July 28, 2024 • 66 mins
When you’re in transition and lacking information, fear can creep in. In those times, you need to remember that faith isn’t a feeling, it’s a behavior. And sometimes, in order to move forward, you need to learn to step out in doubt.
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Scripture References:
2 Corinthians 5, verse 7
Exodus 14, verses 10-16
Matthew 14, verses 22-31
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
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 faith. Hope it
gives your perspective to see God is moving in your life.
Enjoy the message. Come on, clap those hands. If you're thankful,
(00:26):
Let's do something real quick.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Let's fill the place with praise with our testimony.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of our testimony. Turn around and tell about three
people something that God has done for you. Just something
that you're thankful for today. It can be as simple
as He woke me up. It can be as deep
as He gave me peace. Put it in the chat.
Just about two or three things to be thankful for.
Two or three things to be thankful for. Two or
(00:55):
three things.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Shouldn't be hard breadth in my life. I got two
or three things to be thankful for.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Clothed in my right mind, I've got two or three
things to be thankful.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
For, goodness and mercy.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I got two or three things He forgave my past,
and he's already in my future.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
I got two or three things.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Allelujah.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
If there's anything that you want to accomplish during this
multitasking testimony service and you are single and they are too.
Just retrying to say I'm thankful that they seated us
next to one another today. I'm just grateful that I
get to be in proximity to your anointing.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
How many are grateful to be in the House of
the Lord?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, let me see how many of you grew up
with the King James Bible.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I was glad when they.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Said, unto me, let us go to the House of
the Lord. And you know, it's a beautiful thing when
you want to be here. And I don't know if
that's the case for you or not today, but somebody
wanted to be here and couldn't be here.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So I think all of us.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
That can be here ought to thank God that he
kept us another day.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Praise the Lord. Hey, Dough, it's so good to have you, y'all.
Thank God for Doe.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Here.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Congratulations on your marriage. Hey, listen, this is kind of funny.
I just thought of this. The last time I saw Doe.
Me and her and Josh went over in a writing
room one afternoon. We wrote that song new Thing Coming.
The next time I heard her name, she was getting married.
So when she said I've got a new thing coming.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
God, you meant that thing. Hot five your neighbors saying,
I mean that things. Good to have you, God, bless you.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I got a new thing coming, I mean that thing.
Maybe that could be my New Year's sermon. I mean
that day.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I see so many beautiful love Wheat T shirts. I
see a Metallica T shirt. I see a Panther's T shirt.
I see a Whitney T shirt. Do you even know
three Whitney songs? Okay, she's shaking her head vociferously. I
believe you. Then, I personally am so grateful to get
(03:25):
the pastor church where our generosity is legendary in our city.
And I know that a lot of people will say
different things about me and whether my jeans are too
tight or too baggy or things like that, and that's fine.
But one thing they can never question about this church
is your heart for the hurting to help people. And
that's awesome. And I know a lot of people like
(03:49):
to argue about who believes the right thing and this
and that, but when we get out there and show
the love of Jesus. It kind of silences all of
that and just puts it in action. So tell your
name where You're gonna look great in green. That's the
color of the shirt. It's more green, babe, than yellow.
I'm looking at it kind of green. It's like completely green.
(04:10):
It's not even a little yellow. Didn't Holly look pretty
up here in her custom blue lovely shirt? Hu host shirt? Well,
you can host me anytime. Y'all did that disgusted laugh thing?
You're like, get to the scripture. This is gross. I
bring greetings to all of our locations our Etham around
(04:32):
the world.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Let's welcome our Etham joining us online.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Let us know where you're joining from. Now I get
to serve you the Word of God. I'm excited and
you will be two. I'm only gonna read one verse
before I seat you this week, so your feet will
thank me. I didn't say I'm only going to preach
one verse. I'm going to read one. Sit you down,
(04:59):
and then we'll talk about two times in the Bible
that it was illustrated, because I think to see an
illustration of faith is what we really all want, not
just to have somebody tell us, hey, you should trust God,
or hey, it's.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Going to be all right.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
And you're like, how do you know that you've never
been through what I've been through? But the Bible gave
us all these case studies that we can always find
somebody in the Bible that went through something worse than
we're going through and God did something amazing for them,
and we hitch our.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Faith to this.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
So that's what we want to do today, is hitch
our faith to two heroes in the Bible. And I'll
tell about that in the moment, But first let me
give you a verse in Second Corinthians, chapter five, verse seven.
I'm using the English Standard Version for a little bit
more literal translation this week, just for accuracy's sake, where
Paul says parenthetically, and talking about life and death and
(05:51):
the tent of our mortal body and the immortality of
the eternity that is in our hearts, he says, parenthetically,
just eight words that are very very sale. Listen to this,
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's only eight words.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I'll say it again, for we walk by faith, not
by sight. Now touch your neighbor and give them my title,
say neighbor.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
It's the motion that matters. Yeah, it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
All right, Well, while I got you warmed up, turn
to your other neighbors, say, other neighbor, it's the motion
that matters. Do like this when you're telling them with
your handjuster say it's the motion that matters. Amen, you
may be seated. It's the motion that matters. It's the
(06:57):
motion that matters.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
We had a special event at the church Austin where
pastors were.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Able to come and bring their teams and there was
a breakout session just for church planters, people who were
in the first six to eight months of their church,
and we opened up the microphone for question and answer,
which is always risky, but it was a good group.
And I was feeling annointed and I was feeling a flow.
I said, ask me anything. Well, one guy asked a
(07:24):
great question. He said, at this stage, he said, I'm
four months in And I don't remember where he was from,
but I remember he said, at four months in, what
do you think is the most important skill that you
need at this stage? And again, this was several years
into our church. I don't remember how many, but it
was he thought I was like a professional or something
(07:44):
like that. He said, at this stage, what do you
think is the most important skill that you need?
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And I said, four months in most important skill.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And I love these opportunities just to see what the
Holy Spirit will bring up to help somebody. So I
try to see who's in front of me and discern
what God wants me to say.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And my first thought was to go technical.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
You know, you need good children's ministry and good procedures
for accountability, and you need to pray. And I thought
of all the spiritual practical, but then it came to
me just like this, and it came out of me
like this. I said, I think the most important skill
for this stage is learning to step out in faith,
because there are going to be so many things that
(08:26):
you are going to have to do. And then I
started giving him examples. When we cleared out our bank
account in order to give one time, we gave the
offering away instead of taking the offering, told people to
go be a blessing in their community.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
And so I told him about that.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I told him about the egg drop when we dropped
all these Easter eggs out of a helicopter two months
into the church and gave away xboxes and trusted God
that nobody would end up on the news fighting over
the xbox, and they did it.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
So I said, you got to step out in faith.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And I just kept listening like I was going through
a highlight reil of all the times I stepped out
in faith. Well, I can't say God stopped me, but
something stopped me on the inside. And I looked at
that guy, and something on the inside of me said,
if you want to keep impressing him, keep going, because
you have stepped out in faith and more than you,
(09:18):
your your wife, your teen, this church has stepped out
in faith over and over again. But if you really
want to help this guy and not just impressing, I
want you to stop right now listing how you stepped
out in faith and tell him what the real most
important skill is. Tell him how to step out in doubt,
(09:44):
because you keep telling him what you did and then
what God did, because you did what you did, but
he needs to know some of what you felt while
you did what you did, so that God could do
when only he could do. So I shifted my answer
in the middle, I said, and all of that is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
He didn't even know that.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
I didn't plan this pivot, but I didn't. I just
stopped right in the middle, I said. But even more
importantly than those times where you're going to feel an
amazing sense of courage and confidence that thus saith the Lord,
and we're taking this mountain, and we're taking this city,
and we're we're going to serve one hundred thousand hours
to our community in love week.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
I want to tell you about some times where I
had to have.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Love Week but I felt hateful, and I felt hateful
because I had.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Some people saying things about me that weren't true.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
And I had to stand up and preach love when
I felt hate.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
So maybe the most important.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Skill isn't just stepping out in faith, but to learn
to step out in doubt.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Now I almost called.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Discermon that step out in doubt?
Speaker 1 (10:55):
How to step out in doubt?
Speaker 2 (10:57):
But I know how religious you are are, and you
would say unto me. But James one five through seven says,
let him who asks asking faith nothing wavering. For he
that wavereth is like a double minded man, unstable in
all of his ways, like a wave tossed.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
To and fro let.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Not that man think he should receive anything. Why only talking,
King James, when you're arguing with preachers. By the way,
let not that man think he should receive anything from
the Lord.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
He is a double minded man. I love that scripture,
I believe that scripture.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
And yet I think that a lot of times when
we see an example of.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Great faith, it is just as important for us to.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Realize that wherever there was the demonstration of great faith,
it was on the other side of strong doubt. Anybody
who stepped out in faith, which by the way, is
not a term in the Bible, is a concept in
the Bible.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
It just said we walk by faith. I just read
it to you.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
But it doesn't necessarily negate the flip side of faith
for you to walk in it. And that is what
I hope to show you a little bit today, Just
a skill I want to give you for your life,
because I know that you're trying to figure out what
is the most important skill for raising a two year old?
What is the most important skill at this stage of
(12:26):
my life? And some of you would even say, and
you don't even know, because I'm sixty.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Two and you're not.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
But I would suggest that whether sixty two or sixteen,
a four month old.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Church or a forty year old church, that.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
The most important skill you will build in your life
is the ability to step out not only when the
feeling of faith makes it convenient, but when the conviction
of faith makes it necessary even though the convenience.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Is nowhere to be seen. Now, I am a skeptic.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
So my kids will tell you. When they tell me anything,
I always say, what's your source? Because they will just
tell me the craziest stuff at the dinner table, and
they will tell me the craziest.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Stuff about politics.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
They will tell me the craziest thing about my own
staff that they heard. They will tell me the craziest
thing about what's going on in.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
The larger world of I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
They've told about everything from eyeliner to steroids at my
dinner table. Did you know steroids are good for you?
And I'm like, where did you see that?
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Graham? The other day?
Speaker 2 (13:38):
He said this most outrageous thing, he said, Dad, and
he said it like a fact, just a flat fat
he said, boom, And he just dropped it. And I said,
that is the dumbest thing that I've ever heard.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
That's not true. He said, yes it is. I said, no,
it's not. And it wasn't really like a disrespectful thing.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
We were kind of playing and he looks back at
me and he says, yes, it is, it's true. I said,
it can't be true. He said, yes, it is. I
saw a thing. Oh oh, you saw a thing. Oh well,
now it's definitely true because you saw a thing.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Tell your neighbor you saw a thing. Yeah, so it
must be true because you saw a thing. You saw
a thing. So so, son, I know you saw a thing.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
But before I'm gonna believe a thing, you gotta source
the thing that you saw if you want me to
believe it. And I'm gonna give you three points at
the very beginning of this message.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
And this is not the message.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
This is just the points that will build the message,
that will get to the point of the message.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Write them down. They all start with the letter B.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
If you are wavering today and if you are wondering today,
if you can make it to the other side, there
are three things happening at all times. Number one, you behold.
Number two, you believe. Number three you behave. We behold.
(15:12):
Everybody say we behold. Come on, put these in the chat.
I need participation. We behold, we believe, we behave. I
thought you'd like this LJ because it's B three like
that organ. Yeah, we behold, we see a thing, Graham said,
I saw a thing. We have never lived in a
(15:34):
time where you see more stuff. And I wouldn't have
warned my same gray hoodie if I'd have known we
were going to preach to each other like this.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I'm it's all right. I'm happy to match you.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
I see a thing, and I believe a thing, and
I behave away.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
I see a thing, which.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I don't even know if right now, anything I see
I used to say I have to see it to
believe it.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Now I have to see it and verify.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I don't even know if the trees that were in
my backyard this morning are AI right.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Now, I don't know. They look pretty real.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Put my hand through the tree to see if it's real.
Is this a simulation? I don't know. I don't know
if they really said that. I get these clips. People
want to show me stuff all the time. Look at
what this political candidate said, and I google one time
and find out they didn't say any of that.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
They made the voice sound just like the lips move.
It's a weird. I'll just be honest with y'all. It's
a weird.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Time to do this, to talk to y'all, because they
can show you stuff that I said that I didn't say,
or slice what I do say to.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Listen, not what I said. And so people will want
to come up to me, oh, did you hear what
they said? Did you see what they did? Did you
hear it? Did you see it?
Speaker 2 (16:53):
And I've learned to tell my kids that I don't
want to see it unless you can source it. Now,
this is the kind of preaching that I notice nobody
shouts about. Because we want God to set us free
of everything but our gossip, everything but our slander. We
(17:15):
want God to give us peace, but we don't want
him to meddle with any of the processes that are
making us anxious. And I am trying to say that
sometimes you see a thing.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Graham said, I saw a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I'm not doubting that you saw a thing, But for
you to just see a thing and believe a thing
is immature. For you to just see a thing and
believe it is to put too much confidence in your senses,
because your senses are not your sin.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Sy When it comes to this fight of faith, the
spirit is.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
There is coming a time in your life where you
are going to have to get to the root in
this season of your life, for the challenges that you face,
for the responsibilities.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
That you carry.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
I gotta calm down because I get excited because I
see how it all works now, because I realized that
some of the things that are a problem in my
behavior are a problem in my belief. But before I
believe the thing, I had to see a thing. If
I behold a thing and believe a thing, I will
(18:28):
behave away. Some of us hate the way we behave,
but we will not change what we behold. We'll be three.
Lit'll be three. We'll be three, We'll be three. Okay,
So what I behold, I saw a thing. I believe
the thing, didn't even check it out, seef it's real.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And then I behave away.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
And so now I have seen so many things making
me think that that person is my enemy because they're
of a different political persuasion. And I have beheld enough
of that information and data in my phone that now
I behave in a way that is completely contrary to
the character of Christ, who is bigger than either political party.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
But I can't believe that because I don't behold that
y'all know this preaching is much better than this response.
There's an imbalance in the room today.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
All right, do you really believe this that we walk
by faith not by sight, because because because that means
faith is not primarily a feeling. That means that faith,
biblical faith. I'm not talking about manifesting.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Your dream job, dream card, dream house, dream beach.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I'm gonna manifest my island. Well, I don't want to
have to staff an island, so I'm not manifesting that. Okay,
I can barely keep my bed made in my house.
But biblical faith, whose object is Jesus in the finished
work that he did on across of his resurrection from
the deck, kind of faith faith in Jesus and what
He's done. We walk by faith, the kind of Paul's
talking about and secret the in chapter five, I'm about
to show you Moses and Peter, two leaders who both
(20:10):
needed to step out.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
In doubt with no feeling of faith. Can you do that?
Can I do that? Do I still do it? Or
did I just do.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
It when the church was young and I was twenty
six with nothing to lose? These are the things that
have been challenging me.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Faith is not a feeling, it's a behavior.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
This is the best news I've ever given you, because
what it means watch this is you can be at
an emotional low and a faith high. So what it
means is all the people who say, well, you shouldn't
doubt or think that, or ever deal with that or
struggle with that, if you really knew Jesus, it means
(21:07):
that from now on you get to take them to
Second Corinthians chapter five, verse seven and say, my faith
is not about what I feel. It is about the
way I behave. And I do not mean that if
you don't behave correctly, you don't have faith.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
What I mean is it's the motion that matters. Let
me show you what I'm talking about. In Exodus chapter fourteen.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
There is a Bible story that I have come to really,
really love. It is called the Parting of the Red Sea.
Of course, that's only what you call it if you
fast forward to the part where it parted. We love
the part where it parted. Just a side note, don't
you love.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
The part where it parts, the part where God did it?
Speaker 2 (21:55):
I told a songwriting room the other day, I said, y'all,
I don't know if we could put ocean splitting or
mountains moving in any more songs. I think we found
every way to say that we can. But you know
is powerful for a reason, because everybody has.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
One of those.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
All right, well, this is the part in Exodus chapter
fourteen that I think is kind of funny. And I'm
going to use Exodus fourteen and Matthew fourteen to remind
you today that it's the motion that matters. You did
the exact right thing by getting in your car, spending
your expensive gas money to get to this church on
(22:31):
this day at this location, because it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
And listen to me.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I don't care if y'all fought all the way here
and you cuss them out in biblical coin a Greek.
You did the right thing to drag your cuss and
tongue in this room so you can have these ears
sanctified by the word of God, so you can cut
your cussing in half by the time.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
You get back next week.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Because it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Don't judge where I am.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
If you don't know where I started from, you don't
have a frame of reference for how hard this is
for me.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
It's the motion that matters. They've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Moses and the children of Israel, they've been through so
much unimaginable, a four hundred and thirty year cry to
God that seemed unanswered but not now is not known.
And at the appointed time God sent a deliverer named Moses,
(23:30):
who himself was pretty old, and he taught the most
important skill for this stage of life in old age.
Because Moses said, I can't speak good and I can't.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Do it, and I killed an.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Egyptian, and how will I go to Pharaoh's an Egyptian
and say, let the people go?
Speaker 1 (23:46):
And what they don't believe me?
Speaker 2 (23:47):
And I'm not a motivational speaker. And Moses, the non
motivational speaker, ends up with the most important message of
all time.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Because he stepped out in doubt. Prove me otherwise. Quote
every scripture you wanted me.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
One of the greatest leaders God used, told God he
couldn't do it, and then did it.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
And then did it, and then did it. Well. He
did all he could do.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
He put some plagues on the people, and he even
got the Egyptians to give plunder to the Israelites so
they would not leave empty handed.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Now with the wealth of an entire nation on their back.
The children of Israel, two millions strong, are marching boldly.
The Bible says, out of Egypt.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Now Here comes the part that I think is kind
of funny, and I think this happens in our life.
Verse ten, when Pharaoh drew near. Pharaoh's the enemy that
they just left, that they thought they were free from.
But they weren't quite yet, but they thought they were.
And they're in motion, right, And then all of a sudden,
(25:06):
Pharaoh the Bible gives exact numbers as six hundred chariots
and his best fighting men is now chasing them down
because not only.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Have they lost their labor, but they've given up their wealth.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
And so Pharaoh drew near, and the people of Israel
lifted up their eyes. Is the scripture on the screen,
shout the next word, and they saw something. They saw
a thing. They saw a thing that they thought they
(25:37):
had just left. Touch your neighbors, say, I saw a thing.
I was doing pretty good with my eating plan, but
I was trying to make it practical.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
I was doing pretty good.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
I wasn't texting any girls because I was gonna get
this season of my life straight.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
But us.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Okay, y'all don't like that. David was on the roof
one day and he.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
So now look at me all hypocritical and holy sanctimonials,
like you never saw a thing and beheld something and
believed something and behaved away. But in order to really
understand why you're behaving that way, don't you understand why
you're believing that way?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
And to understand why you're believing that way.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Don't you have to really think back to what you
beheld that made you believe that. So I completely understand
what comes next for us to judge the Israelites because
spoiler alert, they get scared, they see Pharaoh and they
feel fear.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Well, how could they do that? God turned seas into highways.
They didn't know that song.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
They were living it. I'm living this, I'm walking by it.
I'm having to take uncertain steps. I thought God would
fix me just right before he made me preach to you.
But the truth is, sometimes I will preach to you
(27:10):
a lesson that I have limped to.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
And you can do the same.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Now in this particular instance, it's like you judging an
Olympic athlete, thinking to yourself.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Well, I could probably do that. No, you probably couldn't
Pharaoh drew near you ever watched this?
Speaker 2 (27:28):
For it?
Speaker 1 (27:28):
You're like, I think I probably could you. No, I
probably couldn't do that. Not like that.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
I could do a version of that, but not exactly that.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
They lifted up their eyes.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Now, I want you to really get in this text
with me today, because I told you we put too.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Much confidence in our senses.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
And I know we have to use our senses to
keep ourselves from getting our fingers burned on stoves and
walking across crowded highways and things like that. But we
cannot make decisions with our senses when it comes to
this next step of faith in this season of our
life and the way we see ourself and the way
we see the people that God has given us, the
impact your senses will get you killed. Here's why they
(28:06):
looked up and behold the Egyptians were marching after them,
and they feared greatly. Is this a sin, No, it's
a feeling. The sin is the decision after the feeling. Yeah,
(28:26):
and God forgives that sin too. But if you really
want to be free from it, you got to ask
the question, what did I lift my eyes up and
see that is dragging me back into a past that
I said I would leave behind. What is making me
so afraid that I keep running back to stuff that.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
I know I'm done with.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
What do I keep seeing that makes me fight off
people that love me?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
What do I keep remembering?
Speaker 6 (28:59):
Is the the devil controlling your whole future with an
old movie? An old movie I'm talking nineteen eighty eight
block Buster b.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Kin Rewind, Karate kids stuff, the devil kids showing you
stuff you got kicked in nineteen eighty eight, and he
doesn't even have to resist you anymore. All he has
to do is get you to rewind. I came to
find out what are you beholding? Because if you keep
(29:36):
beholding what they want to feed you. Yes, I'm talking
about everything that's on our news right now. Yes, I'm
talking about everybody that's vying for your attention. Your attention
is too expensive to keep giving it to things that
do not have your best interest at heart. I know
(29:59):
what I'm saying. God said this to me. God said
this to me. Your attention is too expensive. It is
costing you your freedom.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
That pornography isn't really free if you could see how
expensive it was as it affects your intimacy.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
You would run from it, not welcome it. But we
don't see that part. The enemy always hides the expense
illuminates the benefits, the feeling of relief. Now the Israelites,
of course, they're in a physical moment. And I told
(30:41):
you this was funny, and there's probably nothing funny about
what I'm saying right now, here's the funny part. Watch
how Moses wants to deal with this in faith, and
how God tells Moses to deal with it by faith,
because this will speak directly to that thing that you
are overthinking in your mind right now. Just for complete honesty,
so I'm not up here total by myself naked. How
(31:02):
many of you are dealing with uncertainty right now in
an area of your life where you are trying to
figure out whether the doubt that you have is something
that you should pay attention to as caution or step
forward because God is calling you to have faith.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
This will help you.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I can't tell you exactly right or wrong in this,
but I can give you a picture. And here's the picture.
They cried out to the Lord. Verse number ten.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
They cried out to the Lord. This sounds good.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
That's what's supposed to do right very emotional, and they
should be. Now I'm not minimizing their situation here, but
watch how quickly they forget what God just did in
delivering them.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
And watch how quickly fear.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Can cancel out and make you forget how bad it
really was where you were. In an attempt to go back,
they said to Moses, it's because or excuse me, is
it because there are no graves in Egypt that you've
(32:05):
taken us away to die in the wilderness. What have
you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
Is this not what we said to you in Egypt?
Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians, For
it would have been better to serve the Egyptians than
to die in the wilderness, would it. Fear will make
you think that, depression will make you think that, pressure
(32:29):
will make you think that.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
And all three of those things are present. So I
get it. And now Moses, the great.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Motivational speaker, he's going to give the question an answer
at the seminar.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
What do we do now? Moses stands up.
Speaker 7 (32:43):
He says he's not a very good speaker, but he's
given it his best right now, and Moses said to
the people, fear not, try that again.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
Fear not. Yeah, let's just morek a messy fear not.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which
he will.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
See today you shall never see again. And if y'all
don't shout over verse fourteen, I'm gonna get a new church.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
The Lord will fight for you.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
And you have only two Be silent, Oh, be silent.
Don't shout because he's wrong. Sounds good, but he's wrong
with shit. We're always that way because sometimes it is.
(33:39):
But in this case it's wrong. Because there is a
body of water called the Red Sea in front of you.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
You can't cross it.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
There are chariots from Egypt behind you. You can outrun them.
So Moses's advice right here, one translation says, you need
only be still. We've all heard before. Be still and
know that he is God. And sometimes this will be
the instruction. But for this moment, for this Moses, for
(34:08):
this nation, for this situation, being still will get you killed.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
So watch God. I love God. Then the Lord said
to Moses, why do you cry to me?
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Well, that's not very nice. Jehovah Jirah. He's supposed to
be my provider. I'm crying to you because you're Jehovah
Nissi my banner. I'm crying to you because you're Jehovah
Shalom my peace. I'm crying to you because I can't
do this, and I'm emotional, and I'm afraid, and Moses
(34:49):
is old, and the people are angry, and the peace
is very slow.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Look.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Look, look, if you travel with five kids a lot
and extra to two hours to get across town, if
you travel with two million, this isn't going to happen
very fast.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
And the Lord said to Moses, I know.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
I got a lot on you, and I know it
seems impossible, but why do you cry to me? Tell
the people of Israel to go forward? You are not
going to fix this with emotions. So, Moses, Mozetta, I
(35:36):
want to appreciate to all genders and people and all that,
whatever it is that you're looking at right now, I
want you to know something about emotions. They can be
helpful guides to get us to a certain place, but
sometimes sitting with the emotion endlessly just creates more of
(35:58):
what you are asking God to take you out of
and the only way to deal with it is to
go through it.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Is to go through it.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
And that's what God told Moses. He said, you can
cry about this all day. We could pray about it.
You can study a verse about it, you can quote
about it, you can do all of that.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
But the only way.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
For us to deal with this is for you to
tell the people to go forward.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
And then there's one more instruction that he.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Gives Moses, and I thought was significant and really kind
of silly in the face of the challenge at hand.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
He said, verse sixteen, lift up.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea
and divide it that the people of Israel may go
through the sea on dry ground.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Oh well, that will totally work. How we read the
Bible with these cotton candy eyes, I'll never even know.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
We got this fake filter we put on all the
stories like, yeah, that's the way it works.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Put the staff and.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Let them go.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
I saw the thing he did it.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
I saw a thing. I saw a movie about it.
Moses just put up his staff. It's the difference to
read the thing.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
And do the thing.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I guarantee you all of my scholarly confidence, low as.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
It may be that Moses's hand was shaking because he's all.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
And because he's scared, but the fact that his hand
was shaken.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
Did not stop to see from splitting. And what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Is, you can do it with a shaky hand. You
can do it with knocking knees. You can do it
with a lump in your throat. Oh yeah, Taylor, I
can do it with a broken heart.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
I can prace him with a painful situation.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
I can make progress in a cloudy condition.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
Yeah, just like that. Give God praise, just like that, Cause.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Some of you today you just lifted your hands freely,
but some of y'all.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Your hands felt heavy.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
And I keep meeting people and they say, well, when
I really feel like it, then I'll praise God, because
sometimes I don't want to fake it and come to
church and sing God, You've been so good to me,
because I don't really feel like He's been good to me.
But I realized something in the spirit that praise is
a pushback. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, praise is a pushback.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
Praises.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
How I tell the red sea, you stand here, you
stand there, praises, How I tell my doubt, you stand here,
you stand there, and even if I stretch my.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Hand shaky, it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Do you think you need a better staff. The best
staff can't split a c Stop thinking you need an
external upgrade. All you need is an internal commitment to
God that I will step out, not just when I
feel something, not just when something good happens to me,
(39:20):
not just.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
When I have a good idea. I'll step out with
a bad idea and buffet till it shies.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Telling you the most important skill is right here. Because
I don't see anywhere in the text.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Maybe you do.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
You can go study and write me an email about it.
If their feelings changed, whether their feelings change, they're still
mad at Moses.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Moses is certainly.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
Mad at them because everything I do for my kids
that they don't think me for, I get mad at
And this is a pretty big thing he did for.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Them to get them out.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
And I think sometimes we stay stuck in resentment, and
then we let us called the root of bitterness, keep
us anchored to situations that we can move through. And
everything you feel God knows about, and everything you feel
God cares about, everything.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
You feel God is comfortable in the presence of But
you have to let it move through you. By moving
through it.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
If you always surrender to it, you never gain strength
or freedom, whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
But God, what do you mean? Look at the verse?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
One whole word God gave me here that I think
is going to be so powerful for somebody. I don't
want to forget to say it. He said, if you
be still, you get killed. But that wasn't the word.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
This is the word.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Why you tell me about this problem? Tell the people
of Israel to go forward? And I thought to myself,
wait a minute. They're on foot, the chariots have wheels,
they have children. All of the people chasing them are
fighting it. You ever feel like there's nothing you can
do to catch up now, like you are so far
(41:15):
behind in your life that even if I run as
fast as I can, all this I have to drag
behind me.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
And the Lord said, go forward, watch this, not fast?
Just forward. Isn't that good? Not fast? He said, it
doesn't have to be fast.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I know you're loaded down by a lot of things,
and I know you're on foot, and I know you
didn't get that kind of training, and I know that
you've lost some years, and I know that you've wasted
away some opportunities. And I know you killed a few
brain cells, and I know you closed a few doors,
and some people that won't call you back. And I
know there's gonna be some things you're gonna have to
navigate through. And you feel like what's in front of
(41:59):
you is too big and what's behind.
Speaker 8 (42:01):
You is too fast. But you don't have to go fast.
You just have to go forward. Why because after the
water parts for you, it's gonna close back over your enemies.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
And you're on foot, and Pharaoh has wheels, so it
would seem like there's no way you can outrun him.
But there's one thing your enemy didn't count on when
he was chasing you with this. Chariots wheels don't work
in water. If Pharaoh was gonna chase you, he should
(42:46):
have brought a boat. Because what he didn't count on
is that when you do help me.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Preach before I have a cardiac arrest in front.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Of two thousand people, God said, I'm not looking for
you to be fast enough. I'm not looking for you
to make up for time that you lost. I don't
make up the time you lost. How redeem the years
that the kicker.
Speaker 5 (43:11):
Worm has He I'll deal with your past. I'll deal
with your credit, I deal with your boss, I'll deal
with the market, I'll deal with the.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
Hot five seven people say, will still working water, will
still work in water when you get out here in faith,
there's not a thing.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
The devil can do to drag your back.
Speaker 5 (43:40):
God's wheels don't work in water.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
You hear what I'm saying. I don't have to be fast.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
I just gotta move forward because your stuck wheel can't
catch my slow feet. You will journey with me now
over twelve hundred miles to another sea. In scripture, over,
(44:12):
excuse me, two hundred miles in twelve hundred years.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
So we're covering a great distance. I understand that.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
And if I may fast forward for a moment to
one of your favorite Bible stories, because you want to
be like this guy so much.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Old Peter, old.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Fish and empty net, foulmouth gospel preaching, Peter, Oh, you're
hacking Peter Old Pentecost Sunday, Peter, Oh, Simon, Peter, Oh,
crazy Peter.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Old Peter took.
Speaker 2 (44:50):
His boat, let Jesus preach in it, and then took
his boat and did whatever Jesus told him all around
the Sea of Galilee, Matthew chapter fourteen says that Jesus
performed a great miracle fed fi thousand men, women and children.
I told you last week, don't let the math distract you.
It doesn't matter how many there are, matters how much
he is. Oh, it doesn't matter how many they are.
(45:16):
It matters how much he is, greater as he that
is in. I gotta teach you all the Bible, so
y'all know this stuff so you can step out in
doubt and change.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
It to faith. The step is what makes it faith,
not the feeling. The step is what makes it faith.
The behavior. You gotta switch this thing. You keep beholding,
believing and then behaving. But if we can switch it,
(45:49):
if we can switch it, if you.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
Could believe and behave according to what you believe, you
would behold things that you don't even know where possible.
Then you'll see a thing. Then you'll see a thing.
You'll see a thing, and you'll speak a thing. God says,
(46:14):
I'm not forsaken. You'll see a thing, you'll feel a thing,
and you'll speak a thing. God says, no weapon formed
against me will prosper. You'll see a thing and you'll
speak a thing. It is for his glory, not my
self righteousness. That I have been saved.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
It is the gift of God, not of works, so
that no one can both.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
You'll see a thing, and you will speak a thing,
and the devil will show you things all the time
in your mind. Oh yeah, he doesn't even have to
do it physically. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of
this world right in his own mind during the forty
day fast. But Jesus saw another thing. I want to
teach you how to see another thing. Matthew Chapter fourteen.
The Bible says that the disciples got in the boat
(46:52):
why because Jesus told them to go to the other side.
Tell your neighbor, I want you to see once on
your other side, so you cannot die in this storm.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
Tell him you can cry.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
You can complain, you can rest, but you can't quit, because.
Speaker 1 (47:15):
It's the motion that matters. Clap your hands if.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You know it's the motion that matters, now, Matthew fourteen.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Matthew fourteen. After feeding five.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Thousand, immediately Jesus verse twenty two made the disciples get
into the boat and go before him to the other side.
While he dismissed the crowd Notice what he didn't give
them an agenda. Notice what he didn't give them information.
Notice what he didn't give them a timetable. I thought
(47:47):
about my.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
Dog Bo here. I thought about how I don't know
if y'all know, we have a Boston terior.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
It was kind of a big deal in the church
because for years I told the family that they were
not responsible enough to have a dog. Was right, but
I bought him on anyway, Holly and Abbey, of course,
have done wonderfully with Bo. Graham has fulfilled every prophecy
I had of his irresponsibility.
Speaker 1 (48:08):
About the dog, because he saw a thing.
Speaker 4 (48:10):
All right, now, love your body.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Bo is an anxiety dog. Not that he helps us
with our anxiety. He has so much anxiety, and incrementally
it's getting worse.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
I'll show you a picture of Bow real quick, put
on screen.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
And that picture was sent to us while we were
away on a trip for elevation nights preaching and ministering,
and one of our wonderful people that are on the
team was send us a picture to show us Bo.
And we all said to each other, we can't tell
from that picture whether he's freaking out, losing his mind,
or having the time of his life because they both
make the same face. That's how he looks when he's horrified,
(48:55):
that's how he looks when he's happy. And so you
can't really tell what's going on from that picture. Now
you can take it down. But there are two things
that bo will be scared of, and both of these.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
Fears are acquired. Acquired. I don't think he had them
when we first got him. We got him very little.
And please don't send any emails for how to remedy
any of this.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
He's already under the supervision of a wonderful veterinarian and
Holly's working on all of that. But anytime that he
sees everybody say sees these two things a suitcase, or anytime.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
He hears a storm.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
So he's afraid of two things, a suitcase and a
storm because the first one a suitcase. He's seen those before,
and sometimes when he sees one of those, we're back
twenty four hours later. He didn't even have time to
miss us. But we've been gone from him two weeks before,
(49:55):
and I think he likes us because when the suitcase
comes out, he starts following us everywhere. How many of
y'all your dog does the same thing, because not because
you're leaving, but because I don't know how long it's
gonna be.
Speaker 1 (50:06):
Because you don't have a way to communicate this to me.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
Jesus said, I'll see on the other side, here's your suitcase.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
And the disciples are like, yeah, but like we're gonna
be there a while.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
You come in to night, you come in on, how
much time you need alone, I know you're tired. None
of that.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
Just this is not good. I call it transition.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
With no timestamp, I can't fast forward to know how
this ends or how we get back. And Jesus certainly
didn't tell them what happened next, because not only did
they have a suitcase, but they had a storm. That's
the second thing both afraid of. And as you know,
he doesn't have to see anything or even really hear anything.
(50:58):
This worrisome dog, this prayerless dog, who does not trust
God at all.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
If I tell.
Speaker 2 (51:07):
You he can smell a storm three weeks before it happens,
he'll know his Thursday two pm, I need to have
a panic attack, and he will prep for the panic attack.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
Tell you is true? Is it true? Is it true?
The dog is?
Speaker 2 (51:19):
The dog is losing his mind, and we're working on that.
But I bring it to you as an illustration to
say that we all deal with suitcases and storms, and
we're really not much different than the dog. Because I
don't know how long I'm gonna have to be in
this transitional place, I'll know how long they're gonna like me.
(51:44):
I don't know how long till they decide to leave me,
like the last.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
Person did too.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I've seen this before, and I'm not okay with it,
not because of the transition, but because.
Speaker 1 (51:55):
I don't know the time.
Speaker 2 (51:56):
Dable imagine now you are not only a disciple in
transition suitcase, but as you are transitioning verse twenty three.
After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on
the mountain side by himself to pray, and when evening came,
he was there alone. But the boat by this time
was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves,
(52:21):
for the wind was against them. Now I've got a
suitcase and a storm. I would never pull out a
suitcase during a storm in front of boat. I think
it might be his last puppy moment memory, and it's
happening at the same time in your life.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
And it's a transition, and it's trouble, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Stepping out in doubt, and I've got things validating that
this may not be the best time. And so what
do I do?
Speaker 1 (52:51):
Well? Watch this as they are rowing.
Speaker 2 (52:53):
Visibility is low, timetable, uncertain, their life in the balance,
their future very very questionable. The Bible says, now you
believe the Bible, right, come on, you believe the Bible.
I want you to see something in the Bible today.
The Bible says the wind was against them, and in
the fourth watch of the Night, verse twenty five, he
came to them walking on the sea. But when the
(53:16):
disciples saw a thing walking on the sea, they were terrified.
But it's Jesus. But they don't know that. They just
see a thing. They don't know the thing they're looking at.
And the thing that they're afraid of is the thing
that they were praying for. Touch somebody, say help is
(53:39):
on the way. He came out to them walking on
the sea, and they were terrified and said it's a ghost.
And they cried out like the Israelites in fear. But
immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, take.
Speaker 1 (53:56):
Heart, it is I do not be afraid.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
Now I need to ask a question, because I am
not surprised that Jesus can walk on water.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
He can do whatever he want with what he's spoke
into existence.
Speaker 2 (54:07):
Colossian says, all things were created by him, for him,
through him, and not anything that was made was made,
but that it was made in him, by him and
for him. I am not surprised that he can transcend
what he spoke. I am not surprised that he can
suspend the laws of buoyancy. I am not surprised that
he is on water. Look at verse twenty five. I'm surprised.
(54:30):
Why are you walking? If they're in trouble, shouldn't you run?
Shouldn't you hurry up to get there?
Speaker 1 (54:41):
Why are you walking? Why are you walking? God?
Speaker 2 (54:47):
Why you tell me not know?
Speaker 1 (54:48):
When my brother Lazarus is sick? Why are you walking?
Speaker 2 (54:52):
Come on?
Speaker 1 (54:53):
Why are you walking? Jesus? And the question is why
don't you? Because that's what matters in this moment he said,
it is, I do not be afraid. Next verse.
Speaker 2 (55:13):
This is the guy you want to be like. Right
next verse, please on my screen. Next verse, the next one,
the next, next one, now that one, that one, the
one before that twenty eight twenty eight, Hey, there we go,
and Peter answered him.
Speaker 1 (55:33):
Lord, if it is you, if watch him get delivered
on an if, well, you.
Speaker 2 (55:46):
Gotta step out on what is pete is the substance
of things helped for? But I can't see it right now,
so I gotta step out on.
Speaker 1 (55:56):
Doubt. But Hugh does just like a wave of the sea,
tossed and driven Your quote and diverse wrong. That's about
your confidence in God, not your confidence in you.
Speaker 2 (56:07):
Peter doesn't question what Jesus can do. He just questions,
is a you? That's the thing nobody tells us. If
it's you, how many of you are walking on an if?
Speaker 1 (56:18):
Right now? Just if? Just if? If it's you, command
me to come to you on the water.
Speaker 2 (56:24):
Next verse, Jesus talks to Peter like he's bo come.
Speaker 1 (56:30):
Huh. That's like how you talk to a dog.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
Sometimes you need to simplify what you do next in
your life. Sometimes you are so complicated that you can't
be saved because you over complicated. Sometimes it is as
simple as one four letter word, come, come, come.
Speaker 1 (56:53):
If it is you, tell me to come, she said, well,
let me give you seventeen proofs to this me. No no, no, no. Come.
I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me.
I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me.
Speaker 2 (57:07):
You meet me tomorrow morning with your Bible. I'll show
you who I am while you walk toward me. You
say you're sorry for what you did and own that
thing and move forward in it, and set up an
appointment to work through the root issues so it doesn't
happen again.
Speaker 1 (57:20):
And I'll show you who I am while you walk
toward me.
Speaker 2 (57:22):
For we walk by faith, not by sight. He told Peter, come,
and so Peter verse twenty nine, got out the boat
and walked on the water. Wouldn't you run? Maybe that's
(57:44):
all he could do in that moment, was just walk.
I don't know how it makes it any safer to
walk on water than.
Speaker 1 (57:53):
To run on it.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
Or maybe there's a lesson the day that wait on
the Lord will re knew their strength.
Speaker 1 (58:00):
They will walk and not be weary. They will walk.
That's what it is is. Walking.
Speaker 2 (58:12):
My faith is stepping out on doubt and finding out
He's good. You have got to do this thing doubting
so that God can give you faith when your foot hits.
Speaker 1 (58:24):
The next step. That is how I see you.
Speaker 2 (58:28):
I do not see you as a horrible person who
doesn't really trust God because you're struggling right now to
even think he hears your prayers.
Speaker 1 (58:35):
I don't see you that way. I see it kind
of like Peter, like if if if, if.
Speaker 2 (58:46):
And Jesus does not rebuke you for your feelings, because
it's the motion.
Speaker 1 (58:53):
That matters.
Speaker 2 (58:57):
Stop punishing yourself for having the wrong emotions.
Speaker 1 (59:02):
Keep showing up and see what God does.
Speaker 2 (59:06):
Yeah, keep showing up and keep saying, Okay, God, what
can I learn from that? This is the discipline of discipleshift.
It's the motion that matters. Is not how fast you
can get to him. Peter steps out of the boat,
and it's not about how fast he gets to Jesus,
because he's walking, and he's walking, and you will notice
(59:28):
that the Bible says in verse thirty, when he saw
the wind, he was afraid. He what he saw a thing,
And when he saw a thing, he lost sight of
someone that was greater than the thing that he saw.
I'm almost there. It's the motion that matters. The wind
(59:50):
was blowing the whole time. That's not what knocked you down.
It was when your eyes shifted to the thing and
not the one who is greater than all fans. That's
what happened. And when he saw the wind, he was
afraid and beginning to sink. He cried out, please let
(01:00:11):
me minister this to you today, Lord save me.
Speaker 1 (01:00:15):
And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold
of him. Say unto him, you have little faith. Why'd
you doubt you'd be like? See what he doubted? Yeah,
but he didn't drown, did he? You won't drown stepping out.
Speaker 2 (01:00:43):
You drown if you have a pity party and plan
your funeral in the place of your last disappointment.
Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
That's how you drown. But if you move forward, God's
got something for you. God's got someone for you. God's
got a fresh word for you. God's got manna everywhere
in your wilderness. God's got fruit in Canaan waiting the
right time to come up out of the ground. Why
did you die? See, it's not how fast Peter could
(01:01:09):
get to Jesus. Give me Verse thirty one. Immediately Jesus reached.
Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
It's not how fast you can get to Jesus, is
how fast he can get to you. Because it's the
motion that matters. So let's wage Warren push back on
anxiety today. It's not how quick the panic attack comes
(01:01:37):
on you. It's how quickly God can come in the
middle of the attack and deliver you from the fowler's snare.
It's the motion that matters. It has never hinged on
your gift. It has never hinged on your goodness. It
is never hinged on your right stepping.
Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
It's on his right reaching. This is not the step
that counts. This has God got.
Speaker 2 (01:02:05):
You in a season right now that He is teaching
you to reach for him Because God, I have my doubts.
If I could tell you one skill that you need
to learn in your life, it's to reach for.
Speaker 1 (01:02:21):
Him when you sink like a rock, reach for him.
Don't run from him.
Speaker 2 (01:02:27):
You keep getting taught that you can't come to God
unless you perfectly have faith. Tell Peter he got back
in the boat and set an Olympic.
Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
World record for water walking. I don't care if it
was two seconds.
Speaker 2 (01:02:40):
He beat John, he beat James, he beat barked all
of you. All they got was a boat ride. Peter
got a world record. You can have bronze, you can
have silver. Give me my gold medal because I stepped
out and I slipped, but he reached out, had I
sun hand. I'm here today worship big help. Does I
(01:03:01):
got tho shit? I got bushit, I got a mirror
a goal because I got moulship.
Speaker 1 (01:03:13):
It's the motion that matters.
Speaker 2 (01:03:18):
Just about the time Peter sees a thing the wind,
he sees another thing, the hand of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (01:03:24):
I want you to see another thing. I want you
to see another thing.
Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
I want you to see another thing, maybe, just maybe,
if you could walk by faith, if you can believe,
you will behold.
Speaker 1 (01:03:43):
If you can believe. I'm trying to say, you don't
have to see it to believe it. You have to
believe it to see it.
Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
One prophet said, I hear the sound of the abundance
of rain, and the man said, there's nothing there.
Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
Six times he said go back wide, because it's the
motion that matters. And the seventh time, the servants say,
I can see a cloud.
Speaker 2 (01:04:15):
Heavy with rain, and it looks like it's tiny, but
it's headed our way.
Speaker 1 (01:04:25):
I can see a cloud heavy with rain.
Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
Yeah, I see the wind, but I see something else.
Speaker 1 (01:04:32):
It looks like revival head and miles. Yeah, I see
the bills, but I see something else. I can see
a cloud heavy with rain. What's it looked like? And
it looks like freedom?
Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
Tell pharoh, it's headed.
Speaker 1 (01:04:50):
All the way. I get see it heavy? Hey up?
What he's heavy?
Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
It looks like.
Speaker 3 (01:05:19):
It's Thank you for joining us special thanks to those
(01:05:52):
of you who give generously to this ministry.
Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
Is because of you that this ministry is possible.
Speaker 3 (01:05:58):
You can click the link in the description to give
now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more
information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.
Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
You can share it with your friends.
Speaker 3 (01:06:10):
You can click the share button, take a screenshot and
share it on your social stories and tag us at
Elevation Church.
Speaker 1 (01:06:15):
Thanks again for listening. God bless you
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
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 faith. Hope it
gives your perspective to see God is moving in your life.
Enjoy the message. Come on, clap those hands. If you're thankful,
(00:26):
Let's do something real quick.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Let's fill the place with praise with our testimony.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of our testimony. Turn around and tell about three
people something that God has done for you. Just something
that you're thankful for today. It can be as simple
as He woke me up. It can be as deep
as He gave me peace. Put it in the chat.
Just about two or three things to be thankful for.
Two or three things to be thankful for. Two or
(00:55):
three things.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Shouldn't be hard breadth in my life. I got two
or three things to be thankful for.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Clothed in my right mind, I've got two or three
things to be thankful.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
For, goodness and mercy.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I got two or three things He forgave my past,
and he's already in my future.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
I got two or three things.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Allelujah.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
If there's anything that you want to accomplish during this
multitasking testimony service and you are single and they are too.
Just retrying to say I'm thankful that they seated us
next to one another today. I'm just grateful that I
get to be in proximity to your anointing.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
How many are grateful to be in the House of
the Lord?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, let me see how many of you grew up
with the King James Bible.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I was glad when they.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Said, unto me, let us go to the House of
the Lord. And you know, it's a beautiful thing when
you want to be here. And I don't know if
that's the case for you or not today, but somebody
wanted to be here and couldn't be here.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So I think all of us.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
That can be here ought to thank God that he
kept us another day.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Praise the Lord. Hey, Dough, it's so good to have you, y'all.
Thank God for Doe.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Here.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Congratulations on your marriage. Hey, listen, this is kind of funny.
I just thought of this. The last time I saw Doe.
Me and her and Josh went over in a writing
room one afternoon. We wrote that song new Thing Coming.
The next time I heard her name, she was getting married.
So when she said I've got a new thing coming.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
God, you meant that thing. Hot five your neighbors saying,
I mean that things. Good to have you, God, bless you.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I got a new thing coming, I mean that thing.
Maybe that could be my New Year's sermon. I mean
that day.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I see so many beautiful love Wheat T shirts. I
see a Metallica T shirt. I see a Panther's T shirt.
I see a Whitney T shirt. Do you even know
three Whitney songs? Okay, she's shaking her head vociferously. I
believe you. Then, I personally am so grateful to get
(03:25):
the pastor church where our generosity is legendary in our city.
And I know that a lot of people will say
different things about me and whether my jeans are too
tight or too baggy or things like that, and that's fine.
But one thing they can never question about this church
is your heart for the hurting to help people. And
that's awesome. And I know a lot of people like
(03:49):
to argue about who believes the right thing and this
and that, but when we get out there and show
the love of Jesus. It kind of silences all of
that and just puts it in action. So tell your
name where You're gonna look great in green. That's the
color of the shirt. It's more green, babe, than yellow.
I'm looking at it kind of green. It's like completely green.
(04:10):
It's not even a little yellow. Didn't Holly look pretty
up here in her custom blue lovely shirt? Hu host shirt? Well,
you can host me anytime. Y'all did that disgusted laugh thing?
You're like, get to the scripture. This is gross. I
bring greetings to all of our locations our Etham around
(04:32):
the world.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Let's welcome our Etham joining us online.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Let us know where you're joining from. Now I get
to serve you the Word of God. I'm excited and
you will be two. I'm only gonna read one verse
before I seat you this week, so your feet will
thank me. I didn't say I'm only going to preach
one verse. I'm going to read one. Sit you down,
(04:59):
and then we'll talk about two times in the Bible
that it was illustrated, because I think to see an
illustration of faith is what we really all want, not
just to have somebody tell us, hey, you should trust God,
or hey, it's.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Going to be all right.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
And you're like, how do you know that you've never
been through what I've been through? But the Bible gave
us all these case studies that we can always find
somebody in the Bible that went through something worse than
we're going through and God did something amazing for them,
and we hitch our.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Faith to this.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
So that's what we want to do today, is hitch
our faith to two heroes in the Bible. And I'll
tell about that in the moment, But first let me
give you a verse in Second Corinthians, chapter five, verse seven.
I'm using the English Standard Version for a little bit
more literal translation this week, just for accuracy's sake, where
Paul says parenthetically, and talking about life and death and
(05:51):
the tent of our mortal body and the immortality of
the eternity that is in our hearts, he says, parenthetically,
just eight words that are very very sale. Listen to this,
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's only eight words.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I'll say it again, for we walk by faith, not
by sight. Now touch your neighbor and give them my title,
say neighbor.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
It's the motion that matters. Yeah, it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
All right, Well, while I got you warmed up, turn
to your other neighbors, say, other neighbor, it's the motion
that matters. Do like this when you're telling them with
your handjuster say it's the motion that matters. Amen, you
may be seated. It's the motion that matters. It's the
(06:57):
motion that matters.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
We had a special event at the church Austin where
pastors were.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Able to come and bring their teams and there was
a breakout session just for church planters, people who were
in the first six to eight months of their church,
and we opened up the microphone for question and answer,
which is always risky, but it was a good group.
And I was feeling annointed and I was feeling a flow.
I said, ask me anything. Well, one guy asked a
(07:24):
great question. He said, at this stage, he said, I'm
four months in And I don't remember where he was from,
but I remember he said, at four months in, what
do you think is the most important skill that you
need at this stage? And again, this was several years
into our church. I don't remember how many, but it
was he thought I was like a professional or something
(07:44):
like that. He said, at this stage, what do you
think is the most important skill that you need?
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And I said, four months in most important skill.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And I love these opportunities just to see what the
Holy Spirit will bring up to help somebody. So I
try to see who's in front of me and discern
what God wants me to say.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And my first thought was to go technical.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
You know, you need good children's ministry and good procedures
for accountability, and you need to pray. And I thought
of all the spiritual practical, but then it came to
me just like this, and it came out of me
like this. I said, I think the most important skill
for this stage is learning to step out in faith,
because there are going to be so many things that
(08:26):
you are going to have to do. And then I
started giving him examples. When we cleared out our bank
account in order to give one time, we gave the
offering away instead of taking the offering, told people to
go be a blessing in their community.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
And so I told him about that.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I told him about the egg drop when we dropped
all these Easter eggs out of a helicopter two months
into the church and gave away xboxes and trusted God
that nobody would end up on the news fighting over
the xbox, and they did it.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
So I said, you got to step out in faith.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And I just kept listening like I was going through
a highlight reil of all the times I stepped out
in faith. Well, I can't say God stopped me, but
something stopped me on the inside. And I looked at
that guy, and something on the inside of me said,
if you want to keep impressing him, keep going, because
you have stepped out in faith and more than you,
(09:18):
your your wife, your teen, this church has stepped out
in faith over and over again. But if you really
want to help this guy and not just impressing, I
want you to stop right now listing how you stepped
out in faith and tell him what the real most
important skill is. Tell him how to step out in doubt,
(09:44):
because you keep telling him what you did and then
what God did, because you did what you did, but
he needs to know some of what you felt while
you did what you did, so that God could do
when only he could do. So I shifted my answer
in the middle, I said, and all of that is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
He didn't even know that.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
I didn't plan this pivot, but I didn't. I just
stopped right in the middle, I said. But even more
importantly than those times where you're going to feel an
amazing sense of courage and confidence that thus saith the Lord,
and we're taking this mountain, and we're taking this city,
and we're we're going to serve one hundred thousand hours
to our community in love week.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
I want to tell you about some times where I
had to have.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Love Week but I felt hateful, and I felt hateful
because I had.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Some people saying things about me that weren't true.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
And I had to stand up and preach love when
I felt hate.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
So maybe the most important.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Skill isn't just stepping out in faith, but to learn
to step out in doubt.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Now I almost called.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Discermon that step out in doubt?
Speaker 1 (10:55):
How to step out in doubt?
Speaker 2 (10:57):
But I know how religious you are are, and you
would say unto me. But James one five through seven says,
let him who asks asking faith nothing wavering. For he
that wavereth is like a double minded man, unstable in
all of his ways, like a wave tossed.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
To and fro let.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Not that man think he should receive anything. Why only talking,
King James, when you're arguing with preachers. By the way,
let not that man think he should receive anything from
the Lord.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
He is a double minded man. I love that scripture,
I believe that scripture.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
And yet I think that a lot of times when
we see an example of.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Great faith, it is just as important for us to.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Realize that wherever there was the demonstration of great faith,
it was on the other side of strong doubt. Anybody
who stepped out in faith, which by the way, is
not a term in the Bible, is a concept in
the Bible.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
It just said we walk by faith. I just read
it to you.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
But it doesn't necessarily negate the flip side of faith
for you to walk in it. And that is what
I hope to show you a little bit today, Just
a skill I want to give you for your life,
because I know that you're trying to figure out what
is the most important skill for raising a two year old?
What is the most important skill at this stage of
(12:26):
my life? And some of you would even say, and
you don't even know, because I'm sixty.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Two and you're not.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
But I would suggest that whether sixty two or sixteen,
a four month old.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Church or a forty year old church, that.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
The most important skill you will build in your life
is the ability to step out not only when the
feeling of faith makes it convenient, but when the conviction
of faith makes it necessary even though the convenience.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Is nowhere to be seen. Now, I am a skeptic.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
So my kids will tell you. When they tell me anything,
I always say, what's your source? Because they will just
tell me the craziest stuff at the dinner table, and
they will tell me the craziest.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Stuff about politics.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
They will tell me the craziest thing about my own
staff that they heard. They will tell me the craziest
thing about what's going on in.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
The larger world of I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
They've told about everything from eyeliner to steroids at my
dinner table. Did you know steroids are good for you?
And I'm like, where did you see that?
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Graham? The other day?
Speaker 2 (13:38):
He said this most outrageous thing, he said, Dad, and
he said it like a fact, just a flat fat
he said, boom, And he just dropped it. And I said,
that is the dumbest thing that I've ever heard.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
That's not true. He said, yes it is. I said, no,
it's not. And it wasn't really like a disrespectful thing.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
We were kind of playing and he looks back at
me and he says, yes, it is, it's true. I said,
it can't be true. He said, yes, it is. I
saw a thing. Oh oh, you saw a thing. Oh well,
now it's definitely true because you saw a thing.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Tell your neighbor you saw a thing. Yeah, so it
must be true because you saw a thing. You saw
a thing. So so, son, I know you saw a thing.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
But before I'm gonna believe a thing, you gotta source
the thing that you saw if you want me to
believe it. And I'm gonna give you three points at
the very beginning of this message.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
And this is not the message.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
This is just the points that will build the message,
that will get to the point of the message.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Write them down. They all start with the letter B.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
If you are wavering today and if you are wondering today,
if you can make it to the other side, there
are three things happening at all times. Number one, you behold.
Number two, you believe. Number three you behave. We behold.
(15:12):
Everybody say we behold. Come on, put these in the chat.
I need participation. We behold, we believe, we behave. I
thought you'd like this LJ because it's B three like
that organ. Yeah, we behold, we see a thing, Graham said,
I saw a thing. We have never lived in a
(15:34):
time where you see more stuff. And I wouldn't have
warned my same gray hoodie if I'd have known we
were going to preach to each other like this.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I'm it's all right. I'm happy to match you.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
I see a thing, and I believe a thing, and
I behave away.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
I see a thing, which.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I don't even know if right now, anything I see
I used to say I have to see it to
believe it.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Now I have to see it and verify.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I don't even know if the trees that were in
my backyard this morning are AI right.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Now, I don't know. They look pretty real.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Put my hand through the tree to see if it's real.
Is this a simulation? I don't know. I don't know
if they really said that. I get these clips. People
want to show me stuff all the time. Look at
what this political candidate said, and I google one time
and find out they didn't say any of that.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
They made the voice sound just like the lips move.
It's a weird. I'll just be honest with y'all. It's
a weird.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Time to do this, to talk to y'all, because they
can show you stuff that I said that I didn't say,
or slice what I do say to.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Listen, not what I said. And so people will want
to come up to me, oh, did you hear what
they said? Did you see what they did? Did you
hear it? Did you see it?
Speaker 2 (16:53):
And I've learned to tell my kids that I don't
want to see it unless you can source it. Now,
this is the kind of preaching that I notice nobody
shouts about. Because we want God to set us free
of everything but our gossip, everything but our slander. We
(17:15):
want God to give us peace, but we don't want
him to meddle with any of the processes that are
making us anxious. And I am trying to say that
sometimes you see a thing.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Graham said, I saw a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I'm not doubting that you saw a thing, But for
you to just see a thing and believe a thing
is immature. For you to just see a thing and
believe it is to put too much confidence in your senses,
because your senses are not your sin.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Sy When it comes to this fight of faith, the
spirit is.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
There is coming a time in your life where you
are going to have to get to the root in
this season of your life, for the challenges that you face,
for the responsibilities.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
That you carry.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
I gotta calm down because I get excited because I
see how it all works now, because I realized that
some of the things that are a problem in my
behavior are a problem in my belief. But before I
believe the thing, I had to see a thing. If
I behold a thing and believe a thing, I will
(18:28):
behave away. Some of us hate the way we behave,
but we will not change what we behold. We'll be three.
Lit'll be three. We'll be three, We'll be three. Okay,
So what I behold, I saw a thing. I believe
the thing, didn't even check it out, seef it's real.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And then I behave away.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
And so now I have seen so many things making
me think that that person is my enemy because they're
of a different political persuasion. And I have beheld enough
of that information and data in my phone that now
I behave in a way that is completely contrary to
the character of Christ, who is bigger than either political party.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
But I can't believe that because I don't behold that
y'all know this preaching is much better than this response.
There's an imbalance in the room today.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
All right, do you really believe this that we walk
by faith not by sight, because because because that means
faith is not primarily a feeling. That means that faith,
biblical faith. I'm not talking about manifesting.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Your dream job, dream card, dream house, dream beach.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I'm gonna manifest my island. Well, I don't want to
have to staff an island, so I'm not manifesting that. Okay,
I can barely keep my bed made in my house.
But biblical faith, whose object is Jesus in the finished
work that he did on across of his resurrection from
the deck, kind of faith faith in Jesus and what
He's done. We walk by faith, the kind of Paul's
talking about and secret the in chapter five, I'm about
to show you Moses and Peter, two leaders who both
(20:10):
needed to step out.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
In doubt with no feeling of faith. Can you do that?
Can I do that? Do I still do it? Or
did I just do.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
It when the church was young and I was twenty
six with nothing to lose? These are the things that
have been challenging me.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Faith is not a feeling, it's a behavior.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
This is the best news I've ever given you, because
what it means watch this is you can be at
an emotional low and a faith high. So what it
means is all the people who say, well, you shouldn't
doubt or think that, or ever deal with that or
struggle with that, if you really knew Jesus, it means
(21:07):
that from now on you get to take them to
Second Corinthians chapter five, verse seven and say, my faith
is not about what I feel. It is about the
way I behave. And I do not mean that if
you don't behave correctly, you don't have faith.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
What I mean is it's the motion that matters. Let
me show you what I'm talking about. In Exodus chapter fourteen.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
There is a Bible story that I have come to really,
really love. It is called the Parting of the Red Sea.
Of course, that's only what you call it if you
fast forward to the part where it parted. We love
the part where it parted. Just a side note, don't
you love.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
The part where it parts, the part where God did it?
Speaker 2 (21:55):
I told a songwriting room the other day, I said, y'all,
I don't know if we could put ocean splitting or
mountains moving in any more songs. I think we found
every way to say that we can. But you know
is powerful for a reason, because everybody has.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
One of those.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
All right, well, this is the part in Exodus chapter
fourteen that I think is kind of funny. And I'm
going to use Exodus fourteen and Matthew fourteen to remind
you today that it's the motion that matters. You did
the exact right thing by getting in your car, spending
your expensive gas money to get to this church on
(22:31):
this day at this location, because it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
And listen to me.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I don't care if y'all fought all the way here
and you cuss them out in biblical coin a Greek.
You did the right thing to drag your cuss and
tongue in this room so you can have these ears
sanctified by the word of God, so you can cut
your cussing in half by the time.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
You get back next week.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Because it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Don't judge where I am.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
If you don't know where I started from, you don't
have a frame of reference for how hard this is
for me.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
It's the motion that matters. They've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Moses and the children of Israel, they've been through so
much unimaginable, a four hundred and thirty year cry to
God that seemed unanswered but not now is not known.
And at the appointed time God sent a deliverer named Moses,
(23:30):
who himself was pretty old, and he taught the most
important skill for this stage of life in old age.
Because Moses said, I can't speak good and I can't.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Do it, and I killed an.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Egyptian, and how will I go to Pharaoh's an Egyptian
and say, let the people go?
Speaker 1 (23:46):
And what they don't believe me?
Speaker 2 (23:47):
And I'm not a motivational speaker. And Moses, the non
motivational speaker, ends up with the most important message of
all time.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Because he stepped out in doubt. Prove me otherwise. Quote
every scripture you wanted me.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
One of the greatest leaders God used, told God he
couldn't do it, and then did it.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
And then did it, and then did it. Well. He
did all he could do.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
He put some plagues on the people, and he even
got the Egyptians to give plunder to the Israelites so
they would not leave empty handed.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Now with the wealth of an entire nation on their back.
The children of Israel, two millions strong, are marching boldly.
The Bible says, out of Egypt.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Now Here comes the part that I think is kind
of funny, and I think this happens in our life.
Verse ten, when Pharaoh drew near. Pharaoh's the enemy that
they just left, that they thought they were free from.
But they weren't quite yet, but they thought they were.
And they're in motion, right, And then all of a sudden,
(25:06):
Pharaoh the Bible gives exact numbers as six hundred chariots
and his best fighting men is now chasing them down
because not only.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Have they lost their labor, but they've given up their wealth.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
And so Pharaoh drew near, and the people of Israel
lifted up their eyes. Is the scripture on the screen,
shout the next word, and they saw something. They saw
a thing. They saw a thing that they thought they
(25:37):
had just left. Touch your neighbors, say, I saw a thing.
I was doing pretty good with my eating plan, but
I was trying to make it practical.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
I was doing pretty good.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
I wasn't texting any girls because I was gonna get
this season of my life straight.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
But us.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Okay, y'all don't like that. David was on the roof
one day and he.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
So now look at me all hypocritical and holy sanctimonials,
like you never saw a thing and beheld something and
believed something and behaved away. But in order to really
understand why you're behaving that way, don't you understand why
you're believing that way?
Speaker 1 (26:20):
And to understand why you're believing that way.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Don't you have to really think back to what you
beheld that made you believe that. So I completely understand
what comes next for us to judge the Israelites because
spoiler alert, they get scared, they see Pharaoh and they
feel fear.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Well, how could they do that? God turned seas into highways.
They didn't know that song.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
They were living it. I'm living this, I'm walking by it.
I'm having to take uncertain steps. I thought God would
fix me just right before he made me preach to you.
But the truth is, sometimes I will preach to you
(27:10):
a lesson that I have limped to.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
And you can do the same.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Now in this particular instance, it's like you judging an
Olympic athlete, thinking to yourself.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Well, I could probably do that. No, you probably couldn't
Pharaoh drew near you ever watched this?
Speaker 2 (27:28):
For it?
Speaker 1 (27:28):
You're like, I think I probably could you. No, I
probably couldn't do that. Not like that.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
I could do a version of that, but not exactly that.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
They lifted up their eyes.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Now, I want you to really get in this text
with me today, because I told you we put too.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Much confidence in our senses.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
And I know we have to use our senses to
keep ourselves from getting our fingers burned on stoves and
walking across crowded highways and things like that. But we
cannot make decisions with our senses when it comes to
this next step of faith in this season of our
life and the way we see ourself and the way
we see the people that God has given us, the
impact your senses will get you killed. Here's why they
(28:06):
looked up and behold the Egyptians were marching after them,
and they feared greatly. Is this a sin, No, it's
a feeling. The sin is the decision after the feeling. Yeah,
(28:26):
and God forgives that sin too. But if you really
want to be free from it, you got to ask
the question, what did I lift my eyes up and
see that is dragging me back into a past that
I said I would leave behind. What is making me
so afraid that I keep running back to stuff that.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
I know I'm done with.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
What do I keep seeing that makes me fight off
people that love me?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
What do I keep remembering?
Speaker 6 (28:59):
Is the the devil controlling your whole future with an
old movie? An old movie I'm talking nineteen eighty eight
block Buster b.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Kin Rewind, Karate kids stuff, the devil kids showing you
stuff you got kicked in nineteen eighty eight, and he
doesn't even have to resist you anymore. All he has
to do is get you to rewind. I came to
find out what are you beholding? Because if you keep
(29:36):
beholding what they want to feed you. Yes, I'm talking
about everything that's on our news right now. Yes, I'm
talking about everybody that's vying for your attention. Your attention
is too expensive to keep giving it to things that
do not have your best interest at heart. I know
(29:59):
what I'm saying. God said this to me. God said
this to me. Your attention is too expensive. It is
costing you your freedom.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
That pornography isn't really free if you could see how
expensive it was as it affects your intimacy.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
You would run from it, not welcome it. But we
don't see that part. The enemy always hides the expense
illuminates the benefits, the feeling of relief. Now the Israelites,
of course, they're in a physical moment. And I told
(30:41):
you this was funny, and there's probably nothing funny about
what I'm saying right now, here's the funny part. Watch
how Moses wants to deal with this in faith, and
how God tells Moses to deal with it by faith,
because this will speak directly to that thing that you
are overthinking in your mind right now. Just for complete honesty,
so I'm not up here total by myself naked. How
(31:02):
many of you are dealing with uncertainty right now in
an area of your life where you are trying to
figure out whether the doubt that you have is something
that you should pay attention to as caution or step
forward because God is calling you to have faith.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
This will help you.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I can't tell you exactly right or wrong in this,
but I can give you a picture. And here's the picture.
They cried out to the Lord. Verse number ten.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
They cried out to the Lord. This sounds good.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
That's what's supposed to do right very emotional, and they
should be. Now I'm not minimizing their situation here, but
watch how quickly they forget what God just did in
delivering them.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
And watch how quickly fear.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Can cancel out and make you forget how bad it
really was where you were. In an attempt to go back,
they said to Moses, it's because or excuse me, is
it because there are no graves in Egypt that you've
(32:05):
taken us away to die in the wilderness. What have
you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
Is this not what we said to you in Egypt?
Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians, For
it would have been better to serve the Egyptians than
to die in the wilderness, would it. Fear will make
you think that, depression will make you think that, pressure
(32:29):
will make you think that.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
And all three of those things are present. So I
get it. And now Moses, the great.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Motivational speaker, he's going to give the question an answer
at the seminar.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
What do we do now? Moses stands up.
Speaker 7 (32:43):
He says he's not a very good speaker, but he's
given it his best right now, and Moses said to
the people, fear not, try that again.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
Fear not. Yeah, let's just morek a messy fear not.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which
he will.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
See today you shall never see again. And if y'all
don't shout over verse fourteen, I'm gonna get a new church.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
The Lord will fight for you.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
And you have only two Be silent, Oh, be silent.
Don't shout because he's wrong. Sounds good, but he's wrong
with shit. We're always that way because sometimes it is.
(33:39):
But in this case it's wrong. Because there is a
body of water called the Red Sea in front of you.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
You can't cross it.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
There are chariots from Egypt behind you. You can outrun them.
So Moses's advice right here, one translation says, you need
only be still. We've all heard before. Be still and
know that he is God. And sometimes this will be
the instruction. But for this moment, for this Moses, for
(34:08):
this nation, for this situation, being still will get you killed.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
So watch God. I love God. Then the Lord said
to Moses, why do you cry to me?
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Well, that's not very nice. Jehovah Jirah. He's supposed to
be my provider. I'm crying to you because you're Jehovah
Nissi my banner. I'm crying to you because you're Jehovah
Shalom my peace. I'm crying to you because I can't
do this, and I'm emotional, and I'm afraid, and Moses
(34:49):
is old, and the people are angry, and the peace
is very slow.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Look.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Look, look, if you travel with five kids a lot
and extra to two hours to get across town, if
you travel with two million, this isn't going to happen
very fast.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
And the Lord said to Moses, I know.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
I got a lot on you, and I know it
seems impossible, but why do you cry to me? Tell
the people of Israel to go forward? You are not
going to fix this with emotions. So, Moses, Mozetta, I
(35:36):
want to appreciate to all genders and people and all that,
whatever it is that you're looking at right now, I
want you to know something about emotions. They can be
helpful guides to get us to a certain place, but
sometimes sitting with the emotion endlessly just creates more of
(35:58):
what you are asking God to take you out of
and the only way to deal with it is to
go through it.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Is to go through it.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
And that's what God told Moses. He said, you can
cry about this all day. We could pray about it.
You can study a verse about it, you can quote
about it, you can do all of that.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
But the only way.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
For us to deal with this is for you to
tell the people to go forward.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
And then there's one more instruction that he.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Gives Moses, and I thought was significant and really kind
of silly in the face of the challenge at hand.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
He said, verse sixteen, lift up.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea
and divide it that the people of Israel may go
through the sea on dry ground.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
Oh well, that will totally work. How we read the
Bible with these cotton candy eyes, I'll never even know.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
We got this fake filter we put on all the
stories like, yeah, that's the way it works.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Put the staff and.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Let them go.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
I saw the thing he did it.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
I saw a thing. I saw a movie about it.
Moses just put up his staff. It's the difference to
read the thing.
Speaker 1 (37:10):
And do the thing.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
I guarantee you all of my scholarly confidence, low as.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
It may be that Moses's hand was shaking because he's all.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
And because he's scared, but the fact that his hand
was shaken.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
Did not stop to see from splitting. And what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Is, you can do it with a shaky hand. You
can do it with knocking knees. You can do it
with a lump in your throat. Oh yeah, Taylor, I
can do it with a broken heart.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
I can prace him with a painful situation.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
I can make progress in a cloudy condition.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
Yeah, just like that. Give God praise, just like that, Cause.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Some of you today you just lifted your hands freely,
but some of y'all.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Your hands felt heavy.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
And I keep meeting people and they say, well, when
I really feel like it, then I'll praise God, because
sometimes I don't want to fake it and come to
church and sing God, You've been so good to me,
because I don't really feel like He's been good to me.
But I realized something in the spirit that praise is
a pushback. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, praise is a pushback.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
Praises.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
How I tell the red sea, you stand here, you
stand there, praises, How I tell my doubt, you stand here,
you stand there, and even if I stretch my.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Hand shaky, it's the motion that matters.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Do you think you need a better staff. The best
staff can't split a c Stop thinking you need an
external upgrade. All you need is an internal commitment to
God that I will step out, not just when I
feel something, not just when something good happens to me,
(39:20):
not just.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
When I have a good idea. I'll step out with
a bad idea and buffet till it shies.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Telling you the most important skill is right here. Because
I don't see anywhere in the text.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Maybe you do.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
You can go study and write me an email about it.
If their feelings changed, whether their feelings change, they're still
mad at Moses.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Moses is certainly.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
Mad at them because everything I do for my kids
that they don't think me for, I get mad at
And this is a pretty big thing he did for.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Them to get them out.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
And I think sometimes we stay stuck in resentment, and
then we let us called the root of bitterness, keep
us anchored to situations that we can move through. And
everything you feel God knows about, and everything you feel
God cares about, everything.
Speaker 1 (40:15):
You feel God is comfortable in the presence of But
you have to let it move through you. By moving
through it.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
If you always surrender to it, you never gain strength
or freedom, whatever it is.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
But God, what do you mean? Look at the verse?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
One whole word God gave me here that I think
is going to be so powerful for somebody. I don't
want to forget to say it. He said, if you
be still, you get killed. But that wasn't the word.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
This is the word.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Why you tell me about this problem? Tell the people
of Israel to go forward? And I thought to myself,
wait a minute. They're on foot, the chariots have wheels,
they have children. All of the people chasing them are
fighting it. You ever feel like there's nothing you can
do to catch up now, like you are so far
(41:15):
behind in your life that even if I run as
fast as I can, all this I have to drag
behind me.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
And the Lord said, go forward, watch this, not fast?
Just forward. Isn't that good? Not fast? He said, it
doesn't have to be fast.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I know you're loaded down by a lot of things,
and I know you're on foot, and I know you
didn't get that kind of training, and I know that
you've lost some years, and I know that you've wasted
away some opportunities. And I know you killed a few
brain cells, and I know you closed a few doors,
and some people that won't call you back. And I
know there's gonna be some things you're gonna have to
navigate through. And you feel like what's in front of
(41:59):
you is too big and what's behind.
Speaker 8 (42:01):
You is too fast. But you don't have to go fast.
You just have to go forward. Why because after the
water parts for you, it's gonna close back over your enemies.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
And you're on foot, and Pharaoh has wheels, so it
would seem like there's no way you can outrun him.
But there's one thing your enemy didn't count on when
he was chasing you with this. Chariots wheels don't work
in water. If Pharaoh was gonna chase you, he should
(42:46):
have brought a boat. Because what he didn't count on
is that when you do help me.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Preach before I have a cardiac arrest in front.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Of two thousand people, God said, I'm not looking for
you to be fast enough. I'm not looking for you
to make up for time that you lost. I don't
make up the time you lost. How redeem the years
that the kicker.
Speaker 5 (43:11):
Worm has He I'll deal with your past. I'll deal
with your credit, I deal with your boss, I'll deal
with the market, I'll deal with the.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
Hot five seven people say, will still working water, will
still work in water when you get out here in faith,
there's not a thing.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
The devil can do to drag your back.
Speaker 5 (43:40):
God's wheels don't work in water.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
You hear what I'm saying. I don't have to be fast.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
I just gotta move forward because your stuck wheel can't
catch my slow feet. You will journey with me now
over twelve hundred miles to another sea. In scripture, over,
(44:12):
excuse me, two hundred miles in twelve hundred years.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
So we're covering a great distance. I understand that.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
And if I may fast forward for a moment to
one of your favorite Bible stories, because you want to
be like this guy so much.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Old Peter, old.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Fish and empty net, foulmouth gospel preaching, Peter, Oh, you're
hacking Peter Old Pentecost Sunday, Peter, Oh, Simon, Peter, Oh,
crazy Peter.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Old Peter took.
Speaker 2 (44:50):
His boat, let Jesus preach in it, and then took
his boat and did whatever Jesus told him all around
the Sea of Galilee, Matthew chapter fourteen says that Jesus
performed a great miracle fed fi thousand men, women and children.
I told you last week, don't let the math distract you.
It doesn't matter how many there are, matters how much
he is. Oh, it doesn't matter how many they are.
(45:16):
It matters how much he is, greater as he that
is in. I gotta teach you all the Bible, so
y'all know this stuff so you can step out in
doubt and change.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
It to faith. The step is what makes it faith,
not the feeling. The step is what makes it faith.
The behavior. You gotta switch this thing. You keep beholding,
believing and then behaving. But if we can switch it,
(45:49):
if we can switch it, if you.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
Could believe and behave according to what you believe, you
would behold things that you don't even know where possible.
Then you'll see a thing. Then you'll see a thing.
You'll see a thing, and you'll speak a thing. God says,
(46:14):
I'm not forsaken. You'll see a thing, you'll feel a thing,
and you'll speak a thing. God says, no weapon formed
against me will prosper. You'll see a thing and you'll
speak a thing. It is for his glory, not my
self righteousness. That I have been saved.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
It is the gift of God, not of works, so
that no one can both.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
You'll see a thing, and you will speak a thing,
and the devil will show you things all the time
in your mind. Oh yeah, he doesn't even have to
do it physically. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of
this world right in his own mind during the forty
day fast. But Jesus saw another thing. I want to
teach you how to see another thing. Matthew Chapter fourteen.
The Bible says that the disciples got in the boat
(46:52):
why because Jesus told them to go to the other side.
Tell your neighbor, I want you to see once on
your other side, so you cannot die in this storm.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
Tell him you can cry.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
You can complain, you can rest, but you can't quit, because.
Speaker 1 (47:15):
It's the motion that matters. Clap your hands if.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You know it's the motion that matters, now, Matthew fourteen.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
Matthew fourteen. After feeding five.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Thousand, immediately Jesus verse twenty two made the disciples get
into the boat and go before him to the other side.
While he dismissed the crowd Notice what he didn't give
them an agenda. Notice what he didn't give them information.
Notice what he didn't give them a timetable. I thought
(47:47):
about my.
Speaker 1 (47:47):
Dog Bo here. I thought about how I don't know
if y'all know, we have a Boston terior.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
It was kind of a big deal in the church
because for years I told the family that they were
not responsible enough to have a dog. Was right, but
I bought him on anyway, Holly and Abbey, of course,
have done wonderfully with Bo. Graham has fulfilled every prophecy
I had of his irresponsibility.
Speaker 1 (48:08):
About the dog, because he saw a thing.
Speaker 4 (48:10):
All right, now, love your body.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Bo is an anxiety dog. Not that he helps us
with our anxiety. He has so much anxiety, and incrementally
it's getting worse.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
I'll show you a picture of Bow real quick, put
on screen.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
And that picture was sent to us while we were
away on a trip for elevation nights preaching and ministering,
and one of our wonderful people that are on the
team was send us a picture to show us Bo.
And we all said to each other, we can't tell
from that picture whether he's freaking out, losing his mind,
or having the time of his life because they both
make the same face. That's how he looks when he's horrified,
(48:55):
that's how he looks when he's happy. And so you
can't really tell what's going on from that picture. Now
you can take it down. But there are two things
that bo will be scared of, and both of these.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
Fears are acquired. Acquired. I don't think he had them
when we first got him. We got him very little.
And please don't send any emails for how to remedy
any of this.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
He's already under the supervision of a wonderful veterinarian and
Holly's working on all of that. But anytime that he
sees everybody say sees these two things a suitcase, or anytime.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
He hears a storm.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
So he's afraid of two things, a suitcase and a
storm because the first one a suitcase. He's seen those before,
and sometimes when he sees one of those, we're back
twenty four hours later. He didn't even have time to
miss us. But we've been gone from him two weeks before,
(49:55):
and I think he likes us because when the suitcase
comes out, he starts following us everywhere. How many of
y'all your dog does the same thing, because not because
you're leaving, but because I don't know how long it's
gonna be.
Speaker 1 (50:06):
Because you don't have a way to communicate this to me.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
Jesus said, I'll see on the other side, here's your suitcase.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
And the disciples are like, yeah, but like we're gonna
be there a while.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
You come in to night, you come in on, how
much time you need alone, I know you're tired. None
of that.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
Just this is not good. I call it transition.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
With no timestamp, I can't fast forward to know how
this ends or how we get back. And Jesus certainly
didn't tell them what happened next, because not only did
they have a suitcase, but they had a storm. That's
the second thing both afraid of. And as you know,
he doesn't have to see anything or even really hear anything.
(50:58):
This worrisome dog, this prayerless dog, who does not trust
God at all.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
If I tell.
Speaker 2 (51:07):
You he can smell a storm three weeks before it happens,
he'll know his Thursday two pm, I need to have
a panic attack, and he will prep for the panic attack.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
Tell you is true? Is it true? Is it true?
The dog is?
Speaker 2 (51:19):
The dog is losing his mind, and we're working on that.
But I bring it to you as an illustration to
say that we all deal with suitcases and storms, and
we're really not much different than the dog. Because I
don't know how long I'm gonna have to be in
this transitional place, I'll know how long they're gonna like me.
(51:44):
I don't know how long till they decide to leave me,
like the last.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
Person did too.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I've seen this before, and I'm not okay with it,
not because of the transition, but because.
Speaker 1 (51:55):
I don't know the time.
Speaker 2 (51:56):
Dable imagine now you are not only a disciple in
transition suitcase, but as you are transitioning verse twenty three.
After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on
the mountain side by himself to pray, and when evening came,
he was there alone. But the boat by this time
was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves,
(52:21):
for the wind was against them. Now I've got a
suitcase and a storm. I would never pull out a
suitcase during a storm in front of boat. I think
it might be his last puppy moment memory, and it's
happening at the same time in your life.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
And it's a transition, and it's trouble, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Stepping out in doubt, and I've got things validating that
this may not be the best time. And so what
do I do?
Speaker 1 (52:51):
Well? Watch this as they are rowing.
Speaker 2 (52:53):
Visibility is low, timetable, uncertain, their life in the balance,
their future very very questionable. The Bible says, now you
believe the Bible, right, come on, you believe the Bible.
I want you to see something in the Bible today.
The Bible says the wind was against them, and in
the fourth watch of the Night, verse twenty five, he
came to them walking on the sea. But when the
(53:16):
disciples saw a thing walking on the sea, they were terrified.
But it's Jesus. But they don't know that. They just
see a thing. They don't know the thing they're looking at.
And the thing that they're afraid of is the thing
that they were praying for. Touch somebody, say help is
(53:39):
on the way. He came out to them walking on
the sea, and they were terrified and said it's a ghost.
And they cried out like the Israelites in fear. But
immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, take.
Speaker 1 (53:56):
Heart, it is I do not be afraid.
Speaker 2 (54:00):
Now I need to ask a question, because I am
not surprised that Jesus can walk on water.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
He can do whatever he want with what he's spoke
into existence.
Speaker 2 (54:07):
Colossian says, all things were created by him, for him,
through him, and not anything that was made was made,
but that it was made in him, by him and
for him. I am not surprised that he can transcend
what he spoke. I am not surprised that he can
suspend the laws of buoyancy. I am not surprised that
he is on water. Look at verse twenty five. I'm surprised.
(54:30):
Why are you walking? If they're in trouble, shouldn't you run?
Shouldn't you hurry up to get there?
Speaker 1 (54:41):
Why are you walking? Why are you walking? God?
Speaker 2 (54:47):
Why you tell me not know?
Speaker 1 (54:48):
When my brother Lazarus is sick? Why are you walking?
Speaker 2 (54:52):
Come on?
Speaker 1 (54:53):
Why are you walking? Jesus? And the question is why
don't you? Because that's what matters in this moment he said,
it is, I do not be afraid. Next verse.
Speaker 2 (55:13):
This is the guy you want to be like. Right
next verse, please on my screen. Next verse, the next one,
the next, next one, now that one, that one, the
one before that twenty eight twenty eight, Hey, there we go,
and Peter answered him.
Speaker 1 (55:33):
Lord, if it is you, if watch him get delivered
on an if, well, you.
Speaker 2 (55:46):
Gotta step out on what is pete is the substance
of things helped for? But I can't see it right now,
so I gotta step out on.
Speaker 1 (55:56):
Doubt. But Hugh does just like a wave of the sea,
tossed and driven Your quote and diverse wrong. That's about
your confidence in God, not your confidence in you.
Speaker 2 (56:07):
Peter doesn't question what Jesus can do. He just questions,
is a you? That's the thing nobody tells us. If
it's you, how many of you are walking on an if?
Speaker 1 (56:18):
Right now? Just if? Just if? If it's you, command
me to come to you on the water.
Speaker 2 (56:24):
Next verse, Jesus talks to Peter like he's bo come.
Speaker 1 (56:30):
Huh. That's like how you talk to a dog.
Speaker 2 (56:33):
Sometimes you need to simplify what you do next in
your life. Sometimes you are so complicated that you can't
be saved because you over complicated. Sometimes it is as
simple as one four letter word, come, come, come.
Speaker 1 (56:53):
If it is you, tell me to come, she said, well,
let me give you seventeen proofs to this me. No no, no, no. Come.
I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me.
I'll show you who I am while you walk toward me.
Speaker 2 (57:07):
You meet me tomorrow morning with your Bible. I'll show
you who I am while you walk toward me. You
say you're sorry for what you did and own that
thing and move forward in it, and set up an
appointment to work through the root issues so it doesn't
happen again.
Speaker 1 (57:20):
And I'll show you who I am while you walk
toward me.
Speaker 2 (57:22):
For we walk by faith, not by sight. He told Peter, come,
and so Peter verse twenty nine, got out the boat
and walked on the water. Wouldn't you run? Maybe that's
(57:44):
all he could do in that moment, was just walk.
I don't know how it makes it any safer to
walk on water than.
Speaker 1 (57:53):
To run on it.
Speaker 2 (57:55):
Or maybe there's a lesson the day that wait on
the Lord will re knew their strength.
Speaker 1 (58:00):
They will walk and not be weary. They will walk.
That's what it is is. Walking.
Speaker 2 (58:12):
My faith is stepping out on doubt and finding out
He's good. You have got to do this thing doubting
so that God can give you faith when your foot hits.
Speaker 1 (58:24):
The next step. That is how I see you.
Speaker 2 (58:28):
I do not see you as a horrible person who
doesn't really trust God because you're struggling right now to
even think he hears your prayers.
Speaker 1 (58:35):
I don't see you that way. I see it kind
of like Peter, like if if if, if.
Speaker 2 (58:46):
And Jesus does not rebuke you for your feelings, because
it's the motion.
Speaker 1 (58:53):
That matters.
Speaker 2 (58:57):
Stop punishing yourself for having the wrong emotions.
Speaker 1 (59:02):
Keep showing up and see what God does.
Speaker 2 (59:06):
Yeah, keep showing up and keep saying, Okay, God, what
can I learn from that? This is the discipline of discipleshift.
It's the motion that matters. Is not how fast you
can get to him. Peter steps out of the boat,
and it's not about how fast he gets to Jesus,
because he's walking, and he's walking, and you will notice
(59:28):
that the Bible says in verse thirty, when he saw
the wind, he was afraid. He what he saw a thing,
And when he saw a thing, he lost sight of
someone that was greater than the thing that he saw.
I'm almost there. It's the motion that matters. The wind
(59:50):
was blowing the whole time. That's not what knocked you down.
It was when your eyes shifted to the thing and
not the one who is greater than all fans. That's
what happened. And when he saw the wind, he was
afraid and beginning to sink. He cried out, please let
(01:00:11):
me minister this to you today, Lord save me.
Speaker 1 (01:00:15):
And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold
of him. Say unto him, you have little faith. Why'd
you doubt you'd be like? See what he doubted? Yeah,
but he didn't drown, did he? You won't drown stepping out.
Speaker 2 (01:00:43):
You drown if you have a pity party and plan
your funeral in the place of your last disappointment.
Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
That's how you drown. But if you move forward, God's
got something for you. God's got someone for you. God's
got a fresh word for you. God's got manna everywhere
in your wilderness. God's got fruit in Canaan waiting the
right time to come up out of the ground. Why
did you die? See, it's not how fast Peter could
(01:01:09):
get to Jesus. Give me Verse thirty one. Immediately Jesus reached.
Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
It's not how fast you can get to Jesus, is
how fast he can get to you. Because it's the
motion that matters. So let's wage Warren push back on
anxiety today. It's not how quick the panic attack comes
(01:01:37):
on you. It's how quickly God can come in the
middle of the attack and deliver you from the fowler's snare.
It's the motion that matters. It has never hinged on
your gift. It has never hinged on your goodness. It
is never hinged on your right stepping.
Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
It's on his right reaching. This is not the step
that counts. This has God got.
Speaker 2 (01:02:05):
You in a season right now that He is teaching
you to reach for him Because God, I have my doubts.
If I could tell you one skill that you need
to learn in your life, it's to reach for.
Speaker 1 (01:02:21):
Him when you sink like a rock, reach for him.
Don't run from him.
Speaker 2 (01:02:27):
You keep getting taught that you can't come to God
unless you perfectly have faith. Tell Peter he got back
in the boat and set an Olympic.
Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
World record for water walking. I don't care if it
was two seconds.
Speaker 2 (01:02:40):
He beat John, he beat James, he beat barked all
of you. All they got was a boat ride. Peter
got a world record. You can have bronze, you can
have silver. Give me my gold medal because I stepped
out and I slipped, but he reached out, had I
sun hand. I'm here today worship big help. Does I
(01:03:01):
got tho shit? I got bushit, I got a mirror
a goal because I got moulship.
Speaker 1 (01:03:13):
It's the motion that matters.
Speaker 2 (01:03:18):
Just about the time Peter sees a thing the wind,
he sees another thing, the hand of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (01:03:24):
I want you to see another thing. I want you
to see another thing.
Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
I want you to see another thing, maybe, just maybe,
if you could walk by faith, if you can believe,
you will behold.
Speaker 1 (01:03:43):
If you can believe. I'm trying to say, you don't
have to see it to believe it. You have to
believe it to see it.
Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
One prophet said, I hear the sound of the abundance
of rain, and the man said, there's nothing there.
Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
Six times he said go back wide, because it's the
motion that matters. And the seventh time, the servants say,
I can see a cloud.
Speaker 2 (01:04:15):
Heavy with rain, and it looks like it's tiny, but
it's headed our way.
Speaker 1 (01:04:25):
I can see a cloud heavy with rain.
Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
Yeah, I see the wind, but I see something else.
Speaker 1 (01:04:32):
It looks like revival head and miles. Yeah, I see
the bills, but I see something else. I can see
a cloud heavy with rain. What's it looked like? And
it looks like freedom?
Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
Tell pharoh, it's headed.
Speaker 1 (01:04:50):
All the way. I get see it heavy? Hey up?
What he's heavy?
Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
It looks like.
Speaker 3 (01:05:19):
It's Thank you for joining us special thanks to those
(01:05:52):
of you who give generously to this ministry.
Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
Is because of you that this ministry is possible.
Speaker 3 (01:05:58):
You can click the link in the description to give
now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more
information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.
Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
You can share it with your friends.
Speaker 3 (01:06:10):
You can click the share button, take a screenshot and
share it on your social stories and tag us at
Elevation Church.
Speaker 1 (01:06:15):
Thanks again for listening. God bless you
Host
Steven Furtick
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