Allow Joy To Reintroduce Himself (Pastor Tauren Wells)

Summary

Elevation with Steven Furtick: Episode Summary

Title: Allow Joy To Reintroduce Himself (Pastor Tauren Wells)
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Release Date: May 27, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Elevation with Steven Furtick, Pastor Steven Furtick teams up with Pastor Tauren Wells to delve deep into the concept of joy from a biblical perspective. Titled "Allow Joy To Reintroduce Himself," the episode challenges conventional beliefs about happiness and invites listeners to rediscover joy through their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Main Themes

• Redefining Joy: Understanding joy not just as an emotion but as a profound spiritual experience rooted in faith.
• Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Beatitudes as Jesus' inaugural message on joy.
• Personal Testimonies: Sharing personal stories to illustrate the transformative power of joy.
• Emotional and Spiritual Well-being: Linking joy to holistic health and spiritual fulfillment.

Key Discussions

1. The Inaugural Message of Jesus on Joy

Pastor Tauren Wells emphasizes the significance of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, highlighting that Jesus' first recorded words were "Blessed," setting the tone for His teachings on joy.

Pastor Tauren Wells [08:15]: "Jesus Christ preached the most important message on joy. There's the church. All right, I got you."

Wells points out that unlike famous last words, the first words Jesus spoke in His ministry were about blessing and joy, redefining the traditional understanding of happiness.

2. Challenging Traditional Beliefs About Happiness

The discussion challenges the notion that serving God requires sacrifice of personal happiness. Instead, it presents the idea that God inherently desires our happiness.

Pastor Tauren Wells [11:05]: "Jesus taught the most important message on joy in human history. But I wonder if we have stopped long enough in our lives to analyze exactly how Jesus introduced the message of joy."

This segment confronts the cultural and ecclesiastical belief that holiness must come at the expense of personal happiness, arguing instead that true joy is integral to a faithful life.

3. Personal Anecdotes Illustrating Joy

Wells shares a heartfelt story about his children's "five-year trips," using it as a metaphor for expectations tied to happiness and the realization that true joy doesn't come from achievements or possessions.

Pastor Tauren Wells [27:35]: "Disney is known as the happiest place on Earth. You don't have to be there more than five minutes to realize... What do you mean, happy?"

Through humor and personal experience, he illustrates how external pursuits of happiness often lead to disappointment, reinforcing the need to seek joy from within and through faith.

4. Spiritual Happiness vs. Secular Happiness

The conversation differentiates between secular categories of happiness and spiritual happiness, asserting that true fulfillment stems from a relationship with Jesus.

Pastor Tauren Wells [36:00]: "Spiritual happiness is a seal around the human soul. If you don't have spiritual happiness, you can swallow the world whole and still be empty because your soul is leaking."

This highlights the insufficiency of worldly pursuits in providing lasting joy and underscores the importance of spiritual well-being.

5. The Role of Worship and Emotional Processing

Wells explains how worship serves as a mechanism for emotional healing and spiritual transformation, allowing individuals to process and release their feelings in God's presence.

Pastor Tauren Wells [42:17]: "You're literally allowing him to heal your heart, your mind, your will, your emotions."

He emphasizes that genuine worship is not about bypassing emotions but engaging with them, allowing God to transform pain into joy.

Insights and Reflections

• Joy as Integral to Faith: Joy is not secondary to holiness but is foundational to experiencing God's presence.
• Biblical Foundation: The Beatitudes provide a blueprint for understanding and cultivating joy within the Christian life.
• Practical Application: Simple practices like sitting in God's presence and delighting in Him can lead to profound emotional and spiritual well-being.
• Community and Support: The shared testimonies and prayers reinforce the strength found in the church community.

Conclusion

In "Allow Joy To Reintroduce Himself," Pastor Steven Furtick and Pastor Tauren Wells deliver a powerful message that redefines joy through a biblical lens. By challenging traditional notions and emphasizing the spiritual roots of true happiness, they encourage listeners to seek joy not in external achievements but in a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The episode serves as an invitation to allow joy to reenter and transform one's life, fostering a more fulfilled and spiritually enriched existence.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Pastor Steven Furtick [12:26]: "Your happiness matters to God."
• Pastor Tauren Wells [16:55]: "What's next will shipwreck your faith. What's next will destroy your sense of contentment and fulfillment."
• Pastor Steven Furtick [22:14]: "Jesus, the embodiment of all of the law prophecies... reversing every reality that people living through that Old Testament era had experienced."
• Pastor Tauren Wells [38:09]: "I'm there to take the way of Jesus and listen more than I speak."
• Pastor Steven Furtick [46:28]: "Joy is not a thing. It's a person. It's Jesus."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Elevation with Steven Furtick serves as a profound exploration of joy, encouraging believers to reorient their understanding and pursuit of happiness. By grounding the conversation in scripture and personal experience, Furtick and Wells provide listeners with both theological insights and practical steps to embrace a joy-filled life rooted in faith.

Transcript

[Steven Furtick]

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[Steven Furtick]

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[Chris]

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[Steven Furtick]

Hey, this is Steven Furtick. I'm the Pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you.

[Chris]

Hope it builds your faith.

[Steven Furtick]

Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message.

So grateful to be here with you all today preaching to what feels to me to be family. I get so excited anytime I get to share space with you. And if you're not familiar with who I am, that's okay. I'm just your crazy beige little nephew.

[Chris]

From Austin, Texas, that pulled up on you today.

[Steven Furtick]

Just khaki, just out here praising God. Congratulations to Elevation Rhythm on the release victory lap.

[Chris]

I was encouraging David and depending on how you take it, encouraging or discouraging, Chris, because I said my 12 year old son was riding in the car with me the other day and he said, dad, why does Elevation Rhythm have more bangers than Elevation Worship? My, how the turns have tabled.

[Steven Furtick]

But seriously, celebrating you and what a a testimony of this house always being about the next generation, building for the future, not just saying it, but investing time, resources, platform, influence.

[Chris]

And it just flows from a generous.

[Steven Furtick]

House which is the culmination of generous leadership. And I'm so grateful for your pastor, Pastor Stephen Furtick. Holly, I love you guys.

[Chris]

So grateful for your kindness, for your.

[Steven Furtick]

Friendship, for your support. Shout out to Chunks wherever he's bench pressing something today, just so grateful. Chunks has been the secret weapon of church of Whitestone in Austin. I've called him countless times and he just makes room for us. And I'm so grateful.

[Chris]

And ultimately I'm grateful for you all.

[Steven Furtick]

Because generosity doesn't just flow to this church, it flows through this church. And it flowed right into Austin to Whitestone to help us plant our church 15 months ago.

[Chris]

And I just want to let you.

[Steven Furtick]

Know.

[Chris]

That God's doing something with the seed that you've sown that over the.

[Steven Furtick]

Last 15 months we've baptized 507 people.

[Chris]

We'Ve seen 630 people say yes to.

[Steven Furtick]

Jesus for the very first time.

[Chris]

So amazing to be a footnote in God's great story.

[Steven Furtick]

And I'm just so grateful for the ways that you have partnered with us.

[Chris]

We're going to go quickly to the Scripture.

[Steven Furtick]

Matthew 5, verse 1. Grab your Bibles if you don't have it. This is Elevation. You'll be able to read it somewhere. It'll be on the screens. Matthew 5, verse 1.

[Chris]

When you got it, say I got it.

[Steven Furtick]

Singing Church. I Love it. Matthew 5, verse 1.

[Chris]

Now, when Jesus saw the crowds, he.

[Steven Furtick]

Went up on a mountainside and sat down.

[Chris]

His disciples came to him and he.

[Steven Furtick]

Began to teach them. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

[Chris]

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.

[Steven Furtick]

For righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Today, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I'll be drawing this title. Allow Joy to Reintroduce himself. Allow Joy to reintroduce himself. Would you pray with me? Jesus, thank you so much for your word. I pray that you would warm our hearts today to receive what it is that you have to speak to us. God, I pray that there would be a supernatural impartation of your joy, that it would flow from the pages of these scriptures, from the heart of your presence into the lives of your people. We ask it in Jesus name. And the church said, amen. You can go ahead and take your seat. Allow Joy to reintroduce himself.

[Chris]

I want to ask you a question today. Who in human history taught the most.

[Steven Furtick]

Important message on joy? Who in human history taught the most important message on joy?

[Chris]

Now, I know we got a lot.

[Steven Furtick]

Of church folk up in here today.

[Chris]

I know there are a lot of people who have been following Jesus for.

[Steven Furtick]

A long time in the room and watching online today.

[Chris]

And so I don't just want to.

[Steven Furtick]

Assume that we're all just drawing the.

[Chris]

Same conclusions about joy and the origins of the message of joy and who articulated the power of joy most perfectly. Some of you may point to someone like Buddha and say that Buddha taught the most important message on happiness and joy. Seems like a pretty happy guy. And he said this phrase, that happiness, that there is no path to happiness. Happiness is. Is the path. Not bad.

[Steven Furtick]

I can tell.

[Chris]

I'm already losing the church with just.

[Steven Furtick]

Mentioning Buddha in this sacred space. What in the world. Been in Austin and all of a sudden you just.

[Chris]

You gonna be all right? Maybe some of you would point to a more stoic philosopher like Marcus Aurelius, an emperor. He said that joy is the product of self discipline, taking life as it comes to you. Not a bad swing at joy. Maybe more of you philosophical individuals would say someone like Aristotle gave us the most profound ideas that we have about joy and happiness. He said that happiness depends on ourselves. None of those are really bad swings at the idea. But I had to go to the.

[Steven Furtick]

Authority of all authorities.

[Chris]

I had to go to the resource.

[Steven Furtick]

Huh?

[Chris]

Of all resources. I had to go to ChatGPT. Some of y' all were ready to shout, oh, no.

[Steven Furtick]

Not AI.

[Chris]

I just wanted to test it, see.

[Steven Furtick]

How it was feeling.

[Chris]

I don't know if ChatGPT got saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost or what, but chatgpt preached back to you, boy. Chatgpt said Jesus Christ preached the most important message on joy. There's the church. All right, I got you. Okay, if ChatGPT said it, then, now.

[Steven Furtick]

Chat GPT only has a 80 to 95% accuracy rate. So you got a fact check. Chat GPT. But in this case, I think that it was 1000% right. Jesus taught the most important message on joy in human history. But I wonder if we have stopped long enough in our lives to analyze exactly how Jesus introduced the message of joy. That's why I chose this framework of Matthew 5, because Jesus actually resets the lens through which we identify happiness and joy in the world and in our lives. Now, I'm gonna test your religious reflex here. Don't me, but the next phrase that I'm about to say is going to trigger you. Are you ready? Your happiness matters to God. I know.

[Chris]

Maybe some of you were raised in environments adjacent to the environment.

[Steven Furtick]

I was raised in, where you were taught to believe God doesn't care if you're happy, do what he says.

[Chris]

Maybe some of you, you don't even realize it, but you have bought into the idea that the more miserable you are, the more you're honoring God. I don't serve him because I want to. I serve him because I have to. I grew up hearing this preached in church. God doesn't care about your happiness. He cares about your holiness. And it's so funny, in church, people will say stuff all the time that's not in the Bible, and then they'll run out to some print store and put it on a T shirt and sell it out of the trunk of their car as if it was Bible truth. But this idea does not exist in the Scriptures. In fact, in order to understand the idea of joy, to understand the heart of God, we don't go to our feelings, we don't go to church culture, we don't go to secular culture. We go to the Word of God, the Scriptures. And when I look at the Word, it's so important how you look at the Word. You don't just look at it, you look around it and you understanding the Word of God is so important because how you view the Word, the Scriptures, and determines how you view God, and how you view God determines how you interpret the events of your life. And so if I'm going to buy into a premise that God only wants mean Christians and God only makes miserable people, then I have gone outside of the very character and nature of God that the Bible teaches. When I look at Scripture, I see verses like in his Presence is the fullness of joy. Well, if joy is in his presence, how could he produce what he does not possess? And so he must possess joy to produce joy. I'm coming after this whole God only wants mean Christians thing. And if you can't smile in church, I hate to tell you, you're the problem. Can't nobody be more saved and more.

[Steven Furtick]

Mean looking than a Christian.

[Chris]

Wild. But even when you look at God and you see that the angels are gathered around his throne declaring holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty and the earth is filled with his glory, they're beholding his holiness, but they're not just saying holy, holy, holy. The Scripture indicates that they're singing holy, holy, holy. Well, singing is a product of joy. So something that heaven is experiencing in God's presence is provoking a praise from a source of worship. Why this is so important for you.

[Steven Furtick]

To understand today is because some of you have been living your lives.

[Chris]

Believing.

[Steven Furtick]

That God is withholding a certain aspect of his nature from you.

[Chris]

That he's.

[Steven Furtick]

Keeping a dimension of his character from you. Because we've been convinced that our happiness is dependent on something that we go into the world and get. But it's not going out into the world that allows us to possess happiness and joy.

[Chris]

It's going to what Dallas Willard called.

[Steven Furtick]

The great beyond within, where the character of Christ is being formed in your heart. So my happiness doesn't flow from my dreams, doesn't flow from my plans, doesn't flow from whatever season of life I'm in. It flows from the character of Jesus being formed in my heart. But you first have to buy into the premise that God is uniquely invested in your happiness.

[Chris]

When I looked at Matthew 5, I.

[Steven Furtick]

Was shooketh.

[Chris]

When I realized that Matthew 5 records. What theologians and scholars all agree on is Jesus inaugural sermon, his very first message that someone wrote down. And the first word that Jesus says is blessed.

[Steven Furtick]

Have you considered that? That Jesus stepped into time and space, split history in half with his mere existence, and he goes with his disciples, sits down on a hillside on an ordinary day, and the first word that he declares that he knows would be echoed throughout human history is the word blessed. Wow. You know, we give a lot of credence to famous last words. Famous last words.

[Chris]

Words that are powerful because they seal.

[Steven Furtick]

A moment or a season.

[Chris]

Famous last words like ain't gonna be.

[Steven Furtick]

No rematch, Apollo Creed, Rocky Four.

[Chris]

Famous.

[Steven Furtick]

Last words like don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something, Pancho Villa.

[Chris]

Famous last words like I only regret.

[Steven Furtick]

That I have but one life to lose for my country. Nathan Hale.

[Chris]

Famous last words. Like, you must do me this honor. Promise me you'll survive. That you won't give up no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose. And never let go of that promise. I'll never let go. Let's go. Why'd I have to do Leo like that, Y' all. We all know there was room on the thing. On the floaty thing.

[Steven Furtick]

There was room.

[Chris]

Rose.

[Steven Furtick]

You're selfish.

[Chris]

They stole Titanic, too.

[Steven Furtick]

From us, y' all.

[Chris]

I'm not. Okay?

[Steven Furtick]

Famous last words. But shouldn't there be something said about famous first words? Not because of their finality, but because of their primacy, their priority. The fact that they were spoken first. Famous first words. Like four score and six, seven years ago. Happy Memorial Day.

[Chris]

Famous first words. I have a dream that little black boys and little white girls will make little khaki kids. Praise God. Speak in tongues. I'm living the dream, Marty. Living the dream. Martin Luther King.

[Steven Furtick]

Famous first words. In a galaxy.

[Chris]

Oh, y' all some nerds, y' all. Elevation. Got a reputation for being so cool. Star wars nerds.

[Steven Furtick]

Famous first words. Last words. First words. Last words. First words. Last words. First words. The last word of the Old Testament is curse. The first word Jesus says in the first book of your New Testament in his first sermon is, Blessed.

[Chris]

Jesus, the embodiment.

[Steven Furtick]

All of the law prophecies. Jesus, the one who did not abolish the law, but fulfilled it to the finest detail while ironically crushing the spirit of religion in one word reverses every reality that people living through that Old Testament era had experienced. All they were left with was a curse. Because of the stringent rules and their traditions, all that they had was the curse. Even the law. The Bible says the letter brings death, but the spirit is life. And yet the Spirit was not given until Acts 2. And so these people were living under the reality of the curse until grace and truth sat down on a hillside and started to reorient the heart of humanity back to God's original intention and design for humanity. Because the first interaction God ever had with people was not to rebuke them.

[Chris]

It was not to correct them. Although he does this in his loving kindness, this was not his original intention. Genesis 1:28 records the first action of God toward humanity. And the Scripture says, and God blessed.

[Steven Furtick]

Them and told them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. And so Jesus turns the heart of a religiously cold people, one who only knew a God from the distance back to the original heart of blessing of God's people. Now, when they heard the word blessed.

[Chris]

They did not hear what we hear. It was not, come on, 2014, hashtag blessed. They did not think car. They did not think house. They did not think stuff. They did not think Oceanside, Villa. They didn't think any of those things. The word in the original language means happy. This is what.

[Steven Furtick]

This is what got me, y' all.

[Chris]

This is why I wrote a book about this. I couldn't get away from it. You mean to tell me that the first word God said when he is speaking to people that will reverberate through.

[Steven Furtick]

Generations, he chooses the word happy. It made me ask, how important must your happiness be to the heart of God if it's the first thing he points us toward? God wants you to be happy. Wild. I had an idea that was floated to me by someone that this church has a great history with. I wasn't going to out him, but I decided to. Wade Joy gave me this advice. He said it'd be a great idea.

[Chris]

If you do a five year trip with all your kids every five years. Take them on something, just them, you and Lorna.

[Steven Furtick]

When we had two kids, this was a great idea.

[Chris]

We got four of them things.

[Steven Furtick]

But.

[Chris]

We started it and now we can't retract it. So I went to my oldest son. He was turning five at the time. I said, hey, bro, your five year trip's coming up. Where you want to go? I thought, we live in Texas, y' all.

[Steven Furtick]

So I thought he'd want to go to the Alamo, you know, down to the Mexico border. That would be interesting, no?

[Chris]

My boy said, dad, I want to.

[Steven Furtick]

Go to Disney World. The trip of all trips.

[Chris]

Now, I had a thing that I was doing for work, so we actually.

[Steven Furtick]

Got to make it happen and we went to Disney World. But I realized I immediately set a very high precedent.

[Chris]

And so here comes his little brother, Lawson.

[Steven Furtick]

He's five years old. Dad, it's time for my five year trip. And I know where I want to go.

[Chris]

Where we going, boss?

[Steven Furtick]

Japan.

[Chris]

I said, japan.

[Steven Furtick]

What?

[Chris]

My fault. My fault, little brother. My fault. Anywhere in the continental United States of America. Where would you like to. I want to go to Japan. Doitashi bashite. Boy, you can't even speak English. What are you doing?

[Steven Furtick]

We're not going to Japan. Fine.

[Chris]

He wipes his last tear.

[Steven Furtick]

I'll go to Disney World.

[Chris]

Spoiled.

[Steven Furtick]

We went to Disney World.

[Chris]

Then Navy, he was three and a half. Talking about Disney World. Disney World.

[Steven Furtick]

Disney World.

[Chris]

And if history repeats itself, we got a fifth birthday coming up. God help us. You see why I wrote a book? Help me.

[Steven Furtick]

Help.

[Chris]

This was Wade. I blame you.

[Steven Furtick]

I'm sending you an invoice.

[Chris]

Disney is known as the happiest place on Earth. You don't have to be there more.

[Steven Furtick]

Than five minutes.

[Chris]

To realize. What do you mean, happy? You got people stomping their feet, throwing fits, rolling on the ground, whining, complaining. And the kids are making. Misbehaving, too. You go to Disney World, you either get in a picture with Mickey Mouse or a divorce. It's.

[Steven Furtick]

What?

[Chris]

It's. It's crazy to me. The happiest place on Earth. I found that Disney World isn't just the home of Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell.

[Steven Furtick]

It's the home of meltdowns, trauma. What are you in counseling here today for? Well, my dad took me on five year trips. And it's interesting that we have certain expectations connected to certain locations, certain locations in our lives. And I'm not talking about Disney World, obviously, some of you, you're graduating.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Steven Furtick]

Let's go. Congratulations.

[Chris]

But if you're honest, you're like, thank.

[Steven Furtick]

God I'm done with high school.

[Chris]

Being done with high school will be.

[Steven Furtick]

The happiest place on earth. Then you go to college.

[Chris]

Once I get this degree, I'm going.

[Steven Furtick]

To be in the happiest place on earth.

[Chris]

But once you leave college, guess where.

[Steven Furtick]

You get to go to work.

[Chris]

And you're not going to make enough money to pay for the college. The happiest place on Earth. If he would just propose to me. Don't you want me to be happy? This is not gonna work.

[Steven Furtick]

I need a ring in three weeks. Happiest place on Earth.

[Chris]

And then we keep pushing it off. Well, once we have a kid, and.

[Steven Furtick]

Once we move from this apartment into the house, and once I redesign the.

[Chris]

Kitchen, and once I do this. And then finally, always pushing our happiness up ahead somewhere, robbing ourselves of what God wants to do right here. I promise you, these two words will rob you of more joy in your life than any other two words you can put together. And those two words are what's next?

[Steven Furtick]

What's next will cripple your life.

[Chris]

What's next will shipwreck your faith. What's next will destroy your. Your sense of contentment and fulfillment. We have to ask a better question if we want to get better answers. The better question is not what's next? The better question is, what's here? What's here? What's in these kids, what's in this marriage, what's in this job, what's in this season, what's in this church? I think this is why Jesus chose the location from which he delivered his message very intentionally. Because he didn't go to Mount Sinai to give a master class on joy. He didn't go to Mount Zion with all of the prestige that it carries in Scripture to deliver a master class on joy. No, he went to what we believe to be is a mountain. But when you write a book, you.

[Steven Furtick]

Actually have to do research to make.

[Chris]

Sure it's kind of true. And so I looked it up. It's not a mountain, it's a hill. You got Sinai 7,500ft in elevation. You got Zion 2,500ft in elevation. You got this hill that you wouldn't know the name of. Except I'm going to tell you right now, the Bible doesn't record it.

[Steven Furtick]

It's not even a footnote in the scripture.

[Chris]

400Ft in elevation.

[Steven Furtick]

It's a hill.

[Chris]

And Jesus doesn't stand and declare some great teaching, blessed all the poor spirit for thy is the kingdom of heaven.

[Steven Furtick]

No, he just sits down on an ordinary day in an ordinary place. And he uses the topography to illustrate the theology of joy. Because the name of that hill is Aramis. And Aramis means desolate and isolated. And so Jesus chooses a desolate, isolated place to teach us about joy. If I'm running this show, we pulling up somewhere sweet, we going to Disney World. But Jesus is in this space that looks like nothing and communicates the heart of joy. Why? Because a lot of life is not lived on Sinai or Zion. Most of life is lived in Aramis. You will spend more time in traffic than on vacation. You will spend more time getting crushed by life than crushing it. And Jesus wanted to show us joy works here. Joy lives here. There was nothing to be seen. Those people seated on that hillside, all they could see was Jesus. And maybe the reason why we cannot experience joy in our lives is because we're constantly looking around Jesus, not Adam. An author and pastor named David Murray gave us seven categories for social happiness, vocational happiness, intellectual happiness, physical happiness, like through exercise and things like that. Humor happiness, creation happiness for all of you outdoors people. It's so weird to me, but why be outside when there's a perfectly air conditioned room somewhere close, running water and everything? And the last one is spiritual happiness. Now, because God is so good in his common grace, he allows all people to experience six of those seven categories. You can be outside of relationship with Jesus and still experience a partial fulfillment. That friendship brings, that work brings, that things bring into your life. But what we do is we try to take all six of those categories and use them to fill the void that is created when we don't have the seventh spiritual happiness. Spiritual happiness is a seal around the human soul. If you don't have spiritual happiness, you can swallow the world whole and still be empty because your soul is leaking. But if you allow the presence of God, the ways of God, the will of God, to seal your heart, it amplifies the joy and happiness you receive from every other category. So I get more joy out of my friendships because I'm not there to always air my problems to them.

[Chris]

I'm there to take the way of.

[Steven Furtick]

Jesus and listen more than I speak. What a thought.

[Chris]

When I have the spiritual seal of happiness around my soul, I go to work. And although the environment is toxic, it doesn't influence me. I influence it because even though my boss is hard to work with, I'm not working for him. I'm working unto the Lord. And so every menial task that I perform is done in service of the King, not in an effort to be promoted. And when I take my eyes off of everyone having to have their eyes on me and I put my eyes on other people, I am greatly fulfilled in other areas of my life. The joy is amplified when Jesus is the center and the seal.

[Steven Furtick]

This is what Jesus was communicating through these words. Now, obviously, I could literally sit here and talk to you guys for hours about this. That's why I had to write about.

[Chris]

It, because we cannot even withhold.

[Steven Furtick]

The Beatitudes have become like wallpaper in Christian gatherings. We know them, but we don't even understand them. Isn't that crazy? Guys, this is the first thing Jesus talked about. How important must it be? And yeah, he gets to your holiness.

[Chris]

And he gets to the ways of your life, but not before he introduces us to these ideas. But this is this.

[Steven Furtick]

It hasn't let me go yet, y' all. When Jesus is speaking through these, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn. He's not just giving us good ideas.

[Chris]

He's not just showing us ideals to live up to.

[Steven Furtick]

He's revealing himself. He was the one who became poor in spirit. He had the treasures of glory in his hands, and he traded it in for the dust of the earth. Although he was equal with God, he didn't see his equality with God as something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, came to the lowest form A human, a servant, obedient to death, even death on the cross. He knows what it's like to be spiritually bankrupt. He knows what it's like to ask.

[Chris]

God why.

[Steven Furtick]

Hanging on the cross was the first time he felt a total depravity. Our depravity, our sin. And he asked God, why have you forsaken me? If he asked God, why. Stop beating yourself up. Because you have. You get to ask God questions.

[Chris]

He was the one who mourned.

[Steven Furtick]

Can you hold the implications that God cried? Why do you have to show up so strong all the time? Never a crack in the armor. Got all these churchy phrases that don't mean nothing. How you doing?

[Chris]

Blessed and highly favored.

[Steven Furtick]

Breaking on the inside.

[Chris]

How you doing? Well, he's been better than me, than I've been to myself, praise God.

[Steven Furtick]

If I was any better, I'd be dead.

[Chris]

What?

[Steven Furtick]

No. My boy's favorite Bible verse to quote right now. They feel so studious. Dad, I memorized part of the Bible. Really, Bud? I didn't know you had a Bible. What did you memorize? Jesus wept. But we cannot really understand the weight of the implications that those two words hold. If Jesus cried. If Jesus felt. You have permission to feel. I love something that your pastor said. The presence of God is not the place that you go to bypass your emotions. The presence of God is the place that you go to process them. You have permission to feel however you feel and then allow the gospel into those feelings to transform them. God does not want you burying your feelings. The problem with buried feelings is we bury them alive. And then at some point, unprocessed pain finds its way into our lives and symptoms we feel like we have no control over because we never gave ourselves permission to come into a room and feel. Do you know that's why you cry in God's presence? That it is a physical response to a spiritual transformation taking place when you're in worship and listening to music, the disintegrated part of your brain. When you cry, your brain is reintegrated. So there is a literal, biological, neurological aspect to worship. That's why we say you're not wasting time when you're praising God. You're literally allowing him to heal your heart, your mind, your will, your emotions. And if you don't allow God to heal you there, you won't ever be happy. He was the one crowned with meekness. He was the one, oh, my goodness who hungered and thirsted after righteousness. So much so that when they tried to quench his thirst on the cross. He refused the drink because the only thing that would satisfy him was your righteousness being fulfilled. In order to reintroduce you to Joy, I have to allow Joy to reintroduce himself. Because joy is not a thing. It's not a feeling. It's not an emotion. It's a person. You spell joy, J, E, S, U, S. And I know it's the simplest thing in the world, but the hardest thing for us to wrestle down in our spirit is that there's only one doorway into the joy of the Lord, and it's Jesus himself.

[Chris]

And I know we like.

[Steven Furtick]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, now tell me something that actually helps me.

[Chris]

We believe that.

[Steven Furtick]

But we also expect Joy to walk through the door with our kids.

[Chris]

If you did a little bit better.

[Steven Furtick]

In school, I would feel a little less like a failure. My joy is connected to your achievement. So go achieve. We expect Joy to walk through the door with our spouse, and unless her.

[Chris]

Name is Joy, that's not happening.

[Steven Furtick]

We see our spouse as an access point to joy. Empty. The most beautiful thing about this scripture is in the first line. Jesus went and sat down on a hillside. It tells me, you can have joy in a posture of rest. We think we gotta work for Joy. Work for Joy. I gotta work for Joy. And, yeah, you have to participate. But he's seated, and then it says the crowd gathers around him. If we're honest, we need to evaluate our lives. What are we really gathering around? I know, for me, I love to gather around work. Work doesn't feel like work to me. I love to work. It's a problem. I'm in counseling, talking to my therapist, like, brother, you gotta help me. He said, what's your prayer life look like? I described it to him. He said, that sounds like work, too. He said, have you just thought about delighting in the Lord? I said, that sounds great. How do you do that?

[Chris]

He said, well, what if you just.

[Steven Furtick]

Showed up and just sat down with the Lord? I said, that's perfect. When I was writing my book, I rented an Airbnb. It's 25 minutes from my house. I'll just go be with the Lord. Delight in the Lord.

[Chris]

Three to four hours once a week. I'll just go up and do that. And he just.

[Steven Furtick]

He just smirked at me like, bro. Or you could close the door to the room you're sitting in, shut off your phone, put your Bible aside. Cause you cannot help but writing some message down, and just close your eyes and be with God for 10 minutes. I just laughed. I went into the living room. I said, lorna, babe, why am I like this? Why when someone says, you need to.

[Chris]

Spend time with God, do I immediately thank Zion? Airbnb 3, 4 hours.

[Steven Furtick]

God's in Aramis.

[Chris]

God's in the simple.

[Steven Furtick]

And when I sat there and I just thought about God, something filled my soul. An energy, a vitality. And when I went back and talked to my counselor again, he said, how'd it go? I said, it was amazing. It was so easy. He said, how did you see God in that moment? I was like, well, I've got two answers. I've got what I experienced and then how I relabeled what I experienced. What I experienced was like when I'm sitting across the table from one of my boys, just looking into their eyes. Creepy dad. I know. I just love you. I just love you. I love everything about you. I love those freckles on your face. I love those curls on your head. I love the dreams I see in your eyes. I love that you're my son. I said I felt like God was looking at me like that. And then when I went and I thought about it again, I was like, well, there's another version of this story in my mind too. It was like God had his sleeve rolled up and he was just pacing back and forth with his hand tucked under his chin in a furrowed brow like he was solving a problem. And when he recognized I was there, he kind of side eyed glanced at me and said, glad you're finally here. Because all that I've known is a God who wanted to use me to accomplish something. I thought that was the greatest touch of God was to be used by Him. I've realized it's a far greater treasure to be loved by Him. And when you receive the love of God, he pours his joy into your heart and it's produced from His Spirit in you. When you're filled with the Spirit, you get the features of the Spirit. The evidence of God in a person is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self control. But I wonder if what you've been searching the world for has been inside of the universe in you all along. But you got to come through the doorway of Jesus to get to it. If you would stand today. Thank you for letting me share my heart today. I was disappointed Pastor Steven wasn't here too. So we're all in that boat together. He'll be back. It's his church. But I want to invite you today to experience the joy of The Lord Hebrews says of the Son of God that God poured the oil of joy on him so that he would have more joy than anyone else. This is available to you, but it comes through a relationship with Jesus. Some of you today need to take the first step toward allowing joy to reintroduce himself by putting your faith in Jesus once and for all. Would you pray with me, Lord? I pray that you would open our hearts to receive your joy, the joy of salvation. Lord, we turn our eyes away from everything else in this world. And for just a moment, we want to capture heaven's gaze. Lord, there are so many deep wounds, traumas, difficulties, struggles that we have felt are in opposition to us experiencing your joy. But you actually use the mechanism of mourning to deliver us from the grip of grace, grief. That happiness is not waiting on the other side of something for us. It's happening inside. I pray that we would allow you in today. Come into our lives, come into our hearts, come into our dreams. If you're in this room today and you've never put your faith in Jesus Christ, on the count of three, I want you to raise your hand. I'm gonna lead you in a prayer that will change the trajectory of not only. Only your life, but eternity. If God's pulling on your heart right now to follow him. On the count of three, I want you to raise your hand. One, two, three. Don't hesitate. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

[Chris]

Now listen, we're gonna pray a prayer.

[Steven Furtick]

You have to pray this prayer for yourself, but you don't pray this prayer by yourself. This whole church family is gonna pray with you today. Would you just say this with me, Jesus, come into my life. Make me new. I realize I'm lost without you. Thank you. That you have more grace than I have sinned. I believe you are the son of God, the resurrected King, and you're resurrecting me in Jesus name, Amen.

[Chris]

Can you put your hands together for what God is doing in this church? Elevation, I love you so much. God bless you. We'll see you next time.

[Steven Furtick]

Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. Because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give now or visit elevationchurch.orgpodcast for more information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe, you can share it with your friends. You can click the share button, take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us LevationChurch. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Steven Furtick]

You're listening to an I Heart podcast.