Steven Furtick's Blog, page 83

The Best Way You Can Help Someone

When someone we love goes through a difficult season, it can be hard to know what to do or how to respond. Should we try to fix the situation? Should we just listen and support? Do we join them in their anger or sadness, or should we stay positive and encourage them through their pain? In this clip from Pastor Steven’s sermon “Frustrations of A Fixer,” he explains the role God plays in our relationships, and why that should affect the way we help others through uncertain circumstances.

God’s Exception to the Rules of Receiving

In the world’s economy, we are taught that you first achieve, then receive. You don’t get your yearly bonus in January. You don’t get your college degree before you take the classes. You have to do the work before you get the reward. This model is true in all areas of our lives. Except one. Because God’s economy works in a different way. In the second part of our series The New Rules of Resolution, Pastor Steven explains the life-changing implications of God’s exception to the rule.

Do we really want Jesus to show up?

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

Mark 5:15-17

Do we really want Jesus to show up?

Because when He showed up in this community, they lost a huge part of their economy. Yes, He had done a great thing for a crazy man living by himself in a cave. But He was messing up their lives and freaking them out. So they asked Him to leave. As soon as He touched their money, His presence wasn’t welcome.

I think most people want Jesus to show up and have their lives improve. Fair enough. Jesus told us He came to bring us abundant life, full life, and that’s what His presence brings.

The problem is that in addition to wanting an abundant life, we usually want everything else to remain the same. Business as usual. Status quo intact. On both national and personal levels.

We want Jesus plus economic prosperity. Jesus plus national security. Jesus plus safety.

Jesus doesn’t always work like that. It’s not that safety, security, and prosperity cannot coexist with Jesus and His movement among us. It’s just that our desire for safety, security, and prosperity at the expense of Jesus cannot coexist with Jesus and His movement among us.

One of the greatest things standing between you and the uninhibited, powerful presence of Jesus in your life is probably the thing you believe must coexist alongside Him. Big things like the economy. Or smaller things like your boyfriend.

But in order to bring us what we really want – abundant life – sometimes God has to take away what we think we need. It’s often the things that we hold onto most tightly that we need to let go of most desperately.

Do we really want Jesus to show up?

What if Jesus comes and messes everything up?

What if we ask Him to show up in our nation and the economy goes down?

What if we ask Him to show up in our family and our kids decide our preferred career path for them isn’t God’s vision for them?

Some of us probably wouldn’t want Jesus to show up then. But that would be our loss.

Jesus’ presence may mess everything up. But by messing everything up, He is actually putting everything exactly where it belongs and positioning us for exactly what we need. And that’s Himself.

Originally posted on January 11, 2011.

When Jesus Sends For You

“We’re not good enough.” “We’ve screwed up too much.” “We’re nothing more than a forgotten afterthought in God’s plan.” These are the lies Satan whispers to us throughout our lives. But if we’ve accepted Jesus, nothing could be further from the truth. We are forgiven, loved, and highly valued. In this clip from the Code Orange Revival, Pastor Steven teaches us that even though the world may have counted us out, the love of Christ has sent for us – and He’s got big plans for our lives.

We kicked off 2012 with the 12-night Code Orange Revival, celebrating God’s faithfulness and praying for Him to move greatly on our behalf in the coming year. We heard from some of the world’s greatest preachers and communicators like Pastor Craig Groeschel, Pastor James Macdonald, and Bishop TD Jakes. Subscribe to the Elevation Church Podcast to download all 12 nights for free.

Elevation Creative: Old Testament in 60 Seconds

Back in 2010, we started the year by challenging our church to read through the New Testament together in 30 days. To quickly catch everyone up, our Creative team built this fun video that hit on a few of highlights of the Old Testament.

If you’re looking to start the new year by reading your Bible more, we encourage you to check out our New Thru 30 reading plan. You can find it, and many other Bible reading plans, at YouVersion – online or in your mobile device’s app store.

The Importance of Unreasonable Obedience

As the new year begins, many of us are praying and asking God to move in big ways in our lives. We want to see Him take over our homes, our schools, and our cities. We want the Gospel of Jesus to fill the hearts of our friends and families. But how important is it to us? What are we willing to do to see God move? In this clip from the Code Orange Revival, Pastor Steven explains the important role our obedience plays in the activity of God.

We kicked off 2012 with the 12-night Code Orange Revival, celebrating God’s faithfulness and praying for Him to move greatly on our behalf in the coming year. We heard from some of the world’s greatest preachers and communicators like Pastor Craig Groeschel, Pastor James Macdonald, and Bishop TD Jakes. Subscribe to the Elevation Church Podcast to download all 12 nights for free.

The Real Reason You Can’t Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

One of the most discouraging times every year is the moment you realize that you didn’t keep some, if not all, of your new year’s resolutions. What’s wrong with us? Maybe we are too weak and undisciplined. Maybe we’re making the wrong goals. Or maybe we’re just going about it all the wrong way. In the first part of our series, The New Rules of Resolution, Pastor Steven explains to us why God is more interested in our process than our projects.

Help them to their feet

Acts 3:2

Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

Acts 3:6-7

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

These two verses are interesting when you look at them side by side. I think they kind of reflect two different ministry philosophies.

There’s a crippled man. He needs help.

One group of people decides to help him by carrying him to the gate to beg everyday.

Peter and John decided to help him by reaching down, pulling him up on his feet, and telling him to walk.

Our ministry philosophy at Elevation is more like the latter. We don’t really have much interest in carrying people to the gate to beg. We don’t coddle and cater and spoon feed.

We’ll reach down and help you. We’ll impart the healing power of Jesus to you. But you’ve got to get up and walk. You’ve got to make a personal investment into studying God’s Word for yourself.

How about you? Are you investing too much time in carrying people to the gate and dropping them off to beg? Are you the one doing the begging when you should be lifting somebody else’s burden?

Take some advice from Peter.

In the name of Jesus, walk.

This article was originally posted January 13, 2010.

How to Check The Motives of Your Heart

When we do something for someone, what is our motive? Is it because we truly want to honor them? Or is it because we’re keeping a secret tally sheet hanging future favors and kudos over their head? And how can you tell when you’re honoring for the right reasons? In this clip from our series Honorology, Pastor Steven helps us check the true motives of our hearts when we show honor to others.

Elevation Creative: Psalm 121

“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2

For this video from our series The Highest, our creative team used the imagery of Chinese floating lanterns to symbolize the prayers, hopes, and dreams that we lift to God, that He fulfilled and completed through His Son, Jesus.