God Has Given Me Everything I Need For The Season I’m In (Holly Furtick)

0:00:02.120 --> 0:00:03.400 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:06.400 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:08.360 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:09.840 Hope this inspires you. 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:12.480 Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:14.040 to see Gods moving in your life. 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:17.160 Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.360 I am so happy to be worshiping with you on 0:00:21.480 --> 0:00:25.639 this Palm Sunday. We are gathered together to celebrate and 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.639 worship our Savior. And I want to tell you, whether 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:31.440 you are in a seat at one of our locations 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:35.960 or you're watching online, guess what the hard part is over. 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:41.520 You're here and the easy part is ahead because God 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:44.040 is about to speak to you today. Are you ready 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:50.319 for another one? All right? Hug a few people on 0:00:50.360 --> 0:01:07.240 your way to your seat. I am so excited that 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:11.319 I get to be the one to wrap up this series. 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:15.640 It has been a great one. We have spent the 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:19.160 last seven weeks walking through my husband's new book, Do 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:22.800 the New You, and I hope that this series has been. 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:25.080 Special to you. I know that many of you are 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:26.280 still reading through. 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:28.880 The book and discussing it each week with your e group. 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:31.880 Keep going, keep showing up, keep sharing. I wish that 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:35.640 I could ask each one of you which mindset has 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.080 been your favorite, which chapter of the book has. 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.399 Spoken to you the deepest. I know I have my 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:43.960 favorite mindset, and I have my favorite chapter, and I'm 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:45.399 sure you have yours too. 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:48.520 But to be able to hold this book in my hands, 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:51.640 and then to get to wrap up this series you 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:55.560 may not understand, but it is an immeasurably more answer. 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:59.280 To my personal prayers. I've shared with some of you 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:01.720 that at the close. 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:05.880 Of twenty nineteen, Steven and I had a bit of 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:08.320 a I don't know, an argument, you could call it 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:13.000 a conversation, and I told him that I believed that 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:15.640 he had given up on writing books, and that I 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:18.000 thought that there was more in him. And I told 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:21.239 him that ministering to people with his words, whether it's 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:24.600 through his songs or his sermons and his books, I 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.200 feel like that's what God put him on earth to do. 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:31.440 And the fact that I felt like he was leaving 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.680 out how God wanted to give people encouragement through him 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:37.880 in a written form, I. 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:39.440 Just thought was missing. 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:44.520 And so he said that he reminded me he had 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.600 already written a book a year before, and it was 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:52.120 basically rejected, and he said, I'm okay with it, and 0:02:52.160 --> 0:02:55.799 I've just decided that I'm not a writer. And so 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.799 there were like a few rounds of wifely encouragement, and 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:04.720 I realized that it wasn't being encouraging anymore and that 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.880 I needed to let it go and leave it with God. 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:13.799 And I testify before you today, and I say, when 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:18.000 you leave something with God, you better get ready for 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:20.560 another answered prayer. 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:24.120 And here we are, just a little over a year later, 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:26.160 in this book is in my hands. 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:27.040 And how many of you. 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:30.560 Would testify that God has spoken to you through the 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:32.280 message of this book. 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:33.239 It's amazing. 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:38.560 And so I'm so honored and excited that I get to. 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:40.400 Share with you guys today. Thank you Lord. I'm so excited. 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:40.760 All right. 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:43.520 So we got to do a little recap of the 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:47.040 mindsets here because it's our last chance, and I want 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:49.600 to go over each one of them one more time 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:52.080 before we get to the last one. So let's just 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:54.480 say I'm out loud together you can repeat after me. 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.640 We'll start with the first one, Mindset one. I'm not 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:04.080 stuck unless I stop. Mindset to Christ. 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.800 Is in me. I am enough. 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:13.840 Number three with God there's always a way, and by 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:19.159 faith I will find it. Number four, God is not 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:25.400 against me. He's in it with me. He's working through me, 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:30.920 he's fighting for me. Number five is my favorite one. 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:34.440 My joy is my job. 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:38.880 And finally today we get to talk about the last one. 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:41.599 And this is the title of my sermon because it 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:45.640 doesn't get any better than the way this mindset is written. 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:51.440 So repeat after me. God has given me everything I 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.200 need for the season. 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:59.280 I'm in Ah right, let's go okay, So turn with 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:03.960 me in your Bible to Exodus chapter twelve, and we're 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.839 going to start reading in verse twenty nine. 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:08.800 Are you ready all right? 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:15.120 At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.839 from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on the throne, 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.960 to the firstborn prisoner who was in the dungeon, and 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:22.040 the firstborn of. 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:23.440 All the livestock as well. 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.800 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:30.000 up during the night, and there was a loud wailing 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:31.880 in Egypt, for there. 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:35.559 Was not a house without someone dead. 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:40.279 And during the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, up, 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:45.960 leave my people. You and the Israelites go worship the 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:48.680 Lord as you have requested, Take your flocks and your 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:52.200 herds as you have said, and go and also bless me. 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:53.640 Pharaoh adds that tag. 0:05:55.320 --> 0:06:00.600 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country, 0:06:00.760 --> 0:06:01.880 for otherwise. 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:03.200 They said, we will all die. 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.080 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:08.920 and carried it on their shoulders in kneading trosts, wrapped 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:13.159 in clothing. The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.440 the Egyptians for articles of silver. 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:16.640 And gold and clothing. 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:20.760 The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:23.880 and they gave them what they asked for. So they 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:28.560 plundered the Egyptians. Let's pray, Father, we thank you that 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:32.200 you are here with us. You dwell amongst your people. 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.400 You're with the one that's watching in a hospital room, 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:37.800 in a living room, and you're with those of us 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.640 that are gathered here today at all of our locations, 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:44.080 saying God, we welcome you into this place. We open 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:46.520 up our hearts to hear from you. We are eager 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:50.400 to hear what you have to say to us today. 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:56.599 Encourage us, Lord, it's in Jesus' name, we pray amen. Okay, 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:01.960 So fun fact about the Furdig family. We are not 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:07.880 light packers. When we travel. We just like to have 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:12.320 our stuff with us. So everybody kind of has their thing. 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:18.040 Stephen cannot leave home without at least one bluetooth speaker, 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:19.520 sometimes more than one. 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.560 Abby likes to travel with her full. 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:25.960 Size bottles of cosmetics, and she's thirteen, so you can 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:26.680 imagine how. 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:27.400 Much that is. 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:30.440 I have this thing with my feet, so I have 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:33.760 to take slippers everywhere I go. And the boys they 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:37.600 don't necessarily they're not necessarily like heavy packers, but they 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:41.400 don't fold their clothes and so they need bigger backs. 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:43.960 And when we go on vacation, we like to go 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.720 somewhere that we can drive so that we can take 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:51.160 everything we want. We take our own pillows, we take 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.280 our own bikes, we take our own beach chairs, we 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:55.840 take our own snacks. 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:59.480 And when I start to when I pack, I start 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.760 to rest because I just think of all of the 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:06.480 things that I might need, Like what if I want 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:08.800 to wear my hair straight, Well, I gotta pack my 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:10.960 flat iron. What if there's a pool. Okay, so we're 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.880 gonna need bathing suits, flip flops, sunscreen. 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:15.520 What if we run out of sunscreen, so let me 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:16.840 pack some extra sunscreen. 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:18.920 What if it gets cold, we need jackets. What if 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.440 it rains, we need rain jackets. What if we can't 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:23.440 go outside? Puzzles? What if I. 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:26.920 Decide on vacation, then I want to work out? Okay, 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:29.080 I need some running shoes. What if someone gets sick, 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:31.280 we need a first a kit. And let me just 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:35.360 tell you, my first eight kit is not just band 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:39.120 aids and cold medicine. I have some serious stuff in there, 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:42.200 like things that start with a Z, like zofran and 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.480 a Z pack. Just in case, I brought one of 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.880 my favorite suitcases to show you, just so you can 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:50.000 like get a visual. 0:08:50.240 --> 0:08:51.560 Okay, here it comes, Here comes. 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:57.840 This guy has traveled many, many miles with us. It's 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:01.400 large and in charge and of noxious, and you can 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:06.040 fit so much stuff in this bag. And I realized 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:08.680 that in this you know, confession of mine, that all 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:11.720 the light packers in the room, like all the carry 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:14.400 on only families are judging us. 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:15.960 But here's the thing. 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:21.240 If you need something, you're gonna ask me. I'm the 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:22.160 one that brought. 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:23.000 The extra sunscreen. 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:29.040 So this summer, Graham was packing for wrestling camp. And 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:32.720 Graham is probably the lightest packer of the Verdicts. He 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:35.319 likes to shove everything he can into like one backpack. 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.760 And so this particular. 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:42.480 Camp wasn't super organized and I couldn't find a packing 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:45.560 list anywhere on their website. 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:48.600 So I was doing my typical rundown for Graham because 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:49.680 he's like, yeah, I'm packed. 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:51.560 So I'm like, Okay, do you have socks, do you 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:53.640 have underwear, do you have toothbrush? You have a charger, 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:55.720 do you have a sleeping bag, you have a pillow? 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:58.800 Do you have a towel? And Graham said, Mom, I 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:03.720 don't need a towel. I said, Graham, you know, I 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:04.280 don't know. 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.520 I don't know what the accommodations are going to be, 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:09.720 and I think you should. 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:11.160 Take a towel just to be safe. 0:10:11.240 --> 0:10:15.079 I think you're staying in the empty college dorms. And 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:17.400 he was like fine, So he takes a towel and 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:20.800 he like shoves it into his bag. So a couple 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:24.480 of days later, I'm the mom that goes and does 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:29.560 the pickup and Graham and two other high school wrestlers 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:31.880 got into my car. You can imagine what my car 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:38.800 smelled bike after wrestling camp and Graham goes, Mom, I 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:40.680 was the only one who brought a towel. 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:45.440 I said, what do you mean? Were you going one? 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:50.120 He said, Mom? We all three shared my one towel, 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.480 and Mom, we showered like three times a day after 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:56.400 every session. 0:10:57.000 --> 0:11:01.360 And Mom, the towel got so wet, yet it never dried, 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:03.120 I swear. 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.280 And then one of the boys was in the car, 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:06.080 he shimes in. 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:09.240 He goes, missus verdict, it was the grossest thing I've 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:12.680 ever experienced. Now listen, when a fifteen year old boy 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:16.000 tells you is the grossest thing ever, we really need 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:19.720 to stop and understand how disgusting this towel got. 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:23.360 And Graham said, Mom, I hope is okay. I left 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:28.120 the towel. So look today, I have good news for 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:32.800 you. You don't have to pack light. And I want to 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:34.199 look at this passage and I. 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:37.720 Want to show you that even though you don't necessarily 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:40.520 get to plan your destinations in. 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:45.960 Life, you do get to decide what you pack. And 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:46.800 when you're faced with. 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:49.679 A situation that you did not originally plan for, if 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:53.200 you were a child of God, you never have to 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:57.440 go into it unprepared. No matter how unprepared you may feel, 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:00.600 if you dig a little deeper, you will find that 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:05.160 God has been preparing you for this season all ah. 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:10.280 You see, God is not Trip Advisor for your life. 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.680 You don't get to go on Heaven's website and explore 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:17.079 all the exotic destinations and choose where you want to 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:21.959 go based on reviews about the accommodations and the restaurants 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:25.720 for when you get there. God is the travel agent, 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:30.400 and God is the pilot, and God is the tour guide. 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.560 And when you sign up for this journey called life 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:35.439 with Jesus, you get. 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:39.480 To pack your bag and lead where he goes, follow 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:42.959 where he leads. And the backstory of the passage of 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:44.079 Scripture that I read. 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.040 For you today is that the Israelites have. 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:50.200 Been captive in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:54.120 and God sent them a deliverer named Moses, and Moses 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.000 goes to Pharaoh and he says. 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:56.920 Let my people go. 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:00.400 And there's a series of plagues on Egypt. Get how 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:02.680 many there were? There were a lot. There were flies 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.640 and frogs, and the water turned into blood. And the 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:10.600 final one that broke the Egyptians was the plague on 0:13:10.679 --> 0:13:13.840 the firstborn, and Moses goes to Pharaoh and he warns him, 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:16.719 and he says, if you don't let my people go, 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:19.080 God is going to send an angel of death to 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:23.000 kill all of the firstborns. And of course Pharaoh is stubborn, 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:25.959 and he doesn't listen, and so God does what he says, 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:29.400 and he sends the angel of death. But Israel, God's children, 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:32.280 they're all protected by the blood of the lamb that 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:36.080 they put over their doors, and the angel passes over them. 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:40.240 But the nation of Egypt is wrecked. 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:45.880 Every firstborn is killed, even every firstborn animal. And the 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:49.880 Bible said that not one household went unaffected. 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:53.400 And in the night, Pharaoh calls Moses and he says go. 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:58.920 And so the Israelites find themselves packing in a hurry 0:13:59.240 --> 0:13:59.960 for the desert. 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:06.920 What do you need in the desert? Everything? And they're 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:07.560 in a hurry. 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.680 So they're like, some of them are gathering their animals, 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:12.959 and the Bible tells us that they didn't even have 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:15.520 enough time to let the dough rise for their bread, 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.520 so they took the dough with no yeast, and they 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:20.840 wrapped up their kneading boards into their clothes and they 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:23.560 put them on their backs. And then Moses told the people, 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.840 go and ask the Egyptians for silver and gold and clothing, 0:14:26.880 --> 0:14:31.280 anything you need. And the Egyptians are so distraught over 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:34.280 the deaths that they've experienced that they give them anything 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:36.600 that they ask for. The Bible says that the Israelites 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:40.400 plundered the Egyptians. That means they took everything of value 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:42.920 that they wanted and that they could carry, and in 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:48.200 large droves they head out into the wilderness. They're not 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:50.280 going to be houses to rent when they get there. 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.040 They're not gonna be grocery stores to stalk their pantries with. 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:58.400 They have to take everything they can with them. Now, obviously, 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:00.520 when they get there, there will be things that they 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.400 need in the desert. When there's no water, God's gonna 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:04.640 supply water from the rock. 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.960 When they run out of food, He's gonna send manna 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:07.800 from this sky. 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.520 But there was still preparation required on the part of 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:15.520 the children of God. How do you prepare for a 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:17.160 wilderness season? 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:22.880 You take everything you can. You don't pack light. 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:27.920 God has given you everything you need for the season 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:31.560 you're in, but sometimes he gives it to you in 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:37.440 the season before the season. Everything you're going through right 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:41.320 now is building something in you for your future. So 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:43.680 maybe you lost your job, but you're learning how to 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:47.000 manage your money when there's nothing coming in. Maybe you've 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:51.520 had your ideas rejected, but you're learning humility and resilience. 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:54.320 Maybe you have young children and you're in a season 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:59.360 of little sleep but lots of prayer. There's something to 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:04.600 be God from every situation that you go through. You 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:08.239 may learn consistency, You may learn discipline, You may learn love. 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:09.360 Grace, compassion. 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:12.680 If we do it right, all of these things are 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:16.600 things that we gain when we choose to grow in 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:24.080 what we're going through. Israel was going from captivity to wilderness. 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:30.280 They were trading one hard place for another hard place. 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.160 And I want to tell you today, if you feel 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:38.400 like your life just goes from one hard thing to 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:39.720 the next hard. 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.120 Thing, guess what you are normal. 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:48.360 Life is hard, and yes, life is good and life 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:49.600 is beautiful. 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:50.840 But also life is hard. 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:54.480 I remember when my kids were little, I said to 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:58.320 this woman who had teenagers that I thought motherhood would 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:02.080 get easier when my kids were and she looked at 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:03.160 me and she smiled. 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:04.960 This is probably the best advice I ever got. 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:09.720 She said, it doesn't get easier, it just gets different. 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:14.119 And I just want to say some of us today 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:17.720 we need to stop waiting for easy. 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:23.240 And just accept the hard parts of your life. 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:27.520 I thought marriage would be easy because we love each other. Well, 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:31.040 it's easy, and it's hard because you love each other. 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:33.639 I thought parenting would be beautiful because I wanted this 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.159 baby so bad. I thought my new job would be 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.160 more fulfilling than this. I didn't expect to get sick. 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:41.720 I didn't expect to have a special needs child. I 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.120 didn't expect to lose my marriage. 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:48.520 And the beauty and the difficulty they're all wrapped up 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:50.240 together in the same. 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:53.120 Life, sometimes even in the same day. 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:57.840 I remember a couple of Christmases ago, I was, you know, 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.280 having a moment where I was overwhelmed with all the 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.720 things that were going on. Is Christmas time, and it's 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.399 a lot, and you know, there's gifts and parties and 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:08.479 programs and meals and out of town guests and church. 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:11.600 And I remember thinking one day, if I could just 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:13.240 get through Christmas. 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:14.760 Been honestly, wait. 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:16.679 A minute, did I just say if I could just 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:18.000 get through Christmas? 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:19.120 It's the most. 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:22.200 Wonderful time of the year, and I'm just gonna wish 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:26.720 it away. Sometimes I let the work keep me from 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:32.560 seeing that The point is today, there is joy today. 0:18:33.520 --> 0:18:34.680 And John ten ten. 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:38.240 Jesus said, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:41.760 but I have come that they may have life and 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:46.679 have it to the full. The enemy wants to steal 0:18:46.920 --> 0:18:49.600 everything he can from you, and if he can't keep 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.040 you from your calling, he's going to try and stop 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:55.919 you from enjoying it. And Jesus said, there is life 0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:01.120 to be lived to the full in me. Don't let 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:04.399 yourself wish away the hard parts so much that you 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:06.320 miss all the good parts that were. 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:10.000 Sandwiched in between. You gotta learn how to pack. 0:19:10.520 --> 0:19:13.119 You got to learn how to take everything you can, 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:16.720 every lesson that you learn the hard way, every joy 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.760 that you experience, from the victories, and you pack them 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:22.360 up so that you can take them with you from 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:23.359 this season. 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:24.159 Into the next. 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.840 I love how God says that he how the mindset 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:30.280 says that God. 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:37.320 Has given you everything you need. Everything you need is 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.919 already yours in Christ. Listen to me. 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:47.760 You don't need more. You need to take inventory of what. 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:51.600 You already have, and then you pack it up and 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:52.760 you store it away. 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:57.920 What are you learning today that you can use tomorrow. 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:01.960 Maybe you're developing right now the habit of leaning into others. 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.800 You joined a do the New Ue group, and you're 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:08.280 realizing the power of having other believers in your corner 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:11.119 who can encourage you and pray for you and simply 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:13.280 be a place for you to process what God. 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:14.200 Is speaking to you. 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:16.600 You got these mindsets, Remember we gave it to you 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:20.000 on post it notes. God has given us these phrases, 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:22.600 and you can place them on your mirror at your 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:25.399 desk and allow God to remind you that He's not 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:27.000 against you, He's in it with you. 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:29.320 Work it through. Are you fighting for you? What else 0:20:29.359 --> 0:20:33.119 are you packing? Do you ever have songs? 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:35.359 Have you ever had God give you a song in 0:20:35.400 --> 0:20:35.919 a season? 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:38.960 I mean, it is your song. It is your song 0:20:39.119 --> 0:20:39.760 on repeat. 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:41.679 It's the one that you put on that stirs your 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:44.160 faith and brings you back to the goodness of God 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:47.560 when you're just having a moment of doubt. The other 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:51.320 day I came across this psalm and actually it was 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:54.520 one that my husband read while he was preaching, and 0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:56.679 he didn't really talk about it that much, but for 0:20:56.720 --> 0:21:00.240 some reason, it just bam. It just really resonated with me, 0:21:00.720 --> 0:21:02.720 and so I grabbed onto her. I was like, Okay, 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:04.880 I'm I'm gonna print this out. I'm gonna start praying 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:08.760 this over my family. Because God will give you a verse. 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.280 He'll give you a word for your season. And when 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:15.040 he does, you don't let it go. You don't let 0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:18.399 it pass. You pack it, you print it, you write it, 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:20.680 you get it up so that you can see it 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:25.840 in your everyday life. The day that we released the book, 0:21:25.920 --> 0:21:28.800 Do the New You, Steven and I hosted a live 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:31.480 event to promote the book and we had some people 0:21:31.560 --> 0:21:34.960 call in and this lady called in and she asked 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:37.640 a question. I think it was about the mindset I'm 0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:40.840 not stuck unless I stop, And she basically said something like, 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:44.200 but how do I get unstuck when I feel so stuck? 0:21:44.200 --> 0:21:46.880 And Babe, you gave her the best advice I had 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.760 to pack it away for myself. You told her to 0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:54.680 make a list of every resource that you do have. 0:21:55.880 --> 0:22:00.280 You said anything and everything and anyone that it would 0:22:00.359 --> 0:22:03.600 be a resource to you in this season. And that 0:22:03.760 --> 0:22:08.720 was such great advice because sometimes when you're packing, you 0:22:08.800 --> 0:22:12.360 have to make a list, so you don't forget what 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:16.880 you have. So what's on your list? What has God 0:22:16.960 --> 0:22:20.480 taught you? What word has He given you? Who has 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:23.159 He placed in your life that you can call, that 0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:27.240 you can lean into? In this season, God has given 0:22:27.280 --> 0:22:29.439 you everything you need. 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:30.360 You may need to. 0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:34.120 Reach back and look in your suitcase. You may need 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:36.640 to take inventory. You may need to say it out 0:22:36.680 --> 0:22:41.040 loud to a friend, because it's not only for here 0:22:41.520 --> 0:22:42.480 and now. 0:22:43.560 --> 0:22:47.040 It's for you in your next season. It's for your future. 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:53.680 So Israel is packing in a hurry, and Egypt has 0:22:54.200 --> 0:22:57.680 released them from captivity, but they need to hurry because 0:22:57.680 --> 0:23:00.520 they're afraid that they're gonna change their minds. Rightly, So 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:03.240 you probably know the story, but I just want to 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:03.880 catch you up. 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:04.240 A little bit. 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:08.960 God moves Israel towards the Red Sea. So Pharaoh's released them, 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:11.720 and God is it's kind of cool. 0:23:11.760 --> 0:23:15.919 He's like directing them by a cloud and a. 0:23:15.400 --> 0:23:18.000 Fire, and so anyway, he moves them towards the Red 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:20.760 Sea because the Bible says that he knows that they're 0:23:20.760 --> 0:23:24.080 not ready to go to war with the surrounding nations, 0:23:24.320 --> 0:23:26.400 so he has to move them towards the wilderness where 0:23:26.400 --> 0:23:28.919 there is no one, and they camp on the banks 0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:30.800 of the Red Sea, and of course, like you know, 0:23:30.960 --> 0:23:33.600 Egypt changes their minds. I mean, what are they going 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:38.080 to do without their two million slaves. So Pharaoh gathers 0:23:38.119 --> 0:23:40.960 his men and they hop on their chariots and they 0:23:41.119 --> 0:23:45.199 ride to get Israel back. And the people are in 0:23:45.560 --> 0:23:49.840 absolute panic because they're blocked. They're up against the Red 0:23:49.880 --> 0:23:53.000 Sea and here comes Pharaoh and his chariots. But God 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:56.159 speaks to their leader, Moses, and he tells him to 0:23:56.720 --> 0:23:58.920 wave his staff over the Red Sea. 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:00.879 And I'm sure you were remember the story. 0:24:01.119 --> 0:24:04.840 The water's part and the nation of Israel crosses over 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:08.720 on dry land with you have to imagine how many 0:24:09.000 --> 0:24:12.840 people this is, because it's all their flocks, all their herds, 0:24:12.920 --> 0:24:16.680 all their gear that they've packed up. Not one person 0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:21.359 or child is lost out of two million people who 0:24:21.440 --> 0:24:24.800 are moving across the sea. It's the most epic moment 0:24:24.920 --> 0:24:27.600 in the history of the children of God up until 0:24:27.640 --> 0:24:30.919 this point. And Egypt is hot on their tail, and 0:24:30.960 --> 0:24:35.000 they follow them into the Red Sea, and God closes 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:37.800 up the sea as soon as Israel crosses over, and 0:24:37.840 --> 0:24:41.439 Pharaoh and all his men drown, and the nation of 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:44.880 Israel stands on the other side of the Red Sea, 0:24:45.240 --> 0:24:49.560 safe from harm and free for the first time in 0:24:49.840 --> 0:24:52.160 four hundred years. 0:24:54.000 --> 0:24:55.520 Now, I want to look at what they did. 0:24:56.119 --> 0:25:02.440 So we're gonna skip down to Exodus chapter fifteen. When 0:25:02.480 --> 0:25:06.159 Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea. The 0:25:06.240 --> 0:25:09.240 Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, 0:25:09.560 --> 0:25:11.000 but Israel walked through the. 0:25:11.040 --> 0:25:12.280 Sea on dry ground. 0:25:12.960 --> 0:25:17.119 Then Miriam, the prophet, Aaron's sister, took her timbrel in 0:25:17.200 --> 0:25:20.560 her hand, and all the women followed her with timbrels. 0:25:20.600 --> 0:25:21.280 A timbrel is. 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:26.240 A tambourine, and Miriam sang to them, sing to the Lord, 0:25:26.480 --> 0:25:30.040 for he has highly exalted the horse and the driver 0:25:30.320 --> 0:25:32.640 he has hurled into the sea. 0:25:32.840 --> 0:25:34.160 Okay, I don't know. 0:25:34.240 --> 0:25:36.119 I picked a version that had the wrong word, and 0:25:36.160 --> 0:25:38.439 we wanted to tambourine is what we're going for. 0:25:38.560 --> 0:25:41.159 Okay. So I don't know if. 0:25:41.000 --> 0:25:44.080 You notice that, but it appears that we have a 0:25:44.119 --> 0:25:52.320 few overpackers amongst the Israelites because Miriam packed her tambourine. 0:25:54.000 --> 0:25:57.560 Like let's just imagine, let's go back to the moment. 0:25:57.640 --> 0:26:00.520 Speculation here, Okay, but let's go to the moment. 0:26:00.600 --> 0:26:02.240 Remember they're packing in a hurry. 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:07.440 Okay, so maybe they they're like somebody quickly writes a list, 0:26:07.440 --> 0:26:08.480 the list person writes a list. 0:26:08.520 --> 0:26:11.040 They're like bread check, okay, no, yease, but it's fine. 0:26:11.280 --> 0:26:12.280 Get the bread bowl. 0:26:12.200 --> 0:26:14.840 Yes, clothes yes, blankets yes. 0:26:14.680 --> 0:26:15.920 Silver and gold yes. 0:26:16.200 --> 0:26:18.720 And the Bible doesn't say if Miriam was married or not. 0:26:18.840 --> 0:26:21.880 But can we just imagine Aaron one of her brother 0:26:22.160 --> 0:26:28.240 brother Aaron or brother Moses looking at her and being like, Miriam, 0:26:29.000 --> 0:26:31.600 you really need your tambourine. 0:26:31.960 --> 0:26:32.160 Yeah. 0:26:33.240 --> 0:26:36.879 And Miriam looks back at her brothers and she says, oh, 0:26:36.960 --> 0:26:44.359 I'm unpacked, packed my praise. And when they crossed over 0:26:44.480 --> 0:26:48.640 on dry land and they looked across and they saw 0:26:48.760 --> 0:26:50.800 Pharaoh and his army drown. 0:26:52.320 --> 0:26:55.720 Just go with me here. But I can imagine Miriam. 0:26:56.320 --> 0:26:58.359 She goes digging into her bag. 0:26:59.400 --> 0:27:02.960 And she did past the I don't know, the sunscreen, 0:27:03.160 --> 0:27:08.679 and the olive oil and the medicinal herbs, and she 0:27:08.800 --> 0:27:11.880 pulled out her tambourine. 0:27:12.840 --> 0:27:15.240 And you know what the best thing about a tambourine 0:27:15.320 --> 0:27:18.439 is you do not have to have much skill to 0:27:18.680 --> 0:27:19.920 use it. 0:27:19.920 --> 0:27:23.399 It is loud and it gets the people's attentions. 0:27:23.960 --> 0:27:28.159 And when all the women her Miriam's tambourine. Guess what, 0:27:28.400 --> 0:27:29.680 They packed theirs too. 0:27:30.119 --> 0:27:33.440 And they followed Miriam and they went out after her, 0:27:33.720 --> 0:27:37.280 and they led the people with singing and dancing and 0:27:37.400 --> 0:27:41.600 praising the Lord who had triumphed gloriously. They were free 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:44.800 for the first time in generations. 0:27:46.000 --> 0:27:46.440 WHOA. 0:27:48.520 --> 0:27:51.359 So my friend Ann boss Camp, she was writing about 0:27:51.359 --> 0:27:53.600 this story, and this is what she said. 0:27:53.880 --> 0:27:55.520 She said they made. 0:27:55.280 --> 0:28:01.040 Time to grab their tambourines because they knew that Thanksgiving 0:28:01.440 --> 0:28:05.320 is what feeds your soul with joy in the wilderness. 0:28:07.200 --> 0:28:10.600 When you pack your soul with gratitude, it will not 0:28:10.680 --> 0:28:15.679 miss an opportunity to praise God. And yes, they needed 0:28:15.680 --> 0:28:18.960 to pack for their physical survival, but they needed to 0:28:19.000 --> 0:28:23.440 bring something to feed their souls too. You are packing 0:28:23.560 --> 0:28:28.080 today what you will have tomorrow. And don't you forget 0:28:28.119 --> 0:28:32.880 to pack your praise, don't forget your hallelujah. God has 0:28:32.920 --> 0:28:35.400 given you everything you needed. You don't have to pack 0:28:35.520 --> 0:28:37.920 light when you head into the next season, you take 0:28:38.000 --> 0:28:44.320 everything you can and you move forward. So my friend 0:28:44.360 --> 0:28:48.640 Milli is here today and Milly and Rick, her husband, 0:28:48.720 --> 0:28:51.480 they moved here from Chicago several years ago and they 0:28:51.480 --> 0:28:55.080 became a part of Elevation Milli is my hair and 0:28:55.160 --> 0:28:58.760 makeup artist. So every time I do a Bible study 0:28:58.840 --> 0:29:01.480 or I preach, a sermon comes and she works her 0:29:01.520 --> 0:29:04.840 magic and she helps me feel confident every time that 0:29:04.920 --> 0:29:05.920 I step up to preach. 0:29:06.000 --> 0:29:07.080 And we have spent a. 0:29:07.000 --> 0:29:09.280 Lot of time together and we've gotten to know each 0:29:09.280 --> 0:29:13.400 other really well. We talk about ponytails and children and 0:29:13.520 --> 0:29:17.240 everything in between. And because you know you're close and 0:29:17.480 --> 0:29:20.840 spending a lot of time together, it's not fast to 0:29:20.960 --> 0:29:23.280 look camera ready. 0:29:23.680 --> 0:29:27.320 So a while back, Millie shared with. 0:29:27.240 --> 0:29:30.000 Me that when she was a little girl, her older 0:29:30.080 --> 0:29:35.120 brother tragically died of a burst appendix, and she told 0:29:35.200 --> 0:29:41.720 me how it obviously changed her family, especially her mom Mary, 0:29:42.160 --> 0:29:45.640 And when Mary lost her nine year old son, she 0:29:46.320 --> 0:29:50.800 had to lean into her faith even more than ever, 0:29:50.880 --> 0:29:51.400 because when. 0:29:51.320 --> 0:29:54.440 A tragedy strikes, you kind of have two choices. You 0:29:54.480 --> 0:29:57.920 can lean into God or you can go into yourself. 0:29:58.600 --> 0:30:02.720 And Mary knew that God was the only place that 0:30:02.840 --> 0:30:07.920 she could turn to cope with such a tragic loss. 0:30:08.360 --> 0:30:11.160 So Mary became a woman of prayer. 0:30:11.920 --> 0:30:14.880 And Milly says that it is a memory of her 0:30:14.960 --> 0:30:19.560 childhood to hear her mother early in the morning pacing 0:30:19.640 --> 0:30:23.840 the house and praying and speaking out loud and speaking 0:30:23.960 --> 0:30:28.239 life and faith over her family. Milly says hearing her 0:30:28.280 --> 0:30:32.320 mom say hallelujah was one of the most familiar sounds 0:30:32.440 --> 0:30:35.960 of her childhood because Mary became one of those. 0:30:35.800 --> 0:30:38.240 Women who refused to speak negatively. 0:30:37.920 --> 0:30:40.960 About a situation, and she decided she was going to 0:30:41.040 --> 0:30:45.080 be a pillar of faith for her family. So I've 0:30:45.120 --> 0:30:46.920 got a picture for you just so you can picture them. 0:30:46.960 --> 0:30:49.080 This is Milly and her mom, Mary, who is now 0:30:49.320 --> 0:30:55.000 sixty seven, and about six months ago, Mary suffered a 0:30:55.040 --> 0:30:59.320 massive stroke while she was here in Charlotte visiting her daughter, 0:31:00.240 --> 0:31:03.600 and when she woke up, the speech part of her 0:31:03.640 --> 0:31:06.440 brain was most affected. And I don't really understand how 0:31:06.440 --> 0:31:10.840 this works scientifically, but basically, no matter what she tried 0:31:10.920 --> 0:31:14.840 to say, only two phrases would come out of her 0:31:14.880 --> 0:31:20.760 mouth idio smeo, which means oh my Lord, and the 0:31:20.800 --> 0:31:27.240 one that she says the most, hallelujah. Millie would say, 0:31:27.320 --> 0:31:29.440 She'll say to her mom, Mom, are you cold? 0:31:29.520 --> 0:31:32.400 Do you need a blanket? Hallelujah? Mom? Do you want 0:31:32.400 --> 0:31:35.840 to eat? Are you hungry? Hallelujah? Mom? Can you get up? 0:31:35.880 --> 0:31:40.240 Can you try and walk? Hallelujah? Mom? What's my name say. 0:31:40.320 --> 0:31:42.040 She sent me this video of her saying, Mom, what's 0:31:42.040 --> 0:31:48.040 say say Milly, and her mom goes Hallelujah. 0:31:48.120 --> 0:31:51.880 Here's a picture of Mary just days after her stroke. 0:31:53.840 --> 0:31:58.760 Even when she was unable to communicate, Mary was leading 0:31:59.000 --> 0:32:01.880 her family to praise God. 0:32:02.920 --> 0:32:05.240 She packed her praise so long ago. It was the 0:32:05.240 --> 0:32:05.960 only thing. 0:32:06.200 --> 0:32:11.080 Her mind and her body could do. She had cried 0:32:11.480 --> 0:32:16.640 Hallelujah so many times that it is her default now. 0:32:17.680 --> 0:32:20.640 And Millie, we are believing with you in your entire 0:32:20.720 --> 0:32:23.200 family for Mary's complete healing. 0:32:24.760 --> 0:32:29.440 But in the meantime, I want to follow Mary's lead. 0:32:30.480 --> 0:32:33.760 I want to pack a Hallelujah so deep in my heart. 0:32:33.880 --> 0:32:37.440 That it's what automatically comes out of my mouth in 0:32:37.680 --> 0:32:39.080 every season. 0:32:40.080 --> 0:32:43.040 Don't forget to pack your praise. 0:32:48.840 --> 0:32:53.080 So God's people, the nation of Israel, from this point 0:32:53.120 --> 0:32:55.200 forward in their history, they're going. 0:32:55.200 --> 0:32:56.080 To begin to cycle. 0:32:57.080 --> 0:33:02.360 It's going to go captivity, wilderness, harvest, stray. 0:33:02.080 --> 0:33:05.200 From God back to captivity. And you can read their 0:33:05.240 --> 0:33:06.360 history from the Book. 0:33:06.160 --> 0:33:09.440 Of Exodus all the way to the Book of Matthew. 0:33:10.280 --> 0:33:13.480 God's people are going to move from seasons of complete 0:33:13.880 --> 0:33:17.120 trust in Him and seeing Him move mightily through them 0:33:17.560 --> 0:33:22.760 to seasons of straying and seasons of disobedience. But no 0:33:22.840 --> 0:33:24.440 matter where they were, I don't know does that sound 0:33:24.440 --> 0:33:29.520 familiar to anyone, No matter where they were in the cycle, 0:33:30.480 --> 0:33:35.400 the nation of Israel was never once not called the 0:33:35.560 --> 0:33:36.840 children of God. 0:33:37.920 --> 0:33:42.240 They were always his chosen people that he would bring 0:33:42.400 --> 0:33:45.680 Jesus to the earth through. And this is the cycle 0:33:45.760 --> 0:33:46.360 for us too. 0:33:46.520 --> 0:33:50.240 No one gets it perfect, but we, as believers in Jesus, 0:33:50.480 --> 0:33:53.720 were covered by his grace. He never leaves us. He's 0:33:53.760 --> 0:33:57.680 our perfect father who gently guides us back every time 0:33:58.000 --> 0:34:03.680 we lose our way. With you when it gets unexpectedly hard, 0:34:04.320 --> 0:34:08.359 whatever kind of hard you face, he is with you. 0:34:08.360 --> 0:34:10.360 You might be in a hard season because of a 0:34:10.480 --> 0:34:12.319 poor choice that you made, or you. 0:34:12.360 --> 0:34:14.600 Might be in a hard season because of reasons that 0:34:14.640 --> 0:34:15.960 are beyond your control. 0:34:16.640 --> 0:34:20.520 Like us, everything is hard. Fighting is hard, Harvesting is hard, 0:34:20.760 --> 0:34:21.960 Captivity is hard. 0:34:22.920 --> 0:34:25.719 Did you notice that in this series that we've been 0:34:25.760 --> 0:34:28.960 going through, every Bible character that has been preached about 0:34:29.200 --> 0:34:30.160 was in a hard place. 0:34:30.880 --> 0:34:33.120 Think back last week we learned about. 0:34:32.840 --> 0:34:37.440 Paul in the prison. The week before that, Jeremiah. 0:34:36.800 --> 0:34:37.839 Was in a pit. 0:34:38.560 --> 0:34:41.640 Before that, Pastor Stephen preached about two men who were 0:34:41.680 --> 0:34:44.799 born blind. Rich Wilkerson preached the week before that about 0:34:44.800 --> 0:34:46.959 the woman with the issue of blood, and then week 0:34:47.000 --> 0:34:49.080 one Graham was on the treadmill and his dad turned 0:34:49.080 --> 0:34:53.120 it up to the hardest level, level twelve. God is 0:34:53.160 --> 0:34:57.759 with you in your heart, and he's always trying to 0:34:57.760 --> 0:35:02.920 get a message to you. In the Book of Jeremiah, 0:35:03.239 --> 0:35:07.719 God sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn Israel because they 0:35:07.719 --> 0:35:11.000 were in one of those cycles, and basically it gets 0:35:11.040 --> 0:35:16.200 too late, and so Jeremiah has to tell them, you're 0:35:16.239 --> 0:35:19.480 going to be overtaken by Babylon, and most of you 0:35:19.520 --> 0:35:22.160 are going to die unless you surrender. And the people 0:35:22.440 --> 0:35:25.680 hate this prophecy in these words so much that that's 0:35:25.719 --> 0:35:28.400 how Jeremiah ended up in the pit that Pastor Stephen 0:35:28.440 --> 0:35:29.359 preached about. 0:35:29.200 --> 0:35:29.919 Two weeks ago. 0:35:30.239 --> 0:35:35.040 And in the very end, only a few actually listened 0:35:35.480 --> 0:35:39.080 to the prophet, and so only some of them surrendered, 0:35:39.120 --> 0:35:41.959 and those who did surrender, they were carried off into 0:35:42.000 --> 0:35:45.719 captivity like their ancestors who were slaves in Egypt. But 0:35:45.880 --> 0:35:50.520 this was the remnant of people that God was saving 0:35:51.120 --> 0:35:51.440 so that. 0:35:51.400 --> 0:35:54.560 He could bring them back and raise them up again. 0:35:54.600 --> 0:35:59.160 And finally send them the promised Messiah. And so as 0:35:59.200 --> 0:36:03.520 they're going off into captivity, God speaks to them one 0:36:03.600 --> 0:36:06.320 last time through Jeremiah, and he says this. This is 0:36:06.400 --> 0:36:10.759 Jeremiah twenty nine, verses four and five. Jeremiah says, this 0:36:10.840 --> 0:36:13.480 is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says. 0:36:14.080 --> 0:36:18.239 Do all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 0:36:19.400 --> 0:36:25.400 build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what 0:36:25.560 --> 0:36:29.160 they produce. Plant gardens and eat the fruit. Jeremiah is 0:36:29.200 --> 0:36:35.160 saying to them, Hey, you are going into captivity, go 0:36:35.200 --> 0:36:40.160 ahead and unpack. And I feel like God sent me 0:36:40.280 --> 0:36:44.680 here to tell you today that even though your season 0:36:45.200 --> 0:36:50.520 is temporary, go ahead and unpack. I know this isn't 0:36:50.520 --> 0:36:52.680 what you thought. I know this isn't what you planned. 0:36:52.920 --> 0:36:55.240 But this is the season that you are. 0:36:55.200 --> 0:36:56.440 In right now. 0:36:56.840 --> 0:37:00.560 And you don't have to live chaotically digging through your 0:37:00.680 --> 0:37:01.799 unpacked suitcase. 0:37:02.120 --> 0:37:04.719 Unpack it, hang the clothes. 0:37:04.440 --> 0:37:08.680 Up, find your tambourine, and figure out how to praise 0:37:09.000 --> 0:37:13.399 even in the waiting. Build houses and live in them, 0:37:13.440 --> 0:37:15.200 he said. And I want you to hear me say 0:37:15.239 --> 0:37:18.880 today that there can be life in your Babylon, the 0:37:19.000 --> 0:37:23.240 place where you feel like you were carted off to unfairly. 0:37:22.880 --> 0:37:24.680 There can be life there. 0:37:25.800 --> 0:37:29.799 Do not wait for the next season to experience the 0:37:29.960 --> 0:37:31.799 power and the presence of. 0:37:31.760 --> 0:37:33.040 God in your life. 0:37:33.120 --> 0:37:36.919 God wants to move in your life right now, right here, 0:37:37.360 --> 0:37:40.040 no matter how temporary. 0:37:39.800 --> 0:37:41.239 It seems to you. 0:37:43.640 --> 0:37:46.799 So when Steven and I got married, there was this 0:37:46.880 --> 0:37:51.200 evangelist who offered Stephen a job. Well, it it wasn't 0:37:51.200 --> 0:37:56.319 a paying job. Anybody ever had offered a non paying job. 0:37:56.600 --> 0:38:00.279 It was an opportunity. It was a common be part 0:38:00.320 --> 0:38:02.880 of my ministry. And I'll recommend for you to speak 0:38:02.920 --> 0:38:05.160 at any of the events that I can't take that 0:38:05.280 --> 0:38:05.839 kind of job. 0:38:06.440 --> 0:38:08.879 And so we proudly accepted the job. 0:38:09.719 --> 0:38:14.719 And we've moved to the most random place, Shelby, North Carolina, 0:38:15.840 --> 0:38:18.319 and I had just got in my teaching certificates, so 0:38:18.400 --> 0:38:21.160 I got a job teaching fifth grade. And when we 0:38:21.239 --> 0:38:26.760 got there, Stephen also secured a paying job leading worship 0:38:27.040 --> 0:38:30.560 at a local church. Now we knew before we moved 0:38:30.719 --> 0:38:33.160 to Shelby that we were called to start a church 0:38:33.160 --> 0:38:33.480 one day. 0:38:33.520 --> 0:38:35.840 We knew that when we got married, but we didn't 0:38:35.880 --> 0:38:36.319 know when. 0:38:36.880 --> 0:38:40.800 And we figured that we might as well do ministry 0:38:40.920 --> 0:38:43.759 while we were waiting for God to give us our 0:38:44.000 --> 0:38:47.280 next direction, and the church that had offered Stephen the job, 0:38:47.520 --> 0:38:49.879 they understood that we were going to plan a church. 0:38:49.960 --> 0:38:53.160 It was all clear, and they said, it's fine, it's fine, 0:38:53.160 --> 0:38:57.040 it's fine. Just come and minister here while you can. 0:38:58.440 --> 0:38:58.680 Now. 0:38:58.920 --> 0:39:01.640 Shelby was not a necessarily the town that I had 0:39:01.680 --> 0:39:05.759 been dreaming of moving to. But when we got there, 0:39:06.600 --> 0:39:11.359 we found some of the most wonderful people in that town. 0:39:12.400 --> 0:39:15.480 And Stephen Ferdick went to work the only way that 0:39:15.560 --> 0:39:16.359 he knows how. 0:39:17.160 --> 0:39:21.200 He gave that little church everything he had. 0:39:21.800 --> 0:39:25.880 He built a worship ministry, He found and recruited band members, 0:39:25.920 --> 0:39:29.040 He went to colleges, he went to high school choirs. 0:39:29.120 --> 0:39:32.160 He was having lunch with everybody because he had to 0:39:32.160 --> 0:39:34.640 build a praise team and a choir, and he needed 0:39:34.680 --> 0:39:37.359 a drummer. And we got all of us together and 0:39:37.440 --> 0:39:41.080 he wrote songs for that church. We recorded two albums 0:39:41.080 --> 0:39:43.799 in the three years that you were there. With the 0:39:43.920 --> 0:39:47.160 three years that we were there, you've probably never heard 0:39:47.200 --> 0:39:51.520 of those albums. They were called Everlasting and everyone everywhere. 0:39:51.560 --> 0:39:54.480 I'm not sure it's on iTunes, it would be. Their 0:39:54.560 --> 0:39:57.040 songs are great, but they might be a little dated. 0:39:57.920 --> 0:40:00.760 I think I have some footage of the our first 0:40:00.880 --> 0:40:11.520 recording There's Me. We were boldly wearing yellow and orange 0:40:11.520 --> 0:40:12.040 and black. 0:40:13.360 --> 0:40:15.520 And the other day Stephen and I were on a 0:40:15.520 --> 0:40:18.680 little road trip and while he was voice texting back 0:40:18.719 --> 0:40:20.840 and forth about the songs that we were going to 0:40:20.920 --> 0:40:24.480 record here at Elevation in the upcoming week, we started 0:40:24.520 --> 0:40:29.359 somehow talking about Christ's Covenant and those songs, and we 0:40:29.400 --> 0:40:32.319 started listening to some of the songs, and I'm telling you, 0:40:32.360 --> 0:40:34.960 I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in 0:40:35.000 --> 0:40:37.680 those songs, just like I can from the ones that 0:40:37.719 --> 0:40:41.920 are coming from our church today. Just because we weren't 0:40:41.960 --> 0:40:45.520 going to be in Shelby forever didn't mean that there 0:40:45.640 --> 0:40:46.879 wasn't time to. 0:40:46.960 --> 0:40:49.440 Plant and harvest some fruit. 0:40:51.280 --> 0:40:54.400 It was in Shelby, North Carolina, that we met Shanson 0:40:54.480 --> 0:40:57.440 Amy and we began to dream out loud for the 0:40:57.480 --> 0:41:00.280 first time about the church that we felt like God 0:41:00.600 --> 0:41:02.640 was calling us to plant, and what it would look 0:41:02.719 --> 0:41:05.000 like and what we would call it. And one of 0:41:05.000 --> 0:41:07.919 the names that we were throwing around was Churchilllive. 0:41:08.080 --> 0:41:09.240 Because it's worth the drive? 0:41:10.120 --> 0:41:14.160 Aren't you glad we've landed on Elevations? But you know, 0:41:17.040 --> 0:41:23.480 I am one hundred percent that the fruit of Elevation 0:41:23.840 --> 0:41:31.520 Church was planted in the soil of Shelby, North Carolina. 0:41:32.120 --> 0:41:33.200 And I want to tell you. 0:41:35.680 --> 0:41:39.319 There are seeds that God wants to plant in your 0:41:39.400 --> 0:41:41.160 situation today. 0:41:41.880 --> 0:41:42.960 I know it's not permanent. 0:41:43.000 --> 0:41:45.920 I know this isn't your forever job or your forever 0:41:46.440 --> 0:41:47.520 home or whatever. 0:41:48.600 --> 0:41:51.880 But you don't know how long it's going to be. 0:41:52.600 --> 0:41:57.000 You don't know, So build the house, plant the garden. 0:41:58.560 --> 0:42:01.480 Jeremiah goes on to get Israel, one of the most 0:42:01.560 --> 0:42:04.480 encouraging verses in the entire Bible. Just a couple verses 0:42:04.560 --> 0:42:08.280 later we find Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven. He says, 0:42:08.280 --> 0:42:11.759 for I know the plans I have for you, declares 0:42:11.840 --> 0:42:14.399 the Lord. He's saying this over Israel, and he's saying 0:42:14.440 --> 0:42:17.359 this over you. I have plans to prosper you and 0:42:17.400 --> 0:42:20.800 not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope 0:42:20.840 --> 0:42:24.560 and a future. And there are things in your life 0:42:24.680 --> 0:42:26.960 right now that you didn't plan for. 0:42:28.200 --> 0:42:30.399 But God is the one. 0:42:30.360 --> 0:42:35.440 Who holds the master plans of your life. He has 0:42:35.480 --> 0:42:41.279 a hope and future for you. You're just the packer and 0:42:41.440 --> 0:42:41.880 the planter. 0:42:43.000 --> 0:42:48.319 He is the planner. So while you wait for the 0:42:48.360 --> 0:42:49.600 next move, God. 0:42:49.480 --> 0:42:55.320 Is saying you today plant the garden, give it everything 0:42:55.400 --> 0:42:55.879 you've got. 0:42:57.200 --> 0:43:00.759 They will be fruit right here in the life that 0:43:00.800 --> 0:43:02.520 you have right here. 0:43:03.320 --> 0:43:07.479 Determine right now that you will get everything that God 0:43:07.600 --> 0:43:12.200 has for you right now in your situation, in your circumstance, 0:43:12.239 --> 0:43:15.920 your pain, your disappointment, your transition, your confusion. 0:43:16.239 --> 0:43:19.520 You get out your tambourine and you feed your soul. 0:43:20.480 --> 0:43:23.360 You stay right here, and you plant your feet in 0:43:23.400 --> 0:43:27.439 the garden of God's word and grow because you can 0:43:27.560 --> 0:43:29.440 know that He's getting. 0:43:29.239 --> 0:43:31.520 You ready for what's next. 0:43:33.600 --> 0:43:36.840 I ask the worship team to come as we close 0:43:37.440 --> 0:43:40.200 and lead us in that new song that we've been 0:43:40.239 --> 0:43:42.880 singing called Always on Time. 0:43:43.840 --> 0:43:46.920 This song has ministered to me in such a personal. 0:43:46.520 --> 0:43:48.640 Way because I feel like it's one of those songs 0:43:48.680 --> 0:43:52.640 that just allows me to reflect on those times in 0:43:52.680 --> 0:43:55.839 my life where I can look back and I can 0:43:56.080 --> 0:43:57.719 clearly see that. 0:43:57.760 --> 0:44:00.600 Even in my pain, and even in my confus and. 0:44:01.360 --> 0:44:06.399 Even in my transitional moments where it felt so frustrated, 0:44:06.520 --> 0:44:08.320 God's right. 0:44:08.120 --> 0:44:09.440 There with me. 0:44:10.400 --> 0:44:12.719 Even in the moments where I didn't feel it then 0:44:13.760 --> 0:44:17.040 he was with me. He's with you, He's guiding you 0:44:17.440 --> 0:44:20.280 every step of the way, and he's with you now 0:44:20.760 --> 0:44:22.000 in this moment, and you. 0:44:21.880 --> 0:44:26.040 Can trust His plan for your life. 0:44:26.920 --> 0:44:28.040 Thank you for joining us. 0:44:28.320 --> 0:44:30.799 Special thanks to those of you who give generously to 0:44:30.840 --> 0:44:34.320 this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible. 0:44:34.800 --> 0:44:37.000 You can click the link in the description to give 0:44:37.080 --> 0:44:41.239 now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more 0:44:41.239 --> 0:44:45.040 information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. 0:44:45.320 --> 0:44:46.640 You can share it with your friends. 0:44:46.960 --> 0:44:49.239 You can click the share button, take a screenshot and 0:44:49.280 --> 0:44:51.399 share it on your social stories and tag us at 0:44:51.400 --> 0:44:53.360 Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. 0:44:53.400 --> 0:44:59.040 God bless you.