Elevation with Steven Furtick - The Secret To Framing Your Situation (The Basin)

Episode Date: May 3, 2023

Stop letting the enemy frame your situation. In “The Secret To Framing Your Situation,” we’re reminded that no matter what we’re facing, we can choose to focus on God’s faithfulness. If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://www.elevationchurch.org/giving/ Scripture References: Joshua 4, verses 6-7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, I'm coming to you now from the Basin. This is a special bonus teaching that I recorded just for you. To break it down a little more, to take it a little deeper. I hope you enjoy this overflow message. Let me know. Let's go.

Don't you let the enemy tell you any different. You have a future. God knows the plans he has for you, plans to give you a whole. hope and a future. There's laughter in your future. There's connection in your future. There's friendship in your future. There's joy in your future. There's growth in your future. There's creativity in your future. There's fruit in your future. Say that out loud. There's fruit at my future. Yer-a-bo. I feel the anointe. I'm going to stay right in this flow. You know, there's a flow in the Jordan River that was cut off when God spoke, there's a flow right now of the Holy Spirit,

and I decree every doubt, every dysfunction, every destructive tendency caused by sin that works in you against the purpose of God that is greater, must be stopped now in the name of Jesus. I declare it. I believe it. I stand for it. Because watch this. In the future, when you're living in Canaan and you've wiped out these. these Hittites, Amorites, Parasites, Jebusites, and Soya-Lites.

I always like to put that in and see if you're paying attention. In the future, he's framing, you know how powerful this is? He's framing their current uncertainty. How are we going to get through this Jordan? You just got through it. He's framing their current confusion. How are we going to beat these giants? They're stronger in us.

all those questions are going through their mind, but he gives them a different frame in the future. Now I'm thinking about when I get through this, which means I'm going to get through this. Now I'm thinking about what God has on the other side of this, not just how much it hurts while I'm going through it. And we can get too focused on the future where we start doing the opposite of what Jesus said in Matthew 6, where we're concerned about tomorrow, not knowing that our father knows where to put the worm so that the bird can find it as it flies with its instinct. God's going to guide us by his spirit to the provision that we need for the season that we're in.

And all of that is true. But Joshua knows what we're about to fight is so big that we need a preview of the future. So we said, go get a stone. That's something that God just did. You need to get a hold of something that God just did. Wow. God just helped me sleep through the night. And I was in so much pain.

I didn't sleep the night before. God just did that. You know, God just gave me the $84 that I needed for that bill. God just did that. God just gave me another sunrise. And when I saw it, I was reminded that he's not going to leave me in this low place forever. God just did that. Say it out loud.

God just did that. God just did that. God just did that. We just went through something that was a mile wide, the Jordan River. And God stopped it 20 miles away in a town called Adam. God just did that. My God did that. My personal Savior, Jesus Christ, just forgave me of that sin. He just did that. It wasn't possible for me, but it's possible for him. God just did that. And once you get that in, your spirit begin to think about in the future. Watch this. Here comes to question, because this is the frame. He's showing them, God just did that. That's a present awareness.

He's showing them that there's going to be a future. That is a hope. in an expectation. And he says in the future, when your children ask you, wait a minute, I'm going to have a question in my future that is going to be asked by a generation

that has yet to ask the question. They don't know the answer yet. I don't know the answer yet, but God has already gone into your future. How am I going to recover from this? Who is going to love me? How is God going to send it? When is God going to do it?

Don't know, but in the future, when your children ask you, you, what do these stones mean? Tell them, verse seven. Are y'all following along in the scripture? Because this would be better if you follow along. I'm about to frame it a different way. Tell them, oh, man, it was horrible.

We spent so many years in the wilderness and the water was at flood stage in the month of May. And we had to cross over and we didn't know how. We never been this way before. It was so confusing. And, oh, man, it was so hard because we knew we had to fight these big giants. and we were having anxiety attacks and panic attacks, and we didn't have any pills for it. We just had to get through it.

And then Joshua called us, and we were trying to get onto the next place because we've been in the wilderness so long, and we got through the Jordan. But, man, we made us go back and get these stones. Those stones were heavy, man. That's why I still got this Bursitis today. I don't know if Bursitis could be in your shoulder.

But, no, I didn't say none of that. That's why I want you to pull it up and fact check me. When they ask the question, question set direction. In the future, that means you're headed somewhere. I can't get that out of my heart. You're headed somewhere. God is taking this thing somewhere.

Not where you expect it. It never is. Not how you expect it. Not when you expect it. But what he saw all along, when you're in the middle of it, it is very difficult to know what it means. I thought I knew why my dad was lashing out at our family when he was dying of ALS. I didn't know that the doctor had upped his prescriptions to the point where it was causing paranoia.

I know that. I thought it was wrong for him to talk to me and my mom the way he did. And it was. But now that I reframe it with the information that I have, maybe I could have done something different. Maybe. Maybe why is he acting like that? I wondered so many times.

Why would he act like that after all I've done for him? But the question I never really asked or never knew to ask was, what's going on that I don't know that's. causing it that we can control because he had a horrible disease. And I couldn't control that. But what can I do? How might he be right? Even though what he's doing is wrong. I know that's a tender topic for many of us, but when we're in the middle of a relational conflict, when we're in the middle of a crisis, and many of you are. And look, man, I'm not trying to explain your experience. Only God can do that by His Spirit for you.

Paul says that the mind of God knows, the Spirit of God knows the mind of God. And God's spirit is in you. And why has seen no ears heard, neither is in her heart of man. Things God has prepared for those who love Him. We always stop there. Why? I think it's 1st Corinthians 2.9. Forgive me if I got it wrong.

God has revealed them by His Spirit. For the Spirit of a man knows the thoughts of a man. and God knows his thoughts toward you, even when you don't. God's thoughts toward you are holy, pure, loving, wise, kind. His intentions are good. His purpose is always working. Now, when the Bible says that Joshua called them for a conversation, and he didn't frame the situation with the fight that they were about to face,

he framed it with the faithfulness of God, an expectation for what God was going to do in their future and an appreciation of what God just did. I think those are two great frames. Frame your day, frame your season, frame your struggle even with two things. Expectation, God is going to do a great work in my future. Appreciation. God has been faithful in my past. I love the Him Great is that faithfulness.

Oh God, my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou change is not that compassion as they fail not as thou husband, thou forever will be. Pardon for sin. God did that. A peace that endureth. God just did that. You follow me? I know you're feeling this because I am.

I feel like it's for you. I don't feel like God gave me this today just to record it for me. I feel like God gave it to me for you, for your situation, for your tears, for your trauma. that the Lord still wants to help you frame this current situation with appreciation for what he's doing, even as you did with the frustration, for what he won't do. Paul had some of that too, didn't he?

I asked the Lord to remove this thorn and he wouldn't, but he gave me his grace. That's all right. Frustration and grace can coincide. Just don't frustrate the grace of God by refusing to receive his love, his peace. Pardon for sin, a peace that endure, your own dear presence to cheer into God.

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. That's what God wants to give you. That's your frame. Bright hope. Bright hope for all of your tomorrows. So get those stones. Put them up on your shoulder. You're strong enough.

You're stronger than you think you are. You keep framing the way that you see yourself by the things that you say about yourself. I'm weak. I'm an experience. Jeremiah tried to do this. I am only a youth. Moses tried to do it. I am not eloquent. Gideon tried to do it. I am the least in my tribe. And the lowest in the totem pole. God said, you mighty warrior. What does God see within you that he wants to reframe by his spirit through faith?

In the future, when your children ask you, what do these stones mean? Tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off. before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. That arc represents God's presence. That arc represents God's presence. Present. The present moment. The middle of it.

The miracle that God is going to do in your future is contingent upon your recognition of his presence here and now. God knows what you're in the middle of. God knows what's ahead of you. And he knows what's behind you. But Joshua gives us a lesson. And he frames the conversation. Not by the fight that's ahead of them,

but by the future that God has prepared for them. Yeah, you're going to have to fight for it. Yeah, you're going to have to get help for it. This isn't the whole story. It wasn't just that easy. but we are going to choose to focus on the faithfulness of God. That's why you've got to get a notebook or you can write down your gratitudes sometimes. The little ones.

Take a stone out of the middle of each day and go. God help me today. I remember when Abby smiled at me that thing she said, thank you, God. Oh, that was so nice Holly made me that sandwich on that low-carb bread. Thank you, Lord. with bacon, but the bread was low carb. Ah, God, it was such a blessing to get to watch Graham wrestle. It was such a blessing to get to be with my son today.

And sometimes it's not as easy because we're also processing pain. But even as you're processing pain, you can frame your life with faith. Hey, I hope you enjoyed the podcast. And if you did, make sure to share it and subscribe so we can get you all of these new messages as soon as they're available. want to take a moment and thank all of you who are a part of elevation. Whether you support us financially or serve with us or just share these messages, it's because of you that we're able to reach people all around the world. And if you want more information on how to be a part of elevation, click the link in the description. Thanks again for listening. Make sure to leave a review,

share the message, and subscribe. God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.