0:01

Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.

0:02

I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this

0:05

is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining

0:07

us today. Hope this inspires you.

0:09

Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective

0:11

to see God is moving in your life.

0:13

Enjoy the message.

0:18

Hello, Elevation family.

0:19

You ready for a great day today?

0:21

Or what?

0:22

Hey? Stay standing at every cabinis if

0:24

you would not mind. I'm so so honored

0:27

privileged to be here with each and every

0:29

one of you. I know I'm not as handsome

0:31

as Pastor Stephen, but I love

0:34

the same God as him for sure, and

0:37

excited to see what the Lord has in store

0:40

for all of us today. It's

0:43

another Sunday, or maybe somebody

0:45

could be watching this at another point in time throughout

0:47

the week. But for us, right now, it's Sunday

0:50

and another day

0:53

at the beginning of a week that

0:55

God has given all of us.

0:58

It's an honor.

0:58

Not everybody gets this gift, not everybody

1:00

has this moment right here, and

1:03

this being such a life giving, amazing

1:06

church week in and week out, you

1:08

know, we lift up the name of Jesus. But

1:10

I do recognize that our weeks can sometimes

1:12

be hard, right, you can come through just

1:15

some stuff. You don't have to raise your hand. I'm

1:17

sure some of us have been through some things

1:20

this week. We're like, I just got to get to

1:22

church. I just gotta get there. Maybe

1:24

my wife's there this weekend, let me get there. Maybe

1:26

maybe my husband's there. Let me just get there.

1:29

But maybe my breakthrough is there.

1:32

I gotta get there.

1:34

But it's very very possible for

1:37

something to be interesting but

1:39

not to be moving. It's

1:44

possible for something

1:46

to be very very essential but

1:48

it not to be personal. And

1:54

something can even be informational

1:58

but not transformational. We're

2:03

gonna be opening up the Bible in a few

2:05

moments, and there's

2:08

some things that might be interesting, but we're

2:10

not just wanting them to be interesting. We want them

2:12

to be moving. Do

2:15

you know? For the nerds that are in

2:17

the room and online right now, the

2:19

Sun su and is the largest

2:22

star in our galaxy.

2:23

Some of y'all knew that it's

2:25

the one.

2:26

It's the this this star right here.

2:28

Actually everything in our

2:30

in our solar system revolves around

2:33

it. It has the hottest

2:35

part of the Sun is at its core. I think

2:38

some scientists believe the Sun's actually gonna

2:40

burn out in like five billion years

2:43

or something.

2:43

I've read that somewhere.

2:44

See all that that might be interesting, it's

2:48

not moving you

2:52

and I can't even exist without that su

2:54

and Sun. But even hearing

2:56

that it's essential, But all that stuff doesn't even feel

2:59

that personal. It might be informational,

3:01

but it's not transformational. But

3:05

today we're not gonna

3:07

talk about the Sun Son.

3:11

Today we're gonna talk about the Son

3:14

Son. Colossians Chapter

3:16

one tells us that the Sun is

3:18

the image of the invisible God, the first

3:20

born over all creation. From

3:22

him and to him and through him are all

3:24

things, and in him all things.

3:26

Are held together.

3:27

The Bible tells us that even

3:30

heaven and earth, everything comes

3:33

from him. He is the first

3:35

born from among the dead, so that in

3:37

everything he.

3:38

Might have the supremacy.

3:40

We're gonna talk today about the

3:42

Son of God, and I pray

3:44

that it's not just informational. I

3:47

pray today that God would transform

3:49

us from the inside out, that

3:52

we would not leave wherever we

3:54

are the same way we came in.

3:56

Can you, in this moment lift

3:58

your heart and your faith and

4:01

say, God, move me today.

4:04

God changed me today.

4:06

God opening my eyes today. I

4:11

need you so God,

4:13

in the name of Jesus, at

4:16

every single location wherever

4:19

we may be, I

4:21

thank you that today is not just

4:23

another Sunday. Today

4:28

is not just today where we're opening up

4:31

some old tages. No, God, we're

4:33

opening your word and it's alive and

4:35

active and sharper than any double

4:37

edged sword. Would you move

4:39

us today? Would

4:42

you change us today? Would

4:45

you help us to look more like you?

4:49

Carry us? Sustain us, push

4:51

us forward in Jesus

4:54

stain we pray, Amen and

4:56

amen. At every location, can we clap our hands?

4:58

Come on? Can you give God? Pray and

5:01

give somebody a high five and say, hey, I'm

5:03

a move today. I'm a move today. Tell him

5:05

I'm a move today and you may be seated.

5:08

I'm a move today. I

5:12

am fired up to.

5:14

Be here at Ella Patient

5:17

Church.

5:18

Come on. I

5:21

love your pastors so much,

5:23

both Pastor Steven and Pastor Holly.

5:26

They are two of the most authentic,

5:29

life giving, generous, kind people

5:32

I've ever had the opportunity to meet.

5:34

We actually had the opportunity to sit with them at a

5:37

birthday party not too long ago. We

5:39

had a mutual friend who was having a birthday party,

5:41

and I wanted to tell you your pastor

5:44

got up and shared such life

5:46

giving words about this individual,

5:48

and I just appreciate that someone

5:51

that has as big of a world

5:53

as he does is interested

5:55

in making other people's worlds as

5:58

big as they can possibly be. He

6:00

is an individual that is like, how

6:03

can I make you better? How

6:05

can I lift you up? His wife

6:07

as well. I'm gonna tell you all this

6:10

right now. Please be the best

6:12

church you can possibly be to your pastors.

6:15

If you're not praying for him, start praying for him.

6:18

They need to know that you got him covered. It's

6:21

easy to comment. Can you be the one

6:23

to cover? Can you be

6:25

the one that says I have your back? Can you

6:27

be the one to say I love you so

6:29

much? Even if the sermon that

6:32

week you feel like, man, that wasn't for

6:34

me, that was for somebody else, you walk up and say

6:36

that was the best sermon I've ever heard

6:38

in my entire life. You speak words of life,

6:41

words of encouragement, and don't

6:43

just speak the words serve. Jump

6:48

on a team, being an

6:50

e group. These are the

6:52

things Pastor seven and Pastor Holly

6:55

are trying to build, not

6:57

something for themselves,

7:00

something for the Kingdom of God

7:02

and something to lift and make your family

7:05

all that God has called it to be. Don't

7:07

waste this moment. What a gift

7:10

God has given you and me

7:12

and this world. And Pastor Stephen

7:14

and Pastor Holly'll yeah, you can clap your hands

7:17

for sure. I'll say this last thing. I'm gonna open

7:19

up the text. I gotta say this last thing. Our

7:21

church is twelve years old

7:23

now, and I remember before

7:26

our church got started reading Sun Stands

7:28

Still. I

7:31

remember seeing the videos

7:34

of the baptisms that were happening. Remember

7:37

we were sitting in our living room. There were only

7:39

twelve of us who were on

7:41

the team at that point in time. The whole church was

7:43

in the living room at that point in time. And

7:45

we're watching these videos and it's

7:48

been humbling to see all that God

7:50

has done in and through our church Shoreline

7:52

City over the last twelve years.

7:54

But I know if you dig

7:57

deep into the soil of our church, you're going

7:59

to see all this residue

8:01

and all these seeds of elevation. So I

8:03

want to say thank you church for being

8:05

faithful and lifting up the name

8:07

of Jesus Christ the way you do. Because

8:10

you have impacted our lives more than you can ever

8:12

possibly imagine. I even

8:14

shave my head to look like chunks. That's

8:16

what I did. So

8:20

thank you, Chunks for keeping your head shaved.

8:22

To love you so much. Amy.

8:23

Hey, we're gonna open up God's word today. You guys read

8:26

it? You guys ready, go with me? Go with

8:28

me to second Second King, Second

8:30

Kings, Chapter seven, Second

8:38

Kings, Chapter seven. We're

8:41

gonna begin reading in verse

8:43

number three. If

8:45

you didn't bring your Bible, gonna put the verses on the screen

8:48

so that you can follow along with us. Second

8:51

Kings, Chapter seven, Verse number

8:53

three. It says, now there were four

8:56

men with leprosy at

8:58

the entrance of the city gate.

9:01

They said to each other, why

9:04

stay here until we die?

9:07

If we say, we'll.

9:09

Go into the city, the famine

9:12

is there and we will die.

9:14

And if we stay here, we

9:16

will die. So let's

9:18

go over to the camp of the Arameenes and surrender.

9:22

If they spare us, we

9:25

live. If they kill

9:27

us, then

9:29

we die.

9:31

Amen. For

9:35

those of you like to take notes, the title of

9:38

today's message is

9:40

I can't stay here. I

9:45

can't stay

9:48

here. I

9:50

can't All of us. You know this, All

9:53

of us are someplace.

9:56

Duh, you're in

9:58

a place right now. You're at one of our location. You're

10:00

online, you're in your living room, you're

10:02

at a coffee shop, you're in some part

10:04

of the world. You're in this building, you're

10:07

in a chair. Yes, you're someplace

10:09

physically, but all of us are someplace

10:11

emotionally, financially,

10:14

mentally, even professionally.

10:17

You know, you went and got your master's degree,

10:19

and then you keep on interviewing but can't get a job because

10:21

everybodys saying you're overqualified. You're like, what does that

10:23

mean? Just give me a job. I'm

10:27

somewhere. I'm somewhere emotionally,

10:30

I'm somewhere relationally. Some of us

10:32

don't have a ring on our finger. We want to have

10:34

a ring on our finger. We're at church

10:36

this weekend to find our boas.

10:41

That's a church stoke boas.

10:42

Right there,

10:44

You're some place. There's someplace

10:47

even in our physical bodies, right. I mean, I don't

10:49

know about y'all, but I've got this backfat

10:51

that won't go away.

10:53

I keep on trying to do planks.

10:54

But it's like Earl, I ain't leaving, okay, I'm staying

10:56

right here with you.

10:57

It's me and you for the rest of your life.

11:00

Brother, we're

11:02

all some place,

11:04

every single one of us, and some

11:06

of us are in a good place. And it's nice

11:09

to be in a good place. When you're in a

11:11

good place, like with your finances, you did to

11:13

Dave Ramsey, like, right, you did it. You got

11:15

your thousand dollars, you got my emergency

11:17

fun. Yeah, I'm snowballing right

11:19

now. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

11:22

let my car break down. I got the

11:24

money. You know, you're feeling feeling

11:26

good.

11:28

I'm in a good place.

11:29

It's nice to be in a good place

11:31

where things are clicking on all cylinders,

11:34

things are moving the right direction. It's

11:36

like every three you take it's nothing

11:38

but net You're like, yes, I'm

11:41

feeling it. I'm good, I'm

11:43

strong. A good place is great,

11:46

for sure, But even even it's interesting, a good

11:48

place can become a grave.

11:49

You know this, If

11:52

you stop growing.

11:53

Even a good place can become a grave. Because

11:55

you're like, my marriage is good. I'm just

11:57

gonna preserve it. You just can't press.

12:00

You gotta keep going on date nights. You gotta

12:02

keep telling her she's beautiful. You gotta keep

12:05

on patting your hubby on the booty and going you're

12:07

cute.

12:09

That too much for you?

12:10

With that too much? That too much. I'm

12:13

talking to spouses now, I'm talking to spouses.

12:15

All right. You

12:17

gotta keep that fire alive.

12:19

A good place can become a grave if

12:21

you don't keep growing. So we want to make sure

12:23

we keep on growing. If your business

12:26

is like at a place you never thought it would be, it's

12:28

like it's in a good spot. You can get into

12:30

preservation mode. It's so possible.

12:32

Like I don't want anything bad to happen.

12:34

But you didn't get there by not pursuing

12:37

and taking risks. You got there because

12:40

you trusted God, and we're believing him

12:42

for more. So I just want to encourage you. Don't

12:44

get just stuck in a good place trying to protect

12:47

it. No, But

12:50

when I say I can't stay here, some of

12:52

youall aren't thinking about a good place. You're

12:55

thinking about uh bad

12:58

place. Tough. I

13:01

can't stay here. I

13:06

can't stay in this marriage

13:08

like this. I can't

13:10

stay here. I

13:13

didn't sign up. I didn't say I do so

13:15

i'd have a roommate. I'm

13:20

trying to have my soulmate. I want

13:22

I want to I want to have a connection with someone,

13:24

and now we're sleeping in different bedrooms

13:27

and we're not talking about divorce, but we're

13:29

thinking about it. I can't stay here. I

13:33

can't stay here with

13:36

my dad. I can't stay here with how tired

13:38

I am? Why am I so tired all

13:40

the time? Why am I or why does it always feel

13:43

like I'm way down? Why do I Why don't I

13:45

have the joy that I used to have? Where'd

13:47

my fire go? Where where'd my energy

13:50

go? Why? Why am I waking up? And I want

13:52

to just stay in the bed? I can't

13:54

stay here. I can't stay in

13:56

this depression. I don't want this. I'm I'm

13:58

trying to muster all this smile. I can

14:01

to stand at the door and to greet

14:03

people as they come in, but on the inside,

14:06

I'm feeling like I'm dying. I'm smiling

14:08

at you, but I need you to smile back

14:10

at me. I can't stay

14:13

here. Can somebody please help me?

14:15

Can somebody please give me some hope?

14:17

Can somebody please give me some strength? I

14:19

can't stay here

14:25

numb, maybe

14:28

even lukewarm?

14:31

Is the day like you're on fire for God?

14:34

As they say, on fire,

14:38

excited about God? Couldn't

14:40

help, but keep your hands up. And

14:43

now it's just like they're

14:46

heavy, Like you're carrying

14:48

two kettlebells and can't

14:50

lift them way

14:53

down.

14:56

How about you.

14:56

But family drama too, can be one

14:58

of the hardest things navigating. Man.

15:02

Oh man, I

15:04

love my mother in law. I

15:08

love her. Thank you Jesus for.

15:14

Family.

15:15

My family.

15:16

Family. Sorry about that, honey, but family.

15:20

Family. Who remember

15:22

they were like, have kids? Remember they said that have kids?

15:25

You need you, need you to have kids. I'm saying, yeah,

15:27

I can't wait. Now you're like, oh my lord, can

15:31

I put these kids back? Can I

15:34

gotta get a refund on these kids

15:36

right here?

15:38

I love them so much.

15:39

But it can it can be taxing, it

15:41

can be difficult, It can be hard.

15:44

It can be oh doctor's bill,

15:46

Oh soccer game, Oh football

15:49

game, Oh camp. Oh you

15:51

need skills training here, and then you need

15:53

skills training there, and then we

15:55

gotta go here, we gotta get ready for college over

15:58

there, and then we I mean, you got all

16:00

this stuff if you're a single person trying

16:02

to navigate, I've got so much

16:05

on my brain. I'm sixteen,

16:07

seventeen years old, and I'm supposed

16:09

to have everything figured out. And I don't

16:11

have everything figured out. I don't

16:13

know what college I'm going to. I

16:16

don't know how I'm gonna pay for college.

16:18

I don't even know what's gonna happen to my mom

16:20

and my dad. Help me, somebody.

16:23

I can't stay here.

16:30

So it brings us to our text.

16:33

In The Two Kings, chapter seven, verses

16:36

three and four, there are four

16:38

lepers and they

16:40

are sitting there now

16:43

leprosy back in the day.

16:46

Well, this would be a disease.

16:49

We don't know if it was like exactly leprosy. It guess

16:51

to be some type of skin disorder, but it

16:53

would make you unclean. I

16:55

mean, at that point in time, you have certain

16:58

rules where you're not allowed

17:00

to be around certain people, you can't

17:03

touch certain things. And hear

17:05

these four lepers and they're all hanging

17:08

out together. You have

17:10

to read the rest of the even

17:12

chapter six and chapter seven, they.

17:14

Really go together. But when you read

17:16

them.

17:17

You find out that the aramines,

17:19

the enemy's army has surrounded

17:22

the city and they have been encamped around

17:24

the city for so long, and they're

17:27

basically suffocating God's

17:29

kids to death. They're

17:32

not letting any food or

17:34

water in it got

17:36

dark. I mean it got very very

17:38

dark. Individuals were doing some

17:41

of the most heinous crimes,

17:43

even against their own family. You can read

17:45

it. I don't want to say it because I might

17:48

lose your attention. That's how horrific

17:50

the things are that we're going on in

17:52

the text. So

17:55

this is a tough place.

17:58

It's a hard, difficult spot

18:00

that they are in. They are in a place they

18:02

do not want to be like

18:05

some of us. So

18:08

they're sitting there outside

18:11

the city gate. They're not allowed to

18:13

go into the city because they're lepers. The

18:16

sitting there and they start talking

18:18

to each other and we get

18:21

a look seat into their conversation.

18:23

And these guys we find out are

18:25

crazy.

18:28

You gotta have a couple of friends like this, just so you know, you gotta

18:30

have a couple leper friends and a little

18:35

it's a little bit off. You

18:38

can't have everybody in your left it's just real squeaky clean.

18:40

You gonna have somebody to be like I'll

18:42

pull up right now. You gotta have a couple of people like

18:44

that in your life and in

18:46

your corner. Don't get so saved that you can't throw

18:48

hands right. You want to make sure if

18:52

something pops off, call

18:56

your boy you. So you're the

18:58

leopers are sitting there and they say,

19:02

Okay, we're gonna

19:04

die here, We're gonna die. We

19:07

sit here, we're gonna die. If

19:11

we're going to the city, we're

19:13

definitely gonna die. But

19:16

if we go to the enemy's camp, they're

19:19

probably gonna kill us too. But

19:22

they might not kill us with

19:30

the enemies camp. Maybe

19:34

they'll take us like as prisoners, and

19:37

we'll at least get some food. So

19:40

they're sitting there in this deductive

19:42

reasoning, they get to the

19:45

place where they go.

19:46

I know, if I stay in this exact

19:49

same spot.

19:52

And I keep thinking the exact

19:55

same way, and

19:57

I keep doing the exact same

19:59

thing thing, then this

20:02

right here is going to bring me

20:04

to a place of death. And I

20:06

know I do not want to die

20:10

right here, so I've got

20:12

to do something. I like these guys.

20:15

I like these guys because they do

20:17

not get hung up on what they

20:20

can't do. They

20:23

start thinking about what can I do. They

20:26

don't get hung up on what I don't have. They

20:29

start thinking about what.

20:31

Do I have.

20:33

So for you and I I am praying that while

20:35

you are you and I are in those spots of frustration.

20:37

We're in those places of like, Okay, how do I get

20:39

my company to that next level? How do I get my marriage

20:42

out of this spot? How do I get my single life here?

20:44

How do I get my thought life there? How to get my physical

20:46

body here? How to get my finances there? I don't want to

20:48

stay here. I don't want to stay here. I don't want to stay here. You

20:51

and I get stuck so many times because like

20:53

I can't do this, I can't do that, I can't do

20:55

this, I can't do that. But I'm trying to get you

20:57

to see it from another perspective. I wonder

20:59

if this period of God today could help

21:01

you and I learn from some lepers, and some

21:04

lepers would be sitting there outside the city

21:06

gate and then decided to say, I

21:09

know some things I don't have, but

21:11

I do have some things that I can do,

21:13

at least as an enemy's camp that

21:16

I can head to, at least as a place

21:18

I can go. I wonder where you can

21:20

go. I wonder what e group is

21:22

there for you. I wonder what prayer

21:24

group is there for you. I wonder what campus

21:27

pastor wants to lay hands on you to help

21:29

you get out of the spot that you're in. I

21:31

wonder what friend is there. I wonder

21:34

who is around you right now that you can't

21:36

see them because you keep thinking.

21:38

About what you don't have.

21:39

In God's like, I have put you in a

21:41

community of faith that will stand

21:44

with you and stand beside you and help

21:46

you become all that I've.

21:47

Called you to be.

21:48

What do you have?

21:54

What do you have? What

21:57

can you do? Because

22:01

it's something, there's

22:03

something you can do, it's

22:06

something you do have. Because

22:08

I can't stay.

22:12

Here.

22:15

I can't. If

22:17

you're on a team and everybody on the team

22:19

keeps telling you you're a complainer, but you say, I'm not a complainer.

22:22

I'm not a complainer. But you're like, oh, well, they keep saying you're complaining.

22:24

Then you I'm not a complain I'm coming out a complainer. Then maybe

22:26

maybe you're a complainer. And

22:32

it's a frustrating place to be, but you go, I can't stay here,

22:36

And instead of just ejecting yourself out

22:38

of the place where God has you, maybe he's

22:40

trying to change something on the inside of you because

22:43

he knows what he has for your future, so he's

22:45

trying to tell you hey, friend, friend, I love

22:47

you. But you can't stay here

22:50

with how you think everybody's against

22:52

you. You can't stay here with how you

22:55

see the world. You can't stay here with

22:57

how you process information. You can't

23:00

stay here with how you just skip past

23:02

the word of God. You can't stay here

23:04

with how you don't ever pray, and how you

23:07

don't ever give, and how you don't ever serve.

23:09

You can't stay here. If you stay

23:11

there, you will die.

23:15

So these guys go, look with me. In verse number

23:17

five, come on, keep on going with me. We'll walk through the Bible

23:19

here. You guys, ready, you're with me, You with me?

23:21

Versu five.

23:22

Look at dusk, Chapter

23:24

seven, Verse number five. At dust they got up and

23:27

went to the camp of the Aramians. Everybody

23:30

say, at duska, that's important.

23:32

At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Aramians.

23:35

When they reached the edge of the camp, no

23:37

one was there. For

23:40

the Lord had caused

23:42

the airmens to hear the

23:44

sound of chariots and horses

23:47

and a great army, so

23:49

that they said to one another, look, the

23:53

King of Israel has hired the hit Tight

23:55

and Egyptian kings to attack us.

23:57

So they got up and fled in the

24:01

oh in the dusk, there

24:03

it is again, and

24:05

abandoned their tents and their horses

24:08

and donkeys. They left

24:11

the camp as it was and

24:13

ran for their lives. At

24:16

dusk, at dust, the four lepers decide,

24:18

okay, let's go, and they

24:20

get up and they throw on their jays, then

24:23

have jays and they start walking. They

24:26

start walking. They start walking

24:28

at dusk. That's what verse five tells us,

24:30

and a verse number seven it tells us at dusk

24:32

is when the enemy started running. So

24:35

when the when the lepers got up

24:37

over here, God

24:40

calls the sound over there.

24:43

They got up here, but

24:46

something happened over there.

24:49

Let me say it again. Let me say it again. They

24:52

got up and took a step here,

24:55

and then God did a miracle

24:58

over there.

25:03

Honey, you can trust with my phone.

25:04

Trust my phone. It doesn't any any

25:06

phone. It's no throw it to me. Come on, I can catch

25:09

it. Come on, That's what I'm talking about. Thank you. I

25:11

got hands. I got hands Okay, so

25:13

on my phone right here is iPhone twelve. Sorry about

25:15

that. I still have an upgraded cricket cricket

25:17

wireless.

25:18

Uh kid,

25:21

If you got cricket, God bless you.

25:22

Uh do

25:25

calls go through with

25:29

that being said? Uh uh?

25:33

On my phone, I have the next app,

25:36

okay, next that so I can

25:38

get I can right now go to that app

25:40

on my phone. And if I

25:43

changed the temperature on my

25:45

phone here, all

25:50

the way back home in Dallas, the

25:53

temperature changes at home.

25:57

I did something here, but

26:00

something happens all the way over

26:02

there. This is

26:05

a picture of what happens in Second

26:07

King chapter seven.

26:08

It's also a picture of prayer.

26:10

Mom, when you get on your knees and your

26:12

kid is out at the party and you are

26:14

praying here. If

26:17

God begins to do something over

26:21

there, it's like the alcohol

26:23

does not taste the same over

26:26

there. They go to but

26:29

they want to put it down because

26:31

Mom or God is praying over

26:34

here. There is something about

26:36

taking a step here that

26:39

God does something over

26:41

there, And I need you and I to

26:43

be a people that says God, even

26:46

if I don't see it, I will

26:48

take a step when it doesn't

26:50

even make sense here

27:00

there here

27:04

there.

27:06

This is how God works.

27:08

See you and I want to see it, but

27:11

you don't get to see it unless

27:13

you take the step. We

27:16

say, God, show me. Then I'll take the step.

27:18

God was like, no, no, no, no, We're not doing

27:20

it like that. We're doing it my

27:22

way, and my way is the way of faith.

27:25

My way is the way of trust. My way

27:28

is the way that when the water is going

27:30

crazy and the waves are crashing and

27:32

it doesn't make any sense, that's what I want

27:35

you to give. When it looks like the economy

27:37

is going upside down, that's when I

27:39

want you trusting me. When it doesn't look

27:41

like things are moving the right direction, that's when

27:43

I want you to say, God, it doesn't make

27:45

sense in my brain, but I can't stay

27:48

here. So I'm gonna take the step you're calling

27:50

me to take, so I can do what you're calling me to

27:52

do, and I can see a miracle that

27:55

I would never see had I not taken

27:58

the step. Let me let me share it. Picture

28:00

my family their way. All of them are prettier than

28:02

me, all of them. All of them are prettier than

28:04

me. Okay, got my picture of my family. Look at this. Okay,

28:06

here here's the crew. Here's the crew. There's an older picture

28:09

right here, our nine year old now house corn

28:11

rows, which I cannot do because

28:14

I'm involved my

28:17

wife's my best friend. Okay, so she's my

28:19

sexy piece of dark chocolate. I love her so much. She

28:22

and I twenty seven years have been married. Now

28:24

it's gone by so fast.

28:27

Still my best friend. I love

28:29

her so much. So I got my beautiful

28:31

wife. Okay, we met in college and she

28:34

liked me first and was trying to you know, it's

28:36

a long story, y'all will talk about it at

28:38

another time, but

28:40

but I'm so so blessed. And then

28:42

we've got our nineteen year old son, Parker, who

28:45

was absolutely amazing. He's about to

28:47

be a sophomore in college. Man

28:49

stolen our heart. Then we've got Grayson.

28:52

He's our nerd, I mean nerd nerd

28:54

and plays the cello and football

28:57

and does the

28:59

viola and knows stuff

29:01

about the sun. I mean he's just a little

29:03

bit. He's our nerd. We'll all be working

29:05

for him one day, Okay, So we love him so

29:08

much. And then we've got my favorite child, who's

29:10

my daughter. Because she's my daughter,

29:16

girl, Dads, can I get an amen? Come on?

29:17

Can I get an amen?

29:18

Girl?

29:18

Dad's I tell my sons this all the time.

29:21

I like your sister more than you. That's

29:24

why I say yes to her all the time. Okay,

29:27

you're lucky. I'm feeding you tonight, Elle,

29:29

What would you like so

29:33

love all of our kids so much?

29:35

Our oldest Parker, he's our biological

29:38

son. Our last two are adopted, something

29:41

we always wanted to do since we were in college. And

29:44

after we had a Parker, we

29:47

had Parker, and then we were like, we

29:49

were both fifty to fifty on biological

29:52

but we're both one hundred percent on adoptions. She were like, Hey,

29:54

let's go ahead and adopt and then we'll just have some more

29:56

kids later. So the

29:58

adoption process ended up taking like two and a half

30:00

years, so we ended

30:03

up not having any.

30:04

More biological kids.

30:06

But when we first started the process, we

30:08

drove about three hours up the road

30:11

to our adoption center and this was like the first

30:14

meeting where they were going to tell all these prospective

30:16

parents what the process was like. So they're sitting

30:18

there and they're telling us all what the process is like, and

30:20

they bring in lawyers, and they even bring in birth

30:24

moms who are making this courageous

30:26

decision to you know, find a forever

30:28

home for their child. I mean, just something

30:31

that it's a heart of sacrifice.

30:33

And love that I almost can't even

30:35

comprehend. I mean courageous,

30:38

courageous birth moms and birth dads.

30:40

We got to meet some of their adoptive parents

30:42

and then they sit you down. They're like, okay, what

30:44

type of kid are you looking for? And you fill out this questionnaire

30:46

and then at the bottom of it, they're like, how are you going

30:49

to pay for it? Now,

30:53

for those who don't know, adoption is not

30:55

free. Should be, but

30:58

it's not. I'm talking like twenty

31:01

thirty thousand dollars. Now,

31:04

if you got it like that, congratulations

31:06

to you. You're like, oh, twenty thousand dollars, that's nothing

31:08

I can do with the right that.

31:09

Okay, God bless you. Okay, most

31:13

of us.

31:15

We saw that on the line.

31:18

My wife and I looked at each other. We're like, okay, how are you gonna

31:20

pay for this? We both I wrote

31:22

give me that pen, honey by

31:25

faith. I wrote that right there and

31:29

turning my application with confidence. So

31:41

we're driving back home, three hour drive

31:43

back home, and we're driving home, I'm like, honey,

31:46

how are we gonna pay for this?

31:47

I know we put by faith in, how are we going

31:49

to pay for it?

31:50

The next morning, at at our church

31:52

to go to a men's meeting. I'm at this men's meeting and

31:56

we're setting up and this guy

31:58

comes up to me and he said, to

32:00

be hate earl. My wife

32:02

and I heard that you're going to be adopting. I'm like, oh, man,

32:04

how don't you even hear that we just started the process

32:06

that yet, Yeah, we're going to be adopting as

32:08

well. My wife and I we've never been able

32:10

to have kids ourselves, but

32:13

we just sold this piece of land and

32:16

we want to be a part of your adoption story.

32:18

Here's a check for five thousand dollars. We

32:29

took a step here,

32:36

then God was

32:40

working there. I

32:44

didn't know that when we took

32:46

the step here that God

32:48

was working over there. But

32:51

this is how God always

32:54

seems to do it. So

32:56

I'm asking you, what step

32:59

is God asking you to take

33:02

that you're not taking because you think

33:04

the step is dumb. You think the

33:06

step doesn't make any sense. You don't

33:08

have the resources for the step, you don't

33:10

have the connections for the step. You don't even

33:13

think you have the favor for the step, you don't

33:15

have the education for the step. And

33:17

God's like, since when did I ask

33:19

you if you have all their credentials

33:22

to do the thing that it's gonna

33:24

be done by My power, my glory.

33:26

Anyway, take

33:32

the step. I

33:34

can't stay here. Well, counseling's

33:36

not gonna do anything for us. How do you know

33:38

if counseling is going to.

33:39

Do anything for you? Maybe you take that

33:42

step there and.

33:43

God starts working on your husband and or wife

33:45

in that other bedroom. How do you know

33:47

if you're gonna get accepted to the school unless

33:50

you send in the application. Go ahead

33:52

and take the step here and see what God

33:54

will do over there. How do you know

33:56

if God can get you out of debt or not?

33:59

If you keep holding on to all your money,

34:01

of course you're not gonna see a miracle.

34:04

But what if you started giving and

34:06

saying, God, I'll live a life of generosity.

34:09

I wonder what God will do.

34:14

There?

34:16

Push that little nest

34:18

button, pray.

34:23

Give sir?

34:27

What is he asking you to do? I don't know. I know the

34:29

Holy Spirit he has a way of

34:31

talking to all of us exactly how we need to be talked to.

34:34

You know the thing that he's like, You're like, dang,

34:36

dang, dang. I wish that guy didn't come today, Dang,

34:41

I just wanted to be encouraged today. I didn't want

34:43

anybody saying anything that I had to do anything.

34:46

I just wanted them to say something to me that could

34:48

feel good about myself and now here. So

34:50

I'm not gonna do this. I'm not gonna do this, but I

34:52

pray that the Holy Spirit torments

34:55

you in the best way possible, that he makes

34:57

you so incredibly uncomfortable,

35:00

because there's more that God wants to

35:02

do in you and through you. Dad, you

35:04

think God has done with you yet?

35:06

Mom?

35:06

Do you think God is done with you yet? Retiree?

35:09

Do you think God is done with you already?

35:11

Just because you're thirty seven and you only

35:13

play pickleball? Do you think God is

35:16

done with you? Now? I'm telling you he

35:18

has so much more and sore

35:21

for you. But you've got to take a

35:23

step. I can't stay

35:26

here.

35:29

I can't stay here.

35:30

No. Now, Look, keep on watching, look, keep

35:32

reading the text with me, keep on going, keep on going, keep

35:34

on going. Okay, Okay, so they left, they left,

35:36

They left. Go to verse number eight. It's a

35:38

brak Okay, Okay. The men who

35:41

had leprosy reached

35:43

the edge of the camp. The

35:47

men who had leprosy reached the edge

35:49

of the camp. Watch this, entered

35:53

one of the tents and

35:56

ate and drank watch this. Then

36:00

they took silver gold

36:04

fu boo just getting close. I don't even

36:06

know what foo boo is, and went off

36:10

and hid them. They

36:13

returned and then to another tent

36:17

and took some things from it and

36:19

hit them.

36:19

Also. Okay, first

36:21

eight, they get to the camp.

36:24

Nobody's there because God did something with the sound

36:26

of the feet. God did something

36:28

with something small, and he turned into something

36:30

great. God did something

36:32

with something small, but he turned into something great. Then

36:35

they get there, there's nobody there, and

36:37

they start going, yeah,

36:43

yo, look at this tent right

36:45

here. Ha

36:49

yo, this is

36:52

crazy. Yay, I'm drinking.

36:54

Camera follow me, camera, follow me, okay, camera

36:56

from hah ah.

37:06

Pull up, boy, pull up. It's

37:10

crazy over here. There's

37:13

nobody here. We can drink everything

37:15

we want. They

37:18

left their clothes, they

37:20

left their silver. They

37:22

start taking the stuff and hiding

37:25

it. Okay, these guys,

37:29

I guess maybe we would do that too. I don't know. I don't know how

37:31

I would act. I

37:34

remember, they haven't been able to be around anyone. This'

37:37

been with each other. They've

37:40

been outcasts. Everyone

37:42

looked past them, disrespected

37:44

them, and now I was like, they

37:46

got this whole big thing coming their

37:48

direction. It's like, oh, my goodness, I've

37:52

never had it like this before. So

37:55

now now now, now look at this verse

37:58

number nine versnumber nine, goodness,

38:01

look at this. Then

38:03

they said to each other, what

38:07

we are doing is

38:10

not right. This

38:15

is a day of good news, and

38:18

we are keeping it to ourselves. If

38:21

we wait until daylight, punishment

38:23

will overtake us. Let us go at once and

38:26

report this to the royal Palace. So

38:30

in the middle and then grab

38:32

it all the stuff

38:35

and hiding it. Somebody

38:39

realizes, wait wait wait,

38:41

wait, wait wait wait wait,

38:46

we had nothing and

38:50

now we have all

38:52

this, and

38:56

I'm keeping it to myself. This

39:02

ain't right, and I like that.

39:04

The Texas this is a day of good

39:07

news. It's

39:10

really a beautiful picture of the gospel that

39:13

you and I, You and I were lepers,

39:17

outcasts, sinners, separated

39:20

from God, and

39:23

then we end up

39:26

being drawn to a spot that

39:29

we maybe thought would kill us. Like no, there's no way, there's

39:31

no way. I can't I can't ever approached, I can't

39:33

ever approached Jesus because of my sin and all

39:35

my shortcomings and all my weaknesses and all

39:37

my difficulties. But we get there and it's like, Oh

39:39

my goodness, I got an abundance of blessings. I

39:43

got more coming my way than I ever thought possible.

39:47

I used to be lonely, but now

39:49

I've got more friends that I've ever had in my entire life.

39:53

I've had so many other pastors in my life

39:55

that didn't have my back, but now I have a pastor.

39:57

I've got campus pastors. I've got leaders that are

39:59

praying for me, that are believing for God's best in

40:01

my life. I've got them. I've got pastors with integrity

40:04

and character, pastors that I can trust.

40:06

Oh my goodness, I've got this.

40:07

I've got. I've got a taste. I've

40:10

got a taste of heaven on earth.

40:12

I've got a taste that I used to be lost,

40:14

but now I'm found. I got a taste that

40:17

i used to be dead, but now I'm alive. I

40:19

got a taste that I used to be broken,

40:21

but now I've been put back together. I've got a taste

40:24

that I used to be all up in my head, but

40:26

now I found myself walking in freedom and

40:28

joy and in life. I used to be a person

40:31

that was just wandering around and I didn't

40:33

know which way to go. But then God and his grace and his

40:35

mercy, he captured me and he pulled

40:37

me up out of a glorious spit. How

40:40

in the world can I keep this to

40:47

my self? I

40:50

heard it said that

40:54

bad things, when they

40:56

are kept secret, the

40:59

usually tend to grow.

41:04

But good things, when

41:06

you keep them secret, sometimes

41:10

they actually tend to lose their

41:12

power. Because

41:15

there's something about you

41:18

and I tasting

41:20

the goodness of Almighty God. And

41:24

once I have tasted it, I

41:27

cannot keep this to

41:30

my self. I

41:33

have to share it. I

41:38

have to. So

41:41

these guys go, okay, okay,

41:43

I got good news. I got good

41:45

news. We're gonna go back. We're

41:47

gonna tell everybody. And they go back

41:50

and they start telling everybody, and they start

41:52

with the gatekeepers because they can't even go into the city. So they talk

41:55

to the gatekeepers. Gatekeepers, look

41:59

at your boys, look

42:02

at our clothes, Like, what you get all that jewelry?

42:05

I'm telling y'all, just up

42:07

the road. Nobody's

42:10

in the camp. They

42:12

got grills, they got necklaces

42:16

rings. I'm

42:20

telling you, I'm telling you, there

42:22

is more up there than you can even

42:25

possibly imagine. It's

42:28

better than you could ever even

42:31

think than the gatekeeper.

42:34

Tell somebody else, tell somebody else, and

42:36

it makes its way all the way to the palace, and

42:38

then the king hears it. The King's

42:40

like, oh, man, I think they're trying to trick

42:42

us. Those are Oromians. They're trying to trick us. But

42:44

they weren't being tricked. In actuality,

42:47

God had worked a miracle

42:49

because four lepers decided

42:52

to not stay here.

42:58

I was wondering. I

43:03

was wondering who might

43:05

eat because

43:09

you won't stay there.

43:15

I was wondering five

43:18

years from now, ten years from now,

43:21

fifteen years from now.

43:22

I wonder what the ripple effect

43:24

of your step might be.

43:28

I wonder. I wonder because we we

43:30

think, we think it's not gonna

43:33

matter.

43:33

That's what they thought.

43:34

It's not gonna matter. I'll

43:36

probably die, it's probably

43:38

gonna end in nothing. It's probably

43:41

gonna fall flat on its face. Yes,

43:43

it's a possibility that it could

43:45

fail, but it's also a possibility

43:48

that God could do something with your step

43:50

that would absolutely change an

43:53

entire generation.

43:54

Dare I say elevation was

43:57

a step.

43:57

That Pastor Stephen and Pastor Hall

44:00

he took, and you and I are on the other side

44:02

of that. I am so thankful that

44:04

there have been men and women of God years

44:06

ago that said I'm not going

44:08

to stay comfortable. I'm so glad

44:11

they continue to take a step. And then

44:13

God took that step, and he turned

44:15

and he magnified that sound, and

44:18

before they knew it, things were changing

44:20

in a spot. Maybe

44:28

they didn't even get a chance to see you. So

44:34

maybe the wrestle you have

44:37

in you, you

44:39

think it's just about you, But

44:45

there could be a teenager on the other side of

44:47

your yes. There's

44:51

a business on the other side of your yes. There's

44:55

a grandchild on the other side of your yes. I'm

44:58

just praying that God would give you a picture on raying,

45:00

God would give you a picture. You're like, I'm not gonna

45:02

try out for the team. You don't know what God

45:04

can do with just to try it. I'm just telling

45:06

you. I'm just telling you don't know what

45:09

God will do with a step

45:11

when you begin to get uncomfortable.

45:14

I can't stay here, I can't stay here,

45:16

I can't stay here. I can't stay here.

45:18

I can't stay here. I can't stay here.

45:21

I can't stay here in my mind I can't

45:23

stay here in my finances, I can't stay

45:25

here in my spiritual life. I can't stay

45:27

here in my mindset. I can

45:30

not stay here. You will

45:32

be shocked and

45:38

what God will do with a step. The

45:43

beautiful thing about this as

45:46

we all can take a step. I

45:53

was when I was preparing this

45:55

message. It just dropped into my heart. I have

45:58

not preached this. This is what I honest I pray. I was

46:00

like, God, what do I need to share

46:02

with my beautiful elevation family? And

46:05

this is the passage God has dropped in my heart. I

46:07

was like, Lord, I got some better sermons. I feel like in

46:09

this This

46:11

one dropped into my heart and

46:14

I was like I was trying to turn into steps. I was like, okay,

46:16

God, tell me what steps can give me give some steps

46:18

to give to people. And I didn't get any steps

46:23

and get any steps. I

46:26

thought, the Lord tell me, impress them

46:28

my heart, don't give steps,

46:32

invite them into an experience.

46:37

Ezekiel, chapter two, verses two. As

46:42

he spoke, the.

46:46

Spirit came into me and

46:51

raised me to my

46:53

feet next

46:56

to Ezekiel. I think it's Chapter three, verse

46:59

twenty four. Look at this. Then

47:02

the Spirit came into me and

47:07

raised me to my feet. Then

47:12

Acts chapter one, verse number eight. Maybe

47:15

you've read it, but you will receive

47:18

power when

47:20

the Holy Spirit comes on you, and

47:24

you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all

47:26

Judea and Samaria, and to the ends

47:29

of the earth. Then

47:33

one of my favorite passages in

47:36

Acts chapter number

47:39

two, when

47:41

the day of Pentecost came, they

47:44

were all together in one place. Suddenly

47:47

a sound like the blowing of a violent wind

47:49

came from heaven and filled the whole house.

47:51

Oh where they were sitting. They saw

47:54

what seemed to be tongues of fire that

47:56

separated and came to rest on each of them.

47:59

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit

48:01

and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit

48:03

enabled them, shipping all the way down to verse

48:05

number fourteen. Then Peter stood

48:08

up, looking again the Spirit standing

48:10

someone up. Then Peter stood up

48:12

with the eleven, raised his voice

48:14

and addressed the crowd. Fellow Jews

48:16

and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let

48:19

me explain this to you. Listen

48:21

carefully to what I say. These people

48:23

are not drunk as you suppose.

48:26

It's only nine in the morning. Know this

48:28

is what was spoken by the puffet

48:31

Toul in the last days. God

48:34

says, I will pour out my spirit

48:37

on all people. Your sons

48:40

and tartars will prough a sigh. Your

48:42

young men will see visions, your

48:45

old men will train dreams.

48:48

I felt, I

48:51

felt that all of a sudden, all

48:54

of a sudden, all

48:56

of a sudden, all of

48:58

a sudden, all of

49:01

a sudden, the spirit

49:03

of the Living God would

49:06

sell us up and raise

49:08

us to our feet.

49:10

And is gonna come up sudd

49:13

it's good, would come up seven.

49:16

I'm all on the

49:19

sun.

49:21

It's gonn come on of the sand.

49:25

It still come on the sandst

49:29

come.

49:30

Standing see me coming

49:33

mother the sad. It's

49:36

gonna come on the side.

49:39

Come home.

49:44

It's gonna come on the sun. Come

49:46

on. His spirit

49:48

is breaking.

49:51

Let's gonna come.

49:53

Up on the sand.

49:55

It's gonna come up the sun.

50:01

Pass

50:05

well, let you see, but

50:08

you're out. Let me say

50:12

time side, I

50:15

pay to come out.

50:17

Let's say he

50:20

will come me go peace.

50:23

The straight

50:27

side. Come

50:34

on.

50:35

Let me see walty

50:39

Jim.

50:40

Every game with chi side.

50:46

Come Holy

50:51

Spirit. I pray over

50:53

every location. I pray

50:56

over every man. I pray

50:58

over every woman. I pray pray over

51:00

every teenager. I pray over every

51:02

college student. I pray over every

51:04

married person. I pray over every single

51:07

person. I pray over every retiree.

51:09

I pray over every single one of us

51:12

that are online, that are at any location.

51:14

And in the name of Jesus, right now,

51:17

I ask that the Holy Spirit would

51:19

fill us up from the top of our head

51:22

to the soles of our feet. I thank

51:24

you, o God, that what we need to

51:26

do cannot be done in flesh.

51:29

It cannot be done by our strength. It's

51:31

not Pie, Mike, it's not by power,

51:34

but it is Pie your spirit.

51:37

So Spirit of the Living God, what

51:40

you raise us to our feet? Would

51:42

you get us out of our heads? Would

51:44

just surround us with the right people, and

51:46

may we live our lives for your glory.

51:49

In the name of Cheese, thank

52:51

you for joining us.

52:53

Special thanks to those of you who give generously

52:55

to this ministry. Is because of you that

52:57

this ministry is possible. You can

52:59

click the link in the description to give now,

53:02

or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash

53:05

podcast for more information. And if

53:07

you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.

53:10

You can share it with your friends. You can click

53:12

the share button, take a screenshot and share

53:14

it on your social stories and tag us at Elevation

53:16

Church.

53:17

Thanks again for listening. God bless you.