Elevation with Steven Furtick - The Other Hand

Episode Date: July 19, 2021

God’s hand is on your life. In “The Other Hand,” Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church reminds us to let go of our shame and past mistakes so we are able to receive the promises of God.See 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. I know y'all don't want to stand up anymore, but will you stay standing for this scripture? Because God gave us a good one today. God gave us a good one today. You know how you were debating whether to come or not? I'm going to go or not. You did the right thing.

You did the right thing. You did the right thing. God gave us a good one today. I shared on this topic with our kids Tuesday night, and I was glad to. And I thought it was just for them. And I went back after I preached, and a few of my friends were here. And all my friends were crying, and they're grownups. And they all said, that was for me.

That was for me. That was for me. And then when I prayed what the Lord would have me share with our church today, he told me to give you this. So I'm going to share this with you today from Exodus chapter 3 and Exodus chapter 3 verse 19. Are you ready? But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the adjudice.

Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he'll let you go. I will read this again, and you will respond more appropriately. Don't make me come through that screen. I'll come through that screen and snatch you right out of your pajamas and make you shout. But I know the Lord says this to Moses. Moses is 80 years old, and I preach this to the youth. I'm hoping they can get early when it took Moses his whole lifetime to understand.

And he's telling Moses the ambiance of a burning bush that isn't burning up. It's on fire, but it's not consumed. And he's telling him, I want to use you to set my people free and have an assignment in mind with your name on it. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand. strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

Now, if you have something in your life today and it feels like it's got a hold of you and you need God's help, it could be depression, it could be anxiety, it could be a situation that's out of your control, but something that's got a hold of you, like Pharaoh had a hold of the children of Israel, and you need God's help with it. If something's got a hold of you, we don't have to say what. I'm not going to make you say it on the microphone. Don't be nervous. I'm not going to ask you to name it.

But if there's something that has a hold of you and it feels like it won't let go and you need God's help today. I want you to raise your hand right now. No, the other hand. That's actually what I want to preach to you about today. This message is called the other hand. The other hand. God, I thank you that your arm is not short.

You can reach everybody under the sound of my voice. Do it now, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen. May be seated. Oh, I was thinking, Chris, you know how we did in quarantine where y'all would stay up here on the stools and so I wouldn't feel all lonely up here, preach the word of God by myself? Can y'all?

Like for y'all? Who are you going to bring with you? Are the stool still back there? Did the youth ex steal it and throw them through windows for a segment or something like that? I don't know what they've been doing around here. Just bring some people back. You want to come, Scott? Yeah, you should come.

You should come, Scott. Come in fresh. I did it during quarantine. I don't know if you're watching online. Did you all stay connected during quarantine or just watch Netflix? And I would always have the worship leaders stay up here. And it wasn't an aesthetic, it was just survival, man, because y'all are so good to look at while I'm preaching, most of y'all. And then I would say, well, I can't just do this without someone to talk to.

I can't talk to a camera. So they became, they replaced you, Travers, for a little while, but now y'all are back in. But I thought it would be cool if y'all came out. So, come on. We won't wait for them. We'll just get started by ourselves. I want you to go back in your mind. You're 16 years old.

Close your eyes. You're 16. I do this when I'm preaching to the youth. Before I preach to the youth, I always put on the music I listened to when I was 16. Pearl Jam, no code. Okay, so now open your eyes. So 16 years old, you're 16 years old. I like to tell this story when I speak to the students about one of the most significant things that was

spoken to me when I was that age. Now, the coolest thing that ever happened to me when I was a teenager is when Billy Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of Green Day, called me on stage to play his guitar at the North Charleston Coliseum. And my best friend is here to verify that that really happened. That was the coolest thing, Georgia. Your dad was freaking out. But the most important, significant thing that happened to me, at least this would be in the top

three, was, well, it's been 25 years, and I'm still telling you about it. This is how big of a deal this is that somebody saw something in me. Pastor Mickey White. I called him the other day and I said, I'm still telling this story of when you came over to our house 25 years ago when I was 16 because Pastor Mickey had just taken the job as the pastor of Santys Circle Baptist Mission and he needed a youth pastor. And he asked me to come work with his youth. And I think my mom kind of thought that Pastor Mickey's church might be a cult.

Oh, y'all have thought the same thing about elevation. You're sitting right in a church you used to think that about. So I'm going to look at me like that. But Pastor Mickey said, well, I'll come over and talk to your mom. And he used to be in the auto parts business, so he was a good salesman. So he has to convince my mom for me to leave the Methodist church and come over to the Baptist and be his youth pastor at this little church that was meeting in a woodman of the world building. And what made it more dramatic is a big, big guy, Pastor Mickey's what, 6-6, 6, 7, he's in his

70s now, but he sat down on the middle of the floor. There's like plenty of seats open in the house. I guess he'd get a Gandhi flow going on the floor. And he sits down, big old guy, and he tells my mom, I've worked with youth, I've worked with kids for 20 years. And God has his hand on Stephen. 25 years ago, I can see it. Can you?

I can see him sitting on the floor saying, God has his hand on Stephen. He said, in a way, I've never seen his hand on any of the kids that I've ever worked with. And it did the trick. My mom let me do it, and I served as this youth pastor. And I'm thinking at the time, like, this is a little thick. You're laying it on a little thick right now. Does it really take all that?

But what I felt when he said that, I mean, on one hand, that felt cool, but on the other hand, it was kind of scary. It felt maybe like I'm special, like, oh, God's hand is on your son. But on the other hand, I'm like, and what exactly does that mean? And yet when he said it, y'all, I can't exactly explain this to you. But inside I thought, oh, that's what I'm feeling. That's what I'm feeling. Because I had made my personal commitment to Christ, not the one where your parents make a commitment to raise you so that you can meet Christ, but where you decide to follow Jesus for yourself. I had to make that commitment.

And I sensed, you know, something is different. And so here's this man who has been in ministry for many years, and he says something like God's hand is on Stephen. And when I told this story to the young people Tuesday, I looked right at them as many of them as I could in the eyes. And I said, God has his hand on you. Because a lot of them never had Pastor Mickey sit on the floor crisscross applesauce and say that when they were 16. And maybe a lot of them never even had anybody say something like I believe in you. And I think what a difference would it make if they get the revelation. right now, not that they're going to be a preacher or a pastor one day.

That's not what Pastor Mickey meant. That was a part of my path, but he meant something different when he said, God has his hand on Stephen. I want you to say that out loud, put it in the chat, whatever the case may be, but say, God has, wait, hold on, don't say my name, say your name. God has his hand on. Y'all said that so quiet. It was terribly unconvincing how you said it.

You said it with the wrong voice inflection. Say it again. God has his hand on. God has his hand on. One more time. This time, get the name of the person next to you. This might be good for like little Starbucks after church if you're single or whatever, but I'm not using it for that. I'm using it for illustration. Get their name real quick. And now say

their name. Look them right in the eyes and say, God has his hand on. You needed to hear that. You haven't been feeling like that lately. I know. You hadn't been feeling that lately. It doesn't make it any less true. He wasn't talking about a feeling. He wasn't talking about something that necessarily has a physical sensation. I'm seeing it in the chat. God has his hand on Dawn. God has his hand on Leanna, God has his hand on Esther, God has his hands on Sade, God has his hands on Adam, God has his hand on Peter, God has his hand on me, it's his hand on me, it's his hand on me. I'm glad Pastor Mickey took time out of his very busy life to sit down on my floor and say something that bold. I wonder where would I be if I didn't believe that God had his hand on me. And now, I know, I know. he was right because now I know that the things that I've seen

God do through me had nothing to do with me so I don't mean to preach this early and I plan to pace myself but I'm excited to have some of y'all back in the room with me is my testimony that it was his hand

I didn't know what he meant It sounded good. It sounded profound. God has his hand on Stephen. I thought that man, he just wanted me to come over and be, talk to the youth and work with the youth. But 25 years later, I don't have to just believe it. I've seen it. I've seen it. And sometimes it was confusing because God's hand didn't always feel like a Swedish massage. Do you understand what I'm saying? God's hand didn't always feel like, you know, I've experienced God's hand in so many different ways, like the hymn we sang growing up, great is thy faithfulness. Oh, God, my father, there's no shadow of turning with thee. All I have needed, thy hand has provided. And so many times I've seen God's hand like this, offering me what I needed in the moment.

All I have needed. All I have needed Thy hand have provided You know I'm going to come out of retirement and do a hymns project one day Great is I faith in us I know all four verses of every hymn Zeke you can sing harmony I'm going to take the lead on those Great is our faithfulness

All I have need not all I wanted Not all I asked for thank God One of the things I've become grateful for In the last 25 years that he said God's hand is on you is for what he withheld. You know, you start off thanking God for when His hand does this, and then you live a little while, and you learn to trust in him with all your heart, so you appreciate when he does this too. I'm talking about his hand, because, yes, he's provided for me.

I can tell you days, and I bet you've had them too, where down to the dollar God came through for me, Down to the dollar. I'm talking God didn't even round down. It was down to the decimal. There have been times in this ministry where down to the decimal God has provided. And it's not just money and it's not just stuff. And if you still think it's about bags and sneakers, you need to be back at Youth X because you haven't grown up enough yet to realize that some of the greatest things God will give you in your life. You better not preach me on this front line. Some of the greatest things.

Now, we're talking about God's hand, and sometimes it's like this, and he'll bring the right person into your life at the right time, and you'll think, how did God know that that's who I needed to meet at this point in my life? And yet the same hand that did this. Well, sometimes do this. Stop shouting, Scotty. See, I say, man. Like Job said, he gives and takes away.

Bless be the name of the Lord. Have you realized that God's hand that does this, it's just as capable when he's doing this? I was on the front row. The Lord told me, make sure you tell him I'm a gardener and that the same hen that plants also prunes. Make sure you tell them that the same hand that plants the seed of all that you're meant to be and all that your life is meant to contain and do for his glory, it's for his glory,

that's why Pastor Mickey said, God has his hand on you. Don't you think that God gave you a gift so that you could use it for your glory? It's God's hand on you, so it's God's glory through you and it's God's purpose. But the same hand that plants. Do you all know the scripture, John 15? It says that every branch that bears fruit he prunes. Same hand. The same hand.

His hand does this. His hand sometimes does this. Taking opportunities that you thought, well, that's it right there. And then God goes, nah. I know stuff. All right. So praise him how you praise him when he does this, when he gives you an opportunity. Praise you here.

Now, come on, lift your hands like you lift your hands. can you lift him when he does this? Say it again. God's hand is on, say your name. And that's what the Lord told Moses. He said, I see my people suffering. It's been four centuries.

And I've chosen you, the fugitive murderer who has forgotten who it really is if he ever really knew. But I've seen my people suffering. And I know that it's not going to be easy.

So I'm going to stretch out. I'm going to show you the verse again because I learned a few things about God's hand. I learned that God's hand is provision. I learned that God's hand is protection. But I also learned that God's hand is power. He said, I know that he will not let you go unless a mighty hand, verse 19, a mighty hand compels them. A mighty hand. And the mighty hand of God in the judgment of the 10 plagues against Egypt was what God used to release his people into ultimate freedom, a mighty hand. And the Lord tells Moses, it's not going to happen in your own strength. It's not going to happen in your own intellect. It's not going to happen in your own ability or your strategy. It's not going to happen even in the leadership gifts that I've given you. It's going to take another hand. And the thing about it is, this is what God showed me. I was looking at the passage and I looked at it again a few times after I preached it the other night. And the Lord said, you missed something.

I said, what did I miss? And he said, you missed the other hand. I said, what's the other hand? Look at it in verse 19. He said, I know that the king of Egypt, that's Pharaoh, will not let you go. You see it? I didn't see it either. He won't let you go.

That means your enemy thinks he has you so strong in his grip. And he won't let go. Unless there is another hand that has stronger than his hand. So while you feel like the devil has you like this, let's be honest, a lot of the chains in this room are 42 years old. These are saplings anymore. These are oak trees that go down deep. I mean, there's some real deep stuff that's holding you in here.

It's got you like this. I mean, by the throat. I mean, it's got you. It won't let you breathe. You try to move. You can't move. You try to move up, you can't move up, you try to step into a new opportunity, you can't do it with a free heart. It's got you like this.

It's got you so strong, but God said to tell you about the other hand. And this is what Moses needed to know. It's no different for everybody in the room today that your father is stronger than your Pharaoh. So like with Graham, he wrestles me. In fact, since you're here, you want to do it real quick? Just illustrate it. Come here real quick. Come here, come here, come here.

I'm going to show you. He hates when I do this because he's strong. Graham is so strong. He's 13. He won the state championship for, hold on, for freestyle wrestling. It was a small tournament, but it was still a state championship. And I won a state championship when I was in eighth grade two, but there was nobody else in the weight class. And so I won the state championship.

So we'll have battles, and I'll say, old man versus young man, South Carolina versus North Carolina state champions. And he's so quick and he's so good. But what I do, I got old man moves. I got old men moves. I got pressure points. I can do right here. See, right there, right there.

That spot, right there. Right there. In my hands, I can stop him. All I need is this anointed. 41-year-old thumb. And all of a sudden, watch this. It doesn't matter how much youth you have. I will put my thumb in his tech right there.

Now, I'll let him wrestle me, but if it gets too rough, because he's getting too strong for me to play with him. I can't play with him anymore. He'll get on my legs so quick, and I'm not going to go out like that. I don't know who's videoing this. I don't know if this is Instagram live. So sometimes I've got to just put him right there. All right, you're done.

Go back down there. He won't want to fight right now. I saw it. I saw I'm getting in his stance. I'm not getting taken down in front of the world. Ah, God said I know where to put the pressure. See, that's why I'm God. I've been doing this a long time, and I see your enemy shoot it in on you.

But when I use my head, mighty hand! So Pastor Mickey didn't tell me that part. He told me God's hand was on me. I thought it meant God is my provider. I didn't know that the same hand that brings provision also brings pressure, and how God will use the pressure of life to bring me into freedom. I know it won't let you go unless a mighty hand, a mighty hand. Twenty-five years later, I can tell you that God has a mighty hand. Ten plagues later, Moses and Pharaoh knew it's a mighty hand.

It's a mighty hand. It's a mighty hand. It's a mighty hand. It's a hand that you can't always feel it, you can't always see it. But see, Moses was well acquainted with this hand whether he knew it or not. Because when he was a baby, all the little Hebrew boys were getting killed by Pharaoh. Not him. His mom made a basket and put him in the Nile River.

This is Exodus Chapter 2. And the Bible says that that basket floated to the daughter of Pharaoh, and she saw the basket, and she drew it out. She felt sorry for Moses because he was crying, and she took him, and God raised him. As a matter of fact, as I thought about that basket floating down the Nile River, I thought about your life and my life. Because what are the chances that a basket could float down the Nile River and miss all of the alligators? unless there was a hand. I'm grateful for God's hand how he guided me past certain attacks.

You know, the same hand that did this, sometimes does that. And sometimes God just did that with his hand. Anybody grateful for the times God did that? An anxiety came for your life? You thought about ending your life. And the gaiters almost got you, but God's hand did that? We don't really even know how to praise God. I say, praise God, and I say, you know, what do you have to be thankful for?

You don't even know the things that God did this. And if he didn't do this, you wouldn't be here. I'm thankful that he provided. I'm thankful that he pruned and took some things out. I'm thankful that he protected with his mighty hand and an outstretched arm. God said, I see your struggle, and I know that it won't let you go easily. And so since you've been doing it in your own strength, making bricks without straw, doing everything that you know to do to be free but never finding freedom, it's time for my hand to work in your life. In fact, the scripture says something powerful in Peter.

He says, humble yourself. What a thing for Peter to say. He's not exactly Mr. Humility in the senior superlatives if you read the yearbook. But he's learned now. humble yourself under God's mighty hand. Say that phrase. God's mighty hand. How's Pharaoh going to let you go? God's mighty hand. How in the world is it going to happen this time? You don't even know the mess I'm in. I know you feel like Moses right now, but God came to reveal to you that his hand, what is it? It's a mighty hand. God's mighty hand. Pharaoh's got a strong hand. God's is stronger. God's mighty hand. How many praise God for His mighty hand. God doesn't try to do anything. God does not intend to do anything He can't do. God's mighty hand. But that's not what I came to preach about today. I want to preach about the other hand. See, it seems like Moses didn't have a lot of trouble believing that

God was mighty. He didn't argue with God at all. God said, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob. And all Moses wanted to know is, what's your name? And God said, I am. And I'm sure Moses waited around for a little bit more detail, but God said, you better leave it blank, because I'm going to do so much, you will not be able to quantify me by one word. Not an adjective, not a verb, not an adverb, not a... So the Lord, the very essence of true presence and being says, I am. And after he gets done telling Moses what he's going to do and how he's going to set the people free and the mighty hand and all of that, see, Moses doesn't argue with God about what God can't do.

Here's where I need to just talk to you. Can we just talk? Like we've known each other all our lives. How many of y'all feel sometimes when I'm preaching like we know each other? I feel that too. I was praying about this message and God said, it's not me. They doubt most of the time. They believe I'm big.

They believe I'm powerful. And they believe I can do great things through others. Moses didn't say, how will I know that your hand is strong? How will I know that you're great? How will I know that you're stronger? No, he didn't doubt God at all. And that's what I want to preach to you about. Because after God told Moses what he would do, Moses answered, and I'm only sharing this

with you because I relate to Moses. in the sense that I can deliver a nation or anything like that. I don't want to change jobs with Moses. I'm just saying how he feels I felt. Because you can know that God's hand is mighty. But watch this. He answered, verse 1, Exodus 4, what if they do not believe me or listen to me? And what if they say the Lord did not appear to you? Let me give you a little hint. When he's talking about they, it's not really their doubt that he's dealing with. A lot of times when we try to identify what the obstacles are of us being who God called us to be, because look what the Lord asked in verse two. The Lord said to him, what is that in your hand? Whose hand? We talked about God's hand.

We shout about God's hand. We need God's hand. It's a mighty hand. See, for me, it's not that hand that gets me in trouble. It's the other hand, my hand. The mighty hand, I like that one. My hand, that's a different story. Because watch this. Moses said, how are we going to do this? And God said, what is that in your hand?

So now, after God tells him what he's going to do with his hand, he points to Moses' hand. I think this is where we should spend a little time. today talking about the other hand. Oh, God is awesome and he's so great and how great is our God sing with me. How great is our God? And all will see how great, how great is our God. That's not the part I have a problem with. Because 25 years ago when Pastor Mickey said that God's hand was on me, he only told me half of it. You know God's hand can be on you in a great way? But if you don't believe it, if you don't believe it, if you don't receive it. Do you know God can put you in position? That's one thing about his hand. The Bible

says that if you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, he will lift you up in due time. You don't have to do it yourself. You don't have to position yourself. You don't have to show off what you can do. God will do amazing things through your life if you stay under his hand. Yet the hard thing for me has not been God's hand. I can trust his hand. I can believe in this hand. I can see the evidence of his hand. Only he, listen to me, I'm from Monks Corner, South Carolina. The things God has done for me in my life,

the places He has taken me are so far from where I started. I know it had to be him. In fact, even the people that mistreated me, they didn't know it, but God was using their hands to get me where I needed to be. Y'all don't believe me? Joseph told his brothers, you intended to harm me, but God meant it for good. You sold me, but God sent me.

How's that possible? Even what their hand did. Even what they did to you or did not do for you has to pass through God's hand by the time it's over. It's not his hand I struggle with. It's the other hand. Are you all really, on my second week back from vacation on the summer, going to look at me like you don't have another hand? I don't know what you're talking about here.

Pastor, for me, it's pretty like, I just, you know, I am called, I am chosen, I am anointed, I am blessed and highly favored. You got another hand. I know you got it in your pocket right now. Oh, Jesus went to church one day. You'll know this? Jesus went to church one day. In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus went to church one day.

And while he was there, he noticed something nobody else saw. This is an amazing scripture. And I'm bringing it right now because I think it represents how a lot of us came to church or logged on this morning. It says, going on from that place, he went into their synagogue. Next verse, please. And a man with a shriveled, or some version say, withered hand was there. And looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Now, he said to them, if any of you has a sheet and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? So Jesus is saying that just like you would take your hand in something that was valuable,

you would pull it out. That's what he wants to do for this man. He wants to take you where you are in the place that nobody else can see that you struggle. Because here's the problem. All of us have one hand that looks just fine. All of us have one hand, and it's an amazing miracle, because Jesus skips over the hand that's working to get to the one that won't work. He said to the man, this is such a crazy thing to say to somebody, stretch out your hand. So he stretched it out, and it was completely restored just as sound as the other.

The Lord showed me something in this sermon. It's kind of warm to wear a jacket, but I needed it to show you this, that a lot of us walk around, showing people the hand we want them to see it. I am coming for your other hand today. The one that won't work. And don't feel bad about it, because everybody that you're sitting next to has another hand. There's the one that they show you. you, and there's the one that they know about and God knows about, but they've learned how to keep it very carefully contained.

So nobody other than the ones who live with them know about their anger issue because they're nice to the server at the restaurant. The other hand. Nobody knows about the thing that they struggle with in their own emotions because they make a lot of money. Nobody knows about the tears that they cry over the things that they can't get straight in their mind because in their life everything looks fine. But Jesus didn't want that hand.

They wanted the other hand. When the man stretched his hand out, the Bible says that it was completely restored. His hand has always been on you. It was his hand. How you just all of a sudden you felt like you could stand after thinking you had collapsed and something picked you up. That was his hand. That was his hand. It was his hand.

But now it's time to stretch your hand. Because you still don't believe it. You still don't believe that you're the one he chose for that situation. You still don't believe you have what it takes. You still don't believe that he and you is more than enough. You still don't believe that you have his spirit without measure. You still don't believe that the gifts that you have are the ones that you're meant to have. And if you will grow and develop those, you will be able to accomplish everything God's called you to accomplish.

You still don't believe that. You still in the other people's hand. But you're looking at their good hand, comparing it to your bad hand. The way this works in Scripture is that Jesus is healing a man on the Sabbath, which is work. who has a condition that renders him unable to work. His entire identity has been consumed by this one issue. And God did a miracle for him. Can't he do the same thing for me? The other hand. The other hand. I said, Lord, let's talk about the mighty hand. But then he told me to talk about my hand. Because to sit here and tell you,

oh, God has had his hand on me that makes it sound like God just makes it easy. Like he just, no. You know how many times I've almost called Larry. Bride on the Saturday night to tell him, I hope you got your backup sermon ready. And you think like, oh, well, you don't have much faith. You don't trust God? I trust God. It's what's in my hand. I'm so glad y'all are up here.

They're real judgmental. They're on judgment level 10 today. What's that in your hand? He said, a staff. I'm kind of going back and forth between the man and the synagogue and God, and I know it's kind of confusing as I'm moving here, but you've got to see Moses on the far side of the wilderness, sheep for his father-in-law named Jethro with a staff in his hand. And God said, what's that in your hand?

And he set a staff. But when he set a staff, there's more symbolically contained in this answer than on the surface, because this is more than a stick. The only reason Moses is even holding a staff to begin with is because of what he did 40 years ago, when he killed an Egyptian for beating one of his brothers, Because God's hand was on his life then, but he did not handle it yet. You understand that when God wanted to show Moses who he was and what he could do, he points to something that is in his hand,

that is a symbol of the mistake that he made that landed him in this place? And watch what he does, because this is the hand we need to talk about. You're holding on the stuff so tight. Some of you have such a death grip. Your knuckles are white. Holding on to your staff, holding on to your identity that you've told yourself, This who I am?

This who I'm going to be. This is what I did. Yeah, you did it. Nobody's hands are clean in here. None is righteous. No, not one. Nobody lifted their hands because they don't have any blood on them. I lifted my hands because his blood will cleanse me of all unrighteousness if I confess it

and own it and give it to him. So it's not about God's hand. You've got more than enough aptitude. You've got more than enough experience. You've got more than enough height. You've got the right feet, the right inches, you got the right genetics. It's all right there. It's never been about his hand.

Before you were born, he knit you together. Before you were conceived, he set you apart. It's never been about his hand. God said what's in yours. Before God could use him, I really wanted to use him. He had to do what we all have to do. He had to take what was in his hand. Not God's hand. God's hand is already caught. He's already got the plagues loaded.

He's already ready to unleash. That's not the question anymore. But when Moses said his staff, God told him what to do. Throw it on the ground. And he threw it and it became a snake. And he ran from it because he wasn't an idiot. I heard preachers here say, And Moses ran because he still had not recognized the sovereignty of God. No, he ran because it's a snake. You run from snakes. How stupid do we have to be to think that? Now, this makes it even more powerful with what God tells them to do next, right?

So he has to release what's familiar, and then he has to, watch this, reach out. Whose hand? Come on, y'all, I put it on the screen. Reach out your hand. And I know you're praying about God's hand, but God is saying, reach out your hand. Do you know there's nothing God's hand can't do, but there are some things God's hand won't do? God did not pry Moses's fingers from the stick. He didn't do it.

He won't do it. It's in your hand now. There are some things that need deliverance. There are some things that need discipline. God will let you use your hand to lift a spoon with ice cream on it, or you can curl a dumbbell. It's in your hand at that point. There are some things. God will not, come on, Moses.

No, he throws it down. And then after he releases what's familiar, this is the process for me, for me, because God has his hand on me. And I know that. That's not the question. It's a mighty hand. but my hand, sometimes what's in my hand. And now you have to release what's familiar. And he has to reach for what he's afraid of.

And in whose hand? Moses' hand. A miracle happens. So what are you telling me, preacher? You said the other hand. You said God's hand. Then you said my hand. All right?

Well, the Lord said, Everybody in here is going to need both hands in order to move forward. But the problem is, you won't bring God what's really wrong with you? You keep stretching out that good hand. You know what I never noticed? After Moses' stick became a serpent and then the serpent became a stick and all these awesome things that happened when we let go and God transforms our greatest fears into instruments of faith that he would go on to part the Red Sea with that staff, and

I know all that. I preached that before. But watch what God told him to do next. He's saying, what if they don't believe me? What if I don't believe me? God, I believe you. What if I don't believe me? What if they don't believe me? Look what the Lord said. Verse six, please. Be nice to detect people. They're tired. Watch this. Mosca holding his staff. Remember, it was a snake a minute ago. It's a staff now. It's going to part waters. Wow. Watch what God can do. He could change your greatest mistake into the end of your greatest miracle.

I know, Pastor, I've heard these cliches before. Your setback is a setup for that. See all this stuff? No, I'm telling you what daily I have to experience in my life is picking up the thing I was afraid of after releasing the thing I was familiar with. What is in your hand? But then he tells Moses, put your hand inside your cloak. So how's he going to do this?

He's got the staff in his hand. How's he going to? Ous, the other hand. The staff represented what he did, but the other hand represents who you think you are. Put your hand in your cloak, he said. Moses put his hand in his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous. What do you know about leprosy? Keeps you isolated, makes you ashamed.

Just like Moses has been for these 40 years. because of what he did. The other hand, nobody touches lepers. Remember the leper in Scripture? Everybody would tell him six feet back, six feet back, six feet back, six feet back. But one day when Jesus walked up, it was the first time that he saw this. See, because nobody touches lepers. That's what I see God doing.

We're all standing at a distance from what God gave us to do. I don't know if it's raising your kids. I don't know if it's fully entering into the life that God has given you right now or being content. But God said, put your hand back in your cloak and pull it out. And when he pulled his hand out, next verse, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. God wants to restore your other hand. Your other hand. You know the one?

Not at me if you know the hand and you hope I don't mention your specific issue in front of this whole August body of believers. Stretch that one forth. I see God restoring your hand today, because his hand has always been on you. Holly preached an amazing message about the voice of God last night to our youth, but let me tell you something that she said that I really believe. And I wrote a song about it when I was 16. It was the first Christian song I ever wrote.

Before that I was writing some songs that, well, let's just say we won't be singing them on the arena tour and putting it on a project on Spotify. It was some songs that never need to be heard by anybody, but I wrote one that said, out of Psalm 139, if I take the wings of mourning or dwell within the seat, even there, your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me fast. Who is it for today that the Lord said, I want to restore your hand? That I see what you're grab it onto that you identify yourself with. And the signs that God gave Moses were for God's glory, not for Moses, but before God's glory could be revealed, Moses had to release something. And so do you. And when he brought his hand back out, it was restored. It was restored.

God wants to give you your hand back today. God wants to give you your hand back today. God wants to enable you to do by faith what you can't do in your own effort. God's hand is still on your life. And in case you have something in here that is bigger than you, I want you to know that is a job for God's hand. But God has given you a hand. And symbolically right now, I want you to see the hand of God that has always been on your life and your hand that is holding on to what if you don't let go of it, you are never going to receive what you need for the season that. your end and all over this auditorium I want you to lift your hands to God both of them in fact stand up on your feet we started this way we're going to end this

way what is that in your hand we can stand here the rest of our life on the far side of the desert Lord clutching on to mistakes we made and things we did but like you did for that man who has mentioned in Matthew chapter 12 I believe you want to do for men and women under the sound of my voice today and and restore their hand just like the other one. I thank you for the signs of your provision and faithfulness and protection on my life today, but I believe God that there are some people that because of shame they're hiding in isolation, they feel like a leper themselves, they don't feel like they can do it.

In fact, they've considered giving up. Today you sent your word to heal them and restore their hand. With your hands lifted, just pray it out loud. God, restore my hand. Restore my hand. I'm stretching it out now. I'm stretching it to you. No other help I know I need your hand, God for what has me in its script. I need your hand, God for what I can't get away from from the memories and the thoughts and the fears, God, you know what they are, but I need your hand

Here's my hand. Here's the one I don't show anybody else Here's the resentment I can't get let go of. Here's the thing I can't forgive. Here's the thing for which I can't forgive myself. That hand. Stretch it out right now in God's presence. I believe God is restoring hands. He's going to give you the ability to take hold of your calling again.

Looks like a snake right now, but it's going to turn back into a staff in your hand. I'm telling you, man. You reach out and take that by the tail and you trust him. You're going to watch it transform in your hand, in your hand, in your hand. The miracle is in your hand. Not the good hand, not to look how great I am, how smart I am, how together I am, that other hand, that weak hand, that hand that hasn't been able to do it. God said, today I'm touching that hand, that hand.

Thank you, Lord. When you showed me this message, I cried, God, because you showed me that somebody is going home with the other hand working. I don't know who it is, God, but you do. You brought them here today. You wanted them to know that they don't have to hide their head. You wanted them to know that your hand is still on them. You're not afraid to touch them. You wanted them to remember that you have a mighty hand and that even if their hand is wither, they will stretch it out. Oh, God, I feel so stupid They cry in front of these people right now.

Oh, God. I know what it feels like to believe that your hand is strong, but to know that my hand is weak. And yet you've taught me that what Pastor Mickey told me. 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. You can click the link in the description to give now

or visit elevationchurch.org slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe, you can share it with your friends. 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.