Elevation with Steven Furtick - Peace In My Pocket

Episode Date: February 4, 2019

You don’t need to search far for your peace; it’s closer than you think. To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://ele.vc/TI55jRSee 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 fate. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. Pastor Carl Lentz is in the house to preach God's Word. I'm excited that our friend would come and be with us today. For many years, I would preach on my anniversary, and it seemed unfitting for me. me to have to bring a gift to my own birthday party. And there was only one person that I wanted to preach this weekend. And if he would have said no, then I would have quit returning his text messages for at least three months. But Pastor Carl Lentz is really one of the most Christ-like

people that I know. He is not afraid to be inconvenienced or controversial if it means bringing Jesus into the lives and hearts of people. I want to be more like that. I've noticed him being willing to associate with anyone and everyone on the same level, and I want to be more like that. I noticed that he is relentless in his drive to connect with people, and at times that means sometimes at great expense to himself, and I want to be more like that. So I thank God for having a brother who can also be an example. We love you and Laura. It's been a joy to ride with you just even in the very back of the bus on the journey of Hillsong,

New York, since the very beginning. And we have been friends for a long time now, and I love you. more every day that I know you. In this last year, we've grown closer than ever before. So for the next, you know, three or four hours, we don't have a team in the game tonight. For the next few moments, don't get nervous. This hyperbole, for the next few minutes, treat this like this as your elevation church. We certainly consider you family. Welcome to the stage in every location, EFAM around the world. Pastor Carlitz. It's an honor to be here. Before we sit down, I just want to say, it never gets old to me being a part of your church.

church. And when your pastor says that they've been a part of this for a long time, and I should have asked if I could tell this story, but I'm just going to do it, and he could just delete it from the record. But when we first started Hillsong, New York City, we didn't really know each other that way. I knew him from a forest, even Holly, but he came to hang out in New York for something else, and we had dinner, and it was, there was a catastrophic storm coming. This is like year one of Hillsong, New York City, and we had to cancel our services. I think he could see it. It was really heavy on my heart. I didn't know what to do. And it was, and we had to do. And when you started early church, every weekend really matters.

I don't know what the myth is of church plants, but sometimes if you've got to shut it down for a week, it could really hurt you. And he looked at me and he just goes, you know, God's going to come through. He's going to come through. Just keep your head up. And I was like, yeah, it's easy for you to say. You know, you have your own planet elevation. And everything you do is incredible.

Like, we're brand new. And he came back later that night at dinner, and he said, hey, you know, I feel like God's going to answer your prayer. And I'm like, well, that's great. He's like, you told me how much money it would cost to run your, church for that weekend and he's like our elevation church believes in church plants and we're going to sew this into your church and i remember calling my pastor i said do you know this these verdict people do you know anything about this elevation church they have a fund that helps churches like ours and we uh we were able to keep it going i don't know what would have happened had god not sent y'all

in a form of your leadership in that moment and so whether you like it or not you're with hillsong new york City forever. Over 200,000 people have gotten saved. Who knows how many lives have been transformed, and we don't even know what we're doing yet. Thank you. And it's one year. It's like a one birthday party we get to have, so I'm going to take an extra second here because it is true. We always talk about how some cultures are really weird with honor. For whatever reason, people get freaked out. It's okay to honor people who God loves and who he's touched. I tell Stephen and Holly this, who are so much fun, by the way. Laura and Holly are fast friends because me and Stephen are relatively serious at times and both of our wives are

Really much cooler than both of us, but LeBron James, I don't know if you guys know who that is This guy is so good that what it used to be exceptional has just become normal So if you look at what LeBron James does on any given night, you're like oh, what do you have 37 17, 16 14 and three steals and he gave from nine people water and you expect you just expect LeBron to do that the first couple of times he's did it, people are like, wow, that's amazing. Then you start expecting LeBron to do that. And what used to be special is no longer special. I think that we got to do a great job, just in general, of honoring the amazing things that God puts in our lives and keeping them special. And that includes your pastor.

Let me tell you something, this is not normal. It's not normal to walk into a church that is incredible. It's excellent. They work hard. All they do is exist to bring people to Jesus. and just the preaching alone. Most pastors preach two good messages in their whole life. He just wrote a new one for next week right now that I'd be better than anything else somebody else could construct. All that to say, when you walk into this church, don't take the ushers for granted.

Don't take these musicians for granted. Don't take the fact that you have lights on for granted. Don't take the fact that people are getting saved for granted. And don't take your pastors who are, Supernaturally special for granted. Can we show them some love on this 13-year celebration? And give somebody a quick high-five and a hug, and you take your seat. And we're going to get to this word, and it was worth it.

However much time you've got to take off that clock, do it. But it's an honor to be able to be here on a special day. And L.J., you're sticking with me, my brother. Thank you. Phenomenal. Do you like who you're sitting next to? I wouldn't have been mad if we just kept singing. That powerful.

How good is worship in church? It's cool everywhere, but there's something special about it. I had a friend of mine who just doesn't get charismatic worship at all. And he was like, it just seems so weird to me. And I'm like, yeah, but have you ever seen yourself in the clubs you go to? You're weird, too. But I explained to them. I said, we don't lift our hands because it's charismatic.

We don't lift our hands and do stuff because a worship leader says stuff. It's just a desperation thing. When I first started coming to church, I would barely muster a worship Frisbee. And then the more desperate I got, the less I cared about what anybody else thought. And I'll sing if I can't sing. Lift my hands if I have to. There are some weeks where I don't do that. But the point is this.

It's pretty incredible to be able to just come and do a place like this and worship freely. I don't take it for granted. Do you? Hope not. Do you like who you're sitting next to right now? Look at them deeply in their eyes and tell them. I prayed all day that I would sit right next to you. And then look at them and say,

God loves Tom Brady more than everybody else. These are facts. I'm just kidding. I have no dog in that fight. I don't care at all. Plus, it's not really going to be a game because of Tom Brady. Only two types of people in this world.

Tom Brady fans, and I'm kidding. Okay, let me stop with the football. Believe him for Cam to have a breakthrough year. Can I get a Carolina Panther? Amen. Anybody need more peace in your life? Anybody ever struggle with fear, anxiety, worry, pressure?

Nobody. Wow. This place is really. really put together, pastor. I think Jesus had a lot to say about it, and I'm going to read you a scripture that really brings peace to my soul. And a huge shout out to Columbia, Uptown, Morrisville, Concord, Blakeney, Raleigh. I am an NC State alum. Shout out to the NC State Wolfpack. Winston-Salem, Riverwalk, UC, Asheville, Matthews, Toronto, Gaston, Lake No. I know this is top of my head, Rowanoke, online, Melbourne, Valentine.

Jesus said this and he's talking to guys that are headed into pretty uncertain futures and he's letting them know what they can expect how to live, what's going to be coming their way. And I love what he says because it can, this scripture alone can get you through this week and get you through your whole life when you realize what you have in you, who our God is. And he says this, now you finally believe in me and the time has come when you will be scattered and each one of you will go your own way leaving me alone. yet I am never alone. For the Father is always with me.

And everything I've taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you. And we'll give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and you will experience sorrows. But you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world. The world. I called this message with the 20 minutes I have remaining. Peace in my pocket. Look at somebody and you say, I got peace in my pocket.

You find it funny how when you are under pressure or under stress or dealing with anxiety, you're just not yourself. You don't say the things you normally say. You don't act right. It just kind of makes you different than normal. Who knows what I'm talking about? Like if you're under pressure, anxiety is hitting you. For me, the way that outworks itself, stress is that I just. forget stuff. You have any friends in here know what I'm talking about? Like when you're under

pressure, you forget stuff and you're looking for things that you don't even know if you really ever lost them in the first place. Recently, I was under some pressure. Regular life stuff like all of us. And I was trying to find what I needed to just get going with the rest of my day. And my wife was not in the house, so right away I'm in trouble. And I am searching everywhere for two things that I needed, my phone and my keys. And after uprooting the whole house, losing my faith a few times, getting saved again, and sitting there just depleted after I couldn't find it. My wife walks in. She goes, what you're looking for?

I said, I'm looking for my keys, and I'm looking for my phone. Have you seen them? Because I know you moved them. You need to start blaming people when you're under pressure. It was you. And she goes, mate, because she's Australian, mate. Did you check your pockets, mate? And I looked at her and I'm like, yeah.

Sure enough, phone here. Keys here. I looked at her and I was like, I was just making sure you knew where they were. And I left in shame. And I thought about how interesting it is that if we're not careful, we can forget the fact that Jesus actually said in John 16 that we have peace because of him. And if he is with us, that also means that peace is with us. And we have people who don't understand that during anxious times and pressure and fear. Sometimes we end up looking for stuff we never lost.

We start wandering into areas we have been freed from. We start going to other sources trying to find things that are clearly already in our possession. If there is somebody in here who feels like you've lost your peace or you can't find your peace and you're desperate for more of it, I would tell you today, you have more peace in your pocket in your life than you think you do. Maybe you just need to start asking the Holy Spirit to open up your eyes. and show you just how much he has put inside you. Maybe you forgot about it. Maybe you haven't learned how to pull it out yet. But if you lost your peace, that would have to mean that Jesus has abandoned you.

And I got good news. He doesn't leave us. He doesn't forsake us. He doesn't leave us high and dry. So therefore, your peace is in you because Jesus is with you. If you thought you lost your peace, you did not. If you thought that somebody had access to more peace than you, they do not. Some of us are just quicker to remember the fact that Jesus told us he's with me.

Therefore, peace is in my soul. Take a deep breath today. It feels good to know that you're a Christian, therefore peace is with you. I'll break it down in two quick ways. It helps me. It's one thing when we talk about peace, it's one thing to understand that making your peace with God important step. But it's a whole other ballgame to be able to find your peace in Jesus daily. Can I break this down for you?

We got four hours, so get comfy. It's one thing to make your peace with God. I don't love that term, but it's a term that people kind of understand because I feel like God made his peace with us by giving us a chance to get saved through Jesus. But making your peace with God is typically the only part of peace people really understand. We call this salvation. So if you're new to this church and you have yet to make your peace with God, that's going to change in approximately 17 minutes.

But this is when we bow our knee and we realize that God has saved us and he has set us free. We can have peace today knowing if our lives ended now, we would be with him someday in heaven, not because of what we've done, but because of the beautiful thing Jesus did on the cross and His grace set us free. In fact, just in case, if you need to hear it, Romans 5 says this, this is mind-blowing. It says, our faith in Jesus transfers God's righteousness to us, and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. Anybody wake up today, Elevation Church, and go, Oh, that's how good God is flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God,

all because of what our Lord Jesus, the anointed one, has done for us. Our faith guarantees us permanent access into this marvelous kindness, and it's given us a perfect relationship with God. So now we've made our peace here, right? There's a lot of people who still don't get this, and even though you're sitting in church, I'm not doubting your faith, but I know people who have yet to understand you need to make. your peace with the fact that God has made his peace with you because of Jesus.

You can't out sin this grace. You can't out backslide the love of God. I know people who get saved in church every week. I have a friend who is first hand to go up, every altar call we do, and I finally was like, my man, just so you know, you can get saved all you want, but you have bowed your knee. You have confessed your sin. You are rejecting your old sinful ways. You are saved.

God loves you. He goes, yeah, but I had a really rough week. I said, my name. Thank God. It's not about our performance. Our peace comes from Jesus. So some of you might need to make your peace with that today. But there's this other thing called finding your peace in Jesus daily that we probably need to talk about

because this is where you walk with it and you talk with Jesus and you know his voice and you know his tempo and you know what it feels like to be surrounded by him. This is when you have so much peace you can give it away. This is when you have so much peace you can access it at any time. There are so many people who only know the peace of God eternally, maybe, but they don't know anything about the fact that God did not just save us so we can have some weird eternal security. God saved us and Jesus gave us peace so we could live differently while we're here. I don't want to just get saved and just exist knowing someday I'll be in heaven. But while I'm here on earth, I got to go through what everybody else is going through.

No way. I need to know what I have access to. Come on. I'm preaching to at least seven people. in here. Mainly in this area right here. This is the faith-filled people. I just don't want to be a victim of not knowing what I had access to when it comes to the things of God. It means I got to work at it. It means I got to go explore this. It means I have to, outside of my church experience, get on my own knees, sing my own songs, pray my own prayer, try to know who Jesus is for me so I don't

get lost in all this stuff. Yeah, three hallelujah. That's what I always say when I'm preaching this. I mean, I have a phone like everybody in here, and I don't know about you if you're tech savvy or not. I'm not very tech savvy. My daughters make fun of me all the time. But I recently had a iPhone breakdown, and that frustrates me because they're far too expensive to not work all the time. And so I was like, you know what? I want to actually talk to the maker. I want to talk to the people who are taking my money. So I went into Apple, and I went up to this guy, and I'm like, sir, my new iPhone that you forced me to get by giving me updates and have bugs in it and my text freeze. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, that one. It's not working, and I need it to work.

He goes, oh, great to have you at Apple today, sir. We're glad you. So you have problems with your phone? Okay, cool. If you can just go back there to that line and make your appointment at the genius bar, one of our geniuses will be with you very soon. I'm like, nah, I didn't come here to talk to a genius. I came here to get what I'm owed. Okay, I don't want to talk to a genius. I want you to fix my phone. He's like, it's great to have you. That's what we do. We go to the line and I just thought you know what I'm gonna see this thing through and I sat in the line and I made friends with people in the line who were also frustrated and I finally got there and the guy starts breaking down my phone for me he's like man you have a lot to learn about this phone

sir and I'm like really I don't want to learn about my phone I just want it to work and he goes I said what are my options like well you could leave here now and just have a phone that doesn't work right or you can let me explain it to him I like you and I sat there not for that long and he just literally broke down stuff I didn't know and I started taking a little bit of enjoyment, started to have a little bit of faith rise up in me because I'm like, wow, I didn't know this. I left there and I FaceTime multiple people.

I was like using features. I didn't know we're there. And I thought, wow, 15 minutes with a guy who knows more than me and I'm more productive just like that. But yet, we're going to put it on our pastors to teach us how God's going to do this. We're going to try to get on some conference to make sure we know who God is for us.

I came to tell somebody right now, You have as much access to the peace of God as anybody else does, but it's going to take your work. It's going to take your passion to say, I don't want to look back on my life and find out that I had peace that I didn't use, confidence that I didn't use. All I had to do was go to the maker and say, Lord, teach me your work. Come on, somebody. I got peace in my pocket, and I don't want to leave. Somebody's going to leave here today. accessing more of the peace of God than you ever have before and your life is going to change because of it. You believe that? You believe God is that good?

Here's why we need it. I'm going to fly through this because I asked your pastor, I said, can we go old school Pentecostal at the end of this? We're going to bring out the animals, really get the blogs going, pray for people, push them over, modesty blanket. The paramount reason why I think we need more peace is because uncertainty is not going anywhere. And I get to talk about this on your 13-year birthday celebration. Guess what the future holds? More uncertainty. As awesome as these 13 years have been, I came to tell you, if you're thinking stuff's going to smooth out now,

Pastor Stephen and how they're going to chill out a little bit. We get to have some, I hate to break it to you, vision doesn't work like that. The grace of God doesn't work like that. Part of the foundation of our faith is the ability to not understand where we're going, but go anyway. So if we cannot have a gift of being able to find our peace in uncertain waters, we're going to have a very boring, nominal American Christianity, where you show up and you don't look any different, you don't sound any different year after year after year, and your only Christian involvement is your one time of a week at church visit. And I feel like God has called us to so much

more in our lives, and we've got to know how to find peace in the middle of it. It's like a new parent. ever seen a new parent who has an infant and they don't know all the rules of the game just yet and you can see the heaven slept and they're like I can't wait until my child grows up a little bit and then I'm going to get some of my sleep back and you look at them like so cute day's never going to come you better find out how to get your rest because those children grow up and they stay complicated the whole way through I keep thinking there's going to be this mythical season of Christianity where the job is right and I'm right And everything's certain.

Then I'm going to find my peace. Doesn't work like that. God's actually called you to thrive in the middle of waters. You do not understand. And here's how we know it. Can I take you to the Book of Matthew real quick? You guys know it by heart? Okay, it's a dead joke.

It's right there on Stephen's pulpit. Jesus said this, because as I read it, I want you to think about, where do you go for your peace? Where do you go for your peace of mind? Where do you go when anxiety strikes? Here's what Jesus said. He said, are you weary? Are you carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me, and I will refresh your life. I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways, and you'll discover that I'm gentle and I'm humble and I'm easy to please. You'll find refreshment

and rest in me. Break this down for you real quick because it's that important. Jesus often said, come and follow me. But in this text, he specifically says, come to me. What's the inference? When we're talking about peace, I'm going to make this different than everything else. I want you to come to me, meaning I am your peace. I am your sustaining joy. I am your supplier. So when you're at your wits and the only place that's going to fulfill you, it's going to be me. I wonder where you go, because there's people who are still looking for peace where maybe they have it and they don't know it yet. I read this and I go, wow, it would have been cool, Jesus,

if you would have told us where we head after that. Wouldn't that be cool if the Bible threw in some directions once in a while? Maybe an ETA, maybe a roadmap. Wouldn't it be cool if Jesus said, come to me, elevation, and I will give you rest, and then we're going to head to Tahiti. But Jesus doesn't say anything. Why? The silent inference is that I am enough.

And if you would focus more on who you're going with, rather than where you're headed all the time, maybe the point is that because you're with Jesus, he can send you in directions. You would never go on your own. He can send you into places you would never choose to go without him because God is with you. Now, you're not trying to go to places that you can go to. You're trying to go into places that only God can sustain you in. That's where miracles lie. That's where the grace zone is. And people who have peace end up there all the time.

So right away, peace is not a feeling. Peace is not a place. Peace is a person. And if you get this today, I'm starting to walk too fast. But if you understand this, now you stop looking for the perfect situation. And you go, I have the perfect Savior. Put me in the worst situation. And I'm bringing peace with me.

I'm bringing hope with me. There are so many people like, where's the peace? You're supposed to bring it with you? Can you imagine that? You all know that panic is contagious, but so is peace. You ever seen people panic? It's like those Christmas Target videos where they open up the doors and people are just like trampling other people. Panic is contagious.

Our culture is filled with it. Social media. Panic. The news. Panic. What's going on? Panic. Can you imagine if there was a revival of Christians that were so peaceful that people who couldn't

find peace anywhere else. They're like, man, I think it's you. And they might think that for a little bit. And they get a little bit closer. Say, where do you find your peace? You get said, oh, I got saved. Jesus, he's my peace. And you can have the same peace in your marriage, in your life. The best evangelistic weapon in the Christian kingdom. It is not a fancy church. It is not a cool sermon. It is not flashy music. It is Christians that have the peace of God in the middle of the work. I just don't want to be a Christian. that can only function when everything is functional. I'm tired of that.

That's been me too often. You know what I mean by that? Like, I'm awesome if everything's awesome. But the moment something goes wrong, I forget I'm a Christian, I lose my faith, question God, 7 o'clock, got to repent again, 8 o'clock might get saved again, 9 o'clock, you're ready to start all over. Like, I'm good if it's all good.

But if one thing goes bad, I can't function. I actually believe God has called us to be the opposite. opposite. Because otherwise we're going to be mountaintop Christians where we're all just celebrating on the good days. Who can't have peace when you're holding the trophy? Who can't have peace when all your money's in your account? But the reality of the Christian life, y'all, it is not the mountaintops. Hate to break it to you. The reality of the Christian life, it's valley, valley, darkness at times. I'm alone at times. I'm fighting for my faith at times. And if we can't find out how to function when everything is going crazy around us, it's not going to be

the life God has plan for us. I came to tell this whole amazing church on the end of this brand new season for y'all as you go into year 14. God has something for you. But when he opens up doors, you do not recognize, look around and say, even though it doesn't look like I can make it in there, that means God is going to leave me through it. Come on. I'm preaching to somebody's faith gene right now. I want to function when it's dysfunctional. I went to go, how many people are you? How many people are parents do we have in here? Wow, that's a lot. How many single people do we have in here? Wow. Single people, keep it up? Have a quick look around. Go ahead. I went to pick up my daughter from her normal bus stop, which I normally don't do. I made it a specific point to go pick her up

because I felt like it's a normal, reasonable dad thing to do, and I scheduled my whole day around it. But as it got time to that 2.15 drop-off, I realized I was stuck in traffic because, I was a normal, New York City and I wasn't going to be able to make it and as I am lamenting my lack of planning I can feel the pressure the anxiety the worry creeping up on me I'm like oh my gosh she's going to be sitting there on that bus stop by herself other parents are going judge me they're better than me and they're going to know that I'm late they already think I'm weird like all this stuff starts to swirl as I am getting closer to the bus stop in apocalyptic rainstorm hits and so now my hypothetical fears grow even further I'm like now she's going to be sitting there in a puddle just like

And people are going to pick her up and child service can be like, it's the weird pastor dad, no more. I come flying around the corner, get out, and half of my hypothetical was real. It was pouring, and she was by herself, and she wasn't a puddle, but she wasn't sitting there crying. She was just in this puddle like this. I come running around the corner, I'm like, Charlie, I'm so sorry, I'm late. I can't believe that I left you here. She goes, Dad, it's cool. I knew you were coming.

I knew something must have happened, but have you danced in the rain? lately? How amazing is rain? Come here, Dad. Get in this puddle. And I'm like, these are Jordans. But, but, oh, and she's in there and we're dancing in the rain. And she goes, Dad, it's been sunny for so long that I forgot how much fun rain can be. I mean, just feel the rain. It's really beautiful. Isn't it? Look, Dad. Splash me. I'm splashed. And we sat there in the rain, and I'm glad it was raining because I was bawling. Because I thought, Lord, forgive me. I want to be more like my daughter. I want to be able to smile. when it's raining. I want to be able to worship when I'm losing. I want to be able to love somebody

in the face of their hate. Let me be a Christian that loves you more than I love everything going right now is where the peace of God is. God is still good when you're sick. God is still good when you're broke. God is still good when everybody's going the other way and you're wondering where is everybody? God is there. I don't know who I'm preaching to today, but hear me out if you are are in a season with rain on your face, I believe a brighter day is coming. But why not defy the devil anyway? And worship him like, you know what, even if Jesus never did another thing for me, which he will, he doesn't need to because he already saved my life. So I will worship him. I will lift my hands. I will love my enemy. I will do what God tells me to do anyway because he is

my peace. That's our goal, y'all. I want to function. when it's breaking down all around me. Let me tell you how. I got one thought for you. And it's really simple. I told your pastor, I said, there's no pressure to preach a good message at your church. You know why?

You're the best. So I can just come in there and be normal. And for all you visitors who are bummed, because Stephen isn't here, I was kind of bummed too. Please come back next week and hear one of the greatest preachers you'll ever hear in his own pulpit.

Can I get a Pentecostal amen? It's okay to have friends that are better than you at stuff, by the way. It's the essence of life. Here's one way I feel like it's really practical. I mean, I pastor in New York City. We don't have a lot of time for fancy church stuff. So all of our points are small and practical. Hopefully you can deal with that because you're smarter here in Charlotte. I get it. It's the South. I'm from Virginia, so I have that bias. God loves us more down here. Can I get an amen? You strike that from the tape if it's there. But I feel like we need

to do a better job of letting people know if you struggle with anxiety. and you struggle with worry, it's okay to talk about it. The church world for too long has put more condemnation on people with awful stuff. Like if you love Jesus more, you wouldn't feel like you feel. Or the horrid pray through it. Prayer is incredible. I'm about to talk about it. But the truth is, all answers start with Jesus and end with Jesus.

But in the middle, there's doctors, and there's therapy, and there's connect groups, and there's recovery groups. And that doctor might even lead you to another doctor. who can help you find something that can help you on your journey. So if you've ever felt like you're a lesser Christian because you deal with pain that nobody can see, it's the same as anybody else, but pain you can see. So shame off you, especially if you're a man, by the way. Men are a lot worse than women when it comes to being honest with what you struggle with,

because we'll say things like a guy told me the other day, Pastor, I struggle with anxiety. What's that? Anxiety. I don't want anybody to know. I'm like, trust me, they already know. But why would you whisper that to me? Because he's heard stuff like his whole life. Man up. What does that even mean?

We're a part of the new generation, man down, on our knees, waiting for God to do whatever he wants to do. I would rather be a man on my knees looking vulnerable than being a man on my feet living shaky because I don't want God to actually help me because somebody might know I don't have it all together. So shame off you. If you need to get some help, get help. This church is filled with people that would love to get beside you and do whatever. whatever it takes to see God continue to heal your life. One way, and then we're out of here, I promise. And I've got seven closes.

Don't get too excited. But those of you that want to access more peace rather than just hear cheesy Christian answers. Isn't that funny when you tell a Christian? Like, hey, I got a problem with fear and worry. They say stuff like, well, Pastor Stephen, just don't worry. Worry less. It's like, thank you, genius.

Never thought of that. Now, thankfully Jesus gave us some recourse, and here's one big way. Ready? If you want to access the piece that is in your pocket, that is in your soul, the king of kings, control what you can control, control what you can, and then pray about the rest. Control what you can, which is your spirit, and then pray about the rest, which is your situation. Normally, we get these things mixed up. There's so much about your situation that you cannot control. You can't always control your boss. can't always control what the world is doing to you, but we are Christians.

What is happening to us does not have to change what is coming through us. We have the right to control our eyes. We can control our ears. We can control what we consume, what we feed our soul with. We can control our declaration. We can control our confession. There is so much we can do. And when it comes to the stuff that we can't, God has it covered.

And I'm going to read you this scripture out of Philippians, which is just mind-blowing. Can I read you one more scripture? What are you going to say? Don't you love it when preachers ask you questions like you have any recourse? You guys mind if I read this? I'm going to do it anyway. Remember, because Paul here is letting us know God's not afraid of your worry. He's not afraid of what you have going on, but there's an order to this. Pray before you panic. Pray before you feel that pressure. He says this, don't be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. be saturated in prayer throughout each day offering your faith-filled request before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every single detail of your life.

Then God's wonderful peace that transcends human understanding will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. So keep your thoughts. You ready for this? This is convicting and comforting. Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic, all that is real, all that is honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and. holy, merciful and kind, and fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. One might say, get off Twitter.

One might say, flee from anything that's getting your mind to go in a different direction. I don't know about you, but when it comes to controlling my thoughts, I got to make sure I understand that if I want to fight this fear and anxiety wave that's plaguing so many people, it's going start with me going to the throne room. Me getting down on my knees once in a while and saying, Lord, I am willing to do whatever I have to do to make sure that this stuff that I cannot control stays out and the stuff I can't control, which is focusing on you, how good you've already been. How many more songs can your team write to remind us that God has been so faithful? I mean, they say it different ways every time, but the theme is this. How much more does God have to do

to prove to us that it does no good to look at what he's not doing because there are so much that he is doing, it should take me forever to get through all my praise reports before I can even get out a problem, because that's how good God has been. I'm almost done, team. Chris, y'all come up here, but I promise you this works, y'all. I promise you if you leave here today, and you look at whatever was the biggest cause of your worry, where you feel like you were empty-pocketed when it comes to your peace. and you start making little small shifts and changes before you know it. It's like, wow, this situation isn't so bad.

I did this the other day in the airport, which is the number one cause for stress for most humans. And I had stuff I had to get home to. Big weekend in church had a date with my daughter, another date with my other daughter, and a date with my son, if that's weird. Go ask me about it later. I'll tell you why it's important. And it wasn't supposed to be that intense. It sounded really intense.

And I just had stuff to do with my family. And I walk up to the gate and the guy says, yeah, your flight's been delayed. Any reason? Guys, of course not. And so that's the kind of thing that gets me going right there. I'm like, great, that meeting's going to be canceled. Laura's going to be upset. I won't be able to do that. Won't be able to do that.

And just my mind starts to raise. And I remembered my own preaching. Really? My own preaching. Remember what Paul said? And I thought, let me just take a moment here. Because I cannot control this. I cannot control all this stuff.

So what am I going to do? I don't want to be like this guy who's getting arrested for freaking out of the guy. Don't want to be like this passive aggressive lady who's just sighing. So what can I do? I'm going to pray. I'm going to worship God. I'm going to find something funny about this. And sure enough, there was a loud talker behind me.

And my wife, for whatever reason, really loves to see loud talkers. So I'm like, I'm going to make this funny because I can't do anything else. And I filmed this person who was talking super loud. And the guy next to me sees me doing it. And he's like, man, can you believe loud talkers? I'm like, no, bro. I'm from Virginia. I was trained better.

He's like, me too. We become fast friends. I said, where are you headed? He goes, I'm actually headed to New Jersey. I said, where are you coming from? He's like, right here. My first day out of rehab, and I'm a little bit nervous because I know that God's going to do great things. I just, my first day out, I'm like, man, that's crazy because I know a lot of people coming out of rehab who are now running rehab centers. Like, God's going to use your life. Have no fear. We start to just, and he looks at me, this is great, though. And I was preaching at a church tonight before, and it goes to me, he's like, so funny because I had to pack all my stuff.

And everybody else from my rehab last night, they went to this church conference in Florida. and hear some guy named Carl from some Hillsong thing. It sounded like he was preaching something just like that. I was like, dude, I know that guy. And I'll tell you exactly what he said. What he said last night was that God can use people that are broken to shine a light through. So no matter how bad you think your life is, hey, guess what? Every single crack is a way for God to get the message out.

So just be open with who you are. Let him do what he wants to do. And me and this guy exchanged numbers. We just talked today. He kind of lives closer than I thought. And before you know it, in that one moment of just choosing not to go in, because that's what anxiety does, that's what fear does. God used me in a random airport. And I thought to myself, how many times might I have been so focused on my fear that God was not able to lift my head even for a moment?

How many people are around us right now that we don't even know God wants to use us in their life because we're so focused on what's not happening in our life? Y'all, as you go forward, Elevation Church, I would plead with you. Yes, God has done a lot, but there is more in store. The best is yet to come. And if you can learn how to say, Lord, here I am. I am not going to focus on the wrong thing. I'm going to focus on the right thing. Watch what God will do with people like you because he is our portion.

He is our sustainer. He is our strong talent. I'm going to leave you with this. I'm going to hand us back over. to the Bishop of Charlotte, the Queen City. Peace is your portion, except nothing less. Can you say this with me? Peace is my portion.

How do we know that? Because Jesus said it. I pray that the peace that is in me will be in you. That means if there's any area in your life that does not have God's peace in it, fight for it because your portion is peace. I've met too many Christians. Maybe it's just New York, with people who just accept it.

That's just the way I am. This is just what life has dealt me. So I might as well just deal with it. This is who I am. I'm always going to be depressed. And I'm always going to have broken relationships. And I'm always going to have this kind of drama in my life. And I always say, who said that?

Because Jesus said something different. Just because somebody sent it does not mean you have to accept it, digest it, and actually let it take root in your life. We don't do this in any area of life. Except for Christians. If you went to a restaurant today and you ordered some lava cake, who doesn't love lava cake? And the waiter came up to you and they handed you a kale salad. What would you say?

You would say, sir, I appreciate you, but I did not, do I look like a kale salad person new? I ordered a lava cake, brownie, ice cream, fudge. So respectfully, could you please go back to the kitchen where you came from and let them know the order has been mixed up. I'm going to sit here until I see the lava cake come out and the kale go back to where it came from. This is what it's like to be a Christian. Every single time that the devil throws something on your plate that is not from God, that is not from peace, that is not from love. You have the right to say, I respectfully decline

that this is my portion. I'm going to send it back and I'm going to keep fighting and I'm going to keep worship it and I'm going to keep on giving God glory until I get exactly what he says is my portion and my portion is peace, my portion is healing, my portion is God's court. It's going to get you to bow your head. I'm going to pray. I'm going to hand this back over to you. Peace in your pocket, in your soul. Keep fighting for those of you that have given up in the name of Jesus, fight again. Those of you feel like the die has been cast in the name of Jesus. It has peace will be your portion. Those of you that can't sleep at night, and you're just giving up on that fight, in the name of Jesus, peace will be your portion.

Father, I pray that you would encourage people today. Jesus, you are a gracious God. You are a gracious Savior, Lord. And I pray today, wherever there is unrest in the name of Jesus, we speak peace, where there is sickness. And people are waiting for their healing. In the name of Jesus, we speak peace. where people are overwhelmed, Lord, in the middle of it, remind them you are our peace. Let me give you praise ahead of time for all you're going to do.

In Jesus' name, Elevation Church, if you believe it, can we stand to our feet and just give God the biggest shout of praise? The portion, come on, let them know. Scream it over. Well, I hope you enjoyed the podcast today. If you did, there are just a couple things I'd love for you to do. Number one, subscribe to our show. that way the most recent episode will always be in your feed waiting for you ready when you are. And secondly, if this ministry has impacted you and you'd like to help us continue to reach others,

you can click the link in the description and you can give now. And I'll see you next time on the Elevation Podcast. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.