SAVE YOUR STRENGTH

Summary

Podcast Summary: Elevation with Steven Furtick – "SAVE YOUR STRENGTH"

Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Pastor Steven Furtick
Series: Gates of Change

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Overview

In this episode, Pastor Steven Furtick continues the "Gates of Change" series, focusing on the theme of “Save Your Strength.” He challenges listeners to conserve their energy for the battles that truly matter, to live by God's standards rather than the world’s, and to take responsibility for their spiritual gatekeeping. Drawing from Isaiah 28:5-6, Furtick underscores the connections between setting godly standards, finding spiritual strength, and experiencing true victory—even in the context of defeat. Through personal stories, scriptural insights, and passionate exhortation, the episode calls for a renewed commitment to intentional living and raising the bar in every aspect of life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Being Present at the Gate (00:00–05:35)

• Main point: This year is not about perfection, but about presence—"being where we belong."
• Furtick issues the challenge: “Save your strength for the battles that really matter. Save your energy for your real life instead of your imaginary battles.” (01:10)
• He references Isaiah 28:5–6, interpreting the “gate” as the place of responsibility, justice, and deliberation—the actual realm where spiritual warfare occurs.
• Memorable quote: “You can't really get a new start to your story. What you can do is change the ending.” (06:44)

2. Where Battles Are Truly Won: The Space Between the Gates (05:35–09:18)

• Furtick explains the “space between the gates” as the domain of daily decisions, thoughts, and negotiations—where the outcomes of battles are truly determined before they manifest outwardly.
• He likens unseen training for the Olympics to unseen preparation for life’s spiritual victories.
• Story: Tells of his father's unconventional, sometimes harsh parenting, then pivots to admiration for his father’s attempt to break generational cycles of addiction.

3. New Endings, Not Just New Beginnings (09:18–11:47)

• Building on his father’s history, Furtick encourages listeners to “write a new ending,” even when they cannot change the past.
• Quote: “You can’t change who wasn’t there for you, but you can write a new ending.” (09:49)
• Stresses legacy and the significance of choices at pivotal moments (“the gate”).

4. The Place to Fight: Before It Begins (11:47–13:29)

• The best place to win a battle (with addiction, resentment, or anxiety) is to prevent it from starting—to “turn back the battle at the gate.”
• Insight: Letting negative influences in is conceding defeat before the fight begins, whether in marriage or thought life.

5. God as Source: Strength & Standards (13:29–24:58)

• Furtick unpacks Isaiah 28: not only is God the source of strength, but also the originator of just standards.
• He calls out the biblical leaders who “lowered the standard and left the people vulnerable”—a warning to today’s leaders.
• Quote: “If the source of your strength is who you’re sitting beside, you will live a very disappointed life.” (16:18)
• “God will be a wreath for the remnant. The wreath symbolizes victory. The remnant represents what’s left. God always has a remnant.” (18:37–20:09)

6. Standards vs. Strength: Their Inseparability (24:58–26:48)

• Furtick insists, “How can I expect God’s strength if I do not embrace God’s standards?” (23:06; 24:58)
• He challenges Christians who want God’s resources but live by the world’s or their own standards.
• “How can I expect his strength and resist his standards?… That’s why I feel weak sometimes—because I’ve given away my strength because I’ve lowered my standard.” (23:31, 24:28)

7. Raising Standards in Real Life (26:48–38:13)

• Examples from personal ministry experience highlight conflicts over maintaining excellence as a standard, not just for appearances, but as an offering to God.
• “Why should I expect God to bless something my whole heart wasn’t in?” (27:32)
• Tells a story where high standards initially put off new church visitors, but ultimately became the catalyst for life change and hospitality.

8. Standards in Everyday Practice (38:13–43:49)

• Emphasizes standards in stewardship, generosity, integrity, and excellence.
• Establishing standards minimizes decision fatigue and gate vulnerability.
• “Why would God give me provision if I don't have a plan for it?... The standard comes before the strength.” (38:46)
• On influence: “How can I expect God to give me influence if I will not embrace the standard of sacrifice that influence requires? I want the influence, not the sacrifice.” (41:10)
• On freedom and forgiveness: “It is the standard of forgiveness that enables me to live in freedom. I don’t forgive you for you. I forgive you because I want to be free.” (42:33)

9. Corporate and Societal Standards (43:49–46:38)

• Applies the concept of standards to unity and justice in society, referencing the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Quote: "A dream without action and a dream without process and a dream without justice is a delusion. So we have to raise a standard and declare that some things are not all right." (45:38)

10. Call to Action: Raising the Standard (46:38–End)

• Concludes with a corporate call to evaluate and raise personal and communal standards, not simply as a set of rules, but as a holistic lifestyle empowered by God’s grace.
• “The gates of change start with our standards... God is looking for people at the beginning of this year who will raise the standard. The beautiful thing about it is He is not going to cause you to have to reach the standard. He's only calling you to raise it. He will give you the grace to draw a line and say, it stops here.” (47:30–49:07)
• Prayer of dedication, asking for strength, discernment, and the courage to maintain new standards.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:10] “Save your strength for the battles that really matter. Save your energy for your real life instead of your imaginary battles.”
• [06:44] “You can't really get a new start to your story. What you can do is change the ending.”
• [09:49] “You can’t change who wasn’t there for you, but you can write a new ending.”
• [13:29] “If you let it in, you’ve already let it win.”
• [18:37] “God will be a wreath for the remnant. The wreath symbolizes victory. The remnant represents what’s left.”
• [23:06] “How can I call God the source of my strength if I have not made Him the source of my standards?”
• [24:28] “I’ve given away my strength because I have lowered my standard.”
• [38:46] “The standard comes before the strength.”
• [42:33] “I don’t forgive you for you. I forgive you because I want to be free.”
• [45:38] "...a dream without action and a dream without process and a dream without justice is a delusion."
• [47:30] “He will give you the grace to draw a line and say, it stops here.”

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:10 – Introduction to “Gates of Change” and the message theme
• 05:35–09:18 – Defining the “space between the gates”; stories about his father
• 13:29–20:15 – Source of strength, legacy, and remnant explained
• 23:06–24:58 – Standards as non-negotiable precursor to strength
• 27:32–31:51 – Worship team story; standards of excellence in the church
• 38:46–41:10 – Standards of stewardship, generosity, and influence
• 42:33–43:49 – Freedom through the standard of forgiveness
• 45:38 – The problem of wanting “God’s sayings” without “God’s standards”
• 47:30–End – Corporate call to raise standards; closing prayer

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Style & Tone

Pastor Furtick maintains an energetic, candid, and motivational tone throughout. He mixes humor with moments of vulnerability and intensity—driving home the need for individual and collective change with both challenge and encouragement.

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Useful Takeaways

• Lasting change is found not in chasing new beginnings, but in committing to new endings.
• The standards you establish in advance determine your ability to thrive and find God’s strength when battles arise.
• God is both the author of victory (the wreath) and the resource for what’s left (the remnant)—but He requires you to “turn back the battle at the gate.”
• Before seeking God’s strength, embrace God’s standards—in thought, speech, behavior, and relationships.
• Raising your standards is not about earning God’s love, but receiving His grace to live out your calling powerfully and with integrity.

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For listeners who missed the episode: This message will push you to ask yourself not only, “What am I fighting?” but “By whose standards am I living—and do they align with the source of my true strength?”

Transcript

[A]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human. 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. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. We are very excited about what God is speaking to us in this new series. The series is called Gates of Change. We started last week just taking responsibility for our own relationship with God. We made a decision that we will not be perfect this year, but we will be present. We will show up for the celebrations and the struggles. We will take our seat in the gate. What we're saying is we're going to be where we belong this year. So touch your neighbor, say I'm back. I'm really excited to share the scripture with you today that I ended on from Isaiah 28, 5, 6. This is where I stopped last week and I want to pick up here a very powerful Old Testament prophecy. In that day, the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. Only two scriptures, so I'd like to repeat it again because we have plenty of time. In that day, the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. Look at your neighbor say save your strength. I want to speak to you today about save your strength for the battles that really matter. To have a prioritized life so you don't waste time chasing down stuff that ought to be running from you to save your energy for your real life instead of your imaginary battles. You may not ever even have to fight, but the devil wants to keep you up all night with so you're sleepy when you go to work the next morning. Save your strength for the relationships God wants you to invest in so you don't keep going back to people who continue to abuse you in ways you should have seen coming. Save your strength so you don't do in the flesh what can only be done by might and power and the spirit of the Lord. Save your strength. Some of you are behind you missed last week so I told them catch Everybody up in 90 seconds, sit down, let's go to the movies real quick and I'll start this second installment the.

[B]

Greatest trouble in David's life came when.

[A]

He became passive, or you might say, disengaged.

[B]

I don't think there's ever been a.

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Time in the world where we've been more engaged on the surface and more disengaged in our souls.

[B]

Disengaged not because I don't care, but just because I'm afraid. I don't know if I have what it takes. David was shaken.

[A]

Everything changed for David when he did something so simple. The king got up, left his chamber, and took his seat in the gate.

[B]

When the enemy comes with his accusations and his excuses, I want you to look him square in the eye before the year even gets started and tell him, devil, this seat is taken.

[A]

This is the place of responsibility.

[B]

This is the place of owning your story.

[A]

But it begins with the decision for you to take your place in the gate. We're going to start getting intentional about our thoughts so we win the battle between the gates. I thought I'd start my sermon where I ended it last time. You know, I thought I would take a moment and just illustrate how sometimes where something shows up is not where it started. This sermon you hear today came from a note I made last year. Sometimes where something shows up isn't where it starts. By the time you hear the sermon, it's already been in the process of me thinking about it for a long time, because I don't want to just think of something Saturday and say it on Sunday. I even realized that about your life. You showed up today, and I'll see you, but I don't really see what it took for you to get here or what is affecting your mind. As I preach. Sometimes people will say, that was the.

[B]

Best sermon you ever preached.

[A]

I'll say, that's just the best you ever listened to. It wasn't that good. The sermon starts before it starts. I always tell the parking team, hey, help me out. When people are coming in, smile at them, wave at them, put them in a good mood. It will make my job easier. Because the sermon starts before it starts. It starts before it starts, it starts. Checking in your kids. Make sure that you get as good of a start as possible. This time of year, we're so focused on new beginnings, but the longer you live, the less you really believe in new beginnings. The cliches don't really comfort you in the same way or inspire you at the same level anymore. New Year, new you. Nope. No, I didn't grow three inches. Same me. You can't really get a new start to your story. What you can do is change the ending. The only real way for you to affect the ending is to understand the starting place. It's very important that we understand the scripture. I read in the context of the times. Because there would have been an outside gate, the outer wall of the city with a gate for entrance, an inner gate as a line of defense, and then this space between the gate where justice was supposed to be served, negotiations happened, and people would buy and sell. And that was the space between the gates where the negotiations of life and the deliberations took place. But between the gates. We're talking in this series about that space between the gates. The realm of your decisions, the realm of your thought process. The space between what you see with your eyes and what you do in your life, what you hear with your ears and how you act when you go home. That's space. That's where the battle is won and lost. By the time the battle is won, there has already been significant work done. Nobody wins the Olympics at the race. They won the Olympics in the Dark at 4:30. Where their success showed up is not where their success started. Usually if you see an issue in somebody's life, where it showed up is not where it started. It's the same with victories than it is with defeat. I told a story last week about my dad. And the reason I like to tell so many stories about my dad is because he's not here to correct them. I can tell him how I want to tell them. The one I told about him last week made him sound kind of bad, but I thought I would tell a good one about him. My dad was a good dad, especially if you compare him to the standard. He didn't have a dad to show him how to do it, and he was making it up. When he was doing it, he was just kind of winging it. I have mad respect for that because it's hard enough to be a dad when you've seen a dad. But he had to make it up. Some of his tactics were not FDA approved. Some of his tactics were kind of street tactics. One time I told my mom I wanted to kill him. Yeah, not my finest moment. I'll kill him. I want to kill him. When he picked me up from school that day, early dismissal, picked me up from school and said he had two guns in the back of the truck. I was going to get one and he was going to get one because he heard I wanted to kill him and if I didn't shoot, he was going to. That is not necessarily the Type of parenting you hear about on Focus on the Family.

[B]

But he was doing the best he could.

[A]

He didn't actually do it. He let me cry for 10 minutes and think he was going to do it, but I never said it again. One of his finest moments, though I don't know where he got the idea to do this, was when he began to talk to me about addiction. He began to talk to me about addiction because his father committed suicide and had been a very mean drunk. His father's father had been an alcoholic. Somewhere along the line, he made the decision that I can't go back and rewrite how this story started in our bloodline, but I'm going to impart a vision to my son so he might be the one to write a different ending. You can't create a new beginning, but you can write a new ending. That's what I'm trying to say. You can't change who wasn't there for you, but you can write a new ending. Maybe we should start this year not as an expectation of new beginnings, but new endings. From this point forward. I said, from this point forward, Paul said, I press toward the mark. This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind me. There is no strength in what's behind me. I stretch toward what's ahead. My dad would pull me aside, even from a really young age. I was 8 years old, and he would pull me aside and start talking to me about the day dangers of alcoholism.

[B]

Eight years old.

[A]

He would tell me my dad was drunk and his dad was a drunk, and his dad was a drunk. He'd say, you could be the first furtick that wasn't an alcoholic. He put it out there like a challenge to me, like you could go to the moon. You could be the first furtick. I kind of liked that.

[B]

I was only 8.

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I don't know what he thought the kids were bringing to school in their juice boxes, like, what temptation he thought I was under. You could be the first verdict. It got through to me even when I got a little older. I could be the first verdict. This is not a sermon about don't drink, by the way. I don't want you to get all nervous like that, like I'm one of those preachers. I have noticed a lot of the preachers who preach don't drink are 80 pounds overweight. So apparently they skipped all the verses about gluttony. Okay, you didn't come for all that. Let's get back to the scripture. Isaiah sent that he will be. Is anybody leaving? I can't see very well back here. Y' all still there? Okay. A source of strength to him who turns back. The battle at the gate.

[B]

In other words, God will strengthen the.

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Will of the one who makes the decision. It stops here.

[B]

I'm taking my place in the gate to say I cannot affect how the story started. But my dad said, if you really want to be the first verdict to.

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Beat this, you have to beat it in your blood.

[B]

If you taste it, you're going to like it. So I want to challenge you. Just don't ever fight it. He was trying to get me to see that sometimes the best place to fight the battle is before it ever begins. To draw a line and say, I'm not even going there. I'm not even playing with this. This is not going to be a part of my children's legacy. I can't control what it's been until now. But from this day forward, by the grace of God, I am a new creation in Christ, and I'm going to beat it in the bloodline. I'm going to make a stand for the next generation. There are going to be some changes at the gate. The place to beat it is before it begins. If you let it in, you've already let it win. It's like this in marriage. By the time you let resentment in, you've already let bitterness win. It's like this in our thought process. By the time we let worry in, we've already let anxiety win.

[A]

This is the year we no longer fight the devil on his level.

[B]

Isaiah said, there is a strategy.

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You can turn back the battle at the gate. It's a powerful thought. Sometimes people make fun of me when we go out to eat. They say, oh, yeah, I forgot, you don't drink. Fine. I'm judging. You drink what you want to drink. I drink 14 Diet Mountain Dews a day. I have no judgment for your liquid consumption. I just have a different drug. What I'm saying is this is a decision I made. It's a standard that I have set. The problem in Isaiah's day is that the leaders who should have been setting the standard for the people have lowered the standard and left the people vulnerable. This has no relevance to our modern day. Of course, the Bible is an ancient. In fact, Isaiah gives a picture of it. He says, the leaders who are supposed to be sitting in their seat of judgment, rendering decisions of virtue and justice. Verse seven, he says, they stagger from wine and reel from beer. The priests and the prophets. Wouldn't this make church more interesting? The Priests and the prophets stagger from beer are befuddled with wine, y'. All. I have a hard enough time making sense when I'm up here sober. Can you imagine what I would sound like if I had a few?

[B]

He said they stagger when seeing visions they cannot see correctly, so how can they lead correctly? They stumble when rendering decisions. They are the ones who are supposed to calibrate the calling of the nation, yet they are so drunk. Maybe it's a metaphor. Maybe it's not just that they're drunk on alcohol. Maybe they're drunk on pride. Maybe they're intoxicated with power. Maybe it's self aggrandizement that has caused the leaders of this day to begin to weigh self interest in a different scale than the best interest of the people. Yet Isaiah says something that rings true today, that God will be a source of strength to those who turn back.

[A]

The battle at the gate.

[B]

Notice, he says that no matter who sits in the gate, God is still the source of strength to those who.

[A]

Turn back the battle at the gate. It would be worth answering the question, who is the source of your strength? If you haven't decided it by now, you need to decide it really quickly. Because if the source of your strength is who you're sitting beside, you will live a very disappointed life. If the source of your strength is a number at the bottom of your balance sheet, something will hit your life so hard you can't buy your way out of it. You will find out really quickly that net worth is a terrible place to put your sense of self value. If the source of your strength is how people look at you or treat you or think about you. If the source of your strength on any given day is the condition of your health, you will always be susceptible to the elements. Isaiah says he will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment and a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. To make God the source of your strength means you depend on Him. As one psalmist said, you lift your eyes to the hills from whence cometh your help. Your help cometh from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, and he will not suffer your foot to be moved. The Lord which keepeth thee will not slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your shade upon your right hand, and the sun will not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. He will preserve your soul even forevermore. To know that all your help comes from God, that all your hope is in Jesus, that all of your help comes not from the right, but not from the left, not from the north, not from the south, not from the economy, not from the job, not you.

[B]

God is my source. Go ahead and clap right now if you know God has your back. In fact, stand up on your feet and shout about it. If God is your source in every season of your life, in every famine, I have a friend named Jesus. He is my source. I am so tempted to preach on this part of the verse that I almost forgot what came before it. Isaiah said, in that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. What is a wreath? And what is a remnant besides a Christmas decoration?

[A]

A wreath symbolizes victory. He is preaching victory to people who are about to experience defeat. He's preaching about the impending Assyrian invasion to the northern territory of Samaria, the crown jewel of the northern kingdom of Israel, set on a fertile valley. He's speaking to them about their potential. He's telling them how their protection is gone. So now they're going to face a season of defeat. In the same breath, he promises to be a source of strength. He warns them of a coming defeat. Yet he speaks about victory in the context of defeat. He says, in that day, the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. God said he will be a wreath for the remnant. The wreath symbolizes victory. The remnant represents what's left. God always has a remnant. No matter what you've lost in your life or who walked away from you, God always leaves a remnant. No matter how wicked this world gets or how dark the times we live in may seem to be, God always has a remnant. In every office, God has a remnant. In every church, God has a remnant. In every city, in every generation, God has a remnant. God always has a remnant. There's always a little bit of oil in the house. Even if you feel like you're starving to death, God always has a remnant. There's always a little boy with a lunch. If you call him forward and put it in the hands of the Master, it will multiply. Because God always has a remnant.

[B]

No matter how many leave Gideon, there.

[A]

Will always be 300. God is able to win with the remnant.

[B]

God said, I'm going to bless what's left. I will not be limited by what you lost. I will be a wreath for the remnant. I'm going to bless what's left. I'm going to bless what's left. Stop weeping over what's lost. I'M going to bless what's left. I want you to shout right now over what you have left. I want you to shout right now over the gift you have, the strength you have, the friends you have, the opportunities you have, the time you have. God said, I'm going to bless what you have left. If you will not stay stuck in what walked away. I'm going to bless what you have left. You can win with what you got left. I feel like preaching I feel like preaching to the Remnant. Where is the Remnant at? Where are the ones who went through the fire and came out unbound?

[A]

I'm going to bless what's left no matter what happens at the leadership level. I'm looking for someone who will turn back the battle at the gate. In that day, the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. Then he mentions two different spirits. Watch this in verse 6. Can we study the Bible? He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment. That's the first one. And a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. So you have the spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment and the source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. I studied that text all week and I thought I was talking about two different things. But the more I read it, the more I realized this is two functions of the same spirit. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. The first part of the verse is about standards. He will be a spirit of justice. He will decide what is wrong and right to the one who sits in judgment. He will be a spirit of justice and a source of strength to the one who turns back the battle at the gate. So the same God that is the source of our strength is to also be the source of our standards. Here's the question I came to ask. How can I expect God's strength if I do not embrace God's standards? I'm about to throw this mic, brother.

[B]

See, how can I call God the.

[A]

Source of my strength if I have not made him the source of my standards?

[B]

He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment. If I have let that seat open and I have left culture.

[A]

To tell me what's right and wrong, how can.

[B]

I look to culture for my standards and then look to God for my strength? How can I look for the world to tell me how to live and then expect God to give me strength for a standard that was not his. How can I call God the source of my strength if he is not the source of my standards? How can I expect his strength and resist his standards? It's good, right? That's why I feel weak sometimes. Because I'm asking God to strengthen me. But I have given away my strength because I have lowered my standard. Then the enemy comes in like a flood, but I don't have a standard.

[A]

Then I ask God to give me joy in your presence. Full of joy. The joy of the Lord is my strength. I want his strength. I want his joy. But if I have not applied his standard to my thought life, and I let my mind think whatever it wants to think, and I go to God for strength, but I did not go to him for standards. I am asking him to violate the very nature of our relationship.

[B]

How can he be the source of.

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My strength if I won't let him be the source of my standards? Who set your standards?

[B]

Who set your standards? Was it God that set your standards?

[A]

I was talking to one guy the other day. It became very apparent to me pretty quickly that he sets his own standards for right and wrong. I admire him for that because I don't trust myself that much. I mean, he must be really perfect to have his own standard for right and wrong. See, I need a God. I need a God who's bigger than.

[B]

Me, wiser than me, who has been around longer than me. I need a God who can see around the next corner and know how.

[A]

This decision is going to affect my destiny. I don't want to occupy that seat. I need a God sometimes.

[B]

We're so crazy as Christians. We will allow the world to set our standards as a church and tell us what the church ought to be and not be and put us in a box and call us by a denomination. But I will not be standardized by a dysfunctional world. I have a higher standard. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation to declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness. Like preaching. I'm preaching like this might be my last time. Why do you preach so hard?

[A]

One of my friends said, you know.

[B]

You preach too hard. He said, I hollered too much.

[A]

Then he said, you know, you could take a little bit extra time for yourself and not prepare so hard and people wouldn't even know the difference. I shouldn't tell you he was a pastor. See what happens when leaders lower the standard? To be honest with you, I don't preach to Your standard? The only question I have when I get done with this sermon is God, did I get it right? If I got it right, I don't care how many likes, clicks, shares, downloads. I don't care who gets up and.

[B]

Walks out in the middle of it.

[A]

Because I made them uncomfortable or they.

[B]

Wanted to watch a football game. I don't care if they laugh, stand up and clap. I'm not preaching for the.

[A]

One preacher one time said, I don't preach for the praise of men. Amen.

[B]

Who set your standard? Have you even thought about it or did you just inherit it? Who set your standard? You're looking to celebrities for your standard?

[A]

Really? Them?

[B]

The ones who are so miserable they can only be happy when they have attention? Really? That's your standard? Who set your standard? Who set your standard of what you will and will not listen to? Who set your standard?

[A]

Oh, you think you're better than us? That's what they'll say when you start living with standards. Oh, you think you're better than us?

[B]

No, it's just that I know how much I need a source that is not me. Because I am weak without him. In fact, I'm nothing without him. So excuse me, but the battle I'm in is too real for me to play around and live my life with exposed places and low standards. So I have to get this right this year. I like that boy right there.

[A]

He looks like a teenager with standards.

[B]

Sitting there leaning in in church.

[A]

Some kids would be texting.

[B]

But not you. You look like you want something from God, boy. You look like you have a mission. You look like God might use you. Don't you live down to the level of your friends. Your friends don't know anything yet. God is taking you places. Stand up on your feet right now. Yeah, you stand up right now. Raise the standard. Don't lower it. When you show up at school, God walks through the halls. When you show up in school, the presence of God moves. Raise the standard. Are you really going to let your unmarried friends tell you how to do your marriage?

[A]

I tell you, if I had a wife, I wouldn't.

[B]

Uh huh. You said all I needed to hear in that if I had a wife part.

[A]

If I wanted what you had, I'd do what you're doing. But I want something better. What's your standard? Sometimes our standards need to be lowered. Sometimes they do, because sometimes it takes too much to make us happy. Who set the standard for what it takes to make you happy?

[B]

Who set the standard for what it.

[A]

Takes to have A good day. I'm bad about this one bad meeting, and I had a bad day. No, no, no. It's like that old man told me that time. I said, how are you doing? He said, I'm alive. I thought, well, you didn't answer me. Then I realized, yes, he did. Because for him to be alive, He woke up. It's a good day. He woke up. It's a good day. Set your standards. When did we come to the point when kids had to watch a movie in the car?

[B]

Trip to Target? I used to have to ride four.

[A]

Hours with a crayon and a book.

[B]

Now you need Elsa to get to Harris Teeter. Who set this standard? Have we lost our minds? The one time I was complaining, I.

[A]

Preached on a Saturday night. My friend came. He's on staff at another church. I was apologizing to him because the crowd was a little down, because I was used to being packed out in elevation on Saturday night. I said, I'm sorry, man. It was kind of down today. He said, you down Day would be my revival. I needed that. Sometimes you let your standard get out of control. Sometimes as the church, we want to put a standard on the world that we ourselves don't even exemplify. We can't even figure out racial reconciliation within the context of the community of faith. But then we want to judge it when it's in the world. God has a remnant. God always has a remnant. I believe God is raising up Elevation Church as a remnant in this day to raise the standard of what church can be and how broad this message really is. We're here to raise the standard. I wonder who set your standards. How can you expect God to be your strength if he didn't set your standards? How can I expect success if I don't have a standard of excellence? If I have not established a standard of excellence in my life, why would I expect God to bless my blemished offerings? You could take a little time off your sermons, you know, nobody would notice. But why would I ask God to bless something my whole heart wasn't in? It's hard to preach this in church because in church people think if it's for God, it doesn't have to be good. Church can become a place where we just bring God any old thing. We show up on time for something we buy a ticket for, but we're 35 minutes late to get to church. And it doesn't matter because it's like the preliminary stuff or something like that. Just bring God any old thing. Listen, I am not talking about keeping God's standards so you'll earn his love. This is not about keeping rules so God will love you. It's because living right, because he does. Not living up to a standard, but living out of a standard. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Or as Romans says, that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who walk not after the flesh, but the Spirit. For years I read it, that the righteous requirements of the law might be met by us. Now I realize it's not something God wants from me, it's something he wants for me. He has given me a standard. He has called me his child. And to live beneath that is to be like Eve and to speak to something you should be stepping on. But a lot of times we have an expectation with no standard. A standard of excellence means doing the best with what you have. Until I've done the best with what I have, I don't feel like I should ask God to do what he can do if I haven't done what I can do. You run into all kinds of problems with this, even from early in the church. Early in the church, I wanted to have a standard. We didn't have money, but I wanted a standard. We didn't have equipment, but I wanted a standard. I was the worship leader. When we started, the standard was way lower than it is now. I got in at a good time. I was the only one available. I had to organize the band. I brought in this guitar player for one of our first rehearsals. And he came in and he didn't practice. He said, I got busy this week. I didn't practice this week, but I'm good. So I let him practice with us. Then after practice, I pulled him aside because I didn't want to embarrass him. I said, hey, man, we won't be needing you Sunday because you didn't practice. He said, really? He said, you're going to kick me off the church because I didn't practice? I said, no, you can come to church. You just can't come with a guitar on and stand on the stage. Come to church all you want. I'll save you a seat, but you ain't playing. I gave him a $50 gas card. I said, here you go, man, but you're not playing. He said, your standards are too high. He said, nobody is going to want to be a part of this ministry because the standards are too high. He was right. This whole thing just. I heard a story last night from an egroup in our church. The couple who came a couple of years ago. They were sharing their story, how they got here. They said, we hated it when we first came. I was waiting for the twist because you're here now. You came years ago, they said. We came in and somebody at the door said we couldn't bring our Starbucks in church. We had just spent $5 each on our Starbucks. I sat through the first part of the sermon all mad about my Starbucks. But then in the middle of the sermon, I started crying. Then when we left the church, we were getting in our car and somebody chased us down. The same person who told us we couldn't have our Starbucks in church said, while you were in service, we went and got you a Starbucks gift card. And chased them down with a Starbucks gift card. It wasn't even my sermon that welcomed to Christ. It was Starbucks. But it was a standard. I feel like, why should I ask people to tithe to this ministry and then have lazy staff members who don't even want to practice? Why should I expect you to invite your friends to church and not have a standard of excellence on this stage?

[B]

Why should I expect expect God to.

[A]

Bless something I am not invested in?

[B]

Why should we expect God to bless our lives with success when we have not established a standard of excellence? This is my year to bring my best to God, to bring him a worthy offering. I will not offer the Lord that which cost me nothing.

[A]

How can I expect God to bless me with success when I have no standard of excellence?

[B]

How can I expect God to bless.

[A]

Me with abundance when I have no standard of stewardship?

[B]

The standard comes before the strength. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment and a source of strength to him who turns back the battle at the gate. The standard, then the strength. The standard, then the strength. So if I want God to be my provider, I have to make a plan. Why would God give me provision if I don't have a plan for it? Why would God bless me with more when I'm not even generous with what I have? Why would he pour out of his resources into closed hands? I need a standard. That's why I give the first 10% to God. That's my standard. He's first. This is off limits. It's not for negotiation. This is my standard. God comes first. Your children shouldn't even have to ask you, are we going to church this week? Unless you have the flu. Of course we're going to church. It's our standard. I don't care who's playing. It's Our standard. I don't care who's preaching. It's our standard. Standard. I don't care how bad the parking lot is. It's our standard. And God is worth it. I'll sit in traffic. He's God.

[A]

I have standards. I have standards. That's where my strength comes from. I don't have to waste time making decisions about standards I should have set a long time ago. I don't have to negotiate between the gates. I have standards. How can I expect God to give me stability if I don't have a standard of integrity? A lot of times we ask God to help us feel better, but sometimes we're not going to feel better until we do better. When you're managing secrets you won't bring before God and confess to him so he can begin the process of healing, you will always feel off inside. God can't be the source of your strength if he's not the source of your standards. How can I expect God to give me influence if I will not embrace the standard of sacrifice that influence requires? I want the influence, not the sacrifice. I want the resurrection, but not the crucifixion. Set your standards. How can I expect to live in freedom if I do not embrace God's standard of forgiveness? If I hold on to every offense and let it all in the gate, I don't turn back the battle. If I'm looking for reasons to be offended, looking for reasons to be angry. I should not be surprised when I find myself in a low emotional state. How can I be free from what I let walk right through my front door? How can I expect to walk in freedom if I have not chosen to walk in forgiveness? It is the standard of forgiveness that enables me to live in freedom. I don't forgive you for you. I forgive you because I want to be free. How can I expect God's peace in my life if I don't control my meditation? How can I receive strength God is trying to give me if I just let any thought in? How can I expect to live in a state of joyful celebration of my progress if I allow myself to constantly complain? Sometimes I'm complaining or criticizing. I can be really critical because I have that excellence thing. The flip side of excellence is judgmental. When I try to put my standard on you, which is always wrong. Which is always wrong. Now I've opened my mouth and I thought I was complaining or I thought I was criticizing and I told myself I'm just letting it out. No, I'm letting it in. I left my Gate wide open to the enemy. Because I have no standard. But when I set a standard for my speech and my thoughts, I turned back the battle at the gate. Now I'm not in the stranglehold of a system of thought I allowed myself to flirt with. Now I'm living in a state of joy and I'm living at a level.

[B]

Above the serpent, and he's under my feet. And I am not negotiating with what God called me to trample on. I said, I'm not going to conversate with what God has given me the ability to crush. I'm taking my stand and I'm setting my standard.

[A]

How can I expect God's strength if I do not embrace God's standard? How can we expect God to give our nation unity if we do not embrace his standard of equality? He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment. When we allow inequality and prejudice and stereotypes and oppression to go unchecked and then ask God to make us one, we are violating the very principle that will create unity. Then we come up on a weekend and we celebrate Dr. King rightfully. But we celebrate him at the wrong level because we celebrate his speeches. Doctor King's life was not about speeches. It was about standards.

[B]

And I'm so afraid.

[A]

We want God to be our mascot. We want God to be like one of those little stuffed animals, the ones.

[B]

That talk when you pull the string. We have our little Jesus doll that we pull out.

[A]

We pull the string and Jesus has.

[B]

About three little things.

[A]

He says, love your neighbor and love your enemies.

[B]

We pull the string and he just says these little sayings. We don't want his standards. We just want his sayings. We'll listen to speeches. We'll listen to I have a dream. But a dream without action and a dream without process and a dream without justice is a delusion. So we have to raise a standard and declare that some things are not all right. There has to be a standard. We are the people of God. Where is our standard? We can't wait for anybody else to set our standard. We are the church. We are the light of the world. We are the ones in the cave. It's us.

[A]

He cannot be the source of our strength if he is not the source of our standards. We cannot poison the well and then complain about the water. Do you hear what I'm saying? Trying to say we have to stop it at the source. To draw a bloodline in the name of Jesus and say, this stops here.

[B]

These are my standards. I will not apologize I will not always live up to them, but I am pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling. I have a high calling and I will not live with low standards.

[A]

God is looking for somebody to turn back the battle at the very beginning of the year. You know, most people want to get out of the gate strong. We want to get in the gate strong, take ownership and responsibility for our attitudes. He will be spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, source of strength to the one who turns back to battle at the gate. If you want to be one of those he speaks about who will turn back the battle at the gate. I want you to stand to your feet right now on every campus because I believe God has given us an opportunity. The gates of change start with our standards. I kind of wish we could sit down after this. I kind of wish we could take a moment and look at areas of your life where you're feeling weak and you need strength. Because in the area where you need strength, that's where you need standards. I'm not talking about 20 rules for you to keep that you tried to keep last year. I'm not talking about that kind of religious spirit that builds a ladder for you to climb to God. I'm talking about a ladder that came down to you. The first step of these changes is standards. What are your standards? Who set them? Who set the standard for you of what it means to be a man? Who set the standard for you of what it means to be a Christian? Just to pray a prayer one time, show up to church when it's convenient. Try not to cuss too much. The devil is a liar. There's a higher standard. This thing is meant to consume all of my life. It changes the way I see, the way I speak, the way I think, the way I treat my brother, the way I treat my sister. I have a new standard here. God is looking for people at the beginning of this year who will raise the standard. The beautiful thing about it is he is not going to cause you to have to reach the standard. He's only calling you to raise it. He will give you the grace to draw a line and say, it stops here. Are there some things in your life today you need to say? It stops here. I'm not going to talk that way, think that way, live that way. I'm not going to just allow unrestricted access to everything that wants to come into my space or my spirit to dominate my life, life and sabotage. I'm raising the standard when the enemy comes in like a flood. The Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against him. He will be a spirit of justice. A wreath for the remnant to him who turns back the battle at the gate. Lift your hands. Father, we lift our hands to let the enemy know that he can only go so far in our lives. Whatever is left, we offer it to you right now as a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to you. It is our reasonable act of worship. Father, I thank you for your Holy Spirit that lives in us and calls us to a higher standard this week in our lives. Help us to identify those places where we have negotiated with what you have spoken and have allowed access to the enemy. We draw a line right here. We declare that the blood of Jesus is against everything that has opposed our lives and has opposed our families and has opposed our communities. We are here today to be your remnant, to be crowned with your strength.

[B]

And enable by your spirit to do exploits for your kingdom. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Bless your people, Lord.

[A]

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 Levation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.