Choosing Your Chains

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Elevation with Steven Furtick

Episode Title: "Choosing Your Chains"

Release date: April 24, 2026
Host: Pastor Steven Furtick

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Episode Overview

In "Choosing Your Chains," Pastor Steven Furtick explores the theme of purpose in adversity, inspired by Philippians 1:12–26. Drawing from Apostle Paul's prison letters, Furtick unpacks how our unavoidable hardships and the “chains” we bear can actually advance God’s purposes in our lives. Using energetic storytelling, relatable anecdotes, and interactive moments with the congregation, he challenges listeners to examine the choices and habits that secretly bind them—and offers hope that God’s “chains of grace” are always stronger than the chains of sin or circumstance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Paul’s Chains and the Paradox of Purpose

• Furtick opens by reading Philippians 1:12-26, highlighting Paul’s perspective on being “in chains for Christ” (02:19–05:12).
• Paradox: Paul writes about joy and progress while imprisoned—“It’s a paradox to begin with that he could write the happiest book in the Bible in a prison cell” (08:12).
• Paul’s imprisonment actually advances the gospel; “Sometimes it’s when you’re in the worst situation of your life, God is doing the most through you” (08:32).

2. Old Man Wisdom: Living for Purpose, Not Popularity

• Furtick shares personal stories about his children teasing him about technological habits and sounding “like an old man” (06:41–07:19).
• Maturity brings focus: “Paul has passed the point now of needing people to like him... Only one thing matters to him now, and it’s called purpose. Not popularity” (11:02–11:07).
• Quote: “What does it matter?” (WDIM) is Paul’s slogan—emphasizing focus on what truly matters over petty distractions (11:47, 13:05).

3. The “Important Thing” and What We Chain Our Joy To

• What you choose to value, you chain your joy to:
  • “The important thing is, whatever you put next will determine what your joy is chained to” (19:53–20:16).
  • If you chain your joy to people’s approval, your happiness rises and falls with them; if to God’s love, it stays secure (20:30–21:02).
• Prioritizing purpose and calling over comfort and popularity frees us amid hardship (21:23).

4. Choices, Habits, and Spiritual Chains

• Decisions shape our destiny: “Choices don’t stay choices. They become habits” (27:32).
• Furtick traces the progression:
  • Choice → Habit → Automatic Behavior → Identity (29:03–31:45).
  • “Today’s choices become tomorrow’s chains”—whether through addiction, bitterness, gossip, anger, or anything else.
• Illustration (live demonstration): The enemy starts with small choices that eventually become spiritual chains, especially targeting youth to undermine their purpose early (33:00–37:32).

5. Freedom in Christ: Grace Is the Strongest Chain

• Despite the weight of old chains (habits, shame, pain), God’s grace binds us more tightly than sin or failure ever could:
  • “Paul said, I found another chain. This chain is called grace. So let the devil know I’m not chained to these Roman guards. I’m chained to grace” (37:56–38:55).
• “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (37:32, 38:01).
• God uses our pain and chains to set others free: “God is going to use my chains to break somebody else’s” (39:28).

6. The Power of Choice: Will You Choose Grace?

• Everyone serves something—what (or who) will you choose? “Grace is a bigger chain than sin... I am a child of God” (39:28–40:55).
• “Choices become habits. You choose to trust God in this season, and if you trust God a few times, it becomes automatic” (41:45–42:36).
• “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation... If you believe God is a chain breaker, I want you to stand on your feet right now and give him a midnight praise” (43:18).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---------------|---------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:15 | Steven Furtick | “If everybody likes you, you’re not doing it right.” | | 07:43 | Steven Furtick | “What struck me the most about Philippians one… Paul sounds like an old man.” | | 11:47 | Steven Furtick | “What does it matter?” (Paul’s slogan, WDIM bracelet idea) | | 12:53 | Steven Furtick | “You can either let your chains break your praise or you can let your praise break your chains.” | | 19:53 | Steven Furtick | “The important thing is… whatever you put next will determine what your joy is chained to.” | | 27:32 | Steven Furtick | “Choices don’t stay choices. They become habits.” | | 31:45 | Steven Furtick | “Before long, it’s not just what I do becomes my identity now. It’s who I am. I’m a slave to fear.” | | 37:32 | Congregation Member | “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” | | 38:55 | Steven Furtick | “I’m chained to grace. I’m no longer a slave to fear. I’m a child of God.” | | 42:45 | Steven Furtick | “I’m not a slave to what they said. I’m not a slave to what they did. I am a child of God.” |

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• [02:19] – [05:12]: Reading & unpacking Philippians 1, Paul’s chains, and joy despite adversity.
• [06:41] – [08:01]: Furtick’s “old man wisdom” stories; tie-in to maturity and priorities.
• [11:47]: "What does it matter?" – Focus on essential things over distractions.
• [12:53]: Power of praise vs. chains; Paul’s midnight praise in prison.
• [19:53] – [21:02]: What you chain your joy to; practical examples (comfort vs. calling, popularity vs. purpose).
• [27:32] – [31:45]: Choices become habits, become automatic, become identity.
• [33:00] – [37:32]: Illustrated demonstration—how the enemy ensnares with choices; generational chains.
• [37:32] – [39:28]: Declaration of spiritual freedom; “chained to grace,” not sin.
• [41:45] – [43:18]: Call to choose faith and let trust in God become an automatic habit.

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Conclusion: Main Takeaway

“Choosing Your Chains” challenges listeners to recognize that while we cannot always control our circumstances, we do choose what we serve and where we anchor our identity. Paul’s prison letters demonstrate that true joy isn’t circumstantial, but rooted in calling, purpose, and the unbreakable grace of God. We have the power—regardless of what habits or hardships bind us—to choose grace, surrender to God’s higher purposes, and become chain-breakers for others.

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Transcript

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[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. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see

God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message now. Philippians 1:12 26 Paul speaking says now

I want you to know, brothers and

sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am get ready for a strange phrase, in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. It's true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry. Paul said, not everybody likes me. Touch somebody and say, everybody is not supposed to like you.

In fact, look at the person on your other side. You didn't want to look at the first time and tell them if everybody

likes you, you're not doing it right. It's true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here. I really like how he said that I am put here not by accident and not even by the decree of evil humans.

I might have been sentenced to prison

by Rome, but I'm put here for the purpose of God, for the defense of the gospel. The former preached Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true Christ is preached. Because of this I rejoice.

Not because everything is going right in my life, not because I have a new car, not because I got a ring, not because my circumstances caused me

to have a happy feeling and endorphins. But because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope, I apokaradokia, that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so

that now, as always, Christ will be

exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ

and to die is gain.

I win either way.

If the situation turns around or if it stays the same.

If I am to go on living

in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I don't know. I'm torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ. I kind of want to get out of here.

I'm an old man now, and I'd

like to see Jesus. I have crowns waiting for me, it's better by far. But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body convinced of this. I know that I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. That's a whole lot of verses. Let's get the bread and make the sandwich as we go. Verse 13. I am in chains for Christ,

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yet

[Steven Furtick]

what shall I choose? The title of the message is Choosing your chains. Ask the person next to you on your way to your seat. Do you want to be free? You may be seated. God bless you. My kids have been saying something to me lately. Really? Just the boys. Abbey doesn't say it. They need to stop saying this to me if they ever want to play Fortnite again.

But they keep saying you sound like an old man.

And not just you sound like an old man. I can't even use my phone without being judged by them. They tell me you did that like an old man. All of my extra movements, all of my three swipes when it only takes one. They tell me that sometimes in my sermons. They tell me the cringiest moments of my sermons. It kind of hurts my feelings until

I remember I pay for everything.

Then I gently remind them, don't let these few gray hairs in my beard fool you.

I am still the coolest person you know, even if I'm not. I can disconnect the technology that allows you to communicate with all of your broke friends who think they're cooler than me.

I told y', all, jet lag. I kind of wanted to say that to Paul. Reading Philippians 1. I love the text. I've preached from it a few times.

But what struck me the most about

Philippians one on this particular voyage was

how Paul sounds like an old man. He sounds like he has the kind of wisdom theologians call it the weather or construct.

He uses it throughout the letter.

The letter which, by the way, he wrote from a prison cell.

It's one of four letters Paul wrote while in captivity. The captivity.

Epistles, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon and Philippians. It's a paradox to begin with that he could write the happiest book in the Bible in a prison cell, and that he is writing about the progress

of the Gospel while he himself is on lockdown.

Won't that preach? Sometimes it's when you're in the worst situation of your life. God is doing the most through you. It's A true story. Sometimes when you feel completely limited, when you feel like you've completely lost control, that's when God really has you in a place of surrender. That's where he can do the deep work and get beyond the superficial cliche Christianity where we know all the right answers and we think God is all about our parking spaces and trivial things. Sometimes we go through a trial and we get in a situation. Have you ever had God just take the steering wheel from you? And it wouldn't carry Underwood. It was God.

And.

And all of a sudden you found yourself completely out of control. How many control freaks do I have in the room? I need to see where the control freaks are. There are two things I don't really like in life and I'm comfortable admitting it now. I don't like babies and I don't like airplanes. I don't like either because both are things I can't control. I really don't like babies on airplanes. That is my personal hell Rapture. We were on 75 hours of flights over the last two weeks. Elijah was like, do you have any tips for getting through the airport, Dad?

I said, oh, you want that old man wisdom now? I told him what one of my friends told me. He said, just keep saying to yourself over and over again as you walk through the security line, I am not a human. I have no rights. I am not a human. I have no rights. You'll be set up for success. We're interested to see Paul. He's older now. It's been decades since Jesus knocked him off his horse. Made him go blind so he could really see. Took away his physical sight so he could show him something spiritual. Knocked him down so he could raise him up. Paul has passed the point now of needing people to like him. In fact, if I was preaching at Youth X, I would say Paul has zero left to give what people think about him or say about him.

Only one thing matters to him now,

and it's called purpose.

Not popularity. Purpose, not promotion. Purpose, not prosperity in this physical razzle dazzle, bling sense.

But purpose.

Paul has passed the point of needing

people to validate him.

So he says something really cool. I'm actually going to get a bracelet

made off of verse 18. You can look for it. It'll be available at Campus Resources. Do you know how we used to have WWJD bracelets?

This one is going to be called WDIM. It comes from Philippians 1:18. This is Paul's slogan.

He says, what does it matter?

Do you know how much Better you would sleep at night if you had that on your wrist. Do you know how much stress would just disappear if you could get. You don't really get this in your

30s or maybe even in your 40s.

Paul is older now. They've beat him. He's been shipwrecked. They called him a fake. They called him a fraud. He kept preaching. They threw him in prison. God busted him out. In fact, the first time he went to Philippi, when he was getting the mission started, they threw him in prison. Paul did what you always do when you're in prison with your feet in stocks and your back beaten raw. He started singing praises to God at midnight. Paul knew something. You can either let your chains break your praise or you can let your praise break your chains. Why did y' all get quiet while I was gone? Y' all used to shout at Elevation Church

when he praised God at midnight, all of the chains of all of the prisoners came loose.

Sometimes God will use your situation to

set somebody else free.

Can I stay that for 45 seconds? You have been questioning what you have been going through, and it's not even about you. God is using some of you to break generational curses off of your children. There are things you struggled with that your children will not have to struggle with. Like you struggled with them because you were willing to embrace the chains. Some wisdom God can only give you after you've lived a little while.

Some wisdom God can only give you when you have that old man, Apostle Paul, swag, where he said, it doesn't even matter. Hey, Paul, did you hear they have a fake Facebook account with your name on it? Paul said, right now, I hate to do this, but can we interrupt the sermon? I need you to pray for me at every location. And I need you to pray for me because I'm not that good at this. I let stuff that doesn't matter weigh me down to the point I get so distracted. Please pray for me right now. Would you stretch your hands toward this stage and say, father, I pray for Pastor Steven that he would stop being

so stupid to let stupid stuff sidetrack

him from what really matters.

Now put your hand on the person next to you on your right and on your left and say, God, I pray for this person that they would stop being so petty and letting little things ruin their day, contaminate their joy, poison their spirit, distract them from their destiny so they can get focused on what really matters and realize that half the stuff they're worrying about, you're already working out. So they don't need to have an ulcer. They can throw up their hands right

[Congregation/Church Member]

in the middle of the storm. And thank you for being Lord of

[Steven Furtick]

all in Jesus name, amen.

[Congregation/Church Member]

What does it matter? What does it matter? That's why you have to go to

[Steven Furtick]

your 20 year high school reunion. I just went and all of the

[Congregation/Church Member]

people I was so obsessed with impressing, I didn't even remember their names.

[Steven Furtick]

Who are you again? That's why I was preaching to the teenagers at Youth X, because if they can get on mission with what really matters, if they can get a sense of what matters, it doesn't matter what they say, it doesn't matter what they think. They don't have a heaven or a hell to put you in.

[Congregation/Church Member]

They don't have a crown to crown you with. People can't complete you. Only Jesus can. Why would I live for the approval of people who can't complete me? Sorry, Jerry Maguire. Sorry, Renee Zellweger. Only Jesus can complete me. It doesn't matter. Because what matters more?

[Steven Furtick]

Now here's the key. What matters more. This is your priority. For Paul, the priority was never popularity. Some say this and some say that,

and some say what. And then

Paul is like, I'm old now.

I know something. This is what the old minister told me when I was first getting started. He said, there are certain things in your ministry you will go through that you will question. I said, well, what would you change if you could change anything? He said, why aren't you getting your elevation pin? Ready to write down what the old man said? He said, there's a lot of stuff I wouldn't choose, but there's nothing I would change. Now. I've been through enough to know that it took some of the breaking to get to some of the blessing. It took some of the betrayals to get to the blessing. It took some of the conflict to get to the calling and it took some of the weakness to get to the string. I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't choose it. I thought this was relevant because a lot of us are in situations today that we would not choose. Nobody chooses sickness. Nobody chooses a kid who is off doing the opposite of everything you raised them to do. You find out what Paul found out. You were never really in control. The more you think you're in control, the younger your kids are. I tell you, if it was my teenager. If it was your teenager, you would be locked in a room with prescription pills.

Shut up.

Jet lag. Jet lag. Jet lag. I'll be Nicer next week. We have a lot of guests verdict. Rein it in. Paul is just like what everybody say, what are you going to keep me in this prison? I have these chains. I know it looks like I'm chained to these Roman guards, but actually these guards are chained to me. I wouldn't choose these chains. But actually, if it takes my chains to set somebody else free, if it takes my pain, if it takes going

through a season of loneliness to really discover joy, I would choose the chains. I'd rather have chains on my feet and be free in my mind and free in my spirit and free in my conscience.

Paul said to me, the important thing is. The important thing is it's very important what you put next. This is verse 18, guys in the production room. The important thing is whatever you put next will determine what your joy is chained to.

Whatever you put after.

The important thing is your joy will move up and down with that thing.

So whatever you choose to chain your joy to, whatever priority for you, no

matter what you would say, because we

would all say Jesus is the head of our lives.

You don't get up and come out

here to a place like this if

you're not going to say the right answer.

But I'm talking about reflected in your choices. If the important thing is that people like you, then when people like you, you will like you. If the important thing is that God loves you, then when people don't like

you, you still like you.

Because I'm accepted in the beloved. If the important thing is comfort, then when everything is just right and when the climate is 72.4 Fahrenheit, you will be happy about the climate or the environment. But if the important thing to you is not comfort but calling, you can be in a miserable situation and turn it into a ministry. I'm looking for somebody today who is no longer concerned about popular opinion or personal preference. But you've come to the place in

[Congregation/Church Member]

your life where you say, I want to know him. I want to make him known. I want real joy. Joy the world didn't give and the world can't snatch it back.

[Steven Furtick]

I missed you.

[Congregation/Church Member]

Let me preach like I want to preach.

[Steven Furtick]

So you won't be tossed to and fro and yanked back and forth by

[Congregation/Church Member]

the affairs of life. Paul says, my.

[Steven Furtick]

My feet are locked and my hands are chained, but my mind is free. I'm here, but the mission is moving forward.

You get to choose what comes next. What is your priority. You can't have God's peace without God's priorities. You could pray for it. But if you tie your joy to how your husband treats you or how the crazy girl in the cubicle next to you, you knew she was crazy,

her eyes were crazy, you're going to put your joy on crazy girl.

I can't hook my joy to that. I can't hook my joy to what

the boss decides

or what his boss decides. My joy is not connected to my

job,

so I have to find something else. And for Paul, it was purpose, not preference, not popularity. Some say this, some say that. Wdim wwjd www. I don't care www.whocares.com www.jesuschristismyboss.com www. If he says I'm blessed, I'm blessed, and there's not a thing you can do to curse me.com www.I'm blessed with

a car without a car www I don't need a watch to be blessed

www.if you break up with me, it's your loss. Because God has something special in me.com

[Congregation/Church Member]

what does it matter?

[Steven Furtick]

This is your choice. One scholar said Paul must be going senile. He maybe took one too many to the head because he's in chains. Talking about a choice. I don't know if I want to live or die.

Paul, they didn't ask you.

I love it when people say, I didn't like that song y' all sang Sunday. We didn't ask you. When he put it as a choice, he's saying, I can't choose how long these chains stay on me. I'm still waiting. But I get to make a choice. Not about what happens next, but about my responds. Since God hasn't removed these chains, Since God hasn't fixed the situation.

Since God hasn't fixed the relationship. Since God hasn't given me the breakthrough

yet, since I'm still dealing with the addiction, since it won't just go away

like they told me it would. And I prayed that one time and I still went home addicted. And they told me that if I prayed this that the chains would fall off. But they the chains are still there. Since God won't remove the chains, I'm

going to ask him to use the chains. That's my choice. What shall I choose? You have a choice to make. You always do. The greatest gift God can give you is a choice. He said, I'm in chains for Christ. Christ didn't put these chains on me. But now that these chains are on me, I'm going to let him use them. He didn't bring the disease.

He didn't bring the divorce. I wouldn't choose it.

But if I can't change it, God will. You use these chains to change me, change others. Make me an example of your grace. That's your choice. God is not the only one who gives you a choice. This is what I was trying to explain to the youth.

And I really think I was talking

to my 16 year old self. That's where I made the choice to follow Christ. Well, actually he made the choice. He chose me. I didn't choose him theologically speaking, but it was the moment I became aware of his prevenient grace in my life and surrendered to what he was already doing. That sounds better. I was trying to get them to see how over 500 of them gave their lives to Christ during youth X. Most important choice they'll ever make. But the moment they come to that choice. The devil comes with little choices

because

the enemy sees their potential. Sometimes the enemy believes in your potential more than you do. You get around some friends and you're young, 13, 14, and they're looking at porn as just a little porn. It's just one time porn. They're calling you gay and weird if you don't look at it. So you look at it. It's just a choice. They're drinking, they're smoking, they're vaping. So it's a choice. It's not going to send you to hell. God's grace has you covered, but it's just a choice. What you don't know until you know is that choices don't stay choices. They become habits. It's just one choice. Just a little. You turn up one time and then it's like, well, maybe I do it again. I lied to my parents one time. So, you know, y' all think this is a youth sermon. If somebody would have preached this to

a lot of us earlier,

[Congregation/Church Member]

we could

[Steven Furtick]

have seen the choice for what it was. But we didn't know what mattered then.

We couldn't know what mattered then. It's just a little thing.

But then it becomes a habit. Now you keep doing it, it doesn't quite hit.

It doesn't quite get you as high as it did the last time.

So you have to do more of it now.

It takes a little more.

It takes a little more. You can handle it, it's good. But then it becomes a habit. Now you know it's not just a

glass of wine to relax.

Oh, by the way, I always get scared when I do this part because it's not just sex and drinking that

I'M talking about some of us gossip so bad it would be better off if we were alcoholics. I mean, the damage we do with our mouths is way worse than what a bottle can do. So I'm not just talking about whatever specific sin you don't happen to struggle with. Some of us are so angry, just mad. We used to get mad with good reason.

It was a choice. But then it became a habit and now it's automatic.

You don't even choose anymore. Now it's the default setting. Now it's just what you do to get your way. You hate yourself after you do it,

but it got you what you wanted, so you do it again. It's kind of like one time Paul was saying, I don't do what I want to do, I do what I don't want to do.

Who will deliver me from this body of death? He wasn't saying this before he met Christ. He was saying this as a Christ follower. I made some choices. The choice became a habit. I didn't know it was a big deal at the time. It didn't seem like a big deal. I didn't forgive one person and I let the bitterness get ahold of me. Then the bitterness was no longer just one person. I started getting mad at everybody.

[Congregation/Church Member]

I started blaming everybody.

[Steven Furtick]

Now it was my habit. Now when something doesn't go my way, my first response is to blame all the people who weren't there for me, or if they would have, or if she would have. I started complaining. I made the choice to complain. I used to just complain when things were really bad. But now instead of his praise will continually be on my mouth. Now his complaint is continually on my.

[Congregation/Church Member]

It's a habit. It's automatic.

[Steven Furtick]

It's my first instinct.

[Congregation/Church Member]

I can't even see what's right.

[Steven Furtick]

I walk in the room and all I see is what's wrong.

[Congregation/Church Member]

It's automatic.

[Steven Furtick]

Before long, it's not just what I do becomes my identity now. It's who I am. I'm a slave to fear. I'm a child of God, but I feel like a slave to sin. I made a choice. I became a habit. I became automatic. That's what the Bible says when it says don't walk in the flesh. The habits of the old life, the patterns of your perspective pre Christ, you just keep doing it. It's pulling on you. This pulls you back into it. You don't tell your egroup about that stuff. You can't. These chains aren't the kind of chains you wear around your neck. These Chains. The choices that become habits. Now it's automatic. You don't even want to do it

anymore,

but you think it's who you are, I guess. Your nature. Do you see that? I'm trying to show you. And I hope you'll discuss this with your kids after church. I hope you'll discuss this with some people in your life you can trust. About the choices that became habits, that became automatic. I'm just offended all the time now. I made the choice to be offended. The person hurt me, and I chose to let that hurt on the inside. And I didn't let it heal. Now I'm pushing good people away because of who hurt me back then. I want you to see how today's choices become tomorrow's chains. Come here, Nick. Jake. It's crazy. It's crazy how young this happens because Jake has a calling. Jake has a purpose. I said Nick because that's his dad. His dad is MacGyver. He fixes everything. Jake is a worshiper. The enemy knows that. So he wants to come to Jake early in life with a choice. Certain friends, certain things, certain outlooks. What he wants you to do. He wants to get you locked up good and tight while you're young. Because he knows what God put inside of you. He knows this young man could be a chainbreaker in his generation. The enemy knows his purpose. So what he wants to do while you're young, he's clever. The enemy is crafty. So he's not going to. He's not going to come at Jake with a chain. Because if he comes at Jake with a chain, Jake is going to run. So he comes. I'm helping somebody today. I feel it in my bones. With a choice to lock you in

to thinking,

believing and insecurities early.

So now, later in your life, when

you decide to pursue a mission, go ahead, try to pursue a mission. Nope. Because I got you

later in life. Let's say he plants a sexual addiction

in your mind at an early age.

And then you get a wife. And now you want to love your wife and be a good man and be intimate with your wife in the way God intended. But see, you move toward intimacy.

But I got you with a choice that became a habit. That became automatic.

Now you can't treat a woman like a woman. You treat her like an object.

Because I got you in chains.

Jake, you're being really dramatic.

You don't have to jerk that hard. He has you in these chains.

You want to make a change in your life later, but he got you in chains. So early. Some of us spend decades being dragged around by the devil, being dragged around by decisions that we made in our past. That I have news for you are already covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

[Congregation/Church Member]

I read in my Bible, whom the

[Steven Furtick]

Son sets free is free indeed.

[Congregation/Church Member]

It means I don't have to spend the rest of my life being dragged around by the decisions of my past. I don't have to stay in these chains. I know a name that will break everything.

[Steven Furtick]

I think we need to shout on this word because some of us are

[Congregation/Church Member]

chained to mindsets and chained to scarcity and chained to panic and chained to our imaginations and chained to memories. But I read in John that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. And if you believe that, sound like you're free. Paul said, I found another chain. This chain is called grace. So let the devil know I'm not chained to these Roman guards. I'm chained to grace. That means I found a love that will not let me go even if I try to get away.

[Steven Furtick]

Go ahead, try to get away. Try to get away.

[Congregation/Church Member]

He won't let me go even if I try to run.

[Steven Furtick]

Try to run.

[Congregation/Church Member]

He won't let me go. Pull as hard as you want to pull, Shaky poo. I might be old, but I lift. And as long as I got you in my grip, you're not going anywhere. Whom the sun sets free is free indeed. God is pulling me closer.

[Steven Furtick]

I'm chained to grace. I'm no longer a slave to fear. I'm a child of God. I choose everything I've been through, even my shame. God is going to use it to tell a greater story of grace. God is going to use my chains to break somebody else's. My son won't have to go through what I went through. God is going to use my chains to set somebody free. He has you. You get to make a choice. Today, everybody in here is serving something. What do you want to serve? Who do you want to serve? Paul identified himself as a servant of Christ Jesus. What he meant was, grace is a bigger chain than sin. No matter what my decisions might say about me or indicate otherwise, I am a child of God.

You're going to wander sometimes.

Go ahead, wander off.

Wander off. Wander off.

Come on, try hard. I have you. Grace is stronger. Heather. Don't send me. If I break his wrist, it's for a good cause. I got you. I see in the spirit God pulling on you today. You didn't even want to come to church today. Look at you. Right here in church. You made so many dumb decisions. And today you're standing in the presence of a chain breaking God. So it's your choice, worshiper. What will you choose? Paul made his choice. He said, I'm going to let God use these chains to declare his grace. For everybody who's stuck in a situation you can't change right now, sometimes that situation is yourself. I want you to make a decision, a choice. Because choices, choices become habits. You choose to trust God in this season of your life. And you know what? If you trust God a few times, guess what? It becomes automatic. Now you find yourself leaning not on

your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledging him.

You realize the devil has been lying

to me this whole time.

I'm not a slave to what they said. I'm not a slave to what they did. I am a child of God. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old. And the new has come. If you believe God is a chain breaker, I want you to stand on

your feet right now and give him a midnight praise. A praise that breaks chains and chases anxiety away.

[Congregation/Church Member]

Come on, you have to do better than that. If you are a servant of the most high God and you know all power is in his hand and he got up from that grave with all authority, release a praise right now. All the free people, lift your hands. You don't have to feel free to be free. The same breaking power of an almighty God is in this place.

[Steven Furtick]

Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry.

It's 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.

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