Elevation with Steven Furtick - On My Way Back (Chad Veach)

Episode Date: March 8, 2026

When it feels like God’s taking you the long way, remember: He’s worthy of your wait. If you’re feeling discouraged or struggling with obedience while you wait, start by being honest with God about where you are and trusting that His timing is always working for your good.If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References:Numbers 21, verses 4-9Isaiah 40, verses 28-31Lamentations 3, verse 25Psalm 3, verse 3Proverbs 17, verse 22Psalm 51, verses 3-41 John 1, verse 9Philippians 2, verse 8John 3, verses 13-15See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, thank you for listening to Elevation with Stephen Ferdick. Make sure you listen and follow along with Elevation with Stephen Ferdick on Amazon Music. And don't forget, you can also just ask Alexa. Hey, Alexa, can you play Elevation with Stephen Ferdick on Amazon Music? Also, with Amazon Music Unlimited, you can now listen to all your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks, all on the Amazon music app.

I just want to take a moment before we jump into the word. Anybody excited to get into the scripture today? We're going to open up God's word, but two things. I want to pray for anybody that needs a miracle today. Anybody that needs healing today. Anybody that needs finances. You know, the Bible says, Oh, Lord God, nothing is too difficult for you.

If you've got a prodigal today, I know the God that can wake them up with kindness. If you've got a situation, I know that God that can remove that mountain and put into the sea. Come on, anybody believe today that God is who he says he is? Anybody have faith that he can do what he said he would do? Come on, clap. Let's lift up some faith and Thanksgiving today. Just lift your hand. Lord, we thank you for your grace. We thank you for your power. We trust not in riches or mammon or chariots or horsemen, but our trust is in the name of the Lord. We thank you, God that you are who you say you are. And you can accomplish what concerns us today. We cast all of our cares onto you because we know you care for us in the name of Jesus.

And everybody said together, come on clap one more time and thank God. Come on, Elevation 20 years. And I just want to say thank God for Elevation Church. Thank God for all that he's done in this place. Thank God for all that he's done through this place. And the Bible says not to us, not to us be the glory, but to his name. Can we give God some glory for 20 years of his faithfulness? Come on, anybody believe the best is yet to come for Elevation Church. And I just want to say, thank God, not just for Elevation Church, but anybody love your pastors today.

Pastor Stephen and Holly Fernick, come on. Oh, come on. You can clap louder than that today if you love you. We thank God for Pastor Stephen and Hawley. thank God for their faithfulness, for their continual yes. Anybody could say yes for one year, or maybe 10, but 20 years of faithfulness, serving, giving, preaching, writing. Oh, come on, let's give honor where honor is due to our pastors today. Thank God for Pastor Stephen and Holly. And, you know, they've just been out on tour. They've been out on tour. They're so on end. They're

Chicago, sowing into New York. I believe they were in Columbus, Ohio, sewing in. I've always believed that when you sew into somebody else's field, you're going to reap it in your own. And I pray that we would be a church that covers them in prayer. Amen? Why don't we take a moment and pray for our pastors right now? Lord, we thank you for our leaders, our pastors that you've given to us. What a gift to have pastors like them. We pray that their soul would be refreshed. their soul would be encouraged. Thank you, God, for protection over their home, over their children. We thank you that you're speaking to them, giving them vision, dreams, allow signs and wonders and miracles to continue to break out through their ministry. We thank you that they would feel rested

in their soul, and we just bless them today. We thank you, God, for the gifts of our pastors in Jesus' name. And everybody said, come on one more time, clap and thank God. Do me a favor before you sit down. turn and give somebody a high five. Tell him you woke up on time today. You woke up on time today. You woke up. You ain't late. You woke up on time today. Go to the book of Numbers chapter 21. If you have a Bible, Numbers 21. Again, my name is Chad. I live in L.A. I'm blessed. Any married people here in the house today? Sounds painful. Any happily married people in the house today? Yeah, yeah. My wife and I have been married for 17 years. We got four children. Any parents here today? Parents, I got a 14-year-old, a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, and an 8-year-old. We're like a rock group. We put one out every two years.

And 14, 12, 10, 8, and my 8-year-old is not saved. Please pray for my saving. Eight-year-old, he needs Jesus right now. But we're blessed in California. We're blessed in L.A. And I'm just so honest. and thrilled to be here today. Can we, can we clap? This was his first time being up without his mom and dad. Didn't Graham do a great job, my guy right there. Clap and thank God for my guy. I love you so much.

I love you so much. Numbers 21, go there in your Bible. We're going to go to the Old Testament today. It says this. Then they journeyed from Mount Horr by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of eam. And the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there's

no food and no water. And our soul loz this worthless bread. I just have to believe that's gluten-free bread right there. First gluten-free bread and all of the body. right there is worthless bread amen i want to say i'm pro pro gluten amen so the lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and many of the people of israel died and therefore the people came to moses and said we have we done messed up we sinned for we have spoken against the lord and against you pray to the lord that he may take away the fiery serpents from us so moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, make a fiery serpent, set it on a pole, and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, put it on a pole.

And so it was, if a serpent had bitten anybody, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. I want to preach a message today, write down the title. It's called On My Way Back. on my way back. And I just want to tell you today, I don't know how far you drifted away from God. It's never too late to come back to Jesus. I don't know how far you feel like you are away from the will of God for your life,

but anybody thankful that it's never too late with God, you're never too far gone from God. Clap if you believe that we serve the God that welcomes you home with open arms. On my way back. I just like this idea because, you know, I feel like every Monday morning, I start my diet again. Who am I preaching to you right now? Every Sunday night, I'm like, you know, tomorrow morning I'm getting this body back in shape.

Every Monday morning, I'm like, you know what, babe, tomorrow morning, we are going to start working out. A few Mondays ago, a few Mondays ago is in that Monday flow. And we do Orange Theory Fitness. We like to go to this place called Orange Theory Fitness. it's diabolical by nature. Makes you sweat and work out. But I was like, babe, tomorrow morning we're going to go back. And so when I walked in, I signed up on the app.

When I walked into the gym, there was a guy standing there, and he had made me like a sign, Chad's 400th workout. And I was like, what a welcome back sign. This is amazing. I had no idea that I was nearing my 400th workout. So I walked in and I kind of laughed because I was with my wife. And I was thinking to my head, if this is my 400th workout, this have to be her 1,000th workout.

In fact, she had just about to cross two days later her 700th workout. Come on, clap for my wife, Julia. She's putting into work. But I just like that idea that I had no idea. I was coming back into the gym. I had my Nike's on. I was ready to go. And I walk in and here is this sign.

It said 400th workout, but I really felt it was saying like, well, Welcome back, lazy man of God. Welcome back, slacker. See, what I want you to understand today about God, it doesn't matter how far away you are from God. God always loves to welcome his children home. See, God never turns away anybody that comes to him. When you come to him desperate,

when you come to him with humility, when you come to him hungry, God always opens his arm for any prodigal that would come back home. Come on, clap today if you're thankful for the grace of God. God never turns away those that come to him empty. He only turns away those that come to him full of themselves. And today we come with desperation. Oh, I love this story in Numbers 21 because really it's a story about a route back to God.

Did you catch what happened in Numbers 21, verse number four? It says that they were on the way to eat them, but the Lord took them around the long way. And it said, on the way they became impatient. Have you ever felt like God was taken longer than he should? Have you ever felt like God's timetable is different than your timetable? I want to remind you today that our God is never too early and he's never too late. Our God is a what on time God? Oh, come on, give him a praise today if you believe that about.

God. I'm going to give you four things to write down today. Write down number one. The first thing God deals with me as I come back is he deals with my faith in God's timing. He deals with my trust in the timing of the Lord. See, I love this about God. God said, my ways are above your ways. My thoughts are above your thoughts. A day is like a thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years is like a day. God knows the end from the beginning. He is the alpha and the omega. We believe that God is sovereign and seated on the throne. And God knows just what you need and he knows just when you need it. Anybody thankful today that God will supply all of your needs according to his riches and according to his glory. Oh, I love Isaiah 40. Put it on the screen. Have you not known? Have you not heard the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth? He neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak. That's cowboy fans. I'm prophylying to somebody right now. And to those who have no might, he increases their strength. Even youths like Graham shall faint and be weary. And the young men shall utterly fall. But those that wait

on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not what? Faint. That's what God does. That's why I love that elevation worship song. I'm going to wait on you. Man, if I can sing like Pastor Stephen, I sing the whole song right now. But I'm going to wait on you. I'm going to wait on you. See, what happened is they're on this journey and they're on the way to eat him and the Lord took them around the long way. See, what I love about God is that God sometimes knows that you're not ready for what you think you're ready for. And sometimes God loves you enough to not shortcut your blessing. Sometimes God will take you around the long way.

And it's on the long way that something's being developed in you. Something is being put inside of you that's lacking. Oh, I'm thankful that I didn't get what I thought I deserved when I thought I deserved it. I'm grateful that God took me on the path and the journey that I needed for my life, anybody else. Oh, look at what Lamentations, Chapter 3, verse 25 says. It says, the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. The Lord is good to those who wait for him. I'm just telling you, nothing reveals more about what you believe about God than the way that you wait.

I live in L.A. We are masters of waiting on the freeway. I learn how to wait on the 405. But I've learned with God, I got to wait on the Lord. I got to wait on God's strength. And I've learned not to wait like this. I've learned to wait like this. God is faithful. God is generous.

God is compassionate. God is kind. God is sovereign. God is loving. Oh, come on clap today if you believe that God is worthy of your weight. one of my wife's best friend, she is a widow. And she went through a tragic situation years ago. And we, after this situation, the Lord started to heal her heart and do a great work in her life.

And we started together to believe God for a husband. We started to pray and believe that God would send her somebody. And so together as a church and our community, we started to pray and believe that God was send her somebody. And a couple years ago, during our fast, we do 21 days of prayer and fasting the month of January, she was fasting and praying. And on the last day of the fast, a friend of hers connected her with a guy. She got a five-minute coffee because you don't want to get stuck in a coffee because it could go bad. So she told this guy, I could stop by the coffee shop, pick up the coffee you order, and then I got to go. Ladies, I'm just telling you, that's how

you do it right there for the first one. Just a breeze through. Are you okay? Okay, then we'll be back. I'm just trying to give some knowledge to somebody today. And so she met this God in the last day of the fast. And sure enough, he ended up being a man of God. He had good hygiene and a tether. That's a candidate right there, amen. And long story short, they end up getting married.

And she's in her 40s. And that's so cool. but can I tell you, not only did she get married, but this last year, she got pregnant. And I'm just telling you, it's one of the greatest miracles I've ever seen. You know, sometimes we think that miracles are these crazy healings. But sometimes it's like to find somebody to get married to, to get pregnant when you've been believing God. And one of the things that stands out to me about this lady's story is that she could have just taken matters into her own hands and married somebody. years ago, but she waited on the timing of the Lord. She waited on the perfect person. And I just

want to encourage you today, God is worthy of your weight. He's got the best in store for his children. And if you'll just keep holding out for God's best, if you'll just keep waiting along the journey, I promise you God's got something better for you than you could ever ask, think, or imagine. Anybody believe that God is good and greatly to be praised? Oh, I love what it says here. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. So they're waiting on God. They're like, God, this is taking too long. This journey has taken so much time.

Why can't we get to eat them faster? But, babe, open up the Way's app. There's got to be a faster way to get there. Now I've got the Apple map, the Google app, and the Way's app. I'm trying to get to eat them. I've got to get to eat them. And it says that as they're on the way, and it's taking longer than they want, that the soul of the people get discouraged.

Write down number two today. God deals with my discouragement. I don't know if you've ever felt discouraged. But when you feel like, man, it's not going as good as I wanted it to go. Life's not happening at the pace or the rate that I wanted it to happen. Oh, I'm just so thankful today that in times that I felt down, times that I felt discouraged, the Bible says, thou, Lord, are the lifter of my head. Anybody thankful today that God will turn your morning into dancing.

Come on, the Bible says those that sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Come on, clap if you believe that God will turn your morning around into dancing. Oh, I love Psalm 3, verse 3. It says, but you, oh, Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the one who lifts up my head. Proverbs 17, 22. A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. This is not feeling like I had a bad day. They're dealing with discouraged.

Have you ever felt discouraged? You ever feel like I'm not, I wish I was a better parent. I wish I was a better husband or a wife. I wish my business was doing better than it is. you know it's like I don't know anybody today that's like you know my biggest problem is I just feel way too encouraged

and I'm just quite frankly I'm sick of it I just wake up and I just think I'm killing it I don't know anybody that struggles with being too encouraged but I know tons of people today that are like man am I

am I good enough am I doing a how come you ever get on social media and it look like God's blessing everybody else but you? Sometimes you just grow like this. Wow.

They're in Italy again. Whoa. And see, the problem with waiting on God is it doesn't just deal with your impatience. You've got to be careful because it will develop into discouragement. And I don't know who this is for

today, but you need to understand. Get your eyes off them. Put your eyes on him. The Bible says looking under Jesus, the author, and the finisher of our faith. I can't, listen, I pray everybody's blessed, and I hope everybody's doing great. But I got to be grateful for what God's doing in my house. I got to be excited about what God's doing in my children. I got to be thankful for what God's doing in my city.

Come on, anybody got the attitude of gratitude today. Anybody thankful. Come on, clap and give God praise if you're great. Come on, let's get encouraged. in the Lord. And you've got to be careful with discouragement, because if you're not, discouragement will result in rebellion. If you're not careful with discouragement, in fact, put this on the screen. They say, this worthless bread, miracles seem meaningless when you're discouraged and they often leads into rebellion. You've got to be careful with a discouraged soul,

because if you're not, it'll lead into rebellion. All of a sudden, this miracle of man this miracle of bread. They're going, this bread ain't that good. This ain't that. This is not that awesome. This is not that great. The things that once

caused you to shout for joy are now just meaningless in the presence of God. I've got to get my eyes back. I've got to get my heart back. I've got to get my faith back to say this is the marriage you gave me. This is the house you blessed me with.

These are the children that are a gift from God. Come on, clap. If you're thankful today, come on let's get the eye and the heart of gratitude. Come on, lift up a shut of praise today if you're grateful to God. The Bible says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. The Bible says, enter into his gates with Thanksgiving and enter into his courts with praise. I will lift up my hands in your sanctuary.

Why? Because your love is better than life. and when you stop having that attitude, it's just bread. Just these kids. This whole house, you know, you got to fix the plumbing and got to fix the electricity. You got to be careful because complainers, I never met a man complain like this. You know, I have a complaint. Complainters, I like weasels.

This meaningless bread. And it says they were waiting and God was taken too long and the path was much further. and it was not in the rate, the pace, or the plan that they had versus what God had, and their soul became very discouraged. And I know that at church, you know, we have a great time lifting up our hands and praising the Lord, but I just want to ask you, are you discouraged today? Because God doesn't have a disdain for you. God has a grace for you.

God says, come to me with all of your burdens. He says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. God wants to turn your mourning into dancing. If you sow in tears, you're going to reap with songs of joy.

Because I know the God that can turn around, the terrible situation that you're going through and bring glory for ashes. Come on, clap and praise them today. And their souls became discouraged. I'll never forget, in June of 2020, I felt so discouraged. In June of 2020, during COVID, I finally got COVID for the first time in June. And at that time, we're going through so much in the world, and it just felt like at church. And everywhere I turned out, I felt so torn and felt so defeated and I've never been through a season like this and my COVID turned into shingles. And I got shingles right here on my ear. And so I go into the urgent care and I was in so much pain and I was in pain in my body. I was in pain in my soul. And I went in the lady, she said,

sir, you have shingles. It comes from stress. She said, are you stressed about anything? Well, I'm a man of God. So I said, no. And she says, surely you must be stressed about something. I'm a man of confession. I said, no, I'm not stressed about anything. She said, well, your body says contrary. And I'll never forget feeling discouraged. You got to be careful with discouragement

because discouragement will turn into rebellion. You notice what they did? They started to complain against God and they started to complain against their pastor. It's never encouraged people that complain against God and their pastor, it's discouraged people. And I'm just telling you, guard your heart when you feel discouraged. That's why it's so important that you put on the word of God in your house. It's why it's so important that you listen to elevation worship, you listen to elevation rhythm, and you get the

spirit of faith and the spirit of worship into your house. And you say, no weapon that's formed against me is going to prosper. And every tongue that rises against me in judgment, I will condemn. I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. I'm the head and not the tail. I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a marvelous life. Come on, clap and give God praise that you might not have what you want to have. You might not be where you want to be. But come on, clap and thank God.

You're not where you used to be. Come on, has God been good and faithful and generous to any... Oh, come on. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Give them a shout of praise today if you're grateful to God. You've got to be careful with discouragement. You've got to be careful with seasons of frustration. Because what I noticed about God,

God loves to take us along the long way. He loves to take us on the path of much resistance. He loves to develop his character. Let me preach to somebody. God loves you just the way you are. He just loves you way too much to leave you that way. God's working something inside of you. God's developing something that's lacking.

God's training you for us. Come on, clap and praise him today. God's doing something. And he who has begun a good work, we'll be faithful to complete it. You want to know what's crazy about the story in Numbers 21? They were fresh off a victory. They were fresh off a W. They had just had a win by taking out one of the kings.

And yet there was frustration. Just because you saw a win last year doesn't mean you're going to get an automatic victory this year. You've got to be patient with the Lord. You've got to trust God's perfect timing. God is in control, seated on the throne. And if God be for you, who can be against you? Give them a praise. And so the soul of the people became very discouraged.

And they're so discouraged that the result of the discouragement, I don't know what you do when you're discouraged. I usually go to McDonald's for McFlurries. And so, but what they did, what they did was they complained against God. And they complained against Moses. Because a lot of times what usually all that energy will result in taking it out on your leaders. My good shepherd and the shepherd that God's placed over me. And I'm just asking you, when you're discouraged, run to the house of God.

When you're discouraged, get around somebody that will refresh you and lay hands on you and pray for you. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. come on I got to get around the people of God I got to get around some worshippers anybody grateful for your godly friends today come on clap and thank God for the ones that I pray for you I was talking to to this man of God recently and and we laid hands and prayed for him and he said you don't know how long I've longed for somebody to pray for me get you some friends that you know I don't like when people apologize like hey you know I just I hate to be spiritual but can I pray for you It's like, yes, you can pray for me. We're going through hell on earth. We need somebody to lay hands and prophesied and tell me that God is for me and with me.

And the soul of the people became very discouraged, and they started to speak against God and Moses. And as they're speaking against God and Moses, the Lord sent some snakes. I don't know how you feel about snakes, but they're my biggest fear. Some are afraid of spiders. some are afraid of the dark, some are afraid of close talkers, some are afraid of bad breath, I'm afraid of snakes. I don't care if they're on the ground or in the plane. I'm afraid of snakes.

And the Lord sent snakes to bite them. And all of a sudden, they're dealing with a snake bite. And as they're dealing with the snake bite, they realize, oh, no, we done messed up. And so they come back to Moses and they say, Moses, we have sinned against you and against God. please forgive us. Write down number three today. Sometimes God will deal with your confession. I've got to confess my sins.

Listen, if you can name it, God can heal it. But until you can come clean about that thing that you're dealing with, until you can be open about that struggle that you've been going through, how could God touch what you're not willing to reveal? The Bible says the man that conceals his sin will not prosper. Oh, I love what the Bible says in Psalm 51, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you and you alone have I sin and done this evil in your sight.

What about 1.9? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all. Was that word right there? Unrighteousness. If, if, if. I want to put an emphasis right there on the word if. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I like this thing, confession. We've got to confess. You know where confession comes from? Conviction leads to confession. When you feel the conviction of God, these guys looked at these snake bites, they said, oh, no, we didn't. It's one thing to have a mosquito bite. God's messing with you when you get a snake bite. And they say, we need to confess our sin.

We need to be honest about our transgressions. You are only as sick as your secrets. Your authority is in your authenticity. And when you get real with God, God already saw it. God already knows about it. God never looks away when you and I make mistakes. His face is set aflint. And when you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit,

anybody thankful today for the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Conviction shows me you're alive. Conviction shows me God's still working with you. Remember, you've got to be careful with conviction because if you do something once, you're going to feel bad. But if you don't talk about it, you do it again. You're going to feel kind of bad. You do it a third time.

You ain't going to feel nothing. What keeps your conviction is your confession. When I come before the Lord and I say, Lord, I've sin and fallen short of the glory of God. God. Thank you for the blood of Jesus. Thank you for the cross of Christ. Thank you for a new beginning and a second chance. Thank you that you'll always make a way for me to come back to your house. Come on, clap and give God praise if you believe that he's the God of second, third, fourth, fifth. Come on, clap, if you believe, he's the God of second chances today. I want to encourage you to get good at confession, get good at naming the thing that could have power or stronghold over you,

But the moment you confess the blood, the moment you confess it to God, it loses all its sting. It loses all its power. If you can name it, God can heal it. I'll never forget. There's this pastor that I really love and respect. He's gone to be with the Lord now, but he's just a real righteous, holy, powerful man of God. And he tells this story that one time, early in the morning, he woke up, and he called like his second in command kind of right-hand pastor. early in the morning and said, there's been an incident,

I need you to get over to my house immediately. Something's happened, something bad. And so the associate pastor got in the car, and he drove as fast as he could to the pastor's house, and he's thinking in his head, what happened, what did he do, what went on? Is it the kids? What happened?

And he gets to the pastor's house early in the morning, and the pastor opens the front door, and he's in his robe. And he says, please come in. And he's got community out. He said, you need to serve communion to me, and you need to pray for me. I've sinned. And the associate pastor is thinking, oh, no, we lost the church. Oh, no, what did you do?

Oh, my gosh, this is terrible. Oh, no. He's like, yes, pastor, of course. And he said, and the pastor's really serious. And he goes, last night I made a mistake and I sinned. I ate Oreos. And the associate pastor's like, yes. He's like, but I made a vow to the Lord years ago that I would never.

have another Oreo. I was thinking, that's a vow. I ain't never making in Jesus' name. That's God between you and the Holy Ghost. I ain't touching that one. You can, man, you're on another level, man of God. But can you hear the fear of the Lord? Can you hear the closeness to Jesus? Serve me communion. And I did it last night, so I'm confessing the next morning. I have sinned against the Lord. I made a vow. I've got to fulfill a vow. I want you to be quick with your confession. Don't hold off for six months or nine months. The Bible says, repent therefore and be converted,

that your sins may be washed away. And times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. When you confess the cross and confess the blood of Jesus, there's nothing you've done, there's nothing you've touched, there's no place that you've gone, that my God can't heal, my God can't forgive, my God can't deliver. Anybody thankful today for the grace of Jesus.

So he deals with my faith in God's timing. He deals with my discouragement. He deals with my confession. And then I love this last one. He deals right down the last one. He deals with my obedience. So the Lord says to Moses, Moses, get a fiery snake. And I want you to put it on a pole.

And I want you to lift it up high. And anybody that looks at this fiery snake. serpent, if they look, they will be healed. All throughout the scriptures, God asked people to do stuff that are not conventional, but it will unlock their miracle. Oh, come on, do you remember when Joshua had to walk around Jericho seven times? Do you remember when that man had to dip into the water seven times? Do you remember when the man with the withered hand had to stretch out his hand? Do you remember when the widow had to make the room for the prophet? Do you remember when Abraham had to leave his land? Do you remember when, come on, everybody through the Bible had to do something to unlock the miracle of God.

It all happened through obedience. And the Bible says in Philippians chapter 2, verse 8, in Jesus being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross. Jesus himself had to humble himself and become obedient even to the point of the point. of death and death on the cross. See, one of the things I love about God is that this is a foreshadow. This is a typecast of what's to come. See, here in the Old Testament, they lifted up a snake. And the Bible says that if you looked, you would live. But at the New Testament, we lift up the son of man. His name is Jesus. And if you believe you shall live. In the Old Testament, their cure represented their curse. But of the New Testament, Jesus became the curse for us. And he is now

lifted above all names. Anybody thankful today for the grace that's found in Jesus Christ? Oh, come on, clap and give him a praise today. John chapter 3, verse 13, and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. In the Old Testament, it's look and live, in the New Testament, it's believe and live. But in both cases, I've got to obey. I've got to do what God said to unlock the miracle of salvation.

To unlock the miracle of God's best. And I'll just tell you, the Bible says, God takes not delight in sacrifice as much as God loves obedience. God is attracted to your obedience. And sometimes God doesn't give you something new to do until you go back and do the last thing he told you to do. And I wonder, how's your obedience? Because obedience precedes blessing. Obedience unlocks miracles.

When you obey the voice of God, when you do what God tells you to do, I'm telling you nothing will unlock the kingdom of God in your life like obeying the voice of the Lord. Jesus said my voice, my sheep will recognize a stranger's voice they will not follow. Anybody believe today that God's got a plan for your life? God's got something for you to do. There's a will of God for your, there's a will of God for all of us. There's a will of God for you. And you got to obey. You got to trust and obey for there's no other way.

I got to obey God. I got to say, God, if you want to take me along the long road, if you want it to take as long as the four or five takes to get to eat them your will above my will not my will be done but your will if you want to take me along the way help me to decrease so that you can increase and Lord help me to obey at every turn help me to obey in every season lest I grow discouraged and I start to complain these kids this spouse Some of you today, you don't need a new spouse. You need a new perspective.

You need to see this person as the miracle that God, come on, clap if you believe it, married people. I got to see you the way God's called me to see you. I got to talk to you the way God's called me to talk to you. I got to get all that discouragement. I got to get all that frustration. And I got to turn it into praise. And there are some things I got to confess.

I got to confess that I am a sinner in need of grace, but I confess that you love me and that you're for me and that you're with me. And I'll obey you no matter what the cost. I'll obey you no matter what you tell me to do. You just think about the youth ministry of the Israelites at the time. The mom and dad are like, son,

I know the snake bit you, but I need you to trust me here. We're going to lift it up. I want you to stare at it, son. Kids like, I'm not looking at the thing that just hurt me. No, no, no, son, you have to obey because if you obey, you're going to live. If you obey, you're going to flourish. I just want to just tell you about God.

God's into your life. God's going to ask some things of you. The Bible says the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. God's got a plan for your life. No eye has seen and no ear has heard. no mind can imagine the things that God has in store for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. God's got a plan for your life. And we're going to have to obey. Anybody want God's best for your family. Anybody want God's best for your life? Come on, clap and give

and pray. You're going to have to obey. He's talking to a friend the other day. It's building a great church. Things are going off. It's grown like crazy. Tons of people. The people are coming. the money is not. And he felt like the Lord told him, I want you to fast and pray for the finances of the church. It felt like the Lord told him, fast and pray for the finances of this church.

He said, if the Lord told me to do it, I got to do it. So he went on a fast. And he started to pray. And when he finished the fast on the last day, his phone rang. And it was a man that he hadn't spoke to in nine years.

And the man on the other line said, It's crazy. I know we haven't spoken in nine years, but this morning the Lord woke me up and showed me your face. And the Lord spoke to my heart and told me to wire you $250,000 to your church. Oh, come on, clap if you believe it today. Clap if you believe that obedience will unlock something. Clap if you believe that God's ways are better than your ways.

Come on, clap, if you believe he knows the end from the beginning. What do you give God praise if he's taking you along the long way? I'm going to wait on you. I'm going to worship you in the midnight hour. Even when I don't feel like it, even when it doesn't make sense, I will not be discouraged. I will lift up my hands in your sanctuary because your love is better than life. I confess the blood.

I confess the. Oh, come on. on clap if you believe it and i will obey the lord i will obey god jesus humbled himself to the point of death on the cross that's why god exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name oh come on if you believe it today let's worship our king let's give our god praise come on let's worship god together today hallelujah come on lift it up today one more day thank you jesus your hands out in front of you for the way that he's developing you. Thank God today for the path that he's got you on. Thank God for the long road. Just thank God right now for his sovereignty. Thank God for his shepherding. The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. Just give them a praise today in your heart for the goodness of God. Even if you take me along the long path, even if it takes longer than I ever expected, I'll worship you. I'll wait on you. For those that wait on the Lord, we'll renew their strength today. I'm not in a hurry because you're not in a hurry. You're the author of my salvation. You know the beginning from the end. You're the alpha and the omega. I've placed my trust in you today.

Forgive me for my discouragement. Forgive me for setting false expectations. Release me. I release gratitude in this house today. If you're thankful to God just lift up a hand, we release our gratitude. We thank the Lord. Bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord and all that is within me. At all times I will praise you. Come on, I will thank you without seizing. Make me a worshiper. Make me a true worshiper that will worship you in spirit and in truth. I thank you, God. I praise you, Lord, that you put on a garment of praise for the spirit of despair. That you're trading me beauty for ashes.

I thank you for the oil of joy that's landing on my house. I thank you that new songs of joy, new songs of praise and deliverance are coming to my house. I confess my sin. I will not hide. Where can I go from your presence? Where can I hide from you? Even if I tried to make my bed in the depths of Xi'all, you're there. I think that your eye is upon your spiral and I vow my obedience. I'm coming back to the heart of worship. I'm coming back to living for Jesus. I'm running back like the prodigal son. Come on if you believe it today. Lift your voice. Lift your hands. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus. God has not quit on you. God's not mad at you. He's madly in love with you. God has no plan B for your life today. We're coming back to the heart of worship. This message came to me about a week ago. I was driving in my car, getting on the 405.

And I didn't have time to do my read-through that morning. So I pressed play. And it started to read through numbers 21. and I heard the word discouraged and I pressed pause and I said what did it just say discouraged and I thought of you

and I thought about today and I thought there'd be somebody here today that just needs to hear the word of the Lord say to you that I'm the God that refreshes souls I'm the God that will make you lie down in green pastures I'm the God that will lead you besides still waters.

You know what the gospel is? I was wrong. I'm forgiven. I'm restored. I was wrong. I'm forgiven. But thank God I'm restored today. You know what this story was?

I was wrong, but I'm forgiven. And I'm walking out of it today. restored. Get your confidence back. Elevation. I can do all things through who? Through who? Christ that strengthens me. So Lord, we thank you that we're built up in our holy faith. We thank you that you never looked away because you're God of mercy and compassion. You sent solutions for the Israelites and you sent solution for us, the son of man. Jesus, the son of the living God. And we believe on a day like today, through his obedience, we can walk in victory.

We pray today that as we celebrate your goodness, we will understand the grace that's found in Christ. We will believe and live because of Jesus. And Jesus, we celebrate your obedience. Thank you that you obeyed the Father, even to the point. of death on the cross. Thank you that you obeyed the Father and you chose us rather than yourself. In the same way you obeyed the Father, we want to obey the Father. We want to walk with you and serve you. We love you more than anything else in Jesus' name. And everybody said together, come on, let's clap and thank God one more time. 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.