Steven Furtick - This Is That Day
Happy New Year, Elevation Church! You made a good decision to get into the house today. I'm believing this year that God is going to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing we will not have room enough to receive. Of course, as we stand on the precipice of a new year… God, we thank you for what you've already brought us through. It's amazing, mind-blowing, absolutely incredible what you've done for us, that we stand before you a new creation in Jesus Christ. The old is gone, and the new has come.
As I stand behind this pulpit today, God, I thank you for all of the messages you're going to preach this year through this ministry. I thank you in advance that these, your children, will have enough bread for every battle they face. I thank you for new songs from this house this year that will minister to people and become anthems for every day of their lives. I thank you for all of the people who will be saved through this ministry this year, for all of the people who will be redeemed from their sin. I thank you for all of the addictions that will be broken this year because of your powerful Word. I thank you for new opportunities for your people this year, new connections, fresh perspectives. I thank you for new relationships in their lives this year. I thank you for the restoration of things that were given up on. I declare it, I believe it, and I give you thanks in advance. You're a mighty God. Do whatever you want to do. We give this year to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
Somebody shout, "It's headed my way"! Put it in the comments. Say, "It's headed my way". Put your name in the comments so God knows where to put your DoorDash delivery. Wouldn't it be cool if God was like DoorDash, if you could track him and see where… Somebody say, "It's headed my way". Give me five on that. High-five five more people. Say, "You've got a new thing coming this year". It's going to be beautiful. It's going to be incredible. It's going to be powerful. New thing. Hallelujah. Glory to God. I've got a new thing coming. Yes, Lord. We wrote that last year, but I saved it for the new year. I thought you needed it today. All right. We are upon the first sermon of 2024. You can't imagine the agony that goes into figuring out of all of the different texts the Lord would speak on this day, what it would be, because I know your heart is in a receptive place today and there is a fresh faith stirring.
I want to share with you from a prophetic Scripture in Isaiah, chapter 27. It's very meaningful to me, and I hope you will feel the same way. It's a word the Lord gave to his people long ago, but it speaks to us today. Isaiah 27:1-6. By the way, I want to say a huge "Thank you" to our church who gave so generously in our year-end offering. You gave over $11 million to share the gospel, to heal the sick, to clothe the poor. That's absolutely amazing. I cried coming to church today just thinking how thankful I am for you and how expectant I am for God to move in your life. I want to start this year with a prophetic word that God gave me for you. Isaiah 27:1: "In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword—his fierce, great and powerful sword—Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea".
Does anybody have some stuff you need God to kill this year in your life that has been dragging you down? That's what Leviathan was. Leviathan was a chaos monster, a mythological figure. Many believe it represented Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt, the enemies of Israel. The truth is we all live with our own Leviathan. The Lord promises that in that day…whatever has you wrapped up, whatever has you stuck down in yourself…he will punish with his sword, his fierce, great, and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent. Look at verse 2. "In that day—'Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.'"
Let me give you verse 6, and then I'll tell you our topic for today. "In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit". "In days to come". I want to preach to you today a message called This Is That Day. Somebody shout, "This is"! Shout like you're at a football game. This Is That Day. Tell your neighbor, "This is that day". Your other neighbor. "This is that day". Say it again. Put it in the chat. "This is that day". I'm breaking out. I'm going forward. I'm growing up. I'm moving into it. I'm walking tall, because this is that day. This Is That Day. The perspective of Isaiah 27 is the perspective of an integrated faith, not a fragmented faith. A fragmented faith is when you believe in God when things are good and doubt him when things are down. This is an integrated faith. It means in the process of moving forward in what God has for you in the days to come, you will have to make the decision to remain hopeful.
When I say, "Remain hopeful," that also includes leaving room for disappointment. For grown-ups, believing in God means remaining in hope while leaving room for disappointment. That goes to every area of our lives. Hopeful that you might have a good week with your family or a good meal with your kids, but leaving some room… Everybody say, "Leave room". That's what I tell the tailor when he takes my pants in. I say, "Leave some room in case Holly cooks really good over the holidays. Just leave me a little growing room". I think leaving room for disappointment… That's what I mean by integrated faith. It's really how our faith is sustained so that we see disappointments as doorways to greater faith, not dead ends. In case the first few years of your walk with God have been confusing to you… At first, things seemed to go up when you walked with God, and then things went down, and you thought following God was always going to lead you up. God wants to give you an integrated faith.
In case the first few days of your new year have sucked… I thought about saying, "Have been spiritually challenging," but when it sucks, it sucks. You know, I just put it how you put it. This is the same old, same old. What we want to talk about today is a little bit different, because we understand it is our responsibility, as Christian people, to manage our expectation. Meaning, I have to make sure I don't let my experiences in life regulate my expectations of God. Let's say this out loud. "I will not allow my experience in life to regulate my expectation of God". That is a daily decision you have to make. I think a lot of the damaged relationships in our lives are because of unmanaged expectations. We really started depending on somebody to do things for us that only God could do for us. We really started expecting things to be like the perfect little movies we make up in our minds of how things are supposed to go when we show up.
So, the integrated faith Isaiah describes… It's very beautiful, because he says there are two things happening. There is a fight. That's verse 1 of Isaiah 27. "In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword…" Now, you don't have a sword if you're just going through life, strolling through your day. So, there's a fight happening, and then in verse 2 it says, "In that day, sing about a fruitful vineyard". Let me point something out to you. There's a sword in verse 1, and there's a song in verse 2, but the sword and the song are happening on the same day. Okay. This integrated faith will make me get up in the morning and never say again, "It's going to be one of those days," because it's always going to be one of those days. I almost got discouraged before I came out today because my hair right there was flat and I couldn't get it up.
I was going, "Oh, God. How am I going to preach if my hair is flat right there"? Are you serious? You have the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and you're going to have a bad hair day and get up in the pulpit without confidence. I think I fixed it, but I'm still not really sure, so I'm kind of insecure as I stand before you. It's amazing. It doesn't take much to remove us from a hopeful expectation. My expectation is my responsibility. Nobody can ruin my day. I have a verse for that. Psalm 118:24. It's the year 2024, right? This is a verse 24 for you. "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it". So, if God made this day, nobody else gets to mess it up. I used to say to people when they'd send me a nice text, "You made my day". I quit saying that, because I figure if they can make my day by sending me a nice text, they can mess up my day if they send me another type of text.
Now we want to get up every day this year and say, "This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it". So, it's the challenge to remain in hope while leaving room for disappointment. I think our expectations this time of year could use a little HGH (Holy Ghost hormone) to get us on an expecting path, that God has given me a hope and a future and an expected end. No matter what they did or didn't do for you, no matter who left or who stayed or who called back or who blocked your number… "I have an expected end". Yet as I walk through these days, I understand that my challenge is to remain. If you want to take notes on my message today, my first word is remain, because I want to challenge you to remain in hope this year and leave room for disappointment. You're like, "Which one is it"? I want you to do both. I want you to expect the blessing and accept the mess. In that day, there will be a sword, because everybody in here is fighting something. Everybody in here has a Leviathan. I might preach about Leviathan next week, a whole sermon on Leviathan.
Notice that while the sword is fighting Leviathan… Everybody has a Leviathan, and everybody knows how to hide it. It's a coiling serpent. It's a gliding serpent. You hide your Leviathan behind a smile. You hide your Leviathan behind new clothes to disguise the fact that you drag old habits underneath new clothes. Some of us have new hair. I talked about a bad hair day. Some of us actually have new hair on our head in a new year. Yet notice this in the text. At the same time that God is dealing with the enemy, he commands you to sing about the fruit that is coming forth in your life. I love the Bible, because this gives me an integrated expectation of God. There will always be a fight in my life, but there will always be fruit in my life. As a matter of fact, I learned the bigger the fight, the bigger the fruit is going to be. The size of the fight is a preview of the size of the fruit.
High-five somebody and say, "It's going to be big, baby". He talks about Jacob. He talks about Israel being planted and bearing fruit, having root and bearing fruit. I wonder. Are you rooted in the right thing as this year begins? I came to ask one question of our global eFam and our local campuses all around the world. What will you do with your 24? I think we're all a little humbler about our New Year's resolutions after the year formerly known as 2020. Every preacher I know was up preaching about vision, 2020 vision, and then completely blindsided by the fact that the Lord didn't give us a prophetic word that we would be looking at empty seats all year, preaching in our empty buildings. So all of the sermons are humbler in the new year. All of the plans are a little bit moderated, mitigated, modulated. I found a verse for that too. Proverbs 27:1. I put this one in the King James. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth".
When I had you shout, "This is that day…" Shout it again. "This is that day". Some of y'all said that in lowercase letters, no exclamation point. This is that day. You're very deep, so you're like, "What do you mean by 'that day'"? I was just reading the Bible. Isaiah said, "In that day, the Lord is going to fight your enemies, and in that day, you will sing of a fruitful vineyard". That day. You know that day you dream of? There are many of you today who are dreaming of a day. We have an expectation that God is going to free us from certain things this year, that God is going to deliver us from certain dilemmas this year, that God is going to provide for us. Expectation is great as long as it's integrated. I think the danger of having expectations about what God is going to do… You know, "2024. God is going to do more in '24. I'm leaving the shore in '24. I'm going to get a stronger core in '24". Do you want another one? "Something I've never seen before in 2024. My ceiling is going to be my floor in 2024. I'm not going to be poor…"
While we say that, and while it's good to envision that… I'll be honest with you. Some of the things I'm seeing today in my life are the result of a vision God gave me at a time when I couldn't see anything like what I'm seeing today. I believe in that expectation. I think the danger we should talk about as you move into your new year and what God wants to do through you is that sometimes your expectation of the future can become your excuse right now. I'll break it down to a phrase I heard, and I'll use Elijah to give it to you. When he was very little, we were taking Easter pictures as a family. Of course, our kids just love taking Easter pictures because they're the pastor's kids. They were fighting. They were angry. They were despondent. Elijah finally, after having to change outfits a few times… This is a legendary line he said in our family. He said, "I hate Easter. When I'm the pastor…"
So, let's break this down. He said, "One day, when I'm the pastor, we're not even going to have Easter. I'm canceling Easter". He was like 5, so don't judge him like that. "Oh my god"! He was 5. But check this out, a 5-year-old's perspective. "One day, when I'm the pastor…" One day when. Have you ever been a victim of "One day when" syndrome? "Yeah, I'm not doing too good right now, but one day, when I get these kids out of the house…" The problem I have with that plan "One day, when I get the kids out of the house" is that 20 years ago you were saying, "One day, when I have kids of my own…" Now it has shifted to a future stage where you think you'll have more space and less stress. Let's do another one. "I'm going to start a business one day when I have the right partner".
I used to laugh when teams would come to see our church and they were starting their own church. The pastor would pull me aside and say, "Hey, I have a gift. I have an anointing. I got called to start a church. I want to reach people far from God, but I don't have a team. Where do you get your team"? I would always make something up. "Oh, you know the Build-A-Bear store? Well, they have a 'Build a ministry team' store. I went down there and found the right amount of achiever and doer and the right amount of dreamer, and I put a team together". Where do you think the team came from? The same place Jesus got his team. You find the people God has placed in your life who are imperfect, and you make it happen with who you have. Now, if you are expecting a stage in your life when the perfect people will come into your life to help you figure out your imperfect life… If God sends perfect people in your life, you should send them away so they stay perfect, because the moment they get tangled up with you and me, they won't be perfect anymore.
Did you ever do the "One day when" thing? "I'm going to get in shape one day when…" One day when…what? "I'm going to do the diet one day when…" One day when…what? I'll tell you what happened to me. This is so embarrassing. One day, I saw in the mirror… I don't know how you see 45 pounds you've gained all at once, but it was like a flash of revelation. It was like a road to Damascus to me. I walked by the mirror with my shirt off after being married to Holly for 18 months, and I said, "Why didn't you tell me this was happening to me, and why did you contribute to it with your cooking"? I said, "I'm going on Atkins". Because that's the diet I knew, and it involved bacon, and I like bacon. "I've got to lose this belly, but I've got to use bacon to do it, because I'm not going to be counting macros anytime soon". Holly said, "Great. That's great. We could go on a diet next week". I said, "No. I'm not eating another carb starting right now".
And I didn't. We went to Wendy's that night. I donated back the bun to the homeless ministry and just ate the patty. I did that over and over and over and over. She thought that was so strange. She said, "You could have given me time. We could have shopped. We could have hired a nutritionist". But I knew too much to have to give a nutritionist money to start doing what I could do today. "I'm telling you, one day, when I have more time, I'm going to write a book". "One day, when my wife starts acting right… I could really be a great businessman if my wife would believe in me. One day, when she gets the vision…" What if she doesn't need to get the vision? What if you need to show the discipline? "I'm going to tell you, Pastor Steven. I'm going to start giving to the church. One day, when I manifest all of the riches… I know the day is coming. God has told me I will be a millionaire. I will fund the kingdom. I will send apostles into the earth". "One day, when I get this business right…"
If you won't do it with $10, I promise you won't do it with millions. I promise, because it's going to be more zeroes. It's going to make you throw up even that much more when you give it. "One day when". Now, I know this New Year's message is not the shoutiest New Year's message, but I think it could be a sustaining one for you if you make a subtle shift. If the first point of this sermon is "Remain in hope, but leave room for disappointment…" Because there will always be a fight, and there will always be fruit, and sometimes you have to really allow the fight to take its course to see the fruit come forth. If the first word is remain, the second thing I want you to do this year is reduce.
Again, this is not a weight loss seminar. I know reduce is not a juicy New Year's word, and I know we want God to add to our lives. And you should. I want you to have more influence. I want you to have more happy moments. I want you to have more laughter. I want you to have more peaceful sleep at night, more hours of sleep. I want you to be able to see more places and create more opportunities for others and yourself. At the same time I want you to experience more, I want to point out to you that in the text I read, God did not say anything to Israel about years. In Isaiah 27:1 he says, "In that day…" Verse 2: "In that day…" Verse 6: "In days to come…" I wonder. Are we stressed, discouraged, defeated, and lacking momentum and victory in our lives because when I asked, "What are you going to do with your 24"? you thought years? The real answer to the question, "What will you do with your 24?" is not about a year called '24. It's about "This is the day the Lord has made".
When I woke up this morning, I had 24 hours of opportunity deposited into my account. I can sit here with you and dream about all of the amazing things I'm going to accomplish for God this year. I could sit here and advertise to you all of the amazing possibilities that could happen in your life this year. More in '24. Leave the shore in '24. Strengthen your core in '24. All of that I say about '24 is wonderful and abstract, but it falls into the category of "One day when…" "So, round about June I'm going to have my beach body. So, round about December I'm going to have some of these debts paid off. So, round about three years from now my family is going to be back together. Round about 10 years from now my kids are going to college". I believe in long-term vision. I think it's all amazing, but I think this "One day when" can be a trap to keep you focused so much on the years that you don't do with the days what you could do with the days. Isn't this what Jesus said? "Why do you worry about tomorrow? Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own".
Let me ask you a question if you're anxious. Are you anxious about today or are you anxious about Wednesday or are you anxious about Wednesday three weeks from now or are you anxious about when you retire when you're 75? You're 17. You have time. There are days between here and there. Do you know how much peace it'll bring you to recognize the revelation of a day? Here's the revelation of a day: the grace for the day is in the day. The grace for tomorrow is not in today. The only thing that is in today for tomorrow for you is anxiety if you don't put it in God's hands. Jesus said, "Sufficient is the day…" "Give us this day our…" Fifteen-year bread. He doesn't even pray for 12 months of bread. I'm saying have a plan. I'm saying have a strategy. I'm saying have a financial adviser, but you have to do that today.
Do you remember when we thought there was no need to set up online giving back in 2006 because nobody was giving online? But we had to set it up that day for this day. Now 98 percent of giving is online. From nothing to 98 percent. There's something in your life like that right now. You go, "One day, when I get more money, I'll learn to manage it". That is a syndrome that affects people of faith even more than it affects atheists, because we will blame God for that. We'll say, "I'm not doing it; God is going to do it". We'll say, "I don't need to take care of it; God has got me in his hands". And he does. In that day the Lord will fight Leviathan, but you and I have a responsibility too. So, I want us to make a shift. Are you open to a shift this year? If you're open to a shift, just nod your head at me a little bit. Wiggle your pinkie. Wiggle your pinkie toe. Just do something to get in agreement with me.
I want your year this year to be full of fruit. I want your year this year to be full of abundance. I want your year this year to have heavy branches. I want rain to fall on your relationships, your resources. So we're going to shift this. That's what we're going to do. Touch somebody and say, "I'm going to shift this". "I've been stressed out about the next week. I'm going to break it down and reduce it, because really what I'm worried about has nothing to do with where I am; it has to do with where I think I'm going to be. I don't know what tomorrow holds, so God has not given me a promise concerning this year; he gave me a promise for this day". The promise is not for tomorrow, because you don't know what tomorrow holds. I want you to go from "One day when…" How many have done that before, by the way? "One day when". This is the most powerful thing I could teach you to help you set up for this year for what God wants to speak, for the disciplines you want to pass on, for the things you want to see set straight in your life.
I want you to go from "One day when" to one-day win, because Isaiah didn't say anything about years. He said, "In that day…" This is your year to win one day at a time. If we get a one-day win on top of a one-day win on top of a one-day win on top of a one-day win on top of a one-day win on top of a one-day win, one day we'll be telling our kids, "One day, when I made a decision to get a one-day win…" You don't get it. You're going to be telling somebody the story one day, and they're going to say, "How did you get out of the depression"? and you'll say, "Well, one day when I decided to call a counselor and have a conversation and begin to open myself up to the fact that the Holy Spirit can use people… I need to admit some of the things I'm struggling with, and I need to fight this Leviathan and get some leverage on this addiction and start to open this window so the light of God can come streaming in. I got a one-day win".
Hey, everybody get ready to celebrate, because you came to church today. Guess what? I don't know if you'll be here at Easter, but you're here today. "I won this one, Devil"! Let's go ahead and celebrate the baby step. You made it today. "I got that one-day win. I've been living in 'One day, when I get more resources, then I can do it.'" "When I have more clarity, then I can do it. When I know enough, then I'll share the gospel with somebody. When my kids start acting right again, then we'll be a peaceful family". Not "One day when". Just get a one-day win. Just don't cuss them out today. How many can do that? Make some noise if you can not cuss them out today. "But we should dream big, Pastor Steven. My kids will be missionaries". Great. One day, when you haven't cussed them out enough days or killed them, they might be a missionary, but it's going to take… Do you see the power of a one-day win to get to a "One day when"? Glory to God.
I feel happy preaching my own notes. I wrote this in my own notes and I'm receiving it. I have that fresh bread for '24, Elevation Church. I'm going to feed you this word from God until you're strong enough to fight every Leviathan in your life. God said, "When you sing about a fruitful vineyard, I'll slay every wicked thing in your life". How many know while you were singing today you were winning? While you were worshiping today, you were winning. This is how I fight my battles. This is how I get my mind right. This is how I set my mind on things above. This is how I overcome my darkness. This is how I gut my gliding serpent. This is how I walk in favor. This is how I bear much fruit. This is what I'm doing with my 24. I was watching basketball one time 10 years ago, and the commentator gave me a whole sermon. The man shot the ball. There was, like, one second left on the shot clock. The guy who shot missed, but then it hit the backboard.
Ten years ago in the NBA, if you got the offensive rebound after missing a shot, the shot clock would reset to 24 seconds. You don't get it. It means you missed that one, but if you get that ball back in your hands… I believe God brought somebody to church today so you could get this ball back in your hands. I know you missed some in '23, but this is '24. When he got the ball back, the announcer said, "He gets a new 24". I thought I would announce to somebody who came to church on the first Sunday of the new year, which happens to be 2024… He woke you up this morning. He started you on your way. He clothed you in your right mind. He gave you the breath of life. You've got a new 24! Twenty-four! What's it for? I'm going to shoot this thing. "In days to come…" I have to break this thing down. "I'm not drinking today. I'm not looking at it today. I'm not hooking up with them today. I'm not complaining about it today, because this is the day the Lord has made".
Maybe you can't even face the day with confidence, so let's break it down a little more. Say, "I got a new 24". What if you open your mouth when you wake up tomorrow and say, "Thank you, Lord, for a new 24"? You know what would really frustrate the Devil? If you missed the last shot the last day, if you really screwed it up the day before, and you wake up and see that shot clock in your life. "Ooh! God must not be done with me, because I got a new 24. Yeah, I got a new 24, so I'm taking the shot today. Everything I did that wasn't like God is covered by the blood of Jesus. I got a new 24". When he said, "In that day," and then in verse 6 he said, "In days to come," I realized the way we're going to be where we want to be at the end of '24 is 24 at a time. I feel God on this message. I don't even want to do my second two points because I feel God right here. He left you here because there is fruit still to come forth from your life. That's why you got a new 24.
Once in a while this year you're going to have one of those days. Not a bad hair day but an "All hell breaks loose" day, and it's 7:30 a.m. So, if you can't just break it down to the day, break it down to the breath. Next breath. Next breath. He said, "Israel will bud and blossom and bring forth fruit". Do you know how you bring forth fruit and bud and blossom? One breath at a time. You can take the next breath and the next. I Googled before I came, "How many breaths does the average person take in one day"? It said between 17,000 and 30,000. I figured somewhere in the average is 24,000. So, look at me, children of Zion. If 24 hours is too much for you to face, you have 24,000 breaths to reset. I was praying one time before I preached. I prayed that that moment would be a reset for everybody who came in the room that day who all week long has felt like, "I can't breathe. I can't move. I can't do it". The Lord says, "In that day…"
It's amazing how we can be in a day God gave us and not recognize it as a gift. Have you ever noticed that? I guess that's my third R: recognize. You'd better recognize. If you don't recognize it, you'll regret it. We went to Atlanta to watch Graham wrestle last weekend, and it was so crowded in that gym. As a matter of fact, it was so wonderful to watch him wrestle that I just looked at Holly and said, "One day, we'll look at these crowded gyms with dirty, sweaty wrestling boys filling the air with the fragrance of athleticism and knee pads and wrestling shoes". Looking all around, I said, "We're going to look back and say, 'Those were the days.'" So, why not just shift it and say it right when you're in it? "These are the days". Somebody say, "This is that day". God brought you here. Don't you ever let the pain or the pressure make you forfeit the grace of the day. That's why I stand here sometimes.
I'm not pausing right now because I don't know what to say next. I'm taking it in. This is the day. This is that day. You understand, I prayed that this church would happen. God built this church. To see these many people gather, to have this level of ministry influence, to be able to preach to your life is something I saw from age 16. "One day when…" Then you're in it, and you don't recognize it. What I want you to understand about every day you will have this year, and just 24 at a time… I'm going deeper next week, because the Lord is really using this to penetrate somebody's worry. Somebody is out of balance, and God is bringing you back to it right now. By the way, this word will not last you until next January. You need daily time in the presence of God. So, we recognize these moments when we're in them, and we say, "Wait. This is that day".
Now, it's hard to know it when you're in it. That's why the fourth thing I want to give you is to get you to reframe it. Look at verse 6. I think this one was the one that spoke to me the most of all of them, because it sounds like God is talking about two different people and two different processes. He says, "In days to come…" Now we've gone from one day to multiple days, from the present circumstance to the future promise. "In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit". He's talking about the nation of Israel from whom the Messiah came that blessed the whole world and took the gospel even to the Gentiles. That's what he's talking about. He's talking about Jesus. Watch the application. He says, "Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom". You know what I'm learning more and more about these years and seasons and paths God gives us? You're going to have both of those kinds of days, and you are going to feel like both of those people. See, Jacob and Israel are not two different people.
In the Bible, a man named Jacob became the father of the tribes that would be the nation of Israel. When God changed Jacob, he changed his name. He said, "You used to be called Jacob, but now your name is Israel". Jacob means deceiver. That's who Jacob was. Israel means prince with God, because he struggled with God and with men and overcame. Is that not a picture of what it feels like to be you on any one given day? Doesn't it depend what somebody thinks of you on what day they meet you on? How many of you have Jacob days that still happen in your life? Is there one honest person in the whole church? I need to zip up my jacket. I feel exposed with all of you fake people. Have you ever had an Israel calling but a Jacob day, where it just feels like a total flashback, a total relapse? A new name and a new nature do not automatically give way to new habits. I want you to notice that he says, "Jacob will take root". Verse 6: "Israel will bud and blossom and fill the world with fruit".
One of them is going down. One of them is going up. I will have some down days this year. I expect that, just like I expect to be blessed. I will have some days where I can barely get out of the bed. In fact, some of us might have already had one, and we're just getting this wonderful year started. I will have some down days where I can't find one thing to feel good about, but I will not allow the down days to define me anymore past this point. Let it be written. Let it be done, forever and ever, amen. Just because I have a Jacob day doesn't mean I don't have an Israel purpose. "What are you trying to say, Furtick"? Don't let the down days fool you. The down days are the days where God is getting you grounded so that when he brings you up… The down days exist so you appreciate the great days. So, do not let the Devil tell you for one minute, "Oh, it's just going to be one of those years. Oh, it's just going to be one of those days".
I want you to reclaim your day and let the Enemy know, "Even the down days are working my root system so I will be ready for the fruit God wants me to bear". Do you believe that? You have to reframe it where you say, "Oh, it's one of those days". It's always one of those days. It's a growing day, and it's a gross day. The roots are in the soil, in the dirt. That's the gross day. Then the fruit is coming forth, and it's growing. Which one will you focus on this day? I promise you that this is that day. Don't be surprised when the biggest fights come at the moments of the greatest fruit. They come in the same day. You are in a great day. "In days to come, my roots are going to grow deeper. My fruit is going to stretch farther".
I believe whatever you're going through right now that you would not choose God will use in your life to produce fruit you cannot even imagine with your mind in accordance with Ephesians 3:20. I believe that on the days where you choose to believe, "Oh, this is a root day…" "This is not a fruit day. I can't feel God today, but he's with me today". This is the great integration of your life. Quit saying it was a good day, a bad day, a good week, a bad week, a good year, or a bad year. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". Choose this day whom you will serve. You got a new 24, baby. You got 24,000 breaths today. Doesn't God deserve at least a few of them to praise him with? You haven't opened your mouth all year to praise God. Do it now! "I'm going to get this one-day win". You won today. You won. Even if you kick the cat when you get home, you won. You came to church today. I mean, don't do it, but if you did… You got this word today.
Every time you hear the Word of God, it's like seed being sown into your heart. Are you good ground? God gave you a new 24. God gave you another year to glorify him. Are you good ground? While we're waiting for "One day when," God is saying, "No. Just win one day". One breath. We can all do that. I didn't tell you to run a marathon this year. I said, "One-day win". Walk around the block tonight. One-day win. Read one chapter of Scripture today before you go to bed. Isaiah 27. "I already did it. I'm ahead of you, Preacher". I read it to you. You read it by yourself. This is your year. You know how preachers say, "This is your year"? I want to say, "This is that day". What year you're going to be in… I'm going to do it. I'm going to go on my YouTube this week and finish this message for you from the Basin. I have more I want to say. I can't get it out right now. More than that, can we build some consistency in our lives and in our patterns this year so we don't put God's house like an "If everything else gets done, I'll show up to church" type item on our list?
Trees don't fill the world with fruit that way, and you won't be filled with peace that way, and you won't be able to make your mark that way either. The Bible says God will guard you day and night, and he will water you consistently so that you bud and blossom, but you have to be planted in the right place. To all of you who are planted in this ministry, I stand in agreement with you this year that this is that day. I don't know what job you're going to be working at the end of the year. I don't know who is or who isn't going to be on your favorites list in your phone. I don't know what will or won't be hurting in your body this year, but one thing we know: we got a new 24. Lamentations 3:21 says, "This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning".
Put your hands like this to God so he can give you the ball. Stand up on your feet. Get ready to take this shot. You got a new 24. This is a bounce-back moment for you. This is a rebound Sunday for you. We don't need a New Year's resolution until we get a rebound to realize he gave us this day. Thank you for this 24, God. Thank you for this fruit that will come forth. Thank you for these roots that have grown down deep. Thank you that our roots have weathered the storm. Our relationship with you is still intact. Our hope is still built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Say, "I got a new 24, and I offer you this day, Lord. This is the day you have made".
The Lord is saying that for somebody, this is the day of your salvation. This is that day for you to place your faith in Jesus. This is that day for you to make a commitment to be a follower of Christ and receive his grace in your life. Right now, I want to lead you in a prayer. Wherever you're watching from… If you're in a building or you're watching online, it doesn't matter. The Bible says a man named Zacchaeus heard Jesus was passing his way, and he climbed up in a tree to see Jesus. Jesus said to Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector and a short man who was at a disadvantage and in ill repute, "Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree. Today I'm coming to your house".
I believe Jesus is passing your way right now. This is that day. He wants to come into your house, your heart, your habits, your life, and give you a new hope and a future and forgiveness of your sin. Right now, we're going to pray a prayer out loud as a church family for the benefit of those who are coming to God or coming back to God as a rededication. If you pray this by faith… The Bible says that by grace we are saved through faith. God will hear you, and he will save you this day. Today is the day. Repeat after me.
Heavenly Father, today is my day of salvation. Today I give you my heart. I believe you sent your Son Jesus Christ to die for my sin. I believe he rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. This is my new beginning. On the count of three, shoot your hand up if you prayed that.
One, two, three. Online let us know right now. "I'm receiving Jesus. This is my day. This is my moment. This is my turnaround. This is my moment. This is my day. This is my turnaround". Let's give God great praise in the house! This is that day. You'll look back on that day and say, "That was the day I decided". Make some noise if you're glad you came to church today. This is that day. I will put part 2 on my YouTube for you this week. I will plan, God willing and the creek don't rise, to be back here next Sunday with part 3. It's going to be an amazing year, and all you have to do is win one day. Thank you, Jesus. Y'all let me know in the comments what you're going to win one day. Not one day when; what you're going to win one day. I want to hear about it. We want to pray for you, believe with you. Grab hands with the person next to you. That way nobody can leave during my closing prayer.
Father, I thank you. I bless you because you've flowed to us today in power and in strength. You nourished us today. You gave us something on Sunday that we can do on Monday. We don't have to leave our faith in this place. We're taking it with us. Into the battles against Leviathan we're taking our faith. We're taking your Word. We're taking a sword. Into our tomorrow we're taking a song. We're singing about a fruitful vineyard. We're taking root, and we are bearing much fruit. In Jesus' name I pray. And now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than you ask or imagine, to him be glory through Christ Jesus in the church now and forevermore. In the name of Jesus, amen.