Steven Furtick's Blog, page 75

Did God Make a Mistake?

In our struggles and trials, we often begin questioning our purpose. Why can’t I get it together? What’s wrong with me? Did God make a mistake with my life? We start second-guessing our value and worth. But in Christ, there is a truth to cling to in these moments of self-doubt. In this clip from our sermon ‘Fearfully & Wonderfully Made’ Pastor Steven reminds us of just how God designed each of our lives.

When You Still Have Questions About God’s Will

There is a big difference between hearing a sermon on Sunday and applying it to our lives on Monday. What happens when what we hear doesn’t fit neatly into our life circumstance? What if we still have questions? To close out our series God’s Will Is Whatever, Pastor Steven sat down with our church and answered specific questions about God’s will, covering everything from dating to finances to finding God’s will when He closes doors in our lives.

Strength for today

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow-

Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside!

Please tell me you know that hymn. It’s one of my favorites. I was singing the third verse of Great is Thy Faithfulness the other day, and I had a relatively profound thought: that’s exactly how it works in the economy of God.

Not the other way around.

God gives strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.

Sometimes we get it backwards. When we worry about the uncertainties of tomorrow we’re bound to bend and break beneath the weight of anxiety. God doesn’t give strength for tomorrow’s tests. He only gives strength for today. Like manna. Each day has enough trouble of its own .

God’s only provision for your future needs is hope. The certainty of His sovereignty is your only guarantee. Make a note though: God doesn’t give you hope for the needs of today. He gives you strength for your immediate needs-and He expects you to do something about them! I’ve met people who waste time hoping things will work out-when God has already given them the strength to make a change and take a step. You can’t substitute hope for hard work, expecting God to do something for you that you can do for yourself.

Do you a have need today? Walk confidently in the strength of your God for the needs of your now.

Do you have a concern about tomorrow? Tomorrow’s strength will be deposited in your account first thing tomorrow morning-not a moment before.

Until then, put your hope in Christ alone.

Great is His faithfulness!

This article was originally published May 14, 2009.

Our Biggest Problem In Discerning God’s Will

When we are trying to understand the will of God, we often want Him to give us a black and white answer. We want the yes or no. We don’t want any grey area. But in this clip from our series Grey Matter, Pastor Steven teaches us that we have created a double standard when it comes to the hidden will of God and His revealed commands to us.

Elevation Creative: A Study In Grey

The Bible is very clear about many of the commands God has for us. Ways we are to live and how we can be more like Jesus. But what about everything else? For our series Grey Matter, our creative team created this video to visually show the struggles we face daily about decisions that don’t always have a black and white solution.

You Don’t Need Their Approval

We live in a world of constant feedback. Whether we ask for it or not, we’re always being told what we need to change, who we need to be, and what our goals and desires should be. And it can be hard to discern the truth through this myriad of voices. Who should we listen to? Who’s approval should we want? But in this clip from our Student Takeover event, Pastor Steven encourages us to remember that as believers in Christ, we are already approved by the only opinion that matters.

God’s Will At Work

The Biblical truths we learn at church each weekend are intended to not just be heard on Sunday, but put into practice Monday through Friday. We should be seeking weekly to understand what God teaches us and begin to practically apply it to our daily lives. For part four of our series God’s Will Is Whatever, we watched the testimonies of several people in the church, showing how they seek God’s will everyday in the workplace. This is one of those stories.

What breaks you down?

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:3-4

Countless people struggle with discerning what God has called them to do with their lives. This is true whether you’re in college and choosing a major, or in your mid-forties and wondering if you’re wasting your life on a job you barely want to wake up to, much less give your life to.

If you’re ever in this position, ask this question to help yourself:

What is the brokenness in the world that produces a brokenness inside of me?

For Nehemiah, it was his people’s condition and the broken down walls of Jerusalem. What is it for you?

Injustice?

People who are far from God?

Poverty?

The state of the educational system?

The lack of honor in our world?

Child abandonment?

What is broken down that breaks you down?

Once you’ve figured that out, your next step is simple: build it back up.

That was Nehemiah’s calling. And that’s your calling. To build up the brokenness that produces a brokenness inside of you. Neither brokenness will go away until you do.

For some of you, that will mean leaving what you’re doing and giving yourself completely to it. Starting a new career. Moving to a new country. Leaving the ministry and going to work for a church so that you can empower others in theirs (that sounds weird, but trust me, that’s how it’s supposed to work).

For others of you, it will mean you’ll keep doing what you’re doing but you’ll need to go about it with a brand new purpose. Open up your eyes to see that you’re not just collecting a paycheck. Be an agent of change at work or in your school where you already are.

Whatever it looks like, there’s definitely one thing God hasn’t called us to do: nothing. God hasn’t put us on this earth to have a front row seat to a broken down world. Or complain about how broken it is. He’s put us here to build it back up.

So let’s find our place. And get to work.

This entry was originally published on: March 3, 2011

God Isn’t Out To Get You

All too often, when it comes to a decision in our lives, we think God is trying to pull a fast one on us. We are looking for the trap door or the hidden camera. What if I choose this job and I end up hating it? What if the other college was where I was supposed to meet my husband? But we forget that God isn’t trying to trick us. In this clip from our series God’s Will Is Whatever Pastor Steven uses Bean Boozled jelly beans to illustrate this common misconception we have about God and His will for our lives.

Elevation Creative: Riding In Cars

There is only one way to get to God – through the saving blood of Jesus. But beyond that, there isn’t a specific formula to get inside the will of God. The best way to align ourselves with God’s will isn’t through a specific career, person, or location. It’s achieved only by following the ways of God. And through His ways, He can reveal His will to us. For our series God’s Will Is Whatever, our creative team designed a simple video to symbolically show this paradigm-shifting concept.