Steven Furtick - Confronting The Lies Of The Enemy
This is an excerpt from: When Never Meets Now
I think the Lord put me up here this week, and Peter, to let you know it does get better. It does get better. It does get better. I said it three times like the angel, because the Devil says, "Never" over and over and over and over again, because the Devil understands the power of repetition better than you do. Last week, I told you (this is Jesus in John, chapter 8)… We talked about how the Devil is a liar, but he doesn't sound like a liar. He sounds like you. His native language is lying, and one of his favorite words is never. You know what depression is. Depression is when you finally give up hope it will ever be any different than it is right now. The reasons behind it have medical roots and also have clinical treatments.
That's not my point. My point is the Devil knows how to tell you and make you feel like, "You're never going to be happy again. You're never going to be loved again. Never". That's the language he lies with. "Never". He tells you never about certain opportunities. "Well, that's never going to happen. Nobody ever notices you anyway. Have you ever noticed how they never notice"? This is how the Devil talks. "What's the point in trying? They never notice. They never say thank you. They never appreciate you. Never, never, never. Never, never, never. Never, never, never, never, never". Eventually, you just agree with the Devil to get him to shut up. "Okay! Fine". The truth will set you free. But I left something out last week, and I want to give it to you now. In 8:32 he says, "The truth will set you free," but watch what the Jews say when Jesus confronts them with the truth. He said, "The truth will set you free". "They answered him…" I can't believe I left this out. "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone". Huh?
Four hundred years in Egypt ring a bell? There has never been a people that were in captivity more times than the Israelites…Assyria, Babylon, Egypt. "We've never been slaves of anyone". "Oh, I don't struggle with that. I'm a good Christian. Oh, I don't really deal with that. I raise my kids in the fear and admonition of the Lord". Okay. It's called a selective never. It's when you reduce down the whole thing to the current… As a matter of fact, they were under Roman oppression at the moment they said that. Denial. Y'all, I've used therapy in my life on and off to be a good pastor without shame for years. I'll talk to somebody in a heartbeat. I will. "Well, you should talk to the Lord". I talk to him and people, because I can't see him.
"Thank you, Pastor. You make us feel so much more… Because I thought you never struggled". No, I do. I struggle. I struggle a lot. That's how I get these little messages. I go down to hell. I box the Devil six days. I come back and tell you, "Here's something to try on him". But my fear was… I was like, "I'm probably not going to finish strong. I mean, good grief. I struggle with this, and I deal with that. You know, most people… Nine out of ten ministers, I heard one time, don't". The person said to me in a counseling session, "Hmm. You may not, but I actually think you will, and here's why I think you will: because you know you might not". Now, some people would call that being negative. When Peter said, "Never, Lord. I will never deny you," isn't it funny how he was the first one who did? When you say, "Never…" "I'll never. I mean, I would never deal with that".
I think it's crazy. God will give people the word they need for something they're about to go into, and they won't even write it down or listen to it, because they don't know they're going to need it. God is giving you what you're going to need for where he knows you're going to be. You're so right here, right now, in this season. "If it doesn't say exactly what you want it to say right now…" But you might need this. You might need it Thursday. You might need it in three years. You might need it for somebody else. It might not even be for you. I don't know what Peter was praying about on the roof in Acts 10, but I don't think he was praying for Cornelius, because he didn't even know who he was, yet God answered a prayer Peter wasn't even praying by sending something to the gate Peter didn't even ask for.
So, it left me wondering as I preach today. Listen to me, eFam. Listen to me. Let me know where you're listening from. Let me know what city, what town, what hamlet. Let me know what state. Let me know where you're listening from so I can say this: it's at the gate. Now, Cornelius is 30 miles away from Joppa. He sends a delegation. It takes them almost a day to get there. One commentator said Cornelius sent an extra beast for Peter to ride back on. "I don't even know who Peter is, but he's going to need to get back in a hurry". Were you paying attention when I read or were you still kind of drowsy? God told Cornelius where to get Peter, but he didn't tell him why. You know, the story ends pretty cool. I didn't get all the way there, and I'm not closing my sermon either, but let's skip to the end for a minute. He said, "Go send for Peter," and when Peter got there to Caesarea, 30 miles away, there was a crowd waiting to hear the message of Jesus, and Peter preached.
I have to show you this verse. It's Acts 10:34. When he got there, he began to speak, and he said, "I now…" "I now realize in verse 34 because I obeyed in verse 19". "I now realize how true". You don't know the truth until you obey the Word. You keep asking God to explain it, and he keeps telling you to trust it. You keep asking God to explain it, and he keeps telling you to obey it. You keep asking God to make sense of it, and he keeps calling you to walk in it. Everything God did in my life… Well, it was something that at one time I never thought possible. So, I'm preaching to you. I'm not talking about Peter. I'm not talking about Cornelius. I'm not talking about the fish with the scales. I'm not talking about the animals with the hooves. I'm not talking about the Gentile world, the Jewish world. I'm talking about you right now on the roof, seeking God, trying to figure out, "What in the world is this coming into my life? What does this mean? Why am I here? What is this season? How can it be? What will it take? Can I do it"?
The Devil is saying, "Never," and God is saying, "Now". Now. Three letters, but I feel it in my spirit. Now. "N-O-W, Devil…now". Surely the Lord is in this place. When? Now! How do you know it? By faith. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for". I can't see it, but I know it. I can't prove it, but I believe it. It's a promise! "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you". That's what God said "Never" about. "You'll never take his presence from me". There will never be a day in my life, there will never be a moment in a day, there will never be a nanosecond that he won't be guide. There will never be a valley he won't walk me through. There will never be a shadow that he won't light the way. There will never be a mistake he won't redeem. There will never, there will never, there will never, there will never, there will never, there will never… There will never be a sin he won't forgive. There will never be a chain he can't break. There will never be a mountain he can't move. There will never, never, never, never! Okay. Touch at least three people and say, "Never". A new never.