It Is What It Is But It's Not What It Seems

Summary

Podcast Summary: Elevation with Steven Furtick
Episode Title: It Is What It Is But It's Not What It Seems
Release Date: June 20, 2025

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Introduction

In this inspiring episode of Elevation with Steven Furtick, Pastor Steven Furtick delves deep into the essence of faith, drawing from Romans Chapter 4 to explore the transformative power of genuine belief. Skipping over the initial advertisements and non-content segments, the episode swiftly transitions into a profound message aimed at fostering authentic faith and resilience among listeners.

Main Message: Understanding Functional Faith

Pastor Furtick begins by expressing his respect for the presence of God and his desire to allow God to speak profoundly through the Word. He emphasizes the concept of functional faith, a faith that actively influences one's life beyond mere belief.

"I want to plant the seed of the Word in the soil of your heart. I believe God has given me good seed to sow into you today."
— Stephen Furtick [01:36]

He challenges listeners to recognize the presence of God in their lives and to share this awareness with others, fostering a community rooted in faith.

The Story of Abraham: A Model of Unwavering Faith

Central to the episode is the exploration of Romans 4:18, where the Apostle Paul highlights Abraham's unwavering belief against all odds. Pastor Furtick elucidates how Abraham's faith led him to become the father of many nations, despite seemingly impossible circumstances.

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations."
— Stephen Furtick [05:09]

He draws parallels between Abraham's experiences and the listeners' own lives, encouraging them to see themselves as rightful owners of God's promises.

Contrasting Denial and Despair with Authentic Faith

Pastor Furtick warns against two extremes that can undermine faith: denial and despair. Denial involves ignoring reality, using faith as a means to overlook genuine issues, while despair signifies a complete absence of faith, leading to hopelessness.

"Faith can handle that. The starting place of authentic faith. Faith is honesty."
— Stephen Furtick [21:34]

He emphasizes that authentic faith requires honesty—acknowledging one's struggles and imperfections without allowing them to erode belief in God's promises.

Practical Applications: Rewriting the Narrative of Your Life

A significant portion of the sermon focuses on narrative transformation—encouraging listeners to redefine their life stories through the lens of faith rather than feelings. Pastor Furtick urges individuals to become the narrators of their own lives, choosing to interpret situations with faith-infused perspectives.

"Faith is not a feeling. Faith is a decision."
— Stephen Furtick [21:34]

He advocates for planting "seeds of purpose" even in doubtful circumstances, assuring that these seeds will grow beyond current perceptions.

"Can you see the tree in the seed? This is the question of faith."
— Stephen Furtick [28:07]

Embracing Growth Through Faith

Pastor Furtick likens faith to a seed that, when planted in the soil of adversity, can flourish into something magnificent. He uses the metaphor of trees in seeds to illustrate potential growth despite seemingly insignificant beginnings.

"It's a little boy's lunch. It's only five loaves and two fish."
— Stephen Furtick [30:53]

He reinforces the idea that small acts of faith can lead to significant outcomes, encouraging listeners to nurture their faith diligently.

Conclusion: Moving Forward with Authentic Faith

In his concluding remarks, Pastor Furtick reiterates the core message that while reality may present challenges ("it is what it is"), faith transforms the perception and outcome ("but it's not what it seems"). He calls on listeners to embrace honest faith, face their realities head-on, and trust in God's greater plan.

"It is what it is. But watch this. It's not what it seems."
— Stephen Furtick [24:33]

He inspires the audience to remain steadfast in their faith, assuring them that their planted seeds will yield abundant growth beyond their current understanding.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Faith is not a feeling. Faith is a decision."
  — Stephen Furtick [21:34]

• "Can you see the tree in the seed? This is the question of faith."
  — Stephen Furtick [28:07]

• "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations."
  — Stephen Furtick [05:09]

• "It is what it is. But watch this. It's not what it seems."
  — Stephen Furtick [24:33]

• "Faith can handle that. The starting place of authentic faith. Faith is honesty."
  — Stephen Furtick [21:34]

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as a compelling guide for believers seeking to deepen their faith and navigate life's complexities with honesty and resilience. Pastor Steven Furtick masterfully intertwines biblical teachings with practical life applications, empowering listeners to cultivate a faith that is both genuine and transformative.

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Note: This summary intentionally omits non-content segments, such as advertisements and introductions, focusing solely on the substantive message delivered by Pastor Steven Furtick.

Transcript

[Host]

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[Stephen Furtick]

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[Stephen Furtick]

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[Stephen Furtick]

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[Stephen Furtick]

Hey this is Stephen 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. Well, I'm very respectful of the presence of God, so I want to transition right into the Word because I believe that he desires to speak to you in a profound way. I want to move into Romans chapter 4 and speak a message of faith and inspiration over your life. Today we're continuing a teaching on functional faith. What I really pray these messages are doing is that they are showing up after you hear them in another form. That as opportunities present themselves to you for you to be full of doubt that something you've heard the Word of God is seed. I'm praying that it's breaking through the surface and helping you to experience God's presence in a new way. Would you just tell about five people around you that the Presence of the Lord is here. Just make sure they know. If they didn't get the memo, the presence of the Lord is here. What I want to do now, I want to plant the seed of the Word in the soil of your heart. I believe God has given me good seed to sow into you today.

[Host]

But.

[Stephen Furtick]

I can't make you good soil if you sit there distracted or discouraged or kind of in your own little world or kind of like just get it over with. That seed is going to fall, but it's not going to take root. So why don't you just open your heart now? Let me read this scripture to you from Romans chapter 4, verse 18. It's interesting because I have noted in my Bible. I do something with my Bible. I just thought it would be cool to give each of my kids a Bible that I had preached through. I'm doing it on seven year cycles. I gave Elijah, after seven years of preaching in this church, the Bible I preach from for those seven years. Highlight all the passages I preach from and then note what the sermon was. Just a little something that I can give them and hopefully an investment I can make in them. This is Graham's. I'm on the second seven years right now, and this is going to be his. We're about halfway through the second seven years of ministry at the church. Did I calculate that right? Yeah, year 10. I was looking at my notes and I was in this passage about the same time of the year two years ago. So there must be something about spring that makes me want to preach about faith and hope and life. It must be something about the greenery on my trees and the pollen in my. That just gets me thinking, maybe it's time for some things to bud forth and spring forth in your life. I want to spend some time in this passage today. Romans 4:18. The apostle Paul says, against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became. Do you know that's always true? That you always become what you believe? If you see yourself as a grasshopper in the land God has promised you, you won't take possession of it. Not because it wasn't yours, but because you didn't see yourself as the rightful owner. So what you believe eventually is reflected in what you become. Just pointing that out. Okay, that's not my sermon. That's the chips and the salsa before the enchilada. Now look at this. It says, he believed and so became the father of many nations. Just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring or your seed be without weakening in his faith. He faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old. Well, that's definitely not an overstatement. Your reproductive days are certainly coming to a close around age 100, especially if you live in a time where there are no little pills. I'm sorry, y' all, Let me get back on this. And that Sarah's womb was also dead. So this is an impossible situation from every angle. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened.

[Host]

Come on.

[Stephen Furtick]

You came to the gym today to.

[Host]

Get strengthened in your faith. This is the original CrossFit. We're going to be strengthened in our faith. And gave glory to God. Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised, shout over the Scripture.

[Stephen Furtick]

Now.

[Host]

Here'S my declaration, my title.

[Stephen Furtick]

I want you to give your neighbor my title. Look them right in the eye and.

[Host]

Say, neighbor, it is what it is, but it's not what it seems.

[Stephen Furtick]

My God, I feel fire on that.

[Host]

It's a declaration of faith, you understand? To look at your other neighbor, Tell them it is what it is. But it's not. Come on, you have to get into this. Tell them it is not. You have to do your finger like that. But it's not what it seems. Come on, high five, seven people on your way down to your seat.

[Stephen Furtick]

Let's get to work.

[Host]

Not what it seems.

[Stephen Furtick]

It's not what it seems, but it is what it is. Essentially, we are walking into the middle of an argument. In Romans, chapter four, Paul is presenting against the Judaizers who would have the Gentile converts to the faith be circumcised as an outward expression of their new commitment to the community of faith. Paul sees this as a grave mistake, for he understands that it is not the circumcision with human hands that makes you a believer. It is the circumcision of your heart. Not something that's cut away from your skin. It's something that has to be removed from your heart that enables you to connect with God in this relationship. In presenting one of the most important doctrinal beliefs you'll find anywhere in the canon, Paul is elaborating on this concept of justification by faith. It's never been presented exactly this way until Paul puts pen to paper and God uses him to expound upon the fact that you have to come in on your knees. Relationship with God cannot be the product of works, although works are a byproduct of that relationship. In the middle of this argument about what it means to have real faith, what it really takes to have faith, what faith really looks like. And in this contrast between the seen and the unseen elements of faith, Paul is using Abraham as an example because he is the father of faith. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to Israel. The nation came from Jacob, but Jacob came from Isaac and Isaac came from Abraham. So sometimes your life is a part of a bigger picture. You might not even be the one to see certain things come to pass, but you might be the one God uses in the life of the one that takes faith to have that kind of perspective on your life. I texted Pastor Mickey this morning. I didn't tell you, but we were talking about him. I just said, God used you in my life so much. I was just thinking about you this morning. Will you pray for me? Because he believed in me at a stage in my life where my potential was hidden. Anybody can believe in you once your success is evident. But if you have somebody who believes in you while your potential is still in seed form, never forget that person. That's why I was reaching out to him, just to tell him, thank you, I'm preaching today. Pray for me. I just had you on my mind. He doesn't preach in a big church, but he does preach in a big church because his faith lives on through me. This is the kind of framework last week we talked on frame game. Have you been working on your frame game this week? Would you do me a favor? Would you just frame up your neighbor real quick at all of our locations and tell them you look better than you did last week? I see signs of improvement. Frame game. Now Abraham enters the frame of the discussion about faith, and Paul has given us a synopsis of the story. A synopsis is different than a story. A synopsis requires some essence of prioritization to try to figure out what to put out and what to leave in. This is something women would do well to learn when you're trying to communicate with men, is that we typically do better with a synopsis than the full story. All of the men are leaving me up here by myself.

[Host]

But you know, you did not need.

[Stephen Furtick]

To know all of that to find out what's for dinner. Sometimes you just want to press the button to skip to the synopsis. Can I get a cliff note? Sometimes you think that in marriage you do, you do. I don't think that my wife is captivating. Speaking of Holly, she's on this kick lately of audible.com audible.com audio that speaks to you wherever you are. How do I know that? Because my wife walks around the house. She's listened to, I don't know, over the last year, 10 or 12 books on audible.com audio that speaks to you wherever you are. And she says she read them, but.

[Host]

We kind of have a debate about.

[Stephen Furtick]

That because I always thought reading meant your eyes were involved. She'll say, I read a book and I was like, listen to one under my breath, in my head. One book. She was looking at. She was looking at it and she. I don't know if she downloaded it or not, but she said she wasn't going to listen to that one because she said that it was narrated by a child. Not that the child read it on audible.com not actually that a child did the voice work, but that the point of view of the book was a child telling the story. She said, I just don't think I would enjoy a whole book written from a child's point of view. I think that would get old. That was interesting to me because when you think of elements of a story, you think about the characters and you think about the plot and you think about the setting. It always blows my mind. I don't know if any of you are fiction readers. Any fiction readers. If you have any good books I should take to the beach this summer, feel free to send them my way. I should totally read more fiction. It's a good escape. But I don't read enough. I can't figure out how somebody can have enough imagination to make up a whole world in a fiction book. I've written books before, but it's real stuff. I just don't imagine I would ever have the imagination to make up a whole world. Names and where people went to school, in cities that don't really exist, and aliens and zombies and walkers. I just can't imagine I would have that kind of imagination. But some people do. Yet the plot and the characters and the setting when you're reading a book are all experienced through the medium of.

[Host]

Whoever the author chooses to use to tell the story.

[Stephen Furtick]

Y' all know where I'm going with this. You guys are quick on the draw.

[Host]

I found out that in life you have to select a narrator.

[Stephen Furtick]

Stay with me on this.

[Host]

You have to select a narrator because the narrator you choose will determine the way you experience the events. Everybody in here has an internal narrator. Somebody who in every situation is trying to tell you how to think about that situation, how to interpret the motives.

[Stephen Furtick]

Of people in certain situations, how to.

[Host]

Look at an opportunity and to size it up. The Lord told me, come out here and tell you today that some of you need a new narrator. I'm going to say it again.

[Stephen Furtick]

Maybe it will hit the back.

[Host]

Maybe it will hit Providence.

[Stephen Furtick]

Maybe it will hit Gaston.

[Host]

Some of you have a really annoying, whiny, complaining, suspicious, negative narrator. It's wearing you out because you keep going into situations and your narrator keeps on telling you what to think about this and what to think about that. But I have good news for you. Anytime you get ready, you can get a new storyteller. I'm trying to say you can have a life narrated not by feelings, but by faith.

[Stephen Furtick]

I have to ask a question. Is your life narrated by your feelings or your faith? I think that's the plotline we're plopped into with Abraham, who has a decision to make in Romans chapter 4. Paul is giving us some of the story, not all of the story. If you read all of the story, you're going to read about how Abraham, while he was waiting on God to give him a son, slept with his wife's assistant to try to produce something he couldn't be patient and wait for. That happened in Genesis. We hear about it, but it didn't make the trip across the centuries to Romans chapter 4. Isn't that interesting in the story selection process, in the synopsis. It didn't even make the story. It didn't even make the story that Abraham got in trouble one time and he was scared because his wife was beautiful. And he thought that if the king knew it was his wife, he'd be in danger. So he told his wife Sarai to pretend like she was his sister. Then the king almost slept with his wife because he thought it was Abram's sister. Then God started messing with the king because God didn't like it very much that the king was about to take Abraham's wife. The king figured it out real quick and said, why did you lie to me? Yet I can't find that in Romans chapter 4. It's not as if it didn't happen.

[Host]

It's just that when you narrate your life by grace, when you narrate your life by grace, this is the context, Faith. So some of the failures that are.

[Stephen Furtick]

Most prominent in your mind didn't even make the cut of the story in.

[Host]

The mind of God, because he sees you from a different perspective and sees you in a different dimension. I feel the spirit of God on me today. I'm just going to preach this like I feel it in my heart. Touch somebody, say it's not even a part of my story. It's not even a part of my story.

[Stephen Furtick]

But it is. But it is. But it is. In your story, there's a kind of faith that is very dangerous. I'll show you two extremes here, and both are warned against in Romans chapter 4. Sometimes there is a version of faith that really looks more like denial. Then there is the absence of faith, which creates despair. What I see in Romans chapter four, front and center from the Father of faith is that he was able to avoid both extremes.

[Host]

It says in verse 19, without weakening.

[Stephen Furtick]

In his faith, he faced the fact.

[Host]

Now that one phrase helps me understand what faith is and what faith isn't. The kind of faith I am to emulate from my father Abraham, whose seed I am, is not a sort of denial. I'm putting that before you because when we teach about being positive, it doesn't mean everything in your life is positive. I want you to know that. Here's the thing. Some people don't exercise faith because they live in denial. And they actually begin to use their faith as a cop out.

[Stephen Furtick]

And don't confront things for what they are. Somebody look at the person next to you and tell them, it is what it is.

[Host]

Come on.

[Stephen Furtick]

Some of you aren't participating. And that makes me really, really, really angry and insecure.

[Host]

Look at your neighbor. Tell them it is what it is. Abraham faced the fact he was old. He faced the fact his stuff stopped working a long time ago. He faced the fact. He looked at himself and he said, it is what it is. And he looked at his wife and said, it was what it was. But it ain't what it was now. It is what it is. We are old now. We could have done this 30, 40 years ago. Maybe we could have done it 50, 60 years ago. But now it is what it is.

[Stephen Furtick]

I didn't go to college.

[Host]

It is what it is. I didn't go to high school. It is what it is. I went through my first marriage. I was too stupid to make it work. You know what? You can't get over what you do not own. Face it. Faith doesn't mean living in denial. Faith doesn't mean it's all good. I've got women in my church who were sexually abused. It's not all good. I have people in my church who can't get a job because they have a criminal record. It's not all good. I have people in my church under the sound of my voice right now who didn't grow up with a dad. It's not all good. And you know what?

[Stephen Furtick]

Faith can handle that.

[Host]

Faith can handle that.

[Stephen Furtick]

The starting place of authentic faith. Faith is honesty.

[Host]

It is what it is.

[Stephen Furtick]

Lord, I'm disappointed right now. Do you know you can tell God that and he won't hold it against you. When God spoke to Abraham and said, I'm going to give you a seed that's going to be your son, and out of your seed is going to come a nation as numerous as the stars, Abraham laughed in God's face. It didn't bother God because faith is not a feeling. Faith is a decision. I'm going to say it again to counteract all the wrong thinking you've ever had in your life about faith. Faith is not a feeling. You can be a pessimistic person but still have great faith. Even great faith has weak moments.

[Host]

So the call to faith is first.

[Stephen Furtick]

A call to come out of denial. Otherwise, you'll be waiting on God to deliver you from a situation that is going to require discipline. I'm going to say it again. This message isn't sinking in.

[Host]

Joel.

[Stephen Furtick]

9:30 was on fire. I don't know what happened in the lobby before the people got here. Maybe it's better at the other campus. But when you live in denial, you'll be waiting for deliverance in a situation that requires discipline. Are you waiting for deliverance in a situation that is going to require discipline?

[Host]

In other words, are you waiting on God to cancel your debts or are.

[Stephen Furtick]

You making a plan to pay them off?

[Host]

Faith doesn't wait on a check. Faith gets up and goes to work, or at least looking for work. Faith will do it, but you have to face it. You have to face it or you'll live in denial.

[Stephen Furtick]

And you'll say, well, I guess the.

[Host]

Reason nobody wants to be my friend.

[Stephen Furtick]

Is because God has just got me.

[Host]

In a lonely season right now. No, God doesn't have you in a lonely season. Your bad attitude and poor relational habits of not treating people correctly have got you in a lonely season. Until you face it, faith can't fix it. Until you face it, faith can't fix it. Faith can't fix what you won't face. So he faced the fact, but he kept his faith. You can do both.

[Stephen Furtick]

Stay with me, Camera.

[Host]

He faced the fact. I'm not living in denial. But he kept his faith. I'm not living in despair. Faith is standing in the middle and making a decision that it is what it is. But watch this. It's not what it seems. I have that beneath the surface faith, I Have that Saturday faith waiting on something to come up out of a tomb and resurrect for the healing and salvation of the world.

[Stephen Furtick]

He narrated his situation with his faith. So he became the father of many nations. And we are his seed. How cool is that? That we are the seed of Abraham seed. That made me think about something. Will you think with me today that when Jesus was trying to explain to the people what the kingdom of God was like, he said in Mark 4:31, the kingdom of heaven is like a skyscraper. Big and bold, big and massive, towering structure. I wish he said that. I wish my faith was as big as a skyscraper. I wish I walked around never doubting. I wish all my stuff worked. That's what I'm trying to say. In fact, I wish this stuff I preach was as easy to live as it is to preach sometimes. Talk back to me. Talk back to me. Talk back to me.

[Host]

Don't you wish it was as easy.

[Stephen Furtick]

To live as it is to write down in your notebook? The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Show them the mustard seed. Show them. Show them.

[Host]

Show them the seed.

[Stephen Furtick]

Huh? What? Come on, talk to me. It's all right. You can talk in church. No, it's not. That's what it seems to be now that it's been through the process. It went through. Guess what I have in my pocket. No, not mustard seeds. I have trees in my pocket.

[Host]

I came to preach to somebody. You have trees in your pocket. You have potential in your life. You have trees in your pocket. You have healing in your mouth. You can tell your neighbor. You have trees in your pocket. That's what God was telling Abraham. I put a seed in you. I put a promise in you. I put a purpose in you. I put potential in you. Don't judge the tree by the size of the seed, because when it's grown, it's going to look like something you can't even imagine right now. Right now. So he says, can you see the tree in the seed? This is the question of faith. Can you see the hope of the world in a barren womb?

[Stephen Furtick]

Can you see leadership potential in your rebellious child? Can you see how it might have been a blessing that one person walked out of your life? Can you see? They say we miss the forest for the trees, but sometimes I think we miss the trees for the seeds. So Elijah sends his servant up. He's like, hey, check it out. It's about to rain. The servant comes back down and says, there is nothing there. He said, go and look again. Elijah is doing something Kind of weird. While he's sending the servant back and forth because he sends him six times. The Bible says, I'm not going to attempt to demonstrate this because my flexibility is limited. But he put his head between his knees. I think it's because if he looked at the sky, if he looked at the situation, if he went by sight, the Bible says, we walk by faith and not by sight. So he had to close his eyes to what was there in order to see what would be. Finally, after six times, on the seventh time, the little servant came back and said, well, it's a cloud up there, but it's only about the size of a man's hand. To what shall I compare the kingdom of heaven? It's like a seed, a cloud the size of a man's hand. It's like a mustard seed. That's the smallest seed they knew of at the time. Yet when planted, it grows. I love that phrase. I feel the oil of God and the electric power of the Holy Ghost on that phrase. Yet when planted, it grows. That's your word for this season of your life. Yes. It's small, yet when planted it grows. I'm going to stay right on this because I know when God is speaking and he's speaking to somebody. It's a cloud the size of a man's hand, yet when planted it grows. It's a little boy's lunch. It's only five loaves and two fish.

[Host]

Jesus said, put it in my hands, because yet when planted, it grows. He's just a shepherd boy in a field. He looks like a seed, yet he's a king when planted in the soil of adversity. In Saul's court, David grew to become a king. To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It's like a seed. You can't see it at first. It doesn't even seem like something worth showing. It doesn't even seem big enough for.

[Stephen Furtick]

The cameras to pick up.

[Host]

Yet when planted, it grows. God said, it's time for you to start planting seeds of purpose, even in the soil of doubt. If you plant it, it'll grow. If you plant it, the cloud will burst. If you plant it, the rain will fall. If you get your hands dirty and have faith and hope against hope. Yet when planted, it grows. Touch seven people, tell them it's going to grow. I feel a spirit of faith. I want to impart faith to you. I don't know if you believe in this kind of stuff, but I believe in a moment, moment in the presence of God, he can Plant the incorruptible seed of his word in the soul of an expectant heart and a ripe harvest. You better catch that. You better catch that tree. You better catch that tree. Come on, lime burgers. How many? Think I can get it all the way to Al? You better catch that tree. You better put that in your pocket this week. When you're up in a situation and it looks like a small little thing, and it looks like it doesn't stand a chance, and it looks like a little virgin girl from Nazareth, and it looks like Joseph in a pit, you need to understand that the pit wasn't a pit. It was a sweet soil he was planted in so he could come forth in Egypt and bring nation. Tell somebody, I'm growing. I'm growing. I'm growing, I'm growing. My faith is growing. My heart is growing. My capacity to love is growing. But the thing about the growth of the seed is.

[Stephen Furtick]

Do y' all hate when I holler like that?

[Host]

I know some of y' all wish I didn't do it, but I watched some basketball games during Final Four and the NBA playoffs. I watched all kinds of fans get up with their shirts off and their chest painted and they're jumping around about, some men in some shorts running up and down a hardwood floor. I just figured our faith ought to be enough. So it's growing, but the process.

[Stephen Furtick]

Stop.

[Host]

I want to teach.

[Stephen Furtick]

I want to teach.

[Host]

Jesus said, I got to go to the cross, I got to be crucified, and they're going to bury me in the ground. That's one narration of what happened when they put Jesus in a borrowed tomb. He was buried. But guess what? Jesus said, when they put me in the ground, I'm not being buried. I'm being planted to produce a harvest. I planted. I'm planted. And it does not appear yet what I shall be, but when you see me, I'm gonna look more like him. I got news for you. It is what it is, but it's not what it was. And your eyes have not seen what it's gonna be. Shout if you believe. I want to talk to somebody at the Rock Hill campus right now. Because at the Rock Hill campus, I have somebody listening to this sermon who is in a state of despair. You figured, well, if it hadn't happened.

[Stephen Furtick]

By now, it's not going to happen. And you know what? It may not happen just the way.

[Host]

You wanted it to happen. Sometimes you have to put the seed of your dream in the soil of your faith. So God's dream for Your life can bud forth, yet when planted, it grows. I prayed for you, Peter, that after you failed that your faith would not fail. And that after you had returned, you would strengthen your. Your brethren. You're coming up out of the dirt. You're coming up out of this failure. This is not your final resting place. Don't despair. And don't look at what you see. We don't fix our eyes on what is seen. What is seen is temporary. I'm only in this ground for a minute, but I'm coming up bigger than before. I'm coming up stronger than before. I'm coming up full of faith, full of wisdom, full of lessons, full of purpose, full of love. I'm planted.

[Stephen Furtick]

Yet the only way for the seed to grow was for it to disappear into the soil. The only way for Abraham's faith to be proven was for his hope to be planted in the soil of disappointment. Yet he didn't waver in his faith. What do you mean? Paul? He slept with his wife's assistant.

[Host]

Yeah, but.

[Stephen Furtick]

Faith isn't defined by what you do in your weak moments. That's not how. The narrator. The narrator. You know what you have in your life? You have a third person narrator. I'm going to break it down even more for the English teachers. It's a third person omniscient narrator. Because you have different kinds of narrators. It's the first person. When you narrate your life in the first person, you look at yourself and you say, it is what it is. But what a narrator can do in telling the story. And this is what faith can do in your life. Faith can show you that although it is what it is, it's not what it seems. And in between denial and despair is destiny. To stand and know that God has planted me and I will produce my purpose. Do you have a disappointment in your life? It is what it is. No need in denying it. You fell short. It is what it is. Boy, even just that first half alone would be a good start, wouldn't it? Just to say it is what it is. That I can't come in church and pretend to be something I'm not and expect to be blessed in my state of pretension. I was reading something because I'm reading through Mark a little bit, preparing these sermons for you. I started the series in Mark and I was over there about the woman with the issue of blood just for a Bible lesson for you. She had been going around to a bunch of different doctors and they kept saying, this is what it is. And this is what it is. She came to Jesus and he was able to fix it for what it really was anyway. You can try to fix all kinds of things in your life because you diagnose according to the symptoms, but never really get down to the systemic parts that cause the symptoms. You run around to a bunch of different doctors, a lot of different men, a lot of different women, a lot of different churches, a lot of different relationships, a lot of different places trying to get it fixed. But until you get to the guy who really knows what it is, it can't be healed. What I never noticed before is it said that the woman, when she came to Jesus. Because I always saw the story like faith, just big faith. She came through the crowd and she pressed through the crowd. She said, if I can touch the hem of his garment, I'll be made whole. I always was so focused on that that I missed the part where it said that the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. It was her faith that healed her, but it was her honesty that made her faith authentic. The Lord told me to give you two things to come out of the Nile. It is what it is. You can say it. You can say, I feel lonely in this season. Now, be careful who you say it.

[Host]

To.

[Stephen Furtick]

Because you can say it in Delilah's barbershop and wake up with a buzz cut you weren't expecting. Don't just say it to anybody. But God can handle it. God can handle it. I talk to God real as if I'm talking to a friend. The Bible said Abraham was a friend of God. And if I'm his seed, I'm his friend, too. Friends can talk to friends. He's my father, but he's my friend. I can come to him and say, you know, I don't get you right now, sir. Your majesty. Because I don't want a lightning bolt or anything like that. It is what it is. I feel like nobody appreciates me right now. God. Just make sure when you tell God how you feel, you let him narrate what you should do by faith, not feelings. It's okay to say it. Abraham faced the fact. Look at all these debts I have. Look at what the doctors are saying. Face it. Face it in faith. Face it in faith. Face it in faith. Come out of the spirit and realize that whatever it is you're looking at is not the end.

[Host]

It's a portal to your potential. It's not buried.

[Stephen Furtick]

It's planted.

[Host]

It's not over, it's just in transition. It is what it is, but my faith told me to tell you it's not what it seems. If you receive this word, get up and on your feet and give your God a great praise, a high praise, a fake.

[Stephen 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 evationchurch. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway now through June 24th. Score hot summer savings and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags on items like Dove Ice Cream bars, Chips Ahoy Cookies, Arrowhead bottled water and Charmin Bath Tissue. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go, pickup or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Unknown]

And here we have a specimen from the early 2000s.

[Host]

A legacy investing platform. Please don't touch the exhibit folks.

[Stephen Furtick]

It could crash.

[Unknown]

Ready to step out of the Financial history [e-mail] you can invest in almost everything, stocks, bonds, options and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Paid for by Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Full [e-mail] disclosures hey, it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murderer.

[Stephen Furtick]

Thanks to Hyundai, we got to take.

[Unknown]

A post show drive in the Ionic five.

[Stephen Furtick]

We had snacks, laughs and we even recorded a special episode episode featuring some unforgettable car themed stories. Take a listen. So I'm gonna tell you a story today, Karen.

[Unknown]

It's about a pivotal role that cars played in none other than the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

[Stephen Furtick]

Okay, well, yes, it's right there in the title, right? This episode is brought to you by.

[Host]

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5. This is an iHeart podcast.