Elevation with Steven Furtick – "Backseat DJs"
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Pastor Steven Furtick
Podcast: Elevation with Steven Furtick (iHeartPodcasts)
Overview
In this powerful and candid episode, Pastor Steven Furtick delivers a message titled "Backseat DJs," addressing the sources of joy in our lives and challenging listeners to reevaluate what truly controls their joy. Using personal stories, scriptural insights, and a relatable car metaphor, Furtick explores how misplaced priorities—“backseat DJs”—often influence our emotions and spiritual well-being. He encourages listeners to move beyond surface happiness and pleasure, to experience a deeper, enduring joy rooted in God’s presence and divine purpose.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Car Metaphor: Who Is Controlling Your Joy?
- Personal Story (08:00–11:00):
Furtick shares a humorous story of his old Nissan Maxima, where his kids secretly adjusted the car stereo from the backseat, leading him to realize, “The driver gets to be the DJ.”- Quote:
"Y’all are passengers in this Maxima. I’m the driver. That means I’m the DJ. I get to choose what comes on this stereo and how loud it is, because the driver gets to be the DJ." (11:00)
- Quote:
- Sermon Connection:
He likens this scenario to our lives: we often let “backseat DJs” (circumstances, people, emotions, priorities) control our joy without realizing it.
2. The Distinction of Joy
- Scripture: James 1:2-4 — "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." (14:00)
- Multiple Types of Trials:
- “There are as many different kinds of trials as there are different drinks at Starbucks, as there are different colors of paint at Home Depot.” (17:45)
- Financial riches can create relational poverty if not handled with emotional maturity.
- Temptation vs. Trial:
- Learning the distinction is crucial, as the tools to overcome each are different.
- Quote:
"A lot of times I’m accepting what I should resist and resisting what I should accept. It’s taking me time—and prayer and community—to learn the difference." (22:30)
3. Joy Is More Than a Feeling: Direction, Not Just Emotion
- Cultural Pressure:
- Furtick discusses the social expectation for constant happiness, fueled by social media.
- “There seems to be a pressure for us to always feel pleasure… There is something wrong with me if I am not constantly happy all the time. That’s a problem with me because I am not genetically predisposed to be happy.” (32:30)
- Scripture: Hebrews 12 — "For the joy set before him, he endured the cross."
- Joy As Focus, Not Feeling:
- Quote:
“Joy is a focus before it’s a feeling.” (39:40)
- Jesus did not find joy in the pain of crucifixion, but in the outcome and purpose beyond the suffering.
- “It’s very different to go through pain with purpose than pain without purpose.” (42:50)
- Quote:
4. Comparison & The Destruction of Joy
- Comparing Ourselves to Others:
- Social media and constant comparison are “destroying your joy.” (49:15)
- Quote:
“Nothing destroys joy like comparison. The life you’ve got, some of you would be so enjoyable if only you didn’t do this [looks around] while you were living it.” (50:00)
- Looking Back and Looking Too Far Ahead:
- Furtick explains that regret (looking back) or anxiety over the future (looking ahead) can rob us of present joy.
- “You can miss joy because you’re trying to look too far ahead… You can’t even really affect the future from anywhere but the present.” (55:40)
5. The Power of Priorities: You Can’t Choose Joy, But You Can Choose Your Priorities
- Sermon in a Sentence:
- Quote:
“You cannot choose joy. You can only choose your priorities. Your priorities control your joy.” (59:10)
- Quote:
- Scripture: Psalm 16 — "The Lord is my chosen portion…"
- Making God your priority—your “chosen portion”—brings deeper, lasting joy.
- Source Matters:
- “Where it comes from determines when it runs out. It’s the source of your joy.” (1:01:25)
- God’s Presence:
- True, enduring joy is experienced when we’re present with God, not seeking fleeting pleasure.
- “Joy does not come from better circumstances. Joy does not come from human acclaim. Joy comes from ordered priorities.” (1:07:15)
6. Joy in the Midst of Life’s Realities
- Joy Is Not the Absence of Sadness:
- "Joy is not the absence of sadness. If it was, Jesus couldn’t have had it on the cross." (1:05:40)
- Abide in Christ for Complete Joy:
- Reference to John 15:11 — "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (1:03:45)
- Prioritizing God Over Pleasures:
- Enjoy pleasures without making them the source of fulfillment.
7. Memorable Moments & Quotes
- “I found out that you can miss joy because you’re looking all around. You can miss Joy because you’re looking behind you. But here’s the thing: you can also miss Joy because you’re trying to look too far ahead. It’s an equal danger.” (52:40)
- “There is a well that never runs dry. There is a joy—a deep, abiding sense of joy—that is available to us that we have not been accessing.” (1:09:10)
- “My joy is too important for me to leave it up to whether or not today goes well or whether or not they speak to me or whether or not it turns out well. It’s too important. I can’t afford to just give my joy away anytime. I can’t afford to have these backseat DJs just changing the temperature of my life.” (1:10:00)
8. Call to Reflection & Prayer
- Prayer for Reordered Priorities:
- Furtick closes by inviting listeners to reflect—has their joy been controlled by “backseat DJs” instead of God’s presence?
- He prays for God to help listeners reorder their lives, set joy before them, and experience joy rooted in divine priorities. (1:11:15–end)
Notable Quotes With Timestamps
- “The driver gets to be the DJ.” – Steven Furtick (11:00)
- “A lot of times I’m accepting what I should resist, and resisting what I should accept.” (22:30)
- “Joy is a focus before it’s a feeling.” (39:40)
- “Nothing destroys joy like comparison.” (50:00)
- "You cannot choose joy. You can only choose your priorities. Your priorities control your joy.” (59:10)
- “Where it comes from determines when it runs out.” (1:01:25)
- "There is a well that never runs dry. There is a joy—a deep, abiding sense of joy—that is available to us that we have not been accessing." (1:09:10)
Key Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment | Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 08:00 | Personal Story | Nissan Maxima & backseat DJs | | 14:00 | Scripture Reading | James 1:2-4 and trials of many kinds | | 22:30 | Distinguishing Trials | Acceptance vs. resistance | | 32:30 | Cultural Pressure | Constant happiness, social media, pleasure | | 39:40 | Joy as Focus | Hebrews 12:2, “Joy set before him,” cross analogy | | 49:15 | Comparison | Social media, comparison destroying joy | | 55:40 | Looking Ahead | Anxiety about future, missing present joy | | 59:10 | Sermon in a Sentence | Priorities control joy | | 1:03:45 | Complete Joy in Christ | John 15:11, abiding in Christ | | 1:07:15 | Source of Joy | Joy from priorities, in God’s presence | | 1:09:10 | Well That Never Runs Dry | Enduring, deep joy | | 1:11:15 | Closing Prayer | Reflection, setting joy before us |
Final Takeaways
- Joy can’t be chosen directly; it flows from what you prioritize.
- Present-moment awareness (presence) unlocks fullness of joy.
- Stop letting circumstances, comparisons, or fleeting pleasures drive your emotional state—send the “backseat DJs” packing.
- True, complete joy is discovered by prioritizing God’s presence and purpose above all.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking a more resilient and authentic joy. Furtick’s honest storytelling, scriptural clarity, and actionable wisdom invite listeners to reckon with the real sources of their happiness and take back control from the “backseat DJs” in their lives.