Furtick's In*Fin*8 series-Part 2: God's Always Got Your Back. So Carry On!

Notes from Steven Furtick's In*Fin*8 series (Elevation Series), Part 2.

(Click on Part 1 to get notes from Part 1.)

Summary from site:

Keep Calm & Carry On

 

PASTOR STEVEN FURTICK

If all we want is a life of convenience and only convenience, then God's way is not the best way. Because when it comes to God's will and His plan for our lives, His way is not always the shortest way or the easiest way. It's better than that. In the second part of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven uses the the story of Moses and the Red Sea to show us that God's way is the way that causes us to press in towards Him, stretching our faith and increasing His glory.

^{God had delivered the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt with a promise to lead them to the Promised Land. But He knew they weren't ready for the blessing. Their hearts needed preparation. For with blessing comes a battle.}

^{Exodus 14:10 (ESV)} When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” ¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ Lift up your staff, andstretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ AndI will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. ¹⁸ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

¹⁹ Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night andmade the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. ²² And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. ²⁴ And in the morning watch theLord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,²⁵ clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

How different are we from the Israelites?

God has just shown His power to deliver in our life.

Then, yikes, a crisis looms. We look for God. He seems to have disappeared completely. We could not see that He has gone behind us and between the encroaching enemy and our backs.

And so, we cry out, it would have been better back there! 

The Israelites suddenly yearned for the predictability of their slavery to the uncertainty of this new freedom. 

They were familiar with bondage. They glossed over the pain of their slavery.

But God brought this on, not to give the Israelites panic attacks, but to show the Egyptians who He is, His glory, His power.

The Egyptians had power by worldly standards, great chariots that could overtake the weary Israelites on foot. Easy.

But the Israelites had God, the Lord God, who clogged those mighty  chariot wheels. 

Not a problem.

What are the chariots in your life that seem so massive, so impossible to stop?

Is it the debt? The illness? The singleness? Depression?

"Glory" means weight. God is building the pressure big time so that He can reveal that only His weight of strength and power is able to annihilate those 'chariots.'

Doesn't it seem sometimes that just when you need Him most, God simply 'disappears'? But decrease in visibility does not equal decrease in His Presence. He has promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you..I am with you always."

Just as with the Israelites, God always has your back!

So, let's keep on keeping on!

Furtick-In*fin*8 series-Part 1: Satan's vs. God's Questions to you.

I was recently introduced to Steven Furtick's (Elevation Church) In-Fin-8 series.
Well, all I can say is that his teaching spoke deeply into my season and naturally I took notes!

CRAFTY

Part 1: Summary from site:
There is a very real and present Enemy lurking in our lives. He wants to destroy us and our relationship with God. But Satan is crafty in his deception. Instead of showing us how he wants to ruin us, he asks us questions that cause us to doubt the instructions, intentions, and promises of God. In this first part of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven looks at the story of Adam & Eve to help us understand the questions Satan asks us - and the questions God asks us in return. 

Yes, Satan's  strategy is never obvious. He's crafty. He poses a question first, one that introduces doubt; doubt about God's intention, character, ability; doubt that leads to disobedience; doubt that launches you into Satan's ingenious plan to rob, kill and destroy God's original plan for you.

Genesis 3(ESV):Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said...

Furtick says every dysfunction in our life goes back to an incorrect response to that question of doubt. Eve should have walked away from that snake. 

If we look back at our lives where God has placed promises, we might see that Satan has posted a doubt:

 - when we lost a job and the bank account is empty: The truth: God is our Provider. The doubt: Is He still?

 - when in a fog of despair, we cried out and there was no answer: The truth: I will never leave you. The doubt: Has God turned His back on me?

 - when too many crises prevail: The truth: I have loved you with an everlasting love. The doubt: How can He love me and allow all this?
So KNOW God's Word and what He said. 
What He said IS. Period.

COVERED AND CLOTHED

^Gen.3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
When Adam and Eve realized their sin, their first thought was to cover it up. They made themselves a cover. We cover our sins with legalism, self-righteousness, political correctness, rationalizations.
Our disobedience dislocates us from God. When God called out to Adam, "Where are you?", it was not because He did not know but he wanted Adam to ponder, to know.
Our Lord God calls out to us individually: "Where are you, Sita? Who do you believe? Am I still Who I Am?"

But He does not leave us unequipped.
^Gen.4:1 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
God clothed them. God covers us with grace. He clothes us with the righteousness of Jesus.
Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

So no need to hide in shame anymore.

He, our Lord God, calls out and wants to wash and cleanse and clothe you.

Amen.

My last born is 15 years old! Wow!

Happy 15th Birthday, Daniel

My dear son, you should know by now how much you and your brother fascinate me. That I should somehow have anything to do with you is an honour and privilege.

To watch you grow physically, emotionally and spiritually is simply amazing. It helps me to realize that is how God looks at each of us, including you. SO that is why when I know when I've messed up in parenting (like everyday!), I have the "Perfect Parent" backing me up and I thank God for the grace I see in your life.

What a blessing you are to all of us.

Your big brother has no one as loyal as you to him, who loves him so unconditionally.  

I love that you want an intimate relationship with God and that you apply in our nightly Bible readings to whatever is going on in your life.

 And your voice! Wow. You have no idea how much I love to hear you sing. I can never hear Bohemian Rhapsody without thinking of you. You sing with such sensitivity and subtle nuances.

I love how you focus and research your task at hand especially when it is something you are passionate about.

And yeah, you can dance. Duh.

You are smart, an intuitive thinker. But more than that, I believe that you are growing in insight and wisdom. As I have told you before, God has given you a special gift that sees people's hearts.

But with that sensitivity comes the need to guard your heart diligently for learning to love deeply brings the inevitable pain of betrayal, rejection and shattered dreams. All part of life. All part of God grooming you to know that only He can fill that need for perfect love. Pursue God and everything else will fall into place. In Him, you will find the Perfect Friend, Father, Counsellor, Guide and Comforter. In all decisions, consult Him first, especially in relationships and vocational calling. He created you with the perfect plan in mind. But to know it, you have to ask Him.

 So, I'll close with a blessing for this 'new' year.

 I bless you with a trusting heart, that persists in believing in His love for you;

 a steady heart that keeps on beating strong in the face of the ups and downs in life's circumstances;

a strong heart that perseveres when battered by hurts;

a heart of worship as you gain a deeper appreciation of how awesome your God is;

a heart of compassion that breaks with what breaks God's heart.

My verse for you is:

Psalm 37: 3-7a (AMP)

³ Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

⁶ And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.

⁷ Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, dear Daniel, with untold gratitude for your special love for me and understanding my love language so well. Keep on creating and dancing and singing, for you light up the world.
Love Always,
 Mom.

Did you "see" that one person today?

Seeing through God's eyes. 
Everybody you meet is struggling with something. Some mask it better than others. Choose one. As Mother Teresa says, start with one. One. One. Ask God to guide you to which one. For he has already equipped you with grace sufficient for the day.