's not the question to make all grace abound. That's not in doubt. Are you available? Well, I only got five loaves and two fish, you know?

I'm not one of these amazing people. No, no, no. It's not are you able? It's are you available? Are you? Are you a needer or a feeder? The real truth is you're both. And the way God meets your needs is through you meeting the needs of others. So by your head, close your eyes. The scripture says that if we will make ourselves living sacrifices and offer ourselves to God, we will be able to test and approve what his will is, his good, perfect, pleasing.

will. Lord, you brought us together today by the thousands. Across multiple backgrounds. You brought us together not only to receive from you, but to supply us with seeds so that we could give. And we miss that sometimes, and we confess it. We miss sometimes that everything you give us is not for us. But we just take this moment to acknowledge the great gifts that you have given us. Forgive us for living in me mode. Forgive me for living in me mode, what I need, what I want.

God, I pray that you would shift our hearts and that we would offer all that we are and all that we have. We're available to you in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you 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. 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. You can 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.